#ohayo15

Swords and Shields selfies at Ohayocon 2015

For a cosplay I was only minorly excited about beforehand, Cassandra turned out to be easily one of the most fun cosplays I've ever done.

First of all, it was easy and comfortable. A hairstyle, dragonscale-patterned jeans, some boots, and a hoodie. Nothing ever shifted out of place. The most inconvenient part of this cosplay was keeping the book reasonably protected.

There's reading the MANY, MANY amazing and heartwarming tags I've gotten on my "How I made this Swords and Shields book" post, but it's a different kind of wonderful to see the look on someone's face when they ask for a picture, and I say "Hold on, how about we take a picture together while pretending to read THIS." Most of the Swords and Shields shots last weekend were on other people's phones.

I was featured in a cosplay music video by Geeky Panda Blog! 

An actual book (Keys to the Kingdom #1) is under that Swords and Shields dust jacket, so during down time, I would sit against a wall in a high-traffic area reading it. I love the performance art aspect of cosplay. I love going to conventions and seeing people everywhere doing hilarious and amazing things in and out of character. I love thinking of all the Dragon Age fans who must have done double-takes at one of the last things they expected to see while walking down a random hallway.

Between the dry air and the Ibuprofen I'd just taken for a headache, I ended up with a major nosebleed. At an Anime convention. Dressed as Cassandra Pentaghast. While apparently reading Swords and Shields. You can't make this stuff up! 

Then there was the rave. Cassandra was the last character I wanted to cosplay to the rave. "It just wouldn't make as much sense/be as interesting." But that was the costume I ended up wearing on Saturday, so it was Cassandra who went to the rave. I only know some basic Irish dance and very amateuerish jumpstyle, but once I got warmed up, it felt all kinds of epic to charge into the center of a ring doing some basic jumpstyle, then break into a full Irish reel, then flow into more energetic, Irish-y jumpstyle--all as Cassandra Pentaghast.

Mage Rights Activist Lavellan is inquisitorrs

Lavellan in white is malathlethallan

Shepard is punchti

Booth Vendor is from Shirtoid.