Creative Draw of the Day: Two of Swords

"Your eyes can deceive you; don't trust them."

~Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars

Ah, as you might have noticed, I failed to draw a card yesterday. My apologies! I was occuppied with a new RPG (role-playing game) system that my group was trying out for the first time. More on that later--I think it has some bearing on creating characters.

Meanwhile, here's my draw for today: the Two of Swords. The traditional interpretation of this card suggests stalemate--a person trying to make a decision, but flustered and confused and unable to view all her (or his) options.

I don't agree. To begin with, I don't think the blindfold means this figure is flustered or confused. I think she put it on deliberately, just as Luke (with Obi Wan's help) put on the blinding helmet in Star Wars for light saber practice--letting go of his conscious control in order to allow the Force to work through him. Likewise, I think this figure has blindfolded herself so that she can better follow her gut and intuition.

I'm not even sure she's trying to make a choice--those two swords seem well balanced. In fact, balance-rather-than-choosing will be a theme of my NaNo novel, Not So Safe. The goal of my main character, Zev, is to convince Marc that he doesn't have to choose between Zev and Sean. They can both have a relatinship with him, without any pesky jealousy.

How well this will work out for Zev remains to be seen, but that's the direction he's going. And I think he's got enough chutzpah and determination to make a polyamorous relationship work . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Four of Cups

A young man--it could be a woman if you squint--is sitting cross-legged under a tree, calling to mind the Buddha under the Bodhi tree. He has three cups in front of him, and is contemplating a fourth held out by some sort of angelic hand. He seems  to be giving serious thought to the offer.

Is he hesitant and confused, not knowing whether to accept the gift? Is he trying to choose between all four cups? Or has he learned to be patient, waiting for just the right cup?

I'm not sure, but this is a card of someone who turns inward for answers-and a card of someone who has some mastery over his emotions. (Cups represent the element of water, which in turn represents the emotions.) He's not going to act on his emotions--not immediately, anyway.

I think I'll use this card to represent Sean Valencia from Not So Safe. Sean is rather shy and cautious, and he's definitely the contemplative type. He's almost the polar opposite of Zev . . .

Creative Draw of the Day: Two of Pentacles

I think I've found the card for Marc Jaffe, one of the characters for my NaNoWriMo. No, Marc doesn't wear a funny hat--he sticks with business casual wear. But this card exemplifies his state of mind as Not So Safe begins.

Marc is very much in line with the suit of Pentacles: he's down to earth, he has a good head for figures and he's a financial wizard. But, like the juggler in this card, he's off balance. He has been since his wife died three years ago.

I would usually interpret this card to indicate a problem juggling finances and debt, but I don't think that's the case for Marc. His finances are fine. True, he's a bit disorganized in his professional life, but that's why he has Zev as his administrative assistant. So Marc has a different problem.

Marc has never come to terms with his bisexuality; that storm-tossed sea behind the juggler matches his emotional turmoil when it comes to Zev. (Water in the Tarot is connected to our emotions.) He has an excellent working relationship and friendship with the man, but he's never taken the next step. He's left Zev to assume that he's thoroughly heterosexual.

But once Sean, Marc's ex-lover, enters the picture, Marc finds he can't put on a show anymore. That leads to all sorts of complications with both Zev and Sean.

The Two of Pentacles is a hard place to be. The card has promise--that green string surrounding the two coins is a symbol of infinity, a powerful symbol in the Tarot denoting holiness and eternity. If Marc can come to terms with his dualities, and his love for both Zev and Sean, he just might have a shot at finding happiness again.

Describing my NaNo Novel

Here's how I described Not So Safe (and my MC Zev) in the NaNoWriMo forums:

~~

Zev is my viewpoint character; he's the one driving the story. He's got a single minded crush on Marc, his painfully straight boss. Left to himself, Zev has no work ethic, but he has turned himself into a model employee to please the man. Marc is his perfect fantasy: a nice, successful Jewish guy who knows how to keep Zev in line--hell, if there were any way to make this crush a reality, even Zev's parents would be thrilled.

Finding out that Marc isn't as painfully straight as he thought changes everything. So does the fact that Marc has become re-entangled with Sean, a lover from back in high school. But Zev is undaunted, and sees no reason why he can't share Marc with Sean.

Zev is an optimist. He's also determined, proactive and good at getting his way. But sharing Marc with Sean may be more complicated than he realizes. If polyamorous bliss awaits the three men, it's a long way off . . .

~~

I'm happy with this description and I'm happy with Zev. He's damn pushy, though! He's insisting on narrating this story. That feels right to me--but I know a lot of romance readers don't like the first-person point of view. (Sigh.)

Meanwhile, I have to spend some time fleshing out Marc. And at least Sean--formerly known as 'high school fling' has a name! He's Sean Valencia; half Irish-American, half Columbian. He's a succesful therapist of some sort, but I have to figure out the details.