Into the New Year; A Variance

Good evening, everyone, and happy holidays to you all~! Whether you like to spend time at home with just you and a nice cup of hot cocoa, or travel hundreds of miles to gather with family and repeat your Thanksgiving feast all over again, I hope you all have a great end of the year! Get yourself a little something [or hey, maybe like me, one little-big something], and say to yourself, "I deserve it." because everyone can use a little self-love every now and then.

Before the year wrapped up, I wanted to do a little recap and reflection of my own as it were, and pretend to pass out sage wisdom about fashion lovers and lifestylists through the changing seasons of every year. Let's see where that goes, haha.

Undertaker continues to be my favorite current cosplay, despite the work.

I am reminded of a certain school...

Visual-Kei madness in all it's... madness. The coat will be featured soon~

Who the heck is this? Oh.

So what does this all add up to? Well, for those who might be confuzzled by my last little caption there, I suppose it comes down to this. Dressing in a select style allows for as much freedom as you have imagination. And that even if you are a lifestylist in your particular fashion, there are times when you're just going to have a "normal" day. I know for a fact I have lots of casual days, where I'm back in my graphic t-shirt and pants staple, sans anything remotely Visual Kei.

Well, that may be all well and good if you're the flexible type who doesn't mind having the occasional day out of the petticoat or without the dark make-up. This would seem meaningless though, to those of you die-hards out there who have been at your fashion lifestyle for years now. I applaud your skills and passion towards what you love~! But I can bet you you've had a day or two, maybe when you were sick, or knew that you weren't going to leave the house on a nice lazy weekend, where you may have question "How much?" if any you would dress up that day. But you still made yourself look amazing as always. This isn't a bad thing. What I'm getting at, is that a casual dressing day doesn't have to equal lounge-clothes or, che gasp, normal civilian wear. And how do you do that, even while staying true to your particular style? Simple~

Perhaps the easiest thing ever is to stop before you go all the way. Thought about those cupcake rings and necklaces to match the lone bow in your hair, Sweet Lolitas? Give them a day off, and wear just one petticoat, too. Like lots of necklaces like I do, all sorts of chrome and crucifixes and wallet chains galore, punk generation and Gothic friends~? Put one of each on, and leave it at that. Makes your morning routine a snap, too. You might not know what to do with those extra five minutes.

If you can stand the thought, add, subtract, or substitute some colors in your select style. I've stood by the all black Aristo myself, but I know all white Aristo, along with the regal colors of dark purples, blues, and reds, will look just as amazing [budget willing I finally can get around to adding some of that in]. Haven't got another color in sight? Make-up artists, show your stuff, and instead of a dark shadows or lipstick, try a bright, but radical color; dare you try red and gold phoenix-dragon eye shadow, with a ruby red lipstick? I'm out on a hunt still for blue lipstick myself.

Since we're on a roll here, if you're feeling as though, yes indeed, today I will be Gothic, Lolita, Gyaru, Visual Kei, etc., even though the weather isn't right for all those layers [or lack there of], another thing to try is to switch the garment itself. If you're a skirts all day everyday, why not try a pair of slacks, or gauchos [the pants that look like a skirt because of the flowyness] for those easy-breezy weekends? Are you a graphic t-shirt fan like me? Blouses can have awesome graphics, usually taking up the entire back, that are great when you might be out for just a night.

In the end, of course, everything you do is up to you. You know what you do and don't like, what works for you and what doesn't, so go out there and have fun with it. I'm satisfied with myself to be able to switch up between two fashions [and then some one the side, for cosplay], but know full well that because I am lazy in the morning, I can make due with my t-shirt ensemble. Here's to more trail and error, and amazing looks for the future.

Happy New Year's everyone, and all the best~!

Eternally yours,

Il Ruinante Isaak

p.s. Sebastian is sharing his well wishes with you all, too. ^_^

*Hack hack hack.*

Mini Post: Technical Difficulties

Good afternoon everyone. Oh shame on me again, shame on me, I had such a nice little roll going. And then, che trouble. *Points to title.* Yoshimaru almost flat out died on me, and even though I brought him back from the brink, I feel as though he's teetering every day. After that, Yoshimaru suddenly stooped recognizing my camera memory card [Google is helping me work that out, slowly]. Separate from that, it seems as though Blogger does not recognize that I am logged in when I visit others' pages and try to comment, resulting in, che horror, no comment.

How will Aristocrat Elegance-san and Victorian Kitty-san know that I love all their new outfits and stuff now? Che catastrophe! [really, it's quite a pain, I'm more annoyed at Blogger and Firefox than anything else.]

If anyone is in the know for how to fix these things [the Blogger problem and computer failing to recognize memory card], I take any and all tips and suggestions. I just want to come back to you all with pretty images and stuff, you know~!

Sebastian is well, but also is doing this, too.

Thank you everyone~ I hope your holidays will continue to be enjoyable.

Eternally yours,

Il Ruinante Isaak

Monthly Theme: Spot the Lace

Koncha, minna. Well, this is a little better, mmm~? Perhaps it will still only be a one time thing, despite my best efforts [che sigh]. But nevermind the details~ it's finally become October~! Surely, October is probably my second or third favorite month ever. Good things happen. The weather--like today, oh yes--becomes cooler, Halloween looms, there's inevitably another show, and, oh yes... If you are the lovely Victorian Kitty-tan of Sophistique Noir, you have the first-day-of-the-month theme. For this October, behold....! Lace~!



As far as my trifecta of styles go [Aristo, V-kei, cosplay], the sharp dressed lady of the Aristocrat may find the touch of lace on blouse sleeves, or the top-layer of a fine blouse, along with lace gloves for the warmer weather. However, since on a whole, the three mostly do without, I seem to have sublty reflected that in my own wardrobe. In fact, I nearly forgot the lone piece of lace something or other that I do have until I just looked around the room and spotted it hanging on the doorknob. You've seen it before. It continues to serve me well, even into it's slightly 'broken' state. I'm of course talking about the ever fashionable rose lace zip-tie.

As aforementioned, it was delightfully cool today, as I threw myself out of the house to run to the bank again. The new long jacket--that when buttoned reminds me of a Japanese delinquent, hence the armband [which reads 'gang leader']--is one of two given to me over the summer by Nobu because they're too long to look right. It makes me favor windy days, too, for the billowing effect [who doesn't love that~? ^_^]. The hair is a mess and got rained on while coming home, aaaaaaand... hooray for my diligent tie, it didn't slip too much.

I'm still sick; the ear infection I had earlier this week transformed into a regular cold and cough. By transformed I mean that I didn't get any sort of lapse in between them, one turned into the other. But I can crack my neck again, at least, so that's good. Usually, since I don't like being a pain and getting up to leave class when I have a cough, I'll don the mask. Same for everyday happenings, since the mask is a staple of Visual kei fashion. This one also serves me well, it needs a new protege though. It's mostly little kids who will stare. I've yet to have anyone call me out on it or say a rude comment, and of course, when it is needed [like at my bank for example], I remove it, no problem. I have a feeling it's because I leer a lot when I'm out and about by myself [default expression].

I swear it seems way bigger in proportion to my chest. The picture in the linked post above shows it better than this one, the seeming difference in size... All in all, the tie itself would be great, to me, even without the rose or lace [or just one or the other], because of the material, and that it's neither a regular tie or a clip on, it's affixed via a zipper. Easy to adjust, no worries for length, and fits under even the smallest of collars like the long jacket has.

The mother-person has more lace things than I do... I have considered making a pillbox hat and adding a nice half veil to the front; it's good to remember that fashion goes from head to toe.

Do you prefer whole lace pieces, or lace accessories? Colored lace, or tradional black and white? Do you make your own lace? [if so I bow to your immense prowess~!]

Stay well everyone, and have a wonderful October all around.

Eternally yours,

Il Ruinante Isaak

The Fabled Tea-time with the Marquis

Good afternoon, minna~. How positively coincidental of me to say that I'll get a post in on Saturdays, and then forget the upcoming Saturday will consume my soul [shadow casting of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, with my favorite fandom, ahem... 'prodding' people in line]. And then I got sick. But I'm getting better, and thus I was inspired to do the tea-time post, since that is helping me feel better [also, hot apple juice with a bit of honey; it's really amazing]. So let us journery to that quiant cozy little corner of the world that's all yours, where the weather is exceptional, and nothing would be better than a spot of tea.

So a while back [...yeah, June-ish], gallavanting about, the parent-persons and I stopped at a Teavana. I swear I would buy a tea set from them if it wasn't so expensive... [well, not entirely overpriced, per se] The sample brews were delicious as always, and the mother-person bought some this time around. But it was caffeinated, and it didn't sit well with her stomach, so I ended up drinking most of it. On a calm Saturday morning that I planned to do a lot of work, I made a pot with a touch of honey. Generally, I will let tea steep for however long there is water in the pot; it makes each cup stronger. However, I do know that can impart the taste and make it overly bitter. Teavana brews will come with suggested steep times on the back of the bag.

The tea set came from my cousin Jo from when she was moving. Oh, the mother-person also made bread [with a breadmaker borrowed from a friend], and I do love my starches with every meal. I had honey and or butter with the French bread. The house was empty, so my little tea-time was very~ calming [and, since no one was around, and it was early in the morning, I hadn't dressed to match the part either, oops]. Even with the caffeine running through the veins.

Sebastian likes bread of all types, and thought he would help himself to some. [I would've had let him had he not also climbed up on the tabletop itself and almost spilled scalding tea on himself and I.]

Oh, the serving plate for the bread is a lovely number made by my awesome godmother. It actually comes off more a sushi plate to me, given the long rectangular shape, but like most dishes, it's versatile. We now have quite the small collection of various pieces from her. [I wonder if she's started to sell online, too...]

What's your favorite type of tea? Cold, hot, sweet, bitter, decaff, caffeinated? How do you enjoy your perfect cup of tea? If you're not one to brew your own, are there any good cafes around where you live that serve great tea?

And with that, I'm going to make some more chai and probably go back to sleep. *Sniff.* Take care of yourself, everyone~

Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak

Revive Kills Zombie!

Hello, hello, minna~! This is a 'Sorry-I've-been-away-apology-assurance-I'm-not-dead' post. All of those things, I am not [hence the zombie joke; from Final Fantasy X, I believe], and I am very very sorry for not following the slightest of blogger ettiquite to post something, anything, for the past three months or so [really, it's been three months...? Ah!]. Summer was really productive, in lots of ways. It was blistering hot. Sooooooo hot. I hear it's still warm in some parts. Anyway.


Since so much has been happening, there's a lot I can post now. I'm saying to myself to try and post at least on Saturdays. I'll do my best. Today is a good day though, so here's a mini-post because I love you all.


During the last week of summer before classes, I had the week off pretty much, so I was made to run errands and things. All well and good. Bought lots of stuff [notably a PS2, his name is Thunder Silhouette]. Among the outings, a few trips to Hot Topic; now I have more nailpolish and Dir-En-Grey [perhaps I'll do a CD review]. Since my nails were to be shortened with the resumed rehersals of the Gamer Symphony Orchestra, I did an alternate color scheme French manicure while I still had them long.

The purple was the new color; I now have five or so shades of purple [if I had remembered I just bought another shade of purple from Target, I would've gotten red instead, I think]. The blue is the same brand, and it's getting thick, unfortunately... Since I don't have clear nailpolish, but since it starts out clear, I used a Del Sol Change-Color-in-the-Sun nailpolish as a topcoat, as it were, just for the sake of preserving the manicure for a little longer. So extra sparkles. I got used to it. This will probably last for a month, and not look too bad [although, when I paint layers of this brand, they seem to chip off in chunks; all layers at once].

Do you have a steady hand? Do you prefer simple, or more complex nail designs? Are you an acrylic nail person, or like all natural growing them out? Favorite colors for nails that you find don't work for anything else?

Ohh, I am compelled to change the page music as well. I'm open to suggestions~
I'm ready for Fall, oh yay~ cooler weather. ^_^

Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak

Summery Treats

Good evening everyone~ I hope you all are keeping cool where you are. It's getting dastardly hot outside, and I don't even like to think about it [though I am fortunate enough to not really feel it]. I apologize for being away, I'm being a bad-at-everything person lately, and I feel terrible for it. As I predicted, I've become consumed with Dissidia 012. What's worse, in the time I do have to do something constructive, like post, I find I've come up with nothing worthwhile, to me. But I've come to the conclusion I just simply need to mix things up. And so, please enjoy something a bit... delicious~!


Lately, with the non-existent free time I have, the mother person firmly encourages--read, forces--me to make dinner two or three nights a week, as opposed to just one. This is all well and good, but if you recall, I am indecisive. So coming up with ideas even with a fridge full of food takes all day, if not... all night, too. Occasionally, I will take the easy way out, with something like a frozen pizza.


I'll skip the joke; it is DiGornio.

We'll usually get the plain cheese, and then whoever is cooking it will take topping preferences from the rest of the house and add them on. Clockwise is the mother person's third with broccoli and bacon bits, the father person's half with mushrooms, sliced baby bell peppers and bacon bits, and this one's third with broccoli and octopi hotdogs. Awesome moms and amazing girlfriends will add them to a loved one's lunch box, and are a snap to make with Nathan's hot dogs and a George Foreman's Grill. Cut each dog up into fourths, then cut a crosshair about halfway into each mini weiner. Stick em on the grill and they curl up beautifully. I don't know if I really have the hang of cooking broccoli yet. I just... boil until not frozen. It works. Mostly.


Now, where would your great pizza [or burgers~? It is grilling this time~] be without a delicious cool drink to go with it? The father person goes out at random to pick up soda cans from wherever is having a discount [be it Safeway or Giant], so usually we have that. But I took the leisure of buying a mini watermelon when the mother person highly encouraged--...yeah--me to go out shopping again [see the previous post for that outfit]. My parent people failed to mention to me before that they weren't fond of watermelon, leaving me to eat it all. Not that I couldn't, but something about seeing the 3/4 of it left just made me... unsure if I would be able to over time. Thus, I threw it in the blender.

Yes, we have the same blender Starbuck's uses, if that means anything to anyone. It can make anything from hot soup to pancake batter to ice cream, legit frozen.

Along with the watermelon, I added some milk, fruit punch and apple juice [in juice box portions], a bit of yogurt, and some ice. I was intent on making a smoothie, but it seems that it wouldn't thicken; the blender is a hella loud when crushing ice, so I didn't want to keep adding to it... it was already dangerously high from the watermelon meat. The portions I all eye-balled, so if want to recreate it, add more or less as you like, and swap out the added juices if you prefer with other juices or frozen fruit.


Everyone's got to eat, even Aristocratic vampires and Visual-Kei incubi [say what...?]. What are you favorite summer time meals and treats? Any homemade recipies?


I recently checked out an interesting book dealing with Japanese fashion, so hopefully that with scans of some pictures, along with a Red and Black post for Victorian Kitty's newly made week long theme, and a Polyvore playtime will be up soon. Just to keep things going.


Now, pardon me while I escape back into Dissidia for the night... Please remember to take precautions in 90+ degree weather, and enjoy your summery days~


Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak

Osaka -- Visual Kei Summer

Good evening, minna-sama~ and I apologize for the long gap since we last spoke, as it were. The title takes inspiration from 'Osaka -- Tiger Summer', a location level in Sengoku Basara 3; this is part of the reason I've not been allotting myself time to post. That, and the weather has finally taken a definitive turn into the hot, with a side of humid with all the off and on rain we've been having, so I've been going to my old stand-by, graphic t-shirts and whatever pants I feel like [I don't wear shorts].


But, as luck would have it, today, I had the day off from work. And the mother person suggested [read, forced me to] that I go to SAM's Club along with the bank to take care of some transferring of funds. What the hell, I might as well have more of a reason to get dressed than running up less than a mile or so to cut a check. But since it is still ungodly humid, today was definitely a day for some light Visual-Kei wear.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night shirt: Hot Topic
Black and white suspenders: Hot Topic
Wallet chain: Hot Topic [damn... what the hell...?]
Platforms: Demonia via Otakon

A long time ago~ in a world where I cared even less about things than I do now [odd. very odd, considering], I wore T-shirts at naseum. Then along came my sense of humor, and fanaticism with video games and anime. Thus, my T-shirt collection expanded into the graphic T land. Now anytime I can't wear the things I would prefer, including enladen Visual Kei things, I will wear a graphic T. Because everyone needs to know I'm a Jenova's Witness, from the Church of the One-Winged Angel of the Latter Day Summons. So, along with the magnificent makes-me-want-to-touch-myself Castlevania shirt, I paired it with my stand by V-Kei pants which I modified from a regular pair of black pants.



Just to mix things up, I also added two boot straps from my Undertaker cosplay to the bottom of the pant legs. Up close they look great in my opinion, but they are probably very subtle from afar. So in the future I might add more, and wear different shoes, or, instead of decking out my "leg" half, when it gets to be that season again, I may instead put them around my arms. I had meant to wear my 'gang leader' arm band, but I didn't think about it until after I had already gotten back; besides, I would've had to pin it to the t-shirt sleeve, since it's too loose to stay up on my arm, unless I perpetually flex. My hair is univentful because of the humidity; left to it's own devices, it would've been a flyaway mess from all the windows-down, sunroof open driving I did.


Alternately, as I've been going along, I've been thinking how the bootstraps around the leg might look with the Aeon pants [the eyelet heavy ones]. Definitely, I think I need both more wallet chains [or chain link belts in general] and some other colored suspenders. Fingerless gloves would be fun, HT has some in silver that look great.


I got some new musics--notably some songs by Lisa Komine--to keep me preoccupied between... everything, nghh... oh well. It'll be eventful from here on out, everyone~ I hope I can help keep your summers entertaining. Coming up, hopefully along with some more V-kei, will be the adventures of handmade cosplay. If you are a veteran homemade cosplayer, I welcome all wisdom~


"Lonliness fighting back again, seems to be like it never ends. Give us hope through the love of peaceful shine on me~"


Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak
p.s. While I was out, I bought Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. If I don't post for another month, even with my best intentions not to have that happen, Dissidia 012 is the reason why.

Blog Music II

Good morning, minna-sama~ I still seem to be low on sleep [ah, if only I had more mana...! say what?], but that's alright, because things are finally coming to a close, and the summer is looking good. I'll be very busy, but I know it will be much more enjoyable. I hope you all are looking forward to nicer summer days too~

As for this, you may or may not have noticed [again, it depends on if you turn your speakers on or the volume up or if your Adobe reader is working, etc.] that I have changed the music for this Aristokei Core. In light of our spectacular concert, I had planned to change it for a day or two from 'No Turning Back' to 'Objection!' from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, since we were playing an extended version of this piece. In the future, I may change it to this for a stretch anyway, because it's quite catchy and enjoyable. However, with all that happened leading up to, and over the weekend, it escaped me. However, to mark the end of the semester, I decided for a change anyway.

Thus, I moved on to a theme that I've had up on a tab for probably two months now, and when Yoshimaru decides to break again, I will probably go back and put it up on it's own tab once more. I'm talking about a track from the Castlevania: Lament of Innocence OST.

Leon Belmont ranks up there as one of the sexiest of his clan. [unfortunately, he is Lawfully Stupid, and has the worst Good Job Breaking It, Hero moment, in that he aided in the ascension of Dracula. But he's blond~ look at him~]

Currently, 'House of Sacred Remains' is what I have up now. It has quickly become one of my favorites out of the whole two disc soundtrack, along with two or three others that I might circulate directly after this. The into might seem a little dull, or grainy even, but when you listen to the rest of it, there is undeniably a gorgeous meld of choral, organ, and synth. I find that when I listen to it again in a loop, the begnning actually does very nice job of setting the tone for the rest of the theme. It never returns to it, but now that you know how the rest sounds, it draws the ear deeper. Speculation and opinion, of course.

Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Want to know where to find it? I've been looking myself, and I think my good old friend Blue Laguna may have the entire two disc collection. If you prefer, you can always find it on Youtube, as I did to get it to play on here in the first place.

"You have become a cursed being and I will never forgive you. This whip and my kinsmen will destroy you someday. From this day on, the Belmont clan will hunt the night!"

That's all for now~ I hope you'll all enjoy it for the while. [heh, classic...!]

Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak

Rainbow Magic

Good afternoon, minna-sama~ and please do try to overlook the title. One might think I would give pause and try to gather my... hours of sleep before I try to post, but, not only has it been a bit too long between posts, I have Crowning Music of Awesome playing in the background. This would be the Main Trailer music for Dissidia 012 brought to you by Square-Enix [if the link does not go directly to the page where all the characters will pop up, click on the ENTER rectangle towards the bottom]. This music has quite literally gotten me through final papers, so I feel a post should be simple. I don't know if that explains why the title is... off. To-ni-kaku...

On Saturday, Gamer Symphony Orchestra had it's 5th Anniversary concert~! It went splendidly, and soon recordings will be up on our homepage, here. After our victory dinner, I sat around and waited for the Satanic Mechanics [not affiliated with Satan or car repair] to show up and help them with their shadowcasting of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. As a rule, it's widely accepted to dress up. This ranges from anything to a speedo, to full on bush camoflouge that military persons use. Anything goes. To an extent. A really, really, wide extent. Usually, there may be a cast theme for fandom and Time Warping; this show's theme was rainbows. I didn't get that memo, so I decided to keep it somewhat simple and go demonic priest.

And what priest would be complete without simply divine footwear to accompany it? The dubbed 'Undertaker Boots'.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to the show, and by the time I got home I was too tired to take a picture [I had been up all night and into the morning]. I changed out of my clothes for Mother's Day breakfast at nine AM, and had the thought when I got back I'd change back just for the picture. But I was still too tired. Gomen, minna-sama, please put up with my lazy pic. *Weep.* If it makes things any better, this demonic priest had rainbow eyeshadow done, for keeping to the theme.

There was some purple in it to make it a good and complete rainbow, but it started to spread into a clown-blotch rather than a nice layer, so before I ordered something at McDonalds I wiped that part off. I was also wearing my black mask as well [unfortunately, when I breathe it fogs up my glasses unless I put them really low, so once the show was over I took that off]. I didn't have time to straighten my hair and put my Undertaker wig on, so I tied the o-natural curly goodness back [makes it easier to get the mask on].

On the aforementioned mention of the wig though, I have been planning to get a long blong wig, and trim it a little to make it accurate unto Bishop from DOGS Bullets&Carnage. Paired with the outfit above, and the Crow, I am quite excited to picture everything coming together for my Bishop cosplay. For kicks, I may make a white scarf rather than use the grey one, but who knows? I may accidentally forget [no really, I might]. Bishop would probably be in place of Akabane this year, unless that jacket decides to go and make itself in a random burst of [my own] energy. It would save me some space packing, since the 'cossak' comes out of Undertaker's cosplay [the part you can't actually see]. The entire cosplay would then only be the cost of the wig, and a pair of dollar store black lens glasses [blind priest is blind]. Excitement abound. I'm not sure you can tell though by the periods. Haha.

Music is so addictive~ maybe I should arrange this so we can play it next semester. Twould be so amazing... we continue to get better and better as our numbers increase, so I'm sure that soon GSO's repitoire will be limitless.

Ever tried a really amazing and crazy make-up job that came out surprisingly well? Do you have Rocky Horror where you are [pffft, what?]? Any otaku have plans for their cosplay this summer at the big conventions? Show us what you've got in mind~

"Even if I am no longer worthy of bearing the title, I will protect you until the end. That is my utmost duty."
Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak
p.s. who do you main as? I LOVE Warrior of Light.

Culturally Exploding [from the heat of summer, hello there.]

Good evening, minna-sama, I hope you all have had a good weekend. Saturday was beautiful, and I had a long event [and teaser concert for Gamer Symphony Orchestra~!], so by the time I got home that evening, I hadn't the energy to post for the event that happened last Tuesday. Late~! Forgive me everyone. If you will, here are some pictures for that event from that day, which include a couple of new things I experimented with~. Please enjoy.

Twas a very good event, too, used in part to promote our club, Jingu Bridge, but also be apart of the student showcase on campus. It was--title drop--a Cultural Explosion, so we hired ourselves out, as it were, and performed a para para dance in styles of Japanese street fashion, and then participated in the fashion show halfway through. While I think the weather that day would've been best suited for dressing up in Visual Kei, let's just say, among other things, looking a torn up mess at work may not have gone over well [and that is a maybe, as my workplace is surprisingly lenient]. But I'm temperature retardent. Wearing layers in 80 degrees is quite alright. ]

Here we are all together [power of paint to protect the innocent], in our sub-styles; left to right is seifuku, banba [our own Toriberry], yours truly, and Classic Lolita.

Today's focal piece, my lacy rose tie. I bought it at Otakon 07, and it has never once gone a day without a compliment. It's got a zipper collar, so to put it on all I have to do is zip it up or down. This picture seems to make it look bigger than it actually is. Although maybe it doesn't look that big to you. [The crucifix on top is Trinity Blood merchandise.]







I got a chance to put my hair back in a big bow like I've been meaning to do. The weather that day was definitely better suited for that, no less. It seems a little messy, but those are just my bangs from the front that you see on the sides. Those I'm not sure how well they worked, but I think I'll have to try a couple more times to see if anything can be done. The first picture shows them before they accidentally got a little wet, and thus a bit curly. Tucked behind my ears didn't look too bad though. [Also, I will probably get a wider ribbon just for this sort of thing. I think the big bow and ponytail is perfect Aristo hair styling, especially for the summer. Classical, in a way.]



And, last but not least~ the full length shots. If you click on each to see them larger, they are unfortunately a bit blurry [it seems the one sharper picture I took I accidentally deleted and didn't notice until I took them off the memory card; serves me right for not wearing my glasses through that process], please bear with me. I didn't wear my Demonia boots with this either, and I feel the shorter but simpler ones worked better for the appearance that I wasn't dressing for a show [ironic that I was], and come across to me as a bit more Aristo than Ouji. I will try this out again with the 'Undertaker' boots to see if they work the same.

Now that the summer months are rolling in, I'm going to adjust some, hopefully into Visual-Kei, but equally so I hope I can mix things up with the wardrobe I have--and hope to increase--to make Aristo work in the summer. Or working on cosplay projects may consume me and make me lazy when it comes to getting dressed each morning. I don't know.

Ever been in a student showcase with a cultural group? Or maybe been in a talent show of another sort, or even walked the runway? What do you like to see best in a talent show of your peers? How did you dress? Was what you wore even important [haha]?

Into the beautiful future, where we may all come together to be our own person, as we are one people.

Eternally yours,

Il Ruinante Isaak

p.s. Knowing that this would be a picture heavy post, I switched to blogger's new formatting toolbar thing-jabber in hopes of easing the formatting trouble I've been having lately. With all the grief it gave me, I'm almost ready to go back to the old one. But I think I've got it now. Maybe.

Marquis does Versatility.

Good morning, minna-sama~ have you been well? This week has been especially arduous to me, but not without some enjoyable things as well. The weekend is also looking to be splendid, so I won't be down and out by the looming storm clouds just yet. Besides, how could I think to be down when something as pleasant as an award has been recieved?

Award? Nominated by the up and coming, rose descendant after my heart, Liz of Aristocratic Elegance, this marquis has been bequeathed the Versatile Blogger Award that is being passed around [ah, I don't know who the creator is!]. Thank you very much, my dear! It is a great pleasure and honor to recieve it, and I hope as the community gives shout-outs to one another, we can all make friends with someone new.

To the best of my knowledge, the rules for those given the award are as follows:

1. Thank and link the person who nominated you.


2. Share seven random facts about yourself.


3. Nominate ten of your favorite bloggers for the award.


4. Be sure to inform your nominees of their nomination~!

And so, right after I decided it would be a great time for the '20 Random Facts' post, here's seven more facts about me [jeez... better just come be my family now at this rate.]

1. I walk [and in general, move I guess] very, very slowly. In fact, the fastest parts of my body are my tongue and my fingers. Forcing me to run is a sure fire way to tick me off.


2. I lack a pronounced heartbeat in part caused by hypotension. So when doctors put the stethescope to my chest, it takes them a really long time to hear anything. I can tell they are both perplexed and irked by it.


3. I can't decide how I feel about the rain anymore. I hated it for a long time, now I don't mind it so much as long as I have an umbrella, but yesterday it basically monsooned and I watched the whole time. Bah. Damn rain.


4. My favorite candy bar ever is Twix.


5. My favorite ice cream flavor ever is chocolate chip cookie dough.


6. I like collecting pins and phone charms [the pins go on my messenger bag]. When I get to cons, I try and pick up at least one or the other of series I like, so as to represent. At Otakon this year, I'm on the look out for Devil May Cry, Legend of Zelda, Uraboku, and DOGS Bullets and Carnage.


7. I like gijinka. Particularly the brush gods from Okami.

And for my nominations~...! Alas, I am not even following ten blogs, but all the same, I will post my favorites. Please give them a look~ and see if you can't broaden your blogsphere. ^_^

• My good friend and rising banba/gyaru Toriberry of East Meets World.


• The lady of Gothic for the work and play, Victorian Kitty of Sophistique Noir.


• Everything-Japan-lovers in New York, sisters Mina and Steph of Ja ma vrouw.


• [and though it may seem redundant] My newfound rosebud stirring up magnificent Aristocrat outfits, Liz of Aristocratic Elegance.

Versatility abound...! The splendor of spontaneity does become us...! Let our oneness as a community shine through as we show appreciation and compliment our peers. Thank you~ and enjoy.

For loveless loving, you fly about this broken world. Mercifully, the rain falls~

Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak
p.s. Formatting for the blog is being a pain recently. Is anyone else experiencing trouble [especially with line breaks]?

Plus 20 [of him]

Good afternoon minna-sama~ and my, look at this splendid weather that has finally come around, hmmm? Pleasant to no end. I hope everyone can get around to enjoying it. Sebastian and I have sat around outside in the lanai for a stretch, and Firi-kun left me a cute message earlier this morning. Hopefully that'll be enough pleasantries to get me through work.

As for today, I thought I'd just come to keep up on things, and do a '20 Random Facts' post. I've been reading some that have been passed arounds a bit, and thought, 'Sure, that would be nice.' Maybe we'll get to know each other better and share our experiences. So, that is, take from this what you'd like, and enjoy for what it's worth.

1. I'm two halves of the same coin. My own brother from another mother. However you want to say it, I'm a dual person. Not to say dual personality, or bi-polar. More of, I can and do readily advocate, act on, and believe two different things that often contrast simultaneously. I chalk it up to my Gemini zodiac sign, but that's just an easy way to say it.


2. I'm an easy to please person, really [yet, following number 1 it would go without saying that I can be hard to please at the same time]. I don't need much to keep me content; an empty house with a book, or my PSP, or a pencil and paper, or nothing but a bed to sleep on would satisfy me.


3. My handwriting continues to spiral into scrawling semi-cursive. Mind you, my cursive is shit, but my print is often mistaken for cursive. I write very quickly, and so the pen/pencil rarely is lifted from the paper [even between words], creating a very... pretty mish-mash [some will say it's just illegible].


4. I wish I had a dog. Not to replace Sebastian, but in company of him. I'm afraid that getting a dog that is the same size or smaller than Sebastian would result in an injured dog. [Sebastian knows I'm talking about him.] So I'd go for a Russian Wolfhound or a German Shepard. Maybe a Shiba Inu.


5. I like chocolate, except in the pudding, cake, and ice cream configurations. I think it's because I had too much of it growing up. I LIKE CHOCOLATE OTHERWISE.
   


6. I am allergic to Benadryll. If I was a allergic to pollen or anything else, this would royally suck, but mercifully, that is my only allergy.


7. I can speak in tropes and tv idioms. Most frequently will be trope equations, e.g.: Battle Butler + Fetish Fuel Station Attendant + Gentleman Snarker = Sebastian Michaelis of Kuroshitsuji.


8. Officially, I have [self proclaimed] theme music. Violater by Nobuo Uematsu.


9. I'm [still?] an otaku. It is controlled, sans conventions. Because I grew up with dial-up, I wasn't privy to watching a lot of anime on Youtube, so I read manga more. Currently, the collection extends to about 150+ manga spread over at least 25 different series, discluding series magazines [which would add about another 20]. An interesting title can get me interested in an anime.


10. Since I am studying Japanese [semi-fluent, at best, I'll say], that means unless I'm talking to someone else who knows Japanese, I don't add 'kawaii' and 'desu ne~' to my sentences and Youtube comments, etc.
    


11. That being said, I do sometimes pick up a verbal tic. For a while it was 'Context' after an ambiguously double meaning sounding sentence. Now it's a trope that fits whatever I just said [hence... verbal tic].


12. I believe one of my most formidable weapons is my tongue [context]. With or without a single spoken word, my tongue can take care of a good number of situations.


13. I'm indecisive a lot [and, quick to decide]. I've come up with the example, if I was in a room filled with endless supplies of all my favorite foods, I'd still starve because I wouldn't know what to eat first. [The times when I am decisive, it's probably because I'm not deciding something for myself, and the better choice is clear.]


14. I like ALL foods. And I am perpetually hungry. So that crinkle of your chip bag, the fizzing of contained carbonated soda, even if you're trying to be a ninja, does not escape me. I'll eat pretty much anything, and as much as I can in that one bite you offered me.


15. 15 is my favorite number. [I didn't plan it this way, but when it came up, that's the first thing I ended up thinking.]



16. My ideal profession is to be a glassblower. That pretty much has nothing to do with anything I've been studying for the past... my life. This is something I decided when I was six or seven years old, and haven't shaken yet. While I would readily accept other great professions [writer, massage therapist, translator, ehm...], this is my 'dream job', as it were.


17. I am a gamer. I don't know if I should call myself a hardcore gamer, because I don't have topline equipment and headsets and keyboards and modded controllers, etc. And I don't spend unholy hours a day [...all day...?] playing either. But I LOVE~ video games [and video game music~!]. Because I didn't grow up with a game console in the house [ohh~ I was so depraved~ ah~] I played my friends' games with varying degrees of frequency. So I know lots of video games, without ever having owned them myself. Nowadays the game count is increasing little by little [with Capcom games in the lead, oddly].


18. I mostly listen to J-musics. But anything with a good sounds can entice me. A GOOD sound. Lyrics in my own language that I can't understand does not usually lend itself to a good sound.


19. I read spoilers sometimes [not usually intentionally]. I don't mind if you tell me spoilers either. I believe that the sign of a good story is one in which you CAN know what is going to happen, or if that one character survives, and still be on the edge of your seat when you get to that part in the story yourself.


20. At the end of the day, I'm happy to be as fortunate as I am. In the future, I can only to continue to go towards what I really want, which is freedom. More than anything in this world, I want to know, embody, and exist in true freedom.

Oh my, did that get too thick and heavy at the end? [Context... damn.] Don't think too much on it. I'll look forward to seeing your own 20 random about me post in the future. ^_^

If I can just get through this week... things will be so much better...

Shall you bring me to further roses...?
Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak

Casual Aristo Friday

Good afternoon mina-sama~ I hope you all had a good weekend. This post comes as of this past Friday, do forgive the lateness. I haven't posted as many outfit pictures as of late, for the obvious reasons of not dressing as often [unfortunate to the nth degree], and trying to get my projects done. I have the tendency to wear things more often after I've made them [they become my new favorite piece for a stretch]. Thus, even though it's casual, please enjoy.

I haven't worn my waistcoat in a long time I realized when I put it on. It seems to have somehow loosened a bit, if one can imagine such a thing [and no, I do not believe it's because I lost weight, because I know I haven't]. It's nice and light though, relatively, so I plan to wear it a lot when I go Spring Aristo. With the pant legs tucked in, I feel this may seem a bit dandy/ouji rather than Aristo [and when paired with the Demonia platforms as they are, which are suitable for Visual Kei too], but I don't mind so much. ^_^

Because I love my little brother Sebastian so much~ [and because he loves me so much he finds the camera when it's on] I let him be in my pictures. The last one may seem as though he does not want, but that's because he's purposefully camera shy/uncooperative when I go out of my way to include him.

Some things have been piling up, so it may be a while before the next post, but hopefully not. I want to say there may be expiremental make-up posts in the future as well, along with another nail "art" and hair entry. Please look forward to it.

Pagoda of the Misty Moon.

Eternally yours,

Il Ruinante Isaak

Music Revisted

Good evening minna-sama, ahhh this feels better, doesn't it? A nice, relaxing--...a gently breezy cool evening, with tea and dinner. Oh, I haven't done a meal post in a while, either have I? More things to look forward to. ^_^ Things are still keeping busy, but I have a feeling it's all for the better. Once May rolls around, things will be good. In the meantime, here's to touch on something new.


As you may or may not have noticed, depending on where you read this blog and if you choose to keep your speakers off, etc. etc., I have added music to thy blog. Music, herr marquis, how can that be? There's no music player to be seen anywhere. Now, now, no need for formalities, we're all friends here, and I'll let you in on my secret~


The non-existent music player is actually a Youtube video, the embed code of which I copied, and shrunk down to invisible. You can't force it that small if you try to custom size it before you copy and paste it, so just copy it as is, and stick it in any place on your blog where HTML coding works. Then, change BOTH width and heights [one in the beginning and another towards the end of the code string] to 1 pixel wide. Now your music is out of sight, out of mind. In order to make it play, add the code '& autoplay = 1' DIRECTLY before the "greater than-less than-param-greater than [you may find you have a res=0 or similar in front of it; it goes there, with no spaces or other characters]. With careful scanning, and a good reliable video, you've now discreetly added music to your blog. The only downside--your mileage my very if this is a downside--is that this does not loop, nor give the option to pause the music as you go. Unless I haven't figured it out how to do so. But~! Do give it a whirl if you'd like, I am happy to hear your blogs as well~


The current selection is 'No Turning Back' from the Soul Calibur 2 OST [yes, the video game]. Previously, when I first started fiddling with Blogger's trippy HTML coding screws, I had 'The Love from a Dead Orchestra' playing as the first song, followed by 'ASCENDEAD MASTER', both by Versailles Philharmonic Quintet. My love for Versailles--the ideal combination of what this blog is about really, Japanese Street styles focusing on Aristocrat and Visual Kei--continues onward and onward~ and I hope they can continue to bring us beautiful music.


The reason I couldn't keep it to their songs however, was because the videos I was using seemed to be deleted or moved--thus messing up the HTML code--not long after I would add them. While I am by no means compromising by using 'No Turning Back' [I LOVE this track], I would like to use something more readily related to thy blog's purpose. While troping, by some way or another I got onto Castlevania, which led to looking up some of the OST from various games on Youtube. I've been listening to Castlevania Lament of Innocence tracks as of late, and I already know at some point or another at least three of them are going to have to go here. [For those unfamiliar with Castlevania, it is a Konami video game series, that is well regarded for it's Crowning Music of Awesome across all of its 25+ games. Lament of Innocence features some of the best music of the series, which is saying something.] I am thinking I might change the music once a month, just for the sake of variety [this is hoping I will remember, among other things].


That being said, I am open to suggestions or requests for music to be featured~. During the summer, I feel I have time to even do day-to-day/week-to-week things for super special occasions. I'm into anything that sounds good, and happy to recommend things as well. If you're just tuning in, that's alright by me, too. Music is a wonderful thing, let's be sure to have fun with it.


This weekend I am actually formulating a mini-schedule to get the Altelier Boz jabot done, and perhaps the Nudy Boy mod. We'll see how that works out when Friday evening rolls around~


Holy Cross Obsessed by the Moon~
Eternally yours,
Il Ruinante Isaak

The 50th Post [Extensive]

Good morning, minna-sama~ [ohto, here I am again coming in the morning to do things (especially when I should be doing something else)] Have you all been well? I apologize for being away so long. Aside from upped business, I wanted to make the 50th post something noteworthy [as opposed to what the next post is going to be]. Thus, here's the big events from Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the Japanese American Student Association [JASA] hosted it's annual Taste of Japan event on campus; it's just like it sounds. A taste of Japanese things, from fashion, food [catered by the awesome Matsuba], travel, origami, song, dance, and raffles. After some kinks getting into the event from the start, Jingu Bridge: A Japanese Fashion club joined up with the fashion branch of JASA and hosted our raffle that went quite well. As we take interest in the sub-styles of Japanese fashion, Jingu Bridge members dressed up~ to represent. As the resident man of the club, I donned my Aristo for the whole day [including work and classes]. Though I am pleased with the ensemble, I actually forgot one part. The hat is part of a match set that the mother person bought for her and my late grandmother. It's a little small on my head [I think because I have too much hair], and made me feel a little more Ouji than Aristo, but that's okay. Toriberry was kind enough to give me smoky eyes [quickly], and I accidentally mashed my black lower, red upper lips halfway through, heh heh. This is what I had in mind; the difference is the half skirt [shown in earlier posts]. ...I hope everyone recalls I like strange positions. [a squat is strange, deshou ka?]Underneath. [Oh yessss~ so classy. *Snerk.*]

As a very new club with not much out about us, the raffle was quite a success. Taste of Japan was also a lot of fun, as usual~ and JASA gathered a lot of support and contributions to the Japanese Red Cross. It was a have fun, feel good, do good night. Jingu Bridge has another event coming up in which we shall have a slot to showcase our name; please look forward to it~

Then, come Saturday, the mother person and I went out to the Cherry Blossom Street Festival in D.C. It was cold, about 50 degrees at the most, and cloudy [no chance of a brief warming in the sun~...!], but it was not unpleasant. Even with the newly instated $5 admission, the Street Festival did not disappoint, continuing to uphold it's tradition of wonderful musical entertainment, interesting info/participation booths, and great food. And while by no means mandatory, the Street Festival is a great opportunity to dress in one's yukata or kimono suited to the fesitval atmosphere. The otaku will show you otherwise, but only Hazel-kun seems to dislike the weeaboos cosplaying at a festival rather than a convention... The hakama I bought in Japan, from a street stall in Harajuku. I think the guy was going to give me a discount, because I was about to buy two [there was a green and black in similar gradient], but~ either way, I am happy to have it. The haori is a captain's robe, from Bleach, bought from Otakon '07. Since I have nothing else of Ukitake's cosplay, I tend to wear it only for the Cherry Blossom Festival. It's got the traditional feel to it. Also, my hair is in a topknot, but the ends curled down a little, haha. ^_^ Way back before I made The Crow [my cane], my sword, Yasumisame [also bought at Otakon '07], served as my makeshift cane. I thought I'd show it some love and feature it with the photos. [No, I didn't bring it with me to the festival, as much as I'd like to.]

The cherry blossoms around campus are still blossoming, but I expect with a light breeze and the sporadic warm days we've been having, they will soon become bare again. I will enjoy them in the meantime. If you have some growing where you are, have a picnic under one, and let a blossom drift lightly into your drink. ^_^

The next few projects I hope to do over the weekends, since the two cosplay projects I hope to do in May and June will be all consuming. Please look forward to the jabot from Altelier Boz, and the detached sleeve Nudy Boy shirt modification, among others.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Spring Break, or if you are in the midst of it, continue to enjoy it~ minna-sama~

Admiration of the Clan~ We shall Triumph.

Eternally yours,

Il Ruinante Isaak