MCM London May 2015

Hey!

So after lots of driving, running around and preparing the weekend was finally upon us. I can’t say I went all that excited at first, I think mainly because I wasn’t overly confident about myself. The thing with any form of anxiety, even those not suffering it as a disorder, is that you don’t always know it’s creeping up and then it can hit you. So I think it hit and then the morning I got into the car and packed it all went, why? Well because I am happy to see my friends again!

Travel – Getting from Nottingham over to London could not have been easier! The day before I had done the usual traffic checks and was in fact prepared for a lengthy wait but we sailed through. Myself and travelling companion (dressed as Constantine) arrived in good time. The travel back was not bad either, unless you count the M1 here. It’s entirely annoying  to be stuck on a Motorway, something designed for speed, to be doing 40-50 for the best part of 60 miles in length per time. It’s even worse when on the good open road trucks have some overtaking war and then end up slowing everyone down. I know they have long drives and it’s not an easy job but it can get you a bit grumpy after 2 plus hours and you want to be home. Fortunately my travel companion has accepted that Diggy Diggy Hole and the Trololol song are par for the course.

Hotel – My friend stayed with me at Custom House, Ibis and it was okay as always, it was nice to catch up with someone I don’t see as regularly as I would like too. The only problem you face near that area is the DLR works… I like a lay in but 4.30am start was the option! Oh well at least the following night I slept like the dead. I am quite jealous of the room mate who slept through the noise! It’s not too unreasonable for cost but the concern for most of us now is that the hiked up prices are putting people out of the market not the actual event.

Friday – I got my wristband and the hotel room wasn’t ready so I went for a wander to see who was around. It was lovely and not too busy so I had a look around, spotted some friends and then headed back to change. I wore my Anya Stroud outfit, I’ll be honest the Gears stuff really seems more about the gun! And who can argue with it, the lancer is pretty epic. I saw friends, and we had a nice wander. It wasn’t too hot and the event halls were laid out well to get inside. It was a lovely end to the day to meet up with friends, chat and get a drink.

Saturday – Usually I dread stepping into the main halls due to how busy it is but this time it was lovely. The changes and the fact it was sold tickets only seemed to make it so much better. I didn’t feel crushed due to a ton of people squeezing in. The entry system on both sides worked well as it seemed more free-flowing. There was a lot of popular stuff to go around and loads to see! It was lovely to have a variety and it shows how much the convention has expanded in interests, you have comics, films, anime and so much more.

Sunday – After a night at the Fox (the pub of choice) we got up and met for the next day. Costumes on and off we went, it was busy but not crowded and the weather up until the last hour or so was wonderful. I even brought a couple of bits as we had time to look around the stalls and then sat in on the Capcom panel as they revealed a look at the new re-mastered HD version for Devil May Cry 4. It was a nice end to the three days of convention and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The downsides – not that many but I will say the worst thing seems to be that the lack of courtesy from the public towards one another. It’s not like MCM are responsible for them but its infuriating when someone pushed into you especially when you have expensive props or even goods you have brought there. Some of the things people buy on stalls are going to be delicate and that guy/girl running after their friend like a marathon runner on the home stretch does not impress many people. In fact if I am honest it’s annoying… If I could ask one thing from people going, think of the people around you.

Cost – It’s getting silly for some things. I now bring my own water because most of the vendors (again not MCM’s fault) are charging £2 or more for a bottle of water. I can buy that for 57p or 6 for £1 in the supermarket. The problem then becomes is it worth you carrying it all day, yes! Food too, £10 for a Subway hastily shoved at you is not worth the money. At least there seems to be more options about that but I still end up packing extra into the car.

Overall the event for three days was so much fun! I don’t book photo-shoots as I am just not that bothered about it. I go for fun but I am always so happy when people stop me to say hello, the pictures are an added bonus but the main things I love to do are to take pictures of others and just generally see friends and make new ones.

So the overall haul of the weekend? Mostly World Of Warcraft based. Thanks to a lovely card stand I have two new vanity pets for my collection and I also have a glowing hearthstone key ring. I didn’t’ see anything to add to my Gears of War Collection, I suspect because I really have brought most of it. Good news being there’s a new re-master on the way and yours truly will be glad to spend the money I don’t have supporting my favourite game!

Hope that you all have a wonderful time on your travels!

That Gears Girl.

Yup time for me to put data on the internet…

So I’ve been quiet for a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been active. Far from it, but one of the things that being busy does it mean I don’t get to blog as much.

The first even we went to this year was Telford MCM in February, we went off all packed up as usual. I took my Dante out, I admit it’s one of my favourites and I get to pay homage to a gaming franchise I have played since the very first day.

It was a nice day out; I saw some friends and I got to see some that had even been placed in the cosplay masquerade and to see new costumes that had been brought out. One of my favourite things to do is to talk to people, we get to socialise and speak about things we are passionate and despite being quite the internet worm, and being happy snuggled up on the sofa with the cat, it gets me out of that trap.

I probably come across as very confident, but I am not, I talk too much because I am nervous, because I don’t want to be seen as boring… I know it’s silly, I even know that most of the paranoia about that is on my shoulders but I also know that the longer I have been doing this the better I seem to get at handling it.

I got a very lucky break and got to go to Capcom HQ here in the UK, for a second time. This time we got invited over the DMC HD release, and were invited to go in costume to see everyone and get to play some games. I bowed out of the gaming aspect as sadly all the driving can put a strain on my heavily operated wrist. I think we can all agree it’s better to be fully operational behind the wheel!

It was actually not a bad travel either, other than one set of road works, which any one travelling via road in England may well think is like winning the lottery! The roads here are notoriously bad for road works, the more you travel the more your optimism about getting there on time flies out of the window. I have been caught in a 5 hour tail back on the way from Heathrow, a 3 hour jam at Birmingham and so many more… when I get a clear run I feel like I need that fanfare you get with Ryan Air that lands a plane on time.

So Saturday was very good, it was a fun day out, we saw friends and made some new ones. Which meant I came home tired and ready for sleep because the plan was to go to Em Con the next day. So the following morning I got up and dragged out my lancer, found the blond wig and headed off to meet friends at the Capital FM Arena.

Now those of you that follow my blog, or went last year, will remember that there was an issue with the capacity and so many people were left in long queues which did not guarantee you got in. That wasn’t so much an issue this time at all, the capacity of the Arena was far greater and the layout meant that you could get around better than the last place.

The queues seemed to be fairly free-flowing; the only thing that felt odd was that you had to produce your paper ticket to move in and out of the arena. It seems that they controlled it with scanners and that was how it worked, it wasn’t an issue for me but I can imagine if you are on limited pocket space or in something complex you’re going to get annoyed by it; however that’s the system employed.

I found out about Feel the Force too, this amazing charity work that basically arranges conventions for people with disabilities, such as the deaf and blind to be able to get involved. For instance it was explained to me that those of us who cosplay can come along and get involved, we can wear our costumes and the deaf/blind or otherwise impaired are able to touch and feel the costumes. This sounds amazing! Imagine being a storm trooper who can help a blind person to understand what you are wearing, or simply put anything that allows someone access to what you do where it might not always be possible. This is something I am happy to do at any convention but this seems to bring the idea to the forefront.

So I am now quite tired, all walked and driven out and need to sort out for the weekend ahead, Birmingham MCM is the next on the list.

MCM, YCC6 and other things…

So.. it’s been a while and that’s mostly been to fighting a bout of depression that I really didn’t fancy boring folks with. Depression is to me a personal thing, when it comes to causes, but the upshot is when you come out of it the other side fighting it’s a good thing to apologise if you mucked up. Sincerely, I can admit I make mistakes and I think people should be able to do that. It’s not weak at all in my book to say, hey I f*cked up I am so sorry.

So after that I was in talks with my doctor and he suggested instead of giving up and moping around I should go to MCM London, get my costumes out and generally stop putting myself into the gloom and self-doubt.

On the Friday me and my friend Kyle headed off with the car loaded up, the traffic was surprisingly easy going and we hit London before the event opened. Checking into the hotel we were surprised by how nice the Travelodge was, (I haven’t used them before) and then proceeded to unpack and get our costumes on. I took Ezio from Assassins Creed 2 for my first day, I got to wander around and look at the stalls. The ticket system was fairly fluid on the first day and we had a nice time. A few drinks the night before, something to eat and a late-ish night we were all happy to get ready for the big day on Saturday.

Saturday I chose my crossplay of Chris Redfield, lost in Nightmares from Resident Evil. I love meeting up with REUK and I always feel so happy to see everyone. Leon Chiro and Philipe Lauby were there looking awesome, along with Neil Gorton of Capcom who took some pics and videos. It was a lovely day, packed however and I am told that the ticketing system in the morning was pretty much a hellish run, when I went in a bit later it seemed that they had ironed that out significantly to be fair. It rained terribly, and heavily, and a lot of folk outside got a nasty drenching, me included. It sparked a mass rush for the cover but the security at the exit spotted the problem and opened the doors to prevent further troubles.

Saturday night we went for a nice Chinese meal, had a few glasses of wine and then went into the Fox. I walked home after a few drinks and wandered back with another friend in a nearby hotel. We had a nice chat and then it was great for me to relax and settle down before my friend got back. It was a great night and it really did serve the purpose of relaxing my already anxious self. Well served friends, cosplayers and bar staff!

Sunday – Well I decided that after loosing over 9 stone in the last couple of years, of paying the awesome CosplayUK to make the base of my dream dress I would get my guts sucked in a bit and cosplay Anya Stroud’s CIC outfit from the first and second Gears of War.

I was so lucky! Me and my friend, who borrowed the Stranded coat and a lancer, were picked by MCM to be in a video! And then we got some wonderful pics by the gent below. I was so very proud of the dress and all the bits I added to it. I felt like the dieting, the work and the effort to get out all paid off in that regards. I have achieved one of my Dream cosplays and it’s all down to support and friends who help me out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work in Pixls Facebook 

YCC6 – Yorkshire Comicon.

So after the big weekend at London, we had a break and went to YCC6 in Doncaster, at The Dome. It’s my first time making a costume utterly without purchase off commissioners and friends so I was nervous I admit.

I picked a Death Knight from World of Warcraft, and I went for their starting kit. I know there’s plenty more I can do with it but I made a point of buying scrap materials from work and then from trying to reuse things as much as possible. The whole thing cost me about £10 in total and about a month on and off of sewing.

Suffice to say I felt quiet nervous about this one but the new medication has kicked in, my panic attacks are down and I am generally thinking that it’s perfectly okay to try these things because hey, everyone has to learn somewhere!

I met new friends, saw older ones, I loved the venue but it was a bit warm being next to a swimming pool! The day went really fast in fact, but we did have a giggle surprising local Asda (Walmart) people by wandering around, the Ghostbusters even got picture’d by staff. Overall when we left, a little tired and possibly bedraggled it was in a high spirit.

Our next outing is to LFCC (London Film and Comicon) and I am taking Anya again. I simply love the costume and am hoping that CosplayUK will see me, my costume and the bloody big grin all wrapped up in one. I know Stan Lee will be there but I didn’t get a ticket and photoshoot organised in time, so my loss but I hope if you did you get to have an amazing time.

So what are your next plans? And if you ever spot me around a convention here in England PLEASE stop me, say hi and if you are in costume and I have my camera tell me to get a pic for you because I am probably so happy to meet you I might forget that part.

Frag out!

Rea

 

 

2013 What’s happened to me?

Wow what a year! And I really do thank my family and friends for it all.

1. Partner.

He’s suffered my obsessive cosplay outings, holiday and trips all over the place. We’ve both been very busy this year, he even ventured out to a convention with me despite hating them. He’s a rock when I am depressed, and I in turn hope I do that for him when he is low or wants comfort. We’ve been together for over a decade now, seems pretty impressive to me.

2. I changed jobs.

I went from a full time position dealing with complaints for the energy industry and it was a bit of a harrowing time. The place I was in took up a lot of my energy and I found it hard to deal with by the end, more so when I realised how many people I would leave behind. I have now got a new job, it’s part time and the money adjustments will really set in during 2014.

3. Venice.

This was amazing. I went with what I consider to be one of my best set of friends here in Nottingham. It’s a shame more friends couldn’t be mustered up but it’s really a place you can fall in love with. I am desperately hoping to return there, as much as I would like to go back to the USA and even Germany too. It was so hot and I even got a tan!

4. Other outings?

I was lucky to get to see the Mansion for Zed Events, I met a lot of amazing people there from both Zed Events and REUK (Resident Evil UK). It was so much fun! It was a great road trip with my friends and it was another great way of proving I can get past the years of sitting home, in semi-forced reclusion.

Sheffield and Birmingham Cemetery trips – again I went with friends or met friends there. I love to look around and see the beautiful gravestones, the plants and environment; I don’t mind if people consider it morbid. It makes me happy and I feel at peace in them.

I also took a couple of other trips, one to Haverhill to see friends I don’t get to see enough and also a random trip out to go and buy a Gears of War Lancer off a friend there. I fell lucky enough to catch up with another friend in Scarborough and so both trips were a great deal of fun.

5. Cosplay.

WOW where do I begin? How about the list of the ones I ventu

I have really enjoyed making so many friends, and I have absolutely learnt a lot about costumes. I have seen the good and bad side of the hobby. I love the costumes, the friends and I love looking around. I hate the blatant elitism and the downright rude way people can be, not everyone there wants to be an air-brushed model on a page, and I am definitely happy with just staying in the circles I do. If you want to say hi or get a picture do so, but I don’t approach photographers because I don’t need them to make me feel good. Especially when this year I lost seven stone, made friends by the bucket-loads and didn’t even need an agent to do it! (Yeah that was a cheap dig at the “I want to make friends, book my pictures” type of people). red too? So MCM Telford, both Birmingham events, both London events, LFCC in the summer, Insomnia47 (thanks to the awesome Tigerlily Cosplay and her competition), J-Con and Nerdfest. What a year?

6. Gaming.

Oh lords well – it’s really been the year for Gears of War and Resident Evil, mixed with a bit of Devil May Cry (original 4). I did also get my mitts on Metal Gear Rising. It’s been a great year for social gaming, I’ve spent plenty of hours on my Xbox and PC, and I also got a fair amount of time on the MMO I have played for quite a few years (yes the dreaded WOW player is here).

Gaming has been a good outlet for me, when I am not able to write, draw or muster up the energy to fight low points of depression it’s a way to escape the troubles. When I am in a good mood it’s a great way to clock up some kill counts too!

So how has your year been? I hope it’s been good and that come 2014 it will only get better.

Special thanks to Jon Fisher Photography for my Dante picture.

72 Days

Yes I am a typically boring English person who rarely leaves the sanctuary of Old Blighty and this year marks the biggest adventure in my life yet! Well travel wise I think it is.

 Thanks to the wonders of the PPI payments (check google it’s a long old tale) yours truly will be travelling to America for three whole weeks. Okay so basically I will be leaving from Birmingham, Birmingham has been quite an eventful part of my life too really. One of my prior boyfriends (still someone I am glad to be touch with) went to University there and many a night was spent mildly or extremely drunk but not this time. This time I shall be packed up ready to leave England on a massive holiday and I don’t think any amount of alcohol is going to steel the nerves.

 So what have I learnt already? ESTA, no she’s not an aunty she is the right to travel pass for America. I first looked at it and it was daunting to fill in the application, then I came back and the site changed. Phew! It was so much easier than I expected and with just my passport number and correct details I was able to get through and pay the fee. You will need a credit card to do this, but that’s alright at least it’s done and they say I am allowed through the border.

 I’ve flown before but the longest flights I have taken are Northern Ireland and Germany, they haven’t taken more than an hour so this time I am nervous that I will be up in the air for a very long time. My schedule has changed quite a few times already and now I’ve got a ten hour wait in New Jersey but I am sure that I will be too tired to care by then.

 Why America? Firstly and most importantly it’s friends. Sincerely, I have friends that have always been there at the end of a PC or phone, they have listened to me through so much and I hope in turn I have been there for them too.  Aside from my direct family and friends here they have been there through so much that I want to meet them and hug them in person. It’s not the same saying hugs on a phone now is it? Nope!

 So the tickets are booked, the ESTA is ready. In 72 days I embark on a trail to another country and I am pretty damned excited I can tell you!

 MJ.

Aftermath

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I plan to write more about it once I can move better, my feet ache and my brain’s a bit tired from all the driving but it was such a stunning weekend.

 

Thank you to everyone who embraced my efforts as Rangiku 🙂