What is Goth anymore?
I am constantly asked, "Why do you say you're goth? You're not! You're a happy, bright, cheerful person, so why do you call yourself goth?" If I have to give myself a label, it is the one that people best understand, although I'm finding that their understanding is different than mine.
To me, goth is a way of living. A mentality. It is defined by those who consider themselves as belonging to that name. To me it is an inexplicable beauty that arises from darkness. An elegance and aesthetic beauty. It seems to be characterized by sadness and beauty, but it isn't limited to that. It means a lot of different things to me.
Aside from this 'beauty in darkness' thing, there's the music. I will be the first to admit that I don't listen to a ton of music from the goth genres. I couldn't tell you all of the genres, how they fit together or which bands fit into which. I search out music according to my personal preference, much of which is gothic if not goth. At the moment I'm listening to a Dead Can Dance disc, but in a while I might switch to an Egyptian compilation that I'm thinking of choreographing a piece from. While music is important, it's not the be all or the end all of the goth culture.
Then there's the creativity and clothing. Two very important pieces, one of which is overemphasized while the other is forgotten in a musty corner. They both slightly fall under the aesthetic bit, but are important enough that they both warrant a mention. Fashion/clothing is nearly always overemphasized, especially by babybats/mallgoths and the like. While it is important and a great love of mine, it evolves and isn't entirely essential to being goth. One does not have to wear black all of the time, shop at hot topic, or wear a corset 24/7 to be goth! Your combat boots do not have to be the tallest, shiniest or with the most buckles/laces to make you goth! The clothing is so ridiculously blown out of proportion in the subculture and wannabes while there are no exact parameters that one must keep between. I tend toward the more victorian and a style which I have no as yet identified, as well as combining steampunk and my own distinct style. Secondly is the creative aspect! One of the basic requirements is to be creative in all that you do. If one were to wonder why there is so much of a love of music (especially the creation) in the subculture, this would come to be the only solution-- we need creative outlets! I dance and sew, as well as creating music, knitting and coming up with generally zany things to do with my time. I'd also like to add that intelligence is part of creativity, but I know that that's debatable. I suppose that it is technically feasible for one to be goth without carrying on an intelligent conversation, but they won't be a friend of mine.

Likes
VITAMIN WATER. Roses! Dancing, reading, dancing, listening to music, dancing, sleeping, dancing. Going to dance workshops/festivals/related events. The Renaissance Faire! Ice cream with hot fudge. Showering. Finding things. Electric blankets and down comforters. Glass blowing workshops. iPods. Vampire novels (Anne Rice and Stephenie Meyer especially). Beautiful hair. Eyes. Dance clothes/costumes. Dresses from the past from western Europe. Beauty. Perfection. Long, dark red hair. Harmonic minor and Arabic scales/music. Scuba diving in the tropics. Discovering things. Learning. Gothic Bellydance. Egyptian Folkloric Dance. Egyptian Oriental Dance. American Cabaret-style bellydance. Tribal-Fusion Bellydance. ATS Bellydance. Turkish Folkloric. Basically bellydance in general. Watching videos of dance workshop shows that I attended

Dislikes
People who lie! Dumb people! Homophobes and racists (though they kinda fall into the last category). Closed minded people. Cold weather, my own personal incompetence, smokers, druggies. Sausage. Fungi/Mushrooms. Alcohol. Shoveling snow. Preps. Overly promiscuous people. Being promiscuous. Ick.

FAQ
How many licks does it take *you* to get to the center of a tootsie pop? (InfectionXIII)
Someday I may have the patience to find out... but in the meanwhile I have no fucking idea xD I do remember that people in the fifth grade used to do that for their science fair projects, but I was cooler and made paper boats :]

Where are your favorite places to shop? (Crimson_fade)
Oooh... probably Ragstock? A vintage resale shop :p We have one here and their ethnic/hippie section is to die for. Bought a beautiful Austrian durndle skirt in black, purple and royal blue for $8 that my mom thought had probably cost at least $120 originally! There are a lot of beautiful shops on campus here where I shop, though I'm fine going to the mall, too. I don't discriminate about where I shop, I just pick and choose what I buy. I *love* designer jeans and sometimes look like I fit right in with the kids from the prep school, but it's always *my* look that I end up with in the end, and it truly is my own. I also am coming to love steampunk and neo-victorian websites-- for corsetry I highly recommend HeavyRed.com!

What got you into dancing? (Deliratio_solitudo)
Ahaha, I love this story. It started when I was twelve, we were having a small family reunion at my grandparent's house and I was talking to my new aunt (she had just married into the family and was still getting to know us). She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up! I had just finished the seventh grade and was quite honestly very bored with this question-- so I told her the most ridiculous, horrible thing I could imagine, that I wanted to be a professional bellydancer. I had no idea what it was, thinking that a bellydancer was something like a stripper or whatnot. Well, my aunt didn't take this very well, she went wide-eyed and dragged me to my mother, having me repeat what I said. My mom just laughed and said, "Well, I can arrange that! We should sign you up for lessons!" I was very confused but dropped the subject and that line of wanting to be a bellydancer became my default for the next few months. Then, that fall when I was thirteen, I came home from school and my mom told me that the next evening, Wednesday, I had dance from 6-7.30. "Dance?" "Yes, I've signed you up for the beginner bellydance class with Peggy, the nurse I work with. She's nationally known and very good! She was also then nurse for when you were delivered!" I freaked out. There was no way I way going.... but the next evening I found myself slinking into a small ballet studio in the basement of the mall. The tall, pale redhead gave me the sign-up sheet, made remarks about how she hadn't seen me "since I was this tall" and then began class. She teased me un-mercilessly the entire time since I was the youngest. I couldn't believe I was signed up for eight weeks of class... and by the end I was hooked and entirely in love with the redheaded Peggy, who is now my "other momma", my adoptive mother.

What are some of things you value in life with respect toward other people? And why? (Moonlights_Mantra)
This is difficult... I'd have to say that the one most important thing to me is people knowing when to pry, when I really want to spill everything and tell them what's upsetting, frustrating, or exciting me, but also knowing when to shut the fuck up and stay out of my business. Why? Because there are some times that I really need to talk but refuse to say so, and there are some (okay, a lot of) times that I really just want to be let alone. In other people I also love when people don't have to state the obvious. I don't remember where I read it, but in some book (actually, it might have been the Artemis Fowl series... young adult novels) a character defined intelligence as not having to state the obvious and this stuck with me. I hate it when people are continually stating the obvious, so I love it when people can carry on conversations without it!

Have a question for me to add here? Inbox or comment! From the bizarre to the serious, I'll try to answer them all.

Cults
The three cults in which I am the most active are True-Goths, Bellydancers, and LHS. I'm the root for TG and the co-owner of Bellydancers.

Music ?
-Traditional/Pop Mid Eastern
-Balkan
-Experimental Bellydance
-Goth Genres (I can't keep them all straight)
-Gothic Genres
-SOME metal, mostly symphonic and operatic in nature
-Electronic and Techno
-Industrial (Various subgenres)
-Soundtracks
-Indian Music (Bollywood, Banghra, Punjabi, more)
-Folk Fusions of various sorts that I've not yet mentioned
-*Steampunk*
-Vaudeville
-'Demented Circus Music'
-So much music that I cannot even begin to classify
Amanda Fuckin' Palmer. The Dresden Dolls. Tarja Turunen. Siouxie and the Banshees. The Cure. Dead Can Dance. Abney Park. Brass Menazeri. Balkan Beat Box. Pentaphobe and Beats Antique. Maduro and Amon Tobin. Combichrist. Voltaire. Jill Tracey. Nightwish (not Anette-- Tarja), Middle East pop/traditional (Oum Kalthoum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, John Bilezjikian, Farid el Atrache, Nancy Ajram, Hakim, Asena, others). Epica and Simone Simons. Kamelot. Some of NIN's stuff. Le Serpent Rouge; Var. Artists, put out by The Indigo dance troupe. Collide. Saviour Machine. RoseScythe. Loreena McKennitt. Disney soundtracks (the good, old ones; Aladdin, Hunckback of Notre Dame, etc). The Prince of Egypt soundtrack. Sweeney Todd and Phantom of the Opera Soundtracks. Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack.

My Favourite People