Chiharu's Creative Corner

Cosplay Bullying Project

2016-02-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

This is one of the problems I see often in the cosplay community. These are very good tips. Follow all of them when you're facing a bully whether it be a cosplay bully, a normal bully at school, or even one over the net.

It's okay to get help! Just because you want to try and deal with this on your own, you can always talk to others! I'm here for anyone who just wants someone to talk to, even if it's not about the problem, I can at least try and cheer you up!

Everyone should take a look at this and read everyone's story/messages linked in Crystal Rose Creations gallery folder: Cosplay Bullying Project. Mine are included. The cosplay that I chose to represent with my answers was by far the most liked photo in my gallery and I feel that Jack is also a good character to support against bullying because he's a guardian, of course!

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

Cosplay Bullying Form #1 - RACISM:

Whether you're African American, Hispanic, Caucasian or anything in between - we are all people! We all have emotions, feelings, ambitions, needs, just like everyone else! Two arms, two legs, one head.

If you were to cut yourself, you will bleed red just like everyone else does. There is no evidence that "Caucasians" or "Hispanics" or whatever are any different genetically than anyone... else.

If anything, the proof demonstrates we are 99.999% the same! People are people and race/ethnicity has no bearing on anything other than skin color. Just because your skin tone is lighter or darker, that does not make you any different from another human being.

This all applies to Cosplay. If you wish to Cosplay Jack Frost but you're a much darker skin tone, feel free to Cosplay him. A characters race should not matter.

As long as you're happy and you have love for the character, why should race matter? Darkening or lightening your skin tone to Cosplay a character you have a passion for is NOT racist!

***However, performing Blackface is incendiary, insensitive and racist. Blackface represents a time when white Americans would put dark paint on their faces and act out incredibly racist and offensive stereotypes about African Americans.***

Cosplay Bullying Form #2 GENDER:

In Cosplay, Gender doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter what your biological gender is, or what gender you identify yourself as.

If you are a male and you want to Cosplay a Disney Princess, then do it! Put on that sparkly dress and strut around like the beautiful and majestic Princess you are! Sing and be merry! And don’t let anyone tell you differently!...

If you’re a female and you want to Cosplay Ironman from Marvel, do it! Put on his suit and torment the Capsicle! Blast off onto new adventures with The Avengers.

If you're Trans, all this applies to you as well! Do what makes you happy! Cosplay who you want! Be who you want to be!

Cosplay Bullying Form #3 AGE:

Age does not matter at all. You're never too old or too young to Cosplay! If you want to Cosplay a character that is not your actual age or in appearance, then do so! You should not feel held back by being younger or, older than the character you're trying to portray!

However, if the costume for the character you wish to Cosplay isn't child appropriate, you can make modifications to the costume to fit your child's needs! Instead of a v-neck shirt/dress, use a crew neck! Instead of showing actual skin, use fabric to match your skin tone!

If you want to take cosplaying to the next level, you can modify your physical appearance with makeup, prosthetics and masks! That's perfectly fine!

Cosplay Bullying Form #4 WEIGHT:

Weight does not matter in Cosplay. Even if you're under or over weight. If you wish to Cosplay a character who’s body image doesn’t match your own, then do it regardless!

However, many people who have a serious passion for a muscular character, such as Superman, some will try to get into shape! And there is nothing wrong with that! Our heroes are our motivation! But if you do go on di...et or try to improve yourself, please do it safely! Your health is more important then Cosplay!

But if image and accurate is really important to you, some men do wear muscular suits to help improve their image for a character. And there is no shame in that!

Some women do use spandex slimmers to have more slim curves. Some even wear corsets. And there is nothing wrong with that either!

But keep in mind, if you are waist training with a corset, please follow all directions carefully and talk to your health care provider to make sure waist training is right for you. See More

Cosplay Bullying Form #5 HEIGHT:

Height does not matter. Anyone who values physical accuracy is into Cosplay for the wrong reasons! First and last of all it's about fun! The fun of playing one of your favourite characters!

If you wish to Cosplay Bilbo Baggins but you're 6' feet tall, DO IT! If you want to Cosplay the Hulk but you're 4' feet tall, then DO IT! Who cares? It's all about YOU and your comfort! ...

But if image and accuracy is really important to you, some Cosplayers do wear platforms to make themselves taller.

However, keep in mind when using platforms and high heels that you know the risks! Wearing high heels or platforms that are too big for you or just right can severely damage your ankles, heels and calves if you wear them for long periods of time. Take breaks in between photoshoots and conventions.

Cosplay Bullying Form #6 ACCURACY:

Nothing in this world is perfect. Everything has a flaw. And our flaws is what makes us unique. Same goes for Cosplay. No Cosplay is 100% accurate or perfect in any way. Because there is no such thing as perfect.

There will always be a dent in the armour, the sewing won't be 100% stable, the fabric won't be the right color, the cowls and masks won't fit quite right, the symbols might be crooked. And THAT'S OKAY!

Remeber, sometimes we can not make a Cosplay as "accurate" as we want it to be due to funds. Money is what makes the world go around. Sometimes, we have to make due with what we have, and there is NO shame in it!

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

Cosplay Bullying Tip #1: Don't blame yourself. Know that it’s not your fault. What people call “bullying” is sometimes an argument between two people. But if someone is repeatedly cruel to you, that’s bullying and you mustn’t blame yourself. No one deserves to be treated cruelly. Do not blame yourself. No matter what someone says or does, you should not be ashamed of who you are or what you feel.

Cosplay Bullying Tip #2: Don’t respond and don't retaliate. Sometimes a reaction is exactly what aggressors are looking for because they think it gives them power over you, and you don’t want to empower a bully. As for retaliating, getting back at a bully turns you into one – and can turn one mean act into a chain reaction. If you can, remove yourself from the situation.

Cosplay Bullying Tip #3: Save all of the evidence. The only good news about bullying online or on phones is that it can usually be captured, saved, and shown to someone who can help. You can save that evidence in case things escalate. [Visit Connect Safely for instructions on how to capture screens on phones and computers.]

Cosplay Bullying Tip #4: Reach out for help – especially if the behavior’s really getting to you. You deserve backup. See if there’s someone who can listen, help you process what’s going on and work through it – a friend, relative or maybe an adult you trust.

Cosplay Bullying Tip #5: Use available tech tools and resources. Most social media apps and services allow you to block the person. Whether the harassment’s in an app, texting, comments or tagged photos, do yourself a favor and block the person. You can also report the problem to the service. That probably won’t end it, but you don’t need the harassment in your face, and you’ll be less tempted to respond. If you’re getting threats of physical harm, you should call your local police (with a parent or guardian’s help) and consider reporting it to school authorities.

Cosplay Bullying Tip #6: Take action, help others. If someone you know is being bullied, take action. Just standing by can empower an aggressor and does nothing to help. The best thing you can do is try to stop the bullying by taking a stand against it. If you can’t stop it, support the person being bullied. If the person’s a friend, you can listen and see how to help. Consider together whether you should report the bullying. If you’re not already friends, even a kind word can help reduce the pain. At the very least, help by not passing along a mean message and not giving positive attention to the person doing the bullying.

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

Here's my answers to Crystal Rose Creations cosplay bullying survey in which I partook. The photo representing my answers is my Jack Frost cosplay. What better character to support against cosplay bullying than the notorious guardian of fun?

1) Have you ever been bullied?

Not really saying that I have, but I guess I never really noticed it as a form among the whispers and gossip that went around on campus. I was always the socially awkward and quiet one in middle and high school, but fun and loud in my small group of friends who were also as nerdy as I was. I've most likely had jokes being made and snarky comments behind my back, I know for sure.

I bought my first yukata and given a lolita dress (a present from my aunt) in eighth grade and clearly remember wearing both the day after I got them. The normal comments that I caught from time to time never really seemed to bother me like "Hey, samurai girl." or "Isn't it a bit early for Halloween?"

I made my first cosplay my sophomore year by the help of my animation teacher who was also the representative for the anime club and made two more the years after for the Halloween contests. I remember hearing about comments from my group that other students mistook my giant bow from my Shirahime (Angelic Layer) cosplay for me being pregnant. I never really understood why even to this day. I know there must have been talk about my Dorie (Magical Doremi) and Ichigo (Tokyo Mew Mew) cosplay, but never heard any of it or I guess I don't really remember anything.

When I started my cosplay page I received negative comments about my breast size and I felt it was unnecessary and uncalled for. Someone once told me to get implants soon to become cosplay famous and another told me that I wasn't a real cosplayer because my bust wasn't a C cup or higher.

Yes, I have a small chest, so what! I don't see a problem with it. Sorry, but what you see is what you get. Having a small chest only broadens my horizons on cosplay to where I don't have to always cosplay a girl. I can cosplay a guy if I wanted to, so I have to say it's quite beneficial.

2) Have you ever witnessed someone being bullied? If you have, did you do anything to help out the victim?

Yes, I have during my school years and online. I confronted the bully, gave them my two cents, then tended to the one who was bullied by giving them some positivity, reassurement, as well as gaining a friend in the process.

3) How has the bullying affected who you are today?

Personally, I think it's made me more of an assertive person, one that can easily go up to someone and defend my opinion and what I've got to say. I don't run away and I won't back down from an argument until I've won, until I've gotten some sort of justice out of it. One of my closest friends, back then, told me to grow a backbone or I'd get trampled over because she thought I was too nice and I'm guessing she could see a side of me that was vulnerable.

4) How did you overcome the bullying? Or how did you cope?

I'm a happy-go-lucky person, so I can't really stay angry or sad for long. It'll have a small affect me for a while, but then I easily get over it by occupying my time elsewhere or with someone.

5) What advice do you have for others who are bullied?

Cosplay is a hobby that's meant for everyone to have fun and express a creative outlet from their everyday lives. Keep cosplaying no matter what people might say! Be happy with yourself. If you're happy, then that's all that matters.

People who bring others down have either jealousy, low self esteem, or might have something else going on in their life. Just be sincere to those people, kill them with kindness if you will, because you're the bigger person. Hold your head up high an be proud of who you are.

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

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Fifteen Cosplay Things I Learned In 2015

2015-12-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

1) Always be prepared for a hot day! Don't forget the sunblock and remember to double check your bag even if your positive you have everything that you might need. You don't want to end up looking like a lobster.

2) This is very important: stay calm, don't freak out and spiral into a serious meltdown. Cosplay malfunctions happen and can seem difficult especially if there's snags, rips, or it's suddenly falling apart. Check with a friend immediately or someone close by who is willing to help out and repair your costume or prop. Next time pack an emergency kit at hand filled with sewing tools and other things that can aid your troubles. You never know what will happen, but at least now you'll be prepared.

3) Don't have a snarky attitude with your friends and fellow cosplayers. Your day might not have started how you planned or isn't going the way that you wanted it to, but that doesn't mean you have to bring others down and feel bad too. Who knows? Perhaps your day will get better if you just confide in your friends and they can cheer you up and keep you busy to where your not thinking about the negatives.

4) Having to take a break from cosplay due to lack of income, family issues, or fed up with cosplay drama, etc will happen to some if not all the time. A hiatus is beneficial in some parts... then again, if gone too long it's tough to get that creative mojo and spark of crafting interest again.

5) Cosplay drama. Stay far, far away! Go hide and lay low and come forth when it dies down. The next thing you need is to be mixed up in a cluttered mess with people blaming others, spreading rumors, or whatnot. Some will even go through the trouble to try and harm you verbally and/or physically.

6) Have a reference photo or sketch of a certain cosplay design at hand to make sure that everything is on correctly and facing the right side before leaving the house or your hotel room. Looking back at photos online and seeing where you went wrong, you'll face palm yourself so hard. The perfectionism kicks in and you'll have to reschedule for another shoot with your photographer.

7) Private shoots are fun, engaging, and sometimes exhausting. It's a nice way to converse with your photographer about your character and your ideas. Going back and forth giving each other input will put your photos in a great and satisfying result.

8) Summer copslays especially bikinis and fall weather is a no, no! Being scheduled for an evening shoot and your practically shivering during the entire session. Problem was, that was the only one that I had handy at the moment while every other costume was either currently being constructed or being repaired and revamped. It's getting too cold for that shit.

9) If you don't know how to sew and are a beginner with a sewing machine, don't do a project by yourself no matter how big or small it might seem. Being overly confident or to shy to ask is an issue. Have an advanced person sit next to you and teach you, guiding you through every step. Online tutorials are resourceful, but aren't always the best if not shown correctly. One wrong move and you've fucked up your garment.

10) Participating and volunteering in charity events that involve children are very rewarding. Smiles and hugs keep a person going strong.

11) Wear thermals or enough layers underneath your cosplay during the dying down temperatures to keep warm especially when you'll be staying out for a certain amount of hours. Jack Frost can handle the cold and be fine without shoes, you can't! Being true to your character is one thing, but your well being and your heath is most important. Having to suffer with the flu for two months isn't fun.

12) Carry socks and a more comfortable pair of shoes other than flip-flops when you have bare footed or sandaled characters. Walking too long in those suckers will result in blisters in between your toes and those are a bitch.

13) Dressing up with a group of friends and hanging out at a gathering is super fun, but remember to take at least one photo before your battery runs low and shuts off your camera!

14) Bring extra batteries. You might need them. My camera is literally a succubus. It'll suck the life out of the batteries that I put in, so I have to use it really quick.

15) Cosplay and unexpected rain during the month of December don't mix! Water and chilly temperatures can be damaging to some costumes and props that have certain fabrics, dyes/paints, or that are constructed out of a certain material.

What are fifteen cosplay things you have learned this year?

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Santa Express 2015

2015-12-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

In 1993, a small group of volunteer and career firefighters from the community of Pedley began supporting families with toys... and food during the holiday season. Within a few years, firefighters from the communities of Pedley, Glen Avon, Mira Loma, Rubidioux, and West Riverside joined together to support the greater community of Jurupa Valley. As the community grew, so did the need and by 2005 the program began to transition into a community based 501C3 organization. By 2009, the annual holiday adoption program was providing food, household supplies, health and beauty aids, and toys to over one hundred families and one hundred and fifty senior citizens. Partnering with the County of Riverside Fire Department Spark of Love program, the organization began to lead collaborative efforts to support numerous local non-profits and today provides toys to as many as seven thousand and five hundred children a year.

Over the years, the board of directors began recognizing they were supporting different generations of the same family. Knowing that while their annual efforts brought joy to families during the holidays, it didn't truly address the cycle of poverty keeping families dependent on assistance from generation to generation. In 2015, the vision and mission of the organization changed and the program became known as the Jurupa Valley Adopt a Family Program. The new program would include two elements: the annual Santa Express parade,Adopt a Family program, and the newly commissioned Opportunity Development program.

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

Twenty years ago, the firefighters of the Jurupa Valley organized an Adopt a Family program that has become an annual event where we provide food, clothing, hygiene aids, school supplies, Christmas decorations, and of course toys to the needy families of the City of Jurupa Valley. Today, with active community support, we join Santa Claus in delivering the items to these families over several days just prior to Christmas. Families are chosen only after meeting strict eligibility guidelines. Since its inception, we have supported over a thousand families and brought holiday cheer to tens of thousands of children. We also were able to provide toys for the County Foster program that can be used to provide birthday and special holiday presents for over five hundred children.

In all, we filled over one thousand six hundred grocery bags with food, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, and other general household necessities. Children in each of the adopted families received school supplies as well. We provided bicycles and helmets to numerous children and met some special needs that were identified. This program wouldn't be successful if it weren't for the help of the wonderful community it serves, our family and friends, and to each of you that donated your time, money, or merchandise.

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

After the Santa Express had passed by my neighborhood smack dab in the Indian Hills golf course, I was eager to know if the organization that showed each year accepted participants/volunteers. Especially one that just so happens to be a cosplayer with a specific and favorite costume to go about in the winter season for some good old holiday cheer. I was super ecstatic to hear that they did after a fast response on Facebook and couldn't wait for the week after.

Before heading out towards the bus that would take us to our parade destination, I meet North AKA Santa Claus while snagging a couple of chocolate peppermint fudge cookies. After that small chat with him, it made the beginning of my night even better.

Santa: "Hello, Jack! Are you ready to have some fun tonight?

Me: "Of course! Oh yeah, I'm still on the Naughty List?"

Santa: "Oh, you're at the very top, but for tonight, I'm wiping you a clean slate."

Friday, the Santa Express was scheduled for Glen Avon and the far north portion of Indian Hills. They were all amazing! For my first night, I was put on the Frozen float due to lack of characters: Hans and Kristoff with only Elsa and Anna to perform to selected songs while I just did my thing of being in character. Elsa was freezing in her dress with such sheer fabric and was surprised by how I was handling the weather, feeling my face and frowning that my cheeks were still really warm.

We started off in the bus lane of my old middle school JMS and went down my boyfriend's neighborhood. He had told me the morning after that he didn't see me nor heard the sirens of the firetrucks. I thought possibly he was too exhausted from work and that he had crashed on his bed. He's the type that knocks out quick and is a heavy sleeper. Perhaps Mr. Sandman gave him a good dream? Then we hit my friend Matt's neighborhood. Luckily, he did see me! I couldn't make out anyone in particular for going blind and not wearing my glasses, but he did mention that his house wasn't decorated yet and had no Christmas lights up, thus the reason why it was so dark. Coming back to the middle school, there was a large crowd that awaited us. I'm guessing that the choir students had a holiday field trip and didn't get back till later that evening. Young boys and girls cheered at our float and snapped photos. I had the most awkward request to whip and nae nae from a section. I did so anyway and the crowd went wild.

I started to feel the cool kiss of air nip at my nose and seep through the layers beneath my costume somewhat near the end of the block and walking to the bus stop to be picked up and brought back to headquarters. I rushed inside feeling the blast of the heater running then after a while I saw everyone off and walked my way home in the darkness. It wasn't that far since I live relatively close by, but the chilling breeze made walking tough.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and supported us. We were excited to see so many very large groups waiting to greet us. We also have a new "most generous neighborhood for 2015". Congratulations Glen Avon route, you're the new leader for being so awesomely generous.

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad. Sky Country had a wonderful crowd and I had so much fun waiving to the crowds that lined up the streets and seeing the kids faces beam when they saw that Jack Frost actually does exist and that he's indeed real. Though I practically shivered the entire time clinging on the back of North's sleigh, I wondered how the hell Jack Frost does it then instantly remembered; oh yeah, the cold doesn't bother him. Did you get that reference? Even though, I was more than happy to fill in his shoes... Oh wait! That's right, he doesn't wear shoes.

Riding behind North, he did occasionally make jokes and poke fun at me.

Santa: "Oh, look Mrs. Claus, if I remember correctly that one is on the Naughty List with Jack!"

Santa: "I think Jack could use some of that fire over there. Warm him up a bit. He's so cold back there, he's spitting out a flurry."

I most definitely think Saturday, the second and final night of the Santa Express for me was even more frigid than the first. Oh my goodness. Brrr! It was so cold, I actually had to take a break in the trailer cab up ahead from North's sleigh and slowly warm myself back up for that little half of the three hour duration. I had been gracious enough to get a heated blanket from one of the supervisors that had quickly checked up on my condition and felt my shaking hands and numb barefoot feet.

A big thank you for the generosity and kindness of delicious cupcakes, cookies, hot chocolate, and a nice hot fire to keep even the coldest person in the world warm and kindled. You not only touched my heart, but filled my belly for I hadn't eaten a single thing that day and only had a mug of butterscotch toffee coffee that morning and later walked out of the house garnered in cosplay headed towards headquarters down the street. I was grateful enough to get a ride home by one of the supervisor's who was also concerned about my well-being and safety.

Cosplay Courses: Summer Fabrics Suitable For Cosplay

2015-07-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Summer provides a unique set of challenges to cosplayers trying to beat the heat while wearing a full costume. It can be hard, to say the least. Of course this is easier with lighter and more seasonally appropriate costumes, but if you're like me and end up wanting to make a full cloak in the middle of July then your fabric choice can really make or break you!

You'll want fabric that's:

Thin
Breathable: Meaning it has a loose/open weave, thus allowing for air to reach you and cool you down. The most natural fiber fabrics can achieve this, apart from wool.
Light Color: Preferable to dark colors because it'll reflect more heat, but this is only applicable for light colored costumes.
Accurate: Or as accurate as you can get while still taking care of yourself! Meaning it has the drape/color/finish that you want.
In Budget: Don't go spending a ton of money if you can avoid it! Always look for coupons or sales if you can!

Batiste

Batiste is a cotton or linen blend, that's very lightweight and incredibly soft, while still being very opaque. It's usually used as more of a lining fabric or lingerie. For more formal sewing it's frowned upon to make a garment completely from lining fabric, however for the sake of a costume, if it looks right, then go for it!

Cotton

Cotton is probably one of the most popular fabrics. It's incredibly diverse with many different styles and versions. It's very widely available and easy to care for. It can be a bit more formal than linen and slightly less cool, but doesn't wrinkle quite easily.

Chambray

Chambray is a type of lightweight cotton fabric. Its made to mimic the look of denim, a rough, woven texture while remaining soft and light. It's a more formal cotton fabric, however it primarily comes in shades of black, blue, and grey. It's great for imitating the appearance of denim or rougher fabrics.

Fresco

Fresco is a wool suiting fabric. While wool is typically used for winter clothes as as it's too hot for summer weather, fresco is made in a different style. It's woven from multiple strands of yearn, and the loose weave allows it to be breathable and light. As a more formal suiting fabric it's typically more expensive than others, though good for summer formal and office wear for characters that have business style attire.

Linen

Linen is absolutely great for summer. It's incredibly light and breathable, while still being sturdy. Its also pretty widely available and fairly inexpensive. It's very soft with a nice drape. Some can have a rougher and woven appearance that works for more rustic costumes. Unfortunately, linen wrinkles. You can iron it, but for more formal wear it's not always the best choice. A blend with cotton or rayon can help negate the wrinkling of just linen alone.

Rayon

Rayon is a man-made fabric, from processing natural fibers, and isn't classified as completely natural or synthetic, instead has pros of both! It's incredibly diverse and can mimic the appearance of more formal silk or rougher of linen and cotton. Lightweight and breathable, that's less likely to wrinkle than cotton or linen. It's lightly harder to care for and typically needs dry cleaning.

Silk

Silk is also a very versatile choice good for summer. It's one of the most formal natural fibers and suitable for fancier costumes. It's able to drape or to keep more constructed shapes depending on the weave. Silk can vary from thick, tightly woven versions not so good for summer, or lighter weave ones which are more breathable. It's slightly more expensive, though it has the advantage of not wrinkling easily. A strong, yet delicate fabric.

Shear Fabrics

Tulle, chiffon, and netting are all great sheer, lightweight fabrics to use in the summer. They're incredibly thin, which allows for maximum air to flow through and has a great drape. It also looks very beautiful over formal costumes. Don't use these for bits you don't want to be seen through! Organza is also a sheer fabric. Modern organza is mainly synthetic fabrics, so it traps heat just a little bit more than the others, but it's still thin enough that it doesn't really cause a problem.

And finally:

Try to avoid synthetic, thick, or constricting fabrics and dark colors.
Limit the layers and lining of your costume has if possible. Remember, none of this is necessary.
Honestly, the final call is always up to you. Go with whatever you're the most happy with and have fun!

Anime Expo: Is It Even Worth It This Year?

2015-06-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I'm not too fond of Anime Expo right now. So, the last time I checked Anime Expo has bumped up to eighty dollars this year and then to eighty-five on the first of July, but they charge an additional four dollars and fifty cents fee. Your total cost would be about eighty five dollars and fifty cents to eighty nine dollars and fifty cents (almost pushing ninety dollars) for purchasing your badge online. For day zero through day four it's one hundred and fifteen dollars for badges at the door and cash only. Not only that, but they're fucking up everyone's hotel rooms, charging for industry/photographer badges, and not letting anyone have a gathering indoors.

If you were a smaller convention starting out, I understand, but you are as big and as profitable as ever! Go home, Anime Expo, you're drunk! Anime Expo in its twenty-forth year, not in its years of infancy, when it truly needed the money by charging for industry passes, but after they had haphazardly squandered last year's resources by giving away ten free industry guest passes to everyone they approved. It’s only going to get more and more expensive by the passing of time.

The price continues to rise every year probably because of inflation/demand or staff’s a little tight perhaps? The majority of staff at the convention is about one hundred and fourteen volunteers. This is what happens when a convention becomes more corporate and less fan friendly. They only care about money; a bunch of power hungry a-holes. Basically all it has become now. How much money can they get out of us, after we've spent so much on our cosplays and supplies?

Due to the dramatic increase in attendance this past year, we've had to cooperate with the Fire Marshall to move all cosplay gatherings outside of the venue. It was ridiculously crowded. Yes heat, but safety is first... little children are there and I'd be afraid if they got trampled over, but I do think they need a better way to remedy this.

I feel like Anime Expo has been going down hill lately, especially with their props policy which is absolutely retarded. No weapons made of metal, wood, or over six to seven feet and fifteen pounds, if I’m correct. Fake guns including airsoft, nerf, etc. must be painted or duct taped a neon color so staff knows that it isn't real. The trigger needs to be broken or just out right removed and the barrel corked. No baseball bats or illegal weapons.

Basically, Anime Expo is the "Do not bring your props/weapons" con. So there goes about seventy percent of characters worth cosplaying, since their identity is core to their recognizably (Saber and Excalibur, Ruby Rose and Crescent Rose, Snake, etc…) While the service gets shittier, why are they overcharging while not improving its quality?

If you believe that all Anime Expo volunteers are good people, then that is what you believe. There may be good people among them, but the majority of them, usually I've only encountered the rude ones. Like the first time I went to Anime Expo, I was hit in the face by an employee that wasn't even paying attention, let alone apologize.

I say, if the service is crap and people are standing in that long ass line in the scorching heat to receive one god damn badge, then it’s clearly not worth it. Last year on day one, I nearly passed out and they wouldn't even let me sit down in the shade because my leg was as bout swollen as a freaking grapefruit and my brain was being cooked from my heavy wig and headpiece. Not only that, it was a Monster High Lolita coord consisting of layers on top of layers. A person like me with a weak leg and a titanium rod residing inside cannot, I repeat, CANNOT take standing for long periods of time. They really should take consideration of people's needs like for example, what if they're limited of mobility or disabled? Anime Expo staff needs to take notice. Trust me. I've written reviews on Anime Expo before. Not even a year ago. I interviewed multiple people and got the same stories.

I don't have the funds nor any cosplays worth to show because none are ready. Also due to the new weapon policy: Ginna Tsukihana (Naruto OC) would be incomplete without her gunpai since the fan's base is all bamboo wood. Summer time Jack Frost (ROTG) would be incomplete without his staff because I'm 5'5 and the staff is taller than me. Sailor Aquarius (Sailor Moon OC) would be incomplete without Wind's Requiem. Xion's Organization XIII would be incomplete without her keyblade. Shall I continue? If you get what I mean, I don't feel like the character if there's something missing possibly due to the fact of me being a perfectionist. Since it's not foam, they won't allow it.

My top five reasons why I hate that Anime Expo has to be in the middle of summer:
1. The fucking heat.
2. I get the nastiest tan like I'd be slaving in the fields all day.
3. People smell more than usual.
4. The fact that there are extremely long lines doesn't make it any easier.
5. My make up smears everywhere. I feel like a fucking candle: "I'm melting, I'm meeeeeelting!"

Probably another reason I don't like Anime Expo sixty percent of the time. When the rules are that restrictive hell breaks loose to other cosplayers to find the real truth behind the curtain. Anime Expo has been power hungry, clueless, and anti-attendee for several years. I'm purposely not going this year simply because I've seen it get worse over the past years that I've been a loyal Anime Expo attendee. I'm fed up, and I'm hoping other attendees start boycotting Anime Expo as well. Maybe they'll get the hint when the attendee numbers finally start to drop. The guest list this year is really disappointing. With all the other cons and events available for cosplaying, I can't think of one good reason to waste my time or money at Anime Expo.

Lolita Lessons: Surviving The Summer In Lolita

2015-05-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

It’s nearing Summer and that means the weather will be getting hotter. Lolita consists of layers on top of layers which will seem like an utter nightmare!

Wear lightweight fabrics and loose some layers. Put your velvets away in your wardrobe for a few months. The breezier, the better. Start from the inside out. It can be something as simple as just not wearing bloomers, but you can keep going from there and loose the blouse and just wear a jumper skirt, and then loose the socks or tights. If you're afraid of committing a lolita faux pas that can sometimes even be considered or labeled "ita" as some lolita elitists would say by going blouse-less under a jumper skirt, don't worry about it! The blouse under the jumper skirt can add an unnecessary layer.

Going blouse-less is usually seen as okay nowadays, and a lot of lolita brands even make halter styled tops in the summer that are meant to be worn without a blouse underneath. There are however some jumper skirts that look absolutely fine without a blouse. These usually have some sort of decorative details around the top, an interesting cut of the collar area, and maybe even a lace overlay on the shoulders. If you still want to wear a blouse under your jumper skirt, it's a good idea to find some very breathable blouses otherwise it'll make the jumper skirt and blouse a very warm combination. Even if it's a little bit see-through it's not really going to be that big of a deal because you're going to be wearing them underneath. In my opinion, when it is really hot out, I'd rather dress more casually than overheat.

Sleeves

Try to stay away from long sleeves. If you do decide to wear long sleeves be prepared for your arms to feel extremely warm. Chiffon blouses will be able to give your arms air.

Cutsews

Usually blouses are worn under a jumper skirt. Salopettes and with skirts however, there's a second option. Cutsews are casual t-shirts with a thin cotton material. They also come with cute prints such as bunnies, ice cream, bows, etc. Chiffon black cutsews are also available for Gothic. If you wear skirts more than jumper skirts, invest in some cutsews. They're much less stuffy feeling than button-up blouses and the fabric usually breaths better.

Shorts

Bloomers help with keeping you more hot, so instead skip the bloomers and wear a simple pair of shorts. Whether it's pajama, a casual Fairy Kei, or just a pair with frills.

A one-piece dress

The less layers you wear the cooler you will feel. The great thing about this item is that you can skip the cutsew or blouse and still fit in with the proper Lolita aesthetic and you will feel better in the hot weather. Go with a breathable fabric such as cotton for the dress and choose a short-sleeved piece over a long-sleeved one. Avoid a high neckline style if possible since necks can be sweaty places! If it is really hot and you want to wear a jumper skirt without a blouse, go for it! Whether or not you wear a blouse is your personal choice. Do what makes you feel comfortable!

Lace tights/Ankle socks

In cool weather, I always wear over-the-knee socks or knee socks over tights or leggings to keep my legs warm. When it’s warm, I'm usually okay with wearing knee socks since I’m usually cold, but I know that sometimes, it gets really hot! For some people, wearing knee socks or thick socks can be unbearable in the heat. I've seen a lot of cute ankle socks, so I think this would be a great summer alternative to knee socks and over the knee socks. Most brands carry ankle socks with lace tops that look very cute with lolita shoes. If you find cute crew socks, those could also work. If your not comfortable with short socks you can also wear thin lace tights. Another thing to keep in mind is your leg wear. Full tights or stockings, or even knee or over the knee socks can hold in heat and make you uncomfortable. One good alternative for more mature and elegant styles of lolita such as Classic and sometimes Gothic is lace stockings because they still allow air circulation.

Open Shoes

Open shoes will give your feet more air which will cool you down. You can also wear tea parties, but just try to avoid boots. If you're not wearing socks, of course, try a pair of summery platform or heeled sandals in a matching color.

Hair

One more big issue is hair. Do you wear a wig? Is that too many layers? What about if you just have really long or thick hair? How do you keep a cute elegant lolita look without getting overheated? My best advice, is to use your natural hair and avoid wigs if possible. Go easy on your hair. You're probably not going to want to use a whole bottle of hair spray in the heat of summer, or worse yet, a wig because they trap heat from your head. If you want to wear a wig then try to wear a shorter wig. Bobs or boy cuts can be really cute with Lolita and great for hot weather. If you keep hair off the back of your neck, it will cool you down. Another option is to just pull your hair into an updo. Depending on your hair length this will differ. Pulling your hair up and keeping it off of your neck and shoulders is a great way to keep cool. Wear your hair either down and loose, with maybe a bit of a wave to it, or up in something very simple like curled pigtails.

Hair Accessories

In addition to keeping your hair light and simple, wear an easy head piece. In the heat of summer you're not going to want to wear a big square headdress that just makes your head hot, instead go for a simple headband with a flower or a bow on it. There are a ton of cute hair scrunchies and hair ties out there! You can tie your hair back in a ponytail or in twin tails. You could also do a cute side ponytail, or a nice braid! An updo or bun would be another very elegant possibility. You can use hair scrunchies in your real hair, but you could also style your wig! I think less hair accessories can help keep your hair cool in the summer heat or at least I feel more comfortable with small clips and barrettes.

Bolero/Cardigan

A short-sleeved or three-quarter-sleeved bolero or cardigan is a cute way to stay covered up in the summer heat. Look for a thin or open-knit one so you can keep cool while maintaining modesty! You could skip the blouse and wear a bolero or cardigan over a jumper skirt as well. The less layers you wear, the cooler you will be. You can probably find cheap loliable boleros or cardigans easily in local stores as well. Even a plain solid-color one could work in many coords! A basic bolero or cardigan can be worn in and out of Lolita. If you want a made-for-lolita bolero or cardigan at a good price, check community sales online, or local swap meets if there are any.

A Summer Hat

Sun hats will help protect your head from the heat, they can also look really cute. There are many adorable and functional summer hats out there, and I think many of them are loliable. Go for a wide-brimmed hat for the most protection against the sun, but you can also choose to wear an adorable boater hat or a simple straw hat. If you are wearing a floral dress or skirt, a hat with silk flowers on it would be a cute addition. You might be able to make a cute visor hat work as well. For example, use a pastel pink visor with a pink sweet lolita summer coordinate. You could also wear a nice sun hat with a wide brim as part of your coordinate to help shade your face from the sun.

A Parasol

Parasols provide great shade from the sun while also acting as a stylish accessory. If you want an easy-to-carry parasol, look for a collapsible one or a light one. That way, it will not weigh you down when you aren’t using it. There are so many gorgeous lace parasols and parasols/umbrellas with ruffles along the edges that I’ve seen online. Parasols create shade and also look adorable. Try to avoid the ones made out of lace, they don't create shade and just acts as a decoration. Brand Lolita parasols are really pricey, but also really gorgeous.

Take Advantage Of It Being Summer

Summer its a great excuse to wear summer themed clothes or accessories. Dress for the season. Wear a lot of light pastels or look for prints that feel summery to you.

Remember Your Summer Essentials

Sunblock is important: Sunblock helps protect our skin from Ultraviolet radiation which the sun emits. It can also cause skin cancer. So to stay safe wearing sunblock can help. You don't want to get sunburns! Sunburns aren't fun. Bug repellent is also a good idea since you do not want to get tick or mosquito bites. You can easily find combination sunblock and bug repellent lotion! Lip balm with sunblock is also a good thing to stash in your purse. Also, remember to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration! Stay safe in the summer. It's important to keep hydrated by drinking lots of liquids. In the heat your body needs more water then usual otherwise you could collapse. Electrical, battery or hand fans can be a big help! They give out a cool waves and also can look cute.

Interview With CONNECTED

2015-02-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

CONNECTED contacted me in my Deviant Art inbox stating that they've selected me as a candidate for a feature on their page. I gladly accepted. I was told to email at least fifteen photos and answer the questionnaire that was emailed back to me. Their questions and my answers are down below.

1) When and how did you get started in cosplay?

Middle school, I believe was seventh grade in 2004 when I bought my first yukata. It's violet adorned with flying cranes and I currently still have it hanging up in my closet.

2) What was your first Cosplay?

Dorie from Magical DoReMi. My first time actually making a costume with some assistance by my animation teacher. This was back when I was in high school. My sophomore year, 2007. If I remember correctly, I placed second in the Anime Club's costume contest.

3) What was the most difficult character?

I haven't really ran into any difficult characters yet, but I will end up with one that will most likely involve elaborate armor pieces and weapons.

4) What characters are you planning for the future?

Akira Souma from Meganebu, a Jack Frost inspired Lolita coord, an Attack on Titan inspired Lolita coord, the duelist from Aura Kingdom, and gender bent Shino Aburame, hopefully to be completed some time soon.

5) Are there any helpful hints in sewing, costume design or any other aspects of your cosplay that you discovered in doing your creations?

I can't successfully sew a garment nor make armor because my knowledge is minimal, but I've been attending several workshops to boost my skills. Even though I can't necessarily sew, there's other ways to join garments together. My first kimono that I made three years ago was put together with Stitch Witchery tape, and iron-on adhesive strip. I've found that it's very long lasting, durable, and machine washable. There's many ways to put together or arrange a cosplay even with the items that reside in our closet.

6) Do you have a preferred brand of make up in your cosplay? And if so why?

I have really sensitive skin, so I break out easily. My makeup has to be really light and not clumped or caked on because it will irritate me all day. I tend to use a lot of MICA Beauty products because of it's long lasting formulas and vibrant pigments.

7) What are you listening to right now?

Let Me Hear - Fear, and Loathing In Las Vegas
Ever since I started watching the anime series Parasyte - The maximum I've been rocking out to this awesome opening.

8) What are your favorite movies?

ROTG and HTTYD of course and all the studio Ghibli films as well as some Chinese, Japanese, and Korean films that include martial arts and horror.

9) Do you have any favorite animes?

Awww, I hate having to choose favorites for anime. I have a lot of favorites and would rather not fill this section with an extremely long list.

10) What are your favorite TV shows?

Basically all the ones that come on Toonami/Adult Swim every Saturday night and the anime series that sometimes show on Boomerang and Nick Toons as well as 90's cartoons.

11) Is there a scene from a anime, cartoon, movie, or TV show that left a big impression on you?

The scene in Rise of the Guardians where Jack Frost sees Jamie's belief fading in the guardians because of Pitch's rein of nightmares. He steps up and creates signs and messages on his window to show that they still exist even though he's invisible to children's eyes. Jamie Bennett finally sees Jack for the first time after it snows in his room and a single snowflake lands on his nose. The expression on Jack's face is just priceless and the emotion he puts forth that he can finally be seen and heard. That scene got to me and hit my feelings hard. To be honest, it made me tear up pretty bad.

12) What types of books do you like to read?

I love dark novels. Anything that has witchcraft, vampires, werewolves, dark fairies, or any sort of macabre magical being. Except for Twilight, that was a horrible series.

13) What games do you play?

Aura Kingdom, Bleach: Shattered Blade, Blazblue: Continuum Shift, Elsword, Pokemon X, League of Legends, Naruto: Clash of the Ninja Revolution 2 and The End of Eternity.

14) What's your preferred beverage?

Coffee with sweet cream, if not that tea. Preferably Earl Grey, Green, and Honeybush Vanilla or if I've had a long day and want to drift off easily I'll have a hot mug of Lavender Dreams. Maybe a bit cream soda every now and then.

15) What's your junk food of choice?

I have a large sweet tooth, so I'd most likely sit with Honey-senpai from OHSHC and join him on all of the yummy cake and pastries from apple stroodle pie with ice cream, German chocolate cake, red velvet cupcakes, caramel cake pops, and many more.

16) What's our favorite type of candy or sweet?

I like a lot of candies, but I favor Ferrero Rocher and See's Candies because it's not often that I receive a box.

17) What's your favorite type of breakfast cereal?

I actually really don't like cereal. I'm more of a hot quality breakfast type of gal.

18) Is there something not going on in the cosplay world that you'd want to see or is there something you'd want to change?

The bullying, the body shamming, and societies stupid status quo that you have to look a certain way to cosplay a character. I want to change all of that, but it can't just be me alone. I'm gonna need a lot of help to accomplish that.

19) What was your favorite toy growing up?

My rocking horses Bucky and Coco. I actually had two growing up and broke both from my growing weight. When I got bored, I'd go into my room and ride and bounce like I was in some sort of race with my music blasting from my cassette player preferably the Pokemon soundtrack or Radio Disney.

20) Who is your biggest character crush and why?

I'd have to say Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians. He's kind, funny, sweet, laid back, some-what childish, a bit mischievous, and he has lots of conveying emotion, his eyes are so expressive and his hair is wind-blown and makes him an exciting person to be around, but he know when to take things seriously. He follows no rules except for your own, talk back when people try to tell him what to do, and still realize when he's gone too far. He's very powerful, heroic, and confident in his ability to use his powers... and even pull out that bankai he can't explain. What I like most is of who he is as a person. The fact that he's a guardian to his very core. He didn't care for the tittle or interacting with the big four. He originally turned down the position of guardian, but still protected the children and are much closer to them individually then the others. His strong bond with children gives him a very "brotherly" figure quality that I find endearing. He gave up his own life to save his little sister. He loved her and would have done anything for her. I just can't help, but think how admirable that is. He's had to spend 300 years all on his own. Having absolutely no one there for him and having to just live with the fact that no one really cares. But despite all that he still manages to see the bright side in life. Not all the time, but he still had the heart and the strength to go out, have fun, make people happy, and try to live his life the best way he could. I truly admire him for it.

21) You enter an abandon warehouse. There's very little light, but you are able to make out your surroundings and find your way around. The sound of music draws you closer to the corner of the back warehouse. There are FIVE GHOUL CLOWNS, playing a dancing video game. They have razor sharp teeth and deathly weapons. Magic can't affect them, They sense your presence and turn facing you. They run at you to attack. Time to fight! What character would you want to be to defeat them and how would you handle the situation?

I'd be InuYasha. What better way to make a quick victory is to wipe them all out at once with his fabled sword Tetsusaiga. KAZE NO KIZU (WIND SCAR)!

22) If you were chained with a character for one year, what character and what would you do?

That character would be Sebastian Michaelis and I'd most likely make a contract with him in the long run. I'd be nice to have a handsome butler catering to you day in and day out on your every need even though in the end he'll devour my soul.

23) You have dinner with your favorite character. And you may ask one question. Who would be the character be and what's your question?

Ciel Phantomhive also because his butler is one hell of a cook. My question: "What do you do with all of your money and what do you spend it on?"

24) What's the number one thing on your bucket list?

To be a very successful mangaka and/or animator. I'd like to be remembered for my work.

25) What advice would you give to people getting started in cosplay?

This is so important. Everyone starts somewhere. Part of the fun of cosplay is progressing and learning new things. I think something that cosplayers do is compare themselves to someone else. Just be yourself. Don't look at someone else's page, someone else's number of likes, and compare their progress to your own. Don't get frustrated if you aren't at a point that someone else is at. Just go out there and have fun. Enjoy the craft, learn more as you go, and enjoy the ride. I was bad at cosplaying when I first started. I couldn't pose, I couldn't stay in character, I also couldn't do my makeup right and I felt like I was doing something wrong. But when I learned to pose, referenced YouTube and looked other places for makeup tips, and asked my friends how to stay in character. Then it all became natural to me. Just because you feel like you can't do it doesn't mean you should give up on it. Keep trying and pushing yourself. You'll prevail.

Lunar Festival 2015

2015-02-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

On January 31st in downtown Riverside, was transported to the beauty of the magnificent ancient orient, beginning with a spectacular parade of nations, opening ceremonies, then traditional Asian music, taiko drums, dance performances, art displays and day-long demonstration of martial arts, cosplayers and a range of Asian cultural displays of various kinds conducted by community and professional groups alike, throughout the day on four separate stages. Enjoying the days events with authentic Asian foods of the far east and a variety of teas at the tea pavilion to tantalize the pallet. Encouraged dressing the part of the festivities with Asian attire along with the hundreds of traditional cultural garbs from all over Asia and south pacific. Lastly, the closing ceremony with a spectacular fireworks display scaring off the said evil spirits and welcoming the Lunar New Year filled with much luck and prosperity. The cultural experience was priceless.

The Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is commonly called “Lunar New Year”, because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year’s Eve is known as chú xī. It literally means “Year-pass Eve”. Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Han Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction. These include Korean, Tibetan and Bhutanese, Mongolian,Vietnamese, and the Japanese before 1873.

***

Photos taken from our (Cherry Blossom as Elsa from Frozen and Chiharu Dawn [me] as Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians) performance for the talent show and entry for the fashion walk. We were first to do our duet act for the talent show and labeled as entry couple number two for the fashion walk.

Photography by Alex Halcyon and Kaien Datenshi

Our (Cherry Blossom/Chiharu Dawn [me]) performance for the talent show. My apologies for the low quality video. The entire act wasn't caught on film. It's missing the beginning sequence.

[Jack Frost and Elsa] Let It Go

Footage by Coolpizza23

Copyright © 2015. Chiharu Dawn. All rights reserved.

These photos may NOT be used, reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted, borrowed, duplicated, printed, downloaded, or uploaded in any way without my prior written permission.
❤ どうもありがとうございます。Thank you.

Lolita Resolutions 2015

2015-01-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

A post about the direction, dreams, an aspirations for my lolita wardrobe. I have a lot of things planned in the future as for lolita, but am also flying by the seat of my pants a bit. I think putting things into a list or even just this post is a good idea so I can come back and reflect or just remind myself of where I want to go and what I want to do with my collection. Resolutions resolutions resolutions. A lot can change in a year- lives, tastes, pathways we walk, people we meet that influence us. Life is interesting like that though. We're always evolving as humans and with such we seem to always change what we want and feel we need. However... my resolutions never seem to change at least not by much.

***

1) OBTAIN AT LEAST TWO OF THE PRINT PIECES I REALLY LOVE.

I have a couple of these and while I know it seems almost showboat of me there are reasons I really love these dresses. To me it's not about popularity or anything of the such, as I know a good deal of them are indeed very "popular" by lolita standards. It's more of me loving the print itself. It's like art to me. If I could just have bought fabric of it I would make all the things!

2) FULLY CONSTRUCT A FEW OF THE DRESSES I HAVE DOODLED DESIGNS FOR!

It's almost an addiction for me that, ever since I first discovered what lolita was ten years ago, that I would doodle out designs for a "lolita" dress. Of course so many of them by today's standards would be considered "ita" to a lot of people: lace everywhere and large headdresses. That's what was popular back then. I've come up with some seriously cute ideas! Stay tuned for those. Angelic Pretty should seriously hire me.

3) SEW MY OWN BLOUSES, SKIRTS, AND DRESSES.

Lolita attire, in my opinion, is one of those things that are just so insanely prices that it boggles my mind. I've broken down the costs and so a, newly bought, brand dress generally has a "reasonable" price given costs, labor, materials and such. A garment, unless full of details, is just pretty fabric marked up due to a brand's name. To be honest I don't often find pieces I actually like! So I plan to start sewing my own. This way I can cut and style them better for my body and not run the risk of measurement A or B not fitting right on a bought item.

4) STREAMLINE MY WARDROBE WITH VERSATILE PIECES.

My interests are too broad and I need to simplify my wardrobe. So shoes, accessories, etc all can be used within multiple outfits. Less clutter the better!

5) BUY ONE "DREAM WISHLIST" ITEM.

Self explanatory actually.

6) MAKE MORE LOLITA FRIENDS!

Either local or, well, at least as close as Riverside, CA or something. I really would like more people to hang out with and enjoy kawaii dresses with.

7) WEAR A LOLITA CORD AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH.

I wore a grand total of four this year. It becomes my "I don't want to wear a cosplay, but I still want to look cute" default I fall back on.

8) CREATE VIDEOS SHOWING OF THE DETAIL OF OUTFITS I CONSTRUCT.

I've been doing this through pictures I post, but I want to also try and post videos on Youtube as much as I possibly can.

9) STOP BUYING THINGS JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE CUTE.

I've got a huge problem with this. I love cute things. it's a weak spot for me! Instead of buying something just because it's cute I need to consider if it will even look good on me or fit right.

***

Goals are goals I've got to start somewhere!

Yearly Cosplay Announcement

2015-01-10T15:00:00.001-08:00

Rude, nasty, and perverted comments will only result in you being blocked from my blog. While I understand that some if not all of you may find me attractive, there are perfectly acceptable and respectful ways to convey that via comment. I have plenty of modest costumes, but that also doesn’t mean it’s open season if I do happen to post a costume that has some kind of sex appeal. I don’t go out of my way to vamp up sexuality in costume. I’ll always respect you, and I expect the same.

I work very hard on replicating all of my costumes from things I adore, and prefer to keep the focus on the artist aspect of it all. If I post a photo wearing a tank top, bikini top, or even a v-neck and you can see the slightest peek of cleavage, or a hint that I do indeed possess breasts (no matter what size they are), I shouldn’t have to feel appalled or better yet, disgusted reading comments. Even though I’m a female with a relatively small chest so to speak, I shouldn’t have to only be wearing loose casual shirts or turtlenecks in order to get respect. That’s not how it works. I greatly appreciate all of you, and especially those who do truly appreciate the artwork that goes into creating costumes. This is a huge passion of mine, and I enjoy being able to share it with so many others.

I also like to keep things mostly family friendly, and try to be a positive role model for those that do follow me. BE KIND. BE RESPECTFUL. BE FUN. If you couldn’t say it to someone’s face without potentially being slapped, you shouldn’t say it here either. EVERYONE needs to be respected regardless of how much or how little they’re okay with showing. Cosplayers who enjoy making sexier material deserve the same amount of respect as anyone else. Just because they’re confident enough to put it out there, doesn’t mean they have no self respect and don’t deserve respect from their followers! This doesn’t just go for females, respect the guys too! JUST RESPECT PEOPLE IN GENERAL.

I love conversing with like minded folks, and being courteous will make me much more likely to want to talk to you. Let’s keep things fun and friendly and all have a good time, after all, we’re all just a bunch of nerds here.

Cosplay Resolutions 2015

2015-01-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

I've yet to do a cosplay resolutions post and thus I really think one is overdue. I never make plans with my cosplays anymore and tend to fly by the seat of my pants, so to speak. I really want to pick up my game more this year and push myself to make more cosplays. I always work so slow and enthusiastically on things that it's almost... sad. Not saying there's anything wrong with being slow at it; just that I personally know I work too damn slow and I'm able to do so much more. So I'm making myself some hefty resolutions for cosplay this year!

***

1) FINISH EVERYTHING YOU ALREADY HAVE STARTED.

I have a ton of cosplays half finished, hanging up, or things I put aside to work on other "more important" cosplays. I think at current my KNOWN amount of unfinished is somewhere around thirteen?

2) FINISH ONE COSPLAY PER MONTH.

This is going to be difficult, but it doesn't necessarily have to be something I've made from scratch. I have a ton of characters I want to do and so I need to step it up with my production speeds!

3) MAKE ARMOR.

I have little knowledge in this from the cosplay workshop I attended last year in October, so it's time to work with what I already know and learn some more.

4) LEARN TO WORK MORE WITH LEDS.

I believe I can figure this out. I have a lot of things I want to make all glowy and neat, but it's always kind of intimidated me a bit. Maybe once I learn to work with worbla the LEDs won't be so daunting.

5) BUY AND LEARN HOW TO USE A SERGER.

I've been wanting to learn to use one for many years now. I haven't though to purchase one, but the more I try to work with materials the more I want one.

***

I know I'm setting some pretty darn lofty goals, but these are all things I've been wanting to do for some time now; so putting them down really makes me feel like I have to commit to upping my game and advancing my skills. Let's do this!

Cosplay In Review

2014-12-27T15:00:00.002-08:00

I have seen a few discussions and even some complaints online about the cosplay community and what has changed since it began. No one can deny that cosplay has practically EXPLODED in the past few years. Now we have what people call "cosplay celebrities" or the "cosfamous" like Jessica Nigri, Yaya Han and plenty of others whose faces people think of as soon as you mention cosplay.

Before I continue to delve into matters, I want to say that I think cosplay should be for anyone who wants to join. It's fun!

Moving on, I think that the way it's been growing has steered people away as well as attract others. It's become much more open, that's for sure. There are pages and sites dedicated to stopping cosplay bullying, which is one of the more positive things that has come from the growing popularity of costume role playing. If you haven't seen the kinds of things people say it's pretty awful. Like any type of bully, cosplay bullies are cruel and can really destroy someone's self-esteem.

With cosplay reaching a more mainstream crowd, things have also become much harsher in many ways. For instance, with the big cosplay names out there who are constantly in convention spotlights, people will go gaga over them. With ladies like that setting the bar for other cosplayers, people who don't "meet these standards" will get equal amounts, if not more criticism. I'm not saying this to bash any of the well known cosplayers by any means. They're very skilled and get their fair share of low blows from people following the cosplay community.

Of anyone, I imagine they understand this more than others and have simply learned to deal with it. What I am saying is that there are a lot of people out there who would love to get involved in cosplay and are scared away by the kind of attention it has been attracting as of late. Now we have the "cosplay is not consent" issue, which has been around for a long time, but is only now really being recognized, and other discussions that talk about the negative aspects of what used to be a simple hobby. Now people are making a living off of this, and coming to know all aspects of it.

Since I have been cosplaying I have seen it become a popularity contest. Who's prettier? Who has the most "likes" on their page? Who can show the most skin? That, in my personal opinion, is creating something similar to high school cliques! You've got the cool kids (cosplay celebs), the nerds (just doing it for fun), the professionals (Yaya Han fits this category because she doesn't just cosplay. She owns a business where she sells cosplay items), and people in between.

When I first created my Facebook page it was so that I could gain exposure for my art and work from the craft. I make and sell accessories, jewelry, and occasional props to people who share the passion for dressing up as their favorite characters. Lately I have been using it more to simply show my work to people who enjoy it and to help people break into cosplay. While most of my small commissions come from my Deviant Art, I get a few through my page every now and then, which helps a bit since I don't currently have a job.

Facebook is one of my many tools to help build on that. It's the same for a lot of other people out there, but now it seems that EVERY cosplayer has a Facebook page and is digging for "likes." Again, I don't disagree with this at all. People have a right to show off their work if they are proud of it and Facebook is a wonderful place to network and meet new people who share your same interests. I know I've met and stayed in touch with a lot of great people via my page!

The whole point of this little rant was to say that cosplay should NEVER be a popularity contest. I cater to people who want to cosplay, but can't make their own items and I enjoy it because I know I'm helping people have fun doing something that's SUPPOSED to be fun. I love seeing my items from people and when they tell me how much they enjoy them. Plenty of cosplayers out there look down on people who don't make their own costumes and while I understand where they are coming from, no one ever got angry over people dressing up in store bought costumes for Halloween.

Of course, I'm one of those people who actually makes a lot of costumes if not altering existing garments to pertain to a certain character. I mean, I put a lot of hours into those things! Blood, sweat,and tears...sometimes literally. Getting off topic. I think cosplay needs to stop being so competitive. Unless you enter a contest, cosplay should not be an activity where the main purpose is to compare others to yourself or anyone else.

Sometimes my visions are so big that I can't contain them and often include my friends in my cosplay groups. It's my personal form of art to bring my nerdy obsessions to life. I love transforming myself into other characters, which is the appeal of cosplay in the first place. It's a blast being able to be someone new every time and to meet people who know who you are and spark up conversations about the things you love.

Cosplay should not be a modeling competition or a "sexy contest." While those things always turn up, it shouldn't become the definition of cosplay because everyone is as different as the characters they dress as. There should be diversity and there should be a level of individuality in everything people create, whether it's the costume in its entirety or the personality they take on when dressed up. Cosplay shouldn't be the cause of bitterness or anger or disappointment. It should be something everyone can enjoy.

Year in Review: Chiharu's Biggest Moments of 2014

2014-12-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

What a year it's been! Another year passing and another year as a cosplayer. Aside from the ups and downs, I'd have to say that this year was indeed better than the last. I give it two thumbs up and five golden stars. I've had the most fun this year cosplaying and it's all because of the wonderful friends I got to spend my time with. New people who I've met this year and other cosplayers who stuck by my side when I first started. It's the community that makes cosplay fun. I was able to do a lot more than I expected, experienced more, had loads of fun, as a lot of opportunities showed up at my door and came my way. Cosplay has opened many doors for me - doors I never thought could open for a girl like me - and I have been able to express myself in ways I never thought I could. Cosplay makes me feel beautiful and capable of doing just about anything as well as has helped me grow as a person. I made, remade, tweaked, and wore a lot of costumes this year. I really pushed my costuming skills and improved a lot especially from the helpful workshop days. My confidence in what I can tackle has gone up. Once again I made so many fantastic memories this year, and I'm looking forward to what next year holds. It's that time of year where I look back at what the heck I've done in the last 12 months for cosplay. Facebook has done a rather good job of reminding me, so I thought I should somehow acknowledge the year I've had.

Cosplay Brigade

Photography by: Kris Z. Blogging and Photography

I had such a wonderful time, you can't even imagine! I saw some new faces, made some new friends, and had tons of laughs. I got to do some amazing photo shoots with Killer J and Squallstorm which I couldn't wait to see the rest of the photos. My original keyblade, Wind's Requiem turned out to be a success even though that I was unable to attach the wings. Eh, I guess it looked pretty bad ass even without them then. Oh man, I face palmed myself pretty hard when I realized that I'd forgotten my silver cuffs to my gloves. So, while taking photos I was attempting to hide the fact that I didn't have them. Just like any day at a cosplay gathering, it ended at an epic night at Denny's with tons of puns, jokes, and napkin art. Did I mention that there was seven of us stuffed in Matthew-Chan's car. I was in the trunk smashed with Silent Knight. Never again... that bump from that railroad track scared the shit out of me.

Cosplay Adventures VIIII

Photography by: DDD Photography

I had such a great time even though the start of the event was rather slow and not much people had shown up. I got to see some new faces and make new friends which I'm always happy for. I had some photo shoots done by some amazing photographers. I couldn't wait to get them back and share them and the one's that I did get (which was really quick, if I might say) were so AWESOME that I literally squealed! Denny's was the way to end the day as always because there's nothing better then having a group of goof ball friends talking and laughing while gathered round a table.

Riverside Cosplay Gathering: Summer

Photography by: KTD Photography-Film

I would've posted a preview image of the cosplay that I was wearing that morning like I always did, but I was running late trying to rush myself out the door. I had such a BLAST! I saw some friends that I have and made at previous cosplay gatherings as well as meeting new people and seeing new faces. It's always such a pleasure. I had some lively photo shoots from some incredible photographers and I couldn't wait to get the images back and share them. Some of them I got back extremely quick. It only proves that they're AWESOME level is extremely high. As expected from an epic cosplay gathering, ending the day at Denny's. Lot's of laughs and jokes. Oh, I will never forget this... Franky fell asleep next to me and everyone rushed to take a photo. Now the embarrassment haunts him all over Facebook.

Anime Expo

Read Here: LINK

Club Cosplay - The Nerds' Night

Club Cosplay - Nightclub was an absolute rush for my first time. I had so much fun. Driving in to the parking lot, our group spotted the time machine from back to the future arriving. The hilarious Bernie Bregman was our Master of Ceremonies for the entire evening and hosted by the beautiful cosplayer LeeAnna Vamp. A special shout out to my two friends, Cherry Blossom who cosplayed as female Hidan from Naruto and Edwardo as Arrow from Justice League who entered the amateur and professional cosplay contest with guest judges: Fanboy Brandon, Dave Turner, Ivy Doomkitty, and Lauren Bregivan owner of Castle Corsetry. They did so great. The mighty Songhammer performed a full set of a totally unique new club concept as well as a dance performance by the TMNT. There was a special appearance by Jason Ybarra, from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Dweebcast filmed live.

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

Overall 2014 was a pretty bad ass year of cosplay for me! I can't wait to make 2015 even bigger and better! My New Year's resolution for 2015, I'm hoping to be a lot more active than what I am now and get more artwork/blog entries/cosplays done because I've been rather lazy on my part. A fight against procrastination. Don't worry, I'm not going to be a post whore spamming your guy's notifications with all my stuff. Rest assured. I also want to improve more my skills and hone them as well as meet new fans, friends, other cosplayers, photographers, and to overall make cosplay about having fun rather than a competition.

Chiharu Dawn's Calling All Guardians

2014-12-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

"We go by many names, and take many forms. We bring wonder, hope. joy, and dreams. Our powers are greater than you ever imagined. My fellow Guardians, it's our job to protect the children of the world, and so I have called us all here for one reason and one reason only. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives." - North

This event was targeted in mid December (20th) for Christmas during the festival of lights at downtown Riverside's Mission Inn. Enjoying the festivities and walking around garnered in cosplay to spread holiday cheer. Of course, there was a ton of children present. Guardians from every angle and aspect; from ROTG (Rise of the Guardians), Guardians of the Galaxy, Sailor Senshi from Sailor Moon, Sentai from Power Rangers, etc.

More than four million dazzling holiday lights, with appearances by Santa Claus, the world’s largest man-made mistletoe measuring 12’ x 8’, horse-drawn carriage rides, freshly fallen snow, an elaborately decorated Christmas tree in the hotel lobby and delectable holiday confections at the original famous Casey’s Cupcakes located at The Inn. The Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights is an annual gift to the community from property Owners Duane and Kelly Roberts who saved the historic landmark from destruction in 1992. The City of Riverside has adopted The Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights as a citywide initiative with a vision of a Dickensian holiday spectacle featuring lights and decorations throughout downtown Riverside, an outdoor ice-skating rink on the Main Street pedestrian mall, holiday vendors and family-friendly entertainment.

"This is going to be... EPIC!" - North

Our group was small, but was enjoyable never the less. Taking a big break from hard work and deadlines and replacing them with fun times. (Thus includes: Casual-Cannibal, Chiharu Dawn, Coolpizza23, Julia J, Killer J, Leroy Jenkins, The Armored Rangers, and Stalker of Nyte.)

Santa Batman & Batgirl AKA Julia J

A big thanks to John and Julia for going out of their way to purchase gifts and toys to hand out for the children. The children were so happy and their smiles were unforgettable.

Jack Frost AKA Chiharu Dawn

I had such a wonderful time. Walking around, passing out gifts, and engaging with the crowd was a joy. Seeing the smiles on all those children's faces and receiving numerous hugs was just absolutely heart warming. "Some people are worth melting for..." - Olaf. Heck even the tips was a surprising plus. I made over ten dollars. I was walking around bare foot, so my legs went numb and I could hardly walk after it was time to leave, yet the entire time I was so bent up on staying in character. On top of that I'm caught some kinda sickness. The things you do for cosplay... I'm really proud of the improvement and the outcome of my Jack Frost cosplay appearance. I got a ton of photos with kids, but I had to narrow the number down to my eight favorites where I really made an impact on the children that I encountered.

Here's a good story while I was there. I was casually hanging around a light pole getting photos taken of me and this little boy, I think was age seven or eight, saw me and got so excited and started spazzing out. The gleam on his face was priceless. He pointed at me and yelled to his father: "Daddy, come look! Jack Frost is real! Hurry, your gonna miss him!" I climbed down off the light pole and waved to the boy and his father that came behind. His father asked me for a photo with his son and I gladly agreed. The boy blushed and covered his face due to embarrassment and slowly walked up to me. I rested my hand on his shoulder and the father took the photo. Immediately after, the boy ran away shyly and the father thanked me. I was caught for words and just nodded and smiled. Moments like these are to cherish.

Mario, Luigi, & Daisy AKA Casual-Cannibal and Leroy Jenkins

This awesome and lively threesome was so great.

Spiderman

Brian stealing the show as spidey.

The Yellow Ranger from The Armored Rangers

Video Footage by Coolpizza23

Its a great feeling to have your character recognized and appreciated by people, children especially. It brings smiles, laughter, and unforgettable memories. The best gift a cosplayer can bring.

These photos may NOT be used, reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted, borrowed, duplicated, printed, downloaded, or uploaded in any way without my prior written permission.

❤ どうもありがとうございます。Thank you.

"What's Your Center?"

2014-12-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

This question was asked by North AKA Santa Claus to the mischievous Jack Frost in Rise of the Guardians. According to North, a person’s center is what makes them eligible as a guardian of children. He demonstrates to Jack what his own center is. He grabs a Matryoshka (nesting) doll and Jack opens it to reveal all the different facets that make up the man, North.

With each doll, Santa is:

In the last tiny doll, we see a tiny baby with huge blue eyes. This, according to North, is Wonder. "Big eyes, very big, because they are full of wonder. That is my center. It's what I was born with, eyes that have only seen the wonder in everything! Eyes that see lights in the trees and magic in the air. This wonder is what I put into the world, and what I protect in children. It is what makes me a guardian. It is my center, what is yours?"

The other guardians' centers are:

Throughout the movie we watch as Jack discovers himself. He starts out as a mischievous winter spirit who thinks a snow day is the best thing ever, and is jealous that children believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy — even the evil Boogie Man — but not in him. They look and walk right through him; he's invisible to them because they don't believe let alone know that he even exists.

His journey is to find out who he is. Through a memory of his tooth box, he then realizes he was a human boy once. He loved his family, particularly his little sister. One day when they were skating on the ice, they hit a thin patch that began to crack and crumble under her feet. She was petrified with fear. Jack encouraged his sister by telling her that getting off the ice would be just like playing hop scotch. This helped her to move and he was able to reach out with the long branch he’d been playing with and flung her to safety. However, his selfless act put him in danger and he fell through the ice.

Fast-forward through the rest of the movie where Pitch, the Boogie Man, is turning all the children’s dreams into nightmares and snuffing out their belief in the guardians. We come to the scene where it finally dawns on Jack what his center is. Pitch has him, the guardians, and Jamie, the last boy on earth to believe in the guardians, boxed into a dark alley way. As Pitch advances to finish off his mission, Jack assures Jamie that everything was going be okay. Then he remembers how he had used a game for his sister to save her from falling through the ice. He creates a snowball in the clutch of his hand and threw it in Pitch’s face mid-threat. This shocked Pitch and made everyone start to laugh. Jack knew now that he is the guardian of Fun. He rallied the other children and they defeat Pitch with a good, old-fashioned snowball fight. Even the Boogie Man is no match for a child intent on having fun.

Jack's found center: "Well, it took awhile, but I figured it out."

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

How can we find the center of our characters? If you search out the center, you will find who they are at the core of their very being, and this in turn will help them discover what their own strengths are. You might argue that Jack’s center is heroism, but all of the guardians have that — yet each one has their own unique center.

The center of a character’s being can help you determine who they are. This their essence. To determine their essence, you must also determine their identity. "How can I know who I am... until I find out who I was?"

What is the hero’s identity – what protective persona keeps the hero from facing and overcoming their emotional fear?

What is the hero’s essence or truth? Who would he be if his identity was stripped away? In other words, who does he have the potential to become, if he’s courageous enough?

Jack’s identity is his mischievousness. He’s been having "fun" for three hundred years, often at other’s expense. This is what he uses to protect his true essence.

In the end, we see Jack’s essence is his ability to protect the children by removing their fears through fun and games. This is who Jack Frost is. The guardian of Fun. Once he embraces his true center, the children can see him now, and he is no longer alone.

<——–(o...O...o)——–>

Following Jack’s Lead… Something Fun! "This is my center. What is yours?"

IMAGINATION

"You are something else altogether! Your center is Imagination! This is a result that is very rare and difficult to have because it's a balance of all the other centers: Fun, Memories, Wonder, Hope, and Dreams. You can't have Imagination without these combined! Full of life, laughter, and ideas! You love nothing more than a good laugh, adventure, and games. You are strange and mysterious. No matter what, in light or darkness, you tend to see beauty in everything, and you believe it's the little things that matter. You're very loyal to those important to you and you're often looked to for given wisdom, strength and advice. Others don't always understand you or your motives, but in the end, you are usually right. You're calm, relaxed, fun-loving, and kind at heart, but when you're fighting for something, you're always determined for a cause. While others may back down, or be afraid, you stand firm and strong until the battle is won. You defend the imaginations of children.

OHSHC X-mas With Haruhi Fujioka

2014-12-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

This was my first actual private photo shoot in a set up studio for early December scheduled with Pika Inc. Photography. Since I had just gotten my hair cut from the last update I posted on Facebook asking: "What anime/cartoon hairstyle would you like to see from me? Short girl styles please! Post a photo of an anime or cartoon character in the comments below that you think I could possibly pull off. I'll cut my hair to the most popular vote." The most popular or should I say top comment was an image of Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club. I later posted a before and after photo with the character representation comparison. I thought it'd be a great idea to get in some Christmas themed cosplays rolling in because I never got a chance to do them last year when I first created my artist's page.

After the hour long session was completed was able to take a sample photo of a shot taken from the shoot and post it to my social media pages as a small preview.

After that day, I never realized that a photo shoot could be so exhausting. I was extremely tired, sort of dizzy, my head was pounding, and my eyes reacted to the street lights awkwardly that evening even though I had my glasses on.

Photography: Pika Inc. Photography

These photos may NOT be used, reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted, borrowed, duplicated, printed, downloaded, or uploaded in any way without my prior written permission.

❤ どうもありがとうございます。Thank you.

Paid To Cosplay

2014-12-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sharing my opinions and also giving objective reasons why I feel cosplayers should be paid if they are invited or recruited to 'work' for an organisation/club/any form of media. The 'work' discussed here can be defined as menial tasks such as giving out flyers, being a party entertainment, or appearing on any form of media for interviews or as background decorations. In case you haven't sensed my drift. I'm all for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against commercialism, I’m just against exploitation. I believe labor should be paid regardless of who the individual is. Unless of course, if it's for a charitable cause.

Making costumes is expensive.
It's not hard to see how those elaborate costumes with yards of cloth can cost a lot. A lot of people will justify not paying the cosplayers by assuming that since the costume is already made, it doesn't make any difference to them. No extra cost is induced thus the cosplayers have no right to be paid. Following this theory, does it mean if you own a car and paid up all the installments, you should just lend it to someone (you don't personally know) for free? Cosplayers purchased their costumes with either cold hard cash or through their manual labor. To deprive someone else the rewards of their hard work is unreasonable. Especially if you're earning through them.

Cleaning costumes is expensive/troublesome.
It's easy to understand that costumes don't come easy, but few understand that these special costumes require maintenance too. Some costumes require dry cleaning while others need to be hand washed. Regardless of the way it will be cleaned, we can all agree that every wear will contribute to the “withering” lifespan of a costume. And if the work requires entertaining a crowd or walking near slippery mud. There's a fair chance some nasty strangers will help soil it. While some can argue that the diminishing of a costume is inevitable, oxygen and dust alone can help break it down. Please bear in mind that cosplayers wear their costumes to have fun and fulfill their own desires. Why should they risk their costumes to promote you?

Wearing a costume is exhausting and time consuming.
While I agree, not all costumes are uncomfortable, but I'm sure most seasoned cosplayers will agree with me that no cosplay is ever really comfortable. Even if it's not the bulky armor or heavy sword, it's the skimpy bust line. Even if it's not the 4 inch killer heels, it's the winter boots in tropical climate. Even if it's not the heavy hair piece, it's the skull constricting wig net. Even if it's not the spiky accessories, it's the dropping ribbon on your thigh. I don't know about you, but it takes me an average of two to three hours to get everything on and makeup done. Those few hours are always a panicky and stressful period for me.

Each of us is given twenty-four hours per day and the recommended sleeping hour is eight hours. Three divided by sixteen (24 - 8) hours in a day is more than sixteen percent of your entire day. Below is an estimation of the time a cosplayer would need to dedicate.

0.5 hour – Packing, prepping, and ironing a costume
1 hour - Transport time to and fro
2.5 hours - Prep time
2 hours - Work time

A whooping total of six hours! Effectively, that is half a work day and thirty-five percent of waking time. After the cosplay, more time wasted on cleaning the costumes. Why should anyone go through the hassle of dressing up to fulfill the desire of an organisation they don't personally know? Would you exchange six hours of your time for someone you don't know?

Time is money.
Time is precious. People always tend to undermine the importance of something they can't see, but really, if there's one thing you should cherish in life, then that's time. Time is an appreciating asset that grows more and more important as you realize you have lesser and lesser of it. The cruel fact is, everyone was born to die. When the ending is the same for everyone, the only difference comes in the way you live it. Time, unfortunately is something a lot of people assume cosplayers have a lot of. Henceforth, cheap. Many people assume all cosplayers are teeny students. Which is not entirely wrong because the majority of the cosplayers demographics are students, but as the hobby progresses and mature, many of the teenagers have now become young adults with a job. Even if they really are students, their time is better spent revising their textbooks.

I've mentioned many times on different accounts that maintaining this blog, social media pages, and my own cosplays has been very challenging. Writing this entry alone has taken me a few days to complete because I usually have spare time to blog only a few hours. I'm not extremely busy, but I'm not exactly keen to volunteer my time to insincere individuals/organisations either. I don’t know how to put my honest opinion across more politely but no, I’m not interested in helping out in your event and "promote cosplay to the public" for free. That said, if both parties can come to an agreement that benefits both sides then all is great. I don’t know how a cosplayer can benefit from a commercial organizer in any ways other than cash and products, but you get my drift.

Someone is earning through you.
Probably the one most important and teeth grinding point. The event/TV station/media parties are paid big bucks to create entertaining content. Depending on the time slot and channel, a single thirty second advertisement can easily cost more than six digits! Event organizers are paid by their clients to make sure everything for the event runs smoothly and there is sufficient attention on it. To put it simply, event organizing companies are also paid to create hype for the event. If their content includes and some times that hype is you, shouldn’t you get some sort of compensation for your involvement?

Why It Irks Me To Converse With Non-Cosplayers

2014-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

....Or anyone outside of the active community (Photographers, avid Animanga fans, etc) for that matter because they always ask me questions that I find difficult to answer and I always find myself unable to justify and uphold the hobby.

Am I the only one that gets mildly irked when asked, "Why do you cosplay?" from normies? People who don't interact in the cosplay community. I understand that they're curious but, I've explained it so many times that I'm pretty much sick of it. It's not like they'll really get it. Then I get asked what characters, like they'll know exactly who or what I'm talking about. If I don't tell them, they get offended. Why do you want to know if you have no interest in art, anime, or games to begin with? Because that's where most, if not all my characters are chosen or originate from. I don't think cosplay needs to be explained for them to take interest? I just started doing it on my own. Having to repeat myself over and over is a problem. Simply saying it's a hobby I enjoy isn't enough anymore? And for the main reason I get annoyed is because when I do explain, they respond with, "I don't get it, you're just weird". Okay thanks for wasting my time.

Person: What do you do when you cosplay?

Me: I go to the nearest conventions, events, and gatherings and take photos with the occasional RP.

Person: Oh, I see. What do you guys do when you attend events?

Me: We mingle with other fans, attend panels, watch the stage activities, and take pictures.

And it's not like they are even trying to bring the hobby down, they were just being inquisitive! Double fun is how everyone always asks the same questions. I guess they really don't have a clue, huh? Strangely, no matter how much I enjoy the hobby, every fun factor in the hobby suddenly pales and withers when a non-Animanga fan queries about it.

I mean, taking pictures is fun to me, but explaining that to someone else never fails to put a rock in my throat. I think I need some help in coming up with some intelligent answers. The next dreadful comment would be this: “Oh, I think the Japanese cosplayers are awesome, but Caucasian ones are far from it”. Seriously, sometimes I wonder what's the purpose of telling me that. Were they expecting me to bow in agreement and do a cheers hug with them? Are they trying to prove that they know something about this hobby. Or are they trying to imply I won't ever be as good as my Japanese counterpart?

Person: So you cosplay?

Me: Yes.

Person: I've seen some really awesome Japanese cosplayers, they really look like the characters! But the ones in the States can't really match up.

Me: I can't say that I agree. There are actually a lot of really good cosplays from people here.

Person: But the Japanese ones are REALLY good! The ones I've seen are astounding!

Me: Ummm okay, personally I really admire Western cosplayers.

Person: Hahaha, the Caucasian ones are, I'm sorry to say, far from good.

Me: Actually there are a lot of talented Caucasian cosplayers. Have you seen some of their costumes?

Person: Well, maybe they win by their costume, but appearances is another thing.

Me: That's where you're wrong! If a Westerner can do a good job on their costume as well as be of the right physique, they'll look even closer to the characters!

Person: Hmmm, but I still think the Japanese are better. If you've seen the pictures I've seen.

Me: Of course I'm sure. I've seen a lot of very amazing Japanese cosplays, but I don't claim them to be the best.

Person: I still think they are the best. I think it's a personal preference thing.

My point is, can we STOP generalizing!? Yes, there are some very good Asian cosplayers and some not so great Western cosplayers, but who's to say a specific race is better than another when the hobby itself is so varied in presentation? The same cosplayer can be awesome as Character X, but fail desperately as Character Y. There is no such thing as a "1-person-fits-all" nor a “1-race-fits-all”!

I have nothing against Japanese cosplayers and yes, a lot of them are really awesome. I definitely wouldn't reign them as my personal throne master. It could be due to the fact that my language obstacle has stopped me from seeing more of their cosplays. From my admittedly skewed and shallow perspective, I find their cosplays too made-up and lacking in variety. Then again, I guess I don’t see enough of it as a whole to judge. I guess I should schedule a trip to Japan soon, huh? Yet, why is someone who has never cosplayed before giving me his/her critics and comments and expecting me to take it?

What I dislike most is the jab in the back by a supposed "outsider" implying I should know less than them! Every time one of them tells me: "If only you've seen the pictures I've seen." I pulled a muscle restraining myself from retorting: "What makes you think I've seen any lesser than you?". That’s a lot of anger and bitching going on above. I hope nobody takes what I say personally. As usual, I’m not being vindictive nor am I discriminating anyone/any race. My objective here is to share my observation of the reaction from non-cosplayers and start a discussion with like-minded cosplayers or at least people in this community. Am I the only one who gets responses like these when someone finds out you cosplay?

Before anyone jumps into any conclusion, I'm not hating on non-cosplayers for being curious and I'm definitely not hating on cosplay itself. If I was, I wouldn’t be doing it and even going as far as having social media pages about cosplay. The point of this entry is to share my very truthful experience and anxiety as a cosplayer who's also very much human. I know not everyone has the same experiences as me and I understand experience is what the individual makes of it. I also admit I haven’t been superbly confident and I’m still learning the ropes of living gracefully.

Ironically, this entry is simply put out here for non-cosplayers to get an insight into what a cosplayer really thinks when they ask questions like “What characters do you cosplay?”, “What is your most successful cosplay?”, “Why didn’t you choose a sexier costume?”. This is to remind everyone, cosplayers and non-cosplayers alike, that we're all just PEOPLE not a category of something based on our hobby of choice.

I just want to focus on talking about cosplay because that's what this blog is clearly about. It seems like some feel that it can be a problem in my life. Not because of the hobby itself, but the fact that the hobby itself takes up too much time and effort that otherwise would have been better used elsewhere. Some times I look back and wonder to myself , if I never found cosplay would I have become a more accomplished individual? Would I have spent my time on something more worthwhile that can better help the society or elevate my social standing? While we can go on to debate that this is an outcome nobody can predict henceforth theoretically incorrect to discuss for there is no basis for comparison... What I mean to say is sometimes I have these "What if's " in me too.

Many of the people I value and respect in life are nowhere near this hobby. I simply just dread talking about cosplay to most of them. I said most because there are some who genuinely appreciates this hobby. Most of them however, gives me an otherwise impression.

Now, some people might wonder why am I so against curious people asking harmless questions about the hobby and other people are of the opinion that we should never give up sharing this hobby as that's the only way to let them understand the hobby itself. There's absolutely nothing wrong with people being curious. Cosplay needs to be shared so the public eye can have a better understanding of this mysterious and often misunderstood hobby. This might sound selfish, but I just don't wish to be the only one having that talk in real life.

Being an active cosplayer who talks a lot about this hobby, I know this might be hard for you to believe, but I'm actually a very private and low profile person in real life. I'm not an introvert nor am I uninitiated, I'm just very subtle and I am comfortable this way. I really don't mind not talking about cosplay, we can totally chat about other things that the other party is more aware of. I have no problem sharing about cosplays at the right platform, but most of the time I was caught unprepared and in circumstances I'd rather not get affiliated with. Things get tricky when they're from people I have to face on a relatively regular basis. Meaning to say, if I screw this up, their impression of me is distorted.

Like it or not, everything we do is used by people around to judge us. I can't say I'm ready to be judged because of my hobby. I'm nothing like the characters I that I portray. Cosplay is just something I do, not who I am! I am a person with opinions, values, dreams, knowledge, ambitions, and hard work. I don't want cosplay to blur all those up. I know it's superficial of me to hold this front and some people might be of the opinion that we should be proud of who we are, cosplay, anime, and all. I'm proud of myself! I just don't see a need to express it outwardly nor turn it into a dinner conversation. I'm proud of who I've grown into and what I've learnt from life, NOT what I've cosplayed! I might be quiet and unassuming, but that doesn't mean I have no pride or think I am lesser than someone else.

I spend so much time and effort on matters outside of the anime and cosplay community. I'm pressurised, I cry, I get hurt, and learn from so many life experiences. I'm held responsible for so many other things. Why am I still being judged for a hobby that holds so little in my life on comparison to other things I hold dear to? And let's not kid ourselves, we all know how majority of the society looks at cosplay.

You're either:

A) An immature person with kiddish taste.
B) An attention whore.
C) An overly artistic person that they can't fathom, so they associate you with sex and all sorts of weird things.
D) A socially inept loser.

None of the above options puts me in a losing situation and takes me twice as much effort to prove myself. Granted there are still some sane people out there who will look at cosplay with respect, but we all know those are few and far between. Even if they do respect and fancy the hobby, there's no saying they won't magnify the hobby as the root problem causing you to miss your assignment deadline/flunk your exam/arrive late at work/forgetting your household responsibly/etc in the future. Cosplay may be a little different, but its a completely legit hobby! However it is very misunderstood by the mass and I know I can't completely blame them.

Personally, I cosplay because it is an artistic outlet for me. I love playing as a character and putting myself into their shoes and think of ways to present them as realistically as I can. To me it's about being realistic and not pretty though granted 2D characters are always pretty.

While I don't mind sharing about cosplays with non-cosplayers, what I don't like handling is the torrential side effects that comes with it. While I can alter the things I say, there's no way for me to alter someone else's perception.

Halloween Majo (Witch) Lolita Coordinate

2014-10-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Since Halloween is nearing quickly, I had this idea of a Halloween themed Majo Lolita coord that I wanted to try with the elements of kawaii and kowai, cute and creepy.

When magic and sorcery exist, a beautiful girl named Onyxia Winterrose, born into a line of witches with natural magic, a pure heart with an affinity of the elemental air and prone towards healing spells, has been jinxed with the curse of the black rose by her one true enemy. One day she's encountered with tainted black magic disguised as a single plucked black rose, the thorns shrouded in a brewed tonic from one witch to another that sets a deadly curse upon her to where her healing and protection spells are countered and utterly useless. The curse of the black rose is no joke. It means that a special, single black rose is given to a specific person. Then when the black rose withers and dies the ill-fated person's soul dies as well. The one cure to rid the curse, the moon stone. The moon stone is a powerful source that can cure anything, but the closest moon stone is found in one of the most dangerous places in the world and it only comes out every five hundred years. As the darkness speaks to her, it says that a witch's true power comes alive when she abandons all human feelings. It slowly seeps into her, corrupting her the from outside in, wanting to completely devour her soul and take over her body as a host.

The main tint of the entire outfit is white with accents of black and shades of grey. Her features fair like that of a porcelain doll. The right side of her face has a large sort of toothy almost Cheshire cat looking grin, round her eye is immensely bruised and severely scarred with inky shadows, and her pupil red while the right side is left alone.

The top is actually two nightclub dresses overlapping one another. The inside is a sequin cut-out light grey with a sheer arm from Cynde's Femme and a sparkly ivory white from Forever 21. The petticoat and skirt I made myself, the progress you can see here: LINK. Around my midsection are two belts overlapping; a light grey and a black both from Inpire. Covering my legs are two pairs of stockings overlapping; a pair of bold grey from Walmart and black fishnets from the Vampire Freaks online store. The boots are from a store in the Galleria Mall called Love Culture. The silver star pendant necklace is from Spencer's. The Wig is from Dolluxe in the Cosplay Wigs USA section. The witch hat, I bought last year from Claire's and applied some rose clip additions that I got at my local Rite Aid. The potion flask (It had liquid in it. Really it did. A special blend of Vodka from a good friend of mine.) and black rose bouquet were my props that came from Micheal's Arts & Crafts and Hot Topic. Makeup was done by yours truly that was inspired by this here video: , but the weather was warmer than expected and I could feel all that work slowly melting off my face. I have to admit that did screw up some places due to not being able to see without my glasses because I'm blind as a bat, but oh well. The photography work was done by my awesome boyfriend and edits to this photo were made by me. The location of this shoot was performed at Fairmount Park: Carousel Playground.

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What Exactly Makes A Cosplayer Professional?

2014-10-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Many people and some cosplay newbies mistake wealth, fame, and glory as the main point of cosplaying. They see certain cosplayers who are often very popular with the crowd as the ideals in cosplaying and assume that the cosplayer is a "professional" due to the huge numbered stats of their social media followers, the costumes that they wear are very well-made, and are sometimes if not all awarded large sums of cash and material prizes for their efforts. But this is a potentially disastrous assumption to make in the enjoyment of a hobby such as cosplay.

Cosplaying is paying tribute to your favorite character/design concept/idea by dressing up and acting out this character as accurately as possible. Some cosplayers are quite devoted to this idea that they take great lengths to produce the best cosplay of their chosen character. They may employ their own knowledge or hire professionals to help them make their cosplay come true. These fan-made efforts are sometimes so well done that the untrained eye may mistake the effort as something done on the professional level akin to Hollywood or theatrical levels in dressing and acting. But in the case of cosplayers, this really isn’t the point, because they were just doing their best to give tribute to their favorite character.

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Are there really these so called "professional cosplayers"? I don’t know about you, but I raised my eyebrows when the media started labeling very popular cosplayers with that term a few years ago. Something just doesn’t sit right. Might be the whole fandom versus commercialism thing that strikes me as queer.

Dictionary.com defines a "Professional" as below:

pro·fes·sion·al (adjective)

1. Following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.

2. Of, pertaining to, or connected with a profession: professional studies.

3. Appropriate to a profession: professional objectivity.

4. Engaged in one of the learned professions: A lawyer is a professional person.

5. Following as a business an occupation ordinarily engaged in as a pastime: a professional golfer.

As described above by the term, a professional cosplayer should be someone whose livelihood is wholly sustained by cosplay from a legitimate degree from pertaining experience or studies. Or at least, it should be a medium for them to gain substantial financial/material benefits from. Make sense? By strict definition, it's pretty impossible to have a professional cosplayer. By strict definition, a professional cosplayer would have to be someone who is paid to cosplay. Somewhat like a professional actor who is paid to act.

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The most often asked question: "Will I earn any money by cosplaying?" The answer is YES! But it takes a huge effort to make any financial returns especially in cosplay. There's money to gain in cosplay, but none by being just a cosplayer in general let alone. If you want to be involved in cosplaying "professionally" you should become more than just a cosplayer who cosplays.

If you want to earn while doing something cosplay related there are ways:

Professional Costume Maker and Props Maker

Aside from clients who are cosplayers, there are commercial production groups who are in need of clothes and costumes for their actors and models for theater, TV commercials, TV shows and etc.

Professional Hair/Wig Stylist and Make-up Artist

There are many characters who require extensive facial or prosthetic make-up and the make-up skills you honed in cosplay are going to be really useful in related occupations.

Cosplay Model

But mostly if you’re appropriate enough for the particular role.

Cosplay Mascot

There are many companies who need people who can wear full-body costumes while being able to dance and/or act and not every standard actor can accomplish such a feature.

Professional Photographer/Videographer

If you began as a hobbyist you may expand your skills in photography by taking shots of cosplayers! Take it a step further by practicing portraiture, fashion and event photography, videography, or even journalism.

Cosplay-related Events

If you have a background in public relations, marketing and other related roles and if you have enough manpower and resources to assemble a quality event which people (cosplayers, enthusiasts, and the curious) will annually attend.

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Yes, you might argue that Ivy Doomkitty, Jessica Nigri, Liz Katz, Nicole Marie Jean, and Yaya Han are doing it. They're all models that make their own costumes with a history of convention attendance before being paid. If you allow me to comment objectively, I'd say they're earning their bread not directly from cosplay itself, but from their merchandise and presence. And this is the part that gets grey. Even though the above mentioned cosplayers don't get their money from doing the hobby itself, it's definitely their jumping board, trademark, and selling point. So, that makes it hard to separate both entities. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to shoot the above mentioned cosplayers down, I admire them and think they are all awesome in different ways. I'm just analysing objectively. So begs the question, is the term "professional cosplayers" valid?

There are many talents and skills involved to make a successful cosplay. Some of the basics are honed through practice, some are learned in school or in apprenticeships, and higher education. If one were so inclined, and when you’ve learned and experienced enough to be confident in your skills you may be able pursue a career which is related to cosplaying. Remember there is no single educational course to take for it and it isn’t necessary that one stops being a cosplayer when one takes up a professional career. But there's just no such thing as a "professional cosplayer", only professionals who are involved in cosplaying.

Cosplay Assumtions

2014-10-05T15:00:00.001-07:00

When I post photos on my social media pages (Deviant Art, Facebook, Twitter, and Vampire Freaks) from my recent shoots or cosplays I've done in the past, people are mostly cool and respectful, because they know that the sharpness of my tongue is quite legendary and they had best not mess. While the majority of the comments are tame or rather expected, I see a lot of ignorance seeping out of the woodwork. It occurred to me just how many assumptions people make about cosplayers, and just how incredibly incorrect they are. I’m going to address a few of those. Here's five big ones that I'd like to cover.

Assumption #1: "Cosplayers want to be hit on, ogled, or fetishized. Otherwise, why would they wear what they do!?"

This attitude is so prevalent, even among other cosplayers. This is slut-shaming at its finest. The assumption that someone is “asking for it” by dressing a certain way. If you've somehow managed to exist on Deviant Art, Facebook, Twitter, Vampire Freaks, the internet, and the planet in general without being aware that this attitude is considered wrong. Allow me to direct you to some important information on the subject. The bottom line: No one is ever “asking” to be abused, harassed, hit on, fetishized, or otherwise treated as a sexual object. With the exception of the person in question actually walking up to you and saying: "Please sexually harass me. You can touch my boobs. Grope me all you want. Do you want to take souvenir pictures of my ass?" It's never okay to assume that they want any kind of sexual attention from you, or anyone. Period.

And sure, there are plenty of male characters who wear nothing but a pair of briefs. But somehow, it’s not considered slutty or attention-seeking for guys to dress like that. They’re not “asking” to be sexually harassed just for having a body that they were born with and allowing it to be visible.

Well, I could continue on about this topic for ages, but that’s not what this entire piece is about. Let’s move on to the next assumption.

Assumption #2: “You guys have no lives. Get a job or something, and stop spending all of your time on this.”

For some odd reason, people seem to think that all cosplayers are useless leeches who mooch off of their parents, guardians, or relatives and don’t have jobs, school, or anything “better” to do with their time than dress up like their favorite heroines, superheroes, villains, or characters in general.

How do you think we support this hobby of ours? Of course we have jobs. We're adults with responsibilities just like anyone else, and we have no more spare time than anyone else. We just choose to spend it differently. Instead of spending our time and money at the bar or a nightclub, we work on costumes (or sometimes, work on costumes and then go to the bar or club as a reward). Everyone has some type of hobby that they enjoy. This is ours. So no, we don’t have “too much” time on our hands. Most of us would argue that we don’t have nearly enough.

Assumption #3: "So, this is like, a sexual thing? Like a fetish? You guys are kind of like furries, right?"

No disrespect to the furry community here, but people often associate their community with intense sexual undertones (or overtones…or tones in general). And for some people within the community, that’s certainly the case. For some people in the cosplay community, that’s probably true as well, but only a very small percentage of cosplayers do it for sexual reasons. If you ask the vast majority of cosplayers if they’ve ever had sex in their costumes, their answer is going to be “Hell no! I spent way too much time and money on that to risk it getting torn or stained!” People cosplay for a multitude of reasons, but it’s very rare because they’re turned on by the idea of strutting around for hours in a skin-tight, sweaty, pleather or spandex onesie. While superhero and villain costumes are frequently sexy, and yes, nerds do have sex, it’s generally not the prime motivator for cosplay, and it’s almost never an actual fetish. Most people don’t even know the real definition of fetish.

Basically, this analogy sums it up: There are people who are turned on by the sight of a woman’s feet in heels, but not every woman who wears heels is doing so because she’s turned on by it or wants to attract those kinds of people. Some people just like wearing heels. Same goes for cosplay. Yes, cosplay porn exists. No, Anime Expo, Comic Con, etc isn't one giant four-day orgy. Moving on.

Assumption #4: “You have to be in perfect shape or a super hottie in order to cosplay. I’m too short/tall/skinny/fat/ugly/old/etc.”

The short answer to this question: No... just no.

The long answer: There are people of every age, gender, nationality, religion, size, shape, thereupon who cosplay. Literally anyone can do it. Never ever let your gender, race, or weight stop you from cosplaying. Never let anyone tell you that cosplay is about looking good or being exactly what the anime had in mind. If you want to do a head-canon version of a character, do it and have fun. That's what it's all about.

It legitimately does not matter at all. Can it be nerve-wrecking getting suited up for the first time, worrying that people are going to judge you? Absolutely. But if anyone tries to give you shit, kindly direct them to me, and I will give them a piece of my mind. It won’t be a good piece. After you take the first plunge, you’ll be surprised how much fun you have, and how little anyone else cares about what you perceive as imperfections or flaws.

Assumption #5: “Cosplayers are judgemental bitches. If you're not pretty enough, popular, or your costume isn’t up to par with their view or standards, you’ll be shunned. It’s just like high school.”

I can’t begin to tell you how misleading this is. I've met some of my absolute best friends through this hobby and have gained a second family seems like.

This community is awesome. Yes, it has crappy moments. There are assholes, elitists, and sexist douche bags. But for every jerk being a dick, there are plenty of people waiting to take you into their fold, make you feel comfortable, and at home. Don’t focus on the negativity, focus on the positives. We're all nerds here. We all know what it’s like to feel shunned and alone, to be awkward and uncomfortable in your own skin. Cosplay is about getting past all of that. If you’re hesitant or nervous about trying it, don’t be. Just take that step forward and jump right in. Trust me, the first time someone asks for a picture, wants a hug, or squeals and fangirls/fanboys over your costume because they love the character and see you as a hero in their eyes, you’ll realize what you've been missing.

The Problem With Cosplay Popularity

2014-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

As someone who's always been a geek, usually in the process of varying degrees of hiding my nerdiness, the cosplay scene was like a dream come true. I’ve never been involved in a more openly, less judgmental activity. It was a way to express your enjoyment of a certain thing and enjoy it along with others. The accuracy, complexity, or creativity of the costume was paramount. I remember examining the craftsmanship on one woman’s costume as she proudly told me she learned metalworking in order to create it.

Then... it became popular. Mainstream culture moved in, and what happened to cosplay when mainstream culture moved in is what happens to everything when mainstream culture moves in. The values change. The culture changes. The mainstream dynamic of “popular kids front and center, nerds to the margins” came roaring in. Cosplay went from an all-skate to Superhero Suicide Girls in no time flat.

Long-term cosplayers who voice concerns about the costuming and the fandom aspects taking a firm backseat to the hotness of the girl in the costume are told, repeatedly, that they’re “just jealous” because they aren’t as pretty as popular cosplayers, or are called “haters", as if expressing dismay at being pushed to the margins of your own hobby is somehow being unfair.

Cosplay is now dominated by models and women striving to look like models, who sell seductive pictures of themselves posing in sexy costumes. Y'know, there’s nothing wrong with that. My issue isn’t what they do – it’s what we lost when cosplay changed. Cosplay, once a way of expressing fandom with other fans, has become another area of our culture where we privilege the concepts of celebrity, oppressive beauty standards, and the modification of both over everything else.

Women who are young and beautiful and, to a much lesser extent, men who are young and handsome are the “popular kids”. They’re minor celebrities with Facebook fan pages, press attention, and now, web series, films, and video games devoted to them. Their popularity is based on their physical attractiveness. Cosplayers who don't conform to traditional beauty standards are publicly shamed, occupying the same position of “marginalized outsider” we occupied throughout our lives everywhere but the con scene, our little oasis. That was our one place to belong until mainstream culture invaded the cosplay scene and shoved us back to the margins, back to where the “not good enough” are always shoved.

I’m not implying that cosplay celebrities aren’t nerds or fans. Of course they are. Apart from the obvious – that everyone's suddenly a nerd in this cultural moment which I never thought I’d see the day. I absolutely believe that these women are true fans of the work they represent. I absolutely believe that most of them have no intention of marginalizing others. I see some cosplay celebrities regularly championing body acceptance and cosplayer diversity, shutting people down for shaming other cosplayers, and encouraging people of all types to get their nerd on.

I don't blame the cosplayers nor do I expect or even want them to stop doing what they’re doing. I’m so committed to not blaming the cosplayers themselves that I refuse to post any pictures of them along with this article, because I don’t want anyone to feel implicated or blamed. Cosplay celebrities are not, however, in control of the culture at large and even the most vocal supporter of nonconforming cosplayers has little power to change mainstream culture as a whole.

The problem isn’t cosplay celebrities themselves, it’s the way mainstream culture requires our celebrities, especially the women, to conform to oppressive beauty standards, the way we com modify women’s bodies, and the way we divide women into categories of “acceptable” and “unacceptable.”

Conforming to traditional beauty standards is the basic entrance fee to celebrity. Our culture demands that women who participate in the kinds of activities that might make one a celebrity conform to these beauty standards or receive a barrage of shaming. Actors, politicians, singers... and now cosplayers. Where once upon a time a cosplayer could be anyone with a costume and a lanyard, the rise of cosplay celebrity has brought with it our culture’s oppressive normality for female and often male bodies in display-related activities and that extends to body size, body type, gender identity, age, and race. Before this change, the display was from fan to fan, largely unseen in the mainstream community. Now it’s celebrity to admirers or perceived as aspirations, bringing with it all the cultural restrictions on who is allowed to occupy that celebrity space and who is not. Mainstream culture demands that we know our assigned places and stick to them or the shaming is fierce.

The cosplay community was never perfect. Don’t get me wrong; there are douches everywhere. There’s nothing apart from being publicly shamed stopping anyone of any type from slapping on a costume and living the dream. I see cosplayers who don’t conform openly flouting the new oppressive standards, setting up Tumblrs for cosplayers of size and of color, with some cosplay celebrities in full, vocal support. I see resistance from lots of sources and it’s good.

It would be disingenuous in the extreme to assert that there’s been no change in the cosplay community over the past five or so years or that all change has been positive. It would be disingenuous in the extreme to pretend that the mainstream dynamic of “popular kids > marginalized misfits” hasn’t taken over cosplay to at least some degree, particularly in how it’s expressed on the internet and in press coverage, which is, let’s face it, MOST of cosplay now. Cons are only a few days long and not everyone can go to them, so cosplay celebrity lives primarily on websites, fan pages, and the like.

Even as they sit at the top of the heap, is cosplay celebrity nothing but good for these young and beautiful women? Their authenticity is questioned nonstop, as if beauty can't coexist with a love for comics. A young and beautiful cosplayer is inundated with disrespectful attention from the kinds of guys who are at the con primarily to see hot girls in costume – the new phenomenon of cosplay fans. There's always been young and beautiful nerdy cosplayers and there always will be, but they haven’t always been forced into a cosplay situation that values their beauty far more than their craftmanship, or that forces them into competitions they never sought over “who’s the hottest Poison Ivy” or “which Slave Leia is sexier?”

I don’t have a solution. I don’t think one exists apart from the obvious: keep resisting and keep the conversation going. I think cosplay will slowly become more accepting of cosplayers whose size, age, gender identity, or race currently marginalize them, but only if we choose to carve a place for acceptance of difference in a space where acceptance of difference used to be the norm. I honestly don’t know if that'll make it easier or more difficult. Maybe the change will come when mainstream culture gets bored with us and tosses us back onto the scrap heap.

Chiharu Dawn & Killer J's Lolita and Gentleman Gathering

2014-07-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

This was my first time ever hosting a Lolita and Oji (Gentleman) gathering with my good friend and fellow cosplayer, Killer J. This event took place the weekend after Anime Expo at Fairmount Park: Carousel Playground. A little therapy for the post-con blues. We would absolutely love to plan another one and we're more than happy to see this as a frequent thing for us. Not only was our cosplay community involved, but we happened to get some interested beginner Lolita to attend. Everyone was able to get a little photo session by by good cosplay friend and photographer, Belgain Du'Ran and Yume Photography.

We provided green tea or matcha the Japanese term, mini turkey/ham/P.B.&J sandwiches, and sweets that included Marshmallow macaroons, chocolate sandwich cookies, home-made chocolate with a hint of mint, Oreo cupcakes, and chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes. These delights all were pitched in by everyone who attended.

This is the beautiful Cherry Blossom and her lovely Sweet Kyandi (candy) Lolita cord. She's wearing is a hell bunny pin up and petticoat from Pin Up BOOtique located at the Ontario Mill's Mall, Southern California. Her accessories are a scrumptious lollipop necklace and earings that are from Claire's. Her kyandi parasol is from a Gothic shop located out in Redlands, California, the name is unknown. That cute macaroon pillow she's holding is from an online shop called Squishables.

This is the sharp and handsome, Gabriel. He's wearing a black polyester dress shirt with a pinstripe vest that came from his local thrift shop in Redlands, California as well as his silver clock face handle black cane. His tie was a gift. His black slacks and dress shoes with buckles are from Macy's. His Tungsten and skeleton Victorian profile ring came from Lolley Tea Time. His top hat came from Spirit Halloween Store.

This is the wonderful Imelda Shori and her Gothic Lolita cord. She's wearing a black/red dress and bows that she made herself. Her stockings are from a shop in downtown Los Angeles, the name unknown. Her shoes came from her local thrift store and were painted with an overcoat of black. Her pink wig was borrowed from a friend. Her cute and fluffy panda backpack is from one of the seller booths in exhibit hall at Anime Expo located at the Los Angeles convention center.

This is the amazing Killer J and her Guro or grotesque Lolita cord. She's wearing a white ruffled blouse she bought at her local Goodwill that was stained with fake blood and a navy blue skirt she made herself. Her lace tights are from Forever 21 and her white flats are from Payless. Her parasol once belonged to her father, but was in terrible condition, so she mended it and added the lace and ribbons. She secured a blooded gauze to her eye.

Here is the villainous arch-type, Casual Cannibal. He's wearing a navy dress shirt from Big and Tall with a white blazer over it from Forever 21. His white gloves came from a Halloween super store with black finger less on top from Big 5. His eye patch came from his local 99 cents store. His dress shoes were previously his fathers which were purchased at a store out in Costa Rica, the name unknown.

This is the tremendously kawaii Kim and her Classic Carousel Lolia cord. She's wearing an Alice in Wonderland dress from BODYLINE as well as her ruby shoes with a blouse underneath from Snidel. Her blonde wig and white rabbit earrings came from a seller off of eBay. Her red bow, white lace cuffs with a red ribbon, white thigh high stockings, white ruffle socks, white rose half painted red ring, and "eat me" ring she made herself. The cane she made out of wood with an over coat of paint and wrapped with ribbon.

This is me, Chiharu Dawn and my elegant Gothic Lolita cord. My black dress is from Milanoo and underneath lies a petticoat from Lorelei's Dancewear, a shop in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Covering my torso is a lace corset from Cynde's Femme as well as my necklace with an overcoat from Papaya. I got my lace stockings from a local costume shop that also sells Gothic pieces and accessories. My wig came from an online shop called: Dolluxe in the CosplayWigsUSA section. My black rose headband is from WalMart and my lace gloves are from Hot Topic. My shoes I borrowed from my cousin and I have absolutely no clue as to where she got them. The edits to this photo were made by me.

This is the fantastic Leroy Jenkins and her Classic Lolita cord. She's wearing a yellow floral dress, bow, and knee socks from the Lolita Charm booth in the exhibit hall at Anime Expo located at the Los Angeles convention center. Her shoes are from Avenue. Her curly brunette wig came from a seller off of eBay. Her blue flower crown came from Ren Faire.

This is the adorable Rindr and her Gothic Wa Lolita cord. Her black Wa dress came from an online store brand in China called Kira Kira as well as her shoes. Her black knee-high's are from Target.

This is Coolpizza23 and her tomboy Oji (Prince) Lolita. She's wearing a white collared shirt, light blue pin stripped vest, and jean shorts from the her local thrift store. Her red overcoat is from the Burlington Coat Factory and her shoes are from Payless. Her wig is from an online store called Cosplay Magic. Her gloves and top hat came from Party City.

This is the lovely Cupcakehippo and her Gothic Lolita cord. She's wearing a black lace dress that came from her local thrift store. Her ruffled socks are from Dollar Tree and her red velvet shoes were borrowed. Her silver wig and black bow came from a seller off of eBay.

This is the awesome Syra. She's wearing a 1900's era floral dress, frilly under blouse, with a white petticoat from her local thrift store. Her white lace gloves are from Claire's and her black choker from Hot Topic. Her black leather belt and white shoes came from her local Goodwill. Her wig came from a booth in the exhibit hall at Anime expo located at the Los Angeles convention center. Her contacts are from a store in Los Angeles on Sunset Boulevard, the name unknown and the other at Chicago discount store. Her Japanese parasol was purchased at town festival.

Anime Expo 2014

2014-07-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a little review on what occurred at Anime Expo this year.

Day 0: I was planning on attending Day 0, but the hotel that I was registered at was only for days 1-4. I wasn't planning on cosplaying, but if I did I'd garner my miko (shrine maiden) garb. I was a bit upset because I was scheduled for a photo shoot that day with a good photographer friend of mine, Pika Inc. Photography.

Day 1: I cosplayed my Lolita version of Ghoulia Yelps from Monster High. The day started out great when I ran into a lovely Dawner that wanted a photo with me after parking the car near the hotel where I'd be staying and found another Monster High cosplayer (Rochelle Goyle).

But waiting in that long line in front of the convention center in the scorching heat was horrible. I waited almost three hours to get my badge and I was about ready to give out. My right leg and standing in those wedges... I couldn't take it. I literally felt like crying. My knee was swollen and there was blisters on my feet. The panels that I wanted to attend that day were changed to another time or cancelled.

Day 2: I cosplayed my original kunoichi Ginna Tsukihana and my boyfriend with me present as Shino Aburame from Naruto Shippuden. We attended the Naruto gathering at three in the afternoon and I sorta felt neglected since my cosplay was an original character (OC). To be honest, I don't think originals are appreciated enough like Cannon. It should be treated equal especially when someone puts in the time and effort to make their cosplay. Feeling down in the dumps, I left about half way through the gathering and went to the Sailor Moon panel to sit down and no later than ten minutes to get up because it was over. I was able to film just a bit though.

I forgot which booth it was in the exhibit hall, but I got my badge signed by Cristina Valenzuela the voice actor of Noel Vermillion and a picture with her as well as Patrick Seitz the voice actor of Ragna the Bloodedge. I wish I would've brought my Blazblue: Continuum Shift DS game to get signed, but I had no room in my luggage for any extra stuff. Wandering around the entertainment hall a bit more, I ran into one of my cosplay idols, Monika Lee and got a photo with her. Later that day since I never got the chance to do so, I was planning on posting stuff to my social media sites and my laptop immediately ran out of battery life and better yet my cord was forgotten back was in the car. That's why I couldn't post any morning cosplay previews nor images of my whereabouts for my AX give-away.

Day 3: I cosplayed my original senshi Sailor Aquarius: Guardian of the Winds with my keyblade Wind's Requiem in hand. It was repaired for the time being and went through kind of a color change on some parts to hide the chips and cracks, but it made due since I ran out of time to scrap and make a new one. First thing that morning I went and took my keyblade to the weapon check booth. Apparently my chain was too long and can only be 12 inches. What the hell!? I got my orange tag and was asked to hold the commissioned keyblade, Way To The Dawn while my boyfriend put the chains away in our bag. I was bumped into by a cosplayer and lost my grip of my own keyblade. It fell to the floor and the same part of my keyblade broke again. I was pissed because I'd have to repair it again. I immediately went to the back of the entertainment hall to the cosplay repair section and hot glued the piece back. My wings that were attached to my converse were getting in the way so I secured them with tape while I was there.

I went to the Kingdom Hearts gathering at two in the afternoon accompanying boyfriend since he was cosplaying Roxas. We both were supposed to meet up with a client of ours for the Way To The Dawn keyblade, but he never showed. This made the both of us extremely mad because we had to lug it with us for the rest of the day also due to the fact that he never called nor messaged us before hand that he was unable to make it.

I got to the line in the exhibit hall for the Viz Media booth before three in the afternoon so that I could get a good spot instead of waiting in the back and got a Sailor Moon poster. It wasn't what I expected and I was utterly disappointed. I felt like it was a complete waste and I brought my Sailor Moon tee for nothing. It was NOT the signing of the original cast just a photo op of the new cast. I thought that I would be taking a photo with them, but I was wrong. I was only allowed to take a photo of them and then leave if I wasn't taking photos. It was completely ridiculous and none the less the staff was rude. I was supposed to attend the Sailor Moon gathering at five in the afternoon, but the shun that I got from the Naruto gathering on Day 2, I didn't bother going afraid of the same type of reaction. Since my give-away wasn't going as planned and I had made no posts I decided to cancel it all together and save it for another give-away that I'll have later that's international instead of restricted for those who couldn't attend AX.

Day 4: I cosplayed Gumi Megpoid in beach attire. I got my first EVER cosplay interview by Steampunk Starraisin from AmberStreet.com. It was such an honor and that made up for all of the negativity and the drama during those past three days.

Well, it's over and I'm home. Anime Expo was okay for the most part, in spite of the problems and drama I experienced. I'm glad that my boyfriend and my closest friends were there for me throughout the whole convention experience making some of it enjoyable and cheering me up. I wish I could have went to a lot more panels and spent more time with certain people that I wasn't able to hang out with, but it's done and can't be changed. I made a few new friends, some of whom I'm still trying to find. Hopefully I'll go again next year. Here's to hoping, at least.

Cosplay Etiquette

2014-04-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

When in a convention or your nearest cosplay gathering you want to show your fellow cosplayers some courtesy and manners even if they're merely beginners or advanced in their craft.

1) Politely ask for permission before taking a photo.

2) Don't block hallways or walkways for impromptu shoots. Always move off to the side.

3) If a cosplayer is eating, on the phone, watching an anime/playing a game on their laptop/tablet/Nintedo DS, or otherwise preoccupied, please don't bother them.

4) Don't hijack another photographer's shoot. Please wait your turn.

5) Cosplayers are people too. Don't be offended if they don't want to take a photo. They may not be feeling well, may be in a hurry, or have some type of emergency to attend to.

6) Respect personal space. Others may not be comfortable with you touching them , or parts of they're cosplay.

7) Don't "glomp", hug, or tackle others without their permission. Doing so could damage their cosplay or seriously injure the cosplayer and yourself. Unwarranted physical contact is NEVER acceptable.

8) Harassment will NOT be tolerated. Rude or lewd comments are NEVER acceptable.

9) If you want to take a photo of a cosplayer in a different area or setting, please ask politely first. If they decline, respect their wishes.

10) Don't criticize, sham, or bash, the quality and appearance of someone's cosplay. Most beginner cosplayers aren't as well equipped or skilled as advanced cosplayers or don't have the budget to pay for such an elaborate cosplay. Be affirmative and respectful.

11) No means no. Always respect the other person's wishes.