The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

After about three different people all said that I reminded them of Lisbeth Salander, I had to watch this movie. Once I first saw The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Lisbeth took the scene, my first reaction was, "Oh my god! She is like me!" Based off a best-selling novel by Steig Larson, it tells the story of a Gothic young woman who helps a journalist find the missing niece of a very prestigious family. The case is cold and over 40 years old, but Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist are determined to find out what happened to her. Along the way Lisbeth meets with a lot of trouble from her new guardian while Mikael deals with the aftermath of a trial he just lost. And the more they discover the more dangerous it gets for both of them. The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo is the first in a series that was left unpublished when Larson died in 2004. the other two are The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. All three have been made into films and all three are available in book form. I still need to read all of them even though I've seen all the films. Noomi Rapace is just downright sexy too, so if you don't see it for any other reason, see it for her and the awesome back tattoo she has.

Gothic Manga: Vampire Doll

This is one comic book that pretty much anyone can enjoy even if they aren't a goth or metalhead. I stumbled across this particular one quite a few years ago when I first started to seriously read manga (Japanese comic books). Essentially the idea of the story is that the spirit this feared and ruthless vampire lord from the days of yore, Guilt-Na-Zan

is released from the confines of a crucifix it was put it thanks to the descendant of an exorcist and instead of placing the spirit back in his original body, the descendant decides to put it into this body...And as if a vampire lord trapped in the body of a very pretty female doll wasn't enough, the descendant decides to have the vampire lord do his housework and become his maid. In order to change back to his normal form and regain his powers, Guilt-Na-Zan must drink the blood of the exorcist's little sister, and if he does it without permission he's punished with wearing frilly dresses and more housework. Just the random moments that feature Guilt-Na-Zan freaking out are hilarious. And when more characters, such as Guilt-Na's loyal bat servant Vincent, get into it, chaos tends to break loose and more hilarity ensues. I recommend this to pretty much everyone and anyone who likes to read comics of any kind and who likes to laugh.

Dracula's Ball

This is one event that I have yet to experience, mostly due to money and travel reasons. The vent is only held in Philadelphia, so it's a bit more than a hop, skip, and a jump from good old Pittsburgh. Even still I always regret missing it for one specific reason... It's all about the vampires. The ball is held every three months, but the biggest and best party of them all is their Halloween party. From what I hear, this goes without saying due to Philadelphia's reputation of having one of the best club scenes you're likely to see anywhere else in the country. This ball has become so big they have people coming in from all corners of the world in order to enjoy a night in honor of their favorite bloodsuckers. Everyone and anyone is welcome to come, even the young ones under 21. Every year they have two major bands play sets and then the DJ's take their time in the spot lights.

Dracula's Ball doesn't really have a dress code to it, but they do prefer that you break out some of the freaky clothing you have in order to create the right atmosphere. Any kind of vamped-out look will work, from Renaissance and medieval down to the modern, sleek, vinyl wearing vamps anything will do the trick.

Their next show will be held on April 23 and this time around they've chosen Ayria and Angelspit to play. There are tickets currently being sold on Ticketmaster for $16 for the venue at the Shampoo Nightclub. For any other questions go on to their site and if anyone goes, have fun and watch your neck. *Insert evil laughter here*

Gothic Cartoon Characters

Unfortunately, these are a few-and-far-between occurrence. This being so, I figured I'd go and give credit to some of the cartoon shows that feature gothic or alternative characters. Feel free to add in more in the comments if I don't mention them.

First up is Gaz from one of my favorite shows "Invader Zim." Gaz is the delightfully dark sister of Dib, a big-headed kid who's all about the paranormal and is the only person who sees Zim for the alien that he is. In almost every episode that she's featured in, Gaz makes some threat or other towards her brother or Zim or just random annoying people who dare to cross her path. Although she never lets on that she knows about Zim, she doesn't seem to particularly care whether or not the human race gets destroyed in one of his horribly-planned schemes.

Next we have Sam, short for Samantha, from "Danny Phantom." And fun fact, not only is Sam the designated goth of the show, she is also the resident ultra-recyclo-vegetarian. On more than one occasion she fights with both Danny and Tucker over her eating habits and environment protection attitude. She's also very smart and well-informed. More often than not, she winds up spinning Danny and Tucker in circles from all the information she gathers about a situation. And she knows how to stand up for herself against even the bitchiest of the popular girls, Paulina, who everyone adores and admires.

Now we come to a character called Raven from the show "Teen Titans." You're not likely to find a more misunderstood character in any other cartoon series. Raven constantly struggles between her deeply instilled habits and her want for friends. Although some of the Titans like Robin and Starfire seem to "get" her more than others, her relationship with them still remains rocky due to her detached nature. Raven must constantly keep in control of her powers or else they will rage out of control with the slightest emotion.

For the finale, I'll stick with a classic character, Lydia from "Beetlejuice." This one girl is the only contact and potential friend the trickster Beetlejuice has in the world of the living. It's just as well for Lydia too since her parents don't even really understand her, much less her peers at her prestigious all-girls school. Much like Sam, she finds herself on the receiving end of ridicule thanks to the most popular girl in school. Normally, a session with Beetlejuice and all his mischief is enough to set things straight and get Lydia into a better mood.

Little Apple Dolls

These little gothic darlings were popular a few years ago, around the time I was in high school. Unfortunately, I've only managed to collect the one called Irae (seen on right), but she's my baby doll and I love her to death. No pun intended. Each Little Apple doll comes with her own Little Apple that you can stick a set of pins in as well as her own specific outfit, accessory, and story. They are a little creepy to look at, especially in the dark, but they're also so cute if you have a twisted sense of what is adorable like I do. The whole storybook thing just gets me. So far four different series of the dolls have been released, but upon stumbling onto the site, I found that the creator and the toy distributor had a bit of a falling out. Now this was way back in 2008 so it seems pretty apparent that no new series is going to appear at all. This is a sad fact, but there are still four series of dolls and endless merchandise to revel in. Their official flash site is so cute and dark at the same time. Don't be confused if you can't understand the headings, if you linger the cursor over one it translates into English. From here you can find not only the names of the dolls form series 1-3, but also read their individual stories and find out where you can buy these little ones. If you don't find the particular doll that captures your heart with her needles, I suggest at least buying the little storybook about them that was released. It's nice and colorful and the perfect size to fit on your shelf.

Bod Mod Locations

Since I've already covered the different types of bod mods available to those with either parental consent or who are over 18, I figured I could point those who are interested in them in some useful directions. The first place I ever went to was South Side Tattoo to get my belly button pierced. Later I went back for my nose piercing and if I can manage it, I'll go back to them for all my piercings in the future. The place is really clean and the people who work there are awesome. When I had to get my nose re-pierced they knew exactly what to do and they always give great advice on caring for your piercings. When I was finally old enough to get my first tattoo I headed on down to Ink-N-At in Verona. It's a small place but the two women who work there are really cool. They have awesome prices and always make sure that whatever tat or piercing your getting is exactly what you want. That's where I got my vine tattoo. I recommend going there in mid-fall because that's when things start to slow down for them and it's more likely you'll get your tat done sooner. For my most recent tattoo, I ventured on down to Imperial to Up-In-Arms. Dooner, artist and founder, gave me a great price on my tat which ended up having 11 colors in it and did it quickly and really well. I was in and out in about 2 1/2 hours and the colors still look amazing. When I have the money for my next tat, I'll be heading back to him for it. For those who want something closer to home, I've heard good things about Mantis Tattoo. Unfortunately, their site is being a bit wonky and can't be viewed. Even still, go and give the place a look if you're closer to Greensburg. You can never beat a good piercer or tat artist.

Repo! The Genetic Opera

This is the new Rocky Horror Picture Show. Repo! The Genetic Opera is set somewhere in the near future. Organs are failing left and right and the world falls into complete chaos. Dramatic, no? But when hope seems lost, a big evil corporation rises up to save everyone called Geneco. They even offer organ financing for those who can't pay for their operations at the time. Aw, isn't that sweet? Surgeries become the new fashion statement of the century. The only downside is when people aren't able to pay Geneco back for their borrowed organs. If they fall behind on their payments a Repo Man comes to take the organs back. And all this is set to rock-opera music.
But Repo! didn't actually start off as a movie, it started out as a performance piece. The original name was "The Necromerchant's Debt" back in 1996 and was thought up by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. After a while, their ideas kept on expanding until Repo! was the finished product. When the full-length film came out in 2008, both Smith and Zdunich had roles, Smith as a band leader and Zdunich as Graverobber (who has become the new sex-symbol of the goth world). And fun fact, not only is Zdunich a writer, creator, actor, and composer for Repo! but he also has his own comic book series called "The Molting." Repo! even has its own site which you can look at here. If you haven't seen this film, you have to, especially if you liked The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
And I feel compelled to say this last bit. Repo Men did not come first and those who came up with it are thieves. Because of them, Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich were investigated for copyright infringement when they're the ones who came up with all of this. There's even a rip-off of the drug "Zydrate" in the Repo Men film. And Smith and Zdunich can't even sue them for copyright because the film doesn't use names or any specifics, just the ideas. *Insert ragingly angry face here* I have no respect for this film or those involved with it especially when producers from Universal admitted to being in the audience during one of the Repo! performances and took notes on it. Just had to mention that...