Jaylah's Journey, Episode 3: I Blame the Pants

Never in my life did I think I would admit defeat to a pair of pants in a blog post, (or anywhere else, for that matter), but here I am.

Today, August 21st, is the deadline to enter the 2026 Salt Lake FanX cosplay contest, and I am officially... 

...not entering. There are many reasons, the main on being that Jaylah's pants continue to mystify, elude and humiliate me in the strange and maddening way only a pair of costume pants can.

Anyway...

I'm afraid this is where Jaylah's Journey comes to a very abrupt, anticlimactic and unsatisfying end. For now, at least. Long story short, I ran out of time, which is entirely my fault. I hadn't even touched the cosplay since last Halloween. Over the winter, every time I glanced across the room at it minding its business on the dress form, I entertained fleeting thoughts of working on it. Then those thoughts would be shoved aside and replaced with daunting memories of what a huge pain in the butt certain parts were and how much I didn't want to deal with them. 

...Until a couple weeks ago when I suddenly remembered how cool this cosplay is and how awesome it would be to bring her up to competition standards. Ultimately, I think I grossly misjudged the amount of work it actually needed, and I especially didn't take into account the little glitches that inevitably turned into major hiccups.

I was so, so close to finishing. Since much of the cosplay was already done from last year, I only had a few things that needed to be improved or made or detailed, and I was pretty happy with how most of them turned out. 

Freshly remade shirt.

This weathering turned out so cool!

More weathering.

Base boots.

I remade the undershirt, fixed the boot covers and the bolero vest and did some really cool weathering and a few details. But none of that matters if the main parts of the outfit -the vest and the pants- don't come together. Last night, after trying on the vest with the bolero attached and seeing it in the mirror, I realized it didn't fit well and that there was no way I could fix it in time to enter today. It didn't look good at all and was nowhere near where it should be for a competition.

And the pants. 

THOSE STUPID, STUPID PANTS.

I was going to make them from scratch, but so many things went wrong from the beginning. So many. 

First, I couldn't find the right fabric. Huge problem. Nothing I looked at online or already had in my stash seemed to work. I searched the only local options that have at least something other than quilting fabric (Walmart and Hobby Lobby) to no avail. It came down to either online or going out of the valley so I finally settled with the closest thing I could find on Etsy. When it arrived, I was disappointed to find that the fabric looked nothing like the picture, because of course it didn't. Shipping was fast, though, I'll give them that.

Wrong color.

Nevertheless, I cut out the pieces, got some dye remover and lightened them up...twice. Amazingly, it looked good, but by the time I'd finished the whole process, the edges of the fabric were so frayed from the constant action that I worried that it had taken off the inches of seem allowance I needed to sew it together. Looking back, I should have dyed all the fabric at once and cut out the pattern later.

Cutting out the pattern.

Un-dyeing.

Re-dyeing the un-dyeing.

The undead/re-dyed and frayed fabric drying.

Second, the subtle details had me stumped for a bit. Jaylah's outfit has a very distinct hexagonal motif, which is especially visible on her pants and I felt it was necessary to include it. However, I just couldn't wrap my brain around how the design worked and how to pattern it. I got it eventually, but discovered I was right about the fraying. After all that, the pants were too small. Fortunately, I had some backup fabric, but again, I had to dye it, which took up a huge chunk of time.

The pattern I finally came up with.

First attempt with the frayed fabric.

Dyeing the backup fabric.

Even more dyeing of even more backup fabric.

Because I was simultaneously juggling the other parts of the cosplay, that second pair never got made. Last night, I was sitting on the floor about to cut into the backup fabric when my cat plopped down right in the middle of the pattern and fell asleep. I took that as a sign that this wasn't meant to be.

This is as far as I got on pants attempt #2.

But it's okay. I'm not beating myself up over it. Am I disappointed about not entering the competition? Yeah, but at the same time it's kind of a relief. Jaylah has not been easy to make, let alone wear. She has stretched me more than any other character I've worked on, and I'm really proud of what I've accomplished. I've learned a lot of new things and improved many skills that I've struggled with in the past, such as sewing and makeup. Besides, let's be honest, with how steep the Salt Lake FanX competition has become, there was a very good chance I wouldn't have made it in anyway. While I enjoy competing, I think this particular contest has outgrown my capabilities as a cosplayer and left me in the dust.

So, what's next?

Well, for starters, I'll take a break today. Then I'm going to clean up the huge mess I made and put it away for a bit, start tackling the stacks of laundry and dishes that have been building up, make sure everybody's ready to go back to school, pet the cat,  and keep organizing my house. 

And FanX? I'm not sure I'll bring Jaylah (like I said, she's not easy and the required prep is exhausting...and I am very out of shape, which doesn't help), but we'll see. As for the rest of this year's lineup, I have a few things in mind. Astrid will be there in some shape or form so I can volunteer with my groups, of course (and because I have to cosplay my girl). Maybe I'll bring Scoot back or throw on my proton pack or a Star Trek uniform. I have options but no solid plans at the moment. What I do know is I don't want to not cosplay for the con, but I'm not particularly feeling like making much right now. Maybe 2026 FanX will be my super-chill cosplay year.

Jaylah's Journey, Episode 2: The Weaponing

The weapon is pretty much 100% done. It turned out amazing last year and other than some touchups, I'm not going to bother with it, which makes it a HUGE chunk of the cosplay I don't have to worry about this year.

Jaylah's weapon is probably my favorite part of her entire outfit and probably one of my favorite props ever. All I can describe it as is a zappy staff rifle...thing. In the movie, we see her toggling the interface on the box and using it to zap and shatter the solidified smoke trap Captain Kirk and Chekov are caught in. We see her using it with attachments and shooting it like a rifle. And the very first time we meet her, she saves Scotty by using it as a staff to smack away some enemies. I just love how it looks like an endlessly versatile tool she's cobbled together from the salvaged remains of other downed ships. Like the rest of her outfit, it's genius, but that also means it has a lot of components.

So.

Many.

COMPONENTS.

We're talking buttons, dials, wires, layers, switches, rivets, lights, and a few things I don't even know what to call. To date, it's the most complicated prop I've ever made. And I love it!

I've made it three times now, each better than the last as I've gained the experience and skills to more accurately replicate and fine-tune the details. Although they turned out ok, versions 1 and 2 ended up being kind of rushed and didn't quite come out the way I'd hoped. Version 1 was very basic, rough and crooked without any lights. Version 2 was a little more symmetrical, less bumpy, and had lights, but I somehow got the box part backwards, which really annoyed me, and I accidentally (but very stupidly) snipped the wires connecting the lights to the battery during the build and they never worked. For version 3, I knew what I had to do and I was determined to focus, do it right and do it justice. I wanted every accurate detail I could possibly include, I wanted all the pieces to fit together perfectly without gaps, I wanted smooth seams, straight edges, and I really, really, REALLY wanted those sweet lights.

Version 1

Version 2 (I hadn't finished version 3 by the time I had to get my entry photos submitted for the contest last year, so I used what I had)

Version 3

Armed with better tools, better materials, more experience, and a better understanding of what not to do, I went all the way back to tehe beginning and made a pattern.

The box is the focal point of the whole prop, and the most detailed part. On version 1, I simply stacked a few layers of foam together and called it good. On version 2, I built the outline of the box and kept it hollow to so I could put in the battery and lights. The problem was that I needed a way to access them, so I made the top part of the box like a door that I could swing open and closed. It worked, but it looked terrible. On version 3, I built the same hollow box and I cut out a small door in the side where I could slide in the battery (very creatively secured by sticky Velcro so it won't slip around inside, haha) and have access to charge it.

Box details.

Windows for the lights.

Lights and charger cable secured inside.

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

Now, for the rest.

Applying foam clay to the gaps.

Complete weapon, sanded and ready to be primed.

Painting.

Ready for touchups and details. Then done!

While we're on the topic of weapons, I might as well add that Jaylah also has a small knife that she carries around in a sheath on her belt. It's hard to tell since we only see it briefly, but it looks like it's just a piece of sharpened metal with a wrapped handle. Easy enough.

Version 1

Version 2, slightly bigger so it won't fall out of the sheath when I move.

The knife is a very small bit, but the outfit isn't complete without it. 

And there you have it! Jaylah's awesome weapons.

Jaylah's Journey, Episode 1: Year Four

Iiiiiiit's April! Which means I'm about a month late starting work on this year's cosplays. But in my defense, I've been very slowly cleaning out and organizing my workspace as well as my house. I'm still not done, but if I want to be ready for FanX, I've at least got to get something started.

As far as keeping you all up-to-date on my progress this year, I want to do something a little different. I'm planning to try for the contest with Jaylah again, and instead of only posting on my socials, I thought it might be fun to document my real-time journey in detail right up to the day of the competition (if I make it in, of course) for anyone interested and use it as a way to keep myself motivated and on track.

I can't even tell you how excited I am to take her to the next level! Before I get into that, however, I want to take part of this first entry to officially introduce you all to Jaylah if you haven't seen the movie. As most of you know, I've been working on her for years now, but I think, for the sake of this blog series, giving some character background and explaining why I love her so much would be an appropriate place to start.

"I Am Jaylah."

Jaylah is the breakout star of the Kelvin timeline Star Trek series' third installment Star Trek Beyond. 

According to the tie-in post-Beyond comic series Star Trek: Boldly Go, issue #5, Jaylah was born in space to a loving, nomadic family of traders and her facial markings are interpreted by her parents to mean "fierce".

She loses her mother as a child, but continues the profession with her father and older sister Keelah, all while discovering and honing her engineering talents. 

Eventually, their ship is attacked and she is stranded on a hostile planet. The sole surviving member of her family, she is completely alone must rely on herself and her skills to stay alive in a world where everything and everyone wants to destroy her. By the time of the events of the movie, she's been there for years, living in and slowly fixing the remains of the crashed U.S.S. Franklin.

She is a fighter. She is a survivor. She has had no choice but to be brave, tough, resourceful, brilliant, and learn how to take care of herself, but she has an innocent vulnerability about her that hints at a softer side that might shine through under different circumstances. She faces unimaginable hardship and loss daily, but it's her quiet strength and determination that ultimately define her and drew me to her character.

...And she's probably the most difficult cosplay I've ever worked on.

What's Next?

Jaylah's outfit is deceptively complicated, as I learned during my first attempt at recreating it back in 2019. 

Jaylah, version 1.

There are so many components, each playing a vital role in creating the ensemble as a whole. There are metallic bits, straps, buckles, fitted clothing, belts, lights, layered fabric, elastic, paint, nuanced decoration and precise weathering, and that maddening but necessary black and white makeup and wig. No other project has challenged me across so many different areas. No other project has forced me to think so far outside the box and push the limits of my creativity. 

Sure, in my now nearly ten years of cosplay experience, I've made armor and weapons, sewn a few outfit parts, styled some wigs and done some very basic makeup, but mostly separately and never to the extent required for Jaylah. She is, quite literally, "built different". 

Unlike Astrid or Mandalorians or anything else I've done, other Jaylah cosplayers are few and far between, so I've had to do a lot of digging and come up with much of the outfit myself. As far as I know, there are no patterns or templates to refer to, only Google, a couple books, and whatever this handful of other cosplayers have documented. I've managed to connect with or follow some of these talented artists and observe their work, adapting what I learn to fit my own ideas. I've also created patterns for almost every piece of this cosplay, gathered fabric and thrifted hardware from second-hand sources, altered existing materials and even created my own parts from scratch.

A helpful Youtube makeup tutorial.

Even though I made my first version back in 2019, I count this (2026) as my fourth official year of working on Jaylah. After FanX in 2019, I didn't even think about her again until 2023, but because I was focused on Astrid's dragon armor for the competition, I didn't get around to it until 2024 when I decided to remake the whole thing. 

Version 2, Salt Lake FanX 2024

When 2025 rolled around, I realized what a great competition cosplay she could be because of the broad spectrum of skills I could utilize for her...so I remade her again.

 

Version 2 ready to be ripped apart in 2025.

Version 3, 2025 contest entry photo.

Salt Lake FanX 2025.

Although she turned out much better than the previous year, she just wasn't quite at the level she needed to be at and, unfortunately, I didn't make it into the contest. Yeah, I was upset, but now I see it as a blessing in disguise because I have the opportunity to make her even better this year with the added benefit of it already being about 65% done.

Aside from a few small repairs, the weapon is finished and I don't need to worry about it on top of everything else. The belts and wrist guards are good as well. The vest and pants need major work and I think I'm going to have to remake or at least heavily modify the boot covers, but the wig and makeup are what I'm really worried about. The wig especially gave me SO MUCH grief last year, so I'm glad I'll have more time to figure it out and practice.

I can only go up from here, so let's GOOOOO!

AQ3D

What you see here is a screenshot of my character from a game called Adventure Quest 3D. 

Now, I don't play a lot of video or even mobile games, and the games I do play rarely keep me occupied for more than a month or so. I don't know, a lot of games seem repetitive and I get bored, which means I'm constantly cycling through the play store in search of something new and interesting. 

I didn't grow up with video games in my house like most of my generation. It just wasn't something my family did, which is totally fine. But I've played enough with friends and my own family to know that...well, I'm kind of terrible at them. And no, I am absolutely not ashamed to admit it. For this reason, I don't even really like to play them. (I'm not counting The Sims in this. Totally different type of gaming experience to me.)

Wait, hold on, I know what you're thinking: "But how can you be such a huge nerd and not play video games?! It doesn't make sense! It goes against nature! Aaaaa, my brain!" ...or something like that. The answer is simple: it's all about the story. I would much rather experience the story of a video game with out the actual playing part. I get impatient, and trying to remember which button to push gets in the way when I only want to know what happens next. I don't want to end up on a cliffhanger and then have to literally jump through a million hoops and die in lava a million times before I can move on. Personally, it's not fun to me. It's frustrating and sometimes anxiety-inducing. 

Soooo I don't play them. I let all you other talented nerds who are amazing at gaming do all the work. Then I look up your full videos with the cinematic cutscenes on YouTube and watch them like a movie, haha. And that works for me.

There are a few rare exceptions, though. Ghostbusters: The Video Game was really fun and not too complicated. School of Dragons was great because HTTYD and it had some very unique aspects that no other game had. Sadly, it got shutdown about a year ago. RIP.

And then there's Adventure Quest 3D. Dorky name, I know, but the game's action-with-an-infusion-of-pure-goofiness angle is part of the reason I started playing it about five or six years ago and still love it.

Let me briefly sum up why I enjoy it so much:

-It has a storyline that I haven't seen before. It's engaging without being too messy or complicated, even when content is added.

-It's hilariously self-aware, constantly makes fun of itself and not-so-subtly sneaks in references and parodies of other franchises.

-The controls are pretty easy, and you don't really "die". You just sort of get sidelined for a few seconds and then you're back without losing all your stuff. "Where's the fun in that?" you ask. That depends on your definition of "fun", lol.

-There are so. Many. Options. There are about twelve different classes to choose from which you can easily switch between whenever you want, dozens upon dozens of outfits, equipment and accessories, and an insane amount of quests and worlds. There is literally something for everybody. Pirates. Vampires. Magic. Aliens. Dragons. Derpy unicorns. Bird people. Angry land sharks. Your run of the mill meet-at-the-tavern-and-go-hunt-some-trolls-with-your-guild stuff. Or you don't even have to be in a guild. I could go on and on.

It's not hard to determine that it was the customization aspect that really drew me in. I LOOOOVE to customize. Being a creative person, I tend to function better when I'm allowed to put my own personal spin on things, so having the option to dress my character up any way I want is especially appealing to me. When I think about it, it's probably why I love cosplay so much. 

...All of which is a very, very long segue into the real point of this post: this year's cosplay plans.

I haven't started working on my 2024 FanX line up and don't currently have any plans for a big competition build, but I would be lying if I said I'm not itching to get my hands on something complicated and armor-y-ish. (That's totally a word now, you're welcome.)

That being said, I've taken Astrid's dragon armor about as far as I can for the time being, and other than some upgrades and repairs, probably won't do much with it this year. Everything else on my list are remakes or updates.

But I was thinking...

What if my main build this year was something completely original based on my love of customizing? Something that's purely me like the outfit in the screenshot that I created in-game.  

Or...

Another idea I had was for a build I would call "Gamer's Inventory", which would basically be a mashup of a bunch of different items and outfits that one might pick up in a video game. Those of you who like gaming know that when there are a lot of options, your backpack or vault or slots or whatever fill up fast and you end up having to decide what to keep and what to drop. My own game inventory is packed with stuff I've earned through quests and such, and all of it is cool and I just want to wear ALL THE THINGS, ALL THE TIME. Then I end up with a an alien-mushroom-wizard lady with space blasters, two swords and flower crown...and it's awesooooome! I often go into my inventory simply to see what wild, funny combinations I can come up with. As you can probably imagine, I find this endlessly entertaining, probably even more so than the game itself.

Anyway, a cosplay mishmash like this would be really fun and challenging to make, but I'm not sure about it. There would be a lot going on and it might be a bit too far over my current ability so I might stick with something a little more uniform like the picture above.

What do you think? Should I jump in and unleash the ultimate cosplay monstrosity on the world or go for the more streamlined cool matching armor set?