But Why?

[Anonymous]

Hello all! I’m new. Joined yesterday.

I spent some time yesterday/today looking through the site, the forum. I followed all the social media; filled out the questionnaire. Solved a couple puzzles on my own. Fun. I like puzzles. I’m not in LA, so there’s probably no red hoods in my future. Boo hoo me.

I guess what’s troubling me is trying to decrypt what the OOAs about, and why I should become their disciple… or their enemy.. or join some sort of faction in the OOA. All of the encouragements thus far feel like an Out Of Game hand trying to create a lot of crowd sourced social media buzz and user-generated content masked as some sort of weird carrot of winning someone’s favor to be promoted to something. But why? and what?!

If the OOA is a super badass thing that captures my inspiration, then absolutely. Let’s do this. But what is it? Why should I devote myself to it? From the first pass, it looks like an unclear cult with workspace dynamic issues.

It’s obvious from all the sweet branding that this question is my own to answer, but any guidance would be appreciated. The people here seem like smart nice folks. I trust there are answers here.

And what the heck does “Glory Be” even mean? Who is getting this glory?

[Mustafa SaidParticipant]

First of all, welcome! And second, let me try to answer the last question on that list.

“Glory Be” is just OOA tradition/salutation. It’s kinda like a greeting to other members.

[Anonymous]

Thanks @mumumusings I appreciate the greeting and the explanation of Glory Be.

[Mustafa SaidParticipant]

np buddy! Again, welcome to the party. Hope you enjoy it. Plus I can also relate to the nowhere near LA blues(oh, how I want the red hood…)

[Sean (@TheGilded)Moderator]

Last point is the easiest to address: It’s just the standard salutation that the OOA uses. Presumably we are honoring the Oracles and Anoch directly with this glory.

We really haven’t figured out the answers to many of your questions. Tension, for all its glory, is still in it’s infancy. Whatever it is going to be, we have been repeatedly made aware that it hasn’t fully started yet, we’re only in the introductory stages. So answers are going to be sparse.

With that said, the OOA has something behind it. It’s something that is enough to attract hundreds or possibly thousands of members into a secretive group that has teachings that are unclear. Whatever this is, it’s enough that anyone attempting to join has their lives essentially laid bare to them and anyone who is a part of it faces extreme consequences for betraying The Institute. If you want a reason to join the OOA more than to uncover what the mystery is, I’m afraid you won’t find one. Not yet, at least.

Through this process we’ve met people that we care about. Addison Barrow. Aleister Gordon. Even 4 herself. Something’s happening with them, and some of us have heard impassioned pleas from Mr. and Mrs. Barrow to help her daughter, and cryptic rushed messages from Aleister. Anyone who’s met any of these people would likely say that staying to help and to find out what happened to them is another reason to stay.

Or, the OOA is clearly capable of malicious acts, including keeping people against their will and brainwashing. The Brothers of Seraph are actively trying to fight the OOA and stop what they consider to be the OOA’s evil from spreading. If you hold that belief, it’s a reason in its own to try to save the poor fools who fell to a cult.

Whatever this is, we get more pieces of information as time goes by and as we work towards uncovering them, but since it is still in the early stages, we don’t know all the answers yet.

I do hope you’ll be around to help us find them, though.

[Anonymous]

I’m trying to get my bearings @thegilded. I can happily offer my devotion to something I understand and respect. Jumping into a mysterious journey to be personally challenged in ways I can’t know ahead of time sounds great as well.

but.. stepping into a strife-filled dynamic without any clear proof of what is happening, what has happened and who the players are – feels a lot like showing up at the end of a stranger’s family reunion, when everyone is drunk and fighting, and taking sides. Get a few drinks in me, and maybe.

Puzzles are shiny fun things for sure, but handing my “Glory Bes” out to strangers for hope of promotion or attention without knowing what in the fire is going on feels naive and borderline desperate. Admittedly, I often don’t play the social political games of our culture and look down on those who do… so not a lot of friends.

Thank you for your response.

[Jake OParticipant]

I get what you’re saying man. I felt and do feel the same way sometimes. It can be a bit forced.

But, I think most of these feelings come from the fact that the experience is still in its infancy. Everything here has been built from the ground up since around February of this year. The story is evolving as we continue to participate in the world they are creating. Events are even altered based on the choices we’ve made as a community.

I think you can participate however you see fit. You can be yourself around here and nobody will sweat you or force you to say glory be. In fact, many of the core members here have very strong personalities. There’s no reason to compromise yourself and say or do things you don’t want to

I hope you stick around and we hear more from you, Oh and…

Glory be!

[Anonymous]

Thanks @endlesspictures for the response.

I’m interested and here. Let’s see where it leads us.

[Sean (@TheGilded)Moderator]

@jeromy – You’re absolutely right, everything about this experience is straight weird. We’re basically being asked to pick a side in a war in which we don’t fully understand the sides. This whole experience is us trying to deal with the conflicts of this organization while simultaneously finding out what the organization is. Everyone has their own reason for sticking around but that mystery is what keeps me here.

You’re not out of line to say that none of us should really even have any loyalty to either side but, at least in my opinion, that isn’t the point right now. The the point is to uncover what we can and work towards finding out what all of this is. I don’t think we’re stepping into a stranger’s reunion, we’re stepping into the beginning of conspiracy movie’s storyline. There are groups at play here that we don’t understand but we’re sure as hell working towards it

[Anonymous]

@thegilded – Shouldn’t one say “no” when they are asked to pick a side in a war we don’t understand. I know countries do this all the time in real war, but I will somewhat relinquish some of my concern, and go along with the idea that picking sides isn’t the point. We’re at a discovery stage.

Ok. I can swallow that.

[Sean (@TheGilded)Moderator]

One should. OOA under III is the “default” stance for most, but very few people have actually declared allegiance for any side yet

[Jake OParticipant]

I think it should also be pointed out that most people haven’t been asked to choose a side yet. Jeromy, I think you nailed it when you said we are at a “discovery stage”.

However, I believe the default side for most, as Sean said, is the OOA. So far, only a handful of people have had the opportunity to truly declare allegiance to one side or the other.

Not to mention, it now seems like there are more, possibly many more, sides of the battle to be on

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Jake O.

[LucusParticipant]

“feels a lot like showing up at the end of a stranger’s family reunion, when everyone is drunk and fighting, and taking sides. Get a few drinks in me, and maybe.”
I love this line. You are already figuring it out. You should fit in nicely here.

[Anonymous]

@ununpentium – Thanks! I am trying!

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