Howdy Elite Cosplayers! Did you know I’ve been writing for this site for an entire year? Me neither. Thank you archives! Anyway, I thought I’d celebrate this little milestone by finally writing about Cosplay (because, you know, this is a Cosplay site). So here’s the story of my first time I tried to Cosplay, and what I learned.
Occasion: I decided to Cosplay for the first time because I was finally able to go to the San Diego Comic-Con, which had been one of my lifelong dreams. My basic thoughts were, “when in Rome.” Plus, my friends were also dressing up, which made me feel less self-conscious about doing it.
Prep Work: To be honest, I didn’t do much preparation for my costume. I knew I wanted to wear a suit, because that’s what I wore for the San Francisco Wonder-Con and I wanted to keep that little tradition going. I also wanted to wear a bow-tie, because bow-ties are cool. In order to give my outfit a twist, I decided to wear a luchador mask.
Execution: In retrospect, I wish I wore something a more well known. My costume was too vague and generic to get any real attention. Not ganna lie, not being asked to take a photo with anyone hurt a little. Plus, wearing that mask was like putting a furnace on my face. On the positive side, my outfit did have extra pockets. That came in handy more than once.
I’m not sure if that’s a light, or God photobombing me
So What Did I Learn?
#1. Weather is Important: The first thing I learned for dressing up for a convention is the weather is key factor. If your dressing up for a con, during the summer, in one of the hottest cities in California, you might not want to wear a black suit and face melting mask. Just sayin’.
#2. Dressing Up is Fun: Despite my initial reservations, I have to admit, dressing up was fun. I enjoyed putting together and outfit and showing it off. Though, I probably should have put more thought behind my outfit.
#3. Seriously, Don’t Wear a Mask: I really, really regret wearing that luchador mask. I almost got heart stroke from the damn thing. I have a newfound respect for ever pro-wrestler that dons those portable face-toasters. Pockets, however, are a plus.
#4: Characters get More Attention: It’s probably not too surprising that people will take more pictures with well known characters than original creations. My buddies got more face time as the kid from Up and a cardboard Minecraft Creeper head than my bow-tied luchador gentleman.
#5: Cosplayers are Cool People: There were a lot of Cosplayers who where kind enough to let me take a picture of them. All I had to do was ask politely. I thought that this was super cool of them.
Special Note: I’m on the left.
So that’s my amazing story. It’s been a hell of a year. Thanks for reading!