Jill Valentine- Resident Evil


~Saturday 24th~

Had a 5am start ugh -_- I really don't do mornings lol Especially since I didn't go to bed until gone 1am due to finishing Jill's shoulder pads (I hate them). Anyway got the 8am train and was at ExCel around 9.15 where I joined the early entry que. Was only queing for about 20 minutes when I reached the entrance to the main hall where Ben (RisingPheonix) found me and I squealed and squished him XD Jill had her Chris yay! We went straight to the cosplay desk where I checked with Joe (Granny Gertrude) that Ben had signed us in properly for the masquerade and did some repairs to my costume. Saw James (Ilpala), Beks (Silver) and Louise (Gunstar Vixen) also. Then me and Ben had a bit of a wander around before the Resident Evil photoshoot at 11.30. We found Luke (DjCloudo) and Stacey (Stacey-Marie) and had a chat with them, Luke was boiling in his Warhammer costume whilst poor Stacey was freezing her butt off as slave girl Princess Leia lol We also saw Marc (Ishino) and reminded him about the shoot, I wanted his S.T.A.R.S. bag lol



 The Resi group all gathered around the statue at the bottom of the stairs outside, it had been raining so no-one could sit down and I struggled to find somewhere to put my bag without it getting soaked. Not as many people as in May but still a decent enough turn-out. Will (T-Virus/Alinthea) looked smexy as Leon and he let me borrow his knife for a photo, I dropped it >_< Ooops.



Ben spent half the time standing on the statue itself, such a show-off =p I re-created the ending photo from Resi one Re-make with another Chris cosplayer Kyle (Kylmar) which he seemed very thankful for bless him.


Louis (lhead) was also outside having his Bleach group photoshoot so he wandered over for a bit to say hi and give hugs. We demanded he cosplay as Wesker the next day for the photoshoot which he said he would.

Jill sandwich!

 At 12 I left the guys for my photoshoot with Beks. Whilst waiting for her I saw Jem (Littlemisschikorita), Chris and Jem's mum dressed as character's from Tsubasa then I spotted Bek's Celine hat over the crowds and went to meet her. We found a spot where ivy was growing up the wall which made a pretty cool setting as Jill wanders the over-grown gardens of the mansion in Resi Evil. There were some taxis lined up along the road and Beks asked one driver if he wouldn't mind us getting some shots of me shooting over his bonnet lol He agreed but prob thought it was a rather random request! Got some more shots in the area during which we were approched by a guy who thought Beks was cosplaying Sailor Moon (it was actually Celine from Star Ocean...). When my half hour was up so we made our way back where we bumped into one of the photographers for CosplayFever and he asked to get some shots of us. So there could be a chance I'll be in the next book =) I mentioned my bf was cosplaying as Chris and he asked if I could go grab him to poss be in the book also so I went and dragged Ben over lol He got some shots by himself and then we got some together also.
 By this time I needed food so we went inside to grab a panini and then came back out to eat. Ben got his beef jerkey and Mountain Dew as promised and we shared Pringles om nom. We sat and munched with Luke and Stacey and talked about possibly meeting for dinner that night and getting some Chinese or something.
Wasn't long before we had to go backstage for the masquerade. I left my bag at the Cosplay Desk and chatted to Angela (Angelphie) who looked awesome as Fleur from Harry Potter. Ben also made me take a photo of the Halo Warthog thingy while I was there... eww Halo. Ailsa (Ailsa-chan) and Leena (Lunar_Kitten) were organising us backstage and Chevi (AngelAiko) was also helping out handing out water ect. Obviously all 3 were busy so didn't get to chat much sadly. Me and Ben were behind Louis in the running order and before Mike (Shenny) so we still had people to chat with whilst waiting. Although Ben ended up snoozing on my lap bless him, wish my camera wasn't behind the desk at the time! I hated to move him as he looked so cute but after some time my legs went dead so had to wake him up which was when he started to get really nervous about going on-stage nawww! I've been in the masquerade before but Ben hadn't you see.



I think the masq went well, I enjoyed being up there more than usual as I wasn't too focused on being nervous. We got a huge cheer for our fan-service woo XD On one of the vids on youtube I can clearly hear someone going "Awww" haha. I would like to see more cute and semi-cannon pairings during the masq rather than most of them being overly sexual Yaoi based or mass Organisation 13 orgies -_- After the masq finished I collected my bag from the desk and chatted to Nert who confirmed he got some photos of us =3
 Then me and Ben went to Louis' room in the Novotel to get Ben's stuff (he stayed there Friday night) before making our way to our own hotel in Barking. We sadly didn't meet up with Stacey and Luke for dinner as it would be getting late by the time we dropped out stuff off then went back on the train to meet them. It's a shame as I was looking forward to that =( Instead we grabbed some KFC just outside Barking station where I had the amusement of the lady serving me asking if I worked for the police! I was confused for a minute then she pointed to my S.T.A.R.S. beret and I started laughing "Oh  no it's fancy dress!" XD Ben cracked up also when I told him. Maybe if I said yes I would of got discount? lol We asked the actual police outside the station for directions to the Travelodge but they made no comment. It was easy enough to find the hotel and so ended day one of Expo.

~Sunday 25th~

Me and Ben were up around 7.30-ish to get ready for the day. The journey back to ExCel was nice, simple and quick despite it being Sunday which was good as Ben was twitching to get there lol Got there a bit after 10 and nearly walked right in, lovely lack of a que. Today was our day to chill out and actually look around the dealers tables properly but once we were in I was moaning about wanting a bacon roll so we went in search of one. I just got a bacon breakfast panini instead which was rubbish and a waste of £3. Oh well, more Pringles and fruit pastils then XD We bumped into Kyle and spent most the day wandering around with him as he was a cool guy to hang out with. Nert came across us and took some photos and then we stopped by a weapon stall and Ben drooled over a hunting knife which was advertised as being the same make used by the S.T.A.R.S. team in Resident Evil. It was only a tenner so I got it for him and he told me he loved me lol



We chilled out in the Capcom area for a bit before more shopping where we found a stall that sold some Resi film merchandise but were told they had sold out of the T-Virus and anti-virus keyrings T_T They would of been perfect for my Alice cosplay.
 The photoshoot was at 1.30pm today just outside the entrance, thankfully it was a lot dryer. Not many people showed and Nert was going to come back to take some shots but then dissapeared... then we couldn't get ahold of Rach (Arkayen) who was cosplaying a licker, we needed our licker! Also Louis didn't wear Wesker as promised, me and Ben were rather annoyed by this as he told us only that morning he would be there. Some passers by took some photos and then some of the group left and we were just about giving up ourselves when Rach and Marc finally showed yay! We got some funny shots and she deff generated interest from people around us.



 After that we went back inside and we passed by Wesker and Barry drinking coffee! We had to ask to join them and created some S.T.A.R.S. coffee break photos lol "So Jill, how's the sandwich?" XD



Checked out the rest of the stalls which included the Team Giblets table. I pointed it out to Ben and said "Look it's the guys who made the Resident Fantasy skit I showed you" and he just walked up to Keith and said "I have a lifetime membership to the SquareEnix pornotorium, so screw you!" Apparently he made Keith's day lol I once again pondered getting a Genki Gear t-shirt with one of Hel's (tigerangel) designs on but I had already brought a few other bits ^^' During our wandering we kept bumping into Luke and Stacey again, she claimed we were stalking them haha.
 The day seemed over way too soon when we had to go and get Ben's stuff as he had to get the coach home with his mate James =( I had a bit of a cry 'cause I'm a soppy cow lol We met up with Jem and Chris and they were thinking of leaving also so that meant I could travel back with them. Got on the DLR together and then me, Jem and Chris had to change stops, I was rather mopey lol



Overall I had a great weekend, some people I wish I could of spoke to more and other's I missed entirely but as usual Expo was made great by the people who attend it. It made a nice change to be able to spend it with a bf who is into cosplay also =) I just hope to have 2 costumes for May as although my Jill got lots of positive attention I like being able to have a different costume each day, means more opportunity for photos ect.
See you in May!

My photos can be viewed at~
Myspace & Facebook for those on here who have me added or
Photobucket: s4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/Andserkiel/London%20MCM%20Expo%20Oct%2009/


Videos of me and Ben in the masquerade: www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch

Soooo sorry it's so late >_< Just personal issues and upsets kept distracting me and I wasn't in the mood to do this. Hopefully I won't be so late with my Expo and Ball reports lol I still wanted to write this anyway for my own reference and memory if nothing else. Sorry if I've forgotten to mention anyone, you're all amazing <3

~Friday 14th August~
Selphie Tilmitt- Final Fantasy VIII



Got the 9am train from Braintree with my stupidly heavy and bulky suitcase, I had already blistered my hands by having them pull too much weight >_< Relaxed journey into London where I watched Saw 2 on my psp lol (I hope people couldn't hear the screaming coming out of my headphones...). Then came the hard part- escalators. I really hate the things and it's even worse when I've got a suitcase with me. On one of them a couple noticed I was looking a bit panicy/stressed out and offered to hold my case for me bless them. A few underground changes later and I was on the main line again on the train to Coventry where I met Mosey and her bf (I think it was her bf?) in my carriage and shared a taxi with them to the Warwick Arts Centre. Naturally we knew we were in the right place straight away when we spotted cosplayers, horray! Got directed to the Rootes building to get resgistered and there wasn't even a que! I walked right up, flashed my ID and got my convention badge and bag with con guide stuff in. As this was my first proper con (only been to London Expo & Grand Cosplay Ball before) I found the whole concept of badges and things very exciting haha I'm easily pleased. I left the guys there and went in seach of a bus to take me to my hotel, I had been told there was a 801 service that goes past it. Lo and behold the 801 was waiting at the bus stop and I had a convo with the driver to confirm he passes my hotel. There was some confusion at first as the hotel used to be called Premier Travel Inn, Coventry Airport but now it's Coventry South. The moment I mentioned it was next to a Harvester he knew where I was on about though. £2.90 for an all-day saver and it stops right outside. Awesome.
 Got to the hotel just before 2pm which was checking in time, met Al (Death-May-Die) and his gf (sorry I really need to remember your name!) on the way in, it's nice to know others are staying there. My room was really nice, just a bit lonely on my own but hey I would only be changing and sleeping in it. Un-packed necessary stuff from my suitcase then got into my Selphie cosplay, thankfully the contacts didn't give me too much grief. Went to the bus stop to check what time my bus back to the Arts Centre was then I waited in the hotel lobby where I saw Sean (sjbonnar) briefly.
 Back on-site sometime past 3pm. I had something to eat in the Butterworth Hall cafe by myself, how sad lol Texting a few people to come find me but no-one did =( Not long after I spied Becks (Silver) as Feena however and Louise (Gunstar Vixen) as Aurora. Nert wandered by also. Yay people! XD They had to go off for a shoot but then I met with Liz (SephNoir) and Jack (Captain) =3 Liz repaired my Selphie wig for me as I had attempted to re-wax the flicks myself and somehow screwed it up, the wax turned it white 0_o After that was sorted I went to meet up with Al for a photo shoot. After being really pleased with the shots he took of me as Jill at May Expo I booked a half-hour slot this time and we wandered around to a few different locations. Even had an asian guy take photos in the background then come up and ask what it was for and if I was a cosplayer. The shoot was fun (Selphie gets to jump around like a hyper child) and I look foward to getting the photos =3 It's just a shame I couldn't make her nunchuku in time but Al tells me he might be planning some big photo shoots of particular game series ect so we'll see! Went back into the Rootes building with him where he told me Sean was upstairs in the Cosplay HQ so I went to have a chat with him and met his gf Sasha (roguearcanis). I had checked out the Cosplay HQ earlier and was happy to see the photos I submitted for the Cosplay Island gallery were all on display on boards in the room with other cosplayers, I thought this was a really nice touch =)
 Then I hopped back on the bus to go get changed into my evening outfit which was 80's themed to celebrate Chevi's (Angel Aiko) birthday. Wasn't at my hotel long before returning on-site again and met with Chevi, who looked pretty awesome. Nina (Uni) and other peeps were there also inluding Carrie (seraphim_cry) who looked great (and rather woah in your face pink!) as Jem. After trying and failing to get Chev some food we went to the Rootes bar where we met up with Becks (as Alex from Flashdance), Louise (as Rainbow Brite) and Mark (Princess Mark).
Chevi, Carrie, Me & Louise. Taken by Chevi

I also finally got to meet Emma (Sephirayne) in person after talking to her on various sites online for quite a while so that was nice =) She was dressed as Indiana Jones! We went to the Student Union building where there was Karaoke upstairs and Momoi Haruko's concert on the ground floor followed by the party. Everyone just chilled out chatting and drinking, Kaka borrowed Nert's camera for some photos lol Beck's and Louise brought out a little cake for Chev complete with a candle which was sweet then me and Louise plotted to get Chevi to sing the Sailor Moon theme song with us in the karaoke mwahaha! Me, Chev, Louise and Beck's went up to sing and it wasn't until I saw the photos Nert took after that I realised Matt Mercer had joined in behind us also XD
Me, Chevi, Beks, Matt & Louise. Taken by Nert

Had some fun group photos and then I had to leave early so I could share a taxi back to my hotel with Sean and his mate. That's the only problem with being off-site, obviously staying at the con late means the buses have stopped so unless you drive taxis are the only (expensive) option. And thus ended day one of Ayacon.
  Minami face! Taken by Nert

~Saturday 15th August~
Kairi- Kingdom Hearts II



Day 2 of Aya saw me being Kairi for the day, I was still a little gutted I didn't get her keyblade done for this though =( Think I arrived on-site between 10 and 11-ish and I wandered to the Cosplay HQ.
One of my photos as part of the Cosplay Island Gallery.

There I found Becks (as Xianghua), Louise (Setsuka), Chevi (Eudial) and Leena (Lunar Kitten) as Kiki. We hanged out and took photos, Leena was happy I was the first to ask her for one bless. After a while some of us were eager to check out the dealer's room (it wasn't open Friday) so we went to the Arts Centre to find the goodies! Had some of the usual stalls you find at Expo but there was also a bring and buy so more chance of finding something rare! I managed to pick up a mint first volume of Saint Tail for £1! I've already got it but I've put it on ebay XD Finding a US copy of Final Fantasy VIII to add to my collection for £6 made me happy =3 Then I got some bits for Ben also- a Biohazard (Resident Evil) Leon figure for a £1 and a Biohazard art book for £25 (but this one he's not getting till Xmas). I spent more on him than me...
  Me & Chevi in the dealers room. Taken by Stafen Chau

I can't remember if we ate before or after the Masquerade rehearsal (this is what I get for leaving my report so late) but I'll say we ate first lol Ate in the Butterworth Hall cafe again but this time with Becks, Louise, Ailsa (Ailsa-chan) and Joe (Granny Gertrude). We had an interesting talk comparing big cons to the Expos.
 At 1pm those taking part in the masquerade had a rehearsal to go over how the event would run and where we pose ect as well as confirming our details and any last minute changes. Liz and Jack were there also and Jack looked amazing in the Rain Clow Card cosplay Liz had made. While queing to confirm details I chatted to Nina and a pretty Zelda cosplayer and Chevi and Minxie (I think it was Minxie... cosplaying as PGSM Venus) came over also. I can't actually remember what I did between finishing the rehearsal and the actual masquerade... Fail.
Some of us at the masq rehearsal. Taken by Stafen Chau

 The masquerade started at 5pm and those taking part had to be backstage just after 4 to get organised. We were lined up in these tiny corridors which was not helpful for those with wide costumes or large props/wings. Joe came round with fruit, nuts and sweets to keep us going however and water was always being offered. Although I've had him on facebook and other sites for a while I spoke to Jacob (White Leviathan) for the first time. It wasn't a very long or interesting convo (just asking about my Kairi zips) but ah well XD He was cosplaying Cao Pi. The masquerade itself started on time I believe! Or if it was late only slighty, not used to this at other events/cons. It ran smoothly and finished on time and I didn't get as nervous as I did at the May Expo masquerade which was nice. After I had my turn I got to go sit in the audience to watch the others.There was a break twice during the masq, first for a performance by the amazing Taiko drummers and then Momoi Haruko gave a final performance before she had to leave, she was sooo kawaii! I thought these broke up the long parade of cosplayers quite nicely and kept the audience's attention.
 After the masq I went back to my hotel to change for the evening although I kept on my wig. I got back on-site before anyone else so had to hang around on my own like a muppet for quite a while. Finally Chevi arrived and we went to the J-Pop party in the Student Union. We stood chatting to a really nice guy for a while and it wasn't till people kept asking for photos that it dawned on me...
"Chevi who is that guy we've just been talking to?"
Chev: "Matt".
Me: "As in Matt Mercer?"
Chev: "Yup".
I had no idea! lol I ended up embarrassingly asking him for a photo saying my mate Louis was a big fan of Star Ocean XD He happilly posed with me though, nice man.
Me & Matt Mercer

We also spent some time in the Rootes bar where I chatted to Mike (Shenny) for quite a bit. I got a lift back to my hotel in Louise's car (thank you hun). I felt a bit out of place at times that night, got a bit down although it got better as the evening went on. Just wished Ben was there with me really.
Me & Chevi in Rootes bar. Taken by Chevi

~Sunday 16th August~
Sailor Jupiter- Sailor Moon
Rinoa Heartilly- Final Fantasy VIII



Was up early to wash my hair as Jupiter was my only cosplay all weekend that didn't require a wig, my head was grateful of the break! Was ready an hour before I was finally picked up to share a taxi with Liz, Jack, Mike and Lucy (Chibi). The buses didn't start running till gone 1pm as it was Sunday you see. Got on-site about 11.30-ish I think and went to join the massive Sailor Moon group that had gathered. It was mainly for the Eternal versions (my Jupiter is from the original series and R) but there were those from other series there also. There was at least 5 Jupiter's! Woah overload XD
Sailor Jupiter Overload! Taken by Minotaur

A lot of photographer's gathered but it took some time organising the mass load of senshi, I sadly wasn't about for the group shots that included all series but I got some shots with the other Jupiters. Nert also snapped a few shots for me that came out really well =3
 Went back to my hotel between 1 and 2pm to change into Rinoa, the buses were running at this point so it was easy to get back and forth. Rinoa is still my fav cosplay, I love it so much ^-^ Although I didn't love my new boots, too small ouch! But more accurate, the pains we go through for cosplay XD Again Nert took a few shots and then I had my official shoot with Al. We found a lovely pond area to get some shots and tried to recreate the petals in the breeze from the opening of the game but the sun and wind just wasn't on our side >_< Also went up to Cosplay HQ to use their photography studio area but we couldn't get the lights working how he wanted them, ah well. Walking around outside after my shoot I spotted a group of fellow FF8 cosplayers and ran over to see if they wouldn't mind me having some photos with them. They didn't mind and we had a laugh, even re-created the cheesey in-game running of the characters which I filmed and put on youtube XD
Me with FF8 cosplayers

 At 6pm went to watch the Sunday Night Live and the Closing Ceremony and Auction where I sat next to Liz and Jack. Matt Mercer and Mark hosted the SNL and kept us all amused. I filmed some of the acts (again on youtube). Team Giblits "Resident Fantasy: Aeries Rising" skit has got to be the funniest thing I've seen in ages, I laughed so much and wished Ben could of been there as I know he would of loved it too. Much amusement again during the charity auction as a giant plush Pikachu was up for sale and a bidding war started with the Team Rocket group desperate to finally catch Pikachu XD They won lol
Team Rocket finally get Pikachu

The Cosplay Island cosplay competition winners were announded which included Louise, Nina and Liz =3 And during the closing ceremony it was announced that Amecon will be back next year! I hope to go with Ben depending on what he's doing with the Army.
 All that ended around 9-ish I think. Outside I saw Emily (Orihime) advertising the Grand International Cosplay Ball and I asked where Jess (Raven Mocara) was as I had been looking out for her all weekend but it seems she had to pull out of Aya last minute =( Everyone was a rather hungry at this point so a big group of us ordered Dominos including Beks, Louise, Leena, James (Ilpala), Ailsa, Joe, Amber (HelloKitty) and Mike (MangaChild). Omnomnom food!
The Dominos group gathering. Taken on Beks camera.

After we all had some sorta private invite thing to hang out with Matt Mercer and JoEllen Elam with a bunch of other people in a building I hadn't been in before. I just got dragged along with the others as Louise was kindly driving me back to my hotel again. Nert, Kelly and Mark were also there. I wasn't paying much attention to the convo though I'm afraid as by this point I was sooo shattered. Finally got taken back to get some sleep though (and get those damn boots off!)

~Monday 17th August~
Home time

Checked out my hotel and managed to share a taxi with Al, his gf and Leadmill. Sean and Sasha got in a taxi just before us also. At the station we parted ways and I got on a train back into London with Sean, Sasha and two Belgium cosplayers Asten (AngelEatos) and Larissa (majinmarron). Sean and Sasha got seats but we had to sit in the corridor, we joked it was like having our own little camp and we should start a fire and sing lol I really enjoyed chatting with these lovely people and we swapped DeviantArt usernames to find each other when we got home.
 Once in London I left the guys to get back to Liverpool Street for my connecting train home. Overall a very enjoyable if tiring weekend and I can finally say I've been to a proper convention! I will be seeing a lot of you guys again at MCM Expo but I hope we can attend Amecon together also =3 Maybe I'll actually attend some of the panels and events >_< Something I missed out on at Aya oopss...

All my photos can be viewed on: Myspace- viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm
                                                           Facebook- www.facebook.com/album.php
                                                           Photobucket- s4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/Andserkiel/Ayacon%2009/
My videos are on my youtube account: www.youtube.com/user/Andserkiel

If you're not on my myspace or facebook you might not be able to view them as I've had to set those to private recently due to issues. Photobucket is public however.

I fail. It's been like 3 weeks since an entry... and my Aya report STILL isn't done 0_o I'm putting off writing anything else till that's up so I have like a backlog of entries I want to do building up... oh dear.

But yes I am alive and I *hope* to get writing again once I kick my butt into gear ^^' sorry guys.

Went the rents returned home on Monday from their 2 weeks in Turkey they also went and picked up our new puppy who was ready to be away from his mum. He's 8 weeks old and is a Jack Russel.
 His name is Diesel and he's a cute bundle of energy with sharp baby teeth lol

Well I'm not longer single x3 Woooo! *dances* I am so fucking happy right now, damn I missed this feeling.
So yeah Ben arrived yesterday and it was instant clickage =3 He asked me out just before midnight squeeee. I love his cuddles ^-^

Okay soppy Leo out before I make you all sick haha

Get a fucking life and stop wasting it snooping on me.
Don't you realise how pathetic it is?
She left him. Her loss. End off.
Now go interfere in someone else's life.

Have a nice day.

PS. I would give up with here anyway as nearly all my entries are set to friends only. This one's public just for you ;)

Chevi had the obvious answer. I have a massive new suitcase so I simply will take BOTH Sailor Jupiter and Rinoa. What I'll do is prob wear Jupiter Sunday till mid-afternoon then change into Rinoa for the rest of the day and the evening. It will be easy to switch unlike if I did Kairi- Rinoa for example.

Sorted =3

Right well sadly I'm having to realise that PGSM Sailor Moon will not be ready in time for Ayacon, I'm hoping to have her complete for October Expo however.
So I'm now a cosplay short. I originally had Rinoa and Jill as backups and I decided that as I wore Jill recently and I have some awesome shots of her already (and a possible shoot with a Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker in 2 weeks time) I would take Rinoa as she's never been to a major convention and I could do with some more photos. And simply because I love her x3

But this means I miss out on the awesome Sailor Moon group =( I know I wasn't a Stars version but I would still be involved as some other non-stars characters are and the huge Sailor Moon picnic sounded fun also. If I take Rinoa I can't be a part of that. So now I'm pondering if I should take Sailor Jupiter instead. I'm not as fond of her as my other cosplays but I've only worn her to expo and a photo shoot so maybe I should get more use of her, she wasn't cheap! And I did tell Becky I would get some photos with her Jupiter one day.

*ponders*

I really need to get the materials together for Sailor Moon's fuku and shoulder armour.... and Kairi's keyblade.
But I'm into my overdraft (as usual) and my credit card is starting to build up...

Bum.

I still can't believe after 3 years of saying I would go to Amecon and failing I'm finally on my way to my first major convention. My hotels booked now and it's a no-cancellation offer so it seems more final! I'm staying in the Premier Travel Inn (Coventry Airport) Friday- Sunday. I need to sort out my travel, think I need to get into London first then hop on another train to go back out. Anyone travelling from London on the Friday lemmie know and maybe we can be travel buddies =3

Cosplays~

Friday~ Selphie Tilmitt- Final Fantasy VIII
Saturday~ Kairi- Kingdom Hearts II
Sunday~ Sailor Moon- PGSM (Live Action)
Evening/ party~ Rinoa Heartilly (SeeD Ball)- Final Fantasy VIII

Back up cosplay~ Rinoa Heartilly- Final Fantasy VIII
                                 Jill Valentine- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

Sailor Moon is my only new cosplay and I've got most the accessories for it now it's just the main costume to be made which the lovely Chevi-chan shall be helping me with =3 Been told there will be no formal ball so Andserkiel shall be staying at home and I might get SeeD ball Rinoa done finally for the evening's entertainment.

Things to do~

* Repair Selphie cosplay including re-waxing flicks on wig and getting green contacts.
* Possibly re-make the halter neck and hood on Kairi and re-inforce the belt.
* Make Kairi's keyblade!!!
* Complete Sailor Moon
* Buy a larger suitcase & new toiletry bag
* Make sure everything can fit in said larger suitcase
* Buy larger memory card for digital camera
* Make a list of everything I have to take

Uploaded a load of Expo photos onto Myspace today including my shots of Jill Valentine. Few hours later I check the site and my main photo has changed to a really old one and I have a message...

"We had to remove an image (or images) from your account because they violated our Terms of Use. Our site is for people as young as 13, so we can't have certain kinds of pics (nude/sexually explicit, violence)."

My default photo was me pointing a fake plastic gun with a bright orange tip at the camera. In costume. Seemed a bit daft to me but double checking my gallery and that isn't the one they deleted (so I switched it back to deafault lol rebel) but the one of me lying on an obviously fake and dried out patch of blood on the ground with the words "GAME OVER" above my head.

Maybe I should of put a caption "No cosplayer was harmed during the creation of this foolery"

I was contacted on cosplay.com asking if I would be like to be featured on a Resident Evil cosplay site. Naturally I was very flattered and agreed as long as my photographers were credited on the photos they used.

So here's my page:

residentevilcosplay.com/cosplayers/lionie.htm

(Ignore the link, there was some issues with getting my name spelt right at first lol)
The site is still in construction but they have quite a collection of cosplayers already.

Rarrr Expo report time. Sorry it's taken a while but been busy this week dealing with the half-term crowds at work during the day and trying to keep up with all the photo uploads in the evening.

~Saturday 23rd~
Kairi- Kingdom Hearts II


Had to get up at 5am -_- Ugh. I was a zombie, curse you rail works doubling my journey time! I think the taxi man was amused by my rather unusual fashion sense XD I was meant to be meeting some of Paige's (Mio) friends at the station to travel with but they didn't show up or otherwise ignored me ._. so I journeyed alone instead as my mate Jemma had got an earlier train at Witham. Some people actually left the carriage when they spotted me "I'm not scary am I?" I said to myself haha! As usual once I hit Stratford there were fellow cosplayers about so I wasn't the only "weirdo". I tagged up with Velma from Scooby Doo and her group of mates and they became my walking buddies to ExCel from Custom House. Why get the free bus when it's only a 10-15 minute walk in the gorgeous sunshine? We waved to the construction guys heehee. As we arrived at the bottom of the steps outside Excel we commented how it felt like we were coming home in some way, if that doesn't sound odd lol Finally we fit in and are accepted whoop! I said good bye to Velma and crew and went off to find the early entry que where I saw Liz (SephNoir) and Jack =D
 
Once inside headed straight to the cosplay desk to sign in and Joe (Granny Gertrude) tested my music for me. While there I asked James (Ilpala) about what repair stuffs they had as the velcro on my belt was determined to come off and he got the glue gun heating up for me. Nert appeared and helped with the glue as I would of most likely burnt myself lol and I said he would have to catch me for photos later as he missed me past two expos.

 Wandered outside the main hall and I found my Chevi-chan (Angel Aiko) near the entrance as DOC Yuffie *squish*.  I spent most of the day with Chevi which was loads of fun =3 We signed up for the world record attempt and whilst queing Becky (Silver) came over and totally fan-girl squealed at me XD "Omg I didn't recognise you! You look adorable! The best Kairi I've seen!" she said something along those lines anyway and squeezed me lol it got rid of any doubts of how people were recieveing my costume and really made my day so thanks hun ^-^ I thought your Warrior Rikku was amazing. We were told the record photos wouldn't be for another hour and my ribbon had fallen off my bag as well as Chevi's Yuffie shoes coming apart so we went back into the main hall again to take advantage of the cosplay desk repair stuffs (this really helped us out so thanks guys!). I had my pre-judging while I was there and got a real sense of achievement being able to explain how I made every part of my costume. The judge said it was good work for my first hand-made one yay! Had photos at the Neo mag competition shoot and went back outside again.



 Saw my Jem Jem (LittleMissChikorita) as a Drifloon from Pokemon briefly before I went off for my official Kairi photo-shoot with Will (Alinthea/ T_Virus). After chatting online with him since October Expo it was great to see him and get a hug =) My fav Billy the puppet cosplayer *squish* We took photos by the trees and Will warned me about the caterpillars "What cater.. OMG there's tons of them!" haha! I didn't wanna squish them T_T Had more shots by the river and went up the lift to the bridge also. The shoot was fun and he took nearly 200 photos methinks although I haven't seen any yet, looking forward to it ^-^ I also insisted on a photo with him on my camera lol



Found Chevi again as we waited for the Final Fantasy/ Kingdom Hearts shoot to start but Sasashie was having trouble gathering people and we noticed the World Record photos were nearing the end so we got in the front using ninja skillz! Then had a mini-shoot with Nert before catching the end of the FF/KH shoot.



It was around 2pm by this time and I hadn't eaten a thing all day =( V.bad judgement of me I know but seems I just hadn't had a spare moment to grab anything. Chevi went with me to grab a bacon and cheese panini which was soooo good on my empty stomach Om nom nom... Kept being stopped for photos so there should be loads of Kairi & Yuffie together floating about somewhere lol Stopped at toilets for last minute prep before the masquerade where Chevi got water & soap in her mobile so couldn't call her mate saying he had a masq ticket =( Major suckiness. The side looked dry at first glance... she wasn't happy that the expo staff couldn't help her in any way.

Went backstage at the masq where Harriet (MangaGirl) was helping out by giving out water & sweets as CC Aerith. I informed her that I felt like being sick... lol I was so nervous. You would think after getting on stage at school/college, singing and drama competitions as well as my local musical theatre group I would be used to it by now! Chev gave me supportive hugs and told me to sing "I Like Big Butts" ahaha I love you hun XD Behind me in the que was the amazing Final Fantasy 9 group and I got to meet PapercutPerfect who was awesome (and very brave with flesh-showing) as Kuja. Also saw Rach (Arkayen) as Shaun the Sheep! XD I think we were backstage around 2 hours before we actually started going on stage which didn't help much with my nerves. I just went on thinking "Look confident, look happy" and waved like an idiot as I was lacking any good Kairi poses, she doesn't do much when she hasn't got a keyblade in her hands dammit! It went fine but I think I rushed it a little doh. Got to sit at the side and watch the rest of the entrants after. The competition gets stronger and better every year and I couldn't say who I was most impressed with. Joe as Kermit the Frog and James as Beaker were very amusing also I have to say.



Everyone was being rushed out the hall after by expo staff as usual so didn't really have time to say goodbye to anyone. I managed to get Jem to wait at Custom House for me though so we could travel home together. It was her first expo and I felt kinda bad I hadn't spent much time with her but it seems she had a laugh with the Pokemon group and brought loads of goodies, I didn't even get time to look at the stalls! To be honest you could barely move around them anyway so I planned to do my buying the next day as Sunday at Expo is always quieter.  All in all a good day and I even caught the sun slightly on my shoulders! I'm not complaining though as we were expecting thunderstorms so the beautiful sunny weather was a blessing. Also we beat our own Guinness World Record whoop! Congrats to all the game cosplayers who took part.
 I think my costume was liked by most people and thankfully it didn't fall apart lol although the shoes totally pinched my toes and I kept smudging my burgundy eyebrows...

~Sunday 24th~
Jill Valentine- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis


Didn't have an early entry ticket today as no masq or anything so it was going to be my more relaxed day at Expo. Therefore no getting up at at 5am although 7am still felt way too early haha. Jem loved Expo so much that she decided she had enough money to go again and brought her mum with her! Awesome XD So I had travelling buddies today yay. I also went with a mini packed lunch as my mum worried about how late I ate the day before bless her. On the way to Excel we passed some other Resident Evil cosplayers who told me there was a group shoot at 1pm which was good to know as there wasn't any talk of one beforehand. Went to get tickets and we qued for less than 5 minutes, there was literally no que 0_o it was amazing lol You could really feel the crowd size difference when you walked into the main hall, it was nice to be able to actually walk around without bumping into everyone.

Had my 2 photos taken by Paul Jacques at the Neo shoot again and spied a Sailor Moon Sceptre on one of the stalls *buys* My main buying mission of the day however was to get a gunblade which I could alter for Dead Fantasy Rinoa. Uniquities are the main cosplay replica weapon stand at Expo but this year it appears TokyoToys are selling them as well. I couldn't decided and I really needed a reference pic to judge which was most suited. While pondering this I saw Liz & Jack who were dressed as Red Mage's and they suggested I go see if I could swipe some net access from the Cosplay Desk. They didn't have net there but on the little screens with the slideshow of cosplayers I saw a photo of me! I squealed XD It was one of the one's Nert took the day before. I saw Becky and Caylithe  (Xianghua and Selphie) at the desk also. Went to the little Bussiness Internet place near the cloakroom & cash machines (£1 for 10 minutes....) and managed to get onto my Cosplay Island account to print off a photo of Rinoa's Vanishing Star black gunblade. But going back to decide on which to buy had to wait otherwise I would miss the Resi Evil shoot.

On my way outside I passed Harriet (Resi Evil one Jill) who had been feeling faint poor thing but was ready for the shoot so we went in search of the other guys. We got together us 2 Jill's, 2 Claire Redfields, 2 or 3 Chris Redfield's, 2 Wesker's (one of who is CosplayChris-san's brother I found out today!) , a Leon Scott Kennedy, an Umbrella scientist and Ashley Graham. Not a bad gathering! Just dissapointed no zombies came crawling along lol Before we had even officially begun the shoot as waiting for others lots of people were asking for photos and lots of stupid poses followed the serious ones. I even spotted Nert lurking amongst the guys with cameras. We had to use the blood spots on the ground and took turns taking dead shots on it XD More photos walking down the steps then we wandered towards one of the hotels nearby and had more photos on another set of steps where we also ate "herbs" and the guys tried to run up the walls....



The shoot was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed hanging out with the other Resi Evil peeps but I had to run off at 2pm for my official photo-shoot with Death May Die. His shoot previous over-ran and I was starting to worry he wouldn't show and I had no contact number but eventually a guy with a camera runs up "Are you my Jill?" lol Wandered to the bridge thingy where I went with Will the day before but we took shots on the stairs and inside the lift (which meant holding it up for a bit... oops). I have these photos back already and I loved the way these particular shots came out as the setting seems really appropriate. I've got permission for a friend to edit them however and maybe incorporate some bloody handprints ect Also took some shots by the trees (watching out for caterpillars), by the river and against a brick wall. I only booked for 15 minutes but he was happy to over-run and took shots for just over half an hour I think maybe more as well as giving me his masquerade ticket so I could watch my mates later yay so thank you very much! ^-^

Went back inside to go gunblade shopping! Both the ones I was looking at are easy to paint over so the seller's say and I really didn't know which to get but going back to Uniquities and seeing they had dropped the price to £19.99 pretty much sold it for me lol In some cases it's wise to leave your shopping till late! I now had a massive box to carry around... Went outside the hall to join the masquerade watchers que and jumped in with Liz and Jack so I wouldn't be sitting by myself. I've never watched an entire masquerade live before so it was a new experience and I got to use the video feature on my shiny new camera to film the people I knew. Joe introduced number 4 in the top evil game character list and it was one of our Weskers! The ever expected Kingdom Hearts skit involving Organisation members stripping made me groan though -_- Overdone much?

Shooed outside as fast as possible straight after as usual but I waited outside to see people as Jem and her mum had left just before the masq. Saw my Chevi-chan very briefly, hadn't seen her all day despite half living in her pocket on the Sat. I shouted and waved to Colzy (Colzy-chan) when she came out but looked like she was in a rush to get home. Sean (sjbonnar) came to meet me also as had missed him all weekend and sadly it was a rushed meeting but good to see him all the same and get hugs of course ^-^

Then it was time for me to make my way home. With a giant box. Fun times. It was interesting being Jill, deff a more relaxed costume and seeing how most of my cosplays are cute young girls it was a nice change to be able to do more "adult" poses over cutsey ones (not that there's anything wrong with cute poses!). Although her wig was rather itchy and kept threatening to show my hair at the back, I'm not used to such a short wig. Another great day and a more chilled one.

Over-all I really enjoyed this expo, I get to meet up with even more amazing people each time and get awesome photos taken. It's deff the social side that makes the event for me, I hardly even have time to buy anything lol Of course it has it's down sides like the obnoxious people and stupid signs ect ect but not enough to prevent me from wanting to go. Ayacon will be a different experience but the Expo is great in it's own little way.

If I have forgotten to mention anyone I'm sorry! I met so many people over the weekend, just poke me and I'll add you.

My Sat photos: www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php
My Sun photos: www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php
My Sun Masq Videos: www.youtube.com/andserkiel

Videos of me in the Sat masquerade: www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch

I finished my Cardcaptor Sakura boxsets T_T I wanna watch more. The uber cuteness between Syaoran and Sakura made me squeal though XD

I still haven't watched SuperS or Stars of Sailor Moon but think I'm going to watch the Live Action again to help keep me in the mood for making PGSM Sailor Moon and so I can practise phrases and poses hehe "Ehhh?".

I really need to sort out accomodation for Aya...

Kairi will be making an appearance in the Saturday masquerade at May Expo =)

Should I be worried that I have brought an entire bag just to use 2 tiny strap clips off it? No wonder my cosplays get so expensive... but I'm just so determined to make Kairi as accurate as possible and I won't be happy if I haven't done my best to do so.

After all I'm gonna be the first Kairi (that I've seen) who has proper chunky metal zips (not those tiny white ones everyone favours).
Squeeee I'm excited x3

*runs off to plan some more & waits to hear from zip commissioner*

I now have a cosplay.com account. This is mainly due to me getting very pissed off today when trying to update my cosspace. I had spent a while re-sizing all my lovely new Jupiter shots to put on there but after a few it keeps telling me to re-size even more and I realise I aparently have a photo-upload limit and I've used it all. But not just a limit per costume.... my TOTAL limit. Meaning I can't add any new shots ever unless I delete a load but then I'ld eventually end up same problem again as I get more costumes. Grrr I was annoyed, it's crap enough as it is. I'll prob go delete it at some point.

Cosplay.com is a tad picky when it comes to what type of images you upload (no reference images of any type for example) but there's no limit (that I've come across so far) and I like the layout of the profile and costumes. So yeah I'll keep this alongside my Cosplay Island, prob will only put completed costumes up however. I've had quite a lot of comments already!

www.cosplay.com/member/160852/

Resident Evil 5 launched today and I went to work dressed as Jill Valentine from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis =D Made the outfit in a week and although it's really simple I was still proud of this lol I HATE the wig however, it's cheap & nasty but I couldn't get anything else in such short time.
 I was recognised by a few customers which was great and I've sent some shots to my Regional Manager who's judging the dress up competition.

I'm leaning more and more to improving it and wearing it to May Expo. What do you guys think? I will get a new wig, boots and possibly add her shoulder gun holsters and get a gun (fake obviously). It would save time for Kairi and because I really am not in the mood for Rinoa (as much as I love her) after James dropping out of our skit. Would you like to see Jill in May?

Terri linked me the most stupid yet hilarious fan-fic ever. Some American "goff" chicks view on Hogwarts students being vampires. Her abuse of the English language is terrible as well as her attempts at Japanese with the word "kawaii" thrown in sentences that don't make sense. She takes a paragraph in every chapter to describe what everyone's wearing (always fishnet tights) and what music they're being depressed to. The author often admits to slitting her wrists while shouting at the "preps" who flame her story just because they're jealous she's "goffik". Oh and you can see for yourself how abused the characters are. Harry and Draco are emo and Dumbledore likes Avril Lavigne.

Utter rubbish but go a have a laugh. Prob a hoax but if not there's some seriously fucked up girl out there somewhere....

myimmortalrehost.webs.com/index.htm

www.consolecuties.com/next-cutie-interview.htm

Two interviews in a week not bad ^-^

In other news my Saw V dvd showed up y.day. Two days before release date horray for online ordering! So I just had a gore fest watching that XD It even had an advert for the new ride at Thorpe Park, I so wanna go on it! Leanne's already booked tickets and the time off work but In can't really afford it so still waiting to see if I was lucky enough to win either of the comps I entered to be the first to ride.

Also I'm currently attempting to complete a cosplay in a weeks time. Resident Evil 5 is launched next Friday (13th) and I managed to talk my boss into letting us dress up, any excuse eh? Picked Jill Valentine from Resi Evil 3 as the simpliest and easiest to do with the time limit also I quite like the look of her outfit. I would prefer Project Alice from the films but seeing as she isn't in the games she wouldn't really count darn. Anyway although this is meant to be a quick rough cosplay for a laugh at work I'm already being picky. I can't help it! I'm sobbing over my cheap wig haha XD
Shame I could of had those pics added to my console cutie interview. Ahh well.