(Flashback) The Shadow Truth Spread (Solo)

[Blythe]

55 Summer, 507 AV Blythe was sitting cross-legged on her bed. The shades were drawn over the closed window in order to block out the sight of the rain. Blythe couldn't help it. Each time it rained, she felt strangely sad. Yet, each time it rained, she also felt strangely relaxed. She supposed it must have something to do with the sound it made when it came crashing into the roof of her family's cottage. A strange thudding nose, muffled by the straw bits that made up the roof. The sheets beneath her skin felt soft, and smooth. As though they had been in the family for a long time; and thus, washed several times. More than enough time had seemed to pass where the sheets were worn down; the roughness of fresh sheets simply beaten out of the pale purple fibers. Blythe was sitting atop the sheets, her grandmother's Palladini tarot card deck was resting on top of her right knee, the box was on the sheet, a little to the left of where she was sitting. Blythe picked up the cards and began shuffling them, for some strange reason, she was in the mood for another reading today. She wanted to ask the question: do I secretly hate my sisters for bearing children, while I have never successfully given birth to one? Blythe didn't intend on using a significator for this reading, she wasn't in the mood to pick out a card that would reflect her rather pitiful and quite possibly, secretly or not so secretly jealous self. What she did intend on, however, was using the shadow truth spread. The spread was used for this sort of reading- one in which the person being read wished to learn about their attitude, and any emotions they may be hiding. It was a very good spread to use when one is struggling to confront something, or when the one being read fears that they are hiding an aspect of their own nature from themselves. Shuffling the cards a few more times, Blythe sighed. She was pretty sure she'd find yet another reason to hate herself if the cards showed one of the things she feared most: hatred that was directed towards her sisters. Finally, she drew the top five cards from the top of the deck, and placed them before her on the bed sheet. She then picked up the box where the deck was stored, and returned the rest of the cards to it. She then put the box back down on the bed. She then turned back to the cards that remained upside-down in a small pile on her bed. She picked the cards up. Blythe took the first card, (on the top of her stack), and put it face-down on the bed. She then took the next card, and placed it just below the first. The next card she placed just below that one, the next one to the left of the card in the middle of the line, and the last one, to the right of the card in the middle of the first line she had made. In the end, the cards formed a cross. Blythe then flipped all of the cards over. The first card she noticed was the card in the middle of the spread. The card was flipped upside-down, and depicted five separate people standing in a field of tall green grass. Each of the people were holding a large, sparkling, golden-colored stick. The sticks seemed to be the only things other than the full moon, and a small spattering of stars that lit up the dark night sky that hung in the background. "The five of rods," Blythe whispered. Blythe knew that the central card was the one that represented the attitude that she displayed. The reversed five of rods, she also knew, was associated with strife. Pointless struggles that were caused by things such as one's base desire. Chaos, and a situation that brings out the worst characteristics of each of the individuals involved in it. Does that mean Blythe was jealous after all? And likely to throw tantrums about how unfair life was? And how she deserved a child, and her sisters didn't? And that they might as well hand their kids over to her, their rightful wannabe mother? Or rather guardian? (Guardian did sound nicer), Blythe thought, frazzled by the first card she had drawn, but choosing to move onto the rest of the cards. Because together, they all made a reading; alone, they were merely a single piece of a larger puzzle. The next card Blythe noticed was the one to the five's right; the card that represented the the thoughts and feelings that under-lied her attitude. The card she had drawn depicted a man. The man was wearing a golden-colored suit of armor, and riding on a white horse with a golden-tinted mane. The man appeared to be a knight riding through the starry night on his trusty steed. The knight was holding a golden-colored stick in his hands. It was upside-down; the reverse knight of rods. In this position, the card represented a person filled with vitality. An exciting person, who is obsessed with their overall appearance. The person is overly-confident however, and prone to acting foolishly. This person does not want to settle down, and displays quite the temper, and a dominant personality overall. Was she choosing not to express her jealousy then, because she wanted to maintain her appearances as the nice, well-adjusted Konti girl that was easy to talk to? Blythe scratched her head as she looked at the next card, the card at the top, the one that represented how her attitude was evolving. The card depicted a boy standing in the middle of a desert, surrounded by nothing other than tan-colored, sun-kissed sand. The boy was dressed in long, flowing green robes, and a golden head-piece adorned his head. He was holding a long golden rod, which reminded Blythe of a scepter, and if the words "page of rods," hadn't been written on the bottom of the card in black ink, Blythe might have mistaken it for the queen of rods. She had always found this card strange; difficult to discern, being that the page had so many feminine qualities. Not only that, but the garment he wore could easily be mistaken for a dress. Even so, Blythe knew that the card had to do with the sudden onset of a new passion. "An adventurer who blazes through life, acting as a catalyst that others may harness. The intense enthusiasm and childlike imagination that fuels any new venture, needing only the application of mind and material to make it a success. Inner fire that can drive away fear and replace it with fury. Can represent a person of some timidity, but whose innate passion can be easily ignited. May indicate the birth of a child." Was there hope then, for a child? Blythe wondered as she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. "Please Avalis, my goddess, please let this be so, you know how much I long to start a family? Don't you?" Blythe paused. "You can sense it, no, feel it, in your heart and in your bones. You know it will make me the happiest Konti in all of Mizahar, don't you?" Blythe whispered as she opened her eyes, and unclasped her hands. She clapped her hands together once, closing her prayer, before looking back down at the cards she had drawn. The next card Blythe looked at was the one on the left. It signified how others perceived her attitude. Staring back at her was a lion, its mane a fiery golden-red, and adorned with several brightly colored flowers of red and blue. The rest of its fur was a deep golden color, its eyes amber. Standing behind the lion, beneath a pale blue sky was a pale-skinned woman. Her hair was long and a pale blonde, almost white. Her hair was laced with flower petals, and her eyes were closed as though in peace or in bliss. Blythe could not tell for sure. Her expression was mysterious, difficult to discern. The card was the strength card, and had to do with raw power. Health; recovering from an illness. The ability to overcome various obstacles; displaying one's inner strength. Did this mean that others thought that she wanted to have a child merely because it would allow her to fit in? Allow her to gain power within her own family because she could finally say that she was worth something? That she had finally had one? Blythe wondered as her eyes wandered to the last card she had drawn the card at the bottom, the one that represented the one thing she failed to confront; the one thing she may be keeping from herself. The card she saw was upside-down, and depicted a man standing under a cloudy night sky. The clouds were mainly white, although they were tinted grey. The sky was a dark blue, nearly black, and held only a few silver stars, and a slim crescent moon. Standing beneath the stars was a man with long red hair that tumbled just below his shoulders. The man was wearing bronze colored armor, that seemed to be made of tiny chains. He was wearing gloves, that were only a little bit darker than the rest of his attire. Only his face was exposed. His skin was shiny, pale and even. His nose was small, his eyes hidden behind a white blindfold. In his hands were two silver swords. The one he held in his right hand was crossed over the left. The tips were pointed up at the sky, the blades cutting diagonally across his face. Whatever the blindfolds didn't hide, the swords did. Blythe wondered what he was hiding from. What his secret could possibly be. The poor figure of the two of swords card, such a mysterious man she thought. Who had scorned or blinded him? Blythe wondered, thinking it ironic that when the two of swords was reversed, it signified peace. The card had to due with indecisiveness being brought about by two contradictory concepts trying to blend together. Tensions that have managed to be resolved at the end of a fight. "Scheming and agreements made in bad faith." Allowing the body to grow numb; forcing it not to feel. "Self deception as a means of justifying cruel acts." Did it mean she was hiding from the fact that she was forced to accept this even though she didn't want to? Blythe was supposed to be ok with not having children, and act as such, even though she felt incomplete and insecure? Or was her interpretation totally off-base, she wondered, knowing that she'd simply have to review them all together in order to truly make sense of the reading. OOCWill... get... expert... fortune telling! Sooooooo cloooooseee! References : http://www.facade.com/tarot/

[Blythe]

Blythe returned her gaze to the first card, the reverse five of rods, the one that represented her attitude. Perhaps the card was simply stating the obvious, serving as a highly unnecessary reminder: Blythe was unhappy. She was unhappy because she hadn't yet successfully given birth, no matter how many times she tried. She was unhappy because she was surrounded by fertile women, whose children constantly fanned around her. She was surrounded by five separate woman, and all of their kids, a constant reminder of her failure. A constant reminder that she was not like them, she was childless, and that without a child, she was nothing. Yet no matter how hard she prayed, how much she asked, or even begged. No matter how many times she looked into the cards or drank the vision water; she never seemed to get the answer she sought. She never got what she wanted most; the ability to give life to another, and thus she felt angry. She anguished, cried, and constantly wished to rip her hair out. Her body was boiling over with green-colored envy, and there was nothing she could do to contain it. Eventually she would explode because she simply couldn't accept just being happy for others. Yes, she was happy for them, but she also wanted to be happy for her. And all she was asking for was a child to call her own. Someone to rock back and forth in her arms, to cradle and to love. Someone to nurse every night, and sing lullabies to. Someone to fawn over every second of every single day until the day that she died. Fawn... And it was this... this relentless desire, this deep-seated longing that would one day bring Blythe to her ruination, wouldn't it? Her endless pursuit of bringing life into the world would shred her heart into two, would bring her to her knees and drive her entire family apart. Tears were starting to well up in Blythe's eyes, causing her vision to become blurry. Was it possible for one of the cards, something so simple, to say so much? Something so powerful that it caused her to cry? Blythe wondered as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and considered the next card, the card that represented the thoughts and feelings that under-lied her attitude; the reverse knight of rods. Was the card saying that Blythe had a lot of heart, and at times, could make foolish decisions? Perhaps slept with too many people, people she may not have even liked, just so she could have a baby? Blythe thought about it for a moment. There were a few people that she had not taken a good deal of time to get to know. It was as though they were talking one minute, and in bed together the next. Had she been denied what she wanted because she hadn't made good choices when it came to getting the one thing she wanted most? Blythe wondered, as she continued onto the next card, the one that represented how her attitude was evolving. The card she had drawn was the page of rods. Perhaps it was saying that she would develop a new attitude in which she was much more explorative and willing do new things. Thus, more people would be attracted to her, therefore, increasing her chances of reaching her goal; to have a baby. The card heralded that too; birth. It was a good sign, Blythe thought as she moved on. The next card Blythe looked at was the one on the left. It signified how others perceived her attitude. It was the strength card. It suggested that others viewed her as someone who was slowly recovering. Perhaps, Blythe thought, the card was referring to how she had lost her first child, and was slowly but surely starting to recover from that trauma; or so others and the cards seemed to think. Perhaps the card was saying that she would overcome the loss she felt, and some day try again, and actually be successful in her having a child. And yet, the card also suggested that she was having a child for power. While it was true that giving birth to a child would raise Blythe up from her lowly place on the social ladder, she knew that it wasn't why she would have a child. She wanted a child so she could have her own family. A family to hold and cherish, and generally smother with her love. But, she supposed she could see where others may think that she were doing it for power... Blythe then turned to the last card she had drawn; the one that represented the one thing she failed to confront; the one thing she may be keeping from herself. It was the two of swords card. Peace? Was it saying that all of her jealousies were masking an inner peace? Were the cards suggesting that she was happier than she thought she was? That she had come to accept her lack of children, and was happy with it? Was it saying that she was truly happy for her sisters, and not even remotely jealous of them? Had she been deceiving herself all along? Blythe wondered. Or was she simply forcing herself to hide her emotions. Forcing herself to hide behind a smile, when really, she was falling apart inside? When really, all she wanted to do was cry because she wanted one too. Or perhaps, she wasn't hiding anything from herself at all. Perhaps, she was hiding from her grandmother, her mother. Perhaps she was simply hiding from her sisters behind a mask, silently praying that they never pulled it off. Praying that they never did truly see. Blythe sighed as she scooped up all the cards and placed them back in the box. She closed the lid, that was more than enough fortune telling for one day, she thought. OOCWell isn't my pc obsessive?

[Alice]

Blythe

Experience: 3 Fortune Telling, 1 Observation, 2 Philosophy
Lores: Not Using a Significator, The Shadow Truth Spread, The Reverse Five of Rods Card, The Reverse Knight of Rods Card, The Page of Rods Card, The Strength Card, The Reverse Two of Swords Card, Envy Born from Sorrow, Hope for a Happy Future, Lying to Oneself

Comments

Nice thread! I like how Blythe gets emotional so quickly when doing a Tarot reading. It would be a great adventure if she happened to come across a self-fulfilling prophecy one day ...