LaMenta3

This is pretty much what I meant. It can be really stressful trying to put together something super-elaborate when you've never made something like it before or something that requires you to learn a lot of new things to make it. And that can hurt your confidence before you even put your cosplay on.

My recommendation for first-time cosplay is to keep it simple. That way, it's less likely that you'll find yourself overwhelmed both in the making stage and in the wearing stage. If confidence is an issue for you, you might even want to stick to "closet cosplay," or using regular clothing that you either already own or can get easily (plus perhaps one or two simple props or customized bits), for your first go at things. You'll be portraying a character you like, but you won't be wearing anything that's too far outside of your existing comfort zone. If you're lucky enough to have the money for it, you could also work with someone who does cosplay commissions, many of whom will help design a cosplay that works with your body and confidence level. If you want to jump in with both feet and actually make up your own cosplay from scratch, I recommend picking something relatively simple to sew that you would feel comfortable and confident wearing. I make this recommendation largely because you don't want to get stressed out trying to make a whole lot of things or sew something super-complicated and then have to worry about how things are going to look with this puckered seam and that bad armor paint job. These are things that happen, sure, and you'll totally have these things happen on your cosplay journey, but you don't want them to happen your first few times out if you can help it, if only just to build your own confidence up enough to be able to roll with any potential frustrations later. Also, don't worry if you don't look just like the character you're cosplaying. Too short? Wrong gender? Different hair and no wig? No problem. Just do your best with what you have. We all had to start somewhere, and not everyone has the same time, resources, or talent--but what we all DO have is a love for our fandoms, and it's that more than anything that makes cosplay fun and rewarding. And if the differences are just too much for you to abide yourself, "remix" the character a little! Cosplay an in-universe OC, do a genderbend, pick out an alternate look for a character or combine your favorite parts of several of their looks. You'd be amazed at how much positive feedback that "non-accurate" remixed cosplays get. Loli-goth Darth Vader, Chew-box-a, Disney Princess Assassins...your imagination is the limit. Just have fun!

I really recommend giving cold-brewed coffee a try, especially as we're moving into the warmer months. You make it up the same way as you would if you were making coffee in a french press, except you use room-temperature water, and let it set on the counter or in the fridge overnight. Then press as usual. The resulting coffee is far less bitter, and a lot of the more subtle notes of the beans and the roast come out. This is the only way I actually like drinking black coffee, though it's also pretty delicious with a splash of milk (or milk substitute). The lack of bitterness reduces the need for sweeteners almost entirely. However, I will warn that this method can result in some insanely strong coffee, that if you're not used to it, you may begin to hear colors.

One of my favorite multi-purpose rubs is as follows. It's great on chicken, white fish, lamb, and pork. You could also put it on beef, I suppose, but I'm more of a purist when it comes to my slabs of dead cow. 2 parts cumin 1 part each of salt, black pepper, tumeric, corriander, paprika, and cayenne (which can be omitted or reduced if you prefer a milder flavor) You can mix this up ahead of time, and either rub it dry onto the meat, or (as I prefer), make a thick paste--about the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes--using the spice mix and equal parts olive oil and lemon or lime juice, then rub the paste onto the meat.

One of my largest obstacles to fitness is that I live in a VERY small space that I can't do much else to maximize the floor space I have. On any side of my bed, I have about 2-2.5 feet between the bed and either the wall or a piece of furniture, and the longest of those stretches is about 8 feet long. So let's just say for the sake of simplicity that I have a box that is 2.5 feet wide by 8 feet long by 8 feet high in which to do any exercise. None of this exercise can involve any kind jumping or impact because the vibrations from it will knock things over in other rooms from the floor shaking and disturb my (very ill-tempered) roommates. My neighborhood is not conducive to working out outside, and the common spaces in the house I live in are no place to be trying to exercise, either. I offer none of this information as an excuse, and the reasons for these limitations are related to other parts of my life that I'm working diligently to improve. However, for the time being, I am seeking help in building a workout that will help me build strength and endurance that can be done safely in such a small space with no equipment (I own one 10-lb dumbbell. That's it.). The good news is that I'm only 62 inches tall with a fingertip-to-fingertip measurement of 65 inches, which I recognize does probably offer me a few more options since I myself don't take up much space. I've found that things like planks, pushups, and squats are possible, but always doing the same thing gets boring. Eventually, when I find myself in a better financial and living situation, I want to learn a martial art, so anything that would put me in better condition for when I am finally able to begin is especially ideal.

The short version of my story is that while I've never been particularly athletic, I was once pretty active and in good shape, and due to a lot of life factors (money, moving, mental health...among others), I'm not anymore. I enjoy running (I ran cross country in high school), but my excess weight has made it absolute murder on my joints. I've never been particularly fast, even when I was in shape and running competitively, it's just something I like to do, and I miss being able to run as I once did. I'm currently working my way through the Zombies, Run! C25K program, which is working pretty well for me so far. I've also long wanted to become stronger overall--I have never, not once, ever, been able to do a pullup. Not even as a kid. And even if I'm only ever able to do one in my entire life, I want to at least be able to do that one. I've always had pretty decent strength for picking things up, moving things, and all of those everyday "feats of strength," but when it comes to anything that requires me to have much strength or muscle endurance below the elbow, I've yet to crack that nut. I have absolutely no access to a gym right now (which I miss sorely) and only occasional access to anywhere that's safe to run, which is both the main cause of my current situation and my main obstacle to doing better. I've let the loss of convenience of having workout facilities at my disposal and no longer having sufficient activity built into my lifestyle (I used to live somewhere that I could walk everywhere. I don't anymore.) become my excuse for doing nothing. I might have to get a little creative, but I'm not going to let that stop me any longer. When I was wheezing and gasping for breath after running the full length of Concourse C at the Atlanta airport trying to catch a flight a few weeks ago, I decided that I'm tired of not being able to do things that I used to be able to do. There was once a time where I could, with little difficulty, sprint two concourses to catch a connecting flight, while carrying two bags. I'm not just doing this because I want to be able to book tight itineraries when I travel, though. I help run a number of conventions, which requires a LOT of energy and endurance--both physical and mental. It's not unusual for me to walk over 10 miles each day of the event, and the events usually last 3-4 days. Over the past year, I've put on enough weight and been sedentary enough that I'm actually concerned that the rigors of con staffing may cause me injury next time I work if I don't start making some improvements right now. And even beyond that, I used to really enjoy cosplay, but it's not as fun for me to cosplay the characters I want to cosplay when I don't feel like the costume would flatter my body. Not to mention, larger sizes mean more fabric, and fabric isn't cheap. But above all, I just want to do better for myself. So yeah...that's a little about who I am and why I'm here.