Do or die, you’ll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you’ll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
I won’t explain or say I’m sorry
I’m unashamed, I’m gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken
Listen here, because it’s who we are
I’m just a man, I’m not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this song
I’m just a man, I’m not a hero
I
Don’t
Care!My Chemical Romance, ♫Welcome To The Black Parade♫
It’s the end of March and coincidentally it is also the anniversary of when I posted “When The Saints Come Marching In” on “The Saints Of Fashion{ation}” blog 5 years ago. After 100 posts I felt that my creativity and identity began to mold and change into something else and in turn spawned the site that you are viewing now. It was a branding change I thought would best be done early because once I really took off (though I still feel that I haven’t) that it would be harder to do.
Befitting as it is, to choose a song that has so many different meanings to me…it could easily be said that like My Chemical Romance, this site could be considered emo. It’s not a term I’m in love with as it almost feels derogatory in context to describe music and musicians that express what they feel in a much deeper manner. As a blogger sometimes my scenes can be deeply personal or come from a source close to me (of which I’d never disclose). “The Black Parade” album definitely had an impact on not only me as a young adult but many in their mid to late teens.
It’s relatable in an unconventional way.
For longer than I can remember I’ve wanted to do a scene inspired by “Welcome To The Black Parade” as it’s a song I feel evokes a lot of emotion. The thing that was holding me back was that the style of clothing I wanted to make this work had not been available. My vision was to make this as accurate as possible but deep down I knew that I wouldn’t find clothing that was accurate to the band’s. The closest thing at the time was the dress by CUREMORE and this almost became a blog entry that was done as a female feature but ultimately I wanted to be myself in it as well in the worst way.
Then surprisingly the other day I was browsing Flickr and saw the “Military Tailcoat” by HotDog, which had not been released at the time but was coming to latest round of NEO Japan. The event opened yesterday and I didn’t walk, I ran to the event (metaphorically speaking) and it was the first thing I bought. The event has a lot of great items but this was the one thing I truly needed to finally put my look together and be able to create a visual for it.
My brother Lucky had a set on his land that he put together for anyone to use, so I jumped at the opportunity. I’m going to say that at first when I started taking pictures I was not happy with the results I was getting and sadly almost gave up on the idea. I’m not a big fan of doing re-shoots but I was determined not to let this go so to make this work I added the hearse and changed up the poses from what I had originally; I also tweaked the lighting and some settings in Black Dragon to get where I wanted to be.
Also you’ll notice there are two people in this blog but there actually aren’t, both of them are me and to preserve the magic of the photo I’m not going to divulge the way in which I was able to get this to work. Working this how I did really made the photo special and possibly one of my favorites of my most recent work. There are other things that I probably could have done with it but I’m satisfied with these results so I am not going to give any further thought to it.
If you like the look of HotDog’s “Military Tailcoat” I would definitely implore you to visit NEO Japan and see all the outstanding stores and products available. You certainly will not regret it and I can also tell you that you’ll see more from the event on this blog before the end of the event.
HotDog – Military Tailcoat
- Original mesh
- 6 color changeable parts via HUD
- Fits most major mesh bodies (Female version included)
- Exclusive to NEO Japan until 04/21/19
Closing out this entry, I’m still very much in disbelief that 5 years has gone by and I am still doing this crazy thing. Blogging is a great outlet and a fantastic release to help deal with emotional things at times to also challenge myself creatively to see what I can do with the various parts and pieces provided to me by the Second Life grid and community. Like everything it’s had it’s ups and downs and has also chronicled different times in my life and looking at it now I know that all of it continues to shape who I am as a person.
If there is anyone out there who has been a reader since the beginning that I’ve not spoken to, you have my sincere gratitude. Over time I’ve said this and it’s worth repeating again that while I am the founder and author of this blog, when I hear from friends or family and even the random message or like on social media it validates what I do here. This blog also serves the owners of the stores I blog for or the events that I am a part of as well as those I just love to show my appreciation for.
On that note, it’s time for me to get this posted up and begin working on the next photo so I can start getting back into a routine. I’ve been a little lax as of late since the Skin Fair but that’s going to change (I hope). Anyhow hope everyone’s had a great weekend and until I’m back with some fun new (and not so new sometimes) items I’ll catch you on the flipside!
On and on we carry through the fears
Disappointed faces of your peers
Take a look at me cause I could not care at all
POSE: Everglow – Majorette #1
HEARSE: Kalopsia – Hearse
My Look #1
HEAD: LeLutka – Guy v3.3
SKIN: Stray Dog – Mario
HAT: BALACLAVA – Shako Hat ✦ Retired Item
COAT: Hotdog – Military Tailcoat @ NEO Japan ✦ NEW
PANTS: Hotdog – Baxter Suit Trousers
My Look #2
HAIR: Elua – Stella (Blacks Pack)
HEAD: LeLutka – KORINA v3.3
SKIN: MILA – Aida Skin (LeLutka) (Sugar)
BODY: Maitreya – Lara v4.1
HAT/DRESS: CUREMORE – Black Parade Dress (Noir)
KNEE SOCKS: Luxuria – Spring Summer 19 Semi Sheer Knee Socks
BOOTS: Vale Koer – Rainy Day Boots
These Conversations Kill 