TMI, uh, Wednesday: Old Shame Cosplay Edition
Costuming and tailoring is one of my favorite hobbies, and it’s one I’ve been in for aaaages. I got started making my own Halloween costumes as a kid, and progressed to Renaissance Faire and convention cosplay when I hit my mid-late teen years. These days I actually sew semi-professionally, but that’s not what we’re talking about today. No, this post is devoted to that time-honored internet tradition: posting embarassing old cosplay photos of oneself on a public forum. So here, Tumblr friends: have some ancient pictures of me as a much younger weaboo nerd.
Sherman, set the wayback machine to…
1999: Me at age eighteen, as Lina Inverse of the comedy/fantasy series Slayers. This costume was actually something of an achievement because I made the whole thing, including the boots (but minus the gloves and leggings), entirely by hand, due to not having a working sewing machine at the time. Also I look really really stoned in this photograph because it was taken on Day 3 and I was already suffering from Con Plague. (Also I cannot smile for photographs to save my life.)
IN THE YEEEEAR TWO THOUSAAAAAAAAND: Me as San from Miyazaki’s Mononoke Hime. Plus stuffed Kodama (it rattles!). I was really, REALLY unhappy with that spear prop, but my GOOD one got broken like three days before con and I had to bullshit together a new one quickly. At least my inability to smile for pictures was appropriate for this costume!
2003: Me as Okita Souji of the Shinsengumi, nominally from Rurouni Kenshin but as he was an actual historical figure he’s shown up in a bunch of other works too. Also exactly one half of my ex-roommate Will. This costume was fun because I at one point got to demo my mad fencing skills, as I legitimately had a first-degree black belt in kendo and iaido at the time. I miss martial arts terribly, hopefully someday I’ll go back to them!
Bonus Feature!
2006: Not a costume, but I made the outfit so it technically counts! This is me at my old apartment in San Francisco, CA, just before I’m about to head off to my graduation ceremony at SF State. And I am looking so enthusiastic and also my nerdiest bookshelf ever? (Also LOL my apartment was a mess in that photo, god I haven’t looked at these in years.)
Eventually I will probably post pics of my much newer and better cosplays (Black Lantern, Sith/Dark Jedi, Steampunk/Post-Apocalyptic Gunslinger, Alyx Vance, Chell) and some of my general tailoring work. In the meantime, enjoy snickering at my early-twenties derpiness!
