#acolyte verse

[biblewaterzzz]

[thcwidow]

@the-cursed-acolyte​ // closed starter

                MINERVA WASN’T EVEN CERTAIN     when the last time she slept had been.  As far as she was concerned,  that hardly mattered now.  Her time was spent between Tilda’s bedside and MK’s,  just hoping that they would wake.  She hadn’t even been training as she used to.  The thought of being around anything  sharp,  the thought that she could slip up,  cut herself... It was one she didn’t particularly fancy. 

                 It was almost  comical,  the timing of it all.  She had spent so long trying to find a way to get her Gift back,  and no sooner had she decided she no longer wanted it,  it had returned.  Had the circumstances been entirely different,  she would have found it amusing.  But the circumstances under which she had regained it had been devastating.  She and Gaius had managed to get both Tilda and MK to a healer in time,  but it didn’t stop the guilt from eating away at her,  day after day.  Tilda had woken for short spans of time every so often,  and despite the healer’s reassurance that she would be fine in time,  it didn’t stop Minerva’s worries.  In retrospect,  it was so easy to see all she could have done differently to avoid this.  But there was nothing she could do to change it now,  nothing she could do but wait. 

                A slight motion across the room pulled her quickly out of her thoughts,  and in an instant Minerva was sitting straight upright in her chair,  gaze focused on MK.  For a moment she thought she had imagined it.  But no,  his eyelids fluttered again,  and for a moment,  she felt relief.  Only a moment,  though.

                “MK?” she asked quietly,  keeping her distance even as she peered cautiously at the boy.  She wasn’t certain if he could hear her or not.  “Tilda’s going to be okay,”  she blurted out a moment later.  Best to start with good news,  no?  She had seen him hesitate upon the realisation that it was Tilda his blade had pierced rather than her - clearly there was some part of him that still cared for her.  

[deathsmark]

the  kinkou  is  an  order  &  acolytes  are  indoctrinated  into  the  belief  that  they  are  serving  a  higher  purpose ,  this  . . .  is  a  lie.  those  amassed  by  the  order  are  trained  under  stringent  regulations  in  order  to  be  harvested  as  vessels  for  dark ,  eldritch  entities.  the  elders  have  held  these  traditions  for  centuries  &  few  are  chosen  in  order  to  carry  these  ideals  into  the  future,  it  is  said  those  who  kowtow  at  the  feet  of  the  entities  of  the  stars  are  bestowed  with  extended  life  -  spans  breaching  into  immortality.  zed   escaped  when  he  learnt  the  truth.   when  he  fled  from  the  colony  it  was  unbeknown  to  him  that  he  was  already  infected  with  the  parasite.  he  should  have  served  his  purposes  &  been  eaten  away  by  the  parasite  in  preparation  for  assimilation.   when  he  passed  through  the  portal  connecting  their  world  to  the  next  it  was  harrowing  ,  he  was  being  pursued   &  was  unaware  that  the  parasite  would  lead  him  into  the  universe  where  it  could  finally  be  satiated.  the  world’s  ichor  is  gold  &  it  has  the  capacity  to  satiate  the  parasite  ,  to  cast  it  dormant   however,  it  changes  the  body  ,  the  once  humanoid  vessel  is  contaminated  &  the  more  they  drink  from  the  ora  the  further  altered  their  body  will  become.  he  is  currently  seeking  someone  capable  of  severing  his  connection  to  the  parasite,  while  the  parasite  is  not  actively  consuming  his  consciousness  &  soul  it  hungers  &  it’s  insatiable  -  something  that  cannot  be  denied.   if  he  doesn’t  feed  he  becomes  enervated,   a  pallid  complexion  &   sweats  -   being  unable  to  ingest  any  other  food.   when  it  is  ingested  in  excess  it  can  leave  him  in  a  stupor ,  similar  to  inebriation.   thus  far  the  skin  of  his  arms  to  his  elbows  is  stygian ,   holds  the  scintillating  lustre  of  the  stars  &  his  veins  are  prominent  &  pulsate  with  a  soft  gold  lambency. 

more info & imagery here.

[writedisaster]

i've never given Lip a DnD-adjacent verse because I always felt that deep down they'd be an NPC. they're not even a bard they're just some hottie at the tavern. which is fine story-wise but roleplay-wise i feel like it's difficult to collaborate with, y'know?

but recently i had a thought: what if they were a cleric of a deity worshipped through dance...

[hegodamask]

So lost in that Andor sauce, I forgot about everything else we saw today lmao.

[thorneprincess]

Verse; The Wandering Eyes of a Godless Acolyte

Synopsis: In an alternative universe where the twelfth division was run by a less malicious captain, Akiko decides to try and make best with what she was handed after finishing Shin'ō Academy . While helping out in a big surgery, she finds herself curious and began to study various types of biology branches during her free time . Her curiosity slowly turned into genuine delight, and soon enough Akiko found herself as one of the top scientists in the twelfth.

But it still wasn't enough for her. In a hidden compartment underneath her floor, there's a journal dedicated to continuing the studies Hollowfication. On nights were no one is around in days to notice her, she even injects hollow spiritual pressure from different types into herself just to see what the results would entail.

She is going to find her deeper purpose in this world; one way or another.

(Picrew credit)

[convictoris]

It can be very difficult to get him to eat much, if anything at all. He seems to have a natural repulsion towards human food as a whole, and curiously enough, this doesn’t have a negative effect on his nutrition like it would be expected to. Rather, his usual diet tends to consist of a variety of berries, with the Starf and Apicot ones being staples.

And he can be persuaded to eat what everyone else is, either through combining it with a Micle Berry to imbue it with a sweet taste . . . or through simply bribing him, so that the taste of ash simply does not bother him as much as it should. Being touched by the fae, he honestly does not taste anything more, and only the addition of a berry can get him to stomach it.

[jessicas-pi]

me: i WILL finish this chapter of Time Heals today! And i will NOT get distracted!

*gilligan cut to me, starting a second chapter of Seventeen, Young And Sweet that i probably will never finish, with the Time Heals All Wounds doc open and forgotten*

me: how did this happen

[freedomscall]

@thanflowers​ | starter calls

" Which do you like better, Commander: apples or peaches? " A very important question, given that the mage had just caught sight of a pastry stand as their little rag-tag group browsed the Amaranthine market.

[transbookoftheday]

Trans Horror Podcasts

My post about trans horror books last year was much more popular than I expected, and since I've recently fallen in love with fiction podcasts and audio dramas, I thought I'd make a post about trans horror podcasts as well.

If you like trans horror, please give these a try - especially if you enjoy listening to audiobooks!

Hello From The Hallowoods:

Come walk between the black pines! In this award-winning queer fiction podcast, an eldritch narrator follows the increasingly connected residents of the forest at the end of the world. It's a bittersweet story that explores queer identity, horror genre tropes, and finding hope in humanity's last moments.

Hello From The Hallowoods is my absolute favorite podcast! If you only listen to one podcast from this list, please make it this one - it's so beautifully written and super queer! Also: season 4 starts today!

Trans main characters include:

our nonbinary eye-affiliated podcast host

a nonbinary "Frankenstein's creature"

a transmasc ghost

a genderfluid storm witch

a trans woman who can visit other people's dreams

multiple characters using neopronouns

Camp Here & There:

Good morning, campers! Camp Here & There is a weekly horror comedy podcast tuned in to the loudspeakers of a small midwestern sleepaway camp plagued by supernatural terrors and natural disasters. Sydney Sargent, resident camp nurse, cheerfully reports on all the terror we must face with a big smile. Let’s hope there’s nothing weird about that!

Sydney is a trans man.

Dos: After You:

Things have changed. Deck has fallen in love with someone who isn't human, and leaves a hungry house behind to see him again. Will he be waiting for you? The world has changed… but what about him? Dos: After You is a queer urban fantasy/horror audiodrama available in both English & Spanish

Deck is a trans man.

Jar of Rebuke:

Follow Dr. Jared Hel's journey as he works to re-discover his forgotten past and finds his place within the small Indiana farm town of Wichton and the cryptozoological organization he works for called 'The Enclosure'. These audio journals, and other recordings, dive deep into Midwestern US cryptids and folklore while also telling a mystery about identity, queerness, neurodivergence, and community.

Jared is nonbinary.

Spirit Box Radio:

Spirit Box Radio is an award winning, horror audio drama podcast about a radio show for enthusiasts of all things arcane. Follow Sam Enfield a former postboy with no experience in the arcane arts, who finds themselves forced to take over running the show, following the disappearance of the previous host. Sam soon discovers there are more than ghosts haunting the show, and finds himself amidst a mystery which threatens everything he knows about the world beyond his tiny basement broadcast studio, and maybe even himself.

Sam is a trans man.

The Silt Verses:

Carpenter and Faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed god, travel up the length of their deity’s great black river, searching for holy revelations amongst the reeds and the wetlands. As their pilgrimage lengthens and the river’s mysteries deepen, the two acolytes find themselves under threat from a police manhunt, but also come into conflict with the weirder gods that have flourished in these forgotten rural territories. This is a world where divine intervention takes place through prayer-markings scratched into stumping-posts, and offerings are left squirming to die in the flats of the delta. This is a world of ritual, and hidden language, and sacrifice. This is folk horror, and fantasy, and a dark road trip into the depths of unusual faith.

Faulkner is a trans man.

The Magnus Protocol:

The Magnus Archives 2: The Magnus Protocol is the prequel/sequel/”sidequel” to the internationally renowned Magnus Archives podcast. The Magnus Institute was an organisation dedicated to academic research into the esoteric and the paranormal, based out of Manchester, England. It burned to the ground in 1999. There were no survivors. Now, almost 25 years later, Alice and Sam, a pair of low-level civil service workers at the underfunded Office of Incident Assessment and Response, have stumbled across its legacy. A legacy that will put them in grave danger. If this intrigues you then it is our pleasure to welcome you to the Office of Incident, Assessment and Response. Make sure you pick up your badge at desk and report to your line manager before sitting down. Oh and stay away from I.T., seriously.

I'm not sure if Alice is canonically trans, but her voice actress is a trans woman.

[biblewaterzzz]

[mangthemango]

imagine descending to teyvat and your acolytes taking you to go see one of your shrines. at the entrance is what they call the holiest of scriptures, something that all followers of the divine creator must utter in prayer during their time at the shrine. naturally, you’re curious as to what the genshin characters have been reciting so you look at the carved stone only to have your mind go blank.

they’ve been using your favourite lyrics from your favourite song as gospel.

telling your followers this will reinforce the belief that this is the highest of sacred texts. it must be, after all you did mention it was your favourite verse. be prepared for the requests to sing the lyrics for them too.

characters who are related to the performing arts like venti, yun jin, xinyan, ayaka, nilou and so many fontainians will make it their personal duty to spread the tune, now dubbed the ‘melody of creationism.’ it’s incorporated as the main theme for those portraying you in theatre productions, a common motif within musical pieces across the nations, some even swear that the winds of mondstadt echo the sounds in the rustle of the trees.

let’s just hope you really like the song because it’s going to be all you hear for a little while.

[thesiltverses]

Hello! I found the silt verses about three weeks ago and have listened to it several times since. I have a few things to say.

I absolutely adore that episode about the national grid workers. I think it’s my favorite episode of any podcast I’ve ever listened to. My favorite part of that first episode Paige is in is how she justifies not standing up for Vaughn, that cognitive dissonance that you wrote so well. This episode gives me what I wanted from that episode, the workers all banding together to stop the wasteful sacrifice of one of them. The actor who played the foreman did an incredible job as well. I think that having him discuss which of his workers he would sacrifice was such a significant moment, despite how brief it is. It cuts right to the big question that I took away from the podcast which is, “How much is someone willing to sacrifice in order to maintain their comfort?” And the utter disrespect of Glodditch (apologies for the spelling) refusing to cancel even the radio but asking grid workers to kill themselves for 200kw/h! Top tier episode.

I grew up in the south and went to college in Appalachia. I saw the disparity in technology and “advancement” if that makes sense that poverty brings, and the way you set up the world invokes that feeling in me again. You are an amazing world builder and storyteller.

I really enjoyed the cameos - I’m a big fan of malevolent/devisor, Old gods of Appalachia, and all of Jonny sims work, so hearing familiar voices was an absolute delight. Harlan Guthrie as an acolyte of the snuff gods might have been a bit too on the nose with some of the things that man writes, though… /pos

I’m transmasculine, and something that I really appreciate is how you manage to make a trans man do some objectively awful things, but still manage to make him a complex, full character that I was rooting for very frequently. Brother Faulkner is so, so important to me as a character. Paula Vogel has a play called “Indecent,” which is about the true story of a troupe of I believe German Jewish actors between the years of 1910ish and 1940s putting on a show called “God of Vengeance” by Sholem Asch, also a Jewish man. “God of Vengeance” has queer themes and received a lot of criticism from the Jewish community for showing Jewish folks in a “bad” light at a time when there was already so much hatred for Jewish people. Brother Faulkner being as complex and, in my opinion, malicious and cutthroat as he is at a time when trans people face so much bigotry, especially legislatively in the United States, brings this conversation about “God of Vengeance” up again for me. I also love how normalized non-binary people are in this world, without question. “Sibling this or that,” the hunter, adjudicator Shrew - big thanks from me for all of this.

All of this to say, I love this podcast. Can you talk more about the rhetorical gods? Is Babble one? What makes them one if they are, or why aren’t they? I’m fascinated by them. Can you talk more about the propaganda gods too?

Thank you so much for the thoughtful and kind words!

I'll check out Indecent, it sounds really interesting and I'm very glad to hear Faulkner works for you as a character. I think the topic of how to include and write queer characters who are capable of terrible things and thoughts (because, after all, these characters are human beings and not tutelary exemplars), within the context of both a rising movement of transphobia right now and centuries-old scapegoating / pathologising portrayals more generally, is a really knotty but a really important one, and I always want to make sure I'm approaching it with care and due responsibility as well as a sense of humility around the limitations of what, as a cis writer, I can actually achieve.

To that end, I don't want to ever take the audience response for granted, but I'm always really grateful to hear that the portrayal is working for a listener!

Propaganda gods: gods whose prayer-marks or ritual verses are fed directly to the enemy, enforcing destructive or sabotaging changes to reality (so rather than sending a destructive saint or angel to rampage over the foe, you might drop pamphlets or send radio messages to the enemy to 'convert' them).

Rhetorical gods: gods whose followers possess reality-warping powers of language itself (which is why 'rhetorical god' is a polite way of saying 'liar's god'). In other words, the paranoia around them comes partly down to the fact that a disciple like Val may appear to be a limitless shaper of new forms, rather than shaped into a limited form of their own, as a result of their worship.

[charmwasjess]

You know, something I love about Star Wars is how vast and varied it is. There are so many different types of stories in it. You have the Skywalker family storyline, the tale of the Rebellion, clones stories like the Bad Batch, the whole Mando-verse and associated journeys those characters go on... Politicians, rebels, soldiers, smugglers, pirates, ordinary people. There's something for everyone. And there's the other side of that - not everything is going to be my favorite. I know that, and I'm glad even when a piece of content comes out and it's not my particular flavor, I can think hey, probably someone in this big weird place is enjoying it, that's good.

But this Acolyte shit??? THIS IS MY PERSONAL FUCKING MILKSHAKE RIGHT HERE AND I AM SLURPING THIS DOWN SLOPPY STYLE. Jedi stories?!??! Temple culture?!? Master and Padawan stuff?! BIG PILES OF SHINY WAVING LIGHTSABERS?! YES YES YES FINALLY!

Like this is the premium shit I go to Star Wars for. I just wanna see the space wizards hit each other with the glowing rods!!!! I just want to see it so bad, y'all.

[cemeterything]

I love that your OC Annie keeps being mistaken for a Blorbo From Your Media, but Siltverses is mistaken for your own story/fic/etc.

Tbf to that anon tho I also thought Siltverses was something you made for a while JDJDDHDH

just to make things more confusing, i have a silt verses version of annie. they're an acolyte of the Unwavering Needlepoint, a self-made false faith god of truth which she created in response to being adopted into and raised by a family of corporate god-worshippers specialising in binding contracts, the wording of which they twisted to favour themselves and/or the client paying them to draft it. the Unwavering Needlepoint demands its worshippers never lie on pain of potential death and/or debilitating emotional, mental and physical agony, inspired by the idiom "cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye". an oath taken in the name or presence of the Unwavering Needlepoint forces the one who swore it to tell the truth or suffer the consequences. its main symbol is a compass which always points true north.

[dizzyemi]

Hello! Not sure if I'm doing this request right... Ignore me if I'm wrong pls :)!

Can I request a reader who is more manipulative than Fyodor? Where sometimes he finds himself manipulated by her and doesn't let herself get manipulated by him? But not in a toxic way if you are not comfortable with it!

Better than me?

Summery: Request explains it

Tags: you pronouns, petnames (myshka), not really toxic but like competitive, obsession? Religious imagery, oc most definitely (we can be delusional)

Format: Drabble

There was a certain thrill when he realised that he had been manipulated by you. There's very few who can do that and he considers them all enemy's,but you? Oh he can't see his darling myshka as an enemy, especially when your manipulation has no real ill intent.

Your manipulation held a certain elegance, devoid of malicious intent, which left him bewildered yet captivated, an intoxicating sacrament that he willingly partook in, oblivious to the sanctity of your stratagems.

As he grappled with the paradox of being both victim and acolyte, he couldn't help but marvel at the play orchestrated by your hands. The subtle cues, the carefully chosen words—each a verse in the hymn of your influence. He felt as if his soul had become a sacred text written in the ink of your design.

Myshka, as he fondly called you, became an anomaly in his perception. The lines between manipulation and genuine connection blurred, leaving him in a state of uncertainty.

This neurotic uncertainty of being a pawn in your game ignited a flame of resentment that flickered alongside the remnants of admiration, he couldn't let you think you were better than him?

No no no.

You two danced in a never ending song of a petty rivalry, with no real harm truly being done yet always feeling the need to best one another, trying to outwit the other.

The astute Fyodor Dostoevsky, known for his analytical prowess, becomes a pawn in your intricate game, unaware of the subtle maneuvers that lead him down a path he never intended to tread yet he continues only for you.

This was most definitely oc I'm sorry