Oh hi there.
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| Photo courtesy of John Karpinsky |
So yeah, sorry for the long absence. It will probably continue, just because my computer is super not in comission. Once the school year starts up I'll be able to post from school computers.
Friday
Well Hello There
Tuesday
I had a dream... but I followed a bit of a different one.
ER MAH GEHRD!
I had all these plans! My room was going to be clean, My YouTube was going to be up and running, I was going to be working two jobs, and the 90 Day Delinquents would be back on the circuit...
Currently, my room is almost worse than it was, my YouTube is still shoveling crisps and won't get it's fat ass off the couch, I am working two/three jobs... it's just that I only get paid for one of them... As for the Delinquents, I don't know. It just makes me cry a little.
So, what has kept me sooooo busy that I just can't manage to do everything that I want to? Well, I will be the first to say that there are 24 hours in every day yadda yadda, but seriously, some of us need sleep. Nothing to be ashamed of.
So, yes, super busy with jobs two and two point five! Why do I call it 2.5? Well because 2 and 2.5 are for the same thing. Ren Faire! Yup, that's right folks! I am a proud costume intern at the Bristol Renaissance Fair of lovely Wisconsin. This job only really requires extreme hours from me for the weeks leading up to faire, apparently. In those weeks, if I am not at my first job, I am on Faire grounds, sewing.
Friday
Thursday
Call Me, Babe
Chicago is full of all kinds of music! Thus far I've been promoting mainly crazy rocker bands, but fear not, there are others! Take a gander at The Lookers, and their cover of "Call Me Maybe"
Hoping to hear more? Try showing some support for these suave crooners by commenting on, faving, and liking the video!
Sunday
People I need your help. Please comment!
So basically, I need you to list me as many things you can think of to answer this question:
No answer is too ridiculous or stupid, just respond the first things that you think of!
When you think of a Troll character at a Renaissance Faire/Festival what do you think of it doing?
Wednesday
Free Brain Sex!
That's right folks! It's time to get all brainy and sexy, and edumacatered!
Welcome to the actual difference between men and women, it's not just our bodies, it's our BRAINS!
Learn more about it, and attend the free Brain Sex workshop on Thursday May 24th!
Not a Chi-towner? NO PROBLEM! When you go to RSVP there will be an "Attend Online" option that will give you the info you need to log into the webcast!
Read the flier image below for more info!
Tuesday
Oops. Rewind for, but a moment.
So I skipped a couple things while I was busy bee with finals and I'd just like to back up and aknowledge that they both happened.
First off, one of the many, many Chicago conventions, and one that I have attended for the past few years, ACen (Anime Central)!!
It's usually a lot of fun, and I tend to dress up somehow, even if the character is one of my own, or not popular enough to be recognized.
Secondly, the last day of Acen, was my birthday!! :D
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| My "twin sis" and I always celebrate our birthday together, because we are only three days apart in date! |
That's right, I am now proudly an age that is one year more than my age at the time of my previous birthday!! How exciting! xD
Sunday
Blogger or Xanga?
So I've been creating this blog for school, and somewhere towards the end of the semester I started a new Xanga account as well. Mainly, I wanted to be able to share these, non-drama sort of posts with my Xangan pals, make it easy for them to follow, and not have to go around saying, "Read this blog with my real name splattered across the freaking title!" There are a couple of posts that I'd put up on Xanga, but not on Blogger because they were a little more advertise-y than I thought that my teacher, Matt, would want to see in my posts. I also confined a lot of my earlier posts to Blogger instead of moving them over immediately because both blogs are Google-viewable, and, again, at that point I really didn't want cross-over.
If there are any mis-spells in this post, I would just like to say that I've just been watching a 41 minute video of a scottish girl talking, and everything that I am typing right now sounds like it's being said in her accent in my head. I am having a terrible time of it trying not to write phonetically.
So my Writ'n'Rhet (Writing & Rhetoric) grade has been posted which I assume, means that I don't have to keep this blog under its original name anymore. I have now moved all of the postes over so that, with the exception of a couple time-sensitive posts, both sites should be about the same, and everything is time stamped back to what it was originally written.
So yeah, feel free to come find me and friend me at VictrolaDoll.Xanga.Com
Wednesday
Rock out Chicago!
The Battle Of The Bands!
It looks to be a blast so be sure to buy tickets A.S.A.P (BEFORE 2pm E.S.T the Friday before the show, or else it won't be accepted)!! If you don't know which band to credit, say New Oceans, fronted by my friend David Downs (be sure to check them out)!!
Also coming up!
V Is For Villains LIVE
On Saturday May 26 V Is For Villains will be playing at The Elbow Room!
It's a $10 show and 21+ only. Check out the Facebook even page for more information.
All upcoming V.i.f.V performance dates and venues can be found at their website: www.visforvillains.com/gig
A V IS FOR VILLAINS Official Music Video?!?
7 DAYS LEFT!
Hellz yes!
You know you want it.
We want to make cutting edge independent content and are looking to start this process with a fully produced music video. We are a VERY visual and creative band and we think video will be a very good medium for us to express our creativity and reinterpret our ideas. We are looking for funding so that we can stay independent and thus hold a strong level of control in our project. We will begin filming immediately after we raise funds. Thank you for the support and thank you for reading. -Nicholas Santiago
Are you excited? I'm excited. I think this is a great idea!
Help out by donating money through Kickstarter!
Also check out the band at www.VIsForVillains.com!!
Tuesday
The Devil Came to Town (and I gave him a hug)
And lo', the Devil's voice, with killing sweetness, fell 'pon pricked ears and lost were all souls who heard, but did not listen.
"I'm the excuse you give when you cannot follow the rules." -The Devil, The Devil's Carnival (part 1)
So that happened.
Hellz yes, did that happen!
On Thursday, the 3rd of May, The Devil's Carnival rolled into town and set up shop at the Music Box Theater.
(I don't have all pictures just yet, I don't know when my friend won't be putting hers up.)
So as members of the Chicago Repo!The Genetic Opera! Shadowcast, The 90 Day Delinquents, my friends and I were recruited to help out with, well, whatever. They didn't really seem to need all of us, but having us there was more convenient for the parts when a mass of people were all trying to move at the same time. In the mean time, we walked the line, making sure that all the Ringmasters ($40 ticket holder), got in the correct line, and general dashing about.
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| All images so far, yanked from the the camera of Spooky Dan |
As we had arrived, it had been vaguely drizzling (I refused to put the finishing touch on my makeup because I knew that my eyeliner would smear in the wet), by the time the Sinners ($20 ticket holder) and Carnies ($30 ticket holder) were being allowed in it was not only pouring, but it was hailing as well!
I started out closer to the theatre doors, asking people to keep moving forward, and proclaiming that there was no line, so please just fill the space and let more people in. As that area got crowded, I moved on to the front lobby.
"Welcome to The Devil's Carnival at the Music Box Theater! Merchandise is there,"pointed over left shoulder, "concessions are there," pointed over right shoulder, "the time to hit that up would be now, otherwise please keep moving forward! There is no line, it's more of a mash, so get close! The floor is wet, please be careful! Now is a great time to get to know your friends more intimately, and hey make a few more, so more people can come inside! Keep moving that way!" swung arms to point straight on to my right.
As you might guess the crowd was constantly moving, so many times that particular speech got super bastardized or was said very quickly. At some point the open areas were at maximum capacity, so we had to stop the line and leave the rest in the rain, while we waited for those who were already inside to be seated. Eventually though, people started moving in again, and the rest of the poor soaked clowns, carnies, freaks, geeks, sinners, horror-lusters, and general rabble-rousers and troublemakers, were allowed in out of the waterfall, sloshing as they came. By then, the festivities were drawing near and in an attempt to get everybody seated in time, we shooed them past the merchandise table and on into the theatre. Merch would be available after the show, please move on. As the last of them dribbled in, it was time for us helpers to take our seats as well.
The pre show activities started with a (surprise, surprise) side show act by Sanjula Vamanawho I had met at, and actually walked into the Gearbox Fantastique II with! Mutter der Hölle, small world after all! Sanjula lists his repertoire on facebook as:
"Chainsaws, Whips, Bed Of Nails, Fire, Escapology, Knives, Sledge Hammers, PAIN PROOF, Human: Pin Cushion-Blockhead-Silly Straw-Cereal bowl-Sprinkler-Garbage Disposal-Stomach Pump-Dart Board, and MANY other dangerous act's of perilous danger!"
For this act, his wife(?), who I have yet to meet, put him in a straight jacket and chained him to a wheelchair. By the end, not only had he wriggled out of the chains and jacket, but he'd somehow managed to wriggle out of his pants as well!
Next up was a peek at the behind the scenes from Repo! The Genetic Opera! which was the first time Terrance Zdunich and Darren Lynn Bousman had worked on a project together, along with Darren Smith. IT WAS AWESOME!!!
Then came the costume contest judged by Emilie Autumn and won by an amazingly well done demoness/bat lady thing... it was pretty.
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| Taken from her own Facebook album (wish you could see the makeup details :/) |
Finally a few words from our guests, Terrance, Darren, and Emilie and then the show began.
So. What did I think? Well I will say that I DID enjoy it, but I will do a full review later, once the tour has come to an end. I'll say no more here, you'll just have to wait!
Afterwards there was a Q&A Where Terrance, Darren, and Emilie shared stories about working on the film, what went into it, plans for the future AND the character of Ms. Merrywood even received a first name right then and there! Eventually a halt was called, two merch booths opened, and a line was formed for signing and pictures.
I went and bought myself a signed CD and two of the smaller posters, then added my rear to back most of the line to get Emilie's signature on the CD and Poster, and pictures with the lot.
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| Poster1: Emilie Autum as The Painted Doll |
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| Poster2: IVAN MOODY as The Hobo Clown!! |
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| Terrance has met me twice before now, and he always remembers my name. What a sweet'eart. |
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| Emilie was very touchy with everyone, but she was very sweet and gentle... with me anyway |
We had hoped that they would be able to come out with us afterwards and talk, like the last time we saw Terrance, but it was just about 2 AM, and the road show schedule is not the most conducive to sleep. We understood when they didn't join us at the diner afterwards. Ah well. We'll try to raise money to hopefully get Terrance in for a Shadowcast sometime.
Wednesday
Fantastique video!
Just a bit that I thought I'd share, this is the Bluebeard hosted video that resulted from the Gearbox Fantastique II!
Friday
Interim Advert: Evan Bremer
Okay so I know that I've pretty much been just posting a lot of advertisement-type stuff (for things I dosupport), but it's finals coming up so I've been super busy with all of my final projects and whatnot. I cannot wait for all this to be done with. *dies*
Then I can spend the next three months working (hopefully) two jobs and cleaning my room! Joy! Oh wait, Summerfest happens somewhere in there too. YES!!
So because I don't want to leave you hanging with just this, have another promo! This here is my friend Evan Bremer and he does some super nifty voice-over work!
He is the voice of Yuki Somah in the Fruits Baskets Radio adaptation done by That Guy With Glasses and he was hinting that there might be something else coming his way!
Here are his demos!
If you could ask a voice over actor anything, what would it be?
Thursday
I know that they aren't the same but...
Exhibit A: "Shot" by the Finnish rock band The Rasmus (2005)
Exhibit B: "Grenade" by American singer Bruno Mars (2010)
...for some reason, whenever I heard "Grenade" this year, I automatically started humming "Shot". I mean they both have a similar theme of risking one's life for their lover. The difference being that Bruno is singing to a love who tortured him, and Lauri doesn't seem to be so much tortured by the lover (in this song anyway...), so much as what's chasing them. So here's a bit of an idea: play them both at once. It's pretty interesting. There are parts that match up pretty well. Also, be sure to adjust the volume on the videos, so that one doesn't overpower the other.
Monday
People's Exhibit 1: Proof of Lawlessness and General Jack-assery
Yes indeedy folks! Step right up! Get a good look now, 'cause it might not be around much longer! The one, the only, Kaaaaaay9! Yessir, this nerdy car owner named her Scion hatchback for the ever clever tin dog of Doctor Who renown. What a shame, folks. What. A. Shame. Almost a two full years together and can you believe it? Stolen right around the corner from the very carnival/concert that she was attending!
So, yes. My car was stolen the other night while I was at a concert venue. I reported it right away along with the loss of my car keys. Less than 12 hours later I received a call saying that my car had been found. I got to party in my mind for nigh three seconds before they finished the statement: "...has been in a collision with another vehicle. Would you like us to tow it to our impound or have your insurance company tow it there?" And then my heart sank right back through the floor.
So here's what we know: There were four males in the car at the time of the accident and they all fled after impact. The owner of the car that they hit is okay, her sister was injured. The insurance company has taken our car to an appraiser to assess the outer damage and see whether it is reparable or needs to be replaced. All of the fabric and sewing patterns, art supplies that was in the back, as well as what contents of my purse that was not on my physical person at the time of the theft, are all gone. The car was completely cleaned out. They didn't even leave the purse. All that was left was two patterns (under the passenger seat), my prescription glasses (which it looks like somebody stomped on), and the leather pouch that I use as a wallet (completely empty, of course).
Now I have a bunch of paperwork to fill out, several phone calls to make and finals to complete. Best semester ever.*
*implies exorbitant amounts of sarcasm
Gearbox Fantastique II! (Updated!)
So guess where I was on April 14th!
Damn straight, I was at home having a quiet meal wishing that the day would end so that I could get some sleep, only... NOT!
I was at the freakin' GEARBOX FANTASTIQUE II "A steampunk Circus Spectacle Extravaganza!"
Okay, honest truth, I was pretty much only there to hear V Is For Villains rock the crowds fucking socks off!
A small example of V.i.f.V's epicosity
But while I was there, I suppose that it wasn't so terrible to stick around for the Squidling Brothers and Dead Man's Carnival sideshow acts. Unless you have a weak stomach. Actually unless you can stand watching a man eat his own semen or attach weights to his scrotum (or watch and audience member staple a clowns scrotum to his own leg...) this might NOT be the carnival for you. I unabashedly admit that I spent half of the time with my back to the stage. By the end, myself and two of the other Villains fans had formed a dash (too short to be considered a "line") facing the bar on the back wall.
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| The ladys who faced the back of the room with me. |
As far as I can tell (but don't hold me to it), if you want rat traps on tongues and such, Squidling Brothers is the place to be, if you want magic and gasp-worthy tricks without the flinching and sympathy clutching of certain body parts, may I suggest the Dead Man's Carnival.
Other than that, I really did enjoy the show. Some of the sideshow acts were really great. Betty Bloomers was a pleasure to watch both with blades and with fire, and Prof. Pinkerton Xyloma... well, who could resist that mustache!
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| All images courtesy of John Conner and Steampunk Chicago |
In the middle of the show came Bluebeard's Pirate Comedy, which is always good for a laugh. V Is For Villains, and the other band, Hellblinki, each did two sets, with the sideshow acts laced between everything. It seemed a bit awkward, but certainly kept things going. There were also several vendors with some fantastic merchandise up on the second floor of the venue. Had I the money, I would have gone hog wild at the Highwind Steamworks booth!
Video from that night, courtesy of Steampunk Chicago
While the photography for the night was a bit scattered and I don't know where to find some of it, I believe that most of the pictures may be found in Wes Bolton's facebook album of the event (warning: pierced and stapled testicles ARE visible in some pictures, only less so because they removed the worst of it) and in the John Conner Photobooth album.
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| Miss DollFace and V.i.f.V's own Mr. Agitator |
If you haven't ever heard of Reggies it's a great Chicago venue and the shows there are definitely worth checking out. A slight suggestion though: go with a friend. South Loop at night can get a tad shady. I was there until about 2:30am hanging with the crowd, being entertained, and talking to the performers, when I got out, I found that my car had been stolen. Not the most positive way to end the evening.
Friday
Allerleirauh
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| SurLaLunaFairyTales.com |
Allerleirauh is German for All-Fur, or All-Kinds-Of-Fur, and is the name for a Grimm's fairy tale. There are many variations of the tale (The She-Bear, Bearskin, Catskin, Donkeyskin, etc.) and all of them involve a girl wearing some sort of fur disguise or coat, and passing herself off as a wild animal. A prince/king/lord captures her and she works in his palace until at some point he discovers her secret and marries her.
In the version recorded by The Brothers Grimm, It starts with the girls father being a king who is trying to marry her because she is as beautiful as her mother. In an attempt to waylay him, she asks for three impossible gowns and a cloak made from skin of every animal in the kingdom. Unfortunately he manages to complete each task and announces their marriage. That night she packs her three gowns in a nutshell, grabs three small gold objects and runs away wearing her all-fur cloak, with her face and hands blackened with soot.
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| Comic adaption by Gina Biggs and Elle Skinner |
This is one of those rare tales that seems to have been made MORE gruesome by modern retellings. This is as opposed to Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and many others which have been thoroughly subdued over the years to be more "child friendly."
I was recently going through my book shelves and stumbled across a variation of the Allerleirauh story, Deerskin, by Robin McKinley. This is a book that I have been at war with since high school, but just haven't been able to shake. I read it some time during sophomore year and did not like it. It bothered me and itched under my skin.
Four years later, I was reading another book by McKinley, The Hero And The Crown, which is part of a two book set that I have enjoyed enough to read multiple times. Stupidly, I got to thinking, about Deerskin again. Had I judged it too harshly the first time? Yes the subject was rough, but she's a good writer so it couldn't have been so terrible. So off I toddled to Half-Price Books and managed to find a very cheap copy in their online store. It arrived. I read it. It sucked.
And now again, another year has passed, and I find myself face to face with this gruesome tale.
So now I suppose I should explain why I dislike it so much (WARNING: SPOILERS, seriously). Firstly, the writing bothers me. I don't even know half of why, but even if I start reading much later in the book and skip the nasty part, I still feel like I'm chewing a handfull of cherry pips. Also, the choices made with the story make me twitch. This is the meat and bones of my face off with this book. In McKinley's version of the tale, the princess does not get away from her father unscathed. Before their wedding, the King breaks into his daughter's room and rapes her, causing her to flee, with her dog. She runs into the woods where she pretty much loses it, and prematurely gives birth to a still born child. To save her from herself, the goddess of the moon comes to her and blesses her with memory loss, a silver dye job, and a deerskin dress that never wears or dirties. So yeah, she goes off and finds her prince, going under the name Deerskin, eventually regains her memory, and saves the prince's sister from marrying he father (Deerskin's father, not the prince's). In the end the prince proposes, but Deerskin is skittish and feels unclean, so he promises to wait as long as it takes.
It's a very disturbing and brutal story. I also feels that it kinda kills one of my favorite things about the original story, which is the independently strong and clever female protagonist. Deerskin's reaction to her trauma is very realistic, but in real life, we don't have a goddess to mold us in her image and erases our memories until we're ready to deal with them. Not only that, but why Deerskin? Why not all the other abused girls in the country? Why does this princess get special treatment? And why of all things, does her "time of the month" only last a single day each month? I know this is a fantastical land, and that means that we're supposed to let it stretch our imagination, but no female reader's imagination is going to stretch that much.
So here I am, looking at this book and trying to figure out weather I should keep it, as a sign of respect for the author, or just give it away and let it gnaw on somebody else's bones for a while.
Hello Batty
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| Isn't she cute?! |
So I was searching "underbust apron" and the first link google throws at me takes me to this super easy tutorial in the How To/Maid Cafe sections of this overall blog.
Out of curiosity I start to take a look around. The Maid Cafe section is actually quite informative. I really with the kids who tried to make one at my own school had read this blog first.
In any case, if you are interested in Lolita fashion, cosplay, or maid cafe's you should definitely check out her Hello Batty blog.
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| (all images belong to Hello Batty, not me) |
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