"Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?" -E.A. Poe, Dream Within A Dream. {Name} Xanthippe {Age} Eighteen {Starsign} Aries {Location} Antwerp, Belgium {Occupation} student (Uni, Linguistics) {Orientation} straight {Status} fairy tale. {Religion} escapism {Member since} Oct. 16, 2005 {Rating} unimportant

Oh, hello.
Hello, my name is Xanthy and I'm an escapist. And yes, I'm very serious about that. I love everything supernatural, magical, old, impossible. I have always felt different, and I think this tendency towards escapism had something to do with it, may even have caused it. Escapism is everywhere though. In the teenager who smokes the occasional joint, in the college student who gets drunk at a party, in the working man watching tv all evening, in the kid reading a book. I take it a step further, and stay somewhat healthy doing it. I wear the clothes, live the action, have fun. I go to fantasy fairs, liveroleplay, and so on. My escapism taught me how to sew, tells me to read more books, made me discover new bands and writers and artists, lets me find out more about history and mythology, gives me inspiration for drawings, and so on. It's in every aspect of my life, and in my family's too. My mother is a heraldic artist (for those among you who don't know what heraldry is: she designs/draws coats of arms), my brother is even more fanatic about roleplaying than I am and can spend just as much time on his armour as I do on my period dresses. I love them both to bits, and we do all our fantasy stuff together.

I'm very shy and silent when I first meet someone, but once I feel comfortable around someone my personality turns around - I become an extravert and jumpy person, and talk too much.
I know a lot of people. Some of them are merely acquaintances, a "hello, it's been a while, how are you, goodbye". Some of them are people I'd do anything for.
I'm a tolerant and forgiving person - too forgiving, actually - but that does not mean that I forget. I try to be friendly to people I don't like too. Only two or three people have annoyed me enough to make me stop tolerating. It all comes down to these basic rules: "whatever you do comes back to you, but three times worse" and "do as you wish, as long as you harm no-one".
I am an artist. I love to draw (and I've been told I'm quite good at it) - my school material is filled with sketches of all kinds, and I love painting as well. I've started sewing too, but I'm still learning. I also used to sing in the Antwerp Cathedral Choir for seven years and my school choir for six, and I miss it.
I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but can be very sloppy at the same time.
As you'll notice in my gallery, I don't stick to one style. I usually wear semi-normal clothing with somewhat of an alternative twist, for school and everyday life. For the rest, it's mostly Victorianesque/Classic clothing (with some lolita-ish influences every now and then), but some wardrobe variation never killed anyone. Also, I wear steampunk. I'm one of the very few in Belgium who do, and I'm proud of it.

{What's in a name?}

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet."

- W. Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

I didn't grab my name out of thin air, and it's special enough to write a special page about.
When I was born, my mother wanted to name me "Xanthippe". It became my second name, since my father thought children with weird names get picked on (but that happened anyway, even with a more common first name).

{Etymology}
Xanthippe (Xanqippe) is a contraction of 2 ancient Greek words:

xanqh (xanth�), meaning "blonde", and

ippos (hippos), horse, or ippeus (hippeus), rider.
Conclusion: "Xanthippe" either means "blonde mare" or "blonde rider".
Funny thing is, that my boyfriend's name is Greek for 'horse lover'. Is it fate?

{History}
Xanthippe was the (2nd) wife of Socrates, a very important Greek philosopher who lived in the late fifth century b.C.
She is told to have been a very ill-tempered woman (so, basically, I'm named after a bitch).
But actually, she was probably just worried about her husband talking to strangers all day, risking his life because of what he was saying, instead of making money for his wife and 3 children.
She did not completely understand her husband's behavior, and neither did the Greek government - Socrates was sentenced to death for blasphemy and disturbance of the peace.

{Likes}

"I never change, except in my affections."

- O. Wilde, The Importance of Being E(a)rnest.

My friends, not just for the good times, but also for the bad.

Drawing, painting, sewing, singing. Creativity.

Music, 'my' choir(s)

Fantasy

Live Action Role-Playing

Weapons, especially old ones.

Games&Gamers. Not one myself but do have a thing for them.

Magic, Wicca, The Occult, Symbolism, ... I love to learn.

the 19th Century, Steampunk, ...

Elegance and style.

Clothing, accessories, jewellery, make-up.

Shopping. Not just to buy, but to see as well.

Bals & Bals Masqués

Art & ornament

Going out, partying

Humour: "een stuk drijfhout in de storm van het leven"

The excitement before attending a concert

The actual concert

The applause after a choir concert

Being stared at while in public

Candy & ice cream

Photography

Cats

Working with children

Reading (I'm a book worm)

{Dislikes}

"You're so easy to read, but the book is boring me."

- E. Autumn, Misery Loves Company.

the R'n'B and HipHop mentality

Disrespect towards women

Spelling and grammar errors. I can tolerate some, and I understand dyslexia, but can't take too much of it (sorry!)

Nail-biting

Hypocrisy

Realism

Modern "art" (with exception of Panamarenko)

The attitude of those who make modern "art" (Panamarenko included)

Yellow

Rapists, Murderers, Scum

Having to wake up (too) early

Nightmares

The sun; it hurts my eyes and tans my skin.

Melancholy & sadness

Lies

Being mocked & laughed at

Bugs; ticks, mosquitos. Anything that stings.

Eight-legged friends, but I'm very picky about which spiders I'm scared of and of which I'm not.

{Music}

"Though time be fleet, and I and thou are half a life asunder,
Thy loving smile will surely hail the lovegift of a fairytale"

- L. Carroll, Through The Looking-Glass.

I'm not sticking to one style and not everything I like is on this list.
A starlet (this: *) means I've seen that band/performer/... live.

3 Doors Down
the 69 Eyes
Abba
Abney Park
Acid Bath
Adema
After Forever
Alice In Videoland
Alien Sex Fiend
And One
Aphex Twin
Apocalyptica
Apoptygma Berzerk
Ayreon
Beseech
the Birthday Massacre
Blutengel
Britney Spears
Children of Bodom
Corvus Corax
Cradle of Filth
Combichrist *
the Cruxshadows
the Cure
Daft Punk
David Bowie
Das Ich
Depeche Mode
Deine Lakaien
Diary of Dreams
Dimmu Borgir
Dope Stars Inc.
E Nomine
Danny Elfman
Embraze
Emilie Autumn **
Enigma
Enya
Epica *
Evanescence
Faderhead *
Faeries Wear Boots *
Faun *
Finntroll
For My Pain...
Good Charlotte
Green Day
Grendel
Helium Vola
John Rutter
Joseph Haydn
Helloween
HIM
Icon Of Coil
Irfan *
Iron Maiden
I:Scintilla
Katastroof
Kate Bush
Killing Joke *
Kittie
KMFDM
Lacuna Coil
Lacrimas Profundere *
Lacrimosa
Lady Gaga
L'Ame Immortelle
LeBocha ***
Linkin Park
Lordi
Madonna
Marilyn Manson
Colin Mawby *
Megadeth
Felix Mendelssohn
Metallica
Moby
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Murderdolls
Muse
My Chemical Romance
Nachtmahr
Neuroticfish
Nightwish *
Nirvana
Noppes
Northborne *
the Offspring
Omnia ******
Paradise Lost
Pain *
Persephone **
Pink Floyd
Project Pitchfork
Psy'Aviah *
Puddle Of Mudd
Qntal **
Queen
Rammstein
Rapalje **
the Rasmus
Reaper *
Ride The Sky *
Sarah McLachlan
Sebastiaan Van Steenbergen (* so many times!)
Sepultura
Sieben *
SITD *
Slipknot
Sonata Arctica *
Straftanz
Suicide Commando
Tamtrum *
Tarja Turunen *
Theatre of Tragedy
Theatres Des Vampires
Three Days Grace
Tokio Hotel
Trimetrick
Tristania
Tristesse De La Lune
Nobuo Uematsu
Valravn **
Virelai
Vive La Fete
VNV Nation *
Voltaire
Warmen
Welle:Erdball *
John Williams
Wir Sind Helden *
Within Temptation
Andrew Wright *
Xandria
XotoX
XP8
Zombie Girl
Zornik

{Love}

"Dû bist mîn ich bin dîn.
des solt dû gewis sîn.
dû bist beslozzen
in mînem herzen.
verlorn ist das sluzzelîn.
dû muost immer darinne sîn!"

- Unknown poet (12th C.)

This German Medieval poet has managed to describe exactly how I feel about Phil. He's sweet, pretty, cute, huggable, smart, sexy, interesting, English, and above all: mine! And I am his. Totally, completely, every minute of every day. I have never quite felt like this before, and I love every second of it. He makes me happy and I love him to bits, and I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with him.

{Agenda}

Wherever I'll be, at some point in the future.

{April} Elf Fantasy Fair, Haarzuilens (NL)

{August} Castlefest, Lisse (NL)

{September} Elf Fantasy Fair, Arcen (NL)

You can often find me at Vampire Party in Antwerp.

{Cults & Such}

{Contact}

You will not find my e-mail address on this page. If you want it, come and get it. If you're really that interested in me, you won't mind sending some comments/inbox messages back and forth.
I only add someone I know, even if it is just from a conversation on this site. Comments like "Hi, nice pics, 10, msn?" won't work.