Oh, God. I'm A Crazy Person

[redbrunja]

I'm clinically insane. That's the only explanation. And you know, this really isn't my fault, I can't be held responsible - this is because of lack of sleep (I do crazy things when I'm sleep deprived, like making rp journals) or the fact that the water was shut off this morning in my apartment (Me last night: I want to wash my hair. Mmmm, better not, there's never hot water at night. Me this morning: *turns on the facet* *no water at all* Oh, you are kidding me.) Oh! Finals. This is because of finals. And I'm still half-sick. Really, I can't be expected to make rational decisions right now.

*takes deep breath*

So you want to know what I'm not doing?

This morning, I did not take screencaptures of Suki's awesome and fiendishly complex outfit.

 

I am not poking around on fabric sites looking at what's available.

I am not looking at pattern sites and thinking, 'hmm, am I crazy, or would that Tibetan Chupa make a good base for her outfit'?

Oh, god, I'm clinically insane aren't I?

Flist, I throw myself on your mercy. 

Help. 

If you could either a.) find and return my sanity

b.) give me the information on cosplay, specifically time/skill/money estimates, ideas on how to make the vest, headdress, arm bracers and detailing.

c.) smack me across the mouth and stick my head into a bucket of ice water.

[ETA: use this and possibly this.

A-Line Skirt]

Comments

[chomiji]

The chupa looks good; see this about Wonderflex if you think the armor vest is somewhat rigid. Otherwise, you could make a paddded/quilted thing instead.

(I've done a little bit of SCA costuming but not much cosplay.)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of going for a simplier quilted vest think for the armor - that seems one of the easiest places to simplify.

And hey, as far as I'm concerned, SCA costuming and cosplay is a real potato-patahto situation, you know?

[chomiji]

Welll, both of them take a certain amount of looking at drawings and trying to figure out how to transform them into wearable clothing ... .

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

True, but fabric seems a little kinder to work with than learning a whole new skill set for more rigid armour...

[chomiji]

Oh ... I think I see, you were thinking I meant SCA costuming re the armor? No, armory in SCA isn't considered costuming at all - because, as I think you were implying, it actually has to function as armor. I've never done armoring! Yes, that's a completely different skill set.

But the costuming part isn't that different.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

But this is the FUN kind of insane!

The Chupa would be a good start -- the neckline in particular is pretty close, it's not a banded kimon style of neckline (don't forget to check the screencaps of Azula and the Dangerous Ladies stripping off their disguises in Ba Sing Se for good shots of the robes without the armor. The biggest changes are you need to set on somewhat loose sleeves, make the skirts more A-line than straight, and have them somewhat open in front so it can be worn over another darker wrapped skirt. I'd make the bracers as a separate item that laces/velcros/whatever on top of the loose sleeve -- notice how in the screencaps there's a little ruffled edge of what looks like the sleeve fabric sticking out under the wrist-edge of the bracers. The shape of the armor is very reminiscent of Japanese armor, so I'd say you definitely want something that's somewhat flexible rather than a solid-metal-breastplate sort of feel -- most of the Kyoshi and Suki cosplayers I've seen just went for green vinyl with stitching lines to match the lines on the costume.

No idea on (a), mine's long gone! (b) is all so so variable, I don't know what your sewing skill levels are like and I've been sewing so long, taught it for a while even, that my ideas of what is and isn't easy are kind of warped? If you're starting with the chupa as a base, though, you'll need to be able to sew darts, set in sleeves, and otherwise make some large alterations, so we're definitely not talking rank-beginner level here; if you go for vinyl or pleather for the armor that can also be a little tricky to handle if you're not used to the stuff. Costs are so variable depending on what fabrics you're using and where you shop that I'd be reluctant to venture a guess. Arm bracers, at least, I could give you a pattern for easily, I've got some leather ones that could be used as a base; for other ideas, try taking a look at threadbending. You also probably should look through avatar_fans for cosplay posts that might be tagged, since not everyone posts in both places, and it might even be worth checking DeviantArt, I seem to recall seeing pics from at least one of the Suki/Kyoshi cosplayers there. As for (c), um, cool water might help the dark circles! *ducks*

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Okay, first, any hints on making the sleeves fuller and making the skirt more A-line? And also, what would be the best way to manipulate it so that the underskirt shows up?

I'm definetly thinking the bracers are seperate, and then I'll get some of that pretty, thick pre-embrodered stuff and sew it down the sleeves. I'd love the pattern for the bracers, by the way.

For the the armour vest I was thinking of really simplying it, and going for a more simple vest in a thicker fabric.

My skill level:

not an utter rank beginner. I've made a skirt before (a rather nice one, with insets) however, I helpfully have my grandmother was helping me. However, I am fairly notive, so I don't know many terms, and I'm rather unschooled.

Advantages: I have brillant sewers around me, including my mother (who is not grandmother level of brillance but still better than me). I'm fairly good with my hands, and I am fuel by the power of CRAZY!

Thanks for the links, and the links. *bows*

(The advantage of the kubuki make-up would be that the dark circles wouldn't even register.)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Well, classic Japanese kimono construction is pretty easy -- it's all meant to be cut from a special-sized bolt of fabric and almost all the pieces except for the front overlap are just straight rectangles (and those start as rectangles, then you just cut a bit away diagonally); with a little experience you don't really need a printed pattern for most classic Japanese garments, you're just cutting rectangles to set measurements:

http://www.wodefordhall.com/kosode.htm (http://www.wodefordhall.com/kosode.htm)
http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/japanese/Jap123s.html (http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/japanese/Jap123s.html)

Traditionally, the pieces were cut to a standard size, and then the fit was adjusted by taking wider or narrower seam allowances. That's an extra layer of confusion you probably don't need as a beginner, though; the Folkwear yukata pattern has the proper garment shape and guidelines for different sleeve styles, but marked in more gaijin-friendly sizes. (A quick search on sewingpatterns.com shows cheap Butterick and Simplicity kimono costume patterns -- they might not have all the authentic finishing details included in the Folkwear pattern, but the basic lines look similar and they're pretty cheap!).

However, the girls' dark green overrobes aren't quite cut like a basic kimono; the neckline is a little higher, and lacking the band; the sleeves are longer and narrower, and the overlap on the front pieces is much higher up on the chest; the silhouette of the neckline and front overlap is less like a kimono and more like a men's cheongsam (http://www.mandarintouch.com/index.php?cPath=2_158) style, similar to the more Chinese-influenced fashions with asymmetrical front closures that seem popular in the Earth Kingdom in particular. (It's definitely not tight set-in sleeves and close-fitted bodice like a modern qipao, like the Folkwear "Hong Kong Cheongsam pattern"; it's a lot closer to their "Chinese Jacket" (http://www.folkwear.com/114.html) pattern, the version with the stand-up mandarin collar and assymetric close. If you wanted to try to work straight from patterns with minimal alterations, using that jacket for the top and a slightly a-line skirt with a bit of pleating at the front could work, then just use the basic skirt pattern to cut an overskirt that is a few inches shorter and split in the front, cut from the same lighter fabric as the jacket. Or you could use hakama for the underskirt -- that's another one of those things you can just do from a diagram:
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/graphics/patterns/hakama1.PDF?53,17 (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/graphics/patterns/hakama1.PDF?53,17)
http://www.sarcasm-hime.net/hakamapattern.html (http://www.sarcasm-hime.net/hakamapattern.html)
...although again, Folkwear's pattern is nice and detailed if you feel more comfortable not working from a chart.

For her armor, the animators skimmed on the details so you can't really tell if it's supposed to open up at the back or the sides; Japanese armor of similar shapes could fasten either way, so really you can just pick whatever you like. This page has some really detailed stuff for SCA folks building their own: you don't want to go that fussy level of working with individual metal plates, but it'll give you a good idea of how the overall pieces should be shaped and fit together:

http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html)

The arm bracers, I can draft you a pattern from these leather bracers I've got -- you could pretty much do them out of one large piece of whatever pleathery stuff you use for the armor, some appliqued trim and edge bindings, if you're not scared of working with stretch fabrics I'd suggest filling in the section where mine lace up with just a flat panel of spandex in a matching green, so you can just pull them on over your hands and they'll fit snugly over the sleeves. Gloves you can find patterns for, but working with those tiny pieces and stretch fabrics might be a bit much for a beginner -- simpler to get readymade gloves in a matching color, or dye to match, and just embellish with a bit of trim.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you for all that information.

*brain tries to inhale it all at once* *fails*

Gloves are actually the one part of the costume I already have. ^_^

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Come hither, young padawan.

This (http://images.cosplay.com/showphoto.php?photo=492612) and this (although you can't really see it well) (http://images.cosplay.com/showphoto.php?photo=413946) were made from a robe pattern by Simplicity. If you catch JoAnns around holidays, you can get those patterns for $2. A few minor adjustments can easily turn it into the main of the dress.

Her head piece can easily be made of pieces of polystyrene plastics, which you can usually find small sheets of in hobby stores (they're commonly used for model making.)

Overall, this is not a *particularly* difficult cosplay. It'll take a little time and a little learning, but really, truly, by comparison to most, this is on the easier side.

Also, if you get on JoAnns' mailing list, as much as it will spam you, you'll get some killer coupons (Hancock fabrics too, if you have those near you.)

Another, cheaper option than the Wonderflex (as amazing as that stuff is) is a Craft foam armor. (http://www.entropyhouse.com/penwiper/costumes/helmsdeep.html) I've played with the method before but have never really fully made a piece.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

You realize that my encoraging me, if I lose the rest of my mind and do this, I'm undoubtably going to wind up flinging myself at you.

That's for the suggestion of Suki's headdress.

What do you think of smilaraaq's suggestions for adapting the pattern, and do you have any hints for how to do that?

Also, I really, really wish that one of the awesome people who do cosplay lived near me - I have you a state away, smilaraaq across the country, and my grandma a 1/2 hour outside my home down. The good news is that my mother is a bit better at sewing then I am, and since I'm the fruit of her loins, she has to put up with my craziness.

(Also, at this point, ideas on how to get her on my side for this insane project would be helpful - I'm thinking of doing the math and arguing that I can make it cheaper than buying a leather jacket and fake-leather pants, and that this way I'll get to practice my sewing skills.)

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see. We're bailing on Gojyo now, huh? XP

Anyhow, having dealt with historical-esk patterns before, they're hardly for the novice. I would honestly suggest going to a fabric store and raiding their pattern books and seeing if you can't find something suitably similar that you can modify. (I can't really help with what needs modification until we know the exact pattern to be used.) Simplicity is the best by far for beginners. Everyone that I know will atest to that these days. XD

Gee, I guess this means you'll just have to come visit. XD

You got her on your side for Saiyuki....I can't imagine getting her on Avatar would be that much harder. :D

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

You like Simplicity? The last time I looked at them their sizing, particularly on the beginner stuff, was horrifically huge, and the construction techniques they were suggesting folks use were absolutely dire...I steer away from them unless they've got an intersting style that nobody else has anything comparable to, and then I pretty much ignore their size charts and their directions and pretty much everything but the pattern tissue itself...

(But I like Folkwear and Vogue, so my biases for fussiness are probably very very evident...)

[pzb.livejournal.com]

I actually heard WHY all the standard patterns are all wonky on sizes. They're the only, roughly 50's era sizing. I hardly go by their sizing, especially on baggy things, but their patterns and instructions are generally easier for beginners to use than other pattern companies that I've used. I've not used Folkwear, but I have used Alter Years (http://alteryears.com/) and their sizing was funky as well and instructions hard to follow (though they do have some great, period costume pieces.) So all in all, I think for sake of ease, start with stuff that's easier to understand. :D

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in classes I always really tried to emphasize looking closely at the amount of design ease in the pattern and checking the finished garment measurements before selecting sizes, rather than just trusting the little chart on the back -- but eesh, Simplicity and McCalls in particular always seemed to run particularly oversized, compared to stuff like the advanced Vogue patterns I favor, but it's the sloppy construction techniques they were calling for some of the time that really had me rolling my eyes. But I grew up studying my mom's sewing books from the 1940s and 1950s, so it's not too surprising I'd be inclined to a more classicist funky approach. (Now, if you want scary, I have a bunch of vintage patterns from the 30s and 40s -- not reproductions, actual vintage tissue; instead of the painfully-detailed instructions on so many modern patterns, these are just insanely terse, because they assume you already know all the terms and basic techniques so they don't have to go into much detail at all!)

Folkwear are pretty good on detailed instructions, since so much of their line consists of historical or ethnic styles that are likely to be unfamiliar to the basic home stitcher who doesn't have a primary focus on costuming. They sometimes tweak things to be a little friendlier to modern street wear and construction techniques, but often give alternate instructions for doing things more traditionally; I haven't yet tried Alter Years, but while the complexity of the patterns varies, the thoroughness of the instructions is way, way beyond the totally un-beginner-friendly approach of stuff like the historical costumes from Richard the Thread (http://www.richardthethread.com/index.php?submenu=Patterns&src=gendocs&link=patterns), which I have used -- those do very much assume that you mostly know what you're doing and don't need much hand-holding at all.

Red, you should probably talk with your mom or grandma, whoever's going to be your primary go-to helper here, and see if they have a particular favorite pattern line to work with, too -- PZB would steer you towards Simplicity and I'd go for Vogue or Folkwear, but if they really prefer, say, McCalls, it can't hurt to stick with what they know and like.

Aside from the speciality historicals that you're not gonna find on the shelves at Jo-Ann or Hancock anyway, the one major brand I would steer a relative beginner away from is Burda; unlike the American pattern lines, they don't include seam allowances on their pattern pieces, so you have to mark and add those on yourself -- extra work, and a bit confusing if you're not used to it. And the instructions are all translated from the German -- they're generally not terribly awkward at least, but that may add just another layer of unfamiliarity to the whole process.

I'd also recommend getting a good, basic, heavily illustrated guide like Vogue Sewing (http://www.amazon.com/Vogue-Sewing-Revised-Knitting-Magazine/dp/1933027002) or Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Sewing-Readers-Digest/dp/0762104201) -- no matter how friendly and hand-holdy the pattern instructions are, they still might not always be as clear and detailed as a book with actual color photographs along with the diagrams; and if the pattern confuses you, the books may explain the parts you're stuck on better. You can pick up older used copies of either of those fairly cheaply if you hunt online or check used bookshops -- if you can overlook the dated styles and colors shown on some of the finished projects, the basic information on construction techniques and terminology will all be the same; the only thing that might be lacking from really old copies is a section on working with overlock machines, and if you don't have one available to you anyway you hardly need to brush up on that! :)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I think it's going to my my mother. First: convice her I'm not crazy. Second: throw all the info I've been getting at her and decide whether to make it as two seperate peices or use the chupa pattern. Third: enlist grandmother to help with the harder bits.

And those books are a great idea - I'm sure I can find one or both of them at the library, and it will be awesome to have a resource like that, so I'm not going in blind.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

You can find older used copies of the Reader's Digest book used for about five bucks, including shipping -- and poking around some reviews you might actually be better off with the old late-70s printing, the updated edition apparently gets rid of all the cheesy earth tones and dated styles, but they also dropped all the advanced sections explaining tailoring techniques! It's a good basic reference text, well worth it if you want to expand your skills and have something to help you figure out anything that's unclear on the patterns. :)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Well, since I can't justify buying two costume, and one of my arguments is going to be 'I can actually make Suki cheaper than I can buy Gojyo' (did that sound a little wrong to anyone besides me?)... poor kappa. He's getting ditched for a hot girl.

I have ALWAYS been planning on coming to visit you prior to Sukura Con. (However, will you be insulted if I come bearing cosplay as well as gifts?)

Well, it's going to be a lot harder because I'm going to need her help, and Suki cosplay is going to be way more time consuming than Gojyo would be. However, I have a plan ride to think up rationalizations, and I'm come up with some REALLY GOOD ones so far.

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Actually, there was something I forgot to print up and bring down with me to mail with your package. Ironically, I had come up with it just before you had suggested it - a cosplay coupon, redeemable any and all the time. XD So, no dear, I will not mind at all if you bring cosplay stuff down with you. :D (Besides, you'll have a couple belated Christmas presents that I didn't have time to finish before we left for CA.)

And I wasn't sure if you were going to make it before Sak, since you had been concerned about school and such. But let me know when you think you'll be down this way (obviously not at the moment, as I know you won't know yet...hell, you could call me and say, "Hey, I'm on my way" and that would be fine XD)

I'm sure your mom will help you no matter what the reasoning. :D

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Ha! You are delightful! And I will be redeaming that coupon.

I am thinking that if I work on the dress during the weekends I'm home (with the sewing machine), the braces, headdress and sash at college, and then if I come down during (I know there's one) three day weekend and have you help me with the vest/armour... I might be possible to have that outfit done in 3 months. (When is Sakura Con again?)

Yes, she will, but it's best if she's solidly on my side for these sorts of things.

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Are you talking Martin Luther King or President's Day weekend? Let me know which so I can arrange time off. :D

Sak is March 24-26 I do believe. That's a good plan though. The dress shouldn't take you more than a couple days and getting all the little odds and ends done that don't need a sewing machine while at school is a great idea.

We can discuss later how you want to approach the armor. Both this (http://pics.livejournal.com/pzb/pic/00023579/g8) and this armor (http://pics.livejournal.com/pzb/pic/00022p29/g8) were done with vinyl, which you'll want a special sewing machine foot for (which I have :D) but there's also the other method I mentioned before. The vinyl would likely be the cheaper (and somewhat easier) way to go, now that I think about it. We could just cut strips and sew them together and maybe do a little painting to create the illusion of more depth....we'll talk about it.:D

If I don't catch you before hand (if I haven't missed you already) have a safe trip home. :D

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure I'm thinking President's Day, because iirc, MLK Day is about a week after I start school.

*grins* It's all about time management. And caffine. (And getting my mom on my side, who was like, "You'll make a gorgeous Suki!" Followed by,"well of course I'll help/this is a good idea."

And you have the special foot, huh? How nice. And the cutting strips/painting sounds like a good idea.

And I had a fairly decent trip home, except for the last flight, where we entered the fifth dimension, where time has no meaning.

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figured you were talking President's Day.

Hee, I knew your mom would be in on it. :D

Yeah, it's called a walking foot, and essentially, what it does is lift and pull the fabric along instead of the fabric just sliding underneath it. Very, VERY handy with things like vinyl which just sticks to the machine, or very thick sections, like two layers of vinyl and heavy thick cotton pipping (been there, done that.)

Heh, yeah I think we all hit the fifth dimension on the way home Saturday. XD But glad you made it home safely.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised to hear that I wasn't he only person for whom time was moving at a viciously slow pace.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Ah, here's the best shot of Azula and friends sans armor (http://dvdscreenshots.avatarspiritmedia.net/219/182.jpg) -- you can see that there's no neckband like on kimono or kimono-styled robes, and the sleeves are long but not very full. (More caps from that sequence are here (http://www.avatarspiritmedia.net/dvdscreens.php?ep=219&page=8). I have seen Suki/Kyoshi cosplayers just going for a more basic narrow-sleeved robe or kimono pattern, it's certainly close enough for cosplay, but going for something with a closer fit in the bodice like the chupa would have the advantage of less bulk to get in the way under the armor.

Since the underskirt doesn't really show much except at the hem and at the center front where the outer robe parts, you can probably just fake that however is easiest -- anything vaguely A-line with a couple of deep diagonal pleats at the right hip, you could just take a plain slightly flared skirt and then place another layer with a couple of pleats in it just across the front to fake that wrapped effect.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the neckline is a bit lower, and kind of wrapped.

With this skirt situation, I think it would be easier to just have a simple, kind of full plain underskirt, and then find a way to manipulate the chupa or cut out part of the skirt so that it shows. (And it's I've just suggested something horrible, feel free to tell me. *waves newbie flag*)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Nah, that's not horrible, the absolute fast-and-dirtiest way of doing that would be to just go with a basic kimono-styled robe pattern, wrap it really tight above the waist, but then sort of pull it apart in the front below the waist, and count on the flare of the underskirt and the armor and sash holding everything in place. Totally doable and good enough for cosplay, I'm pretty sure that's more or less how a few of the ones I've seen in the past were done. Or you could take the basic robe pattern, which probably is cut very straight like a classic kimono, but chop it off at the waist, and then cut out the bottom half separately so that it flares out a bit more from the waist on down, and is cut away a bit in the front so it doesn't overlap as much as the bodice; again, the armor will cover up the seams. The slight advantage of the chupa is it's already got a waist seam, so you'd just need to slit the skirt open in the front and bring the side panels around to tie in front instead of the back, but the disadvantage is you'd have to graft the sleeves on, and the armscyes are curved; looking at the girls without the armor, their robes definitely have the straight-line sleeves and shoulder seams of a basic kimono, even if the neckline is a little funky.

If I were doing it I'd probably mostly construct it mostly like a kimono, but I'd eliminate the neck binding, draw the upper edges of the neckline up a bit higher to compensate and finish it all with a facing; put in darts at the waist to eliminate a little bulk, and cut the lower half separately so it would be a little more flared and not overlapping at the center front like the bodice does. Hell, if you're not planning on running around without your armor and aren't a stickler for authenticity, you could just even treat them as two separate pieces -- do a wraparound top, and then make an A-line skirt in two layers; by the time the armor and sash are on, nobody will be able to tell the overskirt and bodice aren't actually attached at the waist.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Okay, could you explain this please?

the disadvantage is you'd have to graft the sleeves on, and the armscyes are curved; looking at the girls without the armor, their robes definitely have the straight-line sleeves and shoulder seams of a basic kimono, even if the neckline is a little funky

And I like the idea of doing spliting the costume up and doing the top + 2 skirts - that might be a way to break it down and simplify it. *ponders*

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

The armholes on the chupa are sort of curvy; if you want to add sleeves to that, it's going to be like doing the sleeves on a men's dress shirt, and easing those curvy pieces tends to be tricky for beginners. The sleeves and armholes on a kimono are all just straight lines, so that would be much, much easier for you to do -- if you've made a skirt, you can doubtlessly handle sewing straight lines! :) So if you have to do alterations, taking something like a kimono pattern and making the sleeves a little bit longer or narrower would be pretty simple -- you're just taking a big rectangle and changing its dimensions before stitching it on to another straight piece of fabric; constructing a curvy sleeve from scratch and making it fit onto the curvy armholes of the chupa would be trickier drafting as well as trickier sewing. (Also, the way the shoulder seams fall on the sleeves in the screenshot, it looks more like the boxy cut of rectangular sleeves, not the closer curvy fit of a set-in sleeve.)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh, and one other potential consideration for splitting it up into pieces -- if your tastes run towards vaguely Asian-styled tops or long flowy skirts, making this as separate bits could potentially allow to recycle the individual pieces for streetwear when you're done, instead of leaving you with sinking all that time and effort into something that can *only* be worn as a costume...

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Good point. And I was looking around on the yardage charts for that Chupa, and I'm have a suspicion that you make that in two pieces, with a top and a wrap skirt.

All I can say though, is that after making the dress and the make up, I BETTER have people stopping and asking for my photo, that's all I have to say. *smiles* *is a comment whore in all forms of fandom interaction.*

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Well, they have two versions, a skirt and a full-length jumper -- I can't tell from just the little diagram there if the jumper version has a seam at the waist or not since the wraparound bit of the skirt covers up where a seam would be. Although even if it's cut in one long continuous piece, you could use the skirt pattern as a guide for where to chop it in half. ;)

And I'm sure you'd get your picture taken, probably even in groups since Avatar cosplay seems to be getting more and more popular.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I really hope so. Last year I was the one person in my group of friends who WASN'T part of the themed Ouron group, so I was totally the odd woman out.

[renegadekitsune.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the darkside, we have cosplay.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

*whimpers*

Speaking of sleep problems -- RED, PZB, you both NEED this!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Stress and insomnia leaving you feeling down? Wouldn't it make you feel better to have Hakkai's soothing voice lulling you to sleep by counting sheep to 200? (http://janee.blog38.fc2.com/blog-entry-121.html)

No, really. I'm not making this up. That's a whole SERIES of CDs of seiyuu counting sheep. OH, JAPAN, DON'T EVER CHANGE!

Downloadable version of the first disc (with Hakkai and Goku tracks) here (http://community.livejournal.com/capslocksaiyuki/4097.html).

Re: Speaking of sleep problems -- RED, PZB, you both NEED this!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Ha! I'm heard of that, but still, that never ceases to be funny.

Re: Speaking of sleep problems -- RED, PZB, you both NEED this!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Akira Ishida really does have such a lovely, soothing voice, doesn't he? Some of the other ones in that series are funny but just sound too gruff or too perky or whatever to fall asleep to, but Hakkai-counting-sheep could honestly work. :)