#arkadycosplay

beth, i’m going to tell you a story so thick with woe you might very well drown in it.

it was san diego comic con, the year of our lord 2010, and my very first con experience ever. we’d just gone down for the day, and i didn’t have any idea how to check things like programming or special guests, i just knew there was fun stuff to look at and cool shit to buy.

i round a corner, approaching the dark horse booth and i am greeted by the end of a very long line. at the end of the line is a woman holding a sign that says ‘GERARD WAY/UMBRELLA ACADEMY SIGNING: END OF LINE’

beth, i don’t know if you know this about me, but MCR is my Favorite Band Of All Time. i saw every show they did in LA. i scream-cried my way through several warped tours, i drove hours to shows all over california, i’m a card-carrying member of the MCRmy.

i’m also very fond of umbrella academy.

and there he was. gerard way, in the flesh, hair newly dyed red in preparation for shooting music videos for true lives of the fabulous killjoys. sitting at a table, signing books. not twenty feet away from me.

my world narrowed to one primal urge, an instinct so strong it shook me to my very core. M E E T H I M.

i bought a book (i already owned umbrella academy, but it was AT HOME, and thus no use to me) and went to try and get in line. as you an i both well know, this is not how comic con works. you need a ticket to even be allowed INTO the line. tickets given away when the con floor opens. i was crushed.

and then, like a sweaty angel, a man in a naruto shirt turned to md and said “you want mine? i don’t really care” and i swear, i nearly kissed him. thanking this stranger profusely, i took his place in line. a snarky guy in a staff t-shirt told me

“you only get one signature”

now, what i took this to mean was that i could get gerard way to sign me book, or i could get the signature of incredibly talented artist gabriel ba, who was also at the signing. now, gabriel ba is an immense talent who i love, but. Gerard Way.

so i approach the table and gabriel ba reaches out to take my book from me to sign it and i say “oh no, i’m here for him” and motion to gerard, who lifts his head from the book he’s currently signing to stare at me. because “you only get one signature” did NOT mean ‘only one dude can sign your book’ it means “they’re not going to sign six books for you to sell on ebay, you jag”

however, so wrapped up in my own nerve and euphoria, i did not realize this. i said my piece, how much i loved MCR, how much he meant to me, how much i loved the book, and he just looked at me coolly, said “thanks”, signed my copy, and moved on. i was a little let down at how distant he seemed, especially because he was clearly engaging with other people in line.

and then i saw the girl who had been in line behind me retrieve her book from gabriel, and set it down in front of gerard, and i realized what i had done, and i realized that gerard way thought i was a shitty mcr fan who had snubbed his friend and collaborator, and, uh, it was the WORST MOMENT OF MY LIFE.

Thanks!

Favorite cosplay wigs:

I really like my Pearl wig, since the styling is on point (pun intended), though it’s a bit uncomfortable to wear. My Lady Blackpearl wig has been with me for many a year and still looks good, so that’s up there, I really like how truly 1980s my Samus wig looks, and I’m proud of my styling on my Juri wig :D

Dogs: 

I like big, old dogs. Mellow dogs. Small dogs are too energetic and yappy. Big, young dogs are too energetic as well. I’m a cat person, though, and I would say that any type of cat is my favorite to pet.

Milkshakes:

The bubblies definitely will read less at a distance, so I promise you're gonna be the only one who knows they're there and it's looking great! And detail painting can help mask them to because painting can cover all sins. Also I recently learned that you can avoid them if you sit your Plasti Dip can in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using it.

not me, but I do love the sentence "#if anyone's going to do it its going to be one of us idiots"

15: Are you currently working on something?

Cata: Lots of sewing practice for Acerola before I tackle the mock-up. Specifically, teaching myself Y-seams since Acerola’s dress has all the jagged sections joined together.

Queadlunn: Mostly prop stuff, a working Tricorder and a technician's tool kit from Star Trek. Though with how much Star Trek stuff I’ve made in the past year I’m thinking of making it a complete cosplay.

24: What's your definition of 'cosplay'?

Cata: Creative masochism.

Alternately, someone that enjoys dressing up in costume and considers themselves a cosplayer.