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 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 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!