Let's Play! by Charlotte Jacobson

ÂŠ 2014 Charlotte Jacobson All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means--by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise--without prior written permission. PhotographY: Charlotte Jacobson Design: Charlotte Jacobson text: charlotte jacobson Design Consultant: Patrick McPeak Copy Editors: Patrick mcpeak and marissa nicole pina May 2014 issue #1 Printed By Fireball Printing 3237 Amber Street Box 3, floor 5 philadelphia, PA 19134

This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever been labeled as a geek, nerd, loser, outcast, etc. You are amazing because you are you. Keep doing what you love and know that there are people who think you are really cool.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

9 13

introduction

interviews

15 93

event interviews

cosplay spotlight

123

events

141

credits

LET’S PLAY

cos·play /käz/plā/ noun 1. the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game 2. literally “Costume Play,” dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character (usually a sci-fi, comic book, or anime character)

INTRODUCTION

LET’S PLAY

Cosplay is nowhere near new to society; society is just recently beginning to accept it as a hobby that everyday people partake in. But, there have been “nerdy” conventions dating all the way back to 1939 when the first World Science Fiction Convention, or WorldCon, was held in New York. Since then, these conventions have been held all over the world, with thousands of other “cons” popping up every year. But the term “Cosplay” was not coined until 1983 when Nobuyuki Takahashi of the magazine, My Anime, was impressed by the costuming at WorldCon in Los Angeles.* Major conventions including MegaCon in Orlando Florida, New York Comic Con in New York City, Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland and Emerald City Comic Con in Lynnwood, Washington have brought in mass quantities of people to these convention centers to share in their love of comics and pop culture. Although comic conventions have spread like wildfire since then, many people still look down upon this hobby as they do with any other “nerdy” activities such as video gaming, LARPing and tabletop games. But what makes Cosplay any different then everyone in the country dressing up on Halloween? Why are there stigmas against a subculture that simply consists of huge fans of TV shows, movies, comics and video games? The work and detail that goes behind each costume is incredible, and those on the outside of the hobby generally are not appreciative of the craft that goes into it. Cosplay is an art that people seem to disregard as weird. Here is a look into the world of Cosplay: what goes into making the costumes, the events, the impressions and most importantly: the people. There is not one image of a Cosplayer. Age is just a number. Race is merely superficial. What matters is that these people join together in unity of loving the same things and enjoying themselves in the process. Let’s play. *http://www.japanator.com/the-first-use-of-the-word-cosplay--8215.phtml

INTRODUCTION

event interviews

Gandalf the Grey Jim Mcintyre, mid-60s, Designer of prosthetic hips

How did you first get into Cosplay? Basically it goes all the way back to the Society of Creative Anachronism, back when it was actually creative, and not just a lot of nit-picking experts. I’ve also done steam punk for the last few years. I moved from an apartment to a house, and while looking for

Do you make all of your costumes? Some I make, some I buy, depending upon if it’s within the scope of what I can deal with: I’ll make it. If it’s not, I may buy a real cheap one and use it for patterns. Work with things. Costumes, like most forms of art, are never done they’re only abandoned.

About how long, on average, does it take for you to make a costume? They tend to evolve. They will come back again with more involved, intricate things. I will find something that will bring me to a different level with it. I’ll take something, tear it apart, and use it for other things. It’s a flow, rather than a series of goals.

Do you have any advice for those coming into the Cosplay scene for the first time? Basically, follow your heart, do something interesting. If it has class, other people will get it.

What would you say is the hardest part of Cosplay? furniture, I found a 1947 Singer that still worked. So this was my first shot at sewing. I go back to Lord of the Rings in the ‘60s, having read it then. I always kind of realized that I was more Gandalf than anybody else. And now I kind of look the part.

What do you think is the best part about the Cosplay community? That it’s a fairly open community that you get to meet a lot of very unique people, very creative people. You get to feed off other people’s ideas. I’ve been making all sorts of sci-fi weaponry out of the colored foam you’ll see in art stores, or exercise mats. Just fooling around with it, learning how to work with it. I showed some of it to the Klingons and they’ve adopted me.

Getting to and from the site. Sometimes they don’t have changing facilities. So you’re rather unusually dressed when you’re paying tolls.

What would you say is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? That it’s done by idiots. Well we had someone here earlier today from Howard Stern’s program, trying to get interview material so they could try to make us look like idiots. He does that regularly.

LET’S PLAY

event interviews

LET’S PLAY

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Follow your heart, do something interesting. If it has class, other people will get it.â&#x20AC;?

event interviews

LET’S PLAY

JASON VOoRHEES Justice kane Goulden, 7 years old

At a convention, Justice met Kane Hodder, (actor, Friday the 13th) where he was told to never talk with the mask on in order to stay in character. So, he removed the mask before his interview.

Do you & your sister ever do costumes together? Kind of. I guess you could say we did. “They did do one once. At Days of the Dead in Indianapolis, from the Hatchet movies, they did Mary

When did you first start Cosplaying? “The very first time he was 3 years old and he was Ash from Army of Darkness.”*

What’s your favorite costume? The one that I’m wearing. Jason. I like that I run around and kill people.

Are all of your costumes horror costumes? Yes. Oh well I had my Darth Vader too.

Do you make your costumes? *nods* My mom does.

How many conventions have you gone to? Four. No, it was actually five.

Beth and Victor Crowley.”*

What’s your favorite part about going to conventions?

Have you won a lot of competitions? Yeah.

Well that we get to see some of our favorite people that Anything else to add? we like from different movies like Kane Hodder and all “Just go, you’ll have fun.”* of them.

Do you have any advice for people who want to do Cosplay?

*quotations from mother, Kim Goulden

I don’t know! “How about they just do what you do and be themselves- or their character.”* Yea, that!

event interviews

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like that I run around and kill people.â&#x20AC;?

event interviews

Umbrella corp Officer Kevin coredella, 27, works on tractors

completely happy with the job, but it’s served its I got bored with over the shelf costumes, then I got big purpose of being thrown around and beat up at a con, and it only cost me $3 in parts. into anime, and I just started building from there. My first Cosplay was Ash from Army of Darkness because I’m a big Bruce Campbell fan, boy I will admit it. But Do you have other costumes? I’ve actually created an Umbrella Corp chainsaw arm, I do, it depends on what kind of con it is. If it’s the Monster Mania, or the Haunted Hearse Convention that I go to, because I work Lulu Shriner’s Haunted House because all proceeds go to the children’s fund. That is more horror, zombie-related, undead-related. I have a custom fishing zombie, that I have a prosthetic I made where a hook is actually hooked into my eye, and I walk around holding a fishing rod that dangles from the prosthetic because it actually hangs on that well. Currently I’m in the process of building a couple Daleks. From there, I really don’t know. Sky’s the limit, as long as materials and money.

How did you first get involved in Cosplay?

What would you say is the best part about the community surrounding Cosplay?

as if Ash were hired by the Umbrella Corporation. Not just the standard Ash, but I also have the Umbrella Corp Ash.

What kept you Cosplaying/ got you hooked? The ability to keep evolving skills on building things, especially because I like working with my hands, tinkering, building things, whatever. It’s just a natural progression to building my own stuff, rather than go online to see what other people are building as kits to put them together. What do I have around the house? I can make this out of that! Just like the bazooka here, it’s basically a 12-volt leaf blower, a fishing rod or two, an old Silent Scope from Sega Genesis, scope and controller and a piece of green sea foam. I got bored one day, put it together in two hours. I wasn’t

Learning from other people. Seeing how other people build things, seeing how other people have done things. And then just making a natural progression of well that’s cool, and that’s cool, how can I combine them. Well he used that process, how can I use that process into something that I have currently? Just the ideas and the intellect that people have. People may see us as deviants or weird or strange, but you know what? We’re out there doing something, we’re having fun, we’re not being told what to like or what to wear. If we were, we wouldn’t be having as much fun as we do.

Do you make all of your costumes? I try to make most of mine myself, but if there’s a piece that I can’t quite figure out how to do, like my tactical vest, instead of trying to stitch and sew it all together, I just bought one right off the shelf. Bought some patches, ironed them on, and then from there it was just like, what else can I add that’s my own. I like to make it because then it’s mine, I built it, no one else has it. But sometimes you gotta go out and you gotta buy stuff.

LET’S PLAY

event interviews

How long did it take you to make this costume? Combined? Only about 3 or 4 hours. Most of the stuff is s something I already had or would wear around at home. 511 tactical shirt, which holds up, I wear them to work and beat the snot out of them there. The kneepads I had, the elbow pads I had, tactical vest I had from going to play paintball and airsoft, that’s why it took me that quick. Sometimes some projects take a month, two months, a year to make sure everything’s perfect.

Where do you pull most of your inspiration from for your characters? Most of it’s anime, sci-fi, horror films. Most b-rated stuff, stuff that people don’t watch or wouldn’t know about, because I’d rather do something that’s off the wall, that cult classic, than the mainstream stuff because everyone’s going to have the mainstream. If you do something that no one else does, you might have 100 people that know you if you do something mainstream. If you do something odd, you might have 10 people that know. But those 10 people will really appreciate that you’re doing that character, persona, or what have you.

Do you have any advice to newcomers to the Cosplay scene? Just find something you like, see what you have around the house, if you want to try to make it, if it turns out bad, who cares? It was your first time. That’s all the fun, you learn from mistakes. Grab a hot glue gun, you burn yourself a couple times, it’s the process. Okay so I’m not going to do it this way because I burned myself, let me do it this way so I don’t burn myself. Go out there, get some materials, start working with it, and eventually it will all progress into a more advanced process. You can learn, you can say you learned yourself, you didn’t go to school for it, no one

else taught you how to do it, you made this yourself. That’s where the pride comes from. Everything you’ll see that people are proud of; I made this myself, no one else has it, this is mine.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? Is that we’re all sitting at home, living at home, behind a computer all day. That’s wrong. Like I said, I work on tractors. I get greasy. I get dirty. There’s people here who work construction, there are cops that come here. It’s a big misconception that we’re all just geeky nerds sitting behind a computer, watching anime and what have you. But that’s the honest truth. They look as us weird and think it’s off the wall. But you know what? I’ll put on a 45 of Lynyrd Skynyrd, I’ll turn up my 1980s stereo and sit outside and work on my cars. That’s what I do.

Do you think there’s a way to get rid of the stigma? Not until the world becomes more tolerant of everybody.

Anything else to add? Just go out, have fun. If you’re worried about people judging you, drop it. If they’re judging you, you probably shouldn’t be hanging out with them anyway. Those people that are judging you, they don’t have the creativity. If you want to build something, build it. And then when they see it and say ‘oh that’s weird, why would you do that?’ Well you know what? They spent $60 on something for Halloween that’s going to hang in their closet for the next ten years to forget about and rot. You built something you can pull out any time, any convention and someone will love it.

LET’S PLAY

“People may see us as deviants or weird or strange, but you know what? We’re out there doing something. we’re having fun.”

event interviews

LET’S PLAY

Halibel and Yammy Angela pitts, Gulf war veteran soldier edward brunson, 40-something, computer repair shop owner

How did you first get into Cosplay? Edward: I think… she’s a natural dresser from Halloween, I’m a natural nerd-nut. Then we decided to start Cosplaying about three years ago.

Angela: It doesn’t matter if have on the usual Halloween costume or if you’ve spent thousands of dollars. Everybody respects, just each other coming out and showing respect for the craft.

Angela: You see, I saw the Comic Con on TV and I said ‘I’ve always wanted to do that,’ and he said, ‘yea I went before but I didn’t dress up, but we can go and we’ll get costumes and do it up!’ And my first one we did it up. I was Catwoman my first time and I think he was Morpheus. And that was my very first one, but there’s been countless since then. At least fifteen or sixteen.

What was it that really kept you coming back? Edward: She likes dressing up. And she likes to take pictures. She likes that, she likes the action-adventure. She’s also a sci-fi comic nut. Doctor Who even, who is... eehhh, okay. And I’m just a sci-fi junky from heart. I’m a Morpheus, I’ve done Mace Windu, I’ve done a Cobra Commander, and now a Yammy. Those are my characters right now. Angela: Mine are Storm, Catwoman, Halibel… Edward: She does her own White Hawk Jedi… I guess it’s a Leia. She likes to show off her body, there’s a lot of that too. Not me so much. Angela: Oh not him so much. Look, he’s showing off just as much as I am. He’s normally more covered.

Edward: Yea respect for the craft, and I want to say the sub-nerd-culture, which I think it s a lot purer than a lot of subcultures because we’re a lot smarter than most people… usually. Even though I’ve heard of bullying in this Cosplay, I think it’s absurd. Totally absurd.

What do you think is the best part about the community around Cosplay?

Do you have a favorite character that you Cosplay?

Angela: Respect for each other’s crafts and the work, and fandom.

Angela: Catwoman. Edward: I think my Morpheus is still my favorite.

Edward: Respect for the fandom. Like, if that’s what you’re into, we’re kinda proud and think you’re cool that’s what you’re into. So do you.

event interviews

Do you make your own costumes?

Do you have any advice for newcomers to the Cosplay subculture?

Edward: It’s a combo. Angela: I couldn’t find this [arm piece]. So I went into the basement, found a cardboard box, there’s a handle inside of here that comes from a crutch. This is a visor that comes from your windshield to keep the sun out, so I cut it in half to make the tubes. I couldn’t find this anywhere, but everyone else I saw that had this had a flat, cardboard cutout. Couldn’t have that. I didn’t know that I could it, but I did it. It took me all of a day and a half, with deciding which materials and wrapping and all that. Edward: I buy bits and pieces over time, to save money. Don’t make much stuff. But I buy a little here, a little there. I have… seven sabers. And some swords, and some practice things. But if we’re talking light sabers, there are seven. I’m also with the Rebel Legion—Star Wars. We do Star Wars groups for charity, with events.

Where do you pull your inspiration for your characters from?

Angela: Have fun. Don’t worry about what anyone says about your costumes, if you like it, go out and have fun. Take plenty of pictures with people. Ask people to take pictures with you. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.

What would you say is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? Angela: People think you have to be weird or something to enjoy this. I say they’re not living life. They’re boring. If you’re not doing something similar to this, you don’t have to do Cosplay. But just have fun, do something outside your norm. Broaden your horizons. It’s fun. Edward: Very similar to that. It’s a more diverse group of people than you think, that does it. That’s the misnomer. Angela: And when you explain to them about what’s going on, people understand. Then you’ll find the next year that person who was in their civis [civilian clothing], the next year they’ll be in costume.

Angela: I am a big kid at heart and I will always be. We watch a lot of cartoons of course, and superheroes. I’m a retired soldier, Gulf War vet, too. So I think there’s that little hero in me that wants to get out there, so I Anything else to add? can do it this way. Angela: A lot of the after parties are fun. Everyone Edward: For me, I’m just a sci-fi junky, since way back gets together, doesn’t matter where you come from, when, so science fiction, movies, comics, and now everyone enjoys themselves. Everyone enjoys the television. I watch even bad sci-fi just because it’s sci-fi. camaraderie.

Would you say there is a hardest part about Cosplay? Edward: Being ready on time. The costume is never as good as it is going to be, the first time you wear it. It’s always upgrading, constantly upgrading. It’s never good enough the first time.

Edward: It’s hard to do it alone. Nothing is done alone. Sometimes you’ll see one person does the costume another does the crafter, or the helper. We run behind a lot because we’re helping each other. Angela: Sometimes there are people here that we’ve seen before at other conventions, it’s always cool to see the same faces again. Like old friends.

LET’S PLAY

event interviews

“It’s a more diverse group of people than you think, that does it. That’s the misnomer.”

event interviews

Ghostbuster Dennis Brady, 22, CNC Machinist

How did you first get into Cosplay? I started doing Halloween costumes with my brother, working with cardboard, mainly, because we didn’t have jobs or money to fund any real costumes. The first one that I remember making and being proud of, was 2007, was when he made Optimus Prime out of cardboard and I made a pirate out of jackets and

But the following year, we went to Wizard World, and that was the firs time we’d gone to a convention dressed up. We’d gone to Wizard World before, but that was more to meet the people and to show off my brother’s comic books. So 2011 was the first comiccon we went to in costume and from then we’ve gone annually to Wizard World with our costumes and to check up on other people who are wearing them.

Why did you continue to Cosplay? Cause it was fun. Plain and simple.

What’s your favorite character that you Cosplay as? Today I’m a Ghostbuster. I also have a Gears of War costume, a Gotham city SWAT costume and a Scout Trooper costume. But if I had to pick my favorite I would probably go with the Scout Trooper, simply because it has a helmet, I don’t have to smile in all of the pictures, I can make faces at people, It’s like your own little world, no one can see what you’re doing inside the helmet.

Of the costumes that you make, how long on average does it take to make them?

pieces of scrap clothing at the good will store. The following year, 2008, I made an ARC trooper out of cardboard, hockey pads, some scraps of fabric and a toy helmet. Then he did a Batman, which was also hockey pads, cardboard and such. Then we didn’t make anything the following year. 2010 I was part of a summer theater stage crew production of Rent, and after the play was over, they were throwing out all of the 4x8 pieces of lauan so I said okay I’m taking that with me home. So we chopped that up and made proton packs out of the leftover pieces. So that took us three months over the summer, we ended up with three packs, for myself and one for the two of my brothers. But again, it was still Halloween costumes.

Length of production depends on what’s involved in it. The proton pack took us three months to make three. That was also a lot of limitation and time; I could only work on it at my workplace. We had to learn how to soder, we had to learn how to use the equipment to make it. But if I had to make it now, I could probably definitely do it in two weeks or so. Just with cutting and sanding, and now I have more machines at home. But when I’m in my Gears of War costume, after I had a bandsaw and such, I was able to make the gun in three days, and the costume done in two days, just with ripping scraps of fabric and such.

LET’S PLAY

event interviews

Do you have any advice for those new to the scene? I think the only real issue with making costumes is funding. Also make friends if you’re going to make costumes. If you don’t know how to sew, it’s good to learn and if you can’t get it, make a friend that knows how to sew. So make friends that like to make costumes, because working together is always more fun that working on your own. Whether it’s someone who can do something for you or help you or teach you how to do something.

What is the hardest part to Cosplay? Aside from the funding, probably picking who you want to be. Some costumes are more involved than others. Once you pick who you want to be you kind of have to stick with it until you’re done and you have this accurate costume that fits and works and functions. So it’s a pretty big decision, picking one and committing to it.

What do you like most about the community of Cosplay? Friendly. That is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the con community. That is the first thing I ever notice at any convention is friendly, welcoming, accepting. There’s no judgment. No one is looking at anyone else’s costume saying, “oh that looks like crap” or “you shouldn’t be wearing that.” There is no judgment coming from the cosplayers amongst themselves. If you’ve never worn a costume before, no one is like online gamers: “oh you’re a n00b!” If someone sees something they don’t like, they’ll be like “Hey that’s really cool, but you should try this.” It’s a very welcoming society and culture that exists amongst the cosplayers. You’ll get made fun of the whole time walking from your car to the event but as soon as you get there, people are excited to see what you’ve made.

LET’S PLAY

Do you think the popularity of “geeky” things is good for the community? I think it’s good because the people who used to attend these conventions, as a safe haven, it allows for those people to take their love for comic books further than these conventions and further than the corner of a comic book store. Now they wear their t-shirts and go out, and they’re proud of the things they like and the costumes that they make. Now there’s online communities and the events have gotten a lot bigger. So in that sense I think it’s good. People are embracing who they are and what they love and sharing it with the world and not being afraid of being judged harshly because of it.

the characters, my brother tells me about them, but I never really sat down and read comics. I’ve read Batman Hush, I’ve read a few Batman and a few Captain America comics- they’re my favorite characters. But I could never sit down and read comic book after comic book by the thousands. So I drew more from the movies or video game characters because I spent more time with those stories. So I guess that’s where I draw from.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay?

I think the biggest misconception is who Cosplays. There’s a stereotype of the type of person who Cosplays: the nerd, the social outcast. I think in recent I read a piece a little while ago. The comic conventions years we’ve really destroyed that image of who goes were always a safe haven for the nerds and the out to Cosplay. I think it might have to do with it outcasts to go and be themselves amongst themselves. become more “socially acceptable.” So the people And with this popularity and with the so-called “not who used to Cosplay were the ones who were social socially outcast” people are going to these events and outcasts, so they would go to these conventions where are starting to tease these people. Saying things like they could be amongst themselves and not be judged “oh look at that person, they’re not supposed to be by the outside people. While most of these outside wearing that.” Then bringing their judgment into a people may have wanted to do this, but they were judgment-free zone, I think that’s kind of- the way afraid of being judged or labeled a nerd or weird that they are mixing- sometimes they’re good. Then because you do this. But now that comic conventions sometimes you get your perverts, you get your bullies, have become more popular and more prominent of you get their whatever. They’re going into see “The a culture. Now the image of someone you wouldn’t Walking Dead” because it was on TV but then they’ll think would go to a convention dressed up as Wonder tease the guy dressed up as Rob, because he’s wearing Woman is at conventions saying “yea I love comic tights. I don’t like that, honestly. It depends on who’s books, I love superheroes, I love all this stuff.” So the really there. biggest misconception is what does a Cosplayers look like. There is no image. They come from everywhere Where do you pull your inspiration from? and all walks of life and all appearances. My costumes generally come from movies and video games. I’m at a comic convention right now and I’ll say that I’ve probably read ten comic books in my life. It sounds bad. I know some of the stories and

event interviews

LET’S PLAY

“You’ll get made fun of the whole time walking from your car to the event but as soon as you get there, people are excited to see what you’ve made.”

event interviews

Noel vermillion April Jenkins, 24, Student/Full-Time Worker

How did you first get into Cosplay? Usually I love watching anime and I’ve always wanted to Cosplay my favorite characters on animes. The first character I Cosplayed with I went to Otakon and I couldn’t even walk 5 feet without having to stop for a photo. It was like the best experience ever. The second one I did was Jill Valentine. Cosplaying for me, basically, is a hobby yet I make new friends doing it. So it’s always good to go places like here, I’m meeting new friends as we speak. It’s always good to Cosplay as someone’s favorite character and they’re excited. It’s always a good experience to Cosplay.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? Oh Cosplay is weird, only weirdo’s do it. Eh. Cosplay is fun. It’s something you like to do as a hobby. Yaya Han is one of the biggest Cosplayer that I follow because her costumes are so amazing. People make it as a career because it’s something they love to do. If it’s something you love to do, then do it.

What’s your favorite character to Cosplay as? My favorite character to Cosplay as is basically Chun-Li but currently that costume is being made right now. That’s something I always wanted to Cosplay as, so that’s my favorite.

What do you think is the best part of the Cosplay community? Making new friends, and the other Cosplayers in the community giving you tips, like how to do a certain wig design or how to sew a certain design for you costume. You can always ask different Cosplayers for that. It’s always a good experience to go and meet new people anyway.

Do you make all of your costumes? I don’t have the time to, but if I did I would make all of my costumes. I know how to sew and whatnot, but as of right now since I’m in school and full-time working that kind of gets in the way sometimes so I can’t really make my costumes.

What do you think is the hardest part of Cosplay? Basically… makeup, costumes, time. You have to plan ahead of time for different conventions. If you don’t have enough time, you can’t go to the conventions. Like now I can’t go to Otakon due to finances but I can always go next year.

Do you have any advice to new Cosplayers? Wardrobe malfunctions. That is a big deal. Say if you were to wear a costume that’s really skimpy and something falls off, you could be really embarrassed. I’ve seen that happen to someone before at Otakon and it wasn’t pretty. She was embarrassed the whole time. Make sure your costume fits you right. Make sure your wig or costume isn’t falling off.

How is it being a female in a predominantly male hobby? If you’re a female and you’re Cosplaying, most people think you have to be sexy or you have to be showing skin. I’ve seen female Cosplayers dress up as male characters and do it really well. It doesn’t really matter about gender. If you do it well, go for it. I’ve seen male cosplayers do women and vice versa. People shouldn’t be concerned about gender.

Do you have anything to add? Cosplay-wise? If you love it, just do it. You shouldn’t really worry what people say: “Oh you’re too skinny, oh you’re too fat.” No, you can do it, don’t care what people say. If you do a good Cosplay, just go for it.

event interviews

“People make it as a career because it’s something they love to do.”

event interviews

lady sif

Yvonne Kron, 18, Unemployed

How did you first get into Cosplay? I went to my first convention in 2012 and the next year, I started Cosplaying.

What was it that kept you coming back? I think progress, keeping myself busy. It also helps me meet other people. Being social is just fun.

Do you make your own costumes? If so, how long does it take you to make them? I’m relatively lazy. So when it comes to making costumes it takes me around a month. But I’ve finally gotten it down to making a costume in about a week.

What’s your biggest inspiration for your characters? I think whether or not I can see myself as that character. If I can relate to them on a personal level, whether they’re strong or they’ve been through something, it’s definitely something I want to do.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? That we’re all unsocial freaks, that we all have no social graces at all. That’s probably one of the biggest things. Or that there’s some weird sexual thing with it, is definitely one.

Do you have any advice to people who are new to Cosplay? My only advice is to take training steps, or stepping stones. Start with something and go through with it. Be confident about it. That’s all that matters. If you think it’s amazing, other people will too. If you shine bright like a diamond, people will think so.

Do you have multiple characters? Which is your favorite? I stay within the Marvel universe. So I’ve Cosplayed Hawkeye, Lady Sif is obviously my favorite. I’ve also have done Lady Loki. But Lady Sif is my favorite. Oh and I’ve Cosplayed Moon Dragon.

Do you have anything else to add? Just be confident. That’s all I have to say. If you rock it, and you believe you are the best of the best, people will obviously believe it. It’s all about acting, you’re just acting.

LET’S PLAY

event interviews

“If you rock it, and you believe you are the best of the best, people will obviously believe it. It’s all about acting, you’re just acting.”

event interviews

LET’S PLAY

lightning

Amaris Castillo, High School Student

How did you first get into Cosplaying?

Do you have any advice for those new to Cosplaying?

I went to Zenkaikon, I was just doing a Maze outfit. I met friends through it, they were all in Cosplay and I Try and try again. It’s not going to be the best at first, was amazed by them, so I wanted to do it too. So that’s but keep trying it gets better. Start off small, don’t go kind of how I got started. for the real huge complicated ones first, but build your way up.

What kept you coming back to Cosplay? People. I made a lot of friends through here and they are wonderful people and I just keep coming back for more. It’s just fun!

Do you have multiple characters? Which is your favorite? I’ve tried making some closet Cosplays, like I have done Toopy Prussia. I made the cape and stuff. But, I think she’s one of my favorites. My favorite one, I didn’t make him unfortunately, was Toothless it’s like a hoodie. It’s so cute.

Do you make all of your costumes? I usually just mix stuff from my closet or I’ve ordered. But I don’t have the skills to make a beautiful cosplay. They’re beautiful. I commend the people who do.

What do you think is the best part of the community around Cosplay? Meeting people is always great. People are wonderful and it’s a great way to meet people.

What’s the hardest part about Cosplay? Making the Cosplay is definitely it. Getting the funds to make it. I think that’s it. Also getting to places sometimes is troublesome.

Where do you get your inspiration for your Cosplays? Watching the animes and then seeing someone and getting that moment of saying ‘I want to Cosplay them.’ Searching for stuff, finding a key item that lights your mind to say, that’s perfect for so-and-so.

How is it being a female in a seemingly predominately male hobby? I don’t know, it’s kind of awkward sometimes. But I don’t know, I don’t can’t really tell with genders anymore.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? People think we’re doing this to get attention, the wrong kind of attention. But we do it for fun.

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“People think we’re doing this to get attention, the wrong kind of attention. But we do it for fun.”

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THE GOVERNOR Kyle J. williamson, it trainer

think that’s something no one should ever assume.

How did you first get into Cosplay? I saw other people doing it, but then after seeing Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, I decided to be Dr. Horrible, and then of course Captain Hammer. And I went from there. Joss Whedon inspired me. It was all Joss’ fault.

What was it that kept you coming back?

Do you have any advice to people who are new to Cosplay? My thing is, I would say if you want to Cosplay a character, go for it. It doesn’t matter how accurate it is. Some people are sticklers for accuracy, some people are sticklers for making everything themselves. But

I’m an attention whore.

Do you have multiple characters? Which is your favorite? I have like 18 different Cosplays that I do… I do a lot of Captains. Earlier I was Captain Han Solo, I’ve done Captain Jack Harkness, Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Captain Hammer. But I also do a lot of other ones, Jackson Lake and the Governor. I’d say the one that gets the best reaction right now is definitely the Governor. But I don’t know if I’d say I have a favorite. They all have great ways of being different character because I love the fact that I can be a scruffy looking nerf-herder or I can be an omni-sexual guy from the 52nd century. So you know it depends on the mood, but I like all of my characters. But the governor gets the most reaction.

Do you make your own costumes? If so, how long does it take you to make them? Yea I’m not that talented to make my costumes, I generally buy things and modify them if I have to. I basically use money. I make money, and then I buy costumes. So I kinda make the costumes by making money.

What’s your biggest inspiration for your characters? I don’t know if I should tell people that I identify with the Governor, because they might get really really scared. But I do really like interesting characters. So it’s gotta be an interesting character, and if they’re a captain that helps too, since I do a lot of captains. I’m working on a Captain Marvel, Shazam. So you get to see me in spandex if you ever come back.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? I think there are two misconceptions; one is that we can’t be grown ups. That we are escaping reality. The other is that women Cosplayers who are dressed attractively are loose or looking for creepy attention. I 52

just do whatever makes you happy. If you want to be a Cosplayer, if you want to buy something in a store, feel free. It’s all about what you enjoy. The fans—for the most part, there are some exceptions—are generally accepting and they appreciate the effort. Even if you’re not exactly screen accurate, it’s okay. Just have fun with it. Though, for me personally, if I can’t play-act the character, I don’t try to be the character. But then again, if you just like to dress like the character, you don’t have to actually be. Just. Have. Fun.

Do you have anything else to add? I would say just again, sticking with the having fun theme, conventions are a great place to meet people who like the things that you do. There’s not a better way to find out who those people are, than dressing as a character. And someone else who likes it will run up and ask to take your picture. It’s a great way to network with the fans.

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“I think there are two misconceptions; one is that we can’t be grown ups. that we are escaping reality.”

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Megurine Luka Mikaela Snead, 16, Unemployed

How did you first get into Cosplaying? Boredom, mostly. But I got into it with my boyfriend, actually. I ended up getting more characters as I go along. I tend to go with characters that are more difficult for me to play, that are opposite of my actual personality.

What made you continue to Cosplay? I felt like I was home when I was Cosplaying. It lets me not be me.

have to be a certain gender or race. I think that’s it. When people look at others who are not doing it that way, they say they are doing it wrong.

How is it being a female in a seemingly predominately male hobby? As a female, I have to say, it’s fun, but it is difficult Cosplaying female characters because people tend to

What is your favorite character to Cosplay? My OC Doctor, yes I do a female OC Doctor and Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler because I don’t have to be a girl.

What is the best part of the community surrounding Cosplay? Family. The Cosplay family. You can’t be dressed as people from the same anime and not feel like you’re a part of the family right there. When you go to conventions, you’re home. Nobody judges you.

What would you say is the hardest part about Cosplay? The wigs. The makeup is easy, for me honestly. After wearing wigs for a long time, whether they are long, short, half wigs, full wigs—it’s just difficult.

Do you make your own costumes? About how long does it take? Yes. I don’t do them by myself, my grandmother is a seamstress and she helps me. But it takes a couple of months.

Where do you get your inspiration for Cosplays? Everywhere. Animals, school, libraries, everything. People walking down the street.

Do you have any advice for those new to Cosplaying? Enjoy yourself. Don’t be worried that you don’t look perfect. You’re not supposed to be perfect, we’re not worried about that. We’re worried about you having fun. So you come back.

What do you think the biggest misconception about Cosplay is? That you have to fit a certain way. If you’re Wonder Woman, you have to be size zero. You have to be a certain weight to play somebody or you have to look a certain way, or you

sexualize what we’re doing, instead of us having fun. We’re worried about someone groping us or doing something we don’t want.

Do you have anything else to add about your experiences with Cosplay? I haven’t really been to many conventions, I was at Sakuru Sunday and everyone was really nice and had fun. But I have to say to other Cosplayers—don’t worry about things, don’t worry if your wig’s not good, if your makeup is not right, if your makeup fades. It’s gonna happen, you’re sweating, you’re having fun. Worry about that, worry about having fun. Don’t think that person is playing the same character as you is better than you or they look better. They don’t. They look like them in that outfit and you look like you in that outfit. I may not be able to see you right now, but you all look amazing.

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“When you go to conventions, you’re home. Nobody judges you.”

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Kid loki Nicole, Student

How did you first get into Cosplay? I saw other people doing it and I thought it looked fun.

What was it that kept you coming back?

Do you make your own costumes? If so, how long does it take you to make them? I do make my own costumes, it depends on what I’m making. It usually takes me about a week or two all together.

It was just fun.

Do you have multiple characters? Which is your favorite? I’ve also Cosplayed anime, so I’ve done Hatsune Miku and Falandre Scarlet. But the Kid Loki is probably my favorite.

What’s your biggest inspiration for your characters? Personality. I think characters with amazing personalities are the best characters to do. It’s so fun to stay in character at a convention or wherever you are.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? I don’t know, maybe… I would think that probably say just the misconception that we don’t like who we are, so we have to be somebody else. But I think it’s just a fun way… I love who I am in my everyday life. But I do think it’s fun to escape for a little while. I’m always happy to be who I am, but this is part of who I am.

Do you have any advice to people who are new to Cosplay? I’m new to Cosplay so…

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“I love who I am in my everyday life. But I do think it’s fun to escape for a little while. I’m always happy to be who I am, but this is part of who I am.”

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the fourth doctor Steven Valerio, 34, Stage Lighting Technician How did you first get into Cosplaying? It started with Halloween costumes that slowly got more and more elaborate.

What was it about Cosplay that kept you coming back? It’s really fun to be the character. I like to try and stay in character as much as possible when I have the costume on. it makes me a little more social, I am very much an introvert. So I can speak through the character and I’ve made a lot of new friends through it that way.

Do you think that popularization of comic books, video games and even conventions are good for the subculture? Ultimately, yes. Because it means fewer of us get picked on or made fun of on the street. I grew up in the 80s and I remember getting beaten up for liking the things I liked. And I do get that ‘oh you’re a newcomer and you don’t know anything about it,’ but everyone has to start somewhere. Maybe they’re just

Do you make your costumes? I modify my costumes. Most of mine are found items, things that I’ve tracked down and bought that are screen accurate or things I’ve tracked down that were close and I’ve modified.

Do you play other characters as well? I’m starting to branch out. I have a Jedi, that’s just kind of a character I made up. This year I’m doing several Cosplays, I mostly just do the Fourth Doctor.

Where do you get your inspiration for your costumes? Just from the characters, really. I never do anything just for the costume. I think it’s fine when people do that, I just don’t. It’s either someone I really identify with or someone I look up to or would like to be.

Do you have any advice for those new to Cosplay? Yea, just do it. I mean, it doesn’t matter if it looks good or looks bad. Just do it, have fun. Be yourself or be the character—if that’s your thing.

Would you say that some characters are easier to Cosplay than others?

getting into, maybe you can help them get into it. It can be a mixed bag sometimes. But some of the cons have gotten so popular that they’ve just gotten too big. There are too many people so you can’t do anything, you spend all day spending time in lines, you don’t get to meet the artists. It’s a mixed bag, but I think ultimately it’s good though.

Do you have anything else to add about your

I think that really depends on the person. For me, it’s experiences with Cosplay? gotta be a character that I identify with something I see It’s probably one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. in the character that’s also in me so that I can easily be It’s a really easy way to meet people if you’re not good them. at meeting people, which is pretty awesome because I’m not good at meeting people.

What would you say is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? That none of us have ever been laid.

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“It’s a really easy way to meet people if you’re not good at meeting people, which is pretty awesome because I’m not good at meeting people.”

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Barry Burton Vincent Zaccone, 27, Mechanical & Electrical engineer

How did you first get into Cosplay?

What’s the most complicated one you’ve done I like building props and designing things, and Cosplay so far? was a way to actually get to use them. So I got to use the things I make and actually dress up and bring characters to life that I liked.

The armor that I’m working on right now, I’m actually building a full Transformer suit. It’s actually Grimlock from Fall of Cybertron.

Do you have multiple costumes? If so, which ones?

What do you like most about the Cosplay community?

Yes I do. I have Kenpachi I have Lobo, I have Booker from Bioshock Infinite, I have Jesus, I have a lot of costumes, actually. I’m actually in the process of making about three more.

Meeting all of the great people. There are so many nice people out there, and they get together just because they put on costumes. They want to bring people to life. They want to bring characters to life for other people. They do so many charity events and they just want to be out there in the community and make a difference.

Would you say there’s a hardest part to Cosplay? For certain people, I’d say the hardest part is money. Getting the money to travel to a convention that is two and a half hours away, flying places or just building things. It takes a lot of money to do stuff and if you don’t have it, then sometimes you have to sacrifice, or not do things at all.

Do you make your costumes? Most of the time I build everything by hand. Sometimes depending on what it is, some things are just easier to buy, like a pistol or something like that. But when it comes to custom items for certain characters, you have to build them by hand because there is no way to get them other than that.

What is your biggest inspiration for your costumes? About how long does it take you to put a costume together? Depending on what it is, it could take anywhere from two weeks to about four month.

My biggest inspiration for costumes is just; I want to have a character come to life. One of the greatest things is that when you have a favorite character from a game, or a movie, or anything like a comic, you want to bring it to life so other people can see why you like it. So you do the best you can to get all of the details down, the personality, the character themselves, and you bring it alive for other people to see why you like it.

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Do you think some characters are easier to play than others?

Do you have any advice for those new to Cosplay?

Some characters are easier to put together because they have simpler costumes and stuff. But it doesn’t matter how much time it takes to put into a character; it doesn’t matter because it’s your character. Depending on if you’re just Superman in a pajama jumpsuit or if you’re building full armor or weapons or anything, this is that character that you are bringing to life. When you bring it to life, it’s the full character, it doesn’t matter how much goes into it.

Don’t get discouraged. If you’re building something and it’s not coming out right, or you don’t think it’s good—do it anyway. Because most of the time, it doesn’t look as good to you as it does to other people. Regardless of what it is, it’s always going to come out great.

What do you think the biggest misconception about Cosplay is?

One thing that I have to say is that you meet awesome people going to conventions and Cosplaying. I started going to conventions last year, I went to Wizard World Philly, and it’s actually a really big convention. And I went there with five of my friends, when I left for the weekend, I had over 100 friend invites on facebook. It’s just, you meet these people and you get into the community, everyone wants to help each other, everyone encourages each other. Even the people you don’t meet, you’ll go to another convention and actually get to meet them and it’s so awesome.

I think the biggest misconception is that it’s like a tournament. There’s always contests and things like that to go into, and it’s really fun to win things and to compete against people. But all Cosplay is equal. Whether someone bought the costume or built the costume, it’s all about fun. It’s bringing a character to life, having fun, enjoying your time. A lot of people think it’s about contests or doing better, or “oh this person put more time into it.” As long as you’re having fun, it doesn’t matter.

Do you have anything to add about Cosplay or your experience?

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are so many nice people out there, and they get together just because they put on costumes. They want to bring characters to life for other people.â&#x20AC;?

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Kikyo

Kingia Phillips, 22, Employee at Walmart

How did you first get involved in Cosplaying? Actually, I really don’t remember. I think I went to my first con, Inochi Con, maybe five years ago? But I just saw all of these Clouds and that’s one of my major favorite characters. People just making their swords and everything so it was just kind of boring when you’re just a regular person and no one take pictures of you. So that’s what I wanted to do, to get into it. So I could be a celebrity for a day, basically.

Where do you pull your inspiration from for your characters? I pull them from watching the animes, and falling in love with one awesome character. So I just have to be them for a day, at least, and then get pictures because I’m a celebrity.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplayers?

Do you play multiple characters? Which is your I’m not sure. See, I’m not into the gossip, so I don’t favorite to play? know. I just go to dress up and have fun. I really don’t I have actually three Cosplays right now. My one other character is Maka Albarn and the other is Yuki Cross. So Yuki Cross from Vampire Knight and Maka from Soul Eater. Right now, Kikyo is my favorite.

hear anything. I don’t go on the websites and look up nasty comments that people say about each other. I don’t care for it. They can say things about me, but I really don’t care.

What do you think is the best part of the community around Cosplay?

How is it being a female in a seemingly predominately male hobby?

The best part is when people actually take time out of their days to make their weapons and uniforms, and don’t cheat and buy it at a store like I do.

What do you think the hardest part of Cosplay is? The hardest part is planning it out and then actually having it go as you planned without trying to order things and it comes too late or it comes after the con and you just don’t want to go anymore. To be honest, I don’t really like to go to cons without dressing up anymore. I used to do it, but now I just have to be dressed up as something even if it’s just the same uniform over and over again.

Well it’s not that bad because I make sure that I always wear something that is covering. Even if it’s a short skirt, I wear shorts underneath. So I don’t get hit on as much as everybody else because I’m not ready for that. I want to wear simple things that cover simple things. Maybe I’ll be an extremist later.

Do you have anything to add about your experiences with Cosplay? It’s just a community where people want to dress up, buy things, sing and dance. That’s what I really love about it: the raves. They have some [cons] with the raves at them and they’re great with the lights and the crazy hair and the little skirts. It’s just fun.

So do you make your own costumes? I don’t, I cheat.

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“ I don’t go on the websites and look up nasty comments that people say about each other. I don’t care for it. They can say things about me, but I really don’t care.”

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Edward scissorhands Jonathan hawkins, 25, employee Glass Manufacturing Company

How did you first get into Cosplaying?

What would you say is the hardest part about Cosplay?

A friend of a friend dragged me to Otakon and after that I kind of really got into it. So then I started making I think getting everything ready in time is the hardest props for it. part.

What made you continue to Cosplay? My first Cosplay was just a steampunk thing. But the reaction from people and the positive atmosphere, really drew me in.

Do you make your own costumes? I make everything from scratch I’ve got or storebought clothing for the most part. I fabricate props, so anything that I’m wearing that I cannot store-buy, I’ll make. It took me a day to make these [scissorhands].

What is your favorite character to Cosplay? I would say either Tenth Doctor or Edward Scissorhands, which I’m currently Cosplaying.

Where do you pull your inspiration for your characters? I find inspiration through characters that I can tell I can pull of because of my body type, I’m not confident enough to pull off something that doesn’t fit that. Some people can, but that’s not for me. Something that’s unique, clever and hasn’t been done or hasn’t been seen often.

Do you have any advice for those new to Cosplay? I think the biggest thing is to have fun with what you’re doing. Everybody is going to support you. Just don’t worry, have a great time.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? I’d have to say that a lot of people think that people who Cosplay are immature, they’re still children in their minds. But it’s a lot more than that, it’s just people who are passionate about what they’re Cosplaying and they just want to be as true to the character as they can. It’s just really really big fans that don’t mind representing it.

What is the best part of the community surrounding Cosplay? I would have to say the non-judgment. It’s just a really positive, uplifting environment with everyone giving you pats on the back for Cosplaying. They’ll give you tips on how to do things.

Do you have anything else to add about your experiences with Cosplay? Just have an awesome time.

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“... it’s just people who are passionate about what they’re Cosplaying and they just want to be as true to the character as they can.”

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Leilan

(Game of Thrones spinoff character)

gabrielle dace, 23, Inventory agent for autoparts warehouse How did you first get into Cosplaying? Just in general I’m an artist, and I really admired all of the deviantART artists, so I finally just stepped out of my shell and decided to act as my own character, rather than act as characters from established series, just so I could get into my comfort zone.

What made you continue to Cosplay? It was really fun. I suffer from anxiety, so to step into the shell of another person and get away from that for a while was really new to me. It’s a great, fun culture.

public doesn’t understand it. Fear is okay in the beginning, but you grow into your own skin and feel comfortable.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? That the people who Cosplay are weird or freaks or there’s something mentally wrong with them or they have some sexual fetish. When you look at any fandom or hobby, there’s always that little .1% that is weird, but the

What is your favorite character to Cosplay? When I do, either Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite—her second outfit. Or Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. Love her!

What is the best part of the community surrounding Cosplay? They’re very accepting and there’s very rarely any judgment, especially when you go to a convention because people, 9 times out of 10 they’re usually in the same boat as you. The comfort level and the acceptance. There’s no judging.

What would you say is the hardest part about Cosplay? Money money money. It is a very expensive hobby and to get the money for costumes is very difficult, and hard to justify if you’re still living at home with your parents. It’s tough.

Do you make your own costumes? Bits and pieces. I’m not a very good seamstress, so corsets I have to buy, wigs I have to buy. But I do make most of my jewelry.

How long does it take for you to make something? Anywhere from a total of a couple hours to a couple days, depending on the costume. The more elaborate costumes, the more time it’s going to take.

Where do you pull your inspiration for your characters? It’s going to sound so tacky, but the world around me. I find inspiration in everything and every little thing. I’m so happy with the world we’re in that I can see everything.

Do you have any advice for those new to Cosplay? It’s okay to be afraid at first, it’s really scary for anybody starting out. The community is very welcoming. You do have to be wary of Cosplaying in public because the general

majority of the community is awesome. That’s the biggest misconception in my eyes.

How is it being a female in a seemingly predominately male hobby? I’d say don’t let them label you as like, the video game girl stereotype where you are just doing this for the pleasing eye effect. Do it because you really love it. That’s unfortunately a big stereotype when you see girls at conventions, people are like, “oh you’re just a fake video game girl, you’re just doing this because you want to mess with everyone.” But it’s fun. I’d like to see a lot more girls pick it up, but it’s definitely hard because there’s a lot of social pressure, especially in the United States, for a certain outward appearance.

Do you have anything else to add about your experiences with Cosplay? It’s so fun; don’t let anyone tell you that it’s wrong or that you’re weird or anything. Just do it; just try it at least once before you let anyone judge you.

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“... don’t let them label you as like, the video game girl stereotype where you are just doing this for the pleasing eye effect.”

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Mikoto Inugami Isis DavenPort, 23, Supervisor in Pest Control Customer Service

How did you first get into Cosplay? I have been Cosplaying since 2000. What actually got me started on it was Lord of the Rings. I was on a lot of forums and I was seeing a lot of people who were doing costuming and that was before Cosplay was really big. I saw those costumes that people were making with the wigs and the jewelry and the dresses and they were so gorgeous. And I was like, ‘I want to do this.’ So actually my first one was Arwen from Lord of the Rings. From there it just kind of snowballed and I’m still here!

better at prop-making, I’ve learned wood working, leather-working. I’ve learned about all different types of weapons, Japanese culture. I’ve had to learn how to make a proper kimono- the measurements and all that stuff. So it’s definitely a lot of work that goes into and a lot of learning. For me, learning all of the different things and meeting all of the people and sharing in that common passion is fantastic.

Do you make all of your costumes?

I make a majority of mine; I have one or two that I’ve bought second-hand from other people. Just because I saw it, it was actually Roderich Edelstein from What kept you coming back? Cattleya, Austria. I actually saw the Cosplay before All of the friends I’ve made. Most of my friends right now are all friends I’ve made from the community, and I actually liked the character. I was familiar with the they are people that I have become so close with. Plus anime and the web-comic but I just did not like the now it’s become more than a hobby, it’s become more character, but somebody was selling this beautiful coat for $20. So I was just like, okay it’ll give me a my life as opposed to a hobby. quick costume to throw on for a Saturday, or like a lazy Sunday at a con. I’ve actually fallen in love with What is your favorite character that you’ve the character and some of my friends know me as that played? character. As soon as that coat goes on, my posture is Oh gosh I don’t think I could pick one, I’ve done so straightened, I become very aristocratic and I instantly many amazing ones. Generally whatever the newest become that character. So it’s a lot of fun. one or whatever one I’m working on currently is my favorite just because that’s the one that I’m dedicating On average, how long does it take for you to most of my time and energy. Right now I’m really make a costume? enjoying the Inu x Boku SS series so I actually have two characters, Zange Natsume and this one, which is It depends on the Cosplay. I made a Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail Cosplay. That one I made the skirt, only in the manga so far. So even though he’s kind of obscure and no one really knows him, he’s still one of the pants, the vest and the scarf probably in about four hours. From drafting the patterns to completely my favorites. But it’s really whatever I’m working on at the moment or what I’m planning. I’m planning on snipping the last threads. Some of them I’ll spend four to five hours on just a sleeve or like a pair of Aoba from DRAMAtical Murder. It’s fun! pants or something. I have a jumpsuit for Badou Nails from Dogs: Bullets and Carnage. That one I will What do you think is the best part of the be debuting at Zenkaikon and I have put in about, Cosplay community? somewhere in the range of 40-60 hours just into the Everybody is so much fun. There is never a dull jumpsuit, not counting any of the props, not counting moment, even if you’re Cosplaying from different cutting and styling the wig, making the eye patch, series. Obviously you know right away this is making the guns, the harness, finding the boots. somebody else who enjoys something. Plus it’s easy to make friends because you see other people that are interested or Cosplaying from the same series. So this person and I have at least one thing to connect on and then you get to talking. So definitely the friends that I’ve made, it’s a lot of fun. Plus, now I’ve learned a lot of skills. I’ve become a better seamstress, I’ve gotten

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What would you say is the hardest part about Cosplay? I don’t think there’s necessarily a hard part, there are moments when you are sitting there you are like, ‘oh god I have two days until the convention and three Cosplays to make.’ I’ve been there, and I try to avoid it now. But I don’t think there’s necessarily anything hard, but sometimes it can get a bit discouraging if something doesn’t come out quite like you want, or if you’re at a convention, I’ve forgotten important pieces that I’ve worked on so hard on and dedicated so much time on and then you can’t wear it. But I don’t think that there’s anything that I find discouraging anymore,

Cosplay that!’ I even have friends who will tell me I need to watch something because they think I should Cosplay a certain character. I have some friends who want me to Cosplay from League of Legends and I’ve never played it, I’m not familiar with it at all. But I do plan on playing it because I do want to check out this character they want me to Cosplay. So I pull from everywhere: movies, manga, even books, celebrities, and stuff like that. Everywhere.

What would you say is one of the biggest misconceptions about Cosplay? There’s a lot of misconceptions, one of the biggest things is that people think that if you’re in a costume that they can automatically take a picture of you. I’ve found quite a few unflattering pictures online; because people automatically think if you are dressing like this you want attention. I don’t mind taking photos, but I’d rather know so that I can make sure that my costume is looking good. The other thing is that I Cosplay a lot of male characters just because I am more drawn to military uniforms and just a lot of the male costume designs. I tend to lean towards the male characters and a lot of people have asked me, ‘are you confused about your gender’ because I am female. But I do, for the most part, identify as female. Sometimes there’s some wibbly wobbly because gender is all wibbly wobbly, but for the most part I do identify as female. So there are some people that assume because I am Cosplaying all of these male characters that I want to be a male. You do run into that sometimes, but it becomes part of it.

Anything else to add? because this has become me, I’ve been doing this for fourteen years now. So it’s become just such a big part of me that I’m just like, okay this is normal.

Where do you get your inspiration for your costumes? I sit down and I’m really bad if I see a picture of a character or something online, even if I don’t know what it’s from, I’ll be like, ‘I want to Cosplay this!’ sometimes I’ll be surfing on Tumblr and I’ll see fan art that I think is really pretty. Or if I watch movies I’ll get about hallway through and I’ll be like ‘I want to

Don’t get yourself down on it. If you are not having fun wearing it or making it, stop, step away from it for a while because it needs to be fun. You are not going to be proud of the costume or be comfortable with it. Don’t feel like you have to wear a revealing costume. I have some Cosplays that show a lot of skin, I have some that show absolutely no skin. So just don’t get discouraged, just keep doing it. If it’s something you love, just keep going. If you have to walk away from a costume for a few months, walk away from it and then come back when you feel better.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you are not having fun wearing it or making it, stop, step away from it for a while because it needs to be fun.â&#x20AC;?

event interviews

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original faun design Scott Crawford, student at Arcadia University How did you first get into Cosplaying? I saw the photos of Naruto Cosplays and I really wanted to one for Halloween and I was only like 14 and I had no idea what I was doing. Through that, I saw that a lot of other people were doing that. Then I heard about Otakon through a chat room and it kind of exploded from there.

Like the antlers I’m wearing right now.

Do you have any advice for those new to Cosplaying? Don’t let anybody else discourage you if it’s something you really like to do. Because I know a lot of people

What kept you coming back to Cosplay? The people, definitely. I’ve met all of my best friends [through Cosplay]. Everyone is so supportive and I feel like everyone understands me.

Do you have multiple characters? Which is your favorite? I have, my favorite is actually America from Cattleya. Even though his bomber jacket murders me.

Do you make all of your costumes? I try, but it doesn’t always work out and I do end up making like half of it and then putting together other parts. So it’s kind of a mish-mash.

About how long does it take to put together a costume? Hours, weeks, months, sometimes. It really just depends on the complexity.

What do you think is the best part of the community around Cosplay? I think the best part of it is just getting to be someone else for the day. Because you get stuck in the same routine of going to school, going to work, so it’s nice to just not worry about that for a little while. Be something that you’re not.

What’s the hardest part about Cosplay? Putting together the Cosplays and trying to get normal people to understand what you’re doing. You always get the question about why you’re dressed like that, or you get the really weird looks from across the street. You just kind of have to live with it.

are mean, especially when you first start out- your costume may not be the best. But you can’t let that discourage you from getting better at it and enjoying something you love.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay? A lot of people think we do this for a fetish, and that’s just not true. We don’t get any sort of sexual pleasure out of this most of the time. It’s just fun and we like to do it.

Anything else to add? It’s a hobby, it’s supposed to be fun. If it’s not fun, it’s not for you and you should find something else.

Where do you get your inspiration for your Cosplays? Shows I watch or just pieces of things I end up finding.

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“... especially when you first start out- your costume may not be the best. But you can’t let that discourage you from getting better at it.”

event interviews

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cosplay spotlight

dan ritchie How did you first get involved in Cosplay? Well I always liked dressing up. It was my thing when I was a kid, I just liked to dress up. I used my first costume, which was my Ghostbuster costume, when I was six. I used to wear it to class all of the time. I really developed in my high school years. Halloween I decided I wasn’t going to buy my costume, I was going to make it. My first real costume was Danny Phantom. I sewed the patch on, I got the boots white, I got the gloves and everything, I made the costume really fun. It kind of went uphill from there. Next costume I made up was Link from Legend of Zelda. I went through stages of that, because I used to have long blonde hair so I thought why not? It really happened when I met a bunch of guys in 2008 at the Ghostbusters screening for the 25th anniversary. They were starting a chapter of the Philadelphia Ghostbusters and they said ‘hey come join us.’ It took me about a year to decide to join because I didn’t have anything. I got my suit and I started to build a pack from the second movie, the slime blower. So I got into prop building and costume making at the same time, which was a lot of fun. I scratched my slime blower to build a proton pack, which was a big deal. I debuted my proton pack at Wizard World and everyone was really excited. I met some cool people. I was geeking over everyone’s different costumes. I met this one dude and he was one of my favorite characters of all time, and he actually did the newer version which actually didn’t even come out on shelves yet and I thought that was amazing. Then he actually became one of my best friends and he’s fantastic at costuming. He hates the word ‘Cosplay’ so he calls it costuming. But I use Cosplay. Because we’re dressed up, we’re acting as the character, so we’re playing as them in costumes. The best part of costumes is you can take old costumes and make them into better ones and it just works completely. All of a sudden it just kept going, these ideas, more characters I love from my childhood.

What is your favorite character to Cosplay? My favorite character to do is probably Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. It’s probably my most iconic figure that I do. It was a Halloween costume, honestly, I didn’t expect to wear it at cons. When I decided to be Green Arrow, it happened to be when the show started so everyone was like, ‘Oh you’re the Arrow!’ The cool thing about when you start a costume, it could be fun at first but then you can add onto it. You build up. I’ve seen so many costumes throughout the years, with some of the biggest names in the Cosplay world. 96

What do you think is the best part of the community around Cosplay? It’s a lot better than it was. 20 years ago you had just guys wearing capes, trying to be superheroes. Back then, you’d think there’s something wrong that guy if he’s trying to be a superhero. Now it’s like these guys are so cool. Pop culture and the Internet, Hot Topic, Spencers, all of that crap, has made it so iconic that people love it. The community is great, the people are so nice. There is a rule. There is one strict rule and that is don’t be a dick. One of my best friends I met at a con, through a friend. I mean, he lives in Miami but he’s like one of the coolest guys in the entire world and his costumes are fantastic. The community, especially in the Philadelphia area, is really good. There are a lot of great people who want to travel here because it’s such a big deal. There are groups and forums and all kinds of places where everyone is so accepting. Being part of it, I’ve met people. I actually joined a superhero alliance group for sick kids or misfortunate kids who have bad days. So we dress up like superheroes to make their days better. We just started a chapter here in Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware, it’s called the Heroes Alliance.

Do you make all of your costumes? If so, which has taken you the longest? Yes. Well, the longest one I would say is probably my Ghostbuster one making the proton pack, that took some time and a lot of money to make that’s for sure. These costumes they never stop, that’s the thing, they continue. I’ve updated my Green Arrow costume constantly. I just bought a new belt and I just bought a new hoodie for it. It’s always changing, always upgrading. It’s never which takes the longest or how many hours is put into one certain costume, they are constantly upgrading. When I start I don’t want to stop. It’s a constant flow. The most difficult one was probably my Green Lantern one though. He wears a leather green jacket, a motorcycle sleeveless jacket. Getting a black jacket to green is really hard, or finding a green leather jacket is impossible. Your best friends in the Cosplay world are Joann’s Fabrics, fabric stores, Goodwill, Amazon. I can’t tell you how much I’ve spent on Amazon. Home Depot is great for props and stuff, spray paint. It’s a lot of fun. Being there is just a great time, in character.

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“There is one strict rule and that is don’t be a dick.”

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Do you think there is a hardest part to Cosplaying? If so, what is it?

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Cosplay?

Crunch time. Getting everything done before the con. The problem is, a lot of people will if you have it [a costume] and you’ve already seen it then it’s done. It’s sad but that’s how it is sometimes. So they’ll try to make a new one, in say, a week.

The biggest misconception is for the women mostly. It’s that they don’t know shit about comic books. They’re just hot and decide they look good in this or this character is cool so they’ll be that. No. They actually know this stuff. I’ve had conversations with girls about comic books where I was like, ‘wow I didn’t know that! That’s so cool!’ My one friend grew up in a time, he’s a bit older than me, that if a girl was into comic books then there must have been something wrong with her. That’s just how it was.

One of the hardest things is showing it off. Sometimes you want to wear like, two costumes. You think about where you’re staying. If you’re at a hotel and you’re close by, great. If you’re far—you’re only doing the one costume unless you’re paying for a cab or driving. People will switch out costumes during the day. I try not to. Another hard part is getting everything there in one piece. So when you make all of this stuff it’s like, don’t break for the love of god.

Where do you pull your inspiration from for you characters? Sometimes I just find the character. A lot of people grow up on characters, a lot of people discover them, and a lot of people decide ‘that guy looks cool, I want to be them.’ I’m not that guy. Robin—I love the sidekicks. I think they’re so cool. I always wanted to be him, when I saw his new costume in the Arkham games I knew that was it. For Green Arrow, when I was a kid I always loved Robin Hood. So I found this superhero that is like a modern-day Robin Hood and I think that’s so neat. He’s human. He’s basically Batman with a bow and arrow. He’s got all of the money, but I thought he was way cooler. With the characters I just look into them to see if I can relate to them in some way. In some cases they’re just badass and you grew up with them. Sometimes I like to look back into the origins of the character, because if you literally know nothing about the character, it’s kind of shameful almost. So you do a little bit of history. I really look into the characters and see what they have to offer. Also if the costume is easy to do.

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Do you have anything to add about your experiences with Cosplay? The best part about going to cons is that, I’m so tired of the celebrities. I don’t care who is there. Unless it’s like, one person. But I don’t care anymore. it’s about seeing my friends

again, dressing up and acting like these heroes. We always get food, get a drink or something afterwards. We all look out for each other and it’s so great. The best part about dressing up, there’s a lot of reasons. One—you feel cool and people wanna take your photos and you get used to it, you have to strike a pose. Another reason is you just feel cool, like man, I just made this, I’m proud. Then the best moment is the kids. Honestly. The last convention I went to I had this little girl who tugged on my tunic as I’m dressed as the Green Arrow and said “Oliver, can I have a picture with you?” Broke my heart. I got down on my knees and struck a pose with her, gave her a hug. But that’s it there, the reason why I do this. It’s a lifestyle I’m really glad I got into because I’ve found a place for myself and some great people. Then I even get to bring some of my friends into it and they find some great people. In the long run, it’s one of the best feelings in the entire world. At the end of the day, even after you’re sweaty and tired, out of energy and your feet hurt, you look over at your friends and you’re just like, “That was awesome, can’t wait for the next one.”

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Loren shatz How did you first get into Cosplay? I always took Halloween too seriously. My first Cosplay was awful and I did it all by hand-sewing t-shirts together when I was 17 and yea, I just kind of went from there.

What was it that kept you coming back to Cosplay? I like doing makeup. I like making things and I like showing off what I’ve made. I like hanging out with people and I find it really fun. That’s why I keep going back.

What is your favorite Cosplay you wear? I have two favorite ones. I like Ryuko, which I’m wearing today because I made the entire thing myself and I am very proud of it and it’s taken a lot of tailoring and time to get it the way I actually want it to look. I also like Tetra from Legend of Zelda, I do it with my ex-boyfriend at New York Comic Con and it took us like 10 minutes to cross the main part of the floor because people kept stopping us to take pictures. I also spent like three days to get a wig to stand straight up. So that was pretty cool and time consuming.

Do you make all of your costumes? If so, how long does it take? I do both because buying premade stuff is easier, but also you have to alter it and it doesn’t come out the way you want. Most of my Panty Cosplay, or all of it actually, I bought and altered. I don’t love it but I made Ryuko the entire thing myself. It’s definitely cheaper to make it, but I didn’t know how to use a sewing machine until a couple weeks ago, so the top took like, nine hours of pure hand sewing, then I went back and reinforced it and it took ten minutes. But I like to make it, and I want to get better at that so I’ve been making a lot more of my Cosplays recently. I whip them out pretty fast actually. I’ve made a blazer and a pleated skirt in two days. That was pretty crazy.

that I have to tailor it to fit my body. Then I have to be comfortable enough and confident enough to wear it in public. That’s always really hard for me at least. Then there are always mean people on the Internet who will take pictures of it and comment on it and say “oh you look like a whale in that, don’t wear that.” So that’s kind of the hardest part, but I don’t care. Just forget them. Other than that, spending all of your money is hard.

What do you think is the best part about the community of Cosplay? I like that we all have the same common interests and I think that’s cool that there are other people who like the same things I do who can also give me tips and stuff. I like that a lot of people that I know personally and have met through Cosplay are very supportive. I really want to Cosplay this one character from X-Men, but I’m not skinny enough I’m not pale enough or whatever like that. I told my one friend he was like, ‘So? You’re really good at makeup, you’re really good at costumes. Do it. Do what you want, what makes you happy.’ So that’s really cool that people are super supportive even though there are a-holes on the Internet.

Where do you get your biggest inspiration for your characters?

Friends are nice, but I think the best part of Cosplay in my opinion is actually making things, doing makeup tests and crying in the bathroom because you poked yourself in the eye with a contact. But I definitely like the challenge of making things when you’re winging it and you’re just like ‘I hope this turns out okay!’ It’s a fun rush.

I get my inspiration from anime and comic books because I am a huge nerd. I also really like characters that are like me. There’s this one character I Cosplay, I really liked her in the show because I liked the way she was because she was really bitchy and ate all of this food, and I was like ahh that’s me! I saw a lot of fan art of her and they kept drawing her with my skin tone, which was super duper cool so I was like I wanna do that, I want to Cosplay that. I also draw inspiration from things I think are going to be a challenge. I did this Cosplay for Katsucon where I had to be a dead intern from the radio show Welcome to Night Vale. It was all creative freedom so I was going to draw inspiration from my favorite show Twin Peaks and then I’m gonna do crazy makeup. I had this burned off face, gore that went all over my arms, I had one blind contact in and I put glue on my face so it looked like I was covered in pus. I got a lot of “positive” response towards it. People were like “oh ew.” But I like to draw inspiration for things that are gross and weird and hard to do. I’m allergic to latex, so all of the makeup I do is latex free.

What do you think is the hardest part of Cosplaying?

What do you think is the biggest misconception of Cosplay?

What is the best part of Cosplay?

I think the hardest part, for me at least, is being comfortable in what you’ve made. One of the characters I’m wearing today, her costume in anime is super duper midriff-y and I’m not a skinny girl so I’m always worried

A misconception I’ve run into a lot on stupid Internet dating sites, because I’m an Asian woman, they assume it’s a fetish thing. They think this is thing I do because I want to attract male nerds and I’m like, no that’s not what I

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want to do. But they assume I want to be that character and then be boned as that character. Then I get a lot of stereotypes because I happen to be half-Asian. I’ve gotten weird white guys mostly on OkCupid saying weird things about fetishizing the characters. It’s a misconception for women Cosplayers to be stared at and sexualized. Allegra got an upskirt photo taken without her consent at New York Comic Con because her skirt happened to be short. Or I was wearing my Ryuko Cosplay to anime club and this one guy would not stop staring at my stomach the entire time. He won’t call me my real name anymore, he just calls me Ryuko because he has a huge boner for her or whatever. So that’s also a problem that female Cosplayers run into, or anyone who Cosplays a female character, is that they’re just a sex object because anime does not always portray women in the most positive light, admittedly. That’s a problem.

Everybody starts out shitty.

Do you think that popularization of video games, comic books, and “nerd culture” has had a positive or negative effect on conventions and Cosplay?

I think it has both positive and negative effects. Positive, definitely, it’s more mainstream which means it’s so much easier to buy things online that I need, like there are more wigs for something because everyone likes it. Also I think it’s positive because more people are coming out, it’s a bigger community and you can learn more from other people and make new friends. It’s more widely known. I think a negative influence is kind of the perception. There is more of an issue, I feel, inside the nerd culture than outside of it. Like I have met people and told them I Cosplay and they ask what it is and I explain that I dress up like comic book characters because I’m a huge dork, and Do you have anything else to say about being they’re like, ‘oh that’s really cool that you’re so talented females in the Cosplay subculture as it is and can do something like that, must be really nice.’ But predominately men? when you tell people on the inside, they’re just like, ‘How It’s not so much that I have a problem with how the long have you liked that for? Well your hem is kind of characters are created, its that I have a problem with wrong, etc.’ So more people getting into it makes some how the people are received in the costumes. It’s like people like, ‘I’m better than you,’ and that’s negative. I’ve yea I wish that not all female characters had to have their only run into that a couple times, it’s not a big issue, but boobs out at all times, but I have seen that happen. The whole some of them look fine. I’ve elitism in nerd culture is stupid. We all “I’d say do seen amazing Cosplays where what you want like the same things, get over yourself. people have created some, for example Black Canary to do, if it from the DC Comics and her you have anything else to doesn’t turn Do corset and fishnets, and they add about your experiences with look amazing, she looked like out, don’t get Cosplay? she fell out of the comic. But discouraged, Cons are the most fun thing I’ve ever people are just like, ‘damn done in my life. Even if I completely look at her ass’ or ‘look at them just keep messed up my costume, like last year thighs’ or whatever. There is I had to scrap one of my costumes going.” so much time and effort being last minute because I did not finish it, put into the costume that you and I was kind of bummed. So I just don’t have to do it. Even if you do a character that’s not threw on a wig and went down, but people were still like, always sexy, like Ryuko who I’m Cosplaying today, she will ‘hey I know who you are.” You are surrounded by all of turn into this weird half-meca half-schoolgirl, suspenders these people who have the same interests and they’ll stop over her boobs and that’s it kind of thing, and I would you and be like, ‘wow you look amazing.’ You meet new never Cosplay that. I was at J-Con and this guy came up people, it’s really a great way of networking. I do makeup, to me and told me I looked awesome, and then he started so I can meet people and they know how to find me making weird sexual comments about how he wished I online now. I’ll give them tips and they’ll give me money was in that costume. I worked super hard on this costume and I’ll draw up a thing of them of how to do stuff. and then I was skeeved out and I felt like I needed to hide my legs because my skirt was too short and that sucks. It’s Also, positive responses to your costumes is the best frustrating. feeling in the world. When I went to New York Comic Con

Do you have any advice to those new to Cosplay? Product placement. Nike- just do it. Personally, I’m the type of person to just balls-out just do it, jump in the pool I don’t care how cold it is. My first Cosplay that I ever did was a trainwreck because first of all, I had to be a guy, and I didn’t even wear a wig I just used my real hair and I bleached the front of it and then dyed it red, and then had to make a mask. I tried to be Red Mist from Kick-Ass, I’ll do it one day for real. But I’d say do what you want to do, if it doesn’t turn out, don’t get discouraged, just keep going.

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with my ex-boyfriend we were Tetra and Link, from Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. This guy saw us across the hall and was like, ‘TETRA! Oh my god wait there I need a picture of you!’ I don’t Cosplay to get recognition or to get a big head or big ego, but it’s the nicest feeling when someone else says that you look amazing and they want a picture of you. I just like that one time when someone tells me I look like what they imagined the character to look like in real life and it’s just the best feeling ever.

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Allegra Spero How did you first get involved in Cosplay? A bunch of my friends Cosplayed and I just thought it was pretty cool. So I was going to an event and I didn’t really have a Cosplay, so I just threw one together as a joke. But I had so much fun that I had to keep doing it.

What was it that kept you coming back to Cosplay? I just have so much fun. I like falling in love with characters, I like planning them out, I like shopping for fabric and wigs. I just like hanging out with all of my friends that do it .

What is your favorite Cosplay you wear?

What do you think is the best part about the community of Cosplay? Everybody is really good at something else, so whenever you need help you can always get advice and you can always learn from someone else, which I like because I want to be good at everything. Most people are really supportive, some people are competitive and mean, which you find that in everything. But most people are supportive.

Where do you get your biggest inspiration for your characters?

Normally I will just watch something or read something I have a few different outfits for Asuka, which is one of the that I really enjoy and it’s a good story. I’ll want to Cosplay characters I have on today, I have like three of her outfits. I characters that are either just like me or the complete love that character so I want to make like every outfit that opposite because it’s fun to identify with a character but she has. it’s really thrilling to put on someone’s personality that is so different from yours. I mean, I did Do you make all of your “When I put on a theater all in high school and I like being overly dramatic. I kind of get costumes? If so, how long Cosplay, that’s inspired by that. does it take? when I feel I don’t, I’ll buy certain pieces. The Liz Cosplay that I’m like myself the What do you think is the biggest misconception of Cosplay? wearing today, I bought most of most, if that I was going to say that we’re all a it. The only thing that I think I makes sense. bunch of nerds, but we are a bunch made was the hat, but we don’t have the hats on today. The first Because it’s just of nerds. I guess that people Cosplay because they don’t like who they are Cosplay I think I made entirely how I express and they want to be someone else. But by hand was the Asuka Cosplay. myself.” when I put on a Cosplay, that’s when I That took like a couple of days, feel like myself the most, if that makes probably if I worked straight sense. Because it’s just how I express myself, it’s a huge through it would be, I don’t know, six or seven hours way of expressing yourself. Putting on a costume doesn’t because it’s just a dress. I’m not a really good sewer, but I actually made the same dress beforehand, I made another mean I’m hiding who I am. version and it was really bad so I had to make it all over again, which took a lot of time. Do you have anything to say about being females

What is the best part of Cosplay? Friends. It’s definitely friends. The rush you get when you have something completed and you’re so proud of it and you want to show it off, and everyone tells you how well you made it. But yea, friends all the way.

What do you think is the hardest part of Cosplaying? When you’re trying to do something for the first time that you’ve never done before and you try so much and it always fails. It’s so frustrating because I always want to look as best as I can. I’m not perfect, I’m not a very good sewer, I’m still improving. It’s just frustrating when you have this vision in your mind and it just doesn’t come out no matter what you try to do. That’s really hard for me. 110

in the Cosplay subculture as it is predominately men? All of my friends and the people I hang out with are obviously cool with me. But at New York Comic Con, there was this old guy who took a photo up my skirt and also at Comic Con someone made a joke about masturbating to me as that character, to my face. So it’s hard being sexualized. Unfortunately I think that comes in every kind of group for women, and I think because there are a lot of sexy Cosplays, whether it is just that character’s design or it is a redo that someone has invented a more sexy version, people think that because they are showing skin that we can just be touched or talked to. It’s just kind of gross sometimes, but luckily it hasn’t happened to me too many times so I can just brush it off.

LET’S PLAY

Do you have any advice to those new to Cosplay? I guess my general advice is start small. If you don’t know how to sew don’t try and buy a $300 sewing machine and screw with it. Don’t try to do something so big that you’ll feel overwhelmed and you’ll be discouraged.

Do you think that popularization of video games, comic books, and “nerd culture” has had a positive or negative effect on conventions and Cosplay? I would say it probably has more of a positive effect on how the general public might see Cosplay. There was TV show on Syfy, “Heroes of Cosplay” and everybody was so excited, but then all of the people on it were assholes, so that was unfortunate. But, if you can overlook horrible personalities. I think it might become more socially acceptable and I think this generation we are more open with what we are into and most of the people I’ve met don’t really feel ashamed of the fact that we Cosplay or that we’re into nerd culture or anything. So that’s positive to me.

Do you have anything else to add about your experiences with Cosplay? That moment when you’re at a convention and you see someone that is in the same costume and you can go up to them and immediately know you have something to talk about and you can make friends. It’s nice knowing you have this immediate connection with someone, even if you realize down the line they might not a nice person or someone you want to hang out with, but it’s just exciting to be able to talk about that one thing.

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Montana Morgan How did you first get involved with Cosplay? I went to a convention and my mom was really worried because she thought I would become uncool if I went to a convention. But I was like, ‘don’t worry mom, I’m just going for fun. I’m not going to dress up like the characters or anything.’ Then I saw everybody dress up like the characters and I fell in love with it.

What was it that kept you coming back to Cosplay? It’s kind of like an adrenaline rush, because the week before a convention, or a day before something you need, you’re rushing to get everything together. When it’s finally done, even if it doesn’t look good, you’re like, I made this, this is on my body and it’s great. And I love wigs.

Do you make all of your costumes? If so, how long does it take? I do a mixture of buying and making. If I can buy something and alter it, that’s so much easier. Otherwise, the first Cosplay I hand-made was Sayaka Miki from Madoka Magica. That was all hand-made and it’s definitely a learning experience not being a seamstress. So I’m going to go back and remake that entire thing because I didn’t like how it turned out. But, it’s a lot more rewarding making the entire thing, but I definitely will go out and buy things because it’s easier that way.

What is the best part of Cosplay? I agree. There’s making a Cosplay, but I’ve definitely realized that making group Cosplays I think are more fun because you get to sit with your friends and you plan with them. We have Cosplay days, like boot camps, where we’ll sit down, turn something on the TV and just sew. All together. It’s a lot of fun. I definitely recommend it to people.

What do you think is the hardest part of Cosplaying? Cosplay is really terrible. You spend all of your money, all of your time, you screw up all the time. When you get to the convention, you see someone doing the same character as you, but better and you’re heart breaks. But you can’t stop. It’s great, but terrible. But it’s great.

What do you think is the best part about the community of Cosplay?

What is your favorite Cosplay you wear? I don’t know. I think I really like doing Liz and Patty with Allegra because someone told us that we look like we were ripped straight from the comic book pages so that was a lot of fun.

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I have an example. At the last Katsucon in February I was walking around the convention center looking for water for a friend, and all of the water was empty everywhere so I ended up pretty far away. There was this guy dressed up as Mako from Kill La Kill and I was like ‘oh my god you look great.’ I lost track of time, and I stood there talking to them probably almost an hour. We were just talking about sewing tips and characters that we like. It’s very easy to just talk to people, especially at convention centers because you know that you are all into the same things, so you don’t have to be worried. I used to be very worried about people judging me for my interests. I don’t care anymore, but I used to be very self-conscious about that. Now I’m like, there’s so many people out there that are liking the same things I do and they don’t think it’s weird so it’s not weird and it’s great.

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Where do you get your biggest inspiration for your characters? Whatever I think looks really cute or I like the character. I seem to really want to Cosplay old men, my brother pointed this out, I don’t know why. I just think it would be fun. I guess if something is challenging, like there’s this one character Nui from Kill La Kill. Before I even watched her episode, I saw her and I was like, I want to be her.

Do you have anything to say about being females in the Cosplay subculture as it is predominately men? It’s really hard because the women, the characters themselves are sexualized. There are a lot of very strong female characters and you fall in love with them so you want to Cosplay them but, for example, Yoko from Gurren Lagann, she is such a strong character, she has a great personality, but her costume is leather booty shorts and a bikini top with underboob. It’s really hard because you love that character and you want to Cosplay her, but I don’t know about other Cosplayers, but I try to make it as “canon” or as much as it is in the show to translate that into real life. So a female, or male, whoever is trying to Cosplay Yoko and is trying to be as much like the character, it’s really hard because you put so much work into it and then you get put down because you’re ‘just a sexy girl’ or obviously you want this attention because you’re dressed like that. But you don’t.

Do you have any advice to those new to Cosplay? Back to friendship. I would definitely say make friends. Before coming to Temple, I didn’t have a lot of Cosplay friends so I didn’t Cosplay very often, even though I was really interested in it. My first Cosplay I bit off way more than I could chew, so I was very discouraged and I didn’t want to do it anymore. Then I met Loren, kind of met Loren, she bullied me into coffee. She was into Cosplay and she taught me so much, and then Allegra taught me so much and now I’m just learning and it’s so much more fun, I think, then whenever I was by myself.

Because she’s got these big pigtails that spiral down, they are ridiculous. She’s got an eye patch but no strings on it. She’s cute and weird and crazy and I like that. Either if you find it aesthetically pleasing or it’s a challenge, there’s so many options. I have been in Cosplays where my friend comes up to me and says hey can you do this? We need this person in the group. And I’m just like, okay I’ll do that.

What do you think is the biggest misconception of Cosplay? I’m going to go off of the everyone thinks those who Cosplay are nerds, but yes we are nerds. At the same time, there’s this stigma about people who like not just Cosplay, but anime, video games, comic books: that we’re very antisocial or that we have some sort of weird hunchback. But we’re really nice people and that makes us have friends so we’re not anti-social, we’re super social. Like yea, there are people who are anti-social, just like there are assholes. You’ll find the same people in Cosplay groups that you’ll find in normal groups. I’ve played sports, but I also dress up like fictional characters.

Do you think that popularization of video games, comic books, and “nerd culture” has had a positive or negative effect on conventions and Cosplay? I think it’s had a positive and a negative effect. Positive for the general public becoming more knowledgeable about it so we are all fans of Homestuck, or we were. Recently, I had a Homestuck meetup and people would come up and ask what was going on. And we were like ‘Oh we’re all fans of a comic book online,’ and they would be like, ‘oh like Comic con?’ and we’d be like, ‘yea but small scale’ and they’d be like, ‘that’s cool.’ And then walk away, like that’s it, that’s all they needed to know. I feel like that’s good because maybe before you’d have to explain, ‘I’m dressing up like a character, lots of people do this.’ Then negatively, I think that with how comic books and video games are becoming more popular, especially in the media, movies, stuff like that. People have been more comfortable with their nerdiness, and people who have been nerds see it as a threat. We’re fake nerd girls. So it’s not much of a negative, but it can be bothersome sometimes. I’ve been asked before, when I was wearing a DC shirt, and someone practically quizzed me, it didn’t feel like a conversation, it was a quiz.

Do you have anything else to add about your experiences with Cosplay? I feel like I’ve said a lot of negative stuff, but it’s really great, it really is.

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“I used to be very worried about people judging me for my interests. I don’t care anymore, but I used to be very self-conscious about that. Now I’m like, there’s so many people out there that are liking the same things I do and they don’t think it’s weird so it’s not weird and it’s great.”

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Top: Umbrella Corp Officer (Kevin Cordella) mimes shooting a girl dressed as a zombie at Amazicon in Essington, PA on April 5, 2014. Bottom: Jason Voorhees ( Justice Kane Goulden) play fights with Lobo the Duck outisde of the Clarion Hotel at Amazicon in Essington, PA on Apirl 5, 2014. Left: The Walking Monster from TV’s “Oddities” takes a photo of the Cosplay Competition at Amazicon in Essington, PA.

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Cosplayers wait patiently as the judges decide on the winners for the Costume Competition at Amazicon on Saturday April 5, 2014.

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Cosplayers, dressed as a Jedi and a Putty Patroler, display their characters for the costume contest at Amazicon in Essington, PA on April 5, 2014.

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Vendors display various items based off of video games, TV shows, comics and other popular culture sources at Sakuru Sunday of the Philadelphia Cherry Blossom Festival on April 13, 2014. Right: Friends, Gabrielle Dace and Jonathan Hawkins, joke around outside of the Cosplay Prom held at Steveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steaks on South Street in Philadelphia, PA on April 18, 2014.

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Cosplayers feign fighting on South Street, Philadelphia outside of the Cosplay Prom held by J1 Studios on April 18, 2014.

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Special thanks to those who helped me along with this project, whether it was sharing contacts or allowing me to document the events surrounding those who cosplay. Amazicon April Jenkins Camden Comic Con J1 Studios Lauren Tilley Montana Morgan South Jersey Geek Fest Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival

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