Continuing in this practice I started in 2021, it’s time to review how I did on my 2022 goals and set some new ones for 2023! 2022 was an interesting year, starting with the excitement of finally becoming homeowners (the Millennial dream!) and all the stresses that come with that. Below are all the goals I had set for myself and their status. 2022 Goals: Overall 77% Accomplished Much better than 55% completion for 2021! I think cutting down total number of goals helped make this a lot more manageable. I had forgotten about my self-shoot goal to be honest, so that’s why those numbers are lower ..read more

I had the opportunity to judge another cosplay contest this past weekend at the HKMKT NightMKT event and it got me thinking about what makes a good judge. There are many skills required and I thought I’d talk about them! Hard Skills—Be the expert. Craftsmanship If you’re going to be an authority on craftsmanship, you need to be a craftsman. That just goes without saying. That said, in the cosplay world, there are many different types of creation. You don’t need to be a master of every single one—anyone who claims they are is a liar—but being a master of one or more categories is good. Any good ..read more

For the past couple months, I have been hard at work on my first ever sponsored cosplay! I was contacted for an opportunity to create a cosplay/look to promote the launch of Finji’s new game “I Was a Teenage Exocolonist.” I already love Finji because of Night in the Woods, so this was a no-brainer! After ironing out the details like what deliverables I was expected to provide and what fee I would want in exchange for it, I set out to make a cosplay for Tammy, one of their characters! I was drawn to her beautiful design and warm demeanor. (And also her pink hair! Since I already own a pink wig ..read more

In February and March, I crunched on my Kena cosplay in order to compete at the Nishi Fest contest. While my work managed to get me a Judge’s Award, I knew I could do it better. So here are the improvements I’ve made, just in time for A-kon! Screenshot of Kena from the gameItems I Bought Two 1″ x 50″ PVC pipes 1″ PVC pipe couplings 1″ PVC pipe caps More blue holographic vinyl Sand 9V battery case Worbla’s Finest Wood glue Maroon knit fabric Black cord What I Already Had Foam clay (TNT Cosplay Supply) Scotch tape Kobracast Plastazote Lots of hot glue Shrinking tube Heat gun Paint Staff 2.0 ..read more

I’m saddened and annoyed that I even have to make this post but I guess I have to. WordPress notifies you whenever someone links to content from your website and asks whether it is approved or not. It’s a handy feature that I only really see when I link to my own posts within my blog, when referencing another related build post or the like. It is very rare for me to get a ping from an outside source linking to my website. Well this morning I received two notifications that my website had been linked. When I went to the source, I found a website (who I will not name) that had completely taken m ..read more

I just finished watching the Youtube premiere of the Online Cosplay Tutorial Challenge 2022 award ceremony and am happy report I won a Judge’s Award! Back in February, Knovice Cosplay announced a unique online cosplay contest. It didn’t involve submitting cosplays but rather tutorials for cosplayers! I loved this idea as soon as I heard about it, as someone who documents their builds a lot and will make the occasional tutorial on Youtube. They allowed for multiple submissions (up to 3) and a wide range of formats. You could submit: a Tiktok video or Instagram Reel, a Youtube video, a Twitter b ..read more

I split my Kena build into two posts because I ended up taking a bit of a break from Kena to work on Sailor Neptune and prep for ComfyCozyCon. I didn’t want to wait to publish the first part, so I went ahead and did that knowing that I would make a second part for the remaining cosplay pieces. So here’s the conclusion to my Kena cosplay! Items I Bought Necklace crystal gem commission (Fairchild cosplay) Necklace chain (Joann’s) 16 gauge copper wire (Joann’s) Paper Lantern Lights (Amazon) Holographic blue vinyl What I Already Had Foam clay (TNT Cosplay Supply) 8 gauge aluminum wire PETG Sco ..read more

I entered my Kena cosplay into the Cosplay Contest at Nishi Fest in Arlington this past Saturday! Was honestly surprised to hear that Nishi Fest was already happening again since we just had it in October. It was another one-day con and another one for the books! I spent weeks telling myself I wasn’t going to enter Kena into the contest. I knew she wasn’t Master-level because it wasn’t entirely made from scratch. Like my other contest builds (with the exception of Seraphine), Kena was a passion project that I happened to enter into a contest. This meant that I opted for convenience for some pi ..read more

I’ve now run ComfyCozyCon three times. I feel like with each event, we improved dramatically while also adding new features. Here are some things I’ve learned about running an online convention and how you can do one yourself! The things you’ll need for an online con are going to differ from an in-person one. But some things are the same. But first things first, let’s talk money. Cost A virtual con is going to be exponentially cheaper to run than an in-person one. There is no venue rent to pay, and panelists and artists know that they aren’t getting compensated. (Unless you’re able to afford t ..read more

Last year, I set up some lofty goals for myself. I managed to accomplish some while others were unfulfilled. Here’s how I did last year as well as some simpler goals for 2022. 2021 Goals: Overall, 55% Accomplished These goals were set into categories, ordered higher priority to lowest. So the latter ones I knew I probably wouldn’t get to. Cosplay/Crafting: 93% Accomplished Finish Seraphine cosplay Enter Seraphine into 1 virtual contest Ultimate Online Cosplay Championship Enter Seraphine into 1 IRL contest (covid permitting) Nishi Fest Learn at least 5 new crafting techniques Wig dye Pip ..read more