That’s just what I’m like: if I’ve a task set, I want to get it done quickly, rushing, perhaps, but having it out of the way. And it just so happens that in choosing this cosplay, I took on a mammoth task, which inevitably leads to the Procrustean treatment of my waking hours.

After going to kung-fu, and yes, getting good exercise (I’m pleased that I can do the no-handed cartwheel every time now, though Sifu wants me to do it with a much bigger jump), even though that pretty girl wasn’t there this time, either, I thought about writing. However, Aimee wanted to play more Sonic and I after all had my cosplay to do, so I just headed home. I had a craving for Domino’s so went and got a Meateor, which they still do in the Finchley Road branch. That craving was answered well, and considering I’ll get three meals out of it, I don’t think £10 is bad. Considering how much I always disliked all pizza except weird ones with crispy duck on them, I’ve certainly changed my tune now. It’s entirely thanks to barbeque sauce, though. Carrying a smelly pizza on the bus, on the other hand, is embarrassing.

Got back and ate my fill, watching Bleach filler episodes, which don’t seem bad at all so far – but then, I thought the same about a few of the other anime-only storylines, only to be disappointed further on. Aimee came over and while she set about having Sonic jump off all sorts of precipices, I got on with costume stuff. Shoes were looking good, but they were the only things even close to being finished, unless I count the very simple arm-guard or gloves. The silver spray-paint was great, though, really making things look metallic. Shame the black stuff was much harder to work with. She played, I worked on the costume, occasionally stopping for Guitar Hero, or food, or just to mess about online, attempting to make her send odd things to people she was talking to and changing her desktop background to furry porn.

The evening was something of a repeat of last night. As to last night, well, here’s a telling excerpt from Aimee’s account of it:

‘I ended up stay at Tom's yesterday till 3ish, while I was playing Tom went a bit crazy/sleep deprived and starting to try and distract me by talking about Hedgehog's and singing “I'm a hedgehog, a motherfucking hedgehog,” to the sonic theme.

In a Mexican accent.’

Today, she stayed until 4:30am, when it was getting light! At 5:15, I finished my costume. I’m happiest with the mask, although it’s more blue-ish than purple-ish. The wings needed to have more counterweights worked into them so that the opening and closing would still work, all my feathers were lefts, and I really don’t think it’s worthwhile, in terms of time, effort or expense, to feather the back of them as well, so my cosplay will only really be worth photographing from the front, but they’re looking very cool. The fact that they can open and close is a definite plus. The boots are big and clompy, making me lumber about, but they look alright. The shoulderpads really don’t have skulls on them, more blobs, but never mind. The gun will get a lot of attention, but sadly I just don’t have the skill to make it really good. It doesn’t look like a machine, it looks like a papier maché shape with stuff crudely painted on it, but that’s all that it’s within my means to do, I’m afraid. The tail is similarly not very professional, but adequate. Overall, I don’t think it will get many craftsmanship points in the masquerade, and nor will it make people marvel at how it could be constructed, but the sheer complexity and number of components, along with the genuine awesomeness of the character design, ought to make it one of the noteable cosplays of the Expo weekend. I think I will remain proud of it, and afterwards won’t have to be very ambitious with costume-making any more, having felt I’ve done what I’m capable of doing with the amount of effort I’m willing to put in. The only costume I feel like I still want to make is Emilio from Psychic Force (more wings…: everything else I’ll be content to buy or borrow.

Oh yes, and I got paid the first part of my money for my one and only week’s temping. I’m so glad I don’t start my new job until just after expo…having to get up for it tomorrow would be hellish, or at least would have completely changed my plans. Now I’m all finished before Cousin Szen comes to stay for the week, and can even try the whole thing on tomorrow and perhaps take some test photos. Then in the evening, off to meet Ben Christo for a jam – quite pleased he moved it to this week suddenly, since that means I don’t have to learn his songs very well. Honestly, I’m not at all convinced I want to be in a band with him again, much as I love him as a person, and much as I respect all the international touring he’s been doing and the huge crowds he’s played to. His bombastic music is just so much more limiting than what I play with Ben and Reuben, and I’m happy there. After playing music I didn’t even like with Hero, just because of the money and the chance to do cool stuff like making the music video, recording in top studios etc, I just feel that here and now, I ought to be playing music I really, really enjoy, even if the band is still incomplete.

Edit: so tempting to post a progress pic!