#as someone who worked in a joann fabrics
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with the knowledge of the green dye bonanza phil went on, i think we have to acknowledge the Truth:
phil told himself "don't cry, craft"
#sorry for the#psychic damage#it just came to me#& i needed to have more than myself know this cursed idea#i also recognize myself in this#as someone who worked in a joann fabrics#& has a crafting area in her apt#ik the power of doing art projects to cure boredom & forget reality#amazingphil#dnp#phan#< for the metrics#dan and phil
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Milly from TriGun : Emma
My first con was in Baltimore for Otakon 2001. Pre 9/11! I originally wanted to attend a con either out in Colorado or Texas, but I was the only one in my circle of friends in New Mexico who had a part time job, so there was no one I could travel with.
I cosplayed as Milly from Trigun and you can actually find photos of me from old internet archive pages because Trigun was at the high of popularity. I originally made Milly for a Halloween costume, so when I showed it to my online friend in the Trigun mIRC chat a photo of me in cosplay, she insisted I come to Otakon the following year and join her Trigun group.
Unlike a lot of early 90’s/00’s cosplayers, I didn’t have anyone who’d taught me how to sew. So Milly was entirely bought from a trip to the Goodwill. I bought brown pants, a duster, a red tie and yellow suspenders. I remember feeling so proud to find yellow suspenders because in the anime her suspenders are yellow. I was like “wow! I’m so canon compliant. I’m a cosplay pro!”. She has a little green cap and I went to Joanns, bought some fabric and just cut it out and hand stitched it and safety pinned it to the duster. Current me would have been shocked at a lack of surging or a mockup or putting snaps in to make sure the cape stayed on, but it was the wild west back then for when it came to cosplaying.
At Otakon I had my half-assed Goodwill costume, but everyone loved it, I got so many photos and so many hugs. It was a rush of validation I’d never felt, I was this weird 17 year old living in New Mexico where I had very few friends who liked anime, so going to a con with so many people who knew Trigun and loved my costume was incredible. It made me want to keep cosplaying,
The Trigun fandom at the time was pretty big. There wasn’t social media the way there is now, but there was a decent community. I think the anime sensibilities mixed with a very western setting was a huge draw to the western ‘otaku’ culture at the time. Vash also had such an iconic look.
A lot of Otakon 2001 was just people being excited to see other members of the Trigun community and get to connect and talk about the show, it’s one of the things I really enjoyed about cosplay back then. It felt easy to strike up a conversation with someone about the character you or they were dressed as and make a new friend. I’m actually still friends with a Wolfwood cosplayer from back then!
You probably hear this a lot when you talk to older cosplayers, but while I’m happy cosplay has become more popular, it makes me sad there’s less of a focus on learning to sew and learn skills and more of a focus on buying a costume online and posting a photo of it on social media for as many clicks possible. I made Milly from pieces at The Goodwill with so few photos remaining of her and she was probably the most attention I’ve gotten from a cosplay. For young people reading this, don’t be afraid to learn to sew. Don’t be afraid to not have a perfect costume, there’s skills even I’m still learning and I find the building of the costume just as rewarding as wearing it or any attention I get on it.
Over 20 years later I’m still cosplaying. I literally have half of a Genshin impact cosplay in my lap I’m working on as I type this. I’m actually waiting for the next season of Trigun Stampede because I’d love to come full circle and make Milly again with my now 20 years of skills as a cosplayer.
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[interior, JoAnn fabrics, checkout line; 11AM Friday]
CASHIER [middle-aged woman in an employee apron]: blah blah normal cashier stuff
ME [middle-aged cis woman in a PROTECT TRANS KIDS t-shirt]: blah blah normal customer stuff
CASHIER: (hands me my receipt) You're a beautiful woman. I’m sorry, I don’t know what your pronouns are, I shouldn’t have assumed.
ME: No, it's fine, "woman" works!
CASHIER: No, I really shouldn't have assumed. But you are. Now you’re going to exit right out that door ahead of me and have a great day.
ME: (touched but slightly baffled, exits)
ME: ...
ME: ...Did I just get clocked?
So let the record show that, for a brief and shining moment, on a July morning in New Jersey, a stranger who was a little confused but had a kind spirit gazed upon me and decided my gender was something someone would do on purpose.
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[original drawing date: 2nd-13th Feb 2024]
A collection of various busts of characters from a comic i want to work on soon. This would be the first time I've drawn some of these characters and they could probably do with some proper designs, but I had fun nonetheless c:
This is actually part of another big project I'm working on where I draw similar things for some of my characters, i've got a few more but I'll probably post them when I've got more for those character sets.
Characters are:
Kristy Williams, an aspiring author and recently-graduated uni student. Kinda chill normally but is quick to anger and is almost superhumanly stubborn. Through the course of the comic, but shown in the opening, she gains a weird superpower called Soulblaze, which is this short-ranged high-impact explosive energy attack that resembles rapidly-spinning fire with occasional sparks of lightning and the power of which is tied to the user's mental state and determination.
Elenor, the Umbral Queen, a woman from around 1862 who fused herself with a shadowy eldritch abomination to stop herself dying from complications after childbirth, and has just kinda been goofing around, terrorising generally not good people, and fighting and/or running away from her descendents' various armed forces trying to capture her for study or revenge against killing a few of her immediate family (most by accident, though she did deliberately kill her husband). Actually kind of a kind-hearted person, albeit with a bit of a sadistic streak, as she was never cruel herself and the Umbral Queen is explicitly neutral and passive.
Evangeline, the Guardian, is a tall and kinda buff woman who works as a librarian or a bookstore worker idk which yet, and is secretly a low-rank creature of super-advanced dimension-travelling biokinetic former humans who self-style themselves after angels and call themselves the Celestians, and she was planted on the world to essentially protect humanity from incursions from hostile entities from other realities - entities like the Umbral Queen, for instance. Usually acts pretty friendly, if not a bit aloof, but can turn cold and deeply serious quickly.
Argent, the Portal Scientist. Researcher from an alternate reality who starts exploring Kristy's dimension to study the remarkably weak fabric between realities there. Insatiably curious, deeply intelligent, and quite compassionate. Loaded to the brim with advanced technology built around intra- and occasionally inter-dimensional portal technology.
Sable, the Kinetic Scientist. Argent's sister, less interested in studying the world and more in testing and experimenting with kinetic accelerator tech. Bit of a mad scientist, and definitely has chaotic gremlin energy.
Joanne Rockwell, a junior science-type (not sure what discipline yet), office intern, and recently-graduated uni student. Level-headed, a little high-strung, and cautious to a fault, but quite friendly and sociable otherwise. Kristy's girlfriend, has been with her since late high school and before she transitioned. Like Kristy, she's just a normal human, but also like Kristy there's definitely something weird going on with her...
Kyle Ashton, a mildly successful online sex worker, and Cassidy's slightly younger brother. Fairly promiscuous, but knows how to keep himself safe and is respectful of boundaries, and has a similar attitude to his sister, albeit more sarcastic. Probably has some martial arts training.
Cassidy Ashton, an amateur artist, gym junkie and semi-successful VTuber. Enjoys banter and good-natured ribbing, a little headstrong and prone to arrogance, but if she likes you even a little she'll be extremely friendly and doggedly loyal - her VTuber persona is much the same, albeit a little more exaggerated. Kristy's current best friend, met each other during the start of their third year of uni at the gym. A decent boxer, for someone only just starting it, spars with Kristy often. Also has a bit of a crush on Kristy.
#my art#commodoresigma#original character#original#oc#kristy williams#elenor the umbral queen#eva the guardian#argent#sable#joanne rockwell#kyle ashton#cassidy ashton
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OSRR: 3544
today felt like it was fifteen million years long.
started with a bomb threat at solothurn. then a man threatening to explode himself in paris. and being short-staffed in security. and literally nothing else. it was so boring today, and that's even with my crocheting. plus i was super tired so i did my best to not nod off but that blanket is super cozy.
i don't think i fell asleep. i had my hand on the mouse and i found out that if i get tired, my fingers drop and it right clicks on something. which i don't want to do, so i'll immediately snap back when it happens. it was so tiring today.
BUT i did give jey his gift, which he LOVED! im delighted. he said, "how did you know about my love for cartography??" and i just shrugged. i found them when i was helping him look for furniture and i knew it would fit with the vibes he had going for his apartment, so i got them. i've had them in my car for about two months - since just before i got sick. but yeah, he loves them. and i'm really glad. also it never occurred to me that someone might not love maps?? who the fuck doesn't love maps?????? i mean, i specifically don't like mercator projections but that's because they're fucking terrible. but old maps? that's my SHIT. fuckin love maps. of all kinds. i love maps.
he also repeatedly called me an angel, so that was also very sweet of him. he's a sweetheart. and the funniest part?
he shares joel's birthday.
aaaaanf speaking of joel! our anniversary is tomorrow! five years. five!! longest and healthiest relationship i've ever had, by a significant margin. i was gonna hit up bova's on my way home tomorrow, but i might order some for delivery instead. save myself some time lmao.
anyway, after work i took myself to joann fabrics again to get the correct yarn for coya's blanket. the other yarn i need to return. i also got more embroidery stuff. i'm gonna do some kitchen towels for her. probably put simon on them.
anyway. lots of projects. i work really slowly.
i also got in some more kits! i'm excited!!
time for sleeping.
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fjdhdhfhDFWFDWFEFf google isn't coming up with anythjng!!!!! can someone who was worked or shopped at joannes fabric PLEASE tell me if they have a phone # based rewards program at checkout that they ask your number for or if i simply committed a hate crime against a sad depressed young gay cashier when i said "that wont be nessesary no thanks just no thanks"
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Advice for someone who wants to pick up a new hobby and work on it consistently? Maybe even multiple hobbies?
Love your blog btw
Watch lots of youtube tutorials and follow lots of artists that are into the things you want to get into! (like here on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube) this helps with inspiration and gives you background knowledge on how things work for when you start up a hobby for yourself. Local libraries have random classes you can take so it's worth checking them out to see if they offer anything that you'd like to learn (mine does a lot of technology based stuff these days like 3D printing). Also if you have the cash, community colleges offer classes for cool things like pottery, glass blowing, sewing, watercolor, scrapbooking, and more. I checked my local community college's website and depending on the course, class fees were between $35 and $225 (the cheaper ones are one day classes and the more expensive ones are multiple day courses. also they're after hours on weekdays and on weekends)
If you can find them, join small communities for the hobbies you're interested in! so like smaller subreddits and discords (big ones suck and are mostly people showing off how much money they can spend tbh. but small ones generally have cool knowledgeable people who share progress photos, tutorials, and will help you with whatever questions you may have). Immersing yourself in a hobby environment helps with inspiration and the initiative to create!
Start nice organized bookmarks in your browser and bookmark everything that you find cool or helpful, be that tutorials, tools, materials, other artists' works, what have you. use subfolders so everything is easy to find later.
Keep a notebook on hand for your ideas. I use a cheap bullet journal because it makes it easy to create little sections on each page for multiple ideas. also get one of those multi colored pens to keep different ideas easy to differentiate from each other. This is helpful for before you start a hobby so you can plan out what you really want to do and what you need. once you start a hobby it helps you organize your plans, list materials, draw out patterns, etc.
Last thing is be reasonable with your money. always check second hand sales for equipment before buying new if you can risk it. I got a TON of knitting stuff from Goodwill once. I also got a knitting machine from eBay as part of an estate sale for half of what they normally sell for. shopgoodwill is also a good resource, as well as Facebook sales. Craigslist is still out there but god it's a pain to use. If you have a local community for a hobby become a part of it because (other than meeting cool people and having fun) you can get lucky and inherit old equipment from people for little cost or even free when they upgrade their setups.
If used isn't an option, be savvy with sales. Use camelcamelcamel to track Amazon's prices to make sure sales are *really* sales and not instances of sellers inflating prices and then discounting them back to the normal cost. As much as marketing emails suck, subscribe to emails for sites that sell things you need for your hobbies (ex. Joann Fabrics, Blick, Tandy Leather, Dharma Trading, and smaller independent supply stores).
Once you have a good idea and initiative, start small and within reason for your skill level. Don't expect to build a work room overnight or create masterpieces immediately. Build a mindset that perfection isn't real and every piece you create is another step forward in your journey as an artist. You will never stop learning and growing so there will never be a point when you are "done" and can rest on your laurels. Even abject failure in creating is experience you need so that you can fully understand the limits of yourself and your medium as well as how to work around those limits to continue creating. It can also give you a chance to stop and think critically about your methods in situations where you had a reasonable idea but went about it in a less than ideal way (<= I do this thing constantly lol, first ideas arent always the most efficient...)
Remember that creating is about fun and expressing yourself. If you arent having fun don't feel like you need to keep pushing yourself to work on something. abandoning unfun projects is 100% fine. Your energy is better spent working on things you can feel invested in anyway.
So um TLDR: immerse yourself in inspiration and community, do your research, stay organized, and have reasonable expectations for yourself. also have fun :)
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i saw your tags and i am dying to know the four GO related costumes, if it isn’t too much trouble to ask? ♥️
Ok ok ok here's the thing, this might be more than you bargained for because it's not four costumes, it's four years worth of costumes and inspired looks I have too many of those lets not talk about that.
Break so I can insert some pictures where I have them.
You see, I started cosplaying Crowley in 2019, like half of the rest of this fandom. I saw the show, I made my best friend watch it, she asked if Aziraphale and Crowley could be our Halloween costume for the year, I agreed exclusively on the grounds I could be Crowley, and the rest is essentially history.....except it's not because if my life isn't one cosmic joke what's the point right. My hair was purple at the time and I insisted I wasn't going to dye it for this, despite everyone I knew asking about it. So we did Halloween, at speed, mind you, so it was more about does it look like them rather than does it look like them, but doing these costumes gave me brain rot bad.
This is genuinely one of the best photos I'm going to be able to share with you rn, because someone took these photos of me intentionally. My best friend/Aziraphale had prior plans and this kinda got dropped on me like what costume can you wear to go to the cemetery approximately now.
In December, I started dying my hair red, we're all laughing because it's funny.
Obviously this was right before the plague times and I was still in undergrad at the time. We had a socially distanced halloween party the next year between the costume and scene shops, and I wore basically the same thing, just with doc martens and sfx contacts that time because I was working on a much larger costume for my undergrad capstone (tho not my history capstone, that was tragically different.) I started working on a late Victorian women's ensemble in black and green that was intended to be versatile enough to be both historically accurate in settings that needed it, while also being able to be an all out cosplay, just an inspired one. I didn't actually get good picture of it until late last year when I had shifted into what I call "stupidly" red hair dye and cut my hair (I was in grad school when s2 filming pictures started to come out, it does something to your brain, you make interesting choices during Thanksgiving break.)
(Enjoy a rare film photo of @christinedieae and I, we were working on these outfits together, and mostly in the same work space in 2021, so it was a mission to photograph these two together because they were so different on the dress forms.)
In 2021, I attended Ren Fair for the first time and made pirate inspired looks for my best friend and I. Tragically I don't have any photos from this year other than us at like 8am in my driveway and I'm not willing to share them rn but I made this full length sleeveless coat with fabric i found at joanns that year that has snakes and roses. I also wore it last year but it was very cold and windy that day so the only photo of me is my "Anakin storming the temple" look, peak my red wig and the best garment I've ever made, my cloak.
Then, some of my favorite ren fair looks from last year. The halo is one of the single best purchases I've made while costuming, and at this point its been a while.
The only down side to ren fair is that I'm often without an Aziraphale, as my best friend has become a bird (this is a genuine logistical challenge and at times takes between three and four of us to manage at the fair grounds so my full length snake skirt might not be returning to the fair this year.) Said bird also steals my glasses.
Here's another look with selections pulled from my historical wardrobe for a wizarding event at the museum I work at last year. This was the first time anyone I worked with saw my contacts and I have found it's good to warn people who know me because they find it a serious jumpscare. Some adults also have opinions, but kids really seem to like them.
And then some silly things from an event we attended in May last year. It was Friday the 13th and easily 100 degrees. I made Aziraphale's waistcoat in a week because I wasn't insane enough already (when you get motivation to do something you take it idk). On an even bigger my life is a cosmic joke note, when the first s2 pictures came out with the leather waistcoat I got in my closet and finally begrudgingly admitted my mom was right, because I had a leather waistcoat she had given me from the 80s.
I feel like I might have posted some of these photos here before, I remember asking for an "angel ( )" caption for my friend dressed as Castiel, and the groupchat soundly rejecting "angel (homosexual)" as too non-specific. It was very hot, we descended into insanity by the end of the night, a group of girls recognized us while we were trapped in the middle of this tiny candy store, chaos at its finest. This is also the night where someone referred to our group as the "most attractive group of queer people" they'd ever seen, and thus named our group chat.
I know there have been sooooo many more, some combination of all of this is how I dress on the daily so I'm kinda always testing new or inspired looks. And our ren fair opens this weekend, and I've been working on making and acquiring some fun new things for some new looks this year, so I'll have more looks very soon.
The last thing I can leave you with, I suppose, is this. I'm going to a wedding in October with costumes encouraged, but all black is off the table. SO I'm recreating an Edwardian gown in a red silk I found that is cross woven with black threads so it has this shift to it while still looking red, the silk is called Omen.
My darling Aziraphale is @jesterjamboree as always. @frameratess also appears here, and is often the only one of us remembering to take pictures. And already mentioned is @christinedieae, we egg each other on with our crazy ideas.
#haha have i ever mentioned that im crazy#im a firm believer in looking exactly how you want to all the time#even when other people think youre crazy#the smuggler sews#the smuggler cosplays
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Sage hi! So.. possibly maybe you also like mystic messenger? I was thinking about it a lot today and then I remembered you saw me going crazy about Zen, do you wanna tell me your experience with it?
omg yeah i was a big mysme kid back in the day 😭 i was a yoosung and zen girlie LMAO the start of the insanity.... (cutesy but possesisve and maybe a little insane + egotistical but ultimately just fuckin sad guys)
i used 2 go all out LOL schedule alarms for chat rooms... whole shebang. i remember getting the bad end for 707 in joann's fabrics w my mom and nearly crying in the store about it and then blowing all my hourglasses on trying to reload saves to circumvent the problem (it didn't work. lol). did in fact try honey butter chips as a result of this game. i am not a big fan but hey. i tried em
i never did jaehee/jumin/v's routes. lol. never got the full lore sorry gang.... i do think this game ultimately helped me stop being homophobic LMAO it's dumb to look back on but jaehee's route seen in fandom helped me cool down about being wlw (mind you i was playing in 6th grade which was the first year i wasn't in catholic school. so it was right place right time)
that reminds me... around this time i was using wattpad a lot (i used it like twitter lmao i hope my friends from back then are doin ok :0 i did just kinda disappear. anyway), and there was someone i knew on there who was about 4 years older than me if i remember right... i remember they were a lesbian and stoutly anti yandev. anyway i remember learning they were a lesbian and being like woah that's so cool o wish i was a lesbian. bc i didn't know i could just Be one. lol
ultimately it's a game that brings back fond memories... i still have it on my phone lol. i think i bought an amalee cover of the intro...
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What are some of Maurice's courting his crush moves, both before and after his exposure?
oh my Goddddd I wrote WAY too much because I love Maurice, OOPS-
Before he’s exposed, people just sort of… fall at his feet. Isn’t his inherent charm enough without him having to make a move in the first place? He’s got his pick of who he wants to go with, because everyone wants him. After all, who wouldn’t want to make time with the most beautiful gentleman on campus? The one exception is, apparently, the person he manages to catch feelings for. Some call it irony; Maurice calls it frustrating.
He’s incredibly unpracticed in trying to actually court someone. Not only is he gorgeous, he’s well-born. For most of his romantic life, his beauty and gentility have sort of done the job for him, so he’s very used to people simply being naturally attracted to him. Once they’re interested, he just keeps them there with things like gossip. (And he knows it all, so friends and the like are always clamoring at him to find out who likes who and what scandals have gone down recently and what’s what with fashion.) To find that he has to pull out something more than that, he feels like he’s in trouble.
That’s not to say he can’t do it, of course. He reeled Joanne in by acting sweet, but… Joanne was a special case in that he was lonely and desperate already. If the person Maurice has feelings for isn’t, then he has to work a bit harder. He can’t just give them a smile and compliment their outfit and think that’s all there is to it. Even though he can accomplish more than that, he’s not exactly used to hard work.
His most reliable tactic is to have his network of friends gather information for him that he can use. “You know (Name), don’t you? Where do they go after classes? Are they in the library often? The gardens? What’s their favorite subject? Well, if you don’t know, go find out for me, please.” It’s a safe bet that someone in his friend group will be familiar with his crush, or more likely multiple friends will know them. So he learns everything he can to find out what kinds of things they’re into, whether it’s reading or sewing or science or, well, anything.
Once he has information, it’s only a matter of chatting with other friends to figure how to best apply that knowledge. If they enjoy reading, for example, he’ll show up in the library acting quite lost, asking them if they’ve read this book before because he has to do a report on it. The excuse for interaction is entirely fabricated, (in this case, he undoubtedly doesn’t have a report to do), but he’s hoping that whatever conversation comes of it will be genuine.
Other than that, he does things he thinks of as ‘thoughtful’. He gives (Name) flowers or candy, invites them on walks, sends them romantic letters… anything you could really think of that someone might do to show their interest in someone, he does. Thanks to his gentility, he’s got access to a rather generous allowance from his parents, so he really is able to spoil the object of his affections. Mainly that kind of thing is to ensure that he has as little competition as possible, because not everyone is capable of doing that.
After he’s exposed, it becomes more difficult for him to make any moves at all, quite honestly. The fact that Edgar broke off their friendship is bad enough, because for as manipulative and mean as Maurice can be, as many friends as he thinks he has, Edgar was the only one he really felt was a true friend. Not having Edgar in his life is devastating, and makes him feel very alone, to the point he’s not interested in making new friends at all. Going along with it, though, is the fact that now everyone knows Maurice has been using makeup to cover his average features. It’s made him a target of mockery so much so that he usually keeps his head down on campus, even once the initial teasing has faded away. His grades have obviously suffered, meaning his father is furious with him. Every aspect of his life is just terrible now. He’s lost all his friends, his good marks in class, and the approval of his father. All he really has now is this little spark that pops up in his chest when he sees (Name).
He’s gotten quite shy and has trouble connecting with other people now. Following all the weeks of cruel comments and snickers aimed his way upon going out without his makeup, he no longer feels like he’s worth any attention. He’s just trying to get through days without being teased again, so he’s quiet and unobtrusive nowadays despite the storm of awful feelings he’s carrying round. That said… his crush may well catch him staring at them. Maybe pretending he’s gazing into space whilst thinking, or maybe with his eyes peeking over the top of a book. It’s like he doesn’t know what to do about his feelings anymore except admire (Name) from afar.
If he manages to get the courage up, he may approach them in the most casual way he can possibly think of. Maybe they’re sitting in the gazebo reading, so he gathers all his nerves up and goes in, asking if it’s alright for him to sit here. His heart is hammering away the whole time as he tries to focus on whatever work he’s trying to do, but he does sneak glances at them. Finally they’ll have to be the one to speak up; “… It’s Maurice, right? Your hair looks nice today.” And it shocks him, because their tone is sincere unlike all the mocking he’s endured about his appearance. He’s scarcely able to stammer out a thank you before they ask about what he’s working on, and then it doesn’t take too long for the conversation to become comfortable, natural… real.
He does his best to take cues from what he did before, except he doesn’t want to give (Name) shallow, meaningless gestures. So when he gives them flowers, he picks their favorite instead of defaulting to whatever’s most popular, and he gives them one or two instead of a bouquet. The walks he invites them on are through places both of them enjoy rather than him just deciding where they’re going to go. And any letters he writes for them don’t steal lines from flirtation cards ― they’re written from his own thoughts and feelings. He tries not to go overboard, mainly because anyone he did big things for before isn’t around now. He’s realized that, much to his disappointment, buying love doesn’t work.
Even though it’s a struggle for him after his exposure, he starts to think it’s… worth all the effort. It’s better this way. He doesn’t have to worry about what (Name) will think of his real face, because he’s not hiding it anymore. He doesn’t have to doubt why they stick around him, because he’s not giving them material rewards for being with him. Oh, and one thing he isn’t going to miss? The self-conscious horror that comes with pulling away from a kiss only to see he’s left a lipstick print behind. He’s much shyer now, but… he’s almost happier trying to win someone’s affection the old-fashioned way.
#Black Butler#Kuroshitsuji#Maurice#Maurice Cole#headcanons#romantic#drama#fluff#I love him SOOOO MUUUUUUUCH#one hell of a queue
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Emma (Atlanta, GA)
My first con was in Baltimore for Otakon 2001. Pre 9/11! I originally wanted to attend a con either out in Colorado or Texas, but I was the only one in my circle of friends in New Mexico who had a part time job, so there was no one I could travel with.
I cosplayed as Milly from Trigun and you can actually find photos of me from old internet archive pages because Trigun was at the high of popularity. I originally made Milly for a Halloween costume, so when I showed it to my online friend in the Trigun mIRC chat a photo of me in cosplay, she insisted I come to Otakon the following year and join her Trigun group.
Unlike a lot of early 90’s/00’s cosplayers, I didn’t have anyone who’d taught me how to sew. So Milly was entirely bought from a trip to the Goodwill. I bought brown pants, a duster, a red tie and yellow suspenders. I remember feeling so proud to find yellow suspenders because in the anime her suspenders are yellow. I was like “wow! I’m so canon compliant. I’m a cosplay pro!”. She has a little green cap and I went to Joanns, bought some fabric and just cut it out and hand stitched it and safety pinned it to the duster. Current me would have been shocked at a lack of surging or a mockup or putting snaps in to make sure the cape stayed on, but it was the wild west back then for when it came to cosplaying.
At Otakon I had my half-assed Goodwill costume, but everyone loved it, I got so many photos and so many hugs. It was a rush of validation I’d never felt, I was this weird 17 year old living in New Mexico where I had very few friends who liked anime, so going to a con with so many people who knew Trigun and loved my costume was incredible. It made me want to keep cosplaying,
The Trigun fandom at the time was pretty big. There wasn’t social media the way there is now, but there was a decent community. I think the anime sensibilities mixed with a very western setting was a huge draw to the western ‘otaku’ culture at the time. Vash also had such an iconic look.
A lot of Otakon 2001 was just people being excited to see other members of the Trigun community and get to connect and talk about the show, it’s one of the things I really enjoyed about cosplay back then. It felt easy to strike up a conversation with someone about the character you or they were dressed as and make a new friend. I’m actually still friends with a Wolfwood cosplayer from back then!
You probably hear this a lot when you talk to older cosplayers, but while I’m happy cosplay has become more popular, it makes me sad there’s less of a focus on learning to sew and learn skills and more of a focus on buying a costume online and posting a photo of it on social media for as many clicks possible. I made Milly from pieces at The Goodwill with so few photos remaining of her and she was probably the most attention I’ve gotten from a cosplay. For young people reading this, don’t be afraid to learn to sew. Don’t be afraid to not have a perfect costume, there’s skills even I’m still learning and I find the building of the costume just as rewarding as wearing it or any attention I get on it.
Over 20 years later I’m still cosplaying. I literally have half of a Genshin impact cosplay in my lap I’m working on as I type this. I’m actually waiting for the next season of Trigun Stampede because I’d love to come full circle and make Milly again with my now 20 years of skills as a cosplayer.
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If you are a cosplayer who started cosplaying between 1990 and 2005 and would like to share your story, contact me at [email protected]. Thank you.
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Thoughts for Today
Good evening! I changed it up today. I normally get up and put down my thoughts but today, I had stuff to do and daylight burning.
I had to fax my timesheet for one job, so out the door I went. I then went to Winco to get assorted ingredients for homemade dog food and assorted items that are on sale and a better price. Then off to JoAnn’s fabrics which is near Winco. I needed a couple of small items but got sidetracked by fabric. I found more ‘chicken’ fabric.
Got home to mixing up the dog food and baking 10 loaf pans of dog food along with baking chicken hearts. While they baked, I cleaned the chicken yard and installed a new bird home for the birdies to build their nests and have babies. I have five homes for the birds to build nests and have babies. Makes me happy.
During the time I worked on cleaning the chicken yard, the neighbor lady wanted to talk to me. She was crying (really was crying) about how her water had been used when the construction guys put my fence in a couple of months ago. They left it running…. and she was very upset. I tried to calm her down, I called the construction dude and asked him to fix the problem. This is the neighbor who has MS and isn’t well.
Well, I made calls and came back to work on the chicken yard and she wanted to talk to me. She cried and cried and was so upset. She has no hope or life, she can’t sleep and is depressed and has horrible anxiety, and her doctor said that it’s hard to get Adderall for her as there is a national shortage. She is a mess and needs help. I stood there and shared that she really needs to trust in God and put her faith in Him. He is our hope and healer. He is our everything. She has nothing to lose, everything to gain.
She can’t use her shower as it’s falling into the floor. She has enough money to survive and no money to fix the numerous house problems. I helped her before but it was never enough. I can only pray for her. She has excuses why she can’t do for herself. She wants someone to run her life.
And people wonder why I can’t ‘people’ some days. I find so many folks like my neighbor. They suck the life out of you. The saying, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink,” comes to mind. I really enjoy my time by myself. I could live a solitary life with no problem. My ‘people’ skills have been worn down and I find I need more and more alone time.
I find more and more people I come into contact with that are not able to do simple life skills. We have a weak people……… fast food equals not taking the time to make real, homemade food. People who do not want to think for themselves and have someone do everything for them. People who couldn’t survive for long in a major catastrophe.
YouTube can give you a wealth of things that make you go, “I can do it.” I’ve found videos on how to make stuff via my sewing machine. I’ve never considered making stuff. I passed Home Ec but the sewing section was not my favorite part of it. I decided to try my hand at it during the plandemic and I find I can do stuff. The other day, I made something that didn’t turn out and thought of giving up. But, I told myself,
“self, shut the heck up and do it over”. I did and succeeded. NEVER give up!
Well, I came home from evening work, dished up all those 10 loaf pans to freeze up and have food for my doggos. Dished up my meatloaves (2) for the freezer, and figured I better type out my thoughts.
Here’s a question for ya… have you ever tried a new craft or something else and just gave up? Did you say, “Oh heck no, I’ll try it once again!” Well, never give up. My neighbor lady has given up in so many areas of her life. If only she would turn around and try once again. And maybe let God take charge……. give it into His hands and pray. Praying heals the heart and soul, helps others, and God is always there for each and every one of us.
And that’s the way it is………..
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Hey guys! Welcome to my first “official” study tour post. :D This week we did a scavenger hunt for well known places around midtown. We met up at the New York public library on 5th Ave. It had beautiful architecture and seems to be the perfect place to study or even, make a blog post haha.
We then made a quick walk around the corner to Bryant Park a beautiful place to grab a coffee and read a good book or draw and pet peoples cute doggies. As we look around we learned from our professor that Fashion Week actually began in Bryant Park. It began in 1993 in part to revitalize the neglected park, and was hosted there until 2010. If you wanted to see what it looks like, Here’s a pic, featuring two of my very stylish classmates.
Our next stop was BOOKS Kinokuniya, a super cute book store with tons of cute lil gadgets. Then a quick walk later, we got to see the “Needle Threading a Button” where we learned the button has five holes to make a “F” for fashion, and apparently not to represent the 5 boroughs.
We walked a few blocks down to Mood Fabrics. I’d been in before but it’ll take me a while to get use to just how many fabrics surround you in there. I love the Joann’s near campus at Kent, but Mood is just amazing, a designers dream!
Next we went to Broadway to stop by someone well known stores like Macy’s who are well known for their events like The Macys thanksgiving day parade which I loved watching growing up. We stopped at H&M which was giant and decided to get a quick picture in one of the dozen mirror pillars.
Our last two stops were M&J Trimming which had one the best interiors I’ve been in a fashion supplier store. And lastly was MUJI a home goods and overall lifestyle store. It smelled amazing as there was so many oil air filters on. I was able to buy a tiny notebook and pen to put design ideas in.
Overall it was a very fun day trip. I got to learn so much about some of the best places to work, study, eat, and shop at in midtown.
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Embroidered Regency Reticule
June 24, 2019
[Image ID: a photo of a blue satin bag with white embroidery, two white tassels, and a white cord drawstring]
A year or so ago, on a trip to JoAnn Fabrics, I stumbled upon some nice fabric in the softest classic-Disney-Cinerella blue. The fabric was 100% polyester, unfortunately, but I had already fallen deeply in love with the color, and it was a decent price, so I caved and bought some. I knew immediately that I was going to make pieces for my Regency wardrobe with it, since it was already shaping up to be a very blue wardrobe.
I knew I wanted to make a reticule with it, for sure. Using my Pinterest boards as a starting point, I looked at common shapes and decorations. I eventually settled on this late 1790s-early 1800s bag from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston as a guide (I can't download a decent image of it, so I'm afraid the link will have to do). I wasn’t looking to replicate it, just use it as inspiration. I decided over the winter that this would be one of my semester sewing projects, to work on during my desk shifts or during other down time.
Materials-wise, I used less that a quarter yard of the polyester fabric for the outside, roughly the same amount of white broadcloth from my stash, some white cotton thread, most of a yard of white spiral cording, and two white tassels (though i picked up six total, and may have lost one somewhere). For tools, I had scissors and needles, of course, and a small embroidery hoop and my awl.
I drafted a simple shape on graph paper to use as a “pattern,” based in part off the example bag, and scaled to make sure I could fit my hand through the opening. Once I had everything cut out (two in the blue and two in white for a lining), I sewed the lining up and used colored chalk to rough out the basic shapes of the embroidery on one of the blue panels.
Now, looking back, this was an ambitious bit of embroidery for someone who has never really embroidered before, but it would have been a boring project if I didn’t learn something! I used a chain stitch for the vines and stems, and everything else is bullion stitches, satin stitches, and some knots of some sort. I really love the texture the knots gave the bit in the middle!
The embroidery took me most of the semester, so it wasn’t until after I returned home (and unpacked) that I finished it. I ironed everything, sewed up the sides of the blue panels, added the cord and tassels into the seam, put in the lining (easier said than done - it took me awhile to figure out and now I’ve forgotten how I did it), and added the drawstring and casing.
Then I took lots of pretty pictures of it because it’s very pretty, and because I was terribly pleased with myself. It even matches with my copy of Sense & Sensibility, which I haven’t finished reading yet.
I’m hoping I have enough of the fabric left to make a spencer, but we’ll have to wait and see. In other Regency news, I’ll have a short post up soon about what I’ve affectionately dubbed my “portrait shawl,” and I’ll soon (hopefully) be re-remaking my chemise. I’d also like to draft (or pick out a pattern for) and mock up my quintessential white regency dress, so I may do a post on the research I’ve done, the patterns I’ve found, and what my plan for it is.
Stay warm, stay safe, stay dry.
[Image ID: the same blue and white bag as above pictured with white leather gloves and a copy of "Persuasion" with a blue patterned cover]
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Who Comes to See Sophie Calle Speak
June, 2017
A young woman in blood Doc Martens with suspiciously thin soles, denim vest
A pair of women in shoes so bad they are almost good; both black leather, one sandal, one boot
A laughing blonde lady who is very, very early and waiting for a friend and walking more slowly than me
A petite round lady with a purple Prada bag and fabulous dark glasses
A mother with a cane and her daughter with a mottled navy sweater and small leather backpack
A lady with curly hair and a blue peasant top
A lady in a white coat, chic, last name Blair, rust pants, rust scarf
Chicer ladies come closer to 4:40
Never mind, here is a very bad purple shiny backpack
The woman in the too-small teapot skirt which looked like it was made from Joanne's Fabrics fabric
Two men alone, separate, maybe three
The ones who come are fairly stylish or at least "artistic"
Foreign ladies, two, looking foreign and good
A quiet, stable hetero couple (seemingly)
O voilà the trendy girls have arrived. They seem to know someone who works here. They are probably art world-adjacent-adjacent (it is, after all, San Francisco)
I'm bored of this now, but a trio in EXCELLENT colors have arrived! Aqua and plastic cobalt and orange corduroy and behind them a photographer
O the CHICest people come at 4:49, including the français, her ostensible entourage, o god the chic and the wine purple lips with the slate baby blue coooooattttttttt
No ones hair is very brushed
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Chizuru: Kids, I may be the leader of one of the strongest team in the tournament… but honestly i’m just a mild-mannered, polite, calm girl
Iori and Kyo: What about-
Chizuru: The outburst i had at JoAnn Fabrics is not reflective of who I am
#submission#incorrect quotes#chizuru kagura#kyo kusanagi#iori yagami#source: tumblr#mod kyo#fikenfkvwnaekjldvnglejri#as someone who used to work at JoAnn Fabrics#this hit in a special place in some part in my body#definitely not my heart though#queue
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