'How I met Your Mother' Season 8 Finale: The Mother is Revealed... through Facebook.

Read the title first, then read the rest of this.

Why was the finale disappointing?
I have many reason. First, it was too short to be considered a finale - it lacked traumatic experiences, drama, and the funny lines weren't even that hilarious. Second - and this take a huge bite out of episode for me - was that I ALREADY KNEW WHO THE MOTHER WAS prior to watching it.

How, you ask?
Because of Facebook.
Yes, that's right - Facebook told me.

Because heaven forbid I like a show so much that I actually 'liked' the page for it on Facebook, not knowing that hours later the official facebook page thought it would be perfectly alright to post a picture of the mother and caption it with: "A secret 8 years in the making! You just met... wait for it... the mother! Like this post if you were surprised!"

Well, no shit I was surprised.
I didn't even need to watch the show to figure it out, apparently.
Now, I normally watch the show a day later because I don't have access to the TV and I'd rather download the episode online later. But I do check my facebook regularly, which apparently was a bad move on my part. 

  Regardless, Cristin Milioti will be playing the role of 'the mother' in season 9 of this very long series. I'd have to say that after 8 seasons, HIMYM has really needed a break. The last good episode I watched was Episode 13 of Season 8, because I really connected with that rooftop scene with Ted and Lily and it made me cry.
 

 So, thank you HIMYM Facebook page.
Why don't you just summarize the entire episodes of season 9 for me as well?
Needless to say, I'm pretty peeved at this situation.

At least have the decency to think about your other viewers. You know... the ones that have to go to work and wait a week to watch you show.
Either than, or learn to put in SPOILER ALERTS before posting your damned spoilers.

Iron Man 3 Review

First off, let me start off by saying that I loved the first Iron Man movie. 
 
While I share no particular craze for Robert Downey Jr. as an actor, I did feel like he's done a good job in portraying Tony Stark's snarky attitude down to the tee, especially in the first Iron Man and the Avengers. If he wasn't starring as the main hero in this movie, everything might as well fall apart. I'm not one for recasting in movies.
 
In any case, I went to see the legendary third installment for the Iron Man trilogy, in 3D no less. And let me just stop here to say that seeing the movie in 3D was no intentional. It was only being offered in 3D so I had no choice. I'm don't buy into the 3D gimmick, and I certainly don't enjoy watching things in anything other than 2D.
 
Perhaps having to put 3D glasses on top of my regular glasses made me a little cranky from the start. Having the 3D effects dance obviously before my face for the first ten minutes was nice, but for the remainder of the movie it was barely recognizable. I'm surprised I didn't bother trying to take off my damn plastic glasses to watch the movie like a normal person.
But I digress. Onto the actual move review.
 
In this thrilling third movie, Tony Stark has to save the world again, which is no surprise for a superhero movie. Everyone knows the basic formula for these things. The only thing that makes Iron Man different is that Tony Stark is a sarcastic, rich, flaunting tech-genius. His snide remarks and jokes make every movie that Iron Man shows up in very enjoyable, and his character has since been written admirably.
 

So what the hell happened to him in this movie? The sarcastic, snide remarks are cut down to a minimum, and none of them are really that funny. It's like they used up all the good jokes during the filming of the Avengers. Furthermore, Stark's sense of humor has been substituted by that of a frantic, nervous wreck who barely knows what he's doing anymore. Iron Man 3, sadly, is just that last squeeze for the franchise before it has become a empty tube.
 
I mean, having the Mandarin be the main villain for the movie was very intriguing. However, Tony's become a unstable insomniac who has been hit with a extreme case of anxiety, apparently due to his close brush with death during the Avengers. While I realize that this is a chance to make Stark seem more human and emotional, the movie is nowhere near in portraying Stark as having an actual mid-life existential crisis. They introduce that he has panic attacks sometimes, but they never state why it is so significant. I mean, Tony Stark has been clashing with death since the first damn movie. What makes this so different?
 
If they wanted to make his mental status a bit jaded and dark, I'd say they should've taken a page or two out of the Dark Knight Rises. Meanwhile, Stark's mental illness is subsequently brushed under the doormat by the end of the movie, leaving you to wonder, 'what the hell did I just watch?”
It feels like nothing of huge significance was resolved. By the end of the Mandarin's demise, you still feel incomplete and unfulfilled, like the movie built up all this rising action but failed to deliver to final blow to tie up the loose ends. The Mandarin, in terms of a villain, was a disappointment. He had no memorable or significant lines, no spectacular powers, and no clear and powerful motive that served enough to get me intrigued in his character. He didn't seem that strong, and Tony only lost time and time again because he was too busy wallowing in his panic attacks and creating cheap clones of the original Iron Man, which would later explode into fireworks anyway.
 
That being said, I must say that the only thing that made my eyes perk up in alert were the scenes Tony had with the young boy, Harley, who helps Tony fix his broken-down superhero suit and is later awarded when Stark finally gets himself together and 'fixes everything'.
 
Another welcome change in the series includes Pepper Potts' role. She gets into one of the suits and actually saves Tony, which is nice for once, and at the end she even saves him again with powers of her own, albeit her powers were forcefully given to her.
At the bottom line, Iron Man 3 really did not pack much of a punch and despite attempts at jokes and explosive displays, nothings struck me as spectacular or particularly lively and creative. The humor did not make me crack out laughing, and the action did not have me clutching to the arms of my chair. While the movie ends off predictably serene with a sense of finality, you can't help but wonder if the entire movie had any substance to begin with.

FINAL RATING: 6.5/10

Cosplay Made Easy: Black Lady

Alright~

So apparently, a lot of hits to my blog were from the last 'Cosplay Made Easy' guide for Vanellope von Schweetz. Since it was so popular and I wanted to do another, here goes:

This one is going to be from a more legendary/antique character in the anime/manga world: Black Lady, from Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon series. If you haven't heard of it, then chances are you don't fancy anime/manga. In which case, this probably won't suit your interests.

I've always wanted to cosplay Black Lady. Why? Because even though she is a antagonist and I hated her for trying to steal Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon, she looks awesome. I mean, Mistress Nine was just as sexy in terms of character design, but Black Lady was just very appealing to me. I can't quite put my finger on it either. I mean, I really didn't like her character when she tried stealing Damien and getting in the way of Usagi and Mamoru's blossoming relationship.

Anyways, this cosplay guide might be a little more expensive than usual(not to mention it might take a few crafting and sewing to get it done halfway decently), but let's just try to make the best with what we've got, m'kay?

Disclaimer: 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! :)

Cosplay Guide: Black Lady (Sailor Moon)

As I mentioned before, Black Lady is a antagonist from the shoujo anime/manga series, Sailor Moon. She is the daughter of the main protagonist, Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the English dub), and comes from the future to ask for help in saving her future world . She also later goes to the past in order to help her teenage parents fight crime and maintain justice.

Art by Rin54321 on DeviantArt

In any case, when Chibiusa (aka Rini) is first introduced, she goes through a strange mental crisis where she is very protective and affectionate for her father, and very mean towards her mother. This obvious invokes the jealousy of Usagi, who is barely a adult and is in no way ready to take care of her daughter from the future with Mamoru (aka Damien). Because of Chibiusa's naivety she is easily coerced by the evil forces, the Dark Kingdom, and is brainwashed into being one of them. She uses these powers to fight Sailor Moon and her friends, and to also kidnap her father so that he will be hers and hers alone.

Her character design is very elegant and refined.
As you can see by her image on the right, she wears a long black dress with slits on the sides, with a sheer turtleneck underneath. There is a jeweled black choker and wristbands attached to this turtleneck, and she has a long pink shawl. This, of course, covers just her costume and not the makeup and wig/hair products required.

As usual, I did some digging around and found some neat things we could do/use to cosplay her. If you've any other suggestions or great finds, please don't hesitate to share!

80 Slinky Black Dress (Price: 30$)

The main black dress is the most important part if you want your costume to look good. Why? Well, aside from it being the MAIN part of the costume, it has to be long and form-fitting. Black Lady has a thin waist, and her dress accentuates that (black makes you thinner, remember?), so you want a dress that is tight, but still comfy.

I've found many black dress with slits, but some are either too short, or don't have the design I need. If you look closely, Black Lady's dress is surprisingly simple. It doesn't have frills or ruffles, nor does it have sequins or flowers. In fact, you can buy a long, tight black dress and cut slits for yourself. Easy as pie.

The only tricky thing about portraying her accurately is the fact that your black dress has to be in a v-neck shape, and the cut has to be somewhat frilly. Of course, beggars can't be choosers so if it comes down to it, as long as you portray the general idea of Black lady (a long, slinky black dress and a mesh turtleneck top), I think you'll be fine. But I'm a stickler for details so chances are, I'll keep looking.

Black Semi Sheer Long Sleeve Turtleneck Top (Price: 15$)
When I first started looking into options for this costume, I kept trying to find a black dress WITH the mesh top already sewn into the costume, thinking it'll be an easier option. However, while it MAY be cheaper to but a black dress with mesh fabric already on there, it is insanely difficult to find these things. In fact, I don't even know if it exists outside of cosplay stores.

Fortunately, I found what I was looking for on good 'ol eBay. The turtleneck looks scrunched, but that's nothing a pair of fabric scissors can't take care of. All you need is to put the slinky black dress over top of this top, and it'll look halfway there. The only thing you'll be missing are the accessories.

Earrings and Forehead stud (Price: 28$)
These are the beautiful earrings that all the members of the Black Moon clan wear. After Chibiusa becomes a part of their clan, she wears similar ones, and also has the moon on her forehead inverted upside down and turned black, like the rest of the other members.

Of course, the earrings are too essential, and you can really wear any black, dangly earrings you have. But these look more authentic. The moon on your forehead could also be easily painted instead of gluing on a black gem. Much less work, I'd imagine, but pictures often reveal interesting detail that you might overlook, so it'll be up to you. 


Shoes (Price: 10$)
In the anime, she has red heels, but I prefer black ones. You can really find any kind of heel to go with this costume. If you're looking for cheap ones, here are some 10$ heels. They give you some nice height, if I may say so myself.

Pink Shawl (4$) 
Again, any shawl should do just fine, even if it's just a long pink strip of fabric left over from whatever.

This guide is flawed! This is my idea of how to make the wristbands and choker.
Now, I realize that when you buy all these items (or items similar to it), you will be missing a very core piece of your black Lady cosplay - the wristbands and the choker. My solution for this would simply be for you to buy black fabric (you don't need much, jsut enough to make the wristbands and neck piece, and then get some crystal bling to glue or sew on the black fabric. Then, sew the wristbands and neck/choker you've completed onto the black mesh top you'll be wearing. Use either velcro or zippers if you want.

This is obviously just one solution, and I have no idea what your wallet size is, but it shouldn't cost more than an 20$ for this craft project. Once you're done, everything should be in order (mostly). 

EST. TOTAL COST: 85-90$ (without wig and accessories)
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. 

Actual Cosplay Dress: 82$ (without accessories)
In reality, it might be less work if you bought the dress itself from online, as it comes with the mesh to, dress, choker, and wristbands in one package. But it doesn't come with shoes, earrings, or the moon sticker on your head. You'd still have to go out of your way to buy those. But with this official cosplay costume bought, you'll be spending around 125$, and you'll probably need a wig as well.

Perhaps you don't even need to wear a mesh top!

Also, I rather enjoy looking at fanart and the like when I browse the internet. I found quite a few good works I can cosplay off of. After all, Yaya Han did a art nouveau Chun-Li based off a art piece she found on DeviantArt, so why can't you do the same? :)

Here are a few more ideas that might help. They aren't the original costume for Black Lady per say, but they give some nice twists to the character design without actually ruining her aesthetic.

I really like the choker and shoes she has on in this one.

So there's my cosplay guide post!
As usual, suggestions are welcome, and I look forward to seeing requests!

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

Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo Snippet

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So here it is! The third installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion!

I know, I know. It's been years since the last two films were out, and the third has been out for quite some time now. But for some reason, the pirated copies of the film were just unbearable for me when the movie first came out, and I found myself saying 'Fuck it, I'll just wait for a Blu-Ray rip.”

Well, I finally got around to getting a well-edited and subbed blu-ray rip of this before it came out in America, and I can honestly say that I was disappointed in this latest installment. Yes, that's right. I said it was disappointing.

Prepare to be disappointed, Mari fans.

In the last film, Evangelion 2.0: You can (not) Advance, Asuka is admitted into a test run of the new Eva Unit 03, which becomes possessed by the ninth angel and Shinji is forced to fight it. Obviously, Shinji didn't want to fight Asuka and hurt her, so Gendou used the Dummy-Plug system on Shinji's Eva to get the job done. (I was yelling at my TV when I thought Asuka died.) Then, Shinji tries to quit piloting for a while (what's new?) but ultimately comes back when Rei is in danger. He uses Eva Unit-01 to save Rei from an Angel, reaching inside the Angel's core to save Rei. Once that happens, Unit-01 becomes a divine being due to Unit-00 and the Angel being absorbed into Unit-01. This starts the Third Impact and the credits roll. But luckily, after the credits we see that a lance is launched into Eva Unit-01, neutralizing it's transformation and simultaneously halting the Third Impact. Kaworu then descends from the moon in Eva Mark.06, and we can only assume the interruption was his doing.

But... as we all know, Asuka didn't die and is back in action – this time, with a awesome new eyepatch (as if she couldn't get more badass). Mari is seen as a new addition to the team again, and Shinji and Rei.... well, they're still there, I suppose.

Now, I said earlier that I was disappointed in the movie. And I have good reasons why.

The last movie left us off at a climactic end, which I appreciate if I were to get back into the Rebuild series. Similarly, ROE: 3.0 starts off in a action-oriented battle scene from the very beginning. Some fancy 3D graphics are displayed to make it seem new-age, and the art style is very similar to that of the earlier films in that it really hasn't changed a bit, which isn't a bad thing at all.

But that does nothing to the story, and here's why:

SPOILERS START HERE, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT AND PLAN TO, PLEASE STOP READING.

From the beginning you are completely confused and maybe even a little bored because you have no idea what is going on. Explosions are everywhere, rockets are launched, technical terms thrown around in the air in a frantic atmosphere, fancy display of explosions and gratuitous blood and gore, but nothing really makes sense. In essence, it is the very thing that turns me off from most Mecha and makes me yawn. That's right - It made me yawn.

Anyways, you see Asuka and Mari fight some Angels and retrieve Eva Unit-01. It turns out Shinji was in it and they bring him out of his slumber shortly afterwards. From the beginning of his awakening, everything seems different and everyone acts oddly cold towards him, even Misato and Ritsuko.

So apparently after the events of the last film, Misato and Ritsuko deviated from NERV to form a new group called WILLE, and their purpose is to destroy all Eva Units. Shinji has just come out of slumber within Eva Unit 01 after 14 years, but that doesn't become very clear until you get deeper into the film. He is given some kind of tracking device on his neck, making him looks like a BDSM yaoi stereotype, and he is told that the collar around his neck with detonate and kill him is he tries to pilot another Eva ever again. At this point, it's obvious that everyone blames him for causing the Near-Third Impact and want to prevent it from happening again.

Why don't they just kill Shinji and be done with it? Hell if I know. You don't get any answers as to what the hell is going on, so try not to smack your head against the wall too hard. I guess to that extent, you kind of feel lost like Shinji in the film, so kudos to the directors for that.

The functions of this ship in the air are unclear, but they explain that it has the power to 'kill god' (yet somehow it has trouble fighting off angels. Pfft.). It also turns out to be a part of Eva Unit-01, which no longer will be piloted by Shinji. We are not given any details to why or how at the point, but they do mention that Eva Unit-01 can no longer synchronize with him anyway.

Needless to say, You Can (Not) Redo takes place in the future, 14 years after the events of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance. Now, I understand suspense and mystery has charm and allure for most viewers, but there is a certain point where the audience just needs to be taunted and teased by some sort of answer. But Evangelion 3.0 does that very sparingly, and it can be very frustrating. All we can do is sit down and watch, frowning and confused.

Anyway, Evangelion Mk. 09 comes out of the blue to the Wunder (the big flying ship they're on), and snatches Shinji away before he is taken away to Quarantine. The pilot of the Mk. 09 turns out to be Rei Ayanami, who Shinji was told no longer existed, and he is taken to the ruined remains of the GeoFront to meet his father. Gendou tells Shinji that he is to pilot the new Eva Unit-13 with Kaworu, who is also in Central Dogma with him and Rei.

This is where everything got interesting for me. And no, I'm not talking about the nice piano scene (although it was nice). I'm talking about Rei and Shinji. Now, you probably know that this Rei is just one of the many clones of Yui Ikari, but Shinji doesn't know that. Or does he? If you've watched the original anime series, you'll remember that Shinji never truly finds out anything about the connection Rei Ayanami has with his deceased mother. But in this film, he finally finds out.

This was actually my favorite scene in the entire film.

After bonding with Kaworu, Shinji finds out that his awakening of Unit-01 into a divine being 14 years ago caused the Third Impact, which killed everyone and cause catastrophic damage. Kaworu explains that the Human Instrumentality Project's purpose is to destroy all life on earth so that everything can be reborn. (Wow, Shinji, it took you that long to figure it out?) In addition - and this part I found the most interesting part of the entire film – when Shinji agrees to play a game of shogi with Fuyutsuki, he learns that Yui Ayanami – his mother – is sealed inside Unit-01's core, and that Rei was a clone of his mother, one of the many created. The Rei who brought Shinji to the GeoFront was obviously one of these, and Shinji realizes this now. He is driven back into a crazed, depressed, mental state. where he refuses to pilot the Eva ever again (big surprise).

At this point, Kaworu comes to unclip Shinji's collar to put on himself to make Shinji feel better (why couldn't be just throw it in the trash instead? Whatever.) and explains to Shinji that if they can manage to pilot Unit-13 into the bottom of Central Dogma to retrieve the Spear of Cassius and the Lance of Longinus, they can undo the Third Impact. Shinji obviously thinks this is a good idea, so he goes with Kaworu to pilot Eva Unit 13 together – that's right: two pilots in one eva unit. How awesome does that sound?

Well, prepare to be disappointed. Even though it looked cool at the beginning, nothing spectacular happened. In fact, Kaworu doesn't even do anything while inside the Eva. It isn't any different than Shinji being in a Eva unit by himself, and let's be honest – no one cares about Shinji's whines and gripes. 
 

TWO pilots for one Eva. Sounds cool? Well, it wasn't that great.

As they descend down a green tunnel, you'll notice it's mock similarity to the scene in the original series when you see Lilith. Along with Rei in the Mk. 09, Kaworu and Shinji reach Lilith's corpse and the abandoned Eva Mk.06. Kaworu immediately realizes something is wrong, as both lances are Longinus. But regardless of Kaworu and Asuka's advice, Shinji retrieves the two spears and Rei releases the Twelfth Angel when she kills the Mk. 06. This twelfth angel is absorbed into Unit-13, which becomes divine just as Unit-01 had years ago, and starts to fly, opening the "doors of Guf" for the Fourth Impact to begin.

At this point (and you should've anticipated it if you've watched anything Evangelion to begin with), Kaworu realizes that he is the Thirteenth angel, and Unit-13 is revealed to actually be an Adam. Rei is helpless in the Mk. 09 as it primes itself to be a Vessel of Adam and flies to wreak havoc on board the Wunder in an attempt to reclaim Unit-01. Asuka stops it with her self-destruct mechanism, and Kaworu plunges the two lances of Longinus into his body before exploding inside Eva-13 himself.
And so, with the destruction of Eva Unit-13. the 4th impact was stopped. 
 

And that's the end of the film. The summary was long, so I apologize. I just wanted to share every boring detail of the film with you guys. Honestly, if I could restate it into one sentence at the end, I would conclude it with: Gendou is still sure everything is going the way he planned, somehow.

That's it. No answers. Just a lot of questions. In fact, all this movie did was give you more unanswered questions, and it left things hanging in a way that made you very aggravated.

The end scene just has all the Eva pilots walking off into the sunset, like everything is still fine and nothing catastrophic happened at all. Of course, that's Hideaki Anno for you I suppose.

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!