#the playing cards are a lot more slippery than I expected but they have manga panels and color pages as card art!

[intravention]

I went on another manga shopping trip.

I got the art collection book! Another volume might release in the uncertain future with more updated art, as this one is from 2016... hopefully it'll have more museum collab works featured, and more character design sketches.

Since I was going to buy the one book for BSD anyways, I ended up ordering a bunch of other stuff to make the shipping more justifiable.

I got manga special editions for Frieren volumes 7-11 (didn't get special edition volume 6 because I have no use for the 2022 calendar bonus), Blue Period volume 11 (special edition volume 8 was sold out by the time I was making the purchase) and Toilet Bound Hanako-kun volume 20. Picked up the novel adaptation for Twisted Wonderland Episode/Book 2 while I was at it. I've heard high praises about the novelization, so I'm really looking forward to reading it!

I like collecting special edition manga bonuses, if it wasn't already obvious.

The Frieren pins are pretty colorful! I'll try to fit them on my itabag if I have space.

#intraventing thoughts #bungou stray dogs #bsd #the art collection book is really well put together #there's cute chibi art inside! #among other things... it's nice to have and hold #frieren: beyond journey's end #read the manga for it a long time ago #caught up recently and have been watching the anime semi-regularly with some friends #the playing cards are a lot more slippery than I expected but they have manga panels and color pages as card art! #the stickers have a lot of german text on them. huh #the pins! the pins!! gorgeous #love the himmel pin... himmel :( #a bit bummed I couldn't get the blue period special edition vol 8 #the 'sketchbook' extra is mostly a collection of color pages/spreads #it's really charming #but the art in the coloring book (that I'm definitely not going to color in) seems to be new pages/not in the manga? #for tbhk I have both art books and all the other special vols except vol 11 #the ghost cafe booklet :( #should've bought the case study of vanitas special edition vol 10 while I was at it

[acompassrosa]

Decks I Used in January 2023

I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at what decks I used last month and what stood out to me-- especially since one of my goals this year is to spend more time with more of the decks in my collection.

Decks I Used Only Once:

Golden Lenormand Oracle- I used this for a Grand Tableau reading for the first quarter of the year. If you’re familiar with Lenormand, the readings are often relevant for 3-6 months. As such, I try to do them quarterly. This was a really fun deck to use, I happened to have a free day when my floor was completely clean so I could use HUGE deck. (A grand tableau consists of the whole deck and these cards are oracle sized) I’ve always wanted to do this and I have zero regrets about it. I feel like this 100% justified my having this deck in my collection. The images are charming, Victorian style images with playcard insets. 

Augenblick Tarot- this is one of those decks that I always want to spend more time to but just have not been able to make time for. It’s a square deck on a nice stock and the images are all cropped down tourism photos. It’s definitely one of the coolest decks I own and I love the readings I get with it… but it takes time. I would honestly love to spend a month deep diving into this one, but I have not really had the headspace for that recently. So, I just pull it out now and again for one-shot reads. 

Heavenly Bloom Tarot- A newcomer to the collection, an absolute stunner. I definitely want to work with this one more but there are two obstacles: slippery card stock and a weird, overly long, card shape that makes shuffling difficult. I’m already working with this deck more in February though, so hope is not lost!

Star Seeker Tarot (Pocket Edition)- This was a repurchase that arrived at the very end of the month. I had the full size first edition and passed it along to a friend the moment the pocket edition was announced… and then forgot to actually buy it until now. I love pocket/mini decks and I am thrilled to have this one. I am sure I’ll have more to say on this one later in the year! 

Decks I Used Lot: 

Mystical Manga Tarot- This was such a stand out for me in January! I love it! I got this sometime in the last two years, having looked at it for ages before purchasing. I got the Traditional Manga Tarot at the same time and at the time that stole my heart and shove the Mystical Manga Tarot to the sidelines. I am so glad I gave this deck a change to shine– the colors are so fun and I love the literal framing of the cards so much. It’s a great, fun deck to play around with and the court cards in particular are a lot of fun.

Phantasma Tarot- Gods, this deck is beautiful. I love all of Paulina Fae’s decks but this one is perfect. It’s borderless, which is how all her decks ought to be, so you can really see all the intricacies of the artwork. This was a close second to the Mystical Manga for favorites, falling short only because I feel like I need even more time to fully appreciate this beauty. 

Traditional Manga Tarot- As mentioned above, when I first got this and the Mystical Manga Tarot it was the immediate standout of two similarly themed decks– and I stand by that! In general it’s still my preferred of the two, but it just didn’t stand out as much to me in January. 

Tarot by Caro- I feel like this deck needs more love from the tarot world in general. It is such a fun, funky alternative to the RWS. The art style is amazing, the shuffle is flawless, and it reads like a dream. It’s only lower on this list because I used it less than the other decks. 

Le Beau Monde Tarot (Standard and Mini Editions)- This is an old reliable for me and it is always a joy to work with. I actually read with this one a lot in January, but because I already expect good things from it… it just didn’t stand out as much as the others when I look back on the month as a whole. This deck is not for everyone, being both regency romance themed and a pip deck, but something about the suit choices (candles, parasols, fans, and reticules) just speaks to me. I get such clear images from working with this deck and I love her dearly. 

#tarot