#wheels break and get stuck and chariots flip

[baejax-the-great]

One of the reasons the ancient Greeks relied on chariots for warfare is that saddles and especially stirrups had not been invented yet and sitting bareback (and bare-assed lbr) on a horse while trying to throw a spear at someone would have been exceedingly difficult.

[incandescent-creativity]

Pre-Games: Mal and Olu

Previous

V. the chariots

I twist the golden ribbons tied at my waist, tight enough to dig into the flesh of my hands. The scars from years of field work have faded thanks to whatever cream the stylists gave me, and I’m still not used to the soft skin.

“Don’t,” Mal reprimands, having noticed my nerves. “There’s no need.”

“I know, I know. I’ll mess it up.” The stylists have been very clear about leaving their work untouched.

“That’s not what I meant,” she says with a smile. How can she smile during at a time like this? “You look great. Angelic, even,” she adds with a cocked, knowing grin.

“You really think so?”

I look down at the outfit with new eyes. At first, I thought the tight yellow leather pants were gaudy, but they do balance out the creamy white shirt with gold trimming and stitching rather well. The twin stalks of grain sticking up from the headband they gave me is a little garish, but overall, I suppose the outfit isn’t bad.

Maluka’s dress, on the other hand, is stunning. It features a steep V that ends below her sternum, and the whole thing is caked with glittery diamonds that stand out against the navy blue fabric. They are scattered as the stars are in the sky. Even her earrings are crescent moons.

I don’t know why they’ve dressed us as this; something about the sun helping our fields grow, and the moon that helps the tides we use to water them.

Whatever the reason, Maluka is stunning. The confident smile she gives me when she says, “Of course I do,” is even more so.

“I suppose I’ll need to be angelic if we’re to win the hearts of the people,” I say with a sigh.

Mal climbs up into the chariot and offers me a hand. I very pointedly look up into her face and not at her chest.

“Don’t worry,” she says with a wink. “Who could ever resist us?”

For a moment, I believe her. For a second, I believe in us. We’re in for the fight of our lives, but we have been fighting our own battles for years. I have been asking why us, but perhaps a better question is:

Why not us?

I wrap her hand in mine, and she pulls me up into the chariot. I stand behind the horse draped in golds and browns, while Mal takes her place behind the one in blue and silver.

“Maluka,” I say quietly as the wheels start to move.

“Yes, angel?”

My heart flips. “They have to see us as a team, right?”

“I mean, we are a team.”

“But they don’t know that.”

I see her head turn to look up at me, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re about to be in front of the Capitol, and there’s no time.

“Don’t resist,” I tell her.

“What are you talking about?”

Then we’re in the lights. The noise of the crowd envelops us, and my anxiety swells along with the volume. In such a mess, I had forgotten the effect crowds have on me. The weight of all these eyes on me—

No, not on me.

The Capitol’s eyes are on us. Maluka is here with me, standing right at my side.

She even willingly takes my hand when I slide mine down her arm. I give it one squeeze of warning before I make my move.

In one swift smooth motion, I turn Maluka towards me and hook my leg behind hers. I don’t pull her back far enough to fall, or hit her head on the chariot. I simply bend her back to cradle her in my arms and bend my head over hers to touch our foreheads together.

The crowd’s reaction is a swelling roar, but all I hear is Maluka’s sharp intake of breath.

“Holy shit, you’re strong,” she whispers.

Her observation is just candid enough to make me smile, so when I stand us back up it is with a wide grin on my face. It doesn’t even falter when Mal wraps one of her arms around my waist and pulls herself close to my side.

We stand that way until the chariots reach their destination.

VI. training

I can’t sleep the day before training.

Not because of any nerves or anything. That’s Olu’s area of expertise. Instead, my mind is stuck replaying their utter confidence in sweeping my leg to press our bodies close together. They were strong, and smooth, and their smile was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say it’s a move they’ve pulled before. But what circumstance would have ever called for something like that?

I can’t come up with one, and my mind alternates between trying to come up with an answer and being distracted by the memory of our chariot.

When there’s a knock on my door, it’s a physical pain to drag myself up out of bed. But I do it.

It’s only when I actually get to the training room that I realize I hadn’t thought about what I’d say to my teammate when I saw them. Not that it would have mattered; I’m quite sure any words I would have prepared would have died on my tongue.

If Olufemi was a vision yesterday on the chariot, they are even more so today. It makes no sense, I know. Why would I be more attracted to them when they’re wearing a form fitting tank top that fully displays the muscles of their arms and shoulders than when they’ve been dressed to the nines by stylists?

Then they slice the throat of a training dummy open without a single change in expression, and I have to stop my jaw from dropping.

Who knew a scythe was that deadly?

I duck away before Olu can catch me ogling, and start looking around for something to distract myself with. Preferably something on the opposite side of the room from... all of that.

The opposite side of the room turns out to be survival skills. Which isn’t glamorous, but neither was my work at home. And it makes sense; if Olu is going to be our muscle, I can handle the brainy parts of survival.

So I start learning all the different ways to construct and light a fire, and how to disguise shelters, and which foods can be found in what biomes. I do this for two days, and for two days I keep a close eye on Olu.

They’re chattier than I expected them to be. I want to tell them to stop giving pointers to our competition, when those pointers could potentially help them kill us later, but I’m also very pointedly keeping my distance.

Well, I’m keeping my distance until a pair of assholes walks up to them.

I’m pretty sure it’s the Careers from District 1: Phosphene and Mahogany. I’ve never heard such pretentious names in my life, and they look like they’ve got the personalities to match.

“Well, if it isn’t our local farmer,” the female starts. She’s gotta be Phosphene—only someone with that name would have long, straightened silver-blonde hair like that.

“Hate to break it to ya, champ, but we’re gonna be a bit harder to cut down than some plants,” the male boasts.

Olu doesn’t respond, apparently opting for the “stoic silence” approach. Personally, I prefer the opposite.

“You know,” I say, walking up as casually as I can, “there’s actually quite a few species of plant that possess more strength than human bone. That’s why we made boats out of wood instead of femurs.

“Although,” I say, as if the possibility had just occurred to me, “maybe we can test that theory in the arena. Would you like to donate to the cause?”

The poor brute has no idea how to respond to my sweet smile, but the girl just rolls her eyes and turns away with a toss of platinum hair.

I wiggle my fingers in a wave that neither of them see, but that’s fine. Better to not get in a fight until I have to.

“I was handling it,” Olu says quietly.

I jump. I hadn’t even noticed them sidling closer to me to pick out a new blade to practice with.

“Yeah, I know. I just handled it first,” I respond as coolly as I can.

“Great,” they say, just as cool. “Do you want one?”

“Want one?” I repeat. “A—a dagger?”

Olu shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

I almost say, “You’re being weird,” but they’re already moving towards the targets. All I can do is look around to make sure District 1 is gone, and head to the spears.

VII. judgment

I settle onto the couch next to Maluka, who hands me a glass of some sort of bubbling, fizzing drink.

I don’t know what it is, so I simply hold it in my hand. The screen is already on, and we’re a couple of districts away from our scores. Mal still hasn’t told me what she did for her demonstration, so I haven’t been forthcoming with mine, either.

In fact, we don’t say a word to each other until our announcer brings up District 9.

“Here we go,” she says.

“Up first: Maluka Samale, with a score of... 6.”

“Damn,” she mutters, and drains the rest of her glass. That alone convinces me it’s alcoholic, and I set my own glass down gingerly.

“Hardly impressive,” I agree.

“But also slightly above average,” she counters. “I guess they weren’t impressed with my answers.”

“Your what?”

Mal waves a hand. “Oh, I just sat down and offered them the opportunity to discover my gift for strategy.”

“Is that what you call pissing off all your coworkers at least once?” I joke.

She snorts. “You know it.”

“And now, Olufemi Abdalla... who earned an 8.”

“Daaaamn,” Mal says again, only this time she’s impressed. “What did you do?”

I can only shrug. “The same thing I’ve been doing. Only I decapitated it this time instead of cutting it.”

“Holy shit,” she says, and I think it’s a compliment. “Did you do it on purpose?”

“I wasn’t trying to... avoid it,” I say.

An embellished number 10 flashes onto screen, and the two of us relax back into the couch.

“I guess they’re more impressed by brute strength than cleverness,” Mal says.

I turn my torso to look at her entirely, raising one of my eyebrows. “Am I mistaken, or is that resentment in your tone?”

“Absolutely not,” she says, deadpan. “Why would I resent you?”

I can’t name the emotion that clutches at my chest. Whatever it is, it’s cold.

“Look,” I say carefully, “if I overstepped with that move on the chariot, you should have told me sooner. You know I would have apologized.”

“What?” Maluka sounds genuinely puzzled. “No, that was... a very good move. Believe me, I’m not mad about that.”

“Well, what are you mad about?” I ask, panicked frustration creeping into my voice. Please, just tell me what’s wrong.

“Nothing!” she insists. “I just... Why were you avoiding me during training?”

Now it’s my turn for confusion. “What do you mean? You’re the one that stayed on the other side of the room.”

There is frustration on her side, too, evident in a rasping noise in the back of her throat. “Okay, so, we’re both avoidant. Do you want to team up for the interview, then?”

At least I can answer this one definitively. “Yes.”

“Great!” Mal says brightly. “How do we do that?”

VIII. the interview

By the time we’re being dressed up, we still haven’t come up with our answer.

I almost regret asking the question, to be honest. Every answer we’ve come up with has been wrong, or we feel like we could do better, or like someone else will be doing it, too.

The worst part of the whole situation is that I have a really great idea.

The only problems are: I’m not sure how to bring it up, how to phrase the question, what I’ll do if they say yes, what I’ll do if they say no, and if that’s really our best option. Oh, and I also don’t know what would happen after.

So for now, I try to focus on what’s going on right now. Namely, being dressed.

They’ve reversed our color schemes today. There was much debate about Olu’s warm undertones being ill-suited to a traditional black and white tuxedo, but I don’t know what the hell they were talking about. Olufemi is, as usual, stunning.

The blue comes in through their bowtie, and the square of fabric in their chest pocket, and the makeup on their lips and eyelids. Their eyes even get silver glitter to match the buttons and thread of the suit.

My own monkey suit is a bright yellow ballgown that reaches the floor. When I move and twirl, you can see the shiny patterns of grain sewn onto it. Getting it on was actually a surprisingly brief process; the rest of my time so far has been spent doing shit with my hair.

I hardly recognize myself when they place me in front of the mirror. The final product means half my hair is piled up into a bun, while the rest of it falls free.

Smoothing it over despite the perfection of their work, I comment, “I didn’t even know I had this much hair.”

“I think they were a bit frustrated with my lack of hair, too,” Olu confides, even though their tight, fuzzy curls are a whole different thing from my undercut.

“Yeah, but you have so much else to work with,” I point out. “I mean, how many times did they praise your long legs?”

“At least four,” they respond. “It was excessive, wasn’t it?”

“Excessive is their middle name,” I agree.

After a beat of silence, they inquire, “So, have you come up with our brilliant strategy yet?”

I sigh. “Well, I have one idea to help us stand out. But I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

“What’s that?”

Their voice is full of perfectly innocent curiosity. For some reason, it fills me with guilt.

“Never mind. Stupid idea.”

Olufemi doesn’t appreciate being dismissed. Their face drops into an unamused, flat expression. “Tell me.”

Yikes. “Okay. Okay. Sorry. I just thought we could... have our first kiss on camera?”

Their expression doesn’t change too much. Instead, their eyes slide away from mine to stare at the wall in contemplation. When they move to meet mine again, I can see that they’ve reached some sort of conclusion. I just don’t know what conclusion that is.

“You’re right,” they announce. “It’s a stupid idea.”

I don’t even know what to say. I don’t even know if I could say anything, my stomach has dropped so hard.

Taking a step closer to me, Olufemi says, “We should have our second kiss on camera.”

“Our—second?” I ask. “We haven’t even had our first. You want to spend the whole interview time making out? Because I’m not sure—”

One of their hands brushes past my jawline, against my ear to cradle the back of my skull, and I promptly shut up. It’s the same position they used to ensure I didn’t hit my head on the chariot.

And just like on the chariot, I’m caught staring into the depths of their dark brown eyes.

Leaning down to gently touch their forehead to mine yet again, Olu asks, “What do you say, Maluka? May I kiss you here before I do it again on camera?”

“Oh, god, please,” I whisper.

When their full lips press against mine, I can feel a smile fading from them.

next

[0asis-sanctuary-0wn]

tarot cards predict my future husband..

i think it was in feb when a tarot reading video came on to my feed in youtube. i watched one and i honestly cannot remember the exact video i watched. so yeah and then i watched many videos about my love life but not consecutively.. it was during different times and i actually watched on different youtube channels to see if there will be a consistent message the universe wants to send me regarding my alleged future husband HAHA 

and to be honest these readings were at random. i chose from different piles of cards so it is not all the same. but luckily there is some similarities from the readings.

1. HOW WILL YOU MEET YOUR SOULMATE? (yt channel: supermoon tarot)

Cleaning house (getting life together), chariot, queen of swords, 6 of cups, 5 of cups, wheel of fortune, devil, strength card, queen of pentacles, king of pentacles, Cleaning creates momentum, the queen of sword in the chariot making it happen, no more excuses, has a plan, time that i am focused, six of cups (absolute satisfaction), they seem to pop up starting an event that benefits others, extremely satisfying that's when soulmate pops up 

Soulmate: opposite, breaking an addiction, loss, developed a bad negative habit, masked feeling

2. WILL YOU MEET YOUR SOULMATE IN 2020? (yt channel: charmed intuition tarot)

quick, unexpected, big yes

Tarot: The fool, wheel of fortune, 9 of cups

Other cards: let your friends help you, wedding, New beginning, adventure card, moon card (gaining momentum), transformation card, lily (positivity from each other, chance card (when u least expect it), expansion card (grow together, long term)

Charms: flexibility, go with the flow, unexpected surprise, letter I, spiritual connection, contrasting na hindi quick slowly din to open up, strong friendship, little getaways

3. WHO WILL I MARRY? (yt channel: charmed intuition tarot)

Cards: King of wands, king of pentacles (doctor, hard worker, perfectionist, very protective), excellent leader, magnetic personality, engagement card (territorial, propose quickly), let go of control issues, controlling, very passionate and romantic, bond over music, very financially well of, hard work paid off, hates being bored/lazy, treasure island (focused on my needs), 9 of pentacles (very focused on needs), very handsome, self confident, charming, excellent family man, work oriented, loyal, say things quickly, hyena card (very funny, sense of humor), jealous at times, possessive, head over heels, protective

Charms:Fire sign, masculine, passionate energy, family oriented, hard worker, focused on fantasy, committed, letters: DR doctor????? 

Physical feature:Black hair, green eyes, 

4. WHO WILL YOU MARRY? (yt channel: vision quest amal)

Already met?, pale skin, white skin?, north card, king of water (blue eyed fair skin), horse card (works out, likes to eat, strong, tall), king of swords, goblin (younger looking) baby face, mature, high up in career, very wise person, very hardworking, earth energy, very ethical at work, very happy at work, work with hands, loss card (alone for a long time), not a party animal, solitude card, high priestess, lost someone in the past, matured a lot, abundant, super super similar, sarcastic, sense of humor, way of talking, the bard card (really good at talking, history) king of sword (storytelling), older person, got stories to tell, immersed in their circle, different culture or country, very romantic, person wants you, cultural difference, religion in the way, conflict with family, 9 of cups, exciting relationship, great friends, high priest, immersion 

Words: Dream, coming, in time, beautiful, leave, old, game, bond, try

5. WHO IS YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE? (yt channel: vanessa somuinya) 

cards; Earth sign, crystals, water earth sign, persistent about goals (perform as well as possibly can), focused and determined, laser sharp focus, very passionate, im going to feel it, a lot of talents (never fail to suprise), new info that surprises you, done so many things, very responsible, family man/ person, nightingale spirit, flamingo spirit(embrace in between life), fire energy, very happy with their life, last minute type of person, think on their feet, nothing stresses them out, makes everything work, solution oriented, delight card, leadership card, loves responsibility, leader genuinely feel they protect others, gonna make you smile, loves to protect and guard love ones, not afraid to start a fight, strong protective instinct, healthy life (getting rid of toxicity), dont have an addictive personality 

6. How will you recognize your future spouse? (Lunar light tarot) 

Very focused on you, 8 of cups, high priestess in reverse, moon in reverse, blindsided, show up out of the blue, like a secret revealed, not gonna see it coming, the tower, claim relationship, gonna shake things up in your life, 2 of cups (amazing connection, full of surprises, spontaneous), cautious and nervous, high priestess inn reverse, meet in something not obvious, three cups in reverse unconventional place, unexpected, moon in reverse, nine of swords, might be at work, do similar work, someone has a change of job, king of pentacles, shift something for you, attentive, change things to fix things, prove through action that he deserves in your life, have anxiety and soothe that for you, really care for you, loving, caring, might give gifts, take to dates, do most of work in the relationship, lift you up in this relationship, 

Light colored hair, light colored eyes, life of the party, full of energy, full of life, passion, energy 

7. Who will you marry? (Brook waldorf tarot) 

Todoroki group

Fire sign, magician (manifesting), princess of wands (maid in waiting), waiting where is he/she, go out, go do something, get out more, two of wands (new path or old path, optimistic and getting out more) flipping of perspective, more optimistic, leo sagittarius aries, masculine energy, in charge, entrepreneur, self employed, humble person, very grateful, friendly, lovers card, commitment, instant connection, really balance with you, work well together, both want commitment, Step out of your comfort zone, manifesting this person, listen to intuition, peaceful resolution (maybe didnt work in the past life), heart to heart conversation, soulmate card (instant connection), fear of vulnerability, 

Hair: Light brown, dirty blonde, light platinum blonde

Eye color: wears colored contacts, brown

Zodiac: fire signs (leo, sag, aries)

Personality: tough love, cold, aloof (think todoroki), intense, compassionate/gentle, 

Style: average, high fashion 

Your wedding will be like: april and andy (parks and rec) Quick courtship, spur of the moment, simple and sweet, close friends and family only, marry your best friend

8. How will you meet your soulmate (charmed intuition tarot)

Anchor charm

Nine of wands, star card, world card, action, choose love, express you love

Beginning of something new, courage, feeling strong against the odds, after major shift and life change, major turning point in life, both had major change, relief, wish coming true, good connection, feeing hopeful and renewed, be more optimistic, least expected, dont prevent yourself from finding a person, very exciting, suspicious, nervous, new person, surprise, least expecting, fully being yourself, open and honest, Yes met at somepoint, hasnt been with similar experiences, 

Dive/action : you are gonna make the first move, 

recharge: January/February 2021

Charms: time, fire sign, initial contact thru phone, transformation, growth, finances, career, 2020 focused on goals, start talking this year, 5 of pentacles, feeling of loss, stuck, 2 of cups, 4 of swords (patience) rest, 2 horses, both single and independent, new beginning, spend a lot of time, new kind of person, working out with anxiety, pull from someone from the past, very understanding, wish come true, 

Rescue: helping you in a sense, 

J & W

[leoswritingcorner]

an oracle in olympus pt. 4

wow, this one didn’t take as long! nice.

lucky meets another olympian

part 4 of ?

A week goes by, and then another.

Lucky thinks it's safe to breathe again. No deities have appeared, or tried to spirit her away - save for Lucy and Jamie who occasionally stopped by. The day after they brought her home from Olympus, Jamie had gifted Lucky with a new phone.

“This is, like, one of my older Iris-Phones! It still, like, totally works great though!” Jamie explained, holding the cell out to Lucky. 

Lucky took the phone and looked over its sleek and advanced design. 

“So it’s an...iPhone?” she asked. It was dusty pink and had various heart stickers Jamie had stuck around it. Jamie blew a raspberry. 

“Apple, like, wishes it could be an Iris-Phone. But, like, mortal phones can’t, like, connect to our devices or get service from Olympus. I cleaned out, like, all the contacts, except for Lucy and me. So you can like, keep in touch with us!” She said, smiling brightly. “Also, we’ll keep you, like, posted with Cherry too.”

The phone buzzes and a text pops up on the group chat. Two ½ Immortals. Lucy thought it was a hilarious group name. 

good morning, charmz! xoxo

Jamie’s message pops up right after. 

Happy Fri-YAY!!!! You made it through your second week of work!!! (ten heart emojis followed).

Lucky leans against the wall of the breakroom and types a quick reply. Thanks, y’all! I’m about to start so I’ll text ya both after. Still nothing from Cherry? She taps send and Jamie responds promptly.

Nothing yet, dear :( :’( 

Of course. Nothing. Lucky tilts her head back and sighs. She’s relieved. She thinks for a moment, she might be okay with Cherry never finding out anything concerning Tyche and herself. She could go on being normal Lucky Siddalee Day, twenty-four year old from Savannah, Georgia. Someone who didn’t have anything fantastical happen to her. 

The sight of the ceiling darkens as she closes her eyes, and lets herself a moment of peace before the likely hustle of today’s work. Completely normal. 

It begins slowly, a gentle tingling in her chest. At first, she passes it off as remaining nerves. But this felt different. Her skin prickles as if pins were being poked against her, only then to feel a brush of something light as feathers. It makes her breath hitch in her throat. Lucky’s hand presses to the spot on her chest that kept Hades in question. It felt warm, and only grew warmer as the sensations she felt intensified more and more.

Wake up. Remember. Wake up! Remember!

The words flash through her mind like lightning. They repeated over and over frantically, as if a voice begging from somewhere hidden.

“Lucky! Hey, are you here?”  Rebecca’s voice calls. Lucky’s body jolts and her eyes fly open to see her friend’s head poking through the doorway. “C’mon!” Her coworker urges. “You got three field trips today. Two elementary classes, and one middle.”

Lucky can barely remember the sensations she had felt and her thoughts are her own again. She nods to Rebecca. “Yeah, I’ll be right out.” She answers shakily, slipping the phone into her vest pocket. Taking one last glance into the mirror, she adjusts her work clothes. Blouse and vest, neatly pressed, pencil skirt and short heeled shoes - professional, but comfy for long tours. Especially leading groups of hyper primary students. 

“Welcome to Jurassic World.” Lucky sighs at her reflection.

*

4:30 PM comes around and only thirty more minutes stood between Lucky and the freedom to enjoy her weekend. The museum is mostly empty. A few people here and there, but mainly all moving towards the exit doors. She spies around the Grecian Mythos and Art exhibit, feeling a swell of pride flow through her. Each piece here carried a piece of history on it. Sculptures and painters from centuries ago, able to live on in the artwork they created. She was able to be part of it all. Lucky smiles proudly to herself and sits down on the bench, across from Apollo Sauroktonos and lets feeling come back to her feet and legs with a relieved breath. 

The peace only lasts a moment when she feels someone’s presence by her. They take a seat next to her and huff. “I never liked that.” They mutter.

“Hm?” Lucky blinks, glancing at them. It was a young man, likely around her age. Even from just his profile, she can tell how striking his looks were. Almost just like a well carved statue that stood the exhibit. He turns his head to her and grins.

Lucky stares at him. His eyes practically shine and glimmer in the setting sun from the window. “That statue,” he says motioning his head towards Apollo Sauroktonos. Lucky blinks and takes a quick glance at it. “It...I dunno, it just didn’t capture something,” he continues, leaning back. “Or...too much of something.” 

At that, Lucky laughs lightly. “Well, funnily enough it’s still debated if it’s of Greek or Roman origin,” she begins. “I mean, it is a copy of an original work of Praxiteles,” she explains. Now he’s the one laughing.

“You were a nerd then, T,” he says, “And you’re a nerd now.”

At that, Lucky freezes. Any relaxation that came to her body left, and each muscle within her tensed in alert. He just called her ‘T’. She turns her head back to him and he’s watching her. His eyes really were shimmering gold, as if they held the sunlight within them, practically dancing. That’s when she notices the soft golden hue against his skin. Another Olympian was making an appearance to her.

“I heard you were back, Tyche,” he says with a smile. “Why didn’t you tell me? Hell, I thought I’d be the first one you’d get a hold of.”

Lucky opens and closes her mouth, and shakes her head. “I don’t...um.” 

All words of the English vocabulary have suddenly left her, except for  ‘uh’, ‘um’, and ‘er’ all coming together in a mash of indistinct muttering.

He pauses, looking over her and realization begins to come over. “Shit, you don’t remember, do you?” He questions. Lucky shrugs helplessly. 

“But you gotta remember!” He insists. “I mean, like, we totally love each other!”

Lucky feels her breath catch tightly in her throat. ��Y-You’re Clyde?” She asks in a small voice. 

At that he pauses and lifts a brow.

“Clyde?” He repeats, nearly offended. “No! T, it’s me. Lucas.” He says, pointing to the statue, then to himself. “Y’know, Apollo.” 

Apollo, god of the sun, music, light, and oracles…

If anything, something should have stirred within her if she was really Tyche. Lucky stares at him, and tries to imagine, to remember. She takes a breath and he looks at her hopefully.

“I’m so sorry, dude.” Lucky breathes out. “Nothin’ is clickin’. There’s a chance I ain’t even Tyche. My name is Lucky.” 

Lucas frowns, and the light that seemed to shine from him slowly began to dim. The glow of his skin fades slightly. He sits back, looking forward. 

“This can’t be. The best oracle…,” he says quietly to himself.

“Um.” Lucky starts awkwardly, standing up. “I’m really sorry. L-Listen, it’s sunset and it’s close to closin’-”

“That’s it!” Lucas snaps his fingers. Suddenly, there’s a brightness to him again. “I have an idea. We- uh, Tyche and I used to love to do this when we could. It’d piss off Zeus.” 

Lucky looks at him puzzled. “Anythin’ pisses off Zeus.”

Lucas chuckles, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a pair of keys, flipping them around his finger. “Not as much as taking a mortal for a ride across the sunline.”

Lucky feels her mouth drop open slightly. Lucas jingles the keys. “C’mon, one time across the horizon. If anything, that’ll jog your memory for sure.”

*

Oh what in the blazes was she doing? Was she really about to get into some strange yellow Camaro that was actually Apollo’s chariot? With updates? Lucas opens the door for her and with a resigned sigh she carefully slips into the car and buckles up. 

Guess she really was doing this.

Lucas gets into the driver’s seat and looks to her. “This was one of our favorite things to do. If you don’t remember this, I don’t know what the hell you will remember. Ready?” He asks, starting the engine.

“Ready,” Lucky nods, strapping the seatbelt a bit tighter. 

Lucas revs the car a few times before peeling out. Lucky gasps, her body sinking against the seat. His hands move the steering wheel with grace and ease. Lucky dares a glance out the window. No one seemed to notice the car speeding by. A song pulses through, with Lucas tapping a hand along to the beat. “Lost in Yesterday by Tame Impala.” He calls over the music. “One of my favorites to work to.” Lucky’s eyes dart back and forth between him and the road ahead. Still, they manage to avoid cars, people, traffic of all sorts until it all becomes a blur. The sun seemed to come closer to greet them. Lucky cringes, holding her hands up, hoping to block away the brightness.

“Oh, shit. Sorry.” Lucas says, fishing around the middle console. “Here, Izzy helped me make these. Totally able to block out the sun rays and all that harmful shit,” he says, holding a pair of sunglasses to her. Lucky puts them on. They were tinted a brownish color but she could see everything before them now, sun included.

“We should be over the Pacific now,” Lucas informs her.

“What?” Lucky questions. Sure enough, the road was gone and the car moved over the waving waters of the ocean. Lucky covers her mouth, and looks to Lucas. He grins, turning the car just when it seemed to come to the curve of the horizon. 

“Now for the fun part,” Lucas says, as he changes gears with a loud noise. “Sun’s locked.” He nods, revs the engine, and they take off again.

They drive across the ocean, complete darkness before them, and Lucky watches in awe as night gives way to dawn. Beams of light breaking through clouds that rolled and swirled before vanishing. Hazes of orange and yellow flew along beside them and over the car. Her eyes go wide with wonder as she laughs. “Oh my stars.” 

Lucas chuckles. “Open the window.” He encourages her. Lucky shoots him an unsure look, but he lowers the windows of both sides. He reaches out an arm, keeping one hand steady on the wheel. Lucky watches with wide eyes as the mixing colors of dawn fly around his hand. “It’s safe.” Lucas assures her.

 The wind whips into the car and sends her curls flying back as Lucky leans closer to the window. Hesitantly she reaches out, and feels the cool of the air and spray of the ocean below. Colors seem to dance around her hand and fingers. A stunned and excited look comes over her face. She was practically touching the sunrise. Growing up she had always watched the sunrise back in Savannah, and even a few times on Tybee Island over the beach, but all of those sights now fell short to being the one who lead the dawn across the skies. 

Lucas stops the car, and shifts the gears again. There’s another loud noise and he settles back. “And done. A new day here on the other side of earth,” he says proudly. He gives her a grin and presses his fingers to his lips, making a chef’s kiss. “one of my best.”

“Wow.” Lucky breathes. She tips the sunglasses down, and looks at the forming colors of pink and purple of morning. “That was...i-incredible.” 

Lucas laughs. “I guess. Tyche freaking got a kick out of it, just like you are.”

“Well who wouldn’t?” Lucky laughs. “Thank you for that experience.”

Lucas shrugs. “Thought it would help,” he says, glancing at her. “So...did it?” Lucky looks away from the scene outside and to him. She doesn’t know what to say. Her heart sinks and her stomach feels heavy with a sort of combination between sadness and guilt. She honestly wished that she could say yes. Lucky shakes her head.

He sighs and leans his head back. Lucky isn’t sure if it’s the sunglasses and the light of dawn messing with her, but she thinks she sees growing tears in his eyes. “Well,” he finally says after a moment. “guess I’ll just have to bug you till something clicks.” 

“Ah, join the club,” Lucky huffs. But she flashes him a good natured smile. “Why don’t ya tell me, a bit more about you and Tyche?” She asks. “It might help. Was she a good oracle?”

Lucas turns to her. “A good oracle?” He repeats. “She was the best, and I worked with the girls at Delphi. But Tyche,” He sighs “Tyche was meant for something great. She was favored by most of the gods in Olympus. But mainly me.” Lucas adds. 

Lucky snorts, rolling her eyes. “Course.”

“You got her attitude I see.” Lucas chimes. “So we’re on the right path.” 

Lucky giggles, resting back. “Guess so. Any stories with y’all?”

Lucas thinks for a moment before laughing. “Oh yeah, there was this time when we went cow tipping in Hermes’ herd and one of them turned out to be a minotaur…” He tells her between laughter as he starts up the car, driving off again. 

The sun lingers behind them as they drive back into the night. The reflection of the rising moon catches Lucky’s eyes. A thought like a whisper comes through her mind before it leaves just as softly.

Where are you Tyche?

*

Saturday morning arrived and Lucky missed it. Lucas had brought her home around 10 pm, and who knew traveling through bended time and space would tire her out? At least they stopped for burgers. Lucas had told her some more stories about Tyche, and some of their misadventures; including accidentally setting off a fire at the Theophania festival. He added his information to her phone.

Now Lucky has three gods on speed dial.

A consistent knocking from the door echoes in the small apartment. Lucky snorts awake. She was on the pullout couch, lost under a swarm of quilts and blankets. The Forrest Gump DVD menu played on loop. “Ugh.” She groans, pushing herself up. 

She doesn’t see the half drunk bottle of Rosé at the side of the couch, and she barely pays mind to the scribbles written in a notebook that she kicks under the couch as she stumbles to the door. “Who is it?” She calls out.

The knocking continues. Getting louder and harder.  

“I said ‘who is it’ for, Pete's sake!” Lucky snaps, flinging the door open. 

Eric stares her down and Lucky stares back up at him.

“Mortal.” He greets sharply.

“Trophy husband.” Lucky retorts.

Eric sneers. He’s not dressed as primly as he was in the underworld. This time he wore a dark peacoat and casual clothes underneath. On the lapel of his coat, however, was a silver pin of a skull covered with rose vines.

“What do ya want?” Lucky asks, keeping the door half shut. “Did Cherry find somethin’?”

“No.” He shakes his head.

Lucky scoffs. “Then why are ya here?” She asks, shutting the door. His hand flies out, blocking it from shutting completely. With a surprising strength he opens the door. Lucky stumbles and glares at him. “What is your damage, flower-child?”

“I’m here to get answers for myself. Are yah really Tyche, or not.” He says, stepping inside. “This is a shit hole.” He states, looking around the studio apartment. 

Lucky glares at him. “Ya didn’t have to come in, ya know.” She crosses her arms. “What do ya mean you’re here to get answers?” She demands. Her eyes follow him as he takes a step further into the apartment. 

Eric doesn’t answer her right away, he instead surveys the room, as if trying to find something, a clue of some sort. Finally he turns to her, “I want to see if you’re really Tyche or not. Not just some hack mortal.”

“How will ya do that?” Lucky asks, hoping he didn’t catch the slight waver in her voice. She crosses her arms tightly and tries to muster up a glare. 

Eric grins, answering her lowly. “I have my ways.” 

[lotusillustration]

i know there’s a hnk tarot deck which i own and ADORE but here’s my take

I tried to keep this based off the rider-waite deck, but I’ve used some interpretations from my personal favourite deck too.

mobile users: I’m so fucking sorry

0. The Fool - Phosphophyllite Upright, The Fool represents new beginnings and innocence. It’s numbered 0 as it’s the beginning of the journey through the Arcana. The Fool encourages a free spirit and diving into the unknown. Reversed, The Fool represents being unprepared, taking too many risks. “What am I getting myself into?” could be an interpretation if you draw this card, and that you should reign back the once carefree energy.

I. The Magician - Euclase Upright, The Magician represents power and resourcefulness. To draw this card may mean that your current plans are in order, and ready to be acted upon. It represents clarity and focus. Reversed, The Magician means you may be unsure how to act upon a situation. To draw it may mean the universe wants to to reign back, and you’re out of touch with yourself.

II. The High Priestess - Lapis Lazuli The High Priestess signifies one’s subconcious mind, which constrasts The Magician’s focus on the concious mind. She represents that the world is not all it seems, and can be a fascination with higher powers, and unseen events. She essentially represents enlightenment and psychic insights.Reversed, she represents withdrawal and silence. She can represent manipulation, secrecy and hidden agendas - even when that knowledge should be shared.

III. The Empress - Red Beryl The Empress is a difficult card to explain to non-tarot users, as the “base” for her is femininity. In this sense, femininity is not being a feminine person, but rather represents traits such as creativity and connecting with your senses. The Empress sees beauty in all things. Reversed, The Empress may show you’re throwing yourself into your work too much. You may be neglecting your own needs. Red Beryl is the only gem who creates clothing for the gems - that’s their only purpose in life. Rx, The Empress suggests you take time for self love, enjoying beauty for oneself rather than the world around you.

IV. The Emporer - Kongo The Emporer is the perfect card to describe Kongo-sensei. In a literal sense, The Emporer represents a father figure. The Emporer is a strong, powerful man, who status and respect come naturally to him. He also represents a social system, a strict way of living, and order. He also signifies knowledge and expertise. I don’t to go too far past these literal meanings of The Emporer, since he already reflects Kongo perfectly. Reversed, however, he can represent a system that has too many strict rules. To pull The Emporer rx, you may be struggling with a person in power over you, you could be struggling where you’re the person in power and don’t know how to act. It could mean unhealthy and unequal relationships that, over time, become toxic.

V. The Hierophant -  Yellow Diamond Upright, The Hierophant could show that oneself is seen as a mentor, the one who people look to for adivce, for teachings. He represents someone with strict family traditions, who will pass these traditions down generation to generation. The reversed Hierophant is a card that isn’t nessicarily bad, like many other rx cards. It may show you that you need to assess your own wants and needs, to teach yourself before others. It encourages one to really think about the world they live in, and challenge the status quo if deemed appropriate.

VI. The Lovers - Rutile Upright, The Lovers represent passion and how one chooses to interact with those around them. While it can represent a close one-on-one relationship, it can represent relationships in general. To go deeper, The Lovers represent one's personal values, and carrying out tasks that are most important, and making difficult descisions. To draw The Lovers, it is a sign that one should focus on self love first. Reversed is where this gets juicy. Reversed, the Lovers represents an imbalance in relationships, communication is difficult and ones values may change or no longer match. To pull The Lovers rx, you may be facing a difficult choice, perhaps with no perfect outcome. One may be having severe inner conflicts, unsure of current values, and disharmony within oneself. Interestingly, The Lovers rx are encouraged to seek out The Hierophant's advice.

VII. The Chariot - Cairngorm Upright, The Chariot shows determination and willpower, potentially for a specific project. Once one decides on their project, they will try, to no end, to complete it. Ignore those trying to block you, move forward. In an incredibly literal sense, The Chariot can represent moving from one place to another Inversed, however, The Chariot is a warning to stop. Your plan is failing, you may have lost motivation. You're focused too much on yourself, and ignoring your Higher Self and what the Universe wants for you. You may find yourself controlled by another person, or controlled by your own thoughts in a negative way.

VIII. Strength - Diamond & Bortz Strength is often depicted with an image of a ferocious lion, being tamed by a gentle woman (in my deck, it depicts the constellation Leo). Upright, Strength represents raw power, internally (this contrasts to the external powers of The Chariot). To draw Strengh, it shows that you have a lot of raw energy and, well, strength, However, you need to control, or “tame” this raw energy, which is why I’ve included Dia. Strength reversed may better depict Dia, to draw it means you’re full of self doubt, unsure of your power and overall lacking in self confidence. As a side note, Strength rx can also depict explosive anger.

IX. - The Hermit - Cinnabar I'll start with the inverse Hermit for this one. Inverse, The Hermit represents taking too much time to yourself, hiding away, and ignoring the Higher Self. In a relationship sense, one might be withdrawing aggressively, despite the reaching out of another. Upright, The Hermit is representative of a more healthy self reflection - stepping back from "real life" to focus on yourself for a little. Upright, The Hermit appears at a pivotal point in one's life, an important changing point. At this point, one may need to stop withdrawing in order for personal growth. Priorities and understanding of the Higher Self may be deeply improved, and one may move away from an unhelpful society.

X. The Wheel of Fortune - Ventricosus The main reason I selected an Admirabilis for the Wheel of Fortune is that this card can represent the fleetingness of life. Upright, the Wheel of Fortune represents rapid change and the cycle of life. The Admirabilis are the only species in the series with a “regular” lifespan, and their society behaves as such. The Wheel of Fortune can also relate to karma and lovingness. For the Gems and Lunarians - the world is not in a state of constant change, while the Admirabilis live and die.  To draw the Wheel of Fortune, one may have a difficult choice on their plate and urgency to change. The Wheel of Fortune urges one to believe in the Universe’s plan, and may represent critical turning points in life. To draw the Wheel of Fortune reversed asks you to step back from taking matters you shouldn’t into your own hands, and can flip the balance of your Higher Self. In order for good karma to come back to you, you must accept responsibilty for your wrongdoings.

XI. Justice - Jade Justice, of course, represents justice. Digging deeper, though, it represents one's alignment with the Higher Self and how one interacts with others. Justice tried to keep others in order, possibly even trying to distract from the negative in the world. Justice is a search for the truth, despite adversity. Reversed, Justice can reflect your inner self, and not believing in a choice you've made, or been forced to make. One may be at conflict with themself due to actions they've taken, or even unwilling to take accountability for the poor choices one has made. Justice rx can also represent a severe inner critic, or, again, facing a descision with no truly "good" outcome.

XII. The Hanged Man - Benito The Hanged Man represents taking a break, a step back to assess your situation. Thing is: these pauses may be voluntary or involuntary. The Universe may be at play, allowing you time to take a break, reassess yourself and your life. He can also represent feeling "stuck" with oneself.  Reversed, The Hanged Man can show a resistance to change, filling your life with distraction, ignoring the real issues. Inversely, The Hanged Man rx could mean your life is already on pause, and has been for a long time. One could be frustrated by this, wanting to live again. Benito feels “boring” or “normal”, but this is one of the most positive traits a gem can have.

XIII. Death - Morganite & Goshenite (both old and new) Death upright can mean sudden, unexpected change, and as a whole the card represents death, rebirth, transformation and transition. The deaths of the original Morga and Goshe were sudden, unexpected - but needed. To throw in a headcanon, I believe they chose to die together - opening death with open arms - which is a very literal interpretation of the card. The birth of new Morga and Goshe also came as a shock, restarting the cycle of the beryl-class gems. Inversed, Death represents a need for change, a need for a restart and a need for deeply meaningful change. To draw Death rx, the card offers one a chance to restart, be reborn, on their own terms. The card can often also mean one is going through a massive personal transformation, and often requires a follow up card to be drawn for context.

XIV. Temperance - Red Diamond To draw Temperance (upright) enourages one to bring more balance to your life, and take the middle road. Red Diamond was the first Gem, the one who started it all, and the one who gave Kongo a new purpose in “life”. Temperance is all about changing, combining and mixing one’s life - Kongo and Red had to mix their traits to create a space for themselves and the future Gems to live.  Temperance inverse isn’t quite the opposite, and rather signifies the end of a time period - to keep the balance in order, To draw Temperance rx one should evaluate themself and the life they’ve lived, and try to restore the balance. Perhaps, Red Diamond’s death was all part of the balance.

XV. The Devil - Aechmea I did initially want to not be generic and not assign The Devil to Aechmea, but it really fits him more than anyone. The Devil is deeply representitive of the Shadow Self, and could certainly be related to the cardinal sins. To draw The Devil it may represent that you’re controlled by your impulses; greed, lust, etc. It represents addiction and obsession, as well as close personal bonds that are still in the “honeymoon phase” To draw The Devil reversed, it urges you to let go of unhealthy obsessions, addictions, and sins in order to reach the Higher Self. Obviously, this can be taken quite literally for Aechmea.

XVI. The Tower - Alexandrite The Tower is representative of change and disaster. In most cards, it’s depicted as a tower - a stable structure - built on the top of a small clifface, indicating that it’s fall is near. One bolt of lightning hits the tower, and it falls. The Tower is another card that represents change, however it’s change is one of chaos and violence. You might pull The Tower if you’re experiencing trauma or massive, chaotic change. The best way to cope with The Tower’s symbolism is simply to let it fall, so you can rebuild and start anew. To pull The Tower inverse, the chaotic energy is caused by an internal trigger, rather than external. You may also be resisting change, which makes the inevitable change even worse.

XVII. The Star - Ghost Quartz Again, I’ll start with the reversed meaning. The Star reversed is a symbol of loss of hope, overwhelmingness and may test your faith in the Universe. It represents one who was once full of hope, and had it all crashing down upon you. Upright, The Star follows The Tower, and is the glimmer of hope in the aftermath. The Star upright symbolises coming to terms with yourself and the future. The main symbol of The Star is hope, and rediscovering your sense of meaning (such as Ghost gaining more purpose upon being paired with Phos)   XVIII. The Moon - Zircon The Moon represents fear and illusion, which I think fits Zircon well, being tossed around between partners and feeling inadequete. Fears from the past become projected into the future, and descision making becomes hard. The Moon should ask for advice from The Empress, as they may be losing touch with their “femininity”. Interestingly, The Moon is often depicted with two towers in the image, still coping from the stress of The Tower. Reversed, The Moon often means these insecurities are beginning to fade, and one is able to put their fears aside. One may also be recieving messages from the Universe, but unable to quite comprehend them. XIX. The Sun - Watermelon Tourmaline The upright and reversed meanings of The Sun are quite similar. Upright, it is indicative of success and happiness, while inverse it can indicate one’s inner child. We know that Melon is a younger Gem, and with recent parts of the manga we can see how their “inner child” has been warped and manipulated. The Sun can represent a longing for an easier time, a time in one’s life where they felt more carefree and happy.

XX. Judgement - Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Alexandrite, Amethyst 84, New Goshenite (think I got them all - the Gems currently on the moon) Judgement can definitely tell a bit of a story about the Gems on the moon. Upright, the card is indicative of new hopes and life-changing descisions. To draw Judgement upright, a pivotal life event could be on the horizon. Reversed Judgement, however, indicates self doubt, fear, and regrets. When one pulls judgement, they may be ignoring a descision that needs to be made. Getting too comfortable in putting off the descision can become dangerous. (side note: I just noticed some lotus root symbolism in my personal card)

XXI. The World - Phosphophyllite, Euclase I didn’t particularly want to reuse characters so much, but these two fit in for The World perfectly. For Phos, the story started with them, and should end with them. For Euclase - the figure depicted in The Magician is the same as the figure depicted in The World, The Magician has reached their enlightenment. To draw The World, upright, is to show that one’s journey is near completion. Euclase is the last character Gem to be worried about Phos, to even remember them. For Phos, their determination to finish what they started may be nearing it’s end. Reversed, The World is about seeking closure. Perhaps one is seeking out shortcuts rather than completing the task.  It represents nearing closure, but some sort of barrier being in the way.

anyway thanks 4 coming 2 my ted talk if u actually read it