Wednesday, August 29, 2012

I honestly have a post waiting. A real one.
Buuuuut, today, good things have happened.
Liiiiike
That's right.
Steampunk Hamlet.













I play Reynaldo. I only have 13 total lines and they're all in act 2 scene 1, but I DO HAVE LINES. AND AN ENTIRE SCENE DEVOTED TO ME. And if I know my theatre department, they'll add some funny ones.

But still
STEAMPUNK
HAMLET

I've seen the inspo pictures for the designers (I'm an actor AND a costumer, so this is for me). One is one of the members of Abney Park, which I find amusing. There's also an Industrial Schwarze Szene guy and some form of Steam Loli. So, I'll be designing (maybe) and crafting (maybe) clothing and deff acting.
HAPPINESS

With buckled platforms and vintage brown material because Hamlet,

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Goth Challenge Day 4

LET US HAVE A MOMENT OF GLORIOUS APPLAUSE FOR AMY
YOU ALL FOLLOW HER I KNOW YOU DO

Day 4 – Name a stereotype or cliche you can relate to.

Ah. Let's see.
I really freak out about Halloween. I have three pairs of Halloween socks that I wear with Creepers. SPEAKING OF CREEPERS- How am I supposed to wear them without knobbly socks? I don't like it when my socks show unless they're supposed to, like stripey socks and such.

Back on track, I also like stompy boots. I really realllly like stompy boots. Is that a cliche? Kid with lank black hair, poor makeup skills, metal-studded bracelets, Evanescence tee, Tripp phat pants, and killer boots?

Well. My hair is black now, but I tease it most days. It couldn't be lank if it wanted.
I don't wear makeup anymore, because I look enough like a girl and it irks me.
I do have one studded bracelet, but they're tiny bronze-y sphere and not silver pyramid studs.
I don't own any band t shirts. This is a problem.
The only Tripp I own is a peacoat.
...I only have two pairs of killer platforms.

I don't really have anything else, so I'll share some pretty people on tumblr

Jupiter Crash and Corridors of Gender are both fabulicious, beautiful Deathrock girls. Their hair, makeup, and clothes are fabulous.

Girls and Boys of the Darkside post picture of - you guessed it - girls and boys of the dark side.

Cats, Bats, and Witches' Hats, thin cigarette , tahlulala , Toxic Tears , Psychara, Freak Out Already!, NEOGROTESK, Kaz Eckfeldt, Brokkenwings, Ozora Nazo, Unnoticed by Time, sleepless thoughts, She's Happy Because of Prozac, The Black Lace Dandy, Noel Winters, Stiff Kittens, Marko Androgynous, Sense of Decay, gothnrollx, thereal MURDEROTIC, khymeira &, and Gothic Charm School: pretty things all post selfies. And they're all beautiful.

With super skinny jeans and Trashville-518s (actually, my outfit for tomorrow!)



Sunday, August 12, 2012

Goth Challenge Day 3

I'm sorry this is a day late. I had to do yard work yesterday and my internet went crazy for a bit. But, today is day four three of the Goth Challenge...When did you come out the Goth closet? (If you didn't then simply discuss the topic)

I didn't have a Goth coming-out per se. I kind of gradually slipped into it and hoped they would guess. I still refrain from calling myself a Goth, because down where I live, it means to be the stereotypical MallGoth, with Halloween makeup and long coats. Just like my last photo from my last post!
It started with...well, I talked about that last post.

Let me rant a little on the ignorance of the people in my area. I brought (stupidly) my copies of What is Goth? and Make it Black by Voltaire to school. Mostly to show off. I showed it to people and I assumed I wouldn't have to say it out loud, considering I was wear eyeliner and combat boots and carrying around a book that said 'What is Goth?' on it. Sadly, they didn't get it. At all.
I had a girl who sat beside on the bast last year who would give me the side-eye and say "Don't go Gothic".

So there. I'm watching Avatar the Last Airbender, so I can't be bothered to write any more.
With ripped fishnets and Siouxsie Sioux eyeliner,



Friday, August 10, 2012

Goth Challenge Day On - Two!

Due to blogger's block, I'll be doing Juliet's Lace's Goth Challenge! As soon as school starts back (10 days, kiddies...) I'll be doing sort-of-regular outfit posts.
I've sort of done day 1, so I'll skip ahead a day.

Share photos and experiences from your Baby Bat days.

 Oh dear.
Now, mind you all I've dropped 6-7 pants sizes since then, and insults are intolerable.

Let us share the very first BabyBat picture I have of myself.

The first photo not taken from the front
I don't particularly know how to start this. This was my first "dress-extravagantly-and-fix-your-hair" event. It was a friend's (who was a scene girl and therefore=k001) birthday and her sister took this picture. Before you are all suitably horrified, let me describe my outfit.
If I remember correctly, I was wearing awful dark blue bootcut jeans, black low-top Converse with black/white checkered laces, a fluffy tail, not one but TWO  Nightmare Before Christmas shirts layered together, a clip on tie, and snow-leopard clip-on ears. My hair was straightened and my eyes were kohled. Can you see the eye shadow? Nooo, because I didn't know how to use makeup and didn't use primer. To this day, I still won't wear makeup. I thought I was the height of Goth couture.
I don't remember what music I was listening to. I think I was vaguely interested in Kidneythieves and Velvet Acid Christ. Amazon recommended me to them after I rated all of Avril Lavigne's albums. She was the Goth idol of course.
This was sixth grade.

 
The first selfie
This was soon after my 12th birthday (also sixth grade). For that birthday, I had my first trip to Hot Topic. I was wearing my Hot Topic top hat, Hot Topic peacoat, Lip Service bondage pants, and combat boots. It seems like it could be a relatively good outfit now, 6 pants sizes down and at the opposite end of the upper-body sizes.
The eyeshadow was a bit better, but it had just been applied shortly before. I also smeared it across another boy's eyelid after he showed disloyalty.
I do still have the coat, hat, and pants (now cut-offs). The amazing army-issue combat boots sadly did not grow as my feet did and had to be thrown away.
As tribute to my MallGothyness, I was heading to a mall.  As part of a scholastic team. I bought a hat.

The height of my BabyBat-ism
There are no words to accurately describe my shame for this pictured weekend.
It was Voltaire's first live performance in my state and he was my favorite Gawff musician. There was a velvet cloak that went with this outfit. Let's just list everything I was wearing. The top hat (Hot Topic), vest (thrift store), dress shirt (sleeves cut off with a fork moments before because of *insert state here* heat; thrift store), shorts (thrift store), socks (internet), combat boots (storage unit sale), gloves (Spencer's Gifts), armwarmers (bought hours before at convention Voiltaire was performing at) necklace and bracelet (Rue21),  and white extensions (from the con as well). I'm sorry I typed so long. The makeup was, ironically enough, Halloween store black lipstick and too much eyeliner.
Anyway, Voltaire asked for volunteers to sing "When You're Evil" onstage with him. According to my step-sister (who has been cleverly edited out), a huge group of people pointed at me. I didn't know the lyrics, but no one noticed and I can't look at the pictures without wincing.

I knew you were all wondering when a picture like this would appear
This is the epitome of MallGoth. Long coat, Green Day t-shirt (incidentally, I don't and have never really liked them), Lip Service pants, Demonia Trashville 518 boots, striped arwarmer, mesh armwarmer, and spiked wristband. I am ashamed of this first photoshoot. I am not one of those Goths that looks fondly upon their BabyBat days. Not only because of the terrible outfits but my weight problem as well. Thank God that was fixed about three moths later. This was seventh grade winter break. Notice, the "corpse paint". I am very, very sorry.

There you are. My treacherous fashion journey into Goth.

With a pit of shame and newly dyed-black-and-trimmed hair

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Mini Post-Black Nail Polish Tips

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I still have little to post about at the moment.
BACK ON TRACK
I do my nails every week or every week and a half. I live in Podunk America by the by. There are no beauty stores besides Sally's and I don't even know if they sell nail polish. I do, however, get my hair dye from Sally's.

How I Paint My Nails
  • First, I always take my nail polish off. I know it seems simple, but please don't try to paint over the nail growth and chips. It will be uneven and you'll be able to see where the chips were.
  • Then, I clip my nails.That part wasn't necessary to say. I like lonigsh nails on myself but the corners break and I have to take off the polish and do it all over again.
  • Then comes the base coat. I paint both hands at the same time and have a fain positioned so that it blows on my nails. I use OPI Base Coat. It dries in a minute or so.
  • I paint the left hand nails first. I try to only use one coat and one swipe. I used to use OPI in Onyx, but it tars up very quickly. I now use Sally Hansen Hard As Nails from Wal-Mart. I really hate using things that come from Wal-Mart unless it's socks or something no one sees. But Sally Hansen is very smooth and dries quickly. I find that the cheaper the nail polish, the less problems there are.
  • Also, try not to put too much on the brush. It's better to go over the nails twice than have too much polish because it takes them forever to dry and smudge several hours later.
  • After it dries, I put on top coat. It is necessary to use a top coat unless you're using matte polish. If you do not, it chips much more easily and when you go in the water it bubbles up and it can even slide off your nails in the shower.
  • Then I do the other hand, usually while watching anime.
  • After about 12 hours, the top coat somehow meshes with the polish and gets less shiny. I don't know how to explain.
I realize that this shouldn't be much help. TL;DR cheap nail polish works better.

Oh, personal time! I'm getting my hair cut and colored in 4 days. I can't have the long hair I have now when I start school in two weeks, so I'm getting it cut like Gerard Way during his long wet-looking black hair days.
Apparently I look sort of like him, so ok. I'm getting it colored blue black because I can't have green bangs, blue sideburns, a red crown, and purple tips at school either.

With wooden rosaries and Anne Rice novels

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

The Evolution and Spread of Japanese Fashion

I haven't made a post in forever. Brain block! Is that even what it's called? I don't know, but I have it.
ANYWAY
What comes to mind when people say Japanese fashion? Harajuku, of course! I don't live anywhere near Asia, let alone Harajuku, so I'll use the combined might of Tokyo Fashion and 7 year old pictures from Wikipedia because Flickr is copyrighted!
Source
See how it's a few Decora, with a couple of Lolita and (I believe) a Visual Kei guy in the background?
This is (I believe) pretty much what Harajuku was about in 2006. By the by, Wikipedia still covers Bosozuko as a Japanese fashion. They really need to update their subcultures.
Now, I'll post a few pictures of Tokyo Fashion's most popular looks.
OR MAYBE WE'LL DO A HUGE GROUP SHOT          
Source for the 1st and 2nd and Source for the 3rd
 I don't really like trying to tell you how things are and how they used to be, but I'll try. As you can see, the last four pictures are from Tokyo Fashion.
You see how the very first picture has the sort-of childish looking Decora? And you you see how in the second and fourth photos, Lolita has sort of merged with Decora to create something like the Western Pastel Goth? That's what happened with Decora; it's still here.
Lolita is still just as popular. There were a lot of Lolita pictures to choose from, but I decided to use the one next to the Visual Kei guy in the amazing pants. It's still just as strong now-stronger, even, because it's in just about every country where there is internet. It's also gotten more complicated, no longer maid style dresses and headbands, but full-on Victorian doll fashion.
 Visual Kei is apparently still breathing (third photo), but there were next to no VK pictures, so it has deteriorated in casual fashion.
Japan still has it's own eclectic, unnamed fashion (fourth and fifth photos). It's still the mishmash of everything, just like it's always been.
(If you are highly interested in the fashion, Tokyo Fashion is a great place to find it. Most of them even give out tumblr accounts and blogs.)

What's popular now?
  • Platform sneakers and Converse are very popular, especially in the Deco-Lolita clan
  • Rocking horse shoes are also popular, and seen in just about every country where Lolitas or Japanese fashion enthusiasts are.
  • Creepers are not only popular in Japan, they're popular everywhere right now. The Japanese are usually seen with the odder ones, like silver metallic platform Creepers.
  • h. Naoto is as popular as ever. 
Everyone in Harajuku and Shibuya and such have such individual styles, it's hard to tell what's popular and what isn't besides footwear.

I'm very sorry if I left something obvious out, but if I did, it probably got swamped by my drooling over boots.

With candy striped legs the Spiderman comes,