The Pure-Hearted One

Hey guys, it's time for another Throwbacck Thursday and I wanted to show off one of the few costumes I've made for the most important man in my life. Gosh I'm no that vain, come on; I'm talking about my husband!

Jordan is just as big a nerd as I am, he's just not much of a cosplayer. He doesn't like making stuff the way I do but he does enjoy wearing the things I make for him! We've only done a couple of pairs together, but we're planning more for the future. The very first set of cosplays we did together were from one of our shared loves, Ni No Kuni (it seemed particularly relevant given that Ni No Kuni 2 is coming out in a couple of months). I am of course referring to Oliver and Shadar. It's funny that we cosplayed Soul Mates... although that has a very different meaning in the context of this game.

TBH, I had way more fun making Oliver for Jordan than I did making Shadar for myself. I'm guessing most of that is because of all the fun details I got to make. The costume itself is pretty simple. White shorts, blue tunic, red cape, and some belts doesn't exactly make for a particularly impressive costume.

So that's where all of the props came in. The two most important, in my opinion, are the wand and the Wizard's Companion (Oliver's spellbook). I decided to go with Mornstar for his wand, because it is the most story-relevant wand in the game, and it's design is a lot more interesting than Oliver's first few wands.
The gems at the top are actually translucent so they look really cool when the light catches them the right way. And the handle is actually half of a karate staff because I wanted it to taper the way it's supposed to!

Looks like Oliver got a gold glim!

One of the coolest aspects of the game was your ability to leaf through the wizard's companion in-game. The illustrations are beautifully designed and the book is full of awesome mythology, info about the different regions and familiars, and other helpful things to use throughout the game. For those who pre-ordered the game, it actually came with a copy of the Wizard's Companion. Sadly we didn't get that edition and after looking for a copy online (which would have cost around $300 at the time, you can't even find them now!) I decided to try making one myself! Fortunately for me, I'm not the first person to do it, PrimeJunt on Reddit apparently didn't get the copy with the game and made one for themselves! You can see the methodology here, which I followed to create my own. 

With the two major endeavors done, my thirst for as much detail as possible was not yet quenched, so I decided Jordan needed a creature cage and a locket to complete the costume. Of course the cage needed a familiar in it so I made a little Mite out of sculpey. Sadly his sword broke but otherwise he's intact.... and adorable!

The coolest part about the locket is that it's more than just the locket. I actually made tiny sculpey versions of all the different Pieces of Heart and attached them with a chain to the cork so when you pull the top off of the locket you can see all of them.

Like I said, I had a ton of fun making all of the props for this costume and it remains one of my favorites, even though I didn't even make it for myself! I mean, that doesn't stop me from wearing it every once in a while since it fits me just fine and Jordan usually only goes to one con a year.

To Wing, Brothers!

Ok, I apologize for using part of his dumbest quote, but pirate birb is pirate birb. This throwback thursday is all about the rough-and-tumble hawk king of Phoenecis, Tibarn!

Tibarn is one of my first legitimate cosplays. I wore him to my first ever convention back in 2009. Considering I hardly knew what I was doing in those days, and I had only learned to sew a year or so prior, it's amazing how well this turned out, and how well it's held up over the years.

Obviously there are lots of things I'd do differently if i were to make it over again (not that I will ever make it over again), like using different fabric for almost all of it, and stitching the designs into the coat rather than painting them.

I also have much better methods for achieving the wrappings on my arms than actually wrapping strips of fabric around my arms...

One thing I definitely wouldn't change would be my wings. I like how lightweight and unobtrusive they are. They're also very easy to repair if anything happens to them, and I still have a bunch of leftover feathers from the project nearly a decade later (I may have bought just a bit more than I needed). The first time i wore him I actually had a bunch of people compliment me on them, and ask if they could touch them, since they're rather fuzzy and are just as soft as they look. It was great to get that reaction at my first even convention!

I WILL RIP YOUR WINGS OFF AND FEED THEM TO YOU, RAVEN KING

My dream came true at Youma 2016 when we got a full bird council together. We got some awesome photos by Justin Pineda and Robert Tate.

Leanne and Reyson (right) are Trimeriad Cosplay

The most miraculous part is that we had a second Reyson just appear out of nowhere! And now we're friends and have gotten to cosplay together more, which has been awesome. We also had another 1/5 Laguz present for the shoot. We only had half a beorc, so there was minimal representation on the human side of things.

I really do love everything about this cosplay and want to wear him all the time ^_^

Hark the Herald Phoenixes Sing

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I enlisted the help of my magical critters to help decorate this year. Some were more helpful than others...

My occamy was quite adept at hanging ornaments on the tree, but the niffler kept getting distracted by shiny things. I'm pretty sure a few of my ornaments have disappeared into his pouch.

And my puffskein seems to have been mesmerized by the lights, I have no idea why he feels compelled to lick all of them but he is a bit of an oddball.

From my magical family to yours, I hope the season bring much light, peace, comfort, and joy!