Ah... Stuff.

Nearly done with the LttP walkthrough. I put it aside to work on FF9 and FFX, but have been working hard the past couple of days when I got stuck in FFX (it was all incredibly stupid and easy until I got to Seymour on Mt. Gagazet. Suddenly, I'm two inches tall and soooo weak). So, yay. I'll be typing that up soon. My manual, though, has been mysteriously missing since last summer. I don't know WHERE it could have gotten to. ;-;

Otakon. WTF. Still pending. I'm gonna e-mail on Friday because this is ridiculous. And there's STILL no schedule (though they tried to be sneaky and change the notice that says "Look for the schedule in July 2005" to "Look for the schedule in August 2005 - about two weeks before the convention" to coincide with the start of the month. Of course, two weeks before the convention is FRIDAY). I'm already not liking Otakon. >.o If I go -- because it's seriously starting to look like an if, even though I ALREADY PAID -- Otakon had better impress the FUCK outta me.

But with Otakon comes cosplay. My idea to cosplay one of the brothers Deegan with two of my friends won't be accomplished until at least next year (at least!). But, I found someone from the SAME series who's far simpler to cosplay (yay simple obscure cosplay). I just need a blond guy to be my Stunt, because we're bookends. Someone? Anyone? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?! If not, meh. Less to pack (read: less to try and squeeze into my suitcase).

I also hear that America's allowing stem cell research. Good ('bout time, more like.....)! I just finished writing a big long post about how much Alzheimer's Disease (my grandfather suffered) SUCKS ASS. I'm a bit teary as a result. I miss my Grampa.

Finally! Recognition we deserve!!

"Find Your Inner Link

"In most cases, style and gamers do not go hand in hand. The average game fanatic would be content staying on the couch in his pajamas all day, taking breaks only to use the bathroom or microwave a Hot Pocket. 'Cosplayers', however, have an affinity for the style that saturates so many games, especially those in the Final Fantasy and Zelda series, and are willing to sacrifice valuable gaming time to create intricate costumes based on their faves. Who are we to judge?

"Cosplay, a term born from the words costume and play, consists of dressing up and acting like someone or something else, and not just on Halloween. Cosplaying was popularized in Japan, where superfans of anime, manga and video games (and sometimes even musical groups) often re-create the look of the people they idolize. Like many other unique aspects of Japanese culture, cosplaying eventually made its way to North America, and took on a life of its own. Cosplay communities have spread far and wide across the continent, with a massive Web presence and widespread conventions. And the unique styles exhibited in many of Nintendo's games, have inspired strong Nintendo love within the community.

"Cosplayers range from the casual to the insanely meticulous. Hard-core cosplayers have an incredible eye for detail, not only mimicking the outfit of a depicted character, but the attitude as well. PikminLink (as she is called in the cosplay community) will not don a costume until every detail is painstakingly checked against game art and screenshots. She has created 14 versions of Link based on different Zelda games -- and she's already created two Twilight Princess costumes.

"More-casual cosplayers tend to have fun with their costumes, creating unique variations of favorite characters. Doug Dennis (the male Mario cosplayer on the next page [of the printed article]) is a social studies teacher who started cosplaying at the urging of his daughter, seen here in her Mario and Chun Li costumes. He started cosplaying because of his natural resemblance to Mario and Wario, and has since developed a crossover character, Darth Wario.

"Cosplayers take game devotion to a whole new level. They notice all the little details that many gamers take for granted. And while dressing up like a game character may seem weird to some, the level of fanticism is not terribly far off from the rest of us. In a way, we take on the personalities of our favorite game characters every time we play a game."

From Nintendo Power, September 2005. Written by Andy M.

AND THEN THERE ARE PHOTOS.
Pikmin Link... lots of stuff!!
Beverly Alliss from Colorado has been cosplaying since 1998. One of her favorite subjects, Final Fantasy, inspired her to create costumes for Rydia and Terra.
Carrie Wink (I KNOW HER!!!!) cosplays as farm girl Celia from Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life ((Carrie as Darth Aeris during the shoot of FFvKBB. Quoth Angel, "Does this make Sephiroth a Jedi?"))
A cosplayer (PikminLink again) depicts Prince Marth from Super Smash Bros. Melee



How freakin' COOL is that? I'm so happy to see this article. I love, though, how there's no mention of how expensive good cosplay can be, and that it's not just anime/manga/video games. [loud whisper]WEBCOMICS.[/loud whisper] But yes. I thought I'd share with you all. Credit goes to Angel for bringing this to my attention (he saw it and thought of me. How sweet).

:::continues to share. You should too.:::

Also, Lou linked me to this flash. I found it quite amusing.

Edit: JUSTIN I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! :::hugs::: Never have I felt so comfortable and so at home discussing ANYTHING nerdy with someone related to me. And I know you said the same. We must keep in touch far more often than we do now. I will love the rest of this week, you silly little closet geek, you.