#ohi asks

When it comes to magnets, neodymium magnets are the way to go. Inexpensive, variety of sizes, strong as hell. We order ours from K&J Magnetics but you can buy them from anywhere.

Ideally, the best connection is going to be with the magnets directly connecting to each other without anything in the way. If you can cut into the foam/belt and glue the magnets in so they can connect directly, do that instead. Otherwise go for some larger magnets or stack up a bunch of smaller magnets. This is going to require some experimenting on your end to see what works best.

It sounds like the character you’re cosplaying doesn’t have visible ears (or animal ears and no human ears)? If the hairstyle doesn’t already hide the ears (which sounds like it doesn’t) and without going the route of makeup, is there a hat or other accessory the character wears you can use to hide or draw attention away?

Though honestly, even if this is a character that doesn’t have ears at all, I wouldn’t worry about your ears showing. People who don’t know the character won’t know, people who do will probably understand.

It honestly depends. If the seams are fine enough, worbla might hide the seams if you plan on skinning all the foam. But honestly, we’d go with sanding as the primary way. For thin seams, you can do some filling with mod podge/PVA glue. Paperclay is also an option, bondo is our go-to for any heavy filling/surfacing work.

Here’s the honest reality about con floor photos; unless con/event staff tells you to move or you knocked something over, you’re fine. Because even if you were in the way, you didn’t do it on purpose, it’s the photographer’s fault for stopping you, and at most people were inconvenienced for five seconds and probably forgot about it after the fact.

And sometimes even when you realize you’re in a bad spot for photos, sometimes there’s nothing you can do. And at that point, you might as well pose and be on your way as soon as possible. 

So really, you’re fine. No harm done, no one noticed or cared. Breathe easy. But if you want to prepare for your next con, here are some things to consider.

Be mindful in tight hallways or areas with high traffic flow. If you can step against a wall or a less crowded hallway, perfect. If you can’t, try to make sure people can still get past you and the photographer.

Decide on a phrase before hand and practice it. Doesn’t need to be long, just a “Sure! Let’s step aside” works.

If you go with a friend that’s going to stick with you, ask them to help out. If you’re in a costume that needs a handler, absolutely ask your handler to handle all photography concerns. 

Unless you’re blocking an area intentionally, no harm done.

Sure thing! All will take a bit of styling/trimming, but: 

https://www.arda-wigs.com/collections/classic-short/products/jett-classic

https://www.arda-wigs.com/collections/classic-short/products/kyle-classic

It’s important to note “shiny = cheap” is usually in regards to costume satin, which is usually inexpensive and very reflective. People end up using it because it’s inexpensive.

Now. There’s nothing wrong with using costume satin if it’s the right material, and that’s often the problem; people use costume satin when it’s the wrong material for the costume. This is all completely understandable if you’re just starting out and on a budget, but this is also why doing research on what you need is important.

(Fabric research is a long, complicated topic so I’m going to link to our fabric help tag as well as the site Fabric for Cosplayers. Another good reference is the Fabric Savvy series by Sandra Betzina.)

So where does that leave your shoes? It depends; is the material right? Leather, vinyl, rubber, and glitter-covered can all be shiny surfaces, but which one is right for your character? Also consider this; shoes get a lot of wear. Shiny shoes, whether it’s polished leather or shoes with metal decorations say a lot about the character.

Also keep in mind shoes rarely get direct light on them (versus a costume piece worn higher up) so it’s possible no one will really notice how shiny the material is (unless it’s meant to stand out). But if you’re worried about glare, you can always take clear acrylic sealer in matte or satin and lightly mist the surface. 

Edit: As noted by Fabrickind:

Practice practice practice. Take selfies, practice posing in front of a mirror, have a friend or family member take pictures of you. The exercise isn’t to look good, but to get used to posing, having your picture taken, and seeing what you look like. Because unless you get used to seeing yourself in pictures, you’ll always feel like you look weird. So take a hundred selfies from different angles, lighting conditions, and different poses. Get used to moving and taking pictures.

From there, begin looking at specifics. Are there certain angles you look better from? Does your posture need to be fixed? For specific tricks on posing, check out our posing tag.

Also consider your costume. 99% of the reason Queadlunn chooses a costume with a helmet/mask is so he can hide his face and not worry about how he looks in photos. This is an entirely valid idea. If you don’t want a helmet/mask, how about a prop? Coyly look from behind a fan? Cover your face with your best ojou laugh? Brandish a sword in front of you? 

Another thing to remember is people are selective about the photos they show of their cosplay. You might see the best five photos out of hundreds of photos. And if they’re working with a photographer, the photographer is going to do their best to make the cosplayer look good.

As for hall photos, it’s easy to look at them after and think “wow, I look really awkward” but I promise the person taking the picture didn’t think that at all; they were just happy to see your cosplay.

Queadlunn is white, I’m a light-skinned Chinese-American. There are so many black cosplayers that have spoken on blackface and body paint that I’m going to link to their words. Read what they have to say and then ask yourself after is green paint really the problem.  Remember not wearing face/body paint is always an option.

http://thatjayjustice.tumblr.com/post/53961037423/final-word-on-blackface-from-me-every-other

http://deladoll.tumblr.com/post/156183574485/blackface-in-cosplay-is-still-not-ok-efbbbf

Blackface in the Cosplay Community (Video)