A new de-enabling thread

Light & Shadow

The Light & Shadow has flimsy cardstock??? (*Digs out the L&S from the very back of the tarot shelf...*)

Yes, it DOES! I had no clue! You'd think that after owning it for 4 years, I might have noticed, huh? This just goes to show that I never, NEVER use it. The poor deck is still in order too, which is further proof that I've never used it -- I'm not one of those people who puts a deck back in order.

The cards are too big, the artwork is -- well, better in theory than in reality. I don't know how to explain it, except to say that this is a deck I really, really WANTED to love... but I don't even like it. The goofy smiles on the faces of most of the characters don't help the situation, either.

I'm really grateful for all the de-enabling attention I get here... I'll just quote the convincing bits and will let the rest slip from my memory as soon as possible. Let's talk about the Froud's Faeries first.

thorhammer said:

Froud's Faeries - are you prepared to give up all your other decks and devote your entire existence to the Faeries? They expect no less. Oh, they won't force you! You're entirely free to make your own choice and lock them away in a dusty place for the majority of the year (let's face it - not Tarot) . . . but they will make you suffer for it, in the form of the most insidious human emotion there is . . .

GUILT​

Are you prepared for this? 'Tis a terrible burden.

Click to expand...

Manda said:

The really insiduous thing about them, though, is that they do in fact give great advice, the first time. After that, much like the crack dealer, their price goes up. They want to be your only deck, and really, are any of us here because we can commit to just the one? And not even a tarot at that? If you don't give them the time and attention they think they deserve, the next time you pull them out they will play tricks on you, or just give nonsense readings.

Click to expand...

sravana said:

re: Froud's Fairies
Everything I've ever heard about this deck indicates that working with it *will* wake up whatever imps, gnomes, fae might be around you, and you will be dealing with them until your death. (ETA: not that they will kill you, but they will never leave.) They are evidently *persistant* lil buggers.

Click to expand...

Ooookay. That was clear. I think I'll pass up on that one for now. Maybe later, when I feel a little more open to faerie presence and their demands on me... I shudder to think of the fun they might have with me (which very likely won't be much fun for me) while I'm still busy with the thesis!

Le Fanu said:

Froud´s Faeires.. How old are you? Are you a 13 year old girl? I ask this genuinely, you may indeed be 13 - and a girl - in which case fine... Those kooky faeries were a fad a few years back. Their time has come and gone.

Click to expand...

Well, some parts of me are in fact still 13 , although I was already 16 when I discovered that Froud book in the local library... Which has been more than 16 years ago. I need to grow up in my deck choices then, you say? Arrive in the 21st century, you say? Hey, I mean, at least I never seriously put the Hello Tarot onto my wishlist! And I've also already deleted The Goose Is Out Tarot(? does anybody even know this?) from the list - which I read with exactly once back then but which has stuck in my mind ever since (I also still remember the card I drew)... But it's probably hard to find and more expensive than I'd be comfortable with anyway (but tell me if I'm wrong here - I really have fond memories of the crazy collages).

Anyway, back to the faeries...

cardlady22 said:

So predictable, aren't we? I knew you were going there next! Don't you remember your Peter Pan? A fairie's size means it can only hold one emotion at a time- and jealousy is quite unattractive when one has the abilities that they do. Penta-polar here.

Click to expand...

Yikes. Uh, and I'll totally show my non-Americanness here and say that I've actually never read Peter Pan. Maybe I should? It might get me off any and all fairy/faery decks once and for all...

Sigh. I know what I'll do. I'll go and copy my favorite cards from the Froud's Faeries and from the Secret Forest and make my own digital version of the Tarot of the Fluttering Pests. Maybe I'll throw in a handful of nipple-eyed beasties, too. Good plan?

Tsk, Tsk, my dear Cat* ~ Sir James Barrie was English! I most certainly do NOT refer to the Disney cartoon movie version! There were books. (plural)

Alright, onwards to the Sheridan-Douglas.

Le Fanu said:

Sheridan Douglas is probably NOT available easily so, depending on your temperament, this could be either enabling or de-enabling...

Click to expand...

Actually, it seems fairly easy to get. It's even on sale right now... It costs a bit more than I'd like to spend right now, though.

Le Fanu said:

To a querent, probably doesn´t look to be a very sophisticated deck. Not a good look if you´re trying to look all authorititive...

Click to expand...

You mean if I want to disguise the inner 13-year-old, I better pick another deck?

Le Fanu said:

Bright baby colours. Think Kiddy´s first book for dangling over a cot to see if baby can recognise primary colours.

Click to expand...

nisaba said:

The colours are blinding - some real retina-damage has happened here already. There is no shading, so everything is dead-flat. (which gives it a nice mythic quality that I won't refer to here).

Click to expand...

I prefer the original RWS to both the Universal RWS and the Radiant RWS. I also have the International Icon HIGH up on my wishlist. In other words, I like the flat colors. I could do without the Sheridan-Douglas for another while with the help of the International Icon, however. So maybe I'll just buy the IIT first and keep the SD on the wishlist.

nisaba said:

The cardstock is too thick - if you lay the deck on a table it is easily one and a half times as high as any other deck. This also makes it awkward to shuffle.

The laminate is a bit of a challenge - I wanted to photograph a couple of cards recently, and all I got, from all angles, was white glare. And I wasn't using a flash!

The laminate is a bit of a challenge - it is so slippery that if you lay the deck on a table, half of it slides right off. Guess which deck loves more than any others to decorate the floor. Yup, you got it.

Click to expand...

Disadvantages, admittedly, but not so bad as to really de-enable me.

nisaba said:

As to availability, don't on any account go to the Tarotgarden - Jeannette still, after all her time in the business, hasn't mastered the basic principles of de-enablement and poor customer service. If you order the Sheridan, she makes sure you get it in little over a week - and I'm half a world away!

Really, really disappointing.

Click to expand...

La la la, I can't hear you...

Okay, so the current deal is, the Sheridan-Douglas will stay on the wishlist but I won't buy it now. Not even when it's on sale. Thanks for the for-now de-enabling!

Don't beat yourselves up for not succeeding completely on this one. I say if a deck stays on the wishlist after getting the serious de-enabling treatment, it's probably not one of those that have been added to said list in a nocturnal "ooh, shiny!" card clicking frenzy... Which means, I might actually really want it (eventually). Which is also good to find out.

cardlady22 said:

Tsk, Tsk, my dear Cat* ~ Sir James Barrie was English! I most certainly do NOT refer to the Disney cartoon movie version! There were books. (plural)

Click to expand...

*blush* I see that I really lack some basic literary knowledge here... My excuse is that my studies were heavily focused on American literatures and cultures, and the subcultural and contemporary ones at that - does that help in restoring some of my reputation as an almost-English MA?

Here's another de-enabling thing about the Faerie deck...WINGS?? Gah! When, oh WHEN will someone PLEASE produce a Faerie deck that isn't based on the post-victorian style of 'fairy' as opposed to the true Fae? Prior to the Victorian era, Faerys were thought to be just a bit smaller than humans (hence the name 'wee folk') and never, ever portrayed with wings. They were mischievous and dangerous creatures - true spirits of nature. Woe betide the traveller who chanced across one of the Fae. There were many stories of the Fae luring unwary travelers to their deaths. They weren't all the creatures of light that the victorian era portrayed them to be. Let a Faery into your home at your own risk. Not all are dangerous, of course, there are the benign and kindly ones too.

nisaba said:

Nisaba:
3) Cat people are nowhere near as interesting as real cats.

Gregory:
Excuse me ????

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It *was* in that worthiest of causes, de-enabling, you understand.

(and have you ever met a boring cat?)

Click to expand...

No.

But have YOU ever met a boring gregory (no, please don't answer that; I still rejoice in my 65 thousand PMs here )

Frouds Faeries is NOT TAROT. Need I say more ? And I am told by all my Native American friends that there is no Native American deck worth having, so that's a few more down the tubes.

Missed y'all !

sravana said:

Everything I've ever heard about this deck indicates that working with it *will* wake up whatever imps, gnomes, fae might be around you, and you will be dealing with them until your death. (ETA: not that they will kill you, but they will never leave.) They are evidently *persistant* lil buggers.k.

I wouldn't have it in my house - I'd be afraid they'd terrify the dog!

Click to expand...

Sravana is absolutely right!!!! When I first started working with Frouds Faeries a little voice kept shouting "Oiiii !" when I had the cards out & my then-partner made disparaging remarks about their appearance! You have been warned!

*Nods* That's the Fae for you!

This is from the oracle de-enabling thread ... thought I would copy the post here too.

Cat* said:

Just a note for future reference: There's been some spectacular de-enabling of the Froud's Faeries Oracle over in the tarot de-enabling thread (between posts #1042 and 1056). Do yourselves a favor and go check it out if you think you might want to buy that deck!

Click to expand...

~giggles madly after reading those posts ... wipping tears from eyes~ you know what is funny, is that it is all true *LOL* ... well other than the Froud Faeries being a fad that has passed that is. Other problems you can enounter by letting them into your home include: loss and misplacement of items, people calling you crazy (i.e. some call the faeries oracle study group "The Looney Bin" - mind you we don't care, we know what we are about ), hearing voices in your head, etc. They actually do play nice with other decks but if you ignore them they do tend to pout and pull pranks. They can also have a negative influence on your pocket book when they deem they must have something. Personally I adore them, but for some the things I (and many others) really like about them can seriously be considered warning signals *LOL*. Suffice it to say, they are a life altering experience ...