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!

Kitacon 2015 plans – I'm gonna be so Japanese that I'm Japan

Hello guys!


It's finally time again for me to attend a convention! Last time I was at a con was back in August, can you believe it?? Well, I can – it's called the autumn-winter syndrome, aka the major lack of anime/cosplay events up here in the land(s) of the.... reindeers. lol


Ehrrm. Yeah.
But seriously, Kitacon's seventh return is coming up next – more exactly on 14th November. o/ Actually, at the beginning of this year there was a lot of uncertainty regarding if Kitacon would even make it this year; there had been some kind of money/funding issues and, well, when early spring rolled in and there hadn't been a word about Kitacon on their social media pages etc I wanted to contact them and ask what was going on. I don't remember the exact reply I got but it was basically them heavily implying that if they didn't get the cash to make the con happen (it's a free entrance event for all visitors) it would either be postponed until the later half of the year or there would, likely, be no Kitacon 2015 at all. But luckily, somehow, they got the money problems solved and –BOOM!– we get a Kitacon after all, even though it got reduced to a one-day event instead of the usual two days.
I'm happy that Kitacon is back after all these uncertainties and rumors going around that it wouldn't happen this year. Sure that it's a small con and all but it has its charm; it's cozy and a great way to go and be a colorful geek for a day and hang with friends. C:


But yeah, I'm obviously heading for Kemi, Finland, to take part of Kitacon. Just as always. Gotta support the local cons!
Regarding my cosplay plans.. or well, plan, I haven't written anything in stone just yet. Fairly recently me and Jäätynyt Enkeli watched all seasons of Hetalia, save for the newest one. While he had already seen them I hadn't.
See where this is going? ... Yeah.
So, while I didn't really get into it as much as he did it was still a mostly enjoyable way to kill off some time. I can't call myself a part of the fandom but I guess I'd be something like a, err, casual fan? I did like some of the episodes a lot better than others and well, I did get my fair share of laughs and facepalms lol. The thing is that because I didn't have any clue what to cosplay to Kitacon I started wondering if I could easily throw together a cosplay from Hetalia – partly because there's a lot of room for canon casual outfits and inventing your own designs and also because... I want something new but still simple.

Who can see it coming?

Character: Japan (Kiku Honda)
Series: Hetalia

Yeah, I know. Of course – the obligatory kimono guy is the one I can pull off the easiest, who, in this case, is Japan himself. DUN DUN DUUUUN. He was my favorite in the show anyway, so why the heck not? :') I should have a black wig somewhere that should work just fine for him, huehuehue... ~

In case anyone noticed then yes, this is not the usual color version of the main kimono outfit he's most commonly wearing – the one with the blue-gray kimono and brown haori. I randomly saw this image of him and thought that the colors were nicer (less dull lol) and, yeah, I can totally closet cosplay this, thanks to my kimono collector/wearer hobby. xD
If I'm not mistaken it's official art from/for the fourth season, The Beautiful World. I can't remember this outfit actually being in the anime; I've only seen it on this one and only artwork so far so... yeah.



But yeah, I might be doing some quick costest before the con, just to check so that what I have in mind to use for him actually is passable (in terms of color) and, well, that the wig works for him too. :s I also reserve the right for any changes, which basically means that if it's raining of super wet outside on Kitacon day then I'm likely to not cosplay at all because duh, I don't want to risk ruining my vintage kimono...

That about wraps it all up nicely, see ya there!

Nerdcon 2015 cosplay plans – Bring out the oldie!

Whazzuuuup?

I haven't mentioned to many but yes, I am attending Nerdcon in Umeå, Sweden, this year too! And just like last year I will be a volunteer worker there as well! :D I won't be at the cafeteria though, even though that's what I applied for at first – you see, a week or so before the con Nerdcon informed me that they won't have their own cafeteria like last year (aka there will still be one but it's not driven by Nerdcon) so my working area got changed into the "activity helper/checker and assistant" one. I'm really looking forward to getting some new working experience and I'm hoping that it's gonna be just as fun as last year!

Oh, and in case you didn't know – this year Nerdcon is a 2-day con. Last year it was only one day so yes, they're growing!! Nerdcon is held on 14-15th August, aka starting tomorrrow on Friday. I'M SO LATE WITH THIS POST OMG. As you can see Nerdcon is a bit different, since usually the con days are almost always put on Saturday and Sunday, but Nerdcon is Friday and Saturday instead.

But hey! The reason I'm writing my cosplay plans only one meager day away from the con is because I've seriously had the hardest time ever to come up with what to cosplay!! Pinky promise.

I figured quickly that I will want a cosplay that is easy to move around in, comfortable to wear and that preferably doesn't have big-ish props like swords and such that could get in the way. Thing is that a big chunk of all my cosplay do have swords..................

At one point I considered doing one of my Hakuouki SSL cosplays, then I considered Rurouni Kenshin's Okita but without the swords, then I considered throwing together a closet cosplay Pokémon gijinka or just doing an OC. But the more I thought the less I really felt like doing any of these; my ideas just kept changing and it was getting really frustrating because the con was already so close and I still had no idea whatsoever lol. But then on yesterday, while talking with Sacchan (former Sairu-chan, in case you had missed it) at Jäätynyt Enkeli's place, we first threw it as a joke  – "Hey, how about we do some good ol' Bleach cosplays? :D"

At first it was a joke but then we started seriously considering it, especially me and Sacchan. I mean, we hadn't cosplayed from Bleach in some time and, while neither of us has been active in the fandom for long, we still have some fond memories of the series haha. Today I then checked if I could even find all the pieces for the darn cosplay and yes, I did! I informed Sacchan that it's time to get things bleached and the reply was a glorious "5/5 tissimummu ilmoittautuu! XDDDD".

So yeah, I'll bring out an old cosplay of mine (one of my five first cosplays, zomg!) that hasn't seen the light of day since whoppin' 2011!! :O Yeah I even had to check that up.

Are you prepared for thiiiiiiiis??

 

Series: Bleach
Character: Jushiro Ukitake

Yep, it's good ol' captain Ukitake!

This is the sleepwear/casual wear/I'm-being-sick-in-bed/whatnot outfit that he's seen wearing in chapter 116, White Tower Rocks, in the manga. I don't know if it has an official name but oh well. xD

This is the cosplay I will wear on Saturday.

On Friday I won't be cosplaying – I'll just dress up a bit geekier and cooler than usual! I can't really be bothered to think out a second suitable cosplay (because it was so hard to even come up with the first one... OTL) that I could wear while working because yes, I will work on both days. Also, seeing how it might be stressful when we arrive to Nerdcon, it's just gonna be so much easier to not cosplay on the first day.

That's all for now and bye bye!

Närcon 2015 cosplay plans – Bird trainer & tragic swordsman!

Hello everybody!

Yeah, you've seen it – I AM HEADING TO NÄRCON THIS YEAR!! o/

Last year I decided not to go but this year I am once again attending it! Last time I was at Närcon was in 2013, aka before the major expansion happened. I have a feeling that this year I will be very lost and won't find my way anywhere but oh well, gonna be buckets of fun anyway! :'D You are never really lost until... you are lost. Ehrmm. Yeah.

I will be traveling alone this time, which means that no one of my usual con company (Hasakitsuki, Jäätynyt Enkeli) will follow with because of them having other stuff in the way but hey, I'm sure to meet familiar faces at the con because my awesome mate Hitsuwa and some others will be there! I can't wait!

I'm really excited to go to Närcon again and I'm curious to see what it will be like! I've actually heard really mixed opinions about Närcon 2014 (both good and really really bad) so I want to see for myself if this year's edition is anything like the horror stories I've been told. x) I'm hoping that it will be worth the heavy hole it leaves in my anorexic wallet and that Närcon will be as comfy and festival-y as I remember it!

For this Närcon I really need to lighten the cosplay luggage – seeing how I will travel with a group of con people from the north in a minibus I will have luggage restrictions. You see, we will be around 8 or 9 people in the minibus and everyone's stuff will need to fit into the goddamn thing. :'D So yeah, I really can't take a whale-sized suitcase with me and shove it into the vehicle like I owned the thing lol.

For this reason I have decided to only take with me two cosplays for a whoppin' 4-day event! I'm sure I probably couldn't be bothered to cosplay all days anyway, especially if the dreaded heat wave will hit on the Närcon weekend, which it is infamous for doing. ._. I really dislike being all warm and sweaty in cosplay... So yep, only two cosplays for me and then gargwawesome semi-casual geekily spiced gear for the other days!

So, who will I cosplay at Närcon then?

*insert drumroll here*

Series: Rurouni Kenshin (Tsuiokuhen OVA)
Character: Kenshin Himura (Hitokiri Battousai)

Series: Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver
Character: Falkner (jap. Hayato)

I have not decided fully yet on what day I will do what cosplay, but I'm thinking of doing Falkner on Friday and Kenshin on Saturday. I reserve the right for any changes lol. It will depend on the weather, mainly.

I decided to go with Falkner and Battousai version Kenshin this time – both being costumes that haven't seen the light of day since 2012 and 2013, respectively! Man, that feels like so long ago...

The main reasons for these choices being that Falkner is a lightweight costume to wear –aka I shouldn't die of heat stroke– and Kenshin is just super fun to cosplay and is on my lighter end of kimono cosplays; he also doesn't require any vintage/authentic kimono pieces (save for the shoes and tabi socks), which would be a problem to take care of during the event. By problem I mean that if I wore a cosplay with a real –most likely silk– kimono it would be a hassle to air it out after wear (hot weather wouldn't be kind to the garment, aka sweating, and it's important to let it air out properly before folding and putting the kimono/hakama/etc back in storage) because I would need to hang it and well, have fucking fun doing that when you're camping in a tent the whole duration of the event. ;) Just.... nope. NOPENOPENOPENOPE.

I'm sorry not sorry! for the cosplay recycling for such a big con but I really don't have the money right now to do new costumes and the new cosplays I could have done I, well, ran into issues with. I originally had other plans, I admit.

I hope that my cosplay plans aren't too much of a bummer deluxe. x) Thanks for checking this out and I hope to see many cool souls at Närcon!

Peace and rainbows to everyone! ~

Skecon 2015 – Cosplay plans revealed!

Hello everyone, how's it rollin'? ;)

As some of you might know, Skecon is soon around the corner and I am heading there as per usual! I'm a Skecon-lover since 2012, aka when the very first one was held. ♡

In case someone here is now like "Skecon?" then yeah, it's a small but constantly growing little anime convention held this year during 3-5 July in Skellefteå, Sweden. What puts Skecon apart from other similar events in the north is that the people behind it are ambitious like no one's business and they also have the passion to get unique/refreshing entertainment to the con itself – basically saying that Skecon does things other cons don't, and by that I mean good things. For example, last year they were the first con to hold a Vocaloid concert in all of Sweden and veeery likely the rest of northern Europe as well! The Vocaloid concert will be held this year too, by the way. *hint hint* 

Yep yep, Skecon isn't one of my favorite conventions for no reason. ;) It's just such a comfy con with a wonderful location, a lot to do (gaming room etc) and it's just awesome overall – certainly one of the cons that I'd hate to miss out on, period.

But hey, I think that's enough pre-hyping so let's get to the cosplay plans now!

At first I had a different line-up in mind but then I thought that I felt more like cosplaying these characters instead; I just hope that the weather won't be horrible because I wouldn't be smiling about either rain or a case of oh-holy-shit-I'm-being-grilled-alive. -.-

But now, cosplays!

Friday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan
Character: Hajime Saitou

It's time to step back into the Hakuouki wagon again!
You thought my interest had maybe calmed down a bit by now? Lolnope! :'DD neverrr
Saitou is nice to cosplay and I really want to have a new photoshoot too; Skecon has wonderful photo-friendly areas outside so I'm thinking that this should be the perfect opportunity to get some good updated shots of this costume!

Saturday

Series: Iza, Shutsujin! Koi Ikusa
Character: Kojirou Sasaki

Another cosplay debut!

I've actually wanted to cosplay this guy for a few years now and finally I'm getting around to it! I just hope that the wig won't betray me because I have yet to style it... x)

Otherwise I'm really not expecting anyone to recognize who I'm cosplaying lol. If someone does I'm gonna be so surprised that I'll eat pickles for the rest of the month...

Sunday

Series: Rentarou Satomi
Character: Black Bullet (anime version)

New cosplay!

I've already mentioned at the beginning of the year that I was planning on cosplaying this fellow and now it's happening! I likely won't have the gun this time around though because well, money issues. :< I'll add it later. I really don't have 1000+ SEK to spend on a prop right now. *coughairsoftreplicacough*

The reason I'm doing the anime version is because in the anime he has brown eyes (manga has blue) and so far I've only watched the anime, so it feels more "right" to do the anime version for now, heheh.

~~~~~~~~~~

And that's my plans for Skecon 2015! I want to mention though that I might change on which day I wear what cosplay if the weather is really hot, rainy or such.
I hope to meet many familiar faces at the con and I'm sure that it will be a blast! I'm also hoping that the bouncy castle will return because seriously, dangnabbit! 

I'm just really excited because Skecon is something so wonderful – I get hyped just thinking about it!

That's all!
Stay alert though, I might do some kind of cosplay test-run post just before the con!

Kummacon 2015 – Cosplay plans!

How's it going guys?

Remember how I implied earlier that Skecon would be my next convention? Well, that's not quite true anymore! ;)
You see, some time ago I was swimming around on the internet and then I happened to end up on Kummacon's website. Thing is that I already knew about this con... and I had completely forgotten about it, until now.
I guess that back when I first learned about it I just went like "oh, it's too close to Desucon so I can't be bothered" and then it left my brain completely, without a second thought. Now that it turned out that I didn't attend Desucon this year Kummacon suddenly turned a lot more interesting!
Sure that it's a one-day event but it's in Oulu (aka close, "only" ~100 km away), in the now familiar Valve building and my awesome aunt has informed that it's possible to stay at her place and BOOM – Kummacon, here I come!

I'm curious about Kummacon (lit. "weird con") because it's a new con that will be arranged for the first time this year – I'm always happy to see new geeky events sprouting in the north!
It's a mixed popular culture con so yep, there's the usual anime & manga and cosplay of course, but also board games, literature (Harry Potter books etc), television series & movies, comics and so on.
Kummacon welcomes both Japanese pop culture along with western fandoms, in other words – there's even space for zombie fans and other fabulous weirdos! ;)

...

But yeah, now to the cosplay plans!

At first I thought that I'd just do some random fancy non-cosplay outfit but, the more I thought about it the more I started feeling like I wanted to cosplay, after all. Been having a lot of on an off cosplay feelings lately. A quick thought about possible cosplay candidates (recycle edition) first ended up with Battousai version Kenshin, mainly because it was pretty long since I last cosplayed him, aka summer 2013, oops. But then I thought that Kenshin might be a bit too cumbersome to wear because I'm planning to attend panels (if I laugh the scar might start to peel off etc) and well, taking the swords off and putting them back in place several times seemed like a hassle I wasn't too keen on.
So yeah, I wanted something without props.. and preferably something new; something that I was currently into and that would be extra fun to cosplay. I've lately kinda been in a "cosplay rut", as if some of the excitement just wore off and I'm trying to find the fun again, idk? Because of this I wanted something fresh and new to wear – something that I'm currently hyped about and into; maybe it would help with getting the cosplay mood back on track...?

And what could that new and exciting series be?

– TOUKEN RANBU, of course. ♡

Character: Yamato no Kami Yasusada (uchiban version)
Series: Touken Ranbu

Yep, so this will be my debut into Touken Ranbu cosplay land!
I've been so into this shit ever since I first heard about it! I just love so many of the character designs to no end – perfect cosplay fodder for me lol; it's never gonna end. x) Yamato no Kami Yasusada is one of the favorites and was so from the very first time I saw him; he's just too cute haha. What makes him even more awesome to me is the fact that he is one of Souji Okita's swords – one of my favorite historical persons, yes please!

Nothing more to add.
A summary about Kummacon will follow after the con is over! Stay tuned!

Sudden change of my Frostbite Sunday cosplay!

Hello again.

I realized earlier today that I can't cosplay Levi (Attack on Titan) after all at Frostbite because of problems with the clothing... yeah, it wasn't a funny realization to make this late lol. I did the preview without the full costume on earlier, hence why I didn't notice this issue already back then. So yeah, I won't have time (nor money) to fix this problem because of school and shit so, eh, I had to come up with a back-up cosplay and quickly.
Me and Hasakitsuki brainstormed ideas on the evening and then she came up with the perfect cosplay that we –with combined closets efforts– could put together for me!

Yep, so on Desucon Frostbite's Sunday I will instead of Levi do...

*drumroll*

Souji Okita from PeaceMaker Kurogane!

Hasakitsuki already had the hakama and the wig for Souji and well, the rest I could easily put together from previous cosplays, perf! 8D I'll be doing a slight hybrid version though, because I don't have everything for the full battle outfit, hahaha.

PeaceMaker Kurogane is a nice anime and I wanted to cosplay from it anyway so yeah, it just happened to be earlier than expected. 

Nothing else to say for now; I might do a quick cosplay test before the con.. if I have time.

See ya!

Towards the frost! – Desucon Frostbite 2015 cosplay plans!

Hello!

So it happens to be that I've gotten myself a ticket for Desucon Frostbite at least they didn't sell out in three minutes like Yukicon did and the train has been booked as well, wohooo!
Frostbite is held on 13-15 February in Lahti, in the same building as the usual summer Desucon. I haven't attended Frostbite since 2012 – aka since the very first one. It will be really interesting to see if it has changed! :D The thing with Frostbite though is that last year, as well as this year, there is an age limit – you need to be 18 years old or above to attend, heh. I assume that means that more people will do cosplays that reveal skin and/or are from not-exactly-child-friendly series..

But hey, this post was meant for me to reveal my cosplay plans! Here goes!

Friday

Series: Original

Character: Taregard Frir

Taregard was debuted at Kemi's manga day last year but he really needs a photoshoot *coughnopicscough* so what is better than photoshooting him on Frostbite's Friday? :'D Also a quick 'n easy cosplay to put on which is always appreciated on the first con day, especially considering that Friday is a short day that starts fairly late anyway.

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Hajime Saitou

Saitou is the violet-haired guy to the left.

Well, what do I say? Originally I had planned to do an OC for Saturday too but then –when it was almost too late to change cosplay plans– I got a horrible "oh gawd no, I want to have a totally different design!" dilemma in the middle of the night which ended up with me deciding on recycling an old cosplay instead because duh, Frostbite is way too soon for me to have time to order/make something new...
So yeah, I was thinking that I wanted something with some relation to snow – and so the idea to cosplay Saitou in his casual (aka swordless) form feat. snow bunny was born! :'D Yep, instead of doing the usual Saitou cosplay –which I tend to do– with the shinsengumi haori and the swords I'll do his "chilling at the headquarters" version with a snow bunny prop instead, as seen on his Sekkaroku OVA episode! I'll still bring with me the haori in case it gets cold...

Sunday

Series: Attack on Titan

Character: Levi (suit version)

Yep, it's time to run after titans! or have titans run after me... D:
Levi is one of my favorites from the Attack on Titan world –aka Shingeki no Kyojin– and so of course I decided to cosplay him! But I really don't have time right now to do his usual soldier uniform so I'll roll with his casual suit version instead!
I will have a cosplay group with Hasakitsuki and Jäätynyt Enkeli because hey, the more the merries! Unless we're talking about titan stomach filling...


I guess that's it for this time. See you!

A peek on possible 2015 cosplays!

*waves and smiles*

I know that it's maybe a bit late now but I thought that it could maybe be a fun thing to show some of the characters that I've planned to cosplay this year! :D I don't have very many plans right now because money problems and lack of space problems :C but at least I have some characters in mind that I at least want to try to make for this year! How much bet that by the end of the year I haven't done half of these?

But without any further chitchat, let's get to the guys in line!

3

2

1

GO!

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan
Character: Chikage Kazama (game version)

 I've been wanting to cosplay this demon for a few years now. He's cool in the anime (although his motives for wanting Chizuru in the anime are.. err, simple unique.. *cough* xD) but most of all I freakin' love his design – red, white and black and red eyes to top it off! I maybe have a slight love-hate relationship to Kazama though and that's because he hurt Okita in the Ikedaya affair.. </3 But I just can't help drooling after his design and hey, it's fun to be a bad guy every once in a while too!

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan
Character: Heisuke Toudou (western outfit, game version)

I admit that Heisuke is not one of my main favorites in Hakuouki but I can't help liking him anyway – he's fun and always cheerful and positive!

I like his western outfit in all its simplicity –at least compared to the other guys– and I kinda want to cosplay all the main shinsengumi guys anyway so here goes for the shota too! x) Also I want to make that pink-gayflower-buttcape-decoration... thing. Thing.

Series: Attack on Titan
Character: Eren Yeager (kimono version)

HNNNG, this version!! ;A; I don't know for sure where it is from.. some online game?? But if I can find the money, dedication and time to make this cosplay this year then, oh lordy lord, I will! Just look at it!! *O*

Series: Black Bullet
Character: Rentarou Satomi

I watched this anime at the end of last year and I found myself enjoying the show surprisingly much! I liked the setting, the mood and the idea of it. Too bad that some things were left unexplained, but I'm crossing my fingers for a second season because it felt like there was a lot more to the story.
I liked the main character, Rentarou, and I really want to do a pair cosplay from Black Bullet with Hasakitsuki this year!

Series: Rurouni Kenshin
Character: Kenshin Himura

Ah, Rurouni Kenshin. <3 Hopefully now that I got the wefts needed to fix my wig I'll get to make the rest of the costume and take this peaceful swordsman out for a con day or two! I really can't wait to get to cosplay the most recognizable version of Kenshin!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, that's actually most of them. There's of course the obvious Team Aqua Grunt who will get his debut this year because duh, the costume is already done! :-DD Then there is also Masamune Date from Sengoku Basara whom I bloody hell should finish – it has been such an eternity project, oops.

Except for those two there is also at least one gijinka cosplay that I have kinda promised to do –because cosplay group– but I want to keep it as a secret a little bit longer, mufufu... ~

Did any of those characters/series awake tingling feelings in you?
Anyone that you especially want to see done?
Tell me! <3

I think that's all I have to say for this round, sayonara ~~ 

Game characters I want to cosplay someday!

Hello hello cuties and coolies! \(^w^)/

Today I'm gonna do a post about some characters that my cos-making fingers have been itching to cosplay for a while now – yep, this entry will be solely dedicated to some video game dudes I've taken fancy on! :D Of course this doesn't guarantee that I will with 100% certainty do all of these characters (after all, interest can drop with time, as sad as it is) but it means that most of them I'm likely to make sooner of later and, well, honestly most of these have been on my cosplay list already for years without falling out.

So yep yep, follow with me through this post and see what cosplays might be seen on me in the future! ;) Oh and lastly, I admit that I get an extra motivation boost to go through and complete a cosplay when others are excited about the same characters/series or await the finished result etc! So hey hey yey, let's make the comment box sing and who knows, I might end up doing some of these earlier than expected! ~

So, what are we waiting for?

– Nothing, let's roll out the list! :'D

Characters are in no particular order.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Game: Dynasty Warriors 5

Character: Zhou Yu

Ah, the Dynasty Warriors game series – Koei's popular hack-'n-slash franchise that has spread like wildfire and has as many sequels and spin-offs as I have hairs on my head. :D I must say that my first voyage into roaming the old battlefields as a Chinese war general was in Dynasty Warriors 3 and boy, was it fun!

Zhou Yu was one of the very first characters I played –if not the first– and he stayed as my favorite; I'm especially fond of his design on the fifth getup of the series and that's the one I'm the most likely to cosplay currently. I haven't played any Dynasty Warriors games more recent than the fifth, except for StrikeForce, and that's because I don't own the newer consoles.

Game: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Character: Prince Komali

Lately I've been playing and watching Hasakitsuki play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and when we reached Dragon Roost Island on the second playthrough (I haven't seen most of the game, just the beginning and end so far – I know, shame on me) I instantly took liking for Prince Komali. Sure that most people would think that his child version is plain annoying but I liked him instantly and he has a wonderful character growth too. Also I can't help really liking his design and the Rito tribe –aka bird tribe– are the coolest peeps in the whole game, hands down! It doesn't help that I like birds a lot in general as well as characters who are human-looking with animal traits. Now to figure out how to make the beak-nose... nose-beak...

Game: Tales of Symphonia

Character: Yuan Ka-Fai

Tales of Symphonia has its place as one of my top favorite RPG's and I don't think that will ever change, at least not anytime soon. I loved playing through this game and its wonderful story back in the days and I still treasure the fond memories and would gladly replay it any day. In Tales of Symphonia there were many cool and likable characters and Yuan is definitely one of them! He stayed kinda mysterious and unpredictable for most of the game and you couldn't really put your finger on if he was truly a good or a bad guy. His design really appeals to me too and goddammit do I want to make that huge weapon, how could I not? I mean, just look at that piece of awesomeness! Too bad he's not playable...

Game: Tales of Symphonia

Character: Kratos Aurion (samurai outfit)

Yep, the picture above is from the game (and yes, he loves hair face censors) - I just couldn't find an official full-body non-game picture of him so I gave up. Yes, it's quite the hipster version.
Have another Tales of Symphonia guy! This time it's Kratos Aurion, the mysterious mercenary who has quite some secrets about himself stashed under his cold demeanor. I'll admit that Kratos was easily my favorite character of the playable ones and he kept that spot from beginning to end. But even though all of Kratos Aurion's outfits are among the ranks of either cool or cooler I settled on his Japan-only PS2 exclusive (someone correct me if I'm wrong) samurai outfit! Why? Well, besides the obvious clue that it's samurai style –and thus much to my liking– it's also because Jäätynyt Enkeli is a huge Kratos fanboy and wants to do said mercenary's other better known outfits and well, I'll never have the patience to make all those straps on his Judgment outfit anyway lol...

Game: Luminous Arc

Character: Kai

Okay, I admit – I haven't even played the game myself. *walks into shamecorner* Nevertheless, Jäätynyt Enkeli owns the game and has told me one thing and another about the story and what there is to know about Kai, except that we share the same name. :'D I know enough that he is a very silent guy who is protective of those he has a bond with in some way. Also he rarely gets angry and if he does it's because someone is beating his dearies to a pulp – then all hell will be lose and everyone dies. No, not really, but you get the point lololo. Oh and of course his design appeals to me on so many levels that it doesn't even need to be mentioned.

Game: Ōkami

Character: Moegami (gijinka)

Ah, Ōkami, one of my most favorite games ever. <3 There are so many cool and interesting characters in this game that I could probably do a whole post just for it, but I'll refrain from doing that now. xD One of my favorites in terms of design is Moegami, the Celestial Brush god of Inferno. He's a phoenix and man does he get my fingers tingling to design and make a gijinka/humanoid version of him!

Game: Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Character: Auroros Ten armor set (High Rank Blademaster)

Oh god I'm totally sold for the Monster Hunter game series. Freedom Unite was my first touch into the drug that is hunting majestic monsters every day, every night. I've played over 1000 hours on Freedom Unite and I managed that even faster than on any other game and guess what? I'm far from sick of it; that should tell you how much I'm addicted to this series. 

There's several armor sets I'd love to tackle someday –when my wallet stops being anorexic and huge armors turn into a possibility– and the Auroros Ten is surely one of them! It's an armor set for High Rank male hunters in Freedom Unite who play Blademaster; Auroros Ten is made out of materials from the gigantic Elder Dragon known as Azure Lao-Shan Lung. It's very hard to make in the game but so worth it because the armor skills it provides are among the best there is!

Game: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Character: Reyson

I'll admit that I haven't played many games in the Fire Emblem series but Path of Radiance is a great game! A bit hard though but some of the characters are really enjoyable so it more than makes up for it! Reyson –the third Heron prince– is one of my absolute favorites from the game and he has been on my cosplay list for quite a while now. His design is just so gorgeous – how could I resist the cosplay urges?


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I think I'll end this list now before it turns into a multi-kilometer post. :'D I do have more video game characters that I'm seriously considering, so keep an eye out for a second part of very possible future cosplay revelations!

That's it for this time! Moikka!

Kemin mangapäivä 2014 – Hurry up man! Cosplay plans!

 Yo peeps!

As some of us polar bears might or might not know Kemin mangapäivä, aka Kemi's manga day, is just around the corner – and by corner I mean 11th October. Yeah, it's very soon. We don't have to hibernate just yet. höhö :-DD
Said event is a small local one for me –duration 6 hours this year– and I attend it mostly to meet friends and have some geeky remoistening for the oh-so-dry late autumn's early winter's lack of anime events. I mean, I'm totally not the type to say 'no' to some quality time with my trusty pals in a free-entrance event that *le gasp* isn't even far away! ;) Whooooouu..

Okay so, mumbo jumbos aside, what will I cosplay there?

*suspense*

 ...

......

Umm, let's take it from the beginning, shall we?

So, I've fairly recently bought a wig (from another cosplayer) to use for my soon-to-be-revealed Kemin mangapäivä cosplay. Gotta love cheap second-hand wigs!

But first, I had to cut it...

It's thick, fo sho!

Yeah, look at that hair curtain. OTL Too much hair in the front; I don't see shit. My wonderful hair-baby needed to be trimmed down. I took out my scissors on 3rd October and trimmed it into a better shape.

Starting point – wig before cutting.

So yeah, I cut and shortened the bangs to look more flattering and also thinned them down slightly. Easy peasy. I've noticed though that my scissors don't cut as well anymore; maybe should start consider replacing them.. then again, they were dirt cheap so I wasn't expecting quality either.

With the wig fixed I headed for town on 8th October. My mission was to find a toy gun at a second-hand store for cheap and then modify it. I ended up finding one but it's still unfinished COSSI EI OLE VIELÄKÄÄN VALMIS so I'll just do a post about it afterwards. Hang on, hang on!
What I did do today though was a quick test to get an idea of what my cosplay will look like when worn. Yeah, finally it's time!

Supah editing skillz! selfie

Some small details are missing on the picture: pointy ears, pink contact lenses and the gun. I just won't have time for a proper preview, so this will have to do for now. Yeah, so the character I will cosplay at Kemin mangapäivä is an Original Character named Taregard Frir. I won't bore you with a character description now and I'm too tired for that but I might write one later when I do a photoshoot post. Hopefully.

But there we go for this time, see ya!

Cosplay addition for Tracough.. err, I mean Tracon.

Hellou ~

I assume most people know already that I published my Tracon cosplay plans. Buuuuuuuuuuut. I've decided to do a small addition to them!
And the reason for that is simply because the last few days I've been coughing my lungs out all over the place and I'm not happy about it. I'm not sure what's wrong because I don't have fever or anything, just the goddamn cough and it's ripping my throat apart.. or something like that. :C I'm currently on a hot drink spam diet but it's a short-lived relief. Möh. My fits come and go in waves, it's really bothersome and it starts hurting fast to boot too...
But yeah, I've gotten fed up with the more or less constant coughing and then –a few days ago– I half-jokingly told myself that I'd friggin' take with me another cosplay to make use of this misfortune instead of being bothered by it. And then a voice whispered clearly in my mind:

Cosplay a certain someone.

It wasn't a hard choice. It's not like the outfit takes a lot more luggage space (I need two suitcases anyway OTL) and at least then no one can come and bitch at me because I'm sitting in a corner and my newest much needed drug in life just happens to be cough medicine... :'D

Most people who know me would know what character is in question by now...

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Souji Okita (bedridden yukata, anime version)

Yeah, of course. It's Okita-san. ;A; Ainaki saan yskiä keuhkot pihalle rauhassa... </3 I don't know yet at which con day I will swap for him though. It's more likely to be on Sunday evening but might be Saturday evening as well; it will depend on many things so we'll see how it ends. I'll bring with me ochimizu as well.. and I'll try not to drink it in hopes that it would cure me...

Otherwise I'll be leaving for Tampere (aka Tracon city) already on Thursday night and yeah, that's totally today. Man, I'll be there so early on the morning that the pigs won't even have time to fart... God knows if I'll manage to sleep in the train but I'm gonna be so dead when we arrive at our destination on Friday morning, that's for sure. And I'm supposed to have a pre-Tracon photoshoot on the same day.
Oh boy, that's gonna be one hell of a day. Eyebags galore, here I come.

Shiro Samurai coughs out of here.

Tracon 2014 cosplay plans – A samurai and one who hates samurai

 Ou hi peeps!

Tracon is getting closer and closer (it's on 13-14 September!) and it's about time that I settle on what to cosplay and publish my plans! I've been thinking long and hard on what to cosplay –especially on the Sunday– but I've finally decided now. Here we go then!

Saturday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Hajime Saitou

Saitou time! It's one of my current favorite cosplays to wear so of course a wild Saitou will appear here and there. :'D But this time it will be a little bit different – namely, I will bring with me my Shinsengumi banner/flag/nobori/whatnot which I made already last year! Oh man, how I've been waiting to get to actually bring it with me to a con and NOW IS THE TIIIIIIIME. >8D

Oh, I will also have a small Hakuouki cosplay group with Hasakitsuki and Jäätynyt Enkeli!

Sunday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Ryunosuke Ibuki

Okay let's try again! I didn't get to cosplay Ibuki back at Animeseminaari so I'm gonna fix that now! I really need more photos of this cosplay and Tracon provides friggin' good photoshoot locations – if the weather permits, that is. I could go climb the trees around Sorsapuisto and hnng, so many possibilities! <3

...

...

Oh, I have one surprise though!

I will actually take with me one more cosplay and that is....

Souji Okita from Rurouni Kenshin!

Why? Well, I will have a pre-Tracon (aka Friday) photoshoot with Anniilaugh as Battousai version Kenshin from the Tsuiokuhen OVA. This is basically the much longed for continuation of the photoshoot that we had back at Cosvision – the follow-up that will feature more battle damage! >8D (we originally planned to have this shoot at Cosvision but ran out of time)

...

One thing though, I might change out of my Ibuki cosplay half-day or something, depending on if the contacts dry out or not. If they turn uncomfortable I will either change into some semi-casual gear for the rest of the con day or maybe take some other surprise cosplay. I really don't know.. we'll see if I have luggage space left for what when I start to pack my stuff...

But now I'm done with revealing my Tracon plans. See ya there!

Board the ship! – DesuCruise 2014 plans!

Hello 'ello evryån!

Nerdcon is past and my convention roll is still going strong! x) Con lag is starting to hit me too...
About one month ago me and Hasakitsuki came up with the idea to go to DesuCruise! 

– DesuCruise, what's that you ask?

DesuCruise is held on 21-23 August, on board M/S Silja Symphony this year.

The cruise route is Helsinki (Finland) - Stockholm (Sweden) - Helsinki (Finland).

It's basically an ordinary cruise trip with some con programs mixed in!

One of our secret reasons why we are going to DesuCruise is to make up for having missed out on Närcon this year – even though I've heard from others who visited that it was a disappointment. But still, I've been to summer!Närcon every year since 2011 so it still stung a little. Just a little. :'(
But hey, I'm so stoked about DesuCruise it's not even funny! x) You see, all my life I've been of the opinion that cruising ships (Silja Line, hehe) are one of the best things ever and I friggin' love being in one; I get all giddy and can't even sleep the following night just thinking about it, that's how badly I love cruising ships. xD There has now been several years since the last time I was on a cruise and well, at least for the past half a year or something I've had a horrible urge to step into a cruising ship again and now it's finally time to return to the sea! I'm a fish and I need my water goddamnit.
   On 22nd July I was randomly doing my daily internet round and ended up in Desucon's DesuCruise page where it was mentioned that the Cruise this year would, seemingly, be the last one in history and then it hit me that "OH SNAP LET'S GO ON THIS ONE OR I'M GONNA REGRET NOT DOING IT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE." Khrmm. I mean, how could I not want to attend the last DesuCruise –which would also be my first and thus only one– when it combines two of the best things I know?? <3
The day after (23rd July) I brainwashed Hasakitsuki into joining me on my epic trip to a different con experience and so we bought our train tickets to Helsinki and back as well as a cheapo cabin for two from Silja Line's site directly – because we don't have enough people to fill a four person cabin, which is the only option if you buy your cabin through DesuCruise's shop. I bought the DesuCruise "program only" ticket afterwards from Desucon's online shop though; I'm curious about the panels they will hold there, seems like buttloads of fun! :-DD Hnng can't wait! *flappy hands*

Of course because it's still a Desu(con) event we will wear something on our bodies that sends out con vibes to the folks!
But this time it will be no obviously costume-y cosplay, for a few reasons – I'd rather be able to easily and comfortably move around as well as not having to constantly worry that my costume looks okay and doesn't break on me etc. Also, a good majority of the people on the ship won't be con peeps –so they will have no clue what's going on– and I have a scratching in my butt that few of the DesuCruise attendants would bother to put on more elaborate cosplays.

So yeah, my plans. Now!

...

The first day I'll wear a fabulous buttoned shirt, black jeans with chains and maybe Visual Kei-ish hairstyle and makeup – if I can be bothered with the latter, that is.

For the second day I decided with Hasakitsuki to have a more casual looking cosplay and that is...

SSL!Souji Okita (summer uniform) from Hakuouki!

Sure that I'll wear cosplay makeup on my face –and have big green eyes– but otherwise the outfit itself could pass for everyday wear so I shouldn't stick out like a sore thumb! :-DD Not like it bothers me to be the odd one out but I'd rather not wear something super obviously a costume at this kind of event.

Psst, I'll let you in on a secret! Originally we had planned to do new pair cosplays for DesuCruise but we ended up not having enough time (aka too much stress) so we had to abandon the idea. ;_; Lack of time sucks because our idea would have been so fitting! </3 Oh well, don't worry! Said cosplays will just be postponed to another future convention instead ~

That's all, now to head towards Helsinki by train on Wednesday night! Oh oops, that's today...

Next up is Nerdcon 2014!

Hiya!

So barely many days have passed since Oulun Animeseminaari ended and I'm already preparing to head out for my next event! Yeah, this year's August is filled with anime events for me! :'D
But hey, this time I'm off to Umeå in Sweden and I will visit Nerdcon for the first time! Yeah, it's Nerdcon, not Närcon. It's a small one-day con held on 16th August and this time I will try something different – I will work there! ohmaiglerb
I've actually for a while now wanted to try volunteer working at an anime convention to see what the other side of the coin is like and now I got the perfect opportunity! Nerdcon was seeking workers and I took contact through email; everything went smooth and I got the work! So happy!
I must admit though that I'm a wee bit nervous because I don't have much previous working experience – but I'm confident that this will go well! BELIEVE IT!
At least I shouldn't be too lost because I don't have to work a whole weekend with different tasks or something haha.

I should be able to avoid this scenario.. :'DD

I'm very excited and curious about this new convention, as well as working at a con for the first time! Oh, and of course because I got to be a worker I get free entrance to the con, w00p w00p! 8D

So yeah, I will work at the cafeteria together with Hasakitsuki from 13:00 to 16:00, so anyone attending come pay me a visit and buy stuff during this time! ;)

Because we are working we'd rather wear something that is easy to move around in and that would sort of fit with being a cafeteria seller and that's when we got a great idea brewing in our brains! On my part said great idea was to dress up as a butler style Original Character named William Crimshade. So yeah, I'll be a random pretty boy butler at work! :'D

I don't have so much more to say except that I'm very eager to see what Nerdcon is like! Bye!

Oulun Animeseminaari 2014 cosplay plans – Dog & horse!

Hi there!

Oulun Animeseminaari (Oulu's anime seminar) is the next anime event I will be attending! It's held in Kaupunginkirjasto (lit. "city's library") on 8-9 Augusti this year; it's a different building than previous years and seemingly some of the reasons why they changed location is because Valve's building space/size is getting too small for the event and because the rent prices are constantly rising.
I've also read at Animeseminaari's site that because the event is held at a library that there will be quite different rules – and that's for the worse.
I don't know for sure but it seems that all kinds of weapon-like props are banned no matter what in the library's common space. This sucks because it rules out probably 80% of my current cosplays. :C Sure you can take weapon props with you but you will have to leave them in the checkroom and well, what's the point then?
Also the cosplay competition is cancelled because the stage is not suitable and I also read something that the library workers word is law in the building and thus merchandise sellers and artists can't sell their stuff inside; in other words – con merchandise might be at the mercy of the weather because the only place selling tables will be allowed is outside, seemingly. This is not set yet but it's one of the options I've read at Aniki. The other source I've used for gathering this information is Animeseminaari's site. Don't take my word for 100% truth though, I don't know if things will change..

I'm having my hopes going down and feelings turning rather insipid regarding Animeseminaari. The rules seem a bit too strict and damaging for the event, but I'll hold my judgement until I go there. I'm not expecting much right now though (then again, Animeseminaari I never had high expectations for), just a hang-with-friends con. That's the reason I'm going and to spend time at awesome gamer aunt's place. <3

Because of the weapon prop ban and the harsh rules/limits I'm not sure I can even be bothered to put on a proper cosplay for both days. It's a small event and most people just go there to meet friends anyway. I'll just go there to chill and derp, mostly, but I heard from my aunt that there is seemingly some good photoshoot possibilities so I will take with me at least one cosplay that needs more camera love. And well, for Saturday I need something... DERPIER.

Friday

Series: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Character: Ryunosuke Ibuki

I've only worn Ibuki once before so he deserves a second round out! Besides I barely have photos of this cosplay and I should really use my orange contacts while I can still use them (aka they haven't expired yet). I just need to craft that purple amulet thing he has hanging from the blue string around his waist. Oh, and I won't be carrying around the sword because Ibuki doesn't have it very often in the anime he hates samurai and well, because of the ban.

Saturday

Type: Non-cosplay outfit [shits 'n giggles edition]

Clue: IMMAH HOERRRSSSS

This is going to be a non-cosplay outfit, inspired by randomness and a bit of fabulousness.

Oh, and I'll post a preview later, huehuehue ~

Shiro Samurai out!
 Psst, my blog finally got a new look! :'D Feedback appreciated!