Kummacon 2025 cosplans!

 Hello geeks!

 

Kummacon is inching closer and I'm not gonna lie, I've had tons of trouble coming up with who to cosplay. It's almost funny because I've had this "preliminary cosplay plans" list on my phone since the end of last year and I've already lost count of how many times I've changed it. :'D

But anyways, I've been running through my possible options for a while now and I think I've decided. You see, during these past couple years I've had this scratch to slowly repair and rewear some of my older costumes – nostalgy is quite a formidable force and, to motivate me further, I actually lack proper photos of most of my old cosplays. Now I haven't kept up with this particular series in years (shame on me, I know!) but I harbor massive nostalgy towards it and especially to this one character who ended up becoming my signature cosplay back in the days.

Character: Jushiro Ukitake
Series: Bleach

Yes, of course I'm talking about namusetä Ukitake from Bleach! I'll admit to being quite excited to bring Ukitake back, it's been roughly 12 years since I last wore him! Sure doesn't feel like it. I'll be repairing the damage done to the captain's haori soon but I won't be fixing the twin swords for this outing; they would just be in the way because I will be volunteer working at the con and thus can't have my hands occupied. Sallukka was the greatest cosplay savior friend and helped me revive the old wig (which had been neglected for years due to my non-existant wig handling skills back then), thank yooou! ;o;
I haven't fully decided yet if I will do the standard version or the Turn back the Pendulum version in which his outfit is the same, except for that he wears his hair in a low ponytail. I'm leaning towards the latter to keep the wig easier to manage as I will in all likelihood be moving around a lot. 

I have so many fond memories of cosplaying Ukitake and although the convention culture has changed drastically since 2011 I still try to hold on to that sense of community and fandom joy. I really need to get back into Bleach and catch up so yeah, please no spoilers lmao because I'm very far behind in the story. xD

I think that's all I have to say for now, stay nerdy out there~

Konekocon 2025 cosplans!

 Hello everyone!

My con year will be started with Konekocon, the miniature version of Nekocon. January is almost done already (where did it go fr) and that means that Konekocon is just around the corner. Yes, it's literally held on the 1st February so it's about time that I settle on what to cosplay! I'm not sure if I'm mentally ready just yet but time is asking no one and everything has been booked already so it's yolo and let's go. I've had some absolutely awful insomnia episodes lately and I'm constantly out of energy so yeah, I'm not feeling it right now but I hope it will be a bit better by the time I start packing for Kuopio.

It took me a moment to decide on what to cosplay, mainly because I quite literally kept forgetting when Konekocon actually was and so I was in a constant loop of fooling myself and thinking that there's plenty of time to come up with something lol. Oh well, I wouldn't have had time to create anything new anyway (and recycling is pop!) and so I looked at what I could possibly rewear that wouldn't be too cold since yeah, it's still winter. I didn't want to wear something that I've recently worn out either and a bunch of my older costumes are still in need of repairs so yeah, that narrowed the list down quite conveniently. :')

Character: Yamato no Kami Yasusada
Series: Touken Ranbu

I'm going with Yasusada and, more specifically, his uchiban outfit or at least that's what I think the alternate outfits are called. This costume was last seen in Närcon 2017 so it's about time to bring it back out again I'd say. I should have all the pieces safely lying around, the only question mark is the scarf – I have no clue where it might be lol. I should have enough time to find it though so it'll be fine...

Because Konekocon is only a one-day event, unlike Nekocon, it also means that I'm only bringing one cosplay with me. Yasusada should be quite guaranteed unless some unforeseen disaster hits; although I will in all likelihood bring an extra pair of shoes with me for swapping whenever I go outdoors – I just don't want to fall and dislodge my arm if it's slippery outside it has happened more than once and I'm quite paranoid of it happening any more times.

That's it for the starter post of the year, Konekocon report coming next so stay tuned!
~ Shiro Samurai out.

Northern Lights Anime Party 2024 cosplans!

 Hello fellow geeks!

I gotta admit, I honestly thought that Gingacon would have been my last con for this year but alas – that wasn't the case. A little bird whispered to me that there's a small-scale anime event in Rovaniemi coming up soon and of course that got me interested! I've never heard of it before but it's called Northern Lights Anime Party and apparently it debuted last year so yeah, it's still very new!
In my opinion the name seems to be a bit misleading though because, based on the information I can find, it seems to not be a party at all in the typical sense of the word but rather another anime convention, especially if we use the confirmed activites as measuring tools (cosplay competition, Artist's Alley etc). Not saying that I'm disappointed – I totally get why they'd go with a funky, unconventional name because obviously that brings attention and makes you stand out from the others.

The event is held on 14th December, which is next weekend. It wasn't too difficult to figure out what to wear at NLAP (yeah, I'll just shorten it koska nimihirviö) because I don't have a lot that I can currently choose from – even less when we factor in what costumes are even moderately winter-suitable. So yeah, it didn't take long before I had made up my mind. After all, I really don't have time to repair nor make anything new with such short notice so yes, I'm shamelessly reusing a costume that's ready-to-wear in its current state!

(art and © by me, KaamosWolf, aka Shiro Samurai)

Character: Yuuto
Series: Original Character

I finally bothered to draw a character art reference of Yuuto's current design. He's one of my many OCs although not related to my bigger project. I originally made the first version of him already in 2011 but remade his design in 2023. I'll avoid info-dumping for now and will just say that Yuuto is a benevolent youkai.
Yes, I omitted his shoes completely despite what I said at Matsucon, it felt more fitting tbh. This also means that I will just wear whatever weather-appropriate or style-appropriate shoes I have, depending on time of year.
I want to note here, to clear any confusion, that KaamosWolf is the handle I go by for all my other main hobbies (gaming, arts and crafts etc) that aren't cosplay. Shiro Samurai is exclusively my cosplayer identity. There might be moments when there's some overlap (OCs I end up cosplaying being one of the more obvious cases) but art stuff will always be signed under the KaamosWolf name. 

Oh and by the way, I do accept art commissions. I just don't have the information up yet but you're welcome to email me if interested! 

I think that's all I had to disclose for now, see you maybe at Rollo Rovaniemi? :D

Bye bye~

Gingacon 2024 cosplay plans!

 Hello woofers!

I've decided to cram in one more con trip into this year and that's going to be Gingacon in Tampere, Finland. This is an event especially aimed at fans of the 80s anime and manga series Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, also known as Silver Fang abroad and, for the Finnish public, Hopeanuoli (lit. 'silver arrow').
I've never been to Gingacon before myself but I'm always interested in checking out new experiences! While I might not be their primary target demographic as I only watched the original anime (uncut version) as an adult, and thus didn't grow up with it like most other fans my age, which means the series has no nostalgic value for me. I can nonetheless appreciate it for the phenomenon and pioneer status it has in Finland with shaping the anime culture and interest back in the days, not to mention the profound impact on the furry (aka 'turri') community. I'll admit I own a couple Ginga plushies hehe.

Gingacon will be held on 23rd November and I will be traveling with Firith. Our friend Gure will provide sleeping accommodation, which made the decision to attend a lot easier because traveling to Tampere from Kemi is not exactly cheap lol. *sadge*
I have also applied to volunteer a few hours to take care of the green room so yeah, I will be a part of the work force. This also means that I had to consider my cosplay choice carefully because I don't want to wear something that would be in the way – but still I'd want something that, at least somewhat, fits the canine theme.

(recolor by ExoticPoke)

Character: Mightyena (shiny)
Series: Pokémon

I started thinking and realized that I could rewear my old shiny Mightyena gijinka outfit from 2018 if I just reworked the ears because yeah, I've never been happy with them. It's basically a closet cosplay from things I already own but I plan to add a tail as a new addition! I've worn this costume once before at Okamicon ages ago, but basically no photos exist of it to this day. Rewearing Mightyena at Gingacon is a chance to bring the doggo back out again with some slight alterations to make it better. I don't know if there will be an opportunity for a photoshoot but at least I shouldn't be freezing my butt off since I will have layers to keep me warm; we're essentially in the winter months now so let's be smart this time with costume choices. Ennakoi, tiedät kyllä miksi~

That's it for this time, I will have a WIP post coming up before the con summary so if you're interested in the making of ears and a fluffy tail then stay tuned!
~ Shiro Samurai

Matsucon 2024 cosplans!

Hello everyone!

I'm still reeling from the wakes of Mericon, but already next weekend I go back into the cannons because it's time for Matsucon and this masochist applied to be part of the work force! It's such a busy month send help. No but really, I prefer volunteering my time at conventions because I get something meaningful to do and it feels good to help. :) This time I'm gonna be over at the green room, unlike last year when you could find me assisting over at the video games!

So, what am I cosplaying then? Well, I still haven't gotten around to going through my cosplays and making a condition check on them but I know that most aren't in wearable condition for one reason or another. But there are still a few that I can bring, thankfully. But hey, look below to find out who, woop woop!

Character: Hotaru (Keikoku)

Series: Samurai Deeper Kyo

Yep, I'm rewearing Hotaru. :'D I have already modified the costume since the last outing at Nekocon, to make it a tiny bit neater and more accurate. I undid the side seams of the white outermost kimono and sewed them back together after cutting off the excess fabric that I had only done a temporary narrowing fix on before Nekocon. I also left the side seams partly open at the hem to make the tucking in the back look more like on the references with the slit – this was a detail I had missed originally and only noticed at the hotel room while dressing for the con like "wait a second.." style. xD
I will wear Hotaru on Saturday, although for transporting difficulties I won't be bringing the sword nor the tengu geta this time because I will be arriving by bus and I need to pack as light as possible. I will wear ordinary geta as replacement shoes indoors.

Character: Leon S. Kennedy

Series: Resident Evil 4

I know, I know. I kinda said already last year that I would finally debut Leon but hey, better now than even more late, right? :') This will be like an early try-out, as in I don't have all the props and stuff done that I want to have for this cosplay – and I'm not entirely sure if I'm missing any minor parts still but anyways, it should be near complete. I will hopefully wear Leon on Sunday but, umm, just a heads up that most of my work hours are slotted into Sunday so I might not be seen much as I will be watching over the green room! There is a slight risk that I might still go casual on Sunday (if my face explodes or something) but I will try to cosplay if at all feasible!

There ya have it folks, see you over at Matsucon!
Shiro Samurai out.

Mericon 2024 cosplans!

Hello nerds and bookworms!

I've barely had time to settle since the blast that was Nekocon but soon I'll be on the road again towards Rauma and the return of Mericon! The first ever Mericon was a success against all odds last year so of course I'll be there to help keep it afloat this year too! Yes, I'll be part of the work force just like last time and, to be more exact, I might have been asked to fill in as one of the cosplay competition judges. I'm quite nervous about this role but hopefully it'll go well since Mericon's cosplay competition is a relaxed entry-level event aimed at first-timers. 

Last year some might remember that I wore a pirate-themed outfit to match the naval vibes of the con, but this time I plan to wear an actual cosplay. Seeing how I'm one of the cosplay judges I want to be in a character costume idk it feels more proper lol. My issue is that I don't have a lot of costumes currently that are in wearable condition so my pool to draw from is very limited. But then I thought that why not, I could rewear that one old costume... or could I? It's far from perfect (I'm ashamed of some parts but fuck it, it's 10 years old so I can cut myself some slack lol) but it's easy to wear, quick to put on the con morning will be stressful and comfortable.

Character: Team Aqua Grunt

Series: Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire 

Not one of my best cosplays by a long shot but whatevs, it fits the con's theme close enough (I mean the design looks kinda pirate-y) and well, it's Team Aqua. Hopefully I can get a photoshoot of this costume before or after the con because this is also one of my many costumes that I quite literally have no photos of. :'D Oh and yeah, because the grunts are just, well, grunts, I will wear a random wig and lenses with it to make it 20% cooler. Besides, in the anime they have varying hairstyles and such so yeah, it's fine lol. 

That's it for this public announcement, see you at Mericon soon!

Nekocon 2024 cosplans – took so long to decide!

 Hello hello!

I'm heading to Nekocon in Kuopio this upcoming weekend and I'm so excited! Last year I went to my first Nekocon and I had such a blast that it was almost immediately decided that a revisit was in order. It's such a comfy summer con and Kuopio feels weirdly cozy and inviting to me.

It took me ages to decide on what to cosplay, hence why this post is very late I dunno if anyone will even see it in time lol but I had difficulties okay? :'D I did consider at first rewearing my Kisuke Urahara cosplay from last year but I don't know, it feels a bit awkward to wear the same cosplay to the same con twice in a row (whiplash to my early weeb cosplay years hits hard xD) and so I had to brainstorm for another heatwave-friendly costume that was in wearable condition or wearable with some small tweaks that I could recycle. And yes, this is the kind of bizarre moments when you realize you've done 50+ cosplays and still somehow have nothing to wear?!

Eventually I came to realize I had one candidate that stood out from the rest...
*drumroll*

Character: Hotaru (Keikoku)

Series: Samurai Deeper Kyo

It's legit been 12 years since I read the manga. I honestly don't remember much at all of the plot at this point but I do remember really enjoying the series (because of its unpredictable twists and turns) and I also remember liking some of the characters like Hotaru and Akira particularly much of the lot. I still plan to cosplay Akira too at some point but currently I only have Hotaru completed. I plan to wear Hotaru on Saturday.

I made this cosplay way back in 2016 and I've only worn it once, which I'm very much not fine with lol. I honestly don't want cosplay to be like fast fashion for myself and thus I'm very positive to reusing my older costumes and fixing them up if needed. Hotaru did need a quick update because, originally, I had missed to consider the way how loosely in front he wears his outermost kimono (a simple oversight on my part) and I made it according to normal kimono width when I should have made it narrower to avoid excessive fabric bunching at the sides. This is something I've done a temporary fix on for now and will re-estimate the need for further, permanent, corrections after the con.

Oh and yes, I'm bringing his suicide shoes tengu geta although I'll only use them for photos – I will walk around the con in replacement shoes that are more convenient and safe to walk in. As badass as the tengu geta look they're not suitable for normal walking, at least not on my feet because I have slowly come to accept that I have chronic knee issues. This is also why you will likely see me having at least one of my knees wrapped in bandages (Hotaru has shorts so I can't hide it) although it's not a part of the cosplay; it's a stabilization precaution I do to prevent issues from walking up and down stairs (and Kuopio Music Centre has a lot of stairs ffuu ffuu) which, without any kind of knee support, is the worst pain trigger for me.

I did dabble on-and-off with the idea of a Sunday cosplay but I'm almost certain at this point that I will just go in alt fashion. This means that Hotaru is the only cosplay I will bring. I'm still kind of trying to ease myself back into active congoing ngl and wearing costumes in public, trying not to go too fast and overwhelm myself because I still have a lot of mental health difficulties I'm dealing with.

That's all for now nerds, stay safe and see you soon at Nekocon~!

Nekocon 2023 cosplans!

Hello everyone!

I will be attending my first Nekocon this year. The decision to go started rather spontaneously but after Kummacon I've had that convention spark reignited and yeah, I'm trying to catch up with this old passion and get back in the weeb crafting groove!

Nekocon is a two-day con in Kuopio, Finland. I had quite the struggle bus experience trying to come up with what to cosplay at first because few of my older cosplays are currently wearable without repairs and I'm not in the mood to fix anything up right now. Besides, after all these years I kinda wanted to make a new costume. So yeah, after a lot of flip-flopping between cosplay candidates I ran out of gas and turned to my friends for some hivemind activation! I was then reminded by Nekocon's cosplay theme, 'nostalgy'. That's such a good theme, would be a shame not to use it!

So what is my cosplay then? 

– It's the sus hat guy. 

Character: Kisuke Urahara

Series: Bleach

This started as a half-assed suggestion, kinda. Yet it hit the right requirement buttons and thus it stuck. I mean, I'm far from updated on Bleach (I've read up to maybe the middle of the Arrancar arc, don't judge) but a lot of my first cosplays when I started were Bleach characters and yeah, the series is nostalgic to me and probably for many others too. :) And Urahara is a pretty cool guy so why not? Especially because I remembered that aeons ago I bought his hat from I think Närcon, just for fun, and now I could use it for an actual cosplay! I also wanted to make something easy (to ease back into sewing after a long break) and, most importantly, something heatwave friendly. And on top of all that I needed a costume that I could complete in a week, at most, because that's the time I had available.

Spoiler alert — the cosplay is finished but I'm going to be away from home until the Nekocon weekend so yeah, the WIP post will be posted after the con summary! 

I thought about a second cosplay too but due to my long traveling and other reasons I felt like nahh, not worth the hassle as I likely won't be at the con for many hours on Sunday before the trip back up north starts. So yeah, only one cosplay for me this time boo but at least it's something new and something I won't be stir-fried alive in! Hopefully, hehe...

That's all folks! See you at Nekocon~

Matsucon 2019 plans – likely no cosplay

Hello guys!

So Matsucon is fast approaching (too fast, I panicked when I realized it's this coming weekend already!) and I have got the train tickets ready this past Saturday. Matsucon is held on 3-4 August in Oulu, Finland. Pohjankartano serves as the con building again, just as usual.

I decided to go as a con worker, just like last time. They seemed to have a shortage of volunteers so why not and besides, I'm not sure if I can live without access to the green room anymore. xD

I will be at the entrance selling tickets on Saturday at 11-13 and 15-17 local time, and on Sunday during 11-15 – unless last minute changes happen. Come say hi and entertain me as I will travel alone! I had a nightmare last night, the con anxiety is real lololol

Regarding costuming I am not sure yet what to wear, if anything. It will depend on the weather and my mood but my current plans are to most likely either go casual or wear some lesser effort alternative fashion lol. I did think about maybe going as a random Jedi from Star Wars again, just like at Kummacon. I have to wear something that I can still easily work in and that doesn't hinder movement in any way so, uh, that's why I'm so unsure about how suitable cosplaying is and honestly, if the weather is warm I don't want to get roasted alive. :D
On Sunday I will go casual as I don't want to stress with getting to the train station on time... and I'm past those weeb days when I could easily sit in a train, in full costume, and not care that people were hardcore staring at me for half the trip.

My main reason to go to Matsucon is actually to see the Valitut Lapset (lit. chosen children) play. Matsucon is the only con in northern Finland that it's coming to and thus my only chance to see this fan-made Digimon spectacle and as a big Digimon fan this is a must for me to experience! I am so excited and happy that the supervisor for the con workers gave me my break time from work to go see it, woop! But this play is also one of the reasons I'm highly considering not cosplaying and another reason is that Pokémon Go's long awaited Ralts Community Day falls on Matsucon's Saturday and this means that I'll be roaming the streets of Oulu and I'd rather be as comfortable as possible.

See you there, whoever is going!

Kummacon 2019 plans??

Hello guys!

It seems like Kummacon will be my first convention for 2019 and I am quite excited to be honest, it's been half a year since my last convention (Skecon) so any chance to get to geek it out is appreciated. Kummacon is held during 11-12 May in Oulu, Finland, but I will only be there on the first day on a day trip as my stepdad will drive me and Frozen Angel there and check out some stores meanwhile we are at the con. I am quite curious about the new location Kastellin Monitoimitalo though, my aunt said that it's about 3-4 km away from centrum. 

I must admit that when the con revealed that the theme this year is "seikkailu" (adventure in Finnish) I started thinking that maybe I should cosplay and not just be lazy and go casual again. But then I remembered that almost all my cosplays are currently unwearable for one reason or another and so I started brainstorming if I could throw something fitting together in time. Sadly I realized way too late that what I feel the most like cosplaying from right now is Sea of Thieves, my latest video game addiction – and the problem is that I have nothing in my closet that I could use to even do the most basic, starter pirate outfit with; I feel so disappointed in meself, lol. No I'm not doing just the underwear, even though that would be even easier. xD And I want a gunpowder barrel as a prop but that ain't happening in less than a week either. *sniff* So I have to postpone my pirate dreams for a later convention (Närcon maybe, idk?) but I feel like I'm missing such a fun opportunity as it would fit the con's adventure theme so well.

No pirate's life for me this time. I don't really have sewing equipment
at home and don't want to stress either as results would 100% be ugly af.

Oh well, I stared at my cosplay list for a while and thought that I know for a fact that I want to do a movie or a video game character. I haven't felt any hype for anime/manga in a while to be honest (except that I still want photos of my costumes, Hotaru from SDK in particular right now) and I have thought about writing a blog post about this dilemma but I'll save that for a later date.
But whatever the case I feel like just doing a random Jedi would be comfy and easy enough – and with May the 4th recently passed and a new movie in the makings it feels very relevant... and fits the theme! Now to hope that me and my anxious ass keeps to it and doesn't bail out at the last moment.

Kummacon cosplay plan for Saturday:

tl;dr - I want to be a Sea of Thieves pirate but as I'm Matti Myöhäinen again I'll just be a random Jedi knight (without lightsaber cuz I'm a poorfag) on Saturday, to fit in with Kummacon's adventure theme. 

Anyone else going to Kummacon this upcoming weekend? See ya there!

~ Shiro Samurai

Närcon 2018 (potential) cosplay plans!

Hello folks!

I haven't mentioned it in here yet (I think) but I am going to Närcon this year too! I've bought a ticket second-hand a while ago and I'll be camping again, höhöhöööh~

I'm pretty sure everyone who is going is aware of one little detail and that is that even Närcon itself has officially gone out with a warning about the massive heat wave that is likely to be during the con, some sites even claiming it to be the warmest week of the year. Needless to say I'm pretty sure that this information made a lot of people change their cosplay plans last minute, me included.

Super-mega-viktigt att göra:
- Ta med en vattenflaska. Fyll på den varje gång du går från en aktivitet till en ny. Drick ca 2 liter vatten per dag.
- Ta med solskyddsfaktor, vätskeersättning och annat som hjälper dig tackla värmen. Ha gärna keps eller annan hatt som skyddar mot solen.
- Lämna din varma cosplay hemma. Det kan vara riktigt trist att inte få visa upp sin fina cosplay, men det är ännu mer trist att svimma i solen.
- Det är direkt farligt att ha varm cosplay i år. Lämna den hemma. Ta inte med den. Ja, det gäller även din fursuit, din plåtrustning eller din John Snow-rock.

The text above was posted by Närcon at their event page and it states, in Swedish, that it is directly dangerous to have a warm cosplay this year and they urge you to leave it at home and not take it with you. I'm heeding the advice. I'm not a person who copes with heat very well and I'd rather be comfy than faint so yeah, my original planned cosplay went into the bin and I had to think of what I ~could~ actually bring with me...

...

...

Which proved to be incredibly tough as I realized that 99% of my wearable cosplays consists of multiple layers. Fuck my life. :))

Buuuuuuuuuuuut I think I came up with something. At least ~potential~ cosplay plans! This means that I'll most likely bring these cosplays with me but when and if I wear them remains a mystery and will depend on the weather and my mood. I'm more likely to wear these out after the worst heat has passed, aka during the evening. Better safe than sorry!

~~~~~~~

Main cosplay

Series: Samurai Deeper Kyo

Character: Hotaru

I am not giving up on Hotaru again as I've been postponing his debut way too long already! I really want to wear him out and I feel like Närcon is the best place to do so as SDK was published in Sweden for a while and thus I have a chance of stumbling upon other fans who'd recognize me. :'D Ironically enough Hotaru is one of my "cooler cosplays" and yet wearing him means three layers of clothing on the upper body... when will I do something actually cool?? At least he has shorts to balance it out somewhat. *shrugs* I will hopefully wear him on either Friday or Saturday evening, perhaps both.

Secondary cosplay??

I might or might not bring a second cosplay but if I do (I'll know when I get home later today and can check what cosplays have all their parts where I can find them lol) it's probably gonna be either a random character from Hetalia in casual gear, Souji Okita from Hakuouki in his yukata, a generic Jedi or perhaps even a Team Aqua Grunt from Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire. I'm really unsure where the gloves and shoes for the Grunt are but if I can find them I am leaning towards bringing him right now and yes, his debut is also very long due, just like with Hotaru. xD I'm in a Pokémon mood right now!

~~~~~~~

Närcon has always been infamous for being either really warm or rainy as it's always at the exact same time of year (last full weekend of July) and often on heat waves but yeah, this year is gonna be worse than usual. Weather forecasts promise pretty much 30 degrees for the whole duration of the con so we're all gonna die. Period. 
If anyone's curious my original plans included to take part in the Touken Ranbu cosplay group as uchiban Kashuu Kiyomitsu but yeah, with this heat I'm leaving him home without a second thought as that cosplay is WAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY TOO HOT.

I think that's about it. Tomorrow early-as-shit I'm leaving for Linköping so wish me luck and see ya there!

Shiro Samurai out.

Okamicon 2018 cosplay plans!

Hello people!

My first con for the year is closing in and it will be something refreshing! I will go to the new Okamicon in Sundsvall, Sweden, which will be held for the first time on 9-11 March. 

I'm pretty excited as I've never been to a convention in Sundsvall before! Also, it has a LGBT focus and I'm pretty happy about that too, hence why I want to support this con. Speaking of supporting – I'll go there as a con worker and, more specifically, I'll work at the entrance! Come and say hi to me~

When it comes to cosplay plans I decided on only taking one costume with me and that's simply because I feel like I will not have time for two. While I am technicaĺly allowed to cosplay during working hours I have to wear my work shirt, which won't look good on top of a costume that isn't very casual to begin with. xD So yeah, one costume it is and this time it's gonna be a new one!

Character: Mightyena (shiny)
Series: Pokémon

More pocket monsters! I'm in a Pokémon mood right now, thanks to Pokémon Go, hehe. I want to do a lot more gijinkas in the future and I realized that I had stuff in my closet that I could use for a cool shiny Mightyena outfit, so why the hell not? I'll just have to make the ears to make it extra recognizable. Hello con crush my old friend...

My con company will consist of Therese and Sabine, just like at Skecon last year. We'll be staying at a hotel and that's gonna feel like such luxury since I haven't had a con hotel for years! ;^;

I don't know yet when I'll be in costume but most likely it's gonna be on Saturday. Truth is that I still don't know my working times and that feels pretty ehh, considering that the con is only two days away...

Here's to hoping that Okamicon will be worth the long car trip down. See you there!

~ Shiro Samurai out.

Skecon 2017 preliminary plans!

Hello!

So it seems like Skecon will be my last convention for 2017 and I will go there as a worker this year too. For those not in the know, Skecon will be held on 3-5 November in Skellefteå's Campus, just like last year. I honestly liked Folkparken better but oh well. I still don't know who exactly I will be traveling with (like what?!) because there's been some complications with the "car or bus" issue. Oh well, I hope that it will get sorted out tomorrow because yeah, the con starts on Friday for heaven's sake! It's stressing me out that we still don't know if we'll have a driver or not but yeah, I know for sure that Sabine and Therese are going with me. I'll be the con senpai again! x)

A problem though is that I really don't know if I will cosplay or not. ^^" I kind of want to but I'm dealing with so many insecurities right now and the weather will be too cold for the cosplays that I would otherwise consider taking with me so yeah, I'm at a loss. Another issue is that I only have like green, red and blue circle lenses opened right now (that are wearable for a full con day) and well, not really any cosplays with those eye colors that I'd want to do or can do right now. Uggggh.

But after some thinking my brain came up with at least one candidate that I haven't worn for years and that would be quite fun to do again! Truth is, I haven't worn him since 2014 and, while this particular cosplay is in need of some updating to be photoshoot-worthy, it's still wearable unlike most of my other costumes that need some serious repairs and/or updates before I can even look at them, lol. 

*drumroll*

Saturday

Series: Bleach

Character: Gin Ichimaru

Right now Gin feels like my best and most comfortable cosplay choice and I feel nostalgic. I went to check the condition of my old character wig for him and yeah, I put it on my head and my immediate thought was "oh hell to the no!" – it looked horrible after having been years in a plastic bag, no joke and I don't have time to fix it. I asked Frozen Angel if he had any suitable wigs but after digging through all my own wigs I found one that will have to do for this emergency. I do plan to get another proper wig for him but that will have to wait until next time since I'm not gonna shoot him at the con anyway. His sword also needs some fixing (and a sheath) but I'm not even sure where it is right now so I don't know if I will have it with me.

I will bring Gin with me but it will depend on my mood etc for how long I'll wear him on Friday since I have free time from 07:00-16:00 and then I work 16:00-21:00, assuming that the schedule doesn't change, that is.

I won't bring a second cosplay because it's pointless since, as a con worker, I'm not allowed to cosplay during my working hours anyway – I have to wear a specific work t-shirt, just like last year. I know that on Friday I can't cosplay because of how my working hours are placed and on Sunday I just can't be bothered since it's such a short day... and I have work on Sunday anyway (during the possible hours).

I guess that's all I had to say. See you guys at Skecon!

~ Shiro Samurai

Närcon 2017 preliminary cosplay plans!

Hello guys!

Närcon is closing in like a storm (27-30 July) and I've decided to go there this year too! I've been rather quiet about it on social media and such but it's just simply because there's been a lot of planning involved to make it possible. ^^" I'll be carpooling with a good friend from the north and staying the night at my big sister's place, for the last time. She's moving away from Linköping very soon.
I've got myself a ticket for not so long ago (bought it second-hand and thus got it a bit cheaper, fuck yeah!) and everything seems set now... except that I'm still fretting over my cosplay plans. xD You see, I'm still not 100% sure of what I will bring but I'll still go ahead and post my preliminary plans!

Thursday

Series: ???

Character: ???

I swear my Thursday cosplay is still a great mystery to me and yes, even with the con less than a week away. -_- I've been going through a lot of potential candidates but I just can't decide on what to bring – a lot of my costume options are also restricted because of being either in need of upgrading or repairing, not suitable for high heat and/or rain or I just don't want to (re)wear it yet for whatever reason. In other words: almost everything gets ruled out by one reason or another (even though I have 50+ costumes, lol) and I just don't fucking know. :)) I'm not even sure if I'll cosplay on Thursday because I mostly spend that day checking out what the con has to offer and thus I don't want to wear a cumbersome cosplay. We'll see.

Friday

Series: Touken Ranbu

Character: Yamato no Kami Yasusada

Finally I can rewear Yasusada now that I have better hakama for him! I'm hoping for a photoshoot (I have like no proper photos of this cosplay!) and it would be nice to find other sword boys too, hehe. I'm just crossing my thumbs that it won't be too hot because yeah, the blue kimono that I use for Yasusada is actually made of wool... xD Then again, Närcon is pretty much infamous for either heat waves or a shitlot of rain.

Saturday

Series: Touken Ranbu

Character: Kashuu Kiyomitsu

Aaaand Kashuu for the next day! I want to photoshoot him as well so I'm hoping that Firith will give me a helping hand with this one too. Kashuu might also be a borderline too hot cosplay for Närcon's weather –just like Yasusada– but as they say in Finnish "cosplay without pain is pretending". :DD But, then again, pretty much all my cosplays are too hot for summer anyway, lmao.

 _______

On Sunday I won't be cosplaying – heck, I might not even be at the con at all. It's such a short day anyway and I have a long way home so I might just go by a quickie on the morning and grab food or something and then leave, I don't know. 

Also, regarding Kashuu's and Yasusada's days – they are not set and I might very well swap the boys around, depending on my mood and the weather. If it's raining on one of the days I'll wear Yasusada on the rainy day because yeah, that costume likely won't take damage from rain the same way as Kashuu's silk outfit might. ^^; Yes, both cosplays consist of vintage kimono and hakama.

That's my preliminary cosplay line-up for Närcon! See ya there!

Shiro Samurai says byebye ~

Euran mangapäivä 2017 – Plans!

Hello peeps!

So I got asked by my friend Firith –on short notice– if I could come and help him out with arranging the second Eura's manga day (Euran mangapäivä, in Finnish) or, more accurately, come as part of the work force. The first one was held way back in 2013 and, sadly, kind of fell into oblivion until Firith managed to bring it back into the light again. I figured why not help out a friend, and a budding Japanese culture event, in need? ♥

Event schedule & information.
Made by Firith.

So yeah, just like Kemi's manga day (Kemin mangapäivä) this is a small one-day event with free entrance. It's held on Saturday, 22nd April 2017, in Eura's main library. I got asked to come work as the con/event photographer, although I might have some other jobs to do as well, I don't know yet. :'D I'll know better once I get there! There was some talk that, if we get enough participants, I'll maybe join Firith as a second cosplay judge...

Oh and yeah, regarding what I'll cosplay it seems like I'll bring out my latest costume again – Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, kimono version. ^_^ Yes, the same one I wore at Matsucon where I, coincidentally, also worked as a con photographer.
I'm really hoping that lots of people will show up to this little 4-hour event! Come come ~

This is gonna be fun and yet another work experience under my belt. Early tomorrow morning I'll leave for the south so now it's high time that I start to pack my stuff! Good thing that the municipality will compensate my traveling expenses because otherwise it wouldn't be possible for me to go and help them with the event, seeing how far away I live. ^^" I'm really thankful for this opportunity ~

For more information about the event, check out Firith's blog post (in Finnish): http://shinigamiuchiha.blogspot.com/2017/03/euran-mangapaiva-ensimmaista-kertaa.html

Let's roll! inb4 sitting countless hours in a bus, lol.

~ Shiro Samurai out.

Skecon 2016 plans!

Hi guys!

Kitacon is barely behind me and soon my next convention is already knocking at the door – never thought the end of the year would be so con-crammed! But yeah, here I am and this coming weekend I'll be heading towards Skecon in Skellefteå, Sweden. It's a small 3-day con that I've been attending since the start!

What's a bit different though is that this year I'll actually be working there and not just go as a regular visitor. I've been wanting to try working at Skecon for a couple years now and I felt like it was time to take that step and get some more con working experience (I've previously only worked twice at Nerdcon) under my belt! I'm a bit nervous but at the same time I'm excited, especially now that Skecon is in a different building (Campus instead of Folkparken) than on previous years. I can't wait to see what it'll be like!

So yeah, seeing how con workers are not allowed to cosplay during working hours I won't be able to cosplay conveniently on either Friday nor Sunday because of how my –presumably finalized– working hours are placed. Sunday is a short day anyway so I wouldn't have bothered with cosplaying even if I could. I happened to be lucky with Saturday though since it seems like my only working shift on that day is a night shift from 22:00 to 01:00 local time, which means that I'm free for a majority of the day, wiee! o/
Oh and yeah, a quick mention! When the preliminary working shedule was first shown to us workers I noticed that, for some reason, I and Sacchan had 5 shifts each while everyone else in the same team only had 3 shifts?? What the heck. Of course I naturally felt like it was unfair (on average it meant that we had to work 4 hours more) and brought it up and, luckily, it got changed immediately to be more evened out between all the workers. Normally I don't want to "be a bother" to the con organizers etc but sometimes I feel like I have to point out stuff if I feel like it's not right/fair. Of course no harm meant to Skecon – just wanted to mention it and yeah, mistakes happen. :) Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't have been noticed had I not brought it up and thus it's important to speak your mind during the planning stages.

But yeah, regarding the whole cosplay thing – I thought that I'd bring one cosplay for Saturday and, after going through my options, I felt pretty sure that I wanted to take a sword boy with me!

Character: Kashuu Kiyomitsu
Series: Touken Ranbu

I decided on Kashuu's uchiban/casual outfit because I need photos of this costume and I have a pair of nice red lenses that I really need to open or else they'll expire on January; I'd be sad if I got no use for them since it's a pair that is really good for cosplay. I'm hoping there would be other Touken Ranbu cosplayers at the con!

On all the other days I'll just be in more or less casual clothes, wearing the obligatory "funktionär" t-shirt (con worker t-shirt) during my working hours. I'll be stationed at the entrance together with Sacchan so be sure to say hi if you're at the con ~ ^o^

My (preliminary) working shifts are as follows:
Friday: 15:00-18:00, 21:00-00:00
Saturday: 22:00-01:00
Sunday: 10:00-12:00

That's about all I had to say! See you at my last con of the year!

Shiro Samurai out.

Kitacon 2016 cosplay plans

Hello guys!

My next convention will be Kitacon in Kemi, Finland, held on 29th October in Sauvotalo. I see no reason not to go there seeing that I live close and Kitacon has always had free entrance, woop! Free local cons are always appreciated for a poor student like me, lol. I will go there with Sacchan and some other friends and, as per usual, I have little to no expectations of the con itself – Kitacon rarely has any kind of big things happening and I always spend a huge majority of my time just derping around with friends and chilling at some random corner. Not like it's a bad thing though because it's really relaxing with a small-scale con every once in a while. ^^

At first I wasn't sure if I could be bothered to cosplay, since Kitacon has always been one of those small "hang with friends" type of conventions, but after some thinking I decided to bring a costume – especially when Firith asked if I could do a pair cosplay with him. Firith was considering to bring Ayame Sohma from Furuba and asked if I could join in so that he wouldn't have to be lonely Ayame again; he even said that going solo in said cosplay had started to taste like wood. I can wholly understand, solo cosplaying is rarely as fun as group cosplaying when you get the chance. So of course, as the good friend I am, I decided to spare my pal from another wooden experience.

Cosplay plans in 3.... 2.... 1...

Series: Fruits Basket

Character: Hatori Sohma

So I decided on going with Hatori, mainly because he fits with Ayame, is easy to wear and I was originally supposed to debut him earlier this year anyway but then shit happened and yeah, it's been bugging me since then. ^^" I needed a costume that I can easily change out of because –as how things seem right now– after the con I'll be heading for a Halloween party so yeah, nothing too complicated that takes hours to take off. Hatori is a lovely character anyway, one of my favorites from Fruits Basket. I'm glad I get a second chance to debut him together with Firith as Ayame ~

That's all for this quickie. Hatori makeup test coming soon so stay on the line!

Bye bye!

Närcon 2016 cosplans – The Guardian of the Sea and more!

Yo peeps!

My next convention will be no less than Närcon on 28-31 July in Linköping, Sweden. I'm honestly super pumped about attending the con (even though it has its faults) with my friends and yeah, I can't wait! ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ As things seem to look right now I will be traveling to Närcon with Sacchan, Ronya and Vicktor. There might still be place in our northern carpool for one more person though, maybe... *hinthint*

You see, for months now I've been fretting over what to cosplay and now, finally, it seems like I have an idea about my cosplay plans that might actually hold for longer than one week. Maybe. 

I've honestly been scrapping my plans and changing them every second day or something and, meanwhile, time is running out and now I don't even have enough left to safely order a new wig etc. D: 

But after a lot of thinking I managed to come up with some costumes but one of the main days still lacked a cosplay – either Friday or Saturday. I thought that I'd be pretty much forced to recycle a cosplay by now, for aforementioned reasons (lack of tiiiiiime), but I felt unsure because most of my cosplays are really hot to wear during summer and yeah, Närcon is not Närcon without its infamous heat wave!! I really don't like overheating at cons –which happens easily– and I want to believe that, by now, I should have learned from my mistakes... or not. Oh and yeah, it's also quite common that it will rain during Närcon, which makes me iffy to wear any cosplays that includes vintage silk kimono, out of fear for water stains – this and the heat wave limits my cosplay recycle choices a lot. (´＿｀。) *sniff*

But now, hopefully this will be my final cosplay plans!

There will be a Fruits Basket cosplay group meet on Thursday, hence why I will bring Kazuma there and then change to Greece once either the meet is "over" or when it gets too warm because it will.

Lugia will be a kimono-style gijinka and for Friday I thought long and hard before I finally decided on recycling Ibuki; I even asked over at my Facebook page for cosplay suggestions and one of my friends said Hakuouki and that's when it hit me – I haven't worn Ibuki much! I've fixed some size issues with the costume earlier (so he's ready to be reworn) and, best of all, it's my least toasty of all my current Hakuouki cosplays!

In a way both Friday and Saturday can be considered main days and thus I thought that I would maybe rather wear Lugia on Saturday because it will be quicker to put on and yeah, Ibuki will take a while and on Friday I'll likely have more energy and hype (or 'pepp', as we say in Sweden) to put time and effort into Ibuki's demanding makeup. Dem Hakuouki eyes. I know myself well enough that during a 4-day con I will be the most energetic and hyped on the first two days and on the third day I'll probably have the "still fun but I've seen everything" syndrome and on the last day I will just want a bubbletea and then go home and take a long shower, lol. So yeah, Ibuki first and Lugia second felt like the best way to roll.

I do have some small stuff to try out before all my cosplays are ready (mainly makeup and circle lens tests) and I might also need to make some accessories for Lugia (depending on what my finalized design will be) and restyle the wig for Greece. I'm just hoping that the gloves I ordered for Lugia will arrive on time, otherwise I will just have to deal without and add them for another time...

But yeah, I might do some pre-Närcon costume previews, makeup tests, circle lens reviews yada yada! Keep an eye out!

See ya later, alligator ~

Cosvision 2016 cosplans – Be black and cover your eye!

Well, guess what guys?

My next convention will be Cosvision in Hämeenlinna, Finland, on 23-24 April. I'm not sure if I've revealed it anywhere but there ya go – I'm coming after all!

The con is less than two weeks away now and yeah, I thought it would be about time to finally decide on what I'm going to cosplay there since, honestly, I've had a lot of problems with my cosplay plans changing every other day. ^^" I'm still not 100% sure that this is the final line-up but it should be – assuming that no sudden cosplay malfunction happens or such.

~~~~~~

Regarding the con itself I need to say that at first I was unsure if I would even attend Cosvision. I was on the very first one in 2014 and now that the second one is coming up I felt very conflicted about attending; one part of me remembered how much I enjoyed the first Cosvision and the other part reminded me of how uncomfortable I've felt at bigger conventions lately. In one way I had been waiting for the return of Cosvision very eagerly and, on the other hand, my anxieties were telling me that it's gonna be a waste of money because I might not even feel okay there. I felt so torn and it was horrible to try to decide on what to do.
One thing was sure though – I refused to go without a group of friends. And thus I quickly learned that my brother, Frozen Angel, really really really wanted to go. I didn't really want to let him down because he's been hyped about the con ever since I went to the first one and told him what a blast it was; I guess he regretted not going back then and now he wanted to make up for it. I also managed to get Sacchan interested and that made me feel safe and understood because now I had someone else who knew what I was feeling; we both were really uncertain about attending because we've both been feeling bad at cons lately, for various reasons, but then we just decided to gamble and went all "I'll go if you go and if we feel shit at the con then we'll just withdraw to a corner and play Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate together." – yaassss!
Originally Ronya was supposed to come with us too but she had to jump out a few weeks before the con would roll in because of health reasons. I still hope we'll get to go to a con together soon. :'(

Sorry about all the gloom but yeah, I'm really just hoping that Cosvision will be fun and that I won't feel shit there because, honestly, who wants to feel bad somewhere where you're supposed to feel safe and happy? I'm hoping it will have the same relaxed atmosphere as it had back when it was in Turku – I really want this to be a successful trip and not another Desucon Frostbite 2015.

But here comes the cosplay plans!

Saturday

Series: Pokémon

Character: Darkrai (gijinka)

This is the result of my "holy shit, I need to come up with a Saturday cosplay that I can pull from my closet!"-panic when I realized I had less than two weeks to go. Then again, I don't really mind because Darkrai is pretty cool and come on, he's like the Freddy Krueger of Pokémon, lol. Darkrai might not be one of my favorites (he's more Frozen Angel's type of Pokémon) because I prefer Cresselia and Arceus more from the same generation's legendaries/mythicals but yeah, I love me some black and spooky shit.

Sunday

Series: Fruits Basket

Character: Hatori Sohma

Hatori was not originally on my cosplay list (I had considered doing him once but that's about it) but then Firith asked me if I was interested in a Furuba pair cosplay –with him as Ayame– and I thought "why the hell not?". I mean, I haven't cosplayed from Fruits Basket in a while and Hatori is a very likable guy from the series – actually, he's my third favorite character from it. :) 

I'll go with the random suit version instead of the probably-more-well-known vest and white doctor-ish jacket outfit. Oh and yeah, I'll do the long hair version and the manga portrayal instead of the anime version, which means that I'll have violet eyes instead of those weird dark greenish-gray eyes he has in the anime. Violet looks more fab, period. My reasoning though? The anime sucks and the manga is awesome and, besides, the manga is the original source anyway.

~~~~~~

That's about it for my plans. I hope to meet some friends at the con and I pray that it's gonna be worth it. I can say already now though that, as far as the cons in Finland go, I'm very unlikely to attend any other big con for the whole year; I'll still attend the local small cons but otherwise I'm really trying to save my money and prioritize some other things in life that are coming up this year. I have some Swedish cons in mind *coughnärconcough* that I want to go to but we'll see what my money situation says when the time is closer...

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for cosplay previews! Bye bye ~

Närcon Vinter 2016 cosplay plans – Sword boys with sad stories!

Hello puppies!

So my first con of the year will be Närcon Vinter in Linköping, Sweden. It's held during the 12-14 February and I must say that I'm really stoked about attending! σ(≧ε≦ｏ) I already bought the con tickets and everything else is fixed too! I haven't been to Närcon Vinter since the very first one back in 2013 – it's gonna be interesting to see how it has evolved! What makes it even more of a fresh experience is that this year they changed locations so the con will be in a different building, yay! It used to be in Anders Ljungstedts Gymnasium but now it's gonna be in Saab Arena and Sporthallen!

I will be carpooling with the best company ever – we're gonna be 5 friends in one car! >w< Our seat takers consists of me, Frozen Angel (former Jäätynyt Enkeli), Sacchan, Ronya and Hitsu. It's gonna be so awesome!

Regarding my cosplay plans I need to admit that for the longest time I was pretty damn set on what to cosplay but then, like two weeks before the con, it suddenly hit me that some really important stuff for the cosplays have yet to arrive and that I won't be able to finish some props in time. D'oh! 

So yeah, I ended up having to change my original plans almost completely, only leaving one of the characters still on the list. But without further babblings I'll get to the cosplans, here goes!

Friday

Series: Rurouni Kenshin (Tsuiokuhen OVA)

Character: Kenshin Himura (Hitokiri Battousai)

Time to let Kenshin out again! A rather comfy and fun cosplay to wear for Friday – and I can't deny that it will feel a bit nostalgic since I did cosplay him at NCV (shortening for Närcon Vinter) three years ago. :') Kenshin is one of those cosplays that I really enjoy wearing to cons because I often get funny interactions and yeah, people are more likely to come and talk to me about RuroKen etc. It's a classic series for many and I just feel all kinds of fuzzy inside when a random congoer comes up to me and tells me that they're so happy to see that someone is still cosplaying from the old classics. ;u;

Saturday

Series: Touken Ranbu

Character: Kashuu Kiyomitsu

New cosplay! I have already spoiled here at my blog that I was planning to do Kashuu's casual outfit for my next con so yeah, this should hardly be a surprise anymore. xD I think I'm starting to fall quite deep into swordboy hell but I regret nothing. I just love the designs so soooo much, okay. ;A;

I decided to put Kashuu on Saturday because I'm hoping I'll find other TouRabu cosplayers on that day since it's the main day and well, Touken Ranbu is popular right now!

 _______

That's about it. Even though the con is three days I don't plan to cosplay on the last day, aka Sunday. Sorry about it. ^^" The reason for this is mainly because the con will close it's doors around 16:00 and that I'm really not sure if I can be bothered to put on a full cosplay and, well, it would slow me down and be a bother in case our carpool group has to leave ASAP after the con closes. I'm really not the type to want to be in a 9+ hours car trip with my cosplay and all the makeup still on, ughh. I just don't want to stress as soon as the con is over because yeah, we won't have much time to waste because driving back up to the far north will take the rest of the day and, most likely, we won't even reach our first destination before midnight – especially if we actually stay at the con until 16:00.

That's my cosplay line-up for Närcon Vinter! See ya there!

Shiro Samurai says byebye!