don't trust a ho-oh
So this started out in a weird way...
When I was trying to decide whether or not to buy Pokemon HeartGold over SoulSilver, I was thinking a lot about the significance that Ho-Oh has to me over Lugia. Ho-Oh was in the very first anime episode and reappears at the beginning of the Hoenn arc, which is one of my favorite arcs of the anime. It is a legendary Pokemon from my favorite generation (arguably the generation that got me emotionally connected to Pokemon in the first place). It's originally based on Fenghuang, who is one of my favorite Chinese symbols because it's one of the few symbols of women that has good connotations. It is the "Rainbow Pokemon", and the Rainbow for Girls has become extremely important to me. My Chinese name means "one who has lots of gold". I am the proud mother of a deceased baby chick who I miss very much (And I promised myself that the next pet chicken I own will be named Phoenix). Phoenixes symbolise rebirth, which is something EXTREMELY important to me if you know about my emotional past. The list goes on and on and on and most of you already know all this anyway so I'll shut up now! OTL
So when I decided I wanted to buy Pokemon HeartGold, I was really tempted to get a Ho-oh tattoo. A lot. But then Peter and my future career as a teacher talked me out of it and I decided I want to make a Ho-oh gijinka cosplay, which I bet would cost more money but at least it isn't permanent.
I'm going for a Historical Disney-esque hanfu style traditional Chinese gown, since Ho-oh's design is based off of a Chinese mythological creature. Getting a lot of inspiration from other legendary bird cosplays.
Oh God, why is this so hard.
To begin with, hanfu is extremely difficult to replicate if you are not familiar with that kind of sewing style - most garments are a SINGLE piece of fabric, folded over and sewn together. In comparison to Western garments, which are always at least 4 pieces and can go up to 26 depending on the length and elaborateness of the garment. Even the Japanese, which use an extremely simple sewing style in comparison, don't have that few pieces. I'm thinking about buying an already made hanfu from Chinatown sometime this week and altering the shit out of it.
Second, why does everyone who cosplays Pokemon gijinkas of my favorite Pokemon always look kind of awful? Unlike most people, I HATE the majority of these gijinkas, which are really popular in the fandom. Luckily, unlike my Wigglytuff cosplay, there are a small handful of cosplays I like. There are quite a few I WISH I liked, but execution wise I don't like them (this, this, this and this come to mind... even the kimono-esque one I'm not that okay with on a certain level, because it's a kimono-style costume of a creature based in Chinese mythology).
I'm ironically finding a lot of my inspiration from art rather than actual cosplays of Ho-Oh, which is what happened last time too. This dress, for example, is fucking gorgeous even if it isn't Chinese at all. This pixel doll has a REALLY huge feel for what I'm going for. And SOMEHOW, this Mulan cosplay is actually the most helpful thing so far.
There are a few things I'm sure I want to include into my cosplay, somehow. I want really subtly printed fabric, so you can tell it's "oriental" but not to the point where it takes attention away from the outfit. I want to include as many of the Ho-oh related items I can into my outfit - Rainbow Wing, Sacred Ash, and bells. Oh man, I will put so many bells on that thing. I think, I'm not sure, I'll have the Rainbow Wing as my earrings and the Sacred Ash hanging as a purse somewhere (Yay for somewhere to put my glasses and cellphone!) However I end up doing Ho-oh's "tailfeathers", I want to handsew golden sequins or some other shiny thing to kind of give a shout-out to its anime origins. I'd most likely make an asymmetrical skirt (like this one, which I used for a Torchic-inspired Winter Ball dress once) for the golden tailfeathers, and I'd prolly wear my charcoal grey stockings for Ho-oh's feet. The eye-markings I'll do with pot eyeliner, because with a thick brush stroke I can replicate it easily.I want to include the HeartGold version symbol somewhere on my outfit. I'm hoping to find some nice jade jewelery of phoenixes to use somewhere. I'd love to bring this adorable little plush around with me.
Annnd then there's stuff I'm just really at a loss for. Do I do backwings or sleeve!wings or both (and become a seraphim)? I love the "slotted" look of Ho-Oh's wings, but in real life it looks kind of stupid in most cosplays. How the fuck do I do Ho-oh's crest and not look like an idiot? Do I use curled feathers like in this painting or do I make it the literal, 2-d shape? How will I do Ho-oh's green neckband - should I make it as a collar to the hanfu, or use a choker-style necklace? Which parts do I keep red, and where would I put its white underbelly? Do I use real feathers anywhere in my cosplay, and if I do, what do I use them for? What will I do with my hair? What kind of shoes should I buy? HOW MUCH IS ALL OF THIS GOING TO COST?
tl;dr - I am secretly a cosplay snob and this cosplay is prolly going to be a pain in the ass. This project as well as my Gary and Mary cosplay will probably be an iiiinteresting endeavor...
When I was trying to decide whether or not to buy Pokemon HeartGold over SoulSilver, I was thinking a lot about the significance that Ho-Oh has to me over Lugia. Ho-Oh was in the very first anime episode and reappears at the beginning of the Hoenn arc, which is one of my favorite arcs of the anime. It is a legendary Pokemon from my favorite generation (arguably the generation that got me emotionally connected to Pokemon in the first place). It's originally based on Fenghuang, who is one of my favorite Chinese symbols because it's one of the few symbols of women that has good connotations. It is the "Rainbow Pokemon", and the Rainbow for Girls has become extremely important to me. My Chinese name means "one who has lots of gold". I am the proud mother of a deceased baby chick who I miss very much (And I promised myself that the next pet chicken I own will be named Phoenix). Phoenixes symbolise rebirth, which is something EXTREMELY important to me if you know about my emotional past. The list goes on and on and on and most of you already know all this anyway so I'll shut up now! OTL
So when I decided I wanted to buy Pokemon HeartGold, I was really tempted to get a Ho-oh tattoo. A lot. But then Peter and my future career as a teacher talked me out of it and I decided I want to make a Ho-oh gijinka cosplay, which I bet would cost more money but at least it isn't permanent.
I'm going for a Historical Disney-esque hanfu style traditional Chinese gown, since Ho-oh's design is based off of a Chinese mythological creature. Getting a lot of inspiration from other legendary bird cosplays.
Oh God, why is this so hard.
To begin with, hanfu is extremely difficult to replicate if you are not familiar with that kind of sewing style - most garments are a SINGLE piece of fabric, folded over and sewn together. In comparison to Western garments, which are always at least 4 pieces and can go up to 26 depending on the length and elaborateness of the garment. Even the Japanese, which use an extremely simple sewing style in comparison, don't have that few pieces. I'm thinking about buying an already made hanfu from Chinatown sometime this week and altering the shit out of it.
Second, why does everyone who cosplays Pokemon gijinkas of my favorite Pokemon always look kind of awful? Unlike most people, I HATE the majority of these gijinkas, which are really popular in the fandom. Luckily, unlike my Wigglytuff cosplay, there are a small handful of cosplays I like. There are quite a few I WISH I liked, but execution wise I don't like them (this, this, this and this come to mind... even the kimono-esque one I'm not that okay with on a certain level, because it's a kimono-style costume of a creature based in Chinese mythology).
I'm ironically finding a lot of my inspiration from art rather than actual cosplays of Ho-Oh, which is what happened last time too. This dress, for example, is fucking gorgeous even if it isn't Chinese at all. This pixel doll has a REALLY huge feel for what I'm going for. And SOMEHOW, this Mulan cosplay is actually the most helpful thing so far.
There are a few things I'm sure I want to include into my cosplay, somehow. I want really subtly printed fabric, so you can tell it's "oriental" but not to the point where it takes attention away from the outfit. I want to include as many of the Ho-oh related items I can into my outfit - Rainbow Wing, Sacred Ash, and bells. Oh man, I will put so many bells on that thing. I think, I'm not sure, I'll have the Rainbow Wing as my earrings and the Sacred Ash hanging as a purse somewhere (Yay for somewhere to put my glasses and cellphone!) However I end up doing Ho-oh's "tailfeathers", I want to handsew golden sequins or some other shiny thing to kind of give a shout-out to its anime origins. I'd most likely make an asymmetrical skirt (like this one, which I used for a Torchic-inspired Winter Ball dress once) for the golden tailfeathers, and I'd prolly wear my charcoal grey stockings for Ho-oh's feet. The eye-markings I'll do with pot eyeliner, because with a thick brush stroke I can replicate it easily.I want to include the HeartGold version symbol somewhere on my outfit. I'm hoping to find some nice jade jewelery of phoenixes to use somewhere. I'd love to bring this adorable little plush around with me.
Annnd then there's stuff I'm just really at a loss for. Do I do backwings or sleeve!wings or both (and become a seraphim)? I love the "slotted" look of Ho-Oh's wings, but in real life it looks kind of stupid in most cosplays. How the fuck do I do Ho-oh's crest and not look like an idiot? Do I use curled feathers like in this painting or do I make it the literal, 2-d shape? How will I do Ho-oh's green neckband - should I make it as a collar to the hanfu, or use a choker-style necklace? Which parts do I keep red, and where would I put its white underbelly? Do I use real feathers anywhere in my cosplay, and if I do, what do I use them for? What will I do with my hair? What kind of shoes should I buy? HOW MUCH IS ALL OF THIS GOING TO COST?
tl;dr - I am secretly a cosplay snob and this cosplay is prolly going to be a pain in the ass. This project as well as my Gary and Mary cosplay will probably be an iiiinteresting endeavor...