Kara + Gencon + Costume = ?

[Kara Kuro]

So, yeah... I'm almost positive I'll be able to make it this year (after a fairly long hiatus due to lack of funds and fail-high school) and I really want to wear something fun. Figured I'd make the attempt to figure it out now so that I'll actually have time to make and/or save up the money for whatever costume I figured out.

I mean, I have a few that I could wear. I've got a Selkie costume from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (but that's not very gen-con-ish)
http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww319/karakuro/SelkieCosplay5.jpg?t=1241501982
I've also got a few old ren-faire costumes but I'm not really too proud of any of those in particular.
http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww319/karakuro/RenFaire008.jpg?t=1241502037

If I had the money I'd buy this in a second:Yay Haruhi! (http://www.cosplayhouse.com/shop/shop_goodsview.asp?g_code=200921819991)

Any body else got any fun costume plans for gen-con? Or any suggestions on what I should consider? I'm totally open for ideas, I've got costume ADD >_<'

[Ravens_cry]

If I went to a Con, I would go as a Kyoshi Warrior, those babes rock!
Or maybe as Manny Calavera, the classiest calaca this side of the Ninth Underworld.
Ah, but GenCon is pen and paper gamers con.
Fake elf ears, sweaty, faded OotS t-shirt and cheeto stains?
I kid.
Maybe one of the characters from one of the novels set in Forgotten Realms or some other D&D universe.

[onasuma]

Each year at Gen Con (the uk one) Im trying to slowly improve the costume I have.
First time I went, I had no costume.
Last year I had a steam punk costume + an onterage (sp?) of others doing it.
This year, Im going for something a little more complex... (http://www.geocities.com/primarch_ultra/RekhulIncubiMaster.jpg)

[SurlySeraph]

Each year at Gen Con (the uk one) Im trying to slowly improve the costume I have.
First time I went, I had no costume.
Last year I had a steam punk costume + an onterage (sp?) of others doing it.
This year, Im going for something a little more complex... (http://www.geocities.com/primarch_ultra/RekhulIncubiMaster.jpg)

Entourage.

Also, making that costume is rather ambitious. If can you manage it, it'll be awesome.

[Zeful]

Why the heck do people dress up at con? I've been going to my local con for the last two years, and just don't understand...

[Innis Cabal]

Because its fun?

[ocato]

Also, making that costume is rather ambitious. If can you manage it, it'll be awesome.

I've been trying to get a small home business making props and costumes and whatnot off the ground, mostly because it is insanely fun and making a few bucks on the side is an added bonus. If I had my laptop with me, I'd dig out some pictures.

[Ravens_cry]

Because its fun?
Quoted for truth.
While I have yet to go to a Con, Halloween is certainly my favoritest holiday, precisely because of the dressing up.

[Innis Cabal]

Quoted for truth.
While I have yet to go to a Con, Halloween is certainly my favoritest holiday, precisely because of the dressing up.

One year my friends and I dressed up as Zeon officers and actually ran into Amuro Ray and some friends at a Con....thats what makes cospaly fun.

[Berserk Monk]

I've never been to a con. I'm hoping once I finish my chainmail Rorschach costume to at least go to some. The mask is done. Now all I need to do is make the trench coat, hat, scarf, and gloves (out of chainmail).

[Hunter Noventa]

Manyyears ago I dressed up as Captain Tylor for the anime club as college. A drunk Captain Tylor. I wasn't drunk, but I acted it. I ended up winning. It was pretty sweet.

[Assassin89]

Selkies are similar to elves, meaning that the purchase of a set of fake elf ears could make an interesting elf costume.

[Quincunx]

Why the heck do people dress up at con? I've been going to my local con for the last two years, and just don't understand...

Two reasons for most people--

1. The more effort you put into convention-going, the less embarrassing it feels to wonder, "Why am I paying to hang out with a slightly larger group of people that have the same weird interests as my friends?" This applies to traveling to cons, costuming (the act of dressing up) and cosplay (the act of acting out, like Innis Cabal's example), participating in games and panels, etc.

2. Creative outlet. When else will you get to costume yourself and have some chance of being recognized? Also, while watching anime is a passive activity, a costume is at least partially a product of your own hands, something active.

--and a practical third--

3. Advertising. Nothing says 'devoted readership' like a squad of friends circulating, dressed as the characters from your webcomic! Someday soon, we'll see cosplayers of Rutskarn's writings. . .

P.S. I still want that hat, Kara Kuro.

[Pyrian]

GenCon suddenly got a lot more tempting. :smallwink:

[Felixaar]

Why, we go crazy at GenCon with costumes for all kinds of reasons.

...Actually, there's just one. FUN!!!

Like, next year I'm going as Oscar the Grouch. DD will be the Cookiemonster.

No, it doesn't have anything to do with gaming.

I'm also considering dressing up in a Starship Troopers style uniform.

[Nameless]

Each year at Gen Con (the uk one) Im trying to slowly improve the costume I have.
First time I went, I had no costume.
Last year I had a steam punk costume + an onterage (sp?) of others doing it.
This year, Im going for something a little more complex... (http://www.geocities.com/primarch_ultra/RekhulIncubiMaster.jpg)

Good luck with that. :smalltongue:
I'm not sure what I'm gonna dress as for the Anime expo I'm going to yet.

[Coidzor]

Hmm, that first one seems more than apropos for this discussion. Especially with... Ah.... But I overstep myself... Suffice to say... gots the look.

Though there's always kicking it up a notch, not sure how I'd recommend doing that though, what with my own lack of experience in kicking things up a notch in the costuming department.

Someday soon, we'll see cosplayers of Rutskarn's writings. . .

...:smalleek: You...You've doomed us all... How could you say something like that and doom us all? *menaces with a cheese wedge*

[Kara Kuro]

Yeah, I think the fall back is either the selkie costume or asking for all of my friends to pitch in and buy me the haruhi outfit (either the picture of the one I posted or the actual school uniform).... Considering I taught myself the dance due to a time surplus last semester.... Yes, I'm a bit insane. I completely realize this.

If I ever considered doing a Forgotten Realms or just an elf cosplay I'd go full out and paint myself grey if I didn't draw Varna's costume so damn intricate. Varna's one of my characters, FYI for those who don't stalk the art threads like I do >_<'
http://th00.deviantart.com/fs40/300W/i/2009/024/b/c/Varna___Fully_Body_by_Kara_Pfee.jpg

[Ninja Chocobo]

Manyyears ago I dressed up as Captain Tylor for the anime club as college. A drunk Captain Tylor. I wasn't drunk, but I acted it. I ended up winning. It was pretty sweet.

Well he is supposed to be irresponsible...

I do not cosplay myself because I have neither the time to make them, nor the money to purchase them, nor the shape to fit them.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Why, we go crazy at GenCon with costumes for all kinds of reasons.

...Actually, there's just one. FUN!!!

Like, next year I'm going as Oscar the Grouch. DD will be the Cookiemonster.

No, it doesn't have anything to do with gaming.

I'm also considering dressing up in a Starship Troopers style uniform.
ActuallyIwasthinkingofgoingasBilboormaybeMerryorPi ppinbutthenI'dneedtofindsomebodyofsimiilarshortlen gthtobetheother.....

Edit : I got this great idea of cosplaying as Captain Fang....

[Supagoof]

My votes for the purple one. Go figure! :smalltongue:

And is that the Minn Renn Faire you're at? If so, how come you never came to one of the midwest meetups? :smallconfused: Inquiring minds want to know.

[Kara Kuro]

My votes for the purple one. Go figure! :smalltongue:

And is that the Minn Renn Faire you're at? If so, how come you never came to one of the midwest meetups? :smallconfused: Inquiring minds want to know.

That was actually the Bristol Renfaire in Wisco... But I hear they look quite similar.

Why I've never been to the midwest meetups? I don't know, I never knew about them I s'pose. I'm fairly new to these forums, I joined after... At least after Xmas.

[Mando Knight]

Why haven't I noticed any midwest meetups?

I don't have the money or time or anything to go to a GenCon, either... :smallfrown:

[Supagoof]

I suppose it has been awhile since we've had one. Though I was trying to get the Chi-town crowd to host the next one, but too much time has passed.

I think we should be planning one for closer to the end of summer. I'll go digging around to see if I can find the old thread/start a new one.

And the ren fests do look similar! The one in MN is in Shakopee, and I'd have guessed you standing there based on the buildings. :smallamused:

[Cleverdan22]

I can't make it to Gencon this year (maybe next year?), but I'm going as Ness and my cousin is going as Lucas to ComicCon. Gonna be fun.

[ocato]

If I ever considered doing a Forgotten Realms or just an elf cosplay I'd go full out and paint myself grey if I didn't draw Varna's costume so damn intricate.

Be brave! That is entirely doable.

[Verruckt]

I've never been to a con. I'm hoping once I finish my chainmail Rorschach costume to at least go to some. The mask is done. Now all I need to do is make the trench coat, hat, scarf, and gloves (out of chainmail).

So like Rorschach, but shark proof?

It's been a dream of mine that if I attend a Con in costume to acquire a large personal fortune and commission one of these from WETA workshop:
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/Jerisalem/1240920142767.jpg
because everyone looks cool in Grey Knight power armor. The much more realistic goal of slowly acquiring and modifying old Russian & German military surplus so that I may dress as a Kreig Commissar is already underway.

[Kara Kuro]

Be brave! That is entirely doable.

It would be awesome, I'll have to ask my resident semstress if she'd be up the task. It'd also require me to buy another wig, in addition to a few extra pieces of blond for Varna's strange chunks of random blond.

[Berserk Monk]

So like Rorschach, but shark proof?

Rorschach is already shark proof. He's that bad ass. I should try and find a way to make it Dr. Manhattan proof.

As for my costume/armor, it's gonna be a while: I'll try to get the hat and scarf done over summer break. The gloves I'll try to finish as a side project during the fall semester. I'll need to get some leather for the palms other wise I'll have no grip. The coat, that's gonna be at least 6 months worth of work. I've only made one suit of armor before - that took 4 months, and it didn't cover as much as a trench coat would. Anyway, I hope to have it done in time to wear as a Halloween costume for 2010.

[Ninja Chocobo]

Rorschach is already shark proof. He's that bad ass. I should try and find a way to make it Dr. Manhattan proof.

Use tachyons. That way he won't be able to remember what he's about to do to you.

[Tyrant]

I've been to Gencon every year since it's been in Indy. I live about a hundred miles south of there and have friends and relatives that live in Indy so there's no hotel expense. One of my friends in Indy is also into a few games so he goes with me. He's trying to convince his future wife to tag along for at least a day to know what all the hype is about. She met us there last year before we went on a tour of the new stadium and she apparently got into an argument with some costumed individuals before we got there. It was apparently a couple and she had the other woman convinced she was interested in her man when she was really just taking a good look at their costumes. I think that may have turned off from going because she was pretty suprised by how hostile the other woman got. There are jerks everywhere, but I wasn't that suprised. I had dealt with a few costumed guys playing some of the games I was and more than one was a complete jerk which made me realise that for them the costumes were purely to get attention for their ego. I'm not saying they were in anyway representative of costumers as a whole (they were a minority, most of the people costumed or otherwise were decent people) but it did seem like a number of the rude people I dealt with were costumed. So for the person who asked why people do it, there is another not so great reason a handful do it. Attention and a desire to fuel their ego by being the center of attention. In general though, most of the people there were decent so don't misunderstand that as an anti costuming rant. I think the costumes are neat myself.

Honestly, from the costumes I have seen there, either of yours would fit in with little difficulty. The costumes there seem to cover just about everything. I've seen attempts at historical accuracy from a huge range of periods/places as well as numerous sci fi and fantasy characters along with video game and anime characters. I honestly think some of the people just use it as an excuse to dress up and aren't actually modeling themselves after anything in particular (and there's othing wrong with that). If it means anything to you, either of those costumes is likely to get you stopped by numerous people wanting to take your picture or to ask you questions about them. If it's any help at all, the GenCon forums almost always have topics about costumes and there is at least one website (who's link I don't have) that used to be discussed there that had numerous pictures of costumes of years past. Good luck.