THIS IS A FULL DIARY ENTREY FOR THE 19TH OF SEPTEMBER 2009 AND IS SUBSQUENTLY LONG.
you don’t have to read it all. (:
Running down the road in a gothic skirt and black coat barely concealing the outfit underneath, I had approximately 3 minuets and 9 seconds to shoot up the staircase and dive into the Methodist church hall, flaunting four days worth of artwork under their unsuspecting noses. Today had been exhausting.

my alarm goes off at six.
my alarm goes off at seven.
my alarm goes off at eight...

And despite interruption and precaution I still lie unperturbed, zoned out in the novelty of sleep as it smothered all sense of urgency...
After rolling out of bed and into some paint (White paint on my ass. nice.) I attempted to redeem my loss of consciousness for the last three hours through scribbling away at my picture with paints and crayons and pens, desperately trying to finish to be at bens for eleven o'clock. With no prevail. I was finished by quarter to two. -face palm-
Eventually, after watching two little idiots throw stink bombs at the tram for half an hour, we were on our way.

I have fifteen minuets.

Four days of work and it all comes down to these last few rounds of sixty seconds. Fleeting and unrelenting.
Aaron Shaw spotted us on the tram, biting our nails and staring desperately out the window, willing the scenery to dissolve from Timperly to St. peters square in the blink of an eye. No such thing happened. Instead, we filled our time neatly with wide-eyed-encouragement from Aaron who was sure we would make it on time. My darting eyes and fidgeting limbs said otherwise.

The tram slowed down at st peters square.
ready...
The overhead announcement calls for our departure
set...
The doors fizz open in slow motion, releasing us at last
GO!

And we're off, winding and weaving through clusters of shuffling people, sprinting past the walking scenery that is the public, hearing the satisfying whoosh of wind that whips past our ears as we narrowly dodge the pedestrians.
I fell into the 'Travelling man' comic store with a thud. Where were all the cosplayers? The artists? The judges? I panted over to the desk whilst Ben made sounds to suggest he was going to collapse and die any second. That was when I found out; The event WASNT at the store, it was at the Methodist church somewhere in the area...

''What the fuck does a Methodist church even look like, Ben?!''
''I...Cant..breath''
''We have THREE MINUETS, Ben, HURRY.''

Regrettably I had gained an inability to stay calm, my stress levels were reaching peek and in not knowing what to do with it all I ended up with bite marks up my arm, where I had taken my frustration out. Ben looked like he might die of exhaustion, his face red under his tanned complexion, his chest rising and falling at an alarming rate as we frantically ran down the road. I swear his white t-shirt shook where his heart hammered.
After my sprinting back and being redirected, we ended up at the finish line. Only to be a minuet too late. The convention was over. The black haired guy at the door looked in amusement and sympathy as I pushed him out the way and ran up the stairs anyway despite him telling us It was too late for me to enter.

Four days. No way. This isnt coming down to nothing.

I landed in a heap round the corner of the carpeted room, my coat falling off my shoulders as I panted, only able to hold out the rolled up A1 picture in front of me - speech evading me entirely. four friendly familiar faces bent over me incrediously.

''Is that the hat girl?''
''Its her, shit guys, check this out...''
''She should have won!''
''Have the judges left yet...?''

After regaining speech I managed to stutter why we had been late, how we'd ran round Manchester desperately trying to find the place. Not soon after, two overweight nerd-like figures came plodding curiously round the corner, dragged by one of the cosplayers I had met one day in Manchester a few months earlier. They stared at me for a while before saying anything, raising their eyebrows simultaneously. I remembered I was in Misa cosplay: a bravely short mini-gothic-skirt and black sleeveless top and knee socks. I quickly straitened myself out, standing up apologetically. The cosplayers unravelled my picture in front of the nerdy judges with some effort, as I stood shyly behind with Ben.

''Fucking hell. Come earlier and you'd have won hands down.''
''Jesus...''
''know what? hang about the store and we'll get you two free Manga books.''

I beamed in both embarrassment and excitement, secretly musing at their use of blasphemy in a Methodist church, and laughing at my friend with the devil horns who proceeded to innocently eye up the crucifix on the wall with a smirk.
Down in the travelling man Manga store me and the remaining cosplayers loitered, disturbing customers. I got some particularly evil looks from the father of three little boys, who all looked confused as he shielded me from view. Perhaps the skirt IS a little on the gothic prostitute side.
One girl who I had met on a separate occasion before, quite engaged my attention. She was a small girl cosplaying as L from Deathnote and skidding around in her socks - she looked like she had been plucked strait from anime. She rolled around on the floor with a clip on tail chasing it with wide eyes and a fanged smile. Last time I encountered her fanged teeth I had puncture marks for a week.
Ben innocently put his finger in front of her face, she gave it a cheeky grin and shuffled towards it with an open mouth, following it. Through little giggles of laughter I managed to point out that he wouldnt have a finger by the time she let go. At one point she shuffled over to me, smiled and looked as if she were about to get something from her pocket however simply flashed me her monkey - covered pants and announced:

''I like monkeys!''

It has to be said. She was pretty damn adorable.
Once I pondered over which books to get with a splitting headache, and poked around a catalogue with the cosplayers, me and Ben darted round Affleck’s giving me time to change into jeans, and wonder round the anime shops. I was feeling low because of missing the competition, so Ben bought me a Yuki nendroid chibi from the melancholy of Haruhi Suzamiya, to cheer me up. It worked pretty darn well as I was soon running about buying bags for school with little doodle people scattered over it. Has anyone else noticed how friendly Japanese people are?
Buying a bag was like buying a puppy.

''Jess, just choose one.''
''Nooo, I have to find MY bag.''

After much very important decision making in the bag department, We walked off home with a bottle of cherryade and salt and vinegar twirls. I swear those things are just condensed chip shop chips.
I sank into my bed with a sigh, thinking of the cosplayers, and the last part of my day spent mouthing the whole of 'Jesus of suburbia' to Ben in my kitchen.

My alarm clock goes off at nine.

lets just hope I'm awake.