DAY ONE (FRIDAY)
Day one was a crazy, crazy day that left us all out of breath and very tired. Our friend was running on no sleep, having gotten off work at midnight the night before. By two in the afternoon he had been up for over 24 hours. Although we didn't let our tiredness affect us much. When we arrived in Seattle we checked in our bags at our hotel and rushed out to get our badges. The lines were very long as I think non-prereg people were getting into the wrong lines, causing a bit of a build up. I barely made it on time to the pre-meet. There I got my first glimpse of some of the awesome cosplayers who were judges this year. We quickly set a time and walked out of there, very exhausted from the sudden rush of energy. After this we decided we had to hit the vender's hall.
My theme for this year was obviously Sakura, Cardcaptor as I could not stop buying her cute figures. We shared some good laughs and then hurried to our hotel in the hopes our room opened up early. It did. We got our bags and hurried up to the 9th floor to set up and get ready for judging.
One thing I'm not sure if I've mentioned was I've lost a lot of weight (12-14 pounds) due to my pregnancy and smaller appetite so I had a few problems with Lacie's bodice and the skirt but it was wearable and with the help of some safety pins, all was good. We set off to judging where I realized I really didn't want to be judged. For the first time since I started cosplaying I really didn't want to go on stage, I just wanted to relax. Being pregnant really changed a few things, such as my tolerance to wear wigs or be in cosplay for long periods of time. I just wanted to change and shop.
But we went on with judging and it was a lot of fun to speak to these amazing guests, as I've watched some of them for years now. After judging we rushed back to our hotel room for some fuel and returned to the con. I will admit that the con had a different vibe to it this year. We weren't impressed with most of the guests and there didn't seem to be a lot of cosplayers.
After getting all dressed up in lolita we hit the vender's hall again and after my regretful choice of wearing heels we went back to the hotel and changed, then went out to dinner at Kels.
I am so proud of my Mori themed coord. I've never been good at making outfits match nicely but this was a winner for me. Although I loved my new wig wearing it to the Vender's hall was a bad choice as I became too hot. As was the sweater. Haha...
(Can you spot the slight hint of a baby bump?)
DAY TWO (SATURDAY)
Unlike wearing my Mori outfit, Lacie was very comfortable for me. The only probelm was the safety pins on the bodice but after a few attempts I'd re-figure out how to get it to keep the bodice pinned.
We ventured out and I felt great, especailly when Lacie's skirt blew around in the wind. I felt very princess-y.
When we arrived in the back where the contest contestants were waiting I felt very calm and enjoyed watching the others as they got ready.
During the skits I heard a there was a proposal, how romantic was that? I didn't get to see it but I did see pictures and couldn't help but to tear up. We went up on stage near the very end of the journeyman portion. This year they separated each group (Novice, Journeyman, masters) into two sections per group. Example: Individual novice and group novice. Which I really liked. That means there were more awards too.
We didn't win but I really didn't expect to as I had only a month and half to make these cosplays and had lost so much weight due to my pregnancy that the bodice and skirt didn't fit right. But we had fun walking on stage and were so happy to hear everyone cheering for us.
That's the best part of the contest. I will admit I was almost tearing up because this was the last contest by ourselves and it felt weird and emotional without our friend this year. But I was glad I went through with it and got our little moment to shine on stage. That in its self was enough to make me happy.
The best part about day two was our photo-shoot with Black Bettie Cosplay. We have had pictures done with her before and had a blast. So we were pretty excited to see her and her awesome assistant again. They found us a awesome spot and begin the best photo-shoot we had ever had. We not only got to do all the poses I had been dreaming of doing for years with Lacie and Levi but we also had Sakura blossoms fall around us (Thanks to Jamila's friend.) The pictures I saw were the best we've had taken since we started cosplaying. I really cannot wait to post them.
Day two ended with more shopping (it was too fun not to.) and dinner at our favorite German restaurant in a nearby mall. When we retired for the evening (playing Cards Against.) I realized that Sakura-con was over. It went by too fast. Although we weren't as tired as day one, my body had enough. It didn't help that my baby bump had started to form, causing me a lot of discomfort. But over all the weekend was a lot of fun.
Although there were negatives.
NEGATIVES
- Not many cosplayers (Where did everyone go?)
- People were rude and pushy.
- Vender's hall had many similar items (Especially plushies.)
- Guests were boring. (Let's stick to voice actors and artists/fashion designers, guys!)
- Day two was crazy crowded
- Some contest constants should had been bumped up a category.
However, it was nice not to have protesters harassing cosplayers on the street this year. Although our friend was ready to harass them back, lol. Overall the con had its ups and downs but we made memories and had fun during the pros. That's all that matters. Every con will be different for everyone attending. It is what you make of it.
Now you must be wondering what is there to come for us since our baby is due in September. Well, not much until Kumori-con. Yes, we will keep going to conventions. It's our thing as is cosplaying and our baby will join in on the fun too. Equus Cosplay will still do contest but not for a few years as I want to make sure our baby is old enough not to scream on stage. Our next big cosplay for a contest will most likely be Trinity Blood related. But we won't decide for a while as we're still tossing around ideas, either way it'll be big and will take at least two years to build. I want to bead damnit!
We will most likely be going to Kumori-con for a day but are unsure of anything else. However we will 100% will be going to Skaura-con 2017 again. And I'm happy to say no contest for us, we'll be focusing on enjoying the con with a six month old instead.
Although I am not working on cosplay for the next few months I will be doing other projects such as making things for the baby and quilts. But I won't be posting those on the page as they have nothing to do with cosplay and I want to keep the page clear. This brings me to what else I'll be doing for now on until K-con.
I will be focusing on writing my novel and getting it ready for publication. This obviously is a lot of work and I want the novel done before our baby is born, which is fairly easy. I've finished novels in a month before and can do so again. If you didn't know I write, I do and you can check out my tumbler for more info on my writing and stuff here Confessions Of A Writing Addict
Cosplay is simply a hobby. A fun one granted but will never be a career for me. Writing is a career that I've been focusing on since the age of 15. I keep pushing it aside to make cosplays so it'll be nice to take a break from cosplaying and focus on what's important. So if your interested in keeping track of my crazy rambles, check out that link above. If not, don't worry about it.
Thank you guys for the support this year, it meant a lot to see our page lit up with activity, especailly when I felt like giving up. There will be a ton of crazy projects in our future so keep watch of the page. The next projects will be...
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