ATOA / Japanime / Pop Culture Fair

4/12/2016

This is an update of the little tiny expos I've been to so far this year that didn't quite warrant their own full post.

A Taste of Animethon

January 23, 2016

I dragged Riley along last minute with me to this one. He didn't know it, but I dressed us as casual Kiki and Tombo from Kiki's Delivery Service. It was pretty rainy and mucky out, so I'm glad I didn't wear my Ninetales cosplay.

We spent a bit of time wandering the vendor hall and awkwardly talking to artists I'm a fan of, and pointing out other artists I've previously bought from. Riley found a huge canvas of Thanos and got 6 free prints! We dropped them off in the truck quickly and headed back in.

We watched the cosplay contest, which was pretty neat. Animethon is way more organized, but I still enjoyed it. Then we grabbed a bite to eat in the concession and went to a panel on building PCs.

After the convention, we headed off to buy some frames and hardware to hang our glorious new art!

Japanime

March 12, 2016

I heard about this convention the day before it was happening and found out that there was a cosplay contest! So I harassed one of the judges on Instagram for some info to see if I would be able to work in the morning and make it in time for the cosplay contest.

Luckily I was, so after work on Saturday, I dragged Riley (again) to the convention, this time I was dressed as Ninetales, ready to enter my second cosplay contest. We got there and were severely underwhelmed. There weren't many vendors or events happening.

We ended up watching Princess Mononoke for five minutes before they called the cosplayers to the rotunda to prepare for the contest. They were running late with a different event, so an hour and half later we were ready to proceed.

Back stage, I was approached by an adorable Nurse Joy and Espeon who asked if I wanted to join their group for the contest! Of course I said yes. We did not win the contest, but I still had fun making new friends and trying new things.

It was a weird event. I do not think I will return. It's definitely for a younger crowd.

Afterwards, Riley and I went to try a sushi place nearby called Nomiya's. It was delicious. There was so much food. Literally. Look at my noodles.

Pop Culture Fair

March 13, 2016

I found out about this one only two days before it was scheduled! (The exact same time I found out about Japanime) I asked Danyella to come with me and she was just as excited as me to dress up again. I got to bring out Bombshell Harley Quinn again - which is perfect for being at the Alberta Aviation Museum - and Danyella got to wear her casual Queen of Hearts for the first time.

She slept over at my house the night before, so in the morning we took our time getting ready and headed out. We ended up having quite a great time! It was just a big vendor hall and Danyella had an amazing time networking with all the artists and getting some insight into starting her freelance career! She's pretty talented and you should check out her art. Here's her instagram!

She bought an amazing pair of leggings, and I splurged on new leggings, a tie-dye tank top, and a mystery pack! I'm a sucker for those.

We were driving back home and passed the Theatre Garage and I asked if we could stop. It had relocated so we looked up the new address and it was still on the way home. So we figured why not! A costume store wouldn't be that weirded out by two girls in costume.

I AM IN AWE. This store was so amazing and a cosplayers paradise. It's like a year round halloween store with the typical accessories and makeup, but it also had fabrics, sewing notions, tools, cosplay supplies like worbla and crafting books. Danyella even found a wig to use for her Tangled cosplay!

I ended up going home with a cosplay sample pack, some liquid latex, a yellow bodysuit, and a cutting mat! I think I found my new favorite store ever! I love discovering new local places.

After we got back home, I did a quick closet cosplay of Voltorb because there was a challenge going around Instagram. It's awesome, right?

No? It's okay, r/ShittyCosplay loves it.