#Mario-style Mario Cosplay Costumes

[cosplayclans]

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023 Mario-style Mario Cosplay Costumes

[horseimagebarn]

horse dressed as the titular character mario mario of the mario video game franchise this horse wears the characters iconic red hat and overalls but has replaced the typical red undershirt with a red saddle pad or cloth and red wraps on its forelegs this horse is committed to the costume as it even wears a mustache on its nose and a blue saddle to match its overalls however it seems a bit shy about this impressive act of cosplay as it stands with its head sheepishly lowered its gaze downward but perhaps once it leaves the stable and gets out there its confidence will be bolstered

[mel-loly]

-My costume for the school Halloween party lol

[zs-art]

Cosplay recreation of some comic panels from Super Mario Adventures (1990s)!

. Since i already have the wig styled (by me myself & i~) might as well make the most of it 😜 i also sewed both costumes 👌 (except the L hat)

. Princess Luigi means so much to me 👑💚🤌

. can you believe i've been cosplaying Luigi to conventions for over a year now- that 2023 movie rlly got me into a rabbit hole lol

[cosplayinamerica]

Cowboy Peach & Mario  with Toad  @hollarityart @icecolebrew  @thechristopherescalante / photo : ejen

 I have been cosplaying Princess Peach for almost two years now and I have cosplayed as her in her regular princess gown, her vacation swimsuit, a witch version of her regular dress, her red carpet dress, her wedding dress, and now her cowboy outfit.

 I grew up loving Princess Peach when I was a child because she was a beautiful princess who could hold her own in a video game world. She’s demure yet determined, and a personal role model. Peach is such a joy to cosplay because almost everyone recognizes her and is so excited to see her. I especially love seeing how kids react to seeing Peach. 

Conventions can be overwhelming and confusing to people, especially children, who are not used to all the characters and activities there, but Princess Peach is a familiar face they can recognize. Having worked with kids for a few years now, I enjoy being a reassuring presence and greeting kids and families with a warm smile and a Peachy platitude.

When the video game Princess Peach: Showtime was announced I knew I had to try one of her new outfits. She has several new costumes in that game and while I was drawn to many of them, it was Cowgirl Peach that called to me the most. 

As a homegrown Texan it felt great to represent my state and heritage with this cowboy fit. For this cosplay I re-used my Peach wig, her brooch, and my Bowsette horns (another similar cosplay that has horns). 

For the new elements, I thrifted and modified most of the pieces- the chaps were a pair of vegan leather pants I found at a thrift shop and cut into the correct chap shape. I also picked up a belt and cowboy boots at the thrift store too, and I modified the belt to fit through the chaps and through a rodeo style belt buckle. I work at a children’s toy store so I picked up some of my cowboy gear there (the hat and some accessories). And the lasso was a repurposed Wonder Woman lasso of truth, haha.

I am big on recycling clothing items I already have, and this was a great down to earth cosplay to do that with. My husband cosplayed Cowboy Mario with me and most of his outfit is clothing items we already have plus additional cowboy accessories I picked up from the toy store I work at. His outfit is based on the Mario Party cowboy outfit!

The response was wonderful! So many people asked to take our photos and the gasps of recognition we heard when we turned a corner or got off an elevator were delightful. It really feels like being a celebrity when people stop to ask to take your photo. We even had a moment when we were talking to someone real world famous who has millions of followers (I won’t name drop) but people stopped to ask to take photos of us  while we were RIGHT next to them. It is so surreal, and makes me want to work harder each time I cosplay. It’s like being an ambassador for the character. You want to represent them respectfully and leave people with a great impression. 

[yanderu-deredere]

a/n: to commemorate the beginning of october (which his halloween month), i've decided to write this little cute thing! hope you guys like it hehehe

what they yanderes would wear as halloween costumes

warning: gender neutral reader, absolutely no mentions of reader being a specific gender, mentions of reader being sexy LOL, mentions of costumes that might not conform to reader's gender/crossdressing

eun-jeong yoo ★ profile

beauty and the beast lmao

eun-jeong would really want to do an animal cosplay with you doing a matching costumes

so like beauty and the beast, werewolf and red riding hood, wolf and sheep, etc etc

he'd be the type to like buy pre-made costumes but then he'll see how badly the pre-made costumes are and do the costumes up a little bit more LOL

he wouldn't do a good job of it but he'd try to make it look better

liam arieh ★ profile

mans is nothing if not a mythology freak

he'd be the worst date to take to a halloween party becos he'd do some obscure shit and then be a bit annoyed or arrogant when people can't guess who the two of you are dressed up as

think persephone and hades, aphrodite and ares, orpheus and eurydice, achilles and patroclus, pylades and orestes, etc

most people will just guess that you're a greek couple LOL

you could probably convince him do do an angel and devil couple

gavin byrne ★ profile

no jokes, he'd wanna do those like stereotypically sexy halloween costumes LMAO but like the both of you have to do the same one

like for example: two sexy nurses, two sexy black cats, two sexy demons, etc etc

and it'll be like exactly matching LMAO no matter your gender (if you're comfy), you guys would be wearing female nurse outfits or sexy witch outfits

and the worst part is that like he'd 100% buy them from spirit halloween or the local party store so they're not best quality either

ayaka yamato ★ profile

would die to be able to do a j-fashion lolita outfit with you LOL

she's always wanted to dress up that way but it's hard to go around in lolita fashion and also it's something that immediately sticks out so she's never done it

but yeah, it has to be something cute and frilly

she'd pay attention to detail a lot and commission some renowned tailor or something to do the outfits

they have to be the same colour scheme so that it's obvious the two of you are matching

ryuunosuke yamamoto ★ profile

anime couple, anime couple, anime couple--

it can literally be any anime couple you want but it has to be from an anime that both of you have watched together/that both of you really love

he's a professional-level cosplayer so like he'd take over (but will let you help if you really want) and the cosplay will literally turn out so so good

he won't shy away from like armour or mech suit type stuff either

fujio watanabe ★ profile

won't really wanna dress up but you can force him to LOL

will only wear a costume if the costume is really easy to put on

like it has to be as easy to put on as regular clothes. it has to be something like a shirt, pants, maybe head gear but like nothing too complicated so it has to be either a headband or a hat

so like you're stuck with really boring costumes like cowboy? police man? stuff like that LOL and they'd be the cheap kind you can buy

gawain byrne ★ profile

vampire, vampire, vampire--

but like not dracula vampire! oh no, it'd be like period specific vampire with the loose white ruffled long sleeve shirts and tight pants LMAO

very victorian gothic style

and you have to also wear victorian gothic style. you don't have to be a vampire tho but i think gawain would just have a lot of fun putting on fangs hehehe

he'd want your costume to include like two red puncture marks tho LOL to signal that you're his vampiric snack

ryouta watanabe ★ profile

not to be repetitive but like video game couple, video game couple, video game couple--

would totally dress up as mario and princess peach or luigi and bowser if you'd like LOL

as long as it's like a video game that both of you love to play

he'll also do a cosplay of more detailed outfits like something from league of legends or overwatch or valorant

he's also a seasoned cosplayer so it'd be easy peasy for him to make a cosplay for both you and him

yeong-bae kigal ★ profile

GOD I KNOW I JUST SAID IT BUT video game couple, video game couple--

but yeong-bae would want it to be a bit more cutesy? so definitely like cookie run cookies, pokemon?, mario characters? something like that

would shy away a little from more complicated outfits like mech armour or video game outfits from more fight-y games. not becos he doesn't like them but becos they really want to look adorable and cute with you LOL

yeong-bae is literally in charge of a lot of the outfits the band wears so like he'd be really great with making the halloween outfits

he wouldn't be professional level though and he'd ask a little help from their stylist

soren kumar ★ profile

BORING BITCH

he'd wanna do something work related or uniform related lmao like a police couple or like a nurse and doctor? it definitely would be the type of outfits that are readily available and would be low effort for him

also low-key just wants to see you in uniform LMAO not that it's a kink or anything but just that he thinks it'd be sexy

and it's very! heteronormative! nasty man! he'd wear the man police uniform and (regardless of gender) he'd want you to wear the woman police uniform (cus it's sexier!!), etc etc

you can definitely argue with him abt it loool and he'll relent

would get them from spirit halloween or some cheap store though

emm fiala ★ profile

would want to dress up as something where she can utilize her burns. think freddy kreuger, jason, deadpool, frankenstein's monster

would want you to be her victim if she dresses up as a slasher or maybe be the spiderman to her deadpool? or even better, be the bride to her frankenstein's monster?

she'd definitely be all over you, doting on you, if you decide to dress up as her bride LOL and then you, casimir and her can be a trio! (frankenstein, his monster and his monster's bride!!)

would want to be more hands-on with the harder stuff of the costume like masks or weaponry but is absolutely useless when it comes to finer detailing like sewing together the clothes

casimir fiala ★ profile

desperately wants to dress up as a mad scientist LMAO just becos he already has the lab coat right so might as well?

would love for you to dress up as his deranged patient or as frankenstein's monster? or as his science experiment?

the outfits would be very home made but casimir is good enough and sewing. he's also very resourceful about things and can figure out how to make a decent enough costume

mel lowell ★ profile

honestly would want to be a wolf and something else couple LOL and no, the irony does not escape him

so something like wolf and red riding hood, wolf and pigs, wolf and sheep, etc etc

would buy the costumes becos he can't really control his shift enough to not freak people out if the two of you go to a party or something

he'd definitely buy online though and he'd make sure they costumes are really durable and can last a long time just in case the two of you want to save them for something else? or for next year

isamu lowell ★ profile

doesn't wanna dress up LOL but not becos he doesn't like halloween! it's becos he wants to go as himself for halloween

unlike mel, he's very eager to just go as a werewolf!

but, like mel, he wants to do a wolf and something else kind of cosplay! honestly, at this point, you might just become three wolves and a lowly sheep group cosplay LOL

like i said before, he won't need to really buy his outfit just becos he'll transform into it LOL but, for your outfit, he'd want it to be the highest quality he can get his hands on becos he wants you to be comfy

leonard lowell ★ profile

honestly, leonard wants to go with the flow so whatever you want! but be warned that he'll be very critical of the outfits LOL

the costume has to be high quality and, if it's not, he'll nag you or just take the costumes and try to do them up a little bit so they're more comfortable

he'd be willing to do a wolf cosplay if you want to go with whatever the other wolves want LOL but he'd be like a very anime-fied sexy werewolf, yknow what i mean?

might even throw in a thick leather collar in there to be extra sexy LOL

[trainno4]

Two posts in one day once again!

Now I already talked about this I think, but Gerald and Lee-Ann are two X series OCs that I really love to death. They’re siblings with a strong bond that get helps get them past some pretty crazy trials they have to get put through. (Here’s a picture of them by the way just in case you don’t know what they look like:

Gerald and Lee-Ann’s bond is partly inspired by Mario and Luigi actually, with how close they are with each other despite their differences, and how they cooperate and work together with each other too. So! Since it’s still October, usually people dress up for these occasions yeah?

Well I figured a good Halloween costume both the Reploid siblings can have is of the people that helped inspire me to make their bond! Mario and Luigi of course!

Of course….the two of them had to take some liberties when getting dressed up, only being in armor and all….nothing a few coats of paint can’t help with! Right? Although they should probably wait for it to dry off first before jumping around all over the place like they’re plumbers. And they technically aren’t cosplaying as the Mario brothers…they kinda have their own hats and style goin’ on a bit, but Gerario and Lee-annigi still have their style very inspired by them.

The drawing is of course iffy on some spots, I tried to put Gerald in Mario’s famous jumping pose, but it came out a bit off with Gerald’s left arm. I drew it WAY too long there. But even with the mistakes, I still think I knocked this out of the park. Solid stuff for Halloween I’d say. Glad I was able to get this charming piece out before October ended. I wanna try and get one more piece out but we’ll see if I can do it. Hope you guys liked my double feature today! 👌

[gemstone-golem]

Week 1 of my daily art project: OCtober!

Its just a whole bunch of my ocs (plus my friends' ocs who im going to be drawing every weekend (not on day 1 tho)) in assorted halloween costumes/cosplays!

assorted info about my choices under the cut! also, my ask box is open if you wish to ask any questions about them!

-The Ball Lord is designed to be this hyper intimidating, but ultimately pathetic anime-style antagonist, hes crazy and his design reminded me of JJBA's The World, so i had a lot of fun with that.

-Starral is mainly dressed up as rosalina because of her origins. Shes a hyperactive lady whos super energetic and emits a literal aura of energizing energy, because shes all inspired by the Starman from mario. thats really the main reason i drew her as rosalina. pretty lady dressed up as pretty lady, sounds egood.

-Retina is another weird choice, shes a robot with giant eyeball screens for a head and shoulders, so i thought making her into "that one eyeball enemy from super mario 64" sounded fun. so Mr. I she became! shes also donned in a ton of lethal lava land textures because that sounded fun to do for me.

-the object fighters are all like. no thinking choices. potato is vegetable, so is pumpkin jackolantern! sprite is drink so is pumpkin spice latte! grapes are fruit so is cranberries and those are from thanksgiving but whateva!!!! theres a lot of lore about them im disregarding but the most interesting is that battle potato is a seasoned war veteran, thats about all i think is important enough to say.

-Bee-J is an infected hollow knight bee made by vespa, specifically having parts of his brain removed that make him act on violence. the hive collapsed and he was still alive and vespa's plan ultimately worked because he physically cannot think to be violent. anyways the radiance and bee-j are just a dumb comedy duo where beej is having a good time and the radiance wants him to fucking kill so bad. i thought turning the radiance into an afro sounded fun so i made im into the disco zombie from pvz sounded great.

-JAM-35 (or James) is just a gangly thin robot. making him look like endo 02 out of a bunch of spare junk like cardboard and tape sounded fun so i did that. im really happy with the pixelated face and the scan lines thats just something i wanted to say.

-Chill was specifically my friend's sona, she wanted me to draw her as the 14th doctor she cosplayed as once, and i did. i also kinda did it because i wanted to make one of my characters commemorate that me and my friend finished watching doctor who series 10 which was really fun. i had a great time with it! so this really just killed two birds with one stone. amazing awesome fun yes.

[lifestylelaguna]

Feel the Cyber Thrill this August!

Looking for the best deals on everything tech? Ready to play at the largest nationwide sports area? Now is the best time to visit SM Supermalls and unleash the gamer within as it celebrates the latest tech innovations and gadget trends, with exclusive deals and promos this Cyber Month! 

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Get ready as SM transforms its malls into a larger-than-life e-sports arena. Gamers and e-sports fans are in for a treat at the CyberMonth celebration, at over 60 malls nationwide, as community tournaments and an immersive gaming environment take center stage. Tag along with your friends and watch some intense and epic battles as players try to outplay each other at the community matches. 

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Venture into different worlds with AweSM Kids. Kids and kids at heart can have some fun at the Kids Zone–-an interactive area featuring popular games like SM Kids Roblox and Minecraft every weekend for the whole month of August. 

The GeekCon is on! SM celebrates all things geek this Cyber Month including a Cosplay Competition. Every Sunday, bring your favorite anime, manga, games, TV, series, and comic book characters to life through elaborate costumes and performances that will wow the crowd. The GeekCon will also feature activities that geeks will love such as collectible toy displays, visual arts masterclasses, meet-and-greets with popular streamers, and Collectible Card Game Tournament. 

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Mark your calendars! August is geek-out month with these fun-filled activities and deals in store for you this Cyber Month at an SM mall near you. Game on and shop #TechAssured gadgets and get exciting deals when you #CheckCyberzone. 

For more information, visit www.smsupermalls.com/cyberzone or follow @SMSupermalls and @smcyberzone on social media.

[chinabambi]

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Peachy 🙌🏻🍑🥳✌🏻😍🎁⭐️🎂🙃💖 30th birthday party 💖 @smokeyjoeschelt #cosplay #costume #fancydress #eighties #nineties #retroparty #crafty #makeityourself #retro #cosplayer #makersofinstagram #party #mario #mariocosplay #princesspeachcosplay #princesspeach #fashion #style #designer #besties #partytime #thirty #thirtyflirtyandthriving #girlswhocosplay #creativehappylife #birthday #birthdaygirl #smokeyjoes #cheltenham (at Smokey Joes Vintage Cafe) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0HF5vHnb2M/?igshid=11iuzse4lr7uf

[kookie-doughs]

Beta Tester

Kozume Kenma X Reader

-YN LN is a popular mangaka

Chapter 29: Tested

As you sat in the middle of Kenma's sprawled leg, you two cuddled with controllers at hand.

A year at most had passed since the release of Puri Puri Magika: Lost Magic™ and things happened.

Of course PPM recieved a lot of rewards and the hype of the game still hasn't died which surprised you. A multi-player version was also released after 5 months.

You had publish and completed 2 Manga and have a new one on going. Your Manga recieved an anime adaptation which made you proud.

Kenma had won awards as well. Not that we'd go into that🙄. He also 'forced' you to move in so he could make sure you're living healthy and not staying up for a week finishing your script. He also dedicated a day where he streams with you, so you could rest.

You both usually used your time playing games that were on top charts. And among all the games only 1 game almost topped PPM.

The game Kenma had asked Sakujo to make. They publicly released it as a dating simulator, which you could either end up with Kenma or you.

"You idiot! Just fucking die already!!" You screeched as you button mashed.

Right now you were playing Street fighter to match with Kenma's retro theme of the month.

"You suck at this."

"Shut the fuck up! How do I do Kamehameha?!!!??"

Kenma sighed, "It's not called Kamehameha idiot. It's called-" He didn't need to finish his sentence when his character finished you off with a yell of "Hadouken!"

You looked at how your character lost and clenched you jaw.

"You suck!!!! You're a cheater!!!! I hate this let's play something else!!!!!" You screamed.

Kenma frowned at how loud your were but obliged. He checked the comments to see which games they were recommending.

"Let's play th---" He was cut off when the door slammed open outside.

The two of you looked at each other.

"Y/N!!! BABEEEEE!!!!" You heard your Soulmate yell at the living room.

"AHHH! Kuroo!!!!" You hopped off Kenma and ran to the door.

Kenma wouldn't agree but according to the comments, Kenma gave a horrified and broken look the moment you jumped off.

"This idiot." He grumbled and followed you as fast as he could not bothering with his stream.

He saw how you and Kuroo approached each other in slow mo, skipping to each other. So Kenma had no trouble grabbing you by the hood of your hoodie and frowned at Kuroo only to see Alisa holding Kuroo in a choke hold.

"Hey Kenma!" Alisa smiled.

The blond nodded and dragged you behind him.

"Alisaaaaa! Kenmaaaa!!!! You can't split away soulmates!! Let us goo!!!" You and Kuroo struggled from their hold.

Managing to free a hand you both tried to reach out to each other, only for Alisa to choke Kuroo harder killing the poor man.

"I came to borrow YN~" Alisa sang looking at Kenma.

"If she's going be like this, you can have her."

"Swap her with Kuroo?"

"Why the fuck would I want Kuroo?"

"Well I can't have both of them! Do you seriously want them arrested? Again?"

Kenma groaned at sighed. He let Alisa drag you to your closet and he was stuck with Kuroo.

After you got prepared to go out you gave Kenma a kiss and tried to do it Kuroo as well but the demonic aura of the two scared you both so you decided against it and went out.

Unbeknownst to you the two male had a talk about something. Unfortunately unbeknownst to them, the stream was still active...

Alisa dragged you from shop to shop. Buying this and that.

After what seemed to be 3 hours you and Alisa went to a food court.

To your surprise you saw Keiji, Tenma and Yamaguchi together.

"Y/N! Alisa!" Satori greeted.

"What are you guys doing here?" You asked shocked.

"Well we wanted to hang out and Alisa said you were with her so we went here." Tenma grinned.

"Satori dragged me with him." Akaashi said.

They all joined you and then conversation just flowed perfectly. You talked about this and that while eating.

You'd check on your phone hoping to see a message from Kenma but you got none.

"You keep checking your phone, want us gone that bad?" Satori frowned.

"N-No! I was just checking if Kenma left a message."

"Did he?"

"Nope. I kinda wanna go home now."

"Oh my god what if he's cheating on you?" Satori gasped. Which earned him a hit from Alisa and Akaashi.

"As if that hermit could get anyone else. Especially with Kuroo following him. My Soulmate would make girls pass out before they could even glance at Kenma."

"I don't understand why YN loves Kuroo more than Kenma." Yamaguchi laughed nervously.

"Alisa prefers Kenma. Kuroo prefers YN. Kenma hates everyone." Akaashi pointed out.

"If Alisa would let me I wouldn't mind being a third."

"One thing we agreed on is never put you and Kuroo together and unsupervised. So no I don't think so."

"When did you learn that?" Tenma asked.

"After the two got arrested." Akaashi answered.

"Huh?"

"It was at a train. Something... Explicit happened." Alisa sighed remembering what happened.

"H-Huh?"

"YN went on her knees on a train. They didn't actually do anything, just suggested the thought but I guess it was enough to get them arrested." Akaashi explained.

"That's where the KenYN break up came in."

"I'm surprised Kenma and Alisa are still dating you and Kuroo at this point."

"I know right?" Alisa cringed. "Anyway we should continue our shopping spree."

You all stood up and roamed around for another hour or two until Alisa got a message.

"We should go home. Kuroo just texted me. You guys wanna come with?"

They all shrugged and said they'll meet you at your place.

When you got home you got home you laughed seeing how messy your place was. It was like there's a con going on at your house.

Everyone in it was Cosplaying as some game character. There were people you didn't quite know who.

"Y/N!!!!" Kuroo came barelling towards you in his Luigi costume with Mario right behind him.

"Ahh! Where's Akaashi?!" Mario, who turned out to be Bokuto, asked.

Alisa stepped in front of you before Kuroo got to you and turned to Bokuto. "He's on his way. He probably changed clothes."

"What's happening? Why is everyone dressed up?"

Kenma came out of the room with his Overwatch cosplay. You told your friends you were going to Kenma and went over.

"Well hello there. What's up with everything?"

"Do you not know what today is?" Kenma asked.

"Oh fuck, is it our anniversary?"

You and Kenma just looked at each. You fucked up.

"You don't know when that is?"

"P-psh. Of course I-I know!

Kenma flicked your forehead and walked away after saying, "Get dressed. Choose whatever you want."

And now he's upset at you. You felt guilty about forgetting what today was.

Luckily you and Kenma often Cosplay during stream so you had spares. You decided to go as Graves from League of Legends with face beard and all.

Everyone was looking at you when you got out of the room which made you feel anxious.

Was this party for you and you forgot about it? It wasn't Kenma's birthday that's for sure. What could it have been?

Alisa came to you in a KDA Akali Cosplay that you assume Kenma lent her.

"Oh my god the photos are gonna be so great."

"I think Kenma's mad at me..." You mumbled.

"When is he not?"

"I don't know what today is..."

"Just- it'll come to you sooner or later."

You frowned as you scanned the room for your man. You saw Akaashi in a Kingdom Hearts Cosplay, Satori and Wakatoshi in a Tomb Raider costume. Hinata and Kageyama in Danganronpa. Link, who is Atsumu, clinging to Skull Kid. Sakujo and his husband wearimg you and Kenma's character in PPM.

But you found no one in an Overwatch costume.

"Excuse me..." You heard from the front. It was Kuroo, Bokuto and Kenma on an improvised stage.

"I'm sure everyone here knows what's going on right?" Kenma said exaggerating on the word everyone.

"Today, to continue our celebration we will be having a treasure hunt! The treasures you're looking for are in a form of a game loot box of various game style."

"There are a total of 21 loot boxes around town. One of them empty. You are to bring the loot box unopened here and you'll claim the prize of whatever it is in it. You could either come home empty handed or 100k courtesy to our dear host."

"The clues to the boxes are cut evenly to all the players. All the players will have 1 clue. Each players could only get one loot box and it has to correspond to your clue. Come up and get your clue!"

With that, Bokuto brought out a box with a hole on top. Everyone went on stage and got their clue. You were the last to get the clue so you were excited.

The thought of at least 45 adults in Cosplay running around town looking for boxes humored you. So you excitedly looked at your clue.

What made today special.

You froze. It was as if they were doing this in purpose. You had no idea what today was, and of course you had to get the clue asking for what today was.

You looked at Kenma and he gave you a look. Did he know which clue you got, and is disappointed you didn't know what it was?

You took a deep breath and went over to Kenma. "I-I'll win! I know it."

Kenma nodded. "That'll be one less 100k. Do win."

"Ready???" Kuroo called everyone.

"Go!" Bokuto yelled and everyone went out.

Eyes were on us with a bunch of adults wearing Cosplay coming out of a room. Some recognized people it made you realize everyone running right now was a pretty big deal in entertainment industry or related to someone. No one recognized you though. Bless your fake beard.

You ran to wherever you could think of. Enix, Jump, your place. But you saw nothing. Then you thought of the party.

The party wasn't a year ago from today but it was the only one you could think of.

You ran you were just so tired. After all you've been running for hours. And when you got there.

It was empty.

It broke your heart. You couldn't remember what today was. You failed Kenma.

You just gave up. You needed Kenma's comfort, but you were afraid you won't get it since you failed.

You sadly made your way back to you place. Tears threatening to fall. You were disappointed in yourself.

"Y/N." You heard someone call. You lifted your head to see Kenma.

The tears fell. "Kenma... I could find the box..."

Everyone was already back, and was looking out.

"I-I looked everywhere and I-I just couldn't find it..." A soft sob escaped your lips. And you looked down.

"Y/N."

"I-I don't remember what today is..."

"Y/N look at me." Kenma called.

You lifted your head and saw that Kenma was on his knees. Your eyes widened.

"H-Huh...?"

He brought out a Overwatch loot box from his pocket and cleared his throat.

"Today... Was the day when it all started. The day you showed up in my steps with a stupid flash drive..." He laughed weakly.

You blinked confused of what's happening.

"The day I saw, was the most important day for me. It was the day... The day I noticed you. I really hate you back then. You were so annoying, you still are. You're so persistent. So loud. You ruined my stream. And you kept bothering me. "

"Now you're just insulting me..." You laughed sadly.

"I-I... Look... I love you. I love you YN LN." And looked at the box, "Do you want to know what box you got?"

"Uh-Hm..."

When you opened the box there was a ring.

"Marry me."

You took the box from him and laughed. "You are such a nerd!" Wrapping your arms around him and gave him a kiss.

The crowd hollered and awed at you two. Chanting "Answer him!" and "Say yes!"

When you two parted you rested your forehead against his.

"I love you so much Kenma. I'd love to spend an eternity stuck with your stupid nerdy ass."

Previous | Masterlist

This was the last chapter!!! Thank you very much for sticking with it!!!!

It was kinda dull and all that but I had an issue with my messaging app so I couldn't use it so I went for written only

I hope you liked this and I want to thank you all for supporting this I had so much fun writing this

-kookie-doughs

Taglist?

@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @synx-ed @normalisthenewnorm @0majuh0 @leachann @nikanikabitch @almondeupeach @immxnty @mer-majesty @yamayoomi @simpingoveranime-men @lostmarimoismyhubby @mariishat @just-snog-already @sadcosmicdoggie @so-lo-stuff @emperor-eros @nachotrash @themisadventurescrew

[faffreux]

I mean, personally, just comparing them a little, some of the differences between your fawfuls then and now would probably be that he's a little more detailed? I can see where the brow is, and the teeth have a whole thing going on there, but I know what you mean about the accuracy thing. As cool as the detailed teeth are, his tend to be more like chatter teeth - they're cartoony! - and his face is more round, so you wouldn't see a separation for the brow like that.

YES! And my natural style does tend to add that sort of detail to everything. One of the reasons learning to draw Fawful was so hard for me is BECAUSE he's so simple! People severely underestimate how difficult simple, cartoony styles are to learn. Literally some of the artists I admire the most are those who are able to create extremely simple but VERY visually appealing images.

I think oftentimes people just see detail and immediately go "that's better" but anyone who's done both... we know differently, lol.

In my experience, the simpler a character design is, the easier it is to get wrong. This is also a thing I found true when I used to cosplay a lot. Say you're creating a Mario costume and you mess up Mario's overalls, EVERYONE is going to notice! All the pieces have to line up to make the character.

But if I mess up a few things on a Final Fantasy character's outfit? It won't matter much at all as long as everything comes together in the end. Complicated designs are a lot more forgiving.

I draw this character as a pure labor of love because I can promise you this has not been easy for me. I struggle with almost every single drawing I create of him but I love him so much that I just keep doing it anyway lol. If I felt any differently I would’ve given up a long time ago.

[ein-datadog]

Swamp Con 2022

I attended Swamp Con Sunday, March 27, and it was very fun. This is the first anime convention I have been to, and although I did not stay for long, I still felt immersed in fandom culture. Some things I found particularly interesting were the various ways people connect to the fiction they are fans of and how diverse fans’ interests are.

Probably the most common of the ways fans connected to fiction at the convention was through cosplay. At the Maid Café, the waiters and waitresses were dressed in maid attire. A group of the maids even performed in a very entertaining dance choreographed with moe-esqe moves. Although the maid attire did not appear to be tied to any specific character, it served as a representation of Azuma’s idea that post-modern anime fans value the moe-elements of characters like cat ears and maid attire firstly and their narratives secondly. Even beyond the maid café, there were masses of people dressed in cosplay. In fact, costuming was not specific to anime; rather, was very diverse and ranged from Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time to Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer. I was also really impressed how many fans hand made their detailed costumes.

There was also a variety of ways fans capitalized on their interests. There were artists selling prints with characters from various videogames such as Five Nights at Freddy’s and Super Mario Bros, anime like Sailor Moon and One Piece, more mainstream franchises like Marvel and Star Wars, Cartoon Network shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time, and even Broadway Musicals like Beetlejuice. Not only were the source materials diverse, but so too were the types of products being sold. I feel like it is pretty common to see prints, stickers, buttons, jewelry, clothing, and plush toys at vendor booths, but I was surprised to also see things like customizable Dungeons and Dragons soap bars, custom Furbies, and even handmade resin keyboard caps for sale at the convention. Furthermore, it was really cool to see how artists put their own spin on well-known characters in their works. To some extent, I feel like taking a character and altering the style of it in art has a similar effect to making a new narrative for it, since both pose similar “what if” questions.

Something I did not initially notice but was pointed out to me was how most people in cosplay were female. Since dressing in costume in America is treated as a feminine activity oftentimes, this phenomenon with the convention cosplay reminded me of how traditional gender roles has an influence on how comfortable people feel immersing themselves in their interests. Girls are often expected to grow up playing dress up and playing with dress-up dolls, while boys are expected to play with action figures and building blocks. Because we are taught to follow these types of gender roles in our youth, its no wonder why it is more common to see a female cosplayer than to see a male cosplayer. On the other hand, the amount of male and female vendors seemed to be roughly equal. This makes sense, because of the variety of products being sold, and because vending tends to be a gender-neutral activity.

Overall, Swamp Con 2022 was a lot of fun. Although I haven’t seen a ton of anime, it was a unique experience being able to experience the various ways fans share their affinity for their interests. If I had not had a ton of school work to finish up on, I would have stayed to listen to some panels as well, but I guess that means I will just have to wait to see what next year’s convention has in store.

[coll2mitts]

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Thanks to the awesome people who donated to Extra Life (you still can, btw!)  y'all will now be treated to a retrospective on the 1993 classic movie, Super Mario Bros.  When I took on this milestone, the first (and only) person I messaged for ideas on terrible (but wonderful) films based on video games was my friend Max, who has a history of viewing and talking about bad movies.  He suggested this, and while I was aware of this magnificent piece of cinema history, I had not had the pleasure of viewing it myself.  He hooked me up with a copy, and to say this film lived up to my expectations would be an understatement.

I couldn’t help but be charmed by this movie.  It is filled with so many questionable creative choices that were fucking ridiculous.  Mario and Luigi not being blood related?  Sure.  Cheesy Italian accents replaced with a New York ones?  Yeah, why not?  Having all the enemies in Super Mario Bros. be canonically dinosaurs?  I mean... It's a choice informed by the great media dino wave of 1993, but whatever.  Yoshi is a dinosaur, if we want to extend that to goombas and Koopa for whatever reason, I'm down.  Having these dinosaurs live underneath New York City in a parallel dimension?  It's based on a video game, why the fuck not?  Everything is so goddamn bonkers.

The opening credits roll, and we’re told that 65 million years ago, a meteor created said underground parallel universe dinosaur land.  We witness a human-looking woman, who is really a dinosaur, leaving an egg baby on a church doorstep.  Don’t think about it too hard, the logistics of a human giving birth to an egg that size are just... it’s gross to think about.

We’re then introduced to the titular characters, Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.  Yes, their last names are Mario.  Making them the Mario brothers.  Because this movie is interested in answering the important questions.  Mario is the owner of a failing plumbing business, while Luigi is a conspiracy theorist who would have really enjoyed modern-day YouTube.

While they’re out trying to find work, they run into Miss Amy March herself, Daisy, who is an archeologist in charge of digging up dinosaur bones from a New York City construction site.  She’s being forced off the property by the mob, who apparently are annoyed that a blonde lady in cargo shorts is coming between them and whatever the fuck they’re building.  

They try and intimidate her, she storms off to use a payphone to call for security, and is almost picked up by two inconspicuous bozos in a cab who apparently are stealing Brooklyn women off the street for no reason.  Their plan is quickly thwarted by a random moving pane of glass.

Instead, Daisy runs right into Luigi, who forgets how to human once he sees her pretty face.  He asks her on a date, where she reveals even more exposition.  She believes the meteor that destroyed the dinosaurs landed in New York City.  Oh, and also, she’s the abandoned egg baby.  Luigi is also an orphan, and this shared trauma apparently gets them both hot and bothered.  They wander off to the dig site, because an underground pit attached to a sewer is so romantic, and it is also where Daisy feels the most comfortable.

What if we made out at the bone pit?

Their touching moment is cut short when the mob sabotages the plumbing in the sewer and water starts flooding the area.  They run to get Mario, because he is a plumber, to fix the pipes, which is so fucking clutch, I love it so much.

While the Mario brothers are distracted, Daisy is captured by the weirdo twins and dragged into the alternate dinosaur universe.  Mario and Luigi follow, and we’re treated to the most fucking amazing transition scene of Bob Hoskins spinning wildly through colorful rocks.

Turns out, parallel dinosaur world, or Dinohattan, is fucking lit as hell.  I am convinced that Futurama based their sewer city on this movie.

King Koopa, who is a dinosaur with badly bleached hair gelled back in an effort to look like Michael Douglas in Wall Street, has taken over Dinohattan.  He is the one who asked the goons to kidnap Daisy, because of the tacky crystal necklace she wears.  Apparently, it is a piece of the meteorite that crashed into earth, and once he puts the piece back into the original space rock, the dinosaur world will merge with the mammal world after 65 million years of his people being sequestered underground, and Koopa will have endless resources at his disposal.  Also, Daisy is a princess, and her dad is a giant fungus taking over the city, so that’s totally normal and not at all weird.

Problem is, the two idiots he sent to grab her didn’t think to check if she was wearing the necklace.  Turns out, Luigi has the necklace, or had the necklace, as they are quickly mugged by a granny, who is then robbed by a lady with a bright red spiky latex coat and springy robot feet.  The brothers are then arrested by the dinocops and are grilled by Koopa for the whereabouts of the rock.  When they play dumb he uh... reacts in a proportionate way.

I am not even going to attempt to explain the devo process...  It is a combination of insane and fucking disgusting.  Whoever in the costuming department looked at the cute fucking mushroom Goombas in the video game and decided to translate them into this scaly, jagged-teethed nightmare fuel deserves to be committed.

Also, there’s only one lizard king, and that’s Jim Morrison, so back off, buddy.

What is hilarious to me is this is the story the screenwriters came up with.  Super Mario, as a video game, doesn’t have much lore, right?  You slide down pipes, you jump on mushrooms, and you save the princess from a spiky turtle.  They took that game and created... This.  A parallel underground dinosaur universe that has a sentient fungus as a king, taken over by a human-like t-rex that devolves other lizards into tiny-headed night paralysis demons.

The middle of this movie alternates between a slog of expositional scenes about Daisy being a princess, and pretty entertaining action scenes of the Mario brothers running from Goombas while trying to find and save Daisy.  Mario and Luigi steal a cop car and drive it off a cliff Thelma and Louise-style; They cosplay as Ketchup and Mustard to steal the necklace back from Big Burtha while asking her to stomp on them; They jump off a bridge into a garbage truck; They break the pipes in Koopa’s building to freeze everything, and get past an elevator full of Goombas by making them dance.

Watching Daisy damsel-in-distress-it in Koopa’s high rise office building and fend off advances by a long-tongued dude who devolved her father into a mushroom was pretty boring and disturbing.  Alternatively, witnessing Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo pretend to jump on giant sheets of fungus really sold this movie for me.  It succeeds when it tries to be ridiculous and fun, and fall flat when it attempts to integrate any sort of drama that I’m assuming was added to make this story more appealing to adults.

Mario and Luigi eventually find Daisy, and she introduces them to her father - a giant dripping blob suspended from the ceiling.  Luigi wants in her pants badly enough that he pretends this is a reasonable thing to do.  Mario heads further into the building to free the other ladies kidnapped by tweedle dee and tweedle dum that they initially thought were Daisy, but weren’t.  The newly assembled group are able to escape by sliding down the frozen pipes on a mattress before they are green-screen launched out of the pipe and back into the greater Dinohattan area.

The amount of times Mario and Luigi use their plumbing skills to overcome obstacles may be my favorite part of this movie.  The plot goes out of its way to justify a really bizarre character trait for the original game.

Anyway, the end of this movie comes at you fast.  First, the sentient fungus king gives Mario and Luigi a bomb, and they decide to wind it up and aim it at Koopa.  This takes about 10 minutes of screen time to matter again.

Koopa’s second-in-command tries to merge Daisy’s stolen necklace with the meteor, and instead gets skeletoned to bits, prompting the best line delivery reaction from Daisy, a deadpan “Yikes”.

Because the necklace has now been returned to its resting place, the worlds start to merge Infinity War style.

“Mr. Koopa, I don’t feel so good.”

Koopa and Mario end up back in Manhattan, and Koopa just starts shooting his devo guns at human mobsters, turning them back into primates, and giving their wardrobe a whole new literal definition of monkey suit.

Luigi uses his super plumbing powers to drill the necklace back out of the meteor, separating the worlds again.  The bomb finally goes off, they devo Koopa into slime, and the citizens celebrate by immediately painting over his ever-prevalent propaganda.

The king evolves back into a mushroom person or something, and Daisy stays in Dinohattan to get to know her father better.  Mario and Luigi return to their lives in Brooklyn as plumbers, and their heroic acts make them conspiracy community famous, as they now refer to our heroes as the Super Mario Brothers.  Roll Credits.

Except not, because Daisy returns to ask for the help of a couple of great plumbers, setting up a sequel that will never, ever happen because there is no god and we’re not allowed to feel joy.

Honestly, Super Mario Bros. is great.  It owned every bold plot and visual choice it made, and I have to respect it.  I could listen to John Leguizamo say Mario like 700 more times.  Y’all are missing out if you think you’re too cool to watch this movie.

I’ll be back to musical reviews later this month.  I have a few seasonally appropriate movies in my big red sack waiting to be placed under the tree...  Yes, I meant to phrase it that way.

[inspiringwhilerespiring]

Me avoiding work :))))

1: Golden mornings or peachy sunsets?

I am a sucker for both; I usually miss sunrises though :(

2: Sugar cones or waffle cones?

Waffle

3: Do you wear scarves often? do you have a favorite?

I live in TX so its pretty dang hot most of the year, but I do love them A LOT

4: How long do you lay in bed before you finally get up?

Oh man, I am really working on this. On average I’d say 30 min-hour lol thats awful to admit out loud. But I want to be able to just get up and jet!

5: Is there a food you’ve never had but always wanted to try?

BRUH I am sure there is sooo much out there - especially like Asian or Carribean or Indian cuisines.

6: What does your umbrella look like?

Don’t have one 

7: Do you listen to ASMR?

Yeah lmao I have a whole ass playlist on Youtube

8: Rain storms or a light drizzle?

I appreciate the fuck out of both <3 

9: What’s a little thing in life that you love?

Just about everything lol but off the top of my head - the smell of freshly made coffee. 

10: Favorite color aesthetic?

Lately, its been that sandy, dusty pink or nude - goes really well with all the plants I have lol 

11: Wobbly lines or using a ruler?

Depends of course

12:  Bright colorful living room or neutral cozy living room?

Mines pretty neutral but it don’t really matter to me

13: Do you have any candles? what scents are they?

Lol toooo many - I believe there is no such thing as enough candles. The one in front of me is Floral Serenity

14: Have you ever rode a horse?

Yeeee haw I’m from TX bitch

15: Do you have glasses?

sunglasses ya, and those blue-light ones from amazon lol 

16: What’s a language you’d like to speak?

I’m pretty knowledgable in Spanish, but I’d like to be 100% fluent - also ASL

17: What’s your favorite season and favorite month in that season?

FUCK! Hard one - but I guess Fall and October/November; I just love the cold and October has some nice ass weather in TX/

18: Do you have a favorite pair of socks?

Not really lol I wear this crew cut white pair a lot lately tho

19: Favorite Ghibli and/or disney movie?

Hmmmm I’m not sure - maybe Lion King

20: Disney, Dreamworks, or Pixar?

Don’t care

21: What snacks do you usually get at the theater?

Growing up it was always those Junior Mints lol

22: What’s an underrated video game/ movie/ show you love and think it needs more recognition?

Hmm good question - I really like Richard Linklater (he’s from H town) and he does a lot of films in TX and his projects are really interesting, so maybe his movies lol as for video games and shows idk

23: Would you fill your house with plants if you had a green thumb?

bitch you guessed it!

24; All plants are great but do you have a favorite?

ganjaaaaa lol but in all honesty, this is a haarrrddd question. Any plant that I can eat or has medicinal values - which is a fuckton of them lol

25: Do you have a favorite type of art style? (eg: soft looking, no to little color, sketches, crisp and clean, minimalist, pixel art etc.)

nah, I appreciate all forms of art.

26: What would you do if someone gave you flowers?

blush and thank them

27: Do you like nicknames?

yeah I suppose - lol I feel like as humans we all appreciate or enjoy any form of thoughtfulness or something that makes us feel exclusive/individual 

28: Do you still watch shows you watched when you were a kid? even from time to time?

Yeah lowkey I put on shit like Planet Earth, Fresh Prince, Spongebob, That 70s show, etc in the background sometimes if I can’t sleep or am feeling anxious at night to fall asleep to

29: Do you still like old memes? (tell the truth)

yeah

30: Favorite Halloween costume you dressed up as? (if you don’t celebrate halloween have you ever cosplayed or would you like to? who did you cosplay as?)

LOL I think the best one I did was Baby spice from the Spice Girls - I thrifted the entire outfit and got a shit ton of compliments 

31:  Are you a fashionable person?

eh lol in my head mostly 

32: Do you like watching holiday movies?

yeah honestly 

33:  Cookies or brownies?

cooookies

34: Do you blow in the cold air just to see your breath?

we’ve all done that I’m sure

35: Do you find the crickets chirping outside your window relaxing?

no for the most part

36: Do you like cobblestone streets?

yeah fasho

37:  How often do you doodle?

not enough anymore

38: When was the last time you blew bubbles?

when I chew gum?

39: What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room?

books

40: Do you bite your fingernails off or clip them more often?

i bite the fck out of them :/

41: Any birthmarks?

no

42: Thoughts on freckles?

I don’t have any thoughts, they are what they are - but I do like how the artsy/imaginative side of me likes to believe that they are little stars on our bodies and we’re all made up of the same matter in the universe type shit lol 

43: First video game you ever played?

Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega or Super Mario Bros on the Gameboy

44: what type of bird do you hear most often outside your door?

some type of songbird

45: Do you use gifs/ memes a lot when replying to people?

I used to a lot more lol 

46: Thoughts on spring?

LUV U<3333

47: Ideal temperature outside?

65

48: Cloudy, partly cloudy, or clear skies?

Cloudy

49: How often do you hear airplanes outside?

A lot since I live like 15 min away from the airport, I get to watch em take off from my window

50: Do you enjoy windy days?

Yessss

[cosplayinamerica]

Princess Daisy : pencils_and_pincushions // photo: that_fedora_photographer

I’m a Canadian cosplayer who has been cosplaying since 2007. I’ve had a love for Victorian fashion since I very young age (my little kid brain basically made the connection that Victorian dresses = women dressing like Disney princesses IRL), but the thing that kickstarted my desire to learn sewing was going to a fabric store with my mother when I was in my senior year of high school and seeing a Butterick pattern catalogue that had Victorian-inspired costumes. Almost instantly I had a lightbulb moment that if I learned to sew, I could actually wear those big fancy gowns I loved.   

I entered university and, over the next few years, spent my free time reading and learning everything I could about sewing. In 2007, my best friend invited me to Anime North - she was going as a gothic lolita-inspired version of the Queen of Hearts, so I decided I would make a Mad Hatter to accompany her.

I was so excited that I jumped in completely head-first, and it ended up being my first foray into both sewing and pattern drafting. In hindsight it was wildly ambitious for a first project (and I’m still a little surprised that I actually pulled it off!), but I’m so glad that my enthusiasm made me persevere and psh through the challenges, because I learned a ton from that experience and ended up with a cosplay I was thrilled with.

I remember seeing myself in the mirror the first time and being so happy when I realized I’d been able to bring something to life from my imagination. When my friend and I got to the con, things only got better from there - the atmosphere was so energetic and colourful thanks to all the amazing cosplays, and it was filled with so many fun, enthusiastic, and friendly people. From that day I was officially hooked on cosplay.

I’m part of the Toronto Steampunk Society and, each year at Fan Expo Canada, we hold an Annual Costume Challenge where we pick a theme and encourage people to make a costume based on the theme. A couple of years ago, the theme was ‘steampunk video game characters’ and one of my friends in the TSS, Modern Myths Cosplay, thought it would be cute to do Princess Peach and Princess Daisy.

I loved the idea and, after more discussion, we decided to do a steampunk twist on the Super Smash Bros Brawl version since it was fancier and seemed to lend itself well to a steampunk interpretation. Though Daisy isn’t officially in Brawl, my friend was fortunately able to dig up some fan edits of Peach in Daisy’s colours, so with that we were set.

I usually make my outfits myself, but since my friend and I wanted to ensure our cosplays matched, we decided to work collaboratively and divide things: I would create the bodices and accessories for both gowns, and she would create the skirts and crinolines.

I started off by drafting the base bodice patterns. Since I draft all my costumes, I used my existing bodice block/master patterns for myself and drafted a bodice block from scratch for my friend based on her measurements. One neat thing about working this way was that it basically turned into a girls’ weekend where I was able to teach my friend more about pattern drafting, which ended up making the process unexpectedly fun and memorable.

After I finished fitting my friend’s bodice block, I got to work drafting our bodice patterns based on the reference pics we had collected. Being able to tackle both bodices ended up working well since it enabled me to draft them in a way that made them visually match identical while taking our respective body shapes into account.

A couple of mockups and fittings later, we had an idea of how much fabric we needed, so we went fabric shopping. My friend suggested that we go with richer, more regal-looking tones instead of strictly game-accurate colours, so when we found a place selling gorgeous peau de soie and sparkle organza, I was instantly sold on a gold and burnt orange colour scheme.

We split the fabric based on our respective portions and worked on them separately. I cut and sewed the bodices, which was fairly straight forward but time-consuming! The part that sticks in my mind the most was the center front panel because it had so many pieces and layers - two types of satin, two types of organza (including one that had to be ruched to the base panel in multiple places), five rows of lace, interfacing...and that doesn’t even include the lining!

I also created our jewelry and crowns. The brooches and earrings were made from filigree settings that I painted, glued gems, and attached pin backs and earring hooks to, and the crowns are made from craft foam painted in gold acrylic, with embellishments assembled from painted filigree stampings and gems.

My friend created our cage skirts from 1/4 PEX pipe and brown grosgrain ribbon, which ended up being the perfect hoop skirt material since it was cheap, lightweight, and strong enough to support the huge, heavy skirts. She cut and sewed our skirts (including attaching meters and meters of trim that I’d painted white to better match the game colours) and she also made our bloomers.

The gowns were a huge undertaking and, thanks to work and general real life eating up time, we did end up engaging in the dreaded con crunch, but fortunately in the end we were able to get them to a state where they were pretty and wearable!

The response at the convention was absolutely amazing - I don’t think I’ve ever had a costume elicit the reactions that Princess Daisy did. We figured that, since we were cosplaying the princesses from Mario, there was a good chance we might be recognized, but the thing I wasn’t prepared for was how genuinely happy and excited people were, especially when they saw us together. We literally had kids waving at us from across the street when they spotted us.

Even grown-ups loved it - we were frequently stopped for pictures, and even a couple of the folks in the dealer’s room who were running booths would break into huge smiles and ask for pictures. Plus, people loved the steampunk twist and were delighted when they realized how much our costumes matched.

The best, most heartwarming response to my Princess Daisy cosplay happened when I met up with some other friends and one tapped me on the shoulder, pointed behind me and said, “I think she wants a picture with the princess.” I turned around and, standing a few feet away, was this adorable, super shy little black girl who was staring in my direction. My heart instantly melted and I went over to her and had a little chat and took a picture with her.

As a black cosplayer who has run several panels on BIPOC cosplay and spoken about the importance of diversity and representation in cosplay, being able to show that sweet little girl that someone who looks like her can be a princess - and showing kids of other races that Princess Daisy can be black - was a vivid reminder that representation does matter.

Since I got into the hobby, cosplay has been a big part of my life and has positively impacted me in so many ways. It has been an incredible creative outlet that has given me the chance to express myself, and it has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people - many of whom are now among my closest friends. However, I think one of the most rewarding things about cosplay has been how it has allowed me to provide BIPOC cosplay representation and visibility within my local cosplay community. I often do Afro-steampunk cosplay, and one of the most unexpectedly moving things I’ve experienced has been other BIPOC saying to me that seeing my outfits make them feel like they can cosplay.

It has been humbling and has motivated me to get more involved in the cons I attend. For the past several years I’ve run panels on diversity in cosplay/steampunk as well as sewing and cosplay construction, which has enabled me to share the knowledge and skills I’ve learned. I also lead the steampunk section of the Anime North Fashion Show, and I’ve made a point to recruit as diverse a roster of models as possible. I’m happy that we’ve been able to showcase steampunk looks inspired by various cultures including Chinese, Indian, and Morrocan.

Another plus is that the sewing skills I’ve learned from cosplay have come in handy in other areas of my life. It has been fun - and surprisingly empowering - to be at a point where I can use my sewing ability to create one-of-a-kind outfits for formal work events (like office holiday parties) that make me feel pretty and confident.

Something I’ve frequently mentioned during my BIPOC cosplay/steampunk panels is that the simple act of showing up to a con or event in cosplay can have an impact because you never know how much that visibility can inspire other BIPOC to get into the hobby, so my advice to anyone wanting to get into cosplay is to do it! Overall I have found it to be a fun, creative, energizing experience.

While I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had overwhelmingly positive experiences while cosplaying, I recognize that, unfortunately, BIPOC do sometimes face harassment and outright racist comments (especially online) that can make getting into the hobby seem scary. Finding welcoming, supportive spaces in person and online can be a big help (the POC Cosplay group on Facebook is great for this) - plus, thanks to things like #28DaysOfBlackCosplay, there is more visibility and inspiration out there than ever before.

The other thing I’d add is to treat each cosplay as a learning experience. Being able to work so closely with my friend on creating a cosplay was a completely different creation process than I’m used to, and it was really cool to be able to learn from each other’s different working styles and experience. It was great to teach her pattern drafting and see how happy she was to learn skills she could apply to future cosplays, and I was so excited when she showed me her PEX pipe hoop skirt method. Looking back on my Princess Daisy cosplay makes me smile because it’s almost like a physical representation of the fun we have cosplaying together.