avalar | [Voice] Arcana III

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persona 3: minato arisato

[Voice] Arcana III - so much to lose

[Minato couldn't not notice, this time. He'd thought at first that he might be wrong, but well... A few days and no contact can only mean one thing, can't it? The message comes late at night, and is brief. His voice is level and calm, but trained ears could tell it's only barely so.]

...I know not many of us were close to them, but I figured it's worth knowing: Marie, my housemate, seems to be gone. I'm pretty sure Shirogane Naoto is, too.

[He shuts it off quickly. Two of his closest friends here, vanished. He doesn't know if they went home or what. He's...never really thought about where the people who are no longer in Avalar may have gone. Home? Some other world? He can't help but be sad about it, no matter what the case may be. It hurts.]

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It's...a metaphor for the path an individual takes through life. Some follow it more closely than others. ..Give me a minute, it'll probably help to have my deck.

[He heads to his room for just a few moments, returning with a boxed deck of cards. He separates them on the coffee table - a large pile left in the box, and the twenty-two major arcana laid out in order in front of him.]

Each major arcana represents a stage on the journey... an experience that the individual must incorporate to realize his oneness.

The first card, numbered 0, is The Fool. It represents the beginning and suggests infinite possibilities. The next card, The Magician, represents action and initiative...but also immaturity. The Priestess represents contemplation and inner knowledge. The Empress represents motherhood and the life it brings forth. The Emperor is an opposing card. It represents fathering and relates to leadership and decision-making skills. The Hierophant represents formality and knowledge, and stands for religion.

The Lovers card represents choice. Here, the individual's consciousness has finally surfaced. The Chariot represents victory for the individual, but only a momentary one. Justice represents the knowledge of what is right, and what is wrong. The Hermit represents the individual's search for answers by looking inward, deep inside his heart. Fortune represents fate, and the opportunities that come with it. Strength represents both passion and self-control. It is depicted as power with reason. The Hanged Man reflects the individual's inability to take action.

Spiritual death awaits the individual with the 13th card, which is aptly named Death. Death is considered a transitional card... The old ends, and the new begins. Following the transition, Temperance is the balancing of opposites. Opening his eyes to the world allows the individual to grow. And as the Devil represents, he then faces temptation. At The Tower, his values collapse on him. It seems as if he no longer has anything to believe in, but...

...He then finds a glimmer of hope, represented by The Star; and he is suffused with a serene calm. This bliss makes him vulnerable to the illusions of The Moon. Fears arise, and he follows the dim path in his heart with trepidation... But he is rewarded with a bright future, represented by The Sun, which signifies true achievement. Judgement awaits the individual at the end of his journey, as he looks back on the path he has traveled.

The final card is The World - or in my case, the Universe - which represents the individual's full awareness of his place and role in life and death.

[Okay, this is... supremely confusing. But Pit'll try to simplify it.]

So, it's basically how you choose to live your live, right?

[Symbolism can be that way.]

Sort of. Everyone follows the Fool's Journey to some extent, just as everyone can be represented by one of the arcana. It's just more relevant to some than others.

[Pit wishes he had Viridi here. Maybe she could make sense of this.]

And this has something to do with your Persona?

That's right. Every Persona has an arcana as well. In most cases, the Persona will match the arcana of the wielder, but... I'm a little different, since I can use multiple Personas. My arcana is the Fool. I met people of every arcana, and learned more about myself because of them. ...In the end, I became the wielder of the Universe Arcana. I was never told what the limits of that power are, if it even has any.

It's all very existential, it's okay if you're confused.

Yeah, it's all pretty confusing. But I think I've got most of it.

[And now Pit will try to summarize it all.]

So, this Universe Arcana lets you use multiple Personas, and this Seito guy apparently hates you because of that. That sums it up?

Actually, I can't use any Personas while I'm using the Universe Arcana, I think. I can use multiple Personas because I'm a Wild Card, which is just the term for someone who can.

Souzen... He has an old enemy, who's a Fool and Wild Card like me. That's who he hates. I referred to myself as a Fool in front of him once and he immediately began associating me with that enemy.

Now, though, I think he hates me for the same reason I don't hate him. I mentioned he's a lot like who I used to be - his life completely empty. He...might see that, too, and hate me for finding a way to fill my life when he couldn't.

So, it's mostly out of jealousy. I hope I don't sound cruel if I say that's a stupid reason to hate you. I'm sure he can find something to fill his life too if he tried. He doesn't have to kill people to be happy.

...It's reasoning I understand perfectly. Had things gone differently for me, I could have become what he is. I could have become much worse than him.

I don't think it's happiness he feels. It's just that he feels something, which is more than nothing. So that's what he latches onto and calls enjoyment.

[Pit's always had a black and white view on morality, and while part of him doesn't want to feel sorry for Seito, he can't help but feel pity.]

That's kinda sad, actually.

[Justice arcana...possibly Chariot? Minato nods.]

I don't know the details of what happened to him, but...that kind of thing takes some pretty bad tragedy and trauma. [Implying something about himself, but that's not the point.]

[Something like that.]

Well, we'll have to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone. You don't think he'll try anything again, do you?

I can't say. He's difficult to predict. He tried to kill me back in September...but on Halloween he saved me when I was in danger. Then again, that may be because of her...

[Now why does that sound familiar...?]

But if he hates you, why would he save you?

Because of Minako-chan.

...If you didn't think the situation was complicated enough, it's about to get weirder. There's a girl here, Minako Arisato. She isn't my sister. We're different people, but we follow the same path in separate worlds. The same things happen to us, we have the same powers, and so on. She hasn't seen a lot of the crap I have yet.

She and Souzen are kind of...dating, I think? And she was there when he saved me. He may have done it for her.

[The icon is appropriate because this is Pit's current expression. Just what the hell has he gotten himself into?!]

So your best friend from another world is dating your worst enemy? Awkward... Does she... know about him?

Actually, Minako-chan and I simply don't exist in eachother's worlds. More like my enemy is dating female-me. Awkward as hell seeing her kiss him...

[Welcome to Persona, Pit.]

She doesn't know yet... I haven't found a way to tell her.

[Oh, this is getting confusing again.]

So, what are you gonna do?

I don't know. I need to tell her, but somewhere I can be sure he isn't listening in. He's smart, this could all backfire horribly if I'm not careful.

...It's been stressful. That's why I passed out back in November.

What, he spies on you too? Creepy.

Maybe, especially given how much I go through the orbs to keep an eye on him. But I wouldn't be surprised at all if he kept a close eye on Minako-chan.

Huh... Well, you know you've got my help if you need it.

Thanks, Pit. It's good to have friends I can count on.

Anytime, Minato. Well, it's getting late. I'd better go. Need anything before I go?

Nah. I'm... I will be fine. Life goes on, right?

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angelicbadass - 2014-01-22 02:17 (UTC) - Expand

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[Voice] Arcana III - so much to lose

[action] so sorry for the tl;dr I just copypasted and edited the game script XD

[action] It's cool! I'd probably would've done the same thing. XD

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