But don’t get me wrong, I did workout and I made chili, too!  Which is the main point of this post.

I try to never take pics of me working out in the gym but for some reason I just had to? I’m glamoooorous, ritegaiz?

I guess as a general beginning paragraph, I should make an intro post about me, well my fitness life.  I started working out about two years ago, but I didn’t start truly lifting let alone understanding what I was doing lifting wise til about a year to a year and a half ago.  I have read blogs after webpages finding out more about lifting, debunking of myths and so much more, I also have had the pleasure of chatting with many who discuss their routines and have had amazing changes.  My ultimate goal is to be a happier me physically.  I don’t intend on doing any competitions as I couldn’t go through the diet routines they go through (I know what their diets are like and I understand moderation but sometimes I just want to have more cake than moderation and I’m okay with that, haha).  I don’t plan on being super defined/toned or having 6 pack abs, I don’t plan on being super thin or super thick, I just want to be happy with myself physically and this is how I’m going about doing it.

So now begins the post about yesterday.  Yesterday was my leg day, leg day is easily my favorite workout day.  However, due to some ridiculous cluster headaches and just not feeling well the past few days, my leg day was nowhere near as strong as it usually is.

My leg day consisted of Leg Extensions for a warmup, Back Squats, Front Squats, Deadlifts, and Leg Press.  I didn’t do as many reps as I usually do because I just felt so exhausted from not having slept well because of the cluster headaches but I powered through it and did as many as I could to feel justified for a leg day.

On a typical leg day, I do about 4 sets of the aforementioned workouts along with lunges (or squat walks as my friend Kyle so dubbed them) or Bulgarian Split Squats.  Weight wise, I do enough weights for back squats but not my max as I had a case of mild scoliosis growing up that I don’t want to add to much pressure onto my back/lower back.  I will however, test out once in awhile how much I can squat. If you’re wondering by now, yes, I love squats. SQUATS. SQUATS. SQUATS.  If it wasn’t for squats, I wouldn’t have my awesome thick legs and butt.  I’m proud.

Currently my max squat is 165lbs.  I could have probably done more the day I was testing it out but I had exhausted myself out with the 3 sets I did prior to testing my max.  I’m not currently comfortable with my deadlifting form to want to try to find my max yet so when I get there, I get there, I have no rush.

I hope my legs really do look awesome by the time C2E2 comes around.  Even more so, just summer in general because I love wearing shorts and I’m tired of this cold weather. Ugh.

One bowl less than the servings I divided them by because I ate one of them. :)

BUT SPEAKING OF COLD WEATHER!  I’ve been craving chili like nobody’s business and so I finally got an awesome recipe and made myself some awesome chili.  I mean, I don’t know if it is actually awesome to other people but it sure is awesome to me.   It had a majority of beef compared to everything else and that is just how I like it.

The thing I love most about chili is that you can make a ton of it and then separate it into smaller containers to have throughout the week.  I really do enjoy premaking a bunch of meals for the week so I don’t have to waste time cooking or rolling on the floor complaining that there is nothing to eat purely because I’m so lazy that I don’t want to cook (I have eaten so many eggs it is kind of ridiculous and that is because they are just so easy to make).

The nutritional count came out better than expected, too!

Calories: 2040
Protein:  262.5 g
Fat: 43.5 g
Carbs: 170.5 g

Which comes out to about 340 calories, 43.75 grams protein, 7.25 grams fat, and 29 grams carbs per serving! (6 servings!) and it was delicious, too!

Overall, yesterday was a pretty good day aside from the lack of sleep/headaches and the inability to workout as much as I normally can.

Now back to Bioshock!

I am going to incorporate fitness and health related posts. I apologize if those that do follow this blog don’t want to read any of that but it is my blog and so…I do what I want.

I’ll make my first fitness/health post tonight. :)

Overall Rating: 9/10

Version: Xbox 360

Out of all the games to come out in recent years, Assassin’s Creed has been my game series.  I enjoy Halo, I love Gears of War, I’ve played Call of Duty and more but Assassin’s Creed was just the game that I called mine.  I own all the games (with the exception of Liberation at this point in time), I loved every bit I played.  So, like those who waited for the third installment of Mass Effect 3 with crazy anticipation, I waited for Assassin’s Creed III.  Assassin’s Creed brought the beauty of the previous wars and eras into a scifi world that blended so well together it just seemed natural.

Campaign

The story is well thought out and wonderfully handled toward the end.  You start off playing Haytham Kenway; Connor Ratonhnhaké:ton’s father.  His story lasts a total of three of the twelve sequences and it gives more backstory to Desmond’s ancestry and more about the story that leads into Connor’s life.

After learning a startling fact in Desmond’s ancestry, you move on to play Connor, starting at his young age of ten.  Connor was raised by his mother since birth so he lives a lifestyle of the Native American ways with no hint that his father has been involved whatsoever in his life.  But later, after your mother’s death, you stay with your tribe until one of the Elders tells you about someone who can help you, who bares the same symbol as the Assassin’s.

Connor then heads for the road to meet a stubborn old man, Achilles Davenport.  It takes a bit to win him over to train you but he finally gives in and thus begins Connor’s journey as an Assassin.  The main premise as to why Desmond is involved with Connor’s history is because there is a mysterious key needed to open a door that was built by Juno and Minerva’s people.

Throughout Connor’s story, Desmond leaves every once in awhile to hunt down these ‘powercells’ to power up the underground cave that you were brought to leading from the previous game.  By obtaining these powercells, you learn more about Juno and Minerva’s civilization along with the reason Lucy was killed at the end of the second game.

Characters

I’ll only talk about the new main characters.

Connor Ratonhnhaké:ton is beautifully portrayed and completely different than the previous ancestors I’ve had the pleasure of playing.  He fits how history describes Native Americans, with the ways that they are one with spirits of the Earth, how they share the land, how violence is only around when absolutely necessary. He really shows up to take the Assassin role in a somewhat different direction but wonderfully done.

Haytham Kenway, I felt, was done with such a benevolence.  He gave off a regal Englishman, having some proper manners, the way he held himself, even the way he presented himself.  He really gave off the idea he was truly an Assassin.

Achilles Davenport, a Caribbean British man, who was also a Master Assassin and mentor to Connor. He came off as a stubborn old fool who was very wise in his ways and so understanding of the world around him.

Those are the main three characters that affect Desmond strongly aside from side characters (like his best friend) and his targets.  There are also the opportunities to meet nonfictional historical figures and it is just a great chance to interact with them and learn more about them.

Gameplay

I had to get used to gameplay in this game as it was mostly changed compared to the previous iterations.

I have been so used to holding the right trigger to use the other move sets, like countering, that I was found to constantly be holding that trigger even though it didn’t do anything.  Countering in this game, felt more precise.  Like there was more of a timing mechanism to it compared to previous games; where you could counter and immediately attack followed by a quick kill.  This one, you really had to time the button pressing right so no button mashing this time around.  At first, I disliked it, I mean, it is hard to adjust to change, but after awhile, I enjoyed it.  It added more of a challenge and fun to the game.

The new equipment and ways to kill a person in this game have vastly improved and I love every bit of it.  The ability to shoot someone with arrows, the time it takes to reload on ammo, the chance to hang someone with your rope dart and so much more makes the strategies endless and different.

Compared to previous games, the combat system is a great improvement and wonderfully done.

Another new feature in this game are ship battles.  Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed them, there weren’t enough of them really incorporated into the story, there are side missions, but only a couple that involve the actual story.  I liked this new edition as it brought a different view of the world and made me feel like a seafaring captain!

Did I mention you can climb trees? Because you totally can.

Trying to earn money in this game is a bit more challenging than previous games, by the time I finished, I had roughly 25,000 pieces to my name (as opposed to ACII where I ended with ten times that much).  The weapons are a bit pricier but do show to be of worth when bought and used.  I didn’t vary much aside from my heavy weapon, which, even then, I didn’t use much.  I had the Amazon preorder so I got a sweet Tomahawk and whooped ass.

Side Missions & Quests

As for an economy, you can’t buy up shops like you used to but rather, you can ‘recruit’ people you find to live near Achilles which allows you to open up a convoy.  Where in trade, you buy supplies from a giant Ledger in Achilles office and then send it with the convoy to sell for a profit.  It is complete different and took a bit to figure out as the tutorial wasn’t too helpful.

Like ACII, you can liberate towns but instead of from the Borgia, you liberate them from those dastardly Red Coats.  They have huge and time consuming to enter forts.  Your main objective is to kill the Captain, blow up the Gun Powder Reserve, and finally, change the flag to the Patriots.  It takes a bit to figure out after your first try but since the first one, it seemed to get easier since you started to understand the area more and how to go about killing people and the evil dogs that let know your whereabouts.  But that isn’t all it takes to release an area from the Templar control, you need to start riots throughout the town and also help on side quests given to you by random people called Liberation Contracts.

The Liberation Contracts can be anything from carrying a sick person to a doctor, beating up merchants so little kids can go steal their food as their starving to burning someone’s blankets because they’re infected with smallpox.  They are scattered through the regions and you have to wander around and hope it’ll pop up on your map or you’ll find it as they aren’t just placed on the map for you to find.  Once you complete those tasks, not only do you help a town become liberated but you also gain an Assassin recruit, which is the person that gave you the contract in the first place.

Overall

The story is a wonderful story and fit really well up til the end.  I still don’t know how to feel about the end and I’m not sure I will ever know how to feel about it.  There is just so much feels, hate, love, confusion, everything just jumbled into this and I don’t know how to take it.

The gameplay was a bit tough to get used to as I still had the previous games controls and style stuck in my hands, but I mostly got used to the new controls and enjoyed the game overall.

There are quite a bit of challenges and overall, I love this series.

Thank you Ubisoft for bringing me a conclusion to a series I love and a game I truly enjoy.  If you do go through with more Assassin’s Creed games, I’ll be there.

Updates:

• I’ll be making post every once in awhile about fitness and health because I’m really going to be focusing on that more often.  And I’ve had a few people ask me what is it that I do to workout and what I do for food, especially as a college student, so, I hope those don’t bother anyone from time to time!
• Cosplays!  I’m going to start working on costume after costume.  I may not get to wear them any time soon but it’ll be fun to get photoshoots of them done and just to work on my skills as I’m still a nooblet at making costumes.
• Gaming.  I’ll probably post more articles about my thoughts on games as I play them and finish them.  I’m doing more time management so I should be able to give more time to finishing a game after it was just released!
• And vLogging.  I’ll be posting more vlogs as I come up with topics to talk about.  I’m going to learn more about how to edit videos as I go.  I hope people look forward to it. :D

Aside from all of that, I’ll be working more on my 3D modeling portfolio with zBrush and Cinema 4D and photography.  I’m getting a tripod and potentially new lenses so it’ll be a blast getting to do more photoshoots with people.  It’s going to be a busy busy years ahead of me but I’m going to make the most out of them.

That’s pretty much it for what’s going on.  Let’s hope I don’t go crazy and fade off into the yonder.

-Lucky

For those of you that don’t know, GenCon is the largest gaming convention in the world with over 40,000 attendees.  Its main focus is currently table top games ranging from Table Top RPGs to board games and card games alike.  This was my second year in attendance and I had a lot of fun.

I even got to show off my Sam Byrne cosplay, which helped me win an award, the Hall Costume Contest 2012:

I got to demo some really fun games, new and old, and had the chance to buy some exclusives and meet some awesome people.
The con experience is more than just going to a con to dress up, not only do you get to play some amazing games, eat at some of the better local places around and just have fun, you get to meet some friends from all over and meet new people!  Plus, you find out more tips and tricks for your costuming!  The con experience is an experience a lot of people would enjoy if you get pass the stereotypes that people put on them.  They bring a lot of enjoyment and just make it exciting to be out of the house!

I’ll be updating with a new posts of various photos I got while at the con!  So, check back soon!

Where does one even begin with these two franchises?  I mean, I legitimately don’t understand how anyone can say one is better than the other.  In reality, yes, they are FPS and have the same basic functions but overall, they are very much drastically different games.

Call of Duty is more of an arcade shooter as opposed to Battlefield which is more of a realistic (but somewhat arcadish) shooter.  I’ve been a fan of both games for quite awhile and I’ve transitioned from console to PC (though I do switch back and forth) and after really playing them for a long period of time, I can really feel the difference.

For the longest time, I couldn’t quite get a grasp on Battlefield since I was a long time Call of Duty player before hand. Even though a lot of the controls were set up the same in Battlefield as I had them set up in Call of Duty.  I could do a game in CoD Hardcore TMD that was 24:3, no problem but in Battlefield, I would have had to have some incredible luck where I would be -1 or so in KDR.  I just couldn’t quite figure it out.

Call of Duty was just really different, I concluded.  Kill streaks, perks, etc, was all different and gave me a very different gaming experience.  I loved every moment of it.  In CoD: Modern Warfare 2, I did my first Prestige and man, I don’t know why I did.  Pressure of my clan? Trying to fit in? Just because?  I don’t know, but I shouldn’t have done it because the reason I play the game is for fun, not because I need a new medal to show how much more ‘advanced’ of a player I was.

Battlefield was also very much a different experience.  In recent times, I’ve started getting a better grip at the game where I have been doing better.  I’ve been able to actually go positive and kick ass.  But the game types are so much more different than CoD.

There was one game where I was MVP only because I focused on capturing the points rather than just killing since that is what really determined whether we won or not.  I mean, look at the image to the left, I’m MVP, I got the highest award, best assault and yet, my KDR is terrible!

I’m a team player, I killed to stop people from getting our points, I protected teammates, I get a TON of kill assist, repaired vehicles, revived teammates, but I never focused on just purely killing (unless the game was TDM which I rarely play).

And something that really adds to a different experience for me between Call of Duty and Battlefield is that in Battlefield, I’m more of the vehicle person.  I use tanks to kick ass, run people over, etc.  I don’t do planes or choppers because I don’t understand the controls but aside from that, I’m all about vehicles.  Given the chance, I will be in a vehicle.

The games are just so different and they really do give me a DRASTIC experience that I enjoy.  Both games offer me different gameplay and different things that the other game just can’t offer me.

There are novelities of both games that make them very unique and fun to play.  I understand that everyone can only stand a certain type of gameplay or how others can only handle certain aspects of a game, so, yes, I understand when someone chooses one over the other.

What I don’t understand is when someone has to say that one is BETTER than the other.  It just doesn’t make any sense to me because yes, they are both FPS, but still, they are different games.  You know, apples and oranges, they are both fruits but they are different fruits and you can’t really compare them to each other.

I think both games are incredibly fun and enjoyable.  I can’t say I prefer one over the other because they are so different to me.

First off, let me just say, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing and I know there are some people out there that have never worked with EVA Foam before, either, but still turned out beautiful work.  I am not one of those people.  I do intend on remaking a lot of the pieces at a later time, but I’m learning!

Now onto the post!  Pictures of my progress thus far and general thoughts about how I feel about this project!

The Chest Piece was definitely fun to make. Getting it to curve was a bit tougher than I thought but I’m pretty sure I figured out what I’ve been doing wrong.
But that is just how that goes and I’m okay with that, I’m learning and I don’t expect to crank out quality work any time soon!

The chest piece, the first piece I worked on, was surprisingly easier to make than expected.  It isn’t going to be perfect by any means but it was easier than I thought.  Since making the chest piece, I’ve learned a few new things and would like to revisit the chest piece at a later point to remake it.

I now see where it could be so much better if I had done something over another.  But no less, I’m still pleased with it.

I realized that I switched the pics around. The right image is after the main piece was cut and glued together. The left piece is after attaching all the bits, dremeling and then plasti-dipping.

The back piece, on the other hand, it was much more difficult to make.  So many curves and cuts and holes and bits that I honestly could not replicate it perfectly.

Though EVA foam has proven to be somewhat limitless with what you can do with it, it also limits you in what you can do with it.

I’d like to remake it also a some point but at the same time, I’m kind of happy with how it turned out?  I don’t know, much contemplation on this piece, haha.

The leg piece was something different. I tried using EVA foam but it just wouldn’t curve onto the boot properly so I went with craft foam instead. I think it looks better now but I might go back and re do the back part with EVA foam.

The leg piece bugged me for awhile because I had originally done it all with EVA foam but I decided to redo it in craft foam because that held its curved form better when attached to the boots that I got for it.

I found that craft foam is really great for details on EVA foam projects.

The shoulder piece (left) was interesting to make and I did that out of craft foam and a bit of wire to keep its shape. I actually like it.
The arm braces (right) are alright, I guess is the best way to describe them.

The shoulder piece is made of 2 layers of craft foam.  The bottom layer is the basic shape of the shoulder piece while the top layer are pieces I cut out of another basic shape piece, minus the circle in the center to give it that depth look.
The arm bracers really could be better. So much better. You don’t even know right now how much better they could be. Seriously.

And here is mostly everything with its first silver coat thus far!  Even the little pouches for the belt.

Let me tell you, the belt pouches have proven to be the most difficult thing about this cosplay.  I don’t now why but they just are.

ailrb;auner;nbvnar

And there are sugar cookies!  My fuel source for this cosplay project.

Until next time!

The reason for the armor style:

Okay, so, I’ve done my fair share of looking at Skyrim related armors and past armors and watching lotsa Conan and I’ve come to a reason as to why I chose the armor style that I have done.  I understand that a lot of girls tend to do “sexy” cosplays or “sexify” a cosplay because, hey, if we have the body, we want to show it off.  We aren’t ashamed of who we are.  But at the same time, there is an extent that a woman should use her body in cosplays to be the main attention getter instead of what it is your cosplaying.

Marilyn Monroe said, “Wear clothes tight enough to show you’re a woman but loose enough to show you’re a lady.” That pretty much sums up how I feel a cosplay should be done.  Be it guys or girls. But that is a long rant for another time.

1. I’m doing the Redguard race of Skyrim so:

A. “They are excellent in all arts concerning blade and shield.”

B. “Redguards are also blessed with hardy constitutions and quickness of foot.”

-So, my reason for a dagger and a shield is because they are proficient at one handed weapons. (If time permits, I’ll upgrade that dagger to a sword but for now, a dagger)

-Since Redguards are blessed with a hardy constitution and quickness of foot, I figured that a Redguard, an adventuring one, would more than likely wear less heavy armor and aim more toward light to almost a medium armor to really maximize their quick footedness.

-My arm armor will be on the left side, the same side that will hold the shield. Because looking at past armors, one side is usually more heavily “decorated” than the other because one side was used for blocking while the other side, that held the weapon, would be used for attacking and would need to be lighter than the other side for quicker attacks.

-The belly area is exposed because adventures, during the hot seasons, wouldn’t want to be weighted downed with heavy equipment that would burn out your stamina and make you exhausted when it came to facing wild animal attacks, bandits, etc, (if I were going to a con during the winter, I’d wear longer armor and show less skin.) But I have enough fur and leather on that when it came to summer nights, I’d keep fairly warm.

Overall, this is my plan on my Skyrim armor. I can’t wait to finish it!

What needs to be completed:

-Paint the horns on the helmet

-Cut the string for the vest to be shorter

-Attach the Pauldron to the other leather strap

-Finish the Dagger

-Furs for arms

-Gloves

-Face Paint

Extras if time permits:

-Arm armor

-Shield

-Leg Armor

Update on cosplay:

The Dovahkiin is almost done and I hope to get a photoshoot in with in the next few weeks!

Sam Byrne is starting to take form and I’m starting to change things around.  I just hope I can make it turn out like how I want it to.

Now, to go buy some paints, get home, work on my cosplays a bit, have dinner with my friend, and then game?

Thanks for stopping by! Check back soon for more updates.

That is the lovely that I am currently working on. THE DRAGONBORN aka Dovahkiin.

I started the helmet first by making my own pattern/model out of cardstock:

Which I then covered in craftfoam:

(I screwed up on the first helm, right, so I remade it is on the left)

WHICH, I then proceeded to screw up more:

(HERP DERP)

So, third time’s the charm?

Later which, I attached the horns:

I used super hot glue and attached the horns on.  The horns are purposely mismatched in size (but weight the same) because I don’t really see animals/beings/etc being perfectly symmetrical (and I did these freely by hand so of course they won’t be symmetrical).

But the hot glue wasn’t strong enough to hold the heavy horns on so I decided to end everything and just resin and fiberglass and bondo it up!

And let me tell you now, I have never messed with bondo or fiberglass before.  THIS SHIT ITCHES.

After much layering of bondo and sanding, the helmet just turned up a bit odd.

However, when it comes to painting, the dents and bumps I didn’t correct, give it that ‘worn out, I found this on the ground in the middle of the forest after I brutally murdered a bandit and his crew’ kind of feel.

I just need to buy some brown paint to give it a more oxidized/rustic look. Yes, the center part of the helm is different then the picture but I felt like giving it my own twist since there are various different types of helmets and designs.  Besides, as long as you recognize me as the Dragonborn, that’s all that matters, right? (RIGHT?)

The helmet has to be the most extensive part of this cosplay. SERIOUSLY.  Because all I have to post about the rest of my Dovahkiin is:

and:

That is my fur skirt so far with the belt before I sewed anything together.  I’ll be adding more soon!

-Chanzlyn