Final draft, unless someone complains...
Both a socio-political statement and a fortune-telling prop, the '''Ravenmoon Tarot Deck''' first came to the public's notice when copies were made available for purchase at Serenity-Con.The deck actually dates to a few weeks after the fall of [[Crystal Osaka], but people just don't visit Ravenmoon very often. It follows the Rider-Waite deck in most respects, but the Major Arcana has been updated for Fenspace.
;0 - The Fool
:The Fool is both the beginning and the end, and the one who both makes the journey through the Tarot and the one who shows newcomers the way along that journey. The creator of the Ravenmoon Tarot chose to depict the First Fan in Space, [[Katz Schrödinger], as the Fool.
;1 - The Magician
:The Rider-Waite deck uses The Magician to denote scholarly knowledge. The Ravenmoon deck depicts Fenspace's first well-known scholar, [[Jonathon Helscher], as the Fen Magician.
;2 - The High Priestess
:Many interpertations of the High Priestess have her representing "the female indwelling presence of the divine." The Ravenmoon Tarot depicts the three-into-one AI of [[Fate] and her sister-selves (as they present themselves in video feeds from the ''[[Fateful Lightning])'' as the High Priestess.
;3 - The Empress
:The Empress is both the Earthly Paradise and the Feminine principle. Ravenmoon's artist chose two intelligences to represent The Empress: [[Kat Avins] and Gaia, both of ''[[Grover's Corners].''
;4 - The Emperor
:Some interpret The Emperor as the desire to rule over one's surroundings, while others see it as the embodiment of the Masculine principle. Either way, the Ravenmoon deck depicts the [[Transrationality Science Assessment Bureau]'s ranking off-planet officer, Col. [[Stephen Caldwell], as The Emperor.
;5 - The Hierophant
:The Hierophant originally represented religion, orthodox theology, traditional education, and a “Man of high social standing.” The Ravenmoon deck divorces the card from its religious aspects, and depicts a prominent Fendane with close ties to Earth and conservative politics - [[Chris Marsden].
;6 - The Lovers
:In the Rider-Waite deck, The Lovers represents the impulse that drives one out of the Garden of Eden, towards adulthood. The Ravenmoon deck deviates from this and takes the card more literally, showing [[Benjamin Rhodes] and [[Regina 'Gina' Langley|Gina Langley] as The Lovers - although some claim Gina represents both a lover and the drive toward adulthood.
;7 - The Chariot
:The Chariot represents struggle and eventual hard-won victory. It is also the only Tarot card associated with a vehicle. The Ravenmoon deck shows one who has struggled and won against herself, gaining the victory of being able to travel through space under her own power at the cost of being merged with her vehicle: [[Jet Jaguar].
;8 - Strength
iscipline and control are the watch-words of Strength, as they are of [[Alita Gally] and the other members of the [[Panzer Kunst Gruppe] shown on this card.
;9 - The Hermit
:Rider-Waite interprets The Hermit in two ways: the need to withdraw from society to become comfortable with oneself, and the return from isolation to share one's knowledge. The Ravenmoon deck depicts Fenspace's most famous recluse, Paidrag O'Niell, as the Hermit, but leaves the card's illustration incomplete - perhaps the artist is waiting for Mr. O'Niell to end his self-imposed exile from society.
;10 - Wheel of Fortune
:The Wheel of Fortune represents an element of change in the querant's life. While the most obvious image for this card would have been handwavium itself, the Ravenmoon Tarot's creator instead chose a person well-known to have gone through a change because of handwavium: "That Poor Sod," [[A.C. Peters].
;11 - Justice
:The easiest of the Tarot to interpret, Justice represents Justice. The Ravenmoon card features the Best Damn Cop on Mars, [[Natsuko Aki].There are rumors of early Ravenmoon decks that show Justice as Great Justice, depicting [[SOS-dan|Haruhi and her inner circle] on the card. Nobody has ever displayed an example of such a card.)[/i]
;12 - The Hanged Man
:Most interpertations of the Hanged Man mark him as an indication of sacrifice, letting go, and surrendering. The Ravenmoon deck goes beyond this and adds misfortune, represented by [[Murphy Murphy].
;13 - Death
:Most fortune-tellers are quick to say that Death is not always Death; it is also an ending, a change, or an increased sense of self-awareness because of change. But that ending can also be the ending of dreams or lives. Ravenmoon's artist chose for Death a [[First Fen|First Fan] who is known to be quick to violence, who was avoided like the plague for years, and who changed because of an increased self-awareness of his place in Fen society: [[Noah Scott].
;14 - Temperance
:The Rider-Waite interpretation of Temperance is moderation, synthesis, and compromise. Ravenmoon depicts the first leader to embrace synthesis and compromise for the good of her faction, [[Serenity I], as the embodiment of Temperance.
;15 - The Devil
:In most traditional decks, The Devil represents an obsession or addiction to fulfilling earthly base desires. The Ravenmoon deck gives the (dis)honor of the role of The Devil to [[Dr. Asmodeus Grey|Asmodeus Grey].
;16 - The Tower
:Failure, ruin and catastrophe are the hallmarks of The Tower, and this is reflected in the Ravenmoon deck by its depiction of the falling [[Crystal Osaka] on this card.
;17 - The Star
:Many interpretations of The Star have it representing inspiration and discovery. Ravenmoon's deck chooses to represent this as scientific inspiration and discovery, presenting [[The Professor] in his laboratory.
;18 - The Moon
:Rider-Waite uses the Moon to denote life of the imagination separated from life of the spirit - a focus on a wide-ranging worldly life instead of a spiritual life. This role has been given (perhaps unfairly) to [[Buckaroo] in the Ravenmoon Tarot.
;19 - The Sun
:The Sun is "attained knowledge," shown in this deck by Neil Armstrong making his walk at [[Tranquility Base National Park|Tranquility Base].
;20 - Judgement
:Judgement symbolizes resurrection and the promise of life after death. That promise was fulfilled in the earliest days of the Fenspace diaspora, embodied in Fenspace and depicted in the Ravenmoon deck by [[Wave Convoy].
;21 - The Worlds
:Rider-Waite says The World is fulfillment, accomplishment, and success. While this could apply to all of the Big-Name Fen, the most public and outspoken BNF, [[S. Malaclypse Fnord|Mal Fnord], is the one Ravenmoon's artist chose to depict on The Worlds. Many of the planets that the [[Soviet Air Force|Soviets] were first to explore are shown in the image's background.
==Notes==
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Both a socio-political statement and a fortune-telling prop, the '''Ravenmoon Tarot Deck''' first came to the public's notice when copies were made available for purchase at Serenity-Con.The deck actually dates to a few weeks after the fall of [[Crystal Osaka], but people just don't visit Ravenmoon very often. It follows the Rider-Waite deck in most respects, but the Major Arcana has been updated for Fenspace.
;0 - The Fool
:The Fool is both the beginning and the end, and the one who both makes the journey through the Tarot and the one who shows newcomers the way along that journey. The creator of the Ravenmoon Tarot chose to depict the First Fan in Space, [[Katz Schrödinger], as the Fool.
;1 - The Magician
:The Rider-Waite deck uses The Magician to denote scholarly knowledge. The Ravenmoon deck depicts Fenspace's first well-known scholar, [[Jonathon Helscher], as the Fen Magician.
;2 - The High Priestess
:Many interpertations of the High Priestess have her representing "the female indwelling presence of the divine." The Ravenmoon Tarot depicts the three-into-one AI of [[Fate] and her sister-selves (as they present themselves in video feeds from the ''[[Fateful Lightning])'' as the High Priestess.
;3 - The Empress
:The Empress is both the Earthly Paradise and the Feminine principle. Ravenmoon's artist chose two intelligences to represent The Empress: [[Kat Avins] and Gaia, both of ''[[Grover's Corners].''
;4 - The Emperor
:Some interpret The Emperor as the desire to rule over one's surroundings, while others see it as the embodiment of the Masculine principle. Either way, the Ravenmoon deck depicts the [[Transrationality Science Assessment Bureau]'s ranking off-planet officer, Col. [[Stephen Caldwell], as The Emperor.
;5 - The Hierophant
:The Hierophant originally represented religion, orthodox theology, traditional education, and a “Man of high social standing.” The Ravenmoon deck divorces the card from its religious aspects, and depicts a prominent Fendane with close ties to Earth and conservative politics - [[Chris Marsden].
;6 - The Lovers
:In the Rider-Waite deck, The Lovers represents the impulse that drives one out of the Garden of Eden, towards adulthood. The Ravenmoon deck deviates from this and takes the card more literally, showing [[Benjamin Rhodes] and [[Regina 'Gina' Langley|Gina Langley] as The Lovers - although some claim Gina represents both a lover and the drive toward adulthood.
;7 - The Chariot
:The Chariot represents struggle and eventual hard-won victory. It is also the only Tarot card associated with a vehicle. The Ravenmoon deck shows one who has struggled and won against herself, gaining the victory of being able to travel through space under her own power at the cost of being merged with her vehicle: [[Jet Jaguar].
;8 - Strength
iscipline and control are the watch-words of Strength, as they are of [[Alita Gally] and the other members of the [[Panzer Kunst Gruppe] shown on this card.;9 - The Hermit
:Rider-Waite interprets The Hermit in two ways: the need to withdraw from society to become comfortable with oneself, and the return from isolation to share one's knowledge. The Ravenmoon deck depicts Fenspace's most famous recluse, Paidrag O'Niell, as the Hermit, but leaves the card's illustration incomplete - perhaps the artist is waiting for Mr. O'Niell to end his self-imposed exile from society.
;10 - Wheel of Fortune
:The Wheel of Fortune represents an element of change in the querant's life. While the most obvious image for this card would have been handwavium itself, the Ravenmoon Tarot's creator instead chose a person well-known to have gone through a change because of handwavium: "That Poor Sod," [[A.C. Peters].
;11 - Justice
:The easiest of the Tarot to interpret, Justice represents Justice. The Ravenmoon card features the Best Damn Cop on Mars, [[Natsuko Aki].There are rumors of early Ravenmoon decks that show Justice as Great Justice, depicting [[SOS-dan|Haruhi and her inner circle] on the card. Nobody has ever displayed an example of such a card.)[/i]
;12 - The Hanged Man
:Most interpertations of the Hanged Man mark him as an indication of sacrifice, letting go, and surrendering. The Ravenmoon deck goes beyond this and adds misfortune, represented by [[Murphy Murphy].
;13 - Death
:Most fortune-tellers are quick to say that Death is not always Death; it is also an ending, a change, or an increased sense of self-awareness because of change. But that ending can also be the ending of dreams or lives. Ravenmoon's artist chose for Death a [[First Fen|First Fan] who is known to be quick to violence, who was avoided like the plague for years, and who changed because of an increased self-awareness of his place in Fen society: [[Noah Scott].
;14 - Temperance
:The Rider-Waite interpretation of Temperance is moderation, synthesis, and compromise. Ravenmoon depicts the first leader to embrace synthesis and compromise for the good of her faction, [[Serenity I], as the embodiment of Temperance.
;15 - The Devil
:In most traditional decks, The Devil represents an obsession or addiction to fulfilling earthly base desires. The Ravenmoon deck gives the (dis)honor of the role of The Devil to [[Dr. Asmodeus Grey|Asmodeus Grey].
;16 - The Tower
:Failure, ruin and catastrophe are the hallmarks of The Tower, and this is reflected in the Ravenmoon deck by its depiction of the falling [[Crystal Osaka] on this card.
;17 - The Star
:Many interpretations of The Star have it representing inspiration and discovery. Ravenmoon's deck chooses to represent this as scientific inspiration and discovery, presenting [[The Professor] in his laboratory.
;18 - The Moon
:Rider-Waite uses the Moon to denote life of the imagination separated from life of the spirit - a focus on a wide-ranging worldly life instead of a spiritual life. This role has been given (perhaps unfairly) to [[Buckaroo] in the Ravenmoon Tarot.
;19 - The Sun
:The Sun is "attained knowledge," shown in this deck by Neil Armstrong making his walk at [[Tranquility Base National Park|Tranquility Base].
;20 - Judgement
:Judgement symbolizes resurrection and the promise of life after death. That promise was fulfilled in the earliest days of the Fenspace diaspora, embodied in Fenspace and depicted in the Ravenmoon deck by [[Wave Convoy].
;21 - The Worlds
:Rider-Waite says The World is fulfillment, accomplishment, and success. While this could apply to all of the Big-Name Fen, the most public and outspoken BNF, [[S. Malaclypse Fnord|Mal Fnord], is the one Ravenmoon's artist chose to depict on The Worlds. Many of the planets that the [[Soviet Air Force|Soviets] were first to explore are shown in the image's background.
==Notes==
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012