Evolution of My Cosplays

Hey guys!
Coming at you with a new blog post, detailing my evolution of cosplay over the years. I've almost hit the 10 year mark of when I first started cosplaying, but I didn't start taking it more seriously until 2013. I've made many costumes over the years and have worked with many photographers as well. I love going through my cosplay album and seeing just how far I've grown. It's a great feeling and also lets me focus on new things and breaking away from my normal cosplays to try new characters and new possibilities. All my photos will be of photos taken that year as well. So let's begin!

My First Cosplay 2010

Talk about a train wreck! I was a senior in high school and my obsession was Black Butler. I loved Grell SO MUCH so when there was a tiny little con near by, I did what I could with no job and mom not wanting to buy me anything. I bought everything at the goodwill (the plushie was a gift) and I borrowed the gloves, shoes I already had (I still have them). I had no idea what a wig was beyond Party City so I stuck with spray hair color. It was....not fun. It made my neck BRIGHT red and ruined my shirt. People weren't familiar with Black Butler at the time and so it was probably the only time people didn't recognize I was Grell (or maybe I looked so atrocious that nobody could tell I was Grell...who knows). I look back at this photo and get all icky because I was SO uneducated on cosplay and had 0 resources simply because I didn't use Google properly. But I have really fond memories of this con and met my best friend there actually. I never wore this version of Grell since because I wanted to do his other outfits more, especially as the anime came out later on. This was the peak of my Black Butler days. 

 My First Made Cosplay in 2011

Fast forward another year, 2011 was a pretty rough year on me personally at the time, but looking back I was just being an over dramatic weeb. I didn't do much cosplay wise but I remember going to a local 1 day con and making Link from Twilight Princess. It was actually not that bad and I did a lot of new stuff for me (but I still ended up just hot gluing most of it together). I really loved TP and that version of Link that I somehow made it using basic cotton fabric and just...winging it. I was really proud of it and thought "omg this is my best work every I'm never going to top it". I remember hitting some drama at this con that made me really fall out of the Black Butler fandom. It was so petty but that's con drama for you. I have this lovely photo of me dressed as Link playing the piano that I still love. I rarely get to play anymore so any photos of me in cosplay at a piano are some of my favorites. 

First Photoshoot in 2011

YEAH one of my first cosplays that I made was from 2011 that I made in 3 days because Kid Icarus Uprising JUST came out and I had a con that weekend and well....That's where it began. This was really easy to make because it was just weird draping and just sewing in place. The shoes were a bit harder to make but yay first boot covers? I just discovered Yaya Han around this time and someone got me her wings as a gift and I still have them and still use them haha. I had my first real photoshoot with this cosplay and they turned out great! I recently worked with her on my latest cosplay (debuted at the same con this was taken at) and it is WONDERFUL to see how much I've grown as a cosplayer.

My First Competition in 2012

My next cosplay that I was able to put money into after convincing mom that "hey I really like this can you buy me fabric" was Colonial Grell. I really wanted to make a proper version of Grell and put more effort into it....for being a noob at cosplay still. I see SO many errors with this coat, the main issue is that it was too big and I didn't take it in lol. But I made that coat! All of it. I even altered the pants and vest. I couldn't find red shoes that fit but I found these nice black ones that worked just as well. And my friend made my sycthe because PROPS. And this was my first wig! I actually still have it, and used it recently on Seth lol. Recycling is always a good skill. I forgot the reasoning behind my glasses not being red but....glasses are still glasses? This was a first year con in Tennessee that my old con group and I went to, and we had SO MUCH FUN. I did my first competition and met a girl there that turned out to be one of my inspirations later on without realizing it was her lol. I won my first award (Honorable Mention) and it was what got me really hooked on cosplay. I hosted my Black Butler panel there and made a lot of friends. It was a great con, I kept telling myself I'd remake that coat but never did and now I never want to. I used DeviantART as my planning guide because a cosplayer I followed did this version that I took a lot of ideas from (I learned what satin stitching was). This cosplay was pretty bad but for a beginner AND winning an award? I think I did alright.

My First Full Cosplay in 2012

Nope. Still into the whole Black Butler cosplay train. Charles Gray had just been introduced as a character earlier that year and I was SO INSPIRED that I just started making it. A lot of that fabric was actually sheet fabric that someone gave me haha. I started focusing on details more, bought a nice cameo thingy and nicer buttons. Crappy lace is crappy but yolo. I made literally EVERYTHING. The shirt, vest, coat, pants, and boot covers. This was my biggest project and was what really got me focused on being a better seamstress. I did cut corners here and there but I still think that coat was one of my best works (forgiving the shotty sewing job). I entered my 2nd competition but lost, and it really devastated me because I worked SO hard on it. I actually haven't competed very much since only because I don't take to losing very well apparently. If a time comes where I want to be Charles again, I have to fix up the coat and remake everything else but I do want to wear him again. I love that guy. I'm not much into the series anymore but this character remains my favorite. More so than Grell.

Other Cosplays in 2012

2013: The Year Cosplay Became srsbsn

I mentioned earlier that I really only started getting more serious about cosplay in 2013, and it's because of this cosplay right here. I really loved the Sandplay design of Gakupo and decided to make it. Those pants were so well fitted that I actually am still proud of them. The coat...I still have nightmares about that coat. It was my first real drafting projects and my first time doing those kinds of appliques. If you zoom in, you'll see that most of them are just pinned onto the coat haha. I very much want to remake this in the future because I love cosplaying Gakupo and Sandplay remains my favorite outfit for him. I wore this cosplay a few more times before retiring it forever. I met some great people in it and wore it to my first Katsucon.

First Big Con in 2013

WEW KATSUCON 2013. I had a blast. I went on a whim with a friend and got to be in a huge Project K group. It's what got me really hooked on cosplaying because I saw what people could do. This was my first big con and I was overwhelmed but I still had so much fun. It remains to be my favorite con of the year. This con helps me every year to push myself further and further, trying new things and pushing the boundaries of what I can/cant do. I always say that Katsucon 2013 is what really made me take cosplay more seriously in terms of crafting, photographery, and so much more. I owe Katsucon so much because of what it inspired in me.

Other Cosplays in 2013

2014: The Fall of Moe

The end of 2013 was the worst for me. I had a huge falling out with a group of friends that resulted in me having to go into hiding within the con community of NC, go under a different name on facebook, and basically cut ties with many people. On top of that, the beginning of the 2014 year, my dad had died. 2014 was an insanely dark time for me and I didn't do much with my life besides working at a job I hated with barely anyone to talk to and my best friend on the other side of the country. I've always had depression and the whole demise of my social life can be pinned to 2014. I've also developed anxiety and paranoia from that event, all professionally diagnosed, and made me really pick my cons. All of 2014 and 2015 cons were out of state. The one thing I made that year that I was REALLY proud of, was my Attack on Titan uniform. I'm still in love with that coat and how crisp the stitching is. I wore that cosplay a lot and recycled it to be Armin and Erwin (with a revised harness and new boot covers). I recently retired that cosplay after over 10 cons. It lived a good life.

2015: The Rise of Moe

The end of 2014 ended on a better note mentally, and the beginning of 2015 was just the same. But 2015, shortly after the one year mark of my dad's passing, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. It didn't end well for me. I became an INSANELY toxic human and took it out on everyone. I made many poor life choices then and it took me almost 2 years to realize just what I had done. But I am living with it, making my amends when possible, and learned to not make those mistakes again. Mom beat cancer later on that summer and has been doing well since. I also quit my job as a server and did commissions full time after that. I didn't make many costumes that year due to commissions but those 4 months of time by myself not having to deal with customers and society did WONDERS on my mental health. Any time someone brings up my 2015 disaster, I will never deny what I did and will keep apologizing until I die. Humans make mistakes, we can only learn from them and make sure to not repeat history.

Other Cosplays in 2015

2016: Moe the Reckoning 

2016 was a lit year. I had recovered so much from my 2014 and 2015 pit falls and went back into making cosplays for myself. My personality at this point had shifted and many people didn't agree with it, but it made me stronger and allowed me to be more vocal about my opinions. I was a very innocent child when I started cosplaying, 2016 def was my first layer of thick skin. BUT ANYWAY back to cosplay: This was my first wig build. The mangaka of Magi had just released a colored version of Young Judar from Magi and the color scheme is what finally sealed the deal on me cosplaying this. I worked on it on and off for about 3 months before finally being able to wear it to Katsucon. But my dumb butt left my wig at home! Thankfully a local friend left a day after me and was able to deliver it to me. My biggest cosplay of that weekend and I left the wig at home. GOOD GOING ME. But hey, it makes a fun story to tell at cons. This is also the year I fell into Haikyuu, a series (and a character) being so close to my heart even to this current day. I love Tsukishima Kei with all my soul.

Other Cosplays in 2016

2017: The Dream Year

2017 was the year I started doing a lot of dream cosplays. The first being Hades from Kid Icarus Uprising. I ended up having a Palutena and Viridi for a shoot and it was probably the happiest I felt for a shoot, because I've wanted a group from this game so badly. I made my first redesign of a character because even now, Hades default outfit is a huge project. This cosplay was also the first time I worked with face paint. Learned a lot. I have a lot more to learn. This is also the year I got to do my first real armor build (Seth) and began working with a bigger variety of fabrics to suit what I needed. I did a lot of experiments and went out of my comfort zone for almost every cosplay of this year, and this is where I began shifting to video game cosplay as my main source of work. This was probably my most productive year.

Cosplays in 2017

2018: Now and Looking Ahead

It's currently 2018, and I'm still making cosplays. I've greatly improved in my craft, modeling, make up, and more. And I still have so much to learn! I am excited for what the future holds and am already planning my next project. This blog was super fun to write and lets me look at how far I've come and recall some amazing and sad memories. Cosplay is a huge thing for me and my biggest passion next to my webcomic. I absolutely love cosplay and will keep growing with each passing year. 

Other Cosplays in 2018

Reshoots

Here are some photos of costumes I rewore to get proper photos of. Some of these costumes have a few months between their creation to literal years (looking at you, Munakata). If your first shoot doesn't bring the magic, do a reshoot! Or if you forgot to get one, shoot it anyway! Or just shoot for the sake of shooting. I love modeling in my cosplays and will always jump for a new shoot of a costume because it'll show my improvements and also because it's fun!!