rose

touhou fest! it's a doujin fan event in los angeles specifically for touhou project and my favorite convention i've ever been to. recommend it wholeheartedly for next year for any us touhou fans
it was a confluence of a bunch of things, but i put together a really wonderful satori komeiji cosplay together with maddi's assistance that i grew a lot sewingways in the process of making, and i got to experience it with a bunch of friends. it was also half-outdoors (partially in a japanese garden no less!) and had some masking policies (not 100% followed but more consistently than anime conventions saying "masks recommended" where no one wears them). most of all, though, the sense of community and creativity reawakened something in me- it's something that feels so true to touhou as a shared cultural work in particular. so many people brought cosplay at all skill levels and complemented each other, so many people brought fanworks or organized little things together... it's the doujin spirit, you know? it's what i love most, and it reminded me of how meaningful making art and finding community in sharing it is to me.
i'll bring back my satori next year, and hopefully a new cosplay as well (perhaps a particular stage six boss i love dearly?). cohost will be closed by then, but perhaps i'll see some of you there?