More Cosplayers!

by Durrilion

I love costumes.  I love making them, seeing them made, wearing them, and seeing them worn.  It is one of the creative arts in which I was lucky enough to have talent.  For the record, I don’t think I sing well, and I probably won’t win any Academy Awards anytime soon.  Enough about me! This article, in all of its parts is about YOU! Yes YOU! Cosplayers I make it a point to seek out as many of you as possible, ask just a few simple questions, and put you in the limelight (as it were) for a moment.  So let’s get cracking.

In part 2, we have:

Mirror Mirror, on the wall, who has the most bling of them all? This Snow White Cosplay shone in the light – literally! The amount of bead work on her clothing was mind-boggling! You would have to see it in person, this photo does not do her work justice.  As we spoke, Snow (her real name as well) told me she made everything except the trim in a couple of weeks.  So far she only attends Phoenix Comicon, but she is looking to expand on that.

Say what you will about ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, but those of us who love the animated series and the comic book sequels, are here to stay! It was my absolute delight to see the ‘Painted Lady’ and the ‘Blue Spirit’ while searching for much needed coffee.  With such a choice most would say ‘coffee’; not me! I walked right over and went ‘fanboy’ in a totally professional manner.  She made her entire ensemble in about a day.  Using cardboard, and raffia for the hat, she added a bit of white sheer fabric, whipped together the skirt, and crafted the white neck piece. ‘Blue Spirit did help her with the mask, she said.  The mask took them about a week, and has a three tie system in the back. I watched as he put it on, and it is a two person job.  This is her second time cosplaying, and she confided that both of their outfits were last minute.  She hopes to cosplay more in the future.  She, like most of us, has ideas for more costumes but wants to take more time with them.  My response, “If this was last minute, I think you’ll be ok with more time.”  Their reasons for this duo…she feels she looks enough like ‘Katara’ to pull off the look, and they wanted to do a couples’ cosplay.

Exterminate! Exterminate! This impressive, dad-made cosplay took about a year to fully put together.  He used a combination of papier-mache, glue, plywood, and assorted household items to turn his daughter’s wheelchair into a work of art.  Berlin, the young lady inside the Dalek, was all smiles as people kept asking for a photo.  Last year, Miss Berlin was a Tardis.  I wonder what they will do next year? I hope to meet them again, and see what they chose.

Before we move on to our next cosplayer, I have to point out the cool twist to Berlin’s Dalek cosplay. I think the picture will speak itself.

You know you have seen just about everything when you see someone cosplaying a politician.  This young gentleman chose Sean Spicer because last year he went as “the margarita guy from ‘Jurassic World’.”  He felt this year he needed “to go big or go home.”  The crazy part…he only found out he was able to go to Phoenix Comicon the Tuesday before the convention! With a “Let’s win it” attitude he put together the podium and the wheels, pulled on one of his own well fitting suits, and hit the con.  Overall, he said, the reception has been great.  “People love it”, judging by the numerous times we had to stop our chat for photos.  The only downside he experienced, was people behind him getting angry because of traffic issues in hallways.  Security also spoke to him about stopping for photos in hallways.  On the side of the podium he posted the hashtag he requested everyone use if they post the pictures to social media, #spicyinphx.  I had to ask why that hashtag.  He told me that between Melissa McCarthy calling Mr. Spicer ‘Lil Spicy’, and his wearing a suit for two days at the con, he realized it was going to be hot, and ‘spicy’.  Currently he is hoping to catch the eye of either Melissa McCarthy or SNL. Best of luck good sir! I’d say stay spicy, but it is AZ.

Standing out in shades of pink, and raspberry, this Effie Trinket cosplayer thought the character was “kind of fun” and “quirky”.  Fans of the films will no doubt be familiar with Effie’s travels throughout the districts, trying to make being chosen for almost certain death sound more exciting.  Our cosplayer re-purposed some existing pieces in about 20 hours.  Not bad at all.  Cosplay does not have to involve buying brand new everything.  With a bit of ingenuity something lying around the house could be your next cosplay.

Alright my fellow geeks, to close this part of my cosplayer article I give you the talented Stevie Spade of StevieSpadeCosplay, Sam from Thermocosplay, and their friend.  Since I met Stevie and Sam, they are always a delight to see.  Smiles, laughs, and of course, mind blowing talent! If you ever have a chance to sit in on any of their panels, DO IT! For now, let us talk about their cosplays, it was a team ‘RWBY’ day for the trio.  Stevie is wearing the school uniform of ‘Pyrrha Nikos’ from the American anime because it was Sunday, she wanted to be comfortable, and the weapons ban was still in effect.  We all agreed, as much as it sucked for all the hard work put into those props, it was a relief no one was hurt.

Sam is ‘Nora Valkyrie’.  Sam made the entire outfit.  She almost knocked me over when she said she made the pattern from scratch.  I asked “Was it ‘I have the muslin, and I’ll have someone pin it’…”  She interrupted me to say “I didn’t even use muslin.  I just drew and went at it.”  To which Stevie added “That’s Sam.”  Stunned, I jokingly called out “Witchcraft”, and as the laughter died down, I admited “I’m the guy who gets the pattern from Joann’s, measures himself four times, cuts the size, and it’s still too short.”  While she does not have any formal training, Sam made use of Google to help her with this project.  Last and by no means least, is ‘Penny Polendina’.  The robot from ‘RWBY’ has no wardrobe changes, so she wears this fairly simple, yet colorful outfit.  The cosplaying young lady said she found it online for $40, but she did make the bow, and her leggings.  For anyone like me who is unfamiliar with ‘RWBY’, these dear friends of mine told me enough to sell me on it! An American made anime, with lots of character development, action, and each episode is about 10-15 minutes long.  Bonus: it is viewable online for free.  I managed to skim a few episodes on youtube, while I was writing this.

 

With that my friends, I must leave you.  Before I go, I wanted to share the running ‘joke’ of my day.  I was running late, so once I made it inside I had enough time to fly to the Alan Tudyk panel.  There was absolutely no time for coffee.  None.  I know, many of you are shocked, maybe even horrified.  Somehow I survived.  While chatting with Stevie and Sam I couldn’t remember what my usual follow up question was.  So Sam said “Why is all the coffee gone? can be your question.”  She then told me where the nearest coffee vendor was.  Totally saved my day.  See you all soon.