Life and times of the ruler of "This Land"

So! Things have happened.

About a month and a half ago, I finally got up the nerve to ask my doctor about starting anti-depressants. Considering how long it took me to get up the nerve to bring it up with him, the whole process was surprisingly painless. I told him the symptoms I had been experiencing, he told me about the various kinds of meds, and then started me on the lowest dose of a generic for Effexor.

The first days I took it, I was extremely nauseated, which is one of the possible side effects, and that worried me. I figured I would give it a few days and see if it stopped, since I figured my body just needed to adjust to it.

Then, it turned out that everyone around me was also having stomach issues and headaches, so it was a coincidence that I had just happened to catch a virus right as I started taking the meds.

The pharmacist and my doctor also told me I wouldn't really get any benefit from it for a couple of weeks, but to me, it was literally night and day. Admittedly, some of that could have been a placebo effect, but it's continued as I've continued taking it, so probably not? It's just changed everything. I'm not exhausted halfway through the day anymore, I don't have the constant body aches, I actually feel something besides just... bleh. This isn't all to say that I don't still deal with anxiety and everything, but it's made it so much easier to deal with when it does come up, and I'm so proud of myself for finally taking the step to get it under control.

So that happened, which leads us up to DragonCon.

I think I'm finally getting a handle on the craziness after four years, lol. I made a point to worry less about scheduling everything and just going with stuff as I wanted, and it turned out to be the best year yet, so I think that's the best way to go about things?

It was also my first year cosplaying a character that anyone had ever heard of, lulz. I also went zero to sixty and went to the big photoshoot for the fandom, and... y'all. I wish I could track down a couple of the others to thank them, because it was just... the best thing.

It pretty much goes without saying that there aren't that many characters out there with my body type, and especially not female characters. It's always been a part of why I haven't done more with cosplay, because I've always been nervous about how people would look at me, this very much Pooh-sized person cosplaying someone who is definitely not, considering how cruel the internet can be about such things. I don't know if I would have gotten up the nerve to go to the shoot if a friend (/waves at Angel) hadn't also been going, but she'd already said we needed to get a picture together, so that gave me more motivation to go and do the thing despite my paranoia.

I cosplayed Shouta Aizawa, a.k.a. Eraserhead, from My Hero Academia, and I had someone yell "ERASER" at me from a bus, had a Deku cosplayer run up to me, shout "DADZAWA, PLEASE WATCH MY BAG" and run off again, and I had a Dabi insist he needed to fight every Aizawa and ask if he could grab part of my costume for the picture like he liked what I'd made and... No, I look nothing like the character but the fact that it didn't matter to those two and that I was included in the shoot and just. Yeah. It was awesome and so much of why I love cons.

Anyway. Still having feels about the whole thing and already planning other cosplays, because I just thought I had the bug, before. I also wish I had tracked down some of the photographers doing photos because yeah. I felt awesome, and that really just never happens.

(I can hear Alishia muttering about me muttering about hating pictures of me, shhhhhhhh, one step at a time.)

Sooooooo, yeah! That happened. And now the more mundane details, lol.

Leah and I went down Thursday afternoon after she got out of class. We dropped off our stuff at the hotel and then hauled ass to the Sheraton to pick up our badges before registration closed.

Friday, we got up and got into our cosplays and then went and hung around the Marriott a bit to people watch. Leah was planning to go to a panel on Henson's Creature Workshop while I went to the photoshoot, so we went and found the line for her. I hung out there until they started letting them into the room and then headed for the Hilton. Did the shoot, socialized a bit, and then stopped by the Starbucks in the Hilton to get something to drink and a snack before I headed back to the Mariott to meet Leah. Did some other stuff that day including the Steam Powered Giraffe panel and a panel with the guys who puppeteered BB-8 for Star Wars and.... did some other stuff. I had another meet-up I wanted to go to that evening, so we did that, and then headed outside to have our own photoshoot. Found a pho place that looked interesting, ate, and headed back to the hotel. We had intended to go to the Steam Powered Giraffe show, but by the time we got out of our cosplays and everything, the show was almost over, so we just decided to go get in the pool.

Saturday, we had the bright idea to go to the dealer hall so we could skip the parade - and ended up doing the entire building, ahahaha. We were completely exhausted by the time we were done. Ate lunch and... I don't even remember, honestly, lol. We did go to the walk of fame and got Max Mittelman's autograph. We were waiting in line for Cherami Leigh when her handler let us know she had a panel and wouldn't make it back to the table, so we left and wandered over to the Mellow Mushroom for dinner before we headed back to the hotel to wait on Alishia to get in. She got there, and we went and got in the pool for a bit before we hit the hay.

Sunday morning, we went back over to the dealer hall to pick up a couple more things and so Alishia could look around. Went back to the Walk of Fame to get Cherami's autograph - and I got Vol'jin's voice actor's, thanks to Alishia. I didn't even put it together that he was going to be there, but she pointed him out. Went and got dinner before Alishia had to head home, and then Leah and I wandered around before we were going to head to the Hyatt for L.A.V.A.

It was the best thing. Robbie, Ray, and Max are legitimately insane and I laughed myself hoarse. Picked up some merch and headed back to the hotel to pack some things up before we went to bed.

Got up Monday morning and finished packing and loaded things up in the car before we headed back over. Finished up a few things we wanted to do, did a couple more panels, and then headed out. We stopped to get a sandwich on the way and then got dinner before I dropped Leah off at her apartment and headed home.

I was completely exhausted when I got up Tuesday morning for work, but it was 10,000% worth it, and I cannot wait for next year.

Next on the con agenda is Conapalooza here in town. I'm planning to wear Aizawa again, and maybe one other if I can get things together in time.

I didn't make a post for the last couple boxes, but I also only kept a couple of things out of one of them and nothing out of the next one. No descriptions on these since I recycled the packets already.

( Box 5 )

I got a box that was just kinda eh, and I sent everything back out of it, so I didn't bother taking pictures. This most recent box is probably my most successful to date, though.

Also, I got a haircut. XD Man, I didn't realize how awful my hair was looking, but it's so much better now.

( Box 7 )

That will have me pretty good on tanktops for the summer, too, so. Yay.

Third box! A decent spread this time, though I'm still not keeping much out of it, and I'm again not sure on the stuff I am thinking about keeping.

( Read more... )

I don't even know what those typos were but I'm exhausted and they're hilarious, so they're staying.

SO. YES. Christmas cards. It is time. If I don't get them done this week, they're probably not gonna happen.

If you would like a hand-stamped card from moi, please to get me your address! Comments to this post are screened and will be deleted once I write down said address (and if you know for a fact I already have your address, just tell me you want one). Also please let me know your Plurk name or something so I know who you are?

If you'd rather not leave it here, you can also e-mail it to me at cotume27 (at) gmail (dot) com or hit me up on AIM at cotume27 or whatever works for you. I'm not picky.

It's that time of year again, when I make handstamped cards and send them out to the good little children who comment to this post.

(If you don't want to comment to this post and still want a card, I am also reachable at cotume27 on AIM, Plurk, and @gmail. Or through PM.)

Please leave me your name and address (with pertinent country information if outside the US) and if you would prefer your card to not be Christmas themed. I haven't picked out my stamp for this year yet, so it may happen that way anyway, but I wanted to ask ahead of time.

Comments are, of course, screened!

It's that time again! And I swear I will get to them this year.

Christmas Card Time!

If you would like a Christmas card from me, please leave me your address! For those of you that don't know, I handstamp mine, and I'm planning on trying to get them made over the next few days so I can send them out next week. I will send overseas, too, so don't worry.

The comments to this post are screened, and I'll delete them as soon as I write it down. If you don't feel comfortable, though, you can always shoot me an email at cotume27(at)gmail(dot)com, send me a PM, or hit me up on AIM at cotume27.

Even if you think I already have your address, please tell me again. I never got to them last year, and it's very likely my book is out of date for at least a few people.

Also, I think my design this year is pretty blatantly Christmas, but if you would prefer something nonreligious, feel free to let me know.