#the cards were reversed but i took their picture upright

[thesirensoracle]

Weekly Tarot!  Dec 12 - Dec 18, 2022

Card of the Week: 7 of Cups reversed ✧☾゜・。

Bonus Oracle: Ancestors reversed

This week’s theme is tantalizing desire.

To stop admiring from afar and finally following the siren’s lullaby. After times of sadness, anxiety and regret, where rationality has reigned for more than it should, we find ourselves at a crossroads and with the need to make a choice. Should we stay where we are, even if it leaves us unsatisfied? Or should we go after our dreams and finally make them a reality?

This week we are being asked to be assertive and go after our desires. Creativity, beauty, and pleasure are present and welcoming us with open arms to heal the numbness we’ve been feeling lately. If in the past weeks we’ve denied ourselves of these energies, they are going to present themselves in very seductive and alluring ways, encouraging us to bite the juicy red apple that ignites our inner fires. However, we must consider two warnings before willfully drowning in the sea of desire:

A lot of options lie ahead of us, some are offering us the opportunity to plant the seeds to make our dreams a reality, others are just offering us a temporary gateway to pamper ourselves with pleasure, and some others are pure poison disguised as sweet candy. Choose wisely.

Like Cinderella, the opportunity we have here is temporary. It’s in our hands to take advantage of this energy to later create something that leaves lasting rewards later… so don’t hold on to things too tightly! If you do, you might poison the blessing, turning it into a curse.

Overall, this week is great to indulge in dreams and desires that genuinely make your soul shine brightly, and not to follow meaningless pleasures to scape reality. 

You must remember, if you don’t follow your heart’s calling and indulge in false illusions… you’ll be left unsatisfied, with a never-ending hunger for true pleasure.

The week starts with moon in Ashlesha. (Speaking of desire lol). The moon at the birth of Mercury makes today and the rest of the week especially good for going after our true desires, but with the enough discernment and skill that allows us to choose the right way to do it. Being the height of femininity, Ashlesha asks you to pursue only what truly makes you shine, otherwise you take the risk of being paralyzed by unfulfilled cravings.

☾ Blessings: Never-ending options and opportunities to make your dreams come true! If you choose wisely, you might set the foundations for those dreams to become a reality.

☾ Warnings: Beware of illusions! Follow your gut, if something seems too good to be true, it most likely is. Also, don’t overindulge in pleasure, for this card is one of the significators in tarot for addiction.

☾ Random messages/tips: 

Ask your ancestors/guides for help when in need! If you’re not sure which path to go, the universe is there to show you the way.

Some of you’ve been working hard, please rest.

Go for a walk in nature, whether it’s in the sea or the forest, the wisdom of the ancient earth is ready to be delivered to you by the whispers of the wind.

Wear something orange this week for good luck.

Appreciate the beauty around you. Recognizing the bliss in simplicity and everyday life will bring you abundance this week.

If it doesn’t make you dance internally, don’t pursue it.

Pamper yourself by watching your favorite movie about female manipulators lmao I recommend Jennifer’s Body.

[sunkissedchld]

𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃

𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔

the piles go from top left to right. so, the cartoon cat with a frog hat is pile i, the white cat by itself is pile ii, and so on and so forth.

take the time to close your eyes, breathe, and meditate on the PAC prompt, then open your eyes and let your guides lead you to the pile for you. i hope you enjoy!

PS. - this is my first PAC all on my own 😲 please let me know if it resonates with you! my ask box is open (even to anons)!

𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈

Shufflemancy:

"Focus" by Ariana Grande

"Next Level" by Aespa

Signs:

9, 17, 8, the golden children, pleiades, raphael, aphrodite, pluto, demeter, sagittarius

Reading:

from my personal deck, i noticed all the cards i pulled were pink with mainly blue writing. pink is associated with traits such as compassion, sympathy, romance, femininity, and timidness; blue on the other hand deals with trust, responsibility, calm, support, and confidence. you may have a balanced feminine and masculine energy; you might also be non-binary of somewhere on that spectrum.

the second house came out reversed, but later on the tenth house came out upright; the twelfth house also came out upright. there may be an ending to a flow of money coming in or a lack of money coming in. it could have to do with self-sabotage. maybe you feel under appreciated at your job or think you need to go into a new career field as this time. water came out in reverse, which could indicate fire. maybe something sparked a shift in you to where you feel or felt the need to leave your job recently because you realized it just wasn’t for you. marigolds also appeared, which represent death and despair, but also resurrection.

from the work your light oracle, i pulled the great gathering which pictures a group of people with cloaks staring at a larger piece of nature. logically, you may be thinking that this was not your smartest decision; maybe you left without notice or without a clear backup plan, but this immediate sense of needing to leave was intentional. your guides are laying down a foundation for what’s to come. maybe you were putting this transition off; you didn’t think you were quiet ready, or you didn’t feel comfortable exploring some other option independent from your 9-5. your guides took the situation into their own hands and released your restraints. to them, now is the time for you to do what you were thinking of doing - maybe starting your own business, finally taking the time to relax, or something of that nature.

the feeling is that whatever you felt the need to do needs to be done because it’s bigger than you and/or apart of you. maybe you need to heal your inner child or help others to do so. either way, there’s a major emphasis on healing and allowing yourself to feel vulnerable. now is the time to peruse whatever you thought of when you read this. go do it! your guides have already (or are working on) pushing you to do so, therefore it only makes sense to go ahead and follow through fully on your own terms.

𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐈

Shufflemancy:

"Blue Hour" by TXT

"Day I Die" by DeathByRomy

Signs:

2, 7, 9, aries, saturn, heavy 2H placements - maybe a stellium in that house or taurus

Reading:

mercury in reverse but jupiter upright. you may doubt yourself or have trouble voicing your thoughts, but luck and higher opportunities are quickly on the way! i also pulled the fourth house, which leads me to believe you need to be focusing on self care and your emotions than you do right now. you might feel unstable or insecure right now, but in the near future you will feel secure and know what you’re meant to do.

right now, you’re not aligned in some way. maybe one or a few of your chakras are blocked. i kept sneezing a lot, so maybe it’s your throat or crown chakra? either way, you need to activate them and work on becoming more open and honest with yourself. furthermore, i’m 99% sure you know what you’re supposed to be doing. maybe you keep doubting it by thinking you’re not enough or playing down your self worth. this is your warning to stop. it’s not helpful, and it’s also not true. you’re unconsciously (and maybe even consciously) dimming down your talents because of this lack of trust. you are meant to be a leader or bring new ideas or consciousness to wherever you feel inclined to. prepare to be the leader you wish you had or want to be.

it’s not quite time for this transition into leadership to happen. as mentioned before, you’re not fully aligned and are still doubting your self, but as you work on those things, become more in tune, aware of, and honest with your emotions, and align your chakras, your guides will tell you little by little when it’s time. good luck!

𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐈𝐈

Shufflemancy:

"Aurora" by Ateez

"Adore" by Ariana Grande

"Everyday We Fight" by Day6

"You Can't Win" from The Wiz

Signs:

3, 5, 7, 9, 9, 1212, orion, hadarian

Reading:

your guides are mad talkative lol. i feel like whatever is next for you is life changing. the houses that came out were the tenth, twelfth, seventh, and fifth! whatever your guides are planning will bring forth recognition, status, relationships (possibly even marriage), romance, and fun. although all this good will come through, it will only happen if endings, healing, and closure come before. there is a need for you to let go of something and be open to the new, even if you don't know the play-by-play of what's going on. i also think you don't need to search out these advantages that will come after some losses; it will automatically come to you as a result. there's a high emphasis on focusing on your goals. you may need to speak out about what you want as affirmations or manifestations. the universe needs to hear you.

the path set out for you is one where you need to take the lead in initiating it. the card i pulled literally says "if you knew you would be supported, what would you do?" your guides and ancestors are watching over you and guiding your success. you have absolutely nothing to worry about. please just go for whatever it is you want. i don't know how else to say that it's already yours if you desire it. i get the feeling whoever picks this pile is a starseed and/or more closely connected to their ancestors than most people. you might be an artist or a creative ad maybe want to work in the entertainment industry. go for it, babe!! go, go, go!!

𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐕

Shufflemancy:

"Scars" by Stray Kids

"Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chilli Peppers

"Just A Dream" by Nelly

"A Little Space" by Pentatonix and Ateez

"Queen" by Charm La'donna

Signs:

3, 4, 5, 9, heavy water placements, scorpio, cancer, virgo, capricorn, saturn, hardian, orion

Reading:

it seems like whoever chose this pile is in a lot of pain. some important phrases kept coming through: "i've cried hundreds of tears over you. i won't anymore - i refuse."; "i forgive you"; "it's okay to hate me for what i've done"; "watch out". the eighth house popped out, so maybe you recently lost someone or experienced a major change that you weren't expecting. i get the feeling you need to talk to someone. black came out in reverse, so maybe you've recently felt betrayed, pessimistic, or depressed. you may be feeling hatred towards whoever left, but you may also feel lost without them. similar to pile ii, i keep sneezing a lot, so maybe you need to properly align your throat and/or crown chakra.

although you're in pain, this situation of loss, betrayal, and pessimism is to help you vocalize your emotions and feelings. stop stifling your voice or allowing others to do it for you. you deserve to have your voice heard - to be recognized as a full human being like everyone else on this planet. take care of yourself. take a steaming bath, go get a massage, rest, sleep in. you deserve the same caring treatment you give to others, so give it to yourself.

there's also a feeling that you're ignoring something or it's unconscious to you for now. this is possibly another starseed pile. you're a born leader and deal with it in an unconventional way. i get the feeling you pour a lot of time and energy into others and because of this, there's a lack of boundaries that are severely needed. this may be the start of you notice the need for these boundaries. this is the time to learn from whatever loss or betrayal you've encountered and learn to not only place care into yourself, but also recognize when to pull it from others who take advantage of you.

read piles ii and iii if you feel drawn to either or both of them.

𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐕

Shufflemancy:

"Hallelujah" by Pentatonix

"Note To Self" by J. Cole

"God's Menu" by Stray Kids

Signs:

2, 5, 7, 9, libra, strong first, fourth, and eleventh house placements, moon dominance, neptune dominance

Reading:

two colors came out in reverse: blue and purple. with blue reversed, you may not currently feel protected or calm. maybe you're at a point in your life where things are sort of chaotic and therefore you feel vulnerable. with purple in reverse, i feel like you may feel as if things may be revealed even though you do feel this way. the color green came out upright, which means you may be feeling envious or judgmental as a whole. maybe you feel that you yourself are inadequate in comparison to others. i think you'll be figuring out who you define yourself as soon, and you may be making new friends because of this. raphael popped out, which indicates happy meetings. metatron came out too, so those two may be guiding you or trying to reach out.

there is an awakening coming up for sure. as opposed to the other piles, i think you may already be on your path, and now you're just tuning up things in order to be the best version of you. there's a calling to release the old version of you; maybe the envious, judgmental, chaotic person mentioned in the first half. of course, it's okay to express yourself and your feelings, but not everything others have is for you. you need to stop being so focused on the material things, on the small details, and instead think about the bigger picture. you already know that you're a leader, but you need to wield your leadership and power correctly or else it will backfire. overall, be more humble!

𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐕𝐈

Shufflemancy:

"Water Me" by Lizzo

"If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys

"Answer" by Ateez

Signs:

2, 7, 8, strong jupiter and mars placements, possibly twelfth house placements

Reading:

your guides are also talkative lmao. something new is coming. although you might feel scared or unprepared, your guides are right with you (4/44/444). both demeter and uriel came out which leads me to believe you're in a period or about to be in a period where you're planting the seeds for your future. your guides are providing you with guidance, wisdom, and creativity that will be beneficial now and in your future; "is that what i taught you" popped up, so be sure to take mental (or physical) notes on things you feel strongly pulled to. with ares and violet upright, i get the feeling this new adventure will be something you'll go at with tenacity. you may not even know why you're doing it, but it will come to you naturally. it will be like your eyes are being uncovered to something you'll feel like you should've been doing your whole life. i get the feeling you may ignore important messages though. like in pile i, every blessing comes with a loss before or after. you may experience some sort of pain directly before or after this new revelation; don't let it sour your spirits though, just listen and talk to your guides about it.

your guides are really emphasizing the fact they are helping you to train and therefore, you need to listen. this is something you need to experience in order to get to wherever they need you to be. whatever it is may be karmic; it might also have to deal with your mother or the female figures in your life. this is somewhat confusing because there's so much news about new things and wisdom and protection, but there also seems to be a lot of talk about conflict and possible pain. i pulled the card "wait", so maybe you'll feel like you need to jump start whatever this new beginning is, but your guides are telling you that this is being run on divine timing - not yours. overall, have trust in them through the easy and tough times. they have the answers. i think they want you to reach out personally.

look at pile i also if you felt drawn to it.

[officialstrawhat]

(0) The Fool

Hello! I'm sorry I've been so busy with work I haven't had a lot of time to write but with the holidays coming up I'm hoping this will allow me to write a bit more! :)

I wanted to start a little tarot-inspired writing collection to get me out of my writer's block funk, so hope you like it! If you have any requests for a story for one of the tarot cards let me know!

I'm still working on Law Fic don't worry!

(0) The Fool

UPRIGHT: Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit

REVERSED: Holding back, recklessness, risk-taking

Doflamigo X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mentions Abusive relationship.

Note: Not Edited! Picture not mine.

Word Count: 365

You thought you could change him…

You knew how he could be. You witnessed the things he did. You knew what he had been through. What he had suffered when he was young. It quickly became easy to excuse his actions. 

You had thought just maybe Doflamingo could be different around you. You thought he would change after he took Dressrossa. Then you thought that change would come after he had joined the Warlords. But of course, nothing had changed. He was still the same cruel and controlling man you had somehow come to love. 

When you first met him you were trying to find food while rifling through the garbage in an alleyway, cold and alone. He was sweet and that caused you to trust him.  But slowly over time, the facade began to chip away revealing his true self. 

You had decided your only choice was to leave for good. You had packed a bag of just the essentials and left in the dead of night. However, you didn't get very far. And now he stood towering in front of you, smiling down at you knowingly just like you had imagined if this moment ever came. 

“What was that pet?” he asked smugly. 

 “You heard me.” Your stare hardened. Your voice was stern and said what you needed to say just like you had practiced.  “I’m leaving.”

“Oh Y/N,” quickly he grabbed the hair at the back of your head and pulled your head back. He bent down until his face was only mere inches away from your face. 

“My little fool” his breath on your cheek caused you to shiver. “Did you really think it would be that simple?” 

You felt your stomach drop and tears began to prick at the corners of your eyes. You really were a fool. You were naive to ever think he could love you like you love him. You were nothing more than a possession, a pretty thing to hang on his arm. 

“You're not leaving me,” he kissed your cheek and licked away the tears that had finally begun to stream down. “Because.You. Are. Mine.”

And he was right you weren't going anywhere...

[lycanthology]

kit i've been sick for llliiiterally 24 days (and counting!) and i was like. im gonna draw a little tarot card for me future. see if this'll let up, perhaps. deck took FOREVERRRRRR to give me a card and when one finally jumped it was the STAR REVERSED like... i know the bigger picture of it is just telling me to rest, recover, do what i need to do, but god the keywords of "DESPAIR" and "ILLNESS" were just like 😳😳😳😳

NOOOOOO see this is one reason why i dont work with reversed cards they always fuck things up!!!! but even when i do work with reversed i like to think that the reversed meaning comes before the upright meaning happens. kind of like a double card yknow. thats just me tho i know the keywords are very scary but i think it means something that it was the star that jumped out to you :]

[sunkissedchldrecon]

𝑷𝑰𝑪𝑲 𝑨 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑫:

𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 + 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘

the piles go from top left to right. so, the cartoon with pink hair is pile i, the heart with a blade is pile ii, the koi fish is pile iii, and so on and so forth.

take the time to close your eyes, breathe, and meditate on the PAC prompt, then open your eyes and let your guides lead you to the pile for you. i hope you enjoy! (ps. this is my first PAC all on my own 😲please let me know if it resonates with you! my ask box is open [even to anonnies]).

𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰

from my personal deck, i noticed all the cards i pulled were pink with mainly blue writing. pink is associated with traits such as compassion, sympathy, romance, femininity, and timidness; blue on the other hand deals with trust, responsibility, calm, support, and confidence. you may have a balanced feminine and masculine energy; you might also be non-binary of somewhere on that spectrum.

the second house came out reversed, but later on the tenth house came out upright; the twelfth house also came out upright. there may be an ending to a flow of money coming in or a lack of money coming in. it could have to do with self-sabotage. maybe you feel under appreciated at your job or think you need to go into a new career field as this time. water came out in reverse, which could indicate fire. maybe something sparked a shift in you to where you feel or felt the need to leave your job recently because you realized it just wasn’t for you. marigolds also appeared, which represent death and despair, but also resurrection.

from the work your light oracle, i pulled the great gathering which pictures a group of people with cloaks staring at a larger piece of nature. logically, you may be thinking that this was not your smartest decision; maybe you left without notice or without a clear backup plan, but this immediate sense of needing to leave was intentional. your guides are laying down a foundation for what’s to come. maybe you were putting this transition off; you didn’t think you were quiet ready, or you didn’t feel comfortable exploring some other option independent from your 9-5. your guides took the situation into their own hands and released your restraints. to them, now is the time for you to do what you were thinking of doing - maybe starting your own business, finally taking the time to relax, or something of that nature.

the feeling is that whatever you felt the need to do needs to be done because it’s bigger than you and/or apart of you. maybe you need to heal your inner child or help others to do so. either way, there’s a major emphasis on healing and allowing yourself to feel vulnerable. now is the time to peruse whatever you thought of when you read this. go do it! your guides have already (or are working on) pushing you to do so, therefore it only makes sense to go ahead and follow through fully on your own terms.

things that may resonate: 9, 17, 8, the golden children, pleiades, raphael, aphrodite, pluto, demeter, sagittarius

shufflemancy: "focus" by ariana grande; "next level" by aespa

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰𝑰

mercury in reverse but jupiter upright. you may doubt yourself or have trouble voicing your thoughts, but luck and higher opportunities are quickly on the way! i also pulled the fourth house, which leads me to believe you need to be focusing on self care and your emotions than you do right now. you might feel unstable or insecure right now, but in the near future you will feel secure and know what you’re meant to do.

right now, you’re not aligned in some way. maybe one or a few of your chakras are blocked. i kept sneezing a lot, so maybe it’s your throat or crown chakra? either way, you need to activate them and work on becoming more open and honest with yourself. furthermore, i’m 99% sure you know what you’re supposed to be doing. maybe you keep doubting it by thinking you’re not enough or playing down your self worth. this is your warning to stop. it’s not helpful, and it’s also not true. you’re unconsciously (and maybe even consciously) dimming down your talents because of this lack of trust. you are meant to be a leader or bring new ideas or consciousness to wherever you feel inclined to. prepare to be the leader you wish you had or want to be.

it’s not quite time for this transition into leadership to happen. as mentioned before, you’re not fully aligned and are still doubting your self, but as you work on those things, become more in tune, aware of, and honest with your emotions, and align your chakras, your guides will tell you little by little when it’s time. good luck!

things that may resonate: 2, 7, 9, aries, saturn, heavy 2H placements - maybe a stellium in that house or taurus

shufflemancy: "blue hour" by txt; "day i die" by deathbyromy

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰𝑰𝑰

your guides are mad talkative lol. i feel like whatever is next for you is life changing. the houses that came out were the tenth, twelfth, seventh, and fifth! whatever your guides are planning will bring forth recognition, status, relationships (possibly even marriage), romance, and fun. although all this good will come through, it will only happen if endings, healing, and closure come before. there is a need for you to let go of something and be open to the new, even if you don't know the play-by-play of what's going on. i also think you don't need to search out these advantages that will come after some losses; it will automatically come to you as a result. there's a high emphasis on focusing on your goals. you may need to speak out about what you want as affirmations or manifestations. the universe needs to hear you.

the path set out for you is one where you need to take the lead in initiating it. the card i pulled literally says "if you knew you would be supported, what would you do?" your guides and ancestors are watching over you and guiding your success. you have absolutely nothing to worry about. please just go for whatever it is you want. i don't know how else to say that it's already yours if you desire it. i get the feeling whoever picks this pile is a starseed and/or more closely connected to their ancestors than most people. you might be an artist or a creative ad maybe want to work in the entertainment industry. go for it, babe!! go, go, go!!

things that might resonate: 3, 5, 7, 9, 9, 1212, orion, hadarian

shufflemancy: "aurora" by ateez; "adore" by ariana grande; "everyday we fight" by day6; "you can't win" from the wiz

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑰𝑽

it seems like whoever chose this pile is in a lot of pain. some important phrases kept coming through: "i've cried hundreds of tears over you. i won't anymore - i refuse."; "i forgive you"; "it's okay to hate me for what i've done"; "watch out". the eighth house popped out, so maybe you recently lost someone or experienced a major change that you weren't expecting. i get the feeling you need to talk to someone. black came out in reverse, so maybe you've recently felt betrayed, pessimistic, or depressed. you may be feeling hatred towards whoever left, but you may also feel lost without them. similar to pile ii, i keep sneezing a lot, so maybe you need to properly align your throat and/or crown chakra.

although you're in pain, this situation of loss, betrayal, and pessimism is to help you vocalize your emotions and feelings. stop stifling your voice or allowing others to do it for you. you deserve to have your voice heard - to be recognized as a full human being like everyone else on this planet. take care of yourself. take a steaming bath, go get a massage, rest, sleep in. you deserve the same caring treatment you give to others, so give it to yourself.

there's also a feeling that you're ignoring something or it's unconscious to you for now. this is possibly another starseed pile. you're a born leader and deal with it in an unconventional way. i get the feeling you pour a lot of time and energy into others and because of this, there's a lack of boundaries that are severely needed. this may be the start of you notice the need for these boundaries. this is the time to learn from whatever loss or betrayal you've encountered and learn to not only place care into yourself, but also recognize when to pull it from others who take advantage of you.

read piles ii and iii if you feel drawn to either or both of them.

things that might resonate: 3, 4, 5, 9, heavy water placements, scorpio, cancer, virgo, capricorn, saturn, hardian, orion

shufflemancy: "scars" by stray kids; "can't stop" by red hot chilli peppers; "just a dream" by nelly; "a little space" by pentatonix and ateez; "queen" by charm la'donna

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑽

two colors came out in reverse: blue and purple. with blue reversed, you may not currently feel protected or calm. maybe you're at a point in your life where things are sort of chaotic and therefore you feel vulnerable. with purple in reverse, i feel like you may feel as if things may be revealed even though you do feel this way. the color green came out upright, which means you may be feeling envious or judgmental as a whole. maybe you feel that you yourself are inadequate in comparison to others. i think you'll be figuring out who you define yourself as soon, and you may be making new friends because of this. raphael popped out, which indicates happy meetings. metatron came out too, so those two may be guiding you or trying to reach out.

there is an awakening coming up for sure. as opposed to the other piles, i think you may already be on your path, and now you're just tuning up things in order to be the best version of you. there's a calling to release the old version of you; maybe the envious, judgmental, chaotic person mentioned in the first half. of course, it's okay to express yourself and your feelings, but not everything others have is for you. you need to stop being so focused on the material things, on the small details, and instead think about the bigger picture. you already know that you're a leader, but you need to wield your leadership and power correctly or else it will backfire. overall, be more humble!

things that might resonate: 2, 5, 7, 9, libra, strong first, fourth, and eleventh house placements, moon dominance, neptune dominance

shufflemancy: "hallelujah" by pentatonix; "note to self" by j. cole; "god's menu" by stray kids

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

𝑷𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝑽𝑰

your guides are also talkative lmao. something new is coming. although you might feel scared or unprepared, your guides are right with you (4/44/444). both demeter and uriel came out which leads me to believe you're in a period or about to be in a period where you're planting the seeds for your future. your guides are providing you with guidance, wisdom, and creativity that will be beneficial now and in your future; "is that what i taught you" popped up, so be sure to take mental (or physical) notes on things you feel strongly pulled to. with ares and violet upright, i get the feeling this new adventure will be something you'll go at with tenacity. you may not even know why you're doing it, but it will come to you naturally. it will be like your eyes are being uncovered to something you'll feel like you should've been doing your whole life. i get the feeling you may ignore important messages though. like in pile i, every blessing comes with a loss before or after. you may experience some sort of pain directly before or after this new revelation; don't let it sour your spirits though, just listen and talk to your guides about it.

your guides are really emphasizing the fact they are helping you to train and therefore, you need to listen. this is something you need to experience in order to get to wherever they need you to be. whatever it is may be karmic; it might also have to deal with your mother or the female figures in your life. this is somewhat confusing because there's so much news about new things and wisdom and protection, but there also seems to be a lot of talk about conflict and possible pain. i pulled the card "wait", so maybe you'll feel like you need to jump start whatever this new beginning is, but your guides are telling you that this is being run on divine timing - not yours. overall, have trust in them through the easy and tough times. they have the answers. i think they want you to reach out personally.

look at pile i also if you felt drawn to it.

things that might resonate: 2, 7, 8, strong jupiter and mars placements, possibly twelfth house placements

shufflemancy: "water me" by lizzo; "if i ain't got you" by alicia keys; "answer" by ateez

[clownattack]

Castor - character bio

I’ve been struggling with getting a bio out for Cas for waaaaay too long now, but i feel pretty ok with how it looks currently - i'm going to repost it on my art blog with some drawings of Cas and Hjalle in the future (hopefully). If you want to skip most of the nonsense and just get a feel for her personality, the section under the bio paragraphs is FULL OF POINTS.

links to drawn refs here and here

Longpost under the cut

✦ Early life in Hjalle:

Being born into the noble family Aran, Castor’s early life consisted mostly of being pampered by the attendants and strict education. Cas was a rowdy kid, and with time, lack of affection and validation from her family served to amplify the trait - she went from occasionally disobedient to full-on antagonistic towards her parents, and the nobility as a whole. She began to sneak out; spending her time outside of the Fort, spying on the guards and trying to bribe knights into taking her on as a page.

When Cas turned nine a sibling came into the picture, and she made it her duty to assure Aster’s upbringing would be better than hers. She poured everything she had into Aster, but soon developed a brash and overbearing streak, unyielding in her focus to teach the meek little sister to stand her ground. Aster became torn between Cas and the parents, who in all fairness, treated her much better than their firstborn. This would remain the case until Castor’s dragon-induced injuries.

In her late teens, Cas was seldom seen in the fort - to everyone's great relief. Her mood was always sour, she gave up on her studies and only seemed to care about Aster and joining the hunting parties. Her parents reached their limit when Castor announced she would not become one of the renowned judges of House Aran - this led to an explosive argument, which concluded with Castor storming out. For the following two years, she lived and worked with rangers tasked with protecting and providing for the town.

It was in those years that Cas acquired her battle prowess and scars, the most prominent being a gift from an especially large and angry dragon. A single swipe of its tail tore Castor’s chest and forearm open, forcing the hunting party to rush her to the fort in (what the hunters expected to be) a futile attempt to get her family to provide medical help for their dying kin. The reception was cold indeed, and if it weren’t for Aster’s hysterics and outrage over her family’s indifference, Cas would have not survived the grievous wounds. The upside to this event was a new high tale to impress people with, and strengthening the bond between two sisters. The downside - Castor was now under her parent’s thumb. They made her accept the position of inquisitor; to make up for the hassle she caused them. Taking up the mantle turned Castor’s world upside down - not only would she have to work in close proximity to her father, but her dreams of being knighted were shattered, as inquisitorial duties stand in stark opposition to virtues of knighthood. As Inquisitor she was tasked with investigating and interrogating for the court - the latter, as Aran tradition had it, was extraordinarily bloody.

 ✦ Vesuvia:

Almost as soon as she arrived, the city sparked something in Cas. This was unexpected to say the least; she was certain the years of gruesome work as inquisitor numbed her to simple joys of life. The sights and sounds of Vesuvia however, made her eager to explore and see how everything ticked - and the more she saw the more she wished to remain in the city. After attending the Masquerade and becoming acquainted with Asra, Cas was prepared to do anything to stay - even if it meant sucking up to the Buffoon count and begging for a job. Lucio proved to be anything but opposed - he’d heard of the “bloody good shows” (pun intended) Castor was infamous for, and was eager to take her off her parents hands. This led to working parallel to the count and his court, but also enabled Cas to dabble in magic under Asra’s tutelage.

This slight betterment of Cas’ situation would not last long however, as The Red Plague took complete hold of the city mere months after she took up her residence in Vesuvia. After perishing, and being brought back by Asra, she very slowly regains certain memories and traits - her sister, love of astronomy, sword skills. She sneaks out, snoops, and is a handful overall; but Asra is happy to see Castor’s “new” self free of bitterness and pain.

After this point, the “game events” take place. I like to imagine Castor braving an amalgam of Nadia and Portia routes, with a fistful (or multiple) of courtier drama. Castor is tasked with an investigation, slowly  but surely unravelling how deep the corruption runs in Vesuvia, and how much of it can be attributed to the courtiers. The conclusion of her story focuses on first facing off against the court, then the Justice Arcana.

  ✦ Physical appearance

Light olive skin, she picks up a slight tan in Vesuvia.

Dark gray eyes, striking marbling on the iris.

Long girl - 176 cm tall, loves being the “tall friend” (and manhandling people close to her). Being taller than her is taken as an indirect challenge.

She has a rectangular body type, could be described as a “runner’s body”.

Prominent scarring across right forearm and torso, missing right breast.

Tastefully disheveled. Her hair has a constantly windswept quality, and the gray streaks seem to be especially unruly.

Inherited the “Aran silver” (early graying), she tries to ignore it. “The more you hide it, the more it shows”.

Secretly really bothered by the many similarities to her father. Avoids looking at herself too much, and whenever she does it feels like he’s looking back at her, judging.

Only ever smoothes herself over before important court meetings and social events. She doesn't know how makeup works, so before any party she asks Asra to sort her out. Cas looking prim is both a treat and a source of friendly jabs.

✦ Character traits

Power walking by default. This can be somewhat intimidating, and she won’t stop if someone is in her way - just put them to the side and continue.

Puts up a really convincing pretence of formality and refinement.

In actuality she finds this facade tiresome, and just wants to talk fast about battle/hunting feats or astronomy. Maybe show off her pyromancy.

Loves socializing, it recharges her batteries.

Dilligent worker.

Tends to overwork herself and neglect her relationships.

Often scatter minded and wanting to do too many things at one time.

Doesn’t appreciate people instigating physical contact or getting up in her face. She needs to prepare herself for it, or be the initiator.

Stubborn as a mule. Never knows when to stop pressing people.

Extremely callous at times.

Annoyingly overbearing

Most of this springs from a place of fear - things had a habit of getting worse whenever her family imposed decisions onto her. In her mind, if she’s the one holding the reins, everything will be better. And if something does fail - she will be the only one to blame.

Starting arguments comes much too easily to her, but she’s just as quick to introspect, and seek out the person she argued with to apologize and approach the issue in an appropriate manner.

Forgives easily

Eternally scoffing at astrology. She knows shes being bigoted, but at this point its almost like an inside joke between her and Asra. “Astrology? It's baby stuff. PSEUDOSCIENCE!” (she cries as she worries over her afternoon tarot reading and preparing pretty horoscopes for the Shop...)

A huge hypocrite at times. “Do as I say, not as I do” could easily be her motto.

Both the upright and reversed Knight of Swords card sums her character up perfectly.

��� Occupation & Residency

Vesuvia:

Beginning of her story follows the game canon almost to a T - Cas lives with Asra in the Shop, and works there. It bores her to death, and she plays tricks on every customer just to entertain herself.

After being officially hired by Nadia as the Palace Magician, Castor moves out of the shop and purchases a modest house in Goldgrave, much below the value of what Nadia offered her, and what she could afford. It’s convenient and that’s what matters to Cas. She continues supplying the shop diligently, and takes over whenever Asra runs off.

Nadia insisted on Castor having an office in the palace. It grew on her with time, and after The Devil is dealt with it becomes her little “hub”.

Hjalle:

Cas lived with her family in the castle site until 17 years old.

After denying her parents their plans for her future as a judge, she hunkered down in a hunting lodge outside of the town, and spent almost two years living that way - she still thinks of these two years as the most joyous time in her life.

The only thing she ever used her family’s wealth for was commissioning the construction of an extravagant observatory. Reminiscent of a gothic fortress, the stark exterior is contrasted with insides filled with artwork and art-nouveau ornaments. The central chamber is a vast library with a powerful telescope in its apse - it is a sight that could take the breath of the most haughty of nobles.

There’s a tiny living space below the main chamber, furnished sparingly, but with a lovely fireplace (in Hjalle, its a necessity). It’s where Cas stays after becoming the inquisitor/whenever she visits after the in-game events.

✦ Trivia

Cas is 23 years old when she first arrives to Vesuvia - 28 at the time of The Devil’s downfall.

She freed Merlin from a merchant’s cage in the Red Market, during one of her outings in the three year interlude after her death - Asra fumes after they find out she snuck out to the market - yet is amazed that Cas found a familiar.

Cas regained her first memories via touching objects linked to her past life - a letter from Aster, articles of clothing, a sword...

This self re-discovering takes a turn for the worse when Cas finally finds a large, ornate knife - the one she inherited after becoming inquisitor. The memories it resurfaces are a staggering blow to Castor, completely derailing the beliefs she had about her own person. She thought of herself as a paragon, and remembering the torture she inflicted upon others, the lives taken in the name of “justice” made her relapse into bitterness and disenchantment. She deals with those feelings as her investigation into the courtiers progresses.

Predominantly uses pyromancy, other types of magic are strictly used for her work at the palace, and rather sparingly.

Could be best described as a battlemage - enjoys being in melee range and assaulting her quarry with both sword and fire; the latter being used more as a way to distract or stagger the enemy than actually harm. There's no fun in just burning them up!

Doesn’t cook for herself, although she has a natural knack for it - will only cook for guests and short people.

Her dislike of Lucio clashes with gratitude for employing her when she first arrived to Vesuvia - he was the knife which cut Cas off from her parents, and it’s something she could never forget.

Demiromatic/sexual.

She was offered to be knighted by Nadia after defeating The Devil. Cas declined - It’s much more than a title to her, and accepting seemed like mockery (considering her past as inquisitor).

Short fuse, she learns to better control herself while working in the palace. But if someone really pushes her the nearby candles miiiight get a bit out of control. Or she’ll just throttle them.

Hates her full name - Castor is such a mouthful. Sounds stuck up too...

[tar-oh]

Pick A Pile: What’s Coming At you in love

So, a few weeks ago I started a pile that ended up feeling really heavy and just not what you needed to hear. Like, I think a lot of us were going through some stuff (and maybe still are) and at that moment, it wasn’t a love message you guys needed. So, today I did a new one and this one felt so much better and happier? Also, you can tell I’m procrastinating schoolwork. lol So anyway, this is about what’s coming towards you in love. Most of the piles seem to focus on things that are already kind of going on, but some seemed to be about new things. So, I really do have to ask that you please only take what resonates and not try to make anything that doesn’t fit, fit. My biggest fear is that I’m going to give someone some false hope, so if it really does not sound like you or your situation, then don’t take it. But, also, know that it’s a general reading so it may not fit you and it also may be just super vague. That being said, you can choose more than one because maybe there’s one with more of the message for you or there’s more than one person coming towards you? Anyway, just choose the one you feel most called to.

Today, I’m feeling a Musketeers vibe so I’m using a picture of the guys from BBC’s Musketeers for you guys to choose: 1: Aramis, 2: Athos, 3: D’Artagnan, 4: Porthos :

Pile 1: Aramis

Cards: The Empress, 7 of Wands reversed, King of Swords, The Hierophant reversed, 8 of wands reversed, Death  I kind of get the sense that this pile is one that's been alone for a bit. I mean, maybe not a really long time, but like some of you were. With the empress I see that you're taking care of yourself, and even though it's 7 of wands and reversed, I get kind of a 9 of pentacles feel from this particular card. In this one she's just smelling the flowers, but content. But with it reserved, I see like this idea of feeling alone? Like, okay the first song that played when I started this pile was Moonlight Lines by Movements, and it's about two people who just kind of want someone to fill their bed with them. Like, this sense of wanting another body with them. Basically, a one night stand, but also someone to sleep next to for a night, right? I'm not necessarily getting a one-night-stand vibe as what's coming towards you (really, not at all), more just that feeling of wanting someone to be with you at night. A body beside yours. And, like this empress energy is you taking care of yourself but also you wanting to care for someone else. And, 7 of wands being reversed can be an exhausted energy. Like a, when am I going to find someone? But, also, I draw that 9 of pentacles feeling from it too because it's not like you're not doing okay. Like, I think you've been fine alone, but now you're just bored. The next song that played was Love Took The Last Of It by Movements, and I kind of think maybe you've been burned and maybe it took you a while to feel better and want to open up again. Or, maybe you just kind of have a habit of getting into situations that aren't for you and they fall through, so like, you're tired of this. I get the Death card with that, like you want to end this cycle. And I see death as being that, an end to a cycle. I always talk about how much I love that card, it's the card of change. Like, yes it means endings, but beginnings too? So, like, you're just ready to move out of this energy of being alone. The hierophant being reversed to me means that whoever it is coming towards you is not really your usual type. Upright, the Heirophant is all about convention and playing by the rules, and reversed it'd be the opposite, though I'm not reading it that way with this reading. Especially not with the King of Swords showing up. No, instead I'm just reading the Hierophant reversed as maybe this is someone who maybe at first when you meet, you're kind of like, "Oh, I don't know. They're not really following the standards I look out for." I don't mean someone not good for you. I mean, like as in maybe you have a list in your mind and this person doesn't really have all of those things on that list. Maybe they check a few, but there's a few things where you're kind of thinking that maybe it won't work. But, with the King of Swords, I see that they're really honest, maybe to a fault. And, the king on this particular card is old, but I don't really think it's that way for everyone, though I feel like for many of you there is an age gap but I don't think it's one like in this card where the girl towards the bottom of the card looks younger and he looks like he could be her grandpa or something. But, I think that him being older here also might point out that one of you is really wise. Like, old-soul wise. So maybe this is someone you look up to? A mentor of some sort, or just someone you look to for advice. I'm not sure. This could be reversed, and maybe your older than them/they look up to you, and maybe it's even that you're not their usual type? With the 8 of wands being reversed, I see that maybe this is just going to take a bit longer than you'd want. Like, maybe you two need more time to get to know each other. Or, even meet I guess since this is more along the lines of what's coming towards you. Anyway, I see it as coming slowly. Maybe it's delayed a little (which, I mean, at least here in the USA, things are still pretty crappy with Covid and doesn’t look to be getting better) So, this might just be a while out. But, again, with the death card, I see it being an end of a cycle. So maybe before you both can meet or end up together/around each other, you need to close out some things. Like, the Death card REALLY sticks out to me today. And it's funny because, it's the Scorpio card, and so that's like around Halloween, right? The Lovely Omen's deck Death card is so pretty. She wears this black and white striped suit, and like, it reminds me SO much of Beetlejuice lol so I'm getting halloween vibes here, so maybe that's significant to you both, like maybe a birthday in Scorpio season, or the surrounding sign seasons through out like Oct-Nov? Or, maybe that movie's plot has something significant to you both? (seeing this also with King of Swords too, like air signs, so Libra season so, again, october?) Or, maybe it's as simple as it being black and white and like again going back to the Heirophant being reversed and this idea that this is someone who may not fit what you're originally looking for or vice-versa, maybe it's like stop looking at everything so black and white. Look at the greys in between, right? I also want to point out that she's also wearing a moon necklace on the card, and this deck has a lot of references to the moon and stars in the other cards, but this necklace always stands out to me because it's reminds me of how with change comes uncertainty. So maybe it's going to feel really uncertain, especially with the idea of looking at the grays in between? Like, its kind of scary, but like, nothing in life is ever really all that certain? So, like, this unknown is staring straight at you, and I think these cards are kind of saying, "You obviously know how to take care of yourself, so you're going to be okay. Just try something new" Like, oof. I don't know where that last sentence came from, but yeah! Exactly how I'm feeling about this! Or. This person does have gray hair. Lol i mean I’m fairly young for gray hair and I get them when I’m super stressed. Like, look at Logan Lerman, he looks GORGEOUS with gray hair (and Im his age so!!! High Five to us for premature gray hairs!) (Okay, I had written earlier that this didn't seem like new energy but I deleted it because I was like idk, but the song Seneca by Movements came on -which i have it on shuffle but for some reason it's only playing this album?- and it's about someone thinking about how they still love an ex who's now engaged and like how bittersweet it is how they enjoy how happy they look but they miss them and like! Idk! for some this is definitely an ex, but for others it just someone you know already probably!!!) So, maybe even if it's not someone new, it's a new situation? Like, maybe this relationship with this person, even if you've never been in an actual one with them, it's like new to you both. New territory. And, the song In my Blood by Movements came on because again, it's not really shuffling the playlist, lol, but this feels like maybe this is someone you just have a connection to. Like, even if you two haven't known each other that long, you just feel that bond. And like going back to that scorpio energy, its intense I think. In that King of Swords card, that lady looks like she's kind of worshiping this king, and I think it's going to feel that way for both of you. Hopefully not like an obsessive thing, but more like a, you both really have the hots for each other and at any given point, you're both playing that lady on that card, hanging onto the other like that. And he looks really serious, so maybe someone here is really serious and more of an all-work-and-no-play kind of person, but like I don't read that as an absolute bummer. I read it more as someone who's like, just really good at getting shit done, even the hard stuff. Also, he's got a great body lmao so I think you're going to end up being super attracted to this person, even if it's not a jaw-dropping eyes meet the first time story, ya know? Like I said earlier, it's kind of a slow burn I think. I don't have any cups here, which I guess might pose a problem, because at first it seems like a lack of emotions? But I have swords and wands so I see a lot of action. But I also feel like you connect on an intellectual level, like I get that with the Hierophant (even if it's reversed) and King of Swords. I also feel like you'll have like an earthy kind of connection. Like, even though I feel there's a lot of passion, I also see that you two can just chill. Bottom of the deck energy for the Lovely Omens Deck was High Priestess. So, I definitely read this as you kind of maybe having a feeling that this is coming towards you. Also, with the hierophant, even with it being reversed, in this deck she's wearing moon earrings, but they're crescent moons. So, it's like the moon is whole with the two halves, and I definitely see that as another hint at knowing? Like, going back to the 7 of wands reversed and how I felt more of the 9 of pentacles with it instead, like you being alone for a while, but like maybe you kind of know something's going to happen. I think the death card also maybe says this to you, because you're aware that something's changing. Like, maybe you don't know exactly what, but it's changing and you feel this shift in the energy. The other deck has 7 of Swords here, and I really hate seeing this in a love reading, but I also kind of get that maybe it's just for those of you who do know each other, maybe at this exact moment you're not being truthful about feelings? Things that might be relevant: Taurus, Libra, Scorpio, October and November. Halloween. 13 or 31. 3, 7, Beetlejuice, I don't know! That black and white suit is so prominent to me today on that card! It always stands out but I never really thought about beetlejuice before, so lemme know if that resonates! Pile 2: Athos

Cards: Ace of Wands, 4 of Wands, Knight of Cups, The Hierophant, Judgement reversed, The Hanged Man With this one, I feel like someone in this is ignoring their feelings. Like, with the Hanged Man being here I definitely see that it's someone literally hanging back and thinking about things. And with Judgement reversed, I see that it's like a waiting period. So, I think this is an established connection, but like, nothings happening. Like, maybe not even communication, or like if there is, it's like you're not really talking. At least, not about what's going on between the two of you. And also Skin to Skin came on, and the first line in this song is interesting to me because it's "I'm certain that I'll circle back to you", so it's like neither of you are too worried, but maybe there's some frustration (but I don't really see that in the cards. They all kind of feel super chill, so I think whoever this is, they're really chill lol) There's also another line that makes me l think about this but also, the knight of cups gives me this vibe: "I know that you're so preoccupied..." And like, again, I feel this stagnation but like it's a chill one. Like you're both accepting that maybe it's supposed to happen? Just not now. And, so like this "preoccupied" person is like the hanged man, hanging back and thinking things through. I don't think it's that they're unsure. I think they know how they feel (the stars and the moons in her hair on the hangedman card definitely brings this to mind, like this knowing of the unknown, but also having hope, so it's like whoever this is, knows what they're not sure of if that makes sense! Same with the judgement card but she also has the sun on it! So she's holding all the hope, mysteries and happiness in her arms!!!) Ace of wands is like this new passion. Like, maybe after stagnancy is this moment where you two can express this passion, and with the Knight of Cups, I see that too. But, he's not moving on a horse like the other decks usually have. He's just sitting and look at that cup but looking really kind of...He looks like he's pouting honestly, but I don't get that from this. Like, he's looking at this covered cup and it's got stars, so again that hope is there. He has that hope, but it's covered up, so it's kept to him for now if that makes sense. But, with this ace of wands, I see a new start and like i think it's this start where he opens up that cup and out pours all those thoughts the hanged man had. And, the 4 of wands suggests this harmony that's coming with this. Like, you two just click and you balance each other out. And I'm sure you both know this. With this deck, sometimes you can read the looks on their faces two ways, like how the deck explains the card and also maybe a different way, so I kind of always can see two ways of looking at the faces. Some look sad but could also be contemplating things.  This card is definitely one of those cards. This one is about bringing difficulties to an end with alliances, I don't really think this was that difficult? Like, maybe I'm not getting the whole story. Maybe this period of stagnation has been a long time and you're both just tired of not seeing each other now or talking more, but like, I guess this is kind of you two coming together and bringing an end to this period of nothing. And the look on the one girls face, the one in the yellow dress, she looks tired but she looks so into this other girl, so like I think that's kind of what's going to happen. One day you're both are going to just simultaneously agree that you're done with this nothing and want something? Like, I don't think you're going to say it before deciding it but once it's decided you BOTH are going to be opening up your star cups and pour it all out. Bottom deck energy for this is the Death card and the high priestess. I wasn't going to mention it, but I almost feel like for a few of you, you should check out pile 1, mostly because Death was in that pile but also the High Priestess was bottom deck energy for that one too (just a different deck). But, these tell me that there's going to be a change. Like, I said you're going to get tired of this stagnation, and I think it's an end of a cycle within this particular relationship. And the high priestess brings back that idea of "I'm certain I'll circle back to you..." where there's a knowing that this isn't really done. It's just at a standstill. So, yeah. I think this stagnation will end. I don't know WHEN, I don't get a when. But, I don't think it's going to be FOREVER from now, especially because you did get 3 major arcana! Also, wands feels quicker and you got the ace of wands! So I feel like it's kind of a "whenever" kind of thing, which isn't very helpful. It could be tomorrow or next year, ya know? Though, as I was writing this the song 12 Weeks by Movements came on! So! For someone it MIGHT be 12 Weeks. It's interesting though, because the end of the song is something like "Fall in love and fall away", which I don't see that as an end, again kind of like you two caught feelings and then were put in a stand still? But, also with that 4 of wands card, it really feels like everything around them falls away around them, so maybe that's just kind of how you two are together. Like, you talk and there could be other people there, but it all falls away. You could be in a group conversation, but for some reason it feels like all the words you both say are pointed towards the other rather than the group? Again, take what resonates. If you know no one where your connection is like this than I really do not think this is your pile. Things that are relevant: Celestial bodies (like the sun, the moon, stars), butterflies (specifically pink and purple), Sagittarius, Taurus

Pile 3: D’Artagnan

Cards: Justice, The Star(s), Queen of Swords, 8 of Pentacles, 3 of Swords reversed, 3 of cups Justice was the first card to fall out, and immediately I knew it was about a group who got the short end of the stick or something when it comes to love. Like, I hear, short end of the stick, like. Okay, so Queen of Swords is always described as like a woman alone who's been scorned, but I usually don't go by that because I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are Queen of Sword types who haven't really had issues with love, they're just kind of That Way. But, like with Justice, I definitely see this as someone who was hurt in the past by love. Like, again. Short end of the stick. New Song D by the Front Bottoms is playing and there's this part in the bridge where he talks about how someone sold him a bike for $50 when the brakes weren't working, so like he was cheated out of $50 when he thought maybe it was worth $25 ? Like, Okay. So, with this, I'm getting that he was cheated money out of this, right? And maybe that is the case for some of you, but I'm getting more of an energy cheat if that makes sense. Like, you put a lot of energy into someone and a situation, and all they gave back was 1/4 of what you gave, and I'm getting that because I think maybe they thought they were giving you more (1/2 but still not enough), but they weren't, and you were just cheated out of this and left feeling drained because it was all one sided. And, I'm not saying this person didn't feel anything for you, I mean, they might have felt something but weren't able to give back the same amount because of things going on in their life. Or they were just like that. And there's another part in this song where he says "You wouldn't start because I wouldn't stop" and maybe it's also like you were giving too much even for them to like, take? Maybe it was just too much on their end and couldn't receive that much and too much for you to give so then you're both left with a disappointing situation. I also see 8 of pentacles kind of confirming this, like so much hard work was put into it on your end, but not enough to make it balanced. And it is NOT your fault. Like I feel the need to tell you that you have a big heart and that it's not your fault that someone else couldn't accept it the way you needed them to. 3 of swords reversed tells me that you're healing, though. Like, this happened and it probably really hurt but now you're healing. For some, because there are 2 3's, I think this was a case of being cheated on, but I don't think that's for everyone. Like, I really feel more like this was an unbalanced give and take situation. But, with the Justice here, I see that it WILL be balanced and whatever is coming in for you, will be more balanced. I almost feel, though, like this pile is less about what's coming and more about how you'll be doing better? Like, what's coming is really good and balanced, but also, you're healing, and I think it's always really nice to be able to look back at a heartbreak and not feel as bad about it as you did before. Like, sure it's probably always going to give a pang, but like with time, it heals. And, I know you probably wanted so badly for this to work out with this person, and I'm so sorry it didn't. Trust me, All I've ever known is unrequited love, so I really get that feeling of that realization when it becomes clear it's not going to work. One deck's bottom card was the Ace of Swords, so again, like I think this was that clarity you had about it not working, but I also see it as you seeing that it's just that this was not meant for you and that there's something better. And, that better is the star and justice. Like, this new person is going to bring in a lot of hope an balance. Like, this star card has two people on it, and it kind of looks like they're balancing out, right? So, yes. Definitely a lot of balance. And this person, I think, is going to be a lot of fun. The 3 of cups in this reading, to me, is more about how I think you two are going to hit it off in a friendly way first. And like, this might not even be a romantic love. It could just be a really good friend you make or have that's with you through your healing. But either way, platonic or not, I think this person is going to be someone you can lean on in this tough period, but also someone you can have fun with. The same song, new song d, has a part in the chorus where he says "I fell down, you propped me up" and I see this as being how your relationship will go. When someones down, the other will prop them up.But this isn't going to be all take and no give like this last person. No, again, it's going to be super balanced. Bottom deck energy for the other deck was Knight of Wands and in my last reading I compared him to D'Artagnan in the Three Musketeers and I think when he's not off trying to save the world, he's a really fun dude. Also, this is kind of weird and I'm going to have to make sure in the picture I take I get one of this Knight of Wands, because on the top border there's this weird like squiggle shapes, but it looks to me like...bodies? (It's kind of like that with the Queen of Swords too, with the top border?) Like bodies doing yoga lmao but like. I think you two are going to be physical (like! not in a sexual sense unless you're old enough and consenting!!), but more in a, touchy, huggy sense. So again, that propping up, but like physically and mental propping up. But, also, like maybe you two are always kind of touching. Like, shoulders next to each other, knees colliding, hand holding. Oof. That sounds so cute! I'm a little jealous. OH! This is also kind of weird, but in the same card behind him are this shapes that look like fleur-de-lis! And that's so weird considering that I think of D'Artagnan, a musketeer when I see this card! Ah! Anyway, I just see this as super healing for you, whoever this is. The shapes also kind of remind me of phoenix's, so! Maybe that's a message there. Like, emerging from the ashes of your former self? This is weird, because the next song that came on was Sour, a collab by 1990nowhere, Olivver the Kid and others, but I think that's interesting because maybe it goes with the past for you, like it soured. Like it looked sweet and then it soured? Then Are you Bored Yet? by Wallows came on so taking that literal, like you grew tired of how it was going. So I'm not sure if anyone resonates with those two songs, but I thought they seemed significant. Possibly relevant: Libra, Aquarius, Musketeers, fleur-de-lis, yoga, 1990, 3, 8 Pile 4: Porthos

Cards: Knight of cups, 2 of cups, 7 of wands, the lovers, 6 of swords, King of Pentacles I wasn't going to do a pile 4, but thought I should and like, yeah I'm glad I did because this feels like something someone needs to hear. So, someone here is leaving something. I think maybe you might want to read my last pick a pile I posted on here about what you need to hear. I definitely think this group showed up in that one. So, again, someone is leaving something, but I keep wanting to type someone! Ahh! Sorry! But, maybe there is someone leaving someone? I definitely have the song Scrawny by Wallows stuck in my head so maybe you're leaving a "scrawny motherfucker with a cool hairstyle"? lol or not! Maybe that's just a song being stuck in my head because it was in there earlier today, but? Like? Maybe it was meant to come back around for this reading. Anyway, I get this idea from 6 of swords because that can be about a spiritual/mental journal, but also sometimes a physical one. So, like mentally and physically leaving a situation. Also, I've read that 6 in tarot is about journeys, and we got two 6's (6 of Swords and the lovers), and even though the lovers is about unity, I think it's also leaving that life before that unity behind? So, I read that into this whole, you're leaving something (or someone in this is leaving something or someone, so it could be this person coming towards you leaving something). Also, 8 of cups was on the bottom of one of the decks, and that again is about leaving something, like mentally/spiritually. But, like, this has cups so there's more of an emotional element to it. Like, leaving something that wasn't fulfilling you, going towards that 9 of cups wish fulfillment, right? So, there is that energy here, and like, I kind of feel like 9 of Cups should have shown up too, because I almost feel like whoever is coming towards you is kind of a wish come true. So, with knight of cups, i kind of read it like I did for another pile, but maybe more into his expression than i had for that one, where he looks kind of pouty. For that pile I said it was like he was kind of waiting to open up this cup that is in front of him that he's looking at. It has stars on it, so it's like his cup of hope? And the knight of cups is usually seen as a love offer, (though I typed over so again, I think someone out there is leaving someone?) so like this star cup, when he opens it, will have that offer for you? Like his heart is in there for you (not physically like his organ lmao). And with 7 of wands, I almost wonder if maybe you're defensive to let it in or maybe they're even too defensive to open up that cup? Someone here is defensive, but I don't think that's needed because I see so much stability with this. Like, we have the King of Pentacles here. So, not only do I think one or both of you are doing okay like financially (like, able to pay the bills and maybe have a nice roof over your head), but I also just see it as stable. Like, they're a shelf and your love is safe to place on. Does that make sense? Omg I'm so corny in this pile I love it. Both the Lover's and two of cups are these soft cards. Like, physically, these two cards from these decks look so soft. The love in these cards, guys. Phew. The two of cups shows this lady kind of hanging on this man, and they have these soft, fond gazes at each other. And then, with the lovers in the other deck, it's so sweet. She's kissing the other girl's cheek and they just look like they're content in the moment? So, I definitely see this as something fulfilling for you both, like you're both gonna be such suckers for each other. Probably constantly getting those heart eyes. Like, think Evie and O'Connell heart eyes, if you've ever seen The Mummy from 1999. Like, the looks they give each other. I'm totally getting those vibes. Maybe you two are going to be really snarky to each other too? But you’ll find it so endearing. Another thing I want to add is that I think you two are going to be perfectly balanced like literally Yin and Yang. I mean, one girl on the lovers card is all white and the other is all black. And then on the two of cups, They're kind of contrasted in terms of hair. Also! Bottom card energy for one deck was Justice, so yes. Definitely balance and yin and yang. I think this also goes back to the King of Pentacles, like I almost even get that Two of Pentacles energy of balancing out things, but being able to do so whereas the other twos kind of are about choices. But this one isn't. And it's weird, because sometimes the lovers can be read as choices, but I don't here. Not with this pile. And maybe there is a choice about leaving something/someone, but like I think once that's done and over with, this love comes in. And it could just be simple like a mindset? Like with all the cups here, I definitely think it could be a mindset. Like one that makes you super emotional, so maybe this is an existing relationship that just needs like a change? That's probably for a few of you, but for others, I see that this is something that comes after a shift in mind, or like a physical one. I mean, the song Make Way by The Front Bottoms was playing here, and like, that song is kind of about making space for the new? "I make way for the expensive things in my head." And, I've kind of gotten this Death Card vibe with every pile, and at first I was like not getting that with this pile, but idk, with 6 of swords and 8 of cups, I kind of get that? Like ending something to begin something? Ending with the song Nobody Gets Me (Like You) by Wallows, and I think this is what its going to feel like with this person. This pile is so cute. :) Things that could be relevant: Gemini, Libra, water signs, Capricorn (Pentacles are earth, but I really get a cap vibe with this one today), heart eyes, The Mummy lol

[sunbeams-and-honey]

Past-Present-Future Pick A Card Reading

Right so this is my first one of these so we'll see how this goes. Please take what resonates and leave what doesn't, and remember that your reading may not make sense until later on. Be patient. Feedback is much appreciated though.

This reading is a three-card past-present-future spread. Feel free to use the cards I pulled to then do your own research on what they mean. My interpretation of the cards might not resonate but another interpretation might. Remember to keep an open mind.

I would like you to visualise in your mind the numbers 1-5. Perhaps close your eyes if that helps you. Out of those, I want you to pick the one that stands out to you for whatever reason. If your gut is telling you to pick a certain number, pick that number. Then look under the cut and scroll down to find the corresponding reading.

PILE 1:

Past - Nine of Wands (Reversed)

Present - The Hierophant (Reversed)

Future - Five of Cups (Upright)

There may have been a period in your life where you were wholely invested in completing a specific project or reaching a particular goal. In the end, you did succeed in what you were trying to accomplish, but not without a cost. It left you emotionally hurt and if you haven't been taking extra care of yourself since then, I would highly recommend doing so. Believe me when I say you deserve it.

A new style of living and/or belief system may be taking hold right now. This could be anything from a lifestyle improvement or new self-care regime, to something as big as converting to a new religion or taking up witchcraft. Whatever it is, it's benefiting you and motivating you in a positive light. Make use of what it's giving you. However, remember not to dive head-first into anything. Give it time and thought first and take it slow.

Not to scare you, but something big is coming, and you may be completely missing the signs. It's bound to involve some kind of conflict and/or loss and it may change your life. That being said, you will make it out in one piece. It will actually help you to grow and better yourself in the long run, so keep that in mind.

PILE 2:

Past - Page of Pentacles (Upright)

Present - Three of Cups (Reversed)

Future - Seven of Pentacles (Reversed)

You may have previously been in a period of immaturity and/or instability. I'm happy to tell you that you are past this now, and are moving into a period of growth. You are intelligent with matters of finance. You may have just advanced in a social group or at work, and quite rightly too. If you recently started a new project, finish it, even if it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Overall, if you've been looking for a good sign, then this is it.

Speaking of projects, you may have just finished one, perhaps one that took a great deal of effort. Treat yourself! You deserve it after all of your hard work. It may not be clear now, but you will reap the rewards within the rest of this year.

Another kind of success is just around the corner for you, but it will take work for you to earn it. The rewards are bound to be positive and almost crazy. Overall, this pile is very positive so I want you to remember that you deserve every good thing coming your way, and trust me when I say there's a lot of them.

PILE 3:

Past - Ten of Cups (Upright)

Present - Six of Cups (Reversed)

Future - Ace of Cups (Upright)

Your confidence and integrity have proved useful and beneficial to you in the past. These are invaluable skills to have so try not to take them for granted. Thanks to them, you have come far and grown as a person.

Right now, you may be finding yourself reminiscing about the past often. Maybe a little too often. You may think that your best days are behind you, but I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. The past is full of good days but good ones are still to come, remember that. What you're doing is preventing you from living in the here and now. There's nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia but you have to remember where the line is. Don't let it stop you from living your life.

You may view deep love as a life goal, but you need to make sure that you're not going too overboard with this. You could take this card as a sign that you're staying in a relationship purely because you don't want to be alone, rather than because it makes you happy. You need to remember that it's better to be alone than to be lonely, and if you stay in an unsatisfying relationship, you won't be able to achieve your goal of finding true love. This change is scary but it will be for the better. Alternatively, you might be being too picky with your romantic partners. It's always good to have set standards, but this could be a sign that you need to check these and to make sure that they aren't too high. Your partner won't be perfect and you need to accept that. If that interpretation resonates with you, then your perception of love is going to be challenged in the near future. True love is not an unrealistic goal.

PILE 4:

Past - King of Swords (Reversed)

Present - Nine of Swords (Upright)

Future - World (Upright)

You had a bright and clear mind from a young age, and this may have been a point of praise throughout your childhood. However, this could have had a negative effect on you, as some adults may have treated you differently, which led you to feel isolated. They probably meant well and didn't even know how it made you feel, but the point is that you felt lonely as a child, not really feeling like you fit in. There were benefits to this though, as many positive opportunities that you had access to. These helped you to grow as a child.

You may be going through a very difficult time right now. You may find yourself feeling like you're at a complete loss, and I'm here to tell you that you are wrong. You will get through whatever is happening for nothing is permanent. That being said, don't feel guilty whatsoever for asking for help. Other people can and will help you to climb out of the spiral you're in. It may be hard to look on the bright side right now, but you will be okay.

Your future is uncertain, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have hope. You haven't had a clear sense of direction recently, which can be hard when you want to achieve great things. The easiest thing to do is to decide on where you want to end up, a goal you want to achieve. This will help you get there. Everything else will fall into place.

PILE 5:

Past - Four of Pentacles (Reversed)

Present - Six of Swords (Upright)

Future - Eight of Swords (Reversed)

You've been putting a lot of hard work into a particular project recently and this card is a sign that this dedication will be paying off soon. This project could have been years in the making, meaning it will be all the more satisfying when you start to see results and rewards. Speaking of rewards, they will most likely be something financial, so perhaps you will get paid for your work, or it will help with your financial stability.

You may be facing some obstacles right now that you don't think you'll be able to overcome. I'm here to tell you that you will, in the near future as it happens, and you'll be a much stronger person as a result of this. The situation you are currently in is either going to change unexpectedly or a new person will come into the picture offering a helping hand. You should accept their help if they offer it. Regardless of which of these happens, you will be left feeling much more at ease with your situation. You will be filled with a strong sense of peace and finality.

An important event is coming, and its outcome will be decided entirely by how you choose to act: out of fear or out of rationality. You are currently the master of your own fate. In the past, you may have often been on the safe side, considering all possibilities before making any important decisions. This tendency will help you to make an informed decision in the future. Try not to act on impulse.

[dungeons-and-divination]

HORIZON WALKER RANGER  - Wildhunt SHIFTER - Sage (Researcher)

Never built a Shifter before, but I play a weretiger in my main campaign, so I enjoyed this quite a lot. I think it shows. I ended up with a lot more details than I usually cram into these posts. I mainly try to leave enough space for DMs and players alike to build up on the general idea I came up with. This time... Inspiration hit me hard and I couldn’t help myself. Hope you enjoy.

Name: Ichor (likes the nickname Corey better) (18yo)

TAROTS

Mind: Justice (upright) Truth and integrity as the core of an horizon walker’s mind are perfectly okay with me, honestly. It really tells me that Corey is a person that strives to reach a balance into things, that he knows every action has its consequences. I can see them as someone that is perfectly aware of how they can change the world just by existing and making decisions, so they try to weigh their actions because of it. But they also enjoy watching the ripples that every drop in the water causes. So they dislike inaction too. Why stay still when you can do something and be part of the reason for the world to move and change, just to settle and come back to a new balance?

Body: Two of swords (upright) I mean, a tarot about being torn between two people or in general this feeling of disconnection on his body? Of course I could just stop at the obvious issues Ichor could have with being a shifter. But why stop with something as obvious as emotional denial, when there’s an underside of something more? I had to draw a card to try and clear this up. And the Three of swords reversed confirmed there was more. Corey is actually in emotional denial about something deeper, but he’s slowly getting over it. Still, this doesn’t get rid of that “something” that hurt him in the past and Ichor tries to bury it more often than not. So, I would say that this disconnection to his body is more in tune to this denial.

Spirit: the High Priestess (upright) Most of all, I would say this expresses his thirst for knowledge, that’s for sure. But I’m not surprised by that hint of mystery and sensuality that comes from Corey himself. Despite how socially awkward he is, I can picture him being unknowingly charming. Which is probably why he doesn’t trust people that try to be very direct in showing romantic interest. Well, I suppose he can be considered charming at least to people that are into dark, mysterious, dorky nerds with enormous trust issues. I know that the broody types always attract some people's attention.

Past: Strength (reversed) After what that “body” had already given me, this was pretty much a given. Low self-esteem in Corey’s past is a constant. He felt weak and vulnerable, that was the main reason why he stayed stuck in his research for so long (and kinda confirmed my feeling that he wasn’t one of the most thought of predators). He probably had a deep desire to actually get to work in his field, but the biggest obstacle to reach for that dream was his own sense of inadequacy (someone like him in a scholarly role might have been teased just for that after all). Deep down, he knew he could make a difference though, because every decision has a consequence, even a lack of action. And he hated when people couldn’t make a decision SO MUCH!

Present: Page of cups (reversed) And here comes back that heartbreak, that emotional vulnerability… With the horrible twist of sexual abuse earlier in his life still there to haunt him. Definitely, the emotional denial from his body as well as his issues with trust are a lot deeper and serious than what I thought at first. Oh, Ichor for sure had some terrible experiences. But he realized that he was in a bad situation, that he’d been manipulated, used by someone older than him just cause he was young and naive. And he decided to get away from it all. The emotional trauma though? That still lingers and weights him down so much that he’s very closed off. I don’t exclude him actually pretending (very badly) like he’s way more confident than he is, in certain situations. Like a copying mechanism to try and hide his insecurities so people won’t use them against him again.

Future: the Hierophant (reversed) Well, with Corey this can go in both the direction hinted at by the tarot. He could absolutely challenge the traditions of the institution he belongs to and that he’s supposed to still answer to. Or he could cling to their traditions in a hope to change how corrupt and twisted things got from the very inside despite how it could break him to go back and be face to face with his abuser. I can’t necessarily give a suggestion in this case; it really depends on how things develop and which way you feel like he would lean towards (even with the party’s support). Either way, not surprised that a decision is at the core of his future. 

FULL BACKSTORY

Ichor was born in a cave in the Beastlands plane. His mother, Shianead, was on a mission for the institution she worked for to research more information on how were-creatures lived when organized in packs like that. She actually fell in love while she was in the middle of that mission with Ichor’s father, Purrenbor. As soon as Ichor was born, Shianead realized she could no longer stay in the Beastlands plane and decided to leave. Purrenbor tried to leave with her, but his tribe didn’t like them leaving with the child; Purrenbor gave his life so that both Shianead and Ichor could run away. Once they were back, the institution wasn’t necessarily happy that Shianead took more than a year for a mission that was supposed to be just 6 weeks long. They were disappointed in her, but once she promised that her shifter son would stay to be part of the institution as well and convinced them that in some way his nature as a shifter could be helpful in understanding better the potential benefits of the were-curse, they agreed to let her stay. Ichor didn’t necessarily have a happy and loving childhood. His mother was more often than not away for more research missions and he was left in the care of a very strict teacher, Clirji Brawen, a dragonborn that made him study for long hours instead of letting Corey run around with the other students of the institution’s preparatory schools. He still was grateful to be considered so bright to have Clirji’s attention, since he was considered one of the best teachers of the school (the one that usually worked with realy talented people). Corey was even allowed to live in Clirji's very luxurious house when his mother was away, instead of staying alone in the dingy apartment that belonged to her. When Corey was about fifteen, his mother had to go on a longer than usual mission that she was even more tight lipped than usual on the details of. Clirji had recently retired from teaching and was mainly just a consultant for the institution, and Corey could no longer stay at his house since he was no longer Corey’s teacher. It was decided from the institution’s schools’ council that he would stay in Norvhila Erishai’s estate. She was the very charismatic head of the research department of the higher level school, and she was hoping not only to find new branches of research for the main institution to focus on with her students, but to find students with a new, bolder attitude. Norvhila was immediately impressed with Ichor, not only for his knowledge reached under Clirji’s guidance, but also for his willingness to try new things before finding once again the balance at the core of the institution’s beliefs. Still young, very impressionable, awkward and mostly a pariah with students of his age, Ichor never realized that Norvhila fascination with him, and her consequent attentions of sexual nature, were very much inappropriate. Ichor felt flattered, and mostly thought he was bound to allow her to do whatever she wanted with him by duty and gratitude since he was living in her house and she was teaching him so much (or so she manipulated him to believe). It took Ichor having a revealing conversation with Clirji when he was almost 18 to realize that he’d been stuck in an abusive relationship all along. Also, Norvhila had been hiding to him that his mother had been considered missing in action for months, because nobody heard from Shianead since her last report from wherever she was for her mission. Ichor found out, when inquiring about his mother’s mission, that Norvhila wasn’t the only person in the institution that was doing morally twisted things that somehow they still considered “part of the balance of the world”. In a last ditch effort to get free of Norvhila’s manipulations, Corey asked the institution’s schools’ council to go on a mission to find what happened to his mother and to consider that his “graduation mission”, a test that every student had to pass to prove that tey were ready to become a fullfledged member. Unexpectedly (and probably with a big push from Clirji), the council allowed him to leave. Corey somehow still believed the institution could do some good, if he just got rid of the “twisted people”. He just find a way to actually make the right decision that would ripple the waters enough for that change to happen. And he had a feeling that finding his mother was just the first step in a much longer path.

(As a note, extra info. I think this could be more for a DM than a player but still relevant for both, especially the part about Clirji that could be considered a little bit of the conversation that cleared Corey’s mind on how things worked inside the institution. Corey is still convinced that, at the core, the institution was doing good [it’s something he always thought]. But, the what the institution truly does in my mind is gathering knowledge to use it as a merchandise for trade; they don’t really care to whom they give it, if the purpose is to maintain a balance. They think, since they gather the most knowledgeable and smart people in the world, that they have the power to pick and choose who and what will tip the scale so that the universe won’t be destroyed. But mostly, they are the reason why wars start and end by manipulating other people so that they could get richer by selling their information to both sides [too much power corrupts and all that shit, you know...]. Clirji, despite being aware of the problem, stayed in the institution as a teacher to try and help the students, to warn them if he could, help them get out of that life too if possible, or scare them away with his harsh attitude if that was the only way that worked. Because he felt like he had no other way to break that machine that made him too other than trying to take away the best minds from them. In a sense, Clirji also tried as much as possible to keep the schools and the institution proper to be very distinct and separate, but it was very difficult since he was one of the few people that was fighting against the system from the inside [and teachers were mostly members of the institution too, it was rare to have outsiders as such important staff figures that could shape the students minds]. When Clirji tried to become headmaster of the higher level school, for example, everyone looking in as an outsider would have picked Clirji since he was so accomplished as a teacher. But the council knew by that point that he was against what the institution truly had become, so they just made him retire, telling him he was too old even to be a teacher. And they obviously picked someone that would fit them better and would turn a blind eye on behaviors like Norvhila’s.)

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Wisdom and Dexterity (try to keep as high as possible Intelligence too), Low Charisma Skill proficiencies: Investigation, Insight, Perception Others: I had to really think which animal would fit for him as his bestial appearance. At the end of the day, I feel any bird of prey would fit him very well: a classic eagle, a nice hawk or even a raven would be wonderful. If you want to go for something more “classic but still different”, a fox could be a nice pick as well considering his backstory.

Suggested Characteristics Trait: I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgement. Ideal: The world needs to be constantly in balance. But to keep it that way sometimes you need to act, be bold instead of keeping still. Bond: I want to unveil the corruption that’s hiding inside the institution that made me love knowledge so much. Flaw: After a shift, I behave more animalistic than usual for a little time. It unnerves me to no end when people get to see that wild side. (This depends on the animal you pick but it could be mimicking for a crow, pouncing like a fox, little thing like that, easy to roleplay and remember but that can really bring funny moment in a session too. Have fun with it!).

[ofcloudsandstars]

Hi! I would love a reading if you have the time. Obviously a lot of things are in flux now, and a huge shift for me is happening for my spirituality and the state of my soul. It feels like they’re the dissolved sludge in a chrysalis, if that makes sense, lol. Can you help me understand what’s going on in there? I find myself thinking about my past lives, my relationship with magic, and sources of my power. Any insight would be appreciated! Thank you so much 💕

Just a general note for now: Reading requests are closed. I will get to the requests in my inbox but just to make sure I can get to all of them and won't be drowned I am closing it lol. Each reading does take a lot of energy so they may take me a while to answer all of them but rest assured if you sent in a request I will get to you!

I will be happy to do a reading for you! It’s a bit long so I did a read more:

1- your general card - Ace of Wands reversedThis card shows that you are beginning a journey within. This journey will help you to revitalize your sense of self and bring more opportunities in the future but it's a process of evolution, self discovery and a journey into your past and present to re-evaluate your spirit and shed what's no longer needed while rediscovering the essential parts before you can move forward. The ace of wands shows that you have the energy and passion there to take on this journey yet you aren't defined yet, your current path isn't clear and you may have a lack of direction. What can help clarify this path is to first focus on where your true passions lie and what your spirit needs. Like most reversed cards, this card encourages self reflection but it's also a card that shows your process of rebirth is on hold until you make these discoveries. Self reflection and realization takes a lot of time, so be patient cause this is one of those situations that it's more about the journey than the destination. If you are feeling lost in the sauce, you are supposed to feel lost in the sauce and take this time to dig through yourself and rediscover what's important to you on a soul level.

2- the cocoons purpose/why you are in a cocoon - Three of Wands reversedLike the previous card, this card is showing that it's time for you to grow and expand, but within yourself before you can spread your wings out in the world. If you didn't take this time to look within and explore yourself, the future will hold less opportunities simply because you would lack the awareness and wisdom to see that they are there. This journey of personal development may take a while (this card is pairing a lot with #4's message) and there could be some creative blockages that may make you feel frustrated or disappointed, but the setbacks are an essential part of your life's journey and help illuminate things for you to gain new wisdom and perspective.

3. what you should do in the cocoon - Page of Wands reversedThis card is only amplifying what the others are pointing out. The fact that this is in the center of the spread shows that this journey is about self evolution and spiritual rebirth. You may feel that you have a lot of energy within you to begin something new yet you may either not have a clear direction yet, may have begun only to get a little lost on the way or took the wrong approach or have had a lot of setbacks from the outside world that could have dampened your motivation. However this card shows that it's not a time for doing, it's a time to rediscover yourself, find what speaks to your spirit and let the insights come to you from the creative void. Taking action with this energy at this time may be unwise as you may take the wrong approach again. You are still in the early stages of formation in the cocoon. You are just to 'play' with your new ideas, experiment, see them grow and blossom. Don't force anything, just sit and self reflect and it will come to you.

4. the outcome of the cocoon - Seven of Pentacles uprightIt's no surprise this card would come up as this journey is a spiritual one and you are in it for the long haul. The seven of pentacles shows that with hard work and understanding the value of putting in time and energy for long-term rewards you will be able to build a strong spiritual foundation. It may be a path that is slow to build, full of frustration and slow wins, but it's worth it. Even if you may lose motivation at times because you don't see the rewards yet, this card always invites you to reflect if you feel on track, look at the bigger picture and celebrate your progress so far. Spiritual growth is a life long journey.

5. Obstacles - Strength uprightThis journey can sometimes be full of uncertainty and frustration and you may find it easy at times to throw in the towel after your energy can be repeatedly used up. When it feels easier to quit or rage at everything remember it's ok to take a break and take it one day at a time. A lot of strength comes from the ability to endure other than breaking through right away. You may get challenged a lot or you could feel trapped in this cocoon feeling as if you'll never break out, but know that it is apart of the process. Write down all the things you are passionate about. Think about the time when you were a child and you had your favorite hobbies or things to do. When you are feeling your worse revisit that list and try to experiment with those things again. This whole process is about your experimentation and self exploration. You do have what it takes to endure!

6. Advice - The sun reversedThis card just echoed what I wrote at the end of Strength! It's time to reconnect with your inner child!! In adulthood (especially since us millenials are blessed with figuring out our lives and adult stability in the End of Times) we get so lost in the hustle/bustle, depression, nihilism and patterns of every day life that we forget how to have fun and what fun even means. Fun was a way for kids to explore their world and relationship towards it in a carefree way. Life is meant to be an experience. It's meant to be an experience for our souls to grow, for us to get a chance to explore ourselves in a new time period, in a new identity, in a new body. It's meant to be an experience that helps us gain perspective or be more vibrant. It's up to you to find fulfillment in that experience and as children we all instinctively knew what that meant until this dystopian society beat it out of us (or worse, tried to monetize our hobbies and say the only way what we could ever do have value is if we can market it on social media.) There is no golden pot at the end of the rainbow as our reward (I know there are some religious beliefs that what you did in life grants you glory after it- but for arguments sake lets just focus on our current reality living life then be concerned about what happens after). The only thing that awaits us after life is death. Life itself is the reward, it's the lesson, it's the process, it's the spiritual growth, it's the Now. When you can, you should take as much time as you have available to enjoy it and find the things that make you feel fulfilled and go for them whenever you are able. The biggest message this whole spread has for you is to not rush your spiritual process and to sit still with that energy, but in the meanwhile take that energy to rediscover your inner child. What made you happy as a kid? Even if you never got to experience it as a child, what do you think you've always wanted as a kid that would make you feel more fulfilled? Explore those areas.

underlying card - Five of cups uprightThe underlying theme going on here is that you are also a bit sad and disappointed about how something did not turn out. You could be stuck in the past and blame yourself for the way things did not progress the way you wanted them to. However don't let this energy hold you back. Sometimes hindsight is better than foresight and that's what this process is. This card also shows that opportunities await but you have to let go of the past, rediscover what's important to you and move forward.

Just cause you had some additional general questions I pulled out my favorite Oracle deck (Wisdom of the Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid- also big faerie energy)

Lessons from your past life - By the BookThe image is a family of elephants in a line. Each trunk of the elephant previous is wrapped around the tail of the larger elephant before them. They are all connected and following the same path.

I mean it goes without saying that this is obviously something karmic from a past life and this card is repeating the message. The wisdom this card has to bring is that you do not need to reinvent the wheel. There could have been similar obstacles you were facing in your past life that you are revisiting now. With some self reflection you could gain the wisdom of how to overcome these obstacles quicker as you had to do it before. Maybe you've succeeded before in a previous life but you might not have understood the lesson fully and therefore you are repeating the process again. This card shows that if you find that wisdom or clarity you don't need to go through it all again.

Lessons to learn from your magic path - All That GlittersThis card shows a pile of gold and two masks sitting on top of the pile.

This card really wants you to ask yourself what it is that you are getting out of your magical path. In this modern day with the witchy zeitgeist it's normal that we may first think about the flashier aspects of our path such as the tools, the aesthetics, what it is giving us short term instead of long term, but this card is about seeing beyond the superficial or quick results. If all of your tools were gone would you still feel like a witch? If you felt like all of your major problems in life were resolved would you still practice witchcraft? This card is asking you to look for the reason why you are in this path and hold on to that authenticity. It's time to reconnect to the root of that essence which can also be rediscovered along with the exploration of your inner child.

Lessons to learn from your source of power - Neverending StoryThis card shows a melancholic fairy sitting on the top of an hourglass. The time is running out and there is a compass inside of the glass pointing towards the fairy's love for herself but the needle rests between 'yes' and 'no'.

Wow ok so this wraps up the tarot reading as well. This card invites you to love and forgive yourself. You might have poured in a lot of energy towards previous endevours to see them not work out or you may not believe in your power. When you want to invest energy into something whether it be a project or your magic you may tear yourself down or you may look at setbacks as evidence that you aren't good enough yet. You do have a lot of power!! And that's what this coocoon phase is all about. Rediscovering your inner child, your source of power, the root of your magical path that gives you inspiration, a sense to life and meaning and you can't discover that all if you are being mean to yourself. Besides this world is mean, like we have Trump and Boris Johnson recovering from a plague when he was just about to shut down free medical care for everyone in the UK, like you also don't need to add extra hurt to yourself when the rest of the world is full of assholes also trying to hurt us. The fact that you are trying is good enough cause there's no success without trying. Think of your path or attempts as a plant that is trying to grow. You may be thinking about the fruit in the end and frusterated that you haven't gotten the fruit yet, but you can't get the fruit without the plant. And sometimes not even plant needs to have fruit anyway (I mean we may be over encouraged in this capitalist society to bear fruit so that someone can put a price tag on it and market us for profit) but some plants are beautiful and amazing and vibrant without fruit. A plant just lives and thrives on it's own and blesses everyone else with it's oxygen and presence. It doesn't always have to bear something. Your journey can be your path to thriving and being happy and growing, you don't need to think of an end goal or beat yourself up cause you haven't achieved it yet.

Underlying Oracle Card: PEACEThis card was on the bottom of the deck's stack. I always like to read the underlying card cause it shows hidden themes or background themes. On the card there is a dove carrying that leaf doves like to carry flying over an egg with a shadow of a face on it in an open field.

This card shows that the point of these journeys is for you to find inner harmony and peace. You will find alignment within yourself and your path. Remember even though journeys can be hard and frustrating they just want to you gain wisdom and understanding.

Hope that was insightful! Sorry that it was so long! Let me know how I did and if I was off or not!

[ever-searching]

FFXIVWrite #23: Shuffle

(Part of the FFXIV September writing challenge)

It was difficult to describe what the room smelled like. Some mixture of smoke, orange, cedarwood and spices, maybe? If Haldswys had to guess, it was because of the incense. The scent wasn’t her favourite, but thankfully, it wasn’t the reason she had come to the fortune teller’s abode.

“Come in, darling,” a warm voice invited her. The fortune teller’s age was evident in the lines on her face, but she wore her colourful outfit with as much pride as a girl of twenty summers, and her eyes watched closely as Haldswys placed her axe in the corner and sat down on the plush chair. “Welcome. How may I lift the veil of the future today for you?”

Haldswys leaned in, painted nails forming a neat plum-coloured line as her fingers interlocked. She had decided beforehand what she wanted to ask from the cards, but for some reason, blurting that out straight away would have felt uncouth. She wanted to get used to the smell, the dim lighting and the lack of echoes caused by the velour drapes surrounding them, before locking her decision. It also gave the fortune teller ample time to take out her deck.

For a little while, the quiet shuffling of cards was the only sound that permeated the silence. Then Haldswys spoke.

“Am I in a good place?”

The fortune teller looked at her with unhidden curiosity and nodded. Her bracelets jingled like a delicate melody when she pulled out five cards, one by one, and set them face downwards on the table. Haldswys breathed deep in.

“This is where you stand,” the fortune teller said as she flipped the first card – one in the middle of of the cross-shaped spread. Doing so revealed the picture of a crowned woman who stood tall and regal, a blossoming wooden staff in her hand. “Queen of Wands. Charismatic, energetic and sometimes slightly forceful. Full of passion. I am not surprised to see this card here.”

“Neither am I when ye describe it tha’ way,” Haldswys chuckled. What little tension she had felt quickly melted away, and it was replaced by the pleasant tingle of excitement. She gestured at the woman. “Go on.”

“This is what you left behind.” The fortune teller flipped the leftmost card, which depicted a man with a large golden coin yet somehow indecisive expression. It was upside down. She hummed. “A reversed King of Pentacles? One who can’t keep up the appearances or loses sight of what’s important. A bit unusual sight in a young lady’s table, particularly one like yourself. Not the most common card for a lover.”

Haldswys looked at the card and smiled, though a bit ruefully. She knew, and it seemed like the cards knew, too.

“This keeps you down.” Without elaborating further, the fortune teller moved onto the next card; perhaps she had seen the glint in Haldswys’s eyes. Now her attention turned onto the row of blades drawn on the bottom card. “Six of Swords. Moving on, or transition. Sometimes this card can be something which drags you down or chains you into an unwanted situation, but I have a feeling that isn’t the case here.”

The fortune teller gave Haldswys a curious glance, to which she responded with a twisted smirk.

“Ye’re probably right, but it ain’t what yer first thought might be,” she replied, deciding to be about as cryptical as the fortune teller. A rough but long-nailed finger tapped the King of Pentacles. “Got something to do with this fella ‘ere, that I can say.”

The fortune teller simply nodded before flipping the fourth card.

“This lies in front of you. Ah, Seven of Cups. Dreams and choices, but also a reminder.” The description made Haldswys raise an eyebrow. “You have many paths ahead of – some of them things you have wished for, others less desirable. Am I right? You should make a decision lest the life makes it in your stead, and remember that pursuing a dream requires more than thinking about it. Not all paths that look straight are so behind the next hill.”

Haldswys pursed her lips as she gazed at the fourth card. There was oddly much sense in the flowery turns of phrase, but she was a little unsure how to feel about a piece of cardboard admonishing her, or at least trying to give advice. It wasn’t the first one, though: her sister had already gone first.

“This is what guides you forward.” It was time for the fifth and final card – one located above all the others. Haldswys watched with bated breath as the fortune teller flipped it.

Five coins, arranged in a symmetrical fashion. Were it not for the gate pictured behind them, it would have been impossible to tell that the card was upside down.

“Reversed Five of Pentacles.” The beat of silence that followed felt somehow so solemn that Haldswys was genuinely surprised to see the fortune teller smile. “One of the strange ones which are more fortunate when not upright. A promise of change, or a signal of a hard battle which has been won. Perhaps the choice you have to make will not be an easy one, but you have the perseverance to see it through. You are a fighter – and not only the kind who fells her foes with an axe. If you believe in yourself, your enduring nature will be your guidance. You can find stability if you choose to do so.”

“Fight fer what I want and I’ll get it, huh,” Haldswys mused. A mixture of perplexity and pleasure danced in her mind, leading to a half-smile and an amused voice. “Well, this was enlightenin’. Probably wasn’t what I expected when I walked in, but seldom goes that way, aye?”

“It pleases me if you are more than just entertained – even if entertaining a client is a small success in itself.” The fortune teller’s voice was as deep as warm as in the beginning, but the corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled. Her fingers briefly brushed against Haldswys’s as she reached out to gather the coins from the table: they were cool to touch. “Go at ease, darling, and be well. I will always be here if you need to ask the cards again.”

“Will keep that in mind,” Haldswys said, and the half-smile transformed to her usual grin as she grabbed her axe from the corner. “Thanks, lady. Navigator an’ whatever gods ye follow keep ye safe.”

With that, she took her leave, her steps sure and her mind a little bit clearer.

[fracturedmotivationwriting]

datura does a tarot reading

Datura mindlessly shuffled her tarot deck, watching the tendrils of smoke swirling up from her burning sage stick. Ambrose was lounging across her couch, reading Hamlet for their literature class, and his girlfriend was sitting on the floor before him writing something. She had told Datura what it was, but the witch hadn't listened.

The couple had come over because the demon had been salted out of Prom and Pollux's place. He'd done something to annoy Pollux. Again.

Datura was happy to have the company, her extroverted nature feeling rather depleted today since she'd locked herself alone in the studio for almost twelve hours. But now that she was sitting on her favorite cushion, across the coffee table from Fiona, she was feeling... Off. Some negative energy was bothering her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. Hence, the sage burning.

"Are you okay, Datura?" Fiona asked softly, glancing up from her homework to give the witch a curious look. Apparently, her internal confusion was noticeable.

"Oh, I'm fine," Datura mumbled, glancing down at the deck she was still shuffling. "There's just... Something hanging around. I'm hoping the sage will clear it away."

The lounging demon turned his head to inspect the introspective witch. He couldn't sense what it was she was feeling, but he had an inkling that it was because he was often such a negative energy in rooms being a demon and all. The witches had, thankfully, quickly gotten used to his presence, so this must be something different for Datura. And it must be something pretty minor if Ambrose couldn't feel it.

"Will a distraction help?" Fiona suggested, motioning to the tarot cards. "Like showing me how to do a tarot reading?"

Datura cracked a small smile. Maybe a little magic would help.

"The best way to teach you is probably to read your cards first, and then explain the deck," Datura mused, shuffling the deck with more purpose. "First we need to decide what question we're asking. What are you hoping to learn from this reading? What's the focus?"

"What's my future like?" Fiona offered uncertainly. "Is that too broad?"

Datura chuckled. That usually was the first question humans tried to ask. She nodded her head.

"Just a little broad," Datura agreed. "What specifically in your future are you curious about? Relationships? Career?"

Fiona seemed to consider this seriously. Biting her lip, she mulled it over. While she was happy with her relationship with Ambrose, she wasn't sure she wanted to look into their future. He was a demon and she was still technically human, as her powers were just starting to grow. She was far more interested in how her powers would develop than how her relationship would. It was clear that Ambrose, despite flirting with everything that moved, was smitten with her. If she'd already managed to wrap the demon around her finger, there was no need for concern there. Power was the concern.

Ambrose looked away from his book, curious to hear what Fiona would want to learn about her future.

"I want to learn more about how my magic will develop," Fiona decided, earning raised eyebrows from both supernatural beings. "How powerful with magic could a human get?"

Something about Fiona's answer perturbed Datura. It sent the same shiver down her spine as when she had started sensing the unnamed negative energy. She couldn't help but glance at the sage stick to see if it had gone out.  It hadn't.

"Okay," Datura agreed, nodding her head with pursed lips. "So when you go to read tarot cards, you need to have a specific intention or question in mind. While you shuffle the deck, you need to keep this in the forefront of your mind. You can shuffle it any way you want, and you can spread them any way you want when you're done shuffling, but a three-card spread is easiest for your first few readings. You can either read them in the context of 'past, present, and future' or "situation, action, and outcome,' which is what I prefer."

Fiona nodded along, absorbing whatever information Datura was providing and keeping a careful eye on the cards in the witch's hands. Something about her cool, trained gaze made Datura a little nervous. She knew she was teaching Fiona how to do a tarot reading, and knew that the girl was a very good student, but something was bothering her about the girl's seriousness.

Trying to ignore her unease, Datura closed her eyes and focused her attention back on the cards. She shuffled and split the deck with expert hands, keeping the question of Fiona's future with magic in her mind. She let the cards speak to her, waiting until they decided shuffling was enough before placing the deck on the table. Opening her eyes, she kept her gaze on the cards, rather than Fiona.

"Now, you'll know when to stop shuffling pretty instinctively if you're good with magic. The cards will let you know when you're done," Datura advised the human. "I'm not sure how else to describe it other than that. It may take you a few tries to get it exactly right, but once you know, you know."

Fiona started to open her mouth, probably to ask a question, but seemed to think better of it. Datura was grateful.

"Like I said we'll do a nice three-card spread. When I lay these out, don't jump to conclusions. Lots of the cards look scary, but that doesn't mean that they are. And the same card can have different meanings based on their spot, the other cards, the questions, et cetera. Just lay them out. Get a first impression. Then try to really read them. Okay?"

Fiona nodded. Datura took a deep breath before placing her hand on the deck. Removing the cards one at a time she laid three of them out before Fiona face-down. Closing her eyes again, and taking another deep breath, Datura flipped over the first card.

"Is that... the devil?" Fiona asked, leaning closer to the card on the table to get a closer look at the half-goat, half-man being with the upside-down pentagram on his chest. She at least had the decency to look worried at such a sight.

Datura chuckled at the slightly bewildered look on the girls face.

"The devil upright," Datura agreed, making note of the orientation of the card. "It looks scary but it's not that bad. Kinda like Ambrose."

"Are you calling me a devil, Datura?" the demon drawled from his relaxed position, his eyes still trained on the book before him.

"If the card were reversed it could indicate something like a sense of freedom," Datura continued, ignoring the demon. "Releasing oneself from limits. Exploring darker thoughts."

"So what does it mean when it's upright? Confinement?" Fiona furrowed her eyebrows.

"It could mean some sort of restriction, yes. But I think in this context, it's more likely referring to your current situation: being tempted by the demon behind you and the witches you've befriended."

"I am quite seductive," Ambrose piped up again. His face was still turned away, but Datura could see edges of a smirk on his face.

Datura opted to ignore him as she rested a hand over the second card. Before she even flipped it she could sense the change in energy. While the last card was the devil, Datura knew this one was going to be the bringer of bad news.

Staring up at her, swathed in blue robes with the moon at her feet and a horned crown on her head, the high priestess revealed herself next. But upside-down.

Fiona must have sensed the hesitancy in Datura, must have seen the slight worry in the witch before her. She leaned away, no longer studying the cards but studying the witch. Datura did her best to channel her inner Prom and hide her troubling thoughts. It didn't stop Ambrose from sensing the same distress, as he sat up and glimpsed at the cards on the table. He furrowed his brows, his eyes flicking up to meet Datura's. Something was not right.

The human and demon both waited for the witch to speak.

"The reversed high priestess," she whispered, her face clear of emotion but the reverent tone in her voice making it clear that this was not a card one hoped for.

"The second card in this reading is meant to indicate action," Datura explained, keeping her eyes on the cards. "In the upright orientation, the high priestess could represent intuition or sacred knowledge."

"But in the reverse?"

"In the reverse... She often indicates secrets, hidden agendas, and harm."

A heavy silence hung over the trio. This reading was starting to trouble Datura, but she was doing her best to hide the extent of her fear. She knew that tarot readings could be tricky, even for experienced witches such as herself. There were always so many factors at play when reading the future. Things that could change. Things that could be misinterpreted. Just cause Fiona's second card, the "action," read secrets and harm didn't mean that Fiona would be keeping secrets and causing harm. It didn't even necessarily mean that secrets would be kept from her or harm done to her. There was lots of uncertainty.

Shaking her head a bit, Datura took another deep breath. She needed to relax. There was nothing from her experiences with Fiona to indicate that the human was dangerous. Datura was just on edge. Probably a lack of sleep again.

"And now, your final card: the outcome," Datura forced a smile back on her face. She moved quickly, not giving herself a chance to read the energy of the card or to second guess her actions.

She suddenly wishes that she had decided to show Fiona how to do palm readings.

It seemed at first to be a man, standing on one foot. But to the well-trained witch's eye, the card was upside-down. Meaning that the man was hanging from his foot.

Reversed hanged man.

Datura was confused. Worried. But still confused.

"Reversed hanged man," she informed Fiona, who also looked a bit confused at the card. But that was probably just from not understanding the picture.

"In the upright, the card can mean a pause, a change, a new perspective. In the reverse, it can mean much of the same thing just negative. It's not a pause, it's a delay or a standstill. It's not a change or a new perspective, it's a lack of control."

Datura furrowed her eyebrows. Something about those interpretations just wasn't sitting right with her. There had to be more to it.

"It can also indicate sacrifice when it's in this orientation," she continued softly, trying desperately to make sense of the three cards before her. "Usually of the time variety, but sometimes sacrifices of other things."

The upright devil, the reversed high priestess, and the reversed hanged man. Situation, action, and outcome. All in the context of Fiona's future with magic. How powerful could she become?

It was clear the upright devil referred to Fiona's current situation: her being tempted with magic by the witches she had discovered and the demon she was dating.

The reversed high priestess could be read as either Fiona keeping secrets and harming others, or perhaps the opposite. Maybe secrets would be kept from her and harm would befall her. Or maybe she'd become a secret, and harm would ensue. It was more difficult to piece together. Something in Datura's gut, however, was leaning towards the first explanation.

Finally, the reversed hanged man. The outcome. Usually, the sacrifices the card referred to were sacrifices of time, but Datura was skeptical. Especially given the question asked. Lots of magic required sacrificial offerings. It wouldn't be a far leap. Maybe the cards were merely referring to Fiona sacrificing a pig like the coven often did. Or maybe they were trying to warn Datura of something darker. Something much more dangerous. But surely Ambrose would never let things go that far?

Thankfully, Ambrose broke the uncomfortable silence that had befallen them.

"Well, I think the message is clear. Fiona, you're being seduced by me, we have to keep our sex a secret so we don't make Datura jealous, but it means that we have less control over our sex lives because we have to follow Datura's rules. Plain and simple."

Datura was never more thankful for the demon's teenage-boy-esque horny mind and clear avoidance tactics for confrontation.

[heythereunderoos]

Medium: Charcoal

Pairing: Kidnapper!Tony x Peter Parker Word Count: 2327 Warnings: Stockholm syndrome, kidnapping, foul language

Peter tried his hand with various mediums. He had attempted painting with water colors and acrylics and oils, then he had decided that it hadn't suited him much. He was by no means a bad painter, but there just wasn't anything that particularly suited him. He had tried so many different brushes with different bristles in different sizes with different paints and nothing looked right. Nothing felt right. Drawing was his strong suit.

When Peter drew the medium could be as cruddy as a Crayola crayon, it hadn't mattered because maneuvering the utensil across the page felt right.

When Peter was taken from May, away from home and to wherever home was now, with Tony, drawing was one of the only things that had remained constant. It kept Peter grounded and calm and had ultimately allowed him to become acclimated to his new life with Tony.  Peter drew with whatever Tony could provide him, and was genuinely grateful that he was concerned with his well being.

Peter couldn't sleep on nights like these. Honestly? Nights like these weren't any particular night, they were just nights in general. Peter blamed his insomniac tendencies on the fact that Tony had took him at night.

It was especially chilly that night in the apartment and Peter was attempting some colorful calligraphy with a Tombow marker he had splurged on. His eyes were trained on the fluidity with which his hand had crossed the page, and he supposed that was why the sound of the apartment door opening had remained entirely unnoticed to him.

"Harley?"

Peter jumped, his hand jerking across the page, and disrupting the beautiful string of letters on the page. With trembling fingers, the boy capped the marker and turned around in his chair.

"U-Um, h-hello sir? I-I'm Peter. P-Peter Parker."

The man stared back at Peter with a kind of yearning and desperation that captured Peter's artistic eye and he'd hoped to convey those emotions in gray scale.

"Harley." The man repeated, but his tone altered slightly, rather than lilting in question in ended abruptly to indicate fact.

"N-No," Peter shook his head gently, twisting the cap on the marker to give his hands something to fidget with as he spoke up softly, "my n-name is Peter. Peter Parker.

When the man stepped forward and his large calloused hand wrapped around Peter's wrists, he had wished that May didn't work the night shift. That he had stayed out with MJ or was building Legos with Ned. He had wished he had been anywhere but here.

As he was pulled to his feet, the pink marker fell from Peter's fingers and a sharp cold object was pressed into the side of his throat. He tried hard to fight the grimace that graced his features.

"You're coming with me, Peter Parker."

When the memory faded from behind his eyelids, he glanced over at the man that laid in the bed they shared. Peter's eyes looked over the stubble that peppered his jawline, his parted pink lips that were slightly parted and the way he could see the breath the older man inhaled then exhaled. He noted the way Tony's eyebrows tugged together and the whimper that escaped his lips. Then as if on cue, the man sat upright and turned over in one singular motion, his hands reaching for Peter.

"Pete." His dark brown eyes were wide with worry, and he shook tenderly, heaving in air, as a trickle of sweat cascaded down his neck and traced the harsh line of his collar bone.

Peter took the older mans rough hands into his gently, and gave him a soft smile.

"I'm right here, Tony." The older man nodded, and took his bottom lip between his teeth, as if in thought. Peter released one of his hands and used it to cup his cheek.

"Go back to sleep, and I promise I'll be right here when you wake up." The boy's smile widened as the man seemed to snap out of his trance and continue nodding, allowing Peter to lay him back gently as he ran his hands through the man's graying locks.

"I'll always be right here." Peter whispered, both content and slightly solemn as he carded his fingers through Tony's hair.

The boy watched silently, continuing to card his fingers through the thick strands of Tony's hair as the man slowly succumbed to the grips of sleep. He sat there for a while longer, continuing to play with the hair beneath his fingertips, before he gently shifted off the bed.

When Peter's insomnia became especially bad, he found it eased him to wander the house. It allowed his body something to do, and gave him things to ponder as well.

Peter had been here for a long time. He wasn't entirely sure how long a long time was but he could say with certainty it had been at least a year since Tony had brought him here. Since he had seen May. Or been out with MJ. Or had built a Lego set with Ned.

He shook those thoughts out of his head as he began wandering the house aimlessly. His mind began wandering into dark places, as his feet shuffled, and suddenly he found himself face to face with the door to the basement.

In all his time here, Peter hadn't gone near the basement. Tony had told him it was off limits, and he was too scared to look.

His eyes traced the door. It was a pretty standard white door with a sharp black trim and his insomnia toyed with the notion of twisting the knob and discovering the secrets that were buried beneath his quaint new home.

Surrendering to his inquisitive nature, the boy gripped the knob pushed ever so lightly as the door squeaked open. Peters eyes stared into the darkness as he took a shaky breath as he searched for a light switch. His fingers fumbled against the cold damp walls, and he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when the light flickered to life.

Warily, the boy made his way down the creaky, wooden steps and began taking in his surroundings. The area was surprisingly empty, a table covered in boxes to his left, and a few empty bins to his right. As his bare feet came into contact with the cool concrete floor, his eyes began adjusting to the dank room. With a sigh, he allowed his feet to lead him to the corner of the room with the numerous boxes piled atop each other, stacked neatly upon an old, worn wooden table. His eyes traced over the dust covered boxes, and eyed one that had words scribbled in fading black ink.

Scrapbooks and Photos

Peter stared for moment, before his hands reached for the box, taking it into his arms before he collapsed onto the cold for, placing the box before him. Inhaling through his nose, he puffed his cheeks and blew most of the dust of the box, before peeling the flaps back. Inside was a large green leather book, that Peter carefully collected in his arms before he situated himself with his legs crossed and placed the book in the nook of his legs. He flipped open the cover and his eyes traced over the first page.

Tony, Pepper, and Harley present to you, our family scrapbook.

At this Peter falters.

A family? Tony had never mentioned a family. Then again, Tony hadn't revealed much to Peter despite the longevity of Peter's stay. He shook of the nagging thought that Tony knew far more about Peter than the reverse and continued to flip the pages.

Tony and Pepper are Wed!

Peter looked at the picture of a slender woman with milky white skin and citrus-y orange locks hid beneath a veil, and her blue eyes that stared at Tony's bright shining smile as if he hung the stars in the sky. Peter couldn't help but smile at the joy that emanated from the picture and turned his eyes to the next page where another caption was written in tiny neat handwriting.

Pepperony in Honolulu

It was printed Polaroid of the woman, Pepper, Peter presumed, and Tony with fruity drinks embellished with paper umbrellas laid in the sand, both of them positively vibrant. Peter chuckled at the goofy look on Tony's face as he clutched the thick page between his fingers and turned it over. Peter read the captions of the pictures put on one page before glancing over at the empty page, as if a picture had fallen out.

Pepper has a bun in the oven!

Harley Keener Stark is born

The baby boy, Harley, looked impossibly small cuddled up into Tony's chest, and Pepper looked absolutely physically defeated in the background of the photo, but the light and joy residing within her ocean blue eyes was undeniable. And the love ingrained within her features, the way her eyes crinkled and stared so passionately down at her baby bump in the other photo made Peter's heart swell. This boy, Harley, whoever he was was truly loved by the two of them. Peter continued to flip through the pages, glancing over the captions as he watched Harley grow older whilst simultaneously watching his parents' love for him develop to even greater heights. Then something peculiar happens. The images stop. There are no captions, no more photos. The scrapbook simply ends and Peter is left completely puzzled.

What happened to all that love? So much adoration just...gone?

Peter shakes his head and closes the scrapbook, setting it down on the floor beside him as he sifts through the remnants of loose photos that lie within the box. Peter stares at pictures of Pepper and Tony in college, their baby photos, photos of first dates, and old friends, and yet there is not a single other picture of Harley.

Then Peter starts to put things together and he runs upstairs to grab his sketchpad and his withering piece of charcoal. After collecting his items, he rushes back down the stairs and flips the scrapbook open to the most recent picture of Harley he can find. It's an endearing one, one where Harley's hair is a mess of curls and his cheeks are round with baby fat adorning a smudge of grease on the top of his right cheek, and his smile is undoubtedly contagious. Peter then flips open to a fresh page in his sketch book and his fingers grip the charcoal as he begins sketching out guidelines. Formulating a scene for the photograph in front of him as his hands work on quickly creating a new image.

"Harley!" Tony would call, his hands stained with grease as he worked on another gadget, just for fun this time, not for business. The small boy would come bounding in the room, practically bouncing towards his father with the biggest smile on his face.

"Daddy!" The boy would respond, with his baby fat fists opening and closing to create a grabbing motion that the father would only assume would mean that the child wanted to be picked up. Tony would smile with a gentle roll of his eyes as he wiped the grease off on his already tarnished pants and reached for the small boy under the arms. The boy would giggle and squirm because he was ticklish and simply because he loved his fathers attention.

"Have you been messing with Daddy's things again?" Tony would accuse the boy, and Harley would shake his head with fervor, insisting he had done no such things, and Tony would nod in faux understanding as he swiped the grease from his son's cheek, and held the finger in front of his sons bright blue eyes.

"So this has nothing to do with Daddy's things, now does it?" Tony's eyebrow would raise in accusation and the boy would release a fit of giggles as Tony attempted to tickle the truth out of him.

They would be happy.

There would be so much love.

Peter came to as he finished the rendering. It was of Harley at Peter's age. His jaw was strong, similar to that of his fathers, but his eyes were kind, like that of his mother and Peter sighed gently.

Wherever Harley was, he hoped he would like it.

Peter signed it off in the corner, and stared at the haunting image, not even hearing the thudding of footsteps.

"Peter?! What the hell are you doing down here? I told you to never, ever--" Peter's eyes found Tony's as Tony's grip locked like a vise around his thin arms and Peter grimaced.

"You don't ever come down here, understood?" Tony spoke with urgency and then his eyes turned fiery as he saw the open scrapbook.

"You were being nosy and thumbing through my things?" Peter grimaced, but nodded, and fumbled for his sketchbook.

"B-But look what I m-made for you," He smiled softly as he placed the sketchbook in Tony's free hand and his eyes didn't hold that desperation that Peter saw so very long ago. No, they were fiery, and then as his eyes crossed of the image repeatedly, Peter saw his eyes nearly identical to that of those photographed within the scrapbook. Filled with only love and adoration, and then they turned glassy and the sketchbook fell from his hands as he wrapped his arms tightly around Peter.

"D-Do you like it?" Peter whispered, locking his arms around Tony's neck. The older man shook gently from the sobs that wracked his body as he nodded with vigor.

"It's beautiful baby boy."

Leaning away from him subtly, Tony chuckled as his thumb found the younger boy's right milky cheek, using the finger to swipe away the smudge of charcoal on the top.

And finally the story clicked in Peter's head.

Harley was gone, and Pepper had left. Tony was all alone and when he found Peter that night, randomly trying to burglarize their apartment, he saw the uncanny resemblance and all that love? All those memories of nothing but adoration stored within those photographs? It had to go somewhere.

Peter was his new love.

[luna-tormenta]

Hello dearest M.A.B.!

I am truly sorry it took me so long to do your reading. I was very stumped on this one. I really had to do some deep thinking and research. I pulled all Major Arcana cards which I have never done in a reading before, so I wanted to make sure your reading was as accurate as possible..As well as pulling all Major Arcana, all your cards were also reversed...

sooo....”The Major Arcana holds the wisdom for our spiritual journey and the key to our lessons as we travel through life, seeking to understand, learn and gain knowledge from our experiences, in an attempt to acheive wholeness and harmony of our inner and outer realities. All the cards in a spread are important and form part of the story to complete the picture, but if there’s a large proportion of majors it usually points to a significant event.” (Ellershaw @ www.learn-tarot-cards.com)

"How can M.A.B. improve their financial situation?"

I did a simple three card pull, where each card represented things dealing with your financial situation.

1) This card is about the situation of your finances. It explains to me why you are having these struggles. Basically it is the “general vibe” of the situation.

2) This card is what I need to know about your current situation. It represents what you may not be aware of with your financial situation.

3) This card is the advice the cards are giving you. It is the general strategy for moving to improve your situation.

My Reading:

1) The situation:

I pulled The Chariot (reversed):

The charioteer prepares to venture out of the city. Overcoming past adversities has made him strong; now he takes his experience to new lands.

Upright Meaning:

A journey to new places, boldly venturing into the unknown

Reversed Meaning:

Failed plans, poor strategy

You are having these financial struggles due to poor planning and having the “wrong attitude” towards the planning. You need a different outlook towards your financial struggles. Try adding something fun to it? Like maybe every time you get a dollar bill (or the type of money equivilent to a dollar where you are) but it in a jar thats sealed completely. Once the jar is full, take it to a deserted place, wear some safety googles, and throw the jar on the ground to relieve some stress. (Please please please, do this carefully if you decide to do it.) Or start saving up all your change and every month take it to a change machine. But, before you turn the change in, guess how much money the whole jar is worth. Just make a game out of it!! That way your attitude towards saving will change and hopefully your outcome will as well.

2) What You Need to Know:

I pulled The Hermit (reversed):

The Hermit hides from the world in his alcove. Even though he shuts himself off from the city, he is never truly alone. The rotted fish beside him is a reminder that we can never hide from ourselves.

Upright Meaning:

Solitude, exile, one who seeks to be alone, outcast, hidden knowledge, secrecy

The hermit card is letting you know this is a great time to seek advice from a professional. In a finance reading, the hermit may represent a bank. Being reversed, it is telling you to educate yourself more on finances from someone at a bank. This is not a good time to spend money left and right. It is time to learn more about what you can do to save more. If you do not know where your money comes from and or where it goes, it is definetly time to educate yourself and talk to someone at a bank about ways you can keep track of your finances.

3) Advice:

I pulled The Moon:

The deviant moon casts its powerful influence over the city, controlling minds like a puppeteer.

Upright Meaning:

Brainwashing, dark influences, trickery, illusion, subconscious control

Reversed Meaning:

Avoiding reality, strange forces, delusional thoughts, lies and despair

This card really, really tricked me up. I couldn't figure it out for almost two days until I realized, maybe it had to do with the description. The moons powerful light is shining down upon you, letting you know She is there to guide you. Her light is showing a clear path for you and it only lies ahead! You can see where to go from here and what to do. The only thing holding you back now, is you. Take that leap forward and learn some strategies to help improve your situation. Take the advice from the hermit, and you will get improvement. But beware, caution is advised.

Thank you so much for this opportunity! Please send me some feedback if you would like.

Anyone is welcome to do so! Plus, give me so advice too! Im all ears and love to learn new things!

Many blessings and love to you, M.A.B.!

-luna💜🌙🌺☁💜

[tar-oh]

Pick-A-Pile

So, at last I was both able to and feeling like I could do a pick a pile. I’ve been super busy with school and that’s also been leaving me feeling drained, and like I really can’t read cards like that so I took a break. This is a “what you need to know” reading because I think I’m best at that and like I said last time, I like seeing what comes up. Also, because I’d done one and when I went to write it up, it just didn’t feel like you guys needed to hear that right now, so... Here we are!  So, like always, pick whichever is calling you. You are allowed to pick more than one, and I encourage you to do so if you feel called to another pile. Also, take what resonates. Today we’re going for a David Rose from Schitt’s Creek theme for the pictures. So, choose whichever outfit you like the best from him lol numbers are on the bottom left-hand corners of the pictures:

Pile 1:

Cards: 4 of swords, 9 of wands, 8 of wands, King of Swords, 4 of wands reversed, 10 of Swords, Knight of Swords reversed, Knight of Wands

Okay. first off. this was kind of weird. I haven't really done any readings for anyone other than my best friend and myself for the past two weeks, so I haven't really had anything odd happen to me in the last few weeks (except for numbers haunting me but that's been the better part of the year). When I opened the deck I was going to use as the main one for this reading...I saw the devil card in my head. Like. I had to check the box. It's a standard Rider-Waite deck that came in that shitty yellow cardboard box with the magician on top, but for a brief minute I was convinced the devil was on the cover of the box. But. It wasn't? SO? Why did I see that card? This pile needs to hear something (and it may also be for me, I guess we'll see). OKAY. OH BOY. First off, you got King of Swords and then it was also on the bottom of the deck for another deck so! Huh! The devil did not come out, but I'm going to read this like it did. This is a pile of conflict and action. No pentacles or cups, so I'm not really seeing a lot of emotion other than the 6 of cups being the bottom of one of the other decks. I'm going to start with the two knights here. We've got Knight of Swords reversed and Knight of Wands upright. I definitely usually see them as somewhat similar energies, but right now I'm seeing them as two different energies. Like, one is you and one is someone else maybe. The Knight of Swords is someone who rushes in with clarity and truth, and it's not always a happy truth. With it being reversed, I'm seeing this as so much harsher. Like, there's this harsh truth that someone's avoiding, but I don't see that it's not coming out ever. Like, someone here is aware of something and is kind of ignoring it, but I don't really know how much longer it can be ignored. Though, there is no major arcana, so even though this feels like something that is needing to be heard, it's not really a huge major life-changing thing. Except. It feels important? And like, because the Knight of Swords is reserved, as I see, it's not going to be able to be ignored much longer. This particular card seems so frantic and he looks so determined but reversed its like he's just going to fall off the back of the horse. So it's a truth that can't be ignored because if you do, you're not going to get anywhere. But, also, I'm kind of seeing that this might be something in the past or presently because 4 of swords was one of the first cards to fall out. So, someone here is sitting and thinking it through. Meditating on it. I feel like 4 of swords isn't a lot of peoples favorite card to get, but like, I enjoy it. He's literally just chilling. Like, sure the swords are just kind of hanging out over him, and they really don't appear to be held up by anything, but he looks so serene. And whats even more funny, even though the two cards are from different decks, I'm totally seeing the guy on the 4 of swords as being the Knight of Swords. Maybe this is after he falls off the horse and now he is literally forced to face this truth. And, this could just be a mental truth. Like, maybe you've just discovered something about yourself, and with so many sword cards, I definitely get the sense that there is a lot of thinking going on. With the 10 of swords I don't think it's what's going on now. I think this 10 of swords is what led the knight to the truth, and maybe that truth is the 9 of wands and the 4 of wands reversed. That there was a lack of harmony and this defensiveness. And now that I'm thinking about it, even though I read the Knight of Wands as another energy, I think they both COULD be you. Like, maybe you've fallen off of the horse and had to contemplate things and then the Knight of Wands is you getting back on the horse to move forward. And, maybe going back to this image of the devil card that I got, maybe you're breaking free of something. I really don't think it's a person or a physical thing. I really think it's a mental blockage. Like, maybe you did go through something that was external to you and it hurt you and you were maybe not in a great place and ignoring how it made you feel (and the lack of cups could maybe show this idea that you're not feeling what you're needing to feel to move on), but now you're in a better headspace. I really have the song headspace by the wombats stuck in my head and I'm not listening to any music right now, so I think that definitely goes with this. It's about someone who wants someone out of their head, and while I'm reading the two knights as you, maybe this person is the King of Swords? But now, you're breaking free. And even if this King of Swords IS another person, maybe you’re not leaving them, but leaving an image you have of them. Like an opinion you originally had. The way you saw the situation. OR, for some this could be leaving this King of Swords in the past. So, you've decided to move on. And with that 6 of cups at the bottom of one of the deck, I'm kind of thinking the King of Swords is tied with it, so it’s kind of a past energy but also a present and future energy for some. Like, maybe you're going back to someone or something from the past. Revisiting a place or an old hobby. An old idea. Or, just someone. Like, an old friend or lover and it feels right. Like whatever you're leaving was just not in alignment with where you're at right now and where you were before you became this Knight of Wands. And, like whatever it was not being in alignment could have really been an idea or the way you were viewing things, and you kind of see that it’s not serving you the way it should, so you let go of it. The Knight of Wands is really not my favorite card just because he can seem so impulsive to me, but I recently made the connection of him to D'Artagnan from the Three Musketeers and it kind of gave me this new light. Like, I LOVE D'Art. And I think using him as an example really helps me understand the Knight of Wands easier. He's young, naive and impulsive but he's loyal. Like, super loyal. He does kind of jump into things without thinking them through but I don't think it's always a bad thing. Like, I definitely get the fool energy with him, and the card also reminds me of my best friend who is notorious for getting ideas and acting on them within minutes of getting them, and then there's me in the background going "are you sure this is a good idea?", so while it's not always the greatest card, it has it's perks. And. Honestly, he's just fun. So maybe you're letting go of this anxious way of thinking and going into a more care-free zone of life. Like, maybe you overthink to a point where it's exhausting. So, I definitely am reading these to say that you should stop overthinking things, but also the Libra in me is also saying, try to be logical but not OVERLY logical. Ya know? The bottom of my Lovely Omens deck was the three of wands and I think that's a great place to end alongside the 8 of wands. The 8 of wands, again, has kind of a frantic feel to it (similar to the Knight of Swords reversed). A feeling of action happening. Movement forward, but maybe frantic movement. But the 3 of wands feels a little more stable to me. Like...Think of a doorway. You've got the two posts and then the lintel over it. That is 3 parts that create a door and doors are considered stable (like aren't you supposed to go in one during an earthquake? idk! I live in Wisconsin we don't get earthquakes much). So, to me, it's this great balance and maybe this is why the 4 of wands is reversed. Maybe before you weren't able to find this balance, so you go back a step to the three (also, reminds me of how we have the 9 of wands and the 8 of wands, again, going back a step). And going back a step is not awful and sometimes can’t be avoided. Sometimes, it’s the best step forward, to go back to where you started. So, i see that you're going to be going into a more balanced energy, but not a boring kind of balance where things just feel monotonous. One where you're able to feel free and light but also be able to be sure that it's right. Like, does that make sense? And I definitely see the King of Swords playing into that. Again, I think for some this is someone from the past and for others I see this as being you. But, I've got a big fat crush on the King of Swords (even if that card has been haunting me for MONTHS, but I’m kind of convinced the person I marry will be a King of Swords type), so, I'm a little biased but I'm reading this as good. Like, you're out of the hard part, whatever it was (and I think it was mostly mentally hard). So, finally I wanted to pull a quote from my oracle book where you close your eyes, open a page and point and this is what I got: "Between living and dreaming there is a third thing. Guess it." by Antonio Machado. I think this goes PERFECT with what I've said! Especially that it mentions 3! lol Like, I don't really want to break it down, I think it's something one can interpret for themselves because I think its going to be different for people. But, I enjoy the "guess it" part, because I kind of think that goes with that fool energy, like the leaping without looking. Like, maybe you're meant to be figuring out this 3rd thing by leaping? (also i don't want to break it down bc outside of being able to read these right now my brain is mush from school 😞 ). If for some reason ya needed more: blue, yellow, 3, 4, Air signs and Fire signs seems relevant. Just things that kind of stand out to me. Also: Headspace by the Wombats Pile 2:

Cards:  10 of cups, 7 of wands reversed, the chariot, the star, page of swords, the empress, the magician, ace of pentacles

I think you guys are a group that are striving for this emotional fulfillment (10 of cups), and you definitely are holding out hope that it will happen despite not really being there YET. I see the Page of Swords as you and the Empress as where you need to be/where you’re going. I don't think you need to get out of the page of swords energy. I kind of read it is like Nancy Drew or like a detective. You're striving for answers and so you're searching for them, and I think in this case you're looking for a way to be emotionally fulfilled so maybe you're trying different things. Like, what exactly is your calling in life and who are your people? But I think the biggest thing that this pile needs to know is that you need to be taking care of yourself. I don't necessarily get vibes that you're working too hard, but the 7 of Wands reversed makes me imagine that you're building up this wall, but it's in reverse, so like this wall is crumbling down. So, maybe your'e having trouble letting people in right now, or maybe you're just being picky about where you're energy is spent and I don't see that you need to stop this. I think maybe you can let up a little on building those walls, but maybe like your focus isn't supposed to be on that. Again, the empress to me is telling me that you need to be a little more caring for yourself. Like, work on nurturing you. Especially because I don't think anyone can really get that 10 of cups ending if they're not happy with themselves. This isn't to say take all of your flaws and pick at them, no, more like, embrace them? Like, how can you use them to your advantage and how can you maybe improve upon them. Also, being kind to yourself while you're doing this (And this is exactly why I'm seeing both the Page of Swords and the Empress as you, but more along the lines of you needing to step into the empress energy). And like, the empress is fertile. I mean, she is seen as the mother, ya know, but like, I also see her bringing life to other things (like love for yourself) and maybe life to creative projects. Like maybe the 7 of wands is you working away at things you're not meant to work on and the Empress is you figuring this out and going towards something else that's more suited (idk, i think right now I should tell you that if you felt like choosing pile 1 but didn't, maybe go read that. This part kind of reminds me of it). With the Ace of Pentacles, too, I see this fertility to it. And like, she kind of looks like an empress on that card from that deck, and Aces are about beginnings and pentacles are about material things, so maybe it's a new career or again, a new hobby (but I think money could be involved). And then there's the Magician, who is all about action and manifesting, and he has all the tools he needs, right? So, I think you are the Magician AND the Empress. Like, with this ability to nurture yourself and once you go into that mindset, you're able to create new things you wouldn't have been able to before. Especially if you're putting your energy into things that maybe aren't suited for you. And I'm kind of reading the Chariot as your outcome. Like, I didn't put them in any order, I just set them down in a way that looked better (aesthetics, ya know lol) but I see this as like once you're able to get into that Empress and Magician energy, you're going to like be capitulated forward. Whenever I see the chariot from the Rider-Waite deck I HEAR horses and like wheels of a chariot, right? And there are Sphinxes in front and they're lions with human heads, but like when the Egyptians put Sphinxes on things, it was kind of to show this idea of protection from the gods, and like this divine aspect to whatever it was you were looking at. Like, a connection to divinity. And the word destiny pops up, so maybe something you start to go towards is what you're supposed to go towards. And back the the sphinxes, lions, especially in tarot, equal strength. I actually for a brief moment before I went on this tangent forgot that the Chariot was 7 not 8, and 8 IS strength in tarot (though in some decks, it's Justice, so maybe there's a message for you in there), so I think that kind of plays a role into here. And that also brought on this weird idea of balance (again check out pile 1 if you were between the two). Like, the figure on the Chariot card is generally depicted as a man and the figure on the Strength card is generally a woman. So then, I was kind of like, well maybe once you're in the Empress/Magician energy, you're balancing out those aspects of you (like both the feminine and masculine sides, and seriously, this has nothing to do with gender and more with energy). So then I looked at the cards, and there is an even amount of both women and men depicted in the cards I pulled (4 each), which was interesting, right? There's also 3 major arcana AND you got the 3 in the major arcana (Empress) so again, CHECK OUT PILE 1 LIKE SERIOUSLY lol. I think this is kind of an important time in your life. Like, I don't necessarily know if you're making any major decisions right now, but I think that you're at least coming into who you are. When I was shuffling, the Death card wanted REALLY bad to fall out, but it never did. But I definitely get this death-card vibe from this. Like, a transformation of sorts. So, yeah. Definitely start focusing on you. And I don't mean stop everything and only focus on you. I just, mean find what you need to do for yourself. Maybe looking into the mirror and being kind. Maybe taking time out for you everyday, like 5 or 10 minutes to do something you like to do. Maybe taking better care of your body, or just doing something that makes you feel luxurious. Just. Take care of yourself. Once you do, I think you'll find that getting things done and creating things comes to you easier and you'll start to see a path unfold. So, I pulled a quote from my oracle book for pile 1, so obviously I'll do that for the remaining piles. For you I pulled: "The truth has shared so much of itself with me that I can no longer call myself A man, a woman, an angel, or even pure soul." -Hafiz. This is so interesting that it touches that idea I had about balancing of energies, also even like that idea about the sphinxes being connected to divinity and destiny! Also, bottom deck energy for one deck was Judgement, so definitely destiny! I don't know! I think this is maybe saying that you're worn down and so again, I think taking care of yourself and nurturing yourself is really the way to go in order to feel more energized. Another deck's card at the bottom was the High Priestess, so I read this as you knowing what you need to do for yourself. Like, maybe you've been thinking about it, like "Oh I should get more exercise" or "It would be nice to just kind of sit outside for a bit" or I don't know! Just something you feel you've been needing. Maybe even just sitting down and watching your favorite movie. AND URGH! Bottom deck for the last deck that I forgot to check was the death in reverse! So, avoiding transformation/change, and maybe this avoiding is you not taking care of yourself the way you should be doing.  I also got Skin to Skin by Movements stuck in my head while writing those last few sentences, so maybe check the lyrics out with that. It's more about like feeling lust for someone, so idk! Things that could be relevant: 1, 3, 7, yellow and blue. Also blue flowers, like bluebells. Green. And maybe even like Egyptian mythology or architecture. I was learning about that in one of my classes this past week, so it was clearly on my mind, but I felt the need to bring it up. Especially with the imagery on the Chariot card, so I think that could be something you're into or you might want to look into. Also, Taurus, Virgo, Libra, Gemini, and Cancer energy. Maybe even Scorpio since Death wanted to come out. And: Skin to Skin by Movements

Pile 3:

Cards: 5 of wands, Temperance, 7 of Pentacles reversed (x2), The Magician reversed, Seven of Swords Reversed, 7 of Wands, 5 of Cups, Justice Okay, so I had told pile 2 to look up the song Skin to Skin by Movements, but I also feel like I should tell you guys that as well. I'm getting a couple different scenarios here, but the number 7 is super prominent for this pile either way. I pulled 4 sevens, two of them the seven of pentacles reversed. I'm actually really feeling like this has to do with another person, especially with 10 of Swords on the bottom of one deck and Page of Swords on the bottom of another. Like, I feel that there was something that left you feeling like you were fighting for something that wasn't there (5 of wands). Like, you put in a lot of effort, planted seeds and waited for them to grow, but they never did. And maybe, also, there's a sense that maybe there was some deceit, but maybe I think this is more you deceiving yourself. Like, maybe you thought there was more than there was. It's funny, the only 7 card that didn't come out was 7 of cups, but I really am getting that vibe. Like, maybe seeing illusions. And, maybe this wasn't you! Maybe this was someone else, maybe they made it seem like they were building something with you, or they thought they were, but then it didn't happen. So someone here is feeling a sense of loss (5 of cups). The Magician reversed also gives me that feeling that something is stunted. Like, something was never able to finish. Or start even. Like, when upright, the Magician is about manifesting, right? But, reserved, that's blocked. It's not going to happen. But, like...I don't necessarily know if that's true. Like, I kind of read that as a mental block more-so than a physical block (but it could very well have been a physical one for someone). Also maybe more of a stand-still. Like things are on pause. But, also I'm getting that maybe you were in a situation with someone that wasn't balanced. Like, maybe someone was putting more into it and it never turned into something more. Take what resonates.

And, with the Page of Swords on the bottom of one deck, I'm kind of going off of a meaning that some people use for the page of swords: someone is checking in on someone/spying on someone, especially since it was on the bottom so kind of hidden. Like, watching in the wings vibes. I think this is whoever else is involved with this (and because I pulled temperance, even though its only one person on the card, and it's like about balance, that whole duality thing really makes me get another sense that there is someone else, but it could also just be something you're going through by yourself!). But, this can apply I think for any scenario of this. I definitely think for all, someone is still kind of watching this situation (and it could be you that's doing this, but I also just get a feeling it's someone else). And, it's also weird, with all the reversals AND the inclusion of the seven of swords reversed AND the Magician reversed, I don't really get like...A bad feeling from them. Like, I can't really tell you how they are, or even who this person is. I just get the sense that whatever it was (job, relationship/friendship), it just wasn't the right time or place? Like, maybe a right person, wrong time kind of vibe. Also, exhaustion. Like you both are just tired of this situation, whether it be that nothing happened or that it hurt, there's just a sense of wanting to move on (but maybe not being able to yet). I definitely get a lot of regret, though and maybe the feeling that you or them or both of you need to put up some defenses because you're not quite ready to deal with the emotions (which, i mean, not a lot of cups action in here). I just get this feeling of regret and stagnancy and its really a bummer. But I see Justice and Temperance as being kind of...Not necessarily outcomes, but like the universe saying "Okay. This really sucked, I know. But things are balancing out. All the wrongs will be righted." Like a strong sense of karma here, and with that lessons needing to be learned. But the Sun is on the bottom of the third deck, and so, I see things are going to work out. Maybe not the way you or this other person had wanted, but I see that things are going to work out in a way that balance will be restored and you'll be able to feel better. But. ALSO. PATIENCE. For me, personally, WHENEVER seven of pentacles shows up, reversed or not, I am being told to be patient which is something I'm not. And Temperance can definitely be about patience too. And even though it's not upright, I view seven of swords as kind of being like someone bidding their time. Same with Page of Swords. Like that watching, and maybe the magician reversed isn't someone feeling that they can't act, but maybe they just don't think they should act yet! I'm not sure! It's probably a mixture for everyone, like for some it may just be you fighting with yourself over something! Either way, there is this sense of feeling like you missed out, and that something didn't work out in your favor, but it will in the end. 

The quote I pulled from my oracle book for you is kind of funny since it has to do with time: "A wanderer is a man from his birth. He was born in a ship on the breast of the river of Time." by Matthew Arnold from "The Future". I personally am not sure if our lives are kind of mapped out before we're born, just because there's freewill, but at the same time I think there are certain paths and lessons we're meant to take and to learn and I'm kind of getting this feeling that this is one of those that you're meant to learn. I also think it's another way of both saying have patience, but also, time will tell. Like, I think there's a certain confusion with this, like with the seven of swords, and like maybe eventually this will all make sense. I also think for some this could be someone who really did play you and you're giving it up, letting it go. And this is here to tell you that again, it's going to work out in your favor, it just takes time. 

So, things that may be relevant: 5, 7, Libra, Sagittarius, Virgo, Gemini, daffodils And also, Skin to Skin by Movements (maybe their new album too, it was just released but there are a couple other similar songs to this, but I also kind of resonate with this pile and I really resonated with the album, so check it out. It’s called No Good Left To Give)

[serendipitybutterfly]

Yoongi’s Birthday Tarot Reading

Happy Yoongi Day!!!

So... I’m not going to lie, what I got in this reading was kinda unexpected (idk what I was expecting tbh but it took a different turn than I was thinking it would) and I ended up using more clarification cards than I usually do cause I wanted to be sure I was getting the right message. 

*All my usual disclaimers apply... this is just to put positive advice out there for the members on their birthdays and maybe help any of you who read this who might be going through similar things in the year ahead too. The future isn’t set in stone and someone’s mindset can change everything. This is simply a projection based on the current moment. 

Anyway, on to the reading... Like I said, I ended up having to use more clarification cards than usual because I wasn’t really expecting the message I got and therefore was kinda confused by it at first. Because I used more cards, in order to stop this becoming way too long, I’ll try to be more succinct in my summary of the message.

First of all, the significator cards I got were the 5 of Cups and the Knight of Swords in reverse. Within the context of the whole reading I was confused because the year ahead seemed mostly positive overall for Yoongi yet the 5 of Cups and Knight of Swords indicate some unexpressed despondency or (and as I looked at the 5 of cups this sprung to mind) a feeling of “missing out” on something. The Knight of Swords being reversed told me that this feeling is not something he’ll actually want to talk about to anyone. 

So the first two cards I pulled for the bulk of the reading actually ended up causing me the most confusion... I got the Queen of Wands and Knight of Swords and looking at the rest of the cards I was just like... who are these people? I felt very much that neither of them were Yoongi himself so I was confused as to why they were coming together and what their significance was in this reading... but I’ll get back to this.. 

With the next two cards the message was more clear, The Queen of Cups in reverse  and the Nine of Pentacles in reverse I felt very much WERE talking about Yoongi himself. The message here seemed to be that he will soothe his feelings of emotional discontent with accumulating material possessions. This became more clear looking at the other cards. 

Next were Judgement and The Emperor which I felt were very positive. I felt like these cards were saying that in this year Yoongi really will come into his power as a man. He’s reaping the rewards of all the efforts he put in the past. This was also reinforced by the last two cards of the reading (the Ace of Wands and Seven of Pentacles) which seemed to be a weaker echo of this same message with the additional message of this being in reference to his creative, artistic career (the Ace of Wands). 

So I was like... in the year ahead Yoongi will come into his own as a man and feel very powerful and satisfied materially, creatively and in terms of career and the respect he gains socially... So what is the cause of his discontent? Is there even a cause? Of course, as an ARMY, I am aware of Yoongi’s struggles with depression and anxiety and I know that there’s not always a straight forward “reason” for flare ups of that kind. That said, my intuition was telling me there was a cause and I saw it in these cards; the Nine of Cups in reverse and The Lovers. “Oh,” I said. “He’s lonely.”

The Nine of Cups upright is one of the main “happy” cards of the deck. It is the wish fulfillment card and indicates being blissfully happy and content. In reverse, at least for me, it indicates that there is a wish or desire that is not being fulfilled and in this case, paired with The Lovers, it was clear... it was the desire for love and companionship. Yoongi is a grown 26 year old man now... it must be getting hard not really being able to date and experience romance in his life and it’s this that starts to get a bit depressing for him in the year ahead...

So back to the mysterious Queen of Wands and Knight of Pentacles... I firstly wanted to ask for clarification on what the message of these two cards was in the context of this reading. So I asked, and the Seven of Wands in reverse came out. 

“Oh,” I said. “Defensiveness against something?” 

But who was being defensive, and who or what was being defended and how? 

I was still very confused as to who these people were and how they were related to what’s going on with Yoongi in the year ahead, so I asked for some clarification on this Seven of Wands from my Earth Magic Oracle Deck (Steven D Farmer) and got the Crystals card (Focus) and the Music card... My intuition told me that the defense against whatever this issue is will be literally to focus on his music... that simple. Ok... but I was still confused about who these people were because I still felt like neither of them were Yoongi himself so, to confirm that, I decided to consult my Archetypes deck (Caroline Myss). Who is this Queen of Wands and who is this Knight of Pentacles? The Femme Fatale card flew out for the Queen and The Mentor flew out for the Knight. 

At this point, I knew we were definitely dealing with a literal male and female (note: the court cards don’t always definitely indicate the gender of a person but can simply indicated something about their personality or emotional or mental state eg:- in this reading the Queen of Cups in reverse came up to indicate something about Yoongi’s emotional state). However I wanted to ask for confirmation again that this “Mentor” isn’t Yoongi himself, because it was possible (although I wasn’t getting that impression) that Yoongi could be mentoring this Femme Fatale. So I asked again who this Knight of Pentacles was and if it was Yoongi to give me a card from the suit of Cups (as he is a Pisces and usually is indicated by the Knight or King of Cups for me). The Heirophant flew out... another card that indicates an older male mentor. 

So now I’m getting a clear picture... To summarise... I think this year will be very good to Yoongi in terms of his career, making money, getting social recognition for his talents and working creatively on his music. However, he will probably at some point start having feelings of loneliness and despondency thinking about how difficult it is for him to have a relationship (and probably thinking about his desires for the future in terms of love and marriage and wondering if his career is at odds with these desires)... enter this Femme Fatale. It seems some kind of seductive female will enter Yoongi’s life at some point in the year ahead and there will be some temptation to get involved with her. However, and this is important, it doesn’t seem like she is good for him or that it would be connection like what Yoongi really wants, “The Lovers”, but rather something more materialistic and physical. 

Luckily, it seems that this year he will meet an older male friend who will act as something as a mentor to him and help him through this situation. This person will encourage him to focus on his music and creativity in order to get through the feelings of loneliness rather than seeking comfort in this woman... who kinda seems like she might be bad news for him. I think this mentor is someone who understands exactly what Yoongi is going through... maybe an older male idol? And as they become closer he will be a really good guide for Yoongi so if he wants to talk to anyone about his feelings this person would be a good guy to go to rather than just trying to deal with it on his own. 

So advice for this year for Yoongi... I really think if he opens up to this friend that is coming into his life he’ll be ok and this person will help defend him from anyone coming in to try and take advantage of his loneliness (Yoongi really is quite vulnerable emotionally...). There is a bit of a risk of him overspending in an attempt to fill the void of a meaningful romantic relationship in his life... but then a lot of money is coming in for him too and he’ll feel financially secure so it’s not too bad once he keeps himself in check. The numerology of this reading is 77, a higher vibration of the number 5 which represents Freedom. 77 indicates an expansion of consciousness, divine awakening, gaining knowledge from people from all walks of life and backgrounds and being open to it all and coming into one’s personal spiritual freedom and also sensuality. 

I do feel from what I saw in the cards that this will be a year in which Yoongi really comes into his power as the man he’s going to be in this life so that resonates. However, the “dark side” of 77 is related to how the freedom to follow one’s impulses and curiosity can lead to reckless behaviour and getting overcome by physical desires. So... be careful of that naughty Queen of Wands character who seems like a bad influence I guess...  

Overall, I think this will be a good year for Yoongi... he’ll just start to feel a bit emo over being #foreveralone and be tempted to indulge in a shallow relationship to fill the void but a sensible friend will advise against it... typical mid twenties stuff tbh. He’ll be fine. All the best wishes to Yoongi in the year ahead! You’ll have a great year! See all the positive! You’ll find love when the timing is right! 🙏✨💜💜💜