Gothica Gothique: Goth Blog and Gothic Interest

Zachariah: Early Steampunk?

2012-03-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

While the above poster and the tagline "The First Electric Western" might lead one to think that Zachariah was an early Steampunk movie, sadly the poster is about as far as it ever gets in that regard. The film itself is of the same class as Rocky Horror Picture Show, but the songs are not nearly so catchy, and instead of the heroes learning to loosen up and release their inhibitions they learn the value of vegetarianism.

Goths Up Trees

2012-02-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine recommended me to this site with the comment, "Goths and trees, together at last!" She loves this sort of random humor.

I actually rather like the above photo, it reminds me of a painting I saw at the Chicago Art Institute that I cannot recall the name for.

Gothic Homemaking: Funeral Chicken Recipe

2012-02-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

A while ago I was in a play, that happened to be getting its performance at a large church complex. A couple of the cast members were folks normally involved with the church.

One day, when our rehearsal room had just previously been used for a funeral reception and the last of the tables were being cleared, one of the church regulars remarked that it was a little known secret, but the best thing cooked by the kitchens at this place was a dish unofficially called "Funeral Chicken." It was a breaded chicken that happened to be the cheapest thing they offered, so it was often requested at funeral dinners.

FUNERAL CHICKEN.

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-3 cups oil for frying

Combine the egg yolk, buttermilk and garlic powder in a large bowl. Place the chicken pieces into the bowl and stir to coat with the mixture. Cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.
In a large plastic bag, mix the flour, bread crumbs, salt and baking powder. Remove the chicken from the bowl and drain off an excess liquid. Place chicken into the bag, seal, and shake to coat with breading.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
Carefully place chicken pieces into the oil and cook until golden brown and juices from the chicken run clear. Drain on paper towels.

Oingo Boingo - Pictures of You

2012-02-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

(This is actually a fan-made video; not an official work of the Boingo boys. I thought it nicely done, though.)

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Magno - The Soap of Goths

2012-02-17T04:19:00.000-08:00

Looking for that special soap to get your blacks blacker and your whites blacker too? Then this is the stuff for you -- Magno, a bar of jet black soap that comes from Spain. The scent is beloved by men and women alike. And despite its color, it actually does get you clean!

"It's like a summer cruise, only there's no boat and you don't actually go anywhere..."

Real Gothic Literature

2012-02-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Let us wash last post's notion of gothic literature from our brains, and look at some real literature. The blog of Mike Kelly, Curator of Books in the Fales Library & Special Collections at NYU has a post about the new Gothic literature, recommending the above pieces as the best examples available.

Gothic fiction, in tone, feeds on a pleasing sort of terror. It places heavy emphasis on atmosphere, using setting and diction to build suspense and a sense of unease in the reader. Melodrama and parody (including self-parody) were other long-standing features of the Gothic in literature. It is an offshoot of Romantic literature (which is not be confused with romance literature and those trashy books they sell in the checkout line at the grocery store) but, ultimately, the genre has given way to modern horror fiction. The New Gothic literature can thereby be a bit hard to sort out from any old gore novel, and some of its authors -- like Anne Rice -- have gotten fairly mainstream. Check it out! And feel free to post any other Gothic literature recommendations in the comments.

The Worst Fanfiction Ever Written

2012-02-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Type the phrase "worst fanfic ever" into Google, and what you get are web pages about a certain Harry Potter fic entitled My Immortal. The story is so bad that there is disagreement as to whether or not it was written as a joke or a trollfic -- on the one hand, the author (Tara Gilesbie) makes a few references within the text that suggest her to have a better education than her supposed writing style would generally mark. But others say they know the author from various online forums where she has posted items of similar tone and spelling, meaning at the least, if she's a troll she's a very devoted one.

The story has a tendency to be deleted from any site where it's made available, presumably due to the sharp drop it brings in user IQ. Here is one that survives as of this writing.

The story tells the tale of a goth vampire student coming to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, where Harry and Draco have also inexplicably transformed into goth vampires, and both pursue romantic relationships with her. The love scenes are wonderfully described with such phrases as "He put his boy-thingie into my you-know-what and we did it for the first time."

The following dramatic reading is available through YouTube:

If History Had Facebook...

2012-02-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

The status updates may have looked like this.

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Fishnet Lips Makeup Tutorial

2012-02-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Gothic Bollywood

2012-01-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

Bollywood is best known for its group dance sequences -- however, its fondness for borrowing from popular American and British films means it has all kinds of wacko interpretations of dramatic cinema. Here is a moment from the ambitious 1978 horror film Darwaza.

Gothic Smoky Eye Makeup Tutorial

2012-01-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

When the basic "Smokey eye" isn't enough for you, you can take things a step or 12 farther with this look.

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British Humor, In a Nifty Form You Can Carry With You

2012-01-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, I know... it's hardly goth to smile. Why, cracking a smile may also lead to cracking through the 14 pounds of white facepaint we're wearing!

Now, of course anyone over the age of about 12 knows I'm kidding here. Just 'cause your a goth doesn't mean you can't have a good time. And that is why I want to talk to you today about British humor.

The amusement to be found in British works is lost on many a person. The trouble is (usually) not even that it's too intellectual for the typical Adam Sandler fan; no, the trouble is actually that it's a bit too zany for American tastes. The British have been historically known for being a dignified, upright race of people, and as such the humor often relies on breaking of the taboos. The jokes are about people being rude to each other, or being explicit about sex, or going crazy, or silly walks, or being rich but falling in love with the butler -- all sorts of follies that to a casual American don't seem to make much sense, given that here no one cares.

You might hone up on your British humor by checking out this collection of 20 different comedy plays from English authors. I can fully recommend it because I was the editor -- and I carefully chose each of these plays for their timeless hilarity. Maybe even Americans would like it, God only knows!

Stories include Pygmalion, wherein the crazy cockney flower-seller Eliza Doolittle is drafted into an aristocratic lifestyle by two linguists who figure they can change her persona by changing her accent; Our American Cousin (famous for being the play Abraham Lincoln was watching when his brains were blown out) about a hillbilly American cousin coming to visit his British relatives after inheriting the estate of their common ancestor; Mother Bombie, wherein two rich old men try to marry off their kids who are "fools" (i.e. mentally disabled or impaired) without revealing the truth about their progenies' conditions; Wurzel-Flummery, in which a man is set to inherit a fortune on condition he change his surname to Wurzel-Flummery; The Recruiting Officer, a play so bawdy and obscene it didn't even take the Victorians to start changing and altering the text; plus many, many more. As the would say in the old days, give it a trial.

Strindberg and Helium: Iron and Sulfur

2012-01-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

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Gothic Love: Goth Pickup Lines

2012-01-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

"Excuse me, sir/madame. Could I ask you, were we tortured and then burned at the stake as Agnostic Cathar Heretics by the Spanish Inquisition during intimately linked previous lives in the early 12th century?"
"Hey, is that a really long black liner in your pocket or do you carry your own brand of black current all of the time?"
"Go out with me or I'll kill us both."
"You've stolen my heart away. Luckily, I've got another three or four in the freezer."
"You should come home with me. We match."
"Wow. That outfit must make a lot of noise in the dryer, huh."
"Nice boots, wanna meaningful relationship?"
"Tell me, is your heart as cold and black as your eyes?"
"What do you think of the principles of Sacred Geometry with respect to Gothic Architecture?"
"You're cute. Mind if I use you so I can impress my friends?"
"Pardon me, but would you mind if I looked down your pants for a sec?"
"Are you neurotic, too?"
"Excuse me, but your veil is caught in my handcuffs..."
"I'd kill myself for you, I'd kill you for myself."
"Hi, I'm a necrophiliac. How well can you play dead?"
"What's a nice goth like you doing in a place like this?"
"My body is a temple -- take me home and desecrate me!"
"The colour of your eyes remind me of the window cleaner I drink to cleanse my soul...[grab person]... CLEANSE ME!!"
"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave."
"I have been dreaming of you, and writing erotic fantasies about you for the entire year since we met. Will you come and sit with me and let me tell you one of them?"
"Want to be my Master for the night?"
"Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder."
"Got a light? No? Well, then I'll just have to hold this clove cigarette up against you because you're hotter than the Inferno itself!"
"Your hair is the color of my soul."
"Hi, I seemed to have misplaced my black lipstick, can I borrow some off your mouth?"
"Your pants are so shiny, I can see myself in them."

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Miranda Sex Garden: Play

2012-01-15T03:07:00.000-08:00

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

How To Make a Sally Nightmare Before Christmas Costume

2012-01-12T17:41:00.000-08:00

This is the only known image of me in my Sally costume I made when I was a teenager (I'm posed here with my friend Benji Geary, who is beside me dressed as Mothra.) I'm going to try to recount how this costume was made, since I know good-quality Sally costumes are a bit difficult for some people to find and figure out.

Step 1: Consider the color scheme. I was absolutely obsessed with The Nightmare Before Christmas when it first came out (God, that makes me feel old!) so I know Sally's "true colors" a bit better than most. Your typical Nightmare Before Christmas trinkets portray Sally with baby-blue skin and fire-engine red hair, and her dress in bright pastel hues. If you actually look at the puppet from the movie in the two scenes where she's not under night-time lighting, though, her skin is actually more white than blue, and her hair is rather a brown or burnt sienna tone. Her dress too is in dull, muted tones, like fabric that's very old and starting to rot. This is your color scheme if you want authenticity.

Step 2: I'll call the hair step 2. So, you need to get the hair down in some way. If you happen to have waist length red or brown hair you can probably use your own and bypass this, but for the rest of us, here's a way to make a proper Sally wig. You will take a stocking cap/snow hat, and try to get one in a similar color to how you want the hair. Then you will buy a bunch of yarn in the closest color you can to Sally's own hair color. Buy more than you think you need because it'll be a pain if you run out and can't match the color exactly later on, when you have your wig only partway finished. Why are we using yarn? Because Sally is a RAG DOLL, and ragdolls usually have yarn for hair. I think this was intended in the film as well -- early drafts of the script had Sally using her hair to sew herself back together after her jump from the window during the Jack and Sally montage.

Use a yarn needle, and thread pieces of your yarn through the stocking cap. Tie the knots off on the inside where they won't be seen. measure out your yard and cut off the ends to the desired length. Do this over most of the cap, till you have it covered well enough. You can use some of the thread to loop through the cap and discreetly tie down other pieces of the yarn to keep it flat and so it won't become too poofy. Test out the cap from time to time, and just keep adding yarn strands till you get the amount of coverage you need.

Step 3: Buy up your fabric for the dress. How much of each piece you'll need depends a bit on how large you are, but if memory serves me right, I bought some cheap cotton in: orange, teal, pink, gray, tan, light leaf green, black, magenta and another brown/yellow color. Cloths colored with natural dye might be a better match to the genuine color scheme described above; you might also consider soaking the fabric in some strong tea or coffee if you can only find very brightly colored material.

Step 4: Once I had the needed colors, I used black fabric paint and a red Sharpie marker to then apply the needed patterns onto the cloth. The pink cloth that goes over the left side of her torso has a swirly pattern; the left sleeve is orange with thin red and black stripes, so and and so forth. Most of the patterned fabric are on the front of her dress but I believe there was one patterned piece on her back as well. Shots during Jack's Lament show the back of her outfit most clearly of any point in the film. The book Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, The Art, The Vision provided me most of my reference pictures at the time.

Step 5: Once you have the cloth painted and dried, you need to actually make the dress. I think I really just did this, with no pattern, by laying pieces of cloth on my body and cutting them into about the shape I needed (probably a little larger so i'd have room to spare) and then using loose basting stitches to temporarily hold the fabric together in the proper layout; after I had most of it in place I went back and used more basting stitches to hone the design, and just kept doing this till I had a reasonable dress in mockup. At this point I sewed it properly, by hand, using embroidery thread in large, wacko stitches as are the hallmark of Sally's look. I think the green cloth on the left hip had to be cut in an odd way with a wedge in order to make it lay right, but everything else I was able to get dead-on. I'll add, I did not hem the skirt or finish any of the edges, this being again a trait seen on the original. Don't forget the pocket on the front of the skirt!

Step 6: We're assuming you have the dress finished at this point. If not, do whatever else you need that I didn't go over to make your dress be finished.

Step 7: To get the stitching on the legs, I used a pair of opaque white tights and put little drops of clear nail polish down on every spot where I intended to go in with a needle. I used blue embroidery thread and just sewed down lines of stitching in the correct places on the legs. If I had the costume to do again, I would also make some arm-stockings in the same way (the costume originally had been planned that I would glue down some false stitches on my arms, but it didn't quite work when I tried it.)

Step 8: I assume you have your leg and maybe arm stockings done and stitched. Makeup time! Start by painting your fingernails a burgundy color.

Step 9: Any exposed skin that's left after your tights and arm-pieces are on, needs to be painted white with clown makeup, and then have blue 'stitches' painted on. (Again, I found out too late and the hard way that I couldn't really glue down thread onto myself as had been my original plan. There was no skin-safe glue I could find that both allowed full mobility and still held the threads in place on my skin.) I had to use plain old cornstarch as my setting powder over this, but if you can get good stage makeup a truly transparent shade of setting powder may be available. (Do NOT use regular "translucent" powder, as it has pigments added that will ruin the white makeup you've already used.)

Step 10: Using the blue makeup, smear some large circles around your eyes.

Step 11: Add some burgundy lipstick and some false black eyelashes, and you're done. Pull yourself together and you're now ready to party as Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas!

You Might Be a Goth If...

2012-01-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

■You pay 6 bucks for cigarettes that match your outfit
■You like to play dead in public
■You wake up still drunk at 3 in the afternoon with anonymous black
lipstick on your face
■The shade of powder you wear is called "Sheet Of Paper"
■The Count was your favorite Sesame Street character as a child
■You wear long, velvet coats in the middle of summer
■You go to Denny's at 5 in the morning and think, "These are my people"
■You think dead flowers are prettier than live ones
■You refer to your age in mortal years
■You buy $15 fishnets and rip them on purpose
■Your combat boots cost more than it takes to feed a third world child
for two years
■You've willingly undergone cosmetic dental surgery
■You own 16 or more Cleopatra c.d.'s
■You own even 1 Projekt c.d.
■You can't decide whether Morticia Addams or Lily Munster is prettier,
then decide Wednesday blows them both away
■You were disappointed to find out that "American Gothic" is a portrait
of two farmers
■You think of the hearse as a "family car"
■You own a glow-in-the-dark rosary that alternates between your neck and
the rearview mirror in your car
■You fashion your eyeliner after a culture that's been dead over 2000
years
■You have seen "Nightmare before Christmas" more than seven times
■Your purse is large, square and metal
■You argue on whether Poppy Z. Brite or Anne Rice has the more realistic
view on vampires
■You and your friends take lengthy drives to visit non-local graveyards
■You spell Vampire either Vampyre or Vamphyre
■Your boyfriend complains that his ribs just don't stick out the way
they used to
■Your girlfriend complains that you look better in her black, velvet
skirt than she does
■You refer to others as "The Normals"
■You are happy when no one has ever heard of your favorite band
■Christians accost you with pamphlets on the street frequently
■You accost Christians with pamphlets on the street
■You and your boyfriend fight over who gets to wear the fangs
■This list made you depressed

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Advice

2012-01-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

Some people just need a hug...

Around the neck...

With a rope.

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Sad News Folks! St. Trinian's Creator Is Dead

2012-01-04T18:27:00.001-08:00

Robert Searle, the creator of the St. Trinian's cartoon which we've discussed before, died yesterday. Fortunately he was really old.

The Glasgow Grin

2012-01-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

Who needs a smile more than a goth? But smiling isn't goth! How on earth can one come to terms with this?

Well, there is always the old Glasgow Grin...

A Glasgow grin (also known as a Glasgow smile, Anna grin, Chelsea grin or Chelsea smile) refers to the wound that results from slashing a person's face from the edges of the mouth to the ears. The cut, which is usually made with a utility knife or a piece of broken glass, leaves a scar that makes the victim appear to be smiling broadly. Sometimes the attacker will stab or kick the victim after cutting them to make them scream, so that the wound is opened further. The practice is said to have originated in Glasgow, Scotland, but also became popular with English street gangs as an intimidation tactic (especially in Chelsea, London, where it is known as a "Chelsea grin").

In the original story of The Man Who Laughs, the lead character was supposed to have undergone this treatment. The film version adapted this look to just a general maniacal grin:

Interestingly, things came full circle when Bob Kane was inspired by the film to create his famous Batman villain, The Joker. Of course, in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, the Joker was portrayed with a classical Glasgow grin back in place.

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

How to Get Lighter Skin: A Gothic Guide

2011-12-30T22:43:00.000-08:00

Care and Maintenance

exfoliate
use something gentle on the face, but for body, a loofa is super. slough off the dead stuff and let in the living. if you're naturally pale but dealing with getting rid of a tan, this is very important. much enjoyed by pale goths is St. Ives' Apricot Scrub.

hair removal
also if you are naturally fair and trying to get rid of a tan, the method in which you shave (legs and whatnot) can affect it. shaving and using those nifty little sanding-mitt things will help the pallor, while threading, waxing, and nair will likely do nothing.

sunscreen
(anyone want to recommend some good ones, press the little spooky mail button at the bottom of the screen.) i like Banana Boat Faces, spf 45 i believe. not too greasy for use on face, but best for arms and throat. also,a really yummy citrus smelling one is Ocean Potion Total Sunblock 30.. it's everything-proof and everything-free. it goes on shiny looking, but it soaks in and loses the shine quickly, and doesnt have to be re-applied all the time.

hats
floppy straw hats seem to be the favourite. they do come in black, and one could decorate with evil feathers, dark ribbons, black silk flowers, beads, etc. (maybe this belongs under gawthkrafte!)

parasols
very fashionable. dont worry about being made fun of, most often parasol-carrying goths get compliments, and the sort of class that goes along with wearing gloves, or a corset... that out-of-place, but still beautiful stuff... they start at about 3 or 4 bucks for rice paper parasols in china town. import stores often carry them in assorted colours and shapes. for a higher price, you can find them in lace, or other nifty fabrics... im looking for places that do them custom... (anyone?)

long sleeves!
i know it's hard, but think about it... hot desert cultures use layers of loose fitting clothes to keep in the cool... eh eh eh? the less of you that sees the sun, the less of you that has to absorb it!

This is from the page Gawth Pallor, a skin lightening recipe guide with a gothic focus. Looking for that Nosferatu-white shade of skin? Now you have some help in getting there. There is also a skin lightening shop for those who'd rather put their trust in the advances of modern chemistry. I've tried a few of the skin lightening recipes, certain ones work better than others I'd say - but they are interesting to brew up, if nothing else!

Ugly Renaissance Babies

2011-12-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Someone just showed me the site Ugly Renaissance Babies, featuring exactly what it sounds like it should. I literally was laughing so hard I cried (and I am not one to misuse the term literally.)

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Just Call It Steampunk

2011-12-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

I'll confess I'm more a fan of the Steampunk fashion than the Steampunk literary genre, but they're even making Steampunk Invader Zim and Steampunk Justin Bieber now. WTF?

"The Worst Movie Ever Made" III

2011-12-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

As we've shown before, many films have the dishonor to be called by someone "the worst movie ever made." Few have actually won formal awards for such. Today we shall examine one of those rare few.

Plan 9 From Outer Space was actually an early zombie movie, back in the days when zombies were specifically considered a subject relating to Voodoo practices in the Carribean area. ("ghouls" is how they're referred to in the film.) And if zombies isn't enough for you, it also has aliens! And Bela Lugosi is in it! Sounds awesome, right? Well, if you're saying that, then you've obviously never seen this film.

Bela Lugosi and Plan 9's notorious director, Edward D. Wood, had been friends. When Lugosi died in 1956, Wood still had a few minutes of footage he'd filmed of Lugosi wearing his vampire cape, and cleverly figured out that if he could just get a body double to fill out the rest of Lugosi's role, and composed the whole story around the idea of a Bela Lugosi who wouldn't have to talk or show his face.

The plot ultimately concerns a group of aliens who want to stop some new bomb-making technology from being utilized on Earth. (We don't actually learn this till the movie's almost over, but the film makes even less sense without this context.) Their plan for this is to bring up zombies to create chaos. Or something. They call it "Plan 9" in any case. Lugosi's body double is one of the zombies, and roams through the scenes posed with his arm over his face so you can't see him.

The 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards had a contest for people to write in and vote what was the worst movie ever. Plan 9 won by a long shot.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, classic "worst ever" movie plus Mike Nelson humor make a great DVD., April 26, 2006
By Valnastar "Man With No Name" (Deep 13, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Plan 9 From Outer Space (Colorized) (DVD)
Plan 9 From Outer Space is often called the worst movie ever made, but its entertainment value elevates it above many other films, even some of better quality. The plot moves along nicely and has little to no padding in it and the dialog and special effects are hilarious even if that was not the intent of the director, Ed Wood. Everyone who loves cinema should see this movie! The wobbly flying saucers on single strings, Swedish wrestler turned actor Tor Johnson, Bela Lugosi in his last role, Vampira and more make this an unforgettable film. It's so bad it's great. Sadly, the great Bela Lugosi died during filming, so look for Bela Lugosi's replacement in some scenes. He's not hard to spot as he is taller and looks nothing like Mr. Lugosi, hence he holds a cape in front of his face in every scene in which he appears!

Plan 9 was never properly copyrighted, and so is now in the public domain. You can actually watch the entire movie Plan 9 From Outer Space online for free by clicking here. Due to its public domain status, however, there are about a half dozen different editions available for purchase, too.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of... Rue de la Harpe?

2011-12-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

The story of Sweeney Todd is famous the world over now, thanks to theater and cinema. Certain authors -- and websites based on their data -- claim that Sweeney Todd was even a real person who lived in the 18th century (however, newspaper and prison accounts seem to contradict these claims.) What truth there is to Sweeney Todd, however, may have been discovered.

Drinking Blood

2011-12-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

Liven up your holidays with the Gothicest cocktail drink of all!

BLOOD

Ingredients: 

1 oz. bourbon 

1/2 oz. lime juice 

1 tsp. tequila 

tomato juice  

Collins glass.

Pour all ingredients except tequila over ice,  fill remaining glass with tomato juice.  Add tequila last.  

Swiped from http://x-entertainment.com/updates/2011/10/03/halloween-cocktails-you-will-never-drink/
Who in turn swiped it from http://www.countessbloodshalloweenhorror.com/page4/

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Tim Burton Makeup Look

2011-12-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

All in all I think it's a great look, but at the same time, I hardly think it's a Tim Burton look if you're concealing the circles around your eyes....

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Goth Breakup Lines

2011-12-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

What self-respecting goth needs a pickup line? Life is pain! Here's a selection of goth breakup lines:

"You make me too happy. Go away."

"You're not weird enough."

"You have no more t-shirts I want to borrow."

"Ummm... I just realised something about my sexuality"

"Monogamy, what's that?"

"Will you marry me?"

"What? We're a couple?"

"Hmmm.. I thought you'd be dead by now."

"I much prefer coffee"

"I've been feeling a bit strange lately."

"You just look better than me in my skirts."

"I was hoping we could just go back to being enemies..."

"I'm really sorry, hon. But either we break up, or one of us dies."

"It's just not going to work. You're human, and I'm not."

"My parents don't hate you as much as I hoped they would."

"You're just too nice. More like a friend than a lover."

"You're not evil enough for me to have a serious relationship with."

"You have my permission to see other people if you want."

"I can't date anyone who has never heard of George Carlin."

"I can't go out with you because I actually like you."

"I know that breaking up will mean the death of us both"

"Would it upset you terribly if we were just . . . friends with benefits?"

"No, we're not going to break up."

"You bore me."

"You wore pink last Tuesday. Get out of my sight."

"You're actually starting to cheer me up."

"You don't like sex on gravestones?"

"You gave me live flowers, how tacky."

"You want to do what? Bowling?!"

"I think your an embarrassment to me and the rest of humankind, fucking hippie!"

"By the way, we broke up. About two months ago. I forgot to tell you."

"I love you but I want to date 3 other people to be sure if this is right for me."

"You don't have any more clothes that I want to borrow."

"I think we need to have a talk about you and I... You are aware that there is no You and I.

"No, you aren't really a vampire."

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

The Best Gothic Music Videos! Blast from the Past!

2011-12-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

On this particular gothic blog, you may have noticed videos are a common feature! And because they often lack text, if you missed any of these videos the first time around, you may find them hard to locate again. Thus this Blast from the Past feature was born! Here are some of the best videos we've featured on the site so far.

GOTHIC MUSIC VIDEOS:

Rammstein - Mein Teil - A video from everyone's favorite group of East German pyromaniacal musicians, concerning the true story of a man who ran a personal ad looking for someone who wanted to be eaten... and found a willing participant.

Cradle of Filth - Lilith Immaculate - Another Gothic Metal band, whose videos may have inspired the Dethklok band from Metalocalypse. They have as easy a time as anyone with generating controversy, and are accused of being Satanists more often than Jayne Mansfield.

Nine Inch Nails - Closer - About as mainstream as Gothic Industrial music ever managed to get was with this song and this "band" (which is actually just Oscar-winning musician Trent Reznor and a bunch of electronic equipment, occasionally supplemented for the sake of live performances by some other musicians.) The video is on permanent display in the Museum of Modern Art.

Bella Morte - On The Edge - The band's name is Italian for "Gorgeous Death." They've achieved a remarkably strong following in the underground music scene and while the players have been juggled a bit more often than in some groups, their quality stays on par to make them Metropolis Records' number one artist.

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Reconstructed from Reviews: Puss In Boots

2011-12-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

Another Reconstructed from Reviews, in which we try to reconstruct the plot of a movie based solely on information provided in its unflattering, negative reviews. Today's feature: Puss In Boots.

Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) is a swashbuckling lothario who, in the opening scene, bids farewell to his latest conquest, a furry white tabby who lounges, satisfied, in bed. "What can I say? I was a bad kitty," Puss slyly says.

After robbing her owner blind and evading capture for the theft, Puss runs out toward the countryside, the female cat he wooed the night before sighing at his daring-do despite the fact that he had forgotten her name.
Puss is a wanted cat for his robberies, though even the toughest of men are at first amused by his appearance when the cat walks into a local tavern. After some fancy swordplay, he convinces them, and even the way he delicately laps up his shot of milk (one of those genuinely funny images of the contrast in personality and behavior that endears us to him) cannot lessen their fear. He's on the hunt for magic beans—the same magic beans a boy named Jack once used to obtain passage to a castle in the clouds where a golden goose lays golden eggs.

Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), once a defender of justice, is branded an outlaw after he’s double-crossed by childhood friend Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis).

Smeared with the blame of a bank robbery engineered against Puss’ wishes by Humpty, there is now some bad blood between them, although Humpty tries to persuade Puss he can be trusted.

When he hears of a score involving magic beans, currently in the possession of murderous thugs Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris), he sees a chance at redemption. He’s not the only one interested in the beans, though; the deft Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) botches Puss’ robbery attempt, and worse, she’s working for Humpty.
Salma Hayek (2010's "Grown Ups") fetchingly voices Kitty Softpaws—her greatest shame is that she's been declawed, hence the name

Puss' first encounter with Kitty, during a simultaneous attempt to swipe the magic beans, leads to a chase across the rooftops of a sleepy town, and the payoff is a head-to-head duel in a secret bar for cats that happens to be holding dance night. The camera swirls through the space as the two fleet-footed felines scale the walls and fall safely down to the floor by tapping their heels against each other's feet (The crowd kneads its paws in applause after accompanying on various, makeshift percussive instruments, such as a fish skeleton).

His tired quest entails a lot of backstory shoveled at us – a past with Humpty, a surrogate mother he’s trying to make proud
Particularly revealing is an early segment where Puss describes his parentless childhood and sad-sack back story in exacting detail (cue the extended flashback), only for the film to eventually return to the present and reveal that Kitty Softpaws has long since fallen asleep next to him.

It's a particularly long account (Kitty is asleep by the end—a throwaway gag but one that's unintentionally accurate) and one that hardly enlightens about Puss in any meaningful way aside from what conflicts arise later on in the story (i.e., what Humpty's ultimate goal is and how the townsfolk react when Puss returns).

Humpty, though, begs Puss for his forgiveness, and the three embark on a quest to retrieve the beans, plant them, and claim the fabled golden goose that will change their fortunes forever.

Both feel betrayed by the other, but the beans hold the key to repaying an old debt to the town that took him in as a kitten so many years ago and that now believes him to be a heartless outlaw.

Eventually, he is tricked into teaming up with the egg and his pals. Our hero is eager to make good on a failed promise from the past, though he still has issues with his ovum pal's intentions.

An attempted robbery the brutish Jack and Jill's (voices of Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) fortified carriage leads to a pursuit on perilous cliffs that is dizzying, and the trip up the thundering beanstalk to the castle in the clouds has the same quality.

If they can steal them and plant them then they can go up the beanstalk to a castle in the sky. In this castle there is a goose that lays golden eggs.

...the stale wisecracks are on the order of "First rule of Bean Club: You do not talk about Bean Club."
(Jack wants to start a family with the crime-loving Jill, and the giant of the castle has died, leaving behind another massive creature as the sole protector of the layer of the golden eggs)

...an angry mama goose...

Climbing up the beanstalk high in the clouds, Puss, Kitty and Humpty find themselves a little portable pot of gold - a cute little yellow chick that lays golden eggs. Leaving the world of the beanstalk with the little chick involves multiple hazards and I like the scene when the protagonists cling desperately onto a champagne bottle cork, at the very moment it is popped – to be propelled over a giant chasm

Lacking vim as well as vigor, the film goes through the motions with promising baddies, Jack and Jill, who fade into the background by the second half and generally have nothing of interest to do.

Instead, the film commits the "Indiana Jones 4" blunder of staging frantic scenes of pursuit whenever the story sags, which is often.

The other villain, who will go nameless since it's meant to be a surprise, is a rip-off of Andy Dick's Boingo the Bunny from 2005's "Hoodwinked!," making one long for that much, much more clever fractured cinematic fairy tale.

Once the Big Reveal takes place, Puss has a come-to-Jesus moment, even though it’s everyone else in the movie that should be having it.

“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) announces towards the end of his self-titled adventure.

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

She-Devil Special Occasion Gothic Club Makeup Tutorial

2011-12-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Gifts for the Gothic

2011-11-30T22:37:00.000-08:00

Dark gothic jewelry special selected for the goth in your life needing earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, nose rings or any other kind of goth jewelry.

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

This Must Be How The Monarch Does It

2011-11-26T06:59:00.000-08:00

Good Idea, Bad Idea: Featuring Mr. Skullhead

2011-11-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Rammstein on Tour!

2011-11-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

Rammstein has announced their US tour dates for next years' shows. Reserve your tickets while they still exist, Rammstein are famous for selling out when they come to the states!

August Strindberg and Helium: At the Beach

2011-11-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

THE EMPORIUM GOTHICA: GOTH, PUNK AND STEAMPUNK GEAR

Ms. Piggy Goes Goth...

2011-11-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

This image was actually utilized as part of the publicity for some new MAC makeup line, so you can get the look too.

Gothic love – how to find your gothic dating partner

2011-11-14T23:15:00.000-08:00

Author: Gothic Love

Today there are lots of dating websites over the internet, it's seems that finding gothic love online never been so easy. What is great about the variety of the dating websites is that you can actually find a person that has the same lifestyle as you – for example the gothic subculture.

Gothic love - I have to venture to reveal that by living a gothic lifestyle, you eventually have to fascinate and align yourself to being a unique person in a philosophical way. That is to say, that by looking pale, gaunt, adorned in black clothing, constantly out at night and seldom seeing the light of day, you begin to feel as if you're passing into a different sort of gothic life, which makes perfect sense why you might looking for gothic love as well.

The rest of human civilization obviously recognizes that you're quite unlike them, and that you don't live in the planned out order that the so-called "normal," As if, there is a cloud up in the sky engraved with the words: Thou shall wake up at 6:30 in the morning, eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, study, and attempt to improve oneself.

Furthermore, people's reactions to you afterwards become sort of a Gothic tale or quality. I'm inclined to believe gothic people have always existed before the music and the nostalgia of a pop-culture, whether adorned in black or not, who have fancied themselves a gothic. The naive people who pass you in the street, those that you don't feel any relation or understanding, find you both abhorrent and yet attractive at the same time.

You might try to walk into the light and become completely pure, but you might find there is no place for you there either. Expressing yourself outside the social norms might be the right choice but only if you do it because it is you and find it fulfilling.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/gothic-love-how-to-find-your-gothic-dating-partner-1618348.html

About the Author

Gothic love - the best gothic dating site for singles to find there true Gothic love.

Cemetery Girls: The Genesis of Goth Music?

2011-11-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

This song from the 1970s novelty record Voobaha sounds eerily like the later gothic dance music to come. Could this piece, from the men who brought the world Rolly Polly Fish Heads, be the origin of gothic music?

I'd be surprised were it so, but stranger things have happened....

Quack Remedies: For Restoring a Lost Maidenhead

2011-11-04T02:30:00.000-07:00

FOR RESTORING A LOST MAIDENHEAD

Take a half-ounce of Venetian holy earth*, a bit of the milk expressed from the leaves of asparagus, a quarter ounce of alum infused with lemon juice, or the juice of unripe plums, a fresh egg-white with a bit of oat flour: from all these fashion a pill which should have a thin consistency, and you place this into the privy-parts of the deflowered girl, after having her douched with the milk of a goat, and anointed with pomatum of white lead. You will not have carried out this secret four or five times, before the girl will return to a state which will fool the matron who will be coming to survey her. The girl douching her privy-parts for several consecutive days, with the water of asparagus distilled with the juice of lemons, produces the same effect, anointing the party with pomatum, as is described heretofore.

*A type of white clay, possibly bentonite.

From the Petit Albert.

Let's Put the 'Fun' Back in 'Funeral'

2011-10-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

Everyday is Halloween -- Creepy Goth Doll Makeup Tutorial

2011-10-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

Blood and Smoke Incense

2011-10-25T02:56:00.000-07:00

Magical practices such as hoodoo, cabala and others tend to make use of formulas to assist in the casting of magic spells. Many of them take their basis from the teaching of Agrippa in his books on Occult Philosophy. One of the teachings of Agrippa -- which really was considered more or less to be standard scientific knowledge at the time -- was that the 7 planets (Sun, Moon, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus) hold influence over certain matters of daily life and people's behavior. Various herbs and minerals were considered to be linked to the planets, and certain mixtures could be used to provoke their helpful influences.

There is a website called Alchemy Works that specializes in making these kinds of formulas. Recently I bought some incense from them of which even Dethklok would approve: BLOOD AND SMOKE. This is a Mars incense (Mars being the God of War) and its use is meant for violent or manly works. The scent of it is far from pretty; it is like burning leaves and barbeque charcoal. There does seem to be some myrrh and dragonsblood resin in the mix, but it must be very little because this stuff burns up very fast and very smokey soon as it hits the coal. It's certainly a scent I can recommend to add atmosphere to a room if yo want that 'dungeon' kind of feel.

In Honor of Oktoberfest...

2011-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

German industrial dance, but set to some fine, fine polka!

Steampunk Tarot

2011-10-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

From Curly-Cue Designs via Etsy.

SHOESSSSSS!!!

2011-10-13T09:24:00.001-07:00

A worthy Steampunk ladies shoe from clothier Recollections.

See more Steampunk Shoes from the Emporium.

Mein Teil

2011-10-10T02:36:00.000-07:00

Goth Problems

2011-10-05T02:20:00.000-07:00

Trying to get blacks that match after they fade in the wash.

Trying to convince the drunk frat boy who is hitting on you that you really are a guy.

Big hair, small cars.

Airport metal detectors.

Nicknames such as "that gay devil worshiping freak that dyed his hair purple".

Getting your jewelry tangled in your clothes/hair.

When your pointy toe shoes/boots get caught in the holes in the hem of your skirt.

Wearing a black turtleneck when it's 90 degrees outside.

Accidentally removing someone's nose ring with your spiked bracelet while dancing.

Getting people to look you in the eyes when you talk to them.

Getting your slave bracelet caught in your fishnets.

People declaring that your eyes are yellow, when, in fact, they are green.

Having to reach for the salt with one hand while holding back your sleeve with the other so it doesn't drag in the gravy.

Trying to find your possessions in an all black room.

Trying to get the hair-dye stains out of your towels, sink, floors, doors, ceilings, carpets, pets, furniture.

Being asked to defend your entire existence in 30 seconds or less.

Finding a detergent to get those blacks blacker.

Having little kids tug on their parent's arm and say, "Look, Mommy, isn't she pretty? I want to look like her!" while the parents grab the child and run for it.

Trying to wash dishes with those flowing sleeves.

Going out in the winter and having all the metal stuff you are wearing freeze against your exposed skin.

Getting your skirt caught on anything and everything.

Lending your eyeliner to a friend and finding out later that he's returned it without mentioning that he completely emptied the entire brand new tube.

Trying to buy mundane clothes to go job hunting in and not being able to bring yourself to buy anything with enough color.

The salt stains on the hems of skirts in winter.

Not being able to climb really small stairs because the pointy toes on your pixie boots stick out past your toes enough that you can't get your actual toes on the steps.

Trying to stand up, and getting the hooks on your left boot caught in the fishnets on your right leg. And managing to look graceful while extricating yourself.

Dancing in a corset.

Attempting to explain Goth to anyone.

Driving in a rather large cloak.

Having to wash black lipstick off of your neck.

Wearing 24 rings and getting them all stuck in various bits of lace and fishnet (not all of it yours).

Having to rush out of bed the moment you wake up just so you can get to the bank before it closes.

Convincing someone that you are straight even though you are a man wearing a skirt and makeup.

Trying to find women's clothes that fit you without it looking too obvious that that is what you are trying to do.

Wearing that HUGE cross you just bought to the club, spinning around, and knocking yourself out.

Finding that your freshly washed black t-shirt is covered in bits of lint, which while undetectable by the naked eye, show up very well under UV, thereby making you appear to have terminal dandruff.

Waking up with the most painful hangover ever, walking to the little store to get aspirin, thinking "Damn even my feet hurt like hell". Then realizing that your wearing someone else's boot's.

Trying to get seated so that the eye that you made up just right will be the one facing outward.

Wanting to go and play out in the rain but fearing it'll ruin your hair.

Being unable to decide which rings look best over the black lace gloves.

Fearing your sharply filed nails will ruin your mesh shirt!

Finding that your cape gets in the way of your cleaning tools when going to work at the graveyard.

Getting a sunburn right through your t-shirt.

Trying to ride a bicycle with a long black skirt.

Trying to ride a bicycle without reminding the people you pass of Miss Elmira Gulch, forcing them to hum the wicked witch theme from The Wizard of Oz.

Trying to type with your lace gloves on.

Everybody still thinks you are a Devil-worshiper despite all your explanations, especially if you tell them you are Pagan.

Other Pagans/Wiccans don't take you seriously because of what you look like.

Menstrual blood doesn't show that well on black panties, so you might not notice your period's began before it's too late!

Accidentally kicking things and having parts fly off because you're wearing steel toes boots.

Brushing against walls and having chips fly off because of your spiked bracelet.

Having to avoid potential self-mutilation after just finishing filing one's nails to a point.

When it's cold, your nose will be red no matter how much make-up you have on.

Trying to explain to people that the scars up and down your arms really ARE from your cat.

The extensive hair loss caused from bleaching and re-bleaching hair.

Trying to find a soap that will remove the purple hair dye stains from your hands and face.

Flicking through a magazine or a newspaper with velvet gloves on.

Trying to tell someone that you admire their footwear without making it sound like a come-on.

Your Gothic Wedding - Ideas for Your Day from Your Ring through Your Dress

2011-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Author:

pam0518

Your wedding should display your personality and if there are gothic elements to your personality you may want to consider a gothic wedding. Some people may feel that gothic traditions and weddings have nothing in common however, gothic traditions are deeply rooted in romance and ceremony. An increasingly large number of couples are choosing to incorporate gothic elements into their wedding.

Gothic weddings can range from full gothic events to weddings that choose to incorporate a few special elements within an otherwise traditional ceremony. Some couples choose to select gothic engagement rings, others use specifically choosen or designed dresses or decoration and some include other special and unique touches on the wedding cake or favors. By incorporating one or all of these elements into your wedding, you can create a gothic wedding that displays your personality.

For a couple with gothic tastes, selecting gothic rings may be an option. Gothic style is generally classified by dark colors and the use of symbols. These dark colors may be incorporated into wedding and engagement rings through the use of dark metals such as dark titanium or tungsten. Gemstones also commonly play a factor in gothic wedding rings. The use of various gemstones and symbols will allow the couple to create a lasting message of love and undying affection. These symbols will allow communication of a message of unique and lasting importance to the couple.

Gothic dress is another way that couples can incorporate gothic elements into their gothic wedding. Gothic wedding dresses allow the bride many options that are not afforded by more traditional styles. Gothic dresses can come in a variety of colors including white, purple, black, emerald green and blood red. Selecting a gothic dress allows the bride to showcase her individuality and feel comfortable in a dress that she loves. When selecting your wedding dress remember that it is important to select the dress that you love, regardless of the opinions of others. This is true of gothic and traditional wedding dresses.

Other gothic elements can be incorporated into your wedding. You may want to consider decorating with gothic colors or symbols. Gothic symbols and colors could easily be incorporated into your wedding cake. Wedding favors could also showcase your affection for gothic culture. You could incorporate a gothic symbol on a favor bag or favor. Nature and moonlight could be focused on as you create your decoration plan. There are many different options to consider as you plan your gothic wedding.

While gothic weddings may not be for every couple, they perfectly exemplify other couples personalities. If you have a love of gothic style, culture or ideals consider showcasing these feelings by having a gothic wedding.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/your-gothic-wedding-ideas-for-your-day-from-your-ring-through-your-dress-2716394.html

About the Author

Pamela Kazmierczak writes numerous Wedding Ideas and wedding themed articles. Check out her site, Wedding Ideas if you are looking for help and free information to plan your wedding. This wedding site offers hundreds of articles, including how to choose Gothic Engagement Rings, a wedding store with over 10,000 items as well as a free monthly newsletter. Stop by today!

The Dinosaur Wonders....

2011-09-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Poem: Death's Final Conquest

2011-09-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armor against fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Scepter and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade.
Some men with swords may reap the field,
And plant fresh laurels where they kill:
But their strong nerves at last must yield;
They tame but one another still:
Early or late
They stoop to fate,
And must give up their murmuring breath
When they, pale captives, creep to death.
The garlands wither on your brow;
Then boast no more your mighty deeds;
Upon Death's purple altar now
See where the victor-victim bleeds:
Your heads must come
To the cold tomb;
Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet, and blossom in their dust.

-- James Shirley

Lilith Immaculate

2011-09-25T02:08:00.000-07:00

Gothic Love - The Beauty in Darkness

2011-09-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Author:

Gothic Love

Gothic love is a subculture which touches on many things beyond music and fashion, though those are the most readily identifiable aspects of it. It's hard to put the finger on any set ethic or philosophy to the gothic scene, as gothic people are generally love many different things (some aren't even interested in the music or fashion at all). My own take on it is that one common aspect of the gothic scene is a desire to step outside the mundane everyday humdrum and find something a bit different and more exciting. This can be through fashion, music, artistic/poetic leanings, alternative religions/philosophies and various other interests and subjects generally associated with a somewhat bohemian image. None of these things is universal, or compulsory.

'Beauty in Darkness' is my favorite term for this gothic aesthetic, which can take the form of funereal fashion styles, haunting, weird or gloomy music, and tastes for anything from Romantic Poets to b-grade horror movies. It's an intellectual, bohemian subculture with a dark, morbid aesthetic that people can take or leave aspects of as they please.

Gothic is a lifestyle in the truest sense of the word. What I mean is that it is not just putting on a black dress, dying your hair, and applying black makeup and going out to the clubs for an evening of thrashing wildly to music. Rather, although this is an enjoyable by-product of such, it is much deeper than this.

The gothic lifestyle is the romance of the night as it calls to your very soul. Seeing in the darkness the beauty that is missed beneath the sunlight, when others retire to their beds. The way the moonlight plays along the trees, the deep gray of the fog, the keening of animals that sleep away the day. All of this plays a significant part of the lifestyle as a whole. It is seeing the beauty in what others shun. Oftentimes, people equate the night and darkness in general as 'evil', due to hundred-thousand year old stereotypes and stories. To me, it is ethereal and other-worldly, one-half of our very existence, and something to be embraced as just as significant to our understanding of the world and our place within it as the daylight hours.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/gothic-love-the-beauty-in-darkness-1618360.html

About the Author

Gothic love - the best gothic dating site for singles to find there true Gothic love.

Grandmother's Death: A Poem

2011-09-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

Dark looms the ivy-mantled tower

Among the spreading trees,

While round its ever-crumbling base

Are tombstones, thick as bees.

Within a tiny sheltered nook,

Close to its towering walls,

Where early snowdrops rear their heads,

And soft the footstep falls.

Two graves are laid—one old, one new,

Removed from toil and care,

Upon the grassy, verdant sward,

Alloting each their share.

Above those graves, already green,
Lov'd hands have strewn the flowers,
That grow in beauty o'er their heads
Sweet freshened by the showers.
In silence laid from years gone by

Contented there they sleep;

No busy din disturbs their rest

Save they that lowly weep

In silence, o'er those loved forms,
From which they cannot part,
Whose bitter, scalding tears denote
The grieving, aching heart.
They're gone before —why should we weep,

Why shed those bitter tears?

'Tis only for a brief, brief space,

A few short speeding years

E'er we, ourselves, shall lowly lie

Beneath that self-same sod;
Our dust shall find its resting-place,
Our souls shall find their God.

So, gentle mother, do not weep,

But rather joyous be,

That loved face beams down from Heaven

And showers her smiles on thee.

Unseen, thou can'st not see her

Upon that radiant shore;
No longer aged, there she stands,
As seen in days of yore.

She's young again—age hath no power

To dim her beauties bright;
No toil, no care, no death to fear,
No darkness deep as night.

Enshrouding round her feeble form,

Or tottering footsteps, there,

Before her Lord, she's face to face,

His Heavenly glories share.

So, gentle mother, do not weep,

But rather joyous be
To think that when the summons came
She answered cheerfully.

She could not wait—she could not stay,

It was her lord's command;

That longed-for welcome sent from Heaven

Sent from the Better Land.

O! death, thy sting—thy cruel sting

May touch this earthly mold,

But never can thy palzying hand

The soul within enfold.

Thou dar'st not touch—thou can'st not touch,

Immortal is its flight,
Towards the shores of purest sand
And sparkling waters bright.

Escorted by the angels fair

Towards that home of rest;

Within the pearly gates of gold,

Within the Saviour's breast.

-- William Handling

How To Create a Gothic Hairstyle and Variants of Gothic Hairstyles

2011-09-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Author:

Dr. Lee Mikal

Gothic hairstyles are not normal and are very hard to find in the community eye.

Goth hair represents an ideal that is not in the public normal and many people are not sure what it is.

To first have a Gothic hairstyles, you should absolutely know what is is. First of all, Goth hair is not the same as punk girl hair and its not hairstyle that Elvira has either.

Gothic hairstyles are not frequent type of style and very hard to search in the common society.

That is why many people don't know what Goth is. Gothic hairstyle is dissimilar from what Elvira has and not the same as a punk hairstyle.

Goth hairstyles have remain since the 1980's when they were big, literally and metaphorically speaking.

It was a means of self look which brought out a darker side of the personality and it became a more subculture with music and an overall lifestyle.

It can be considered as a grouping mix of both, punk and Elvira dark hair style.

Top Five Goth Essentials

1. Black Nail Polish - whether you're a boy or a girl a high-quality bottle of black nail polish is a must-have for the aspiring goth.

2. Black Boots - search out a pair of boots that you know you'll wear a lot. If you\'re a girl, make sure they look good with skirts and pants. adaptability is key.

3. Hair Dye - this can either be black hair dye or some exotic, bright color used to highlight your dark hair. Try amazing like Manic Panic.

4. Studs and/or Zippers - if you don't have anything with studs or zippers, add some onto an old bag or grab a cool, old leather jacket from a thrift store that you can alter.

5. Black Eyeliner - again, it doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, you gotta have the black eyeliner. Great for inside layer lips, eyes or sketch stuff on your face.

Gothic Hairstyles: Beyond the Mainstream

To get the ink black color popular in gothic hairstyles, you can use an over-the-counter single procedure dye in the darkest color available, which should cover up even natural brunette hair.

The goal with this color is to get rid of any shading from the hair. It can be high preservation because roots show through quickly, even with of course dark hair, which is why it gave birth to the two-tone look, in which the roots are deliberately left visible.

How to Create a Gothic Hairstyle

Obviously, the first thing you need to do is decide what works look for you and what feels right.

The big hair that emphasize the romantic and mysterious, usually incorporate crimped or curly hair, goes well with most of the costumes, especially if you prefer corsets. Big, romantic hair over a tight corset creates a nice contrast.

Variants of Gothic Hairstyles

Although the gaze can range from medieval, to Elizabethan, to Victorian and to pure punk, it\'s all still Goth.

It is commonly stark, and many Goths dye their hair black, or black with shades of funky colors like brilliant red or purple.

But blondes and redheads can be Goth as well. The hair can be worn down in a seventies style, but usually with a fall, or hair additional room.

Elvira is a great instance of this, although others will argue that she is not Goth at all. That's the beauty of Goth, it can be diverse things to unlike people.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-create-a-gothic-hairstyle-and-variants-of-gothic-hairstyles-2156710.html

About the Author
Read more on Gothic Hair Style and Hairstyle for Various Face Shapes and Hair Styles

Poem: All The World's a Stage

2011-09-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd Pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing.

-- William Shakespeare

Quack Remedies: Oil to Cure Wounds in 24 Hours

2011-09-11T04:27:00.000-07:00

Oyl to Cure Wounds in 24 Hours, and for a Rupture

Take common oyl six pound, oyl of firr tree one pound, choice myrrh six ounces, washt aloes, frankincense, of each six ounces, mummy two ounces, common glew six ounces, cochineal four ounces, ship pitch six ounces, gum of the sycomore tree two ounces, lees of oil two pound, of marsh mallows seven ounces; put all these into a strong glass retort, and boyl them twelve hours in a balneo: then strayn them, and add to the strained liquor dragons four handfulls, flowers of wild pomegranates, four handfulls; great comfrey with the flowers, herb and root, four handfulls; ripe dates twenty-five; St. John's wort, thorow wax, small century, shepherds purse, of each four handfulls; boyl them again in balneo eighteen hours, then set them in the sun a whole summer in a glass very well stopt. After this take all out, strain it, pressing it very hard, and to the oyl add at last beaten saffron three ounces, and boyl all together three hours, and keep this oyl for your use. If you would use this oil for a rupture, you must first shave off the hayre, then for fifteen days yuo must anoint the rupture twice every day: then bind it over with a hogs bladder and firm ligature: and you must be carefull that the patient keep his bed for fifteen days.

-- from Eighteen Books of the Secrets of Art and Nature

This "Twilight" crap has got to stop...

2011-09-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

“I’m a vampire, I am going to eat you,” Smith announced before allegedly attacking Milton Ellis, according to an arrest affidavit.
...
When cops arrived, they located Smith--covered in blood and half naked--near the Hooters, according to a police spokesman. During questioning, she was unable to tell officers what had transpired outside the shuttered restaurant. Nor could she explain what had happened to her pants or why her panties were at her ankles.

Full story here.

When Your Just Want Someone to Shut Up and Leave

2011-09-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

"Get Your Blow in First" : St. Trinian's

2011-09-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

Anyone who's seen the original Addams Family cartoons knows the brand of humor: single panels, drawn in a crude but lively hand, portraying terrible deeds carried out gleefully by characters whose malice is perfectly logical in their world. Welcome to St. Trinian's Girls' Boarding School, where anarchy rules.

The first St. Trinian's cartoon appeared in 1942. Soon afterward the author, Ronald Searle, spent a bit of time in WW2 and by the time he got out of it had learned even more about mayhem and viciousness -- enough to turn the belles of St. Trinian's into real monsters and thereby, into classics. Cartoons often showed dead bodies of girls who had been murdered with pitchforks or succumbed to violent team sports, sometimes with vultures circling; girls drank, gambled and smoked. The older girls used their sexual wiles to get their way. The teachers at the school were often no better; whenever they scolded a student for misbehavior, it was usually for some minor infraction all while in plain sight of a vicious crime being perpetrated.

The original school Coat of Arms was a skull and crossbones. The lyrics to the school song were:

Maidens of St Trinian's, gird your armour on.

Grab the nearest weapon; never mind which one.

The battle's to the strongest; might is always right.

Trample on the weakest; glory in their plight.

St Trinian's! St Trinian's! Our battle cry.

St Trinian's! St Trinian's! Will never die.

Stride towards your fortune boldly on your way,

Never once forgetting there's one born every day.

Let our motto be broadcast: "get your blow in first!"

She who draws the sword last always comes off worst.

The cartoons were very well known in England, but never quite made a complete leap across the pond (perhaps because formal boarding schools were rarer in the US, making the joke of the contrast between prim and proper young schoolchildren and of the rowdy pupils of St. Trinian's less apparent.) Several films were made based on the comics, including one that stars Rupert Everett in drag as the headmistress. However, if you want to go oldschool, here's the way to go about it:

Poem: What is our Life?

2011-09-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

What is our life? The play of passion;
Our mirth? The music of division:
Our mothers' wombs the tiring-houses be
Where we are dressed for life's short comedy.
The earth the stage: Heaven the spectator is,
Who sits and views whoe'er doth act amiss.
The graves which hide us from the scorching sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus playing, post we to our latest rest,
And then we die in earnest, not in jest.

-- Sir Walter Raleigh

Goth Clothes - Recent Trend in the World of Fashion

2011-09-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Author:

Article Manager

The gothic clothing successfully represents the fashion statement of the gothic era. The gothic era represents the musical era specifying the dark gloomy sound. The effect of this musical era was so strong that it positively influenced many day to day aspects of life. The gothic clothing, eye makeup, music are some of the areas that have seen strong influence of this era.

Gothic Clothing- What to Expect?

The gothic clothing strictly follows the styles and trends of the gothic era. Black colour or dark colours are the specialty of the era. One can extensively use black colour, red, green or purple colour for making these clothes. The prominent feature of the gothic clothing is the extensive use of frills. The frills are experimentally used in the gothic clothing. The frills can be used for both skirts and pants. The skirts can be of knee length, long or mini. The frills can be made up of net and can be experimentally placed in the skirt. The gothic pants also use frills. The pants can be of full length, knee length and shorts. As in skirts, the frills are placed experimentally in the skirts also. The skirts and pants are made up of silk, satin and cotton. The fabrics are never a restriction of the gothic clothings.

Online Buying Of Gothic Clothing

The gothic clothing is immensely popular nowadays. Hence it is easily available through online cloth stores. The online cloth stores manufacture the clothes in the state-of-the-art manufacturing unit. They hire trained hands to make the alluring gothic era costumes. Some of the manufacturers allow the customers to completely customize the designs. You can customize the fabric, colour and design. The online clothes store customizes and delivers the readymade clothes in time. The stitches are strong and the cuts are simply perfect for the fitting of the customers. Buying from online clothes store allows saving heavy discounts on each buy. This discount is due to the stiff competition in the e commerce market. For more information on the matter kindly search the net.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/clothing-articles/goth-clothes-recent-trend-in-the-world-of-fashion-2366693.html

About the Author

TheGothCode.co.uk is a one stop shop for Gothic Clothes from the Goth clothes collection of fashion in the UK. We specialize in the hottest collection in both modern and traditional Gothic Clothing for both men and women.

Mummy Black and Caput Mortuum

2011-08-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

I've told a bit before about the history of artist pigments, and today wish to discuss the history of a particularly interesting pigment known as Mummy Black.

Egyptian mummies have a dark color to them when unwrapped (leading some folks to incorrectly believe the Egyptians were black as in negroid race, which is not quite correct -- though the discussion of that would be at least another post if not an entire book's worth of info.) It was believed in ancient times, by foreigners and maybe even by uneducated Egyptians, that this black color, and much of the whole preservation, were achieved by using large amounts of mineral pitch in the mummification process. In fact the hue is merely a side effect of the drying (think on how a piece of beef jerky winds up looking once the moisture is gone.) Nevertheless, this led to some odd beliefs and practices in both folk and formal medicines.

Mineral pitch was used for an assortment of traditional folk remedies, and the belief came to be that mineral pitch taken from a mummy would be even more powerful. Typical mummification really seems to have used very little if any mineral pitch, but that didn't stop anyone; they would steal and grind up whole mummies and sell the powder for all kinds of uses. It was used in love potions and curse removal, and was said to cure just about everything from bruises to epilepsy. Eventually the demand for mummia was greater than the supply, and recipes for mummia falsa, constructed from other types of dead bodies, survive.

The apothecary's shop was once not just the place for the quack physician, but also for the artist, who generally needed to prepare his own paints (or sometimes have them prepared by the apothecary.) Mummia was valued here as well -- it offered a nice black/brown shade that looked well in paintings, and some reportedly believed that the preservation process the mummy had undergone would also help to preserve the painting and the brightness of the pigment. So there goes Cleopatra, furnishing her own portrait. And if you think mummy black went out with the Renaissance, think again; I've heard reports of the stuff being used as late as the 1915, and some art stores still sell paint under the name (though no more made from real corpses.)

Another related paint called Caput Mortuum was also available. It was sometimes synonymous with Mummy Black, but other reports suggest it was made from the wrappings instead of the actual corpses.

Next time you're visiting an art museum, look out for any paintings featuring brown/black areas that seem to be cracking more than the surrounding paint -- this is said to be characteristic of Mummy Black.

Poem: Death Eternal

2011-08-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

The loneliness is deep in my soul
dripping
spiraling
only the knife offers solace
singing in the dark church
they will miss me so when i am gone
i cry even as i write
the clock is made of blood
helpless
my soul is dead and nothing is left
blood is my life
endless hopelessness

(from the Goth Poem Generator)

"The Worst Movie Ever Made" II

2011-08-26T00:04:00.000-07:00

After last month's article on the movie Goth, featuring reviews that said it was the worst film ever made, I decided that with so many other film that have been accused of that unhappy honor, I'd made a feature of it.

Today's installment: Howard the Duck.

I recently saw Howard the Duck at a friend's weekly 80s Movie Night. I've never read the comics on which it was based, but my understanding is that they were a bit more cerebral than the movie incarnation. I'm told Howard in the comics is more of a tough guy type, whereas in the movie I kept noticing elements that seemed like leftovers of that -- his "Quack-Fu" and short temper, his porn magazines, his job as a construction worker -- but they weren't delivered in the right tone or something; like it was perpetually obvious what the joke was supposed to be (that he's a mean, tough guy, but it's ridiculous because he's a giant DUCK) but because they didn't want to make him quite mean and tough enough, the payoff did not succeed. It is a rule of comedy that one can never exaggerate too much, and it was here an example of failure for the writers to try so hard to humanize this giant duck.

The story is that Howard lives on a faraway planet where humanoid ducks are the dominant species. He is very suddenly, and for much of the film inexplicably, sucked out of his livingroom and across the galaxy in a matter of minutes, ultimately landing in an alleyway Cleveland, Ohio. He is horrified by the sight of humans but, for some reason, seems to realize that one nearby human woman is in trouble and takes it upon himself to rescue her from some unwanted sexual advances. She naturally thanks the duck by inviting him back home to her apartment. The woman is named Beverly, and she's a punk singer of some fashion that only sings terrible 80s pop/metal. Howard mentions that he used to be a songwriter and construction worker but recently gave up both jobs to work for an ad agency. Howard soon falls asleep, while Beverly goes through his wallet -- apparently in an effort to confirm his strange story -- and finds dollar bills with ducks on them, photos of Howard and his duck friends, and a condom that does not at all look like it would fit on a duck penis but whatever (these ducks also have been established earlier as having mammalian breasts.) Beverly tries her best to help Howard figure out how he got on Earth and how he can get back home by introducing him to Tim Robbins and that guy who played Joseph II in Amadeus. Howard and Beverly meanwhile go through various ordeals that lead to a greater and greater bonding between them, and thankfully just when it appears like they might try to have sex some random subplot about space demons appears out of nowhere. Of course Howard sacrifices his only chance at getting home in order to save Earth from these space demons, and he goes on to live happily ever after as Beverly's manager (her band now having become a roaring success through performing his wonderous compositions like the Howard the Duck Song.)

Consensus after 80s Night was that this movie should be remade with a motion capture Bruce Willis as Howard, and Lady Gaga playing Beverly (since she seems like someone you could actually believe would want to have a romantic relationship with a giant duck.) Here are what some of the reviews had to say about it:

1.0 out of 5 stars Stuck with one star -- it deserves none!, December 6, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Howard the Duck [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Howard the Dreck is unbearable! Someone below actually said she is hoping and praying for a sequel (fat chance). That's like hoping and praying for a root canal! Among the worst pieces of (garbage) ever to escape from Hollywood. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME!

So if that didn't make you long to see it, what possibly could?

The Cereal Killers

2011-08-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

Breakfast of the Gods has been around for a few years, and just this January it was, at last, completed!

For those unfamiliar: Breakfast of the Gods is actually a grim tale of war, massacre and betrayal, but made ridiculous because it's all being acted out by famous cereal mascots. The sample image at right portrays Cap'n Crunch with his sword bloodied after battle, while Tony the Tiger with bare teeth mauls the Crunchberry Beast, until Dig'Em resorts to doing away with him by shooting him in the face. The official summary reads:

The tale is set in Cerealia, a land eternally bathed in morning sunlight. But troubled days have come to fair Cerealia in the wake of the mysterious disappearance of the king and his wizard adviser. For the first time a shadow has fallen over the land, a shadow named Chocula. Noble and wise, the old sea captain Horatio M. Crunch has stepped up to lead the fight against Count Chocula’s forces of darkness. What follows is the most important battle of their lives as well as the most important meal of the day.

Apparently the author did run into some legal problems early on, but seems to have overcome the issues and now has published his complete collection at Indy Planet.

The Diary of a Lost Girl

2011-08-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

In Diary of a Lost Girl, the one and only Louise Brooks plays Thymian Henning, the innocent and naive daughter of pharmacist Robert Henning. Thymian is seduced by her father's assistant Meinert (played by the same fellow who was The Thin Man in Metropolis) and gives birth to an illegitimate child. Meinert is revealed to be the father by an entry in Thymian's diary, and when she refuses to marry him she is forced to leave the baby with a midwife and sent to a strict reform school for wayward girls. Meanwhile, Thymian's father marries his housekeeper Meta, who becomes head of the household.

Rebelling against the school's rigid discipline, Thymian and her friend Erika escape with the help of her father's old friend, Count Osdorff, but they separate. Thymian's relief is short-lived—she discovers that her baby is dead—and after despondently wandering the streets, she re-unites with Erika, who is working in a brothel. Thymian also becomes a prostitute, but profits from her misfortune by gaining control of her own life. When her father dies, she inherits a large amount of money, after gaining "respectability" by marrying Osdorff, but gives it all to her young half-sister who has been disinherited.

Osdorff, who had been counting on the money because he himself had been disinherited by his uncle, kills himself. The uncle, grief-stricken, makes Thymian his heir. In a strange twist of fate, she becomes a director of the reform school where she herself was once held. When her old friend is brought in as an "especially difficult case" who "constantly turns away from the blessings of our home", Thymian denounces the school and its "blessings". Uncle Osdorff has the last word: "A little more love and no-one would be lost in this world."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Bittersweet and tragic, February 12, 2003
By Emiliano Moreno (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Diary of a Lost Girl (DVD)
"Diary of a Lost Girl" (1929) shows us Louise Brooks at her best. It is the bittersweet tale of a young girl's loss of innocence. The new score by Joseph Turrin truly matches this sentimental film by G.W. Pabst , his second best known silent feature after "Pandora's Box" (1928). There are various close ups of Brooks which demonstrate that she was not only a talented actress, but a true vision of beauty. Her face is absolutely flawless. Buy this movie today on DVD, you will not regret it. The DVD also contains the eighteen minute movie short, " Windy Riley Goes to Hollywood", where one can hear Louise Brooks talk! This was directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle under an assumed name. Arbuckle's life and career were devasted by a scandal in the early 1920's, he died not long after making this film short.
Also highly recommended is of course, "Pandora's Box" also starring the lovely Louise Brooks.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh boy!!!!, October 28, 2001
By Ed N "Ed" (Kensington, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Diary of a Lost Girl (DVD)
WOW!!! I never in my wildest dreams thought this silent film classic starring Louise Brooks was coming to DVD! I thought for sure Pandora's Box (Ms. Brooks' most famous film) would come first. And furthermore, I thought Criterion would be the company to release the film, but it looks like Kino's will have the honor. That's not bad, either - Kino's has a LOT of good foreign/silent/independent films, and I've always liked their VCR tapes, so I'm looking forward eagerly to Diary of a Lost Girl.
For those not in the know, Louise Brooks was the ultimate flapper girl of the 1920s. She was probably more famous for her haircut, beauty, and lifestyle than her films. But her film legacy is firmly established by two German films she made after leaving Hollywood briefly - Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl, both by G.W. Pabst (one of the legendary silent film directors). Both films, if you can find them, are absolute classics. The German expressionist style has rarely been more beautifully captured than in Pandora's Box (Hitchcock used this style too in a lot of his early black/white films). And I was lucky enough to find a beat-up VHS copy of Diary. If you like silent films, you can't go wrong with this film either! The imagery is stunning, Louise Brooks looks gorgeous and gives a moving performance a young lady who, having lost her virtue, is consequently shunned by society and has to learn to care for herself. I don't like to give away plots, so that's all I'll say, but I am looking forward to owning this film on DVD! Highly recommended!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars LOUISE BROOKS IGNITES THE SCREEN, December 9, 2001
By Robin Simmons (Palm Springs area, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Diary of a Lost Girl (DVD)
In the era of the silent cinema, no one ignited the screen like Louise Brooks. In the still shocking "Pandora's Box," and in the lurid, 1929 melodrama "DIARY OF A LOST GIRL,", the mysterious charisma and stunning beauty of Brooks are on sensational display. Brooks, the ultimate 20s flapper, plays idealistic and innocent Thymian, who's raped by her unscrupulous pharmacist father's scabrous assistant. She leaves a child behind, escapes a horrible reform school and ends up working in a brothel. The great G.W. Pabst, who directed Brooks in "Pandora" directs again with an invisible hand. This masterpiece of German Expressionism is about 10 minutes longer and has over 80 slightly different cuts than the 1990 English version released on video (Kino). "Diary of a Lost Girl" is an absolutely exquisite film of great emotional power. Close ups of Brooks defy description. She will take your breath away.

Additionally, if you have some time to spare, you can read the entire book on which the movie was based (originally written in German, translated under the title Diary of a Lost One) online for free.

Materials for Steampunk Inspired Jewelry

2011-08-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Author:

Charlie Mclean

The term ‘steampunk' was coined in 1987 by K.W. Jeter author of Morlock night, and was used to describe a genre of fantasy and exploratory fiction. This style is also heavily influenced by Victorian and Edwardian eras, a time of increased prosperity and creativity, as well as elaborate fashions. Long coats, top hats, bustles and frilly umbrellas were the fashion of the day coupled with ornate pocket watches, pendants and cameo brooches. Steampunk style has grown to incorporate such influences alongside the harder ‘mad max' style futuristic industrial elements to create a unique look.

Designing and making steampunk style jewellery need not involve a lot of metal smiting expertise, but some basic jewellery making techniques are helpful to master to achieve the right look. Among these is getting to grips with wire work, specifically coiling, creating spirals and wrapping as these can be key looks involved in the style. Look out for coiling and spiralling gizmos as these can make these tasks much easier and quicker if you are looking to produce a number of items.

There are a number of different materials appropriate for making steampunk jewellery, and many are rooted in the ethos and background of the style. Chain is one of the key elements that you will find time and time again. During the Industrial Revolution the middle classes were able to afford pinchbeck (a golden copper/zinc alloy) and steel that was stamped, pressed and rolled into chains, hence the use of such items in steampunk jewellery.

Charms are also quite heavily used and were popularised by Queen Victoria. However much of the charms on offer today consist of watch parts, and found object, the latter of which can be cheap to obtain. However watch parts can more difficult to source, but take a look on Etsy for sellers with vintage watch movements and cogs. These items tend to be largely from US sellers, but look out for bulk buys as these can mean you get a better deal.

Glass can also be an affordable embellishment to add to your piece. The machine age saw a marked increase in the manufacture of glass and today you can easily pick up glass cabochons, beads or mirrors to adorn your jewellery. You can even make your own with the help of a glass fusing kit.

Cameos are another popular element, especially if you want to do something a little more along the lines of Victorian gothic jewellery. These were very popular during the Victorian era and the wealthy collected shell or lava cameos while on vacation in Italy.

If you would like to incorporate gemstones and want to stay true to the era choose from; amethyst, opal, turquoise, agate, onyx, carnelian, amber, jade, garnet, ruby, jet, sapphire, peridot, and jasper as these were becoming increasingly available in the mid 19th Century as ships began to bring back gem stones to England as a result of the trade boost with Asia during this period.

The colours used in steampunk style jewellery are also important, and are kept muted and somewhat drab. This is due to the fact that there were no synthetic dyes around in the first half of the 19th Century. You many also want to consider this if you wish to make more Victorian gothic /mourning style inspired pieces as a lady in mourning would only be allowed to wear black, gray shades or purple and occasionally burgundy or ruby. Combining lace chokers with chain detail can also add to the this look and create a very gothic feel.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/crafts-articles/materials-for-steampunk-inspired-jewellery-4461221.html

About the Author

Charlie Mclean owns and runs an online gothic boutique selling a range of gothic jewellery and accessories from leading brands such as Alchemy Gothic alongside Inflikted, Charlie's own brand of handmade jewellery, encompassing both gothic Victorian and steampunk style themes.

Poem: Kyndeli (aka Kinderly)

2011-08-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

Kyndeli is now mi coming

Into this werld wiht teres and cry.

Litel and pouere is myn having,

Britel and sone ifalle from hi;

Scharp and strong is mi deying,

I ne wot whider schal I.

Fowl and stinkande is mi roting --

On me, Jesu, yow have mercy!

(If these lyrics seem familiar, we've heard them before courtesy of the Mediaeval Baebes, from their CD Worldes Blisse.)

Painting with the Colors of a Corpse

2011-08-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

I have a fascination with the dead, in case you couldn't tell. I like to look at dead bodies -- I've been to Egyptian museums to see mummies, the Body Worlds exhibit to see plastinated people, and I even own a few (legally acquired) human bones. Why should this be? It's hard to say. I think to some extent there's a sense of excitement from it -- the dead are a sort of 'safe danger' in that their state of no longer being alive means they're really almost the safest kind of person you ever could be around, yet there's kind of a built-in fear around the dead in most humans, probably to help warn you out of danger (since, in the wild -- or even in some modern cities -- finding a dead person means that whatever made them dead might still be around and ready to get you next.)

But beyond all this, I think the dead are just extremely interesting and even pretty in their way. Now, some people think that looking at the dead and gaining any sort of pleasure from it is disrespectful, or at least disgusting.

If such a person is you, I advise you to turn away now, because you're not going to be happy with the rest of this post.

Now, for those who are at all intrigued by where this is going, I found a perfect act of morbid beauty in which to pass an evening by indulging. We must begin our little project with some photographs of corpses -- the more colorful the better (which pretty much means you want photos of the rotting ones.) I snagged a couple from Rotten.com

One you have your photos, upload them to a palette generator such as this one. This will break down the photo and determine the major colors in it, and allow you to know what their basic colors are.

You now have a palette. Now, match these hues up with the colors of house paint, and start decorating. If you register, Behr.com even has a thing that lets you try them out on sample rooms (or pictures of your own home if you want to get fancy and download some software from them.) The results of this experiment are strewn about this post -- the painted room pictures are all done with colors derived from the palettes of the corpse photos above. The African corpse's colors look good in almost anything, I found. The morgue photo, meanwhile, is a bit harder to use -- you have to have the right kind of room for those colors, which are much cooler and duller, to really be able to have them stand out.

As I'm not in a position at present to actually repaint my house at all, this project is but mere speculation; nevertheless, it sure sounds like a suitable Gothic Martha Stewart plan to me; it's Cemetery Goth but with a little more subtlety, and with hues like "Victorian Gold" and "Grape Leaves" constantly cropping up, it can merge well into just about any style as a subtle memento mori that won't freak out your house guests.

Vampires, Goths and Ghouls Love Weddings in Las Vegas

2011-08-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Author:

Daniel Manson

It seems only appropriate as “New Moon,” the latest installment in the Twilight movie series continues to bring fans into the theaters that I talk about my wife and our perfect Las Vegas wedding.

We’re both huge fans of the whole vampire genre. I’ve been immersed in it since first reading Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” way back in public school. I considered having prosthetic fangs glued onto my teeth when I went through my rebellious teen phase, but quickly realized that was a path that could only end in schoolyard beatings, so I opted to remain undercover. I met my (future) wife at a goth-themed dance party in college. Bauhaus was playing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” when I first asked her out. She was more a true Goth than a vampire fan back then, but she’s switched sides so to speak, after getting hooked on Stephenie Meyers’ “Twilight” book series. When I proposed to her, one of the first things we talked about was having a wedding that reflected our interests and how weddings in Las Vegas always seemed to be the way to go when looking for a ceremony that’s off the beaten track.

When we looked into the possibility of a Los Vegas wedding, we were a little worried that our particular theme might not be something they could deal with. I mean, we’ve all seen the Elvis-themed wedding in Las Vegas, but I wasn’t sure that the undead would be something any of the chapels would be comfortable in handling. Turns out that I was wrong. When we checked out vivalosvegasweddings.com, we found that they offered packages designed around everything from the Blues Brothers to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and they had exactly the one we were hoping for: When Vampires Fly.

Most of our friends and family had never been to Nevada before and they were thrilled to be going to Vegas. It’s hard to beat the weather they get there and no one needs to be told about the entertainment that’s available if you’re going to weddings in Los Vegas. The ceremony itself was perfect. The chapel supplied a minister in costume as a vampire, the music was suitably creepy and the package included a pair of female vampires who rose from the grave during the ceremony and flew into the air together! Of course the place was full of tombstones, eerie lighting and loads of fog, so a suitably chilling atmosphere was created. After what we experienced and the comments we received from our guests, I have to say that Los Vegas weddings are the way to go.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/vampires-goths-and-ghouls-love-weddings-in-las-vegas-1501954.html

About the Author

Kyle Ward (aka Lord Ward) is a vampire enthusiast who married in a Las Vegas wedding ceremony specially designed to appeal to fans of the macabre. Kyle blogged about his experience, including the flying vampires who rose from the grave during their vows, pointing out that no-one else does spectacle and effects like Las Vegas wedding packages can offer.

Reconstructed from Reviews: The Green Lantern

2011-08-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

There's a fun game I learned which consists of trying to reconstruct the plot of a movie (preferably one that you haven't seen and don't ever plan to see) as thoroughly as possible by using only bad reviews. Spoilers ahead, in this, the reconstructed plot of -- THE GREEN LANTERN.

Like Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, Martin Campbell's Green Lantern (Warner Bros.) begins at the very beginning: the origins of the universe.* And like The Tree of Life, Green Lantern relies on extensive voice-over as it links those cataclysmic intergalactic events to the life of one mortal, vulnerable man.

Green Lantern opening voice-over informs us, in a massive data dump of exposition, that the Guardians, ancient keepers of the universal order who resemble the large-skulled aliens from the pilot episode of Star Trek, have created a "galactic community of peacekeepers." This corps of 3,600 green-clad recruits is taught to harness "the emerald energy of willpower" in order to defend justice across the cosmos.

We’re whisked off to the glamorous planet of Ryut where some Green Lanterns are doing Lantern stuff in space suits.

What, one might ask, is a Green Lantern? They would be a sort of galactic police force, ruled by ... shrunken heads in long robes. Most of the characters look like refugees from the worst George Lucas film never made.

At one point we’re told that fear is the enemy, and that Lanterns don’t fear, and then the bad guy comes … and he’s not scary, but the Lanterns are terrified and getting obliterated, and wait, I thought they didn’t fear?

They’re under attack! Yeeps, there’s something terrible out there, an awful yellow something of fear, and this guy is almost certainly the bad guy! The angry yellow fellow is named Parallax, though he looks a bit like the “Yellow Bastard” from Sin City. Parallax mocks the doomed Lanterns as they perish, just so you know the type of hombre you’re dealing with, and then we get defeated scriptwriter technique number two.

Six months later…

One can only imagine what Parallax has been up to for the past six months, though I could definitely see a fear-monster of his ilk starting fake wedding registries and buying illegal fireworks across state lines. Such is the level of his nastiness. A new Lantern heads out to challenge him, but it all goes terribly awry

One of the most powerful Green Lanterns is Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison), but after he’s fatally wounded in an encounter with an evil alien called Parallax, he heads for the nearest planet so that the ring may find a successor.

Hal Jordan is complicated and troubled.

... Hal Jordan, an ace test pilot with Daddy issues, Daddy having been a test pilot who young Hal watched burn up in a plane.

Blake Lively is Jordan’s fellow F-35 pilot (naturally), and they are tasked with dogfighting the newest in robot fighter plane technology, as part of a presentation. They’re employed by a defense contractor, you see. Blake Lively is Carol Ferris (in the movie), the daughter of someone named Mr. Ferris who heads up (or used to head up) Ferris Aero-planes.

The totally unneeded love interest is played by Blake Lively, a childhood friend of Hal's who now runs the big corporation he worked for

That established, Reynolds and Lively don their flight suits to duel the robot fighter planes, so they can sell them to the government, so that everyone lives happily ever after off the tax dollar fat of the land. Unfortunately, frickin’ Hal Jordan pulls one of his typical jerk moves, and instead of allowing the robo-planes (patent pending) to shine, he goes out and instead wins the dogfight.

Ugh, men are the worst — amiright, ladies?

This puts the government contract in peril, because who in sam hell would want to buy robot fighter planes that can’t even shoot down a mavericky loose cannon sort of guy? Chances are, should these robot planes ever come up against someone who took their job seriously, they’d be in a whole heap of robot trouble. This whole “winning” thing makes Carol Ferris furious, because it’s just like Hal Jordan to blow a billion dollar defense contract.

Flashcut to a doomed alien Lantern crashing on Earth and telling the ring to go choose someone worthy. ... the ring finds Jordan, and he’s whisked off to Abin Sur’s side (the Lantern who crashed). Sur and Jordan chat for a bit, and then Sur hands over the ring, telling Jordan to grab the lantern out of his spacecraft. And say the oath!

Hal is selected by a dying Green Lantern as his replacement, and given a power ring that lets him produce anything that his imagination can conjure up — giant hammers, machine guns, race cars, anything.

Only drawback is that the ring has to be regularly recharged with that special lantern.

After many failed attempts and feeling downright silly having called on both the power of Greyskull and Buzz Lightyear, the ring suddenly activates

Hal figures out how to charge the ring with energy from a lantern the dying alien also gave him (a process not dissimilar from syncing your iPhone), and in no time he's traveling to the planet of Oa, a sort of Camp Pendleton for Lantern recruits, where he's given a crash course in the use of his new powers.

Hal meets Sinestro (Mark Strong), the head of the Lanterns, who is skeptical a human weakling like Hal was chosen. But then again he knows the ring never makes a wrong choice.

he learns that he is now a member of the Green Lantern Corps: a band of intergalactic warriors who use the power of Will to fight against the forces of evil and Fear. In addition to getting a quick crash course on how to use his Will and receiving a dressing-down from Sinestro (Mark Strong), the leader of the Green Lanterns, Hal learns that an ancient enemy, the Parallax, has been released from its prison and is rampaging through the galaxy, heading (of course) for Earth.

Also, the villain of the piece is a cloud.

An evil cloud, to be sure, composed as it is of nothing less than the Yellow Power of Fear. It has a face like Monty Burns, and it's given to slurping up its victims' souls like so many bluepoint oysters, but even so: a cloud.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government recovers the body of Abin Sur and brings in scientist Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) to conduct the autopsy.

Angela Bassett is wasted in a tiny role as a fellow scientist

The planet's survival is also threatened by a more human enemy, Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), a biologist who, while dissecting the body of the alien, was infected with an organism from its blood that's slowly taken over his body and deformed him horribly.

(his senator dad, smarmily played by Tim Robbins, prefers the jockish pilot Hal Jordan over him)

(He is also secretly in love with Carol. This we know because he keeps newspaper articles of her all over his office.)

Wearing a cool new costume, Hal returns to his home planet to confront the Parallax's agent, Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), prove his worth to his ex-girlfriend, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), and defeat the bad guy.

But after a disastrous training montage, [Hal] figures he doesn't really want the responsibility that goes with all that power. The only problem is that his would-be girlfriend back home isn't really into quitters. That, and the nerdy kid from high school who has always been jealous of Jordan is about to help bring about the end of the world. (That would be Peter Sarsgaard, made up to look so much like a pedophile, one wonders how he'd even get an interview to become a teacher.)

Our hero, you see, has been chosen for super-ness because he's supposedly fearless. But he spends most of the film whining about how scared he is.

Green Lantern’s foe feeds on fear like a CGI-enhanced Judge Judy. It’s the yellow energy of fear against the green energy of will.

But his girlfriend Carol (Blake Lively) tells him he can do it as does his best friend Thomas (Taika Waititi).

There's an inevitable scene where Hal discovers his powers after getting jumped by some toughs outside a bar. As soon as the scene shifted to the bar, I knew some thugs would appear shortly to serve as Lantern tenderizer. It's practically encoded in the DNA of movies like this.

The Lantern’s ring makes Hal Jordan’s thoughts a reality; he can’t just ask it to blow up an alien ship or knock someone across a room. Jordan must actually think of a giant fist that then materialises out of green light from the ring and punches his opponent.

there are far too many scenes staged for the express purpose of reminding us that this seeming daredevil harbors guilt and anxiety over the long-ago death of his missile-jockey father

The Green Lantern first gets the chance to show off his powers and save the day during a celebratory ceremony in which a helicopter is about to crash into a crowd of people. With little time to spare, our masked and spandex-wearing hero prevents the impending disaster by transforming the chopper into a Batmobile look-alike and having it speed down race tracks that resemble something made by Hot Wheels.

[Hector Hammond] is promptly killed. Wait, what? His daddy issues and fury over being an abused nerd gets him thrown into a computer and then swallowed? That just plain stinks.

... while Geoffrey Rush looks on, dressed as a fish.

Sound convoluted? Boy is it; as are the Gatling guns, catapults and other weapons that Hal must manually operate against his foes instead of the ring simply being able to dispatch the bad guys.

(watch out for Hal's nerdy best friend suddenly disappearing, never to be seen again, in time for the third act).

One rare clever moment involved Hal appearing before Carol in his Green Lantern regalia for the first time, including a teensy, utterly pointless plastic domino mask. “You think I wouldn’t recognise you because I can’t see your cheekbones?”

There’s a scene with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively conversing at dusk that might as well be a radio play.

Don't even get me started on the awful self-help mumbo-jumbo Blake Lively's Carol Ferris uses to inspire Jordan when he's doing the usual "I'm not worthy" routine.

The final showdown in outer space is brilliantly realised.

We get a glimmer of the Hal Jordan comic fans have come to love toward the very end of the piece as the Lantern fights Parallax, a fully-CGI creature that looks like the love child of a dreadlock wig and a giant dust bunny, but it’s far too late for anyone to care.

Ryan Reynolds sells Hal's transformation from self-absorbed hotshot to self-sacrificing champion.

perhaps the post-credits promise of a Sinestro vs. Green Lantern smackdown will go unfulfilled.

Quack Remedies: To Cure Anal Pain

2011-08-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

To cure a pain in the anus if it's caused by a demon:

Wormwood 1/8

Juniper berries 1/16

Honey 1/32

Sweet beer 10 ro.

Strain [after soaking together?] and drink for four days.

From An Ancient Egyptian Herbal

The Solar System Builder

2011-08-08T02:04:00.000-07:00

What you see below is an image from my own solar system:

Clearly I didn't do a great job, since that planet orbits so close to the sun I don't know how it persists, but that is better than what happens most of the time which seems to be planets wrecking straight into the sun itself, as in this image from a universe less well made:

Where is this all being done, you ask? In this surprisingly addictive game from National Geographic. I suppose when you think of it, what's more Goth than watching worlds be destroyed?

Solar System Builder | Known Universe- National Geographic Channel
Construct the perfect solar system in the Known Universe Solar System Builder. Choose your star, then create a wide variety of planets and send them spinning into orbit.

Poem: And Feel I, Death, No Joy

2011-08-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

And feel I, Death! no joy from thought of thee?
Death, the great counsellor, who man inspires
With every nobler thought and fairer deed!
Death, the deliverer, who rescues man,
Death, the rewarder, who the rescued crowns!
Death, that absolves my birth, a curse without it!
Rich Death, that realises all my cares,
Toils, virtues, hopes; without it a chimera!
Death, of all pain the period, not of joy;
Joy's source and subject still subsist unhurt,
One in my soul and one in her great Sire,
Though the four winds were warring for my dust.
Yes, and from winds and waves and central night,
Though prisoned there, my dust I too reclaim,
To dust when drop proud Nature's proudest spheres,
And live entire. Death is the crown of life;
Were Death denied, poor man would live in vain:
Were Death denied, to live would not be life;
Were Death denied, e'en fools would wish to die.
Death wounds to cure: we fall: we rise: we reign!
Spring from our fetters; fasten in the skies:
When blooming Eden withers in our sight:
Death gives us more than was in Eden lost.
This king of terrors is the prince of peace.
When shall I die to vanity, pain, death?
When shall I die? When shall I live for ever?

-- Edward Young

Elizabeth Báthory

2011-08-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

The case of Elizabeth Báthory inspired numerous stories during the 18th and 19th centuries. The most common motif of these works was that of the countess bathing in her victims' blood in order to retain beauty or youth. However, this legend only appeared in print for the first time in 1729 -- more than a hundred years after Báthory's death. At the beginning of the 19th century, this certainty was questioned, and sadistic pleasure was considered a far more plausible motive for Elizabeth Báthory's crimes. In 1817, the witness accounts (which had surfaced in 1765) were published for the first time, suggesting that the bloodbaths were legend. It seems that through history many women's deeds have been falsely attributed to vanity, and Countess Elizabeth was one of them.

According to all the trial testimony, her initial victims were the adolescent daughters of local peasants, many of whom were lured to Csejte by offers of well-paid work as maidservants in the castle. Later, she is said to have begun to kill daughters of the lesser gentry, who were sent to her gynaeceum by their parents to learn courtly etiquette. Abductions were said to have occurred as well.

In December of 1610, György Thurzó, then the second highest ranking dignitary after the King, went to Báthory's home of Csejte Castle. There he reportedly found one girl dead and one dying. They reported that another woman was found wounded, and still others locked up. He arrested Báthory, and four of her servants who were accused of being her accomplices. While Countess Elizabeth was put under house arrest (and remained so from that point on), King Matthias requested that she be sentenced to death. However, Thurzó successfully convinced the King that such an act would negatively affect the nobility. Hence, a trial was postponed indefinitely.

The descriptions of torture that emerged during the trials were often based on hearsay. The atrocities described most consistently included:

severe beatings over extended periods of time, often leading to death

burning or mutilation of hands, sometimes also of faces and genitalia

biting the flesh off the faces, arms and other bodily parts

freezing to death

surgery on victims, often fatal

starving of victims

sexual abuse

The use of needles was also mentioned by the collaborators in court.

Given the types of cruelty committed, and the fact that serial killers usually only kill whatever gender of person they're attracted to, one can assume Countess Elizabeth was a lesbian; what fueled her need to kill, however, is more of a mystery. There are many interesting sources for information on her life, including the following:

Poem: Stay, Cupid

2011-08-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Stay, Cupid, whither art thou flying?
Pity the pale lovers dying:
They that honour'd thee before,
Will no more
At thy altar pay their vows.
Oh let the weeping virgins strow,
Instead of rose and myrtle boughs,
Sad yew, and funeral cypress now!
Unkind Cupid, leave thy killing;
These are all thy mother's doves;
Oh do not wound such noble loves,
And make them bleed, that should be billing!

-- James Shirley

From Cupid and Death

(The full song was posted a few months ago here, where it's sung by a girl in a boat.)

Why Is Industrial Music So Addictive?

2011-08-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Author:

lazarous

Underrated, hidden, diverse, unique, dark, and international, industrial music has a deep and interesting history. From the drum machines of Germany it hit the world silently but effectively. Industrial bands may be found practically anywhere these days. As the music culture appears, industrial music continues to stay underground. Since its rooting among punk and other electronic music genres, industrial music has chosen to stay out of the major media scene. Industrial bands pride themselves in their music and expression rather than in fame and fortune.

Because of a birth among techno, punk, and rock, industrial music has developed a rather unique but yet attractive style. The music tends to be hard in general but shows many contrasts with numerous string melodies as well. Industrial music can be somewhat harsh at times while overlapping to low bass dance beats that are excellent for the night club environment.

Lyrics of industrial songs can range from the usual love situations to existential questions of life. Like punk though, politcs are a common theme among industrial bands as well as the dark side of life as in their more recent relative, Gothic music. These contrasting lyrical usages combined with just as varied a beat, make industrial music truly rich in style and quality.

So why is industrial music exactly so addictive? Well as mentioned, it has variety, pleasing beats, and topics that most of us can relate to or ponder. Unlike often in rock music, the amateur bands in industrial are not so irritating. Sounds created by synthesizers tend to be much more pleasing to the common ear.

Check out some industrial music for yourself today and see if it is really as addicting as many claim it to be. Industrialmusics.com is an excellent source for all of your industrial needs. Information is clearly presented at the website as well as tons of song bits that you can freely browse through and listen to.

Among history, a good analysis, and great images, industrialmusics.com also features a list of purchasable industrial albums. These albums are the top of the world industrial bands and each carry something significant that cannot be replicated.

Free yourself today and let your ears tryout something new and refreshing for a change.

http://industrialmusics.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/why-is-industrial-music-so-addictive-4453660.html

About the Author

Writer, artist, designer, and teacher. http://industrialmusics.com

Modern Penny Dreadful Arrives on the iPhone App Store

2011-07-31T01:29:00.000-07:00

Modern Penny Dreadful arrives on the iPhone App Store

Author: raam rahim

Steampulp Publishing LLC has released the world's first electronic pulp fiction magazine created exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Emulating the style of the pulp adventure magazines of the 1920s and '30s, Steampunk Tales #1 contains first-run and original fiction written by an A list of award-winning authors. Issue #1 contains 10 short stories (between 4,300 and 11,000 words) for the unbelievably low price of $1.99.

Authors contributing to Issue #1 include Jay Lake, Catherynne M. Valente, SatyrPhil Brucato and G.D. Falksen. The cover art was painted by popular artist Melita "Missmonster" Curphy. Steampunk Tales is distributed exclusively via the iPhone App Store and features the unique Steampunk Tales Reader, which renders the stories with a retro-futuristic Victorian flair never before seen in any eBook reader application. Steampunk Tales is the one and only "Penny Dreadful" for your iPhone!

"We stand at the beginning of a revolution in the distribution of print," says John Sondericker III, founder of Steampulp Publishing. "The combination of low distribution costs and the potential for high volume sales allows us to provide an astounding value for the consumer. The timing is perfect to re-introduce the world to the ‘Penny Dreadfuls', and the iPhone is a platform that can truly do them justice."

Minimum Requirements: iPhone and iPod touch 2.0 or later

Pricing and Availability: : Steampunk Tales #1 1.0 for iPhone is only $1.99 (USD) and available exclusively through Apple's App Store.
Steampulp Publishing LLC is the first and only company to release a fiction magazine exclusively on the iPhone platform. New issues of Steampunk Tales will be released monthly. Steampunk Tales will be one of the first applications to implement several of the forthcoming iPhone OS 3.0 features, as OS 3.0 will allow readers to purchase back-issues as well as new content from within the Steampunk Tales Reader.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/communication-articles/modern-penny-dreadful-arrives-on-the-iphone-app-store-2936830.html

About the Author

http://reviews-mann.blogspot.com/2010/02/medal-of-honor-airborne-pc.html

http://www.twitter.com/lizareckon

http://www.google.com/profiles/mannzunty

Steampunk Clothing

2011-07-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

Author: Gareth Hoyle

Would you like to add some stylish steampunk clothing to your wardrobe?

If so, it shouldn't prove that big a surprise. Steampunk is a very unique form of fashion, and has its roots in the whole steampunk subculture, where prominent elements of science fiction or fantasy are fused with the trends of Victorian-era Britain. There has been an increasing trend towards establishing steampunk as a culture or lifestyle, which can only bolster the popularity of steampunk clothing in future years.

However, if you plan to join the rising volume of people decking themselves in steampunk clothing, you may find yourself wondering where exactly you are supposed to buy it from. Such an innovative form of clothing is still not widely stocked among the big name, high street clothing retailers. Fortunately, however, there are stockists of less mainstream style clothing, including steampunk clothing, out there - you just need to know how and where to find them.

What should be your first port of call for finding such retailers?

The local shopping centre, perhaps? Nope. The phone book? No, don't bother. Your best bet is that most wonderful of resources, the Internet - and, in particular, a big name Internet search engine, like Google or Yahoo. Just type 'steampunk clothing' in the text box, click 'search', and watch in amazement as a hefty list of steampunk clothing sellers appears right before your eyes. However, not all of these sellers can live up to their strong promises, hence the question...

What else should the right shop selling steampunk clothing offer?

The right firm should be British-based, and have over two decades' experience of stocking less mainstream style clothing. To this end, they should stock a good variety of Gothic clothing, for both men and women, with a strong steampunk theme. However, you should also expect a healthy stock of other types of clothing, including ethnic and more conventional Gothic clothing. This should indicate the firm's experience of and expertise in selling all kinds of unique clothing, including steampunk clothing.

Also check that the company accepts payment through the secure PayPal method, has clear refunds and delivery policies, and is easily contactable via phone or email.

Pinkparrotonline.co.uk specialise in Steampunk Clothing .We are sure that you can find whatever you require in our comprehensive selection of products. Visit us today for Gothic Coats .

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/steampunk-clothing-2275844.html

"The Worst Movie Ever Made"

2011-07-26T01:46:00.000-07:00

So my Cinema Gothica section in the Emporium Gothica, at the moment, is basically rigged to just offer whatever Amazon.com perceives as most relevant to the site. One movie it suggests is called merely Goth. In curiosity I decided to check out the reviews on this thing -- and I may have to throw a little party for the purpose of seeing this one!

By James E. Martin II
This is without a doubt the worst movie ever made.

Ya the worst movie ever made.

Let me make sure you understand what I mean when I say that it is THE WORST MOVIE EVER PUT TO FILM IN THE HISTORY OF MOVIE MAKING. This makes Hunting Humans look like the Exorcist.
I would rather give myself an at home vasectomy with my neighbors rabid cat than watch this movie again.
But... ...If you have to watch, if your curiosity cannot be contained, be sure to check out all of the killer special features (LOL). And be sure to watch the riveting trailer to get ya in the mood. But if you wish, I can give ya a synopsis of the film and spare you the pain that no one living should ever have to know. (Without the aid of some special brownies of course :) )

The story follows the riveting journey of these two characters. One who lookes like Shannen Doherty, and the other that lookes like a wannabe gothic Lance Bass. They are a couple, and they are also "gothic". They go to a "gothic" club. Just to show you how gothic this movie is so far. The boyfriend's name is Boone, how gothic is that.
While at this "gothic" club, they meet this gothic chick (I am not bull sh*ting you) named "Goth". You heard it boys and girls a goth girl actually named "Goth". The worst wannabe in the history of the gothic culture has never stooped this low. WTF!
Goth tells them the three rules.
1 Embrace the darkness
2 Kill your fear
3 Live for death
To make a long story short, Goth kills a few people while strung out on this flour like substance called White light. Ohhh so scary. The special effects are more like the special olympics, and the acting is even worse. The retarded kid who played Corkie did a better job. Kermit the frog is more gothic than anything in this POS movie. This movie was written by a man who knows nothing about the gothic culture from his own admission. Not a single f*@king thing. If your looking to top yourself tonight, be sure to rent this first, because you won't want to live much longer after you do.

Stay away, don't go towards the light Carolann.
Jesus Christ.

Memkhet provides us with a fine little summary of the story:

"Goth" is the story of a young girl named Chrissy, who has involved herself in the goth scene of LA. Our tale begins with Chrissy and her boyfriend, Boone, heading off to a concert for some kind of Korn rip-off. There, Chrissy meets the movie's title character. Yes, that's right, there is a character in this movie named Goth. (Get ready for all sorts of puns. "Hi, I'm Goth!" "Yeah, so are we!") According to Goth, she is the most hardcore person in the scene. Everyone else is just a lame poseur. This, of course, includes Chrissy, and Goth wants to take her under her wing and show her what being goth really means.

Apparently being goth means murdering and raping innocent people for kicks and giggles. Oh, and lots and lots of drugs. Goths, says Goth, are beyond the feelings of guilt and repression that keep normal people in line. God help any 15 year old babybat whose mother sees this movie.

So, what happens? Does sweet, innocent Chrissy stop Goth? Or does she turn to the dark side and become Goth's spooky little sidekick? Do you even care? I'm sure that some of you may think that this film sounds amusing, but trust me, it isn't. It's just bad. Save your money.

The film does, however, appear to have its devoted fans:

hello the movie goth rocks dont listen to the other ppl who said it sucked they odviously have no taste in good movies i mean you might not like the movie if u dont like tacky movies like the rocky horror pictureshow but that was one of my favs i love movies like that so that is why i give two thumbs up to this movie even though they said its not good you should see for yourself and rent the movie some of u might regret it but some might not we all have different taste i love this movie and i hope you enjoy it as much as i did

As for myself, I tracked down this trailer and was laughing so much I had to stop within about 40 seconds:

You can buy the movie Goth at the Emporium Gothica.

The Carousel of Wares

2011-07-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Music Videos as Art

2011-07-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

There are two music videos in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, both by the same director, Mark Romanek. One of the videos is Madonna's Bedtime Story. The other is this famous oldie:

Folter Full Black Corset Beater Women's Tank

2011-07-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

ONE AWESOME SHIRT

Headed by renown designer, Agnes Tegyan, Folter Clothing is quickly becoming one of the up and coming top brands in the alternative clothing genre. With a varied and unique style of clothing, the Folter Line is pretty friggin sexy! Found in boutiques around the world, their edgy style is a unique addition for these shops, and is continually proving itself as a counter culture icon.

Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Super Sexy Top
By DogLady
This top came very quickly and I was so excited to recieve it! I ordered a small, and typically in "wife beater" tank tops, a Small stretches enough to fit my chest. This top is a little less stretchy so I recommend getting a size bigger than you would normally wear if you have a larger chest. It's really tight and I'm going to try to exchange it for a size up just for my own comfort. Otherwise this top is incredibly cute and sexy and I can't wait to wear it!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
True to size
By Mary A.D.
This tank top is true to size. I ordered a medium black one and it fits perfectly, just like in the picture. I wish the material was better quality but overall it has an interesting design and even if it doesn't stretch much, the back string can be easily adjusted if needed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Love it!
By Bizzy33
I love this sexy tank top. I ordered it in small. I weigh 97 lbs and am a full 32A/small 32B and it fits perfectly. It can be worn with another tank top under it, but I usually like to wear it with one of those nu-bra's that just stick to your boobs because it is even sexier with no straps showing.

GET THE FOLTER FULL BLACK CORSET BEATER WOMEN'S TANK

1,000 Steampunk Creations

2011-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Steampunk is a burgeoning counter-cultural movement; a genre, community, and artform. The Steampunk movement seeks to recapture the spirit of invention, adventure, and craftsmanship reminiscent of early-nineteenth century industrialization, in part, to restore a sense of wonder to a technology-jaded world.

Packed with 1,000 color photographs, 1,000 Steampunk Creations features a showcase of stunning jewelry, fashion, accessories, headgear, artwork, home decorations, and curious contraptions.

About the Author

Dr. Grymm's alter ego, Joey Marsocci, proprietor of Dr. Grymm Laboratories, has been a freelance designer of theme park attractions, toys, puppets, graphic marketing, film props, and private consignments for over 18 years. His custom contraptions and sculptures have been seen in Steampunk exhibits and publications around the world, including the Steampunk Exhibit held at the Oxford University History of Science Museum in 2010 and The Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, NV. He also hosts an annual Steampunk art show, Steampunk Bizarre, which takes place in Hartford, CT and is the feature artist of the 2010 documentary entitled I Am Steampunk.

Visit his website at: http://www.drgrymmlaboratories.net

That ain't Steampunk

2011-07-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Regretsy has its own category of Esty listings for supposedly steampunk items, but which in fact haven't anything at all steam or punk about them. Things like old fanny packs, polka dot cardigans and Jordache jackets.

The project is called Not Remotely Steampunk.

Path to Decay

2011-07-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

Goth Crayons

2011-07-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

The above image is a Photoshop off the Worth1000 site, as the watermark indicates. However, after seeing this, some friends of mine at the Goth Blog started asking how to get such a set. I'm famed for my shopping abilities, and so set out on this quest. It didn't take long to find the answer to this mystery -- you can indeed get your own custom Goth crayon set (or whatever crayon set you want) at The Crayola Store. A selection of Black, Gray, Timberwolf and Brick Red will make the set. (Or you can choose Black, Gray, Brick Red and Black again, or whatever you want.) You will get a set with 16 of each color. To make them look like the photo above you will, of course, need to mix them up yourself (they come packaged one color to a compartment.) It looks like, with the shipping, it'll run about $17 or $18 a box depending where you live in the US. (Foreigners I must imagine would pay more.) This hideous photo of a screaming kid demonstrates what you can expect of a custom color box.

Don Juan Goes to Hell

2011-07-15T23:46:00.000-07:00

The Perfect Gothic Fashion

2011-07-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

Author:

dilbertgeek

There is no denying that a subculture has gained popularity across the United States and Europe. The subculture originated in Europe in the 80s and quickly gained widespread popularity among teens as well as young adults. That subculture was later stamped as the gothic era, styles that were adopted from the Elizabethans and the Victorians.

Gothic fashion and Gothic dresses have a long story. In our days you may find a huge industry around Gothic style and trends. The Goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify. Its imagery and cultural proclivities indicate influences from the 19th century Gothic literature along with horror films and to a lesser extent the BDSM culture.

Goth folks will go so far as dyeing their hair, piercing their bodies or covering the physique in tattoos to accent their outfits. Embracing the unconventional is what lies on the core of this group\'s vogue sense. Though there are plenty of stereotypes about the look, there\'s actually no requirement or limit to what one must do as a way to appear Goth.

Today, you can look around and see a variety of emerging styles and trends being manifested through a person\'s outfit, hair, makeup, and accessories. These styles do not only serve the purpose of accessorizing and adorning oneself in fashionable items. They are a way of expressing oneself and one\'s personality, reflecting the wearer\'s attitude and character.

One of the Gothic garments, Gothic corset, is a piece of clothing that shapes a girls body like an hourglass. It is historical in nature as it traces you back to the Victorian and medieval ages. The Gothic corsets are great fashion clothing as was in the medieval. In the beginning, Gothic corsets were very uncomfortable to wear. It was with the passage of time that Gothic corsets became softer and convenient. Many of the Gothic clothes such as fishnets are summer temperature friendly.

The very important aspect of the fashion is, it not only depicts the culture and social status, but also can be used for medicinal purposes. Gothic Corsets, for example is used by the people with spinal injuries which holds the injured area tightly. Corset is also tied around the waist which helps in reducing the waist. They were made up of stiff layers of linen with wooden pieces inserted that kept the corsets straight and rigid.

A classic image in gothic fashion is of a statuesque woman wearing a beautiful corset and long skirt, hair flowing in the wind. You can find this image in popular photographs and paintings all over the place. If you want a stunning head-turning look, this could be the one for you.

Gothic chokers have a very distinct look. These chokers are not like other costume jewelry. Gothic chokers are created out of jewels, beads, leather and precious metals. It is a common misconception that people who wear Gothic fashion clothing have no diversity in their style.

This is surely not true. You need to explore the many possibilities involved in creating a Gothic costume. Gothic chokers come in many styles and shapes and can add an elegant finishing touch to your individual look. These chokers can enhance your femininity or masculinity.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/the-perfect-gothic-fashion-3552785.html

About the Author

Read about funny tees Also read about seasons t shirt and funktees

The Band Name Generator

2011-07-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

After a friend of mine used this thing and got "Original Spatula and the Burning Offspring" I had to give it a try. Or here's a link where you can try it yourself.

Skull with Cigarette, by Van Gogh

2011-07-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

I wonder if that's a clove cigarette?

Quack Remedies: Electric Insoles

2011-07-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Electric Insoles.

A boon to those with poor circulation and cold feet. If the feet are kept warm the body will be less subject to the complaints arising from colds. These Electric Insoles contain the pure polished metals arranged in such a manner that a mild pleasant current is produced along the soles of the feet, which stimulates the blood and keeps it circulating constantly. They are worn with good results for cold feet, and to keep the feet dry.

-- "Sears Roebuck and Co." 1902 catalogue

Death Awaits

2011-07-05T02:20:00.000-07:00

Photo print from some dude's Etsy shop.

Innovative Gothic Fairy website offers outstanding Fairy and Dragon figurines

2011-07-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

Innovative Gothic Fairy website offers outstanding Fairy and Dragon figurines

Author: Admin

Gothic figurines have become a popular choice of ornate collectibles for many people. The intricate designs and impressive quality have made some of these types of figurines a desired and sought after item. Whether its fairy figurines or Dragon figurines the choice is available. One of the leading websites in this field is offering a huge selection of Nemesis Now manufactured products and is winning favour with its increasing number of visitors, that website is www.dark-fairy.co.uk

This innovative website provides a wealth of beautifully crafted figurines. The selection of figurines is extensive with many styles and artist collections included within this useful online resource. From Gothic fairy , Dragon figurines through to artistÃs collections by Jessica Galbreth and Molly Harrison, the choice is endless. The website also offers a whole host of additional items that compliment the Fairy figurines such as Gothic furniture . All the items are manufactured by Nemesis Now, which ensures the highest quality product.

Although the website hosts a plethora of figurines, it also offers a great deal more. Items such as Pixies, Goblins and Crystal balls as well as Gothic candle holders are all represented on this website amongst other items too numerous to mention. Monthly specials are one of the key elements of this website which ensures heightened customer interest and these offer a range of monthly special offers which provide even better value for money and have proved very popular.

This website is a resource that epitomises the main benefit of the internet, which is instant information in an easy to understand style which benefits the visitor. It is a website which is simple and user friendly and has a multitude of products, all of which can be easily located by simple navigation. It offers sound advice and information in a detailed manner with images to elaborate. The master stroke of this website is that it provides a quality product at competitive prices and with an excellent level of customer service, this in part explains its growing popularity and exponential rise in visitors which is fully justified.

For further information visit http://www.dark-fairy.co.uk

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/innovative-gothic-fairy-website-offers-outstanding-fairy-and-dragon-figurines-973333.html

Miss Skeleton Rococo Necklace

2011-07-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

Another Rockin' Etsy Find

Kinderly - Mediaeval Baebes

2011-07-02T02:13:00.000-07:00

Responsive Japanese: The Acceptance of Gothic Lolita

2011-07-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Author:

Tsutsu Rin

This research explores how Japanese present their creativity and thought to complete different categories style of Gothic Lolita by using different apparel and accessories, the responsive, acceptance of Japanese about Gothic Lolita style and why?The first part of the analysis will discuss the different categories of Gothic Lolita style and how to wear in order to complete the style. The reports also outline the point of view by Japanese, why Gothic Lolita have influence a lot of Japanese\'s life through their acceptance.

Gothic Lolita gets its name from the dark and scary aspect of the Gothic, but from the detailed and distinct style of dark elegance and Gothic style. Gothic Lolita shares the Lolita\'s quest for innocence and elegance. It is said that the Lolita and Gothic Lolita cultures of Japanese enjoy a tight-knit community that is a nurturing place for otherwise-misfit kids to enjoy. It is a place where nostalgia for a simpler time is embraced and played upon.

Japanese Street Fashion is the best and most flamboyant outfits. Gothic Lolita is a street fashion among Japanese teenagers and young women, some men participate in this fashion as well. It is emphasizes Victorian-style and Edwardian fashion girl\'s clothing and aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls.The important elements for Victorian style or Victorian porcelain dolls are puff sleeves, low neckline, bell shape, crinoline and corset with lot of laces decorations.

Gothic Lolita, as a more specific subset of Lolita fashion, has a great deal in common with Lolita style, in particular the nostalgic drive. One Lolita writes,

' Personally, I like the Gothic Lolita fashion because it\'s complicated and elegant and a return to an older time...'

However, Wikipedia mentioned that Gothic Lolita are often ‘Band-Gals\', obsessive followers of one or more rock bands.

Many Japanese teens are not followers of a trend dictated from the top of the fashion food chain but are the creators of trends (and often their own clothing as well) that are then taken up by the fashion industry.

Gothic Lolita was and popularized by the imagery of some Visual Kei (or 'visual rock') bands. Malice Mizer (pronounced Marisu Miseru) is a Visual Kei band (disband now), former leader and guitarist of Malice Mizer, Mana, is commonly given credit for starting the Gothic Lolita style. In 1999, he founded his own fashion label, Moi-même-Moitié, for which he coined the terms Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA). Mana, a male, regularly appears in the Gothic & Lolita Bible, modeling his own Victorian-inspired designs with heavy Gothic makeup and big hair.

The popularity of Gothic Lolita as a very distinct style and community peaked around 2004 and 2005 in Tokyo. Its popularity outside Tokyo is slowly rising or at its peak in many areas, and the related maid cafe phenomenon still slowly growing.

The responsive of Japanese to the acceptance of Gothic Lolita not only the reflection of Japanese super high fashion sense and perseverance in fashion, but tell us something also of the Japanese society and Japanese culture, why the Gothic Lolita can be a vogue in Japanese Street Fashion.

Japanese are fashion-conscious people, especially teens and young adults. Fashion is highly embedded in Japanese society, with trends and new styles clearly visible throughout the country. Culture, tradition, and, of course, income, play a huge

role in determining the way in which people dress as well as the reasons behind it and Japanese possessing disposable incomes, it\'s no wonder that so many are willing and able to immerse themselves into the fashion world.

What follows is an analysis of different categories of the Gothic Lolita style presented by Japanese with using various apparel and accessories and the responsive, acceptance of Japanese about Gothic Lolita style and why?

The term used for a young lady or man that dresses in clothes reminiscent of Victorian dolls. Frills, lace, dresses, skirts, petticoats, and head-dresses are all very common with Lolita fashion. Accessories most Lolita carry around are teddy bears and parasols. Make-up is used sparingly, save for some cases in the Gothic Lolita look, and the idea is to look innocent and cute so skin isn\'t flaunted or shown unless it has to be. Lolita aim is to look like Victorian dolls. Full outfits can be bought secondhand or from stores that are strictly meant to sell Lolita outfits. Some Lolita prefers to make their own clothes. Hand sewn garments are combined with a mix of items from trendy city store.

Gothic Lolita Fashion had form a vogue in Japanese Street Fashion but why? Their choice of style is more than just a fashion statement; it is also a way of their life. This could reminiscent of Japanese society and Japanese culture.

Japanese street fashion is a fashion which far more elaborates from other country\'s fashion. The emphasis on uniqueness leads a lot of Lolita creates their own outfit.

Japanese street fashion is a rebellion against the conventions of a consumer based culture. There are very distinct styles can be found in Japanese street fashion, ranging from absolutely ridiculous to not-so-out-of-the-ordinary. But, their rebellion is being recycled back into the system which means these street fashion kids radical fashion has become the inspiration for local designers.

It is a chance for these Lolita to embrace the hyper-celebrity culture of Japan and integrate it top-down into their own lives. Some Lolita are inclined to dress up like their favorite celebrities, for example, Mana, again. Other go with their own variation of anime character, less like a direct imitation and more like an integration of anime style into their own wardrobes, for example, some Lolita will dress up themselves like the character in Alice in Wonderland.

The Gothic Lolita look is an amazing contrast of innocence and sexuality. The child-like physical look of young Japanese women contributes to this alluring illusion. As we all know, the Japanese have some of the most interesting fetishes and sexual habits of any culture on Earth. Female youth have long been exciting to older Japanese males and the innocence of looking like a child may appeal to these women because of the powerful sexual allure but also because it presents a way for them to escape growing up at least for the moments they are dressed in the Gothic Lolita style.

Nostalgia is a strong impulse during periods when the contemporary world is frightening or uncertain. In fact, Japanese people don\'t want to be growing up so quickly. Japanese culture places a high value upon extremely youthful appearance and behavior than any Western, and some adult women buy large amounts of products, such as Hello Kitty goods, that are typically marketed only to children in the West. Gothic Lolita fashion is perhaps a more visible extension of this phenomenon. Lolita don\'t just dress the part, they act the part, too. Hunched shoulders and pigeon toes, their body language is distinctly and purposely childish. It is a form of escapism, a way for them to spend time away from the high pressure Japanese society. Japanese peoples would like to stay young mentally and socially.

Unique and Distinctive is the best word used to describe the Japanese. They are self-admiration and they are very dare to trying something that is bizarre. But there is nothing wrong with it. They style aids in making the social lives of these Japanese more light-hearted and sweet, and it gives them a chance to express themselves very creatively. Trying to look young and elegant all at once is a purely Japanese phenomenon. Possibly this Gothic Lolita fashion look holds the allure for them as does the ‘Romantic Gothic\', Victorian or Renaissance, style in the West. That allure of a more cordial and better dressed time in history. Or perhaps these young Japanese are just following a trend to be a part of the conformity of a bigger crowd.

Fashion today is not only about clothes but it is also reflects on one\'s self-esteem, self-definition, self-image, self-personality and one\'s culture or society. It is to present owns creativity, idea and identity of someone.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/responsive-japanese-the-acceptance-of-gothic-lolita-265028.html

About the Author

Tsutsu Rin is graduated from Fashion industry and currently become a blogger who write about Japanese Fever included Fashion, Language, Beauty, and here is her blog. Other than that, she has her Illustration Gallery at here too.

Quack Remedies: Vin Mariani

2011-06-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

(On Mariani Wine or Vin Mariani: a concoction of wine and cocaine that was once much beloved for its, ahem, "stimulating properties.")

Mariani Wine quickly restores health, strength, energy and vitality. Mariani Wine fortifies, strengthens, stimulates and refreshes the body and brain. Hastens convalescence, especially after influenza. His Holiness the Pope writes that he has fully appreciated benificent effects of this tonic wine, and has forwarded to Mr. Mariani as a token of his gratitude a gold medal bearing his august effigy.

For body and brain. Since thirty years all eminent physicians recommend Vin Mariani, the original French coca wine; most popularly used stimulant in hospitals, public and religious institutions everywhere. Nourshes - Fortifies - Refreshes. Strengthens entire system; most agreeable. Effective and lasting renovator of the vital forces. Every test strictly on its own merits will prove its exceptional reputation. Palatable as choices old wines.

Jack the Ripper Action Figure

2011-06-28T01:47:00.000-07:00

Being that the Ripper's identity was never discovered, I suppose we can't exactly prove that he didn't look this way, but... really, a peg leg? Woudn't that make his fast escape from the Elizabeth Stride murder a bit impossible? (Not to mention that even in the East End they'd have probably noticed a guy who looked like this... "A man with hideous scars all over his face and a peg leg was seen escaping from the scene -- oh and his bag left a trail of blood clear across town so we know exactly where he went anyway.")

If your heart's set on it, you can get one of the Jack the Ripper figures here.