Blog One: Intro and goals

Hi everyone! 

My name is Claire, I’m a schoolteacher from Auckland, New Zealand, and I am into cosplay. I wasn’t always into cosplay, but then I met my friend Val and her enthusiasm for it rubbed off onto me. I went along to Auckland Armageddon 2011 in costume, and while I was dubious at first, I ended up having so much fun! The cosplay crowd was very supportive and I had a great time talking to people in costume. 

I’m just a beginner, but I want to write about what I’m doing, or even just thinking about doing, because it’ll help me get it straight in my head. And also, it’s always good to share methods for making costumes, so I want to share my ideas as well as the ideas I’ve gotten from other people on the internet. 

So come along for the ride! Maybe I can give you ideas, and maybe you can give me ideas. Or you can just look at the hopefully pretty pictures I’ll put up as I go.

One thing I really do want to state today are some of my goals for cosplaying and/or other costume/craft/sewing projects for this year. I’ll go in order of chronological proximity:

1. The Hogwarts Honeydukes trip being organized by members of Cosplay NZ. It’s next weekend! I’m hoping to go along as Professor Trelawney... or rather my own youthful, summery interpretation of that character (cos I am wilting in this weather!!). But I really am just going to closet-cosplay this.

2. The Cosplay picnic at the end of January. Not a hundred percent yet on whether I’ll be going to this. Don’t know what I would wear!

3. The Oamaru Steampunk Festival. This is going to be a real challenge for me because I can’t just copy someone else’s idea of a character. I actually have to come up with something of my own! Well, that’s strictly not true, but I hold myself to high standards and I don’t want to be unoriginal! It’s also a challenge coming up with something that is enough of a mix of times, without being too many times at once. This one’s still on the drawing board! (plus I’ll have to have that time free in June to attend, and I don’t know yet if I will!)

4. Armageddon, October 2012, Auckland. That’s right. The big one. I’m aiming for four days, four costumes. Last year I only went once, and I wished I had the money and the costumes for four days. This year I am determined!

- Costume One: The one costume that I am definitely going to do is Cait Sith of Final Fantasy VII. In fact I’ve already started working on it. Not just the cat part... the whole fat moogle body as well. Most pictures I’ve seen on the internet only have people cosplaying one half or the other. I intend to do both. Difficult? I don’t care!

- Costumes Two and Three: The next two costumes, I’m not one hundred percent sure yet , but I will probably do Codex from The Guild, and maybe I will be a generic Twi’lek from Star Wars, because my boyfriend is with the 501^st Legion and last year he was a stormtrooper (LOL!! He was waaaaaay too short to be a stormtrooper) and so he has contacts that can maybe help me make some lekku (their fleshy horn things if you don’t know).

- Costume Four: Maybe Amy Pond from Doctor Who. I was thinking this because one, I’ll be dying my hair red for Codex anyway, and two, I LOOOOOVE Doctor Who. Also my boyfriend said he’ll dress as the Doctor for me. But still, I feel like this last one is maybe a cop out. Too easy!

So those are my cosplay goals for the year. Will I meet them all? Who can say? Will they all stay the same goals throughout the year, or will they change dramatically? I’ll document it all on here for you!

Much love, Claire

PS. I was kind of thinking about going to Hamilton’s Armageddon too, as that is in April I believe, so that’s an excuse for two more costumes! I don’t know, we’ll see. Oh and also maybe the Cosplay Ball... once again, we’ll see how confident I am.

PPS. By the way it would be really cool if you could visit Val’s website and do her survey! If you’re into anime and manga, that is. http://tinyurl.com/moshimoshisurvey

Also have a look at her blog! She hasn't updated it for a while but hopefully will soon! http://forthecon.wordpress.com/