Multiocular
/I got a lot of nice feedback on All Seeing Eye of the Beholder (read that post first if you haven't, or this one won't make sense) but very few can perform it due to the unavailability of Biokinesis, as well as—let's face it—the questionable wisdom of doing Biokinesis in the first place. A lot of people get a little squeamish when it comes to fucking around with their eyes for some reason. Chill out, people. That's why god gave you two eyes, ya pussy, so you can screw one up via an ill-conceived magic trick.
I think it's worth investing time to look for variations on Dan's structure because there are a couple aspects of his handling that are sort-of unique compared to other glimpses and perhaps worthy of capitalizing on. The first is that you get a full glimpse of the drawing (or word/whatever) for as long as you want, allowing you to take in all sorts of details. To be able to not just say, "You drew a boat," but to then be able to describe the number of lines used, the number of waves, the angle of the sail, all of these things make it seem like you're actually viewing the image in that moment rather than just having "glimpsed" it at some point along the way.
The other quality of Dan's handling that it might be worth taking advantage of is that the billet that goes into their hand can change when it is removed. Now, in general, this is probably not a good idea, as it points to the method somewhat. But, if you have a really strong visual moment (like your eyeball changing color, or the one in Variation 1 below) I think the card changing can be seen as another part of the whole effect, and not a hint towards the method (assuming the change of the card is tied to the visual moment).
Both variations below are slightly more intense than your standard drawing or word reveal. But the great thing about amateur magic is you usually know your audience and know when you can push the envelope a little.
Variation 1
I haven't done this version myself, but I think it's workable.
This starts off the same: they hold a picture in their hand, you place another picture of a red eye in their hands as well. Then you kind of stare off into the void. After a moment you start describing the drawing, but you act like this is hurting your eye in some way so you rush through it but get in as much detail as you can. Finally, when you can't stand it anymore, you reach up to your eye, with an empty hand, start rubbing around it a little, then a stream of red liquid comes shooting out of your eye, splashing onto the wall or floor or your spectator. When the eye card is removed from their hand, the red color has drained from it as well (don't bring it back as in the original ASEotB). The implication here is that somehow via this strange ritual the red of the All Seeing Eye absorbed the essence of their image and then via some ethereal osmosis you were able to soak up that red into your actual eye so you could tell them what was drawn on the paper. But then you had to expel it out.
The method? Does anyone remember this gimmick? That's all there is to it. You'll just have to load it with something that isn't going to blind you when you, invariably, shoot it right back into your eye like an idiot. I'm not quite sure what that would be, but I'd probably start my search with something like thinned out Kryolan eye blood or something like that.
Variation 2
This is similar to something I have done for a long time, but not with Dan's handling, although I think the ideas work very well together. Your spectator draws something and holds it in their hand. You draw a stick man on a separate business card and say that this will serve as your avatar. "I know it seems a little hokey, but there's a little more to it than just this." Then you take out a diabetic testing lancet, poke your finger, and smear the blood on your stick man. You take a moment to "align yourself" with your avatar, then you place the card in your spectator's hands.
It's probably a good idea to go sit in a chair at this point. Slow your breathing. "Something's going to happen in a moment. Don't worry. Everything is fine. Keep your hands tightly closed. If I'm not back in five minutes then you can call-" Immediately your body slumps and you slide out of the chair to a pile on the ground, as if your "essence" has left your body. After 30 seconds to a minute, start to "come to" and get up and stretch your limbs. "Dammit that hurts," you say. Then you begin to describe their drawing to the tiniest detail. As if... what exactly?... your consciousness left your body and was projected into your avatar in the spectator's hands? I don't know. I just know as a bit of theater it's more intriguing than "Project your word letter by letter onto a blank screen in your mind." If you're going to do something bogus, why not do something intriguingly bogus rather than some mental spelling test?
Diabetic testing lancets are like 5-10 bucks. I think every magician should have one. There is something unsettlingly interesting about using your blood in an effect, and this is a painless way to obtain some. I'm a big fan of bodily fluids in magic. Well, spit and blood, at least. Hell, I'd consider other ones too. It gives things a little witchcraft-y/medieval element which can be an interesting break from more traditional presentations. No, it's not something you'd do professionally. And you wouldn't do it for the boys when you're showing them your new gambling routine. But for the right audience it works. Just last weekend I was showing something to my younger female cousin and her teenage friends. At one point we all spit in the palm of our hands and piled our hands on top of one another as part of an effect. It was gross, and they were all squeamish about it, but uncontrollably laughing the whole time as well.
In general I don't explain too much with this sort of presentation. I don't turn it into some long storytelling bizarre magick type thing. It's all just a part of the process. Let them fill in the blanks.
(And please don't email me to lecture me about hygiene and safety. I try to write as if my audience is full of reasonably intelligent people. Yes, don't do anything where your blood is coming in direct contact with others. If you have hepatitis B or something, don't go spreading your blood around people. Don't cum on objects your audience is handling. You know this stuff.)
