[Sponsored] Lens review: EyeCandys Doe Golden Brown

Welcome in to my blog!

I will be reviewing another pair of colored contact lenses that EyeCandys kindly sent me for reviewing purposes today. This is the second of the three planned reviews and, with that said, the lens I will showcase in this post is the EyeCandys Doe Golden Brown!

The lenses that I'm reviewing in this blog post were sponsored by EyeCandys, meaning that I did not pay for the product(s) myself. This does, however, not affect my honesty in any way. Everything written in this review is my genuine opinion; I don't ever compromise my true thoughts, feelings nor experiences dealing with any shop. My integrity can't be bought.

Discount code 10SAMURAI gives 10% off your order (two pairs minimum) at EyeCandys!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.2 mm

Water content: 40%

Life span: 3 months

This is part of a collaboration with the online circle lens store EyeCandys which I have reviewed more in detail over at my previous review here, please click the link if you wish to read my true experiences dealing with the store itself (impressions, customer service, shipping times etc). ^^ 

These lenses came individually packaged in those small cutesy cardboard boxes that are very summery and sweet in style! I'm pretty sure the singular packaging is to make it easier for people to order who have different prescriptions in each eye, which is rather common – I am one of them lol, but my vision defect is minor enough that I can wear plano lenses for cosplay purposes just fine. It's easier to just put my glasses on if I need to, aka when I have to see far during a concert, panel or such.
But if you need prescription lenses most of EyeCandys assortment goes up to -8.00, which is nice!

I had to take a photo of the lenses in a lens case because it was impossible to get a good shot of the lenses in their blisters due to the blisters having a matte finish, making it hard to distinguish the pattern and style of the lens; I don't usually take lens case photos but in this case it was necessary to be able to show what the lenses look like when they're not worn. :) 

One lens in.

I put one lens in (always soak your lenses in all-purpose lens solution for about 8 hours before wearing them for the first time!) and just like with the Doe Blues I wore before these can be a bit hard to differentiate between the 'wrong' and 'right' side due to both sides of the lens being identical and the curvature difference being really slight! Just make sure to pay attention, even if you're an avid contact lens wearer like me, because even I had to do a double-take haha. You won't immediately ruin your eyes if you accidentally put the lenses on upside-down but it's always important to be careful with insertion and remember, if a lens ever feels uncomfortable in any way (scratchy, rough etc) always remove it and examine it for any damage or dirt! This is general advice that applies to all lenses – always be vigilant about your eye safety.

The graphic diameter is stated as 12.5 mm on the store which I personally feel is a lot more accurate, in regards to the effect, than the higher diameter marked on the packaging. I'm pretty sure that the reason for the differing values is because yeah, the lens might be 14.2 mm in total diameter but the actual printed, graphic area of the lens is only 12.5 mm and the rest is the empty space at the outer edges of the lens – you actually see this on other lens brands that have smaller-than-average circle lenses as well, Neo (aka Neo Vision) immediately comes to mind!

This is a small, beautifully natural-looking lens. The color shows up as a delicate goldish toffee shade on my light gray-blue eyes and the effect is lovely yet intriguing. I honestly like these a lot more than the blue counterpart – these make my eye color noticeably different yet it doesn't cross any uncanny borders, it's just so natural and pleasing; even the blending effect is top-notch! Because yes, the color transition is so smooth and inconspicuous – there's no hard lines or jarring changes. I could totally pass these off as my real eyes if the other person didn't know what my real eye color actually is. xD It's just so down-to-earth and refined! These also have that same extremely subtle oceanic ripples design (to mimic the patterning of a real iris) that the Doe Blues had but, not gonna lie, I feel that in the Golden Browns it's somehow slightly more visible?
Even the limbal ring is thin, fuzzy and soft – it's of a darker brown shade that compliments the main color really well. It does not provide a dolly or 'anime' look in any way, but it also clearly ain't designed for that anyway.

Lens photos ahead!
All photos taken by me during a morning with a clear sky. All close-up photos are free from color filters and such and that's so that the colors would appear as close to real life as possible.

Indoors, natural room light.

Indoors, yellow room light.

Flash photo.

Bathroom light.

Facing a window indoors, not sun side.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Outdoors, facing the sun while under a shadow.

Comfort is basically identical to the Doe Blue lenses, which isn't a surprise considering that both are from the same series. These lenses are made of MPC polymer, a new bio-inspired material that has different characteristics than the commonly used silicone hydrogel – I'm not implying here that one material is strictly superior nor inferior, but I do appreciate lenses that retain moisture due to having naturally very dry and sensitive eyes. I've worn and reviewed over a couple hundred colored contacts to date so I've had my fair share of both good and less good comfort – and with that said I feel like there's something different with how this new material, that EyeCandys lenses are made of, keep your eyes hydrated and comfortable (especially for the first hours). In fact, the second I put these lenses into my newly woken up eyes there was this figurative wave of refreshment, almost as if I had put eyedrops in, except I hadn't; it literally felt like a hydration booster! I usually don't like to embellish or gush but I often lowkey dread putting on lenses early in the morning because odds are that it will exacerbate my already existing eye discomfort so yeah, these lenses actually made my morning more comfortable – not less. The (re)hydration effect isn't like peppermint in your eyes lol but it's certainly distinct and I had a genuine "woah!" reaction. So yeah, if you're like me and struggle with dry eyes and insomnia you might want to give EyeCandys line of lenses a try, especially if you're looking for casual lenses.

All in all this is a great choice for those who want natural lenses, something hidden yet visible. It's a very sophisticated, toned down design meant to enhance your look and natural beauty. The soft golden brown color exudes a sense of calm and warmth, great for enhancing daily looks. Of course you can wear these for costuming too but as I said before, they don't really suit most anime and manga characters due to the naturalness and yeah, lack of vibrancy and impact. You could use them for western media cosplays (especially realistic video games like Red Dead Redemption) with better success – but you could just as well use this kind of natural lenses for historical costumes, tv-shows and series. For this review I did a very loosely wuxia inspired look because I'm hyped about the Where Winds Meet game finally releasing~

Distance photo!

Want to see these lenses in another color? I got one here: Blue

Short summary:

Color: 6/10
Soft and earthly honeyed caramel brown, looks especially alluring in outdoor sunlight!

Design: 5/10

A realistic super delicate design with a rippling ocean effect. Simple yet graceful.

Opacity: 6/10

Changes my eye color yes, but also blends really well. Retains what I'd call "natural transparency".

Enlargement: 1/10

It's hardly enlarging on my eyes at least. Limbal ring is also thin and soft, avoids a dolly look.

Comfort: 9/10

Thin and keeps eyes hydrated well. Very comfortable to wear on dry, sensitive eyes for several hours. The slightly smaller pupil hole might lead to minor vision corner blur (barely noticeable in my opinion).

Naturalness: 10/10

Easily one of the most believable lenses I've worn; I could easily fool someone not accustomed to colored lenses into thinking my eyes are naturally brown lol.

Thank you for reading, more reviews coming soon!
Thank you, EyeCandys! ♡

Shiro Samurai out~

Lens review: G&G Ifax Brown

Hello in the house!

There's gonna be a streak of circle lens reviews coming up and this is the second one in tow! I will be reviewing the G&G Ifax Brown lenses, a classic big and brown circle lens.

Let's go!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.0 mm

Water content: 38%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

This is a very typical circle lens design in my opinion – it feels like I've seen dozens of lenses with designs similar to this one yet I can't name a single one from the top of my head. :'D It's just so generic but I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that this is that kind of design that feels soooo familiar.

It's not a hyper opaque lens, in fact I feel like the color looks more translucent than on your average circle lens. Like I can tell it's brown but in the vials it appears to be so lightly pigmented! 

One lens in.

Once worn they do make my eyes look darker. And bigger. The black limbal ring is frankly quite massive and yeah, it's very bold and thick – which results in a doll-like look. When I look in the mirror with these lenses on I can tell that they make my eye color dark but it's not like a true brown, if that makes sense? I guess it kinda looks like there would be a brown overlay or filter on top of my real eye color? xD It looks pretty nonetheless and there's definitely that illusion of big, captivating eyes!

The lens has this kind of burst effect or I guess a lowkey flowerish design with black streaks running towards the center. As with most circle lenses the pupil hole is large and a decent chunk of your real eye color will thus show through in the middle. I get the feeling that this lens is probably meant for dark-eyed individuals but it looks pretty good on light eyes too.

Lens photos ahead!
All photos taken by me during a morning with a semi-clear sky. All close-up photos are free from color filters and such and that's so that the colors would appear as close to real life as possible.

Indoors, natural room light.

Indoors, yellow room light.

Flash photo.

Bathroom light.

Facing a window indoors, not sun side.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Outdoors, facing the sun's direction while under a shadow.

I feel like the comfort is definitely above average – in fact, I wore these twice to an anime convention for a full day in costume (roughly 8 hours) with almost no trouble, save for some very occasional dryness that eventually went away. It should be noted here that I have naturally sensitive eyes very much prone to drying so yeah, anything that I can comfortably wear past a couple hours is already a win in my book. My experiences with G&G lenses (also known as Dueba and/or Barbie) overall is that they're almost always exceptionally comfortable to wear. 

Summa summarum I'd say that this is a solid staple brown lens to pick for a wide variety of purposes – it's versatile enough to be great for everything from cosplay and lolita fashion to casual outings and parties. It might not be like a super distinct or intense brown color, on light eyes at least, but the effect it creates is very sufficient for any dark-eyed anime characters or fashion looks. It's soft and bold at the same time and you can't really go wrong with these lenses – unless you absolutely can't stand the black inner rim that lines the lens and is kinda clashy on light eyes. Yeah, it doesn't blend well at all so, if that's a pet peeve of yours, then you might want to pick something else lol.

Distance photo!

I did wear these lenses for my captain Ukitake cosplay from Bleach earlier this year, you can see how they look from a greater distance in this photoshoot post. ^^

Short summary:

Color: 6/10
A rather translucent brown lens, very mild in color but it does make my eyes look dark.
Design: 6/10
Simple and timeless design. This is one of those classic styles or at least a variation of them.
Opacity: 5/10
The actual brown color is rather sparse. Majority of the effect comes from the black rim and details.
Enlargement: 5/10
There is a notable enlargement effect but it isn't overdone. Limbal ring gives an illusion of a bigger size than it actually is.
Comfort: 8/10
Solid comfort all in all, wearable for a full event day. I don't really feel them and they're thin too.

Naturalness: 3/10
Can't really call these natural due to how thick the black rim is, it's way too dolly to pass despite how soft the brown is.

Stay tuned for more lens reviews, there's more to come!
Shiro Samurai out~

[Sponsored] Lens review: EyeCandys Doe Blue

Hello and welcome in!

Today I will be reviewing a pair of colored contact lenses that EyeCandys recently sent me for review purposes. ^^ This is a new online circle lens store experience for me so yeah, this post will also feature a small review about their site! I did receive three pairs of lenses (which I will be reviewing separately) and I will be starting with the https://eyecandys.com/products/eyecandys-doe-blue-colour-contacts?ref=shirosamuraiEyeCandys Doe Blue!

The lenses that I'm reviewing in this blog post were sponsored by EyeCandys, meaning that I did not pay for the product(s) myself. This does, however, not affect my honesty in any way. Everything written in this review is my genuine opinion; I don't ever compromise my true thoughts, feelings nor experiences dealing with any shop. My integrity can't be bought.

Discount code 10SAMURAI gives 10% off your order (two pairs minimum) at EyeCandys!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.2 mm

Water content: 40%

Life span: 3 months

 Before I get around to the actual lens review I want to briefly share my experiences with EyeCandys. They first contacted me at the end of September for a collaboration offer. I had seen advertisements for their shop before on random social media sites so I knew them by name, but I had not bought from them before this. I checked out their store and it seemed legitimate enough, quite easy to browse and they have a fair amount of lenses for sale – with the main focus being on their own brand, EyeCandys, and diverse Korean brands that are new to me (i-Sha, Olola etc). They do have some globally known brands for sale too like Neo Vision, Acuvue, GEO and Freshlooks. They seem to carry prescription options for almost all lenses I've checked, which is good if you need that! They also have these convenient markers highlighting what each lens is good for when you're scrolling, saying stuff like "for dry eyes" and "for dark eyes" etc – it saves you a bit of time as you get a nice overview and thus don't necessarily have to click open each interesting lens to check its specifics. 
The site doesn't stand out from its competitors in terms of visuals and user interfaces, it's rather generic-looking (aside from a doge meme) and has the same style of writing typical to this type of online stores. I feel like your main draw to choose EyeCandys over other shops would be if you're interested in their own brand of lenses (which does have unique designs!) or any of the other Korean brands that the most popular stores don't carry. :) There is a lot of pretty and interesting lenses to choose from and there also seems to be a permanent free shipping offer on orders over 75$, which is always nice! I do notice though that their pricing seem to be a teeny bit on the expensive side when compared to other sites, with 30$ being roughly the average price for a pair. Waiting for sales might be an idea if you're shopping on a budget.

 As I mentioned previously EyeCandys sent me three pairs of lenses to review, all of them from their new collection(s). I did not pick these myself but that doesn't bother me at all because I like variety and the chance to try out lenses that I might not have chosen otherwise!
I have personally not had any issues with the store overall and my contact person Gerri has been super professional, understanding, fast to reply, patient and just overall a stellar customer service experience. They understood English really well too, much better than I initially expected due to the store being based in Asia – South Korea to be exact, the motherland of circle lenses.

I do acknowledge that, as a blogger with a sponsorship deal, that I most likely had some privileges (probably got faster shipping, priority service etc) and my overall experience might thus not be comparable to the experience of an average customer. But I want to say that –based on this one experience– that I personally have no reason to mistrust EyeCandys. All the lenses I received seem legitimate and the whole transaction was smooth. 

One thing that made me raise my eyebrow is that on their "contact us" page is an address in Hong Kong but my package was clearly shipped from South Korea (KR land code and tracking showing departure from a district in Seoul). I'm not savvy in business management stuff so I don't know if this kind of practice is normal for some reason, maybe it's some kind of outsourcing? I honestly have no idea but, whatever the case, I feel like anything being shipped out from South Korea is almost automatically a green flag as that's the country with the highest quality standards for a lot of beauty products and cosmetics in Asia. 
For transparency I want to also mention that I did see messages from customers not receiving their orders on time etc on-site but I also saw that the customer service did reply to these concerns and I can only assume that the issues were solved through email exchanges, as they should be. Generally speaking, regardless of what online store it is, there will always be people with bad experiences – sometimes it's the store's fault and sometimes it's the postal company's and other times it can even be a *gasp* customer error yes, the customer isn't always right. 

With all of that said I think EyeCandys is a legit business that sells authentic lenses. But as with all overseas online stores one should be aware of the risks of long shipping times and eventual other mishaps with orders (out of stock, defective lenses etc). Always place your order well in advance to avoid troubles and frustration from missed deadlines.

 

EyeCandys shipped out my order on 30th September by Korea Post and it arrived in my country on 6th October. The local post was really slow with the clearances and such so it took until 22nd October before it was ready to be picked up. The package was this common cardboard box and I had to go pick it up from the postal office; I didn't have to pay any additional fees though!

Inside the cardboard box was this pretty pink box!

I opened the box and inside was the lenses along with a merry lot of other stuff. The lenses came in separate blister packages, which had me confused for a few seconds because I'm used to it being one box per pair but these lenses were one box per lens! I guess this is good if you need different prescriptions for each eye so yeah, I can see why this is a thing lol.

 

All contents laid out.

Aside from the usual stuff like a guide on how to wear and open lenses etc I also received a small bottle of lubricating eye drops (for contacts), a contact lens applicator kit, egg-shaped lens cases (including tweezers and an applicator as well) and also a couple spare lens cases. This is a pretty handy sponsor package – I especially appreciate the eye drops because I have really dry and sensitive eyes naturally so it will come in handy! I do think some of these additional goodies might be freebies all customers get once your order reaches certain value thresholds. :)

~~ Lens review ahead! ~~ 

So this was of course my first time trying the EyeCandys brand of lenses and, as such, I went in with no expectations when I opened up the cute little cardboard packages to get the lens blisters out. Always make sure to remove lenses from their original packaging and soak them in all-purpose lens solution for some hours before wearing them for the first time – personally I always put lenses to soak overnight, it's easy and convenient. You could technically wear circle lenses straight outta the vials/blisters but it's really not recommended since the solution they are stored in is a stronger kind meant to keep the lenses good in storage and yeah, it might irritate the eyes.

You can see from my photos at the top that it was nigh impossible to photograph the lenses in their blisters; the plastic isn't clear (it's matte) so you can't really see the lens well and that's the reason why I took an additional photo of the lenses in a lens case, which I don't typically do. That's to show the color and style of the lens more accurately. 
I'm gonna be honest here and say that to me these don't look blue at all, it's a super pale blueish gray. It's not as blue as the stock photos make it look – at first I thought maybe there was a mistake and I had accidentally been sent a gray lens but the EyeCandys Doe series doesn't even exist in gray! :D And the packaging and everything is clearly for the Doe Blue. Oh well, I was still excited to try these regardless of what the perceived color was!

One lens in.

The page for these lenses says that the graphic diameter is 12.5 mm which I feel is more accurate than the 14.2 mm marked as the total diameter, especially when it comes to the size and printed area. This is a really small lens, it's almost exactly the same size as my irises are, so for me the enlargement is close to zero. I do want to mention here though that people do actually have different iris and eye sizes so, for someone else, the difference could be more pronounced!

I have naturally light grayish blue eyes with a tiny golden inner ring. Once I got one lens in I looked in the mirror and my first thought was "which eye is the lens in?" lmao. xD It's so similar to my real eyes, both in size and color! There's a slight color difference in that the lenses make my eyes look more slate colored – it looks super natural though. 
It's a bit hard to see on photos but if you look really close there's this kind of subtle ocean ripple-like print towards the edges of the lens, mimicking the patterns of an iris. These lenses also blend deceptively well with my real eye color, it's hard to tell that I have lenses on and the limbal ring is really thin and soft too – I could totally wear these out and go grocery shopping and no one would be the wiser that I have colored contacts on lol.

I would classify these as a most natural lens, suitable for daily occasions or subtle dress-up looks. I don't feel like there's enough vibrancy nor flashiness for cosplay purposes but it can be used for "western characters" (movies, comics etc) if you mainly just want to change your eye color without anything extra at all. I do feel like these lenses would be more interesting and well, probably more blue, on dark eyes. After all, they're created first-hand for brown eyes and the Asian market. On light eyes similar to mine it's more like a color enhancing lens or a slight nudge towards a different shade of blue/gray. The color itself makes me think of rainy summer clouds. It's pretty and boring at the same time because it's so similar to my own eyes, if that makes sense? :'D I generally favor lenses that makes my eyes look clearly different in some way, it's just more exciting to see yourself with an eye color that you don't see in the mirror everyday!

Lens photos ahead!
All photos taken by me during a morning with a clear sky. All close-up photos are free from color filters and such and that's so that the colors would appear as close to real life as possible.

Indoors, natural room light.

Indoors, yellow room light.

Flash photo.

Bathroom light.

Facing window, not sun side.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Outdoors, facing the sun's direction while under a shadow.

While these lenses might not wow me with their overall impact because they're too similar to my actual eyes they sure did deliver on the comfort department! It should be noted that I have exceptionally dry eyes and usually can't wear contacts comfortably for more than a few hours at a time and yet I could easily wear the Doe Blues for 6 hours before I felt even the first minor drying signs. This is no small feat, these lenses have exceptional comfort for me. I'm not sure how much of a difference it truly makes but I know that typically circle lenses are made of silicone hydrogel but EyeCandys's lenses are made of MPC polymer, a new bio-inspired material that has slightly different properties. Of course everyone's eyes are different and yada yada but these lenses, when I put them on, there was that instant feeling of (re)hydration that I haven't really experienced with other lenses. I was like "woah what is this freshness??", it was so pleasant for someone who struggles with eye dryness. Really blew me away. ;o;
On top of that hydration effect and overall top-tier comfort these lenses are also thin and I don't feel them much at all; there's no scratchy feeling or discomfort. I did notice though that in poorer light conditions there is a very minor, barely noticeable blur at the corners of my field of vision and that's probably because of the smaller than average pupil opening and the fact that pupils dilate in weaker lights, meaning that some of the printed color might periodically be "on top" of your pupil and obscure it. This is nothing to be concerned about however, as I said it's so minor I didn't even notice it myself until I was only wearing one lens.

I want to note that these lenses were really difficult to tell apart the 'wrong' and 'right' side upon insertion because the print is identical on both sides; only the miniscule downward edge curve on the 'wrong' side guides you and the curve itself is so abysmal that I had to do double-takes to be certain I got it right – and I've been wearing contacts for over a decade now, I'd call myself experienced lol. With that said this is perhaps not the best starter lens for first-timers because the risk is higher than average to put them on the wrong way. You have to look really carefully if the edges go fully up like a bowl ('right' way) or if there's even the slightest turn into a saucer shape ('wrong' way).

To sum it all up the Doe Blues would be a comfy and discreet daily lens for casual outings – the comfort definitely allows for long wear times. Overall it's a good lens for natural and toned-down looks, although it doesn't provide much of a change if your eyes are already blue or gray. The design is meant to look near indiscernible to a human iris so if you favor "invisible lenses" then the Doe series let's you stay incognito while delicately tuning your eye color.

Distance photo!

For this review I went with a pirate themed outfit because I wanted to showcase what costume ideas you could do with natural lenses – historical costuming being one of them. I wouldn't use these for anime characters and the like but you can absolutely use natural lenses like this for renaissance festivals, live-action roleplays and anything where you don't want to look like you're wearing contacts. 

Want to see these lenses in another color? I got one here: Brown

Short summary:

Color: 3/10
Somewhat gray on my eyes. A cold, pale shade that makes me think of rain puddles or a clouded, sleeping sea. Quite uniform and passable.

Design: 5/10

A realistic, versatile design. Very subtle pattern of oceanic ripples brings out a delicate touch.

Opacity: 5/10

Changes my eye color but it's hard to discern to what extent due to the similarities. Great blending!

Enlargement: 1/10

Very minor, there's hardly any enlargement effect to speak of. Soft, fuzzy limbal ring.

Comfort: 9/10

Thin and hydrating for a long time! Very comfortable on dry eyes. Potentially a very slight vision blur in poorer light conditions.

Naturalness: 10/10

One of the most natural-looking lenses I've worn. Happens to be very similar to my real eyes despite being a colored lens.

Thankies for reading, more reviews are coming soon!
Thank you, EyeCandys! ♡

Shiro Samurai out~

Terucon 2025 – Rovaniemi strikes again!

 Hey everyone!

I went on a daytrip to Terucon in Rovaniemi last weekend, specifically on the Sunday. Terucon was actually a two-day event on 25-26 October but I didn't really have a possibility to attend both days so yeah, no can do. Besides, I felt like one day was plenty enough to experience the event since it's so new and small. :) Or well, Terucon is new but also not quite new – it's actually the same event as Northern Lights Anime Party (which I attended last year), just renamed and with a new main organizer! Oh, and moved from December to the end of October.

Without further ramblings, let's go~

Terucon's poster.

Okay so, first things first – I didn't cosplay. My original plan was to cosplay but yeah, the closer the con was the more anxious I got. I've had my mental health dipping lately it's typical for this time of the year and it just seemed too much of a hassle to dress up, especially considering it was a one-day train trip and that comes with its own set of challenges when one can't conveniently dress at home/hotel before leaving etc. So yeah, I went casual to spare both my sanity and my time.

I took the morning train (9:36 departure, local time) from Kemi to Rovaniemi with Firith in tow as company. The train trip takes roughly one hour so it's quite manageable. I had some minor motion sickness but nothing too bad. Once we arrived at Rovaniemi railway station we took a taxi to Monitoritalo Monde, which is just a few hundred meters away. Might seem wasteful but the weather has been absolute ass for the past two weeks (no sun at all) and Firith didn't want to risk the makeup getting ruined if it would suddenly start to rain. The clouds sure looked the part at least.

Monitoritalo Monde entrance.

Just like Northern Lights Anime Party last year, or NLAP for short, Terucon was held in the Monitoritalo Monde building. It's a decent location for small events but there's not a lot of room for growth. I gotta say here that I have no idea about what other host buildings Rovaniemi has, in theory, so I can't know if Monde is good or bad in comparison to the eventual others – but I do feel like Monde's strongest suit is how close it is to the train station and that it has a cafeteria inside and a foodstore quite literally next to it and Kotipizza. 

The clock was a little bit past 11:00 by the time we arrived and just when entering a roughly middle-aged lady struck up a chat with us, mentioning that she's the first-aid person in charge at the con, should something happen. That brief encounter immediately gave me a green flag since I think NLAP didn't have a first-aid worker in place last year so that there now is one is definitely an improvement in organizing. I absolutely feel safer at cons when I know there's first-aid available.

View of the info desk and cloakroom combo.

My first impression when I got inside was that it was weirdly empty. Concerningly so. I only saw a handful of other visitors for the first hour or so. I also noticed that most of the placements etc seemed identical to last year, at least on the base floor. By that I mean that for example the cloakroom and information desk was combined into one station just like last time. Not like there's really place to have them anywhere else anyway lol, the available space is so limited. I did notice though that there was no pop-up library this time and no pin workshop either (unless they were only on Saturday).

You could vote for your favorite husbando and waifu.

The fun and casual husbando and waifu popularity contest made a return this year and it was fun to see that there were different characters this time around, although a few more options would have been even more fun. I voted Flins even though I barely know him because I've refused to progress the main quests in Genshin Impact because I'm waiting for confirmation that "Paralogism" and "A Space and Time for You" quests have got the missing English voices added. I just really don't want to ruin my game experience any more with muted characters and I'm so emotionally attached to the English dub that I just can't change it. I tried to play the last Lantern Rite with Japanese dub but it's just not the same. And yes, I'm normally the person who always watches anime with subtitles, never dub.

Main stage area with organization booths and Matsukirppis to the left.

Matsucon's Matsukirppis (flea market) returned but next to them were also the promotional booths, which I think were new? It was for Pörröcon and Akakabutocon, respectively. Both I'm interested in visiting eventually but the dates were kinda unfortunate to me this time, I know for sure that one of them overlapped with Sonata Arctica's anniversary concert that I'm going on next year. :') Sorry!

Boop the snoot!

The location of the Artist Alley was changed – instead of being upstairs along that narrow corridor it was now placed along the walls of the main stage area. This is definitely an improvement as it was now easier to browse and move as it's a much more open space so yeah, no crowding and potential bottlenecks! Of course the chairs, reserved for the stage spectators, were perhaps a bit in the way but not to the point that it was detrimental. It mainly just didn't look very aesthetic lol.

Overview of the Artist Alley.

There was a decent amount of artists, including a couple I hadn't seen before which is always refreshing and a plus! There was one seller who had Infinity Nikki merchandise, which made me quite excited because that's the first time I ever saw that IRL, which is surprising considering that, despite the recurring issues and boycotts (or well, girlcotts in this community), it still has a large fanbase. I do still play it myself just recently got platinum trophy but I'm strictly free-to-play since the Sea of Stars and retcon disaster patch. Those who know they know.

I would have liked to buy more stuff than just a single pin from the artists but Terucon happened to be during the time of month when I'm usually at my poorest and I just couldn't afford spending on anything that's not a necessity. There's been some additional expenses this past month since my healthcare free-card ran out and now every hospital visit costs money again until I get a new free-card. So yeah, been some tight budgeting this month, it's not usually this bad. I hope some of the new artists I saw here at Terucon I will see in the future too!

At around 12:30 it was time for Firith's Genshin Impact panel. Or well, it wasn't your typical Genshin panel but rather a pondering panel about Genshin's cast and what mental health and/or personality disorders some characters could potentially have based on what we've seen in-game etc. It was light-hearted, despite the seriosity of the topic, and respectfully done without stigmatizing the disorders nor people suffering from them. I feel like this is a very interesting topic in general and there's a lot of room for further in-depth analysis and future reruns of the panel with added insights and more characters. 

"Seuraava potilas!" – Genshin Impact-hahmot psykiatrin vastaanotolla

I do hope Firith will expand upon this concept, there's so much potential. It also takes a lot of awareness and skill to be able to navigate such a serious topic and make it suitable for entertainment without stepping on any toes – in all the different ways one could do so. It felt like Firith had to compress the information quite a bit though because of how short the time slots were (45 minutes) but yeah, it was still sufficient. I just think this kind of panel could benefit from a longer run-time than the 45 min standard slot, perhaps like 1 hour?

Oh, we did bump into Sallukka, Dongrieg, Joni and Pete a bit before the panel as well! They had arrived by car a bit after us but just in time for the panel. I should maybe also add here that the panel room was the same room where I played Dungeons & Dragons last year, except this time it felt like it was better utilized? Or at least it felt more roomy and the other half of the room had this lounge-ish area where you could just chill, kind of like a living room. Very nice addition.

The lounge room thingy.

After the panel was over I was ravenous for food; I hadn't had breakfast nor anything to eat aside from a can of mineral water and a protein bar at the train. We checked the ResQ app for anything cheap and filling nearby and saw some mixed sushi assortments for like 6€ and so we walked to the nearby shopping center and back to pick up the food. I would have otherwise not minded the Kotipizza offer but I had literally been to Kotipizza in my hometown on the Wednesday before the con. xD

Your reminder to stay hydrated.

I gobbled up my sushis like a hungry little gremlin mayo and corn sushi was weird af and by the time I was done the clock was 14:30 and it was time for the main reason I came to the con (aside from simply checking it out to see how it has developed), namely the Dungeons & Dragons session with the same dude as the DM who hosted it last year! 

Joni getting ready to start.

Unlike last year the D&D activity was held in the corner of the cafeteria, which helped with people noticing it I think. Being upstairs in that lecture room made it a bit separated from the main hustle and bustle at NLAP last year. Hant doesn't live in Rovaniemi anymore so my company this time to party up with was Joni, Firith and some random moustachioed French guy.

The session was based on the Arknights universe, a game I'm familiar with by name only. We had premade characters to choose from and I went with Mountain, a huge white tiger who was a Barbarian class in this session. Figured I'd take something relatively straightforward to play so I can just go oonga boonga to town with my limited brain juices, thanks to sleep deprivation lol. My insomnia is acting up again and my sleep quality is more shite than usual so the less spells I have to keep track of the better. I'm not experienced enough yet to even remotely have any stats, effects, spells etc memorized. Good thing the Dungeon Master guy was just as friendly and willing to explain and guide as last time!

The cafeteria area seen from above.

We had two maps, both were in a dilapidated church. The DM did a great job with explaining the lore backdrop, answering any questions, maintaining suspense and immersion and just overall being great at keeping it interesting. 
I also want to give a shoutout for his exceptional and graceful handling of awkward situations – there was an instance when this random guy got a bit too eager and started telling others how to play their characters (not in a hostile way, bro was just so excited) and the DM picked up on this "generally disliked behavior" and defused the situation without making a scene or upsetting anyone – and he did it before any of us affected had even brought it up or gestured discomfort. So observant and ahead of the game; no wonder he was one of the two appointed anti-harassment contact persons (or 'häirintäyhdyshenkilö' as we say in Finnish)! I only made the connection after the con because my facial memory is so ass and yeah, I didn't realize it was his face on the photo the first time I saw the info of the anti-harassment contact persons on Terucon's socials. xD

The D&D game took roughly two hours but this time we had time to play it through, progress! It's always so hard to gauge time needed with this kind of things but despite us needing to rush a bit with the boss fight it was a very satisfactory run. At least I was thoroughly entertained and would absolutely come join a third time if he'll return next year too!

There was a small-scale video game room!

I almost forgot to mention but this year Terucon actually had a gaming room upstairs and it was so nice to see! There wasn't much (two Nintendo Switches and one mini NES) but considering there was no gaming room last year it's a massive step up because it means two things: 1) a running activity that helps keep people entertained and 2) the opportunity to host gaming tournaments to get additional activities and pull in competetive players. In fact there was at least a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament – I saw the registration form earlier at the info desk. The gaming room was in the space where the Artist Alley was last year, as in that corridor-ish space upstairs – a much better use for said space because it felt a lot less narrow now that you don't have to pass through it and browse in it.

Terucon was closing down by the time we had wrapped up the D&D session but there was just enough time for us to catapult ourselves into the Artist's Alley one last time. Firith made some quite literal last-minute purchases and then we had to say farewell to the first ever Terucon. I did enjoy my time even though I didnt get the so-called full experience because I wasn't there on Saturday as well. I did have a chat with the main organizer earlier and I heard that Terucon had already broken the visitor record on Saturday and that an upgrade for next year looked promising. 

Before I left I had to draw Buttman in the guest book.

Oh and yeah, in the beginning I mentioned that it was suspiciously empty when we arrived but people did start to show up later and it started feeling like a proper small con and not half deserted lol. I'm happy with my choice to go casual though, it made the experience stressfree for me and I could focus fully on having a good time. If anything though I'm a bit surprised by how few cosplayers there were, especially considering that Sunday was the cosplay competition day which usually translates to the main day for cosplayers to wear their best costumes. I think I can count on one hand all the people I saw who were in full cosplay throughout the day, which is a bit of an oof and makes me wonder how the cosplay competition went. I couldn't go see it because it overlapped with the D&D game session but seeing how they were still looking for contestants on-site it kinda heavily implies that there were trouble with getting cosplayers to enter? Not like it's a rare occurrence though – feels like that's the norm with smaller cons nowadays; the younger generations just aren't as interested in handicrafts and competing in the same way as my generation were lol. I could be wrong though (and of course there's always exceptions) but yeah, that's the general impression I've got as someone who also has organizer/insider experience in the pockets. Cosplay competitions are not the drawcard it used to be, at least not in events of this scale – it seems to be frequently on-the-fence if you even manage to bag the minimum required amount of contestants to go through with the competition. My guess is that the rise of social anxiety in youth has something to do with it...


All in all Terucon was a pleasant experience. It's a free-entrance, low-threshold event that shows growth and promise since its inception as Northern Lights Anime Party. I see the potential for it to become even better but if you live in the north it's already worth a visit if you're into anime and Japanese pop culture. The new organizer does a great job with pulling everything together and deserves an eloge for all the hard work having to do this almost entirely as a solo project, based on my understanding of the situation at least. I am under the impression that NLAP's organizers were minors and that came with its own set of difficulties and limitations and that's why there's a new organizer – there probably had to be or the con would have been sacked. I do hope for the current organizer to get some extra hands to help arrange the con next year, lord knows how exhausting it can be to be responsible for everything alone! But yeah, I'm gonna wrap this up here now and say thanks to all the people behind Terucon for burning brightly and giving us northdwellers another event to look forward to – y'all deserve a round of applause. Looking forward to next year's iteration!

Thanks for reading!
~ Shiro Samurai out.