Y'all Don't Understand. Im OBSESSED With Hozier. Because What Do You MEAN 'Every Word I've Got Is Foreign

y'all don't understand. im OBSESSED with Hozier. because what do you MEAN 'Every word I've got is foreign to me, screaming the name of a foreigner's God'??? What do you mean 'i had been lost to you, flew like a moth to you'?? 'I tell them put me back, and i would do it again, if i could love you for a minute'????? WhaT?????? HOW does this man manage to feed and destroy me in the same sentence

here's the thing

When i was a kid, i ADORED watching LDShadowlady (still love her, although i generally don't watch mcyts anymore), and she's like an idol to me.

When i grew up a little, i was watching the dsmp (yes, hate me all you want for my likes idc, i wasn't one of the crazys) and I really liked Technoblade, Tommyinnit and Ranboo. I still follow them, though as i said, don't watch as frequently.

Yesterday, my mom and aunt were discussing how ridiculous it is to watch people play video games, saying 'just play the games yourself' or 'where's the satisfaction? It's someone else's accomplishment' and other things like that

And then i realised - it was never about the game. It was about the story.

Shadowcraft 1 and 2.0 were absolutely wonderful to watch. I loved it because of her charisma mostly, but you can't deny that it had interesting lore and such.

Empires, 'insert number/word' Life series, Hermicraft, Dream freaking SMP, and for the sake of nostalgia series like Stampy's Lovely World, Stayceplayz and Squaishy (i think that's their names, i haven't watched them in years) and their Cake Island in space (or whatever it was, those who know will know)... They all have LORE.

In it's core, all these people playing Minecraft are telling a story. And it's not some shit story, no it's meaningful and fun and interesting. These are people born to create, born to tell stories, but maybe don't have the gift of being amazing writers or directors or never got the chance they should've. YouTube and Minecraft were ways to express yourself, share a piece of yourself and your work with the masses without needing to be published or hired to write.

You wouldn't shame directors or actors or writers for doing the same exact thing. So why shame these people? What have they done that's wrong?

Just like a director, you choose how it'll all look. You produce your own sets, and costumes and have actors. In it's core, it's all an indie movie/series.

The older generations don't realise that what some people you don't consider artists do almost the same thing as people you shame and call 'attention seekers' (yes, mom, I'm looking at you)

Im sorry im yapping so much, but i feel like it's important to say this

IT IS HAPPENING LADS!! SAM VIMES COSPLAY!!

I've dreamed of doing this for years and now that I've finally gained the Secret Knowledge of Foam Armour, I can finally go for it!

Jokes aside, I asked a couple of cosplay pros for advice at the last con and they were all super nice & answered every single one of my questions, in detail!

So far the breastplate, backplate and badge are done and I'm super happy. Detailed process under the cut!

How it went:

First, the pattern! Shoutout to the guys at cosplay-atelier for the recommendation. They pointed me to kamuicosplay, because they sell downloadable patterns for all sorts of things, including armour. Which is how I got to this:

Downloaded two of their breastplate patterns, smooshed them together and altered them to fit my body and the look I wanted. I did all of that with thick paper. Then I took it apart again and traced the bits onto 5mm EVA foam that I ordered from a cosplay store.

Then I numbered and cut all the pieces and glued them together! I used hot glue, cause it's more accessible and less intimidating for me than other types of glue. It isn't as strong as other recommended glues, but works fine for me. (used many pointers from this tutorial.)

However, safety point: I've seen it recommended to wear breathing protection when heating up foam in any way whatsoever, and that includes hot glue, heat shaping and heat sealing. Use a respirator or other breathing protection that is made specifically for chemical fumes & work outside or in a well ventilated area (i.e. open ALL the windows)! Ask at your local hardware store if you're unsure.

PSA over. Now to the painting stage!

The scratches I made with my fingernails and the tip of a pair of scissors. XD Then I covered everything in 2 layers of black flexipaint (which is a water-based flexible paint/primer that works really well on foam). After that, I worked with regular artist's acrylic paint. Above you can see the first layer being applied with dry-brushing.

Then I went over it with a dark brown wash to make it look dirty (mix black & brown acrylic paint with water & apply liberally)

Then I went over it again with bronze by applying the paint with my fingers, wearing a plastic glove. (Same tutorial as before.) making sure I don't get any paint in the scratches. And then finally, another dark brown wash to make it all look nicely weathered. I did accidentally remove some paint by going over it too often with the wash, but it wasn't too hard to fix.

And this is the costume test, after adding velcro! It's really easy to put on and take off. I'm a bit worried about the velcro on the sides, but I can always add straps on the outside if it doesn't hold up.

Next was the badge:

I referenced a pin badge that came out as a collectible a few years ago (sadly out of stock), cause I love the design! Carved in the letters and lines by drawing on it with a ballpoint pen and applying a lot of pressure. Then painted it with the same process as the breastplate, just with copper instead of bronze.

And just for funsies: here's the back of the breastplate in all its glorious mess XD

On the right side you can see how I attached the badge: By cutting a slit through the breastplate and making a velcro attachment. That way I can remove the badge and add, say, a sprig of lilac, should my fancy take me there. Reason being that our biggest con is in May.

If you know, you know.

Annnnd here it is; the finished breastplate with badge:

I'm honestly having the time of my life. It's a super fun project and I am very excited to see how it turns out! I'm already working on the cape with a good friend of mine (I despise sewing, she loves it XD) and have materials on the way to make some bits of chainmail.

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It’s just that, in Faith, Dean thinks he’s going to die, and he’s braced for it, and when he lives, it’s only because someone else died in his place. And then, in In My Time of Dying, it happens again, and it’s even worse this time because that’s his father who died for him. So by the time All Hell Breaks Loose rolls around, of course Dean sacrifices himself: he’s already living on borrowed time, after all, but Sam? Sam is only here because he was dragged back into this life—he deserves to have the chance to leave it behind again, for good this time.

And sure, faced with the consequences, Dean can see that he doesn’t deserve it—not to die, and certainly not to go to hell—but he still believes that it’s better this way: better him than Sam, even if it would be best if it was no one at all.

But it has to be someone, and so Dean is dragged to hell, and after thirty years on the rack, Dean breaks—and after ten more, when he wakes up in his grave and pushes his way to the surface, he thinks that maybe he deserved it after all, maybe he deserved every bit of torture dealt to him and more.

And then he meets an angel, and the angel tells him that he was the one to raise him from hell, and the angel wonders at the fact that Dean doesn’t think he deserves to be saved, because even after everything, he sees something beautiful in Dean Winchester, something worth preserving. And the angel believes in Dean so much that he can’t help but start believing in himself again, just a little.