[Tarot's Scrapbook] The Stacked Deck

[Satu]

We are very relieved to hear you are safe!

[Jilitse]

Hi GP!私はもうここに書かないけど私はあなたについて考える。私はあなたと一緒に書くことを覚えている.どもありがとうございます。いつも私の祈りにあなたが含まれます。

[Gossamer]

The Reading It's overdue, but sometimes the timing needs to be right. And now is the time. Card Position: The Significator. This cards position indicates the atmosphere around the situation or question. I often consider it the backdrop or the scene that is set. Card Name: Nine of Cups: Party Hearty Standard Meaning: This card indicates a whole host of adjectives that surround sensual pleasure and indulgence. Its meaning indicates the demand for satisfaction, plenty, sensuality, success, and security. But this card goes beyond that. It is often the granting of wishes or the situation where you want your wishes to come true. Gossamer's Notes: When looking at this card in this position, basically what your dealing with is a demand that things go the way you want them to go with ease and payback. This means whatever effort you put into something, you want equal reward given if not more. You are focused on success at this point and want everything perfect. You won't be willing to settle for 'almost' but instead will go to great lengths to get PERFECT. Card Position: Major Influences. This is what drives the signifcator. It has to do with a great deal of history and present rolled up into the main overall thoughts or feelings on the subject. Card Name: Ten Of Swords: No, It Is That Bad! Standard Meaning: Basically this card is every bad description rolled up into one. Misfortune, desolation, defeat, failure, ruin, most of which can be 'over' but still highly influencing you. Gossamer's Notes: Basically there's bad associations surrounding the situation right now. You've never had a whole lot of good luck, but instead have had all the worst exposure to the situation that is possible. It's left you wary and weak, and wholly unskilled to cope with the future. This card can be a horrible one, honestly, but in this position it is muted a little by the fact that it doesn't mean these things are going to happen. It means that they are 'over and done with' and that the situation your in right now leads you to be terribly insecure and uncertain. You have every right to be as well, but it also gives you a real change of pace compared to what you've been doing up until now which can be exciting and challenging especially when your in a comfortable spot in life and you've met all the current challenges. This one is so different, however, that you'll be treading new ground and walking new pathways that have never been walked before putting you in new places completely. There are a lot of ghosts haunting you. Card Position: What Roots You - this is the basic fundamental makeup of who you are, your values, and the things that keep you firmly rooted to the ground. Card Name: The Empress (Major Arcana) Standard Meaning: The Empress is used to depict pregnancy, fertility, safety, security, sometimes good advice, and mostly a woman who's rich of character with all the qualities of the element of Earth which is listed above. Gossamer's Notes: This card could be talking about yourself, which it most certainly is, and a combination of strong men and women you know in your life that form your core family and role models. You aren't a fiery personality prone to erupt like a wand or one that has a swift and sure justice like a sword. You don't even have the overflow of emotions like water has. Instead, you are the fertile ground for ideas growing into fruition. You are a thinker, intellect, and need in this situation understanding to all of those things. Interestingly enough, you drew the empress rather than the emperor which means you are more prone to mother ideas along than to quietly protect them from the background. All in all this card is very well suited for what position it holds and why it holds it. Card Position: What Crowns You - these are your overhead ideals and the person you see yourself being or becoming. Conversely it can be the cloud cover that obstructs you from deciding who you want to be or seeing yourself as that shining light. Card Name: Nine of Swords: Night Terrors Standard Meaning: Suffering... a lot of it, brought on by vicious circles of thought. Agony, some of it really self assigned. This card can also mean desolation, doubt, suspicion, misery, dishonesty, slander and troubles which the worst of which are to come. Gossamer's Notes: Okay, this is definitely the cloud cover. And it tells me the whole of your psychology is prepped for war all the time. You have a few bad situations in the past and they've let everything be ruined for the future. Basically you think you know what your doing and whats best for you, but the truth is you are wrapped very very tightly in your own brand of mental armor and you EXPECT all this to always be bad so you aren't ever shocked or surprised. You really have to be careful here. You need to rip open your life, expose all this to the air, and get through it or else the current situation is going to be a setup for failure because you are going to be secretly to critical and protective for it to survive. And don't think you are doing it without good reason. You have good reason. You just don't realize this is what you are doing. Again, more ghosts, and these all have big scary teeth. Card Position: Distant Past Before A Major Life Change - I usually tell people its before they moved out for college, graduated college and joined the real world, changed their last job, etc. Whatever your change, you'll recognize it. Card Name: Ten Of Cups: Welcome Home Standard Meaning: This is happiness at its finest. Home, family bliss, peace, love, and happiness. This is like the perfect family life, all in all, with a whole lot of joy and safety. Gossamer's Notes: Well, what can I say? You come from a very stable loving background. You know what good is. You don't have any abuse or neglect and as a child have been shown safety and security and lots and lots of love. That doesn't mean everything is perfect or was in fact. Far from it, but what it does tell me is that at your core, everything you've ever done was due to this foundation. You success was built on this background and having support whenever you need it. This can make things hard too, GP, because people with this solid of a background don't settle for less. They don't take chances and they often get what they get and aren't satisfied with it. For the future, they want this type of security for their own family, which no one will blame you for. You just need to remember its wholly rare. Oh, and so in regards to this change, it would most likely have indicated the change of 'moving out' of your traditional family home and getting your own place. Card Position: Recent Past - this isn't before a big change. This is well withing this week or even the last few days. Card Name: The Queen Of Pentacles Standard Meaning: This card always represents a woman who has the seeker's best interest at heart. She has no fear of hard work and seeing things through. Loyal and prone to monetary gifts, this woman represents intelligence and thoughtfulness. Gossamer's Notes: You've met someone like this recently and shes' influencing your life in a positive way even if its only just to inspire you to be a better person. She might have even been impactual for setting your standards even higher. Also, and though I hesitate to say it, this 'empress' could be the result of you making a list of wants and needs for a new project or a set of standards you want to go by and thus birthed this fictitious woman up and are now measuring real women or real projects by. Let me give you an example. Say you've recently decided to buy a house and you've listed all your 'must haves' as being say a things you can't live without. The list is rather long... large bathrooms, double car garages, new roof, perfect mancave, perfect location, exactly X amount of land, X dstance from your work, etc. So even when fantastic houses come on the market, they fail short because they don't have everything on your list and you pass them up even though they were perfect houses to buy for you to live in and have as an investment. So be careful. Card Position: Self - This is your current place in the situation. Card Name: Three of Wands: Ships Come In Standard Meaning: Growth, success in business, strength, clear vision of the future. This card is always positive right side up and always means that good things lie therein. Gossamer's Notes: I always think of this card as the payoff card. After worrying about whether things will bear fruit or not over and over again finally its reward time and all the effort put into the venture is paying off. And while this is in a slightly odd position - the self slot - that simply means all the work you've put into yourself has paid off and you will get you just rewards. You'll see it, and others will as well. Card Position: Feelings Card Name: Two of Wands: Watch and Wait Standard Meaning: Wait and see if any plans bear fruit because good things are coming. It also means kindness, generosity, intellect as well all put into a holding pattern. Gossamer's Notes: This card depicts someone staring at the globe and knowing the world is round whereas everyone else is still thinking its flat. It really talks about thinking about concepts in a new way and exploring undiscovered country. You're patient. You'll need to be. But you don't think of these things like everyone else does. You look beyond. Card Position: Hopes and Fears Card Name: Two of Swords: Balance Standard Meaning: You are in a dangerous spot, or so you feel. Life is at a tipping point and there's precarious balance. You see two paths ahead, and one is the path of lesser evil and although you have the knowledge to decide which course, its going to take a lot of time and effort to make any sort of decision. Gossamer's Notes: I actually like seeing this card in a reading because it means that you have choices. I like choices. Some people hate them, but I'd rather not have a selection than to have one. It will boil down to two things, GP, and those two things will be terrifying and scary for you but you'll decide based on your experience though you won't be able to see the future and to tell which one will be best. It will sort of feel like your picking blind - in total dark. But you will get a choice, which I think means bounty is coming. Card Position: Final Outcome Card Name: Three of Pentacles: The Master Craftsman Standard Meaning: You are going to end up being the best you can be. Your skills and abilities will be appreciated and rewarded. You'll have artistic ability, rank, power, achievement and success. You will be admired and modeled. Things are going to be just fine. Gossamer's Notes: We both know what this reading is about. I see your life coming full circle, GP, and you ending up being the role model that others have been for you. Things will not always be absolutely perfect, but they will be incredibly good. You're going to get what you want, but its going to take a little time. There's no ruin or devastation in this reading other than whats happened in the past and what generates insecurities. As a side note, I also see you having a daughter (in the future) in this reading that will look up to you in an incredibly humbling way. She's heavily in this reading, popping up all over, which seems as clear as a printed newspaper to me. She might not be the only child, but she will be your favorite by far. And she might be yours by blood or yours only by adoption, but expect her and don't be afraid when you first meet her. She'll be a joy. And as parents, its okay to have favorites, just as long as you love every one of them in their own way as well. So What Does It Mean? Bottom line you are going to get what you want. Its out there and you are going to find it and when it happens its going to bring you great joy. The problem is you are getting in your own way. And, I think, you're dealing with timing that is beyond your control. Right now you are playing a waiting game - waiting for the ships to come home - and that's always tough but incredibly rewarding. You have all the skills you need right now, believe it or not, for the situation that's coming. This is a fact I would have sworn was not true. But evidently the mesh is going to be so good that you won't have to do one thing or another. It also means that while you've done all these changes currently and in anticipation of what might be needed in the future, they weren't ultimately necessary. You are whats needed right now, as you are, with no major changes. The only reason you are where you are is timing. And as much as I am a bit jealous to say it, part of that timing revolves around a little girl. She has no card representation, but she's in every card. And when she's so strong in personality that she shouts at a reader like me, you make a point to pass on the message. You're in for one hell of a ride. And I love it that your going to love every minute of it as well. Don't let your fears, your night terrors and insecurities keep you failing. You absolutely CANT fail in this. Do you understand? You can't. You just have to be who you are already and everything will fall into place. Enjoy it. This was a strong reading, nothing wishy washy about it. The cards or the atmosphere around you the cards are reading are sure of it.

[Wrenmae]

Hey Tarot! Best wishes overseas pursuing your dream. In the meantime, I wanted to drop a line and thank you for all the hard work you've put into Mizahar. All the improvements you've made to the site, your amazing quests, and the fantastic Sahova...examples of the vision you've brought us.

I just wanted to thank you for your hard work and wish you best in your life's pursuits.

Best wishes

Wren

[Laszlo]

Hey Tarot! I was doing some perusing around the older threads on the site, and I came upon a Writer's Workshop thread you posted in once. You wrote...

...

I think there are greater obstacles to writing a novel than the second language. There are plenty of differences between a post and a novel in terms of style and exposition. Posts are often built around character thoughts and feelings, but putting so much insight into a single book passage would bog it down a lot, just to name one. The way the narrator works also needs adjustment... I find it very fascinating, actually!

I thought this was incredibly insightful, and makes me feel a little better about the difference in when I write for myself (off the site), and when I write with others. This was something I noticed too, and had wondered about.

Too often I try to compare my writing to published fiction authors and sometimes I feel like I'm venturing into places I shouldn't (too much insight), as a writer, when I continue to write in my own PC's perspective. What you wrote helps it make a little more sense, and keeps me from worrying too much about the styles of writing I put into roleplay.

I was glad to see another person's opinion on the subject. Just wanted to share that with you!

[Wrenmae]

Happy Birthday Tarot!


Thanks for all the fantastic coding you bring to Mizahar! Glad to see you around more often these days.

[Ignotus Everto]

Happy birthday, Tarot! Thanks for all the code, like Wrenmae said, and thanks for all the mouthwatering magic we have to obsess over! (I can't be the only one... Can I?)

[Tarot]

I'm back home after a week at my parents' place due to house repairs and the likes. Which came after a week away from home because of work. I'll try to catch up in the coming week! Yes, even you with the huge writeups for me to look at, you cruel fellows you. Posts have the highest priority, though... if anything because I need them to get back into the mood.

In other news, I hereby entitle you to apply moral suasion on Goss to get her to finish her wiki revisions so I can get the book done before December 21. The world's going to need this in the next cycle.

[Tarot]

Today I spent some time doing something I hadn't in a long while - that is, I just browsed cities around the game and read random threads that caught my attention. Seeing my work being referenced and used to further a ton of storylines gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling. I especially loved all the unique takes on things I hadn't thought about. People aren't just rehashing what I wrote, they're putting their own spin on it, questioning things, connecting the dots.

Thank you for all that. You may not realize this, since you probably joined Mizahar well after its initial stage - indeed, there's maybe a handful of people left of those who were with us on opening day, as is to be expected with these games (Vick was with us even before we opened, a shout out to you old fossil ) Anyway, a lot of the lore you're reading was written when we had no idea whether the game would even last three months. Our feelings were pretty much a rollercoaster ride between "this is going to be awesome" and "will anyone ever read this?" Most play by posts fail, and fail quickly. It's not always about quality, either; good ideas sometimes die just as horribly as bad ones. It takes a lot of ingredients both before and after launch to even give one a fighting chance.

That our users make up elaborate theories on stuff I was literally making up by the seat of my pants on some summer night in 2009 is both flattering and slightly confusing to me. But thank you for doing that! I appreciate you much more than you think.

[Mirage]

Tarot!! I will say that I still puzzle over all of your articles, but I have tons of fun plotting and planning with players out there who want to take what you have made and go a step further. We have players in Sahova working on practical applications of malediction on the living, and one is even making a new race! Its amazing watching the magics grow and change, and I am so proud you let me lead the city where it all comes together

Stop by for a visit sometime! I know my players, and myself, have a ton of things to ask you. I am happy to say that my player base is growing each and every day, one PC at a time, and every one of them is showing promise that they will take what you have given them and bring it to a whole new light.

Forever yours,
Mirage