Soul Gazing
A special method of fortune telling (100 word submission for the Ye Olde Archaic Word Challenge)
Babies-In-The-Eyes: The miniature reflection of himself which a person sees in the pupil of another's eye on looking closely into it.
This method works as follows: individuals are asked to think of a specific question applicable to a fixed point in the future (up to 50 year maximum), link hands with the fortune teller (the Soul Gazer), and gaze intently at the babies-in-the-eyes until told otherwise by the Soul Gazer. Soul Gazers do not ever provide interpretations, believing themselves to be conduits only for the babies-in-the-eyes that contain all the clues to the answers that individuals seek. Those who tried it often felt dazzled immediately afterwards but surprisingly, a large proportion of them reported favourably on its accuracy upon reflection.
Incorporation into Roleplay:
This can be either some bit of colourful background for enhancing game atmosphere or it can form a component of 1 or 2 plot hooks. For example, the PCs run into a dillemma/dead-end on one of the adventures and what the Soul Gazer shows them can be a clue to lead them out if they can decode it. Or the whole thing with Soul Gazing might be just a swindle but somehow one of these Soul Gazers have gained prominence at a particular location and the PCs are hired by someone to expose him. These are the basic examples that come to mind of a non-gamer like me. Of course, one can always blend these basic ideas into a more complicated form. For example, there might be true and swindler Soul Gazers in the world. The PCs have this problem on their hands that have to be completed within X number of days. They get stuck and go to a Soul Gazer. Is this a true Soul Gazer that will give them the true answer that they just have to decode or is this a fake one that will just waste their time?
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? Responses (8)
Hmm. I think you waste a lot of your 100 words. The first sentence is unnecessary, all that is inherit in it being a submission, same with next intro directly following it and telling us it is unlike others. Just jump into it and give us more.
As it is, with the word restrictions, it still doesn't give us much on how it works, accuracy, how it is interpreted. Not sure how to use it still...
Added more details on how the actual process works and accuracy. As for interpretation, basically everything is left to individual interpretation and the Soul Gazer only knows when the answer for the individual has appeared or not. How this should be used in roleplay, I must say I don't have much idea. This is just sth that came up to me on-the-fly when I browse thru the Archaic Word challenge and I couldn't it develop further into a reasonably quality sub so I just chunked out as a 100-word challenge. I have now moved my ideas on how to incorporate this into roleplay as a user submitted idea
a nice at bat!
Better! Gets the idea across now and I understand what it means though. I would have liked a hint on how the fortune telling works though to use this. Do they see motion in the reflection, get a vision, hear a sound or any of the above. I can make up my own but it was like I was leaning forward waiting for the how and didn't get it.
I think I am a little more critical than usual because I like the idea a lot and want your full interpretation of it so that is biasing me and I can't stop it. Make it stop. sttttoooopppp
Well, I'm certainly glad to hear you saying you like this idea a lot even though this is one I couldn't/didn't want to develop into a length I usually like. And I don't mind critical comments at all as long as they are constructive. Anyway, on the aspect you wanted to know, I was thinking of something really subtle rather than what you've mentioned. Basically, I was thinking that those who had been through a Soul Gazing session get their answers in a sort of 'meditation/ half inspiration strike' state in which they sort of get a sense of their answers but in general they are just a bit dazzled by the experience (they feel like they are trying to grasp some idea but couldn't really and the memory is getting further away or they've just found out a key truth about themselves/learnt a new and very complex concept and needing time to digest).
I agree with Strolen and when doing a 100 word, you need to avoid needlessly wordy phrases in order to provide more meat:
eg. do not ever = never
The whole babys thing has unlimited potential(also make great monster)
so evocative of thousands of ideas in this sub
5/5
commenting challange
