30 Day Clothing Challenge~Day 11: A Piece of Jewelry That a Grandparent Gave You

We're all saved!

Can I just take this moment to point out that since Romney did not win the election I won't be packing my things and moving to England?  I'm not saying Obama is the cure for everything, but hey, Bush had eight years to screw things up, so I say give Obama eight to try and fix it. Not to mention, he isn't a racist, homophobic, women-hating idiot who would have ended up offending every country known to man. I bet if Romney had won we would have been at war with Canada within the year... *facepalm*

Unfortunately, I'm surrounded by conservatives down here and they're all crying and yelling about the election results. Basically, this is my reaction to the number of people that have said to me because I don't like the current views of the Republican party (And ESPECIALLY Romney) I'm part of the American population that has doomed this country and are betraying God.

Um, have you ever heard of seperation of church and state? We are not a theocracy people. But I'm not going to go on about politics. I spammed everyone on Tumblr enough before the election and that's over and done with. Time to move on! I couldn't pick just one thing I've received from my grandparents, so here are my favorites through process of elimination. I'm not really sure if most of them are even considered "jewelry"  but whatever.

A pocket watch that I'm going to find a chain for and turn into a necklace.

I'm not sure if this counts, but it's a Russian clock(minus the wristband) from the 70s.

Do I have a shirt that requires cufflinks? Nope. But they're really old and I love them.

I have a pair with Viking ships too! I'm not sure where the other one is right now...

And of course, my ankh. Simple and goes with everything.

In other news...

1. I just read a book called Shadow and Bone. Unfortunately, like almost all YA books out there at the moment it has a love triangle, but the originality of the rest of the book makes up for that. Not to mention, the villain is amazing. So go go read it!
2. This is completely personal, but my marching band got top marks at the competition we do every year. Straight superiors! We spent all day at the citrus bowl watching the other bands. One of them did Gangham Style. (And it was HILARIOUS) There was a Back to the Future show which made me very happy and then some of the more serious bands were great. (Our show was a New Years theme if you wanted to know. People loved it.) 
3. DVD releases for the Beetlejuice cartoons are set for 2013!
4. Young Dracula Season 4 has started up. I've seen the two episodes and I'm really excited.

That's all I have for you this time. Here's the outfit of the day ^^

Tale of the Body Thief Movie

Yes, that's right. Lestat is coming back to the big screen. I'm not sure whether to jump around and squeal in excitement or sink to the floor in dread, clutch my hair and moan 'Why cruel world....why?' until someone asks what's wrong. I fell in love with the Interview With the Vampire movie despite refusing to see it for years because it had Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in it. It exceeded my expectations and Tom was just...perfect. Then there was Queen of the Damned which I hate to even mention. We all know what a disaster that was. I don't even know what happened... Personally, I'm hoping one day they'll revisit The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned and give them proper films.

I would be all for this movie save for one fact. They have to find two actors that can capture the essence of Lestat. Two. It's hard enough to find one. But the whole plot of the movie is centered around Lestat being in a human body for some time so they'll have to find an actor who can play the maniacal vampire and one to play the maniacal vampire trying to cope with human senses while looking completely different. Yeah, this will be fun.

Good luck measuring up to this.

But hey, I'm not going to denounce it till I see it and I won't be missing it for the world. So far, I've only heard that they're working on the script. But if anyone knows anything else feel free to leave some info down below :)

More Hannibal Lecter and Dracula Adaptions?

Well I think we've all realized people have long run out of ideas for movies and shows. I mean, count all of the horror movie/superhero remakes and *gasp* old content in 3D they've done in the past couple of years and it's clear they've run out of original material. Now NBC is helping to contribute to this seemingly never-ending pattern. They've latched on to both the Hannibal Lecter AND Dracula franchise once again. My initial reaction?

Frankly, I found it hilarious. Now I love Hannibal and adore Dracula, but how many adaptions can you squeeze out of a book before it runs dry? Obviously they're going to try again. Here's the general rundown of the two shows.


Hannibal

 There will be no twisted romance/whatever you want to call Starling and Lecter's bizarre relationship. The show is going to strictly focus on Hannibal's time as a free man while in the company of Will Graham. (The fanfiction slash writers are going to run away with this one. *facepalm*) Pretty much, it''s taking place when Dr. Lecter is still in the law enforcement's good books and is a well respected forensic psychiatrist.

This time, Lecter won't be promoted as the bad guy, but as Will's mentor of sorts. (And we all know how that turns out.) He'll be helping to profile and catch the serial killers the FBI are after. Brian Fuller, who wrote the script, claims "There is a cheery disposition to our Hannibal. He's not being telegraphed as a villain. If the audience didn't know who he was, they wouldn't see him coming," which has the potential to be either very pleasant or disastrous.

Directing the show is David Slade, who's also done 30 Days of Night (Good.) and Twilight: Eclipse (We're not even going to go there.) Playing the part of Will is British actor Hugh Dancy. (If anyone's seen Blood and Chocolate he played Aiden. Also, if you haven't seen Blood and Chocolate...don't. The book is much better.) Playing Hannibal is Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.

Right now, the series is scheduled for thirteen episodes and if it's successful will renew for another thirteen.

Problems I foresee

• Hannibal Lecter is a very complex person. There's all sorts of intricate quirks in his personality that are very hard to pull off. As amazing as Anthony Hopkins was in the movies I still don't think he managed to capture the essence of Hannibal in the books. (I think Brian Cox actually came a little closer in Manhunter.) The acting required to portray Hannibal has got to have the right amount of I'm-a-genius-with-a-little-crazy-thrown-in but has to capture his impeccable manners and unnerving calm at the same time.
• There are already five films featuring Hannibal Lecter. I've seen them all and read the books. Sometimes enough is enough. Movies and shows tend to get worse and worse as you drag them out and even sequels are usually questionable. I would be so disappointed to find myself losing interest because I've seen too much. It's like listening to a favorite song so much that one day you wake up and realize you can't listen to it anymore despite how much it means to you.
• If Fuller gets his way this show will go on for 7 seasons. I don't care how successful the show is. There is no way the plot is holding up that long. Look at Supernatural! Into the eighth season and it lost any semblance of a good plot three seasons ago. It's only stayed alive this long because people don't want to let go.

...Of course despite all my protests I'll be tuning in as soon as this thing is on. We'll see how it goes.


Dracula

Another one? Well, here we go again....

Ladies and Gentlemen, our new Dracula.

The show was approved for ten episodes before a pilot was even shot. This means NBS was either very impressed or is just jumping on to the ever popular "Vampires are cool now" bandwagon. It has Jonathon Rhys Meyers (from the Tudors) playing Dracula, who's in London posing as an American Entrepreneur. (Obviously, he's worked hard to get rid of that accent of his...) In reality he's out for revenge and ends up falling in love... yada yada yada. Haven't we heard this somewhere before? Oh oh oh! and guess what? She happens to be a reincarnation of his dead wife. If you listen very carefully you can hear Bram Stoker banging on his coffin and begging to be let out so he can set a few things straight.

Problems I foresee

• Yet another romantic twist on Dracula. Don't get me wrong, I swoon just as much as any girl when I see a handsome vamp seduce another lovely lady. I happen to enjoy romantic Dracula adaptions. It's just that I think the romance of the original Dracula comes from a darker place. It's the suspenseful atmosphere and actions of the evil count, who is in the end is really irredeemable. It's the way the book is written to horrify (Even if nowadays we're rather hard to horrify it's the idea that stands.) and I don't think you were ever really supposed to like the count. He was the monster. I'd like to see another adaption where Dracula is cruel and uncaring and just downright out for blood. No falling in love this time. (I'd probably end up liking him even better.)
• I've already snarked about this, but talk about beating a dead horse. Unless you've got a revolutionary Dracula adaption that's going to blow our minds then get your greedy hands off of Bram Stoker's work! 
• It's been said it'll be a "big, sweeping, international soap opera that's young, sexy, and supernatural". This scares me. We do not need another vampire show made only to enthrall unsuspecting teenagers. We have True Blood and The Vampire Diaries for that.

...Yes, I'll also be watching this one. I really hope it exceeds expectations. But if not, at least we get an attractive vampire in Victorian London to stare at. ^^

In other news, NBC is ALSO doing a remake of The Munsters (We just can't win can we? Leave our classics alone!) and have asked for a script for a modern take on Frankenstein. I just...can't even...we're doomed.

Alternative Fashion in the Mainstream~ Project Runway

Ok, so I'm not usually a sucker for reality TV shows. They tend to grate on my nerves. However, Project Runway has remained one of my guilty pleasures since I was a kid. Being fashion oriented, the show is a great way for alternative fashion to creep into mainstream life without being 'taboo'. Seth Aaron even won his season and those clothes...well let's just say I've spent no small amount of time on the internet looking to buy things similar to his designs.

Normally the semi-alternative/designers with interesting ideas are thrown out around the half way point to make room for the 'marketable' ones, but it's nice to see them while they last. A new season just started up and I've picked out some of the designers that caught my eye, for better or worse.


Elena Slivnyak

I'm ah, not entirely sure about her. The first item she showed us was this amazing leather jacket that was a strange cross between armor and the creature in Alien. (To my disappointment, I can't find any pictures.) However, her work is futuristic to the point where I couldn't help but think 'Tron!' when I saw a few other pieces. I think she's got great inspiration, but some things might be a bit over-the-top. Futuristic looks are great. Personally, I'd rather not look like I popped out of Star Trek. On the other hand, I liked how she said she strives to create a sort of look that 'Isn't male, but isn't female'. I'm a huge fan of androgynous looks so maybe she'll pleasantly surprise me in the future.

Melissa Fleis

I'll admit I got a good laugh out of this one. Melissa walked in with this rack of black clothes which my eyes began to feast greedily on. Then she began to speak. Somewhere in describing who she is and where she gets her inspiration from she said something similar to this. "My clothes have a certain Gothic element to them, without being too Gothic."
*Snort* Oh dear. Again? Must we immediately shy away from the term Goth and be afraid to apply it to our clothes? How many bloggers have already written about their own opinions on Goth in the mainstream and how everyone does this exact thing? (Black Lipstick? That's edgy, not Goth.) It amuses me to no end. Not to mention, where exactly do you draw the line at being 'too Gothic'? I'd really love to know how she creates her 'Gothic' inspired clothes without crossing that dreadful taboo.

 Andrea Katz

Ooh, Victorian inspired clothing here we come! (hopefully). This lovely lady is 58, owns cats, and walks in to the audition with this jabot that threatens to consume her face because of how enormous it is. I'm already on her side. Ok, so she admitted to half of her clothing reminding her of her grandmother's tablecloths. But the other half was very promising indeed!

It seems I've been helplessly sucked into yet another season of melodramatic fights and people accusing others of stealing their ideas and so on. (Someone please get me some Advil. I'm going to need it.) Oh, how I suffer for fashion ^^

Horror Movies and Desensitization

Does anyone ever feel like horror movies don't leave the lasting impact you want them to? I honestly like to be scared. Scratch that, I like to be terrified when I see a horror movie. I'm addicted to the little thrill you get from it. A long time ago, when I first started out with things like The Ring, I jumped at shadows for weeks. The Grudge had me checking my bathroom every 5 seconds and locking my black cat out of my room. Even Jaws made me want to stay out of the ocean. Nowadays it seems I can't find anything that does more than creep me out for a few hours.

It all leads back to desensitization. It's gonna happen. You watch enough scary stuff and you start becoming accustomed to it. Which means you look for scarier and scarier stuff to satisfy your horror movie cravings. When you get to the point where nothing scares you what do you move on to? I still enjoy horror movies. They just don't have the same...kick.

After you've seen a lot of really good ones you start to notice the flaws in lesser ones. You can't help it! You start to pick at the little things and compare them how said superior movie did it. Nothing is ever good as that one movie.

Gore doesn't make things scarier to me. Period. I think you can have a very good horror movie without excessive and unnecessary blood spray. However this leads back to desensitization. Producers want to make scarier and scarier movies to keep people on the edge of their seats. They seem to think gore and torture will accomplish this. To me, it just makes it disgusting. I've seen so many movies where I've been utterly grossed out without ever feeling a bit of fear. (One reason I enjoy older horror movies.)

I mean, really?

I don't think there are enough good psychological horror movies out there. (If you know one please suggest it!) I like movies that mess with your mind and leave you going "What the hell just happened?"  There are still good movies like that being made. Eventually though, people will run out of ideas and just continue to up the blood and guts.

But think about it. Desensitization. We see horrible things on the news every day, horror movies get gorier every year, children play M rated violent games, and there are little kids running around Halloween Horror Nights. (I've seen it!). Back in the day (Before I was born) people were walking out of theaters and throwing up during The Exorcist. As amazing as that movie is, if you compare it to things today it pales in comparison in the graphic details department. What's it going to be like in another 20 years? 50? Do you think this desensitization is eventually going to have a negative effect?

Still, I'm going to continue my search for more enjoyable horror movies. There are so many out there that I still haven't seen so I have hope. Not to mention I can still appreciate a good movie even if it's not necessarily scary. Send me your recommendations!

Quick Dark Shadows Review

Eeeeeep!

I could really just leave it at that, but you deserve a bit more elaboration. ^^

It's been getting average reviews but don't let that put you off, I thought it was pretty good. Was it new? Revolutionary? No, but it was another psychotic trip into the craziness that is Burton's mind. A lot of people are sick of Johnny Depp playing the pasty-faced, quirky character, (Do I even remember what Johnny Depp looks like without makeup..?) but I think he brought new life and character to Barnabas Collins. No, its nothing like the original. At all. However if you keep an open mind I think you'll find the film enjoyable.

The movie had me cracking up in that whole "This is so awkward I can't help but laugh and hide my face in my hands" kind of way. And they kept the best parts out of the previews that's for sure. It just goes to show you can't judge a movie by what they advertize. I especially loved the Alice Cooper shtick. And how many of you honestly kept a straight face when Barnabas hypnotized someone? Seriously, the fingers! (I CAN'T believe I couldn't find a gif for that...)

There were a few parts they could have left out. Like Carolyn's "problem". I didn't think that added anything to the movie really. And sometimes instead of going for campy humor they could have given a scene a darker undertone.  They never really found the right balance and it frustrated me because this didn't quite live up to its amazing potential. But they really were pulling out all the stops with fun cliches.

I also really liked the wardrobe choices.

This dress. I want this dress. While we're at it I'll take the necklace too.

How many people searched for Barnabas' cane after watching the old series or movie? I fell prey to the urge and frantically googled only to find that replicas are $400. Oops. Dream crushed. Brb, crying. T.T

All in all, it isn't particularly creative for Tim Burton, and the second half is a bit disjointed and pales compared to the first, but if you have some time to kill I suggest you pop on down to the closest theater and give it a go.  I think its worth seeing and Depp is a riot.

May the Fourth be With You

I had to pop in and say HAPPY STAR WARS DAY EVERYONE! (My childhood obsessions refuse to be ignored)

So here's a tribute to the always overlooked stormtroopers for being well...not very bright...bless their hearts.

And another one for Sidious, who was a poor pathetic creature, but was still completely badass while managing to look like Pope Benedict XVI.

 

The inner nerd that dwells within me also implores that I post this. Anyone sick of hearing YOLO left and right? (That's "you only live once" for people who don't spend half their lives on social networking sites.) Well Yoda mixes it up a bit at least.

Very true.

If this over-exuberant nerdy spazzing has offended anyone, (And it better not have *death glare*) then I apologize... But who doesn't like Star Wars? <3

May the fourth be with you ;)

Another Goth Marketing Ploy + Bats on my Feet!

Ok, how many times have you gotten the "You look like Abby from NCIS" remark? Strangely enough I haven't, because we can't wear spiked things to school, and people around here aren't into the habit of speaking to strangers. (It's more of an open glare.) However, I know a bunch of people have gotten this, and from stories I've heard it seems that no matter what you actually look like, if someone watches the show and you're wearing a choker they see this.

Now don't get me wrong. I love Abby. I love NCIS. But I can understand how annoying this could get. Best strategy here is probably just smile and nod. Right about now, you're probably wondering why I'm going on this tangent about Abby. I mean its just a TV show right? Well, this is why. (Brace yourselves.)

The CBS is selling "goth accessories".

Yep, that was the sound of every goth in the world gasping in horror. Why would they do this? Actually scratch that, its all for the money of course. But still, um, I'm pretty sure if I wanted to buy a choker I wouldn't look here...

Look at this, just look.

I'm fairly certain those things will be of questionable quality, and from the comments on their Facebook they've been getting one of these three responses.

• People informing us how hot they think she is, and how much they'd love to get in bed with her seems to be the number one choice... (Some things should be kept to yourself, or at least off of Facebook.)

• Then there's the overeager fangirls claiming they loooove her but they wouldn't wear any of it. (Good for you?)

• Finally, there's the people blatantly bashing the evilness of goth. (Which is always entertaining.)

The few goths that actually commented just recommended other places to buy accessories XD

Yeah, so I'm not sure how long they'll keep this up...I'm thinking sales won't be so great, (They might have a chance around Halloween...) but overall this whole thing is just funny.

Anyway, when I'm sad I tend to buy things. (NOT a healthy habit people) So yesterday I ended up purchasing these from Etsy.

Some cheesy fun to be had right there my friends.

Don't Mock Goths: Future's Bright for the Men and Women in Black

Right now I'm trying to distract myself from the sound of my shoes in the washer. "Shoes in the washer" you gasp? Fret not, its just an old pair of converse I found lying around that I thought I might spice up for casual days. Right now it sounds like...well I don't even know what it sounds like. Kind of like one of those full-fledged battles in The Lord of the Rings is being fought inside my house.

After those are done I'm going to go dye that black skirt like I said I would weeks ago and then I've got to finish shoving safety pins through my new jacket. Impressive DIY skills no? Seriously, I'm pretty useless when it comes to editing things though I do try. I'm learning how to sew a little at the moment which makes me extremely proud of myself. If you were as bad at practical things as I am you would understand. I'm pretty good at taking things apart though. Hehe...

Anyway, I was browsing the interwebz like I normally do when bored out of my skull, and I found a very interesting article called Don't Mock Goths: Future's bright for the men and women in black. It was certainly well-informed in most aspects and its nice to find something speaking positively of the subculture considering how much negativity there is. The article defends goths, saying that they're often very educated because of the value they place on learning (very true) and that many land good jobs. It goes on to give a brief explanation of the start of the movement and several "goth" bands. (THE CURE!! eep!) Overall it was a well-written, intelligent article with maybe only one or two minor flaws.

You can read the article  here

There's a similar one I also like, that I believe Amy over at Stripy Tights and Dark Delights might have posted a while ago, but here it is again just in case anyone missed it. I disagree with the suggestion that "punks grow out of it" because that's not necessarily true, but don't let that throw you off because its a pretty good article.

If there are any young gothlings like myself out there reading this, who have parents that are unsure or nervous about you getting into the scene, show them these articles. It might help put their minds at ease. Or will at least convince them you're not going out and sacrificing small children when the moon is full (I would hope).

On that cheery note I'll take my leave and leave you with a lovely picture~

By MorriganTheSink on Deviantart