Just finished a stream on my Facebook page and after I took off the suit in the shower and got to cleaning everything for storage, I noticed that the side panels on my like new Feitico hood were discolored with a black smudge FROM FOUR HOURS OF HEADPHONE USE.

I know white rubber discolors much more easily than other shades, but I don't think four hours of use should have done this. I don't know what happened, and it's really bothering me. Among other reasons, it's why in the upcoming piece being made by  AlRunaRK666 his suit color has been changed from white/black to orange/black. Because the ease of discoloration on his irl suit and hood is seriously starting to bother me and trigger my OCD. I can't look at it now without seeing something wrong, and the imperfection in the suit is of my own doing; I kept it folded up in the mail too long with the zippers contacting parts of the rubber panels and it ended up discoloring portions of them into a rust/pink hue (that is hard to notice, but it's there). These stains on my hood are even more noticeable than those.

I'm just very upset because latex isn't cheap, and I put a lot of money and expectation into that hood. This isn't a jab at Feitico; the hood is made spectacularly well and it looks great. I'm just angry because of how unbelievably high maintenance the white latex is, even after I've tried my hardest to store it all properly and treat is right by keeping it in a cool place, in a garment bag, and in the dark, after the mishap of keeping it in the package too long.

But all this care was undone in the span of FOUR HOURS. I don't know how or why this could have even happened and I'm just so upset with myself. After all the care I took, it's blemished. And in the back of my mind that bothers me, even if it's minuscule in imperfection (some of the smudge was lessened by cleaning it with heptane, but it's still there). Compound that with the fact of my troubles with latex crafting, and it's a bad feeling.

In short, trying to bring Zeta's looks to life with the art I've had made has been more frustrating than gratifying because of all the things that have gone wrong. And I'm not ungrateful to my rubber sister who made me the suit; I absolutely love it and it fits so perfectly. So does the hood from Feitico, with the more boxy looking eyeholes. But as silly as it might seem, I think for most art I might have Zeta being presented in the orange/black suit that's going to be revealed very soon, and consider it "canon" or his "default" outfit, and also which my rubber sister  ~Latex_Neko~ (who I can't freaking wait to see again <3) is making for her me to have us photoshoot in during her likely July visit.

After Vivishining/Vivicleaning the heck out of the thing and trying to rub the smear out with heptane, it's a LITTLE less noticeable, and no worse than the blemishes on the suit, but it's still there.

Again, it's insignificant and doesn't really affect anything, and might seem silly but I think both IRL and canonically speaking, the white suit and hood is going to be relegated to secondary duties while the black and orange takes over. The next reference sheet I get (I'm due for a new one, anyway) will likely reflect this.