New Spread: Superpowers

What is a superhero or supervillain?

A superhero is someone who would likely be ordinary without their superpower, who also chooses to act. It isn’t enough to just be different. You have to also take action. The power need not be “magical” (whether of the sufficiently advanced technology sort or the other sort) but can simply be the ability to see a need and approach it.

The rise of a superhero is often matched by a supervillain.

So find the cards, deal five, and find your superpower.

That’s Super!

Every superhero has an origin story. Many have a secret identity. Most have some special means to transform from one to the other. With this spread, find a hero (or villain) in the cards, and tell something about their story.

The Deal

Shuffle the entire deck, reversing halves so that the cards are randomly oriented. Deal five cards:

• Two cards: Side A. Lay out overlapping with the point up.
• One card: The Difference. Lay this card horizontally, connecting A to B.
• Two cards: Side B. Lay out overlapping with the point down.

Interpretation

The first pair is the A side. This pair describes our actor before his transformation, before his discovery of his powers, or while passing as normal.

The last pair is the B side. This pair describes our actor after his transformation, after his discovery of his powers, or while super.

In between we have The Difference, which connects A to B. This card represents some key element of the transformation, and as such, both words on the card are important.

Example

Side A: Loyalty, sock
The Difference: Stagnation—Transformation
Side B: Lawsuit, Untruths

Clarence, a laundromat attendant by day, transforms from his dull and humdrum life into the flamboyant bus bench lawyer by night. Witness the boredom of the laundromat, where nothing more exciting than the occasional missing sock or lost quarter ever happens. Contrast that with the high stakes and flamboyantly dressed underworld of the sleazy lawyer cutting deals with gangsters and arranging ransom for kidnappers. Sometimes the law just needs to clean up!