Slow Holler
Anyone care to enable/de-enable on this deck? I do not identify as queer but do identify as Southern... I'm afraid it has caught my eye.
I don't identify as queer, Southern or even American, but I think this is a very inclusive deck, and at its heart, purely tarot. The artwork is by different individuals, true, but I don't find it scattered or thoughtlessly combined at all. The color scheme does help tie the cards together in a reading. The red, black, white, grey and gold colors are punchy and attractive. Usually, these high-contrast colors overwhelm my eyes, but they seem to work for the Slow Holler.
Some of the cards are straightforward in meaning, others not so much. Some have details that make me think and work a little harder to get at the meaning, but I don't mind that. I know the deck makes room for different races and gender identities, but I don't feel that it's necessarily defined by that quality alone. About a third of the deck has human—or vaguely human—figures in it (I didn't count the cards that had eyes and human hands in them).
I appreciate the nature-themed backs. The cardstock is matte, more on the thin side, but firm and bendy. They riffle-shuffle nicely. I haven't seen any dents from my handling. I would probably edge the deck in black or some graphite-colored ink at some point just to personalize it further.
The little book is the same size of the cards. I find some of the text really insightful. However, the book doesn't break down each card to the last detail, so if a symbol or two boggle you, you may not find what they mean to the artist here.
The suits are renamed, some of the Major Arcana are re-imagined, and all the courts "follow more of a progression rather than a hierarchy."
I like the combination of people, nature, whimsy and abstract themes in there. I like that everyday situations are illustrated alongside scenes with dreamy, ethereal or nightmarish qualities. I like that each card seems to have its own story to tell. I like that when they're laid side by side in a reading, they start talking to each other.
Overall, I feel the Slow Holler is a deck that more intuitive readers would enjoy.