#44-Card Deck

[alexesguerra]

The Soul's Journey Lesson Cards: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook The Soul's Journey Lesson Cards: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook Cards – September 23, 2014 by James Van Praagh (Author) ---Brand New--- With this enchanting 44-card deck, your higher self will deliver you soulful wisdom and guidance so that you’ll know the right choices to make in your life and how to live as a spiritual being in this physical world. By performing a "soul spread," you will receive celestial direction, and with every turn of the cards, a soul lesson you are currently being taught will be revealed. James Van Praagh has drawn upon his 30 years of experience in Spirit communication and counseling in order to bring you this healing tool to facilitate a clear understanding of your spiritual growth. Each page of the accompanying guidebook highlights a life lesson such as Forgiveness, Empathy, or Surrender, and the various ways in which you may utilize it for the optimal growth and evolvement of your soul. About the Author James Van Praagh is the internationally renowned #1 New York Times best-selling author who has worked as the voice of the Spirit World for the past 30 years. He has appeared on Oprah, Larry King Live, Dr. Phil, Coast to Coast, and many other programs. He is also the successful creator and producer of CBS’s long-running series The Ghost Whisperer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Website: www.vanpraagh.com Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lifestyles; Tcr Crds/P edition (September 23, 2014) Language ‏ : ‎ English Cards ‏ : ‎ 112 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 140194471X ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781401944711 Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.5 ounces Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 3.94 x 1.44 x 5.5 inches

[comparativeoracle]

The Butterfly / La Mariposa. Art by Angelica Castro, from The Ofrenda Oracle Deck.

[boundlss]

"sure is a funny thing, stories. they say each of them has a clear cut cycle. beginning, middle, end. a normalcy, a departure, then a return. it all seems so simple when you lay the cards out that way."

you say this while shuffling an actual deck of cards, clubs, hearts, diamonds, spades, flitting across the reflection in your glasses.

"i would say it is the same as a game. we enter, unaffected, into this world whose rules we create and perpetuate. there is a hero—that is, i consider it me, you consider it you—and then vice versa's the bad guy. we gotta beat each other back through this unknown, winner takes all, and that's that. but then, you get to go again. and gee, that sure changes. at least, in this diatribe it does. or is it a monologue?"

you lean back in your chair, dress shoe inching back and forth across the worn table. cards continue their dance.

"beats me. well, don't actually beat me, i got a lot riding on this bet here. i like the cut of that record. what a marvel of invention. that's a story—guy saddles up, has an idea, wades through the unknown to get it made—bet he's gone through such a cycle countless times. maybe he still is. that seems to me what life is all about. making a story, following it through, then beginning again. shame so many of them are tragedies. even the funny ones eventually earn a cadaver to burn. ooh, that rhymed." you snap your fingers. "anyway, what was it we were playin' again? was it poker, or old maid? i genuinely forgot." (b!dave to no.44 SURPRIHIHISE!)

"Poker."

His humorless response spares no acknowledgement for the rambling that had come before the question, though 44 had been unfortunate enough to process every word of it. Dave Strider is an interesting phenomenon---though if 44 liked, he could understand every thought in the span of one blink.

Not that he wants to. He's far more focused on the game.

Games of chance fascinate 44 more than most games. Of course, he's capable of seizing chance and molding it to suit him, but he often opts not to; the role of casual observer is ultimately more suited to him. Chance in general is a fascinating subject, anyway---though the movements of the cards as they cross over one another produces what is undeniably an order unique to any other time they've been shuffled without intent, their order isn't incidental.

It's impossible to shuffle a deck of cards without touching them. Similarly, "chance" and "action" are two concepts inherently inseparable from one another. Lightning strikes a person because that person took the action to stand in the place where lightning would strike. A tornado destroys a house because the house was built where it was. A flush is laid on the table in a fair game because someone's hand placed the cards in the requisite order. The only variable between happenstance and intention is the understanding of the involved parties.

44 can't see into the future either, but he opts not to tell Dave that he already knows exactly which order the cards have landed in.

"I would appreciate it," he instructs, "if you would deal the cards."

unprompted. / accepting!

[fox-on-the-moon]

no one:

literally no one:

me: what if i made tsssff cards but for a different fandom than mlp-

[prokopetz]

Your long and arduous journey has led you to this, the final confrontation. You thought you knew what to expect, but just as you struck the final blow, your ultimate foe's eyes gleamed with unnatural light as they proclaimed…

THIS ISN'T EVEN MY FINAL FORM

A game for 4–6 players

Introduction

This Isn't Even My Final Form is a GMless tactical minigame for 4–6 players. You'll take on the roles of a party of heroic adventurers nearing the end of a world-spanning quest to defeat a great evil, the Final Boss. Unfortunately for them, each time they think they've won, the Final Boss assumes a new, even more horrifying form, and the struggle begins anew. Is there any end to this conflict? There's only one way to find out!

What You'll Need

This Isn't Even My Final Form requires a dozen six-sided dice, as well as a way of keeping track of a few important numbers – a shared text document or some scrap paper will suffice.

Update 2023-10-30: Print-and-play card decks are available here:

http://penguinking.com/this-isnt-even-my-final-form/

Character Creation

Choose two of the following actions to be your Party Member's Class Actions: Strike, Heal, Buff, Debuff. If you'd rather determine this randomly, roll on the following table.

1. Strike, Heal 2. Strike, Buff 3. Strike, Debuff 4. Heal, Buff 5. Heal, Debuff 6. Buff, Debuff

Give your Party Member's Class a name which suits your Class Actions. Also give your Party Member a name; it is traditional but not obligatory for your Party Member's name to have exactly five letters.

Playing the Game

Play is divided into a series of Phases. During each Phase, one player takes on the role of the Final Boss. That player's Party Member does not participate in this Phase; they're trapped, lost, incapacitated, or otherwise separated from the party or unable to act for the duration of the Phase. All other players take on the roles of their Party Members.

The Final Boss player's first order of business is to describe what the current Phase looks like. The Final Boss player can roll 1–3 times on the following table (re-rolling duplicates) to decide on a theme, or use it as inspiration for their own theme. To use this table, roll a six-sided die twice, treating the first roll as the "tens" place and the second roll as the "ones" place, yielding a number in the range from 11 to 66.

11. Beasts 12. Bells 13. Blood 14. Bones 15. Chains 16. Chaos 21. Cubes 22. Eyes 23. Fire 24. Flowers 25. Food 26. Games 31. Gears 32. Glass 33. Gold 34. Hands 35. Holes 36. Ice 41. Iron 42. Light 43. Mazes 44. Meat 45. Mirrors 46. Music 51. Orbs 52. Order 53. Plague 54. Shadow 55. Slime 56. Space 61. Spikes 62. Teeth 63. Time 64. Trees 65. Weapons 66. Wings

Once the Phase has been defined, set the party's Momentum to zero. Momentum is a value which will increase or decrease over the course of the Phase; it has a minimum value of zero, and no particular upper limit.

Play proceeds in a series of rounds, as follows.

The Final Boss Attacks

The Final Boss always goes first in each round. Roll one die:

1–3: The Final Boss chooses one of the following actions. 4–5: The Final Boss chooses two of the following actions. You may not target the same Party Member twice; however, you may use the same action on two different Party Members if you wish. 6: The Final Boss does nothing this round. On its turn next round, it does not roll and instead uses its Ultimate Attack.

Wound: Inflict the Critical Condition on a single Party Member. If the chosen Party Member already has the Critical Condition, it's replaced with the Down Condition and the party loses one Momentum.

Imprecate: Inflict the Cursed Condition on a single Party Member.

Envenom: Inflict the Poisoned Condition on a single Party Member.

Bewilder: Inflict the Confused Condition on a single Party Member.

Counter: If you're targeted by the Strike or Debuff actions this round, after resolving that action, perform the Wound action on the Party Member who targeted you. You may counter any number of actions in this way.

Dispel: Remove the Buffed and Protected Conditions from any number of Party Members.

Enrage: The Final Boss rolls two dice and takes the better result on its next action. The party may cancel this benefit with a successful Debuff action; doing so removes the extra die instead of forcing the Final Boss to roll twice and take the lower result.

Ultimate Attack: This action can only be chosen by rolling a 6 during the previous round. When the Final Boss uses this action, choose Cursed, Poisoned, or Confused: you may perform the Wound action AND inflict the chosen Condition upon any number of Party Members, in that order. (i.e., Wound each targeted Party Member, THEN Curse/Confuse/Poison any who remain standing.)

The Final Boss player describes the outcome of the chosen action(s) in as much or as little detail as they like; control then passes to the other players.

The Party Acts

After the Final Boss has attacked, each Party Member who doesn't have the Down condition chooses one of the following actions, in any order the players wish. After choosing any action other than Defend, the player rolls their dice pool, which is a handful of six-sided dice constructed as follows:

Start with a number of dice equal to the party's current Momentum (initially zero, though it will grow over the course of the Phase)

Add one die if you're performing one of your Party Member's Class Actions

Add one die if your Party Member currently has the Buffed Condition

Add one die if your Party Member currently has the Critical Condition

Roll all of the dice together, and find the highest result. Ties for the highest result have no special significance; for example, if you rolled four dice and got 1, 3, 5 and 5, your result is 5. If you'd ever end up with zero or fewer dice for any reason – either because your dice pool was empty to begin with, or because some effect obliged you to discard every die you rolled – you receive an automatic result of 1.

If an action requires you to target a specific Party Member or make other choices, you can wait and see the result of your roll before making those decisions.

Strike: You attack the Final Boss. Roll your dice pool:

1–3: Nothing happens – either the attack misses, or the Final Boss turns out to be immune to whatever you just did. 4–5: The attack strikes true. The party gains one Momentum. 6: Critical hit! The party gains two Momentum.

Special: If you roll triples or better (i.e., at least three of the same number) on a Strike action, the Final Boss' current Phase is defeated, and you move on to the next Phase. It doesn't matter what number comes up triples.

Heal: You attempt to restore the party's strength. Roll your dice pool:

1–3: You may remove the Critical Condition from a single Party Member. If no Party Member has the Critical Condition, nothing happens. 4–5: You may remove the Critical Condition from any number of party members OR you may remove the Down Condition from a single Party Member. 6: You may remove the Critical and Down Conditions from any number of party members.

Buff: You attempt to bolster a party member. Roll your dice pool:

1–3: You may grant the Buffed Condition to a single Party Member OR remove a Condition of your choice other than Critical or Down from a single Party Member. 4–5: You may grant the Buffed Condition to a single Party Member AND remove a Condition of your choice other than Critical or Down from that Party Member, if they have one. 6: You may grant the Buffed Condition OR remove a Condition of your choice other than Critical or Down to any number of Party Members. You may choose a different option for each targeted Party Member.

Debuff: You attempt to weaken the Final Boss. Roll your dice pool:

1-3: Nothing happens – it turns out the Final Boss was immune to that effect. 4–5: The Final Boss rolls two dice and takes the lower result on its next action. 6: The Final Boss rolls two dice and takes the lower result on its next action AND the party gains one Momentum.

Defend: You may grant the Protected condition to a Party Member of your choice. Do not roll.

Based on the outcome of your roll (if applicable), describe the outcome of your action in as much or as little detail as you wish.

Once each Party Member has acted, return to "The Final Boss Attacks" to begin the next round.

Ending the Phase

As noted above, rolling triples or better on a Strike action results in the immediate defeat of the current Phase. Alternatively, if all Party Members simultaneously have the Down Condition, the Final Boss player's Party Member suddenly breaks free or arrives on the scene and rescues everyone in a stunning deus ex machina; this also ends the Phase, but does not count as defeating it.

In either case, reset the party's momentum to zero, remove all Conditions, and move on to the next Phase. The role of the Final Boss passes to a different player, with preference given to those who haven't yet had a chance to be the Final Boss; the previous Final Boss player resumes playing their Party Member.

Continue until the party has defeated a number of Phases at least equal to the number of players, or until mutual agreement has been reached that all this has gone on quite long enough.

Conditions

Some actions can impose Conditions upon the individual Party Members. Conditions can be positive or negative, and last until specific conditions for their removal are met.

Buffed: Your strength has been boosted. When rolling your dice pool, you roll one extra die.

Confused: You've lost your wits. When the party acts, your action is determined by rolling a d6 – 1: Strike; 2: Heal; 3: Buff; 4: Debuff; 5: Defend; 6: do nothing this round AND remove this Condition. This Condition is also removed if you gain the Critical Condition while under its effects. You may choose targets normally if the rolled action requires them. Confused Party Members always act before their un-Confused peers; if there are multiple Confused Party Members, the Final Boss decides the order in which they act.

Critical: You are badly wounded. Desperation lends strength, and so this Condition adds one extra die to your dice pools; however, if you suffer the Critical Condition a second time, it becomes the Down Condition instead.

Cursed: You've been afflicted with misfortune. Discard your highest result after rolling your dice pool, but before applying your chosen action's effects. If there's a tie for the highest result, discard all of them; for example, if you roll four dice while Cursed and get 1, 3, 5 and 5, your result is 3. If the Condition causes you to discard your only set of triples of better on a Strike action, the Phase does not end.

Down: You are incapacitated by injury or foul enchantment. When the party acts, you may not choose an action; your action remains lost even if this Condition is removed before the end of the round. When you gain this Condition, remove all other Conditions, and the party loses one Momentum. (This is not in addition to the Momentum loss noted by effects which inflict this Condition – those are just reminders.) You may not gain other Conditions while this one persists.

Poisoned: You're afflicted by a poison, plague, or death-curse. If you have the Poisoned Condition after resolving your action for the round, you gain the Critical Condition. If you already have the Critical Condition, you instead gain the Down Condition, and the party loses one Momentum.

Protected: The next time you would gain any Condition other than Buffed, remove this Condition instead. You also remove this Condition if you take any action other than Defend on your turn.

[emo-batboy]

A Wild Battinson (Social Media AU)

MASTERLIST

Part 1 — Temporary Baby Acquisition

Part 2 — HE POUT ????

Part 3 — The Babygirl Agenda: Origins

Part 4 — Stuck in a Bookstore

Part 5 — Dior Bruce Wayne Supremacy

Part 6 — Please Sleep

Part 7 — GALA UNDER ATTACK

Part 8 — Stuck in an Elevator

Part 9 — Bruce Wayne is scared of bats?!

Part 10 — Lex Comes to Town

Part 11 — HIT THE DECK

Part 12 — Career Day in Gotham

Part 13 — Bruce Wayne is GAY????

Part 14 — The 30th Annual Wayne Business Convention

Part 15 — Monday: Puppies!!

Part 16 — Tuesday: Protecc Him

Part 17 — Wednesday: Crafts

Part 18 — Thursday: KIDNAPPED

Part 19 — Friday: The Seminar

Part 20 — Gotham's True Cryptid

Part 21 — Temporary Baby Acquisition II

Part 22 — Valentine's Day <3

Part 23 — "I'm used to it"

Part 24 — Weird Bruce Wayne Pics

Part 25 — Permanent Baby Acquisition

Part 26 — Richard "Dick" Grayson

Part 27 — Who's Batman?

Part 28 — A Baby!!!!

Part 29 — Magical Girl Bruce

Part 30 — A Kid on the Roof

Part 31 — Grounded

Part 32 — Bruce Wayne doesn't blink?!

Part 33 — Gotham Bingo Cards

Part 34 — A Secret Third Thing

Part 35 — Q&A with Bruce Wayne

Part 36 — Bat-Themed Bandaids

Part 37 — Bruce Wayne is MOTHER

Part 38 — Be Gay Do Crime

Part 39 — PLOT TWIST

Part 40 — No Bruce?

Part 41 — Permanent Baby Acquisition II

Part 42 — Bruce Wayne Should Punch Someone

Part 43 — Vigilante Discourse

Part 44 — A Wild Superguy?

Part 45 — LexCorp Goes on Strike

Part 46 — Gift Shop Shenanigans

Part 47 — Be My Valentine

Part 48 — BRUCE WAYNE PUNCHED SOMEONE

Part 49 — #BlockBruce

Part 50 — Bruce v. The Horrors

Part 51 — Monday: Lost in NY

Part 52 — Tuesday: The Tonight Show

Part 53 — Wednesday: amFAR GALA

Part 54 — Thursday: Ice Cream Kidnapping

Part 55 — Friday: SUPERBAT

Part 56 — Saturday: Night Live

Outtakes: Part 1 Part 2

Updates Whenever I Feel Like :)

[cozycottagetarot]

What Do They Daydream About You?

How To Pick A Pile:

Everyone has their own technique for choosing a 'pile'. My recommendation is to clear your mind and focus on each image for a few seconds. The image you find yourself coming back to even when you focus on the other images is the pile for you.

Quick notes on this reading:

I'm experimenting with a different style. -- I've been working on shorter, less structured, formal pacs (and some longer ones). I'm not sure how I feel about it but I'd like to hear your thoughts too!

I apologise for any errors. -- My immune system and I have literally been at war for weeks, so know if there are any errors, I probably missed it while wincing in pain. 😅

It's purely for entertainment purposes. -- Don't think I need to explain more. Take what resonates be it all of it, some of it or none at all.

PILE 1

14:44 as I pulled the last card, maybe 444 is of importance to you at the moment. Knight in shining armour vibes. Noble acts or intentions of just sweeping you off your feet. Introducing you to their friends and or family. Daydreams of big celebrations of being with you, internally and externally. For some, they daydream about celebrating the news of having a child with you. Finding peace after long struggles... starting anew with you. Domestic bliss, as in chilling at home with someone you love, not doing much of anything. Or simply enjoying the mundane tasks together. Going for walks. Having a cup of tea or coffee together. Peppering your skin with kisses... maybe physical touch is their love language. The ghost of their fingertips on your skin. Heart-to-heart conversations. Falling into a routine with you. The magic of embarking on new beginnings with you.

PILE 2

North Star Vibes. Holding out hope that they make it to you. Trying to make life better so they can show up for you. They daydream about how you make them stronger, about you being a good influence on them. It's like the thought of you soothes them when they're struggling. Dreaming that happiness is coming in the form of you. Lots of fiery energy. You're a symbol of hope. Rediscovering what they had lost with you. Feels like someone who has been through a lot. Playfulness. Daydreaming about you is embodying those feelings that seem long forgotten. I know I keep repeating the same thing over and over, but I'm not getting anything more than that (even when I go back to the literal meaning of the cards) so I pulled some love messages. There's the cards 'twin flame', 'finding myself' and 'still listening'. My interpretation is that daydreaming about you holds a mirror up to themselves which inspires them to look deeper within and figure out what they want and who they want to be. They could also find solace in music, they may have a song or playlist that makes them feel more connected to you.

PILE 3

If you were drawn to pile 2, consider checking out that pile as well too. 333. The number 3 could hold some sort of significance.

Dreaming of an equal. Someone to keep them balanced and bring a new perspective. They could feel as though (or know) some kind of scrutiny is possible, but they spend their time dreaming of overcoming it. There could be cultural differences or for some it's a matter of being in a same-sex relationship or anything that goes against what may be more commonly accepted. If it's of any significance, the red string of fate (two different decks mention it). Power couple vibes. Being able to maintain a sense of youthfulness in the relationship. Someone who won't try to take advantage of them, who'll push them to be better and vice versa, who'll look out for them. Someone to heal with and understand that they are still healing. They could dream of having a child with you or starting a family in whatever format that may look like to both of you. Daydreams of warmth & protection. Giving and receiving. You could possibly meet at a concert or connect over music.

PILE 4

I did a repull to make sure I was reading the cards right (it was stormy) and the same cards came out after reshuffling (minus one card). I feel like this person has been reborn. Who they were is not who they are now (or when you meet them). They could daydream of being divinely guided towards you. Someone spiritual or religious. At the very least finding a connection with something (a concept) greater than them. Daydreams of being guided towards happiness. They had a teardown and rebuild of who they are. They could be from a different location, you could meet when travelling across a large body of water. It feels like they're dreaming of coming in hot. They're paving the way for their happy ending. Take it as you will, but instead of a 'damsel in distress' (regardless of gender, it's just women on the cards depicting forging on) type of story, it's one of those ones where it's like "you know what, I'll save myself and I'll chase after my happy ending". Actually, I get a-spec vibes as well and that this person could be a platonic love or a strong platonic bond. It could even be you respectively. But the energy is one of being inspired and ever-lasting bonds. A new resolve, coming home to oneself, resting in the knowledge that the future is going to be good because you'll make it so.

[lairde-lampblack]

New commission post yall for updated prices and terms of use.

For more information or examples, you can reach out to me in dms here, @/lairdelampblack on discord, at my email aranealampblack@gmail.com, my ko-fi or even my furaffinity where im gonna stsrt posting art to also! i am now taking furry and some nsfw commissions as well so if you wanna take a stab at it, please hit me up!

Prices under the cut like before

TERMS OF COMMISSIONING

Please no extreme violence.

The artist has the right to deny any fetish for any reason

The buyer can share art anywhere so long as proper credit is attributed

SHITPOSTS $5

DOODLES $5

EMOJI SETS $5/EMOJI

SOLID/COLORED LINEART

= ICON

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= BUST

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LINELESS NO SHADING

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= CHARACTER REFERENCE $45

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SINGLE LAYER CEL SHADING

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MULI- LAYER CEL/AIRBRUSH SHADING

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ANIMATIONS

= LINEART ONLY

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- color +50%

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TAROT CARDS

= ONE CARD

--- COLORED + CEL SHADING $20

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= MINOR ARCANA SUIT (1)

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= COMPLETE MAJOR ARCANA

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[samkerrworshipper]

heyyy guys

had heaps of reqs for some daddy lucy smut and i haven’t been able to finish any of it lol so i thought i’d give you all a little blurb/sneak peek so enjoy! if y’all like this i’d be willing to finish it just lmk !

spanking & implied smut warning minors dni

daddy?… sorry

lucy bronze x reader

——————————————————————

“Can you remind me how we have found ourselves in this position?”

You decided to punish me? Were the words running through my head, but I didn’t have anywhere near enough nerve to vocalise those thoughts, not considering the position I was already in.

“I broke your rules.”

I flinched as another slap came down on my ass, 11, 12, 13, 14. I tried my best not to move, not to make any noise, knowing that it would only make things worse for me.

“Our rules, and what rule would that be?”

Her words were punctuated with another set of spanks, this time falling what felt like a centimetre below the previous one, 15, 16, 17. This time I let out a little bit of a cry, bucking slightly in my position, trying to find some kind of release from the pain that was being administered to me, Lucy’s arm held my hips steady though, her hold hard enough to tell me that my movement was not permitted.

“I put myself in danger on the field and I put someone else in danger.”

In my defence, I hadn’t really meant to slide tackle the girl so aggressively, I think I’d hurt myself more in the process then she had. We’d both been running full speed down the field and one second we were running and then the next I was throwing my feet out in front of her and we were colliding. Lucy slapped her palm down against my ass another three times, earning a groan from me and the feeling of tears prickling at the edges of my eyes.

“Hm, why?”

I took a deep breath as another set of spanks fell down across my ass. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. I felt the tears start to leak down my face, dripping down and onto the carpet below me.

“I thought she was going to shoot for goal, I had to stop her.”

My words were followed up very quickly with another set of slaps that echoed across the walls of our bedroom, making a cacophonous noise rebounding back at us. I could hear the sound of Lucy’s hand connecting with my ass, and it hurt, it hurt like a bitch.

“So you made the choice to put both you and her in danger because she decided she was going to shoot for goal?”

23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. I let out a sob as Lucy’s hand continued to slap down against my skin, the mixture of the burning sensation and stinging starting to get to me. She left just enough time between the spanks for me to feel the sting but not enough time that it started to mellow out.

“I didn’t think that it was going to be that bad.”

I knew my words would fall on deaf ears, she wouldn’t have been punishing me if she thought that I hadn’t intended to cause some harm in the process of my actions.

“A red card and the girl getting stretchered off is pretty bad if you ask me.”

The red card was probably the worst part, especially considering that we’d been down by a point when I’d been sent off the pitch, leaving us with ten players to scrap to get a goal.

“I didn’t mean for her to get hurt.”

29, 30, 31, 32.

“What did you mean to do then? Because you can’t tell me that when you were flinging yourself at her knees and decking her that you didn’t understand the possibility of you or her getting injured. Explain to me what rule number 7 is?”

Tears and snot were basically free flowing down my face at this stage.

“To never put myself in a position where I could harm myself.”

Each word that left my mouth was punctuated by a slap. 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44.

“And how did you act today?”

45, 46, 47, 48.

Each slap drew a sob from my chest, loud sobs that I was completely unapologetic for producing. Lucy wasn’t holding back whatsoever, not that I expected her to, she never took it easy on me.

“In a way that could have harmed me.”

49, 50.

“Not just in a way that could harm you, but also in a way that could harm another person. You could have easily broken one of her legs or knees, or concussed her, the possibilities of what you could have done are endless. Maybe you didn’t mean to hurt her, but you still did. When this happens in the future we are going to find ourselves back here, is that understood?”

I nodded quickly, the tears and snot still dripping down my face without stopping.

“Y-yes, daddy.”

[spern-awel]

Thorngale Oracle Deck kickstarter now live!!

As many of you know, I have been diligently creating a 44 card oracle deck to pair with my debut novel, Thorngale. It will come with a booklet explaining each card and a black velvet storage back. I hope to print enough to sell some on my website, but purchasing a deck through the kickstarter itself will be the most cost efficient way to get the deck, AND some reward tiers come with stickers or digital downloads of my other work, so head on over to check it out! I am super proud of it, it's a tremendously self indulgent labor of love.

It's not necessary you read the book to enjoy or benefit from the deck, but there are also options to back the kickstarter and recieve an ebook of Thorngale as well, if you end up curious! The deck contains only mild spoilers.

HEAD OVER HERE to back the kickstarter and read all about the project!

[alexesguerra]

The Angel Guide Oracle: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook The Angel Guide Oracle: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook Cards – September 1, 2020 by Kyle Gray (Author), Jennifer Hawkyard (Illustrator) --Brand New-- From bestselling angel author, this oracle deck reminds spiritual seekers that loving, divine guidance is always available to anyone. This powerful oracle invites you to connect with your very own guardian angels, and shares 44 powerful messages of divine inspiration, love and positive action. Did you know that your angels are constantly ready to share guidance with you? Yet so often we're distracted by daily life and don't recognize these divine signs when they come our way. The Angel Guide Oracle acts as a bridge between heaven and Earth, bringing together 44 images of guardian angels with insightful, supportive, and healing keyword messages to help you activate your intuition, strengthen your communication and open your heart to their messages of love. The accompanying guidebook explains how to attune to the cards, conduct angel readings for yourself as well as for others, and how to work with card spreads. When your heart seeks transformation, when your soul seeks truth, call upon your angel's wisdom and their infinite compassion will lead you on your path. Strength, Heart, and Challenge Spread: This is my favorite spread for effective insight. It will tell you what you need to know at any time, but it’s particularly good when you’re asking a specific question. • Set your intention(s) and say the prayer thanking the angels for their guidance. • Then pick three cards, laying them out in order from left to right like this: How to Use Your Angel Guide Oracle Cards: • Card 1 represents the strengths you have at this time in your life and/or what’s in your favor in the current situation. • Card 2 represents the blessings you carry in your heart and how these are aligned with your soul. • Card 3 represents the challenge, the part of your life or guidance you must focus on in order to achieve your goal or the peace you are asking for. About the Author Kyle Gray is one of the UK's youngest, most sought after angel experts. He discovered his spiritual connection at the tender age of four, when he communed with his deceased grandmother. Now, Kyle dedicates his life to helping other people crack open to the angels through his workshops, talks, and his online Angel Team. He is the author of seven books and co-creator of four oracle card decks. Jennifer Hawkyard is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in remote West Wales. She is a traditional and digital illustrator, fine artist, and professionally trained Art Director and Graphic Designer. She is known for her colorful, vibrant, and highly textural images that span a wide range of subject matter and media. www.jezhawk.com Product details Item Weight : 11.1 ounces ISBN-13 : 9781788173612 ISBN-10 : 1788173619 Product Dimensions : 3.9 x 1.46 x 5.38 inches Publisher : Hay House UK (September 1, 2020) Language: : English

[daisiesonafield-blog]

HARRY STYLES: A DEEPER LOOK AT HIS FEELINGS TOWARDS 1D MEMBERS...TAROT/PSYCHIC READING PART 1/5

link

(I recommend watching in 1.25x or 1.5x speed!)

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

5:05 Archetype of what Harry feels about Zayn

7:17 Archetype of what Harry feels about Liam

10:32 Archetype of what Harry feels about Niall

10:28 Archetype of what Harry feels about Louis

11:40 Archetypes summary

13:38 Zayn Archetype details

22:39 Liam Archetype details

28:35 Niall Archetype details

33:56 Louis Archetype details

36:45 Additional card for Louis

36:59 Bottom deck for all

38:44 Additional card for Zayn

39:29 Additional card for Liam

40:30 Additional card for Niall

42:07 Archetypes for Harry

44:16 What is something we don't know about Harry and Zayn

49:32 What is something we don't know about Harry and Liam

57:17 What is something we don't know about Harry and Niall

1:08:34 What is something we don't know about Harry and Louis

--------------------------

Some interesting stuff in here, though I feel like a lot of what she says can be a bit better interpreted with additional context and knowledge, but overall a good reading imo.

A quick summary of her main points:

Harry & Zayn: overall very strong feelings, a lot of questions and conflicts. H has a lot of love for Zayn and feels like he's had to deal with a lot of shit; Zayn gave a lot to H and as a result he sees Zayn as a martyr. He has some guilt towards Zayn. She says H feels like they're family, and that Z+H have a karmic connection from a past life and were destined to meet again in this life. Overall a very deep connection with a lot of depth and difficulties.

Harry & Liam: H saw Liam as a rescuer, someone who was very direct, a straight forward person, and that they spoke a lot, Liam being very communicative and blunt. There's a lot of warmth between them. They had some conflicts but Liam would still always talk to Harry even when they didn't see eye to eye. H tried to help Liam with his addiction, but this was an unresolved thing in their relationship. They talked a lot about relationships together, and had a strong creative artistic bond.

Harry & Niall: super strong connection. True friendship between them, she's mentioned before that they have a friendship soulmate bond, and that comes thru again in this reading. H admires Niall's life perspectives and positivity and used to go to him to work thru things. They've been thru a lot together, a lot of heavy shit. She said they used to spend a lot of time talking into the night till they fell asleep together. TW for the next section - she mentions that the two of them have some industry-related information that has helped them but is also really heavy. She mentions it involves someone of great high status, and she sees a drink, or putting something in a drink, in a location of desert-like climate, she also got the name Justin Bieber mixed in this. It's overall unclear, but she hints at it being some sort of dark industry thing, and tbh this just screams abuse to me. She mentioned that only the two of them were involved in this, that the 2 of them were taken to this place where they gained this information about this powerful person, not the other boys, and it's something that weighed very heavily on them but ultimately helped them (?), very creepy af vibes. - that being said, I remind you that this is a tarot reading and as such is highly subjective and based on interpretation, and that this info is very surface level and convoluted at best, or misinterpreted at worst.

Harry & Louis: H sees Louis as God. A lot of benevolence coming from Louis, H sees him as compassionate and kind. There's a lot of admiration that he feels for L. H's relationship with Louis is the strongest, they had the strongest bond amongst all of the boys. For Louis she got "look who's in charge", that he takes charge, takes control of situations, that he's someone who manifests and brings good things in - and H really looks up to Louis because of this. That Louis is "slow and steady", and someone who's worked thru a lot of disappointments in his life, through a lot of pain. That Louis smiles in very difficult situations. He's very strong, and has a very high tolerance for pain, emotional pain specifically; he's able to withstand a lot of pain. And Harry is aware of this in regards to Louis, it's something big and important in their relationship. H saw Louis go thru a lot of sadness and difficulties with other people, where they weren't honest or true to Louis and tried to imprison him, and keep him down, hold him down, but they weren't able to. That Louis is a very resilient and transformative soul. That he's been through a lot of despair, poverty and grief and come out strong on the other side. That Louis has a message for people. That H feels like Louis always has messages for him in everything, that he has a lot to learn from Louis, that Louis has a lot of wisdom. H feels like Louis is a very deep thinker. H has a motherly energy towards Louis, that he's had to talk Louis off the edge thru all the difficulties he's been thru. H has a very considerate, careful and sweet energy for Louis. That Louis has been thru some really shitty, sketchy and shady things thru life, and that Louis is a very strong warrior, but there were some moments when H had to talk Louis off the ledge while dealing with very difficult, tortuous thoughts. That H helped Louis during these difficult times, and brought him back, helped him see things in perspective. That they went thru some really difficult times emotionally, specifically Louis, and that H helped even when it was hard due to his proximity and how well he understood Louis. And that H brought in strength and said 'no we will get thru this, it'll be ok'. H has a motherly vibe. That HL have a really strong bond because they got to know each other slow and steadily, their relationship was very steady. They went thru some really difficult energies. That Louis helped H tap intro his creative side through reading. Their relationship has the energy of a marriage. That they felt like a married couple. That they care very deeply for each other, and when one of them would get an offer they'd expect the other to receive something as well. And they'd speak out if they felt like the other wasn't getting something fair, or not being treated right. They defended each other. They felt like they were in a very difficult situation as celebrities, more so them two specifically, more so than the other boys. That they have a very youthful energy in their relationship despite the pain they experienced. That they were always there for each other, and they needed each other. Soulmates.

Overall H has a lot of love for all of the 1D boys in different ways, and they're like family, brothers, a community, and no place like home. That H feels like they all came together for a reason.

[comparativeoracle]

Sacred Bond. Art by Jackson Nathan, from the Etherea Illumination Deck.

#44: SACRED BOND Sign: Scorpio Gift: Connection Shadow: Dysfunction

Gift: Connection Beholding the gift comes with a true understanding of self. Here, in this place of knowing, you offer expanded awareness in your relationships. When you are able to both accept and heal the wounds of your past, the subsequent patterns become all the clearer. A beautiful dance comes into play: as you witness your own trauma and afford yourself grace, your understanding of the other deepens. It's as if you've unlocked a secret power - you can sense who is for you and who, simply, is not. A dense fog lifts, and your allies step forward to meet you where you are.

Shadow: Dysfunction This shadow lives and breathes through your relationship patterns. Until you face the core issues of the dysfunction within your relationships, the same dynamics will continue to emerge within your bonds. Ending or avoiding relationships will not break the cycle. The pattern manifests in order to mirror back to you what must be healed and corrected. Ask yourself: What deep wound is being activated within me? Where did this wound originate? Following the pattern to its inception is your key to its eventual release.

Themes: healing + release + understanding + grace

[sneezingisnotnormal]

The Definitive Best Episodes of DnDads

What do I mean by best? These are the episodes that have so many good emotional/hilarious beats that it’s hard to pick out any single moment in it. Every second is iconic. They are in chronological order, but they coincidentally also build from least iconic to most iconic. Spoilers, obviously.

Season 1, Ep. 44: Deck Picks

I think about this episode so much. The literal terror in the air from every which way. The jokes about this being the last episode. Ron literally getting punted out of the story forever. Mr. Moustache weighing the options of getting back his only friend ever or the person he used to be, then completely unrepentantly choosing Scam Likely. Scam Likely then IMMEDIATELY becoming Well Actually. Henry just casually getting a card that makes Lark hate him, literally setting up the ENTIRETY of season 2. Glenn picking a fight with a literal squirrel. Glenn winning AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. Glen losing. So. Hard. It’s the ultimate karma episode. Every moment feels predestined. There is nothing that makes a story better than complete and utter chance.

Season 1, Ep. 55: Mark! A Vagrant

Just conceptually, this episode is absolutely perfect. Bringing Ashly in to add to the utter chaos of the Jodie/Glenn dynamic was the PERFECT CHOICE. You have Goliath!Darryl having an identity crisis in the background. You have Will playing Jezball. You have Ashly and Anthony whipping out every embarrassing childhood memory they can think of. And of course, the crème de la crème, you have Glenn and Jodie fighting so hard to get the last word that they can’t even finish the goddamn fight. I swear to god I think about that shit every day.

Season 1, Ep. 56: SWAP (SWitched Ass Papas)

I mean. It’s a body swap episode. Of course I’m going to love it. Everyone’s interpretations of each others characters are so fucking perfect. Will!Ron looking to Beth!Darryl for advice on how to be a better Ron?? Immaculate, no notes. Beth!Darryl being fully just handshake and Catholicism? Hilarious. Matt!Henry basically just having a panic attack the whole time? 10000% accurate. Jimmy!Glenn and Freddie!Jodie sniping at each other every 5 seconds? I love it. One of my fave Beth May lines of all time: “I see the dramatic irony and I stick out my hand and say ‘Hi, I’m Darryl Wilson.’”

And THEN the conversation between Jodie and Dee Snyder. The call from Morgan that Jimmy!Glenn picks up and the pain of Glenn hearing his dead wife alive and well but no longer his wife. All of reality crashing down around these two men. A perfect blend of sad and utterly hilarious.

Season 1, Ep. 61: Death of a Salesman

Ron Stampler my absolute beloved. This is the only episode on this list that isn’t really funny and that’s because Beth May and Anthony Burch can tell a story like no one else oh my god. Going through Ron’s memories to find his anchor was such a clutch move. Starting off with something simple like Willie pushing him into the pool to teach him how to swim. Going on to Ron trying to cook dinner by himself. Then finally doing something good, something that made him worthwhile, only for Willie to walk in the second there’s an accident. Having to give up his dog. And finally, the fishing trip. Older Ron watching his younger self sadly, trying to prod him to do what Willie wants him to do, to not be a fuck-up, even though everyone else can see that it’s not his fault at all. Glenn going back to punch his principal. Finding the anchor in the fishhook, the thing Willie told him was special, that led Willie to trying to kill Ron, falling and dying in the process. It’s so fucking poetic and it makes me cry every time and everything about it is so well done. I could write essays about this episode.

Season 2, Ep. 34: Finding Tori

This is the episode I come back to if I need something to listen to because there’s no slow moment in this episode. It’s bit after bit after bit and I just cackle my way through it. I’m just gonna have to go chronologically through it.

First, the tight fives. Linc earnestly sitting down and over-explaining his favourite funny movie for 5 minutes is actually the most realistic thing I’ve ever seen. Taylor as Austin Powers doing anime themed stand-up to an utterly unimpressed Tori. Will being so fucking mad that he doesn’t get to be Austin Powers. Beth completely misunderstanding the assignment and doing 5 minutes of Napoleon Dynamite standup that’s 90% sexist jokes and 10% “wanna hear my Goofy impression? Gorsh.” Normal getting flustered and just completely ruining his chances with Hermie, who just fully to his face goes “you never loved me.” Anthony putting on full Joker makeup and delivering the BEST Gotham stand up the world has to offer. Tori just completely ripping each of them to shreds. Hermie’s “oh that’s ok I’ll kill myself.”

And like. That feels like a whole episode right? BUT NO. SCAM LIKELY JUST THROWS THEM INTO SPACE WITH A LIMBLESS NICHOLAS.

And now we have such bangers as Scary going insane! The wildest plans you’ve ever heard! ALL OF THE TEENS GETTING MARRIED SO THAT THEY BECOME ONE SOUL AND CAN USE BANISHMENT. The second they go to space it’s just a complete scramble to find a mechanic they could possibly use to get out of this. It’s truly DnD to its MAX, using the tools available to you to think outside the box.

Season 2, Episode 35: Apollo Four Teens

This episode, man. It almost feels like a completely different genre. I literally can’t pick a favourite part.

I mean you have them being forced to navigate their CANONIZED AND LEGAL POLYCULE. Anthony sending them back into space for 12 hours every time they try and say that their marriage isn’t real is maybe my favourite bit of DMing ever. Linc dealing with the episode 2 trauma of having a whole other life with a whole other wife who told him that she never wanted him to remarry???? Literally Matt is the king of random bits of lore that are brought up and resolved within 5 minutes I love it. Terry calling her mom to tell her she’s married is so fucking funny, I love Terry Marlowe. All the conversations about what pet names to call each other and the logistics of potentially opening up their relationship?? I love these guys being forced to seriously handle the consequences of their bullshit, it’s actually beautiful.

And then the fucking love triangle drama?? The Hero/Taylor enemies to lovers suddenly being shattered by Linc just trying his best to wingman for his husband?? Hero forcing Normal into all of this as HER wingman??? Normal pining like crazy over Hermie while Hermie suddenly falls HARD back into his crush on Terry??? And then Hermie offering a thruple to Normal to get him to wingman for HIM??? Peak comedy, someone get Normal therapy, he needs it after this shit.

And then you’ve got their plan to get Red Bull to sponsor them. Fucking insane plan to start with, and then they almost fuck it up just by literally doing the lamest stunts possible. I just can’t these teens are so stupid I love them so much.

Season 2, Ep. 37: Cut My Life into Pizzas

Ok. This is my favorite episode of DnDads. Hard stop. No other thoughts behind it. And that’s because it makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it makes me scream. It’s perfect.

First off, the All Star parody. Why did they do that to me. My heart simply cannot take it.

And then you have Terry freaking out, trying to find a way to fix the problem, putting on the hat just to get it out of the way, having all the memories flood back in. And Scary just can’t process what happened. And you get to see in real time as Scary realises that Willie doesn’t actually give a shit about her. And she decides that she CAN’T lose her stepdad. And you get to see in real time as Scary tries to fight back only to find that she’s given all her power to a man that wants to use her as a telephone. And you watch her lose all hope. She leaves her friends. She leaves her stepdad. She joins the kiddads and goes to help them get the final anchor.

The final anchor, which is the garlic knot heart of a pizza king. And it’s that kind of crazy ass piece of this world that makes DnDads the funniest fucking podcast out there. You will never make me laugh as hard as when I’m about to start crying.

And then you have the whole battle of Linc, Taylor, and Normal trying to get up the tower. Linc and Taylor becoming a fighting machine. The absolute insanity of Linc using Taylor’s toes a la ratatouille??? And of course, completely leaving Normal behind, causing Normal to officially snap: “LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE’S FALLING IN LOVE EXCEPT ME.” Deeply hilarious, and also deeply tragic in such a small and painfully familiar way. Meanwhile Scary is trying to find consolation in Sparrow’s stories about Terry Jr. and just feeling worse and worse. The👏emotional 👏turmoil👏

And then they get to the top and it’s a fucking meat door labelled vegans only. Anthony you motherfucker. And Scary just teleports in and rips that man’s heart out and offers it to anyone who can revive her stepdad. And she just completely shuts down when everyone says they can’t because she’ll never get to tell him what he meant to her.

And THEN, AS IF I’M NOT CRYING ENOUGH ALREADY, Linc confronts Grant. This kid who IDOLIZES his dads has to confront his dad and say “you’re doing the wrong thing. You had a choice and you chose wrong. And I can’t forgive you for that.” Grant trying so hard to explain to Linc that he can’t change who he is, only for Linc to say “well you knew you were messed up and you still chose to raise me. You chose to put all this onto me one day.” Jesus Christ. I need a character study on the Wilson’s. They hurt me. So bad.

Honorable Mention: 3.6 A Car is Born

An episode so fucking insane that the least memorable part is Francis getting a FUCKING GUN. The Tony Collette backstory. The moth Jesus. Dewar. I can’t with these idiots

[laughroditee]

Your Ghost | a COD fanfic - Part 1 - Knight of Swords

CW: this story takes place after Soap's death and contains supernatural elements, tarot, mentions of death and blood

I didn't want to make the chapters too long (I'm unsure what the proper netiquette is for word count), so it will continue in subsequent posts.

Summary: An American tarot reader finds herself inextricably linked to John MacTavish, whose ghost needs a favor from her before he can rest.

Mood Music:

The first time I knew something was wrong was a few months ago when, out of nowhere, an excruciating pain shot through my head, causing me to scream and promptly pass out.  The dreams that followed in my unconsciousness were heavy and sad: bagpipes at a funeral playing their mournful melody for a person I didn’t know.  I had been at work that day, like any other day, but when I woke up, I was in the hospital.  Doctors ran so many tests on me, thinking perhaps I’d had a brain aneurysm, but scans of my brain were clear, and subsequent tests showed that I was right as rain.  Totally healthy.  I returned to my everyday life, with the only complication being the inexplicable migraines that continued to plague me.

Then came the wanderlust.  The nasal sound of bagpipes continued to wheedle their way into my dreams, and pretty soon, I became possessed with the need to go to the UK.  It became a matter of life and death.  I didn’t even have a passport, but knew I had to go.  Where exactly, I wasn’t even sure.  Scotland would make sense, considering the bagpipes, but my gut said no.  No, that’s not right.

So I did what any good woo-woo witchy person would do: I pulled out a map of the UK and my pendulum and asked for assistance narrowing down my intended destination.  Stilling my mind, I took a deep breath, focusing on the amethyst pendulum dangling from my hand.  The crystal twitched and spun before swinging slightly right, south on the map.  I followed the pendulum south over Scotland, past Northern England, toward London, but the crystal had other ideas, sending me back north.  It spun in circles around a location: Manchester.

That’s how, months later (had to wait for my passport), I found myself at the Brittania Hotel in Manchester, in one of their “standard twin rooms without a window.”  I never really knew how much I liked windows until I didn’t have one, but that’s beside the point.  At least I got a private bathroom, a coffee maker, and a TV, so I can’t complain too much for $44 per night.  Besides, this entire trip was an exercise in insanity, so why not add in some sensory deprivation while we’re at it?

As soon as I stood on UK soil, I knew this was the right place; that intuitive nudge felt like a soothing affirmation.  And that’s a great thing because simply being up in the air triggered another migraine, and I was afraid I’d puke on the guy next to me.  After unpacking my bag in the hotel room, I flipped a card from my tarot deck: The Knight of Swords.

The Knight of Swords talks about action, as all Knight cards do.  There’s a sense of motion, movement, and moving forward inherent there, with The Knight of Swords having the connotation of almost overwhelmingly swift movement; in fact, you can interpret it as needing to take heed that you’re not leaping before you’re looking.  (What irony.)  But that’s only one part of the story as the suit of the card will tell you what’s moving.  Swords in the tarot represent the element of air, so all things related to logic, ideas, communication, words, writing, and thoughts.  Holistically, you can interpret The Knight of Swords as needing to make sure you check your words before you say things so that you become aware of any potential obstacles on this path that you’re charging down. But, ultimately, you have the clarity of mind to overcome any challenges.  Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

However, the court cards in tarot can also signify people: kings as men or masculine energy, queens as women or feminine energy, and pages as children or youthful energy.  Knights, though, are tricky.  They can symbolize people of any gender, anywhere from age twenty-five up to forty, people who move in and out of our lives, physical travel, change, or pure energy and where you’re focusing it.  It can be hard to know what the “correct” interpretation is in any given reading, with so many meanings to consider, but I usually just go with my gut or pull some more cards for context.  In this case, why not both?

Pulling two more cards from the deck, I laid them out on the bed next to the first one: Death and the Three of Swords.  Contrary to popular belief, the Death card doesn’t usually mean death or foretell of someone dying.  It means change and transformation, the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one.  The Three of Swords features an illustration with three swords stabbing through a bleeding heart: heartbreak, but sometimes literal heart health problems.

"Wow, bad day," I said as I looked over the cards.

I suddenly felt a presence in the room that wasn’t there a minute ago, the hairs on the back of my neck and my arms standing on end.

"Ye finally made it, lass."

My head whirled around so fast that the ends of my bobbed hair stabbed me in the eye.  I shot to my feet, spilling the rest of my cards to the floor.  “Fuck!” I whined, cradling my stinging, watering eye as I stumbled backward. 

Deep, apparently very amused laughter rang out in the room, and I was astonished to see a man there, wearing some kind of military getup, a mohawk cut into his dark brown hair. Oh, and he was semi-transparent.

I backed away slowly, my hand clapped over my eye.  There is no way in Hell.  “What the fuck, are you a ghost?” 

His expression sobered as he nodded his spectral head.  “Unfortunately.”  

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice a couple of octaves higher than it would typically be.  The urge to scream was overwhelming, and he put his hands out placatingly. 

”Easy, love,” he cooed, keeping his voice as soothing as possible so as not to spook me further.  “We have a blood tie.”

“What?”  The man — ghost? ghost man? — could tell me he was king of Scotland, and I don’t think that would change my hesitation or the level of existential panic I felt at that moment.

“We’re kin,” he said with a little more force, trying to reach me through my brain-melting anxiety.  “Family.  Somewhere along the line, we share blood.  Is it so hard to imagine?  Big world like this?”

“I’m literally talking to a dead man,” I say as my inner thoughts bleed out of my mouth.  Either my imagination is amazing, or I’m having a breakdown.  Maybe there really was something wrong with my brain, and they just couldn’t find it.  Maybe the migraines were making me hallucinate.

“Evangeline!” 

That caught my attention, my blue eyes snapping to his in shocked confusion.  “How do you know my name?”

He had the audacity to sound frustrated.  “Like I said, we share a blood tie.”

"Oh, of course.  That obviously explains everything.  I’m so relieved."

He smirked.  “Yer a wisearse ye are.”

Well, he did get one thing right anyway.  “How come I don’t know your name then?”

”Because I’m dead, and ye’re not.  It’s John, by the way.  John MacTavish.”

Examining him warily, I ask, “So we’re, like, cousins or some shit, John MacTavish?”

He shrugged, pushing his long sleeves up his forearms, which is such a mind-boggling thing to think about a ghost doing — like, what’s the purpose of that? Is he too warm?  “I dunnae know exactly, lass; I just know that I was pulled to ye.  And ye answered.”  It was then that I noticed the ghostly blood on the side of his head, his presumably fatal bullet wound in the exact place where I felt my migraines.

My stomach dropped into what felt like a vat of ice.  “Oh… Oh no. I’m not a medium!  I don’t see dead people!” I desperately pleaded with him, trying to convince him he'd gotten the wrong girl. “I just sling cards; I don’t do any of that other stuff!”

”And yet, here I am.  Here ye are.”  He put his hand on his hip.

“Yes, but… Why?  Why are you here?  What do you want from me?”  Then I saw his tattoo.  With a sudden motion, I moved quickly forward — I think I actually startled him — and I bent my head down to look at his forearm.  Nested inside of laurels was a sword with wings, topped by a knight’s helm and crown.

”Knight of Swords,” I breathed, astonished.  Rushing back, I grab my card from the bed, brandishing it as I return to where he stands.  “This is you?  You did this?”

The ghost of John MacTavish looked down at me with a serious expression.  “I did.  I need yer help, Evangeline.  Yer the only one who can do it.”

Part 2

[dykepuffs]

More cards...

Pips 80/80

Courts 2/32

Major arcana 26/44

I keep tagging these "untarot" even though they aren't really an untarot deck, but they're coming out fast and weird, with the same kind of channelled, called, not-my-work feeling as an untarot deck.

Really enjoying the major arcana too- I had been feeling a little low about them, after I finished the pips, but now they're flowing out of me.