The Wonderful World of Nic

Welcome!

Every week I want to focus on ONE cosplayer and yesterday she decided for me as she hit 16K followers on Facebook. She is one of the sweetest, down to Earth cosplayers I have ever had the chance to meet and she has always responded in kind and given me great advice when I've asked. She even has pet rats like me. Haven't guessed yet?

It's Nichameleon!!!

I remember meeting her at Supanova on the Gold Coast....oh wow I don't even remember the year! She was dressed as Rapunzel and I was dressed as Ariel in her town dress. I had never met Nic before this, I hadn't friended her on Facebook and we didn't even talk for long. We exchanged compliments and I walked away feeling happy and excited that I'd seen a fellow Disney Cosplayer.

Since then Nic has expanded her costuming empire by creating some of the most screen accurate anime/gaming costumes such as Yoko from Gurren Lagann and a Samus Zero Suit. She also dressed as many Star Wars characters (including a sexy Wookie) and is well known for her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series.

 

Photos by Cosplay Australia and What a Big Camera

Those are just a few of her creations as Nic also dabbles in modelling, showcasing a ton of new designs from Black Milk Clothing and other indie brands and also just having fun in outfits she has thrown together for photo shoots. She has a natural talent for her art and she's very kind to her fans and followers too, responding to their comments and messages when she can.

Photo on the right taken by Live Exposure (clothing company is Coven XIII)

Recently Nic created a costume all by herself by sewing two bodysuits together and working her magic to create a Harley Quinn hammer. I was blown away by this as she just continues to surprise her followers and I am happy to say that I am one of them.

If you aren't following her yet, please do. She uploads regularly and has content that suits every type and kind of geek and geeket!

FB: Nichameleon on Facebook

Instagram: @Nichameleon

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Movie Monday Review: Princess Ahmanet…oh yeah and Tom Cruise

Movie Monday’s will see me reviewing movies both NEW and old (but new to me) and today I want to discuss the highly anticipated, though perhaps not for a good reason, Mummy remake starring Sofia Boutella and Tom Cruise. Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!

I personally was very much looking forward to this film as I had high hopes and the trailers had impressed me a lot. I loved the idea of a female Mummy as its different to the original films and her look seemed so cool. I just love the female villains these days looking dirty and possessed (look at Enchantress from Suicide Squad and Hela from Thor: Ragnarok) and Sofia actually looks like she could have belonged in Ancient Egypt. Despite my excitement for this film I was very much upset that they did not even offer a small cameo to Brendan Fraser. I know that the film takes place in the present and not the past like in the original films but it still would have been nice to see them at least nod to the original cast. In fact, the only nod to the original films they gave was a quick glimpse of the Book of the Dead as it fell to the ground near the end of the film.

Despite it being, technically, a sequel to the Brendan Fraser films it was nowhere near as exciting or well written. It seemed rushed and character development was weak apart from Ahmanet though they could have done more with her too. Tom Cruise was a poor substitute for Brendan Fraser and I don’t even remember the other female co-star all that much, sadly.

In The Mummy and the Mummy Returns Imhotep was just as much a main character as the O’Connell’s but I feel like the script’s idea of making Tom Cruise’s (insert character name) an “extremely important” and “one of a kind” vessel for the God Set put Ahmanet and the other characters in a grey second-best-not-really-important-to-the-movie cloud which was disappointing because as the film’s title suggests it’s about the Mummy, not Tom Cruise. 

The film took an interesting turn after Ahmanet was captured and we were introduced to Dr Jekyll played by Russell Crowe. It was soon discovered that he was in fact the Dr Jekyll from the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde tale. This was teased while Tom Cruise and his female co-star (the one no one will remember) ventured through the facility Ahmanet was being held in as they passed ancient artefacts such as the skull of Dracula’s. I found this plot twist very silly and unnecessary as it didn’t really go anywhere specific. Dr Jekyll injected himself with serum to stop Mr Hyde from surfacing (though that failed at one point) but it had nothing to do with the story. Any sort of character who wanted Ahmanet for any purpose would have done and had the same effect. Perhaps if he wanted Ahmanet as part of his creature collection it could have worked but he wanted to destroy her, not keep her. I just felt it was all very silly and unnecessary to the story as a whole.

Overall it was a barely fun film made slightly interesting by Ahmanet’s character design but it is not a movie that can or should be held equal to the original movie franchise. I would like to pretend this was not a sequel and just a failed spin off because that’s all it came across as. Ahmanet’s character design, as stated, was interesting and I wish they had done more with her. It felt like the movie was very much rushed. I give this movie a 4/10 and that’s only because of Sofia and how she managed to work with a character not 100% thought out. 

I have in fact done a very rough cosplay of Ahmanet as part of my first episode of "Cosplay on a Budget" on my YouTube channel. Below are links to the DIY and the make-up tutorial.

DIY Princess Ahmanet Costume on a Budget

Princess Ahmanet Make-Up Tutorial

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Shooting with Aperture OneEight

Hello and welcome to my first blog <3

Today I want to talk about a photo shoot I did with an amazing Brisbane based photographer earlier this year. I had this idea in my head for a while about creating a "pastel goth" look inspired by Kelly Eden and Dre Ronayne whom I follow on YouTube quite religiously. Both women have their own unique aesthetic (something I envy as I don't really have my own style) that heavily inspired me and I came up with a look that you'll be able to see photos of below.

Now, after the design process it was time to find the perfect photographer for this photo shoot. I knew I wanted Cat as the photographer as I had followed her work for a long while and was in awe with her style. I discovered her work through her cosplay and cosplay photography and had her on my friends list on Facebook for ages before I got up the courage, messaged her and asked about working with her on this idea.

Photography by James Niland and Dark Age Photography

She is professional and helpful and very friendly and was all this the whole time we were discussing the location, costs and look I was going for. She was also very prompt, responding to my messages as soon as she could. Now, you have to understand. I view Cat as a kind of goddess among cosplayers, she is definitely someone I look up to and the fact that SHE wanted to work with ME was so very exciting. She didn't disappoint either, staying as lovely and professional throughout the whole shoot. In fact, she made me feel very comfortable and gave me quite a few compliments which really soothed my anxious soul as I am not a professional model and always feel...awkward...when on any shoot.

Another amazing thing about Cat is that the photo turn around is incredibly quick and I never waited very long to receive any of the shots I paid for. She even offered me a free photo as she had changed her packages. She'd changed these AFTER our shoot but still offered me this and it was just a really thoughtful gesture.

Photography by Coralea Jade - Geeks Guild Entertainment

I highly recommend Cat aka Aperture OneEight for anyone who is after a professional, talented, prompt and kind photographer. Please see the below photos from the shoot. I had such an amazing time and am still blown away every time I look at the shots taken. Don't forget to take a look at her social media pages I have linked below.

Aperture OneEight on Facebook 

Cat's Cosplay Page: Blondiee

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