#bloody textwall

[starcallecl]

i’ll be honest. i’ve been really annoyed being on this blog this weekend simply over an issue, which isn’t big in all honesty but it’s big to me because, this blog is different compared to my others. this is a blog for nostalgia and a place for me to kick back with lovely stories and recount the cartoons and games of my childhood years. and to have my muse receive abuse or people treat this blog like one big joke. 

i’ve taken down my textwall because of it, because honestly. such vulgar language and negativity is not what i need. did the person who posted it think they’re funny? it’s not bloody funny.

i want t be able to come here and just... enjoy myself.

[martianunicorn]

MapleStory – Tarot Arcanas

i am not one who’s much for tarot card readings, but for Persona games? Heck yes. Descriptions for the arcana shamelessly taken from SMT Wikia with additional descriptions from my friend hurhurhur. These are just a personal take, readers may agree or disagree, because we are clearly not an expert on divination.

(Sengoku characters are not included because… Well, hard to fit them into canon.)

0: The Fool – Zero The Fool represents innocence, divine inspiration, madness, freedom, spontaneity, inexperience, chaos, and creativity. Symbolizes an individual beginning or in the process of a great journey. The Fool knows not what is ahead and has no plans or destinations; instead, picking these up along the way.

Apart from the obvious connection that Zero is, well, 0, The Fool arcana fits them because they are on their hero’s journey, and as a transcendent, they still have a long way to go. They are still inexperienced of the ways of humans and it looks like the corruption in them (placed upon by Will) isn’t completely resolved either.

I: The Magician – Evan The Magician Arcana is commonly associated with action, initiative, self-confidence, manipulation and power (more specifically, the power to harness one’s talents). The ability to bring what you desire into reality.

Evan is very driven, and takes up his predecessor’s heavy mantle willingly. He knows what has to be done and does his best to gather the heroes to protect their world. Nihal Desert, where he uncovers Abraxas, is shown in the background as the place where Evan comes to the decision to lead the heroes into fulfilling their role as the Heroes of Maple.

II: The High Priestess – Rhinne The Priestess Arcana is a symbol of hidden knowledge or other untapped power, wisdom, female mystery and patience.

Before there was any plot in MapleStory, we have always seen statues of Rhinne in Time Temple. As more Legend/Heroes classes and the Demon class were released, the stories unveil more of Rhinne’s involvement in their battle against the Black Mage, and the mystery surrounding her unravels. Despite being sealed by him all along, she was still able to lend her powers to help Freud create the seal for Black Mage.​ While still sealed, Rhinne bided her time with patience and entrusted her role to her successors.

III: The Empress – Mercedes The Empress represents mothers, prosperity, creativity, sexuality, abundance, fertility and comfort (most often in helping maintain peace around them like an ideal mother would).

Mercedes is the most mature of the heroes, and as Queen of the Elves, she looks out for all those around her like a mother.

IV: The Emperor – Freud The Emperor Arcana represents power and authority, along with wisdom and experience. It also symbolizes the desire to control one’s surroundings, and its appearance could suggest that one is trying too hard to achieve this, possibly causing trouble for others; some elements in life are just not controllable. 

As a scholar, Freud researches and seeks information about everything. His takes issue with the existence of trancendents and wants to distribute that power amongst more shows his wish to control, to change the status quo that he cannot accept. He also shows a fatherly nature towards the rest of the heroes, in line with the Emperor arcana.

V: The Hierophant – Luminous The Hierophant is a symbol of education, authority, conservatism, obedience to rules and relationship with the divine. The definition of a “hierophant” is a person who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.

​Luminous has a power of the transcendent, a divine power. Since the Hierophant is also High Priest arcana, his magician of light title and his sealing of the Black Mage fits. And his personality is also somewhat a stick in the mud, which fits the traits of this arcana.

VI: The Lovers – Phantom Initially, the Lovers Arcana represents two paths life could lead to, and thus a symbol of standing at a crossroad and needing to make a decision. To hesitate and make a decision between the “right” way and the “easy” way.        Contemporarily, it is a symbol of love and romantic relationships, although it can also be a symbol of finding agreement with an ordinary friend or even two conflicting elements within. To choose to trust, and make yourself vulnerable for someone or something you wish to devote yourself to.

​This arcana was destined for Phantom because of the appearance of the card he threw at Freud in his animated cutscene. Phantom's desire for a free lifestyle and his love for Aria forces him to choose a path that he would not have taken otherwise.

VII: The Chariot – Aran The Chariot Arcana is a symbol of victory, conquest, self-assertion, self-confidence, control, war and command. To triumph in battle a between between things that oppose. To break through obstacles and overcome stagnation (either in yourself or in an ordeal versus others), moving forward as a chariot does.

Pre-Big Bang, Aran’s name was already known in Perion, mentioned as a legendary warrior. She never hesitates and only ever keeps going forward. Not even a loss of memory and identity changes that.

VIII: Justice – Nineheart and Claudine The Justice Arcana symbolizes a strict allegory of justice, objectivity, rationality and analysis. Doing what needs to be done, regardless of the situation, in order to abolish chaos and establish order.

​Nineheart can be mean and calculative, but he always does what is good for the sake of the world. Claudine is similar in her own way.

IX: The Hermit – Xenon The Hermit is associated with wisdom, introspection, solitude, retreat and philosophical searches. To remove oneself from the mainstream and take time to reflect. He might be misunderstood or berated for deviating from societal norms, but he is also able to shed light on things from an angle ordinary people do not see.

As a cyborg, Xenon is removed from human feelings and emotions. Yet he does not avoid thinking and continues searching for his past. His base, Veritas means "truth" in Latin and this card also symbolizes a search for truth.

X: Wheel of Fortune – Kyle (Kaiser) The Wheel of Fortune symbolizes fate, luck, fortune and opportunity. To seize their own destiny in spite of fate.

Kyle is a normal nova boy who was suddenly a legendary figure. With the role entrusted to him, Kyle makes the best of his situation to lead his people into victory.

XI: Strength – Demon Slayer/Avenger The Strength Arcana is associated with the morality about the stronger power of self-control, gentleness, courage and virtue over brute force. The balance of compassion and brute force. Coming to terms with the “beast within”; controlling the use of one’s inner power and primal instincts. It can also represent creative or physical energy that needs to be or is about to be unleashed, sometimes out of desire to be recognized.

Though born as a strong demon, Demon decided that he would not let its power consume him, and choose his family and friends over the Black Mage.

XII: The Hanged Man – EunWol The Hanged Man Arcana is associated with self-sacrifice for the sake of enlightenment, the bindings that makes one free, paradoxes and hanging between heaven and earth. To take the time necessary to reflect over one’s upcoming actions.

There’s no better arcana to describe what EunWol has done. As a result of his sacrifice, he becomes displaced from time, a paradox of sorts.

XIII: Death – Kinesis While it is associated with foreboding and of doom, Death Arcana also symbolizes the metamorphosis and deep change, regeneration and cycles.  Death signifies not just an ending, but also rebirth. Just as the Sun sets every night, it is reborn again in the next morning.

The introduction of Kinesis introduces great change to the Seoul World. As the first psychic, his existence heralds more strange happenings in his world. Death does not discern between classes - pawns to bishops alike are not spared from Death’s reach.

XIV: Temperance – Afrien and Mir The Temperance Arcana is a symbol of synthesis, prudence, harmony, and the merging of opposites. The harmony (or tempering) of multiple elements instead of sacrificing any one for any other, to generate a whole that is more than the sum of used parts.

The bond between Afrien and Freud is a merger of two wills, representing the unity of both people and creatures in their battle against a great evil. Despite the differences between Afrien/Freud and Mir/Evan, the same will is passed on from the ancestors and lives on in the descendants, drawing together the past and future.

XV: The Devil – Magnus and Hilla The familiar interpretation of the Devil Arcana is its negative aspect, which represents the urge to do selfish, impulsive, violent things, and being a slave to ones’ own impulse and feelings. Occasionally, it is also portrayed as a symbol of temptation. The positive aspect, however, represents a healthy bond or commitment.

Backstabbing champion Magnus deserves this arcana. On the other hand, Hilla is probably one of the most loyal of the Black Mage Commanders.

alternatively… XV: The Devil – Orchid and Lotus

As Wing Commanders, Lotus gave in to his homicidal tendencies and did whatever he liked. Both siblings were only concerned with their own fun and were rather uncaring for anyone else but each other. Yet that bond between the two of them is pure and holds fast, until death did they part.

XVI: The Tower – White/Black Mage The Tower Arcana is commonly associated to overly arrogant, prejudiced and authoritarian organisation, which walk to their own ironic demise. Furthermore, it is also more generically used as an omen of doom and disaster. It can be seen as the worst card of the deck, as it rarely has a positive meaning.        But sometimes, an existing form has to be struck down in order to make way for a ones. Then, there is a sudden glimpse of the truth.

​Black Mage is a fallen tower from his once respected White Mage self. With his search for truth, it ends up causing his fall into becoming who he is now.

XVII: The Star – Cygnus The Star Arcana is also commonly associated with hope, self-confidence, faith, altruism, luck, generosity, peace and joy. The star is a guiding light; an assuring sign that one is on the right path, or a glimmering hope for lost souls. Can also symbolize long-term goals; a future that one needs to focus on and mustn’t lose sight of.

​As a symbol of the Maple World, Cygnus represents hope and goodness in amidst the darkness brought on by the resurrection of the Black Mage.

XVIII: The Moon – Damien The Moon Arcana is associated with creativity, inspiration, dreams, madness, illusions, fear, fantasy, the subconscious, and trickery. It can also represent being attuned subconsciously to the world around, gaining the ability to sense things without being told about them or without anyone else knowing.

Damien’s symbol is that of the moon. He dreams of a fair and happy world, but falls into madness eventually, disillusioned by the draw of power.

XIX: The Sun – Tear (Angelic Buster) The Sun symbolizes happiness, joy, energy, optimism, and accomplishment. Occasionally, it is also associated with one’s initial happiness. Warm, radiant, and full of energy. It represents the dawn that comes after the darkest night.

Tear’s dialogues are one of the most full of energetic ones. Despite her being different from the other Nova, she remains cheerful always. As an entertainer, Angelic Buster brings joy to others amidst times of crisis, as seen from her performance for the alliance after the Black Heaven mission.

XX: The Judgement – Shinsoo The Judgement Arcana is associated with realizing one’s calling, gaining a deep understanding of life, and a feeling of acceptance and absolution. The reflection of past actions and their consequences. Accepting or shedding past burdens in order to move on to new things.

​Shinsoo maintains the Maple World by supporting the Empresses with her bond. Whatever decisions Aria and Cygnus make, Shinsoo accepts them and acts accordingly.

XXI: The World – Alicia The World Arcana is a representation of the world’s totality, the symbol of fulfillment, wholeness, and harmony. Taking in and assessing everything as a whole. The culmination of experiences gained through a long and sometimes difficult journey.

World Tree Alicia, Transcendent of Life is a perfect fit for the World arcana. At the end of Heroes of Maple, she scatters her soul, becoming part of the world in order to breathe the life back into it.