Personal Information
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Personal Bio
I'm a reader for a big press cuttings company, making good use of the speed reading skills acquired in my English degree. Naturally I don't have as much time for cosplaying as I did at uni but I'm determined to keep up with it!
I'm a mad reader, as the English degree and job might have indicated. I'm also passionate about film and have been both behind and in front of the camera on a few occasions. I'm a big fan of anime and manga, as one might expect, and I'm also starting to get more into video games as I slowly learn not to suck so much at them.
And cats. Definitely cats.
Cosplay Bio
I started cosplaying in 1999 (a couple of years of dressing as Dana Scully when I was 13 aside), due entirely to a then new-found interest in the Rocky Horror show. I subsequently became a part of the sci-fi convention community, and cosplay became a larger part of my life as I made more cosplaying friends. Eventually I stumbled upon the anime circuit, having already cosplayed Sailor Moon characters at sci-fi cons, and it all went downhill from there!
For me cosplay is a way to express my frustrated creativity. I hated textiles class in school and would never have dreamed that I could create things like I can now. I've always had a love of fabrics for their tactile nature, on the other hand, so perhaps it was natural for me to get into a hobby where I could use so many different varieties. I'm also a frustrated actor, so the opportunity to act as a different character for a day is immensely appealing to me.
My proudest moments are probably twofold, the first being finally finishing the Satine costume that I'd started 5 years previous. It took a lot of time, money and love to get that done, and I was ecstatic to win a portable DVD player for my efforts.
The second is my Laughing Octopus costume. It's a radical departure from anything I've made before, as there was a lot more to it than the usual sewing and it pushed my boundaries. I learned a lot from making it and I'm proud of the result. I've yet to win any awards for it but honestly, after a couple of years of planning and almost a whole year of construction, just finishing it was its own reward.
I adore cosplaying in a group with my friends. I've found the cosplay community to be largely very friendly and welcoming to me, and have made some really valuable friendships from it. I'm also fortunate in that my partner is also a cosplayer and thus understands the madness behind it all.
Contact Information
Livejournal: Odangochan
LiveJournal
Goals!
Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:27:06 GMT
Aims for last year and this new year!
Last year!
1. Finish Laughing Octopus
YES.
Whilst there are some small details missing, and a number of things I
could improve (when are there ever not?), GiggleSquid was to all intents
and purposes completed and debuted at Ayacon. Whilst I missed out on a
prize there, the reaction was very positive and I received a Cosplay
Island showcase later in the year. I am proud of my work on such an
ambitious project, unlike anything else I've made before.
2. Get back under 70kg and stay there
UNSURE, PROBABLY NOT
I don't know, though I suspect I'm not there now. Our scale fritzes and
tells me I'm either 9kg or 135kg. However, I'm definitely more toned, so
I'm going to count this as a near-win.
3. Regular scheduled exercise
YES
Though illness & injury have stopped it being strictly once a week for
the last couple of months, I now attend regular Muay Thai classes.
4. Make an item of regular clothing
YES
Cheated just a *touch*, as I made it as part of an original costume
concept as well, but since I never wore the costume and DID wear it as
normal clothing I say it qualifies.
5. Suck less at being a pagan
NOPE
Nope nope nope. But I paid a visit to the statues of Sekhmet in the
British Museum and felt... something, so here's hoping for next year.
6. Be less silly about girl clothes
YES
Have happily bought and worn several items of outright feminine
clothing. Would have been more but this year's styles weren't to my
taste.
7. Improve posture
YES
Thank you Muay Thai :)
8. Decorate at least one room
NOPE
I blame Eurocosplay.
9. Pet Softcat
YES
Several times!
10. Not die
YES!
I think I can safely say I managed this every single day of 2011 XD
NEXT YEAR!!
1. Stick with the exercise! It's good for you! Bonus stage: full splits.
2. Don't let the degree go to waste! Read more classic literature
instead of trashy horror novels all the time.
3. Take more care over fit & finish of serious costumes! Joke & fun ones
are less important, though doing it on them would also be good.
4. Suck less at being a pagan! Do a better job than last year and the
year before when this was a goal too.
5. Hug every cat
Can't hug every cat. So...
5. Take Phil for granted less! Him being in Cambridge most of the time
should help with this, time with him will seem more precious. Apply also
to other loved ones.
6. Rekindle some of the knowledge of French & German before it all
vanishes from memory! Some dual text novels would help.
7. Watch more good films! Absence of weekday Phil allows for more cinema
& DVD time.
8. Achieve the fabled laundry basket zero! In other words do laundry
more often. Also clean things more & better.
9. Finish at least one of the costumes that's been in progress for over
a year! Contenders being Saki, Taki, Xiahou and Neko-sensei! Also finish
Fugue's boots and gauntlets.
10. Play with cats! As many as possible!
Posted via m.livejournal.com.
Interests
video games / cats / fantasy / reading / literature / film / chan-wook park / akira kurosawa / stanley kubrick / conventions / shiny things / blades / kittens / siamese cats / beautiful fabrics / tim burton / dorian cleavenger / nick cave / PJ Harvey / utena / cowboy bebop / trinity blood / greek mythology / buffy / farscape / paganism