At long, long, LONG last, Lea is done! (Probably should have saved the Don’t Think Twice line for completion, honestly.) His hair is a triumph and actual weeks of labor, but let’s talk for a moment about the other things:
First off, that plaid. And those colors – I’d started obsessing on Lea’s clothes (they couldn’t simply be black on black on black?) back when I started planning him in January, in part because I’m a perfectionist and in part because it was a solid distraction from Declining Health Of A Family Member. I’m still not perfectly thrilled with the pants, which the cleanest models I could find put at a sort of maroonish brown color that no one actually makes yarn in. On the other hand, no one actually makes yarn in that color, and I ultimately decided to simplify them anyway because a close look at the models… 
… Reveals that said pants are LEOPARD PRINT, which is both a perfectly Lea level of Fashion Abomination but also something I am never touching, ever, in crochet. I’m just not doing it. (Note also that Xion’s shoes have that little buckle thing, I do plan on adding those since they’ll take all of fifteen minutes.) It works perfectly well for the shirt, though – lacking a good maroon, I went with brown for both. I’m still proud of the plaid – embroidery is, I’ve made no secret, not my strong suit, so it looking straight, decent, and consistently plaid is an accomplishment! (Note also, on the left, Roxas. He’s not going to be appearing on this blog ANY time soon – sorry, Roxas! I love you, but your jacket is evil.) 
Next up, the hoodie, here shown in in-progress shots I may or may not have posted previously, I honestly forget. (It’s been a year.) The trickiest part there is that gradual shortening of the width at the bottom, which is just simple decreases, and sewing in the right spots to give it a bit of looseness. There’s an actual hood to it that doesn’t show up very well in this lighting, since the hoodie is full black. That was pretty much just a strip stuffed and sewn to the back. His boots are about the same methods I used elsewhere, albeit with the crocheted tubes connecting to the one-loop-only ridge continuing for several rows to add some depth. With this outfit, I’ll take all the layering I can get to add detail.
His face is a touch more complicated than others, by which I mean Lea needed eyebrows and his mouth is a smaller smirk. (Viewed in person, it’s visible.) I also gave him a distinct collar on top of the main undershirt layer – even if it’s covered and barely noticeable, I notice, and I’m happy it’s there. And those spikes. Hoo boy.
There are over thirty hair spikes on Lea – since they’re not in perfect layers, counting’s a bit tricky. Since they’re so long, they also had to be blocked to stop twisting, and needed long tails sewn back and forth after attaching to stay in this semblance of straight. They’re still a bit floppy in a few places, but overall they have the volume they need and Lea’s hair (being as it is on the PS4 – old models from when he was Axel are all perfectly straight spikes) does have a little physics to it that makes them work. The lengths are varied (from just one round into the chain on the smallest ones to something like twelve rows for the big ones on the bottom,) and sewing took ages, as you can guess. His head’s almost certainly heavy enough that it couldn’t keep itself up without the wire – SO glad I make that standard. I do wish I’d figured out how to make his head a bit narrower and sharper. (Maybe something for when I decide to try my hand at Isa, which is also not in the immediate future – even though he’s easier, he does not get bumped above Roxas in the queue, he knows what he did.) In the end, though, it looks appropriately wild and I am happy to have him, not just have him done. Though I am that as well. This was a LONG project, and I am going to avoid doing someone that complicated for a good while after this. 
But at last, Xion has a friend. And I have a tiny fire noodle.
Alexa Appel - Blanket Dragon 