I'm not sure how, I'm not sure whyyy, but for my entire weekend I didn't get any migraines and had a surprising amount of energy. I also had an ability to focus and a genuine passion. Maybe the passion is what gave me the energy.

Anyway, I haven't followed my own advice about getting to projects that might bring me closer to a career. No, instead, I spent three days working on my AIW Hatter cosplay. 'Cause I just apparently really want this to be done by Halloween. Will it be, is another question because so far I've only ordered the fabric for the vest. Spoonflower otherwise doesn't have what I need. 

The work I've been doing, for months, is too much to go over right now, so I'll just talk about this weekend's project: the vest.

( Read more... )

I hardly need to ask because this journal has few readers, and the readers come and go, but it would surely be no problem if I started a section here for "becoming" Count Orlok?

It sounds so overboard, I know, but I feel sure about this project. Like I want to make He's There into a movie, Crystal Palace into a movie series, and Nosferatu in Love I already see so clearly as this adorable and interesting little TV series in which I pay my respect to Nosferatu, which has few cinematic nods as far as I know besides some stylistic nods.

On that note, I feel sure about playing Orlok myself! Which seems to have come out of nowhere and I'm sure most people upon seeing me wouldn't think I was supposed to go play a tall, bald vampire, let alone a male character at all. I was first opposed to doing the costume even though he felt like such a fun alter-ego, but eventually I shed that hesitance.

That said, the costume will be hard to turn professional looking, and will cost me some money, but I feel so drawn to him and drawn to imitating him that I think it would be a present to myself in the future to document the journey. I'll go forward from here and fill in about the past later. These posts will be picture-heavy! Even embarrassing pictures from the beginning! Speaking of which, here's the start of this documentation.

"Becoming Orlok" - Month 4

If you know me personally, I'm a normal-looking girly-girl.



I mean, relatively girly. I don't wear a bra because my boobs are so small I can get away with it, and I hate high-heels or lots of make-up, but still.

However, in my spare time, I have been making myself look like this:



But as bizarre as this desired transformation is, I take pride in the fact that my first attempt looked like this:



So I thought it was interesting how much work I was putting into this and how it continued to look better and more convincing. And I'm just now feeling like I could pull off something not just "good for a girl" but "great" in general.

Just the other day, someone on DA told me I looked like I was related to Max Schreck... Not that I looked like Orlok, but Mr. Schreck! And... and... I melted; I've thought of it ever since! It was a comment twice as meaningful to me than a "nice make-up, you look like the character". Is it true or not? I don't know and I'm too invested in him personally and as the character to have an objective opinion, but it gave me confidence that perhaps this canvas I put the make-up on is ideal.

Anyway, just got a special thing in the mail a couple days ago.



Meet Mrs. Pennyapple. She's going to help me become bald. Tomorrow FX Supply will be sending me liquid latex, spirit gum, and spirit gum remover. I'll get to see if I'm allergic to any of these, then start on the bald-cap. And, of course, I'll have tons of everything left over to experiment with. I'm wondering if I can paint, layer by layer, a nose prosthetic on Mrs. P. We'll see.

So there you go! I seriously can't wait to be bald. Never thought I'd say that.

♥
J

Being the middle of the year, I just reflected on my 2010 Goals, so I thought I'd go over those and keep track of what I was hoping to do the second half of the year, after I sort out this job business!

The goals were
(x) Finish He's There
(x) Finish CP3
(x) Start CP4
(x) Finish Us Against the World
(x) Plan for Tilly & Jo


Finish He's There
Since mid-November, I've written about 130pgs (I know, holy shit!) and it's summer and I still don't even want to take a break. I calculated how many weekends I would have to update to have 60 chapters (the predicted end) by December 31st, and it was something like 30/48. I know a couple months ago I wasn't updating at all, but I wasted only eight weekends, and I've probably lost another now, but there's still some stretching room in case I can't update that much. I don't know, I actually feel kind of confident that if I keep at this, it'll be done/almost done this time! For real!

Finish CP3
Wellll... I'm a little ashamed it isn't done already, but I'm not worried at all that it won't be by December. It's so freaking close. 2-3 parts, that are basically the ending. So I'm not worried and I'm not doing the end until my schedule is stable and Kate and I are ready. He's There is more important.

Start CP4
This happens basically as soon as CP3 is finished since I'm not going to pull a hefty website out of my ass for it afterward. Still not worried!

Finish Us Against the World
Igh. It was going really well in January, but when my life got cluttered, I just had to set it down. It also seems like it's going to be a lot longer and more complicated than predicted! It's already like 30pgs or something, and He's Having My Baby was just 50, and I know it's not half way done yet! I don't want to turn it into something epic and huge, though, so some time later I'll have to figure out how to condense the story but still pack all the punch. May not be finished this year based on how things are going now, but you never know. The sparks might suddenly come back. After all... I've been much bigger on Phantom right now instead of AIW. It alternates!

Plan for Tilly & Jo
I can't promise exactly how much of this will be done, but I've already been giving it some thought, rereading & adding to chapter one, deciding to redesign Gina's personality... No stress yet since He's There's a while from being finished, but it's certainly my hope to plan this well.

* * *

Me personally, I just like having to-do lists, that show me exactly what my progress is and what I could be doing. I can't follow my to-do list just yet, but I thought I'd create it so it's ready (maybe ready for September, when summer term is over and break lasts a month.)

By all means, keep on top of He's There!
Make Jeffrey a profile image. (he'll be fleshed out by then :3)
Do Part 13 of CP3.
Write another AIW Oneshot.
Illustrate for Us Against the World!
Make a He's Having My Baby poster.