Closet / "Lazy" Cosplayers

A decently-timed post. No way.

And still nothing cosplay-related. I had intended on making, or at least starting, Mello's belt buckle, but that didn't happen.

I may change my Halloween costume from a butterfly to the Ace of Spades.

So now's a good time to discuss another cosplay issue. Death Note "closet cosplayers." I'm talking about the ones that grab a white shirt and jeans and call themselves L, or the ones that run to Hot Topic and call themselves Misa.

I can sum this up quite simply: Who cares?
You don't know why they did it, you don't know how hard they tried. Maybe they didn't have enough money for a "real" cosplay, or if they couldn't find the items, it was last-minute, or their amazing, spectacular costume got destroyed the night before.

Now, if they're running around going "OMG! I'm L! Take my picture and give me free Pocky NOW!" then by all means, decapitate them. Otherwise, there is no reason to look down on them or waste your energy disliking them. That is much worse than "lazy" cosplayers.

Pleated Skirt (Day Six)

I really need to get on a regular schedule posting these things. I had actually intended to post at ten tonight, but I got caught up with sewing. I looked at the pattern for my Mello jacket and it made my head explode, so I put it away.

We learned pleating in my Costume Construction class today, and my mom wanted to drag me to WalMart, so I ended up with some awesome black & white checkered fabric for a pleated skirt. However, I severely underestimated the difficulty level, which is why I'm up so late.

I can't believe that I honestly haven't had any cosplay news lately. I had intended to make Mello's skull belt buckle today, but the rest of my life had other plans.

Cosplayers & Halloween

I'm starting to regret starting this blog at this time. I'm not doing anything cosplay-related... I played with makeup this morning, taking the color out of my lips for crossplay, and practicing my makeup for Halloween.

I've heard that some cosplayers actually don't like Halloween because of all the "amateurs" and people that buy poorly-made Halloween Store costumes. I like to think of Halloween as a break from cosplay. I can still get into costume, which is usually something random and baseless, and still get complimented on my creativity, but it doesn't take nearly as much effort.

This year's Halloween costume is an upgraded version of my costume last year, a butterfly. I bought small, children-sized butterfly wings, a black mini skirt, and black knee-high pleather boots from a second-hand store, black tights with various colored butterflies on them, a lace jacket, and various colored hair extensions from Hot Topic, a pink tank top from Basic, and found a butterfly mask that my mom had bought a few years ago at a flea market, I believe. The mask, however, goes on the back of my head, held on with chopsticks through the eyes. I'm thinking of buying better, plastic chopsticks from a Japanese store called Daiso, but money is unbelievably tight, so I'm stuck with wooden ones for now.

I know it's early to plan my costume, but the Spirit Halloween store just came back into town for the season and I'm planning a Halloween party as well.

I feel like I've got a lot on my plate, what with YaoiCon and Haloween literally at the same time, and me planning to do both, YaoiCon the day before Halloween, of course, as it'll take all day to prepare for my Halloween night scary movie / costume party.

Cosplaying to Be "Different"

Another sadly cosplay-less day. And another late post (my laptop battery died). I had intended to start making my jacket today, however I spent my time cleaning up after my party. So, today's topic is: Cosplaying to be "different."

Cosplaying does make most people unique within their own communities. Whether they be the only cosplayer in their family, circle of friends, school, or even city, they will never be the only cosplayer ever.

As far back as I can think, originality is always what gets you noticed, and it seems like everyone wants to get noticed. And why wouldn't they? Fame is glorified in television, movies, and anywhere else you look.

The search for a better lifestyle, the instinctual desire for easier survival, has in a sense evolved into the search for being unique. However, I do not think that cosplaying is the ideal way to be different.

No matter what you choose to cosplay, there are others who have done it first, and those who have done it better. I believe that cosplay should not be used as a way to be unique or gain fame. It is a hobby. Just like knitting or building model train sets.

Mello's Gun Promised (Day Three)

I had a birthday party today (well, yesterday, the 26th), which went overnight, so I couldn't post or do anything cosplay-related.

For my birthday, I was however, promised a prop handgun for my Mello cosplay. I have yet to see it, and the propmaker, a good friend of mine, couldn't come to the party, so I have no idea when it'll be done.

I couldn't even go the whole party without talking about cosplay, but in my defense, my friend bought it up first. They actually brought it up a few times. They really support what I do and find it amazing that I'm learning to sew, and can do it well.

In fact, I'm rather proud of myself. I love the clothes that make, they're unique, and since they're custom, they fit my body well. I always get a great response, before I mention that it's for a costume, anyway. Then all I get is "Oh..."

Cosplay & "Normal" People

I'm posting this a little late, I know. I got really sick today and couldn't even find the strength to use the laptop until after midnight.

Nothing cosplay-related really happened today. I showed a couple people the fabric I bought for my Mello jacket. They equated it to a Santa Clause suit. Ha. Haha. Ha. Great.

They teased me about it for about a minute, but it got me thinking.

My friends understand cosplay. They understand why I do it, what the appeal is, and how the community works. They've even cosplayed a couple times themselves, and yet they still tease me about various aspects of my cosplayings, perhaps because I take it more seriously than they do.

Society as a whole generally looks down on cosplayers. People do not understand us, so they act like what we do is wrong. As if this wasn't bad enough, cosplayers are also divided amongst themselves.

Cosplayers that make their costumes don't have much respect for those who buy them. Those who buy costumes mock those who make them for wasting their time or becoming "obsessed." When people who don't understand it at all look down on cosplayers, shouldn't cosplayers stand as one and defend their fandom, instead of fighting each other?

Mello's Jacket Fabric (Day One)

Today was a slow cosplay day, but at least I made some forward progress. JoAnn's was having a sale that I thought ended today. Turns out the coupon I used was actually supposed to be for next week, so I wasted energy stressing about using it for nothing.

I bought the fabric and pattern for Mello's jacket. It's not perfect, and there's no way it'll be accurate, but for once, I don't think I care much. I would like to have a more accurate jacket maybe eventually, but since I wasn't even going to do it in the first place, I'm just happy to have it. =]