1. Mara. I find it interesting that you pinged most of the cards I kind of associate with Mara. Moon is definitely a huge factor, so I'll start off with that one. With Mara, not only does she have this huge inner emotional turmoil seething beneath the surface, but she's disconnected from that turmoil to the point of being called emotionally stupid. She just isn't aware of how much her emotions color her interactions with people. And this disconnect also negatively affects her abilities. Mages are essentially blind to daemons, but this sense is balanced by their ability to sense potential teammates in the area. But Mara's so disconnected from her subconscious/gut that she hasn't figured this part of her abilities yet. She has to use a dream journal to figure things out, use a creative bridge where other Mages can figure it out right away. In away, her inability to release those emotions blinds her to the world around her. It is when Mara is able to learn how to trust other people, to start to heal the wounds she's held herself under, to open her heart up (just a little, but come on, there's a HUGE amount of trust between those two with Shot Wars when you think about it, especially on Mara's end) and to do it without that controlling want-you-all-to-herself behavior she has with other people she cares about (her dad, Lynn, other cousins)?
I think connecting with her emotions, starting to understand how her abilities really work instead of just focusing on the molecular aspects, really diving into the less physical aspects, will allow Mara to grow the best into her abilities. And as a plus side, help her grow as a person as well.
Magician is another Mara card, definitely, especially if you immune the card with a feminine/group approach. Because Mara is all about transformation, but her element is a little more subtle-- she's less about the singular transformation of the self, and more for the transformation of the community as a whole. At her core, Mara is a person who brings people together. It is no coincidence that she had the crazy idea of starting a house/HQ for Hunters in the area-- indeed, in any timeline you can count on Mara to be the one trying to pull people together for whatever cause she's supporting. There is this dynamic force to Mara that, while she might not always be the one people turn to in a crisis, she's smart and strong and knows how to place people to do their best. She's great at planning things out... as long as they aren't about HER. She's far more aware of the people around her than she is of herself, and part of this is the inherent Mage nature. I do feel that Mara *is* fundamentally a bridge character; for many characters she was the one to bring them into the Hunting fold, she was the one to organize, she was the one to figure out the 'miracle' of the seal. It was important to me that the whole seal breaking be Mara channeling other people's "energies/powers/shiny bits" because in a weird way, Mara is the Community Magician.
I'm not sure with making her development a Queen, though, because I kind of see Mara willingly taking a backseat to the whole hunter thing once she settles down. Goes the career path, but still mentoring, because she'd never really get out of the Hunting life any more than Deon. I do see her as a person who could easily function as the head of a business, in the financial district, or hawking real estate. Whatever she does it will be with people, and her being part of a community. She's not the type who could operate a tiny business-- she'd need people to keep her busy, plenty of projects to keep that innate creative bits of her alive. I think that's partially why she's so stagnate in canon at the moment-- she's just been ignoring college, ignoring everything but the Hunt, and that sole focus does her no good at all. She needs her attention divided or she'll get tunnel vision and obsess, and that's healthy for no one.
I think Mara arguably has the reversed Queen of Wands going on now, too, and I don't think she's every going to drop that temper of hers. If anything she's going to get more energetic as time goes on, as the emotional maturity warms her personality up, burning off the jealous bits. I don't really see her being a Queen of Swords-- I could see it in Mexican AU, or in alternate!Long December AU, but as long as there's hope for a future, Mara's not going to be that ultra rational, detached, scientific person-- that's her negative growth cycle, I think, not her more positive eventual cycle. ^.^;; I see her positive growth being about finding balance and understanding with her emotions and not, you know, being uncomfortable after hugging someone because ZOMG WHAT IS THIS HEART THING LET ME DROWN IT IN BOOZE AND KARAOKE. ;)
I just find it hilarious that a 'fiery' Queen card kind of fits how I see Mara maturing. Oh my poor watery girl, how far you have fallen since 2001 XD
I would write more but, you know, enough is enough X0
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sforzinda
no subject
Date: 2010-05-14 01:14 pm (UTC)I find it interesting that you pinged most of the cards I kind of associate with Mara. Moon is definitely a huge factor, so I'll start off with that one. With Mara, not only does she have this huge inner emotional turmoil seething beneath the surface, but she's disconnected from that turmoil to the point of being called emotionally stupid. She just isn't aware of how much her emotions color her interactions with people. And this disconnect also negatively affects her abilities. Mages are essentially blind to daemons, but this sense is balanced by their ability to sense potential teammates in the area. But Mara's so disconnected from her subconscious/gut that she hasn't figured this part of her abilities yet. She has to use a dream journal to figure things out, use a creative bridge where other Mages can figure it out right away. In away, her inability to release those emotions blinds her to the world around her. It is when Mara is able to learn how to trust other people, to start to heal the wounds she's held herself under, to open her heart up (just a little, but come on, there's a HUGE amount of trust between those two with Shot Wars when you think about it, especially on Mara's end) and to do it without that controlling want-you-all-to-herself behavior she has with other people she cares about (her dad, Lynn, other cousins)?
I think connecting with her emotions, starting to understand how her abilities really work instead of just focusing on the molecular aspects, really diving into the less physical aspects, will allow Mara to grow the best into her abilities. And as a plus side, help her grow as a person as well.
Magician is another Mara card, definitely, especially if you immune the card with a feminine/group approach. Because Mara is all about transformation, but her element is a little more subtle-- she's less about the singular transformation of the self, and more for the transformation of the community as a whole. At her core, Mara is a person who brings people together. It is no coincidence that she had the crazy idea of starting a house/HQ for Hunters in the area-- indeed, in any timeline you can count on Mara to be the one trying to pull people together for whatever cause she's supporting. There is this dynamic force to Mara that, while she might not always be the one people turn to in a crisis, she's smart and strong and knows how to place people to do their best. She's great at planning things out... as long as they aren't about HER. She's far more aware of the people around her than she is of herself, and part of this is the inherent Mage nature. I do feel that Mara *is* fundamentally a bridge character; for many characters she was the one to bring them into the Hunting fold, she was the one to organize, she was the one to figure out the 'miracle' of the seal. It was important to me that the whole seal breaking be Mara channeling other people's "energies/powers/shiny bits" because in a weird way, Mara is the Community Magician.
I'm not sure with making her development a Queen, though, because I kind of see Mara willingly taking a backseat to the whole hunter thing once she settles down. Goes the career path, but still mentoring, because she'd never really get out of the Hunting life any more than Deon. I do see her as a person who could easily function as the head of a business, in the financial district, or hawking real estate. Whatever she does it will be with people, and her being part of a community. She's not the type who could operate a tiny business-- she'd need people to keep her busy, plenty of projects to keep that innate creative bits of her alive. I think that's partially why she's so stagnate in canon at the moment-- she's just been ignoring college, ignoring everything but the Hunt, and that sole focus does her no good at all. She needs her attention divided or she'll get tunnel vision and obsess, and that's healthy for no one.
I think Mara arguably has the reversed Queen of Wands going on now, too, and I don't think she's every going to drop that temper of hers. If anything she's going to get more energetic as time goes on, as the emotional maturity warms her personality up, burning off the jealous bits. I don't really see her being a Queen of Swords-- I could see it in Mexican AU, or in alternate!Long December AU, but as long as there's hope for a future, Mara's not going to be that ultra rational, detached, scientific person-- that's her negative growth cycle, I think, not her more positive eventual cycle. ^.^;; I see her positive growth being about finding balance and understanding with her emotions and not, you know, being uncomfortable after hugging someone because ZOMG WHAT IS THIS HEART THING LET ME DROWN IT IN BOOZE AND KARAOKE. ;)
I just find it hilarious that a 'fiery' Queen card kind of fits how I see Mara maturing. Oh my poor watery girl, how far you have fallen since 2001 XD
I would write more but, you know, enough is enough X0