Adventures of the lonely Rapunzel aka MCM Birmingham 2015

Note: I try my best to give credit to cosplayers but I don't always catch all their names and Facebook pages. If you know a cosplayer I did not identify or link, please let me know!

I went to the MCM Birmingham convention on 21st of March for 1 day only. Not knowing any cosplayers in the UK, I went alone but I was lucky enough to have the company of wonderful people for most of the time. What a fantastic day trip it was!

I decided to wear my new Rapunzel (Tangled) costume, which I purchased mainly for children's entertainment purposes. (No way I would have the time to tackle such a "monster" of a cosplay!) She is a lovely character, so maybe I would have cosplayed her anyway. I must admit I don't have the best facial features for Rapunzel. Those lucky people who have a heart-shaped face probably fit the bill best. But hey, if I'm enjoying myself and the kids like me, then it doesn't really matter does it? I think it's totally OK, if not desirable to stress less about appearances and focus more on having fun.

Rapunzel had hayfever, so these pocket tissues with her picture on it came in handy

I met up at the convention with the amazing photographer Paul Brennan and we had a small photoshoot which I will publish later on. Check out his work, he is amazing! Also credits to Robert John Parker for being kind and taking a few photos for me!

Furry fellows and Jack Sparrows

Surely enough there were lot of cool cosplays around. The Disney ones were my favourites of course, and I could spot a lot of them thanks to taking part in a Disney cosplay photoshoot. Thanks to everyone who posed in the photos with me! Sailor Moon is obviously my other favourite but unfortunately there was a huge lack of Sailor Moon cosplayers (quite surprisingly, with Crystal running and all.) I did spot 2 of my favourite senshi though, Uranus and Neptune! And I also saw some random cuddly furry fellows. And Jack Sparrows. I'll let the photos talk.

The entire, beautiful Disney group at MCM Birmingham 2015! Photo by Paul Brennan

Poor Flynn, he is getting abused by Rapunzel's doppelgangers! Photo by Paul Brennan
Blonde Rapunzel by Celebrate the Magic Entertainment and short hair Rapunzel by CodeMiu Cosplay.

Ok, let's be nice to him. Photo by Paul Brennan

Double trouble. Photo by Paul Brennan

Catch them Sparrows! Photo by Paul Brennan

Uh-oh... Don't leave Punzie alone with these men!! Photo by Paul Brennan

The magnificient Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Jessica Rabbit

This Tink was adorable!

Loved this Zarina and Alice, and their plushies!!

I loved this original Pocahontas so much. This photo doesn't fully appreciate all the pretty details on her self designed costume. It was lovely and she looked much like the character!

A beautiful winter Belle

My favourite senshi, Uranus and Neptune!

It's-a-me, Mario!

Lego Batman was so cool...

...and so was the real Batman and his friends!

I'm sorry to admit I forgot the name of these cosplays, but they were simply amazing.

This blue furry fellow introduced himself as the Beast. I think he is from Marvel comics. Epic!

And this one is called Chewbacca from Star Wars.
Not knowing whether the furry fellow was a friend or a foe, Rapunzel felt a little intimidated.
But I think he was very soft and cuddly.

 

A massive exhibition hall and a small tent

The exhibition hall was huge (as you could expect from NEC, a massive complex) but funnily enough the main stage was inside a mere inflatable tent, which seemed minuscule in its capacity for this size of a crowd. This is where the cosplay competitions were held. I was satisfied with watching for a few minutes at the entrance and then stalking the competitors for photos later on, when they emerged after the show was over. The MCM also had autograph signing, a steampunk costume exhibit (which I unfortunately missed) and apparently photos with "glamour models" which just looked like blonde women in skimpy clothes to me, judging by what I saw on the website. Undoubtedly a way to attract men to the con, however not something I appreciated much. If anything I felt embarrased with women with huge tits appearing on the screen of my iPad when I was surfing the con website on the train... Anyway. On to the more interesting stuff.

I'm usually rational enough to keep the strings of my purse tight, however the newly launched Sailor Moon Crystal series has led to an influx of new merchandise which was too tempting. And I even succumbed to a few cute plushie items which were screaming "take me home!!"

A general photo of the exhibition hall

The main stage. Which was inside this inflatable tent.

I saw Cinderella's shoe!

My goodness, Tofu Cute's stand was just too kawaii. Including their merchants.

How can you resist this??  Bought this one...

...and this kawaii usagi-chan...

...and this kawaii Venus-chan...

...and these Moonie keychains which were TO DIE FOR!

When the convention started closing I headed to one of the women's toilets, which had ample space and changed back to my good old normal self. Travelling alone, I didn't really feel like rocking up in a costume on the train! But I had a wonderful day. It felt even more the success when excited kids came up to me for photos and hugs, and a mum told me I was better than the "real thing" at Disneyland!!

Thank you again to everyone who shared the day with me!

So what's been going on with me for the past 6 months? - and a fresh new start

Hello? Anyone there? *voice echoing back with no answer*

Ok, if there's no one there, I'll start a monologue. But I'll keep it short, because talking to yourself gets kind of boring.

I haven't been good lately. I haven't updated my blog. But I have good reasons. My life's been under a lot of changes.

Yes, that's right - I moved from Australia back to Finland last year, only to stay there a couple of months. Things didn't work out and it got rather distressing. So, then we moved again, to the UK this time in October last year.

From December on I've lived in Manchester and since then life got back into its tracks. I found a job that I seem to love (note the word "seem". Yes, it is a surprise to me, how much I enjoy this job!) But I got two times lucky, because I also got a weekend job that I love.

I perform as Princess characters at children's birthday parties. I love it so much. It allows me to do so many things that I love.

Although my time is now very limited, I have other ambitions as well. Sharpening up on my ukulele and getting up to speed with my blog being some of these things. Travel and exploring are also still pretty high up on my list.

Blogging, that's right. Still important to me, I've decided. Here I am, in a new country with a new life, so I thought it's about time to give my blog a new life too.

Some changes in my blog, going forward:

• New layout, obviously
• Language. I will stick with English only from now on. I'd love to communicate in Finnish to my Finnish audience, but sticking just to one language will keep things simple. And because my audience is increasingly international, English is the logical choice.
• Content. To save my readers from boredom I'll try to post more (larger) images and less text. But I'll still stick to blogging about things that inspire me and nothing else. Because otherwise blogging would lose the point for me.
• Continuing on the point above these topics could relate to: cosplay, video games, dolls, anime, manga, crafts, music... basically anything you see in my tag cloud!
• Post frequency will revert to approximately once per week.

Ok, I think I'm finished with my monologue. But if someone is reading right now on the other side of the screen - yes, you! - don't be cruel! Comment and ask me your questions! And, if by any chance, you are a friend of mine from Finland or Australia. Please know that I miss you dearly. Even though my life may seem rather happy at the moment. It never goes away, I promise.

Next up: MCM Birmingham Con update - my first con in the UK!

Jouluisia tunnelmia / Christmassy feeling

Elämä briteissä jatkuu ja olemme juurtumassa näillä näkymin Manchesteriin eli tuttavallisemmin "Manseen". Mansessa sekä Birminghamissa on molemmissa kivat joulumarkkinat, ja jouluvalot ja koristeet ovat tietenkin jo otettu käyttöön marraskuun puolesta välistä sekä kaupungeissa että ostareissa. Tykkään joulusta ja kaikista koristeista ja valoista paljon! Yksi ihana jouluhupsutus mihin pääsin muuten täällä tutustumaan on jouluneuleet. Siis tavallisista muotikaupoista saa ihania jouluisia neulepaitoja, joihin on ommeltu tupsuja tai paljetteja. Kuvat kertovat enemmän kuin sata sanaa, joten alla kuva neuleesta, jonka sorruin ostamaan.

Our life in the Brits carries on and it looks like we are settling in Manchester now. Both Manchester and Birmingham have lovely Christmas markets, and all the Christmas lights and decorations have been up since mid-November of course. I love all the Christmas stuff so much. One thing they have here (that we don't in Finland) are the cute Christmas sweaters, these are sold in regular fashion stores and decorated with cute sequins and pompoms. Pictures tell more than a thousand words so scroll down for a photo of a sweater I just had to have :)

Viikon päästä käväisemme Nykissä, jossa viihdymme viikon, ja sitten Suomeen jouluksi ja uudeksi vuodeksi. Nykissä ohjelmassa mm. Aladdin-musikaali, jota odotan todella innolla!

Elämäni rupeaa muuttumaan normaalimmaksi ensi vuoden alusta, jolloin oletettavasti bloginkin päivitystahti kiristyy :)

In a week we are taking a brief break in New York, then spending Christmas and New Year at home in Finland. In New York we are going to see the Aladdin Broadway musical. I can't wait!

My life should become more normal starting next year so hoping to catch up with blog updating too!

Minä lähdin. Ja otin mukaani joulukortin askartelutarpeita / I left. And I took with me Christmas crafts stuff

Blogini elää hiljaisia aikoja. Syvimmät pahoitteluni kaikille lukijoille. Normaalisti päivitän kerran viikossa. Oikeasti. Mutta tänä vuonna elämäni on ollut täydessä myllerryksessä toukokuusta alkaen. Lyhyesti sanottuna, huhtikuussa asuin Australiassa. Toukokuussa asuin Suomessa. Ja nyt lokakuussa asun Iso-Britanniassa. Tai en edes tiedä vielä missä asun, omaisuuteni on matkalaukussa. Elämäni on siis ollut ahdistavaa, pelottavaa, synkkää, jännittävää, mielenkiintoista, ja kaikkea siltä väliltä.

My blog is living quiet times. I offer my sincerest apologies to the readers out there. Normally, I update once a week. Really. But lately my life has been upside down. In a nuthshell; in April I lived in Australia. In May I lived in Finland. And now, in October, I'm living in the UK. Or actually, I don't even know where I am going to live. My possessions are packed in a suitcase. My life has been intimidating, depressing, exciting, interesting, and everything in between.

Moninaisista syistä johtuen en ole pahemmin harrastanut mitään viimeaikoina. Paitsi cosplaytä (vielä kun olin Suomen kamaralla), mutta palaan asiaan tulevissa postauksissa. Nyt haluaisin vain puhua lyhyesti ihanasta vuodenajasta: joulusta. Lähtiessäni minulla oli tilaa vain yksi 23-kiloinen matkalaukku tavaroilleni tulevien 2,5 kuukauden ajaksi. Uskokaa pois, siihen on vaikea saada mahtumaan tarvittava! Mutta mukaan lähti kaikesta huolimatta joulukortin askartelutarpeita. En tiedä ehdinkö loppujen lopuksi askartelemaan niitä, sillä se riippuu täysin siitä saanko elämäni jonkinlaiseen järjestykseen tässä seuraavan parin viikon aikana. Mutta ne nyt on mukana kuitenkin varmuuden vuoksi. Minusta on ihanaa askarrella kortteja (silloin kun elän normaalia tylsää arkea!)

For a lot of reasons, I haven't really done much in my freetime lately. Except for cosplay back when I was still in Finland. But I'll talk about it later. Now I'd just like to talk about one of my favourite seasons: Christmas. When I left I could only pack 23 kg worth of things for the next 2,5 months (believe me, it's hard). Nevertheless I took some Christmas craft supplies with me. I don't know if I'll be able to make any cards, it depends on if I can organize my life within the next few weeks. But I took them with me, just in case. I love making cards when I live my normal, boring everyday life.

Tässä siis vain inspiraatioksi ja innoittamiseksi kuvia aiempien vuosien korteista. Siis kaikille teille jotka olette suunnitelleet joulukorttiaskartelua tänä vuonna. Minä en siihen pysty, mutta te jotka kynnelle kykenette, aloittakaa nyt niin ei jää viimetinkaan. :) Mukavia jouluisia askarteluhetkiä!

So here are some photos of the cards I've made in previous years, just for your inspiration. If you are able to start making them now - then do so by all means. Now is a good time to get started! Enjoy your Christmas crafts!

Lumikki talonpoikaisasussa / Snow White peasant outfit

Blogi on jäänyt vähemmälle huomiolle viimeviikkoina, mutta nyt syksyn alkaessa onkin oiva aika kiristää päivitystahtia normaaliin (kerran viikossa!)

Sadly I haven't given much attention to my blog lately, but now that fall has come it's a good time to pick up on the interval of updates!

Animeconista en ole vielä postannutkaan mitään, joten alkuun satoa kyseisen conin Lumikki-kuvauksista. Tekemäni Lumikin asu on vähemmän tunnettu "talonpoikaisasu" elokuvan alusta, ja sain sen valmiiksi joskus viime vuoden loppupuolella. Olen aina pitänyt kyseisestä asusta, ehkä jopa enemmän kuin klassisesta keltaisesta prinsessamekosta, ja tämä oli tosi helppo toteuttaa.

I haven't posted anything about Animecon yet, so let's start with some photos from the Snow White -shoot. I made the less known peasant outfit from the beginning of the film and I finished it sometime last year. I've always loved this dress, maybe even more than the classic yellow dress, and it was really easy to make.

Tykkään tosi paljon Lumikkina poseerauksesta. Ehkä siksi, kun pidän tuosta peruukista ja viihdyn tuossa cossissa niin hyvin! Tästä syystä olen ruvennut jo suunnittelemaan prinsessamekkoa, mutta jo ostamani kankaat ovat saaneet toistaiseksi odotella sopivaa ajankohtaa toteutukseen. Materiaaleiksi olen valinnut satiineja sekä samettia.

I also love posing as Snow White. Maybe because I like the wig so much and I enjoy wearing this outfit. I like her so much that I've started to plan on making the princess dress as well. However, the fabrics I have purchased are still waiting inside a box. The materials I picked are satin and velvet.

Suurkiitos J-Kamekolle ja mvioletille valokuvauksesta! Te olette parhaat!

Big thanks to J-Kameko and mviolet for taking these photos! You guys are the best!

Kuvaus / Photo by J-Kameko

Kuvaus / Photo by mviolet

Kuvaus / Photo by J-Kameko

Kuvaus / Photo by J-Kameko

Kuvaus / Photo by J-Kameko

Ja viimeisenä se pakollinen hupikuva! :D (Näitä tuli muuten niin monta hupaisaa, että oli ihan vaikea valita) Ups... mitä tulikaan tehtyä?

And lastly... some compulsory fooling around... (By the way, there were so many hilarious faces it was hard to pick) Whoops, what did I do?

Mutta kun se maistui hyvältä. Kuva J-Kameko
But it tasted so good. Photo by J-Kameko