#i’ll work on impera ritual gifs

[mulderfx]

Okay we have been moots for a long time and Ilysm but can you PLEASE explain Ghost to me. I've tried trying to figure it out read all the Wikipedia etc but I can't figure it out. Do the members of this group go through ritualistic cycles of sacrifice and rebirth for their characters or do they rotate casts every few years like a kpop band? There are all these side characters? All this lore? I get that every album is a concept but it seems a lot more in depth than that and it seems really interesting but, bestie, I am literally sat here like

Every time you make a ghost post and I am BURNING WITH CURIOSITY

SCREAM ily2 okay i’ll try my best to explain!! and also you have three options with ghost, as many fans will tell you: you take the lore as Ghost Scripture (ie super seriously), you dabble in lore and make it fit where you want for your own theory/belief of Ghost, or you simply just vibe and adore Ghost as is, minimal lore involvement.

Lore wise, the band originated with Papa Nihil (aka Papa Emeritus) in the late 60s (may have the date wrong?) with the Seven Inches of Satanic Panic album—real world wise Ghost only released a EP of this album as a “re-release,” which is where Mary On A Cross comes from, if you’re on tiktok a lot you’ve probably heard the song.

Real world wise, Ghost started with Papa I in 2010, at least I think that’s when the album dropped, if you talk about literal formation idk the year. Each album there has been a new Papa (1-3), all from the same Emeritus bloodline. Papa I and 2 ascended to Satanic Pope Status because, as far as i’ve understood, it was just time to pass the torch per the Satantic Clergy demands. Real world wise, I think it’s just because Tobias (the actual front-runner/singer of the band, the guy behind the paint if you will) likes to keep evolving his sound and looks. He himself said he gets bored easily, so with each new album Ghost gets 1) new concept and thus “new” sound and 2) new Papa.

In relation to your question about rituals and sacrifices, this is the main contention and debate by fans and Tobias himself to an extent since he’s relatively silent on it LMAO. So, as I’ve said, each album = new Papa from the Emeritus Bloodline. At the end of Papa IIIs tour for his Meliora album, he was dragged off stage during his concert and subsequently killed, along with his brothers Papa I and Papa II. No one knows exactly why. Many speculate that Sister Imperator (Nihil’s lover during the Satanic Panic era, former lover as of current lore) ordered to have them all killed. Long story short, Nihil cheated on her ass and she said bye, bitch. Clergy wise and currently, she still works alongside Nihil for the Ghost Project; so, she was like “I have the perfect candidate.” Enter Cardinal Copia!! Copia had his album cycle for Prequelle. He gets promoted to Papa regency afterwards, thus granting another album— the current Impera album. He is the first Papa to have two cycles, so many fans speculate he IS a part of the Emeritus bloodline. This sect of fans think Sister Imperator (get it…ImperaTOUR for the Impera album cycle…) was pregnant with Copia when she left Nihil’s dusty, crusty ass 😤 Many fans also believe that he isn’t Nihil’s son. Tobias has neither confirmed nor denied outright, but during the imperaTOUR rituals (ie concerts) Papa says “this is a song that my Papa used to sing.” Many people say this is evidence enough of Copia being his son, but maybe he’s just calling Nihil by his title, as he has done in Ghost’s Youtube Chapter (Lore) videos.

And finally, the “cast” itself doesn’t really change, but it did once. Tobias has always been Papa/Ghost singer. His identity was supposed to be kept low profile, but the band had a big inside lawsuit between members, namely Tobias vs the Ghouls. Long story short, post-lawsuit Tobias remained (as Ghost is His project) and the ghouls were replaced—I can’t remember who exactly but there is a mega thread on reddit about it. The current Ghouls have been the same since that lawsuit, and their identities were also kept low profile until the beginning of the Impera tour. Fun side not: some suspect the ghouls are gonna overthrow Copia at the end of 2023 tour cycle. Who knows.

Tobias is so fucking smart: lyrically, conceptually, textbook, etc. But he’s also so fucking goofy that his lore straddles the line of being serious and complex AND soooo fucked up and ambiguous, just the way I love it. Everything is open for interpretation, even when it’s not, the goal is just to have fun. This band is about Satanism, but not in the Metal Elitist™️ way. It’s about the worst of mankind, but it’s also about the best. I really don’t know how to explain Ghost in its actuality, satanism wise, other than really suggesting you listen to Tobias explain it in his own words in this interview compilation. honestly any tobias interview is just great. he’s so insightful.

if i didn’t answer your question(s) right, let me know! i word vomited, but I tried to reel it in. please forgive me sjdndksn edit: oh fuck the album concepts. basically tobias is three steps ahead and already has concepts picked out each cycle and yeah they kind of flow together but they can be stand alones. redirecting back to my statement of tobias making ghost both complex and ambiguous at all times.