Matsucon 2023 - Life purpose: being a filler episode

 With no quality at all.

As always, I'm very late with this summary. Life has been busy, I have been busy and, to be honest, way too mentally exhausted to keep up with the posting schedule I had made for myself. I have already attended THREE CONVENTIONS this year (...and next Matsucon is on the upcoming weekend...) so yeah, going to write those summaries too pretty soon. But let's get into the topic before I sidetrack myself for good.

The official Matsucon poster.

(All pics in this post © Shiro Samurai if not mentioned otherwise.)
 

So Matsucon 2023 was held in Oulu 28th-29th of October. I had arrived at north a bit earlier - I still lived in the south at this point - since hey, it was not economically very clever to travel to the north for one weekend. However, this proved to be a very clever solution otherwise too.
The title of this blog post comes from the very simple fact that I literally was a damn filler episode of my own life - or, well, a filler episode for cosplay contest. You see, I had decided to compete as Alcina Dimitrescu from Resident Evil 8. Since there is no WIP post I guess you can guess what happened: making the patterns turned out to be way too challenging - especially when I would have had to make a damn corset too. Since I'm not too skilled at patterning or sewing I decided "screw that" and sent a message to the con workers if I could change my costume to another. The answer was yes. 

...probably needless to say that I fucked that up too. Don't ask. I guess I was way too stressed at that very moment; I had just moved to another apartment, knew that I would have to start preparing for another moving process, I was finishing my thesis AND on top of everything I was working full-time. I didn't have too many extra hours in my days and, sadly, that resulted in stress which resulted in miscalculations and mistakes. So yeah, I had to send yet another message if I could compete with my Just Be Friends!Luka Megurine.

...
The very same Luka I had made for Nekocon that doesn't even closely resemble any known reference pictures?
Correct.
And why would I make a decision such as that one? The answer: Matsucon had a bit of a struggle finding contestants and I seriously didn't have a heart to tell them I wouldn't come and compete. When I got the "yes" as an answer to my question about changing the character again I decided to take this opportunity to gather some more stage experience and just to have fun.
But that doesn't mean that some blood and tears wouldn't have been shed or well, luckily not literally blood since I was working on a white costume. You see, I decided that I would at least try to fix the length and some other issues with the costume and that... Didn't go nearly as smoothly as I thought it would. Luckily I got everything fixed in time but wouldn't have managed without help. I had made massive mistakes with the costume and... Yeah, let's just say that my brain was already on overdrive so yeah, making any logical solutions was practically impossible. Had I tried to make the changes on my own I highly doubt I would have gotten them done.

We also ran into another problem - and by we I mean Shiro Samurai and I. You see, we have played World of Warships: Legends for a few years now (he longer than I have) and when the con weekend was approaching, a horrible realization dawned upon us. You see, on that very same weekend a certain event we had been playing for a month on a daily basis - a calendar type of thing - would come to an end, which would mean that we should take a gaming console with us. Well, that actually wasn't the greatest problem - after all a PS4 isn't that hard to transport - but rather the lack of a monitor. At first I thought "we are going to stay at a hotel so it should be fine" until I started doubting my cognitive processes and called the hotel.
Thank greater powers I did. The woman who answered the phone told me that some genius had tried to plug their gaming console to the room's television which had resulted to the television falling down from the wall and breaking into a hundred little pieces. So no, that clearly wasn't an option. 

The next one I asked for help was Sallukka; we knew that Shiro Samurai's small monitor was at their place and I asked them if they could bring the monitor to us. Unfortunately they didn't have time; they had a morning shift on that Friday and after it they and Dongrieg would start driving to Oulu. Understandable; they had made their schedules way before we realized we were being a bit dum dum. This resulted in crossing over this option but not finding a solution.
Since cancelling going to a con would have been a little bit overkill we started to think about our very few options. After some time I told Shiro Samurai to ask on Discord - he was working for the con - if someone could borrow a monitor for the weekend so he could do our dailies whenever he would have some time off from his duties. Luckily the Gaming Gods finally smiled at us and someone called Marko told us he could help us. I never personally met him during the con but I'm more than very thankful to him; otherwise we would have basically thrown a month-long process down the well.

Aaaaand now to the actual con summary.

We took a train to Oulu on Friday evening. We decided to walk to the hotel (and quickly decided that this would be a taxi traveling weekend since holy shit it was cold), namely Sokos Hotel Arina in the middle of the city. Our room was pretty cool; it was tar-themed and very comfortable.

 

Aaand I kind of made it go boom. Oops.

During the evening we didn't do that much; just relaxed, ate way too much at the Itsudemo sushi buffet and watched some television programs before going to sleep.
It took a while to get some sleep this time; usually I fall asleep a few seconds after closing my eyes and sometimes even in the middle of the sentence lol) but this time it took a while; I guess I was a bit nervous about the cosplay contest after all, even though I wasn't really going to take it too seriously. 

The Saturday morning came and we dragged ourselves to get some breakfast. I'm not too sure if either of us really had the appetite but hey, a hotel breakfast is a hotel breakfast, one simply doesn't skip it since there will be no second breakfast. After eating we dragged ourselves back to the room for a short while until Shiro Samurai had to leave for the con and I begun to put on my cosplay. We didn't go there together on Saturday since his working shifts begun quite early and I wasn't too happy about the idea of waiting outside (I wasn't working so no 'early access') for at least half an hour in something that's practically a summer dress. No thank you. 

The con entrance. There would have been some shelter in case snowing happened but still, no thanks to waiting outside in the cold.

 

Lobby of the con venue. It was pretty crowded most of the time.

 

The info desk was also located in the lobby.

 

After an hour or so I had put on my costume and called myself a cab. I can sincerely recommend the company called Menevä Taksi; pretty cheap and I have never gotten fooled by them or anything. It didn't take too long to arrive at the convention place where I quickly fetched my contestant number and then... Eh... I guess I sat down to wait for Sallukka (who was also competing) and Dongrieg to arrive. I briefly met Shiro Samurai too, told him I was feeling surprisingly okay and then just... Continued waiting.

#ipromisewereallywerenotdrunk #noididnothaveachancetocovermytattoos

 

We mostly sat near the cafeteria. I managed to drink one cup of coffee without feeling like I'd get sick. I think it counts as a success.

 Luckily they arrived at the con pretty soon. Sallukka was notably more nervous than I was but that's more than understandable: they were actually serious about competing. Loved your costume btw, it was so cool and I can't wait to photoshoot it! <3
Soon it was time for me to get my costume photographed and judged - which didn't take too long since I told the judges (who were very nice btw) that I was just kind of getting some more stage experience after a long hiatus and wasn't competing "too seriously". Tbh I still don't think I did anything wrong; there weren't too many contestants in the end so I don't think I "stole" anyone else's place and, well, getting more stage experience is always good, especially if you want to keep on competing!

The day went by pretty fast - I think I didn't really do anything before the competition since, well, I didn't really feel like it. I was feeling a bit nauseous panic/anxiety disorder says hello and not that social at all; I think I mainly spoke with Sallukka, Dongrieg and occasionally Shiro Samurai when I happened to see him. Part of my nausea was probably because I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast but had I eaten I surely would have gotten sick.

Had time to check out the merchants though! A photo from above the Merchants' Hall.

Same place, different angle.

 

 

Aaand same place, downstairs.

Soon it was time to go to check out the stage. I have actually been there once before; I competed with my Teutonic Knight!Prussia in Matsucon 2017 so I kind of knew what to expect. Except for the fake smoke; it was hard to see where we were supposed to walk to and pose, especially when only the stage lights were on! Also I heard afterwards that the amount of the fake smoke caused some people respiratory problems and nausea so yeah, maybe tone it down a bit for 2024? ^^'

After checking out the stage we went to hang out at the backstage room and derped with other contestants. They all were so nice and easy to talk to!
At this point I would like to say a huge thank you to the cosplay contest organizers: you all were wonderful. The contest was very well planned, it was on schedule and the "cosplay mamas" were all very nice and supportive. Thank you! <3

Pretty soon it was THE TIME - also known as the time to go to the stage. I think that despite my costume being kind of a mess I managed pretty well; sewing, wig styling etc. aren't actually my strong points but being on stage and performing? Count me in! I actually had a lot of fun during those 10-15 seconds I spent on stage even though I knew I wasn't being "the best version of myself" as a cosplayer. But, probably because of that exact thing, I managed to relax and actually focus better on my stage performance. So yeah, I could say I got what I wanted.
Sallukka's turn was soon after me and after their turn they came to sit next to me. I remember them saying something along the lines "Well, now it's over so I can sit here and enjoy the rest of the competition" - well, we DID enjoy watching the other contestants' costumes etc. However, the best thing was yet to happen: Sallukka actually won one of the theme prizes (I think it was for the best accessory?)!! <3 My friend, I know you are reading this so take this to heart: I'm so proud of you - not only because of winning the prize but also for beating the stage fear and actually going up there <3

After the competition I went to the dressing room, took off my cosplay, did a quick check around the con building and then moved outside to wait for Shiro Samurai. We had made plans to meet up with Sallukka and Dongrieg for a coffee (they had already left the con for Saturday) so after Shiro Samurai's shifts were over for Saturday we called a cab, went to the hotel and called Sallukka that we were ready. Soon the pair arrived at the hotel and we went to grab some coffee and some delicious pastries.

This was _delicious_. Coffee House ftw.

 

And, after that, we decided to check a nearby bar where we had the random encounter of the weekend :'D I was chatting with Sallukka and then noticed that a middle-aged (or so I assume since I didn't see that well, it was pretty dark in the bar) woman was coming closer to us. Soon she had reached our table and given Shiro Samurai nothing short of a heart attack since she just casually leaned over his shoulder and he didn't notice her until she, well, was there and just stared at us for a few seconds. I was going through all the possible scenarios in my head but it turned out to be the best one: she smiled at us and said "I don't know you, I have never seen you here before, but I love you all" and then she just left and joined her own company again. It was pretty wholesome to be honest.

Apparently there was a paparazzi among us too :'D And yes, that beanie is actually the same one I made for my Alex Cloudmill cosplay back in 2015!

   

After the bar Sallukka and Dongrieg decided to go to their hotel and we went to ours after I had munched a notable amount of nuggets at Hesburger. We didn't do too much during the evening since we were pretty tired; however we watched a few movies/short movies. The first one was called The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic - a drama movie about a blind person who unfortunately trusts wrong people when he tries to travel to meet his loved one. At times the movie was a bit unsettling but I'd say it was kind of an indie masterpiece - I truly liked it.
The next one we watched - or, well, I think I paid more attention to the TV - was called Tuulikki. The short movie seemingly tells about a problematic teenager who is being difficult and sometimes even scary - however it couldn't have been farther from the truth...
The final one was a comedy called The Planet Far Away (Kaukainen planeetta) which was a black-and-white silent short movie. It was both sad and funny at the same time.
After the last movie we went to sleep pretty soon since, like I said, both of us were tired.

Sunday morning came. We went to get some breakfast and after that we just lazied around for a while before we started putting on our costumes. Shiro Samurai cosplayed one of his OCs and I put on a gothic-inspired alternative fashion outfit. And almost lost my mind with the false eyelashes since I managed to glue them... Well, pretty much everywhere else but the place I was supposed to glue them at :I
After finally being ready we called a cab and went to the con. I stayed outside, took a few selfies and then the doors opened to the con goers.

There were a few programs I attended on Sunday: the lolita fashion show hosted by Cloudberry lady, a lecture about lolita fashion and a haiku workshop. I don't usually spend that much time in different programs but well, I found these all very interesting - especially the lecture about lolita fashion since it was very detailed and told about the history of the said style well. I didn't really know that much before attending the lecture so it sure was worth it!
I didn't do much else during Sunday tbh, at least I don't remember I would have. Sallukka took a pic of my outfit (see below) and I took a "cosplay proof" pic of Shiro Samurai but after that... Eh... I don't think I did anything except for aimlessly wandering around for a while?

This is what I looked like on Sunday. And yes, it was cold.
Dress: Gothicana by EMP
Ouija necklace: bunicorn_design
Lenses: Luna and Sol Glowing Blue

 

When the con was nearing its end me and Shiro Samurai checked the Artists' Alley to see if there was still something we wanted to buy. I remember there indeed was _something_ buuuut since it's literally been almost a year I have no idea which products I bought then and which ones earlier.

Part of the Artists' Alley.

The flea market (or, well, part of it)!

 

And of course there was also a chance to play board games!

And soon after that Matsucon 2023 was over! I exited the doors, waited for Shiro Samurai to be able to leave the place and eventually left for the hotel with him. By taxi. I still wasn't fine with the idea of walking around in my outfit when it was literally snowing.
We stayed a night after the con at the hotel since I had planned to leave for the south on Monday (it was more clever considering my working shifts; there's no way I could sit a whole night in a train and then happily be at work on the morning, uh uh, it's a no no) - which I did. And still have no regrets about this decision since it made our Sunday evening less stressful and we were actually able to relax after the con and eat in a budget-friendly place aka Burger King instead of having to rush to the train.

I guess that's all... For now.
Like I said, I'm again very late with a few of my summaries, I still have circle lens reviews to write etc. so yeah, I should really get more active with blogging. Planning to buy a laptop soon so it might make it a bit easier to write no matter where I am (I only have a PC so yeah, can't exactly just take it with me wherever I go).

See you again soon!
Until next time.

-Firith