♥ Molly - Clare Claymore

Ryea : The first thing I saw her photo was 'WOW'.

I'm do really impressed by the gigantic claw -is it what it's called.

Wouldn't be thinking that someone did cosplay Clare's awakened version.

The photography is also great that it able to capture the whole costume plus emotions -thumbsup to the photog!~

And the favorite part about it is that knowing she complete this costume along with the help from her father.

Ahh~ happy to see that cosplay is becoming a part of family activity.

Clare [Claymore] by Molly

Ryea: What is cosplay to you ?

M: Well, I would say it's my lifestyle or the way thinking.

Ryea: What attracts you to cosplay Clare from Claymore?

M: I like Clare's personality and her appearence. The costumes are also interesting.

And I'm the same height as her, haha!

Ryea: From Clare's overall costume, which is the most challenging part? why?

M: First, I thought it would be difficult to make huge claws of the left 'arm'. But after they were finished,

I realized that the real problem is coloring. May be because it was the last and the longest part.

Ryea: and what will be the most favorite part?

M: Making 34 small crosses on the left side, that are barely seen in the photos.

Ryea: How long does it take to complete the whole costume?

M: It took about 6 months to finish awakened Clare's costume - my longest cosplay ever!

For example, usual Clare's costume was made in 1 month.

Ryea: Any good/funny/memorable experience when you cosplay Clare ?

M: When I was at the convention wearing this costume, I could walk through the hall only sideways

and people called me a crab, haha ))

Ryea: I'm really happy to see that this costume is made together with your dad.

What do you appreciate most through out this costume making process with your dad?

M: Dad knows a lot about materials and tools. Although most of the costume was made by me,

he helped a lot, for sure. Without his help this costume would never become real.

Ryea: How and what have you think you've improved from since you started cosplay?

M: I think I became more attentive to details. Because the details make costume look complete and beautiful.

Ryea: Any tips to share?

M: Just go and make it - your dream costume!

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Thank you so much Molly !~

♥ YuuriK - Serah FFXIII-2

Ryea : Eventually I know her through her sis YuuriC .. haha

Been seeing her Vanille FFXIII cosplay featured in some other websites too~ *thumbsup*

Love her props for Serah very much too =D

Here would like to feature her latest Serah Cosplay in Otakon 2011 !~

Serah [FFXIII-2] by YuuriK

Ryea: What is cosplay to you ?

YK: Cosplay is not a so expensive hobby and it is a way to dress up as my most favorite characters.

It also has become like a family vacation, I go to conventions with all my sisters.

Ryea: Why attracts you to cosplay Serah from Final Fantasy XIII-2 ?

YK: At first my twin sis wanted to do a duo. I was never really attracted to Serah, but while

I researched her I began to like her character, and the design of her outfit is quite extraordinary.

Ryea: From Serah's overall costume, which is the most challenging part? why?

YK: I think the most challenging part was making the bow-blade and getting the skirt’s top panel right.

Also, trying to figure out most of the Etro script (there was no good cgi renders at the time).

Ryea: and what will be the most favorite part?

YK: My favorite part was making the pouch – it’s functional!

I was able to put small items in it.

Ryea: How long does it take to complete the whole costume?

YK: It took me two-three weeks to finish the outfit and bow-blade.

My twin sis helped me a lot to finish the prop in time.

Ryea: Any good/funny/memorable experience when you cosplay Serah?

YK: I have to say there was a funny experience at Otakon. A lady in her car stopped in the middle of the

street during a green light and just stared out of her car window at my sis and I with her jaw wide opened.

I was glad to receive so many nice compliments for my bow-blade.

Some noticed I had made the bow-blade with a few references and they were really impressed.

Ryea: In your opinion, do you think that good craftmanship means having much details on their work?

YK: I think whether the outfit /prop calls for lots of details or not it just needs to look right to determine

good craftsmanship. Sure someone who has lots of details on their outfit/prop will always get more compliments.

Ryea: How and what have you think you've improved from since you started cosplay?

YK: I think I have improved in the way I pose, sew, make-up, style wigs, and make props.

I feel like I still have a lot of space for improvement. Practicing on what I need to improve on helps.

Ryea: Any tips to share?

YK: I always say that everyone starts from somewhere. All a cosplayer needs is creativity, confidence,

and motivation. I believe every cosplayer gets better at cosplaying with practice,

for some people it would take time and lots of hard work.

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Thank you YuuriK !~

♥ YuuriC - Lighting FFXIII-2

Ryea : I came know more about YuuriC's cosplay was through her tutorial link on Lighting Costume.

Been following the progress till it's done \o/ [LINK]

It's really superb to have this chracter for first time making amour.

Cosplay is always about taking challege - I agree!

She and her twin sister , Yuuri-K cosplayed as Lighting and Sera in Otakon2011

which both characters are also sisters .. cute! ~ =D

Lighting [FFXIII-2] by YuuriC

Ryea: What is cosplay to you ?

YC: To me cosplay is a hobby where you have fun portraying your favorite characters/series and having fun with other cosplayers. It's also a family thing; both of my sisters enjoy anime, games, Japanese culture in general.

Ryea: What attracts you to cosplay Lighting from Final Fantasy XIII-2 ?

YC: At first I cosplayed Serah from FFXIII, because I found her so cute! Once I saw the new Lightning design from FFXIII-2, I immediately fell in love with it. I also began to like that badass character of her. So far, I enjoyed cosplaying her more than Serah.

Ryea: From the Lighting's overall costume, which is the most challenging part?

YC: It was my first time making an armor cosplay so it was a challenge. The hardest part was the pauldron and lower leg armor. In the end I made the pauldrons a bit too heavy. I had trouble getting the shape right. The method I used to make the lower leg armors was a pain to wear, I remade it twice and I still had trouble getting in them.

Ryea: and what will be the most favorite part?

YC: My favorite part was making the props. I didn't have much trouble with them.

It was actually really fun!

Ryea: How long does it take to complete the whole costume?

YC: I started early February after I completely sketched out the armor designs.

It took me about 6 months of on and off work to complete the entire costume.

Ryea: Any good/funny/memorable experience when you cosplay Lighting?

YC: My first debut was at Otakon ’11 and I thought it would be my last after I endured so much pain.

The high heels shoes I used were a disaster and the heat during Otakon '11 was terrible (100+ degrees Fahrenheit)! Though with all that pain and heat, I had fun and I won't forget the memories. My first step down the stairs of my hotel made me crash to the sliding doors. My gunblade broke, I was upset and I was late to my shoot.

I laughed about it after. When walking to the convention I was basically laughing to ignore my pain.

I was so happy that I had many lovely FFXIII cosplayers take pictures with me.

The best moments were when I left people astonished that I used craft foam. It's nice to hear the positive comments from everyone, I won't forget them!

Ryea: I see that you used craft foam as the main material for Lighting armor.

Do you think that craft foam is the best material to work on for armour? or is there better alternatives?

YC: I haven't tried other materials yet, I found craft foam easy to use. My problem was the creases it made when wearing it. I've been searching on what to use to help it not give in. So far, I'm thinking of using fiberglass resin (epoxy) on top of the craft foam.

Ryea: How and what have you think you've improved from since you started cosplay?

YC: It all takes lots of practice. I think I've improved in many aspects since I started. I'm much faster at sewing and making props. I've also have become somewhat less shy with photographers and meeting other cosplayers. I'm still learning many new things, so there's a lot of space for improvement.

Ryea: Any tips to share?

YC: It takes patience, creativity, and maybe months or years of practice to make cosplays. But most of all motivation! Nothing is perfect, so nobody should stress themselves too much. Everyone should have fun with cosplay and stay with the right crowd that enjoys cosplaying. Never give up!

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Thanks much to YuuriC !~

ReaperofLeaves Birthday Sleepover

This past Friday was reaperofleaves' birthday and she held a sleepover party at her place. It was a bit far from where I was, so I guess it made sense to have a sleepover ^^ It took about 30-40 minutes drive without any stopovers or if the GPS doesn't lose its battery power... We came 3 hours late from the appointed time but were still the first ones to arrive XD I drove Galamirix and MysticaGrey along.

We immediately hauled out our dolls and the snacks... Though I think the snacks came first :3

Pardon me if I don't know any of the names ^^; I'm so bad with names unless they're written down. I had a discussion with my passengers regarding this. If it's not written down then my attention span decreases XD

Galamirix's girls getting ready for some event and/or snacks. I'm thinking the latter.

Helen and her Azunyan doll ^w^

Orpheus and Erebus getting along swimmingly as Nekros keep watch... Probably because Erebus looks so pretty XD

The big man Nekros chillin'.

Gah... Their names escape me at the moment... I know I heard the names, but again, I have short attention span when it's said and not written :P

MEIKO joins the party! Thankfully she doesn't smell like grape Fanta due to a certain Mystica incident...

I brought along some Indonesian cookies called "lidah kucing" or "cat's tongue" in English. Popular snack item it seems :3

These are PrinceDuCiel's boy and girl in matching school uniform :D

Don't remember whose doll this was, but sure is a cutie!

And this is the last picture I took just before my camera's batteries (including the spare) died on me... Glad to got this Nendobitsu Saber Lily riding on a saddled Alpaca photo for the last one. Saber Lily is Galamirix's, alpaca is Elfinder's and the saddle is mine XD

Thankfully I had my 3DS along... Unfortunately it's not the best camera... It is in 3D if you see it on the 3Ds though...

Thankfully MysticaGrey was handy with her camera. She says it's blurry here, but it's better than the one taken on my 3DS ^^; Check out her Flickr to see more photos :)

Azunyan's turn to ride on the Alpaca. I had to squeeze her into the saddle since her legs don't spread out much... Gosh, that sounds ecchi!

I also found a new feature on the 3DS camera! Blow on the mic and different types of sparkles come out while you're taking photos :D

This was one of my favourite photos from the 3DS :D

Helen surrounded by flowers while holding flowers... Yo dawg...

Reaperofleaves dolls with stars :D

Helen was big enough to hold up Azunyan while riding the alpaca!

And then Azunyan rides on Helen...

And this was the last photo I took while we were eating at a Japanese restaurant the next day.

I didn't get much sleep, but it was still fun hanging out with everyone. When I finally got home I conked out for 5 hours ^^;;; Thanks reaperofleaves for having us over and hopefully your parents weren't too mad with this many people at your house XD