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ukiyowi · 2 years ago

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Mini PAC I

Notes: Please check out the Masterlist for more! Reblogging and paid readings help a lot! Pls DM me if you want one!

What flower are you? 🌸🌸

Read from left to right, 1 - 3 then 4 - 6

Note - I know its not long, but I am still coming into things because of the long break I had taken from pick a card readings which is why I will slowly build up to reach my ability to do longer readings again whilst doing shorter readings in the time being.

Paid readings || Old PACs

Pile 1: Crocus

Your energy resembles that of the flower crocus. Although these usually symbolise the welcoming of spring and the start of youth, as well as cheerfulness and hope, some cronus flowers also grow with the start of fall or winter. These signify the changing of times and renewal alongside new beginnings.

You may be the kind of person that changes constantly for the better, you're always trying to see how you can improve yourself and work on yourself, whilst keeping a positive mindset and optimistic approach to life. You may be someone who's constantly hopeful even in times of dire stress or situations where people may feel hopeless, being the well needed light in times of darkness.

Pile 2: Hydrangea

Hydrangeas often symbolise gratitude and understanding but can also represent abundance, prosperity, love, peace and grace. Certain cultures also associate them with forgiveness and apologies.

You could be the kind of person who finds it very easy to forgive people, you could also be forgiving to a fault at times which might end up hurting you. You may be conventionally attractive and be of a calm demeanor, knowing how to keep your cool and the kind of person who will always vouch for peace or often stay neutral during arguments, acting as a designated mediator.

Pile 3: Lunaria

Lunaria often symbolise honesty, transparency and the flow of money due to its other names being Honesty or Silver Dollar plant and the names stem from their translucent seed pods that resemble silver coins. In some cultures, it is also believed that keeping these plants near the alter or at the home, helps ward off monsters or negative spirits.

You may be the kind of person who finds themself to be lucky in the matters of finances and carry goodluck in general. Your guides may be extremely strong and great and warding off any sort of lingering negative energies near you which can often result in you having a lot of moments where something bad almost happens but then doesn't. People value you as the name of the plant suggests for your honesty and how you are able to give them straightforward responses.

Pile 4: Xylosma

So this plant is not as known and was a little tough to research upon however, it is very special in my opinion. The plant I usually used for ornamental purposes and beautification due to their adaptability in different kinds of environments and has a very strong network when it comes to the structure of the plant itself.

You may be the kind of people pile 4 who are grounded in reality and may be realists to a fault. You find peace and quiet in the smaller things in life and may have found yourself in positions of having to be resilient because of fast-paced challenges being thrown at you like constantly changing jobs or schools or constant movement. Furthermore, you are able to provide people with the safe space and security they need as well.

Pile 5: Ixia

Ixia represents, joy, happiness and cheerfulness and with it's very colourful and bright appearance I think it also represents the innocence of youth and childhood. It also often represents the fulfilment of wishes and aspirations and an environment where dreams and hopes can be cultivated.

You pile 5, are the dreamers and the people who actually go after what they are passionate about and see it through rather than simply thinking about it. You are able to execute your ideas and plans which lead to the fulfilment of your desires which may put people off at times because they may think you have it easy. However, your youthful spirit keeps even people envious of you to hold you in high regards.

Pile 6: Blanket Flower

One of my favourite kinds, blanket flower represents warmth which is suggested by the name itself, protection, nurturing and perseverance. In some cases they are also associated with festivities and celebrations due to their vibrant colours that stand out in any room.

You could be the kind of people who are always looking out for others and may be the first person someone goes to when they are having a hard time because of your warm and comforting presence. You may also be a little bit of a party animal where you love to go all out and dance and sing and celebrate even the smallest of your victories because you have had to cultivate that habit so that you prevent yourself from becoming overly critical.

#pick a card #pac #tarot #daily tarot #intuition #astro notes #pick a card reading #pac reading #tarot reading #tarot daily #idk what else to put #🩵 PAC 🩵

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varlaisvea · 7 months ago

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A Guide to the Art of Fortune-Telling with Tales of Tribute

Part I: How to read the cards, plus interpretations of six Patrons

For the free day of @tes-summer-fest, here's the first half of a "how-to" on reading fortunes with a Tales of Tribute deck! (Note: this is fictional and in-universe; I have some ideas for ways to approximate this, but as far as I know, sadly, there's no real Tales of Tarot.)

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Like many who wield psijic magic, in my youth back in Sunhold, I used to make a bit of coin telling fortunes. I fell out of practice when I left Sunhold after the Maormer invaded, but when I travel, I still make a habit of seeking out fortune-tellers to see how they weave their tales. A few years ago, when I was in Black Kiergo as a healer, I met one of the finest tellers I’ve yet experienced, and his deck of cards had an alluring hexagonal shape that I felt added so much flourish to his interpretations. So when I first saw Tales of Tribute cards, whose shape is based on Pellitine tarot, I knew I had to try using them to read fortunes! Of course it had been a while, but I dusted off my old skills and started reading for friends and lovers. Since then, I’ve met several others who use Tales of Tribute cards for mystic purposes, and since these cards are seemingly in every tavern, it’s easy to get your hands on them.

This little book represents what I’ve learned so far, I hope others will publish their findings!

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Learning how to read the cards

You’ve seen a fortune-teller use cards, no doubt—they lay out their cards in a mystical sequence in front of them, and then read from those cards their querent’s future. Tales of Tribute is a game about storytelling, and above all, you should see your reading as a story—this is actually the highest function of fortune-telling, no? There are countless meanings for each component of the reading, and if you try to understand them all separately, you will lose your mind and your client! While it is useful to be able to pick out specific meanings, the goal is to take the tableau as a whole and then view its parts. Therefore, I strongly advise you do not read the full tableau until all of the cards are dealt.

The layout I will cite here is the classic layout used for fortune-telling, but there are countless others! As you learn how to read the cards, you may decide there are layouts that work better for you, or that give more insight in specific situations.

Step One: Choose your Patrons

For this reading, we are going to use four Patrons—the classic and most common. In general, you should choose at least two but no more than four—one perspective is never the full picture, but more than four is too many voices. A note: it is best for beginners to choose Patrons at random from the bag of tokens—if you’re doing a reading for a querent, let them pull the medallions from the bag. (Choosing specific Patrons has its value; you may have certain Patrons you’re drawn to, or Patrons whose energy you specifically seek in your reading. I recommend saving that for when you have developed a good sense of the personalities of the various Patrons.)

Step Two: Place the Patrons

Place the four tokens in positions representing north, south, east, and west.

The four cardinal directions are associated with many things—heroes, legends, constellations, elements, and many more. You may choose not to place meaning on the positions of the Patrons, or you may choose to derive meaning from this—whatever you like. I have noticed certain Patrons have stronger influence on the reading in certain positions, for example, Ansei Frandar Hunding in the east (typically associated with Yokuda) tends to be more powerful than he would be in other positions, likewise with Sorcerer-King Orgnum in the west (typically associated with the sea).

Take a moment to look at your four Patrons and meditate on what they say about the reading, the querent, or the question at hand. What themes are represented and reinforced by the four of them together? Where are their conflicts? The four Patrons together will tell you the broad strokes and big picture of the reading. In the final chapter, I will detail the meanings I have noticed for various Patrons, and synergies I have found recurring through my readings.

Step Three: Deal the cards and place them in the spread

Next, remove the starter cards and shuffle all four Patrons’ decks together. Ask your querent to meditate upon their question or situation, and have them cut the deck.

It is said that change in Nirn happens in six ways, and fortune-telling is all about telling stories of change. So, for this spread, we will use six cards. Deal them, and place them in a roughly hexagonal shape, like so:

Again, you may notice associations with the various positions, or with the order in which the cards are dealt, or the orientation of the cards, their proximity to the Patron tokens, or many other things. Notice what calls to you, what stands out. Notice also what your mind wishes you to ignore—this is always a valuable lens.

Step Four: Interpret!

Look over the spread as a whole—what energies are strongest?

For example, if four out of six of your cards are from the Red Eagle deck, the tone of the entire reading is likely to be colored by the stark and resilient energies associated with Red Eagle, and the position of the Red Eagle medallion might have extra meaning or strength. Likewise, if you put down three threes, you can expect the energies associated with the number three to play a large part in the interpretation. As another example, more expensive cards are rarer. Sometimes, I have found that a spread heavy with expensive cards is a sign of good luck and fortune for my querent, whereas other times, it adds a flavor of challenge, difficult-to-reach objectives; walking against a strong headwind. It all depends on how the cards fit into the overall context of the spread.

One last point of advice: remember that your culture, heritage, and life experience will matter a great deal to your perspective and your interpretation, but it is foolish to stop there. The most well-rounded readings draw from as many cultures and sources as possible.

Guide to interpretations

Please note, this is information I have gleaned from my own experiences, and chatting with others who are using Tribute to tell fortunes. You may find that the cards have different energies in your hands, or on certain days, or many other factors—the best way to learn is to keep practicing! And don’t take any of this too gravely—take it from a seasoned fortune-teller: sometimes a fanciful or flimsy interpretation is more satisfying than a literal one. As I said, above all, your reading should tell a story—even if it is not a pleasant one. And of course, don’t forget to use the art on the cards to help guide your interpretation!

Finally, remember that Change is the most sacred force we experience, so no matter what the cards portend, a different outcome is always possible!

Card costs in gold

We will primarily be using the Patrons to guide our reading, but of course, it's the cards you're reading! So a good place to start is the gold value of each card.

In general, even numbers tend to correspond with order and stability, while odd numbers tend to correspond with change and chaos. This is also true when speaking of other numbers beyond the cost—months, days—any number associated with your reading.

Twos — Hints, portents, beginnings. The essence of the thing in question. Threes — Ephemeral. Sacrifice. The right thing at the right time. Fours — The source of power, the edge. A thing working the way it is supposed to. Fives— Chaos, secrets and subterfuge. Acquisitions, thievery. Sixes — Order. Important person, the agent, the one who carries out the orders. Protection/protector

Numbers above six are less common, so their themes are more specific to the individual cards.

Keep in mind that different Patrons affect different numbers differently. For example, Rajhin's upgraded five (Grand Larceny) is to me the most five card possible, for reasons you'll learn very soon. As another example, save for one card, the Duke of Crows has only fours and sixes, so those numbers will have extra meaning when you're working with the Duke. And so on!

Moon phases

I was fortunate to spend several months traveling with Baandari healers, many of whom are also fortune-tellers. They taught me how the phases of the moons are interpreted in fortune-telling—or at least they taught me well enough that I can somewhat-capably use it in my readings! The Baandari fortune-tellers explained it like this: when Azurah created Khajiit, she gave each of the sixteen furstocks different abilities and strengths.

One could view it as a spectrum with Alfiq and Senche-raht at either end. If we’re talking about individual Khajiit, of course there are Alfiq brawlers and Senche-raht wizards and everything in between, so for fortune-telling purposes, these characteristics define the moon phase rather than the people born under it, even though it also tends to describe the people born under it… eh, it would take a long time to explain the finer points, but very roughly: Alfiq represents great mystical power and nimbleness of the body, Senche-raht is great physical power and nimbleness of the mind, and all the rest fall somewhere in between. I have noted the moon phases when I have found a strong connection in my readings.

Associations with months of the year and constellations

This is where the Patrons draw some of their strongest energy. Some of the associations, I have found to be very strong, while others are loose or vacillate between a few different constellations/months. Here, I have listed each Patron along with the month/constellation I have found it most strongly associated with, both for myself and others, as well as some of the most common traditional interpretations of each constellation—as with everything else, you may include or discard these as you see necessary!

A note on The Serpent

Currently there are twelve Tales of Tribute patrons, so none is associated with The Serpent—as is appropriate, The Serpent’s energy is everywhere and nowhere, affecting every patron at one time or another. If there is ever a thirteenth patron, I’d put coin on The Serpent becoming most strongly associated with Sorcerer-King Orgnum—for me, he is usually far more Serpent than Lover—but the snake’s presence will most certainly continue to be felt everywhere. You will know The Serpent when you feel it—as if there is something else pulling at your thoughts along with the patron’s normal energies.

Some patrons are far more susceptible to The Serpent than others in my experience. For example, St. Pelin often struggles to escape The Serpent’s energy, and Hermaeus Mora is a strong personality who is nevertheless vexed by The Serpent. The Druid King and Red Eagle are associated with old magic; when The Serpent arrives with them, it is an adversary, but one they welcome, as they have mastered its energy. For the three guide constellations, (Mage, Warrior, and Thief, represented by Psijic Loremaster Celarus, Saint Alessia, and The Duke of Crows respectively), their relationship with The Serpent is part of their identity—never look at The Thief, The Mage, or The Warrior without also wondering where The Serpent is! I will note The Serpent’s effects where applicable, but all I can say is be sure to listen to The Serpent when it arrives!

Below, you'll find the first six Patrons, and notes on interpreting each.

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The Druid King

Cohesion. Overwhelming might. Ancient magic, nature magic, the Earthbones. Insularity. Teamwork/collaboration within the chosen group. Synergy, abundance. Experimentation.

Constellation: The Ritual (a charge of The Mage) The Ritual is associated with magic, especially old magic. Despite being associated with change, its association with old magic means it’s the sort of change that often has very old roots which have weathered hardship—late winter; the moments of silence before the rebirth of spring begins. As an image The Ritual represents the Eye of Magnus itself, magicka itself, and the Druids revere The Ritual above all. The first month of the year is a fitting place for the roots of magic.

The Ritual has seven stars and occurs in Morning Star, the first month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 1 and 7. This makes it strongly mutable, associated with odd numbers and thus change. Morning Star is Vakka (Sun) in Jel. (Another association with Magnus.) To the Dwemer, The Ritual was The Laboratory. In Yokudan song, The Ritual is turning through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the head.

Moon phase: Dagi-raht Copious raw mystic power, with understanding of earthly things sufficient to master old magics.

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Sorcerer-King Orgnum

Pressure. Groupthink. Piracy, plunder, mercilessness. All-or-nothing. High risk and high reward, priority of the whole at the expense of the individual. Keep in mind, I’m from Sunhold, where we’re generally not terribly fond of Maormer, and that surely colors my interpretation of the Sorcerer-King, but we better than most can attest to Maormeri efficiency. Orgnum represents what we came to call ‘the triumph of rats’—on their own, each individual problem is fairly easy to deal with (if you can catch them), but if too many of them overwhelm you, their victory is all but assured, and you’ll have to scuttle your ship to be free of them completely. King Orgnum means that a querent could be in danger of losing everything if they’re not vigilant.

Constellation: The Lover (a charge of The Thief) As I said, for me King Orgnum is the most mobile, and brings The Serpent more than any other. Still, The Lover works for him when I think of how the Maormer see him: they tend to think as one, with Orgnum as their guiding light. The Lover is associated with relationships of all kinds, and with protection and safety. The Serpent is everything for King Orgnum—sometimes I think he's been assigned The Lover because it was the last sign left over. If nothing feels Lover at all about your reading, just look to The Serpent!

The Lover has twelve stars and occurs in Sun’s Dawn, the second month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 2 and 12. The Lover is very fixed, associated with many even numbers—order and security. Sun’s Dawn is Xeech (Nut) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Lover is sighing through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the hands.

Moon phase: Suthay Represents potential, and power yet to come.

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Grandmaster Delmene Hlaalu

Cold ruthlessness. Mastery. Gold. Subterfuge. The power of coin. Everything and everyone has a cost; enough gold opens any door. Everything is negotiable, a smile on the face with a dagger behind the back. The long game. Shrewdness, financial intelligence, opportunism. Trade and commerce. Luck in business affairs. Avoidance of conflict in favor of negotiation. The Grandmaster is calculating, a master at finding opportunity, even in seemingly-bad situations. There is always a solution, it just may not be palatable; she is the opposite of sunk-costs. No matter how bad things get, no matter how many people you must hurt, no matter how much you might harm your own long-term plans, there is always a way to get ahead in the short term.

Constellation: The Lord (a charge of The Warrior) The Celestials say of The Lord, who wieldeth both sword and plowshare, planting both seeds and foes? That’s what the Grandmaster represents: control of the game board—winning not with soldiers or resources, but by controlling the movements of both, and playing them against each other when useful. The Serpent rarely affects the Grandmaster—she simply has no time for it. When it does, it's in subtle ways; uncharacteristic carelessness with coin, relinquishing the upper hand in business choices, and other such anomalies.

The Lord has nineteen stars and occurs in First Seed, the third month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 3 and 19. First Seed is Sisei (Sprout) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Lord is advancing through the night. It is a combative sign, and Celestials associate it with swords. The Lord is mutable, befitting both sword and plowshare; associated with odd numbers and thus chaos and change.

Moon phase: Ohmes Versatility, cunning, hiding in plain sight.

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Psijic Loremaster Celarus

Manipulation. Control. Hidden agendas, farseeing, scrying. Time. Order, hypocrisy, upholding status quo. Puppetmaster. Kingmaker. The long game. A check on power, a deus ex machina. Eternal knowledge, fate, plots, the long arc of history. Celarus reminds us that someone is always watching, whether we like it or not, and that no matter how powerful we are, Time is stronger. The Loremaster allies himself with power and status, for a good only the Psijic Order gets to define, so he represents shadowy forces we do not control, and agendas to which we are not privy. A heavy presence of his cards is a warning that there are forces at play you do not understand, and cannot affect.

Constellation: The Mage I am an adherent of the ancient psijic tradition from which the Psijic Order long ago untethered itself, erasing its roots in the process, so in this case, like Socerer-King Orgnum, my own life colors my opinion of the good Loremaster. While it may personally pain me to associate him with the celestial Mage, I cannot deny that the Loremaster represents the very concept of magic itself, and specifically, mastery thereof. To the Dwemer, a Mechanist would be a crucial person indeed, whose abilities and choices impact the very functioning of life. We who still follow the psijic way, the Old Ways, have had our magic branded as witchcraft, but Reachfolk use the word witch with the great reverence it deserves—and whether Celarus likes it or not, it describes him: a master of very old, very powerful magic, poorly understood by most. The Serpent is never far away, though—in the hands of a powerful mage like Celarus, The Serpent's touch of chaos is a harnessable and exploitable energy like any other. But, it adds a very unwelcome hint of urgency that weighs on Celarus if it is not dealt with quickly.

The Mage consists of twenty-seven stars, plus the planet Julianos, and occurs in Rain’s Hand, the fourth month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 4 and 28. This makes it strongly fixed, associated with even numbers, stability, and order. Rain’s Hand is Hist-Deek (Hist Sapling) in Jel. To the Dwemer, The Mage was the Mechanist, and to the Reachfolk, The Mage is The Witch. In Yokudan song, the wise Mage orders. It is a combative sign, and Celestials associate it with staves.

Moon phase: Alfiq The most mystically gifted, with the power to pull the strings of the Moons.

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Rajhin, the Purring Liar

Deception. Zero-sum games. Self-sufficiency, self-promotion. Smooth talkers. Rain of sand, war of attrition. Isolation is the word most associated with Rajhin—he has trouble making allies; the master thief, at best, has allies of convenience. Rajhin is clever and nimble enough to stop an entire army with only his sleek wits and his shadows for help, so Rajhin reminds us that one person’s cunning can bring gods and mortals alike to their knees. But shadows land no blows, so Rajhin is also the only Patron who cannot win on his own. When someone does get the upper hand on Rajhin, he is doomed, and when he is finally forced to learn his lesson, it is painful. Don’t forget about the sweet purrs in Rajhin’s lies—a skillful tongue opens at least as many doors as a key! But just as forcing your opponent to sustain losses is no substitute at all for winning, talking your way into someone’s bed is no substitute at all for true love.

Constellation: The Shadow (a charge of The Thief) The Celestials associate The Shadow with shoulders—uncovering only to strike from below. Rajhin is fittingly associated with the shoulders, as Rajhin is always looking over his, always sleeping with one eye open. Becoming a master thief is only half mastering the art of swiping things—the other half is not getting caught. If the Serpent is around, Rajhin makes mistakes, and nothing dooms nimble cleverness faster than a few missteps—work through The Serpent's energy quickly, or everything falls apart, and it's just you and your very, very angry adversary.

The Shadow has five stars, and occurs in Second Seed, the fifth month of the year, so it is associated strongly with the number 5. Second Seed is Hist-Dooka (Mature Hist) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Shadow is lying through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the shoulders. The Shadow is mutable, associated with change and chaos.

Moon phase: Dagi Nimbleness of mind and body, well-suited for hiding and moving swiftly, unseen.

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Ansei Frandar Hunding

Choices, especially forced choices. Flexibility. Well-rounded warriors. Preparedness. Mastery of martial skills. Hunding is loyal to whomever has the might to employ him, so while he is a formidable foe with an equally formidable force behind him, he is also a reminder that loyalty is for friends, family, and lovers—one who lives by the sword is ultimately loyal only to their sword. Hunding is the only Patron who has no neutral position; once he has entered the fight, you must contend with him, either as an ally or as a boon to your opponent, and there is no third option. The lack of neutrality also means that sometimes there will be no warning that defeat is at your doorstep—keep an eye out for people whose shift in loyalty could turn the tide without notice. You may need to be an extra step ahead to keep them from leaving you in a lurch.

Constellation: The Steed (a charge of The Warrior) The Steed is prancing through the night according to the Yokudans, and Frandar Hunding represents the warrior-poet; he who understands that battle is a performance and a puzzle as much as it is a test of might. In my experience, Hunding is rarely affected by The Serpent—The Serpent is usually smart enough to avoid being underfoot of The Steed. However, when The Serpent does upset fixed, staid, orderly Frandar Hunding, it’s absolute chaos: up is down, yes means no, and the stars feel as if they’ve spilled out of a bowl—totally unfamiliar and useless for guiding your ship or your choices.

The Steed has eight stars and occurs in Mid-Year, the sixth month of the year, so it is associated with the numbers 6 and 8. Mid-Year is Hist-Tsoko (Elder Hist) in Jel. In Yokudan song, The Steed is prancing through the night. It is a protective sign, and Celestials associate it with protection of the feet. The Steed is fixed, associated with order and security.

Moon phase: Pahmar-raht Represents physical capability well-tempered by intellectual and political capability.

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Please look for Part II, which will detail the other six Patrons, plus some interesting synergies I have noticed!

#tesfest24 #tales of tribute #eso #eso fam #tesblr #elder scrolls online

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themedievalproject · 8 months ago

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Textile Time: House of Dragons Season Two Opening Credits

It took nearly 2 years for House of Dragons to come back to us and yes, this post is a bit late with only one episode left of the season 😬 but I’m trying to embrace the "it's better late than never," and I'm working on being an im-perfectionist these days, so here we go.

A rush of excitement ran through me like an electric jolt as I heard the first notes of epic opening credits theme.

youtube

I settled in on the couch and to my utter delight, I saw not the expected template of blood spreading rapidly while fueling the mechanical architectural map of last season and GoT but a fabric becoming blood stained as it is digitally embroidered, threading a chronicle of Targaryen history (updated throughout the season) and expanding before our eyes.

What makes the new opening credits so stunning beyond the Targaryen content is the method in which the captivating digital embroidered effect, coined “threadification,” is executed by design studio yU+co’s 3D division. Kudos for taking a medieval art and a modern art form and created a striking Medieval-esque masterpiece.

The success of which can only be credited to the commitment in understanding the threading process and how it could be transformed into a digital media.

I embroider myself and am self-taught. It was something I picked up more than a year ago, so this truly hit the spot for me.

Research pays off

yU+co’s design team studied the embroidery process from the Game of Thrones Tapestry and examined the Apocalypse Tapestry. It comes as no surprise that the GoT show runner would pitch The Bayeux Tapestry as inspiration for yU+co.

The Bayeux Tapestry is not a tapestry!, it is a 1,000 year old embroidery narrative depicting the series of events leading up to the Norman conquest of England in 1066, fought between William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England.

Using this real world pictorial testimony of medieval war as a guide for the House of Dragons opening scenes only adds to the credibility and stellar execution.

Now a confession -

I was only this many years old when I found out about the existence of the Game of Thrones Tapestry😳. I thought I was a fan.. but apparently I was living under a rock because how did I miss this amazing piece of GoT content and art???!?

Game of Thrones Tapestry, Season 7, Episode 4 📸 Kal242382, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I believed the new opening credit sequence was completely original, as in no embroidery existed in the GoT world until HoD’s season two opening. Nevertheless, the opening credits are still amazing, still impressive, still educating people about the middle ages and how not dark they were.

Embroidery vs Tapestry

Magaret Wade Labarge in her article, "Stitches in Time: Medieval embroidery in its Social Setting," defines embroidery as:

"..the art of applying decoration by needle and thread to the surface of a piece of woven cloth, usually called the "ground." It is an optional decoration worked after the while weaving process, including the dyeing and finishing, has been completed."

When we look at the Bayeux Tapestry we clearly see the richly colored stitches embroidered on top of a cloth. The “design” is independent of the weave.

See what the Bayeux Museum has to say for itself-

So why does this misnomer matter? Because knowledge is power or maybe not, but you never know when this topic will come up at a dinner party or when you might bump into Chris Helsworth.

But really why should you care? First of all, it's important not to take things at face value, like The Bayeux Tapestry. And also this visual record is an extraordinary piece of history. Do you know how difficult it is to find textiles that survive, let alone in this condition?

The Norman Conquest was a big deal in European History. French speaking Normans ended up conquering England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and even got to Southern Italy and Sicily! And, in doing so, they brought a wealth of new words, thousands of which are still used by us English speakers today.

Want more?

How the Medieval Tapestry in the New ‘House of the Dragon’ Opening Sequence Got Its Weave

Game of Thrones Tapestry

Frenchified English - thank you, Normans

#game of thrones embroidery #embroidery #bayeux tapestry #house of dragons #medieval textiles

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sburbian-sage · 6 months ago

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howdy, i just got into my third session, and its kinda setting in that I'm stuck in this forever now? fuck. gotta look on the bright side and all that, godly powers are cool. the trauma, not so much.

currently i am a ward of dust, and I haven't been able to find much clear information about what that means so any help would be appreciated. i am a native heir of rage so I shouldn't struggle too much with being a ward right?

~chronicMalady

THIS ISN'T A CLASSPECT POST

You're right on the money with regards to the Ward. As an Heir, you likely went through something of an archetypal "hero's journey", getting schooled by various mentors and your Whispers, learning a lot about what being an Heir of Rage means until it was time for you to step up and assume your rightful place as "big dick MVP hero of the session", right? Being a Ward is a lot like that, except you're not getting schooled all the time now. It's your job to step up, all of your ambition behind you, and seize as much as you can. Straightforward progression, cocksure that everything will go your way, as it will, never settling for the easy road ahead. The upside is that your endeavors will frequently plan out. The downside is that you will still get schooled now and then. And when you do, you'll need to learn to rely on others, as opposed to doing things on behalf of them. Always try to exceed your limits, but be aware of them when you hit them.

As for Dust, it's about investing in things that don't seem impressive now, but could become something in the future. It's the opposite of Coins, which is about assessing the value of things and what they can do for you now. Imagine you want a fast bike. Rage Players will ride any old bike and simply scream at it to go faster. Coin Players will go to the store and discern which bike is the fastest, and how they can acquire it. Dust Players know that their bike might not be the fastest, but it just takes some TLC, maintenance, and modification, and soon enough it'll be faster than both of them. It's about commitment and trying to unlock the true potential in things, while avoiding lost causes. This should be fairly understandable, these are like koans, but your Aspect will guide you a lot more directly as a Ward than it did as an Heir.

The more important advice I think you need is about acclimating to the whole "you play the game forever now" thing. This tends to be harder to cope with than the game itself.

If you meet someone you're genuinely friends with (or want to know after the Session ends), make sure you exchange contact information. Value your comrades, but make sure that it doesn't turn into one or two people stressdumping on the other, otherwise your friendships will become chores.

Find a hobby. Something you can retreat to in order to clear your mind. Running this blog is my version of touching grass. Have some "devoted" hobbies you can reflexively engage with when it's time to decompress, but ensure you have a rotating set so you don't associate (e.g.) watching movies with feeling miserable.

Maintaining a blog is like having a hobby, a journal (diary), and a "centerpoint" for your friend group, all at once.

Internalize a reason to keep going, even if it's petty. "I'll hold out in case I escape" is a bad one that will lead to inevitable disappointment. "I'll be there to hang out with my friends" is a classic, but watch out and make sure you don't lose the will to live if one of them ends up going silent forever one day. For me, I always end a day by checking the archive of pre-SBURBAN media. I personally think there's something significant about booting up a never-before-seen video game or cartoon, even if I know it's ultimately a relic of a bygone era. It kind of reminds me of the Replayernet as a whole. A group of people who should by all means be dying alone and afraid, contributing to a greater continuity of culture that will outlast all of them one day, but be there for the next generations. Even if I'm not so idealistic as to believe that it'll be our foundation for rebuilding those cultures when (if) the door starts working.

#sburb #replay value au #ward class #dust aspect #ward of dust #survival strategies

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theresattrpgforthat · 2 years ago

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this might be a big ask, but do you know of any fantasy adventure RPGs that does idk fantasy napolionics, not nesesarily actual napolionics with fantasy elements, but sorta 18th very early 19th century tech + magic and other fantasy stuff, pre/peri-industrial but only just, whfrpg leans (allover the place but) earlier, and a lot of other fantasy stuff with guns leans eather Piracy, or steapunk?

THEME: Fantasy Napoleonics.

Hello friend, there's a lot of different elements going on here, so I"m casting a pretty wide net to show you what's out there. I hope something in here strikes your fancy! I primarily looked for games that felt like they fell within the right time frame, but I also threw in some games that maybe fall just outside your parameters in the hopes they spark something for you.

Castle Falkenstein, by R. Talsorian Games.

When computer game designer Tom Olam found himself sorcerously shanghaied by a rogue Wizard and a Faerie Lord, little did he suspect that he would soon become the pivotal force in the struggle to control an alternate Victorian Universe. But before the deadly game could end, he would first have to battle gigantic Landfortresses, outwit Dragons, romance a beautiful Adventuress, and defeat the Evil legions of a Dark Court determined to destroy him at all costs. Then maybe, just maybe, he could find a way home again …

Originally published in 1994, Castle Falkenstein is set in the Victorian era, but with a magical twist. This is a world of swashbuckling and adventure, complete with elves, dwarves and magic - but also submarines, Sherlock Holmes, and England’s courtly sensibilities.

There’s going to be many different kinds of roleplaying options in this kind of game, including combat, feats of derring-do, and diplomacy! The thing that possibly makes this game a bit far from what you’re looking for is the ruleset. Rather than using dice, this game uses a deck of cards, with different suits being suitable for different tasks, while card value determines skill or difficulty.

When it comes to setting, however, you’re going to have a lot of great things to look at. The supplements for this game include The Lost Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Curious Creatures, Steam Age, and more!

17th Century Minimalist, by Games Omnivorous.

Welcome to the 17th century minimalist.

This is a fast-paced and highly-deadly game with a pinch of black humour that puts characters as wanderers in 17th century Europe. You will play as tricksters, thieves, former soldiers, bankrupt swashbucklers and petty physicians, roaming the Old Continent in search of coin and glory. The system is designed to allow fast character creation, compatibility with other games (mostly in the OSR community) and a reckless style of play.

The closest thing to magic in this game is an illusionist, but that doesn't stop this game from pushing your imagination. Games Omnivorous is pretty well-regarded in the OSR community. 17th Century Minimalist is meant to be simplified, fast-paced, and deadly, with technology like flintlock fire-arms, and goals like searching for treasure and glory. If you want to see a fuller review of this game, I’d recommend looking at Questing Beast’s video that covers the rules and the layout of the game.

A Guide to Casting Phantoms in the Revolution, by World Champ Games Co.

A Guide to Casting Phantoms in the Revolution is a single-session roleplaying game, in which players work together to summon specters to fight the aristocracy during the French Revolution. Featuring the pentacrawl system, Guide is different every time you play. Played on a story map in the shape of a pentagram, create a cast of characters, interpret symbols to create unique moments, and have the phantoms do you bidding—or you’ll do theirs!

This is a game with a number of physical, in-person components required to play. However, if you just have the pdf, the creator also directs you to online resources that you can print for the full experience. You are members of a secret cabal, casting phantoms to help you fight. This is a game that evokes the feeling of a ritual, and might feel magical or personal depending on how you play. It’s a strange mix of thematic storytelling and complex mechanics, so it might not be for everyone, but if you want to feel like a cult enacting revenge through eldritch rituals, I’d recommend checking this out!

Tales from the Aerosphere, by EfanGamez.

Tales from the Aerosphere is an original steampunk TTRPG that is powered by the Neon Nights system, a system that prioritizes seemingly limitless character creation freedom. From medics, to assassins, to mechanics, to a literal barbarian, there are THOUSANDS of character combinations you can play in Tales from the Aerosphere.

This game has its own setting, but all of the set pieces could be dropped, altered or changed if you like. The focus on this game is on character creation: the creator has outlined a number of discrete parts that you can use to not just put a unique character together, but tell you something about the world you’re in. If you’re a Spy, then there’s some kind of international conflict that hasn’t blown open into full-out war yet - perhaps there’s technology being developed that some nations don’t want others to learn about.

The game is extremely steampunk, with airships, CogWare that gives you exceptional abilities, and Tesla technology. It’s going to be on the more fantastical side of things, so if you really want to immerse yourself in another world, why not give it a go?

Shot & Splinters, by Tom Mecredy.

Shot & Splinters is a tabletop roleplaying game of naval adventure, inspired by Horatio Hornblower, Aubrey & Maturin, and Richard Sharpe. Drawing on history but not beholden to it, the game is set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, thrusting your characters into the heart of the conflict.

If you want seafaring and piracy, this is probably the game for you. It’s set in a napoleonic time frame, but it has strange creatures located upon uncharted waters. The mechanics are OSR, so expect simple stats, tables upon tables of gear, and a hex crawl map of the uncharted seas. If you want more adventure in this world, you can also check out Beneath the Battlements, a city crawl that brings your characters through a city under invasion. Honestly, I think this game might be the closest on the list of what you're looking for in terms of technology level, and possibly theme.

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past

Lady Blackbird, by John Harper.

#dnd #historical games #steampunk #game recommendations #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #asks #there's a lot of wide-reaching stuff here

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shithowdy · 2 years ago

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if you want a perfect example of what guillermo del toro meant when he said that animation is afflicted with "emoji-style behavior" akin to "emotional pornography" then look no further than this clip Disney posted from their Proud Family reboot

everyone has said enough about the dangerous and abusive parenting depicted for laughs in this so i'm not going to post about that; i'm going to instead dwell on the lazy shorthand body language that leaves no room for interpretation. the character is never allowed to turn away from the camera, have a moment of silence, or show subtlety in their facial expression-- every movement tells, not shows, exactly what the character feels.

(as an aside, wow-- taking these shots i realized the mom's lineart clips real bad into the phone hand at multiple points)

look at these expressions and movements. this doesn't convey a relatable childhood frustration of parents valuing control over safety, this looks like the lead-in to a mobile game ad where she gets guided through a series of traps except when you play it it's actually just bejeweled again:

Even the details themselves are deeply insulting to the intended young audience-- the phone's time depicts it being afternoon (don't worry, just reuse assets, kids won't notice):

and in the end, she gets handed a scrooge mcduck sack of coins with a big dollar sign for... bus fare, a very normal and relatable way to carry around one's coinage, because god forbid he just hand her a regular coinpurse or a ziplock bag full of quarters or literally anything a normal person would (i get they are an eccentric family and the show has exaggerated visuals, but, come on-- let's work on tone). are they afraid a six-year-old won't understand what's in an unlabeled coinpurse via the spoken context?

anyway like, not my fandom and not my business or whatever, but god what a dire clip for so many reasons. disney needs to stop undervaluing its animators, the very cornerstone of its existence as a company. it's embarrassing that one of the wealthiest companies in the world can't quality control its animation or take a little risk with emotional complexity.

editing to add (it's 4am and i'm ranting sorry) that the original quote about emoji behavior was more specifically directed at animated feature films, but i think the sentiment shouldn't just be reserved for it. kids are smart and absorb everything that enters their radius, and i think that needs to be respected in the art we make for them too.

#cw parental abuse #??? i guess???#like it's a wild scene to share as comedy

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franknorbertrieter · 1 month ago

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The history of the Dutch table top rpg 'Queeste'

A couple of days ago Joop Oele passed away. He was a Dutch tabletop rpg pioneer. I guess outside his hometown in the Netherlands hardly anyone has heard about him. To honour him, I send out this bit of rpg history about his game 'Queeste' out into the world wide web. Please reblog ( @vintagerpg ) This is an abridged version of a Dutch article I helped put together last year for fantasywereld.nl

Guided fantasy

It was 1979. Joop Oele and a few of his friends had never heard of anything like Dungeons & Dragons. They were experimenting with all kinds of games and role-playing games. At that time role-playing was used in therapy sessions. Joop and his friends turned it into games and a fantastic journey. In a group of people, there was one leader who initiated the game. They all started lying on the floor in a darkened room. Usually, Joop initiated the game by visualizing a landscape. There were no attributes or rules for the game.

Somehow a story always emerged in those sessions, a story created by the people who participated. It was like moving the magic glass in a spiritist session. The glass is moved by many hands without anyone knowing which way it will go.

Joop used this setup of the game for many years to come. Also, in game sessions with his son when he was about seven years old. Usually, they started in an air castle where they used a flying mattress to visit all kinds of places.

Another path that led to the development of Queeste was a line of wargames Joop developed called Dukes game. It was played on a large board with wooden units that had all kinds of abilities, represented by blocks of wood with coloured pins in them. For example, a unit had a certain speed, which could be increased by giving it a horse.

Another inspiration for Queeste was a game Joop had designed in 1978, the Labyrinth game. That game consisted of 49 rooms, laid out in a matrix of seven by seven. The middle room contained a rose, and was the final goal of the game. Each of these rooms contained a variable number of doors, some of which could only be opened from one side, and a person who asked a multiple choice question with as many answers as there were doors in that room. The correct answer led to a door that provided access to the room that led most directly to the rose. By giving correct answers, and imagining the labyrinth, you had to try to reach a final goal as quickly as possible.

Many elements of a TTRPG began to form from various sources of inspiration.

Queeste

Because Queeste was developed in isolation from other well-known role-playing games of the time, it had its own look and feel. Joop was also a graphic artist. He envisioned that you would have a picture of every location and every place you visited in the game. You could put those little drawings together to form a complete overview map of the area. It gives the first adventures an unprecedented eye for detail and focus on where you ended up as a player.

Instead of the familiar set of versatile dice, Joop didn't have much more at his disposal than the regular six-sided dice and coins you could toss. He developed a system where for a test with a property you could toss as many coins as that property counted points (+1D6). This immediately gave the game tactile value. Some players just love to have their hands full of chips (or dice) and throw them on the table with a dramatic gesture.

The setup Joop had in mind was not future proof. Drawing so many pictures was time-consuming. The detailed focus on the environment was also less necessary after the first few adventures. Most groups gradually switched to a more verbal dynamic. The casting with the many fishes also proved a bit clumsy. An auxiliary program was soon developed, for the Synclair ZX Spectrum.

The influence of guided fantasy can be seen strongly in the first quest stories. The players step into a world unknown to them: it is true portal fantasy, and with the way it happens it symbolizes how you descend into the more creative and intuitive part of your consciousness: The land of dreams.

Guilds and magic system

The game developed while playing with his group of friends, and not long after that came the guilds and stories. Joop did not develop these on his own. Joop came up with a number of guilds; including the Temple Knights, Sun Riders, Wolve Women and Druids. Of course, there also had to be Mages, but the game system for that was devised by Rob Meijer, who based it loosely on Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea. As players, you could weave your own spells using words from a magical language. All the guilds are beautifully and eloquently elaborated, and especially the magic system is unique. The players of Joop's first group had a lot of influence on the development of the game; both on the stories and the guilds.

Joop started a game publishing company he called Knossos in 1979 with the material that had been created, and he marketed Queeste in a box. In it were the game rules, loose cards with the accompanying illustrations, a set of simple wooden chits and a die, and the first adventure Tocht naar de Onderwereld (Journey to the underworld). They were sold throughout the Netherlands, but particularly in the Nijmegen region, where Joop himself lived.

Not long after the first box, the second adventure, Grint, a charming booklet appeared in A5 format. A little later, the third adventure Tigris appeared in A4 format. This was the format in which Joop published the magazine Queeste. The magazine contained Queeste adventures, as well as background information and additional game rules. The adventures Oosterterpe, Sardon and Slotmar appeared in that magazine.

It soon became apparent that publishing the game was not a great commercial success. And drawing all the pictures and publishing the magazine was time consuming. In fact, each group played much faster than Joop would ever be able to publish adventures. Every group that had bought the Queeste box, without having a direct line to Joop themselves, had to make up their own adventures to continue.

In the 1990ies all the rules and storybooks for Queeste were re-edited and published to make the complete campaign and ruleset available for future players. The pdf’s are still available as online download.

#rpg #table top role playing game #queeste #history #in memoriam #vintage gaming #zx spectrum

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soranihimawari · 8 months ago

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Somewhere Only We Know

Pairing: (implied) Nanami x reader x (platonic!) Gojo

Word Count: tbd

Rating: MA

TW: language, a beheading is mentioned

"Perhaps it's about time you knew of what happened to this place," you sigh into your coffee mug. It's been nearly three lifetimes since you've made the journey home. Your child, a halfling, stares up at you from the trunk they sit upon.

"You always asked about your father," I smile sweetly as I think about the yesteryears. "He was a proud man, like you."

You put the coffee mug down next to your child. The blonde streaks in their hair are now a silvery white, aged with wisdom and grace. A few scars surely litter their clothed body, hunting curses is a nasty business, however today was a special day.

Inhaling a deep breath, you begin your tale with the old addage, "Once upon a time..."

The land was a dark and cruel world-filled with reddened earth and volcanic sand. Quite barbaric, yet you seemed to have thrived. Evolutionary lines occur like normal, until the paranormal begins to develop along side it.

Centuries later, as time would have it, you did come to be born in this world. You were dubbed a ghost-royal. Your family had failed to successfully hide you as they were mere peasants. Peasants in the outer kingdom of a peculiar ring of the cursed world. Being a mortal here is a taboo, yet here you were with your parents' initial regenerative gene.

Over time, you grew into an adult, wild and free in your choices. This attracts the attention of curses. They report back to the oddities of your hobbies. In your mortal life, wars break out every now and then, you somehow out maneuver the enemy invaders most of the time. Skills like you being a keen strategist has you catching the eye of a king.

This king, this tyrant, chooses to send his cursed minions after you.

You've been quick with your wit, strategies, and whatnot can only get you so far. Mortal short-sightedness has now led you to be on your knees, chained up like a criminal. The king of curses sits on his throne of skulls. He leaves you with a choice: join him as a mortal eye or have your line end with you.

"As long as you don't have a loving bone in your body, my allegiance lies with you," your eyes are determined. "Whatever keeps me alive."

And alive it has made you. Body modifications, surgeries, etc. Time progressed around you and you had turned 30 years old according to the mortal realm. Your books in the tower carved out for you in the palace has left you bored. You can't keep reading the same books of witchcraft, myths, and legends especially if you are one yourself. Dubbed the Ghost Royal, you were seen by many of the king's men as a pet, a most valued concubine, or just a mortal milking the fascination of the king.

Regardless, one night, in the middle of the king satisfying his woman of choice, you make a bold move as you were told to merely watch. Watch as he kisses her, holds her, fucks her forwards and backwards, moaning in elicit pleasure when all four arms and stomach tongue entertain her. You are curious if you could even make those sounds, those faces, so you boldly ask at the height of their ecstasy:

"Lord Sukuna? Let me visit the surface world...it's for research purposes," your voice is background noise after a particularly loud moan coming from the woman.

A grunt of acknowledgment is heard from your lord and master, so you make it out like a thief in the night.

Summer's eve has come to pass. You break out of the mausoleum the last stairs that Charon guided you to. Death has a place in all religions and creed, even myths die, yet you press the golden coins to the old boat driver. The world you've read so much about is modernized. You walk around in old robes with singed threads. Many of the people who see you walk out of the cemetery give you weird stares. Either they are in awe of you, or the fact you speak a language no one can barely understand makes things a bit complicated.

Things become more tumultuous when you see a man, around six feet tall, cerulean spectacles, sharp features, hone in on you. He has someone with him. A gray haired annoyingly talkative friend, perhaps? When the first one sees you, he nods to his friend who also gives you a look of acknowledgement. Are they sorcerers like you? Or are the foes who fight against the tyranny of the king you serve.

Needless to say, they both approach you. With one on either side, they gently grab your arm and lead you down a close alleyway.

"What do we do?" the white haired one asks. "We can't just leave a fine person here on her own. They did come up to the surface..."

"Gojo," the one on your right is thoroughly annoyed. You might not understand what a 'Gojo' is, but you understand the distasteful tone. "They are a curse. Look at how they're dressed. Must've come from Sukuna's hellscape."

You must've seemed terrified or rather your features relaxed, bowing your head in defeat for being found out.

"Look, Nanamin, ya made 'em deflate," the one you new was called Gojo now speaks.

"Do we exorcise it?" Nanami does not hesitate, gripping the handle of his cleaver.

You glance up tilt your head to the side before you open your mouth to speak. You're trying to say no in every conceivable language, attempting to plead your case why they shouldn't. However, you should know your master's reach is a far one. Mahito, the one he sends after you, enters the cemetery and soon finds your location.

Things were about to get worse before they got better.

"Oh, it's you," your ears know that voice anywhere.

Sighing you pick up the wilted flowers you replaced. You glance up at the shaded tree, recalling how once upon a time, you came here with those two human sorcerers who taught you how all life-cursed or not-is precious. How you saw past their entertaining banter makes you smile while you let Mahito go on and on about his latest adventures with the one they all fear: Kenjaku. Needless to say, Mahito turns to leave and right before he is rightfully beheaded, you give him a warning:

"Mahito, watch where you're going. I hear Malaysia's got a present waiting for you."

You barely hear the slice of the air as strands of iced periwinkle hair contort in the wind. A beheading well deserved. You turn your attention to the two graves. Granted, it's nearly been a century (a blink of an eye to you), however you kneel down and burn away the excessive moss growth: "rest now-both of you."

#sora after hours #jjk #🌻— flying around collecting pollen—queue #sora scribbles 2k24 #jujutsu kaisen

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