First Cosplay - BloodRayne

Success!

2009-06-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

A very successful cosplay of Rayne I must say, and I will definitely cosplay her again in the same costume at regular intervals I think. To find my pictures, go to - SlimDefinition - BloodRayne Photos (Flickr).

Blades (stage 5) part 1

2009-05-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

The final stage of the blade-making.
Take a look at the following pictures...

1.) Blade braces (not yet sprayed).
I sprayed one side, but dad needed to cut and shape them.

2.) Blades (facing right).

3.) Pattern (facing right).

4.) Pattern (facing left).

Dad is in the process of making the circles for the mounts. They are looking GOOD.

Blades (stage 4) Part 3 - Attaching Handles

2009-05-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

The handles have been stuck on. Dad reckons he has to drill through the ball to MAKE SURE it all stays in place. It should be alright, but he wants to do that to be safe rather than sorry. However, I just hope that goes to plan. There's a lot of hoping involved in cosplaying it seems... -_-'

1.) Handle (on shed floor).
It looks precarious, I know.

2.) Handle on blade (side).
It's attached this time.

3.) Handle on blade (from above).
Attached of course.

4.) Handle with U piece shown (not attached yet).
Those U pieces have been re-painted since I took that picture.

5.) Holding the blade.
Without any support underneath there.

Leggings + Blades (stage 4) Part 2

2009-05-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Alright, finally I have something positive to say about the leggings. Well, the FRONT at least. The back is yet to come and it's yet another worrying aspect of this costume. I'm confident we'll get it to at least acceptable standard though.

Please note, the yellow thread you can see is where mum tacked the panels on beforehand. Those will be taken out.

Ok, pictures...
1.) Front - distance.
2.) Front - side.
3.) Front - close.

On picture 3 you can see clearly they do bag a bit, but there's really no other way we can do it.
I still think they look good on these photos though.

BLADES!

1.) Oval handle additions.
On Rayne's blades, the handles at the bulb end are rounded, but also form into a slightly more oval shape at the bottom. The gaps will be filled in and painted that chrome colour to try and mask how they've been joined a bit.

2.) Painted plastic template for the braces.
The size may need to be altered slightly. Also, the plastic has been spray painted.

3.) Blades - painted.
Theoretically they should now be ready for the handles to be attached, and then for the pattern to be drawn on.

It's coming along.

Blades (stage 4) Part 1 - Handles

2009-05-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

We're getting the handles done now. They're only partially made at the moment, but they'll be fixed in place soon enough. Here are a few pictures...

1.) Handle piece with screw.
2.) Handle piece screwed to ball.
3.) Handle with ball placed over blade.

As you can see in the third picture, the blade is painted. Both of them need painting again before I try and draw the pattern on them, but they're looking good so far.

Blades (stage 3) Part 2

2009-04-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of the blades in stage 3. The transfer of the pattern is temporary at this stage as the wood still has to be sanded. I transferred it to see how it looked.

1.) Pattern
2.) Front end (angled to show how it's planed) - the hole at the front there will be filled in. Dad put it in there to hold the two blades together whilst he shaped them to be pretty much identical.
3.) Front end (tip angle to show planing).

Unfortunately I can't show you a picture of what the engraving looks like literally. Readers will just have to trust me it's right. It's a little rough right now, but I'll make sure it looks good on the real thing.

Blades (stage 3) + Leggings (part 1)

2009-04-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Alright, I have some more pics of the progress on the blades...

1.) Dad planes the shape of the blades
2.) Dad planing the blade shapes again
3.) Full length - blades facing left (central markings drawn)
4.) Full length - blades facing right (central markings drawn)
5.) Blades (front end) with central markings
6.) Blades (back end) with central markings

The marking shown are where dad will be planing them to shape as the wood is quite thick at the moment. He'll round off the corners to make them safer to carry around.

I also have a few things on the way from eBay: 55mm wooden balls (don't laugh) for the bulb end of the blade handles, wooden circles (which may or may not be suitable - will have to see on arrival - what are you going to do for £3.40 including p&p?), and Hammerite smooth metal silver paint (can't find the gunmetal grey one anywhere - yes Hammerite works on wood as well).

Regarding the leggings...I DID get burnt. Nevermind. Me and mum are looking at another way of getting the red panels on. She'll be home tomorrow after her weekend away and we're aiming to get them done and looking as they should by the end of this week.

1.) Legging panels (front)
2.) Legging panels (back)
3.) Legging panel (front - left leg)

The finished BloodRayne costume is nigh.

Blades (stage 2)

2009-04-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

The blades are now cut out of Pine. They just have to be planed before I can paint them.
Dad will be working on the mounts and mechanisms once that is done. I need metallic gunmetal grey or silver paint for the blades, a darker grey for the mounts, and red for the braces.

1.) Weird angle before cut-out
2.) Back of blades
3.) Front of blades
4.) Full length of blades

In the fourth pic it looks like the bottom one is larger than the one above. In actual fact it's just the angle I took the photo from. They're the exact same size.

Finally! The top is finished!

2009-03-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

1.) Looking more like Rayne now

2.) The back of the top, now all shiny

3.) Top with suspender straps attached

4.) Front of the top (the suspenders can't be seen here)

5.) Flat out (the suspenders can't be seen here either)

Here are some reference pictures for the top...

Rayne top reference 1
Rayne top reference 2

Rayne costume reference 1
Rayne costume reference 2
Rayne costume reference 3

With regards to the leggings, I've cut out the front panels for them, and just got to trace and cut out the ones for the back (which go up on to the rump as well). We're going to put ribbon around the edges of them, use the spray adhesive to stick them on, and then I'll take them off so they can be fused on with the iron. I've put velcro spots on the leggings at the top and on the thong with the cross patterns as I'll be wearing it over the top.

Hopefully I can get that done before I go away sailing, so when I get back all I'll then need to get done is the blades.

The Brimstone Choker & Pendant (+ fangs!)

2009-03-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have updates. The top, I promise, is on the brink of being finished, and I have pictures of the Brimstone choker and necklace I made.

1.) Front - flat out

2.) Back, where I put two little loopholes for the necklace

3.) Back - flat out

4.) Pendant - Brimstone symbol is drawn on with CD/DVD marker, which will rub off with a lot of effort....I've tried

5.) Looped and fastened with velcro stick on spots!

And here are two Rayne and Brimstone reference pictures...
Rayne Reference 1
Rayne Reference 2
Brimstone Reference 1
Brimstone Reference 2

As with all other parts of the costume, the Brimstone necklace has various features as well. I've kept it as simple as possible, going with the style shown in the fmv picture of Rayne, and the pendant without the two hammer-like pieces jutting out either side as in some depictions.

There are also two versions of the Brimstone symbol. One with a single straight line down and another with two. I went with the single one as it was easier to draw on to my pendant.

-------

Additionally, I also have my fangs...
1.) Fangs 1

2.) Fangs 2

They're Scarecrow natural smaller custom fit fangs. The problem with them was that after molding, for me they didn't stay on safely, so I'll be using fixodent to keep them on. This means to get lunch I'll have to pull them off and brush my teeth as they'll be all gooey with the fixodent stuff. Fun!

Nigh on finishing the top

2009-03-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

Front 1
Front 2

Back (yes I know the hair isn't straight - do you know how difficult it is to straighten your own hair when it's that length?)

What's left to do?
The cross-stitching across the breast area, the laces on the front (easy), the red strip at the bottom on the back, and the red strip over the top of the smaller eyelets but below the large eyelet.
Then it's finished. Myself and mum are having a bit of trouble figuring out how to do those two strips as I need the elasticated parts of the top there in order to do it up at the front. We've already made it a lot tighter on me.

The top is derived from three pictures of Rayne. One is from the first game and two are from the second.

BR1 Back
BR2 Side
BR2 Back

There are some distinct differences and similarities between them, but as I've said before, as many of the screen captures and concept arts differ in different parts of the costume design, I combined some of the bits from various screenshots and concept arts to fit the style of top I was using.

On another note, I have a piece of dowling and a piece of wood to make the first part of the mount for the blades. I just need to draw out the brackets on the plastic we have, get some wooden discs (about two to three different sizes), and two planks of pine as the balsa is too flimsy. Oh yeah! And the handles for them as well. This is all rather complicated...O_O'

I can't believe it's not leather, can you?

2009-02-17T09:41:00.001-08:00

More of the top is done. I painted the front with glossy 3D fabric paint. The brand is DYLON, and it seems to give a leathery look rather well. The main issue is that with stretchy material it cracks a bit, but actually gives a really good effect.

Before that, on Sunday I took a couple of pictures wearing it to show how it fits - Sunday 1, Sunday 2.

I've only taken a couple of pictures since I painted it though. I'm only painting the front anyway. Doing all of it would ruin it, and in some pictures the front of the top is the only shiny bit (though on others it's shiny all over). Like I said before, there are several variations of the top depending on concept art and even in-game - leather 1, leather 2.

Even more coming soon...

Top almost finished + hair dyed again!

2009-02-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

The top isn't QUITE finished, but here are pictures with the two red side panels now on.
There are still more red ribbon trims to go around the edges and to finish off the pattern though.
Almost there!

Top (flat out)
Top (front)

I also dyed my hair again. This time I used the Schwartzkopf XXL Live colour to see if it came out any brighter. In artifical light, it doesn't look all that much better but it's still more vibrant depending on what kind of light hits it and where abouts I am standing in or around that light.

Examples:
1 (shows the colour really well - and it looks to be the right shade there)
2 (shows it about right but a little dimmer due to shadows)
3 (makes my roots look a bit orange - though they aren't - blarg)
4 (vibrant, but still the light makes it look a tad different - and I look tired)
5 (and the more shadowy variation in colour - imagine when I get the fangs!)

Top progress

2009-02-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

We've made some more progress with the top.
Flat out - with pins
Front
Back

There are more red trims to put on the bottom and on the back and around the side panels once they're ironed on. Then that'll be the top completely finished.

Following that, the remaining aspects of the costume will be:
* Trying to obtain a Brimstone necklace (which may be possible, otherwise I'll have to substitute it)
* Add the red pattern on to the leggings (not going to be very easy)
* Getting the blades cut out, painted, and the mechanism made.

After that, theoretically I should be pretty much done.

Boots - the stripes

2009-02-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

I've now done the red stripes on the boots - with red insulation tape. It will come off easily without ruining them, hence why I used it. The problem with the tape is that it's difficult to shape, and therefore some parts may not look absolutely perfect. I've done my best with them for now though.

Boots: 1, 2, 3, 4.

I didn't take that much time over that, so I can probably tidy them up a bit more.
I thought it was better to put the stripes on as it makes them look more like how the boots are supposed to be, though without the spike. That's as near as I'm going to get them.
It's the angle up the arch of the foot that makes the stripes there look a little weird, but alas! I can't change the shape of the boots and that's as close as I can get to the actual shape of them.

I think they look good enough. ^_^

Eyelets finished + Blades (stage 1 part 2)

2009-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

I've just completed the eyelets on the top and the back of the thong with my father.
Here is some of the work we did: marking 1, marking 2.

Then we added the eyelets: Result (front), result (back) - please note that the flap at the top that's folded up will be cut off so it won't show behind the eyelet.
Also, here's the back of the thong.

On to the blades...
Template cut out
Template cut out laid on a balsa plank
The cat doesn't know what's going on here (just for fun).

We're getting there. Slowly but surely we're getting there.

Blades (stage 1)

2009-01-26T07:09:00.001-08:00

I made the template for the blades today using a box that one of my swords from Barringtons came in - mainly because that was the longest piece of cardboard I had.

Template: Balsa and cardboard, template (mechanism & handle outline), template (full length).

The length of the balsa planks is 36" inches, but it's actually a bit too long to have the blades at.
The mechanism needs to sit under my forearm and it makes them too long if kept at that length. So, the template is drawn at 32" inches which is plenty long enough. Don't forget, when I bend my arms, they will stick out anyway so I need to be careful on that front.

I can't say when there'll be more updates on the blades as I need to rely on my father on that side of things. I will update on them as and when I can, so be patient those of you who are reading this.

Adding the eyelets (stage 1) + more cosmetics

2009-01-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Finally, I can now say I'm going to be getting the top sorted.
I've worked out where the eyelets are going to go. These two pictures show this...
Front
Back

The red ribbon will be the trim going all the way around the edges of the top.

I've marked out where the eyelets are going on the back of the thong I will be wearing over the top of the leggings as well. Thong 1, thong 2.

Here's the second stage of how the cosmetics are going.
1. (I still have my own eyebrows - had to thin them out though...OUCH - and yes the pencil is slightly smudged underneath...whoops...oh well).

2. (Anyone notice in BR2 that Rayne tends to look sideways before turning her head if you bring her up close to the camera?)

3. (Just looking a bit more serious).

4. (And again. Yeah, I'm in the bathroom. So what? I was looking for areas of the house that was light enough to take these pictures. That was one of them).

I will need to take more time over doing my eyes. It's aggravating trying to get eyeliner pencil off with wipes let alone without them. So you'll have to wait a little longer for that addition.

EDIT: Oh, and here's a picture of painted nails with a glove.

We're halfway there!

2009-01-16T08:29:00.001-08:00

Indeed we are. Look at the following pictures: A, B, C, D, E, F.
I did those last night.

Then there's these ones...
1, 2, 3, 4.
I took those ones this morning. I put a bit of the make-up on (didn't spend long on it because I was too lazy and didn't want to have to start scrubbing the whole lot off). Remember, that's only a BIT of it.

Right so, we're getting there. My dad added more holes to the armbands I'll be wearing as well.
I also have the balsa wood for the blades. I need to draw and cut out the shape of them so dad can use them as a template. There's also making the mechanism to make them pivot that's going to be a pain in the arse as well. I haven't told you yet...I can prophesy (if anyone thinks that spelling is inaccurate, look in the dictionary). My prophecy is that there will be much in the way of swearing when it comes to my dad making these blades. I'm talking A LOT of swearing.
His favourite swear line is "I don't f***ing believe this!!!" So I'll likely be hearing that a lot.

Nyargh! I want to get this done even though the convention is still a few months away.

Gloves and Arm-warmers

2009-01-11T13:02:00.001-08:00

Not a lot to say here really, apart from...well, look here. Here's another picture that was deliberately taken on the squiff by Amanda in an attempt to get my arm in.

The red piece at the top is not attached to the black arm-warmer. It's a very small red arm-warmer that I put on the wrong way and folded over. It seems to be able to do the trick.
I'm getting my father to punch more holes in the wristbands so they'll do up tight (they don't currently...far from it right now), and hopefully in the next day or two he'll help me get the
eyelets punched into the top. Approximately 10 in the back (5 parallel to one another) with a single larger eyelet at the top, and eight on the front (4 either side). That's my guess at the
moment. I'll have pictures up as and when.

Hair + the top

2009-01-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, look at this. The hair might feel a bit awkward right now, but it's looking food.
There's another hair pic to show too.

It's coming along slowly but surely.
I'll be putting up pictures of the updates of the top and leggings in the near future.

New hair.....ahh!

2009-01-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Long time no post.
Ok...just take a look at these...
1, 2, 3, 4.

The annoying thing is, the hairdresser took more than I wanted off.
I wanted to be able to get it into a ponytail still (easily). I can do that, but only just...so putting it up makes me look a bit weird. Right now it doesn't feel right - naturally because my hair has never been this short. However, it doesn't reach my collarbone and that's what's bugging me. It's probably going to bug me until it gets to that length now. Why can't hairdressers ever stick to what they're asked to to!?

In any case it does look good. It's just not comfortable...
I will keep it this style, albeit a TAD longer though (but not by a great amount as I need it more or less like this for the cosplay). I straighten it anyway (if fluffs up otherwise), but the hairdresser's straighteners make it feel too thin. Nyargh!

More of the hair

2008-12-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

I took some more pictures of how the hair looks so far. See them below.
I do think it might need to be a shade or two brighter than it is, but it still looks rather good.
My appointment with the hairdresser is currently 2pm on January 8th.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

More pictures

2008-12-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have a few more pictures now. Last night I put pretty much everything I have so far on. I didn't put the hair attachments in as they take far too long and I need help putting them in (you figure out why), and I forgot about the necklace and choker...whoops.

Anyway, I've just dyed my hair again but am not convinced it's the right shade. Daylight will give me proof. I dyed it and showered this morning, but my hair takes ages to dry and if I don't tie it back it'll end up looking like a scarecrow's pubic hair......not a good look. I normally straighten it anyway because as my hair has natural kinks it can easily get knotted.

Many people think I'm naturally red-headed. True or false? FALSE! My hair is naturally rather dark brown, but I might as well be a red-head because I feel I probably should've been one and have been dying my hair reddish colours for about four or five years now. In the case of the cosplay though, I need to find the right shade. Like I said, daylight will tell if this one's OK or not, but right now I'm not convinced it is....we'll see.

Here are the pictures...
1, 2, 3 (top, leggings, gloves etc...)
Hair 1, Hair 2.

The top is found!

2008-12-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

Well, I think I finally now have a suitable top to use. Take a look at these pictures: front, front 2, back. The front isn't done up completely and I tucked it under to try and get the cup shape right. It looks like it'll work.

The back isn't EXACT, but that's the best I am going to get for a v-shape and a large eyelet will go through.....if I can damn well find some! That's the next big mission that I hope won't be as difficult as the finding of this top. After that, I think I'll try and get the leggings done with the red material and such, and then start work on the top.

Gloves and Wristbands

2008-12-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

Moving swiftly on.....

I bought these gloves and added the red material to them, and also got a hold of the wristbands that I'll be using to attach the dhampir blade mechanism to. I've taken a few pictures with one of the gloves, arm-warmers and two of the wristbands on: 1, 2, 3, 4.

I haven't got a great deal to say today, apart from I'm really liking how the gloves and wristbands are looking! And...that the top situation isn't any better right now. Grr!

BloodRayne Pictures (differences in costume)

2008-12-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

Before I go any further I want to highlight some of the differences I've found in Rayne's costume between the first and second game (especially the second). Some pictures show some distinct differences within BloodRayne 2.

For example, this three sided picture shows the red material coming up in a v-shape on her backside, and on the gloves there's a red piece on the back of her hand and red dots on the knuckles. In the game, the piece on the back of the hand is there but the red dots aren't (at least the first time you play the game through because there are different outfits to unlock - I'm about 2/3 of the way through the second game now). In the first game, the gloves are different as well.

Back to the buttocks. Now, in the second game you get the costume as in the first picture, but from playing the game first time through at least the shape is different on her backside. Take a look here, and again the same pattern. Unfortunately I can't get the deep v-shape on the back of my wet-look leggings because a.) it'd ruin them completely, and b.) I'm revealing more than I've ever revealed before in my life thus far and the crack of my arse won't be included.

Do note that in the first picture she has stitching on the upper arm section of the gloves, whereas in the second picture from the first game, that stitching isn't there.

In this concept art picture, the red material on Rayne's legs come right up to her waist, but then in this comic version the shape is a bit different. In this censored pic (she's topless in this one), the pattern is different STILL.

With the hair attachments, there are little red pieces at the bottom of them. In this one it's of the Brimstone Society's symbol. However in this one (look under her arm) you can see the hair attachments are in two red stripes. You can see it slightly here too.

Right, we've established that there are quite a few inconsistencies with the costume. So, I'll be doing what I can with what I've got. The hair attachments have the stripes on the bottom from the ones I made. Making them with the Brimstone symbol would be extremely fiddley so I went with the design from BloodRayne 2. The gloves....yet to decide that. I'm seeing if I can get some full length wet-look armwarmers before I decide. If I have to get a shorter pair of armwarmers I'll not stitch the two together but I'll put red stitches on one of them where they overlap.

If I can get full length wet-look armwarmers I won't bother with the sticking and therefore they'll look like the ones from the first game. The hand pieces on the gloves are going to be separate gloves entirely. I found some driver's gloves on eBay with a large hole on the back of the hand and hey presto also open circles on the knuckles. Adding red material underneath will suffice and will just have to stick on red material around the short finger pieces.

The leggings I am going to do pretty much as the latter pictures I put up about them. Not the straight up v-shape, but the more rounded version. That way they're probably going to look better I think.

As for the top, don't get me started. Five tops, sixth on the way....making me want to cry now. There's yet another I've seen on eBay that I'm requesting to buy right away rather than having to damn well bid on it. I hate bidding! If I want an item, I just want to purchase it and not have to faff around waiting for days until it comes to a close frantically bidding every few seconds in a vain attempt to get the item by outrunning someone else's computer by constantly refreshing every couple of seconds.

If I can get this costume right I might as well stick with cosplaying Rayne because this has already cost me well over £100. At this moment in my life I'm not rich, and am not a craft-type person to be perfectly honest. If/when I have more money and time I might consider others, but Rayne really is a hardcore bitch and that's rather my style. Not many other videogame/anime girls out there like her with red hair. My hair is naturally dark brown but I dye it red...prefer it that way. :-p

Oh yeah, and I hope these will be the cuffs (they had better damn fit right). Can't get them made of metal, or silver. They did them in white, but I thought white really wouldn't go to be honest. These are the closest I can find at a cheap price. They'll do. With the straps, dad should be able to attach the mechanism easier for the weapons.

How the leggings and thong combine...

2008-12-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

Well this is what the leggings look like when I wear the thong with the red laces over the top.
Again, taken in the evening in bad light when I had to up the brightness on the camera.
Sorry the photos are therefore cack because of it, but the evenings are really the only times when I faff around with these things (that will be until the real making of the costume is in full swing).

Much more will happen after Christmas...

Watch this space...

Thongs going over leggings

2008-12-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Sounds like a funny post doesn't it. Take a look at what'll be going over the leggings - thong.
I took the black laces out and put the red ones in. I need to put a red rim over the top, and put eyelets and more red laces in the back of it. It fits snugly over the top of my leggings anyway.

Here's a pic of me wearing the boots (well not exactly of ME, but rather just my legs and feet).
Again, a poor quality image. I keep doing these pictures in my room in the evening which has poor lighting, meaning I have to put the brightness on the camera up which makes the picture look a bit fuzzy.

Hair attachments finished

2008-11-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

I've finished making the hair attachments.
It took quite some time considering I had to do it in stages and wait for the glue to dry.

Hair attachments & the search for a top - Part 2

2008-11-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

I've almost finished making the hair attachments. It's just a matter of waiting for the glue to dry after every stage of their creation.

Regarding the top. Well I found two potential items on eBay and bought them both rather cheaply (one had free p&p - whoo!)

That's pretty much it...
Going to be looking at the polyester & elastane leggings in New Look at the weekend. Hmm....

Oh yeah, regarding getting the red material on, I was told about a special type of paper at Sew Simple today (it's an Art & Craft store near where I live - biggest in Norfolk in-fact). You draw the pattern you want on the paper and cut it out, then you iron it on to the fabric to be transferred, then you cut around the fabric and then iron it on to the garment. Apparently it's all machine washable - it says that it's guaranteed to work on the little slip of information I was given about it.

I added a few more photos to the TinyPic album.

Hair attachments & the search for a top

2008-11-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

I got the hoops from a little store in Norwich. They weren't earrings and were steel bracelets (I think). Everything was fine until I got home. Then I found they were all interlinked. Damn.
So, this morning my dad went into his shed, cut them off one another and soldered the ends back together. I've just added the black ribbon to them and they're in the process of drying (used fabric glue).

As for the leggings....well I've seen something a bit better if I can use them (shiny polyester and elastane leggings). However, they're £10 a pair - I'll be getting some regardless of what I do to them anyway.

Now the top. This is making me swear both mentally and aloud. I can't seem to find the right sort of thing anywhere. I've bought two tank/sport tops and a waistcoat and none of them are suitable for modification and nor do they even look right. Damn again. So, we're going into detective mode to try and sniff out the right top another way. Those things (at least similar things) must exist somewhere. It's just a matter of flushing them out from wherever they're hiding.

Oh! And the boots are perfect. ^_^'

Getting there with the preparations

2008-11-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

I've purchased those boots (the 4 inch thicker heeled ones). I'm just waiting on them, another choker, the waistcoat and the silver hoop earrings to use for the hair pieces.

The other items I require are as in my previous entry.

I will soon be ready to begin work on it. If I can get some cheap thin paper I can at least start on the leggings. I will probably do the top afterwards because that will be the hardest part of the costume.

Process of the final gatherings

2008-11-20T13:06:00.000-08:00

I've bought those hoops, but I don't know if I'll be getting that particular waistcoat (we'll see). I got a different waistcoat that looks like it might take the punishment I'll be giving it, but that has yet to turn up.

The choker turned up but it's too thin, so I've bought another one that's thicker. I'm desperately trying to get the boots I want still, but the seller won't let me buy them directly on eBay instead of bidding. I hate bidding on there! I'd rather just buy the item and be done with it rather than have to wait days and then battle it out at the end and end up losing it. All it takes is for someone to have slightly faster internet and to refresh the page and get the last bid in.

The last things I need to get really (providing the waistcoat is alright and I get the boots I want) are: red straps (perhaps watch straps? I don't know...still have to look around), corset suspender garters (though I'm not wearing a proper corset - making the top out of the waistcoat I still need the garters), hair clips to keep the hair pieces in place and the longer lengths of my own hair in position, and the ring to go on the back of the top.

It's a royal pain the backside, but it's got to be done.

Rethink

2008-11-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, I don't think the 6 inch stilettos are going to be the way to go. However, I found something quite similar with a thicker heel. These.

If I can't get a hold of these ones I'll be looking for boots exactly like them. Those are 4 inch heels and they have the platform...so it's close enough and it'll mean I'll be able to walk in them much more easily and don't have an extremely high chance of breaking my ankles in them.

The gloves also came today, but I think they're a tad too short. They could do with being about 2-3 inches further up my arm as Rayne's are almost up to her shoulder. However, I can only do my best with what's available. I'm trying to get another waistcoat on eBay. The seller is just taking her time getting back to me *sigh.*

I'm also trying to get this waistcoat, and have been looking at these for the hoops that Rayne has in her hair on which black ribbon is attached (I have the ribbons).

Boots

2008-11-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for the boots today, and I found them. They are on eBay at - Angie Black PU Knee High Platform Boots High Heels UK 7

Now, I've never walked in high heels before in my life...let alone 6 inch stilettos. I'm a bit worried about trying to walk in things like these because I really don't want to break either or both of my ankles. The likelihood is probably slim, but then I'm probably just been downright paranoid about this. A big part of me says "buy them! They're exactly what you want for the cosplay!" and the other part is saying "you retard, why are you even thinking about this?"

Ok, so I can take some smaller more comfortable shoes if my feet get tired (and considering I've had my feet operated on as I had bunions - if you don't know it's when the big toes are out of joint and the bone becomes inflamed and hurts like hell until you have them surgically corrected - they probably will need relief occasionally).

It's a case of ease and comfort as opposed to really looking the part for the cosplay. You never know, I might be pretty comfortable in them. I don't know until I try though. These guys have a 7 day policy to make payment, so if I selected a cheque as a payment option then I wouldn't have to send one (I'm guessing) if I sent them back within those 7 days.

I'm not able to buy just yet though - somewhat short of cash - but I'm thinking of just going for it as soon as I can transfer the money over and....give them a go.

Part 2 of Stage 1

2008-11-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well the leggings turned up today, and last night I ordered a black choker from eBay. It's velvet, but I can only get as close as I possibly can (and I am determined to make it pretty damn perfect considering the materials and items available to me). One just needs to search thoroughly for these things, and I think that if you're going to cosplay you've got to do it as best you can and not completely half-arsed so that you don't look anything like the character you're trying to pull off.

I also bought a waistcoat that I HOPE will suffice for taking the punishment I'm going to be dealing to it. If not, that'll be the second time I've wasted money on a top that won't take it. *Sigh.*

Now I need to look for a suitable pair of boots (and some silver paint that I can add to the heels that will come off when scrubbed - need to look the part as I said above), and then there are the hoops for the hair pieces. I have the ribbon. I just need the hoops themselves and clips to hold the relevant bits of my own hair in place.

I just seriously hope me and my father can find a way of doing the contraption on the arms for the blades and the blades themselves (which will be made out of wood - no worries!)
I think a visit to places like B&Q and Wickes would help.

Materials

2008-11-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, I already have most of the materials.
I'm waiting for the leggings and the gloves to turn up and also need to find the right kind of boots.

I went to the London MCM Expo in October this year, but found out too late to cosplay. So, I've got the cosplay bug now and have decided to do Agent BloodRayne for the next one in May. However, I am obsessed with getting the costume done as soon as possible to ensure I get it right.

My TinyPic account is here - Cosplay

I don't have many photos yet. The hair ones are experimental, as is the crap one of me wearing the leggings and the black waistcoat (I won't be wearing that waistcoat because it wasn't cheap and I'm not going to ruin it). I was just seeing what sort of thing I'd need to be wearing and/or how I would make a top look as I need it to.

I'll be updating as and when I have new pictures and progress to talk about.