the first-ever cosplay experience in Pampanga!!

never in my years I would dream that I'd go BEYOND Bataan for my routine cosplays. today is the first time that I get to experience an inter-provincial experience, courtesy of Vista Mall Pampanga through #MalCon2024 Pampanga Leg Day 2!!

Malolos Convention 2024: Pampanga Leg

as the title suggests, this is the "Round 2" of the MalCon Series to which I'm involved in!! somehow, this brings back memories because the first time I went to MalCon for this series was back at Bataan for their own leg -- which I attended for a day and half (I went to D2 at 5pm PHT, then somewhat fully on D3). in addition, since my line of professional work is around Pampanga, I thought I could use that as the next base for my cosplay ops going forward.

now you may be asking: why Pampanga, and why don't you go back to Bataan for cosplays? primary reason is that I'll return to Bataan every two weeks (unless it's urgent business), and primary locations (more specifically malls) were easily accessible through public transport since they run on a single route for most cases. one primary example is that I toured around Laus Group (the headquarters of CLTV36) one night after work. I usually see the building whenever I pass by it on my way to Metro Manila and back, so seeing it up close feels like a dream come true!!

while on a stroll on a nice warm evening. finally get to see the hq for real.😌 (I always dreamed of going near #CLTV36...
Posted by Aga-chuu on Thursday, October 3, 2024

changes made since the last con

in a nutshell, nothing much; except a few things: updated placard, introduction of ID cards, and an invitation to the mix -- among other things!! let's take a look at some of these:

updated placard

for some reason, I was about to reuse the old placard which I first debuted during MalCon 2024 Bataan Leg, but then this happend.

it's gone. pic.twitter.com/yEQI7QHvpt
— 💚🍃Aga-chuu💗🌸 VWriter (@thebelovedmoon) October 10, 2024

in a nutshell, I was about to open vtm_widescreen.psd cuz I need to update a few things, but the external HDD where it was located decided to disconnect on its own and it errored out along with Photoshop. when I tried to reopen the file, it was corrupted -- prompting me to restart. surprise, surprise; the file has inevitably ceased from existence, and the tempfiles didn't help even a single bit.

despite the disappointment, however, I was able to recreate the placard; however, everything else is lost to time. I could reiterate the lost ones through images when they were submitted, however, they may take some time.

in any case, it got a lil update following the recreation!! check out the graphic below:

immediately as I summon the placard, some people turned their heads -- with the most being MalCon organizers; with the emcee acknowledging my presence back in Bataan!! I guess we've come full circle again after like the last time uhuhu

before I depart from the event, I immediately had to make it extra special by SIGNING the placard -- smth that also happend during the Gakuen-Sai Special, but unfortunately it got lost in transit on the way home. I felt kinda devastated cuz it had been with me when I disembark on multiple PUJs, but I still have an ace up my sleeve: I'll be reprinting them again for the sake of archiving, but lacking the autograph. (luckily the autographs were saved on different cos cards that I've purchased. we'll discuss regarding that later.)

A5 prints and ID cards

you may have noticed that whilst the A5 prints stayed the same, the minicards (last featured on the Gakuen-Sai Special) were shrunk to ID cards!! the main reason behind it is that it allows me to have more space for the other cards to be printed alongside, reducing the printing load any printer will take. in addition, since they are going to be cut when it's all done, we have an option to cut them all at once!!

and of course, the paper that was used for these also have changed: whilst photo paper is what I used since I first introduced them during the Bataan Leg, I realized that it may not be practical in the long run due to the nature of which prints were maintained on paper. so with the Pampanga Leg, I opted for a watermarked laid paper; which significantly helped as it also means that whatever prints made will be sure that it stays there -- tho I might need some time before I can draw a conclusion to that sort.

since we're still on the topic of cards, atleast for the ID cards, autographing them is a lil difficult cuz you need to leave a space for the autograph. so I decided that ID cards will be autographed from behind. A5 prints is as-is as with the previous cons.

invitations

it'll be ways off until the first-ever major event "Inauguration of the CosMarias" takes place, but it's better to be ready than not!! as part of the word-of-mouth approach, I've decided to craft a design that will fit the invitational, welcoming everyone to the party!!

later on in the article, we'll be discussing what will be the details of the event; alongside who will be attending the event, and which area of the venue will be used to accommodate the said event.

new cos moot: Kura-chii

it feels like whenever I attend cons I end up making a new fwen, and this event is no exception!! while it's unfortunate to see that other CosMarias won't make it due to circumstances, it's all worth it in the end!!

main reason being that I get to see other guest cosers trying to hype up the crowd with the best of their abilities.

now let's get to the gist of what's behind meeting our new cos moot: Gravity Baruelo or gravityshin -- AKA Kura-chii!!

I met her as I was wandering around the venue to see if other CosMarias would make it to the event; and at first glance, she looks quite interesting!! had a chat with her for a bit before I decided to buy two of her A5 prints~

and, just like Shi-Shi, I decided to show her what I've been doing as of late when I returned to her booth!! surprisingly, she also shared me some of her works -- including the ongoing novel that she's trying to complete!! you can check out the following book below:

and oh, I also gave her some of my prints as souvenirs just incase she needs any remembrance, signed on the spot!! somehow she decided to do the same for my bought cards, even went as far as giving me one of her minicards as a freebie!!

to top it all off, I gave her one of the invitations that we'll be discussing later. as a result, we took a selfie with our exchanged cards as you saw on the first few lines of this section~

also, she admitted during our lengthy conversation that she's a lil sick when she arrived; which broke my heart for a bit. in the end, we ended our meetup with hugs!! before I departed from the venue, I had to bid goodbye to her for one last time before heading home uhuhu

you can check out her Facebook for updates and her upcoming ventures, linked below:

some hauls

before we can proceed further, I finally took some time to look at the items and buy ones that are interesting!! coincidentally, Kura's cards were one of those!!

for the full disclosure, here are the items which I have received during the event:

new cos visual!!

I'm suuuuuper grateful for another photoshoot opportunity, so I'm excited to present this new cos visual, courtesy of Reg Saniano Photography!!

moving forward (atleast until end of 2024), pfps across socials will adhere to the new visual!! extra-personal accounts still adheres to the default pfp.

aaaaaaand to make it EVEN MORE special, I've also added in other visuals since I did several poses:

coincidentally, he was also the one who did the shoots back at the Gakuen-Sai Special -- more specifically for our Fourth CosMaria, Shuui!!

so um, a funny story..

while I was thinking which poses I would go with next, I immediately eye at Kura-chii thinking that we might do a shoot together; but I was either kinda shy or that I might need to provide other alternatives to make a pose, that I haven't coordinated with her about it-

I mean, I technically would, but I would think she was thinking the same as me.. shyness prolly took over??

either way, I might hit her up again the next time I got immersed into photoshoots :D

in addition, I also sent Reg the invitation (discussed later in this blog) just incase we need a photographer to curate the event!!

before heading to the venue..

I somehow took the plunge to change to my cosplay clothing (cuz I have my bag with me) at SM City Pampanga, so technically my first cosplay in the province happend there. either way, that gave me an opportunity to canvas potential cosplayable dresses!! when I finally finished dressing up, mall-goers began to speculate and look at my direction as I head towards the venue; but that's for another story.

more photos!!

altho you can check out the full details on the Drive folder (linked below), you can take a look at a selection of photos that made it to the event~

— some of the cosers that I met at the event that are being goofy -- and they prolly still are behind the scenes!!

— had to get behind Berl as he takes a photoshoot of the cosers representing the trios of Sousou no Frieren!! | related photo by Berlyndg

— didn't remember what that new game is, but I'll definitely play it the next time I see it again in future cons!!

— took a selfie with another coser!! dunno who he's portraying, but I might add it to my cosplans owo

to the organizers behind this Leg..

I sent out an A5 print containing my gratitude to the organizers of the event!! here are as follows:

the transcript of that will be published when VTresMarias' website relaunches with a brand new look on 27 Dec -- the First Anniversary of the VTuber Collective!!

the invitation

after quite some words and photos that showcases this con, let's now talk about the invitation and how it would affect future cons leading up to Matsuri.

in short, nuthin much -- during cons that I'll be attending (starting from this one), I'll be handing out a letter that correlates to the aforementioned event. while I can't share the details (yet) about the content of the print, cosers and guests who have received the print may have the chance to attend the venue for the upcoming event~

want those photo resources?

are you curious about more content other than the one mentioned here?? look no further -- I've compiled all of em (including past cosplays I did) in a unified G Drive folder!! each cosplays are grouped into folders named in YYYYMMDD dateformat -- with the first attempt (and my debut as a cosplayer) being 20231230!!

can I use these resources?

absolutely!! you're all set to check out some of the photos I've taken and the cosplays I did -- granted that you'll be using them with intent of goodwill. everyone deserves to treat each other with positivity, and it's the First Maria🍃's job to ensure that it stays that way!!

anyway, be sure to credit me aswell if you're planning on using em!! you can use the following included in the below blockquote:

if you're also planning on posting my cosplays, use the hashtag #AgaCosplay on your socials so that I can check it out in my spare time!! you can also send me the URL to your post assuming you posted em on my email at jelsa14018@gmail.com.

TL;DR

went through the article but still didn't understand anything? here's a quick summary to get you up to speed:

conclusion

this took a while to compile as I need some more photos to accompany the event; and by the time I had em, I still encounter some hurdles cuz of work and stuff. either way, it's nice to see that we're making a mark in the cosplay community regardless of conventions~

I still have some more opportunities I can't let pass, so I'll still be around!! for more updates regarding my ventures, go to X or Facebook at @thebelovedmoon~