Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose/Characters

Rowan/Tarot

The heroine of the comic As the 'Swordmaiden of the Goddess, she's charged with defending the balance between the mortal and magical realms. Currently in a relationship with Jon and Boo Cat.

• Action Girl: Allegedly; she becomes a Faux Action Girl whenever there's a chance for the enemy to strip, molest or rape her to provide maximum Fan Service.
• Chainmail Bikini: Her 'armor'.
• Damsel in Distress: Constantly, though she can occasionally free herself.
• Evil Costume Switch: When Tarot becomes the 'Assassin of the Black Rose', although you could hardly call it a costume.
• Hot Witch
• Impractically Fancy Outfit: Tarot's boot-spikes.
• It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Why Tarot refuses Jon's marriage proposal. He's still attacked and endangered though, so her objections aren't exactly grounded in reality.
• Kids Are Cruel: Was bullied along with her sister as a child.
• "It's Not Rape If You Enjoyed It": Has been sexually abused and mentally enslaved to provide sexual gratification to others, but even when she's distressed by it she's often aroused.
• Loveable Sex Maniac: A somewhat looser example then usual. Although she is faithful to Jon and Boo Cat, she's been shown getting aroused, going 'skyclad' (naked), and masturbating at the drop of the hat more and more often as the comic has progressed.
• Love Triangle: In a Type III love triangle with Boo Cat and Licorice Dust. Licorice is really unhappy with this arrangement.
• Magical Girl
• Master Swordsman: Tarot, allegedly; the amount of times she's beaten and humiliated while using her sword is staggering.
• Ms. Fanservice
• Most Common Superpower: Puts mainstream comic heroines to shame
• No Bisexuals: Averted; Tarot is bisexual.
• Redheaded Hero.
• Stripperiffic: On the rare occasions when Tarot even bothers to wear clothing, it almost always belongs in this category. Most of it could honestly be called "two strings and a wish".
• Tarot Motifs: Besides her name, she uses tarot cards for divining the future.

Raven Hex

The older sister of Tarot, Raven is diametrically opposed to the idea of balance between the worlds, instead working to achieve witch dominance over the mortal world. However, she's still an occasional ally to her mother and Tarot.

• Anti-Hero: Tends to slide between Type II-IV.
• Dark Is Evil / Dark Is Not Evil: Tends to be the latter most of the time, or at least somewhat ambiguous.
• Dark Magical Girl
• Easily Forgiven: No matter what Raven does, she's always accepted by Tarot and her friends.
• Hot Witch
• Kids Are Cruel: Was bullied along with her sister as a child. Unlike Tarot, she developed a deep hatred for non-witches.
• Most Common Superpower: Puts her mom and sister to shame.
• Start of Darkness: The death of her father (who had died while attacking those who bullied Raven) shaped her current world view.
• Stripperiffic/ChainmailBikini: She manages to wear even less then Tarot.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Seeks to make a world where witches can freely live and practice magic. In practice, her activities give non-witches reason to fear them.

Jon/Skeleton Man

The only recurring male in the comic and Tarot's boyfriend. Jon gained the ability to see the dead and help them materialize after a near-death experience. Taking on the identity of the Skeleton Man, he defends the dead from would-be vandals and thieves (of which there are many in Salem for some reason) and attempt to help Tarot in her various trials.

• Anti-Hero: Type I. He rarely contributes to any fights, is often attacked to distract/trap Tarot, and a frequent Butt Monkey, although see below.
• Author Avatar: Jon looks remarkably similar to Jim Balent himself, and if certain people are to be believed, Balent also used to work as gravedigger.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: Remarked and complimented on by a large amount of women. It's never actually shown, mind.
• Boring Failure Hero: Jon's ineptitude is legendary. The most notorious example is probably when he's forced to stop pursuing a cadre of homicidal ghosts because they refuse to tell him the address of their next victim.
• Chick Magnet: Any Cute Monster Girl who sees him has a high chance of eventually taking advantage of him - see below.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Has fallen victim to this more then once.
• Double Standard Rape (Female on Male)/Black Comedy Rape: Jon gets molested and/or raped by virtually every female villain he encounters, but no one -- Jon included -- ever seems to see it as a big deal.
• Heroes Want Redheads: Tarot
• Would Hit a Girl: Though it's not discussed, Jon won't hesitate to hit a female during a fight, monster or not. Oddly, in one issue he says he doesn't hit girls, despite having done so at least twice in past issues. However, right after saying that his opponent irritates him enough to change his mind... and give her a spanking.

Boo Cat

A bisexual were-cat manager of a lingerie store, she was Tarot's first love(r). Currently the girlfriend of Licorice Dust and Tarot, which has begun to create tensions between Licorice and Tarot

• Action Girl: Occasionally.
• Catgirl: The exact kind of cat she is is never mentioned, although her fur coloring suggests a panther.
• Genki Girl
• Loveable Sex Maniac: With her behavior, she's almost constantly looking for sex.
• Love Triangle: Loves both Tarot and Licorice Dust; Licorice objects to this and attempted to kill Tarot.
• Ms. Fanservice: She's near constantly nude, and on the rare occasions when she does wear clothing, she'll almost always strip out of it.
• Rape Is Ok When It Is Female On Male: She's had sex with Jon while he's been unconscious, but no one, even Tarot, has ever called her out on it.

Tarot's Mom

Tarot and Raven's mother. Living with Tarot in their home, she's often a source of advice and help.

• Big Beautiful Woman: Tarot's mother. She's not really fat, just a wider version of her daughter, and with an increased bust size to match.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Despite the comics 10+ year run, she has yet to be called her real name. Hilariously enough, even Jon calls her 'Tarot's mom' when he swears vengeance on her after she's killed by the World Serpent.
• Hollywood Pudgy: Tarot's mom is a bit overweight, which is not unreasonable for a middle-aged woman who's had two kids. But she still has an hourglass figure and perfectly smooth, unblemished skin. She doesn't look "fat" so much as "wide."
• Hot Mom: Tarot and Raven's mother, who probably represents the Mother aspect of The Three Faces of Eve, is quite voluptuous; she manages to snag two hot guys in "Hawaiian Holiday," and manages to get a rise out of Jon in "Holiday Witches."
• Hot Witch: Like mother like daughters.
• Most Common Superpower: She's Tarot and Raven's mother, so it's a given.
• Ms. Fanservice: She's a female in the comic; what else what else would you suspect?
• Naked First Impression: The first time Jon meets her. (He's the one naked, not her).

Licorice Dust

A vampire, currently the lover of Boo Cat (she's really unhappy about sharing her with Tarot)]]. A high school student who was rejected from the cheerleader squad along with her friends, all of them became vampires, killed their master, and killed the cheerleaders via swarm of rats. Her role in the story is rather limited, mainly appearing with Boo Cat.

• Berserk Button: Child molesters; she spent two years murdering at least dozens of them, leaving Boo for two years while she did it. She's also displayed a hatred of the Twilight series.
• Ms. Fanservice: Surprised that a recurring female character is used for fanservice?