“The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit however, can suffocate.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Final Empire
“But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that one thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Final Empire
“Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Final Empire
I owe a lot to Brandon Sanderson. In the summer of 2020, I was three years deep into the worst reading-slump of my life, struggling with anxiety and depression thanks to a combination of university stress, the pandemic, a full time laboratory job, and living away from home in a strange dead city. My writing was struggling due to lack of time and input to fill up my creative well. I don't remember a lot of that spring, except that it felt like my head was constantly full of mist.
I had no idea how much my life would change when I picked up an audiobook of The Way of Kings to help pass the hours doing tedious sample prep. (Eternal thanks to @siarven for the recommendation and moral support for the past several years <3) Kaladin's ideals got me through that year, and the next, and the next, as I fell deeper into the cosmere.
I picked up the audiobook of The Final Empire this past summer, at another lab job, doing boring sample prep again, and immediately grew attached to Vin's character. I wish I had picked up this book in high school, because I relate to this awkward, intense teen altogether too much. Reading about her struggles was like reading about my slightly younger self, and I want to scoop her up in a hug. It also shocked me just how many of my OCs are incredibly similar to Vin, carrying paranoia, too much truama, great skill, and grander callings on their young shoulders.
Beyond that, The Final Empire is also just so much fun?? as much as post-apocalyptic hell-scapes can be fun, but Kelsier brings such an entertaining energy to the page, and his beacon of hope resonated with those deeper themes that have always been the source of my love for these series. The "learning to fly" scenes are always my favorite, since I've been a little kid I've always dreamed of taking off into the wild blue yonder and leaving my problems behind, and there's no small part of wish fulfillment in this costume bringing me a little closer to launching myself into the sky.
I hope this cosplay did justice to the love I have for these books and for Vin's character. I tried my best to catch most of the details - her single earring, the vials, glass knife, coin pouch, and I even got my hair cut after four years for the occasion. This project started over the summer by hand-sewing the shirt, which I completed as I finished the trilogy. I did not end up cutting the cloak into ribbons to create the iconic mistcloak silhouette, as I plan to reuse this cloak for other projects, but I've added strips to the outside to give some of that look whenever I'm moving or there's wind. These are just-finished pictures in my dorm, but I'll be going outside on the next misty day for a proper photo shoot.
Thank you to everyone who's followed this project and encouraged me along the way! It was a lot of work, and in the end, I'm glad to have a good cloak that fits rather well.
Not that I dislike Vin Diesel. But Vin Diesel in his films presents himself as the most Alpha Male Ever~! And it is depressing.
Fast Cars! Explosions! Muscles! Fighting Drug Cartels! Fighting the FBI! Guns! Murdered wife! Former military! No Vulnerability! More muscles! Revenge! Cosplay Liam Neeson!”
I’m not even a man and think many men should be offended by this.
Maybe you are a bit better than this. Such a boilerplate idea of what it is to be a man.
- The following characters are Gun Park, Goo Kim, Samuel Seo, Jake Kim, and Vin Jin
ʚɞ ┊: Gun Park
↳ It was just a lovely day, Gun and I were cuddled up on the couch, I was resting in his arms, we were watching a movie.
It was quiet, but comforting, I heard Gun's steady heartbeats as my hrad rested on his chest.
I looked at Gun who's eyes were looking at me, "Hey... My love," I spoke out quietly, he paused for a bit and let out a quiet hum.
"I've been thinking... And... W-well..." I felt my cheeks heat up as I tried to muster up the courage to tell him what's on my mind, Gun didn't pressure me, he waited for me to spit it out.
"I-... I want a baby..." I mumbled, I felt Gun slightly stiffened.
He then chuckled and kissed the top of my forehead, "Do you want one now?" He asked, I looked up at him with a curious look, I was about to ask him what he meant when I felt something hard poking my thigh.
I let out a quiet giggle and sat up on his lap, "Y-yeah..." I said as Gun placed his hands on my hips.
Gun grinned and slowly started to grind his hips onto me, "Let's make baby then."
ʚɞ ┊: Goo Kim
↳ I've been having a bit of baby fever recently, and I've been hinting it to my fiancé, although, he doesn't seem to get the hint.
"Babe! Loook! Don't you think these are cute?!" I asked, showing him a picture of a cute little Nezuko cosplay for a baby.
Goo hummed and nodded, "Yeah! They do!" He replied.
I frowned at his dumb reaction and threw myself on his lap, "What do you think it'll be like?" I asked.
Goo hummed and raised a brow, "To cosplay? I think it'll be pretty cool," he then grinned and groped my ass, "Especially when you're in a maid costume in bed."
I huffed and crossed my arms, "Not that! You pervert!"
Goo's eyes slightly widened and he pouted his lips, I then sighed and fidgeted with my fingers, "I meant... What do you think it'll be like to have a baby?"
Goo paused for a moment and hummed, "Why have a baby when you already have me," he said, an I pouted and huffed, Goo cupped my face and he let out a chuckle.
Goo kissed my lips and smiled, his eyes looked at mine, "It'll be hard, but worth it," he added.
"M-mn... Right," I muttered, Goo let out a laugh and hugged my waist, his chin rested on my chest, "Would you like a baby?" He asked, I squirmed a bit and nodded my head.
He grinned and kissed my lips, "Are you sure you're ready?" He asked, I smiled and cupped his cheeks, "No matter how ready we think we'd be, we both know it'll be more hard when baby's already here."
Goo chuckled and burried his face on my chest, "You right... But I bet we can handle it."
ʚɞ ┊: Samuel Seo
↳ Surprisingly, when I sat Samuel down because I wanted to tell him something, he also had something to say.
We both sat on the dining table, facing each other.
The tension in the air was thick, I then broke the silence and look at Samuel in the eye, "I... I know that you've been busy and stuff..." I exhaled sharply and looked at him, "I want a baby."
Samuel's eyes widen, he paused for a pocket.
"It's funny because... I wanted to ask you to be my wife," Samuel then opened a box with a beautiful diamond ring.
It sparkled under the light, and you felt your eyes swell up with tears.
"Will you, (F/n), make me the luckiest man alive, and accept to be my queen?"
You sniffled and stood up to run to him, "Yes! Yes I will!" You exclaimed, he then kissed you and wrapped his hands around your waist.
"Let's start forming our family, shall we?" He said, his lips formed a smirk. moment and smiled, "Is that what you wanted to ask me...?" He said, he then chuckled and took something out from his
ʚɞ ┊: Jake Kim
↳ I looked for Jake all over the street of big deal but didn't seem to find him anywhere, I asked Jerry, Lineman, I asked everyone, but they also didn't know where Jake was.
After a while, I got a bit tired and went to Jake and I's shared home, I sat myself on the couch and found myself drifting off to sleep.
Not long later, I felt two pairs of arms snake around me and gently lift me up from the couch.
My eyes slowly fluttered open and I saw Jake carrying me to the bedroom.
Tiredly, I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"My love?" I quietly spoke, Jake hummed and slowly placed me down the bed, he hovered on top of me, scanning me.
"Yes?"
I placed a hand on my belly and looked at him with tires eyes, "I want baby..." I said, his eyes widen, Jake then softly chuckled and pecked me on the lips.
"We can have baby... For now, you need some sleep."
I then hummed and hugged him, Jake smiled and kissed my cheek, he then snuggled up to me and held me close as I fell into deep slumber.
The next morning, he was all teaseful and took me out on a date, that night, we made love, sweet and passionate love.
ʚɞ ┊: Vin Jin
↳ I was sitting on a couch with my lover who's currently writing a new album, we've been together ever since my senior year in highschool up 'till college.
And now, we both graduated and he still hasn't thought about proposing.
Vin Jin landed a decent stay at home job, and he writes some new raps as a hobby, he still fights other gangs.
I was getting bored doing nothing, so I decided to scroll on my phone for entertainment.
As I did, I saw a cute video compilation of little babies wearing cute pajamas.
My heart melted at the sight, I then pasued and wondered what my boyfriend and I's baby would look like.
I then began to realise that my feed had been filled with things related to a child, I looked at my frustrated boyfriend and stood up.
"Honey~..." I cooed, my hands massaged his shoulders, "What is it?" He asked quite coldly, he had a habit of being rude to people when he's angry.
I got closed to his ear and brushed my lips against his skin, "You know... I've been thinking about something."
I felt Vin let out a quiet and shaky sigh, he stayed silent, his hand clenched onto the pencil he held.
I grinned and whispered in his ear and left his small home studio.
I headed to our shared bedroom and laid down on the soft mattress, it didn't take long for my boyfriend to get here.
His face was flushed red and his eyes were fixated on me, I grinned and laid down on my stomach, my legs kicked the air, "What brings you here?" I teased.
He slightly frowned and took off his shirt and threw it on the floor, he got on the bed and kissed my lips hungrily.
Vin pulled away and looked at me in the eyes, "You make mee feel so fucking crazy..." He muttered, I giggled and kissed his lips, "Do I now~..? Then show me how crazy you get."
Vin grinned began to slowly undress me, that day, we made love all night until dawn, I guess telling him that he'd be a great father got him riled up.
This is an episode dedicated to friendships. In one friendship, a character promised a friend to kill a common enemy, while in another, a character was faced with the bitter reality of a friend's changed self.
Before the D-Day of the Grimm Asylum attack, Vin (Hobin) came to see Mary (Miru). Since he cryptically said that he had to say something to her face, she was mortified that he'd probably confess his feelings for her or something. But he laughed it off (I always drift in between shipping and not shipping them but I just love LOVE this banter).
Vin proceeded to tell Mary that Taejin was still alive. Mary was enraged, so much that she insisted on killing Taejin.
But Vin told her that she didn't need to kill people. Vin's hands were already dirtied by murdering another person before, so he said that he'd be the one who killed Taejin this time. (So he did take a life? Who was the victim? Was it an accident? Was it a righteous murder? Was it a moment of rage?)
Taejin was proven to be too strong for Vin, however, and he taunted Vin that pinning Vin down made him remember the "good memories" of Cheonliang and "that bitch who I also caught like this"... And we got the panel of a dead young girl, said to be Hobin's little sister (Her clothes were loosened? Was it both a sexual and a physical assault? OMG NO NO NOOO) .
Vin was in shocked disbelief to realize that Taejin had grown monstrously strong. Apparently Taejin was the sole survivor of the Endless Hell experiment era of the asylum. Aw hell nah.
(No you're not gonna cosplay as Gun (Jonggun) or D.G. in that red panel, Taejin. Dream on.)
Zack (Jinsung) wasn't held back much by Yisoo, who baited him to open a door that led to...
....Johan. (Welcome back, Johan!!)
As predicted, Johan came back, but came back all wrong. Jinyoung and Hangyeol had tweaked his brain to only dwell on rage. (Is he some kind of Frankenstein's creature now? Is this it?)
And it seems that there was "method in Taejin's madness", to quote a line in Shakespeare's Hamlet, since he seemed to be calm enough to be in the know of the nefarious plan to let Allied members met their own separate matches.
My guess is Daniel (Hyungseok) will have to fight his other self (*shudders*), maybe either together with Jay or alone, while Jake (Gimyung) will have to fight Sammy (Seongeun)...