#the singing clergyman

[gummigvts]

I bloody love Trevor Henderson.

More specifically my favourites at the moment are the Singing Clergyman, God of Roadkill and good old Longhorse. Like Sirenhead is cool too but there's just something about these 3 that just hits different. I mean Singing Clergyman is probably just my love of religion-based horror, God of Roadkill the premise is just cool and also bones. I have no explanation for Longhorse.

Images of them below, if you don't like horror don't look.

[gabessquishytum]

You know, I bet Hob really likes dancing. He probably grew up with folk dance and a fair amount of pageantry in his early life. And as time goes on and he doesn't age, music and dance are things that stay with him. It's part of theatre and friendship and family life, he dances with his wife and he balances his baby son against his hip and bounces him to the sound of a lute.

And then he doesn't dance for a very long time, thanks to grief and puritanism. By the time he's ready to hear music and think joyful thoughts there are assembly rooms and balls, new dances to learn. He can gather his friends together in his own home and see their smiling faces. He can sing in duet with the blushing clergyman's daughter.

Someone invents the Waltz and suddenly, dancing is about touching again. It's the feeling of another person pressed close, and the intensity of the eye contact, and its a miracle that Hob makes it of the ballrooms alive with all the girls who want him on their dance cards.

Hob dances with a lot of girls, during and in between the two world wars. They press their faces into his shoulder and he holds them close, like he could somehow protect them from everything that is to come. Those same girls lose their brothers and fiancés and Hob still remains, always ready with a handkerchief and a kind word.

The first time Hob really dances with a man it's the 60s, and music is stranger than ever, and dancing isn't quite the same, but it doesn't matter, because the drugs are excellent. It means nothing at all to feel a man's arms wound around his neck and hot breath on his cheek. And Hob dances his way through the 70s and 80s and comes to terms with the fact that he loves women and men, and maybe one man in particular.

In the 90s he starts going to raves, and God if 1300s him heard the music he'd probably die on the spot but Hob loves it, loves the way his bones shake under the bass and the illicit nature of the whole thing. He nearly gets arrested so many times but somehow that just makes it even better. He kisses goth boys in the back of his car in the afternoon and at night he drives out into the countryside to whatever field or warehouse in about to be changed forever by thousands of moving bodies all entranced by the same sound.

In the present, The New Inn hosts live bands on Friday nights, and Hob works the bar while he watches. The bands are usually amateurs, but they're earnest and passionate. Hob hums along to the music as he passes out drinks. One particular Friday night he hires a really good folk band who play all the traditional tunes with a twist (think Bellowhead with a few less band members). A few customers get up to dance, and the rest are clapping or stamping their feet. A figure in black materialises next to Hob’s left elbow and watches the scene, and Hob says I bet you're not a bad dancer and Dream says ah, but you're never going to find out. And Hob laughs, puts an arm around Dream’s shoulders and sways him to the beat of the fiddle, and Dream pretends that he isn’t smiling and swaying of his own accord anyway.

And Hob remembers why he really likes to dance.

[foolishlovers]

priest fics? please and thank you.

here are some good omens priest aus i enjoyed 💜

[You can request more fic recs here.]

All The Lights That Light The Way by FeralTuxedo (E, 8k) On the run from a disastrous work Christmas party, Anthony Crowley encounters an angel singing in the streets of Soho.

Communicatio in Sacris by voluptatiscausa (E, 10k) “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been one year since my last confession. These are my sins.” There’s a slight pause. “Gosh. Give me a moment. I knew I should have made up a list, this happens every year. Forget my own head next. Ah, yes. Hmm. Now you may want to get comfortable.”   Communicatio in sacris: communion in sacred things. Also translated as 'worship in common'.

Entailed by FeralTuxedo (E, 18k) Anthony Crowley, a single gentleman of seven-and-forty and guardian to two unmarried sisters, is awaiting the arrival of the young clergyman who is set to inherit his estate. A marriage between him and one of the Miss Crowleys would be advantageous for both. But Mr Fell has other plans.

in your own time by ineffabildaddy (E, 33k) Aziraphale and Crowley grew up together as next-door neighbours on Hogback Lane, classmates at the local Catholic school, and inseparable best friends. By the age of eighteen, both were hopelessly in love with the other, despite the knowledge that they were doomed to live apart, as Crowley aimed to pursue university study in London and Aziraphale committed himself to remaining in Tadfield, dedicating his life to the Church. After almost twenty years spent away from his hometown, renowned botanist Crowley decides to come and visit Tadfield again at a moment's notice; the purpose of his visit is to speak at a Careers Day for the school he and Aziraphale, now a beloved priest and a frequent helper at the school, attended. The twenty-four hours that follow will change both of their lives for ever.

The Sometimes Wife by AgentStannerShipper (E, 74k) It is a truth universally acknowledged that older brothers are the worst. As the youngest of three children, Parson Aziraphale Fell has been given an ultimatum: find a wife, or lose the family's support. The only problem? Aziraphale has never looked at a woman that way in his life. His attention has instead been captured by the family gardener, a beautiful young man who holds Aziraphale's heart in his hands. But when a mysterious newcomer arrives in the village, Aziraphale finds himself falling - quite unexpectedly - for her as well. Aziraphale knows he will have to choose. After all, it's not as if he can have both…can he?

[mariana-oconnor]

The Devil's Foot pt 1

Gonna go ahead and assume that no actual devil's make an appearance in this one. So... maybe a location? Maybe a statue or artwork of some kind?

We shall find out.

Oh, its in Cornwall. I feel like it's going to be a geographical location, then. There are loads of places called stuff like that in the more rural parts of the British Isles.

It was, then, with considerable surprise that I received a telegram from Homes last Tuesday—he has never been known to write where a telegram would serve—in the following terms: Why not tell them of the Cornish horror—strangest case I have handled.

This is a personal request from Holmes himself? But Holmes, you know he's not going to write it how you want him to write it. You know you're going to complain he sensationalised it too much. He's going to focus on the narrative rather than the technique.

In March of that year Dr. Moore Agar, of Harley Street, whose dramatic introduction to Holmes I may some day recount...

I bet he pretended to be a corpse and then jump-scared the poor bastard.

The ancient Cornish language had also arrested his attention...

Sometimes I feel Sherlock Holmes in my soul. Yes. Linguistic studies and evolution of language. I'm pretty sure he's wrong about its evolution, because it's in the same language family as Welsh and Breton, but this is exactly what I would do if I were sent to Cornwall. Walk around admiring the history and study the language.

He was a middle-aged man, portly and affable, with a considerable fund of local lore. [...] also, Mr. Mortimer Tregennis, an independent gentleman [...] taking rooms in his large, straggling house. The vicar, being a bachelor, was glad to come to such an arrangement, though he had little in common with his lodger, who was a thin, dark, spectacled man, with a stoop which gave the impression of actual, physical deformity.

We go from a pleasant and surprisingly unhorny description of a person to a 'really Watson?' description again. And that's not even mentioning the "lodger? lodger. and in conclusion, lodger." of it all.

"We can only regard it as a special Providence that you should chance to be here at the time, for in all England you are the one man we need.” I glared at the intrusive vicar with no very friendly eyes

Watson is on guard dog duty. Don't you dare interfere with Holmes' recovery.

I glanced at the hastily clad clergyman, with the formally dressed lodger seated beside him, and was amused at the surprise which Holmes's simple deduction had brought to their faces.

Watson trying to pretend he's always been able to work out Holmes' deductions and never been surprised a day in his life.

"This morning, being an early riser, he walked in that direction before breakfast and was overtaken by the carriage of Dr. Richards, who explained that he had just been sent for on a most urgent call to Tredannick Wartha."

Oh no! Poisoning? Was it poisoning? I don't know why my mind went to poisoning. Something about a doctor being called rather than the police, but then if someone had been stabbed and wasn't dead yet, you'd call a doctor too, so... My mind is just jumping to conclusions.

Who is it? Who's dead. Owen, George, or Brenda?

"His two brothers and his sister were seated round the table exactly as he had left them, the cards still spread in front of them and the candles burned down to their sockets. The sister lay back stone-dead in her chair, while the two brothers sat on each side of her laughing, shouting, and singing, the senses stricken clean out of them."

Alas, poor Brenda.

Is the poison in the candles? Or on the cards? Or in the drinks.

Poor Mortimer, though. And you're being so rude about him, Watson. Guy's just been through a hugely traumatic event. Although, I suppose by the time you're writing this it's been 13 years and he knows what happened, but still. Have some compassion for the poor man.

Is foot a card term? I don't play much cards. Not a geographical feature then.

"I take it you were divided in some way from your family, since they lived together and you had rooms apart?”

I mean, the mind immediately jumps to it being because he's gay and living with a man, but I know this story will not go there. So... money, perhaps?

"We were a family of tin-miners at Redruth, but we sold our venture to a company, and so retired with enough to keep us. I won't deny that there was some feeling about the division of the money and it stood between us for a time, but it was all forgiven and forgotten, and we were the best of friends together.”

Yep, money. And were you really the best of friends together? Were you?

“As we sat at the table my back was to the window, and my brother George, he being my partner at cards, was facing it. I saw him once look hard over my shoulder, so I turned round and looked also."

I have the strangest recollection of this scene. I think I must be remembering the Granada version of it.

Then we turned our steps towards this ill-omened house in which they had met their strange fate.

OK, this is very creepy so far. The fact they were all sitting exactly where he left them (according to him) the sudden madness, the death. Very creepy. Looking forward to what happens next.

[profanepurity]

can we see Lilith and Lucifer’s full designs

Absolutely 🖤

These designs aren’t solidified yet, but I do have some little doodles. I’d like to actually incorporate a few of the Lords of Hell into Praeteritum later down the line 👀

More after the cut!

My working idea for Lucifer right now is staying very true to the “fallen Angel” image of him. His clothes are inspired by those really ornament Cardinal Bishop cassocks and capes. Since he used to be a Seraphim I wanted him to look like a high clergyman, which is sort of what he would have been in heaven. But I was scream singing From the Pinnacle to the Pit in the car earlier, as one does, and thought of Lucifer with blood eternally running down his face (and maybe his eyes idk yet) like a never healing head wound. Puts a meaning to “you will wear your independence like a crown” when you think about the blood like a “crown” from gaining his independence- by his skull hitting the ground when he finally reached the pit. Lucifer is shockingly always “around” the church, liking to move undetected among the siblings of sin and observe his little followers. So looking like any other clergyman at a glance is helpful, if he masks the wings of course.

My working idea for Lucifer right now is staying very true to the “fallen Angel” image of him. His clothes are inspired by those really ornament Cardinal Bishop cassocks and capes. Since he used to be a Seraphim I wanted him to look like a high clergyman, which is sort of what he would have been in heaven. But I was scream singing From the Pinnacle to the Pit in the car earlier, as one does, and thought of Lucifer with blood eternally running down his face (and maybe his eyes idk yet) like a never healing head wound. Puts a meaning to “you will wear your independence like a crown” when you think about the blood like a “crown” from gaining his independence- by his skull hitting the ground when he finally reached the pit. Lucifer is shockingly always “around” the church, liking to move undetected among the siblings of sin and observe his little followers. So looking like any other clergyman at a glance is helpful, if he masks the wings of course.

Lilith’s design is basically an abridged Virgin Mary. Lucifer likes to affectionately refer to her as The Unholy Mother, and she actually fits that pretty well. Lilith is a very celebrated and worshiped demon within the church. Her presence is very soothing and affectionate towards her siblings of sin, so long as they don’t anger her. She is actually just as involved in guiding the Papas as Lucifer and Satanas.

In my previous post you guys seemed to really like these two doing baby dedications together, and I thought that adorable. Once both parents within the church are ready, they will go through the ceremony of “dedicating” their child to Lucifer and Lilith as a ritualistic blessing, usually led by one of the Papas. Lilith is very protective of children, while Lucifer has more a Uh- “you better learn how to swim you little shit, but I’ll still catch you if you start actually sinking” approach with kiddos. Primo has experienced that with Lucifer pretty much his entire life lol.

[her-satanic-wiles]

i be like 'being a closeted queer in catholic school never affected me whatsoever' and then ascend to a superior plane of existence when i hear ghost's cover of it's a sin

and also have violent blasphemous sexual fantasies about that rat dork satanic clergyman but that's just called having taste tbh

-french anon

No, but actually though.

Although, Sympathy for the Devil will always be my favourite cover for a plethora of reasons. The first, Tobias greatly improved the song - holy shit. It's the Rolling Stones' song, yet somehow they butchered it? Especially in comparison. The second, I saw a comment underneath the video that said, and I quote: "when i hear mick sing this it's like the devil is dropping hints at who he his. when papa sings it it's like a list of accomplishments". And honestly, I think about that a lot.

But It's A Sin is fucking incredible, too. And Tobias is Midas on Earth. The male Kelly Clarkson. Every song he covers is so good, the original artists should just pack up and go home - time to retire lmao. If I was a musical artist, I'd live in fear every day that either Kelly Clarkson or the Satanic Rat Man would cover my songs, because I'd be out of a job the second that cover dropped.

I think we all have violent, blasphemous sexual fantasies about the rat dork satanic clergyman, let's be real. The things I would let that man do to me would require me to legally do 100 rounds of therapy before I'm allowed back into society, because Goddamn, they're filthy.

[volcanicmudbubbles]

Mansfield Park, chapter 11. Mary, Edmund and Fanny are sitting by the window chatting during a dinner party. The others are across the room laughing and singing.

Mary: I’d never marry a clergyman. They all turn into indolent, lazy men who live for their dinner.

Edmund smiles.

Mary: A clergyman has nothing to do but be slovenly and selfish—read the newspaper, watch the weather, and quarrel with his wife. His curate does all the work, and the business of his own life is to dine.

Edmund, smiling wider: You can’t know many clergymen, Mary. You’re just repeating what you heard your uncle say.

Mary: Edmund. I live with a clergyman. He never does anything for anyone, but talks only of his dinner — and if that dinner is not to his liking, he blames his wife. In fact I’m only here today because I couldn’t bear to hear another word about this evening’s green goose!

Edmund: You’re so cute when you argue.

Mary:

Fanny, turning to the window: Look how peaceful it is outside!

[blossomtide]

( ahn hyoseop, cis male, he/him) — one day the sea will sing of CYRUS MIHALIS, the thirty one year old priest from the town of cynefin. there will be verses about bloodied knuckles and torn skin, yellowing bruises next to new ones / faint light at the end of dark, long tunnel / an empty chapel with sunlight streaming in through the windows, a lone figure kneeling down with head bowed in silence / a hug so tight that it knocked air out of your lungs, desperate and remorseful enough it felt like you’ll never part again for another lifetime / a childhood memory of careful, gentle hands picking you up from the sofa as you sleep and carrying you to bed in the hums of their hymn, about a person who is trained in the magic of khemia. the land will know them as someone caring and attentive, but perhaps, you’ll hear the old crones hiss that they are stubborn and secretive. only the shadows of the ocean floor will bear witness to the truth. ╱ rae, 26, any pronouns, gmt +7.

Profile.

FULL NAME Cyrus Mihalis AGE Thirty-One BIRTH DATE August 1st GENDER & PRONOUNS He/Him ORIENTATION Demiromantic/sexual RELATIONSHIP STATUS Married

KHEMIA Anima OCCUPATION Priest (New Faith) CURRENT RESIDENCE Cynefin, Clwyd-isle

PARENTS Unknown SIBLINGS Unknown PARTNER Sion Lee (husband, alive) CHILDREN Ahri Lee (daughter, alive); Yuri Lee (daughter, alive)

HEIGHT 188cm / 6’2” WEIGHT 72kg / 159 lbs EYE COLOR Dark Brown HAIR COLOR Black SCARS Various scars all over his body. Usually wears long sleeved clothes to cover the ones on his arms

FACECLAIM Ahn Hyoseop CHARACTER INSPO Shiro Fujimoto (Blue Exorcist), Ja’far ( Magi), Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Qifrey (Witch Hat Atelier), Jesse Venetian/Jung Yuseo (When the Third Wheel Strikes Back)

Summary.

TW: mentions of violence.

- Started life as a street urchin/war orphan, was taken in by Sion Lee’s family when he was around 8 or so (probably, no one knew his real birthdate). Then they got separated a few years later. 

- Cyrus tried to find them and traveled to different regions, often earning money through mugging/pickpocketing and even entered street fighting rings in one region due to decent prize money for each win. It became a steady income for him that he thought of staying in that region for a while until he gathered decent funding to continue his search. 

- The local ringleader wasn't too pleased with him due to certain things and told their underlings to cripple him as he was tossed into some alley and left to die. A wandering pilgrim happened to pass by and saved him from the brink of death and took him in. 

- Years later he officially became a priest and was sent to Cynefin about 6 or 7 years ago. He’s not actually that devout but he knows better than to say this out loud. Cyrus is an agnostic but he’s not going to trample on those who have more specific belief, he’s come to terms that if some people can find comfort and hope in prayers, they should be allowed to do that in peace as long as it doesn’t harm themselves or others.  

- The pilgrim who saved him became his adoptive parent and they probably could guess his line of thought hence why Cyrus was sent to Cynefin. A person who’s flexible in his belief is probably more suited with the people there, though Cyrus (jokingly) thinks he’s just being demoted.

- Ends up reuniting with Sion Lee in Cynefin and they get married not long after with their twin daughters born in the following year. 

- Uses a prosthetic leg that his husband specifically made for him. Before he used one given by his adoptive parent but that old one was a lot more limiting than the one Sion made for him as he constantly tinkers with it to make it more comfortable for Cyrus. 

Personality.

- The Cyrus Mihalis of today is known by those around him as an amiable individual who wouldn’t hesitate to lend his help to those in need. He has a mild temperament, appearing to be a harmless clergyman who manages a small private orchard in his family home as his hobby. He can be found greeting people he meets with a gentle smile. His eyes become a lot livelier whenever he talks about his little family of four or when gardening comes up as a conversational topic. 

- He often uses his anima magic to aid those plagued with anxiety. He’d hold their hands and ask them to tell him their worries. As he listens to their woes, Cyrus would use his magic to help them to calm down and encourage them to find logical solutions together.

- Although he also cherishes his friends and neighbors, no one really knows what the young priest is truly like as Cyrus often tries to maintain a respectable distance between himself and other people.

Connections.

Tba.

[an-aura-about-you]

got this clergyman on Father Brown (not Father Brown) complaining that the song the girls are singing as they dance around the maypole sounds obscene and I'm talking to the screen like Buddy It's A Maypole. You Know What That's About Right????

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Today in Christian History

Today is Monday, February 19th, 2024. It is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; Because it is a leap year, 316 days remain until the end of the year.

1860: Viscount Dungannon moves a resolution condemning prayer meetings in the theatres of Southern England where revival services are booming.

1873: A longstanding edict against Christianity is revoked in Japan.

1886: Death at Longmeadow, Massachusetts, of Samuel Wolcott pictured above), a Congregational clergyman and author of numerous hymns, among them “Christ for the World We Sing.”

1930: Internationally-known evangelist and Bible expositor, Harry A. Ironside, is issued a unanimous call (which he will accept) to pastor the Moody Memorial Bible Church in Chicago.

1946: Death in Topeka, Kansas, of pastor Charles Monroe Sheldon, author of the popular Christian novel In His Steps, from which we get the phrase “What Would Jesus Do?”

1949: After trying unsuccessfully for many years to stifle Christianity, the government of Bulgaria passes a law acknowledging that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the traditional church of Bulgaria and inseparably united with its history.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Today is the Vernal Equinox (in the northern hemisphere, where I am) and it's also World Poetry Day.

So have one of my favorite poems from Emily Dickinson, which I think is appropriate for the occasion:

Some keep the Sabbath going to Church – I keep it, staying at Home – With a Bobolink for a Chorister – And an Orchard, for a Dome –

Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice – I, just wear my Wings – And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church, Our little Sexton – sings.

God preaches, a noted Clergyman – And the sermon is never long, So instead of getting to Heaven, at last – I’m going, all along.

The hymn for today's service:

[localcuttlefish]

I am in desperate need to know more about your FAITH oc. Please!

Oh yippee!! I’m happy someone is interested in him!!

Fun fact, Isaac Chandler originally started way over in Dead By Daylight! I got really into the game in 2020, and I decided to build him around the concept of using audio cues and geographical features to the player’s advantage. He had perks that would allow you to see the nearest two generators from the highest accessible point on the map, and features that make it easier to hide from killers by seeing where the sounds of their footsteps/voices come from.

I moved him to The Magnus Archives fandom in late 2020 or early 2021, and in that universe, he is an Avatar of The Desolation, marked by The Dark. I started to write a statement for him, but it’s yet to be completed.  

He ended up being rebranded for Bloodborne in July of 2022, in which he is the antithesis of Ludwig the Accursed and Holy Blade. I wanted to see what I could do about making a character that specializes in misdirection instead of head-on savage attack.

In October of 2022, I remade him for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, basically turning him into the Antichrist. A human shadow sorcerer with an acolyte background. I intend to multiclass him a few levels into either bard or paladin depending on how his character arc plays out. 

When I rediscovered Faith: The Unholy Trinity a few months ago, I knew I wanted to rebrand Isaac again. So, I now bestow unto you, his backstory below the cut!

Backstory TLDR: Adopted into an evangelical family, but the family didn’t know his genetic predisposition to synesthesia, so they fed into a delusion of The Holy Spirit until it was no longer convenient, at which point Isaac snapped and burned down a church. 

CW FOR: Complications during childbirth, emotionally manipulative parents, evangelical parents, mentions of cult grooming, murder, delusion, panic attacks, 80’s-typical medical malpractice, negligence of mental illness.

Isaac was born in Rouen, France to Henrietta Lambros, a skilled musician who also had synesthesia like him. However, she had witnessed the gruesome death of her husband, Jehan Lambros, a mere nine hours prior, and this event sent her into shock and premature labor, which led to the loss of her life almost immediately after Isaac was born.

Isaac grew up in the care of the church for the first three years of his life because his uncle (and now legal guardian), Victor Chantel, happened to be a clergyman, but as soon as Victor had the chance, Victor kidnapped Isaac and brought him to America. Victor was a member of the Order of the Second Death in disguise, who believed Isaac may prove useful in a future ritual because of his circumstances. This cultist did not get very far in America before being apprehended by law enforcement personnel due to suspicious activity, and the truth of the cultist’s intentions spilled out quickly. Being that Isaac’s legal guardian had been arrested, Isaac was immediately put into the US foster care system.

He was officially adopted by Abraham and Sarah Chandler in Connecticut when he was four years old, but he wasn’t out of the hot water yet. Abraham and Sarah were incredibly devout to the Roman Catholic Church, and quickly imposed their beliefs on Isaac. Being in a vulnerable state, Isaac internalized their evangelical preaching, and began applying this lens of belief to everything he did. Since he was still too young to be enrolled in a Catholic school yet, his new parents send him to a nearby daycare for early education until they could reasonably get him into Catholic school.

The daycare taught him things. Like how to sing strange words in other languages, and laugh along with the man in red who visited every now and then. Isaac had been marked by the Order of the Second Death.

But lucky for him, his evangelical parents were very quick to send him to a private school the second he turned five. As Isaac grew, he developed a certain liking for music and music theory, citing the doves and pigeons singing being the reason as to why. Shockingly enough, his parents fostered this hobby into a full blown passion by encouraging him to join church choir. He was a prodigy of sorts, taking liberty to harmonize and using every chance he got to learn how to write and play music. The organist and choirmaster loved him for his enthusiasm and devotion to the craft and to the church.

Isaac claimed that The Holy Spirit was helping him write, though. At first, the adults in his life entertained this thought and encouraged him to follow the guidance. In reality, this was not The Holy Spirit at all. This was Isaac’s synesthesia manifesting as colors of sound, but warped by the dark powers of The Order of the Second Death’s influence on him. His synesthesia became almost fantastical and impossibly whimsical, taking shapes of sparks of fire and dancing lights and swirling smoke appearing before his eyes. Far, far different than any typical manifestation of synesthesia.

It corrupted his mind slowly as he grew up, still clinging to the idea that he was chosen by The Holy Spirit to see its ineffable plans. Once he was ten, his parents stopped entertaining his fantasy, and instead viewed his insistence as heretical or blasphemous. He was punished in progressively more severe ways for each time he tried to convince his parents he was telling the truth about what he was seeing. His thoughts grew darker and darker, but he progressed through school, still attending choir, still learning to play and write music. He was given medication to stop his “psychosis”, and conditioned by at least two or three different therapists, none of which came to any conclusion except serving to make him more resentful and delusional.

His resolve shattered on a cold Easter mass at midnight when he was seventeen. Before mass began, Isaac had desperately tried to convince the choir and his parents that he was seeing The Holy Spirit, to which his father shouted back at him that as soon as mass was over, Isaac would be sent to a psych ward.

Isaac promptly took the sanctuary lamp during communion and set the church ablaze, par the commands of what he believed to be the flames of The Holy Spirit demanding that he purged these non-believers. Nine were killed, and another twenty were critically injured in the blaze.

Isaac was charged for his crimes, but pled insanity, and was verifiably proven not of sound mind. In addition, he was charged as a child instead of an adult. He was institutionalized for nine months consistently, but for the following two years he was in and out of the psych ward due to frequent severe panic attacks and paranoia over fire, darkness, and The Holy Spirit. His parents weren’t in the least bit supportive through the process, preferring to just default give him up to the psych ward as soon as he had an episode instead of trying to work through his trauma as a family.

When Isaac was 20, he moved away and cut contact with his parents. For about a year, he struggled and drifted from place to place, making money where he could and using churches and abandoned buildings as sanctuaries. He ended up landing a semi-consistent job in retail at a guitar shop, where he would eventually meet Joseph Morgan, the lead bassist of Among The Bloodied. Joseph frequented the place, and eventually became friends with Isaac. The rest is history. Joseph found out Isaac was a musician, Joseph brought the rest of the band around, Isaac offered to fill the spot of the sixth band member in Among The Bloodied, and they’ve all been near inseparable since.

As of today, Isaac Chandler is the keyboardist, co-songwriter, and co-vocalist for Among The Bloodied. He avoids his hometown if he can, but Beelzefest is an essential stop on their yearly tours around the upper east coast. He avoids his parents and most big religious organizations, but he still keeps his unhealthy fear of The Holy Spirit. He hasn’t stopped seeing the flames dancing in tandem with music. 

[songsofprotestpeacerevolution]

Josh Groban - O Holy Night

https://twitter.com/ZachWLambert/status/1603034459447898112

O Holy Night was originally a poem commissioned by a French priest in 1847, because he wanted something special to read at Christmas Mass. In 1855, a Boston pastor named John Sullivan Dwight found and translated it. He fell in love with it primarily because of verse 3...

Which says: Truly He taught us to love one another His law is Love and His gospel is Peace Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother And in his name all oppression shall cease

Does you know what was happening in America in 1855? We were on the brink of the Civil War. Over the next 6 years, 11 Southern States would secede from the US, primarily over the issue of slavery. Probably not the safest time for a song like this, right?

But what you have to understand about John Dwight, is that he was staunch abolitionist. At a time when over half of the published arguments IN FAVOR of slavery were being written by Christian pastors, this clergyman was publishing what would become an anthem of abolitionists.

He published O Holy Night in his magazine called “Dwight’s Journal of Music” and the song took off--gaining immense popularity in the North during the Civil War. But as you can imagine, not everyone loved it, including many religious leaders.

In addition to over half of the published defenses of slavery being written by pastors in the South, the Southern Baptist Convention was founded a few years earlier (in 1845) for the sole purpose of allowing clergy and missionaries to continue enslaving Black people.

Even after the Civil War was over and O Holy Night became one of the most well-known Christmas songs around the world, many churches in the South still refused to sing verse 3 or just banned the song entirely.

These pastors and parishioners attended church services that were very similar to ours today. They read from the very same Bible we do. With the exception of O Holy Night, they sang many of the same songs we still sing. But...

When they finished their church services, many of them would head home to men, women, and children they considered property, not people. They knew about Jesus, but they didn’t pursue the way of Jesus. They called themselves “Christians,” but they didn’t follow Christ.

And we are still dealing with the consequences of their choices today. In huge ways like racial inequality in almost every sphere of our society, and in small ways like that fact that many of the most popular versions of O Holy Night STILL don’t include verse 3.

[aeoki]

Phantom Airship - Epilogue 1

Location: Phantom Airship Characters: Sora, Natsume, Tsumugi, Hiiro, Aira, Mayoi & Tatsumi

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< The “Phantom Airship”. After clearing the “Last Island”. >

Hiiro: Hehe. We’ve finally collected all of the “treasures”!

All that’s left is to take this “treasure” back and the “Phantom Airship” is completed.

Tatsumi: Thinking back, it felt like quite a long time or perhaps a short time… It was filled with many new surprises.

Aira: Yeah. It was so much fun ♪

Well, I showed a lot of embarrassing sides to myself, though. Maybe I should ask the editing team to cut them out of the actual episode.

Mayoi: I also spoke of an audition that hasn’t been made public, so I hope they’ll understand and leave that bit out.

I fully embarrassed myself on “Monster Island”, to the point I don’t think I can watch it afterwards, but so I’m sure they won’t keep those parts in…

In any case, the condition to clear the game is to show the fruits of our journey to the fairies who guided us along the way, right?

We ran into a few obstacles, but I’m feeling a bit sad to see that we’ll be leaving this place.

But we can’t always stay in the game world. Many troubles surely came our way but we must return to reality.

Tatsumi: Yes. Shame and regret are two emotions we cannot avoid as long as we’re alive. Let us convert that sin into kindness and give love to others – I’m sure that’s a good way to live our lives.

Aira: Ehehe. You sound like a clergyman in this world too, Tattsun-senpai.

Alrighty, then I guess I’ll think of my experiences here in a positive light as well. “Facilitators”, can you come out?

Natsume: “Well doNE, travellers from another worLD.”

“Did you collect all seven ‘treasures’ as per our requeST?”

Sora: “Please show them to us!”

Hiiro: Indeed. They’re all here. Will this do?

Sora: “Yes, thank you so much! We can restore our magical powers with them now~♪”

Tsumugi: “That’s right. Thanks to you all, we can undo the seal on our magical powers.”

“Now, the world is in our grasp, Sora-kun, Natsume-kun ♪”

Tatsumi: Hmm…? What do you mean? Can you tell us in detail?

Tsumugi: “Ahaha. It’s exactly as the words mean.”

“We’re grateful to you all, really. We were turned into tiny fairies, but thanks to your help, we can retrieve our magical abilities with the power of the ‘treasure’.”

Sora: “HaHa~♪ You didn’t expect us to be the final boss, right?”

“We’re actually evil ‘magicians’ who are trying to take over this virtual world!”

Aira: E-Evil “magicians”...!? Wait, so you’re actually the bad guys!?

Natsume: “What’s good or bad all depends on how you see thinGS. We’re from the darkness so we’re different from you who hail from the ligHT.”

“If you still want to stop uS, then use your full strength to do sO.”

Ɨ’łł ȺnnɨħɨłȺŧɇ ɏøᵾ Ⱥłł – nøŧ ɇvɇn Ⱥ sɨnǥłɇ søᵾł wɨłł ƀɇ łɇfŧ sŧȺnđɨnǥ ♪

Hiiro: ……! What can we do to stop them?

Aira: Look, Hiro-kun! The “treasures” are shining!

Hiiro: You’re right. The microphone we got from the “Last Island” is emitting a bright light…

Tatsumi: The stone slate we got from “Giant Island” is also shining with them. I wonder if it’s telling us to defeat the “magicians” with the song Leo-san made.

Mayoi: Hmm. It sounds rather preposterous and unbelievable…

The final boss suddenly appearing is a classic RPG event, so my sentimentality has gone straight out the window…!

Tatsumi: Hehe. But we’ve overcome so many challenges. Surely it must mean we’ve also obtained enough power to save the world – enough to bring this story to an end.

Let us sing the song we obtained from Leo-san’s trial and let our voices ring.

Now, join me, everyone.

“♪~♪~♪”

Hiiro: Hehe. Enough power to save the world, huh. I think it’s too much power for us, but maybe we’ve grown big enough to change this small virtual world.

Just like how I was captivated by “Trickstar” during their “SS” performance, perhaps even I have the ability to change someone’s feelings when they see our performance.

If that’s the case, then I’ll use the new footwork I learnt at “Miniature Island” to dance gracefully.

“♪ ♪ ♪”

Aira: Me too – I won’t give in to my anxiety! I’ve come all this way so I’ll definitely complete the “Phantom Airship”...!

If the four of us in “ALKALOID” are together, then I’m sure we can save the world! I’ll sing with those feelings in mind ♪

Mayo-san, there’s no time to be dallying here. We’ve gotta show them how much we’ve grown too!

Aira: We’ve gotta prove it to them as a member of the up-and-coming newbie unit “ALKALOID” who made it all the way to the “SS” main battle ♪

Let’s save the world! With the power of love!

I loveee ☆

“♪~♪~♪”

Mayoi: Up-and-coming unit… you’re right, Aira-san ♪

I also shouldn’t remain so humble.

Hearing your wonderful and adoring voices has made me realise that we still have a long way to go, even though we’ve levelled up after experiencing “SS”.

Take a step forward and you can change the world – that’s how it made us feel.

Mayoi: Everyone, please watch us.

As long as we have the determination to face our difficulties, we “ALKALOID” can sing and dance the most brilliantly out of anyone in the whole world…♪

“♪~♪~♪”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

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Five Star Final

Edward G. Robinson had one of his best roles as the muckraking newspaper editor in Mervyn LeRoy’s FIVE STAR FINAL (1931, TCM), one of the films that established Warner Bros.’ hard-hitting house style. He’s been trying to elevate his paper’s news coverage, but when circulation slips, his venal publisher (Oscar Apfel) orders him to revive a sensational 20-year-old murder case, with disastrous results. LeRoy directs with a rapid pace and a creative use of sound, from the opening titles played over news vendors’ cries and whirring presses rather than music to a tense scene scored to jazzy music playing on a radio. And though some of the actors are still stuck in dated styles that suggest their inability to adjust stage-trained acting to the camera (as the murderer trying to escape her past, Frances Starr has a tendency to sing her lines), there’s a lot of good honest work in the film, particularly from Boris Karloff as a reporter given to posing as a clergyman, Ona Munson as a female reporter with ice water in her veins, H. B. Warner as Starr’s husband, Marian Marsh as her daughter and particularly Aline MacMahon, in her film debut, as Robinson’s critical yet adoring secretary. Her drunk scene is a study in how to play against inebriation and a later scene with Robinson in a speakeasy is a feast of good acting. But it’s really Robinson who’s the whole show. Like most of Warners’ top stars, he was a master of fast-paced dialogue. But he also has an expressiveness about the eyes that pulls you in. When he discovers what his coverage of the story has led to, he manages to communicate his growing sense of guilt even while barking out orders on how to cover the latest development. This is a master working at the height of his powers.  The film was remade as TWO AGAINST THE WORLD (1936) with Humphrey Bogart in the lead and as a live television broadcast in 1954 with Edmond O’Brien as the editor and Joanne Woodward as the daughter.

[thepoetryandstartrekmaam]

Some keep the Sabbath going to church;

I keep it staying at home,

With a bobolink for a chorister, And an orchard for a dome.

Some keep the Sabbath in surplice;

I just wear my wings,

And instead of tolling the bell for church, Our little sexton sings.

God preaches, - a noted clergyman, - And the sermon is never long;

So instead of getting to heaven at last,

I'm going all along!