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hillbillyoracle · 4 years

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Tarot as Representations

So one of the recommended uses I talk briefly about in my zine, tarot in the time of the apocalypse, is to use tarot cards as icons in a parred down travel altar set up. What I didn't get into too much is how to select these cards to use as representations. I wrote the zine originally with a more experienced practitioner in mind and thought that most folks would select a card based on intuition.

Which will totally work. But recently as I was using cards to set up a petition, I realized there was a lot more I could have said there. Some of it

Astrological Representations

So a lot of people know that Tarot has astrological associations. I knew about a lot of these but I've been learning about so many more recently. You can use these associations to create representations of your work with the planets for petitions, prayers, or other workings. If you have decks you don't need, you can us the card as a base to attach paper talesmins to and give them some rigidity while adding to the correspondences (good for if you need to tuck it in a car visor or a book). Really there are so many options for using tarot as representation for astrological concepts.

The classical planets and the 12 zodiac signs are the most agreed upon from what I can tell and they are as follows.

Classical Planets

Moon - the High Priestess

Sun - the Sun

Mercury - the Magician

Venus - the Empress

Mars - the Tower

Jupiter - the Wheel of Fortune

Saturn - the World

The Moon card is traditionally associated with the sign of Pisces but I've swapped these out a few times and not noticed a major difference. I have also substituted Judgement for Saturn when not working with them in an earthly or cthonic capacity and that's worked alright for me. I try to stick to the traditional associations when reading a spread but when picking a representation it seems like it's slightly less important.

Outer Planets

Uranus - the Fool

Neptune - the Hanged One

Pluto - Judgement

These are less agreed upon but what I've found most common. I use them when reading but I will swap them out when picking a representation. I think they work okay for the most part. But truthfully I don't work with the outer planets a whole lot and don't often need a representation of that.

Zodiac Signs

Aries - the Emperor

Taurus - the Hierophant

Gemini - the Lovers

Cancer - the Chariot

Leo - Strength

Virgo - the Hermit

Libra - Justice

Scorpio - Death

Sagittarius - Temperance

Capricorn - the Devil

Aquarius - the Star

Pisces - the Moon

Just as a note, the signs also correspond with parts of the body and can be used to represent requests or petitions in that way too. I have some times used the Emperor (the sign of the head) and the Moon (the feet) to represent that my request is for my whole body. It's too much to fit into this article but it's easy to find on Google and something to add into the language of what you can represent.

Representing Fixed Stars

It's become more popular to work with fixed stars of the Zodiac (Deneb Algredi, Algol, Regulus, etc) and one way I've been using to set up an altar to the ones I work with is to select the tarot card that corresponds to the decan that the fixed star is found in and par it with the Star card.

The decans and card associations are too many to list here but the principle is fairly straight forward. There are 4 elements of the zodiac (Fire, Earth, Air, Water) and they correspond with the four suits of the Tarot (Wands, Pentacles, Swords, Cups; respectively). The Aces embody the elements themselves. Without the Aces, each suit has 9 cards, that are then divided by the three modalities of the Zodiac (Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable). Each of these modalities has three cards representing the three decans of each sign. Each decan covers 10 degrees of a sign and have associations themselves.

Cardinal signs are at the beginning of each season, so they are equated with the beginning of each suit (2,3,4). Fixed signs are in the middle of each season, so they are equated with the middle of each suit (5,6,7). Mutable signs are at the end of each season, so they are equated with the end of each suit (8,9,10). Using this you can figure out what decan belongs with which sign.

Say you want to represent Algol, who is at 26 degrees Taurus. Taurus is a Fixed (5,6,7) Earth (Pentacles) sign. 26 degrees is between 20-30 and so is in the last decan of Taurus. Meaning the card you'd select would be the 7 of Pentacles.

Sun, Moon, Rising

So on occasion, when I realize I probably won't be using a deck but I want to keep it around, I'll pull a few of the cards and use them as artwork. One way I've done that is by displaying my Sun, Chart Ruler, and Rising Sign using Tarot Cards. I don't have any presently to show as an example but I will get stiff paper, attach cards in a grid, and put it in a cheap frame. Now that I know the decans, I would also include the decans in addition to or replacing the sign cards. I use the World here for Rising Sign because it has felt right to me and at one point incorrectly learned Saturn as being associated with Judgement so I still use that when laying out cards for this kind of artwork.

For instance:

The Sun - The Chariot - 2 of Cups

The World - The Devil - 3 of Pentacles

Judgement - The Star - 3 of Swords

Hell of a combination, I know. The reason I've done Chart Ruler instead of Moon is purely because I have a total solar eclipse in my natal chart so they'd use the same sign and decan cards and this way I don't have to have a second deck.

I'm actually working on turning this layout into a spread/worksheet. More on that in another post though.

Deity Representations

I have used tarot cards as deity representation a lot in my practice, especially with travel altars as I mentioned. But it really could be extended to others as well. This is where there's more intuition and less structure to go off of so what I say here is by no means law. Artwork of the cards themselves will dictate quite a lot.

For the Greek and Roman deities associated with the planets, the choice is pretty easy; the Magician can be a representation of Mercury, the Empress for Aphrodite, etc. For Kemetic deities that were syncretized with Greek and Roman deities, you can also use those correspondences too. I have used the Magician card to stand in for both Hermes and Yinepu for instance.

For other deities, my recommendation is to stick with the court cards as your basis. These already are often read as actual people in a given situation and the artwork in a lot of decks will only include a single person - which is just helpful for me personally when using it as a representation in an altar set up.

However, where you want to call a deity in a specific role, combining a court card and a major arcana can be really powerful. When I use the cards in my work the Morrigan, I always use the Queen of Swords as my base. But if I want to call her in her role as prophetess, I might combine the Queen of Swords and the High Priestess. If I want to call her in her role as battle raven, I might combine the Queen of Swords and the Tower.

If you work with the Elements as entities or as guardian spirits, you can utilize the Aces for their representation as they are the embodiment of the purest qualities of each element. This also works in combination with a Court Card for deities you are calling in connection with their association with an element. Say if I wanted to represent Geb, I might use the King of Pentacles and the Ace of Pentacles.

Ancestor Representation

I have not done a lot of this personally though in the times I have tried it, it has worked pretty well. Court Cards not only refer to people but often have associated ages as well and in a pinch I've used the Court Card associated with the gender and age that someone passed away. I have not used this yet for someone who has passed away that was nonbinary but I would probably default to using the Knight or the Page as they're less gendered, even though they correspond with younger age groups. It's imperfect and I'll write more on this later as it evolves.

The age groups associated with the court cards (as I learned them) are:

Page: young, usually under 35

Knight: someone mid career, age 35 - 50

Queen and King: someone at their height or who has reached old age, 50+

I tend to pick the suit for what they were most known for; were they really emotionally oriented (Cups), did they work really hard (Pentacles), were they especially known for their intellect (Swords), or were they fiery and artistic (Wands)?

If you want to use the cards to honor your dead generally, you can always use a representation of a psychopomp who opens the way for you if that's a part of you practice. You can also just use the Death card, perhaps in combination with the Six of Cups. I am much more likely to do this than represent a specific ancestor but I have needed to on occasion and this is roughly what I used.

Spellwork Representations

This honestly could - and hopefully will - be it's own article or zine at some point but I did want to mention a little bit on using the cards for spellwork on the fly. The main ways I've used them so far is either to petition the spirits of the Major Arcana for assistance or use the pips to specify what I want to happen.

The former is pretty straight forward. I personally have found the Major Arcana to be spirits in of themselves, which makes sense to me coming from a Chaos magic background, and I have petitioned them with offerings like I would any other spirit. The Magician has seemed to be most open to this so far but others are helpful in their own ways.

The latter works the best if you've worked with the cards long enough to understand their concrete meanings. Often beginners will have these very general understandings, that are still accurate by all means, but hard to take action on. If you're at a point in your tarot practice where you can see for instance the 4 of Wands know it's connotations with marriage and contracts or the 9 of Swords associations with bringing on nightmares, then this method should work for you.

Sometimes I'll combine this with a deity representation and lay a pip before it as my petition and then give offerings and burn a candle or incense. Just using them as representations for what I want to happen alone hasn't worked well but using them in combination with something else has. Have someone walk over the 5 of Pentacles or 3 of Swords enough times and there will be consequences. Just as walking under the 6 of Wands or the 10 of Cups will bring blessings.

Conclusion

So I hope this was helpful to someone out there. It's been super helpful for me to just grab my deck and go in so many situations. I can grab it and then scrounge for offerings when I get some place and not feel like I'm without something core to what I need.

And I know there are so many variations on this. This is by no means the be all end all of how you can use them and I do hope to expand on some of them in later writing, but I do think this is a decent springboard to experiment with.

How do you use your tarot deck for representations?

#witchblr #tarot #tarot lesson #witch #tarotblr

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deepdisireslonging · 5 years

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Family Found Part 37: Planning the Rumble and Beyond

That last matches are set for Sunday. Several things get out of hand. Is the Reader losing control of Monday Night Raw? Is anyone noticing?

Warnings/Promises: wrestling violence

Word Count: 3266

Note: Hell yeah, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, EC3, and Heavy Machinery joined Raw last week! Going forward, they will be included in storylines. Woohoo! (Gotta figure out where to put them… but I will find a spot…) And for reference: Graeters is a Cincinnati-specific ice cream brand. Any and all feedback is super appreciated. It can be with a reblog, or an ask on anon. Please let me know how you are liking this series. Enjoy!

Part 1: Welcome to the Team

Part 36: Choices

Monday Night Raw – January 21, 2018

The show hadn’t even started yet, and you knew it was going to be a long night. You ran in front of the referees and flock of wrestlers, following the sounds of a backstage brawl. You threw your hands in the air once you found it. Seth Rollins was helping Dolph Ziggler throw Drew McIntyre into a stack of crates. The second the Scotsman was inactive, they turned on each other, sending steel rods clanging and ladders crashing to the ground. You let the refs and others break them apart. The new arrival, EC3, dodged a punch and was able to pin Seth’s arms behind his back long enough for you to grab control. “Seriously, guys? If you wanted to fight, you know where to find me-“

“There wasn’t time,” Seth cut in. “Drew attacked me, then Dolph hit him-“

“And Drew tossed me into the wall,” Dolph added. They began to talk over one another, oblivious to the tall man getting back to his feet behind them. You pushed them apart and kept Drew from getting engaged.

“Oy! Stay right there.” You quickly retracted your hand from his stomach. “None of this is acceptable. From any of you,” you said, looking pointedly at Seth. “But, we still need to work this out. Seth, I can already tell you upfront that you’re not going to like this. But you will be defending your Intercontinental Championship at the Royal Rumble.”

Seth shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I like that? I’m a fighting champ.”

“It’s going to be against both McIntyre and Ziggler.” You cringed as Seth’s face fell. Then you were surprised to see the other to men not as happy as you thought they would be. “Why are you two so glum? I figured-“

Drew growled, “how come Dolph gets to be in the match? He lost fair last week. At least when I lost it was because of interference. From him. The Rumble match would have been my rematch.”

With a nod of his head, Seth agreed. Dolph pushed at Drew’s shoulder and went to add his piece but you beat him to it. “It’s because of interference that I’m putting all three of you in the match. No use getting the title match disqualified because someone gets involved where they shouldn’t.” You sighed. “If you have any questions… you know where my office is. Don’t let me get another call about you three.” Gritting your teeth, you walked away not really caring of their glaring at each other.

***

Ember Moon paced back and forth in the ring with the title on her shoulder. “All this week, really all month, I’ve been thinking about the Royal Rumble. What I would do depending on who won the tournament if any of them were more a threat than the others. And do you know what I realized?” She stopped and looked at the crowd. “I don’t care.” Ember smiled. “I don’t care which woman is coming down that ramp on Sunday. As a matter of fact, it could be any of the guys too and I wouldn’t care. And you know why? Because I am the Raw Women’s Champion. I clawed and bled to earn this title.” She raised it above her head. “And no one is going to take it from me.”

She had to stop as Rhonda Rousey’s music interrupted her. “That’s all very nice, Ember. But it’s not just anybody who's going to be in that ring with you on Sunday. It’s going to be me.”

“And what of it?” Ember scoffed. “I don’t care who you are or what you burned to get here, I am going to keep you from holding this championship again.”

Rhonda’s jaw clenched. “Is that so?”

Now Ember knew she had her. “Yes. Yes, it is. But… we don’t have to wait until Sunday.”

“You know, I have to agree.”

A referee was there a minute later to officiate the match. Jojo stayed in her seat, listening to your orders over the headset. Renee passed the information along once it reached the announce table. “Y/N still wants the title to be defended at the Royal Rumble.”

“More practice for the women, I guess,” Corey quipped.

The women fought tooth and nail. The longer the match went on, the longer it took them both to get back to their feet. Ember climbed for a Total Eclipse, but she was ripped from the turnbuckles. Rhonda just about had Ember in an armbar when the referee was pulled out of the ring. Ruby Riott slid in, breaking the two women apart. She attacked Rhonda first, tackling her to one side. By the time she moved onto Ember, the referee had recovered and called for the disqualification in favor of Ember. Ruby rolled out of the ring with a cackle, barely making it to the floor before Rhonda made it to the ropes. She watched as Rhonda helped Ember to her feet.

“Good to see who you consider a threat around here, Ember,” she called back. “But Rhonda shouldn’t hold all your focus. That’s how you lose sight of a worthy opponent… me.” She walked backward up the ramp with a sneer. At the top, she laughed one more time at Ember and Rhonda angrily holding onto the top rope, then disappeared backstage.

***

Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan were waiting for her. They shared a hug and a flurry of giggles as you walked up. “Too bad it wasn’t a title match, Y/N,” Ruby said, “or I could have filled in for the loser on Sunday.”

“For the person you disqualified, you mean?” Huffing your emotions back into control, you crossed your arms. “And that’s assuming I wouldn’t just set them a rematch on Sunday. But that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about. You’ve got a singles match against Alicia Fox next, but you haven’t said who is going to be fighting.”

Liv snickered. “That’s assuming we were going to tell you at all.”

“It’s not Sunday yet. I could suspend you and let Tamina and Nia win by default. But I would rather not do that. Who is fighting tonight?”

The Squad bristled. They side-eyed each other, coming to an unspoken agreement. Sarah spoke up. “I am.” She shuffled on her feet. “Tamina got one over on me last week. I’m not going to let that happen tonight.”

You nodded. “Thank you. Have fun.” You walked away with your head held high. And you didn’t look back, even when you started to hear screaming. Though it did make you pause. But just for a second.

What you didn’t see was Sasha Banks and Bayley attacking the Riott Squad. Sarah was beat up the most. When Sasha and Bayley made their retreat, she wasn’t able to make it to her feet. Her teammates rushed to her side, followed by a referee. He shook his head. Ruby and Liv pointed between each other.

“Stay with her,” Liv said as their music started to play. Then she rushed off to replace Sarah in the match. Lacey Evans rounded the corner, stopping to one side of Ruby. She snorted, then made a show of stepping wide over Sarah’s outstretched legs.

When Alicia entered the arena, she was flanked by both Alexa Bliss and Mickie James. Though they weren’t in the match, they did their part. And they did it well. If Alicia wasn’t holding Liv’s attention, Alexa or Mickie was. Alicia stuck to staying in the ring, distracting the referee when Liv rolled out and was caught in a blind attack. Cole mentioned how similar the plan was to how the Riott Squad operated. And like with their planning, the strength of numbers was too much for Liv alone. Though, to her credit, Alicia moved with a bit of a limp, even as the ref raised her hand in victory.

Liv didn’t stick around. She rushed backstage to check on Ruby and Sarah.

***

In catering, the various tag teams were abuzz for the match later that night. For the number one contender spot, Chad Gable and Bobby Roode were going up against the Ascension. Whoever won that match, would face AOP at the Royal Rumble. But first, they would have to survive tonight’s lumberjack match.

Tyler Breeze walked into the fray with a smile. The glow disappeared as most everyone turned their backs on him. Shrugging, he walked around to include himself in a circle, but they split up and walked away. He tapped Bo Dallas’s shoulder. “Hey, why is everyone’s acting weird? It’s not like Dango and I are handing out fashion tickets.”

Apologetic, Bo explained. “That’s kind of the problem. Fandango has been out for months. As far as tag team events go… you can’t really participate.” He brightened up with an idea. “But if you could find a partner, then yeah, I’m sure you could join the match tonight. But until then… sorry, Breeze.” Bo turned away, leaving Breeze stunned. Stunned, but wheels turning. He left the room like a man on a mission.

***

“Come on, Y/N, tell me.”

“Nope.”

Dean wiggled his shoulders trying to think. “Hey, I’ll promise you Graeters. Is mint chocolate chip still your favorite?”

You had to smile. “Yeah, it is. But I’m not going to tell you your Rumble entry number.” You stopped him before he could ask again. “Nope. Now, do you mind? I do actually have work to do.” Dean punched lightly at your shoulder but left your office. Your face fell as another knock came to your door. “Come in.”

Elias entered. “You wanted to see me?”

With a nod, you wrote down something on a piece of paper. “Yes. I have a proposition for you, a kind of reward for helping out. This is your scheduled entry to the Royal Rumble.” Elias glanced at it, his eyebrows raising in slight approval. “But win your match… and you can enter at this number.”

He whistled.

“Just… It won’t be easy. Your opponent is Baron Corbin.” You took his relaxed strumming to mean that he wasn’t worried.

***

Nearly thirty minutes later, Elias had the better spot. He never left the ring, even though Baron had. Briefly. And he had sling-shot himself back in for a speed attack. But the new golden number was at the front of Elias’s mind and he did everything he needed to get that spot. Everything but use his guitar for anything other than making music. Elias sat back on his haunches and whistled again.

“What are you so chipper about?” Baron groaned as he sat up against the turnbuckles.

“No reason. But… my future just got a little bit brighter.” With a smile, Elias proudly let his hand be raised in victory. He shot one last triumphant grin at Baron before leaving the ring. Baron watched him leave, then focused his attention on Gorilla.

***

Curt Hawkins twirled his baton. “Are you interested?” He nodded at Dean, who tapped his collarbone deep in thought.

“Let me get this… correct. We have a match tonight. If I beat you, I get your later spot at the Rumble if it is later. But if you beat me, you get my later spot. If it is.”

“That’s it. No strings. No stipulations. Just two of the best in the business.”

Dean tilted his head back. Considering. “What do you get out of this? What do you really have to gain?”

Hawkins chuckled and shook his baton at Dean’s face. “You’ve been hanging out with your cousin. Good question. Let’s just say I really liked the feel of the Universal Championship on my shoulder. What do you say?”

With a grin that said he was sure in his choice, he shook Hawkins’s hand. “Deal. See ya in the ring.”

Then he could hear cackling. They both turned and saw Nikki Cross with her knees hooked over a trellis, upside-down and swinging back and forth. She laughed and clapped her hands. “You gonna play? Nikki likes to play. Mhmm. Play. Play. Play. Play!”

Hawkins kept his eyes on her and leaned towards Dean. “She looks crazier than you ever got.” He flinched with an ‘ow’ as Dean smacked the back of his head.

“We’re not crazy. Just living and wrestling at a higher frequency than you.”

***

The match didn’t go like Hawkins had hoped. Even his distraction by tossing his baton into Dean’s face, and then his vest, didn’t give him enough of an upper hand. Apparently, his earlier comment about Dean being crazy had ignited something in Dean. Like he wanted to live up to the description. So he did while staying within the legal constraints of the match, despite eyeing Hawkins’s baton to use as his own. Then, he flipped. Crazy men don’t break down their opponents with submission moves, right? He dashed Curt Hawkins’s dreams with a Dirty Deeds.

***

“Why is Y/N already making matches for the Elimination Chamber? It’s bad management,” Corey said as Zack Ryder entered the arena.

Renee scrunched up her nose. “Why is it bad management? After the Rumble, there’s only three Mondays until the Elimination Chamber. I think it’s great planning. We’re on the road to WrestleMania and she’s properly thinking ahead. And it’s only the second spot in the Universal Championship chamber match. It’s not like all the spots have been filled.”

As Braun Strowman entered the arena, and then the ring, Corey was still grumbling. “How can anyone plan if they’re thinking about two pay-per-views at a time?”

Michael Cole tried to redirect the conversation to the match, but Renee had one more comment. “Well, that just shows how brilliant Y/N is. And how small-minded you are, Corey.”

“And they’re off,” Cole said, cutting through Corey’s rebuttal. “How do you think Zack Ryder is going to do against Braun tonight?”

He was doing well. Mostly his strategy seemed to be dodging any kind of hits at all. A game of keep-away with his own body on the line. In the meantime, Ryder kept Braun going in circles, quickly moving in for attacks once the larger man was dizzy. Then Braun caught him. And threw Ryder through the ropes before stepping through them himself. Each time Ryder tried to escape back into the ring, Braun would pull him back out. And when the 10-count would get close, Braun would roll in and back out to break it.

Ryder began his dodge and weave again. Where Braun tried to run him over, he soon found Ryder wasn’t there and ran his own shoulders into the ring posts. When Braun caught him again, he tried to throw Ryder into the stairs, only to have it reversed. Braun was getting agitated. He finally met Ryder back in the ring, where they nearly demolished one another. The referee went to check on Braun after he had missed Ryder again, crashing into the ring post.

That was when Dr. M struck. He rolled into the ring, then Vaccinated the oblivious Ryder and spun him to the canvas. By the time Braun was back on his feet, Dr. M wasn’t visible by anyone in the ring. He only emerged from the bell booth after Braun pinned Ryder.

***

Ryder rolled out of the ring and was helped up the ramp by the referee. Braun stayed where he was, standing still as a statue as Dr. M joined him in the ring.

“Do you see it?” Dr. M asked the audience. “Do you see how easy it is to weed out the afflicted? Pride, a deadly sin, is also a disease. It builds with each accomplishment, no matter how short it lasts. And then when it is conquered, it spreads to the conqueror. There are times when small doses of pride are required. They give strength and direction, like with the Authors of Pain. Their pride helped them into the championship light. Then I gave them the last dose they needed to win the Raw tag team titles.”

Braun’s stoic face flickered. His eyes darted to the back of Dr. M’s head as he wondered what credit he was going to get. He received none as his teammate continued.

“But they are not yet finished. When the time is right, they will save the division. Healing it, showing the teams who have the real power.” He laughed. “And I cannot wait for the cleansing bonfires.” In a flicker of lights, they were gone.

The lighthearted music of Chad Gable and Bobby Roode replaced them. Next came the long line of tag teams to circle the ring. Tyler Breeze was at the end of the line. The Revival stopped him. With a smile, he took a step back and waited. Dana Brooke’s music hit, and she entered the arena. She stopped at Breeze’s side, then they shouldered past the Revival to join the others at ringside. Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic of Heavy Machinery helped start a “Lucha” chant with the Lucha House Party. They were interrupted by the entrance of the Ascension.

They fought. When one team member was thrown out, they were roughed up a bit then thrown back in. Even Dana did her part. She received hearty pats on the back and welcoming handshakes. It was an even spread. For once, no side battles on the floor took away from what was happening in the ring. The whole tag roster reacted with cheers and jumping as Roode pinned Viktor.

Bodies of teammates started dropping outside of the ring. There was snap pandemonium, then Akam and Rezar slid into the ring, gunning for the victorious wrestlers. Drake tried to follow, but he was pulled back into the fray on the floor. In the ring, AOP made quick work of Gable and Roode, and of Viktor and Konnor. Except Konner didn’t go down as easily. He stumbled back to his feet just as Drake was finally able to escape into the ring. He turned right into an oncoming punch. Akam and Rezar shifted their attention to getting him out of harm's way but were attacked by teams as they flooded the canvas.

Drake punched back at someone grabbing him by the back of his vest. It turned out to be Rezar, who dragged him through the ropes. Drake continued to shout at the teams straining against the ropes. He looked back, expecting to see his teammates glaring at them. He was alone. And AOP was halfway up the ramp. He rushed to catch up with them while Gable and Roode were congratulated in the ring.

***

You stared at the number on your screen for a long minute before answering it. “Yes, Mr. Heyman?” You listened as he talked, rolling your eyes as he began to drone on. “I’m going to stop you there. No. Your client made it very clear that he wanted no part of this company. He can stay gone.” With a hiss, you stopped. He had started talking again. “Go ahead and talk to Hunter and the McMahons. Go for it. See if it makes a difference.”

With that, you hung up on him. Then tossed your phone across the room. This wasn’t good. You bit at your lip, trying to come up with a solution. You tilted your head. “That’s an idea,” you said to yourself. “No. It would be too easy. Right? Hmm. Maybe not.” You nodded. It was half a plan anyway. It would require just a tiny change to another plan, but it was one that might just help everyone.

Part 38: Squirrels in a Row (Royal Rumble)

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Forever Tags: @blondekel77 @hallemichelles @laochbaineann @lavitabella87 @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @savmontreal @southsidebucky @tinyelfperson @zuni21798

WWE/Series Tags: @a-home-for-stray-stories @kingslayers-queen @top-1-percent @mother-forker @neversatisfiedgirl @racheo91 @roman-reigns-princess @secretagentfangirl @thetherianthropydaily @wwe-smutfics @scuzmunkie @likeisaidwhatever @cait-kae @ramsaypants @sony-undead18 @brianaraydean @st4yingstrong @dopeybubbles @crystallizeme @jessica91073 @denise8691 @stalelight @kenyadakblalock @1dluver13xx @lauren-novak @lunatic-desert-child @littledeadrottinghood @livelifewondering

#Family Found Series #Original Storyline #cousin!dean ambrose #cousin!reader #cousin Ambrose storyline #general manager!reader #reader insert #female!reader #wwe #royal rumble 2019 #dean ambrose #seth rollins #drew mcintyre #dolph ziggler #ember moon #riott squad #dana brooke #tyler breeze #bo dallas

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lightdark18-blog · 7 years

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Fairy Tail: Non In-Universe Questions

Was Anna?Was Zervis planned? Was Zeref always planned to be completely evil?So @ac-fairytail posted some Fairy Tail non in-universe questions (all credit goes to her) and I figured: “Maybe I could attempt to honestly answer these questions and reverse-engineer Mashima’s thought process!” Of course, no sane person would ever attempt this, but here I am, so...

WARNING: Spoilers for the entire Fairy Tail manga.

Did Mashima base Stardresses off of Bravely Default’s Conjurerclass? Or was it Dresspheres? Or both?

Never played Bravely Default or Final Fantasy X-2 (even though they’re on my list of games to play), but if I had to guess after a quick wiki search, it would be Dresspheres. Problem is that the Stardresses are far less interesting, balanced, or explained. Oh well; Mashima trying to replicate a franchise with the writing quality of Final Fantasy is like an ant poking a dinosaur with a stick.

Was he always planning the time travel plot? If so, why did Erik refer to second gen dragon slayers as a “new” generation? There haven’t been dragons for centuries.

Considering that the “dragons vanished seven years ago” plot-point was established at the beginning of the series and further cemented by Natsu meeting Gajeel, I’m guessing he was planning to include time travel once he decided to continue the series past Tower of Heaven.

As for Erik, I’m guessing that he just declared himself as second-gen because a) he heard about Natsu and Gajeel as traditional dragon slayers from the Fairy Tail-Phantom Lord war (which caused ripples across Fiore) and assumed himself to be superior because dragon lacrima were invented after the age of dragons, and b) he never heard of Sting or Rogue.

If Irene was always planned to be Queen of the Dragons, why did he barely integrate Dragnof Kingdom into anything? And why didn’t Acno realize?

I think that once Mashima created Irene’s concept, he tried to integrate her into the stories of the Dragon King Festival, but failed to create anything even remotely interesting or new, so he just quickly scrapped together a kingdom and called it a day. Yes, it’s infuriating.

As for Acno, well...he’s Acno. He don’t give two flying fucks about anything.

Was Natsu always planned to be END? Why is there no foreshadowing for it prior to the Tartaros arc?

When Zeref mentioned that Natsu specifically couldn’t kill him back in Tenrou, he was alluding to an ability that Natsu would gain in the future to beat Zeref. However, when Mashima realized that nakama bullshit wasn’t a valid ability (yeah, he went back on that in Alvarez, whatever), he solidified this ability in the form of END around Tartaros. So yeah, I would refer to Zeref’s line in Tenrou as “shot-in-the-dark” foreshadowing.

Was Zeref always planned to be completely evil? If so, why was he established as sympathetic in his introductory arc? Was this bad writing on Mashima’s end?

See, this is what really intrigued me about Zeref in Tenrou. He was established as sympathetic, but he couldn’t remain passive because that would kill people. He was FORCED to be malicious and completely evil if he ever came into contact with people until he could find someone that could kill him because that is the nature of his curse. For him, it was better to intentionally than unintentionally kill if the person or life were to die anyway. It’s why I really fell in love with him as an antagonist.

However, what is bad writing on Mashima’s end is how completely Zeref flipped to Ruthless Big Bad in Alvarez. Him being “excited” about his battle with Natsu is inexcusably inconsistent writing, and him gaining Fairy Heart just to rewrite time for his own selfish reasons should’ve activated his Death Magic on the spot because of his optimism towards a life where he won’t kill. Plus, his loss due to nakama bullshit.

Was Zervis planned?

As much as I hate to admit it, probably. The light and dark love relationship is about as cliche as you can get, and Mashima is certainly not one to dodge cliches or subvert tropes in his writing.

Was Anna?

Hell no. However, I did think that Layla was planned. When Hades was ranting about primordial magic to Team Natsu during Tenrou, Lucy, in thought, said, “I think I’ve heard of this primordial magic somewhere. Mom?” Even though Zeref had no interest in primordial magic (as proven in him killing Hades in anger), Eclipse and the Heartfilias did. Hence, I assumed that Layla would play a huge role in the final arc of the series. Boy, was I naive and optimistic.

Was Clear Heart made so OP because Mashima knew he’d fucked up managing Requip?

No. Because fanservice. Duh. Although, I did think that Clear Heart was perfectly balanced in her fight against Azuma, with her magic power bring directly converted to her Crimson Sakura blade. Any other use just feels unnecessary.

Why did Erza never use Nakagami Armour again? Too OP?

Mashima’s reason: huge audience backlash from its magic-breaking abilities and pulled-out-of-its-ass reveal. Erza’s reason: she..doesn’t want to use it because of its magic draining properties???

Why introduce the bunny armour?

The bunny armor isn’t the armor Mashima introduced that made me mad. The Seduction Armor is. Seriously, isn’t the whole point of seducing a man to take off clothes? Does that even make it armor? At least the bunny armor is cute and cosplay-ish, which fits with Erza’s happier, more playful side we see of her outside of fights; the Seduction Armor is just flat-out nonsensical.

Why did Mashima specifically want 12 Spriggans? There was apparently a reason for this, but Mashima never revealed what it was.

Originally, he wanted six and Zeref to be the seventh member, since Mashima is obsessed with the number seven. However, I think that he wanted to get a few character concepts out before he copped out of the series, and he had too many to just have six. Thus, he probably got up to nine or ten, but then he remembered that Tartaros and Avatar had the same amount of members, so he just said “fuck it” and moved the number to twelve. This would explain why Invel and Bloodman were shoehorned in with no original magic whatsoever; Mashima just threw them in to get the number to twelve.

Were Lisanna and Loke sidelined because they were threats to NaLu, or because Mashima couldn’t be bothered writing them?

Both. The first goes without explaining. However, I have theories on why Mashima didn’t bother to write either of them.

Lisanna: Mashima’s absurd obsession with redemption arcs, nakama bullshit, and fake-out deaths prove to me that he follows by the “heroes can’t die” code of writing, something which I hope no mature, aspiring writer follows. Thus, he brought Lisanna back into the story to follow this code and thought, “Maybe I could do something with her later.” Turns out he couldn’t think of anything when he was developing each new arc. The closest we ever came to Lisanna getting in the spotlight (besides that god-awful scene from Tartaros) was when Azuma “killed” Mira. Originally, as much as I like Mira, I would’ve loved to Lisanna fill in Mira’s shoes and dedicate herself to become a stronger person because of the death of her sister. But no, Mashima didn’t have the balls to really kill Mira and the Nalu shippers were clawing at his door, so she ended up as a void of nothingness.

Loke: Once his arc was done, Mashima wanted to develop the rest of the Zodiac Spirits. Not that he really did, but he didn’t want to single out Loke too much, as much as I like Lolu. However, Loke being the key that Lucy sacrificed rather than Aquarius would have worked a lot better in the grand sense of the narrative, and would’ve really hammered in a new dimension to Lucy’s potential character arc in Alvarez. So much failed potential, Mashima. So much.

Why did Mashima skip to having Mira being fine using her Satan Souls all of a sudden in the Tenrou arc?

Because since the cause of Mira’s initial stress and reluctance has been completely retconned by the narrative, she’s perfectly able to go all out again, guys! I mean, it’s not like real-life victims of PTSD still suffer for years and years on end even with achieving social and financial success, getting married, and having children, right? RIGHT!?

Seriously, fuck Mashima.

If Key of the Starry Skies and Eclipse Celestial Spirits are canon, why weren’t they just written into the manga?

Because Mashima didn’t care enough about these arcs; A-1 just pitched the filler arcs to him and said, “this is what we’re gonna do, kay?” and he was like, “Oh, these are cool. Canon.” He couldn’t be bothered to write them because he was ready to launch into GMG and Tartaros, respectively. Also, while Eclipse Celestial Spirits works well into the show’s canon, Key of the Starry Skies doesn’t. GMG was effective in setting up the future of the series after the timeskip and NEEDED to happen right after it (doesn’t make the arc necessarily good, though). Plus, the Neo Oracion Seis feels unnecessary since they canonically are released from prison in Tartaros.

Why completely change what Wendy’s capable of in the last arc? Possession? Really?

Problem is, though, her arc was finished the moment Doranbolt saved her and Carla from Face. Her facing Sherria proved that she is willing to fight for her guild regardless of her moral issues with fighting, her going Dragon Force proved that she has gained the experience to become a tactical and efficient fighter, and her resolve to be with Carla and protect the people she loves by choosing to die when Face is about to self-destruct solidifies her developing outgoingness with the new people that she loves. As a character, her arc was concluded before Alvarez began. In my opinion, she wasn’t capable of anything more in Alvarez.

As for the possession, it’s infuriating because of the pedophilia implications, not ruining Wendy as a character. I see possession as a tool for character growth only if the possessed person is able to grow in strength and become a stronger person to overcome the weakness that allowed them to become possessed. Take Aoi Zaizen from Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS. I really hope that her upcoming character arc will be based around the possession that corrupted her in her very first on-screen duel and how she can overcome the weakness that the Knights of Hanoi exposed from her. Wendy’s possession...did not have that potential. Once Irene left her body, Wendy went right back to her fighting as usual and didn’t seem bothered by the possession. Why? Because her arc was finished and the show was nearing its end anyway. You can be mad about that, and I won’t blame you, but any further growth from Wendy would feel redundant in my opinion.

Was he planning on doing an arc about gods?

Yep. I have a theory that Avatar was supposed to be his “god” arc, but I’ll talk more about that later.

Was it really Ankhseram that cursed Zeref?

I...guess? Mashima never introduced him as a character, but I guess he can still exist. Makes Mashima a bad writer, but it doesn’t make Ankhseram invalid.

Why bring Rogue’s shadow back as a minor plot point in Avatar? He had no intention of addressing it in Alvarez.

Okay, in Mashima’s hardly-deserved defense, Alvarez would not have been the best time to discuss Rogue’s shadow; to me, Avatar was a good point to address it because it was our first full arc with Devil Slayer Gray. To me, it makes sense that Rogue’s shadow would possess him after the dragons emerge through the Eclipse Gate and Gray would become easily corrupted by Devil Slayer Magic without his friends for support (since they’re dead in the alternate timeline, though that raises the question of does Tartaros still exist there). There was really no better time to address it.

Did he give up after Tartaros?

Well, the anime gave up after GMG, that’s for sure. For Mashima, I’d say it was in the middle of writing Avatar. I think that he was planning on fleshing out Avatar as a cult, since their existence was the whole reason that Hades formed Grimoire Heart and “awakened” Zeref’s malicious heart. In addition, since they had enough influence to convince countless wizards that Zeref could be revived with keys and/or Towers of Heaven, they would have the influence to interact with gods and God Slayers. As a writer, Mashima could’ve killed two birds with one stone and be ready to tackle Zeref’s big final arc. What probably actually happened was him waking up after a drunken tirade and realizing that his series was being more and more ridiculed for its poor writing decisions, his fanbase was becoming one of the most toxic in all of anime, and he was just running out of ideas. He questioned every life choice he ever made, decided to trash the remainder of Fairy Tail just to start over with a new work, burned through the rest of Avatar, and threw Alvarez together haphazardly just to prevent himself thinking about potential endgames any longer.

Thank you again to @ac-fairytail for these questions. The channel’s all about Fairy Tail critique, analysis, and salt; go there if you’re interested in that stuff. It really pains me to see Fairy Tail crashing and burning towards the end, but for what it was worth, I enjoyed it. It’ll be harder for me to go back and enjoy it because of my investment in much better shonen manga, such as HxH, JoJo, and YYH, but it holds a lot of memories for teenage me, and I’ll certainly treasure them.

Also thanks to Mashima for teaching me what NOT to do as a screenwriter. Helps a lot.

#lightdark18 #ac-fairytail #fairy tail #anti mashima #well theres two hours of my life gone

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laurelkrugerr · 4 years

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Theodore Roosevelt Was Wrong. Critics Do Count.

July 2, 2020 6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Last week, the Museum of Natural History decided to remove the statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt from the Central Park West entrance where it has stood since 1940. Since it’s already been a bad month for Roosevelt, let me take this opportunity to further knock him off his high horse.

In his famous “The Man In the Arena” speech, Roosevelt said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming…”

I carried a copy of this speech in my wallet for years and often referred to it for inspiration, especially when I was starting my business in the mid 1990s. But over time, I have come to believe that while there is much to admire about “The Man in the Arena,” Roosevelt was wrong when he said, “It is not the critic who counts.” There is a certain blind arrogance and danger in not just ignoring one’s critics, but in creating a world where you have none. Critics are invaluable. I learned this lesson while writing my book, aptly named Don’t Take Yes for an Answer.

Related: Why Founders Shouldn’t Fear Harsh Criticism

A true “yes” is earned

After handing in what I thought was a masterpiece manuscript, my editor proceeded to rip it to shreds. Like anyone with pride in his work, it was a bitter pill to receive such an emphatic “no” after all that effort. I reluctantly went back to the drawing board and started over, but once I realized that my editor had offered me the gift of wisdom, I embraced it. While I didn’t agree with every suggestion, they were mostly right and made the book vastly better. That critique and input led to a brand-new manuscript, and my heart leapt when my editor said there was basically nothing she would do (except a few minor edits) because it was ready for print!

I don’t expect my book to eclipse sales records and sit among the pantheon of the best business books of all time. That is unlikely. But it did make it to print and has thus far been well-received — it was even nominated for The Next Big Idea Club (curated by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain and Daniel Pink). And that would not have happened had my publisher given me a “yes” after that first manuscript. Now that the finished product is out in the world, I’m almost embarrassed that I even turned in that first draft.

All this is to say that contrary to Roosevelt’s words, the right critic does count. Someone who is qualified and cares about you and your goal can point out how and where you stumbled and how you can do better. It’s true that criticism that is not constructive is usually unhelpful, and tough love without love can be petty and mean. But if you are truly married to excellence and not your ego, you will learn to welcome and love criticism.

In my book, I state that if you want to find out what you’re truly made of and reach your utmost potential in your work and life, you must stop taking YES for an answer. We get a lot of positive feedback that we don’t actually deserve, which means you can’t trust all the yeses you hear. In fact, if you’ve checked off all the obvious boxes necessary for a stellar career in your field — education, credentials, years of experience — but still aren’t where you want to be, that lack of honest feedback is probably part of what’s holding you back. Because face it, if you’re doing just fine but you’re not truly killing it the way you always dreamed you would, I don’t care what anyone tells you — you’re doing something wrong.

Don’t you want to know what it is?

Related: 5 Ways Criticism and Rejection Builds Your Capacity to Succeed

Beware the echo chamber

If you’re frustrated because you’re falling short of your potential and you want to know why, you have to be willing not only to accept criticism, but also to seek it out. You have to find someone who cares enough to tell you when you aren’t all that, and accept that a “no” is often more helpful than a “yes.” An honest “no” will help explain why you haven’t been able to move your business or career further. A default “yes” will keep you stuck in a vortex of mediocrity. You will stay unaware of your true strengths, unconscious of your weaknesses, and probably unmotivated to make any significant change that will elevate you further than your current plateau.

I failed to follow my own advice when I wrote the first draft of my book. For the first year of research and writing, I surrounded myself with well-meaning friends and family. I was immersed in an echo chamber of “yes.” People kept telling me that they loved what I had written, or they said nothing, which I incorrectly took for praise. Those yeses made me feel great, but it wasn’t until I received an honest — and necessary — “no” from my editor that I realized my book was mediocre at best. The guy who coined the term “the vortex of mediocrity” got trapped in that vortex without even realizing it!

It’s temptingly easy to fall in love with your own work, ideas and self. My advice: get narcissistic nausea. If you cannot find at least one person to criticize some aspect of your being, it’s a warning sign that you’re operating in a distorted reflection of reality. Welcome criticism. Demand it and then embrace what resonates with you after careful introspection.

Don’t believe Roosevelt’s words that critics don’t count. Instead, take the metaphorical advice of another President: Abraham Lincoln. Rather than ignore his critics, Lincoln appointed them to his cabinet, creating a “team of rivals” that worked together to preserve the Union and win the Civil War. Once you get off your own proverbial high horse, you’ll be amazed at how much further you can climb.

Related: 5 Ways Criticism Can Make You Stronger

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source http://www.scpie.org/theodore-roosevelt-was-wrong-critics-do-count/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/07/theodore-roosevelt-was-wrong-critics-do.html

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riichardwilson · 4 years

Text

Theodore Roosevelt Was Wrong. Critics Do Count.

July 2, 2020 6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Related: Why Founders Shouldn’t Fear Harsh Criticism

A true “yes” is earned

Don’t you want to know what it is?

Related: 5 Ways Criticism and Rejection Builds Your Capacity to Succeed

Beware the echo chamber

Related: 5 Ways Criticism Can Make You Stronger

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/theodore-roosevelt-was-wrong-critics-do-count/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/622588057167790080

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scpie · 4 years

Text

Theodore Roosevelt Was Wrong. Critics Do Count.

July 2, 2020 6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Related: Why Founders Shouldn’t Fear Harsh Criticism

A true “yes” is earned

Don’t you want to know what it is?

Related: 5 Ways Criticism and Rejection Builds Your Capacity to Succeed

Beware the echo chamber

Related: 5 Ways Criticism Can Make You Stronger

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/theodore-roosevelt-was-wrong-critics-do-count/

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tremendousmusicbeliever-blog · 6 years

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Pizza Supply Bag Warming Systems Can Keep Pizza Contemporary And Sizzling For Supply

Pizza Supply Bag Warming Systems Can Keep Pizza Contemporary And Scorching For Supply

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