A very disappointing thrift adventure

I've always loved thrift stores. When I was a little kid, my dad would take me to all the local thrift stores and electronics shops to help him hunt for useful electronics and salvage (he loves to tinker). I'd always get a new book or computer software out of the deal, and I thought it was great fun to dig through the piles of junk looking for something my dad could use or repair. I have vivid memories of him taking apart old CRTs on the dining room table. 

 

I'm mostly interested in 1990s and early 2000s devices and hardware. It's partially nostalgia, but also because I genuinely enjoy it. I love the design aesthetics of that time period, and just the sheer variety of weird niche products that arose from companies trying to cash in on the tech boom. And thrift stores usually have a ton of that kind of stuff! ( ´ ▿ ` )

I've always been a fan of having a dedicated media device separate from my phone, and 2000s era players are my favourite. I used an mp3 player (a Cowon S9) until maybe about 2 or 3 years ago. Before that, I used an iPod mini that my parents bought for me as a graduation present when it came out in 2005. I'd still be using it but the internal drive crapped out, but man, that thing was built to last. The aluminum casing was stupidly bulky, but I dropped it so many times while skateboarding or running (once it even got clipped by a car) and it was still perfectly fine. I used it from middle school until undergrad! In the same time period I went through like...3 or 4 different CD players.

Speaking of analog media, I would love to find a little cassette player like like the Panasonic RQ CW-02 or RQ CW-05..the translucent jelly look is so happy and cute. I really want the green or orange colourway. The Sony WM-EQ3 "Bean" is cool too- it glows in the dark! Those would have all been pipe dreams once upon a time since all of these models are ancient and weren't widely available outside of Asia...but that's what Mercari is for! They're cheap, too. Man, I love the internet.

 

 

Anyway, back to thrifting...I've been watching a ton of tech thrifting and restoration videos lately so I thought it might be fun to hit some thrift stores I'd never visited and see if I could find some treasures. Long story short, it was stupidly crowded and half the people in the store weren't wearing masks and it was just...grimy. It was just too hot and loud and claustrophobic and all of the good stuff had been picked over. Crowds is too overstimulating for me. I went to two large thrift shops and had the same crappy experience both times, so I went home and cheered myself up with an iced pumpkin spice latte instead. σ(*´∀｀*) I don't want to know how much I spend on Starbucks each week, haha...

 

I did find a cute vintage sewing machine though! It's a tiny little Morse Zigzag in a leather carrying case. No idea what the exact model is, but my guess is that it's from the late 70s or early 80s, purely based on the brown/harvest gold/orange colour scheme. I didn't buy it, but I think it would make an interesting addition to someone's collection. It's so tiny and adorable!

 

Oh, and I did end up buying a mini tripod...only I didn't realize quite how mini it was! It's so small that it can't hold up the weight of my phone without tipping over, so I have to position it very low to the ground at an extreme angle. Basically, all my shots look like the Steve Madden shoe adverts from like 2003. I can model for Lamoda now, or something.

 

Overall, it was a disappointing thrift adventure, so I hope I have better luck next time. Maybe I'll stick to hunting on Mercari and eBay...

[Current Music: Eiffel 65 - I Dj With The Fire]

Hot Summer Tea Party ☀️

I went out for afternoon tea with my good friends today! We're all gothic lolitas, but we didn't actually plan on wearing Moitié main pieces...it just turned out that way. Same brain cell and all that.

POV: You're about to get stepped on by the Moitié hivemind

Wearing lolita in summer truly is suffering. I would have loved to dress up super fancy for tea, but the humid weather defeated my plans. I went to my old summer standby: my Moitié Juliet OP. Juliet OP is one of my best purchases ever! It's so comfortable on its own in summer, and looks cute layered on top of a blouse or cutsew in the cooler months. It's one of those pieces that I only bought because I saw it in person - the stock photos aren't that great.

Somehow I've never worn short socks with lolita, even though I've been wearing the fashion for years. I think it's cute, and it was definitely more comfortable than my usual OTKs, but I'm not sure if I totally like the look or not. I think it's something that I'll have to get used to. Even outside of lolita I don't usually wear clothing that shows my legs.

Ugh, I just realized my necklace was turned around! (⇀‸↼‶) It's got a red rose inside to match my rose headdress. I was wearing a red ring, too.

OP: Moi-même-Moitié Juliet OP
Headdress: Moi-même-Moitié Rose Cross Arch Headdress
Jewellery: Néant Glass, Moi-même-Moitié
Socks:  Alice and the Pirates See-Through Stripe Short Socks
Shoes: Yosuke

It was my first time dining indoors since the pandemic began, so I was initially a little bit nervous. But after I reminded myself that so many of my friends and coworkers have been going to restaurants and movie theatres with no ill effects, and that my city has a very high vaccination rate, I felt calmer. Even though I thankfully don't have to deal with covid patients in my line of work, being a healthcare worker during the pandemic has been nerve-wracking, especially because I live and work with immunocompromised people (and I have some chronic health conditions myself). I'm working hard on adjusting to the fact that the current situation is relatively low-risk, while still remaining cautious.

I had a tower of delicious sandwiches and tiny desserts, and an entire pot of vanilla chai tea. We also had some sparkling green tea to finish, which was super refreshing on a hot day like today. I've been meaning to try making sparkling tea at home. I hate sparkling water (why would anyone want spicy water?) but sparkling tea is awesome.

After our tea platters we continued our tradition of seeking out the nearest McDonald's for a round of chicken nuggets and fries. We weren't even that hungry, but it felt wrong just walking past without getting a snack for the road. We also took the usual circle of feet and hand star photos, because your lolita meet isn't complete without them. Don't @ me, I don't make the rules.

I haven't seen some of my friends in person since 2019, so it was wonderful hanging out with them in a more-or-less normal situation. We were still missing a few people, but this was still such a great turnout! I can't wait until we get to reunite with the American half of our little goth squad ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

[Current Music: Perturbator - Birth of the New Model]

Cake and Shopping 🍰

It was a lot cooler today than it has been all week, so my friend and I took the opportunity to go out for sweets and a little bit of shopping! My friend wore a comfy coordinate with her Angelic Pretty Milkshake Circle Skirt and matching cutsew, and I wore my Moitié Frame Cross JSK. I should have worn a cutsew coordinate too...would have been much more comfortable. It was still a little warm, even with the breeze. I really need some more cotton tops for wearing lolita in the summer, but maybe I should hold off since autumn is around the corner.

We both had delicious mille crêpe cake with earl grey tea frosting, topped with lavender. For some reason the creperie wasn't serving drinks that day, so we got some cold drinks at a nearby Starbucks. This was my first time having a fancy desert since the pandemic began, so it was a really nice treat. I used to go to a cute patisserie with my boyfriend once a week. Having it delivered just isn't the same...

Afterwards, we walked around for a while and did a bit of shopping. I bought a cute sticker book! I have a huge collection of stickers. There are butterflies and flowers in every colour of the rainbow, as well as black and white! Can't wait to plaster them on everything, haha. There are apparently 1000+ stickers so it'll take some time to get through.

 We also took a few coord shots while we were out! I love the colourful backdrop of the graffiti. It was surprisingly quiet in the alley, when usually it's packed with tourists. The street was pretty busy, but I guess everyone was busy shopping rather than taking photos. Fine by me, since I hate cutting through there and being stopped every few moments by tourists wanting photos with the local colour.

JSK: Moi-même-Moitié Frame Cross JSK

Blouse: Metamorphose Egg Art Blouse

Headbow: Moi-même-Moitié Divine Cross Headbow

Nun Collar:  Moi-même-Moitié Nun Collar

Necklace: Luna Borgia

Socks:  Alice and the Pirates Lace Up Rose OTKs

Shoes: Yosuke

I really like how my coord shot came out! I haven't worn this dress in so long. I forgot how pretty and lightweight it is. Even though it's polyester, it's not too uncomfortable to wear in summer. I'm surprised that I don't see people wearing this piece more often!

[Current Music: Potochkine - Possédée]

Goodbye Coordinate: Rose Forest Lace OP

Whew, exams are over, so I can finally relax a little bit! Feels weird to just...not be studying.

I'm still in the process of closet cleaning, but I think I've cleared out most of the pieces that I'm tired of. I still have a few main pieces that I'm on the fence about, but I've sold off most of my unwanted blouses, purses, and accessories. I have a hard time letting go of items that I still really like, even if I'm not using them, so it was a bit difficult. It helped when I came up for pros/cons of keeping each individual item. I often didn't have any justifications for keeping an item other than "it's cute" and "it has sentimental value" so I'd recommend that method to anyone who is having trouble saying goodbye to pieces that they don't wear very much!

It's tough with Moi-même-Moitié in particular because older pieces are so coveted and so high in price that I know that if I change my mind on an item, I'll never get my hands on it for a reasonable price again. I collected most of my older, nicer pieces back when Moitié was at a low point. I remember balking if someone priced a choker or socks at over $25 because I knew I could get them for even cheaper. I should have bought more at the time, but I was also an intern on an intern salary. ┐(‘～`；)┌

Here's one of my goodbye coordinates with my Rose Forest Lace OP, which I bought from a friend who was unhappy with the fit. I really wanted to like this dress, but it just doesn't fit me well either. I don't fill out the top half and the waistline hits at a wider part of my torso, so it just looks baggy unless I'm wearing it with a corset or something to cinch the waist in. It sits a bit weirdly on my shoulders, too. That being said, it's super comfortable, even in this hot weather! 

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this dress to someone who is built like me with wide shoulders, a flat bust, and a shorter torso with a small waist. It'll just hang in weird places. You need a some curves to fill it out properly.

 

OP: Moi-même-Moitié Rose Forest Lace OP

Blouse: Moi-même-Moitié Holy Cross Collar Blouse

Corset: Sheglit Lace-Up Frill Corset

Blazer: Moi-même-Moitié Lace-Trimmed Jacket

Headdress: Moi-même-Moitié Coffin Lace Headdress

Choker:  Moi-même-Moitié Coffin Lace Choker

Necklace: Black Peace Now

Socks:  Moi-même-Moitié Lace Ribbon OTKs (2019)

Shoes: Antaina 

I can't justify keeping a pretty dress if it doesn't flatter me, even if I like everything else about it. But I ended up selling it to a local friend at the price I paid for it, so I'm very glad that it found a good home! Does anyone else have a hard time saying goodbye?

[Current Music: Vision Video - Inked in Red]

Window shopping, except I actually bought stuff

The weather has been spoiling some of my plans - the terrible air quality, humidity, crazy heat, and thunderstorms are all wreaking havoc on my allergies and asthma - but it's still been a pretty good time over here. I have lots of things to smile about. My exams are over, I secured a tattoo appointment, and I passed my second clinical evaluation!

My best friend took a job near me, so now we can hang out all the time. We've been getting together after work for dinner/drinks. We ate Mexican food last time!

I bought some new skate shoes, and I taught myself to ride switch on my longboard!

It feels so nice to just have a comfy, chill day to myself. I'm going to do some cleaning and laundry and put on Max Headroom and Aeon Flux in the background (all of the episodes are on Youtube now!) and then settle in with some nice skincare. Later tonight, I'm going to tune into an online synthwave/vaporwave/witchhouse event, Vaporgrave...all the good stuff! Super stoked! In the meantime, I'm just doing some online window shopping. I guess it's not really window shopping if I actually bought it...but then that disqualifies half of the things on this list. Oops.

A friend passed along a link to a pair of black Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Rocking Horse Shoes, which I bought immediately. I prefer the glossy look to the OG leather and wooden look for some reason. I sold my last pair because I mistakenly got a half size down and thought it would be okay. Normally this isn't too much of an issue for me since my feet are between sizes, but they must run small. My feet were bruised and numb after wearing them only once! The new ones are a half size up, so they should be comfy even with socks on. I'm so excited!

On the same topic of shoes, I also can't stop thinking about both of these shoes from Poison Shoes, a small Mexican shoe company that specializes in winklepickers and other trad goth footwear. The platforms are the Kasumi model and the flats are the Lilith model. I've worn a hole through my one pair of flats and the insoles have collapsed..my knees are also giving up after 15+ years of wearing heels every day, haha. They are pretty inexpensive, so I might pick up both pairs...but now that the RHS are in the mail, maybe I don't need the Kasumis. But they do come in red...⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝

I have too many damn shoes.

There's also a new Monster High collectible set coming out this week. I don't really have much space on my doll shelf anymore, but I really love Beetlejuice, so I'm going to try to snag them in the inevitable bloodbath. I'm really in it for Lydia - she's just so cute! It's so nice to see a doll with plain brown eyes, too. On the other hand, the Beetlejuice design is a little bit disappointing. I think they could have gone way crazier with the outfit and accessories..it just seems a little bland. The mismatched sandworm shoes are great, though. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see the dolls in person, but I'm likely going to sell Beetlejuice and keep Lydia.

I'm also very interested in this new Na+H dress. I love drapey, loose pieces like this, and the big collar is so cool and ninja-like! I've been wearing my natural hair up under a 30" Ariana Grande ponytail that I've bought several times since the pandemic began. During the height of the pandemic when I was still wearing scrubs every day, I didn't want my hair to be exposed but I still wanted to look a little cute. I think that hairstyle, or my favourite bob wig, would look really cute with the high collar. Or maybe double buns/puffs.

I like how they paired it with the Na+H pumps, which I do own and adore, but they obviously aren't great for daily wear. I wonder how it would look with my Frye Gia boots...too frumpy or would it look cool? I dunno, but I think I'm gonna pull the trigger and buy it.

Some other stuff: I've been listening to the new-ish Cyber Crimes EP from VR SEX on repeat lately. I'm a big fan of the band and their whole concept. A lot of their material focuses specifically on the pitfalls of modern life and technology, so it's a nice departure from the more traditionally goth subjects.

From the description:

"No one is exempt from the world wide web of destruction. A once-innocent digital playground has turned into a panopticon for pedophiles and predators - waiting, watching, baiting, and stalking. 2020 proved to be the tipping point in exposing these bloodsuckers within the world of music and art. Devoid of satire and sarcasm, Cyber Crimes stands alongside the victimized and attempts to serve as a sobering scene report for the current state of affairs."

The subject matter is pretty dark, but the EP is surprisingly upbeat-sounding and dancy. I love the contrast between dark lyrics and bouncy (well, bouncy by goth standards) music. I also really do appreciate that they chose to speak out about this topic. Unfortunately, myself and many others in my local goth community have had far, far too many run-ins with these kinds of predators, and seeing them get off scot-free by virtue of "but they're a DJ!!" or "but they host major events!!" is infuriating. It feels so validating to see this kind of bullshit called out, loud and clear.

Anyway, I'm mad because I didn't even know that it was released months ago on colourful vinyl (my weakness!!) so of course it's all been sold out by now. If you guys see the neon green record for sale, please let me know. I'll pay good money for it! In the meantime, I'm going to get the long-sleeve shirt because I still want to support them. I really love the print - definitely been feeling a little more into the futuristic/cyberpunk looks lately rather than trad goth.

I'm gonna need a second job if I keep this up...(*´∀｀*)

[Current Music: Then Comes Silence - Dark End]

2022 Cosplans!

As usual, it's been a busy month...I'm actually about to write an exam, and in the interest of trying to calm myself down I'm gonna write about my cosplay plans instead.

I haven't cosplayed since...I don't know, 2009ish? I had no money and no skills, and I was really into Team Fortress 2 at the time, so I put together some very simple cosplays of Scout and Soldier (thank you, Army Surplus store!). I wanted to do a female Medic cosplay, but I never finished it. And then I went off to university and my cosplay plans dried up, haha. I'm super excited to pick it up again! I'm not comfortable going to a convention just yet, but I figure things should settle down enough by next year. And that gives me lots of time to assemble my costume without having to deal with con crush.

I've settled on cosplaying my favourite video game protagonist from my favourite video game franchise, Commander Shepard Mass Effect! I'm going to base it off of one of the rejected designs for Mass Effect 3's Shepard. I love the mid-2000s edgy emo-Karen hybrid haircut and the dark makeup. I'm not sure if the bright red streak in her hair is just a reflection or if it's supposed to be an actual dyed streak, but I might just add it in because it's cute. Plus I already wear hazel contact lenses anyway, so that's one less thing to buy.

Overall, I picked this design because she looks cool, but also I would look pretty goofy with the official canon red hair, green eyes, and freckles. I also like the look of the classic black N7 Armour more than any of the other armour sets,  and it's so iconic and recognizable. Iconic to the point of  being overdone? Yes. Totally badass-looking? Also yes.

The most difficult part of the cosplay is going to be the bodysuit. It's supposed to be a heavy carbon fibre material, and I've found a few fabrics that would work well, but I'm not very good at sewing. I might just buy a bodysuit with a similar print, or a black PVC bodysuit (ugh, sweaty) since 90% of it will be covered up anyway. But the accuracy...I'm so torn on what to do haha. I'll guess I'll worry about that after I build the armour.

As for props, I decided on building a Black Widow sniper rifle. The Black Widow is also such a good, simple design that's straightforward to build. I love the futuristic look of the iconic Viper and Mantis rifles, as well as the Locust, but they're going to be a pain in the ass to build with all the curves and tiny little details. The Black Widow also looks huge and pretty impressive, so yeah. Laziness prevails.

I hope that with the release of the Legendary Edition we'll see a lot more Mass Effect cosplays again. A decade ago, you could throw a rock in a convention hall and be guaranteed to hit at least one Shepard cosplayer. It tapered off as the years went by, but I've seen tons of new players joining the fandom, as well as lots of old players returning. I would love to do a silly Into The Shepardverse photo if I can gather enough Shepards together!

Maybe I'll see you at a convention next year!

[Current Music: VR SEX - Rock N' Roll Death]