beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2024-03-15 01:39 pm

THE ADVOCATE ORACLE - A RIP VAN WINKLE IN TIME


Sweet dreams are made of Bliss
As the twilight falls, and bearers begin to tuck in for their evenings on the night of the 15th of March (OOC time) and whether they tuck themselves into bed fully, or simply drift away in the middle of their dinner, work, indulgences, or what have you; bearers will fall into a deep, deep sleep. Perhaps you slump in your chair, or you wrap your arms around a teddy bear, or partner, or cup a precious shard in your sleep, it doesn’t matter, because as you drift away, into a sleep that seems to tug you under like the undertow itself, a question will echo in bearer’s minds: “If given the choice, would you show compassion in the face of adversity?”

It sticks with you, even as you fall into a dreamless sleep. As if it rotates in your mind, over and over, letting you worm over that. You know for certain what it is, that it is the calming, soothing voice of the Oracle, reaching out to you across the ether, telling you – promise you – that if you accept its promise, you will find that the Oracle could be in your hands. That thought leads you to dream of something else – of home, or your loved ones – of what you are fighting this war for. Even as you dream, you feel a presence next to you, and unlike the Harbinger’s winding, rough digging, this is more akin to a friend, who is asking you soft, coaxing questions. Things like: what was your childhood like? What were your friends like? What did you do? You cannot help but think of them, think of your home and your loved ones. Of where you came from, and how it made you what you are.

The advocate seeks to understand you, and where you come from. You can feel it, that overwhelming Acceptance and love from it, even as you reminisce, compelled to answer the multitude of questions, you can feel something building behind you, around you. “Don’t you want them all to understand this?” the impression is given through communion, and you cannot help but answer: yes.

Click your Heels together, Dorothy!
As you awake for the first time, it’s alien, the world that meets you. New smells fill your nostrils, new sights, the gravity is perhaps different than you’ve gotten used to on Kenos, even those slight shifts enough to make the world feel wholly different. You remember the advocate’s words, and it wants you to feel what it feels. Understanding. Compassion, and perhaps there is a sense that doing so would hurt yourself in turn, if you understood too much. That is the advocate’s way, after all, isn’t it?

You feel an inexorable, slight tug in your chest. Something subtle and gentle, the slightest of sensations, that gives you a direction. You know it, your mind only just now comprehending the advocate’s confusing impressions via communion, that there is something of this world’s… Soul/center/heart or whatever word you want to use for it. Something about this world that will help you along your path, and help you with the results you so desire. You know it will not guarantee a victory, but surely it will help. Especially as your numbers dwindle from world to world. You are left with an impression from the Advocate -- if you die, they cannot bring you back. There is apology in this, but alone, one oracle is limited. Only united, can they truly change your fate.

The lingering presence of the advocate starts to fade. You know this is a bearer’s world, if not your own. You look around, to see perhaps a familiar face nearby? Or perhaps you are alone. Does it matter? You know that this place belongs to a bearer, but whether they are a friend or an enemy, one has to begin to determine that. You’ll need your wits, you’ll need your strength and resolve to make it to the end of this, won’t you?

After all, as bearers were recently reminded: this is War. This is not simply the fate of this world, but perhaps all, as it will require you to find the answer to this question. So you start to move, you start to look around, explore, and search. For the soul of each world, for the bearers that lie dreaming within, and your foes that will seek you out. Stay steadfast, for the way out will come, if you make it to the end. The longer you spend in each world, however, the more the shadows look darker, and deeper. Hungrier. The more the spaces seem smaller or compressed. As if there is something gnawing away at the sides, making their way to the heart.

Around the world in 60 seconds 12 hours
When you find yourself at the end, when you close your eyes – only a blink, but it hangs, as if the momentary motion is enough to suspend you into a suspended space before. You can see the two options stretched out before you – metaphysically – the impression of it. A long, long shadow cast over one. As if there is a presence hovering over and above, like waiting jaws, ready to strike. In the other, there remains…nothing. It is not pleasant, it is not comforting, it simply… is. A sense that there is now a lack of anything, almost like it had never existed before.

Does this world have value? You can feel the Advocate ask. Do you want to give them a chance to live? Or does should this world cease, is there nothing here to save?

And though you are compelled, required to answer, you know this question for what it is. Short-sighted. Both, in the end, will lead to its destruction, but which will you choose? Will you allow the world to continue, even with that long shadow cast, like a hungry beast with snapping jaws; or will you erase it from existence and spare it that oncoming apocalypse?

Catch [???] Winks
The last world’s fate decided, bearers float in an endless sea of stars. You can see them all, spread before you. Intermittently, they wink out, swallowed into the darkness, consumed as the shadows, that inky-black nothingness grows ever-larger. It looks upon you, bearers. It is nothing, but you have its attention, and your blood runs cold, your limbs frozen. You cannot move, you cannot speak, you cannot breathe. You feel it, the power of being drawn into it, like it wants to consume you. Like it knows you.

T̸̢̼̯͓̬̘́̀̋̆͊h̷͔̣̱̝͍̬̣͕̄̂͗̆͒͌͜ͅẹ̶̱̩̅͒̿̇͠ ̵̭̹͇͖̔̀ṃ̸̢̧͙̟̼̜͌͆̍͝͝ͅo̴̟̞̓̆̇̐̆͊̽͆̂̀r̶͈̺̮̠͙̗͌ę̸̤̻̈́͐͂̓̊͐̂͆ ̵̡̛͎̩̳̤͔͚̱̼̆̒̓y̴̺̞̹̺̝̤͂ǫ̷̡̣̱̥͊̈́̓͑̕͘ű̵̼͜͜ ̶̨̨̝̟̘̱͇̲̻̪̊͂̽̈̒͊f̴̱̐͌̌̓̋̔́̀͝i̶͖̤͎̬̝̦͒̂g̸̳̰̟̀̓̽̈́̐h̸̼͍̮͎̊̅͗͊̈͋̽̀͘t̴͔͚́̓,̷̨̧̱̠̙̠̙̱̒̍̽̾ ̷̖̰̼̬̟͐̊̂t̶̖̄͂̅̃̍͐̊̑̅͜͝h̴̢̛͙̪̞̫̝̺̋̅̿͛̇̚͝͝ͅͅȩ̶͉̤͍̠́̈͑̏͋̚͘͝ ̸̢̨̧͚̖̤̪̬̪̀̉̐͗̂͆͑̚̕̚c̴̠̩̳͎̲̪͔̟̈́͂̉͑́l̶̡̲̻̣̘̏́ͅo̶̢̧͔͈̬̳̰͈̝̻͌̋̆̃͒͗̏͘ş̴̪̺̣̥̎̽̿͗̒́͛̕̚̚e̴̺͍̤͖͂̇͑͂̋͂̆̾r̴̨̩̈́͋͠ ̷̧͚̲̩̖̋͒̉́͗y̶̘̖̝̑̈͊ǒ̵͚̽u̵͎͍̇̀̏̊̕͝ŕ̷͎̜̘͙̀̋ ̶͇̲̝̞̖̝̣̘̝̬͋d̷͔͈͔̀̿õ̴̝̯͇̹̘̏͗͜ö̵͚͓͆m̵͉̦̫̥̦̞̫͐̆͐̿͊͒͌͋͜.̷̼͈̻̥̜̾̏͐̾̐͆͘͜

You gasp, as you startle awake, and open your eyes for the first time in a long time.

CODING
diegeticmusic: (can find it again)

Grace | Zenith Savant | OTA

[personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-03-22 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
A: The World Hidden in Plain Sight (Grace's World - The Underworld)

[Like most nights, The Underworld is hopping; full of gods, major and minor alike, and these days more than a few mortals as well. They intermingle, out dancing to the club beats or huddling together at the bar or around a table.

Though this is just an echo of her world, it... hurts, to see the people she knows. Brothers, sisters, cousins; those who embraced her after her arrival and those who took time to warm up to her. Most are her friends by now, or friendly acquaintances, at least.

Pan isn't at his normal table - not a surprise, given that he left town the moment Athena wasn't in charge anymore, and that seems to hold true here, too. Grace takes the opportunity to slide into it, ordering a drink and then settling in to people watch.

When she notices someone from Highstorm, or just someone who looks particularly lost, she gives a call.]


Hey! First time?

[Hah.]

B: A Little Black Magic (Grace's World - the Reliquary)

[The outside of the Reliquary is covered in snow, perpetually. The Reliquary itself is a large stone building, and Grace trudges toward it, feeling a mix of emotions. This place has been a sight of tragedy for her... but also a place of joy.

When she notices someone else in the snow, she waves a hand in greeting, moving toward them.]


If you want to go inside, [she says as she gets close,] first you want to make sure that Hecate and Asterion are, ah... busy with each other.

[If you catch her drift.]

C: Didn't Teach This In Art History (Matt Jamison's world)

[Suddenly appearing in another world, similar to hers and yet, so different too, was certainly a surprise. Here the magic isn't hidden, like it was to her for the first twenty years of her life, but right out in the open. Or, well, would be out in the open, if people were more cool about it. Yikes.

Still, Grace has decided to take in the sights while she's here. And, okay, maybe checking out San Francisco's art museums is a little touristy, but she is a tourist, technically!

She finds herself looking over those Picasso paintings of vampires. This... this is delightful, honestly.]


You know, if more stuff like this was considered classic in my world, maybe I wouldn't have dropped out of college.

D: Wait, I Don't Know My Lines (Shambhala)

[Well this is... sure something. Not at all the kind of place Grace was expecting to stumble into, and yet, here she is.

She's in the town square right now, wandering around and checking out the bustling areas of town. This place looks like something out of a science fiction movie, and yet the vibe is still somehow... more ancient than that. And there's definitely something shady happening here - even she's picked up on that.

She's just about to move on when suddenly a small hand tugs at hers. She stops, looking down at the kid tugging on her.

"Excuse me, miss," says the kid. "Can you be the goddess in our play?"]


Uh... I don't really... know it that well? [She tries.

The kid is unfazed, tugging on her more incessantly. She turns to whoever is nearby, grimacing.

A little help?]
punkisntdead: (31)

B

[personal profile] punkisntdead 2024-03-22 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
[There’s multiple reasons why Chloe’s staring down this huge stone building right now. Plain old curiosity’s a big one, particularly after the faint pull that led her here in the first place, but frankly she wants to find someplace to get out of the snow for a bit. Somehow, a little winter wonderland isn’t feeling quite so relaxing after all the world-hopping they’ve been forced to do over… who even knows how many days, at this point. She’s lost track.

Her sigh coalesces as a fleeing puff in the cold air outside. She digs her hands a little deeper into the pockets of her jacket, and does a double-take as she catches movement in her periphery and finds a familiar face.

The wave is returned with a nod of greeting, and Chloe’s gaze drifts back toward the building before them as Grace dispenses her advice.]


So… some breaking and entering while they get some “quality time.” [She laughs.]
diegeticmusic: (can find it again)

[personal profile] diegeticmusic 2024-03-27 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
Heh, that's exactly it.

[Grace gives Chloe a wink, before going to the door. She opens it just a smidge, just enough to peek in and see if Hecate is in the main room.

With no sign of the Titan (she's usually hard to miss, at least when she's in her giant form), she steps in a little further.]


I think we're in the clear.
punkisntdead: (83)

[personal profile] punkisntdead 2024-04-02 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
[The wink gets a smirk in return, and Chloe’s quick to follow her up to the door and on inside once the coast is clear.

It’s good to get in and away from the snow, and doubly good that there aren’t any watchful eyes to greet them in here. Not yet, at least. Chloe pauses there just past the doorway, taking in the sight of the place.

A brief glance is given Grace’s way as she speaks up, and she at least has the presence of mind to keep her voice low.]


You’ve been in here before? What is this place?