Skecon 2014 cosplay plans – Singing samurai and double Okita strikes again!

Hello gais and gurls and everyone inbetween!

Skecon is storming closer with each day and soon it will be time – on 4-6 July it'll arrive! I will go there with Hasakitsuki, Jäätynyt Enkeli and Sairu-chan as my trusty companions and THERE WILL BE DERP. 8DD Khrrm, yeah, of course there will be, hueheuehue..

What is Skecon? You should know by now if you've been reading my blog but I'll say it again because shameless advertisement is key! :'D You see, Skecon is this small but growing super comfy convention held in Skellefteå, Sweden. I've been there ever since Skecon started on 2012 and I plan to continue it this way! The team behind Skecon has earned my respect and they show high ambitions too; they strive to do stuff no one seems to have done in Scandinavian cons before – like this year they will have a friggin' Vocaloid concert, wow! I'm so curious about this even though I can't really call myself an avid fan. And there's a bouncy castle too, ermahglerb I feel like a kid again just thinking about it! :'D I can't wait!

But hey, everyone knows that before a con publishing yer cosplay plans is something you do or else you get grilled by a Rathalos so here comes mine! It's samurai time again, in modern and old formats!

Friday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Souji Okita (bedridden yukata, anime version)

Yep, Okita again, because I love him too much mmkay. ;_; <3 And it's a very easy cosplay to wear anyway save for the bit of forever it takes to put on the makeup. Hasakitsuki and Sairu-chan will join me as two different versions of Chizuru (default version and geiko version, respectively) so this time it's the sick guy who gets his harem assistants! I might need help, really. We plan to have a photoshoot and I hope the weather will allow it! I'll bring the haori with me again and will likely end up with blood on my face... ~

Saturday

Series: Vocaloid

Character: Gakupo Kamui (original kimono version)

Because the Vocaloid concert is on Saturday and everyone in my company agreed on "let's have a Vocaloid cosplay group to match the event of the day!" so of course I'm in! I choose to put together a self-designed original kimono version of Gakupo because he is by far my favorite Vocaloid. Because Gakupo is the Dancing Samurai kimono style outfits fit him like a sword glove in the hand and taking advantage of this is of course in my interests! 8D *cough* I'll put together something fabulous and you'll get a preview before the con! WOO ~

Sunday

Series: Hakuouki SSL ~Sweet School Life~

Character: Souji Okita (summer uniform)

Screenshot from http://www.otomate.jp/hakuoki/ssl/

Hey, schoolboy!Okita returns once more! :'D Again Hasakitsuki and Sairu-chan will join me as other characters from the series, w00p w00p! We decided SSL cosplays was the way to go because it's comfy and relaxed and then we don't have to worry about changing clothes when the con ends and we'll be sitting in a bus for the next coming 4+ hours back home.

I AM SO HYPED FOR SKECON, SEE YA THERE! 8D BAI BAI ~

Desucon 2014 cosplay plans – A reluctant bodyguard and double Okita!

Heeeeeeey!

I've barely recovered from Cosvision's con hype lag (it lasted longer than usual, I still get the Cosvision feels! *flappy hands*) but very soon it's time for Desucon! I'm pretty set for what I will cosplay so here goes!

Friday

Series: Original

Character: Yukinaga Kuroyama

Eeyup, I will be heading to the con in an Original Character costume! I think this might be the first time I'm ever doing this; I'm pretty curious how it will turn out. Hasakitsuki will do a pair cosplay with me from the same OC story and yeah, it actually has a name – Demon Idol. *badamtssh* 

She will cosplay the main character, who is the idol, and I'm cosplaying the idol's not-so-excited-about-his-job bodyguard. Oh, and there's no picture for you this time (I don't have time to draw one!) but I can tell you that Yukinaga has white hair, a horn on his head, pointy ears and is wearing *drumroll* kimono! You didn't see the last one coming, now did you?

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Souji Okita (bedridden yukata, anime version)

I don't know what to call this version or if it even has a proper/official name, sorry. But it's basically that pale violet yukata Okita is seen wearing in the anime – especially often in the later episodes when his condition worsens. ;_;

If someone remembers I actually wore this same version once before at Desucon 2012 (my first Desucon! *nostalgic feels*) and since then I've meant to remake it... and that's done now. Hasakitsuki will help me around as Chizuru and I will be taking with me a black haori for comfort warmth. Kondou-san was here. ;A;

Sunday

Series: Hakuouki SSL ~Sweet School Life~

Character: Souji Okita (summer uniform)

Screenshot from http://www.otomate.jp/hakuoki/ssl/

 Okita again, this time in a more modern format. Yep, I needed an easy "normal clothes" cosplay for Sunday so that I don't have to change out of it after the con when I have to run for the train back home. So yeah, school boy Okita will get his debut at Desucon!

That's about it, Desucon is calling soon! SOOOOON.
Bye!

Cosvision cosplay plans – Shinsengumi time!

Hiiiii ~

Cosvision is closing in with big steps and it's about time that I decide on my cosplay plans, don't ya think? Okay, actually I've had my Saturday cosplay set for pretty long already but it's the Sunday cosplay that has gone through a lot of different candidates and thinking. But hey, who cares about my babbling when there's cosplay plans to reveal? Let's go!

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Hajime Saitou

Eeyup, it's Saitou's time to shine again. Saitou is one of my absolutely most comfortable cosplays to wear (for many a reason) and the character is pretty dear to me so hey, I don't care if I reuse this cosplay a lot because it's one of the few I don't feel some sort of discomfort wearing or have issues with how I look in haha. I won't be alone though, I'll be maybe not so kindly accompanied by Hasakitsuki as oni!Chizuru. Spare me your bloodlust...

Sunday

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

Character: Souji Okita (Trust & Betrayal / Tsuiokuhen version)

Okay, I finally set on debuting Okita at Cosvision. Actually the main reason why I decided to do him is because I went and asked Anniilaugh if 1) she was going to Cosvision and 2) if she had decided on her cosplay plans yet. Turned out she asked me that if I would offer to do Okita on Sunday then she would do Battousai version Kenshin. It was decided quicker than quick so it's Rurouni Kenshin time and a photoshoot ahead!

~~~~~~~~~~~

That's it for my cosplay plans – who else is going to Cosvision? See you there!

Kitacon 6 cosplay plans – Mysterious guys with disturbing smiles

Hello!

My next con will be Kitacon in Kemi, Finland, held 1-2 March. This of course means that Kitacon will kick off my con year 2014 and I dare say it's about time! I've had quite the con withdrawal syndrome since Chibicon in November and I'm happy to finally see an end to it. Finallyyyyyyyyyy.

So let's get back to the purpose of this post, namely revealing my cosplay plans because hey, there's only one week left until the con! So here goes in 3, 2, 1...

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Keisuke Sannan

Yep, I'm going to cosplay RILLI Sannan. I do like him (I don't understand the haters, c'mon he's pretty awesome in his own way) and ever since I did that one quick test with the green kimono and glasses –that I helped Jäätynyt Enkeli order– I've wanted to know what it would look like if I cosplayed Sannan properly; soon enough I will know! I must admit I'm very excited for this one and hey, Sannan-san needs more cosplay love! <3 I will borrow some cosplay parts from Jäätynyt Enkeli for this – namely the wig, glasses, green kimono, blue "vest", swords and the black sash.
Oh, also I'll likely end up doing a cosplay preview before Kitacon so prepare for that!

Sunday

Series: Bleach

Character: Gin Ichimaru

Wow, I've only cosplayed Gin twice and the last time was at Uppcon 2012 – it feels like forever ago. Damn I miss Uppcon. ;_; For quite a while I've wanted to wipe the dust off him and give him another appearance and well, now is the time! It turned out that me, Jäätynyt Enkeli, Sairu-chan and Hasakitsuki will have a Bleach group as well so that's probably gonna be fun!

That's it guys, see you there!

Chibicon 2013 cosplay plans + A wild Ibuki appears!

 Hi everyone!

Yes, I'm totally going to Chibicon in Oulu, Finland, held 9th November. How could I not when it's only about 100 kilometers away?

Oh well, first things first. For some time ago I bought an Ibuki cosplay from my friend Sebastian. I had planned to cosplay Ibuki at some point anyway but yeah, so much cosplays to do and so little time.. and money. xD So when I found out he was selling his Ibuki costume I jumped at the chance! I just had to order a wig and so I did back at late September. I ordered contact lenses as well but more about that later. The wig I ordered from China and it had been sailing around the globe for a little over one month and boy did I get worried that I wouldn't get it on time for Chibicon. I swear just when I started thinking "I probably won't get it in time.." well, guess what? It showed up!

With the wig in my hands I figured it's safe to announce my Chibicon cosplay plans now. I guess it's not a surprise for anyone anymore that it will be..

Ryunosuke Ibuki from Hakuouki

I'm not sure if I will have a sword with me or not.. my swords are still broken so unless I can borrow one from Jäätynyt Enkeli or so then I'm out of luck. Oh well, it's not like he used his sword in the anime much at all so...

Uhm also, today I did a quick Ibuki try-on or what to call it, basically just checking that the cosplay fits me and such. It's all okay except that I'm missing that little violet ornament he has hanging from that blue string. I'll eventually make it later, don't really have time now and I don't want to open/waste my package of clay on such a small piece.

Well well, now time for a few pictures!
Excuse the shitty lighting and that I'm wearing zero cosplay make-up, save for slight eyeliner and darkening of eyebrows. I just couldn't be bothered. It happens. Pretty often.

Photographer is Hasakitsuki

 Also have a more close-up'ish mirrror self-photo..

You might have noticed that I'm wearing waraji. Yes, I finally got me some.. or more like, Hasakitsuki's awesome mom made them, whopee! ~

And just because I feel like sharing the woven goodness, have some waraji pictures!

They are pretty fabulous if I do say so myself. Sure, after walking/standing around for a while the soles of my feet had gotten waraji weave prints carved on them and it wasn't painless. xD Oh well, it's not too bad and come on, as the Finns say - "cosplay ilman tuskaa on teeskentelyä". It translates to something like "cosplay without pain is pretending". It's true amirite? :-DD
I'm just not all that keen on walking outside with these in November.. I'm gonna freeze.. and curse perkele if there's snow in Oulu...

Oh oh oh, and one thing! One thing!

When I put the wig on I noticed it was a bit too long at the sides and bangs so guess what? Yeah, that.

Wig cutting if you hadn't figured. Ibufag

I'm outta here for now. Chibicon summary post next and Ibuki contact lens review coming up soon enough as well. Hopefully also an Ibuki & Kosuzu photoshoot!

Until then, see ya!

Kemi's manga day 2013 - cosplay plans!

The next anime event I will be going to is Kemi's manga day; it's held on 5th October so there's a little more than one week left. It's an 8 hour event in Kemi duh in Finland.
I decided who to cosplay there already pretty long ago so why keep it a secret well, some people know already any longer?

Toshizo Hijikata (Sweet School Life version) from Hakuouki

Yup, basically I'm being lazy. :'DD I don't feel like donning a cosplay that takes time to put on for such a small event - aka no kimono-time this time. So yeah, SSL!Hijikata to the rescue! Being lazy is not the only reason I do this version over the kimono version though; truth is, I can't even do half my cosplays right now -because my sword broke after Tracon- but I'll do a post about that some other day... Luckily I already have everything for this version, except for the violet tie but I found one at eBay so it should arrive any day now. Gonna do a cosplay preview when it gets here.
As far as I know at least Sairu-chan will cosplay SSL!Chizuru and she said something that there might be a few other SSL Hakuouki cosplayers running around; we might have a cosplay group, yes!

Not so much more to say. My con season for this year is drawing to an end; after Kemi's manga day Chibicon in Oulu might very well be the last convention I will be seen at 2013. But before I start thinking such depressing thoughts I need to remember that Kemi's manga day is still ahead! Forward we go!

Tracon 8 cosplay plans!

This beautiful thing popped up in the mailbox yesterday!

My Tracon ticket!

That means I now have the con ticket in my hands as well as the hotel room booked (thanks Ri-kun!) and so far it seems I will be carpooling with some people from the north. :) Everything seems more or less set now so let's roll out the cosplay plans!

Saturday

Series: Fruits Basket

Character: Kureno Sohma

Kureno on Saturday because I will be part of a Fruits Basket group. I don't have so much to say about this cosplay, it's casual and easy-to-wear and having a cosplay group is always a bonus. I would have liked to have a more flashy/cooler cosplay on Saturday but oh well.. ~

Sunday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Toshizo Hijikata (rasetsu)

Time to be crazy again, Hakuouki style ~
I really want to have a photoshoot of this cosplay (c'mon have like no proper pics of it.. ;_;) and seeing how Tracon has a really nice outdoor area I thought why the hell not? 8D Also Hasakitsuki will join me as oni!Chizuru ku ku ku ~

Oulun animeseminaari next! + cosplay plans

My next con will be Oulun Animeseminaari (Oulu's anime seminar) that's held at, well, Oulu, on 17-18 August. It's a small 2-day free entrance anime event here in the north. I visited it for the first time last year and decided it was cool enough for a revisit! Oh, and today I actually ordered the train tickets and I've been wondering so much what to cosplay there but now I'm sort-of-sure what my cosplay line-up is so here we gooooo ~

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Hajime Saitou

Yep yep, Hakuouki roll carrying on. But I really want to do a pair cosplay with Hasakitsuki and because she doesn't have many of her cosplays available right now, except Chizuru (and another one that you will find out soon enough) so yeah. Not like I mind, Saitou is awesome and probably one of my favorite cosplays to wear so far and besides, he's like, the least toast-y of the Hakuouki cosplays I have. xD

Sunday

Series: Bleach

Character: Jushiro Ukitake

Yes, Bleach cosplays long time no see!

I've been having a Bleach cosplay break because I pretty much only cosplayed from Bleach the whole 2011 and half of 2012 so, yeah. xD But now with no shinigamis done in 2013 I started to miss cosplaying from this series (even though I'm shitfar behind in the manga and haven't been reading it for.. almost a year now?) and especially Ukitake, who is my favorite character in Bleach. 

I won't be taking with me shikai Sogyo no Kotowari though; I still need to repair it so I will just take normal sealed zanpakuto with me.. and something else that's a secret for now, hohoho. Ah, I forgot to mention this is also a pair cosplay with Hasakitsuki, she will cosplay Kiyone Kotetsu my personal fangirl xD wiee ~

Närcon cosplay plans revealed! - Hakama warriors overload

I realized there's less than a week left for Närcon and hey guuuuuys, that means I should get my cosplay plans out in the air, right yo? Yes yo! So here we go!

Thursday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Toshizo Hijikata

The demon Vice-Commander returns again!
A con is not a con without a Hakuouki day (or well, half-day in Sannan's case) with Sairu-chan and Jäätynyt Enkeli! 8D
I can't wait for this!!

Friday

Series: Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi

Character: Souji Okita

I really enjoyed wearing this cosplay at Skecon so I decided Okita deserves to see a bigger convention too - Närcon! I just hope my armor won't die...
Oh oh oh, I will also be part of the "Episka cosplayschacket" (epic cosplay chess) on Friday as Okita so if you are going to watch it (I highly recommend it!) keep an eye out for me! ;D

Saturday

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

Character: Kenshin Himura (Battousai)

On Saturday you can say hello or not to the friendly or not manslayer. :DD
Kenshin is a comfortable cosplay to wear and I guess on Saturday I will be pretty adfgsafg on the morning from already having cosplayed 2 days so I'd rather have a cosplay that's pretty easy to put on and chill to wear. Yup. Now if I could find my tekkou before Närcon..

And in case I ain't a complete "fuck this cosplay shit"-zombie on Sunday morning then my Sunday cosplay will be...

Sunday

Series: Sengoku Basara

Character: Masamune Date (kimono)

Yup, kimono!Masamune gets to see new air from being in the closet since last year's Animecon! *blows away dust carefully*
Super chill cosplay to put on and shouldn't be much of a problem to wear either.. except for the fact that I'll be half-blind yey.

...
......
*drum roll*
HAKAMA. EVERYWHERE.
I KNOW. :DD I will be cursing everytime I have to go to the bathroom...

But I promise I have a reason for having this line-up and that's because all these characters have interchangeable cosplay parts between each other in some way.
For example Masamune's white kimono and blue hakama can be used for BRS Okita as well as Hijikata's hakama can be used for Kenshin and the shinsengumi haori is obviously multi-purpose. Also Hijikata's sword belt works for BRS Okita's, well, sword belt too. xD Not to mention all the characters except Kenshin can use the same shoes and Hijikata's swords are generic enough to work for all these guys!
This means I'll save a lot of luggage space which is always appreciated, especially when I'm going to a far-away con.

I guess that's about it, I hope I will see more Finns at the con so if you are attending Närcon too then write a comment here! :D I will be camping with Jäätynyt Enkeli and Sairu-chan and it would be cool to have a "Finnish corner" or something haha!

Let's go to Närcon guys!

Animecon 2013 cosplay plans are set!

I've been changing my Animecon plans God knows how many times in my mind but it's about time I settle on them, preferably now. Hakuouki warning and I regret nothing! 

...

Okay, so in 3.. 2.. 1.. roll on!

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Hajime Saitou (casual/plain clothes version)

I've had a lot of trouble coming up with who to cosplay on the Saturday but I settled now on hakama!Saitou because I have only worn this version once before and it's comfortable and looks cool. :) I've worn Saitou's shinsengumi/season 1 outfit many times already and I'd rather not get strangled by that damn scarf every once in a while heh.

Sunday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Toshizo Hijikata (rasetsu)

 

 RASETSUUUUUUUU ~
Oh good lord how I've been looking forward to cosplay a rasetsu (aka fury) version!

Finally, IT IS TIME aghjdsahjg hehehehe...

By the way, I ordered red contacts here not long time ago and got them just before Skecon. It was the fastest delivery ever or something.. I had thought I'd be lucky if I'd get them before Animecon but sweet Jesus they came in like a week, if even that, from the other side of the world! I approve!!

Oh, and as far as I know some of my pals are having a Hakuouki group on Sunday so I'll go hang with them for a while too. I might be the only rasetsu but who cares.. we all can't be mad at the same time right? xD

 That's it for my part, see you guys at Animecon in case I don't do any rasetsu!Hijikata preview before the con! Sayonara!~

Skecon 2013 smells like samurai - Cosplay plans!

With Desucon behind me I'm now pointing my con radar towards what's next up in the horizon and that's Skecon; the small con at Skellefteå is returning this year, a bit more summery than last time! *coughnovembercough* Placed on 5-7 July this year Skecon will be the first anime convention to kick off my con-crammed July month and god I'm looking forward to this con summer peak, the hype is flowing over like magma of molten cupcakes and sparkles!

But no anime con is as awesome if you're not donned up in a cosplay -or so I think- so here comes my cosplay plans, samurai style!

Friday

Character: Toshizo Hijikata

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

It just couldn't possibly be the same derpily derptastic Skecon experience for me without the return of Herpkata Hijikata because last year's Hakuouki group together with Sairu-chan as Chizuhurr Chizuru and Jäätynyt Enkeli as Oppa Sannan Style Sannan was of such a legendary caliber that it must be re-experienced in all its glory! No objections!

Saturday

Character: Souji Okita

Series: Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi

Yes, a new cosplay and yes, I'm a hopeless shinsengumi nut. xD
I just need to make that armor and he'll be clear pancake for debut! Now to just start working dammit.. Sairu-chan will accompany me as Suzuka Sakuraba from the same series, yay!

Sunday

Character: Kenshin Himura (Hitokiri Battousai)

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

And the weekend will be rounded up with Battousai Kenshin! I will be doing a pair cosplay with Sairu-chan as Tomoe. It will be interesting to see how long I can keep the manslayer-shouldn't-smile-face on when the company has a derp level of over ninethousand.. and it's contagious to boot. Wish me luck. xD 

It's a comfortable cosplay to wear and shouldn't be much of a problem at the bus trip home either (yes, I will very likely sit 4 hours in a bus in cosplay) because the kimono and hakama aren't vintage kimono items like I often use, which means I don't have to worry so much of dirt and stuff. The most notable thing that could possibly lead to some very interesting looks and conversations though is the fact that I'll be scarface. Hope I won't need to do any explaining to the bus driver..

How I switched sides - Desucon 2013 cosplay plans change

There's now under a month left until Desucon (hype!! 8D) and the con carpool search seems to be slightly on the brighter side; I've found two people whom I could tag along with but I have yet to make sure 100% which one it will be because one of them informed me, about one week ago, that he might not be able to go to Desucon after all. Oh well, if he can't go there I do have that other person to check carpooling possibilities with. We'll see, I'll probably make a post when it's settled.

Oh well, the last few weeks or so I've been bouncing back and forth between changing my Desucon cosplay plans slightly and it seems I've got turned over to the "yes, I will change my plans" side now. Worry not, it's just one cosplay that got changed! My current cosplay plan list is now as follows:

Friday

Series: Fruits Basket

Character: Kazuma Sohma (manga version)

Kazuma ain't going nowhere because I've already planned a pair cosplay with Ri-kun as Kyo and I'm looking forward to it quite a bunch haha. Besides he's pretty much finished.. err, except for that random not-very-traditional haori tie... I might add it though.

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Hajime Saitou

 This is where my plans changed. I originally planned to go as Kenshin (OVA, Battousai version) but.. plans changed. Basically, I switched from being a big enemy of the shinsengumi to, well, being a shinsengumi. xD Also, fun fact: one of Kenshin's toughest enemies and coolest is Saitou. Then again, Rurouni Kenshin's Saitou is that much more BAMF than Hakuouki's taciturn bishie Saitou. xD I hope I run into that Kenshin cosplayer I heard will be there, crossover photos herpderp ~
I also realized that by cosplaying Saitou I would get somewhat less stuff to take with me -which is good because heavy luggage is not so gusta and both carpool possibilities aren't space wonder cars- and that's because several parts of the cosplay would be used for my other Desucon cosplays as well - namely the wig, shoes and juban as well as some smaller stuff. Also I've been longing to get a chance to wear Saitou again ever since I bought a new black authentic kimono that fits me better. And besides I've been sort of obsessed with playing Hakuouki Musouroku (aka Warriors of the Shinsengumi) lately...

Sunday

Series: Brave 10

Character: Rokuro Unno

kimono!Rokuro as seen in Brave 10 anime's last episodes stays on the list as a rather chill Sunday cosplay.

Nothing else to say, see ya at Desucon!

Desucon 2013 - Problems solved and cosplay plans!

I have now solved the how-to-travel-to-Desucon-and-back problem; I will seemingly travel with a group of con goers from Oulu and hey, in a motherfucking camping car to boot! <3 So much awesome! 8D I'm very happy about this!!

Oh, and I kind of half-promised earlier that when I solve the travel problem I will reveal my Desucon cosplay plans. Here goes!

Friday

Series: Fruits Basket

Character: Kazuma Sohma (manga version!)

I'm not much for shoujo manga but Fruits Basket is one of the few exceptions. It was a friend who got me to read it and while I found the first few volumes.. well.. boring.. until Kazuma appeared the story started for real. I've wanted to cosplay Kazuma for a while now (I can't find anyone who has cosplayed him by the way :S) and when Ri-kun said they could do Kyo -if I did Shishou- I was excited because hey, Kazuma is awesome and all but he just looks like a generic kimono dude and probably wouldn't be recognized without Kyo. :'( But it seems I will have a Kyo so AAAAAWWW YEEEAAAAA, this will be so much fun!

Saturday

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

Character: Kenshin Himura (Hitokiri Battousai)

Kenshin, you don't need more reasons to cosplay him than that he is AWESOME. I will cosplay the Tsuiokuhen/Trust & Betrayal OVA version, aka when he was still a hitokiri. Yeah, it's the same one I debuted at Närcon Vinter last month. Kenshin was super comfortable to wear and fun so I can see myself cosplaying him a lot more in the future and the future means that the next stop is Desucon!

Sunday

Series: Brave 10

Character: Rokuro Unno

I've been going back and forth on who to cosplay on Sunday the most but when I figured I could use Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan Saitou's wig... their hairstyles are super similar - hairtwins! I'd also get more use for my violet contacts if I did Rokuro so well, it got pretty set. Okay, while I admit I think his default outfit is more awesome I really don't have the confidence or body.. hahaha.. ha to pull that one off so I have to settle with the second (third?) best.. aka kimono!Rokuro seen during the later half of the anime. Chill cosplay except that I'll be half blind so why not? Also, eyewraps are boss and Rokuro is one of my top favorites in Brave 10 anyway. Sure the anime wasn't all that great but hey, I really enjoyed most of the characters!

 Yeah.

These plans are not 100% set yet, there's always the possibility I might change something but I feel pretty sure about these.

Närcon Vinter 2013 cosplay plans changed!

Late yesterday I started thinking about my Närcon Vinter cosplay plans, especially after talking with one of my friends on Skype (same one who gave me the sakabatou) and trying to figure out if the blue kimono Kenshin is just an alternate color version or in fact Battousai. I'm getting really confused (maybe partly because I haven't finished the series yet) and my friend insisted more or less on that Kenshin only wears blue kimono when Hitokiri Battousai. The few seemingly non-Battousai Kenshin pictures I've seen in which he has a blue kimono and the sakabatou he seems to have white hakama.. which is a problem for me because while I do have white hakama they are too long (I measured wrong back in the days) so I plan to sell them and buy shorter ones as replacement. *cough* if anyone is interested in white unworn budo hakama drop me a mail, we can discuss price! I had thought about using my light gray hakama for Kenshin but that together with a dark blue kimono just seems to be what Battousai wears. Not like I would mind cosplaying Battousai sooooo ~

So here comes the new cosplay plans for Närcon Vinter:

Friday

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

Character: Kenshin Himura (Hitokiri Battousai)

Yup, it will be Battousai for now. Of course I will do the pacifist Kenshin too later this year! Now I get more time to try and figure out how to fix that sakabatou and get myself a new white hakama.. and maybe a purple/red/cerise/pink/whatever kimono... xD Oh, also I just ordered a red-brown ponytail wig for Battousai because he always seem to have his hair tied high while Kenshin has his hair in a low ponytail.. also I can't find any official pictures with Battousai with manga color Kenshin hair.. aka the brighter orange wig I have. So yup, Battousai is gonna have a different wig. Also I think I will do Battousai with just a single scar cut on his cheek.. on recommendations of my more Kenshin knowledgeable friend.

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan
Character: Toshizo Hijikata

Hijikata of course stays the same because it's a group cosplay and also because I can use the same hakama and swords for Battousai. Yay less cosplay stuff to drag with me ~

Also now that I have the train tickets I know that I can stay on Sunday and go to the con; I have an evening train back home. This means I can do a Sunday cosplay! :D But because Sunday is a short con day I don't feel like putting on anything that takes a long time.. so I thought about doing some new cosplay I already had the wig and clothing for (read: kimono. My everyday clothes are mostly just black t-shirts with dragon/tiger/metal band/whatever prints lol) ... and then I thought "what kind of cosplays are of the kind that you can decide for yourself what it should look like?" and the answer was pretty obvious - gijinka. And me, being a long-time Pokémon fan it was clear as day that a Pokémon gijinka was the choice.

Sunday

Series: Pokémon
Character: Espeon

Why Espeon? Because I've always loved all the Eeveelutions and Espeon is a simple and kind of elegant Pokémon... so imagining a humanized (male) version in kimono makes sense to me. Also I've had a purple wig, for maybe a year or so now, that I bought just because I got it for barely even half the original price. Back then I had no idea what character to actually use it for but now I figured it's pretty much a perfect color for Espeon! I just need to make the ears and the red gem on its forehead.

That's it for now. I hope people don't mind too much that I suddenly changed plans to Battousai instead. I promise I will do gentle-and-does-not-kill Kenshin this year too! I like Kenshin so much as a character that there is no doubt I want to cosplay both sides of him!

Cosplays for Närcon Vinter

I think I finally settled on what to cosplay at Närcon Vinter, 22-24 February 2013, my first con for the coming year. My Saturday cosplay has been decided for some weeks now but the Friday cosplay has been a question mark... until now. Here goes!

Friday

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

Character: Kenshin Himura

I finally started watching Rurouni Kenshin late yesterday and I'm already hooked after 5 episodes... I had expected nothing less haha. As you might know I got myself a (manga color) Kenshin wig not too long time ago and I already happen to have passable clothes, for a blue kimono version Kenshin, thanks to previous cosplays so... why the hell not? :'D Besides I'm itching for a new make-up/special effects challenge.. namely creating his cross-shaped scar. This will be fun.

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan
Character: Toshizo Hijikata

The Hakuouki roll continues. I'll probably never get tired of cosplaying from this awesome series. <3 Why Hijikata? Because two of my new-ish Swedish con friends plan to cosplay Chizuru Yukimura and Kazama Chikage and they really wanted me to join in as Hijikata so that we would have the complete trio. I happily accepted!
and it seems we will have a few more characters too, a group yay!

What I will cosplay on Sunday, if anything at all, remains a mystery for now. The con ends pretty early on Sunday morning (as far as I remember) so maybe I can't even attend it the last day.. it will depend heavily on when I have to leave Linköping; after all I have a long journey home. We'll see.

Skecon 2012 cosplay plans!

I've been thinking about what to cosplay at Skecon the last weeks or so and I think I've finally decided. There's still a slight risk that I might change plans, but this is what it looks like currently:

Friday

Character: Falkner

Series: Pokémon (HeartGold/SoulSilver)

Ah, Falkner, the first Gym Leader in Johto who uses Flying-types.

Truth be told, this was a veeeeery spontaneous cosplay choice.. it came out of the blue. Falkner wasn't even on my cosplay list and that's saying a lot because I have craploads of characters in my cosplay list and I list pretty much all characters who I have even the slightest interest to cosplay. Somehow Falkner wasn't there, even though I remember having the thought that "if I ever wanted to do a Pokémon trainer cosplay it would likely be Falkner" but I shrugged it off because it was very low priority and Pokémon cosplays just wouldn't be as fun doing alone... until my twin Jäätynyt Enkeli really wanted to do something new for Skecon and that 'something new' turned out to be Silver (aka the rival) from HeartGold/SoulSilver. The "AMG I WANT TO DO A (JOHTO) POKERMANZ TRAINER TOO" reaction was triggered... and Falkner was the obvious choice. Ah, this will be a trip to nostalgic times ~

Lawdy lawd someone explain to me why I'm so hopelessly stupid? My cosplays get less and less clothing the further away from summer we get. :'D I sense perfect logic here.

Saturday

Character: Toshizo Hijikata

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Toshiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ~~ <3

What is there to say? It's Hakuouki, a con without a Hakuouki cosplay is not a con! >8D

Also I've managed to get a few friends to have a mini Hakuouki group on the Saturday; we'll have a  Chizuru, Sannan, Ibuki (if I've got it right) and me as Hijikata. Of course it will be my newer version of Hijikata as seen here, only with the wig in a ponytail.

Luckily I might not freeze to death in this cosplay at least...

Sunday

   

Because Sunday is the last day and the con ends 14:00 (at least according to their website..) I don't really feel like it's worth it to put on a full cosplay. Also if I did cosplay I would need to sit in that cosplay the 4 hour bus trip home, not sure if gusta because I would worry so much about getting the wig tangled etc. So I think I might just put on a kimono and possibly haori (no hakama because that means murder if I have to go to the toilet xD) from my vintage kimono collection or go in casual clothes with some traces of geekiness something different.. depends on the weather and how cold it is. We'll see.

Will Hijikata be crossdressing? + Kemi's manga day up next!

So before Tracon I had been looking for a purple kimono for Hijikata because I want to upgrade that cosplay for the next time I wear it. Mostly I want to have an actually purple kimono and while there isn't anything wrong with the wig I have now, when it comes to quality and stuff, it just isn't that flattering for my face, so I decided to order a new one.
But about the kimono. I wanted an authentic one so I can use it for my kimono hobby too. I was checking eBay and then I found a purple kimono that made me go..

This thing:

So.. well. First time I saw its thumbnail I was all "it's a woman's kimono" because of the (bright) color.. purple kimono for men barely exist and when they do they are dark/subdued/almost-don't-look-purple. But for some reason I clicked on it anyway because it was cheap (read: 9 dollars) and I was half-way desperate. Heck, I had thought that if it was a hitoe (non-lined) woman's kimono I could just learn how to convert it into a man's.. namely fix the sleeves.

So I clicked on it and then I found myself staring at the item description, or well.. to be exact, the length, which was only 138 cm. That's super damn short for a woman (unless she's a midget. lol) but an acceptable length for a man. (kimono info: women have longer kimono than men so that they can do an ohashori, "waist fold")

Soon after noticing the short length I noticed the sleeves... they seemed to be like on a man's kimono, aka almost completely sewn to the body of the kimono... but I couldn't say for sure because the seller's photos weren't that clear and the color threw me off all the time. 

Now the fact that this thing was listed at the seller's store as a woman's kimono made me veeeeeery confused. God knows how many minutes I spent staring on this thing trying to figure out if it was a damn short woman's or a man's kimono which had been misplaced... or a woman's kimono which had been converted into a man's for an unknown reason. Oooh the brain damage done to me by trying to figure it out. OTL I even asked another kimono hobbyist about their opinion before I decided to take the chance to buy it.. heck, after all it was cheap and if it turned out to be a woman's I would just have to modify the sleeves.

Today I finally got it (had to pick it up from the customs, didn't have to pay extra though <3) and when I got home I was so nervous and excited! I took it out and...

LOLOLOLO excuse random derp wig, camera face censor and that I'm just using a koshihimo to hold it closed...
BUT THE SLEEVES, THE SLEEVES OH MAI GAWD I WANT TO CRAP RAINBOW POO!!!1 <3<3<3

...

I was right in my suspicion, aka Hijikata won't be crossdressing at Kemi's manga day on 6th October. I'm so fucking happy!!1 :'D Oh, and yes, Kemin mangapäivät will be my next anime/manga event. I will cosplay Toshizo Hijikata there. Now I just want my new wig to come so I can style it and try on upgraded!Hijikata ~

In case someone doesn't know the character:

Toshizo Hijikata - Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Tracon summary! I will write it as soon as I have some photos of my costumes and stop being lazy lolololo.