New Deck: The Ghetto Tarot :｡･:*:･ﾟ'☆

AHH my new tarot deck arrived! I contributed to the crowdfunding campaign ages ago, and it only came just now.

The Ghetto Tarot is a collaboration between Belgian photographer Alice Smeets and Hatian art group Atis Rezistans. Stylistically, it's inspired by the Rider Waite deck, but many of the cards incorporate traditional Hatian Voodoo symbolism. Its main site doesn't seem to be up yet, but you can read more about it at the crowdfunding page - and there are a lot of photos of the cards, too. The deck isn't available for regular distribution yet, but I think that it might be possible starting next year-? But don't quote be on that, I can't remember where I read it.

Anyway, it's an absolutely gorgeous deck, and it's obvious that a ton of work went into it. I think it paid off. :D

... I only have one slight problem. The cards are huge! It isn't a standard tarot size; they're the larger versions, which I have seen occasionally but have always passed by due to not being my taste.

( Size comparison: Ghetto Tarot vs Rider Waite )

I've grumbled several times about how I have trouble shuffling my Rider Waite deck - even though my hands aren't particularly small, I just have trouble holding it for some reason - so with the difference in size... I don't foresee myself using the Ghetto deck for readings very often. ;p But I'm still so glad to have it, because it really is a beautiful deck, and I was glad to contribute to such an awesome collaborative art project.

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☆ Today went a lot better than the weekend did. It's hard to say how the rest of the week will go, but... it's promising.

☆ I think I might go see The Martian on Friday. People keep saying it's a pretty good science fiction film, so, why not? Could be fun. I had hoped to be able to see The Last Witch Hunter, as the trailer looked delightfully ridiculous, but it seems by that day it'll be gone from the local cinema... too bad. I also want to see Victor Frankenstein when it comes out - because again, it looks ridiculous. I like ridiculous. (It's too bad Crimson Peak is finished over here; I'd watch it again, to be honest.)

☆ It's now pitch-black when I come home from work. Wonderful. Can you hear the sarcasm dripping in my electronic voice? I'm sure you can. It's strange how the light - or lack thereof - affects me more as I get older. I think... that I will have to invest in those special bulbs, you know, those full-spectrum whatsits and such. Never gave it much thought, but - well. Maybe it will help things. Who knows.

☆ As I read my way through the Kalevala, I find myself trying to pinpoint the various intersections with A Redtail's Dream. Overall it seems that aRTD doesn't make use of storyline or character parallels exactly; more like just lifts imagery and monsters and symbols and makes use of them in its own way. That's pretty much what I expected, but I kind of want something more. ... I will not lie, I have some vague ideas about a plot in which Hannu ends up in some sort of parallel world somehow, and needs to do various impossible things before he can get home - including various tasks for Louhi, who is overall less than impressed with him. Though I can just imagine her telling him to kill the Swan of Tuonela, as she instructed to Lemminkäinen, and his reaction being something along the lines of Ugh, not this again!