Hermit Rites 010
Updates on Writing, Music, and Drabble
Greetings fellow hermits! Welcome to the tenth ritual of Hermit Rites. This ritual is a few days late due to several reasons, but it is published long before I thought I was going to. I expected to publish this ritual not until October at the very least.
So to explain why this is late, and also just to highlight the last couple months of my life, lets start on May 31, 2025: I went to a job interview. When I arrived home, feeling high on securing the job, there was an envelope in my mailbox. On it was just my last name, and the numbers of my home’s address. I knew immediately what it was before I even opened it; inside was a notice that I had to move before the end of August because they are tearing the building I lived in down, as well as the rest of the townhomes in the area. Not just myself, but my neighbours as well, were all about to be rendered homeless by a faceless company full of worthless capitalists.
Fast forward a week or two, time is really fuckin hazy and moves weird right now, and I have applied for an apartment across the river and deeper into the city, and gotten it. After paying a bunch of money ($995 damage deposit and a non-refundable $300 pet deposit for the Editor in Chief, on top of a bunch of moving supplies), it was established that I would be moving on July 28 (which is when I spent another $995 for August’s rent). The move itself was the easiest move I have ever dealt with in my life (after all, most of what I own nowadays is books), and the new home is coming along nicely with my choice of decor.
Throughout all of this stress I was able to write an okay amount. Some drabble was written, as well as a couple thousand words towards another story that takes place in the same world as “The Nightmare” and The Sweep. I’m hoping it will become novella length, and if you’ve read “The Nightmare” at Death Wish Poetry or my novella The Sweep, I’m hoping to ramp up the violence to total splatterpunk levels while still maintaining the character-driven attitude of those stories.
It was totally shitty quite unfortunate that during the move my laptop somehow died. I plugged it in when I was ready to sit down and write, and it would not turn on. Even worse, nothing happened. No lights indicating a battery charging, not a beep or boop, no laughing Nedry telling me I didn’t say the magic word. Today, for whatever reason, I decided to try again, and the proof is in the putting these words into the Substack editor that it worked. So not only have I written most of this today, but I’ve also edited most of my next book as well, which will be a collection of drabble.
So here we go, the actual stuff you’re here for, onto the music I listened to in July (not a lot, and a lot of the same albums because neurodiversity and comfort zones and shit) and a pair of drabble. As always, thank you for reading Hermit Rites.
MUSIC
1. Pisssniffers - Pisssniffers [2025/Punk/D-Beat]
2. Helleborus - The Carnal Sabbath [2016/Symphonic/Melodic Black Metal]
3. Grotte de cristal - Miroir de glace [2025/Winter Synth/Sylfvrcore]Hot Dog Fort - Hot 4. Dog Fort and the Holy Grill [2025/Food Synth]
5. Tumultuous Ruin - Never A Night So Dark EP [2025/Black Metal/RABM/Guillotinecore]
6. Lucerne Hammer - Demo2025 [Black Metal/RABM/Timcore]
7. Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars [2023/Gothic Metal]
8. Wooden Vessels/Hibernal Harvest - A Sunless Winter (Split) [2025Winter Synth]
9. Hefnfelth - One Small Quest [2025/Fantasy Synth/Comfy Synth]
10. Bihargam - Executioner Star [2023/Death Metal/Snowwolfcore]
11. Weald + Woe - Far From the Light of Heaven [2025/Castle Metal/Jeffcore]
12. Tumultuous Ruin - An Abscess on the Heart of the State [2023/Black Metal/Guillotinecore]
13. Noire - Dark Reverence (remastered) [2024/Melodic Black Metal]
14. Genital Shame/Lust Hag - Split [2025/Black Metal]
15. Forsaken Keep - Kurald Galain [2024F/antasy Synth/Frothcore
16. Moss Troll - Urn of Earth [2023/Ambient Dungeon Synth]
17. Les Guillotines Délirés - Les Guillotines Délirés [2025/Experimental Black Metal/RABM/Bootcore]
18. Grave Sermon - Whitewashed Tomb [2019/Death Metal]
19. Imagine a Boot - No Safe Space for Hate [2025/Black Metal/RABM/Bootcore]
20. Forsaken Keep - Kurald Galain [2024/Fantasy Synth/Frothcore]
21. Hot Dog Fort - Hot Dog Fort and the Holy Grill [2025/Food Synth]
22. Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze - The Fractal Ouroboros [2023/Progressive Black Metal/Evergreencore]
23. Lust Hag - Irrevocably Drubbed [2025/Symphonic Blackened Death Metal/Eleanorcore]
24. Varguille - Oathbreaker/Dark Gods [2025/Punk]
25. Fogweaver - Magelight [2023/Fantasy Synth/Adventure Synth/Evergreencore]
26. Morke - Forged in Steel and Love [2024/Castle Metal/Ericcore]
27. Soco HC - Diferente do Combinado [2025/Hardcore/Punk/Thrash
28. Small Oak - Demo I [2025/Drone/Ambient]
29. Sumptorium - Sumptorium 2025 [Hardcore/Beatdown]
30. Lust Hag - Lust Hag [2024/Symphonic Black Metal/Eleanorcore]
31. Grat Strigoi - The Prophetic Silence [2024/Black Metal]
32. Gun Girl - Vengeant Siege of Unholy Divinity [2024/War Metal/Eleanorcore]
33. Lammoth - Tales of Treachery [2024/Black Metal/Spicy Robertcore]
34. Cemetery Urn - Cemetery Urn [2017/Death Metal]
35. Grat Strigoi - The Prophetic Silence [2024/Black Metal]
36. The Vision Bleak - Songs of Good Taste [2004/Gothic Metal]
37. Tumultuous Ruin - An Abscess on the Heart of the State [2023/Black Metal/Guillotinecore]
38. Atlantic - Timeworn [2025/Atmospheric Black Metal]
39. Atlantic - Timeworn [2025/Atmospheric Black Metal]
40. Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance [2006/Gothic Metal]
41. Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance [2006/Gothic Metal]
42. Slough Feg - New Organon [2019/Heavy Metal]
43. Junius - The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist [2009/Post Metal]
44. Hircine - A Crown of Wildflowers [2025/Fantasy Synth/Autumn Synth/Damiancore]
45. Weald + Woe - Far From the Light of Heaven [2025/Castle Metal/Jeffcore]
46. My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings [2006/Gothic Doom]
47. Grotte de cristal - Miroir de glace [2025/Winter Synth/Sylfvrcore]
48. Hircine - Evermore [2022/Neo-folk]
49. Fernmage/Moss Knight - Live from Woodhaven (split) [2024/Fantasy Synth/Comfy Synth
50. My Dying Bride - A Mortal Binding [2024/Gothic Doom]
51. Lust Hag - Lust Hag [2024/Symphonic Black Metal/Eleanorcore]
52. Solstafir - Berdreyminn [2017/Post Metal]
53. Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance [2006/Gothic Metal]
54. The Barrowfolk - Small Graves [2025/Neo-Folk/Willowcore]
55. Haunter/Cape of Bats - Black Magick Metal Punk (split) [2025/Black Thrash/Metal/Punk]
56. Ancient VVisdom - Sacrificial [2014/Occult Rock]
57. Katatonia - Dead End Kings [2012/Gothic Rock]
58. Ancient VVisdom - Deathlike [2013/Occult Rock]
59. Wintersleep - Wintersleep [2003Alternative/Indie Rock]
60. Galdr - Galdr [2025/Black Metal/Draugrcore]
61. Imipolex - Acts of Vulgar Piety [2025/Progressive Black Metal]
62. My Dying Bride - The Light at the End of the World [1999/Gothic Death Doom]
63. Atlantic - Timeworn [2025/Atmospheric Black Metal]
64. Veiled Lady - Glowing Spores/Fungi Friend [2023/Fantasy Synth/Mushroom Synth] 65. Sex Beat - Crack [2025/Punk]
66. Sex Beat - Call Me [2023/Punk]
67. Tumultuous Ruin - Never A Night So Dark EP [2025/Black Metal/RABM/Guillotinecore]
68. Vernal Ecosphere - Finite Planetary Possibilities [2025/Cosmic Synth/Sylfvrcore]
69. Lammoth - Tales of Treachery [2024/Black Metal/SpicyRobertcore]
70. Weald + Woe - Far From the Light of Heaven [2025/Castle Metal/Jeffcore]
71. The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land [1997/Big Beat/Techno/Hip-Hop/Electropunk]
72. Indrid Cold - Hidden Village [2023/Epic Dungeon Synth]
73. My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings [2006/Gothic Doom]
74. Sex Beat - Crack [2025/Punk]
75. Pig Destroyer/Book Burner (Deluxe) [2012/Grindcore]
76. Frith - Bunny Borg [2025/Comfy Synth/Official Soundtrack to the Bunny Borg board game]
77. Frith - Bunny Borg [2025/Comfy Synth/Official Soundtrack to the Bunny Borg board game]
78. Weald + Woe - Far From the Light of Heaven [2025/Castle Metal/Jeffcore]
79. Weald + Woe - For the Good of the Realm [2023/Castle Metal/Jeffcore]
80. Zireael - Upon Her Blade… [2025/Adventure Synth/Ziricore]
81. Warbad - Still No P.E.A.C.E. Still War (compilation) [2025Punk/Crust]
82. My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings [2006/Gothic Doom]
83. My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings [2006/Gothic Doom]
84. Katatonia - Dead End Kings [2012/Gothic Rock]
85. Arctos - Beyond the Grasp of Mortal Hands [2019/Melodic Black Metal]
86. The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir - Demo I - "Folklore" [2025/Black Metal]
87. The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir - Demo I - "Folklore" [2025/Black Metal]
88. Taurwen - Palingenesia [2025/Neoclassical/Pagan/Dark Folk]
89. Taurwen - Palingenesia [2025/Neoclassical/Pagan/Dark Folk]
90. Taurwen - Palingenesia [2025/Neoclassical/Pagan/Dark Folk]
91. Morke - We Are the River [2024/Atmospheric Black Metal/Ericcore]
92. Morke - Forged in Steel and Love [2024/Castle Metal/Ericcore]
DRABBLE
A drabble is a short work of fiction of precisely one hundred words in length. The purpose of the drabble is brevity, testing the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in a confined space. Wikipedia
Drabble XXXIX: October Twilight
Night was looming, a darkening east and watercolour west bringing the street lamps on and the children out—dressed like horrors and dragons, fiends and princesses, rock stars and politicians. Pumpkins were carried, hollowed and plastic, or pillowcases, old and floral patterned.
Door to door the children travelled, requesting tricks or treats in gleeful shouts and quiet mumbles and all in between.
Sweet and sour candies, chocolate bars, and cans of pop filled the pumpkins and pillowcases overflowing until the sugar had all been given out. Tattered fabric and broken masks streamed home, and the stars twinkled on autumnal empty streets.
Drabble XLI: Captain Twiggs
Captain Twiggs reclined in his bed, his tummy in the sunbeam that had come between the curtains of old gnome Legriff’s cart. When Legriff drew his curtain aside, Captain Twiggs stretched and sauntered over to press his lithe, hairy body against the only person to truly know him.
Legriff responded by wrapping his arm around Twiggs and bringing his face in for kisses, which Twiggs was most excited for.
“Now, Captain Twiggs, what are you having for breakfast?” the old gnome asked. Like a bolt of lightning, Twiggs jumped out of the window, the foe of bird and rodent alike.