As usual, it's been a busy month...I'm actually about to write an exam, and in the interest of trying to calm myself down I'm gonna write about my cosplay plans instead.
I haven't cosplayed since...I don't know, 2009ish? I had no money and no skills, and I was really into Team Fortress 2 at the time, so I put together some very simple cosplays of Scout and Soldier (thank you, Army Surplus store!). I wanted to do a female Medic cosplay, but I never finished it. And then I went off to university and my cosplay plans dried up, haha. I'm super excited to pick it up again! I'm not comfortable going to a convention just yet, but I figure things should settle down enough by next year. And that gives me lots of time to assemble my costume without having to deal with con crush.
I've settled on cosplaying my favourite video game protagonist from my favourite video game franchise, Commander Shepard Mass Effect! I'm going to base it off of one of the rejected designs for Mass Effect 3's Shepard. I love the mid-2000s edgy emo-Karen hybrid haircut and the dark makeup. I'm not sure if the bright red streak in her hair is just a reflection or if it's supposed to be an actual dyed streak, but I might just add it in because it's cute. Plus I already wear hazel contact lenses anyway, so that's one less thing to buy.
Overall, I picked this design because she looks cool, but also I would look pretty goofy with the official canon red hair, green eyes, and freckles. I also like the look of the classic black N7 Armour more than any of the other armour sets, and it's so iconic and recognizable. Iconic to the point of being overdone? Yes. Totally badass-looking? Also yes.
The most difficult part of the cosplay is going to be the bodysuit. It's supposed to be a heavy carbon fibre material, and I've found a few fabrics that would work well, but I'm not very good at sewing. I might just buy a bodysuit with a similar print, or a black PVC bodysuit (ugh, sweaty) since 90% of it will be covered up anyway. But the accuracy...I'm so torn on what to do haha. I'll guess I'll worry about that after I build the armour.
As for props, I decided on building a Black Widow sniper rifle. The Black Widow is also such a good, simple design that's straightforward to build. I love the futuristic look of the iconic Viper and Mantis rifles, as well as the Locust, but they're going to be a pain in the ass to build with all the curves and tiny little details. The Black Widow also looks huge and pretty impressive, so yeah. Laziness prevails.
I hope that with the release of the Legendary Edition we'll see a lot more Mass Effect cosplays again. A decade ago, you could throw a rock in a convention hall and be guaranteed to hit at least one Shepard cosplayer. It tapered off as the years went by, but I've seen tons of new players joining the fandom, as well as lots of old players returning. I would love to do a silly Into The Shepardverse photo if I can gather enough Shepards together!
Maybe I'll see you at a convention next year!
[Current Music: VR SEX - Rock N' Roll Death]
