Of that Spooky Day's happenings and a few woes, and a haunted ballroom

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone had a lovely one. (Also, happy first day of NaNoWriMo/National Novel Writing Month!)

I'm terribly sorry to have such a long absence. My computer decided to break down, randomly, and while we think we finally know what's wrong and how to fix it, for a while longer I'll have to make use of my college's computer lab, as I am now.  And then there were midterms, which are thankfully over now.

But! I have exciting things to tell and show you, when I finally have access to a camera and a computer at the same time. Those include the Death (of the Endless) costume I finished, my sister's Halloween party in the park, the headpieces we made as prizes for the party (I never formally took pictures of all the finished pieces, so hopefully I can find some!), my first coordinate with the red x black bat jumperskirt (on Halloween), and a few ramblings about going trick-or-treating last night with some friends, and the anime club's costume party/contest, in which I won third place despite only two people recognizing me (you know, I think the scythe really helped).

Well, I really must get on to writing, so I hope everyone has a good All Saints' Day! In lieu of pictures, I'll leave you with a Halloween-friendly poem (well, song), written by my character Taralyn.

His soaring windows glimmer clear!

Stars fill the chandelier--

Crystal shadows daze the seer!

In purple, indigo and crimson gowned

They waltz, around, around...

Like a music box dancer--

(Oooh, ooh)

Give the Myst'ry her answer!

(Oooh, ooh)

My Silhouette of shade

In midnight's cloak arrayed

Said “Come, the Moon is fading.”

My Shadow Prince of raven hair

Held one black rose from his garden fair

And bowed--

“My own blood dyed this flower.”

“Dear prince, are you the dreamer in my haunted tower?”

“If I am, will you dance till Faerie chimes the midnight hour?”

Take a chance, come join the dance!

Let Dreamscape wilds hide a lost romance...

At the midnight ball, stars haunt us all--

Shall moonlight call your enchanted glance?

The Raven haunts you with sombre decree--

Don't fear his wings, for the Raven is me.

I am Never More to the Sun gone away--

Dusk Star, Butterfly—stay.

Bell chimes rock the dancing floor--

We slip away by secret door

Like starfoam on a distant shore.

“Dear Dusk, my dreaming never wish could stay--

They fade away, away...

For your prince is enchanted--

(Oooh, ooh)

By these faerie balls haunted.”

(Oooh, ooh)

Surprising butterflies,

My prince of starlit eyes

Said “Hark! My roses, rising.”

Briar roses criss crossed the sky--

“Sweet shade, I'll find where in Time you lie!”

Once glance--

“Will you wing, my sorrow chancing?”

“I'll tell the darling Dreamer of our midnight dancing.”

He twirled me by the roses, stardust Moon romancing.

Take a chance, come join the dance!

Let Dreamscape wilds hide a lost romance...

At the midnight ball, stars haunt us all--

Shall moonlight call your enchanted glance?

The Raven haunts you with sombre decree--

Don't fear his wings, for the Raven is me.

I am Never More to the Sun gone away--

Dusk Star, Butterfly—stay.

When I cross the gate, will the organ boom?

Will the rain fall soft in my twilight gloom?

Black-clad romantic, on Tokyo ways he goes--

In his eyes, stars slumber, for they hold such rue.

In a rainbow-hued fantasia, he has brought me to the Rose

Shadow Prince...is he you?

Take a chance, come join the dance!

Let Dreamscape wilds hide a lost romance...

At the midnight ball, stars haunt us all--

Shall moonlight call your enchanted glance?

The Raven haunts you with sombre decree--

Don't fear his wings, for the Raven is me.

I am Never More to the Sun gone away--

Dusk Star, Butterfly—stay.

Of Day the Tenth (with that title I'm getting a Narnia vibe?),,,and a video

Hello lovelies~ It's really amazing how visiting campuses and so forth can take so much out of you. Anyway, for Day 10 (I'm skipping days again) of the 30 day challenge, I took the opportunity to do a video, which I've been wanting to do for a little while.

Day 10~
What's in your lolita bag


Thanks for watching! Did I sound different than you thought I would? Other bloggers have asked that, so it made me curious.

I attended a meetup at a Japanese restaurant a couple days ago, so I'll post pictures soon of the dress I made and wore for the occasion.  By the way, the "Narnia vibe" was because "Day the Tenth" made me think of the character "Caspian the Tenth," on whom I have a teensy crush. Well not teensy...but you know.

Of picnics, writing, and A Slightly Personal Confession

Note: I've delayed posting this for a couple days, as it felt strange talking about personal matters in light of the recent disaster in Japan. I can't tell you how troubled I am, along with many others, that this has taken place. Thankfully everyone I know in Japan (at least that I have contact info from) is safe, but hearing about this sort of event, especially in a country I love so dearly, leaves me quite shaken nonetheless. I'll certainly be keeping Japan and those in and from it in my thoughts and prayers. 

++++++

My dear ballroom dancers, I feel as though I've been abandoning you a little bit, what with all that's going on. I can't remember whether I'm posting any less often than usual, but I've certainly had less energy than usual for blogging and the like, which I wish wasn't true. The worst part is, I know it isn't just the (admittedly very stressful) outside circumstances. At the risk of getting slightly personal (which I've been told is a good thing for bloggers), let me say I can empathize with those of you who have anxiety and/or mood disorders. And I know it isn't fun. I have OCD and, I strongly suspect, a mild form of depression (don't worry, I have help I'm getting). Currently both of those things are wreaking metaphorical havoc, so if I do post less often or less energetically, at least you know what's probably the cause. I DO intend to continue blogging, however.

NAO, for some funner stuff. I tried to organize a small, local meetup about a month ago, but while a few people expressed interest, no one ended up being able to come. But it was nice sitting in the park with my sister, munching on the red bean muffins I'd made, and sipping Arizona iced tea.

My coordinate, which is the fourth one of the seven~

I've decided I'm a bit bored of this challenge, so while it was a great idea, I won't force myself to complete it. Plus I've discovered one of my favorite gothy dresses has room for a petticoat, and I've been dying to try out that theory...

Fun Thing II
Remember that writing blog I threatened to start? Well, I have! If you're interested in reading about my WIP (Work In Progress), a fantasy series full of faeries, vampires, gothic dreamers and midnight teaparties (and ballrooms), feel free to visit me at The Dreamer's Raven Quill.

Of the first haunted dream

She wishes all of you a lovely May Day, with sincere hopes that her lovely guests are nowhere near so ill as she feels at the moment.

Horrendous sore throat and incessant homework aside, today has been a nicely restful day. It's been raining since sometime in the night, about which I couldn't be happier. I adore rainy days, don't you?--they're calming and a little wistful all at once.

At any rate, if my vaguely folkloric memory fails me not, May Day is traditionally celebrated with songs and dancing. We have all the dancing we could wish for here in our ballroom, do we not?--so today seemed fitting for the first post of one of my gothic-and-lolita-friendly songs. Specifically, the one that solidified the midnight ballroom as the usual haunt (so to speak) of the shadowy, fay creatures from my stories. By the by, you may recall that I spoke of poems rather than songs in the first post. The truth is that they are actually songs, but with such a heavy emphasis on lyrics as well as melody that I use the terms interchangeably.

This particular song-poem is essentially the first of those written about (or by) my characters, and so it requires a very brief explanation. You see, my main character, a quirky, wistful romantigoth girl named Taralyn, is herself a songwriter, and wrote this song about a dream that came to her one night. It was quite a fancifully spooky dream, as you will see--worthy of any goth girl's subconscious imagination. What Taralyn didn't realize is that she had dreamed about a real person, amidst echoes of a long ago fairytale. You'll have to find out the rest for yourselves, dear guests.

Nonetheless, shortly after dreaming her dream and writing her song, Taralyn met Lorcan, a fellow gothic poet (and in future posts, you will be hearing quite a bit from his own quill.)  She never guessed--at least, not at first--that Lorcan was born very much a part of that dark fantasia that she yearned after, or that he had forsaken it long ago, dooming himself to wander as an outcast.

Now, was that quite melancholy and sentimental enough for you, dear listeners to this tale? If I have in fact intrigued you, by all means, read on. My wonderfully clever guests will recognize this song as the one from which I took the quote underneath "Herself," over to your right there.

Haunted Dream
by Taralyn Brennan

I dreamt...a fantasy in shadow--

Crimson darkness, crystal chandelier:

Alone he's waiting at the window--

A silhouette of midnight glimm'ring clear...

They were dancing

In a ballroom cast from Time...

Song entrancing--

Nightingale and evening's chime!

Arm in arm, ghostly charm:

Cold and pale and far from harm...

My heart forgot the sunshine--

No dream for dawn remains:

One kiss--enchanted ice-wine

Has crystallized my veins.

Haunted wonder, and a lost heart sings--

Deathly angel, fold me in your wings!

My hallowed eerie haven: “Forever,” sighed the raven,

On prism'd glass engraven like the moon that Winter brings...

From this dream I know I cannot wake--

You take this dance, and bind it in my blood.

My heart...grew hushed like a cathedral--

It beat as soft as falling snow.

The incense burned—my rose-red candle:

Lovelorn moth, imperiled long ago...

We were dancing--

The shadow-prince (my silhouette):

Gaze entrancing--

And mortal sunrise I forget.

His raven dove looked above,

Caught by hunger and by love...

The dusk-lit eyes glowed crimson--

He gently kissed the prey:

Each vein a scarlet ribbon,

He drank my heart away.

Haunted wonder, and a lost heart sings--

Deathly angel, fold me in your wings!

My hallowed eerie haven: “Forever,” sighed the raven,

On prism'd glass engraven like the moon that Winter brings...

From this dream I know I cannot wake--

You take this dance, and bind it in my blood.

Silver fades in a gloaming sky--

Her sweet, elusive lullaby--

Rainstorm-fragrant wind, a gravestone flower:

Melancholy reverie in grey.

Black the branches—tattered lace--

Pretty crystal mirror hides my face:

He changed me in the darkness of his tower,

And held me close in starlit mercy fae.

I am dancing

On wings that glitter in the dark!

Ice entrancing--

To living Dawn I'll never hark...

(My prince, come greet the moon's white arc.)

Haunted wonder, and a lost heart sings--

Deathly angel, fold me in your wings!

My hallowed eerie haven: “Forever,” sighed the raven,

On prism'd glass engraven like the moon that Winter brings...

From this dream I know I cannot wake--

You take this dance, and bind it in my blood.