Archive for October 2014
Halloween Majo (Witch) Lolita Coordinate
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.
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.
<——–(o...O...o)——–>
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What Exactly Makes A Cosplayer Professional?
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.
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:
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.
If you want to earn while doing something cosplay related there are ways:
Professional Costume Maker and Props Maker
Professional Hair/Wig Stylist and Make-up Artist
Cosplay Model
Cosplay Mascot
Professional Photographer/Videographer
Cosplay-related Events
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.
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.
<——–(o...O...o)——–>
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:
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.
<——–(o...O...o)——–>
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.
<——–(o...O...o)——–>
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
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.
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.
