The Ocularum

[pumpkinhollow]

THE OCULARUM Contact: Neil West Location: West Dream Analytics Overview - This page is intended for RP threads taking place at or in relation to the Ocularum! Additional information regarding the organization and its workings can also be found below. - On the outskirts of Pumpkin Hollow, where the rural Northwest Hollow meets the edges of Lockwood Forest, there is a cottage. A thatched roof with wooden detailing houses a tall brick chimney from which a rich pinewood smoke rises in plumes. Warm and inviting windows glow with lantern light. A red door with a golden knocker is seated below a sign. "WEST DREAM ANALYTICS," it reads. This is both the home and the business of psychic dream therapist Neil West. Indeed, it is also the meeting place of the organization which he founded--- the Ocularum. You must be invited to attend either by another member or by Neil himself, though they don't tend to be picky. Moreso they are cautious. They've been burned before for speaking out against the church's way of doing things. But they are committed to action. The Ocularum believes that they can settle the issue of Pumpkin Hollow's haunting once and for all, and that the Temple of Sacred Roots is doing nothing but hindering progress. But if you earn their trust, they will show you the secrets which they believe are key to finally undoing the curse besetting the island. Membership Initiation | Due to their poor relations with much of the island, the Ocularum is slow in its induction process. Start with a simple orientation and earn the trust of its members over time to learn more. Benefits | Those who work with the Ocularum will find themselves less impacted by the effects of the curse and better prepared for what the island throws at them. This is in part due to Neil's occult expertise and strategies taught by him for dealing with these things, but members also find themselves passively having better luck as well. Drawbacks | Neil's outspoken views against the Temple's methods and ongoing feud with Dahlia Leeds has not made the Ocularum particularly popular. Joining them may occasionally earn you the ire of others. There are also sometimes murmurings about "costs" among the members, implying that there may be some financial expectations. Philosophy The Ocularum believes that the solution to Marrow Isle's problems lies in occult knowledge and direct action. Whether the result of an angry ancient deity, restless spirits, or a leyline of dark energy beneath the land, there is some terrible magic plaguing the island. It can be treated. It can be harnessed. However, the Temple's insistence on waiting around for dead or apathetic goddesses to answer the prayers of the people is putting this on hold. The Historical Society is no better, focusing on reactionary measures gleaned from dusty old books. And the heretics in the forest are respectable folk but are exposing themselves to unnecessary danger. The Ocularum needs bold and dedicated truth seekers who aren't afraid to step into the unknown for the sake of protecting themselves and their neighbors. art credit, code credit

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The Doctor is In

[itsjustabaddream]

Neil sat behind his desk in his makeshift waiting room. It is obviously just a living room rearranged to masquerade as a waiting room--- a lovely fireplace is positioned off to the side with a sofa and armchair nearby, and a normal writing desk is placed in front of the archway leading into the rest of the home, posing as a check-in desk. But it seems to do its job, and this desk is where Neil spends most of his business hours.

When you enter, Neil looks up. "Hello there!" He smiles politely. "Here to make an appointment?"

Curiosity Kills, Sure, but What's the Worst That Could Happen?

[apocryphalarchivist]

[ There hadn't been just about anything that Jon trusted in Pumpkin Hollow, and this was no exception. For the most part, his intention had been to steer clear of anything he possibly could, until he could find his way out.

The eye symbology and claims of truth were hooks, though, and their draw couldn't be ignored forever.

And now, here he was. The Ocularum wasn't what he'd expected--- the small, unimposing cottage almost looking cozy amid the gloom of the evening--- and, for just a moment, he steeled himself. Hadn't he had enough of eyes for one lifetime?

Maybe in the old one, but this was a new lifetime, and he needed answers. They could provide them, apparently.

Only a moment longer, he stood outside, taking in a breath. And then, he carried on inside, to the desk just within. It was as cozy on the inside as it was outside. How strange. ]

I'm afraid not. Or, perhaps... not at the moment. [ Jon corrects, matching politeness, and remaining on the quieter side, as if reluctant to break the peace inside the home. ] I've read that you're the one to speak to for insight into the Ocularum?

[itsjustabaddream]

[ At the inquiry, Neil lights up and opens his mouth to speak, then pauses. His eyes grow wide, and he smiles more broadly. ]

Ohh, there you are. I thought I sensed the presence of a kindred spirit. This--- this is no accident. [ He spoke with a quiet intensity, a fire behind his eyes. ] You're one of us.

[apocryphalarchivist]

[ That clearly wasn't the reaction Jon was expecting at all, if his owlish blink was anything to go off of, and he looked uneasy, skeptical--- yet intrigued. The hook of interest dug deeper. ]

I don't believe I know what you mean.

[itsjustabaddream]

Oh come now. You know this was no mistake. You were called here.

[ He stood, coming around the desk. He looked Jon directly in the eyes, searching. ]

Ahh, there it is! The glimmer of unobstructed truth. An avatar of the Eye.

[apocryphalarchivist]

[ Taking an instinctive half-step back, Jon furrowed his brows, meeting Neil's gaze. What he was looking for was beyond him - but, when Neil found it, his face dropped. ]

...You know of them, then. I didn't--- realize their reach extended even beyond the grave.

[itsjustabaddream]

Considering one of them is "the grave," I am less inclined to be surprised.

[ Neil chuckled at his own joke. ]

No, I daresay they exist wherever humans do. And places where humans do not exist have their own fears to cower from. In any case, you are among your own kind now. Might I know your name?

[apocryphalarchivist]

[ Despite not loving the notion that they could reach that far, Neil did have a point. Despite being in a strange sort of purgatory, there were people here. The question made him blink, however - he'd gotten so caught up in things, he hadn't even introduced himself. So much for properness, Mr. Sims, get it together. ]

Jon. [ He replied, extending a hand to shake. ] And am I correct to assume you're... Dr. West?

[itsjustabaddream]

[ Neil took Jon's hand and shook it, jovial and firm. ]

Yes, but do call me Neil. You have no need to be formal with me.

Sometime in October post Dahlia TDM

[somebodychildofanyone]

"Here to check in, mainly," comes the casual answer as River carefully drops her hood; there's a certain amount of extracting her ears first. "Regarding our prior plans. I hope it's not presuming too much if I assumed you didn't want the banishing rite happening at the same time?"

[itsjustabaddream]

Neil hadn't quite finished looking up when the words of professional greeting had popped out of his mouth, and now he is owlishly looking at River and seeming to almost regret the pleasantry. He clicks his tongue.

"I wasn't entirely sure that was something you were still interested in. Considering the company you now seem to keep."

[somebodychildofanyone]

River sighs, heavily. This might call for a delicate touch, the sort of thing that Brianna might negotiate delicately...

...Nah, fuck that.

She undoes the clasp on her cloak and tosses it on the floor before rolling up her sleeves, revealing row after row of those burning, overlapping sigils. "Quick question: do you think I spent days carving these into my arms, and even more out of my life, for the entire rest of my life, until I finally fucking die, 'cause I get off on it, or 'cause I'm a practical kinda person? There's a correct answer here."

[itsjustabaddream]

Neil's eyebrows knit quizzically.

"River, I appreciate that you are trying to make some kind of point here, but the sarcasm is not necessary. I have no doubts as to your practicality, but I haven't got the foggiest idea what that has to do with me, nor do I know the significance of your sigils." He looks away from her, calmly going back to filing paperwork. "If you are trying to tell me that you think I am being emotional and that this is a hinderance to your oh-so-practical approach, then I shall have to ask you to kindly fuck off. You don't know me well enough to make that sort of judgement."

[somebodychildofanyone]

"Just trying to get to the heart of the problem." River rolls her sleeves back down, slowly; it doesn't do to rush. "I'll tell it to you straight: Dahlia's not happy about me right now either. She doesn't like the idea of me working with you any more than you like me at her table, and that's after acknowledging that my professional peers on this island are..." River counts off one finger. "You and no one else. But from where I'm sitting the problem hasn't changed. Something is happening to the death energy on this island, something so pervasive that I can barely rot living flesh and can't touch the freshly dead at all. I'm being cockblocked harder than if I was hunted by a guild of grandmothers that are all fuckin' assassins. We need to know why."

[itsjustabaddream]

"River, you should know as well as anyone that the exorbitantly wealthy cannot be trusted. There is nothing on this earth that could move me to 'put aside our differences' and work with that... rich, pompous fool. It wouldn't even surprise me to find out she was paying people to feed her information about me again." Neil scoffs. "I am perfectly capable of getting to the bottom of this without any additional magical assistance. If the same is not true of you, perhaps you should give your allegiances another look."

[somebodychildofanyone]

"Mmm. But she's not helping, is the thing." River sighs, ears drooping faintly. "All I, personally, am asking is the right to share my findings publicly. I'll do that in whatever form you find assuring that nobody's getting more information. Hell, I'll shake down poor Yorick to put it in the paper if that tickles your fancy. I have no intention, whatsoever, of sharing the form of the ritual or the names of the participants with anyone. That's their private business, and it's going to suck enough without ignorant people asking why they'd choose to die."

"...I'm here to help, Neil. That hasn't changed."

[itsjustabaddream]

"...I know. But I won't compromise myself by being connected to one of her people, whether they're an employee, a friend, what have you. I have reasons that I need to be careful who I trust. Not just with information, but with sharing a space with me, seeing how I work, any of it. I'm sorry if you do not understand my reasoning."

Neil sets his jaw, gaze drifting aside. "I hate to put you in the position of needing to make a choice. But if I'm going to do this with you, I have to know that we are a team."

[tisnotthehouse]

"Why, yes." Tarantulas closes the door behind himself, his by-now habitual smile on his face. "So long as it's not a bad time. Are you Doctor West?"

His many eyes allow him to examine the room freely without turning his head, and he takes full advantage of it. How quaint, a doctor working out of his own home. Not that Tarantulas has any room or desire to judge.

[itsjustabaddream]

"I certainly am." Neil raises a brow of interest. "Not every day one sees an arachnus. Did you just arrive?"

[tisnotthehouse]

"'Arachnus?'" Tarantulas titters out loud as he approaches the desk. "Is that what I look like to you? What an interesting coincidence, if coincidence it is. Most intriguing."

"But yes, I just arrived five or six days ago. My name is Tarantulas." And with a little hop, he seats himself on the corner of Neil's desk, crossing one leg over the other like a femme fatale. "How very pleased I am to make your acquaintance, Dr. West. I've heard some very interesting things about you."

[itsjustabaddream]

"Ahh, I see. Yes, we have spider-folk in this particular corner of reality. Or 'arachnae,' more properly. Though they're quite an uncommon species, especially above ground. Most prefer to live in Hepogaia, the subterranean nation."

At the last comment, he raises a brow suspiciously. That could mean a lot of things. "Oh? And just what have you heard?"

[tisnotthehouse]

"How lovely -- if also rather frustrating -- to be reminded that there is an entire world beyond this island," Tarantulas remarks wistfully. "I shall have to hope I have the chance to see it all one day."

But he can't let himself be distracted too far from the current topic of discussion.

"Only good things, so far as I'm concerned," he says cheerfully, waving a hand as if to dismiss even the possibility of having heard anything negative about Dr. Neil West, although the reassurance may be undercut slightly when he follows it up with, "I'm hardly going to let a bunch of laymen tell me how to judge someone's research, after all. What do they know? But I'm especially interested in your clinical practice -- using dreams to provide relief from traumatic memories? Is that how it works? I was hoping I might convince you to let me make a trial of it."

[itsjustabaddream]

As Tarantulas answers the question, Neil's face maintains a strangely unreadable expression as if he is intentionally concealing his opinion on what is being said. If he is concerned or annoyed by the idea that people may be speaking ill of him, or whether he agrees or disagrees with the idea that the opinions of average folk shouldn't matter, he does not indicate it with his face.

However, when the discussion shifts to that of his dream therapy, his eyes light up like a struck match and his posture straightens. "Yes, that's correct! I have a rare innate ability known as dream-walking, which allows me to project my consciousness into the unconscious minds of others while they are asleep. I use this ability, combined with my skill as a mental health professional, to address traumatic dreams directly at the source and coach the patient on how to take control of their own psyche to alleviate symptoms. It is only one part of my trauma therapy, as they obviously need assistance coping with their past in waking life and I cannot simply magic their pain away. However, many patients find it extremely cathartic and that it allows them to get calm, restful sleep. Sometimes for the first time in years. And using those first steps as a foundation for consistent, long-form treatment has yielded fantastic results. I would be delighted to demonstrate."

[tisnotthehouse]

"So it's an ability you were born with, not something that can be taught?" If Tarantulas is at all disappointed by this information, he gets over it quickly. He continues, "How wonderful, though! Normally I would expect some sort of hardline connection to be necessary to achieve that sort of mind-to-mind contact --" An unwanted thought suddenly occurs to him; his mouth twists for a moment before he says, uncertainly, "Just to be clear, this procedure doesn't carry any risk to you, does it? It's only that...well."

He struggles a moment more with his wording. "Many of my nightmares incorporate imagery and sensory data that was deliberately designed to be damaging to the psyche. I'm afire with curiosity! But it would better not to damage you."

Better for whom, exactly? Well, everyone, of course.

[itsjustabaddream]

"It can be somewhat risky, yes, but I have spent my entire life honing my skills in this regard and I know my limits. I can make my exit if things get too dicey," Neil assures him. "But most likely I will be able to handle it. There is... a layer of cognitive separation, if that makes sense."