Yes, this is a Caterpie cosplay. No, we didn’t think we’d ever be featuring a gijinka (Japanese for “anthropomorphic”) version of the 10th Pokemon in the PokeDex either; the larval version of Butterfree you’d find trying to String Shot your ankles in Viridian Forest. But hey, props to Mink the Satyr for pulling it off with aplomb:
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Star Wars fans cherish their memories and can answer any question posed to them without batting an eye. What was the first Star Wars toy your parents bought you? How old were you when you realized Princess Leia/Han Solo was hot? Did you cry the first time you saw the trailer for Phantom Menace? (X Wing Pilot Luke Skywalker. Ten, possibly eleven. Yes. I found out later that tears were appropriate, just not tears of joy.)
Star Wars has been a part of my entire life. Movies, toys, books, video games, and graphic novels are just a few of the things that inhabit the large portion of my brain that is reserved exclusively for all things Star Wars. Not all of these memories are great, however. Like Salacious B. Crumb, some memories are a little strange.
Never Tell Me, “Never Tell Me the Odds”: Going to the mall with your mom as a little kid can be hit or miss. Sometimes you go to the cool stores. But more often than not, it was boring. This time was one of the latter. My mom was looking for a new refrigerator. This was not something that interested me, so I decided to see what was on the televisions. Luckily for me, they were showing The Empire Strikes Back. I was seven, so I had seen Empire only 22 times. One of my favorite parts was about to happen. Han, Leia, C-3PO, and Chewie were attempting to escape the Empire and had to fly through an asteroid field. After 3PO tells Han the miniscule odds they have Han replies, “Never tell me the odds.” I was so caught up in the moment that I repeated the line out loud. I looked up and saw an older man staring at me. He looked back at me sadly and shook his head. I haven’t told anyone to not tell me the odds since.
The Price of a Falcon: Star Wars did not teach me the value of a dollar. It did not teach me the exchange rate of credits or whether the Emperor was planning to put his face on Imperial currency. What Star Wars did teach me was what income tax bracket my family fell in to. The Star Wars vehicle I wanted most was the Millennium Falcon made by Kenner. The Falcon was sleek, aerodynamic, and could make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. The toy was just as amazing. The top could be removed to put in multiple Kenner Star Wars figures and the top and bottom turrets could turn 360 degrees. One November day my mom took my sister and me to the toy store so we could show her what we wanted for Christmas. I showed my mom the Falcon. I knew she would get it for me. When we opened gifts that Christmas morning, I saved the biggest present for last. The Falcon was not as big as I remembered it in the toy store, but that didn’t bother me. Then I tore off the gift wrap. My mom had gotten me the Millennium Falcon. However, it wasn’t the Kenner Millennium Falcon. My mom had bought me a model of the Falcon that was at most half as big. I looked at my mom. I remember her looking worried. Something told me that it was very important that I liked this gift. I already knew how important money was, but for the first time I realized we did not have a lot of it. I smiled at my mom and told her it was exactly what I wanted. That morning, my mom helped me put the model together. For years, it was my favorite toy. Best of all, the guns could swivel.
Star Wars Costume Contests Ain’t No Joke: By the time Revenge of the Sith was released, the prequels were considered a disappointment. That did not stop my future wife and I from seeing it opening night. Unsurprisingly, the crowd was large and boisterous. We were let into the theater an hour early. Everyone talked about their favorite Star Wars moments, how much we hated Anakin Skywalker, and what Sith would need to do to salvage the prequels. Shortly after we were let in, the theater manager addressed us. He thanked everyone for coming out and told us he had something planned for us. We were going to have a costume contest. And best of all, the audience would be the judges. The first contestant got up. Dressed as a Jedi in brown robes, he twirled his lightsaber as he danced up the aisle. The costume was homemade and the moves were impressive. Everyone cheered except for one kid in an obviously store-bought Stormtrooper costume in the front row. (The costume was cool, by the way.) The kid was no more than six and proceeded to tell everyone how the previous contestant had a fake costume and was not a real Jedi. The kid proceeded to berate each contestant, getting especially angry at the person who was wearing a Boba Fett helmet, belly shirt and daisy dukes. By the time it was the kid’s turn, I figured I would turn to my girlfriend and quietly boo the kid. The boo came out much louder than I expected. Hoping no one had heard me, I looked around in shame. It wasn’t my boo I had heard. The whole theater was booing the kid. By the time the next contestant (Darth Maul) received a standing ovation, the child was in tears. That is the day I learned Star Wars is no joke.
Star Wars is an American institution that shows no signs of letting up. For many, it would be impossible to imagine their childhood without it. It has provided memories that we hold dear and fondly reminisce about. However, Star Wars has given me more than just cherished childhood memories. George Lucas’s tale has also taught me a little about life.
Dragon Con is THE con for cosplay; it’s a con where if you aren’t in costume, you feel out of place. Here is a small sampling of some of the awesome costumes these talented folks have put together this year. I’ve put here a few to get you started, then click into the gallery for more.
Meeping Angel and the Doctor Honey-who. This was my favorite cosplay of the entire con,
possibly my entire life.
Disco Storm Trooper. I love how Storm Troopers are the ultimate blank canvas.
A fantastic Moana.
You’ve never seen Soldier 76 quite like this. Well, kind of. We’ve previously featured Kate Sarkissian’s Soldier 76 genderbend cosplay and now Hana Bunny, whose iconic D.Va cosplay already impressed the hell out of us, is back with this equally eye-pleasing Overwatch offering:
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Another day, another amazing Tifa Lockhart cosplay (that we swore off like a chainsmoker with black lung swore off smoking cigarettes) to feature. Can you really blame us, though? This time around, the lovely Madison Kate:
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I went to a convention attended by cosplayers and didn’t see a single Harley Quinn.
What is this?
Oh, it’s a Hasbro event and Mattel makes the DC toys. But to be honest, as HASCON’s a celebration of toys and gaming, some of the cosplay I saw was pretty unique. There weren’t as many cosplayers at HASCON as you’d see at an event like Boston Comic Con or Comic-Con International: San Diego, but I managed to snap photos of the ones I saw.
Take a look, and if you’re featured in any of the photos, comment below so we can identify you and link to your work!
Norwegian cosplayer Starbit is looking every bit like Game of Thrones‘ Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi, AKA Daenerys Targaryen (we think she might have some other titles too, but we wanted to keep this introduction under 1000 words) in the following photos. Yes, she even recaptured the look of Daenerys after she ate the stallion heart in S1E6 — whether or not she really ate a horse heart for the recreation is still unknown, but we give her props all the same for looking so much like the real thing.
Browse: Check out Xenia Shelkovskaya’s spot-on Margaery Tyrell cosplay.
With a name like Jenna Lynn Meowri, it’s no surprise that a feline-relevant cosplay was in order; and what better way to flex one’s claws than cat-burgling Black Cat of Spider-Man fame?
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Fnatic Janna is one of the more interesting skins available for League of Legends‘ resident wind sorceress and cosplayer/graphic designer Toniji brings it to life in equally captivating fashion in the following photoset:
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What in the…?! A cosplayer that actually exhibits proper trigger discipline?! Not only does she know how to properly handle a gun, but cosplayer of many talents Alex Zedra is also an elite athlete with bodybuilding competitions under her belt and perhaps most importantly: a pastry chef. We’ll have some of what she’s cooking, thanks.
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Michael Keaton as salvage company proprietor turned underground Chitauri-tech dealing criminal Adrian Toomes, AKA the Vulture, stole the show for us in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the fact that he had such a bad-ass, winged exo-suit to swoop around in certainly helped that case.
Black Zero‘s recreation of the Vulture, right down to the real Mongolian camel fur on the leather jacket, is spot on and deserves all the praise:
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Ruffin Muffin here looks so much like Korra, right down to the sly smirk, that we refuse to believe anything about her origin and upbringing other than the fact that she was born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe. And also, she’s the current incarnation of the Avatar, immediate successor of Aang. I mean, just take a look for yourself:
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Photographer, editor and model Rin brings sophistication and beauty to the world of cosplay and steampunk. The sub-genre of science fiction, science fantasy and cyberpunk has a cult following and with women like Rin out there, it’s easy to see why. This victorian vixen will take you to a fantastic fantasy world in the wild west where retro-futuristic inventions and stunning costumes will be the least of the wonders you encounter.
Follow Rin on instagram here instagram.com/rincityofficial
We became fans of Moscow-based cosplayer Kate Smirnova through her amazing World of Warcraft chieftain, Blackhand the Destroyer costume.
So naturally when we saw Kate’s genderbend cosplay of Karroch, the Beastmaster from Dota 2, we knew we had to feature it:
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Teemo is well known as one of the cutest little death machines within the community of League of Legends players. Gamer, cosplayer and content creator Rolyat manages to take the cute factor up to a new level! Think you’d stand a chance against this lady in the jungles of the nexus? I certainly don’t, but hey maybe these pictures will help you decide.
Captain Teemo on duty!
My tears have all dried up, kid
Whose my next tally mark?
Fighting fair is a good way to die
Death has a name!
Turns out, I got a proficiency in killing
Let ’em die slow
Got teeth? You got a weapon
Here’s where you can find Rolyat online!
instagram.com/rolyatistaylor
twitch.tv/rolyatistaylor
patreon.com/rolyatistaylor
Wintry weather-altering scientist Mei-Ling Zhou is one of our favorite Overwatch characters and cosplayer Matsu Sotome is her spitting image in the following photoset:
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Or: Overwatch Mei cosplay by Momokun.
Even heroes need a day off once in a while. And we’re extremely thankful cosplayer Emily Aurelia chose to depict this slice of life from Tracer’s summer antics:
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Sadly summer is officially over my friends. But thankfully we have people like LA based cosplayer Rian Synnth to cheer us up and remind us that summer will be back again soon enough. Rian’s jaw dropping cosplay of pool party Mei, leaves little doubt that when Blizzard finally gets around to making this skin, this is where they’ll be looking for inspiration.
Here’s where you can find Rian Synnth online:
instagram.com/riansynnth
patreon.com/RianSynnth
facebook.com/RianSynnth/
From Triss Merigold to Talon Widowmaker to Varian Wrynn to Captain Jack Sparrow, Comic-Con Russia 2017 is a veritable paradise for cosplayers the world ’round.
#pokemon #costume #cosplay #cosplayer #caterpie #gijinka #bug #connecticon #ctcon #ctcon2017
I appreciate the helllll outta you♥️ ㅤ ㅤ Tifa Print Bundles have been restocked on my storenvy! Link is in my biooo! ㅤ Photo by: @alysontabbitha Lenses are @momokolens "Bella Ernie orange" #ff7 #ffvii #tifa #tifalockhart #tifacosplay #finalfantasy #finalfantasyvii #finalfantasy7
ㅤ 
Lenses are "Bella Ernie Orange" from @momokolens 
Photo by @alysontabbitha #ff7 #ffvii #tifa #tifalockhart #tifacosplay #finalfantasy #finalfantasyvii #finalfantasy7
I've had this Instagram for a little over a year now and I can't believe how quickly it's grown! 
Who's your favorite FFVII character? ㅤ This photo is available as a print on madikat.storenvy.com! (link is in my bio!) 
– #ff7 #ffvii #tifa #tifalockhart #tifacosplay #finalfantasy #finalfantasyvii #finalfantasy7
prepare ur butts for Tifa spam ㅤ ㅤ Lenses: Ernie Orange from @momokolens Wig from: @donalovehair ㅤ #ff7 #ffvii #tifa #tifalockhart #tifacosplay #finalfantasy #finalfantasyvii #finalfantasy7
#gotcosplay #daeneryscosplay #cosplay #daenerystargaryen
#daenerys #daeneryscosplay #gotcosplay
Here's a Dany throwback while I'm preparing to start my next cosplay of hers! ✨ #daenerystargaryen #daeneryscosplay #cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay
#blackcatcosplay #blackcatmarvel #peterparker #blackcat #feliciahardy #cosplaygirl #sexycosplay #nerdgirl #comics #comicbooks #sdcc #sdcc2017 #birthday #geekgirl #coslife #cosmodel #spiderman #spidermanhomecoming #instadaily #goodvibes #thickthighs #pale #makeup
#blackcatcosplay #blackcatmarvel #peterparker #blackcat #feliciahardy #cosplaygirl #sexycosplay #nerdgirl #comics #comicbooks #sdcc #sdcc2017 #birthday #geekgirl #coslife #cosmodel #spiderman #spidermanhomecoming #instadaily #goodvibes #thickthighs #pale #makeup
Black Cat at a cat café = CATCEPTION 
. . @mrsandersonshoots @rangerproof RPC
#metalgearsolid5 #quiet #venomsnake #paxwest2017
Anyone going?! Let's grab a beer! #nerdthefuckout . . @claytonhaugen 
. #quiet #metalgearsolid #videogames #cosplay #mgs
. . . i kinda wanna do another korra cosplay but i don't know which outfit i wanna do yet… i'm thinking about even doing someone from avatar the last airbender but i don't knooooow OTL any suggestions? 🤔 
– also consider: my birthday is sunday and it'd mean a lot! heres the link: https://ko-fi.com/A8703V8N – < #legendofkorra #korra #nickelodeon #cosplay #korracosplay #lok #avatar #avatarkorra #cosplayingwhileblack #blackcosplayersrock >
ill see u guys at #youmacon ! 
our server was shook when he saw we were all cosplaying 
Too hard and too cool at the same time. 
Hope I'll survive cause I need to start 2 new costumes next week. #Beastmaster #cosplay
And last moment at last day of #vapexpo It was very unusual event with amaizing team. But, oh, sooooo much smoke 
@fiveringsphoto 
#overwatch #swimsuittracer #swimsuit #progresspics
Suit/coverup was custom made for me by @castlecorsetry #Mei #overwatchcosplay #overwatch #meiisbae #BlizzCon #blizzard #blizzardentertainment #cosplay #cosplaying #cosplayer #cosplaylife #overwatchpoolparty #CosplayGirl #girlsofcosplay #gamer#girlgamer Photo by @dgnphotography
This month's #vintageventure print will be of swimsuit Mei! Not sure which one yet, but two videos are up and more will be posted on Patreon all month long ^^ (Suit was custom made for me by @castlecorsetry in January!) #Mei #overwatchcosplay #overwatch #meiisbae #BlizzCon #blizzard #blizzardentertainment #cosplay #cosplaying #cosplayer #cosplaylife #overwatchpoolparty #CosplayGirl #girlsofcosplay #gamer#girlgamer Photo by @dgnphotographyBrowse: More AiPT! comic book/video game cosplay galleries.
As the title of the post said, Danielle Debs is really good at Halo cosplay. What impresses us just as much, however, is despite how on point her armor might look, she remains humble. Her advice on cosplaying? “I’m continuing to not take cosplay too seriously. Do whatever you want and be whoever you want just treat each other kindly and remember we’re all doing this out of love for cosplay and the characters we portray.”
Cheers to that and cheers to Danielle’s Spartan armor (that she made herself):
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