The Darkling Tag

Thanks to Gothy Two Shoes and Giggles in the Darkness for tagging me. This was fun! :D

What is your favorite candle scent?
Vanilla or cinnamon. I usually buy vanilla because cinnamon/apple cinnamon candles are almost always red, and red clashes with my decor.

Do you have a favorite book?
Encyclopedia. I have always loved to read about all sorts of topics. Pre-internet, the encyclopedia was THE source for information. In my youth, I read more than one set almost in their entirety (skipping the occasional uninteresting topic).

33 volumes!? Yes, please.

Are you a tea or coffee person?
Neither. I almost never drink hot beverages. I do love sweet iced tea... syrupy sweet like the manners of a Southern belle. ;)

What is your favorite brand and color of lipstick?
Eons ago, it was Urban Decay's "Plague" because it perfectly matched my purple hair. These days, I don't often wear lipstick.

What is your favorite perfume/cologne?
I don't use it. I am extremely sensitive to perfumes.

Do you have a celebrity crush?
No.

If you had to give up the color black, what color would you choose instead?
Gray. I love purple, but if I replaced everything black with purple, my wardrobe and house would be an unsettling riot of color.

If you could change your name to a stereotypical 90s/2000s gothy name, what would it be?
My name, Bane, is already a bit stereotypical. But how about Lady Obsidian Nightwing, dark mistress of the Castle of Echoing Sorrows. ;)

What are your top three tips for surviving hot weather while black clad? 
(1) Stay out of the sun. Clothing color doesn't really matter if you're not in the sun. (2) Wear loose clothing made of natural fibers such as cotton or linen. (3) Carry a frozen bottle of water. Cold on your palms or wrists will cool you, and as the ice melts, you’ll have cold water to drink.

What song will always make you happy (doesn’t have to be a goth band)?
No one specific song comes to mind. Many songs can cheer me up and make me want to dance. (Now, if you ask what music always makes me sad, I would immediately have an answer: almost any song by Tapping the Vein. Their songs are so personally meaningful to me, it's almost painful.)

Are you active in the arts (ex. Play an instrument, paint, write, etc)?
No. I have zero artistic talent. The teacher of my first and only drawing class told me, "It's like you have a learning disability for drawing." XD

If you had a teacup or mug made inscribed just for you, what would you have it say?
I wouldn't have any use for a teacup or mug. I need a black t-shirt that says "Do not place in direct sunlight."

What is your number one non-gothy hobby?
What is a gothy hobby? Building coffins? Collecting Bauhaus memorabilia? ;) My hobbies - sewing, crafting, DIY - aren't intrinsically gothy, but they usually end up with gothy elements.

Thought Provokers:
If you could be a supernatural creature, what would it be and why?
A shapeshifter because of the new experiences I could have, such as flying as a bat and breathing underwater as a dolphin.

What horror monster-based super power would you have?
Telekinesis

Do you feel confident or comfortable interacting with other Goths or gothy people (online or irl)? Why or why not?
I don't feel confident interacting with people, gothy or not. I'm extremely introverted, and social skills do not come naturally to me.

Which is more important for a look: Great hair or great makeup?
I think either one can make or break a look, depending on the circumstances. For myself, I focus on hair because while I can often achieve good hair, no amount of makeup can make me like my face.

Is there something you wish there was more of in your subculture?
Daytime social events with a specific activity, such as crafting or playing cards/games. As an introvert, I am stressed out and miserable at parties where people show up to simply talk to each other.

Care to share an embarrassing story related to your “darkliness“? 
I don’t recall any embarrassment specifically related to my dark tendencies. I have unintentionally caused other people to embarrass themselves. (1) During the brief time I had bright red hair, a nice older lady complimented me on my Raggedy Ann costume. She was mortified when I politely told her it wasn’t a costume. (I decided red hair might not be the best idea if I was going to continue wearing striped tights almost daily.) ;) (2) At a mall food court, a boy was staring at me so intently that he bumped into a trash can and his whole tray of newly purchased food dropped right in.

How are you at DIY?
My first instinct is to say, "Not bad" because I never think I'm great at anything. But if I evaluate myself more objectively... I have rocked some fairly complicated DIY projects.

Confessional (aka True or False):
I love watching cheesy romance films.
False. My heart has been burned into a lump of charcoal, and romance is too great a suspension of disbelief.

I ALWAYS remember to wash off my makeup at night.
True.

I sleep with plushies.
False. My entire plushies collection consists of two bats and one dragon, all gifts from coworkers, which I keep in my cubicle at work.

I wear non-black pajamas most nights.
False. My sleepwear is usually a black cotton knit t-shirt-style dress.

I don’t like vampires.
False.

I don’t like clubs.
False, if referring to a goth club.

I don’t enjoy graveyards.
True and false. The statuary and history can be interesting, but the concept of burial makes me uncomfortable.

Blood makes me queasy.
False.

I’d sooner faint than pet a spider.
False. I don’t mind spiders. The silk annoys me more than the spiders. I swear if there is a strand of spider silk within 10 miles, I will walk into it.

I don’t like haunted houses.
True, if referring to the "entertaining" type set up around Halloween. I do not enjoy blood and gore, and I absolutely HATE being startled.

I’ve never read Dracula.
False.