*RayeRaye's Corner* 

Super slacked on my blog (oops) so a little post from me below for now! (I will fill in the gaps at some point!!) 

So for my 2014 round-up I shall try to keep it short and sweet. Hand on heart I’m in a much happier place than twelve months ago, this year hasn’t been easy but every cloud has a silver lining! In the run up to getting our new home its probably the most stressed and upset I’ve been for half a decade, and while things were difficult I had some really special family and friends to keep me smiling, so thank you all (insert gushiness here), you helped me realise what is really important. I’m also really thankful I got to a few more events this year and saw more cosplay peeps than usual, big thanks to photographers as well, you all gave me some great memories of my cosplays to keep forever! Resolution wise I managed to complete my ‘finish three games’ goal, never thought that would happen!

So, my hopes for 2015 are as follows: Get fita for kita and generally sort myself out in terms of fitness, get to some new cons and see my friends more, go on more crazy adventures with my husband, take my mum out more, try to make my next cosplays more fun to do vs stress inducing, keep up my blog/page and stuff and start noting stuff down!… Oh and 2015 is the year I turn 30, on the 30th July, so I am going to party hard and make it a good one! (Insert Kitacon, ^^ – drinks welcomed hehe)

P.A.R.T.Y?? Because I gatta!!

Happy New Years everyone! X

So it’s been a month since my last blog! How time flies! A few things have been going on so this is officially my catch up post/diary/blog, so what has happened since last month!?

A few things to report, aside from ticking down the days when my lovely Norfolk on Film interview on cosplay goes live (see here!) http://rayerayechan.webs.com/apps/blog/show/42473138-the-cosplayer .....

MCM ComicCon in Manchester occurred during July but sadly I couldn’t attend that one as I worked that weekend from home, the saddest part of that was missing some of my friends and the fact that legendary voice actor Vic Mignoga was going to be there! However, I got a pleasant surprise thanks to my pal Jess while I was hard at work, sending me an uploaded video from her mobile, of Vic, sending me a video message, OMG ME FANGIRLING MUCH?! Haha! In it he said he was disappointed I wasn’t there and if I was he would suck my blood…. *falls off chair*

I went to my very first Hyper Japan Event in London! I’m pleased to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I went on the Sunday, of which I am finding is the perfect day to go to large events to steer clear of hoards of people and actually have space to check out dealer stalls and chat to people! Hyper Japan was a early birthday treat from my hubby and I took back from it some great information about a future visit to Japan, as well as a cute Sailor Mars key chain from a Japan based store, a FFX Yuna wall scroll from MiMe Shop and a new Genki Gear tank top (because I agree all cats are psychopaths thus they kill things because they love you!). On top of all this I had the great fortune of seeing a few of my lovely friends at the event and being handed birthday pressies!! Nwaaaaa!!

Cosplay-wise my main project over the course of the month was Mistress 9 from Sailor Moon and I am happy to report I managed to finish it just in time for Hyper Japan! I had some lovely comments from fellow moonie fans and I even had the pleasure of accidently attacking Tes with my hair who took my picture – but its okay! We shared the love for Mistress 9 in a warm hug! I managed to get my hair to behave itself for the reminder of the day. One funny moment of the day was passing a tiny child who thought I was a scary witch – haha! Her mum was very sweet to quickly respond that there were many witches around during the day – bless! Another lady asked whether it was my real hair, to which I replied I wish! Although thinking about it the hair would be rather inconvenient!

After Hyper Japan I had my birthday arrive on 30th July and I loved it. I went to a local woodland and water garden called Fairhaven which was beautiful, had a lovely picnic there then later visited the family for a birthday buffet! Obviously it was a birthday so there were presents, and how lucky I was! I got many volumes of manga I needed including Witch and Wizard and Vampire Knight as well as some more Bleach! I also got tonnes of games too! The Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds on the 3DS, Senran Kagura Burst for 3DS and numerous PS3 titles: Ni No Kuni, Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD so a massive surprise playing these on my new PS3.

So this goes onto the ‘what have I been playing’ – well all of them! Most so far though is Final Fantasy X – because my next big cosplay project for MCM Comic Con in London on the Sunday in October will be Summoner Yuna – to be worn along my pals being Lulu and Rikku! Excite! Oh and beating the Luca Goers at Blitzball felt sooooooo good!

Apart from all this, my current cosplay project is a ball gown version of Poison Ivy for myself and a ball gown version of Wonder Woman for my friend to be worn at the Ayacon Cosplay Ball in September – DC Girls whoop whoop. I also joined the gym and discovered Zumba!

So lots going on and whilst so much fun and memories have been loaded into the month of July, which I will surely miss, I still have so much to look forward to!

Now to end on a sad note, this month we lost a great treasure, Robin Williams, the actor, he was a massive part of my childhood when I was growing up and I used to watch many of his films with my own dad, so this hit me hard this month as I myself lost my own father five years ago come September and he was just as notorious to give random jokes and laughter. With Robin, It goes to show no matter how well someone may appear on the outside doesn’t mean they are not struggling in some way, but I will never forget his comic genius and the laughter and fun memories he left behind, he was truly brilliant. So I finish this entry off with the following from the late Robin Williams…

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Robin Williams

So for this month’s blog I’m writing about something special! I had the great fortune of being interview by Norfolk on Film who have subsequently done a video all about cosplay with me! I’m very lucky to have been able to give my opinions and showcase some of my costumes. It was filmed over an entire day and I had a blast with producer Dom, because talking about cosplay is very close to my heart.

In the video I talk about what cosplay is all about, what it means for me and some of my outfits, including Aurora from Child of Light, Freya Crescent from Final Fantasy IX, Tardis Girl, Pascal from Tales of Graces f and my Yuki ball dress from Vampire Knight.

Remember, when you cosplay if you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right!

Below is link to the video with the full description – the YouTube video is here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqYGESC64EI ;

Manga Norfolk – Raye The Cosplayer

http://norfolkonfilm.tumblr.com/post/91367443566/manga-norfolk-raye-the-cosplayer-director-dom

This blog is turning into a monthly one! Lol! Well at least I do it XD Anyhoo what’s been going on in my little world.

MCM Comic Con was pretty awesome, I know its getting bad reviews due to crowding and treatment on the Saturday, but I only went the Sunday and it was brilliant, probably the best one I’ve been to because of being able to get around everywhere!

Cosplay – I finished my Aurora Child of Light cosplay just in time for the event, loved wearing it and I will be looking at expanding the characters costume (wings sword etc) at a future data. My latest thoughts on my next cosplay projects are Shiva from Final Fantasy VIII (8) and Midna from The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess (see my cosplay island for progress).

Also this month (as per the title) was E3 – and my love for Nintendo and the Wii U grows even stronger. Some fantastic titles announced so I’ve pretty much been fangirling all month, haha!

This weekend is my much anticipated Summer Cosplay Beach Meet I’m running for my group AniMedia East with a few of my other buddies helping, we hope to raise money for charity on this one as its our five year anniversary of the group!

Something I have really enjoyed this month is drawing on my Wii U and 3DS – being liked my Official Nintendo Magazine can not be bad! I will do more drawing I promise XD

Most thing I’m looking forward to in the next few days is playing Suikawari aka smashing a watermelon (hopefully) and playing more Mario Kart 8, Rayman Legends, Child of Light, Tomodachi Life etc etc etc

*too many games, too little time*

I’ve slapped my wrists due to the lack of blogging! But what can I say it’s been a whirlwind couple of months for me – I’ve moved house, been on holiday and working on cosplay!

Events - This weekend is the big MCM Comic Con (aka MCM Expo for long term attendees like me) – after uncertainties whether I would be going at all this year I will now be there on Sunday. On the local side we have our AniMedia East Beach meet in Lowestoft in June  and BBC Radio Voices is working with me for doing some videos on Manga in Norwich which is very exciting!

Cosplay - In true ‘expo cosplay style’ I am still working on my cosplay for the event with no guarantee it will be done. I hope to finish my Aurora cosplay from the beautiful Child of Light game that came out recently.

Gaming – Wii U – So I have recently acquired a Wii U – which I love to pieces! This console needs more support and it is my hope that with Mario Kart 8 coming out next week (pre-ordered!) and some decent other titles in the summer – that sales will pick up – because Nintendo needs us. Titles I have are – Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD, Super Mario 3D World, Sports Connection and Just Dance 2014. I also just picked up Rayman Legends and DuckTales Got to love a bit of old skool gaming – the re-mastered DuckTales is stunning to look at and to play! Not played on my 3DS much but when I do it tends to be Animal Crossing!

Gaming - PS3 - In other gaming news I have been playing Child of Light (which is available as a download game also on the Wii U) which I got on the PS3 as it came with a collectors edition. To put the game into full words will require a review on my part, so watch this space, but in a nutshell – it is stunning, beautifully fairytale like, the rhyming conversations leave you smiling – battle system and dual analogy use will be tricky for some, but in time you get used to it – but my top tip is ‘exploration’ fly everywhere and make it worthwhile as its been reported the game is only 10 hours long with a fast ending.

Other fangirling – TV - I’ve been hooked on the Originals which season 1 is about to come to its climax, luckily the USA has started airing season 2 which is good news! I need to catch up on the Vampire Diaries and also start watching Game of Thrones. Oh and even though it’s warm I still want Frozen on DVD….

Til next time! *Goes off and sings DuckTales theme tune*

Late with the blog oops! Well it’s almost Easter which means chocolate….. Sweet chocolate… GIMME CHOCO! …. *goes off into little world of chocolate and dances to Babymetal*

Oh wait where was I…. Oh yes! So Kitacon, it was fast coming and even faster passing by, so sum up in a nut-shell:

Thursday I spent the afternoon/evening un-packing, ironing and wig styling (mostly for my friends because I’m that awesome!), that evening I got recorded with my pal Jess singing lean on me in the pre-con line, but getting that badge and bag and t-shirt early felt good! Not to forget gorging on pizza that night!

Friday was the start of the con, we had our Bleach group which was immensely fun! I loved being Orihime again and messing about with my Kon plush – who I got Conn to hold for a photo (awesome). That day was the F.A.T.E trilogy before the opening ceremony, which I will miss so much, I loved the F.A.T.E spin off! Kudos to all the guys for making it happen. Friday night was a great party night with anime tunes, so out came my china dress and begin selfiecon haha! Pokemon theme tune for the win!

Saturday I was Tardis girl for a bit, we did the gamers quiz panel and came a worthy third place! It was a nice chilled afternoon as we geared up for drinks and the rock party, which was my favourite of all the nights – who doesn’t like blow up air guitars! That night I put on my black mini lace dress and fishnets and rocked out! Did I mention hentai? No? Well all I am gana say is ‘pink turtles’. And glow sticks…. So many glow sticks!

Sunday came all too quickly, the last day of the con. I was in the talent show as Luka from Vocaloid with my pal Jess aka Noodle as Miku. Disaster of the con was waiting 5 hours to get on that stage, yes 5 hours, we went on at 8pm when we were supposed to get on around 4pm…. Ouch. Closing ceremony announced the mini Amecon and big Kitacon for next year – much to everyone’s excitement, but from personal opinion, the Britannia hotel is not the best place for a con (I went to Gemucon in 2013, the con rooms was mainly on the 10th floor, the lifts stopped working, you can figure out the problem here…). So anyway the delayed Sunday stuff at Kitacon meant the ball was delayed. But what a ball! Pretty dancing as Luka and listening to Ellen McLain sing live and having her husband John Patrick Lowrie aka Sniper play guitar– brilliant bit! Still despite all this the potato wedges we demolished and 40 mins of the after party that was left still rocked. I can still taste those wedges…. Oh and no swimming happened and not much sleep happened – so it was most definitely a decent con! I miss everyone already – my friends and new people I meet make the con happen for me!

In other news I’ve been playing Fire Emblem Awakening lent to me by Noodle  it’s very different to the normal RPGs I play but its still quite compelling, also a little nostalgic Pokemon in there too. Other than this I’ve just discovered Child of Light is coming out at the end of April and now I want it so badly! Defo need to plan me an Aurora cosplay now – so cute!

Other than that this Saturday is the AniMedia East cosplay meet in Norwich I arranged, should be a good one! Looking forward to seeing everyone again and will hopefully announce our summer meet on the day. Oh and I have so many cosplay’s but no idea what I am gana wear. The curse of the cosplayer am I right?

So this is my last blog before I head to Birmingham for Kitacon – all cosplays sorted, very excited! Looking forward to a good party and hanging with buddies! Not much has been happening in the last week, work mainly took over my life but I did manage to get a little gaming in on Tales of Graces f and Tales of the Abyss! Other than that I have a new cute little mini red tartan skirt to wear – oh and I need to pack!!

Things I’m looking forward to this week are – generally acting like a cosplay crazed nut – dancing til the early hours and having a few drinkies – hanging with friends - laughing over the hentai panel (hopefully dressed as Hakufu from Ikki Tousen = appropriate) – gorging on pizza – 3DS StreetPass’n – splashing in the pool / chilling in the sauna – geeking out over all the pretties I want to buy – twirling around in my Orihime school outfit/Tardis dress/Luka dress/China dress/Party gear and generally having a good time as its my last con until the autumn!!!

As always, I will try and get pictures up as and when I get them, these will likely go up on my Cosplay Island page – I will also be tweeting at the event live too!

So as I catch my train Thursday that just leaves me to say… Allons-y!

So I do try to post a blog at least once a week now! (Thinking cap on) So here goes…

Gaming (Addictions) – Not much fitted in (again) expect 3DS XL fun, with MiiGames, winning DOA (Dead or Alive) throwdowns (rage face at home, sweet face in public of course) and ACNL. Speaking of which I spent about 8 hours at the start of March on Animal Crossing New Leaf – just to get Peve furniture – never have I been so determined to collect a set of furniture! I blame the peacocks attitude… no Peve you will stop giving me the same lamp three times in a row… arrggghhh end table be mine!

Cosplay – My last few bits are ready for Kitacon, I need a full wear photo so expect this on my Cosplay Island in a few days time…. It will be of my Luka Magnet Vocaloid version…Speaking of Vocaloid I have been getting more and more excited for my Magnet group in two weeks by my very own Miku (aka Jess) showing me daily Vocaloid videos (enter the feels!). Glad I got to save the costume after the mess Ezcosplay put me through.

Anime – Been a bit lax in the anime watching, but in news I was thrilled to find out Matt Mercer (aka Alvin in Tales of Xillia and a well known voice actor, who I met at Ayacon in 2013 – enter more feels) is going to voice Captain Levi in the much anticipated Attack on Titan dub, and he’s up for an award for his role as Alvin (clicks vote button with fangirl grin – shakes pom poms).

Other stuffs – Well its con season and I will be heading to Birmingham soon for Kitacon 2014 – held near the end of March, when the clocks move forward an hour, will lose an hours sleep…… oh well you hardly get sleep at con’s anyway right? …..

Oh and did I mention I am in the Kitas Got Talent show as Luka with my Miku, dancing, in front of everyone…… and I’m up for a gaming quiz..… Why do I do these things… oh yeah I’m me!

So on that note I leave you with our team name – ‘Attack on Daleks with Malice – Allons-y!’

March is here already! So far this month I have been watching the anime Full Metal Panic – really enjoying it so far so will have to post a review at some point, still have the rest of the first season to go, then the second and extra fun season!

This month will see me travel to Kitacon in Birmingham for a weekend party anime convention – I’m very much looking forward to it! I am in need of a party! (Queue my latest tune Timber by Pitbull/Ke$ha)

Cosplay wise I have been altering my Vocaloid Luka Magnet Cosplay, for Kitacon, I also made an over jumper for Orhime from Bleach. On top of this I will be re-wearing my TARDIS dress and have a nice new red china dress to party in!

Gaming wise I have been bad and not picked up any RPG’s I own – except of Tales of the Abyss which I managed an hour on – huzzah! I still seem to have an un-healthy obsession with Animal Crossing New Leaf… Give me furniture I need Pavé….. so many feathers…. Curse you festivale!

I also finally sorted out my YouTube account and uploaded my most recent AMV - so please check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P-9ye8j0Ek - I re-mastered it in November 2013 and its called 'Down' and is based on the epic game Final Fantasy IX (Down - Garnet and Zidane - Final Fantasy IX)

Finally I had a few moments of fame because of my ‘Twittering’ – epic Pancake Day fail made the metro online, but thanks to retro gamers who re-tweeted my photo because of my creative pacman ghost! I’m proud of my epic fail! Enjoy my masterpiece below! (It's family tradition to mess this up in my defence!)

http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/04/shrove-tuesday-7-people-who-failed-at-pancake-day-4414854/?ITO=Facebook

We have all been there, started a cosplay, found the perfect wig, bit by bit, piece by piece the costume comes together. And then, you’re faced with the tricky task of finding the perfect pair of footwear. If like me, you want your costume’s to be pretty spot on in every detail you are going to want the right pair of shoes to both look the part and enable you to be on your feet a while. So with this in mind, let’s go through some tips on where to start and how to look after your feet!

Online stores can be your friend, but walking into a shoe store is also a good idea. Across the country cheap shoe stores are everywhere (I like ShoeZone!), you can also find bargains in large department stores and supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s who are in on the action providing cheap footwear. Stores are great as you can try before you buy! If you prefer to look online my favourite places are eBay, Amazon, Priceless, SportsDirect and ShoeZone. Also don’t forget low cost stores such as Primark! I have bought most of my costume shoes from Primark, ShoeZone and eBay and edited them to suit the character’s (see pictures!)

Editing your shoes to match can seem daunting, but it can be done without too much effort. There are many tutorials online if you just Google, such as dying shoes to the right shade, adding extras such as metallic plates, tassels, beads and other accessories like boot covers. Dylon have leather shoe dye in a range of colours, personally I would avoid painting white shoes black unless you can make many coats! Acrylic paint can be used on shoes but make sure you coat it or it will flake off. I edited my Pascal boots from Tales of Graces f with white acrylic paint and belt straps.

Boot covers are a great way to retain your shoes original form. For my Fina costume from Skies of Arcadia, she has white ankle boots with gold covers. So I searched eBay for white cowboy boots and found a pair! The gold covers needed to go on the white boots, so I shaped some craft foam and painted it with metallic gold, and then did the markings using a Letraset pen so it would not run. This way the covers can be removed without damaging the white boots!

If your making a creature and need to make feet, start off with a cheap pair of plimsolls, these usually come in canvas form so you can sew through them. When I made Freya Crescent from Final Fantasy 9, I used my feet and hands as a guide to make the extended claw shape and to ensure the toes would go over the shoes. I cut four out, sewed two each together (so it looked like a weird glove), stuffed them with ‘teddy bear stuffing’, stitched them to a sock, and then slotted them over the plimsoll. Lastly, I hand sewed them to the shoe! There is always a way around making the right footwear, practice makes perfect! So, thanks for reading and good luck finding your feet (pardon the pun!). If you need any more tips of fancy footwear or anything cosplay related, feel free to contact me.

(This article was written by me and was featured in MyM Magazine)

Spoiler Free! Also known as Baka and Test Summon the Spirit Beasts

Baka and Test Summon the Spirit Beasts is split by two seasons, its available English dubbed and Japanese subbed through Manga Entertainment. The general story is based on the protagonist Akihisa Yoshii and a school full of students designated to classes ranging from in the best in A to the slackers in F, where in F is where are protagonist is presently. This school is different because good grades won’t just get you in better places later in life, it will also help you win battles. Basically each student has their own mini avatar and they fight battles with each other, there stats are based on how well they perform in certain subjects.

It’s a happy go lucky anime but it is very addictive, you instantly fall for the characters and sit in wonder what will happen to Akihisa in his love triangle mess with pink haired cutie Mizuki Himeji and tough pony-tailed Minami Shimada. Oh and the psychotic Shouko will make you both frightened and laugh your head off as she relentlessly chase Yuki Its one of those anime’s you read on paper that sounds okay but you really need to watch to really love it.

Now I am a sub or dub fan when its done right, so I am glad to say that the English dub voice cast is fantastic, Greg Ayres as the panty photo taker Kouta is hilarious and when the girls get angry their cutest voices are replaced by cackling revenge seekers.

Season two really changes things as its much more relationship driven, the ending is very sweet but I warn you, you’ll want to see a series three for closure…

Okay so my first blog entry… no pressure…..

*feels pressure and can’t think, makes cuppa tea, feels human, flexes fingers*

That’s better! So anyway! Welcome to my blog, my odd little corner for my general natterings on all the bizarre and brilliant things I’m currently into.

In this week’s chapter I will go over what I’ve been doing since the start of this year! (As its my first blog!)

So… ANIME!! …., I have managed to have it consume most of my free time, I have gone through the first and second season of Baka and Test Summon the Spirit Beasts (DVD’s I got for xmas), Kaze No Stigma (DVD), Attack on Titan (Crunchyroll), and am currently getting through the Persona 4 Animation (waiting for box 3 to arrive on my doorstep... as well as Magical Warfare (Crunchyroll) and Strike the Blood (Crunchyroll) and School Rumble (DVD) so I will post reviews as I get through these for anyone who is interested....

Cosplayed? Since the start of the year I held a cosplay meet for the group I run with some buddies, AniMedia East – it was most successful! For this event I made my Tardis Girl Cosplay which was fun to wear twirling about. Next meet I’m running is set for 12th April which you can find more about on Facebook. Latest planned/progress/completed cosplays are on my Cosplay Island Page.

Convention projects? As usual I have a few, my next con is Kitacon, in Birmingham from 27th March, cosplays I’m doing is Orihime (Bleach) re-wear, Tardis Girl (Dr Who) re-wear and a new cosplay Luka Magnet version (Vocaloid). I will have a Bleach group and a Vocaloid group which will be nice!

Gaming? Just picked up Persona 4 Arena, it’s a great game, story mode takes an age to get through… you can save as you go along, I’m still on the first one! It’s because there is a lot of text dialogue, most of the original voice cast from Persona 4 have returned so that’s good, oh and button bashing is tricky, similar concept to the latest street fighter or Dead or Alive 5.

Other stuff… Neglecting my 3DS XL through all of the above, hope I still have some Animal Crossing villagers left haha! Missing Doctor Who already, loved Sherlock, and still singing Frozen songs, thus the title.

Until next time!!

Raye x