for entertainment purposes only: free tarot story draw

[alexseanchai]

I am offering one-card draws for free, one free draw per customer, Hanson-Roberts or Pocket Goddess Tarot. The Hanson-Roberts is basically the Rider-Waite; the Pocket Goddess deck, though based on Rider-Waite, has Prince, Princess, King, and Queen instead of Page, Knight, Queen, and King, and there is considerable difference in the major arcana; for example, card XV is not the Devil but Temptation, and the card has the likeness of Nyai Loro Kidul.

Here's the catch. Inspired by sharpeningthebones (who looks to still be open), instead of the standard 'draw a card, interpret a card' with more cards if you tip the fortuneteller, when you ask for a card, leave a prompt of up to five words. I will take the card and the prompt and write you a story of about a hundred words.

I am not putting up prices for more in-depth efforts today, but tips are always appreciated.

Anonymous comments are screened as always, but all the stories will be publicly visible.

The draw is CLOSED.

Comments

[silveradept]

"Somewhere," he said, "she exists." (whichever deck works better.)

Hanson-Roberts, Six of Rods: triumph, vindication

[alexseanchai]

"Somewhere," said Kai, "she exists."

Iolana. The only child of the previous king. The princess who vanished the night of his majesty's death. The princess who, by wisdom and loyalty, courage and cunning, blood and blessing, was the rightful ruler of this land. Surely she could stop the war between the branches of her family!

What right, after all, would her cousins have to the throne if the king's daughter herself were alive?

If. Kai himself might be the only one who believed.

"Good sir Kai," said a woman in the street one day, and Kai turned. Her face—familiar! "I heard you were looking for me?"

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Six of Rods: triumph, vindication

[silveradept]

That sounds like the beginning to a great adventure.

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Six of Rods: triumph, vindication

[alexseanchai]

I think the first four paragraphs are the beginning of the adventure and there's a lot that happens before the fifth paragraph. And lots and lots after, too.

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Six of Rods: triumph, vindication

[silveradept]

Definitely. It will be a very long journey, but it will be worth it in the end.

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Six of Rods: triumph, vindication

[alexseanchai]

:)

[miintikwa]

I'm game!

"It was only ever the moon,"

Hanson-Roberts, Eight of Swords: trapped by circumstances

[alexseanchai]

Shoot for the moon, they say, and if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

'They' don't mention that it's a long cold hungry journey between here and the stars. And there's no guarantee that the stellar West Indies are suitable for human habitation. Nor is there any way to be sure that anywhere habitable is uninhabited. We will not do to others what our Spanish ancestors did to the Aztecs and Maya, our English ancestors to the Algonquians and Cherokee. We will not do to other lands what we all did to Terra.

We thought we were joining settlers of Luna. Only a few of us knew otherwise.

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Eight of Swords: trapped by circumstances

[miintikwa]

Brilliant! Thank you!

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Eight of Swords: trapped by circumstances

[alexseanchai]

Glad you enjoyed!

It wants to be a novel. Damn it all. I have thirty other projects ongoing! I wanted microfiction prompts, not novel prompts!

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Eight of Swords: trapped by circumstances

[miintikwa]

*giggles* That's always the way. I asked for a couple prompts a while back, and I have two novels and a novella from them.

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Eight of Swords: trapped by circumstances

[alexseanchai]

Gaaaah.

[kiezh]

This is a neat idea. Is it still open? If so, prompt: carrying fire.

Hanson-Roberts, Seven of Rods: taking the offensive

[alexseanchai]

Almost to her target. Just a little closer...

There. Julianne lets a ball of flame grow in her palm, bounces it once to test its heft, takes aim, and throws.

She strikes the enemy tent dead on. She commands the flames to burn smokelessly, to burn nothing living, only property and only within the camp bounds; there won't be enough heat to kill anyone by searing their lungs shut. Or there shouldn't be.

Julianne keeps lighting tents, ordering the fire to leap from place to place so she needn't reveal her position.

The invaders will leave her land if she has to smoke them all out herself.

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Seven of Rods: taking the offensive

[kiezh]

That is awesome! I love kickass women with fire magic (and ethics). :D

(Sorry for the late reply!)

Re: Hanson-Roberts, Seven of Rods: taking the offensive

[alexseanchai]

:-D