Where to get materials for Cosplay costumes?

When you decide to jump into the world of cosplay, the players you find online or at cons may intimidate you with their elaborate costumes and seemingly endless detail, however don’t get discouraged! Many of them started where you are, a vague plan, little idea where to start and a small budget!

The key to finding great cosplay materials is to think outside of the box. What can you manipulate to replicate? In other words, what can you use to “fake” the look?

Obviously hand crafting a leather skirt of armor might be a little out of your price range, but a quick trip to the local thrift store and a few bucks later, you can walk out with an arm full of leather belts you can them disassemble and recreate into your desired piece!

Thrift stores are full of great opportunities for materials (and very affordable too) like old prom dresses, old leather and fur coats etc!

Additionally, look around your own house. Do you have any clothing, craft supplies, old kitchen gear you don’t use any more? You can strip down items and find interesting pieces to repurpose.

For many costumes, we have “builds” to make that require framework and heft, so never count out your local hardware store. Some even have scrap bins they are happy to let you look through for free where you might find the piece of odd pvc you needed for a frame.

Of course local craft stores are also ripe with fabric choices, notions, buttons and feathers you might find useful!

The easiest way to discover a find is to keep a list of pieces you are working on handy, then as you come across something interesting you can check your list (which would ideally include a rough sketch) then you can compare it to see if you can use it somewhere!

Cosplay has no hard and fast rules, so your costume building shouldn’t either! Let your imagination guide you and keep an open mind! The key is to have fun, relax, and the more you do it the more you’ll know the next time around! 

That's Going On at SDCC 2017?

San Diego Comic-con is almost upon us, nerds rejoice! The most popular comic book convention in America brings fangirls and fanboys of all ages and background to the Golden State. The convention is only a little more than three days, and there is going to be so much news from the biggest superhero franchises that I’m sure you won’t know where to start. Don’t fret! Here are all the biggest happenings at San Diego Comic-con 2017: 

l Many popular television shows and companies are having panels such as: 

l The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Marvel’s The Defenders (Fri., July 21)

l Stranger Things and Westworld (Sat., July 22)

l Exclusive screenings of never-before-seen content from highly popular franchises.

l Workshops for those willing to perfect their cosplay skills.

l Screenings and panels on new anime and manga ready to hit the American shelves.

This convention is no doubt a paradise for those who love to dive deep into the geeky topics of the world. Being the home of some of the rarest content in the comic book business makes San Diego Comic-Con an extraordinary privilege for anyone lucky enough to step into that convention hall. It has an event or panel for just about every type of nerd out there. Head on over to the official site to see what they have that align with your interests, but if you don’t have a ticket before reading this chances are you’ll be looking from the outside in. 

You can see a full program at the official site.

What is it like to try LARP-ing?

If you’ve never heard of “LARP” it stands for Live Action Role Play, which is basically the best thing ever!

It is an experience where a community of like minded people come together to enjoy being in the company of people with similar interests and passions.

The people come in character (including costumes), either of their own design, or from popular shows, books, comics, graphic novels, anime and basically anywhere their imagination takes them!

Costumes can be simple, home made jobs, to amazing, elaborate hand made creations that win prizes and contests!

In LARPing there are three basics, the world, it’s rules, and the people who live there. Someone creates a story (a world) with details about these three things, and invites like minded people who are interested to join in what is basically a day of stress relieving make believe!

You keep in character and can battle, have a fellowship, go on an adventure, the possibilities are endless!

There are usually several people involved, the game maker, non-players, players (of course) the game maker’s support team etc. They all work together to make the experience as “realistic” as possible, and to make game play smooth and fun.

Generally the “game” lasts several days or weeks and players meet up regularly (at a city park etc) to keep moving through the story.

Games take place in three main styles (although there are others) battle (or Dagorhir), storytelling and role playing. Each style has it’s own set of rules and expectations that will be made clear to you.

While some people may be nervous about giving this world a try, in reality it’s a friendly community of people who share your interests, have fun, and take a break from “real life” to enjoy doing something they love!

If you’d like to find out more, search online for local chapters and groups or check out this site! 

The Growing Importance of Women in Geek Culture

As geek culture evolves there is a emphasis on diverse and more representative media. In a culture that is often on the cutting edge of non-mainstream entertainment the need to have a progressive outlook that might challenge mainstream constructs of gender. This interrogation of gender roles in geek culture allows for new and inventive ways for women to mark their cultural mark in a way that mainstream pop culture might not allow.

Geek culture has not always been a progressive, inclusive place for women, in fact geek culture had a very poor record for treatment of women, with geek and gamer content creators experiencing misogynist bullying that sometimes resulted in stalking behavior and violence (see gamergate). Another unfortunate mark on the treatment of women in geek culture is the use of extremely sexualized female characters in the games, film, and television.

Geek women and men have begun to turn these unfortunate tropes of the large breasted vixen or the chaste weaker female its head with characters defying this categorization and sometimes providing direct commentary on the stereotypical female roles that preceded them. Strong female characters are now among the writing goals of a lot of non-mainstream entertainment allowing for a healthier and more representative view of women in geek culture.

While the content of the media embraced by the geek culture is recognizing the need for equal gender representation, women as content creators are also making their mark with women as the show runners television cult favorites, creating games and writing some of the key pieces of fiction contributing to popular geek culture.

There is still a long way to go but the more inclusive direction that geek culture is taking is allowing for better representation and a more dynamic creative landscape in which women and men can create, enjoy and interact with niche media and vibrant fandoms.