Suit of Cups (Stages)
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Ace of Cups (Twinkle Park)
An oasis of celebration during the Chaos incident, Twinkle Park represents compassionate relationships as the Ace of Cups. Although Sonic and Amy initially enter the park under the “cute couples” clause, the latter’s journey of self-love and autonomy beyond Sonic begins here. This turning point for Amy’s character allows her and Sonic to become closer allies and have each other’s backs during incidents such as the War to Take Back the Planet—even if she still has a teeny weeny crush on him.
The Ace of Cups reversed showcases a separation in established relationships. Twinkle Park is the first stop for Big on his painfully-long quest to find Froggy, and he is met with aquatic roadblocks whenever he seems to gain some ground. Although he is saddened by these setbacks, Big is always able to intuit where his polliwog pal might next be due to their close bond.
The Ace of Cups brings new beginnings to relationships, but may mean bad news in other ones.
Upright Keywords: celebration, love, compassion, new relationships
Reversed Keywords: separation, painfulness, bad news, intuition
Two of Cups (Null Space | Metropolis)
Null Space, as its name suggests, is a void dimension that Sonic and the Avatar are banished to by Infinite. Although supposedly impossible to escape from, the duo conclude that their united partnership would be enough to overcome this improbable Two of Cups. By balancing Sonic’s speed with the Avatar’s Wispons, they successfully reconnect to reality through the Double Boost maneuver to rejoin their friends.
Imbalance represents the Two of Cups reversed, as Null Space is devoid of any elements that makes the living world alive. Yet even when Sonic and the Avatar break free, they are immediately dropped into a Metropolis plunged into war-born disharmony. The abuse the city has undergone does not last forever, as the Resistance soon break up Eggman’s forces and recapture Metropolis completely.
The Two of Cups needs a united partnership to thrive, with those not up to snuff falling into disarray.
Upright Keywords: partnership, compatibility, balance, reconnection
Reversed Keywords: imbalance, insufficiency, disharmony, abuse
Three of Cups (Chemical Plant Zone)
The Three of Cups, Chemical Plant Zone is an early location faced by Sonic and Tails during their friendship. Filled with toxic waste and metal debris, this factory represents the worst indulgences of the Eggman Empire. However, Sonic and Tails creatively find ways to navigate this dangerous zone by collaborating with one another, thus forming the groundwork for their team going forward.
The dangers seen in the Three of Cups reversed cannot be underestimated, however. The twisting labyrinth of Chemical Plant Zone can easily separate all who underestimate its hazards, with its rising waters potentially drowning anyone foolhardy enough to enter. Although Sonic can face this zone alone, a lack of backup may result in his permanent termination, instead.
The Three of Cups celebrates bonds of friendship, as independent action is not always the answer.
Upright Keywords: friendship, celebration, collaboration, creativity
Reversed Keywords: separation, loner attitude, stubbornness, termination
Four of Cups (Stardust Speedway)
The location of the first face-off between Sonic and Metal Sonic, Stardust Speedway is a glittering metropolis whose fate is in peril due to Eggman’s self-absorbed influence. As the Four of Cups, this zone faces ruin in a future visited by Sonic: Eggman’s apathy toward the goodwill of the environment results in smog clouding the once-starry skies, with all life stagnating and dying off in time. As such, Sonic must reevaluate his strategy against Metal Sonic to assure the latter cannot win at all costs.
The Four of Cups reversed is a culmination of Sonic’s proactivity against the Eggman Empire. In the good future of Stardust Speedway, the zone is rejuvenated as an amusement park in harmony with nature, free of any traces of regret or corruption. Sonic’s victory over Eggman and Metal Sonic ensures that Stardust Speedway—and all life on Little Planet—are allowed to facilitate and flourish with positivity.
The Four of Cups may easily give into remorse if the proper opportunities are not taken.
Upright Keywords: self-absorption, stagnation, regret, reevaluation
Reversed Keywords: proactivity, rejuvenation, life, positivity
Five of Cups (Radical Highway)
Radical Highway is one of the first locations Shadow visits after fifty years alone in stasis, with this Five of Cups kickstarting his grief-fueled revenge plot against Earth. Shadow’s pessimism toward humanity is clear as he destroys GUN-issued robots and most anything else in his path. The anger and loss associated with Radical Highway continues to follow Shadow going forward, as the city manifests in White Space during his darkest moments.
Shadow’s ability to let go and move on is found in the Five of Cups reversed. Radical Highway forms the arena for Shadow’s final confrontation with Black Doom, occurring after a pivotal moment where Maria helps Shadow release his sorrow and anger and live for the moment. Although Shadow’s victory against Neo Devil Doom means permanent separation from his past loved ones, it allows him to rejoin the present world for good.
The Five of Cups embodies regret and remorse, but overcoming despair will always be possible.
Upright Keywords: isolation, grief, pessimism, anger
Reversed Keywords: letting go, moving on, accepting help, living in the present
Six of Cups (Green Hill Zone | Game Land)
A recurring locale during Sonic’s adventures, the lush grasses of Green Hill Zone are the Six of Cups. This zone is the starting place for Sonic during the South Island incident, and is a nostalgic location revisited during such events like the Time Eater incident, the Hard Boiled Heavies incident, and the War to Take Back the Planet. Green Hill Zone is consistently portrayed as a playful oasis and the epiphany of the world Sonic aims to protect, with its desolation during the latter incident being a key sign of Eggman’s destructive reign.
Clinging too much to the ideals of Green Hill Zone is not always desirable, however. When the Six of Cups is reversed, the innocent imagery of the zone is commodified and turned into a commercialized, rose-tinted past. This is most apparent in Eggman’s Game Land, an artificial zone emulating Sonic’s past adventures in a highly mechanized (and thus, palatable to Eggman) format.
The Six of Cups recalls memories of youth, yet they may easily turn into stagnant development in the present.
Upright Keywords: childhood memories, nostalgia, playfulness, innocence
Reversed Keywords: clinging to the past, commodification, rose-tinted glasses, uncreativity
Seven of Cups (Mirage Saloon Zone)
Found in the desert on West Side Island, Mirage Saloon Zone’s entertainment hub offers opportunity as the Seven of Cups. Pistol cannons, locomotives, and springboards give Sonic and friends endless possibilities for exploration options, with Knuckles experiencing a completely unique journey when separated from the pack. Be warned that such good things are often an illusion: the zone is actually run by Eggman, with Heavy Magician harassing the group through her supernatural disguises of the Hooligans.
But choice comes with its own set of issues, seen in the Seven of Cups reversed. While Heavy Magician’s disguises are near flawless, choosing to split her efforts between three causes her to utilize basic tricks for each, which Sonic and friends exploit to defeat her. While her defeat shifts Mirage Saloon Zone back into the mundane, just being a nice place to get ice cream suits Sonic’s crew more than the superficial razzle-dazzle.
The Seven of Cups is rife with options so long as one takes care not to be overwhelmed by them.
Upright Keywords: imagination, opportunity, uniqueness, illusion
Reversed Keywords: indecisiveness, split effort, too many choices, reality
Eight of Cups (Crisis City)
The ruins of Soleanna’s New City from two hundred years in the future, Crisis City has been abandoned to the ravages of Iblis. This Eight of Cups kickstarts Silver and Blaze’s quest for the true cause of their dystopian future, leading to some brief escapism via a peaceful past. Although their journey is facilitated by Mephiles’ dishonesty, the duo learn true courage by doing what is right above all else, joining with Sonic and friends to fight against Solaris.
Silver and Blaze’s desperation to save Crisis City causes problems when the Eight of Cups is reversed. In particular, Silver’s naive trust in Mephiles initially worsens the Iblis situation by inadvertently triggering the death that releases it; even when faced with awareness of Sonic’s innocence in the plot, Silver refuses to question Mephiles’ words for quite some time. Additionally, Silver’s belief that he must handle everything alone is an obstacle he must overcome—only once he accepts that Blaze, not him, can seal Iblis does Crisis City return to normalcy.
The Eight of Cups is rife with desertion and betrayal, with self-awareness needed to overcome these obstacles.
Upright Keywords: abandonment, escapism, betrayal, truth-seeking
Reversed Keywords: desperation, poor self-awareness, worsening situations, acceptance of limitations
Nine of Cups (Lagoon City Zone)
The Nine of Cups, Lagoon City Zone is a lavish water metropolis with water slides and giant fruit galore. This zone is where Amy extends a friendly hand to Trip, a cheerful contrast to the abuse the latter had been facing at the hands of Eggman and Fang. Amy’s kindness kickstarts Trip’s growing gratitude toward Sonic’s group, and allows her the confidence to stand up to her oppressors for the good of the Northstar Islands.
Unhappiness tinges Lagoon City Zone when the Nine of Cups is reversed. Trip’s low self-esteem and dissatisfaction toward her efforts as a guardian are most obvious in the subjugation of the islands’ giant animals, turned into miserable Badniks by Eggman amongst his pilfering. One such Badnik is the robotic jellyfish roaming the zone, a showcase of the materialistic corruption of nature that Eggman is so fond of.
The Nine of Cups seems like a wish come true, but needs to be protected from capitalistic ideals nonetheless.
Upright Keywords: joy, friendliness, gratitude, triumph
Reversed Keywords: unhappiness, low self-esteem, dissatisfaction, materialism
Ten of Cups (Lava Mountain)
The location of Sonic’s last showdown with the Deadly Six, Lava Mountain surprisingly forms the harmonious Ten of Cups. After spending much of the Zeti incident infuriated by the tenuous alliance with Eggman, Tails creatively tricks the Deadly Six into a false sense of security and turns on them to protect Sonic’s wellbeing. This display of love between Sonic and Tails reunites them as a dynamic duo and allows the former to defeat the Deadly Six for (seemingly) good.
Of course, Lava Mountain is also where the Eggman alliance comes to a head, seen in the Ten of Cups reversed. Although he seemingly sacrificed himself to save Sonic, Eggman is revealed to have been secretly working to swoop in and use the Deadly Six’s extracted energy for himself. Eggman’s misaligned priorities immediately resumes his rivalry with Sonic, dispelling any sense of teamwork they once shared in favor of conflict.
The Ten of Cups showcases the bliss of positive relationships as much as it does the disconnect caused by a lack of them.
Upright Keywords: harmony, love, reunion, close bonds
Reversed Keywords: dysfunction, betrayal, disconnection, conflict
Page of Cups (Rooftop Run | Spagonia)
Rooftop Run, the Page of Cups, is found in Spagonia, the art capital of the world. Fittingly, Sonic finds many ways to utilize his new Werehog abilities—such as rolling giant wine barrels through barriers and winding the clock tower’s hands into makeshift platforms—with the imaginative help of Chip. This zone is also where Chip begins to emotionally mature, as he recognizes Sonic’s distress over his monstrous form rendering him unrecognizable to Amy and wishes to comfort him.
Bad news is not far behind Sonic and Chip once the Page of Cups is reversed. Eggman’s obsession with his world-conqueror image has broken apart the planet, and even returning Professor Pickle to Spagonia presents no immediate solution to fix it. Ironically, Chip’s childishness causes him to pay little attention to his friends’ plan of action, despite later being revealed to be the solution—Light Gaia—himself.
The Page of Cups uses its inner-child to solve problems, but needs to take care to not be immature in key moments.
Upright Keywords: creativity, imagination, idealism, emotional maturation
Reversed Keywords: bad news, obsession, lack of immediate solutions, childishness
Knight of Cups (Kronos Island | Cyber Space)
One of the Starfall Islands and the Knight of Cups, Kronos Island is a grassy zone populated by the gentle Koco and the initially-imprisoned Sonic and Amy. While searching the island for the Chaos Emeralds, the duo offer to help a female Koco find her lover; only once reunited do their original, tragic fates as Ancients become clear. Deeply affected by the Koco’s display of true affection, Amy promises to spread the beauty of loving one another to those who need it most—even if it severs any chance of romance she hopes to find with Sonic.
Emotional turmoil is more evident when Kronos Island becomes the Knight of Cups reversed. Although commanded by Eggman to find a solution to his imprisonment in Cyber Space, Sage procrastinates on doing so, wishing to protect her “father” from the impending confrontation with THE END. This deception, while coming from a good place, causes the two strain as the situation on Kronos Island—and the rest of the Starfall region—worsens.
The Knight of Cups is love personified, but such a strong relationship is not free of strife.
Upright Keywords: taking action, true love, sensitivity, beauty
Reversed Keywords: emotional turmoil, procrastination, deception, strain
Queen of Cups (Hang Castle)
In its standard state, the mysterious Hang Castle is represented by the Queen of Cups. This zone is where an amnesiac Shadow begins to question his lost identity and relationships he supposedly has with Sonic and friends, something that Rouge intuits and empathizes with. Going forward, Rouge acts as a steadfast supporter for Shadow, loyal to him even when his status as the true Ultimate Lifeform is in question.
Like the gravity-switching nature of Hang Castle, the Queen of Cups reversed swaps emotional maturity for insecurity. The spooky atmosphere of this zone causes Tails to regress into his childish fears of ghosts, egged on by Knuckles’ immature jokes at his sensitivity. Additionally, Vector and Charmy devolve into spiteful jabs at one another’s shortcomings following the dead-end of their previous lead, only coming back into order by the command of their supposedly-rich “client.”
The Queen of Cups extends a compassionate hand to those in need, but may rescind it in petty or distrustful moments.
Upright Keywords: maturity, intuition, empathy, loyalty
Reversed Keywords: insecurity, regression, immaturity, spitefulness
King of Cups (IceCap Zone)
A mountainous region covered in snow, IceCap Zone represents mental balance through Sonic’s exploration of it. Although facing great danger at the hands of the Eggman Empire, Sonic stays chill in this King of Cups, wisely snowboarding where running might be difficult while freeing the local wildlife along the way. His calm demeanor even serves him well against the puzzles found in this zone’s labyrinths, which require quick but careful navigation to avoid spike pits and falls.
In contrast to Sonic’s cool nature, Eggman’s juvenile behavior in IceCap Zone is the King of Cups reversed. Instead, he manipulates the cold in the form of the Egg Froster, his weaponized vehicle that unfairly positions him high above Sonic’s reach. However, this proud facade crumbles once Sonic destroys the vehicle, resulting in Eggman anxiously withdrawing once he can no longer cheat.
The King of Cups knows how to be calm and chivalric both, yet moody turns may tinge it more self-centered.
Upright Keywords: cool under pressure, affability, compassion, quick on one's feet
Reversed Keywords: juvenile behavior, manipulation, unfairness, withdrawal