#with the power of my ace of spades with a dragon design on the back i smite thee

[awritersbro]

yearning for the days when my blogs weren't under siege by digital automatons with neither soul to speak nor will to act beyond their wicked master's bidding

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Aerodactyl

Do you think original Aerodactyl was a rock type, or is that part of the revival process?

DESIGN:

Aerodactyl is a Pterodactyl with… uhh… a longer tail? While at first Aerodactyl just seems like a Pterodactyl with minimum alterations, its stone typing and coloration, spaded tail, head horns, and back spikes remind me of gargoyles. I’m not sure if this was intentional or just the result of making it look ‘cooler,’ but I can absolutely see an Aerodactyl perched on an old stone building, blending in, and then diving down to attack its prey just as easily as I can see it flying down on prehistoric creatures.

Also, real Pterodactyls didn’t actually look like that. The image comes from fossil recreations back when people thought Pterosaurs were flying lizards, but the real creature was more like a bird.

Mega Aerodactyl looks like crap. It just has a bunch of stone spikes added on haphazardly, seemingly without thought as to what might be useful or even cool. It no longer has hands, and the dark stone against its face looks like facial hair, making it look less ferocious and more like it desperately needs to shave.

What’s interesting to me about Mega Aerodactyl, though, is how at odds its Pokedex entries are. Its Sun, Ultra Moon, and Let’s Go Pokedex entries suggest that Mega Aerodactyl is the ‘correct’ Aerodactyl, and that the fossil revived Aerodactyl is a weakened shadow of what it’s supposed to be. On the other hand, its Moon and Ultra Sun entries suggest that Mega Evolution is a painful burden on its body that’s driving it mad. Considering a lot of Mega Evolution entries are like this, I’m going to assume that Mega Aerodactyl is an abomination, and not how Aerodactyl ‘should’ be. Especially because Mega Aerodactyl doesn’t have hands, and hands are super useful. I’m actually using my hands right now.

TYPING: 

Aerodactyl is a Flying Rock which is frankly pretty impressive just in concept. Defensively, it winds up pretty well, with equal weaknesses and resistances, plus an immunity to Ground, though it does have the disadvantage of some of its weaknesses being more common. 

Offensively, this gives Aerodactyl super effective STAB options against six types, with the usual culprit of Steel being the only type to resist both Flying and Rock. 

Art by LindseyWArt

STATS: 

130 Speed, 105 Attack.

That’s enough. And Aerodactyl’s not even total glass canon territory. Its physical defense is a bit low at 65, but HP and Special Defense are comfortably average.  Its Special Attack is low, which is to be expected, and while normally I’d say the secondary attack stat doesn’t matter, Aerodactyl’s flying type attacks are pretty lacking, and its inability to make full use of Hurricane is an issue only because it can’t learn Brave Bird.

Mega Aerodactyl just takes these stats to the peak. 150 speed is only outsped by a handful of Pokemon, and 135 Attack is generally speaking plenty. Its defenses still aren’t anything special, but both jump 20 points on Mega Evolution which is certainly helpful.

Art by BonnyJohn

ABILITIES:

 Aerodactyl gets Rock Head, making it immune to recoil damage… but doesn’t get Brave Bird. Or Head Smash. Sure, it gets Double Edge, but 120 Normal power is the same as 80 Rock or Flying, so who cares?

Pressure is basically a dead ability in most games. It can be a pain in dungeons, but actual battles generally start with all moves at full PP, and in competitive matches both players have gotten their PP Maxes. Unless a Pokemon is absurdly tanky, Pressure is a waste of space.

So Aerodactyl uses its Hidden Ability, Unnerve. Unnerver prevents opponents from eating berries. I’m not going to say this never matters, because of course it can, but it’s hardly what I’d call impressive.

Mega Aerodactyl trades whatever ability it had for Tough Claws, which is just outright absurdly powerful. Tough Claws increases the damage of Contact moves by 30% which is most physical attacks. And Mega Aerodactyl is a Physical Attacker. … But you know what doesn’t make contact? Stone Edge. So here we have Mega Aerodactyl with a 100 Power STAB attack, and an ability that, while good, doesn’t work on it. In fact, Tough Claws doesn’t work on ANY of Aerodactyl’s Rock attacks. It is helpful for some of its flying attacks, and of course some of its other attacks, but the fact is that Mega Aerodactyl’s primary attack form is Stone Edge, and Tough Claws doesn’t help there.

Art by nganlamsong

MOVES:

Stone Edge is 100 Power STAB, and even though it doesn’t benefit from Tough Claws, nothing else Aerodactyl has can beat that without taking two turns.I simply cannot comprehend the thought process of an Aerodactyl build without Stone Edge.

For Flying, Aerodactyl has a few options. Dual Wingbeat, available as of Sword and Shield, is easily the strongest option for Aerodactyl in its base form… But it doesn’t benefit from Tough Claws, so as Mega Aerodactyl, Aerial Ace winds up being almost as powerful with the benefit of perfect accuracy. But even then, Aerial Ace is 60 base x 1.5 STAB, for a total of 90 power before Tough Claws… meaning a Mega Aerodactyl build is likely to eschew Flying attacks entirely in favor of an off-type attack with comparable base damage that DOES benefit from Tough Claws.

And then there’s Earthquake. It’s not getting Tough Claws either, but base 100 power with 100 accuracy just makes it one of the strongest attacks. It also has the benefit of being super effective against Steel types.

Aerodactyl has a wide variety of type coverage depending on what you want to fight. Crunch, Pursuit, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Iron Head, Psychic Fang, and Dragon Claw all provide additional coverage options to help round out your team, and all of them make contact to benefit from Tough Claws. 

With Aerodactyl’s high speed, it’s entirely reasonable to just pick four attacks and hope to be able to go first and hit the opponent with something super-effective.

But Aerodactyl DOES have some decent non-attacking moves. Stealth Rock is a classic, for plenty of good reasons,  Roost allows Aerodactyl to heal, Tailwind helps the rest of your party, and sometimes you just want something with high speed and Defog.  These moves, combined with abilities like Taunt and Wide Guard, give it reasonable options in 2v2 battles or when used as a support Pokemon.

Art by Hemmerson

OVERALL:

Aerodactyl is great. I like the way it looks (until it goes Mega,) it has solid stats, its moveset is really wide, and it’s strong enough to be competitive. It does have a serious ability issue, though, and I’d love to see that remedied. Honestly, I think Unnerve needs a buff overall, or Berries need a buff. They’re just not competitive with other held items most of the time, and NPCs never use them. I don’t need Aerodactyl to get some super powerful ability- it’s mostly fine as is-  but it can’t make full use of Rock Head, Unnerve and Pressure are useless, and Tough Claws doesn’t work with its best attacks. 

Two of those abilities could be fixed by giving it Head Smash, but honestly that might be too much of a buff. Of course, Mega Aerodactyl probably couldn’t survive delivering more than one Tough Claws Head Smashes anyway… So it’d probably be fine.

Art by Methusalah-Alchemist

[the-lady-bryan]

So. I like to collect playing card decks.

I used to have a massive collection but had to give it up when I left Florida in 2010.

The last few years I've gotten more decks and started my collection again.

Here is what I have so far, minus one I got for Xmas cause I can't find it right now.

First is the my least fave. The Steampunk deck from Bicycle.

Joker and ace are interesting. The card back is nice. Colors of court cards are rich and dark or ice and vibrant as is case with the red. Normal pips. Boring. Not pictured - shiny gold foil colored box.

Next is one got on clearance at Kroger. Dragon.

Can't see the card back very well because my phone is a can't and won't do the pic rotate and crop properly. Anyway, court cards have a nice generic Asian look, the color pallet is very soft and cool looking. They also have nice borders as well. Jokers and ace of spades designs are very appealing to me. Pips are pretty standard.

Next is Asteroid.

Look at this. Inverted color scheme. Firy warm coloration but still distinct differences between red and black suits. Pips are interesting. But the jokers? Asteroids. The ace of spades? Lovely. Card back? Wonderful.

Next up is Stargazer. Like the others before now, from Bicycle.

This one predates Asteroid publication wise. Look at how bright and vibrant those inverted colors are. Like nebulae and stars in a night sky. Pips are similar to Asteroid, but brighter. Shinier. Card back does NOT do the faces justice, but is a nice, soft, not distracting at all swirl of color.

And now, the gem of my collection. My fave and the deck that started me collecting again.

Looking at these cards, you'd think this was a bootleg merch. But no, this officially licensed Saban Brands power rangers merch from 2018.

The entire deck is original mmpr but there's just this... Random Trakeena thrown in. I don't know why.

I bought this at GameStop. The box is damaged because of my son, but damn if this deck isn't my fav.

[inventors-fair]

Recycling day: Commentary on “Unique Artifacts”

This contest went exactly how I was hoping it would go. A variety of artifacts, a whole slew of unique mechanical ideas, experimentation — what more could I ask for? I’m glad that people liked this one. I’ve been stewing with it for a little bit. I think there were a few wording issues that I’ll get around to, but I’m also a stickler for perfection. Y’all should know how pedantic I am at this point. I’m practically a vedalken.

Anyway. Commentary time!

@ajani​ — Devra Chai

I really like your callback to Indian inspiration and the nature of Kaladesh. Mechanically, this card’s got some chops. I also like the abstract use of energy here as it relates to food. There are a few easily fixable issues. Firstly, there should be a comma after “sacrificed.” Secondly, as this is a Food, the second ability should be “2, T, Sacrifice Devra Chai: You gain 3 life.” The “You” is super important. Lastly, and most pedantically, as great as the flavor text is, “it’s” should be “its” because English is certainly a language. Small issues aside, good idea overall. 

@deafeningsandwichpeach​ — Ancient Stone of Greed

The power level here is really hard to judge. The draw on the first ability seems really strong. Did you base this on Coveted Jewel? Overall, I feel that this card is a fine idea but a little busted with any artifact untapping. Filigree Sages makes this an infinite draw combo, but it’s not broken wide open. Let’s fix the wording. The second ability should be “Spend this mana only to cast a Hydra or Dragon spell.” This should be four lines, with “Skip your draw step” and the death trigger being on separate lines. I’m 80% sure that “Skip your draw step” also should be the first line on the card, and with that, you can probably take off the flavor text.

@demimonde-semigoddess​ — Gilded Yarn

This is an interesting one. Personally, adding an activated ability onto the equipment itself that’s not an equip cost seems a little hard to grok for the average player. Flavorfully, I understand the first ability, but not the attack clause at all. I’m not connecting it to anything specific in mythological tropes. It’s not a bad card mechanically, but I’m a little lost. Did you shift+enter for the equip cost? It looks really close to the other line.

@dimestoretajic​ — The Steel Leaf

The one and only! I like the callback. From a cursory look, I don’t think there is an actual “steel leaf” on Dominaria, but the sentiment is appreciated. I’m a little iffy on the fact that it doesn’t exactly do anything if you don’t have the trigger, and it doesn’t really help itself to the trigger, but it’s okay to have cards that you need to build around. The last ability is a little awkward because the way it’s worded now you can return green creatures your opponents control to their owner’s hand and it gets around hexproof, which I’m sure wasn’t intentional. “you control” could fix that easily.

@fractured-infinity​ — Cold-Iron Skillet

This is a fascinating little equipment. I love the creativity here. Honestly, not a whole lot to say about this one. It’s niche, but flavorful enough. Maybe the second ability should somehow be tied into being equipped to a creature? After all, the skillet’s not gonna do anything by itself, right? Major notes: both “foods” and “faeries” should be capitalized.

@gollumni​ — Pontiff’s Coinbox

Now this is unique. I can perfectly imagine the art here, which is majorly cool. I’m not sure why you tied the untapping to each opponent’s upkeep rather than their untap step, which is the way things usually go. And based on the amount of massive counters you can gain fairly early on, “twice the number” might be a little too powerful. The last ability should have “YOU gain 3 life” as well. I’d add a “(1)” to it as well, personally. I’m a little iffy on this kind of white acceleration, but there’s only one way to find out, right? 

@greensunzenith​ — Dust Bunny

It’s a super cute idea, for sure. I kinda like the idea that your opponent keeps having to sweep it away, and that it’ll keep coming back. The difficulty in removing it is a bit of a pain, but that’s the nature of the beast, I suppose. I wouldn’t call the design anything mind-blowing, and frankly, as a one-drop it’s a pain in the butt probably more than it should be, but it’s not bad. Might have to cost 2 or 3 mana, and I would add a little flavor if you can come up with something.

@grornt​ — Smothering Rug

Well, I didn’t expect a rug for this contest, so kudos there. It changes up combat in a really powerful way, and I’m worried about its power level in a limited format. It’s an anti-trampler, anti-first striker, and man, that makes combat complicated. This is a card that would have to see a significant amount of testing, considering that every deck can play it. Doesn’t blow me away, but it’s good enough. Again, might want to consider flavor text with the amount of rules text that you have here.

@hypexion​ — Spy Satellite

It’s unfortunate that we had two spy-oriented cards submitted here. Surveillance is a great concept, and I’m glad you used the name in a flavorful way. I don’t know how powerful the surveil is here considering that it’s harder to remove than other creatures which have repeatable surveil. It’s a good card, certainly. I don’t know if the second ability needs UU instead of 1U, but I guess I can see the reasoning. Flavor text is pretty good. Overall, it’s a fine enough card. Save it for a custom cube.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ — Press of Magic Knowledge

Ah, batching. I think that you were ambitious in the way that you designed this card, and I’m not sure the payoff is entirely worth it. Seven different creature types is a lot to ask for, and it implies that all these different types would be in a single set. I think that’s entirely too much to ask for. The card itself isn’t...bad? It’s incredibly powerful. The wording might be a little convoluted. Why does it give the ability to the spells, instead of having it just be a trigger? “Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may tap an untapped Spellcaster you control. When you do, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.” A little easier to grok. Name and flavor text could use a little work, too. Doesn’t excite me.

@illharg-the-rave-boar​ — Hunted Windmill

I’m still thinking about this card. The fact that is has menace and that it gives your opponent a single creature is kind of an “eff you” but in limited, it’s certainly a pain in the butt. The two toughness really makes it feel fragile, but maybe the eight power makes up for it? I think this card could be fine. I think it could even be good. It’s still asking a LOT of questions that only playtesting and the right environment could ask for.

Also tfw “Dawn Kijote.” Take your kudos and go.

@kavinika​ — Ace of Spades

This card is... Restrictive. Basically, it says that “for the rest of the game, I decide all coin flips,” and that’s not interactive. It’s not exactly fun. If it was a sacrifice effect with a secret kind of ETB, then I guess it would be okay, but unlike Krark’s Thumb, it’s getting rid of a key part of randomness with no time limit, and that’s not great. I liked the philosophy of your submission, but I don’t feel that this card is adherent to MTG principles.

@koth-of-the-hammerpants — Amphora of Ephara

Kudos for making me look up the word “amphora.” Yet another card I can easily visualize! So, in terms of power level. Man. This card is a pain in the butt. In the right deck, it can grind out aggro decks with even the smallest creatures, and I assume there would be enough artifact/enchantment removal to make it not busted, but holy cow this could be a potential pain. And you know what? That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I would call this card annoying, certainly, but not in a “win the game” way. Two things: One, there should be a comma after the blue mana symbol in the activated ability. Two... “a city?” Too vague. Gotta spice it up with worldbuilding and/or specificity, man.

@machine-elf-paladin​ — Headmaster’s Lectern

Another great choice for a unique artifact here. Love it. It’s a simple design, but it’s perfectly functional, and sometimes that’s all we can ask for. It’s a great uncommon. Doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s a card that works, and that’s just plain fine. Flavor text 7/10. It’s a little hard to grok exactly what that immortalization looks like and where we are in the timeline. You set up a grand artifact, and then add a funny bit, and the two don’t exactly mesh perfectly. Both parts are fine. Again, good enough to worldbuild.

@mistershinyobject​ — Peace Table

Let’s get the good out of the way: I like how the middle ability gives a “swords to plowshares” kind of feel. That aspect works. That first ability, though, is missing a major wording. As it reads now, you can tap it and tap any number of creatures with different names — that you don’t control. And you can target those same creatures after. So, basically, for four mana your opponent never gets to attack again. I know that wasn’t your intention at all, but that’s the way the submission reads. Minor note: the flavor text should feel funny, but the art and concept is pretty serious, and it’s a little bit of a tonal clash.

@misterstingyjack​ — Unwanted Gift

Surprise! It’s horrible. Not the card, though, because I love this card. I can see it going into a set with Morph, and that works perfectly well. It might have to be mythic, because holy shit a reverse Immortal Sun is still awful to deal with. And I take a LOT of issue with that last ability. Just have it punish for every card draw! It’s totally functional without that weird restriction.

@nine-effing-hells​ — Beldam’s Mortar

This is my favorite artifact in terms of uniqueness. You added mythological aspects that are little-known but easy to grok, it feels magical, it seems cool, and it’s so unusual that you can’t help but to just plain love it. Now, the card. Using Bladed Bracers as a template, there should be one line for the equip buff, and another that says “As long as equipped creature is a Druid, Hag, Shaman or Warlock, it can’t be blocked.” I might take out either Druid or Shaman from that list, personally? Three might be the limit for batching. The flavor text could also talk a little bit more about the importance of the mortal itself as a means of transportation.

@nvijork​ — Scrying Dish

I have a soft spot for tutors. They are my absolute favorite cards. I love combo, control, unique synergy, all that crazy stuff. Additionally, I love randomness. So, there are two changes I would make to this card, one mechanical and two syntactically. The syntax one is that “3″ should be “three.” That’s just how Magic works. There should also be a comma after “(4).” Mechanically, I would also add that after you shuffle and put the cards on top, you draw a card. It’s the payoff to the scry, it bumps the power level up, and it justifies the cost. Overall, I really liked this card.

@real-aspen-hours​ — Nutrient slurry

I guess this card would be an uncommon? You gotta add rarity to text submissions. I think that for next week I’ll add an example post. Anyway, besides the name capitalization, I think that this card actually works really well. It feels green, it’s powerful enough, it’s synergistic with the game, and could see some pretty cool +1/+1 counter interaction. Not bad at all. The flavor text might need to be in quotes, because, well, it’s first-person. The card is pretty great, but the submission needs polish.

@reaperfromtheabyss​ — Resincase Relic

I really would have added imprint here. Although, would that imply that the card never comes back? It’s honestly not the worst price to pay. This is a perfectly functional mana rock, a theoretically budget version of Chrome Mox, and I’m okay with that. It should be “one mana” instead of “a mana,” looking at the Thriving lands and Chrome Mox itself. And two lines of flavor text wouldn’t have gone amiss here.

@scavenger98​ — Storm Jar

I really want to like this card. For the first ability, I would absolutely make it a may ability — “you may have target creature gain or lose flying until end of turn.” Gotta simplify it. The second ability needs the “s” in “sacrifice” to be capitalized. This is a fun card mechanically, and very potentially powerful in limited! What’s with the flavor text, though? I don’t get it.

@shandylamb​ — Cursed Compass

So, major mechanical issue: You, as the player, don’t explore — the equipped creature explores. It would read: Equipped creature has “T, Pay 1 life: Scry 1, then this creature explores.” Easy enough fix, but needs to happen. Additionally, good lord, this should be at least an uncommon. Potential scrying and exploring each turn? Very powerful, moreso than I think you’re giving credit for. A great idea for sure, but NOT common, no sir. I like it, don’t get me wrong. Also, I assume this is from one of the Pirates movies. In the future, please clarify the specific piece of media. 

@starch255​ — Orb of Petrification

This is a card that I really spent a lot of time thinking about. I still don’t know what to feel about it. It’s evident that you spend a lot of time thinking about this card and putting it together, and I want to give you credit for that first and foremost. The second ability is really weird to me, because it prevents the orb itself from activating its abilities, and it shuts down all artifacts on board? I’m not positive how that works flavorfully. It’s not bad. It’s probably super powerful in commander, not gonna lie. Control magic out the wazoo. I’m still on the fence about this one. Fine in standard, fine in limited, probably part of a frustrating combo in eternal formats. Still gotta congratulate you for the design process.

@teaxch​ — Semaphore Flag

Another really cool choice for a unique artifact. Functionally fun as a build-around. The card needs some kind of basic flavor text, because man it’s looking blank as heck right now. But older cards do that sometimes. Maybe I’m just a stickler for these sorts of things. Overall: probably fine. Probably not gonna see play except for in that deck made by That Guy that copies a buttload of artifacts.

~

Thank you all for your submissions! New contest tomorrow. Get the creative juices flowing.

[chibiclem]

“Cardverse : The four Aces”

There is no Aces defined clearly in the Cardverse AU, and I did create on my own the idea they were dragons! I choose the countries according to my wanting, so if you have another idea of aces well...mine is mine, yours is yours right? OuO

you may notice, but there is actually 2 years difference between the 2 first and the 2 last, that’s why the design might be a little different! Also they are different size because I did them separately!

I created afterward a project story called “Ace awakening”, and I will introduce more art about it.

***

Let’s introduce the Aces: 

All of them : The Aces as I see them are quite ancient beings with each 2 powers according to the specialty of their respective Kingdom, and a clock tail that gives the exact time of their respective Kingdom. One of this power is in common with their Queen, but in more powerfull.  Talking about the Queen, they seems to obey only the royalties and mainly the Queen (Because in my version, Queen have much more magic than the King)! They can’t be used against other kingdoms as they are immune to the power of other Aces and besides, that’s not their true purpose. In my more recent story, they have dissapeared for more than 1000 years before and people think of them as a mere legend. People don’t remember what their goal was, but it doesn’t seem they are personifications of the Kingdoms though...

But they are not mind you, though i don’t want to spoil what happened to them. They appear as half human  (also for a reason i will not spoil here) but it’s not sure it is their “true” ones. Moreover, they doesn’t act anything like human but more like animals. They don’t talk as humans but whistle and use songs to communicate (even if they seem to understand humans to some extend); they fly without wings, much more like floating. At first you could thing they are the same, curious, not much expressive and scaredy cat-like but they have their own personality in truth, and if you are interested by them, you will also notice they have the tendency to treat humans as children. (But when you are over 5000 isn’t it normal?)

Also, their names are “unknown” but I will reveal to you what they were called back in the time because it will be easier for the description! Their 2nd power is a secret...because nobody knows what it is except me and some ancient characters you may guess, hehe! 

Canada, Ace of Spades : https://chibiclem.tumblr.com/post/619291375146614784/tick-toc-says-the-clock-open-your-eyes-little

Poland, Ace of Hearts : https://chibiclem.tumblr.com/post/619474126884782080/the-ace-of-hearts-and-his-jack 

Greece, Ace of Diamound : https://chibiclem.tumblr.com/post/619291774982275072/the-queen-was-gardening-head-over-her-flowers

Iceland, Ace of Clubs : You could think “E” is the coldest of all the Aces, but I would tell you he is more “shy”, although he is quite unexpressive and not really friendly (well, except with his royalties and Jack). That doesn’t mean he isn’t a curious being that will not explore his surroundings and, like the Ace of Spades, spy on humans! Actually, he mainly spy on people in the dark and appears only when needed, so he is the one you will rarely spot by chance! The Kingdom of Club is a manufacturing one and have lots of ressources such as metal and rocks. His powers is to being able to create any object with matter. (Elizabeth use it mainly to create weapons from the ground and surprizing her ennemies!)

All of them are in good term with each other, “Fé” hugging every of them when he has the occasion too, bothering “E” by revealing his presence in the process!

[poore-choice-of-words]

Nightingale & Peregrine Chapter 6

Whoo! It’s been awhile. But hopefully chapter seven wil come sooner than this one. Enjoy!

First, Last

...

He was late. Luckily, most people didn’t go to ice cream at one in the afternoon. Scratch that. A lot of people went to ice cream in the afternoon, unluckily. That was why there weren’t any parking spaces. He was sure his running speed to get there was better than his record in highschool, not that it was much of a record, but still.

This was the second time in as many days he’d literally bumped into Mandie.

“Hi.” he heaved a breath. “Fancy seeing.” Heave. “You here.” Heave. “Sorry I bumped in.” Heave. “To you.”

Helena was glaring at him, and was that laughter Mandie was suppressing?

“Hi.” She said, from behind a hand.

Definitely suppressing laughter.

“Hi,” He replied.

“You already said that.”

“Did I?”

Helena nodded. Moses decided to lift himself up so he was face to face with Mandie instead.

“Nonetheless, I insist upon buying both of you your Ice Cream as pardon for my transgression.” He bowed so that once again he was at eye-level with Helena.

“I accept your offer.” Mandie offered him a hand to get back up with, which he gladly took.

Helena looked skeptical.

“Think she suspects anything?” He whispered.

“Only what you just confirmed.” Mandie said.

Helena was squinting at him.

He bent down to be at eye-level her. These squats were going to help him work off that ice cream.

“I’m not gonna lie to you. I asked for you two to come here. I’m paying for your ice cream whether you like it or not. Then you can kick me out of the store.” He put his hand out for a shake.

Helena shook it, then pointed at her eyes and back at him.

“Gotcha.” He nodded for a bit before standing up. “Is this line ever going to move?”

“Lend me your arm?” Mandie asked. There was mischief in the tone that Moses ignored.

“Here you go.” He offered an elbow.

Mandie grabbed his wrist and leaned back, taking his arm, and nearly taking him, with her. He caught on quickly enough to hold his ground, otherwise he would’ve fallen on Mandie, and Helena might’ve kicked him out before they even got in the store.

They held themselves like that for a few moments, until she lifted herself up, making him stumble back. Then he noticed they were now holding hands. She was wearing gloves again, white silk, or some imitation. It was quite soft against his skin, and the gloves didn’t cover past her wrist, which he had been grasping onto while she’d been hanging.

He quickly released, realizing he’d had skin contact with her for more than a second and didn’t learn every one of her thoughts in his head for any amount of that time.

“How?” he looked at his hand. From the corner of his eye, Mandie seemed betrayed? Was that the word?

“There seems to be a couple, or a pair of siblings gumming up the line.”

“Do you always do that lean back thing?” He turned to Helena, “Does she always do that leanback thing?”

Helena shrugged.

“It’s not uncommon,” Mandie answered.

“Can you give a heads-up next time?”

“What makes you so sure we’re ever going to end up in a line together again?”

“Maybe it’s just a hope.”

Mandie half-smiled, then went into a straight face. Did she suddenly dislike him? Why had she come then? Was free ice-cream that irresistible an offer? Of course it was, it was ice cream.

“I’m getting the sense you don’t want to end up in a line together anytime soon. Would that be a warranted assumption?”

Mandie pulled her ponytail in front of her and began stroking it.

“What are you doing here, in town?”

He should have thought of an excuse before now. He was frozen for long enough that no matter what he said, she wouldn’t believe. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.

“I’m working for a secret organization to capture Nightingale, and I’m using you in an attempt to learn her secret identity.”

Mandie looked hurt, and scared, betrayed, that was the word.

“I swear that was a joke! I’m sorry. Has that actually happened before?”

“You wouldn’t be the first operative to fail at seducing Amanda Piec,” Spectrum commented in his head. He hoped it was just a memory and not the real Spectrum.

Back in the real world, the real Mandie looked at him with pity, and possibly laughter. Had he been played?

“I’ve actually been doing temp work for... a lot of places.” He was great at making excuses.

Mandie finally outright smiled. She bought it, or she didn’t care.

“Maybe I should call your company sometime. I could use some help.”

“With what?”

“I’ve always got packages that need delivering. I actually had to make a stop to send a package before we got here.”

Helena made a thumbs-down motion and a pouty face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means she doesn’t like waiting in the car.” Mandie turned her head. “Oh look, the line’s moved.”

She grabbed Helena’s hand and moved forward. The line kept steadily moving forward since apparently everyone had now figured out exactly what they were going to have. Moses should’ve thought about it. He was sure he didn’t want chocolate because chocolate was the worst ice cream flavor, except for maybe grape, but that wasn’t an ice cream flavor, yet.

“Why didn’t you want to hold my hand?” Mandie asked.

“What?”

“This isn’t middle school, and I thought you…”

She was right. This wasn’t middle school. If this were middle school, he’d be rushing into stuttered apologies. Instead, he waited a moment before stuttered apologies.

“It’s, uhh.”

Helena smacked his leg. He looked down at her, and she pointed at the counter, where the guy at the counter looked weary.

“Oh, sorry!”

…

They managed to get their ice cream, Helena hadn’t told Moses to scram, and Mandie asked to sit outside.

Overall things were looking okay.

“So you design for Nightingale?” He couldn’t think of a better question to start the ball rolling.

Mandie had an expression that said she was tired of that question, but ready to oblige an answer.

“I design for the entire Heroes’ Guild, but since we live in the same city, yes, Nightingale is my most common in-person customer.”

There were so many questions Moses could ask about Nightingale, but that was just the thing. He was talking to Mandie right now, not Nightingale. He needed to ask a question more about Mandie.

“Why white?”

That was still a Nightingale question, but it was also a Mandie question.

“It’s what she wore that first night.”

“First night?”

“Nightingale was Nightingale before I made the costume, and the first night she saved was in a white tank-top and a pair of jeans.”

“Seriously?”

“Still amazing, I assure you.”

“I don’t doubt it. You don’t wear white all the time without skill.”

Jeans? what made her switch to a skirt?

“Yeah, she has skill. She’s… perfect.”

Nightingale wasn’t the best conversation subject. She seemed to leave Mandie with longing. Moses stored the skirt question for later.

“Not that I doubt your skills, but why you?”

“What?”

Was she offended? Moses was screwed.

“Why of all the people in the world did Nightingale ask you to make the costume, or did you volunteer.”

“Well, most people who know me know I make my own clothes.”

Moses took a moment to look at Mandie’s outfit, a light pink dress with blue and purple flowers that looked embroidered onto the skirt.

“You made that?”

She nodded.

“Wow.”

“I make clothes for superheroes, and the dress get’s a wow.” Mandie was sarcastic, but she was also smiling.

“Yes! Most people don’t fully process big stuff, but this dress is right in front of me, and it’s beautiful by the way.”

“You don’t need to exaggerate for me.”

“I’m not, did you hand embroider the skirt or…?”

“I use a special machine, but I did design it.”

“See? I need to ask you for style tips.”

“I think you clean up well enough.”

Moses didn’t have a response. Mandie had cornered him in compliment combat.

“Thanks.”

He could feel himself blush. Maybe he wouldn’t seduce Mandie, but if he kept this up, she’d manage it on him.

…

Maybe Moses should have asked if Nightingale had any tips for superheroes just starting out. The closest he’d seen Nightingale to being tied up like this was when he was pointing a cane at her neck.

The worst part wasn’t that the chains were definitely power suppressant, which meant these thugs had a bigger budget than he initially thought. The worst part was that he probably wasn’t going to get Nightingale’s trust to help her if he couldn’t even help himself.

“Looks like someone fancies himself a superhero,” said thug number one, in what sounded like a very fake british accent.

“Looks like someone fancies himself a Beatle,” Moses retorted, getting a punch from the nearest thug for the comment.

“Maybe he just fancies one hero in particular.” They all had that probably fake accent, he knew because they all laughed in the accent too.

“You got me, I wanted to see Black Dragon, but I think I got the wrong town. Do you have a local hero associated with a particular neutral color?”

Thug number one was about to hit him again, when a familiar sultry voice interrupted.

“Now, Anders, that’ll make it much harder to get out on good behavior this time.”

Moses squinted in an attempt to find her in the rafters. Either she was behind him, or the suppressant was messing with his ability to see her.

“Who said I'm going to jail again, Katie?”

Katie? How did this minor crook know Nightingale's name.

“Nobody, because they don't have to.”

So maybe she hadn't been flirting with him as Ace of Spades, not that he thought she had. She just seemed to have a way of talking to her enemies, a way that could be interpreted a flirtatious.

“Is it my turn to comment?” Moses asked, “cause it sounded like you just got owned.”

No response, even a single laugh.

“Start struggling if you can fight.” He heard in the back of his head. The voice sounded like Mandie plus the voice in the back of his head that he never listened to. He was going to listen to it this time. 

His struggling looked more like trying to spin in mid-air than proper struggling, but hopefully the point got across to Nightingale, if she was the one he'd heard.

After a few excruciating seconds while Anders kept talking, he felt something hit his hand. He grabbed it, and felt the ridges of a key’s teeth. He felt for the lock with both his hands as Nightingale came down to the ground.

She took off the skirt to reveal an equally white pair of pants. He wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't that. The deployed skirt, which now looked more like a blanket, took two of the thugs out, pinning them to a wall.

He managed to get the key in the lock and turn it. He had to struggle a bit more to get out, but when he did, he punched the nearest thug, who glared at him.

Maybe that wasn't the best method. The next time he punched, he pushed at the thugs mind to knock him out.

“Don't use that on Anders, I need him awake.”

“Why?”

“Focus.”

She sounded irritable.

The next thug came running at Moses. He turned out of the way and pushed them to the wall. They looked back at him afterwards and attacked. He felt a pressure that the thug definitely felt more of since it pushed them into the wall again, this time knocking them out.

“Show off.” He said, aloud.

Nightingale glared, although the masked covered her eyes in dark lenses, which meant he couldn’t actually tell if she was glaring, but there was a feeling.

“Did I accidentally interfere in a lovers quarrel?” Anders asked.

“We’re not lovers,” Nightingale said.

“And who said we were quarreling?”

They both took a step towards Anders. Nightingale was closer, but Moses opted against closing the gap between her and himself.

“What do you want to know?” Anders grumbled, without the accent this time.

“I need some information on Ace of Spades.”

So Anders was a snitch, probably a good one, if snitches could be good.

“Word is the guy used to run with the suits.”

“As in the four suits?”

So Nightingale knew who they were. Moses was almost flattered. He wasn’t sure if he felt more or less flattered that she seemed to flinch when Anders responded.

“Yeah, then the guy disappears for half-a-year and comes back with the suit and cane.”

He was gone for six months? It hadn’t felt that long, it felt longer.

“And that’s all you got?” Nightingale asked, bringing Moses back to reality.

Anders shrugged. “The guy’s new--wait, some people are saying he’s a reincarnate of Inferno.”

“Dante Gionelli?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“The guy with a house full of booby traps?” Moses asked.

“Do I need to repeat myself to you?”

Moses turned to Nightingale. “I don’t think he likes me.”

“Go figure.” She turned to Anders. “Nothing else?”

“Come back when he’s been around for more than a month and maybe I’ll have something. This guy is different.”

Nightingale seemed to stew for a moment.

“Fine.”

…

Moses had followed Nightingale to the roof. Since she hadn’t stopped him, he assumed she didn’t want him gone. At least not yet.

“I don’t really plan on leaving so--”

“What’s your code name?” She asked.

“My what?”

“Call sign, title, superhero name. What is it?”

Before thinking about it, Moses admitted, “I never thought about it until this moment.”

“Take your time.”

He didn’t take much. Truly he’d been thinking about this for awhile, and one corny name remained.

“Do you mind if I spin off of you a little, I mean, I’m starting in your town, but I don’t wanna encr--”

“Go right ahead.”

“Alright, since you’re a Nightingale, heard but rarely seen, then I’ll be a Peregrine, fast and fearsome.”

Nightingale laughed.

“I’m sorry, it was just, so dramatic.”

Peregrine couldn’t help but smile at managing to make her laugh.

“If you’re going to stick around you’ll need a costume.” She switched to business.

Moses looked at his current outfit.

“A good costume.”

“Now that’s just mean.”

Nightingale smirked.

“Give me your measurements next time we talk.”

“When will that be?”

“Are you free tomorrow night?”

“I can be.”

“Good.”

She walked away, about to jump onto the next roof.

“Where are we going to meet?” Moses asked just before she leapt.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find you.”

...

Tag List:  @lynn-iswriting, @kaylewiswrites, @taz-writes, @theshadowsofthenight, @merigreenleaf, @lady-redshield-writes, @concealeddarkness13, @authorisada, @cadewrites, @elizabethwillow, @writing-in-mermish, @royalbounties

[all-things-witchcraft]

🔮A Huge Tarot Master-Post🔮

Hello~ I figured I’d make my first master-post about Tarot! This is my interpretation, so I don’t ask that you just go by my word. It’s your path! I’m just here to try to help.

This will be VERY in-depth. So I apologize in advance for the lengthy post, but I hope it will help. 

What is “Tarot”?

Personally for myself I see Tarot as a tool. I use it to help myself and others with some guidance with their lives; however, when it comes to Tarot, don’t let it rule over your decisions in your life. It is a tool but that does not mean that you should only go by what it says.

Types of Readings

There are two types of readings when it comes to Tarot: Question readings and Open Readings.

Question Readings

Just as the title says Tarot involves answering questions. Yes or No questions aren’t meant to be answered by Tarot. When it comes to Yes or No questions pendulums are used with their corresponding charts. Like I stated before, you shouldn’t use Tarot to make decisions but to guide you to help you make the decision yourself. The way a question is stated is important for Tarot readers. Here’s a few tips on what you should look out for:

🔮 Keeping your options open: If you already have an answer for your question, then you’re not really letting yourself allow the cards to guide your decision.  Asking how you could encourage your mother-in-law to move out, as opposed to asking how you can get along better with her, is narrowing the scope of the true question by answering it before you even get started.

🔮 Details: Your question should be focused, but not overly detailed. Rather than looking at one particular aspect of a problem, find a way to look more broadly at it. For example, rather than asking how you can make your home life less chaotic, ask how you can better balance work schedules and school schedules. That is a focused question. But do not go so far as to ask how you can coordinate baseball, soccer and karate schedules and still have family time – that’s too detailed. Only include the minimum level of detail needed in order to express what you want to learn from the cards.

🔮 Focus on Yourself: If the reading is for yourself, make sure your question focuses on you rather than on someone else who you think may be the root of your problem. If you’re wanting to help someone, for example, ask about what you can do to help them.

🔮 Stay Neutral: Basically be unbiased. Don’t come off with the notion that your POV is the “right” one. Asking why you’re always the one getting yelled at between you and your parent(s) isn’t neutral; instead, ask how you can prevent future arguments with your parent(s). That’s neutral!

🔮 Be Positive: When it comes to Tarot, and anything really, you’ll want to always try to be positive. Instead of asking why a specific event didn’t happen, ask about what you can do to make that event happen. Positivity is always great!

Open Readings

These are also known as “General” readings. They address the larger aspects of life rather than a question or a specific area. I’ve found that Past, Present, Future readings are very popular since it talks about people’s lives. They’re always eager to see if the cards can truly tell about their life! You can also direct the General readings towards a basic “genre”. Career, Health, Finances, Love, etc.

The Tarot Deck

There are many varieties of Tarot decks, and there is no standard number of cards across all decks. While the types of cards, the suits and their meanings are the same, the illustrations vary greatly. Decks are based on various themes such as nature, animals, fantasy, dragons, etc.

When it comes to finding a deck of your own, don’t just choose one based on the design. Focus on the connection between you and your future tool, your future guide. I have the Tarot Draconis Deck that called to me. It’s a beautiful dragon based deck that has connected with me. The bond we have today is inseparable!

I say “bond” because each deck has it’s own personality. That’s why Tarot readers do interview “spreads” to help them get to know their decks a bit better. I’ll explain spreads more thoroughly later on in this post. When it comes to their personalities, some decks are blunt, some are meant for giving other people readings and others could be laid back.

The Major and Minor Arcana

When you look through a Tarot Deck, there will be two different sets of cards: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. Let’s look at the Minor Arcana first. You’ll find that like regular playing cards there are four suits; however, instead of hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs there are Wands, Pentacles (Circles), Cups (Chalices), and Swords. Each of these represents an element.

Each suit has meaning regarding a specific approach to life. The cards within these suits are numbered one through 10 and also include the court cards – the king, queen, knight and page (knave). The Minor Arcana cards represent the more minor, practical daily ups and downs in life.

The Major Arcana are not associated with the suits. They include the picture cards that represent principles, concepts and ideals. They are numbered one through 21, with the 22nd card (the “Fool”) marked as zero. The Major Arcana cards represent strong, long-term energy or big events in some area of life.

Minor Arcana and the Four Suits

As I stated before, each of the Suits represents an element. Let’s talk about each one and break down what they mean, as well as the cards within them. Then we’ll move on to the Major Arcana!

When it comes to the different cards, there are negatives and positives. When a card is upside-down, the term being “reversed”, then it represents negative attributes of that card. When it’s upright then it represents positive attributes.

For myself, I don’t read reverse cards. I base it on my intuition. I’ll explain how your intuition is used with tarot later on in this post.

Suit of Pentacles

🌱Also known as Coins, Disks, or Circles.

🌱Represents the element Earth.

🌱Covers material aspects of life including work, business, trade, property, money and other material possessions.

🌱 Pentacles deal with the physical or external level of consciousness and thus mirror the outer situations of your health, finances, work, and creativity. They have to do with what we make of our outer surroundings – how we create it, shape it, transform it and grow it.

🌱 On a more esoteric level, Pentacles are associated with the ego, self-esteem and self-image.

🌱 The positive aspects of the Suit of Pentacles include manifestation, realization, proof and prosperity.

🌱 The negative aspects of the Suit of Pentacles (i.e. when the Pentacles cards appear reversed) include being possessive, greedy and overly materialistic, over-indulging and not exercising, not effectively managing one’s finances, and being overly focused on career to the detriment of other life priorities.

Often what is required to counteract these negative aspects is a return to nature to ground oneself and rediscover what is truly important. In addition, there may be blockages in being able to manifest ideas and plans resulting in a lack of success. Better goal-setting and planning is required.

🌱 When referring to timing in a Tarot reading, the Suit of Pentacles traditionally represents Winter or years.

🌱 In a deck of playing cards, Pentacles corresponds to Diamonds.

🌱 Court Cards // 1 - 10 🌱

King of Pentacles:

Upright - Security, control, power, discipline, abundance

Reversed - Authoritative, domineering, controlling

Queen of Pentacles:

Upright - Practical, homely, motherly, down-to-earth, security

Reversed - Imbalance in work/ family commitments

Knight of Pentacles:

Upright - Efficiency, routine, conservatism, methodical

Reversed - Laziness, boredom, feeling ‘stuck’

Knave/Page of Pentacles:

Upright - Manifestation, financial opportunity, new job

Reversed - Lack of progress and planning, short-term focus

10 of Pentacles:

Upright - Wealth, inheritance, family, establishment, retirement

Reversed - Financial failure, loneliness, loss

9 of Pentacles:

Upright - Gratitude, luxury, self-sufficiency, culmination

Reversed - Over-investment in work, financial setbacks

8 of Pentacles:

Upright - Apprenticeship, education, quality, engagement

Reversed - Perfectionism, lacking ambition or focus

7 of Pentacles:

Upright - Vision, perseverance, profit, reward, investment

Reversed - Lack of long-term vision, limited success or reward

6 of Pentacles:

Upright - Generosity, charity, giving, prosperity, sharing wealth

Reversed - Debt, selfishness, one-sided charity

5 of Pentacles:

Upright - Isolation, insecurity, worry, financial loss, poverty

Reversed - Recovery from financial loss, spiritual poverty

4 of Pentacles:

Upright - Control, stability, security, possession, conservatism

Reversed - Greed, materialism, self-protection

3 of Pentacles:

Upright - Teamwork, initial fulfilment, collaboration, learning

Reversed - Lack of teamwork, disregard for skills

2 of Pentacles:

Upright - Balance, adaptability, time management, prioritisation

Reversed - Disorganisation, financial disarray

Ace of Pentacles:

Upright - Manifestation, new financial opportunity, prosperity

Reversed - Lost opportunity, lack of planning and foresight

Suit of Swords

🌫️ Represents the element Air.

🌫️ Associated with action, change, force, power, oppression, ambition, courage and conflict.

🌫️ Action can be both constructive and/or destructive, sometimes resulting in violence.  This suit can also mean hatred, battle, and enemies, and of all the suits, this one is considered to be the most powerful and dangerous. 

🌫️ The Suit of Swords deals with the mental level of consciousness that is centred around the mind and the intellect. Swords mirror the quality of mind present in your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs.

🌫️ Swords themselves are double-edged and in this way the Suit of Swords symbolises the fine balance between intellect and power and how these two elements can be used for good or evil. As such, the Swords must be balanced by spirit (Wands) and feeling (Cups).

🌫️ The negative aspects of the Suit of Swords (i.e. when the Swords cards appear reversed) include anger, guilt, harsh judgement, a lack of compassion and verbal and mental abuse.

🌫️ When referring to timing in a Tarot reading, the Suit of Swords traditionally represents Autumn (Fall), or months.

🌫️ In a deck of playing cards, Swords corresponds to Spades.

🌫️ Court Cards // 1 - 10  🌫️

King of Swords:

Upright: Clear thinking, intellectual power, authority, truth

Reversed: Manipulative, tyrannical, abusive

Queen of Swords:

Upright: Quick thinker, organised, perceptive, independent

Reversed: Overly-emotional, bitchy, cold-hearted

Knight of Swords:

Upright: Opinionated, hasty, action-oriented, communicative

Reversed: Scattered thought, disregard for consequences

Knave/Page of Swords:

Upright: Talkative, curious, mentally restless, energetic

Reversed: All talk and no action, haste, undelivered promises

10 of Swords:

Upright: Back-stabbed, defeat, crisis, betrayal, endings, loss

Reversed: Recovery, regeneration, fear of ruin, inevitable end

9 of Swords:

Upright: Depression, nightmares, intense anxiety, despair

Reversed: Hopelessness, severe depression, torment

8 of Swords:

Upright: Isolation, self-imposed restriction, imprisonment

Reversed: Open to new perspectives, release

7 of Swords:

Upright: Betrayal, deception, getting away with something, stealth

Reversed: Mental challenges, breaking free

6 of Swords:

Upright: Regretful but necessary transition, rite of passage

Reversed: Cannot move on, carrying baggage

5 of Swords:

Upright: Conflict, tension, loss, defeat, win at all costs, betrayal

Reversed: Open to change, past resentment

4 of Swords:

Upright: Contemplation, recuperation, passivity, relaxation, rest

Reversed: Restlessness, burn-out, lack of progress

3 of Swords:

Upright: Painful separation, sorrow heartbreak, grief, rejection

Reversed: Releasing pain, optimism, forgiveness

2 of Swords:

Upright: Indecision, choices, truce, stalemate, blocked emotions

Reversed: Indecision, confusion, information overload

Ace of Swords:

Upright: Raw power, victory, break-throughs, mental clarity

Reversed: Confusion, chaos, lack of clarity

Suit of Wands

🔥 Represents the element Fire.

🔥 Associated with primal energy, spirituality, inspiration, determination, strength, intuition, creativity, ambition and expansion, original thought and the seeds through which life springs forth.

🔥 Wands deal with the spiritual level of consciousness and mirror what is important to you at the core of your being. 

🔥 They address what makes us tick – our personalities, egos, enthusiasms, self-concepts, and personal energy, both internal and external.

🔥 Wands are also indicative of all things that you do during the day to keep you busy, be it working at the office, home or the great outdoors. 

🔥 Wands have to do with movement, action and initiatives and the launching of new ideas. 

🔥 They may be indicative of a never-ending ‘Ideas List’ or ‘To Do List’, whereby the client has many projects on the go to keep them busy.

🔥 When referring to timing in a Tarot reading, the Suit of Wands traditionally represents Spring or weeks.

🔥 In a deck of playing cards, Wands corresponds to Clubs.

🔥 Court Cards // 1 - 10  🔥

King of Wands:

Upright: Natural-born leader, vision, entrepreneur, honour

Reversed: Impulsiveness, haste, ruthless, high expectations

Queen of Wands:

Upright: Exuberance, warmth, vibrancy, determination

Reversed: Shrinking violet, aggressive, demanding

Knight of Wands:

Upright: Energy, passion, lust, action, adventure, impulsiveness

Reversed: Haste, scattered energy, delays, frustration

Knave/Page of Wands:

Upright: Enthusiasm, exploration, discovery, free spirit

Reversed: Setbacks to new ideas, pessimism, lack of direction

10 of Wands:

Upright: Burden, responsibility, hard work, stress, achievement

Reversed: Taking on too much, avoiding responsibility

9 of Wands:

Upright: Courage, persistence, test of faith, resilience

Reversed: On edge, defensive, hesitant, paranoia

8 of Wands:

Upright: Speed, action, air travel, movement, swift change

Reversed: Delays, frustration, holding off

7 of Wands:

Upright: Challenge, competition, perseverance

Reversed: Giving up, overwhelmed, overly protective

6 of Wands:

Upright: Public recognition, victory, progress, self-confidence

Reversed: Egotism, disrepute, lack of confidence, fall from grace

5 of Wands:

Upright: Disagreement, competition, strife, tension, conflict

Reversed: Conflict avoidance, increased focus on goals

4 of Wands:

Upright: Celebration, harmony, marriage, home, community

Reversed: Breakdown in communication, transition

3 of Wands:

Upright: Preparation, foresight, enterprise, expansion

Reversed: Lack of foresight, delays, obstacles to long-term goals

2 of Wands:

Upright: Future planning, progress, decisions, discovery

Reversed: Fear of unknown, lack of planning

Ace of Wands:

Upright: Inspiration, power, creation, beginnings, potential

Reversed: Delays, lack of motivation, weighed down

Suit of Cups

🌊 Represents the element Water.

🌊 Also known as Chalices.

🌊 Deals with the emotional level of consciousness and are associated with love, feelings, relationships and connections.

🌊 Cups are about displays of emotion, expression of feelings and the role of emotions in relation to others.

🌊 The Cups Tarot cards indicate that you are thinking with your heart rather than your head, and thus reflect your spontaneous responses and your habitual reactions to situations.

🌊 Cups are also linked to creativity, romanticism, fantasy and imagination.

🌊 The negative aspects of the Suit of Cups (i.e. when the Cups cards appear reversed) include being overly emotional or completely disengaged and dispassionate, having unrealistic expectations and fantasizing about what could be. 

There may be repressed emotions, an inability to truly express oneself and a lack of creativity.

🌊 The Suit of Cups traditionally represents the west and Summer. If using an ordinary deck of playing cards,

🌊 Cups are represented by the Suit of Hearts.

🌊 Court Cards // 1 - 10  🌊

King of Chalices:

Upright: Emotional balance and control, generosity

Reversed: Emotional manipulation, moodiness, volatility

Queen of Chalices:

Upright: Emotional security, calm, intuitive, compassionate

Reversed: Emotional insecurity, co-dependency

Knight of Chalices:

Upright: Romance, charm, ‘Knight in shining armour’, imagination

Reversed: Unrealistic, jealousy, moodiness

Knave/Page of Chalices:

Upright: A messenger, creative beginnings, synchronicity

Reversed: Emotional immaturity, creative block

10 of Chalices:

Upright: Harmony, marriage, happiness, alignment

Reversed: Misalignment of values, broken home or marriage

9 of Chalices:

Upright: Wishes fulfilled, comfort, happiness, satisfaction

Reversed: Greed, dissatisfaction, materialism

8 of Chalices:

Upright: Escapism, disappointment, abandonment, withdrawal

Reversed: Hopelessness, aimless drifting, walking away

7 of Chalices:

Upright: Fantasy, illusion, wishful thinking, choices, imagination

Reversed: Temptation, illusion, diversionary tactics

6 of Chalices:

Upright: Reunion, nostalgia, childhood memories, innocence

Reversed: Stuck in the past, naivety, unrealistic

5 of Chalices:

Upright: Loss, regret, disappointment, despair, bereavement

Reversed: Moving on, acceptance, forgiveness

4 of Chalices:

Upright: Meditation, contemplation, apathy, re-evaluation

Reversed: Boredom, missed opportunity, being aloof

3 of Chalices:

Upright: Celebration, friendship, creativity, community

Reversed: An affair, “three’s a crowd”, stifled creativity

2 of Chalices:

Upright: Unified love, partnership, attraction, relationships

Reversed: Break-up, imbalance in a relationship, lack of harmony

Ace of Chalices:

Upright: Love, compassion, creativity, overwhelming emotion

Reversed: Blocked or repressed emotions

🔮 - If a Tarot reading is predominantly made up of the Minor Arcana Tarot cards, you are dealing with day-to-day issues which will not necessarily having a lasting influence on your life. 

These issues are passing through, presenting you with an opportunity to learn from these experiences (look to any Major Arcana cards to identify and understand these lessons and how they may impact your life in the long-term).

Major Arcana

The Major Arcana Tarot cards (also known as the trump cards) form the foundation of the Tarot deck and consists of twenty-one numbered cards and one unnumbered card (the Fool).

They represent a path to spiritual self-awareness and depict the various stages we encounter as we search for greater meaning and understanding. In this way, they hold deeply meaningful lessons.

The Major Arcana Tarot card meanings illustrate the structure of human consciousness and, as such, hold the keys to life lessons passed down through the ages. The imagery of the Major Arcana Tarot cards is filled with wisdom from multiple cultures and esoteric traditions, including the Egyptian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sufi, Hebrew and Christian religions.

The Cards

0 // The Fool -

Upright: Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit

Reversed: Naivety, foolishness, recklessness, risk-taking

I // The Magician -

Upright: Power, skill, concentration, action, resourcefulness

Reversed: Manipulation, poor planning, latent talents

II // High Priestess -

Upright: Intuition, Higher powers, mystery, subconscious mind

Reversed: Hidden agendas, need to listen to inner voice

III // The Empress -

Upright: Fertility, femininity, beauty, nature, abundance

Reversed: Creative block, dependence on others

IV // The Emperor -

Upright: Authority, father-figure, structure, solid foundation

Reversed: Domination, excessive control, rigidity, inflexibility

V // Hierophant -

Upright: Religion, group identification, conformity, tradition, beliefs

Reversed: Restriction, challenging the status quo

VI // Lovers -

Upright: Love, union, relationships, values alignment, choices

Reversed: Disharmony, imbalance, misalignment of values

VII // Chariot -

Upright: Control, will power, victory, assertion, determination

Reversed: Lack of control and direction, aggression

VIII // Strength -

Upright: Strength, courage, patience, control, compassion

Reversed: Weakness, self-doubt, lack of self-discipline

IX // Hermit -

Upright: Soul-searching, introspection, being alone, inner guidance

Reversed: Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal

X // Wheel of Fortune -

Upright: Good luck, karma, life cycles, destiny, a turning point

Reversed: Bad luck, negative external forces, out of control

XI // Justice -

Upright: Justice, fairness, truth, cause and effect, law

Reversed: Unfairness, lack of accountability, dishonesty

XII // Hanged Man -

Upright: Suspension, restriction, letting go, sacrifice

Reversed: Martyrdom, indecision, delay

XIII // Death -

Upright: Endings, beginnings, change, transformation, transition

Reversed: Resistance to change, unable to move on

XIV // Temperance -

Upright: Balance, moderation, patience, purpose, meaning

Reversed: Imbalance, excess, lack of long-term vision

XV // Devil -

Upright: Bondage, addiction, sexuality, materialism

Reversed: Detachment, breaking free, power reclaimed

XVI // Tower-

Upright: Disaster, upheaval, sudden change, revelation

Reversed: Avoidance of disaster, fear of change

XVII // Star -

Upright: Hope, spirituality, renewal, inspiration, serenity

Reversed: Lack of faith, despair, discouragement

XVIII // Moon -

Upright: Illusion, fear, anxiety, insecurity, subconscious

Reversed: Release of fear, unhappiness, confusion

XIX // Sun -

Upright: Fun, warmth, success, positivity, vitality

Reversed: Temporary depression, lack of success

XX // Judgement -

Upright: Judgement, rebirth, inner calling, absolution

Reversed: Self-doubt, refusal of self-examination

XXI // World -

Upright: Completion, integration, accomplishment, travel

Reversed: Lack of completion, lack of closure

Tarot Spreads

Now that we’ve talked about the Minor and Major Arcanas, let’s talk about Tarot spreads! Before any Tarot reader does a reading, they shuffle their cards. This allows them to transfer their energy into the deck.

Once the cards are shuffled and the deck has been cut, the reader lays out the cards in a pattern called the spread. Each position in the spread has a meaning, and there are many different types of spreads, ranging from those that incorporate a single card to spreads that include all 78 cards of the deck. Which spread is used is up to the reader and the specific type of question or reading. Some spreads focus more on a specific type of information. For example, one spread might focus more on emotional matters, while another might bring in more information about the influences of others. One of the most common spreads is the Celtic Cross.

Interpreting the Spread:

Once the cards are laid out, their meanings are interpreted based on their positions and their neighboring cards. Let’s look at the Celtic Cross spread:

Begin by looking at the Circle/Cross section. The cards in this position represent what is happening in your life at the time of the reading.

Next, look at the first six cards in pairs. These cards paint a picture of your immediate situation. The cards in position 1 (the central issue) and position 2 (the secondary issue that can either be opposing or reinforcing) will identify the central theme of the reading. The cards in position 3 (the root cause that can be an unconscious influence or deeper meaning) and position 5 (your attitudes and beliefs, a conscious influence, your goal or an alternate future) represent things that are going on within you at different levels. And, the cards in position 4 (your past, a receding influence or something that has been resolved) and position 6 (the future or an approaching influence or unresolved factor) represent how people and events are flowing through your life.

Next, look at the Staff section of the spread, again considering cards in pairs. Looking at the cards in position 7 (as you are, as you could be, as you present yourself and as you see yourself) and position 8 (your outside environment, someone else’s point of view and you as others see you) tells you about your relationship with your environment.

Finally, look at the card in position 10 (the outcome-overall, your inner state, your actions or effects) to see the projected outcome.

Ask yourself how you feel about the projected outcome. What does it say to you?

Go back and review the cards that led up to that outcome, and see if there is a card that stands out as they key to that outcome. Then, look back at card 5 to see if the projected outcome is also shown as an alternate outcome there. Look at the card representing the near future in position 6 to see if it supports or contributes to the projected outcome. Finally, look at the card in position 9 (guidance, key factors, hopes and fears or overlooked factors) to see there is any relevance there.

This is one of many different spreads. You can even make your own spreads! Ultimately, start small and learn as you go. Spreads are very easy once you get the hang of it.

Intuition

Last but certainly not least, we’re going to talk about Intuition!

What is intuition?  A thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.

When it comes to Tarot cards, and giving out readings or doing one for yourself, intuition is key. Witchcraft in general involves intuition 9 times out of 10! For example, when I do my readings for people, I don’t just go by what the cards mean. I trust my intuition about what it means, with my gut feeling. If I feel it’s something to do with family, I go with it. If it has something to do with an important event coming up in the future, I trust it.

You may not get it down right away, and that’s perfectly okay! It’ll take some time to get it down pat. Just don’t forget to listen to your gut!

There you go! I hope this Master Post helps you guys learn a little more about Tarot. I’ll be posting another one later for in-depth descriptions of all the cards!

Brightest blessings!

[🔮] all-things-witchcraft [🔮]

[vex-bittys]

No Lips to Seal: An Underfell Story

Contains: SFW, no content warnings

Some say that it is violence shrouding Underfell in darkness; others say it is secrets, buried more deeply even than the monsters in their underground prison of earth, stone, and ancient magic. In this world it’s kill or be killed, and the best way to survive is to keep a whole deck of aces up your sleeve. This isn’t a story about having aces in spades, however. This is the story of a joker and a knave.

Sans had worried about Papyrus’ future from the moment the babybones had tumbled out of his incubation tube and bitten him on the ankle. Such ferocity boded well for Papyrus’ future, or it would have if Sans didn’t know his little brother at all. Despite his savage antics, Papyrus had a caring and merciful soul, and in Underfell, that made him just as big of a target as his older brother.

Sans possessed only a single hit point. This, combined with his equally singular attack and defense, meant easy experience for any monster who didn’t know better. Dragging a babybones along in his foraging made it a two-for-one deal. How Sans managed to survive the frequent attacks remained the Underground’s best kept secret. Sans did have a stat a bit higher than the loneliest number, a stat that couldn’t be viewed by Checking him: his LV. In this world, Sans wasn’t about to allow himself or his brother to be killed.

Sans honed his skills, practicing dodging and overwhelming opponents with a barrage of attacks. He perfected blue magic, developed elaborate bone attacks, and even had one of his teeth capped in gold to give the illusion of toughness. Eventually, he and his younger brother had settled in Snowdin.

The small town of Snowdin lacked the dense population of the capitol. The few residents who fought for experienced simply weren’t interested in the meager pickings from a puny skeleton monster and his babybones brother. The local guards were willing to overlook Sans and Papyrus entirely as long as Sans periodically threw them a literal bone. In the Fell, you accepted peace and safety for as long as you could hold onto it, but nothing lasts forever.

As Papyrus matured, it became painfully obvious that he would be the opposite of his older brother in every way. His tall, lanky stature made his brother look even more stout, and his penchant for high-heeled boots only accentuated the difference further. Papyrus lacked Sans’ single-minded disregard for any lives but theirs; his soul burned with empathy. His mind sought to see the good in others, a pursuit that Sans had long since given up on.

The most important difference, the one thing that changed everything, involved Papyrus’ stats. Everyone who knew the gold-toothed skeleton assumed that his younger brother would have similarly sub-par attack, defense, and hit points. Even Sans hadn’t expected Papyrus to blossom into such a powerful monster. Unfortunately, a well-endowed monster represented a life-changing wealth of experience, and that meant Sans and his brother were no longer safe in Snowdin.

It happened on a sunny afternoon, not that the sun ever really penetrated the thick canopy of trees where Papyrus practiced magic attacks with Sans and occasionally designed elaborate puzzles. That afternoon, Papyrus bounced excitedly as he eagerly showed Sans the system of spikes and pressure pads he’d set up. He was explaining the solution to Sans, who, though quite clever, feigned bafflement to please his brother when the dog monster attacked.

Doggo, a Guardsdog and regular at Grillby’s, landed only a single blow, claws tearing deeply into bone over Papyrus’ left eye. He didn’t get a chance to press the attack against the shocked teenager; Sans moved like lightning, pinning the mongrel to a nearby tree with a bone attack before summoning a pair of dragon-skull Gaster Blasters to end his worthless life. The Blasters opened their mouths in unison, jaws unhinging as they gathered energy.

Ping!

Papyrus had only perfected one bit of battle magic, and he used it now to turn his own brother’s soul blue. The dragon skulls froze in stasis, magic swirling in their gaping, unmoving maws. Doggo, sensing a reprieve, struggled against the bone that had punctured his shoulder and held him to the tree. Sans’ attacks were efficient and accurate- they had to be- and left his opponent with no chance for escape. Red snarled, fighting his brother’s magical immobilization

.“Papyrus!” he snapped.

“Sans, I’m sorry. Please don’t kill him. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson!” Papyrus pleaded for Doggo’s life even as he clutched his damaged socket, blood seeping between his fingers. Doggo nodded his enthusiastic agreement to Papyrus’ statement.

“Fine, just let go of my soul, Papyrus.” Sans’ red eyelights never left Doggo’s claws, dripping his brother’s blood onto the previously pristine snow.

“Promise me, Sans,” pressed the lanky skeleton. He knew his brother too well.

“I promise not to kill him,” growled Sans. As soon Papyrus released his soul, one of the Gaster Blasters dissipated with a whoosh. The other Blaster, however, spewed a beam of concentrated energy squarely into Doggo’s eyes.

“Sans!” Papyrus shouted in reproach as Sans dismissed his bone attack. Doggo collapsed at the base of the tree, clutching his face and howling in agony. Sans was already walking away, discarding the would-be murderer like so much human anime.

“C’mon Paps. I need to take a look at those scratches. The mangy bastard will live.” He added the word probably under his breath. Sans truly didn’t care either way, but his younger brother would be traumatized if he saw his assailant die.

Subdued, Papyrus followed Sans home. After inspecting the wound, Sans reassured his brother that his eyesight would be unaffected, but he would have a pretty intimidating scar over much of the left side of face. Sans had little hope that the scarring would discourage future attacks; the potential experience from a powerful monster was worth the risk to many who were trying to get ahead in the Fell. How long could Sans keep his brother safe? How long before he lost the only thing that mattered to him?

That night over a hot dinner of Papyrus’ lasagna and chilly silence, Sans concocted his most ambitious plan ever, a plan to construct a facade that would encompass their entire lives. Their new fabricated identities would be their armor against a dangerous world. Maybe the illusion of kill or be killed would suffice.

Sans set his plan in motion the next day while Papyrus stayed home to recuperate from his injuries. The first step? Approaching the Captain of the Royal Guard, Undyne, and convincing the savage fish monster to accept Papyrus into the Guard without testing him. Despite his high stats, Papyrus had failed to master even basic battle magic; turning a soul blue had been his one and only success.

The moment Sans stepped forward to speak to Undyne, he could feel her Checking him. The Captain had the audacity to laugh raucously at his meager stats before she outright insulted him.

“Whaddaya want, weakling?” she snapped, her one good eye constantly roving the ranks of the Guard. They feared her enough to behave, even behind her back. That’s why none of them even dared to gasp in shock when Sans challenged her to a fight.

She choked on laughter, doubled over, barely able to squawk a disbelieving “What?” before Sans continued, unfazed, tone icy.

“My brother wants to be Captain of the Royal Guard in Snowdin. He’s tired of the mutts running amok or lazing about, but he’s not interested in serving under a commander who’s all reputation and no substance. He wants me to see if you’re worth his time.”

Undyne glared daggers at the diminutive skeleton monster. “I guess your brother wants to be an only child.” On the last words, she lunged at Sans, summoning her spear in mid air and thrusting where Sans’ body had been a mere moment earlier. Undyne followed each of his movements with a stab of her weapon, trying and failing to anticipate his next dodge.

Screeching with frustration, the Captain of the Royal Guard increased her speed and redoubled her efforts to impale the puny being that mocked her. After a particularly skillful dodge, Sans summoned a pair of bones, driving them into the ground in a cross shape and trapping the pole arm beneath them. With a smug grin, he materialized a pair of Gaster Blasters. They awaited the command to gather magic, but Sans hoped that his performance had been adequate to satisfy Undyne.

Undyne glared. How had this miserable single hit point monster bested her? “You’re not bad, shrimp. Bring you brother to me tomorrow. I’d like to meet the monster cold enough to risk his brother for a Royal Guard position.”

Sans nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He’d exhausted every bit of energy within him for this victory; he couldn’t spoil it by fainting. No, he teleported home to do that, crashing face down on the bed into deep unconsciousness. He’d survived. He’d succeeded. Now he just had to get Papyrus to agree to his grand scheme. Later though. Now, he needed a nap.

“Are you sure this will work, Sans?” Papyrus asked for the umpteenth time that day, pawing nervously at the outfit Sans had designed for him. His brother had insisted he wear his favorite red boots, but the rest of the clothes were atrocious. A tattered shirt with armored shoulder pads left his spine exposed, and the low slung leather pants held up by the gaudy silver skull belt buckle didn’t even cover the crests of his hipbones. He thought the gloves and tattered scarf/cape looked just plain ridiculous. He didn’t want the other monsters to make fun of him!

When they arrived at the castle, the entire Royal Guard stood at attention to greet them. Those who had not been present for yesterday’s battle had been filled in by their fellow Guards, and by the time the story had fully circulated, it was well embellished. No one dared to mock the tall skeleton, imposing in his black and red attire, for fear of swift and fatal retribution.

Undyne strode haughtily forward to face the newcomer, and the heels of his boots lent Papyrus just enough height to be taller than her. Sans kept his face impassive, staying behind Papyrus at all times, giving the impression of a servile attitude. 

“So you’re the great and terrible Papyrus?” Undyne’s voice held a mocking undertone, meant to challenge the tall skeleton with his angular features and gruesome scar.

“Obviously,” Papyrus shot back coolly. Just like they’d practiced.

“And what exactly do you propose to do as Captain of Snowdin’s Guards?” Undyne disliked the cold immensely and without her heavy-handed guidance, the dogs of the Guard had become something of a running joke.

“Patrol for humans and set puzzles and traps to befuddle and capture them. And no more rowdy parties, chugging junk food at that disgusting bar!” Papyrus improvised in the disdainful growl that he and Sans had agreed on. Sans would’ve patted his brother’s back, but that would break character.

“What makes you think there will ever be a human in Snowdin?” Much of Undyne’s reputation centered around her capture of a fallen human.

“What makes you think there won’t be?” 

Silence fell in the wake of the insubordinate answer. Undyne’s booming laughter shattered it. She clapped a firm hand on Papyrus’ shoulder. “The position is yours!”

They’d done it!

Undyne’s sarcastic moniker stuck, and stories of the Great and Terrible Papyrus spread like wildfire, with a bit of help from some well-placed lies, courtesy of Sans. The new Captain appointed his weak, servile brother as a sentry, and rumor had it that he had done so to keep the smaller skeleton under his thumb. Doggo thanked his lucky stars that Papyrus had allowed Sans to punish him. His eyesight never fully recovered, but Doggo somehow convinced himself that Papyrus had intended to kill him when Sans intervened.

The ruse worked like a charm. For his part, Sans referred to his little brother as Boss and even wore a spiked red collar he’d found at the dump, pretending Papyrus had given it to him. The Great and Terrible Papyrus spent much of his time building traps and recalibrating his puzzles in the dense Snowdin forests. Nobody bothered him, fearing his wrath. Papyrus had an imperious nature and a scathing tongue, and no monster dared rile him enough to risk an attack.

As for Sans, nobody bothered him either. His laughable stats and his brother’s protection weren’t worth the measly experience or waste of time killing him. When they retired to their home at night, whispers ensued about what they must be up to behind the locked doors and blacked out windows. 

Nobody could ever have guessed that the Great and Terrible Papyrus made lasagna for his brother most nights. They’d watch the latest MTT TV specials, and then Papyrus would don his bunny pajamas and Sans would read him Fluffy Bunny stories until he dozed off in his racecar bed.The skeleton brothers of Snowdin became Underfell’s best kept secret. 

The pair had found a way to avoid killing or being killed. Most importantly, every night when Papyrus fell asleep, Sans would Check his stats. They remained the same, impressively high, except for one- the statistic that couldn’t be checked, Papyrus’ LV. It mirrored Sans’ own stats.

One.

INDEX