Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin

SIND WIR DAS ESSEN? NEIN, WIR SIND DIE JÄGER!

(usual apologies for not updating more regularly, so on and so forth)

You may have heard of this anime. It has been HUGE on the internet. My friends told me for months I should watch it, and I eventually decided to give it a try.

My first impressions... THE OPENING. WOW.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMXgHfHxKVM

So I kept watching.

Background: humanity has been driven to near extinction by giant, man eating humanoids known as titans. They live behind three giant 50m high walls for safety, with only a brave few venturing out to explore (and almost certainly get massacred in) the world beyond. After 100 years of peace, a 60m tall titan appears, breaks down the walls and breaches humanity's safety. Many are killed and eaten. This includes the main protagonist Eren's mother, causing him to vow to wipe out the titans in revenge.

WARNING

After the first episode I spent around 10mins staring at my computer screen with my mind in shock. One scene in the first episode was so shocking and horrific it left me shaken up and deciding the anime wasn't at all for me.

I mean, I had heard it was gruesome, but I wasn't quite expecting that...

This resolve to not watch it again barely lasted any time at all, mainly due to the opening music, which I couldn't stop listening to.

So I became addicted. I love the complex plot. I love the characters (Hanji Zoe is basically me, but for titans instead of bats). I love the soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGjwsowDDhI). I love the amazing action scenes.

Yes, it IS gruesome. But I found it (mostly) bearable, and if you can deal with that kind of thing then I very highly recommend it. Be warned, however, in true George R R Martin style, nobody is safe and characters you love will sometimes be killed suddenly and without warning.

If you're not sure (fair enough), this trailer is reasonably safe to watch (and has music by Audiomachine, which is always a bonus)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3LHE5U8iOw

I shall leave you with the comment of one youtube reviewer:
"who wouldn't want to see an army of medieval spider men flying around buildings slicing up giant man-eating zombies??"

Cosplay and things...

I think it says something about how crazy busy my workload is when blogging is only ever possible as procrastination.

As I shouldn't be procrastinating I'll keep it brief!

Last weekend we did a charity fundraising event where we got abandoned in a random part of the country (turned out to be near Nuneaton) and had to make our way back to Cambridge!

It was a great opportunity to wear my newly completed River Song cosplay, and to have some photos taken at the TARDIS at BBC Birmingham!

However...
It was FREEZING. I really regretted my decision to cosplay the Day of the Moon outfit (THIN KHAKI DRESS) rather than, say, the Pandorica Opens one (THICK WARM WHITE JACKET).

 

As you can see, I steadily accumulated more layers throughout the day, making me pretty much unrecognisable.




The day was really good fun, up until the point where we had to leave Birmingham... which proved to be a total nightmare! We ended up spending the night sleeping in the bus station with some other LOST Cambridge students before going back to Cambridge via London. But getting into Birmingham and the challenges there were so much fun, and we met some incredible people who offered us lifts (thank you all so much!).

We have so fair raised more than £300 for some incredible charities :D
https://www.raise2give.com/cambridge-rag-presents-lost/tom-and-becky If you want to help and donate more, we would be extremely grateful! (rest assured we earned every penny of those donations)

Speaking of cosplay, I tried to do Misa Amane for Halloween...

It ended up being more Misa Amane on a bad hair day, but I tried! It was based roughly on the cover art for volume 4, with a different T shirt to (potentially) make it more recognisable!
As it happens I didn't run into the one person I knew who liked Death Note all night, which was a shame. My boyfriend, however, described me as 'blonde punk' which I think counts as reasonably successful :)

Next post (hopefully): the adventures of the Knitting Society!

Guide to steampunk: Part 1 - what is steampunk?

One of our Christmas balls has a steampunky kind of Victorian theme, and a few of my uni friends have been asking me if I would help them put together an outfit. Hence this series of blog posts, where I will be covering a bit about steampunk as a subculture and as a fashion style.

I hope you find it helpful and mildly interesting! (Disclaimer: there are people who know way more about this stuff than I do. I do not claim to know everything. Rather, this is what I do know, and I hope it is helpful to those of you who are curious about the genre)
 
First up: What is steampunk?

To put it simply, steampunk is a genre of sci-fi. One of the main features, as the name suggests, is the use of steam power, but any Victorian cultural aspects can also be a part. What I really love about steampunk is its subtle blend of past, present and future.

The father of steampunk is considered to be Jules Verne, but here are a few other examples of steampunk books and authors:




The books are characterised by mixing past and future technology in a steam powered world. The genre has expanded since then and has now developed into styles of fashion and music.

This is my current favourite steampunk song, by the infamous Abney Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjRGYE6brQY 
I suppose I would describe the music as a mixture of rock and folk, but like all of steampunk there is no solid definiton!
Other steampunk musicians are Vernian Process, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, the Clockwork Dolls.... the list goes on. http://www.listal.com/list/steampunk-music
Apparently there is some discussion over this, but I would also consider Emilie Autumn to be steampunky.


Theres even steampunk anime. This one is called Last Exile, and its very good. Heres an awesome AMV (anime music video) for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoQH1vBNdEg

Also, as you hopefully saw, the recent Paralympics Closing Ceremony had a very steampunk theme to it.







So.... Victorian. Industrial. Mad science. Cogs, gears, fire, machinery. Steampunk breaks down genre boundaries and merges various distinct styles together, and nowhere is this more noticeable than in the fashion.

Steampunk fashion, the basics.

Steampunk is a subtle blend of Victorian style and aesthetics with elements of futuristic technology. Bearing that in mind, the fashion style should primarily reflect that Victorian element. Colours are generally browns and blacks, although all colours can be incorporated into an outfit - within reason, that is. Obviously a pink frilly skirt is not appropriate.  

One of the things that I consider to be important about steampunk fashion is choosing items appropriate for a theme.
Let me explain: say I chose (as I have done in the past), to base my steampunk outfit on an aviator/pirate theme. Would a pirate really wear a long skirt and tight corset, complete with hat and fascinator? Obviously there is some interpretation around a theme (I wore a corset for my aviator costume, but I didnt wear a lacy one, if you see what I mean) but in general this is a good thing to bear in mind. This is a lot more applicable to women than men.

This rule can be (if you want) slightly bent when goggles come into play. Goggles have become the universal steampunk symbol, and tend to be incorporated into any outfit no matter the theme. I will certainly be wearing my goggles to the ball! More on the importance of googles when I talk about accessories.  

As I continue this blog series I'll be updating you all on my progress on the costume. Currently I have two ideas, which depend on how much time I have with work and the contents of the as-yet-unexplored Cambridge vintage shops. The first is just to rewear my Goth Weekend outfit, but I'm hoping not to do this if I dont have to. The second is to go in a more lady-like outfit. My plan is to find a skirt (or long dress), and then rewear my ruffle necked white blouse on top (no need if I find a dress). My accessories will be partially reused (as I have no jewellery making stuff with me so cannot update it), but I'll be going more aristocratic than aviator and mixing a few new things in as well. I wont be wearing any of the 'heavy' steampunk accessories such as weaponry or utility belts.

Also I have to bear in mind that Im probably taking this way too seriously and no one else there will be dressed up in a Victorian style. The ball's theme is more Gothic Victorian than steampunk, so I dont want to go too over the top.

Thats all for now! I hope you find the series interesting and helpful, I'll be covering men and womens fashion, accessories and jewellery, as well as some ideas on how to integrate the style into normal everyday wear.

I shall leave you with this marvellous steampunk name generator: http://oobleck.org/steam/ enjoy!

Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...

Becky x

Jewellery update!

I've been working on a few things lately so this is just an update on them...


First off, I made this necklace to go with the dress I wore for my birthday party. The dress is a sort of purpley grey with lots of sparkles, and I didnt have any jewellery to match. After trawling through all my gemstones I decided none of the colours really went well with it (all too purple or too clear), so I made something a little different...

Sorry the picture here is a bit blurry.

The necklace is made up of individual wire links with beads added randomly, as you can see below:

I think the necklace could do with a few more links on it and less wire chain, but I ran out of time before the party. What do you think? Does it need more?

I've also been getting back into a bit of beading recently, making a few bracelets.

I made this one for myself. Two different shades of blue flower on black.

This one is for sale, £4.99. Pink flowers connected by green stems against blue sky. I really like this one, its very pretty.

I started making these wondering if I should get a stall at an anime convention, hence this design. Pokeballs against a blue background. £4.99.

I'm making more as we speak in different colours/patterns. And, of course, you can commission me if you'd like anything in particular.

What do you all think?

(I'm working on other items at the moment but these are the only finished ones so far. Much more to come! :D)

Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...

Becky xx

Baccano!

Where do I start? This has to be the best anime I have ever seen. No joke.

I found it by just randomly clicking through interesting youtube links. Because I watch a lot of FFVII crap, this was recommended: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=uAy8u3IcWZU (seriously, who makes these videos? They're so awesome!!) For those of you who know nothing about either Baccano! or Final Fantasy VII, this is the actual opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msg8ypnLqaw 

The first few episodes are very, very confusing, but once you've got the hang of it its brilliant. The story has a very non linear progression, meaning you see most of the ending in the first episode and most of the series is piecing together the events. There are three main storylines throughout the series (all connected), and one other which is more of a backstory. (I'll try not to spoil it for you...)

The backstory happens aboard the ship Advenna Avis some time in the 1700s, and focuses on a group of alchemists who summon a demon to help them gain immortality. The demon grants them an elixir, which grants them eternal life.
The three stories all cover the crazy events that happen 200 years later when two bottles of the elixir accidentally end up in the hands of New York gangsters and outlaws. There are gang turf wars, train robberies, assassins covered in blood pretending to be monsters, immortals... its completely and utterly insane! The stories are all mixed up and connected, and the way in which the plot plays out is fantastic. Watching the whole thing in one go really pays off.

The characters are all amazing, although a lot of them are psychopaths. This anime is rated 18 for a reason, dont watch it if you're not good with violence. People get dangled from moving trains, their heads blown off, shot to ribbons, beaten to a pulp... There are some scenes which are very gruesome, and some characters who are scarily sadistic. But theres also characters who are ultimately very good people, and their development through the plot is good to watch (Jacuzzi, from cry baby to hero). Theres even some seriously sweet love stories. And the fight scenes are brilliant.

The best character in the whole thing is Claire Stanfield/Vino, who is one of the aforementioned psychopaths (albeit with moral tendencies). He's the most badass character in anything I've ever seen, completely invincible and untouchable in a fight with a mad mad personality. He really comes into his own in the OVAs, which are well worth watching to get a sense of closure on the series.

If he grins like this, you're screwed.

Another two brilliant characters are Isaac and Miria, who take eccentricity to a new level. They're a pair of thieves who specialise in robbing people in the silliest ways known to man, and get away with it because people think they're not being serious.

Words cannot describe how insane these two really are.

The voice acting here is fantastic. Seriously, regardless of your feelings on English v Japanese dubs, you have to watch the English here. No one does American gangster voices like American actors. The best performance of the series has to be Jason Liebrecht (Train in Black Cat) 's sexy gangster voice as Luck Gandor. Everytime this character opens his mouth I fall in love.

And the soundtrack is so damn cool! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI76wS6tlKs 

I really cannot recommend this highly enough!! Go watch it!!

Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...

Becky xx

Nemacon

The exams all finished a week ago... I did write a blog post to say I was alive, honest, but my laptop died on me and I gave up ;(

Anyway, I finally finished my cosplay for Nemacon, which was a fun weekend! A little disorganised, perhaps, and I dont feel it was as good as last year (but that may be just because last year had the excitement of being my first con), but I still enjoyed myself. Last year I didnt really talk to many people (I was Cissnei from Crisis Core, who isnt really a very recognisable character), but this year it was great to chat and make some new friends.

(Just putting this up here, because I spent ages making that shuriken and was very proud of it. Also, you see what I mean when I say that getting my hair to lie flat under the wig was a nightmare...)

On to this year's escapades! I went as Aqua from Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep. (sorry, theres a lot of pictures here)

The costume was made by me, with some help and advice from my gran who has had a lot more experience with sewing than I have. My grandad also helped with the shoes, recommending the right kind of paint to use that wouldnt crack as I walked. 

I actually really like the blurryness of this picture (I stole it off facebook, all credit to the photographer).

A nice Zack Fair cosplayer let me pose with the Buster Sword! (because I'm not obsessed with Crisis Core at all or anything... ¬¬)

Me and Charlotte (http://www.fyeahtea.com/) who looked awesome as Harley Quinn. That corset was incredible, cant believe she made it herself...

Aaaaaand finally, a pic of me posing with a lot of Sora cosplayers.

I got way more pictures than this, but I didnt want to upload them all. There were some incredible costumes (Predator, Loki and Thor, Samus, Ryuk and Rem to name a few), and I'm gutted I didnt get a picture of everybody.

Oh, I guess I should probably talk about the Wayfinder.

This is a sort of lucky charm that Aqua makes in BBS, and I decided that if I didnt have the time to make a Keyblade, I should at least have one prop...

I'm going to make a Terra and a Ventus one at some point too. Maybe to sell... I've already had some very nice comments on deviantart about this. I dont know if anyone's ever tried making them out of beads and wire before, its normally just polymer clay.

Oh and the very nice people over at http://www.daemon-saviour.com/ got some great pics as well. Make sure to check them out!

So, its the summer holidays now! I have a lot of plans, jewellery and otherwise, and I'll be sure to keep you all updated on what happens!

What have you guys all got planned for the summer hols?

Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...

Becky x

Sponsored walk... and some drawings

First up, we finished our walk!!

Here is a lovely pic of us all near the start:

So yeah.. 27 miles. It took us all day, 8am-7pm, and someone insisted we climb up the abbey steps at Whitby afterwards (bad idea...). My feet are still hurting three days later! It was great fun though, and I've raised over £150 so far for a fantastic cause.

http://www.justgiving.com/Rebecca-Bennion

Next, figured I should upload some of my sketches onto here! Mostly because I wouldnt dare put half of them on my dA...

First up, the homunculi from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. I drew this ages ago, never got round to doing anything with it... I always prefered the Brotherhood adaptation of the manga - I liked the inclusion of Briggs and Xing, the plot made more sense, I liked the characters more... Plus Im reading the manga so I liked the anime adaptation which stayed faithful to it. What do you think? Do you prefer the original anime series or Brotherhood?

Next, some crappy Final Fantasy VII sketchies. Pretty much everything I draw is Final Fantasy VII fanart...

First is some chibis. This was my first attempt at drawing chibis, so be nice =P Personally I prefer the Sephiroth one... I was going to draw Angeal as well and complete the set, but he's not a character that really works well in chibi form.

Genesis again... There are so many things wrong with this picture I've lost count, but I cant help but love it. Theres so much pain and hate and anger and hurt and determination in those eyes... <3

Finally, a nice picture of Sephiroth. I love the way he looks here, so calm and serene... yet deadly. (bad picture quality is bad, it looks much better in person, honestly!)

What do you think? Who should I draw next?

And because I mentioned Genesis, I have to end with a LOVELESS quote ;)

Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...

Becky xx