Just a quick update to why I haven't been blogging a lot this month --"Real life" has been crazy-busy, mostly having to do with my last semester of #libraryschool.

Earlier this month, I was studying for Orals.  For our program, in order to graduate, you have to take a hour long oral exam in front of two faculty members where you talk about topics such as your professional philosophy of librarianship, ethical issues such as intellectual freedom and access to library resources, programming and outreach, and digital library collections.  The biggest hurdle is that there were no notes allowed (which totally freaked me out) but I passed!  So, as long as I get passing grades in all my classes this semester, I will be graduating with my MLIS degree in mid-May.  ^_^

And then, I've most recently come back from a spring break trip, in which my family was able to visit my grandparents for the first time in several years.  They don't have internet, so it was nice to relax, take a break from school, spend time reconnecting with my grandparents and other family members, and to be "unplugged" for a bit ...

1. Hakari Mikagami

Finally, I haven't posted about creating costumes a lot, but one of my good friends commissioned me to sew a Hakari Mikagami cosplay for a upcoming anime convention --I'm hoping to have that done next week.  I've never played the video game this gorgeous prosecutor is from (Ace Attorney a.k.a. Gyakuten Saiban) but her outfit is really awesome-looking and I'm excited that I've gotten my very first cosplay commission.

I've seen other bloggers do monthly "wrap up" or recap posts, so I thought I'd try it out this month ... because it sort of fits with my topic today. =)

In March, by participating in several blog tours (two which included book giveaways), I was able to interview Dani Pettrey (one of my fave romantic suspense authors), Ruth Logan Herne (my Seekerville friend and prolific author), and reviewed Rachelle Dekker's latest dystopian, The Calling.

So while I didn't really post a lot this month, I have a backlog of book reviews that I'll be working on writing up --including part two of Jill Williamson's epic new fantasy novel!

Finally, the reason for the title of this post.  Some of you may remember last year when I reviewed J.L. Mbewe's fantasy novel, Hidden Secrets.  Well, Jennette is running a birthday bash on her blog and had a story contest where she asked her readers to write out a scene in which you remove Desmond, "the other half" to protagonist Ayianna's upcoming arranged marriage.  So, I've written my first fanfiction drabble and decided to eliminate Desmond from the story ... Project Runway style. ;-)  You can take a look here and please vote for my story (before Friday) if you like it.  The winner gets an ARC of the sequel Darkened Hope, which released later this year and I really want to find out what happens next!  ^_^

1.  Image (c.) Capcom Co., Ltd.

This week's Top Tuesday topic is from The Broke and The Bookish's blog:  "Halloween themed freebie -- your choice (ie. 10 best ghost stories, 10 things that scare you in books, 10 literary Halloween costumes, 10 vampire novels, 10 books that WILL scare you, 10 non-scary books for Halloween, 10 scariest covers, etc.)"  I don't really celebrate Halloween, but since I do costuming, I thought I'd share my list of top book characters I want to cosplay someday!  In no particular order ...



1. Kale Allerion in DragonQuest by TheArtistLibrarian on DeviantArt
Kale Allerion (The DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you feature a yet-to-be-released title you're anticipating!

Title: Cosplay in Libraries: How to Embrace Costume Play in Your Library
Author: Ellyssa Kroski
Release Date: October 23, 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

About the Book:

"Cosplay, comics, anime, and geek culture have exploded into the mainstream over recent years and have resulted in a thriving community of costume enthusiasts and pop culture fans. Today’s cosplayers find inspiration on the pages of comics, classic literature, and even history, as well as film, television, and video games to inform their creative and oftentimes elaborate ensembles. They utilize all manner of materials and techniques including 3D printers, thermoplastics, craft foam, fabric and more to design their costumes and props.

Libraries on the leading edge are already embracing this new worldwide sensation by integrating cosplay into their programming and events. Learn all about the world of cosplay and how you can host cosplay events, workshops, makerspaces, clubs, and more in your library!

This one-stop guide includes quotes and interviews with librarians who are incorporating cosplay into their programming as well as with cosplayers. You’ll also find 32 full-color photographs of cosplay in action to give you both ideas and inspiration for getting started!"

Why I'm "WoW" about Cosplay in Libraries:
I don't know if I really would need this book, as it sounds like it might be meant for librarians unfamiliar with costuming or cosplay.  BUT it is almost as if it was made for me.  I mean, when have you ever seen a serious discussion or writings on cosplay in library literature?  The only thing that would be more applicable or connected to my focus/interests would be library literature on art education in public libraries or Christian fiction in public libraries.  $50 seems a bit steep of a price for 168 pages, but I'd love to get my hands on a copy to see what types of programming and events Kroski will highlight ... I also think it's kind of neat that Kroski's bio says she cosplays also (guess I'm not the only librarian costumer)!  Needless to say, my anticipation for this non-fiction title is off the charts!

Are there any titles releasing this month you're "WoW" about?  Let me know (and tell me why) in the comments!

About the Author:

"Ellyssa Kroski is the Director of Information Technology at the New York Law Institute as well as an award-winning editor and author of 34 books including Law Librarianship in the Digital Age for which she won the AALL's 2014 Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Award. Her ten-book technology series, The Tech Set won the ALA's Best Book in Library Literature Award in 2011. She is a librarian, an adjunct faculty member at Pratt Institute, and an international conference speaker. She blogs at Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries. Her professional portfolio is located at: http://www.ellyssakroski.com

Ellyssa is also an avid cosplayer and has appeared on TLC's Cake Boss TV show as well as in the official music video for New York Comic Con and many other events. Her cosplay portfolio can be found at http://www.giallogirl.com"

My attempt at an "artsy" book photo =) (c.) The Artist Librarian

My favorite chainmaille piece ever! (c.) Disney/Walden Media

My copy of Chivalrous arrived in the mail last week, so of course, I decided to put in on some chainmail (and my trusty sword). =)  Pulling out my pop tab chainmail reminded me that I need to get to this WIP (work in progress).

I started this chainmail hauberk for Susan Pevensie's red battle gown she wears at the climax of the Prince Caspian film.  I stopped because I got stuck trying to decide how to do the sleeves and armholes.  That was several years ago, but I think it's time to start researching again ...

Have you ever had to take a break from a project?  Did it help coming back with fresh eyes?

I've always thought it'd be cool to sing "in character" while cosplaying and Mulan is one of my favorite Disney characters, so ... Lea Salonga (Mulan and Jasmine's singing voices) I am not, but I gave it my best shot for Robin Lee Hatcher's #RLHKaraokeGiveaway!  The video with the most "likes" by May 26, 2015 wins a $100 gift card, so I only have a day to catch up.  Please click on the link below to vote for me if you feel so inclined and feel free to share also. I promise, I sing in tune, so your ears shouldn't be damaged!  ;-)

Click here to go to the video page to vote. (Please click on the "thumbs up" button on the bottom right corner of the video).

To check out the other entrants, click on the hashtag above.

Yay, finals week is over! Just submitted my last project, so I can get back to blogging.  Lots of reviews coming soon, but for now, Wordless Wednesday is back!

Wordless Wednesdays are normally photo related, but today, I give you ... my first vlog:

This was actually a booktalk assignment for my LIS special topics class on comics/graphic novels.  I've never done a booktalk, but once I thought up the idea (because I'll always take an excuse to dress up in one of my costumes), it came together pretty quickly.

I chose graphic novels that had female protagonists, to encourage girls in particular to read comics (though both boys and girls could enjoy the stories). 

Elementary:  Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series by Sarah Kinney and Stefan Petrucha.  Illustrated by Stan Goldberg
Small Volcanoes #1 [2012]
Secret Sand Sleuths #2 [2013]

Tweens: 
Cat's Cradle: Book 1 - The Golden Twine [2012]
Written and illustrated by Jo Rioux

Teens: 
Daisy Kutter: The Last Train [2006]
Written and illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi

What's your favorite comic book or graphic novel?  What do YOU think Princess Leia would read?  

[Note: March 24, 2015 updated labels]

Shirt:
 Astrid wears a sleeveless red top.  It's a muted, kind of rust red and there's a similar texture to the fabric as her shirt from the first movie.  It's probably meant to simulate knitting or maybe nalbinding (a more ancient craft).  There is variety to the stitch size and sections of the fabric seem to shift their rust red tones subtly.  Her top has a jewel neckline, with a small slit in the center (probably for ease when dressing). 

  

Back of caplet with hood and hair detail

Caplet: 
Over this, she wears a new, short dark brown fur caplet.  It's fastened with four leather strips connected to a silver-gray ring (see above image).  The hem of the caplet looks like it's curved like the bottom half of a circle.  From certain images, it looks like the inside of her cape isn't fuzzy fur (see arm warmer reference image below).  It looks lined with a suede or perhaps the backing of the pelt she used, so it's smoother.  It could be fur in the lining, but I decided to make it suede for my costume --I'll find out for certain once the blu-Ray is released.

Hood detail, different angles.  Also can see the shape and length of the caplet.

Hood:

Arm warmer and caplet lining detail

Arm Warmers:
Her arm warmers are probably completely lined with the off-white fur that forms the cuffs, which would explain the bulk.  They completely cover the palm of her hand and run just to her elbow.  There are no individual finger slots, except for her thumbs.  Each arm warmer is likely patterned out of two pieces, since there is a seam on each side.  The seam is top-stitched on both sides of the seam with brown thread.  Brown leather lacing or cord binds the arm warmers in a particular pattern (as seen from the reference images).  The same type of leather lacing also binds her upper arms in the bicep area.
Her skirt is made of two layers.  The first layer is a tan colored fur.  The nap of the fur is short and probably close to the length of the nap on the dark brown fur of her caplet.  If you look at the full body image, the skirt sits on her natural waistline (around her bellybutton) and the hem ends at about her fingertips. 
The over-skirt is made of brown leather panels, which have rounded ends and narrow a bit to the waist.  If you look closely, it seems like the panels are held at about the "beak" section of the skulls which seem to attach the panels to the narrow brown leather waistband of her skirt.  In the movie, we see that the panels are completely sewn to the fur skirt, so they don't dangle from the waist, but I wouldn't suggest that for real-world practicality.  If you don't want to remain standing the entire time you cosplay Astrid, attach the panels only at the waist, so you can flip the spiked skirt panels out of way when you sit down!

Pouch detail

The skulls are similarly shaped, but have small organic differences.  They are about two times larger than the skulls on her caplet. There seems to be about 10-12 panels, with a skull attached on top of each, minus one on her right hand side, where it is replaced with an oval-shaped leather pouch.  It might be stretched or formed leather, since it looks quite structured.  There is a darker brown strip that seems to serve as the fastener to the pouch.  There are also four silver-gray spikes on each panel.  The two closest to the waistband the skirt are slightly smaller than the spikes near the wider bottoms of the panels.  There's a narrow "collar" or rim of sorts at the base of each spike (see skirt image), which probably have something to do with how the spikes are attached to the skirt.

Knee pad and pouch detail

Leggings and Knee Pads:
Her leggings are a dark indigo blue and they fold and crease around her legs above the knees a bit. 
Over her leggings she wears two brown leather knee pads.  There are no straps crossing the back of her knees, so they might be sewn to the leggings.  However, there are short little tabs or something on four sides of each knee pad ... I'm guessing that's the actual way they're rigged.  There are also two curved lines on each knee pad which are probably sewing or structural lines.

Boot detail, note bands on toe

Boots:
 Her boots are brown leather or suede.  They are flat, with no heel and the shaft of the boot is covered in fur.  Tan colored fur with a wide off-white fur cuff.  There are brown leather cord stitching and criss-cross designs on the front of the tan fur and there are three leather strips crossing at the toe of each boot.

Hair detail, click to enlarge

Hair (and Makeup?):
Finally, her hair.  Astrid's golden blonde hair is put in a much more elaborate style.  Her fringe (that is, her bangs) are shorter than in HTTYD and is swept to her left.  She also has some longer pieces framing her face on the sides.  On her right side, it seems those strands end just above her shoulder or barely brush them.  Her hair is parted at the top of her head, where a narrow knotty braid (perhaps a dis-proportioned three strand braid with one very narrow section) frames her face like a headband that joins into a side braid on the left side of her head.  It looks like either a knot braid, round braid or three strand braid, wrapped with a section of hair.  This main braid is tied off with brown leather cord.  She wears a leather headband (I believe it's called a kransen), a bit lighter brown than the rest of the leather in her outfit.  It goes under her bangs and the narrow braid, but over the rest of her hair.

I'm not sure what type of makeup Vikings may have had, but Astrid's eyelashes look like she used a bit of mascara!

My version of Astrid Hofferson --how'd I do?

A few more notes on proportions and colors:

- The width of the leather strips fastening her caplet seems to be the same width as the three strips covering the toe of each boot.

- Her caplet's hem ends just above or at her waist, above her skirt's waistband.

- The brown leather of knee pads and her over-skirt's panels look the same.

- All the silver-gray metal on her outfit is "worn" or "aged" ... not quite a gunmetal look, but almost.

- The fur used for the main part of her boot covers looks to be the same or a similar color to the fur used for her skirt.

- The fur used for her hood lining, cuffs on her arm warmers, and the cuffs on her boots are the same or similar.
- The tan suede-like material for her hood and her arm warmers look the same. 
- The brown leather cord on her arm warmers and tied on her upper arms are the same.

Stay tuned for more --I'll be posting on how I created my costume soon!  Be sure to link and comment if you use my research guide for your Astrid costume --I'd love to see it!

[Edit: updated labels Jan. 4, 2015]