ARG! (Days 511 - 515)

So, yeah, most likely not going to WonderCon. And by "most likely", I mean, there's like a 5% chance. So here's the story. (I asked people not to ask, but at the same time, I need to vent it, so here we go.)

Originally, my boyfriend's brother (we'll call him S, for anonymity's sake) was the one planning the trip. He invited my boyfriend and I to go with him and his fiance. Originally, this meant he would drive us there, pay for our entry, and pay for our lunch. Best deal ever, I should have known it was too good to be true.

Then, suddenly, he stopped talking about going. When he was asked, S would just say "Oh, yeah, that" and nothing else. It turned out that he didn't know which day we were going because of his fiance's work schedule. She usually works Saturdays, but we had originally planned to go on Saturday. Also, he wanted to go on the same day that the creators of the Dunny series were going, and for some reason couldn't figure out which day that was.

A few weeks later, when he was asked again, S said that he was worried about being able to pay for everybody to go. I said that I would pay for my ticket, as long as I was told which day we were going so that I could register online (I don't even know if this information was relayed to S). I also offered to pay for my own lunch. After waiting about another week or so, I changed my offer to $20 cash for my ticket (plus my lunch), because if S had been on top of things, I would have been able to pre-register, and $20 would have been the most I would pay.

At this point (probably about a week or so ago from today), I was mad. I can't stand the lack of communication, the constant changing of stories and plans, and the general confusion of the entire thing. This is exactly why I plan convention trips for myself and my boyfriend, and when anyone else wants to join us, they go through me, because I feel like if I don't do it, it won't get done right, and we'll end up sleeping in the convention hallway with one ticket between four people, three energy bars, and no water. It's instances like this nonsense that makes me think this way!

Anyway, about a week before the con starts, I'm told that S's Fiance is going to dictate the entire trip. That if she goes, we'll leave super early, stay at the convention for two hours, shop for four hours, go out to dinner on a "super-special double-date" (or something like that), and then go home. I'm sorry, but I'm not spending $20 just to go to a convention early in the morning, when most of the events are in the afternoon/night, and only stay for two hours. While I would love to go to dinner with S and his fiance on a double-date, that was not the point of this trip, and I'm insulted and offended at the possibility that she's commandeering this whole thing. Again, this is why I plan con trips.

Then, two days before the convention starts (today), I finally said to my boyfriend, "So we're not going to WonderCon, are we?" He gave me his wishy-washy answer of "probably not", trying to let me down easy, but really just making me mad at the thought of false hope.

Because of the way things have been panning out, I expect either Saturday or Sunday morning to go something like this:
S will wake up at about six in the morning, randomly with enough energy to get up. He'll get showered and ready in an hour, call his fiance, and leave. They'll go to the convention for all of an hour, leaving my boyfriend and I behind, then they'll spend the day shopping in SF and get back around midnight. When my boyfriend asks him where he's been, and why he left us, he'll say "lol You were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you up." Not even out of spite, not even to make us mad or jealous, just because this is something he would just do. He would just not think about the fact that we (I) really wanted to go, and he'll just go. Ugh.

So, yeah, I'm mad. Never letting someone else plan a convention trip ever again. Even if they're my only possibility of going, I'm just going to say "no thanks" because this is too much stress.

And since I'm not going, I'm not going to be cosplaying Terra (Teen Titans) either. I wasn't overly excited about that cosplay anyway, but I am a little disappointed nonetheless. However, in it's place, I will now be cosplaying the lovely gem pictured right. It's a Koffing (Pokemon) gijinka. Unfortunately, I don't know the artist, but I would love to just because I love this design so much. It made me think of Koffing in a whole new light, and I love the subtle "Selfdestruct" reference that sets the tone for the entire design. Admittedly, I've never used Koffing in any of the games, and I was never fond of them in the anime, but I do have a special place for Poison-types in my heart, that's for sure. It's a newfound love, actually, starting from when I played HeartGold and really learned how to use bug types as strategic fighters. I branched out from there to love strategic-fighting Pokemon in general.

In any case, I really can't remember seeing any other Pokemon design as mentally stimulating and disturbing as this one. It's elegantly simple and so subtle, but once realization of it hit, it was impossible to get out of my head. Maybe I'm just messed up in the head like that.

On a side-note, if anybody could tell me what the blue gem on the necklace is supposed to be, that would be fantastic, because I can't for the live of me figure it out.

"Karin" (Days 505 - 510)

This is odd, updating in the middle of the day instead of at night. I know I've updated in the middle of the day before, but it's still weird.

Anyway! I've decided/been given permission/been encouraged to cosplay Karin, Kin-Yoobi Con's new female mascot (pictured left). I haven't been given much information on her, other than she's our old/current male mascot's girlfriend, and she clearly likes video games. Anyway, I originally just wanted to cosplay her at Kin-Yoobi and for a promotional photoshoot, but now I've decided to cosplay her at pretty much all of the GameZone Recreation events. Essentially, I'm hoping it'll be good promotion. Plus, it looks relatively comfortable, compared to most of my other cosplays (with the exception of Clyde).

All I really need for her are better socks and a red skirt. The rest I have, except I'm using a dress shirt instead of a polo, 'cause I honestly thought that she was supposed to be wearing a button-down, I don't know why, and I don't feel like going out and buying more than I need to for this. I already had to take in the shirt that I have, and that was a lot of work. Needs to be ironed more, but it is really hard to iron darts without a ham.

Anime Storm is tomorrow! A little event that GZR is hosting, so I'll be cosplaying Karin, but with a black skirt and thigh-high socks instead of knee-high, because that's what I have right now.

ABC Party (Days 496 - 504)

So the "Anything But Clothes" party was awesome. Here's a picture of my outfit, it's made entirely out of trash bags, newspaper bags, and tape! Yes, even the headband, but not the shoes and naval ring, 'cause, well, yeah, no.

It's a little, um, breezier than I had liked, but by the time I was finished with the skirt and had fought with a top for about three hours, I decided "screw it" and went with a tube top and capelet. Besides, what good is a naval piercing if I don't show it off once in a while?
But, yeah, party was a typical college party and lots of fun. =]

Nothing really on the cosplay front. Took a commission for the first time in my life. It's a jacket commission for a friend, I need to get a price estimate together like now because, as far as I'm concerned, nothing is finalized until money is agreed upon.

I also took up a hat commission, but those aren't really "real" commissions to me. It's for a Dragonite hat, and because the design is a little complex, they've agreed to pay $35, but they won't be getting it or paying until Fanime. Which, yeah, sucks a little, but at least I'll have spending money for Fanime!

Speaking of Fanime, "Magikarp: A History" was approved, or so the forums say. I never got an official e-mail. So hopefully I get one soon with further instructions as to how to get out badges and if there needs to be any tweaking of the panel or anything.

A New Challenger Appears! (Days 494 & 495)

So, this is only slightly cosplay-related, but it has to do with crafting and such, and I'm very excited! I've been invited to an "ABC Party", that's "Anything But Clothes". The theme of the party is to make something out of trash bags, duct tape, anything but cloth/regular clothes. I've always wanted to try something like this, but never had the reason to. I was invited a few days ago, but didn't realize until today that it's this Saturday, leaving me only a couple of days to make something.

Originally, I was going to piece together something out of caution tape, but I couldn't find most of my caution tape (only found pieces), so I decided on plastic bags. I'm making a dress. The front is the goodie bag from Yaoi-Con, since it's black and has a pretty design on the front. The sides are Caution tape, and the back is a garbage bag. My main issue is getting it to fit in a way that I can get in and out of it without having to tap it on every time. I'm not even sure if this is possible.

Anyway, this is a fun challenge, and an excellent use for my dress form! I'll post pictures when it's finished!

Pokemon Fever (Days 487 - 493)

It seems I've disappeared off the grid again. I miss blogging every night, I really do, I love writing and getting my thoughts out. Perhaps this is why I haven't been sleeping very well lately.

Anyway, not much to talk about on the cosplay front. I might not be going to WonderCon, but I do still really want to cosplay Terra, so I might not cosplay Panty for Fanime. I would still like to cosplay Panty this year, or next year at the latest, while Panty and Stocking is still popular, but before the mega popularity hits. However, I think I'll have a lot of fun cosplaying Terra as well, and it's a more comfortable cosplay as well. Of course, with Terra, it will be more difficult to find a gathering to fit into and people to take pictures with, but that will make it so much more rewarding when I do find people. I also enjoy seeing the looks on people's faces when a lesser-known or older character is cosplayed, it makes me happy to be told that I made their day. =] I enjoy making other people happy.

Speaking of Fanime, I am for sure bringing Franziska von Karma, but I still doing know if I will be cosplaying her the entire day or just bringing her out for the gathering. Chances are, I'll be her the whole day. She's still a lot of fun to cosplay, especially now that I have a riding crop. I haven't gotten into any "antics" with it (and I don't really want to), I just enjoy having it and carrying it around. I like the way it feels to hold it, as odd as that sounds. It feels.. Elegantly powerful, is the best way I can think to describe it.

Anyway, I'm sort of in the process of setting up a photoshoot with a girl who cosplays 18-year-old Franziska, the same girl I met at Animation on Display. I was delighted when she suggested that we have one, she was really nice and her cosplay was very good, she even had a whip prop as well, the two of us looked really good next to each-other, our wigs are the same color, and we have an appropriate height difference. I say I'm "sort of" in the process of setting up a 'shoot because I'm not really actively setting anything up at this point. All that we're going to have to do is set a time and find a photographer, but I don't want to start planning something like this so far in advanced, in case things change.

My goal for Fanime this year is to go to a bunch of cosplay gatherings. I've only been to one (the CLAMP gathering at last year's Fanime) and it was a lot of fun. I really enjoy getting pictures with cosplayers from the same series, as many cosplayers do. I think it took me a whole to realize how much fun it is to take pictures with other cosplayers, because when I began cosplaying, I was very shy, and people asking for my picture was very weird and intimidating to me. However, now that I've gotten used to people asking for pictures and to asking people for pictures, I've realized that it is a lot of fun!

So far, I plan on going to the Pokemon gathering as Pikachu, the Ace Attorney gathering as 13-year-old Franziska von Karma, and the CLAMP gathering as Chi. Originally, I had planned to skip the masquerade and attend the Comedy Club and then Rum Party instead, but since the masquerade is on Sunday this year, I may attend, depending on how it overlaps with the Black & White Ball. In any case, I plan on attending the Rum Party in a sort of closet pirate wench costume (don't ask how/why I have a closet pirate wench costume, I just do), and I believe I'll be attending the Black & White Ball in a traditional Chinese dress that I managed to find in the thrift store a few months ago.

Oh, and as to the reason that I dropped off the face of the planet, I actually would have posted a few days ago I believe, but Pokemon Black and White came out this past Sunday, and I've been superglued to White since then. Yes, it's been giving me crazy new cosplay urges (particularly gijinkas), but I'm trying really hard to resist them, since I feel like I'm already stretching my budget too far.