Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Assassin for a Day (My First Comic Con)

OMG THAT WAS AWESOME!!


The 12th of June 2016 was my first ever Comic Con, and it was amazing! Even getting up early to get dressed and put on makeup was worth it!
As you can see I went as an assassin from Assassin's Creed. I spent months on this costume and I'm really happy with it.


I went with a few friends, but we had to catch public transport. I didn't want to get out of the car and move to the bus stop until I could see them. We received a few weird comments and a great deal of strange stares but it was worth it. I think the train was a more comfortable ride than the bus however. 
When we stopped to take photos over the Yarra River we had more stares and surprisingly a few photos and questions about where we were going as well as "Uh, what is 'Comic Con' ?"

 Comic Con is originally a comic convention, but now days it also hosts a range of geeky fandoms and game lovers. This year had a strong theme of Doctor Who (due to the guest appearance of John Barrowman) and Star Wars. People will cosplay to this event, buy lots of cool merchandise, and converse with the wide range of people present who all seem to have similar interests.

My favourite part was the costumes.
I was surprised by just how many people wanted to take a photo with me, or just of me. It was such an amazing experience displaying something you've worked so hard to create and actually having people show an interest and be amazed... in person!
I myself was surprised by the quality of everyone's costumes and by the fact that I gained so much courage (and dare I say in the end I was comfortable) to ask for their picture and have a conversation with them!
It was a really incredible way to connect with so many people

And the posing! It's funny how cool it feels to look in character. For that one day, I was no longer just a Science Uni Student, but a Cosplayer, a Geek, and an Assassin. It's an awesome feeling!





Gosh all of you were awesome! Thank you so much for taking photos with me!!

And oh my gosh, Photoshopping the photos of my friends afterwards was so much fun. I wish we got more photos with different poses and scenery that I could play with, but for now this will do.

Love at first fight

The Black Bladed Assassin
(I had to add in parts of the background because I didn't get a shot of me alone)

Kylo Ren

"Assassins"
(A more realistic feel to this one)

Anywayy, thank you to all for the awesome experience and you'll be sure to see me next year! Oh I wonder what I'll dress as this time... the possibilities are endless!




 - Michelle
Sword In Shadows Artwork 

Monday, 11 April 2016

Messages of Hate (and Love)


Friday morning, when I got to Melbourne University the day seemed the same as ever. It was cold, it was early, and there wasn't too many people around. But as I began to look down, it was then that I saw it. The words. Chalked all around the campus of Parkville. The Messages of Hate.

"Freedom of Speech"

"Stop the Mosques"


I was mortified.
I thought that here, of all places, would be free from this discrimination. With around 27.1% of the Universities population sourced from international students (2014, source), most likely an increasing number, it's strange to think that we hate our classmates and friends.

The truth is, we don't. 
Not in the slightest.


The graffiti was quickly removed.
I told my friends to take other routes, to spare them the view.
The entire school was discussing it.
Some people were quite distressed, and rightly so.
Because in this place, where all are welcome, and all are loved, suddenly they were not.

But as always with these sort of occurrences, something amazing seems to happen.

We rise up against it.



And on this Monday morning, I did not walk in to find messages of hate, but rather messages of love.

"All Are Welcome"

"We Are One"


- Michelle


The University of Melbourne will be holding a "Chalk For Diversity" Day on Tuesday 11th of April 2016 to combat the events of Friday. You can find this event on their Student Union Facebook Page here.

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Assassin's Creed III (DM Original) 2016 Edition Jumper





SHIPPING



So I bought this with my boyfriend on the 8th of March and have only received it today. (I got the black/grey one and he got the blue one) I know shipping times are always an issue when you live on a continent in the middle of no where, but still, I was a little worried. Thankfully to end my worries this item came with a tracking number for China Post, although the descriptions of where it was were quite vague... (leaving parcel center, leaving airport going to next airport/seaport) but it still arrived! Nice for an Australian used to giant shipping prices, this had free shipping.




"We have 100% free Worldwide ShippingAll orders are dispatched within 24 business hours. Deliveries take 7-15 business days and in rare cases 30+ business days. 
Tracking Number NotificationWithin a week of your order being fulfilled (shipped), you will receive notification of your tracking number.If you do not receive your tracking number within 10 days, please contact hello@geekhoodies.com
Shipping TimesUS orders ship by e-packet, which is a US postal service product.  US orders usually take between 7 and 14 days to arrive at their destination, but can take longer from time to time.Worldwide orders ship by EMS. International orders most often take between 7 and 30 days to arrive at their destination, but sometimes take up to 45 days depending on where you are in the World. Occasionally, depending on various factors like customs, Worldwide orders can take in excess of 45 days to arrive. We recommend that you keep an eye on your tracking."

         


PRICE


Anyone unfamiliar with US to AUD conversions, it was (still is, but only for a few more hours) on sale for $29.95 US on Geek Hoodies website, and you can find it here!


SIZES


Another little hiccup, we ordered sizes S and M but received M and L. Now I'm not too fussed about this because mine still fits so perhaps they changed their sizing chart over the month. My boyfriend hasn't tried his yet but I'll let you know how he goes with it. Although tall, he does have a small frame, so it might end up looking ridiculous on him... hopefully not... it takes too long to ship.... 
To put sizes into perspective I usually wear a size 8 or 10 top, and usually a 10 jumper. The medium has the right length all around, but is still roomy. Still looks badass, but its not skin tight on me, although it is really comfy.

MATERIALS


For the price, this is quite a nice jumper. Sometimes here you expect to pay around $50 for a decent one, but although mass produced and all, this is actually quite decent. 
  • Material - some sort of  fleecy thing on the inside, and cotton based everywhere else. UPDATE: the material everywhere is the same, it's just in some areas it's got two layers and others it does not
  • Zips - really sturdy, big plastic/metal things. I'll update you if I have any trouble with them
  • Sewing - they have literally over locked everything on the inside, so at least it won't fray.
  • Fasteners - massive snap fasteners. They seem to rattle slightly but otherwise seem pretty heavy duty.

Fake Pocket

ACCESSORIES


  • Hood - it is not massive like the typical Assassin's Creed ones, but it is still an alright size. Think Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild Hoods on Skyrim
  • Pockets - there are two around the stomach area, will fit your hand snugly, but nothing bigger.
  • Zip on Chest - that is literally just for decoration, it's not a pocket.


Note: Pockets are not hindered in size by zip.
Also these pictures will not line up! Urgh...

SURPRISE


I was a little surprised to see that the label says "Designed in Australia"... Whether or not this is true I don't know, but I had assumed it was an American company. On closer inspection the website announced that it was a "global based company". As with all things, this product is made in China.


OVERALL


This is a really nice comfy jacket. It's not some stylish leather thing you'd wear to a fancy restaurant, but you will still look nice around the street and out and about with it. It feels quite warm, and will be a nice alternative to that raddedly old hoodie you have lying around. 

For the price? Yeah maybe I would prefer to spend $30 AUD on it rather than close to $40 AUD, but no big deal. In fairness it's probably more of a $40 jumper anyway. 

Mix up with the sizes? Annoying, yes, but hopefully they both will fit anyway.

Shipping? A bit too long for my liking, and tracking was too vague, but it got here.

PROS

  • comfy
  • nice looking
  • quite warm
  • nice range of options and colours
  • free shipping!

CONS

Messy Threads for Label
  • shipping is long
  • wrong sizes received (hopefully okay, testing tomorrow)
  • fake pocket on chest....
  • rattling fasteners
  • double layer of material might have been nice all around, rather than just the hood
  • label is sewn through the material and messy threads can be seen from the back





So my rating? I'll give it a 7/10 for now and update you if it changes tomorrow when I wear it for a day!


UPDATE: 

This thing is soooooooooooooooo comfy!
So sorry I didn't update this sooner, I've been waiting for my boyfriend to try his on so I can rate the sizing and customer service further, but he's taking too long because he put it in the wash before he tried it... 

Anywayy, this jumper is really nice to snuggle up to. It may not be really, really warm, but it does the job for a basic jumper. It's also not too big, so you can layer it with other jackets and such.

I'm therefore changing the rating to: 

8/10
With the main issues being the ridiculously different sizes received (that fit...?), shipping, and a few little things that make it seem slightly cheaply made (not layered on the inside, label sewn on badly, fake pocket)


UPDATE 2:
It fits my boyfriend perfectly, he's finallyyyyy worn it. So yeah, probably some size change thingy. Overall still 8/10. I've found a few loose threads now and then but nothing major.
- Michelle