#╰┈➤ mystic medleys ༉‧₊˚.

[manifestdestinytarot]

102/366 - cda•idaho•america

[tarot-enthusiast]

Hello, I saw your post about free tarot reading, I hope it's still open :) You can use any deck you want!

My Initials are: I.P Age: 19, Female

My question is: Will the work I have submitted be accepted? [if possible can I also get some guidance and message!]

Thank you so much, I hope your day/night/evening is going well! Thank you for doing free readings! :D

Yes! It hopefully will be accepted. The message is: dont feel threatened by others. You dont need constant protection and you can heal from old wounds without putting up a defensive stance. That is all.

[writerdiviner]

A message from your guides: 11/15/2022

Hi friends! I’ve got a message for you. This morning, I asked for a message from your guides (spirit team, the universe, God, Source, whoever or whatever that means for you). I asked them a simple question: What does (pile #) need to hear in this moment?

I pulled your messages from the Mystical Medleys Tarot. One of my favorite decks when it comes to art. Gives me big Cuphead vibes and I love it! Anywhoooo, pick your pile and I’ll be back later to share!

🕸️Spiderweb Jasper The healing properties of Spiderweb Jasper help to bring a sense of calm and relaxation. Spiderweb Jasper clears away pain, frustration, and negativity that may be causing blockages in your life. It also protects you and repels negative energy thrown your way by others. It brings joy, compassion, and kindness into your life. Spiderweb Jasper strengthens self discipline and encourages you to turn dreams into a reality.

🌒Prophecy Stone A powerful stone for grounding, Prophecy Stone assists those who are seeking guidance from higher realms (like your guides) about the future and even mundane or practical matters that require a choice to be made. Strongly connected to the Third Eye Chakra, the vibrations of Prophecy Stone helps in the ability to see possible future events. Meditating regularly with a Prophecy Stone can assist in the deep transformation of your life.

[talonabraxas]

“THE ROSE AND THE CROSS" ...Of fallen stars; where fiery passion flows

A curious bitumen; where among The glowing medley moved the tune unsung Of perfect love: thence grew the Mystic Rose. Its myriad petals of divided light; Its leaves of the most radiant emerald; Its heart of fire like rubies. At the sight I lifted up my heart to God and called: How shall I pluck this dream of my desire? And lo! there shaped itself the Cross of Fire!” --The Rose and the Cross, by Aleister Crowley

Mystic Rose Talon Abraxas

[2willowlane]

i do really love emily. i don't know, but something just makes me very affectionate towards her.

femme reader, sfw, established relationship

ever since emily was then wedded to her new spouse, there's something that she still cannot get used to. well, in her heart, it feels so natural—as if she was made for this purpose, and as if everything that has been said and done was all aligned for her. even if she does indulge in her beliefs of mysticality, emily knew that what she had was real and cemented. a best friend, a girlfriend—a wife, of all things. tossing and turning in their shared bed, emily looked at your peaceful sleeping face. she found you to be so beautiful...

her eyes glossed over each of your features, from the fine contours of your nose, to those lips of which she oh, wants to kiss so dearly. the artistic side in her finds you just so genuinely interesting, as she's able to map out all of the different proportions in her mind. even if you may not be perfect, and emily is far from that as well, you two were perfect for each other. the tailor then gave into her impulses, pressing a soft kiss on her wife's cheek; lingering a bit, as she then withdraws. she misses the warmth already.

something has been nagging at emily recently, and it's mainly due to her scheduling. normally, she'd go out and work the saloon late at night; often times, just the hustle and bustle of her shifts do get her through the hours—however, she promptly would then pass out as soon as she makes her way towards home. how emily would dream of having that taste of sleep; looking forward to it every day, since it's the most downtime she has in her day—well, other than in the morning (of which she likes to relax in her home... whenever she doesn't have chores).

it's past 11pm, and the bed already feels uncomfortable for her. she has this insatiable itch to get up, to dance, to move—but, there're a few moments in emily's life where it feels as if it's better to stay still. as if she doesn't need to go put an imprint on the new day, rather, just let the earth turn. it felt like an eterenity for the woman, as she was still just glazing over the features on your face, whilst trying to think of something to do. she already knows what she wants to do tomorrow—probably tend to her crystal garden out by the farm, and then surprise her love with taking care of her chickens. oh, how she does love birds!

possibly, she could go out and forage some? she has a few hours to make it back home, and she knows you do appreciate a fresh medley. she wants you to grow healthy wnd strong, and with all of your farmwork, combat expertise, and mining efficiency... she'll be surprised if she could find anyone that'd be stronger than you. well, not only by physical strength—she knows that you're a capabale woman; more than capable.

it makes her feel proud that her gut feeling was right about you being special; but her sense of pride over having the person she loves doing what she wants to do, and is equally proud of her own work? oh, emily's heart swoons!

preparing to go out, she then slips on her shoes, makes sure to change into something she could get dirty in, and makes her way out of the house. making sure that none of the wooden floorboards don't creek underneath the rug she's walking on, emily takes softer steps—to ensure that you're not going to have a rude awakening anytime soon. she then turns around whenever she reaches the fromt door, blowing a kiss in the bedroom's direction to say "goodbye, my dear!"

the chill of the night washed over emily. well, at least it brings her more of an incentive to get out and be active! however, she still needed to be careful being out at night without light; she could still make out some objects due to the moonlight. oh, how romantic this felt with emily, and how it just felt so in-tune with her emotions. she was glad she was able to be friends with—now, be with—someone who doesn't just dismiss her mannerisms as simply "odd" or "too weird". yes, she knows that she is far from the conventional standard sometimes, but the world would be too boring if everything was a simple carbon copy of each other.

how she felt things were different than most. you were able to be with her and understand, and even if you didn't quite get everything she rambled on about, it made you feel special that she'd want to show you all of those things. emily may have her quirks, but that's what makes her, well—her! you wouldn't have her any other way.

humming a saloon tune whilst skipping to the beat of it, just thinking about surprising you with all of these goodies makes her feel so, so upbeat! if you were there, you could've seen the color to her cheeks; how that rosey hue was something all-too familiar. picking up some dandelions along the way, she did remember to pack a wicker basket a while back; as she tried her best to then assort each of the plants the best she could. emily had an eye for design and arrangements, so it did take her a bit until she was fully satisfied to continue onto the next task. if she feels so strongly about something, she needs to vent it out! emily believes that it's a true emotion, if it resonates that deeply within her.

something about this late night nature stroll does rekindle feelings emily never quite knew she had. she never had the time to go outside and to fully appreciate the stars; however, being able to actually go out, and to observe all of the things she'd normally miss due to her body just aching to get to bed... she loves it. the fresh breeze of the spring's night air was cold, however, there's still a warmth to it. oh, well, maybe it's because she's full of thoughts of you. maybe that's it.

she then makes her way throughout town, waving to some of the nightly saloon guests as they make their way out of the restaurant. ever since she was married, she doesn't have to work as much at gus'. this made her feel more free, as she knows that she cannot simply be a barsmaid forever—there's too much on her plate to do, y'know? though, now that she thinks about it, work feels much more rewarding, if she can go home and see you, to cook for you, to bring gifts to you (from all those times you've given her some), and to simply be the first and last thing she gets to see in her days.

as emily progresses up towards the mountains, she doesn't frequent this area; as she doesn't have much of a use for it. now? she loves just how raw and natural this feels to her, as she gets a good feeling of energy coming from her. you'd often talk about all of the difficult fish that you'd have to catch in this area, and you have to reassure her that you're handling the little creatures humanely; and that they're all okay, under your care. she loves how caring you are with even the smallest of things, and that positivity is contagious. well, at least in her mind.

this was the place where she truly belonged, now that she thinks about it.

[its-to-the-death]

Villain Song Showdown Preliminary Round #4

The top two will make it into the bracket

Mod comment: I overlooked the fact that the Betty Loop cartoon is 3 different songs in the same short so I guess we're counting the whole short together.

Songs below the cut

Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom ~ Nuclear Fusion - Villain: Utsuho Reiuiji

Cute Devil ~ Innocence - Villain: Gengetsu

U.N. Owen Was Her? - Villain: Flandre Scarlet

Beloved Tomboyish Girl - Villain: Cirno

Pierrot of the Star-Spangled Banner - Villain: Clownpiece

Legendary Illusion ~ Infinite Beong - Villain: Shinki

Be More Chill Part 1 - Villain: The Squip

The Play - Villain: The Squip

Here Comes a Savior - Villain: Agent Rainbow

The Old Man of the Mountain/You Gotta Ho-De-Ho/The Scat Song Medley - Villain: The Old Man of the Mountain

[anamelessfool]

My Fave Tarot and (Part 2!) Oracle Decks

@discountdemonwarehouse asked me about my favorite tarot decks. I use oracle and tarot decks, sometimes together, sometimes interchangably. This post is long, so this will just be about my fave tarot decks. Feel free to ask me anything about tarot and other occult things!

Difference between a tarot deck and an oracle deck?

Tarot has a fixed organization and consistent readings of each card. Oracle decks are the work of artists/mystics and don't have the same meanings from deck to deck. They are more for a broad interpretation. When I use oracle decks, it's more about a meditation on a theme instead of an answer to a very specific question. But everyone is different on how and why they use what decks they use.

Sorry, I can't list just 3...or 5....I use them when the mood strikes me. Some are more incisive with their wisdom, others are more general and chill.

Fave Tarot Decks

Fyodor Pavlov Tarot Deck My "daily driver" I guess. Beautifully illustrated by a trans Neo-Raphellite artist. They have a super cool IG and Tattooing practice. I got this on Kickstarter but it's now widely available.

Mystic Medleys Tarot by Gary Hall/Liminal 11. If I'm not using the Fyodor, I'm using this one. Beautiful and funny (and insightful!) illustrations. And it's the best LWB (Little White Book of Tarot Meanings) I've ever seen.

Morgan Greer Tarot I learned tarot on this one. Groovy Vintage Tarot Deck with clear, easy to understand illustrations. The colors are so warm and the volumetric drawing style just itches my brain.

Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris. Crowley taught Harris magickal theory, and this deck is a result of that (Harris has a LOT of input in this, do not ignore her contributions to this masterwork). I love this deck so much, it is very intense but very insightful. It has some of the most profound and beautiful occult imagery I've ever seen. It takes WORK to understand it. The book Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot By Lon Milo Duquette is mandatory reading for it. It is an amazing biography of Crowley and Harris as well as a great introduction to Golden Dawn and Thelema philosophical concepts.

Fave Tarot Decks Honorable Mentions

The Weird Cat Tarot by Gabby Karsh (Buy it ONLY from their etsy! There's knockoffs out there, unfortunately) Karsh is a super sweet artist and I've gotten some comissioned work from them in the past. A fun, funky little deck. I would not recommend it for learning tarot, since the illustrations riff on traditional motifs and are a bit sparse for someone new.

Luminous Void Tarot by Laura Zuspan Absolutely stunning, primal artwork on this one. And the nod to the orginal playing card/ tarrochi pill shape is fun. Honorable mention because like the previous one the illustrations are sparse for a newbie....and also the texture, size, and thickness of the cards make them an absolute bitch to shuffle.

[emotional-moss]

some thoughts about cultural appropriation

a few important notes before you read this: 

- here, when i say “white,” i am referring to specifically white canadian, white american, and white european, with white european being a rather loosely defined term but typically relating to britain. this is not intended to ignore the existence other white identities such as white south africans, but i am a mixed-race indian+white person who has spent most of his life in the united states and does not have enough experience or knowledge of these identities to make accurate takes about them.

- this is not me making excuses for cultural appropriation. it is a dangerous thing that waters down and erases culture, and should not be encouraged. - this is written in a gentle and hopefully palatable way to white audiences, who i encourage to read this. not every take from a poc is going to be nice-nice about these kinds of things, but this is.

i find it very interesting that when you ask white folks about why they’re so obsessed with certain aspects of culture, the palatable, easily-appropriated ones like native headdresses and whatnot, their reason usually is in the form of “mysticism” and “exoticism.” this is a problem in itself, obviously, tying into the long-standing colonial fetishization of culture, but here’s the bit i actually want to talk about:

when you ask why it’s so “exotic” to them, why it’s so obviously “different and other” at a personal level - it comes from a sense of community.

let me break this down a bit. culture and community are often used as very loose synonyms, and for pretty good reason. a culture is based around the ideas of societal norms and roles, material things, ways of thinking and whatnot - and these all come down to community.

there are certain things that are intrinsic and unique to every culture (even if they are a medley of various different cultural influences), whether they be classical carnatic music in south india, pinakbet from the ilocos region of the philippines, or the ninauh-oskitsi-pahpyaki social role/gender in the blackfoot tribe. even cultures we would consider to “appear” white have these, such as the tales of tuatha de dannan in irish mythology. but the idea of whiteness as a concept does not have these.

whiteness as a concept is a sterilized, “de-cultured” identity that attempts to assimilate most/many folks who appear “white” into a single monolith. this is obviously very damaging and dangerous to many cultures - for example, many ancient celtic traditions have been lost due to the deliberate erasure of these in order to assimilate these people into whiteness.

whiteness as an identity was founded on a basis of eurocentric values and traditions as well as either the deliberate assimilation or erasure of all other cultures and traditions - white supremacy. it still exists like that today (see groups like the KKK or proud boys).

now we know obviously that not all white folks are intentionally racist and a large portion of them genuinely don’t mean harm to poc communities…so why is cultural appropriation so rampant, even in white folks who would otherwise be decent allies to poc?

again, it’s coming down to a sense of community.

i have grown up and lived in the united states for most of my life, and as early as i can remember i have always had questions about the cultural identities of white americans. i’d look at the indian half of me and indian culture that i partook in and experienced, things i cherish such as cooking traditional South indian food, learning carnatic classical music, participating in religious ceremonies, etc. and then i’d look at the white half of me. there was no culture there i could find.

sure, i could look at typically “american” things, such as hamburgers and surfboarding and apple pie, but these fall apart very easily with minimal research. similar hamburger-looking foods appear in europe as far back as the 4th century. bodysurfing/surfboarding has existed in peru, africa and various polynesian countries for thousands of years. versions of apple pie existed in british and french cookbooks as far back as 1390 BCE with influences from the ottoman empire - and apples aren’t native to the americas.

the colonization of the americas and the subsequent reframing of canada and the states as “white” areas is due to the influence of colonization, obviously - and the genocide of millions of first nations people. this was deliberate.

but here is the interesting bit. for hundreds of years, as far back as the pilgrims, cultures that were not fully assimilated into whiteness were rejected and oppressed - even as they colonized.

take italian-americans, for instance. the late 1800s to early 1900s saw a huge influx of italian immigrants to the united states. these immigrants faced oppression in the form of religious and political discrimination (anti-catholic sentiments and anti-communist sentiments). they were often subject to horrible living conditions compared to their american white counterparts as well as violence - one of the largest lynchings in america was the mass-lynching of eleven italian immigrants in new orleans in 1891.

yet today, when we think of italian-americans, we often see them simply as “white.”

a huge amount of immigrants to the united states and canada were forced to give up their original cultures in order to assimilate into whiteness. if not, they were subject to prejudice, discrimination and overall just shitty conditions. for some groups that resembled “white americans” in appearance, such as irish folks and italian folks, this method worked eventually and they were assimilated and accepted into whiteness. for many others due to their skin color or features, such as black enslaved folks or jewish folks, even giving up their own culture still meant they were not accepted as white - they didn’t “look white.” additionally, many cultural groups resisted assimilation and rejected being seen as white.

this is somewhat why i believe so many white americans, canadians, and british participate so heavily in cultural appropriation. it comes from a sense of loneliness, of little to no original culture - and whatever is left has been bastardized and reduced to just “white,” neglecting the cultural nuance.

growing up as a brown-skinned mixed person with heavy ties to the indian side of my culture, i was subject to a fair amount of racism. i remember people asking why my hair was “oily and gross,” and then begging my mom to never put coconut oil in my hair ever again. i remember people telling me that the khichdi my mom had carefully made for my lunch “looked and smelled like fish eggs,” and then only eating bland sandwiches at school. but there is one experience i remember very clearly.

i had a white american best friend when i was very young, from kindergarten to third grade. she never judged me for my food or my clothes or my grandparents’ accent or any other part of my culture and i loved her for it. but i remember having this experience with her one day.

she���d met my grandmother who came to pick me up, donned in an elaborately-formed red sari. the next day, when i sat with her at recess, she said something like, “i liked your grandma’s dress. it was pretty.” taken aback by open appreciation of my culture, i just mumbled a pleased “oh, thanks.” but she didn’t stop there. she said, “my grandma only wears boring clothes, like sweaters and granny dresses. i wish i was indian.”

i said something like, “granny dresses can be nice. you can be white and wear cool clothes.”

“yeah, i know. but any old person can wear sweaters and dresses. they’re just…not from anywhere.”

at the time, i didn’t fully understand her desire to be connected to a specific culture, but i understood in a bit of a detached way. i was always very connected to and appreciative of my indian culture, but look to the white side and i was met with exactly that - a gaping white void. the closest answer i got was “well, your great-grandparents came from germany.” that answer dissatisfied me, although i couldn’t articulate why. now i can.

it’s something like, “but after such a long time, they’re not really german anymore.” i’d seen the absence of culture in whiteness, and how my white friends and family could name a distant time where their family belonged to another culture - but not anymore. now, they were just “white.”

whiteness as a concept strips and sanitizes culture to fit a very, very narrow version of culture - a culture defined on the surface by cheeseburgers and british accents and football and canadian politeness, but dig deeper and you find colonialism, colonization, eurocentricism, racism, and various other systems of oppression.

once again, this is not an excuse for white folks who appropriate culture nor is this me trying to reason my way into approving of it. it’s not, and i’m not. i die a little bit inside every time i see some random hippie on the internet bastardize and water down the concept of chakras. but it is a bit of an explanation, and this is why i have some degree of sympathy for white folks who culturally appropriate.

so, to all white or white-passing folks who read this and understand/relate to it: i implore you this. please, please, please, if you have the time and resources to do so, reconnect with your native culture. talk to older irish folks, or learn about traditional welsh folklore. learn german, or watch documentaries of italian culture. read stories from white-passing native folk, or talk with your black grandparents. please do not lose the culture that your ancestors had to give up in order to assimilate into whiteness. understand that whiteness is a part of you and that it impacts those around you, but if you can, please make the effort to reconnect with your culture. it does wonders for your identity and sense of self.

[cilis-readings]

card of the day 9/24

deck: mystical medleys by gary hall

card: six of wands

the six of wands represents victory and recognition! this card brings good news and signifies you moving up in life! know that it is okay and normal to feel proud of yourself for how far you’ve come. don’t let anyone’s negativity bring you down.

[officialcombaticons]

Okay so last year I started compiling my magpie tarot deck. These decks are an amalgam of several different decks, tailored to the owner's likes. I decided to go a step further than the norm and wanted to make a deck where no two cards are from the same deck. So that would be 78 different decks.

I'm not done with mine yet, so I've filled in the gaps with cards from full decks I own. I also have a stack of alternate cards that I swap in and out when I feel like it, which I'll probably show off in another post because this one is already gonna be very long.

Every card/deck will be listed below the cut!

0 The Fool - Eldritch Overload Tarot (Alleyman Edition) 1 The Magician - custom card from the Three of Magpies zine, art by Caleb Engelke 2 The High Priestess - The Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot 3 The Empress - Phantomwise Tarot 4 The Emperor - Happy Halloween Tarot 5 The Hierophant - custom card from the Fragmented Hierophant zine 6 The Lovers - Little Monsters Tarot (Alleyman Edition) 7 The Chariot - Britt’s Third Eye Tarot 8 Strength - Tarot of the Toiling Hands 9 The Hermit - Goddess Provisions Major Arcana 10 Wheel of Fortune - Alleyman's Tarot Booster Pack, by PhantomRin 11 Justice - Women of Science Tarot 12 The Hanged Man - Blood Moon Tarot (Alleyman Edition) 13 Death - Forager's Daughter Tarot 14 Temperance - Tarot of the Divine 15 The Devil - Ostara Tarot 16 The Tower - Lubanko Tarot 17 The Star - Lisa Frank Major Arcana 18 The Moon - Mystic Mondays Tarot 19 The Sun - Anime Tarot by Natasha Yglesias 20 Judgement - Literary Tarot (Alleyman Edition) 21 The World - Queen Alice Tarot

Ace of Cups - Prism Tarot 2 of Cups - Tarot of Brass and Steam 3 of Cups - Marigold Tarot 4 of Cups - Horror Tarot 5 of Cups - Architect's Tarot (Alleyman Edition) 6 of Cups - Lost Hollow Tarot 7 of Cups - Pacific Northwest Tarot 8 of Cups - Murder of Crows Tarot 9 of Cups - Movie Tarot 10 of Cups - Star Spinner Tarot Page of Cups - Lucine Tarot (Alleyman Edition) Knight of Cups - Essential Tarot Queen of Cups - Light Grey Tarot King of Cups - Trick or Treat Tarot

Ace of Pentacles - Art of Adventure Tarot 2 of Pentacles - Neo Tarot 3 of Pentacles - Reigning Rouge Tarot 4 of Pentacles - Climbing Rose Tarot 5 of Pentacles - Mystical Medley's Tarot 6 of Pentacles - Vivid Tarot 7 of Pentacles - Happy Halloween Tarot 8 of Pentacles - Cosmos Tarot 9 of Pentacles - Hand Drawn Tarot 10 of Pentacles - Queen Alice Tarot Page of Pentacles - Light Grey Tarot Knight of Pentacles - Wandering Star Tarot Queen of Pentacles - Antique Anatomy Tarot King of Pentacles - Queen Alice Tarot

Ace of Swords - Mushroom Hunter's Tarot 2 of Swords - Pulp Tarot 3 of Swords - Lord of the Rings Tarot 4 of Swords - Tarot of the Haunted House 5 of Swords - Cat Tarot 6 of Swords - Prisma Visions Tarot 7 of Swords - Tarotbot 8 of Swords - Fantôme Tarot 9 of Swords - Gothic Tarot of Vampires 10 of Swords - Ostara Tarot Page of Swords - Happy Halloween Tarot Knight of Swords - Black Tarot Queen of Swords - Tarot of Curious Creatures King of Swords - Alleyman's Tarot Booster Pack, by Owlbabe

Ace of Wands - Cosmos Tarot 2 of Wands - Field Tarot 3 of Wands - Alleyman's Tarot Booster Pack, by Ambisun 4 of Wands - Rosalarian Tarot (Alleyman Editon) 5 of Wands - Tarot Bebis (Alleyman Editon) 6 of Wands - Ostara Tarot 7 of Wands - Modern Witch Tarot 8 of Wands - Golden Thread Tarot 9 of Wands - Ostara Tarot 10 of Wands - Light Seer's Tarot Page of Wands - Superlunaris Tarot Knight of Wands - Chromatic Fates Tarot Queen of Wands - Alleyman's Tarot Booster Pack, by Temple of Tales King of Wands - Light Grey Tarot

[manifestdestinytarot]

100/366 - sun•moon•rising

[tarot-enthusiast]

Hello! Can i have a free reading?

What is the vibe of my future spouse when they with me? Thankyou!

T.K/capricorn/🌌🪐

1. Mystical Medley

Have a beautiful day!

I sense a vibe of openness, stability, and confidence. They seem to become more energetic and lively around you. Good things all around. They truly will feel carefree with you. Like they dont have to try hard to be someone else. You too have a great day!

[golvio]

As a companion to my notes post, here are my favorite BPAL perfumes out of the ones I've tried so far, in no particular order:

Menage A Trois: Golden Amber, Oak, and Muguet (A light, fresh, clean, and warm scent. Pleasant and lasting, but not obtrusive or overbearing.)

Jazz Funeral (The magnolias mixed with the booze and earth notes are heavenly!)

Tomie (Creamy and a little unconventional, floral without smelling like a granny perfume.)

Virahotkantita (Unfortunately discontinued, but I got a bottle of leftover stock for free with my big Christmas order. A lovely lilac and violet medley with some colder notes.)

Plague Doctor v10 (A prototype not for sale, and another free sample with the previous perfume. It's a fresh, clean aquatic scent that reminds me of my dad's aftershave.)

Titus Andronicus (Another "aftershave" scent, but warmer and spicier than Plague Doctor. Great for when you want to feel masculine but also a little bit regal.)

Shoggoth (Really weird and morphs a lot, but all the notes are pleasant. For me the lemon and floral notes were strongest.)

Arkham (Wildflowers and overturned forest dirt, how you'd smell after a strenuous but overall satisfying hike through the New England woods in springtime)

Envy (This one depends on what mood I'm in, but when I am in the mood, the lavender and lime hits the spot)

Cleric (Gorgeous, long-lasting, great throw)

Scherezade (Warm and sweet. Gives me comforting memories of the hippie granola health store I bought the lemon balm tea I self-medicated with in grad school, or that one time I tried burning my own incense as a teenager in my goth phase.)

Juke Joint (Basically a mint julep, very delicious.)

Diana (A little like Juke Joint, strangely, but with a touch more amber & aged leather.)

Endymion (Very sweet and beautiful, but it fades too fast.)

The Bow & Crown of Conquest (I like it for a lot of the same reasons why I like Envy, but it also has incense smoke.)

Masquerade (A beautiful, sparkling, orangey scent, but like Endymion fades too fast.)

Dee (All the things I liked about Endymion's rosewood, but less floral and more like incense and gentleman's cologne. Seems like something a 19th century mystic would wear to seem more "exotic.")

The Lady of Shalott (Really gorgeous, delicate florals and musks)

Chimera (Starts spicy with cinnamon, but then morphs in fascinating ways as the honeysuckle becomes more obvious.)

Lawful (Another gorgeous, incense-y scent.)

Les Bijoux (Sweet, sparkling prosecco with a crisp crunch of tart green apple.)

Rakshasa (Gorgeous rosy scent mixed with sweet patchouli and handsome, down-to-earth sandalwood. Feels like a beautiful masculine and feminine scent simultaneously. If you're being seduced by an otherworldly shapeshifter, they probably smell like this.)

Water of Notre Dame (Very sunny floral, reminds me of when I'd shower with my special Angel's Trumpet soap bar I splurged on as a treat for myself.)

[dew-ontherocks]

april is benevolent, may the rest be warmth with forestry offering, dense of natural solace brought by mystical camaraderie, soaring bountiful companionships, it is a privilege to be visited by the devil for compassion gossamer thorough the depth of humanism, bliss rushing like liana towards triumphant, lovely medley murmured in secret, sacred the mightiest mountain composing bereavement -- kenopsia photographed as a precious souvenir for a sanctuary ever occupied sincerely, bustled with hueful atmospheric mesmerization coronated upon the monochrome of emptiness, nostalgia subdued.

🌙reims.

[talonabraxas]

“THE ROSE AND THE CROSS"

...Of fallen stars; where fiery passion flows A curious bitumen; where among The glowing medley moved the tune unsung Of perfect love: thence grew the Mystic Rose. Its myriad petals of divided light; Its leaves of the most radiant emerald; Its heart of fire like rubies. At the sight I lifted up my heart to God and called: How shall I pluck this dream of my desire? And lo! there shaped itself the Cross of Fire!” --The Rose and the Cross, by Aleister Crowley

Mystic Rose Talon Abraxas

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 26/10/2023

The SiIvaGunner Halloween Special

Season 1 Featured on: GilvaSunner's Highest Quality Video Game Rips: Volume 3 & Knigra Also on: The SilvaGunner Spooktacular Halloween Horror Special: Volume 8​-​Bit Beast

Ripped by MtH

Part of Spooktacular Week!

It's really funny how, due to Season 1 ending just nine months into the year, its the only Season that never actually got to have a halloween event! I mean, where Halloween and Christmas of 2016 actually falls is still sort of up for debate - the term "Season 2" in relation to SiIvaGunner wasn't coined until after the monochrome pause in the beginning of 2017, and so the holidays of the prior year were just kind of retroactively called the beginning of Season 2. So Season 2 got two halloweens, and Season 1 got none. But if nothing else we got a prelude to the Halloween times, with Season 1's The SiIvaGunner Halloween Special released earlier in the year.

Mystic Mansion is such a perfect Halloween theme, so on-the-nose spooky in all the most fun ways, a great demonstration of just how many vibes Sonic Heroes has throughout its stages and accompanying music. The rip itself is, especially for Season 1, a really well done melody swap medley of some of Season 1's big hitters, notably Grand Dad and of course Snow Halation - what I remember sticking out to me as special even as the rip dropped was just how seamless it all felt despite playing on a song performed with mostly live instruments. Though the melody is lead with a synthesized instrument, the backing and much of what carries the song is Jun Senoue's work on electric guitar, and back when this was one of the rips that truly taught me how much the SiIva team was capable of.

Its sort of small potatoes now, but it really feels like an escalation in power with each step in the rip. It starts out with just replacing the opening doorbell chime with doorbells playing The Flintstones - easy enough! - before also changing the core synth melody to the same tune. Again, a lot more feasible given the instrument's synthesized nature, still really trippy just how well it slots in with the rest of the song. Then the guitar riff hits and its - its playing a COMPLETELY different riff, yet the rest of the song continues undisturbed! Again, it's to be expected from SiIva nowadays, yet I remember finding this to be really impressive back in the day.

Althesame, the rip still has a really good pace to it by today's standards - nothing's out of key or out of tune, and there's a really fun twist played at the very end of it that always catches me off guard when I get to it in my playlist. It was the first time SiIva hinted at more to come during the spooky season, and it was a really neat surprise seeing it show up on Season 2's halloween-themed album. The rip would later directly influence a sort of sequel - Double D's Grand (Epic) Doorbell - which amassed twice the amount of views and drew tons of eyes just for its creative use of visuals at the start. I love the two rips dearly, and they show just how much rippers like MtH improved over just a few months time, yet the first has some true nostalgic value to me that I can't seperate myself from. Check both of them out - they're two peas in a pod.