#raevenly WRITES

[raevenlywrites]

I'm so sad thinking about all the Ties That Bind that could have been written if it weren't for fucking work. i've had so many ideas over the past year that if I could just sit down and write them then and there when I have them, god, the thing would be finished by now

i know there's people out there who love it. i still get comments on it (which blows my mind how i haven't updated in like a year) and i like, I still love it. Its my love letter to a series that started me writing.

but there's never any goddamned time. or energy

i hate it here :/

[raevenlyreads]

Recently, I got a hand written card interpretation in an anonymous draw, and I've been really charmed with the idea as an exercise. When I was new to tarot, I used to do little write ups of the cards, to practice putting them into my own words. When reading the interpretation that came with my lil card, I was reminded of that, and also felt the most charming connection to my reader. I did not know them, the process was entirely anonymous, but I still felt the person on the other end of the card; they'd infused their personality into their interpretation.

It can be hard when you're a beginner to trust your interpretations; it's so tempting to check and double check against a book or website. But also, when you get more established in your practice, it can be easy to fall into the trap of autopilot and not really give the cards a chance to properly speak to you. X means Y, move on.

So I thought it would be a fun exercise to practice writing anonymous interpretations. If you have a deck you can bear to part with, by all means, leave lil tarot bombs all over your town. But even if you don't, you can still write a message to a hypothetical someone. If a stranger drew a 10 of Swords, what would you want them to know about it? How would you explain it to them in 100 words or less? What about the Tower? 3 of Swords? (My wife's random pull held Death, and the first thing the interpretation said was "Wait! Wait! This is actually a good card!" It was really sweet). Spend some time with your deck, do random pulls, write them up for a stranger. Build up (or refresh) your basics and take your readings to another level.

[dragon-swords-prophecies]

Bladesingers, you say? That sounds super rad tell me more!

Hi, happy wbw! Thanks for the ask!

So bladesingers are a type of ancient elven warrior which were almost entirely eradicated when Londori (elven homeland) was destroyed during the first dragon war. (The only surviving one was a elf named Thia Nailo, who survived merely by being late for a conference by two days. she has a pet panther. and an eagle).

They combine magic wizard shit with swords, and it looks really really cool when they do it.

And my brain has decided to discard every single thing I worldbuilt about this (which was serval things!) and I am too lazy to go look at my notes so that's all I have now but watch me reblog this later with all that info, save it in my drafts for two months, and then post it then.

WAIT!!!!!!!!!

Their signature color is a weird fiery orange-yellow. Its fun. And full bladesingers wear a sash with criscrossing bits, and appretices wear a sash without a second one crossing over the first.

[mrs-ravens-nest]

Happy Tender Tuesday! How would your OCs answer the question "So how did you meet?" Would their answers match each others? How close is their version of the story to the truth?

London would say they met when he got a job working for her in a very behind the scenes way then he pushed to get a bigger job and become closer to her. She would say about the same but in a much more crass fashion, calling him some human guy who couldn’t leave her alone about wanting more money and she gave him a promotion to shut him up.

Marcy would say that she sometimes does business with Evaine. She doesn’t know when it started and it doesn’t matter. Evaine would tell you an entire story about their first encounter, what they were buying/selling, what caught her interest in the strange woman and the entire story of their first time actually talking to each other as people instead of business acquaintances.

London would say that Evaine helped bandage him up when he almost died. Evaine would say she was hired to save an acquaintances pet human.

Most Tender Tusday posts from me are going to be very poly. Get ready Tumblr! 

Thanks for the ask!

[monumenttojustice]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Tell us about how the story "plays" in your head. Are you a visual person, watching the scene like a movie? An audio person, hearing the lines to write out in your head like an audiobook? What's it like in there, before it makes it out here?

Most of the time, I see flashes of characters and scenes with tiny bits of audio and maybe a feeling. I have a wee bit of synesthesia so things like colors and numbers match up in ways they wouldn’t in other people, and those wires cross the same ways in my stories. Everyone I know (real and fictional) has a color that they are (Angel is dull purple, Lennan is light blue/green, Asas is dark red, etc) even though it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I like to build off of the color or number that the character is and work it into the story even if no one but me understands it.

[tenacious-scripturient]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! :P What excites you about writing?

this is super vague answer but...

just the art of writing. the fact that i’m creating, and can show other people that all of this came from inside my brain!! you know how crazy that is? it’s just so fun and super satisfying once i finish that scene or that chapter. and it’s even better when i show people and they’re just as interested in it as i am. it’s awesome

now i just have to find friends who are interested in it owo

[ happy storyteller saturday! come send me an ask! ]

[bookmarks-reviews]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Do your characters ever argue with you? Or reveal bits and pieces of themselves slowly? How independent are your characters from you, how alive? Do you enjoy it, or could you prefer it another way?

Hey Raevenly! My characters are extremely independent - which both makes it easy and very difficult to write them. I usually write with a few major plot points in mind (go here, confront this individual, find out about X), but basically everything else is up to the characters. I try to let them be themselves, and their interactions then show me so many cool things that I couldn’t have planned out if I had tried.

Of course, this can be a problem when I really want a character to do something specific, and they don’t want to do it. This is the biggest thing that drives writer’s block for me, because it feels like the characters are fighting me. I usually either have to really work to break through, or just go with the flow, and see how they get back to my plot.

[agwitow]

Weekly Writeblr Banners (pt 1)

Hello lovelies, hope everyone is having a good day :)

I was inspired by @manitamuerte​‘s round-up of daily writeblr tags/asks/themes --now, the ones I like/plan to use are a mix of the ones they’ve listed and ones I see on Twitter and elsewhere. And I’m sure other people have other daily tags/themes they prefer over their set or my set.

But, if anyone of these work for you, then please feel free to use these banners wherever you’d like!

MOTIVATION MONDAY: originally from AO3; tag people who motivate/inspire you, spread the appreciation, and/or share something that motivates you

MONDAY MEET’N’GREET: from manita muerte; send asks to writers/creators about their original characters; creators try to answer ‘in-character’

*note: I didn’t realize I’d flipped the phrasing of this until I was making this post - I think it sounds good either way, and manita muerte’s graphic/post is very pretty so I’m leaving mine flipped and you can use whichever

TEASER TUESDAY: unknown originator/from Twitter; share an excerpt or sneak peek of what you’re working on; send asks about future story events (make creators sweat as they try to provide spoiler free answers)

TUESDAY TREAT: unknown originator/from Twitter; originally pics of baking or other toothsome treats, I like to share ‘sweet’ scenes/excerpts (lots of fluff, squees, and awwwws); sends asks about family, romance, pets, etc.

WIP Wednesday: unknown originator/AO3′s definition; talk/gush about your current work-in-progress; send asks about someone’s WIP, their writing process, or other ‘behind-the-scenes’ questions

WORLDBUILDING WEDNESDAY: from raevenly writes; talk about the world(s) in your story, share maps and/or facts; send asks about a writer’s world

 (part 1 | part 2)

[grimoire-of-geekery]

Tomorrow is the last day to contribute to and participate in the Magician’s Birthday Card Giveaway!  I’ve still only got two posts, one from Kauricat and one from Raevenly, and I know for a fact that there are others who wanted to contribute, so let’s review the rules real quick!

1. Pull a card from your tarot deck, and take a pic of it! 2. Think of it like a birthday card to me!  Post it under the tag and write a blurb to go with it that’s birthday-card-like!  Props to you if you’re super-artistic about it, like you write a story or draw an actual picture instead of just taking a snapshot. 3. The card is a tarot card, after all.  Add something into your post that tells us how we spend my birthday time with you!  Turn it into something hilarious or weird, but DEFINITELY do not take it as a serious omen.

The tags we’re using are “The Magician’s Birthday Card 2019″ and “magician’s birthday card 2019″ in case you didn’t remember!

There are up to 24 regular winners at the moment, and one Grand Prize winner who receives a copy of the Nix Hydra Arcana Tarot deck!

Ok!  One more day left, let’s see how things go!  Make sure to leave me an ask to let me know you’ve posted, just in case the tags aren’t working.

[indecentpause]

I DO LOVE YOU DEARLY RAEVENLY not only is your writing a++ but you are a genuinely sweet and wonderful person who I thoroughly enjoy talking to! <333 If you are eaten by a werewolf I will avenge you

Does anyone else have that one mutual who’s like Way Too Popular to be following you and ur lowkey convinced that they regret following u

[raevenlywrites]

Fun tip if you tend to work in GDocs or anything else where you can create your own TOC for navigation

Make yourself a section that's just notes. Have places where you can think "out loud", make to-do lists, organize input from friends/collaborators/betas, and most importantly: make a place to keep the stuff you cut!

I have referenced my editing oubliette for so many things, and love having somewhere I can yeet great chunks of text out of the way so they're not distracting me in the main body. 10/10, do recommend

[raevenlyreads]

Spin a sakkri spread

As yall know, I was obsessed with Hawksong and the rest of the Kiesha'ra as a kid. So when I found this write up the author did of the ahnleh, I knew I had to turn it into a tarot spread.

My Spin a Sakkri spread is good for immediate advice on a current decision or problem you're facing. The she card frames the present moment, the point of decision. o'she reveals a past point that is still influencing the present. a'she is one of many possible futures. Ahnmik illuminates that which binds you, freezes you, or perhaps stabilizes you. Anhamirak liberates, burns, and sparks change. And the Free Will card speaks to how you can impact the course of sheni, the ever-flowing line of time as it marches through Mehay.

If all of that made actual sense to you, congratulations, you're a nerd :P Come talk to me about having your own sakkri spun, and come check out all of my other spreads on my ko-fi page.

[monumenttojustice]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! We're halfway through the year. How far have you come, and where would you like to see yourself by the end of it?

(I’m a day late oops)

I started out the new year with high hopes and good intentions. I had word counts to get and a few baby WIPs

Then January 1st actually happened

So the first month of the new year was taken up by protesting and panicking and holy crap chemistry is still hard and all sorts of stuff

So I really haven’t made much headway in my WIPs.

For this summer, though, I have a whole list of things I want to get done (I’ll post that next) and I think I might actually be able to do it.

So, for all of 2020, I’ve started a few more projects but finished exactly 0. Its a mixed bag.

[raevenlywrites]

Prism of Queer Reflection Tarot Read-a-long

I wrote a book! A tarot workbook, to be specific. Designed to serve as a guide of queer self-exploration, the Prism of Queer Reflection can be done solo or as a group. Through the month of September, I'd like to run it with a wave of beta participants, to help me develop the language and spark discussion for journaling templates to be included in the final book.

Like tarot? Like self discovery? Queer as fuck? Come hang out with us in my discord as we pull tarot cards and have aha moments about our queer identities.

Participants will receive a link to an advanced copy of the book and access to my excellent reading advice. No deck? No problem! There are tons of tarot generators online, including a few of varying usefulness I've made

[raevenlyreads]

More on Daily Draws

Folks have been asking for more details about how I use a daily draw card as a touchstone, so I thought I’d gather all the disparate answers into a more in depth post.

“This card becomes my touchstone for the day (and often, I’ll carry around a literal pocket stone associated with that card to be a physical reminder), a place I can go to to center my thoughts and regain my equilibrium.” -Daily Tarot Draws

How do you use a card as a touchstone?

Most often, using my daily card is just as simple as remembering what my card of the day is. When my thoughts start to swirl, or emotions get high, if I’ve spent some time with my cards in the morning, the image of my daily card will just float up into my mind, like a bodyguard politely but firmly putting itself between me and the stress. That split second disruption breaks me out of the moment, and gives me a chance to breathe. This is also where carrying a pocket stone helps, its a physical reminder that can insert itself into my attention just like the image of the card.

How do you pick a pocket stone?

When I was new to tarot, I’d literally just google “What stone is associated with The Empress/Two of Swords/King of Coins?”. There is a wealth of information out there, from websites to paper books to fellow readers. Now, I keep my favorite deck in a little glass box on a bed of stones and just pull from those intuitively. In general though, any stone associated with water is good for cups, earth for pents, air for swords, and fire for wands. Majors can be a little trickier, since they tend to represent a wider ranger than minors, so just go with what aspect of that major feels most relevant to your day.

What are some ways I can actively use a daily card?

That all depends on your personal preference. I like to draw on myself (used to cover my hand in sharpie tattoos in high school lol) so I’ll often draw a small symbol to represent the card on the inside of my wrist where I’ll see it throughout the day. If you’re into carrying around tiny charms or lockets, you can write the name of your card on a small piece of paper. I’ve also used short keywords or affirmations to get through particularly tough days (this is especially good for cards that remind you to let go of things, like The Devil, the Four and Five of Cups, or the Eight of Wands). I’ve even seen very tiny mini tarot decks that would be small enough to carry your daily card in your pocket. Whatever helps call your card to mind and helps you connect to its vibe – there’s no one right way.

Is this like using Saint cards?

I’m not super familiar with Saint Cards, but I know I don’t personally believe the Queen of Wands is an extant figure outside of my deck. There are many god/dess based decks, so if that’s something that your familiar with and comfortable working with, you do you. For me, the figures in the cards are more like facets of my complex person: I am the Queen of Wands, or the Seven of Cups, or The Hanged Man. For me, the daily card is less about asking an outside force for help, and more remembering my own power and helps me focus on the parts of me that are most useful for what I’m going through.

I hope this helps answer your questions about using a daily tarot draw. Thank you everyone who reached out! I’m always happy to talk tarot here, or on ko-fi or discord.

[raevenlyreads]

Thank you all for a fantastic opening month! In this our glorious month of Pride, you beautiful people helped me start my shop off right and blasted through my ko-fi goal. I couldn't have asked for a better opening month, and I'm so excited for the months to come! Things to look forward to from Raevenly Reads:

New decks! My Solis Divinity decks have shipped and are own their way from Australia (thank you again to everyone who helped me meet that goal!), and my Corrupted deck is in its last stages of fulfillment before they start shipping in Aug/Sept. And still in its mid-kickstarter stage, Litha's sister deck, the Children of Ostara is making steady progress towards completion and fulfillment. So many new decks!

More Lenormand write ups, as I teach myself the "right" way to read them and learn more about mirroring and knighting.

New spreads, and write ups of existing spreads. I have some that are unique to certain decks, and others that I'm toying with either releasing as commissionable spreads, or putting together as a month long read-a-long where we all work through them together (if you've ever seen me do @hillbillyoracle Nonbinary November Tarot Challenge on my other blog, something to that effect (also also go check out their blog, it is chock full of great stuff and helped me learn A LOT about reading tarot))

The biggest of thank yous to everyone who helped me get this shop off the ground: those who volunteered to help me make my samples, those who reblogged and shared about my shop, those who commissioned readings and gave one time donations to my ko-fi goal, and those who came and asked me fun questions about my decks and reading process. Specialest of thanks to my graphic artist Mme Zabet and my editor @seedsofwinter (who is open for editing work with spaces available in the autumn, go check em out!)

As always, if you have any questions or just want to come chat, my askbox is here for you. Thank you all again!