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!