http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:Kara-Kazeneko&section=today deviantART RSS for by:Kara-Kazeneko en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:09:46 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/28539636/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/28539636/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:46:37 PST
THE BASICS: write a Christmas/Holiday wish list. It can be any 10 wishes you'd like to have granted, no matter what they are. Possible or seemingly impossible. People look and grant the wishes if they can. It's not about "OMFG PRESENTS", it's about making someone else's holiday a little brighter by giving. Personally, I get more out of giving than receiving sometimes. It's just a good feeling to give.

STEP ONE

- Make a post in your journal. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything, from simple and fun ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing: make sure the wishes are things you really, truly want.

- If you wish for real possible things, make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you. In this case, you can always just note someone on DA for the sake of privacy.

- Make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your journal, so that others can join in and spread the holiday joy!

STEP TWO

- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where to get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.

- You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

~~~My List~~~

1. Help me get a Millennium Eye for my Pegasus costume! Something like an eyepatch with transparent elastic would work, just as long as it's the right shape/size to fit over my eye, etc.

2. ANY help at all in fulfilling my cosplay dreams. Whether a little, a lot (most of the costume), a prop or two, and what'd be epic would be to help with any of 'the big ones' (Yajirobe from DBZ, Morrison from Pokemon, Boota from TTGL, Lili from Axis Powers Hetalia, Genma Saotome from Ranma 1/2, a cool gijinka of a pokemon, Janus from Chrono Trigger, etc.).

3. If anyone got me this T-shirt in size 3XL, I'll joygasm... [link]

4. Also a crazy idea, but if anyone could PRETTY PLEASE help me FINALLY own a gothic or sweet lolita outfit, that'd be the coolest thing ever (because it's far better than cosplay in that I can wear it almost anywhere my heart desires...).

5. It'd be EPIC to get eps of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann on DVD (I've only watched episodes in Japanese, and it might be nice to find out what the dub is like, etc. - plus, there's a lot of episodes that I haven't seen...UGH!!!).

6. Help me end my quest to finally get a copy of the GameCube game that I've sought hard after for years - Tales of Symphonia.

7. I'd be absolutely thrilled if I could finally have fan art done of some of my OCs or RP characters, and especially pics of my two major alter-ego/RP characters (Kara Kazeneko, from the Naruto universe, and Shinsei Wakaba from the Bleach universe). If anyone would do this, I'll happily provide plenty of details...

8. A MAGIKARP PLUSHIE. Been wanting one for ages. What'd be awesome is if it were 'real-sized' (almost as big as a Pikachu).

9. A gift card from Uwajimaya/Kinokuniya, Hot Topic, Super Supplements, Borders, or heck - even a Gaia Online cash card would be totally awesome.

10. And it'd be wonderful if I could get a dark red trenchcoat of some sort, decked out with studs & stuff to look like something that Choji would wear if he were a punk-rocker (inspired by the outfit he wears in Naruto: Shippuden). Besides the epic cosplay I could do with this, it'd also be one hell of a badass coat for me to wear almost everywhere.

What're your wishes? And how can I grant them for you? ^_^

(UPDATE NOTE: Changed #1, because the original wish is partially being granted by a coworker of mine... so awesome...)

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/28257399/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/28257399/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:54:59 PST
I haven't had so much fun at an anime convention in a long time, and it felt sooo good. Made some new con buddies, cheered my head off at the Soul Candy concert (Premiering songs from their first real album! It was SO COOL.), was highly amused by the hilarious 'musical' attempts of ~xXKingAceXx to get people to buy the prints/bookmarks/cellphone charms being sold by fellow GasuKan-er ~ji-hwan in the Artists' Alley, cheered like hella crazy at the Cosplay Showdown (~ji-hwan's BlazBlue cosplay group won the grand prize! $500!!! And happily, my bud ~Javakat343's fun cosplay skit won 2nd prize in that.), attended =PhotoPanda's first ever panel (on cosplay photography), had some Yu-Gi-Oh lolz with my bud James (cosplaying as Yuusei) and a girl who was cosplaying as Thief King Bakura (she kept stealing the little Millennium Eye lens-thingy of mine! Gah!), finally got to meet this cool guy who badly wants to attend GK (~Raif-San), and got to have fun sharing experience & tips as a guest speaker at the crossplay panel run by Carlos (of Soul Candy) - called "Crossplayers Guide to the Galaxy".

There was TONS of other great stuff that went on during the con, and it'd take me a long time to write about here and I may risk boring you with all the details...LOL. Totally psyched and looking forward to next year's AC and hoping to have some way better (and cooler-looking) costumes. As a matter of fact, I have a crazy-awesome idea right now of trying to pull off a slightly mascot-style costume of "Boota" from Gurren Lagann. Fufufu... I'm going to try my best on fulfilling this - for the joy of having a warm & comfy costume, and have fun being that kawaii little pig-mole of awesomeness. >3<

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27983396/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27983396/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:07:40 PDT
In other news: I had a blast at GasuKan's 2nd anniversary (a.k.a. GK #21). Enjoyed some tasty food and goodies brought by the cosplay group 'R.A.P.E. Productions' (really loved their tempura, negi tamago, and pomegranate seeds; and there was a cake with =PhotoPanda's logo!), and for once I stayed a long time at Pochi's when folks went there later in the evening (though it felt weird since I missed the late bus home; oh well, still worked out okay - just got real cold on the walk home from 15th avenue...I've gotta remember to bring stuff to change into from now on).

And also, my cosplay plans for AkiCon are now finalized =

Friday --- "Konoha Gakuen" Choji
Friday Night --- "Raver" Choji
Saturday --- "Raver Fox" (fuzzy & fun stuff)
Sunday --- Maximillian J. Pegasus

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27826602/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27826602/ Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:23:42 PDT
Doesn't change the fact that my job situation is still in a dark abyss, and so far my job hunting has been extremely fruitless and making me even more depressed. I swear, it seriously looks like all local employers are discriminatory against fast-food workers! (even though folks always claim that experience in such jobs are a sure win-win way to get better ones... Pfft...what a joke.)

In other news, GasuKan's 2nd anniversary gathering is coming up, and I hope it'll be awesome. Going to do an unique and crazy costume for it - my own 'shinigami' version of the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland (a.k.a. a creepy dark envisioning of that character). Already got most of it worked out from amid the things I already own (only needed to buy the ears, some white gloves, and creepy fangs for this; not bad), and all I've got left to do is find one of my dad's pocketwatches to have fun with (he already gave me permission to tinker with it for the sake of helping my costume to be cool...LOL). And if getting ready for this wasn't crazy enough, AkiCon is in just a few weeks! I'm quite looking forward to that, since I get the joy of being an assistant for the crossplay panel (entitled "Tuck Everlasting"... *snort* gosh that name cracks me up).

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27733565/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27733565/ Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:17:48 PDT
...My boss proved how much of a dick and a heartless bastard he is, by REDUCING my already way-too-frikkin tiny hours to even less. NO ONE could ever live off of 10 hours a week, paid minimum wage!!!!!

*momentarily erupts into a giant storm of shouting cusswords*

So... I'll be working my poor ass off looking for a new job, which truly sucks since I haven't been feeling well lately, and most certainly will have a horrid time of doing that/keeping in touch with friends once my electricity gets cut off (and if anyone mentions getting hold of a group that gives financial aid for paying the electric, forget it - my dad tried more than one and they turned him down, mentioning some BS about not getting enough funding, etc.).

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27323448/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27323448/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:49:53 PDT sailoronymoon did a pretty kickass Sakura that included a punk-y skirt & knee-high socks with cherries on them), so that was neat to see. There were also quite a bit of newcomers, and that rocked (like ~MiyuYuuhi, ~strawberryspots, etc.). The location chosen for this one was "Pratt Park", which is one heck of a cool playground that has all sorts of artistic and clever features (including a few that, as I and a few buds discovered, would make this place an epicly LOLtastic place to have a Yu-Gi-Oh photoshoot some day). And later on, I hung out with a small group that went to Westlake Mall for dinner (which included 2 awesome girls cosplaying as Deidara and Sasori). Just as we were eating, several Japanese teens came over and asked if they could take photos of us, and they were so delighted to run into people in cosplay. I'm not kidding about this... and it made dinner all the more awesome. XD

In other news, I'm eagerly looking forward to attending AkiCon (all 3 days! w00t!), and also hoping to save up the money I need for cosplaying as Janus at SakuraCon next year (it'd be the greatest joy ever to finally get to do one of my dream cosplays, and esp. a character from Chrono Trigger; and even if it doesn't get done in time, I still plan to run a little CT/CC photoshoot on the first day of the con - I've gotten quite a few folks happy about the idea).

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27083075/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/27083075/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:45:12 PDT BlackjackGabbiani, got surprised and photographed on the 2nd day by some Asian tourists (bunch of girls who all yelled "Choji!" from behind me; so cool they could tell from behind who I was cosplaying as), running into A LOT of folks that I often see at SakuraCon, hanging out late on the 2nd night with some Yu-Gi-Oh fans, and so much more! <3

Awesome Loot = a Gurren Lagann messenger bag, and a Naruto keychain that resembles the mark of the Akimichi clan.

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26702078/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26702078/ Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:29:28 PDT Moyayuki officially cosplayed while attending GasuKan, doing a fun original costume that I have dubbed the "Soviet Dog" (Russian uniform stuff + my black cat ears, which we discovered look a bit like the ears of a Shiba Inu if worn in a certain position & covering your own ears). And I am delighted to have finally debuted my "Sporty Link" costume, which is one of the easiest and most fun original cosplays I've ever come up with.

I'm so excited about attending KumoriCon for the 1st time! Hope it's a blast and I have lots of fun (though one of the best parts is getting to hang out with ~BlackjackGabbiani, who I haven't seen in ages since she's been boycotting SakuraCon over something stupid they did). And if nothing bad happens in the next few weeks to keep her from attending, I might get to hang out with my super-special-awesome bud Haley (who I sadly haven't seen since she got mega ill with a rare disease 2 years ago, right after SC'07).

Cosplay Plans: Going to premiere my 'Konoha Gakuen' Choji, and might also bring my Pegasus costume (hope I can use Got2BGlued on its wig in time for the con). I'm thinking of bringing my Pokemon Fisherman-Gal, too, since I hear there will be a big Pokemon photoshoot taking place.

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26409426/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26409426/ Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:03:10 PDT

(Note: 56th one was added by ~caineyamiyasha's friend ~AthenaFlux )

1. How many times have you been to a convention?
~Grand total of 8 times = SakuraCon (7) and AkiCon (1)

2. Do you sleep at conventions?
~Sort of; not enough, though...makes me ick in the mornings

3. Do you eat?
~Try my best to, usually just a light breakfast and dinner, and on rare occasion snag a snack or something lunch-like

4. Are you shameless at conventions?
~Not really...I fear embarassing myself or offending folks

5. On average, how much money do you spend?
~Most often between $150 & $250 (and that's including food and vendors' room treasures); sadly can't afford more than that, thanks to my dumb job

6. Do you go to conventions to pick up people?
~Nope...though it doesn't hurt to be hopeful while there

7. Do you go to conventions to bang people?
~Heck no; and I believe in not having sex until you're married

8. How much cellulite do you see when you go to conventions?
~Besides my own? LOL. Quite a bit, though not as much as I used to (thank God; my mind is still rather scarred from seeing a gal who cosplayed as Selphie Tilmitt - and had a waist twice the size of mine)

9. Do you cosplay?
~BANZAI YEAH!!!

10. Does your cosplay show a lot of skin?
~Ugh, not really (that'd be gross and maybe offend someone)

11. Is your cosplay the epitome of badassery?
~I wish... (how terribly sad/depressing)

12. Do you wait in line for things...ie; hentai fest, yaoi fest, autographs, ceremonies?
~Not that often; mostly for AMV or cosplay contests

13. How many friends have you met from conventions?
~Quite a few (loads more if you count GK as being one...LOL)

14. Have you ever been drunk at a convention?
~NEVER. And never will. Alcohol + Me = Mega Sick-o

15. Name your conventions:
~SakuraCon and AkiCon

16. Do you go to conventions alone or with a bunch of people?
~Usually by myself, though I stay with friends

17. Get your own room or mooch off of someone?
~Never been able to afford my own room, mostly stay with other folks; I did, however, mooch off my friend Jaime at SC'04

18. Ever partied hard with a voice actor?
~Sadly, never...haven't even met one at a con, either (meeting the guy who originally did Trunks from DBZ and James from Pokemon doesn't count and was a slightly odd experience, which took place at a videogame store the guy worked at)

19. Taken a picture with Silent Bob?
~Nope, though I have a picture someone cosplaying as him!

20. Jay too?
~*ditto to the answer of previous question*

21. Gotten home to find out you've lost weight from walking around so DAMN much?
~Not exactly; usually from being dumb & not eating much.

22. Hugged random people?
~A few times, especially if they happen to be cosplaying as a favorite character of mine

23. Kissed random people?
~Ugh, no. Unless it was for taking an amusing yaoi photo, but even then it'd probably just be a peck on the cheek

24. Stalked someone who was cosplaying your favorite bishi character?
~Not really. Though I have gone in search of a few people in order to get hold of them for a photo

25. Gotten a g/f or b/f out of a convention?
~One of my ex-b/fs (David; turned out to be a slight perv)

26. Hooked up with someone?
~Unfortunately, no...

27. Tell the truth now... seriously
~Like I said, no.

28. Had a temporary con love that ended by Monday morning?
~No (my ex, David, might count; but it was way after the con)

29. Raved until you fell over?
~Thankfully, no; I've never partied that hard

30. Flirted with a dealer to get a discount?
~LMAO... It probably wouldn't work even if I tried

31. Taken pictures of people?
~Not as many as I'd love to (camera problems, etc.)

32. Had your picture taken?
~Not that many (bummer)

33. Gone to a photoshoot?
~Just a few (Naruto, Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy). Outside of cons, if you count GasuKan as one, then I've been to A LOT

34. Planned a photoshoot?
~YES!!! I run the Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh ones at SakuraCon

35. Been stalked?
~Not at all (what a relief)

36. Been annoyed by someone?
~A few times, but never was that bad

37. Done the annoying?
~Ummm... ]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26344075/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26344075/ Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:40:19 PDT
I loved all the great summery costumes, esp. the bathing suits. If you've got the physique for it, such cosplay is sooo awesome to do (like ~Ai-rika's totally epic Haruhi - that was darn sexy). Saw some real spiffy ones, too, like *LilithFire's schoolgirl Rei Ayanami costume (with an eyepatch!) and ~Javakat343's 'merman' Sora.

In other news, I'm grateful to have survived the recent nightmare that took place here in Seattle. On the 29th, we experienced the highest temperature EVER to be recorded in this state... 103 degrees!!! It was utter hell for me, and at one point almost passed out (quite scary). Still haven't quite fully recovered from it, either. Feelin' pretty yuck-o.

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26094535/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/26094535/ Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:10:43 PDT caineyamiyasha ). There was certainly some interesting little-done cosplays (like this one girl who did Badou Nails from DOGS: Bullets & Carnage), and sadly I was the only person who was doing Pokémon cosplay (major suckage). And after the parade was over, I enjoyed a fun late dinner at IHOP with a friend (~Javakat343) and her buds. Oh, and kudos to ~MiyuYuuhi and ~lil-gumby for great costumes!

Now I'm eagerly looking forward to GasuKan on Saturday. May my fun (and oh so comfy) debut of 'Hawaiian Luau' Choji be a real joy! Not to mention it'll be great to be back at Lincoln Park again... that place rocks to infinity (esp. the beach and that white Star Wars-esque bathroom that's near the beach). ^_^

-----------------------------------------------------
EDIT = I got tagged by ~lil-gumby of Ramune Cosplay!

So here's the dealio... gotta post 8 random things about myself, and then go tag 8 of my friends to do the same (and also no tag-backs, btw).

1. - My new fave flave of CupNoodles is Cheddar Cheese <3
2. - Still hoping to get a new job & ditch dumbass BK
3. - Attended private school for 80% of my school years
4. - Been thinking of wild ideas for new Pokémon after my sis mentioned they should have all types evolve from Eevee (can't do all individually, though; 2 of them can be dual types - Bug/Flying and Rock/Fighting)
5. - I've majorly gotten into playing Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
6. - Recently found and bought an epic letter opener that's a sword with an elaborate handle/hand-guard & was made in Spain (also has a really cool sheath made out of real leather)
7. - Bought a cool pocket mirror to bring with me whenever going somewhere that involves cosplay (to be nice to other people should they ever need a mirror for whatever reason, besides using it myself)
8. - Currently working out details and some art-related stuff on a very awesome top-secret project me and my sis are formulating (and btw, it has to do with our love of cosplay)

And I tag the following peeps =



]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/25755677/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/25755677/ Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:46:03 PDT .<

---
And the best part - July's GasuKan will be at Lincoln Park!

So my "Hawaiian Luau" Choji will be debuted, and I'm going to bring bags of Tim's Cascade' Hawaiian chips to share/use as a prop. As goofy as it may seem, just being able to do some version of a character that I've dreamed of doing is so wonderful... esp. since that character also happens to truly be my 'anime alter-ego'. LOL.

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/25225672/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/25225672/ Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:11:21 PDT
I might try and attend PAX, but only if I can afford it (I'll either go in my Pokemon Fisherman-Gal outfit, or an idea I had of doing "Sporty Link" - a fun & simplistic cosplay that'd give me a reason to wear my elf ears & my green Zelda jacket...etc; that last one sounds like so much fun, there's a good chance that I'll do it, and if not at PAX, then at a future GK).

AND HERE'S A RANDOM COSPLAY THINGY... <3 go to for this...

Most Accurate Cosplay: ~ Tie between Genma Shiranui and Yamato

Most Difficult Cosplay: ~ Hmmm...Kankuro? (the 2nd version; namely due to props, etc.)

Easiest Cosplay: ~ My Pokemon Fisherman-Gal

Most Out Of Character Cosplay: ~ Maximillian J. Pegasus (I am not as creepy-weird/fruity as him, although we do have some things in common - like a love for cartoons and Duel Monsters...LOL)

Most Fun-to-Cosplay: ~ Ummm...my Pokemon Fisherman-Gal? (technically, the one that's the most fun, I haven't even had the priveledge of wearing yet - "Hawaiian Luau Choji"...LOL)

Sexiest Cosplay: ~ Haven't done any yet, unfortunately

Most Comfortable Cosplay: ~ Tie between my Pokemon Fisherman-Gal and my "Rockin' Kitsune Gijinka"

Least Comfortable Cosplay: ~ Any that involves wearing a jonin uniform/chest binding

Costume with longest hotelroom prep time: ~ Kankuro (because of the facepaint, etc.)

Costume Garment you wear out of costume: ~ Bits of my "Punk-rock Kankuro" costume (esp. the shoes; they're my everyday ones!)

Favorite Wig/Hairstyle: ~ My Pegasus wig... it's crazy but fun <3

Favorite prop: ~ My Kunai knife

Favorite accessory: ~ The tail of my Rockin' Kitsune Gijinka

Ever been in a group cosplay?: ~ Sort of... (get paired with folks for photos, but not really in a group)

Ever cosplayed a pairing with someone?: ~ Not yet... >_<

Pairing support=y/n?: ~ Yes

If yes, how steamy? ;D: ~ Umm, kawaii? (I'm a fan of shonen-ai...what'd you expect?)

Ever been to a photoshoot?: ~ Hells yeah! GasuKan 4-Eva! And I'm also the coordinator of both the Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh photoshoots at SakuraCon (does that count?).

Ever entered a contest?: ~ Sadly, no...I've never had the chance (or the guts)

Ever won an award in a contest?: ~ Nope...

The Costume you'll never finish: ~ Haven't got any that I can't get done

The Costume you've always wanted to make: ~ Choji Akimichi (Naruto; 12 yr. old version), Yajirobi (Dragon Ball), Janus (Chrono Trigger), younger Genkai or Yukina (Yu Yu Hakusho), Kajika (from the manga of the same name), Mingchao (Et Cetera), and many more...

The Costume you'd wear if it weren't for your body type: ~ Ark (Terranigma)

The Costume that you can't make for lack of money: ~ All my dream ones, sadly

Show us your best cosplay photo: ~ Well, certainly the most decent one =[link]

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24676853/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24676853/ Sat, 09 May 2009 22:10:55 PDT
Here's some other costumes I'm thinking of trying to work on, whether they be for this year's AkiCon, next year's SakuraCon, one of the monthly GasuKan gatherings, or some other event =

"Rinku" from Yu Yu Hakusho (with or without his hat, and I might have to persuade my sister to give me her red yo-yo to use for a prop)

"Rally Dawson" from Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds (he's so cute & spunky! Only prob with this is getting a wig that resembles his big fluffy hair)

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24349820/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24349820/ Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:05:43 PDT
Yes, this year's SakuraCon was awesome... and I'm actually longing for the next year to hurry up and get here. LOL. I think that this year, even with all its bumps and rough edges, was certainly a blast for me and all my buds. Here's a rundown of pros and cons:

Pros =

~ ~Ai-rika's panel was an awesome success - "The Naruto Face-off" (you had to have been there to understand how fucking fun it was, having that many hardcore Naruto fans/cosplayers all in the same room and competing with hilarious trivia & such; surprisingly, the one who won the whole thing was this cool girl who was cosplaying as 'No Face' from Spirited Away).

~ Goodies Gotten: A new cellphone charm - the GARtastic emblem of the Dai-Gurren Brigade! One of those epic Revoltech figurines of Gurren Lagann (even came with a drill pendant like Simon's!), some big emoticon pins (big sweatdrop & dot-dot-dot), metal pins (Simon's drill & ANBU tattoo), and some cool things for my sister (Bleach T-shirt, etc.). Also got some cool cosplay-useable items - high quality elf ears, a comfy fox ear hat, and a big plush fox tail (has loops to attach it to a belt).

~ Got to see Soul Candy in concert! It was so awesome, and what really thrilled me was that they played QUITE A LOT of my fave tunes (like Haruka Kanata, Sakura Kiss, etc.).

~ The Yu-Gi-Oh photoshoot was small, but it was SO MUCH FUN!!!!! <3 I've never had that much fun at a photoshoot in a long time, and it was a real thrill to see my friend James cosplaying as Yuusei Fudo (and his friend Rachel as Aki Izayoi). Being that I love Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds so immensely right now, it was totally awesome to see James and Rachel there (esp. since that sneaky James didn't tell me his plans... it truly was a shock to see him show up at the photoshoot, and at first I almost didn't realize it was him...LOL). Oh yeah, and my bud Jaime also really made it full of win, too, with her fun Joey costume & bringing along her bootleg holographic Yu-Gi-Oh cards to use a props (not to mention her portable DVD player with all her kickass AMVs on it).

Cons =

~ At the opening ceremonies (and this is what I heard, since I didn't attend due to waiting in line for the dealers' room), when Peter Fernandez was either announced or went on stage (I don't know which it was), hardly anyone cheered for him. WTF???!!! He's an UBER LEGEND. My mom is a bigtime fan of his, for crying out loud. Most of the stupid audience acted like they've never heard of Speed Racer (well, except those proud few that're over the age of 30 or were actually cosplaying as Speed). Just so terribly sad. I hope that Peter desires to come back again for next year's con, because I sure would give him some loud cheers worthy of his legacy/fame...

~ The Naruto photoshoot - wasn't as lame as last year's (snow outside, crazed fujoshi screaming for Sasu-Naru poses, etc.). However, it still managed to unfortunately end up being very chaotic and disorganized. At least it was entertaining chaos, or I would've been horribly bummed out. Oh, and at the beginning of it all, the straps on my Karasu dummy decided to break off... *sigh*

~ Before the Soul Candy concert, there was a period of about one or two hours where I had absolutely no one to hang out with and I started getting depressed. It scared the crap out of me a little bit, because I became afraid I'd have a repeat of those awful times when I first started attending SakuraCon (back when it was at Sea-Tac; I'd plop myself on the floor under the area where the telephones were, and literally weep from how lonely and crappy I felt).

~ Soul Candy had their concert in the Karaoke Room, which sadly has pretty lame accoustics (esp. when you're singing loud parts of a song) & not that many seats. Also, there wasn't that many people in attendance due to the 'Starship Sakura Dance' going on. UGH. Bad programming. Oh well, it was after all an experiment of sorts to begin with.

~ I had to put up with my lame attempt at having a 'boob squisher' since I was crossplaying. The damn thing may be rather easy to put on, but boy did it keep shifting on me and trying to turn itself into a bra instead of keeping me flat. Highly annoying indeed. >_<

~ Feeling sick in the mornings (especially on the last day; I had the most vile headache ever), which was awful and a bit unsettling (well, at least now I understand why I was feeling that way, since I got sick not long afterwards).

------------

Anyhoo, here's to the hope that next year will be EVEN MORE AWESOME. I'm already quite excited about it, since... ]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24101796/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24101796/ Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:18:46 PDT
Other good news: If luck is on my side in the next month or so, I might be able to get a kickass new job... AT A COSPLAY CAFE. Yeah, you heard me right. Jessica, an awesome gal who works at the "Sweet Spot Cafe" at 78th & Aurora is convincing her boss to turn their cafe into a genuine anime/cosplay-themed one. Only a few peeps showed up for the first attempt at this, but it was pretty cool (got to meet Jessica's friend, an AMV maker I'm a fan of - VegaSailor). I even got to invent my own Italian soda mix - "Master Roshi" (heavy Banana syrup, light Coconut syrup, a bit of cream, and whipped cream for garnish; btw, the cream is part of how it got its name... due to a dirty adult joke that arose after it was poured in...LOL).

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24015217/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/24015217/ Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:36:49 PDT
My boss was even jerkier to me than before, and when it was nearing the time for me to go home, he started whining about how his bosses have been really 'grilling his ass lately about labor being too high'. And then he said something that almost made me want to beat the living crap out of him - 'hours are only being given to those who actually work'.

W...T...F?????!!!!! So does that mean everything that I've ever done at this store wasn't work, and that all the times I've busted my ass over lame shit that it wasn't work either?

For him to have the balls to say that... and in the quiet, dark tone of voice that he used... WOW. Well, if he thinks I'm that useless, then he's going to be one sorry bastard. I'm going to go gung-ho on looking for another job and hope to God that I get one soon. I mean, seriously - even if I have to settle for a minimum wage job again, it'd still be loads better than putting up with Colin's crap and only getting 10 to 15 hours a week.

[/end of venting & suckage update]

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23806421/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23806421/ Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:56:46 PDT
Ah...I'm at great peace now. SakuraCon's gonna be SUGOI...

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23750613/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23750613/ Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:50:23 PDT
I'm going to be so freaked-out/pissed if I'm not able to cosplay as Pegasus for the last day of SakuraCon (because it'd make this the 3rd time that I've been stuck w/out a real costume for the Yu-Gi-Oh photoshoot).

*feels unpleasantly sick now over such stress-ful crap*

EDIT: Hope I'm being paranoid for nothing & it comes soon...

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23514788/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23514788/ Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:58:43 PST
Not sure when it'll end up being, but I'm hoping that GasuKan #15 ends up being on the 28th - perfect for anyone who wishes to debut costumes for SC in order to work the bugs out of them before the con. If it thankfully ends up on that day, I might either debut my Punk-rock Kankuro outfit (if I get the hood by then; still waiting for it to get finished...heh), or maybe I might do Pegasus.

Artistic News: I'm really eager to attempt to color in that Naruto pic of mine, as well as maybe do a whole new one (the goal of course be having it finished and uploaded before SakuraCon). I'm thinking of the new one either being of Simon from TTGL, or another Naruto character (Kakashi or one of the Akatsuki might be nice to try).

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23461254/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23461254/ Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:17:28 PST
In other news, no one claimed my first Kiriban. Major bummer. Now I'm not so sure I should do another one - I mean, what's the point, anyway? There's not really anything I could give or do as a prize, even in terms of art (unless someone out there would actually enjoy my modern art, a unique style of my own that I've dubbed "Gotamaze").

[Sidenote: At least there was one good thing that happened today - got an adorable little Naruto keychain as a belated birthday present from Ai-rika]

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23371618/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23371618/ Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:08:52 PST
In other news, my cosplay plans for SakuraCon are coming along nicely; finished most of them except for my Maximillian Pegasus outfit (needs the red pants, and I have to get the wig off of eBaY...ugh...; at least I found an awesome wig).

Recently became a member of some Kankuro fanclub, due to its prez becoming fond of my old cosplay photo (and my Chibi Kankuro pic). I'm surprised that he has so many fans here on DA. Makes me a bit prouder to cosplay as him now. <3

Some bad news: My scanner is dead. Which is hell, since I was hoping to create a pic to submit to the SakuraCon 2010 mascot contest (even if I don't get that image done, I have another one as a backup... but I can't use that one now either thanks to my dumbass scanner). *depressed sigh*

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23109417/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/23109417/ Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:46:13 PST
Been getting interesting ideas of starting a cosplay group, too. Since my Naruto fanclub is horribly devoid of life right now, maybe I could turn that into a cosplay group? "Seishougakure" really does have a nice sound to it if it were to become a group (loosely, it means "Hidden Reward of Life"). Might be really cool... and I could create a page for it here on DA. *sigh* But that'll only happen if I could actually get people interested in joining it.

w00t! Nearing my 1st-ever Kiriban, folks! Wondering who'll get 1,337...

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22991280/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22991280/ Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:24:25 PST
Whoever visits my page at 1,337 pageviews, will earn themselves a fun prize of their own choosing (whether it be art or cosplay-related, and something real simple that I can hopefully pull off & not suck at doing... XD ).

AND... I'm tagging anyone who'd like to do this... <3

RULES:
1. Answer the following questions and post it in your journal.
2. Tag all your watchers. (Add a comment to all of your watchers)
3. Post "You've been tagged. Read the rules in my journal entry." in the comment. (sorta)

P E R S O N A L

Real Name: Katherine
Nickname: Kat, or Kara (use this 1 online; most folks like to call me Kat)
Deviantart Name: Kara-Kazeneko
Country: United States
Gender: Female

F A V O R I T E S

Color: A tie between Green & Purple
Food: RAMEN! Oh, and Kappa Maki (w/ a dab of Wasabi on every bite) and Tempura-Ebi Maki
Drinks: Green Tea, Asian Pear Slush, and Full Throttle Unleaded
Movie at the moment (1 only): Kung Fu Panda
Song at the moment (1 only): "All I Ever Wanted" by BassHunter
TV Program (1 only): Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds
Book: The entire Chronicles of Narnia series
Ice Cream flavor: MACHA! <3 (a.k.a. Green Tea)


V E R S U S

What do you like most?

Sweet or Spicy?: BOTH

White chocolate or dark chocolate?: BOTH

School or Mall?: Um, school?

Desktop Computer or Laptop?: Desktop

Ice Cream or Cake?: BOTH (and epic when combined)

Anime or Cartoons?: Anime all the way, bay-bay!
(though I must confess that I do enjoy classic cartoons and Disney shows, and seriously love ones from the 80s - like "Kidd Video" and "Captain N: The GameMaster")

PSP or PS2?: PS2... and PSP is a bit lame (only like 7 of its games)

Sony or Panasonic?: Um...both?

RnB or POP?: It's only Pop for mwa (esp. if it's 'J-Pop'


D E V I A N T A R T

What is your most favorite deviation in your gallery?

[link]

Who is your first watcher? Spatterpunk (my old RP bud Sun-chan)

How many are your watchers right now? 14

How many deviation/s do you have? 22... and soon to be more

In the moment, how many is your page views? 1,139

Whom of your watchers do you talk to the most? A tie between Moyayuki & NijikazeKrisP

Are you a subscriber? Pfft... I wish

When did you start using Deviantart? July 15, 2007

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22723955/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22723955/ Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:33:29 PST
I'm going to try to attend the first day of the con dressed as Punk Kankuro, and I'd seriously like for it to look awesome... and not retarded.

Here's what I have so far that can be used for it =

- 2 studded black leather bracelets
- fingerless gloves w/ Sunagakure mark on metal plates on back
- long-sleeved fishnet shirt
- red & black skull-n-crossbones skate shoes
- Kankuro's hood
- black pseudo-bellbottom pants
- spiked collar with a metal loop (where a chain could be attached, maybe; kind of makes me think of a tiny little doorknocker...LOL)
- studded black leather belt

That's what I've got. I'd love to get a short-sleeved shirt that would look like something Kankuro would wear if he 'went punk', and any other cool accessory that'd totally fit with this whole look. I'm desperate to make this work out... and I'll appreciate any help whatsoever! (hey, I might not be as talented as Ai~rika when it comes to doing Punk Naruto cosplay, but at least I can boldly try...darnit... >_< )

OH... and just a little reminder - my 30th birthday will be Feb. 10! Ugh, I feel so old now. At least I don't look my age...folks still mistaken me for a 17 year old, etc.

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22532552/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22532552/ Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:27:43 PST
The hood for my Kankuro costume is soon to be finished (once I get the Sand headband for it to Rae-Rae, who hopes to be able to attend this month's GasuKan). It will also be used for a 2nd, more interesting costume - Gothic Lolita Kankuro (well, as close to it as I can come). I highly look forward to using it for a future GK costume (Punk-Rock Kankuro).

I'll soon be getting the jacket for my Maximillian Pegasus costume, and once I have it, I gotta bust my ass and find a pair of red pants that match it. Ugh. Thankfully, I got the white shoes I needed for this costume. The other pain-in-the-butt is getting the cool silvery wig I've seen online - at least I've acquired the money for that part (just need to get in contact with the 'means' to purchase it).

Hoo boy... hope this stuff's finished in time. And I hope my stupid W2 form comes soon so I can mail off my income tax return in time to get it back before the con... *sigh*

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22314881/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22314881/ Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:28:20 PST
Oh yeah, and my biggest wish of all is that I can get a better job and finally be free of the *expletives deleted* crap at Burger King that I've had to agonizingly endure for nearly 3 years now (and especially today, when my boss was being more a jerk than usual and treated me like I'm an idiot).

And with some lovely inspiration I've been getting lately, expect some epic artwork to get posted here in the coming months (hint: It might involve TTGL and a few other cool anime).

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22132298/ http://Kara-Kazeneko.deviantart.com/journal/22132298/ Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:50:28 PST
1. My full name is Katherine Rene'e La Vanway

2. I seriously love Green Tea and ANYTHING that's GT-flavored (like ice cream, Chocolate Melty, Mousse Pocky, etc.)

3. My favorite videogame OF ALL TIME is Chrono Trigger, no matter what (and you can imagine how elated I was when I found out about the kickass Nintendo DS remake that recently came out)

4. My nickname used to be "Kara" (a phonetic combo of the 1st two letters of my first & middle names), but now a lot more people have come to enjoy calling me "Kat" - which I've come to like a lot

5. Dream cosplays: Choji Akimichi from Naruto (both his younger self & his older Shippuuden-era self), Teen Naruto (preferably in full 4-tailed Kyuubi form, because that is epic), younger version of Jiraiya (because his coat is so badass), Morrison from Pokemon (he's that cool/loud-mouthed dude who had a Beldum for his best bud), humanoid version of Boota from TTGL (because he's awesome), and MANY MORE than I can write here...

6. I'm a HUGE fangirl of DA artist Rogie Custodio (a.k.a. pokefreak), and happily one of his friends on Facebook

7. I can meow just like a cat, and have 'kitty magnetism' (can easily make friends with any cat I meet; not always, but at least 90% of the time)

8. I can howl like a wolf and have even scared the crap out of dogs with this ability

9. I'm happily a fullblown 'Ramen-aholic'

10. Sadly, the only 'social life' I have at all is hanging out at monthly GasuKan meetups and at local cons (SakuraCon, AkiCon)

11. Proudly the official coordinator of both the Naruto and the Yu-Gi-Oh photoshoots at SakuraCon 2009

12. Share a dream with my dad of one day being able to have an anime store that looks like a miniature Japanese castle (similar to my dad's beloved favorite, Kiyosu)

13. My #1 most favorite Japanese music group is m.o.v.e

14. I'm fond of both goth and punk clothing & accessories (yet lack the money to fully integrate those styles into my wardrobe)

15. I'm a 2nd generation anime fanatic (my dad adores the classics), and have proudly been able to see over 60 different anime in my lifetime since I was little (first anime ever: Voltron!)

16. I've been into videogames as long as I've been a fan of anime, ever since I got an Atari for my 4th birthday; hence why I usually come to utterly love anime made from games (like the one I still wish to get on DVD - Tales of Phantasia)

...And now I tag all my buds to go and do the same! MWA HA HA!!!

]]> ~Kara-Kazeneko