Credit to Dreadburner94 for giving me the meaning of the Reverse Arcana.
Chapter 2: The Arcana.
January 29, 2017, Saturday.
Touma sighed as he and a girl were in a library, attempting to study for the next test round. Attempting because Touma's interest vanished as soon as they arrived to Algebra.
"Come on, Touma" The black haired girl chided. "I can't let you copy me and this is the only class you struggle with"
"I know, Maki" He sighed, as the girl's gray eyes rolled as she attempted to explain it to him once more.
"You better get ready to do unpleasant things, life isn't that easy, you know?" Now Touma's eyes were the ones rolling.
"Do unpleasant things, huh?" Touma echoed "Like talking about your so-obvious-it-hurts relationship with Tsubasa?" He laughed as her face turned red. He knew her from long before he came to Suou, but messing with her was still amusing.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about!" She choked out. It was true. Both the Magician and the Empress had a "flirt and hit" kind of relationship, as the both of them always seem to try and one-up the other, and Maki had hit the Akaba boy several times on his dumber moments, as he flirted with her and, quite frankly half the girls they met around Suou city. But Touma, along with Koji and the others could detect quite a bit of sexual tension between them, and they are quite close on their calmer moments. Hope it works out.
"No need to hide anything. That caused quite a bit of trouble back at the beginning" Touma reminiscenced as Tsubasa and him went back at the Mirror World to save Hana Morisaki, another future member of their group, Maki caught them and demanded to go with them as soon as she saw them locking and loading in Todou's store, and threatened them in order to convince them. A fight nearly broke out, but Touma defused the situation, and allowed Maki to come, but got a chain from the store before leaving. As soon as they got to Na-Strond, he tied her up so she didn't run away and got herself killed. As her shadow manifested, her distrust to men and need for approval and support came out. Touma and Tsubasa managed to talk some sense on her after Tsubasa's Agi spell finished the job. Ironically, Maki used the chain they tied her with as a weapon and her expertise in Ice skills were very helpful (provided she didn't use those powers on them), but not before working as a scanner for both of them for a while. But Freya is now part of the frontlines on the team as a healer.
"We better get this over with" Touma sighed, as they continued.
"Do you think about that?"
"About what?"
"About what our Shadows said about us and everything that happened, including your parents?" Touma flinched about that, but managed to keep it together. The Shadow attacks had concentrated in Suou City, but it had hit randomly on a small scale on other parts of Japan.
"I do" He admitted. "It's one of the many places my mind has gone during the year, but I know I can save them, and that can keep me going for a thousand trips to hell" Maki smiled at that.
"And your second point…" Touma leaned back on his seat. "What your Shadow said IS true, but it WAS blown out of proportion, and it wasn't you, but a fragment"
"Besides, we all grew up during the last year"
"You were gloomy when you arrived, now you are you"
"I am me, nothing more, nothing less" He gave a look of the books around and lightly saw one which caught his eye. A book he read a couple months ago.
Tarot, a look to the future.
Looks like I know what to write about next.
Now, I know that a guide of Tarot doesn't seem like something you will need, but it seems to be a recurring motif in your journey. Every Shadow and Persona is an allusion to one of the Major Arcana, and the Social Links are also based on one of the Cards, and their meaning may let you know what kind of issue the people it represents has, it would also give you a clue about your friend's character.
Now, I know, that as a Wild Card, you can change your Persona, and Arcana more or less at will, and that could cause a strong identity crisis, but remember you are you, and that's all there is to it, you have to remember who you are and who you want to be, and never lose sight of that, and that's enough.
Now to the cards themselves, be aware that every card means something different depending if it's upright or reversed, it may be its opposite, or just something different, so without further ado:
Touma started putting on the picture of every card of the major Arcana
0/XXII/Non-Numbered: The Fool: The first card you should note is the Fool, a traveler, a naïve person who goes well with everyone, innocence and spontaneity. Overall, the fool represents the journey you take, which can end up any way you like, but also your curiosity, and the point everything begins.
Its reversed position actually has a card representing it: The Jester. It essentially refers to someone who has the same traits of the Fool, but either represses them or fakes them, it refers to someone who, unlike the sociable, open Fool, isolates him/herself and fakes ignorance to cause mischief.
If any Social Link is a Jester, you better get ready to fight them at one point, because, as it isn't a real tarot card, he is faking being your friend and is going to betray you.
I: The Magician: The magician symbolizes action, initiative, and power to reach their true potential. This card shows decision, a go getter attitude and someone who is always pushing forward, with talents he can harness and most likely a wish to reach the top.
But reversed shows a lack of initiative, a tendency to be manipulative, a poor planer, someone reckless and whose talents are wasted because of it, meaning he is a sloth as we know them.
Note aside: People of this Arcana seem to be very unlucky, and the most likely to be comically knocked around and humiliated. While it can be hilarious, you must remember that sometimes, laugh has to stop, and you must do your best so that person stays healthy physically and those mishaps don't affect your friend's self-esteem nor the relationship with the rest of the group.
II: The Priestess/High Priestess: This Arcana seems to be a girl exclusive one, as it means hidden knowledge, wisdom, feminine mystery and patience. These people tend to be more reserved than most other people, and can be quite wise, even if how quiet they are tends to make you forget that fact for a second.
On the other hand, when it's reversed, the person can have their own plans, and refuse to listen to their inner voice (aka: conscience, intuition, common sense in some cases), making them ignore things that they know is true or real.
III: the Empress: the apparently female only card symbolizes comfort, sexuality, abundance, creativity, among other traits. It is in short, the card symbolizing the qualities a mother should have. This is a person you could count on in times of emotional turmoil, and those where you must set your priorities, as nothing like a mother to support you on those times.
But those traits disappear when the card reverses, the creativity disappears and the Empress becomes the one that depends on you. Be ready to restore her confidence and helping her stand on her own two feet.
IV: The Emperor: Now, this card tends to refer more to guys, and it represents a wish to control everything, it shows power, leadership, stability, decisiveness. Now we are talking about rather headstrong people, some may be, like Magicians, natural leader, while the Magicians lead the charge, the Emperor tries hard to keep any given situation under control.
But that wish for control may get a bit… overboard. A reversed Emperor tries to control everything, are more difficult to convince otherwise, and lash out aggressively if you go against them. Even with how inflexible and, sometimes, moronic they are being, you must try to talk them out of these traits, even if you must literally beat it on their heads. Remember, you can't keep the rain from falling, but you can be covered when it comes, so it's better to just focus on what you can actually do. (Well, most likely there ARE beings capable of controlling the weather, but you aren't one of them, so complaining won't do you any good).
V: The Hierophant: Education and authority are important things, and the Hierophant is one of the more inclined for those traits. It is considered to be the Male equivalent to the Priestess (the later originally called Popess and this one was called the Pope). They are sharp people, wise and tend to have a relationship with the Divine (not always through), and tend to be obedient when they aren't the ones in power. They are the type of people who put emphasis on the rules, and use logic to solve their problems.
On the other hand, that makes them rather repressive, they can be rather restrictive, and the wish to make things as according to the rules as possible can make them try to change the status quo rather forcefully. Trying to make them be more logical seems to be the right thing to do, but it isn't always easy.
VI: The Lovers: Yeah, this card makes you think of relationships and dating, and you would be right. Currently, it's associated with love and the synthesis of two opposite concepts, the idea of finding a third option, finding a compromise when the two other option's pros and cons cause you difficulties. But before, it meant being at a crossroads in life, being presented with a dilemma you had to choose black or white.
When The Lovers is reversed, the balance is lost, the values are in conflict, and there is no harmony in the person. Essentially, their minds are a jumbled mess, and priorities, right and wrong, and their choice making are thrown out of the window.
As an aside, as this Arcana means love, whoever it represents will likely be the flirtiest person you know, so be ready for some advances coming to you. Hope you like the attention.
Touma laughed at that.
VII: The Chariot: Victory is something everyone chases after, and the Chariot is the symbol of it, war, conquest, self-assertion are the most notable traits you will see on them. Driven people trying to reach their goals, and can be quite violent at times, you should always keep things frosty while dealing with a Chariot, unless you want them to explode in your face.
They have, however a strong drawback, they might have a strong will and courage, but they might lack goals or direction, misdirecting their potential to a goal that could be, frankly, self destructive, and lack the self-control to not hurt others in the chase of their goals, and their aggressive personalities might make that even worse.
VIII: Strength: No matter what you do, sometimes, the best solution you see for many troubles is to hit them as hard as you can until they disappear. But when you have the power, you need the discipline to use it correctly, the gentleness to give it a good end, the inner courage to keep going when it isn't enough and the virtue to not abuse it. Strength is the Card that gives you a righteous purpose, and stops you from becoming a bully or a villain, knowing you are powerful but stopping from lording over people. We are all just normal people, power just gives you a choice, and it's that choice that makes you a hero.
The dark side of this card is represented by The Hunger/Lust, the danger of losing control becomes obvious, and whoever has this card takes a thrill from the power they have above the rest, maybe a previous weakness of body and mind kept them separated of the rest, and now they are basically addicted to their new toys, be it Persona, Shadow, Weapon, or just a high-ranking job or status.
Fun fact, this card and Justice change places on different Decks, thought you might want to know.
IX: The Hermit: While everyone needs people in their lives, sometimes being on their own is necessary, being capable of thinking and enjoying some peace might help you look yourself in the mirror and find out what kind of man you are and want to be. Learning by yourself might make you reach some of the deeper truths of life and what you are trying to reach on the journey you took. These people are introverts and tend to stay away from the spotlight, not getting into a crowd willingly, but they aren't bad people (or animal, I befriended a temperamental cat, so I don't worry about details too much).
But, while you are a part of society, many Hermits tend to completely isolating themselves from humanity without understanding themselves, causing them to hate society, being truly alone, and not even trying to change that situation, creating a vicious cycle.
Remember, solitude and loneliness are two different things, and no man can bear being truly alone.
X: The Wheel of Fortune/ Fortune: Fate is a dangerous thing, and there are many things you simply can't avoid. The Fortune means that you are reaching a turning point in your life, and that, one way or another the tides of luck will turn because of something out of your control (you know, weather, a new team member, a new breakthrough). People of this Arcana are trying to turn from the fate they are in, and as a result they are taking big decisions. Those have to be well thought, so don't take it lightly or you will be in a VERY bad place.
But, when the Wheel turns, it might bring misfortune, luck gets worse and external forces have a negative impact in you. If things go that ways, you, and them could be caught on a spiral completely out of control, and that could only end in disaster.
While your journey might make you defy fate, if you do so the wrong way, you will only doom yourself and others, and it's the same for them, rebelling and blindly lashing out is not the way.
XI: Justice: Right and wrong are always in conflict, and one must always choose between the easy and obvious choices, and the right ones. It refers to, obviously, Justice and fairness, but also refers to rationality, objectivity, and analysis. Justice is blind, they say, and it's true, as everyone must get what they deserve for their acts and you must not be biased when judging someone. People represented by this Arcana have issues related to fairness, and finding a sense on seemingly senseless acts.
But, when Justice is inverted, it leads to unfairness, to judge people arbitrarily and applying excessive punishments, and to act without thinking. They might try to rationalize that behavior with excuses such as "They had it coming" or "it's not my fault that (insert excuse here)", making them refuse to think things more logically, and to see the wrong on their acts. The third trait they earn is dishonesty; they become more underhanded and downright hypocrital on their attitudes, and are willing to do anything to get their way.
XII: The Hanged Man: Sometimes, reflections and sacrifices must be made to keep moving forward, and you might find yourself in front of a paradox, and everything you know clashes and contradicts itself (believe me, once I found out Shadows existed, I was raking my brain for answers once I had two minutes to think about the whole thing), and you need to think about things to make sense of them. Hanged Men tend to be the sacrificial type, those who put their well being and wishes on the line for the sake of others, and find themselves trapped between two extremes.
While being willing to sacrifice yourself when needed is an admirable quality, one must always beware from senselessly put life and limb in danger just so death might mean something, and being trapped between two forces means you can't choose, and delay your answer can only end badly, so trying to get this card upright before someone gets hurt.
XIII: Death: While it may be a foreboding card (you'd have to be very messed up to look forward to your death), its meaning is more complex than that. It symbolizes changes on a fundamental level, cycles, and regeneration. There are many things that follow a cycle, such as life and nature in general. Death may be inevitable, but you must simply enjoy life and having no regrets when death arrives.
Change is something natural, and while we may be reluctant, we must learn to accept it, for there are those who refuse it and try to avoid it at all costs, and are unable to letting old feelings go. That denial may cause them trouble and needless pain. The healthiest thing you can do is to let time heal all wounds, at least try to let grudges fade, wounds heal, and to at least ease the pain so you can keep living.
Touma contemplated that advice for a second. He still hated Akatsuki, Kido and Kira, but he tries to not think about it. Two of them are broken, and the last one is dead, and that's it, no need to let them ruin my life any further.
XIV: Temperance: Balance is always something you must try to achieve, trying to make time for both fun and responsibility is something we must learn. Synthesis, prudence and harmony, and the opposite merges, creating something new and wonderful. You must always consider both good and bad of things, many times they are part of the same, and you must simply make the best of it.
But there are people who always want more, and break that balance, and fall into an excess, trying to get more than what's healthy, and fail to realize how much damage that causes, and on the long run that comes back to bite them, badly. A reverse Temperance only cares for the moment, to get a short term gratification, and the long term is forgotten, so you know they are trouble.
XV: The Devil: There will always be moments of temptation, where our wishes go against our principles, because of that, we must always be steadfast and strong on our values. It may lead to making deals with the Devil (unless the supernatural devil is Igor, be wary, if it's a natural one, try to think if it's too good to be true), and trying to balance indulgence (enjoying yourself, basically) and abstinence (refrain from doing so because of your sense of right and wrong).
While the reversed Devil means detachment, breaking free, reclaiming power, likely from the abstinence we talked about, you must remember no excess is good and that too little and too much can cause you severe trouble.
XVI: The Tower: This card rarely means anything good, as it is based on the story of the Tower of Babel, and means pride before a fall. It is used to show a fall from grace, how the prejudiced, arrogant authorities (insert your political joke) walk to an ironic demise. As you can see, this card is used as the most common "shit's gonna happen" card, and it calls for a fall from grace and a deep, destructive change. Beware falling to your pride, and stop yourself before dooming everyone.
When the Tower reverses, they become aware of it, and actively try to avoid it, even if it's inevitable, and fear change, because of the ill omen that befalls them, even if they do need to start from scratch in order to get better.
XVII: The Star: Hope is always an important source of inspiration, it's what fuels our fighting spirit and keeps us going when the odds are against us. As long as we have some hope and joy with us, there is no impossible. For you to be a Star, you must be generous, , confident, peaceful and joyful. Essentially it shows how to overcome adversity, and the belief that there is always a chance, even if it's one in a million. It may even give you a bit of luck.
But, when the Stars die, so would your hope, losing faith and falling into despair are things you must avoid, and the discouraging words of the others must not get to you.
Remember, you only have a chance as long as you believe you have one, so you better don't lose your resolve or it's all over.
XVIII: The Moon: The moon has a lot of symbolism as it has been a source of inspiration for humanity since ancient times. It means illusion, dreams, fantasy, but it's also it's associated with madness, fear, trickery. As you can see it's closely linked to the mind, conscious or subconscious, and being more attuned to your surroundings, knowing things without being told.
But as you can imagine, the light of the moon hides more of a few secrets in them, they may act on confusion, be ready to point to what the moonlight hides, find that unhappiness, and the release of the fear they feel, which may only be a false belief, and they try to hide from themselves.
XIX: The Sun: On the other extreme of our cosmos, there is the source of all life and light in our lives, the Sun, also a source of happiness, joy, energy, optimism and success. The Sun gives us our reward, our happiness at the beginning, and end of our struggles, and reminds us of why we fight and work so hard every day, no pain, no gain.
Once the Sun sets, sadly, it means joy starts fading, and there is a fall in depression and it starts to seem like it is impossible to accomplish anything, successive failures are possibly the cause of it, discouraging people even further. Fortune favors the brave, however, and you must keep trying with all you've got. Success or failure may come, but if you don't do your best, you will only regret it.
XX: Judgement: This is the point where everything comes to light, your purpose is revealed to you, secrets of life are learned, and you feel acceptance and absolution comes to you. At the end, everything is known and many questions are answered to you, your resolve must be clear when its light shines upon you. This card goes in certain decks with another name, Aeon, but it means basically the same, while both appear, unlike the Jester, it is a legit card, so the S-Link is real, if based in the same theme.
But you must find yourself, and be able to face every side of yourself in order to get Judgement, and be sure of yourself and your actions. Self doubt is something you have to overcome, and your psyche will be attacked, but you must not succumb to your flaws, nor completely deny them, for refusal of self examination is the reason half the troubles you have, and why half your human enemies cause troubles in the first place. Even if they are older than you (I am a high-schooler who had to deal with a twenty-something pyromaniac, an elderly nihilistic butler and a depressed woman on her thirties), prove that you are the bigger man and take responsibility for your actions and try to be better.
XXI: The World/The Universe: This power is hard to obtain, as according to Igor "the power of the World will manifest only when it's needed", but it's the culmination of everything you've done up to the end, it shows harmony, the world on all facets, in the end, it shows the totality of your bonds with others, all of which allowed to see the world in different lights.
But on the other hand, the world only shows itself through the bonds you have with others, lacking closure and completing things goes against the point of the world, and so is leaving questions unanswered, remember that.
Touma chuckled as he finished that. It may be true that he didn't have the power of the world, but he had nearly all of the other Arcanas. Kohryu, Asura, Lancelot, Zeus and Mercury, among others, gave him the strength he needed.
But his thoughts were interrupted by a call on Skype. Touma fixed his hair and answered.
"Hey, didn't expect a call today" He said, joking.
"Neither did I, but thought we could talk. Kirijo-san sent invitations for a party and I needed to catch up" A girl said, and her face, despite being shadowed, was obviously red.
"Nothing really, just working on a personal project and planning to graduate, and recovering from our last couple visits to the mirror"
"What is your project about, Touma-Kun? Can I help?" Touma thought about it for a second and answered.
"Could you please do me a favor…?" Touma asked, explaining his project and what he needed.
Well, here is chapter two, at the time the longest of the story so far. It was kind of hard to write this one, since I had to check the meaning of several Arcana, both upright and reversed, and I was trying to explain their meanings and giving advice sounding coherent. Thank you, again, Dreadburner94, for helping me with the reverse Arcana. Now for those wondering, the mystery character is another party member, and a rich one at that, and, no, while she knows Mitsuru, she doesn't know about the Dark Hour beyond a couple "nightmares" when she was little, and is a fairly distant relationship, anyway. Now, enjoy, review (no flames, please), and fave if you want.
