Red Hood from DC Comics // Cosplayer: raijincosplay // Photo: marcosmedia
I’ve always had a particular love for characters with tragic backstories which they turned into strengths and what drives them. The Red Hood has a soft place in my heart for these reasons as well as the personality he has.
I have gone through several renditions of the character over the past 5 years I’ve done him. Tapping into my own creative talents as well as various other artist’s creations. I started primarily at the suggestion of a close friend of mine (@8o8darkknight) who gave me a helmet he created. Over time in our group I had a love for the character more and more that I decided to do a version of him all my own using different parts from other artists. A helmet from godofprops, leather jacket from lucajackets, body armor from UD replicas along with a few other pieces I’ve had sitting around and I had something I liked and felt comfortable with. Err well maybe not comfortable but rather looking the part (The entire outfit is an OVEN).
Goodness me the past 5 years with this character has certainly blended together. Aside from our local conventions, I’ve taken the outfit to Anime Expo and Dragon Con. I’ve done more sidekicks and obscure characters so I often get mistaken for other characters but it’s no problem to me. I believe the best response I’ve ever gotten was during the 2018 Dragon con parade. There a young child in the crowds that was along the parade route back, recognized my buddy and I as Red Hood and Batman Beyond. When he shook my hand as I walked by I forgot about the heat and all I remember was making the little guy happy. That made my entire day worth it.
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
This story first appeared Cosplay In America and if you want to share a “Cosplay Stories” to be shared here on this website, full details can be found here.
Other Cosplay Stories
24/06/2024Cosplay StoriesLobo from DC Comics: uhbrutal.cos / photo: story_logic
Yes, it was Lobo! I decided on the character just alil bit after I first started cosplaying. I have only been for about a year and a half. Though I love his comics, another reason I chose him is because I am tryin to pick characters that showcase my natural hair. (I was rereading some one day and just had a brain blast to cosplay him)
I was alil underwhelmed by the response to him during Katsu. I will say I was lucky enough that some people who stopped me were just as big fans as I was or took some incredible photos I wouldn’t have been able to. I think I was only underwhelmed because when I did Dr.Rockso from Metalocalypse my first convention, I was surprised how many people recognized him.
I think I have always known about cosplay? Just not the specific name itself til after high school. I always would see characters from tv shows, movies, or any other type of media and want to dress up as them from a young age. It took me awhile to actually get into it and I’m so glad I finally did
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17/06/2024Cosplay StoriesCaptain America / Mr. Rogers : booty_mk19 / photo: Chstory_logic
My origin story is my kids- I started taking them to cons maybe 12 or 13 years ago, and they wanted to cosplay. Trying to be a good Dad, I joined in with some simple stuff- Dr Who or Slenderman, things I could do with stuff in my closet already or spending less than $20 at Goodwill.
Then I found I enjoyed it- nothing makes my day more than being asked for a picture or a kid running up to excited because they recognize me.
My kids are adults now… but we still go to Katsucon, Otakon, and our local Dover Comic Con every year.
I tend to cosplay characters from older media- Gilligan from Gilligans Island, Robin from the 1960s Batman TV show, that sort of thing.
So when I saw a comic strip about Thor and Mr Rogers, the idea of Mr Rogers carrying Mjöllnir was born. From there, the Steve Rogers/Fred Rogers connection took over- and not just with me. There’s a fan theory that after Steve Rogers took back the Infinity Stones, he went into public television.
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10/06/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer: malithepenguiin / photo: story_logic
When Frozen came out in 2013, I immediately related to Elsa. She’s essentially stuck being perfect and just wants to be independent and live her life. This cosplay was bought from ProCos and modified to fit my measurements! I also bedazzled a lot of it myself. The costume was very well received at katsu! so many people came to ask for pictures and complimented me. I had a lotttt of kids as well!
I started cosplaying when I was about 14 to local conventions! I hand stitched all of my costumes because I was scared of sewing machines. I thrifted and modified a lot, and continue to do so with my cosplays! This is only my second Katsu, but I plan on coming back more and more!
My advice would be to never be afraid to try new things. Also, practicing crafting and making things. Thrift all that you can too! All cosplay is valid and you’ll always look good so long as you put effort in and have fun!
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03/06/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer: maridolcii / Photo:story_logic
Katsu is special because it’s the very first con I ever attended. I’ve been going every year since 2011 (I was only 11 years old then!) So it’s become a tradition for most of my life to go. I plan to attend for as many years as fate let’s me. I’ve been able to step out of my shell and make so many friends there, it’s such a magical experience for me to surround myself with people who are just like me. A bunch of nerds that need a space to nerd out
Back then anime was still niche. I remember my sister and I were considered the weird kids for liking anime. So being surrounded by so many people, adults no less, who kept their passion and brought their favorite characters to life was just surreal. I knew that young that I wanted to be a cosplayer too. And it’s taken me some time to come out of my comfort zone but at 23 I’ve started doing it!
Favorite thing: I can express a different side of myself in a very creative and unique way. even if for just a couple hours a day, cosplay allows me to step away from reality and do something fun!
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27/05/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer echo_cosplay / photo: story_logic
I was cosplaying Tobirama Senju, the second hokage in Naruto. My friend mentioned that he had been interested in cosplaying the first hokage when we were at MAGFest. We decided to make it into a group cosplay for Katsucon. The response to the cosplay was really great. I got a lot of positive feedback which was awesome.This was my first EVA foam armor build and I was honestly surprised at how well the costume turned out for a first attempt.
Cosplay has had such a powerful impact on my life. It is such a fun creative outlet and has allowed me to connect my love of art with my interest in anime and videogames. It’s something that has pushed me to constantly be learning and growing and improving. I’ve gained so much confidence in myself and my abilities. Not only that, but the community has made my life so much better. There is so much positivity and encouragement in the cosplay community. I’ve met so many amazing friends and had so many wonderful experiences because of cosplay (for example, my husband proposed during the One Piece meetup at DragonCon last year).
I have only been cosplaying for about two years now, so I still consider myself newbie. My advice for other new cosplayers would be not to be afraid to ask for advice or help. During this build I spent a lot of time on YouTube (Kamui Cosplay is an absolute life saver) and I reached out to my more seasoned cosplay friends for advice and tips a lot. If you have a friend who excels at something specific (wig styling, sewing, EVA foam, ect) ask them for tips, it can save you a lot of time and energy.
My other advice would be to remember to enjoy your hobby! Take things at a pace that works with your schedule, don’t compare yourself to others, and take the time to look back and see how much you’ve grown as a cosplayer. Cosplay is supposed to be fun, so do it in a way that brings you joy!
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20/05/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer : jerrmeehanjr
I’ve been going to comic con off and on for 10 years, even before The Walking Dead premiered on TV and you didn’t have to worry about it selling out the entire weekend. In all that time I have never actually cosplayed as anything when I went. One time I wore a Boba Fett helmet with a nice sweater but that doesn’t count.
This year I went to comic con as myself. I make cartoons on YouTube and my character is based on me! I created a mask by printing out my cartoon face and gluing it to corrugated plastic. I then used an exacto knife to cut out the mask and painted in the hair, eyes, and tongue. I got velcro straps that I glued and taped down to the back and cut little eye holes out to see.
As far as my experience goes cosplaying as my OC it was a lot of fun. I was nervous at first taking the train in, I’m not entirely sure why but it probably was me worrying about having diarrhea as usual. Once we got in I put the mask on and started handing out stickers. My wife came with me and it was her first comic con so I wanted her to be able to experience everything while we were there. I went on Thursday this year, which was packed! The only negative experience I had was I cut the holes to see out of too small so I had to shuffle everywhere while my wife guided me. Luckily I didn’t trip over anyone but I did hit a few people in the head. Sorry.
I had a lot of good reactions to my cosplay and was even noticed by 2 people which was crazy. That was my first time being noticed! It was funny because I couldn’t see anyone out of my mask and heard someone ask my wife “is that the guy from tik tok?” And she was like uh yes? And they asked to take a photo with me. Then while that was happening another person recognized me too and wanted a photo as well. It was a great feeling because I’m trying to grow my channel and to be spotted even by 1 person out of the packed comic con was cool. I handed out all my stickers and finally took my mask off to enjoy the rest of the day. It definitely made me appreciate cosplayers even more than I already did!
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13/05/2024Cosplay StoriesJollibee from Jollibee (fast food restaurant) /Cosplayer : ADRI.NYAN / Photo:@climacam
People kept asking if there was real food in the bucket/peach mango pie container! I told them “No, don’t you think it’d be soggy by now?” I feel like as a Filipino it’s a little bit sacrilegious to eat soggy Jollibee. It’s best to eat it as fresh as possible. Other reactions I got were hilarious, but I especially liked hearing “I have to show my mom/family”. I think seeing Filipinos thrive and enjoy the representation in this silly costume I did is inspiring for me. If anybody reading this hasn’t yet, please try out Jollibee if you’re close to one. If not the chicken then at least the peach mango pie. It’s delightful.
I actually found a video from a doll makeover YouTuber named Hextian, who is also Filipino. He made a Jollibee doll and I actually said to my friends I wanted to cosplay her. That was around 2019. I’ve been ruminating on the idea for three and a half years. But at the time, I was still in college with no money and no means of creating something like that. Flash forward to 2022, when planning for Katsucon 2023, I was thinking about what to do in terms of a cosplay for Katsucon. That’s when I said, “Okay, Jollibee cosplays are really rare, especially SEXY Jollibee, why don’t I just try doing it?”
My older cousins got me into anime and they used to go to Otakon back in the day. I remember begging my mom to let me go and eventually I was allowed to in 2012. That’s when my oldest kuya (male cousin in Tagalog) asked me “Who will you be cosplaying?” And I said, “Oh, is it required?” He said, “No, but it’s a lot of fun. You should try it out.” So I debated and finally caved in after looking at so many pictures online. I was 14 years old when I got my dad to buy my first cosplay as a birthday gift and it was Maka from Soul Eater. I was hooked since then!
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06/05/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer : scrappercostuming / media: making.with.megan
The Classic Batman TV series, to my memory was my first real exposure to superhero media- my parents were both the right age to watch the show growing up, and around the time I was 4 or 5 I remember knowing when Batman would air on TV land in the evenings. Even as a kid I remember loving how over-the-top the show was, even being amazed that the Batmobile had its own computer. I’d watch the movie very frequently on DVD on car rides, the Shark Repellant Bat-Spray and the bomb run scenes especially stuck with me (as I’m sure they do most people) I had watched all the movies that came after it, and though I thought they were great, Adam West always immediately came to mind whenever I’d think of Batman.
What I did NOT really expect though was the level of interaction that this character can evoke at conventions. The bomb was always a clear accessory choice to bring to conventions because of how famous that scene is, but I remember the first time I wore the costume this incredible thing happening where I decided to lift the bomb over my head and start running, and the crowds of people IMMEDIATELY recognized what was happening and parted to allow me through. In those moments, it felt like even more of my responsibility to bring the spirit of the Bright Knight as much as I could.
My absolute favorite part about wearing it, especially at New York Comic Con, is the discussions I get to have with people about the show. I don’t think i really understood just how special this version of Batman was to so many people beforehand. Getting to talk wit people about fond memories of their childhood watching the show as it released, perhaps people recalling being introduced to the show by their own parents, and parents explaining who Adam West and his Batman were always bring a smile to my face, knowing that all sorts of extremely different people share similar fond memories as I do with the character makes me happy to have brought the suit out and been able to put a nostalgic smile on their face. At this year’s NYCC when I wore it, perhaps my favorite memory in it was a father asking me to take a photo with his young son, who was dressed in a Pattinson style batman outfit- there was just some symbolism present there that reminded me of how crazy this incredible cross-generational impact of Batman as a character is, and makes me think about how much of that wouldn’t have happened had Adam West never put on the cowl.
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29/04/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer : djcroft_ Photo : mandragora_media
I’ve always wanted to be Lara Croft because of how strong, confident, bold, and how fun she is as a character . My cosplay journey started back in 2016 when I was inspired to do a genderbend Lara Croft cosplay. I started learning how to make costumes out from scratch by watching others online make their cosplay from scratch from different material.
My Lara Croft cosplay has dramatically increased from starting off with using cardboard to build the classic backpack and holsters to knowing how to work with eva foam, hand paint, other materials to make the backpack, holsters, boots, other accessories! I also have found new and better ways to build my costume pieces compared to the more simplistic why I used tk start out. Also from the character perspective my poses and facial expressions has evolved as well I pose better as Lara Croft now and have more of a variety of poses now compared to when I first started
Cosplay has taught me that it’s okay to be myself and to love feeling like a badass in character. I used to get put down so much for simply being me and looking like me from my past and cosplay has shown me that I am awesome and I am good enough and I am not what happened to me in rhe past.
My definition of being successful in cosplay is when you actually start to realize you enjoy what you do. It’s not about the fame or followers count. It’s about feeling free and happiness and content with what you put out there and to inspire someone else to do the same thing you are doing? That speaks volumes! That to me is success! Cosplay shouldn’t feel like dreading work! It should feel like a fantasy world!
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15/04/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer: kuruvata / Photo drewcoremas
Toad is a timeless character. Both young and old love them, Toad was such a scene stealer in the almost recent Super Mario Bros Movie, and is one of the best characters to play/interact with in the game.
The costume is mostly made out of foam padding and felt fabric. Two materials I had never worked with before. The most challenging part is trying to glue everything down, make it stick, and keep its shape!
Almost everyone recognized Toad at New York Comic Con. I could barely get a few feet forward before getting asked for pictures. It was quite challenging and the inside does get hot despite the two fans I had inside.
My cosplay origin story started back in 2015 when a close friend invited me to my very first New York Comic Con. I had built a Bane costume out of cardboard and tubing. After seeing all the intricate cosplayers in attendance, I was inspired to also build my own.
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08/04/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplayer: gata_fiera_cosplay
It was my first time going to NYCC so I didn’t know what to expect. I was especially concerned how my 9 month old son would react. A friend who is an OG at the con suggested we go Thursday or Sunday since those are the slower days. We went Thursday, the opening of NYCC. My son and I cosplayed as Chi Chi and little Gohan since I’m a huge fan of DBZ. I also made sure to choose easy comfortable cosplays so I could focus on the baby, unlike most I have that would typically require a handler.
His Gohan outfit made so many people happy. Especially at the Dragon Ball booths. He ended up taking a nap at the Dragon Ball panel. He was squealing and jumping at the new Daima trailer and then suddenly knocked out a minute later. I guess he wasn’t impressed lol. We would make sure to take plenty of breaks to get him out of the stroller. Otherwise, he would get fussy.
The show area had several booths that were carpeted which was perfect so we would just sit in a corner for a bit to rest. He almost crawled for the first time during one of those breaks! NYCC also has a designated spot on the first floor for kids activities. It was a very convenient area to rest and feed him. My son also wears a helmet so we put a Captain America decal wrap over it. The extra day we took him, he was Captain America to meet Chris Evans at his photo op. Chris loved his outfit! Overall it was one of my favorite cons. Seeing my son have so much fun even at 9 months old created unforgettable memories for me.
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25/03/2024Cosplay StoriesCosplay BY Kami_Kilos
What Kenpachi , Pain and Pyramid Head have in common is that they all share the common theme of pain, which has had a profound impact on their character development. Their experiences with pain have turned them into incredibly complex characters that can’t be fully understood at a glance. While they each represent something different, at the core of their stories lies the concept of pain.
I assembled my Kenpachi cosplay for a group event last year. While I was in the process of painting on the circles, I received the news of my grandfather’s passing. It was a challenging moment, and I considered stopping the painting. However, the thought of cosplaying with my friends motivated me to continue. Unfortunately, my friends and I had a falling out due to my past struggles with alcohol abuse, and I ended up storing the cosplay until I could wear it at Momocon 2023.
As for Pain, there are two stories. The first was at Katsucon 2022, shortly after a two-year-long relationship ended, which had resulted in my previous Instagram account being deleted. I was just getting back into cosplay, and I wanted to hit the ground running with Pain. The experience was amazing.
The second story took place at Anime Weekend Atlanta 2022. I had planned a group cosplay photoshoot with friends to cosplay all the Akatsuki members in one go. The day before the event, I injured myself at work, tearing several back muscles and coming close to paralysis. Despite the severe pain, I was determined to attend the photoshoot in a wheelchair and could only stand for a few minutes at a time. We still managed to capture some incredible photos, and I cherished that time with friends before facing the challenging months ahead.
Cosplay initially served as an escape from my daily life. I would deal with life’s challenges throughout the year and then enjoy the freedom of cosplaying with my friends at conventions.
However, I had a reckoning with my behavior, recognizing that I was not being the best version of myself. I made friends at conventions who would see me in both my strongest and weakest moments, often within the same weekend.This behavior cost me dearly before I stopped drinking 13 months ago. Now, at 28, my peak “young, scrappy newcomer” days are behind me, but I still deeply love cosplay. I feel like I haven’t fully committed to it as I should have.
Credit : dtjaaaam / imiiciephotography / ventureonmedia / modernanimator
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18/03/2024Cosplay StoriesJollibee from Jollibee (fast food restaurant) / Cosplayer : ADRI.NYAN / Photo: climacam
People kept asking if there was real food in the bucket/peach mango pie container! I told them “No, don’t you think it’d be soggy by now?” I feel like as a Filipino it’s a little bit sacrilegious to eat soggy Jollibee. It’s best to eat it as fresh as possible. Other reactions I got were hilarious, but I especially liked hearing “I have to show my mom/family”. I think seeing Filipinos thrive and enjoy the representation in this silly costume I did is inspiring for me. If anybody reading this hasn’t yet, please try out Jollibee if you’re close to one. If not the chicken then at least the peach mango pie. It’s delightful.
I actually found a video from a doll makeover YouTuber named Hextian, who is also Filipino. He made a Jollibee doll and I actually said to my friends I wanted to cosplay her. That was around 2019. I’ve been ruminating on the idea for three and a half years. But at the time, I was still in college with no money and no means of creating something like that. Flash forward to 2022, when planning for Katsucon 2023, I was thinking about what to do in terms of a cosplay for Katsucon. That’s when I said, “Okay, Jollibee cosplays are really rare, especially SEXY Jollibee, why don’t I just try doing it?”
My older cousins got me into anime and they used to go to Otakon back in the day. I remember begging my mom to let me go and eventually I was allowed to in 2012. That’s when my oldest kuya (male cousin in Tagalog) asked me “Who will you be cosplaying?” And I said, “Oh, is it required?” He said, “No, but it’s a lot of fun. You should try it out.” So I debated and finally caved in after looking at so many pictures online. I was 14 years old when I got my dad to buy my first cosplay as a birthday gift and it was Maka from Soul Eater. I was hooked since then!
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
This story first appeared Cosplay In America and if you want to share a “Cosplay Stories” to be shared here on this website, full details can be found here.
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11/03/2024Cosplay StoriesAstro Boy : molotovbailey
All the responses were great but this one older guy on the Hyatt sky bridge totally flipped out, Jumping around and Yelling that he had been watching Astroboy for 50 years ! BEST RESPONSE ! He totally made my day.
I have a always loved all the inside Robot parts of Astro. I used to be obsessed with those lenticular T-shirts that showed the inside parts of him. So I really wanted to do a costume that showed the insides.I have been thinking about how I would do that for about 10 years.
I’ve always enjoyed dressing up in costumes for parties and Halloween. I first heard of Dragon con in 2004 when my Housemate went and came back with all these Amazing stories. My favourite part is designing and building the costume. I really enjoy the problem solving aspect. As an artist I feel wearable ART is a great way to display your work and interact with other artists. It also allows you to meet new people with similar interests.
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04/03/2024Cosplay StoriesSailor Moon X Mandalorian / Cosplayers : hagkurick & hellokwiddle /Photo: felixwongphotography / #NYCC2022
The real spark was trying to find a way to do a matching cosplay that fit both of our interests. I love making armor, and helmets. The entire “faceless” warrior thing really appeals to me since there’s so few characters that look like me and she loves more feminine characters and cosplay styles. So when we saw The Mandalorian for the first time together I’d say the seed was planted. So this gave us both a way to do something we enjoy and gave her a chance to try EVA foam out
The most challenging aspect was definitely time. Procrastination is simultaneously the slowest and fastest killer of a cosplay. We sped these two costumes out in the 5 days before the 8th. The clocked ticked down, and the costumes definitely aren’t perfect, but given the time we gave ourselves we’re happy with how they turned out and it’s exciting to think about how we can improve next time using what we learned.
To me cosplay means another way to show your love for the series you enjoy. You get to meet people who love the series you love and appreciate the hard work you put into trying to make your own version of a character. There’s not really anything else like it. No matter how old, or how niche, or how popular your cosplay is, the process and the anticipation are some of the best parts.
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27/02/2024Cosplay StoriesZhongli’s planet befall From Genshin Impact / Cosplayer treejumperfinny / Ohayocon. (Columbus, OH) 2023
A friend of mine (keliacos) jokingly said they would be the pillar, and I said I think it would be hilarious to be the meteor. I haven’t seen anyone do the meteor before, and really wanted to make a large cosplay. My other friend (necropantz) and I always talk about being inanimate objects. It’s funny to me to see shapes and things walking around. I plan on doing more in the future!
I have seen lots of different tutorials on foam before, but most of them were for fursuits and upholstery. There weren’t any tutorials on how to make a modular cube out of foam, so I had to sketch my ideas before hand. Thankfully since it was a very simple shape it was easy to make a small model out of cardboard. It was quite the process, but extremely fun! The only other challenge is getting the Velcro to stay. I will have to look up some better options on getting the pieces to stay other than Velcro. It works, but I’d like something more heavy duty.
I couldn’t really see well, but I can hear really well. The amount of people that would laugh and just be in disbelief of what they saw walking around is one of my favorite things. I love it whenever people find joy in my cosplays! One guy came over to us saying he’s always wanted to cosplay Zhongli and that seeing his attacks cosplayed gives him even more motivation to go for it. I hope he does!
I enjoy being able to meet new people and make new friends. Having fun making memories at cons is always the best. I remember a little girl coming up to me to give me a lollipop in my Kokomi cosplay. She said she wanted to be “a princess like me too one day”. It warmed my heart.
I think the thing I like least about cosplay is how competitive people get and how obsessed with follower counts people are. It’s okay to want to go bigger and do better, but we shouldn’t let that get in the way of promoting the growth of our community. We have to remember that as a niche community, we shouldn’t be pushing others away. Us nerds need to stick together.
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20/02/2024Cosplay StoriesMerengue from #AnimalCrossingsCosplayer: BlueClaricePhoto: angeladalton_authorCon: #AwesomeCon
I’ve always enjoyed dressing up. When I was a kid I would refuse to go anywhere without wearing a tiara which eventually evolved in me not going anywhere without my detective hat. But then one day when I was 14 I decided to dress up as a character from my favorite anime at the time and I’d like to say I jumped head first into #cosplaying then but I didn’t. I was scared to be open about liking to dress up.
Even though I went to many conventions in my younger years it wasn’t until my 20s that I started to cosplay more consistently with more elaborate costumes. There were many moments where I thought I might actually be good at this and one key moment was my first #cosplaycompetition. It took me a year to work up the courage to even enter.
I created my first ever suit which was covered in hand sewn zippers and I went in not expecting to win anything. So I was completely surprised when I had entered as beginner and won as intermediate. I’ve been cosplaying competitively ever since because it helps push myself further to create bigger and more complex costumes and meet some amazing people.
As soon as I saw @Sunset Dragon’s version of Merengue from Animal Crossings, I immediately knew I had to make it and make it look like real strawberry cake!
This was my first time ever making a dress and was the hardest cosplay to figure out how to make. I had to do a lot of research to figure out how people traditionally make fake cakes. They use sponges for the cake and spackling or modeling clay for frosting but I had two problems I couldn’t find a sponge large enough for a skirt and clay could potentially chip and be too heavy.
I solved this by using a roll of memory foam for the skirt and hand sculpted wool for the frosting. I did a lot of hand sewing, dying, beading, and needle felting for this cosplay. I even crochet a matching strawberry bag with a strawberry chain and created strawberry cake hair clips.
My most proud cosplay is my Jolyne Kujo cosplay! I think it’s my best sewn cosplay to date because it is patchwork that I literally hand stitched together to look like it was strung together by her stand. I’m also really proud of the wig because I turned a white straight wig into a blue and green afro with box braids! I especially love the braided butterfly detail. I also will forever love this cosplay because it got me my biggest win yet. I won Blerdcon’s Craftmanship contest 2022 and became their first black cosplayer of the year for my hard work.
The only thing I’d like to add is that I’m just getting started. I can’t wait to create and show the world all the crazy designs I have in my head.
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
This story first appeared Cosplay In America and if you want to share a “Cosplay Stories” to be shared here on this website, full details can be found here.
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13/06/2023Cosplay StoriesWriter : Amy Densham
Whether your kids live in rural Iowa or downtown NYC. If they have cosplaying parents or only they just learned about Halloween. Astrid and Leah bring that excited, welcoming, Con energy to their student’s computer screens all over the world.
The platform is Outschool. It’s been around since 2015 and started as a go-to for homeschoolers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Outschool grew beyond homeschooling. It became a place for learning and socializing whether you homeschool or not.Now serving over 1 million learners in 195 countries, Outschool has thousands of classes for ages 3 – 18. Learn about dinosaurs from a paleontologist. C# coding from a game developer. Or cosplay from an expert seamstress and a professional actress.
Astrid Turner, bubbly and all smiles, remembers standing in line at a Con: “The cosplay community is one of the most supportive and wonderful communities out there. When I cosplay, it’s not attention on me. It’s attention for something we share. We already know we like the same things. The craftsmanship, the idea that you’re there together, dressed up, having an experience together.”
Astrid teaches Cosplay Costume Design and Creation Workshops and anything else costume-related (just send her a request). She can pleat a skirt, put a bodice in, and bring kids out of their shells with ease. Part of her class includes real-world skills like comparison shopping; if you’re asking mom to buy it, you need to have a plan.
What does Astrid hope her students walk away with from taking her class ? Ask about her experience teaching online classese.
With a classroom maximum of 5, Astrid gives personalized attention to all of her students. Some enroll with a clear costume vision. Others just love Anime. Either way, Astrid helps them follow their own creativity and make it a reality.
Do they need a sketch? No problem. Does the fabric need to be washable? She knows just the thing. And costumes are just the beginning.Her eyes light up when she talks about intuitive, introverted students growing and connecting as the weeks go by. Someone who barely spoke in their first class is now the first one to share their progress and welcome a new student. They find their people and their voice.
Leah Johnson, artful and confident, talks about her experience at Cons: “It feels like everyone is a family. They want to welcome you in. It’s an excitement of sharing. Always. Of what they’ve made, what they’ve done, other cons that they’ve gone to, and people they’ve met. Everyone there wants to inspire each other.”
Leah teaches Special FX, Halloween, and Cosplay Makeup or one-on-one classes by request. Some of her students want to become professional makeup artists. Some want to scare their grandmas with fake wounds. In both situations, Leah is raring to go! And so is her washable Mehron Practice Makeup Head – currently sporting terrifying clown makeup from her last class.
Every class is unique. Some learners pop in with full, top-of-the-line makeup kits and some join with leftovers from the makeup wearer in their house. Part of the fun for Leah and her students is figuring out how to create looks with what you’ve got.It’s a great life lesson too. Sometimes you’ll need a specific product but sometimes you just need to be resourceful. Leah playfully refers to it as preparing for the zombie apocalypse when you won’t have all the tools. Her personality beams through the screen as she uses her makeup head to show makeup techniques, up close, and with student-requested variations.For Leah, the online part wasn’t her favorite. There’s an unquantifiable distance when you’re interacting online. You aren’t in the same space. It’s not the same as in person. But she makes that work too. And it’s a small inconvenience compared to the big benefit: bringing creative, accepting spaces to students wherever they are in the world.
Every class is unique. Some learners pop in with full, top-of-the-line makeup kits and some join with leftovers from the makeup wearer in their house. Part of the fun for Leah and her students is figuring out how to create looks with what you’ve got.It’s a great life lesson too. Sometimes you’ll need a specific product but sometimes you just need to be resourceful. Leah playfully refers to it as preparing for the zombie apocalypse when you won’t have all the tools. Her personality beams through the screen as she uses her makeup head to show makeup techniques, up close, and with student-requested variations.For Leah, the online part wasn’t her favorite. There’s an unquantifiable distance when you’re interacting online. You aren’t in the same space. It’s not the same as in person. But she makes that work too. And it’s a small inconvenience compared to the big benefit: bringing creative, accepting spaces to students wherever they are in the world.
HOW IT STARTED
Astrid and Leah both grew up loving costumes but they didn’t find out about cosplay until much later. In each of their separate hometowns, they were that kid in full costume at the grocery store. Or decked out like crazy on Halloween. Sound familiar?
Astrid remembers her first Ren Faire: “My first costume was a disaster but I was so proud of it! Ever since then, I knew I wanted to make costumes.”Growing up in a rural area outside LA, she always wanted to go to the San Diego Comic-Con but she didn’t have anyone to go with and didn’t want to go by herself. None of her friends were cosplayers – a term she didn’t even know existed.
She taught herself to sew, learning by creating more and more complex projects. Elaborate Elizabethan gowns with striking details for the next faire.
As she grew older, Atrid took a detour, exploring other career paths but she came back to sewing when her kids were small. Making clothes and costumes for them brought back that magic. And the internet showed her there was a whole community out there. No longer the only cosplayer in town, she dove in head first.
Now Astrid and her 3 kids (ages 13, 10, and 7) attend Cons every chance they get. In full costume, of course. She enters competitions in the handmade category and, though she’s modest, has taken home more than one win. In middle school, Astrid was big into theatre, Shakespeare, and creating Renaissance costumes.
An actor, director, voiceover artist, and singer, Leah cosplays characters from Arwen to Cruella De Vil to Mary Poppins. She teaches makeup and cosplay on Outschool but does both professionally for film, theatre, and events.To name a few, she designed costumes for the TV show Kookville and a stage production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She even did makeup and created costumes for the movie Demon Squad, which you can find in Season 13 of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.She believes that cosplay isn’t just about expressing yourself, it’s about developing yourself and creating a full aesthetic. Beyond that, she wants her students to know, they can make a career out of their creative passions. And she’ll help them do it.
Leah talks about her first Ren Faire experience: “It felt awesome because I was trying to be intentional about creating a costume for me. Not for a play. Not for someone else based on their vision. It was my vision. It was what I wanted to do.”
You feel different in your cosplay. The persona, the confidence. It can be hard to describe but Astrid and Leah teach toward that feeling in every class.
Specializing in Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance costumes, Astrid also cosplays Collei from Gensin Impact and loves growing her skills in the anime genre. She even runs a social club on Outschool where Genshin fans can hang out virtually and game together.
Astrid beams: “A lot of kids and adults choose a character and they try to match that persona. It’s a little bit of safety. I’ve had people scream ‘OH MY GOD ITS COLLEI’ and run over to me. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t happen. But at Cons, it’s so exciting. It’s amazing to connect with other people through that persona.”
***Leah, with her cosplay weapon collection behind her: “You feel more confident in your character’s costume. It’s a projection of your best self. A lot of work, your imagination, and your brain is now projected on the outside. People can see that part of you that they can’t see in any other situation.”
Leading by example, Leah shows her students that they can make their creative passions into careers. She beams when she talks about a student getting confident enough to make an Actor Instagram account. Or doing professional-level wedding makeup for their entire family.
Teaching online from Arkansas since 2018, Astrid volunteered for the first-ever Outschool Cosplay Convention in 2021. Now called GameCon, the 2-day event featured presentations at different times of day for different timezones. Sessions about costume design, makeup, theatre performance, and more. And, most exciting of all, the costume showcase. Every kid got a chance in the spotlight to show off their creations.Astrid, laughs now: “I burst into tears when I logged off. It was such a rush of emotions. I found my people! I wish I had this when I was a kid.”
***
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This story first appeared Cosplay In America and if you want to share a “Cosplay Stories” to be shared here on this website, full details can be found here.
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06/06/2023Cosplay StoriesNatty Cosplay began cosplaying about 10 years ago, and since then she’s fully embraced the fandom, and found her tribe amongst fellow cosplayers and friends who attend conventions in and around her home state of Florida. Like many of us her journey into cons, and cosplays, began with a push by friends to join them for a trip to a nearby anime con.
Natty recalled, “My friends already got tickets, and they were like “come on book your ticket. We’re going to MetroCon”. And I was like, “You’re right I should. I lived here this whole time, and I never went. It’s almost like I almost forgot, but they reminded me.”
It was at this convention where she debuted her first cosplay, as she tried out the world of anime conventions.
“I just put together a little Poison Ivy cosplay by gluing on a bunch of leaves I had to a bodysuit, and you know we just walked around and had a great time,” Natty said. “I didn’t even delve so much into con culture. I just thought it was a place to shop really. I walked around the vendor area and saw so many booths, comics, and figures, and [other[ things.
As time went on, I found I had more space and time and resources and funds to get deeper into the hobby. That’s when I started being more consistent with it.”
She has continued to delve further into cosplay, and now has quite a variety of cosplays she considers her favorites.
Natty said, “My very favorite one is that first cow cosplay. I did that one for Holiday Matsuri, and we had a cow meet up with other people dressed as cows. That was really fun. We did some pictures, videos, and I passed out little cow treats like candy. That was really fun.”
Natty continued, “My second favorite one is from ‘The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!’The anime is not as popular, but I love it. I dressed up as the Demon Lord. I love that cosplay. She never speaks, and she just eats all the time. It’s such a cute character, and it’s a very funny show.
Lastly Natty mentioned her third favorite cosplay she cosplayed was “Katara from Avatar The Last Airbender.” Natty remarked, “I want to revisit that and get more props for it, but I really had fun in that cosplay too. I want to bring that to a con.”
Natty loved the camaraderie and togetherness she had experienced, and she really wanted to help others find that as well, so she developed her first app “Show Buddy.” Natty recalled, “I launched Show Buddy around 2018. That was to help people find friends to go to concerts and festivals together. I would basically make a listing and curate a bunch of events that were going on in the United States, and have a group chat attached to it so people could sign up, join the group chat for the event and message back and forth. I think it’s still on Google Play, but I had to take it down off the Apple App Store around 2020.
I pulled the app down due to the nature of things at the time, but it was really fun while it was up and running, and I did meet a few people while I was using the app at that time. So it was a great experience, and I might pursue something a little bit more updated in the future.”
Natty took away some key lessons from her experience creating Show Buddy that have informed her about friendship and social hangouts in this day and age.
Natty remarked, “I learned that for some reason, it’s a lot harder for people to make friends and find people with the same hobbies in this day and age. I think a lot of people don’t like going to events alone, and if they have a chance they would rather go with someone. Though there’s nothing wrong with going places alone, I think just that the social atmosphere of things is just really lonely now. And there’s definitely a demand for people that want to meet new people and make new friends while they’re traveling or going to an event.”
When asked if Natty thought this related to conventions too, she replied “Oh yeah, for sure. There’s definitely a demand for with cons too, especially with this type of group, a little bit shy and feel they’re pushing themselves. They’re putting themselves out there, but maybe they don’t have a lot of experience going to places alone. So I can see that being a thing for cons too.”
Though many generations can of course struggle to find friendship and connections, I was wondering if this might be extra challenging for today’s youth.
“I think a lot of people agree,” Natty said. “It feels like more pressure now because on social media, you want to show a really flashy life. You want to not see your truest self sometimes. You kind of put up a perfect snapshot of that moment on your social media compared to what really happened behind the scenes in real life. So I do think that it was a little bit freer back then. It was easier. It was more natural. People liked posting unedited pictures of what they did with their friends for the weekend, whereas now everyone’s maybe pushing a product or something.”
One aspect of cosplays and conventions that Natty really appreciates is how it’s a wonderful space to meet a wide variety of people.
At conventions for instance, Natty said “I’m meeting married couples, families, and kids. It’s interesting but of course cosplay is everyone. It’s all different ages. So it’s nice to meet other people. You sort of just find your tribe and where you fit in.”
Natty stumbled into another fandom that really took her into a new unfamiliar world she then fell in love with. Natty recalled, “When I was younger, I was always searching online for shows on websites that had them hosted free, and I was looking for something and I accidentally clicked on a Korean Drama (K-Drama). It kept coming up, so I was like “I’ll watch this”. And I was so invested. I was like, “Wow, my mind was blown!” I didn’t even know about this culture and this country until I started getting really into that K-Drama. The K-Drama was ‘My Girl’, by the way, super old, but I just fell in love with it.”
Natty really went full steam into her love of Korean culture afer that, and this accidental click would lead her to studying overseas.
Natty remarked, “I was so inspired. I was learning Korean, like very beginning Korean, and my college had a study abroad program for South Korea. So I did a summer abroad at Yonsei International Summer School. And I met so many different people. We had a great time. We were always hanging out together, and it was great.” Natty continued, “ learning so much about the culture and just a different way of life. It was way more advanced, and a lot more convenient.. It had its good and bad , but
I enjoyed all of it. And then I went with my Korean friend to see her family because she was visiting. They were just so kind and generous to me and they gave me so much fruit, which is very expensive. We had to carry this huge bag of fruit back to our dorm. It was like watermelon, strawberries, peaches, all sorts of things, and I was so happy and grateful for that.”
Natty made sure to capture her time over in Korea, and she actually turned this into an eBook for others interested in learning about the country and culture of Korea. “I made a journal for each day,” Natty said. “It’s kind of like a blog with a picture for that day and everything I did. I’m glad I did that because it was for all those three months, so it was really well documented.”
She’s considered revisiting it, and perhaps re-editing parts, and when considering that she revisited many of her entries.
Natty remarked, “I read it and I remembered things that I did that I completely forgot. I had my fortune told, which was very fun. I also went to Japan from South Korea for like three days with a few friends, and that was also so much fun.”
Though Natty missed a lot of what Korea offered when she returned, she has noticed how much the cultural landscape has changed here, and how so many international foods, products, and stores have come over to the U.S. Natty remarked, “Ten years ago when I came back from South Korea, I missed having Korean food and everything, but now I can get that at the tip of my fingers with DoorDash. That did not exist before. Now we have a lotte Mart and so much more coming. So I’m happy about that.” Similarly she’s seen the world of cosplay and fan conventions evolve too, and primarily for the better. Natty said, “I like how much the cosplay space has grown. Now I see all types of shapes and bodies and skin tones and hair textures. Cosplay doesn’t have to be exactly like the picture or the anime. You can make it however you like and be creative with it.”
Now about 10 years on into her fandom, Natty’s continuation with cosplays and conventions just makes sense for her. “It just feels so natural to keep doing this,” Natty remarked. “It’s fun, I love the social aspect, and I would rather be spending my money on that than bills and stuff. So I feel like if I’m working at least I should work for something I enjoy too. So I always make a point to try to get one cosplay item and that keeps me going. I’m just working, but not enjoying myself.”
After slowing down her work on Show Buddy, she continued to embrace her side-hustle side, and she’s used her creativity to work on a new Exchange app. Natty explained, “It’s a listing website where you can post what services you offer in exchange for what service you’re looking for. For example, if you are a hairstylist and you’re looking for a makeup artist, you can post that and contact each other so that you don’t have to pay. You can just exchange that service. It’s kind of similar to Freecycle and other websites that do that. A lot of people do this already. I noticed a lot of people looking for things and they’ll offer their professional services, so I just wanted to make a website listing so that it’s all in one place and you don’t have to make a Facebook post or make a random post elsewhere looking for that.”
Like with cosplay, Natty has gained a lot through her creative efforts working on projects like Show Buddy and now her new Exchange website.
Natty said, “I love having a little side project. I work full-time for a Fintech company, but you know in my free time I do like to put out my websites and thoughts and apps and all of that. And there’s always a place for everything. You always have an audience for everything. It’s just finding the audience. That’s the hard part, but you know you should always do it because you never know what may come out of it.”
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This story first appeared Cosplay In America and if you want to share a “Cosplay Stories” to be shared here on this website, full details can be found here.
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30/05/2023Cosplay StoriesC2E2 sign sweetieplague
The idea to cosplay as the C2E2 sign has been in the making for around 4 years now. I was previously inspired to think outside the box by creators like @vj_daguru, who is the mastermind that cosplayed the ACen Hyatt statue…
The idea to cosplay as the C2E2 sign has been in the making for around 4 years now. I was previously inspired to think outside the box by creators like vj_daguru, who is the mastermind that cosplayed the ACen Hyatt statue as well as the person who cosplayed the Javits Center. Absolute legends! That had planted a seed in my mind and this costume is what bloomed.
I’ve always loved taking inanimate objects or non-human characters and reimagining them into humans. It’s a fun design challenge which can lead to delightfully creative and surprisingly recognizable results.
Focusing on creating a convention-specific costume was right up my alley. C2E2 is “the con” for me—it’s the event that I always plan the most for and try to debut something big. The idea to “go as the sign” is one that was just sort of… there. I threw it into my future cosplay list and let the idea marinate.
One of the main sources I ended up drawing inspiration from was a character who was onstage for about 5 seconds in “The Spongebob Musical”. The costume design by David Zinn for that show is outstanding. The show is a visual delight, but the costumes are on an entirely different level. The specific character who inspired me was a man in a giant, armless Krabby Patty showgirl getup. It was so camp.
The first iteration of my design drew heavily from the boxy nature of the Krabby Patty costume. I wanted to nearly disappear inside of the costume, save for my legs and head. After doing some quick math on the ratios to figure out how big this sign would be once I crawled inside of it, I discovered that it was very likely out of the realm of things I could tangibly build and maneuver through a convention floor. I scrapped that idea and went back to the drawing board.
I had done some heavy research into showgirl costuming and started pulling directly from that to figure out how to bring those darn letters and numbers into reality as the flashy showgirl piece of my dreams. Looking at the structures that were available for sculptural showgirl costumes, I began investigating the idea of using a backpack fixture, like what you would see used for giant feathered wings. I scavenged my old costumes and took the back piece from an original character I used at a haunted house around 10 years ago and tossed that into the ring.
With that, the costume suddenly had feasibility. That back piece informed the rest of the sculptural elements of the costume, and everything else was made on the fly. Besides that structure, my design was very loose. I made up the small details as I went, which is a refreshing break for any cosplayer! I really had to trust that seeing the forest instead of the trees would serve me in the end, and I can say that I was thrilled with how it all came together.
Ever since the start of the pandemic, I’ve struggled to watch new films and TV shows—an aversion to new conflicts, perhaps? Anxiety manifesting in odd manners, maybe? I had begun to worry that I was falling out of touch with the rest of the convention base… worried that I would never capture lightning in a bottle with another cosplay as everyone moved on to new series, shows, and stories (as I rewatched the 1931 Dracula for the 7thtime because the I know the story doesn’t stress me out). Because of this situation I find myself in, it was very appealing to create something instantly recognizable to anyone at the convention.
By design, I chose to stay in the main lobby of the convention (where the actual C2E2 sign lives) since my costume would have been far too large to navigate the show floor on a packed Saturday. The pictures and joy from others were never ending, which was an incredible honor. In the past, there have been several times where I have been excited to wear a costume that barely anyone recognized. You go into it knowing that you made and wore this cosplay because it was something you loved, not because everyone would instantly recognize you.
However, as the C2E2 sign, I went into it knowing that I would likely be quite recognizable. People (including me, obviously!) love how iconic the giant sign in the lobby is. It can sometimes have a line that stretches for an intimidating long distance. In dressing as the thing that people love taking photos with, I wasn’t surprised that I ended up being in and posing for a lot of photos. It was really fun to embrace that and get to talk with so many different con goers. With some of my other recognizable costumes, they grab the attention of that character’s fanbase and I end up having a lot of great conversations with people who also love the same specific thing. In this case, anyone who felt inclined to approach me had an instant connection to what I was wearing, no matter what specific fanbase they were a part of. It was really special to be able to reach across interests like that and see so many people smile and light up when they saw what I had created.
https://www.instagram.com/sweetieplague
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23/05/2023Cosplay StoriesPhoto : dtjaaaam
Prestige Empyrean K’Sante blackacecosplay
I am a cosplayer that just does what ever I find fun. Originally from the Bronx, I’ve been all over the place after college and join the Air Force. My love for cosplay started in 2014 when my dad brought me New York Comic Con tickets.I went on Friday with no costume felt out of the loop. So the next two days I went as my favorite Street fighter character Dudley. I made the costume in a night! Met Yoshino Ono and everything.
After that, I took a pause for two year to focus on school. Went broke due to student loans. Join the Air Force to pay them off. Once I paid off I started cosplaying again. But now I was in England and England was a different beast so I was like how do I make friends. Welp join a community! My first one was the RWBY community. Made my first prop and little bits armor my self. Turn a One Piece costume into sage cloak.
For Prestige Empyrean K’Sante cosplay, I told myself after Worlds I will try my best to make it ready for a con. Big motivation to see a skin with lil nas x influence. First cosplay where everything 100% made by me.
Man Katsu is a great con for cosplay! I learn a lot and how to improve my techniques by talking to others.
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16/05/2023Cosplay StoriesPhoto : alfashots_photography
Kamura armor from Monster Hunter Rise / Cosplayer echo_waters
I got into cosplay through pole dancing. As a theater kid at heart all of my pole dance performances were very theatrical and I wasn’t happy with just making skimpy versions of costumes just to make them pole-able (pole requires grip which normally comes from skin). So I started with just modifying store bought Halloween costumes to make them as true to original as I could but still allow grip where I needed it.
My first full cosplay build was the Nightingale Armor from Skyrim as a pole cosplay. I was covered head-to-toe in clothing but I used a combination of grippy fabric and upholstery vinyl to allow me grip and still pull of the original Nightingale armor look. I then went on to do Zero Two from Darling in the Franxx for my next pole competition. After that I started making cosplays that weren’t for pole competitions or performances.
Fabric was/is the medium I am most comfortable in but seeing all the amazing foam builds made me really want to branch out into foam crafting as well. Monster Hunter has so many amazing armor build and I have a whole list I would like to try but I chose the Kamura armor from Monster Hunter Rise because it was a combination of fabric and foam so it allowed me to work with something I was comfortable with as well as branch out into a new medium.
It took a whole summer to piece together the build but there were so many moments where I stood back in absolute amazement of how well it was coming together and how cool it looked. I wore it for the first time for the 2021 Anime Matsuri cosplay competition and place 3rd in the Novice category! I almost cried it was so unexpected but it really drove home that I had truly made something amazing and I couldn’t be prouder!
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09/05/2023Cosplay StoriesCosplayer: thefoambender // Photo : bakedzita
Arthur was a huge part of my childhood, so when they announced the series was ending I wanted to do something to celebrate its 25 years. I was really inspired by leothemoonman’s viral photo of his Arthur’s fist meme cosplay, but I wanted to add my own flair to it. So I thought, why not combine two classic Arthur memes into one cosplay!
At the time, I was actually concrunching Jin Sakai from Ghost Tsushima, but then I realized I wouldn’t finish in time for Katsu. I didn’t want to rush the details. Didn’t wanna be a normie either so i threw this altogether just so i can get a few laughs haha. But BOY did i not expect SO MANY wholesome reactions at Katsucon! <3
I am so used to doing serious armor cosplays and killing myself to get stuff done that doing Arthur made me take a step back and realize that cosplaying is suppose to be having fun. This is why i love this community so thanks everyone!!
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02/05/2023Cosplay StoriesNot all heroes wear capes; however, in the appropriately comic book sounding League City, Texas, there’s one hero who certainly does, and his good deeds are getting noticed. That hero is Dash Gordon, alter-ego of gregarious, family man Timothy Glover, whose early attempts to connect with his community while DoorDashing morphed into a life of its own.
Glover recounted, “On November 21st, 2021, my wife was sick, and I wanted to take us on one last big vacation. I felt like I needed to do something proactive that would get her out of the house, get her moving around, and we could be a dynamic duo together in the process. So I said to her, ‘let’s DoorDash’”.
“We’d ride around together, and she’d help me find the numbers for the apartments and the doors on the houses. After two months of Dashing, I wondered why aren’t people coming to the door? There was no social interaction whatsoever, and I couldn’t deal with that. So I said “I’m going to call myself Dash Gordon, like Dash from DoorDash, and Gordon from Jeff Gordon cause he’s really fast, and I’ll combine the two and I’ll be Dash Gordon.”
“So I started sending GIFs and emojis using the Flash and Flash Gordon to customers as I was delivering, or right before I’d get to their door, and they liked it. They’d laugh back or send something funny, but they still weren’t coming to the door at the magnitude I was wanting.”
That’s when Glover decided to take it up a notch, and made a purchase that helped set up his entire journey.
Glover continued, “I turned to my wife and asked ‘Would you order this? It’s a Flash costume. It’s pretty generic, not really expensive, and I think people will come to the door more, they’ll tip more, and it’ll help with our goals to go on our vacation’. So a couple weeks went by, and the costume came in, and I put Dash Gordon on my uniform. And I started dashing like that and it caused quite a stir.”
Glover’s big gamble paid off, as he was meeting more people at the door than ever.
Glover recalled, “If I did 10 dashes, 9 of them would come to the door. They wanted to see the spectacle.”
What Glover did next though is what truly set his hero journey in motion, as he answered the call of someone not needing food from DoorDash, but help from their community.
“A woman posted in a local Facebook group saying she was struggling,” Glover mentions. “She was putting her feelings out there, and I felt really bad because no one was really giving her guidance, so all I did was type in that thread ‘Dash Gordon to the rescue.’ I then instant messaged her and asked ‘what do you need’, and she said ‘I’ve got a roof over my head, I’m in government housing, but I’m struggling to buy diapers and wipes for my child’. So I said ‘give me sometime and I’ll message you back’”.
“So then I put the costume on, I went through my neighborhood, I got donations to get diapers, wipes, and I even got some extra money to give her some for the next couple weeks,” said Glover.
This one charitable act then caught the attention of the local community. Dash Gordon was asked to join Helen Hall Library’s Pop-Up Storytimes, a storytime event for children, teens, and adults. Then he was also featured in a local documentary all about Dash Gordon. Leigh Kirkland wrote the story, and it went on to win a Savvy award.
Glover emphasized “It was a big deal.”
That’s when the Houston media market really took notice. Dash was on the morning news, afternoon news, and newspaper articles began to be written about Dash. What gave Glover a spark though for what to do next, was when non-profits and individuals in his community began to reach out, including special needs organizations, victims of human trafficking, and others needing help.
Glover then realized “We’re creating a community superhero.”
READ THE REST https://cosplayinamerica.com/dash-dizzygordon-league-city-tx/
STORY : Michael Miller // PHOTO: Elizabeth Conley
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
This story first appeared Cosplay In America and if you want to share a “Cosplay Stories” to be shared here on this website, full details can be found here.
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25/04/2023Cosplay StoriesOver the last decade Atlanta’s reputation as a hub for fandom and geek culture has grown. Much of this growth is driven by the success of major conventions like DragonCon and MomoCon as well as the presence of major Hollywood film and television production teams around the city. Co-founders Tolden Williams, aka Troop Brand and his wife, Stephanie Lindo Williams, still felt like there was something missing, especially when it came to nightlife. So as the peak of the pandemic faded, they created Trap Sushi, an incredibly popular bimonthly celebration of anime, music, Japanese culture, food, and, of course, Atlanta itself.
“We used to always hang out up and down Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta, and visit the performance venues, clubs, and bars, but when Covid hit, all the places that we really enjoyed in Atlanta shut down,” said Stephanie, reflecting on the loss of major entertainment businesses and spaced during the pandemic. “We would just watch them topple one by one. So when everything started opening up, we knew there was a void now. So we were like, ‘Let’s throw something ourselves.’”
Stephanie and Tolden were particularly interested in establishing a space for fellow anime fans looking for fun activities to do year round.
Stephanie shared, “For anime, you do have MomoCon, Anime Weekend Atlanta, and other cons, but those are only once a year, unless you travel across the country to other conventions. We wanted something recurring here in Atlanta.”
Both Stephanie and Tolden had their own unique story of how they got into fandom, and how it’s impacted their lives. For Stephanie she grew up in Atlanta with friends who were already into anime and Japanese culture.
Thinking back on her youth, Stephanie said, “My best friends growing up are Vietnamese, and they were really into anime and manga. So that’s how I was exposed growing up, and I was watching a bunch of girly high school anime and reading Chobits and stuff like that. I’ve just kept at it over the years.”
Tolden’s environment in Mississippi was quite different from Stephanies coming from a smaller town.
Thinking back to his youth, Tolden said “My first introduction to anime was watching cartoons on Saturday morning. I later found out many were anime. I then went to a thrift shop with my mom, and something drew me to this VHS tape in the store. It turned out to be Akira, which is one of the first Japanese movies to break out in America.”
When asked if Tolden felt alone in his love of anime in his hometown, he replied “I definitely did until I came across other fans. It’s funny how your love for things will introduce you to others and create bonds. I found two other people who were into anime like I was, and they are still my closest friends to this day.”
This sense of community found through fandom, and especially anime conventions, was a key driver for Stephanie and Tolden in creating Trap Sushi.
Tolden recalled, “Stephanie took me to my first anime con Anime Weekend Atlanta. I’d never gone to an anime convention in my life, but I’ve been an avid reader of manga and watcher of anime for years. So at my first convention I’m mind blown. This is everything I love all in one place? How long has this been going on? It was very surprising. Then I’m like wait, this is only once a year? No this is not enough.”
Now Trap Sushi welcomes hundreds of fellow anime fans to celebrate their love of all things anime and Japanese culture. In the process of hosting Trap Sushi events, Stephanie and Tolden recognized they were serving a major sub-community in fandom as well.
Stephanie noted “Trap Sushi is open to everybody. It’s all inclusive. But we have noticed that the community it really speaks to a lot is the black anime and cosplay community. That’s a whole sub-community to itself that kind of gets overlooked sometimes, and I know that group found a lot of solace in having a place where they can let go and be like ‘ok, here at Trap Sushi we can really get loose and be free.’”
Photo: @jsncamera for Trap Sushi
Read full story https://cosplayinamerica.com/trap-sushi-atlanta-ga/.
Trap Sushi’s next event is this Thursday 3/23/23 in Atlanta https://shor.by/doEW
Writer : Michael “Zippy” Miller for Cosplay in America
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
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18/04/2023Cosplay StoriesSpaceballs // Cosplayer: OYIMI Cosplay
We, Ben (Lone Starr), Victoria (Barf), and Karen (Dark Helmet), start tossing out ideas where we can convincingly incorporate the wheelchair into the cosplay. There is usually a bit of bantering back and forth until we come to a consensus. We all agreed that making the Winnebago from “Spaceballs” would be fun and unique. It’s a favorite movie for all of us, and it is often quoted. Deciding who was going to be which character was easy for Ben and Vicki. Barf is usually in the Winnebago, so it was perfect for Vicki, who is wheelchair bound. Ben looks a bit like Lone Starr and would be in the Winnebago, too. Karen’s costume was a bit more difficult because there are so many other characters in “Spaceballs” that would be fun for her to play. She chose Dark Helmet combing the desert because she doesn’t like costumes that are too bulky or complex.
Plus, Karen really wanted the challenge of sewing the pith helmet and the fabric cover for the Winnebago. We then told our friend, Jacy (Skroob), about our idea and our character choices. Jacy said he’d be Skroob beamed backwards, especially since he likes to play characters with mustaches for me since it’s his one change to rock one without his wife complaining.
We had an amazing time at ECCC 2023! The responses to our cosplay was priceless. As the Winnebago started to roll past people, they would get a curious look on their faces. When they saw Barf and Lone Starr, they’d get a smile and a chuckle. But we knew we did something amazing when they noticed Dark Helmet behind us combing the desert, and the people would clap, gasp, and double over laughing. Then the “Spaceballs” quotes started flying at us from every direction. The great thing about ECCC is the entire community is so accepting and supportive. We felt welcomed even though we took up half the aisle and the entire elevator. So many people told us that we should enter the cosplay contest because we killed it with our costumes. We entered the ECCC Sunday Cosplay Showcase, just as a fun thing to experience, but we were awarded the Best Group Cosplay. Apparently, we did really well.
There was a moment that stood out to Ben, Vicki and Karen was meeting a woman, named Heidi, in a wheelchair dressed as an Irish queen with her husband and son dressed in Star Wars costumes. They were inching closer and closer to us as other people were taking pictures of us. When they finally came close enough, they noticed the wheels sticking out of the bottom of the Winnebago and realized it was a wheelchair. Heidi got next to the window of the Winnebago and when Vicki popped her head out, Heidi got a huge smile on her face and said, “OH MY GOD! I love the whole thing.” She was curious how we put the Winnebago was constructed and how we got the idea. We started telling them other ideas we had thought about doing and showed them some of our costumes. She was so excited and said she was starting to get ideas of her own since being in the wheelchair was more than likely a permanent thing.
We told them that if they ever needed any help figuring how to creatively incorporate the wheelchair into their cosplay or hints on building it that they could call. We hope we gave her some inspiration and will see her in an awesome cosplay next year at ECCC. For Jacy, it was just the overall vibe at the cosplay showcase we were in. How supportive and enthusiastic everyone was of each other’s hard work and passion.
The frame for the Winnebago was built with pvc pipe that has been glued or pinned at the joints. Then the frame is attached to Vicki’s wheelchair with clamps. The pins and the clamps make it easy to take apart, transport and reassemble. The cover for the Winnebago was sewn together with canvas, cotton-poly fabric, ribbon, organza, bias tape, and interfacing. The decorative elements like the “Eagle5” seal, the bumper sticker, the license plate, and the portraits in the windows were all made from printable fabric. And it was attached to the pvc frame with zippers, snaps, and shoe laces, so we could easily put on and off.
The biggest challenges we faced making the Winnebago were scaling and sizing. Trying to scale down the actual Winnebago to fit on to a frame and look close enough to be recognizable in a smaller proportion was hard. The finished size of the Winnebago was extremely important so it would fit through doors and elevators. The size was especially complicated this year since ECCC moved facilities and we didn’t know if the doors and elevators were bigger or smaller than the old convention center.
There were also some smaller challenges with the Winnebago, too. We wanted to add the wings for the Winnebago to take flight, but knew that if they were permanently attached we would never fit through doors and take up an entire aisle way. Making sure the wings were detachable was the only way it could work, but how was the problem. Ben and Vicki discussed numerous possibilities and physically put together a few before solving the problem with an easy slip-on/off joint. Another challenge was the unusual angles on the front of the Winnebago. There aren’t any pvc pipe joints with the angles we needed, so we looked all around the house and found a piece of plastic tubing left over from a different project. The piece fit perfectly into the pvc pipe with a little modification to make sure the tubing wouldn’t slip out.
We are very new to the cosplay scene. Everyone at ECCC has welcomed us with open arms, making us truly feel like we are seen for who we are. They don’t look at us and just see some generic white guys, a little old lady, or some poor girl in a wheelchair. They see us and the fun we are having. We also see them and the joy they experience when they notice us. That is the best reward for us.
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
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11/04/2023Cosplay StoriesHestu from Legend of Zelda / Cosplayer: any_reason_to_empower_cosplay / Photo: jamesyealyvisuals
My mother helped me make different Halloween costumes always different then before. Looking into homemade Halloween costumes kinda lead down the rabbit hole into cosplay. In school I had other friends who’s been to conventions and talked about cosplay, it helped fuel me into looking in the community more. Since jumping into cosplay, it’s something I’m not looking into quitting anytime soon.
Our instagram came to life because we are two best friends with a love of a good theme and having any reason to dress up. The idea of anyone feeling empowered to try something new because they saw something we did would just be amazing. But even if we don’t reach others, we are constantly inspiring each other, and that in itself makes this all so much fun.
The con goers loved Hestu and he even got an honorable mention during the hall costume contest. People who were familiar with the character would say dialogue from the game to him and many others requested photos. It was amazing to hear a passing voice yell “Hestu!” “Yahaha” or “SHAKALA” when walking around the con.
Our Hestu at Katsucon was my second version of him. The first version was rough (but still brought much joy) and I wanted to redo him so he could easily be reworn whenever we wanted. He is a larger than life character that makes everyone smile, especially when shaking his maracas. I like to make cosplays that evoke nostalgia or joy especially if I get to learn a new skill set.came from both.
For his construction, the original pattern was hand drawn on large paper by looking at pictures of the character from the video game Breath of the Wild. I used nylon rip stop fabric so that he could be inflated. There are two fans that insert into the back. He was hand painted with acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium to lessen the cracking of the paint. His eyebrows, nose, and canopy are made of the same fabric as the body but are filled with polyfill. They attach to the body using Velcro. His leaf mask is a thin piece of foam painted with acrylic and coated with a sealant.
The person wearing Hestu is actually wearing a steel shoulder strap harness (what snare drummers use for marching band) that was modified to screw pvc pipes into it to help support the structure of Hestu’s tree limbs and canopy. The maracas were made from a balloon and a pvc pipe. Paper mache, plaster caste strips, and foam clay helped make the final form before painting with acrylic paints. Just like in the game, korok seeds we made from resin were used to make the maraca sounds. Our Korok named Jeff also loved handing out golden korok seed pins to con goers who found our group throughout the day.
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28/03/2023Cosplay StoriesPhoto by felixwongphotography
CVS receipt // Cosplayer ashentrees
So i did change like the credit card numbers to be like 2023, all of the coupon codes are the dates of the first weekend of the first Katsucon back in 1995 and then all of the other numbers on it that relate to like the care reward card is the actual GPS coordinates of the gazebo. All the coupons were kind of like a satire for Katsucon like, one of the coupons was like $2 off $100 purchase of convention food, you know, playing on the joke of like, oh, convention, food is expensive.
(Video: Mineralblu)
I think the biggest reaction for people was just how long it was. And then when people actually like I encourage them to read it. And when they actually did read it, they got a chuckle out of it. It’s something that like you can relate to and get an additional kick out of.
I think it was funny that like anybody could recognize it. I feel like Katsucon like New York Comic Con, anything goes, you know, I look how many. I saw Napoleon Dynamite cosplay at Katsucon this year, and there was a giant group of just people dressed as Pitbull, the singer, and had some kind of like, I feel like, you know, that’s such a vibe of Katsucon.
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21/03/2023Cosplay StoriesMothra & Godzilla from btanselanoican’s gijinka D&D/fantasy kaiju series // Cosplayers: strangecatcosplay & Fooprawn // photos: Ejen Chuang
My Mom is a skilled sewist and used to make Halloween costumes for my sisters and I when we were young. My sister was born on Halloween so we always had costumes and fun celebrations. That started my fascination with dressing up in costume and I always had fun doing it.
As I got older, my Mom taught me how to sew. In 2010 I saw Alice in Wonderland, and fell in love with the costume designs Colleen Atwood brought to the screen.
My Mom helped me a lot with making an Alice cosplay, and I went to my first anime convention. I had never been to one, and after that I wanted to go to more. I fell in love with the fun process of making cosplays and have been doing it since. It’s a huge part of my life now, and I met both of my partners through cosplay.
Godzilla movies have a special place in my heart. I always loved sci-fi and fantasy, monsters and crazy costumes. Mothra and Battra are my favorites, so when I saw the designs by btanselanoican, I was inspired. It brought back a sense of nostalgia and happiness while making parts of the cosplays. I still have more details that I want to add and fix, but my Mothra cosplay is one of my favorite projects I have worked on in a long time.
It was a long process, and involved many different materials. For Mothra, I started with the wig. It involved a lot of cotton batting and white felt to build up the shape without adding a lot of weight, then shaping the wig fibers over that. I made the antennae out of wire and painted felt. The earrings are made of cut brass and painted beads. For the dress, it was a lot of patterning by pinning fabrics to my dressform, making a first draft, then using that to cut the actual fabric. I made a corset and skirt, and then the robe/dress piece that wraps over that. The skirt started out white, but was then dyed to the right colors. The sleeves were the hardest part to figure out. They were dyed and painted by hand, before being sewn to the dress. There are also a lot of appliqued gold fabric pieces on the dress. I made the belt, and all the shiny belt petals are also hand-cut brass pieces.
The wings are made of wire and old tights, that I then stitched, painted, and shaped to fit along my back.
The staff is made from a PVC pipe and foam base, then I added the electronics. There are green LEDs, and a small 10rpm motor that makes the moth wings move. I covered everything with foam strips, making them look like wood and vines. There are compartments made of foam and magnets, that way I can get to the battery pack or motor if I need to. I then added the paint and flowers. The moths are made of foam, pipe cleaners, painted posterboard, and faux fur. The moth wings are attached to the motor via some old ukulele strings. The monofilament keeps its shape and is light, but also strong. It’s fed through old metal brakeline tubing that goes through the staff.
For Godzilla, it was a lot of use of canvas cotton. We found these huge canvas dropcloths at the hardware store, and they were surprisingly soft, but sturdy, after washing them. They have a thick woven texture and take fabric dye really well. We used that for making Godzilla’s pants and shirt. The cape was made of thick cotton, cut, weathered, and painted. The spine has LEDs in it that go up into the hood. His chest and hip armor is all actual leather, patterned by hand and stitched together. The chainmail on the hip armor is hand made as well. His arm and leg armor is more canvas and layers of thick fabric. His shoes are leather and layered canvas and cotton. They are made by hand, and if you look on the bottom they have a Godzilla footprint.
All the “claws” on his hand armor and foot pieces are made of bamboo from the backyard. All of the woven rope pieces are cotton wrapped fleece, braided together for a thick and lightweight rope.
The sword is PVC and foam for a base. The lights are two different sets: a LED string light set, and a neopixel setup. The neopixels were soldered by hand, and are controlled by a command board that also controls a speaker. We set it to play Godzilla’s roar with custom light animations. It has a plastazote foam to diffuse the lights, and then more EVA foam on top.
When I saw the designs I fell in love with the props, the attention to detail, and the use of color. Plus, I have always loved Dungeons and Dragons, so putting them into that universe was such a wonderful idea. I also look for fun challenges when it comes to props, and Mothra’s staff was so beautiful. I couldn’t resist.
Having experience in textile studies has helped me so much with my understanding of how different fabrics work with dyes. I used a lot of dye techniques for different parts of these cosplays. Godzilla’s pants and shirt were dyed, Mothra’s skirt was dyed two different times, the sleeves were dyed, painted with more dye, and then painted again. I don’t think I would have been able to make my Mothra cosplay the way I wanted to without that prior knowledge and experience.
The best part is the magic staff. I am so proud of how it turned out and the way the moths move makes me so happy!
The only thing that I get tired of is that occasionally I run into things with the wire wings, and the long dress can make it hard to go through crowds in convention halls.
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14/03/2023Cosplay StoriesToshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach / Cosplayer: LittleViolet.cosplayer / Con : Ohayocon 2023
Ohayocon was definitely the biggest convention I’ve been to, to date. It was also the second ribbon game I participated in, that definitely helped me with talking to people. How to earn and trade ribbons with others. My favorite interaction though was an in series joke between me and another cosplayer
Cosplay has definitely helped me by getting me further out of my shell. I’m normally the person cheering someone else on, someone else having to start the conversation. With cosplay, it’s easier to have something, like a prompt to socialize easier. If you’re in a cosplay, that’s something easy to be able to talk about or compliment someone else’s work. Once you get me talking it’s easier for me to come out of my shell. Seeing other people who look like me, plus size abs confident, really helped with my own self confidence and self esteem too. I hope I can be that same feeling for someone else
I know it might be little cliché but not worry about how your look. I was always and still can be really self conscious of my appearance, my body shape. Once I put on the cosplays the worries of my appearance gets shoved in the back. Talk to others! I’m an anxious person so getting to talk with people was definitely a learning curve, one I’m happy I’m doing better with.
I’m a Halloween kid! I grew up loving Halloween and the Renaissance festival and the outfits that came from both. My mother helped me make different Halloween costumes always different then before. Looking into homemade Halloween costumes kinda lead down the rabbit hole into cosplay. In school I had other friends who’s been to conventions and talked about cosplay, it helped fuel me into looking in the community more. Since jumping into cosplay, it’s something I’m not looking into quitting anytime soon.
I’m cosplaying Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya from the Bleach series. If you looked at the progress from some of my other looks you can see that a major part of my builds are props and how to incorporate them differently.When watching the series I absolutely loved the look of his bankai and how he’s able to manipulate the snow/ice into so many different abilities. His bankai look definitely scratched my love of constructing bigger and more unique designs. Also with the look always changing between panels in the manga or in the anime meant I had a little more wiggle room when crafting the ice creations.This was my first project with LEDs you don’t see them unless I’m not in really bright con lights but it was a touch I liked. Getting the lights to only shine through the eyes and not the rest of the head was little more of a challenge then I expected. If you look on at his back, he has ice blooming from the center that connects to the wings, that made attaching wings was interesting. The straps are actually fed through the captain hoari and top black ‘shirt’ layer.
The pants where also another fun one. When looking for information on traditional hakama pants most talked about 7 pleated with the ties and open side panels. What the reference images show though is fully pleated pants with ties and open side panels. So I mixed them both, I did seven pleats in the front with a gathered elastic half waistband for the back to give the full, many pleat look. This also allowed me to have a more secure waist band then ties and hide the belt for the tail as well. Since the belt was actually in a fabric sock with another one secured over the buckle for the tie in the front. I also have pockets! Which is nice cause I don’t have access to my hands easily in this one.
@littleviolet.cosplayer I finally finished Hyōrinmaru’s head! This is my first projext with LED’s so huge step and im really happy how it turned out! #copsplay #cosplayanime #bleachanime #bleach #bleachhitsugaya ♬ original sound – Violet
This experience was overwhelming but an amazing one! On Saturday night I ended the night by receiving krazykatstudios judges pick! I am absolutely honored and still little in shock about it. This was my third competition but my first time competing at Ohayocon and the largest one I competed in. This competition also required a build book, it’s a binder holding information on how you crafted the cosplay and troubleshooting parts, explaining your progress essentially. So that was a new skill I had to try out too. Sitting in a chair with 5.5ft wings and 4ft tail was also a very new challenge that I may have forgot to take into account before the day of.
It was a surreal experience being announced as a judges choice! There was so many other competitors and amazing outfits that I wasn’t expect it. This was also my first award in cosplay and it’s surreal, I truly am honored.
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