One day I hope to get better at updating this blog.

Hi guys!
I went to my first con since the pandemic hit and it was a mixture of feelings. It was great! But it was weird. It was exhausting, and it was BUSY. As with every year, I ended up in the Artist Alley selling my wares. I also hosted a variety of panels, and slaved away making sales because it was B U S Y. So lets break it down!

Panels:

I was originally wait listed for the AA at QCAC for the 2020 show so when they were accepting panels for 2021, I submitted my collection because I was certain I wasn't getting off the wait list. Well, 2 months before the show I got off the waitlist and accepted the busy weekend I assigned myself to. But I had lots of fun regardless. The staff worked with my vendor hour schedule and I appreciate them so much for that. I'm glad most of my work was on Friday because Saturday was insane and I'll explain more about that later.

My Zelda panel is nothing new, but this time I changed it into a full game show. I was trying out new ideas and testing out new mechanics. It was a bit bumpy and I felt like some people were frustrated with it, but that's growing pains! I told everyone they were my test subjects prior to starting so it's not like I didn't give a disclaimer. However, the panel was a success and I gave out some great prizes! Some of my questions did stump people which I'm glad, but now I know my questions are a little too easy so that means I have to change them up! I added new categories as well that was fun to do. I cant wait to host this panel again with everything fixed for smoother shenanigans.

Cosplay on a Budget was always my best panel and once again, I had a decent size turn out. I still cover the same categories but I changed up the pictures to make it a little more recent. People had questions, they laughed at my jokes, and it was nice to share my secrets again. I've decided to retire this panel from the NC con circuit due to my saturation of this panel and want to revamp many aspects of it with new tips, ideas, and sources.

My Saturday panel was early in the day which I am SO thankful for because had it been later, it would have been chaotic (more is covered in my table section of this blog). My conventions panel had a lower turn out that previous shows but people had some interesting questions and tips to share which is always appreciated!! This panel has become outdated since the pandemic and needs a lot of revamping so I also chose to retire this, it also was saturated in the NC con circuit. I think people are bored of these panels now haha.

Sunday's panel was new and by far the best panel I've hosted to date. The turn out was HUGE and we talked about some very important subjects related to Haikyuu, it really was a panel dedicated to the impact this anime had on the world. I had some friends host with me (as 3rd Gym characters!) and we each talked about how the show influenced us. One friend said it was because she is just sports trash, another said it was because it helped them be more comfortable in their own body, another said it was due to his group of friends, and for me I just gushed about how much I love Tsukki. At the end, I had people come up to share why or how they got into it, what it means to them, and how it influenced their lives for the better. I waited so long to get this panel on a con schedule and I am SO GLAD it finally happened. I cant wait to host it again.

We set up on Thursday and it took a while because it was a lot of new ideas. We made it work and I think it helped separate us as our themes were too different to merge. I feel like that was what hurt us in the past because our theme made no sense. So we literally got half the table each and used my cubes to separate us. One side was the spooky anime merch and the other was sweet lolita fashion. I did change my display a bit since this picture was taken but mostly just propping up my art book and moving the Dabi poster so I could actually see people who came up to me. I also got placed next to my friends I met at QCAC in 2019 and it was nice chatting with them again!

Cosplay of the day: MY LOGO!!!

First, I want to give a shout out to BellaEternal for making this shirt for me. My logo for my webcomic is "ask me about gay demons". It's everywhere. It's a great way to get people to talk to me about my demon boys plus it usually makes them laugh because "Gay demons? haha". I think it's a great way to get people interested in my webcomic because who doesn't love gay demons?? The webcomic can be found at the top of my website under "webcomic" that redirects you to my other site. Give it a read c:

Anyway, bailing on the cosplay contest (and cosplay in general) was the best decision I made in a long time because if I wore a cosplay, I'd be SWAMPED and miserable. I knew for a few weeks that Saturday was going to be busy because the QCAC facebook page kept advertising that Saturday badges were almost sold out. Now, every year they sell out of Saturday badges but this is the first time they sold out before the con even started. All the vendors were prepared for a BUSY Saturday. The hall opened at 10am and it was nonstop until 7pm. I arrived about 30 mins early and parking was already an issue, I actually got there an hour early but the line into the garage was A NIGHTMARE. Omg. Now I know in future years the better entrances in besides the front. I was so annoyed.

So I get there, do some mild reorganizing, realize I forgot my big display item to bring people in, my beloved Lucifer BJD. Ugh. Oh well. My friend gets there at 10a on the dot and we just prepare as the crowd is let in. It got hot FAST. At one point it was so crowded that the people at the door had to stop people from going in because it was at max capacity. Doing that also helped cool the room down a bit but not by much. I can stand heat so it wasn't the worst for me but everyone around me was complaining up a storm. I just wish there was air flow, it got pretty stagnant. And even after all this talk about washing hands and being hygienic for the pandemic, I still was catching a whiff of B.O. Seriously??? My new button, TAKE A FUCKING SHOWER, was very popular among the other vendors who popped by haha. My panel was early on that day which I was glad, I had a friend take over for the hour I was away because at the rate business was going, it would be too much for BellaEternal to handle on her own (for both of our sales). I came back, and went immediately into sale talk. Sale here, sale there. People where EVERYWHERE.

It started to die down a bit around 3pm, possibly due to a main event, but the brief moment I went out to go to the bathroom, the halls were so so SO crowded. I haven't seen this for QCAC EVER. It's normally a small con of about 5K people but they said they had about 8K in attendance but tbh it felt more than that. Lots of big cosplays too for the contest and lots of chaotic kids running around happy that they got to be at a con since the pandemic's start. I felt that in my bones.

I left Saturday feeling very tired physically and mentally and also stressed because I had homework to do that night AND finish a wig I promised I'd do for a friend lol. 

Cosplay of the day: Tsukishima Kei from Haikyu!!

At last, the final day. Vendor hall opened again at 10am but closed at 3. It was another busy day. It started a little slow, possibly due to hotel check out. But it was a good day. I had my final panel early on again that was great, but once I got back I was followed by the Haikyuu mob and they bought so much from me!!! It was a little busy for a second, it was hard to talk to friends passing by because I had to make sales. Sorry friends!! The crowd stayed consistent pretty much the entire time up until 3 when we closed. I was able to make over $700 which is a LOT for me and I was able to make back every penny I invested on top of some profit. I was so proud and excited for my next show.

Break down was fast but painful. I need more bins and a bigger cart haha. The line to get out of the garage was so LONG. I had to actually wait to back out of my parking spot because the line wasn't moving and everyone wanted to leave at the same time. Headaches!!

Once the con was over and I recovered, I did a proper inventory count to see what I sold and prepare for my next event: Hickory Comic Con! It's a one day event near me that I hear is pretty good so I hope to have another review for that at some point.

Thanks for sticking around and I hope to see you someday!!

[Photos of my panel curtesy of Karla]

Well. It's been another year since I wrote a blog. I don't think any of us expected the world to shut down like it did after March. All conventions were cancelled, cosplays put on hold, and the general desire to see friends have been erased. It was rough on all of us, many cosplayers I follow have either switched to making masks or just...disappeared. With no cons or the comfort to shoot with photographers safely, content just wasn't there anymore. And I was one of the many who disappeared.

The hardest thing was my friend passing away. It was a sudden loss that I'm still fighting to come to terms with. He was the biggest supporter of my art and the fact that he bought my book only to never get the chance to read it has been a haunting feeling for me. But I celebrate his life and energy that he was probably yelling at us all from the other side to be happy and rejoice instead of being sad. The NC con community lost an amazing soul. RIP JJ.

I also deactivated my cosplay page on Facebook and practically abandoned Instagram besides the occasional story or to talk to some friends. Social media was burned out for me, it was hard to make content with nothing to make content of. I don't have the proper equipment to shoot at home (not even a ring light) so I really had nothing to share. I lost all desire to work on things because I had no where to wear them or no way to shoot them. The only thing I managed to do was a really lame closet cosplay of Lucio from The Arcana that I did for a Halloween event the company hosted. I actually loved how the armor turned out and the wig, so it was nice to be working on something.

The entire shoot was in my spare room (that I turned into a craft room). I used up all my Halloween decorations and some left over fabric from projects (hey look, it's Judar's fabric!). I bought this sword from Spirit Halloween that I want to rework to look like Lucio's. I have a few things I want to fix with my armor and really get my wig to stay in place but I actually liked doing this. I just wish I had better equipment to take better quality photos. Oh well. Gave me an excuse to wear my goth clothes at least. I also was beyond happy with my make up that I honestly cant wait to have his cosplay fully down and parade around a con in it.

I did buy some new cosplays! I'm still way deep into Demon Slayer that I now own a Lady Muzan outfit (wig needs a lot of work). I also bought a Doma cosplay! I want to make an Akaza cosplay eventually and buy a Kokushibou cosplay too....I'm going to end up cosplaying every demon from Demon Slayer I just know it. To break the train, I bought a Touken Ranbu cosplay as well....I had money to burn apparently lol. But this makes me ready for cons whenever they start happening again!!

I also began to rework Hiromasa like I wanted to. I completely redid his wig using a tutorial by Kinpantsu Cosplay and I LOVE how it came out. I just have to get some really good wig spray to prevent tangling and it's ready for the con floor. I'm also fixing the pants where it'll be a little shorter to expose my ankles, align the appliques so they don't look wonky, took it in at the waste to fit better, and I'm ambitious and added a lot of gold overlay stitching to make stuff POP. I want to fix the sleeve up too for the same issues, add the missing details on his torso piece, remake the collar to make it bigger, and completely redo the armored sleeve (that was a rushed job). And MAYBE I'LL FINISH HIS BOW. Props are hard for me. I want to reshoot him when he's done and maybe reenter him to a contest to really show off my improvements.

Other than that, I've become a full time student again. I hope to be relocating in January if I can transfer to the university in time. I'm in the training program for a manager job at my company so I can transfer to the store closest to where my future school is. I have a lot of things to do between now and then to make this happen. Which...also means cosplay and cons will be further down on the list partly because Idk if I can afford them anymore! Gotta pay them school fee's somehow :^) So I'll finish what I have now and....we'll see.

For now...I'll update the site if and when I get more content but Idk if I'll reactivate my fb. My IG is still up and running (@oujaakuma) so follow me there for more consistent updates or for pictures of Lola.

Until next time~

Hello to my readers,
As you can see, I have taken an unexpected absence from cosplaying and my social media for the majority of 2019. Anyone who's been following me long enough knew that I had been wanting to take a break of some sort, but it never came about. This break was unexpected to me, it wasn't planned, it just happened and I went with the flow.

Cosplaying for me has become such a chore that I lost sight of what the hobby was really about. I was pushing out content that I wasn't proud of, cut many corners in my projects, and was over stressing about deadlines and keep my social media active. I have very little presence in the cosplay community that when I posted my last photo in March of 2019, I thought "who really cares if I post anymore" because I barely got any reactions, hits, and overall just fell onto silent timelines. So, I stopped posting. I had 0 content to share, 0 motivation to work on projects related to crafting, so I just disappeared.

It was a very well deserved break. I still wanted to cosplay and found myself buying a few cosplays just for when the time came to get back into it, but I didn't schedule photoshoots, I really stopped going to cons that I wasn't hosting panels for, and refocused my life on other aspects that cosplay robbed me from. I launched my webcomic, I put more effort into my panel hosting, got back into photography, and even finished writing my first book! I had SO much going for me once my cosplay life stopped. It was great.

Eventually the cosplay itch reached up to me, but most of my current energy is re-branding myself. I designed my own logo, I have plans to purchase my domain, and even begun the planning stages of turning my spare room into a crafting room. I still want to make that YouTube channel and have had people ask me to do videos of my panels so the ideas are there! Just have to get the set up and equipment first. I'll have new business cards too featuring all my new and updated info!

I debuted 2 new cosplays in 2019, Muzan Kibushitsuji and Tanjiro Kamado because Demon Slayer has me sucked in. I bought Tanjiro and made his box, I'm waiting on better weather and less global panic to do his photoshoot along with Muzan's, who I completely repurposed Good-Will finds and a really bad wig from Amazon. It was exactly how I started in 09 and it felt good going back to the routes. Plus, I saved so much money vs paying $60 on cosplay sites for the same thing. ;) 

All in all, it's okay to take breaks for whatever reason. Mental health was mine and it feels like I have a fresh start and will focus on developing my craft, trying new things, and just keep practicing to improve. Everyone grows at their own pace so go at the pace that fits you. 

Here's to a product 2020!

Hello again all, I'm here with another blog post to talk about my year of cosplay during the year of 2018. Plus I'll be looking ahead to future projects in 2019! Continue reading to see my recap on cosplays but also to take a peak at what future projects I'll be doing (that goes beyond cosplay!)

2018 was a simple year. Nothing too exciting happened and some adventures were had. I traveled a bit more than before and cut down my cons quite a bit in favor for Artist Alley shenanigans. I met some wonderful new friends and worked with new photographers, and also going to a con that was on my bucket list!

First, lets start with Katsucon. I debuted 3 NEW COSTUMES and wore a total of 7 all weekend. I was EXHAUSTED. But I had a lot of fun and got some amazing photos. Here it was where I got to wear a dream cosplay: Thranduil. I had hoarded the fabric for years and finally felt confident to make it. I tried a lot of new things with pipping and overlaying, and making a crown out of hot glue! I really loved this cosplay but sadly it needs some repair and fixing before I can rewear it again. I have to make elf daddy proud! I also made Tsurumaru, which was the bigger project because I made literally everything right down to the shoes. Sadly I only wore him for 3 hours before changing, and haven't properly worn him since. Just gives me an excuse to squeeze him in somewhere else! I got to be in a Nintendo meet as well as Royal Link (design by MadMeeper on Tumblr). I felt really outcasted in it however, but maybe that was just my anxiety getting to me. I rocked it however, and have worn it many times since. I absolutely love it! Katsucon was also the crowning moment of living a long time cosplay dream: having an entire Military K group from Project K. I got BEAUTIFUL reshots and met some wonderful people. I am so thankful for Katsucon and so excited for 2019.

That was it for my cons, but I went to DC 4 times this year! Holy cow!!! 2 were for conventions and 2 were for visiting! I got to see Sakura Matsuri again and had a blast, ate good food and got to see more parts of DC than before. And the 2nd was just a weekend getaway. Saw more parts of DC, ate more good food......I love DC!!! Any chance I could take, I would go. DC is my happy place.

I have a lot of things planned for 2019. I really want to give back to the community and really establish myself as a serious cosplayer. I also got some big cosplay builds to focus on...It's going to be a great year!

These are my 3 goals for 2019 cosplay wise. There will be more for sure as I find new material, but these 3 are confirmed. I have had a need to do a new Vocaloid cosplay so why not one of my favorites? Male See-U! I love See-U's voice a lot and was excited to learn that the artist for her design did a design for a male version....It's been on my list for YEARS and I'm finally gonna do the thing. This is a more simple one so I'm excited for a laid back one. Probably a spring/late summer.

Kashuu is a new design and he's my favorite sword boy, so I was happy to know he has another outfit for me to make. It's got a lot more details and more complicated armor...I love him so much T_T I'm aiming for summer for this one.

XANDER!!! MY LOVE!!! I've done 2 versions of him already, so maybe it's time to tackle his actual outfit? I plan on following Yaya Han's idea with how she made Camilla and look forward to pushing myself with this. I'm going to make this for Animazement and hopefully will have a Nohr family. This will mark the 3rd year of doing a Xander cosplay....gotta keep the tradition going I guess haha.

Con wise, I'm really just sticking to my mains: Katsucon and Animazement. I'm attending Queen City, hopefully as a vendor but if not, just a panelist. I'll keep my head out for any local cons and pop by, just to buy merch and see friends. There are so many cons in NC, I gotta go to them all!!!!!! 

But the big thing I'm working on for 2019 is launching a youtube channel dedicated to tutorials, con coverage, and more! I've already got a few videos in the works and I'm excited to be bringing this to you. I'll also be focusing on making my Resources section on my site more in depth and have more variety, so I'll be taking suggestions on what you think I should make! And if you need me to make it specifically for you, just hit me an email and we'll discuss the price. :) 

Well that's everything for this blog entry! Look for more soon, I hope to make a new one every month. I'll link my youtube when it's ready for launch so keep an eye out for that as well! Thanks for following me, lets look forward to 2019 together!!

Hey guys!
Coming at you with a new blog post, detailing my evolution of cosplay over the years. I've almost hit the 10 year mark of when I first started cosplaying, but I didn't start taking it more seriously until 2013. I've made many costumes over the years and have worked with many photographers as well. I love going through my cosplay album and seeing just how far I've grown. It's a great feeling and also lets me focus on new things and breaking away from my normal cosplays to try new characters and new possibilities. All my photos will be of photos taken that year as well. So let's begin!

Talk about a train wreck! I was a senior in high school and my obsession was Black Butler. I loved Grell SO MUCH so when there was a tiny little con near by, I did what I could with no job and mom not wanting to buy me anything. I bought everything at the goodwill (the plushie was a gift) and I borrowed the gloves, shoes I already had (I still have them). I had no idea what a wig was beyond Party City so I stuck with spray hair color. It was....not fun. It made my neck BRIGHT red and ruined my shirt. People weren't familiar with Black Butler at the time and so it was probably the only time people didn't recognize I was Grell (or maybe I looked so atrocious that nobody could tell I was Grell...who knows). I look back at this photo and get all icky because I was SO uneducated on cosplay and had 0 resources simply because I didn't use Google properly. But I have really fond memories of this con and met my best friend there actually. I never wore this version of Grell since because I wanted to do his other outfits more, especially as the anime came out later on. This was the peak of my Black Butler days. 

Fast forward another year, 2011 was a pretty rough year on me personally at the time, but looking back I was just being an over dramatic weeb. I didn't do much cosplay wise but I remember going to a local 1 day con and making Link from Twilight Princess. It was actually not that bad and I did a lot of new stuff for me (but I still ended up just hot gluing most of it together). I really loved TP and that version of Link that I somehow made it using basic cotton fabric and just...winging it. I was really proud of it and thought "omg this is my best work every I'm never going to top it". I remember hitting some drama at this con that made me really fall out of the Black Butler fandom. It was so petty but that's con drama for you. I have this lovely photo of me dressed as Link playing the piano that I still love. I rarely get to play anymore so any photos of me in cosplay at a piano are some of my favorites. 

YEAH one of my first cosplays that I made was from 2011 that I made in 3 days because Kid Icarus Uprising JUST came out and I had a con that weekend and well....That's where it began. This was really easy to make because it was just weird draping and just sewing in place. The shoes were a bit harder to make but yay first boot covers? I just discovered Yaya Han around this time and someone got me her wings as a gift and I still have them and still use them haha. I had my first real photoshoot with this cosplay and they turned out great! I recently worked with her on my latest cosplay (debuted at the same con this was taken at) and it is WONDERFUL to see how much I've grown as a cosplayer.

My next cosplay that I was able to put money into after convincing mom that "hey I really like this can you buy me fabric" was Colonial Grell. I really wanted to make a proper version of Grell and put more effort into it....for being a noob at cosplay still. I see SO many errors with this coat, the main issue is that it was too big and I didn't take it in lol. But I made that coat! All of it. I even altered the pants and vest. I couldn't find red shoes that fit but I found these nice black ones that worked just as well. And my friend made my sycthe because PROPS. And this was my first wig! I actually still have it, and used it recently on Seth lol. Recycling is always a good skill. I forgot the reasoning behind my glasses not being red but....glasses are still glasses? This was a first year con in Tennessee that my old con group and I went to, and we had SO MUCH FUN. I did my first competition and met a girl there that turned out to be one of my inspirations later on without realizing it was her lol. I won my first award (Honorable Mention) and it was what got me really hooked on cosplay. I hosted my Black Butler panel there and made a lot of friends. It was a great con, I kept telling myself I'd remake that coat but never did and now I never want to. I used DeviantART as my planning guide because a cosplayer I followed did this version that I took a lot of ideas from (I learned what satin stitching was). This cosplay was pretty bad but for a beginner AND winning an award? I think I did alright.

Nope. Still into the whole Black Butler cosplay train. Charles Gray had just been introduced as a character earlier that year and I was SO INSPIRED that I just started making it. A lot of that fabric was actually sheet fabric that someone gave me haha. I started focusing on details more, bought a nice cameo thingy and nicer buttons. Crappy lace is crappy but yolo. I made literally EVERYTHING. The shirt, vest, coat, pants, and boot covers. This was my biggest project and was what really got me focused on being a better seamstress. I did cut corners here and there but I still think that coat was one of my best works (forgiving the shotty sewing job). I entered my 2nd competition but lost, and it really devastated me because I worked SO hard on it. I actually haven't competed very much since only because I don't take to losing very well apparently. If a time comes where I want to be Charles again, I have to fix up the coat and remake everything else but I do want to wear him again. I love that guy. I'm not much into the series anymore but this character remains my favorite. More so than Grell.

I mentioned earlier that I really only started getting more serious about cosplay in 2013, and it's because of this cosplay right here. I really loved the Sandplay design of Gakupo and decided to make it. Those pants were so well fitted that I actually am still proud of them. The coat...I still have nightmares about that coat. It was my first real drafting projects and my first time doing those kinds of appliques. If you zoom in, you'll see that most of them are just pinned onto the coat haha. I very much want to remake this in the future because I love cosplaying Gakupo and Sandplay remains my favorite outfit for him. I wore this cosplay a few more times before retiring it forever. I met some great people in it and wore it to my first Katsucon.

WEW KATSUCON 2013. I had a blast. I went on a whim with a friend and got to be in a huge Project K group. It's what got me really hooked on cosplaying because I saw what people could do. This was my first big con and I was overwhelmed but I still had so much fun. It remains to be my favorite con of the year. This con helps me every year to push myself further and further, trying new things and pushing the boundaries of what I can/cant do. I always say that Katsucon 2013 is what really made me take cosplay more seriously in terms of crafting, photographery, and so much more. I owe Katsucon so much because of what it inspired in me.

The end of 2013 was the worst for me. I had a huge falling out with a group of friends that resulted in me having to go into hiding within the con community of NC, go under a different name on facebook, and basically cut ties with many people. On top of that, the beginning of the 2014 year, my dad had died. 2014 was an insanely dark time for me and I didn't do much with my life besides working at a job I hated with barely anyone to talk to and my best friend on the other side of the country. I've always had depression and the whole demise of my social life can be pinned to 2014. I've also developed anxiety and paranoia from that event, all professionally diagnosed, and made me really pick my cons. All of 2014 and 2015 cons were out of state. The one thing I made that year that I was REALLY proud of, was my Attack on Titan uniform. I'm still in love with that coat and how crisp the stitching is. I wore that cosplay a lot and recycled it to be Armin and Erwin (with a revised harness and new boot covers). I recently retired that cosplay after over 10 cons. It lived a good life.

The end of 2014 ended on a better note mentally, and the beginning of 2015 was just the same. But 2015, shortly after the one year mark of my dad's passing, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. It didn't end well for me. I became an INSANELY toxic human and took it out on everyone. I made many poor life choices then and it took me almost 2 years to realize just what I had done. But I am living with it, making my amends when possible, and learned to not make those mistakes again. Mom beat cancer later on that summer and has been doing well since. I also quit my job as a server and did commissions full time after that. I didn't make many costumes that year due to commissions but those 4 months of time by myself not having to deal with customers and society did WONDERS on my mental health. Any time someone brings up my 2015 disaster, I will never deny what I did and will keep apologizing until I die. Humans make mistakes, we can only learn from them and make sure to not repeat history.

2016 was a lit year. I had recovered so much from my 2014 and 2015 pit falls and went back into making cosplays for myself. My personality at this point had shifted and many people didn't agree with it, but it made me stronger and allowed me to be more vocal about my opinions. I was a very innocent child when I started cosplaying, 2016 def was my first layer of thick skin. BUT ANYWAY back to cosplay: This was my first wig build. The mangaka of Magi had just released a colored version of Young Judar from Magi and the color scheme is what finally sealed the deal on me cosplaying this. I worked on it on and off for about 3 months before finally being able to wear it to Katsucon. But my dumb butt left my wig at home! Thankfully a local friend left a day after me and was able to deliver it to me. My biggest cosplay of that weekend and I left the wig at home. GOOD GOING ME. But hey, it makes a fun story to tell at cons. This is also the year I fell into Haikyuu, a series (and a character) being so close to my heart even to this current day. I love Tsukishima Kei with all my soul.

2017 was the year I started doing a lot of dream cosplays. The first being Hades from Kid Icarus Uprising. I ended up having a Palutena and Viridi for a shoot and it was probably the happiest I felt for a shoot, because I've wanted a group from this game so badly. I made my first redesign of a character because even now, Hades default outfit is a huge project. This cosplay was also the first time I worked with face paint. Learned a lot. I have a lot more to learn. This is also the year I got to do my first real armor build (Seth) and began working with a bigger variety of fabrics to suit what I needed. I did a lot of experiments and went out of my comfort zone for almost every cosplay of this year, and this is where I began shifting to video game cosplay as my main source of work. This was probably my most productive year.

It's currently 2018, and I'm still making cosplays. I've greatly improved in my craft, modeling, make up, and more. And I still have so much to learn! I am excited for what the future holds and am already planning my next project. This blog was super fun to write and lets me look at how far I've come and recall some amazing and sad memories. Cosplay is a huge thing for me and my biggest passion next to my webcomic. I absolutely love cosplay and will keep growing with each passing year. 

Here are some photos of costumes I rewore to get proper photos of. Some of these costumes have a few months between their creation to literal years (looking at you, Munakata). If your first shoot doesn't bring the magic, do a reshoot! Or if you forgot to get one, shoot it anyway! Or just shoot for the sake of shooting. I love modeling in my cosplays and will always jump for a new shoot of a costume because it'll show my improvements and also because it's fun!!

Hey guys! I'm here to share something I've wanted to do for awhile now. I know many cosplayers like myself are either living at home, with other people, or just have a really small space to work in and utilize. I want to share with you how I manage to create, store, and use 100% of my room for cosplay (and for my fandom merch lol). I'll have a photo of each part of my room with details as why it's functional. Hope you guys enjoy!

Here's a full shot of my room from my doorway. I live with my mom so my entire cosplay life has to stay within my room. It's a decent size room with a walk in closet but let me tell you, the more serious you get about your craft, the harder it is to keep everything in one place and organize!! I like showing off my convention purchases so I have a corner dedicated to my figures and any spots on my walls that aren't covered in racks have Zelda posters because I am Zelda garbage. From the outside, it looks like an average anime nerds room, but what you cant see, will remind you that I am in Cosplay Hell.

I do use the space under my bed to hold more bins and my suit case! I'm not kidding, every space here is used in some shape or form.

First up is my sewing table. I actually found this table at Habitat and thought it was perfect for what I needed. Plus it was the right size to fit against this weird wall. I mounted my TV up onto the wall and installed an electrical panel since this desk ways 10 million pounds, I would have no way to access the plug behind it. Not only does it free up floor space, it also keeps all the chords away from my work space vs the panel I have under my computer desk that I constantly kick (oops). 

I have only one sewing machine currently but when I had 2, the 2nd machine was on the other side. I used it mainly for embroidery. When it wasn't in use, it would go into a designated spot in my closet. I use the desk to cut fabric, paint, plan things, and assemble things. It's a pretty decent length. I also have it marked where 1 yard is for measurement purposes. It's a really nice sturdy desk and the storage those cabinets has is AMAZING.

Inside the cabinets holds all my patterns and short/unstyled wigs. The top drawer has all my patterns, they need to be organized better but as you can see, I have a lot (and I always buy more). It's easier to have them next to me while I work and plan new costumes because then I don't have to pull out bins to find them and have a huge mess like I used to. I keep other things in there to fill the space but at some point this drawer will be completely full of patterns!

The bottom drawer holds all my short and unstyled wigs, pony tail clip ons, wefts, etc. It's great for keeping things in a specific spot and not hanging somewhere. It's not that great organization wise since I have to dig to find the wig I need, but it's better than keeping them in bags like I used to! I also keep my plastic bags in there because everyone has bags inside bags SOMEWHERE in their house. Mine are here.

Here we have my bed side shelf. It's kinda a mess but somethings just cant stay organized. My chest holds some of my smaller cosplay props, my chest binder, my crafting supplies, etc. It's a great decoration but also great at hiding things. I keep my everyday stuff next to it like lotion, phone charging station, etc. Sometimes paint makes it's way up there lol.

The top shelf is my general stuff. I have my jewelry box that has mostly Lolita fashion accessories. I keep my 3DS there, paycheck stubs, pictures of my dogs that have passed, apparently a screw driver, and medicine. It's always good to have a place for your general needs. If I put cosplay stuff in every spot, it would be chaotic and I would lose my sanity.

The bottom shelf has those two bins. One holds all of my paint and the other holds crafting supplies, my horns, and probably a few other things. As a cosplayer, you gather up so much paint that it's hard to keep in one spot so I saw this bins for sale and figured it would do the right job. It's starting to over fill so I have to figure out some alternatives but for now, it works great. 

And I keep all my air fresheners on this shelf because cosplay rooms can get smelly because of all the paint, heating, etc. It's your best friend. Underneath the entire thing is where I store my craft foam also. It's a great spot, away from the dogs, and it uses up that space perfectly! Remember, the goal here is to use up ALL your space!

Next is my large shelving unit. I needed more shelves to put my wigs on but also to store all my sewing containers! It was a birthday present from my mom and it's been SO helpful. Now all my styled or really long wigs (or wigs with hats) have a place to hang. Most of my wigs tend to be shorter and not as styled, so I get away with keeping them in my drawer, but I know later down the road I'll run out of room again.

The middle shelf holds my box of notions, my pen jar, clothes my brother wants me to repair, and my game systems. I need to reorganize that whole shelf and figure out a better method of storing my notions, but it works for now.

The bottom shelf holds my thread cases and more notion cases on top of my jewelry container. It's easy to access when I'm sitting and don't have to get up to get a new bobbin like I used to. Tiny compartment containers are your best friend so PLEASE invest into them!

Beneath it all is WIP projects, my trash can, and my new T shirt form for my artist tables. It's a good place to keep something out of the way but if I don't clean it often, it gets really ugly looking and I start losing my stuff.

Next up is my most used corner: My computer desk. I have a bunch of my art related things here like my tablet. But this is where I do the most planning for my cosplays. You can see my figure collection and my beloved BJDs. This area is pretty much has no cosplay storage but it's a good place for me time vs my bed for nap time. The desk has an inside compartment where I keep paperwork, business cards, and other important files.

You cant really see it, but next to my desk is a filing cabinet. It holds my desktop and has a few mailing envelops beside it, but the first drawer is where I keep my older game systems, controllers, and chords. The bottom drawer has all my BJD clothing.

I like how this space turned out and like being in this corner when I'm not working on cosplays. That and I have a computer addiction. :^)

Closet time! I have a nice walk in closet that I have maxed out completely. I leave it open at all times so it flows nicely but I also use the door to hang some of my cosplay shoes and every day life shoes.

As you can see, there are only 4 bins here (each labeled). I cant fit anymore in there so when my fabric bins get too full (like one is right now)  I have to go through and throw away or donate to make more room. I also have my artist alley bin in there too.

I keep all my current run cosplays in here and whatever I do retire get piled up, put in a hanger bag, and placed in storage. I am one of those people who don't get rid of their cosplays because I am so attached to them. My storage unit outside also has more bins dedicated to old shoes, props, and my figure boxes. I also keep most of my power tools in there when I'm not making armor. My mom bought this shed 2 years ago and it's pretty much been consumed by my cosplays. Sorry mom lol.

I also use the shelf space on top with more cabinets. Here I keep all my binders, old drawings, notes, etc here for easy access and organization. On top of that is where I keep my fashion hats and my feather collar from Kageyama. I have to use a step stool to get to them haha.

Continuing down the shelf line, I keep a lot of misc things here. Such as more tools for prop making, my iron, Seth's armor, and those bags old smaller merch things like keychains and buttons while the other is a bag of stuff I am trying to sell. Behind that is a small box for all my technical boxes (like phone box, TV box, etc). I keep those for insurance purposes.

I want to reorganize this whole shelf but it's kinda hard since I have no idea where else to keep my armor.....I'll figure it out some day!

Another view from my closet, I told you I wasn't kidding when I said this closet is maxed. Here I keep more misc things like my video games, my prized Zelda display tower, books, manga, more WIP things, props, EVEN MORE Zelda related things. The pink shelf in the corner holds most of my manga but was also the former home of my 2nd sewing machine (but now my camera has claimed that spot). I keep my laundry basket in the corner next to some of my artist alley equipment. My closing dresses it also here and I even found room to keep my tiny ironing board! Anything that hands is a blessing.

I love keychains. So ones that I REALLY love I hang up while the rest sit in my closet. I use this little board, which in between my TV and door for notes and reminders. Like doctor appointments, potential cosplans, conventions, and my best friends wedding save the date card (I'm emotional over that). It's a good spot for notes and when I'm going through a con crunch, it's a good spot to keep a list of what needs to be done. During the con season, this board is COVERED in notes. Right now it looks really tame.

A random Moe appeared!

I use the space behind my door too. I keep my large scaled cutting board there and also my mirror. I use the corner and the mirror to do checks on cosplays as I'm working on them to make sure it looks alright on me. Having a little mirror has helped me so much you have no idea. And not having it mounted on a wall allows me to take it to another room if needed.

I hope you guys enjoyed my little room tour. I know I have a lot more space to use and that means taking down some of my beloved posters, but I haven't reached that point yet!

I hope some of my storage uses are helpful to you or give you some idea on how to tackle your own storage problem. I'm a little lucky because I have that shed, but it still gets hard sometimes! And now that I'm getting into armor making, it's going going to get harder and harder.

Thanks for reading, if you have room tours yourself I'd love to see them!

Hello guys,

For the past few months, I sat back from the cosplay community and cosplaying as a whole to do some personal healing. I still struggle with my depression and anxiety, but I'm on like...3 different types of medications and have regular doctor visits now so HOPEFULLY I can get myself back. 

I did attend Anime Weekend Atlanta this past September and did work on one new cosplay. I tried something outside my comfort zone and did a nearly full armor build. I want to redo it with a better method but it was refreshing to not be glued to a sewing machine for an entire project. I want to build more armor in the future.

I'm still keeping my con lists short. I'll be going to Katsucon with 3 new cosplays but 2 of them I'm aiming to have done before January for a local con. After Katsu, I'll be attending Kameha-Con in Irving, Texas in May (it's a DBZ con!!) but I don't expect to make or bring any cosplays since I'll be flying. I am all set to be in the Artist Alley again for Queen City Anime Con next August but other than that, I have no other cons planned and I want to keep it that way. I want to take it slow and focus on other parts of my life still.

I'm cleaning up my room hard core and want to do a room tour on how to make the most of your tiny room when cosplay has consumed your soul. So expect that in the near future!!

Thanks for following me for this long and I hope to bring you guys more work and passion.

If you haven't already seen, I have decided to retire from the cosplay and con community for a long time (if not permanently) for a variety of health reasons. Here's what I posted on my facebook page:

------------------------------------------------------
I'm going to be posting some really personal but it's an update I need to share here and with others, so here it goes:
I have had severe depression since I was a young tween. I've had anxiety since high school. I was diagnosed with bi polar in 2011. I've had paranoia since 2013. On top of vitamin D deficiency that affects my sleep and health, along with scoliosis and an extremely bad knee, I am a doctors best paycheck.
My vitamin D deficiency requires me to take prescriptions that I could no longer afford which helped me with my sleeping problem. I sleep too much, I get headaches, and constantly feel ill (nausea, migraines, joint pain, etc). I have tried over the counter stuff but it's not the same, my body barely produces it naturally so I need a good dosage twice a day (and over the counter would require me to take way too many at once).
Bad sleeping problems are a huge contribute to depression and as I get older and work jobs with long hours, it's getting worse over time. I've been to so many doctors to try and fix my issues, it's just leading to more medical debt, more prescriptions, more blood work, and more things I cant afford.
Over the past year, it's gotten consistently worse with my mental health. From family distress to friendship disputes, it's taken a huge toll on me and it's becoming harder and harder to cope. I do not find joy in my hobbies anymore and find myself in an endless cycle of routine (go to work, sleep, repeat). I've been in and out of therapy all year and keep ending up in the same hole. I am not happy.
So I have decided to retire from cosplay and conventions for a long while, if not permanently. I cant keep going with this, I am not producing the levels of what I want anymore, the drama tied to me is getting harder to ignore, and as I get older the more isolated I become at conventions. I have cancelled all my convention plans save for the ones I have a table at (no refunds) but that's it.
Always take care of your health, whether it be physical or mental. Cosplay isn't worth putting that above anything else. I'm old and sick and cosplay has no room in my life anymore nor the energy to put into it. I've met wonderful people in this hobby and have many memories to cherish.
Thanks for sticking with me for this far.
-------------------------------------------------------

It's been a few days since I've officially announced my retirement. I've already cancelled all my con rooms and threw away my cosplans for the year. I'm still working on the remaining commissions but I'm looking at a nice long break from doing ANYTHING cosplay related or even sewing outside of stock for my remaining 3 artist alley tables and online shop. I need an extremely long break from this hobby.

I have extremely bad self confidence as well, and feel that cosplay reached a dead end for me because I cant gain any fans, haven't won an award in years, and Katsucon 2017 ruined my self esteem with not being able to work with photographers because I wasn't cosplaying a girl, wasn't pretty enough, or well known enough. I still managed to find great photogs but it was still heart breaking to be straight up ignored and getting really rude emails about me not being good enough. 

I put myself on such a huge scale of comparison because I have such beautifully talented friends that are shooting for the stars while I'm barely able to keep afloat. So I needed to get away from that. I just bought a book on how to sew for beginners because I need to go back to the roots of sewing and relearn everything. I don't know what I'll be doing between now and if I have the mental stability to return to cosplay, but I'll relearn while I focus on my my health as well, pay down my debt, and just take time for myself.

This site and my page will become slow. I hope to share more tutorials but on cosplay storage and other things I can come up with. Thank you for appreciating my work for this long and if I do return, I hope to give you better content.

-Moe

Hello guys!

I'm here to share with you my first ever cosplay tutorial! Please forgive any errors or mistakes, as I tried to be as detailed as possible.

I recently decided to cosplay Spring Xander from Fire Emblem Heroes, and felt that this was a good spot to begin for tutorials. This tutorial can be used for any version of Xander's crown, from Fates to Heroes!! Lets begin. :)

First thing is materials and references! I used my phone to pull up a reference on his crown (front, side, back, etc). I used his Fates design for the crown as the crown in Heroes was the same.

Stuff you'll need:

• Pattern
• Scissors
• Pen and Marker
• Measuring Tape
• Foam of Choice (I used EVA foam mats)
• Exact-o Knife (not shown)
• Dremel (not shown)
• Mod Podge/Other primer (not shown)
• String (not shown)
• Acrylic paint (not shown)
• Gloss (not shown)
• Newspaper
• A towel
• A brush (big)
• Cup of water x2

Draw out your pattern. I did half length to save paper space. Make sure you measure around your head WITH A WIG ON to make sure it will wrap around just right. Always add a few centimeters to accommodate the sanding and possible errors while cutting (I am not immune to perfect cut lines).

Once you have your pattern drafted, cut it out and see if it fits. Adjust if needed or redo.  If it's 100% how you want it, take out your sharpie and trace out the pattern (mirroring it at the front).

Now that it's transferred, it's time to cut! This process hurts a but because the foam is thick but it's probably the hardest part out of the entire process. It's okay if your cut lines are not even or your edges are all jagged, the dremal will fix this!

Next step is rather messy and some what time consuming. Make sure your dremal is fully charged as this will drain the battery! Depending on how large and thick you made your crown, you may have to stop to recharge the battery if you do not have spares.

For this process, I get a towel to cover my lap from the foam, a cup of water for my hands (to keep my fingers clean from the dust), a mask to keep your breathing nice and clear, the dremal, and my phone reference! This process took about 2 hours.

Start demaling! Sand it down so the edges are nice and soft, do it until you're happy with the result! Mine came out like this:

I did end up sanding some more edges down after this photo was taken, but once you finish sanding and clean off the dust from literally everywhere (that's what the towel is for!) Now that the sanding part is done, time to get your newspaper, modge podge, another cup of water, and your brush to start priming! I used modge podge because I was trying to use things I already owned, however you're welcome to use other types of primer such as Plastidip, Wood Glue, or any other type of sealer/primer that can bend after drying. Kamui Cosplay has a GREAT video tutorial on types of primer HERE. 

​This part can take a bit long as well, depending on how thick you make your coats and how many coats you do. I did 4 layers total, 2 thick, 2 thin, and took about 3 hours total to dry.

(excuse my dog's hair ahaha)

Now that it's all primed and dry, it's time to paint! I forgot to take the photo before hand, but add the tiny little holes in before painting. My dremal has a set of interchangeable sanding tools and had a little hole maker and it worked GREAT. If you don't have one, you can either buy some for your model or slowly and carefully, carve one out with a smaller exact-o knife blade.

At this point, I have strayed from the Fates design and went with the Heroes color of his crown, which is a dark green. If you are doing his normal Fates design, please use black instead. This tutorial does not affect the rest of the crown if you use a different color. :)

Once it's all painted evenly and left to dry, it's time to add some gloss! You can use any type of gloss that's acrylic friendly. The more layers you add, the glossier (and foggier) it gets, to use the amount that best suits your judgement. I used 2 coats.

Now that all the painting is done, you're pretty much finished! The last bit is to add the string in the two holes you added on each end. I used basic white string I had left from previous projects. I will change them out for a green or black, so use which ever you would like! Try it on with the string and cut the string to your desired length. When you wear the crown on your wig, you can tuck the string in the crown pretty easily (it's better if you have a friend help). 

​AND YOU'RE DONE! 

My cosplay didn't turn out exactly how I wanted but at least my hat and crown look good ahaha. That's what cosplay is about, learning from your mistakes and aiming to improve next time. I still had fun in the cosplay so that's all that matters!

I hope you found this tutorial useful. I hope to make more in the future. :) Best of luck, cosplayers!!

First post of the year!

First, I want to thank all of you that follow my page and cosplay adventures even though I have been rather quiet the entire year outside of commissions. I greatly appreciate you guys! I have a lot of things planned for 2017 that I cant wait to share with you guys so lets hope for a good year!!

For those that follow me that reside in the state of NC, you've probably noticed I've dropped from the NC con community after 2013. I've had a lot of ups and downs with drama among the community that I've had to over come. It was not an easy road, and I've had to reevaluate my entire life, priorities, and friendships. I went under a different name for awhile and kept myself on the down low for a long time. I started feeling more comfortable with everything towards the end of 2015 when I returned to Animazement for a full weekend in 2016. It was nice.

Over the weekend, I made the final journey into my healing and attended Ichibancon in Concord for a day. It was rough, I found myself having issues leaving the parking lot and had to retreat to a hotel room a few times to calm down. But I kept pushing to get through my fear. I had many friends help me through this and I cant ever thank them enough for it. Towards the end of the night, I felt so comfortable and back in my roots since Ichi was the starting point to a lot of aspects of my life, that I know I have fully healed from my ordeals. Although I'm sure there's still some bumps in the road, I feel more confident in handling them.

I talked it over with some people, my mom included, and I feel that I can return to the NC con community after almost 3 long years away. With that, I'll be able to produce more content, do panels again, and hopefully make new friends who are local. I'm excited to be back and I'll be attending Triad Anime Con in Greensboro in March with hopefully 3 panels! 

Here's to a good 2017!!!