#originally the tarot deck was just a regular deck of cards made for playing games. it was never intended for divination

[rithmeres]

Your conflicted feelings on tarot cards are so relatable😭😭😭. Like yes, I was raised to not mess with them and iffy about occult things in general, but the symbolismmmm

me and my mutuals hunting down the devil to beat the snot out of him and reclaim archetypal symbolism for the christians 

#the major arcana is full to bursting of the richest most dense symbolism known to man and i go nuts for that stuff #AND YET i cannot enjoy it with a clean conscience why must the devil poison all things #originally the tarot deck was just a regular deck of cards made for playing games. it was never intended for divination #but nowadays that's all it's used for and you really cant do anything to remove it from that context

[totesmgoats01-published-author]

Can I request a picture of your tarot decks instead of a reading? You made me very curious! (I have one deck but I have not been using it in the past year, it's too pretty not to use it T_T) (alternatively: you can do a reading whether or not you should take a picture of said decks XD)

You just said the secret phrase to make me GO OFF so buckle up we're in for a long post.

So first here's my lineup. You may notice the the image quality is terrible. That's tumblr's fault. My phone naturally takes pictures in a resolution too high for most programs to upload without having to compress the images. But alas...

The first deck in my lineup is the Tiny Tarot. I got this deck most recently last christmas as a little treat for me. It's real cute and comes with a chain you can hook onto a keyring for maximum portability. Though when it really comes down to it, this little box is still kinda too big to go on a keyring naturally. Most keychain type things are usually more flat and less obtrusive, but that won't stop me. I just think it's neat. The art on the cards is your very typical Rider-Waite style. If you've been into tarot for a while you'll inevitably know the look. I don't have a problem with it but I really prefer much more unique styles. I feel like there shouldn't ever be on "correct" depiction of tarot art, and Rider-Waite taking that role passively gets on my nerves a little. It feels a little...hegemonized.

Though I have to admit that I haven't used it for many proper readings at all, but the few that I have used it for have been plenty enlightening. Shuffling the deck, however, proves to be a real struggle. The cards are made of a regular paper/cardstock material, but their size makes it impossible to shuffle the regular way (riffle shuffle) and you have to a very inconvenient pushing them around a table (washing-machine style shuffle) which normally I'd say wouldn't be so bad, but they slide around very easily (typically this is a very good thing) and because they're so small it can be easy to lose track of them if you don't keep your eyes peeled. Then you need to bring them all back together into one stack, which takes some time to do since it's a thick deck.

Despite their inconveniences I still love them. Especially the vibrant colors.

Next, Psycards! I LOVE this deck. It's not your typical tarot deck by any means. There's no major/minor arcana, just a set of 30 or so cards with unique imagery and text. These I bought secondhand at a bookstore some time ago, as such they came with no guiding booklet or case of any sort (when I bought them they were bound by a rubber band and that's all, but I've since given them a home in a mesh bag).

Now when it comes to reading with this deck it tends to be very direct, as you might be able to tell by cards with very direct answers, like the "yes" "no" "now" and "never" cards. There's not much pussyfooting around with symbolism and such like I sometimes see in my other decks (not that I don't like the theatrics and flowery language). They're also incredibly cheeky. There have been plenty of "ask stupid questions, get stupid answers" readings with this deck. It can be a real "smack some sense into you" moment, which we all need sometimes.

This next deck I bought at a metaphysical store while visiting family, and I choose it specifically for its size. They're playing card sized as opposed to the typically large and elongated style. They also have the index in the corners much like playing cards, and that's another trait I was hoping for. A lot of people don't know this but Tarot was originally a french card game, and as a playing card collector and somewhat of a card game enthusiast I wanted a deck that I could use to play tarot with. Though I also use this deck for reading, it's the only one I regularly use to play because of the aforementioned traits. They're a nice portable deck and come with a sturdy cardboard case to match, so I can use them for gaming or readings on the go, and the cards don't take up too much space on the table, which makes them nice for readings on my desk (which is always cluttered with whatever project I'm doing next).

The art is once again the Rider-Waite designs, with some variations from my other Waite deck (mostly some small details about the colors and such). The material of the cards is really nice! I think it's a cardstock paper with a plastic coating, which makes it nice and easy to shuffle, and they can slide over and round each other with ease.

Now this next deck was the very first one that I ever got. The Aquarian Tarot deck. I got this deck from my grandma circa 2016 along with its guide pamphlet and carboard case (which has traveled with me so much that it's now being held together by scotch tape).

To me this is the "ol' reliable" deck. I used this as I learned how to read and use tarot cards, discovering their meanings along the way. I have a special place in my heart for the art on these cards. I especially like their use of color in the swords suit and the designs of the major arcana. Actually, speaking of the colors on the swords suit, there's actually one extra special card in this deck which I hadn't realized until so many years of using it!

The three of swords is misprinted!

I never even realized for so long. One or twice someone had mentioned how the card looked "trippy" and I never paid it much mind until recently when I saw that along the top and bottom the borders meant to surround the image are doubled! And if you look closely you can see that they're in slightly different colors, one in a kind of green and the other a purple-blue, which I suppose when overlapped is meant to become the black border. But as a result of this the whole image is slightly doubled and offset from itself (does that make it a nine of sword then?). It makes me wonder about the process of printing these cards. Did anyone notice or did it slip past quality-testing? I don't know how my grandma came to own it, but I'm glad she gave it to me.

Now enough digression onto the next deck: The Golden Thread.

This deck is very much contemporary. Manufactured by a company called Labrynthos, they sell all sorts of metaphysical tools (and they have a companion app to go along with this deck). I was highly drawn in by the very unique art style on these. A sort of minimalist, shining gold-on-black design.

The cards are made entirely of thin plastic, which means they're SO easy to shuffle! You can bend the whole deck in a riffle-shuffle with ease, which is harder with a stiff cardstock. Plus it makes them impossible to crease or tear (I'm VERY protective over my cards and try my absolute best to prevent creases whenever possible). You can spill a glass of water on them and they'll be just fine.

Whellp! That's my tarot cards! Honestly I could go on and on about all the other stuff I've got. Runes, a pendulum, palmistry guides, even playing cards (though I don't use those for divination, that's much more recreational). Thanks for sticking around to the end of the long post and being interested in little ol' me!

#answer #nyarisu #tarot #tarot cards #show and tell #showcase #divination #collection #sorry again about the low image quality #tumblr just hates me I guess #but what else is new #that's just how tumblr always is

[thewonderstruckwitch]

An Intro into Tarot Reading

Hello witches! Today I thought I’d share some of my knowledge on tarot reading!

What are tarot cards?

Tarot cards are cards with ornate pictures that symbolize every human emotion and experience. They usually have 78 cards, 22 of them being in the Major Arcana and 56 being the Minor Arcana. They can either be bought or hand drawn, though hand drawing tarot cards can take a lot of effort and time.

A Slice of History

Some of the oldest tarot cards were made during the 1400s by the Visconti family of Milan. The 3 decks called the Visconti Trumps are know as the start of modern-day tarot cards. Tarot cards were originally a playing game and, to get tarot cards, they had to commission artists to make them, making them to get as a commoner.

Rider-Waite Tarot Deck

Eventually, by the 18th century, people started to give them meanings. One notable example is when Jean-Baptiste Alliette published their meaning for tarot cards in 1770. In the 20th century, Arthur Edward Waite commissioned Pamela Coleman Smith to create the modern Rider-Waite Tarot Deck which is the most popular and most famous tarot deck today.

How do I pick which tarot card set to use?

Personally, I would say to pick the one that most resonates with you. This’ll especially help once you get to start reading cards. One of the most famous set of tarot cards are the Rider-Waite Tarot Cards which is usually recommended to beginners, but this tarot deck can sometimes be hard to decipher.

The Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle

Another good deck I’d suggest is the Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle. It’s similar to the Rider-Waite deck but has a lot of modern spins to it.

How I Read Tarot Cards:

First, I try to meditate to make sure I have a clear mind when I start reading. I also make sure to ground myself. It can be hard sometimes to do readings if I don’t do this first because reading can really drain my energy.

Second, I pick what spread I want to do. A spread is a way of reading tarot cards. Each tarot card in a spread represents something specific. I usually pick one depending on what type of question I have. For a reflection on my day, I just use a one card spread, but if it’s a more complex question like, “am I in the right relationship?” then I would use the Celtic Cross spread, which has 10 cards, or something like it.

Third, I say my question into my card and start shuffling. I personally like to let the cards “jump” out of the deck but, if I’m in a rush, then I’ll take the top card from the deck. I think letting the cards jump out is better because it really makes sure you pick a card with an authentic answer rather than trying to get the answer you want. The big con though is it can be a bit hard to tell whether it really jumped out of the deck on its own or if you’re being clumsy.

Forth, I lay my cards out in the spread I want and start to read them according to the spread. Everyone has their own ways of interpreting tarot cards and I suggest you find what’s best for you. If you don’t know where to start, I posted my method of reading tarot cards here.

Finally, once I’m done reading, I jot all my notes down in a tarot journal. A tarot journal doesn’t have to be fancy. It can just be a regular notebook or writing pad. In my journal, I list down all the cards in the spread and try to sum up what I’ve learned in my reading. Even if I wasn’t sure what the reading meant, I can go back on it later and reflect.

I hoped this help you guys start reading tarot cards! Have a blessed day!

Sources:

https://www.learnreligions.com/a-brief-history-of-tarot-2562770

https://www.salemtarot.com/tarothistory.html

#witchcraft #witchblr #witchy #witch #witch community #witchlings #witch tips #beginner witch #newbie witch #baby witch #occult #magick #pagan #tarot #tarot cards #tarot community #tarotblr #tarot beginner #tarot tips

[the-bonehoard]

Wyvern CCG

So my second article. Here we go! I know I said my next article would be about Ophidian’s gameplay, but in trying to learn to play I found I actually didn’t know anyone who liked card games enough to try their best to learn this one... Wyvern though. I have things to say about Wyvern.

Wyvern was a CCG initially released in 1995, designed by Mike Fitzgerald and published by US Games Systems Inc. Now I think its safe to say Mike Fitzgerald isn’t exactly a household name in the gaming community, but surprisingly he did work on other games after Wyvern. Most notably a couple games for WOTC and Dragon Hunt (more on that shortly). He also helped design the starter decks for the early Pokemon TCG, which when I found out about I was genuinely in awe a little bit. 

Allow me this small tangent, but this is someone who had a very small impact on all of our childhoods even if it was in an extremely minor way. A starter deck can really impact how you respond to a TCG, so this was obviously a really interesting job for someone to have and how he decided what cards to put in them is something I’d love to find out, or just generally how these things are decided and who actually designs these things.

Anyway, back to the article. US Games Systems Inc were largely a tarot and playing card publisher, and also a publisher of Wizard Trump cards (I’m guessing in the vein of Top Trumps, but I couldn’t tell you exactly how the game plays). And they still are. Wyvern didn’t put them under the same way other TCGs/CCGs buried their publishers. But again, more on that later.

So Wyvern. It was a game about dragons and dragon slayers, with a unique gameplay style I quite enjoyed (more on that in my gameplay article), with art that ranges from “Legitimately good” to “Comically Bad”, which is odd considering all the cards I’ve checked from the Limited Edition were illustrated by the same artist. It also has the coolest card back I’ve ever seen on a trading card. It has a real fantasy tome vibe, with a gold that really pops in person. There’s a reason I made it the icon for this blog. It would probably fit in well among CCGs today if it lasted. Alas, it did not.

Wyvern lasted two years (Ah the two year curse... Check out Kohdok’s Seven deadly Sins of TCGs for more on that), with five total releases; the Premiere Limited Edition, the limited edition, Phoenix, Chameleon and Kingdom. Limited edition largely consisted of Premiere edition reprints and a few added cards, while Phoenix and Chameleon both added 90 new cards each. Kingdom was similar to the limited edition, in that it was reprints from previous sets, but this set also errata’d several cards and fixed certain errors on others.

While I wasn’t able to find any information on Chameleon’s cancellation, my best guess it ended for the same reason so many card games are cancelled, it didn’t make a lot of money. And it didn’t make money because it wasn’t popular. While I do enjoy the game, the current score on BGG is 5.2, which is pretty bad even for a CCG. Besides that, you can generally get boxes or starter decks of Wyvern on ebay for ridiculously cheap prices. I got my box for £30. Thirty. Pounds. That’s almost the same price of buying each individual booster from when it was originally available, and that’s not accounting for inflation. If that’s not a sign that this game wasn’t popular I don’t know what is. 

On a side note, Limited Edition does seem to be the most widely available and from what I can tell Chameleon and Kingdom seem to be a lot harder to track down. I wouldn’t be able to tell you why, but I can tell you that the Premiere edition is almost impossible to track down due to a printing error resulting in a lot of Magic the Gathering cards being printed on Wyvern backs in the premiere edition, resulting in them being extremely rare collectors items now.

So what happened after the game? Well there was one more Wyvern adjacent release. Dragon Hunt.

Dragon Hunt, from what I am able to tell, was a set deck game using Wyvern cards and the Wyvern ruleset, but simplified and more streamlined. The BoardGameGeek rating for this game is a 5.7 so maybe it was slightly better received at the time, but I can guarantee this isn’t an item you need to track down if you can find regular Wyvern product any easier.

So that was Wyvern. Sorry for the odd structure of this one. I might take another pass at the story of Wyvern one day, but for now, that’s the story of a card game that maybe didn’t stand a chance in the flooded CCG market of the 90s, especially with its wide range in art quality and less eye-catching product design.

I’ll see you soon with my gameplay review. 

Until next time friends,

Kay, Keeper of the Bonehoard

#wyvern ccg #tcg history #ccg history #the bonehoard

[alette-stars]

The giant goes to rest. More than two years, 130 000 words and many screams and tears since its start, Lavender Jade is complete.

Let me start off by thanking you all for supporting this fic! When I started I had no idea it was going to receive the love it has. Before Lavender Jade I was known for more overall lighthearted works (Mint and Poppy in the Monsta X fandom, Stray Romance for ASTRO). All your constant love and support has been a huge help. Thank you so much! Words cannot describe the joy your comments and messages gave me ♡

I’ve made so many amazing friends and spoken to so many beautiful people because of this work, but this fic is dedicated to Monsta X ♡

Okay, enough sappiness! Time to move on to the trivia and extras. This is my 4th trivia post (you can find Mint and Poppy here; Stray Romance here; Wrong (Right) Number here) and longest yet, so it’s in 3 parts:

basic tidbits/extra info

regarding the vei, the card divination system

some personal rambling regarding my character motives (entirely skippable)

If it’s not obvious, there are going to be major spoilers, so if you haven’t read the fic yet but plan to do so, I advise not reading this ^^

If you need, you can always reference the character list here

Okay, so let’s get started! Rest of the post is under the cut

1. Basic Trivia

Most of the extras in the fic were original characters this time, with a few exceptions. Even these exceptions are not exactly based on the idols they’re named after, but I imagined them while writing. These are:

Sojung, Jooheon’s bodyguard - WJSN’s Exy

Sewoon, Kihyun’s manservant - soloist Jeong Sewoon

Seungwoo, another of Kihyun’s servants - soloist Yoo Seungwoo

Dawon, Hyunjung, Jiyeon, Luda, Soobin, Juyeon, the girls mentioned as being part of Jooheon’s people in Eigak - WJSN’s Dawon, Seola, Bona, Luda, Soobin, Eunseo 

Along with the ones living, there were those who lived in the past. Mentioned in-text:

Hoseok II, a previous king of Yishin - BTS’ J-Hope

Seokjin, a consort to Hoseok II - BTS’ Jin

Kim Namjoon, prime minister of Hoseok II - BTS’ RM

Hakyeon, the first king of Yishin - VIXX’s N

And those referenced only in the snippets in the chapter summaries:

Jungsoo, a previous king of Yishin - Super Junior’s Leeteuk

Kyuhyun, a historian - Super Junior’s Kyuhyun

Yoongi, a consort to Hoseok II - BTS’ Suga

Taekwoon, high prince to Hakyeon - VIXX’s Leo

For some reason which I still cannot fathom, I’ve been praised for the worldbuilding in this fic. The capital city of Yishin doesn’t even have a name. 

The basic geography of the peninsula is Yishin, Eigak to her east, a number of tiny states to her west, the sea to her south. The western side of Yishin is more fertile. The stretch of border between Yishin and Eigak is a rocky wasteland.

Yishin was named as a mix of Wonho’s two surnames: Lee and Shin

The concept of snippets from literature and media from the universe as chapter summaries was inspired by Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen saga. The vei deck (more on it later) was also very heavily inspired by his Deck of Dragons in the same books. 

A lot of fics focus on Hyungwon’s looks (something I’m guilty of as well) so I wanted to write a world where he wasn’t considered handsome. I understand why all the shows set in alternate worlds have the same beauty standards as us—it makes for prettier TV—but I decided to set a different one for the world of Lavender Jade. Somewhat arbitrarily, we have:

considered very handsome -  Hoseok, Minhyuk, Changkyun

considered somewhat handsome - Kihyun

considered plain/regular - Hyunwoo, Hyungwon, Jooheon

Han Jehan, obviously, also falls in category 1.

Han Jehan was my first time writing a proper villain in my fics, and I don’t know how well I succeeded but I enjoyed it immensely. I went out of my way to add all the traits I like so that I wouldn’t end up hating him, even going so far as to give him the surname of one of my favourite idols (sorry Hyuk). 

There are two main things I’d change in the fic if I could turn back time:

tighten up the front end. I’d combine the first couple of chapters 

Yeon Hu would be a woman. By the time I realized the awesome power of a badass lady general, it was too late

All court members—Jo Senmi, Yeon Hu, etc—are original characters. They’re both basic archetypes you’ll find in sageuk dramas. I think it’s worth mentioning both of them really do love Yishin, they just had very different, more conservative ideas of what would be best for the country.

I’d thought of using all the proper Korean names for the clothes especially, but decided that would make things difficult to read and binned the idea.

The opening note says the world is inspired by the Joseon dynasty. Regarding the initiatives to improve people’s lives, yes, but the hall/court system is more inspired by (what I know of) the Goryeo dynasty system.

I’ve been asked this before, but I’ll answer it here again: I’d never finished a sageuk drama before Flower Crew (very recently, and only because I was watching it with my sisters), and definitely not while I was planning this fic. Don’t judge me. The one I would recommend is Six Flying Dragons, most like Lavender Jade in tone. The others I’ve made headway into are Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds, Ruler: Master of the Mask, and The King and the Clown. 

I’m surprised no one brought up the foreshadowing I did near the end of chapter 16. Seven stars, two possible fates. The final fate of the two lovers (Kihyun and Changkyun) turned out to be a mix of the two stories: there was a fire, and the heavenly king was pulled from heaven (Kihyun from his position) to live the rest of his life with his lover.

Unlike my other secret couple (myungjin in Stray Romance) there are no hints of Hyunwoo and Minhyuk. They never did anything that would show. Minhyuk attempts to fluster Hyunwoo, but he does that with everyone.

Changkyun’s final card from the reading in chapter 8 is the two of Knives. It means a sacrifice. 

My favorite parts of the fic to write were Kihyun’s various descriptions of Changkyun’s beauty :)

This is, undoubtedly, the fic that has required the most work from me. I will say the most difficult scenes to write were Minhyuk’s fight with the assassin and Hyunwoo’s with Kim Sungil. Action scenes are not my forte. 

If you don’t know, I have written a romantic one-shot set in the same universe, titled Only One

2. The Vei

I don’t know how obvious this was, but the entire vei deck concept was inspired by and based on VIXX. The idea itself came from the Deck of Dragons in Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen saga. 

There are 84 cards in the deck: 72 cards in six suits, and 12 Unaligned. The Unaligned can be paired off, where each card is the opposite of its pair (with the exception of the last pair). The Unaligned cards are:

Fountain and Grave - a beginning and an ending

The Open Hand and The Closed Hand - generosity and miserliness

The Lord and The Lady - bad luck and good luck

The Centaur and The Fox - someone proud and someone crafty

Magnolia and Crown of Thorns - misery in success and happiness in failure

Pyramid and Mirror - stability/instability and karmic justice/unfairness 

The six suits, along with the member they represent, are:

Stars - N

Rings - Leo

Shells - Ken

Scrolls - Ravi

Flowers - Hongbin

Knives - Hyuk

Each suit, like our playing cards, has a king, queen, and knight (jack). The king of each suit is based on a VIXX member, and has some particular qualities along with being very rare. All visual cues for the kings come from VIXX’s masterpiece MV, Shangri-La. 

Stars - King: the Emperor, Queen: Sloth, Knight: the Page. The Emperor is the rarest card in the deck, and is represented by a crowned man with no features, only darkness in place of a face. The Page is the icon of diligence (and was in Minhyuk’s hand in chapter X). The theme of the suit is mystic fates, technically the uncategorized cards. In the natural half of the deck.

Rings - King: Death, Queen: Envy, Knight: the Messenger. Death is a card of finality (like Grave). The theme of the suit is secrets. In the manmade half of the deck.

Shells - King: Life, Queen: Gluttony, Knight: the Fool. Life is a card of possibilities. The Fool denotes absolute luck--essentially the card of negation. The theme of the suit is environment. In the natural half of the deck.

Scrolls - King: the Mage, Queen: Greed, Knight: the Apprentice. The Mage is a figure of knowledge and learning. The theme of the suit is motivations. In the manmade half of the deck.

Flowers - King: the Elf, Queen: Lust, Knight: the Handmaid. The Elf is an elusive, hidden figure with hidden motives. The theme of the suit is happiness. In the natural half of the deck.

Knives - King: War, Queen: Wrath, Knight: the General. War is a decisive figure, one who brings final consequences. The them of the suit is decisions. In the manmade half of the deck. 

I’ve been asked about the game played with the vei deck as well. It is a game of my own invention, yes. It’s based on trick-taking games like Hearts, where the object is to win the least cards as possible. It’s played in alternating rounds, one where the Unaligned are not used, the next where they are. I didn’t hash out the details beyond some basic motifs, but it is technically playable. Only if you have a vei deck though. The whole gameplay hinges on the fact that some cards are less likely to appear when picked from the stacked deck. 

I’ve heard from more than one person that I got them into tarot as a hobby. That’s great! But the truth is I know next to nothing about tarot haha

3. Rambling

I might suggest skipping this. This adds 0 value to the post and fic aside from giving me a space to ramble and whoa it turned out long

First: King Hoseok. He’s copped a fair share of criticism in this fic regarding his passiveness and his acceptance of the unfair consort system. I will defend my handling of this character to the ends of the Earth. I’m not saying he’s perfect (obviously! the only character that comes close to that is Hyunwoo) but I think he did right by what he had.

A neat indication would be to flip back to chapter 14, the Hyungwon POV chapter. When Hoseok says that the two of them are alone even though the room is filled with servants, Hyungwon forgives it as a result of his upbringing. He’s undoubtedly biased, but he has a point. Hoseok was raised as king. Certain things that are so obvious to others don’t even register to him. The consort system, where they have to swear loyalty to him but he doesn’t to them? He was raised as seeing this as normal. They all were. He never even fathoms a consort would want to leave their position. When Kihyun tells him the truth about the affair, Hoseok is stunned. He doesn’t understand Hyungwon calling his old life of poverty a life of freedom.

Basically, Hoseok is just trying his best after being raised (and still living) in a life of absolute privilege. He expects loyalty, love, because he hasn’t been exposed to anything different. His situation is completely different from Jooheon’s, who’s grown up in a much more volatile situation. Jooheon had to learn early on to really open his eyes, to listen, and he’s much more observant and understanding. By the end of the fic Hoseok’s had a wakeup call, and he’s going to get better. 

Second: the consort system. Yes, it’s cruel. It wasn’t what Hakyeon had envisioned when he had his companions instated formally. But in Yishin this is the norm. No one thinks it cruel. It’s a position of huge honor (Kihyun thinks of it a few times).

Even though there’s no homophobia, misogyny etc, Yishin is a conservative society. They haven’t had a change of regime in 23 generations. They’re used to the norm, and consortship is the norm. Also, if you look at most conservative societies, you’ll see romantic love isn’t considered a prerequisite for marriage (which is kind of what consortship is). In many societies (including my own) many people would jump at a chance for consortship, no matter their relationship with the monarch. 

Third: the fic had a lot of subversion of typical historical expectations and standards. I still consider myself primarily a fantasy writer. Typical fantasy and historical works have a strong focus on honor, dignity, truth and justice and all those values.

Lavender Jade does not. Kihyun and Changkyun are oathbreakers, they are traitors (by Yishini law). Every insult flung at them is true. The king breaks his country’s laws to help them escape their deserved punishment. Even Hyunwoo, the honorable and admirable commandant, defeats Kim Sungil using an underhanded move, and gets his happy ending with another consort breaking his oath.

At times I seriously considered ending this as a tragedy. It felt fair. Kihyun and Changkyun had broken laws, broken promises. All that happened did as a result of their own actions (even Han Jehan’s targeting of Kihyun was, from what we see, brought about by Kihyun digging into his affairs). A sad ending would be deserved. But then I thought, hmm, why? Why should it be fair? Why should they be miserable because it is deserved? 

So we got the ending we got, and I hope you’re all happy. I know I am. 

Thank you for reading to the end of this (unnecessarily) long post! It’s almost as long as the fic itself haha If you have any questions or messages you can shoot me an ask or pm here, or on my Twitter or on CuriousCat ^^ 

So what’s next? I’m writing Wrong (Right) ID, an epistolary fic for ASTRO in the same style as Wrong (Right) Number, and A Match Made in Heaven, my VIXX karma officer fic (it’s an unusual concept! you should try it). Both fics will end soon, maybe even before the end of the year, so you won’t have to bear much waiting ^^;;

I’m also writing Blood, Water, a vampire fic with a strong emphasis on family for ATEEZ, so you can check that out too! This one’s going to be long and angsty and quite self indulgent ^^

I’ve been asked if I’m going to continue writing in this universe. The answer is, yes. I will be writing White Carnation, the book referenced in multiple chapters of this fic, as a novella. I might write a short story on how Hoseok and Hyungwon met, but that’s undecided. I’ve hashed out ideas for side stories involving VIXX (and the founding of Yishin) and ATEEZ (and the change of regimes in Eigak) in this CuriousCat ask and this Twitter thread, but those will probably only remain as threads ^^;; 

And in the future? I have Monsta X one shots planned, and perhaps another long fic too. All possibilities are open! I hope you’ll stay with me for them ♡

Again, and as always, thank you. I hope you enjoyed Lavender Jade ♡

#fic #my writing #lavender jade

[frizz22]

Converts

Moonshine Madam prompt: it's not actually such a well-kept secret that the Spellman’s are Satanists, perhaps a confrontation with some Church members in Greendale? Nothing to serious, just something lighthearted?

Thanks for the prompt! Read on ao3

They were relaxing in the parlor; it was the first Sunday all month they didn’t have a funeral service and Zelda had just flipped a record over before settling down to continue working on a puzzle with Hilda. Of course, their quiet afternoon was interrupted moments later, Ambrose barreling in.

“They’re back!” He grinned, eyes alight with mischief.

Hilda looked up at him, brow furrowed. “Who, love?”

Barely able to contain himself, Ambrose clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “The oh so righteous parishioners of Greendale’s Evangelical Church. Come to help us sinners see the error in our ways.” 

Zelda sat up, excited. “Really?”

“Just set off the perimeter wards. We have ten minutes at best.” He looked between them hopefully.

A wide smile spread across Zelda’s face. “Marvelous, it’s been ages since they’ve come around.” She was already standing up, waving a hand to put the puzzle away. “Places everyone.” Zelda instructed with malicious glee as she turned to transform the parlor from its everyday appearance.

Whooping in delight, Ambrose hurried off to the basement.

Hilda giggled and went to the chest pushed against the wall next to the fireplace and began pulling out various items. “They must have new blood, someone who thinks they can ‘get through to us poor lost souls’ at last.” She bit her lip to try and contain her excitement as she set a deck of tarot cards and a set of small animal bones with runes carved into them on the coffee table.

Humming in agreement, Zelda focused on her spell which was redecorating the room. Several upside down crosses adorned the walls, a pentagram appeared on the floor in uneven, red paint, Hilda’s spiders crawled along the ceiling weaving intricate webs, a Satanic bible popped up on one of the side tables and the final touch… an elaborate painting of Lucifer Morningstar with fresh wounds on his back materialized over the fireplace.

Giving her work an appraising look, Zelda faced her sister. “Yes, ‘us poor lost souls’. So prone to lust and greed and dark things.” She intoned dramatically. “And yet, I bet you I can make at least three of them think about having their way with me before they leave.” Cocking a brow, she snipped her fingers to change out of her regular clothes and into one of her racier nightgowns and robe; relishing in how horrified the parishioners would be at their spike of unclean lust for a Satanist.

An indelicate snort escaped her sister as she set out some tea and cookies. “Oh, that’s too easy. All of them will think that, if even for a moment. Mortals, despite all their supposed superiority, are no better than us; they just restrain and repress themselves.” Shaking her head at the notion, Hilda picked up her deck of cards and started to shuffle them. “Now, what I intend to do is more difficult, requires a bit more magic. I’m going to scare the Beelzebub out of them,” she grinned, flicking her wrist to turn her clothes into something more mystical.

Eyebrows raised in appreciation, Zelda turned to the mirror hanging on the wall to touch up her appearance. “The seer bit? You haven’t done that in some time. It will certainly have them sweating through those awful polyester Sunday suits.” She remarked, darkening her lipstick, mussing her hair and creating a prominent love-bite on her neck for good measure.

Her sister had an uncanny ability to read people; their motives, how their pasts played into their current and future actions. Hilda didn’t use it often, claimed the sensation could be overwhelming if not carefully controlled. But in times like this, well, what was the point of the ability if not to have some fun with it? And Hilda truly did make the most of it, coming off as intimidating and creepy with a sickly sweet sugarcoating.

“You’ll help sell it, right?” Hilda asked, tucking her hair into a scarf and putting her glasses on.

Happy with her debauched appearance, Zelda moved away from the mirror and towards the front door—their guests would be arriving any moment. “Of course, sister. It’s always amusing to watch them squirm under your scrutiny.” She winked and conjured a cigarette before gripping the front door handle and waiting, just a beat before pulling it open just as one of the parishioners raised their hand to knock. “Just leave out the back, Ellen,” Zelda called out to imaginary figure behind her. “And feel free to tell your husband about that little tongue trick. He’ll enjoy the result as much as I did.” Turning her head to the little group in front of her, Zelda eyed each buttoned up little false god peddler with a raised brow. “Ah, yes, right on time.” Taking a long draw of nicotine and blowing it at them, Zelda stepped aside. “Do come in.”

As expected, most of the group struggled to tear their eyes away from her, gazes lingering on her neck and chest—though Hilda was right in that it was almost too easy, Zelda still enjoyed the effect she had over the mortals, how she made them question themselves; even for a moment.

One woman among them was made of sturdier stuff, though, and pushed past her ogling entourage and walked inside. Her movement broke the trance the others were in and they shuffled behind her awkwardly, not making eye contact out of shame. When they all passed the threshold, the lights flickered, courtesy of Ambrose, and Zelda smothered a smile at how several of them jumped.

Clearing her throat, one woman spoke up, look at Zelda uncertainly. “Right on time, you said…” She murmured, warily taking in her surroundings.

A wide smile spread across Zelda’s lips and she ushered them deeper into the house. “Oh, my sister foresaw your arrival. She made tea and cookies for you,” she noted, taking her time leading the way to the parlor; wanting to play with them a little more before turning it over to Hilda. Zelda paused next to the parlor door, “could Father Michaels not make it?” She asked innocently, finger tracing the plunging neckline of her nightgown.

The priest at the church had come at least once a month for some time when he first assumed his position. Convinced he was doing the false god’s work and not only bringing the Spellman’s over to the light side, but also ridding Greendale of Satanists at the same time.

It’d been fun, at first, coming up with new and creative ways to torment the man. But the novelty soon wore off and they had things to do, a business to run without a bothersome mortal priest popping in at random times.  

So, to discourage him from returning, Zelda sent him several dreams in which he was engaged in a series of passionate activities with not only her, but Hilda and Ambrose as well. Ever since then, the man avoided them like the plague and grew incredibly flustered at the mere mention of the Spellman family—or so Zelda was told.

The act bought them almost half a year of peace before a group of brave parishioners, minus Father Michaels, appeared on their doorstep. Having taken it upon themselves to purge the devil and his worshippers from their midst. From then on, the visits of the good parishioners of Greendale’s Evangelical Church were sporadic, unpredictable. But it quickly became part of the game, seeing what they could come up with on the fly.

One of the men coughed and nervously tugged at the knot of his tie. “He, uh,” the man faltered, his eyes drifting down to Zelda’s chest before he wrenched them away with some difficulty. “He couldn’t make it today. Other matters to attend to.” He informed her gruffly, the tips of his ears burning red. And Zelda could tell the man was realizing one of the reasons why the priest avoided the Spellman house.

Humming in feigned displeasure, Zelda pushed the parlor door open and walked inside. “Have a seat,” she purred, eyeing each of the false god’s puppets salaciously as they filtered past her and into the next trap.

Undeterred, though mildly ruffled, their leader marched past her and into the parlor only to waver when she took in her surroundings. The rest of the group was quick to wilt as well as they uncomfortably took their seats on the couch across from Hilda; who was shuffling her tarot cards and smiling warmly at them… as if a ram’s skull was leering at them from the wall behind her.

“So kind of you to join us on this unholy day,” Hilda greeted a little breathily.

The comment had the leader looking scandalized. “Join you?” She demanded, “we’re here to—”

Holding up a hand, Hilda silenced her. “Mary Beth, I know why you’re here. You wish to try and save us. But we don’t need saving.” She smiled blithely at the woman.

Before Mary Beth could respond, a loud animalistic screech sounded from the basement, causing their guests to jump. Zelda hid a laugh; Ambrose was really playing it up this time.

Clearly shaken, Mary Beth collected herself. “How, how do you know my name?” She asked, face pale and eyes flicking to the ground where the sound originated and where muffled growls were still emanating.

Perching herself in the chair next to Hilda, Zelda crossed her legs regally and settled in for the show. Hilda would start by naming them all before introductions were made, sometimes listing little details about the guests or their pasts to unnerve them further. While she watched this all unfold, Zelda traced the fake bite mark on her neck, her gaze lingering on each parishioner in turn. Between her sister’s hauntingly accurate readings and Zelda’s own unabashed display of sexuality and sexual interest, they soon had the entire group visibly squirming.

There was one woman, though, Evelyn, who kept peeking at Zelda and blushing every time they made eye contact. Gifting the woman with a sinful smile, Zelda couldn’t help but think she might be able to play with this one later. When Evelyn smiled in return, Zelda’s hopes and eyebrows rose.  

It wasn’t until Mary Beth noticed their prolonged eye contact that she pinched Evelyn and the woman dropped her eyes…. Moments later, though, Zelda found the woman’s eyes back on her. Oh, she almost regretted what they were about to do next, for it would surely scare Evelyn away and ruin Zelda’s chances at bedding her; and she would have loved to corrupt the mortal—especially one with the name like Eve.

Before she could think of how to signal Ambrose to wait, her nephew came bursting into the parlor, the basement door still hanging open behind him and unsettling sounds echoing up the stairs. Compared to Ambrose, though, the noises were the least of their guests’ concern. Arms covered in blood up to the elbow and holding up fake intestines, Ambrose came to a stop in front of them; seemingly oblivious to the parishioner.

“Aunties, the signs don’t look—, oh! I didn’t realize we had company.” He smiled graciously at the group, and up close Zelda could make out flecks of blood along his chest and face as well. “I’m sorry, I’ll just double check the results using a rabbit. You know how unreliable weasels can be,” he grinned and shook his head in amusement. “But, I will leave these—” Ambrose laid the intestines on the coffee table next to the tray of tea and cookies with exaggerated care, “here for your consultation.”   Nodding politely at everyone, Ambrose took his leave and made for the basement once more, snapping the door shut behind him.

Understandably, the color drained from each of the parishioners’ faces and they made their hasty departures soon after, not even cracking out the false god’s bible before they turned tail. As they retreated across the lawn, Hilda and Zelda bade them goodbye from the porch, waving and loudly thanking Satan for the visit. Evelyn was the only one to turn back, a small, if somewhat perplexed, smile on her face as her eyes flicked up and down Zelda once more before shifting to follow the others.

Once the group all but ran around the curve in the road, Hilda couldn’t contain her mirth any longer and snorted; and though she fought it, Zelda guffawed as well, clutching her side as they made their way back into the house where Ambrose was eagerly waiting for them.

They lounged in the parlor, consuming the tea and cookies their would-be saviors hadn’t touched and gleefully reliving the events of the past thirty minutes. It was here that Sabrina found them, having just gotten home from a study session with Roz and Susie.

“So, I just passed a group of horrified looking people on my way home….” She began, blinking when they all broke into fresh bouts of laughter. Warily, Sabrina set her bag down and took note in her surroundings. “What, what is all of this? What happened?” She demanded, gesturing to the decorations, the fake intestines still on the table and their attire.

Wiping the corner of her eyes, Hilda managed to catch her breath first to answer. “Oh, lamb, you missed it. And it would have been the first one you could participate in…” She frowned a little in disappointment, but her eyes were still twinkling with amusement.

Zelda lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply and released the smoke with a content sigh. “We just had a lovely visit from the parishioners of Greendale’s Evangelical Church.” They all chuckled again, unable to help themselves, as they settled more comfortably in their seats.

Casting them a dubious look, Sabrina took a seat on the edge of one of the chairs. “I don’t think they felt the same.” She informed them, admonishment coloring her tone.

“Oh coz, don’t go getting all righteous on us. They’re the ones who felt compelled to interrupt our Sunday with their false god drivel.” Ambrose remarked, sprawled sideways in his chair, legs hanging over the armrest.

When Sabrina looked ready to argue, Zelda knocked some of the ash of her cigarette and talked before her niece could. “Besides, we can’t have them dropping by any time they please. They might actually witness something of substance. This is just our way of… discouraging their visits.” She justified with a slight shrug.

“And it’s fun.” Hilda giggled, taking another cookie.

Arching a brow, Zelda smirked. “And that.”

“Especially for you, Aunt Zee. Evelyn couldn’t keep her eyes off you.” Ambrose grinned wickedly, “going to seduce another mortal away from the false god?”

She brushed her hair back and took another drag of nicotine. “One can only hope,” she murmured, a mischievous glint in her eye. “The most devout ones are often the most fun in bed; they’ve been suppressing their desires for so long it all just comes bursting out.”

Scandalized, Sabrina’s mouth dropped open. “Auntie! You can’t mess with someone’s feelings—”

Rolling her eyes, Zelda stubbed her cigarette out. “Sex doesn’t always involve ‘feelings’, Sabrina. It’s usually about carnal pleasure, and if Evelyn wants me to provide that… who I am to object?” She inclined her head at her niece and continued. “In any case, if they are intent on ‘saving us’, it’s only fair I try and do the same for them. Though, I must say my way is much more gratifying.” Zelda leaned forward and selected a cookie from the tray.

Ever the peace-maker, Hilda patted Sabrina’s knee. “They did bring this upon themselves by trying to come and convert us, love. And don’t be upset with your auntie,” she flashed a look Zelda’s way which she dutifully ignored. “She only… woos the ones who are willing.”

Ambrose snorted, “woos, yeah that’s what she does. That’s what her nightgown, makeup and bite mark scream… wooing.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Zelda swatted at him good-naturedly.

Of course, Sabrina couldn’t see the innocence and fun in their actions that afternoon. “It’s really not nice to mess with them. They’re just—” She began, shaking her head and tone disapproving.

Groaning loudly, Ambrose went limp in his seat, practically sliding out of it in his dramatics. “Get off your high horse, coz.” Zelda snickered and the corner of her mouth curled up into a smile at her nephew’s antics. Sabrina was less than amused.

Smiling gently, Hilda handed their niece some tea. “It’s all in good fun, darling. No one gets hurt and we keep our reputation in town.”

Suspiciously taking the cup, Sabrina eyed them. “What reputation?”

Chuckling, Zelda leaned back in her seat and clasped her hands in front of her. “That Spellmans aren’t to be trifled with, of course.” She quirked a brow as Hilda and Ambrose hummed their agreement before going back to recounting their afternoon.

#I loved the idea of the Spellmans messing with would-be converters for sport. #P.S. I just googled to find a branch of Christianity #I know very little about religion so I meant no harm or offense by naming the one I did. #I just wanted to make sure it was Christianity because that opposes the Spellman's belief and worship of the Dark Lord. #Sorry just a quick disclaimer just in case. Hope you enjoyed! #caos #Zelda Spellman #hilda spellman #ambrose spellman #sabrina spellman #Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #writing prompt #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #ao3fic #netflix

[lauren-scharf]

The Mathematics of Memory

The Mathematics of Memory

An Imitation of Form of Eula Biss’ “The Pain Scale”

By Lauren Scharf

For Grandpa Will

0---

An advanced fifth grade math class told me of the unique qualities of the number zero. Nothing can be divided by zero. There’s no way to carry out such an equation. I fantasized what it would be like if I could find a way.

 I am sitting on a plane to New York, preparing myself to be coddled by parents, grandparents, and cousins, who have been counting down the days until my visit, and they’ve finally reached zero.

 An underachiever in all other subjects, I excelled in math because of my ability to remember things through numbers, as though their values and patterns made up an alternative language.

 Can zero be divided by zero? I think of this and ask my high school A.P. Calculus teacher. Her quirky response explains that black holes are where God divided by zero. I immediately imagine writing zero over zero on the next exam, and watching the equation animate to a swirling vacuum that sucks the surrounding scribbles and equations inside, leaving a blank page.

 In a deck of cards, there is no zero. Each card has some worth. The closest suitable are the Jokers, which belong to no suit and are commonly discarded before a game is dealt.

 The New York excursion is for my youngest cousin’s Bat Mitzvah, or “Bas Mitzvah,” as my Grandpa says it. It’s the last of this generation, and there is yet to be a Bar Mitzvah. Grandpa makes a regular joke at reunions like these. “Where are all the boys?” There are no grandsons. The Scharf family name stops here.

 Any number over itself is one, except the infuriating zero.

 ---1---

My sister taught me fractions when I was little. I didn’t ask her to. She also liked to correct and poke fun at my childish mispronunciations. “Count-culator” made sense to me for the purpose it served, as well as “Old-timers.”

 “It’s ‘Alzheimer’s,’ Lauren.” She had to write the word out for me before I caught my mistake.

 An ace holds a discontinuous value in a deck of cards. Aces high means eleven. Aces low means one.

 I was a year old when I took my first plane trip, once again to New York. I don’t remember a thing about it but home videos show the brown shag carpet and gold furniture in my grandparents’ house just as it all looks today. Nothing’s changed there.

 My grandpa taught me how to gamble. I was the only first grader to recognize the checkers pieces as poker chips.

 ---2---

My favorite children’s game was Memory: a deck of cards, usually with pictures if meant for a younger age, is set up in rows and columns, face down, and turned up two at a time in an attempt to find a match. I was unbeatable. My parents and their friends were so impressed by how quick I was to recall a pair and pick up techniques. “You have to pick up the one you think it is before the one you’re sure of,” I would tip-off to my opponent.

 Grandpa’s game is called 31. Much like 21 but with an extra card in each hand. Players take turns picking a card from the deck and discarding; if the top of the discard pile follows suit of the next player’s hand, they may pick that card instead, but forfeit the secrecy of their suit in hand.

 The higher the card number, the higher its value. Face cards are ten. Aces are high.

 No one ever picks a two from the discard pile. It’s not worth the risk, not to mention the subsequent mockery from other players.

 “A deuce for my favorite Grandpa!” One of my favorite things about 31 is playing just ahead of my Grandpa so I can discard all of my worst and lowest cards, simply to catch the looks on his face.

 Grandpa has my eyes; or I suppose I have his. They light up and widen when we’re caught by surprise, but squint into slits when we smile, more so if we’re laughing. His eyes are a little more hidden among wrinkles and behind a thick pair of bifocals.

 Memory storage is marked by two stages: long term and short term. It’s difficult to draw a line between the two. How long is long and how short is short? My understanding is that the long term is for the firsts. First kiss, first pet, first day of kindergarten. While short term is for the lasts. Last night, last Tuesday, last book you read.

 In one of her first games of 31, my sister jumped from the table and shouted “Thirty-two! Thirty-two!” She was convinced she had two aces of the same suit.  

 Thirty-one is the highest score you can get in 31 (fittingly). An ace and two tens, all one suit. This hand ends the round instantly and every player but the holder of 31 surrenders a chip to the middle. A player can also end the round by knocking with what they believe to be the highest hand, or at least not the lowest. The lowest hand must pay up.

 My sister had two aces alright. One, hearts, the other, diamonds. We made her pay double.

 ---3---

Some experts separate memory storage into three stages, adding the “Sensory stage” to long term and short term. The sensory stage acts as a filter to determine what information will pass into short term, and perhaps eventually long term, or if it will be stored at all.

 Information is only in this stage for a flash of a second, like an exposure to film. That kind of information, however, is preserved through a different medium.

 One of my first vivid memories is of a day in preschool when my mom was late picking me up. I couldn’t tell time but I knew when the hands formed an “L” pointing to the number three, my mom was due to walk through the door.

 This was most likely not the first time she ran behind, but it was the first time I noticed. I developed a tickle in my throat, and as the angle of that “L” turned more acute, the tickle progressed to more of a scratch. I wanted my mommy. At three years old, this was the first time I would recognize a common sickness coming over me.

 My family took a trip to Rhode Island when I was three. My mom had to tell me that; I had no recollection of being in Rhode Island. To me it was just another trip to the east coast to see family. When on the beach I saw my grandpa’s jolly sized belly and asked why he had an inny belly button while I had an outty. He told me it was to make a nice home for the spiders that lived in there. That, I remember.

 The most infuriating hand to pick up in 31 is three tens, each a different suit. Thirty points altogether yet the hand is valued only at ten. The first card I pick up from the deck determines what I’m collecting. A couple times, this has been a fourth ten of the remaining suit. At some point, I’ll have no choice but to discard a high card, reluctantly assisting my opponents.

 ---4---

I’m not the best at Memory anymore. Ever since a childhood friend became the first to beat me, I’ve been on something of a cognitive decline. We lost touch years ago, but I remember her birthday was four days before mine.

 Many fail to see the pattern in dates, which are frequently the first details to fade from memory, despite that each presents its own reminder in the form of a reoccurring anniversary.

 They also separate into four seasons.

 All of the cousins and I were born in summer; six birthdays fitting perfectly from late June to early September.

 Memory retrieval in the human mind is broken up into four common components: verbal recall, aural recall, visual recall, and tactile recall.

 Retrieval through speaking, retrieval through hearing, retrieval through seeing, and retrieval through touching or writing.

 Numerical recall is perhaps too rare or vague to classify.

 Grandpa’s birthday is in March. My dad says he’s 88 years old, but I don’t think he’s remembering correctly. Like father, like son.

 The four suits of a traditional deck of playing cards are spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts.

 These suits originated from the French style of playing cards and, while not the first, they were the cheapest to manufacture, and thus the most popular.

 Other countries alter, slightly, the name and appearance of certain suits. For instance, clubs are acorns in Germany and Italo-Spanish or Latin decks have cups in lieu of hearts. These discrepancies are mostly found in cartomancy, or tarot cards.

 Whatever the icon, each suit follows a pattern rooted in the feudal system: Spades for nobility, clubs for peasants, diamonds for merchants, and hearts for members of the clergy.

 The suits also consistently associate with riches and romance, adversity and agriculture. Can you find each match?

 The four elements, earth, water, fire, and air tie into the four suits as well, though this pattern is more obscure and it is arguable which suit belongs to which element.

 ---5---

When my dad told me of the changes in conversation with my grandpa, how he asks the same questions every five minutes, I shrugged it off as a natural consequence of aging. I’ll believe it when I hear it for myself.

 My memory runs on aural recall.

 Some card decks hold five different suits, the fifth tying in the classical element Aether, a void or space, dark matter, pertaining to the space above the terrestrial sphere.

 In mythology, Aether is the open sky where only the gods live and the pure air which only the gods breathe; heaven.

 Aristotle names Aether as the fifth element but noted that it lacked the qualities of the other four in that it could be neither hot, cold, wet, nor dry, and its only recordable change was in density.

 Much like a black hole.

 An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, the number is expected to hit 13.4 million.

 ---6---

Almost 60% of Americans think Alzheimer’s is genetic.

 Like eyes, or a smile, or a family name.

 No matter how random they may seem in the world of arithmetic, numbers consistently go hand in hand with formula. Strategy requires such a pattern to ease the task of memorization. This is how some people are able to memorize Pi to a thousand digits, if they really have the time and patience to do so.

 My sixth grade locker combination was 24-6-42. Two plus four equals six minus four equals two.

 The combination of my locker in 12th grade is a blur.

 ---7---

Seven is my lucky number, which sounds very cliché, but I picked it for my favorite month, which has my birthday, July. The 10th of July if you’d like to remember it.

 Seventeen is my sister’s lucky number, chosen, I think, for the day her birthday falls on. But then her name also has seventeen letters. Then again so does mine.

 Therapies show that keeping the brain engaged with patterns and puzzles delays (though does not prevent) memory loss and confusion.

 All these years Grandpa was teaching the family how to gamble, I should have explained to him the grids and patterns and tips and tricks I found in Memory.

 Just a reminder, my birthday is the 10th of July. Seven/ten. Seven plus ten is seventeen. Seventeen letters are in my name. If you didn’t remember it before, perhaps you will now.

 ---8---

Alzheimer’s starts in patients when certain forms of the gene apolipoprotein E, or ApoE, promote the formation of an abnormal amyloid precursor protein, or APP. APP clumps together to form plaques that break down tau proteins, whose purpose it is to stabilize a neuron’s structural integrity. Once broken down, the neuron dies, leaving a hole that disrupts the electrical signals traveling among the nerve.

 Much like a black hole.

 Tau ÷ (APP × ApoE) = x over zero. I found it.

 When film is overexposed, it processes as a white, almost heavenly void or space.

 Not only is there no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there’s also no way to test absolutely positive for the disease until an autopsy is performed. I think that’s a bit too late.

 Unlike a three year old with a sore throat, my Grandpa is 88, give or take, and he doesn’t know if he’s sick.

 Screenings, recall tests, and family member reports promise 80 to 90 percent accuracy.

 It’s getting there.

---9---

I once read about a photographer who developed a journal documenting the final three years of his father’s life. The old man lacked all short term memory storage and would ask his son over and over where his mother was, as though no one told him of her death.

 Tired of watching his father’s heart break again and again, the photographer joined the game of pretend, and told his father she’d simply gone to Paris to join the circus. The pretending continued until the father’s death at ninety-nine.

 Once parties and brunches that follow the very last Bat Mitzvah die down, the family finally gets a chance to crowd around the kitchen table for a good old game of 31.

 “Where are all the boys?” He asks this more and more these days. I want to think that he believes it’s funnier with repetition, but part of me wonders if maybe he doesn’t remember asking just minutes before. Another part wonders, and worries, if he’s really not sure of whether or not he has grandsons.

 They’ve gone to Paris and joined the circus, Grandpa.

 ---10

Grandpa knocks with the confident gambler’s attitude he’ll probably always have.

 The family each takes one last turn before we reveal our hands.

 Grandpa has three tens; thirty. However his hand is only worth ten. He’s forgotten the suits.

 This game, this last game, goes in my long term memory.

#alzheimers #essay #nonfiction #death #dementia #coping #mental health #cognitive psychology #cards #grandparents #family #Eula Biss #loss #imitation of form #memory #memory loss #grief

[izayosakamaki9]

DELTIN ROYALE 먹튀검증업체 Full Tour

To give an example of why, take the concept of the house edge. Fan-tan was very popular among Chinese migrants in America, as most of them were of Cantonese origin. It is generally accepted that the game reached such high popularity due to the easy rules and the fact that players tended to find the game less stressful than normal variants of poker. The Four Suits   (French:  Enseignes  or  Couleurs ) The modern designations came from ancient ones, tied to social classes. The modern suit symbols  (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs)  in two colors  (black and red)  were introduced in France around 1480.  They are still known as  French suits.  They were competing with the  Latin suits  (swords, cups, coins and staves)  and the  German suits  (leaves, hearts, bells and acorns)  of which the  Swiss suits  were a major variant  (shields, roses, bells and acorns). Despite the prevailing political animosity between France and England at the time, the French suits eventually spread all over Europe, because they greatly simplified the printing of playing cards  (the Latin and German suits were printed in full colors). In recent years, the traditional German suits were mostly favored by  East-Germans.  Shortly after reunification  (in the 1990's)  a compromise was adopted for the official decks of  Skat  tournaments, which now have the French-design suits of West-Germany with the traditional East-German colors  (the spades are green and the diamonds yellow, as reminders of the  leaves  and  bells, respectively). The game of  Tarot  features trump cards that do not belong to any suit. Trump cards make trick-taking card games more interesting but dedicated ones increase the size of a deck  (cost considerations were not insignificant in the old days).  Some of the best card games  (bridge, belote, skat)  are based on the idea that one of the four regular suits could be used as trumps after a preliminary negotiation stage  (bidding, enchères)  once the players have received their cards.  This idea was introduced in the game Ombre

After the lead to a trick, the player who made the lead (and her partner(s)) may not examine the previous trick. But the other players may still do so. The player antes, and is then dealt a five-card hand; the dealer is also dealt five cards of which only one is exposed. The player now either folds, losing his ante, or bets an additional amount equal to exactly twice the ante. The dealer then reveals his remaining four cards. The oldest surviving cards in the world are four fragments found in the Keir Collection and one in the Benaki Museum. The payoff schedules for most video poker machines are configured with a pay schedule that pays proportionally more for certain hands (such as a royal flush) when the maximum number of credits (typically 5 coins) is bet.

These bets pay 35-for-1, for a house advantage of 7.76%. “All or Nothing at All” wins if the shooter hits all 10 numbers before a seven is rolled. http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection&region=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/엠카지노 Blackjack is one of the casinos top table games, with thousands of players making their way to their favourite table or logging on to an online casino each week. Player and the dealer get five cards each. All cards are dealt face down, except one dealer card is exposed. The player may examine his own cards but sharing of information is not allowed. It sounds like a sick joke straight out of Fallout: New Vegas, but it's true: starting in 1951, the U.S. Department of Energy began detonating more than one thousand test nukes just 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, a scary spectacle that "turned night into day" and left mushroom clouds visible from casinos in the burgeoning tourist hotspot.

which is registered as an historical object. Harrah's Entertainment also finds that participation in casino gambling dropped with decreasing income— 31% of Americans with annual household incomes more than $95,000 were casino gamblers, whereas only 20% of Americans with incomes of less than $35,000 per year participated.Minimum and maximum limits are established on the betting, and the general limits are from $2 to $500. The set of cards that make up the pack will be known to all of the players using that pack.

As the 14th century progressed, playing cards began to appearing across continental Europe. This gives you the chance to win a 2:1 payout if the dealer goes on to hit blackjack.If you’d like to read the rules first, you can find them either on Bicycle Cards: How to Play Blackjack or on Pagat’s Blackjack Rules – and once you’ve got the rules down, let��s move on to the rest. After 1850, fantan spread overseas as a side effect of the massive Cantonese emigration.

The casino atmosphere is designed around noise, light, and excitement. They stand at 29.1% to be exact. Some players take comfort in knowing they the dealer is no better off than the player.If a player wins the bet he can take down all four bets instead of a single bet even though only one bet can win per roll. Many players, in order to eliminate the confusion of tossing four chips to the center of the table or having change made while bets are being placed, will make a five-unit Horn High bet, which is a four-way bet with the extra unit going to one specific number. The story caught on, however, and soon people throughout Europe were craving sandwiches.

At a designated time, the caller asks if anyone has bingo. When allowed, they are usually made when a player wishes to bet at the last second, immediately before the dice are thrown, to avoid the risk of obstructing the roll. 온라인카지노 The player to the left goes first and must decide whether to "stand" (not ask for another card) or "hit" (ask for another card in an attempt to get closer to a count of 21, or even hit 21 exactly). If you don’t understand anything about casinos or casino games, the chances of you losing money increase dramatically.

If a player wishes to take the bet down after a win the player would receive the whole bet not half even though only one of the two bets can win per roll. The only real advantage offered by the Big 6 & 8 is that they can be bet for the table minimum, whereas a place bet minimum may sometimes be greater than the table minimum (e.g. $6 place bet on a $3 minimum game.)Lay bets are always working even if a point has not been established unless the player requests otherwise. Blackjack is the only exception in this with online poker, but the are other gambling activities like poker, horses, and sports, gamblers can bet and get an advantage.

[kayawagner]

Best of the Best [BUNDLE]

Publisher: Fat Goblin Games

This special bundle product contains the following titles.

Call to Arms: Fantastic Technology Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: Watermarked PDF Call to Arms: Fantastic Technology Call to Arms is a book line for players and gamemasters alike. Each book focuses on a different type of item, expanding rules for those items and adding everything from new mundane and magical examples of the item to new character options related to the item. Call to Arms: Fantastic Technology brings new eras of scientific advancement into your setting, including rules, setting, and plot options for researching and developing new technologies and applications. New kingdom-building rules let rulers build their fantasy nations into technological juggernauts, and new crafting rules help engineers bolt and tape technology onto their favorite mundane and magical weapons and armor. New setting concepts ease the gradual introduction of tech into fantasy wo... Call to Arms: Mantles of Power Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: Watermarked PDF Call to Arms: Mantles of Power Call to Arms is a book line for players and gamemasters alike. Each book focuses on a different type of item, expanding rules for those items and adding everything from new mundane and magical examples of the item to new character options related to the item. While Call to Arms: Mantles of Power includes mantles that are merely made of cloth, the real focus of this book is to introduce new mechanics for mundane mantles of authority and mystical mantles of power, imbuing characters with in-game benefits. Whether it would be taking on the title of “Town Guard” to becoming the “Hero of Light”, various boons, responsibilities, and abilities come with these titles. And of course there is the usual review and expansion of mundane, ma... Call to Arms: Ropes Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: Watermarked PDF Call to Arms: Ropes Call to Arms is a book line for players and gamemasters alike. Each book focuses on a different type of item, expanding rules for those items and adding everything from new mundane and magical examples of the item to new character options related to the item. Call to Arms: Rope focuses on one of the most versatile tools available to any adventurer to make rope not only essential but dynamic in play. Exciting new uses of rope are presented and old uses are expanded on and clarified. New traits, feats, and items will allow players to dance like a circus acrobat, build like a rigger, belay like a mountain climber, and even bind the gods themselves. Items covered in Call to Arms: Ropes include... A Brief History of Rope Rules and Rope Breaking Rope and Masterwork R... Call to Arms: The Magic Satchel Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: Watermarked PDF Call to Arms: The Magic Satchel Call to Arms is a book line for players and gamemasters alike. Each book focuses on a different type of item, expanding rules for those items and adding everything from new mundane and magical examples of the item to new character options related to the item. Call to Arms: The Magic Satchel offers new and old methods to help characters with inventory management by introducing a new mechanic to simplify the process for characters as well as new magic items that help provide a player with just the right thing at the right time, or at least make it easier to be sure they have the space to have it on hand. This is in addition to the usual cursed, mythic, and artifact items you can expect to see in a Call to Arms book.... Call to Arms: Torch and Flame Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: Watermarked PDF Call to Arms: Torch and Flame Call to Arms is a book line for players and gamemasters alike. Each book focuses on a different type of item, expanding rules for those items and adding everything from new mundane and magical examples of the item to new character options related to the item. Call to Arms: Torch and Flame focuses on all the ways fire can be used as a weapon in your Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Everything from rules clarifications on how to start or extinguish fires to new ways to think about fire damage can be found in addition to a thorough collection of incendiary devices, both mundane and magical, that range in power from smoldering tinder to the flame of truth and even the divine fire stolen from the gods.... Castle Falkenstein: Curious Creatures Regular price: $11.95 Bundle price: $2.08 Format: Watermarked PDF Explore the Wild Side of New Europa! From the darkest jungles of Africa to the rooftops of London, animals are everywhere in New Europa. Curious Creatures offers a glimpse into the less civilized side of Castle Falkenstein, drawing out into the light the marvelous, the monstrous, and the mythic for your edification and delight. Brought to you from across the Faerie Veil and written by one of the most knowledgeable naturalists of all time, the reader will find within these pages: A bestiary offering in-depth analysis of over thirty new creatures as well as statistics for their inclusion in your Adventure Entertainment. New and clarified rules for the use of creatures of all types in your Adventure Entertainment. A new Magick lorebook as well as insight into the existence of... Castle Falkenstein: Firearms & Margarine: An Adventure Entertainment Regular price: $9.95 Bundle price: $1.73 Format: PDF Murder in the City of Lights! When a prominent leader in the Faerie labor movement is struck down by an assassin’s Cold Iron bullet it falls to the Dramatic Characters to find the culprit. Who could possibly have committed such a dastardly crime? Was it the owner of the margarine factory the labor movement was protesting? Or perhaps the underground anarchist organization known as the Commune? Or might it have been a head of police, frustrated at his inability to quell the demonstrations? The investigators must work quickly to solve the case before chaos erupts upon the streets of Paris or, worse, a war between human and Faeries spreads like wildfire across New Europa. Firearms & Margarine is an Adventure Entertainment in the form of a mystery and suitabl... Castle Falkenstein: The Ability Variations Regular price: $1.95 Bundle price: $0.34 Format: PDF The Ability Variations: New Ways to Customize the Great Game Castle Falkenstein has delivered High Adventure in the Steam Age to gamers across the world for nearly twenty years. Now, the Ability Variations gives Hosts and Players of this Origin Award winning game new options to customize the rules to their specific style including: A method for creating Specializations for Abilities, increasing a Dramatic Character’s skills in a particular area when logical. Rules for switching one playing card Suit for another when playing a Feat. A simple system for improving a Dramatic Character’s Ability that both provides concrete and measurable rules and encourages creativity.   The Abilities Variation is a useful document for any Player of Castle Falk... Castle Falkenstein: The Feat Variations Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: PDF The Feat Variations: New Ways to Customize the Great Game Castle Falkenstein has delivered High Adventure in the Steam Age to gamers across the world for nearly twenty years. Now, the Feat Variations gives Hosts and Players of this Origin Award-winning game new options to customize the rules to their specific style including: Rules on limiting the number of cards played per Feat to prevent "hand dumping" to help every player think like the most strategic of Whist experts! Guidelines which helps remove some of the frustration due to holding "a bum hand", with multiple options to allow it be tailored to any group's tastes! A new Requirement system which allows for more challenging Feats and speeds play by removing the need for the Host to keep ... Castle Falkenstein: The Second Tarot Variation Regular price: $1.95 Bundle price: $0.34 Format: PDF The Tarot Variation An Alternative Fortune Deck for Castle Falkenstein In the Second Tarot Variation, the ordinary deck of playing cards used for the Fortune Deck is replaced with a Tarot Deck. Over the centuries the Tarot Deck has been used both for playing games and for divination and thus these colorful cards, which are rich with imagery and symbolism, can add a new twist to the Great Game. With a Tarot Deck performing Feats in Castle Falkenstein becomes more than just a calculation of numbers but a chance for surprises and storytelling. ... Castle Falkenstein: The Six-Sided Variations Regular price: $1.95 Bundle price: $0.34 Format: PDF The Six-Sided Variations: New Ways to Customize the Great Game Please Don’t Faint! The dastardly Professor Moriarty, head of the World Crime League, has introduced a variation for Castle Falkenstein using those most devilish of devices, dice! Throwing caution to the wind, we have decided to share these dice rolling rules with Hosts and Players of the Great Game on this side of the Faerie Veil! Rest assured, despite its use of dice, we promise The Six-Sided Variation still captures the spirit and charm of Castle Falkenstein and can only enhance play for those souls who are curious about New Europa but concerned by the lack of polyhedrals to roll. ... Castle Falkenstein: The Tarot Variation Regular price: $1.95 Bundle price: $0.34 Format: Watermarked PDF The Tarot Variation An Alternative Sorcery Deck for Castle Falkenstein In the Tarot Variation, the ordinary deck of playing cards used for the Sorcery Deck is replaced with a Tarot Deck. Over the centuries the Tarot Deck has been used both for playing games and for divination and, because of this, these colorful cards, rich with imagery and symbolism, can perfectly represent a more robust and fascinating Magick. With a Tarot Deck, Magic in Castle Falkenstein becomes more than just a form of energy divided into four types but a living, breathing thing with whims and purposes of Its own.  ... Castle Falkenstein: Variations on the Great Game Regular price: $6.95 Bundle price: $1.21 Format: PDF Variations on the Great Game Castle Falkenstein has delivered High Adventure in the Steam Age to gamers across the world for nearly twenty years. Now, we are proud to present new options which will allow Hosts and Players of the Origin Award-winning Great Game to customize the rules to their specific style of play, including:  Rules which allow more precise and robust customizing of Dramatic Characters, such as the Specializations and Improvement Variations.  New options which refine playing cards on Feats to help prevent “hand dumping”, remove frustration due to having a “bum hand”, and a new Requirement system to designed to speed play and remove the need for a Host hand.  A new play system designed by the dastardly Professor Moria... Cosmic Odyssey: Service Bots and Synthetic Companions Regular price: $6.95 Bundle price: $1.21 Format: PDF I'm completely operational, and all my circuits are functioning perfectly — how may I serve you today? Who doesn’t want a robotic sidekick to join them as they traverse the stars? Well, Cosmic Odyssey: Service Bots & Synthetic Companions has you covered! Cosmic Odyssey is a line of Starfinder Roleplaying Game compatible products designed to give you, as both a player and as a gamemaster, all the tools you need to fully explore a classic motif of science fiction with new character options, equipment, and vessels, as well as a location and NPCs. Designed to be dropped into your existing game, or to serve as a starting point for your adventures, each Cosmic Odyssey is ready-made for action. In Service Bots & S... Fat Goblin Games Presents - Creating New Armors Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: Watermarked PDF Fat Goblin Games Presents... Creating New Armors! For all the many armors, shields, and other defenses available in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, every possible one hasn’t been fully covered. While you can just rename many existing defenses in a pinch to align with some new idea or specific cultural item, often times it is preferable to mix and match armor abilities and features into something new. But, how much would it cost? Would that make it light, medium, or heavy armor? What should it weigh? And can you be sure it won’t break your game? Creating New Armor provides guidelines for you to build, balance, and price new mundane shields and suits of light, medium, and heavy armor for your Pathfinder Roleplay... Fat Goblin Games Presents: Carnival of Sinners Regular price: $3.95 Bundle price: $0.69 Format: Watermarked PDF Fat Goblin Games Presents: Carnival of Sinners  A misty autumn morning in a small city reveals the streets paved with crude decorative parchments. The gaudy script announces the arrival of the Carnival of Sinners the following day, and the twisted drawings make promise of horrors never witnessed.  The Carnival of Sinners is a free Halloween release from Fat Goblin Games. This book details a horrific carnival that can be used in any Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game. Included in this release are an overview of the Carnival of Sinners, details on the layout of the carnival, a map, sample carnival slang, adventure hooks, stats and bio on a variety of the traveling shows performers, unusual prizes and items for carnival games, and player aids (such as tickets, flyer... Shadows over Vathak: Hauntlings - Enhanced Racial Guide Regular price: $6.95 Bundle price: $1.21 Format: PDF Enhanced Racial Guide: Hauntlings gives the hauntlings a full racial review and expansion, following the style of the “Core Races” detailed in books like the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide. Enhanced Racial Guide Races: Hauntlings aims to give players of the ghost-touched hauntlings immersive, setting-specific materials and support for almost any kind of play in your Shadows over Vathak games! Included are new and expanded options for alternate racial traits and subtypes, favored class options for all the base, core, hybrid, and occult classes, and three new racial archetypes. The book also has new racial rules for hauntling equipment, feats, traits, magic items, spells and more! So if you’ve ever wante... Shadows over Vathak: Ina'oth - Gamemaster's Guide Regular price: $9.95 Bundle price: $1.73 Format: PDF Shadows over Vathak: Ina'oth - Gamemaster's Guide Ashes of the Plague of Shadows Welcome to the world of Shadows over Vathak, a realm where the abominations known as the Old Ones seek to destroy humanity. It is a world of darkness and despair, where even the light of the One True God is often corrupted and twisted to serve sinister ends. As a GM your players could be heroes representing a bright point of light in the encroaching shadows of evil or they might just be survivors, getting by day by day however they can, survival their only goal. In Vathak, even joy is mingled with the bitter ashes of despair and hopelessness. What you have here is additional GM information to augment the material presented in the Shadows over Vathak: Player’s Guide to Vathak and Shadows over Vathak:... Shadows over Vathak: Ina'oth - Player's Guide Regular price: $2.95 Bundle price: $0.51 Format: Watermarked PDF Shadows over Vathak: Ina'oth - Player's Guide Welcome to the world of Shadows over Vathak, a realm where the abominations known as the Old Ones seek to destroy humanity. It is a world of darkness and despair, where even the light of the One True God is often corrupted and twisted to serve sinister ends. As players, you may be heroes representing a bright point of light in the encroaching shadows of evil or you might just be survivors, living day by day however you can, survival your only goal. In Vathak, even joy is mingled with the bitter ashes of despair and hopelessness. What you have here are additional player options to augment the material presented in the Shadows over Vathak Campaign Guide. New feats, spells, traits, and more are detailed in the pages of this book... Shadows over Vathak: Player's Guide to Vathak Regular price: $19.95 Bundle price: $3.47 Format: Watermarked PDF A Stricken World Shadows over Vathak blends the Otherworldly, Cosmic Horror themes of New England's Lovecraft, the Macabre Mysteries of Poe, and the sensibilities of Victorian, Gothic Horror Adventure into an original fantasy setting for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As players, your characters fight to survive in a land threatened with destruction by the rise of the ancient and evil Old Ones and their spawn.  Your characters may represent points of light in the darkness or give in to dark temptations.  Most will fall somewhere in between — survivors struggling to eke out another day.  Though the followers of the One True God speak of divine providence while battling the Old Ones, the sins of the Church often rival those of t... vs. Ghosts Regular price: $11.95 Bundle price: $2.04 Format: Watermarked PDF Ghost Hunting was never so much fun! Welcome to the exciting world of Vs. Ghosts! Using the VsM Engine created by Phillip Reed! vs. Ghosts is a roleplaying game in which players suit up to battle strange hauntings in their neighborhoods while dealing with the mundane non-believers that try to prevent you from doing your job. Be it hotels, art museums, or even the classic haunted house, ghosts need busting and to be contained. This book contains everything that you and your friends will need to play. All you need are friends and two decks of normal playing cards! - Quick Start Rules to get you in the game in a flash! - Bestiary of strange ghosts and other haunts to hunt! - Plenty of adventure hooks to get you on your way to Ghost Hunting fame! So, whom do you call when things go ... vs. Ghosts Adventure: The Lights of Sand Island Regular price: $1.00 Bundle price: $0.17 Format: Watermarked PDF There have always been wrecks. That’s why we have lights. There have been a series of ships run aground on Sand Island. Survivors all say the same thing - that they saw the lights for Duluth Harbor and steered for them, only to realize too late they were terribly off course, usually just before the ship hits the rocks. It’s costing small fortunes and many sailors now don’t want to go out. The rumors that there are wreckers — but who benefits if they are? Or, is it some kind of haunting?.   vs. Ghosts is a roleplaying game in which players suit up to battle strange hauntings in their neighborhoods while dealing with the mundane non-believers that try to prevent you from doing your job. All you need are friends and two decks of normal playing cards!... vs. Ghosts Adventure: The Night Sparrow Regular price: $1.00 Bundle price: $0.17 Format: Watermarked PDF vs.Ghosts Adventure The Night Sparrow J-pop band, CHI48, are on tour in the US, but rumors swirl around the band that they’ve been cursed. Multiple concert goers have been stricken with blindness shortly after their shows. Unbeknownst to the band, the yokai Yosuzume has become entangled within audio equipment, and the equipment is magnifying the yokai’s ability! vs. Ghosts is a roleplaying game in which players suit up to battle strange hauntings in their neighborhoods while dealing with the mundane non-believers that try to prevent you from doing your job. All you need are friends and two decks of normal playing cards! ... vs. Stranger Stuff: Season 2 Regular price: $11.95 Bundle price: $2.08 Format: PDF Adolescent Supernatural Mischief In The 1980's! Using the vs. M Engine created by Phillip Reed! vs. Stranger Stuff is a rules-light tabletop roleplaying game of 1980’s inspired adventure, horror, and science fiction, where you play as “Kids” in their teens. But it’s not just homework and asking someone to the dance that are the terrors they need to face. Clearly influenced by the hit Netflix series, but also the great films that inspired that show, vs. Stranger Stuff — Season 2takes the original mini-game released by Fat Goblin Games and offers revised rules with some optional changes like playing the game in Easy, Normal, or Hard Mode, and clarifications that help to keep the game compatible with existing&nb... [PFRPG] Pug's Bazaar: Tent #3 Regular price: $2.95 Bundle price: $0.51 Format: Watermarked PDF After years of adventuring and narrow escapes from dungeons (and other merchants!), Toeslicer goblin peddler Pug is ready to assist you with all of your adventuring needs. Sure, he's got competition from that other goblin huckster but Pug is as trustworthy as they come! He invites you to stop by his tent and see his amassed treasures...which you can have if the price is right. Pug's Bazaar: Tent #3 includes the following items. Ukhram’s Annexer and Dominator Plate of the Vanguard Scrolls of Sangivaas Canned Trapsmith Goggles of Wardmarking Opportunistic Sense Bandoleer of Distractions Worldsplitting Orb Loremaster’s Ashes...

Total value:$143.85Special bundle price:$25.00Savings of:$118.85 (83%)

Price: $143.85 Best of the Best [BUNDLE] published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

[fireandgloryrpg]

NAME: Cassidy “Cassie” Blackwell

AGE: 30

FACECLAIM: Dane Dehaan

HERITAGE: Legacy of Apollo, Legacy of Carmentis

AFFILIATION: Augur of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata

STATUS: Retired (previously played by Ted)

HEADCANONS:

All of Cassie’s card decks for cartomancy, tarot and otherwise, were hand-drawn by them, they’re fourteen different decks, each dedicated to a different Olympian God and another for the Camenae. There are many cards dedicated to specific deities and Cassie only uses those decks containing those Gods when in need to know directly from them or when dealing with their direct descendants. Like the Gods they are dedicated to, the decks have moods and cannot be used at any given time.

Cicero is an Eudaemon, a kind nature spirit, that takes the form of a crow that and took a liking to Caecilius when they were training under Lupa to make to New Rome. Since crows are one of Apollo’s sacred animals, they have a strong connection. They’re free to leave and have no obligation to Cassie but they have been companions ever since. He can be found on the Augur’s shoulder most days and is often responsible for helping Cassie to be on track of what’s real and what’s not, giving plenty of advice to the Legionnaires seeking the Augur. The crow is a kind, patient but sarcastic spirit if you’re polite to him but he’s a nature spirit nonetheless and will shit on anyone who messes with him or Caecilius.  (It’s also a type of Omen related to the fact that ‘Augurius’ is the original fortune telling by analysing the flight of birds.)

Cassie isn’t an Oracle since Oracles are mostly virgin women tied to Apollo, they’re an Augur, a fortune teller bound by a holy contract to serve the Legion. In order to keep their powers sort of “organized” in their head, Cassie made a deal with the Camenae (the group of Godesses consisting of his grandmother and her sisters), whom they’ve dedicated their services to. They can never openly tell anyone their future, if someone wants to know something, they need to be asked and asked the right questions. The rules of the agreement are loose and mostly involve never telling anyone their direct fate possibilities, when it comes to political outcomes, buildings and other specific things, it depends whether the vision or reading is directly tied to someone’s life.

Caecilius lives between the house that was their parents’ before they left New Rome, a small double-story located downtown New Rome, nearby the Senate house and their quarters in Camp Jupiter. Depending on the flurry of activity and other influences, being in the presence of so many demigods and legacies can be draining, downright maddening so they leave back to the city.  

Due to the fact both Carmentis and Apollo are major deities in Cassidy’s life, the legion and legacy tattoo markings of the two gods in their arms. On their right arm, they have Apollo’s lyre and the years counting serving the legion and on their left arm, they have Carmentis’ crane and the SPQR on it. The only other God marking on their body is Jupiter’s eagle on the back of their neck, since the Augur is first and foremost an envoy for the Gods and Jupiter their King.

BIOGRAPHY: 

!! tw: mental illness, misdiagnosis, drug abuse, car crash, death, blood, violence, suicide attempt !!

Past A daughter of Apollo wins the spear throwing contest in the Fides festival, she’s a legionnaire in her eleventh year, a First Cohort Centurion nonetheless and she’s being celebrated for her good years in the service of New Rome, now leaving the Legion ranks to become Praetor. Her close-shaved head wears a gold laurel and she’s well into too much beer when she catches the eye of one legion doctor named Jules. He’s bad at every single war game, terrible indeed but he’s kind and sweet and Laura thinks of him a funny man, he’s not a soldier at heart, he’s their good doctor. They end the last day bonfire sitting side by side, they can’t agree on a single thing. They’re similar in ways they can’t expect, such as medicine and having an ability to pry into the future but they’re fundamentally different on most everything and yet they don’t hate each other.Laura and Jules get married on a spring morning, five years after the Fides festival they first met and all of New Rome showed up to their wedding. Neither of them were from prominent, noble or wealthy families but she had been a popular Centurion that turned Praetor, he had been a popular upstanding doctor and they were loved by the people. Even Apollo and Carmentis showed up for their children’s wedding, a party that bled from Friday into the weekend to never be forgotten.

They live happily ever after. (Or so they wish.) A year after they’ve been married, Laura dreams a terrible dream, a dream of suffering, pain and a miserable death. She goes on to have that same nightmare for the rest of the week. On the following week, Jules is the one who receives those nightmares. They’re both confused and unsure of what it means, they let it be. A few weeks later, they discover Laura is two weeks along an unexpected but not unwelcome pregnancy, a week after that they realized what those dreams meant. It was not for them but for their yet unborn child who would eventually die a horrible and painful death right in the heart of New Rome, standing under the Twelfth Legion Fulminata’s banner.Neither of them are Seers but they understand something about future reading, they understand that it can be changed and nothing is set in stone, but they won’t take their chances. They know the stories, one way or another the Fates weave their thread and ruin people’s lives. So after Caecilius is born, healthy and sane for now, Laura and Jules one day disappear from New Rome, leaving everything and everyone behind in the hopes they’ll save their child from a most painful future. That they’ll live their happily ever after elsewhere.They never stay for too long in one place, a year at most, to not give fate a fighting chance. Laura tends to attract more monsters than Jules but in general they move to remote places, small towns out of great routes, often plagued by changing nightmares about their child’s future. The family’s happily ever after lasts entire three years before one night, driving down to their next town, a minotaur rams against the side of the car and sends them to the other side of the road, front first against a truck. Happily ever after.No one who’s mortal would ever know how on Earth the child was the only one to survive the crash but if there were any demigods present, they would know it was Carmentis’ deed. She could not interfere with anything else but the Goddess was not going to let her grandchild die like so in a road, so away from its rightful place.There’s no documents with the parents, for all matters and purposes, none of those people existed so Caecilius was dead and sent into the U.S. Foster Care in the state of Texas in the city of Dallas. Though they did say their name was Caecilius, they were adopted a year later by a really nice couple a bit on the elderly side whose children had all left home by then and wanted to help someone in the world. So of course, they found each other.The Blackwells were nice, both doctors and both very patient with their new ADHD child. They gave Cassie a new name, a new house and a brand-new future as far as they were concerned. Cassie also forgot about their biological parents and the car accident eventually, leaving it to the backburner of their mind. The first few years were happy and regular for any child, maybe Cassie was a little too odd, a little too scrappy and maybe Cassie had a little too many imaginary friends, too inventive of a child but they were happy. Nothing was wrong for a good time and then everything started going downhill.It started at age seven, at first no one thought anything of the drawings, it was just regular drawings of a seven-year-old who watched too much television, of course it was, how else could Cassie have drawn about accidents that were happening on the other side of the world? How could a child even be aware of the Rwandan massacre or tornadoes in Kansas? Too much television they were sure. 

Then came the nightmares but once again, Cassidy was an imaginative, overactive child, nightmares were just nightmares. As a podiatrist, Peter Blackwell prescribed natural calmatives to his own child, he knew they couldn’t harm. It was easier to believe Cassidy was just too easy to impress by television than to believe their adopted child could pry into the future.But as time would have, nothing improved as things got exponentially worse. The nightmares kept Cassidy up at night, triggering a kind of anxiety that let them irritated and moody during the day, then at age eleven the visions started, first seldom and full of static like a malfunctioning TV receptor but slowly and steadier they grew more vivid, for longer. Cassidy grew desperate to belong but the more they tried, the worse things got. They didn’t know how to shut out the seemingly nonsensical stream of information, after all normal people did NOT see the future. At age fourteen Cassidy’s personality was a mix of medications – for anxiety, insomnia, pain, for mood control, for the eating disorder that grew after everything – and self-hatred, self-doubt and second guessing. A long-lasting diagnosis of schizophrenia came with a bigger stigma, Cassidy begged to be homeschooled, seeking peace in isolation.At age sixteen, they decided it was a losing battle, tired of being called insane, crazy, stupid and an array of not so complimentary names, Cassidy took too many pills down with a bottle of Jack Daniels. It was a miserable, unsuccessful attempted that landed them for a month in a mental health facility, an in-patient homestay care called St.Jude’s in the outskirts of Dallas, by Grapevine Lake. It wasn’t exactly peace but with the equivalent of something short a horse’s dosage in drugs, total isolation from the outside world and a really potent set of phones, Cassie was able to mute away the noise in their head for the first time in years. The following five years they kept coming and going from St.Jude’s, a cycle of reaching the bottom and crawling back up again.  For a full year the world seemed to go radio silence then. Most things stopped happening and yet, Cassidy knew it was more a sign of impending doom than a good sign. Giving in, Cassidy finally accepted that either they were absolutely insane or gifted in rare way and if it was the latter rather than the first, they needed to do something about it. Taking the silence since they could finally think clearly for the first time in years without drugs to muddle their judgement, they did the sensible thing, that was looking for others with a gift for divination. If it was all bullshit, then they were already crazy and completely out of it anyway, what else could be lost? Running away from St.Jude’s without a single note, knowing their parents would come looking, Cassidy went on a quest for anyone who could teach them divination.Most people that Cassidy found were crooks, liars, charlatans or esoteric weirdos that knew nothing of what they spoke and offered little solace. But right before they gave up their search it was in a small, falling apart shop in Chicago that Cassidy finally found answers. The shop itself was esoteric in a way they’d never seen before, items made of gold and bronze and silver, alluring to Roman and Greek paraphernalia from the olden ages, dusty books written in ancient latin, things labelled like “the Minotaur Horn, 2000” and “Echidna’s Claw, 1976”, a very confusing but amusing shop, Cassidy walked in to ask if the owner did future readings and if so, how or why.The owner, a woman well into her eighties, looking with deep brown eyes over her glasses, took them to the back and Cassidy was finally treated like a sane, more or less rational person, not some crazy loony that was rambling into the winds. They talked and talked the afternoon and into the night and came the next day, they kept on talking. And as if Cassidy’s life couldn’t get any crazier, she told them about Gods and demigods, about a place where people like them belonged. Where Cassie would be believed and cherished by who they were. She said that for a year, she’d teach Cassidy everything she knew about foreseeing and they’d work in the shop for that time but after that, they’d have to part ways.The old lady, Fulvia, taught them much, even things she didn’t know herself but were in the books. She also told Cassidy she was a daughter of Apollo and she was way past a millennia, that she had followed the Goddess Diana for so long until she found her soulmate elsewhere and left the Huntresses to live her very own happily ever after. Cassidy didn’t know whether or not to believe but they decided they liked to entertain the thought of the grandmother and her husband being soulmates and all that. For that long year, while most everything was silent, Cassidy studied and learned about the Gods and their magical world beneath the thing called Mist, a world where even the crazy ones like them belonged.And then the silence was over, as if whatever antenna in their brain had been broken in their brain was repaired all of a sudden. It came in a dream, where Cassidy met a woman they had never seen before, who took them into her arms and introduced herself as Carmentis, their grandmother, Goddess of children, childbirth and prophecy. Sure thing. She told Cassidy the Gods had gone through a terrible ordeal that year, that other brave demigods had fought and won a Titan uprising, that Cassidy was needed back home, back in New Rome where they belonged with the other demigods and legacies, that they needed a real Seer.Egeria showed up in a dream and set a condition that if Cassidy could make to Lupa’s den of wolves, complete her training and reach New Rome alive, that the Camenae would try to help channel their powers, if they swore on the River Styx that they would never offer knowledge, only ever let people come to them, she and Apollo would help. No need to offer again, Cassidy was gone the very next day to find the wolf goddess.

Present Making through Lupa’s training was hard, difficult, almost impossible for Cassidy who was unable to concentrate or focus after a year of radio silence in their head only to go back to the usual noise, static and hard-to-control visions hitting out of nowhere, the amount of disgraces hadn’t changed as well. But they also had spent a whole year learning how to channel those powers, harness them into something productive – taking it all on stride, while not quite amazing Legionnaire material, Caecilius did survive the training.They made to Camp Jupiter and even before joining the Legion they claimed the name and blood where they came from, doing so they granted people to pay attention to them. Because of their poor mental condition, Cassie didn’t quite take a regular place in the Legion though they tried to make through the first year of probatio on the First Cohort, with others to vouch for them wanting to be in the good graces of the new Augur. They were decidedly more suitable to consultation, advice and paperwork, aiding the Centurions, Praetors, Consuls, Senators and the Pontifex, a position where they have remained for the past four years as the eccentric oddball Seer.

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