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Sean Fields 1337 Notes
This document is for your eyes only! It contains highly classified information. The secrets within have been held in the strictest of confidence by an elite few. These men and women are known as the 1337. You are now among them. End. Transmission.
sean fields 1337 notes
Contents 20 B-Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Aquatic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Iced Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Excised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FU2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Taste-itcular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 1337P33K. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Ultimate Epic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
pg 2
sean fields 1337 notes
20 B-Low EFFECT: The agent of illusion request that a witness present remove a $20 bill from their wallet. Handing them a pen, he also instructs that they sign it for identification. The witness now folds their bill into quarters, and hands it to the agent, so he can carry on with his mission. The bill is laid on top of a glass table, and the agent slowly waves his hands over the bill, which is then seen to MELT down through the glass table top, so it is stuck to the underside of the glass! The witness or the agent can then remove the bill from the underside, and unfold it, to verify the witnesses signature. The witness is put into protective custody, and the agent vanishes in a puff of smoke like a ninja.
METHOD: This assignment is virtually impromptu. While a ‘gimmick’ is involved, it is so common that you should always have it with you. Once learned, I can assure you that you will always be prepared, as the effect is remarkably powerful, especially considering how little effort you actually put forth. The ‘gimmick’ as it were is nothing more than a second $20 bill. This is folded into quarters, face in, but make each fold slightly off, by about 1/16th of an inch, making this bill slightly larger than if it were folded exactly in quarters. Place this bill in your pocket, or somewhere easily attainable, along with your pen. Once you are seated at a glass table, ask to borrow a $20 bill. As the spectator is fishing one out, you remove the pen from your pocket, secretly finger palming the duplicate bill as you do so. Hand the pen to the spectator, instructing that they initial, sign, or otherwise deface the bill. Make sure that they sign the FACE side of the bill. This can be as simple as instructing them to put a moustache on Mr. Jackson (or the queen here in Canada), and then autograph their work. At this point, take bill back, and place it directly above the finger palmed bill, and square the 2 bills as 1. Because of the loose edges, you can freely show the bill(s) around, without someone noticing the extra bill. Take the pen back, and place it in your pocket. As you are putting the pen away, move your right hand (the hand holding the bill) toward the spectator, instructing that they pay close attention. pg 3
sean fields 1337 notes As they are focusing on the bill, you simply lick your left thumb liberally. Transfer the bill(s) to your left hand, smearing the saliva across the back of the bill. Drop your right hand onto the table, flat, relaxed, dead. This is integral to the effectiveness of this routine. Take the bill(s) with your left hand, and place them under the table, pressing them against the underside of the table, right beside your right hand. Explain that it is easy to tell if the bill is underneath, or on top. As you are delivering this line, look up at the spectator. They will look up to meet your eyes. It is at this moment when the illusory espionage will occur. Slide your left hand to the left about an inch, to an inch and a half, so the top bill (the signed bill with the spit on it) sticks to the underside of the table, but the bottom (duplicate) bill slides into view. Simultaneously, you slide the right hand to the left the same amount, so the right hand is now covering the bill beneath the table. In one continuous motion, bring the left hand with its bill, on top of the table, and place the bill somewhere slightly left of the center of the table. This is a beautiful sequence of events. In one fluid motion, you have switched bills, and set up for the actual effect, before the spectators even know what is going on! Because both hands are in motion, at the same speed, and for the same distance, the switch/loading sequence is invisible. Even if they were looking, they wouldn’t see a thing. Because you framed the area of motion (the table top), there are certain reference points the spectator subconsciously locks onto; namely, your right hand, which, of course moves, ultimately making their reference point a false one. Status check: The spectators signed bill is stuck via saliva to the underside of the table, hidden directly beneath the right hand. The duplicate bill is now sitting on the table. Now, on with the effect. Move the duplicate bill back, and to the right, right beside your right hand. Now you will perform the exact same sequence as you did to load the bill beneath the table. You look up at them, and instruct them to watch closely. As they look up, you align the duplicate bill with the signed bill beneath the table. Because the duplicate bill is slightly larger, it will shade the bill beneath the table, making the hidden bill invisible, from any angle. pg 4
sean fields 1337 notes Move your hands away, and draw attention to the bill. All they will see is 2 empty hands, and 1 bill sitting on the table. Now for the actual illusion… Rub your hands together, and blow on them, as if you were trying to warm them up. As you do, secretly lick the heel of your left hand. Wave your hands over top of the bill once or twice. When you are ready to actually perform the effect, bring your left hand down slightly, just enough so the heel of your left hand contacts the bill, and move your hands apart. The left hand drags the visible bill away, revealing the bill stuck to the underside of the table. This is an unbelievably stunning moment. It is so visual, you may have to give your spectators a moment to appreciate what has just occurred. Now, because of the saliva on the heel of the left hand, the bill will stick, allowing you to raise the hands off the table. Think of it as a zero effort palm. This allows you to remove your hands from the table, and ditch the bill at your leisure, as the spectator pulls the visible bill from underneath, unfolds it to verify their signature. Okay, so what if you wanted to perform the penetration, and immediately show your hands empty? It can be done, and it can be done easily. It takes balls, but it is easy, and effective. After you have performed the penetration, and separated your hands, turn your right hand over at the wrist, so it is palm up, fingers barely touching the table, wrist an inch or so above the table. After you start to turn the right hand over, you start to turn the left hand over. Make sure the left hand turns over a half beat behind the right hand; the extra motion helps hide what is actually going on. And what IS actually going on? The left hand, just like the right, turns over in place at the wrist. However, the left hand leaves the bill on the table, and turns over ABOVE it! The spectators have seen 2 empty hands, so the idea of an extra bill is shattered. In the same way you turned the hands palm up, turn them palm down, allowing you to steal away the bill, and ditch it at your leisure. Oh, and for all of you concerned with sanitation, and the use of saliva, that too can be alleviated. Just have an icy cold beverage with you. Now rather than licking your hands to get enough moisture on the bill to pg 5
sean fields 1337 notes adhere, just take a sip of your drink; the condensation on the outside of the can/bottle/glass is more than a suitable replacement for the saliva. As well, taking a sip of your beverage can often times be more natural and innocent in appearance.
AQUATIC EFFECT: The agent again finds himself at a house party, and is asked to redefine the onlookers reality. With little hesitation, he asks for a bottle of water, and a penny. The agent removes the cap from the water bottle, takes a sip, and recaps it tight. He then removes the label, to ensure a crystal clear view of the proceedings. Taking the penny, the agent slowly, and visibly passes the coin inside the bottle! The witnesses are instructed to look closely, ensuring that the penny really is inside the bottle, and that the agents hands are empty. Just as slowly, and just as visually, the agent then removes the coin through the bottom of the bottle! Offering to do it one last time, the agent lays the penny on the table, and slowly brings the bottle down onto the penny, where the penny is seen to visibly pass into the bottle, which is then immediately handed to a spectator to examine. METHOD: I cannot speak highly enough about this effect. With so many coin in bottles being released, I was hesitant to release this one. However, after much thought, and many requests, I have decided to publish this effect here for the first time EVER. Like much of my material, this requires a little something extra. But, like much of my material, this little something extra is so common, you probably have what you need within arms length. What do you need? An extra penny, and a small ball of magicians wax, about the size of a small pea. Stick the penny to the wax, and stick the wax somewhere easily accessible, I often just stick it gently to another coin in my pocket. Ask for a bottle of water. As someone is getting you a bottle, steal the penny and wax, and just hold the penny and wax loosely in your left hand. pg 6
sean fields 1337 notes Once you get the water, remove the cap, and drink some. You need the bottle to be ½ and 2/3rd’s full. As you are talking and drinking, stick the penny to the bottom of the bottle, right in the center, on the plastic nub. With your left fingers, slide the penny off, and into your hand, leaving the wax on the bottom. Take the cap with your left hand, and load the penny inside. You will notice that most water bottles have a ring inside the cap, which just so happens to be the same size as a penny. This will help keep the penny in place during the next sequence. Hold the bottle at roughly a 45 degree angle, and screw the cap back on. Because of the angle of the bottle, and surface tension, the penny will stay stuck in the cap. However, for this effect, we need the penny at the bottom of the bottle… Several things are going to happen at the same time, so pay attention… You will start to tear the label off, by placing your finger behind the label, and tearing down. As you do, turn the bottle vertical, just long enough for the penny to fall from the cap to the bottom of the bottle. Due to the noise of your finger tearing the label, and running down the side of the bottle, the sound of the penny falling will not be heard. As well, because your hand is moving down, it covers the penny from being seen as well. Throw the label away, and holding the bottle at a 45 degree angle, shake it just enough so that the penny is lying on the side of the bottle, on the bottom. Turn the bottle vertical, and twist it, so that you can just see the penny on your side. Because of the reflective properties of water, the penny cannot be seen from the front. Fucking cool, isn’t it? Be sure to end up holding the bottle with the right hand, towards the top. Now you ask for the loan of a penny. Take the penny with the left hand, and prepare to fry them with one of the most visual penetrations you will ever come across… Hold the penny between the left thumb and forefinger, broadside to the audience. Bring the left hand in front of the bottle, and slowly bring it back towards the bottle. As you do, you allow the penny to tilt back, and balance on the left thumb. pg 7
sean fields 1337 notes Once your left hand meets the bottle, the fingers cover the front of the bottle, right at the bottom, as if they were pressing the coin against the bottle. At the same time, your left thumb drops down about an inch, and back about an inch, and then rises about an inch, pressing the penny into the wax. At this moment, the right hand pivots the bottle, so that the inside penny rolls around to the front of the bottle, hidden behind the fingers. Immediately spread your fingers, and remove the left hand, showing the coin inside the bottle, and the left hand empty. The coin on the bottom of the bottle is hidden in a similar fashion to the way the interior coin was hidden; the refractive properties of water, combined with the fluted nature of the bottle renders the penny invisible. Allow the spectators a good look at the penny in the bottle, and get ready to remove it. To remove the coin from the bottle, you essentially perform the above sequence in reverse. Your left hand approaches the bottle from the front, fingers in front, and thumb secretly going underneath. Your left thumb slides the bottom coin forward, while the right hand tilts backwards, rolling the inside penny back to its original starting position. Once the inside coin is hidden again, move the left hand forward, flipping the penny into view. Done up to speed, it really looks as though you simply plucked the coin from inside the bottle; it looks surreal. Flip the coin in the air, and offer to do it one last time. Lay the coin on the table, and hold the bottle a few inches above. Bring the bottle down, directly onto the penny. Do so with a little bit of force. You don’t want to slam the bottle down, but you do want to hit the table with enough force to pop hidden coin into view. What happens here is the wax on the bottom of the bottle picks up the tabled coin, while the force of bringing the bottle down pops the hidden coin into view, making it look like the coin just jumps inside the bottle! At this point, all that is left to do is steal off the wax and penny from the bottom of the bottle, while you hand the bottle out for examination.
ICED UP EFFECT: The sensory assassin is commissioned to eliminate a groups sense of reality by demonstrating his control over the elements. pg 8
sean fields 1337 notes After showing off his command over physics by performing Aquatic, the assassin decides to display his command over the elements, and grabs another bottle of water. The performer takes a sip, and the audience can clearly see the refreshing liquid inside. Commenting that he likes his water icy cold, the magician gently blows across the bottle, where it is seen to freeze solid! This iced up bottle can be examined by all present. METHOD: As many of you know, I have been enamored with the concept of freezing or boiling water for some time now. I published two of my earlier attempts in Explicit Content, under the titles ‘Glacius’ and ‘Elemental’. This effect, ‘Iced Up’ represents my latest, and favorite, approach to the plot. This effect is irreversibly complex, meaning that this is as simple as the effect of freezing a bottle of water can possibly be. Because of its simplicity, the illusion relies more on your presentation abilities than the actual illusion, although the actual illusion is so strong visually, you may find yourself freezing bottles of water for your own amusement! The only preparation is that you freeze a bottle of water. That’s it. However, you do not want to freeze the water solid, rather you want to freeze it ALMOST solid. Take a bottle of water, and take a big sip from it, and throw it in your freezer, checking on it every 15 minutes or so. The reason for taking a sip is because water expands when it freezes, so you have to adjust for that expansion. As well, if you don’t, the bottle will expand, and not look proper. Once the water has frozen solid, but just barely, you can leave it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before you present this. When you are ready, go to the fridge, and grab your frozen bottle. Bring it back to the party, holding it just above the label. The reason for this grip is to hide the edge of the ice, as well, you want some of the ice to melt, otherwise, the illusion won’t work. After a moment or two (it doesn’t take very long), some of the ice will melt due to the heat from your hand. Remove the cap from the bottle, and take a sip. Often times, I will actually pour the water into my mouth, so they can see the water coming out of the bottle. Leave some water in the bottle though; don’t drink it all. pg 9
sean fields 1337 notes Now cap the bottle, and turn it sideways, and allow the audience to get a clear view of the bottle. This is a KILLER illusion! Because of the little bit of water in the bottle, the block of ice forces the water up the sides of the bottle, between the ice and the bottle, creating an impromptu magic milk bottle. The water sloshes around like it should, and because of the sloshing water, and the shape of the bottle, the block of ice is rendered INVISIBLE! How’s that for a crazy illusion? To reveal the bottle as frozen solid, slowly turn the bottle vertically. If you drank enough of the water, when vertical, the water line should be behind the label, effectively ‘vanishing’ the water. And because the water is no longer hiding the ice, the ice becomes visible! Blow across the bottle, and slam it on the table, making a loud ‘Thud!’ This creates not only a visual illusion, but an audible one as well. The audience can see, AND hear the solidity of the ice. Allow the spectators to examine the bottle, and make sure the ice is the real deal.
EXCISED EFFECT: The magus decides to try his hand at medicine. Asking a young lady present to come forward and witness the demonstration up close, the performer asks to borrow her necklace, which she reluctantly gives up. Standing right beside her, so she can ensure nothing funny is going on, the magician tilts his head back, and slowly lowers the young lady’s necklace into his mouth, and down his throat! Gagging slightly, the magician swallows hard, and opens his mouth; the necklace isn’t there, he really did swallow it! The young lady looks distressed at the loss of her necklace, but the performer assures her that it is safe. He then slowly lifts up his shirt, exposing his bare stomach. With obviously empty hands, he slowly begins to dig into his stomach! A single bead of blood trickles down his abdomen as he searches around his innards. Suddenly, he stops, and slowly begins to pull something from he belly. Inch by agonizing inch, the young lady’s necklace is pulled from the performers stomach, glimmering ever so slightly, and dripping with blood. Once the spectators necklace has been completely excised, the performer pg 10
sean fields 1337 notes reveals that unharmed!
his
stomach
is
somewhat
bloodstained,
but
absolutely
After appropriate cleansing procedures, the young lady is given back her necklace, but she is reluctant to put it back on. Can you blame her?
METHOD: This concept is as old as psychic surgery itself, all I have done is given it a modern magical facelift. Like all the routines presented in these notes, this is dead simple. The method is simple, the illusion is strikingly visual, all that is required is some acting ability on your part. All you need to perform this macabre demonstration is a thumb tip, a couple of cotton balls, and some stage blood. I like to dilute the stage blood slightly, as it can be quite thick, and can stain skin. By diluting it, you will get more volume, and less chance of staining your skin. Place the cotton balls in the thumb tip, pressing them right into the tip. Now carefully pour some stage blood into the tip as well, completely saturating the cotton, without staining the tip. You want just enough blood to saturate the cotton, and no more; you don’t want the blood to drip out prematurely. With the thumb tip in your pocket, find a girl willing to part with her necklace for a short time, and instruct her to come stand next to you to witness the entire thing up close. Ask her to remove her necklace, and as she is doing so, steal the thumb tip from your pocket, on your left thumb. Take the necklace from her, holding it between the thumb and first finger of each hand. This creates a very clean display of empty hands, while making the necklace seem much longer/larger than it actually is. Drop the right hands grip on the necklace, allowing it to hang from the left hands grip. Tilt your head back, and raise the left hand so the necklace is hanging above your face. Lower the necklace briskly, as if you were trying to lower it into your mouth, but miss, allowing the chain to fall down your chin. The second your left thumb comes close to your mouth, stick it in, and steal off the thumb tip. pg 11
sean fields 1337 notes Raise your hand again, and lower the chain slowly into the thumb tip in your mouth, until the whole chain is in the tip. Immediately stick your left thumb into the tip, and steal it out. Gag slightly, and then turn to face the audience and swallow hard, as if you were choking down the necklace. Open your mouth to show the necklace isn’t there. Now for the gory part… Show your hands empty. This is standard thumb tip fare, so I don’t feel the need to explain how. Slowly pull your shirt up, exposing your stomach. Feel around your midsection for a moment or two, and then stop just a hair above your belly button, and leave your right hand flat against your stomach, as if you were pushing or holding something in. This would probably hurt, so act appropriately. Slowly bring your left hand towards your right, making sure it is seen empty the entire way, and stick your left thumb and forefinger underneath the right hand, leaving thumb tip there, and slowly removing the necklace. With a slight pressure as you remove the thumb tip, you can cause the blood to start flowing. Right before you remove the left thumb, jam it is deeper. That will squeeze out some blood, as will the pressure from the right hand. When you start to remove the necklace, make sure to pull it STRAIGHT FORWARD, away from you, towards the audience. If you pull it out sideways, the illusion is destroyed. By pulling it out perpendicular to your body, the illusion is that your right hand is holding the skin in place, and because of the blood, and the how you remove the necklace, they will swear they could see the necklace tearing its way through your flesh! Once you have excised the necklace, place it either in a glass of water, or on a paper towel, anywhere, just don’t hand it directly to the spectator; the least you can do is clean it for her first. After you have placed the necklace aside, bring your hands together, and steal the tip back on the left thumb, and slowly pull the hands apart, revealing your stomach as unharmed. Clean the spectators necklace, and give it back, if she will take it… One bit of advice on this illusion; PLEASE pick your spectator carefully. This is a real heavy effect, for such a simple method. Due to the graphic nature of the illusion, as well as the emotional hook of using the pg 12
sean fields 1337 notes spectators necklace, this effect can often times be too much for a lot of audiences. Please use discretion. Finally, if you want to make the effect a little more socially acceptable, use your own necklace, rather than a spectator’s. It may diminish the effect slightly, but you also won’t have a spectator suing you because you gave her A.I.D.S.
FU2 EFFECT: This could be the LAST WORD in T&R card effects, check this out: A deck is BORROWED, and a card is selected and signed. The deck is placed aside, and the card is slowly, and openly folded and torn into four pieces. The hands are unmistakably empty during this entire process. The pieces are shown to be separate and individual. Two of the pieces are placed in the lips, and attention is drawn to the two remaining pieces. The two pieces are touched together, and visibly melt back together! One of the pieces is taken from the lips, it too is visibly restored, as is the final piece! The card is immediately handed back to the spectator to keep! NO bluffs, the card is examinable! NO discrepancies! No prep work of any sort, do this with a BORROWED deck! This is awesome! The first truly IMPROMPTU piece by piece T&R Card effect ever! This very well could be the LAST WORD in T&R Card effects! INTRO: I developed the original Fusion over 10 years ago, but only chose to release it 2 years ago, but even with the many methods available, it was still well received. If the original was so good, why create another? The answer is simple, like it or not, my performing circumstances changed. I wanted to be able to do the effect spontaneously. So I went back to the drawing board. In trying to improve upon the original, I developed a completely new beast. As with all effects, this does have its drawbacks, and rather than try to hide them, I will address them up front. There the only two drawbacks that I can think of, but they are really not an issue when put into perspective. FU2 IS more difficult than Fusion, but the hours of practice are well worth it. The face of the card CANNOT be shown during the restoration phase, but it is not necessary. The audience knows it is their card, so why prove the obvious? As well, FU2 was designed pg 13
sean fields 1337 notes to be direct and to the point. No extraneous moves or actions. I just wanted to be able to tear a card and restore it, not juggle the pieces during the whole thing. One last thing before we get into the thick of things, Gared Crawford has an amazing T&R Card called UnRipped, which is similar to FU2 in some aspects. Gared’s effect is not impromptu, but definitely worth a look. It is completely unorthodox in its structure, and is a must have in any card mans repertoire. METHOD: Be prepared to go through a lot of cards learning this. While not ridiculously difficult, the second phase will take some time to master. Oh, and as is standard fair for me, all directions are from a left handed persons perspective. Righties, get a mirror. PHASE 1-THE SELECTION: The selection of the card is a very simple matter, but is important to the routine nonetheless. If you can, borrow a deck. If not, no big deal, you can work this in anywhere in your routine. Spread the pack, and have someone touch the back of a card. They DO NOT remove it. Openly cut the card to the top of the deck, and do a double lift, displaying the second card from the top as the selection. Deal this card onto the table, or any similar surface, and slide it towards the spectator, wrist killing the deck as you do so. The sliding of the card is perfect cover for this. With your other hand, pull out a sharpie, and hand it to the spectator to sign their card. After they have signed the card, take it back, and place it face up back onto the deck, directly over the hidden face up card. Immediately remove BOTH cards as one, blowing on the face to dry the ink, as you do so, place the deck aside, as it is no longer needed. The whole thing only takes a few seconds from the selection to the placing of the deck aside, and it looks very innocent and fair. PHASE 2-THE FOLDING: You should be holding a double card, face towards you in biddle grip in your left hand. You will now fold the card FACE OUT LENGTHWISE. As you fold, try to keep the cards long edges hidden behind the right fingers, as they do tend to spread a bit. Make the fold as exact as possible, and crease firmly. Open the card(s) up, face to the audience, and fold the card again, this time FACE OUT WIDTHWISE. As before, try to hide the edges, this time the short edges, behind the right fingers as you fold. Just as in the first fold, make the fold as exact as possible, and crease firmly. pg 14
sean fields 1337 notes Both of these folds are only prerequisite folds. They are not really necessary, but they make the next two folds MUCH EASIER. Open the card again, this time BACK OUT. Fold the card in half LENGTHWISE. This is easy because of the crease you already made. Now, open the card, but only the OUTSIDE CARD. The face card remains folded in half LENGTHWISE. The face card should be folded in half lengthwise on the left side of the card, folded edge in. Fold the card BACK OUT WIDTHWISE, an easy matter, because of the creases, but take care, as you are also folding the face card into quarters. If your grip is not solid, the face card may spring out. You will have to cover the area where the quarter card is, as the edges will peek out. Open the card again, but only the outer card, the original face card remains folded in quarters, in the upper left quadrant of the outer card, which is held horizontally. The long edges running left to right, short edges up and down. It is a tricky thing to get down, and quite possibly the hardest part of the entire routine, but the heat is not on you yet, so play it cool. The entire sequence only takes about 20 seconds at most, and because your hands are seen empty throughout, all seems fair. PHASE 3-THE TEARING: Holding the folded selection in place with the left thumb, tear the card in half, WIDTHWISE. The forefingers of both hands now reach to the upper, inner corners of their respective halves, turning both halves 90 degrees, so that the rough edges are facing UP. The right hands piece goes BEHIND the left hands piece, and as it does, the left thumb folds it in half. You should now have a half card, rough edges up, with the folded selection behind, on the left side, and the half card, folded on the right side. Tear down the crease, in between the folded selection, and the half card. Place the left hand pieces IN FRONT of the right hand pieces, and spread them in a small fan. You can now count the pieces one at a time, just be sure not to disrupt the order or orientation. Now take the two quarter pieces in the left hand, and the folded selection, and the folded half card in the right hand. As you rub the two loose pieces on your right sleeve, simply turn the cards in the right hand around, the folded half card should now be in front. Rub the folded selection and half card on the left sleeve, and bring the pieces back together in a fan, left hand pieces going in FRONT. PHASE 4-THE RESTORATIONS: Take the two middle pieces (a loose piece, and the half card) in the right hand, as you place the other two pieces (a pg 15
sean fields 1337 notes loose piece, and the folded selection) in your lips. Grip the loose piece in the right hand between the thumb and first finger, palm out, so the piece is broadside to the audience, the rough edges along the first finger, and the other rough edges facing left. Your left hand grips the half card by pinching the outer flap between the middle finger and thumb. The first finger is running along the top edge, hiding the flap behind. Remember, the thumb goes INTO the fold. Bring the hands apart, showing the two pieces. Now bring the hands together SLOWLY. Once the edges touch, push the flap over with the left thumb. The flap goes BEHIND the loose piece. Immediately re grip the card, so that the fingers and thumbs of both hands are pinching the card along the top, at both corners of the loose piece in front. Now by pivoting the card into the right hand and out again, you can finger palm off the loose piece in the right hand. Turn the half card 90 degrees so that the rough edges are facing LEFT. With your left hand, reach up to your mouth, and grab the folded selection. Make sure the loose edges are to the left, and the left thumb goes into the fold, with the first finger lying across the top edge as before. Again, bring the hands together slowly, and once the pieces touch, push the rear flap over with the left thumb. Your right thumb will have to get out of the way for this. Simply move the thumb down, and then back up after the flap has passed. Press the flap against the half card. A couple of fine points here, you may want to hold the half card against your right middle finger. This will aid in keeping the half card, and the selection square during the restoration. As well, after the restoration, fold the selection outwards, towards the audience slightly, this will aid in keeping the two cards flat against one another. For the final restoration, get your RIGHT thumb into the fold of the selection, as your left hand goes for the final piece. Bring the final piece down, holding it between the thumb and first finger of the left hand, but more towards the base of the finger, in preparation for a finger palm. As you show how the piece will fit, extend you left fingers, and finger palm the loose piece. At the same time, your left thumb unfolds the selection, then folds it slightly forward, along the widthwise fold, this helps shield the fact that there is still a half card in front of the whole one. Your left hand now folds the card in half lengthwise, and IMMEDIATELY unfolds it, face out, but keeps the half card folded in half. The left hand pg 16
sean fields 1337 notes immediately slides its finger palmed quarter behind the complete card, to be held with the half card. All the pieces are then slid over into the right hand finger palm as the card is handed out. Reach for the pen with the right hand, and place it back into your pocket, ditching the pieces as you do. FINAL THOUGHTS AND RAMBLINGS: I know some of you will think this was a bitch to learn. Well, if it is any consolation, it was a bitch to write, as well! If you do have the patience to learn this, you will be rewarded with one of the most powerful card effects in existence that you can do anywhere, any time, with any deck! You can really mess with your magic buddies who don’t know this by doing it with their deck….hehehehe….
Taste-icular - With Josh Nekrep EFFECT: Attempting to gain entry into a small group of buxom foes, the agent is shot down by what seems to be the leader, or ‘mother hen’ of the group. The agent knows what he must do. His confidence steadfast, he knows he must perform a Jedi mind trick of epic proportions; he is determined to score. Noticing one of the ladies just bought a bottle of water, he springs into action. He first has her open her water and take a sip. Nothing exciting here, it is water. Again, he instructs her to take a sip, but this time, not to swallow, rather just swish it around in her mouth. Now the mind tricks begin. The waters flavor slowly begins to transform, becoming minty! The agent now instructs our lovely participant to spit into a glass, where she, and the entire group, can see that the water is now MOUTHWASH! Left with a stunned look, not to mention minty fresh breath, the victim no longer rejects the agents advances, and starts making a few advances of her own! Now confident he has the gang of foes in control, he goes for the BIG score. In an effort to prove his prowess to the rest of the ladies, the agent takes the bottle of water, and VISIBLY changes the remaining water to mouthwash as well! pg 17
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What little resistance remains dissipates quickly, and the agent promptly corrals the gaggle of ladies back at his place. His performance dominating, a Purple Head medal will no doubt be awarded to the agent. METHOD: This effect really embodies this document. Taste-icular is elite magic of the highest caliber. I cannot speak highly enough about this effect. Now, before teaching you this effect, I should address the history. Morgan Strebler developed an effect similar to mine; in fact, it was Morgan’s routine that got my creative juices flowing! Morgan’s effect, Taste Conditions was the inspirational source material for Taste-icular, however, the effects, and the methods, are miles apart. Good friend, and consummate professional, Josh Nekrep had tremendous input on this effect, which would not be in existence without his clever thinking. I owe a debt of gratitude to Josh. Thanks buddy. I should also point out that the idea of using taste as part of an effect can be traced back to Michael Webber, who caused flavor between to pieces of gum to transpose. Ted Lesley also performs an effect where water transforms into a thought of drink. One last thing; some people asked where the title Taste-icular came from. Simply, the illusion involves the sense of taste, and the method requires balls! Before you can perform this illusion, you will need to obtain a few things, and then assemble your gimmicks, or taste-ticles. The items you will need are: -Two extra bottle caps -Super glue -Scissors -A sponge or cotton balls -Pure peppermint extract -Green food coloring I know that seems like a lot of items, but bear with me, it is SO worth it! pg 18
sean fields 1337 notes Start by cutting your sponge, or cotton balls, into small, ½ inch circles. You need two of them; one for each cap. Now with a drop of Super glue, glue the sponges inside the caps. You now have two caps, each with a small piece of sponge glued inside. Take the mint extract, and completely saturate the sponge in cap one. Be sure not to spill, and wipe the sides of the cap off once you have filled the sponge; you don’t want to prematurely expose the mint. Now take the other cap, and saturate its sponge with green food coloring. Don’t actually saturate the sponge, rather simply add 5-10 drops. There you have it; TASTE-ICLES! With these little fellas, you will be ready to perform at the drop of a dime! NOTE: Josh also adds a drop or two of pure mint essence to his flavor cap as well. This is a homeopathic ‘medicine’ and can be found at most health food stores. Josh feels the essence adds a deeper mint flavor. At $20 bucks an ounce, however, I have opted to eliminate it from my performances; yea, I am a cheap bastard! While these caps are ready for performance, they are not properly prepared for transportation. Follow me. Take a playing card, and cut two squares, just large enough to completely cover the caps opening. Completely cover one side of the card with repositionable adhesive. This is the stuff that is on the back of Post-It notes, and is available in a glue stick. Stick these to the openings of the caps, and on the color cap, trim off the corners, just so you can differentiate the two caps by feel alone in your pocket. The last bit of preparation is to put a drop of food coloring into the bottom of a clear glass or cup. With your taste-icles in your pocket, and cup in hand, you are ready to go. NOTE: I strongly recommend purchasing a couple of small vials, with eyedroppers. Fill one with flavor, and one with color, and it will make reset a breeze! Approach a group of people, preferably a group of attractive young ladies, and either introduce an unopened bottle of water yourself, or if possible, pg 19
sean fields 1337 notes borrow a bottle of water. Have one of the girls examine the bottle, as she is doing this, remove the cover from the flavor cap, and finger palm the cap. Have the young lady remove the cap, which you take from her as you instruct her to take a big sip of water. Perform a shuttle pass with the caps, switching out the real cap for the flavor cap. You go south with the real cap, and ditch it in your pocket. This goes unnoticed, because all attention is on the girl and the water; the cap is way above board. Take the bottle back, and ask her what it tasted like, as you screw the flavor cap onto the bottle. After she has finished describing the taste of the water, instruct her to take another sip, but not to swallow, rather just swish it around in her mouth. As you are instructing her on what to do, gently shake the bottle; this mixes the mint into the water, infusing it with a subtle mint flavor. Remove the cap, and hand her the bottle to sip from. As she is doing this, you switch the flavor cap for the color cap, just as before. Take the bottle back, and screw the color cap on. Now begin to describe the taste of mint, asking her if she can notice the slow transformation from water to mouthwash; after about 10 seconds, she will be nodding her head feverently! Explain that this is why you told her not to swallow, and briskly instruct her to spit it out, and bring the color cup up to her mouth. She can’t notice the drop of color because of it’s position in relation to her eyes. Now when she spits out the water in her mouth, it will immediately mix with the color, creating the illusion that it was mouthwash that came out of her mouth! This really is surreal. Allow a few moments for the spectator to fully grasp what just occurred. Address the rest of the mob, explaining that what this young lady just experienced was very personal. Offer to do it again for the audience at large. Pick up the bottle, and simply say ‘Watch’. Give the bottle one good up and down shake, which will mix the color in, creating a STUNNING transformation from water to mouthwash! Remove the cap, and hand the bottle to someone to examine. As they are looking the bottle over, shuttle pass as before to switch the color cap pg 20
sean fields 1337 notes for the original cap, which you then give to the person with the bottle. This illusion is so complete, it is impossible for a spectator to reverse engineer, or even fathom a possible solution. What was a borrowed bottle of water is now mouthwash. The participant has minty fresh breath. The bottle looks, smells, and tastes like mouthwash. For all intent and purposes, it IS mouthwash. This is an amazingly powerful discretion when performing.
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1337P33K EFFECT: None. This is not an effect, rather it is a utility. This could be one of the BEST billet moves in existence. This is 1337P33K. METHOD: For my billet work, I use business cards. I know many mentalists prefer to use pre made billets out of index cards, usually pre folded. I prefer business card because they can be borrowed, and they have a natural organic look and feel. Business cards do not look or feel like a prop. To begin, borrow a business card. Bring out a pen, and tell the spectator to think of someone close to them. As you say this, fold the business card into quarters, but really crease the card, back and forth along each crease. This is integral to the operation of the peek. Tell the spectator to write the name of the person they are thinking of across the back of the card, in big bold letters, and fold the card back up. Turn away as you say this, so you cannot see what the spectator is writing. There is a little bit of linguistic deception at work here. Kenton would call them Wonder Words. Kenton kicks ass. For those of you familiar with NLP or Wonder Words, you will recognize some of the concepts outlined above. For those not versed with either linguistic system, go now, and study. Buy Wonder Words. Go to the library and take out books on NLP. Proper understanding of the language we use can and will improve your performances exponentially. Once they are done, turn around to face them, and extend your hand. The spectator will ALWAYS hand you the card, which you refuse, and say ‘No, no. I want the pen; that is how I got it!’ It is a stock line, but it works so well here. If you have read X-Rated, and read my explanation of North pg 21
sean fields 1337 notes of the Border, you will already be familiar with my billet theory, which also applies here. Put the pen away, and extend your hand again, this time taking the card. Now it is time to perform the actual mechanics. With the card folded in quarters, hold it in your right hand, loose edges on the right and the bottom, between the thumb and first and second fingers. Show both sides of the card, explaining that you can’t see through the card. Here comes the ‘hard’ part. Adjust your grip so the card is ‘deeper’ in your hand. The card is still held in the same fashion, just deep enough so the far left edge is in line with your fingertips. Hold your hand palm up so the card is visible. Raise your hand to chest height, turning in at the wrist, so the card is parallel with your body. As you do this, several things happen. The first and second fingers clip the card for a moment, just long enough for the thumb to slip under the top layer, now pinching the card between the thumb and middle finger, with the first finger contacting the outer left corner. The entire sequence takes less than a second, and is completely covered by the movement of the hand. Now for the actual peek. Your left hand comes in front of the card, as if to take it. As soon as the left hand completely obscures the card, pinch your right thumb and first finger together, while curling back the rest of the fingers, so they are not touching the card. THE CARD WILL POP OPEN INTO THE LEFT HAND! This give you an unmatched, unobstructed clear view of the information! If you pinch too hard, the card will open up fully, which you don’t want. You just want the card to open to at most, a 90 degree angle. Take the card with the left hand in a rough finger palm, and separate the hands. The idea is that you want it to look like you just passed the card from hand to hand. Now close your left hand into a fist; the card will AUTOMATICALLY FOLD BACK UP! Now this probably reads a bit weird. Just reread the description, but understand what it is supposed to look like: ‘Laura, do me a favor, think of someone close to you. ANYONE. Just make sure that they are not here, and that I couldn’t possibly know this person. Have you done that? pg 22
sean fields 1337 notes Great. Laura, I want you to write this persons name across the back of this business card, in big bold letters, then fold it back up. I will turn my back as you do this. Have you finished? Perfect. No, no, I meant the pen; that’s how I got it! Great, now before we go any further, I want you to realize that I didn’t see what you wrote down. The card is not transparent, so I can’t see what you wrote down at all, correct? Alright, I want you to hold the card in your hand like this, so there is NO way I would be able to sneak a peek. Now, you are probably wondering why I had you write anything down at all. The reason is simple. The reason is proof. Proof of my success, OR failure. That is pretty much my patter. The peek occurs on an offbeat, as you are transferring the billet from hand to hand, which renders the peek invisible. As well, the angles are great. Your hands cover most of the actions. The only rough angle is your extreme right, but by turning your body to face right… that issue is eliminated. While you could simply perform the peek as outlined above, as a straight mind reading demonstration, which I often do, I felt a full routine that utilizes the peek would be in order.
ULTIMATE EPIC EFFECT: Three spectators are invited to participate in this latest demonstration of the agents otherworldly abilities. The spectators are each instructed to think of something, and write it on the back of a business card. The first is to think of a person, the second a place, and the third spectator and activity. This all occurs with the agents back turned. Once finished, the agent turns around, and instructs the spectators to hold their cards in their fists. The agent now brings out three envelopes, explaining that each contains one of his business cards, which he will write his thoughts on, and seal inside the envelopes. Staring at the first spectator, the agent hastily writes a name down on the card, and seals it in the envelope. Committed to his thought, he asks the first spectator who he thought of. Let’s assume he says ‘Ashton pg 23
sean fields 1337 notes Kutcher’. The agent writes ‘#1 – Ashton Kutcher’ on the back of the envelope, and moves on. The agent repeats the same sequence for the other participants, who say ‘Acting’ and ‘Inside a paper bag’ respectfully. The agent now hands each spectator their respective envelope, and asks them to open them to check his predictions. Each one is bang on! The audience begins to applaud wildly, whereupon the agent instructs them to calm down. Drawing attention to a large envelope that has been stuck high on the wall since before the trick began, the agent requests that one of the spectators retrieve the envelope, and bring it back on stage. With the envelope on stage, the agent explains that he had written something down earlier, for no particular reason. He explains that although it didn’t make sense at the time, it is completely clear now. The spectators open the envelope, and unfold the paper inside, on which it is clearly written: ‘I DON’T THINK ASHTON KUTCHER COULD ACT HIS WAY OUT OF A PAPER BAG!’ The entire audience now erupts in uncontrollable cheers and applause, and the agent slowly walks away, blending in with the populous, ever ready to assassinate unsuspecting audiences perceptions of reality. Yea, he’s a bad ass. METHOD: Like all of the illusions found in the 1337 notes, this effect packs small, and plays huge. This effect can play for 4 people, or it can play for 40,000 people. And again, like all of the 1337 secrets, this relies less on technical skill, and more on subtleties and presentational skill. For as long as I can remember, I have seen magicians perform Mental Epic. And for as long as I can remember, I have HATED that trick. The prop, the Mental Epic board, looks like a prop, and is immediately suspect. As well, I have always felt like the momentum, and subsequent effectiveness, is always compromised on the last ‘thought’. Person one THINKS of a number. Person two THINKS of an animal. Person three SELECTS A FUCKING CARD?! Seriously, the first two people get to THINK of any one of an endless number of things, and the third person has to SELECT one of only FIFTY TWO items. Regardless of WHAT it forced on the pg 24
sean fields 1337 notes third spectator, it is ALWAYS anti-climactic. Another thing I have always disliked about Mental Epic is the lack of a real climax. At the conclusion, the performer is correct three times in a row; impressive, yes, but not POWERFUL. There is no ‘punch’ upon revealing your third prediction. Enter Ultimate Epic. This illusion eliminates any and all ‘unusual’ looking props. This illusion eliminates the need for a force. Finally, this illusion has a legitimate, incredibly powerful climax. This is a solid lesson in routining, audience management, and performance chops. There are no difficult techniques in use, rather this routine relies on your ability to convey an alternate reality to your spectators. Before you begin, you will need a few things: -5 pens -3 envelopes -6 business cards -1 large envelope -1 large piece of paper -1 friend -Some magicians wax, or putty Everything above probably read just fine, up until that 1 friend line. Yes, an assistant IS required to perform the routine as described, but in a very subtle way. Place 3 business cards into the 3 smaller envelopes, and place those in your pocket along with the other 3 business cards, and 4 of the 5 pens, your assistant gets the remaining pen. Take the large envelope, and fold the flap down, but DO NOT SEAL IT. Rather, holding the envelope flat, sign your name across the flap and the envelope. This adds a subtle layer of deception later on in the routine. Place the large piece of paper inside the large envelope, give this to your assistant to hold on to, and you are ready to go. Make sure your assistant is hanging out at the back of the room, and make sure a chair is within his reach. Bring 3 people up on stage, and have them each sit down on a chair, facing the audience. Hand each person a business card, and a pen. pg 25
sean fields 1337 notes Instruct that person 1 to think of a person, person 2 to think of a place, and person 3 to think of an activity. Truth be told, they can think of whatever they want, but with those 3 thoughts, a lot of humorous outcomes are possible. Instruct all 3 spectators to write their thought on the back on the business card, and fold it up. As you are saying this, you take person 3’s card, and gesture across the back, and fold it up in preparation for 1337P33K. You are using person 3 as an example of what they are to do, while in fact, this is just a cover for preparing to perform the actual mechanics of the routine! Give person 3’s card back, and turn around, allowing all 3 people enough time to write their thoughts down. When they are done, turn back around. Take person 3’s card from them, and hold it up to the light, instructing the other participants do the same, making sure that the card is not transparent, and there is no way for you to know what each person thought. Now perform 1337P33K, as you instruct all 3 spectators take their card and pocket it, just in case proof is required later. At this point, your work is done. You know what person 3 is thinking, putting you one ahead before the effect has actually begun! Bring out the other three envelopes and your pen and walk over to spectator one. The envelopes are stacked. Take the business card out of the top envelope, and jot down person 3’s thought, as you stare at person 1. Replace the card in the envelope, and seal it. Perform a double turnover with the envelopes, and ask person 1 what they were thinking of, explaining that you are committed, your prediction is sealed in the envelope. Lets assume person one said ‘Criss Angel’. Write ‘Criss Angel’ on the back of the envelope (which is actually the 2ND envelope from the top; remember that double?) Turn the double face down, and move just the top envelope to the bottom. You are now going to repeat the same sequence twice more. Move over to spectator 2, take the card out of the top envelope, write person 1’s thoughts down, seal it, double turnover, and write person 2’s thought on the outside, again, lets assume he thinks of ‘Paris’. Again, turn the envelope face down, and move just the top one to the bottom. Perform the same sequence one last time for the third and final spectator. Lets say this spectator says ‘Belly Dance’. pg 26
sean fields 1337 notes Now, the envelopes are not in ‘1 2 3’ order, they need to be displaced. I usually just walk over the spectators, and hand them the correct envelope. Nobody notices. At this point, I like to reiterate what has occurred. Each person thought of something, and I tried to ‘tune in’ to their thoughts, writing my predictions down, and sealing them away. I stress the fact that everything is in their hands, and always has been. That is simply not true, but believe me, they believe it is. The other reason to reiterate the proceedings is to give your assistant at the back of the room enough time to write an accurate prediction, seal it in the envelope, and tape it high on the wall. In our case, his prediction might read: I don’t think CRISS ANGEL has ever been to PARIS, let alone BELLY DANCED there! As you can see, depending on the audience, you can get some pretty humorous images for your final prediction. If you have a talented friend who can draw, if he is quick enough, he can draw a humorous cartoon relating to the spectators thoughts. Here is the awesome part. Because the audience is facing FORWARD, they are oblivious to your assistants diligent work at the back of the room! Now, draw attention to the envelope taped high on the rear wall, saying that the audience might have noticed it on the way in; it has been there since before the demonstration began. Again, a terrible lie that sails right by them! Have a spectator go and retrieve the prediction, and bring it up on stage. This is why I like to have a chair nearby. It helps your assistant get the prediction UP, but also aids in the retrieval. Have the spectator bring it (the prediction) back on stage, and point out that not only is is sealed, you signed your name across the back to ensure no tampering. This is not the case; remember you signed the flap before sealing it? This is why. That minor addition strengthens the illusion exponentially. The spectator now opens the envelope, and removes the prediction inside, and shows it to the audience at large. Read it aloud, and take your bow. pg 27
sean fields 1337 notes I love this effect, because it can be done ANYWHERE. I have described it in a formal setting, but as long as you have a friend around, you can do it on the street, at a house party, anywhere. Just find a place out of the audiences view where your assistant can write and plant the prediction. This effect really can play for audiences of just a few people, to an entire theatre, standing room only. The envelope sequence I learned from Luke Jermay’s book ‘7 Deceptions’. Luke’s routine was similar, but completely different at the same time. I later learned that the envelope sequence can be traced back to Docc Hilford. Several years ago, I contacted Docc for his permission to publish this very effect. He declined, stating that he was working on a DVD on this technique, and that he didn’t want my routine out until AFTER his DVD was released. It never was. Having spoken with innumerable well respected people, I have decided to publish this effect, as I have been told, on strong authority, that this illusion, while using Docc’s concept, is miles apart from the original in effect. Lastly, I should also note that the late Gary Oullette apparently used a similar concept to mine to achieve the final prediction climax. Apparently, Gary felt strongly enough about his version, that he sold it in very limited numbers for $500 a crack. I have never been able to find any information on Oullette’s version, so I present mine here.
EXTRACTION Agent, you have now become privy to some very sensitive information. I trust you will keep this document, and all of the information contained, in the strictest of confidence. Use the weapons given to you in this document at your leisure, and remember, you are now part of a bigger organization, one that prides itself on it’s secrecy and elitism. You are among the best of the best, take pride in this, and act the part of a 1337 agent. Fields. Out.
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