Geeks Run The World! - Cosplay Edition

While I'm not yet able to sew anything on my own and my expertise lies more in purchasing costumes as opposed to making them, I am still a person that can appreciate an amazing example of cosplay when it's right in front of me! There are a lot of geek bloggers on the internet that equally appreciate the fine art of dressing up as their favorite characters and thus transforming themselves for a day, both internally and externally. It seems I'll be dipping into the SuperHeroesque files once again, along with another favorite source to bring you some great posts about cosplay that have come to inspire me recently!

#1: Matt "Starman" Morrison from My Geeky Geeky Ways

I came across this post that Starman did on the SuperHeroesque site titled "Being A Hero", and since reading it the first time I continue to go back and re-read it for various reasons. One, it's extremely well written, and I feel like if Starman and I knew each other in real life that we would be great friends :) Secondly, I really enjoyed how Starman was able to talk about a serious serious and important issue from the context of a geek, as well as a cosplayer. Even if the heroism that Starman produces in real-life isn't as defying of the laws of physics as the real Doctor's might be, to me Starman is an everyday hero, and for that I salute him wholeheartedly :) Just like Starman says at the end of this article:

"Because that’s the final thing I learned by being The Doctor. It’s that while there are monsters in this world and they can look like anyone, there are also heroes. And like The Doctor, they can look like anyone. So anyone could be The Doctor. Anyone could be a hero. Even you."

#2: Mia Moore

Mia is one of the cofounders of SuperHeroesque, and she recently wrote a post titled "Cosplay & Self Esteem." I'm sure that if I wasn't perpetually made of stone that I would have been weeping when I first read this article, but more so for joy than for anything else. Mia perfectly nails the complexities of what a cosplayer can feel as they create their costume and don it for the world to see. She writes about how cosplaying has made her feel confident in her own skin and about how her image of herself has been transformed since embracing cosplaying as not only a hobby, but a lifestyle. To me, and I'm sure to anybody else that has or will read this article, Mia is gorgeous inside and out and she inspires me by her bravery in writing such a personal piece and deciding to share it with all of us. Not only that, but she makes a kick ass Ramona Flowers! 

Mia also writes frequently about her cosplaying endeavours on her personal blog, xoMia, so PEASE take a look there if you're into cosplaying or you're just starting out and want to learn more about the intricacies of the hobby.

Now for my personal addition to this topic: Hearing Starman's tale about being an everyday hero inspires me to go out there and do good, and try to be somebody's hero in any small way that I can. I do a small bit of volunteer work but reading this post has me wondering whether or not I should get involved even more. As for Mia's post, I feel that same sense of empowerment when I'm cosplaying and I'm happy with how I look and no matter how old I get I know I'll be rocking conventions dressed as my various favorite characters. For a bit on my own cosplaying background: I've been attending conventions for 5 straight years, and this summer will mark my 6th when I attend Niagara Falls Comic Con in June and Fan Expo in August. Normally I attend Anime North, although I'm taking a break from that convention this year since I've never been to FanEx before and I want to give it a shot. Here's a sample of some of my attempts at cosplay, along with a preview of the costume I recently received in the mail.

My Cosplays

Cosplay #1:
L from Death Note
Anime North 2009

Cosplay #2: Franziska vokKarma from the Ace Attorney games.

- Anime North 2010-2013

Cosplay #3: Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club

(image not available) - Anime North 2011

Cosplay #4: Kahoko Hino from La Corda d'Oro-Anime North 2013

Cosplay #5: Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite.
Niagara Falls Comic Con & Fan Expo 2014!

*~Can't wait!~*