General Update

Sorry...yet again for the late post, dear readers. As the con grows closer (and the post-Christmas chaos starts to hit my loved ones), my time grows scarcer and scarcer. So, for now, you have a general update on my cosplay progress and life, overall.

One of these days, when I know more and have found a method that makes me happy, I'm going to talk about binding for crossplay. I'm going to have a huge blog post devoted to it and tell you what I refuse to use (and why), what I will use sparingly, and what I adore. Spoiler alert: as of this time, there is no binding method that I adore. I just ordered two binders off of Amazon, however, and I'm hoping they'll work out better than my previous methods. This was sparked by the fact that I've been wandering around this evening in chest binding with bandages. I have been working on the mock-up of Jae-ha's costume, and since he does not have breasts, I had to flatten to get a proper fit on myself. Wearing the bandages around reminded me just how much I dislike them. They slip, they rub, and they wind up with strange bulges in unfortunate places. Overall, I honestly prefer open-chest binding, even though it can restrict my breathing to a small degree. After a little exploration of female-to-male trans blogs, I found a couple of binders that are fairly inexpensive and well-recommended. Once they come in and I've had the opportunity to wear them about to see how they feel, I will let all of you know.

In other news, I spent last night re-touching the Belle shoes. They had acquired several scratches, rub marks, and a few creases, all of which I carefully painted over. They now look a bit choppy in the paint job, so I'll be going over the entirety of each shoe again to ensure an even color. If you're repainting any shoes, remember to seal the paint to reduce the risk of cracking. There is no seal (that I know of), however, that can totally protect against scratches, especially if you, like me, go wandering out into the woods for photos. I do partially blame J-Jo Cosplay for that...but really, who can argue with the beautiful pictures she took?

My Jae-ha boots are in and just need their special touches. They're knee-high, which is taller than I'd like, but they're white, have about the right heel (which is none), and are a nice canvas for me to paint some detailing on. In short, they'll do. A pair of gi pants are being shipped to me as well for this cosplay. I was terribly disappointed; I have a gi somewhere from my martial arts days, but all I was able to find were the two tops, the light-weight summer top and the heavy-weight winter top. No pants appeared to my searching gaze. The lack of pants forced my hand, and I ordered the new ones. They should be in shortly.

My first Jae-ha wig came in and proved to be the wrong color. I normally order from amphigory.com if I have the chance, and I did this time, but the color in person was just not what I wanted. I do recommend them - their wigs are good quality and absolutely gorgeous in person - but in this case their green was not the right shade. J-Jo recommended checking Arda Wigs as their selection of green was fairly extensive, and I found one there that I liked. It's been shipped and should be coming in within a week.

The trim should be in within a week as well. The first experience with the trim was... Well, there's going to be a whole blog post on that, so that story will have to wait.

I think that about concludes this update. Good luck, dear readers, and good night!