Chapter 2 of 2023 is quickly coming to a close, and I wanted to check in with you all and share a little bit about what I have been up to this month! As a content creator, life can be very strange and filled with a lot of exciting things followed by a lot of mundane things. Most often, my days consist of sitting down at my computer, script writing, editing, blogging, prepping to film, etc. It's actually not often that I leave the house very much because so much of my work is home based! I film at home, I edit at home, etc. But then, sometimes being a creator can lead to absolutely wild adventures, like last year when I was suddenly swept to both coasts of the US for each of the Disney Parks, and also Disneyland Paris! I think that's what I love so much about doing what I do, is never knowing what to expect or what is coming next.
This month has definitely been more of the "mundane" type of content creation time for me, though it has certainly been busy as well. It's really consisted for me of a lot of family time, and hanging out with my loved ones. We had a lot of little events here and there that I've been going to, alongside my creator work (performances, birthday parties, get togethers, you name it). And it's certainly been really nice to be able to catch up with everyone and have a little time to hang out! I think especially where it is sometimes hard for me to take breaks, this was a nice way to remind me to take them. I sometimes get so involved in my content creation that I forget to slow down and breathe, and remember to take some days off every once in a while. So that was certainly a plus for me. Along with that, I've been really embracing my new Winter Soldier cosplay and skit making! I've been really enjoying getting to make some videos based on your comments, and even just ideas of my own (especially after Quantumania came out!). And not only that, but also working behind the scenes on building myself. I've been updating some YouTube cover images, planning out some future content, and also focusing on things to come in the next few months! There is so much going on this year that I'm super excited about, and I'm really looking forward to sharing them all with you when the time comes! Overall, I think this month has really been a place of growth for me. I didn't meet all of the goals that I wanted to, but I am allowing myself to carry them over into March, and reminding myself that slowing down and spending quality time with family is just as important as my content creation journey. Even with only two months of the year, it's amazing to see just how much has happened and what I've learned thus far. I'm looking forward to March and what it has in store for me. I'm excited for (hopefully!) warmer weather soon! We have a winter weather advisory here in the East Coast today, so if you're in the snow zone, stay safe everyone! Sending you love, and I'll see ya next month! <3
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It feels so strange to know that we don’t have to wait for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania anymore! This was one of my most anticipated Marvel projects of 2023 and it feels so weird to know that it’s behind us. I have had a few days to process the movie now (I saw it on Friday) and I would love to share with you all my thoughts on the film, including plot points and characters! That being said, below this paragraph will start discussion INCLUDING SPOILERS, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet and want to remain spoiler free, please don’t read this blog until after you have watched the film!
Okay, let’s jump into it. My first overall thought of this movie is that…it definitely wasn’t my favorite Ant-Man film. Out of the three we have, this is definitely ranked last for me. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that Scott is such an important character to me for many reasons. He’s one of my comfort characters and I absolutely loved him as an addition to the MCU. And who doesn’t love Paul Rudd? But this film kind of fell a little flat for me, and I’m going to explain why. I thought that the beginning of the film started off really strong! Being able to have this kind of open-ended “what happened to Janet with Kang” situation that we had to figure out throughout the film is something that I love. Like, we had a small piece of the puzzle but that meant that the rest of the movie was open ended enough for us to explore more of it. And I loved that it jumped into Scott’s goofy side right away (omg I am so excited for that book of his now!). Also that Jimmy Woo cameo of them getting lunch together was GOLD. But then I felt like it was almost…too fast? Like, we were in San Francisco and almost IMMEDIATELY jumped into the Quantum Realm. Which, like, I get. It’s in the movie title. But I was hoping we’d get a little more build up, maybe a little more explanation? To me, it felt very fast. My first thought when they first entered the realm was that it was very Star Wars-esque. It had similar vibes, especially with the bar scenes and the costume disguises. Whether or not that was the intention, from what I’ve been seeing from other people it seems that that was a universal feeling among us! I thought that the Quantum People were awesome. Especially the little blob guy? He was so fun! And I did like how they explored Scott’s thoughts on Super Heroism versus Cassie’s. How Scott was in this mindset that he’s done Super Heroing before but wanting to stay out of fights that isn’t his own versus Cassie’s idea that they should help because they can, regardless if they are directly involved or not (which, I mean, they technically were. Kang was looking for them so it’s lowkey inadvertently their fault here HAHAH). I think Hank, Hope and Janet’s side plot was kind of unnecessary and slow? I felt the main purpose was kind of this idea of intensifying that Scott and Cassie don’t know about Kang, so that part of it was good. But their meet up with Lord Krylar and hanging out at the bar kind of seemed like a little side mission to extend the plot. Otherwise, I thought that using it as a place to expand on Janet’s time in the Quantum Realm was warranted and necessary. I just wish they didn’t push Hank and Hope off as side characters! It was kind of a bummer that they were seen more as the “extra help” even though they both probably know more about the technology they are using than anyone else in the movie (other than maybe Janet, I mean, she spent her whole life down there practically). I thought M.O.D.O.K. was absolutely HILARIOUS. I was not expecting him at all to be Darren Cross, so that was amazing to me. But any time he came on screen, I was immediately laughing. He was awesome! And Jonathan Majors is sooo good at playing Kang. I can’t wait to see him expand that role into future MCU movies. The scene where Scott is in the probability storm I thought was super fun and so cool! That one Baskin Robbins Scott was cracking me up! I loved all the Scott’s interacting with one another. It kind of felt like a multiverse of Scotts and a glimpse into what it would be if Ant-Man had a Spider-Man: No Way Home moment. Loved that Hope came to help him out, too (I adore them). I also loved when they were saved by all the ants. Absolutely incredible scene. That was the coolest Hank Pym moment EVER. Just an army of ants coming to save the day, I loved it. I felt like the fight between Kang and Scott and the end was also kind of underwhelming a bit. The trailers made it seem like it would be a MASSIVE fight, but to me it kind of ended up being just a few punches here and there that ended up bloodying Scott up a bit. But at the end of the day, I was just glad that Scott lived. That was my main worry going into this. I didn’t want Scott to die! Thank god he didn’t, hahaha! Scott’s existential crises at the end of the movie was absolutely hilarious and so spot on Scott Lang. I love that he was celebrating his time with Cassie and trying to make up for all the birthdays he missed with her (catch me crying in the theater). And I thought both end credits scenes were fantastic. The first one with all the Kangs was SO awesome and I think is really going to set us up well for Kang Dynasty. But I also couldn’t help but laugh at Jonathan Majors just filming multiple jumping-around-in-different-costumes clips for the purpose of that scene HAHAH. And I LOVED the second end credit scene setting us up for Loki Season 2! I wasn’t a huge fan of the first season, but I feel like this next scene is going to be amazing! I can’t wait for our Loki and Mobius team up again! Overall I’d say that this film was entertaining, but missed some elements that I really wish we had from past films. I think what makes Ant-Man such a loveable character is his street-level San Francisco adventures, the goofiness of shrinking and growing inanimate objects, and his heist buddies (where was my boy Luis?! I miss him!). I also found myself as I’ve been thinking over the film the past few days a little disappointed because I feel like this movie was marketed as a very big turning event but ended up being more a side episode of the MCU (besides the set up for the future. I think they did a great job with that!). I think between my worry for Scott and the hype of the trailers, I was expecting a little more than what we got. In terms of Scott, I also felt a little bummed because I think the fact that he was dealing with Quantum problems minimized his characterization in the film. They did such a great job in putting him in “big” situations (no pun intended) in Endgame, and I was expecting something similar to that where he kept his goofiness while fighting the big-bads in this one. But maybe it was because he was singled out rather than on a massive team for this one? I also think that because his main focus was protecting Cassie that this aspect of it was kind of taken away as well. He was so worried about making sure she was protected that he wasn’t his normal goofy self. I think this would have been great as a Disney+ Series rather than a movie with all of the little side plots we got, especially since it would have maybe given a little more space to expand on characters and plot points more in depth than trying to cram it all into one movie. Overall, I enjoyed the film regardless of my criticisms here, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite. What did you all think? Did you enjoy the movie? Was there anything that you would want to add or change? Let me know in the comments! One of my absolute favorite things about when Valentine's Day comes around each year is seeing the fandom valentines that people make, because they make me laugh so hard! People are so creative with them and they are so fun to send to your friends, especially the ones who also love the fandom as much as you do. So this year I wanted to make some of my own Marvel Valentines to share with you all that you can send to your friends, family, or significant other. Enjoy! Well, Punxsutawney Phil unfortunately predicted six more weeks of winter! But on the bright side, I think it’s in perfect timing with my announcement of my Winter Soldier cosplay this past week 🥰 I wanted to share with you all a little bit more about my journey with making this cosplay! It is the first cosplay I ever made just by finding articles of clothing that I thought would replicate the character…and also my first cosplay that I built something for—the arm! THE OUTFITWhen I started to create this Female Winter Soldier cosplay, I didn’t want to just buy a costume like I’ve done in the past. I really wanted to put more aspects of myself into this one and also picture how a Female Bucky Barnes would dress. I had kind of a general idea of what I was picturing for an outfit, and decided to start looking on Amazon for pieces that fit the aesthetic. Obviously I wanted the left arm to be exposed, as that would be the statement piece: the metal arm. So with that knowledge, I knew I wanted to have a one-sleeve piece for the right arm. I also had a reference picture of Bucky that I was looking at while shopping, which greatly helped the rest of the outfit shopping process! I wanted a way to kind of replicate that strap-vest he wears, but didn’t want to just buy a utility vest, so I ended up finding a body harness that went well with the costume idea! I knew I already had a black crop top in my closet, so with the arm sleeve and the body harness I knew the top was complete. Also thinking of the tactical work that Bucky would be doing led me to really thinking about what to add for the bottom half of the costume. Both from the reference picture, and from outfits that other female Marvel characters have worn, I knew I wanted to find black cargo pants for this piece. And you guys, oh my god…they are SO comfy! The ones I found are actually almost like sweatpants (they have a stretchy waistline and soft fabric) and have really deep pockets, which will be sooo so useful if I ever wear this to a convention. But as Yelena shared with her words of vest wisdom, you can never have too many pockets. So I ended up adding more by getting a utility belt (which was actually a police utility belt) and thigh holsters! I also bought some black knee pads to match the ones that Bucky wears in the reference picture. And lastly, I had black combat boots in my closet that I have used for many other cosplays that I ended up adding to this to finalize the costume look. I did want to have a couple of props, but wasn’t looking to get too crazy with anything. I own a Captain America shield, which I knew would be great for those rooftop picture moments. I really wanted to get the Bucky Barnes mask and actually found a great shop on Etsy of someone who 3D prints them based on your face size! The mask fits so well and is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I was so happy when I got the box in the mail and was able to put it on for the first time! Then I tried to think of a few staple weapons that Bucky would have on hand. I know the knife flip/combat scene is a very popular one, so I ended up finding a rubber knife prop on Amazon that I ordered, as well as a rubber hand gun that I thought would fit well with the thigh holsters. They both are a great size and I love the look of them to match the rest of the cosplay! If you are interested in purchasing any of the pieces that I have used for my Bucky cosplay, I have listed everything on my Amazon Storefront (link below!). I do want to clarify that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This just means that if you purchase anything off of my Amazon Storefront using the link below, I get a small percentage commission from the purchase made from qualifying items! Click HERE to go to my storefront! THE ARMNext up: The arm. As you all know from my previous blog posts and YouTube videos, one of my goals for this year is to make more cosplay pieces for myself! And that could be in any way, shape, or form. Sewing, EVA foam, hot gluing, you name it! I have never made a cosplay piece before and really had NO idea where to start on this one. So I ended up watching a handful of YouTube tutorials from people who have made their own Winter Soldier arms before! I noticed right away that the common theme here was EVA foam and contact cement to construct the arm together—probably because foam is super easy to move around, and you still want your arm to be mobile, unlike if you were to 3D print something with hard plastic. So it made sense! I ended up finding this AMAZING tutorial by @universeofemily. Her explanation made it easy to follow along, and the way that she did the arm was in a way that I felt like I could handle as a beginner to cosplay prop making. So her tutorial specifically was what I used to follow along while I was making the arm! She also provided free printable templates for the pattern pieces for the arm that you could use, but I ended up just taking my own measurements for my arm in order to make it more custom made to myself. Her tutorial used seran wrap and duct tape to wrap around your arm, then you cut it off yourself, trace pattern pieces, and stencil them on to EVA foam. Then you glue the pieces all together with contact cement, and then repeat the step with the seran wrap and duct tape on the arm mold in order to draw on the pattern pieces. Then after gluing everything on, you spray it with some Plastidip as a base layer, and then get some Rustoleum Silver spray paint to get that metal arm color before finishing it off with the red star. (I’m making it sound way easier than it actually was. This took a LOT of time and work, but I am so proud of how the arm came out! And Emily’s tutorial was super super helpful, so be sure to give it a watch if you’re thinking of making your own version!). The only thing I did differently than she suggested in the video was instead of sewing an undersleeve, I ended up just buying a silver glove to put underneath the arm. Same concept, just no under shirt! I also have a list on my Amazon Storefront of the materials that I used for the arm! As stated above in the outfit section, I do earn from qualifying purchases. I’ve linked the list below if any of you are hoping to check it out! Click HERE to check out the arm materials! MAKEUP AND HAIRLastly, to finish off this Female Winter Soldier look, I wanted to get that classic Bucky black eyeshadow! I know in the movie, his is more smudged and racoon-esque, but I wanted to make mine a little sharper looking. I ended up finding a really quick and easy black smokey eye tutorial on YouTube that just used black eyeliner to tightline my upper and lower lash lines (as well as serve as a base for the eyeshadow), black eyeshadow for the lid, and brown eyeshadow for the crease. I also added a winged liner and popped on some false lashes to make my eyes pop a little bit more!
As for the hair, I had two ideas that I ended up running by my subscribers on Instagram. The first was just having my hair down and curled, and the second was more of a side braid look. We all came to the consensus that the hair down should be the winner. I think if my hair braided was a little bit longer than it is, it would have looked a little better! But I loved the big hair with the mask and the eyeshadow. It really pulled everything together. And with that, I had a finished cosplay! The finalized Female Winter Soldier look. Bucky has been such a huge comfort character of mine since Captain America: The Winter Soldier first came out, and I am so so happy that I finally get to bring this cosplay to life. It has been a dream cosplay of mine for quite a while now, and I am so so happy with it. I can’t wait to film some skits with the new-and-improved arm, and hopefully take some photos with it soon, too! |
AuthorJess (@femalepeterparker) is a Marvel Content Creator who creates skits on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube revolving around what the Avengers do when they are off Super Hero duty. Archives
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