March 28th, 2016

My Cosplay Process

This is kind of a follow-up to my Beginner Cosplay Tips entry from last year. Sometimes people tell me that they’d like to try making a costume but aren’t sure where to begin. Though each cosplay differs, I generally follow the same process for each one. Here’s how I go about my costumes!


Character research

I always start by researching the character’s outfit and by gathering as many references as I can, which are often screenshots and official art. In addition to just searching the internet, I’ll re-play games or re-watch shows/movies. When I can’t get good references, I have to make my best guess at certain parts I’m missing.

Sometimes I’ll also draw the outfit on paper with notes, just to make sure I have the right idea and don’t miss any important details.

cosplay_process_01

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March 2nd, 2016

Reducing the clutter

Well, I finally did it. I asked for the hosting account for hachi-roku.net to be cancelled. A few years ago, I made the decision to stop using the domain, yet I had several sites hosted on it. Over time, I moved everything off, but… I couldn’t get myself to cancel the hosting and left it sitting there. It’s like moving out of a house and running around thinking, “did I leave anything behind? Did I forget anything??”

I got my bill for March, and there was a feeling of relief to see it cut in half. Now I only pay for one hosting account instead of two. Even though the account wasn’t something physical, it still felt nice to declutter a little in the digital world. Now I need to take another look at my websites and see if any should be shut down.

I’ve also been trying to declutter at home. Last year, I added a new rule in the house: stop buying new hangers when we run out. This doesn’t mean stop buying new clothes. It means that anything new requires something old to be donated or thrown away. If there are no hangers left, then something must go. That led to this pile of clothing!

declutter_01

It has grown since then too. I keep seeing things in my closet that I haven’t worn in a while and then I promptly toss it in the pile. Next on my to-do list is scheduling a pick-up with a donation place since I am also donating old kitchen supplies.

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January 27th, 2016

A few movie recommends

I love a good movie, though ones that are typically popular are the big blockbusters with high budgets, great CG, and completely unrealistic stories that let us escape from our daily lives. I do enjoy them and they’re fun to get lost in, but sometimes I crave something that is a little more… real? It’s not that I’m looking for a totally realistic movie, but you have to admit that sometimes the way people react or the way scenarios come together in movies are pretty far fetched.

For example, recently I watched both The Martian and Interstellar, two space, sci-fi movies. I loved The Martian as it focused on the science and what could potentially happen if someone was stranded on Mars. Yes, it wasn’t totally accurate, but it also wasn’t too crazy. Interstellar, on the hand, went into total drama and crazy land at the end. It fell so far into the deep end that I couldn’t enjoy it.

So if you’re like me, who wants something different from the typical blockbuster movies, I have a few recommends.


If you like super hero movies… try Chronicle

movie_chronicle

Sure, there’s nothing realistic about super powers, but what has always bugged me is how people in movies react to them. Would an average person immediately don a costume and become a vigilante? Is that what people would really do?

Chronicle (trailer) was a refreshing change and focuses around three high school students who gain telekinetic powers after discovering an unknown object. And well, they act as teenagers do and first use their powers to prank people. Though they keep it a secret, they continue to use their powers and slowly become stronger. Over time, the power is abused and things go horribly wrong.

It’s also interesting that Chronicle is filmed in a way that makes it look like found footage. Most of the movie is from the view point of a camcorder that one of the characters uses to document everything. This can be annoying in some films, but it ends up working well since they can use their telekinesis to hold the camera and keep it steady.


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