#side tales

[caemidraws]

[Swan Song Dream 1/2]

[caemidraws]

Didn't mean to wake you up,

[caemidraws]

[Swan Song Dream 2/2]

[caemidraws]

---

[caemidraws]

The love was there.

[caemidraws]

[Lay on hands]

[journeyofthemoonprophet]

Have you ever had a vision that you've decided it's better to just keep to yourself?

The thing you've learned about prophecies is that no matter how little or how much you're given, they're given for a reason. Usually that reason isn't yours; you're just the messenger, after all. (Besides, a prophet rarely sees his own future. The times he does... well, that's a different story for another day.)

And seeing as the gods are giving them for a reason, once you get a prophecy, you are to deliver it. Whether you want to or not, whether you know exactly what it means or you're just as confused as the recipient. Hell, sometimes whether you even know who it's supposed to go to or not (the times you don't, you tend to figure it out once you see them). You can deliver them however you like--from direct and blunt to hidden in riddles--but they are to be heard by more than just you. Holding on to them too long is... well...

Easier put, having a prophecy is like having an itch that needs scratched, or a squeeze in your chest until you finally cough. It starts off small at first, easy to dismiss, but the longer it goes unspoken, the more restless your mind gets, and the harder it becomes to ignore. Usually it's not long before a prophet finally caves and delivers the news, but the more stubborn...?

Those that somehow manage to resist speaking them long enough have those sensations grow so intense that they're eventually driven to insanity. The "Mad Oracles" of history and lore: broken not from what they see, as many people assume, but from trying to keep it smothered until it finally claws its way out from the inside. Even with those that learn their lesson and comply with every prophecy afterwards, the madness has already left a mark that never truly fades. A painful reminder, as well as a warning to other prophets.

The Gods are very insistent on having their messages known one way or another. As much as you like to flirt with your limits on... well, everything really, you know better than to test their patience for too long. It wouldn't end well for you.