Fiddle-Dee-Dee, Said Scarlett

Wow, being sick really put me behind on con-prep. Especially since we leave Friday morning. O.o

But I got my staff fully sealed, and in a few hours I should be able to paint it. I can't find my red fabric for coat lining, but I have time to find that. Also, my plain white ruffle trim. I thought I knew what box they were in, but apparently I was very wrong. Though at this point, I am not holding my breath on the Dante and Rose ball gowns. It'd be awesome in they were done, and I really hope they are, but it's a lot of work and there's still material needed and if worst comes to worst I will go to cosplay prom as Lust. I do have a fancy Lust dress, and my wig and gloves. (And not the artbook dress, either, it's this awesome vintage 50s style red shimmer dress.) Contingency plans, I has them!

I'm trying to get my goggles done today and my staff sealed and painted. I keep having to take breaks for cramps that just will not die. Nothing else is really wrong at this point, but there's this band of dull aching pain that I can't shake. It's making getting physical activity done difficult. But at least I won't have it for con! Which will be wonderful, because last con I had it so badly I don't even remember the con.

( Lady Times and Questionably Legal Activity )

______________________________________________________________

*Sister Sexy is a con friend who got her name from this nun cosplay she does. BGA is also a con friend, who used that moniker on himself so I figured it'd be his online ID name when I talk about him.

Wow. Quitting smoking cigarettes = harder than I thought.

I'm doing it, but...damn. I thought my blood sugar regulation was okay, so I abandoned my strict eating schedule. Apparently this was a bad idea, as my blood sugar tanked this morning. I have never, ever had anything like that happen to me before. I've had weird issues with my blood sugar all week, but never have I come close to passing out from it. That was scary.

But! My staff is actually almost finished. It just needs to finish setting, then I can coat it with sealant and reinforcement, and then paint it! And my undershirt is done. It looks awesome. I'm a tad nervous about the fact that my costume will be exposing my midriff, but considering how much cleavage I have shown off for cosplay it really shouldn't be a big deal. Hell, it covers more than most of my two piece swimsuits cover! And if I really freak out, I can just wrap my obi around my midsection, rather than higher under my breasts. But I have worked hard on firming up my middle, so there's absolutely no reason I can't expose a one inch strip of flesh above my belly button.

I'll convince myself by con time.

I wonder if my meat's defrosted yet....

Whoot! Just finished up spending the morning converting crazy ass fantasy costume designs into steampunk! And I'm super happy with how well they look on paper. The only thing I haven't bothered to work out a design for is my staff, but that shouldn't be too hard. It's going to have gears. I love staffs, so much.

And I should be able to begin work later today! husband_brother is bringing me a bunch of leather-looking fabric, a pipe for my staff base, and an old authentic leather aviator cap. Which should work perfectly with mine, and better than just goggles on top of my head. My gal is an airship captain after all. :D And I should be able to get a lot of work done this weekend while housesitting. The puppies are pretty easy to look after, and the ferret only comes out at certain times so I'll have plenty of free time. Alone. I can just sit and work - I'm doing all the accessories! And there are a lot of accessories. At least all I have to do for my Dante costume is the little headpiece.

We are trying to figure out another relatively simple, wander around con comfortably cosplay, but we haven't really settled on anything that would a) be easy to do in between our steampunk stuff and our ballgowns, and b) would be recognizable as cosplay. We were considering doing NANA, but so much of it is just clothes and not really obviously a costume. We don't want to do Ed and Al again since no one recognized us or we had to keep explaining the first anime series and movie to people who had no clue. I kind of want to see about tossing together a Maria (Silent Hill) outfit, but it would require a wig and I sort of didn't want to buy a new one. Plus, I don't know if I convince husband_brother to be James for me. We'll see. Because those would be simple and comfortable and recognizable as cosplay. Plus, I still have SH props. I think I will brooch this idea at lunch.

( And Now House Stuff - With Spoilers )

But I did adore the homage to Joel Gray in Cabaret. That was beautiful.

Death to the uterus!

I'm stuck in bed today with women's problems. But I've got an awesome Stephen King lineup on SyFy, plenty of porn to write and the ambition to write it, and possibly take out food. Not a bad way to spend a day sick in bed, as far as I'm concerned.

I've been pretty sick, so I've mostly been just medicated and in bed. And writing. And reading fic and watching AMVs. Still trying to get pictures uploaded from con, too! Photobucket and my internet connection don't much like each other, sadly, so it's slow going. Here are a couple, though!

( Tactics Group! )

( I Met Crispin Freeman! )

Con-nichiwa is absolutely wonderful so far!

Yesterday I stayed in my Haruka cosplay until around 7:30, when I changed into the lolita outfit I brought with me. I finally got to wear my music note JSK! I think that's one of the longest I've kept my entire costume on, at least in a 24 hour period. And despite having to bare-bind with duct tape, it wasn't that bad. And I was recognized! Not just by Vic Mingona, either. I even had a girl scream 'HARUKA-KUN!!!!!!!' across the pool garden and then run and glomp me. Politely, though! And she was very careful of my staff!

Speaking of...Yeah, my staff is super awesome. I cannot thank nijawial enough for making it for me! It keeps getting mistaken for Miroku's staff from a distance, because of the rings, but that's always amusing.

We've got our Con Friends already. Austin (who for most of the day was Curly Haired Checkered Shirt Guy) and Vice Captain Thirteen. I...still can't remember his actual name. And he can't pronounce the name of the character he's cosplaying. But he's awesome, and totally bit Muu-chan in the Circle K. Muu-chan defended herself well, as she practically cracked a tooth with her eye. It was hilarious.

And my other half ran into a couple of her friends, who we hung out with last night. And who are going to let me try on some of their costumes today, so I can have another costume! We went out to dinner at an amazing Italian place a couple of miles from the hotel, and it was really nice. Amazing food, great company, lots of con hilarity. I was in lolita and Danni's friends were in cosplay. But it looked like we matched anyway.

Vic Mingona panel yesterday was awesome, as usual. Halfway through it broke into a teleplay of The Empire Strikes Back with him doing his Darth Vader impression and having an audience member supply Luke's lines. He was hilarious and energetic as always, and I remembered my Tactics pencil board! I brought it up for the signing and he went nuts. He took it and gasped: 'TACTICS! You know Tactics! ....where did you get this?!?!?'. Which most people were asking. And were kind of blown away by the fact that it came from Japan. Which is kind of bizarre, since it's an anime con, but most folks here have never been to a con before.

Vic was also nuts over the homemade Muu-chan plushie Danni (Sasuke, my girlfriend) made. He had to get a picture himself. And he signed it for her, which is awesome!

What else? Oh, dealer's room is pretty unimpressive as far as I'm concerned, save for artists alley. I may look there again. And possibly buy another print from Adriana McGraw (the artist director and the amazing artist I squeed with yesterday and who is doing me a watercolor portrait of my OTP!), because her art is amazing. But the actual dealers are all the same ones I always see, with the same merchandise. And the doujinshi had been picked through pretty cleanly. Not that I expected much luck, the fandom I'm into has practically no doujinshi, but there are a couple. And I have snagged some Xenogears and awesome rare pairing FMA douj at cons. I should look again today....

That's all I can think of for now! We've got some awesome pics, but I need to find my camera cord before I can get them up. BUT THEY WILL BE POSTED! I looked awesome as Haruka. :D

Well, I have almost everything I need for two of my cosplays for Sabo. I need a new Tamaki wig (my old one has been dyed and re-purposed, as I had retired the costume and didn't expect to wear it again) but I might just cut my hair. I've been considering it for a while, since it's such a pain to take care of...we'll see.

Yesterday I was able to find a denim jacket, red shirt and brown worn down cowboy boots at the DAV. Plus some summer shirts, and I spent less than 10$. I already have a pair of men's jeans, so as far as the costume goes, I just need the accessories!

I'm looking at this wig. While I do wish it was a bit blonder, I think it's the absolute best I can find - yes, yes, I'm taking most of my inspiration from the movie rather than the comic. But I think it'll work. I just need to put some black feathers in it. And, you know, scrimp and save to actually get it!

And I'm going for these three pins: Peace Sign, Bullet Hole Smiley Face, and since they don't have the damn pig one anywhere, The Eye of the Crimson King.

I have...absolutely nothing for my Sasha cosplay yet, but I figure I can find everything in thrift stores. Brown striped sweater, dark blue/green jacket, black slacks, black gloves, square tinted glasses. And nijawial and I still need to master the Psychonauts pose.

All things considered, I'm not in too bad a shape considering the con's a little over two months away!

Just after ten, and already I've made a number of accomplishments!

I did some more potting, some dishes, some brainstorming for writing, responded to a bunch of comments and got some trash out. I do feel a bit badly that I skipped breakfast - I like to have breakfast on the porch and read while I eat and have my coffee or tea - but I overslept a bit. And I did have a breakfast shake.

I encountered another small (and really not important) issue with my computer. It's too old to support Itunes. Or even the Itunes clones designed to work with older computers. Which saddens me greatly, because I'm already bored of most of the music on my Ipod and would love to get all my Duran Duran, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Flogging Molly on there. I did try doing the transfering with Media Player, and while the files supposedly transferred...they don't show up on Sadie. (Sadie is my Ipod.)

Oh! Big news I completely forgot! I'm driving! I'm a driver! A year after I get my damn car, but I'm finally driving him! And not crashing into anything, organic or mineral!

My dad's bringing me a grill today. The season of barbecue is upon us! And I've got hot dogs and ground beef....

I slept beautifully last night. And we watched the first disc of Nightmares and Dreamscapes! Battleground was very well executed. Crouch End...never, ever should have been made for television. I was nearly in pain watching that atrocity of an episode. Too much needless build up, poor acting, ridiculous changes so that the entire point of the story is lost, and I swear, it is not terribly difficult to pronounce 'Cthulhu'. 'Kooshoo' is not an acceptable pronunciation anywhere. Kooshoo. But luckily, Umney's Last Case was beautiful. William H. Macy was perfect for Umney, hands down. The first part really captured that 30s pulp detective feel, and the creeping sense of the story was preserved. Nothing but thumbs up for that instillation!

I'm going the shameful but far easier route for one of my costumes, simply because I cannot work with leather and gun belts and holsters are beyond my abilities to afford or craft. So as for purchases needed...it's just a wig and boots. My Ila skirt is nearly done, and then I'm going to be starting on the hat for Nija's Melissa cosplay. I have the fabric, pattern and accessories.

I think I'm going to do some beading while we watch the second disc. And it seems my computer is fully workable. I'll be hopping back into my RPs before too much longer - I figure I'll wait until dayshift to jump back into damned, for sake of ease, and decide when to jump back into CU once I've caught up on what's going on over there. (And keep canon reviewing in the meantime.)

I'm in a terribly Xenogears state of mind today. Maybe I'll try and write fic....

Happy Friday, everyone!

Hello again!

Birthday last week was fun - nijawial got me Demetri Martin's CD (that comes with a DVD of his Comedy Central special), summoneddestiny and enigmablade got me the fifth Dark Tower book and took me to dinner, and Nikk and Aaryn came over and brought a movie to watch, plus smoked me out since it was birthday.

Then...came con!

While Anizona this year was very small and there were no guests, it was an awesome con. Nija and I had a ton of fun, actually went to panels, met people and had a blast. We did the Anime Murder Mystery Party, and were able to participate! We had to show up 2 hours early - only 20 people were allowed in - but it was worth it. And we had fun in line. We ended up with a group of people who were willing to do anything to entertain themselves and us. Which ended up with one guy trying to balance anything he could get his hands on on his nose.

We then hit up the 'Illustrate the Fan Fic' panel, which ended up being a Late Night Panel. And the Spartan Penis was born. (Hey, I don't draw, and we could interpret the fic any way we wanted. So I drew a penis with a sword, shield and toga. I got second place!) We stayed up ridiculously late both nights, but it was well worth it. And we took advantage of the pool, jacuzzi, and consuite - with free food and soda!

I'm still recovering, and my brain is still mush, so I can't recall all the specific things that happened. There were a ton of good cosplayers, though!

Anyway...here's some pictures!

( Cosplay Pictures! )

Yes, there are more pictures, but I haven't resized them yet. Uh...nothing much else new. Still computerless, still can't find my phone charger, and still playing lots of video games and reading.

I hope you're all doing well! *hugs*

I hate when the mind refuses to cooperate. On anything. Maybe I still haven't properly woken up and that's the problem. I'll confess, I lazed half-awake in bed until 8:00. And I haven't technically gotten 'up' yet, as I haven't done the morning dishes or made myself some sort of drink to give me energy.

Somehow, over the course of the last few months, I've completely turned myself into a morning person. Instead of taking my pleasure in staying up late of nights, watching TV and enjoying the darkness, it's now all about the morning.

I love the quiet of it. I love standing at the kitchen sink as I dry or wash the dishes and watch the light come up. It's a contemplative, reflective time. I think we all need that at the start of the day. It certainly keeps me calm. Why, I'm not even the list bit angry over things I probably ought to be angry over. Either I've become terribly zen, or I've just become terribly used to being blown off and forgotten about.

That, or I'm so wrapped up in TBC that I just don't care.

I've decided I am most definitely cosplaying Sylvia. But instead of Sylvia and Lamika, I'm doing Sylvia instead of Lamkia. Realistically, I don't have the time to get Lamika done between now and AniZona. Not with my novel, damned, finally learning how to drive, getting the garden set up and helping everyone else with their costumes. Plus the normal little things that eat away at my time, like cooking and cleaning.

I was tagged to do that 'pick ten people who make my day' meme thing, but...I can't bring myself to do it. I can't in all honesty or fairness pick just ten people, and I'd hate to leave anyone out. Usually I love jumping on memes, but that one just leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. (Which is not directed at anyone who's done it! Just my own personal viewpoint here, nothing more.)

I've been abed too long, and the morning light is nearly gone. I'd better catch it before it's too late. ;)

So, between hearing all of 'their' songs yesterday and just ending up reading various discussions on the internet, I have fallen back in love with one of my pairings. No, I'm not going to say which one, since I'm hoping to get some fic written for it. ;) Maybe this was the charge I needed, I don't know. Maybe that spark is back. It's weak and dull but by damn we're going to nurture that thing!

I poked at my FSTs again. I've added some to my HBC FST. There's...a lot of Coldplay on there. I didn't intend for this to happen, but there are a few songs that just fit. I can't deny them if they fit. There's also some Enya, because 'Return to Innocence' has become my Rena song.

Still very little movement on the VB FST.

I've started laying down my costume plans for the upcoming con season. The one I'm currently working on is going to be more ambitious than my other cosplays. Not only am I making the dress, I'm dyeing and styling the wig, making armor and jewelry, and possibly making an epic cloak if I can find a pattern anywhere near Lamika's insane cloak of doom. And her armor will be good practice for when I make my Monarch armor.

Or I'll just say 'screw that' and do Prison!Monarch with his cardboard and duct-tape wings. It could be hilarious. And would also negate the need for a skintight bodysuit. I do not have his amazing abs. I will probably never have his amazing abs in my life. But a gal can dream. ;)

I want to get some cleaning done this morning, but it's raining and I'm feeling achey, so I think today may just be a 'sit on the couch and play video games' kind of day. I'm playing... a lot of games. The most recent being Obscure, Left 4 Dead and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility. I still have No More Heroes to play, too. I've made progress on Harvest Moon - I think I've done three or four rainbows.

I just need to catch a damn wood fish to do the red rainbow right now.

Why I keep helping those chicken bothering Harvest Sprites is beyond me...;)