Hello again my Geeks and welcome to another edition of “Can the Geek make a cosplay with no online tutorials and a low budget??”

My next convention is coming up fast, and I wanted to do a different character, but I have a large group of friends that cosplay characters from the Naruto series, so I wanted to try to stick to the theme, so I asked everyone in my group what characters we always seem to be missing and the general consensus was:

I REALLY like to make props…so Tenten with her giant scroll it is!  I opted to do the Naruto Shippuden version as she’s a bit more mature and I hate wearing pink.

So first thing I did was make a plan and set a budget.  The hardest part of any cosplay (for me anyways) is setting a budget and STICKING to it…I tend to buy buy buy until my craft room is full but my cosplay is only half finished, which leaves me with a half done cosplay and starving moths in my wallet.

So here we have the list of items that I won’t need to purchase/make because I already have them.  But for the sake of my readers, I will list where I found them originally so that you can find them yourselves!:

Weapons: Fake kunai and shuriken mostly, but since Tenten is a weapons expert, feel free to go a little crazy as long as they are suitable for a shinobi world…I purchased most of mine from either Aliexpress or Wish.  I prefer Wish because they have better customer service and a three week shipping time, where with Aliexpress, if it gets lost or doesn’t arrive in time, you don’t have a lot of options to recover your money.

Gloves and Headguard: I already have these from my Kakashi cosplay as I mentioned earlier, so no budget needed!  I found my military gloves on Wish for less than $10 for a super awesome sturdy pair (way better than those cheap plastic ones that come with the cosplays), and my headguard I found on Wish as well for under $10.

Wig: Shockingly, this is the first cosplay I’ve ever done with brown hair…I budgeted $60 because I wanted something more high quality that I could style and create buns!  I bought my new wig from Freedom Wigs (saw an ad online). Sadly, the wig was not great, I ordered the thickest available, but there were bald spots all over. With no return policy I was out $60 and back to shopping… 😦

I ended up purchasing from https://ardawigscanada.ca/ I chose the Derek style in Spanish Brown and picked up a pair of matching braid buns in the same shade https://ardawigscanada.ca/products/braid-bun – obviously with my first wig being unuseable, I was already having to go over budget, but I spent another $60 or so on these items and was super happy when they arrived!  

Once I had everything I needed, I had to start with one element at a time, so I chose the pants. 

Pants: For these, I hit up Value Village and found a pair of burgundy nurses scrubs in my size that, with a couple of small alterations, would be perfect. 

I used elastic to lift and crinkle the ankles with some basic loop stitches, and hand cut semi-triangles of white fabric (I used a black sharpie for the lines) and sewed it by hand over the pockets.  The White details are just for show, the pockets are still 100% useable!!   

Tunic: As I mentioned earlier, I spent $20 on a new long sleeved t-shirt that I could alter.  Generally with cosplay I hate purchasing new clothing items because I’m usually hacking them into pieces or altering them so much that they no longer look like the original purchase.  But, I am running low on time, so I spent the money and made due.

I took the above pants to Fabricland to match the colors and fabric types as closely as possible and found a near perfect match (spent $15 on one meter).  

I cut three different strips out of the fabric:
1) A pair of cuffs, I measured three inches high and cut it long enough that it could wrap around the wrist of the t-shirt sleeve without bunching it.
2) A two inch wide strip long enough to wrap around the bottom hem of the t-shirt with some overlap just in case
3) Another two inch strip long enough to reach from the center of the collar, all the way to the hem of the t-shirt

I also picked up some solid white bias tape and attached it to the t-shirt collar to create a more stiff looking mandarin style collar.

For sewing, I usually use Speed Sew, saving myself hours of frustration. I’ts a fabric glue that has amazing hold and dries quickly, so it’s also a great idea to keep it in your cosplay emergency bag!

I did the wrist cuffs first.  I carefully glued the cuffs on, making sure to match up the edges if it overlapped and trying to line up the edges with the seam on the actual shirt.

Secondly I did the strip from the collar to the hem, making sure to angle it just slightly, because it doesn’t point straight down

Thirdly I glued on the bottom hem strip, again being careful to line up the seams as well as lining up the overlap.

Fourthly I cut three inch strips of golden colored rope and hand sewed it onto the chest area to create the appearance of the closures that you see on her top. 

Scroll: This is my favorite part of planning (I LOVE making props)…I decided to go with PVC plumbing Pipe for the scroll base for light weight.  Then I knew I would need fabric, piping, paint and other random sundries, so off to the hardware store I go!

I used linen coloured cotton and hand painted kanji symbols on it with black acrylic paint, I left it out for three days just to make sure it didn’t smudge!  

Then I used Speed Sew glue to attach the linen to a dark green fabric that I had cut to fit my scroll base. This stuff is a non-sewers dream!!!  Just make sure t to follow the application instructions.  Then let dry.  it dries very fast, but until it dries it can be moved a bit, but take care when you are placing your fabric, the white glue can show up on darker fabrics!

Next I used a multi-tool (yes, that’s the name of the tool) to cut parallel rectangular holes in either side of the PVC pipe for the straps to go in.  Then I sanded, primed and painted the entire thing, including the end caps.

Once the paint was fully dry, I attached the fabric to the tube (I chose to wrap and Speed Sew the fabric tightly around the base, but sewing by hand would work as well) and then slipped the canvas straps through to create shoulder straps. I wanted to be able to carry my scroll hands free while walking about. then I replaced the end caps (which are still 100% removeable btw so you can store con-goodies inside)

I struggled to find a pair of shoes that matched hers, so I opted to wear a pair that I found in my closet. I regret nothing…except walking around a convention for twelve hours in heels…I regret that.
Here was my final product!  I hope you love it, and that my tutorial helps anyone hoping to do a Tenten cosplay!

Original Budget: $125

Total Spent (including two wigs) $235 (or $175 if you don’t count the bad wig)

• Shirt $20 – Pants $10 – Various fabrics $70 – Paints and supplies $15 – Wigs $120

Total hours to create: Less than eight hours of total crafting!

COSPLAY TUTORIAL – KAKASHI’S LIGHTNING BLADE (WEARABLE)

When I first started this blog, I really wanted to concentrate on cosplay as I have learned it.  It’s been a little trickier than I first thought it would be!

The biggest issue of course, is that I live so far away from every super awesome nerd-con in my country, that I really spend most of my time making changes and upgrades to the cosplays I’ve already created (See my previous Blog posts) so that I have more time to dedicate to travelling to and from the shows!

But, I am getting close to having perfected my first ever real cosplay, Kakashi Hatake.  I’ve been cosplaying as this character for some time now, but I really think this is the final upgrade!

I am making a wearable (and removable) Lightning Blade prop.

Previously, I tried making the blade out of acetate sheets, and while the shape was there, the plastic itself was quite brittle and had broken into little pieces before the end of the first show

So with that prop dead and gone, it was time to plan out something a bit more flexible, so I tried out a few different mediums, finally settling on hot glue.

Yep, just plain old hot glue, if you can find it in blue, even better, but I am sticking with regular clear high heat hot glue.

*Disclaimer* Hot glue can get up to 400 degrees, so please use caution, and wait until the glue has completely cooled before touching it. And if you are a younger cosplayer, don’t be shy and ask for help! Burns aren’t worth it!

This is what you will need:

 I found the silicone mat at a local dollar store, and it’s great for hot glue!  The cooled shapes peel off very easily, and zero damage to your table!

I use extra long glue sticks as well, I hate having to change my glue sticks every five seconds!  But that’s my personal preference.

Now all that is left is to braid my LED string into the blade and attach a battery pack to make it really glow!

Hope this helps someone out there that is struggling with ideas!

Ciao for now

KAKASHI – THE EVOLUTION OF A COSPLAY

I’ve been cosplaying as Kakashi for over three years.  Everytime I slip into my cosplay, I’ve changed, altered or completely revamped a part of it. 

My original cosplay was purchased online.  I got everything I needed on Aliexpress for under $150.  I ordered a “Complete Costume” that included the pants, top, vest, face mask, shoes, forehead guard and gloves.  It also came with white leg wraps, which I replaced right away.  I purchased my wig separately on the same website and just trimmed it a bit (no real styling yet, I hadn’t learned how!)

For the first time wearing the costume, the only thing I replaced outright was the leg wraps.  I hated the idea of having to tape them every time, and the slippery fabric that was provided wouldn’t stay in place.  So I visited a drug store and picked up some medical Tensor tape that sticks to itself.  It’s about $15-$20 per roll, but I’ve been able to re-use the same rolls about ten times so far without losing the self-sticking, so I think it’s well worth it!

For our costumes, we also created LED lit props, including a round glowing chidori for me, and chakra infused blades for him.  We got a lot of great feedback, but I knew I could do better! 

Alas, time was not on my side, since my next time wearing the costume was less than a month later.  The only thing I had time to change was my wig…which I failed at horribly.  I attempted to style the same wig, but it fell flat…literally!  This is where I learned that the right hair styling products go a long way!  Cheap hairspray and zero no-how equals this flat mess.  But overall, it was good enough to place first in the costume category (not Masquerade or REAL cosplay rules, just a fun costume competition at a local library)

For the third time I wore this costume, I changed out quite a few things. 
*Pants -I sourced comfortable jogging pants from the local thrift store and sewed pockets into them.  I did this for two reasons: 1) POCKETS! and 2) Kakashi’s character is generally very relaxed, so I wanted to be able to lounge with my hands in my pockets to be in character. 
*Shirt – For the shirt, I found a much more light weight long sleeve blue top and transferred the Konoha swirl via sewing to the new shirt.  The original costume shirt was a very thick non-breathable material and I had to peel it off of myself at the end of the shows. 
*Gloves – I also upgraded my gloves and purchased military grade gloves and scrapped the plastic coated ones that came with my costume.
*Makeup – And I did some actual makeup.  Yes, scorn me if you will, but to this point, I had not bothered to do any sort of cosplay makeup except for the classic scar. 
*Hair – The biggest change this time however, was the use of my own hair to style.  That’s right, I went all in and bleached my hair to a silver white!  While I didn’t have enough hair to fully pull of his gravity defying spikes (I wear my hair in a semi-mohawk), I think it looked pretty good!

At this point, the only bit of the original costume I still have and use is the Vest, headband and mask.  As far as the vest goes, I love it and haven’t been able to find a better one or create a better version myself.  It has USEABLE POCKETS!!!  For cosplay, this can’t be understated, Kakashi carrying around a purse just isn’t in character.  The pockets on the front of my vest can be used to hold keys, money, ID or a smaller smart phone (held my iPhone 5s perfectly, but my Huawei P20 is too big)

I also created a couple of additional props.  My Chidori has been handed down to my son to use instead, since in 2018 he started cosplaying as Naruto, so he will be using it as his Rasengan.  So I needed a new prop for myself.  So first of all, I created a small mini book based off of Makeout Paradise.  I used a book from a McDonald’s kids meal and Mod Podged a printed image from Google onto it.  Effective, and also, quality reading material LOL! 

My second prop was a 100% handmade acrylic plastic Lightning Blade that you can see in the last image.  Say WHAAAAT?!  Yeppers, I bought blue Acrylic Acetate sheets from DeSerres and cut them into jagged shapes.  Then I used a lighter to gently melt the plastic and twitch and sharpen the edges.  (I really wish I had documented that!), then I used a flesh colored opera glove, cut off the hand part, leaving only the part that covers the forearm, and sewed the acetate into the glove using think fishing wire.  The result?  A Lightning Blade that was a pain in the butt to carry around (the acetate was very brittle), but some awesome action shots.  I used more LED strips in blue and wrapped them around my arm as well, so that the Blade had it’s own ambient glow (even though all of our shots were taken in daylight hours so you can’t tell)

Sadly, the Lightning Blade started falling apart before the event was over, so it was back to the drawing board…

In the meantime, earlier this month, my son and I were invited to a model call by a local photographer that wanted to try her hand at cosplay photography.  We were both very excited, and put a lot of effort into getting the hair and makeup just right. 

I reverted back to my old wig, but now, with the right products and some practice, I was able to get some real shape out of it. 

I really hope that you all enjoyed this blog, and seeing how my cosplay has evolved from classic store bought to something that I am truly proud to wear around town! 

Author Final Notes – As of today, I am re-working my Lightning Blade and am attempting to use hot glue!  I will be attempting to document every single step so I can post a proper photo filled tutorial!  Wish me luck!

FANFIC TIME! THE DARK WATER (MORTAL INSTRUMENTS)

The Dark Water (A Mortal Instruments World FanFic)
Part One:
The field was soaked in blood and black demon ichor, the otherwise beautiful day reeking of death and fear.  
A girl moves through the demons, slicing and killing relentlessly.  Her auburn hair matted with sticky ichor, and her amber eyes flashing.  Her angel blades are a whirl of adamas as she moves through the throng.  Her runes throbbing as they ebb and waver.  She pauses for a moment to redraw a few on her skin, an iratze, speed, endurance and agility flow out of her stele and onto her tanned skin.
A large demon, mandibles clicking hungrily, moves to intercept her, and she barely pauses as she slashes one of it’s claws off with one swing, and impales the insect-like eyes with a second.  Using her foot, she shoves the dying creature backwards and off of her blade, swinging it deftly behind her to stab another smaller demon approaching her from behind. 
Her former teacher, a blue skinned warlock, stands back to back with her for a brief moment, casting devastating spells at the horde of creatures, pushing them back and away from the battling students.  The girl catches a quick nod of acknowledgement before her eyes catch something else on the battlefield.
 She sees a prone boy laying in front of a grinning creature, it’s claws red with his blood.  Bellowing, she dashes towards him, barely noticing as a demon catches her shoulder with a dark claw, cutting the demon away only to continue moving forward.
A dozen demons stand in her way.  She cuts through them like she was a demon herself, swinging and killing without thought or remorse.  Black ichor covers her from head to toe, her skin burning when the poison touches her skin.
After what feels like hours, she reaches the side of the boy and rolls him over.  His amber eyes stare towards the sky unblinking.  He is dead.  His features match hers nearly flawlessly, the draw of his jawline more masculine, her twin brother.  No iratze can bring him back.
She throws her head back and shrieks in grief, her scream rending the air with powerful magic mixed with unimaginable sorrow, tainted with rage.
Her ongoing cry catches the attention of another warlock, who finishing casting, watching in glee as his human victim melts inside of a glowing blue orb of energy.
He turns to her and readies himself to cast again and envelope the girl in devastating magic.  Other demons are drawn to the screaming girl as well, the magic palatable in the air.
The girl turns slowly, her arms frantically wrapped around her brother, and the warlock is stunned into silence, the spell dying on his lips as he sees her. 
Her eyes have gone entirely white, and her lips are drawn back over her teeth as the scream continues, seemingly without end.  The magic surrounding her ripples slightly and her body begins to glow, pulsating outwards, the beat of the pulses increasing until the glow is nearly constant.The warlock gathers his wits and begins casting again, realizing the danger coming from the girl.  His hands spark as he motions, casting a shield in front of himself.
Lightning and bright white light burst from the girl, spreading quickly across the battle field.  Demons rushing towards her now try run frantically in the other direction as they are overcome with the light, shrieking as their mutilated souls are torn from their bodies and destroyed.  The fighting humans stand, exhausted and stunned as the light burns away the demons, leaving them with nothing to swing at.
The warlock falls to the ground, his magical shield cracks audibly, and as he stares into the blinding light, he begins to cast one final spell.
As the shield bursts into dark fragments that dissipate into the light, his spell is cast, colliding with the light, and with a burst of light and shadow, the girl, her brother, the warlock, and everything within a twenty-metre radius disappear, leaving a dark crater.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catarina Loss stared at the crater, her head spinning with adrenaline and confusion.  Chloe and Byron Lovesong had just disappeared into thin air.  The hair on the back of her neck still tingled with the powerful, unexplained magic lingering in the air.
Glancing around, she could see the academy students, and the recently ascended Shadowhunters.  Most were injured, if not all.  Glancing again at the empty space, she turned her healing magic to those that needed it.
She quickly scrawled a fire message and let it burn into the air, notifying the clave of the attack, and sent another, second message to her friends at the Los Angeles institute.  The other academy teachers were already doing their best to stem the injuries, iratzes were being drawn on as many as they could.
As she knelt beside a first year student and began healing his body of the demon poison coursing through him, her mind flittered back and forth.
Where did Chloe and Byron go?  Did the dark warlock go with them? 
And, she thought feverishly, how in the hell did Chloe, a blooded mundane, use magic?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Author’s Note*
I wrote this super short fanfic based off of a crazy dream I had while reading the Mortal Instruments series.  I always intended to finish it, but my original harddrive that this was stored on died, so I lost it and honestly forgot about until recently, when my friend was able to recover about 40% of the data on that old hunk of junk.  Now that I have the original battle scene back, my imagination is running wild, but I’m in the midst of writing another novel, so it will have to wait.

In the meantime, I will be trying to post more often, I have a couple more fanfics that I’ve written that I will be tossing up here for you all to read 🙂

I hope you enjoyed, if you did (or didn’t) please leave me a comment below!  Be gentle!  I am always looking for constructive criticism of my work.

*The Mortal Instruments World belongs solely to it’s original author and creator Cassandra Claire, this is a fan-written fiction, and is not intended to replicate the original books in any way*

MHA FANFIC – LITTLE FLY

Little Fly (My Hero Academia / Boku No Hero Fanfic)
The purse snatcher bolted through the crowd, his prize in hand, shoving pedestrians down and out of his way in his rush to get away.  If he could outrun the shadow, he could outrun the hero.Dashing into an alleyway, the small time villain bent, hand on knees and sucked in a trembling breath and breathed out a sigh of relief.  The alleyway was narrow, too narrow for the hero that chased him.   From the size of the shadow, the Hero was inhumanly large.  He crouched behind a filthy restaurant dumpster and began rummaging through the purse, tossing lipstick and other worthless items away as quickly as he could.
He had just begun to open the wallet, a pleased smile touching his lips, when a dark shadow enveloped him.  He barely had time to cry out before he was clouted over the head, handcuffed and dragged back into the street by a hand sheathed in red talons.
The Hero nodded at the police officers that met her at the alleyway entrance, passing the shackled villain over without a word.  He finally saw the light on the face of his captor and couldn’t repress a shudder as she turned towards him.
Her eyes were a depth-less black with no whites at all, matched by her huge black bat-like demon wings.  A vivid scar crossed her left cheek from the corner of her lip to the edge of her eyebrow, the curling black horns protruding from his brow looked dangerously sharp.  The villain stepped back and fell on his backside, scrambling to make some distance between them.
He was brought up short by the officers who hauled him to his feet and unceremoniously shoved him towards the squad car.  He tried to stare at the ground, his body trembling with fear, but his eyes kept drawing upwards to her devastating face.
“Thank you.” One of the officers addressed her, seemingly unaffected by the demonic visage before him, “This one’s been giving us trouble for the last month.  The demon just nodded, her ebony membranous black wings stretching behind her. “I heard you were heading to UA Japan? Sorry to hear you leaving us.”
“Thank you both,” she smiled over at the partner, a pretty lady with grass for hair, who smiled back generously, “I’ve wanted to work in Tokyo for a while, but they require you to be licensed to be a Hero there, and don’t allow underage Heroism.  So, I have to go back to school.”  She paused for a moment, hesitating before saying.  “Thank you for taking him, I have a flight to catch though.”  And without another word, her wings snapped open as she crouched and pushed off, shooting into the sky.
The Captain watched her go until she was a speck in the distance and turned to his partner, “How did a kid that young become a hero anyways?” His partner shrugged sadly as they pushed the purse snatcher into the back seat, her green hair curling around her ears. 
The villain glared at him aghast looked at him, “Are you crazy?  That woman was huge!”  The officers sighed, “She was a demon!” The man bellowed, “From the pits of Hell!”  He raved on as they shoved him into the car, spitting out words like “Bat!” “Demon” “Monster”
“They really do see what they expect don’t they?”  The Captain smirked, but glanced up to the sky sadly to the speck that was the Hero, “What an amazingly frightening quirk.”  Then he felt the light touch of her quirk touch him and fell silent.
Dragonfly flew over the city, her oversized stained glass wings fluttering behind her as she did a couple of relaxing twists into the air currents.  Having a quirk that could frighten a villain to death was no small thing.  She hated the nightmares she knew she could cause.
Her quirk allowed her to create illusions based on the thoughts of the people she could tap into.  Anyone not targeted saw her as she was, a young girl, only fifteen years of age, with brilliant blue hair that was always done in a tight braid for flying, silvery skin, and glassy colourful wings. 
She smiled as she thought of the Captain Adrian and his partner, they always treated her with respect, even caring.  Especially Clara, she was new to this area, but she and Dragonfly had become close, spending quiet afternoons reading at the local book store café and chatting.  Dragonfly liked their thoughts, gentle, kind, coffee.    
Well, she thought to herself as she executed another air current twist, giving them nightmares was better than reliving her own.  Since her father’s death, she carried more strength in her wrath than a thousand armies could ever battle.  She was betrayed, deceived and hurt.  But most of all, she wanted to ensure that it would never happen to anyone else. 
After a couple quick stops, she finished her errands and took off to the skies again, making note of the fast moving time and urging her wings to move her faster through the air.
She tucked her wings slightly and bent her knees to land on the marked pad atop the tallest building in Vancouver.  Her mentor and adopted father, Albion, was waiting patiently there for her, as usual, a brown briefcase dangling from his sweaty meaty fingers.  As she rose from her crouch, he approached her quickly, handing her a flight pass and passport as he blustered, “There isn’t much time, you won’t get any special treatment at the airport you know.”  He bustled as he gently shoved her along into the building.  “The car is waiting at the walk outside the lobby, your belongings are already packed.”  He paused as they approached the elevator.
“Child.”  He said, his raspy voice slightly mournful, “I wish you wouldn’t go. I have so much left to teach you.”
She took a step back towards him and wrapped him in a quick hug, “Al, you know why I need to go.”  She lowered her head onto his shoulder and spoke softly, “Canada doesn’t need a Hero like me.  They need Monsieur Syrop, YogaMan, and Moose Winchester.  You know, the friendly ones that don’t make people try to claw through their skulls to take away nightmares.”   She breathed in his mint and cedar scent and tried to lighten the mood, “Plaid Apology is going to miss me.”  They both laughed, “Tell her I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
Moving back, Dragonfly wiped a tear from her cheek and stepped into the elevator.  Al followed her silently, but a smile played on his chubby cheeks as the door closed.   The rode down in silence, both watching the lights travel down the electronic board.  Finally, the Lobby lit up and the elevator came to a smooth stop and the doors opened.  They walked side by side through the lobby, Dragonfly quietly moving her way through the glass revolving door and greeting the driver, waiting patiently for them beside a full sized limousine.
“I thought we were going to try to be inconspicuous Al?”  She said without turning to him, frowning at the extravagant car in front of her.
“My protégé is heading to a new country for training.”  He said, his voice odd, “Guess it’s my last chance to spoil you before you come back a full grown woman and Hero.”
“You really are too much Al.” Dragonfly whispered as she gave him one last squeeze and crouched, dropping her wings to climb into the stretch.  “I’ll call you when I’m able, to see how the search is going for dad’s killer.”  She finished as she sat sideways on the rear seat, allowing her wings to rest without being crushed.  Al nodded as he closed the door and leaned over to give a final wave through the window.
As the limo pulled into traffic, Al’s face darkened and his friendly smile vanished.  “Too bad really.” He muttered to himself, “She really would have been a great villain.”  He turned back towards the building, one hand on the revolving door when he heard the explosion a few blocks away, the echoes of screams and the faint rattle of debris scattering in the street.  Sighing, he pushed the door and moved inside.
“Sorry child,” He muttered, “Couldn’t have you finding out I killed your dad.”  He flipped open his phone and dialed, making an effort to appear panicked, “Plaid, there’s been an explosion downtown a couple blocks away from the penthouse! Dragonfly was heading to the airport and I can’t get ahold of her on her phone!” 

Moments Earlier:Dragonfly shifted beside Al, her partial illusion already in place as she watched herself get into the illusionary limo.  She watched his face, and his face alone as the limo drove away, and was devastated by the darkness she saw there.  
The darkness she had suspected for some time.
She followed him, timing the sound of the explosion to when she saw his thumb press on the subtle button on the handle of the briefcase.  She was not new to illusions, realism was what convinced the person under her control that it was real.  She created the sounds that would follow an explosion in the middle of a busy downtown landscape.  Screams of the injured, the frightened, the brave, the pattering of debris, even the breeze that blew towards Al’s nose had a tinge of burning scent as a dark plume of smoke rose above the downtown streets.  
Careful to not overdo it.
And still she watched, and listened with her heart breaking as he spoke, his words condemning him.  Her eyes narrowed as she heard his voice change when his phone call went through, a dark chill ran down her back, making her diaphanous wings shudder, she had heard that voice before, on the night her father was murdered and her mother disappeared.
She made to take a step towards him but felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. She turned to see the Captain and his partner watching her knowingly, Clara’s soft hand on her shoulder was firm but gentle.  They were as hidden in her illusion as she, having heard her plea through an illusion that she had sent them earlier.  They were watching and listening to the villain as his voice went slightly higher as he spoke to the other end of the line.
“What are you talking about?  Of course there was an explosion! I heard it, and I could smell the burnt rubber from here.”  His eyes widened as he glanced around, his ear pushing into the phone as he quickened his pace towards the elevator.  “Maybe you aren’t close enough to see the smoke?” He ventured as he slid into the elevator and repeatedly pressed the door close button, but the doors stayed stubbornly open.  “It can’t be…I was controlled, flawless.” His phone sat forgotten in his hands as he muttered to himself.
Dragonfly ripped the illusion away and stared at the man she had trusted with her life and her training for over five years.   The steel cage was already locked, the illusion of the elevator fading, a small machine sending electrical currents through the bars, ensuring that his quirk would not be useful.  He dropped the phone and stared into her jade green eyes as she shook her head and turned away.
“You can’t hide your thoughts when you sleep Al.”  She reminded him softly, even though her voice was hard, “And I haven’t slept for years.” His face paled as he slouched inside of the cage and listened to the officers reading his rights.  Clara, the grass haired officer, picked up the phone, powered it off and slipped it into an evidence bag and stood back to listen to Captain Adrian finish up. 
They loaded the cage, Albion and all, into a large police transport truck, created to supress quirks, and Adrian and Clara gave Dragonfly a gentle hug together, sandwiching her in between as she let out tiny little sobs of grief and relief.  “Little Fly,” Clara sighed, “I’m so sorry.” 
Dragonfly smiled softly, her, “My mom used to call me that.” 
“Don’t you worry,” Adrian blurted, “We won’t stop looking for your mom.”  He gave her a gentle kiss on the brown and stepped back, “The city really will miss you, but not as much as us I think.”Clara squeezed tight, her grass hair tickling Dragonfly’s ear, “I’ve always wanted to go to Japan, maybe I’ll come visit.”  She stepped back and took Adrian’s hand, glancing up at him with adoration in her eyes. “Maybe we both will.”
Dragonfly smiled through her quiet tears, “I’d like that, I hear they have cafes that are filled with cats!”
They chuckled quietly together, knowing that Dragonfly’s life was going to become easier, but harder, she was about to embark on the most dangerous adventure of her life. 
Hero High School.
But, she would do it with her head held high, because she knew Albion would never again be the cause of someone’s pain.
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Author’s Note:I wanted to create a hero outside of the regulars that we all know and love.  With a quirk that frightens her as much as it frightens others, as well as already having worked as a professional hero, she would be an interesting character to add to the mix.
I hope you enjoyed, if you did (or didn’t) please leave me a comment below!  Be gentle!  I am always looking for constructive criticism of my work.

*The MHA World belongs solely to it’s original author, artists and creators, this is a fan-written fiction, and is not intended to replicate the original manga or anime in any way*

COSPLAYING ON A DIME?

I just recently got home from a local comic convention, and while I was there, I cosplayed as two separate characters: Kakashi Hatake and Inuyasha over the course of the three day event.

While cosplaying, I was approached by the same pair of ladies doing interviews for their pod cast.  I was mildly amused and flattered because they had no idea I was the same cosplayer that they had interviewed the day before until I told them and showed them a pic of me from the day before.

One of the questions that they asked me the second day was “What would your recommendations be to cosplayers that don’t have enough money to buy expensive materials?”  My answer at the time was short and simple…”Styrofoam and Craft Foam are your best friends.”

In retrospect, if I had had time to think about the question more, I think my answer would have been much more in depth and hopefully more helpful to those that need to cosplay on a dime.

1: Styrofoam – I use it to create cosplay weapons that are lightweight and can hold their shape.  I have used it to create three giant cosplay swords so far including a Tessaiga for my Inuyasha cosplay, and Kirito’s Great Black Sword, and will be using it for more in the future.  Styrofoam can also be used for creating over-sized spikes in your wigs.  Best practice is to use a hot utility knife to carve to avoid the pilling, and always cut the same direction.  Bonus: Styrofoam is cheap to buy!

2: Insulation foam boards – This is the large pink boards you can find at Home Depot or similar store.   It’s slightly more expensive, but has a much smoother surface (less porous).

TIP: Both of the above materials MUST be primed before spray painting.  Most spray paints will eat away at the foam, creating an ugly melted effect, and toxic fumes that can affect your health.

3: Craft Foam:  This can be found at any craft store, and most dollar stores in a selection of colours!  So far, I have used craft foam to create three separate costume wigs for a Sonic the Hedgehog group cosplay and my cost has been under $30…for three epic wigs.  (See previous blog post for my tutorial on how to use the foam!).  You can also use craft foam to create armour, enhance wigs and create smaller details on your costumes and props.

4: Hot Glue: Not just for your gramma’s wreaths anymore! Hot Glue is a great way to make light weight and flexible props.

I hope to create many more “Cosplay on a Dime” tutorials, so let me know in the comments what you would like to see!  

This is the first post on my new blog site – I had previously had a separate website hosting, however, to keep things more streamlined for me, and have more creative control (no more drag and drop!), I moved over to WordPress! I will be moving many of my old posts over, so expect to see a lot of Blog Posts in the next week or so!

As an introduction to Purrfect Pixels, allow me to introduce myself. I am Shanda, I am a single mom of one, a crafter, chef and all around busy person. My main creative outlet is fuse beads (AKA: Perler, Hama or Artkal brand beads) because I love the pixel look

I am self taught in the majority of the things that I create, so I would like to share the things I’ve learned (and what NOT to do as well) in my Cosplay and Fuse bead art tutorials. Stay tuned for more, and don’t forget to follow me here, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch!

http://www.facebook.com/purrfectpixels

https://www.instagram.com/purrfectpixels/

https://www.twitch.tv/purrfectpixels