Earlier this week, an anonymous follower asked: Any advice for writing a REALISTIC poly relationship?

Friend, you are in luck. As a polyamorous person, I’m always looking for more stories that include good poly representation! So first, we’re going to dig into some information about what poly is and what it isn’t, go over some vocabulary, and discuss how polyamorous relationships function in the real world, and then I’ll get into some dons and don’ts for writing polyamorous relationships. Read on under the cut!

My brush pack is finally done!

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I wish I took a picture of this before I fixed it. But today my body dysmorphia became very present. No by all definitions I am plus size. I wear a 16/18 US size in most things my boobs are a 38G and my average weight is 210. I say average because my weight fluctuates alot due to my hypothyroidism. Even before I got this big I’ve always thought I was over weight and people have been telling me this most of my life.

If you have body dysmorphia you know what it’s like. You often think you are 10 -20lbs bigger than what you really are sometimes more. And this past month I have been working on my cosplay for Acen 2019 and when sewing I always give myself a lil extra room because it is easier to take something in then let it out. This time I gave myself too much room like almost 4 inches too much. I was nearly done with my dress and now I have to take almost the whole thing apart to resize it. And as you may know I dont use stor bought patterns much but I did this time. And instead of trusting the sizing guide I added extra anyways. So when I held a top that I already owned up next to it I couldn’t believe how much bigger the dress was. I showed my brother and he said “See you’re not as big as you think you are. I dont understand why you dont see that.” For once I finally saw what my family and my ex were talking about. Yes I’m still fat by all definitions but I’m not as big as I believe myself to be.

Before we get into this series let me state again I do not support participating in con crunch. It is better to be prepared ahead of time instead of scrambling at the last second. Buuut I know it happens even to the best of us. So I’m here to give you some tips on how you can succeed.

Access the situation

So its 1 or 2 weeks till your next convention and you sit up in bed realizing you have alot left to do. For me there are 3 different levels or con Crunch and it’s best to determine which one you find yourself in.

Code Yellow: is when more than 80% of your cosplay(s) is(are) finished. In this situation you may have a wig left to style. Clothing that needs to be hemmed and details added such as buttons, zippers, decals etc. Or if you have multiple cosplays in the works 2 of the 3 cosplays are fully complete.

Code Orange: is when 50-79% of your cosplays aren’t completely. In this case it is likely that you still have alot of sewing or assembling left to do. Perhaps all the pattern pieces are cut. Or you still haven’t bought some the material you needed to complete your cosplay. In this case you MAY have 1 full cosplay complete.

Code Red: less than 50% whoah buddy! Now you have your ideas you have your materials but you haven’t really gotten anything started. You’re doing good at this level if you have 1 garment put together.

Code Purple: Ain’t sh*t done! Nothing has been bought! You don’t really have an idea! In some cases you may have been invited to a convention last minute and you barely gathered enough money to go. Or like me this time you thought “I’m not gonna cosplay” the changed your mind last minute.

No matter what state if con crunch you’re at take a breath and stop freaking out. Make sure you stick around for Part 2 where I help you come up with a game plan.

Part 2 Game Plan

As my general rule of thumb it is better to have 1 complete cosplay than 3 in complete. Because even if you dress up a little bit people will ask to take a picture. So that being said it may mean eliminating some things or simplifying so that you can look your best.

Code Yellow: start with finishing the most complete cosplay. Sew buttons on, add trim and decals, style your wig. Before you move on to the next cosplay makes sure you test and try on your complete cosplay first. Put on make up and test any body paint you may need to apply. Only after that move no to the next cosplay that needs to be completed. Also consider simplifying a cosplay or wearing an old one.

Code Orange: As mentioned above I would complete 1 cosplay first. Simplifying your other cosplay is definitely advised. Depending on how much time you have left it maybe possible to complete more than one cosplay but it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan. Also consider wearing an old cosplay if you have one. It maybe easier and take less time to update your old cosplay.

Code Red: Let’s be honest it may be best for you to wear an old cosplay and save your WIP for next convention. Or if you have time complete 1 main pare of your cosplay and include that in a more simplified version.

Code Purple: Closet cosplay is your friend. There’s nothing wrong with closet cosplay I personally like it better because little to now money is used. The thrift store and discount clothing retailers are your friends at this point. And if you have Amazon prime even better. If you dont have a clue what to cosplay choose characters with simple outfits.

Tips for simplifying your cosplay

K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid): If you find yourself in the midst of a Code Red and especially Code Purple keep your cosplay idea simple.

Raid your closet: While you may not have the time to make everything by had. Odds are you may have an item or two in your own closet that you can use. Look at your character and try to find pieces in your closet that closely resembles you character’s outfit. For example someone easy to cosplay would be Marceline or Marshall Lee from Adventure Time. Most people will have jeans, a red tank or red flannel shirt, brow boots.

Recognize Me: In this case easily recognizable is your friend. Choose a character that has an iconic look, color palette or key item. While many cosplayers like to be original with their characters when you’re knee deep in con crunch that is not a priority. Now is not the time to be one of a kind. If someone has done the same cosplay and you liked how it turned out there is no shame in taking inspiration from them. Did your favorite cosplayer throw up a tutorial? Follow along with their video instead of struggling. For example Princess Bubblegum has her very iconic crown and she wears shades of pink or red with a few exceptions. Her clothes are more feminine when she’s not in the laboratory. When putting together this cosplay I would make sure to have her crown made and clothing color scheme. If you have the extra time and cash grab a pink wig.

Detective Comics #1000 - “Batman’s Greatest Case” (2019)

Before we get into this series let me state again I do not support participating in con crunch. It is better to be prepared ahead of time instead of scrambling at the last second. Buuut I know it happens even to the best of us. So I’m here to give you some tips on how you can succeed.

Access the situation

So its 1 or 2 weeks till your next convention and you sit up in bed realizing you have alot left to do. For me there are 3 different levels or con Crunch and it’s best to determine which one you find yourself in.

Code Yellow: is when more than 80% of your cosplay(s) is(are) finished. In this situation you may have a wig left to style. Clothing that needs to be hemmed and details added such as buttons, zippers, decals etc. Or if you have multiple cosplays in the works 2 of the 3 cosplays are fully complete.

Code Orange: is when 50-79% of your cosplays aren’t completely. In this case it is likely that you still have alot of sewing or assembling left to do. Perhaps all the pattern pieces are cut. Or you still haven’t bought some the material you needed to complete your cosplay. In this case you MAY have 1 full cosplay complete.

Code Red: less than 50% whoah buddy! Now you have your ideas you have your materials but you haven’t really gotten anything started. You’re doing good at this level if you have 1 garment put together.

Code Purple: Ain’t sh*t done! Nothing has been bought! You don’t really have an idea! In some cases you may have been invited to a convention last minute and you barely gathered enough money to go. Or like me this time you thought “I’m not gonna cosplay” the changed your mind last minute.

No matter what state if con crunch you’re at take a breath and stop freaking out. Make sure you stick around for Part 2 where I help you come up with a game plan.

Part 2 Game Plan

As my general rule of thumb it is better to have 1 complete cosplay than 3 in complete. Because even if you dress up a little bit people will ask to take a picture. So that being said it may mean eliminating some things or simplifying so that you can look your best.

Code Yellow: start with finishing the most complete cosplay. Sew buttons on, add trim and decals, style your wig. Before you move on to the next cosplay makes sure you test and try on your complete cosplay first. Put on make up and test any body paint you may need to apply. Only after that move no to the next cosplay that needs to be completed. Also consider simplifying a cosplay or wearing an old one.

Code Orange: As mentioned above I would complete 1 cosplay first. Simplifying your other cosplay is definitely advised. Depending on how much time you have left it maybe possible to complete more than one cosplay but it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan. Also consider wearing an old cosplay if you have one. It maybe easier and take less time to update your old cosplay.

Code Red: Let’s be honest it may be best for you to wear an old cosplay and save your WIP for next convention. Or if you have time complete 1 main pare of your cosplay and include that in a more simplified version.

Code Purple: Closet cosplay is your friend. There’s nothing wrong with closet cosplay I personally like it better because little to now money is used. The thrift store and discount clothing retailers are your friends at this point. And if you have Amazon prime even better. If you dont have a clue what to cosplay choose characters with simple outfits.

Tips for simplifying your cosplay

K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid): If you find yourself in the midst of a Code Red and especially Code Purple keep your cosplay idea simple.

Raid your closet: While you may not have the time to make everything by had. Odds are you may have an item or two in your own closet that you can use. Look at your character and try to find pieces in your closet that closely resembles you character’s outfit. For example someone easy to cosplay would be Marceline or Marshall Lee from Adventure Time. Most people will have jeans, a red tank or red flannel shirt, brow boots.

Recognize Me: In this case easily recognizable is your friend. Choose a character that has an iconic look, color palette or key item. While many cosplayers like to be original with their characters when you’re knee deep in con crunch that is not a priority. Now is not the time to be one of a kind. If someone has done the same cosplay and you liked how it turned out there is no shame in taking inspiration from them. Did your favorite cosplayer throw up a tutorial? Follow along with their video instead of struggling. For example Princess Bubblegum has her very iconic crown and she wears shades of pink or red with a few exceptions. Her clothes are more feminine when she’s not in the laboratory. When putting together this cosplay I would make sure to have her crown made and clothing color scheme. If you have the extra time and cash grab a pink wig.

the pink stripe was simply taken away because pink fabric was too expensive to mass reproduce at the time, and the turquoise stripe was taken away for a really odd reason: for the harvey milk remembrance parade in 1979, they wanted three stripes on each side of the street and didn’t want it to be asymmetrical, so they did away with the turquoise stripe. like, they could have fixed it in some other way without removing a whole stripe, but eh whatever history’s history.

(source 1; article) (source 2; official site)

BIGGER,

King of Selfies Spades