Major Arcana (Behind the Scenes)
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0 - The Fool (Big the Cat and Froggy)
For The Fool, I immediately gravitated toward Big and Froggy: their theme song is called “Lazy Days,” after all, and they tend to turn up in odd places. I thought the spontaneity aspect of The Fool would be best represented by a freeze-frame of Big fishing, as a big catch could bite at any moment and turn the peaceful atmosphere into one of action. Originally, I had Froggy sitting next to Big in the thumbnail, but I decided Froggy being on Big’s head would be a nice distraction for him and fit with the theme.
1 - The Magician (Miles “Tails” Prower)
For The Magician, I ironically thought Tails would be the best fit despite his focus on machinery over mystical arts. Intellect is a large part of The Magician, and while Eggman is certainly as intelligent as Tails, I thought the latter felt less intimidating and more inline with the card’s upright theming. Originally, I wanted to focus on Tails fixing the Tornado, seen in the thumbnail. However, I thought showing him piloting the Cyclone in a moment of action would convey the “power” element of The Magician more effectively.
2 - The High Priestess (Amy Rose)
For The High Priestess, Amy seemed obvious due to being the franchise’s resident fortune teller. Additionally, she is a double-edged blade when it comes to her desires and passions, which plays into both the upright and reversed meanings of The High Priestess. Originally, I had a more mysterious atmosphere for this card’s thumbnail, with Amy giving the viewer a reading. I eventually changed it so that Amy was giving the female half of the Koco couple a reading, empathizing with Amy's ability to relate to people over more restrained separation.
3 - The Empress (Maria Robotnik)
For The Empress, I believed Maria to be the best choice because, and I mean this very affectionately, she’s the most static and idealized character in the franchise. Maria is pretty and kind and loving of Earth life and not much else, this inability to change being reflected by how all those traits fall apart once she’s gone. For the art itself, including Earth itself was important to me—even if the thumbnail doesn’t reflect it—so I centered the entire composition over connecting Maria with the planet. Her relative familiarity with Earth itself is reflected by the presence of a textbook by her side. Also Maria’s shoeless because her SA2 design is my favorite haha.
4 - The Emperor (Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik)
For The Emperor, I did not consider any options besides Eggman himself. One cannot deny the amount of authority that he holds over his armies, nor the influence he exerts on the world as a whole (I’m particularly fond of how he’s apparently infiltrated the railroads, we stan a resourceful king). Of course, Eggman is also a good representation of The Emperor reversed, given his stubbornness to change even when given chances over and over. I modeled this card very closely to the Rider-Waite version, except I ultimately made Eggman’s posture more informal, as he very rarely takes situations completely seriously. Orbot and Cubot are also here: they’re extensions of Eggman in most modern games so it felt wrong not to have them on the card art.
5 -The Hierophant (Espio the Chameleon)
For the Hierophant, Espio seemed the most fitting of the main circle of Sonic characters. His morality code dictates many of his actions and reactions—I am particularly fond of his and Sonic’s clash of ideals during the Metal Virus arc. And aside from Blaze, Espio’s the most restrained ally in terms of personality, with this adherence to good behavior contrasted by whatever Vector and Charmy get up to. The final art didn’t differ too terribly much from the thumbnail. I have Espio holding his hand up against the viewer to reflect his tendency to use less violent means to solve problems first—but his shuriken is not far behind if honor cannot solve the situation.
6 - The Lovers (Vanilla the Rabbit and Vector the Crocodile)
For The Lovers, I was semi-torn on what to do, even if I eventually went with Vector and Vanilla. The former’s personality is rather bombastic to tie to this card, and the latter has very little material to go off of comparatively. Ultimately I decided to lean into their differences, as I think the “opposites attract” trope is a nice variation on the “soulmates” route suggested by the Rider-Waite version—especially when the elements they DO share (like protectiveness) become clear. The art of this card was a balancing act of cramming these two disparately sized characters in, so I went with this “head-on-lap” posing in the end. I thought it would be fun to have Chocola as the angel on The Lovers, as him going missing during Sonic Heroes is what originally brought their “families” together.
7 - The Chariot (E-123 Omega)
For The Chariot, I was actually stuck between Omega and Shadow, this deck’s Justice representation. Ultimately I went with Omega, because my interpretation of these two cards tinges The Chariot as more self-serving, and Omega is always chasing any high that makes him feel superior. Additionally, his trigger-happy tendencies fit the reversed meaning of this card rather well compared to Shadow’s relatively-more-restrained behavior. Now for the art, I will admit a point of weakness: I literally still do not understand how Omega’s legs work. My thumbnail originally had him kneeling and aiming his arm cannon at the viewer, but turns out I couldn’t figure that out very well (most cards took about two or three hours for lines, he took a whole day). So I gave up and just had Omega kinda standing instead—sorry y’all!
8 - Strength (Knuckles the Echidna)
For Strength, Knuckles is obviously what comes to mind in terms of physical prowess, but he’s just as strong in other aspects. Unlike someone like Omega, Knuckles usually doesn’t fight unless he has something to protect or save. But of course, his gullibility is his weak point—as exploited by Eggman and his cronies—which fits the reversed Strength just as well. This is another card that pays homage to the Rider-Waite version, with Knuckles petting a Nights Chao in place of a lion. Unlike that version of Strength, however, Knuckles is more upright: I do not feel like Knuckles would expose himself to weakness as casually as openly exposing his back.
9 - The Hermit (Blaze the Cat)
For The Hermit, Blaze was my first choice: she’s a self-made loner and feels she must always rely on herself. Although she eventually gets drawn out of her shell, she mainly has close contact with a select few—she only interacts with Silver during Sonic ‘06, for one. But she’s also analytical and good at problem-solving, which fits the introspective half of The Hermit as well. Once again, this card’s art stuck close to the Rider-Waite version but traded the lantern for a curl of flame. Given that her isolationist attitude stems from her pyrokinesis, I thought this dual meaning would work well with this trade.
10 - Wheel of Fortune (Rouge the Bat)
For the Wheel of Fortune, I went with Rouge pretty much immediately. Her business of treasure hunting is built on good fortune favoring her, and setbacks such as getting trapped in a GUN vault are sometimes not far behind. But she’s not completely superficial either, as her friendship with Shadow and Omega has a positive effect on both of them. The actual wheel of Wheel of Fortune has been swapped for a bulbous bag of rings: although it is filled to the brim, one hole is enough to send its contents tumbling down. Rouge doesn’t seem to notice it amidst her celebration, does she?
11 - Justice (Shadow the Hedgehog)
For Justice, I almost didn’t go with Shadow, as previously mentioned. But Omega doesn’t have the heroic motivations (however obscured) that I interpret Justice as having, so Shadow got the slot. Despite his “edginess,” he cares deeply about his loved ones and rarely tolerates outright injustice once he resolves his own character arcs—even if his methods may lean toward the violent end. For the card art, I decided that having Shadow riding the Dark Rider made more sense than the throne in the Rider-Waite version: otherwise, the posing was mostly a take on that. I did consider having him hold a gun in the thumbnail but ultimately went with the Black Sword instead to evoke the “balance” that Shadow has between his origin and the life he chooses now (hence his other hand’s grip on his bike). Also, I used the original version of the Black Sword due to Shadow Generations not being out during art production.
12 - The Hanged Man (Sage)
For The Hanged Man, I was immediately captured by the idea of using Sage during planning. Her role during the Starfall Isles incident has the most character development of the present cast, going from a nihilistic cruncher of odds to someone willing to give more into chance and action. But the fact that she's Eggman’s daughter would always betray her future perspectives—even if she thinks something is right, would she go with it over supporting him? Artwise, I thought it was pretty convenient that Sage almost always floats, so I had an excuse to have her hanging upside down without involving rope. I symbolized her conflicting loyalties with her glitched parts switching between red and blue; I originally planned to have her dress turn more aggressively white at certain spots but the subtle effect worked better in the end.
13 - Death (Sonic the Hedgehog)
For Death, I know what you all are thinking: “Oh you put Sonic on the Death card because he got murdered in Sonic ‘06!” While that is true and gives the card a funny edge, I promise I mostly did it for the card’s actual meaning. Death is all about embracing change and moving forward, and quite honestly Sonic’s philosophy is extremely close to that. What makes Sonic an interesting character to me is when he DOESN’T adhere to his code of morals, like when he gets stuck in his old ways or is unable to view the wider picture, which I tried to convey with Death reversed. This card’s thumbnail was one of the most complicated due to the specific vision I had: Sonic running through a field that is desolated by (presumably Eggman’s) pollution, which slowly recovers into life the closer it gets to the viewer. I think it went pretty well, but I admit that I struggled more with placing the tree branch and Flicky than I would have liked to.
14 - Temperance (E-102 Gamma)
For Temperance, I went with Gamma: unlike his younger “brother,” he’s characterized by measured calmness without any hint of violence to his words. His short existence showcases a depth of existentialism that is rare in the franchise, and quite honestly was one of the first stories in gaming that affected my perception of life deeply as a child. I always wished he could have had another choice, and I wonder if he could’ve had he not chosen the most extreme solution to his problem, seen with Temperance reversed. I went with Gamma’s moment of self-termination for the art, but framed the presence of the pink Flicky differently from the thumbnail: I thought having it fly away but looking back at Gamma’s wreckage invoked reckoning with how life balances itself pretty well.
15 - The Devil (Metal Sonic)
For The Devil, Sonic’s ever-present robotic counterpart was an easy choice. Although there are other, more “demonic” figures within the franchise, Metal Sonic best represents the distorted counterpart role than someone like Shadow or Mephiles. Additionally, his obsession with becoming the “true” version of Sonic fits other elements of the upright and reversed meanings of The Devil as well. Originally, I considered having Tails Doll and Metal Knuckles here as well: Sonic R was a favorite of my sibling and I’s childhood, and the Rider-Waite version of The Devil features three figures. But for one, I didn’t think they fit the theming as well as Metal Sonic given their more sparse characterization. But I also couldn’t find a good way to put them in that didn’t draw TOO much attention away from Metal Sonic, so I decided against it.
16 - The Tower (Gerald Robotnik)
For The Tower, it was important to me to make sure I got the right choice: this card is arguably the darkest in the Major Arcana, with characters like Eggman being too jovial for it. As such, I thought Gerald would be a fitting choice, given that his character is rarely played for laughs and his entire life’s work and loves were destroyed right before his eyes. The ramifications of his research have been the origin of several games’ plots, with far-reaching consequences for characters like Shadow. But he also embodies The Tower reversed pre-madness well, what with his safety measures to defeat Black Doom and his forces. The art is naturally of his speech during the Space Colony ARK’s descent during SA2’s conclusion, but I changed something from the thumbnail: originally I planned to draw people reacting to the news, but I thought the utter isolation caused by the low angle composition felt more intimidating.
17 - The Star (Cream the Rabbit and Cheese)
For The Star, I interpreted its theming in a more innocent vibe, so I went with Cream. Aside from Charmy, she is the youngest of the organic characters and approaches everything with optimism and kindness. I'm particularly fond of her arc with Emerl/Gemerl, as it's nice to have at least ONE robot character in this series find contentment and peace. I was originally going to have Cream’s house visible in the background, but I didn't think it worked in the vertical canvas without cluttering it. The seven stars surrounding the main one usually represent chakras, but I think the number is also fun due to seven being a recurring theme within the franchise, such as the Chaos Emeralds.
18 - The Moon (Emerl and Gemerl)
For The Moon, I knew I wanted to do Emerl and Gemerl but struggled to figure out how to approach it. While the theming worked out fine—they are robots that transform based on others while having self-identity arcs—the art itself was rough. If you haven’t guessed by now, the vertical nature of a tarot card’s art area means that it’s difficult to put multiple characters in at once. I tossed out a bunch of options (and did not save them, sorry!) before settling on this reflection setup. Emerl and Gemerl are fascinating in how they’re sorta the same person and sorta not: does Gemerl remember everything that happened as Emerl, and why does he have a different personality if so? So literally creating a reflection that isn’t accurately reflecting its subject felt intriguing, and also gave me a way to cram the moon in there without it feeling forced.
19 - The Sun (Charmy Bee)
For The Sun, I will admit my biases: Charmy is one of my favs in the franchise, and he was the second card finished behind Big as The Fool. Charmy is so bubbly and fun-loving and ignorant of what society deems as appropriate volume levels that it felt right to have him represent the very thing that gives us all life. But, of course, he is just a kid and can be a bit much sometimes, which fits The Sun reversed. Unlike the Rider-Waite version, I don’t have Charmy riding a mount and opted to have him fly instead—but I did end up posing him similarly to the child on that version over my original thumbnail. I thought it would be silly to imagine him trying to cradle the whole sun with his arm, which plays well into his ego too!
20 - Judgment (Silver the Hedgehog)
For Judgment, I want to clear something up real quick. “Judgment” can be spelled two different ways: “judgment” and “judgement,” with the former usually found in American print and the latter British. I am American and did not feel like fighting my word processor’s also-American autocorrect, so I went with “judgment” over the Rider-Waite version’s “judgement.” With that out of the way, I chose Silver quite simply because he was perfect for the card: one of the common meanings of Judgment is literally “absolution,” which Silver famously dreams of. But the reversed fits him just as well, what with his fatal mistake of trusting Mephiles during Sonic ‘06 and his self-doubt surrounding what amounts to gaslighting he received over Mimic’s disguise. Artwise, I had SIlver floating over Crisis City and contemplating it as he was his debut game’s opening. Usually, Silver is motivated due to someone sneezing and messing up his future, so including a version of it felt necessary.
21 - The World (Tikal)
For The World, Tikal felt like the right choice given her status as a benevolent overseer to the planet. Her tie to the Master Emerald in particular fits The World’s themes of achievement and belonging given its ties to Knuckles and the Chao of Angel Island. Knuckles’ goals usually surround his duty to the Master Emerald—and therefore Tikal’s legacy—and its control over the Chaos Emeralds is the element that involves almost all of the characters in the franchise’s plot. Instead of the four living creatures on the Rider-Waite version’s corners, I replaced them with Chao, beings that are capable of becoming everything and anything possible. The thumbnail shows that I excluded a Chao from the final picture: this was intentional, as I feel like Tikal and the three present Chao are the four “representatives” of life, while the Altar of the Master Emerald itself encompasses the central figure from the Rider-Waite version. Also, I’ll be honest I drew one in the upper left corner and it threw the composition off too much haha.