Cosplay Update: Or, Plans of Mice and Men and Unemployment

There’s not a day that goes by that my blog doesn’t get a ping for my article on being fat and cosplaying. I am so grateful that people have responded to that article, as it is probably one of the essays I’m the most proud of on this blog. The issue of body shaming in the geek community is very near and dear to my heart, and something I want to see spoken about more. So to that effect, I wanted to update where I’m at in my cosplay odyssey.

The answer, unfortunately, is nowhere. My cosplay adventure got stalled out pretty quickly because of two serious issues: time and finances! First, my graduate school life took over pretty much everything except my freelance writing during the past year, and along with health issues kept me from doing anything else as a hobby. Still, I was busy preparing by picking up little costume pieces that I’d find along the way. I managed to collect a few costume pieces for outfits I wanted to do, and then promptly lost income. Those pieces are sitting and waiting for me to complete them, but they’re just bits along the way. What costumes? Well, let’s take a look at the things I was interested in doing.

Ellie from Borderlands 2 

Would you believe the hardest part of this costume has been finding the dang overalls? I have a friend I am going to commission to make the giant wrench (and make it boffer safe too so it can be used in LARP combat too!), and I found a great toolbelt I wanted. But the thing that stopped me cold was finding overalls that would work. Apparently, overalls for someone my body type is very difficult. And finding them in New York is even harder. I really want this to be my first major cosplay, but it’s taking a little bit of time. In the meantime, I actually have more pieces for…

Generic Agent of SHIELD

I’m styling my costume off of Agent May’s and some of Skye’s outfits from Season 1, but I’m not trying to be either of those characters (one because Agent May is too awesome and second cuz I loathe Skye’s outfits). I’ve got this amazing black jacket that reminded me of this black and blue leather one from Agent May, plus a pair of black, well-fitting slacks. I even got an old bluetooth headset that I’m mocking up to look a little like a SHIELD earpiece. I’ve got the authentic replica badge. I’ve got the SHIELD patches and collar pins. I’ve got a pair of kickass boots to go with it. And now, the last piece: I want to make a Night-Night Gun.

Or at least find someone who can help me make one. I know crafty people! I’m still wondering however what’s the intelligence of trying to go out and cosplay with something that looks like, well, a pistol. In today’s day and age, in New York especially, that’ll get me some serious trouble. I’m debating. Point is, add some aviator shades and this might be my serious cosplay debut. I want to have it by NYCC of this year.

Peggy Carter

Speaking of the original Agent of SHIELD herself, when I heard that Peggy Carter was getting her own TV show, I got the idea in my head that she’d make a great cosplay. So sue me, I’m a stickler for that military uniform thing. I love the WW2 hair and how singularly badass she is. I’m sure that I’ll pull a great deal of BS for being heavy and trying to cosplay the rather svelte Carter, but it’s something I’m considering. The uniform would be the hardest part, because I have not seen a single one in a larger size. It’d have to be custom made, and that would be pretty difficult considering my novice skills as a seamstress. (Bless my departed grandmother for teaching me to use a sewing machine!) Still, it’s something I think could be a lot of fun to put together and I could pull off the Carter attitude well.

Those are the only three I have active pieces for just yet. However. HOWEVER. Here are a couple of costumes I desperately want to make in the order of importance to me.

Grey Warden and Female Qunari: Dragon Age Origins and Inquisition

Oh. OH Qunari. Why are you my favorite fantasy race ever? Could it be because you brought an inexplicable sense of gravity, presence and depth to a dude in a cage in the first Dragon Age game, and never stopped impressing after that? From the moment you meet Sten in Dragon Age: Origins, I felt as though the qunari were one of the best fleshed out, well-built fantasy civilizations and races ever. They are utterly foreign to the Fereldens and ‘monstrous’, yet when you start to learn more about their culture you start to understand that they aren’t just two-dimensional creatures. There is an entire civilization going on that the humans have no idea how to understand, and unlike elves they aren’t easily understood by tropes from other fantasy literature. It’s that mystery that brings me to want to cosplay a qunari. That’s why when it was announced that qunari would be playable in Dragon Age: Inquisition, I kinda went out and pre-ordered the premiere edition (with the pretty ‘dragonscale box’ and everything). Because this, right here, is one of my fandoms.

It should be no surprise then that I want to make me some Dragon Age cosplay. My first inclination was going to be to do a Grey Warden from Origins, but I have yet to graduate to making armor for cosplay. That is some ‘I have no idea how to do that yet’ next level stuff. So instead (because this is going to be so much easier) I’m going to try a female qunari.

This is the character I’m basing it off of from one of the Dragon Age comics that I adored. Now, I’m not entirely okay with the whole ‘bandages over my breasts as a shirt’ thing so that’s going to get adjusted. But I’m not trying to be THAT qunari exactly, just a female qunari of my own. That said, its’ going to be an ambitious project. The horns alone, getting a good wig, figuring out a good way to keep them both from being a problem. Then the makeup. Oh the makeup. And the various pieces. This is going to be a complicated cosplay, but if done correctly would be very worth it.

This cosplay, should I get it down, would I believe prepare me for the bigger challenge of taking on armor characters. I really want to try out making a Grey Warden. But my real dream? Is this:

Brienne of Tarth. Probably one of my favorite characters of all time in books or television. Now this costume not only has a million little details, it would require some serious custom armor pieces. I’d need to consult with some folks I know who are more familiar with armor before I took this on, but… it’s a hell of a cosplay. This is sort of my white whale, my dream should I ever be able to figure it out and get the cash and time. Those are the main stopping points keeping me from cosplaying right now.

Well no. One more thing. I’d also have to figure out: where the hell do I PUT all of this…?

For now, we’re sticking to Ellie and the SHIELD agent, and we’ll go from there.

So that’s my cosplay update. As soon as the cash flow gets better, we’re going to tackle these head on. One way or the other, I’m going to have something to cosplay when I get to NYCC this year. Because, to paraphrase a movie I like: Cosplaying and Body Proud.