My apologies

Greetings readers!

I want to apologize for my lack of blogging, especially since AWA 2012 was months away. I was pledging during the time, and I regret to say I was unable to blog and upload pictures, but I guarantee that by the end of next week, I will update my blog with some tid bits from last year, and what's going on this year.

As of now, I just graduated college (YAY!) with two degrees, and am currently trying to find my way into the career force. I may have found my niche in anime/convention blogging, so I'm going to get dedicated!

Momocon 2013 preparations are now in the works, as I prepare my cosplay (I'm debuting Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and bringing back my Final Fantasy VII: AC Tifa [pictures will be uploaded soon but there's a preview below!]) and trying to prepare to do some panel coverage. Momocon is an Atlanta-based anime convention taking place this year on March 8-10 at the Downtown Hilton in Atlanta.

With that being said, I will also be doing som Momocon coverage, so look out for that in March. Again, AWA 2012 fun will be uploaded within the next few weeks, and more!

Thanks for your support!

Arigato Gozaimasu!

Confirmed Guest: It's Over 9000!!

So the closer we are to AWA 2012, the more is revealed on who is going to be there.

Someone I'm really looking forward to meeting is the Japanese VA for Vegeta of Dragonball Z!!!

Vegeta was one of my favorite characters in the Dragonball series, because he was crass, overly-confident, and surprisingly loyal and dedicated in his weird way. As well, he birthed one of the sexiest DBZ characters of all time (or at least in my humble opinion...) Trunks!

I have watched DBZ for the majority of my anime lifetime, and recently ventures into the Japanese language version of the series, and I, of course, fell in love with Vegeta's Japanese voice.

It was fate that the Japanese VA is invited and has accepted invitation to AWA as a Guest of Honor, and I get to see him in person!

Cosplay Line-Up

So in light of this being a very important AWA for me, I've decided to add to my cosplay line-up.

Quick sidenote: A cosplay line-up is simply your list of cosplay for each day of the convention. Many con-goers portray their line-ups in fancy picture stitches, but---my being the not-so-savvy person I wish to be---I haven't had time to learn to make one yet.

I've decided to add Tifa Lockhart with her Final Fantasy Advent Children get-up.

While I've haven't played Final Fantasy VII personally (I've only seen walkthrough gameplays) I did purchase FFAC.

FFAC followed the events of FFVII, and the lives of the characters after.

Though I loved Tifa's bravery, and confidence in FFVII, her awesome-ness in FFAC caught me by surprise, especially with her fight with Loz.

Tifa never let her personal feelings get in the way of her quests for others, and that's exactly how I am. I'm always there for everyone, and I'm a protector; I embody Tifa! And it doesn't help that people say I look like her FFAC counterpart!

Therefore, I added Tifa to my line-up. Costume is being commissioned by QQCosplay.

On another note, I've received my Yuna braid/Tiny bees and I couldn't be happier. Havenaims got an A+++ rating from me on the CosCom Review Thread!

Hotels: Where to Stay?

**Image courtesy of AWA's website**

One of the biggest steps in preparing for an anime convention is finding out where you're going to stay. You're not going to stay on the sidewalk or the couches in the lobby, are you?

Many con-goers are from out-of-state, so finding a hotel is essential. However, there are also many con-goers who attend hometown conventions, which makes it easier to just travel to and from the convention site. Sometimes, it's just easier to stay near the hotel site to save on gas and mileage.

Personally, I live in the metro Atlanta area, but I choose to stay near the convention area so I can have those late nights and early mornings easier. This way, I can enjoy the con more.

Most conventions have a host hotel; in AWA's case, it's the Renaissance Waverly Hotel. The problem with big cons like AWA is that rooms sell out VERY quickly. The Waverly sold out in a few hours when it opened in February. This leaves people wondering where they can go. AWA has the courtesy of partnering with hotels near the convention site to offer specially priced rooms for the convention.

So if you missed out on The Sheraton or The Waverly, or even The Wyngate, there are still optiond do you can enjoy the convention! Just have to dig a little deeper!

Cosplay Updates

Greetings! I just wanted to share some updates for my cosplay! So, as mentioned previously, I am cosplaying as Yuna from FFX-2. My costume isn't done, but my props are coming along. My props are actually being commissioned. So I'm getting my Tiny Bees and my hairtail commissioned.

A young woman approached me on CosCom---which is short for Cosplay.com, a site where cosplayers come together for tips, commissions and good ol' conversation---named Havenaims approached my ad for a commissioner for my Tiny Bees and hairtail. She gave me an awesome price, so I was like, "Let's do it!" The Tiny Bees were done within two weeks. Here they are!

They were made with a laser cutter, chipboard, and hand-painted. And might I say, they look awesome!!

This is the progress of my hairtrail! So far, so good!

It's made from lightweight rope, with red weaving.

If you are interested in speaking with Havenaims about a commission, or just checking out her work, her gallery is found here.

My Cosplay for AWA 2012

This year, I will be cosplaying as Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2, in her default gunner dressphere.

According to the Final Fantasy Wiki, Yuna is the female protagonist of Final Fantasy X and the main protagonist of Final Fantasy X-2. She is the daughter of High Summoner Braska and an unnamed Al Bhed woman, who died when Sin attacked her ship at sea. Yuna's mother was the sister of Cid, who is the father of Rikku and Brother, Yuna's cousins.

A powerful summoner like her father, she embarks on a quest in Final Fantasy X to expel Sin; meeting Tidus, who teaches her that there is more to life than sacrifice. In Final Fantasy X-2, she embarks on another quest, to uncover the mystery behind a movie sphere containing the image of a man resembling her lost love. She embarks on this quest with Rikku, and the mysterious Paine.

My reasoning for cosplaying as Yuna is actually a bit odd. I hated her character in Final Fantasy X. I was a LuLu fan, and Yuna just seemed like the typical female protagonist; she was the empathetic character who had sooo much on her plate. I just knew I was going to dislike her, but then her character developed, particularly because of her pilgrimage. At the end of Final Fantasy X, she became one of my favorite FF characters.

When Final Fantasy X-2 slipped into my Playstation 2, I saw Yuna's gunner dressphere and was in awe. It was colorful, it was fierce, it was sexy. I knew I had to do it one day.

To celebrate the end of my 5-year hiatus, I chose to cosplay as Yuna. ^_^ Cosplay is being commissioned by Alanna Dawn, a.k.a. DestinysEnding.

Who are you cosplaying as, and what character are you hoping to see at AWA this year?

What is an Anime Convention? What is AWA?

Some of you are not familiar with terms like "Otaku" and "Con". So you're looking around, at all the anime nerds wondering what the hell is going on. Allow me to provide a quick run-down.

An otaku is an avid anime fan. See, there are anime fans...and otaku. Otaku are a bit more extreme. In dictionary term, "otaku" is a Japanese slang word which means someone who has a hobby that they spend more time, money, and effort on than normal people do.

An anime convention is a convention where otaku come from all parts of the world to one central location to celebrate Japanese animation and manga, and Japanese culture. Anime conventions have cosplay, (people dress as their favorite anime/manga/game/comic character) panels, special guests, and workshops, and video rooms; usually, a cosplay contest, rave and ball.

They are usually multi-day events that are held throughout the year, and in various parts of the world.

Anime Weekend Atlanta is the largest southeast anime/manga convention. It is usually held at the end of September, at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria.

According to the official website, AWA was first organized in 1994, with the first convention held in 1995. Since then, AWA has been recognized as one of the most popular Japanese Animation conventions in the United States, and one of the top ten attended anime conventions in North America. It is a family-friendly convention, but has programs and panels strictly for adults.

Anime conventions have become a place where fans can meet other fans, and a lot of times, meet long-lasting friends. They are a great way to socialize and be around many people with your same interests!