New Cosplay - Rey!

So my next cosplay is probably a pretty predictable one... but when a badass character like Rey comes along sometimes a girl just can't say no!

What can I say? I was totally enthralled and impressed by seeing such a sassy and wonderful female at the centre of the newest addition to the Star Wars franchise. (And to the people who will be coughing the words 'Mary Sue' sarcastically please come and discuss this with me when my staff is complete! :))

So I will intend to finish this cosplay in time to wear for MCM May this year which shouldn't be too tricky once I start on the actual clothes... but for now here's a quick review of the parts I have so far started work on!

Quick, Cute and Easy Presents!

I realise now that this post is way too late to be relevant for Christmas anymore... But it's never too early to start stocking up ideas for next Christmas right?! (And let's not forget all the pesky birthdays in between!) 

This year I suddenly realised that I was a poor student who suddenly had twice as many people to find gifts for, so here's a quick list of some cheap but still super cute gifts I managed to rustle up! 

Cosplay Update - Capable, Mad Max.

Whoopsie October got away from me and I forgot to post the finished article, but I did manage to finish my Capable cosplay in time for the convention so here's a little round-up of what happened!

1) I made a set of goggles from a PVC kind of material, the frames of some old sunglasses and the lid of a takeaway tub. For what they were and for the sake of keeping my costs down, I was pretty pleased with them!

Writers Block

Sometimes writing is a natural power for me, it's a tool I have at my disposal to give myself superpowers, to fix a situation that I feel powerless in, or sometimes just to express my annoyance.

Sometimes it gets stuck and awkward, and I fear that I'll never be able to write again, that I've wasted my time (and now money) pursuing something I can't do.

I can write ten stories in a night to try and swing myself back into the mood but I won't like any of them, no matter how good they are, until my mood improves and my head isn't stuck in an 'I'm not good enough' rut.

Sometimes I just can't conjure the characters and it all feels too much to cope with until my head clears.

Kelvin Moon Loh - Thank You.

      Recently there has been a Facebook post written by an actor named Kelvin Moon Loh circulating through general media. To sum up for those who haven't heard he has defended the mother of an autistic boy who interrupted a Broadway show of 'The King and I' and his words are such a relief and blessing for myself and (I'm sure) many other families dealing with an autistic member.

      I do highly recommend reading his original post, so HERE is a link to an article that features it.

      Reading this article I just felt a desperate need to express how profoundly thankful I felt for such compassion in a form that was solid and permanent, there's just this feeling of gravity that follows putting your gratitude onto paper. (Well, virtual paper.) So here goes an open letter.

The Dead Hour

Nobody thought that an hour would make any difference. Nothing ever really happens between the hours of 7 and 8am, people wake up, have breakfast, get ready for the day and not much else.

It's a dead hour. One resigned specifically to work/school/appointment preparation, a grey slot of time where nothing significant ever really happens. And besides, these were students living in this hour, the only major event occurring in their lives between the hours of 7 and 8am were hangovers.

The night security team would leave at 6:50am, allowing enough time to lock up the office and do a final sweep of the outside facilities. The reception staff would once again bring life to the office at 8:02, allowing enough time to get their morning coffee exactly right.

Nobody could have anticipated the carnage that greeted them that morning, following the - rather aptly named - dead hour.

******

About Leaving...

So my official move in date for my uni halls block is the 19th of September which is scary and exciting and all of the other teen 'coming of age' movie clichés that you can think of!

I've (mostly) cleared my room, packed a lot of my stuff into various bags and boxes and prepared my nicest sets of notebooks for the start of this whole university experience. 

I left my job at the end of August so that I now have three glorious weeks to spend time with my friends and family before this new life takes over, and suddenly simple things like watching a show with my mum are becoming laced with this awful sense of finality. I'm terrified of what I'll do when I end up living in a new house without the family I've grown up with, and I'm devastated to be moving away from the boyfriend who recently moved 200 miles to be closer to me.