The Goth Challenge! Days 19 to 22

Day 19 - Share beauty advise and take a photo of your make up.

Oh boy, makeup! I love making new designs around my eyes! I try to be as creative as I can and find a new one everyday! Here is the most recent picture I have:

Apologies for my eyeliner being kind of faded;
This picture was taken at the end of the day...

I don't have much beauty advise but I can say that the biggest mistake one can make with makeup is not washing off the makeup before bed. To me, it feels really disgusting and I feel as if my pores are clogging with oil by the second! So please, for your skin's sake, wash off all traces of makeup before bed!

Day 20 - If you could dye your hair any colour what would it be?

Regarding the fact that I have recently dyed my hair black as I've been wanting for 6 years, I don't intend to get rid of it yet. Although, an idea came into my head not long ago: I want to get tints of purple in my black hair.

Ok, I don't want my hair to be entirely purple! I want it to be black, but it should shine with a purple glow in the light. Now, where to find that kind of stuff where I live? That's the hard part!

I looked around and found this:

L'Oréal: Deepest Plum (Source here)

It was close enough, so I decided to give it a try! This is how it turned out:

The purple only showed up on my brown roots... I took two pictures with 2 different functions on my phone to show more precisely the purple. I guess I should've expected it because I had black before but the woman at the store told me otherwise and bla bla bla... I'll try a better purple next time! :/

Day 21 - What body mod do you have or have you considered?

No, I do not have any body mods except for the simple ear piercing I got when I was little. I had a bad experience with piercing and REpiercing my ears before so I don't think I'll be getting any more soon... Although I would love some! I would like either a lip piercing or snake bites! As for tattoos, I would like to have a spiderweb in the back of my neck like Abby Sciuto from the show NCIS:

Source here

So those are my future body mod ideas! Anyone got other suggestions for first body mods?


Day 22 - If you could attend any Goth event what would it be?

So many events! But to choose only one? Probably between Wave Gotik Treffen and Whitby Gothic Weekend. First of all, WGT is probably the biggest Gothic event the world has seen to this day. It would be an honor for me to say that I've been to the biggest Gothic festival of the world! Second of all, this year, Whitby Gothic Weekend is on the weekend of my birthday! What are the odds of that?! It would truly be an amazing present, but my parents do not plan on traveling (or letting me travel alone) for a while... Darn... :/

The Goth Challenge! Day 7 - Ten of your favourite goth bands. (Late?)

Sorry everyone! I just realised that I had never posted this before and I had it saved in my drafts for months now! Apologies for this little slip, I'll make sure to check next time! Anyway, on with the Goth Challenge!

Ouch! This is going to be hard... I am still a Babybat so I don't know too many of them, but it's too hard to choose! So for all those Babybats out there, here are the Goth rock bands I started with (these are NOT in any order!) :

1. The Birthday Massacre: Being a local band, I felt quite honored to live so close to the origin city of one of my favourite Goth bands! The Birthday Massacre was born in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and are well known worldwide today. I love the fact that a woman is the lead singer, and Chibi is so great at it! The music is heavy at times and slow at others. They sure do make a good use of that keyboard!

2. Bauhaus: Definitely the kings of Goth rock! Bauhaus always has an eerie feel to their music. Every instrument is used in harmony with the other to create a mysterious work of art!

3. The Crüxshadows: I love the fact that they stand out with their techno/electronic side of the Goth music. They are very easy to start with as a Goth band! Just look at Rogue's (lead vocals) hair!

4. Inkubus Sukkubus: I absolutely LOVE Candia's voice! Inky Suk is really a band to look at in Goth rock culture. They are still an active band with their newest release The Dark Goddess. Here is a look into this great album!

5. Switchblade Symphony: Tina Root is so adorable! I love her cute Gothic look! Their songs are both creepy and cute at the same time. See for yourself!

6. Siouxsie And The Banshees: Siouxsie is probably one the most popular Gothic female icons. When you think Goth rock history, you think Siouxsie Sioux! This band is straight out of the 70's and still has style!

7. Emilie Autumn: The queen of Goth, Emilie has her own unique style and music. Her songs speak to the soul with their deep lyrics! Most people can really relate to them!

8. Johnny Hollow: Very dark and amazing music! I completely LOVE Janine White's makeup in this next video! The song is addictive... I had it stuck in my head for two days now...

9. The Crypt Club: I love this local band from Montréal, Québec (Canada)! It is once again a band formed close to my home. Listen to these amazing people!

10. Voltaire: Dearest Aurelio Voltaire Hernández! A true artist at heart! His voice is truly amazing and his songs are masterpieces!

So these are my 10 suggested bands to the beginner Babybats! Enjoy guys!

The Goth Challenge! Days 14 to 18

First of all, I got my bangs cut! Here's a picture I took with my phone's crappy camera in my mom's bathroom:

Excuses for being in my pyjamas...

Back to where we were...

Day 14 - What was your best and worst DIY disaster?

Hmm... I don't have any pictures of my WORST disasters because they just ended up in the garbage or cut up to use for better projects, but I can say that I accidentally cut the whole sleeve opened one time... It was accidental... But I just used the burgundy fabric for more projects.

Now for the better ones:

This was a show-off picture for my friends

Yes, I am a gargoyle ^,..,^

I am the one in the red...
The black shirt was the DIY

Day 15 - Your favourite or most expensive item in your wardrobe.

Oh wow! This will be a hard choice! I personally think my Demonia boots are the most expensive things I have but I am not quite sure. As for my favourite item, I could never choose! Each item has their turn being my favourite at some point!

Day 16 - What's the most casual you've ever dressed?

Casual eh? Well if I am to stay at home for the length of the entire day, I WILL stay in pyjamas all day! But when I was only a budding Babybat (ok, I still am), I would only wear a black tshirt and black pants because it was all my little 9-year-old self had. I still dress like that when I have to go to work, because my Gothic attire would not be acceptable while serving food... Bummer! :/

Day 17 - Your favourite Goth brand.

It depends for what. I don't really have a favourite Goth brand in general since I do a lot of DIY with my clothes. When it comes to footwear, I like Demonia and New Rocks; when it comes to clothes, I enjoy Poizen Industries or Living Dead Souls or even Emily Strange! I like these brands for clothes that I could not achieve myself by simple DIY.

Day 18 - Worst hair experience.

Ouch! I've had plenty of those! Since I have thick curly hair, I have always found it hard to work with. I straighten my hair everyday because I cannot deal with the curly poofy mutation atop my head.  One day, a hair stylist decided to chop most of my hair off and give me a short, square bob... With curly hair, you can imagine how ugly it looked. She hadn't even cut it straight or anything. So the next day, we had to go to a PROFESSIONAL hair stylist for a fix-up! It was awful. I did not want to be seen in public like that. I wore tiny pigtails until my hair grew out. I will always remember that... Thank goodness for straighteners!

The Goth Challenge! Days 9 to 13

Day 9 - What genre of music do you dislike?

Guys, please don't get angry at me for being stereotypical but I find I cannot stand country, pop, and reggae music. They completely get on my nerves and I just can't catch onto it. All the mainstream music is always the same, all synthesized and fake. I don't understand how people get so hooked onto this while bands with TRUE amazing talent remain hidden in the shadows that the other bands create. I like finding true artists and I pay my respect to them!

Day 10 - What do you hate and love about the subculture?

What I love:

• The freedom of expression
• The fact people can still be their own person while still being a part of the subculture
• The music!!
• The clothes and the many possibilities of outfits one could create
• The fact we can all stand out

What I dislike:

• The high prices on the accessories and footwear :/
• The fact people don't exactly know what Goth is so they turn out to be know-it-all mall-Goths
• The rudeness that those know-it-alls have... -.-

Day 11 - Is Goth a lifestyle for you?

Well I must definitely say that Goth occupies a big role in my life! The fashion, music, etc... But I must say I don't ONLY listen to Goth music... It could drive someone completely bonkers to listen to one single type of music all the time! I also enjoy heavy metal, death metal, classic rock songs, and more! Also, I don't dress up super fancy all the time! Sometimes a black t-shirt with black pants is good enough for me! Especially with school and all... It's fun to not have to think up a whole new outfit for every single day... Plus, we all have our lazy days!

So yes, Goth truly IS a major part of my life, it's who I am and who I love to be! But I am not Goth, and Goth only!

Day 12 - What's your Gothic inspiration?

Well my biggest inspiration at the moment is Amy from The Ultimate Goth Guide! She has inspired me to write this blog although she does such a better job at it than me!

Other then that, I get inspired by other pictures of Goths online or in the media, but mostly it's the bloggers!


Day 13 - What was your first band t-shirt?

My first band t-shirt was Disturbed! I was soooo happy to have bought it all by myself with my own money back then! ^,..,^

The Goth Challenge! Day 8 - What's your worst and best experience with non-Goths?

Ah non-Goths! They surround me in my everyday life! You see, the only other "Goth" in my life is my little sister, which is attempting to become "Goth" in my honor. All my friends are therefore non-Goths. I love hanging out with non-Goths because I'm the odd one out among them! I love being different and standing out while being myself!

But, just like in every community, there are people that aren't the greatest to be around. Some of these non-Goths believe we Goths are easy targets for pathetic, insulting jokes and bullying. This is where I have had bad experiences.

I always was a shy, insecure child with low or hardly any self-esteem at all. Being different made me prone to bullying. It always seemed so funny to others to make fun of me with pathetic insults and obvious sarcasm. For 6 years straight, I have been put down and had no self-esteem whatsoever. When I turned 14 years old, I finally decided to come out of my shell and put my combat-booted foot down once and for all. After doing this, I found friendship among non-Goths and even my first ever boyfriend! ;)

Also, if you asked me what was my ultimate pet peeve, it would be people mimicking or "copying" me. It has happened to me so much that I almost went crazy! Now I can't stand it anymore, although my sister constantly does this. It had happened on many occasions that someone would do everything to try and BE me instead of being themselves. Let's not get into deatils, because I'll start to ramble on and get off subject.

Anyway, all that to say: I love my non-Goth friends, and I haven't had much experiences with actual Goths, but I bet it would be fun to find someone who understands my tastes and lifestyle!

The Goth Challenge! Day 6 - Hand write your favourite lyric and take a picture.

What a fun thing to do! Especially if you're bored/tired/lazy like me at the moment! So here it is:

This is written on my little Emily The Strange diary! I write very very small as you may see. My teachers keep reproaching that they require the use of a magnifying glass to read my writing... So I brought them one once, just to see their reaction (or to shut them up)! ^,..,^

This is my favorite lyric at the moment. It changes constantly with my mood or with the weather! This is from the song "Clown" by Switchblade Symphony. It's stuck in my head right now! :P

The Goth Challenge! Day 5 - Is there a local Goth band or group in your area?

This is a harder question for me regarding the fact that I live in a remote town in Ontario, Canada. The closest sign of Goth around here is in Ottawa... Which is 3 hours away... But with a bit of research, these are the bands I have found:

1. The Crypt Club (Montréal, QC)

2. Masochistic Religion (Toronto, ON)

3. National Velvet (Toronto, ON)

4. Rhea's Obsession (Toronto, ON)

5. Vampire Beach Babes (Toronto, ON)

6. Vital Signs (Toronto, ON)

7. The Birthday Massacre (Toronto, ON)

That's as many bands I found (that had the slightest info online). As you may realize, I lack information on each band but that is a factor of the lack of popularity the bands have on the net and among the public, but also because I feel particularly lazy after a weekend of 4wheeling with my family at the cottage. Apologies! :P

The Goth Challenge! Day 4 - Name a stereotype or cliche you can relate to

Another topic with many answers! During my mallgoth years, I was very stereotypical as a "Gawf". Some of many are these:

- My favorite holiday has ALWAYS been Halloween! Not only because I liked the eerie feel about All Hallow's Eve night, but also because I was one to have a sweet tooth! My father's birthday is good ol' October 31st so I enjoyed decorating for his birthday over the years, then keeping the props for my own room all year 'round!

- Yes, I went through that "I am not being seen by anyone - not even the mirror - without wearing black!" phase... As people who are not very informed on the liberty of the subculture believe one is to dress completely in black from head to toe to be considered "Goth". I later noticed I was wrong... Oh so very wrong...

- I was never the athletic one... I am not a couch potato (come on guys!) but I don't enjoy sports very much. I am more of the studious type. I am in a gifted class at my school and I am disappointed when I get lower than 80s on tests/exams. I absolutely LOVE reading, writing and drawing! I was always the quiet shy one... Yes, the loner.

- I was never a rebel at school because my mother is a teacher and I was too afraid of getting in trouble, not only from the principal but from my mom! But I was always the tomboy one: always hanging around with guys, never with girls... Until they all became jerks and jocks, so then I found out I had a more feminine side! Here come the skirts and dresses. Finally I realize what Goth truly is!

- I wasn't afraid to speak my mind and express my likes/dislikes publically... Why else would I still be dressing like this? But unlike those stereotypical movie/book mallgoths, I am not rude (exceptions towards people who enrage me) and I do not look for trouble everywhere. I am quite polite, and even surprisingly mature for my age!

- I have always LOVED horror movies! Sometimes my father would go on trips with his buddies for the weekend and my mom would rent some good ol' horror movies for a girls night! I remember those good times!

- Before Twilight became annoyingly popular among mainstream girlies, I used to love vampires! You know, the ones that AREN'T afraid to be who they are and actually drench themselves in human blood? Not to mention those ones who don't glitter like the tooth fairy... Bring on the Dracula, Carmilla, Lestat, etc... I love the classics, but now all the authors have overdone it and used up all the killer cred that vampires had. Today, if you speak of vampires, no one will think of the blood-sucking, human-killing monsters of the night... Instead they will daydream about the glistening pixie that is Edward Cullen... -.-

- Yes, my favorite animal has always been the bat... Ok, and the wolf... They are just sooo adorable! ^,..,^

All that and many more! As you may see, I relied much on the stereotypical Goth when I was younger... I was never surrounded by any TRUE Goths to show me how it's done!

The Goth Challenge! Day 3 - When did you come out the Goth closet?

Yikes! That is quite difficult to tell with a situation like mine. If we are speaking of a TRUE Goth, then just probably this year. Yes, I have finally realized that what I thought was Goth was only just a mallgoth phase. I am embarrassed when I look back to my older pictures... What in the underworld was I thinking?! (See previous Goth Challenge posts for pictures of my evolution into Goth-hood)

I always felt free to express myself through my dark childhood, although I got bullied until grade 7 (13 years old). When I reached grade 8, I finally decided to put my combat-booted foot down and stand up for myself. Now most people are afraid of my assertiveness! I speak my mind, but in a polite manner, as to be both understood and respected. Throughout all those years of being bullied and laughed at, NEVER have I been afraid to express my tastes and who I truly am for someone else to feel superior. Today, I am proud of myself for doing so, and I believe many people went through the same pain that I have and some can maybe even learn from this... Or so I hope! ^,..,^

The Goth Challenge! Day 2 - Share photos and experiences from your Baby Bat days.

I believe I am STILL in my Babybat days... I am only 15 years old and since I live in Canada, therefore I am quite limited in the Goth accessories I can buy. I stick to DIY for clothes, but I am not very good in sewing, so I like to buy some more complex clothes that are harder to achieve. I still have a bit to go to achieve a TRUE Goth status, just like one of my greatest idols: Amy from the Ultimate Goth Guide!

I believe I have already covered my earliest Babybat days in my previous Goth Challenge post, which you may find here. So here are some of the more recent ones:

This is me at my grade 6 graduation! No heavy makeup yet!

This is me, about a year or two ago... Aged 13...?

A recent picture of me, trying to show off the new shirt I altered!

I can share some experiences of my mallgoth-hood! Where I thought that every outfit I wore HAD to be completely black... And where I would not step outside my room if I wasn't dressed in black from head to toe... Ouch... Those days... Yep, I went through a stereotypical mallgoth phase too. But not to worry! I have snapped out of it and am now working my way up to a true Goth!

The Goth Challenge! Day 1 - How did you come across the subculture?

First of all, I would like to thank Juliet's Lace for giving me something to write about on my - urmm, "naked" - blog. So I decided this is what I was going to do this month! Excuses for joining a bit late... :/

Being the babybat I still am, I have come across the subculture quite a long time ago - in grade 3, when I was 8 years old - but I have not really found out what it actually meant until... Not so long ago...

So when I was about 8, I started wanting darker clothes... I think I always had, but I just really started to focus on this objective at that time. I had an older cousin who dressed in black and liked Green Day, but she was more into the punk style. I guess I found out what it was by admiring her. So one day, my aunt came to visit us and gave me an Emily Strange shirt, that I immeadiately fell in love with! I checked the website one day and was mesmerized by the clothes one could wear! It became a sort of obssession to me.

The more I explored, the more I found. So I gradually evolved into the Gothling I am thanks to research and my mother's money! ^,..,^

I admit I DID go through a mallgoth phase. I still own my bondage pants and I completely eliminated anything that wasn't black and red from my closet. I had black lipstick and would wear it on many special occasions. Today, I sigh at these pictures and wish they were never taken... But enough of the mallgoth days, that will be the topic of the next post!

All this to say, Emily Strange was my idol! It is all thanks to her that I am the dark-clad teen I am today! Thanks Rob Reger and Buzz Parker! ^,..,^

This is little 10-year-old me!

I was 8 at the time... You may see that I
already started wearing the most black and red I could!

Riskia (explained)

As this is my first time on blogspot, I would like to greet you first and to tell you a bit about myself.

My name is Riskia, it isn't my real name, it's only a name I have invented when I was a kid, and that I liked. I have been highly interested into the dark side of things since I was in grade three (about 8 years old). Today, I am a 15 year old that considers herself more of a babybat than anything else. I have just began with the serious Goth stuff so give me some slack!

I was born and raised completely French. I have always been to a French school, and I attend one presently, so excuse my possibly wrong English.

I have a brown, curly and poofy hideous mutation on my head that I dare call "hair". Obviously, humans always want what they don't have, so I wish I had straight black hair... I straighten my hair every single day since I can't stand to see myself with this! Because of my young age and my mother being a teacher, she has always hated the fact of dying one's hair... I am still in the process of convincing her of letting me put some life in my mutation... It has been 6 years now... I'll get there one day!

I enjoy Goth Rock music from bands such as Bauhaus, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Switchblade Symphony, The Crüxshadows (just to name a few), but I also love very heavy music like Goth Metal (Cradle Of Filth!). The again, heavy metal appeals to me just as well (Slipknot, Children Of Bodom, Atreyu, etc...) So I enjoy a bit of everything when it comes to music.

I am in love with my boyfriend, Brandon, who is not as dark as me, but he's getting there! We have been dating for a year now, and have no intention of getting separated anytime soon! I am in deep dark love!

I am crazy for Emily The Strange! I have been since I was 8 years old! I collect all the stuff I can because they are stopping to sell it where I live (in Canada). I still manage to find shirts here and there in thrift stores all around.

I live in a mild little town, where being different is almost a crime! I am the only Goth one I have ever seen in this whole county, so it is very hard to find clothes for me! The closest to Goth I'll get is a 2 hour drive away! So I stick to DIY...

I am therefore proud to say that I represent the Goths in my area!