My card trick

[John Jones]

Cool. I used to do a card trick where you picked a card 'at random' from a deck. You would then write the name of the card on a piece of paper, fold and burn the paper in an ash tray. I would take the ashes and rub them on the back of my hand, and the name of the card would appear on my hand.

It was my only trick, but it went over well at parties.

 

[Garrette]

When done well it can be a jaw dropper of the type that causes accusations of soul-selling.

 

[aofl]

Plus it's about the only use for Chapstick I can think of.

A

 

[John Jones]

When done well it can be a jaw dropper of the type that causes accusations of soul-selling.

Yep. The skill is in the prestidigitation. The showmanship is what makes it fun and dramatic.

 

[John Jones]

Plus it's about the only use for Chapstick I can think of.

A

A bar of soap works too.

 

[Garrette]

A bar of soap works too.

Well, duh, but I've never had problems dropping my chapstick.

 

[Garrette]

Yep. The skill is in the prestidigitation. The showmanship is what makes it fun and dramatic.

Yes. In my experience which is admittedly very, very limited, the more extreme reactions happen more often in response to unplanned magical effects as opposed to those in which it is announced that a magician is performing.

 

[Senex]

Cool. I used to do a card trick where you picked a card 'at random' from a deck. You would then write the name of the card on a piece of paper, fold and burn the paper in an ash tray. I would take the ashes and rub them on the back of my hand, and the name of the card would appear on my hand.

It was my only trick, but it went over well at parties.

You can perform the same effect having a spectator write a name on the center of a piece of paper, use a center tear to squirrel away the name and after the spectator burns the paper you can disclose the name using the ashes on the underside of your forearm.

 

[marplots]

I always find it difficult to justify the use of a billet. Why are we writing this down again? This always feels to me like an extra step which detracts from the effect.

 

[Garrette]

I always find it difficult to justify the use of a billet. Why are we writing this down again? This always feels to me like an extra step which detracts from the effect.

When I have seen them most effectively used it has been in the vein of something psychic or spooky (or these done comedically). Writing imprints the thought firmly in the mind; burning puts it in the ether; that sort of thing.

 

[marplots]

When I have seen them most effectively used it has been in the vein of something psychic or spooky (or these done comedically). Writing imprints the thought firmly in the mind; burning puts it in the ether; that sort of thing.

Yeah, I can see how that motivates the procedure. But I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. I'm gonna guess that bursting out laughing wouldn't help set the proper atmosphere.

 

[Garrette]

Yeah, I can see how that motivates the procedure. But I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. I'm gonna guess that bursting out laughing wouldn't help set the proper atmosphere.

Sort of similar here, but I also admit this objection can be an example of running when no one is chasing. I have also seen it work when just done in context of a set that has already established, so to speak, the performer's bona fides. As a one off, the thought of "I have to write it down and you get to handle it?" can be unsettling, but in the midst of other effects that (apparently) have no such drawbacks and which already demonstrate that the performer can do mysterious things, the writing-it-down bit goes almost unnoticed.