Year of Cosplay 2023

 Hello everyone!

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

Cons attended in 2023:

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

Nekocon - Kuopio, Finland

Mericon - Rauma, Finland

Nippori - Pori, Finland
Matsucon - Oulu, Finland

Nordsken - Skellefteå, Sweden 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you to all readers & Happy New Year 2024!

Year of Cosplay 2022

 Hello everyone!

Another year is drawing to a close and I just sit here and wonder where it went, you know? We're still not free from covid and it sucks, but what sucks even more is the current global situation in many ways. It's no wonder my mental health has been a rollercoaster of mostly lows and I haven't had a lot of inspiration nor energy to cosplay or blog much, as can be seen from how this year has been the quietest to date. But of course this year is not all shit as some great things have happened too!

But anyways, as is tradition I have to continue this end-of-year post although it has felt mostly pointless as of late as I haven't been active in the cosplay scene. I do still want to get back on track at some point but I literally don't have the time, money nor energy for it right now and with the strained economical situation it's even worse. But alas, I managed to land at least one con trip under my belt.

Cons attended in 2021:

Kummacon - Oulu, Finland

 

And as I didn't attend any other cons this year I can just say that Kummacon was the best con for the year lol. It was a chaotic trip but it all ended well and I had a great time. I had plans to attend Matsucon as well but perhaps it was a bit too soon after Kummacon and I was too drained to really feel up to it, especially with all the Christmas stress and newly started job etc.

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Okay so yeah, still no cosplay compilation photo (for obvious reasons) so have a meme instead hehe. I've been really into Genshin Impact lately and it's dominating my current cosplay urges; I'm trying not to give in too much to it yet as I have a lot of unfinished cosplay projects lying around because yeah, I have a bad habit of starting to make something new in a sudden bout of inspiration and then I temporarily lose interest in favor of the next shiny thing (which I of course start making too) and well, in the end I have years worth of unfinished projects haunting me. Skeletons in my cosplay closet waiting for me to return to them, oof.

Who still remembers Masamune Date from Sengoku Basara? This cosplay has become an inside joke among my group of friends, my "eternity project" so to say. But guess what?! I still plan to finish this costume, I haven't actually dropped him. One day Masamune, one day... 

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Anyways, I don't have a lot more to say about this year. It's been bad in many aspects but I've had quite a lot of self-reflection too, finding new sides of myself and mapping out the direction of my life. I'm still nowhere where I want to be but at least now I have some things to look forward to that will help me feel better. Some of it does impact my cosplaying hobby as well so I might get more inspired at some point when things get better, but for now cosplay is a bit on the backburner.

As for the blog.. next year will still feature more circle lens reviews (I'm seeing the end of my massive backlog, woop!) and perhaps a con summary or two. I might try to do some cosplay progress as well but we'll see about that. Regardless, point is that this blog isn't dying anytime soon although the activity has been less than ideal lately. So I hope you stick around with me and my ramblings!

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2023!

Year of cosplay 2021

Hello everyone!

Maybe some of us were hopeful and thought that covid would only plague 2020 and then just disappear. It didn't disappear. It has mutated and now we're dealing with the Decepticon Omicron variant but if there's anything noteworthy about the year 2021 it's that some few physical anime conventions were actually safely arranged. And this was such an invigorating breath of fresh air!

You see, having been completely con deprived for over two years gave me plenty of time to think about this whole hobby and how my feelings towards it has subtly changed over the years. During the pandemic I came to realize that I missed going to cons a lot more than I thought I would; I had been hovering near a "con burnout" for quite some time already (which materialized in many ways, for example that I would more easily opt out of cosplaying and just go casual) so this forced break gave me ample time to process my thoughts and feelings. I realized that I don't attend cons as much as an outlet for cosplaying as I used to do, but more so for the atmosphere and the feeling of community and belonging. My interests have shifted somewhat to favoring a private photoshoot at homegrounds over wearing a costume to a convention to bond with potential fans. It also became even more clear to me that I feel more comfortable at smaller cons as opposed to bigger cons and that's just a result from observation over the years combined with a more keen understanding on how my own body responds to my surroundings. I've become a lot more self-aware of my needs and limitations, to put it in another way.

And just when this year was coming to a close a tiny miracle happened. Me and my friends found out that Kummacon was being held in November and so we ended up going. This means that I've increased my con attendance 100% from last year lol.

Cons attended in 2021:

Kummacon - Oulu, Finland

And because Kummacon was the only con I visited this year it also means that it was the best con lol. I do genuinely enjoy Kummacon though and I hope it stays for many more years, especially now that it kinda seems like both Kitacon and Skecon are in their respective graves? The north needs more cons, not less!

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I didn't cosplay this year either (I was close though!) so there's no cosplay compilation photo. So here's a dumb meme instead cuz no one reads a text without photos lolol.

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2021 has been an improvement from 2020 and, while much didn't happen on the cosplay front, I've done some big leaps in other fields. I've got a new job at a charity secondhand and last autumn I was a deckhand onboard Ostindiefararen Götheborg (an 18th century "East Indiaman" replica ship) when she sailed from Stockholm to Gothenburg and I had an absolutely magical experience! Now I know a good photoshoot location for my upcoming Edward Kenway cosplay eiku...

Overall 2021 has been a pretty good year (the rescue of tall ship Falls of Clyde is finally coming along too, after struggling against the odds for years!) and I have a rekindled inspiration to work on cosplays again now that it looks likely that Närcon might happen next summer!

And before we leave this year behind (it's gone too fast I tell ya) I want to thank all my readers, lurkers, sponsors and friends who are still here – I hope y'all have a pleasant new year lined up for you. 

Oh and yeah, I still have a backlog of circle lens reviews to chew through so expect those to fill a big chunk of next year's blog content as well, although hopefully there will be more variation with some actual cosplay WIP posts thrown into the mix. :)

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2022!

Year of Cosplay 2020

Hello folks!

Well, this year didn't really go as planned. I'm pretty sure that when 2020 began many of us were hopeful and looking forward to a great year and new aspirations yada yada. But most of humanity ended up getting kicked in the nuts... with a tomahawk missile. :D So we all know that corona virus happened, it came from nowhere and messed shit up. Big time. It's still far from over and there's just so much uncertainty and anxiety about the current situation and what the future will bring. I remember thinking 2019 was a shitty year but 2020 was like "hold my beer" lol.

I was hoping to get my cosplaying back on track but with quite literally the whole con season cancelled the inspiration just dwindled to nothing. I think many people can relate, haha.
I haven't been to a single convention this whole year and that's a new record low. And somehow it doesn't even feel as bad as one might initially think (even though I had some cravings)? At least I've had time to focus on other important stuff.

Conventions attended: 0

It would have been nice to go to a convention or two, but no can do. No one saw this coming. 

I'm glad Närcon and the rest cancelled their big events, it would have been very irresponsible of them to go on after all that backlash on social media earlier this spring; I mean, they were still posting international guests when the corona was in full swing and it rightfully angered some people. Maybe next year the situation will be better.

Okay so, in terms of cosplay there hasn't been much going on. I started my Edward Kenway costume back in February but it's on ice now as I'm having a break from studies. I still definitely want to do that costume and I'm excited about it – Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is one of my favorite games to date! Aside from that my only other cosplay post has been the Kashuu Kiyomitsu cosplay review and the photoshoot and well, a ton of circle lens reviews. Yes, I still have a lot more lens reviews to do so expect to see lots of that kind of content next year as well.

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And just like previous years there's still no cosplay compilation photo. So you get a dumb meme instead. :D  

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I was lowkey hoping for 2020 to be a good year and, outside of cosplay, at least one really nice thing did happen (I'll probably do a blog post about it later) but in terms of cosplay there's barely been any progress. Well, there is a cosplay secret going on but it will remain a secret for a while longer. ^^"

Oh and yeah, most of us active bloggers probably noticed that Blogger did change this year and I'm still struggling to learn how to use this new version. Adapt, overcome, conquer. Or something like that.

And before we leave this year behind I want to thank all my readers, sponsors and friends who are still here – I hope you all have a great new year ahead! After all, it's gonna be hard to beat 2020 in terms of shittiness. :D Thank you so much for everything, cheers!

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2021!

Year of Cosplay 2019

Hello peeps!

Okay, so 2019 is soon ending and it feels just as weird as all previous years. Even weirder when you stop for a moment and realize it's actually the end of not just another year but another decade depending on how you count. *chronophobia intensifies*

Honestly, I don't even know why I'm even doing this anymore. This feels like some meme joke at this point because my active cosplaying has been dwindling these past few years. Yeah, I know, I keep telling myself that next year will be better but it hasn't been yet, lmao! I'm still holding on to that hope that eventually I'll get back into it and to be honest I've had a few lightbulb moments this year and I think where I want to be heading next to get that long-gone enjoyment back. 

But before we get to that I'll post the traditional list of cons that I've attended this year below.

Kummacon - Oulu, Finland

Matsucon - Oulu, Finland

That's... literally it. I actually had to double check but it's true, I've only been to two small cons this  year and funnily enough both were in Oulu. I would have gone to Skecon too, as I've been there every year since its debut, but I got the sad news that for the first time ever there would simply be no Skecon in 2019. I am assuming that it's because of economical reasons as I know they've been struggling with that, but I also hope that things will get better and that Skecon will return next year. Would be a shame to see it go after all these years. :/ 

Okay so, umm, what can I say? 2019 has been almost non-existent in the cosplay department – it's my worst year to date. Like I have barely done anything cosplay related or well, I have, but it's not finished and I have not posted about it yet on this blog. ^^" The only cosplay related things I've posted about have been about Star Wars, namely the Luke Skywalker cosplay review and my time as a random Jedi at Kummacon. That's it. 

But honestly though, it's been refreshing. I've had time to charge my batteries and really think about how I want to do this geeky hobby in the future and I've come to the conclusion that, at least for a while, I will put priority on doing video game and western fandom cosplays and see how that makes me feel because hey, being a Jedi at Kummacon was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Yeah I'll admit, it was a low effort cosplay but it had its merits and it actually made me less stressed about my costume and thus able to enjoy the convention more. I'm currently also working on a video game character cosplay at school, like hinted above, and I think the first WIP post about that will be out early 2020, so stay tuned for the reveal.

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Hahaha. Just no.

There ain't gonna be a fancy actual cosplay compilation photo this year either. Simply because I only wore one cosplay and there's like only one photo of it, rip. xD Well at least I've started to get some clarity in what to do and slowly, maybe, the passion is creeping back in – hopefully it means that in 2020 I will get something new done. 

I have to say though that having watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker three times now in the cinema has given me a newfound hype and passion! I really, really want to cosplay a certain version of a character from the movie as soon as possible. Not giving details because of spoilers. I experienced such a massive wave of emotions and I can't stop thinking about it; the movie is very good and I'm not gonna lie, probably my favorite of all Star Wars movies to date. So yeah, I'm really hoping to get started on that particular cosplay soon as a genuine giddy excitement is there; it's been a longass time since I last felt so much for a fictional character.

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

Kummacon: Random Jedi, as in a nameless Jedi (OC?) that I threw together from both Jedi costume parts and parts from other things in my closet.

Matsucon: I was a part of the work force so I went casual.

As I only attended two cons this year I don't have much to pick from when it comes to which was my favorite. I enjoyed both but I'd pick Kummacon because of the refreshments from being in a new con building, the surprising amount of interactions I got in my Jedi garb and bonding with other Star Wars costumers.

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I think I've mentioned about everything I had planned to say something about. I really hope that 2020 will be better because 2019 was honestly just depressing as all fuck. I feel like I might be slowly getting back but I don't dare say anything for sure yet, but at least there are a few costumes right now that I really want to make and that's a good thing.

And before I leave this year behind I want to thank all my friends who are still supporting me, my readers and everyone else who happens to visit my blog – I hope you all have a fruitful new year ahead. Thank you so much for staying with me and checking out my ramblings in here. I will try to produce more actual cosplay content this coming new decace.

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2020!

Year of Cosplay 2018

Good morning!

The clock keeps ticking and somehow 2018 is already almost past us, how?? Like, I swear every new year feels shorter than the one before it and it's just... extremely anxiety-inducing when you're one of those depressed people who feel like you haven't really achieved anything in your life, rip.

I have really mixed feelings about this year on the cosplay front, but before we get to that I'll do the traditional list of what conventions I attended during 2018:

Okamicon - Sundsvall, Sweden

Kummacon - Oulu, Finland

Närcon - Linköping, Sweden

Chibicon - Oulu, Finland

Skecon - Skellefteå, Sweden

That's 5 cons, even less than last year's personal lowest at 6. I've been feeling like I'm falling out of it, like it's not as enjoyable going to cons as it used to be. The magic and the passion isn't there and I mainly just feel uncomfortable and anxious if I dress up and that kills me as I used to love cosplaying. It's a chore to put on a costume and I feel devastated when I only get ugly photos, if any at all. :( I think I long for something new and different, along with getting to feel better about myself. Not even lying but this year has been horrible regarding my mental health and of course it naturally bleeds into my hobbies and yeah, cosplay isn't an exception. And it didn't help that I lost a dear family member too.

2018 is still notable though because on January I finished my biggest and most badass challenging cosplay prop to date, the Eldaora's Taus from MH4U and I'm really proud of it, even though I could have made it more detailed etc if I wasn't on limited time and resources. I don't think I'll surpass it anytime soon, at least not in the prop department. I definitely want to make more Monster Hunter props and this one gave me a good taste of what it's like to do huge cosplay weapons.

Regarding cosplays I've only worn three costumes to cons, which at least is good in the sense that they were all new cosplays being debuted for the first time, even though two of them I had finished already long before the con. ^^" When I think about it I believe this is the first year on which I haven't recycled a single costume. I did two other cosplays too but those were for review purposes and stay undebuted for now, so I can't really count those as proper photoshoots, which means I haven't done a single photoshoot this year. Ouch.

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You know what's coming. 

I'm in this kind of cosplay decline on which I feel bad wearing costumes out to cons and I don't feel inspired to make cosplays but I still want new cosplays and good photos of them, ya know? I'm so conflicted, lmao. I also keep thinking that to ignite that passion again I would need to try something refreshing – either go to cons in new countries or start competing or something else that would change the pattern up, as I feel like I've seen everything and it's becoming too repetitive at cons. Also, it concerns me that I'd rather go casual than dress up in cosplay as I can't be bothered and feel too uncomfortable for a myriad of reasons, probably half in my head only but my anxiety has skyrocketed over the past couple years and I just can't act nor think like before. I'm beating myself up over almost everything and I hate how I look in my cosplays – there, I said it.

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

Okamicon: I wore my shiny Mightyena gijinka (Pokémon) on Saturday for a short time between my work hours. Otherwise I was in workwear.

Kummacon: Casual, no regrets.

Närcon: No cosplay on Thursday but changed into Hotaru (Samurai Deeper Kyo) on Friday evening once the worst heat had passed. On Saturday I wore Team Aqua Grunt (Pokémon) on the evening to avoid the heat again and on Sunday I only had breakfast at the con and then left.

Chibicon: I was geeky casual and part of the work force.

Skecon: No cosplay as I worked and had a worker t-shirt.

If I have to pick a favorite con for the year it would be Närcon. That's where I wore my two "proper" cosplays for this year, both which I finished years ago but only got to debut now. I'm happy with both costumes, except that Hotaru needs some slight fixing, but I lack photos of both. I generally had fun at Närcon and I even occasionally had that fuzzy con feeling going on, which was nice to remember what it felt like. Only sad thing was that I went there alone and because I'm so awkward at approaching people I did sometimes feel like I was a bit... lonely. It's just not the same thing when you don't have your squad with you, or at least someone you feel safe with. But yeah, I still say that Närcon was the best con this year for me, followed by Skecon or Kummacon.

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Wow, this is such a depressing read but honestly, I can't always hold up the happy facade. I just simply don't feel good at all and cosplaying is another stress factor for me right now when it should be something relaxing and fun. :( I sometimes think that what I really need is to do cosplay groups with friends again, to feel that unity and camaraderie – I feel like I've been doing solo stuff for a long time now and while it's cool to not be bound to all the things that come with group planning I still feel like I need my friends, probably more than ever right now.

And before I end this post I want to thank all my friends who are still there, readers and everyone else who visits my blog – I hope you all have enjoyed your time reading my ramblings. Thank you so much for staying with me, like really I mean it. I'm gonna try to activate myself again.

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2019!

Year of Cosplay 2017

Good day folks!

Once again we're nearing the end of yet another year and every time it feels just as sudden. I don't know where the days go but I know that time can't be stopped from running its course. I can say already now that in terms of cosplay the year 2017 has been very... underwhelming. I'm just not feeling it and trust me, I'm not happy about it either.

As per blog tradition, I'll start by listing all the conventions that I attended during 2017:

Matsucon - Oulu, Finland

Euran Mangapäivä - Eura, Finland

Mushucon - Rovaniemi, Finland

Närcon - Linköping, Sweden

Chibicon - Oulu, Finland

Skecon - Skellefteå, Sweden

Well, that list is not very impressive. I tick in at 6 cons for this year and I think that's a "personal worst" if we don't count my first cosplay years in like 2010-2011 something (aka before I even had this blog). One might notice as well that out of all these cons Närcon is the only big one – the rest are all what could be considered as local small cons, save for the one in Eura as that's totally not local for me. xD I just haven't been feeling the con hype this whole year and there's been a lot of other shit getting in the way, like school and mental health.

2017 is pretty similar to 2016, except probably even worse. I've literally only had 3 photoshoots during the whole year, of which only 1 can be considered a proper one. Needless to say the lack of new, updated cosplay photos is huuuuuuge. It's like I know I've improved but I have nothing to show for it and it makes me feel shit, lol. I'm not getting my hopes up about 2018 being much better in the cosplay department since I'll probably be very busy with my new school and other real-life matters. Yep, I'm starting new studies in January and I'm finally gonna get myself a profession!

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Aaaaaand what about the... the other traditional thing, you wonder?
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I think this has turned into a meme of its own by now. x) Every year I wear fewer costumes, which of course naturally results in fewer photos and thus nothing to really show the world. This year it's the same curse – out of all four cosplays (wow, what a number) that I wore to cons I only have non-selfie photos of two of them, and that's like two photos of Itachi and one photo of Prussia. Urrrgh. Wake me up inside.

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

Matsucon: I wore my kimono!Itachi (Naruto) cosplay on Saturday and went casual on Sunday.
Euran Mangapäivä: Rewore Itachi again.
Mushucon: Because it was really spontaneous I went causal.
Närcon: I borrowed Firith's Teutonic Knight Prussia (Hetalia) cosplay on Thursday and wore swordboy Yasusada (Touken Ranbu) on Friday. On Saturday I wore a Rilakkuma kigurumi and on Sunday I wasn't even at the con.
Chibicon: Filthy casual.
Skecon: No cosplay on Friday, Gin Ichimaru (Bleach) for a few hours on Saturday and no cosplay on Sunday.

Yeah. I haven't done a lot of cosplaying this year, what more can I say?
I guess my favorite con of the year would be Närcon, but even that is with mixed feelings. I got a lot of joy from being with my big sister for the last time before she moved to Germany – I'm happy she came with me to visit Närcon on one day as well! It's gonna feel weird to not be able to sleep at her place during the con weekend anymore but oh well, there's the Närcon camping. It was fun to hang with Firith as well, although I'm still sorry about some of the things that didn't quite go as planned and I hope it didn't screw up the experience too much for my friend. :'( 
Otherwise Mushucon deserves a mention because, despite our trip being super sudden and spontaneous it was surprisingly fun! Although I guess all the derping with friends in the camper accounted for the positive memories of the con. xD

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I'm sorry about this whole post being kinda low in tone but, honestly, that's what this year has been like for me – lowkey shit. Of course it has had its great moments but I feel like for most of the time I've been my own anxiety's victim, combined with stress and whatnot. I just haven't been able to enjoy cosplaying and going to cons the same way as before and I miss the magic, honestly. I'm hoping that the future will reignite the fire that I've been searching for the past couple years. I'm also hoping to get at least one big cosplay project done next year (Monster Hunter anyone?) and that I'll have more time, money and inspiration to go farther to explore new conventions!

But before I end this post I want to thank all my friends, readers and everyone else who stumbles upon this blog of mine – I hope you all will continue to come back to read about my cosplay life and support me! Thank you so much for staying with me, like really.

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2018!

Year of Cosplay 2016

Good evening everyone!

Once again we're standing where this year ends and the next one begins. Every new year I feel like time rolls by quicker than the last one and I guess soon enough I'll be that grumpy old man wondering where my youth went, lol! Oh well, before I get stuck in an age crisis and overthink things I want to get this post started, boyah!

As is tradition in this blog, I'll start by listing all the conventions that I attended during 2016:

Närcon Vinter - Linköping, Sweden

Cosvision - Hämeenlinna, Finland

Kummacon - Oulu, Finland

Närcon - Linköping, Sweden

Oulun Animeseminaari - Oulu, Finland

Kitacon - Kemi, Finland

Skecon - Skellefteå, Sweden

Yep, that's 7 conventions and thus exactly the same amount as on the previous year. From these 3 cons, possibly 4 (in "north standards"), can be considered local events. Lately I just haven't prioritized attending as many cons as possible and, besides, my economical situation doesn't really afford it anyway. Also, it might just be me getting older but I'm not as excited about attending cons as I used to be back when I started – it feels like I've already seen it and want something new and refreshing. :/ I guess it's time to look into cons abroad to get that convention flame to ignite again... who's with me?

I also feel bad about how little I've cosplayed this year and yeah, it totally shows because I barely have any new photoshoot pictures or new costumes for this past year. I'm kinda stuck in a cosplay rut and have been so for a while; it doesn't help either that I just simply don't have enough space, nor money, to make anything new, inspiring and challenging – hence why I've mostly been either recycling old costumes or making simpler new ones for the past couple years. I'm disappointed in myself but I can't affect my current situation right now; everybody knows what it's like to be a poor student with no job.
When it comes to actually cosplaying at conventions I've lately often been hit by a case of "can't be bothered" or "too anxious" once I'm at the con, which makes me end up just going casual instead. I wish I wouldn't feel this way because I still love cosplaying but, err, some demons in my head are (still) eating away at me and I can't control them as well as I'd like to. I do wish that things will get better soon and that I'll regain my self-confidence.

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Honestly, I tried to do some kind of yearly compilation photo of the cosplays that I've worn over the year and... it pooped. I just don't have any good enough photos to showcase because yeah, most are of the "proof that I'm wearing a costume at the con" sort à la selfie. ^^"

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

Närcon Vinter: I recycled Battousai version Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin) on Friday and on Saturday I debuted Kashuu Kiyomitsu's uchiban outfit from the popular Touken Ranbu. Kashuu was not 100% done because I was missing the earrings but I didn't let that stop me because it's such a small detail.

Cosvision: Debuted my Darkrai gijinka from Pokémon on Saturday. This one I even managed to photoshoot and I'm pleased with the outcome. On Sunday I was supposed to cosplay Hatori Sohma (Fruits Basket) but on the morning I felt ill and passed on it.

Kummacon: I only went there on a quick visit on the late hours of Friday and thus didn't cosplay.

Närcon: On Thursday I didn't cosplay. On Friday I debuted my Lugia gijinka (Pokémon) and I'm totally not happy with it because it was a rushed closet cosplay and I didn't have time to make the accessories for it that I wanted. I don't think anyone recognized what I was supposed to be, lol. I didn't wear Lugia for long and spent most of the day out of cosplay. On Saturday afternoon I reused Ibuki from Hakuouki Reimeiroku and during the late hours I changed cosplay into Greece from Hetalia.

Oulun Animeseminaari: No cosplay.

Kitacon: I finally debuted Hatori Sohma. Went to change into cosplay somewhere during the afternoon.

Skecon: I didn't cosplay on neither Friday nor Sunday because I was working at the convention. On Saturday evening/night I did reuse Kashuu's uchiban version, still missing the earrings though.

My favorite conventions for the year would be Närcon and Närcon Vinter, followed by Skecon. Both Närcons were a lot of fun because I went there in good company and just genuinely had a blast and enjoyed the atmosphere of a big convention. Skecon was another working experience for me and also a great last con to end the year with my best friends; it's such a comfy small con that I keep revisiting every year! Cosvision though was a huuuuuuge disappointment and not worth the money; it's a shame because the first one was so good and promising and then, err, what the fuck happened? -.- It was a mess and I just... can't.

~~~

I don't have so much more to add. This year has been rather... unimpressive and lackluster. I have started work on some cooler cosplays and some others have been finished, but not debuted yet, so it's not a total failure of a year. Of course I've also had a lot of quality time with my cosplay friends but the cosplay front has been so dry that I'm ashamed. *sob* I hope that next year will remedy this and that I get to create some really cool stuff! Keeping my thumbs and toes up!

Lastly, let me thank all my friends and everyone else follows this blog of mine – I hope you all will continue to stay around!

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2017!

Year of Cosplay 2015

Hello there ~

I seriously have no idea where this year went... but what I know though is that it's been one of my weaker cosplay years and that's by miles – I attended fewer events than what I've done since I started and yeah, I did very little cosplaying too; to a good lot of cons I didn't even cosplay and well, if I did it was for a very short time. I don't really know but I have something going on right now that I feel really uncomfortable, worried and self-conscious when cosplaying and it really drags down the mood and magic out of it. :/ It's making me sad that it has become like this when dressing up used to be my escape – something fun and relieving. It's like I still have the cravings and excitement to make cosplays (my cosplay list is ever-expanding!) but as soon as I'm dressed up I don't want to be seen by anyone, lol. I feel so conflicted about this and I'm disappointed in myself for not being able to enjoy cosplaying the same way I used to; there's too much shit going on in my head that I can't really control.

Regarding the blog itself though you all must have noticed by now that this year the amount of circle lens reviews has skyrocketed – and it's a staying addition to my blog. ;) So yeah, I hope you all don't mind the reviews too much because I decided to do to them on my cosplay blog instead of my Lifestyle blog, even though they would technically had fit in the latter just as well. My main reason for the blog choice is that many cosplayers, me included, use circle lenses first-hand for cosplay purposes and yes, that's why I started using them. While I do use lenses for fashion wear as well I thought that the cosplay blog would be a better choice – it has a lot more visibility and traffic than my personal blog etc. 
But hey, regarding the heightened amount of circle lens review during the years I want to tell you guys how big the change is! You see, on 2013, when I started using circle lenses, I only reviewed (and thus used) 3 pairs. On 2014 I reviewed 5 pairs – a slight increase. And now, on 2015, everything exploded and I reviewed a whopping 22 pairs!! Yes, the number almost five-doubled since last year! I've done at least one lens review per month during the whole year, except for December. :3 Oh and yeah, the number is likely to go up in future years too, as I have a shitlot of lenses waiting to be opened and reviewed... ~

Oh well, let's go back to what I typically post about on the cosplay year summary. Yes, it's the convention list ahead! (aka what cons I attended this year)

Desucon Frostbite - Lahti, Finland

Kemin Mangapäivä - Kemi, Finland

Kummacon - Oulu, Finland

Skecon - Skellefteå, Sweden

Närcon - Linköping, Sweden

Nerdcon - Umeå, Sweden
Kitacon - Kemi, Finland

Yeah, that's all. Only 7 events and of which three can be considered "local events"; I just didn't feel like traveling long distances because, well, even though I wanted to meet friends and all it didn't feel worth it to spend so much money when I wouldn't be enjoying myself enough. I've just been really self-conscious and kinda anxious this whole year and yeah, cosplay is sort of acting as a catalyst and makes it worse, when it used to help lift me up... *sob*
In some way I feel like I'm letting people and especially my friends down, even though I guess few would actually feel that way – it's most probably just in my head, lol. It's frustrating because I have like 9483289538989 cosplay plans and I'm always excited about coming up with new characters to cosplay but as soon as I'm in costume I look in the mirror and see a potato staring back at me. It's like I always tell myself that it's gonna be alright, when I'm in costume at an event, and then there's still always something eating away at me.

This is really tearing me down and it's the reason I've actually just gone to conventions, in my everyday clothes, and noticed that I feel better this way – sadly enough. :/ It's weirdly funny because, a few years back, I would never have done it because the main reason I went to conventions was to cosplay (and meet friends who live far away)...

I could even tell you guys about what cons I actually cosplayed at.
If we start in the right order: at Desucon Frostbite I only cosplayed Okita from PeaceMaker Kurogane on Saturday and I felt horrible all along; the other days (Friday and Sunday) I didn't dress up, unless wearing a horse mask counts. During Kemin Mangapäivä I didn't cosplay, mainly because I couldn't be bothered since it's such a small one-day event. At Kummacon, which is a one-day event, I cosplayed from Touken Ranbu and I was feeling sort-of-okay, actually. On Skecon I cosplayed Hajime Saitou from Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan and Sasaki Kojirou from Iza, Shutsujin! Koi Ikusa on Friday and Saturday, respectively. On Sunday I didn't dress up but I felt surprisingly okay. When it comes to Närcon, which is a four-day con festival I only cosplayed on Thursday and Saturday, which says a lot because normally on said con I'd do my damnest to cosplay on every single day. I was Kenshin Himura on Thursday and I was feeling pretty awesome because I had good company, but on Saturday I was Falkner from Pokémon and I felt so shit that I changed out of cosplay after just a few hours. During Nerdcon I only did a quick photoshoot run as Ukitake from Bleach on Sunday and immediately changed back to casual after that; I didn't cosplay on Saturday at all. And finally, at one-day Kitacon, I didn't cosplay either.

It's, by the way, really hard to pick a favorite convention of the year since, err, I feel like my experiences have been a bit underwhelming compared to earlier years. This is most likely just because I haven't been feeling my best so yeah, the conventions themselves haven't gotten any worse. It's just me. But if I had to pick a favorite convention for 2015 it would probably be either Nerdcon or Närcon. Nerdcon mainly because I had so freakin' much fun with my friends and Närcon because, even though some things were crap, I still enjoyed the mood and just walking around and chilling was surprisingly upplifting...?

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You probably figured by now but I don't have any cool(?) cosplay collage to show you guys because duh, I cosplayed so little that I don't even have much in the name of new photo proof. u_u Yeaaaaaah. I don't even know what to tell about those few cosplays that I did/wore so yeah, sorry – I just don't have much to say. ^^; My ratio of new cosplays versus recycling older ones to cons is about fifty-fifty. Next year I'll hopefully be more productive and attend some more events. I also hope that I'll get to work with some new materials and that I can get rid of the whole "I feel uncomfortable" part.

But seriously, I'm sorry about this being such an.. empty and BLEÄÄRGH final summary post of the year. OTL I'll finish by just leaving this here because it sums up this year so well...

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2016!

Year of Cosplay 2014

 What's up bros? ;)

Again we approach the end of one year and the beginning of the next; every time it feels just as weird and you wonder in what black hole the time disappeared. :S I swear the older I get the faster one year is spent, seemingly – I remember so clearly that as a kid it definitely felt like half an eternity between new year and next Christmas, dangnabbit!

Oh well, as it is tradition by now I'll start this post by listing all the anime conventions that I ended up attending during the duration of year 2014:

Kitacon - Kemi, Finland

Cosvision - Turku, Finland

Desucon - Lahti, Finland

Skecon - Skellefteå, Sweden

Oulun Animeseminaari - Oulu, Finland

Nerdcon - Umeå, Sweden

DesuCruise - Helsinki, Finland ↔ Stockholm, Sweden

Tracon - Tampere, Finland

Kemin Mangapäivä - Kemi, Finland

Yep yep, I score in with 9 events for this year! It's actually the exact same amount as on 2013, although I didn't attend the exact same cons. I'm actually a bit surprised that after all economic issues I've had this year I still somehow managed to attend this many events, haha!
But yeah, this year gave me some new convention experience in the form of being a con volunteer worker instead of just an attendant; it was really nice to see the other side of the coin and I surely want to lend a helping hand more times! :D

But hey, if I have to do some kind of list of what cons were my favorites this year I assume the list would be something like this!

1. Skecon - I just had way too much fun at Skecon this year! The Vocaloid concert, the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! tournament (on which I combed home victory!), all the martial art stuff and hell, even the unlucky bouncy castle rage had its charm. xD The general comfy atmosphere was so good I couldn't have asked for more either; Skecon just keeps improving and getting better and better for each year that passes by!

2. Cosvision - Cosvision was something so great, I tell you! An event purely for and with cosplay as its main focus was so needed and boy was it appreciated too! Everything about Cosvision was just awesome – panels all about cosplay, Guest of Honors were famous coslayers *coughkanamecough*, wonderful locations and great atmosphere! The only things Cosvision suffered from were too many interesting panels overlapping and not a lot of attendants but, then again, it was the first Cosvision ever and so on.

3. Tracon - It's really hard to put Tracon third this time because it is my favorite Finnish convention to attend. Tracon is always a blast and there's great photoshoot locations, the building is perfect and this year there were even extra additions in the outside area. Tracon definitely doesn't lose to Skecon or Cosvision but I just put the other two ahead this time because Skecon had amazing entertainment value –especially considering how small it is– and Cosvision was an instant success and it just deserves second place because it was all about cosplay and well, I could praise that decision to Middle Earth and back; there needs to be more conventions that are less about anime and more about cosplay!

With the conventions summarized and ranked I'll move on to the cosplays I've worn over the year. Yep, this totally means that it's time for the yearly compilation photo!

In 3... 2... 1...

Clockwise, starting from top left corner: Keisuke Sannan (Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan), Gin Ichimaru (Bleach), Hajime Saitou (Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan), Souji Okita (Rurouni Kenshin), Yukinaga Kuroyama (Original), Souji Okita (Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan), Souji Okita (Hakuouki Sweet School Life), Gakupo Kamui (Vocaloid), William Crimshade (Original), Ryunosuke Ibuki (Hakuouki Reimeiroku), Taregard Frir (Original).

Umm, what? Why are you looking at me like that?
....
Oh, yeah, let's not even talk about the Gin photo. xD I only have herpaderp pictures of said cosplay from this year's Kitacon because well, the photoshoot was nothing but silliness so of course the Gin photo is not very, err, representative. :-DD

I think that about sums it up for this time. As for the very-soon-it's-here 2015 year's cosplay plans I dare say that I do have some cosplays in mind that I'm very likely to do, although exactly for what cons is more of a mystery! I will definitely try to do at least a few new costumes although I guess I just might end up recycling some older ones more. I'm still poor.
But as far as the new cosplays are concerned I can spoil you all enough that some Attack on Titan dudes are fairly sure to show up ~

Lastly, let me thank all my friends as well as everyone who follows my ramblings in here – I hope you all will follow my cosplay crap the coming year too! :'D

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2015!

Year of Cosplay 2013

Someone please tell me where did 2013 go?

Ehm, okay. So on the last day of this year I figured I'd keep on to the tradition I kind of started on 2012 - aka a cosplay summary of the year. I found it fun so why not? :D

I could kick this thing off by first making a list of all the anime conventions I attended this year. In chronological order, of course.

Närcon Vinter - Linköping, Sweden

Desucon - Lahti, Finland

Skecon - Skellefteå, Sweden

Animecon - Kuopio, Finland

Närcon - Linköping, Sweden

Oulun Animeseminaari - Oulu, Finland

Tracon - Tampere, Finland

Kemin Mangapäivä - Kemi, Finland

Chibicon - Oulu, Finland

A pretty fair lot of cons if you ask me! 2012 I attended two cons more than this year but I have a feeling that next year I might attend even fewer because, well, life happens and so do money shortages. No shit.

   Hmm.. if I try to think which of these cons would be in my top 3 for the year I would say it's between Tracon, Närcon and Skecon. I can't put these in the order because all were fabulous this year.

• At Närcon I got new friends and new experiences (read: con camping!) and well, summer!Närcon is always a blast. Sure the location is a bit maze-like but all the things you can do at Närcon makes up for it tenfold! Then again I must admit that Josbaren wasn't quite as good this year as it was 2012...

• Tracon was very fun this year and I really enjoyed the symphonic wind ensemble. Also Tracon's location is just so me gusta, especially the outside area near Sorsalampi but the building itself is amazing as well. Tracon is for me Finland's best con, hands down.

• Oh, and then there's Skecon - the relatively new, small and comfy convention held at Skellefteå that this year moved to a bigger location (that is fucking awesome for photoshoots, I tell you!) and had Japanese guest artists. I must say Skecon did a big leap into improved awesomeness since last year and I hope that history's third Skecon will be even greater!

Okay, with the cons out of the way let's move onto the cosplays! Yup, this year I also made a list of all the cosplays I wore to cons.

I must admit that on 21st December I was trying to make a cool compiled photo list of my cosplays but I quickly ragequited because I just couldn't get it to work on my art program. So instead of some professional looking stuff, well... brace your eyes and feast on the greatest epitome of art the world has ever seen!

Isn't it beautiful? *Gwonam voice*

What do you mean I have character design preferences? Poor Kureno must feel pretty lonely in there... 

Yes, you are allowed to laugh. It's so beautiful, I know. It took me many hours on Paint to make. Yes, Paint. It's crappy on purpose, I promise I can draw better. Yes, Masamune's swords had to shrink to make space in the lower row... ja Ukitake on persjalkainen kaappi, tiedetään että on erittäin kaunis tapaus. :'D

Upper row, left to right: Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin), Toshizo Hijikata (Hakuouki), Espeon (Pokémon), Kazuma Sohma (Fruits Basket), Hajime Saitou (Hakuouki)

Lower row, left to right: Souji Okita (Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi), Masamune Date (Sengoku Basara), Jushiro Ukitake (Bleach), Kureno Sohma (Fruits Basket), Ryunosuke Ibuki (Hakuouki)

Then again these aren't all cosplays that I wore this year; I did different variations of some characters (rasetsu and SSL Hijikata for example) and I also rewore my sick!Okita (Hakuouki) cosplay for a home photoshoot and so on.

Hmm.. not so much more to say I guess. I already have some loose plans for what cons I will try to attend 2014 as well as some new cosplays I would like to do! Then again, I'm pretty sure next year will be mostly cosplay recycling for me because yeah, wish money would grow on trees.

Oh well, I just want to thank everyone who reads this blog and I hope you tag along with me next year! I won't reveal any new cosplay plans on my blog just yet but at least have a...

Happy New Year 2014 and let's keep on cosplaying! 

Year of Cosplay 2012

 Hi hi!

 For the last day of the year I figured I could do some kind of special blog post ~

First of a list I'll list all the cons that I've been to this year:

Desucon Frostbite - Lahti, Finland
Kitacon - Kemi, Finland

Chibicon - Oulu, Finland

Desucon - Lahti, Finland
Uppcon - Uppsala, Sweden

Animecon - Kuopio, Finland
Närcon - Linköping, Sweden

Oulun Animeseminaari - Oulu, Finland

Tracon - Tampere, Finland
Kemin Mangapäivä - Kemi, Finland

Skecon - Skellefteå, Sweden

A lot of cons this year, hahah. Mainly in Finland too. It's very hard to pick my favorite con for the year but if I do a top 3 it would probably look like this:

1. Närcon

2. Tracon

3. Uppcon

• Närcon first because it's.. well, awesome. It has so many activities no other cons offer and is like a huge 4 days con festival! The atmosphere is great, the locations are nice (although I get lost many times because of the maze-like corridors lol xD), great outside area, juice bar, laserdome/bouncy castle/whatever special attraction of the year, swimming pool etc. Närcon is shortly said a blast all congoers should visit at least once! Also the weather was great this year and didn't ruin my con weekend, hence the first place.

• Tracon is second because I'm in love with Tampere-talo as a location for hosting a con. It is very nice and feels luxury somehow haha. Also the park around Sorsalampi is amazing.. too bad I only noticed it at the very last minutes before I had to depart. Amazing photoshoot opportunities in nature. Oh, and Tracon is just overall very enjoyable and certainly my favorite con in Finland currently, mainly for its more than awesome locations.

• Uppcon was a blast too. Too bad this year was the last Uppcon in history and the rainy weather kinda ruined it on the later days, otherwise Uppcon wouldn't be third place for me. But the location is amazing and big, there is lots of stuff to do and I don't even need to mention the huge merchandise tent which is like a geek's treasure trove haha. Uppcon was the biggest (and most well-known I presume) con in Sweden and it's a shame it is no more.. but it seems there will be a successor.

And lastly here is all the cosplays of different characters I've worn this year. Ukitake is the only one of these which has already been worn 2011, the rest are 2012 debut cosplays. I only put a character once even though in some cases I did different variations of the same character.. like formalsuit!Ukitake, artbook!Saitou (Hakuouki) etc.

Upper row, left to right: Jushiro Ukitake (Bleach), Gin Ichimaru (Bleach), Byakuya Kuchiki (Bleach), Ichito (Asaki, Yumemishi), Souji Okita (Hakuouki), Toshizo Hijikata (Hakuouki)

Lower row, left to right: Hajime Saitou (Hakuouki), Masamune Date (Sengoku Basara), Isami Kondou (Hakuouki), Sojun Kuchiki (Bleach), Hajime Saitou (Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi), Falkner (Pokémon)

My favorite cosplay of the year.. hmm.. very hard to just pick one because I love them all. xD But if I think about the overall con experience with said cosplay, how comfortable it was to wear, overall enjoyment and liking of the character etc I guess it's a tie between two Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan chars - Hajime Saitou and Isami Kondou. Saitou is a cosplay that fits me like a glove in the hand, my anime alter-ego and just everything about his design and personality is very much to my liking. Very comfortable to wear too except the scarf that's always planning to suffocate me lol. Isami Kondou was also very much fun to cosplay, especially during Tracon's Hakuouki group! Also very comfortable and fun and that wig is just too awesome not to like!

Happy New Year 2013 and Happy Cosplaying! ~