#skeleta

Did I tell you how much I hate liars who act as if they’re arbiters of an entire fandom?

I really hate this arrogant asshole in particular. Because he’s man-splaining how someone else’s music is “supposed to be,” and how the loosey-goosey lore from said music is “supposed to be.”

Like who you do think you are??

He would never say this to another fan’s face, I bet.

(More below the screenshot. 367 likes? I hate Twitter so much.)

I didn’t bother responding to him, because he’ll just lie that: “you’re proving my point with your disagreement! You don’t appreciate the band like I do! You’re so media illiterate!!”

This incorrigible imbecile deliberately leaves out the fact that Copia/Papa IV was mocking Trump & his accomplices in the song Twenties. This particular song is mocking how corrupt and miserable the political climate is, and always will be.

In the song Griftwood, he (Copia/Papa IV/Mr. Forge himself) mocked the former Vice President, and various political + religious lickspittles. The lyrics can actually apply to so many evil men and women.

Papa III (Terzo) straight up insulted Trump several times on stage while the former was touring.

. . . The smarmy little Twitter prick likely listened to Cirice first, and assumed that every single Ghost song after that has the same themes/motifs.

He likely resents that Skeleta is primarily about feelings and the acceptance of death (the closing song Excelsis is about the latter, anyway).

As a staunch atheist, I’d much rather have a story involving rejection/reversal of Christianity than a mirror or simulacrum of that abusive, barbaric, hypocritical, sadistic religion.

“Wait a minute!! WHY aren’t fans portraying Ghost and Papa (0, II, III, IV, V, ) as an evil sadistic religious cult?! They’re supposed to be abusive monsters like vindictive Christian reactionaries are!!! They’re not supposed to be a subversion of what self-righteous Christians thought of in the Satanic Panic delusions/mass hysteria!!”

—the worst *fans* on Twitter (the everything app!)

Sister Imperator ordered her 3 stepsons murdered in the 3rd chapter video, then she manipulated Copia/Papa IV ‘til her own death. I guess that’s not evil or sleazy enough regarding characters these days.

Is there a word or term for this attitude?

“Crabs in a bucket” and “en-shittification” don’t quite fit here.

I’m sure that Twitter loser will complain about the movie when it’s out, then he’ll whine that Ghost hasn’t released any covers, or their next album years from now, and—

You really don’t need every single shirt or miscellaneous piece of merch with a band’s name on it.

As for music, I hope that Ghost’s next album in several years will be a deliberately pessimistic yarn about how almost everyone is eventually forgotten after death, an empty uncaring universe or something, &/or a senseless universe full of eldritch horrors, I dunno.

…Whatever makes insufferable people angrier.

I hate fandom twitter.

Sorry that I’m asking you to repeat yourself.

Yeah, sure! I think the biggest thing was that for people who were unable to go to rituals, they had NO idea wtf was going on this tour cycle. They got crumbs, at best, and then they got caught reusing those crumbs instead of footage from the actual ritual covered in that episode. Until my own first Skeletour ritual, I was completely ambivalent towards Perpetua. I couldn't connect with him at all. I couldn't get any sort of read on him, because damn near the only way to see his personality and stage presence was to actually be there. I can't imagine how weird it must have felt not having any clue what this Papa is like because you never got to see it.

Speaking of stage presence, a lot of people have said that even after attending rituals, they felt really distant and weird about Perpetua because everything was so micro-polished and rehearsed, with minimal talking. A word I've seen used a lot is "clinical". I totally understand that it's probably a lot easier to do the same show over and over every night if you've got it extremely well rehearsed. A production that elaborate probably has to be run like a well-oiled machine so that it doesn't go off the rails and fall into chaos. But idk, I just feel like there was definitely room to fit in more talking to the crowd, which is something a lot of fans stated they missed. I do remember seeing something somewhere before the tour started that there would be much less stopping to address the audience, though. If Tobias is tired of it, ok, fair enough. But some people are inevitably going to feel some type of way about that change. It happens.

And the biggest thing I've seen and heard is that for some people, Ghost began to feel entirely inaccessible unless you were rich and American. Granted, plenty of people who aren't rich got tickets, myself included, but in the current global economy, shit is ROUGH. I personally had a friend who lived in southern Europe who started off at least a little hopeful that maybe a "world tour" meant they might at least come to a neighboring country they could visit, like Italy. Because the average wage in their country was relatively low, especially when converted, they would have to save up well in advance. As time passed and the chances of them announcing shows anywhere other than the UK and America shrank, they grew increasingly despondent. Angry. Bitter. Due to shipping costs and, again, conversion rates, not even merch was accessible. They felt completely excluded, like there was no way they could even participate in the fandom. From what little I've seen of them around the internet in the last year, they seem to have left the fandom entirely.

I'm sure these aren't the only things that have pushed some fans away. Now, I don't want anyone to think that I'm being negative. That's not the case. I get the urge to stick up for your favorite band against "hate" and get defensive when you hear criticism. I really do! I think there was a lot of good this cycle. A lot of really cool stuff happened; it brought a lot of people happiness, and it was a fantastic opportunity for the community to come together, especially at rituals! I have found more friendship and a sense of belonging through the Ghost fan community than I have ever experienced anywhere else. Y'all are my people.

But ignoring the bad experiences some fans have had due to how different this album cycle was is inconsiderate. When this many people are all saying the same thing, calling them whiny, entitled haters is just being willfully ignorant. Listen to what other people are saying. Hear them out. Unless it's Twitter lmao, don't listen to a damn word you read on there. Just delete the app, for your own sanity.

Like you used to be

Wherever I go, you're always there

Riding next to me

I just think we’re cute 🥰