Tarot of Transformation - Initiation (1)

An idea that burrowed itself into my head from my recent playing of Slay the Princess (and the parallels it has with some of my own Flux setting ideas…) and a piece of art by a friend of mine. After a sleepless night of turning the idea over in my head, I’m ready to give it a shot.

Here, I present to you the Tarot of Transformation. Pick a card - and we’ll see what happens next.

(There'll be a series of choices; three cards to be chosen in total before we reset. I've assigned transformations to 15 of the major arcana - hopefully thematic enough, but we'll see if you agree at the end of it!)

(I will also be struggling to keep myself in present tense, very likely that I slip back into my regular past tense!!)

Art by TheSuperDrunk

She always will be.

Smiling? Yes; often—irreverently, flirtatiously, as if she knows some secret about you, you know she knows, and she’s all too happy to tease you with it.

Charming? Invariably. The warmth of her expression, the gentle melody of her voice, and her little laughs and touches. She could make even the dead feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Alluring? Please. You want her, even in her most ghastly of guises.

And now she’s here. Or rather, you’re here; in her parlor, sitting at her table, betwixt books, dried flowers, and scented candles. A deck of cards sits between you, positively brimming with possibility; almost as much as the woman on the other side of it: She’s striking, witchy, and watches you with a pair of heterochromatic eyes, blue and green, the only detail of her that you seem to be able to truly nail down. She’s tall, she’s short, she’s pudgy and slim, with long, straight, blonde hair—or is it short and frizzy? No, definitely long. Right? She’s pretty, that’s for sure—whatever pretty means to you. Even if she constantly pushes at the edge of your definitions, eager to expand your mind.

“Welcome. I’m so glad you could make it,” she says, favoring you with a genuine smile. “I’m Flora. You can call me Flo—though I think we both know who’s going to do the bulk of the talking.” She laughs, taking the deck of cards. “And we know why you’re here. Or at least, you will, soon, if you haven’t yet been here. I speak, of course, of the Tarot, and the oh-so-interesting effects it can have on your life. No, I’m not going to divine your future—but I will let you shape mine. I have a fondness for cards, but an even greater fondness for cheating, so I can’t say that the deck would be safe in my hands. Therefore, for tonight only, I’ll let you guide our fates.”

Flora fans the deck of cards out upon the table, revealing the cards one by one. The Major Arcana: The Fool, the Magician, the High Priestess; they are all there in exquisite detail, so well drawn and colored that you half expect them to come alive at any moment.

“You get three cards, and three cards only. You can choose the same card more than once—if you dare.” She sends you a wry smile, her fingertips playing over the spread before her, lingering over the Lover—or was it the Devil? “You’ll have to discover for yourself what they do, and how far they will go. The only promise I make is that it will be steamy. So, dear Reader of Fates: Make your choice.”