The End

Day 30 – End Spread

It’s finally here – the last day of this amazing challenge. It’s been a rough go at times for me, but I’m super excited at what came out in the end. I’m even planning on writing this particular story out for this years NaNoWriMo. Stay tuned, as I might post snippets throughout November. 

I’ve also feel that this challenge has opened my mind to a few different outlining techniques, not just using Tarot Cards to help build out a story, but I’ve never dove into the Antagonist’s Displays of Power before, or the Demise of the Mentor and Sidekick. Sure, I’ve written about these before, but never knew they had a particular name to them. Just the basics of outlining Act 2 was extremely helpful as Act 2 is always my falling off point while writing. That’s all to say that I’m very thankful to KarmaStarTarot.com for putting all these tarot spreads together and breaking down parts of a story in new ways for me. I really want to do this again, but with a different Tarot Deck – I’ve started searching around at all the amazing artwork of Tarot that is out there and settled on at least 2 other decks I’d love to own one day. We’ll see what happens.

On to the last spread. We’re taking the cards from the 3 Act Life Spread back on Day 4 and grabbing the Act 3 cards we had pulled for Home, Work, Love and Finance. One by one, we’re going to fan out the remaining cards and pull two cards fore each to represent the External and Internal factors or events that lead to this outcome in the story. 

HOME

Card 1 – Internal Event – 7 of Wands Reversed

Card 2 – External Event – King of Wands Reversed

Signifier – The Empress

REIVEW:

Starting with the Home Life of Amber, we know in Act 3 we end with the Empress. I am still thinking this has to do with reconciling with her mother/grandmother of the magical side of her family. There is nurturing and abundance at the end of the road in this part of her life for her. So, how we get there is through two reversed cards – which are both Wands. 

We start with the 7 of Wands Reversed for the Internal factor/event. Amber could very well feel overwhelmed and exhausted from dealing with her father throughout the book, she has to be asking how he ended up with her, and if there is any family left for her to flee towards. She’s facing a lot of doubt about who she is, and what might have happened to her magical side of the family during these years of war. 

Externally we have the King of Wands Reversed, referring to haste, impulsiveness, and high expectations. I think its very clear that Amber is being impulsive at times, and hasty in getting away from her past.  She could even be aggressive and ignoring other’s opinions and advice during this period leading up to the ending. There is also a risk of unrealistic expectations, Amber might be assuming the best – or worst – of the situation and leading herself into failure or even a trap. Another worry is that in pursuit of finding her family, she could be getting wrapped up in other people’s business, getting distracted or lead away from her dream. Either way, she still ends up where she’s supposed to be at the end. She just might have taken the longer road.

WORK

Card 3 – Internal Event – The Priestess

Card 4 – External Event – Knight of Wands

Signifier – 10 of Cups

REIVEW

We are no focusing on Amber’s Work Life or possible Social Life – depending how you want to look at it In Act 3 we received the 10 of Cups to signify the ending of this part of her story. The 10 of Cups is a happy card, full of contentment and joy. So whatever happens, Amber’s supposed to wind up in a very positive position.

So, I already know there are going to be some ups and downs in this part of her life with the demise of the Mentor and Sidekick. And wouldn’t you know, the Knight of Wands showed up again here! But we should first focus on the Internal Event/factor to help lead us to this ending – the Priestess. Going to the basics, we hav intuition, sacred knowledge and the subconscious mind. The art on my card shows a woman with closed eyes, focusing on the internal energy, while being well grounded and spiritual. I like to link this to Amber’s growth in not only spiritual nature, but the manifestation of her magic as well. She’s gaining insights on the Universe and finding her true self. It’s like she’s becoming one with nature, and gaining deeper understandings of the world around her. Hopefully finding the answers necessary to end he war.

Externally, we have the Knight of Wands. This has typically represented the BFF in my story so far. Someone who was passionate, adventurous and impulsive. This could still represent this person, helping Amber through her trials and figuring out who she really is. It could also represent Amber’s boldness in following her dreams, literally and metaphorically. By leaving her home, venturing out into the unknown world she will end up finding harmony, relationships, and divine love.

LOVE

Card 5 – Internal Event – 6 of Cups

Card 6 – External Event – 9 of Wands Reversed

Signifier – Death

REVIEW:

Now, we get to the meaty and more dramatic part of the story. I’m not one to typically focus on romance, but boy do these cards tell a story! So, back on Day 4, I’ve settled that Amber and the Prince (Knight of Swords) are in some sort of romantic relationship – or partnership of some sort. But it’s mostly one sided, and in Act 3 this part of Amber’s life ends with the Death Card. But let’s see if we can figure out how it gets to that point.

Starting with the Internal factors, we get the 6 of Cups. This is like the nostalgic card, focusing on the innocence of childhood memories and the like. It is a happy and positive card, which would make sense if we see Amber recalling some of the more positive memories she has of the Prince. Sort of trying to talk herself into this love he’s proposing to her. But they are just memories, and tainted with nostalgia that are no longer true of his self in the present. I feel like I can use this as a clash for Amber to struggle to get over throughout the first half of the story.

External forces/events are represented by the 9 of Wands Reversed card. The interpretations are on the negative side. Overwhelmed, struggle, defensive, paranoia and inner resources. I feel that the Prince is overdoing things, again we had the Devil show up in his spread in the past, I think he can be controlling and he is showing that side of him to Amber making her overwhelmed and defensive towards him. The Prince could also be tying to sabotage and pull Amber away from her goals and dreams, another reason for her to cut things off and end their relationship before it goes too far. I’m also thinking as part of the ending of these two, there is a turn. Perhaps Amber is trying to negotiate for Peace, but because of her refusal of the Prince, he turns his back on her, he attacks her from behind, or that last threads of a friendship has finally snapped. At first I thought this meant the death of the Prince, but now I’m not so sure. It feels more like the death of their relationship and the turn of them into enemies by the end of the story.

MONEY/WEALTH

Card 7 – Internal Event – 9 of Cups

Card 8 – External Event – 5 of Cups Reversed

Signifier – Temperance

REVIEW:

Okay, I’ll be frank, I don’t like writing about finances, wealth and the like, but it is a part of life and will always seep in somewhere. This has also been one of the hardest parts of Amber’s life for me to wrap my head around. In any case, in the third act, we end up with Temperance to end the story. A balance Amber’s finally able to make between financial responsibility, and other wealthy based problems she might have come across during the story. Thankfully it’s a positive card – so I’m hoping I don’t have to focus too much of the story on this one issue.

But I do need to dive into the Internal events/factors and I puled the 9 of Cups. The wish card – as I’ve come to learn. It’s a positive card, full of contentment, satisfaction and gratitude. Wealth can relate to more than just money and finances. With the Cups card we’re getting an emotional or relationship wealth being shown here. Amber is fully content with her emotional relationships with others, and gratitude of support she receives from others. Again, we’re starting on a very positive note here.

External factors are represented by the 5 of Cups Reversed – personal setbacks. This can easily be caused by the downfall of her position in her home kingdom, or even her father’s refusal to get her out of trouble. Her position and wealth she once had is now taken away. There’s also the meaning of moving on and self-forgiveness. Some of which could take place in the second half of the story where Amber and her BFF have a falling out. Another idea is that it can be Amber recognizing her past mistakes, knowing she can’t face it and moving forward with her life to reach the Temperance position. This can be shown through confrontations with the BFF, her father and even the Prince near the end of the story. 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Well… it looks like that is the end of the challenge, and end of the story too. Once again I am overwhelmed at the amount of ideas that are floating through my mind right now. I keep getting hints and flashes of amazing scenes and ways to tell the story – before they fade away quicker than I can write them down. But I have all these notes to help guide me forward. I’m so excited to outline this story, flesh out this magical world I created and start writing! I have a month before NaNoWriMo starts – so it is possible. I’ll be sure to keep you all informed of my progress and share tidbits as they come to me.

Before I end this challenge, I want to thank KarmaStarTarot.com once again for creating and reworking so many amazing Tarot Card Spreads to work with building a story. There are several I am sure to return to in the future whenever I get bogged down or stuck. I hope you all enjoyed my journey as well. Please let me know if you’d like me to try this again, and what genre would you suggest I try out next? (I’m thinking Sci-Fi, or Historical Fiction if I get the Jane Austin Tarot Cards!) I’m sure I’ll have a stack of different Tarot Cards in the near future! 

Until then, have a great October, and all those participating in NaNoWriMo a good Preptober! 

The Editing Phase

Day 29 – Prep for Editing

2 days left, and I’m almost finished! Wow, what a story I’ve built so far! Now that most of the details of the story seemed to be set up, today’s spread is all about preparing myself for the editing process. I wasn’t sure what was in store until I read the post by KarmaStarTarot.com. It’s an interesting way of going back over everything I’ve done and working each spread down to a major arcana. Yup, more adding. Basically by the sounds of things, once I get a Major Arcana for each spread, I then have to add all those up to find a final Major Arcana for the entire story. After that, we compare that card to the Theme we worked out from Day 0 Basic Outline, and Day 13 – Over Arching Theme. 

So, let’s get started.

Day 0 – Basic Outline: 66 = 12 – The Hanged Fae

Day 1 – Opening Scenes: 69 = 15 – The Devil

Day 2 – World Building: 78 = 15 – The Devil

Day 3 – Building the Cast: 216 = 9 – The Hermit

Day 4 – 3 Act Life Spread: 226 = 10 – Wheel of Fortune

Day 5 – Creating the Mentor: 92 = 11 – Justice

Day 6 – I’m Stuck – Skip

Day 7 – Making a Problem: 115 = 7 – The Chariot

Day 8 – Trials: 77 = 14 – Temperance

Day 9 – Protag vs. Antag: 47 = 11 – Justice

Day 10 – Developing Antagonist: 169 = 16 – The Tower

Day 11 – Sidekick Development: 128 = 11 – Justice

Day 12 – The Turn: 93 = 12 – The Hanged Fae

Day 13 – Theme: 37 = 10 – Wheel of Fortune

Day 14 – Act 2: 63 = 9 – The Hermit

Day 15 – Antagonist 1^st Display of Power: 46 = 10 – Wheel of Fortune

Day 16 – Character Background: 262 = 10 – Wheel of Fortune (?)

Day 17 – Data Dump: 88 = 16 – The Tower

Day 18 – Antagonist 2^nd Display of Power: 117 = 9 – The Hermit

Day 19 – Demise of the Mentor: 67 = 13 – Death

Day 20 – Demise of the Sidekick: 63 = 9 – The Hermit

Day 21 – Demise of the Antagonist: 62 = 8 – Strength

Day 22 – Building the Climax: 70 = 7 – The Chariot

Day 23 – Climax: 91 = 10 – Wheel of Fortune

Day 24 – Rewards & Scars: 48 = 12 – The Hanged Fae

Day 25 – Tying up Loose Ends: 107 = 8 – Strength

Day 26 – The Antagonist Return: 104 = 5 – The Priest

Day 27 – Hero’s Spiritual Growth: 88 = 16 – The Tower

Day 28 – Returning with the Elixir: 59 = 14 – Temperance

Okay… wow that took a lot of time. And it might not be all accurate. For example, I have yet to complete the Character Backgrounds for all of my main characters. So take these numbers and their corresponding Major Arcana with a grain of salt. It was also suggested to spend time journaling and taking notes on the Major Arcana that have appeared and how they related to the Daily Spread and to the story at large. I’m not going to go through with all my thoughts now – but I have noticed a few cards that have repeated themselves more than twice that have caught my attention. But this is going to take me a lot of time to digest – time I don’t have enough of since I’m already in October and NaNoWriMo is less than a month away.

The next step after all of this is to add all the Major Arcana together and reduce them down to a single Major Arcana card. Ready? 

I ended up with 309 = 12 – The Hanged Fae (Sacrifice and faith)

Comparing that to my other main theme – the Wheel of Fortune, the Hanged Fae seems to fit quite nicely into the larger theme of Destiny and changing seasons. With the Hanged Fae/Man we not only have the main takeaway of sacrifice and faith, but also of new perspectives. So far I’ve painted a picture of a pretty trope filled fantasy story with my MC fulfilling some prophecy or finding the magic inside of her to defeat a big bad. There are a few twists, but it’s still all about embracing destiny. With the Hanged Fae – which is also Amber’s new signifier card, we can add in a deeper theme about sacrifice, having faith in the powers of magic or the unknown, or just getting over that ‘stuck’ phase Amber might be feeling in her life at a moment.

I am pretty happy I got this card, though I’m sure it’ll end up changing once I double check the math and finish a few additional spreads. In the meantime, I have a lot to think about and consider before I start outlining my story here. There is one day left! Planning the end. I can’t wait to see how this story is going to try and wrap up. It feels like a ton to explore here and now way in sight for it to end with a nice little bow. I’m looking forward to ending this challenge too, it’s been a lot of fun, but draining at the same time.

Returning with the Elixir

Day 28 – Returning with the Elixir

Thankfully KarmaStarTarot.com explained this Elixir metaphor in the start of their post. I was a bit confused at first, but it now makes a bit more sense. Basically it’s what the MC brings back to the Ordinary World with them. It can represent a physical object, a new idea/way of life, or it could just be a moral of a message if the MC chooses not to go back to the ordinary world. Let’s face it, Amber is not going back to the old Kingdom – at least not to stay. Whatever this “Elixir” is, it’s to tie back to the theme of the story as a whole. It also will have to be woven into the fabric of the story, and not just appear out of nowhere. The Elixir is for everyone, so it could affect those around the MC more than the MC itself. I’m a little surprised I’ve never heard this part of the Hero’s Journey broken down before. However it makes sense and I can’t wait to see what the cards show me.

Card 1 – The Elixir – Knight of Cups

Okay… not what I was expecting. I defiantly don’t see the Elixir as an object with this card – instead it’s definitely more of a feeling/emotion/energy that comes with it. If anything I love the ‘follow your dreams’ to ‘making your dreams reality’ meaning behind the card. There’s a lot of romance behind the Knight of Cups meaning, as well as being ruled by ones emotions and heart over logic in situations. There is a strong energy I get from this card, however, I’m not exactly sure how to convey that through the story at this point. 

Card 2 – The Downfall of the Elixir – The Tower

Here, is what the downfall of the Elixir will be. Getting the Tower here paints a pretty nasty picture. It’s to showcase the duality of the Elixir. We have ‘making your dreams reality’, but depending what the dream is, the reality can be quite destructive. Perhaps… Amber is head bent on finding her magical half of her family, the truth and source of her magic – that she leads her father and his army to a vulnerable position where they create havoc and destruction on innocent people. It could also represent the Prince who would do anything to get Amber back by his side. There is a lot to play with here.

Card 3 – The Biggest thing the Community gets from the Elixir – The Priest

So this is the overall takeaway the Community will get from the Elixir. I pulled the Priest card for this position. Spiritual wisdom, religious beliefs, traditions, institution, conformity – basically the stuff Amber was fighting against in her home kingdom at the beginning of the story. However, I’m not exactly sure how to apply it in this setting. This might relate more to cultural traditions, or part of a community institution. It could be about turning the following your heart into a religious practice? I’m still not sure and this will require some more thought.

Card 4 – Conflict between the Community’s views and the MC’s views of the Elixir – Wheel of Fortune

So here we have the duality of the Elixir coming into play. The Community’s view  will be different from the MC’s view, and a conflict might emerge. I get the Wheel of Fortune here – again about destiny, changing of cycles, and the like. So like what we saw in the Tower card, people can take their dreams and make it disastrous in reality. Combine that with a religious perspective on dreams – maybe from a divine god/dess or using it to justify their actions from the community, Amber could see the cycle of war starting up again if changes don’t take place. I think here, Amber can see things repeating itself if dreams are taken as literally signs from a divine being into destruction.

Card 5 – How the Elixir helps the MC’s arch – 8 of Cups – Reversed

We’re now going back to Amber, and figuring out how the Elixir – dreams to reality – helps her character arc. I pulled the 8 of Cups Reversed here, that can mean – trying one more time, indecision, and walking away. I feel that with all the choices Amber must make, she is constantly looking inward and following her heart. There are still times when she is indecisive, but the ‘making your dreams reality’ or ‘following your heart’ is what makes her keep moving forward.

Card 6 – How the Elixir contributes to the Theme  – 8 of Pentacles – Reversed

Our theme of the story is Destiny (Wheel of Fortune). This position is about how the Elixir contributes to the dream. I pulled the 8 of Pentacles Reversed, which basically alludes to self-development and perfectionism. So I feel with the ‘following your heart’ as part of the Elixir, helps Amber to strive to become the best version of herself. She studies and adjusts her internal beliefs as she learns more about the world around her. Things are not always clear cut for her, she faces frustrations, or misses the bigger picture at times. Still, the Elixir – the Dreams, the Leading with your heart and emotions – helps her through to the end.

This turned to to be a much more complicated spread than I first thought. There’s a lot of symbolism to be worked through here – especially when it comes to the Elixir and what it could represent. I think I’ve come up with a few good idea that can easily be woven into my storyline at this moment. There are a few bumps here – that Preist card always trips me up – but I think I’ve come up with something clear enough to use. There are only 2 more days left! Tomorrow is all about preparing to edit. Given everything I’ve written down – it’s going to be more preparing to outline for me! See you tomorrow.

The Hero’s Spiritual Growth

Day 27 – Hero’s Spiritual Growth

Today’s an interesting spread dealing with the spiritual growth of my MC – Amber. We start the spread by figuring out what card will signify Amber as now a master of the two worlds. KarmaStarTarot.com suggests either using the two signifiers together (The Hermit and the Hanged Fae) or adding the numbers together to get a new signifier to represent the change and growth of Amber. 

The Hermit is 9 + The Hanged Fae 12 = 21 The World

Card 1 – The MC after Mastering the “New” & “Ordinary” Worlds – The World

It almost feels too fitting to get the World as Amber after mastering the new and ordinary worlds. The completion meaning behind the card is very accurate. She’s achieved what she set out to do, find out who she is, her real family, and how to control her magic. It’s a moment of peace and reflection, but also of wholeness and celebration for her.

Card 2 – Complications after completing the Adventure – 5 of Swords

Here, the 5 of Wands is crossing the World. This is the complications that will arise after completing her Quest. Once more, I’m not sure to interpret this as reversed or upright, so I’m going to put both down to give me more options when it comes time to write. So the upright meaning is quite simple: conflict, disagreements, defeats, competition. I sort of came up with a similar idea in a previous spread about how Amber’s strength and power in magic could make her vulnerable to competition with those within the magical kingdom. There could also be conflict in allowing her to stay, given she was once part of the enemy forces. The reversed meaning is a bit more nuanced and is about reconciliation, making amends and past resentment. It could be Amber putting an end to all the conflict in the world – or working towards that – so that she and put her energies into her new life with her family, making up for lost time and discovering the culture she’s missed out on for so long. Maybe this final battle was enough to pause the war, but not end it, and this temporary peace has Amber worried that it might erupt again at the slightly provocation. She’s trying to create peace between both kingdoms, but having a hard time maintaining it or gaining respect from both sides.

Card 3 – Lessons Learned – The Moon

The Moon card has shown up again! I love that it appeared in the Lessons learned position. It’s very fitting, Amber has learned to see past the illusions of the world she was brought up in. She sees things for what they are – truly what they are. She has also unraveled the secrets that have been haunting her unconscious mind. Magic is no longer feared in her, she’s embraced it fully. I like to think that she sees things perfectly well in the light of the full moon and is not afraid of where to step next.

Card 4 – Lessons not Learned – 6 of Pentacles Reversed

This card is a bit more of a puzzle. Pentacles have always been a bit more puzzling to me in this challenge. Here we have the 6 of Pentacles Reversed, meaning self care, unpaid debts, one-sided charity. It’s also the the position of lessons Amber has not learned. It could be as simple as her not fully learning how to master the management of money, or that she still has an over generous spirit that continues to either give more money than she has away, or even more of her time away without proper re-payment. I can see her taking on more burdens than she can handle after all of this – I’m sure many will be turning to her to fix the world now that the main military force has been defeated. Given that she starts out as a spoiled brat not understanding the importance of managing wealth, I feel that this sort of lesson would be harder and take longer for her to learn. 

Card 5 – Past – 7 of Cups Reversed

In this position, we’re to take the card to represent the summary of Amber’s experiences to this point. The 7 of Cups Reversed is an adequate card for this purpose. Throughout the story Amber is overwhelmed by choices, figuring out her personal values, and her alignment and loyalty to herself or the kingdom. Her choices ranged from marrying the Prince or not, to standing trail for using Magic or running away, to even finding the truth about herself and her past or accepting the lies her father told her. Even when she leaves the kingdom she is wrecked with choices on continuing or turning back, on fighting her father or letting him win. Even her friendship with her BFF is riddled with choices on taking the BFF’s advice or following her heart. In all the cases, Amber followed her heart, she picked the options that gave her more freedom and had her step closer to the truth.

Card 6 – Immediate Future – 5 of Wands

Dealing with Amber’s immediate future, we get the 5 of Wands – conflict and change. There’s tension in the air, maybe from a peace treaty meeting? People are arguing to be heard, but little are listening, so there is a lot of room for more conflict and misunderstandings. However, Amber is pushing for a change, a transformation away from how things once were. I feel that Amber is wanting a peace to settle across the land, for everyone to listen and learn from the other culture and find a middle ground. I’m not sure if she’ll be successful, but I do feel that she’ll be pushing an open discussion more than another war.

Card 7 – Internal Influences – Queen of Swords

 With everything Amber has gone through, I feel that she has become more open and much more independent than when she started off. There is a lot of pressure suddenly sent her way after the defeat of her father and the kingdom’s military. She has to rise to that maturity level in order to handle the offers and demands placed upon her. She could struggle with the new set of responsibilities, especially since she never had to deal with too much of them in the past (her BFF did most of that sort of work for her). However, I think because of her pursuit of truth, she cut quickly through lies and get to the heart of the matter. On the other hand, this card could represent a person, someone whom Amber strives to become now that she’s in her new position and life. The advice and teachings of that person could be pushing herself forward and setting aside her more selfish attitudes to take on the role and responsibility thrusted upon her.

Card 8 – External Influences – 2 of Cups Reversed

So this is to represent Amber’s attitudes towards those around her. It’s a negative as reversed, which could cause a few problems. I think given that her father lied to her and tried to kill her, not to mention the Prince’s controlling behaviour towards her, Amber can harbour distrust to certain individuals – worried that she’ll fall into the negative relations once more. I do like the idea of her discovering or learning to love herself for who she is. She won’t be able to love anyone else until she fills that cup up within her. So because of the distrust, Amber could be closing herself off from others, deepening a void, creating a cold shoulder towards friends. Like I said, I can see this causing some disharmony amongst the party, or new family until she becomes more accustomed to them and they open up about their feelings honestly with each other.

Card 9 – Hopes & Fears – Ace of Cups

This I feel ties back to the previous card. Amber’s hopes and fears are represented by the Ace of Cups: new relationships, love and compassion. It’s like a double edge sword happening here. Amber wants to love, wants to open up and embrace her new family, but there’s such a huge divide between them. They grew up and lived completely separate lives, finding the similarities is going to be hard and Amber fears that she could be lied to once again. Then there’s love. Her heart has been broken enough times for her to be fearful of opening herself up to a romantic love in the near future. She wants to, I think she still hopes of finding someone worthy to love – but finding someone worthy is not easy and with the pressures growing on her shoulders, it might be easier for her to leave that aspect alone and focus on other things.

Card 10 – The Next Cycle – 10 of Wands Reversed

So Card 10 and Card 6 is to be read together. Card 6 is the smaller step Amber must take, while Card 10 – The 10 of Wands Reversed – is to represent the next lesson to be learned. A new cycle of spiritual growth. This card feels very on the nose – too much almost. The card in its reversed state deals with carrying all the burdens, doing it all yourself, and delegation. I think its pretty easy to see that Amber’s going to start keeping a lot of herself to herself. She’s going to think it’s all up to her to complete the next task in ending the war that she take on way too much responsibility that she can handle. She struggling and has to learn how to delegate or allow others to help. It almost feels that if I continue on with a sequel, it’ll be more of a character driven novel than an adventure novel. 

That is the end of this spread for today. I’ve learned a lot and I’m so thankful that everything seemed to line up with what I was already thinking about to end the story. I’m almost done with this challenge! Tomorrow is about “Returning with the Elixir” – I have no idea what that is going to mean.

The Antagonist Returns!

Day 26 – The Antagonist’s Return

Five days left and we’re kicking off Day 26 with the Antagonist’s Return. Back on Day 21, the spread was about the Demise of the Antagonist. There I drew a card to see if the Antagonist really did fall, or would they come back. For my spread, the Antagonist may have been defeated but isn’t over yet. Here we’re seeing the resurgence of the Antagonist and what they might have in mind for Amber before we end the story.

We do require a signifier for our Antagonist. KaramStarTarot.com suggested that as our Protagonists signifier changed after the climax, our Antagonist might change as well. However, I’m not going to pick a new signifier for the Antagonist. I feel that despite a loss or a set back against Amber, his goals and motivations are still the same. He may be more hesitant, but he’s a warrior through and through and his love for Amber isn’t going to stop him. So once more I’ll be pulling the Death Card as his Signifier.

Before I start the spread it was suggested to figure out if the Antagonist is coming back stronger or weaker. To do this, I uprighted all the cards, separated them into two stacks and flipped one and reshuffled them throughly together once again. The idea is that once well shuffled, I look for my signifier. If it’s upright, the antagonist comes back stronger, reversed – weaker. In my case, the Death card is reversed – so he is coming back weaker.

Card 1 – What the Antagonist learned from the first ordeal – Knight of Wands

In this instance, I do feel that whatever Amber’s Father learns from the first ordeal, he learns from the Knight of Wands character – the BFF. There could also be a rush, an act firsts think later mentality that he might use to gain the upper hand. It would be something unsuspected on Amber’s part. But I’m leaning heavily that either he’s forced new intel out of the Knight of Wands, or the BFF had betrayed and given up the intel willingly. It could also be recognizing one of the weakness if Amber – using the Knight of Wands against her.

Card 2 – Antagonist Scars – 2 of Wands Reversed

So I’m not exactly sure how to spell out the interpretation I’m getting with this card. In this position we’re to identify the scar from Amber’s Father after the climatic battle. Some sort of emotional wound or physical wound that was left behind. There’s something here with the 2 of Wands Reversed, but I’m having a hard time finding the right words to describe it. There’s a fear of the unknown, of stepping away from some important value or place. I think fighting directly against Amber has left the Father in a precarious position. He might be more fearful of her, and the magic of the other kingdom than ever before. He still wants to fulfill the King’s plan, but he might now be more clouded in his judgment, overthinking things, avoiding a needless risk, or maybe just not wanting to face Amber a second time – knowing that he’d have to kill her. Could his subconscious plan his own downfall without him knowing it?

Card 3 – Situation when the Antagonist Attacks – King of Swords

This is the situation Amber is in when her Father attacks again. I feel with the King of Swords, Amber has been taken to some higher priest/priestess with the most connection to the Dragons, and possibly a way for Amber to understand her recent change. I feel this is the heart of this kingdom, or magic as a whole. These people are strong, intelligent, and impartial, giving Amber time to talk and for them to decide what to do. I think some sort of negotiation, planning session is taking place when Amber’s father attacks. They are in a vulnerable spot, possibly location wise, though it almost feels like a last ditch effort on the Father’s part to attack such a stronghold. 

Card 4 – Antagonist Strengths –  4 of Wands

At first I wasn’t sure how to interpret this card. The 4 of Wands is a happy, joyous card with the idea of homecoming. Instead, I’m using the stability, reliable foundations and reunions interpretation here. The Father has connections, and most likely following Amber has made it to the core of magic in the land. Taking out the magical source will be a milestone in the war, and he’ll be the reason why their side wins. He gather’s support from his friends and other military might from home. Old war-time buddies who will have his back. He’s bringing the war to an end – his way.

Card 5 – Antagonist Weakness – The Tower

This feels very obvious. Again, the Tower card has such symbolic artwork it’s hard not to focus on the surface. But I think it’s clear that the Father’s weakness is an internal upheaval, groundbreaking change deep within him. Amber has forced him to see another side of things – a side he’s ignored his entire life. He doesn’t want to believe what it is Amber is telling him, the connection between magic and the land/planet as whole. Once he questions that, many of his values and beliefs will fall apart. Whatever thread of a relationship he has with his daughter is about to be severed forever if he continues down this destructive path.

Card 6, 7 & 8 – The Event – The Moon, Wheel of Fortune, Temperance

The final show down. These three cards represent Amber’s Father’s final reach at ending the war on his terms. The final conflict between him and Amber, and an unusual ending thrown in? All three are major arcana, which can be helpful, and helps elevate to a spectacular event. I feel with the Moon card, this is taking place at night, and most likely within the secret spot where the ‘magic’ is assessible. That is followed by the Wheel of Fortune card – Destiny and unexpected events. I feel that during this last battle/fight, there is a moment when the Father is able to strike at the source of magic. There is a decision to be made by Amber and the Father in this moment. Will the cycle change, the wheel turn, or will density/fate and luck win out for Amber? In the end we end up with Temperance – a tranquility. I feel that whatever happens here, the father dies, but not by Amber’s hand? If anything on his deathbed, he understand his faults, praises his daughter and accepts death with peace, knowing that balance will follow? It’s almost a Star Wars 6 ending showing up? It feels like a bittersweet ending that leaves Amber fully grown by the end. 

Well… that ends today’s spread. I feel that there are still so many holes in my world and story right now, but that the blurry picture is slowly starting to clarify bit by bit. I also feel like I’m stretching things and grabbing at stuff that isn’t fully realized yet. There’s an emotion behind some of these spreads that I can’t deny is there and I desperately want to explore. But we’ve still got 4 more days left of this challenge. Tomorrow it’s all about Amber’s Spiritual Growth. 

Loose Ends

Day 25 – Loose Ends

This actually feels pretty straight forward for me. We going back to find some of the flaws of our characters, or even subplots that haven’t been resolved yet and finding out how to resolve them. Some might be a fail, and thus if I’m writing a sequel I can resolve those flaws and subplots in a later book. But either way, there are loose ends to tie up. Unfortunately KarmaStarTarot.com doesn’t indicate if I go back to pull a card to represent my flaw or subplot to tie up – but that’s what I’m going to do. Since this is also a small spread, I’m going to do a few in one go here. In particular I want to see how the Prince storyline ties up, and possibly the sidekick’s. 

As for flaws, Amber’s flaws seem to wrap up in my last spread with Reward and Scars. I actually had the King of Pentacles as her flaw – and it showed up again yesterday as her Evolution card. The same with the Priestess Card, I feel that her flawed behaviour and lack of leadership is part of the growth process for the main storyline and is dealt with accordingly. I don’t have many other flaws for Amber yet, but when I do I be sure to return to this spread to help figure out how to wrap it all up.

***

For my first spread, I’m starting with the Prince’s love side plot. As in the past, I’m pulling the Knight of Swords out to represent him. I’m also using my new signifier card – the Hanged Fae to represent Amber’s new state. 

Card 1 – Flaw or Subplot to be resolved – Knight of Swords

As stated above, this is the Prince character and the subplot that revolves between him, his marriage proposal to Amber and desire to use Amber’s magic for his own means.

Card 2 – The Ordeal that Brings the Conflict to a head – 8 of Swords

This is my trap card. Once more it has shown up. Imprisonment, entrapment, restricted and powerless are just a few meanings behind this card. The question is who is trapped? Amber or the Prince? Either way one is in a helpless position with the other having the power over them.

Card 3 – How the Character approaches the Ordeal – Knave of Swords

I’m not sure who the character is in this particular spread, I feel like it’s the Prince’s s he’s the subject of this spread. If that’s the case, than the Ordeal might be a little different. Either way, Card 3 crosses over Card 2 – which I never know if it’s upright or reversed. We do get the Knave of Swords however, and I am leaning towards this is how the Prince character approaches the Ordeal of either being trapped himself, or having trapped Amber. He treats it, or approaches it with curiosity and alertness. I think there’s some pent up nervous energy going on to, especially if he’s captured Amber. Which might make him overly chatty towards her. His mind is always racing and forming connections and figuring out how to strategize with her in his control.

Card 4 – Resulting Growth – The Tower

We end this subplot with the Tower Card – sudden change and chaos. As I did get the Death card at the end of their arc, I believe this is related to that. Amber breaks free of her own volition. She ends this romance in the butt, and with fire and destruction raining down. If the Prince couldn’t take no before, he does now. There’s nothing left between them after this growth, both have moved on and away from each other’s friendship and love.

***

One to the sidekick and Amber’s BFF, turned traitor on her. As always I’m still using the Knight of Wands to represent this character.

Card 1 – Flaw or Subplot to be resolved – Knight of Wands

The Knight of Wands has always represented Amber’s BFF, the person who followed her out on her trek to find the truth, and who eventually leaves and rejoins the non-magical Kingdom against her. I still don’t know if it’s forced or voluntary at this point. But this is to end her arc hopefully.

Card 2 – The Ordeal that Brings the Conflict to a head – The Emperor

It’s interesting I’ve pulled the Emperor to signify the ordeal the brings the conflict to a head. We’ve got authority and structure playing a role here. I’m not sure if this is more about the moment when the BFF leaves, reciting her loyalty to the Kingdom, and missing the structure of life she became used to? There are a few thoughts behind this. Another meaning could be father figure, perhaps the BFF finds out who killed her parents and the conflict on her extracting her revenge. It could be someone in the group, creating more troubles for Amber.

Card 3 – How the Character approaches the Ordeal – The Fool

Again interesting card. I’ve pulled the Fool in the Sidekick spread as well. To me, the Fool has always been about being a free spirit and full of innocence. Again, I’m not sure if this is how the BFF approaches the Ordeal, or Amber. It is also crossing the Ordeal, which means it could also be the reversed meaning which is recklessness. I’m feeling more in line with that interpretation of the card. The BFF acts reckless towards Amber, her goals and leaves in the end. Going on her own path.

Card 4 – Resulting Growth – 3 of Cups

This is more confusing than helpful. Getting the 3 of Cups as the Growth card? Friendship, social life, community… what does that mean? Does Amber and the BFF get back together? Or does the BFF find a new community that fits her life? OMG this isn’t closure at all! Lol. I might not have picked the right card here but it’s still an interesting spread.

***

I’m going to end this with one final spread that is completely random. I’m not picking a card to fall into the Card 1 position. I kinda want to see what comes up when I do it randomly.

Card 1 – Flaw or Subplot to be resolved – The Lovers

Okay… either the cards really want me to wrap something up, or this is just a wild spread. First we start with the Flow or Subplot to be resolved which is the Lovers. I’m not sure if this is related to Amber’s family she just gets reunited with, the Prince or someone else whom she had a romantic relationship with over the story (Mentor maybe?) 

Card 2 – The Ordeal that Brings the Conflict to a head – Temperance – Reversed

What brings the conflict to a head is the imbalance of this relationship. There’s some recklessness going on, an imbalance of things. If this is to connect with the Lovers above, it’s leading to a romance of something that is out of whack. Like going to extremes for love. (This is a little crazy!)

Card 3 – How the Character approaches the Ordeal – Justice

Amber approaches this imbalance of a relationship with Justice by her side. I think she sees the imbalance and is trying to find clarity within it all. She might be the one bringing the issues up honestly and not be the one who’s head over heals in love but dealing with someone who is with her. It feels like she’s trying to get a handle on things while the other partner here is going a bit love crazy towards her.

Card 4 – Resulting Growth – Wheel of Fortune – Reversed

We end with the resulting growth here, which isn’t good – there’s a lack of control going on. Some bad luck as well. Things are not going her way at all. If anything this could be an issue or side plot to be resolved in another story. It ties in to a love life that is out of control. Which is pretty scary really. It could also meant that external forces are keeping her apart from someone or family and she’s unable to truly form a connection? 

This particular spread is full of Major Arcana that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a little crazy and hilarious at the same time. That’s what I get for doing a random pull for my flaw to get resolved. I’m going to hold on to this thought, it might prove inspirational in the end. Tomorrow we’re dealing with the Antagonist’s Return! See you then!

Rewards & Scars

Day 24 – Rewards & Scars

After many large battles, change happens. In this spread I’m dealing with the aftermath of the climax. The rewards Amber received, as well as the baggage and scars that came out of it. 

Interestingly, this is the last spread where I’m using our current signifier to represent my MC. I’ve typically used the Hermit for the past several spreads, and this will be the last one. After this spread we’ll find a new signifier, finding out who Amber becomes at the end of the story. Let’s get started. 

(Full Disclosure – I re-did this spread as I got too many reverse cards as my rewards.)

Card 1 – Reward for the MC after facing the Antagonist – Strength – Reversed

I was so pumped at this spread, but for my second attempt at it, I still pulled a reverse card in Amber’s “Reward” position. Strength is a powerful card and one that if it was upright would be amazing. Amber has aligned with her inner strength, and is now full of confidence in her new life. Instead, we get the reverse of this. I read that you can interpret reverse cards as less than the upright meaning. I don’t like the idea that after everything that has happened that Amber is rewarded with self-doubt or weakness. (Though she could be extremely weak after executing all of her magic). Instead I’m liking the idea of her finally able to rest, restore her energy levels and be able to fully deal with the turmoil of emotions that have been wrecking her body since the climax. There’s a lot for her to sort out and isolating herself even for a little while knowing nobody is after her anymore would be a fine reward.

Card 2 – The Cost of the Reward – 7 of Wands

This is a crossing card on the spread, and I never know if you can have reversed cards in this position or not. Interestingly enough, both the upright and reversed meanings of the 7 of Wands can work as the cost of Amber’s Reward. First off I feel that once Amber releases her full power and potential, she will be later challenged by the other magicians in the magician kingdom. I doubt this display or her win over the other kingdom will go unnoticed by others who may want to test her worth, or challenge her magical inheritance. The reverse meaning of this card is about being overwhelmed and exhausted. Like I said before with the Strength card – Amber’s going to be vulnerable after the climax. She’ll be facing a lot of consequences for what she did that can get overwhelming. She could have killed her father, the Prince, or even her best friend – or even perhaps witnessed their deaths in the battle and could do nothing to help. It could also be her disgust at the violence and hate being spread around and wanting to give up on doing anything to end it all as it is all too much for her to bare. By leaving to rest, Amber’s main reward here, she’s opening herself up to challenges, overwhelming thoughts, and wrestling with her mind if it was worth it for her to find this truth. 

Card 3 – How facing the Antagonist changed the MC – The Priestess

Here, I find out how facing the Antagonists (Amber’s Father and the kingdom) changed Amber as a whole. I pulled the Priestess card, which has several interpretations to it – including higher power. I almost feel like Amber has found peace within herself after this final confrontation. Like a new calm and collectiveness has washed over her. I feel like she also reached a new spiritual plain after this event as well. She’s not the spoiled, ignorant brat she started out as. She’s learned, frowned and adapted to a lot and has reached a new threshold that could turn her into a ‘Priestess’ or ‘Mentor’ to others. Whatever the actual change is, she’s confident in herself as a whole. I’m getting “Avatar State” vibes from this card. A link to her past his put into place, she has also linked to the universe as a whole and returned with a wisdom that others do not possess.

Card 4 – The Scar left from facing the Antagonist – 8 of Pentacles

Like with Card 2, this is the cost from facing the Antagonists that leaves Amber with a lasting scar – either physically or mentally. I’m surprised and confused that I pulled the 8 of Pentacles – which can be interpreted as mastery, skill development and accomplishment. Since this is another cross card, the reverse meaning is bad reputation, lack of motivation, and even laziness. Neither interpretation feels right in this particular position. The only thought I have at this moment, is that if she has gained this new higher power after this particular battle, there might be a physiological change. In my world building I’ve been working on bit by bit on the side, I came up with the potential idea that all magical beings are the dependents of dragons, and those who reach a particular height in their magic starts to take on traits of their dragon patron. In the one culture it is seen as an honour, while in the non-magical kingdoms it is seen as a threat and danger. If Amber reaches this position (faster than any other magical apprentice) the scars from the battle could relate to her receiving horns, some dragon skin, or even dragon wings. It would deepen the divide more between her and her home kingdom and any friends who might still be alive. I’m not sure if that would be a big enough scar for her to deal with, but I’ve mentioned earlier that she has a lot of mental and emotional wounds that will follow her as well.

Card 5 – The Evolution of the MC’s character as a result – King of Pentacles

I don’t know why I’m surprised to see the King of Pentacles turn up in this final position, but it makes sense as I’m looking at the whole spread. This is the evolution of my MC – Amber. After everything she’s faced, this is what she becomes in the end. A protector, a leader, and a provider. Like I said before with the Priestess card, her bratty behaviour at the beginning of the book is gone, she’s now feels an overwhelming desire to use her magic to protect the innocent. I’m not sure if she’ll become a ruler, as I haven’t figured out the government of these magical lands yet, but I feel like she’s learned to be more reliable, to help provide for those who don’t have enough, and keep magic in the world as an abundance source of energy instead of a depleting one. Not sure how she’s going to manage it, but she’s sitting on a throne helping others by the end of the story at least.

BONUS: Adding the Cards together!

8 + 7 + 2 + 8 +14 = 39 = 12 = The Hanged Fae

OR = 2+1 =3 = The Empress

As a bonus, when we add up the numerical value of these cards, and reduce them down to a Major Arcana, we find our new signifier for Amber. Like I said earlier, this is the last time we’re using the Hermit as her signifier, from here on out, she has grown and become a new person – thus a new signifier must be chosen. So, I added everything up and got 12 which is the Hanged Fae (or Man). This card hasn’t come up all that often in my spreads, so I was surprised to get it as my answer. I also thought of the card as being ‘stuck’, but as I’m reading more about its meaning, there’s a lot more to the card than getting stuck. It’s about embracing the pause of life, surrendering, even letting go of old perspectives. It fits Amber. Her path so far through the story has always been about finding the truth, now she has to surrender her past, her old way of thinking and living in order to move forward. I feel like there is a pause here, like up in the Card 1 spot where she has to figure this out finally before she can move forward. 

That being said, I can always reduce the 12 down to a 3 and get the Empress as a second possible new signifier card. The Empress can be interpreted as the “Mother Earth” type person. A very motherly figure, with beauty, femininity, abundance… the meaning is very obvious to me… and doesn’t quite sit right for Amber. That is… unless she finds out she’s pregnant? She already started her life out in abundance, I’m not sure if I want to have her end in the same style of abundance living. 

I know there are other meanings behind the Empress card that I might look into later, but for now I feel more connected to the Hanged Fae for Amber’s future readings. Tomorrow the spread is all about tying up loose ends!

The Climax

Day 23 – The Climax

Finally! We are on to the big climax of the story. I’m so curious to know what the cards have in store for me. I’m not going to waste much time with an intro here, this is another large spread so let’s just get started.

Card 1 – The Scene – 3 of Cups

So for the Scene, I feel that Amber is in the middle of some celebration, a social event of some sort. Perhaps she has finally found her family with magic and they are holding some celebration upon her return. It would be a great set up, given everyone would be distracted. 

Card 2 – MC’s Mentality – The Lovers

It’s interesting I’m getting the Lovers once more, this time as Amber’s current mental space. Since I’m setting the scene up as her finding her ‘true’ family, I feel this card is relating to the love and relationships she has formed with her grandmother figure, or other members of her family she didn’t know she had until then.

Card 3 – Antagonist’s Mentality – Ace of Wands – Reversed

Since I’m now thinking of Amber’s Father more and more as the main antagonist in this story, I’m finding it interesting that at this point he’s starting to feel hesitancy on his orders. Perhaps there is a crack of humanity starting to show through his tough exterior shell? So either mentally, he’s hesitant to kill or capture his own daughter, or he’s frustrated by the delays and lack of progress he’s making in ending the war because of his daughter’s meddling. Either way, thing’s aren’t going his way at the moment. 

Card 4, 5 & 6 – The Event – Basic Outline – 4 of Cups, 6 of Pentacles, Queen of Pentacles

I’m not getting into the basic outline of the event of the climax. I have to admit these three cards don’t seem to help much. The majority of these three cards are either neutral or have a positive side to them. It feels more like a lead up to the climax than actually outlining what the climax will entail. To start with, I do feel like despite the celebrations happening around Amber, and the family relationships that are forming – She’s disconnected. She’s thinking about her BFF who left, and possibly her Mentor who’s gone as well. She’s contemplating what her father and the kingdom might do next. The next step – given the rest of the spread and my current thoughts, I feel that her father would attack this party. It could be a small town for all I know – someplace vulnerable and not well protected due to them perhaps being more inland from the front lines. Either way, the community around Amber is now in danger. I’m not sure if this will work, but to try and get the Queen of Pentacles involved, I feel that this is when Amber takes on her leadership role, protecting her people, as her mentor taught her. She takes the brunt force of the attacks, as a mother would protect her child. It seems a bit far-fetched at this point, but I’ve got a hint of what these three cards could outline. I got more from the details of the final event than I did here.

Card 7 – What goes wrong for the MC – Queen of Wands

Again, some of these cards don’t make sense to me in their current position. The Queen of Wands is to me a positive card about confidence and passion. However, we’re using it in what goes wrong for Amber. I’m wondering if she becomes fiery, overly passionate to rush into battle without thinking out a clear plan of action. Perhaps upon seeing her father crashing her welcome home party, she is filled with energy to stop him and the kingdom and rushes in to a fight. The only negative aspect of this card is that it could reprint someone who is self-centred. Amber has always come across as a bit spoiled in my spreads so far, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for her to act in a similar self-centred ego at this moment.

Card 8 – What goes right for the MC – Justice

At least Justice is pretty on the nose for me whenever this card appears in my spread. It has always stood for Amber finding the truth, or being justified in her actions. Here, I think she gets the last bit of truth from her father in their confrontation. She will still be judged for whatever happens during the climax scene here – if she kills her friend, the prince or her father, these actions will have consequences for her later one – even if they are more personal. On the other hand, I feel that she is making her final judgement on the war and which side she’s fighting on. Either side will have consequences, but she’s willing to to accept them and move forward. 

Card 9 – What the MC must overcome to be successful in the final moment – The Magician

I have always assigned this card to Amber’s magical power. It’s also always been the skill she’s been trying to control throughout the story. In this final moment, I feel like Amber has to overcome her on insecurities to harness the full potential of her power. She can’t hold back any longer. Up to this point she’d fear letting go of her power, afraid of the damage it may inflict, here though, she has no other choice but to embrace it all.

Card 10, 11, & 12 – The Detail of the Final Moment – 2 of Pentacles, The Devil, The Tower 

The details of the final moment of the climax seem nail biting to me. We start with Amber finding her balance, and letting go of her hesitancy around her magic, using her full potential, resourcefulness to finally defeat her father, and the kingdom who is attacking her at this moment. She’s fighting against her father’s oppression, her dependency upon him throughout her life, against the institution itself. Finally we end with the Tower – disaster, destruction, and chaos. There will be fire, and death here most likely. And Amber will change, her beliefs, her values, a lot of her core aspects will be destroyed along with physical objects in the real world as a new change is finally upon her. 

There’s a lot to unpack here with this spread. But at least I’ve got an idea on where and how the climax will be fought. My chest is already tightening at the thought of this kingdom attacking a defenceless town with Amber being the sole person able to protect and save the innocent. It might be over the top too, but that’s fantasy as well so some tropes are almost expected at this point. Given that this is the climax, and it usually takes place in the last 10% of a story, this has to at least be a big enough fight for the war to stall for a bit. The death of their most valued veteran warrior should hopefully be enough. But then again, I might take a different direction once I start writing. And boy am I eager to start writing! 

Join me tomorrow as I head on to Day 24 – Rewards and Scars!

Building up the Climax

Day 22 – Building the Climax

I’m getting close to reaching the climax of this story. We’re not there yet, but today we’re building towards it with this spread. Increasing the stakes, building the tension, and making sure our internal conflict is rising high.

As always, I need to pick a signifier card before starting this thread. However, here I have two options, picking a card to represent the theme of the entire story, or picking a card to reflect my MC. I’m actually going to go with the theme this time around – the Wheel of Fortune. Depending on the spread I get, I might try this again with the Hermit as the Signifier to see how things may change, but right now I feel the theme of destiny feels like a powerful part of the story that should be showing its head at this point.

Card 1 – External Urgency – an External event pushing the MC forward

– Ace of Swords – Reversed

Why do I always get Aces in my spreads? At least it feels like either the Ace of Wands or Ace of Swords always show up somewhere. Here, the Ace of Swords is reversed, creating some chaotic thinking, confusion, and clouded judgment. This is to relate to Amber’s external Urgency before entering the conflict, it’s pushing Amber forward. Part of me wants to think Amber is truly upset at all that she has lost so far and is ready for a fight. It’s almost like she’s blinded by everything that’s happening and is just reacting at this point. If there’s a major battle on the horizon she wants to to be front and centre. Unlike some of the websites I’ve been to, my card illustration has the Sword pointing up in the reverse position – to me that’s another symbol of Amber feeling pushed and urged to take up a sword and fight against her family and homeland. I really think this is related to some sort of battle, or upcoming battle that Amber is pushed towards leading or participating in.

Card 2 – Internal Urgency – The internal development enforcing the character arc

– The Moon

Here, I feel that the Moon card is telling me that Amber is rifling through the final bits of her memory, finding the hidden secret about herself, and more importantly her purpose in life. There’s one final secret that needs to be revealed before Amber can achieve her true self, and the Moon is hiding it? This could also relate to the departure of her BFF (the Sidekick). The moon can cast illusions, and maybe Amber has finally seen the truth behind her Best Friend causing her more internal strife. Who else is hiding a secret from her? Who can she trust? 

Card 3 – How the External and Internal Urgencies are related – The Tower – Reversed

I like the idea of this being Amber’s final transformation. After digesting and dealing with all the changes in her life – this is the moment where she accepts her new self, magic and all. She cuts the chains of her previous life in order to achieve a more impressive power and spiritual understanding. In relation to the two previous cards, this feels like the right outcome – or reaction. The last of her chains of her previous life have been cut, the final secrets of herself have been revealed and she is primed to enter a new stage of her life, herself, and a magical power that might have once been foretold in prophecy.

Card 4 – External Stakes – What Card 1 means to the MC – Temperance

Okay… so I pulled Temperance to indicate the External Stakes in relation to how Card 1 – Ace of Swords Reversed – means to Amber. Purpose seems most fitting. We’ve got a battle spurring Amber forward, she’s embracing her purpose as a warrior, and a magic user to help balance the tides, and keep from one side from overwhelming the other. I think I’ve figured out earlier that if Magic is wiped out off the face of this planet, the rest of life will shortly follow. So Amber needs to strike a balance, even a peace treaty between these to factions before all of life is wiped out.

Card 5 – Internal Stakes – What Card 2 means to the MC – Knave of Swords

Here we have the Knave of Swords showing up to indicate Amber’s Internal Stakes, also how it relates to the Moon card above and the meaning it has with her. Given that the Moon card is all about uncovering dark secrets, I feel that Amber’s internal stakes is finding a successful way to communicate those secrets to others – perhaps the secret to ending the war. The curiosity, thirst for knowledge and energy to act can all lead to Amber uncovering the secrets about herself and how the war started. Dispelling the illusion from the Moon Card and finding a new path forward. (Wow, sometimes it takes reading the entire spread to figure out the meaning behind one card!)

Looking at the entire spread, its odd that I’ve got 3 major arcana going diagonal in one direction with two Sword cards appearing in the other diagonal direction. Again, I don’t know if that gives this spread more importance or not, just noting it here for me to come back later. Tomorrow we’re entering the Climax!

Demise of the Antagonist(s)

Day 21 – Demise of the Antagonist

Okay, finally a Demise that I’m looking forward to. How will our antagonist(s) be defeated? Or, as KarmaStarTarot.com puts it – what will be their downfall. Thankfully I’m not writing a tragedy, or at least I hope it doesn’t turn into a tragedy, so I do plan on having my Protagonist succeed at the end of the book – even if it’s considered a small victory. 

Upon reading about today’s spread, I’m doing things a bit differently. I need to have at least half of my deck reversed for this one. So there’s more to the set up this time around. Not to mention after the set up, I’m to find my signifier card in the deck and see if it’s upright or reversed – that’s to indicate if my Protagonist succeeds in the first meeting/fight, or if it only appeared that they win but the Antagonist has more strength for a second round later on in the story. So let me take a moment to get myself ready here.

So as with the other posts, I’m using the Death card as my signifier of the Antagonist. Amber’s father. In the deck my Death card is upright – meaning that Amber appears to succeed, or feels like she won, but her father isn’t defeated yet and will be showing up again later in the story. This feels fitting as I have her father as this veteran warrior – I doubt one fight with Amber would be enough for him to defeated all at once. Now on with the rest of the spread.

Card 1 – Scene – what’s going on at the time of the Demise – 8 of Pentacles – Reversed

Some of these cards really have me stumped. So the 8 of Pentacles reversed deals with misdirected action, self development and Perfectionism. How do I relate this into a scene? In the picture on my card there’s wheat, flowers, and a basket of supplies. This is also in relation to my Antagonist, and what’s going on when he has his downfall. Maybe this could mean a season? Autumn? He could be catching Amber by surprise, if she’s focused on something else and doesn’t see him – the bigger picture – coming? I’m not sure, but I might lean towards the imagery on the card instead of the card’s meaning for this potion.

Card 2 – Secret weapon of the Antagonist – Knight of Cups – Reversed

A secret weapon huh? This is supposed to be something that hasn’t been seen by the protagonist yet, a card up our Antagonist’s sleeve so to speak. Having the Knight of Cups appear, even reversed is curious. Could it be the father manipulating Amber into something?  Or a person being used to manipulate Amber for the father? I feel like this secret weapon is to played upon Amber’s overactive imagination, increasing her vulnerability for penetrating attack during the climax. I’m wondering if this has more to do with a mole next to Amber, another betrayal? Though I’ve had a lot of those already appear. I’m going to have to think more on that.

Card 3 – Antagonist Weakness that results in the demise – The Priest – Reversed

So this is an interesting card. Throughout my spreads, I’ve pictured this father figure as someone strict to the law and order of the Crown. There is no deviation away from it, as he desires to gain more sway and power in the court. Here, though we see some of his weakness… I almost want to think that he has an internal thought that he is a better ruler than the king – an inner desire to overthrow the ruling elite. It could also be that when the going gets tough, he casts asides his chains of honour, the rules of war – and goes out and gets the job done in brute, horrific display of unbridled strength and tyranny on a battlefield. Maybe he thinks everyone is being too soft, and he wants to change the status quo and finally turn the tides of war into his favour. Internally this father figure is a barbarian, a fighting machine, who can loose control if things aren’t going his way and constantly struggles to keep the collective self he appears to others as. If he goes berserk, there could be weakness there Amber can exploit.

Card 4 – The position of the MC – 9 of Wands – Reversed

So this is extremely fitting given what we found out recently with the Demise of both the Mentor and the sidekick. Amber is not in a good place right now. She is struggling with her powers, overwhelmed at the responsibility that seemed to be thrusted into her arms, with very little support behind her. Not to mention the paranoia she might be fearing now that she’s alone and been betrayed several times. She is extremely vulnerable, but still defensive enough to at least try to keep her ground. 

Card 5, 6, & 7 – Read together to get the Details of the Event 

6 of Pentacles, 7 of Cups, 2 of Swords

I’m completely lost on what to do with these three cards. Two of them deal with choices and making a difficult decision in the end. This could be how our Father figure survives and manages to escape. Amber is indecisive on how to deal with her father, knowing what she knows now and the life he gave her. I think she ends up getting clouded by personal memories of the past, and not wanting to do the nasty deed herself – which she’ll regret later when he returns. 

There’s a next step to this spread, about going back to Day 8 and finding a Trial this can line up with. I’m not sure how to work this out yet, none of that seem to really work with this interaction as of yet, then again my brain may be needing a break from the cards already. I’ll end the post here for today. There’s a lot for me to consider and work out still before I can figure out a trial this can line up with. 

Tomorrow we’re working towards building the Climax. Hopefully I can get some answers to my many plot holes and questions soon!