Rules for Cosplay

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Review: Heroes of Cosplay, Episode 6 THE FINALE

The as-yet-to-be-renewed Heroes of Cosplay completed its initial run tonight with some spectacular fun and serious drama (guys, it’s reality TV, there is drama.  Did you know you have nerves attached to your muscles?).

I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY SICK PEOPLE AT A CON.  Stop that.  Even so, it’s not hard to understand the motivation to work through an illness for something you’ve already put so much effort and time into.  Despite how you feel, you want to go through with it.  How many of us do that with our work or career?  It’s a tough choice.  Admittedly… my illnesses in the past have come the next morning… *mumblemumbledragonconmumble*

One of the most lovely moments was Jinyo’s proposal to Victoria.  So sweet, and the opportunity to have help from such a fantastic gentleman as Peter Mayhew (THE Chewbacca) simply can’t be passed up.  Peter is also currently in need of medical care which his friends, family, and fans are helping to support via the website Standing In The Stars.

Unfortunately, a far more negative scene awaited us during the masquerade as the crowd jeered the “out-of-towners.”  It is my understanding that there was some frustration with the show and management, but in my opinion, that is absolutely no reason to be heckling people, offering rudeness, or (even if you didn’t start it, as I have heard is the case) continuing an argument.  What the hell was that?  Aren’t we all adults?

Aside from that, “out-of-towners?”  REALLY?  It’s a major convention that brought hundreds of thousands of people to Kansas City.  Conventions are DESIGNED to be attended by non-residents.  If there were only residents of that city attending THERE WOULDN’T BE A CONVENTION.  And heaven forbid there were only locals in the masquerade – it’d be five minutes long with two entries and no judges.

When you are costuming, you are there to do YOUR best.  If your best doesn’t win you an award, keep going.  Learn.  Seek out new and better techniques, materials, keep creating and GROW.  But do not stand there and cry in your beer that you were “outclassed.”  Every single one of those people started out with no skills; they worked for them and built them.  It is an extremely ungracious and disingenuous way to approach anything.

You didn’t start it?  Good for you.  But you didn’t leave it, either.  You participated in a meanspirited, abrasive heckling.  You were hungry, tired, and hurting?  So was everyone else in that masquerade.  No excuses.  Bullying and meanness is never okay.  Period.

Aside from that, it seems like it was a great experience for all the folks involved.  There was a lot of growing, learning, and the requisite struggle that is one of the things that makes anything – but especially cosplay – worth doing.

Looking forward to another season!

Learn more at SyFy’s website.

Review: Heroes of Cosplay, Episode 2

Here we are again!  All the drama and angst of a cosplay competition!  And some difficult conversations.  This was hard for a lot of people to watch.  Including me.  But it was neither inaccurate nor misrepresentative of the community.

Early in the show there was a dinner conversation.  Two plus hours of footage edited down to 2 minutes, natch, because this is TV and we only have so long.

Here’s what I saw: a group of cosplayers criticizing the choices of other cosplayers.  At least one cosplayer at the table feeling incredibly awkward abuot the conversation.  Like you do.

Here’s what I think: I think that at some point in all of our cosplay, other hobby, even professional careers, we’ve been responsible for needlessly and unfairly judging someone else.  Myself included.  In the past, I’d been particularly nasty, not always intentionally, but sometimes it was just none of my damn business and I thought it was.

Here’s what I say: Ye who have never secretly in your heart and mind judged another, muttered under your breath how you would have done it better, narrowed your eyes at what (to you) was an unacceptable body form, please… throw the first stone at Yaya and company.  Go ahead.

Oh, none of us fit that bill?  I didn’t figure any of us would.

I’ve heard people SCREAM (figuratively, online) that this show is ruining cosplay.  Know what ruins cosplay?  Telling people they suck.  Spewing pure hate at people willing to put themselves out there.  Being a bully.  Being unwilling to allow people to change, apologize, and come back better.  Judging people who are doing it their way.

Cosplayers are not perfect.  As I’ve grown older, wiser, quieter, perhaps a little wistful, I’ve been able to recognize my prejudices and clean them out.  It honestly didn’t happen until really recently.  It was hard.  Letting go of what I had envisioned as deep-seated, worthy platitudes that all cosplayers should follow.  But I realized… it is none of my damn business what other cosplayers are choosing to do.

It’s like I tell my elementary school kids.  “OMG, Mrs. Warner it’s an emergency!”  “Oh?  Is someone bleeding?”  “…no.”  “Is someone on fire?”  “…..no.”  “Then it’s not really an emergency, is it?”  “No, I guess not.”

I feel like we need to have that kind of come-to-Jesus in cosplay right now.  How you cosplay is how you cosplay, and it’s legit.

Additionally, on the subject of someone else working on a costume… perhaps it’s because I teach, and teachers live by the adage of “beg, borrow, and steal.”  (Obviously we don’t really steal, I mean, that wouldn’t be cool.) Maybe it’s because I’ve been dabbling in more ICG-style costuming for a few years.  Maybe it’s because I’ve worked on HUGE group projects where we all had our specialty – sewing, crafting, prop making – and we shared the fruits of those labors.  Maybe it’s because design in itself is an art, and still deserves to be recognized… even if the design isn’t for you, but for your model.

I think we need to start expanding and clarifying the rules about who can be in what costume and who has to have made it.  Create a place for a cosplayer AND a designer who can work AND compete together.  Victoria and Jinyo both deserved a lot of congratulations for creating the Tron dress (EL wire is like…. AAAAHHHHHH).  Again, it’s about the whole sum of the parts – planning, crafting, presentation, and discussion.  Having someone help you – willingly, of course – should be totally okay in competitions.  Just make a space for that person so he or she can share the credit.  Teams make powerful, incredible costumes and simply cannot happen with one person alone.  Let’s honor that.

Final note… I love Chloe so much.  She’s my new favorite person.  I love her bright, open attitude.  I love that she had fun.  I love that she reminded me how fun it is to get up on stage.  Great job, girl!

Havin’ some feels and things, because reasons.

I've been feeling a little discouraged (okay, a lot discouraged) by some of the attitudes brought out by Heroes of Cosplay, etc. First, criticisms from folks who haven't seen it. That doesn't seem fair to me. We say in elementary school that it's only fair to refuse something after you've had a "no, thank you" portion. IOW, you gotta TRY it at least.

And then, from the folks who have seen it who are so negative about it. Maybe I'm just trying to stick to the old "if you don't have anything nice to say" adage, but I also didn't see it as negative. I saw it as real. It's one of the most realistic reality TV shows I've seen in a long time.

I was SO in every one of those positions and perspectives at some point in my cosplay 'career.' Now, they're not all healthy, but they're part of the reality. I don't understand hiding what it can really be like. People are saying that it is or is going to give cosplay a bad name, but I don't understand that. To me, it wouldn't be right to say it's all rainbows and unicorns (besides the MLP cosplayers, hurhur ^.~) all the time - that would be a lie, and a great disservice to those who aren't familiar with cosplay.

It's like anything else. It's beautiful and ugly at the same time. There's conflict. There are amazing moments of synergy and cooperation. There's anxiety and triumph. There's disappointment. The show displayed some great positivity; it also showed some of the most negative reactions.

Yes, it was majorly about competitions. That's going to carry a lot of dramatic weight and make for exciting television. Some people love to compete. I love to compete because I love to be on stage - I have a background in music and it shows. That's MY perspective, but I would never expect everyone else's perspective to be the same. The feeling of winning is gratifying. And I have had those moments where I was upset because I felt someone won who didn't deserve it (I like to think that's in my past, but who knows what the future will bring?). I'm so impressed that some of the participants in the show had the balls to come out and admit that! It's an ugly feeling (for me at least), but it's also real.

And the time and cast is limited. They can't cover the hundreds of thousands of cosplayers out there. They have six (six? Did I count right?) [Edit: Nine.  I read the synopsis, durhur]. They have to be on coasts because that's where TV happens. Maybe if this is successful, there will be more and better coverage. There are a lot of things that are the way they are because that's how TV is made (I'll tell you what, I wish there were more home decorating & landscaping shows in the US interior, I could sure use some help!). They can't speak for everyone. But they took a good sample. Hopefully there will be more.

[Edit: It was identified that the cast is mostly white females, which of course doesn’t make for an appropriate cross-section.  I was referring to the sample of perspectives, attitude, and areas of expertise.   Food for thought.]

And at the last, some semantics. Those cosplayers ARE heroes. Each one of them, for their own reasons. But EVERY cosplayer is a hero. It takes guts to put on a costume. It takes heart to put yourself out there. And any one of those people who were on the show would tell you that every cosplayer - every level, every perspective - is a hero.

Maybe it's me. I'm an optimist. I see the good in things, most of the time. It's a perspective that works for me. But I'm also a realist, and that can still jive with the optimistic perspective. I can go back 15 years and see from that perspective, and see these important folks having to make the same difficult choices as I did, I can watch them feel anxious and triumphant and appreciated and afraid, just like I did - and do. That made it very positive for me, to know that all those feelings I had and still have are out there in other people's brains. To know that my perspective was always valid. That makes the show itself valid. They did a great job.

[Again compiled from FB posts, etc.]

Review: Heroes of Cosplay, Episode One

(As compiled from several Facebook posts and subsequently edited to make more sense and follow some kind of grammatical logic.  Hurhur.)

I love it. I love the vast variation of skills and experience and perceptions and behaviors. All the feelings, all the experiences, all the perceptions, it was all so VALID. It honestly reminded me of my earlier days in cosplay, when competing was a priority for me.

No, it wasn't all pretty. Anyone who's cosplayed for any amount of time KNOWS it's not always pretty. No, I wouldn't have made the choices that others would have made, but that's why it's so awesome - it's another perspective! And each one of them is valid. The joy of success. The tragedy of disappointment. Priorities and perspective are totally different for each person.  That's real.  Some of it was hard to watch because I KNOW THOSE FEELS.

My first costume, Super Sailormoon from Sailormoon, made in 1998 (Photo from NDK 1999).  I had on two wigs. For realies.

I swear I've been every one of the competitors shown over the last 15 years that I have been cosplaying. I felt like I got gypped, I felt like a performer, I felt successful, I felt like I swept, I felt like I had a rockin' good time and that was all I cared about. All of those things. All of them.

And I've been the bitch. And I've been the one hurt by the bitch (or bastard, as it were). I've been the grown-up princess with the little girl who loved me for who SHE thought I was. I'VE been the little girl meeting a princess I love. I've been incomplete, overdrawn, stressed, blissful, grateful, exhilarated. I think HoC portrayed that perfectly, honestly.

And on top of that, there were any numbers of really amazing tips and tricks - costuming at a professional level!  Automotive paint, head moulds, embroidery machines.  So much to learn and try.

Rosa of Final Fantasy IV (DS) done in 2008 for Dragon*Con.

It was inspiring. I want to go up to my studio and work. I want the back yard to be done so I can convert the garage into a shop. I want to compete again. I want to be on stage. Yaya Han & company, you should be proud. I am.  I am proud to be a part of this beautiful, fun, dysfunctional, nutty and nerdy community.  I love it.  All of it.

Also love DJ Spider's take, and I can't agree more.  Read it here!

Watch the show Mondays on SyFy.

You’re A Great Cosplayer

I was reading through my Facebook feed today and came across some frustration and anguish over the more unfortunate parts of cosplay.  We can be very critical of each other, and not in a healthy way.  It reminded me of a cute bit of text – originally aimed at the myths of motherhood – and I decided to write a similar piece about cosplayers and costuming.  Enjoy!

To the cosplayer wearing their own handmade costume: Awesome job! You worked really hard to create that costume, and you should feel proud of your work! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer wearing a purchased costume: It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there! Thank you for supporting costuming, as well as the person you bought the costume from! You’re a huge part of this community. You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer wearing a wig: We suffer for our art! Wearing wigs isn’t always comfortable or easy, but they’re an amazing look. You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer without a wig: Comfort is its own brand of style! That amazing style came out of your own head, how awesome is that! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer who spent loads of cash: Being able and willing to make a financial investment is fantastic! It obviously means a lot to you to use quality materials to create your costumes. You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer who spent $20: Who cares if you’re broke! You’re rocking that costume like it’s worth a million bucks! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer who doesn’t have a Facebook (or whatever): Look at all that extra time you have for making costumes, you lucky duck! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer holding a giveaway at (insert number here) followers: Thank you for supporting the community by making connections and sharing your tools and skills! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer who makes their own props: What an incredible skill! Sculptor, painter, engineer… you do it all! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer who leaves the props out: It’s pretty nice having hands free to eat a meal or go to the bathroom, right? You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer with a highly detailed costume: Wow! That workmanship is incredible! You are clearly dedicated to your craft and willing to go above and beyond for craftsmanship. You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer in a sexy costume: It takes a lot of courage to – literally, sometimes! – bare yourself to the world. Not to mention having to engineer something that could be rather gravity-defying! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer with professional photos: Those photos are fantastic! It’s a worthwhile investment to capture all the hard work you’ve done. You’re a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer with phone photos: Thank you for sharing the work you've done and treasuring the memories! You're a great cosplayer.

To the cosplayer in a big group: It’s so awesome to have friends to share your passion with. Let the good times roll! You’re a great cosplayer.

To the solitary cosplayer: Your dedication to your work and the costumes you love comes through everything you do. You’re a great cosplayer.

To ALL THE COSPLAYERS: Do what you love. Love what you do. You’re a great cosplayer.

 

Inspired by “You’re A Good Mom,” read it here: http://www.duchessoffork.com/2013/05/youre-a-good-mom/

Friday Fi.. more like three!

Even though this is not Twitter (although you can check mine out @charmedseed, of course!), I wanted to share a few of the blogs I’ve been following lately!

Metal and Mud: Holy brilliant ideas, Batman!  I ran into this blog while participating in Thing-A-Day this year, and this artist is constantly working and creating.  Not only that, but she has a collection of amazing jewelry and art at Etsy, too!  The perpetual calendar project in the photo is simply AMAZING!

Craftastrophe: Is exactly what it sounds like.  Occasionally NSFW, silly and even occasionally appalled at some of the nuttier craft ideas out there, this blog is sure to bring a laugh or two to your day!  I pity the fool who doesn’t read this blog!

crafting an education: Here’s where I’m a total tool and toot my own horn.  This is my more education-leaning blog, but with a crafting aftertaste.  I discuss some of my teaching and learning here, but I also identify fun teaching-related crafts, organization, and décor!  I love making this connection between my two passions.

Go for it, share your favorite (or your own!) blogs!

Technorati Tags: blogs,blogging,technology,decor,decorating,DiY,fashion,food,frugality,sewing,shopping

Refia, finally!

A quick (and hilarious) shot from Animeland Wasabi of my Refia costume.

I love tea from Starbucks.  I need a slightly different wig, as this one was a bit light and definitely too short.  But otherwise it was a great, comfy, fun costume!  Love it!

Additionally, I plan on participating in the For Japan With Love Bloggers Day of Silence on Friday.  Bloggers will keep a day of silence for the people of Japan, as well as direct donations toward shelter boxes.  Don’t forget that you can also donate by text to Red Cross, or donate via your PayPal account, like I did this morning. =)

Technorati Tags: creativity,crafting,costumes,costuming,cosplay,sewing,conventions

thing-a-day twenty-six: finally fitted

There we go!  A nip and a tuck here and we've got a better fitting dress.  This is the lining, with edits pinned.

Wonder what's going on with my funny dressed dressform?  Well, it's not exactly my size, so I padded it with some extra fabric and an old, er, undergarment.  Fixed!

Technorati Tags: creativity,sewing,cosplay,costuming,thing-a-day

thing-a-day twenty-four: Refia’s earrings, part two

And done!  Alas, I am fighting to find a wig in time for Animeland Wasabi… I had no luck in my local store, and online shipping takes a while… Here’s hoping!

Technorati Tags: cosplay,costumes,jewelry,thing-a-day

thing-a-day twenty-three: Refia’s earrings, part one

I started out with some gold feathers/leaves charms and enameled them with some nail polish (which is still technically enamel! hee!).  Glad I had that green polish in the bathroom.  Tonight they are drying and tomorrow I need to acquire gold-tone earwires to complete.

Technorati Tags: crafting,cosplay,costumes,jewelry,thing-a-day

thing-a-day twenty-two: snippity snip!

Not bad!  It's a good fit other than in the hips.  A little more adjustment next time, and it'll be great.

Technorati Tags: cosplay,costumes,thing-a-day,sewing,creativity

thing-a-day twenty-one: Refia’s dress pattern

I started out the day patterning from what turned out to be entirely the wrong starting point; I made a too-huge mess of an unfitted top, and decided to start over.  I cannibalized a different pattern that I KNEW fit well, redrew it, and that's ready for cutting tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: cosplay,costuming,sewing,thing-a-day

thing-a-day twenty: Refia’s boot cuffs

Into the twenties we go!  Just eight days left!  I believe I will be able to finish Refia's costume in this last week; that'll be my goal for the end of this experience!

I purchased these great boots and only needed to add a white cuff to them to create the effect in the images of the character.  A bit of the main dress fabric lined with some leftover white satin and done!  They're even removable, set in temporarily with washable hem tape so I can wear the boots without them in the future.

I’ll be wearing this to Animeland Wasabi next month if you’ll be there, so keep an eye out for me (but look fast ‘cause I’ll be gone in another second, organizing the cosplay contest again!).  See you there!

Technorati Tags: cosplay,costuming,conventions,sewing,thing-a-day

Happy 2010!

And welcome 2011!  This first year of blogging (seriously) has been a great one, and I’m looking forward to all the creativity that will come out next year!  Here’s just a quick image of what’s happened this year!

Thanks for visiting, and see you next year!

Cosplay Friday!

I REALIZE that I need to put a little more focus on costuming because, hello, that’s a thing I do.  Crafts are so distracting, augh!  So on Fridays I will try to focus on some aspect of cosplay or costuming.  I am sewing, after all!  I didn’t buy that awesome new machine for nothing!

Today I want to focus on one of my favorite cosplay places on the internet: the AC Paradise Network!  With places for every kind of cosplayer, from the ladies, to the gentlemen, to the photographers who capture them all, ACP has organized and carved out a space for every cosplayer on the internet.

One of the neat things about this website is the cross-referencing features that can help you find photos of your costumes.  By searching by tags of your name, the convention you attended, the character or series your costume is from, or any combination thereof, there’s a good chance you’ll find a photo you haven’t seen yet.  I love to use this to reminisce about fun cons of years gone past, like in this photo from Anime Central 2007 with some of my favorite peoples!  “What’s that over there?!”  Ha!

There are also several levels of membership that you can purchase for yourself or others can choose as gifts.  Really love someone’s stuff and want to encourage them more?  Pick up a Celestial Membership for them!  Believe me, it’ll really make their day!

ACP has grown and evolved alongside the cosplay community since their creation in 2000, making good on their motto of “A Site for Cosplayers, by Cosplayers."  With them as a supporter of the community, the last decade of cosplay has proven to be a great one for everyone!  Thanks for all the great memories, Wayne and Genjitsu!  We love ya!

Tags: conventions, cosplay, costumes, costuming, creativity, fashion, sewing, websites

Dressing Ophelia – Complete!

She’s done!  In fact, she’s been done for a week, but I wanted to get a few nice photos.  I had a lot of fun at Mile Hi Con, too, and took home 1st place in the adult category!  Nick and I took these photos yesterday – so Happy Halloween, too!

 

I did all the beading in about 12 hours total, using about a dozen types of stones and glass: pearls, rose & crystal quartz, aventurine, amazonite, jade, jasper, garnet, labradorite, and others.  I even got to use a friend’s great embroidery machine to add some much needed detail. I still have a little beading to do; my tiny pearls for the sleeves just got in this week.  But overall I’m really thrilled with the outcome and I can’t wait to wear it again!

Tags: costuming, cosplay, costumes, creativity, sewing, ophelia

Obscure Costume Sources

As a cosplayer, this is certainly not a foreign idea to me, as I’ve mentioned before.  Cosplay costumes don’t make good Halloween costumes, of course, but I’ve found myself picking out even more obscure designs for creation among books – especially children’s books.  I blame it all on the teaching thing.  Here are some ideas I'd love to go after:

The pretty maiden from East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Mercer Mayer.

I’m working on an author study of Mr. Mayer for graduate school, and this is one of the main reasons I chose him: his beautiful illustrations and tales. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of my favorite fairy tales (linked with Psyche and Cupid, the Frog Prince, etc), and I adore the detailed dresses and lush fabrics in Mayer’s illustrations.  I’d love to create one of the pretty dresses from this story someday.

The Beloved from the Twelve Days of Christmas Golden Book.

This little book was such a surprise!  I got it in a collection of free kids books that were donated to my future classroom,  and this was indeed a treasure.  Filled with beautiful illustrations of a girl and her holiday sweetheart, I fell in love with the medieval inspired dresses the girl changes throughout the twelve days.  Also I HAVE A THING FOR PRETTY DRESSES.

Now that I think about it, I actually have done a slightly obscure book character: Arha, the Eaten One from the Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin.

And of course Ophelia, in her Waterhouse incarnation… that’ll be finished up soon.  What sort of obscure projects are you dreaming of?

Tags: costumes, costuming, cosplay, sewing, books

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

It’s October!  Fall starts, squash and pumpkins are in season, cooler days, maybe even some snow!  And finally, Halloween!

I often get comments from my non-costuming friends that Halloween must be an easy holiday for me... just head into the costume closet, pull something out, tada, set for Halloween!  Oddly enough, nothing could be farther from the truth!  Because so many of my costumes are tied to sources not in the mainstream, they’re typically not recognizable to the general public (ah, the downfall of cosplay!).  Not to mention that even if I’m doing something recognizable, I admit to a bit of fussiness and perfectionism in the creation of it.  i mean, I’ve been creating costumes and competing for over ten years now… I guess I just can’t help myself a little!

Last year I wore one of my favorites, Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle, to my elementary school.  It was a success, but not as Sophie… Everyone thought I was Laura from Little House on the Prairie!  Oops!  I can definitely see where the resemblance might be:

Can’t really argue with that!  And being that those were some of my favorite books from my childhood, too, I decided I was perfectly willing to accept that conclusion.  Funny how things work out!

This year Nick and I are planning on Princess Leia and Han Solo; pretty recognizable characters!  I still find myself fussing over details (let me tell you, the ordeal of finding a very soft-handed fabric for Leia’s dress… well, I can’t really complain since it was on the search for this fabric that I ran into Mondo and Michael C.!), but I’m also willing to let things go!  For example, Nick’s costume is mostly altered secondhand clothing; more information about the process will come out as I continue working on them.

What’s your plan for Halloween?

Tags: halloween, costumes, costuming

Finally!

Oh look!  A new costume!  Holy cow, took long enough!

Click on the image to visit the page.  Enjoy!

Tags: costumes, cosplay