Sooo here’s the deal. I obvsly wasn’t going to subject a child to torture, so I had to spend a long time deciding how to tone down the winter soldier’s origins without destroying them, which landed me at “dr. zola invents worlds first brainwashing candy”. It ended up being no less creepy, I know, but atleast the poor thing is not getting physically harmed and atleast he has toysies. It makes sense in the babbu world.
I’m going to do more panels of this obvsly, but thought i’d start somewhere today lolol .u. enjoy
Let’s take a few minutes to talk about our new favorite tool for finishing fabric edges…. the hot knife! For those who are unfamiliar with this product, a hot knife is similar in size to a soldering iron with changeable tips. Once plugged in, the tips will heat up so that you can use the hot end to cut or heat various materials. Hot knives are pretty cheap too - the below set will run you $22 on Amazon.com.
Many cosplayers already use hot knives to cut foam and other prop materials, but you can use a hot knife on fabric too! So long as your fabric is made from unnatural material such as polyester, a hot knife will melt and slag the raw end of your fabric, turning it into a hard, plastic-like line. However natural fabrics like cotton will not melt and slag - instead these will simply burn away if you try to light them on fire or use a hot knife. To test your fiber and perform a burn test, follow these steps.
But why would I ever want to melt my fabric??
There’s a few reasons!
Edge finishing. Is your fabric edge an odd shape, or something that can’t easily be rolled or serged? Slagging or cutting with the hot knife prevents your fabric from fraying, and allows you to create whatever shape your design calls for.
Distressing. We used the heck out of the hot knife for our Sakizou costumes, since it required so many raw and distressed edges. Holes and rips can look a little strange if your fabric is the kind that frays easily - what looks great now may not look so hot in a day or two when threads are beginning to unravel. Sealing the edges of your fabric with a hot knife guarantees that the edge will not fray, no matter how much you wear your costume. We used the following methods while creating our Sakizou cosplays:
Slagging while cutting - on satin, I first traced out my distressed pattern while using chalk. I then chose one of the tips that came to a point, and “cut” along that pattern with the hot knife. The heat from the knife burned through the satin and sealed the edge in one go. A heavy piece of cardboard should be placed under your work so that you do not accidentally cut or burn your table. This method is great for weightier fabrics or ones that will not roll under the knife.
Slagging after cutting - on chiffon, the above steps were difficult to do since the fabric was so prone to sliding. Instead I first cut the basic shape I wanted with scissors. I then used a flat tip and ran the hot knife along all edges of the fabric to seal. Be careful of the heat setting and how long you stay in one place while using this method, as light fabric can melt easily.
Some general hot knife tips:
Don’t over-heat your knife. Test first to determine which temperature is best for your fabric; something too hot can melt away your fabric more than you intended.
Don’t leave your hot knife unattended or around animals/children. It’s really hot!
As always, make sure you use your hot knife in a well-ventilated area since you are in essence melting plastic, and different polyesters can give off fumes.
if you’re not comfortable with a Hot Knife, however, there are alternatives that don’t involve heat.
All three of these products are made for the specific purpose of finishing edges and preventing fraying. Each has something they are better at doing - Tacky Glue leaves a slightly hard edge, while fray check and fray block do not. These last two are perfect for soft materials where you want to keep the edges soft and not bulked up.
The heat knife is great for distressing and cutting out fine detail work - but will not work on natural heat resistant fibers.
These three products will work on ANYTHING.
They are relatively inexpensive, though if you are working on a large project it can add up. If you are clever at shopping and use coupons at your local craft stores, the prices can be as low as $2 USD per tube or bottle.
Bonus: You can even seal wefts for Cosplay wigs with these to prevent individual hairs from pulling lose!
Simply apply to the raw edges of your piece and allow to dry. It is washer and dryer safe, too.
According to an interview posted by Salon: “I just like feeling comfortable and as far as I’m concerned I’m really dressed up. I am very happy to talk about it. I don’t do frocks and absolutely don’t do heels, I have a bad back. I look ridiculous in a beautiful gown. This was a homage to ‘Mad Max’ and I obviously didn’t get it quite right at the BAFTAs — the scarf was meant to be an oil rag.” -Jenny Beavan, oscar winner.
“You’re an old man’s battle fodder, killing everyone and everything!”
This scene was so real for me because it’s every “conversation” between a group of feminists and a random dude who shows up to “debate” them.
He’s brainwashed, they’re angry, and even though they’re right, they aren’t even close to convincing him. He’s there to make them stop, to bring them back, and even though he’ll be happier when he joins them, right now the only option is to make him get the fuck out. They need to be safe, and he’s actively trying to undermine that.
It’s only later, when the system has used him up and spat him out, that he’s willing to listen and able to help.
I think I’ve told you most of what I could manage through my tears already, so I’ll try and keep it short. Valhalla is important to me, you’re important to me, and the fact that it touched you will forever brighten my world. Thank you, Gin.
Thanks for dragging me into this hell, but I think I should leave now. Got some actual business to be doing, lol. Where’s the exit?
…what do you mean ‘there’s no exit’?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
I don’t know if anyone’s noticed, but I have quite A Thing for the Haikyuu men in a business environment (pleated pants don’t hurt the cause…). I’m glad you liked the fic, thank you!
(I’ve been looking for the exit for a year, good luck)
