#I'm designing a tarot deck

[snekverse]

MCD Tarot deck 0-VII

Here are the first seven cards of my MDC Tarot deck, a project a year in the making!! For times sake and my own sanity, I'll only be doing the major arcana, but expect the next seven (hopefully) soon :)

Introductions + explanations under the cut! and disclaimer: I know VERY LITTLE about tarot, so please take all this with a grain of salt!

Aphmau, the Fool - Among other things, The Fool is representative of new beginnings, opportunity and potential, things Aphmau's character (specifically in MCD) encapsulated. Her newness to the world is a huge part of her character in the beginning of the series, and towards the end as the lore fleshes out it gets reflected in her dynamic with Irene, and being Irene's reincarnation. She is the culmination of the fresh start Irene wanted, and was filled with the potential to be everything she could never be.

Zoey, the Magician - Among other things, The Magician is representative of manifestation, resourcefulness, power, and inspired action. This was somewhat of a hard call on my end, but I think her dedicating the 15 year timeskip to research on how to free Aphmau and co. from the Irene Dimension, and ultimately succeeding even though it would cost her her immortality, aligns with this best. She worked hard and used all her power to change fate, to return her loved ones to their rightful home, which is pretty inspirational if you ask me.

Lucinda, the High Priestess - My note for this one is "I don’t know how to explain how this makes sense to me it just suits her" so there's no real reason for this decision lol. Among other things, The High Priestess is representative of intuition, sacred knowledge, divine feminine, and the subconscious mind. You could argue that MYST Lucinda inhabits some of these, being very comfortable in her femininity and having a strong sense of intuition as well as knowledge most of the cast isn't privy to, however we all know that MYST =/= MCD so do with this information what you will.

Zianna, the Empress - Among other things, The Empress is representative of nature, nurturing, and abundance. This is based somewhat on headcanons, but Zianna is heavily associated with being a kind, doting mother. She loves and nurtures her children, and in MYST we see this kindness applies to others' children as well as her own. Additionally, The Empress when reversed encourages one to make self-love and self-care a priority, something this ever-doting woman desperately needs after devoting all her time and energy to other people's needs for the past several DECADES.

Garte, the Emperor - Among other things, The Emperor is representative of authority and establishment, and when reversed is representative of domination and excessive control. This is based somewhat on headcanons, but Garte more so resembles The Emperor reversed, being a cold and controlling tyrant, both as the leader of a nation and as a father figure. He is a man of strict rules and regulations and tends to abuse the power he holds over people.

Zane, the Hierophant - Among other things, The Hierophant is representative of spiritual wisdom, religious beliefs, conformity, tradition, institutions. Zane canonically is the high priest of a very large and traditional religion, this aspect of The Hierophant is self explanatory. He is literally the head of an institutionalized religion of which he is very knowledgeable about. When reversed, The Hierophant is representative of personal beliefs and freedom. This is based somewhat on headcanons, but I believe Zane's hunt for Irene's Relic/the Divine Relics is a personal goal, and ties into breaking free from the controlling nature of his father, his nation, and his religion: who would dare control you when you become their god?

Donna and Logan, the Lovers - Among other things, The Lovers card is representative of love, harmony, relationships, values alignment and choices. I feel like this one if the most self explanatory, as their entire arc together is about over coming differences, and choosing to love each other in spite of those differences. Y'all remember how freaked out Logan was when he got turned? Specifically about Donna's reaction? And how she chose to love him anyways because this plot point happened before Jess added her werewolf kink to the canon lore? They constantly choose to be happy and they choose to be together, who else could I have picked for this card?

[coriander-candlesticks]

I've been wanting to make my own set of tarot cards for a while now but wasn't sure how. I found out that my local metaphysical shop sells blank decks (!!) so I'm finally starting to design them! It's going to take a while, of course, but I'm enjoying just kinda going on instincts instead of exhausting myself by overthinking a theme I may or may not want to stick with by the time I'm done sketching and start painting them.

[catboytenya]

My bnha tarot deck sneak peek for you all 👀

[unseendeity]

Tarot: Death by Sceith-A on DeviantArt

[athenaholmesartistsguild]

All my Tarot Card designs

Pulled the 9 of Swords in a tarot reading recently and it inspired me to make my own card!

Check out the High-res version on my Patreon (for free!!!) Also it was available 2 days earlier than on Tumblr just letting you know kthxbyeeeeee

BTW. Hand lettering is harddddd. Just writing 'Blades' took for freaking ever! But I really like how it came out so worth in my opinion.

I tried something a little different with the shading, too! I incorporated some sharper, pen-and-ink type strokes because I like drawing squiggles to indicate tension. This wasn't initially intentional, but I think it also fits with the 'sharper' themes of the swords suit.

I did intentionally try to use cooler grays and whites for the shading. I wanted each suit to be distinct from the other visually so you could differentiate between them at a glance. The swords to me feel very cold and impersonal so I tried to make that come across in the actual art. I think I did a good job but lemme know lol.

Interpretations and my reasoning for choosing Kiryu for this card are below the cut so check those out if you're interested (I'd really appreciate it!!!)

The suffering depicted in the 9 of swords is rivaled only by that of the 3 of swords. The figure in this card is so consumed by their trauma, anxiety, fears, or worries (or even all 4) that it's nearly impossible to perceive the world outside of themselves; not in a selfish way, but rather due to the intensity of their pain.

The 9 of Swords is haunted by nightmares-- frequent reminders of their past: their mistakes, the ways they've been hurt, and the actions they could've taken to prevent all of this from happening in the first place. They've been so plagued by their thoughts that considering a future without this pain feels almost impossible.

With this card, we see the sheer power of the human mind at its most destructive. If this cycle is not broken, the 9 of Swords' pain will escalate to the 10 of Swords. This is not a sustainable cycle for anyone involved; changes must be made.

Reversed, we still see the pain depicted in the upright position, but there's a glimpse of a way out. While it's not easy to overcome your trauma or pain, the 9 of Swords at least has a desire to get out of this cycle-- to begin to heal. They've descended into their mind as far as they'd like and now they wish to venture outside themselves, back into the wider world.

Maybe they haven't healed yet, but they can at least hope that they can begin the process.

The design of this card was inspired mostly by the opening of Yakuza 2. Kiryu's plagued by the deaths of his family and is borderline suicidal because of this pain. He's having nightmares of their final moments and isn't able to be fully present in his daughter's life (Haruka's the one getting ready and cooking breakfast for the two of them).

When deciding on the background of this card, I wanted to try and depict the feeling of complete hopelessness that exists within this card. Normally, the Rider-Waite-Smith cards have backgrounds of varying complexity. I'd venture to say that the 9 of Swords is the only card where there isn't a background at all. Just the figure, their bed, and the swords, the constant reminder of their past. This person is literally incapable of seeing past their regrets and anxiety and fear because these emotions are so intense. It's haunting, in a way.

I chose to have the swords in this card pointed at Kiryu because a common theme in his grief, I feel, is that he feels that he's the one at fault. He believes that had he not gotten involved, his loved ones wouldn't be suffering right now. So the swords, rather than being passive elements lingering above, are sharpened, dangerous. They're ready to get retribution for the people that have been hurt. Unlike Kiryu, they'll inflict pain and feel no remorse.

On a lighter note, we see periods in Kiryu's life where he's able to somewhat escape his thoughts and attempt to make a happier life for himself, namely when he's running Morning Glory. This is the one time in Kiryu's life where we see him happy and fulfilled. He's still experiencing the effects of his past. He still has the habits he developed in response to this past, but he's trying to create a better life. One that he can share with his family.

What's important to remember about the 9 of Swords is that your thoughts don't have to be real. They don't have to dictate the course of your life. While it can feel like there's no escaping your pain, know that help is out there and there are others that are willing to help you.

[something-about-sunflowers]

Made a post a bit back asking people’s opinions on what tarot card fit Wee John the best, got a few good suggestions but wound up going with something else (even over my initial frustrated joke of making up a new card for fire or smth). Finally got around to doing some concept sketches for the SuperCon Trio (yaaaaay breaking a really long art-block!!), I’d say ‘excuse the shit quality’ but I kinda did that on purpose lmao. Here’s The Magician, The High Priestess, and Justice (wip)!

[chipped-chimera]

Obsidian Occult - Fortuna Tarot Deck — by Studioartemy

[ssoupcup]

a tarot card i designed, based off my own character :)

[akumanoken]

I was able to get a bit done so I think I'll be okay with that for now. I'm literally sitting here drifting so maybe I should get into bed. I'll be in bed and on mobile so maybe I'll drop in on an inbox if anyone's interested.

[moodyseal]

Meg and Apollo tarot card designs for @ferodactyl <3 I'm not an expert when it comes to tarot cards (this was actually the first time I looked into the full deck) but hopefully I got it right!

The explanation of the cards' symbolism is under the cut because it's a bit lengthy oof

Meg's card is the Knight of Swords, one of the minor Arcana, I think? Upright, the Knight of Swords refers to a person who is action-oriented, determined and unstoppable in what they set their mind to; however, when it's reversed the card also indicates a person who might be blind to the consequences of their actions and charges into things without having fully considered their options. Meg's choices throughout TOA point to her being exactly this sort of person: while her determination and lack of hesitation were exactly what was needed to balance out Apollo's occasional self-doubt, her impulsiveness was also what got them both into trouble multiple times. The fact that, eventually, she learned how to rely on others and slow down when needed goes hand in hand with the warning this card poses.

Apollo's card is instead one of the Major Arcana, and it's Death. The Death card is a symbol of change: it indicates a time of transition and new beginnings that are sometimes unexpected and difficult, but still necessary. Reversed, the card indicates that the person is resisting that change, and unwilling to let go of the past, which makes the journey all the more painful as the transformation that they're going through is inevitable and cannot be reversed. One of the major points in Apollo's character arc, and the biggest change he goes through, is the transition from the god he used to be to the one he would be in the future. It's a slow change, and one he didn't fully lean into at first—after all, if he chose to give up all that he had been up until then, what would he have left? However, ironically enough, death is exactly what set things in motion, and let him finally shed away his past beliefs to embrace his new sense of self.

[cesium-sheep]

for some reason when my brother and I were little, we knew how to riffle shuffle and only how to riffle shuffle, we didn’t know any other means of shuffling cards (besides dumping them all on the table and gradually sliding them around, which is apparently called “washing the cards” and is considered a legitimate technique and not just Autistic Children Doing Their Best). which is also apparently the most difficult means of shuffling cards, and we didn’t even do it that often cuz he didn’t want his cards to get bent up.

and it obviously doesn’t work for me now with my weak and aching hands, not that it was ever easy to get the spacing between the hands just-so in the first place.

[evengirlierballs]

My tarot cards are finally real! It took ages to find a publisher that wouldn't charge like 75 bucks a deck, but I finally found some folks who could keep the price low and the print quality high.

If you want my Night in the woods themed tarot cards that I designed for month of Mae, now you can have them for just 36.20 Bones! (American fun bucks) That's like, cheaper than any commission you can get from me, so they're kind of a steal.

If you have any problems with the seller or the product PLEASE feel free to contact me and I'll do everything in my power to help solve your issues. I'm just really happy to finally have these available for folks.

[shapelytimber]

A Taste of Faith

[PRINT] - [COMMISSIONS]

Ok so the concept for this piece was : historical gay nuns, and 70s lesbian vampire movies meets tes (don't ask me why- I just had a vision at 3 am)

Because I think Serana should have been meaner<3 I love women's wrongs and when vampires do the suck <3

Btw of you want to see more gay Serana art, go check out @gay-of-waterdeep, their art is wonderful, and I can't say this was not a bit inspired by what they do :))

Process (and me rambling about some of my favorite 70s lesbian vampire movies (because I have a problem)) below vvv

Additional details about this drawing ! 1) I used the same Mara design than the one from my tarot deck :)) and 2) the other woman is one of the priestess in the temple in Riften lglggigkglgl her name is *check wiki* Dinya Balu

And now......... Some movies I enjoy because my house my rules, you came this far so why not hear about niche european movies :))))))

Disclaimer for a majority of the films in this genre : the male gaze is very fucking obvious in these movies... they were made by men for men, and the message is often "lesbianism is a dangerous temptation for women". It's a glairing flaw nearly all of them share and that sucks (and frankly it's a flaw Serana's writting kinda has in my opinion, minus the lesbianism part, but let's not dwell on that)- so if you can't get past it, it's completly understandable, be on your way and have a nice day <3

- Daughters of Darkness ! A toxic man is returning to london with his newly wed wife, but they get stuck in Belgium and are forced to stay in a luxurious hotel. Don't worry about the 10/10 smokeshow countess seducing his wife :). Completely unrelated, this movie has, in my opinion, the most beautiful lesbian kiss I've ever seen- but I might not be very objective because Delphine Seyrig is there lglglflflllglm The best one in the list ! So if you want to whatch one, whatch this one <3

- The blood spattered bride ! This is more of... an aquired taste let's say- but I really like it ! A quite effective horror movie, with goofy ass scenes (shoutout to the vampire lady buried in the sand naked with only a diving mask that is not the screenshot because tits), and emasculation being a recuring theme <3 (but if you want to watch it, please check the content warnings beforehand, it has a lot of very shocking and frontal scenes, and it's the 70s so it's not done very tactfully. Also pretty intense flashing lights)

- The vampire lovers ! Ok so this one is a lot less fun compared to the other two because it's made by the Hammer BUT... 1) Ingrid Pitt hello and 2) it's such a intriging thing to see a very christian/conservative studio make a film like that. I know a lot of people don't like the Hammer movies from the 70s, because the studio had a lot less money, and were making wild decisions. But I love them, because they tend to be much more fun bloody and sexy ! I'm a simple woman mjllkklhkhlhlho case in point with the vampire lovers (although if you want a fun vampire hammer movie from the 70s, Dracula ad 1972 is way better). And Peter Cushing is there (i love this man so much-) !

And now I shall resume my quest to find Vampire Lesbos by Jésus Franco and have a probably mid experience watching it xoxo

[triviallytrue]

Do you have any beginner's advice for Balatro? Because I'm having good fun around 8 hours in, but figuring out how to actually win is a struggle. My usual instinct in deckbuilders is to thin out the deck as much as possible, but starting with a full 52 makes that a lot less viable.

Yes I have lots and I will do my best not to write several thousand words

Are you playing on the beta? All the achievements and unlocks transfer over, and I think the beta is friendlier and has better balance than the original release of the game.

Number one thing new players fuck up: the interest mechanic is everything. You have to save up to $25 and get that extra $5 of passive income per round, it is in many cases the difference between a winning run and a run that stalls out in the later antes.

Relatedly, I tend to try and find a strong earlygame joker in the first two shops (usually a +mult joker for playing a specific hand) and then save my money unless I see a run-defining joker/voucher until I'm over $25.

Once you have >$25, don't be afraid to spend your money back down to $25. Packs first, then rerolls.

Most skips in most situations are bad. There are some that are good in ante 1 (the coupon tag, the holographic tag, and the investment tag) and a few that can be good later (double money when you have a lot of money, the orbital tag when it's on the hand you're playing already, the handy tag when it's a ton of money)

Your instinct to thin out the deck and your concern that 52 cards is a lot are both correct. Hanged Man and Immolate are both great, as are jokers that let you destroy cards like Trading Card. Keep at it.

Relatedly, purple seals from spectral packs and jokers that generate tarot cards are incredibly powerful. Purple seals specifically are self-enabling - you can use death cards from purple seals to copy more purple seals and hanged man to thin out your deck so you draw more purple seals.

In the early stages before you've unlocked all jokers and decks, a lot of powerful tools are hidden from you. If you aren't beating runs, focus on unlocking locked jokers.

If you want a sense of what a really good player looks like, I recommend Balatro University - he is excellent at the game and also has some videos specifically designed for new players.

[crosswiredcrafts]

I'm working on a set of Bionicle-themed Tarot Cards! Gonna be selling the completed deck once it's done!

For now, these designs are available as shirts, stickers, and posters! Check em out!

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Whats your personal favorite depiction of each of the Daedric Princes? Their designs tend to vary from game to game -

Hi! For Azura its probably the non-canon depiction in the TES Tarot deck by Erika Hollice

For Boethiah its the depiction in Daggerfall as designed by Mark Jackson:

Clavicus Vile is the depiction in Daggerfall by Mark Jackson

Hermaeus Mora is the depiction in Skyrim. I'm not sure who designed this depiction

Hircine I don't honestly love any of his depictions but his design in Daggerfall is probably the best. Not sure who designed it but it was likely also Mark Jackson

Ithelia is brand new but I like this design of her for the Gold Road collectors edition statue. Modeling by Phiona Blake, Bobby Foster, Kirk Farrell, Andrew Gillogly

Jyggalag is of course his concept design for Oblivion by Adam Adamowicz

Malacath in Daggerfall by Mark Jackson and his pointy nips is the automatic winner

Mehrunes Dagon is how he appears in his shrine in Skyrim's concept art by Ray Lederer

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I will reblog this with the rest of my answers for the other princes since Tumblr has image limits on asks!