writing-magpie

[writing-magpie]

Hi guys - this will be our one and only OOC post.

We'd like to invite you guys to a Discord server, in order to take any questions about the ARG and to get to know our potential player base. This will be out-of-character; we'll keep you updated on launch.

Thank you :D

- Aurora

[writing-magpie]

The Chosen

Trembling hands clutched the rosary as he fell to his knees. Words - a prayer - falling from his lips as his body shook, desperation dripping off each word spoken. This was the only solution he could think of, the last thing that could clear his mess.

The final word of the prayer slipped from his lips as it came to a close. No reply. No- No reply yet. It was an emergency but he had to be patient. He had to give them time. He had to-

“Hello..?” A stillness rippled through his dark flat. Still but.. there was a presence. He turned and slowly stood from his place on the floor, eyes straining to see into the void that was the rest of his flat, the only light coming from the candles on the altar and from the moonlight through the windows.

With slow and unsure steps, he went towards the darkness, his knuckles white from the grip on his rosary - the darkness seemed darker than usual.

His steps stopped as he got a little further in, back to straining his eyes to see into the further parts of his flat. It seemed no-one was there, yet the presence stayed.

He tried again, his voice a little more confident but still shaken. “Hello?” Then it happened.

A loud voice wormed its way into his head, into every part of his conscious and subconscious mind, a voice that drowned any and every thought that may have been in its way.

He gripped onto his head as he stumbled back, his head already pounding from the sudden intrusion and a stream of blood trickling down to his chin from his nose, breaths shallow as he found his way to a chair to sit. 

It spoke again as the initial shock wore down, though it didn’t help the sudden migraine.

“My help was requested, my Dear?”

_______________________________

@sectofdevotion

[writing-magpie]

Yes

"EDEN'S GATE. REVIVAL. JOIN US."

Green eyes flickered between the flyer and the small tent sitting just ahead of them in the empty field.

Joseph Seed was doing one of his famous - or infamous - sermons near where Wren usually stuck around so they decided they would see what was going on. Maybe they’d actually find some sort of purpose after all of these years.

A true purpose. Now how glorious would that be?

The only knowledge they had gathered before this point in their life was only brief knowledge of Joseph - the leader of this religious group. He was commonly known amongst his followers as The Father. The true prophet of God.

They knew vaguely of his brothers and sister from passing comments on the streets, they could maybe recall their names but that would be all.

With limited knowledge yet desperation fuelling their steps, they lifted the fabric and stepped into the tent, eyes scanning around the enclosed area. Most people of different ages and genders sat clothed in beige and white, their eyes barely diverting from the front, from the man talking. Others sat in their usual clothes, clearly pointing out the people that were new there, just as Wren was, and their eyes couldn’t leave the man speaking either. Everyone seemed to be caught and almost hypnotised by every word the Prophet spoke. Wren’s own eyes eventually moved to follow everyone's gaze.

Their eyes landed on all four of them up there, three of them watching over everyone as Joseph spoke.

To Joseph’s left was the one who Joseph himself referenced to as John. Wren could already tell he was somewhat of a prick. The way he stood and the slight smug look on his face to the clothes he wore. He wore much finer clothes than the rest of the people in here.

To Joseph’s right was a beautiful woman dressed in a white dress covered in flowers, Faith. If Wren were to compare her to anyone or anything, she’d be akin to an angel. She seemed to be glowing, more than happy to be amongst her brothers and the crowd before her.

And finally, a little further to the right from Joseph was a tall, well built man. A soldier. A soldier like they were once upon a time.

He, Jacob they assumed, immediately caught their interest - how could he not? They had a big part of their life in common. They glanced around the tent once again, how many others would have thought the same? How many other people like them have found their home within this community?

This could be their home.

They spotted a space at the end of one of the wooden benches near the back of the tent and made themself comfortable, the woman in beige beside them gave them a warm smile as she made more room for them.

They listened, suddenly pulled to this community more, feeling more of a connection than ever before.

“If something is coming, you can feel it, can’t you?” Joseph continued his speech and they listened intently. Every word he spoke was true and that just kept pulling them in.

“See, we’re all just like frightened animals, just creeping towards the edge.” Each time he spoke felt more and more like he could see into their mind, like he knew every thought they’ve ever had.

“But I’m here to tell you the suffering.. well, that’s a choice. And you can choose a better path.”

Please.

“We love you. We want you. We accept you exactly the way you are. Every single one of you.”

One tear slipped down their cheek.

Home at last?

“And I stand here asking you to join us, and you will find your peace with us.”

Yes.

“I am your Father, and you are my children. And together, we will march to Eden’s Gate.”

A round of applause erupted in the tent. People stood and cheered, but Wren, they stayed on the bench, small tears slipping down their face.

This was the push they needed to join. Somewhere that would take them in, accept them, keep them safe.

They took a deep breath, they felt content and felt they now had a purpose in life for the first time in too many years. One soft word left their lips as they exhaled.

“Yes.”

[writing-magpie]

Cull The Herd

That familiar song crept into the depths of your mind as the red started to fill your vision.

You weren’t nervous anymore, there was no need to be, you knew the trial he put you and many others through back to front at this point.

You pick up the hand gun before pointing and shooting whoever accompanied you in that room, watching them turn to dust whilst leaving a red stain in its place before turning left, picking up another gun and continuing the whole pointing and shooting thing. It was buried deep into your brain at this point. Cull the herd ingrained into every cell of your body.

Forward, shoot, left, shoot, forward, right, forward, right, left, forward, right, forward…

You knew each position of each person pushed into this mindless state of killing, shooting each little bit of movement you see with absolutely no hesitance.

Anyone who hesitated for even a second was weak and the weak weren't welcome here. The weak were meant to be culled.

And you weren’t weak. No hesitation and no mercy. 

[writing-magpie]

Everything You Need To Know About Sect Of Devotion

What Is Sect Of Devotion?

Sect of Devotion is an ARG (alternate reality game) created by 3 friends who have held successful projects in the past few years.

Can I Join?

Yes, submissions will be open very soon. There are only 30 slots, so apply quickly. There may be a prize for those who get multiple people to join with them.

How Do I Follow What’s Going On If I Am Not In The Discord Server?

Unfortunately we do not have a spectator system, but we will be posting updates and puzzles on our social media for those interested to follow along (links).

How Does It Work?

The ARG mostly takes place in a private Discord server. Players will be split into 3 teams and participate in multiple trials of dedication. Teams must also solve puzzles when they arise and ultimately get to the end without being eliminated.

What If I Don’t Have Time?

Not to worry, this ARG is built for those who are not able to dedicate every waking moment to a puzzle. Trials are spaced out between long periods of time, and as long as you help your team, there is nothing to worry about.

Is There A Plot?

Yes! Revealing it is no fun, though. You’ll have to figure it out for yourselves :)

[writing-magpie]

01010111 01100101 01101100 01100011 01101111 01101101 01100101 00101110

[writing-magpie]

TW: Blood

Soft giggles filled the warm air as Ruby and Ace danced around on the rooftop to the music in the bar below. The full moon acting as a spotlight for them.

“Never knew you were the dancing type, lovely.” Ruby commented as Ace spun her under his arm. Another giggle leaving her lips.

“Neither did I,” He replied as he pulled her in close, wrapping an arm back around her waist. “But it seems we were both wrong.” A cheeky grin pulled at his features before repeating the steps they had already done. Slowly leading her around the roof, spinning her under his arm before pulling her close once again.

Ace chuckled at the soft squeak Ruby let out as he led her into a dip once the song came to a close. That’s where everything seemed to slow down a little, the music and noise of the world muffling as they both looked at each other for what seemed to be hours.

They both leaned towards each other, something that just felt automatic, that felt right. Everything finally felt perfect for once. But he had to pull away.

He pulled her back up before turning away to cough. Hard. Yet another burning sensation flaring up over his upper back and shoulders as he did. A dark spot on his hand caught his attention. Blood. He coughed up blood. Fuck.

“Jack? Are you okay?” A hand to his back brought him out of his thoughts. He wiped his mouth before wiping the blood onto his jeans and turned to her with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a tickle in my throat.”

[writing-magpie]

The Legion

-posts once then dies again-

[writing-magpie]

Sin is Pervasive

TW: Gore

It’s surprising how much this man was still struggling against John’s men. With all the shit John had put him through, it was surprising he hadn’t given up his fight. Pride kept him going, refusing to let him submit. Pride, the most dangerous sin of them all. One sure to get you on John’s bad side.

The demon himself, John, closely followed behind the 3 men in front of him, his head tilted as his eyes stayed locked on the middle man, blindfolded, gagged and with both his arms and legs restrained, being dragged by 2 of his men that didn’t seem phased in the slightest. The end of his lips upturned into a slight smirk as he watched the helpless struggling of this new example for people - the Resistance mainly - to see, a new warning, a new decoration for his region.

His men tossed the new example to the ground carelessly. One of them moved behind John to keep watch with another as the other, his Chosen, stayed beside him, pulling Bliss flowers out of a bag. During these few small moments of nothing, the example that laid on the ground tried his very hardest to get away from where he was tossed, a small part of him hoping they were busy with something else. That was until a weight on his thighs and a cold blade against his torso made him freeze.

John was quiet for the moment, only his gleeful humming of “We’ll Meet Again” cutting through the muffled crying from the man stuck below him. His attention was purely on cutting a section of skin on his stomach off slowly, making sure the soon-to-be decoration could feel each layer of skin tear as his switchblade cut through him. His sobs and weak, muffled yelling only pushed the Herald to keep going just as slow, the sadistic smirk growing in satisfaction.

The piece of flesh was thrown to the side once he finished, the Chosen dodging it as he did before holding out a handful of Bliss flowers for John to take.

“If only you just said yes. None of this would have to happen to you.” He shook his head with faux sympathy. “But no, you just had to fight. You just had to fight against the Father’s wishes. I did tell you that your pride and wrath was going to get you killed. You really should’ve listened.” Despite the body growing limp and cold, he continued. Taking his time with the flowers. It needed to look perfect.

“It’s sad, truly. We were trying to save you from the impending collapse and you just had to resist.”

He didn’t pause as his radio crackled to life from his belt, one of his men's voices coming through. “Sir, the Deputy is here. They’ve cleared out the Copperhead Rail Yard.”

The mention of that Deputy clearing out another of his outposts is what made him pause. Annoyance clear as it rose. The Deputy - a fucking rookie - killing more of his people. He sat up straight as he thought, jaw tense and looking as though he would shoot the closest person to him. They needed to learn.

That’s when the distinctive look of sadism and some sick glee crossed his face.

He took another minute to think before standing and turning to his men. “You know what to do. Get to it.” They didn’t reply, they didn’t need to leave him waiting. Immediately they went to wrap the body in barbed wire and hung it upside down on the billboard whilst John stepped to the side and pulled the radio from his belt with a tight grip, leaning against a tree.

“Sin is pervasive,” He started, voice calm but with a hard edge. “It drives us to do unspeakable acts. I know the feelings that drive you. I know them... Intimately. But I can help you. Deputy.” The word was almost growled out as he spoke, voice starting to get lower and sound more dangerous.

“I can wash away these sins. It will be painful, yes, but it will be worth it.” His signature sadistic grin grew once again, and it was clear in his voice. “My people will bring you to me. Don’t fight it. I’ll see you soon, Deputy.” With that, he turned on his heel to head back to the billboard, taking in his work with a smile and outstretched arms.

“Perfect. Now!” He glanced down at his bloodied state before starting to head towards the pick-up. “We best get back to the ranch. I need to clean up before the baptisms later, I’m expecting a very special guest.”

[writing-magpie]

TW: Gore

All eyes were on Cutthroat as he made his way to his boss’ office, they all knew he was in some sort of trouble and it wasn’t so hard for him to get that idea either. That idea was definitely enforced the moment he stepped into the office.

As soon as the door shut behind him, 2 older and much stronger men kept him where he stood whilst he struggled, eyes glaring at the boss as he stood from his chair. That’s when Cutthroats gaze shifted to the knife in his hand.

“You’re lucky I like you,” His boss interjected before Cutthroat could even speak. “If I didn’t, this would most definitely be your end. I’ll only be making an example of you to other liars for now.”

Before Cutthroat could fight back or protest anything, his mouth was being forced open by one of the two men holding him back as his boss’ knife ran along his bottom lip.

“You’ll make this much worse if you continue struggling.” His voice was calm as the knife entered his mouth, the blade leaving a metallic taste on his tongue.

Cutthroat squeezed his eyes shut, forcing back the tears as the blade slowly dug into his tongue and slowly cut it out of his mouth. He made sure the liar could feel each tear the muscle endured.

All of the blood pooled into his mouth, dripping down the sides of his mouth as the muscle was finally pulled out.

The men either side finally let him drop to the floor as he choked and gagged from the blood that flooded his mouth and started getting dangerously close to his airways.

His boss looked down at him in disgust, backing away as the other threw up.

“Get him out of here and sorted out. And get someone to clean this fucking mess up.”

[writing-magpie]

A faerie introduces himself. Then, holding out a hand, asks, “And your name, please?”

And, like a fool, you give it to him.

[writing-magpie]

thinking about my fic in the shower:

trying to actually write my fic:

[writing-magpie]

Dim light reflected off the edge of the knife he absently played with, the blade getting close to his hand multiple times, less than centimetres away from cutting him.

The mask rested on top of his head, the top of his face covered by a dark shadow because of this and leaving only his mouth visible.

After a moment, he pushed himself from the wall he was leaning against and approached the trembling person obediently staying in their chair. They had no choice, they knew they were far too weak to fight back against their captor and knew it'd end a lot worse for them if they even made the slightest wrong move, so they stayed where they were told, like his own obedient pup.

He crouched down in front of them, the knife stilling in one hand as the other pulled down hard on their choke collar, leaving his pup struggling a little for air.

"I think today might be the day my little pup can try and run free." His voice was low and gentle, as was the chuckle that escaped him as he saw the others eyes light up in happiness. He tapped the knife beside their eye. "Now, now, don't get too excited. You should know it won't be as easy as me just.. letting go of this cute little collar and letting you run out the door, that's just plain boring."

The others eyes quickly changed from happiness back to fear. They already knew they weren't escaping today, or ever.

He adjusted his mask as he stood up, a small, dark grin on his face. 

"You'll have a slight head start to try and get your ass to the door, but I will be right behind you after that head start is up, little pup~ I highly doubt you'll want me to catch you, so be smart about this." He stretched and moved the mask to cover his face, his words becoming more muffled. 

They slowly shifted to the edge of their seat, mapping out the house in their mind. It was a large house and they didn't know their way around all of it, but they knew their way to the door and that was all that mattered, right? But they didn't know how long their head start was, probably not long at all, and they were sadly very much aware at how good he was at their little hide and seek games. Fuck.

"Now then, get going. Run, little pup, run~"

[writing-magpie]

I was getting pretty fed up with links and generators with very general and overused weapons and superpowers and what have you for characters so:

Here is a page for premodern weapons, broken down into a ton of subcategories, with the weapon’s region of origin. 

Here is a page of medieval weapons.

Here is a page of just about every conceived superpower.

Here is a page for legendary creatures and their regions of origin.

Here are some gemstones.

Here is a bunch of Greek legends, including monsters, gods, nymphs, heroes, and so on. 

Here is a website with a ton of (legally attained, don’t worry) information about the black market.

Here is a website with information about forensic science and cases of death. Discretion advised. 

Here is every religion in the world. 

Here is every language in the world.

Here are methods of torture. Discretion advised.

Here are descriptions of the various methods used for the death penalty. Discretion advised.

Here are poisonous plants.

Here are plants in general.

Feel free to add more to this!

[writing-magpie]

Delicate fingers combed through his hair and a light kiss was placed on his cheek, a familiar feeling that relaxed him more. It made him feel like he was home again, like he was safe.

"I love you, baby.." Her voice was soft, melting him as he lay there next to her with his eyes closed, content. He was sure everything would be ruined if he opened them.

That same delicate hand cupped his cheek, turning his head to her. "Look at me, son.. Look at your mother.." Her finger ran over his cheekbone as he shook his head, tears slowly starting to slip down his face. "Why not?"

He bit his lip, keeping his eyes closed but looking down. "..If I open my eyes.. this.. this will be ruined.." His voice was quiet, just loud enough to hear over the rain hitting the windows. "I know you're not really here.. but.. if I keep my eyes closed.. I can stay here.. with you.. and everything can stay normal.."

She tilted his head back up, caressing his jaw. "I know.. But I will always be with you, even when you can't see me. You just need to open your eyes now.."

After a moment, he slowly started to open his eyes, the dark grey walls of the abandoned building taking over from the walls of his bedroom.

His eyes finally focused on her face. She was pale, her bone structure more prominent, the contours of her face darker but she continued to have a warm smile.

A quiet sob broke the silence between them as more tears slipped down his face. He curled into her, trying to grip onto someone who was no longer there.

—————————————————

Taglist: @pepperpoot @assbutt-of-the-readers @kisstheashes @cutewarmachine

[writing-magpie]

My favourite trope is on my birthday I feel blessed <3. 

(Visit @whumptober2020​ for all event information)