#then I saw the filipino cosplayer

[firefistjaigio]

I ALWAYS CHANGE MY FUCKING OPINION ON ACE'S NATIONALITY but I like the idea of him being from the carribeans maybe Dominican I mean it cooks in a way

[mikuyuuss]

My Mitsuri cosplay at the kny exhibit! My friend also came along as Rengoku so we can reenact the Flame and Love Duo 🔥💖 Heck yeah I'm in my Love Hashira arc 😌😌

I couple of young girls excitedly yelled "MITSURIIIII!!!" when they saw me, and it makes me happy that a lot of people wanted to take pictures with me or just tell me just much they love my cosplay. One of the little girls was even proudly showing me her Mitsuri pin 🥺💖 One of them even said "where's Iguro?" which uh, yeah sorry 👁️👄👁️ I bought Rengoku tho!

I also really like this shot of us in the mugen train. It looks like Mitsuri is missing Rengoku here. There were many other cosplayers in the event too, which was a pleasant surprise. A fellow Mitsuri cosplayer even took pictures with me. I'm also glad I got to do a Hashira group picture!

Also the exhibit itself is also very beautiful and interactive. There's like a small hole that you can sneak in and then you'd see a statue of Uzui's mice. I like that they're hidden so you get to explore more. There's also an interactive classroom from the modern kny spin off where u can sit in class and look at the standee of PE teacher Giyuu. Honestly, it was such a prime photoshoot spot but too bad we can't take pictures there!

There's also a screen where the hashiras are training and talking to you. When I was exploring, I got jumpscared by Mitsuri's voice going "KYAAA a new trainee!!" And then it's funny bc in Giyuu's segment he was like "Hi, if you wanna get stronger go ask the hashiras, ok bye 🏃🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️" Not exact words but that's pretty much it. Ya boy just ditched his responsibilities. Iirc Shinobu did the rest of the explaining while the rest of the hashiras are "Ewwww newbie" 😭

After the exhibit, you get to play a short mobile mini game and then upon completion, you get a KNY CERTIFICATE! Which is neat! I feel like I just graduated in Kny University lol. And then you get redirected to the merch store.

I really love that the kny merch has a Philippine exclusive version! I bought the sticker of Uzui riding a jeepney, because that's the main mode of transportation for a lot of us Filipinos and I love to see Uzui representing us like the flamboyant king he is.

Anyways that's all, this was such a fun experience, and probably not the last time I will cosplay Mitsuri. I worked super hard to tailor her outfit, and to make her sword so no way I'm gonna wear this once XD

[exovapor]

The Adventure - TMNT Bitches: chapters 12 & 13

CHAPTER 12: Larger Than Life

(Earlier)

Shredder moves through the congregation of cosplayers and genre aficionados looking for looking for suitable ‘volunteers’ to join his cause.  While there are no lack of people in general, most are too scrawny or out of shape to be of use to him.  He needs to find adequate specimens for his new mutant army and fast. 

As he reaches the lower level of the hotel, he sees a small group of rowdy, intoxicated, unruly men dressed as gladiators harassing a small group of women dressed in right colored outfits and long wings, which reminded him of some of the Japanese cartoons.  These five men are decently in shape and seem to be fairly strong considering that they are picking the women up and tossing them around as if they were dolls, they will definitely do for his purposes…now to get them alone and to inject them with the mutagen.

Shredder approaches the loud group manhandling the women and addresses them directly, “I see that you are a group of fine warriors, how would you like to become larger than life?”. 

The largest of the group of gladiators sets one of the anime dressed women back down on her feet, allowing her to flee from his grasp while muttering crass language his way, and he looks at the elaborately dressed Shredder with derision, “Bud, I think you need some glasses, can’t you see that I am already larger than life?”, he responds while flexing and ending his posing with a quick grab to his crotch.  His other four buddies laugh at his antics and copy his flexing to prove their size.

“Yesss, I see that you are quite the specimens”, Shredder’s placating voice rings out, “but, what if I told you that you could be more.”, he practically purrs out.  “I am offering you the opportunity to be unstoppable, to take whatever you want, whenever you want.”, he says while directing his gaze to the group of women who have moved as far away from the disorderly men as possible.

Despite their intoxicated state, Shredder’s words are sounding logical to them.  Hell, they came to Dragon Con to party and live it up, taking whatever drugs they could find to increase their pleasure while here.  If this crazy knife guy says he has something to increase their libidos or hype them up, they were game!

The dark skinned gladiator of the group speaks up after visually consulting with his companions, “Sure, man, we’ll hit your stash, I’m Ty, the big dork that started flexing for you is Bran, Todd and Mark there are our token gingers, and this lady’s man,” he says punching the third gladiator in the shoulder, who looks like he might be a mixed heritage of Thai and Filipino, “is Chompoo, Chomp for short.  So, where’s this stash of yours?”.

Shredder pats a leather bag on his belt and motions for the men to follow him, “The stuff I have will change your life, we need a bit of privacy, let’s see if this establishment has a basement area”.

CHAPTER 13: Rallying The Troops

(Back to the Present)

Leonardo and Raphael search through every ballroom, panel room, and maintenance closet on the lower level of the Marriott for over an hour but still come up empty handed.  “We’re nevah gonna find Shred-head in dis place!”, Raph grumbles to Leonardo.

Leo signs his own frustrations as the futility of the situation, “Raph, we don’t have a choice.  Donnie’s surveillance shows him coming to this location.  He’s got to be here… somewhere.    We have got to find him.  Maybe Mikey and Donnie have had better luck, let’s head back to the center of the atrium.

As Raph and Leo exit the inner hallways of the building and enter the open air area of the atrium, they see a very excited blonde male human nearly dragging a very tall burnette male behind him.  Mikey sees Leo and Raph off to the side of the atrium and makes a beeline for them as he pull’s Donnie along by the shirt hem. 

“DUDES!  You are never gonna believe what I saw!”, Mikey exclaims as they draws near his older brothers.  Despite them being human now for a couple of hours, it is still heard to wrap their minds around Mikey’s voice coming out of this human mouth.  In fact, all aspects of being human is still taking some getting used to.  They feel like their hearing is off or muffled, they can’t smell as well as they normally can, their sight isn’t as acute, and damn did they feel vulnerable without their shells.

“What?  Did ya see yer hero Elmo or somethin’?”, Raph chuckles at him.

Mikey gives Raphael a withering look before continuing, “No!  I saw us!”, he says gesturing between himself and his tall companion, “ Me and Donnie!”.

Leo and Raph look over to Donnie for an explanation.  As Donnie tries to straighten out his crumpled shirt hem he offers, “First off, it’s Donnie and I.  Secondly, no, he didn’t see his reflection if that is what you two are wondering.  To my knowledge, he didn’t see actual versions of us, just people dressed as us….or so he thinks.”.

“Not just people.  GIRLS!  And they were dressed as us.”, Mikey emphasized.  Leo and Raph glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes, trying not to crack too big a smile at Mikey’s story.  “Tell them the important part”, Donnie complains as he straightens up his glasses, thoroughly over Mikey’s around-about story telling.

“Oh, right!  Yeah, they told me they were looking for the Shredder”, Mikey adds in as an after thought.

Leo’s eyes go wide, “What?  Are you sure Mikey?”, he chokes out at the information.

“Yeah, dude, I talk to them.  Totally cool chicks, smokin’ bodies, totally dressed as us and looking for Shredder.”, he says states grinning and crossing his arms in proud triumph at talking to hot women.

“Oh, Leo, dis is bad”, Raph offers up. 

“You’re right, Raph, if they find Shredder before we do there is no telling what might happen to them.  He could take them as hostages or worse…”, Leo surmises leaving his sentencing hanging as he thinks about the possible outcomes. 

Directing his clear blues eyes on the youngest, with a focused stare Leo asks, “Mikey, this is very important.  I need you to tell us where they went and what exactly they looked like.”.

“Oh, that’s easy dude.  They were headed down here.  They should be around here somewhere…just look for sexy hot versions of Donnie and I.”, Mikey says giving Donnie a pleased smile at using the correct wording, to which Donnie just rolls his eyes. 

Undeterred, Mike continues, “They are wearing green corsets, with boobs out to here,” he gestures with his hands in front of his chest making comically large breasts for himself, “and fluffy little green skirts that show off their asses.  Oh, and little cute turtle shells on the back.”.

Leo, Donnie, and Raph stare shocked and open-mouthed at the Mikey.  Raph is the first to recover, “What are we waitin’ for?  They need us!”, he states emphatically and starts off to search the atrium.

“Raph, wait!  We need to coordinate the search effort….”, Leo tries to yell after him but the large human is already cutting a path through the throng of party-goers.

“I guess we’re all going this way”, Donnie offers up.  Quickly the three brothers head off after the hot-head in search of the women.

Sorry for the formatting... Tumblr has become SHIT for allowing formats to transfer over from Word and the space count is just effing backwards of how it wants me to do the KEEP READING line. I'm probably starting an AO3 soon to link over to since Tumblr wants to make this place inhospitable to stories. @turtle-babe83 @tmntspidergirl @nittleboo @raisin-shell

[leonchiro]

'It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!" ❤️ Please take 2 minutes to read this because there's something special I wanted to share from my heart with you. Before starting I want to thank by heart @cholo_tolentino (Deku), @mariasong_ (Uravity) and @theseanprice (Ingenium). I can't be more proud of you for having organized such a moment, starting from you guys and all the Filipino Community, you all have a special spot in my heart and wherever I go, you'll always with me. <3 So what happened? Around one month ago, since I was announced as International Guest in @asiapopcomicon , I received tons of messages from a lot of cosplayers from Philippines to bring my ALL MIGHT cosplay in order to organize a #MyHeroAcademia Family Gathering. So I contacted the organizers to create some space in my schedule and I did my best to be there, in order to be able to meet everybody and make our STORY together. Not even mentioning the meaning of All Might and MHA to me. To US. <3 What happened was way beyond dreams and imagination, and simple words will never be enough to tell you how hard has been to me to stay in character and not cry in front of such love you gave me when I arrived and said ''WATASHI GA KITA!''. I will never forget the moment I felt the world stopped for a second, I took my heart in my hand, looked around and saw all of you happy smiling to me. This made me think of all my journey and what brought me to have the honor to live that moment all together, as a strong message we spread to this community by standing together, all united under the same passion. This is the reason why I always smile and I'm never tired even if I have to fly for 20 hours to see and hug you every weekend in different spots of the world. This is the reason why I keep fighting and why I stand for this amazing Cosplay community, because positivity is the only thing that trully matters! And it's all because of YOU! Sharing a passion together and connecting all the world under the same big family is the biggest achievement I could ever dream of... I don't care about anything else. Never forget: WE ARE HEROES AND WE DON'T LOSE! PLUS ULTRA <3 — @leonchiro, eternally your ALL MIGHT (at Manila, Philippines)

[incorrectmidc]

50 Questions! Yaayyy~

Rules: fill this out and tag at least one person you’d like to know more about! Or just fill it out! Or don’t! Answer only some of them! Make up your own questions! “What kind of requirement is that”, you ask? A reasonable one! Who am I to tell you what to do? Anything goes!

Tagged by @theempresskaizer and since I can’t sleep (and I really love tagging games), here I am. Thank you, Ythmir! :) I feel you about your favourite pens btw. The only store that sells my favourite pen closed down recently here and the other store that sells it is in Manila. ;^;

1. What kind of food can’t you stand? AMPALAYA (bitter gourd). It was a traumatic experience. D:

2. If you could choose one minor inconvenience to never have to deal with again, what would you pick? if my laptop would just stop malfunctioning every 2 weeks, it would be nice.

3. Have you got any useless talents? i play three different instruments, and it’s not useful now... i think. i really wanted to be either an astronaut or a musician when i was a kid. dad refused to let me enroll at a music school in favour of a “more prestigious” university (parents’ words) so i feel it’s kinda useless now.

4. If you could be really really good at one thing, what would it be? ha! i’m an awesome procrastinator. is there even a word? lol. but srsly, i could be a good musician. if i just put effort into it. XD

5. Name a few people you think are extremely good-looking - well, the concept of beauty is relative. my preferences are kuroba mario, cosplayers hikarin and syo seunghyo, kimura tatsunari, matt bomer

6. What was your favorite way to pass the time as a kid? my sister and i used to sneak into our parents’ room and play with our mom’s beauty kit, like we would mix the lotions, alcohols, colognes, powders and stuff while pretending to be scientists and whatnots. we even tried to eat our concoction, to see what it tastes like. xD good thing someone saw us. lol.

7. What is something you’re proud of? i can learn anything if i just put my mind into it. i’m good at studying (my dad made sure of it lol).

8. What’s one character flaw in people that you just can’t tolerate? nosy. i don’t like nosy people. i’m more of a keep-to-myself person so i really loathe these kind of people.

9. Do you consider yourself to be more of a leader or a follower? both. tho i really don’t like to lead that much since it’s too much work. the laziest person i know is me btw. but i can be a leader when i absolutely have to.

10. What kind of student are/were you? high school, both the teacher’s pet and the kind they hate since i tend to speak my mind. college, i am the ordinary student who doesn’t have any clubs since it’s too troublesome.

11. Butterfly effect question! Has there ever been a seemingly minor decision you’ve made (at the time) that ended up having a profound influence on your life? yepppp!

12. Name your most irrational fear/aversion clowns. i don’t like clowns. i hate mcdonald’s mascot.

13. Are there any fictional characters you find especially relatable? yes. kei tsukishima of haikyuu!! especially. :P

14. If you drink, what kind of drunk are you? Alternatively, what sort of person are you at parties? i don’t like parties. i never go to parties if i don’t have to. i hate large celebrations (birthdays, family and school reunions). i prefer the company of my closest friends and immediate family over parties. i only have 4 friends irl that i still keep in touch with tbh. on the other hand, drinking. i have yet to get drunk. lol. but when i have enough alcohol in me, i tend to become the philosopher. like, why do we even exist? are our existence significant or are we just a mere speck in this vast universe? yeah, that kind. oh, my friends and i usually go to karaoke when we get buzzed.

15. Do you fall in love easily? Or does it usually take a long time for you to trust someone? i’m not even sure i have fallen in love yet. i get long-time crushes tho. in fact, i still like this certain guy since i was in 1st year college. XD

16. Would you rather have one close friend or 100 casual friends? the former. please refer to question 14 for the explanation lol

17. Do you consider yourself to be more of a slob or a neat-freak? my dad tells me i have a landfill for a room. lol. i don’t mind. it’s organised chaos. XD

18. Describe a place (imaginary or real) that you would find incredibly cozy my room, on a rainy day with no one else at home and i have unlimited internet connection and books and coffee. and did i just mention i’m alone?

19. Do you have kids? If not, do you want them someday? i don’t have one. not seeing myself getting married or having a child. i’m having another baby sister/brother soon tho so i think it’s enough. :D

20. What was your favorite book as a child? the two-can first encyclopedia series. i love the one that features the solar system.

21. Name one thing you just don’t get what all the hype is about WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES A FIDGET SPINNER DO

22. Name one thing that you think is tragically underrated fanfiction writers. i have nothing against fanarts but i would appreciate it if the same attention is given to fanfiction writers.

23. If you had to be glued to a person for a month, real or fictional (who you have never met), who would you choose? kimura tatsunari hehehe

24. What’s something you’d like the chance to do someday? have the time, and the money, to visit japan and prague. and then go to russia. oh, travel the world. alone. XD

25. Do you typically speak your mind when you have a controversial opinion? Or do generally prefer to not rock the boat? depends on my mood. sometimes i just want to see the world burn.

26. What’s the dumbest fad you’ve been caught up in? what’s a fad?

27. What’s something you thought was cool as a kid/adolescent, but now cringe at yourself for? telenovelas. i wanna live like the heroine back then and now i try to forget all about it. XDD

28. What’s a trait you consider to be very admirable? kindness is something i admire and at the same time so foreign to me. sure, i can be nice but i’m never kind. i will never be kind. i know this person who’s so kind to everyone and i wonder what it’s like to be like that.

29. Is there a particular kind of item people always tend to give you as gifts? (For instance, people always get you things with ducks on them because you like ducks, etc.) i’m a hoarder of cute/pretty notebooks and pens so every year, during my birthday, my family and friends always have a new notebook/pen for me. i even got a fountain pen for my birthday last year which i haven’t used until now. XD

30. Do you speak multiple languages? Which ones? yep. filipino/tagalog, english. this native dialect called cebuano and a little bit of ilonggo. i’m currently studying japanese (self-study cos paying for lessons is expensive). i’m shit at kanji tho.

31. Would you rather live in the big city or the countryside? in the city tho not at the center of it.

32. Has there ever been something you were certain you’d hate, but ended up loving? HAIKYUU!! my online bff has been convincing me to watch haikyuu!! for 4 years now and i was adamant at refusing cos i’m sure i’d hate it. i don’t even like volleyball. but when i watched it last year, i got hooked. now my main fandom is haikyuu!! //facepalm

33. Do you mind being the center of attention, or do you prefer the spotlight to be on someone else? noooo. i don’t like being put on spotlight. lemme work quietly in the background.

34. Favorite holiday? CHRISTMAS! i love seeing the decorations and the lights. i even go to malls just to stare at the decors and listen to christmas songs. i even have my own christmas tree in my room. it’s a small one tho. with christmas lights and all. hihihi. and also my birthday. i can do whatever i want on my birthday. nyahahaha

35. Are you a more go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you need to have things planned meticulously? i only have a plan when i’m writing. i don’t even know what i’m going to do with my life. orz.

36. Is there something you loved so much you wish you could forget it and experience it all over again? (A tv show, book, series–anything.) yes, there is, but i’d rather not forget it and experience it all over again. i’m content with the fuzzy feeling i get whenever i remember it. ^^

37. What hobbies do you have? playing games, going to cons, sleeping a lot, reading, and writing. my only extreme hobby is going mountain climbing. we even went once without any gears. it was fun but i’d rather not do something that unsafe again. o3o

38. If you could have a superpower, but it was only mildly useful, what ability would you want to have? the ability to learn different languages easily. wait, how can this be mildly useful? or maybe change my hairstyle at will? lol

39. Something people are always surprised to learn about you that i’m 26. srsly, when i go to transact with government offices in behalf of the company i’m working for, they always think i’m an intern. wth.

40. Something that took you way too long to figure out this sounds silly, but putting back the chiller part of the fridge. i dislodged it once and i spent almost half an hour trying to put it back. XD

41. Worst injury you’ve had? i never had one. not a broken bone or anything. i only got hospitalized 2 times - when i was 2 and 9, respectively. and both because of dengue.

42. Any morbid fascinations? i like skulls and blowing zombies heads off. my most favourite game of all time is left 4 dead.

43. Describe your sense of humor corny and dry. sarcastic even.

44. If you had to be born in another era/place, which would you choose? in the gundam universe, like Cosmic Era, where people can live on another planet. i would relocate to saturn in a heartbeat.

45. Something you are irredeemably bad at being patient. patience is not my virtue.

46. Something that sucked but you’re glad you went through an hour of jogging for a whole month to prepare myself (and increase the stamina) for a mountain climbing activity 2 years ago

47. Would you rather have a really godawful ugly tattoo in a place that is only slightly inconvenient to conceal with clothing (upper arm, thigh, etc.), or the coolest, most beautiful tattoo ever in the middle of your face? (Neither tattoo can be removed or concealed with makeup, and the ugly tattoo will deeply offend anyone who sees it.) the ugly one. i don’t really like markings on my face.

48. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? for a pessimist, i’m pretty optimistic. (wait, is that a song? lol)

49. What would be the most flattering compliment someone could give you? tbh, compliments about writing and work are the ones i’m usually flattered with. tho i suck at accepting compliments.

50. Something you feel people often misunderstand about you this is a fact. i have a resting bitch face so people often feel i’m always irritated/annoyed by them. 

you don’t have to do it if you don’t want tbh, but i’m tagging @lustfullyleocrawford @kakihoden @passengersaraht @emigotchi @leorysxi @oh-my-otome @spyroeden @acrispyapple @devanofficial @astridapples

[twatkcox]

[The Keihancarl Diaries: May 17-19, 2019]

It’s me, Keihancarl. And here comes another awesome weekend, the Pinoy Otaku Festival 2019: Asobu at Robinsons Novaliches Trade Hall.

May 17

It sure feels weird going out on a weekday, but I did it anyway. After all, I really can't afford to miss the first day of the event.

I decided on a pastel yellow polo shirt and a black knitted vest, as well as my black fingerless gloves. I was initially thinking of wearing my black fleece coat (again), but I’ll just reserve it for the weekend.

I left home right after lunch, but I didn’t head straight to the event just yet. I checked a few shops in Fairview Terraces and SM Fairview, mostly bookshops, before heading to the venue.

I then bought a ticket (a one-day pass) at the entrance. Alternatively, you can purchase a three-day pass or a VIP pass online, but they won’t be available onsite on the day of the event.

Anyway, I got inside the venue and checked some of the stalls. At Japan All-Stars stall, I bought a red anime T-shirt featuring Izaya Orihara of Durarara!!, the one I’ve been eyeing since last year’s POF event, as well as a couple of awesome pins. I initially wanted to buy an anime T-shirt featuring White Blood Cell of Cells At Work, but they don’t have large sized ones. And I did take selfies with some of the cosplayers.

There weren’t a lot of congoers on the first day of the event, The venue is expected to be jampacked on the second and third day (18th and 19th, respectively), as some of the biggest competitions (Battle Of The Bands, Fantasm Inter-School, Cosplay Championship League, and a few others) are held on these dates.

There were a couple of panel discussions: The Status Of E-sports In The Philippines and Sexual Harassment In Cosplay. There’s also a short video feature on the Japanese-Filipino anime, Barangay 143.

On the Otaku Singing Bee, the contestants must rearrange the words that appear on the screen, that is actually part of the lyrics that will follow soon afterward, as well as guessing the missing part of the song’s lyrics. The game features theme songs from Maid Sama!, The Prince Of Tennis, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and a few others.

From time to time, auctions of various anime merch were held, ranging from posters, stuffed plushies, even soundtrack CDs. There are people playing board games on the Game Detective booth. And there’s the display of Godzilla figures, too.

I had an early dinner at Jollibee, which is not far from the venue. I immediately head back to the event after that.

And then there’s the Otaku Choice Award, where they award a nominee from each different categories. In addition, there’s also the general awards for non-Filipino and non-local things, such as anime shows, movie/adaptations, Japanese bands, console and online games, and seiyuus (Japanese voice actors). There were performances in between.

I decided to go home midway through the end of the awarding ceremony, even though I really wanted to stick around and catch the rest of it. And that’s how my first day at the event went.

May 18

It sure was a sunny day, perfect for a nice tall cup of cappuccino frappe. However, I decided to skip going to the café for now and head straight to the venue instead. I arrived at exactly 2:00 in the afternoon.

I decided on an all-black outfit consisting of my black fleece coat and my black Tokyo Ghoul shirt. I only decided to wear my black fingerless gloves later that afternoon.

There were more cosplayers at the venue compared to the first day of the event. There's also a slight increase in congoers as well. The event area will probably be filled later during the Battle Of The Bands segment, but for now, it is kind of spacious in here.

I didn’t catch Your Cosplay Sounds Familiar (I think it already ended by the time I arrived), but I did catch Fantasm Interschool Cosplay, where contestants from three schools perform a scene from anime series or movies.

There were performances by Hiro and Kazuki and aidoru (idol) group CH4U, as well as Gekitora and Yohgen. There's also a panel talk on piracy and anime fandom, as well as a guest appearance by Xavier Ray of January 24 Productions.

At around 5:30 PM, the Battle Of The Bands commenced. Around that time, I decided to have an early dinner of beef misono bowl (with a pair of chopsticks) at Yoshinoya SM Fairview. Back at Robinsons Novaliches, I bought a drink from OTeaHamaru (a cup of jasmine tea with rock salt and cheese) before heading back inside the venue.

I finished the drink inside while checking some of the stalls and watching some of the performances by competing bands. The winners of earlier competitions were later announced as well.

I bought four pins from Pixel Hero and took additional selfie pics with some of the cosplayers. I uploaded some of the pics to my Instagram account.

Last night, I left the venue early since someone's expecting me at home. This time, however, I decided to stay until the second day of the event ends. There's one more day left before POF Asobu wraps up.

May 19

And welcome to the final day of POF Asobu. I decided to wear the same outfit, but featuring my striped brown and white polo shirt instead.

I left home at exactly 1:00 PM and went straight to the venue without checking any of the shops. There were a lot of congoers at the event, as well as the cosplayers. Of course, I took selfies with some of them.

By the time I got there, Karaoke Battle Royale is still ongoing. There were also performances by Sofia The Artist, Aidoru Sozai, Pepper Keibu, Ivy! Musume, and a few others. There's a panel talk about how to become a successful game streamer.

Around 4:30 PM, there was a special guest appearance by Ariel Villasanta of the comedic duo Maverick and Ariel, promoting the upcoming first reality movie “Kings Of Reality Shows”. He also served as one of the judges of the Cosplay Championship League, which commenced right after showing a teaser of the said reality movie.

I decided to leave the venue in the meantime and crossed the footbridge to SM Fairview to check a few shops and had an early dinner at Tokyo Tokyo (which is now located at Annex 3, a.k.a. The Parkway). I had a donburi bowl, a pork katsudon, which is really good.

Heading back to the event, the cosplay competition is still ongoing. I get to see some awesome performances by some of the contestants. Later on, there’s another panel talk on what it takes to be an idol.

There’s actually a meet-and-greet event behind the stage, but I think it’s exclusively for VIP ticket holders. For a while, I stick around to watch the panel discussion until I saw Ariel heading out of the venue. I quickly head out of the venue and managed to catch up just to take a selfie with him. He was really nice. I immediately upload the pic to my Instagram account and head back inside the venue, in time for Poly-V’s performance.

I also posted some of the pictures to my Instagram account and had a few more selfies with the cosplayers. There were a few more performances (including Ivy! Musume) before the announcement of winners and the closing ceremony. They also teased next year’s POF event.

And yes, I bought just one more souvenir, a cute green dinosaur as my bag’s charm. A perfect match for the awesome pins I’ve bought from Pixel Hero during the first and second day of the event.

By the time the event finished, it started raining outside. I had to wait for the rain to gradually weaken before heading to Fairview Terraces to check a couple of shops, and then head home. And that’s how my awesome weekend went.

Postscript

Compared to the previous POF events, this one is satisfactory in terms of the number of congoers and time management, among others. The lighting is okay, but the event’s (rented) sound system isn’t at par with the ones at Fairview Terraces. The air conditioning at the event area is okay, though at times it does get a little stuffy, especially on the third day of the event. Also, there are some bystanders watching the event for free by the elevated hallway, blocking access to the restaurants and restrooms. This prompted the event organizer to tell the congregating non-paying bystanders to leave the area and even asked the guards for help in keeping the elevated access free from obstructing crowds.

Despite the problems, the entire event went pretty well and they somehow managed to stick to the intended schedule. The event area is incredibly spacious, and the crowd is somewhat controlled compared to the previous POF events. It actually feels more secure and comfortable in there. I also loved the booths and the choice of merchandises available. There’s also a dedicated area for meet-and-greet events at the back of the stage.

I really get to enjoy the event, and I bought some nice souvenirs too. I had fun taking selfies with some of the awesome cosplayers as well. I hope they’ll consider Robinsons Novaliches as the venue for the next POF event since this is very convenient for those coming from Northern Metro Manila and Bulacan areas.

It sure was a pretty exhausting weekend, but I actually had a great time there. Right now, I’m considering attending a similar event later this year, most probably Cosplay Mania 2019 at the SMX Convention Center. I’ll probably need to save up if I really want to go there.

All right, it’s time to wrap this up. Until next time!

All pics are from my private Instagram account, @kcox105.

[vilardis-spongebob-mask]

Shout out to @dustinbrowns​ for tagging me!!!

Rules: Answer 30 questions. Tag blogs you want to get to know better

Nickname(s): Biz, V

Gender: female

Sign: Virgo

Height: 4′9 3/4″

Time: 9:40 pm

Fave band(s): Plain White T’s, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Big Time Rush (if that counts)

Fave solo artist(s): I can’t think of any right now haha ; u ;

Song stuck in my head: DNA by BTS

Last movie I saw: Incredibles 2

Last show I watched: Umaru-chan

When did I create my blog: 2016 but deleted it, recently earlier this year

What do I post: sports

Last thing I googled: boku no hero academia cosplay

Do I have any other blogs: yeah! I have a Capitals blog and an anime blog

Do I get asks: sometimes though I wish I did get more

Why did I choose my url: imagine this, MacDermid but with Big Macs

Following: 55

Followed by: 5

Average hours of sleep: maybe 6-8 dk my dudes

Lucky number: ???? I don’t really know

Instruments: used to play clarinet

What I am wearing: a blue t-shirt with various sushi pics and black and purple shorts

Dream job: an author, famous cosplayer

Dream trip: Washington DC (again)!

Fave food: pepperoni pizza

Nationality: Filipino American

Fav song: As If It’s Your Last by Blackpink

Last book I read: I’m reading Sword of Summer from the Magnus Chase series and Cheaters Never Prosper from the Curseborn Saga

Top 3 fictional universes I wanna join: none at the moment

i tag @benwyattbulb​ @evermoreeclipse​ @pruzan​ @somethingbitchyythiswaycomes​

y’all don’t have to do this if you don’t want to and thanks for coming to my TED talk

[acmedina-blog]

My trips to Japan

こんにちわ！I’m Anton Medina from the Philippines, and I am here to talk about my trips to Japan! For those of you who do not know me, I am a very avid traveler, who likes going around the countries to spread my knowledge about culture, to enjoy the breathtaking sceneries, and to especially eat as much as I want to eat. Japan has been one of my go-to countries for the recent years because of my family’s love for their food and their extensive shopping districts. Now, I want to share these experiences with you, the reader, to give you a brief description of what you want to expect when going to Japan so you can get ready if thinking about going there.

When going to Japan, one of the first cities you will think about going to would be Tokyo. Tokyo is best known for their commercial districts such as Shibuya and Ginza. In these districts, you could walk for days and still find something new to buy and see. As I first walked into Shibuya last Halloween, I was greeted by the massive amounts of people walking along the biggest intersection I have ever seen in my life. It was utter chaos in the sense that you couldn’t walk for a second without the risk of losing the people you’re with as you are pushed by the crowd further and further away from them. Once we got out of the crowd and walked towards the inner streets of Shibuya, we could now focus on our eyes on the vast amounts of cosplayers dressed up in flashy clothes and heavy make-up. Back here in the Philippines, the most costumes we’ve ever had in Halloween are the children dressed up in their favorite cartoon character. After we approached every single one for pictures, we then went around looking for food. We honestly couldn’t decide which one to get, so we ended up coming back multiple times to try everything like takoyaki, ramen, and sushi. My favorite, of course, was the Katsudon, whose delectable sweet sauce topped with white onions and the crisp texture of the pork made my experience a bite to remember. Good thing we have Yabu here or else I’d be suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I think the key thing to remember when going to places like these are to keep your eyes open because these places offer so much to the visitors that go. I’ve been there four times and I don’t think I’ve found everything there is to see yet!

Going to Kyoto is like taking a step back in time as it combines the Imperial era architecture and the beauty of nature around it. Kyoto is my favorite city in Japan because for an introvert like me, I find the tranquility and peace in Kyoto more energizing compared to the hustle and bustle streets of Tokyo. Kyoto does not look like it has been affected by the pollution and the effects of technology. In Kyoto, you see people wearing Kimonos and all the pagodas that overlook lakes filled with swans and koi. With honesty, I would not be surprised if samurais and ninja came out to greet my family, nor if we saw people, with their cups of green tea, writing haikus with their large calligraphy pens. With the freshest breath of air, Kyoto had to offer, the former capital helped me breathe easy as I felt that everything would be alright and I would continue to remain healthy and prosperous for the rest of my life. Of course, it did not help me as I went back to Manila where pollution filled the city, but if I chose a place to visit when I become older, Kyoto would be a definite must.

Going to Sapporo… It’s not usually what I consider to be very ideal for a Filipino like me because walking into Sapporo is like walking into a freezer. Sapporo people are probably the kind that complains it’s hot at 16 degrees Celsius, but they’re Japanese and I don’t remember seeing Japanese people complain. This is the first time we went to a traditional Japanese inn compared to the hotels we visited in the past which had heavy modern appearance combined with various anime references. Unlike what we saw usually, we saw floors covered in tatami and our beds were the futons I only saw before when reading a manga. In Sapporo, I also looked forward to the food as they were serving a traditional buffet. During the buffet itself, out came the grandest looking set of shellfish I have ever seen combined with the assorted combinations of them and slices of fatty fish. As much as I would have loved to enjoy the food, I was allergic to most of them so I sadly couldn’t. But one thing I did exceptionally enjoy was the feeling of my family’s private onsen as it soothed my body and warmed my body up from the frigid temperatures of Sapporo. It was definitely an experience to remember, and hopefully, I’ll remember to bring a jacket to wear along with the yukata I had next time I go there.

I love Japan. It’s like a treasure box. When you look at it from the outside, you don’t know what’s in it but you know it’s great. Then when you open it, you find valuable things you didn’t even expect to find in that chest. I told you at the start that I would tell you about what to expect from Japan so you’d be more ready to travel there when you do. But honestly, I think the best advice I can give you is to just discover all the possibilities yourself. You can try to expect, but it’s impossible to expect everything Japan throws at you. Make your possibilities and expectations grow as you remain there.

[jazperjay]

Every year, I always look forward to attending the Comic Con here in Dubai.  When I first arrived in Dubai and found out about Comic Con, I already promised myself to attend.

with Mr. MEFCC

My first Comic Con was in 2015 and it was very surprising.  It was not just my first Comic Con in Dubai but my REAL FIRST COMIC CON ever!  It was actually really good coz I didn’t expect anything and was blown away by the event!   You can check my blog for my first Comic Con at https://jazperjay.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/middle-east-film-comic-convention-2015/.  The 2015 MEFCC has set my standards high for the succeeding Comic Cons.

The next year, I again attended but that time I was with two of my colleagues who also like animes and stuff.  It was more fun since I was with some friends.  We enjoyed every moment during the event and took a lot of photos.  The three of us are very fond of photography and thus we went home full of nice memories & photos.  We also saw Sir Jamie Lanister of the Game of Thrones.  Here’s a glimpse of what we did in 2016 – https://jazperjay.wordpress.com/2016/06/23/the-middle-east-film-comic-convention-2016/.

On my third year, I was alone again but met familiar faces.  There were several cosplayers I’ve already met during my first two Comic Cons.  I still enjoyed seeing cosplayers and celebrity guests.  I think attending my first Comic Con gave me a standard on how Comic Cons should be. Thus, I expected each year to be better than the previous years.  2017 Comic Con was good but not better than 2015.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the event and took some great photos of the event; see them here – https://jazperjay.wordpress.com/2017/05/05/the-middle-east-film-comic-convention-2017/.

This year, I attended again and wasn’t really expecting anything.  I just wanted to see the cosplayers and the exhibits.  I also wanted to see the invited celebrities.  As mentioned in my previous blogs, having photos taken with a celebrity is a bit costly.  Thus, every year I just opted to be somewhere close and take a photo of them.  However, this year was special.  One of the celebrities – no less than THE FLASH himself – Mr. EZRA MILLER walked around to meet some people.  Fortunately for me, I noticed him walking and talking to some people. So I rushed and had my go pro rollin.  Having photos or video with a hollywood actor doesn’t happen everyday.  This will one for the books – My Book of Life. lol

EZRA MILLER IN THE HOUSE!!!

I also noticed that there were lesser cosplayers who came.  I  think those who joined that competition are the only ones who took seriously their costumes.  Unlike the previous years, there were others who came and wore their best costumes without joining the competition.  I was there from 11am to 11pm and somehow felt something was lacking.  The cosplay thing lacked excitement.  However, I think I met some of the best cosplayers that day!

I also met the Queen of Cosplay herself – Alodia Gosiengfiao and her vlogger beau – Will Dasovich. I was always hesitant to pay for an autograph but who cares, it was once in a lifetime experience.  I paid AED50 for a signed Alodia Poster and a photo with her.  🙂 After several minutes, Will came to judge the cosplay competition.  No payment needed for Will but I had to go through the waves of fans wanting a photo with him as well.  Luckily, I was able to have a selfie with him.  This couple look amazing and seeing them support each other is inspiring.  If you were not aware, Will got sick and Alodia stuck by his side until he recovered.

Team WiLodia

with Will

with Alodia

made it to Will’s IG Storiies

The best thing about this year are the exhibits and stores.  There a lot of things you can buy.  It became a shopping avenue for anime/manga/comics/movie fanatics like me.  I actually spent more that what I thought I’d spend that day.  lol

After the event I realised that I should have bought some stuff.  When you walk around and compute the amount of money you’ve spent, you tend to hold yourself from buying more stuff.  Then, when I got home I realised that I really wanted those items I saw.  🙂

The freebies given by exhibitors were also good.  Netflix brought with them the entire spaceship of “Lost in Space” – a new series.  Just have a photo taken and post it on instagram then you’ll get fee t-shirt, poster, playing cards, bag, etc.  Free candies were also given if you take a tour of the space ship.  You will be given a special ID created during that day with netflix lanyard.  Rani was again present and constantly gave free juices to all visitors.  Laban was also there offering free drinks as well.  Uber were giving notebooks, pins and posters to passers by of their booth. ��Daman Active Life’s booth allow you to play a game and be given medals, trophies and super hero cape.  I got a cape coz’ I went there late. 😉  The Zoom Arena gave guests a chance to have their own comics.  Didn’t get mine coz’ there were a lot on queue every time I went there.

The celebrities line up this year is good considering that EZRA was there.  Him alone has beaten the previous Comic Cons.  HE IS FLASH! That’s it! No further explanation. lol.  Anyway, he is also accompanied by some of the good names in the industry like Karl Urban, Kristian Nairm, Jenna Coleman, Gaku Space and Jason David Frank. In the International Artist Alley, guests got the chance to meet several artists as well. Robbie Daymond, Ray Chase, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Max Mittelman and Christian Howard were there.  Some of the casts of “Lost in Space” were also present during the Comic Con but I wasn’t able to see them. I got so busy roaming around and taking photos of the event. 😉

with Alodia

A few days after the event, a friend of mine asked me if I knew some Pinoy Cosplayers  who attended the Comic Con.  I told him that I only took photos and I am not even sure if they were Pinoys or not.  There were some cosplayers who I think are Pinoys but was not sure.  He mentioned that they are writing an article for Gulf News and asked me if I would be willing to answer some questions.  I just responded to his questions and referred one really good cosplayer who I happen to follow on instagram.

Earlier today, my friend sent me the link of the published article. When I read it, it was good but I was a bit embarrassed.  My photo with Alodia was there, though I agreed for it to be used. I didn’t realise I would feel this way looking at it on another site – not just any site but a news site.  I told some friends and didn’t plan to post it on my facebook page.  However, a friend convinced me coz’ it’s something to be proud of.  Well, I think yeah! Imagine, there were a lot of people in the Comic Con and I got the chance to be chosen as one of the very few people featured on that site. hahaha.  When I posted it on my facebook page, a few hours ago I was instantly teased by everyone who were online.  I’m still getting messages while writing this.  However, the feeling of embarrassment has now disappeared. The teasing were actually in a positive way, and some even congratulated me. Whoah!

I am also sharing it on this post to remember this day as the day I made it to the NEWS! lol

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/pinoy/alodia-gosiengfiao-and-cosplaying-the-filipino-way-in-uae-1.2203089

The overall experience of this year’s Comic Con is still very satisfying! I will still attend next year’s event and again hope that I’d be able to attend wearing my costume.  I need to get that confidence up to wear costumes. lol

See you next year Comic Con!!!

Enjoy this video I made

The Middle East Film & Comic Convention (MEFCC) 2018 Every year, I always look forward to attending the Comic Con here in Dubai.  When I first arrived in Dubai and found out about Comic Con, I already promised myself to attend.

[awkwardlyanxiousnightowl-blog]

The Manila International Book Fair is the biggest and longest running book fair in the country. It is an annual event that many Filipinos are dying to go to every time. For this year, it was held on September 13-17, 2017 (Wednesday to Sunday). Since we have no classes every Wednesday, I have agreed to meet two of my best friends in Pasay City. We first went to SM Mall of Asia then ate some yogurt at Yo! Panda. We only had a few hours because Jannah, one of the two, needed to travel back to Batangas that same afternoon. After she left, Liebert and I went to the SMX Convention Center fo the book fair. Being the socially anxious girl that I am, I didn't want to go in at first because I knew that there would be a lot of people there. However, that feeling disappeared when I saw the stacks of books displayed on tables and shelves. (That GIF represents my excitement every single time I see books and other stuff that I like.) There were also different stalls for different brands and publishers. Oh, it was a paradise for every book lover like me! I don't if it's just me being crazy but I heard angels singing in my head. (LOL) I saw the books I have planned to buy and more. But since it was getting late already and I didn't want to buy books in a rush, I decided not to buy some books yet and just go back on Sunday. On Sunday, like what I planned, I went back to the book fair. This time, I was with my older sister and a cousin. When we got there, there was this loooong line to the entrance. Thankfully, it moved faster than I thought it would. By three o' clock in the afternoon, we were inside the paradise again. Since it was last day of the fair, there were more people inside and it is very crowded. I first went to the National Bookstore but the books I've been planning to buy were out of stock already. IT WAS HEARTBREAKING! So I tried to distract myself by looking at other books I might like. I also went to Fully Booked to see if the books I like were there. AND THEY WERE THERE. AND MORE BOOKS I LIKE 💖 The bad news is that I only have 2000 pesos with me. (Because the matakaw girl that I am keeps on spending my ipon for food. My love for food > my love for books, it seems 😩💓) Eventhough all the books are 20% off already, my budget is only enough to buy 4 to 6 books (depends on the prices of the books you'd want to buy). I planned to buy the sequel to the books I already own and to buy newstories to read. I also planned to buy a gift for Liebert whose birthday is on September 23. Also, I planned to buy a bible but the real good ones are just so expensive. I held as many books as I can in my arms but when the time for payment came, I needed to let go of some. No, I let go of most of the books I was holding. It was torture; knowing that as much as I wanted to buy all of it, I just can't. I. Just. Can't. 😭💔 So with this, I ended up buying 4 books only. Three for me and one for a friend. The journey did not end there. After buying books, we went to the second floor where we found different stalls exhibiting different stuff like Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. which my older sister loves so much. There was also a stall for Blind Dates with a Book. Too bad we came in late. They were already closed. (Another Heartbreak). We roamed a bit more then Jon Snow (from Game of Thrones) and The Flash came to save my day. They were cosplayers who were very kind to let us take a picture with them. I was lowkey hoping that they were Kit Harrington and Grant Gustin but still, they made my day. 😊 (Fun fact: I didn't know I was allowed to enter here last year when I went to the fair for the first time.) Lesson Learned: It's better to buy books on the first day; Visit the exhibits earlier; EARN MORE MONEY (stop spending so much on food) 😅 Overall, it was a tiring but fun-filled day. My heart is so full. I will surely go to this event again next year. 💞