Since I'm clearly not getting anything else done today

[melannen]

Who wants a cartomancy reading? Pick a deck, I'll do a basic four card draw, we can all interpret it together. Offer good until Monday night. Offer closed, but will be finishing up the requested readings soon!

Choice of decks:
1. Audubon's Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
2. Modern Art
3. Iraqi War Criminals c. 2003
4. Computer House of Cards
5. 1982 Chippendales
6. Iraqi and Afghan Heritage Resource Preservation
7. The Game of Authors
8. Forgotten English Insults
9. Sesame Street: You're a Grouch
10. Radacad Radioactive Materials Security Training
11. Geology Knowledge Cards
12. Women Who Dare
13. Random

Comments

[alexseanchai]

…I am curious about 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12

this narrows it down so much doesn't it

[shadaras]

Oh wow I love the idea of using the Audobon deck; do you want any sort of information other than me picking a deck?

[melannen]

it's up to you! (as you can maybe guess from some of these decks I'm not taking it super seriously.) I usually just do past-present-future-advice when I need something simple and adaptable, and that usually defines its own question.

[melannen]

7 is a reproduction of a deck my mom remembers playing in the 50s/60s, so expect books old white guys liked (though I did shuffle in the 'lady authors' expansion deck with it at least). 8 will get you something out of a Shakespeare comedy. 9 is a deck I played as a toddler, though interesting there's exactly enough Muppets in it for a perfect Major Arcana. 11 will get you trivia questions you need to answer! And I havent played with 12 enough to have a good idea.

[extrapenguin]

I can't decide whether I want 10 or 11. Uh, your pick of those? They sound cool and I want pics.

[alexseanchai]

8 sounds like fun!

[primeideal]

#4?

[melannen]

Ten it is, since that's the one I just bought today and I want to see what it does! (Pictures are gonna be small because my camera is crappy.)



Where you've been: 6 of Spades: Medical Isotopes. One out of every thousand people will emit radiation from medical isotope procedures.

Via the cartomancy book I also bought today, the 6 of Spades is about perseverence, overcoming obstacles, success after failure. Via this deck's face meanings: Perhaps you or someone you love has had medical issues in the past that were difficult to get through? Alternatively, it may refer to something about you or your life that you think of as unusual and "radioactive" but is not as rare as you think and is healing as much as damaging.

Where you are now: King of Diamonds. Warning Signs & Labels. The "trefoil" symbol is sued to identify radioactive sources.

The King of Diamonds can refer to a dangerous or competitive rival, or a powerful person in your life, says the cartomancy book. The face meaning of the card is the trefoil symbol, which is about warning people away from danger, but is also about putting a lot of effort into clear and universal communication. Is there someone or something in your life now that is powerful and you feel like you need a warning about, or that you need to work on communication with?

Where you are going: 4 of Clubs: Measure of Radioactivity: US Manifests once used Curies. International manifests use Becquerels.

Book meaning: A danger card about failure or betrayal. Face meaning: this seems to connect back to the communcation and symbolism meaning in the previous card, and warn you to keep paying attention to clear communication, and look out for misunderstandings or people talking past each other. (Alternatively: you will get a Very Good Dog. :P)

What you should be doing: 7 of Spades: Sources in Commerce: Moisture/Density Gauges used in construction (some emit neurons.)

Book meaning: Sorrow and quarrels revealed; avoid miscommunication. Face meaning: Another card about communication and clear measurement, with a warning about how things can be taken the wrong way. Keep working on that clear communication, I guess? But it's also a construction tool, so with care you will build something strong and good.

It's a pretty low-key spread, though, so I'd say nothing in this spread is urgent or huge - your life isn't full of big drama right now. No hearts cards, though, so romance probably isn't much on your mind.

[melannen]

You're next up!

[shadaras]

Sounds fine to me :) I don't feel a need to take this seriously either, tbh

[extrapenguin]

I'm going to interpret this as being about my upcoming/just-starting Untitled Goose Exchange 2 experience. I shall write fic clearly and lucidly and pay attention to being clear about my requests. And get some delicious goosey crack! That maybe won't contain an /-ship, but gen geese are wonderful as well.

[melannen]

Ah yes! That would make perfect sense as being about the goose! Lots of sort of negative cards but nothing really big, so you need to work hard to understand and convey what is going on with the goose, and then the general horribleness of goose will be transmuted into an excellent fanfic.

[melannen]

Okay, bearing in mind if you ask for the insults deck you're going to get insults. :D



Where you've been: queere-duke: A poor decayed gentleman; also a lean, half-starved fellow. Dictionary of the canting crew, 1699.

You've fallen on hard times in the recent past. Alternatively: you've been queer. :D

Where you are: Slackumtrance: a slovenly or dirty woman. Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect, 1886

Is there cleaning or other housework you could be doing instead of playing with card spreads? There is definitely cleaning or other housework I should be doing instead. BRB, switching laundry over.

Where you are going: pregnant scholar: One who was drunk by the middle of the morning. Morris Marple's University Slang, 1950.

Maybe a warning to stay away from addictive substances or behaviors? Maybe it's asking about what you're usually doing in the middle of the morning: do you need to work on sleep schedule or something like that?

What you should be doing: spatherdab: A chatterer, gossip, scandal-monger: a woman who goes from house to house dispensing news.

This is either saying you should work on your social ties and networks (online or not), or telling you you spend too much time on them, I think. Or maybe it's just telling you to be thoughtful about your conversations and connections in general.

[kore]

Meee and Game of Authors! Please?

[kore]

"spatherdab" totally sounds like Twitter cleanse

[thedarlingone]

Clearly I am required to request the Geology deck, please and thank you! ^_^

[calliopes_pen]

Forgotten English Insults for me, please.

These are wonderful and I'm spoiled for choice

[jesse_the_k]

So I'll go with #12 Women Who DARE.

[melannen]

I'm not going to type of the back text on these because it's really long, we're just going to have to go by the animals and the pictures. :)



Where you've been: Ursus maritimus, Polar Bear

Perhaps you had been hibernating from the cold, but now the ice is melting and you have had to change to survive? Or maybe it's just a combination of ferocity and cuddliness.

Where you are now: Antilope americana, Prong-horned antelope.

Pronghorns are fast and acrobatic and limber, and have the freedom to play on the range, but they are also a prey and hunting species. Maybe right now you are feeling a bit skittish and unmoored, or maybe your situation is more precarious than you think it is, or perhaps you are just happy and playful and feeling free right now!

Where you are going: Ovibos moschatus, Musk ox.

The contrast between pronghorn and musk ox is pretty obvious! It looks like somewhere in your life you are going from a place of flexibility and freedom toward a place of strength and stability. Maybe resources will be scarcer, but the greater safety will make up for it.

What you should be doing: Lynx rufus, Common American wild cat (bobcat)

Be fierce, but also floof. Always.

[melannen]

Or Tumblr cleanse, maybe. (But then both of those are probably always good advice for everyone.)

[kore]

Tumblr for me is like the exact mental equivalent of eating a whole bag of red Twizzlers. Tasty! So good! Keep going!....and then there's an empty crinkly bag and regrets of the stomach.

[shadaras]

I only care about interpreting based on the animals and images anyway :) What's the point of using a deck of animal pictures if you don't?

Definitely more the pronghorn thing about playful and acrobatic, I think.

Lynx are so very good, an excellent thing to have as a 'what you should be'.

Thank you! This is a very pretty deck!

[lannamichaels]

I got a very disturbing monster poem in one of my poem of the day e-mail, with a wtf note at the bottom that it's the poem of the day in honor of Sesame Street's anniversary, so IDK what cartomancy is, but I'd love something from #9.

[melannen]

It is very pretty! And it's neat to get animals that don't usually turn up in animal symbolism, like pronghorns and prairie dogs and flying squirrels.

[shadaras]

Yeah! Those are all lovely animals :)