There’s nothing quite like an end of summer anime convention to boost the spirits. I had known about this convention for most of the summer without any intention of going, but I am glad that I could pull together and get the opportunity to attend(Thank you Zara!). This convention was mostly about helping an artist friend of mine, Cheesy Hipster, with her first table in an artist alley. It was so exciting to see someone who has been through college for artistic design, turning a profit on her beautiful art and handmade plushies. This was truly inspiring to watch, help and admire.

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The cosplays of the day were a Bulma by Cheesy Hipster and 80’s punk glam Ariel by myself. It was a very colorful wig day all around. I wanted to pull together something quickly, because I had not planned on attending at all. The biggest part of my cosplay was making a pretty bow to represent my princess Ariel charm. I did this with green mermaid ribbon that I had bought for my bombshell Mera cosplay, but it wasn’t the right color for that look. That combined with purple ribbon, a vintage earring, hot glue and an ounce of creativity, I put together a pretty adorable accessory.

I did put a little bit of effort into the shirt. I took a purple over-sized shirt that my boyfriend never ever wears and cut it up and sized it down to a punk style tank top. If any one is interested in how this is done, I’d be happy to do a tutorial. 🙂 I then layered green tights under fishnets to give a mermaid tail effect on my lady land legs. That, coupled with a black skirt that screams anti-society. Or something like that . . I unfortunately don’t have a full picture of my 80’s punk glam Ariel at the con, but these photos should give off the idea. I hope to take a better photo soon and relive the glory of legs over fins soon.

I did get to walk around the convention a bit, but felt more inclined to stay and help with the table. It was interesting to see what a convention looks like from the vendor/artist viewpoint and I very much enjoyed being able to see the guests in and out of cosplay, as well as talking with nearby vendors. The setup was well laid out, with a room to view anime, a room to play games and hang out with like-minded folks and an awesome artists alley with voice actors as special guests. Outside, there were two food trucks, Daddy Ramen, which made the best banh mi sandwich I’ve ever had and Kona Ice with a refreshing shaved ice variety.Which was perfect, because it was hot, hot, hot! The whole experience has refueled my creativity that had been previously sapped from my bones, and I feel I will be able to get organized and back on the cosplay horse. (hint hint, next cosplay is coming soon!)

Thanks as always for reading, if you have any questions or would like to chat about anything in the realm of cosplay or fandom’s alike, do contact me!