Con Recap: Ai-kon 2016

Thursday, May 31, 2018
Tis the season, folks! Tis the season for cosplay conventions!!

I have been cosplaying since 2013 and have been attending conventions since then so I've happily experienced my fair share of cosplay conventions. Despite the fact that I don't cosplay outside of conventions anymore, I still love attending and dressing up at local cons.

So since Ai-kon 2018 is just around the corner, I thought I'd share my experience at Ai-kon 2016 with you!

Ai-kon is a Winnipeg convention that takes place at the RBC Convention Centre every July in Winnipeg, MB. As the years have progressed and the convention centre has expanded, this convention has definitely grown.
I remember that at my first few Ai-kons, Homestuck, Vocaloid, Sailor Moon and Black Butler cosplayers roamed the halls. Now, Ai-kon is packed with Love Live idols and furries (if you don't know what furries are, you have a grand discovery ahead of you).

DAY 1

Wanna know an insider tip? If you're old enough or you're attending the con with a responsible adult, I highly recommend staying at a local hotel.
Ever since I became an adult (barf), I've been staying in a hotel room with my best friend - it's so much more convenient than driving back and fourth to your house.
We always fortunately get to stay at the Delta hotel attached to RBC Convention Centre so getting to and from the room/con is a breeze.

So Friday of Ai-kon we got to the Delta hotel, dropped off our bags, and made a mad dash for the con. Our friends were taking impromptu photoshoot pictures in the Japanese Gardens across the street so we joined in on the fun.

Le best friend as Lightning (Final Fantasy)
Day 1 of conventions are usually slow-paced since the con itself usually only starts at 3pm. Not a lot goes on during these days. Nevertheless, this is okay because you need time to pay for your ticket (if you haven't pre-paid), get your badge, and check out the vendors room/artist alley anyway.

*Tip: I recommend showing up an hour after the con has opened. There's usually a long line prior to the convention opening to get your badge. SO, if you want to avoid lines as much as possible, don't show up for the convention opening. Unless of course you want to be there for the Opening Ceremony. 

Day 1 Cosplayers
(if you're in one of these pictures and you'd like your image to be removed, please let me know):

Chat Noir and Ladybug

Caveman Sponge!

McHanzo~

Sailor Moon (angel)

D.Va!

Sailor Neptune

DAY 2

Day 2 of cosplay conventions are without a doubt the busiest days of the entire convention. Not only is it the longest day, it's also the day with the most activity. The whole day usually closes out with a cosplay competition and rave so prepare yourself for a very long but very fun day.

I cosplayed as Ladybug from Miraculous Ladybug that day and boy was it eventful.
For starters, I ran into a Chat Noir cosplayer!

"Pound It!"
Prior to the con, my group and I discovered that a very popular anime/cartoon voice actor, Bryce Papenbrook was coming to Ai-kon. So naturally, we made sure we were there to get in line and get a FREE picture with him!
Bryce voices Adrien/Chat Noir from Miraculous Ladybug so after we talked to him, we exchanged a Chat/Ladybug Fist Bump and I did a mental backflip.
Bryce was VERY friendly, kind and humble and didn't mind at all that we were uber starstruck.

Bryce aka "Adrien", in the flesh!
But here's the cherry on top. Near the end of the day, I met an adorable little girl who came up to talk to "Ladybug" and show her her stickers on her badge. She even gave me one of her stickers.
It was a dream come true interaction for me - kids at cons are so fricken precious.

I believe we did end up staying for the rave that night. Keep in mind that they don't tend to allow backpacks (no matter how small they are) into the rave itself BUT we did get lucky this time around. I'm a type one diabetic so I need to be able to keep my supplies with me at all times soooo I was thanking the con gods for the good fortune. The rave usually stays open until midnight/1pm so yes, twas a long day indeed. 

Day 2 Photos:


Ahri aka Jasmine (@fire204 on Instagram)

DAY 3

Day 3 is usually a duplicate of Day 1 - not as huge as Day 2, but still eventful nonetheless. Day 3 always seems to fly by and before you know it, the con is over.

My group and I usually spend Sunday shopping in the vendors room (since many items are on sale by then) and just soaking up the majority of our time there.
When you cosplay, you don't really tend to take the time to observe the vendors' tables. So since everyone is getting ready to go home on Day 3, it's the perfect opportunity to window shop.

We were so busy all weekend that we didn't even notice this free Project Diva booth!
FYI - Project Diva is a Dance Dance Revolution game, Hatsune Miku edition.





ALSO Alyssa, the sweetest bean in Winnipeg, surprised me and a few other ladies at the con with sparkling roses. My heart melted, she is so dang lovely.


What a sweetheart she is~
And that's about it! This con was fantastic and I cannot wait for Ai-kon 2018. Despite the fact that I won't be attending all 3 days, I'm VERY excited to get back into cosplay, meet up with my group and meet new people/stare in awe at beautiful cosplay(er)s.

-Rach

I'm Back In Business!

Monday, May 28, 2018
HELLO!



It has been a hot minute since I last used this blog. I definitely abandoned this page but I'm the most nostalgic I've ever been this year so I think I'm going to try and revive this thang!!!

For starters, I obviously am far out of my weeb stage. I also only cosplay when I go to conventions, but I still attend multiple Winnipeg conventions every year so I'd like to make my own convention review posts AND throwback posts highlighting past cons!

I'd also like to upload a "con tips" post, story time posts, all that good stuff.

If you stick around, that'd be sweet. ;)




-Mio 

♡My Current Playlist!♡

Sunday, May 01, 2016
{GIF credit: wigglegif.com}

Hey so I just thought of this but I'm gonna share my recent playlist with you/songs that I have on repeat, just for funzies!~ This way, if you find a song you like, you'll have it to enjoy too!:)

~

✿ "Can't Get Over (UK Radio Edit)" - September
(nostalgiaaaaaaa triiiiiip :,3)

✿ "Flesh without Blood" - Grimes 
(don't let the title discourage you, it's a really catchy song and I'm a Jack Johnson/John Mayer/Michael Buble girl so I approve lol ;3)

✿ "America's Sweetheart" - Elle King

✿ "Reality (feat. Janieck Devy) [Radio Edit]" - Lost Frequencies

✿ "Catch & Release (Deepend Remix)" - Matt Simons

✿ "Collide" - Jake Miller

✿ "Sugar (feat. Francesco Yates)" - Robin Schulz

✿ "Capsize" - Frenship & Emily Warren

✿ "Verge (feat. Aloe Blacc)" - Owl City

✿ "Galaxies" - Owl City

✿ "Colors (Audien Remix)" - Halsey

✿ "BLUE (feat. Alex Hope)" - Troye Sivan

✿ "for him. (feat. Allday)" - Troye Sivan

✿ "Up We Go (Acoustic)" - Lights

✿ "Not Over You (The Voice Performance)" - Will Champlin

✿ "White" - HANA

✿ "Walking On a Dream" - Empire of the Sun

✿ "Hey, Soul Sister (Country Mix)" - Train

SpreePicky End of Summer Haul Review

Monday, August 31, 2015
Hey hey hey!♡ I hope you have been well.~

I'm back today for another review for the ever lovely, SpreePicky~! 



I am a very proud affiliate of SpreePicky which means:

You can use my discount code "miocharming" for 10% off any purchase $30 and/or over!

Also, be sure to check out SpreePicky's: { Official Store Site } and { Storenvy } !


Now of course, everything arrived safely and neatly packaged and came within a reasonable time range (considering the distance it travelled)~!


Below is a photo of everything that I dumped out of the 'main package':


Inside, they included a very sweet note, a little gift, and their business card.



The first item is the "3 Colors Cute Japanese Girl Stripe Shirt SP152302which can be found here: { item link } for $20 CAD (I'm sorry, I don't know the currency adjuster for other countries/ranges) ! 

This item is available in 3 colours: White, Black and Pink ! (I got it in pink.~)

Additional Details:

 -> Material: Cotton and polyester

 -> Size reference:
SizeBustLengthSleeve Length
One Size64cm/25.20"49cm/19.29"
15cm/5.90"

 -> Sample photo:



Here is what I received:


As you can see, it is 100% accurate to the photo.~


It is definitely made from a flexible material, making this shirt one of the easiest and comfiest shirts I've ever worn~!


My favourite little touch of character to this shirt is the little hole in the shoulders -- I thought that was really cute and was what influenced me to buy it!


(P.S. I apologize if any of the photos in this post are blurry. ^^')

I absolutely LOVE this shirt!! So comfy and stretchy and adorable, I give it a definite 5/5


Next, we have the "Grenadine High-Waisted Long TUTU Skirt SP140518" which can be found here: { item link } for $26 CAD ! 

This item is available in 5 colours: White, Black, Apricot, Mint, and Grey ! (I got it in mint.~)

Additional Details:

 -> For All Seasons.
 -> Material: Chiffon

 -> Size: Length 77CM/30.26" (Elastic)

 -> Sample Photo:



Here is what I received:


Once again, the colour/look/style is 100% accurate~!


It looks blue in this photo, but it really isn't.
The waist is elastic so it's easier to wear, but I did have a wee bit of trouble putting it on (I had to wiggle it on). But, as usual, I don't have a petite figure so that's probably why.


It consists of a base skirt and a lovely layer of tulle.~


As you can see, it's pretty long~! I believe I was wearing it just on my bellybutton and you can /juuust/ see my feet (and I'm 5'8"!)



*Note: There is no tag on the inside of the collar so there is no wrong way to wear this shirt.~

Unfortunately, the base skirt is pretty see-through (you can see my black shorts underneath -- yes, they are shorts. c;) which is the only downer. But other than that, I'm in love with it.~ 

Overall, I give this skirt a 3.5/5 ~! 


Next, we have the "Pink/Red Kawaii Strawberry Shoulder Bag SP152297" which can be found here: { item link } for $57 CAD ! ♡ 

This bag is available in 2 colours: Red and Pink ! (I got it in pink.~)

This bag can also be used in 3 ways: as a wrist bag, a hand bag and a shoulder bag. (you'll see how in a second.~)

Additional Details:

 -> Material: made of human made PU leather
 -> Size reference:

     ~Length: 22cm/8.66"

     ~Height: 25cm/9.84" 

     ~Thickness: 11cm/4.33"

 -> Strap length: 110-135cm/43.30-53.14"

     *A short strap will be given too.

 -> Sample photo:



Here is what I received:


My lighting was a bit too dark but the colours are 100% accurate (and it is SO CUUUTE!!)


Inside the bag were these two straps (one short/wrist bag strap, one long/shoulder bag strap).


Left: wrist bag strap, Right: shoulder bag strap


Here is a better photo of how long the straps actually are.


The zippers have cute little flowers around the loop...so freaking cute !!!! 


Here is how the bag can become a wrist bag (and stay properly closed) -- the strawberry leaves and the strawberry itself clip together with these 2 magnets~!




As you can see, the bag is a very good size (both on the inside and outside).

I have no complaints, this is my favourite bag and I'm in love with it~! 5/5 ~!!! 

Here are some photos of me with all 3 items because, why not~?





And last but not least, we have the: "S/M/L Sailor Moon Artimes T-shirt SP152232" which can be found here: { item link } for $26 CAD ! 

This shirt is available in 6 colours: White, Yellow, Blue, Lake blue, Green, and Grey ! (I got it in white.~)

ALSO, it is available in 2 patterns: Smile and No Smile ! (I got it in 'no smile'.~)

Additional Details:

 -> Material: Cotton

 -> Size reference:
SizeShoulderBustHeightLengthWeight
S34cm/13.39"80cm/31.50"150-160cm/5'0"-5'3"60cm/23.62"40-47.5KG
M35cm/13.78"84cm/33.07"160-165cm/5'3"-5'5"62cm/24.41"47.5-52.5KG
L36cm/14.17"88cm/34.65"165-170cm/5'5"-5'9"64cm/25.20"52.5-60KG

 -> Sample photo:

Left: No Smile, Right: Smile


Here is what I received:


Again, my photo quality sucks for whatever reason but trust me, it's accurate. Though, it's more accurate to the face on my Artemis sweatshirt!


The back, plain and simple.~


The tag.~


I don't know if you can tell, but on me, it's a bit of a snug fit. I had a bit of trouble getting it over my head and it was a bit tight but again, my un-petite body.



Other than the tight squeeze, this is a wonderful item~! It isn't see through so underclothing is hidden (hallelujah!) and of course, who can't resist Artemis's adorable face~?

Overall, I give this shirt a 4/5 ~! 


Overall Package Rating:

4/5

The only factors stopping me from giving it a full-score are the 'see-through-ness' of the skirt and the tightness of the shirt but overall, I love every item~! They're all so lovely -- this was probably my favourite SpreePicky package yet! 

And of course, as always, the SpreePicky Team was very sweet and angelic, with excellent communication, fast shipping, and including the tracking number, as well as an order review email (which definitely comes in handy)~! 


Again, if you'd like:

You can use my discount code "miocharming" for 10% off any purchase $30 and/or over at SpreePicky ~!

Thank you SpreePicky for all the gorgeous items~! 

If you have any comments or questions, don't hesitate to contact me at:

✧ crazykeicosplay@gmail.com 

Thank you~!