NärCon 2013 ☆

Fellow comrades,
I would like to start this post by apologizing for it's somewhat questionable contents. To sum up what I mean by that: I apologize in advance for sounding like a grumpy old hag. Scroll down to the pictures to read the nicer stuff. Because:

I've decided to stop being sickly positive when I don't want to be sickly positive.

Not all of the time (I'm already quite bitter) but I mean, what is wrong with me? I read through things I've written and just go "no, that's not how I remember it" because I've been all smiles and sunshine about it on paper, when in reality, I was a grumpy old mess of a raincloud that just wanted to spread hate and thunder over the world. Kind of.

No maybe not that bad. I don't hate everything I'm just very bitter about most things.
Metaphor wouldn't make sense otherwise, so let's leave it like that.

Anyway, what is there to not be sickly positive about this time, then?

NärCon.

Video from this year, actually made me a little sentimental watching it, haha. Despite the bitter warning coming with this post, there were a lot of good moments. And I'm especially proud of my cosplaying friends so seeing them makes me all hopped up on feels.

So. NärCon is currently Sweden's biggest convention. This year there were around 5 000 visitors and a ton of activities that I didn't really explore, but they were there, so they're worth a mention. Fashion show, cosplay competitions, meet ups, host clubs and maid cafés, you name it.

I did have fun, I did. I met a people I had been looking forward to meeting, like Sofia (@Milktune / Neonkan), and Norwegian sweetheart Josephine (@Frillypinkdreams), Emma (@Loversrock), and a few very nice people who have talked to me a little bit online. Who I probably disappointed massively because moody, hormonal raincloud. I had my reasons. One of them being that the entire convention was a sweaty black hole filled with people I wanted to avoid, and another reason being that there was a ive year-old running around with "free hugs" written on his bare chest and "shota uke" on his back, followed by his seemingly drunk, fat and hairy father - at least I hope it was his father. I really, really hope it was. We called security like three times but they didn't seem to care.

I'm sorry to say that on this convention, my fourth, I realized that I am already getting too old for this shit.

 That is the ugly truth, I'm afraid. I really needed to get this off my chest. Ah, relief.  Feels so nice to not pretend like everything was fine and that I puked rainbows for four days straight, when I certainly didn't. I puked rainbows for like one day, if you count the good hours from all four days and squeeze them together. The rest was just a big "help" to be perfectly honest. Okay, this might not be such an exciting read for you guys. I'll get to the positive things, I promise. Let me break down NärCon 2013 for you:

1. Things I hated about NärCon:

- A lot of things. Except for some things.

2. "Some things"

- People, humans, friends, etc.

Good thing about conventions: people from all over gather in one place.

That's both a good and a bad thing (in Sweden there is a certain kind of "konventare" who never shower and won't stop talking, and they will hug you, with their sweaty arms, oh, they will. When you least expect it), but I'll stick to the good things.

Patootie Nellie (@Nerikodono) spent one night with us at the hotel, but Sofia and Alex (@Mosaiquealienz) are probably the people I spent most time with at NärCon. Sofia is my knight in shining armor, because she's the one who asked if I wanted to share a hotelroom with her this year. Last year I slept under a table, no mattress, in a room full of people I didn't really want to be around (+ they snored, all of them), so I can't even say how much I still want to drown her in love. She's just as bitter as me and Alex too, which is always nice. And her hair is fantastic.

Alex and I are pretty much attached to each other, but I normally never get to see Sofia, since we don't live in the same city. We had a movie night recently but before that it's been what, like a year? Terrible. Sadly - for me, that is - most of my other friends are pro cosplayers, so they were busy with performances and being AKB0048 idols most of the con. And when I say busy, by the way, I mean busy as in: 

"Jözz got so worn out she ended up puking and laughing at the same time while crying and telling everyone loudly how happy she was" ← I am so happy I'm not a pro cosplayer.

Me and that Jözz (@Thecarebearfag) got to cosplay Mawaru Penguindrum one of the days though, and that was another highlight ♪ My first cosplay, moe boy Shoma, with my penguinbro Kanba.

Gorgeous face there in the background, yum. Hey there, sexy.

Should post a serious one too, shouldn't I? Okay, if you insist.

We didn't get a lot of pictures, this was pretty much the only good one, but we'll take more when our Himari / Princess Crystal Emilia (@Pastelbat) isn't dying in the Sakura Garden maid café. It's probably for the best though, Jözz's sister Johanna (@Grandmotherbarbiie) told me I looked like I was dying at one point, Jözz was pretty much the same, and she could also not stop worrying about her makeup. We weren't 100% there, more like 80%. Mostly because of the heat and because we were stalked for a while. I mean, can you imagine being alive and walking around in jeans, properly buttoned shirts, knitted wests, wigs and black, thick suit-jackets for hours when it's above 30°C + sunny outside? But I love Jözz and it was fun anyways so I shall stop and move on!

- Maid café.

NärCon is at Linköping University = a school. So every classroom was turned into either "kawaii" or "otaku" shops, or cosplay workshops, or gamerooms, there was a hostclub, and the outside parts of campus there was the big stage, the juicebar, pool, etc. And other things I've failed to mention because I've forgotten what they were.

Image source → ☆

Image source → ☆

That would be some titans invading the café up there, then cat-butler Simon (@Bakasoseji) and some AKBabes taking care of customers on the day they took over as maids. 

That would be Sofia and her hair and her monster dessert at the titan-invaded maid café. 

Sakura Garden maid café is a must when going to a Swedish convention, 1. because miss Pastelbutt, and 2. because dessert monsters. So go visit them! If they're at the convention, of course, they're kind of a traveling maid café that pop up here and there. As I mentioned my bitter twin Emilia, Momo-chan, works at Sakura Garden. Which is pretty hilarious because she's one of the bitterest creatures I know but as Momo-chan, she has to be as supah kawaii kyuuto kyah as she possibly can and I just sit there laughing internally. 

- A little bit of everything:

Image source → ☆

- AKBabes cosplay group performing Aitakatta and Heavy Rotation in their AKB0048 cosplays on the big stage. I've been watching Clara (Nanako from Jar of clouds) and Jözz obsessively practicing their damn dances in various different places, quite often in Emilia's kitchen to name one, since November or December. So it was great seeing the result. They were awesome. 

- Fashionable people. Lots of people from all over Sweden gather in one place → a lot of Swedes are interested in streetfashion → you get it. I missed the actual fashion show, but there were still obviously people all over the place to run into. Always nice to sponge inspiration. And to see people I stalk online, of course. 

- Shopping. A yeah, but no, kind of thing. Most things are overpriced, crappy and of terrible quality, but there are some treasures among the crap! I found a gorgeous innocent world umbrella, and an even more gorgeous black crown necklade all covered in black gems and ah, also from innocent world. 

- And there is something about living on convenience food and running around in a town that isn't your town. Like a mini vacation.

That's about it!
See how I ended quite positively?

I know I have a secret reason for ConFusion this fall, and I have to watch Emilia in Cosplay SM, so it's legit for me to go to those conventions, but without a reason you'll have to carry me kicking and screaming back through that wall of sweaty air that greets you at Swedish conventions. I am negative, hear me roar.

Going to end this post now because it is by far the most negative thing I've written on here, and I don't want to scare you off, whoever you are (remember that I love you).

Goodnight and may luck come in your way (again I still love you okay).

(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ *:･✧⃛ ♡