NDK 2014 Costumes Part Four

First off, my wig is on its way. Yay! Of course, once it gets here, I still have to style it. Oh well.

Second of all, I am starting to hate this costume. Mostly because of my lack of pattern and issues with making a circle skirt with this particular fabric. I knew what I was getting myself into, though, so I guess I can't complain to much.

I tried to finish the skirt and other small, blue pieces, but got frustrated and decided that I needed a break. I wanted to work on my bows with my gold fabric.

The back of my handkerchief

Sorry it is so blurry. I threw together a little draw-string bag to carry my stuff around in.

This site: Cupcake Cosplay: How to Make a Sailor Moon Fuku has very good directions on how to make bows. I also used it for the waist band (thing) of my skirt, which, due to my fabric choice, sucked... Anyway, I basically followed the "bows" section of the page to make my bows. The only thing that I really changed was not stuffing the bows. I used interfacing (despite my hatred of interfacing) on all of the pieces instead. Of course, then I had to finish the skirt so that I can attach the back bow... Here are some pictures:

Back bow

Here are the tails of my back bow attached to my finished skirt.

It isn't sewn on yet, but here is how it will look!

My front bow!

I also worked on my leotard. Since I decided not to show my midriff, here is my solution in action:

I used my gold ribbon to separate the pieces. And yes, this is how I did it because I don't have a dress form...

I couldn't just sew it on because the leotard is stretchy and I would never get it back on. So I sewed the ribbon down in a few places like this.

Jasmine may not have been the best choice for a conversion to sailor scout mostly because of the style and fabric I decided on. Even the gold was slippery and made it impossible to get straight lines even with a ruler and pins. I think everything will look alright in the end, but it's been a tough one. I am still really worried about the skirt and wondering if I will have to re-do the whole thing. But I really don't want to. Well, you live and you learn, I suppose. 

Side note:I have worked on all of this in my living room where Remus is a pretty constant companion. He usually dozes under a blanket, but I tend to throw all of my costume pieces around and sometimes he gets buried.

My cute helper!

Nerdy Ravings: Sailor Moon Crystal

It's been much too long since I did a Nerdy Ravings post.

I'm sure many of my nerdier followers are aware of the new(ish) release of Sailor Moon anime. The fourth episode was just recently released. It is basically the same story line (so far), but with different animation and not as much silly filler.

Don't get me wrong, I like the original Sailor Moon (and I own all of the DVDs). It was what got me into anime in the first place. But the original contains a ton of unnecessary filler, extra monsters, extra weird drama, and so forth. Also, I have read many of the manga and they are beautiful. I was always disappointed about how distinctly NOT beautiful the original anime was. Because it was supposed to be gorgeous. That being said, I took several screen-caps from the latest episode as I watched so that I could show you all the pretty art and tried to compare to the original. I suppose I should be more lenient considering how old the original actually is, but oh well.

Sailor Mercury's new transformation

Mercury's old transformation

Sailor Moon's old tiara detail

Sailor Moon's new tiara detail

The new series looks a lot more like the original manga and is finally as pretty as (I think) it deserves to be! Usagi isn't quite as obnoxious (which I like) and it moves faster than the original due to the lack of filler episodes and random extra monsters.

Top: original. Bottom: new. The new looks so much more like the manga!

For the sake of comparison, here are a couple of covers from some of my Sailor Moon manga:

First Sailor Moon manga

And the second

My one complaint is probably the music. I liked all of the original music for the Sailor Moon series, and I have not been overly impressed with the songs. Maybe they will grow on me, but I am not holding my breath.

The Generals are pretty, too!

In conclusion, I like it, so far. I wonder how far they will go. Dare I hope that the outer scouts will be included? They are my favorites. The live action one didn't go that far (another interesting and decent take on the story, if you ask me) and I am not sure if this one will. But here's hoping!

I have been watching the episodes on Hulu as they come out. I'm sure there are places on YouTube to watch it, as well.

Missing Romulus

Today I am really struggling with missing Romulus.

His memory is still so vivid that it is hard for me to comprehend him never being here again. How can he not be here when I can see him so clearly in my mind? If he were on the couch with me right now, I know exactly what he would be doing and where he would be going and where he would curl up to nap. And it's hard for me not to imagine him being here when we have been in this exact spot so many times before.

But there won't be anymore cuddles, licks, pictures, games, snacks, naps, and shenanigans. He was the best at getting into everything that I didn't want him to get into. And when I held him and scolded him, he knew I'd let him go if he reached out and licked my nose. Made my heart melt every time. I miss that. But I miss everything.

The vet called a few days ago for me to come pick up his ashes. And after three days, I still can't bring myself to drive all the way down there and walk through those doors again. It might make it all too real, and I can't decide if that is good or bad. I do know that it will hurt either way. That place is part of what made losing him so surreal. I never went to that office before, but ended up there three times in one week. The first time, my vet didn't have anyone available so they recommended I take him to this place to be checked out. A week later, I was rushing Romulus to their 24 hour emergency room at almost 9pm. I didn't leave until after 11pm. The next morning I went back to say good-bye. So the whole situation and the place don't seem quite real in my mind. I'm afraid to go back because it makes it all real again. And I'm not sure if that will help me come to terms with his loss or just make it worse.

His second birthday is two days away. I will have to do a little something for Remus, but it makes me feel Romulus' loss that much more.

My little heart is still so broken and there is not much that I wouldn't give to have him back. I know time will dull the ache and ease the pain. But for now, it still hurts and I still have to remember and cry. And apparently avoid that vet office. Maybe I will find some courage and go later. Seems better than going on his birthday, which is my next day off. Definitely not a good birthday chore.