5. The Major Arcana & Taken Personas

[ORION]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,95%,true][atrb=align,center,true][bg=#bcbcbc] THE MAJOR ARCANA ( what arcana are you? )

[/url] and Persona 4 Personas here. You are allowed to create your own, but you need to have a picture. Demons from other SMT games are also available to you. If you choose one from the games, you may change their stats and abilities to whatever feels appropriate. You can also reserve Personas here. Just fill out the code and reply. Reservations will last for a week.
[b](Your name)[/b] would like to reserve [b](Persona name)[/b] of the [b](Arcana)[/b] from [b](date of your reservation)[/b]


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0. THE FOOL

( are you following your dreams? )

Idea, thought, spirituality, that which endeavours to rise above the material. The Fool is the card of infinite possibilities. The bag on the staff indicates that he has all he need to do or be anything he wants, he has only to stop and unpack. He is on his way to a brand new beginning. But the card carries a little bark of warning as well. Stop daydreaming and fantasizing and watch your step, lest you fall and end up looking the fool.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Shuiski Zarek

TAKEN PERSONAS:

1. THE MAGICIAN

( are you aware of your own power? )

Skill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, depending on dignity. Eloquent and charismatic both verbally and in writing, you are clever, witty, inventive and persuasive. The Magician is the power of creation, creation by willpower and desire. In that ancient sense, it is the ability to make things so just by speaking them aloud. Reflecting this is the fact that the Magician is represented by Mercury. He represents the gift of tongues, a smooth talker, a salesman. Also clever with the slight of hand and a medicine man - either a real doctor or someone trying to sell you snake oil.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Hasegawa Masaru
  
• Tsubasa Jiyuu
  
• Itazura Satoshi
  
• Elias Krauer

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Kelpie
  
• Jack Frost

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2. THE HIGH PRIESTESS

( are you listening to your inner self? )

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education. The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluctuation, particularly when it comes to your moods.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Haruno Haruka

TAKEN PERSONAS:

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3. THE EMPRESS

( are you nurturing yourself and others? )

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation. The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful. The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Hinanawi Kazuumi

TAKEN PERSONAS:

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4. THE EMPEROR

( are you being inflexible or too practical? )

Stability, power, protection, realization; a great person. The Emperor is the great authority figure of the Tarot, so it represents fathers, father-figures and employers. There is a lot of aggression and violence too. The Emperor naturally follows the Empress. Like an infant, he is filled with enthusiasm, energy, aggression. He is direct, guileless and all too often irresistible. Unfortunately, like a baby he can also be a tyrant. Impatient, demanding, controlling. In the best of circumstances, he signifies the leader that everyone wants to follow, sitting on a throne that indicates the solid foundation of an Empire he created, loves and rules with intelligence and enthusiasm. But that throne can also be a trap, a responsibility that has the Emperor feeling restless, bored and discontent.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Vincent Sanders
  
• Gavrill Rasputin
  
• Shimizu Shigeru
  
• Angelo De Luca
  
• Antonio Rosso

TAKEN PERSONAS:

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5. THE HIEROPHANT

( are your beliefs helping or hindering you? )

Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching. All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors. The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel. The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Akiyama Asuka
  
• Kisaragi Jin
  
• Tachibana Kyo

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Kyuubi No Kitsune
  
• Manwë
  
• Kashikoi

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6. THE LOVERS

( how do you feel about your relationships? )

Motive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse. The Lovers represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made. Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that the you have or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Shimizu Kotori
  
• Mitadake Violet
  
• Sato Koji

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Undine

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7. THE CHARIOT

( what is your motivation? )

Triumph, Victory, Overcoming Obstacles. The chariot is one of the most complex cards to define. On its most basic level, it implies war, a struggle, and an eventual, hard-won victory. Either over enemies, obstacles, nature, the beasts inside you, or to just get what you want. But there is a great deal more to it. The charioteer wears emblems of the sun, yet the sign behind this card is the moon. The chariot is all about motion, and yet it is often shown as stationary. It is a union of opposites, like the black and white steeds. They pull in different directions, but must be (and can be!) made to go together in one direction. Control is required over opposing emotions, wants, needs, people, circumstances; bring them together and give them a single direction, your direction. Confidence is also needed and, most especially, motivation. The card can, in fact, indicate new motivation or inspiration, which gets a stagnant situation moving again.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Uzuki Hanashi
  
• Sun Jingjing

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Chimera
  
• Nata Taishi

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8. JUSTICE

( what can you do to be more balanced? )

Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph of the observing side in law. Justice is about cold, objective balance through reason or natural force. You can't keep smoking and drinking without consequences to your health. It is the card that advises cutting out waste and insists that you make adjustments, do whatever is necessary to bring things back into balance, physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually. It is a card of balance and harmony; if there is imbalance, the correction may require recourse to the law.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Sekozawa Yohei
  
• Rikana Shinna

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Uriel
  
• Power

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9. THE HERMIT

( have you taken the time to simply be? )

Prudence, Caution, Deliberation. The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The illumination is from within, and retirement from participation in current events. The Hermit is a card of introspection, analysis and, well, virginity. You do not desire to socialize; the card indicates, instead, a desire for peace and solitude. You prefer to take the time to think, organize, ruminate, take stock. There may be feelings of frustration and discontent but these feelings eventually lead to enlightenment, illumination, clarity. The Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Veneziano De Leon

TAKEN PERSONAS:

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10. THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

( how do you handle change? )

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of intoxication with success The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Heiwajima Haruna

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Thalia

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11. STRENGTH

( how do you define strength? )

Courage, strength, fortitude. Power not arrested in the act of judgement, but passing on to further action, sometimes obstinacy. This is a card of courage and energy. It represents both the Lion's hot, roaring energy, and the Maiden's steadfast will. The innocent Maiden is unafraid, undaunted, and indomitable. In some cards she opens the lion's mouth, in others she shuts it. Either way, she proves that inner strength is more powerful than raw physical strength. That forces can be controlled and used to score a victory is very close to the message of the Chariot. With strength you can control not only the situation, but yourself. It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor. It can also stand for a steadfast friend.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Narukawa Mori
  
• Murakami Ouhi

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Valkyrie

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12. THE HANGED MAN

( are you willing to sacrifice your expectations? )

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound. With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of loss from a situation, rather than gain. The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes. The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Hazame Hiroku
  
• Matteo Corso
  
• Shigekuni Maria

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Damaris

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13. DEATH

( is there something in your life that's due for change? )

Change, Transformation, Alteration. People fear this card, but if you want to change your life, this is one of the best indicators for it. Whatever happens, life will be different. Yes, the Death card can signal a death in the right circumstances (a question about a very sick or old relative, for example), but unlike its dramatic presentation in the movies, the Death card is far more likely to signal transformation, passage, change. Scorpio, the sign of this card, has three forms: scorpion, serpent, eagle. The Death card indicates this transition from lower to higher to highest. This is a card of humility, and it may mean you have been brought low, but only so that you can then go higher than ever before. Death "humbles" all, but it also "exults." Always keep in mind that on this card of darkness there is featured a sunrise as well. You could be ready for a change.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Berufegoru Sin
  
• Tokisaka Kimiko

TAKEN PERSONAS:

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14. TEMPERANCE

( what can you do to create more peace in your life? )

Time. Ages. Transformation. Involuntary change. Temperance is another card of aspiration, but also of much change. It often represents complex situations. Positively, you can harmonize contrary forces. Temperance is, on a surface level, about "tempering." The original pouring from cup to cup might have been about cutting wine with water. So this is a card about moderation. There is, however, another angle to the card, that of merging seemingly impossible opposites. Sagittarius, the centaur, merges beast and man into a unique creature. And then there is the bow and arrow, one moving, one stationary, working together to point the way. Temperance may be, at first glance, a warning for you to "temper" your behavior, to cut your wine with water. But it may also be a reminder to that seemingly irreconcilable opposites may not be irreconcilable at all. Belief that fiery red and watery blue cannot be merged may be the only thing standing in the way of blending the two. Change the belief, measure out each with care, and you can create otherworldly violet.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Leandur Takuya
  
• Alto Nome

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Byakko

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15. THE DEVIL

( are you feeding an addiction? )

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession. The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition. Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

TAKEN PERSONAS:

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16. THE TOWER

( what are you pretending about? )

Ambition, fighting, war, courage. Destruction, danger, fall, ruin. The Tower represents war, destruction, but also spiritual renewal. Plans are disrupted. Your views and ideas will change as a result. The Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." You have been shaken up; blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Genji Kiyoshi
  
• Kondo Daisuke
  
• Talei Aleksei

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Masakado
  
• Shiva

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17. THE STAR

( what can you do to be more at ease with yourself? )

Hope, expectation, Bright promises. The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realized. The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Shiroki Akira
  
• Takashi Christopher

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Logos

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18. THE MOON

( what are you allowing to distract you? )

Hope, expectation, Bright promises. The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window. The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Suiyou Railey
  
• Akiyama Yuuki

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Seth

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19. THE SUN

( is there an area in your life you need clarification? )

Happiness, Content, Joy. The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent. Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way. The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light that comes after the long dark night, Apollo to the Moon's Diana. A positive card, it promises you your day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. As the moon symbolized inspiration from the unconscious, from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made fully consciousness and wide awake. You have an understanding and enjoyment of science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect, clarity of mind, and feelings of youthful energy.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Murakami Kato
  
• Mayonaka Nuriko
  
• Mikhail Sinclair

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Geri

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20. JUDGEMENT

( what is your highest calling? )

Happiness, Content, Joy. Judgment is related to the Hebrew letter Shin, which is fiery and spiritual. A break from the past, going forward. With Fire as its ruling element, Judgement is about rebirth or resurrection. The idea of Judgement day is that the dead rise, their sins are forgiven, and they move onto heaven. The Judgement card is similar, it asks the resurrection to summon the past, forgive it, and let it go. There are wounds from the past that we never let heal, sins we've committed that we refuse to forgive, bad habits we haven't the courage to lose. Judgement advises us to finally face these, recognize that the past is past, and put them to rest, absolutely and irrevocably. This is also a card of healing, quite literally from an accident or illness, as well as a card signaling great transformation, renewal, change.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Haruka Mizuki
  
• Lorenze Sei
  
• Jouten-Fuzokubutsu Yotogi

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Sekhmet

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21. THE WORLD

( what is your ultimate desire? )

Completion, Good Reward. The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion. The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

CHARACTERS OF THIS ARCANA:

• Saotome Sheryl
  Tsuyomi Vvar

TAKEN PERSONAS:

• Seiryuu

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excerpts taken from here and here.

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[Adelaide Peirce]

Adell would like to reserve Alice of the Death Arcana from October 20.