2017-09-29 1:38:02 ¶ ●

## Would you actually explain the lovers and justice card choices. Those were the only ones that didn't get a description, I'm curious because I don't know why.

Whoops, sorry about that—the card assignments page is basically just a copy-paste from our shared google doc with all the back-and-forth arguments omitted, so some of it is out of context. It’ll be replaced by a more polished version before applications open up.

## THE LOVERS (ROSEMARY)

In the Rider-Waite and derivative decks, the titular Lovers are the Biblical Adam and Eve, before their expulsion from Paradise. Analogically, Rose and Kanaya are the Adam and Eve of Earth C: Kanaya is responsible for hatching the new mother grub, ensuring the propagation of her species, with Rose as her partner who works with her and the other jade-blooded trolls to ensure the safe birth of each new brood. Next to Adam is a burning tree, representing the flames of physical passion—the way Kanaya’s skin uncontrollably lights up when she gets flustered around Rose; and next to Eve is the serpent, the Devil in disguise, making the lovers imperfect and weighing them down with earthly temptations—such as Rose’s alcoholism, which is exacerbated by her anxieties about her relationship with Kanaya and which plagues her all through the Game Over timeline. (In the Rider-Waite deck, the Devil card also depicts Adam and Eve, in chains and doomed by the sins of the flesh—the Devil is represented in the ladystuck deck by the Condesce, who was responsible for Rose and Kanaya’s deaths in Game Over.)

When drawn, the Lovers represents a close interpersonal relationship—usually a romantic one. It also represents duality or a union: Rose and Kanaya are the ultimate icon of the union of Earth and Alternian cultures that Earth C manifests, and their first kiss as well as their wedding took place on 10/25 (the sum of 4/13 and 6/12). It also represents choices—coming of age, finding oneself, and a conflict with heavy consequences. Rose and Kanaya’s relationship, while ultimately healing and enriching both of their lives, coincides with a lot of radical and uncomfortable changes for each of them (their first face-to-face meeting follows both of them undergoing a metamorphosis of death-and-rebirth: Rose’s god tiering and Kanaya’s vampirism; Rose’s alcoholism as mentioned previously; the depressive stagnation of the three-year meteor journey; Rose and Kanaya each encountering a mother-figure as a peer: Roxy for Rose and Porrim for Kanaya. And so on). Usually, the Lovers indicates that someone will have to make a difficult decision, or a major change, but that the rewards for doing so will be well worth the upheaval.

When drawn inverted, the Lovers indicates a relationship with some sort of disharmony or conflict, usually of communication. Of course, Rose and Kanaya’s relationship is not perfect, and is fraught with shortcomings and miscommunications due to either party’s hesitance. Rose starts drinking because she’s so wrecked with anxiety over her relationship, Kanaya is unwilling or unable to talk to Rose about that addiction because she’s too afraid to rock the boat (even though they both know Rose has a problem). Rose nearly forgets their first date, Kanaya wasn’t even aware their meeting was a date—and Rose dies without ever having told Kanaya she loves her. The inverted Lovers indicates that the honeymoon phase of a relationship has passed (the mutual flirting of their first face-to-face meeting at the green sun) and been eclipsed by the hard work that is ultimately necessary to sustain a relationship—work that neither of them was able to put forth in the Game Over timeline.

## JUSTICE (TEREZI & VRISKA)

This card is ruled by Libra and traditionally depicts a female figure holding both a sword and a scale. Her scales are balanced, indicating sound logic and reasoning—and her sword is upright, indicating that she is ready and able to punish the wicked. (Lady Justice is also usually depicted blindfolded.) This card, no matter how it is drawn, indicates that somebody’s gotten—or will get—what’s coming to them. It is the card of karma and inevitable outcomes.

Upright, Justice indicates impartiality, and that justice will be served. When Terezi slays Vriska, she sees herself as Lady Justice: Vriska has sown disorder and carnage in the Sgrub group as well as on the meteor, and if allowed to continue her actions will result in the death of Terezi herself. Terezi loves Vriska, but when she stabs her, she’s acting not with her heart, but with her mind (or her Mind): at the end of the day, Vriska must die so that the remaining trolls (and the potential for the entire species) can survive. Vriska’s life has been marked by bloodshed everywhere she goes, and her death—reinforced by the decision of her God Tier clock—is her ultimate comeuppance. And her death does, indeed, bring law and order to the meteor, at least for a little while.

When inverted, Justice indicates that the querent—or someone close to them—is cheating. Someone is lying or dodging accountability, and when karma eventually gets them they may not understand what they did wrong. It tells you to accept the consequences of your actions, and to make a change before it is too late (like how post-retcon Vriska ends her tendency to solve her problems by murdering them). Justice inverted may also indicate a flaw in a black-and-white moral mindset, and a need to open your mind: Terezi saw her conflict with Vriska as having only two options (let her live, and doom herself and Karkat; or to kill her and spare her own life), but she eventually finds a third option through the retcon (impeding Vriska and changing her mind while letting her live).