Emblem of the Arcana is a Fire Emblem Engage themed tarot deck and zine, featuring every playable character from the game. This is a charity zine supporting Rainbow Railroad, an organization dedicating to helping LGBT+ individuals escape violence and persecution from their home countries.

FAQ

Questions? Please DM us on Twitter or send us an ask via our askbox.Q: What’s a zine?A zine is a fanmade artbook, a collection of art and/or writing based around a particular media. In this case, our main focus will be a physical tarot deck, but we will also create an artbook containing all of the tarot deck artwork on a larger scale.Q: What’s a tarot deck?A tarot deck is a set of 78 cards, each with their own symbolism and meaning. There are 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana. These cards are often used in tarot readings, a practice of divining people’s fates, natures, and obtaining guidance through these cards.In Engage, Seadall uses his own version of tarot cards during his night readings.Q: Are ships allowed?This is a purely ship-free project, with each card focusing on an object or person(s). The only card focused on romantic love is the lovers card, which the moderators have already designated a ship-neutral way to represent as to not pick one particular ship over the others. For the major arcana and some minor arcana, we will have set guidance on what character(s) should appear.Q: Which characters are being represented on the cards?The major arcana, and face cards of the minor arcana will feature only the Engage cast native to Elyos. Emblems (i.e. Marth, Celica, Ike, etc...) will not have their own individual cards but may be featured as an ensemble.Q: Will DLC characters be included?We plan on including Nel and Nil in the major arcana.Q: How are you assigning characters to major/minor arcana?The moderators of this zine will have a document for what character(s) are assigned to each major arcana (royals + other story relevant characters). The remainder of playable characters will be assigned to parts of the minor arcana. When you apply for the project, you can list several options for cards you wish to draw from.Any leftover cards after these assignments (cards like the 3 of cups, or the 7 of swords, etc...) can feature any character, as long as the artist proposing it has some sort of connection to the theme of the card and the character itself.The moderators will also make sure extra assignments don’t tend too far towards one character, so even if some characters have 2 or 3 cards total, we don’t end up with a massive imbalance.Q: What are the assignments?We will release the assignments to major/minor arcana shortly before applications open!Q: Will you have guest artists?We are currently undecided on this, and will probably make a decision later on during the application process.Q: What are you looking for in artists?More details soon. We expect artists to have fundamental understandings of anatomy, perspective, and feel comfortable drawing backgrounds. We expected finished pieces in their portfolios. There is no set required art style, but please understand that there may be certain art styles better suited to certain cards and tarot card illustrations in general - a particular assignment or rejection is not a reflection on the abilities of the artists involved.Q: What are you looking for in writers?More details soon. We expect writers to have a nuanced understanding of the Engage cast, and to be open-minded and flexible about writing character assignments. Knowledge or prior experience with tarot is a plus.Q: How will contributors be compensated?A digital PDF is guaranteed for all contributors. Purchases will first go to supplying copies for each contributor, and the rest will be donated to charity.Q: Will there be merch?Yes! As for what merch exactly... we are still undecided and researching manufacturers!Q: Is there a mailing list?There is a mailing list option within the interest check.

SCHEDULE

Schedule for creation period and sales are currently tentative and subject to change.Interest Check + Applications
May 6 - May 28, 2023 - Interest check
June 12 - July 1, 2023 - Writer applications
July 4, 2023 - Writer results sent
July 5 - July 16, 2023 - Collaborating with writers on character assignments
July 17 - August 7, 2023 - Artist applications
August 13, 2023 - Artist results sentCreation Period
September 24, 2023 - Check-in 1 (30%)
October 29, 2023 - Check-in 2 (60%)
November 26, 2023 - Final deadlineSales
~mid December 2023 - Pre-orders
~March 2024 - Shipped

APPLICATIONS

Writer applications are open from June 12 - July 1!
Please read the info doc here. Fill in this form to apply.Artist applications will open July 17.

MODS

Okke @okkefak - Head ModIn charge of overall running of the zine, including finance, production and shipping. Okke has run three Fire Emblem zines in the past totalling over 300 orders, as well as running their own merch shop. You may have also seen them around EmblemCon where they are one of the main hosts. They have a lot of experience with fandom projects and are absolutely obsessed with Fire Emblem as a whole.

al | @d4ggerfish - Graphics ModIn charge of graphics, design and layout! Al has a lot of experience especially with regards to the artwork side of things, having participated in over 15 zines. She’ll be supporting with general moderation duties as well, and is just as obsessed with the Fire Emblem series.