Updated Soul Eater Photoshoot!

Elysia of Fenyx Design posted a couple of new pictures of our Soul Eater cosplay photoshoot! Here they are:

Eruka being choked by the sinister Medusa :O

Mimi as her ultra cute Eruka~

Here's the link to our previous Soul Eater photoshoot photos with Elysia. We will update everyone when she posts the rest :D.

-Stuart-

Cosplay Progress - Mask Construction and Gloves

Ahh progress, it is nice to finally post you again, hehe.  Since my last update, I've added plenty more craft foam and hot glue to continue the formation of Deus Ex Machina's mask.  At this point, the task is a little more strategic than just gluing foam everywhere I could.   I am still constantly looking back at the reference photos to make sure I am accurate with my shapes, but through this process I am getting a better sense of how to make the angles work for me.  Mimi has offered plenty of her help in creating this mask in the form of advice and some hot gluing (even acquiring some burns in the process Q_Q).  

Anyways, here's my updated progress gallery:

Created the upper eye framework.

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Built the cheek and chin frame work. Also replaced his "tooth" under the eye framework and bent the chin.

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Also in progress news, I received some hockey gloves that I will use as a base material for my MZMA gloves.  I got the idea for using hockey gloves from this Instructables tutorial on how to make Hell Boy's RHoD. These things are HUGE on my hands, so they will work perfectly for MZMA.  I plan to cover the tops in red fun foam and maybe spray paint an orange gradient on to it afterwards, but that's just me thinking.

We cut off the BAUER logo part to make room for the craft foam that  we will use.  

The most pressing issue for these used hockey gloves is to remove their intense smell of sweat.  If anyone has any good ideas on a deodorant for these, let me know (THEY REALLY STINK!!!! X___X)

Thanks, I will keep you guys updated! :D

-Stuart-

[[[For reference, here's a link to the last update]]]

Distant Worlds Concert

I spent the past few days visiting a friend in Boston, and the fact that Distant Worlds, a concert comprised solely of Final Fantasy music, was playing at the Boston Symphony Hall was actually the catalyst for the impromptu vacation.

If you are a fan of video game music and Nobuo Uematsu in particular, I urge you to attend at least one of these concerts. The Video Game Orchestra was absolutely fabulous, as was the conductor, Arnie Roth. I'm not too proud to admit that I started crying during the Opening - Bombing Mission song from Final Fantasy VII. And again during the Opera "Maria and Draco" (Aria di Mezzo Caraterre) from FF VI. The waves of nostalgia were overwhelming. I was also not prepared for how amazing Dancing Mad would sound on a massive pipe organ, and the clips of Terra fighting Kefka from Dissidia Final Fantasy playing in the background only made it that much more fantastic (and made me really wish I had a PSP).

Kefka, you singularly crazy bastard.

There is something to be said for live music - recordings just cannot compare. I have to say, the screen behind the orchestra playing clips from the games added to the performance - and not just because some of them were almost like inside jokes for the audience. Remember that obnoxious tapping noise when your characters walked around in Final Fantasy VIII? Yeah. Now imagine hearing that in a concert hall. And, of course, what Final Fantasy concert is complete without a rousing chorus of One Winged Angel a la Final Fantasy VII?

Man, I wish my seats had been that good. Note to self: order tickets many months in advance.

- Song List -

(because I couldn't find one online and it was driving me crazy)

-Prelude

- Liberi Fatali -VIII

-Victory Fanfare

-Don't Be Afraid - VIII

-Distant Worlds - XI

-Dear Friends- V

-Vamo' alla Flamenco - IX

-Zanarkand - X

- Aeris' / Aerith's Theme - VII

-Chocobo song from XIV + Swing de Chocobo

Intermission

-Opening- Bombing Mission - VII

-Dancing Mad - VI

-Blinded by Light - XIII

-Fisherman's Horizon - VIII

-Opera "Maria and Draco" - VI

-Terra's Theme - VI

-One Winged Angel - VII

I do have one complaint, however...Why only one song from FF IX?!

What is the relevance to this blog, you wonder? Well. It came as no surprise to me that there were a handful of cosplayers scattered among the audience. My tally was as follows: Aeris - 2 ; Squall - 1 ; Generic red mage - 1 ; Moogle - 2

Now out of a crowd of over 2,000 that might not seem significant, but keep in mind that this is a formal concert situation. However, I noticed a wide range of outfits- from people in jeans and hoodies to people in their finest formal wear. Most orchestral concerts I have attended were in Europe, and I can't tell if people in the US don't dress as formally for concerts or whether this was a result of it being a video game orchestra rather than a more traditional concert.

Now pretend this is a dude in a hoodie with ears.

So I pose a question to all of you - is it appropriate to cosplay at a formal concert? Even though this was a video game concert, should cosplaying be considered an appropriate, respectful homage to the composer and the series, or is it too outlandish or informal for an orchestral performance?

In other news, I apologize for my absence. Cosplay updates will start as soon as the MCAT has been vanquished. Less than two weeks. I am beyond terrified.

~Kathryn

Details on the MZMA costume

I'm posting some screencaps from the Black Rock Shooter PSP game for Stuart and others are are thinking about doing MZMA cosplay.  The quality of the pictures are low, but hopefully it shows enough details for people to understand the motifs on his jacket.

Front view

Details on the collar and head piece

Details on the glove

Details on the sword and glove

Back view

Back view

Front motif detail

Leg pouch detail

Back of head

That's that!  Hopefully this can be useful for the people out there planning to cosplay MZMA.  I'm still having difficulties understanding his coat (is it a long coat + skirt or a short coat + skirt?).

Anyways, here's a preview of upcoming wig review from Gachapin!

Don't forget to subscribe/follow our blog!!!  We also added a new fish feature on the side for you to play with.  Thank you!

Mimi

Wig Review - Red Wig for MZMA

Wig review?!  I've never done one of those before, but I might as well give it a shot.  I mean, I'll be working with it for the next couple of months anyways.  Here goes nothing! :P

I ordered the Short Medium Layered Cosplay Shag - True Red from CosplayWigsUSA as a suitable match for MZMA from Black Rock Shooter: The Game.  It arrived in a wonderful manila colored, bubble wrap lined envelope and included the wig and a wig cap.

This wig is perfectly colored for MZMA's hair.  The length at the moment is a little long, but we will shorten and style it eventually to be more appropriate. The tips of the hair are feathered out nicely, and the wig itself is pretty full.  The wig cap that came with the package is pretty nice quality as well.  I think I'll be happy with this wig :) 

**The following pictures highlight both the wig and our amazing new wig model Gachapin :D (he's a dinosaur in case you were wondering).  **

Gachapin, the wig, and the CosplayWigsUSA card.

Back view of the wig

Side view of the wig, and Gachapin looking forlorn.

Gachapin in his "I'm a sexy model" pose.  He has a bright future ahead of him :P

Gachapin modeling the wig cap.  Very nice.

We will most likely have pictures of ourselves with the wigs on at some point, but for now Gachapin works very nicely.  We may feature him modeling some of our other wigs and cosplay apparel as well.  Comment if you have any other pose suggestions for him in the future XD.

Thanks!

-Stuart-

Sneak Peak of our Soul Eater photoshoot with Elysia!!

Elysia from Fenyx Design is awesome!  She has posted four photos from our Soul Eater photoshoot and they are looking amazing!  Here's a sneak peak of Stuart as Stein and Kathryn as Medusa.

The background looks like...blood O.O;

The other photos can be viewed HERE.  Many thanks to Elysia for shooting/editing/posting the photos!
In case you are wondering, our first batch of photos taken by ourselves are HERE.

Mimi

Insane Black Rock Shooter: Progress 2

So here is a quick update on my costume~ :D
You will see that I'm super ADD when it comes to making costumes and I like to work on everything at once...without finishing anything >.>

Anyhow, first up are the shoes!  Shape-wise, I have pretty much finished the very bottom part of the boots, the wings need to be reinforced and the entire thing needs to be either painted or covered with vinyl (have to decide what to do...)

I have also made one piece of the knee part, it needs a lot of calculations that I have no patience for right now.

Second, the bodice of my armor~  Since Stuey made that body form for me, I really wanted to test it out.  I dug out some old patterns and made a preliminary shape for the bodice armor.  It will become thicker eventually.

Front view

Side View

Back View

The taped areas are places that I want to insert a buckle-type thing for so that I could  easily put on/remove the armor.  Now that the body form has been sitting for a while...it has gained a ton of fat rolls O.O;

Last but not least, the claws!  I have a pair of gloves that have a small hole on it.  My dad bought me some replacements for them, but I'm still rather attached.  It is made of really soft leather...anyways, the point is that I don't want to glue anything onto my gloves.  I made "knuckle rings" as claws to put on my fingers.  I haven't made the very bottom part of the gloves, which will cover up the flower motifs.

The big piece is velcroed at the palm area to hold it.  Anyways, I might glue the claw parts onto the gloves eventually...or not...we will see.

That's all!  Let me know if you have any questions!!
Mimi

Cosplay Progress - Masks and Half-People

Getting stuff done feels good, and blogging about it feels even better, lol.  Recently I have been working on my Deus Ex Machina mask/headpiece. I have begun to collect pictures of the mask in its formation from start to beginning.  Hopefully I will be able to write a tutorial once I am finished, but for now, I will describe the process as it has been occurring.

The first step was to create a basic mask framework.  Mimi helped me shape thin strips of cardboard to my face shape and size. 

After this, the nose and chin components were built as guiding points and anchors from which to build more facial components.  Fun foam is our material of choice.

The next part is a little hard to describe, because at this point we basically just took fun foam scraps and glued them to places to help the mask take a little more form, in no specific order.  The goal for this transition was to create a little bit of "sunken-cheek" look and to connect the nose to the bottom half of the face.  This was done wonderfully with lots of help from Mimi. :D

If there's anything I have learned from Mimi in the crafting world (other than glue gun burns can hurt a lot), it's that I should think of this project as sculpting with small pieces of fun foam,and  that fun foam can be used for anything and everything.   At this point it looks like the mask could either belong to Deus, or the King of All Cosmos haha.   

The other awesome thing we did recently is to create a body form for Mimi.  She was very patient as I duct taped around her for about an hour and a half.  We followed this tutorial from Threadbanger, but used regular duct tape instead of water-activated packing tape.  

Look, it's a ghetto Saber :P

After Mimi had a couple or so layers of tape on her, we cut through the shirt and tape body mold, re-taped it together, and stuffed it with some old shirts and pants of mine.  The final result? :

A wonderfully shaped figure that Mimi will be using for future sewing and armor-related endeavors.  I call it SeMimi, because it's more of a half  Mimi than a mini-Mimi.  Hehehe.

Well, that's all for now people.  We will be sure to keep you updated on anything cosplay related, or maybe just whatever tickles our fancy for the day.  Thanks!

-Stuart-

EDIT: [[[Here's a link to the most recent update]]]

The General Consensus - A Pseudo Rant

There comes a time in every cosplayers life when he or she is either verbally harassed or gets very rude stares from passers-by. This negative attention typically comes either from other cosplayers, non-cosplayers at conventions, or the so-called "normal" people you run into outside of the convention space.

For the most part, other cosplayers are more understanding than the other two categories (Although you will probably get judged regardless). However, you will always run into the occasional incredibly stuck-up individual who, sometimes regardless of talent or costuming ability, will take an immediate dislike to you - possibly because you are cosplaying the same character.

But I digress. I have decided to share some experiences that I/we have had at cons. Notnecessarily bad ones, as I don't want this to turn into an angry rant- just things I have heard people say, be they amusing or not so amusing.

This was taken somewhere in the "normal" part of town, right before the extreme social awkwardness of the moment became evident.

While cosplaying as the Witch at Animazement:

• Our group of Left 4 Dead cosplayers accidentally wandered too far away from the convention area and into "normal human territory" while looking for food (actual food, not zombie food). We knew we had gone too far when people in cars were stopping and staring, a cop seemed like he was trying to decide whether to arrest us for something, and people who were clearly not at all affiliated with the convention stopped us and started taking pictures of us in front of a restaurant with their phones. Awkward times.
• At one point some guy came up to me and said something along the lines of "You've got to have balls to wear that." Thanks...I think? Regardless, it was only afterwards that I realized how incredibly naked I looked. Definitely glad I did that cosplay with a group.

We knew what we were getting into.

While in our Panty and Stocking cop outfits at Katsucon:

• Small child comes up to us with his parents in tow, pointing, and says "Look mommy, are those policewomen?" Parents looked very awkwardly at us in our slutty cop outfits. I almost died. Also, I'm pretty sure this happened twice.

• Catcalls. Not unexpected, but I just try to ignore them.
• Male hotel staff members telling us to "Please arrest us, officers, we've been very bad." Temporarily amusing, if also vaguely uncomfortable. Also, like we hadn't heard that one before.
• It was dark by the time we headed back to the hotel, and random people who definitely were not with the convention started taking pictures with us. They may or may not have mistaken us for streetwalkers.
• Also, the looks we got from the hotel staff were somewhat less than friendly. You'd think they would be used to Katsucon by now. We're not eating babies or skinning cats, so please don't look at us like we are scum.

What many people don't seem to understand is that we are cosplaying characters - Characters whose personalities and clothing choices have nothing to do with our own. It doesn't make us crazy, it doesn't make us immature - it's a hobby, just like playing an instrument, or watching football, or crocheting, or base jumping. Okay, maybe not exactly like base jumping. What could be scarier than looking up and seeing cosplayers inexplicably falling from the sky?

I appreciate it when I am dressed up for a con and people on the street ask us where we are going. They're curious, and I'm happy to explain to them. Sometimes they look at you like you're crazy, sometimes they nod and smile nervously, but sometimes they seem genuinely excited. It's the people who scowl and move away that really bother me - but what can you do other than try to be polite?

Cosplay is something we do because we enjoy it. People tend to be wary of or hate things that that they don't understand, and I feel like this is such a shame - and not just in regards to cosplay.

But you know what, in the end...

This.

~Kathryn

This doesn't make sense, Japanese people! (ここが変だよ日本人) Cosplay edition

The title of this post is taken from a pretty old Japanese variety show that I used to watch when I was little (I was in 新潟 "Niigata" for elementary school). The show basically takes a group of foreigners and fire them up for a discussion about what they think is weird about the things Japanese people do.  My dad used to call the show the うるさいshow (annoying show) because the people on it always yell at each other for no apparent reason other than cultural differences.

Anyhow, I'd like to take that idea and discuss something that I thought was weird about Japan in terms of cosplay.  Many of you have probably seen this phenomenon if not heard about it.  It's called Anigao (アニ顔) literally translate to Anime Face.  Yes, it's the face masks that I'm talking about, the ones where (mainly) girls wear to make themselves look more like anime characters.  If you have somehow fallen off the face of earth and have never seen a picture of this, here it is.

Picture taken from Ascii.jp

Yes, that's a regular female wearing a mask that makes her look like an anime character.  I don't really know how this is perceived by my readers, but I think it is freaking creepy.  I understand that cosplay is about wearing costumes that will make you look like a certain character, so this idea of wearing an anigao mask is very....feasible (?).  However, something inside me finds anigaos repulsive.  Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, so I will respect it if you say that you enjoy seeing/wearing anigao.  

Anigao is usually worn with a fleshed colored bodysuit (kigurumi) that imitates perfect skin and the lack of...joints? XD

You can see from this picture that she/he is wearing a layer of...skin

Now, this is not even the weirdest part of this whole thing.  What really put this whole phenomenon on top of the others in terms of weirdness has to be the price one pays to obtain one of these masks.  How much would you spend on a mask for cosplay?  $10? $50? maybe even $100? Well, ladies and gentleman, these masks cost more than the 80GB PS3s, around $800.

they are made out of...silicon?

Even the blank ones that you could paint for yourself are around $500.  If you think I'm lying, go to this website to check it out yourself.

Now, why are they so expensive?  The only reason I can think of is that since they are all customized to fit each person's face, each time a new mask needs to be made, a new mold also needs to be made.  But a price around $1000 is still high.

There are very few anigao cosplayers outside of Japan, but I did find this one tutorial that teaches you how to make the masks and some other details behind the whole phenomenon.  Here it is!

The final thing I have to say about anigao is that it does embody the idea of perfectionism within cosplay.  Even though I think it is creepy, I do respect people who spend that kind of time and effort for cosplay and have to endure way more judgement from than the rest of us.

What's your opinion of anigao cosplay?

Until next time,
Mimi