Halloween Progress Report #1: Accent Cosmetics

Halloween Progress Report #1: Accent Cosmetics

I found the perfect face makeup and nail polish for my Lagoona costume at the drugstore today! We've got...

The Covergirl Trunaked eyeshadow palette, "That's Rad" (not quite as bright or saturated in real life)

The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Pearl nail polish, "Rare Red Pearl"

And the Burt's Bees gloss lip crayon, "Pacific Coast."

The names being as fitting as they are was purely coincidental. I just thought they looked the closest to what I'm going for.

I'm not used to wearing this stuff, and I'm garbage at nail polish application, but I'm doing it for authenticity.

Bonus: Each individual eyeshadow has a name that works well with Lagoona's personality, too!

In order from left to right on the palette, they are:

Leg Warmers

Take a Chill Pill

Scrunchie

No Duh!

Bodysuit

Totally Tubular

Bangin'

Pump it Up

Again, a super fun coincidence that makes me even more excited for Halloween!

Halloween Progress Report #2: Accessories/Jewelry

One Michaels shopping spree and one Amazon visit later, and I have everything I need for my accessories!

I got these chunky gold Bead Chest beads for the bracelet...

A fake tiger lily to cut from its stem and glue to a barrette (plus a spare, just in case something goes wrong and I have to start over)...

...And this cute little seahorse pendant necklace, which I honestly wouldn't mind incorporating into my everyday wear.

I also scored some craft foam and molding latex to make my ears and fins. I'll talk more about them when I'm closer to finishing them.

You may also notice the lack of earrings. I consider them more of a "bonus objective". They don't always show up in the artwork due to Lagoona's hair, and I don't know how well they'd work with the ear fins I'm going to make.

33 days isn't a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but I think I might actually be able to pull this off!

I saw one of these stories on the Sailor Moon subreddit yesterday and thought it was just a Chibi Moon joke, but I guess it's real.

Cool. :)

Donnie sweep!!!

Round 1 Part 1

Update: I've already reached Book #4 (Back and Deader Than Ever). I think I can safely say that this book series is mostly mindless fun.

Pros:

Secondary plot threads like the ghouls' weekly spa days are honestly pretty cute.

The monsters (or "R.A.D.s") feel reasonably in-character and well-written most of the time.

The ways each monster type has to blend in with normie society are consistent, relevant, creative at times, and generally well-done.

Candace is a bit more than the stereotypical "dumb blonde." Not that much, since she's a secondary character at most, but enough to make her more fun than annoying.

We stan Brett as our resident monster-lover. The dude legitimately finds bolts and green skin attractive.

Jackson and Holt ("D.J.") exist and are important. This is sadly not consistent in most Monster High media.

Sirens are bird women.

The foreshadowing leading up to Melody's big plot twist is present as early as the first book. I like that.

The Wolfs' monthly transformation and pre-transition symptoms (especially the appetite and irritability) speak to me as a PMS-haver. I think that's what Harrison was going for, so...yeah. Good job.

Cons:

Melody is basically the "Not Like Other Girls" female YA protagonist. Dark hair, frumpy clothes, was ostracized for her appearance in the past, described as effortlessly pretty in the present, quiet until she needs to deliver some plot-relevant sass, secretly "special"... Yeesh.

Bekka's writing takes a hard turn for the cartoonish after the first book.

So many outdated pop culture references. So many.

Holt being flirty? Reasonable, given his characterization in other places. Him being an outright pervert at points? Really freaking weird.

An odd amount of revenge-kissing and other petty relationship stuff

Not enough Lagoona. The higher-ups really did hate her from the beginning. :p

About to read the first Monster High YA novel by Lisi Harrison. I had #2-4 when I was younger, and frankly, I don't remember much. Wish me luck.

Man, the story of Chris-Chan is something else. It doesn't sound real at all, yet it is. I don't know how to feel about it.

On one hand, Christine has done some truly heinous things and is definitely past the point of no return. No amount of autism can excuse her poor treatment of others. On the other, most of the people in her life were also pretty rotten and exacerbated her issues. You don't just repeatedly catfish or stalk someone "for the lulz."

And as an autistic person, I look at her younger self and think, "That could have been me." I was the awkward, awareness-lacking nerd who would insert my interests into everything I could. I was awful at making real friends. I was prone to freaking out when things didn't go my way.

But I was fortunate enough to have grown up in the 2000s and 2010s instead of the 1980s and 1990s. Autism acceptance wasn't perfect during my childhood (and people like Andrew Wakefield certainly didn't help), but it sure as heck was in a better place than it was before the turn of the millennium.

And I was (and am) lucky enough to have parents who worked to accommodate and support me properly. Christine didn't have that. I don't know for sure how she would have turned out with different parenting, but Bob and Barb evidently stunted her chances of becoming well-adjusted.

It really is a train wreck of a situation where the abused became an abuser.