Cosplay Made Easy: Vanellope von Schweetz

Hey there, guys!

I've always been a huge fan of cosplay but have never really gathered up the guts to do costumes myself. This is partially due to the fact that I don't have the required money to buy materials, and I'm not confident in my sewing skills yet. I don't like spending hundreds of dollars on a costume that looks crappy however, and I think the best costumes are always made by hand. I have many cosplayers that I like, and many of them I follow almost ritually. It is a wonderful thing to see people enjoying themselves and having a great time.

I often find myself shopping online and finding something really sweet that I think might be a good asset to a costume for a certain character (nerdy, I know). But the thing is, if you get the correct items and alter them a little, you might be able to pull of a great cosplay look that you would have spent hundreds of dollars to achieve! This is why I'm sharing all the things I find online. Hopefully, some of these will be worth it.

Keep in mind that these are supposed to be for a low-budget cosplayer, and the costumes may not be 100% accurate. Just remember: I've never tried cosplaying, so don't hang on to my every word.

If you do decide to follow my guide, please tell me how it goes! Sends me pictures if you want so I can post them on my blog! :)

Today's cosplay outfit will be simple: Vanellope von Schweetx from Wreck-It Ralph!

Vanellope is from the recent animated movie, Wreck-It Ralph, a movie filled with video game references and cyber culture. It is a awesome movie, so if you get a chance please go watch it! I watched it when it first came out in theatres and loved it. You definitely need to watch it more than a few times to get all the references, which is a quality I think about movies.

Anyways, the movie is about arcade game characters. The main character is Ralph, the 'bad guy' in his own game 'Wreck-It Ralph'. The citizens of his video game never invite him to any parties or gatherings because he's the 'bad guy'. In actuality, he's not a bad guy. But everyone reveres fix-it Felix as the 'good guy' and refuses to let Ralph prove that he also deserves to be in on the fun.

So Ralph decides to go on a journey in order to get a medal and prove his worth of 'heroic ability' to the citizens in his game. However, he needs to go to another game in the arcade to do it, so he goes on a journey to do so. Along the way, he meets a young girl called Vanellope, who is from a candy-themed racing game. She wants to win the races in her game so that she can be on the official roster of playable characters in the game, and so that people will stop calling her 'the glitch', due to the weird bugs she experiences when racing.

Along with Felix and a hulky female soldier (whose name I forgot), Ralph and Vanellope ultimately help each other out and save the arcade world from disaster. It's a typical children's movie, of course.

Anyways, from what you can see here, she's fairly simple in terms of design. You won't need Victorian bustle skirts or a feathered mask. She looks somewhat normal here. All you need are striped stockings, a minty green hoodie, a black skirt, and some candy ornaments in your hair. Simple, right?

I did my research and maybe someday I'll actually follow through and cosplay her. But so far, here are the best things I could dig up for a costume like this:

1. Solid Pullover Fleece Jacket (Price: 20.99$)

A minty shade of green for her hoodie, supposed to look like mint I guess. Pullover hoodies are hard to find when zip-ups are so popular. Anyways, this is just one of the many colors you can find on the internet, and many of them are of the same price range as this one.


To make the red string from her hoodie, I suggest you try dyeing the drawstrings, or just replace them altogether with a red ribbon, red shoelaces, etc. I've never tried replacing a hoodie's drawstring before so this is still kind of hypothetical.

In addition, get some thick, wool thread and a needle, then loop the thread around the area where the pocket starts three times to get the right pattern from the picture above. Simple, right? Try it out here!

2. Green and White Striped Tights (Price: 4.99$)
These tights are simplistic and not much else needs to explained for them. Just remember that even if your tights are not necessarily the 'mint' shade of green, the white in the tights makes that color seem lighter anyway.

Since one of Vanellope's tights have purple stripes, I recommend you get a purple sharpie or fabric marker, lay out the tights on a even surface, and draw straight purple lines across every white strip on ONE leg of the tights. It might take a while, and you might need a ruler, but it'll look better than nothing! Get the tights here!

3. Black Pleated Miniskirt (Price: 12.66$)
Vanellope wears a black miniskirt that looks pretty plain in terms of design. Any black, pleated miniskirt would do fine, really. And these can be found almost anywhere.

The is one can be found on Amazon. Remember: what you pay for is what you get, so if there's a skirt you like better than this one, make sure to think about what is more important to you, saving money or the quality of your costume. In all likelihood, this skirt I listed could feel rough and cheap. The point is, make sure you know what is more important.

4. Women's Boots (Price: 10.99$)
Vanellope has these shiny pair of boots that can be replicated by buying any type of boots that are at ankle length. If you don't want them to be shiny, then get fleece boots or whatever. The point is, she wears a pair of ankle-length black boots. The bottom seem to have red springs or something, so if you want you can add some red paint on the bottom. Regardless, the boots are pretty plain and normal, just like the skirt.

These pair of boots can be found on Amazon as well. Remember to put your correct shoe size!


5. Twizzler Hair-tie (Price: 8.83$ -9.99$) 
The Twizzler hair tie might just be the hardest to obtain in this costume. Which really isn't saying too much. There are many ways I've seen this done. Some people go as far as to buy clay to mold into the twizzler shape, while others will use actual twizzlers (ew, imagine that in your hair). For me, using simple cords would be preferably. The hair tie doesn't even have to be functional. All you would need is some red rope to tie together into a knot at the top of your hair.

I would prefer for the cord to be kind of sleek and shiny though, just to give off that twizzler appeal. I've found cord online in bulk, and I don't think it's not sold any other way. There's a satin necklace that looks perfect for the item on here too, but I'll let you decide which you prefer! :)

5. Candy Hair Pins (Price: 4.00$-6.00$ a pair; may vary)
 Lastly, Vanellope has a few pieces of candy in her hair. If you were a real stickler for the real look, then you shouldn't really be following this, as you know by now that this cosplay guide isn't really 100% accurate. I normally prefer very accurate costumes, down to the cosplayer's facial expressions, but since Vanellope looks really plain and simple, almost like a normal girl, I can shy away from details on this occassion.

For the candy pieces, I recommend you look all over the internet for anything that resembles candy and looks cute. I found several good course on Etsy, like some pink bowtie candy pins, candy and cupcake hair pins, and other 'kawaii' pins. Again, this isn't accurate to the photo of her at all, but it's the general idea that counts. If you're interested in getting more accurate pins, you'll have to make your own, or go do some advanced searching.

EST. TOTAL COST: 75$ (without wig)
I make no guarantee that this is exactly how much you will be spending. It is a estimate of the costs from the products above, give or take. If the products above are sold out or out of date, I apologize but I can do nothing about it as they are not associated with me in any way.

So here's my first cosplay guide post! There will definitely be more to come!
Suggestions are welcome, and I look forward to seeing requests!
I'm thinking of doing a Black Lady cosplay guide from Sailormoon next!

Hope you enjoyed reading, comment and suggestions are welcome, as always!
-Kari-kun

The Walking Dead Episode 9 (Season 3)

That's right. The Walking Dead's back on and better than ever!

I was excited to watch this next episode because I only recently started watching the entire series on Netflix in December. Yes, I know I'm late in the game, but I got myself all caught up and now eagerly anticipate every episode like the rest of you. Seriously. Who needs Valentine's Day when you've got more TWD to watch?

So, just to recap (because it has been quite some time since episode 8, season 3), we last left off with Rick Grimes and his trusty crew finding a safe location at a prison (how ironic). However, Glen and Maggie are caught by Merle and taken to Woodbury to be interrogated on the whereabouts of their camp/prison. Both Glenn and Maggie are put through hell, but are ultimately saved by Rick and the rest of the gang. Rick is accompanied by Michonne, who was the one who informed them about Woodbury in the first place. Michonne goes off on her own midway through their rescue mission, kills the Governor's daughter, and stabs the governor in the eye with a shard of glass in their consequential scuffle. Meanwhile, Glenn and Maggie are saved, but Daryl is nowhere to be found. Ultimately, we find out that Daryl was captured and taken to the Woodbury arena, where he is forced to fight Merle, who the governor has furiously denounced and labeled a traitor to Woodbury. In order to prove his loyalty to Woodbury, Merle must fight his younger brother.

DUM-DUM-DUM!
Now... flash forward to yesterday night and we have the long-awaited episode 9!
Will Daryl really fight his brother? Or will Merle try to get them both out of there? Can Rick and the crew get there in time to save Daryl? The review/recap of Season 3 Episode 9 commences!

SPOILERS BELOW. You have been warned!

I anticipated this episode for so long, just because I knew I'd find myself biting at my nail because no one wants Daryl to die. He is almost everyone's favorite character, and without him the show would not be as great as it is (granted, there are other characters that are worth mentioning, but Daryl is definitely my bias).

So we start off at the arena with all the citizens of Woodbury screaming and shouting because they want to see a family feud bloodbath (what is wrong with these people?). The Governor forces the two brothers to fight in order for Merle to prove his loyalty to Woodbury. Meanwhile, Andrea uselessly tries to convince the Governor not to go through with this, but to no avail. Once Merle and Daryl commence fighting, I immediately think (or hope, at least) that Merle has something planned.

Now, I don't like Merle (Heck, I don't think anyone did) but I gathered from his personality that he would not have let his bro down. From what Daryl has said about their childhood, they were both used to taking a beating. It makes sense then, that a few punches and kicks here and there from Merle won't phase Daryl as he's used to much worse circumstances. Yes, Merle was working for the Governor. But they didn't always see eye to eye, and the show hinted at that from the beginning. I had a feeling Merle was going to try to save himself and his brother in some way - blood is thicker than water as the saying goes, am I right?

The governor is amused?

Merle and Daryl brawl with each other a little, but when the zombies come out they try to work together, back to back, to take on the brain-eaters. At this point, both brothers are ill-equipped to handle zombies, but they start punching the monsters in the face anyway. It's obvious that they had to try doing whatever they could to avoid getting bitten, but the punching just seemed awkward because prior to this everyone had been shooting the zombies or cutting off their heads with axes and blades. Somehow, the punching just looked funny to me and made me laugh. In all honesty, unless their fists have wolverine claws protruding out, it would be pretty hard to bash a skull enough to cause damage to the brain of said zombie with your bare fists. If the fight continued, Merle and Daryl would have been screwed.

Fortunately, Rick and crew come to rescue! They shoot some zombies, throw a smoke bomb, and manage to knock out the lights in the stadium. At this point, everyone is thrown into a frenzy and everything is chaotic. I watched as Daryl and Merle tried to get out of the mist, wondering if they would be able to escape together, hoping that Daryl would remember to get his crossbow, and also hoping Andrea would get shot or something equally as wonderful.

I know a lot of people may think that's harsh. But seriously, remember when Andrea was so eager to prove she knew how to fire a gun that she almost shot Daryl to his death? What happened to that conviction? Now she's just always aloof and quick to trust strangers. Her old companions cared for her a great deal, but she doesn't seem to miss them all too much. Yes, I know she wants to blend in with Woodbury and be at peace in a chaotic world like everyone else, and I know she had no idea what kind of person the Governor could be. But she would do well to remember that not everyone is trustworthy. I mean, she started sleeping with the Governor only a few weeks after they had met! She's either desperate, or stupid... or maybe both. She wants to prove herself and be that 'strong independent woman' archetype, but everything she does and says makes her seem like a naive, dense woman who always seems to be on the wrong side. Honestly, when she started to pick up the gun on the ground next to that Jill Valentine wannabe (I don't remember her name, she was the lookout girl that Andrea talked to a few episodes back), a part of me hoped Andrea would either shoot the governor, or maybe even herself.

Back on topic though, the first thing I thought of when Rick and the others showed up was for Daryl to get the hell out. Preferably with his crossbow. To my delight, Darly did manage to snag back his crossbow, and it was all done in a twirly, 5-second stunt that looked wonderful on screen. It was done in haste and was perfect with the scenario. Later on during 'The Talking Dead' show after the episode aired, I found out that Norman Reedus improvised that little stunt himself. Kudos to you, sir Reedus! It was an awesome scene and a cool move!

Look out, everyone. We've got a badass over here.

In any case, Daryl and Merle get rescued by the crew, and the Governor has a "I've got to kill John Connor" look as he walks out of the smoky mayhem, which is kind of cool when he shoots that zombie nonchalantly and he walks out of the dust cloud in the arena. At this point, the episode really starts and you get the opening credits.

Now the next part is what really ground my gears.
After saving the two brothers, Rick and the rest of the gang have to decide what to do with Merle. Michonne doesn't like him because he tried killing her (obviously), and Glenn doesn't like him either because Merle was the reason he and Maggie got captured, and Maggie almost got raped. I understand where both are coming from (it's not the hard, really). Under the circumstances, we can always trust Rick to be the rational one, right?

Kudos to Rick for shutting Merle up.

I myself wondered what would happen. To a certain extent, I wanted Merle dead just to tie up loose ends. However, Daryl decides to leave the gang and go hunting or whatever with his brother, which really aggravated me! I understand that blood is thicker than water, but Darly holds too big a role for him to leave the crew unattended. After Shane's death, he basically becomes the second in command. If this were a RPG, it's almost as though they just lost one of their main damage dealers. Daryl was more than a valuable asset to their party. Half of me wished the group could give Merle a chance and take him in on their side again (he could be valuable too, if they cut off his tongue or something), if only to make sure Daryl stayed with them. But the other half of me knew that if Merle joined, something horrible was bound to happen.

Also, kudos to Rick for shutting Merle up with the butt of his revolver. I get sick just hearing Merle talk (almost as much as I did Andrea). He was going to ruin everything for everyone anyways. I just hated seeing him look smug as Daryl left with him, like he had won something great.

Anyways, after Daryl and Merle leave, Rick is left with Michonne, Glenn, and Maggie. Glen has his own mental breakdown when they choose to let Merle go. Obviously, Glenn wanted to kill Merle for causing strife to his girlfriend. At first, I didn't understand what the big deal was. After all, it wasn't as though his girlfriend was raped. She was sexually harassed a little and her honor was sullied, but it could have been a lot worse. But not only did Glenn not let Magige speak up for herself, he seems to be taking it way harder than she is. I think to him, Glenn lost a little bit of his masculinity in his inability to save and protect his girl. Maggie is obviously his first girlfriend and he treasures what they have more than anything else. The fact that he could do nothing to save her makes him feel like a worthless piece of shit. I think Maggie understands how he feels, and that was why she chooses to keep quiet on her own feelings about the matter.

These two iffy newcomers are bound to be trouble.

Back at the prison, Hershel and the others greet their new guests and tell Tyreese that his people are allowed to stay if Rick says so. Now, Tyreese and his sister seem like valuable people to have around and seem sensible enough, but the other two in the background I think are a liability, especially the younger-looking Caucasian male who reminds me of Ben from The Walking Dead video game. Man, I hated Ben!

Meanwhile, Andrea tries to calm down the ruckus at Woodbury (as if anyone cares what she does) while the Governor becomes stone-cold and an arse since his daughter was killed by Michonne. His reason for continued living in this zombie-infested world have now gone down the drain, and I think he's given up on everything but revenge (specifically, on Michonne). In fact, it's pretty obvious he's going to go to the prison Rick and the others are located and shoot it up or something. The Woodbury scene with Andrea did give me more reason to like her though. At least I'll know that if she was thrust into a political position, she could probably handle it. In fact, I'm thinking she might just be the next governor of Woodbury if the town perseveres (even though that might not happen).

When Rick, Glenn, Michonne, and Maggie come back to the prison, they immediately anticipate the coming of the Governor's forces and tell everyone else about it. Rick also tells Carol that Daryl left, and she is grief-stricken over it. I think Carol's reaction pretty much sums up all of the viewers' reaction of Daryl's departure. No one wants Daryl to leave for good, or to die. That would just ruin the show for everyone.

In any case, the moment Rick comes back to the prison, he goes to see his infant daughter and to hold her. However, once he holds her, she starts to cry as though she's scared of him. He looks at his daughter as she cries in his arms, and the look that he gives her is just... confusion. Amy says that his daughter has Lori's eyes, but what feature of Judith's are Rick's?

Rick frowning at his daughter, Judith.

At this point, Rick almost tosses the baby back at Amy and leaves to deal with the Tyrese and his crew. While I realize Amy might now have meant to upset him, the fact that we have rarely seen any Judith and Rick moment on-screen means that Judith doesn't seem to get along with her father well because he neglects her and she is not aware of who he is. Furthermore, Rick looks down at his daughter and frowns because he knows Judith is a reason his wife died. To add on to that, he doesn't even know if the baby is his or Shane's.

Of course, it doesn't matter who the father of the baby is, because Lori told him that it would be Rick's no matter what. But that doesn't change the fact that Rick blames the kid for the loss of his wife. Now to add on to that, the baby doesn't even seem to have strong connections to her 'father'. This probably drove Rick a little insane for the day, which is why he started to hallucinate that Lori was standing before the railing when he tried to talk the newcomers into leaving.

It's ironic because Hershel told Tyrese and his companions that Rick was the one who called the shots. What are they going to think now that they see Rick as a hallucinating psychopath? That's what I want to know.

Anyways, there's the conclusion to my review/recap of Episode 9 of Season 3.

As for what's to come, who knows? Maybe the gang will suspend the role of leadership from Rick until he "gets better". Hopefully Daryl will come back to rescue them and Merle will 'accidentally' get killed in the Woodbury vs. Rick's gang war that will ensue. In the preview, it looks like Glenn and Michonne will be going off to kill the Governor together, which might be cool but might also kill Glenn's character for me.

Go away, Michonne. No one cares about your muteness.

In the coming episodes, I hope to see more of Maggie and Glenn's relationship because I really like them as a couple. I only wish Glenn would talk to her a little more and reinforce their relationship through more rational means (if he kills the Governor, he'll never be the same). I like the idea that Rick is haunted by the ghost of his wife, but I also know that it's going to make for a bumpy ride in the future and get in the way of things (like it already has in this episode). Hopefully, the two Caucasian newcomers will not be so stupid as to try anything funny with Rick's crew, and maybe Tyreese and his siter will prove to be very useful people. As for Michonne, I could really care less about her. She gets on my nerves with her whole 'silent and mysterious' persona. If you think about it, she doesn't benefit at all from acting enigmatic and it bothers me because with-holding information during a zombie apocalypse is rude and dangerous, and not cool at all.

Anyways, these were just my opinions of the show thus far. You are free to join me in responding!
What did you think of Merle and Daryl's departure?
What do you think will happen to Woodbury in the next few episodes?
What do you make of Rick's continued hallucinations?
What do you want to happen in the next few episodes?

Obligatory Introduction

Hello all, Kari-kun here!

Welcome to my new blog, Epic Pixel! The name derives from the self-founded studio that I'm using the update my RPG-Maker project, The Crown Cachet (the official title is still in the works). In addition to updates on my RPG project, I'll also be writing reviews about other RPG games, from the old ones to the news ones. These will obviously be solely based on my personal experience and may or may not contain my bias (you have been forewarned). In addition, I'm also going to touch up on a few TV shows that command a huge fan group (such as the Walking Dead and Game of Thrones), and talk about a few cosplaying interests of mine.

So that's about the gist of it. Kind of a geeky blog if you ask me, but here's to what may come in the future!