Twin Con Time

So I finally have a moment to reflect on my past two weekends worth of cons: Youma and Con on the Cob. Both of them were a lot of fun and I'm excited to share all of the great stuff with you guys.

So let's start with Youma. I debuted my first RWBY cosplay, Yatsuhashi!

Of course I had my Coco with me the entire time because why wouldn't I? We generally hang out together for the whole con anyway. We were also the only two Team CFVY cosplayers at the photoshoot which was kinda sad but also pretty awesome. We did, however meet another genderbent Coco cosplayer who had a gun that actually transformed! It was pretty freaking awesome!

Sadly the photo is not entirely in focus, but you can still see how amazing that thing is!

We also made friends with a Ozpin's crew, who all had really nice looking cosplays and were fun to hang out with for a while.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the actual shoot, but someone posted a bunch in their Facebook Album.

Saturday was BIRBCON, where we had a crap ton of bird laguz (along with a branded mage and a cat) for a very special photoshoot. There are only a few photos of us available right now, since we had a professional photographer do a photoshoot with us so it'll be a bit before we'll be seeing the final results, but you can see a bunch of us here, and I can at least share this photo we took.

One of the most exciting things was that we found A SECOND REYSON! She was not even aware beforehand that we were doing a Tellius shoot until we saw her in her Reyson cosplay Friday afternoon and invited her to join us, and I'm so glad she did! We also miraculously met someone who said that she and her friend were wanting to do Janaff & Ulki next year. So Youma may just become yearly Birbcon if this keeps up!

The other awesome thing is that a bunch of us ended up in this other photographer's video! You can see the video here, and look out around 2:20 to see a few laguz strutting their stuff!

Later on I changed into Yuan from Tales of Symphonia. Now what you guys should know is that this was actually one of my earliest cosplays, and it was an experiment for how to draft patterns (with the help of my magnanimous mother). Now, despite having had this costume for near a decade at this point, I've never actually worn it to a convention before, so I figured with the interesting architecture available as a backdrop, it would be a good time to dust off this sadly forgotten cosplay and finally wear him out & about to be appreciated! I did not, unfortunately, have time to fix up his swallow (as one of my first props, it was primarily duct tape, and I never even finished painting it >_<), but he nevertheless made his appearance at the Ren Cen.

I also got to step into the Saturday Tales of shoot, though there was not much Symphonia representation (75% of the people were from Zestiria or however you spell that). And I got to deliver my friend's Sailor Pluto staff, and she looked AMAZING in her cosplay!

Last up for the weekend was another new costume I managed to put together at the last minute. I wanted something warm, comfortable, and easy enough to wear around on a con Sunday, so I made Banjo, with my little plush partner, Kazooie!

I actually got recognized more than I was expecting to in this outfit, which was very exciting. The only downside is that I ordered the shorts a little small so I couldn't do fleece pants for the legs, they're just fleece leggings so they kept falling down as I walked around #cosplayproblems

Anyway, there were lots of awesome cosplayers there and I got some decent photos, which you can see in my Youmacon Facebook Album. Sorry, but I don't feel like taking the 3 hours it would take to upload them here haha.

So that was Youma, and this past weekend was Con on the Cob! I did a lot less cosplaying, as per usual I mainly went in steampunk gear since I was vending with my mom. Check out the table!

We did pretty well despite the weekend having felt pretty slow. And as for my outfits...

As I said, I did primarily steampunk, with a piratey look on Friday and my new kilt on Saturday! I did mix it up on Sunday for clean up though, since having a bunch of dangly things when you're trying to pack up all of your junk can be annoying. So instead I showed a little house pride and wore my Hufflepuff uniform.

And that's all she wrote! As for the rest of 2016, I only have one more event, which I'm vending at. I'll be wearing some wizarding gear as it the Yule Ball, hosted up in Cleveland, which is at the beginning of December. Otherwise I'll be putting my nose to the grindstone on my multitude of winter orders, so stay tuned for the lineup & the steady progress that will be trickling through!

200 Things You Probably Don't Need To Know

I leave for Youmacon tomorrow. There are 200 things I probably should be doing, but let's be honest, I wouldn't be doing any of them right now anyway.

200: My crush’s name is: Honestly, I don't know his real name (And no, it's not Jordan, because I don't have a crush on my husband: I love him)
199: I was born in: A hospital
198: I am really: Hungry. Constantly
197: My cellphone company is: Verizon
196: My eye color is: Blue-ish
195: My shoe size is: Large enough to make finding a pair of heels difficult
194: My ring size is: Different for every finger
193: My height is: Just what it should be
192: I am allergic to: Something in the air... and it s really annoying
191: My 1st car was: The same as my last car ;-)
190: My 1st job was: Exhausting and super rewarding
189: Last book you read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
188: My bed is: Too small
187: My pet: DONNERSCHLAG! (Thunderclap in German)

186: My best friend: Is too far away
185: My favorite shampoo: Smells pretty
184: Xbox or ps3: PS3
183: Piggy banks are: Full of my quarters
182: In my pockets: Crumbs from dog treats
181: On my calendar: So much shit good lord
180: Marriage is: Cool
179: Spongebob can: Disappear and I wouldn't care
178: My mom: Is an awesome lady! Remeber when she cosplayed with me one of my first times?

177: The last three songs I bought were?: All on Lady Gaga's new album... and I haven't actually listened to any of them >_<
176: Last YouTube video watched: Involved corgi puppies
175: How many cousins do you have? More than I feel like counting right now
174: Do you have any siblings? Yep, 3 of 'em
173: Are your parents divorced? Nope
172: Are you taller than your mom? Yep
171: Do you play an instrument? The flute
170: What did you do yesterday? Watched Zootopia with my husband, among other things
[ I Believe In ]
169: Love at first sight: Sure
168: Luck: Yeah I guess
167: Fate: Meh
166: Yourself: Most of the time
165: Aliens: Yeah
164: Heaven: Maybe
163: Hell: Not particularly
162: God: Maybe
161: Horoscopes: Not so much
160: Soul mates: Sure
159: Ghosts: Meh
158: Gay Marriage: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, well I did marry another man...

157: War: Sometimes
156: Orbs: What?
155: Magic: Yeah, to a certain extent
[ This or That ]
154: Hugs or Kisses: Yes please
153: Drunk or High: Drunk
152: Phone or Online: Online
151: Red heads or Black haired: Really, what do you think?
150: Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes
149: Hot or cold: Hot
148: Summer or winter: Isn't that the same question?
147: Autumn or Spring: Autumn
146: Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate 4eva
145: Night or Day: Day
144: Oranges or Apples: Apples
143: Curly or Straight hair: Either
142: McDonalds or Burger King: Mickey D's
141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: Dark Chocolate, thank you
140: Mac or PC: Meh
139: Flip flops or high heals: Flip flops
138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: Sweet & poor
137: Coke or Pepsi: Neither
136: Hillary or Obama: Both
135: Burried or cremated: Cremated, or donated to science
134: Singing or Dancing: Dancing (but also singing)
133: Coach or Chanel: Don't care
132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: I don't know who either of those people are
131: Small town or Big city: I honestly don't know
130: Wal-Mart or Target: Target
129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Meh
128: Manicure or Pedicure: Yes please
127: East Coast or West Coast: East Coast
126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas
125: Chocolate or Flowers: Chocolate, always chocolate
124: Disney or Six Flags: Disney
123: Yankees or Red Sox: Meh
[ Here’s What I Think About ]
122: War: Usually not happy about it, but I can understand the need to go to war under the right circumstances
121: George Bush: I don't think about GW or his dad any more, really.
120: Gay Marriage: Umm, let's just circle back to: I married a man
119: The presidential election: Is a royal shit show this time around (even more so than usual). I'm looking forward to it being over soon
118: Abortion: I'm ok with it
117: MySpace: Is that still a thing?
116: Reality TV: Soooooo dumb
115: Parents: Are great people
114: Back stabbers: Don't need 'em
113: Ebay: Is great for some things
112: Facebook: I use it more than I post here so...
111: Work: I love my job
110: My Neighbors: Are super nice
109: Gas Prices: Are pretty good right now
108: Designer Clothes: Are pretty but I'm not going to be buying for it until at least 3 other people have worn it
107: College: Was awesome
106: Sports: Meh
105: My family: Love 'em!
104: The future: scares me sometimes, but also excites me
[ Last time I ]
103: Hugged someone: This morning (my husband)
102: Last time you ate: So I eat like a hobbit, my (first) three meals of the day are: Breakfast, Second Breakfast, and Elevensies... so around 11am
101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: Not super recently... can't really remember
100: Cried in front of someone: In front of my husband while watching season 3 of RWBY
99: Went to a movie theater: HUMP! Film Festival in Cleveland!
98: Took a vacation: Baltimore! I think we went over Labor Day weekend...
97: Swam in a pool: It's been a while, sadly
96: Changed a diaper: Not for a long time, but it would've been a niece or nephew
95: Got my nails done: Never. I've done my own though (for P'li)
94: Went to a wedding: Last month, it was lovely and spectacularly nerdy!
93: Broke a bone: Never
92: Got a peircing: College
91: Broke the law: No idea. Practically speaking, I probably drove over the speed limit this morning, so that?
90: Texted: A few hours ago
[ MISC ]
89: Who makes you laugh the most: Agadore Spartacus
88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: I have my own home now so I'm guessing this means when I left my parent's home? In which case my mom's cooking. Thankfully my husband is an awesome chef!
87: The last movie I saw: Zootopia
86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: TELLIUS BIRBS AT YOUMA! Also Yatsu + Coco at Youma!
85: The thing im not looking forward to: Leaving my husband & puppy for 4 days
84: People call me: Mike, Mikey, Michael... I'd love it if more people called me Mikey irl
83: The most difficult thing to do is: Fall asleep when someone is touching me
82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: Nope, gotten tickets for other things though
81: My zodiac sign is: Greek - Aries / Chinese - Rabbit
80: The first person i talked to today was: Probably my dog, then my husband
79: First time you had a crush: A long-ass time ago
78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: Still my husband
77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: Ummm... I don't know
76: Right now I am talking to: Myself. I would be talking to my dog but he's asleep in the other room XD
75: What are you going to do when you grow up: God only knows
74: I have/will get a job: Um... is that a question? Yes I have a job...
73: Tomorrow: I'm leaving for Detroit!
72: Today: I'm procrastinating.
71: Next Summer: Genderbend RWBY cosplay with my husband!
70: Next Weekend: Con on the Cobb
69: I have these pets: Still just the puppy
68: The worst sound in the world: The fucking rooster that lives nearby, that sounds like a child being murdered
67: The person that makes me cry the most is: Also, my husband
66: People that make you happy: Husband, sisters, parents, friends
65: Last time I cried: Saturday, as mentioned in #100
64: My friends are: Beautiful, wonderful people
63: My computer is: Actually working, since it's pretty new.
62: My School: Was always black & gold.

61: My Car: Is slowly dying... Poor Midna
60: I lose all respect for people who: Are abusive? I can't think of too many blanket statements that fit here...
59: The movie I cried at was: Can't think of a movie, but there's still RWBY season 3...
58: Your hair color is: Ginger
57: TV shows you watch: Lots of them
56: Favorite web site: Um... this one? lol
55: Your dream vacation: Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef before it's all dead
54: The worst pain I was ever in was: A medical issue I don't think most of you want to hear about
53: How do you like your steak cooked: Medium Rare
52: My room is: Actually pretty clean at the moment
51: My favorite celebrity is: Don't really care that much about celebrities
50: Where would you like to be: In Cambodia with the Bishquists
49: Do you want children: Yeah
48: Ever been in love: I am right now
47: Who’s your best friend: Easy answer - the Bishquists, Hard Answer - Lots of people
46: More guy friends or girl friends: Traditionally girls, but it's a reasonably even split at the moment
45: One thing that makes you feel great is: Dancing my troubles away
44: One person that you wish you could see right now: There are a lot of people I wish I could see right now
43: Do you have a 5 year plan: Not even close
42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: Nope
41: Have you pre-named your children: Hahaha, not really but we have a lot of names we like
40: Last person I got mad at: Whoever did the English script for Soul Eater
39: I would like to move to: Lots of places, right now Chicago and Seattle both look pretty cool
38: I wish I was a professional: Dancer. Like any kind. I could be a professional gogo dancer at a gay club and be perfectly happy lol
[ My Favorites ]
37: Candy: Almond Joy or any dark chocolate
36: Vehicle: Airship
35: President: This guy

34: State visited: I like Virginia quite a bit
33: Cellphone provider: Verizon has done pretty well for me
32: Athlete: Don't care enough
31: Actor: / 30: Actress: At the moment, these 3

29: Singer: Regina Spektor
28: Band: Florence + the Machine
27: Clothing store: Thrift stores
26: Grocery store: Giant Eagle, I guess. I don't really shop anywhere else cause it's the most convenient
25: TV show: Bob's Burgers is my favorite for watching over & over while I'm crafting
24: Movie: The Birdcage (though there is a very long list of runners-up)
23: Website: Didn't you already ask that?
22: Animal: Velociraptor
21: Theme park: Legoland
20: Holiday: Thanksgiving
19: Sport to watch: Quidditch
18: Sport to play: Quidditch
17: Magazine: Game Informer is literally the only one I get
16: Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
15: Day of the week: Saturday
14: Beach: The one we go to every year on Lake Michigan
13: Concert attended: Florence + The Machine at Nautica
12: Thing to cook: Chicken with pesto & chevre
11: Food: Mom's spighetti. Also anything my husband cooks.
10: Restaurant: Kelly's Cafe
9: Radio station: 102.1
8: Yankee candle scent: what
7: Perfume: none of them
6: Flower: President Lincoln Roses
5: Color: Burnt Orange
4: Talk show host: None of them. Ok, maybe Ellen Degeneres
3: Comedian: I don't know
2: Dog breed: Anything big, fluffy and friendly! So mostly St. Bernards, Great Pyrenees, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and stuff like that
1: did you answer all these truthfully ? I think so

Pre-Youma Crunch Time

Hey folks, welcome back! As usual, my hiatus has been related to having a crapton of projects and minimal time to make blog posts. So, rather than sit here and listen to me moan about all the work I still have left to do, let's just look at the stuff I've been making.

First up, we have a gun & case from one of the Purge movie... I'm not sure which one cause I haven't seen any of them.

hat is an actual working airsoft gun, with a legit case. I didn't really build anything for this, it was initially pitched as a simple "paint a few parts of this gun" request, and then spiraled into the much more elaborate commission that you see before you. Thankfully it's done and I don't have to worry about it any more.

Next up we have this giant nail bat/club thing from one of the Yokai Watch characters. It's all a paper/cardboard base with a worbla shell covering it. The nails are also worbla scraps mushed together and formed into nail heads!

Most of the painting still needs done, but thankfully my client no longer needs it by Halloween, so I have some time to work on that without rushing it. I'm hoping to have it done in the next few days though.

Last, and most importantly, we have my new cosplay for Youmacon! I'm doing Yatsuhashi from RWBY!

I've been wanting to do a RWBY cosplay for a while, and I have a long list of characters I want to make, as well as several people I want to cosplay with, all as different characters. So it came down to which one would make the most sense to have for Youma. Well, thankfully my friends made the decision pretty easy for me, since only one of the three of them was even going to be there, and was planning on cosplaying Coco again, so it was a perfect fit. Eventually I'll also be doing Torchwich to pair up with my friend's lovely Cinder, and either Qrow or Taiyang, to pair up with my other friend's kickass Raven (the one I made the mask for, if you guys remember that).

Anyway! Down to business. Thankfully his outfit is fairly straightforward. I bought a black tshirt and cut the arms off to do his undershirt, and I found a pair of brown pants to use. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a pair of boots to use for him, so I had to make spats. Thankfully those are pretty simple so it was no big deal. The first parts I actually made were the top & the thick leather belt/cincher piece he wears around his waist.

Next up is his shoulder pauldron. Pretty straightforward, worbla over craft foam, as per usual. Don't ask why I did all of the plates with full details when you don't see 60% of any but the top one.

The pauldron attaches to the harness... strappy... thing with some giant snaps. I don't have photos of them, but I made his boot armor plates thee same way.

Next up are the gauntlets. They're layers of foamcore with craft foam details, and some worbla pieces. The rings split in the middle and are held together by velcro.

Last up is the sword. Since it's ginormous I decided to use a wood base (wide craft boards) and then shape the bevel with a layer of foamcore on either side. Same method as usual: remove the paper, sand the bevel into the exposed foam, coat with spackling paste, sand again.
The handle is a piece of PVC with a strip of worbla wrapped around it.

And the only bit left is the wig! I used an old black wig I stole... I mean "inherited" from our family's costume closet. It was already kinda short and I cut it eve shorter. For as much as I hate cutting and styling wigs, I feel like this one turned out alright. It's obviously not as short as Yatsu's actual hair, but I couldn't cut it much shorter than this or it would've looked super spotty. So I suppose this'll just have to do.

Well, that's all folks! If you want to see what the whole costume looks like, you'll have to wait another week until I wear it at Youma. I should have some awesome photos with my Coco and we're going to a RWBY photoshoot so hopefully I'll have some photos of a bunch of other awesome cosplayers. Until next time, ciao!