Weekly Creativity Challenge

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Woods

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Prompt: Pull (at least) three cards use them to tell a story in which the characters are warned not to go into the woods.

Tarot ResomThe Woods

“Don’t go into the woods” they said, but he just couldn’t resist. He went every day. Some days for just a few minutes, and other days for hours and hours on end. Sometimes in the darkness of wild storms, and sometimes during clear skies with the sun or moon to light his way. (The Fool atop The Devil)

He didn’t understand what they all were so afraid of. Nothing bad ever happened when he visited the woods, and so he became confident and comfortable in his visits. (The Magician atop The Moon)

He would wander for hours, lost in his own thoughts while he marveled at nature’s splendor.  He admired the birds and their fluttering wings, the squirrels and their speed and ingenuity, and even took joy in the slow trek of the snails moving over forest floor and fallen logs (The Sun atop The Hermit)

One day in his wandering he came to a small grove covered in moss and was so enchanted that he decided to sit for a while and enjoy.  He found a comfortable spot to settle upon the ground beneath an old tree and as he watched the creatures and plants go about their daily routines, he became very tired. The exhaustion came upon him suddenly, and soon found himself so tapped of energy he had need to lie down upon the ground. (The Lovers atop Temperance)

While lying upon the ground, he watched motes of pollen swirl through the air like dust motes in the light of the setting sun and a great sense of peace overtook him. Soon, he let his eyes close and breathed in the fresh air fragrant with pine needles and damp earth. He imagined himself cradled lovingly in the palm of the earth’s embrace and as he drifted off to sleep, he felt as if he was slowly sinking into a deep and heavy darkness. (The Empress atop The Star)

And indeed, as he slept, he was embraced by the earth. Foliage crept close and roots shifted to make room. (Death) He was gently lowered deeper and deeper beneath the soil as it shifted to cradle and accept him within.  So in tune with the earth, so comfortable within her embrace, he yielded to her without alarm or fear and became one with the earth without ever waking from his deep sleep. (The World)

And alas, the young man was never seen from again.

DECK USED: TAROT RESOM

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Seattle

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Prompt: Pull up to three cards use them as the inspiration to describe an evening stroll (real or fictional) near you.

Feito/Gurando Ōdā Tarot

The Magician – In the air swirls the scent of sweet jasmine dying on the vine, a cool breeze swirling through the air carrying the soft lick moisture and a slight nip of chill. Dressed in warm sweater and jacket with thick socks and boots on my feet, I wander along a pale sidewalk dyed in speckled shades of autumn leaves once fallen and now washed away.

The Hierophant – A breeze causes a breath of sound that skims in a hissing whisper through nearly bare branches, the hint of brine in the air speaking of low tides and seagull feasts not seen, but promised all the same.  The nose tells of more than just low tide and exposed barnacles, but Saturday dinners of pork fried rice and sizzling casseroles as wafting scents of grilled cheese tinge the air.

The Wheel of Fortune – Looking up as I move along the sidewalk, low clouds lit by city lights billow still and gray above, hovering low and close in the night sky, and a fat raindrop falls to splash on a flushed cheek. Another follows to pat down on a shoulder, then another on my nose.  Dressed warmly, I am prepared… and yet I’ll still be soaked by the time I make it home.

DECK USED:  FATE / GRAND ORDER TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Dirty Feet

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Prompt: Pull (at least) three cards use them to share with us something you remember from your childhood that brings a smile.

Kimetsu No Yaiba TarotThere was once a young boy who spent all of his time playing in the woods at the back of his parent’s property with the Fae folk that lived there (The Fool). He had great fun romping with them through the forest, his laughter mingling with that of the Fae and ringing out among the trees (The Sun).

When his mother found out what he was up to in the forest (The Empress), she was very upset with him and restricted him from going into the woods. She told him that he was no longer allowed to play there or go into the woods at all by himself (Judgement).

The boy felt as if his whole world had been taken away from him and was devastated as it deems that his entire world was falling apart around him (The Tower). Even though he had a sister to spend time with, he felt all alone and bereft at the loss of his playmates in the woods (The Hermit).

Then one night a miraculous thing happened, and the Fae came out of the woods to come and visit him! They tempted him (The Devil) to come out into the night and play while everyone else was asleep (The Moon).

Sneaking out of his parents home was not as hard as he thought it would be (The Magician), and soon he was romping happily with the Fae folk once again (The Lovers).

For years to come, the boy snuck out of the house to play in the nighttime woods with the Fae, and oddly, no one ever noticed his dirty little feet come morning (Wheel of Fortune).  And by the time they did… It was too late to stop him (The Chariot).

That little boy is me.

DECK USED: KIMETSU NO YAIBA TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Walk

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Prompt: Pull up to three cards use them as the inspiration to draw, craft, or describe a spooky nighttime walk outside.

Eldritch TarotDeath – On Halloween night, Fred took his little sister out trick or treating for the first time.  Their parents had divorced this year, something that had been coming for a long time, and he was the man of the house now.  That meant that even though he wasn’t really all that excited about trick or treating this year, he was in charge of keeping his sister safe.

Hand in hand he took Cassie from house to house in the unfamiliar neighborhood they’d moved into just two weeks before. At each house they chimed their “Trick or Treat!” after the door opened and held out their bags for the goodies to be dropped inside.

The Devil atop The Magician – When they reached the end of the street and the last house that sat there, they repeated he process again and the man that answered the door was friendly and boisterous.  He complimented their Robin Hood and Maid Marian costumes and gave them whole candy bars!

The man said that he had more inside, but he had to go all the way to the kitchen to get them.  He invited them both to come in, and Fred’s sister tugged on his hand to pull him forward toward the front door, eager for more of the good candy that the man was offering.

The Hierophant – But Fred had been given a talk by Dad that Cassie was too young to have gotten yet.  Dad had told him about the bad people.  People that seemed nice but wanted to hurt him or his sister, steal them away, and do bad things to them. Dad’s talk stuck with him when he and his sister walked to school every day, and it came back to him now as Cassie tried to pull him up the porch steps and into the stranger’s house.

Taking a strong, hard hold of his sister’s hand, he declined the man’s offer and hurried them away from the house at the end of the street. At home, he would pass on Dad’s talk to Cassie.  At home, he would make sure that Cassie knew to never, ever go down to the end of the street by herself… and that she could always depend on him to go with her if she wanted.

DECK USED: THE ELDRITCH TAROT (MAJORS ONLY)

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Kings

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Prompt: Pull the Kings out of a deck of your choice. Consider… Do you have someone in your life, or is there a real or fictional character you know of that fits with one of these cards? Do you have people in mind that would fit with each of them? Then share that here and tell us about the connection you see between each King card and the person or character it represents for you.

Zombie TarotKing of Wands – A man with a plan, this man has lots of plans but sometimes his enthusiasm gets in the way of good sense. Lots of knowledge and experience under his belt, he seems to think he can do anything, then is surprised when things don’t always turn out as planned. That doesn’t keep him from going after the next project on his list though, or the one after that, and bringing his buddies with him in on the job makes everything that much better. His friends come over and have a blast, while the wives curse him for stirring their husbands up… and bless him in the same breath for seeming to give their husbands an extra spark of life.

King of Cups – A gentle touch and a core of steel, this man knows how to make you feel heard and understood. He sees what you’re hiding… or at least that you’re hiding it, and will gently pick at it until you give him that burden you hold so that it can be shared.  He’s easy to trust and draws you in, but make sure you don’t push against his boundaries too hard, or you might find yourself out in the cold again.  He loves hard and deep, but despite the magnetism to draw others in, he’s picky about those that he allows to get in deep.

King of Swords – She stands behind a podium five days out of seven, a large auditorium of young minds hanging on her every word.  The board behind her is filled with evidence of her intelligence and expertise, and she will lead these minds to become the newest generation to change the world.  She’s a hard taskmaster and has a sharp tongue, and god forbid you disappoint her high expectations.  The thing is though? Something about her and those expectations means that if you do disappoint? You’ll be harder on yourself than she has need to be.

King of Hazards (Pentacles) – She exudes a sense of duty and a grounded energy that makes her easy to trust and goes to work each day where that trust is used to lead others. She knows each worker by name. With precision blueprints in her hands, she directs others on bringing her creation to life and with each day that passes, what was only a dream in her mind slowly becomes a reality on the corner of Fifth and Fircrest. Some day her family will live in this building, a structure she’d dreamed of since a child and now is entrusted with bringing to life.

DECK USED:  ZOMBIE TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Prophet

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Pull (at least) three cards use them to tell a story about a hayride or a visit to a pumpkin patch.

Halloween TarotThere was once a young boy that was high strung and seemed to constantly be afraid of everything (The Moon). Because of this, he was picked on by everyone in town (Judgement).

Even with all the teasing and mockery, the boy was not dissuaded in the least from returning to the towns people, his teachers, and even the police, with wild stories about the town going to waste and world destruction (The Tower).

One autumn, the towns people had had enough and decided to take things into their own hands (The Magician).  They plotted together to come up with a plan to change the boy’s ways and make him stop (Death) with all the horrible tales of death and destruction.

For Halloween, they created a haunted pumpkin field and tricked him into visiting late one night (The Fool) with the intent of teaching the boy him a lesson (The Hierophant). They they tempted him into the pumpkin patch with promises of listening ears (The Devil) and caught him in a trap and strung him up (The Hanged Man), forcing him to stay the night in the haunted pumpkin patch with all the scary decorations and frightening noises.

It was a horrible, terrifying experience for the boy and when he was released, he ran home to tell his mother of what he’d experienced (The Empress).

His mother was enraged by what she heard, and she plotted her revenge.  On Halloween night, she showed her true colors (The High Priestess) and revealed herself as a witch.

She cast a curse upon the town (The Chariot), seizing control of the fate of each and every person that tortured her son, and sentenced each of them to a lifetime of night terrors (Justice).  And as the people of the town became more and more sleep deprived, the prophesy that her son had tried so hard to warn the towns people about came to fruition. The town truly began to waste away as some trying to outrun the curse and others passing away… until none remained.

DECK USED: HALLOWEEN TAROT MAJORS ONLY DECK