Adventures in cosplay (no.5)

And here we are with the final installment of this series. As the month of November ends so does this series on cosplaying video game characters. This has been a fun serial to bash out and a slight change of pace from the nonsense I've bashed out so far.

So, what more do I have to say about cosplay? Well we started with a Final Fantasy cosplay so we may as well end with a Final Fantasy cosplay. And which character? One Zidane Tribal.



This came about last year: I played my way through Final Fantasy 9 and Kathleen watched me do so every step of the way. Prior to doing so, my understanding of FF9 is that it was underrated and never reached the levels of popularity achieved by 7, 8 and 10. Well being a champion of the underdog, I played it, loved it and was impressed enough with the lead character. Kathleen too loved Zidane that she needed little persuasion into cosplaying as Garnet (although her liking Garnet as already good enough reason).

In a way, perhaps this represents the accumulation of things I've mentioned before: I cosplayed as a character who came from a little known game because I loved the game and the character and wanted to express it. I've seen some cosplays of the character done before and thought "I can do that too". And yes, it was another excuse to create an impression as a couple in both life and cosplay.



Now this was a variation of the Zidane design: This was actually for Amaranth, an anime ball run in conjunction with Manifest. Whilst Kathleen looked all set to go with the Garnet princess dress, we decided to go with a slight alteration with Zidane so he'd look the part. Thus whereas Zidane in the game had bare arms, I wore a white shirt.

As for the rest of the cosplay, the pants were purchased, the vest was made (through a friend of ours), the gloves were purchased before being attached to the cuffs, the caveat was rescued from a previous cosplay and the wig was salvaged from my Link cosplay. I wasn't able to get a tail due to money and time limitations.

All in all this was heaps of fun to do and the 'formal' variation worked a treat. It was great to go around Amaranth dressed as such and it made an excellent counterpart to Kathleen's (already ballroom) cosplay.
Looking back on it I think this cosplay would have to rank as one my favorites. For me it's one to be proud of and for good reason: I look at it now and there's not one damn thing I'd change about it. Ask any cosplayer: If such a feeling ever arises about a cosplay then something must've worked.
And it is the greatest feeling.



And this concludes this series on Adventures in cosplay. Note that this series has just been on characters from video games and thus a representation of a much greater whole. If I were to include the anime characters I've cosplayed as this series would've gone on for much longer. Mind you for the curious, go check out the link to my (joint) cosplay.com account in the side bar to the right of this page.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed reading this series and from here? Well I enjoy cosplay and get a lot of fun out of it so who knows? I may just sit down and bash out another Adventure in cosplay sometime in the future. Until then....

Wii are one but Wii are many

I was expecting a tonne of nasty comments to my last post but none such came. No matter: Guess I'll keep rambling on in the vain hope that someone else is listening.

Anyway, I've noticed there seems to be a lot of contempt for the Wii. It is indeed strange considering that, so far, the Wii has outsold both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. What, didn't the console wars end? I thought they were over now that many gamers these days own more than one console and many gamers waking up to the fact that ignoring a particular console may result in missing out on something good.
But I'd be a fool to think such puerile nonsense.

I find it kind of strange that people are turning on Nintendo with such venom. This are the people who pretty much broke out from the Post-Atari crash with the NES, wrote the rulebook for game design, and gave us such iconic characters such as Mario, Link, Samus and Donkey Kong. It begs the question, what went wrong? Why the sudden change of heart? I do recall Nintendo's fanbase being quite passionate during the early/mid-nineties to the point of ruthlessly mocking the Sega fanboys (like myself) but it is interesting to see such passion turn against the seemingly untouchable Nintendo.

Some would say that Nintendo's fanbase has grown up and moved onto pastures new. I beg to differ: I use my Wii for the Virtual Console and many games I recall from my childhood still hold up pretty well. Even games I never played manage to maintain my interest - which of course, goes to show that a well-designed game can still weave it's magic when the console it appears on has long since gone obsolete.



Some are unimpressed with the motion controller. I read that Nintendo aren't interested in competing against Microsoft and Sony in the technological department so, instead, they are looking for new ways to play games. It may sound like a good idea in theory but really, what is going to achieved via taking away the tenuous link between gamer and console? Taking it away kinda defeats the purpose of games being a fun way to relax.
True I can understand the contempt between motion controller but I'll give Nintendo credit: At least they're trying something new. It may not be a successful idea but at least they realise that graphics aren't going to get any better so a new approach could well be necessary.

Some are cross that the Wii is attracting the unlikeliest of gamers with pensioners and mothers. I never understood the distinction between casual and hardcore gamers. People are just playing games! Who gives two shits HOW they go about it? If anything the distinction exists just for snobbery and elitism. The way I see it, people playing games is a way to connect with people in social situations and make friends. Isn't that how people bond - over a common interest? Who cares if people take different approaches to the same task? Again, this is the case of doing something for fun and how much time can be spared.

Some are annoyed by the lack of quality software for the Wii. I personally never have this problem as I'm far too busy using my Wii for a virtual console. True, some people may be annoyed that people like me may be encouraging Nintendo to rely on past glories instead of inspiring development of something new but, again, if a game is well-designed it can, and will, be played for many years afterward.

But I must admit, some of these factors, however supposed, against Nintendo aren't very promising: A console outdone by more powerful rivals? A catalog of games that comes across as underwhelming? Franchises that are milked to a point where consumers are left unimpressed? A game developer focusing on the glory days when it's clear are those days are lost in a bygone era?
Didn't all these things happen to Sega?

Pwned

Earlier this week, Pure Pwnage wrapped up on ABC2. I sat through all of it becuase, very much Good Game, any show about gaming is good enough for me even if the end result leaves me dissatisfied. True I watch Good Game but it's the only gaming show on TV - thus it is a chore for me to sit through the nonsense in order to find something informative.

So did I come away from Pure Pwnage dissatisfied? Of course.
Much of it stems from the lead protagonist, Jeremy, being a deplorable one. He's lazy, rude, narcissistic and down right obnoxious. Thus, Pure Pwnage breaks a key rule in fiction by not having a character the audience can connect with. If such a connection isn't made, the story isn't going to go very far. Thus, Jeremy is not someone I'll give up twenty-odd minutes of my life for - no, he is someone I want to punch in the face.
By comparison, Kratos from God of War is too an unlikable character but at least this is balanced out through giving him a decent motivation (well at least in the FIRST game).

In addition, Jeremy's actions seem to enforce the equally detestable perception of gamers and how they interact with the real world. You know what I mean (don't pretend you don't): The stereotypical gamer who plays games with an almost religious devotion, has a grudge against society and who can't function properly on a social level.
I mean, considering that games are now more popular than ever, this stereotype seems to have severely challenged with games attracting people of many walks of life. Seriously you don't see people reacting to movies or books with the same passion as people who like games now, do you?
Thus, Jeremy's misadventures comes across more as being a backward step.

Some say these observations are precisely the point, inspiring a car-crash element to the series but I refuse to buy that. Stereotypes aren't there to be celebrated, they are there to be mocked. I don't want to hear about a guy who walks away with having learned nothing from his experiences. I don't want to know about guy who exists in his own little universe. I don't want to know about a guy who achieves victory without having to lift a finger to earn it. I don't want to know about a dude who has no admirable qualities to balance out his faults. I don't want to know about a guy who refuses to accept his shortcomings even when they're staring him directly in the face.
Indeed, I would rather watch a movie about a guy who wins with blind optimism despite everyone knowing he's a moron (case in point, Tim Burton's Ed Wood) than a serial about a guy who wins with obnoxiousness and immaturity despite everyone knowing he's a moron.

That being said, do I think I can come up with a better story?
Oooh, now there's a challenge...

Adventures in cosplay (no.4)

And here we go again with another Adventure in cosplay. Hope you're enjoying this series so far!

Now when it comes to cosplay, Kathleen and myself are inspired by our favorite games and anime. Most often than not, it's a case of one putting forth the suggestion and then trying to convince the other into doing so. And the convincing usually involves showing an anime, a game or even a picture (as was the case with the Link and Zelda). Which now brings me to Skies of Arcadia. I played this, on my Dreamcast, and loved it before we met and I was interested in cosplaying as Vyse - cos he rules and I liked the game a lot.
I then did a second playthrough, this time with Kathleen watching, and she seemed interested enough to cosplay as Fina to match.
Now seeing as we've done recognizable characters in the past, to suddenly do characters from a Dreamcast game would seem an odd move. But it mattered little: We liked this game and we both took great pride in cosplaying as lesser known characters - after all, if pulled off well, any cosplay can make the unfamiliar curious to know more.



Much like previous efforts, this cosplay was a combination of the manufactured and the assembled: The boots were from the Link cosplay (which subsequently fell apart on the day), the turtleneck was from an anime cosplay and the jeans were my own. The jacket was crafted by Kathleen (as was her Fina) and the eyepiece was crafted from swimming goggles!

Also pleasing is for once I was now able to actually do a cosplay using my real hair! As much fun as it is to wear wacky wigs, they eventually do create a strain on my head and it does get irritating at times. So whilst chances to use my real hair are slim, when they do come about, I seize upon them :D



If any of these photos seem a bit difficult to see, I'm afraid that these are the only photos that were taken of us at the con (that being AI-Con) itself. Remember what I said earlier about cosplaying as lesser-known characters? Well as it turns out, we were not recognized at all. Of course we have only ourselves to blame as this was in AI-Con, a much smaller scale con then, say, Manifest. As such, many people were left puzzled as to who were cosplaying as. This was particularly telling when I participated in a roleplay event and ended up winning. Also telling is whereas we had grown accustomed to be continually recognized and stopped for photos, this time it didn't happen at all. Indeed, it is hard to say whether it would've different had this been done at a larger scale con.

So is the Vyse a failure? I don't think so. I thought the end result was great and I don't feel ashamed to have worn it at all. Okay so yes being unrecognizable may have prompted a rethink in doing lesser known characters but I'm not too bothered (and after all, you can't win them all). We liked the game the characters are from, Skies of Arcadia, and we wanted to tell the world we did so - which is pretty much the entire point of cosplay.

Final Fantasy Fight

So a sequel to Final Fantasy Dissidia is in development eh? I never played the original (perhaps due to me not owning a PSP) but personally, I'm not in any rush to. If anything, what I have learnt over the years is that sometimes an outsiders view can make a whole lot of difference. As such, being interested in Final Fantasy (I wouldn't call myself a fan becuase being a FF fan means you played all of them. Including the crummy ones) I can see the value of a fan-service product.
True, pandering to the fans is never a good move but I can see the potential in having a fighting game featuring Final Fantasy characters. The problem is, that potential was squandered with the 'popular' characters making the final character roster - many of which fulfilling the 'paladin' role. So no knights, no ninjas or blue mages. Yay.

Granted there is potential for some ideal match ups (Sephiroth and Kefka being one that comes to mind) but for me, I think SqueeEnix was being too timid with their roster. So if Dissidia is truly going to expand the current roster then SqueeEnix should run with it. Some say that could result in an unnecessary overload but a fighting game CAN have many fighters as long as plenty of thought and effort is put into the development (I'm thinking of Bleach on the DS, and maybe even Super Smash Bros Brawl, by way of example.)

That being said, who'd I like to see included to the current FFD roster?
- Freya (IX): I don't care what anyone says: Freya is the best character in number 9 and the best knight in the entire series.
- Cid (VII): The second best knight character in the series. And ya gotta have a Cid!
- Edge (IV)/Shadow (VI): To fulfil the necessity of ninjas.
- A Monster Summoner: Be it Yuna (X) or Rydia (IV) one can't argue the opportunity to have giant critter tearing shit up on screen.
- Gilgamesh (V): Personally I think he was unjustly snubbed in the original for Exdeath.
- Seifer (VIII): Should've been in the original where Ultimecia was
- Aerith (VII): If SqueeEnix are truly listening as they claim, then they would at least present the chance for getting payback on Sephiroth. True it may undermine the impact of Aerith's (in)famous death scene but if she is absent from this new Dissidia, then it really isn't a fan service-based product then, right?

Don't Fear the Reaper

Another game has been beaten: This one being Mass Effect 2.

I've spent the past few weeks singing praises for this game and, really, I can't think of anything more to say. This game is brilliant, it's succeeded over its predecessor in every possible way, it is well-written with an epic feel and really goes to the effort of making my care about the characters enough to make me complete it a second time around to make sure no one gets killed (true).

Okay so maybe the planet mining sections were monumentally tedious but everything else is done really well and it is certainly fun to see decisions being made in the last game effect the second one. The game held my attention all the way through and was fun, exciting and compelling. In addition, having the T-800 as the final boss was the icing on the cake.

Thing is, where can this series possibly go from here? Topping Mass Effect was a tough job indeed - and ME2 pretty much achieved it. Resetting Shepard's stats though resurrection at the hands of Cerberus at the beginning was a clever move - how can it be topped? I liked the integration of the old crew in the sequel - can it done again with a crew of ten/twelve? I liked how every element in the previous game was improved upon - so if it ain't broke why fix it?

Can Bioware achieve the impossible with ME3? Well they would if gamers would lower their expectations but what's the chances of that happening?

Adventures in cosplay (no.3)

And welcome back to this ongoing series. So let's not dither about, let's talk cosplay!

Today I want to talk about another Final Fantasy cosplay. The Final Fantasy series truly is popular among cosplayers - and, through my experience, this popularity can be attributed to two factors: a) due to the major success of the Final Fantasy series many of the characters are immediately recognizable and b) the sheer crazy designs that go into some of the characters may strike some cosplayers as a challenge worth rising up to.
As a result, it's not unusual to go to a con and see numerous people cosplaying as one of the many Final Fantasy characters. Even some of the lesser known FF's still get a look in: I've seen one guy cosplaying as the Red Mage from FF1 and even he showed an incredible amount of detail that went above and beyond the original 8-bit sprite.

But I digress. Whilst I've done numerous Final fantasy cosplays in the past this was the very first one: Tidus from Final Fantasy X.



I mentioned in the last post in this series that the best cosplays are those which have a story attached to it - and this is certainly the case here. Around early 2008, I met a woman called Kathleen. We were heading to the same anime convention, AI-Con, and she wanted to cosplay. This was to be her first but it there was the problem of what to do, having two options. One such option was Yuna from FFX and, recognizing the character, I convinced her to do so. Then, somehow, I ended up doing Tidus to match. And thus the wheels were sent into motion - this was the foundation stones of something that eventually blossomed into a relationship.
So yes, cosplay got us together.
Still, I suppose relationships have started in weirder places....

But no matter - I'm not the biggest fan of Tidus so cosplaying as him was a bit of a stretch on my part. But I like Yuna a lot so, believe you me, it was worth it to have someone cosplay as Yuna hanging around me :D



Mind you, this is one cosplay that has gone through numerous incarnations: The first one, as displayed in the above photo, was the first but it faced problems with the shorts being wrong, the arm armor being hopeless and some other minor details were somewhat lacking. A second Tidus cosplay has since been acquired which was better but recently has been facing problems in the form of a disintegrating arm armor.
Yes I seem to have some trouble with the arm armor - could it be some sort of karmic justice for my contempt for this character? Maybe...

But one interesting point is the hair: The first photo in this post is my natural hair - at the time, it was in dire need of a trim but somehow it ended up working in my favor for the cosplay. The second photo is again my natural hair - this time it was in a much more reasonable haircut but in cosplay terms it doesn't seem to work. And since then I finally got a wig going:



The hair's still wrong but at least the colour's right. Sort of. Oh well....

Well there's not really much else I can say about this. Whilst not the first cosplay I did, it was however a step in the right direction. It has been dusted off and worn again numerous times and I've never once gotten tired of it. And, most important of all, it was the foundation of something special. Indeed, it's been great to wander around cons and to be recognized both as a character and a couple.
So whatever contempt I may for Tidus, at least in this time, he did inspire a cosplay that turned out one of my widely-used. Indeed it's strange to think that character I don't like made for a cosplay that turned out right - so whatever it was that worked I'm grateful for.



And to have someone willing to match it is ever the more sweeter.

....since I Rock n Rolled uh-huh

I've been playing a lot of Rock Band lately - only this time it's on a completely different system. Whereas previously I've been playing it on the Wii, now I've moved onto the Xbox.

In hindsight, it seems daft to play Rock Band on the Wii when the Xbox/PS3 offers backward compatibility and proper hard-drives to store music on but in my defense this was more accident than design: At the Melbourne EGames expo 2009, they had a stage set up where punters could go up and play Rock Band 2 - with prizes for those who "rocked out". I went up, in a Cloud Strife cosplay and performed Are You Gonna be My Girl with gusto and won. As I only had a Wii at the time, I told the Harmonix people so in order for them to send my game - But whereas I was expecting the Game (I should stress that RB2 was never released in this country) I was sent the whole entire band kit!

So yay me. Do I regret getting RB2 for the Wii? I see no reason to (getting something for nothing is perfectly fine by me). Sure it means I won't have a proper music library like the PS3 or Xbox but, as long as I can use the Wii for Beatles Rock Band, it isn't a total waste.
Of course, jumping over to a new system will mean I'll have to download all the DLC I did for the Wii all over again and make new avatars to rebuild my band (is it kinda weird that I have some kind of attachment to the characters I created for a fictitious band in a fictitious universe dreamt up by Harmonix?). But hey, it's still good fun. After all, that's what drew me to Rock Band in the first place.

Been a long time....

As Duke Nukem Forever rolls ever so closer to showing it's face, pre-release feedback seems quite promising. Do Gearbox genuinely believe in their product? Or are they just frightened that anything less than a wonder will mean all the wait and frustration will be for naught?
As previously stated, there is a part of me that really wants this oft-delayed game to succeed. To have a great game come out awesome in spite of the delays and the fan contempt would be a victory to end all victories - not to to mention the satisfaction of silencing many an angry gaming nerd. In fact, as the fans getting so worked up over an unreleased product still holds more fascination to me than the actual game.

Makes me wonder which will attract the greater venom:
- The fact that DNF took a long (and reportedly unnecessary) long time in development
- The fact that DNF was released and (hypothetically) turned out crap
- The fact that DNF was released

Still, a game can be good even when it's been a long time in development: Warcraft 3 took a long time to produce and it's still being regularly played at LANs. Team Fortress 2 took nine years to come through and it proved quite successful with critics/gamers/LAN goers alike.
So maybe there is value in wanting to do an awesome job of one's product. Maybe we should be grateful that people like Blizzard and Valve are willing to take their time and produce the best possible result.

But what are the chances of that happening?

Adventures in cosplay (no.2)

And welcome to part two of this series in Adventures in cosplay. So what I can I say for today's installment?

Well for starters, it is, for me, near impossible to discuss cosplay without mentioning my partner in crime Kathleen. It's something we love doing, it's a great couple activity and it was, believe it or not, a great foundation to build a relationship upon. And being genuine couple in life, it indeed shows and is quite popular at cons. Before we met I did wonder how cool it would be to see a genuine couple cosplay as fictitious couple and now that I've been a part of one, it's pretty damn cool :D
Of the many couples we've done, perhaps our best known one is Link and Princess Zelda from the Legend of Zelda games. This has been done many times and is the one people tend to remember us the best for.



This may seem like an odd choice for a cosplay couple seeing that, in the games, Link is the star and Zelda's screen time is, conversely, minimal. Yet still people seem strangely accepting of a connection between the two.
This came about however through personal experience: At the time, 2008, I was coming into the Zelda games for the very first time through playing Link to the Past. I played it, liked it a lot and was inspired enough to consider cosplaying as Link. Around the same time, my partner, Kathleen, and I had just come off the back of cosplaying as Tidus and Yuna and she was keen to do another cosplay couple. As serendipitous as it sounds, I asked if she was familiar with the Legend of Zelda games. Kathleen said yes she was familiar having played them as a kid. I then suggested we do a cosplay of Link and Zelda - At first she was reluctant saying she didn't want to wear a tea towel on her head but when I showed her a pic of the Twilight Princess Zelda, she quickly agreed.

2009: Man, it hurts to look at it now....

How the Link came about is an interesting case: It was something that was gradually built up over time and trial and error. I purchased the tunic and cap off ebay but they were found wanting. The tights were ladies (!) leggings purchased at clothing store Supre and the white shirt was an old long-sleeved t-shirt. The collar, gauntlets and leather straps were made through trial and error by Kathleen and the master sword was purchased at a con. The boots - oh boy: At first it was boot covers, but they were awful. Then it was riding caps before actual boots - which subsequently feel apart.

Although this cosplay isn't the easiest of things to wear, I do have a soft spot for it. Like other great cosplays this one has a story attached to it - of how it came about - and one I'll never tire of telling. And having done this cosplay numerous times since, it's has evolved through numerous improvements and built up it's own sense of history.
Indeed one such story that this cosplay inspired is when Kathleen and myself were sitting around when a young girl dressed as Link walked past. We called her over, had a long conversation and eventually, all three of us into a photo.

2010: Aaaaahhhhhh, Much better!

Now that I think of it, Link is an odd choice for someone like me: You see a lot of women cosplay as Link but they have the angular facial features and slim figure to make it work. Thus it does seem odd for a twenty something guy to cosplay such a youthful character - but what do I care? I love the character of Link and it's fun to be recognized for it.
And to have someone else willing to cosplay as Princess Zelda to match is even better :D

So much so in fact that I see both my Link and Kathleen's Princess Zelda, permanently connected. It may sound nuts but these two have been worn together and have been improved/evolved together that I honestly can't imagine them being separate entities. By way of example, Kathleen has cosplayed as Midna and I did Link to match but for me, it wasn't the same. Nope, the Link cosplay and the princess Zelda cosplay have had a shared history together to go elsewhere is unthinkable - and again, for a cosplay to have such stories and history attached to it is indeed something special.



And that's it for today. But there's more to come so stay tuned!

Pure Nonsense

I've been watching Pure Pwnage on ABC2 recently. It may seem old hat to many of you who watched it since it came online but for me, it's something new.

So what do I think of it?

I have no idea.
No really: this is a TV show that has left me with mixed feelings - perhaps more than any other TV show I have seen before. On one hand it is well written and, being a gamer, I am able to pick up on a lot of the jokes.
On the other hand, some of the jokes hit a little too close to home. Indeed, Jeremy is hard character to establish any kind of connection: Is he there to make us laugh? Is he meant to inspire scorn? Am I meant to connect with a narcissistic, immature character who'd I rather shoot in the head?
Or is the truth to ugly to confront? Indeed, I recall Eddie van Halen reacting to the great mocumentary This is Spinal Tap by saying that everyone else in the room was laughing bar him who'd lived through all the things happening in the movie. That being said, I hate to think how many gamers act like Jeremy.

But something must be working in Pure Pwnage becuase it keeps calling me back.

Reach Out

So Halo Reach is, reportedly, the last Halo game from Bungie? I sure hope so. I think it's fair to say that everyone is pretty sick of Halo, it's devoted-to-the-point-of-downright-weird fans and the over-saturation of it all. I personally don't mind Halo but I find it interesting that Bungie decided to move on.

You hear so many people complaining about how gaming franchises are run into the ground and no one seems keen to try something new. I personally find it interesting that anyone who has the balls to genuinely try something new is swallowed by gamers and shat out as yet another franchise. Case in point: God of War. It came when action games were running out of puff and presented a compelling anti-hero along with a deconstruction of Greek mythology. Also, it presented a proper story with a well-realised resolution. As such, I have no idea why the God of War sequels exist or there is any need: Sure the action is still there but the plot just gets silly plays off of Kratos being a total jerk - thus ruining a lot of what originally made him so interesting.

So I give Bungie credit: They are obviously closing the book on successful franchise and moving onto something different. You don't see that much in the gaming these days becuase such a move requires a large amount of balls to do so. I can only think of only one other case where a franchise was deliberately put to rest and that was Phantasy Star 4 on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive.
Indeed, I'm interested to see what Bungie does next, and whether they will stick to their guns in the face of greedy business types and fans who will eat up anything with Halo written on it. It takes balls to do unconventional things with an established franchise (Leisure Suit Larry 4 comes to mind) so yay to Bungie.

Of course there is talk of doing ANOTHER Halo game only this time by fans but to me, in this franchise-driven, fan-pandering era, there's nothing sadder.

Adventures in cosplay (no.1)

I haven't talked much about cosplay in this blog. So why not? I like gaming and I like cosplay so there's no reason why I shouldn't talk about it. After all, this is my blog and I can do what I damn well like with it, dragging all my readers along for the ride whether they like it or not.

So for this month of November I'm going to make a series: Every Monday I'm going to pick out a particular cosplay I've done and wax lyrical about it.

I've enjoyed cosplay - it's fun to dress up and take on the persona of your favourite character. What's particularly sweet is that I have a cosplay partner in crime - and not just any partner. Yes, as I found out, cosplay is actually a really good way to develop a romance. My partner and I have cosplayed romantic couples in the past and it works because we're a real couple - it shows at cons and so forth and it's become a really big hit with the attendees who constantly collar us for photos. :)

So to kick off this series, I present one cosplay I did back in 2008: Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7.



I can't say I'm part of the fervent fanbase that keeps Final Fantasy VII alive much longer than the average video game but I've played it and found some enjoyment out of it. But what's even more surprising is whilst Cloud isn't my favorite character this came about because I liked Aerith and wanted my partner Kathleen to cosplay as her - and she only agreed to it provided I cosplay as Cloud. So Cloud it was then.

Much of this was purchased: The outfit was purchased, the ribbon and even the Buster sword. The boots were provided by me from a previous cosplay as was the wig. Unfortunately, on the day that these photos were taken, time restraints meant that the wig was unable to be styled.

This was worn on a day out in Melbourne with some other cosplayers. This proved to be quite a hit and some of the cosplayers were impressed with the Buster sword. In addition the inclusion of the glasses went over well too.
Unlike a lot of my other cosplays, this was easy to move around in and didn't disintegrate as the day wore on. It particularly amusing to enter a video store, with Aerith in tow, and having one of the staff there recognize us immediately.

So at the end of the day, this was fun to do and it was great to have a cosplay remain in one piece all throughout the day. I got some sweet recognition for it and an Aerith too :D



Who's the boss eh?

Anyway, that's enough for today. Come back next Monday where more Adventures in cosplay await...