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?

Since Last July...

Well, it was inevitable. My last post was months ago and now I have to play catch-up. So, here we go.

August 2023: con-crunching, a family trip to Yellowstone, then more con-crunching while nursing some insanely huge mosquito bites and a minor sunburn

September 2023: *con-crunching intensifies*, then FanX

Yes, FanX. I made it into the cosplay contest, this time in the Intermediate division. Again, I wasn't able to completely finish everything I wanted to on the armor, but it was wayyyy less stressful than 2022. I was ok with the work I’d done and how the remake turned out. It fit better, was much more comfortable and easy to move in, and was just all-around massively improved. I did end up with a few little things to finish up in the couple days leading to the contest, but they were small, like paint touch-ups and securing some loose bits. Nothing like the panicked, last-minute, morning-of mess I put myself through the year before where I was literally finishing the costume minutes before heading to in-person judging. Ugh. Never doing that again ...Well, if I can help it. No promises.

Anyway, being more prepared, I wasn't as nervous as I was in 2022. (Funny how that works, isn’t it?) I was able to take time to enjoy the con instead of constantly worrying about the contest, especially since I was confident about my routine. My soundtrack was epic, the moves I’d put so much time and effort into while swinging an axe around my kitchen in front of a very confused cat were going to be awesome. No stumbling around without a planned performance this year to a music track that was too long and not very fitting and that I couldn’t even hear anyway. There was no way it could go wrong this time. 

So, I volunteered at my group's booth and then spent the rest of the time with friends/my sister/wandering wherever I wanted and still had time to head back to the hotel and practice my routine. 

Yep, it was all good and I was so excited...until the actual performance. I feel like I did great in the in-person judging. I had all my references, photos, and samples ready, and I knew exactly what I wanted to say to the judges. Then, per usual, through the day I started over-thinking things and psyching myself out, which inevitably ended with me slaughtering my routine onstage. About ten seconds in, I missed a crucial step, which completely threw me off. Then I fumbled around until I kind of remembered what was next, but by then, the damage was irreversible. I was so flustered I just couldn’t give the big finish I was hoping for. When it was finally over, I quickly picked up my helmet and rushed back to my seat nearly in tears because I was so mad at myself and, frankly, kind of embarrassed. Yeah, I know it's just a silly contest and it's all for fun, but I worked so, so hard on that armor and the performance to go with it and—being the non-coordinated person I am—was so excited to surprise everyone with it.

Other than my performance, the contest was great. So many talented creators! And the best part was that we actually got to sit in the audience and watch most of the time instead of having to wait in line backstage for AGES until our division. And I had my glasses with me, so I could SEE everyone and their insanely cool cosplays and performances. Yay!

Oh, and finally, I must take this moment to sincerely thank my good friend and kind-of-cousin Marial Clark for rescuing my cosplay notebook from certain death and sending it home to me. She's awesome!

What’s Next?

After FanX and Halloween (the armor was a big hit around my community, which was fun), I put it all away for what I like to call the “off-season”, to focus on family and other projects and give myself a break. I did a few events with my reworked second movie Astrid and Ghostbusters and had some time to simply enjoy being with my cosplay friends and doing what I love.

Over the winter, I haven’t done much cosplay-wise, which is fine. I did, however, start getting things ready for my planned summer booths and to reopen my Etsy shop. I’m feeling pretty good about it all this year. I’ve made connections with other vendors, improved my skills and setup, gathered resources and ideas, discovered some really fun techniques and interests, and I’m hoping to show it all off at several events this summer. I haven’t made any Etsy sales yet, but I know it’s going to take time to get myself established and out there.

Fast-forward to now. It’s March, it’s getting warmer, we’re not still buried under two feet of snow like we were this time last year, I’ve had a nice break and I’m getting the itch. I’m ready to start making patterns and sticking things together and getting paint everywhere and pulling glue-strings off things. 

My possible projects for this summer are: remake Jaylah, fix Scoot, finish up Astrid 2, maybe finally bite the bullet and get contacts (ugh), and maybe even work on getting in shape (also ugh, but it needs to happen). 

At the moment, I don’t have have any solid plans for the contest. I’m still not completely happy with the armor, but I’m not going to enter it three years in a row because...I mean, talk about overkill, ha. I do want to get it to a point where it’s more comfortable, all the pieces fit correctly, and it looks closer to how I want it so I can wear it to events. It’ll take a while, but with all the experience I have now, I know I’ll get there and it will be worth it.

And no wrist injuries this year! Woo!

Also, here. Have picture of my stinkin' cute cat sleeping on my husband's nice pants.

Booths: Learning and Growing in a New Direction

 I don't have much to report in the way of cosplay at the moment (more on that later) but I have a good excuse. Along with the important stuff like getting everyone to soccer and ballet and church stuff etc., I've been busy all summer with...

Booths!

My town has a big 4th of July celebration every year. There are rodeos, cookouts, art shows, a parade, fireworks and a lawn full of vendor booths selling food, clothes, gifts--pretty much everything you can think of. Well, last year, on a whim, I decided to buy myself a booth space and see if I could sell some of my creations. I've mentioned before that I'd really like to turn my cosplay-making into a career, but I'm starting small. I made some simple jewelry, clothing, décor and costumes pieces just to see what sold and what people seemed to like. I didn't make a ton of money (I didn't really expect to), but I learned a lot and by the end, I was already making plans for 2023.

By the time the new year rolled around, I was ready to take everything I'd learned and make my humble little booth even better. I started by expanding my options and investigating other potential spaces at some festivals around the valley other than the 4th of July. Then I spruced up my logo and image with more professional-looking signs, better payment options, updated business cards, and learning new and interesting skills. I love making things, so that last one wasn't as hard as it sounds.

A few of the skills I've been working on this year include wire jewelry-making, clay jewelry and figurines. There's plenty of room for improvement, but it's been exciting and lots of fun to stretch out of my comfort zone a bit and see what my brain can come up with and what my hands can do.

New skills.

Refreshing new signs and cards.

I also had this crazy idea to use my booth as a way to advertise my cosplay endeavors *ahem-SHAMELESSPLUG-cough*, and in turn, use my cosplay to promote my business. I know it sounds weird, but hey, I've worked my butt off to get where I am and there's hardly any cosplay presence where I live, so why not? It was a chance to get my stuff out there and possibly connect with other creators in my area. I put together an album highlighting some of my favorite cosplay moments for customers to look through and set up a display of my current WIP. I have to say, it worked very well. They attracted a lot of attention, which then turned into business and networking opportunities. Win-win! Oh, and the dish of free candy helped a little, lol. Kids are drawn in by cool armor, get a piece of candy, they go find their friends who also get candy, and then they all go find their families...you get the picture.

My WIP display.

Some other tricks I employed to improve my booth presence and boost customer numbers were adding small touches like colorful/shiny tablecloths, better signage and display techniques, sales, streamlining my setup/take-down process, and not putting out all my products at the same in order to reduce buyer confusion. In short, a less-stressed me equals a less stressful shopping environment. 

Last year's 4th of July booth.

This year's 4th of July booth. Much more organized!

My improved packing method made for a much smoother setup.

I had some leftovers from last year. (Funny story: there were a lot more pairs of wings, but the cat got into the closet I was keeping them in over the winter and shredded all but two pairs. It's a good thing she's so stinkin' cute.) The foam weapons and Wild Kratts creature power suits were hits. The flipflops, wings, notebooks and letters, not so much. I probably won't be making any more of those--which is fine since they were a little pricier and not as much fun to make. 

Last year's leftovers.

In addition to improving my booth itself, I've also been working to add new, exciting items to my inventory.

I sold the kid-sized Minecraft armor I made for my son for last year's FanX. It was extremely popular and is definitely on my list for potential future products.

I threw in some clay figurines and photography. The figurines, especially the Among Us ones, sold out fast.

My jewelry was also a favorite. I took a lot of the jewelry I made last year and fixed or improved it, creating some fresh new designs along the way.

The magnets didn't do as well, except for the minnie doctor's office bead toy ones. I have no idea where that idea came from, but it's quirky and unexpected and I'm for sure keeping it.

I was able to do three booths this summer, gaining even more vital experience, knowledge and connections. I'm still very much a newb at this, but now that I've got a few events under my belt, some things figured out, accumulated an inventory and new skills, made connections and established a foothold, I feel like I'm going in the right direction. I have big plans and am very excited for the future of my small business.

Dragon Armor 3.0: Bigger...I Mean Smaller, and Better

As I mentioned in my last post, I was having trouble deciding whether to upgrade my armor from last year or just remake the whole thing. Well, I guess I'm doing a full remake, however, I'll be reusing parts of the last build because there were many things that worked very well and I don't want to waste them. 

I've been busy ripping apart the old one and "harvesting" bits for the new one. Scales, mostly, which will be nice since I won't have to worry about messing up my wrist again from all the Dremmeling I did last year. After months in a brace and a steroid shot in the tendon from my doctor, my wrist is completely healed now, but I am NOT doing that again.

*Sigh* All that hard work...

Useful bits and pieces.

It's interesting how much a few tries at something can teach you. Not only do I now have more experience working with various materials and tools, I've also been able to dig into the design of the armor a little deeper. By now, I know it very well and I have a solid plan to make it all work the way I want it to.

Starting my remake back in March has allowed me the time to really focus on the details and proceed slowly and carefully. There were many things I noticed this time around that I didn't the first two-- things I simply didn't have the time or desire to include before. I've been able to find more reference photos, some of which are much more detailed than the first ones. I've printed, collected and organized them all in the pages of a sketchbook which I can pull out and write on as I work. Having everything in one place and not contributing to the overall chaos will be a huge help.

Things That Worked

• Overall Design- Close to movie-accurate, patterning was challenging, but I feel like I did pretty well and plan to use mostly the same patterns for v. 3.0.

• Scales- Despite the injury, the shimmering color-shift paint, the smooth edges, and the care and attention I put into every individual scale really made the whole outfit pop, which was reflected in my score/judge's comments from the competition. The scales are basically what makes the whole outfit, so I felt (and still feel) that they are the most important aspect of the armor. Pulling the scales from the old build has caused some ripping and wrinkling, but I'm confident that with a bit of foam clay, paint, and a few passes with the heat gun, I can make them look good as new.

• Paint- The Plaid FX was an excellent choice because of its vibrancy and flexibility, it's easy to work with, not too expensive, wide variety of colors. 

• Plasti-Dip- I used it for priming for the first time and I'm never going back. Provides a flexible primer basecoat and is easy to paint over. No more cracking Mod Podge! Don't get me wrong, I love Mod Podge, but it's not the best choice for priming/finishing foam armor.

Things That Didn't Work/Need To Fix

• Size- This was the biggest issue. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until the morning of the competition when I put it all on and could barely move. I made the mistake of sizing the armor closer to the actual movie-proportions than to mine. Accuracy is a must for competitions...within reason. Most judges understand that things that work in a movie don't always translate so well into the real-world. However, it's possible for a cosplay to still be accurate even when fitted to the individual cosplayer. This is real-life, not an animated show. Astrid is tall with a long torso and limbs. I am not tall, and my torso and limbs definitely show it. I'm also quite a bit wider in some areas because...well, I'm a nerdy, 33-year-old human woman who has given birth to two children, not a CGI Viking dragon-trainer. Everything is being scaled accordingly. Bigger isn't always better.

Me frantically trying to finish the morning of the competition. (Photo: Julia Anderson)

• Stuff Falling Apart- The second-biggest issue. Since I decided to cram the whole build into just a couple months and had to rush things in the pre-con crunch, I wasn't able to attach/secure the various parts the way I should have. The first time I tried the entire outfit on was the morning of the competition (bad, don't do that) and immediately, it started falling apart. Not ideal when the cosplay requires a lot of movement and you have in-person judging in an hour. While it may have looked pretty good on the outside, the inside was a total mess. Weak attachments and badly-placed straps and details made it nearly impossible to move without losing bits. As soon as the morning in-person judging was finished, I had to rush out of the con to go back and reattach parts and attempt some last-minute repairs. It caused a lot of stress and I missed out on some of the fun. Yeah, never doing that again. I'm going to make absolutely sure that I build the armor in such a way that not only looks good, but allows movement without things breaking and more comfort.

• 
• The arm straps fell off before I even got onstage. Then I accidentally pulled my glove off. (Photo: Get Geekish)

• Inaccuracies- Like I said before, there were details in the armor that I never even noticed during the first two builds. For example, the blue part of the back of the chest-plate isn't actually part of the chest-plate at all. It's some kind of vest worn over the undershirt underneath the plate. The bottom two strips of the chest-plate aren't attached to the chest-plate either. They're also part of the undershirt, which actually makes things a lot less complicated this time around. I'm very excited to add these parts.

• Wig- Astrid's hair in the third movie is mostly loose down her back as opposed to her usual braid. And while I'm very proud of the wig I styled, it wasn't very practical for this particular cosplay. The hair kept getting stuck and tangled in the fin on the chest-plate and ended up being a huge annoyance/mess. This time, I'm going to wear the hair down for the in-person judging, then pull it back for the onstage portion to keep it out of the way.

• Fewer Individual Pieces- Part of what made last year's build and competition so stressful was the fact that I had so many parts to keep track of. This year, I'm hoping to group and connect/combine the pieces of the armor that can be put on/taken off at the same time.

These fixes are going to be tricky, but I have some ideas and I'm confident I can make them work. I'm really looking forward to bringing this cosplay to the next level! It's going to be awesome.