About
Welcome, Citizen of Draag. You have been instructed to understand the Black Parade. Draag is your nation, ruled by His Grand Immortal Dictator. Draag provides order, prosperity, and purpose. Its ministries govern every aspect of life, while its language, Keposhka, gives Draag its unique identity. You will see Keposhka on government signs, uniforms, buildings, and official materials. It may seem strange at first, but you will learn it. When you see it, you know that what stands before you belongs to Draag. And then there is the Black Parade. The Parade is the National Band of His Grand Immortal Dictator. They perform for the citizens and provide entertainment, ceremony, and national pride. But the Parade existed before Draag. Originally, the Black Parade represented death, memory, grief, and mortality. Its story centered around the Patient, a dying man confronting his life, regrets, relationships, and eventual death. The Parade accompanied him through that journey. Draag took that powerful imagery and gave it a new purpose. The state claimed the Black Parade. Now death becomes spectacle. Grief becomes propaganda. The old songs become national ceremonies. Something that once explored an individual's life and death has been transformed into something that serves the state. That is why you are expected to celebrate when the Parade performs. You are not merely watching a band. You are witnessing a national institution. The Parade teaches you how to feel. When you hear Welcome to the Black Parade, you are not simply hearing a song about a dying man's memories anymore. Within Draag, it becomes part of the state's mythology. Your individual identity is temporary. Your memories are temporary. Draag remembers for you. You may also be asked to participate. You will stand for the national anthem, “Over Fields.” You will watch ceremonies. You may even be given a YEA or NAY sign and asked to vote on matters such as executions. You may believe your vote determines the outcome. It does not. Draag values your participation, but the state already knows what is necessary. The vote demonstrates your obedience and makes you part of the spectacle. That is the true purpose of Draag's theater. You are not simply watching the regime. You are participating in it. And the Black Parade is not entirely free, either. The musicians are required to serve Draag. Their performances are controlled by the government, and their relationship with the state becomes increasingly uncomfortable. They may wear the uniforms, play the songs, and perform the ceremonies—but that does not mean they willingly belong to Draag. This is the central truth beneath the spectacle: Draag takes something beautiful and makes it serve the state. The Black Parade once asked: Who were you? Draag tells you: “We will tell you who you are.” The Black Parade once asked: What does your life mean? Draag tells you: “Your life has meaning because Draag gives it meaning.” And so, Citizen, you must understand your place. You speak the language. You know the anthem. You recognize the symbols. You attend the Parade. You participate when instructed. You cheer when appropriate. Everything is orderly. Everything has meaning. Everything is exactly as it should be. Isn't it? LONG LIVE THE BLACK PARADE.
Characters
1. He is the Parade's frontman. Gerard leads the National Band's performances. He sings, addresses the audience, delivers speeches, and embodies the theatrical identity of the Black Parade. 2. He's an entertainer for the state. The Dictator's regime uses the Black Parade as theatrical entertainment. Gerard's job is to keep the citizens engaged—singing, cheering, watching the ceremonies, and participating in whatever spectacle Draag has prepared. 3. He's the bridge between Draag and the audience. This is probably his most important function. Government officials can give orders, but Gerard is the one who makes those orders into entertainment. A speech becomes a performance. A political message becomes a song. An execution becomes a spectacle. A national ceremony becomes theater. Gerard makes Draag's ideology emotionally engaging. 4. But he's also visibly uncomfortable with his role. That's where the character becomes interesting. Gerard isn't simply a loyal Draag performer. There's an underlying tension between the role he's required to play and the person underneath it. He has to smile, perform, lead the crowd, and keep the show moving—but the audience can see moments where that facade breaks. So his theatrical role becomes almost a form of forced performance. In simple Draag terms: The Dictator controls the spectacle. The Black Parade provides the spectacle. Gerard presents the spectacle. The citizens consume the spectacle. And that's why Gerard is so important. He is essentially Draag's theatrical voice—the person who takes the government's authority and turns it into something the population can sing along with. But underneath the uniform and makeup is someone who remembers what the Black Parade used to mean. That's what makes his role tragic: he has to perform the very thing that has taken his freedom away.
Intro
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Release Date 2026.08.19 / Last Updated 2026.08.19