REBIRTH

Hi all. It has been quite a long time since I updated this blog. I have some bittersweet news. This blog has officially ended, I will not be updating it again beyond this post. The good news is, the blog has been reborn as a Facebook page of the same name:

https://www.facebook.com/DecadentBlossomsBeneathAnAbstractSun?ref=hl

Please pay it a visit, Like it, and share with everybody you know!

Thanks to those who have followed my work over the years, you are greatly appreciated!

Now, on to bigger and better things!

Best wishes always,
Paul 'The Mystic Fool' Ingrassia

Truth

If everyone in the world would just understand this truth, Earth would be a much happier place (found this on FacBook)...

An Incredibly Gutsy Artist

the sun shines black,
blossoms burst from decay -
life is an abstract concept,
reality? decadence at play...

Two Prose Poems Published

Two of my Prose Poems, entitled 'Zozobra' and 'Psalms Of Purgatory', were published today at 'the little black book' (a subsection of Sketchbook). Check 'em out: http://poetrywriting.org/Sketchbook0-0LittleBlackBook/Little_Black_Book_JanFeb_2011_Paul_Ingrassia_Prose_Poems_Zozobra_Psalms_of_Purgatory.htm

brooding

lost and forgotten...
aren't we all?
who doesn't have a story,
who doesn't have a tragedy,
who doesn't have a tear?

who
doesn't
have
a


fear?

can you hear?
your heart, your soul -
calling,
falling,

lost...

scrambling among the vines,
tearing for freedom,
clawing for life...

why?

WHY?


where have we gone?
what have we done?

oh, what a world...
oh, the humanity...


bollocks


oh, what a fantasy...
oh, the automatons...


slaves

to

themselves

and

others...


Shit, he has it,
gotta get one
gotta get one,
NOW...


counting sheep,
should be shooting sheep,
mindless flock...


when

did

we

stop

thinking?


when

did

we

stop

feeling?


when

did

man

die?




...i cry....


why?



WHY?!?






...we die...

New Rock & Troll: Abney Park

Scroll down to the bottom of the blog for the latest installment of Rock & Troll, Abney Park's Airship Pirate.

Just Too Funny

Saw this at Facebook and had to share. It's what my answer would have been!

New Flash Fiction

Check out my latest flash tale, 'Late One Night In An Empty Bar', over at Atroll's Flashfiction: http://trollfic.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

Scariest path in the world

FROM: http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/scariest_path.html

New Anthology

The Best Of Every Day Poets One was released on 1/1/11, and contains one of my cinquain poems. For more information, including ordering details, visit: Every Day Poets

Merry Christmas

CM Distro sent this awesome Baphomet Xmas image in their sale email this morning. I thought it was so cool, I just had to share it!

For all your headbanging, slamdancing, ear-splitting needs, visit www.cmdistro.com

Happy Holidays to all!

New Poem

My latest work to be published, a prose poem entitled 'Why Do We Bury Our Dead?', will be appearing in the December 9th issue of Every Day Poets. To check it out, or to get a free subscription delivered to your email inbox daily, please visit: http://www.everydaypoets.com/

Shatter: a new EP and video by Triptykon

It has finally arrived, the new EP by Tom Gabriel Warrior's band Triptykon entitled Shatter Eparistera Daimones Accompanied. I was really anticipating this follow-up to the album, a piece I had also highly anticipated. I was not disappointed, as the title track and the second song, I Am The Twilight, are awesome, definitely an extension of the album. The third track, Crucifixus, is an earlier released demo, a spooky, atmospheric instrumental piece. The last two cuts are live versions of the Celtic Frost songs Circle of the Tyrants and Dethroned Emperor. Overall, a great, heavy, angry EP, and as the title implies an accompaniment to the earlier album. As awesome as the live CF tracks are, I would rather have seen two more unreleased Triptykon tracks, forward the new identity and leave the old behind. Not a disappointment, but what I would have rather seen included.

When the album, Eparistera Daimones, was first released, I ordered it as a digital download. I thought it was so great, when the EP was released I ordered it and the album in CD format. Great to have hard copies, and the booklets. Tom has liner notes after the lyrics of each song, cool little insights and blurbs about each piece. If you are a fan of his earlier bands Celtic Frost or Hellhammer, both the album and EP are a must, but expect something fresh and new, something evolved into a deeper, darker, angrier evil. Check out the band's official site for ordering details: http://www.triptykon.net/

I am a big fan of Tom and his art, his bands from Hellhammer to Celtic Frost to Apollyon Sun and now Triptykon. But Tom is an artist in several ways. Check out his 'Self, Deceased' series. I very much want to own one of these elegantly disturbing pieces of artwork someday: http://selfdeceased.blogspot.com/

Triptykon has also released a video for the title track, Shatter. Check it out at the bottom of the blog, in the Rock & Troll block.

Rock & Troll III

The third installment of R&T brings us Osaka Popstar's latest video. Made up of members of The Misfits, Black Flag, The Ramones, and the Voidoids, Osaka Popstar delivers a bubblegum punk sound infused with pop-culture themes as well as classic punk influence. You can sing along to this stuff, just like old school punk!

Two Short Horror Stories For Halloween

Two of my previously published horror tales. The first, Carnal Desire, was my first published piece of fiction.

~~~

Carnal Desire

He softly caresses her, lightly kissing her neck and breasts. Gently, he pulls her resisting legs apart and enters her. His mind swoons with lust as his body flushes with passion. His warm tongue explores her mouth as he makes love to her. Sweat beads upon his forehead as his back stiffens and he climaxes. Satiated, he pulls the sheet up for her and fastens his scrubs.

Suddenly, the morgue door opens and the coroner steps in.

“Hey Doc, I wasn’t expecting you. Can I help you with something?”

“No, that’s okay, Joe. I got what I needed.”

{First appeared in Necrotic Tissue July 2008}

~~~

Crimson Cravings

I can feel it again, nibbling at the edges of my sanity. It’s almost constant now, the need, the want. The fucking hunger. I fight to ignore it, but it’s like trying to ignore a never-ending train while sleeping inches from the tracks. Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug. It just keeps on and on, like a cacophony of malevolence that echoes through my head. Crimson fantasies begin to play out in my mind, dreams of brutality yearning to be realized…

Damn it, it’s driving me crazy!

Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug. I hear you, Kleaver, I hear you calling. Look at you, still embedded in a rotting piece of the last one. Come to me, my friend. You belong in my hand.

I knew I never had a chance of resisting. From the first pangs of hunger I knew. Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug. You’re right! I can’t take it anymore. After all, a man’s gotta eat, doesn’t he? Let’s go, my friend.

Can you smell it, Kleaver? Beneath the stench of car exhaust and pollution: the pungent-sweet odor of blood. Look at them. An endless parade of cattle, ripe for the slaughter. Imagine how each would scream, how each would taste. My mouth is watering, and my stomach is whining. Let’s pick one, quickly! Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug. Yes, I see him. The homeless man with the long, wild white hair and tattered wool overcoat. He’s perfect. No one will miss him. Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug. I know, I’m so excited my body is quivering and my balls are tingling!

Shit! We’ve been following him for blocks, Kleaver, each step an agony as we try to resist ripping into his belly. Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug. I know you’re thirsty! Soon, he has to stop soo… wait! Look, he’s going into that abandoned warehouse. Let’s slip in that side window, sneak up on him. Ka-chug, ka-chug, ka-chug.

Ugh, this place reeks of piss, ka-chug, but I still can smell his blood. Look Kleaver, ka-chug, what luck! These old twisted racks will keep him from seeing us coming, ka-chug. I love your seductive whisper as I slide you out of my belt, ka-chug. Can you hear my fluids racing through me? My senses are so alive, ka-chug, my mind feels like it’s gonna fry. Slowly, methodically, we hunt for our prey, ka-chug. Oh, Kleaver, this is so fucking intense, ka-chug, I’m getting hard! Soon, we’ll carve him, ka-chug, like a butcher carves a side of beef. Soon, ka-chug, we’ll feast on his dead flesh, ka-chug, and drink his still-warm blood!

There he is, with his back turned, ka-chug. Kleaver, my temples are pounding with bloodlust, ka-chug, my legs and arms are trembling, ka-chug. My beautiful Kleaver, ka-chug, are you ready to slice him open and pour his steaming insides onto the, ka-chug, dust-covered floor? Uh-oh, it looks like he’s heard us Kleaver, ka-chug. He’s turning around, ka-chug, look Kleaver, look! I can’t wait, ka-chug, to see his expression, to see his…smile? Ka-chug?

What’s this? Why isn’t he screaming and cowering in fear like the others? This homeless wretch actually wants to challenge us! Ha, ha! Oh Kleaver, this is gonna be so good, so… is his face changing, narrowing, becoming… animalistic? Shit! Are those fangs, and claws!?! Kleaver, what the Hell is going on? I’m so scared I’m pissing myself! Kleaver? Why aren’t you answering me? Run feet run! Why aren’t you fucking running? Kleaver, where have you gone? Please, stay away, away from me… Kleaver? Help me, Kleaver! Kleav…

KA-RUNCH!!!

{First appeared in Microhorror, March 4, 2009}

A Few Poems For Halloween

Some of my previously published work appropriate to the holiday...

Remnant

She roams
the dark halls, seen
yet unseen, wandering
memory of yesterday, lost
in death.

She weeps
tales of pain, heard
yet unheard, whispering
shadow of yesterday, calling
in death.

She dwells
in herself, here
yet not here, a woeful
vestige of yesterday, walking
in death.

{First appeared in Amaze: The Cinquain Journal Volume 6, No. 2, 2008}


Silver Bullets

Full moon’s
ashen shadows
embrace the wolfsbane blooms;
Gunshots ring out across the moors –
howling.

{First appeared in Sketchbook April 30, 2008, Volume 3, Issue 4}


Fallen

Brightest
of stars, broken
wings and shattered halo,
love betrayed, Kingdom asunder –
lost grace.

{First appeared in Sketchbook April 30, 2008, Volume 3, Issue 4}

New Blog Launched

As I am sure has been noticed, I have gotten a bit rabid about P&PRPGs again, particularly Tunnels & Trolls and related games by Ken St. Andre and others. To avoid clogging up DECADENT BLOSSOMS with endless posts about RPG gaming, I've decided to launch a new blog dedicated to just that. I call it TROLL HAMMER, and you can find it here: http://trollhammerpress.blogspot.com/

TROLL HAMMER is also a precursor for another event, the future birth of TROLL HAMMER PRESS, but you'll have to follow future posts at the new blog to learn more.

I have been hard at work on several RPG projects which will be announced in the near future at TROLL HAMMER.

So, back to the business of poetry, my writing, and dark interests here at DECADENT BLOSSOMS, and off for a bit of RPG escapist fun at TROLL HAMMER.

Paul

Rock & Troll II

I've changed the song in the Rock & Troll feature at the bottom of the blog. We say goodbye to Finntroll and hello to Idiot Flesh. Idiot Flesh was an anti-rock performance band, masters of the bizarre, and quite talented. After the demise of Idiot Flesh, several core members continued together and formed the band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, one of my favorite bands. Enjoy the foray into strangeness!

Metamorphosis Alpha 1st Edition

I bought the pdf version of Metamorphosis Alpha 1st Edition from RPGNow today. I wanted all the errata and extra stuff that came with it. They also had free character sheet downloads. I've always been fascinated by the setting of MA, post-apocalyptic lost in space, what a terrifying concept. I plan on buying House on the Hill in the near future as well, while it is on sale. It is the first real supplement ever for MA1e, aside from a couple of dozen or so magazine articles from the past.

I plan on printing it out (and the supplement) in booklet format with a cardstock cover and saddle stitching it.

My purchase isn't without inspiration. As has been obvious around here lately, my interest in RPGs, and Tunnels & Trolls in particular, has been on the rise again. Additionally, I have always been obsessed with apocalyptic-type settings. My recent purchase of Gamma-Trollworld has gotten my creativity flowing, and I started thinking of a Metamorphosis Alpha 1e-inspired setting for Tunnels & Trolls. Well, work is under way. I've laid down a bunch of design notes and background info, now I'm outlining exactly what types of rules and additional info I will need to include. I plan on designing it as a supplement to T&T7.5e, and those rules will be essential to using the supplement. While inspired by MA1e, it will not simply be a clone converted to T&T7.5 stats. There will be a few 'nods in tribute' to MA1e, and the flavor will be similar, but it is definitely being written with T&T7.5 in mind. The working title for the project is 'Alpha Troll 666'. Following is a short blurb which may or may not change drastically before the final draft is completed:

After the banishment from Trollworld of Lerotra'hh and Khara Khang in 1601 A.K., Triskadekaphobos, a very powerful wizard, wanted to escape the changes being brought about by the rise of the great dragon, Shangingshing-shingingshang, so he began building a gigantic magic-powered, ark-like ship. Once completed, Triskadekaphobos christened it the Alpha Troll, loaded it with all types of flora, fauna, and kindred, then departed from Trollworld in 1666 A.K., set to discover a new world and conquer it. Unfortunately, only thirteen months into the journey, the Alpha Troll passed through the tail of a rogue comet, bathing all aboard in deadly radiation, wreaking havoc with the magic and technology which controlled it. The comet utterly and irreparably devastated the ship’s propulsion units and engine cores. The mighty Alpha Troll became a derelict floating in open space, able to sustain life almost indefinitely, but forever marooned in the cold, dark expanse.

666 years later (2332 A.K.), life on the Alpha Troll is very different...


Wish me luck in bringing this project to completion, and then on to publication!