“The bigger the risk, the bigger the bounty.”

We’ve never been ones eager to turn ourselves in — but then again, we’ve never had someone like beautiful, Bilgewater bounty hunter Miss Fortune coming for our hide. Seen here in her Christmas-themed Candy Cane skin courtesy of Korea-based cosplayer MyBoo. Oh yeah, almost forgot: [Insert “Christmas came early” variant here.]

Facebook: MyBooCosplay

Or: Browse more AiPT! comic book/video game cosplay galleries.

If you’re a gamer then you know what Overwatch is. Heck, even if you aren’t a gamer you’ve probably heard of it. The game has surpassed over 30 million active players and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. But should you be one of the rare individuals who isn’t familiar, allow me to catch you up real quick: Overwatch is a multiplayer first person shooter video game with a strong emphasis on teamwork. The game features a wide array of unique characters which results in a lot of fun and wacky team combinations.

Fans of the game are crazy about it and with such a broad selection of heroes to play, everyone has a favorite. A lot of players love their favorite heroes so much they often decide to take it one step further and cosplay as them. Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to visit a gaming or comic convention and not see a multitude of Overwatch cosplayers. That’s where I come in. I’m a massive fan of both Overwatch and cosplay, thus I took it upon myself to dive into the bowels of Instagram and find some of the best Overwatch cosplayers out there.

I’ll be posting four Overwatch cosplay galleries, featuring each of the four types of heroes: Offense, defense, tank and support. Today’s feature: support heroes!

Captain Amari, reporting for duty.

How do pirates know that they are pirates? They think, therefore they ARRRR!!!!!

I’ll be here all day.

I can’t wait for you to go live. I can’t wait for you to go live. Please go live soon.

It’s exhausting when everyone on the PTR is fighting over you.

Booping people to their death since 2016.

I wish I could heal, boop and wall jump while looking this cool.

Greek Goddess or healer? You decide.

3D printed wings, with LEDs that open and close. Swoon.

Quite possibly the skin I desire the most and sadly don’t own. I choose treat!

I can’t wait for them to nerf you. You’re the bane of my competitive existence.

Science saves the day!… Again.

There’s nothing quite like stacking six cannons outside a spawn area and watching the resulting chaos and anger.

I have reached peak performance levels.

This is simply amazing. Holy detail Batman!

The willpower it took not to make a nut joke here was substantial.

All will be well.

He’ll summon C’thulu and suck your brains out your nose!

Jason Segarra and David Hildebrand are joined once again by AiPT! contributor, Alyssa Jackson and Cosplay Editor JJ Travers. Con season is upon us! As we pack our bags and make our costumes, take the time to remember your manners this season. This week the gang discusses cosplay and cons. Do you want to take a picture of the cute guy/girl in their killer costume without coming off as a creep? Then this episode is for you! The four discuss etiquette, cosplay in general, and even a brief crash course if you want to do your own cosplay. Along with the weekly picks, Aly and JJ have to defend their poor taste. So sit back and enjoy the latest AiPT! Podcast!

The AiPT! Podcast is – Jason Segarra and David Hildebrand. You can find Jason on Twitter @FelixLancaster and you can find David on Twitter @Sycotic. Our guests on this episode are Alyssa Jackson and JJ Travers. You can find Aly on twitter @alyjack and you can find JJ on Twitter @heyitsjjtravers.

You can tweet us personally or at the show’s account on Twitter @AiPTPodcast.

Kate Sarkissian is one of our favorite cosplayers in the game right now; so let’s celebrate the Feast of Saint Patrick with a pint of Guinness and Kate in her shamrock green get-up. Happy St. Patrick’s Day:

Want more Kate Sarkissian cosplay? Check out her Alleria Windrunner cosplay from World of Warcraft. Or her Overwatch Soldier 76 genderbend cosplay.

Patreon: k8sarkissian.

The legendary Temerian sorceress Triss Merigold, also known as Fourteenth of the Hill is one of the most famous witches of her age. As a founding member of the secret Lodge of Sorceresses and a public member of King Foltest’s royal council, she was a woman of intrigue, political skill and renowned magical prowess. Perhaps her most famous feature was her golden chestnut hair, which cosplayer Irine Meier captures with ease, along with Triss’ exceptional beauty.

Facebook: Irina Meier Cosplay

Or: Browse more Irine Meier/Captain Irachka cosplay galleries.

This coming weekend AiPT! will be out in force in our hometown of Boston, Massachusetts to attend one of the northeast region’s biggest anime conventions and fan celebrations, Anime Boston! The convention will take place starting on Friday March 30th through Sunday April 1st at the Hynes Convention Center and the Sheraton Hotel.

Since its inception in April of 2003, Anime Boston has been one of the cornerstones of the northeast Anime Convention circuit. Originally started to focus on celebrating and promoting Japanese animation, comics, and pop-culture, Anime Boston has since grown to include other aspects of Japanese pop-culture such as J-Pop, J-Rock, and live-action Japanese media.

There’s something for everyone at Anime Boston. Are you a cosplay fanatic or someone brand new to the scene? Great news there’s a Cosplay Masquerade contest featuring skits and performances, cosplay forums, cosplay games and events. You can get your J-Pop on in the Karaoke contest, head over to the swap meet to trade those old VHS tapes for that collectible statue you’ve been searching for, or visit the manga library to expand your collection. There are countless artists on location signing, selling pieces and churning out those commissions. And don’t worry gamers, we didn’t forget about you – there’s live gaming happening all weekend long.

As per usual Anime Boston has produced an amazing list of special guests who’ll be in attendance for appearances, autograph signings and panel discussions. We decided to highlight some of those guests for you, but don’t forget there’s a ton of other amazing people worth checking out.

FLOW – FLOW made their major debut with the single “Blaster” in 2003, showing the world their impressive musical strength and versatility, including their signature twin vocals. Since their electric debut, FLOW has provided a wide variety of anime opening and closing themes including: “GO!!!” opening theme for Naruto, “COLORS” opening theme for Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, and most recently “Kaze no Uta” and “INNOSENSE” for Tales of Zestiria the X.

ASAKA – Asaka is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter with a powerful voice and more powerful talent. Her debut single “Open Your Eyes” has over a million views on YouTube and was chosen to be the ending theme for the anime Occultic;Nine. Since her debut in October 2016, Asaka has released two other hit singles: “Edelweiss” which was used as the ending song of A Centaur’s Life and “Play the Game” which was used as the opening for the visual novel for Occultic;Nine and also was ranked 47th on the Oricon charts.

Hirokatsu Kihara – Formerly involved with the production desk at Studio Ghibli, Hirokatsu Kihara worked closely with director Hayao Miyazaki on such hit titles as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Hirokatsu Kihara is probably best known for his work in the Horror genre. There, he has been a crucial contributor working on such titles as: Tales of Terror: Haunted Apartment and Tales of Terror from Tokyo and All Over Japan which are known in Japan as Shin Mimibukuro.

Kaoru Wada – Kaoru Wada is a Japanese music composer, music arranger, conductor, music orchestrator and pianist. He has worked in a wide range of musical fields, including anime, film, television, theater, and video games. He has received numerous prizes for his work, including his music on the film Crest of Betrayal. Best known in the west for his work on Inuyasha and Samurai 7, he has also composed music for a number of other anime series, including Ghost Stories, Battle Angel, Princess Tutu, Saint Seiya, Ninja Scroll, D.Gray-man, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, and Ace Attorney. In addition to his work as a composer, Wada-san also arranges music for several notable titles, including Kingdom Hearts I&II and Monster Hunter 4G.

Amanda C. Miller – From voicing Cherche and Sully, the knight nicknamed “The Woman to End All Men” in Nintendo’s Fire Emblem: Awakening, to filling bad guys with arrows as the Marvel superhero Kate Bishop/Hawkeye, and losing her ever-loving mind as Junko Enoshima and Toko Fukawa in the Danganronpa video game series, Amanda C. Miller is best known for playing spunky, badass, and occasionally deranged heroines (and villains) in anime and video games. You can currently hear her as Sailor Jupiter in the VIZ dub of Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal, as Boruto Uzumaki in Boruto: Naruto the Movie (and the forthcoming TV series), Mikage in Durarara!!x2, Menchi in Hunter x Hunter, and as Ride in Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans on Toonami. Other roles include Ibuki in Coppelion, Seiji Nomi and Megumi in Accel World, Takeru in Squid Girl, MAGES, Tamsoft, and C-Sha in Hyperdimension Neptunia, Nine in BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, and Yulier in Sword Art Online.

Brandon McInnis – Brandon McInnis is a voice, stage, and film actor who has worked as a translator and interpreter in Japan. Credits include Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings Online, Keita Amano in Gamers!, Samon Goku in NANBAKA, Horatio Kojas in Knight’s & Magic, Corteo in 91 Days, Sonosuke Izayoi in Danganronpa 3, Dr. Love in elDLIVE, Patrick Phelps in Black Butler, Ryuji in Shonen Maid, Ken Sudo in Classroom of the Elite, Merlane in Heroic Legend of Arslan, Hideyori Toyotomi in Samurai Warriors, Atsushi Toushiro in Touken Ranbu, Alain Lernier in Joker Game, Erlang Shen in SMITE, Bartholomew in CONfessionals, and more.

Christopher Bevins – Since 2001, Christopher Bevins has acted in, directed, cast, produced, and/or adapted scripts for over 200 anime projects. His anime acting credits include Japan in Hetalia, Nine in Terror in Resonance, Nino in ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept., Yogi in Karneval, Twenty Faces in Trickster, Sero in My Hero Academia, Nico in Tokyo Ghoul, Hiroshi in Michiko & Hatchin, Rasputin in Drifters, Narsus in The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Hanamori in Princess Jellyfish, Johnny Gill in D.Gray-Man, Joe in Prison School, Hagakure in the Danganronpa anime series, Apollo & Amata in the Aquarion series, Lafitte, ChouChou, & Lasso in One Piece, Lahar in Fairy Tail, Shishi Wakamaru in Yu Yu Hakusho, Bee the Puppy in Dragon Ball Z, and Beck the Dog in BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad. Chris has also worked on several video games, most notably as Dhalsim in Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V, as well as various background characters in Borderlands 2.

Clifford Chapin – Clifford Chapin is a voice actor, and director best known for his work in anime and video games. Some of his prolific anime roles include Katsuki Bakugo in My Hero Academia, Conny Springer in Attack on Titan, Cabba in Dragon Ball Super, and Charles Grey in Black Butler. As for video games, you can hear Clifford as the voices of Toby the Destroyer from Battleborn, Michael from YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, and Kukulkan in Smite.

Justin Briner – Justin Briner is a Dallas-based actor and singer known primarily for his work in anime and video games. Recently, he wrapped up the second season of My Hero Academia as Izuku Midoriya. He can also be heard as Mikaela in Seraph of the End, Nova in Space Patrol Luluco, Yoichi in Drifters, Ayanokoji in Classroom of the Elite, Alfonso in GARO: The Animation, Niko in Nanbaka, Ryota Mitarai in Danganronpa 3, Frate in 91 Days, Qwenthur in Heavy Object, Manato in Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions, and many more. Additionally, he has provided voices for games such as Dust: An Elysian Tail, SMITE, Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs, Cibele, and DreadOut.

We’ll be providing fans with live updates from the convention all weekend. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to ensure you don’t miss any of our cosplay photos, interviews, announcements and panel coverage. You can register for Anime Boston and find information on the convention here.

The Overwatch community is huge, passionate and extremely talented — and not just when it comes to capturing the payload, either. If you attend a comic convention it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll see a sea of cosplayers and a lot of them are sure to be Overwatch cosplayers.

Overwatch was announced at BlizzCon in 2014 and within 24 hours there were already Tracer and Reaper cosplayers making their way around the convention floor. Since the release of Overwatch it’s become without question one of the most popular subjects for cosplayers to focus on. When Blizzard announces — or heck, even hints at — a new hero, it’s typically only a matter of hours before we start seeing cosplayers working on bringing the new hero to life.

Blizzard has announced that they want to celebrate Overwatch, but even more so they want to celebrate all the incredibly talented and passionate Overwatch cosplayers out there. So how are they going to celebrate? Through the Overwatch Payload Tour, announced yesterday by Blizzard through a new blog post.

The Overwatch Payload Tour kicks off their nationwide journey next week April 5-8 in North Lobby 5 at PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts. Visitors will have the chance to participate in a one-of-a-kind photo experience on a 360-degree panoramic stage that features several Overwatch maps and several of our favorite heroes’ prop weapons. There will also be cosplayers in attendance showing off Overwatch cosplay that’s never been seen before. Every participant will receive an exclusive Overwatch pin, with each stop along the tour having their own unique pin.

Everyone is encouraged to participate, regardless of whether or not you’re a cosplayer.

If you can’t attend the first event at PAX East but you’re in the Boston area, there’s a Overwatch League viewing party at The Greatest Bar a mere 12 minute walk away. They event is 21+ and in addition to screaming for your favorite team, you can have a beer and maybe win some goodies in a giveaway.

Following PAX East the Overwatch Payload Tour will be making a few more stops:

E3: June 12-14
Anime Expo: July 5-8
San Diego Comic-Con: July 19-22
Dragon Con: August 30 – September 3
New York Comic Con: October 4-7

French cosplayer Minana exudes the power, wisdom and deadliness of a Wizard from Diablo III in the following photoset:

Instagram: Minana Cosplay

Or: Check out more AiPT! comic book/video game cosplay galleries.

AiPT! is at Anime Boston this weekend and you know what that means: cosplay! Lots and lots of cosplay. We took tons and tons of photographs and unfortunately we don’t have the time or space to feature them all. So enjoy a few of our favorites from day 1 of Anime Boston.

(If you’re in any of the following images and want to add your contact/social media information, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to add accordingly.)

Reddit user technicolortraveler

As a Magic: the Gathering player this picture needed to be first. Not only is this impressive from a crafting standpoint, but the sheer cost of the cards on this cosplayers body is staggering.

Look lady I don’t even know what a scissor blade is!

facebook.com/peoplewearingclothes

Annnnnd now all I want to do is play Final Fantasy. These guys were hilarious, played the characters and their costumes were fantastic.

@faeruncosplay

Fixing cars and breaking hearts.

@fullhealthcosplay

The arms and chest really lit up. He spent hundreds of hours on this cosplay and it shows. Just wow.

@cheaptrickandacheesyoneliner

Tatsumaki isn’t impressed. Unless you’re an S-Class hero, move along.

@darkangelcosplay

These two were trying to rob the joint but kept arguing about the best way to get back to Jukertown.

@breaker_jones

No I don’t know where Kakarot is. Yes my power level is pitifully low.

@schokoladevii

Maniacal laughter followed by a flurry of throwing stars, followed by maniacal laughter.

facebook.com/Kurocosplayvt/

Collecting dragonballs and offering cash for the location of any Krillin cosplayers.

Mari @princeofcatscosplay
Yoshiko @mikaniano
Ruby @rubydesuwa
Chika @booksywriter_cosplay

I tried to hire them to be my personal cheer squad at the Marvel vs Capcom tournament. I was not successful.

@lytecos

Possibly my favorite I saw all day. The second I saw this cosplay the cooking music from Breath of the Wild immediately started playing in my head.

@kateoguerra

We came to steal Pokemon and chew bubble gum. We’re all out of bubble gum.

@savage83

Metapod got tired of people talking trash. Who needs Butterfree?

@turnfolio & @armariaseole

You there! Take our photograph and be quick about it. You’re welcome.

@midnightstarr3791

Sooo uh I heard there’s a room with pots here. You hear that too? Where’s the room? I got rupies man, I’ll pay good rupies! Red ones!

Ganondorf @shockrox2552
Midna facebook.com/ariel.joiner.1

We told Link there’s a room with pots here. It’s possible that was a lie.

@Peterhvo526

Which way’s the beach?

One day I’ll be Batman sigh. Emo Robin?

Tal’Aran.

L to R: Overwatch‘s Moira (@sad.gh0stt), Gabriel Reyes AKA Reaper (@thevampiresmile), BlackWatch McCree (@dt_marley)

Blake Belladonna from RWBY.

The city of Stormwind’s protection doesn’t rely on only the male guards of the kingdom.

Instagram: Minana Cosplay

Or: Check out more AiPT! comic book/video game cosplay galleries.

AiPT! is at Anime Boston this weekend and you know what that means: cosplay! Lots and lots of cosplay. We took tons and tons of photographs and unfortunately we don’t have the time or space to feature them all.

After a great first day of cosplay contributions from Friday’s Anime Boston attendees, we’re back at it with Day 2’s offerings:

(If you’re in any of the following images and want to add your contact/social media information, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to add accordingly.)

@kingstarch

We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.

@creativeprojectiles

You can’t see the sheikah slate and that’s my fault. It was incredibly well done.

@kristen.thibodeau

You little men annoy me. Go!

@rain.moe.dash

Ash caught the cutest little Butterfree I ever did see.

Yuna @lyruim_x
Tidus @manaknight
Rikku @footiepajamacosplay

My favorite Final Fantasy ever. The remake on PS4 is amazing and the sphere grid is my favorite leveling system of all time. Naturally I loved these three.

@roaringjade

This is a stick up! Give us all the bananas you have!

Asked if I wanted to hang out later and commit patricide.

@daniel5679

First time I’ve ever seen a Sasuke smile in person.

@steamdumpling

Never one without the other.

Ahri @karikew

Don’t let their smiles fool you. They’ll dominate your lane so fast it’ll make your head spin.

Don’t even think about asking his daughter to prom.

@Delaxini

A word to the wise, don’t make the ultimate writing prodigy sneeze.

Sailor Venus @melaniadesroches
Sailor Saturn @thejackst3r

On the lookout for action poses and minions of the Dark Kingdom.

@torpid_totoro

Pissing off Pharah mains everywhere since 2014.

@princesssteve

All requests to self-destruct are declined.

@chirpadee

It’s 20 Novigrad crowns for a photo pal.

left @dumpstermakeup
right @jraykiess

I thought I was sick of hearing about tidepods. These guys proved me wrong. Utterly amazing.

Red declined my request for a song, but ass kickings are free all day!

@___mia17

You’ve got mail!

@alizorah

As a Pharah main I just LOVE how fast your hack is now and by love I mean I hate you with the fury of a thousand suns. Lovely cosplay though!

Our favorite quote from cosplayer Tahnee Harrison as bad-ass Witcher sorceress, Yennefer:

“Yennefer at the convention, thinking fondly of Geralt. And how he’ll soon be teleported into a lake. ”

If that doesn’t summate love in its fullest, we don’t know what does. Tahnee doesn’t just understand the character of Yennefer however; she looks the part and then some, as the following photos prove:

Facebook: Love Tahnee

Or: Check out Tahnee’s amazing Wonder Woman cosplay.

AiPT is here at PAX East to get the latest news on games, and to get as many pictures as possible of amazing gaming cosplay.

We’ll be adding some of our favorites from each day of PAX, with social media and general contact info. If we missed grabbing your details, drop us a note and we’ll make sure it gets included.

Thursday was pretty light, attendance wise, so I can only assume we’ll see quite a bit more the rest of the weekend. Here’s today’s stand-outs:

@ultrafloral

D.Va was the first person I saw in costume when I entered the convention center, and she was still my favorite by the end of the day, unplugged headphones and all. That pose!

@aprettyabnormalgirl

When asked for a picture, her friend/handler proceeded to quickly grab phones, arrange firearms, and make sure she looked bad-ass, so I suggested some subtle Mercy wings for next year so she could fully look the support role part.

@btcostumes

It was at this point that I realized I was essentially taking pictures of the costumes that our cosplay editor JJ travers would have liked the most, which I assume means he’s in my head.

My favorite thing about these guys is how they stayed in character. Friendly Link, with a goofy smile, and BLUE STEEL Zelda. All handmade!

FB: Lifeofreillycosplay

I essentially had to chase this cat down, as I don’t know that he could see or hear that well, but that mask is worth it. Bonus points for being a “Punk Cayde-6” instead of just boring old Firefly actor Cayde-6.

@_sammills

She asked me the name of our site, so I sent her on a long quest to unlock various pieces of the address and backtrack over the entire expo hall to finally get the full thing. If she does it in two hours, pictures of the AiPT staff in bikinis are unlocked!

@carnivalization

Fantastic. The look on her face = she knows she’s killing it here, like Aloy in the arena

When asked for her social media credentials, this Helljumper said she doesn’t use any. Feet first into the future!

@heyitsjjtravers

Even some cars got in on the act. If you’re in traffic, this car I assume can jump ahead to the next open spot?

@heyitsjjtravers

As for the Mercy-mobile – of course it’s a Tesla. Of course.

AiPT is back on day 2 at PAX East for all the gaming cosplay goodness.

If we missed grabbing your social media details, drop us a note and we’ll make sure it gets included.

Friday was an amazing day, with a special appearance of yours truly!

FB: philip-john

Need to lose those last stubborn few pounds? Wear a great Chewbacca costume to a convention!

@roseiewood

Usually when I see Mei, I feel rage, as she freezes me and ruins my streak. This Mei was the sweetest human alive, who made everything herself, including her popcorn can/freeze tank.

@_jessicavanaugh

Remember that Chewie from the beginning of this post? Well, the no-disintegration rule was for Solo, not the walking carpet. R.I.P.

@henchstudios

One of the official Overwatch cosplays at PAX, but holy cats that’s the spottest of ons.

The best part of meeting Solaire, is that he had the audacity to not immediately praise the sun. Me: “PRAISE IT BRO.”

Him: *Praising intensifies*

Me: “Now we’re talking!”

@dominquerichardson

Ok, I’ve changed my mind. The D.VA from yesterday was great and all, but this guy was feeling it.

@henchstudios

Still blown away by that Brigitte. Do you think a bunch of other cosplayers were going to go as her and rage quit when she instalocked it?

FB: SpectraCosApparel

“Hey! Listen! This is a badass home-made Link costume!”

Runner up for best Costume of the day – this guy SOLD it as Disguised LadyLink, and his veil was so well placed I couldnt decipher his social handle. Ping us and let us know!

FB: tictoxtwitch

Wow. This guy easily wins day 2. Not only was he an amazing Bob Ross, with an easel strapped to his back so people could draw on him, but he was live streaming both his interactions and the easel to Twitch the entire time! Here’s where I approach him to get his picture, and he plugs the site! Thanks Bob!

That’s a wrap on Day 2. Find me on Day 3 and maybe you can make it into the mix!

After I saw this guy in action at the Anime Boston convention, I knew we had to catch him, er catch more of his work. Something tells me it’d take more than a regular Poké Ball to catch this Metapod:

Check out more AiPT! comic book/video game cosplay galleries.

AiPT returns to PAX East on day three, for for all the gaming cosplay goodness I can photograph.

If we missed grabbing your social media details, drop us a note and we’ll make sure it gets included.

El Generico

When asked for his name and social media, El Generico stayed in character, and in Spanish.

@indeedindy

My first Skull Kid of the day just before she transformed me into a Deku.

@bunniccino

This D.Va has over 400 hours maining her in game, and drove 10 hours from Ohio to hit up her first PAX East. That’s dedication, Holmes.

@mccarthymikayla, @jemdoge

My 2nd Skull Kid of the day, and as this was Dawn of the 3rd Day, Link better hurry up before this moon destroys PAX

@tinysithassassin

Aloy is a very popular cosplay this year, and this tiny assassin blew me away with her attention to detail.

Nose? Purple. Power stance? Check. Wah Ha ha ha? You know it.

I’m 100% on board with full family cosplays, but by god that D.Va takes the cake as the cutest damn cosplayer of the entire weekend

@Polyfaux

If you look closely you can see your fearless gaming editor in his AiPT shirt snapping a picture of the lost son of Cobra La

@twitch.tv_misswiggles

If I was a super soldier in the future, there’s no better Cortana to jump into Covenant hell with.

@xeaix @notsoformalgirl

Cuphead and Mug-Gal cosplay? I’ll bet on that!

@evildennisr

*gravelly voice* It’sa me, Mario. Now come with me if you want to live, Princess.

@cuzako

It’s been a few years since I’ve played VII, but once you’ve unlocked her, you always recognize Yuffie.

@_doglizard

The Champions ballad, in real life!

@sinbun1

Ramona Flowers don’t need no Scott Pilgrim to dominate the show floor

@maggiebuts

This one gave me PTSD flashbacks to my many viewings of Joel getting his face eaten by Clickers just like her.

@Instacuvii

Oddly enough she showed very little emotion when I asked her to be included in our site…

 

@ren_waters

I finally found a Ciri! There was quite a few contenders for best costume on day 3, but you never bet against the Lion cub of Cintra, so my vote is with the Lady of Space and Time.

AiPT! spent some time at C2E2 this past weekend, and so did a lot of you! For those who couldn’t make it, you missed out on a lot of great cosplay.

If you spot yourself in one of these photos, hit us up with your social media information and we’ll be sure to tag you!

AiPT! spent some time at C2E2 this past weekend, and so did a lot of you! For those who couldn’t make it, you missed out on a lot of great cosplay. While you’ve already seen our favorite comic characters from the show floor, let’s also take a look at our favorite film/anime/gaming characters.

If you spot yourself in one of these photos, hit us up with your social media information and we’ll be sure to tag you!

“You Must Construct Additional Pylons!”

Don’t worry errant StarCraft player, cosplayer and actress Sparkle Stache has you covered. StarCraft has always been one of my absolute favorite games and when I came across a cosplayer on Instagram dressed as a Pylon, I knew I needed to interview her. Krissy aka Sparkle Stache is an lifelong actress and fairly new cosplayer, but you’d never know she was new to cosplay from looking at her work. The talent here is very real folks. Barely three years into the cosplay scene and Krissy has already amassed an impressive collection of cosplays, a substantial following and is branching out in the world of Twitch. I sat down with Krissy to talk about her love of Blizzard, acting and of course cosplay.

MVM Photography

AiPT!: Tell us a little bit about where you’re from and how you like to spend your time when you’re not in the cosplay world.

S.S.: I’m from Northern California where I live with my husband. Before I dove into cosplay I was first and foremost an actress. Anything within the theatrical world more or less consumes my whole being. I’m also a real person outside of cosplay with a 9-to-5, I work in IT as a network administrator. But before I did that I was tending bar all across the country, which worked really well for me as I’m a huge extrovert that loves being around people.

Scott Miller Photography

AiPT!: I love to ask this question of people because I always get a different answer and it’s always interesting. How did you come up with your cosplay handle Sparkle Stache?

S.S.: I’ll actually show you (we’re video chatting on Skype). Before my husband and I were married I wanted to be a bartender so I walked into a nightclub and just asked for a job, the owner looked me up and down and said “Yeah you can totally be a bartender” and just threw me at the job. I needed a bottle opener and I’ve always thought mustaches were really cool, so I got this (a bottle opener with a big mustache on it haha). I had a mustache t-shirt, I’d go to parties and draw mustaches on people who were sleeping or draw one on my finger. I told my Twitch fam that I’d get a tattoo of a mustache on my finger if we get partnered, so it’s coming! [laughs]

So I needed to make an Instagram and I couldn’t think of a name. I was looking at my bottle opener and I was wearing a lot of glitter because I worked at a nightclub at the time and I thought “I’ll just do Sparkle.Stache for now”. I just left the name and thought I’d change it, but once I got into cosplay and saw that you could have a persona I knew that this was going to be the name for me.

Jhaas Photography

AiPT!: I saw that you mention on your social pages that you’ve been acting since you were six years old. How did that start and what’s the journey been like?

S.S.: Well there’s two reasons that I wanted to become an actress. First when I was six years old I watched a movie called Cats Don’t Dance, it’s a 90s kids movie about a cat named Danny that goes to Hollywood in pursuit of becoming a star. I remember asking my mom “What’s an actor?” and she said “Oh they’re people who get paid to pretend to be other people” and I said “That’s what I’m going to be!”.

Second was when I saw Harrison Ford as Han Solo in A New Hope. I thought he was the coolest thing I’d ever seen and I wanted to be that cool. Those were the moments that helped me know it was what I wanted to do and I’ve never lost that feeling. When you get something you’re super passionate about there’s this thing inside you that just keeps burning for whatever that may be. For me it’s entertaining, performing, bringing joy, making people cry, whatever-it’s what I love.

Scott Miller Photography

AiPT!: What was your first experience with cosplay?

S.S.: My first out of Halloween costume was Sora and Kairi from Kingdom Hearts with my ex-boyfriend. He had the idea to go to Disney Land and I knew I had the make up and costume skills from acting, so I made this horrible horrible dress [laughs], it was this pink and zippered thing. So I didn’t know that it was cosplay at the time, but I still had a great time.

In 2015 I decided to go to an Anime convention in Sacramento, I didn’t dress up, just wore a Star Wars dress. I saw people dressed up in cosplay and thought it was so awesome. It was accepted, no one was questioning it and the cosplayers looked like they were having a ton of fun. So from there I knew I was going to be a part of it and I immediately went home and started looking up cosplay.

A few girls I worked with also were into cosplay so we decided to do something together. So the following year at the same Anime convention we went as the legendary birds from Pokemon. It was such a hit and it was so awesome. The entire con was so thrilled to see us, we got interviewed and I have friends from that con to this day. It’s grown a lot since that day but it all started there for me.

Photographer – Manny Llanura

AiPT!: Out of all the characters you’ve cosplayed as, which do you feel like you’ve aligned most with?

S.S.: Awww that’s such a hard question! I love them all for different reasons [laughs]. But probably being Lumière from Beauty and the Beast. It’s not the best built and needs a lot of improvements, but I love the reactions it brings out in people, especially kids and young adults. My friend who was dressed as Cogsworth was with me at SacAnime and a little girl who was probably 4 years old came up to us. She booped my friend on the nose and then turned to me and said “I really like your boobs!” [laughs], I was like “oh thank you!” and her mother was shocked “What did she say?!”. Her mom was so red and was apologizing [laughs], you take those situations how you can.

At the WonderCon Masquerade we won the judges choice award for it which was super cool.

Photographer – Mineralblu

AiPT!: I have to know where you got the idea to be a Pylon.

S.S.: I’m a big PC gamer. I grew up with computers playing Duke Nukem, Unreal Tournament, StarCraft and Diablo. Those games are kind of why I’m in IT. Due to my Dad’s influence I was an 8 year old girl playing Diablo, he was super into it too. StarCraft was the one I got really attached to. I LOVED the campaign, I played it over and over again without evening knowing anything about the ladder world. It wasn’t until StarCraft II that I gained an understanding of the ladder and eSports.

So as a Protoss main that was planning to attend BlizzCon I wanted to do something associated with StarCraft. I thought at first I’d be a probe, which I still plan on doing some day, then I thought maybe an armor build. Then it just clicked, pylon. We need pylons. I’ll be a pylon. When I started building it I was really nervous no one would get it and even my Twitch family was worried about it. But I stuck with it and got into a Blizzard facebook group for BlizzCon and got a lot of great advice there.

The day of BlizzCon arrived and my husband was helping me assemble my costume in the parking lot and before I even made me way into the convention people knew. Everyone was coming up to me “Oh my god you’re a pylon! You’re a pylon!”, I was so taken back by it. It was the most popular I’ve ever felt. There we groups of folks from Korea coming up to me taking selfies and they were so excited.

Once I got inside Blizzard approached me to take a video of me and invited me to participate in the cosplay contest even though it was full. When I got out on stage and walked there was 40,000 people screaming “You’re a pylon” and it was really so amazing. I was so happy so many people got so excited just to see a pylon.

Jhaas Photography

AiPT!: Would you say you want to turn cosplay into a career or do you want to keep it separate as a hobby you’re extremely passionate about?

S.S.: Ultimately I want to be a working actor, that’s how I’d like to be able to pay my bills. Luckily cosplay and acting can often dive into the same world. So yes I do want cosplay to be full-time but I don’t want to do it exclusively. I’d love to be able to combine it with acting and hopefully even do some voice acting. If you love what you do, I think you can find a way to make it work for you.

Something that inspires me in cosplay (things like the Pylon) is creating what seems impossible. From things like a legendary bird (Articuno) with a 10ft wingspan to a cartoon candle (Lumiere), and to an alien object that creates a power field (Pylon). These kinds of creations are what truly inspire me to keep perusing this dream and letting me perfect any character I attempt to be.

AiPT!: What’s a weird quirk or thing you do that most people aren’t aware of?

S.S.: Well I have this dinosaur that I carry in my purse everywhere I go named Excelsior. I put him in pictures with my husband and I, my personal pictures [laughs], never my cosplay photos. I think he’s from Ice Age but I’m not sure. His arms and mouth moves, it’s weird. It’s all I can think of that I consistently do [laughs].

Photographer – Dale Pancho

AiPT!: What’re you most looking forward to this year?

S.S.: Ummm it’s hard because you don’t know what’s going to happen. I try to live my life optimistically and let good things come to me. So I guess I’d have to say going back to BlizzCon and trying to travel out of state more for cons. From there whatever happens happens.

AiPT!: BlizzCon is my answer too!

Here’s where you can find Sparkle Stache online:
Instagram
Ko-fi
Prints
Twitch
Facebook
Twitter

The first full day of El Paso Comic Con has begun and fan’s creativity are on full display.  AiPT! is onsite this weekend and you know what that means: cosplay! Lots and lots of cosplay. We took tons and tons of photographs and unfortunately we don’t have the time or space to feature them all. Enjoy our photos and some neat vendors we found as well.

(If you’re in any of the following images and want to add your contact/social media information, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to add accordingly.)

I don’t know what’s going on here but I’m very impressed by it.

Death by cuteness overload.

No-Face was eating patrons with wild abandonment. I barely made it out alive.

Snake? SNAKE?!

Look at me, I look like a butterfly.

Who indeed sir. Who indeed.

I miss Adam West

The Ewoks are evolving. They’re learning. We’re doomed.

I prefer this cute Ewok.

How many cyclops jokes can he make in under ten seconds?

You’re the only reason I want an Xbox One.

Don’t hassle the hoff baby.

The Force is strong with this group.