Course Selection

Hi everyone! It's a pretty slow week, so I'll fill the gap with some post about my courses for next year! :D

As some of you may know, I'm going into my second year of university! Last year was very exciting, so I hope to have just as much (if not more fun) next year! So here are the courses I chose:

• Literary Theory
• Chaucer
• Contemporary and Modern Drama
• Critical Thinking 
• Perfectionnement orale et écrit I et II (They're semester courses)

French and Critical Thinking are required because I need to take French in order to go to this campus and Critical Thinking because it's a mandatory course to 'brighten my horizons' as they say.... I hate it lol

I was actually really disappointed because I wanted to start working on my requirements for my art minor, but I unknowingly missed the deadline to submit a portfolio. So next year for sure, I'll be on top of it! (Plus it gives me some time to beef it up a bit since I haven't had the time to paint anything recently...)

Another thing I was disappointed about was the French course I had to take (and now that I think about it, I might be able to do something about it). Because I'm not trying to get a certificate, all I needed to take was one 2nd year level course and then I would never have to take french EVER AGAIN whoooo~ but no. It's never that easy I guess...

And then with all of these courses, any other courses I wanted to take at the other campus conflicted (given the actual lecture schedule and transportation time etc.)

So next year will be a little boring... oh well! I at least have no courses Monday until 6pm, no classes after 3 on Thursdays and no classes Friday! Pretty awesome.... free time for meeee~!

I'm thinking about school for next year while my little brother just finished his last day haha;;;

Until next time!

Toronto Cosplay Picnic!!

So this weekend was really amazing!! I got to sleep over at Sachie's house along with Ringo!!
I was especially excited to see Ringo since I've only seen her in person like... 2 times. D: MAJOR GIRLY BONDING WAS REQUIRED!

Anyways so I went on the train and arrived in Sachie's hometown at around 3. I missed my stop though, so we had to reunite after hoping off the bus like a mad woman orz;; But it all turned out OK since Ringo arrived at Sachie's at the same time we arrived!

That night we vlogged A LOT and even livestreamed... if anyone reading this remembers.. I think we ended with 100-something viewers because we were dancing happy synthesizer and ended with WHIPPING OUR HAIR BACK AND FORTH (well more like Sachie since Ringo and I don't have much hair to whip LMAO) It was really fun! There were many pervs online... but it was still nice to see so many people who support us watching our livestream as well! So after a bit of that we decided to go ahead and start making our HTT cake for the picnic the next day! :D

At first we wanted to make a layered cake with strawberries inside and on top.. but when we went to go take it out of the pan, the bottom came off! So we decided to improvise with custard to hide our mistakes lol. It was really tasty though :P

We didn't stay up too late because we wanted to wake up early the next day! Even though we woke up at 8, we didn't arrive till 1 or 2 though. ;  ^  ; And we even managed to forget a few things (i.e. Sachie's bow and my belt) It was a little bit of mess but whatever. We still had an awesome time!!

We tried looking for these things called 'potato tornados' (I have no idea lol) But we couldn't find them after 2 hours of walking around the island lol... It was very busy because the annual dragon boat races were taking place there as well! The place was swarmed with people and the lineups for the ferry were very long

So! After hanging out with everyone and eventually changing out of our cosplays, we headed back to Sachie's. Originally I was going to go directly back home, but I decided I was having too much fun and wanted a little more girly time

The rest of the weekend was just as great. We watched Tangled (Disney's version of Rapunzel) and re-watched all the vlogs we made that weekend. I think we stayed up till 1 or 1:30 just goofing off haha.
This morning we rushed around because Ringo had to go back home (her parents were already on their way at the time lol) and I needed to take the train back. It was sad having to leave them, but I know we'll have many more girly dates in the future! (Notably our cosplay making party for my STRENGTH cosplay lol, please look forward to it!)

So that's it for now! You can find vlogs of our adventures on our YouTube! They should be up soon. We also just created a BlogTV! So whenever we go to do lives together, they'll be there
Please look forward to all of the exciting things we're planning for the future!!

Until next time!

Thoughts on: Thoughts.

I've always wondered where thoughts came from.

In philosophy we looked at a guy who said that thought was internalized and an actual physical process, where the muscles twitched as if you were silently speaking the words..
My own thoughts strike me as weird, and I don't know if this happens for anyone else. Whenever I think, my voice is projected inside my head, but my thoughts sometimes cut themselves off and I hear an echo. It's very strange and I wonder if maybe it's tied to my habit of stumbling over my words when I speak them.
Since thought is an entirely personal thing, I'm wondering if I think differently than anyone else? Not content wise, but the mechanics of it.

It's kinda like how you'll never know what's wrong with you unless you go to the doctor's.. but I don't think anything is wrong with me..

Are there cases of different personalities, where the person's thoughts are in a different voice from theirs? Do people yell in their thoughts when they're angry? I don't.

Thoughts can also be visual... I remember in grade 9 there was an exercise of free-writing in English class where everyone had 5 minutes to write the uncensored things that came to their minds. I struggled very much with this exercise because I think in pictures.. but my thought-out descriptions stumble over to each other. I wonder if I could have drawn a picture and gotten away with it? When I think, it's more like words accompanying pictures, rather than words creating pictures.

How strange that the concept of thoughts to one person can draw up so many other questions.

Harajuku Lovers: Snow bunnies

I recently received this lovely fragrance from my aunt! And even though it's winter themed, I still find it super cute.

Brand: Harajuku Lovers
Name: Snow Bunnies
Smells Like: Light, floral, a little sexy

I'll start by saying how much I LOVE the packaging! Even though the bottle's cute, the packaging is what teases my eye when I go into a store. The little lacy patterns and the pretty blue and white scheme work really well to feel as if I'm buying something cute, but not too childish (at least for my tastes). Sadly I deleted the picture I had of the packaging...

The bottle itself if similar to the rest of the Harajuku line, this one featuring Gwen Stefani as the character you're buying. Her outfit is, again, cute but stylish which is nice. Now, I don't know if this comes in a bigger bottle (since it was given to me as a gift) but the quantity of the actual perfume given isn't very much compared to the doll that decorates it. Maybe it should be the other way around....?

The scent itself is very lovely! You can wear it and not have people scrunching their nose in distaste, but still feel girly and a little sexy while wearing it! It's now my favourite perfume♥

All-in-All: 4.5/5♥
I would recommend this to anyone! To some you may be put off by the cutesy appeal, but I really enjoy the scent and I find it very versatile. The only thing I would change is the amount of perfume you get! That way I won't run out as quickly haha.

I hope you enjoyed this review!
Until next time!

102 questions about your cosplay lifestyle!

I was tagged to do this by Sachie!

(This was a questionnaire taken from LAYERS magazine - a cosplay magazine from Japan.) 

There are no right answers to any of these questions. Quite a few can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no", but there are at least three more ways to answer any one of them. Of course, every answer has its reason and every reason has a story. Our goal isn't to pass judgement, but to get you thinking about these questions. If this questionairre starts a dialogue on manners, then we've done our job.

 

General Cosplay Questions 1) What's the best part of cosplay for you? 

 Becoming a character with a personality that is different from yours! Plus I like wearing the outfits :D 
2) Do you use the term "kameko" ("camera-kid")? 

 Nope. :S
3) Do you read event catalogs?

 If event catalogs are the same thing as the program they give you for panels and stuff... then yes?
4) Do you rsvp to events?

 Yes, I try to at least!
5) Do you want to attend more events? Or are you content to remain in your local area?
OF COURSE!! If only I had the time and money ;  ^  ;
6) Do you use color contacts?
I can't actually... I have a fear of things touching my eye... it's just too personal. I'm really jealous of people who can wear them though... I want circle lenses ;  ^  ;
7) Do you make your own costumes or do you buy them?
If the difficulty is within my range, then i do. (I made my Ritsu Listen!! cosplay) But most of the time I end up buying. I hope to make my own cosplays someday though....!!
8) Do you stick to one genre?
Not really. I've never done a shonen-genre cosplay though.. mostly shoujo anime and fantasy rpg-style games lol.
9) Do you think that when cosplaying, one should stick to the genre of a given event?
Considering that people here don't do that anyways, I'd say that it doesn't really matter lol.
10) Does it bother you when people break genre?
Unless they're acting like jerks, then no.

--- ♥ ---

11) Does it bother you when people know nothing about the series they're cosplaying? 
Yes! Especially if they end up more popular than someone else who tried their best and loves the character! That's not very fair... :S

12) Does it bother you if people only know a little about the series they're cosplaying?
So long as they know the basics then I can let it slide... >3>
13) Does it bother you if people are familiar with the series, but have no affection for the character they're cosplaying?
I can see instances where they might have been recruited by friends, so I can understand.
14) Does it bother you if someone else is cosplaying the same character you are?
To be honest, I start judging my cosplay against theirs automatically.. it's my nature LOL;; But I don't act like a jerk to them and I especially try to never say anything about it!!
15) Do you like posed shots?
Yes.
16) Do you like candid shots?
In person I'm not very graceful LOL... so there's hardly ever a candid shot of me that looks good XD;; If I spy someone from afar with their camera pointed my way.. I try to secretly look good lmao XD;;
17) Do you think cosplaying characters from adult games or pornographic material is in bad taste?
Not the cosplay.. but I question how they know the characters LMAO...
18) If there's a problem at an event, do you jump to conclusions about the parties involved?
It's in my nature. But I try to be reasonable..
19) How many times do you cosplay in one month?
Depending on the time of year, 1 or 2 times a month..
20) Do you go to photo shoots?
If I'm invited, then of course! I really like photoshoots :3


 --- ♥ ---
 
21) Have you ever been included in a cosplay CD-ROM?
WHOA. That would be cool!

22) Is casual cosplay okay?
If it's for a big event then I don't really understand.. but for a small event then sure, why not?
23) Are you okay with your face appearing on the internet?
Yes! ;D

24) Do you find yourself thinking people are "too old" for cosplay? How old is too old?
You are as young as you think you are. As soon as you think you're too old for cosplay, then yes you are.
25) Do people who walk around in gothic lolita fashion bug you?

Nope!
26) Do you think Chinese dresses count as "cosplay"?
Well, if the character wears a Chinese dress......
27) What bothers you the most about cosplay?
People with bad manners are the ones that stick out. Then people pin the rest of the cosplay community based on that single experience.
28) Do you think it's important to be "in character"?
Yes!
29) Does it make you nervous to be eyed by regular visitors at a public event?
Yes and no. They probably think I'm weird..... but they're also probably very jealous haha ;D
30) Do pre-scheduled cosplay appearances by popular cosplayers annoy you?

 No? I don't know why it should?

--- ♥ ---

31) Do you tell other people your best locations for shoots?
Neverrrrrr!! Maybe I tell them the general area it was...
32) Do you put on your makeup before your wig or after?
Before the wig!!
33) Do you know a lot about the series' you cosplay?
I try to! I get really into it when I know the characters really well :D
34) Do you wear costumes only once or many times?

I try to wear them more than once because I put a lot of money and effort into my cosplays!
35) When you've decided what costume to do next, do you share that information with other people?
YES! The more people that tag along the better, and how else do you do it other than Twitter or FB? XD
36) Do you want to be in cosplay magazines?
Yes please ;w;
37) What's the most important part of cosplay for you?That people enjoy my cosplay and that i get to meet new people with the same interests!!
 

Event Participation Questions
38) How active are you cosplaying in your own community?
I like to think that I'm very active.
39) What do you wear on the day of an event?
If I need to register a large prop then I generally don't go in cosplay because it's easier that way. Other than that I make sure to go in cosplay.
40) Do you eat lunch on event days?
How naked am I? LOL. I try to eat enough to keep me alive.
41) Do you eat breakfast before attending events?
Yes! Otherwise I crash by 3 PM LOL.
42) How long does it take you to change?
About an hour.
43) Do you think it looks geeky to attend an event with a big SLR camera?

NO WAY! You look so cool with a large camera >:D
44) What camera do you use? A compact? An SLR?

I use a point and shoot! It's the Canon Powershot 1400 IS.
45) Are you afraid of cameramen? Are you cool with them?
Nope! So long as they're friendly and try not to be a pervert...
46) Are you one of the first to line up to get inside?
Yes. I usually go to the con about an hour before the doors open.
47) Do you not mind showing up late?
... I mind. Unless I'm with a group of people already...
48) Do you have a small after party or a huge get-together?PARTYYYYY AW YAAAAAAAA......

49) Do you like karaoke?
I do! But I'm not very good....
50) Are you tolerant of bad singers?
I try to be :D

51) Do topics unrelated to animation and manga bug you? Or do you think it's okay to talk about anything at all?
No? I like to be diverse in my knowledge of the world!! I like to learn things out of my comfort zone :D
52) Do you eat lunch while inside event areas?

Not really.. unless it's a designated eating area.. thing XD;;
53) Can you handle the cold?
Yes. I'm Canadian dammit!!
54) Do you buy doujinshi at events?
No...
55) Do you make doujinshi to sell at events?

No... ;  ^  ;
56) Do you have a group that participates in group events?
MOETRON FTW YAAA!! *waves banner*
57) Are you a member of a cosplay circle/club?
Why yes, yes I am... have you heard? It's called MOETRON ;D
58) When the event is over, how late do you stay out?
As long as I can... which isn't very long lmao..
59) If a new face approaches you at an event and takes up a few minutes of your time, are you annoyed?
Not at all! I would feel honoured :)
60) Do you go to cosplay dance parties?
I've never been to one.. but i wouldn't hesitate to say yes if I was invited lol.
61) Do you think your Layer status is higher than others is a lot of people want to take your picture? Does it bother you?

I don't really think about that...? I feel proud when people want to take my picture... but I would never be so stupid to think that i was better than people!

62) Do you get jealous of other cosplayers having a lot of pictures taken of them?
A little... sometimes.. I usually forget about it though.
63) You're asked for a picture but have something else to do, do you refuse?
Depends. I feel bad turning people down because I know to some it takes a lot of courage to go up to a stranger. If I'm in a hurry though, then sometimes I'll refuse.
64) When you take pictures of people at events, do you give them all copies of the prints?
Only if they ask.... but no one's asked yet lol.

Photo Shoot Questions
65) (at a studio) Do you give a copy of each photo to all of the participants?
OH YES ALL THE TIME PSSSSSSSSH. (I'm no where near as privileged lol.)
66) How do you approach photo shoots? As a chance to gather with friends and goof off or as a meeting to take nice pictures?
Both. :D♥ I'm a big goof.... and I'm also very intense when it comes to photos.
67) Are you particular about how you look in the test shots before the shoot? Do you mind how you look in general?
I mind a lot! Unless the photo is deleted afterwards, it's still a picture of you looking like road kill lmao... unless it's a planned derp XD
68) When you take photos, do you prefer shots from the front or other angles?
Hmmmm, I don't really mind either way. But I tend to tilt my body on a 3/4 angle and prefer photos with a slight downwards angle (so I'm looking up slightly).
69) Are you bothered by receiving lots of photos? Are you happy?
Happy♥. I feel honoured.
70) When you take photos, do you photograph only people you know personally and like? Or do you look for other people with great costumes to photograph too?
Both.
71) Do you wander around to meet people at events or do you keep to your own group?
I like to keep to my own group, but that's just my personality.
72) How many photos do you usually take with your own camera?
Only a few. I only take photos of really memorable cosplays. (All my friends are awesome cosplayers so there's no issue ;D)
73) How many photos do you usually take for others?
None really...
74) Do you mind if people resize or crop the pictures you've taken to make them look better?
Sure! Make me look gooooooood ;D♥
75) Do you crop and resize pictures others have taken for you?
Yes, but I make sure to give credit to the photographer.
76) Have you ever set up a photo shoot by yourself?
Yes! I set up the one with Stillvisions way back in 2010 lol. (It still counts right? ;D)
77) Do you check shoot information beforehand?
Yep :3
78) Do you like it when there are a lot of people in the shoot area? Or do you prefer small events?

The less people staring at me while I'm awkwardly posing the better...

79) What size (how many people) is the best for a shoot?
Hmmm.. it depends on what the group is cosplaying. For instance, if it was my cos group (4-6 people) in a BLACK ROCK SHOOTER shoot.. I would prefer a couple of group shots and then many pair shots, or small group shots of 3 people.
80) What time of day do you like to take photos?
Whenever the lighting is best!
81) Do you prefer indoor or outdoor shots?
Again it depends on what I'm cosplaying. If it's Monster Hunter, it must be outside. BLACK ROCK SHOOTER? Indoor.
82) Which do you dislike more - hot weather or cold weather?
Hot, humid, sticky Canadian summers are terrible D:
83) Do you know any cameramen?
Why yeeeeessss!
84) Do you eat in the photo area?
Nope~
85) Do you like taking parts-shots? Or do you dislike them?
I don't know what those are....?
86) Do you retouch your photos?
Yep! I'm conscious about the way I look.. ;w;
87) Are you annoyed by people who don't retouch their photos?
Some people are beautiful without any retouching ;w;
88) Do you use reflectors?
I don't -- But I know a few photographers who do~
89) Which is worse ~ breaking the rules and getting great pictures, or following them and getting poor ones?
I'm a rebel ;D

Friend Questions
90) Why are your friends your friends?
Because they are consumned by my gorgeous looks and sparkling personality. They're love for me scaled the tallest mountains and dives to the deepest depths of any sea. Our friendship is the ship that will never sink and will forever be the guiding light from the lighthouse we seek. Our divine love is r---------
91) If you hang out for one day, do you consider yourselves friends?
Do we click? Are we talking as if we've known each other forever? Am I laughing? Do i miss them when we part?
92) Do you give copies of your photos to others?
I'm not that good ;w;

93) Do you want to make more friends?
Sure!
94) Do you at least remember the names of people you meet at events?
I try to? If it's a two second thing and there's no follow up then it's kinda hard lol...
95) Do you find yourself adjusting your behavior to that of the character you're cosplaying when dealing with people dressed as characters your character knows?

Yep ;D I usually cosplay as upbeat characters, so it's easy haha♥

Home Page/Websites
96) Do you recieve permission every time you post a photo of someone else online?

no ;  ^  ; I'm sorry!
97) Do you get angry if a foreign site links to your page? Or are you flattered?

Flatterrrrrred!!
98) Are you happy to get mail from Layers overseas or does it scare you?

It would be cool?

99) Do you try to increase your web site? Or doesn't it matter to you?
Pageviews? It would be nice! That way things I write won't be meaningless jibber on the interwebs LMAO..
100) Do you not particularly care who links to you? Or do you ask people not to link without permission?
Link me if you think I right anything interesting! It only bothers me when people don't link back >3>;;
101) Do you credit the location or studio when posting photo shoot images?

YES! It would be rude otherwise...

Final Question
What do you think people who have "good cosplay manners" are like?

Respectful, aware of what's going on around them, PG (no 'humping lines' or w/e... eww), empathetic!

If you want to do this meme then please go right ahead. Please link back to my blog if you take it from here though haha ;D

Until next time! 

League of Legends - Chinese Patch!

So recently I've been playing League of Legends!

What's League of Legends?
It's a game on the computer where your team tries to destroy another teams base. You do this by joining teams of 3 or 5. The game has over 70 characters (called champions) to choose from, all with unique abilities and looks. There are your typical mages, melee, ranged and support characters. These champions can level up to strengthen their abilities and can also equip countless different items for a great spread of builds you can go for. Each team is also given a healthy stream of minions that can gain their own level ups as the game continues. Along the way to your enemies' base, turrets are stationed to slow your progress, creating a dynamic of strategy to the game. Communication is key for victory in order to gang-up against other players or push your team to destroy the opposite base. You can play this game against other people, or against AI bots that are leveled either Beginner or Intermediate.

There are other things like runes which you can buy to buff any character you choose, but those can be viewed and explained better in the game's online store. You can buy almost anything in the game with the virtual points you gain from playing games. You can also buy anything with credit.

Where can I find this game?!
Google League of Legends. Click PLAY FOR FREE. Enjoy! It should be in your C drive.

I have the game, what is this awesome patch you promised us?
Well, LoL features two kinds of art styles. One is what is more of a western and the other is similar to an eastern style of art. The western style is the default when you first open the game, and I find many of the characters are drawn in a rather ugly way, which puts me off of playing them. The asian style isn't actually included in the game's system and must be incorporated externally.

How to change the art style:

1. Go HERE.
2. Scroll down to the instructions section and click the first link. It'll take you to a site that'll let you download Tencent Art Pack 6.2.5.zip. Click Download Now!
3. Save it to your Desktop. You'll have to unzip the file.
4. Next go to: C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\RADS\projects\lol_air_client\releases\0.0.0.XX\deploy\assets\images\champions
5. Copy the folder called 'champions'. Put it anywhere else except your Desktop. This is important in case the patch doesn't work. This is your backup! (The western style)
6. Cut and paste the champions folder on your desktop (the asian style) to the same location in your C drive (shown above).
7. It'll prompt you to copy and replace the current champions (western) folder. Click the box that says 'Do this for the rest' and click the top option.
8. Now go HERE, click DOWNLOAD to the right. This is the RAF manager that you'll need to apply the patch for the loading screens and during matches.
9. Go into this new folder you just downloaded. Open RAFManager.exe and go through any updates it prompts you to do.
10. Now go back to the folders you downloaded back in step 4. Navigate to the 'Characters' folder
11. Drag and drop the Characters folder into RAFManager. It might take a couple seconds for this to register, so don't be hasty and do it multiple times.
12. Once it goes through, it'll prompt you to name the mod. It doesn't matter what you type, just make it something obvious like 'chinese art'.
13. Now you'll see the file pop up on the right side of the window. Click the check-mark beside the 'delete' button. 
14. Now go File > Pack. You'll see some text start to appear.
15. Once it's done, that's it! You now will see the asian style in your league of legends game! You still have the backup western folder if at any time you want to revert back!

NOTE:  RAFManager must be closed in order to play League of Legends.

Please comment below if you find this post helpful in any way.
I hope this works for you! Enjoy the patch!

Until next time!

STRENGTH cosplay plan

So... not even a week before Anime North ended I was recruited (peer pressured?) into cosplaying STRENGTH from Black Rock Shooter with the rest of MOETRON(my cosplay group if you haven't already figured it out from my previous posts hahaha). They already have their costumes sorted out, but because I had prior plans for AN I didn't join them.

I think I was mostly recruited because they wanted to have another photoshoot. I don't mind obviously since I'll be included in that photoshoot as well haha ;D The photographers will be Ray Lum and Thomas Truong. (As far as I know)I haven't worked with Ray before, so I'm very excited since I love his work!!

I haven't actually started making the cosplay, but I've looked at a couple of wigs. Bad news though, I overheard on the news that Canada Post might be going on strike? If that happens, I won't be able to order a wig until I don't know how long! If they do go on strike, I hope it isn't for long..

Anyways this post will be based mostly around reference pictures and ideas that I think might work! So onto the reference images:

She also has a non-hands version! That way I can still have a complete cosplay while not wearing my hands ;D

I don't know if her top is just a short skirt, or if it's like.... a jumpsuit? The figmas look like it might be a skirt.. but the PVC figure makes me want to say jumpsuit....

A shot from the OVA.........

I'm going to say short skirt.... And that neck warmer looks detached from the rest of the outfit... I'm gonna look at fabric this weekend and see what I might be able to do with pleather. For her arms I'm doing foam and some AWESOME glue I'll find somewhere. I'm also going to hollow out the inside and put a handle inside... to get that 'my arm is cut off' effect. Then I can just hold the handles! Her ankle circles though... How should I make those without having to cut them off each time I need to change? I want them to look solid too....

So many questions and so little time ;  ^  ; Everyone else had a little longer to get they're stuff together... I'm such a noob at this lol. If you have any ideas then for sure send me a comment!

Until next time!