Santo 29: Back from Japan more tired than ever

Currently reading: JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, NANA

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X / Judgment 2

Currently watching: ???

Back from vacation!

Right before going on my 2 week trip to Japan, I had been quite busy with work so I really didn’t get up to anything before, though I did watch all of City the animation which was awesome.

Now for the main reason for this post

I just finished my 2nd visit to Japan, staying 1 week in Tokyo and 1 week in Osaka. I had last been in 2019 before COVID and the huge surge in tourism, so being back after 5 years felt a bit strange. I had originally planned to visit in 2023, but unfortunately that was the year I was laid off from my job. Not even exaggerating, 3 days after I had made plans to go I got laid off. Needless to say, I had been planning this trip for a while and it was also my first time traveling alone somewhere pretty far away.

It was still a lot of fun! I did quite a few daytrips (Shizuoka, Nagoya, Okayama, Takamatsu, Hiroshima, Onomichi) to try and get away from the huge crowds in Tokyo and Osaka. I actually enjoyed staying in Tokyo better this time around because I explored a few different neighborhoods that aren’t usually top of the list for tourists (I stayed far away from Shibuya/Shinjuku/Akihabara/Harajuku etc). I stayed in Ikebukuro which was super lovely, since it’s a pretty busy neighborhood while still having some quieter spots. Thoroughly enjoyed shopping for doujinshi and BL here, including going down the steps of the legendary yaoi dungeon.

Osaka was more of a mixed bag. While I still had fun, I don’t see myself staying here again. I think it was just too busy for my liking when it came to shopping/nightlife. Maybe if I do visit here again I’ll pick somewhere on the outskirts.

My favourite city might’ve been Okayama though—I visited to see the plum blossoms at their main garden and found the city to be very vibrant with local artists and pop-ups. Would definitely visit again if I get the chance to.

Overall I liked this trip better than my first one, though that’s only really possible because I already went once and got a sense of what I enjoy doing. If I visit Japan again in the next couple of years, I would love to stay around Fukuoka and do even more chill/relaxed things.

Anyway, here are some of my favourite photos!

Saint Seiya doujinshi cart at a K-Books location in Ikebukuro

Quiet shopping street near Nippori Fabric Town

Azumayama Park in the outskirts of Tokyo

Minato Mirai on a snowy day

Mt. Fuji garden replica at Sumpu Castle Garden in Shizuoka

Looking at Mt. Fuji in the distance on a clear day from a free government observatory in Shizuoka

Mt. Fuji on the train ride back from Shizuoka

Toyokawa Inari Shrine

Miyajima Island

Atomic Bomb Dome at night

Peace park evening illuminations

Hiroshima Pokemon Center display

Okayama Castle from a distance

Plum blossoms up close

Shibori museum display of a large piece that took 2+ years to make

Onomichi view from the highest point I could get to

Ramen Matatavi logo by local artist nuttsponchon

Blossom tree in Onomichi

Will probably share more pictures in the future, right now I’m mostly just recovering from jetlag and seeing what I want to work on next with my current cosplay project.

In terms of reading/watching/gaming, still mostly reading NANA though gaming wise I’m kinda…not feeling it lately. Might try to get back to XCX or Judgment 2. Not sure what I’ll watch next either. I’m sure by the next entry I’ll have that figured out.

Santo 28: New year new Santo

Currently reading: JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, NANA

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X / Pokemon Ultramoon / Judgment 2

Currently watching: City the animation

I wanted to save this entry for the new year because wow my last month has kind of been all over the place. Primarily I had emergency surgery around the 13th to remove my gallbladder after a 12 hr wait in urgent care. I had been having some pain for a few days so I thought, let’s get that checked out why not. -1 organ.

All things considered I’ve been recovering fairly well. My diet hasn’t changed too much, and I’m mostly just cautious of what I’m eating to see if it wrecks my stomach or not.

Media things I wrapped up recently

I made it to the end of Dear Brother! What a crazy adaptation. Soul-crushing in the best way possible. Though I had a few minor issues with the way certain elements were handled (as opposed to what they originally were in the manga) it’s still a fantastic show.

And now for something completely different

I started City recently! After Dear Brother I wanted something much lighter and shorter and realized this had come out not long ago. Very cute, and as a long-time Nichijou fan it’s so fun to watch, especially with how good the animation is.

I also started Judgment 2

God knows when I’ll get around to finishing it. My streak for starting and actually finishing games has been terrible lately. I think since leaving games I’ve also inevitably distanced myself from gaming, but maybe 2026 will change that. I also just spend more time reading and watching my backlog so no time for gaming. Enjoying it nonetheless!

Listen to Cosmo Champs!

Our latest episode covering movie 4 of Saint Seiya is out now! We will be entering OVA territory next, so if you wanted to catch up or jump in now’s a great time to do that.

I swear I still draw

Here is the last thing I drew in 2025, maybe the best thing I’ve drawn in 2025? Commission for my friend Dia of her goofy looking betta Phonecall as a David Bowie album cover:

My drawing has also really slowed down because I’m busier with crafting nowadays. Not sure how I’ll tackle this going into 2026, maybe it’s time to pull out the daily sketchbook again.

What’s even ahead for 2026

I got some exciting things happening, mostly related to just making more time for things I like. Got my vacation to Japan in February which I’m super excited for, gonna focus on finishing my Medicine Seller cosplay by May/June, and keep watching more Saint Seiya!

I also got some good news on the gender affirming front, but I will finally be having a (partial) hysterectomy in April! Goodbye to my uterus forever!!!

Hoping to have more progress done on my cosplay for the next blog, OR maybe just a lot of photos from my trip.

Santo 27: Winter depression real

Currently reading: JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, How Do We Relationship?/NANA

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X / Pokemon Ultramoon

Currently watching: Sailor Moon season 1, Dear Brother

It’s been a WHILE, and I realized that this almost exactly correlates with it getting darker earlier. There being no sunlight by 4:30 PM is pretty rough. Can’t lie, it’s really impacted my energy levels overall, on top of things at work being busy.

Anyway what da hell have I been up to!!

Honestly I’m mostly just vibrating in place waiting for my vacation to Japan to happen in February. I’m really excited which also means I’ve been a bit distracted by preparing for it!!

I have however made my way through almost all of How Do We Relationship? and it’s easily the best yuri I’ve ever read. Granted I do need to read more yuri in general lol but it’s definitely up there. I also picked up vol1 of NANA and can’t wait to have every piece of my soul broken with a hammer.

I also read Miss Major’s book (Miss Major Speaks) which was a very pleasant read. Very much to the point, outlining a lot of her thoughts in a format that is very approachable. Highly recommended especially for understanding the impact of her work.

Honestly borrowing manga and other books from the public library rules. As much as I love downloading a bunch of stuff to my ereader, having a physical book to go through is great, and also it gives me a deadline that I have to finish it by instead of letting it rot on my backlog.

I also recently watched Angel’s Egg at the movies which was a very lovely but very loud experience. They just crank the volume all the way up in there.

Nothing too exciting on the cosplay/crafting front due to my energy levels just being really down. I have started to slowly sand some of my 3D prints down for medicine seller though! Aiming to get these primed and painted over the winter, and then once I’m back from Japan with more raw materials and ideas I will continue onto the big challenge of the kimono jacket.

Keep listening to Cosmo Champs

I am very bad at plugging things sometimes, but over at Cosmo Champs we are almost done covering the 1980’s anime! We just recorded an episode on the first half of the Poseidon arc (to be released closer to Wednesday) and the latest episode is on movie 3.

I’m also putting some finishing touches on the updated Saint Seiya sorter so you can rank every Saint Seiya guy ever. Except really filler shit like the jellyfish saint.

Anyway, I think that’s it for now. Haven’t drawn anything in forever so I’m trying to make that a priority. Energy is limited so I gotta use it for important things like Saint Seiya yaoi.

Santo 26: oh right this is a thing

Currently reading: JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, How Do We Relationship?

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X / Pokemon Ultramoon

Currently watching: Sailor Moon season 1, Dear Brother

Playing Pokemon again

With the new ZA game out, I really did not want to drop $100+ on a pokemon game so I took the most logical step: went back to my copy of Pokemon Ultramoon from 2017. I had hopped off it close to the beginning, I think because Pokemon Moon at the time was still very fresh so it wasn’t too interesting to me. But after almost a decade I felt I missed Alola enough to give it another go.

Having plenty of fun, and this is my current team!

A lot of these guys I hatched from eggs or transferred over from my original Pokemon Moon game so they’re growing like crazy.

In terms of gaming I’m no longer on Sims 3 or Stardew Valley, though I do intend on chipping away at XCX!!

Read the first mega volume of Ashita No Joe

I’ve been trying to read books directly from my library, and to my surprise they had the first mega volume of Ashita No Joe that no one checked out?? Needless to say I loved it and can’t wait to continue reading it. I’ll probably try to find copies of the other mega volumes since I do like reading the longer compilation ones. I’ve been enjoying reading a lot lately, which is also why I kinda haven’t been gaming. Just trying to cram as much of my reading queue into my brain before my big trip in February.

Work related things and such

I recently accepted an office transfer at my job which will put me much closer to where I live, which I’m super excited about given that the weather is starting to cool down. I also might have something else lined up (in addition to my dayjob), unrelated to anything creative, but still exciting!

Some cosplay progress

I recently finished putting together this undershirt/hippari using a pattern off Folkwear. I found some very cheap hemp fabric at my local fabric store and dyed it with some of Dharma’s avocado green and golden yellow reactive dyes. Not quite the exact tone of green I wanted, but still happy with it. It was also nice practice for the main piece for this cosplay (a kimono) which I’ll start sometime next year.

A hippari made of hemp fabric, dyed with reactive dyes

The next piece I want to tackle are Medicine Seller’s leg bandages/wrappings, plus potentially sanding some of the 3D printed props I have. Been putting that one off since the sanding bit is harsh on my wrists.

Here is also the last thing I drew! I’ve been drawing some other things as well, but that will be revealed in the future…hehe…

Burlap Skeith from Neopets

That’s all for now!

Santo 25: media consumption streaks return

Currently reading: JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, How Do We Relationship?

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X / Stardew Valley DLC / Sims 3

Currently watching: Sailor Moon season 1, Dear Brother

cybeRRRevolution post-mortem chat + new Cosmo Champs!

In case you missed it, I recently recorded a really great podcast episode with Trevor over at No Cartridge! We talk about cybeRRRevolution a year after its release, as well as Saint Seiya, of course. This is probably the closest I will ever get to doing a formal post-mortem on C3R. I had plans to do an actual presentation, but had to cancel last minute unfortunately. Give it a listen!

Also a new Cosmo Champs! We’re halfway through the Asgard arc and doing our best. Even in my latest rewatch of this I don’t really get the appeal of this particular arc, even if it’s still fun to watch.

I finished The Farthest Shore!

The reading bug bit me and I finally finished The Farthest Shore within a week’s time. I really enjoyed it, and was pleased with the book being very much about a journey of death.

I recently lost one of my pets (a cockatiel of unknown age) and it felt good to read from that angle. I’m going to pause the Le Guin journey a bit as I work on my reading backlog, but definitely want to go back for a few of her novellas, The Dispossessed, and Tehanu!

Now continuing JWQS and starting HDWR

And what I’m reading now is How do we relationship? as well as finally going back to JWQS!

I’m on vol 5 of HDWR and really enjoying it. The art is very cute, and the relationship drama is relatable and enjoyable to read through. It really does remind me of my early dating days that I absolutely do NOT miss but I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes.

JWQS is my longer reading project, but I also really want to wrap it up soon so that I can move on to another baihe or danmei. I was eyeing Peerless as my next danmei read since the mystery elements sound interesting enough.

I’m also just consuming as much media as possible because in February, I travel to Japan! Not sure if I had mentioned this anywhere else, but I had been planning on going again for a while but kept running into issues (like not having a job) but now that life is a little bit more back on track I decided to go again. Super excited to explore neighborhoods with a little bit more time and hunt for more specific goods this time around.

Cosplay updates

Still chipping away at my medicine seller cosplay—been experimenting with shibori dyeing to create interesting patterns for my field pants (which I made with a few adjustments from the Folkwear pattern). Also been practicing sashiko, very relaxing overall. Here are some results:

Black shibori dyed fabric (using pole method)

Purple ice dyed fabric with seven treasures sashiko pattern

That’s all for now! Going to be heads down on more crafting and anxiously/excitedly pass the time until it’s time for my trip next year (I will post again before that lol).

Santo 24: gay monster yearning

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X / Stardew Valley DLC

Currently watching: Sailor Moon season 1

Maybe my favourite thing this year so far

Sometimes you watch enough TikToks about a young boy’s gay nightmare that you simply have to watch something new.

The Summer Hikaru Died was something I had been meaning to start watching, since the pitch seemed pretty interesting, and wow the actual thing definitely surpassed my expectations! I’m someone who is a huge fan of homoerotic violence (can you tell I just finished watching Hannibal) and I think this show does a lot of really great things with building that up while exploring grief and rural anxieties/alienation. The pull between accepting death while also denying it by allowing an ancient god monster to enter your life is just fantastic. Also just a huge fan of how intimate the body horror is, I would take that over gay kissing any day.

Only bummer is that the manga is still ongoing, so if you’re not good with keeping up with ongoing releases I’d probably recommend just waiting until it ends. Not sure how long the creator wants to make the series, but I don’t imagine it being super long. I also read ahead in the manga and I’ll definitely be picking up the next volumes as they come out.

Cosplay things

As of this entry I’m almost ALMOST done the sashiko embroidery on my handkerchief that I started earlier this month. It’s been a slow process (a feature of the embroidery style itself) but I’m very pleased with how it’s been turning out. I’ll post more pictures once I’ve finished the last few rows and tidied it up a bit.

One year since I decided to stop bothering with game dev

This really snuck up on me this month, but it’s almost a year to cybeRRRevolution’s original release, which means it’s almost roughly a year since I “exited” games. Didn’t really mean to write a whole thing about it, but my general feelings are that I still don’t regret it. Lol. While I’ve been struggling in some areas with general life things, I think I’m struggling a lot less and in more manageable ways since I exited games.

I was already somewhat aware of this, but being away from games made me realize just how much that space had damaged my self-esteem and ability to just be happy about my work. I definitely do not miss it, even if I still do like the work I put out while I was in games.

And even though I’m saying this, I will be putting on one last talk next month! I will be doing a post-mortem on cybeRRRevolution as part of the online portion of QGCon 2025. That will for sure be the last games-related thing I do in a more “official” way.

Commissions are still open!

I recently finished up this lovely commission for my good friend Dia, and you can have one too! My commission form is up in my header, just fill it and I’ll be in touch.

That’s all for now!

Santo 23: the universe needs to give me one break

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X / Stardew Valley DLC

Currently watching: Sailor Moon season 1

Don’t want this entry to be too much of a bummer, but life has been kinda ROUGH just the last week, despite all of July actually being really great. One of my parrots is currently on palliative care because of a tumor that can’t be treated or removed, and so our household is focusing on providing him the most comfortable life possible for the next couple of weeks. It’s certainly taking up quite a bit of my energy though I’m still trying to stay positive and whatnot. Not the best start to what is my birthday month.

ANYWAY

I went back to the Stardew DLC!!

I still haven’t finished XCX (though I’ve been enjoying it) I went back to the Stardew Valley DLC on my switch. I had already achieved perfection when I last played it, so I’m mostly just getting the hang of the gameplay again. I’ll probably try to achieve the new mastery skills and check out what they got going on for the new seasonal events.

I really haven’t been feeling like gaming much recently, maybe because I’ve just been crafting more frequently and it’s more challenging to muti-task crafting AND gaming.

Trying to read again

In the past month I’ve finished Blood in my Eye, as well as Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba, the second title which is a great anthology of articles written about Cuba’s healthcare system, how they dealt with the AIDS crisis, and how queer culture flourished there. Highly recommend it!

I do really want to go back and finish Farthest Shore, as well as JWQS before hopping to the next thing. I enjoyed both of them, but might go wizard mode first.

What have I been up to in the cosplay realm

Relatedly, I am starting a new cosplay project! With God Cloth Shun wrapped up, I’m finally getting started on a dream project which is the Medicine Seller from Mononoke (TV version)! I’ve had this guy on my to-do list since 2018-2019 or so, but didn’t want to tackle it until I felt more confident in my textile skills.

On top of that, I’m also planning a crazy thing with this project, which is that I’m planning on going to Japan in February for vacation, and I want to take advantage of being there to source things like fabric and dye. Not ALL of it will be sourced from Japan since I do intend to get started on other elements now (already got my hands on some cotton-hemp fabric to make his handkerchief) and experiment with different techniques (like shibori dyeing).

Square of cotton-hemp fabric ice dyed with jacquard procion mx dye (in lilac)

Square of cotton-hemp fabric, dyed and stitched with the seven treasures linked sashiko pattern

I guess I also hadn’t mentioned this, but I entered God Cloth Shun at my local convention’s cosplay contest a few weeks ago and got a judge’s choice award! Neat! It’s definitely given me an extra boost of confidence for starting this next project. I really want to make it very unique and special in exploring historical textile techniques and hand-sewing elements.

Commissions! Come get them!

I’ve added a link to my commission form in the header, please feel free to get in touch if there’s something you have in mind. With vet bills and July being rougher, comms are super appreciated.

Have some cosplay photos!

I got some edits back from the photoshoot I did at Yeticon with the lovely Allison! Check them out:

That’s all for now—August might still be another rough month, though hoping for the best. It IS my birthday month after all.

Santo 22: Free from the void

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Blood in My Eye by George Jackson

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Currently watching: Sailor Moon season 1

I FINALLY FINISHED HANNIBAL!!! Spoilers below and such:

Man. Man!!!

I simply cannot stop thinking about it. What a show. True romance is killing and eating people together.

I will say that my prediction for the ending was that Will would kill Hannibal (on purpose) but did not expect for them to jump off a cliff together and I guess survive? At first I thought they died and Bedelia's roasted leg was something that took place before this scene (so a flashback) but thinking back to it it seems to happen after, which would imply they survived.

I get why people ask for another season but honestly, great note to end on.

Now that I’ve wrapped this up, time to start my next long-term project…which is Sailor Moon! Somehow I avoided watching any of it growing up, so hey might as well get around to it now.

Commissions! They’re coming for real for real!

I’ve been thinking about offering commissions officially sometime soon. The form to request one is ready, it’s just a matter of linking it out. If you follow me on Bluesky, keep your eyes peeled there, but I’ll also add the link to my headers here too. I’m mostly going to be playing it by ear, finances aren’t the worst right now for me but I’m getting to a place where commission income would be helpful. We’ll see.

Yeti-con review!

I realized I didn’t blog about this yet, but I did go to Yeticon a few weeks ago! It was my second time going and I had a really pleasant time. I drove about 21 hours to get to Blue Mountain (with breaks in between), here are some cool sights I saw along the way:

Now for what I did at Yeticon—mostly enjoying the resort itself! Last year I focused a lot on attending the panels and didn’t really get a chance to do other things (like mini golf). I also had a wonderful photoshoot with Allison Stock and cannot wait to share more photos of my God Cloth once they’re ready! In the meantime, enjoy this candid photo my partner took from far away:

Just like last year, it was a very lovely experience that reminded me what I love about cosplay. Got to catch up with some friends who I don’t otherwise see around, and awkwardly accepted compliments. I’m still not great at that lol.

My local convention is ALSO coming up this week so I’ve been tinkering with my armour to finish up some pieces and polish it up. Testing it in Yeticon was definitely a good idea since I was able to see what needed reinforcing (primarily the wings). I love entering my local convention’s cosplay contest every year, so here’s hoping everything stays together ok on stage!

Here is also the backlog of all the art I haven’t posted yet!

And hey!!! CATCH UP ON COSMO CHAMPS!

Cosmo Champs is going on a brief break, which means it’s the perfect time to catch up! We’ll be back later this month to finish up the Sanctuary arc and give our final thoughts on what is the most popular arc from the 80s show!

Santo 21: 5,000 years cosplayer prison

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Blood in My Eye

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Currently watching: Hannibal season 3

Hey, another Cosmo Champs episode is up! A bit of a shorter one, we didn’t have much to say about these last two fights. I promise I don’t absolutely hate the Leo/Cancer saints, it’s just not my thing. BUT next time is gonna be great. If you know you know. Cannot wait to spring some personal lore onto my co-host.

There’s also some real scary wildfires happening near where I live that aren’t impacting me directly but it’s making the air quality real rough. I’ve been staying inside for the most-part. It might impact my travel plans in a week or so, it might not. Just hoping that everyone can get evacuated safely—if you can, the Canadian Red Cross has more info on how to help if you live outside the province, while more local orgs like the Southern Chiefs’ Organization are leading donation drives especially for northern FN communities.

5,000 years in the cosplay dungeon

I’ve made a lot of progress on my cosplay since my last post! I’m really going all out right now because I have under 2 weeks before the convention where I want to take it to! The pink colours I picked up are looking great on top of the base color:

I’m using Montana Gold spray paints for the pinks, then dry brushing on some gold and red, as well as a darker pink for the shading. I’m also using the same pinks as a base color for the chains, then dry brushing gold over top to give it a warmer tone.

Trying to read again

I’ve also taken a step back into theory reading again. This time I’m going through Blood in my Eye by George Jackson and getting through it pretty quickly. It’s very powerful revolutionary writing that can be applied to our times. I find myself reading a few pages a day and then discussing it with my partner to really take time to digest it and analyze it. Looking forward to wrapping it up, though not sure what text I might read after it. I might go back to Lenin since I’ve only read State and Revolution.

What am I watching…

Also man. I think I’m just gonna take Saint Seiya Omega off my queue for now because I just don’t have time for that much anime. I’m also trying to watch Chobits/Dear Brother but in going crazy mode on cosplay I haven’t had the time. Maybe after that’s done I’ll enjoy some more anime (and gaming!)

I’m also very close to finishing Hannibal. Maybe like 4 episodes away from the end. Gonna be sad when there’s no more but then maybe I’ll start another long term series…………………..Sailor Moon.

Anyway. Have some figure studies I did today. Not much on the art front right now but hoping to share some more art soon!

Santo 20: I almost fell off this

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Currently watching: Hannibal season 3, Saint Seiya Omega

Yet another Cosmo Champs is out! We cover the first two fights in the Sanctuary arc, and for next week’s episode we will be doing a crossover to chat about the new Rose of Versailles movie! I certainly have many thoughts about it. Some of them good. You’ll have to listen to the episode once it drops to find out for sure.

Finally. I am gaming

Got more into XCX since my last entry and what can I say. I love number go up. I love to clip on mountains to travel the world. I’m currently on chapter 4 or so, going to keep chipping away at it for a while. I just met L and it’s SO crazy that they give him such a gay fit. I love it.

And yes I am reading again!!

Since I am now at an office where I can confidently take 1 hour of uninterrupted lunch, I’ve been reading and getting further into JWQS. Absolutely love how crazy everyone goes over Qiyan’s writing and literally beat each other with sticks over it. Qiyan also invented homophobia.

Still in the cosplay mines

Got quite a bit of progress in for my armor! Here are a few newer pictures:

Right now I’m waiting for my last shipment of foam to arrive which should hopefully be with me early next week. I only have a few pieces of the armour left to put together, then I’m going to paint everything and if everything goes well, it’ll be ready for the next convention I go to which is in mid June!!

Here is also the one thing I’ve been able to draw, neopets-themed of course:

That’s all I got for now!!

Santo 19: Life is finally somewhat stabilizing

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Currently watching: Hannibal season 3, Saint Seiya Omega

Another Cosmo Champs is out! This time we cover the first Saint Seiya movie, take some questions, and have a fun time as usual. Very excited to start diving into the Sanctuary arc next so stay tuned for that!

A cool work update

So since I graduated college at the end of January, I transferred to an office (same company where I did my placement) to do casual hours (so no real benefits, just getting paid). At the start of April though I interviewed for another internal role and as of end of the month I’ll be transferring to another office! I’m very excited because it’s for a department I’m interested in, plus I’ve been upgraded from casual to a temp, which doesn’t make me permanent in the union yet but at least it means I can start collecting actual benefits like insurance and vacation.

It’s distressing to think about at times, but it truly took me a solid 2 years since I was laid off to get back into some form of stability. Things are still a little rough, but much better than say, a year ago when I was only on EI. I’m even making vacation plans! Last time I did that I was immediately caught in a mass lay-off so you know. Here’s hoping.

Did you know I donate blood

It’s something I do fairly frequently, at least in the last 2 or so years! It’s always funny to tell people about it, mostly because it’s also something I do together with my partner. I also love to be competitive about it since I have a blood donation app that tracks how much blood I donated and in how much time I did it. This is how I win.

Still working away on some cosplay

I got another shipment of foam in, so I’m excited to start carving out a few more things! Here are some other things I got done:

I made a chest piece with some details that I beveled using a bev-all, really hand for getting smooth bevels! I also added a bit of wire to the back so it has extra support to keep its shape.

And here’s a little something Neopets related plus gundam yaoi I drew this past week:

That’s all for now!

Santo 18: How the hell is it April already

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Currently watching: Hannibal season 3, Saint Seiya Omega

First of all, go listen to Cosmo Champs! Episode 6 is now out wherever you get your podcasts! Had a lot of fun with this one, even though Audacity decided to destroy half of my audio file so I had to re-edit the back half of my recording on Monday night. Pain.

I’ve been shredding through all 4 The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish books

While writing this entry, I have reached the end of book 3 for this lovely danmei that I unexpectedly adore. I was planning to read it as a lighter break between TGCF and JWQS and it’s so good??? Fish mpreg is always great. I would definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a shorter read. The illustrations are also lovely and very nice. I’m even thinking of picking up the special edition for book 4 just for the extra goodies.

(spoilers for book 3)

I have started Xenoblade Chronicles X

I love to collect number and make number go up. I’m still only in the first 2 hours of the game so I haven’t made too much progress. Mostly because I’ve been absorbed by fish man danmei.

Other work things

Still at my current job though I’m starting to interview internally for other positions. Not expecting anything right away since I’m still a fairly new employee but cool to see where it goes!

The weather has also just been a bummer here. There was a huge snowstorm last week so we got snow again. Hoping it gets warmer soon so it melts and so I can finally put away all my winter shit.

Also working away on cosplay things, mostly just gluing some stuff together and hoping to do a fit test (with pictures!) soon. March kinda just rushed by and I didn’t finish the things I wanted to but here’s to April being better.

And happy belated birthday Mu!!!

That’s all for now!

Santo 17: I got sick

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao

Currently playing: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Currently watching: Hannibal season 3, Saint Seiya Omega

I unfortunately spent most of the past week sick. It was the first time I’ve been sick in the past 3 years and luckily it didn’t hit me too hard—was still able to do most of what I do every day just with less energy. As it goes. Feeling much better now though I still feel a little congested.

Before I start diving in on what I’ve been up to, listen to the latest Cosmo Champs episode! We draw closer and closer to the Sanctuary, which is an arc I’m very excited to start covering soon.

I have finished Ace Attorney 2. Spoilers for AA2 and whatnot:

HOLY FUCK

Up until the last case, I kept thinking "Man. Will they ever give me a case where I represent someone who is actually guilty or where I fail on proving someone's innocence?" And I'm soooo glad the final case delivered on that.

I did feel like the evidence on Adrian wasn't adding up since the cause of death was choking and not stabbing, plus she's really cool and and can do whatever she wants.

And of course it gave me more Miles content...I'm not the most crazy about Miles but I think I could get crazier.

With AA2 finished, I can start my next longterm gaming project which is Xenoblade Chronicles X! I picked up a physical copy, something I haven’t done in years, and look forward to unleashing my OC on this world. I’ll probably blog about it here and there, especially since it’s gonna be a long one.

Introducing my big son, 25th anniversary Shoyru plushie

I had originally pre-ordered one as a nice graduation treat for myself, even if I winced a bit at the price tag. All things considered, it is a pretty good quality plushie. It truly is large so it lives up to its name, but the whole thing is pretty sturdy and doesn’t fall over despite having pretty cartoonish proportions. Gotta figure out how I want to display him soon!

The movies

Oh and I guess I completely forgot to mention this but I did watch the new Gundam GQuacks show/movie a week or so ago. Empty theatre, incredible experience. I still feel the mech designs are ugly as sin but the actual movie was enjoyable. Not sure if I’ll be keeping up with it but if I can get a solo theatre experience every time sure why not! Old man yaoi Challia Bull also has a strong affect over me.

Since I’ve been sick and whatnot I haven’t had the chance to see another movie yet, but I really want to check out Vampire Hunter D screenings next month and maybe some David Lynch films that will have limited runs in the city next month?

Also, I’m officially done TGCF!!! Some spoilers as well:

I'll start off with some not so nice words. But the last 2 books really killed my interest in the series. The flashback content was fine, but everything else dragged SO hard. The fights weren't interesting. The general sequence of events just didn't feel good. I feel like if you removed an entire book of content it would've made for a more satisfying ending.

That being said, I don't think it's a terrible series overall. The strongest arc is definitely the Blackwater arc, and the parts that focus more on suspense/horror is what I love the most. I really just wish there was another way to have communicated the action scenes.

With TGCF done, I can finally, FINALLY, go back to my other readings and maybe start the next theory book I was interested in. TGCF just a longer work that I was begrudgingly reading through at times so it didn’t feel good to be reading something else at the same time. Really excited to get back into JWQS and maybe check out some other danmei/baihe series. I also do really want to finish Farthest Shore. It’s still the year of the wizard in my heart.

Here’s some things I’ve drawn:

Well I think that’s it! It’s been terribly cold where I live so I haven’t had the chance to do any cosplay. I’m at the stage of my project where I need to sand foam and use toxic materials and it’s currently too cold in my porch to do any of this. Cannot believe it’s fucking March and I haven’t put away my winter jacket yet.

Anyway. Til next entry!

Santo 16: we get a little introspective with it

Though I’m still pretty tired this past week, I’ve been feeling very happy with where my life is at. It feels very weird to say, and it’s a bit hard to explain. I think I just don’t feel as miserable as I used to and the stress I deal with daily is much more manageable. It’s challenging in a different way that I’m ok with.

I’m enjoying my job and my coworkers seem to also like me, and although things are a bit up in the air with where I’ll work next, it’s at least nice to know that my time there is making people’s jobs easier. The past 3-4 years have been really rough on me in a lot of ways and it feels like I’m almost at the end of it. We’ll see what happens I guess.

But more importantly, gaming time. Specifically what I’ve been up to in Ace Attorney 2:

I’m on the last case now and I had a feeling Miles would show up in it since he absolutely CAN’T be dead. Pretty easy to figure that one out. I’ll say the previous cases didn’t leave as big an impression on me as the cases in the first AA game though I’m super pumped for this one.

Then I just have one last game in the trilogy pack I own though I’m gonna take a break after I finish this to maybe play…Okami? Or if Xenoblade Chronicles X is out by the time I wrap this up then I’ll play that.

I’ve been up to cosplay I swear

After a few shipping issues I finally got a shipment of EVA foam! I’m slowly but surely putting together my latest project. Here are a few progress pictures of my helmet in the meantime which was 3d printed on PLA in my Bambulab P1P:

Right now I’m spraying it with some primer and sanding and then repeating that over and over until I’m happy with it. I think I have one last round of primer to spray then I’ll probably move on to the painting stage.

I’m officially on book 8 of TGCF!!!!

The end is sooooo close. Things are still kinda dragging in a goofy way. I really want to read something else now.

cybeRRRevolution is in Indiepocalypse 62!

Get it today and support some cool indie games!

cybeRRRevolution is also in the California Fire Relief bundle!

This bundle includes A TON of great games for about $10 CAD! They’re very close to the 300k as of me writing this. Get it too!

And go listen to Cosmo Champs 4!

I open up a bit about Gender and Lizard Misty blows Em’s mind. Give it a listen! I really enjoyed this recording and I hope we continue to get gender with it as the series progresses.

Well I think that’s it.

Haven’t been to any new movies yet though I’m hoping to catch Gqux before it leaves theatres here. Really aiming for a showing where I will be the only person in there. I deserve it.

Til next entry!

Santo 15: the freaking cinema

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Heaven Official’s Blessing by MXTX

Currently playing: Ace Attorney: Justice For All

Currently watching: Hannibal season 3, Saint Seiya Omega

We are SO back because winter is finally fucking ending. Goodbye -30C hello disgusting 2C that melts everything and makes it look grey all the time.

I was pretty energized by this over the weekend and enjoyed “going outside” and whatnot. I went to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the movies, but it was a livestreamed theatre event. Never been to one of those before but it was pretty cool. I’m extremely not well versed on theatre and barely knew anything about this one so I was pleasantly surprised by it. I’ve been on a bit of a movie theatre-going streak and god yeah I really do like watching movies as an experience. Silly, I know, but honestly it has to be the right movie too.

The next movie I have my eye on is Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat—it’s screening this coming weekend in my city and it’s exactly the kind of film I feel like watching right now.

I swear I’m almost done reading Heaven Official’s Blessing

I’m quite literally under 100 pages from finishing book 7, then it’s just half of book 8 until I reach the main story conclusion…though I’ve enjoyed reading it the seventh book is dragging SO hard. I think I just don’t like how fight scenes are written in this. My favourite moments in the books are always moments of suspense and horror so the action parts just kinda fly over my head. Oh well. I really want to get back to reading more but I’m generally too exhausted from work to do that.

Oh right, about work

I’m still at the same office but my current assignment is coming to an end next month potentially. It was always meant to only last about a month so I’m now just getting ready to apply to more jobs (both internally and externally). Hopefully I can pick something else up soon!

What’s next in the santoverse….

I’m getting ready to go sicko mode on some cosplay. Finally crawling out of my seasonal depression hole and have started prepping some neat things. Gonna aim to share some of it maybe next week? I’m also getting a big EVA foam order on Wednesday and I’m so excited to get to crafting again.

In the meantime, have this neopet I drew today:

Santo 14: the winter must end

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Heaven Official’s Blessing by MXTX

Currently playing: Ace Attorney: Justice For All

Currently watching: Hannibal season 3, Saint Seiya Omega

Been a bit since my last entry mostly because…I’ve been so tired. I need winter to end. I just know once the 7pm sunset times start happening I’ll be reborn. It’s also just been really cold so all this combined have just been making me very exhausted.

On film watching news though

I watched Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here) which was fantastic. Though I’m from somewhere else in South America, the film still resonates on a deeply personal level since I had family who were taken & released during this hellish period of time. I don’t like to talk about it too much, but I think this film expresses a lot of that sadness/anxiety/fear very well. A lot of this also served as a thematic pillar for stuff I’ve made before (like C3R amongst others).

Anyway this is pretty much all I’ve been thinking since Sunday. Give it a watch!

Another Cosmo Champs!

Episode 3 is out! Not a very exciting set of episodes to cover but we did our best. By next episode we should be back to covering more classic Saint Seiya content (boys bleeding on each other).

That’s it!!!

Not a super exciting entry but at the same time. Not the goal I have with these lol. Pray that the sun comes back and I get more energy back so I can draw again.

Santo 13: I finished Hannibal season 2. Also go listen to Cosmo Champs episode 2!

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Heaven Official’s Blessing by MXTX

Currently playing: Ace Attorney: Justice For All

Currently watching: Hannibal season 2, Saint Seiya Omega

In case you missed it, episode 2 of Cosmo Champs is out! We talk blood, boyfriends, and battles! Listen to it here or wherever you get your podcasts!

Alright…time for me to talk about Hannibal season 2. Spoilers of course so don’t unroll if you haven’t watched yet:

OH MY GOD!!!!!!

I'm shitting pissing throwing up crawling up my walls on all fours eating my ceiling. What a show. I love that I was speculating that Abigail was still alive since they never showed her dead body, and then they just go and kill her. I know the showrunner was influenced by Vampire Chronicles a lot and damn yeah that really comes through in this moment. Will, he was gonna give you a CASTLE and a DAUGHTER...I would've said yes...Maybe if Hannibal told Will that Abigail was still alive they could've lived their old man yaoi dream.

Because I'm a super good detective my current speculation is that, of course, Will is still alive. Lawrence Fishburne is still credited in the opening so I'm guessing he survived too or we're just gonna see him in flashbacks. Alana probably dead but I have hope. Abigail super dead.

Anyway I'm still early in season 3 (just finished episode 1) so I'll see how this goes. Several people have already told me this season is even more unhinged and I am SO excited to lose my mind. I cannot imagine having watched this as it aired. This is how I win (never watching shows and only getting into them once they're over).

In other news, work has been super tiring, mostly because I’m learning new things every day and it’s been awfully cold here. I’m still getting used to the pace of this, but it seems like I might have work going into March too! Still a bit up in the air but I have a good feeling about it.

Here is also a bit of art since my last post!

Santo 12: new cybeRRRevolution side story!

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Heaven Official’s Blessing by MXTX

Currently playing: Ace Attorney: Justice For All

Currently watching: Hannibal season 2, Saint Seiya Omega

Surprise! Last week I decided to publish a bit of flash fiction for my game cybeRRRevolution—you can read it for free here.

I had fun with it, and I hope to write more little stories like this one when inspiration strikes. If you read it, I’d love to know what you think about it!

Onto other things…

I officially started my new job on Monday!! Exciting!! I don’t like to get into what I do for work ever really but I’m happy with it so far. It’s only meant to last this month or so but I might have more work in the future so, fingers crossed for that.

I also wrapped up recording episode 2 of Cosmo Champs this past Friday, so look forward to the next episode dropping soon!

Not much else going on—almost at the halfway point of book 7 in TGCF. I find the fights to be a bit of a slog in this particular book at least but I hit another major reveal so that’s keeping me in for now. I do still intend to finish it but man. I really just don’t enjoy reading about fighting too much.

Here are also some things I’ve drawn recently:

Until next time!

Santo 11: the Santoverse expands

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Heaven Official’s Blessing by MXTX

Currently playing: Ace Attorney: Justice For All

Currently watching: Hannibal season 2, Saint Seiya Omega

Cosmo champs episode 1 is here!

First things first, go listen to episode 1 of Cosmo Champs! You can find it here or wherever you get your podcasts! Had a lot of fun rotating guys and talking about the different influences in the Saint Seiya anime. We’re still pretty early in the series and the episodes are super easy to watch so join us!! Next podcast episode won’t be out until early February so you have some time.

Santoverse updates

With my college course wrapping up, I can now confidently say that I will have employment for February! Hooray! It’s not permanent but it’s directly linked to the work placement I was doing, so I’m hoping it leads into more permanent work. I’m still a bit low on funds before that happens so if you buy cybeRRRevolution that will be a great help! And as mentioned previously I’m casually accepting commissions, so if you got an idea feel free to reach out and I can give you some more of my rates.

Been a tiring couple of weeks with finishing this course but happy to be almost done.

Before February starts I really REALLY wanna wrap up Heaven Official’s Blessing. My new read for February is also going to be Ashita No Joe.

Anyway a bit of a shorter one. Go listen to the podcast. Job happening. Yay!

Oh and have this silly collection of Saint Seiya doodles:

Santo 10: I'm sooooo sleepy

Currently reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, JWQS (Clear and Muddy Loss of Love) by Qing Jun Mo Xiao, Heaven Official’s Blessing by MXTX

Currently playing: Ace Attorney: Justice For All

Currently watching: Hannibal season 2, Saint Seiya Omega

It’s been a week! Sort of! Things are busy in life as I recently started a work placement which ends at the end of this month. It’s been very exciting so far and I’m learning quite a lot. I’m currently crossing my fingers and hoping I can find a job soon, but in the meantime, I am casually open to commissions! Super casually really, but reach out to learn more if any of what I’ve made interests you.

As a general caveat I’m not making art/content for games specifically anymore, but anything outside of that is a-ok.

Podcast things….

This past Friday I recorded the first episode of Cosmo Champs with Em! Look forward to that first episode dropping this coming Thursday. I’ll try to put up another blog post by then to share the link and whatnot.

I’m still brand new to having an actual podcast (rather than just being a guest) and it’s been fun figuring stuff out on the editing side as well. I can feel myself improving with each recording so that’s great!

On media consumption things…

I’m almost done Heaven Official’s Blessing!!!! I’m just at the end of book 6, which means just book 7 is left. I know it wraps up into book 8 but the ending draws near….I’m excited to finish it, even though I’ve been enjoying it I really want to move on to other ones I keep in my queue.

I had also taken a brief break from Hannibal because it got a bit spooky but I’m back for my favourite boyfriend to give me encephalitis.

On a cosplay related note

I’m getting a package of EVA foam soon! I had ordered it quite a long time ago but because of postal delays I don’t have it yet, but I should have it now by the end of the month. Maybe I will finally post about the build I’m planning to do next even though I’ve been keeping it under wraps for quite some time. Just super excited in general to get to work with some higher quality foam after working with the stuff I got at Michael’s. Don’t get me wrong, if Michael’s is all you have access to for EVA foam then definitely go for it, but having worked with higher quality foam before I can really tell the difference when it comes to shaping and putting the pieces together.

I’m also in a bit of a frustrating predicament where my closest Michael’s doesn’t seem to stock EVA foam anymore? And if they do it’s very limited quantities. Anyway, happy to be going back to the higher quality stuff and supporting smaller cosplay businesses instead of Michael’s lol.

Here are a few things I’ve drawn recently:

That’s it for now!