Tarot of the Silicon Dawn - The Emperor

Elendil

This card is the matching 'bookend' to The Empress. How does it differ? The landscape in this card is more industrial (the shapes in The Empress card are more 'organic'). The colouring is different with a zig-zag interference pattern progressing up the robe The Emperor wears. The Emperor does not wear gloves. His seat has no back support - suggesting iron posture and control, perhaps? There is a clever visual/verbal pun created by giving the Emperor a 'ruler'. The LWB (neither little or white, in actual fact) refers to the character as male. Is this a man or a woman? The long hair is no real indication, neither is the long robe (or is it a dress?). The face is invisible (covered by the social mask) and whereas on the previous card the seated figure clearly has breasts - on this card these (if they exist) are masked...

Thoughts?
 

Egypt Urnash

Actually, his true face is looking off to the right of the card in profile. Complete with mustache and beard. Now admittedly that doesn't TOTALLY rule out him being a transman or something.

I should probably note that while the hair makes an obvious back-to-back connection between him and the Empress, these two cards also work face-to-face. They're very much mirror images of each other in a lot of ways! (And neither of them looks particularly comfortable on their thrones. )

The fact that I say "at least he makes the trains run on time" might bring in some interesting resonances.
 

Eyebright

As Elendil points out the Emperor and the Empress cards are like bookends. They both wear masks which they present to the world, their social masks I imagine.

They are both seated upon thrones, the Empress' looks marginally more comfy, she can recline whereas the Emperor has to rely upon his staff and his rigidity and strength to remain upright.
He is organisation and authority, keeping the train "on time" as Egypt has referred to. Does this imply and refer to competentcy? My google search brought up a lot of references to the dictator Mussolini!

The two of them create binary opposites from which the world is made or sandwiched between! He is morning and daylight, she is the purples of twilight and evening time. Male and female, jagged and sharp, soft and undulating...

The sky is yellow the colour of clarity and the mind, so does this Emporer rule with his intelligence, wit and mind as opposed to the might of his sword (which he doesn't have btw, this dude has a ruler! Pun intended?!). The pen is mightier than the sword, brains over brawn, etc etc

They are both seated upon pedestals, masters of all they survey, watching over their world, protectors way up high.
 

Eyebright

Ahhh OK so Mussolini didn't make the trains run on time, he took credit for the improvements made before he came to power, and even then, they were still far from perfect! He just made it appear so, to gain the support of the people.

See this website for further info. I guess this higlights a darker aspect of the emperor, manipulating to exert control...
 

swedishfish612

I don't have a lot to add for this card at this time, but this:

1. I don't see his staff as a ruler. It just looks like a staff to me. What am I missing?

2. After reading the bit about "at least he made the trains run on time", I kind of love that there's a little train in the background on this card!