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!

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.