MILES to GO || before I sleep

So I went to Anime Expo this past weekend, and I was all geared up to cosplay Sailor Saturn. I was also willing to go as Kayabuki, the Prime Minister from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig, since my boyfriend David was going as the Laughing Man and his friend Liam as Gouda, but the costume is far from comfortable in the heat, and I couldn't get her short hairstyle quite right. What was supposed to be a one or two-day costume ended up being my ONLY costume (and probably not a very obvious one at that, which, to me, halfway ruins the point of cosplay), though I ended up wearing "street clothes" for the other days. It's one thing to wear a red skirtsuit that I already own, quite another to get a custom-made Sailor Saturn seifuku from an FIDM graduate on commission for $390.

Originally, the commissioner, Ashli of Loserific Commissions, told me we'd meet up sometime on Day 1. I went to the Opening Ceremonies and texted her, but got no reply. As the day wore on, I texted her a few more times, asking stuff like "Hello?" until I finally called her. I left a voicemail that basically said if I didn't hear from her, I'd have to contact Paypal (where I'd made the payments) and file a claim for goods not received. Later, I got a flood of texts from Ashli apologizing, saying that she'd just gotten her phone (why didn't she have it on her? I don't know.) and that she would do her best to get the costume done by Day 3, Sunday.

Not cool, but not horrible, either. She said we'd meet early on Sunday, leaving me with two full days of the con to cosplay.

Sunday rolls around and I still haven't heard from her about where or when to meet. When she finally does text me, she says that she hasn't been able to finish the costume, that she doesn't want to deliver something to me that isn't the quality I'm likely expecting, and that she will give me 10% off and ship it to me for free--by the end of this week (that's this Friday).

Reluctantly, I agreed to this, even though I only go to two cons a year as of late (Anime Expo and Anime LA--one in January, the other in July). I commissioned Ashli back in mid-March, and I've been excitedly waiting for the costume since then. Dad and I pretty much slaved over the Silence Glaive prop that was the one component of the costume that Ashli couldn't provide, and now it's sitting, useless, at Adam's apartment.

It's Thursday evening now, and I haven't heard from Ashli about whether the costume is done, what problems she was having (did she take on too many projects? Were others that she was already working on better-paying? Due sooner?), or if she's already sent it with tracking. If she said she'll "get it to me by Friday," then shouldn't I have heard SOMETHING by now?

I don't want to give up and just ask for a refund, but I know I have to draw the line somewhere or lose my investment. I would be really disappointed if the first "major" cosplay commission I got, or a fellow Moonie, shafted me in this way. But I think if she still can't come through by tomorrow, I'm going to ask for a steeper discount (refund), and if I haven't gotten it by the middle of the month, I'll file a claim with Paypal or ask for a complete refund. It would frankly suck, but maybe I could find another SM commissioner in time for Anime LA in January.

( On what makes for a good cosplay )

Okay, so I can have an absolutely kick-ass cosplay for AX 2011 this year. I can afford it. It can happen.

While the temptation is to do a cool, maybe even slightly-obscure character with a funny costume, I think it's time to revisit Sailor Moon--or rather, the Sailor Moon series, because it's almost the 20th anniversary, and both the Sailor Moon and Sailor V manga are going to be reprinted in the USA starting September! WAHOO!

So, who to cosplay?

Well, I did Mars once...when I was a kid and my "costume" was a felt collar I'd made myself, ruby red shoes (everyone thought I was Dorothy from Oz because of those), a red pleated skirt, and a white t-shirt with a red plush satin heart and purple bow that I haphazardly made myself at the last minute. In the anime 'verse, Mars is the character I feel the most like, whose personality I most resemble. In any canon, she's an amazing character.

But so are a lot of other characters...

I don't think I'd ever do a Sailor Moon, Venus, or Uranus cosplay--it's either too much blonde or not enough. Neptune and Mercury are awesome senshi, sure, but I'm just not into them. Jupiter is kick-ass, but while I have the "talent" (heh), I don't have the height, even though, height aside, she's the one I'm closest to physically--maybe if I lightened my hair, even more so.

Pluto is even taller than Jupiter, and is darker-skinned. Her hair would be as much of a pain in the butt as Mars, Venus, or Moon. And Chibimoon is NOT EVEN ON THE TABLE.

So that leaves Saturn. Her image color is purple, my favorite color! She wields a bad-ass scythe/glaive! She went from being the supposed Messiah of Silence and bringer of death and destruction to this innocent little girl who just wanted a normal life with friends!

I've contacted a few folks regarding a possible Saturn commission, and I thought I was being generous by saying I'd pay $350 max for the whole costume--fuku, gloves, tiara, choker, earrings, wig, boots, etc. Everything but the scythe, which I would hopefully get help from my dad to make.

One amazing commissioner has gotten back to me so far (it's only been a day), and she's saying I can get Super/Infinity arc Saturn for $420, or SuperS/Dream arc Saturn for $390, and that's FOR EVERYTHING. If I went without the wig and boots, it would be $290 and $260 respectively, but the other places I looked for Saturn-esque wigs and boots either charge just a teeny bit less for possibly questionable quality or don't have quite the look I'm going for.

So...do I do this? And if so, do I go for the original, first-appearance Saturn with her crystal brooch and everything, even if it's more money than I ever thought I would spend on a cosplay? But it's SAILOR MOON and it's SATURN and it's PURPLE and wow, if this costume looks like the commissioner's other pieces--and she's an FIDM grad, so I have fairly high expectations--I would be an amazing Saturn.

Sure, a Saturn with a feisty, Mars-like personality, but that's a minor detail. Maybe I'll work on my acting and try to be a bit more quiet, reserved, and loving of lamps. :P

( The two versions of Saturn )

HELP!

Yay, first final of the week finished! One down, three to go! I knew Geography was going to be easy in comparison to what I have to look forward to: English, Japanese, and Women Writers of Asia. But studying paid off, and I felt really confident while taking today's test. There were only about 2 or 3 questions on the whole 70-question test where I honestly guessed, and even then, I think I made some good guesses. Writing my 12-page study guide did me some good, even if I didn't really need to print it and take with me. I barely had 5 minutes to actually study... I stayed up very late last night working on it (also talking with Dez and ceruleansan), plus my sore throat was being a complete and total bitch, so I kept having to wake up to gargle warm saltwater or mouthwash. Blech! I also spaced and forgot Grandpa had work, so while I woke up late and took an extra-long shower, my cell phone alarm was going off and Grandpa was banging on the bathroom door! I didn't hear a thing.

Anyway, I made it to school on time, with a buttered toasted tortilla Baba gave me, which will have to tide me over until I feel like eating something of more substance, and getting a tea that I can take with me to work for my first shift in the call center (yay... being on the phones with a sore throat).

I have something like 3 hours before I need to be at work, and I'm a mix of being awake and giddy (finished final! hungry! need to sell textbooks back at bookstore!) and tired/gloomy (it's rainy... I have MORE finals... my throat hurts...).

On the bright side, I won't have any super-late nights this week, unless I'm studying again. I get out of work at 7pm almost everyday, so that's a plus. No work on Friday, obviously, because I'm going up north to San Jose for Fanime Con. I'm waiting on hearing from my boss whether or not he'll keep me during the summer (if I'm not considered a CSUN student while I study abroad, he can't hire me. Prof. Hirota told me I WOULD be, since I'm paying tuition, getting residence/equivalent classes and all, but it's up to my boss, I guess. I hope he's having a good day) before I decide on AX, though my reasons for going are slowly building:
* Wanna see people that won't be at Fanime Con (e.x. Joe)
* Never been to AX
* Wanna see old friends that I probably won't get to hang with much at Fanime Con (due to them being staff or whatnot)
* Wanna meet up with the PTDC and Yu-Gi-Oh cosplay crowd
* Might not get my Songstress Yuna costume in time for Fanime Con. I paid so much freakin' money for it, I better have an excuse to wear it. It's either that or I can be TEH DWEEB and walk around Japan with it on. :P

I better reserve my shuttle to the airport now... (screw that. I apparently didn't make my reservation with my Rapid Rewards card, so now do I not only NOT know whether I'm even flying on Southwest, but I don't know what my confirmation number is. I'm fairly sure the email is at home, though... I don't think I can call SWA without a confirmation number, though. :P)

I hate sneezing when I'm sick like this. I hate being sick in the "summer," even though it hasn't officially started yet, and it's rainy enough to qualify as late spring. Worse, I hate how sneezing makes my nose and throat hurt, like burning-hurt. I usually sneeze three times, but when I'm sick like this and I sneeze, I sneeze only once or twice, and it feels like I'm going to sneeze the brains out of my head. ;_; I have Egyptian mummification to thank for that whole visual. (The student always sneezes thrice.)

Onward and sideways! I have just realized that I would actually love to cosplay Mistress 9. I mean, I'm a freakin' Moonie, and the closest I've come to cosplaying Sailor Moon is when I dressed up as Sailor Mars for Halloween several years ago. But Mistress 9 is not only kick-ass evil, but she's got a pretty easy-to-put-together costume. All I'd need is the massive wig. :D So, maybe next year.

Anyway, I better get some real food, tea, and maybe try and call SWA and see if they can give me my confirmation code by asking me a bunch of questions. *shrug*

Happy Birthday ceruleansan, mischiefmagnet and missandrony!



Okay, so I did it. I'm being an unoriginal, damn-good looking wh0r and going as Songstress Yuna for Fanime. I have pre-regged. I have (almost) bought and paid for the cosplay... and I might get a microphone accessory from someone else. The boots won't match, but who cares? I can also make the hair accessory myself (Yay for FIMO!). I have no plane ticket, no hotel room and no money for food/dealer's room at the moment, but I will once my birthday paycheck comes through (it just happens to fall on or around that day, yey me), but I will deal with that ASAP. I've also just emailed my mom, so at least she can help me out with the hotel (I hope), and Baba and Grandpa might help me with the plane tickets and shuttle costs (the plane tickets I would pay them back for, duh).

Anyway, it'd be nice to offset my potential hotel room costs if someone wanted to room with me. $45/night for 3 nights isn't bad for a 4-star hotel right in the convention center. Anyone interested? (Note: I'm looking for ONE, *maybe* two people for a double-bed room. Completely non-smoking, and for the love of god, no whirling-dervishes for roommates. I like people who are neat and relatively decent guests.)

atlantian_magic, I owe you Kaiba the Virgin Sacrifice. I've actually been quite the busy bee, working on WDKY24 (which is late, I realize-- I apologize to my betas and my Wonderful Historical Consultant, guardian_kysra). It's being a stubborn brat. I've also been playing FFX-2 almost non-stop (bad Mer, bad!) in lieu of having a decent Karaoke Revolution (Party Mix SUCKS!) or The Sims (I refuse to buy the PC CD version. It's DVD Special Edition or BUST!). Now I'm leveling up in the underground Thunder Plains cave, by rubber banding my X button down with a quarter, and setting the Analog stick to constant roam. Bwahahaha... it's so slow leveling up. I thought I'd be tons of leveled up by now, since I went to Target with Karin and her boyfriend, the aptly-named Guy. But Grandpa wanted to "turn it off" and so he unplugged my Memory Card and controller. -_-; I told him never to do that again, and just turn off/change the channel if he didn't want to see Yuna ramming herself into a wall and battling Machina. So now he knows. :P

Back to KtVS: (Kaiba the Vampire Slayer!? WAAAH!?) so what would be a more effective perspective, I wonder, for this first foray of mind into probably-smut? Kaiba, our unwilling "hero," or Anzu, the mysterious seductress? I have two separate opening lines, and the opening line determines "whose story" it is. Note that this wouldn't be a first-person fic (eeeuch... for a smutfic?), but with Kaiba's perspective, you'd probably get more humor from his being stuck in such an awkward situation. From Anzu, you'd understand from the get-go everything about the plot, minus the ending. Anzu's story would also be darker, up until said ending.

I obviously haven't written any of it yet-- except for the planner, so don't shoot! I like asking people's opinions about everything.

I finished reading The Mediator: Darkest Hour and The Mediator: Haunted (yes, in less than a day. The series is that addicting). Now it's onto the last, dramatic, and hopefully ROMANTIC book in the series, The Mediator: Twilight. Now, am I the only one who read Book #5 and thought "If they made a Mediator movie, THIS WOULD BE IT!?" Too bad I'm not so good at adapting novels into screenplays. I could totally do it the other way around. (I would also be a much better Suze than Hilary Duff or somesuch. Not that I've ever wanted to break into Hollywood, but still. :P)

Anyway, ugh... stomachache from that mini Pizza Primo I got at Target's Pizza Hut Express. I knew it was a bad idea the moment I stuck it in my mouth, but alas... I didn't like the looks of the pizza Karin and Guy brought home with them from before, and I know there's little to nothing else to eat in the house except pancakes and cream of wheat... which I'm right sick of. Well, except for the pancakes. But what to do for a quick meal that you don't have to prepare carefully?

Gotta go! (P.S. What's up with this new "Current Location:" thing in LJ? I use Semagic, and the client hasn't updated for this field, and there's no news or FAQ announcements about it... help?)

Okay, so it looks like I am going to Fanime, cosplay or not. Why? Because I pre-regged a few hours ago, and that's $50 I've just kissed goodbye. Might as well kiss another $400 away for the airplane tickets, a hotel room, and anything else I might be forgetting (food, possible cosplay, dealer's room money, transportation to/from airport, if not provided by hotel).

So now I have to find a cosplay commission or pre-made service NOW, because Fanime is May 26th-29th, which means I'd need the costume in my hot little hands BEFORE then. That's two months away, and the bare minimum many cosplay commissioners give for their work. So I have to decide. A few good-looking, relatively inexpensive, and even reputable places offer some of the things I'd want to do... for example, Songstress Yuna. That'd be easy enough to pull off-- get the costume and the ponytail, and I could make whatever jewelry I needed. I'd say "screw the boots," because I happen to like my knee high-black boots very much, and I think they'd even go better with the outfit. I could also get a mic, or not have one at all, because that might be pushing it a little bit.

OR... there's something original and cool, a'la Maya Amano. It'd be an outfit that works beyond cosplay (sorry, Yuna...), but the catch is that I don't know who'd do it, for how much, or how long it'd take. I already sent a quote request to Akire Designs, and now if anyone knows of any other commission places that are currently open, I'd like to ask some others. I'm hunting for any good cosplay sites at the moment-- props, accessories, wigs, costumes, etc.

As for the other stuff... so, who else is going? You know me, I'm always up for rooming with a few other people. I could afford the $300~ for a single room to myself, but I could get a double bed room for the same price, and have someone pay me $45/night, so we'd split the cost 50/50. I don't know if Mom has a friend at the SJ Hilton or Marriott, since neither of them are part of the Starwood Resort chain, but I could ask her to pay for it FOR me, since she DOES owe me $600 for the laptop still.

Airfare would only be around $118 if I get the tickets soon; they'd be early afternoon tickets on both the 26th (I'd take off work, and leave to the airport RIGHT after Geography class) and the 29th, when I have off b/c of Memorial Day.

I can afford this. Why? Because I get paid enough to cover the costs of coming/going to the con, plus a little on the side for food and even the Dealer's Room. That and, Direct Deposit has officially gone through, so I'll have money in Hawaii: not that I'm planning on spending a whole bunch there, but it's nice to be able to celebrate my birthday in style. :O Speaking of which! I can legally attend 21+ parties at Fanime~ Bwahahahahaha...

(Not that I would. I mean geeks + alcohol = bad idea. Now if only I could drag Scott along...)

So anyway, point me at some cosplay sites! Thankoo.

Well I like to keep up on wank, especially since it seems to inspire discussions with my old friends back at the smrff. So now I check on fandom_wank (over at journalfen.net-- I want an account, but I need a code! *wails*) every so often, but of course, some people manage to bring the wank to LJ-- like blackjackrocket did for us starving folks over at playthedamncard. Me loves the wank.

But cosplay wank is a touchy subject with me. I'm not a diehard cosplayer or anything, but I have my squicks.
(1) Man-Faye. He also did Man-Yuna. Frankly, as fun as crossplay can be, the guy just seems to love pushing the limits and other people's buttons. It almost seems insulting to the original character to do what he does. But if that's what he likes (squicking people, getting them uncomfortable), he's damn good at it.

(2) Pathetic cosplayers. These are the people that slap on (whatever color) hairspray and a headband and call themselves Naruto cosplayers. I don't expect everyone to spend $500+ on cosplay; I myself have felt the pain of doing on-the-budget, last-minute cosplay. I didn't win any awards or get loads of pictures of me taken, but that's not the point. You cosplay to express yourself, to have fun, to meet people. But you can do it just as well without a tacky costume on. I think effort is required in all things: either make do with what you have, or don't do it at all. It doesn't always come out the same, looking A+ gold star happy face perfect for everyone, but trust me: effort DOES show.

(3) Wrong size. This kind of fits in with the Man-Faye thing. It's not just a MAN crossplaying characters like Faye Valentine and Yuna, both ladies known for their rather skimpy clothes (at least Faye; Yuna didn't get her hot pants on until X-2) and sexy bodies. Man-Faye is hairy. But he's also BIG. Even costumes made for him don't seem to cover up near enough... and frankly, why cosplay something that makes you look worse? I had this same gripe with many Yu-Gi-Oh cosplayers. Go ahead and cosplay Otogi, Malik, Yuugi, whoever... but at least make sure the costume FITS you.

It's this last one that makes me wonder about the cosplay wank going on over at f_w. I don't care about the size of the cosplayers, or the fact that two seemingly-lesbian girls find yaoi hot (I come from San Francisco; this is not NEW to me). Matter of fact, both of their costumes (and their hair!! ZOMG!) are really, very good. And crossplay, as I said, doesn't bother me if it suits someone's body. These girls aren't exactly hairy or gangrenous or whatever. People are railing on them because they're a little overweight-- but it's not like you can see plumber butt or anything. *shrugs* Yeah, it's a bit weird to imagine Malik as a bigger than me, female, and white (rather than similar in stature to me, male, and Egyptian), but... that's cosplay for you.

Still, I think if people truly like anime enough to cosplay, they should discover options more suited to them. I like cosplaying people who have my hair style or color, so I don't have to go to excessive lengths to dye or cut my hair for cosplay. Yes, wigs are an option-- but they're damn expensive and hard to maintain. So are those REALLY nice costumes. And I can't sew worth shit.

Actually, a great example of a cosplay I admired was zigx's one of that kid (whose name I cannot remember) from Guilty Gear XX. He used a yo-yo, and looked like a nun. Joe did a COLOR EDIT. How many people honestly think of that? And you know what? Costumes often change from season to season (*cough cough* Seto Kaiba!) or from anime to manga (see: Rena Lanford/Star Ocean 2). So the possibilities really ARE limitless. I wish more people would realize that, and not force people who cosplay into this stereotype that zOMG your outfit/hair/eyes/weapon/size are totally NOT like the character you think you're cosplaying as!!

Who the hell cares? Anyone that gets THAT damn dedicated into cosplay should make it their job, not their hobby. And even then, they can take their criticism to the playground and leave it out of the cons.

(by the way, there are some really homophobic and racist people on cosplayfucks. I mean geez. They scare me. --You probably know who I mean.)

I'd like to add that I don't see communities as ygo_badfic, fanficrants, or even cosplayfucks as cowardly. People are allowed to criticize whatever they find on the web, and they're under no obligation to tell the original author they're doing so. Cosplayfucks I think is a BIT different though, because essentially they are making fun of real people for pretty stupid reasons (superficial reasons)-- and in the case of the Malik cosplayers in question, they provided their emails for feedback, but instead someone made a cosplayfucks post about them railing about how they were pretend-lesbians trying to act like teh-hawt-boy-seks when Malik is really a disassociative-personality-syndrome case profile... o_O Trust me, it could get MORE complex.

I'm not like some unfortunate girls who are so unhappy in their skin. I wish all people could be satisfied with themselves, but even I'm not one of those types. I think I've got a bit of pudge on my belly, and people never seem to hesitate to point out that I have a rather large caboose for a white girl. As the girls at work said, "You got some junk in your trunk!" o_O I don't care, I laugh it off, but part of me does hurt because of it. How long is this "nice" or "wicked" figure of mine (other people's words, not mine) going to last? That's why I try to take care of it.

It's wonderful to be happy in your skin, but not that far of a stretch to want more happiness and health for yourself by bettering your diet and exercise habits. Obesity is clearly a problem in the USA, and encouraging it doesn't help matters. I'd like to believe that people cosplay characters because they love them so much, but also because part of them wishes they DID look like that all the time. Maybe not necessarily the psychotic personality or the deeply-engraved tattoos, but maybe the cool hair, the lavender eyes, and so forth. Oh, and Malik's hot bawd. You gotta admit, he's got a nice figure. And even if he is male, the concept applies to everyone: all those girls that cosplay Yuna/Lulu/whoever-- don't you wish you had her eyes/hair/nails/boobs? I know I do. I don't starve myself to look like them, or blow my money to buy color contacts-- but I keep myself happy and healthy, and from there, everything else follows.

I gave P my 2 week notice today, even though I didn't plan to. But K was being such a condescending bitch (she even elbowed me -hard!- and didn't apologize or say excuse me!) I just can't take it anymore. I will try my damnedest to get that job at Red Robin; I only hope the GM Francis stays true to his word and remembers me. He said I had a great attitude and was very upbeat, and by mentioning the training schedule, he seemed to imply the interview went well and he would want to see me again when the store finally opened. *crosses fingers* Please god, let it work!

...I'm messing around with the eFiction drfa again. It's just being a bitch because on my local computer, I had the eFiction stuff in a folder WITHIN the drfa holder, but on the webserver, they're in two different folders. Blah. I need sleep.

1. I WILL clean my room before my birthday (4.14)

2. I WILL get a 2.5+ GPA before February 15th, if it is possible, regardless of the idiocy and lack of ability in my teachers.

3. I WILL pay off my debt to Columbia House, because I want to have a mostly-spotless credit record for college.

4. I WILL make up my mind about where I want to go to college-- and make that decision for the right reasons. I won't go to a college to follow a guy, or get away from my mom, or be with my friends. I will be selfish for once, and for good reasons.

5. I WILL go to Fanime and Cosplay (dress up) as Kagome Higurashi from Inuyasha. I'll do whatever it takes to make a costume, because some pointless and difficult tasks aren't once you master them.

6. I WILL get a boyfriend before I graduate, and remain the one wearing the pants. No guy is going to boss me about or make me his "love slave."

7. I WILL go out and do more with my mom-- because I never want to lose her to pettiness, the way "I lost my dad" to stupidity.

8. I WILL get my Sailormoon artbooks back, moth-eaten or not, from my dad, because he has no right to keep my stuff hostage.

9. I WILL succeed in Senior Journalism, because I know it's what I love, what I like, and what I can do. I will turn in articles, get along with people in the class, not nag the teacher, and get everything done.

10. I WILL get along with my classmates, because come the class of 2003 reunion, I'll be the one surrounded by friends, while the idiots that have made my life hell will be alone, crying, and covered in super-sticky-punch.

11. I WILL eat healthier and exercise more, because even if I am as white as Casper, sunburn too easily, am as freckled as a Dalmatian, and wear glasses, being able to run a mile is something every teenager should be able to do.

That's all for now... but I WILL think of more. ^.~