Pants Two Ways and a Whole Lot of Cosplay

This blog and I don't seem to cross paths very often anymore! Never fear, I'm not going to up and vanish one day without leaving a note. If I ever decide to leave the blogger community rest assured I'll keep you all informed. However, between school, sewing, cosplay, reading, learning to play guitar, orchestra, etc. (really the list of things I do nowadays goes on and on) I just don't have time, or the motivation really to keep up a steady posting schedule. I'll probably drop one or two posts a month and that'll be it, but at least I'll be here! That being said, I'm much more active on both my tumblr (which is more fandom/comics than Goth I'm afraid) and my Goodreads. Both links can be found off to the right if it interests you.

I was going through my huge backlog of photos and I found two outfits showcasing these brown and black spin doctor pants. I love the whole steampunk vibe I get when I wear them. When I was looking at the pictures I thought it was a really good example of how you can make the same item from your closet look totally different depending on your accessories.

A plain black shirt is all I really need with pants this loud.

but when offered a pair of suspenders how could I say no?

We're going to have to ignore the change in hair length here, because I'm pretty sure that's having some effect, but a pair of glasses, corset, and turtleneck instead of suspenders and the whole look is changed! I just love mixing and matching things from my closet. I really try my best not to wear the same thing twice in a month, which proves a fun challenge.

I found a pair of old docs at Value Village! They were only $8

Now I'm going to move away from anything remotely goth related and stray into geek territory. Last month I went to Vancouver Fan Expo and I had a blast. I promised pictures so I tried to pick out the best ones. My favorite panel was definitely the one with the Soska Sisters (AKA Twisted Twins). Sure, seeing Karl Urban and Tom Felton was fun, but these directors were hilarious and being less famous were able to engage us in  conversation. They complimented my hair and hit on me! It was lovely. I highly advise checking out their movie American Mary or perhaps even Dead Hooker in a Trunk which has become something of an indie hit.

The sisters are on the left and the gorgeous Tristan Risk is next to them.
Their musician/friend's name was Kenny I believe.

 As for cosplay... well I had most of my Cecil costume put together around Halloween so that was relatively easy. I still need to find a much better wig and headphones, as well as make a few more props and update the clothes, but I'm happy with how the tattoos turned out. A few people recognized me so that was fun.

Of course the main event was my Arkham Asylum Scarecrow costume. Wowie did I put a lot of time and money into this one. And there are still things I need to redo! Cosplay will destroy your life; that I can assure you. Int he pictures I look significantly less dirty and 'authentic' than if you were to meet me in person, and I didn't bother to take off my flip flops for the first pic, but I think you get most of the effect.

And because I couldn't steal the spotlight for myself with so many wonderful cosplayers around, here are a few of my favorites from the weekend. We took a lot of pictures so I tried to pull out the ones I felt were most deserving of recognition.

Pyramid Head

Sauron I believe. His gauntlets were killer.

This Titan's dedication to body paint is impressive.

That makeup was crazy. And I'm pretty sure it was makeup.

Game of Thrones! Look at that wonderful Brienne.

She was extremely attractive and lovely to talk to. Trust me.

I thought my hands were restricted with the gauntlet...

Lady Loki is really high on my cosplay list

Hopefully I haven't lost all of you by now with the giant stream of photos. I'll do my best to get another post up this month and it'll be one more "Goth" related. I'll leave you with a picture of the loot I scored at the con. I'm a sucker for artwork and with the knowledge that I might not see these pieces ever again I blew all of my money on posters (And a Beetlejuice Funko which is just adorable). My room has since turned into a Den of Geek.

Fun fact! The artwork tot he far left was done by the same artist who designs the album art for Johnny Hollow. Their CDs were being sold at the booth as well. You can't see it very well, but I'd advise looking him up.

The Goth Is Finally Invading My Room

School has been a nightmare lately let me tell you. I've got a bunch of posts planned for the near future, if I can work around finishing my cosplay, and writing these essays my new teachers are fond of giving out. As far as recent news goes however, I'm happy to announce that I've finally gotten to decorate my new room! It's looking exactly as I envisioned it, though there's still a bit to go.

The black wall is going to be my poster covered one, once I get more.

My lovely Pinhead poster is hidden by the glare...

And my Black Knight is all by himself in the corner because he was too big.

I'm a geek and I am extremely proud of my instruction-less bionicle ok?
That big one took hours of collaboration with my friend ^^"

Brand new closet!

I love the purple color of the walls. It's even better in person. Also, I'm really glad we tore up the carpet and put in wood. The grey-ish color is perfect. Now I need to go get myself a table/desk, a shelf for my little knickknacks, and a rack for my record player and speakers. I think I'll also get some black and grey curtains to hang over my window and I have an ornate mirror to hang up. Unfortunately, I'll only get to have this room for a little more than a year, since I'll be off to university, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

How about you guys? What would your perfect room be like, if you could do anything that struck your fancy?

I've Got a Vintage Vibe Going On

 

I don't have time for a proper post today. I'm trying to schedule Vancouver trips and plane trips for different friends, figure out how I'm going to take the SAT up here in Canada, write book reviews,  renovate the house, stay involved in the orchestra, work on my cosplay, AND write things for this blog. Let's just say I have a lot on my plate, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! It's good to stay busy. I just feel like I'm neglecting you guys sometimes.

I will endeavor to at least get one post a week up from now on. This doesn't quite count, but I wanted to show off the dress I made this term in Textiles. I wanted something polka-dotty, something I could wear for a more vintage feel, but was also trying to save some money. Therefore, knocking out an item along with a school project, I grabbed an old pattern from the 80s and got to work. Curled hair and red lipstick makes this outfit even better. I'm pretty proud of it! This is the first 'big thing' I've ever sewed.

So what do you think? Do any of you like to sew? It's a great way to add some originality to your wardrobe, if a bit time consuming.

New Year's Resolutions: Take 2

How were everyone's holidays? I found myself getting a plethora of geeky things for Christmas including Watchmen and V for Vendetta in comic form, Scott Pilgrim in movie form, Skyfall, a Darth Vader alarm clock, and Arkham Origins for ps3. Bonus: The game was even set during Christmas!

I also received The Historian (Review here), The Fountainhead (Highly recommended), and Cloud Atlas (To be reviewed soon), but the thing that I thought you guys might appreciate the most is this poster from our local record shop.

Another year is upon us, and boy did the last one go by quickly. I hope everyone had a great year and I wish you all a better one to come. Last year I made a list of 'resolutions', and this year I'll do the same. I put that in quotes because I'm going to think of them more as loose guidelines so I don't get too stressed out or bummed when they don't all happen.

• Read. Read and read and read. This is a resolution every year because I'm constantly absorbing books. This year I'm keeping track of the ones I've read and I'm going to try to be more active on my Goodreads. Therefore I'm following in Mary Rose's footsteps and letting you all know that you're welcome to send me a friend request.

• Improve my Comic collection. I mean, normally I spend most of my money on clothes because I have this bad habit of wanting everything at once. Which leaves little room for other things. Batman, Deadpool, Saga, Scott Pilgrim, X-Men, Avengers...the list is endless. And I'm dying  to get my hands on both the Sandman and the Hellraiser comics. Especially the latter.

• Learn to play my guitar! I've had it for months and haven't touched it because I've been so busy. Well that's going to change this year. I'm taking lessons very soon. 

• Finish my Scarecrow cosplay for Vancouver Fan Expo and perfect Cecil. I'm getting somewhere, but I feel really behind.

• Make a poster wall. I've just painted my room and I plan to litter the back wall with everything from bands to fandoms.

•  Ski more often. I forgot how much fun skiing is and now that I live close to a resort I plan on taking full advantage of it.

• Get a solid SAT score and apply to universities. I've got to start narrowing down my options. I know I want to aim big, but my problem is that I want to go everywhere. Whatever I decide, I know that I'm a liberal arts major at heart. Too bad I love both English and History equally, so deciding whether I want to be a librarian, archivist, curator, or even shooting for professor in either subject is a tough choice. And then there's that part of my brain that goes. Hey! Psychology is cool too!

• Record collection update! Dad bought me a new record player. Which means it's time to buy the Siousxie, Bowie, and Ministry vinyls I've been eying at the local record store...once I have the funds. (Why are records so expensive??)

•  Wardrobe additions. It's high time I bought a proper corset. I'd also like some more vintage-inspired items and have been leaning towards wanting a more romantic flair lately. 

And that's about it!  A shorter list than last year, but I think that's a good thing. We'll see how I do this time. How about you guys? What are your resolutions/wishes for the new year?

30 Day Clothing Challenge~ Day 30: Something From Your Favorite Store

 So I may have lied about the quick update. Just a little. Turns out it's really hard to find time to blog in this trailer. Harder than I first expected. I'm still trying to figure out how my school credits transfer, and privacy is extremely hard to come by. Not to mention, my family and the dogs are constantly wanting to do things because they're restless. The good news is that we've bought a new house and we'll (hopefully) be moving into it next Friday.

I'm taking a textiles class! It's great because knowing how to sew is a skill I'll need for my future cosplay endeavors. Before this the extent of my knowledge was how to hand stitch patches on to my vest. Our first project is a hoodie so I'll let you know how that turns out!

Well it seems I'm at the end of the 30 Day Clothing Challenge. It was a lot of fun so I suppose I'll need to find a new challenge to use for filler posts (I can't be creative all the time you know). Looking at the last post, I ought to have used my White House Black Market jacket here. It's not my favorite store, but it ranks up there because it's where I like to look for more dressy items. Instead, I'll just show you this scarf I got from Target right before we left. Target can be considered a favorite store right now, not because of it's quality, but because it gives me a sense of familiarity. Everything here in Kelowna is so new, but when I walk into Target it's like I never left Florida. So it gets points for something.

Tiny trailer bathroom shot!

I need a haircut~

You can see the detail on the scarf better here.
It's all torn up and fluffy

I forgot to mention before I left that I'm planning some cosplays to follow Scarecrow (And I cannot wait to get in a house so I can work on that).  After this one is done I'll be working on a Lady Loki one. Those two, plus a genderbent Joker and Altair, are going to keep me busy for a very long time. So here's Lady Loki's makeup test! It happened a few days before the move and yes this is what I do at 3 in the morning.

Pajamas XD

I played around a lot, but I like the green lipstick (Chapstick and eyeshadow really. I tried too many shades to count). I also, think I'll stick with the green and black eyeshadow.

30 Day Clothing Challenge~ Day 29: Something That's Your Favorite Brand

Today I'm bringing you this post from our lovely *cough* travel trailer. It's really not awful, but when you're used to a certain way of living (in a house where you don't bump into everyone trying to get around) it's well, it's a bit cramped. But we made it! Right now we're parked in a farm/RV place in Kelowna (a farm that has apple trees scattered around for me to pick at my leisure) as we look for a house to buy/rent. The trip was an interesting one, considering we decided to drive from Florida to British Columbia, and it took seven days. Suffice to say I'm glad to be out of the car. Some highlights from our trip...

• My dad tried to take a shower in the trailer and discovered he didn't quite fit. He had to stick his head in the air vent.
• South Dakota (The Badlands in particular), parts of Wyoming, and Washington are all really pretty. I can't say much about the parts of Minnesota, Iowa, or Illinois we saw, as it was mostly corn. And Georgia was Florida, minus beaches and with more billboards advertising stripper joints.
• One night this huge RV parked next to us. We named it the Death Star and decided it was here to eliminate all inferior RVs. When it started glowing green in the middle of the night we couldn't stop laughing.
• I saw Buffalo!

And of course, since every trip has one disasterous moment, this happened to us not 30 minutes from our final destination. We were so. close. Maybe we drove a little too hard?

Luckily, people are extraordinarily nice here and someone stopped to help.

It's really hard to find time to write right now, so I'm going to finish up the last two days of this clothing challenge before I get back to other things. During the trip I've been wearing more or less the same outfit (a pair of cargo pants and a tanktop) so I'll be using any old pictures I can find. I don't actually have a favorite brand per say. I buy most of my items via thrifting or online shopping and there isn't really one brand that sticks out. Of course, I like brands such as Hell Bunny and Lip service, but I can't say either one is my favorite and I think you've seen all of the clothes I own by those brands . However I constantly find things I like at White House Black Market (even if I normally can't afford it) and I was lucky enough to thrift this jacket a few weeks ago.

It's a really lightweight jacket which means I can wear it even when it's a bit warmer. And I'm absolutely in love with the ruffles on the front. They satisfy my love of fancy, frilly things.  I'm wearing it with the new lacy high-to-low skirt I bought the same day, but I didn't get a picture so that will have to wait until next time ^^

30 Day Clothing Challenge~ Day 28: An Outfit You Are Ashamed To Say You Wore

 We were so busy these past weeks that packing for the move was put off, and as a result I've been packing the house, which should have taken a month... in three days. Not to mention, since we're driving up to Canada I'm only allowed to bring one box with me on the initial trip. One box! It's atrocious. (It's mostly books to be honest. That and my records.) Dad is planning on coming back for the rest of our things, but I'm going to have to wait a couple of months. Also, while I tried to fit as much of my wardrobe into my suitcase as possible, I'm not actually capable of breaking the laws of physics, so I'm leaving a fair amount of clothes behind as well. This is the first time I've actually gotten to sit down at my computer, and feeling a bit guilty about the one(!) post this month I figured I could throw out a challenge post before we leave at the very least.

I don't actually have pictures of the outfits I'm "ashamed" of. I'm sure they exist, there just isn't any photographic evidence and I can't remember any specific details. I do however, have some old pictures of me, which date anywhere from 6th to 7th grade I think? They've caught me in my pre-goth phase.

And that's all of the old pictures you'll get from me! Ever. On an entirely different note, I picked up my new glasses. I never wore my old ones because I hated the frames and my eyesight is still pretty good. I really only need them if I'm at the back of class or driving, just in case. I like these a lot though, so I'll probably incorporate them into my outfits on occasion, like I did here. They paired really well with my new Spin Doctor jeans.

Bad lighting, but the jeans are tan and black and they're fabulous

It's funny how different something like a new haircut or a pair of glasses can make someone look. I love it. On a final note, (since I have to get back to my wretched packing) I've downloaded all of the Night Vale podcasts and plan to listen to them on the trip. Anyone else out there enjoy Welcome to Night Vale? From what I've seen on Tumblr it looks right up my alley and I'm really excited to hear it.

30 Day Clothing Challenge~ Day 26: A Mismatched Outfit That You'd Never Wear

 Well this was...fun. (And by that I mean not fun at all) Looking at this picture makes me cringe.

Where to start? First of all, that hoodie is so obnoxiously pink that I seldom wear it unless with copious amounts of black. If I paired it with any of this I would die. Secondly, that tight skirt would look bizarre with such a slouchy hoodie instead of a nice top. That scarf has to be my favorite one, but it's not doing justice to this ensemble. And the flipflops. I don't wear those unless I'm around the house or at the beach (If you can drag me there that is). I don't think you guys will be seeing me in this outfit any time soon!

The outfit I wore yesterday is helping to relieve the pain of looking at that mess up there. It's as basic as I get, but hey, it's summer! It's way too hot for any more layers than this and makeup just runs off your face. I don't care how good your primer is. When the heat index is 103 degrees it aint doing squat.

We went to Islands of Adventure! The ONE redeeming quality of life in Florida is being so close to the theme parks. IOA has always been my favorite (With Universal coming a close second) and last week we decided to make an impromptu trip. We were lucky that it wasn't so crowded because we got to ride all of the rides multiple times AND spent a few hours in the arcade. I could live the rest of my life in an arcade. There aren't many things I like to do better than blow my money on Pacman and arcade shooters. You should have seen all the tickets we had won by the end!

I STILL haven't gotten to ride the Harry Potter ride, much to my dismay. I've been to the Wizarding World three times since it opened, but the line has never been shorter than two hours and I cannot for the life of me make myself wait in line that long for a two minute ride. Hogsmeade is as scenic as ever, though I'd have to say Marvel Island is still my favorite area. If I had to pick one favorite "ride" (not including roller coasters) then the Spiderman ride will always be my favorite. I smile so much as the villains all attack you. It's wonderful. Of course, thematically the wait to Doctor Doom's Fearfall is the best. Doombots everywhere. I didn't get many pictures, but here are a couple I took and a few taken from google images.

Cute lil monster book~

The tm sign in the corner completely broke my immersion.
I burst out laughing and inadvertently ruined the experience of a few tourists.

As far as roller-coasters go I have never been on one more fun than Dueling Dragons.

And that's that! I'm going to have to hold on to the "Big News" I promised until everything is settled and for certain. But for making you wait I'll drop another exciting tidbit. I've fully devoted myself to making a cosplay for the next Con I go to in the future. But not just any cosplay. Scarecrow from Arkham Asylum. It's a doozy, and that gauntlet is going to be the death of me. I also see my money flying out the window. But this is going to be fun! I've already bought a base to build the mask off of, some craft foam, burlap, and a paint respirator so I'll keep you updated.