Ottawa ComicCon was the first convention of the season. My weekend was marred with many mishaps but overall I had an okay weekend.

Let's start  off by saying it took me close to an hour to bus to the event location everyday. Meaning I commuted for close to 2 hours everyday there and back, which was very draining.

FRIDAY
I had to commute directly from work to the event. Luckily my coworkers are cool with my hobby, so I was able to get my makeup and put my Yoruichi wig on before leaving. After the long bus ride, I managed to get enough time to get dressed right before starting my Cosplay on a Budget panel with Kudrel. It was a packed room and I believe everyone left a little thriftier than before. I breifly caught up with some friends before calling it a night.

SATURDAY
Sometimes, the cosplay gods do not favour you. It was a disaster for me to get ready in the morning in my Cheetah costume. I had to skip on coloured contact because the ones I used the day before seriously irritated my eyes. I couldn't find my body piant so I opted for eyeliner. All the primer in the world wouldn't make it stay put. I also couldn't keep my leg pieces on especially since I need to find a pair of scissor to cut the double sided tape, and it was a brand I never used, that ended up being sub-par.

Judgement day, as in I was judging the masquerade. There were almost 40 entries which Cats Luna, Suki Cosplay and myself all assessed in the greenroom. There were some tough decisions to make, but in the end the Avatar group reigned supreme with their skit including a choreographed fighting scene using ribbons for bending, in addition to having well made studded/embossed leather costumes at the novice level. (Since when do novice craft leather armour!).
A special thank you to Kim, the masquerade director, who did a wonderful job and invited me to be a judge.

SUNDAY
I met with the contestants at the award ceremony and congratulated them on their hard work. Then I scarfed down some food with Cosplay Calamity, followed by a shoot with Belziir Photography in Yoruichi, in the cold windy field behind the con centre. I briefly ran into Marie-Claude Bourbonnais, we were both judges at last year's masquerade. The photo above was the only one I got all weekend.

It was my first time at Katsucon and it was a costume whirlwind. There were so many things to see.
I was stuck at my artist table for most of the weekend but I still had a great time. I wasn’t able to finish my Cruella in time but I am more than satisfied with my Hana cosplay.

Here are the details...

_ I have been going to G-Anime since it was created. The team that runs the convention is a dedicated well-organized group of people. I was fortunate to be a Cosplay Guest this year, so I was busy all weekend.

I started my Friday in my Sakura Cosplay running my Cosplay on a budget panel. There was a good turnout, and I hope all the attendees have some new thrifty skills to put to work. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with friends, there were more than I expected. I wrapped up the day by having a great dinner at the Ardoise restaurant in the hotel.

I spent most of my weekend with my lovely cosplay buddies. You can find their work here: Cosplay Calamity, Thornrose, Dart, Mai Sheri Costumes, Jus de Pomme, and whoever else sends me their info.

Here a quick round up of cosplays I spotted on Friday.

Btooom just wrapped up it's first season so I figured it was time to give my impression of the show.

I've only watched the series and have not read the manga. Although I might now since I don't know if/when the second season will air.

You can watch BTOOOM! on Crunchyroll in HD for free with my special link :D

2012 was a year of more and less. I went to more conventions but I made less costumes. I made less commissions but I sold more in artist alleys. I participated in less masquerades but I judged more of them.

Here is a recap of my life in cosplay for 2012, including my costumes, expenses, favourites, and let downs.

Where do I even start? This con gave me mixed feelings, especially considering the great time I had last year. There was a lot of good and bad. So I'm  switching up my journal format to talk about the pros and con of this year's Youmacon. So let's jump right in...

Highlights: Poorly organized, friends everywhere, meeting new people, gaming, hot tub, confusion, & delicious food.

This was my first time travelling alone by plane and to New York city no less. I had a great time in the Big Apple.
Here are the highlights: Fabric shopping, Times Square, Huge Con, Loads of Goodies, Karaoke, Archery, and Good Friends.

Small and sweet. Unplugged Expo was a great first year convention. Everyone was friendly and the people who attended the panels had genuine interest in the topics.I got to catch up with many of my Toronto cosplay friends. I did two brief shoots, one with EleventhPhotograph as Korra and another with Rocky, a newcomer to cosplay photography, and I can't wait for the photos of my Karako Nurse.

VickyBunnyAngel and I hung out for most of the weekend as we did several panels together plus judged the masquerade. Tamar Wolfe was a great friend and helped me out at my table.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who attended the panels I was running or assisting. A great thanks to the con staff who were stellar and very helpful.

Otakuthon has been a yearly tradition for myself for the last 6 years. Many of my cosplay friends are regulars as well, so it always makes for a fun weekend.

This was my first time in the dealer's room/artist alley for the whole weekend, and my third time judging a masquerade.

Highlights: Meeting Adella and Alodia, selling at my table, some Korra antics, masquerade jugdging, and hanging out with friends.