Love Is Lovelier The Second Time Around
1. Your first cosplay
I really need to rescan these pictures, as they're actual paper photos (remember those?) and I don't know why I saved these so tiny when I was first building Sailor Moon Avatars, but there you go.
Most of you probably already know this story, but here's how I got it: one day in spring of 1999 (I think), my stepfather e-mailed me with a link to an eBay auction for a Sailor Mars fuku. I missed the end of the auction, but I was so disappointed, I took a chance and e-mailed the seller, who turned out to be Setsuna Kou. She made me one of my very own, and that was my first cosplay costume. I hadn't even heard the word cosplay yet!
2. How many costumes have you done?
...oh, Lord, this is a way more complicated question than it needs to be. I have "made", by which I mean I did not hire a seamstress, but rather bought components in regular stores and altered to suit my needs...let's say three, three and a half. Beyond that, what are we counting? Anime and manga costumes are a given, most people would count video games as well, and maybe even American comic books--but so many of those are now licensed, do those count? Do EGL dresses count? How about Halloween costumes--do they count if they're re-creations of American pop culture? That being said, by my own standards, I list 55 at the current count (and not counting the new one I'll have for Otakon next weekend.)
3. Your most recent cosplay
Lara Croft. I was talked into this; I don't actually like Lara Croft. That being said, you'd be surprised how quickly artistic integrity can fly out the window when the right incentive is offered. The girl who did the video for our wedding and I have been tossing photoshoot ideas back and forth for over two years now, and in June she asked me if I had access to a Lara Croft costume, as she was planning on shooting a commercial for a local video game store. Apparently I am willing to buy a Lara Croft costume in order to be in an internet-only commercial. The more you know.
4. Your cosplay communities, where do you go to talk about cosplay?
Sadly, I don't really get to much, anymore. I talk about cosplay mainly with ssfseiyakou in our daily e-mails, with Marvel in person (though I try not to babble on about it too much, as his level of interest doesn't match my own), with mariorob whenever we get a chance, with spadeofaces in our epically long e-mails, and with avian_firefly, ladyterentia, and aki_reinii on Facebook when we're actively planning for Otakon. That's really it. That being said, I belong to several cosplay community websites, and I update them whenever I do a new costume (as soon as I remember...I'm really starting to get slack on that as well), but I don't really interact with other people on them much anymore. No wait, I lie--I used American Cosplay Paradise to meet other Utena cosplayers quite often.
5. Blatant self plug! Link us to your cosplay page, be it dA, ACP, Coscom, whatever!
Heh, I already do in my sidebar. But for redundancy's sake:
Cosplay.com
Cosplay Lab
American Cosplay Paradise
CosSpace
And, of course, my own personal cosplay site, Blood, Sweat, and Glitter.
6. Your favorite cosplay (that you have done).
Oh, man, this one is impossible. It seems to change based on whatever I've gotten the best pictures of lately. I think I'm going to say Eternal Sailor Mars, though. It fits me nearly perfectly, it's my favorite of the fuku, and I have a lot of wonderful memories associated with it.
7. The character that you have cosplayed that is most similar to you (if none that you have cosplayed, then one that you will cosplay)
Do you know, I have to be honest--I don't think it is Rei. Rei and I have a lot in common, that's for sure. But do you think Rei would have dated as much as I have, or gotten married to a childhood sweetheart (well, okay, maybe that one), or, hell, cosplayed as much as I do? She's way more serious than I am. And while I admire Utena very much and would like to be like her, I don't think I am yet (see again about the cosplaying and the marriage and everything.) Honestly? When I wore the Fruits Basket uniform to be Tohru for ssfseiyakou and moradoshinigami, that was the most natural I was ever able to be without being out of character. Don't get me wrong, I only cosplay characters I really really like (Lara, and other roles I've stepped into to fill for groups notwithstanding), and preferably that I have things in common with, but I have to say I think Tohru comes closest.
8. Your cosplay plans for the rest of the year (if you have no more for this year, then do next year!
or
|
|
Let's see; for Otakon I'm wearing Fruits Basket (either Tohru or Hana-chan, I actually need to double-check with OPIB about that) on Friday, Rei's red outfit from the 4th artbook on Saturday, and Princess Daisy to match Marvel's Luigi and Mario Rob's Mario on Sunday.
Beyond that? I'm not sure. I have a new black Elegant Gothic Lolita dress that I'm not sure when to debut, I'd like to rewear Rogue to New York Comic Con again, but as for the other days, who knows?
9. The dream cosplay that might just happen
It's hard to say. Most of my dream cosplays (Chun Li, Princess Mars, Rei's wedding dress, and Rogue) have already come true. The most important of the big ones that are left is Sarah's ball gown from the movie Labyrinth, a movie that's been very important to Marvel and I, both separately and together, for a very long time. I've never seriously considered it because I thought it would be way out of my price range--like in the thousands of dollars price range. But ssfseiyakou and I have been talking, and I could set up a payment plan...we'll see.
10. The dream cosplay that will never happen
I'm not that pessimistic. Realistically, it will probably be Sarah. But barring that, I guess the dress in Paradise Kiss that Yukari wears for the student fashion show. It would probably cost around the same as Sarah's dress, and while I do LOVE Paradise Kiss, I'm not a big enough fan to justify that kind of expense (nor pretty enough to really do Yukari justice! That's not me being overly critical, either--Yukari's a freaking model. It's kind of the point of the story. LOL.)