YoinkTober 2022 - Tarotober

[Jitter]

More great work!

Mirasol, I especially like the ghosts and the hair of Sena here in the latest installment.

Dmeck, Onni definitely doesn't want Reynir around. Not at all. He doesn't like being admired all. the. time. Stupid Reynir! But Tuuri in her little machine shop is something Onni, and we all, love to see around. If only...

And hey I'm more or less recovered! I'm waaaay behind but have a few drabbles. These are all different characters.

11.10. - The Chariot - (U) Imposition of Will / (R) Lack of Self-Discipline

I am a man of order and strength, and with these qualities I lead my troops! I will make sure this sorry crew does the best job they can! Just like everyone here does! Because I make them! Everyone should be as strong, direct and uncomplicated as myself. I wonder why some people just won't play straight! No, instead they concoct some crazy plans trying to take advantage of us upright citizens. Luckily I'm here to make sure everything will proceed in an orderly manner, with military discipline and tactical precision! Let us proceed with the mission now! Follow me!


12.10. - 3 of Pentacles - (U) Marketable Skills / (R) Skills Unmarketed

I have to be able to secure a place at this farm. But I'm sure they will only take in people who contribute. What can I do that is useful in this situation? I don’t have military skills and I'm not very strong. Let's see… I can fix things, plumbing and stuff, and probably the same principles more or less apply to engines, right? That's worth something. I can cook, sort of, and care for children, or at least keep them quiet, and dress basic wounds. I'm willing to carry, build, organise, dig. Even shovel dung. If I absolutely must.


13.10. - 2 of Swords - (U) Lack of Perception / (R) Dawning Perception

It happened again. I can't take it anymore. I just… it's not right. We are not even trying to drive them off, we just... we just go for them. I know why we must, and yet… this cannot be right. I cannot do this anymore. But it's not going to get better, ever again, is it? It's just this, everywhere. Still, I have to get away. If I stay here, I will be as doomed as those poor people we heard about in the radio before… well, before whatever happened, happened. I don't want to know. I really, really don't.

[Keep Looking]

As promised (to myself ), some fanart of my favorite main-character in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Sena.
Sena´s in a bit of a Catra-from-She-Rapop-situation. Always second best to her greatest idol/best friend/definitly crush if her society had a concept of romance, Mio (the cat-girl in the speech-bubble), and is in constant need to compensate for it. Even though she´s surrounded by friends and could skill-wise mop the floor with most other members of her group, she hasn´t really found her place in the world yet. Or at least has yet to notice she totally has.

This caught my eye because my girlfriend recently finished playing through Xenoblade 3, and I've watched her play a couple times (she absolutely loved the game and has like 171 hours in it and decided to fight the final battles with every single character except for one hero as mio-class dodge tanks. for some reason. and succeeded). Sena's a really cool character and I love the story arc she gets. I love your fanart of her, it's really cool!

[Jitter]

here's a second instalment of the late batch. I'd like to get some guesses!

14.10. - Ace of Wands - (U) Innovation / (R) Postponement

Oh the hopefulness of youth. The innovativeness of the development team is commendable. But we all know it's already too late. It was too late last week. Our so research here won't even help pushing the inevitable any further. We have only managed to postpone our own realization that this is it. This is the end of us, of our people, of all people. This is the end of the world. Not just "as we know it" but the actual end of all things. At least we can help some go in peace, and to avoid the… most painful part. 

15.10. - The Sun - (U) Rebirth / (R) Clinging

I wonder what do they see in me? Always they cling to me, and in every liter there is the one that just won't leave me alone. I try to repay everyone by taking extra guarding duties. It's the least I can do, with all the "deputies" I keep getting. Luckily they will protect everyone, even if it's only as extension to protecting me. Well, at least I know what I see in them. They are proud and aloof yes, but also so cute and warm and tender. I've always preferred them to people, I guess it goes both ways.

16.10. - Strength - (U) Courage / (R) Lack of Conviction

Oh well, this time Marta sure was right with her "bad feelings." I'll have to tell her, if we live through this. I know she hates me working here, but I mean what else can I do? Someone has to do it. Certainly, these hapless kids need protection. But does it always have to be me? Yes, I guess it does. I love and hate this, especially at these moments. Oh, that's a big one! Well, no dawdling, go and get it! Let's fry some troll! This is what I live for. And probably die too. But hopefully not today!

[Mirasol]

Welcome back, Jitter! I´m glad you´re feeling better!

Hm, these are difficult. Still, my guesses for the drabbles:

Spoiler: show

11: Admiral Olsen
12: Michael Madsen senior (aka the one from the prologue)
13: Árni Reynisson

This caught my eye because my girlfriend recently finished playing through Xenoblade 3, and I've watched her play a couple times (she absolutely loved the game and has like 171 hours in it and decided to fight the final battles with every single character except for one hero as mio-class dodge tanks. for some reason. and succeeded). Sena's a really cool character and I love the story arc she gets. I love your fanart of her, it's really cool!

Thank you! And eeee, how cool! We haven´t gotten remotely that far yet ("we", I say, like I´m contributing anything but running commentary xD), we´re in chapter 6 now.
Haha, I should suggest that final-battles-strategy to my brother, he might even do it. As far as I´ve heard, the Xenoblade games do tend to completely overlevel you if you do any sidequests, so there´s always good reasons to make it more interesting for yourself I suppose. Plus the other characters also deserve screentime.
I´m looking foreward to Sena´s sidestory, we haven´t really reached it yet.




The daylight has gotten away from me again, so these two might just be placeholders for now.

24: Knight of Cups

Yeah so... I butchered another prompt. It somehow keeps happening with the cups-prompts... But well, this one contains vague spoilers to either the first episode of Season 5 of TMA, or maybe even just the trailer, not sure anymore.

Spoiler: show

This is something that is Not Tea. It technically is scary, because it represents not being able to trust in simple comforts, but I´ve also never not seen it drawn as a kind of cute eldrich horror with googely eyes living in a chipped teacup, so... (EDIT: changed it to a better picture)
Though I´m not sure I really landed on that mark. :'D

25: Queen of Wands

This electricity witch isn´t really a queen in the traditional sense. However, she is the best in her field. Which is meteorology! She teaches it to the young-uns when she´s not out adventuring.
On second thought, it´s kinda fitting the electricity-witch is the only picture I photographed with flash. You know what, I´ll leave this one.

Spoiler: reference • show

The drawing on the board is based on this cool lightning I managed to photograph a while ago:
(I filmed the thunderstorm for a bit and screenshotted the good frames)

And now Jitter posted more before I could hit post. :'D Therefor more guesses:

Spoiler: show

14: the Danish doctors developing the vaccine
15: hmmmmm maybe the mage with the two cats from the Hilja-flashback in A2?
16: I should probably know this one. There´s even a name given. But I´m completely blanking, does someone else know this one? ^^'

[dmeck7755]

24 - Knight of Cups - (U) Search for Intuitive Knowledge / (R) Passivity

Reynir was always doodling and scribbling.  As he grew older, he realized that these doodles held power.  If he concentrated hard enough he had the ability to design runes for things other than farming.  Now, if he can get the Icelandic council to listen..

25 - Queen of Wands - (U) Energetic Mentor / (R) Misuse of Energy

Sigrun was determined to work with Emil so he could be a proper viking.  Emil was grateful, but he was sooo tired.  Does that woman ever sleep?

26 - 4 of Wands - (U) Delight & Frivolity / (R) Overwork

Onni walked into the door and abruptly stopped.  "What is all this? You're making a mess."
"Well it is yule and we thought it would be nice to decorate the house. "
"Really??"
"We even made some cookies."
We are going to get some pine boughs and then go ice skating.  Do you wanna come with us?
"No you all are wasting time.  I am sure there are chores you all could be doing.. "
"We will, but everyone deserves a break especially for Yule."
Once everyone left.  Onni sat in the comfy chair with some tea and the cookies.
As he settled in, a half smile formed…


27 - King of Swords - (U) Patriarchal Man / (R) Changing Man

As Mikkel picked up the last of the mess the children left behind, he sighed.  It would be nice if the place stayed neat for once. Well the kids are at school...

Just then Sigrun barged in strewing her shoes, wet coat, and firearms all over.

Mikkel signed

---
Jitter
I really could not guess your people the only one I have a guess for is #12

Spoiler: show

 (Signe)

I like the drabbles

[Jitter]

Mirasol, very good! You are spot on for 11, 13, 14 and 15! And as for 12, you are looking into the right direction. And dmeck nailed it (12 that is)! Person number 16 does have a name. All of these are characters that can be pinpointed but not everyone’s name is given.

One more thing Mirasol,

Spoiler: show

I don’t think Tapsa the cat man is a mage, just a scout. But we don’t really know, so he might be. Just seems unlikely there would be that many mages at Toivosaari.

[Jitter]

Dmeck, ylur tinyfics are great. Just a few words, but good insight about the characters every time

Mirasol I love the teacup abomination! And the weather / electric wizard is great too. For some reason I am convinced Onni is particularly apt with weather magic. Probably it’s the early teaser of him where appears to conjure lightning. And when he gets upset with Reynir, there’s a storm, although that’s in dreamspace.

[Keep Looking]

Thank you! And eeee, how cool! We haven´t gotten remotely that far yet ("we", I say, like I´m contributing anything but running commentary xD), we´re in chapter 6 now.
Haha, I should suggest that final-battles-strategy to my brother, he might even do it. As far as I´ve heard, the Xenoblade games do tend to completely overlevel you if you do any sidequests, so there´s always good reasons to make it more interesting for yourself I suppose. Plus the other characters also deserve screentime.
I´m looking foreward to Sena´s sidestory, we haven´t really reached it yet.

Yeah, my girlfriend did all the sidequests so her characters were quite overlevelled and she wanted a challenge (also it was pretty funny because they're all in the same outfits using the same weapons and taking next to no damage). My warning about having a party made entirely of dodge tanks is that it makes all the battles very. very. slow. You are very hard to kill, but you also don't do much damage, and it's a terrible setup for chain attacks. Definitely put a healer as your hero, though, otherwise you're a bit screwed.

(also yeah, my main contribution is also running commentary, haha!)

[tehta]

I am stumped by 16! I don't remember a Marta, I don't know who "fries trolls" except for Cleansers and Kokko-supported mages, and I don't know who the hapless kids could be. (My first thought was one of the train guards, because at least they have 'jobs' and are maybe protecting kids, but they don't quite fit otherwise...)

[Jitter]

Tehta, it is Agneta the train guard. Marta is he wife whom I just made up. The hapless kids are Emil and Lalli, this is just the moment when the giant breaches in and she’s prepared to die. Yet she goes towards, not away. “Frying” the troll is just a figure of speech to throw you off

[tehta]

Well, I kind of got it, then! Only the frying confused me. (And hey, maybe Marta is someone who would be a mage, if she were Norwegian or Icelandic.)

[Jitter]

Yeah, I was thinking that perhaps Marta has a lot of these preminitions. For one reason or another?

[Mirasol]

Yeah, my girlfriend did all the sidequests so her characters were quite overlevelled and she wanted a challenge (also it was pretty funny because they're all in the same outfits using the same weapons and taking next to no damage). My warning about having a party made entirely of dodge tanks is that it makes all the battles very. very. slow. You are very hard to kill, but you also don't do much damage, and it's a terrible setup for chain attacks. Definitely put a healer as your hero, though, otherwise you're a bit screwed.

(also yeah, my main contribution is also running commentary, haha!)

Oh, seems I misunderstood you with the strategy (I for some reason thought she was switching between heroes all the time, my bad...). But now I get it. My brother got it too when I told him, so there was no loss of information. xD
Haha I can imagine with all the same outfits. Though my brother has them all set to the standard (as in the ones they get from the guy from the City in the beginning). Every now and then he´ll ask me if he should change them, click through all the current options for five minutes, only to change nothing in the end and call it a day.
I mean... not that combat in this game is the absolute fastest endeavour in to begin with... (at least from an outside perspective) I could probably make myself tea during a bossfight and come back to find it still going even with a way more aggressive setup. As long as it´s still interesting for the player, why not. :'D

Dmeck, aww, this round of snipplets is adorable! I especially like the one with the Hotakainen-kids.



Yesterday I was extremely busy, so you´re getting three pictures today:


26: 4 of Wands

And here goes the last witch-prompt for this year.
As happy as this bird-witch is about her familiar´s news, she´ll probably regret climbing a tree in this dress in a few minutes. And mother-hawk will be very overworked soon.
(prideflags are a really good source for pretty colorschemes. Though it was completely unintentional this time. :'D )




27: Changing Man

This is probably the first serious spoiler-warning I have to give: This drawing is about to spoil pretty much every single plottwist in the bifrost incident by the Mechanisms! So if you still want to listen to it (which I highly recommend), please do so before looking at this!!!
Also bodyhorror-warning. Within SSSS-levels, but still. Not a warning I´ve ever expected having to give... ^^'

Spoiler: show

Old lady Odin has come to fulfill her dream of changing the world, changing mankind! In the image of her new Gods, apparently. After all they´ve been so friendly to turn her into the serpent who shall poison the sky and boil the sea. Not really as she originally planned, but hey, isn´t this truly the pinacle of human existence anyways?
(Is this a stretch from the prompt? Yes. But I´ve been meaning to draw this since I listened to that album for the first time and this was the best option I found. )



Plus a bonus regular Odin I drew to have a place to distort from:

28: 8 of Cups

Another spoiler warning, not quite as big, for High Noon over Camelot, also by the Mechanisms, this time their retelling of the King Arthur-legend.

Spoiler: show

This looked... way cooler in my head. It also looked way cooler before I colored it.
But well, this is the story´s version of Mordred, who actually already has a card-association, the Fool (This album was what got me thinking about Tarot-cards in the first place, cuz they associated every character and/or plotpoint with one in it :'D ), but it wasn´t on the list, so now he´s getting the 8 of Cups. It illustrates the choice he has to make after seeing his life´s work and hope destroyed before his eyes quite well I think.
(Yes, this album is about space-cowboys. Yeehaw.)

[Jitter]

17.10. - 7 of Pentacles - (U) Anxiety About Produce / (R) Process-Mania

Why cannot people follow rules? It is clearly spelled out, the sign is well visible! But every day there is someone. Such a simple rule. Really it should not be that hard. Read the sign, do what it says. Simple as that. But no. Every time I turn my back, someone is at it! Do they really think I don’t have more important things to do than keeping them in line? What would happen here without me? An utter chaos, that’s what!  People everywhere, no room for passengers, complete mayhem! Oh, another illiterate, I see. Don’t you dare sleep, punk!


18.10. - Page of Cups - (U) Discovery / (R) Puzzlement or Blockage

What an intense young man! Maybe he’s frustrated. It’s strange how they don’t learn Icelandic. I’m sure I would, if I lived in any of those backward places!

Look, kid, I see you have a problem, but I don’t know any of your forest language. Oh, I see, that’s clever. You can try over there. Get lost now.
***
Hm! The same kid again? I wonder what he wants this time. And don’t you take that tone with me! I’m just doing my job, and it doesn’t include pampering forest children. Oh,why can’t I just be home with the dog?


19.10. - The Star - (U) Healing / (R) Ill Health

This is it. This is the one. I really am dying! I have itch all over, my stomach hurts and I’m sure I’m running a fever. It’s definitely something serious. Oh no! Fever and itching! It is the Rash illness, isn’t it? Oh woe unto me! I have doomed us all! Oh that it should be me, who brings this disaster here! Me, who’s always been so careful to not get any infections. Why must I be so frail and weak? I always knew I would die of a disease, but that it takes my family too! It’s too cruel!

[Jitter]

20.10. - 2 of Wands - (U) Intellectual Power / (R) Hostility to Knowledge

Poor, misled child! I suppose it's understandable, with all his siblings in the military. Surely his head has been filled with nonsense about danger and adventure from a young age. What a pity, such talent going to waste chasing for cloud castles. Good thing he can't be accepted into the army, even the barbaric Norwegians know better!

I've always felt uneasy around men with the talent. Freya blesses us with ability to nurture, protect and help things grow. Clearly women are more suitable. Whereas men and their dreams of glory tend to focus on the wrong things. Just like him.


21.10. - 8 of Swords - (U) Imprisonment / (R) Reprieve

This is an outrage! I have rights! I will not be treated like this! We were given no choice or explanation. It's like we were kidnapped! I don't want to go to the mountains now. I want to stay home and watch my show.
I am certain she is behind this. Maybe she means to leave us there? I know she hates us, she's always so terse with me when all I'm doing is giving helpful advice. No respect for the elders whatsoever. At minimum, I demand a break! Maybe we should ask for the police when we see someone?   


22.10. - 8 of Pentacles - (U) Apprenticeship / (R) Aimlessness

Well, so, I guess we are staying here then. I was going to attend the lectures next week, but they are probably not giving it now anyways. Never mind, I wasn't really interested in any case. I suppose marketing management is not my field after all. When all this cools down I'll have come up with something else. I guess. Or maybe I'll just do the marketing management first and then try to find an interesting job? Or perhaps I should settle down here for good? Maybe start a business? Well-being studio? Nature retreats? Something interesting. And not too hard.