Of *BLACK* midnight and *WHITE* starlight

Monthly theme post time! Woo I'm excited, it's been so long since I've done this.

I have here some art. Tis my characters Ayava (in the first one) and then also Ayava but now with Taralyn. I could explain the really complex story behind all this, or I could just post it and let the pictures say what they will. I'll choose the latter. And go actually write said story in the meantime (procrastinating is a writer's worst enemy. Well that and zombie moths).

Destroy the Void

(...Hear Kyrle's laughter--

"Sweet Prince, your darkest dreams will

run from Me hereafter."

The Raven's Voice--

I cross Her dreamscythe

Beneath the cowl of Night, She smiles--

"Who does the King fight?")

Thorny Kiss

(I dreamt a graveyard

Beneath the Moon

Cathedral bells ring out--

The King shall waken soon!

And in their calling

In eerie Midnight

I dreamt me falling

Held safe by Starlight)

Actually, I do have one more~ It's Taralyn again (her hand), and also Lorcan (in the center). I'm especially proud of this one as its an image I've had in my mind for a long time.

The Prince in the Briars

(Summoner,

Come for me

Let me fall to Mystery's arms

Brush my back with your Raven's wings

With your kiss

Set me free

"Dream again my fae star-child

The Moon her grace and the Rose her charms

In the vault of glass still their fragrance clings

In my love beguiled.")

Of much plans, and such art wow

Hello, Ballroom Dancers. It's been a while. Writing about gothy and lolita things, though, is very much on my list of "I want to do this for the foreseeable future." I've just had a lot going on as I try to move into my adult life (in what feels like a rather belated and anxiety causing way).

I haven't been to clubs much recently, but I did randomly meet VictorianKitty from Sophistique Noir! That's the second time I've unexpectedly met her while clubbing, and both times we each apparently debated with ourselves whether the other was who we thought they were, or were we just seeing things. (We weren't.) I wasn't as gothed up as I'd have liked to be (it was an unexpected outing), but she was lovely and impeccably dressed as always.

So, there are a few...tangentially related things on the list of major changes in my life recently. I won't be bringing them up that often, but I want to kind of share my evolving paradigm and sense of who I am. I've realized that I'm bisexual, and polyamorous. I've found that the spiritual path that most speaks to me is Wicca--so you could say I'm witchy in more ways than one, hehe.

On the school and business front (wow that sounds like a really legit official name for something), I've finished my undergrad! Finally. I majored in Japanese, so I'd like to translate and eventually interpret. But I also want to go to grad school for astronomy (specifically extrasolar planets), after taking some classes at a community college or something.

Speaking of jobs, I am in the huntings. It is frustrate. Catspeak is seem to halp my mood a bit. Really hoping I get a job at this one diner I really like (yay pancakes all the time!) which is within walking distance of where my partner and I will be living soon.

Creative stuffs: I haven't had the chance to sew much lately--though I do finally have some fabric, and a sewing machine of my own (frustratingly its pedal is currently misplaced)--but I really want to get back into that. Although first I have to finish a long overdue commission for a friend. The lateness isn't entirely my fault, as I haven't had much access to a sewing machine, but it still feels awful, you know? Like, I want to be a more reliable commissioner than that, and intend to be in the future.

I have done a lot of digital art recently though (mostly of my characters). In fact, a store in my area that sells local artists is going to carry a few of my prints once I get them printed. It's exciting! I'll post the five down below that I picked, which I thought would be suitably halloweeny.

I'm also looking to take commissions (of art). If anyone is interested. I probably will crosspost this to my deviantart, BrushstrokesofFire. I'm not expecting a huge income from my art (and I very much still want a regular job of some sort), but every little bit helps. I mean my partner and I aren't in dire straights, but I need some financial autonomy. Anyway, while examples of my work would currently include mostly original characters, I hope to add some fanart too, soon. Just to show I can do that too. ;)

Anyway, time for halloweeny art pics~
(This is Taralyn and friends. I recently started writing a new draft of my planned book about her, which is really exciting. Been wanting to do that for a long time!)

And don't forget, it's almost October! (Which is Best Month, for obvious reasons.) Have a whimsically spook night until I see you again.

Of more updates and more art

Two of my characters in the faerie ballroom for which this blog is named.

Hello again! I've missed writing to all you gothic lolitas and other lovely dark types. In the future, I have Very Important Plans about the way I want my life to be, and upkeeping the Ballroom is one of them. I'm just currently in an in-between phase where I have to live at home, rather far away from the urban life (and friends) I've grown to love...so I've been feeling too lethargic to try and write a post. But someone I met at Noize Factory (Faktory?), who turns out to be a fellow blogger, inspired me to do an update.

Hmmm... Not a whole lot has been going on (unfortunately XP). I was going to do a post about the picnic and swap meet we had in...March? But I missed attending because of some work I had done on my teeth. (Fillings. Ugh. Also I just got all four of my wisdom teeth out--the back molars, in case you're unfamiliar with that term--which was my first time under general anaesthesia.)

So, my goal of making more friends in the loli community is still pending, but I have been making some goth friends, which I've been wanting to do for even longer. Kinda sucks being the only gothy type you know. Hence the outing to Noize Factory mentioned earlier!

Speaking of gothy friends, laser tag is amazing. Just putting that out there. It's not as non sequitur as it sounds.

The other thing that's been happening is more digital art of my characters and their dark fantastic world. I need to put the new pics on deviantart (which I linked in the previous post I think, if you're curious), but let me show you a few of the new ones. I feel like this post would be boring otherwise, hehe.

Umeko, my gothic lolita character. It sort of seems appropriate to post her first. I'm sure you understand why.

Umeko in her magical girl form.

Taralyn, my perkygoth dreamer and main character. Friend and fellow magical girl of Umeko, and later girlfriend.

Lorcan, the slumbering prince in Faerie whose spell Taralyn tries to break. Also her boyfriend. (A lot of my characters are polyamorous.)

Taralyn having coffee and a heart to heart with Rivarwe, the Raven Goddess. Who is also a biker. Sometimes.

 Thorny Kiss. Taralyn with King Ayava, her mentor and patron deity.

I wanted to add one more of Taralyn and Ayava, but it's not showing up, so maybe next time. Stay darkly romantic, okay? <3 Edit: Oh, that's what happened. It posted this pic at the beginning. Twice. I think I'll keep the other one as an intro pic.

Of returning and plans and dark fantasy art and stuff

Hello my goths and lolis, I hope everyone had a fun or at least not stressful holiday season. I'm currently in the process of a grueling (traditional! for my family) 36 hour roadtrip back to my home, so I wanted to do something slightly more glamorous for the moment and reconnect with my gothic lolita dream world that I haven't had much energy for in the chaos of school.

Still working on those pics from Halloween, where I dressed as a certain witch I rather crush on, from Madoka Magica.

As for sewing news, I've had to move back home briefly before graduate school, and while difficult in some ways, that does mean I can sew more easily. I had a severe lack of fabric while I was in my apartment. I do finally have my own sewing machine though! Thank you, boyfriend. And craigslist.

I am doing a lot of digital art of my characters, though, so I thought I'd post some of those. This project started out as my own version of Tarot cards, and then I decided to make a fan deck for the card game Weiss Schwarz, which has groups of cards based on different anime and manga serieses.

Most of this project is on my deviantart, if you're interested. Thanks for looking!

Also stay gothy and lolita-...y? Yes. Do that.