Year of Cosplay 2023

 Hello everyone!

This year has gone by really fast I swear they go faster and faster every year help but unlike the last few years there's been a marked improvement in my con attendance. Yes, I'm slowly rising back from the dead and even got some kind of inspiration back! It feels so good to return to this hobby and get some enjoyment from it that isn't too tarnished by anxiety and other issues. I'm very thankful to all my friends who made this year so wonderful and I'm actually feeling motivated to make new costumes again and get my shit together. I've been to a record amount of conventions this year (and a lot of firsts!) and I'm hoping to keep up the steam into next year because this has honestly felt refreshing. 

Cons attended in 2023:

Kummacon - Oulu, Finland
Sastamalan cosplay-päivä - Sastamala, Finland

Nekocon - Kuopio, Finland

Mericon - Rauma, Finland

Nippori - Pori, Finland
Matsucon - Oulu, Finland

Nordsken - Skellefteå, Sweden 

 

It's hard to pick what was my favorite event this year as there's several strong candidates but I'd maybe put Nekocon at the throne, although tightly followed by both Mericon and Matsucon. Nekocon had a really nice vibe going on, enjoyed great summer weather and the stay at Rauhalahti spa hotel really elevated that experience as a whole to the next level. I might have a slight Mericon bias since I was one of the organizers but it was a roaring success for a small first-time con and it had a distinct atmosphere and heart that I felt was really pleasant and genuine. Matsucon was also a great experience; working the video game room was fun and overall Pohjankartano is such a nice con building and yeah, I might have become addicted to Itsudemo's sushi buffet help.

 
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Guess what? I actually cosplayed at conventions for the first time in ages! It feels wild to realize it but the last time I wore a costume at a con before 2023 was in Kummacon 2019 where I was a random nameless jedi from Star Wars. After that I hadn't wore a single costume out until Nekocon this year, crazy isn't it? It feels weird to think there's been such a long gap but I can't be mad at myself for that either, I've struggled so much with my mental health and I need to be kind and remind myself that it's okay to fall out of hobbies for a while and focus on just surviving. But yeah, I'm slowly healing and this just might be the start of a new cosplay chapter and a return to the glory days... or something.

Here's a little list of what I wore at the cons I attended this year:

Kummacon: I was in alternative fashion gear so no cosplay.
Sastamalan cosplay-päivä: Because it was a spontaneous trip I had no costumes with me.

Nekocon: I made and debuted Kisuke Urahara from Bleach for Nekocon, which was a good idea as it was decently breezy and I didn't die a summer heat death lol.

Mericon: I was dressed in a pirate-inspired fashion outfit to fit the con's nautical theme. I don't count it as a cosplay.

Nippori: Rewore my old kimono version of Gakupo Kamui the Vocaloid.
Matsucon: Saturday I went casual but on Sunday I debuted a remade version of Yuuto, one of my oldest OC's that I created specifically for cosplay when I first started out.

Nordsken: I had loose cosplay plans before the con but ended up going casual and tbh I have no regrets about that choice.

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I don't have so much more to say. This year feels like the start of a good run and I'm hoping to keep the momentum up and make new costumes next year and maybe even up my game and compete! We'll see what happens but I'm entering 2024 with a sliver of good faith and we'll see where it carries me.

And in regards to this here blog it will continue to stay active and I'll post content whenever I have something to share. ^_^ Someone might have noticed too that I've silently deleted my Facebook cosplay page recently but that's no precursor that the blog will face the same fate so don't worry! I just felt like the cosplay page had become excessive because I hardly ever used it and it had absolute crap reach (Facebook's algorithms are depressing). It felt pointless to keep the page because it feels like no one uses Facebook anymore anyway and yeah, I don't like the changes Meta has done recently either so I felt it was high time to nuke it and focus all my content and efforts to my trusty old cosplay blog. So now you know that the blog is where it's at. ;)

Thank you to all readers & Happy New Year 2024!