Anna Raffaella

So... MIA Or KIA?

2011-11-19T16:12:00.001Z

Everything's Coming Up Roses, Amy Guidry.

So I know I've been a little... outside the loop. The usual excuses apply. I've been trying to keep up with NaNoWriMo, I'm swamped with college work, the light's been bad for photos, rain's been keeping me inside... but even though all these excuses are true, the reason behind my absence lies elsewhere.

I guess you could say I've been having a bit of trouble between me, myself and I. It's hard to describe. I feel as if... as if I've blinked and now that my eyes are once again wide open, the world had changed. The colors and shapes look different, the words take ilogical meanings, the people feel strange and foreign. But then I look in the mirror and realise the world's the same. It's just me that's changed.

My skin feels different. I wish I could escape it and grow a new one. Like a snake. My hair feels different. My eyes feel different. My clothes feel different. It's as if I'm living in a borrowed body, dressed in borrowed clothes, looking from behind borrowed glasses, hiding under borrowed hair.

I guess I just need to this break to make it all mine again. To conquer myself from inside out. I realise my words might be conjuring up some sort of gory image of a bloody, skeletal, humanoid creature ripping out its own skin... but even though the physical part of this process is nowhere near as painful, the emotional side of it has been terrible. It hurts when you look in the mirror and don't recognise the person staring back.

All these metaphors have been used up and abused, but I can't quite find other words to describe what's going on in my mind right now. I need to get away, that's all. In the real world, that isn't quite possible, I'm aware. Everyday I walk out the house feeling bittersweet because I'm a creature in transition. Not quite catterpillar, not quite butterfly. I wish I could build myself a coccoon and hide from the world until I'm ready to face it. But time won't quite stop for my identity crisis, I fear.

Online though, I can escape. This blog has been, for the past year or so, the most faithful reflection of who I am - we're very much symbiotic, if you'd like. I pour my mind into this little corner, and in turn, this little corner helps me limit a personality that - I've known it forever - is pretty much all over the place. That's how I feel right now. All over the place. So no matter what I write here, it'll only add up to that feeling. Escape is - excuse the slight pun - the only way out.

This means that this might be one of the last - if not the very last - post in this blog. Thank you all for putting up with me, for dropping by once in a while. This blog wasn't created for you, but it's good to know it speaks to you anyway. I love sharing my thoughts with you and I love it when you share yours back. I hope you realise that every single one of you, you're all potential best friends - if we're not best friends already, that is.

Thank you for the wonderful ride, everyone. ♥

This isn't goodbye. I'll come back after I've regrown my wings.
xx

I Think Sometimes You Have To Cut Through.

2011-11-07T21:51:00.001Z

Do you guys know that question? If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be? Well even though I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about clothes... well I'd never actually given it much thought. I mean, it's such an unrealistic scenario. It didn't even seem possible to me, on a conceptual level, to answer that question. I'd seen people answer it with "oh I'd wear jeans a white shirt, no problem" and that didn't make much sense to me... but at once I'd also seen people say "I'd rather die" or "I'd just wear a little black dress with different accessories every day".

Well isn't that kind of missing the point? One outfit means one outfit.
And I found mine a couple of days ago.

Image links back to source. Click it, it's a lovely editorial! ♥
I'd just add a silver rosary and switch the shoes for black booties,but other than that... this is it.
If I could only wear one outfit for the rest of my life, this would be it.

It's not outlandish, not at all. It's not fabulously quirky nor crazily out there and the lack of sleeves is making my currently near-frozen fingers hurt, but it's perfect in its simplicity. I can't think of a single place I wouldn't be able to wear it to. The shorts take it up to a whole new level of versatility - because yes, I have been wearing shorts nearly non-stop for the past week because they just make me feel more comfortable in the cooler weather. That, and I can sit in stupid ways without having to worry about lady-like manners. The shirt looks like it's got a really nice cut and weight, and I like the black strip down the neckline and under the arms. And the cape... well, I have a thing for capes. I wear my regular coats as capes and I'll never get over how dramatic they look. So the cape is definititely a must. Then I'd add the silver rosary because I wear a rosary 80% of the time - 19% of the time I'm wearing the crystal quartz pendant, and for the last 1% I'm wearing every other necklace - and I find them quite lovely. The beads are always so intricate and besides, they're good conversation starters. If I had a penny for everytime people have asked me I'm a devoted catholic... oh, right, and then black booties. Because they're my default footwear, crazy comfortable, and go from season to season like nothing else.

Ah. Quite a testament, there, huh.
What about you all? If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?
xx

-

PS - Also, did anyone watch the EMAs? I may or may not have spammed Twitter about Big Bang, but then again I was psyched to see them there. Congrats on your Best Worldwide Act Award, you dorks! :D

Our Identical Hands, Composing Our Commands.

2011-11-06T19:01:00.001Z

Ah, November. The weather chills down and the NaNo Crew congregates for yet another month of mindless novelling.

Back when I was in high school, it was more or less my dream to go back to the beginnings of the twentieth century, maybe in Paris, and join a whole generation of writers in fabulous top hats and absinthe bottles... but since then I've realised that to my great dismay a) bowler hats fit me better than top hats, and b) I don't like absinthe. But I guess when push comes to shove I've still joined a whole generation of writers in fabulous hats and even though there's no alcohol in sight, we make do just fine with big mugs of hot chocolate and dainty little cups of tea. I'm not particularly fond of family reunions, but meeting these guys once a year... well I suppose that's what they're supposed to feel like. It's funny, how we can be apart for a whooping three hundred and sixty five days, and then get together and restart a conversation as if it'd just been interrupted to order a new slice of chocolate mousse cake.

I'll save my words for my novel, though, and let the pictures do the talking. I stole these from Lulu, by the way. ♥ [That link goes to her Flickr, but here, have her official website as well.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQF5a8dKzGY?hl=en"></a>
Plenty Of Paper, Eisley

Vader Bonnet: your argument is invalid.

Need lessons on bad posture? I'm your gal.

Isn't our Lulu just darling? ♥

Oh, and you'll excuse me now, but I gotta run. You know, since Big Bang may or not may not appear on the EMAs tonight and my sister is a giant VIP and I shall therefore sit with her and fangirl just as hard. YOU GO BIG BANG!

xx

Tonight I'm Gonna Bury That Horse In The Ground.

2011-10-23T02:48:00.000+01:00

Whether I want it or not, death just keeps slithering into my life. Fortunately not in a bad way, though, so hold your mournings.

I started a little forensics course this past week - 9pm to 11 pm, as disturbing as may be to discuss death after dark. A little nudge in the right direction: see self, you keep complaining of your lack of time, but you can still cram two hours of morbidity into your weekly schedule. Commit that to memory. Anyway. We managed to grab first row seats - though I will admit that was an act of fate, thank Universe it happened - and proceeded to spend two hours learning from one of the most brilliant tutors I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. He spoke of corpses and livor mortis as if he was discussing the weather, in such a way that no, I didn't like the idea of a bone saw to a skull before and he still didn't manage to appease my fear of that demonic sound, but at least I know what to count on when push comes to shove and I actually get to watch it.

Because yes, come February, we'll all get to watch it. Sit here, you sily little student, ah, didn't you want to know more about death? Here you have then, please watch this scalpel as if the contents of your stomach depended on it. Ah, guess I'll try to desensitize myself until then. It really is the saw that scares me the most.

Oh, and I finally got around to reading Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber - that woman is (well, was, but that seems to be the norm with writers I fall in love with) a sorceress with words. She just... she writes magic, you know? The titular short story, 'The Bloody Chamber' was awfully good and the best thing I could have read in a day where I missed my mother so much I cried the whole afternoon - it was her birthday, and it broke my heart that I couldn't be with her. So 'The Bloody Chamber', with its last-second plot twist... it struck me as an ode to mothers. I really want to find Carter's grave and leave her a note - "thank you for making it all better". My favorite short story was 'The Werewolf', though, with 'Puss-in-Boots' as runner-up. Now... ah, I'm currently reading The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849: A Classic Horror Anthology. I don't know much about 19th century horror, so I thought an anthology would be the best place to start. Poe's 'The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar' chilled me to the bone - it wasn't the story itself, but that one quote, that one notion of a man placidly stating his own death. I can't quite wrap my head around it.

And now to break the bleak atmosphere, here, lemme announce that I spent the whole afternoon wrapped in a blanket watching korean dramas with my sister - with an occasional dash of Dream Team, because that show kills me. While eating chocolate and drinking iced tea.

Gee, awkward subject change much?
xx

-

PS - Oh, and you might have noticed that new square up there on the sidebar with a little play button on it. That's my new system for sharing monthly mixtapes, so if you're feeling curious, by all means click away! ♥

Cause Looking For Heaven, For The Devil In Me.

2011-10-17T16:11:00.000+01:00

Ever wonder what it'd be like if Miss Havisham ditched her old manor, moved to Mexico and dedicated herself to dreamcatchers and herb gardens?

Well to be completely honest I'd never really thought of it either, not before stumbling upon Sera Of London and realising that such a ridiculous reverie could actually turn into a badass design concept. Behold!

The perfect reading nook?

This bedroom, I'm telling you, is the stuff of dreams. The gigantic bed and the weathered walls and the powdery colors... dear Kami.

Just imagining that fireplace all lit up and that bathtub overflowing with perfumed bubbles...

Really though, am I the only one who feels a very mexican vibe hovering all over these rooms? I could be, I guess, since we're halfway through October now and the closer we get to the Day Of The Dead the more I feel like pulling out a sombrero and wearing tiered white skirts and burying my teeth in sugar skulls, but... yeah, this sentence was going somewhere but it evaded me. Sorry.

Ah, I just feel so hopeful, though. End of October, start of November, this is my favorite time of the year. It's such a build-up of energy to both my favorite holiday and my favorite month (NaNoWriMo, whoohoo!) that I feel like I really, really need to put up a smile and enjoy it.

Now, where are my dangly glow-in-the-dark skeleton earrings?
xx

The Eyes Indicate The Antiquity Of The Soul.

2011-10-17T02:03:00.000+01:00

Today... well, I spent the day with my dad's side of the family, to celebrate my grandparents' Golden Jubilee.

We attended mass with them and even though I'm far from Catholic, I felt myself almost tearing up when the priest called their names. Fifty years of marriage. Fifty years of loyalty and dedication to a single person, for better or worse, fifty years of life.

I don't believe in marriage, because I don't believe in the eternity of the mundane - everything crumbles and everything dies, relationships not excluded. Relationships particularly included, in fact.

So when someone, someone this close to me, proudly stands up in front of hundreds of people to reaffirm a fifty-year commitment, it strikes a cord. A loud, shrieking, painful cord somewhere deep inside my chest.

You only live once, so I figure it takes an ungodly amount of courage to take someone's hand and make that vow. This person, right here, is the one I want by my side when I die. I haven't met and in fact will never meet every single person in the world, but I am taking this chance either way. This person, right here, is my chosen one - and that it shall remain until the moment I breathe my very last breath.

I'm a bloody coward and chances are I'll probably never make that sort of commitment. I stand by this belief. But I don't mind it when others prove it wrong - like they did today. I was just so happy for them. I hugged them both and they both wept, showed me their new wedding bands, and I couldn't help but wish them another fifty years.

It's days like these that I realise how truly blessed I am to still have all four of my grandparents with me. I love them in ways I just can't explain and can't imagine what it'll be like without them, someday - so for the time being, I'm just enjoying the fact that while everything crumbles and everything dies, my life is still in full bloom. With their help.

Thank you for everything, you fantastic four. I love you.
xx

-

PS - The quote is by Ralph Waldo Emerson, someone who I really, really wish I could bring back from the dead for a couple of drinks and a chat.

PPS - The people pictured are my youngest cousin and my paternal grandfather. They are the youngest and oldest in this side of the family. And they have both been blessed with absolutely breathtaking eyes. ♥

Who Said Life's A Circus And So We Are Small.

2011-10-16T02:02:00.000+01:00

You guys might remember this one post a while ago where I quite bluntly announced my infatuation with a pretty little Korean movie called Heaven's Postman.

Non? Well, that's fine, since I'm about to announce it all over again, right here, right now.
Ahem.

The story of a messenger that has the ability to travel between the present and the afterlife. Shin Jae Joon was involved in an accident that put him in a coma and gave his spirit the ability to travel back and forth between the real world and heaven. He becomes a postman who delivers letters to the dead from their grieving loved ones and meets Jo Ha Na by chance as she is trying to send her late boyfriend a letter. Ha Na, however, is the only person who can see Jae Joon.

The plot is simple, I suppose, but it's got a couple of great twists towards the end - so great in fact, I had one of those "man I wish I'd thought of this before" kind of moments. The acting is definitely above average - I confess, at first I was a little taken aback by Hana's bubbliness and Jae's stoicism, but they didn't take long to get used to. The cinematography, on the other hand... I love it. I absolutely love it. The colors, the angles, and then the settings and the clothes and the symbology, from Jae's feather necklace to Hana's recurring cherry motif, from the wing-shaped door handles of the coffee shop to the "heaven" signs of their bus... the movie is so detailed, it speaks louder than words, really.

So needless to say, after watching the movie in less-than-average quality, I was set on finding myself the HD version.

Mission status: accomplished.

The moment I saw this image was the moment I decided I liked this movie.

Put down your handcarts, gentlemen, The Man has arrived and he's in for extremely well-dressed trouble.

This is my favorite scene in the whole movie. I'll let you sit and wonder why.

Hana's crazy plan time. I love the contrast between their outfits and stances here.

And here, children, we spot a trope: Single Tear, done in a slightly... anatomically curious way.

Hana's haircut reminds me of a shorter fluffier version of my bob. Needless to say, I am now craving the feel of cold scissors right against the nape of my neck.

Couple styling: done right. ♥

Ah. And now that we're done, do tell me... doesn't it just look like the perfect film for a chilly Autumn evening?
With a big mug of tea and a really chunky knit?

And yes I do realise this would sound far more exciting if we weren't still experiencing 30ºC weather here in Portugal - that's around 86ºF for you lovely foreign peeps -, but a girl can dream, right?

Oh and also, as a side note, this is also one of the few, few movies where I find both leads so ridiculously mind-bogglingly attractive that I could stare at them for hours on end - I have done so, in fact. Seriously, I'm not quite sure if I'd rather be Hana, date Hana, be Jae, or date Jae.

First world problems indeed.
Have a good night-dawn-morning-afternoon-evening everyone!

For I, ah, I am indeed off to bed.
xx

We Seem Like Skeletons With Bone Head Beliefs.

2011-10-09T13:02:00.000+01:00

And since I was so quick to assure you all of the awesomeness of my University yesterday, here, have a (really pretty) video depicting some of our (really pretty, slightly morbid) museums.

Vídeo promocional dos Museus da U.Porto:

O Museu (FBAUP), Museu da História de Medicina do Prof. Maximiano Lemos, Casa-Museu Abel Salazar, Museu da Ciência, Museu de História Natural (Museu de Mineralogia Montenegro de Andrade, Museu Zoologia Augusto Nobre, Museu Antropologia e Pré-História Mendes Corrêa, Museu Paleontologia Wenceslau de Lima), Instituto Arquitecto José Marques da Silva, Instituto Geofísico da U.Porto, Museu de Botânica da FCUP, Núcleo Museológico da FFUP, Observatório Astronómico, Manuel de Barros, Centro de Documentação e Urbanismo e Arquitectura, Museu de Engenharia, Museu do Desporto, Fundo Antigo.

@ TVU.

Man I wish the day had 48 hours.
xx

Like A Sheet Of Veneer, Each A Piece Of My Soul.

2011-10-08T18:19:00.001+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMw1CjD5cY0?hl=en"></a>
Body Of Years, Mother Mother
So, good afternoon everyone, who likes mummies?

I do, you see. When I was a kid (and we're talking 10-11 years old), my biggest wish was for my history teacher to ask someone the name of the Giza pyramids so I could throw my hand up in the air (sometimes) saying ayooooo Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinoooooos!

Don't blame me, I like the ring of it. Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos. Lovely names, huh? ~~Then again I am the person who wants to name her future hypothetical kids Alois, Andria, Adonai, Vladimir and Mycroft.~~ Anyway. Back to Ancient Egypt. Years and years ago, the highlight of my fieldtrip to London was the Rosetta stone - well alright, so I one I saw was a fake, but I didn't know it back then, so I felt excited nonetheless (the original's in room 4, by the way). I was pretty much heartbroken when my teachers told me we wouldn't even be able to spend a full hour at the British Museum - because I'd seen my Mom's photos and I really, really wanted to see the mummies.

Well I didn't, so as sad as it may be, I'd actually never seen a real egyptian mummy until... last week or so, when my brilliant university decided to bring one over. (THANKS, UNIVERSE! ♥) There were other artifacts, true, but let's not pretend I went there for any reason other than the oportunity to smash my own face against a glass pane and stare at a dead person. A dead Egyptian person.

As usual, I was by myself in the room - if we forget about the two ladies plus baby that came in halfway through my visit, walked around and left all in less than 10 minutes, how insolent - so the first impression was severely creepy. I grew up with R. L. Stine's Goosebumps after all, so I guess in a way I'm always expecting nightmarish things to happen. I did manage to freak myself out by kneeling down near the mummy and taking a peek at the inside of the sarcophagus. I mean, it sort of... makes you think about what it'd be like. To be inside one. Alive.

Yeah so I was also reading Poe yesterday, so my mind is currently a very unlikely, very creepy mess. Don't mind it.

Now, was my music choice for today's post brilliant or what?
xx

-

PS - Oh, and for the portuguese peeps who might want to come and visit the expo, here's some info! Try not to get lost in the building - I know I've been there a good handful of times now, and I still can't find my way around those cloisters. Gosh dand it to heck, I say.

Show Us A Laser, Take Us To Space, Or Let Us Go.

2011-10-06T14:50:00.000+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEOKSpViv3s?hl=en"></a>
Lucifer [Japanese], SHINee

So it's been a while, Dollfies!
Me, I'm exhausted. Trying to balance out school and writing has been taking quite a toll on me, I can tell.
But alas alas this too shall pass.

Anyway, I spent the weekend on my knees shooting cosplayers around Iberanime. You might remember how I quite tragically failed to attend last year, but ah, I wouldn't let it pass me by again. I had fun. The whole vibe is very positive and upbeat, people seem to genuinely enjoy themselves and there's eyecandy front and center. There's the Vocaloid cosplayers in bright hairs and brighter moods, the kendo practictioners in all their character and poise, the sellers always with a smile on their faces - and all too willing to help out, thank you! -, the card players and the board players, the video gamers, the quiz participants, the karaokers...

Here, lemme show ya.

Ciel Phantomhive, Kuroshitsuji

Tifa Lockhart, Final Fantasy VII

Serah Farron, Final Fantasy XIII

Ciel Phantomhive (in his Little Robin ensemble), Kuroshitsuji

Rikku & Yuna, Final Fantasy X

Ran-Mao, Kuroshitsuji

Reno, Final Fantasy VII

Himura Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin

Light Yagami, Death Note

Jigsaw, Saw

Inês looking awesome, Ciel Phantomhive, Ciel Phantomhive, & Elizabeth Middleford, Kuroshitsuji

Misa Amane, Death Note

I made the fairly wise decision of attending both days, so... allow me list to the highlights in more or less ballistic points. Saturday. The Jigsaw cosplayer. The four Ciels - I only managed to shoot three, but alas alas, there were four. The nakama joke ('queres ser minha nakama?'). Bonamana playing in the background. Sitting on one of The Big Chairs to watch Moon Kana sing her lungs out - I fear for her voice, really, there's no need to sound that childish, and besides, her voice is quite lovely when she lets her little act slip. Having some guy ask me for a picture - well sure, I mean, this is my normal face in my normal clothes on a normal day, but... go on! Leaving early for a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate mousse cake by Rota do Chá. Sunday. Taking my sister there. Milk-flavoured Pocky and pretty nail art and adorable cat hats. Lucifer playing in the background. Ana's beautiful kimono. Having someone walk up to the speakers and tell us all we'd just lost The Game. Cloud and Tifa winning the group cosplay competition with an Horatio Caine joke. Walking down to the river with Japanese candy and big cans of iced tea in hand. My feet didn't really like the weekend, but I did.

And you will excuse the rushed post, but alas alas, real life calls.

Have a happy Mad Hatter's Day!
xx

It Starts With A Teaspoon Of Trouble...

2011-09-22T23:23:00.000+01:00

It might be an unpopular opinion, but... I've never really wanted to go to Paris. Sure, there are a couple of things worth seeing there, like the catacombs and Bonnier De La Mosson, but... all in all, I've never really felt any sort of attraction for the french capital.

Well this photobook (again, DBSK, and I did tell you I was going to show this one off...) makes me want to go there - for no special reason, really. I just want to take a book, sit on a bench and read my eyes out while munching on a baguette. Because that's the magic of good old Europe, I believe. It's in the streets, it's in the people, it's in the cobblestones beneath our feet. Not in the Louvre, not in the British, and not in the Kunstkamera.

So write that down. If I ever go to paris, I shall waste all my time roaming the streets looking for quirky little cafés and crazy little native antics. In between daydreams though, let s just sit back, pull out a box of macarons, and enjoy the view through our screen.

Ladies and gents, this is DBSK's Bonjour Paris. ♥

I'd never really noticed Changming before this photobook. Clearly, this proves I used to be blind.

Mandatory pause to marvel at the masterpiece that is Jae's face. OK ALL DONE NOW LET US MOVE ON.

Yunho's boots. I'll take them, Throw them at me, bro.

Jae was waving to the tourists, but they kept ignoring him - so he stated that maybe he had an easily ignorable face. BOY. Somebody needs an eye check-up.

I really like the light in this one.

You see, I also look this put-together and fabulous every time I take a moment to rest on some random museum stairs.

Micky's sweater needs to make its way into my closet, now. I love this outfit on him.

I also look like this when I'm just chilling with my buddies in random elevators. Here's proof one, two, and three.

From a strictly photographical point of view, this is probably my favorite shot in the whole photobook.

I like how they're all hanging down here, and then Jae's just chilling on the first floor.

They were shooting a wildlife documentary. Yes, in the middle of Paris. I'm not even kidding.

Jae looks like a hipster hobbit.

Dear Person Who Thought Xiah In Glasses Would Be A Good Idea: it was a great idea.

A serious case of the manbags.

Yunho looks like an kid and Jae looks like a kitten. That's how I like my DBSK.

An even more serious case of the manbags.

The awkward moment when you're a korean guy pretending to jog in Paris while your hoodie says Italia.

Everybody else's lifestyle sketch thingy was about going out there and being awesome - not Jae's though. He gets to stay home and cook. *facepalm*

Either they were shooting right in the middle of fashion week, or random congregations of male model look-alikes are a common occurence in Paris.

Oh come on, caption writer, we ALL know what happens when two attractive boys meet by Le Marais. But, on straighter notes... I really love their styling here.
Oh, and for good measure, here, take the back cover:

Changmin's got the most fabulous jumping style. And the most fabulous outfit. Someone. Quick. Buy me red pants.
Ah. You are now free to go back to your life.

Good night!
xx

All images via spiderliliez. That is one amazing scan collection! ♥

I Hear The Howling And It's Time To Let Go.

2011-09-22T02:09:00.001+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cElS09upQw?hl=en"></a>
Wolves, The Good Natured

Despite the monochrome, I'm actually in an obnoxiously good mood. I've had a nice week and a half since classes have started. Every day is an epiphany and although the future terrifies me - am I strong enough to face a rapist without feeling like puking my insides out? am I strong enough to have a child tell me about that one time she was abused and given candy to stay put? am I strong enough to see a victim of domestic violence lovingly caress her bruises, as if she deserves them? am I strong enough to actually make a difference in somebody else's life? -, I feel as if I'm finally on the right track. Am I, or am I not, after all, the girl who wanted to change the world? Well change and fear often come hand in hand, don't they? Besides, my favorite band has said it and I find it a rather poetic motto to live by: anything worth doing is worth getting hurt for.

Speaking of getting hurt, though. One week and a half and I've already managed to ruin my feet with my crazy late afternoon walks. Rest assured though, I've fixed the issue by doing what any rational Pisces would have done in my place... and that's buying new shoes, of course. Man I can't wait to break these in. Well-worn leather boots are one of life's most underrated pleasures.

I shall go to bed now and enjoy the second act of Mozart L'Opéra Rock. Don't think you know fabulosity until you've watched that, Dollfies. Trust me on this one, parce que moi je, je suis trop sérieuse, et plus, j'ai decidé que mon nouvel objectif de vie, c'est la domination de la langue française. Pour raison du quoi, je vais m'acheter ce livre, Mygale, pour Thierry Jonquet (qui a aussi écrit mon livre préféré, Ad Vitam Aeternam), et je vais le lire avec un dictionnaire pour pratiquer mon français.

Well there's something that made a lot more sense in my head.
The bottom line being, though, whatever bitch Imma re-learn french no matter how many Thierry Jonquet books it takes.

Nevertheless. How's your life?
xx

-

PS - Forgive me, french-speaking brothers and sisters, for I have sinned you. My french skills are atrocious, I know, but because I am so used to the accent - my Mom's a french teacher -, I often enjoy fooling myself into thinking I can speak it correctly just because I'm able to babble out words that sound like it. Ah, the perks of talking to yourself...

Things I Love Friday.

2011-09-16T21:42:00.000+01:00

Oh look, it's moved again!
Just adapting to my new schedule. Posting on Mondays just doesn't cut it anymore - I like to keep myself as internet-less as possible during the working week. :)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrWTc4lG8lI?hl=en"></a>
No More Perfume On You, Teen Top
But regardless of day, let's go then! Things I liked this week:

♠ The trailer for The Artist. it's beautiful, and the movie sounds (ah, sounds! I crack myself up sometimes) amazing. On my watchlist!

♠ Heaven's Postman. It's a beautiful (korean) movie about this guy who apparently delivers - wait, just wait, you'll never guess it... wait... wait... MAIL! TO HEAVEN! Ah, obviousness aside though, I loved it. The photography is lovely, the camera angles are often crazy creative, the wardrobe is to die for, and the actors... well. Let me just direct you to a reaction post I made on my Tumblr right after watching the movie. I think that covers it.

I had a real hard time trying to decide which of them I'd rather be. Still not sure.

♠ Ah, and still on a movie wave, I was extremely excited when I saw that 2012 would bring not one... but two adaptations of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations! [a movie and a TV series, in case you're interested] I'll be honest, I haven't read the novel, but I did watch the 1946 movie, and let me tell you... I loved the story, not so much the performances. I have a bit of a problem with old movies. It's like the actors are... I don't know, glitchy. Don't get me started, or I'll end up criticising Ben-Hur and nobody wants that. Be-lieve it!

Anyway, thought I'd make a Great Expectations Casting Face-Off for the main trio. Let us all pretend this is Deadliest Warrior for a second here. On the left, the TV series, on the right, the movie. Off we go!

The Pips:

Douglas Booth vs Jeremy Irvine
Jeremy may have a more Pip-ish face, but I've been Douglas-biased for a long time now - and I really want to see him play this role.

The Estellas:

Vanessa Kirby vs Holliday Grainger
Vanessa has an interesting face, Holliday just looks... predictable. I'd like my Estella to look interesting, please and thank you.

The Havishams:

Gillian Anderson vs Helena Bonham Carter
Hmm. Crazy-haired lady living alone in a decrepit house? Wasn't this supposed to be a competition? ;)

♠ The Midnight Archive has premiered! This first segment is about Sorceress Cagliastro, a quite fascinating, quite multitalented lady who's currently focusing on pet mummification. Oh. And the video might not be safe for work. Animal organs on sight and all that morbid jazz. Then again this is Morbid Anatomy.

Anyway, warnings aside, I really loved the video. Sorceress Cagliastro makes some pretty straight-on points - about the soul, about the respect she holds for each animal she mummifies, about her refusal to decide on her own afterlife. Sucks that I don't live in New York. I'd gladly whip out part of my savings to attend her mummification class.

♠ The Yesstylist, an asian fashion blog from the masterminds of Yesstyle.

♠ A Nomad In The City, a photo collection by the lovely Tommy of all the things she's carrying with her for her nomadic existence in the city of London - on the move, I believe? Good luck! ♥

♠ Weekends Away: A Silent Retreat, a beautiful piece by Laura Yan, about peaceful weekends away from civilization.

♠ Phreequeshow, loads of freakshow pictures - not something I'm personally very fond of, but alas, I like to cultivate myself.

♠ The Burning House, a photo project in which people are asked to show the world what they'd save, in case their house caught fire. Food for though, I say. Food for thought.

♠ Finally, little things like being back in my college town, my new yellow shirt, the extremely attractive chinese boy from the chinese supermarket who keeps walking around the block in shorts and amazing auburn hair and HNNNGGG I CAN'T HANDLE IT, orange juice and lemonade, accidentally stumbling upon a street I'd once found myself lost in (back when I moved here), walking to class listening to kpop, this crazy fanvideo of a huge Bollywood crew dancing to Nyan cat, that one little esoteric shop I recently found, taking candid pictures of tourists, JYJ's official video for 'In Heaven' (hold still, my beating heart, don't cry, DON'T YOU DARE CRY), trying this new thing where I narrate everything, just as if I was writing a novel (great way to stay alert and notice details I would otherwise miss, like that gentleman in the yellow shirt and blue tie tucked into his pants, the lady in the floor-length black dress walking her dogs, the different scents as I walk by a fruit shop, all the little cramps and itches that attack my legs and feet as I push them a bit too hard, the expressions on people's faces, etc, etc, etc... it's a whole new world), eating Mars bars in between classes, binge-watching The Addams Family, finally getting my Pottermore email (Ravenclaw, y'all!), and so on, and so on, and so on...

How was your week? :)
xx

From That Moment, You'll Be Out Of Place And Under Dressed.

2011-09-16T01:59:00.000+01:00

So, we have recently established that I really like Dong Bang Shin Ki, right?

Well, you see, they aren't just (weren't just, to be precise) amazing singers, they've also got some of the most amazing photobooks I've ever seen. I'm bringing you one, today. It's called The Prince In Prague, and it was (quite obviously) shot in Prague, back in 2006, right before the release of DBSK's third album, "O".

I like it for the clothes (like, hello, guys in old-fashioned suits and top hats, what's not to like?), the settings (a mansion, good old European streets, a puppet shop!), the ambience (black and white, monochrome, rain, turn that melancholy up to eleven over nine thousand and beyond the impossible!), and most of all... the underlying doll theme. I'm not sure it was all intentional - but then again they are managed by SME, so chances are, not even their underwear choices are unintentional -, but I really like how so many details link up to that puppet shop. The one shot of them sitting in a row with Jae staring into nothingness with those big doe - ah, but shouldn't that be doll, today? - eyes of his, the limpness of so many of their poses, lying (again) in a row against a wall like discarded toys, the fact that their shoes have still got the labels on, etc etc etc...

Kudos to the whole team, for they did one amazing job with this one. ♥
Now then, on to the pictures!

Their shoes, you guys. Jaejoong in wingtips and Changmin in some rather sparkly jazz numbers. WANT.

Today, on Poses That Only Work When You're Unequivocally Tall And Badass: this one.

This one's my favorite in the whole photobook. I love it. ♥

There's a good reason two men are shirtless in this photo, honey, you just haven't thought of it yet. Neither have I, to be completely honest.

Ah. I love this whole thing so much.
That's right, DBSK, do feed my fascination with Eastern Europe, go on ahead. You're doing it right!

It's still not my favorite photobook though. ;)
I'm keeping that one under wraps until I manage to narrow down my photo selection... I've got like, eighty photos I love and absolutely no interest in posting them all - that'd spoil all the fun, n'est-ce pas?

Oh, and here's the little video that goes with this photobook. Because these guys are way, way funnier in motion. ^^

Now go, fetch me my top hat!
xx

All images via DBSKer Archives. Thank you for keeping them available! ♥

I Am Neither Walker Nor Sleeper.

2011-09-09T23:52:00.001+01:00

Today is, officially, my last day of Summer.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F8y_BF63Fg?hl=en"></a>
iamundernodisguise, School Of Seven Bells
I don't usually tell seasons apart. I feel like everytime I try to somehow prepare for their arrival, they slip me by. Last year I made a whole gorgeous set of Summer resolutions, but followed none. Summer just... didn't arrive the way I'd planned it. I never got to see that golden, romantic, larger than life breath of life I'd been expecting. No. All I managed to see - or better yet, watch - were the complete seasons of Captain Tsubasa.

This year, I made some plans, but they were all so flexible that, if I move over to check them right now, I might as well have followed them all. I wrote. Not a lot, not enough, but then again if you've ever tried to write a novel, you know it's never enough. I didn't read any of the books I wanted to - or, better yet, I didn't read, period, since all I managed to do was pick up boring books that never quite seemed to hook me. I don't really remember the rest of it, but what's on paper comes and goes.

What's in my mind... hmm, now that'll stay, I'm sure.

And my mind, right now, says it's okay. I'm at peace. Summer's over. Autumn's coming and life's about to restart. I'll cut my bangs, dye my hair, slap on some freaking kawaii nails, slip into a new dress and just like that... the world will take on a new light. Gold will turn to burgundy. I'll walk by my favorite park with a Mars bar and a book, search for the baby peacocks to see how much they've grown, sit by the rose bushes and stare at nothingness. I'll start my photo project. I'll drop by the manga store every week, just like I used to. I'll check the vintage shops and the charity shops. Like a puppy, I'll walk all over my favorite places to see what's changed and what's the same. I'll make plans and I'll ditch them just as quickly. I'll get lost in narrow streets and come back with new treasures. I'll visit the catacombs, once again, make new digital memories since the old ones were all quite stupidly lost.

Yes. Autumn's coming.
But you see, I'm keeping Summer in a box.

What you're seeing, right up there, are two months worth of butterfly hunting. Poetically speaking.
You see, "catch butterflies" was my main Summer goal. I don't think I ever explained that.

It all started, like so many other things, one afternoon by the country house. We were preparing lunch, when a huge, black and white butterfly - I'd never seen it before, and to this day I've been unable to ID it - got caught underneath one of the parasols. I was kind of... dumbfounded. I mean, she was beautiful. And I didn't quite know what to do. Eventually though, she found her way out, and off she went.

I guess that's when I started paying attention. A week later, while we were having our usual Saturday lunch - you know, midday sun, bees everywhere, fingers sticky from dipping bread into too much olive oil, big slices of melon and chocolate ice cream... -, I announced, quite solemnly, that my new life goal was to capture the elusive black-and-white butterfly I'd seen the week before, and then start a collection. I'd learn how to catch them, kill them - I'm sorry, Greenpeacers -, mount them and dry them, the whole deal, and then I'd end up with a wallful of butterflies. That was the plan.

A few hours later, at dinner time, Mom presented me with a yellow butterfly net. Unable to countain myself - and hell, it was still daylight! -, I started hunting right away. The tiny blue butterfly was my first, and really, just looking at it makes me cringe. It's completely ruined. Water on the wings, don't ask.

Blinded by defeat, that night, I sat by my laptop and researched 'til I dropped. I read about killing methods and mounting methods and made my own spreading board out of an old Amazon box - it turned out fairly amateur-ish though, I shall build a new one soon.

I was so excited, I managed to drag my whole family with me. I love my family. It's like I live among people who've given themselves artistic license to start everything and finish only what matters. There's a terrific sort of freedom in knowing that it's perfectly okay to get a net and go hunt butterflies around the old well and down by the creek and back up near the rose buds, just because I feel like it. No parental objection. No complicated questions, no arguments over the usefulness of my new hobby.

Eventually though, I fell for the Southern Scarce Swallowtail, which brought a sudden purpose to my new hobby. We fought, epically, and when I finally caught it, I arrived home to realise I already had too many butterflies, temporarily lined up on cardboard pieces in my book shelf, and no place to put them. There started the hunt for a suitable shadow box.

I tried everywhere, really, and ended up buying two random boxes from a crafts shop. Earlier today, I sat down with one of them, right in the middle of our living-room-we-never-use-unless-there's-a-party, speakers blasting kpop to deafening heights, and proceeded to paint it white. You can't see in the picture, since I quite lazily only painted the outside. Anyway. I then fetched another Amazon box and cut out little cardboard squares - then did the same with white foam. I glued the cardboard and foam together, tucked them about halfway into each compartment - so I'd had enough space in the back to stick the pins -, and called my creation a shadow box. On came the labels, and then, finally, I put the butterflies in.

They're not all here, not really. There's about ten of them left, plus the grasshoppers, which are all going into the other box. This is my favorite one, though. It's got the Swallowtail (isn't it just huge and glorious?), the Red Admiral (the big black-and-orange one, which my Mom found already dead, which ultimately means I've never seen one alive, which saddens me) the Cleopatras (the big yellow ones, male and female!), and that poor sacrificial lamb, the tiny blue one that means the world to me. Since she was, you know, the first.

The moment I closed the box, Summer was over. Now to pack up and leave for my college town tomorrow. For the first time ever, I feel this sort of... end-of Summer closure. It may sound stupid, but to me, it means the world. A fresh start. Kami knows I need one.

Now. You. What are your Autumn plans, Dollfies? :)
xx

And Now My Stomach's Lined With Gold.

2011-09-07T01:18:00.000+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_mw5cdF4WM?hl=en"></a>
Your Body Is A Machine, The Good Natured
So, testing your memory, one two, one two... who remembers the Natural History Museum?
[you know, from these posts, just in case you're having touble remembering all that taxidermied goodness]

Well I finally had the chance to visit the mineralogy room!

I'll confess, I don't know a thing about minerals - or, no, correct that, I know all sorts of esoteric useless stuff about minerals, but when it comes to actual mineralogic data? Pffft. Nah. I just like looking at them and devising all sorts of wicked neklaces and rings and bracelets in my head. Pretty much in the same way I look at liturgical vestments and sew Lolita dresses in my head.

On different notes, can you believe it's already September? Classes are about to start! Third year of college, I can barely believe it. Where did the time go?!

Ah, wise philosophies aside though, good luck to everyone who's currently waiting for their uni results! Hope you all make it into your desired colleges!

Don't forget the champagne! ♥
xx

Things I Love Monday.

2011-09-06T01:12:00.000+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2ci4WAD2zo?hl=en"></a>
Tricky Tricky, Royksopp
Ah, stuff I liked this week... and a totally unrelated song above because I spent all weekend singing it even though I hadn't listened to it for months. Well if it is a lunatic we'll name it after youuuuuuuuuu... put it in your pocket and pick it u-

Ok, back to business.

♠ This past week, I wasted way too much time browsing What If... - the kpop edition! Basically, you guys know I am easily amused by puns and wordgames, so when somebody asks me 'what if elastics weren't fantastic?', or 'what if DBSK actually got the right number?', I crack up. Bonus points for the hilarious gifs that accompany every post. Slash approved. :)

♠ Silver cross earrings. They have a very specific... appeal over me, I don't know. Like, I remember the first time I saw Ethan James (male model, you might remember him from my Study In Male Beauty post - where he was, incidentally, featured wearing a silver cross earring) on Fashion Week, I thought... just who is this goddamn attractive creature walking the runway like he owns the place? And the earring played a really big part on that first impression, I believe. It made him stand out. Fast forward a couple of years as I was watching Explorers Of The Human Body, and I noticed one of the Super Junior members - Yesung, to be precise - wearing a silver cross earring. Which then prompted me to raid eBay for my own pair. Yeah... I'm currently blown away by the crazy amount of options. Who knew there were so many styles of cross earrings? ^^

♠ My newly-acquired HD version of Kamikaze Girls. Though I do believe I've bugged you enough with it...

♠ This guy's face. I'm sorry. I don't usually do this, but this face... it's serious business. So yeah, he may have gone under the knife to get it, but hell, let's be honest... this is Korea, everybody gets the double eyelid surgery done anyway.

____________________

Regardless, those eyes? WOW. They're like... carved. By the millimetre. With a laser. They're beautiful.
____________________
♠ Which brings us to... DBSK. That's right. The above person is Hero Jaejoong and he was once part of a band called DBSK - he's now part of a band called JYJ, but let's not go there yet. DBSK. They can make a simple Happy Birthday sound epic. They can make the Guinness World Records twice - world's biggest fanclub and most photographed celebrities since debut. They can make their own mini dramas and aknowledge all the slash pairings in the world while at it. Quite basically, they're really good. Particularly, live. Particularly, a capella.

____________________

____________________
♠ Oh, and this week, I also found the perfect shadow box for my butterflies! Though I need to paint it first... since it's brown and stupid and I want it white and lovely. ^^

♠ Hello Hello, by FTIsland. It beats SHINee's Hello. JUST SAYIN'.

____________________

Watch out for the pseudo-rap at 1:40. Eargasm, much? :)
____________________
♠ My grandma got a new puppy. She called him Paco, but my sister and I decided it sounded too... I don't know, Mexican, so we added Daesung. paco Daesung. He's still an idiot, though, and he's fully convinced my arms are biting material. YO DAWG. They're not.

♠ This cute video depicting different fashion eras in East London. How many can you spot?

____________________

____________________
♠ Oh, and to finish things off, I reorganised my Pinterest folders. I'm particularly proud of my pretty people folder and my places-i-wanna-visit-sometime-in-the-future folder.

Good riddance!
xx

Only Lend Stuff You Don't Care About.

2011-09-04T16:18:00.000+01:00

I had a complete reality check a couple of days ago, upon realising I'd never made a post about one of my all-time favorite movies.

Shimotsuma Monogatari, ladies and gentlemen. Or, you know, Kamikaze Girls, for the most forgetful - read also, me.

Momoko is an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. Ordinary, that is, if you define ordinary as wearing elaborate Lolita dresses from the Rococo period in 18th Century France. A complete fish out of water in her rural and sleepy Japanese town, where everyone buys their clothes (and everything else) at the same store and no one understands her, Momoko's life is one of sugared sweets and frilly treats. Desperate to make some money to pay for her expensive indulgence, Momoko tries selling bootleg Ver*ace and Uni*ersal Studios clothes left over from her Dad's yakuza days. However, when punk girl and self-styled yanki Ichiko comes calling, her days as 'ordinary' are most certainly numbered... friendship brings these two unlikely girls together.

So the synopsis is probably as on the beaten track as they get, but... surprisingly, the movie works. I could try and be a professional critic about it, but the truth is, I have a very emotional connection to this movie. It was my first Japanese movie, my first serious contact with the Lolita lifestyle, and probably the first time I saw a character on the screen and felt like hugging her. Girl, you are me.

I guess Momoko is indeed my spirit animal. I like her. I love her. I feel like she's such a strong character and such a great role model... I can't really explain it. I guess we just don't see enough movies where the main character is a strong, self-assured, feminine girl whose power doesn't rest on sexuality. These days, I feel like female empowerment = sexual freedom. Movies like Bridesmaids and Sex And The City try to hammer it into our heads: women are now as powerful as men, why? Because look, they can be just as raunchy.

Well I disagree. I could write a whole book on it, but I'll just say this and move on. I disagree.

Momoko is strong because she knows what she wants, she knows how to get it, she knows how to word it, and quite honestly, if you don't get her... that's your problem. Quite simply, Momoko doesn't give a fuck. She's not your typical girl in a frilly dress. She's classy yes, and rest assured she'll do her best to keep her Rococo gods happy... but mess with her and you'll get your face kicked down by a rocking horse shoe.

Notice the detail on her nails. A yellow bow and a blue bow. How cool is that?

See? Spirit animal.

This is probably my favorite dress on her. I just find it so... unlikely.

Second favorite dress. Can't go wrong with card suits.

Oh, and in case you ever need to track down my obsession with Shiro Lolita... here you have it.

Yes, I did screencap the whole movie. No, I don't regret a thing.

To be totally honest, I was having a blast trying to screencap all of Momoko's outfits. I love how she experiments so much with a style that's pretty much set in stone these days. Oh, your skirt's not poofy enough. Oh, you shouldn't wear sleeveless dresses. Oh, you shouldn't wear shiny fabrics. Oh, that dress is too long to be considered Lolita. And behold! Momoko's petticoats are awfully discreet - and that is, when she wears them. I'd risk saying many of her outfits are actually petticoat-less. Momoko wears sleeveless dresses - and looks completely composed in them. Momoko's card dress looks as if it's made of satin - yes, it's shiny, and she works it like nobody's business. Momoko's lounging-around dresses are all below the knee. I'm pretty sure she could wear them out and still look 100% Lolita. I guess in many ways she manages to really own the style, thus making her an icon in my eyes.

I don't like some of the places Lolita fashion is headed to right now, particularly the Sweet aesthetic. I don't like the candyfloss wigs and the poodle prints and that crazy habit of wearing so many petticoats you might just be unable to sit. I don't like the fake nails and the fake hair and the fake lashes and the fake eyes and... I mean, don't get me wrong, I like all of those things and I've worn some of them myself, but I'd never wear them with Lolita. That's just not the way I see the style. To me, Lolita is classy, but also subdued and pretty much effortless. Lolita is a white dress with white socks and white rocking horses. Lolita is a black dress with a white blouse and cute little black shoes. Lolita is a light blue dress with a floppy hair bow and a matching handbag.

I think that's the funniest thing with me and Lolita. With all my usual inclinations, I'd always thought of myself as someone who'd like to wear Gothic. Drama, drama, drama everywhere. It took me a while to realise my heart lies, in fact, with Classic.

And Kodona. But that's another tale all by itself.
xx

I Ran To A Tower Where The Church Bells Chime.

2011-09-01T23:19:00.000+01:00

And we're back!
New layout, though there's still some tag reorganising to be done.
Regardless.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boo2Zm69fhY?hl=en"></a>
Drumming Song, Florence + The Machine
I visited the Porto cathedral a few days ago - after two years living in the city, ah, better late than ever, I suppose. The gentleman at the ticket booth was awfully nice and even asked me about my college and degree when he saw my student ID. Criminology, I said. He smiled at me, asked if I'd had any forensics yet. Not yet, sir, I'll take them this year! To which he laughed and told me I'd probably think nothing of it - since I looked like a brave girl.

Which brings me to the conclusion that wearing formal shorts to a cathedral makes me look like a BAMF. Take note, Dollfies. This mighty piece of advice might just come in handy one of these days.

So I have to admit it, the cathedral itself was a bit of a disappointment. I guess I just don't play along too well with romanesque architecture. Too... boxy for my tastes. Though really, the visit to the church itself is free, and then you can choose to visit the cloisters, chapels and sacristy for 2€, which is both totally inexpensive and totally worth it, since you get to see all those vestments and a whole lot of relics I wasn't able to photograph due to chronic inability to shoot beyond a glass pane.

Allow me to catch my breath for a second.

Anyway, what I mean is, if for some rather horrible reason you're only able to visit one church in Porto, I suggest you skip this one and visit S. Francisco instead. You pay 4€ for the church, the house of the order - and its tiny one-room museum -, and the catacombs, which to be completely honest is only a bad deal if you don't think sarcophagi are interesting.

In which case we can't be friends anyway, so you shouldn't even be taking my advice. ;D
xx

-

PS - Also, the new Blogger interface? Man I'm confused.

Things I Love Monday.

2011-08-29T17:45:00.001+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEL-xNzOkG0?hl=en"></a>
Mr. Simple, Super Junior
Wait. You mean it's already Monday? Where did last week go? :O

____________________

____________________
♠ Switcheroo! It's a cool project by Hana in which two or more buddies switch their outfits for a picture! I'm a fiend for anything even remotely related to clothes and how they affect gender roles and identities, so this is right up my alley. I love how in some photos, you can hardly tell which clothes belong to who.

____________________

____________________
♠ And to once again prove that asian TV is superior to every other TV ever, here, take a look at Explorers Of The Human Body. I think it's a lot like Brainiac: Science Abuse... only with Super Junior. HOW COULD I NOT WATCH IT.

____________________

____________________
♠ Haha! Idol Derp Day, also known as Idol Star Athletics Championship or Idol Sports Day - or whatever else you wanna call it, as long as it includes idols and some sort of reference to sports -, took place this past Saturday, August 27, in South Korea, and of course, counted with the participation of ~~100~~ ~~150~~ too many celebrities. I'm yet to know how it all turned out for my team (SM Family, whoohoo!), but I do know I already had my fun staring at everyone's amazing imma-win-this-race-if-it-kills-me faces. You can see them here, here, and here. I shall report back in September, you know... when this actually airs.

____________________

____________________
♠ The World/Inferno Friendship Society released a new album! Well, new to me, since it's actually from March. Anyway. It's called The Anarchy And The Ecstasy and I think it's really, really good. It's good to know I can always count on a couple of bands to stay their amazing selves no matter how many albums they release. Having only listened to the album, like, twice, my favorite song so far is Disarming Smile. YOU'VE GOT TO NEVER GIVE UP THE JOKE, NEVER FALL DOWN THE STAIRS, SOLDIER ON, SOLDIER BOY, SOLDIER ON! Ahem. You can listen to it here.

♠ Making my autumn wishlist. Yes, people, that links to my Pinterest account. Welcome to my brain. :)

♠ Shocking people with quotes from Niga Arikha's Passions And Tempers: A History Of The Humours. Ahem.

In a short Hippocratic treatise entitled 'A Regimen For Health', one may read that "fat people who want to reduce should take their exercise on an empty stomach and sit down to their food out of breath. They should before eating drink some undiluted wine, not too cold, and their meat should be dished up with sesame seeds or seasoning and such-like things. The meat should also be fat as the smallest quantity of this is filling. They should take only one meal a day, go without baths, sleep on hard beds and walk about with as little clothing as may be."

♠ For my dad's birthday last Wednesday, we went to a pretty cool place called Foz do Arelho. It's pretty nice, very peaceful (well, relatively peaceful, since we're talking about a beach in August and everything - at least it doesn't look like this), and amazing for us swimmers, since one side of the beach faces the ocean, and the other side faces a lagoon, so no waves and no worries about lying stomach up in the water, closing my eyes and waking up in New York. Oh, and I was there last October, as well. The point being, I really like swimming. I'm actually pretty good at it - it's the only sport I'm good at. [Well except maybe Korfball. And the javelin. And rugby, as long as you don't make me play against 6-feet dudes who could probably pick me up with just one arm.] But alas, I don't usually like the places you can swim at - the beach, the pool, blah blah, blah blah -, so I don't get to do it too often. Put me in the water though, and I'll start breaststroking - man that sounds wrong - around. With a side of backcrawl. Those were always my strongest styles back when I used to compete, anyway.

♠ Working on the new blog layout. Oh you guys, it's looking so pretty! Which means I might take the blog down sometime tomorrow or later today. No worries, though.

I shall be back!
xx

With Sirens And Violins, The Sky Above Is Fallin'.

2011-08-27T03:01:00.000+01:00

New books: Angela Carter's The Magic Toyshop & The Bloody Chamber, Noga Arikha's Passions And Tempers: A History Of The Humours, & Andrew Barger's compilation of The Best Horror Short Stories 1800-1849. ♥

I was thinking today, that my recent bouts of unhappiness are probably due to my also recent inability to feel thankful. All around me, people complain. About the weather, about relationships, about celebrities, about the recession. And somehow they all act as if I'm not human, and therefore don't get them. As if I'm some sort of automatic listener thing with no feelings, who's just going to hear them out, digest the information, and mumble out some random word of support before dashing off to the nearest chocolate cake. And although I know I often look like I live in my very own private bubble - which is true, regardless -, every once in a while that bubble ends up squishing itself up against the hard, unflexible, concrete-y walls of the so-called real world and the unwanted grime of reality ends up rubbing off on me.

Sometimes I'm affected. You see, I usually try to keep this policy of not bothering with things I cannot change, but hearing everyone lament their lives, and their neighbours' lives, and the crazy cat lady's life, and the mailman's life, front and center, really doesn't help. There's this cloud above my head. But when I look up at all the little apocalypses that compose it, not one of them is actually mine. I should feel thankful.

I feel thankful. For my family, my friends, my home, my college, my novel, my health, everyone's health around me, my sister, my parents, my beliefs. I feel thankful for being able to feel thankful. I can't - and I won't - let myself get sucked down into this black hole of negativity that surrounds my current position. This too shall pass, as they all say, but while it doesn't, I shall take refuge in this feeling. Of thankfulness and love and forgiveness. I can't cheer the world up, but I can cheer myself up and hope it touches others the right way.

With that said, I wish you all the best of weekends!
I shall spend mine under a parasol reading about ancient greek medicine. You know, light holiday reading. ^^

xx

Things I Love Monday.

2011-08-23T02:34:00.001+01:00

The TILT has returned! Only now I'm doing it on Mondays instead of Thursdays. Fucks not given. For some reason I do things better on Mondays.

Off we go then, all aboard my ship of current obsessions! ♥

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QA3m58DQw?hl=en"></a>
SORRY SORRY, Super Junior
♠ Music-wise, The Hoosiers, Fallulah, SHINee, Super Junior. And speaking of kpop, this guy's mashups are pretty amazing. My favorites are K-Pop In A G6, Lolliphone 2, and Burning Abracadabra FIRE.

____________________

____________________
♠ SHINee's Hello Baby. Under risk of sounding like a broken record, this show is amazing. Basically, these five guys from a boyband try to raise a kid. Meanwhile, they get stuff for free by putting on shows in grocery stores, think their Ring Ding Dong dance (pelvic thrusts galore) is appropriate for kids, film their own version of a traditional korean tale where the girl moonwalks into rooms and the evil magistrate is actually a hiphopper, peel apples the wrong away and flip eggs like pancakes, have lots of bromantic moments and often wonder if this is the reality we wanted. YES. YES IT IS.

____________________

____________________
♠ The Midnight Archive. I'm not sure of how many of you know the online little corner of heaven that goes by the name of Morbid Anatomy, but if, you know, morbid stuff and anatomical stuff interest you, you might like it. The wonderful news though, are that film maker Ronni Thomas decided to do a webseries about it! He'll cover personalities, artifacts, careers, and all things Morbid Anatomy-related. I suggest you watch it as soon as it premieres - sounds pretty educational!

____________________

____________________
♠ Still on a Morbid Anatomy kick, here are some amazing nineteenth century images of albinism. Albinism is one of those things that fascinate me for some reason, and with really, really old photography being another - I always feel like the photos are haunted, or staring right into my soul -, this little gallery is just right up my alley. Oh, and this is unrelated, but for those who share this same fascination, here, lemme link you to My Daguerreotype Boyfriend - browse for long enough, and you might even find yourself drooling at Lord Alfred Douglas himself. Or, you know, Phineas Gage, in a really, really creepy portrait that never fails to give me the creeps. I don't know. His whole story gives me the creeps.

____________________

____________________
♠ The Legion Of Extraordinary Dancers (The LXD, for buddies) recently premiered its 3rd season! I'd therefore recommend you watch it, right here on Hulu! So far, only three episodes have premiered, but Ashes (ep. 2) has already stolen my heart. Circus-themed with white-clad dancers stomping the floor? I'M IN.

♠ Menswear, again. This SHINee photoshoot reminded me of how much I love it, which then got me digging through my laptop and external hardrive for images of my two all-time favorite menswear shows.

____________________

Z Zegna, Spring 2010 [source]

Carlo Pignatelli Cerimony 2012 [source]
____________________
♠ Oh, and speaking of Carlo Pignatelli, some more amazing suits this way! And then people ask me why I'd like to be a man two days a week...

♠ Also, Vivienne Westwood blazers. Can I have one, pwetty pwease?

♠ Since we're talking clothes, burgundy is my most recent obsession. I'd like a whole burgundy wardrobe. I'd like burgundy velvet boots and burgundy knit scarves and burgundy military coats and burgundy maxi skirts and burgundy lace stockings and burgundy babydoll dresses.

So, tell me now, what are YOU currently obsessing about?
xx

I’ll Never Be The Bravest Of Us.

2011-08-21T01:01:00.000+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QdKKsz0A0U?hl=en"></a>
Burning Abracadabra FIRE, DJ Masa Mashup [Brown Eyed Girls vs 2NE1 vs Sean Kingston]
I'm absolutely exhausted. I spent half the afternoon running like a maniac, hot on the trail of the Southern Scarce Swallowtail (yes, again), and the other half carrying wood to the tool shed at our country house.

Both were fun, though. Because a) I won the face-off against my butterfly nemesis, and b) I really like walking around all sweaty in a tank top and working gloves. I don't know. Gloves make me feel like a million bucks. There's something very empowering about knowing nothing's going to touch you unless you want it. Read also: I act less like a coward because there are zero chances of touching a spider by accident. Useful for UrbEx and country house chores. Success.

But. BACK TO THE SWALLOWTAIL.

Today's face-off was tougher than usual, but I was determined to catch my beast. First of all - in a fairly hilarious moment, demonstrative of my chronic ability to fail at physical anything -, the butterfly found a way to sneak into our garden cage. You see, we raise mallards in there, so it's both pretty big and pretty tall. But still I was confident. I mean, she was already confined. How hard could it be?

Very.

The butterfly kept flying like five feet above my head and all I could do was wave my net at her and hope she'd be an idiot and fall for the trap all by herself. Obviously, she ended up laughing last, as she found a crack in the cage netting and escaped. Swallowtail: ∞ Rafa: 0

Of course she kept taunting me. So as we were having about to finish our mandatory Saturday-family-lunch-at-the-country-house (rituals, what can I say!), I actually ditched all etiquette and had dessert standing up, melon slice in one hand and butterfly net in another. Talk about failure. Swallowtail: ∞ + 1 Rafa: 0

Later, my nemesis decided to stop her flight in a rose bush right in front of my nose. I had a second-long freakout because she's giant and I wasn't expecting her, but then swinged my net a big too enthusiastically and got it stuck in the rose thorns. The butterfly kept flying around the net. Swallowtail: 2(∞ + 1) Rafa: 0

But then I remembered something I'd read once about those crazy peeps who like spending time in meadows with insects glued to their hands - aka People Who Somehow Manage To Magically Make Butterflies Attach Themselves To Their Skin. Their trick? Water. And sugar.

So off I went to mix up some water and five spoons of sugar - it tasted really bad, for the record, oh and also for the record, no, I don't know why I thought it'd be a good idea to taste it - in a spritz bottle. Spray some of that potion magique all over my butterfly net and then track down the swallowtail, I was on the right track. As she flew over my head, I lifted my net and she lowered her flight slightly. In a victorious swing of my net, I finally managed to restrain my nemesis in a little yellow sugary cocoon.

Swallowtail: 2(∞ + 1) Rafa: 1
I screamed. I'm not even kidding.

Now, I know some people don't appreciate this collecting hobby of mine, and even consider it slightly barbaric, but I'll be honest with you anyway. The butterfly died, of course. And as I was mounting it just a bit ago, I noticed how different she truly is, from all other butterflies. For starters, the amazing tails. The characteristic triangle shape. The confident flight, so different from the rounded, wavy, careless flight of smaller butterflies. The stripes. The different texture of her wings.

As hypocritical as it may sound, I hold nothing less than reverence for this butterfly. She is a masterpiece of nature, and I'll treasure this one specimen like a million-dollar trophy in my modest collection. I don't want another. I don't need another. I want this one to be the only one.

And besides, I want to be able to greet every other Swallowtail from here on with a tip of my proverbial hat and a smile on my lips. No nets and no sugar tricks. Just salute them like a good old friend as they fly way too high above my head. This crusade is over. Thank you, Universe. ♥

I hereby declare this year's butterfly hunting season over.
xx

Image links back to source. I claim no credit. Thank you.

Time And Again Boys Are Raised To Be Men.

2011-08-19T02:36:00.000+01:00

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hewEMQUIuU?hl=en"></a>
A Sadness Runs Through Him, The Hoosiers
So, earlier today, I was browsing random websites on my new favorite band SHINee - as a side note, I do believe y'all need to watch their season of Hello Baby, that thing got me laughing like a maniac, all alone at 3am -, when I stumbled across this editorial from the December 09 issue of Vogue Korea.

Combat boots and military coats and top hats and monochrome and capes and big knits and button-up shirts and bowties and handfuls of mismatched rings oh my.

Somebody pass my holographic skull notebook. Inspiration overload.

This was the shot that started it all. I think I'd kill for the second coat-shirt combo. And the last coat. And the fourth guy, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER TALE.

Image sources: minsarang.wordpress.com & fairytalenewsblog.blogspot.com
I haven't worn pants in eight months - well except for UrbEx gigs and butterfly hunting -, but I think this'll put an end to that hiatus. Because right now, all I want to do is buy myself a pair of cigarette black pants and shove them inside my combat boots, then slip into a white shirt, whip out the Extremely Kodonable Coat, stick the biggest feather I can find onto my gray fedora and finish it all off by wrapping myself up in a burgundy scarf. Accessorize with a perfume vial around the neck and 'I, Lucifer' - ah, double reference! - under the arm.

Is it Fall yet?
xx

-

PS - Just noticed, in the third shot, Taemin is wearing the exact same scarf I was picturing for myself. Wonder why I hadn't seen it before. Guess the Vogue stylist and I are truly on the same page for this one. ♥

Held Together With String.

2011-08-18T02:14:00.000+01:00

I was away for the past five days. I disconnected. I took a holiday from the real world.

My sister and I, we just picked up our bags and escaped to my little flat up North. It made me happy, going back to having real responsabilities, things like grocery shopping and kamikaze jaywalking, things like spying under the door for whoever's ringing my doorbell, things like scaring away seaguls from the terrace, things like cooking and setting frying pans on fire. Things like finally being in control.

It's helped, you know.

I guess having two different types of tea at half past midnight as you dance to Korean pop and mimic different types of firearms just has its ways of putting life into perspective. It made me happy, to whip out my map for the first time in months to realise I was completely and utterly lost between back alleys and a cemetery I didn't yet know, to give up that lemon ice cream because it was making my ears buzz, to hold my camera by my hip as I filmed my way up a familiar street.

It's helped, but I fear it might not have been enough.

I can't say I'm okay. Since June, I haven't been okay. The summer exam season didn't exactly go as planned. I left a novel halfway - that means I quit, and I'm the kind of person who feels homicidal at the mere thought of loose ends. Quitting doesn't suit me. But obstinacy for the sake of obstinacy, though fun for a short while, strikes me as fairly destructive in the long run. I haven't been getting any replies on my novel submission. Of course this would happen, I knew it - I know it. But all those non-replies, all that longing, it all hovers over my head everytime I open Q10 to work on a new novel. I need to dig past them to reach my inspiration, my muse. But then, when I do, when I finally manage to find him, he grabs me by the neck and shoves me down into the twisted subconscious I always knew I had, but tried to somehow keep away. There's incest and death and voodoo and love is destructive and people bite out their own fingernails and nothing ever ends well.

And then I look up and realise none of that will sell unless I make myself a name first, and down again comes the cloud. Down again comes the rain. Down again comes my mood because I'd never thought I'd have to choose between what's marketable and what's authentic so soon into my so-called career. So I leave that novel halfway and start a new one, but the new one scares me because without realising it, I've made myself the protagonist and every line she utters is a line I could utter myself, and slowly but surely, she is giving me away. And I'm not sure I'm ready to give this character free reign over my life just yet.

So I plan new stories and mentally tweak old ones, and my mind's all over the place and I can't focus and everything's a loose end and nothing's ever finished. And it hurts and I don't know what to do about it and I come here and let it out and hope tomorrow things will work out better.

When push comes to shove, hell, guess I'll just never grow up. I'll always be thirteen and I'll always be the girl who would snake an open hand into her doll house and gut its insides out in one careless, swift motion. Because that story just didn't please her anymore. The characters were all over the place. The setting just wasn't interesting enough. The ending was either too close or too far away.

Once a storyteller, always a storyteller.

Wonder how much of this post could be me telling myself a bedtime tale.
xx

You've Got Two Lives Down And One Life Left.

2011-08-11T02:44:00.000+01:00

As promised, here's the second batch of photos from the Tumblr Meet!
BW ones belong to Lu, colored ones belong to Sofia. Thanks, dolls! ♥

Now if you don't mind my brevity... over and out. I need to go queue some posts for my upcoming absence.
Which is the same as saying "stalk the Ouran forum and bite my fingers off as I wait for the third season of The LXD".

BYYYYYYEEEEEEE!
xx

You Could Think Better With A Hole In Your Head.

2011-08-09T00:43:00.001+01:00

Cops And Robbers, The Hoosiers
So, last Saturday we had a Tumblr Meetup here in town.

I should probably confess I basically went as an excuse to be with the writing crew - Lulu and Inês and Mariana and Sofia, that's you! -, but it did end up being a whole lot of non-writing related fun. Loads of people came, and like a good ol' field trip-ish group, we just spent the afternoon sitting by the river, chatting and playing random games and sunburning - luckily I had my umbrella - and waving to the tourists and making stupid jokes about McDonald's straws and Prince Of Tennis and Tom Felton.

Oh, and after the meetup was over, the writing crew and I disbanded to have macarons and Frappucinos and ice cream while rambling on and on about the depressing state of kids these days, relationships, smuggling passports and using religion as an excuse to refrain from eating stuff you don't like.

Then home to watch the most misleadingly described movie in the history of IMDb: Delicatessen.
I had a fun weekend.

How about you?
xx

-

PS - Another post coming tomorrow, with Lu's and Sofia's shots. Guess what, I actually appear in those! LOL

PPS - Jo darling, YOU ARE SO NOT SKIPPING THE NEXT MEETUP. We missed you! ♥

Bring The Hammer, Daddy.

2011-08-08T02:28:00.002+01:00

Because I have no sense of self-preservation, I spent my last Friday night all dressed up in my Superman tee and hair up in a crazy high ballerina bun, with a stack of brownings by my side and a completely senseless movie on my lap.

My kinda night.

Well, said senseless movie was The Loved Ones, and I won't even pretend I had any reason to watch it besides Xavier Please-Hold-Me-Before-I-Hit-That Samuel. What can I say, the guy's attractive, and with the recent rumors of his involvement in The Mortal Instruments movie - as Simon, no less! -, I was curious about his acting skills.

Well, huh... wrong movie.

In order to avoid a ghostly figure in the road, high school senior Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father. Constantly confronted by his mother's emotional collapse after the accident, Brent escapes into a marijuana fueled world of loud metal music to block the pain and guilt. Dejected and out of sorts, he has a shot at happiness with his girlfriend Holly, a grounded, caring girl with drop dead good looks, a dream date for the high school prom. But his plans are thwarted by a disturbing series of events that take place under a mirrored disco ball, involving pink satin, glitter, syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer. Brent has become the prom king at a macabre, sadistic event where he is the entertainment.

Don't get me wrong, the guy isn't half bad at his job. It's just that said job consists of spending two thirds of the movie tied to a chair and unable to speak, as our resident psychopath Lola - brilliantly played by Robin McLeavy, if I say so myself - does all sorts of Saw-worthy stuff to him. I won't get into details, but man that was one sick ride.

I say watch it if you don't mind gore and completely misplaced sexual innuendos, but don't expect an intelligent wrap-up or a suspenseful climax - that's Kill Theory, if you'd like a rec.

Oh, and this was totally not an excuse to make you all stare at pretty people.
NOPE, NOT ME, NOT AT ALL.
xx

-

PS - Photos from the Tumblr Meet-Up coming tomorrow. More pretty people for your viewing pleasure! ♥

Searchin’ For Sunlight Or Winter Inside.

2011-08-01T01:29:00.000+01:00

First things first: if you don't think pictures of palaces and korean pop go together, don't click the play button.

RingDingDong, SHINee
With that out of our way, alons-y then!

The Family and I visited Mafra about five hundred years ago, but being me, I obviously ended up losing the memory card. Needless to say it though, I found it in the great bedroom overhaul of the past few days. Pffft. I can't stand this room when it's tidy.

Look at those shameless photobombers. SAKUJO.

Palácio Nacional de Mafra
Mafra
Portugal

I'd move in there just for the library.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'll be over there refreshing Pottermore and laughing my butt off with the Ouran fandom. With terms like Twinception, heart boner, stalker iPad, crotch bow, Tamaki Fried Chicken, Ouran Sentai Hostoranger, nipplechats and practicing at home... you gotta take it as a fact, y'all.

OURAN WINS.
xx

The Entropy Of The Universe Tends To A Maximum.

2011-07-26T17:37:00.002+01:00

When you're lucky enough to have a dad who seems to know something about everything under the sun, you eventually end up learning some rather... wacky things. Systems of linear equations with three variables - he taught me these before I'd even learnt the two-variable ones in school. The inner workings of a car engine - we like Top Gear. A lot. The correct way to shoot a rifle - with practical classes. The second law of thermodynamics.

Well you see, I really like the second law of thermodynamics. I don't understand half of it, but I do know that Rudolf Clausius managed to summarise it in a very nice, very trim definition:

The entropy of the universe tends to a maximum.

Forget thermodynamics, I decided years ago that I'd use it for everything.
Like, say, my room.

I'm not the kind of person who appreaciates tidiness. I'd dread living in a house where you wouldn't be allowed to step on the Persian rugs or drink Coke from the antique glassware, or drape yourself across the leather couch with your day clothes on. I like a messy house.

It means someone's living in it. Living, by my own definition, creates mess. When you eat, you create a mess. When you sleep, you create a mess. When you write a novel, watch a movie, read a book, study for an exam, work on a painting, dry a butterfly, come up with an outfit, play a video game, brush your hair, take off your shoes, light up a candle, you create a mess. So in my humble opinion, trying to battle that natural mess sounds a bit too... Stepford, read also: a waste of valuable time. Unfortunately, I'm not the only person on the planet, and therefore need to conform to whatever the higher ups want.

Yup. Mom told me to tidy up the bedroom.
I tried, I swear. But I eventually realised the mess looked so nice and cosy that I had to step back, whip out Kadaj and take some pictures for posterity.

Drying flowers just because.

My skull's holding a 5-euro bill on its teeth. Dad says it's morbid. I think it's justified, since it might need to pay Charon on its day to the world of the dead.

I got this flute off an antique store years ago, for 20 euros. It's got lovely gems on either side all the way down. I love it.

Mom got me the sarcophagus from the British Museum - it carried a white chocolate mummy. SO. FREAKING. GOOD.

My jewelry tree. You can see my usual rings (roman numeral steel band, silver poison ring), the silver cameo ring I got for my 18th birthday (or rather, a replica of it, since the original was too big and the jeweler had to make me a new one - THANK YOU! ♥ - that, as a matter of fact, only arrived yesterday) my charm bracelet hanging next to the rings, and my 'promise bracelet' in the back (I bought it last year to remind me of my novel, and wore it everyday until the book was finished).

My impromptu spreading board, currently featuring a blue-winged grasshopper.

This shelf is at eye-height, so my homeless (since I'm currently short on shelf space) favorite books tend to end up crammed in here. Current examples include Shadow Dance, The Master And Margarita, I, Lucifer, Her Fearful Symmetry, and a couple of manga volumes to the left. The bottom one is Death Note: How To Read 13, my holy grail. Aaaaaand there may or may not be a dead dragonfly in that jar.

My geishas. They're as big as baseball bats. The one up front's wearing a gold bracelet to hide a broken neck.
So, yeah. Soon, room. Soon you'll be back to your past entropic glory.
What's your take on messy rooms, y'all?
xx

We Keep Saying Things Without A Sound

2011-07-19T01:51:00.000+01:00

Bridges, Fallulah
It's no secret that browsing Japanese street style blogs is one of my prefered methods of procrastination - right up there with TV Tropes, really. Knowing this, it was truly only a matter of time until Dolly Kei caught my eye.

No wonder. Put together my slight infatuations with eastern Europe, liturgical vestments - have you seriously ever looked at those things? masterpieces! - and creepy dead things in jars, and Dolly Kei is right up my proverbial alley!

1 | 2

Dolly Kei (or Dolly Fashion, which is the term used in Japan) [...] is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, if we had to resume that fashion to one word, it would be “antique”. For, Dolly fashion has its own culture, a style playing on the look of antique dolls, the old dulled porcelain doll we hide in the closet, something mystic and a bit scary. A strong aesthetic is brought to this fashion, caring much more to every detail than one’s would think.

@ Tokyo Fashion And Art Factory.

1 | 2

Dolly Fashion won’t hesitate to especially overlay strong different patterns, and accessories with their own identity. In reality, the harmony of the silhouette is brought by an apparently chaos of over mixing these strongly individual accessories and clothes. In the contrary of Mori Girl fashion*, the line of the waist is usually emphasized by laced embodies resembling corset or large belts. We would also notice some empire waistlines. The umbrella skirt with a beautiful volume is a must have. Silhouettes can rather be long or quite short, there’s no rule, but most of the time, Dolly Girls will wear dark tones stockings and arabesque patterned high socks. [...] Dolly Kei fetishes the dramatic look and therefore cherishes strong visible patterns, like big flowers and mix of geometrical motifs from our old tapestries. These patterns bring their gypsy or folklore mood.

@ Tokyo Fashion And Art Factory.

* This is pretty much the reason I never got on with the Mori Girl ensemble - I can't quite compute without a waistline. Also: beige. No thank you.

1 | 2

Unlike Mori Girl’s staple creams and faded browns *, Dolly Kei uses a lot of sumptuous jewel tones like ruby red, brilliant gold, deep violet and malachite green. This lends an almost regal air of decadence not seen in Mori Girl, which favours a natural feeling with no emphasis on luxury. The fabrics and materials are themselves more luxurious, with lots of rich velvet, raw silk and delicate embroidery with golden thread [...] belted with enormous gold tassles and finished with the tail of a fox!

@ Electric Alice.

* Also, if all the Mori Girl mentions are making your head hurt, here's pretty straightforward guide to getting it.

Honorable mention: the outfits depicted in this photo are nothing special, but the person on the left is. Boy or girl? I'm clueless. Does it matter? Nope, not really.

Another importance element [...] is the strong Northern and Eastern European influence – [...] it’s equal parts Romanian gypsy, Russian matryoshka doll and Norwegian bunad. What’s interesting about this is that the wearers are referencing typically working class clothing, but remixing it with such sumptuous gold jewelry and beautifully curled hair that it suddenly looks rich and luxurious.

@ Electric Alice.

1 | 2

1 | 2

Aww man. I need to win the lottery soon so I can get a butler and a full-time tutor-slash-translator and move to Japan.

There's NOTHING for me in this dry European land.

Haha, no, but really, all I care about right now are giant golden tassels and Wunderkammer jars and burgundy everythings. I'll go find myself a really baroque, really decadent film to watch, though, and leave my eloping dreams for later.

Farewell, Dollfies!
xx

All images link back to their rightful owners. Thank you all for being so inspiring. ♥

Des Papillons En Pagaille...

2011-07-11T00:10:00.000+01:00

Another weekend, another face-off.

I'm pretty sure somewhere, somehow, there is a butterfly counsil. And every once in a while, they all congregate and decide to send torture my way. Then on comes the Southern Scarce Swallowtail, all beauty and majesty and wingspan as she flies past me without a care in the world, perfect in her black and white, or black and yellow stripes. She knows, I'm telling you. She knows she's either too close for me to swing at her, or too far for me to be able to catch her. She knows my nerves get the best of me when I see her, because she is that one goal I told myself I'd fulfil this summer.

My eyes shoot up when I see something white or yellow moving around me. I run like hell, I nearly catch her, I can clearly see the stripes of her wings and her perfectly blue-tinted tails. But she's faster, she's always faster, and for a moment there I always stop in my tracks and look up at the sky with a dumbfounded expression and my net falling lifeless from my hands. I shake, I always shake, and the frustration is so strong you'll often find me growling at the sky, stomping my feet like a spoilt child. She is perfect. She is perfect, and maybe just maybe I'm not worthy of her just yet.

I'll keep on trying, though, for ask any shounen hero and they'll tell ya - life's better when you've got a worthy nemesis to defeat.

En garde, Swallowtail!
xx

All images link back to their rightful owners. I claim no credit over these, quite sadly. ;)

Let Out A Sign, Pretend To Die - 13 Songs For Raphael.

2011-07-07T23:50:00.000+01:00

AH-HAH, time for a new character mix!
Today, I bring you 13 songs for my favorite character ever. No contest. Raphael is, put simply, a riot to write. It doesn't matter what or who you're talking about, he'll turn the tables on your ass, like an italian boss.

Take that as you'd like.

So, slightly tougher than Chloe's mix, and probably a little more pessimistic as well, ladies and gentlemen... here you have it!

01. Tatakau Monotachi, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children OST
[Instrumental]

02. Roses, Poets Of The Fall

I've heard the rumors, started fires, I sowed a sordid lot of plays for keeps for what I need, behold the demons that I freed.
I've tried my best at wearing the hard hat, but healing doesn't seem to happen when you hide away the seed.
And so I came across the medicine man, and he showed me what I'd forlorn,
for if I'm stayed it happens by my own hand, and my own voice full of scorn.

03. Medicine Man, The Hush Sound

Medicine man,
I lay my head in your hands.
Medicine man,
You will clear my mind.
Medicine man,
Can you heal my body?
Medicine man,
Can you hear my cry?

04. Getting Away With Murder, Papa Roach

I feel irrational, so confrontational,
To tell the truth again I'm getting away with murder.
It isn’t possible to never tell the truth,
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder.

05. Mirror Error, The Faint

I might distort myself a bit,
I doubt that I'm the only one
to hope their features smear,
warp the face that's stuck to my skull.
It's just a mask.
Peel the skin away and we'll trade,
I'm not so attached to this face.

06. Best In Mexico, He Is Legend

A broken arm, the same smell,
so just relax, no one will tell.

07. Smart In A Stupid Way, Ashlee Simpson feat. Steven Strait [ -> Chloe]

She looked up and asked me if I ever had a lover that I did not betray,
and I turned on the radio and I looked the other way.
She said 'you're smart, but in a stupid way'.

08. Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down [ -> Leonardo]

If I go crazy then will you still call me superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might.

09. Chloroform, Belasco [ /Angel]

And she's got 15 ways to run around and track him down,
and he's got 15 ways to run around and try to hide.
I've got a feeling there are better people.

10. Immortal, Adema

I need the rush,
there's nowhere you could hide before you die.
Why won't you face me?
I can see the fear that's in your eyes.
Where will you run? Where will you hide?

11. The Same Space, Klaxons [ -> Michael]

When we wish for the same things many see signs
some others find.
When we're together we come alive,
when we organize.

12. Blue And Yellow, The Used [ -> Angel]

I should've done something, but I've done it enough.
By the way, your hands were shaking,
I'd rather waste my time with you.

13. Brother's Blood, Kevin Devine

Spit and scream what's done is done,
Go make your peace with everyone.
They don't need to know about my brothers blood.

DOWNLOAD HERE.
Enjoy!
xx

-

PS - Oh, and Raphael's placeholder is, for the curious minds, male model Marcus Hedbrandh. It's a pretty good match, though he's still missing that extra dash of magnificent bastardy. Ah, boys.

I Prefer To Sleep Alone, I Prefer To Stay Right Here.

2011-07-04T00:49:00.002+01:00

It's been a lovely weekend, lemme tell you.

Saturday was spent in between walls of rambles with my butterfly net in hand and a Southern Swallowtail in sight. I'm getting better at this whole butterfly catching thing, but I've still got a long way to go - particularly, I need to improve on that whole thorax-pinching deal. You see, I started with the killing jars, but I soon ran out as I realised I was catching them faster than the chemicals were killing them. So I had to resort to pinching. It worked for half the butterflies, so I'd say I'm doing it more or less correctly.

Predictably, Dad has already made his feelings clear. "Dearest, that is one sadistic hobby." But it's not like he ever approves much of what I decide to do with my free time, so we're good. Mom seems to enjoy it, though, and so does my sister. Away from the rambles - ouch my arms, by the way -, we did spend much of our Saturday holding onto our nets, chasing stunning, yellow butterflies through a meadow like awfully determined lacrosse players.

Then, later, when it started to cool down, we pulled a couple of chairs from the house, set them under the olive trees and took turns reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study In Scarlet. Back home and after dinner, it was time for me to turn on the desk lights, pull out my spreading board, and mount the butterflies we'd caught. Eight of them: four whites, two yellows, two oranges. And a dragonfly.

Sunday, today, we set off to the beach but the rain ruined our plans. So off we went to visit abandones houses and walk along railway tracks as we tried to inch closer. We got lost, eventually, but when you consider it carefully, we always do anyway.

Ah. I'm feeling recharged. I'm expecting one hell of a week! :D
xx

"Sex Pixie!" "Sicko!" "Your Momma Wears Too Much Make-Up!"

2011-07-03T01:05:00.000+01:00

Haha, so the time has come for me to talk about something I've been really excited about - for ages now!
Ouran High School Host Club, ladies and gents...

...is getting a live-action drama!

The first thing you might notice is the lack of Periwinkle Blue Blazers TM - but you see, Hana Kimi got to them first. Do I care? Not at all. I find these so much more classier.

The second thing you might notice is that there are no blondes in this cast. Well. That's fine too. I'm usually all for fidelity to the original source material, but let's be honest here, anime is a bit too... permissive with its hair colors. Besides, I'm not a huge fan of blonde-haired Japanese guys and gals, so it's for the best.

Oh, and speaking of the cast...

Can we talk about Yamamoto Yuusuke's (second guy, first row) absolutely perfect face? Wow. Just wow, sir. What genes!

I'm also really fond of Kawaguchi Haruna (first and only girl, first row) as Haruhi, because she seems so bubbly and cute, and Chiba Yudai (second guy, third row) as Honey, because... well, just because. I mean, will you look at the guy? That's the single most adorable face I've ever seen.

Then, Nakamura Masaya (first guy, third row) seems quite suitable for the role of Mori, and Daito Shunsuke... well, I'll be honest. Kyoya might just be my favorite character, so... I had my doubts when I first saw his live-action counterpart. They're gone, though. I've warmed up to him, and I can't quite wait to see how he aces some of my favorite scenes (~~i.e. the beach episode~~).

Oh, right, and the twins. I swear, the moment I saw Takagi Shinpei and Takagi Manpei (third guy and fourth guy, third row, hopefully I got that right) in the right clothes and hair and make-up, I knew we had the Hitachiin in the house, y'all. Totally approved.

I remember wondering, though, if they were going to... you know. Be faithful to the... original, huh... scheme. As in, get all over each other once an episode. Apparently and judging from the teaser, yes, yes they are. Which has led me to declare that I now lead A Takagi Twins Appreciation Life, because it must take some royal guts to play twincestuous with your own brother.

Breathe in breathe out, though, and keep the rotten vegetables away, angry audience members, since all they ever do is cuddle and nothing graphic ever happens. I've been laughing quite a lot at this polemic, to be honest. Rumour has it this is the reason the drama is being broadcast at the midnight slot - awfully late for a school comedy series, if you ask me! I've also seen tons of people get worked up over it, people who were fans of the manga and the anime, and are now acting totally surprised at the fact that "oh my! we have twins being twincestuous in our drama! what is wrong with the universe?" - people to whom I'd like to say "nothing's wrong with the universe, doll, it's just you having a double standard".

If the boys are okay with it, I'm okay with it.
That's all I've got to say on this matter. :)

And on that bombshell, I shall leave you with the teaser trailer and a little cast interview.

Farewell, and do prepare your bodies for July 22!
xx

-

PS - The title quote is from... episode 5, I think. The twins were fighting. That's right. The twins.

Now That I Do Know It I Shall Do My Best To Forget It.

2011-07-01T17:00:00.000+01:00

Hot on the trail of my dream dress post, I was browsing the Kling website the other day when I saw it. The Castle Princess dress - now sold out, courtesy of moi je, do thank me later. I had my doubts, I mean... that was one badass lacy mess.

But when it arrived (like, 24 hours after I ordered it, you go Kling!), I realised I'd made pretty freaking good buy. It looks awesome belted. It looks awesome unbelted. It looks awesome with the sleeves tied. And untied. It looks awesome with the neck laced. And unlaced. It's like a gazillion dresses into one!

I shall change the buttons though. Those are just atrocious.

Also, I had a rather pleasant antique store experience when I walked into one a couple of days ago and noticed, right on top of an old piano, the complete Sherlock Holmes collection! Well, minus the Hound. Some idiot must have taken it before me. OH WELL. I got the eight books for 15 euros anyway.

I say, you score, girl.
xx

-

PS - I am so angry at Teahouse right now - well, not Teahouse itself, as I love the comic, but at the turn things have taken. Xanthe you despicable human being. BITCH SLAP THAT PIMP, LINNEUS. Do it do it do it, boy.

And The Scissors Slide Away With My Pride.

2011-06-28T00:32:00.001+01:00

There is this notion, in the Lolita community, of dream dress, something that's always resonated with me. If money and rarity were no obstacle, what would you dress like?

In the so-called real life, that sounds like an awfully daunting question. I mean, it's not like you know every garment ever made - therefore you can't make your pick. But you can guess. Take me, for instance. If money and rarity were no obstacle, I'd stock up my wardrobe with combat boots and granny boots, opaque black tights, and then lace and floral ones in every color. I'd wear 50s dresses and 60s dresses and 70s Gunne Sax dresses. I'd wear hats and gloves every day and fascinators when I felt like it. My outerwear selection would be a sea of military overcoats and kodona jackets and waiscoats. I'd never wear pants, only shorts and skirts and dresses. And knickerbockers. And I'd never buy new jewelry because it'd be all vintage or handmade.

It's a pretty long list, but for all the right reasons, it's made easier when you wear Lolita on a regular basis. All you need to do is browse every Lolita dress ever made by the major brands and pick your favorites. This sense of direction, this definition of the dream dress... to me, it means the world. That's one of the beauties of Lolita, to me. The clothes are so expensive and beautiful that you never just buy a dress on impulse. Every purchase is carefully thought over and reviewed, over and over in your head, until you're sure it's worth not buying new books for three months.

I'm no Lolita, but I really identify with that attitude of adoration towards clothes. I once wrote an ode to a black dress. That was probably the moment I realised I wanted to feel that way, like a princess unraveling a million ~~dollar~~ golden coin present, every single time I brought home a new piece of clothing. I've been doing great with that resolution. Every dress I put on these days is, in one way or another, a dream dress.

But. Back to Lolita. Guess I succumbed. Here's my list of completely unatainable (at least until I make myself a fortune and get some scavenging skills), but nonetheless absolutely dreamy dresses.

Yes, I am obsessed with Alice and Atelier.
Yes, that's a hint in case you don't know what to give me for my birthday.

Farewell!
xx

Not Every Saint Is A Fool - 13 Songs For Chloe.

2011-06-27T02:37:00.000+01:00

A long, long time ago, I told people about my tendency to compile songs as I write my novels. I feel like the right song goes a long way to get me in the right mood.

A long, long time later, then, here's the first of those compilations. 13 songs that helped me write to life the character some of us know and love as Chloe (or Chlöe, I never really decided) Hale. Lots of female vocals, and a very soft - but strong - undertone.

It goes to show that I really don't hate her as much as Fallen might make it seem. ;D

01. She Falls Asleep Part 1, McFly
[Instrumental]

02. Her Morning Elegance, Oren Lavie

And she fights for her life
as she puts on her coat.
And she fights for her life on the train.
She looks at the rain
as it pours.
And she fights for her life
as she goes in a store
with a thought she has caught
by a thread.

03. Womanizer, Lily Allen [ -> Raphael]

To think that I
would be a victim, not another.
Say it, play it how you wanna
but no way I'm never gonna fall for you, never you, baby.

04. Minor Swing, Belleruche

And, and if I give the pieces together
the way they make sense to me I'll do my best,
but I can use only what I've seen from where I've been
and the lives that have lived before me.
Who's going to look, who's going to cheek
no one can really say 'cause they're all dead
but we can try and only try to live with integrity

05. Manhattan From The Sky, Kate Voegele [ -> Raphael]

I know you want me to see don't lie to me,
why you gotta go be so shy to me?
I ain't buyin the false anxiety,
let your fortress fall.
What is it gonna take to get you there?
If fear was money you'd be a millionaire,
or all alone in a leather swivel chair
counting stacks of gold.

06. Consider This, Anna Nalick

I've tripped again and things are starting to get interesting.
Don't give me choices cause I can't decide.
My mind is soaked in words,
I've come to terms with all my insecurities
and purity's no friend of mine.
And dreaming doesn't do no good
cause I don't wanna lie
that I'm okay and I'm alright
I'd rather take it and forget it.
Consider this a warning,
Cause I'll start another fight.

07. Fences, Paramore

I'm sitting in a room,
made up of only big white walls and in the hall
there are people looking through the window in the door,
they know exactly what we're here for.
Don't look up,
just let them think there's no place else you'd rather be.

08. Little Miss Obsessive, Ashlee Simpson

In the morning, I got in a fight with myself,
I got the bruises to prove it.
Then I swallowed your words and spit them right back out.

09. Control, Poe [ -> Raphael]

Well you may be king for the moment,
but I am a queen understand.
And I've got your pawns and your bishops and castles
all inside the palm of my hand.

10. Gold Guns Girls, Metric [ -> Raphael]

I don't wanna bend like the bad girls bend,
I just wanna be your friend
while you're giving me a hard time.

11. Rabbit Heart (Switch Mix), Florence & The Machine

I must become a lion hearted girl,
ready for a fight
before I make the final sacrifice.

12. Electric Bird, Sia

Got to set you free, you were blinded by deceit.
You can't fly away electric bird.
So now this rooms all staged,
while you're stuck there in that cage.
You can't fly away electric bird.

13. Fondu Au Noir, Coeur De Pirate

Dors le mal est passé, il te rattrapera pas.
Le souffle coupé, tu n'es plus son appât.
Ta peine s'est fendue au délire des autres,
qui oublieront bien vite que tu n'es plus des nôtres.

Et si ça fait mal c'est parce qu'il comprend pas
que nul ne nage dans ton coeur depuis longtemps.
Et si ça fait mal c'est parce qu'il ne te voit pas
alors que ton sourire enfin s'éteindra.

Sleep the sorrow has passed, it will not recapture you.
Breathless, you are no longer its bait.
Your sadness is faded with the madness of others
who will forget very quickly that you are not one of us.

And if it hurts, it's because he doesn't understand
that no one has swum in your heart for a long time.
And if it hurts, it's because he doesn't see you
while your smile finally will fade.

DOWNLOAD HERE.
Hope you like it, loves!
xx

-

PS - At first I was going to make a solid color cover for each character, but then the colors started to overlap and I didn't like the final results - they looked a bit too plain. So I set on finding someone I could use as a placeholder for the mix covers. Chloe's is, therefore, the actress Mischa Barton. They look exactly the same in my head. :)

PPS - This one goes out to Babs, by the way. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR UNDYING LOVE FOR CHLOE ~~AND RAPHAEL~~, mate! ♥

History Out On The Floor, And It's Just Awakin'...

2011-06-21T23:32:00.001+01:00

Back It Up, Caro Emerald

A portrait of the perfect Summer day. Mom and I did this a while ago, but it took me this long to decide on the photo treatment. Oh well. Lemme enjoy my whims while I can.

Anyway. Two - or three, or Kami-knows-how-many - exams to go and I'll be free. Free to read Northanger Abbey and The Picture Of Dorian Gray and Angela Carter's full bibliography and a truckload of short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Then I'll catch butterflies. I'll build a drying board and devise the less painful killing method in existence. Then I'll take my sister out. We'll have milkshakes and slushies and burgers made out of real meat and take-away sushi and sugar and spice and everything nice... and we'll buy a ton of manga. And quartz necklaces. And clothes. White dresses and long colorful pleated skirts and vintage little blouses. And we'll chat in the terrace until it's far past bedtime and stay away from the internet and the telly.

Is it Summer yet?
xx

I Remain Devoted To Ruffles And Frills.

2011-06-14T00:50:00.000+01:00

Photos by Tokyo Fashion; click them to see the original posts.
I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with rocking horse shoes.

It's like my hatred for flats has been glued onto a wooden block and prettified with a considerable amount of ribbon. How can you say no to prettified horror, I ask you.

Besides, they literally rock. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for double-duty attire, so I'd have a blast in these. Also, fall face first, over and over again on our good old Portuguese cobblestones. But really. I'll never get over that shot of Momoko (Kamikaze Girls, everyone!) walking on air like a pretty little BAMF, the ultimate Lolita in her Vivienne Westwoods. It's one of my ultimate dreams, to walk into World's End with a handful of cash and shove it down on the counter: black ballerinas, european size 38, please and thank you, excuse my tone but I've been waiting for this my whole life.

I can't think of a single dress in my wardrobe that wouldn't go well with them. Oh my.

Time to start saving up.
xx

The Art Of Urban Exploration.

2011-06-13T01:48:00.000+01:00

I got this book with my last Amazon batch, but never really got to show it off - laptop died in the meantime, too lazy to do such boring edits on the netbook. Regardless.

Beauty In Decay - Urbex: The Art Of Urban Exploration is most certainly the kind of book I'd recommend to every romantic out there. It's a masterpiece. The photos are beautiful, the text is beautiful, the book itself is beautiful. It's a very... rose-tinted view of UrbEx, and I like that.

Obviously, I'm now itching to go out there and invade some old mansion.
Note: it's 2 am.

xx

A Study In Female Beauty.

2011-06-10T23:46:00.000+01:00

Mini Anden.

Natalie Dormer.

Jessica Stam.

Devon Aoki.

Andi Autumn.

Clémence Poesy.

Emily Browning.

Alison Sudol.

Mischa Barton.
Second half of my study in beauty.

My ultimately perfect female face is much much sharper than the male. She's got wide and high features, and her eyes are relatively small. She's all forehead and cheekbones. She might even sport my favorite type of lip and look like she's contantly pouting. A pointy, proud nose might suit her aswell.

xx

A Study In Male Beauty.

2011-06-10T01:30:00.000+01:00

Aaron Johnson.

Shaun Haugh.

Taylor Fuchs.

Eddie Redmayne.

Stas Svetlichnyy.

Ethan James.

Tom Sturridge.

Matthew Krause.

Kenichi Matsuyama.
I've always wanted to do this.
A guidebook of beauty. Nine faces, nine unbelievable designs.

It baffles me, how a simple rearrangement of facial features can turn a body part into a masterpiece. I'm not a romantic when it comes to beauty. I see it geometrically. I see symmetry and patterns and proportions. I see it as a play on dimensions: all you need to do is exagerate the lips to change the whole dynamic, close the eyes just a little, or the other way around. Shrink the lips, make the eyes pop out. Sculpt a strong nose to go with the whote set-up. Make the jaw square, as square as possible, and bony, too. But don't bother making it perfect.

Perfect faces are awfully boring.

xx

Pick Your Poison.

2011-06-07T23:57:00.000+01:00

He made a mincing gesture with his right hand and tittered. There was a Renaissance poison ring on his right hand. He said there was curare in it, and he could put death in his handshake, if he wanted to; but Morris had never believed him.

in "Shadow Dance", by Angela Carter.

My poison ring arrived today! I right about squealed when I opened the tiny jewelry box to find this beauty. It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect.

And I braved the pits of both eBay and Etsy to find it. Truth is, the first time I read that quote above, I created a very clear image of a poison ring in my head. Of course I was formidably mistaken, but that's a detail. You see, throughout the book I was always imagining the poison ring as something like... like a tiny vial you put on your finger. I mean, I'm that chick who carries a perfume vial on her neck, so it made perfect sense.

Of course, then I had the presence of mind to research a little and eventually realised that you weren't meant to put liquids inside your poison ring. Oh. Okay then. Regardless, my mental image of the ring was set. In my head, Honey was dancing around with a red monstruosity on his finger, probably something like a giant red bubble of thin, delicate glass pressed between the jaws of a golden lion. Unfortunately though, I don't live in Angela Carter's book, and all the poison rings at my disposal were a tad... less spectacular. Flimsy little things with turquoise stones and the occasional onyx. There were some antiques too, of course, but those were all as expensive as my rent - I'll respectfully decline, thank you very much.

And yet that mental image wouldn't leave me and I'd stomp my feet and announce to whoever was interested that I wanted a poison ring in silver with a badass red square gem and I wouldn't stop until I found it. I did, of course. But it was a 6.5 and my ring size's a 7, sometimes an 8. I bought it anyway, and unsurprisingly now, I couldn't be happier with it.

I call victory!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, for some history!

Poison ring is the most used term to describe a ring that features a compartment - typically used to carry small amounts of toxic substances. Sometimes, the actual compartment, located under or inside the bezel, can be replaced by a slightly messier scheme: the poison's put beneath a cabochon or faceted gemstone, and can only be accessed by breaking out the stone. Though regardless of their names, rings like these have been used throughout history to carry perfume, locks of hair, devotional relics, messages and other keepsakes, thus justifying their many names (pillbox ring, locket ring, socket ring, among many many others).

This type of jewelry originated in the Far East and India, replacing the practice of wearing keepsakes and other items in pouches around the neck - soon it was considered so practical that it spread to other parts of Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, before reaching Western Europe in the Middle Ages.

Poison Rings as Relic Carriers.

By then these rings were part of the holy relic trade. Assuming we all know what relics are, let us also know that the Roman Catholic Church classifies them into three classes. You can read more about it on the links by the bottom of this post, but all that matters is this: first-class relics are items directly associated with the events of Christ's life, or the physical remains of a saint (and yes, this does include bones, teeth, and whole bodies if you manage to get a hold of such a thing).

Anyway, these human remains that were believed to be actual parts of Christian Saints, or Martyrs, were thought to grant the owner special connection with God as well as protection from illness and bad luck. So even though the majority of the holy relics were hoarded in chapels and churches throughout Europe many lesser relics were embedded in wax and set inside locket rings, making them perfect for everyday wear.

Poison Rings as... well, Poison Rings.

The poison rings eventually arrived at the sixteenth century - and became extremely popular. They were used either to slip poison into an enemy's food or drink, or to facilitate the suicide of the wearer in order to escape capture or torture.

Some argue that poison rings were seldom used to actually kill people because potent poisons that could successfully cause death were not easy to manufacture. At most, the poisons would sicken. Others claim that vegetable poisons known in ancient times could be lethal enough to cause death, and there are historical cases of successful suicides and murders by use of poison rings (the poor House of Borgia has quite the reputation, if I say so myself...).

Poison Rings as Mourning Jewelry.

By the 17th century, poison rings had advanced yet a little further in the business of death. By then, jewelers were creating locket rings in the shape of caskets (though other shapes soon followed) which served as mementos for mourners. These were called “funeral rings" and were often designed before someone’s passing, then according to the will, left to family and friends - in this line of thought, I'm particularly fascinated by Jeremy Bentham's 26 rings. Decorated with symbols of mourning and remembrance, such as the weeping willow, broken columns, urns and classical figures, often the rings would be personalized by an inscription of the name of the deceased, their birth and death dates. In many cases, a lock of hair of the deceased was also placed under the crystal stone.

Unsurprisingly, these were wildly popular in Victorian times - and especially so after Prince Albert's death, when Queen Victoria took to wearing them.

Seriously, people, time to kick out Marie Antoinette.

Victoria was the ultimate trendsetter.
xx

-

Sources & Extras:

- Beautiful Rings With A Deadly History? @ Squidoo

- Lucrezia Borgia: Rumours @ Wikipedia

- Mourning Jewelry Museum @ Things Gone By
This is a list of links to Victorian and Georgian pieces that have been recently sold - not sure what that makes of me, but I've spent way too much time around this website.

- Mourning Ring @ Wikipedia

- Mourning Rings @ UCL Bentham Project
The story of Jeremy Bentham - my second favorite Criminology-relevant person ever (right after Howard S. Becker) - and his 26 mourning rings. 20 of them are still missing!

- Mourning Rings @ Victoria's Past

- Poison Ring @ Wikipedia

- Poison Rings @ The Gadgets Page
A really cute story about two girls and a poison ring!

- Relic: Roman Catholic Classification and Prohibitions @ Wikipedia

- Rings @ Art Of Mourning
A rather interesting overview, and lots of pictures to go with it!

- What Is A Mourning Ring? @ eHow

- What Is A Poison Ring? @ Suite 101

Slow Down, This Night's A Perfect Shade Of...

2011-06-06T23:16:00.000+01:00

Powder Blue!

I watched that film the other day. Can't say it's horrible, but really... it just feels awkward. It's striptease scene after striptease scene and characters I should care about but don't and lines that should feel deep but don't. My infatuation with Eddie Redmayne is well documented, though, so I persevered for the sake of his part.

Halfway through the movie, ah, disregard my good intentions, I was unfortunately bored to death.

But alas, speaking of death. Mr. Redmayne played a mortician - which gave him a chance to play the loveliest scene. His character's in a morgue. He's doing this girl's make-up while listening to some french song, and when he's done he takes his headphones off and carefully places them over the girl's ears.

That stuck with me, for some reason. It seemed... thoughtful.

Also, I don't know who did his hair and make-up... but I'd look at him and see a life-sized porcelain doll. Those beautiful freckles and beautiful lips and beautiful eyes. Wow.

It truly, honestly awes me how nature can come up with such beauty.

All the best, Mr. Redmayne!
xx

Let's Begin, Let Confusion Unravel Around Me.

2011-06-05T01:52:00.000+01:00

Mornings in bed. Afternoons drowning in frustration. Evenings spent in the country house. These days, I just drag myself around. It's very easy to get me down during exam season - I feel useless. So I escape within myself, add Poe and Lovecraft and Carter and Cather to my Amazon wishlist, read extensively on the subject of poison rings and mourning rings (did you know Jeremy Bentham had 26 rings made before his death, one for each of his friends?), dream of wearing long yellow skirts and rereading Ad Vitam Aeternam and visiting the botanical garden and shopping for antique paintings. I build this whole world in my mind and it's beautiful and colorful and hopeful. And then I look down and suddenly my books and notes turn even blander in comparison.

There have been times in my life when I've felt like I should pack my things and move to some psychiatrist's office. Surely he'd know what to do with me. He'd pull out a checklist and diagnose me with some personality disorder - borderline, or schizoid, maybe - and all of a sudden I'd feel simple. No, Rafa dearest, there's nothing wrong with you. This disorder, this checklist, this condition, this is it. This mess, this is who you are. You can't fix it and you can't change it and you keep straining yourself to get away from it, but it just can't be done, lass. Yes. It's okay, dear. Many people feel the way you do. We have meds for that.

Then I'd tell him to shove those meds somewhere painful, because I don't want to change and I don't want to become someone else and I don't want to fix a thing. All I want is for someone to look at me and tell me what I am. Not who. I'm beyond the need for a who. I need a what. I need a word, I need a concept. I need a core. I've always needed it. But I keep it under wraps most of the time, under full smiles and fuller skirts. Then exams come up, and I feel frustrated and I snap at people for nothing and hate everything and all of a sudden I hate myself too.

I don't know. I don't know a thing. I know nothing about everything or maybe nothing about nothing. Who cares. Wake me up when it's all over.

I've got dead authors to read and pretty clothes to wear and old knick-knacks to buy.
xx

Devil In The Details.

2011-05-29T23:52:00.001+01:00

Currently loving: quartz crystals as jewelry, The Addams Family back in 1964, colorful satchels and tapestry bags, Alison Sudol's pixie bangs, white shirt collars peeking out from under black dresses, tea length skirts pleated in unlikely colors, complicated side braids and slightly simpler herringbone braids, & poison rings.

Feeling inspired!
xx

The Addams Family stills and Alison Sudol's photo found via Google.
All other images link back to their rightful owners. ♥

I'll Show You In Spring, It's A Treacherous Thing.

2011-05-28T01:48:00.000+01:00

Love Cats, Jamie Cullum & Katie Melua (Live)

Biggest cat I've ever seen. A giant fuzzy white ball of fur jumping from roof to roof until he stopped in a perfectly defined square of light to indulge me and my camera. All in all, guess I should be patting myself in the back. Nice catch, Rafa.

xx

In The Watered-Milk Light Of The Church.

2011-05-26T00:42:00.001+01:00

Tatakau Monotachi, Nobuo Uematsu

I like churches. But above all things, I like churches at sunset - since the altar's supposed to stand on the eastern end, so it's pretty much bathed in golden light when the sun sets down on the west. We should have waited a little longer for the full-on effect, though - the light was still only hitting the left pillar.

Know what I also like about churches? Not stepping on any sarcophagi. Most people walk through these places without ever looking down. They look up. Up, to all the gold and the sculptures and Christ and they cross themselves but they never just bother looking down. Do so, please. You might see a name or a date engraved on the stone right under your soles. That's someone's grave, son, so pull up some decency and step aside. You wouldn't want someone's dirty shoes over your face either.

Mom laughs at me, though.
She thinks I'm walking funny just for the sake of it.
xx

Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco
Mata Nacional do Buçaco
Portugal

-

PS - The title quote is, once again, from Angela Carter's Shadow Dance. I need to find myself a way into that book. I mean, last time I saw him, Honey was layering up rosaries on his wrists and moving around "like a Javanese temple dancer" - my life will not be complete unless I do the same, and soon.

I Should Like To Have A Floor Set Out In Checkers.

2011-05-23T00:28:00.000+01:00

Hundreds & Thousands, Fujiya & Miyagi

Currently reading Angela Carter's Shadow Dance. I'm pretty sure I share a mind with both her and her character Honeybuzzard - she's written the life I wish I lived and he's the person I wish I was. Waltzing in abandoned houses with a boater on his head, laughing at everything and everyone, collecting antiques with a flamboyant passion. Some day, maybe. Some day you'll all call me Honey and I'll call you all darling.

Besides, Mom and I spent the day out, visiting a Convent and gawking at a few manors. Strawberry ice cream and mango iced tea to boot, we walked a bunch and talked some more. Exam season starts tomorrow. Gotta pick up my books and cram five subjects in.

How was your Sunday?
xx

You're About As Fatale As An Afterdinner Mint!

2011-05-21T16:29:00.000+01:00

Zara dress.

You're A Disaster, Dragonette
I call this dress the Sally Golightly. Because it's oh so very Holly up front, but... heck, I've never really looked up to Holly Golightly. More like to Sally Bowles - so I thought I should cram them both into one dress.

Anyway, this was a fandom-eventful week. Teahouse updated with what's probably their most polemic page so far. Me, I'm fine with it. I mean, what's a bit of twincest in a whorehouse-centric webcomic? Pfft. The fans need to relax. If this was Rory/his-twin-brother, you'd be all over it like a dog to a particularly tasty, now with 100% more bishounen bone. But alas no, it's Rory/his-twin-sister, so let us bitch about it because hetero sex is so not cool. Now there's a gaping double standard if I ever saw one.

Then, Kuroshitsuji. We got a double chapter this week, and Miss Elizabeth Middleford... wow. I knew it. Her mom's badassery couldn't have just skipped past her. I've always liked her, and never really understood why so many people hated her (well, actually I did, she's pretty much the iceberg to the Ciel/Sebastian ship), but now... whoa whoa just whoa. Toboso just can't write a bad female character. I've said it once on Tumblr and I'll say it again: I'm now officially a politheist. Welcome to the God Club, Toboso!

And welcome to my life, temporary vacation!
xx

-

PS - Also, also! I'm not supporting twincest, or any sort of incest for that matter, a-okay? I simply believe that anything's okay in fiction - that's why it's called fiction, Dollfies.

Take The Hinges Off The Door.

2011-05-15T01:48:00.001+01:00

Today, I finished Glen Duncan's I, Lucifer.

Like O, Like H, Tegan And Sara

Zara dress, Stradivarius cardigan, Pull & Bear necklace, gifted ring and charm bracelet.

Zara shoes.

That book is, no joke, a riot.

For starters, it's sure to attract attention - I suppose you don't often see a girl reading about Lucifer in public transportation. But it's so beautiful, it's actually hard to explain it. Reading it, I feel like... like I'm holding a trophy. Something I wish I'd written. And yet, something I know for sure I'll never even manage to approach. It's that wonderful.

I have the whole book dog-eared for my favorite quotes, so I'll share a few.

Wife batterers around the world will tell you: the primary effect of hitting your wife for the first time [...] is that it makes it much easier to hit her - harder - a second time.

The Vertigo Of Bliss. That's got to be a title for something. Not this, obviously, but something.

If He'd just do this simple thing and go away, I could stop all this tempting and seducing and blaspheming and lying and so on, and just get on, freely, with being me. It's a terribly burning question, you know, this question of who, outside my relationship to You Know Who, I actually am. I mean I'm sure I'm someone. I wonder what I'm like? I wonder if I'm... well... all right?

[...] one day the ordinariness will be terminally ponctuated by the extraordinary full stop of death.

He [Michael]'s mighty fond of his own name, needless to say, which he translates at parties as 'who is like God'. I wonder the Old Bugger lets him get away with it, since the correct - and far less flattering - translation, is a rhetotical question: 'Who is like God?' Used to piss him off no end in the old days. Every time someone said, 'Er, Michael?' I used to cut in straight away with, 'Me.'

This flesh and blood, it's honest, isn't it? It tells the truth, doesn't it? [...] Forget René: the senses don't lie, not about the big things, not about what it's like to be here.

This writing malarkey should come with a health warning: MAY CAUSE INCESSANT DEVIATION FROM ORIGINAL INTENTION. AND DROWSINESS.

[...] since every artist knows more than he can tell, all art is lying by omission.

[...] one corrupt cardinal (tautological phrase if there ever was one) [...]

You can't blame me. I mean that literaly. You're incapable of blaming me. You're human. Being human is choosing freedom over imprisionment, autonomy over dependency, liberty over servitude. You can't blame me because you know (come on, man, you've always known) that the idea of spending eternity with nothing to do except praise God is utterly unappealing. You'd be catatonic after an hour. Heaven's a swiz becayse to get in you have to leave yourself outside. You can't blame me because - now do please be honest with yourself for once - you'd have left, too.

Slightly dark, but I find myself wondering about these things once in a while. Particularly the hitting part. And the Heaven part. And the writing part. And the who-am-i-really part. Basically all of it, really. ♥

Oh, and also, the bromance. Never in a billion years I tought I'd find myself shipping Lucifer The Lucifer with Raphael The Archangel. But alas I was honestly expecting them to get it on. Not that Raffs would fall for it (he be srs archangel, we all know that), but... it was fun to see Luce give it a try.

My my, Mr. Duncan.
You've ruined my angelology for the better.
xx

-

PS - Nicknames "Raffs" and "Luce" by Duncan himself!

PPS - Can anyone ID the poster stuck to my door in the first photo? ;D Let's be buddies!

Where Did Time Begin, Where Does Space End?

2011-05-13T22:38:00.000+01:00

Do you ever feel like a pistachio?

The Stillness Is The Move, Dirty Projectors
I did, sometime this week, in my mint cardigan and beige-ish shoes. And the other day I felt like the Lolita cover, in my white dress and polka dot undershirt and the same good old shoes. And the day before that I felt like an After Eight, in my black skirt and the same good old mint cardigan and golden jewelry all around.

Zara dress, Zara shoes, H&M cardigan.

Gifted rosary, vintage bead necklace.

Journal by portuguese brand Chapéus Há Muitos. ♥

Also, allow me to introduce you to my most recent culinary discovery, aptly named La Salade Française À La Teahouse - for no particular reason other than I came up with it on a ~~Wednesday~~ Teahouse Day courtesy of french linguistics. You see, I wanted to eat something fresh, so no meat. I could have boiled or grilled some fish, but truth be told, I was feeling lazy. So, I thought about the quick man's substitute to meat: tuna! And with tuna came the boiled egg (YUM!) and with those two came... eww, either white rice or boiled potatoes. But I didn't feel like having any of those, so as I was dropping my egg into the kettle, I remembered it! En français, an apple is a pomme. A potato is, on the other hand, a pomme de terre. Which implies, clearly, that the only difference between the two is the fact that one grows in trees and the other on the ground (the terre, for the slightly more linguistically challenged). Therefore, I decided, I could perfectly eat an apple in place of a potato! And hence I did. Tuna and a boiled egg and an apple. You should try it sometime. It's fun fun fun.

Oh, and I got back to writing a journal.
Because lately I've been feeling very, very afraid of forgetting.

xx

As If I Were Attending A Funeral. [Part Two]

2011-05-08T15:20:00.001+01:00

[WARNING: TAXIDERMY, ANIMALS IN JARS, GIANT SKELETONS, AND HUMAN SKULLS PAST THIS POINT.]
The warning stands from Part One, loves, so tread lightly! ;)

We Have A Map Of The Piano, Múm

Museu de História Natural da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto - Instituto de Zoologia Augusto Nobre
Praça de Gomes Teixeira / Praça dos Leões
Porto

As If I Were Attending A Funeral. [Part One]

2011-05-08T02:50:00.002+01:00

[WARNING: TAXIDERMY, ANIMALS IN JARS, GIANT SKELETONS, AND HUMAN SKULLS PAST THIS POINT.]
I have no problem with Natural History, but some of you might. Therefore, if any of the above offend or disturb you, you might want to sit this one out. Thank you. ♥

We Have A Map Of The Piano, Múm

Who would've thought parrots were this delicate?

I have a thing for this photo. What a cool-ass fish.

I spent way too much time around this guy. Maybe it's the Darwinist in me trying to learn something from my ancestors... (it's a gorilla, BTW)

I don't mean it in vain when I say there's nothing quite like roaming the city by myself. There's a very special kind of freedom in knowing that there's no one to disappoint - and no one to hold me back - if I suddenly feel like cutting a shopping spree short to visit a museum.

Besides, everything takes on a different weight when I'm on my own.

Accompanied, I wouldn't have spent 40 minutes in this room, kneeling on the floor, taking pictures, staring at the cracked curtains. Accompanied, I wouldn't have noticed the creaking of the floorboards and the glassy eyes of all the embalmed animals around me. Accompanied, I wouldn't have been afraid.

But I was. With only an old lady to keep me company in the next room, reading National Geographic with her headphones on. Oh Universe, you always go that extra mile to make my touristic endeavours all the more memorable.

Thank you. ♥
xx

-

PS - The title quote's by John Burroughs, and it goes: “I seldom go into a natural history museum without feeling as if I were attending a funeral”. Quite honestly, I can't not agree.

PPS - Part Two is up! ^_^

You Should Date An Illiterate Girl.

2011-04-30T23:55:00.000+01:00

Photos by Katharina Reckendorfer.

My Own Design, Trapt

Date a girl who doesn’t read. Find her in the weary squalor of a Midwestern bar. Find her in the smoke, drunken sweat, and varicolored light of an upscale nightclub. Wherever you find her, find her smiling. Make sure that it lingers when the people that are talking to her look away. Engage her with unsentimental trivialities. Use pick-up lines and laugh inwardly. Take her outside when the night overstays its welcome. Ignore the palpable weight of fatigue. Kiss her in the rain under the weak glow of a streetlamp because you’ve seen it in film. Remark at its lack of significance. Take her to your apartment. Dispatch with making love. Fuck her.

Let the anxious contract you’ve unwittingly written evolve slowly and uncomfortably into a relationship. Find shared interests and common ground like sushi, and folk music. Build an impenetrable bastion upon that ground. Make it sacred. Retreat into it every time the air gets stale, or the evenings get long. Talk about nothing of significance. Do little thinking. Let the months pass unnoticed. Ask her to move in. Let her decorate. Get into fights about inconsequential things like how the fucking shower curtain needs to be closed so that it doesn’t fucking collect mold. Let a year pass unnoticed. Begin to notice.

Figure that you should probably get married because you will have wasted a lot of time otherwise. Take her to dinner on the forty-fifth floor at a restaurant far beyond your means. Make sure there is a beautiful view of the city. Sheepishly ask a waiter to bring her a glass of champagne with a modest ring in it. When she notices, propose to her with all of the enthusiasm and sincerity you can muster. Do not be overly concerned if you feel your heart leap through a pane of sheet glass. For that matter, do not be overly concerned if you cannot feel it at all. If there is applause, let it stagnate. If she cries, smile as if you’ve never been happier. If she doesn’t, smile all the same.

Let the years pass unnoticed. Get a career, not a job. Buy a house. Have two striking children. Try to raise them well. Fail, frequently. Lapse into a bored indifference. Lapse into an indifferent sadness. Have a mid-life crisis. Grow old. Wonder at your lack of achievement. Feel sometimes contented, but mostly vacant and ethereal. Feel, during walks, as if you might never return, or as if you might blow away on the wind. Contract a terminal illness. Die, but only after you observe that the girl who didn’t read never made your heart oscillate with any significant passion, that no one will write the story of your lives, and that she will die, too, with only a mild and tempered regret that nothing ever came of her capacity to love.

Do those things, god damnit, because nothing sucks worse than a girl who reads. Do it, I say, because a life in purgatory is better than a life in hell. Do it, because a girl who reads possesses a vocabulary that can describe that amorphous discontent as a life unfulfilled—a vocabulary that parses the innate beauty of the world and makes it an accessible necessity instead of an alien wonder. A girl who reads lays claim to a vocabulary that distinguishes between the specious and soulless rhetoric of someone who cannot love her, and the inarticulate desperation of someone who loves her too much. A vocabulary, god damnit, that makes my vacuous sophistry a cheap trick.

Do it, because a girl who reads understands syntax. Literature has taught her that moments of tenderness come in sporadic but knowable intervals. A girl who reads knows that life is not planar; she knows, and rightly demands, that the ebb comes along with the flow of disappointment. A girl who has read up on her syntax senses the irregular pauses—the hesitation of breath—endemic to a lie. A girl who reads perceives the difference between a parenthetical moment of anger and the entrenched habits of someone whose bitter cynicism will run on, run on well past any point of reason, or purpose, run on far after she has packed a suitcase and said a reluctant goodbye and she has decided that I am an ellipsis and not a period and run on and run on. Syntax that knows the rhythm and cadence of a life well lived.

Date a girl who doesn’t read because the girl who reads knows the importance of plot. She can trace out the demarcations of a prologue and the sharp ridges of a climax. She feels them in her skin. The girl who reads will be patient with an intermission and expedite a denouement. But of all things, the girl who reads knows most the ineluctable significance of an end. She is comfortable with them. She has bid farewell to a thousand heroes with only a twinge of sadness.

Don’t date a girl who reads because girls who read are the storytellers. You with the Joyce, you with the Nabokov, you with the Woolf. You there in the library, on the platform of the metro, you in the corner of the café, you in the window of your room. You, who make my life so god damned difficult. The girl who reads has spun out the account of her life and it is bursting with meaning. She insists that her narratives are rich, her supporting cast colorful, and her typeface bold. You, the girl who reads, make me want to be everything that I am not. But I am weak and I will fail you, because you have dreamed, properly, of someone who is better than I am. You will not accept the life that I told of at the beginning of this piece. You will accept nothing less than passion, and perfection, and a life worthy of being storied. So out with you, girl who reads. Take the next southbound train and take your Hemingway with you. I hate you. I really, really, really hate you.

by Charles Warnke.

So I've been sitting here for an hour or so trying to find something to say about this piece. No matter how many times I read it - and the first was ages ago - it still manages to leave me shaken.

Perfection tends to have that effect on yours truly.
xx

I Am Still Painting Flowers For You.

2011-04-23T21:00:00.000+01:00

Better late than never, I bought my academic outfit today. I feel it's a little stewardessy with only the skirt and blazer on, but give me the cloak and I'm a freaking supervillain - 5.7 feet of opaque black fabric topped by a messy head of brown-red hair and checkered glasses, start fearing, commoners.

(And for the foreigners who, chances are, have no idea of what our academic dress looks like, allow me to redirect you to this awesome post at Cinnamon Eve - in which the lovely Inês rocks her uniform like ~~the goddamn Batman~~ ~~Darth Vader himself~~ a boss.)

Also, those yellow roses up there? I got them for my birthday - which was two months ago. They should have dried by now but I was an idiot and left them in the water for too long back in the day and they started rotting. I should throw them out, but I really don't want to.

Last but not least, Hotori Arashiyama was right. I realised it today while at the supermarket with my mom: frozen food is the ultimate murder weapon. I don't see how that might be relevant to your interests but... thought I'd share.

Now back to The 4400!
xx

-

PS - Indeed, I'm rewatching it all from episode one. Because Shawn Farrell is love.

PPS - Though watching it all from afar now, he does look and sound and act a lot like a certain immortal-healer-killer-psyho main character in a certain novel I just happen to have written. You bad, bad writer, Rafa.

And Take Me To The Garden Of Paradise...

2011-04-21T00:33:00.002+01:00

At Home, Crystal Fighters

Mom and I went to the greenhouses today - it was fun, for I love greenhouses.

There's something strangely... soothing about them. And creepy all at once. They're like socially acceptable derelict, I believe. I swear, if it wasn't for the spiders I'd move into one for the summer - just picture it, white lacy dresses and wrought iron furniture, Bulgakov's full bibliography on the table right next to a big jug of lemonade. That'd be the life, Dollfies. Then I'd grow old inside said greenhouse and end up like this dashing lady right here.

Or, alternatively, like Miss Havisham. Huh, yeah, let's... not think too much about it. *shudders*

xx

-

PS - Pffftt, why is my latest Amazon order taking so obnoxiously long? I need those books before Friday, Kami damn it! :O

PPS - Then again, it's only Teahouse Day anyway. So it's all gonna be alright.

PPPS - Also, on Teahouse-related matters: Mercutio speaks. I am one delighted Camper. ♥

Fudge Is Seventeen Times Sweeter Than Cherries.

2011-04-18T23:30:00.001+01:00

I watched Les Amours Imaginaires yesterday.
Or, translating: I spent exactly one hour and forty minutes drooling at the prettiness that is Niels Schneider. ♥ I swear, I'm not a girl to fall for blondes... but give me a full head of golden curls and I'll forget all about that little quirk.

Indeed.

Les Amours Imaginaires, by 22-year-old prodigy Xavier Dolan, is the story of Marie and Francis, who just happen to fall for the same Adonis (their words, though I'm quick to agree!) at the same time. So yeah, basically, it's all about a love triangle. Did someone say The Dreamers? Nope, sorry, no similarities whatsoever.

For this one's actually good. ;P

Stills by oh_morpheus @ film_stills.
Well, all things considered, I just wanted to share the pretties.

Now back to writing - because today, my MC's shattering his wrist while mountain climbing, SO CUE IN SUPERNATURAL HELP! Also, listening to The Dark Side Of The Chant - because an album full of gregorian versions of mainstream songs is pretty fine in my book.

How about you guys, what have you been up to? ;D
xx

HMMMM, PIZZA!

2011-04-16T23:53:00.000+01:00

Photo by Jo.

Luz Vaga, Mesa feat. Rui Reininho
You will forgive the wacky title, but I spent the whole afternoon playing Devil May 3 (because you see, spring break = gaming) - more precisely, doing the Bloody Palace level with Vergil. There I was, all happy-go-lucky slashing away with my Yamato... thinking to myself "boy, Vergil's mode takes Dante's grunts up to eleven over nine thousand and beyond the impossible", when I heard it. HMMMM, PIZZA!

Ok, so chances are that's not what he's saying... but I game over'd at level 333 (out of 9999, I'm a failure) because I couldn't even get a hold of myself anymore. I'd just let go of the controller and laugh my abs off everytime I heard it. And seeing as he grunts so much... that's like once every 30 seconds.

Fear not, though, Vergil darling, you're still my favorite twin.
I call this "The Devil May Cry Syndrome", you know: when you have a story with two twins, know you're supposed to like one of them better, but alas you can't keep yourself from loving the other. I'm currently going through it with that Rowena Corey Daniell's book "The King's Bastard" - and allow me to sneak in here that she's also one hell of a cockblocker, that lass. It's like she's afraid of writing Byren and Lence in the same scene - awesomeness overload, maybe? They barely even aknowledge each other's presence in the very few scenes they happen to share. Woe is me.

Anyway, see that photo up there? That's me and Lulu through the lens of our dearest Jo! And you should totally follow the credit link to see the rest of her birthday shots at her blog. You might remember me saying I was cameraless that day, but it was still a lovely afternoon - and she did it justice with her newly acquired Helena Burton! ;D

And I had something else to say... I think, but I lost it.

Have a cool-ass weekend, everyone!
xx

-

PS - And no, Dollfies, your ears do not deceive you - that's portuguese music right up there. Marvel while you can, for this doesn't happen too often. ♥

PPS - We're now using Disqus on our comments section, loves - so feel free to warn me if it gives you any trouble!

PPPS - I just redid my list of must-explore UrbEx sites. I'm excited! ♥

Stitched Up Tight, Can't Break Free...

2011-04-13T18:43:00.000+01:00

Love Is The Drug, Oscar Isaac & Carla Gugino
So apparently, there was some extra footage after the credits of Sucker Punch.

And the funniest thing is, I left the movie right after the credits started, dropped by the ladies' room to make sure I had indeed screwed up a tooth eating popcorn - true story -, and then walking out, I actually stopped by the door to listen to this song. Gee, Rafa, a few more steps and you'd have seen it. You're hopeless.

Some light *coughingfit* reading for Spring break - The Discovery Of The Asylum by David Rothman. At least it's got pictures! ♥

Oh also, Orange Pekoe? That's a pretty light tea! It's got a tang of Earl Grey and... well, something else. But definitely not orange, too bad. I was kind of expecting it. Anyway.

It was Jo's birthday, yesterday, so we all went out for a little afternoon snack downtown. Obviously, yours truly made it there a whooping 30 minutes late. But you see, I'd been taking the Rorschach test, so it's justified. By the way, I can't see a thing in the colored cards. Now the black ones... BONES, BONES, BONES EVERYWHERE.

Rorschach aside (yah yah, but who's dumb enough to try and take him to a french bakery anyway?), it was fun. We even got two of our ladies to sing! Pictures coming soon - when someone somewhere posts them, since I tend to be cameraless on shooldays.

Well, ok, and then when I came back home but stumbled upon two more friends in another café, had a little chit chat about horror flicks and abandoned-and-possibly-haunted places... and that was it. Then the door of one of my kitchen cabinets decided to drop from the top hinge, and on came the screwdriver. Then today I had to defreeze my freezer.

Seriously, I'm like both the housewife and the handyman. Somebody tell that to my grandma, please. Just so she starts believing me when I tell her I don't want nor need to get married any time soon.

Or ever.

Happy ~~Teahouse Day~~ Wednesday, everyone!
xx

Oh, And One More Thing...

2011-04-10T02:02:00.000+01:00

Zack Snyder did it.
He managed to kick all my ridiculously high expectations out the door... and blow me away in the process. Thank you.

Sweet Dreams, Emily Browning

I'll hand this one over to you, I had my doubts. A gang of absolutely stunning girls armed up to the teeth plus a bunny-faced mecha fighting nazis... that's far fetched. But it looked cool from the trailer, oh so cool. Every nerd's wet dream, you might remember my words.

But the question lingered right up until the opening sequence... was there any substance to the style?

Yes indeed. There was.

What We've Learnt From Sucker Punch: Emily Browning is a doll, but Sweet Pea (far right in the last cap) snagged the best outfit.

The film kicks out with a cover of Sweet Dreams, sung by Emily Browning no less. It starts playing in perfect synch with the images as Babydoll's background unravels. The cinematography was breathtaking right there - and the story gut wrenching. Goosebump Score: turned up to eleven, over nine thousand and beyond the impossible.

The plot - for yes, there is one! - then proceeds to zig zag your sanity off. Enter alternate realities nested inside other alternate realities. Enter the gang and the katana, enter the mentor, enter the samurai. Back to reality. Enter another alternate reality. Enter... well, that'd be spoiling.

But the formula does make you feel safe, as if you've just figured it all out by yourself. Oh, this isn't half as senseless as it looked from the trai- oh wait. That a dragon? Ah, now I've seen it all. Holy Kaiser, is th- oh don't let him d- oh please don't do what I think you're ab- OH KAMI WHAT IS AIR HELP ME SURVIVE THIS. I got to that point where I'd actually giggle everytime Snyder added a new plot element, because they were all so nonsensical and still... they all fit so well together.

Then of course - for it wouldn't have been a perfect 10 without it - I teared up in the end. It was the saddest and most bittersweet and most amazing ending possible for this film. It all clicked in place and I came home devising crazy badass theories to link all the realities together.

So, Sucker Punch. Beautifully made, stunning costumes, badass action sequences, a fantastic soundtrack, and sporting a decent plot to boot. To reenact the exact same words I uttered right after the credits rolled... wanna go again?

You should.
xx

-

PS - Oh, and because I always keep an eye out for the costumery... I happened to notice Madam Gorski was wearing her corset back wards - thus rendering the fan lacing useless! Oh Michael Wilkinson, you silly rabbit. But I do forgive you - since the rest of the outfits were to kill for. ♥

Oh I'd Confess, I'd Confess, In A Room Where I'm Blessed.

2011-04-07T21:17:00.000+01:00

This was an eventful week.

Hurricane, Panic! At The Disco
Spring came in full bloom - guilty as charged for the lameness in wording. I refused a contract with a publisher that, put simply, wanted me to pay 4k to publish my book. "Thank you so much for your kind offer, but it just so happens that it does not meet my expectations at the moment." One of my main characters decided to go from blonde to ginger, and now I shall change every single reference to his hair in a 50k+ novel. I bought a book for 1.02€ - it was Rowena Cory Daniells' The King's Bastard. The trains are predictably still on strike. Death Proof is a great movie - and I believe anyone who calls Quentin Tarantino a misogynist is a butthurt so-called alpha female who has absolutely nothing better to do than go on wild goose chases bitching about things that are perfectly fine. Not that misogyny is fine. But Tarantino is. My feet have been killing me for no reason, forcing me to give them bubble baths every evening - which so happened to prove me the bathroom floor is a productive place to be. No, word. We've been having lunch outside since the weather's been allowing it. I tried on three dresses in two different shops and they all looked like blankets. I might watch Sucker Punch tomorrow. Hopefully Dad's gonna have two new books for me. I am drowning in paper work. And I'm sitting cross-legged on my fluffy pink cushion with all the lights out, wearing only my underwear and an old vampire tee, because it's way too hot to do anything else.

Haha, I just noticed I spoke of Tarantino and right after that I spoke of feet.
Oh the subtle irony, loves... ♥

Not changing it!
xx

Not A Slice Of Life, But A Piece Of Cake.

2011-04-02T01:29:00.000+01:00

Says Hitchcock. :)

The Family and I dropped by a chocolate festival last weekend - as a belated birthday outing for my sis. Positively yummy. Though the best bits were easily that gold-&-silver chess set, the monocle!rabbit and the tower cups - none of them chocolate, quite unfortunately. ;D

IX Festival Internacional de Chocolate
Óbidos
http://www.festivalchocolate.cm-obidos.pt/

I'd say more, but just a few minutes ago I found myself thinking of this year's E3 and my good moods vanished. I really want news on both FF Versus XIII and that bastard game DMC - but I'm pretty sure they won't please me.

Regardless. Happy (late) April Fools' Day everyone!
xx

Bowler Hats & Walking Canes.

2011-03-31T19:32:00.000+01:00

Good evening, everyone!
So, allow me to inform you all of my most recent insane troll theory.

I bought this skirt yesterday because the print was oh so cute. True, they look like planets at first sight, but look closer, child... they’re actually bowler hats. And walking canes. And because that whole description rang so well I decided that, if I ever create a band, I’ll call it Bowler Hats & Walking Canes – and we’ll sing burlesque songs in the decadent birthday parties of evil overlords and get the LXD to dance for us.

Stradivarius shirt, Zara waistcoats, Promod skirt, Blanco belt, Benetton boots, vintage pocket watch.

Also, waistcoats. I love waistcoats, but I hate waistcoats. Because no matter how classy you try to look in them, chances are you’ll end up confused with some indie rocker. Instead of, you know, a dashing victorian Earl. *shrugs* Regardless, I need to rip open the pockets on mine so I can actually slip the watch in there.

Have a nice weekend, loves! (even though it’s just... yeah, I know, Thursday)
xx

'Cause You Treasure Me Despite All The Signs.

2011-03-28T15:11:00.000+01:00

Hey there fellas, got some new UrbEx for you!

Well yeah, more like some new UrbEx to me since I'm the one who gets all giddy over it. ♥

Click the pictures to see the full set @ abandonedplaces.
I feel like I'm being prolific this year, and in reality, I've only had two gigs and therefore two locations so far... they were good ones, though, if I'm allowed to say so. If there is one type of photography I enjoy with a burning passion, it's this one - it is indeed the only reason I bought Kadaj (my 500D, for the unfamiliar), because I needed a wider lens and better low-light performance, something the G9 couldn't give me.

I started UrbEx what... a year and a half ago? Maybe two years, I don't know. And I remember the smashing reception my first photo set got and how elated I was - for days in a row. All I wanted was to please and be a part of that community, maybe not one of the big names, but certainly someone who always delivered quality material. For that sole reason, I've had gigs I never posted because I don't feel like they're good enough. Sometimes I can't quite capture the place. Sometimes I can't immerse myself in it. It's wicked funny, actually, how such an arachnophobe ended up raiding abandoned houses - but when I'm in there, everything else, the rest of the world quits existence for a little while. I don't care about the dirt and the grime and the spiders (though I always urbex in gloves anyway) and the broken glass. I care about keeping my feet steady and my hands steadier. I care about knowing and exploring and digging into the meaning behind everything I find and everything I touch.

That's why I snicker at glamour shots held in abandoned places. It's sacrilege. It's... trying to overpower the location with a pretty dress and overdone make-up. It's disrupting the peace and quiet of a place that hasn't seen human life in so long. The giant's sleep, if you will.

Regardless. The other day someone commented on one of my sets telling me they always loved my work. It killed me. Someone out there knew who I was. Maybe I have indeed turned into someone who always delivers quality material. Hopefully. Wishfully.

Enjoy your daily dose of peeling paint and cobwebs!
xx

The Cake: It May Or May Not Be A Lie.

2011-03-26T01:32:00.000Z

Haha, find me a more memetic title involving the word "cake" and I'll give you a slice! ♥

Anyway how's everyone? Moi je, sick as a dog - but getting better though, and wishing no harm to the hounds of the world.

It was my sister's birthday, this week, and for the first time ever, I couldn't be with her on the actual day - indeed, I had to deliver my qualitative research proposal the next day. I'm working on perceptions of deviance in immigrant students, how cool is that?

Regardless, I came home today to realise she'd kept the most adorable bits of her cake to share with me - including, yes, a fondant mouse. *hugs sister way too tight for her own good* I love you, doll! ♥

On different notes, this country's a wreck. Trains have been on strike for what, forty-something days now? And our government fell - like, I know I'm annoyingly nonchalant about it, to the point of happily bragging I was reading yaoi when it happened, but in all honesty I don't give a damn about our politics. We're part of the EU. No matter who we get up there for our own government, we're still bound by the community's decisions - no one can change that. So yeah, drop a freak find another, it all stays the same in the long run.

(I'm not saying the EU is a bad thing - I'm saying we don't have the conditions to do anything besides what the EU tells us to do since we're so hopeless on pretty much every level right now. Glad we cleared that up, I love the EU!)

Then, time for some pop culture recs - my current playlist consists solely of Nicki Minaj (really, self? REALLY?), Panic! At The Disco and the Sucker Punch and DRRR!! soundtracks. Speaking of which, Uragiri No Yuuyake is a crazy good song - even though I don't understand a word of it besides "blow up louder", and for the longest time I actually thought that was supposed to be "roar out loud". Give it a listen down here, my treat!

Probably one of the most dynamic and well-timed OPs I've ever seen. :)
Now books. I'm currently reading "The Way Of Shadows" by Brent Weeks - finally! You might remember how I actually started this series by the second book due to chronic stupidity, and then decided to read the third, just to pretend the first was a prequel. Yeah. It's a great book - no shit, Sherlock, I was expecting a great book! -, but alas everytime Elene appears I feel like punching the living shit out of her. I'm a terrible person for it, I know, but I can't stand characters without flaws - and she's got none besides a couple of face scars that are supposed to be oh-so-hedious but nobody cares because her inner beauty is oh-so-overwhelming. I say... do shut the front door.

Last but not least, movies. I finally got around to watching Step Up 3D - I'm a sucker for dance flicks so bear with me - and it was perfect beyond every expectation. I remember when I first saw the trailer, I was in the theatre with my sister and I completely, like... the trailer ended and I was sitting there mouth gaping and eyes wide.

If you manage to get over the terrible acting, this movie is just as good as its trailer.
I say look out for the battle of Gwai (the water battle), Julien holding his "dogs" in the final showdown, and the twins in general - because everything's better x2.

And of course, eagerly awaiting Sucker Punch.
Sunday and I actually made a list a while ago in which we agreed that this movie was every nerd's wet dream - yes, I am inded including myself here. Just check it out: gorgeous girls, zettai ryouiki galore, machine guns, mecha, some nazi look-a-likes... who cares if the plot ends up sucking, I'm in!

And... alright, I'll be taking my leave now. Teahouse updates tomorrow out of sheer creator kindness - actually no, it just happens to be the comic's first anniversary, WEEEEEE PARTY HARD! - and I can't be found unprepared.

Sleep tight - or alternatively, just rock on if you're bathing in daylight -, loves!
xx

Whoa Mona Lisa, You’re Guaranteed To Run This Town.

2011-03-18T17:57:00.000Z

The Ballad Of Mona Lisa, Panic! At The Disco

I really like wandering around town with no particular destination. It helps me think - and devise story arcs. And then sometimes during my walks, I find myself wishing I could erase specific parts of my memory just so I could see everything for the first time over and over again.

That, dolls, would be the life.
xx

Elbows Down, Pinkies Up, That's The Way You Sip My...

2011-03-17T20:16:00.000Z

...TEAHOUSE!

Aww man, it did pay off quite nicely after 12 long hours of Worldwide Camping. Also, hope you're feeling better, CC!

Huh. Alright then. Let's flashback.

I honestly don't know how many of you are aware of the western yaoi comic scene, but... we do have some amazing stories going on. Starfighter's one of them - more on that later. Teahouse's another. Please do keep in mind that both are NSFW - and both include individuals of the male gender getting it on with other individuals of the male gender.

Though Teahouse has the added bonus of individuals of the male gender getting it on with individuals of the female gender. ♥

Content, comic and characters © Emirain, 2010. All rights reserved.
So, Axis's gay for pay, Lilith's a bitch on top of a whore, Rory's the virgin, Linneus's a girl trapped in a boy's body, Claret is just bubbly everywhere, and Mercutio... good Kami, don't even get me started on Mercutio. I just... I can't even, really. Do read. And thou shall find out.

I find the whole comic highly interesting, really. There's smut, of course, but there's also loads of plot to go with it. I love the use of a huge - well, for yaoi standards - cast and the fact that most characters actually react to each other instead of thinking of their sex partners 24/7. I love the art. I love... well, what's not to love?

Teahouse updates a page every Wednesday, and alas... today is Thursday (if you have trouble remembering the days of the week I highly suggest you give Rebecca Black a listen), so yesterday was Worldwide Camping Time. Basically, we all just camp out in front of the laptop, abuse the F5, and share our locations and current thoughts with everybody else. Worldwide Camping Time, you are now aware of it.

Also, speaking of gay. I was at the manga shop today and while I was paying for my volume of Ouran (present to my sister, I finally convinced her to put her eyes to good use and read some books - even if it's just manga, it's better than nothing), I noticed that someone had left Vassalord on the counter. Vassalord, you people. WHY WOULD ANYONE NOT BUY VASSALORD? Serious vampire-cyborg-priest-from-the-Vatican sex. Well sort of. Since the leads never get it on onpanel - or ever really -, deeming the whole thing highly frustrating. A current favorite! ♥

Now off to research barehanded blade blocking. I'm tying to figure out if there's any chance brass knuckles might make it easier.
No, really. This constitutes research.

See ya!
xx

WIW: February 14th.

2011-03-15T22:30:00.000Z

Breaking news everyone!
The Gantz live-action? IT'S AWESOME.

But more on that after the rags.

Gifted pendant, unbranded (via Super Sekrit Dress Dealer) dress, Promod cardigan, Benetton boots.

Alright, so... Gantz. It was nerve wreckingly AAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH-mazing.
Which, coming from me, means a lot - since I gave up the anime after the first episode. I refuse to tolerate any sort of sexism, so when you show me a sex-crazed protagonist and the only significant female in the cast spends half her time naked... dude, you might as well have asked me to turn it off.

But alas alas, the movie works around those two sordid details, giving us both a rather... sympathetic protagonist - emphasis on the hesitation since I'm perfectly aware that most people will still find him hateful -, and a relatively badass female... well, person.

In all honesty, I only watched this for Kenichi Matsuyama and Kanata Hongo - you might have seen them as L in the Death Note live-action and Shin in the Nana live-action, respectively. Alright, so no, so that was a lie. You might have seen Kenichi as L and both of them as Shin. Though Kanata was badass in Goth too, so... yeah, just watch all of those.

I could go on, but, in a nutshell: Gantz is about people who die and then go off to a room with a giant black sphere that tells them to hunt aliens. They wear these badass latex-like skin-tight black suits (*fans self*), kick ass with laser gun thingies, and then the sphere scores their performance. And when you get 100 points and can either set yourself free or bring those who were KIA back to life. It's gory as Kami-knows-what, disturbing as hell, and for a change the SFX are actually pretty damn tolerable.

Already clearing my schedule for part II!

Now if only Kanata Hongo would ditch that hoodie and the movie was actually subbed instead of dubbed... we'd all be in heaven. ♥

xx

-

PS - Will I ever EVER take a full-body shot I actually like? Gee, self, get a grip!

WIW: February 21st and 22nd.

2011-03-13T14:54:00.000Z

Today's a pretty gray (grey? I just never know) day.
And my cramps are back for their monthly round.

So, anyway, thought I'd share two outfits from a while ago - from two days that also just happened to be quite grayish (greyish? haha) themselves.

Unbranded "Extremely Kodonable" coat, Lanidor gloves, Zara cardigan, H&M dress.

Gifted rosary and ring.

Nakuro coat, unbranded cardigan, H&M skirt.

Vintage necklace (reworked from a pocket watch).
Well then, I'm done, now off to novel a bit.

And because I haven't posted since it happened, all my best wishes go to everyone in Japan right now. I hope you're all safe right along with your loved ones. This too shall pass, Japan, so stay strong! ♥

xx

Kira-ing Time.

2011-03-10T19:08:00.000Z

Today was the weirdest day.

For starters, I woke up at 7 am in a total freak-out because I thought I was already late for class. Then I realised I had two more hours to sleep. Back to bed, lady, false alarm.

I fell back asleep, but kept waking up every ten minutes fully convinced that it was 9 am already. Whatever. Then I had a meta dream in which my messed-up time perception was actually a result of an epic L vs Kira face-off. L had for some reason changed all the clocks and now a minute in real life felt like 5 minutes... and Kira was freaking out because he couldn't handle being Kira 5 times more often.

Two hours later, it was 9 am so I finally got up to have my badass breakfast in my badass tea set with my new badass tea pot. It was actually the first time I had Earl Grey for breakfast, and so I chose to sleep in my floor-grazing gown, because that's obviously how you should dress when Earl Grey's on the table.

~~Oh man how I'd pay to have Earl Grey on my table.~~

All fine all fine, until classes ended and I went downtown to check le vintage shop. I actually liked a couple of dresses but they were 30 bucks each. And you guys... 30 bucks for a second-hand dress? Hell noes.

They didn't even fit particularly well!
(oh, and speaking of dresses, I fell in love with the Angelic Pretty "Dot Ribbon" OP at our resident Lolita shop - it's this one in this color scheme)

Next stop, manga shop. All Kuroshitsuji volumes sold out except for IV! Are you kidding me? PRESENT YOURSELF, DESPICABLE PERSON WHO'S BUYING THE MANGA I WANT! I don't remember giving you permission!

Pffft.
Regardless, regardless. I'm back in my sleeping gown - it's satin! -, eating Oreos and giving people lectures about serial killers on the NaNo forums.

See ya!
xx

-

PS - Forgot to mention the source of my Death Note themed dream. I watched Relight 2 yesterday... boy that was horrible. They completely butchered Mello's subplot! They took out all his Crowing Moments Of Awesome! The missile-in-the-desert, the blowing-up-the-building-while-inside-it shenanigan, the serial-kidnappings... whoever wrote that was Team Near for sure.

Unholy And Dirty And Beautiful.

2011-03-06T19:28:00.002Z

Haha, what a Photoshop marathon!

*catches breath*

So, I went UrbExing yesterday. The target: huge pink house by the side of the road, nicknames Architectural Roadkill by yours truly. Truth is, we'd seen that house before (and shot it before, back in 2009) but we'd never managed to get past the gates. Well, no big deal for two badass explorers, really, it only took us a year and a half to get our hands on the keys!

Well, more like get ourselves acquainted with someone who had them. Coincidences are indeed a beautiful thing, thanks Universe! ♥

Click the picture to see the full set @ abandonedplaces.
It was an unbelievable experience, to finally get in there after craving it for so long - this sounds vaguely sexual, I'm aware, but then again, people have been known to get worked up over much much less.

Anyway. Double entendres aside, the whole place was empty - 'cept for a broom and a curtain. Extremely well-kept house, amazing plaster work on the ceilings... and lovely rooftop nook.

When can I move in?
xx

My Yellow In This Case Is Not So Mellow.

2011-03-04T22:00:00.000Z

Bold As Love, John Mayer

Mom, Dad and Sis got me 19 yellow roses. How awesome is that? ^_^

So, gratuitous birthday shots just because I was nibbling on chocolate just a while ago and remembered my cake hadn't yet made its appearance... IT'S A TEAPOT YOU GUYS! ♥

Or alternatively, it's proof that my mom needs to stop having Cake Boss & Ultimate Cake-Off marathons.

...

Nope, just kidding. My mom is the bestest awesomest badassest mom in the world and I could never thank her enough for everything she does for me. So, seeing as it really isn't enough but hoping it means something anyway... thank you, Mom.

And thank you, Dad, and thank you, Sis, because you all rocked my socks this birthday. Can you believe my whole family wore yellow for me?

I love you guys.
Happy... weekend everyone!

xx

WIW: March 2nd.

2011-03-03T19:10:00.002Z

There are two hilarious things about this post - well in my perspective at least.

One, I'm wearing a leopard print dress. The one I've been meaning to sell for about.. a century now.
And two, my hair's up - all of it. Which only ever happens when I'm either feeling too lazy to do some proper grooming, or missing the sight of my own forehead.

Fortunatelly, it was the latter. :)

Unbranded "Extremely Kodonable" coat, Blanco bag, Zara dress, Stradivarius tee (underneath), gifted pendant.

Above you can see the aforementioned bag charm thingy I got from Andi for my birthday - mind you, the one with the bow and the red cherry, the really long one with the furry bit I already had - now prettifying my fake!Alexa.

Anyway, it was an eventful day. I survived my first encounter with Le Qualitative Iron Maiden (don't ask) and then went shopping. Of course, four dressing rooms and about a million dresses later, I left with only a mint cardigan and an unbearable urge to murder Duffy - like, dudes and dudettes, that chick's got the most irritating voice since... IDONTEVENKNOW, and they still play her terrible "Well Well Well" in stores. How can you expect me to shop with that soundtrack?

Seriously, soon when I become a gazillionaire - and gently kick the Pope and his handsome assistant out of the Vatican so I can set up country there -, I'll make sure every store plays songs I like. I'm sure you're all looking forward to the day you'll be able to try on shoes with The World/Inferno Friendship Society.

See you then!
xx

I'm Eating All Your Kings And Queens...

2011-03-02T21:54:00.001Z

So, just as promised and because history does repeat itself... Lu and Jo and I got together for my birthday. Again. We're kinda touring the city gardens, I guess... wonder how long it'll take before we run out and start holding our impromptu meet-ups in concrete squares right behind some theatr-

Oh right. Nevermind.

My birthday was on a Saturday, so throwing tradition out the window ~~and down Temen-Ni-Gru~~, we decided to join forces on Friday instead. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

(Though last year's were much much better, I believe... mostly because there were people in them. Now how the hell did I manage to take ZERO shots of the girls? Bad birthday girl, Rafa, bad birthday girl.)

Macarons from La Boulangerie de Paris, highly recommended! ♥

La Boulangerie de Paris
Rua Gonçalo Sampaio, Porto
or
Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira, Porto

Palácio de Cristal
Rua D. Manuel II, Porto

Thank you for the great afternoon, ladies!

Now off to edit even more birthday shots. Which stands as an euphemism for read-some-fanfiction-and-then-finish-that-Luella-book-because-all-that-pretensiousness-is-making-my-head-hurt.

But more on that later!
xx

Always Quick To Follow...

2011-02-28T19:41:00.000Z

...the boys are too refined. WON'T MATTER TOMORROW, OH TO BE IN HIS M-

Okay, bad singing over, how's everyone?
I feel like I haven't dropped by this place in ages and yet, it's only been a week. The birthday week, no less. I could go on and on - I actually have a huge, totes sentimental post lying around somewhere on my laptop, ranting about the extreme psychological pressure that is trying to outdo your last birthday - but truth is, nobody cares becayse the past's in the past and the future's actually the only way to go.

So off to ace this 19-year-old thing, I am.

And of course, thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! ♥ To everyone who dropped by Twitter, Facebook, this blog, and most importantly real life, you all kinda rock. Just, you know... in case you weren't aware.

And above are some pretty gifts. Mirror was Jo's (thanks, doll!), pocket watch and notebook were my mom's (among many other décor-oriented offerings), quartz pendant and ~~Black Butler~~ Kuroshitsuji were... well, I kinda gave them to myself. I'd been wanting to start the collection for a while, and I can honestly say it's worth every cent - even those couple hundred ones that make it more expensive than Bakuman, haha. Yana Toboso's art gives Takeshi Obata's a run for his Death-Note-amassed money.

I'll get around to photographing everything else - read: the big things I couldn't carry on a train back to Slash HQ - sooner or later. Oh, and Andi's gift! She gave me the cutest keychain but I immediately hooked it on my fake!Alexa and forgot to snap it. Thank you!

Basically, expect a huge photo dump in the next few days, now with 200% more macarons and catacombs. No, really - it was a badass birthday week.

xx

You're A... Murder Girl, Birthday Girl?

2011-02-26T00:15:00.003Z

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPPY BIRTHDAY, YOU BADASS PIECE OF STARDUST AKA SELF!

And believe it or not, I couldn't beat my sister to the good wishes... aww, I love you, doll! ♥

Photos by my darling Jo.

Syringe, Emilie Autumn
Now, a couple of shots from my Pre-Birthday Party (and whoa, that sounds so much better than Random Pre-Birthday Downtown Walkaround With The Garter Posse) and my current favorite song, we're off to a good start!

Good vibes to your all, loves, and do wear yellow for it's my birthday and I say so! Also, I practise what I preach so I'm totes believable! :D

Haha, I'm ecstasic! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WHOOHOO! *throws enough confetti to drown you all*

xx

WIW: February 17th.

2011-02-17T20:40:00.000Z

Gee, this outfit photo thingy is WAY harder than it looks.

Dear Fashion Bloggers Around The World:
You now have my utmost respect.

Anyway, this is what I wore to repeat my Statistics exam, be generally useless around town and hear grandpas comment on my thighs. Hey gentlemen! CHEMICAL CASTRATION. That'd be all.

Zara shirt, unbranded (via Super Sekrit Dress Dealer) cardigan, H&M skirt, Benetton boots, gifted rosary.

I don't think you can quite imagine just how many people have asked me if I'm a hardcore catholic... just because I wear a rosary. Well sweethearts, would you ask me if I was a taoist if you saw me wearing the Yin-Yang?

AH-HAH, though so.

And because we haven't been face-to-face is about a decade and a half now, here, have a self-portrait.

Guess I'll hire someone to carry the sun behind me from here on - you know, just so my hair looks red instead of brown.

Though now, if you don't mind me, I'll be over there refreshing the Kuroshitsuji community over and over, because chapter 54's about to come out and I need to read that bad boy. I've heard spoilery rumours already, something about Sebastian being his real nasty demonic self, but honestly I don't care because the covers look way too good this month - here, cover le one and cover le two. You now understand my point of view.

Bring it on, Toboso! ♥
xx

WIW: February 15th.

2011-02-15T21:33:00.001Z

Zara shirt, unbranded (via Super Sekrit Dress Dealer) cardigan, Stradivarius belt, H&M skirt, Benetton boots, gifted necklace.
Hey you guys, and welcome to our first WIW aka What I Wore, our most relevant section so far. Why? Because, and please do be honest with yourself this once (AH!), I'm sure you all care lots and lots about my clothes.

Almost as much as you care about my college grades and my rather useless ability to twist clips into an S shape and then throw them out. How dashing.

Speaking of dashing, lemme tell ya about this necklace. It was a gift from a friend, ages ago, and we've long since grown - really really - apart. For the longest time I refused to wear it because it reminded me of how things had ended between us and... I don't know, it just made me feel like a hypocrite.

BUT. It is a gorgeous necklace. And everytime I look at it I remember its given meaning, though I can never recall whose idea it was to associate those wings with my angels, my Fallen, my novel. It all stuck, though. Thank you.

Which brings us to today's life lesson, kids: ~~don't pick a fight with Earl Phantomhive~~ it shouldn't be so much about it ended as it should be about how it lasted. And that applies to oh so many things.

I don't think I've yet mentioned my latest torture session at the hairdresser, have I? It turned out great, though my scalp hurt for two days afterwards - which adds up quite nicely to my general feeling of soreness lately. Maybe it's all somewhat related to sleeping 5-6 hours a night and waking up with thunderstorms, but... I digress.

Wanna know the funniest thing, though? I mentally wrote this post this morning while I was getting dressed, and earlier this evening I found an email from Mr. Publisher in my inbox. Mr. Publisher loved me, he said, but he's currently too overwhelmed with work to publish me. And I say... that's actually alright.

All my life, I never thought rejection would be anything even remotely close to alright. All my life I'd imagined myself punching thin air and crying my eyes out at the mere sight of yet another no. But this is my second now, and I don't feel any less optimistic. Tomorrow I'll make sure to send Mr. Publisher an email with a thousand thank yous for his time and attention. You see... today's life lesson applies. It's not so much about how it ended, it's about how it lasted. It's about the childish little chuckles and the sped up heartbeats and the mental theatre in which I walk into Mr. Publisher's office in my yellow Mary-Janes and talk business like a boss.

It's about hope and it's about wings and it's about feeling deep down that it can be done, that this book's got what it takes to be up high in a bookstore shelf. Thank you, Mr. Publisher.

I'l make sure to put you up first in my next submission list, just as soon as I finish Castles Of Cards! ♥

(which means it's probably going to take a few years before you hear back from me, for my bisexual vamp and my bisexual incubus refuse to cooperate)

xx

-

PS - The more I look at that full body picture the more I want to take it down - way too overexposed for my liking. So, if it suddenly goes away, you heard it here first. ;)

Gothic & Lolita Bible, Vol. 37.

2011-02-10T23:36:00.002Z

So I'm back to my Lolita fascination - and sure as night and day, I'm also back to "reading" the Bibles.

I just devoured Vol. 37 back to back - in digital format indeed, because I don't think I'll ever even touch a real Bible outside Améthyste. Anyway, thought I'd share my favorite looks! ♥

[WARNING: Huge ass images past this point.]

Why I started with this particular volume: Kodona all over the cover.

I love this. No candyfloss wigs, no crazy colors, no neon make-up... and a bonnet. This is how you do Sweet, in my humble opinion.

Just in case anyone feels like offering me my first Lolita dress for my birthday, Alice And The Pirates is my favorite brand. Well, right after Atelier Pierrot.

Girl on the right is perfection incarnate.

I think I might be in love with the girl in the white shirt, upper left corner.

And this is how you do Hime.

A lovely Kodona.

Scans by tokyo_jam @ Livejournal.
And just so you all don't think I'm trying to be an elitist biotch, here's a bit of a glossary for those of you not familiar with Lolita.

♠ The first style I mentioned was Kodona (also refered to as Ouji, boystyle, or dandy), a male style that's usually featured along Lolita - and worn by both genders nevertheless. It's personally my favorite Lolita subtype, and there are mainly two ways to wear it: either boyish and reminiscent of a certain Victorian brat we all know and love (shorts or knickerbockers - I love this word! -, overknee socks and platform shoes are quite common) or slightly more "grown-up" and gothic (long pants, tailcoats, top hats, etc etc etc). I prefer the boyish version, in short shorts if possible. ;D

♠ Now for something completely different, Sweet Lolita (also Ama Lolita, from the japanese word amai = sweet) is one of the most famous substyles - right after Gothic, I'd say, but in all honesty I'm no authority so take my words with a grain of salt. :D You can usually identify a Sweet Lolita by her pastel colors, soft make-up and slightly childish appearance. It's exactly what it says on the tin, really... a sweet sweet sweet style that might just give you cavities.

♠ Then Hime - which I'm not really familiar with, but I'll try my best since I babbled about it above. Hime derives from the japanese word for princess, and the whole style is about this certain air of elegance and royalty. While at first glance Hime and Sweet may have a lot in common, the Hime Lolita will probably adorn herself with a crown as opposed to a bonet. Then pearls galore, lace gloves and dresses worthy of Marie Antoinette. Don't ask me, it's a visceral unexplainable difference. LOL

And now that I've shown you the true dimension of my inability to teach, I'll leave you all to finish that dreadful film, Burlesque - which isn't all that bad per se, just a cheap-ish imitation of the much superior Cabaret.

Brian: Screw Maximilian!
Sally: I do.
Brian: So do I.

in Cabaret.

Get it? GET IT?
Much much superior, I'm telling you.
xx

The Anime Appreciation Society: Spring 2011 Anime Season.

2011-02-09T19:35:00.000Z

Here we go again...
From March to May, here are my most antecipated anime premieres!

Nichijou, April 2011. Comedy, school, slice of life.

While the title suggests a story of simple, everyday school life, the contents are more the opposite. The setting is a strange school where you may see the principal wrestle a deer or a robot's arm hide a rollcake. However there are still normal stories, like making a card castle or taking a test you didn't study for.

This one's joining the list simply because it looks like Sore Machi and I loved Sore Machi and need to replace Sore Machi. Simple psychology on the works, loves!

Deadman Wonderland, April 2011. Action, horror, sci-fi.

Ganta Igarashi has been convicted of a crime that he hasn't committed, and sent to a new, privately owned and operated prison, where the inmates are the main attraction in a modern day twist to the gladiatorial coliseums of ancient times. Throw in a healthy dose of weird little girl, some new-found super powers, and a little conspiracy theory, and you have Deadman Wonderland.

It looks so... badass. And different. In this sort os twisted, nighmare-ish sort of way, but then again anime should be more than just schoolgirls bending over for pantyshots, non? Oui.

C, April 2011. Sci-fi.

The Japanese government was rescued from the brink of financial collapse by the Sovereign Wealth Fund. For its citizens, however, life has not improved, and unemployment, crime, suicide, and despair are rampant. Kimimaro, raised by his maternal grandmother after the disappearance of his father and the death of his mother, is a scholarship student whose only dream is to avoid all this and live a stable life. One day, however, he meets a man who offers him a large sum of money if he'll agree to pay it back. From then on his fate is radically altered as he's drawn into a mysterious area known as "The Financial District."

I'm pretty sure I'll drop this one - really, I'm not in the mood for hey-look-this-is-our-current-state-of-the-world metaphors. But I'm giving it a chance, because honest to Kami it actually looks pretty good. A bit like "Money And Intelligence", the fictional manga written by the two leads of Bakuman. We'll see!

Steins;Gate, April 2011. Sci-fi.

Steins;Gate is set in the summer of 2010, approximately one year after the events that took place in Chaos;Head, in Akihabara.

Steins;Gate is about a group of friends who have customized their microwave into a device that can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN who has been doing their own research on time travel tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them.

Hmm, okay, whatever, so I stopped caring at "costumized their microwave". Really, every season I have a blast picking out my anime for the simple reason that, somewhere among the mess, I know I'll find a few pearls. Winter brought us a war with cats (Yumekui Merry), and now Spring brings us a texting microwave. Awesome!

I actually chose this for the art, though, I'm a sucker for those empty nearly transparent eyes. Oh, and Mamoru Miyano voicing... someone. Who cares, right? If there's Light Yagami/Tamaki Suoh/Ignis, I'm in!

Maybe I should take a look at Chaos;Head first, though. Hmm.

Also, about my Winter picks, I dropped everything but Gosick. I actually had a bit of a fangasm right at the opening credits - watch them here if you feel like it - when I saw all those Art Nouveau influences floating around. The main characters are quite adorable and the setting are pretty great too, so no complaints here. I haven't gotten past the first episode, though, due to the series premiering right during my exam season. I'll catch up anyway, I loved it! ♥

Right, and Starry Sky deserves a mention too.
For how terrible, horrible, no good, very bad it really is.

I honestly feel like smashing something because Starry Sky is, quite possibly, the best idea ever wasted in the worst possible way. Huh, ever. The episodes are 10 minutes long, for starters. Extreme wall banger.

Plus, they're bad minutes. Most of that extremely valuable time is either wasted on flashbacks, or used up with inner monologue overlooking stills taken straight outta the game without the slightest tweak - you bet your ass on it, it's probably true. The art isn't good. The plot - and I'm not even sure there's one - isn't good. The main character isn't good.

The only thing worth watching for - or listening for - are the voice actors, and even that's not enough to keep me going. Dropped at episode 4, and I'll pretend I never even picked it up.

If I ever mention watching another otome game adaptation, you're all free to kick me. Merci very much.

xx

All I Got Is Holding On These Roses.

2011-02-05T20:29:00.000Z

We ladies of the house spent the whole afternoon gawking at 18th century furniture.

Photo by Twig Hutchinson.
It all started as a typical weekend getaway, really, but things never go according to plan around here. So off we went to find new abandoned sites, and forget all about it at the first antique shop.

Mom's been dreaming of an antique dresser to fill up some hallway space, so it was sort of the perfect oportunity to take a look at some options. Regardless, I kind of fell in love with a carved chinese cabinet, all black and red with mother of pearl accents for Christ's sake. I tried to peek inside and ended up with a dislodged handle between my fingers, only to eventually realise I was trying to pull open a sliding panel.

Fortunally the shop owner told me not to worry - the piece was still to be restored anyway. A wise man for sure, he also taught me about the Davenport desk - and showed me a couple. This odd type of writing desk was first comissioned in the 18th century by a certain Captain Davenport, and its distinctive traits include a set of side drawers in the back - acessible from only one of the sides while the other exhibits a carved panel imitating the look -, two thick legs in the front, and a slanted writing top reminiscent of your typical school desk. The über cool ones might also include tiny compartments for inkwells, envelopes, quills or dip pens.

Really, talking to people who know their thing is one of life's biggest pleasures, I'd say. Take my flower-shopping habits. I live just about next door to a cemetery - *does the happy dance* -, so florists aren't something I need to look too hard for. Some are cheaper, some are more expensive, some are lousy, some look like a million bucks, some are huge, some are tiny, and I've tried them all at least once.

But I keep coming back to this one tiny flower shop right in front of the cemetery doors. The owner's an old lady, adorable much, and everytime I walk in she asks me if I'm looking for something specific. I say roses, she asks for a color. I say yellow, she says no can do, but she'll show me what she's got.

Next thing I know, she's got an array of huge roses - not kidding, I had no idea roses could even grow that big - lined up on the counter. She can tell a story for each color, name every shade, tell them all apart in ways I'm unable to understand nevermind imitate.

Sure, they're expensive roses - but the experience sure counts for something, non?

How's your weekend coming along, everyone?
xx

Please Hold It.

2011-02-04T15:53:00.000Z

We're undergoing a bit of a live layout swap.

So if things look too scary... please stare at Abbey Lee here. Or alternatively, go off and make a sandwich, whichever sounds more appealing.

Photo by Marcin Tyszka.
I know what I'd choose, and lemme tell you guys... it'd include extra cheese! ♥

Wonder Cabinet.

2011-02-03T17:50:00.002Z

So my newly refound obsession with the creepy side of life has led me to the beautiful things that are Wunderkammers - or, as you might know them as, cabinets of curiosities.

According to Wikipedia now:

A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined. Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art (including cabinet paintings) and antiquities.

I'm already planning out trips to every Natural History Museum I know - again - so I can seen them with my brand new, now educated eyes.

In all honesty though, this is one of those things that I love looking at, but have no interest in possessing. You know, like fetish wear.

So while dead animals in vials and or shadow boxes are a fascinating thing - keep in mind that taxidermy is a different matter altogether, and one I'm not particularly fond of -, I wouldn't really want to share my home with them.

Plus imagine the maintenance of a decent-sized curio cabinet. o_O

Regardless, I found myself the best kind of solution - one that requires no commitments, that is. How about having a little Wunderkammer... shaped like jewelry?

Left: Crystal Bullet Shell Necklace. Right: Amethyst Bullet Shell Necklace. Both $26.00 USD by LovelyMusings (USA).

Left: Sea Horse Specimen With Monocle. $42.00 USD. Right: Japanese Maple Leaf Pendant. $33.00 USD. Both by silentcheesecake (USA).

Left: Bronze Raven Claw Ring. $55.00 USD. Right: Crucified Raven Skull. $54.00 USD. Both by mrd74 (USA).

Left: Coyote Teeth Glass Vial Pendant. $15.00 USD by TheAstralGypsy. Right: Poison Bottle Necklace. $24.00 USD by alternatehistory (USA).

Left: Guardian Angel Specimen Necklace. $24.00 USD by EarlyBright (USA). Right: Real Grasshopper Wing Necklace. $45.00 USD by BugUnderGlass (USA).
Haha, my birthday wishlist is growing bigger by the second.

But, alas, let's get back to staring at Bonnier De La Mosson's beautiful cabinet - for I've seen pictures of many already, and this might just be the one to rule them all. Fingers crossed for I might be going to Paris soon... and seeing this live would be ohsobadass.

All non-Etsy photos by astropop @ Flickr.

Any thoughts on curiosity cabinets, loves? I'd love to hear them!
xx

Sources & Extras:

♠ Cabinet Of Curiosities @ Wikipedia.
♠ Cabinet Of Curiosities Of Bonnier De La Mosson, Library Of The Museum Of Natural History, Paris @ Morbid Anatomy. A little NSFW warning if you decide to keep browsing the site, the MORBID bit of the title lives quite up to its hype. So careful while eating. :P
♠ Object Lesson / Transitional Object @ Cabinet Magazine. An in-depth piece on the famous Paris cabinet.

Jezebel Charms.

2011-02-02T18:45:00.001Z

So there I was, all happy browsing Etsy, looking for the perfect piece of jewelry to amp up my yellow birthday dress - yes, I need to start preparing 25 days ahead -, when I stumbled upon UK-based brand Jezebel Charms.

Yes, yes, yes. Love at first sight!

Escapism. We all love to escape whether in reality or just in our dreams and I like to think my wearable art jewelry is a reflection of the ultimate forms of escapism; dip in and read a literary classic such as Pride and Prejudice or perhaps a sonnet by Shakespeare, travel in time in a little blue box or dwell on the philosophy of life and the ultimate release of death. Yes, these things are truly what I think about on a daily basis!

All my pieces are delicate works of art specially made to be wearable and adorn yourself with. I've taken traditional methods and added a twist to create unique, contemporary and original jewelry; vintage pocket watches are given new life to form the most intricate and intriguing steampunk necklaces and traditional decoupaging adapted to create wearable art cuffs and earrings.

As you all know, ~~Bob~~, I'm really fond of obscure pop culture references - well, obscure references in general, so I particularly love the brass cuffs with literary quotes. Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, you're now able to carry your favorite writer on your sleeve!

Me, I'm partial to Stoker and Wilde for obvious reasons - i.e., Dracula and The Importance Of Being Earnest.

How about adorning yourself with the late wives of Henry VIII?

But back to amping up the yellow birthday dress, I might settle for the Absinthe cuff. Because, in all honesty, anyone who says they don't need a brass cuff with a yellow-ish skull warning about absinthe being death in goddamn french is clearly out of their mind.

And as if this wasn't enough, Jezebel Charms is all too willing to make you a custom piece - with a never-ending array of options! I'm already considering possibilities for amazing cuffs!

Now how about you guys, what's your favorite Jezebel piece? ;)
xx

We'd Love To Love To Love Ya.

2011-02-01T12:50:00.000Z

Good morning, February!
And huh, good morning, everyone who's currently in February.

I wish I could say something awesome but my fingers are quite literally freezing and I need to be off to lunch in like five minutes.

The point being, hello favorite month of the year, glad January and exams are gone, time to be proactive instead of reactive, OH HAI BIRTHDAY PARTY PREP TIME!

Also, I just set up the Final Fantasy VIII Victory Fanfare as my ringtone. Everytime the phone rings I jump, then dance around some. Could it be any better?

No, it couldn't.
xx

Who... Is... Deadliest?

2011-01-30T16:48:00.000Z

Random photo post, because I'm finally off my first exam round but too tired to be productive and... you know, write novels.

I'll probably just post this and run off to bed to finish the second season of Deadliest Warrior, though. I love that show, it's like... it's like Animal Face-Off, BUT WITH HUMANS. Basically, the sheer definition of awesomeness turned up to eleven, over nine thousand and beyond the impossible.

Honestly, I don't care much for the actual face-offs, all I wanna see is some havoc wreaked with eight different weapons per episode. So far my favorites include the naginata, the whip chain (very reminiscent of Gogo's meteor hammer in Kill Bill, anyone remember that fight?), the emei piercers and quite obviously, the katana. The demonstration with the pig bodies, WHOA JUST WHOA.

I'd really like to see them kill the hell outta some dummy with a zweihänder, though.

What's your favorite TV show, everyone?
xx

Noctis Orgy: A Repeat Performance.

2011-01-27T15:52:00.001Z

Ah, the HD trailer's out!

So, conclusions.

I can't get over how good this looks. I still vouch for bigger hair on Noctis - à la Cloud Strife, yes, I liked his AC hair way too much -, but other than that, we're good to go. I mean, will you look at his expressions and mannerisms in the opening sequence, it's like a goddamn live action! Also, nice nose.

I'm worried about a particular aspect of gameplay, though. HP! As far as I can tell, Gladiolus has the highest, followed by Noctis, Ignis and Prompto - I mean, seriously, Prompto, 750 MAX HP, what kinda failure are you, kiddo?

It's like Squeenix's making fun of us! "Hey look, here's a cool-ass character who besides being one hell of a bishie also has an exclusive sniper mode. That's right, your very own Third Person Shooter! An expert on guns! Isn't he awesome? Oh right, but there's a catch... LOWEST HP OF THE BUNCH, BITCHES."

Pfft, thanks, Squeenix! You and your glass cannons.

If this was Final Fantasy XII - the only game I actually played back-to-back, therefore the only one in which I'm truly comfortable -, I'd put Noctis as the party leader, Gladiolus as the tank and Ignis - for some reason I'm assuming he gets the most MPs - as the back-up healer/mage/whatever. Flying foes would result in Gladiolus retreating so Prompto could join up and shoot some havoc.

But alas, this isn't FF XII, so whatever the gameplay, I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Now... just what the hell are EX-ARTS and why are they on the action menu? No attack option either? o.O And... and... Noctis dying equals instant game over? Sunday's got a solution: keep Noctis in secondary party at all times. Hmm, pretty sure they won't allow that.

Sunday also managed to come up with a terrible joke concerning Ignis and his magical know-how.

So Ignis lights his surroundings on fire? Doll, no wonder he shares a seyuu with Light Yagami!

I then proceeded to inform him that Ignis is actually not as useless as he may sound seeing as he's Noctis' strategist. Why? Because the prince needed someone to light his way, clearly.

Haha, can you image the world without Light? Misa can't!

/unfunny jokes

Anyway, there's also something else. Apparently Prompto is a foreign fugitive blah blah blah. Could he be... Stella's brother? I remember seeing this theory on TV Tropes ages ago and not paying attention to it back then... but I'm actually ready to jump on the bandwagon now. It might happen, who knows.

Unfortunatelly, still no release date. Except Mr. Nomura says we should all forget about Versus for the time being and focus on XIII-0 and Type-0.

No interest on XIII-2 here, but I actually like the epicness of Type-0, thinking it might even be worth buying a PSP just to play it. We'll see, now off!

xx

Noctis Orgy!

2011-01-20T23:24:00.002Z

Dear Sweethearts: This is a Final Fantasy aggrandizing post. There shall be loads of game-related ranting, probably some swooning, definitely some jaw dropping.

Consider yourself warned.

The Square Enix 1st Production Department Premier Conference - I know, long ass name - took place two days ago and I'd completely forgotten about it until Sunday IMed me with a condescending "you gotta see this".

Mais bien sûr, thanks Captain Obviously Awesome!

Trailer via finalfantasy-xiii.net.
*slowly picking up my jaw*

Let's talk business.

Visually, this game looks like a badass mix-up of Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry and Yakuza - probably GTA too, if they let us drive the car. And Bayonetta, if you count that badass female boss at around 05:55.

It's dark, it's gritty, it's edgy. It's been labelled "the darkest Final Fantasy game yet", by Square Enix no less, and hell if I'm complaining. Bring it!

I also noticed Noctis' face and outfit look different from what we've seen in the previous trailer - his hair looks less spikier and his outfit a lot less bulkier, maybe it's for animation's sake.

Yeah, guess I'll have to admit the graphics in the trailer look light-years behind the ones we've seen before - again comparing to the previous trailer, but this one will soon be released in HD so I'll wait before making a point. The again, there's so reason to worry because this is goddamn Square Enix and if they can't throw me off-balance with their graphics no one can. I'll just sit back and wait for a release date for this baby.

Gameplay-wise, I'm thrilled to see the three dudes from the trailer as playable characters - and now they've got names too, Ignis for Mr. Glasses, Gladiolus for Mr. Bulk and Prompio for Mr. Blondie!

But Stella... Stella isn't playable, so what is she? A boss? THE boss? Some sort of add-on character that walks around with the party at her heart's content and throws some potions every once in a while? Questions, questions, questions!

I also love all the vehicles we're seeing here, and if my eyes don't deceive me, a few scenes here look straight out of a First Person Shooter. I remember hearing rumours about possible FPS elements in Versus, SO YES! Don't get me wrong, I'm a terrible aimer - I never use my machine guns in GTA because I fail like that, more of a baseball bat kinda thug here -, but it'd be fun to put some stealthy shooting goodness to use. With Mr. Blondie, because Mr. Blondie is my favorite character even though I know nothing about him and just learnt his name like half an hour ago.

But... right, gameplay. Dunno, it all looks like a typical Final Fantasy to me! As long as the camera's fine and the gambits are fine, I'm fine, really.

Now to the audio... do I hear Light Yagami as Mr. Glasses? I hope so.

Also, I'm pissed off because I recognise Noctis's voice - Hajime Saitou from Hakuouki, maybe? - but I can't place him and there's no official word for seyuus yet. Blondie there sounds like Heisuke, also from Hakuouki, but I'm really not good at telling voices apart when they're in that goofy range. Also, Daisuke Ono. I keep hearing Daisuke Ono - Sebastian Michaelis from Kuroshitsuji - though I'm like 99 percent sure that's not him. Because 1) there's something off about this voice, and 2) Daisuke Ono already voiced Snow in Final Fantasy XIII and I don't think they'd be this quick to reuse a voice actor.

*catches breath*

Yeah well, I think that's it.
Gah, I've never been this excited for a video game in my life.
We could blame it on raw bishonen power, but... I really really wanna play this. Play first, slash later.

Like a little kid, leaving the best to last, huh? Haha.

See how his outfit is different? That's three clothing changes for Noctis, formal, casual #1 seen here, and casual #2 seen on the trailer!

From left to right, Prompio, Gladiolus, Noctis and Ignis, coolest FF crew... well, ever?
And for good measure, here, let's stare at the first two trailers:

All done.

Now time to stop repressing this urge to kneel down and apologise to you all for always posting stuff that's so all over the place. I'm sorry, seriously, because I know most of you don't come here to read about my fairly irrelevant opinions on a game that I'll probably suck at anyway. I know this blog will never go anywhere because of my broken reader base. The only way to help this would be creating a million different blogs, one for fashion, one for movies, one for UrbEx, one for CGI flings, and honestly I can't be hassled. This will never be a fashion blog, or a photography blog, or a personal blog, or anything at all, because there's still no label under which I can store all the crap that's discussed here. I have no consistency, I know, and I'm sorry.

I'm also sorry - dang it there I am again - if I've been touching this subject too much lately, but I'm horribly self conscious about how... scattered I am, as a person. I feel it even in real life and I wish I could stop it somehow, but any attempt to limit my interests or practises has always resulted in disaster.

So that's it. I might be a good person but I'm a terrible idea of one. I'm a terrible blogger and a terrible role model and a terrible example. A terrible stereotype, too.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
This makes me wanna give up on blogging more often than you can possibly imagine. But I keep coming back because nothing liberates me as much as this... sending my thoughts out into the world is far better than locking them up in a journal. They'll help no one there. Here, somebody might relate to them. Maybe somewhere, somehow, there's a girl in my exact same circumstances who really feels like reading a blog that's all over the place, quite like herself.

Whatever, I'm rambling. Please go on staring at Noctis orgy... huh, I mean, ouji, for his skin is far far better than mine.

Farewell!
xx

-

EDIT!

Seyuus are now official!
Tatsuhisa Suzuki for Noctis - who you might know as Viscount "OHAI IMMA PEDOPHILE" Druitt in goddamn Kuroshitsuji.
Mamoru Miyano for Ignis - no more no less than Mr. Light Yagami in Death Note or Mr. Tamaki Suoh in Ouran, told ya!
Hiroki Yasumoto for Gladiolus - who plays Agni in Kuroshitsuji, bitches!
Tetsuya Kakihara for Prompto - you might know him from somewhere but I sure don't, fab! Also, it's now Prompto instead of Prompio. Slightly less awkward, but still not as good as Shotgun Guy.

Now for Stella! :D