Filthy Victorians 2012 - Resources and Organisation

Firstly, everyone who has voted that they'll join in, comment so I know who you are and can keep track. Secondly, post this around and link to the original post, to spread it around to as many people as you think could be interested.

Apparently we're the Filthy Victorians now, as coined by Amy. I really like this name. So it's sticking and screw you if you don't like it. I did some research yesterday to gather some things for us. firstly, the resources, and secondly some things we need to decide on.

Resources

Patterns:

Laughing Moon - all kinds of stuff, including bustles!

Discount Sewing Warehouse

Unlinking: etsy is an excellent place to get 1800s fashion patterns.

Buying:

Discount Corsets ( UK, USA, Australia ) - corsets are expensive, but these are cheap, sturdy and effective. The outer fabric tends to rip a bit, but as we'll be wearing them under our clothes it doesn't really matter too much, we can just patch them up. The AU site has three for two sales.

Gallery Serpentine - expensive as hell, yes, but by far the best corsets. Can even pick up the occasional bits and pieces there that are period-correct (their widow skirts are very good for the 1880s-90s)

Lovechild Boudoir - Not the cheapest, or the most period correct in their original clothing, but their bustles are pretty good and as are their fishtail skirts (popular 1870-80). Their corsets are also worth a try and their caplettes are to DIE for.

Gentleman's Emporium - Victorian and Edwardian clothes, good quality and fair price for both men and women. Bonnets and swimwear are an important addition, I suggest buying from them.

Tutorials

So far, I've found this one, for a victorian skirt. Making it as soon as i can, and it's really simple!

Inspirations

Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd - set around 1885-ish, it is a good example of costume (except for Mrs. Lovett wearing her corset on the outside. what? everything else is spot on)

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland - this film version also has good costumes (particularly alice's original dress - an excuse not to wear a corset), and the book was published in 1865 (the sequel in 1871), so it gives you a good idea of the culture and mannerisms of the time.

Tim Burton's....tim burton - Good examples can be found in most Burton movies of appropriate Victorian dress. :D

Terry Pratchett's Going Postal - this film is a BRILLIANT example of Victorian-era attire. Hogfather is more late-Victorian or early Edwardian, but still a good place to go. The novels also have a very Victorian feel. (Going Postal can be downloaded here, only 600MB and worth the watch)

Doctor Who - Whovians like myself have no doubt noticed that every planet outside of Earth is Neo-victorian. Seriously. Victorian, Neo-victorian or Steampunk. Go watch. We'll wait.

If you find more resources and tutorials, please email me the link at lilithxrequiem@aim.com and I will add them to a special link page (which I will probably make tomorrow).

To break up the word-monotony, here is a picture of Franky.
He's a crankyfrank.

 

What we need to decide on

-The perimeters. We have to decide if we are doing strictly the years Victoria was the Queen of the British Empire and Empress of India, Defender of the Faith and Head of the Church of England (sorry but that's a kickass title, and that was June 1837 until her death in January 1901), or if we will extend it a little further into the Edwardian era (say til 1905ish) to give us more leeway and also because there were so many blurred lines and it would mean the less learned and younger members would find it easier.

-How we'll organise the community. We have many options - a forum, a Facebook group (they have discussion boards) or an open blog community (maybe on livejournal).

-How many hours a week. Not everyone can do it 24/7 - I will - but we need to set a certain amount of hours per week need to be spent Victorian in order to qualify to be a full Filthy Victorian. Remember, if you can't dress up, you can still be a part, and share things with the community (perhaps we shall call you our Little Alices? please comment on this).

-if we are to have events. Certain days in the year to be spent in period-costume-period-costume. Hallowe'en will be fun this year, kiddies. ;3 Of course, I will try to organise any get-togethers from my end, but we'll see what comes to pass and how many people we amass.

What I want, first and foremost (other than to succeed!) is to create a community within the community, with a share of information, clothing and advice. i know I will gladly make corset covers and chemises for anyone willing to make petticoats.

Also, I wish to thank my good friend Bernadette, who, when this all came about the other day, offered to make me a Victorian-era riding outfit! eee! Thanks, Bernie! Also to my very own Granny Weatherwax, Magdalena, who shall do her darnedest to make me some about-the-house period correct dresses.

So thanks to the both of them for being so darling, and I will ask them for their best resources too!

Party on, goths, and let me know what you think

Victorian Lady Update; Update: I love you guys

Firstly, this.

Secondly, I fixed the poll.

Thirdly, I woke up this morning to about 25 emails from my blog? Holy shit! (that'll teach me to sleep!) I got around to responding responding to everyone - check back on those posts, because I did - and finally got onto my dashboard.

I've got ninety followers now. Ninety followers. Holy shit. Wtf is this. I sat there like a stunned mullet for a bit. It's insane. Ninety followers? What? Here's where my thoughts went.

"Ninety? Fucking hell. Where did they all come from, overnight? Who could have told them about blag? What the hell is going o-amy."

There we have it, ladies and....probably more ladies except I think two of you are dudes. Check out those gushing comments directed at me. Wow. XD I didn't know i was so adored?

 Guess I have some work to do! In which case, I love you all, I'll be back later, for another Mareep post!.


party on, my lovely sweet goths!


PS: My nephew doesn't know I'm home. he is talking very loudly to himself. I'm going to scare the shit out of him.

The Little Sheep that Could: Diary of a Mareep - Hello World!

[My pokemon post, as voted by you! Here's what it is: I have Pokemon Soul Silver (best ever) and I love it. My favourite pokemon is my mareep, Maurice. This is my pokemon adventure, from the point of view of one little sheep. The names included are the names from the pokemon game. :D]

This is a journal of my adventures, from when I met a strange, enigmatic girl and her baby fire-badger, up until…well, I don’t know. I haven’t gotten there yet. I know that I will travel far and wide, see the wonders of the region, and perhaps beyond.

My name is Maurice. I am two feet tall, my skin is blue and I have yellow wool - just a general, run-of-the-mill mareep. There was nothing special about me, until the day Kitty came across me, just outside of the human settlement of Violet City. She was a bizarre girl, a new trainer, in a long black dress, a parasol and purple hair. As soon as she laid eyes on me, she made me her new favourite pet.

She was a new trainer, only having left home that morning. Her first pokemon was a naïve cyndaquil by the name of Naoki. He was happy to welcome a new friend. That was about six weeks ago.

August 8th

Kitty lavishes attention on me. She loves walking with me, and she and I have conquered some small feats that she herself was rather proud of (although they confused me - her obsession for the smaller, furrier creatures was perplexing to say the least), and we made some interesting new friends along the way, up until where I am recording from now - Ecruteak City gym. I stood at Kitty’s ankles. I was a little frightened, but I tried to put on a brave face. The other five members of our team are near-permanent.

Naoki, having evolved into a quilava shortly after he and I met. He and I are close allies.
Akela, an umbreon who has become my mentor and hero. “You’re not impossible,” he told me. “You’re just a bit unlikely.”
Arabella, a beautiful ninetails who is as intelligent as she was strong.
Arias, a pidgeotto, fierce and proud, but she cares about us enough.
Lastly, a pokemon egg, the contents unknown.

Kitty was tense. She was always nervous before gym battles. She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to pull through this one, but I licked her hand, and that seemed to placate the girl some.

As it turns out, Naoki and Akela floored the leader alone, leaving me simply to cheer from the sidelines as Naoki somehow managed to chew on a gengar. Kitty was very pleased about such a happening, and exclaimed;

“Now I can use Surf!”

This perplexes me, and reminds me of back in Ilex forest. We saw a boy, hopelessly trying to direct a farfetch’d to cut a small tree blocking the way. The bird rolled its eyes and ignored the boy. A few hours later, he came back, with that odd, patterned piece of metal (Kitty calls it a badge) and the bird obeyed for some reason unexplained to me.

Regardless of the logic behind this, Kitty immediately went to catch herself a swimming monster. She caught a quiet little krabby named Claude, and after… “borrowing” a barrel from a construction site around the corner, and teaching him the “surf technique”, we were backtracking to a cave between Violet City and Azalea Town, which Kitty called “Union Cave”.

Of course, this meant camping in Ilex Forest for tonight. Kitty, Naoki and I huddled up together to sleep.

“Goodnight, Maurice.” Kitty murmurs. “I love you…”

Victorian Lady Update

Original post here.

So the response to that post was enormous. Pokemon poll over (much yes and butts, so my next post will be a repost of my old blag, which is the Diary of a Mareep), I made a new one. ~~~~>

Pliz vote!

Cooking Chinchillas, the doll that she is, posted this for me. <3 So I gave myself my best attempt!

It turned out well, I think, but not as soft as I would want. I will have to practise. I touched up a big before photos, since I spent the day playing with my dog at a barbeque (thanks dad, for bringing him, by the way).

Ineffective without flash!

Terribear. x3

Getting frustrated.

FINALLY

 Also.

Update on the foundation: Well worth the $18.

Anyway, also these.

Teddy and I turn 17 in 24 days! :D

Accidental photo. Dunno what happened.

My face really, like, catches the flash sometimes. I look way better irl.

Let's get this Victorian Lady show on the road! Judging from initial response, this will go ahead. Will probably start on New Years Day.

Party on, goths. <3

A Year as a Victorian Lady - Yay or Nay?

So, you may have (probably not) noticed the distinct lack of my noisiness from here the last few days. This was due to a computer virus I was too cranky to fix until today. Anyway, it left me to think about an idea I've had for a few months now.

I was considering spending a year as a full-on, every day Victorian lady. As in, corsets and skirts and boleros, every day. I figured now would be a good time to propose it to you before I put it as a poll when the next one comes up. (oh yeah. vote on my poll. It's over there ~~~~> Notice the odd percentages given. 52+61+26=100 apparently?)

There are a lot of things that need to be considered in such a venture. Here they are.

Cost

It's not going to be cheap, being beautiful. However, i think it will give my sewing and budgeting skills quite a bit of exercise and practice.

Clothing

Victoriana is not only beautiful, it's versitile - from a heavy goth, "my husband just died and i'm mourning" look, to a light "i am watching birds and using brass objects" look, I will never be short of ideas to wear. Not to mention hats.

Corsets

Corsets are no doubt the most expensive thing on this list. However, after a few more purchases of some low-cost overbusts, and the ability to repair (since they will be hidden under clothes, they only need to be functional!), I think it will be an investment worth making. After a job is secured, I'm sure I can get some higher-quality ones too!

Jobs

This is one of the things parents worry about with goth children - "But how will darling Foo-Foo get a job looking like that?!" Being a Victorian-era lady wouldn't actually be so bad, considering the amount of appropriate jobs - librarian, bookshop worker, baker, gallery or museum guide, high-end hooker, basically anything to do with art or science that has been around for a while. Anything without a strict uniform, basically, I could do just fine - and if I worked in a cafe, think of the aprons! Won't someone please think of the aprons! In saying that, while Melbourne is a lot less "derrrr" than this area, it might take some time - but I'm young, time is what I have!

Hats

I did mention hats before, but I thought it needed reiterating. i consider the Victorian era the Age of the Awesome Hats. Oh. Yeah, and bonnets. If I worked with food I could probably wear a bonnet and an apron. 

Que hat montage!

the amount of "yes" right there. :|

I thought this an appropriate example.

 Hair

If I were to undertake this, I'd have one of four colours to pick: Very pale blonde, red, brown or black. Under the circumstances, I'll stick to blonde - but it would mean no more randomly changing my hair colour. A price I have to pay I suppose!

Makeup

It would be an amazing experience, experimenting with very subtle techniques - very little eye makeup, a flawless foundation and red, purple or even blue lips! Very much a change from my norm - but a good change, and a fun one. It would also mean feather lashes and other gorgeous falsies for formal wear!

Swimming

 I'd still get to swim. Why? I'd buy one of these.

That in itself is a perfect excuse!

The Blog

What it would mean for this blog is this: lots and lots of outfit pictures. Lots of them. Every day, hair, makeup and outfit. I would be sure to do all my research and take all ideas for new things.

Well, guys, weigh in - what do you think? And is there anyone who would like to join me in this new venture? Any Adora Bell Dearhearts?

I have a theory that this is actually Sophistique Noir
Seriously, look at a her. Compare to this. :|

Any Susan Sto Helits?

"A kind of Goth Mary Poppins"

Miss Potter, perhaps?

Or, perhaps, for the more daring: Miss Satine?

I would love to be supported and even joined in such a daring venture. Originally I was planning to do it after I got married, but at this point I'm rather like "oh, stuff this, cat, it's not happening".

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. :D

Party on, goths - as much as your bustles will allow!

PS: Any guys willing to get into this will automatically be gods in my eyes. Ladies, prepare your gentlemen!

Do you know what REALLY grinds my gears?

Rant post: ENGAGE.

I fucking hate it when I'm on the bookface (mine is here if you so wish to befriend me and found out how terrible I am in real time - just put who you are in the optional message thingy!) and someone posts a status, usually about something that just plain isn't right. I respond to it, giving valid arguments, and then I get a response.

Eagerly, I click it, ready to read the bullshit I have started - only to see that the person has responded to something - just not what I have written. They literally make up their own response to argue against.

I had a friend who did this ALL THE TIME. She'd post something about how birth control was BAD EVIL WRONG (and how her paternal grandfather, a devout catholic, used the "rhythm method" of contraception, and thought nothing of how that resulted into him having eleven children - totally believing that they had that many kids from choice and not because they used bollucks contraception). I would point out that no, that's not how the human body works, or has ever worked. I'd then get a response that had....nothing to do with the point i'd just made. Here's an example.

Her: CONDOMS DON'T WORK. ONLY THE RHYTHM METHOD WORKS 100%!

Me: The fuck? No. No it doesn't. Women can get pregnant at any and all times of their cycle. Please do some research.

Her: PILLS ARE WORSE, THEY NEVER WORK EVER!

Me: Well, yes they do. I would know. I take them. Mostly for my horrible period pains that literally nearly kill me.

Her: WELL I USED TO HAVE PERIOD PAIN. I CUT OUT RED MEAT AND DAIRY AND IT WENT AWAY!

Me: I'm a vegetarian and lactose-intolerant. I doubt that's the problem.

Her: ABORTION IS WRONG.

Literally. Lit. Er.Al. Ly. that was her response. She also said she opposed abortion because her father tried to force a miscarriage by making her mother drink turpentine. And this is a valid reason to oppose abortion - "my mother was scared and tried to miscarry in a way that could have killed her. Ergo I will take away the save avenue for women in these situations, so as to cause more of these stories". What the fuck is the LOGIC behind that? If I found out my mother had done the same thing, it would only make me support abortion more.

She actually deleted me from facebook after I asked her if she even actually read what I was saying to her, several times, after she just kept arguing a point that wasn't brought up.

People who do this can't comprehend a valid argument, and those they make themselves make no sense.

Not to mention, the points she was making were totally stupid.

SPEAKING OF STUPID, here's some more.

I follow a blag of a woman who is usually interesting, if a little too aroused by Jesus. Her grandbabies are cute, and she posts good recipes, but occasionally, she posts some severely retarded shit. Recently, she posted about how girls probably shouldn't keep diaries or journals (on her personal blag, the irony is delicious) because it wasn't teaching them housewifery skills. 

(to her credit, she was responding with "probably not but everyone is different" to someone saying no girl, under any circmstance, should have a journal or diary because they don't learn to be good wives and adolescence is so confusing. don't know where the teenager part fits in, but there we go, because apparently comprehending your repressed sexuality, personality and emotions caused by parents viewing you as cattle rather than a daughter is a terrible thing)

I commented sarcastically with "This just in, women not people, do not have feelings". Then what did she do?

Went on a tirade about me being brainwashed by the government and schools.

....what the fuck?

She believes that the government is out to get her and her family. She is dead-set on conspiracies that say that "big pharma" is trying to murder her grandchildren.

Oh, and she believes the Nazi party were communists. Yeah, that explains the berlin wall, lady - it was to separate the communists from the communists!

Firstly, lady, I'm in Australia. I've stated this. The American government does not brainwash their own, let alone Australian students.

Secondly, lady, I went to public schools, but generally everything I learned about the world, and politics, and my beliefs? I learned from my mother. Brb. Calling my mother, because she's the government.

Thirdly, lady, dear god, you're insane. You homeschooled your children and forced them into your beliefs - but that's not brainwashing.

Pure and simple; I fear for you, America.

Party on, Goths - at least, until the communazi Obama comes and takes away your guns and gives people affordable healthcare, God forbid the poor have human rights!

Product Review - Manic Panic Dreamtone Liquid and Goth White Cream Foundation

Hoorah! A substance post!

Anyway, I got my new foundation that I ordered the other day. I can only partly review so far, since foundation takes a while, but it'll get its run down during my weekend vacation in queensland!

Here's my idea so far:

I've been using the Dreamtone base liquid for nearly two years now. I love the stuff - although when it's brand new (i now recall) it's really liquid-y and a bit hard to apply. I have this weird thing where it just won't apply in some spots, ie my nose. I don't know why, but it's like, "apply to nose. step back. applying it seems to have wiped it all off. attempt again. same result." I don't know what the issue is here, but it totally stops happening once the liquid gets thicker with time (i think it's my skin; my nose is very picky with makeup). I fixed that problem today with my cream foundation and a LOT of setting powder.

The cream foundation? It's fantastic. A little goes a long way with this stuff, and it gives a wonderful gothy-white look without crossing into mallgoth corpse pallor. It also makes a good primer. HOWEVER, I have enormous pores, and if I'm not dilligent with my witch hazel toner (wonderful stuff, get your hands on it. smells like ass, works like magic, but make sure it's pure distilled witch hazel!) and my spreading, it can get caught in them. A lot of rubbing it about seemed to fix this and, once set with powder, it didn't happen again.

I only wore it for two-ish hours today while I ran to the post office and had a hot chocolate. And bought my downton abbey poster. ( 8> ) It's not thorough, but I'm going out tomorrow and possibly wednesday too, so I'll be able to test more thoroughly.

It lasted beautifully. Once applied properly, it felt gorgeous and silky to wear. It held my eyeliner very well (i had not primed the area other than with a tiny bit of goth white, because i couldn't find my primer anywhere, but let's just say it was to test the cream), and didn't settle on my blemishes very much - less than usual, anyway. Both are very blendable and feel lovely on.

PICTURES, ANYWAY.

I couldn't get any front-on shots because they made my nose vanish and i thought that a bad idea to post, so here you can see how it's easier to blend them both than I thought. I was wearing a scarf, though, so all that blending further down my neck was all for nothing.

ALSO THESE ARRIVED TODAY.

My sister bought them for me from Beserk. :D

That's all for now. I will post another review after my seaside holiday (by the sea mister todd we'll be nice and cosy by the sea mister todd where there's no one nosey).

Party on goths!

PS: Speaking of the holiday, Mr. Growlithe now has a blag - The Noisy Growlithe. Swords, games and geekery. Only his herro post up so far, but stay tuned - he's sure to post pictures of me and his sword collection, if you're into goths with rapiers, I suppose. ;3

What The Dicking Dicks 2: THE RE-DICKENING

Remember what I posted the other day?

askgtejro;dgherhjtrshjbatrskljhbnrktsfjbnm;EOIRHJANMDB

DTRBNRSTKLBNRSKLTJNHBS;D,.

?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D8 D8 D8 D8 D8 D8 

(I'm doing Science and) I'm Still Alive (an apology, and some science)

Heroo everyone. I have been pretty much lacking in posts lately. Everything has been dicks - i've been in a huge funk because of the constant rain, and the rain has been messing with my webnets, and that's just made things dicks, you know?

Just assuring everyone that I am still alive, and shopping. Yeah, I know. >> But...but...pratchett books! :3

Been busy talking to my family about the Big Move, and when not being in a funk, I've been such a mire of emotions - excited, scared, sad to go - and thats been affecting my already-messed thought processes.

SPEAKING of thought, while being still alive, I've been doing science! This occured yesterday; in a conversation about a lady on a news programme asking the government to "move on" bats (because of a hendra virus outbreak, flying foxes carry the hendra virus) near their town. Because, lady, these are bats. They're not gypsies or drunk teenagers. If they want to be somewhere, they will be, because they're hundreds of thousands of bats.

Also, they're fuckin' adorable.

Just as a side note, where I used to live, we had a LOT of flying foxes on account of all the mangoes. Once, one of them flew into a power line and exploded, cutting off power to half of Mullumbimby. It was rather funny, at the time. Because it was obviously a suicidal bat with a grudge against mankind. Or a werebat?

Anyway, a friend of mine made a point about how she doesn't understand about how people seem to think they can control nature. She said people on her side of Canada decided wolves were a no-go and put a bounty on them, and the people on the other side did the same with coyotes. This made them meet in the middle and interbreed.

Now, interbreeding species is going to happen. It's caused larger and somewhat more dangerous hybrids - or, you know, evolution.

She then said that foxes have gotten larger since she was little (from the size of a cat to the size of a medium-sized cattle dog, which is how big they are here in Australia, although ours are pretty and dainty), because they had interbred with dogs, to whom - according to her - they are closely related.

"We have had some problems with our wild canines here and it is our own fault. [...] The foxes, being close to domesticated dogs have bred with them and are much larger than they should be. The thing is the wolves kept the deer population in check and got rid of any of them that were sick or had diseases, the coyotes don't even belong here but we have them here in packs (coyotes traditionally are a lone animal but the wolf in them have made them pack animals)."

Woah, woah. Hold up. Coyotes aren't pack animals, but they're not lone animals, either. They aren't always in a group, but will often form a group to hunt and scavenge.

Now, here's the thing. Dogs and foxes? nowhere near related.

Dogs are wolves. They are genetically wolves. Canis lupus familiaris is the domestic dog (wikipedia also lists canis lupus dingo as a domestic dog. I want to point out that this is extremely untrue. They decend from Indian wolves, not domestic animals, and as such share very few of the traits of familiaris. they can't bark, for one), decending from canis lupus - the gray wolf.

Foxes, on the other hand, are vulpes. The largest and most biologically spread fox (and in fact, the most spread of carnivora) is the red fox. In Australia, our foxes are pretty frigging huge and anything but wussy. Foxes are evolutionarily successful because they have balls of steel.

Anyone versed in biology would know that animals that are not in the same genus cannot interbreed. Canis and vulpes are both canidae - but not at all closely related. Behaviour-wise, foxes are closer to cats - their hunting, breeding and social characteristics are very similar. Taxanomically, they are related to canines, but - and i reiterate - they are not canines. They are unique in their genus (vulpes is in the "tribe" of vulpini, in which is the one family of the foxes. There is no other family in that branch), whereas dogs and wolves share their sub-family (caninae, not tribe because that page doesn't exist, thank you wikipedia) with all canines, including the racoon dog. Go google a picture of them. They're adorable.

So what could be causing this, if not interbreeding?

The increase in the size of the foxes is explainable in one, beautiful word: evolution.

"But," I don't hear you cry, "doesn't evolution take hundreds and thousands of years?"

No. That's a misconception. Evolution takes hundreds and thousands of generations. 

These. Thousands of them.

Thirty years' worth of generations. With a population of red foxes - and these populations are high, by which I mean that there are millions of breeding pairs (foxes are generally monogamous, although lower-ranking individuals have been known to have multiple-father litters and be kind of whores) - with the kits reaching sexual maturity between nine and twelve months (depending on when spring falls), and the father of the kits and barren vixens feeding and caring for the nursing mother, there are more than enough animals to kick evolution into gear. Litters of kits consist usually of four to six babies, with litters above ten in higher-mortality areas. Foxes are the perfect example of evolution.

With more wolves and coyotes (and bigger and more agressive hybrids) in their territory, the foxes need to grow in order to survive. And that's what foxes do, and have always done.

Long story short, we as a species are screwed. I for one welcome our foxy overlords.

PS: going to start giving labels to my posts. For fun. And pony. FOR PONY

Mini-Post: WHAT THE DICKING DICKS

What?!

WHAT?!

WHAT?!

WHAT THE DICKING DICKS

WHEN HAS THIS BEEN ON MY BLAG

WHAT THE FUCK INTERNET

-traumatised- 

Online Shopping.....again

I know, I know! You must all be so ashamed of me. My addiction is being fed still! Well...I did need a few of these. Well, some of these. Two of them. Anyway, firstly, I bought some brushes from an australian website, but I won't post pictures or anything since they're hell to navigate. Nurr.

Next is my forever-and-always favourite, TragicBeautiful. I perchased some new Manic Panic foundation supplies...

Dreamtone White Base Foundation

I love this stuff, I really do, but mine is running low and, I think, nearly ready to be sent to a farm upstate for old makeup products, where it can run and play and be much happier.

Manic Panic Goth White Cream Base Foundation

I've wanted to try this for ages! If it doesn't work out too well as a whole-face foundation, I'll just use it as an eye primer.

And onward to Shiro. I've mentioned them before - fucking geek makeup. People say it's cheesy. I think it's pronounced "fuck you". Here is the sexy gorgeousness I bought. A note on Shiro: All their products have samples. $1.00 for eyeshadow, $1.80 for lipcolour. The shipping price is a flat rate of $1.75 NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE OR HOW MUCH YOU BUY. Even then, out here to Australia the shipping is only $3.50. Prepare for an extensive list.

Full sizes:

The Super Effective Collection

Gengar

"Gengar gave Pokemon nerds a reason to find friends so they could trade their Haunters. I didn't have any friends, so I had to buy an extra GameBoy and the other version of Pokemon. It was so worth it. Dark purple-black with red glitter."

How could I not? I saw this and immediately went "YES 8|"

Lance the Dragon Master

"Don't you wish your name was Lance the Dragon Trainer? Seriously. I would spend my life wearing a dramatic cape and just generally being awesome, if my name was Lance the Dragon Trainer. Deep, rich, shimmering indigo with golden sparks glitter." It's. It's fucking sparkly purple. I love purple. I know, these are mostly novelty, but I don't care.

The Science Collection - 30 Thoroughly Tested Shades that will Never Threaten To Stab You

Unsatisfactory Mark

"I suppose the good news is that you won't really care about having received it. Because you'll be dead. Pure bold crimson with light shimmer. Lip-safe!" I love Portal. I love this red. Excited? Yes.

Intertubes

Sad Keanu

"Do you always eat lunch while alone and friendless? Is your unfailingly miserable, lonely life slowly crushing all sparks of joy from your soul? Apply this lip color and, well, you won't be any less alone. But you'll at least be a loner with cool purple lips, and that's something.

Color: The type of purple that frightens little kids.
Flavor: Blackberry.
Opacity: May be applied moderately sheer or built up to complete opacity.
Stains: Yes - please keep away from upholstery and small children!"

It's a meme lipstick. that's why.

Mini Sizes:

EVERYTHING IS BEARS

Named by the blogger from Lipsticks and Lightsabres, I just had to have this out of principal. Bears. Thousands of them.

Samples

I got two samples, both as gifts. From the Super Effective collection, for one Miss Heather:

Vulpix

"If Vulpix were to browse the Internet, I bet it would use FireFox. Derp derp derp. Shimmering coppery red-brown, soft but intense - kind of like hugging a Vulpix, I imagine." Anyone who knows Heather knows she is one foxy fox. I thought this to be an appropriate gift.

And from the Science collection, for our dear friend The Green Fairy:

Still Alive

"Probably comes as a surprise, given that you broke her heart and killed her. Cool, bright shimmery green with a subtle green-to-pink duochrome shift and lime glitter. Lip-safe!" You know why I got this. :|

Updates on my stuff when I get them!

Much love!

"Now There's a Classy Lady."

The title of this blog post was taken from something said about me the other day as I passed by, in the most sincere voice I've ever heard. So I thought about it a while, and decided to make a post about class, and how it's important.

I am not, of course, talking about social standing - "working class" or "upper class" or anything in between. I am talking about the class that transcends monetary terms. Social ability, etiquiette, wit and gracefullness all make up class. It is especially important for those who are different to be classy, not trashy or bitchy.

I have mentionbed before about the importance of being kind and polite in order to set an example of the goth subculture - overall kind, accepting, intelligent and thoughtful - for the rest of the world. People might misunderstand and judge us, so it is vital we do our best to display the best of ourselves to spare young goths our pain in the future. Being classy is another way we can do this.

I am rather rigid about etiquette. I was out with some friends the other day and was appalled by their behaviour in shops - running around, laughing loudly, screeching, pushing their way through, not excusing themselves for being in people's ways and generally acting like people who were not at all mature. Their outward rudeness struck me and left a bad taste in my mouth. It set such a bad example that it honestly embarassed me to be around them.

This example was, of course, of teenagers, not goths specifically, but they're the kind to complain when being treated like bratty children, at school and at society at large. Generally, one is treated the way one acts.

When out and about in the world, my dear goths, it's important to be polite, kind and genuine. Even when having an awful day, lacking "please", "thankyou", "excuse me" and "sorry" is never excusable. Being polite, however, does not mean that you let people walk all over you. Remember that!

People are tiring, I know that, but it is important to keep your cool. Yes, witty retorts are still classy, as long as you keep them sharp and not crass. Being forgiving is also another important thing about being a person with class - forgive and forget, and move on.

Not to mention, dress appropriately! We all have our occasional PVC miniskirt days, but knowing when and wear they are appropriate is very important. I don't wear tiny skirts often, to be honest, as I prefer long ones, or at least knee-length ones. I have always thought that it isn't my business to avoid offending people (as the people I tend to offend, tend to be those people who look to be offended), but there is definitely a line. Modesty isn't an issue, after all, it's your body, but perhaps that leather crop top should be saved for nighttime wear only, yeah?

What are your favourite or most horrible class and etiquette violations - by yourself or other people? Am I the only person irked by the blurred lines between "it's my body and I can flaunt it how i like" and "if i show you my ass, will you love me?" Is this a bad lesson to be teaching the young girls of our society? Let me know how you feel on the subject of class, etiquette, behaviour and dress!

Follower-related Immaturity

>jump on blagger to see the blags

>see this

>immediately screencap and post

You laughed too.

An actual post tomorrow.

Much love!

POKEMON GOONS HURF

Passing this on from the lovely Nosey Kittycat. I couldn't not.

ME GUSTA. 8|

My Favourite Inspirations

Unlike many and most goths, I don't have a secret file on my computer wherein lies hundreds of photos of random internet goths, from which to draw inspiration. No. No, I'm much worse.

Being raised by hippies (surfer dude and "war is not the answer, maaaan" kinds), I was very much exposed to a lot of wonderful things as a child. Here's a brief overview on celebrities that have inspired me thus far.

Marylin Monroe

Marylin Monroe is possibly one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century. Gracious, witty and beautiful, as well as voluptuous and intelligent, it is little wonder she has been such an inspiration. Despite her "barbie" exterior, she was a thoughtful and wise person, displaying an extremely clever woman's tongue.

Audrey Hepburn

Another iconic woman, Audrey Hepburn displayed the same sincere humour as Monroe. She was a brilliant actress, and had a wonderful singing voice. Her clothing style has never gone out of fashion - she was elegant, to say the least, and always had something to say. Armed with a cheeky smile, Hepburn always reminds me that one does not have to be outspoken to be witty.

Barbra Streisand

I know, I'm awful. I'm just a bad person. But in her youth, Streisand was a beautiful young woman, with a powerful voice. Funny Girl showcased all her talent, being her first broadway play and her first film. Her portrayal of vaudevillian Fanny Brice was amazing, and she herself was quite beautiful. Her strong film presence and her amazing voice always stands as a firm reminder to me.

Couldn't dance for the life of her.

 

Clare Bowditch

Australian musician and social commentator (she has been on Insight about twelve times - Insight is where they have a huge audience and discuss current affairs) Clare Bowditch is....stunning. A humanitarian and mother of identical twin boys, she is well-known for her amazing songwriting and her satirical on-stage humour. She's....just look at the woman. That'll explain it.

That is all.

More of these posts soon! Probably. Maybe.

Much love!

PS: Clare Bowditch singing:

New followers?!

Today was spent, well, cleaning. Sort of. And we aquired a hat rack.

Featuring my new mini-hats

 Then, I got on the blag-o-blags only to discover i had gained five new followers.

Overnight.

Where have you all come from? o: Tell me who you are, so that I may send my cathugs via mindpowers to them.

If you want followbacksies, please give me your blag url, so I may do so!

Not much else going on in cat land. Still need to find a good suburb in melbourne, does anyone know? Please tell me this too. :D

much love!

This Is What Happens....When Blogs Collide

All the photos of me in Sydney were taken by the dear Green Fairy. Her post is here.

HOLY FUCK THIS WEEKEND WAS AWESOME. I'M A BIG CAT NOW.

A mighty, mighty cat.

We kind of neglected to take photos of the gig, but anyway, it was awesome. Much cool stuff happened. The next day, we took our trip to Gallery Serpentine, and were there at LEAST an hour and a half.

Holy unflattering pictures, batman!

It wouldn't be so bad, if I wasn't talking
at the time.

I was also wearing my Lovechild Boudoir outfit-matching Tentacle Threads Burton jacket. Super-comfy, and I picked mine up at half price, at $57!

So I had about $200 to spend for the day, which - as anyone who ever has been in-store at Gallery Serpentine - is a cruel limit to put on yourself. A cruel, necessary limit.

I bought an ADORABLE vest, that needs altering but is nontheless adorable.

daw.

I also purchased one of their lovely domed parasols, in black lace. So did the Green Fairy. We're matching!

A two-hundred-dollar rigid bustle that I could not buy makes me a very sad cat. Plus how fucking windy it was outside.

But my day's pride and joy, ladies and gentlemen (gentleman?) ?

That motherfuckin' hat. Look at that hat. It was $48. I saw it, and immediately asked if it was for sale. The woman who owns the shop then told me I had to leave wearing it. I agreed, and I did. Fairy took a photo of me and my "i'm-so-happy-i-could-explode" face. 

People need to invite me places where I can wear this hat - and I promise, the next wedding I go to, I will go British and wear a totally non-sensible hat. That hat. Because it is a purple velvet top hat.

It was a very productive day indeed - we also got to go and pet some kittuns across the road at the Cat Protection Society. I did not, however, get to fill my usual tradition of visiting a sex shop at every opportunity.

Much love!

PS: where could I wear my hat, do you think?

What's In A Name?

I figure the whole thing about the name of this blag, plus my name across the internet, might be an interesting delve into memories. Please get your nickname stories prepared, as I definitely want to read them!

The whole "kitty" thing came about in primary school. Anyone who knows me, or knew me at all, knows how heavily I was (and am) into roleplay - tabletop, written, video game and - yes, queen of the nerds - live-action. My fondness for LARP is what lead me to the name - shortened form of my character's name. However, the actual "your name is kitty. you are a cat" thing didn't come about until far sooner than primary school.

I had always had the unnatural ability to befriend furries. By the time i was fourteen, I already had a host of furvert friends - in fact, they made up the bulk of my online friends. It wasn't until January last year when I was going through a bad breakup that I met a particularly furverty one.

Don't get me wrong. Bear (or "Polaris Bearington" as the bookface forced him to be called - Polar Bear is apparently not a name anywhere) is one of my best friends. In the first conversation he and I ever had, he decided that I was, officially, a cat. Usually I rejected this, but this time, I went along with it.

Bear; here pictured being foofly.

Ever since then, I have been refered to as a cat. Growlithe started calling me "kittum" as I forbade "kitten". (because at that point I wasn't planning on any kind of sexual relationship with him, which is why "kittten" was forbidden. But uh. It's kind of duh why it doesn't matter anymore, I won't go on there.)


Moving on to more recently - and ignoring the blaringly obvious Sondheim "Lovett" reference - the Anonymous Cat or Anonymous Goth Cat has come into play (as well as A. Cat).


The growlithe recently had a giggle, saying "I love how you call yourself the anonymous cat, but your blag is full of personal information and how you have pictures of yourself and everything."


Ah. This takes a little more explaining. See, an "anonymous cat" is a neighbourhood cat everyone assumes belongs to someone around the place, but they all pet and feed and cuddle anyway. Along with being "randomly in the background of things" and "there one minute, gone the next", as well is "who the hell is that anyway?", that's rather what I have become - the anonymous cat, or the anonymous goth cat. I have actually signed official petitions, emails and letters to various politicians with "The Lady, A. Cat".

The blog title was rather a spurr-of-the-moment sort of thing. Unlike many people, there's no real reason behind it other than I thought it was cute, and appropriate for what the blag was going to be about. It seemed to fit - I am a gothcat, and I will blog to my tail's content.

To clear up a few things, no, I am not myself a furry. To be a furry, you have to be a human with animal [spirit/characteristic/whatever kind of way you'd put this]. I'm a cat. With superpowers. And my name on facebook? Yes, Rose is my actual middle name. You're welcome to track me down if you like, and if you don't mind my frequent quoting and catting about the internet.


What are your nickname stories? What do your parents call you? My mum calls me "moo" and my dad calls me "maude" or "a very useful thing".


Much love! :3

Mini-Post - I Love Old Ladies

So I was out with The Green Fairy this weekend. Pictures later, when she gets home and on the computer after much yelling at her shiternet. Yesterday, before I came home I was in Hungry Jack's at Central (veggie burger nomnom), standing in line, when a woman in her 70s or 80s struck up a conversation with me.

She said she'd seen quite a few people "dressed up like you" and asked if there was some kind of event going on. I said I didn't know, but there had probably been stuff the night before and it was after all a nice day to be out. She and I chatted while in line, she said she loved our clothing, all of it, and then she said this:

"I love seeing people dressed up like you. I think it cheers people up. It definitely cheers me up."

There's the crux of it, I suppose! My utterly cheery demenour, my friendly behaviour, my being polite and helpful, and my happy pink hair and bright blush - it pays off, because it cheers people up to see something different! Really makes it all worth it in the end.

Here's to you, kind elderly people. You brighten my day, too!

(and here's to you, elderly man who held the hotel door open for me and wished me a happy wedding, looking confused when I laughed. I don't know why you thought I was getting married, and I promise, I wish I was, but you've obviously seen alternative wedding attire before. And that's awesome.)

Art Post!

So I'm at miss fox's house. She has a drawing tablet. After being all "WAT" for about ten minutes, I got the hang of it, and this is what I ended up with.

I really quite like it~!

In 12 hours I shall be on the train on the way to Sydney for my night out with the Green Fairy. :D THIS IS EXCITE. I HAVE IT.

Will probably update this post with more pictures.