While I may not have plans to cosplay any time soon, it doesn’t mean that cosplay isn’t on my mind. I have already started to create a list of characters I want to cosplay when I return. I also started compiling a list of goals or things that I haven’t accomplished yet with cosplay. I don’t have a time period as to when these goals would be completed, but these are things that I want to keep on my radar.

Learning how to apply Body Paint

When I think about what I have left to learn in cosplay, body paint is the first thing that comes to mind. I know that you aren’t supposed to apply body paint to your whole body. Instead, you’re supposed to wear a fabric body suit and use body paint on your face and neck. Beyond that, I am completely new to body paint. There isn’t anything holding me back; I simply haven’t found a character that I’m passionate about cosplaying that would require body paint. With that said, one character I’d like to cosplay is Vaelus from Aramán. She’s a Drow, so her skin is a light purple. Vaelus could be the cosplay that pushes me over the edge to learning body paint.

Supporting Small Businesses

This is the goal that I’d argue is the most important to include on this list. If I’m being transparent, I use Amazon way more than I should when it comes to cosplay. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that I usually wait until the last minute to prep a cosplay. I order from Amazon because I know my items will show up quickly. The second is that I receive a lot of Amazon giftcards either as presents from people or through work. I almost always save them for a future cosplay I plan because I usually never need anything else from Amazon beyond that. These are all excuses. If I focus on why I chose Amazon, I can build a strategy for deviating from it. This means planning cosplays months in advance versus weeks. I want to come up with a list of other smaller businesses that sell wigs or cosplay accessories. Depending on the cosplay, I may be able to thrift from local thrift stores. I am looking forward to starting the process of moving away from Amazon.

Doing a Cosplay Cleanout

I have a full dresser drawer in our bedroom filled with cosplays. When I say filled, I mean when I open the drawer, the drawer will get stuck when I open it. I haven’t done a cosplay cleanout in years. I have donated things that don’t fit, or I have thrown things away if they break, but other than that, I have years of cosplays on hand. While that’s great, it’s obvious to me that I don’t wear everything I have. I probably won’t get to doing this cleanout this year, but for sure next year, I will be trying everything on and donating anything that I no longer need or want to wear.

I’m keeping this list short because I feel that my goal of supporting local businesses will be the most time-consuming. If you have any tips or tricks for body paint specifically, I’d love to know those in the comments below.

While I mentioned how I’m taking a break from conventions and cosplay, I’m using this time wisely. I have created a list of characters I’d love to cosplay, and I’m coming up with a few goals for things I want to accomplish with cosplay in the future. I have also been going through old photos, which has been fun. It made me realize that I haven’t written a Cosplay Reflection post this year. After reviewing photos, I decided to elaborate on the time I cosplayed Buttercup from The Princess Bride at C2E2.

With my cosplay reflection posts, I will break down each cosplay based on a series of prompts. Why did I choose this cosplay? How easy was this cosplay to put together? When did I wear this cosplay for the first time? Do I still wear this cosplay, and would I cosplay from this fandom again?

Why did I choose this cosplay?

This was a cosplay that I rented. The person I had rented it from suggested it, and I thought, why not? I like how this cosplay is long-sleeved since Chicago in March can be a hit or a miss for the weather.

How easy was this cosplay to put together?

This was an easy cosplay to put together. For one, all the materials were provided for me, so I didn’t have to do any shopping to fill the gaps of what I was missing. The cosplay itself doesn’t have a lot to it. The blonde wig, red dress, gold belt, and that’s about it.

When did I wear this cosplay for the first time?

I wore this cosplay to C2E2 in 2023. It helps to have an easier cosplay to bring when I travel to conventions that are farther away.

Do I still wear this cosplay?

I haven’t rented this cosplay since. However, I would definitely opt for purchasing my own Buttercup cosplay or trying to find the red dress while thrifting. I like how it can be worn in the cooler months, so I know if I did buy my own version, I would get a ton of use out of it. This would also be a great costume for Halloween.

Would I cosplay from this fandom in the future?

I’m going to expand this to not only include The Princess Bride, but also movies in general. I’d love to cosplay more from movies. I haven’t watched a movie in a while where I knew I wanted to cosplay a character from that movie. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, though.

I think I might have to get my own Princess Bride Buttercup cosplay. I miss cosplaying as this character.

My next convention isn’t until Twin Cities Con in November, which means I have had plenty of time to brainstorm cosplay ideas. I have had a few in my head that I think I could pull off without a lot of effort. With most cosplay prep, I tend to wait till the last minute, so I wanted to use this post to brainstorm and hold myself accountable to plan earlier rather than later. Here are the cosplays that I have been interested in putting together.

Oraya or Violet from The Serpent & The Wings of Night / Fourth Wing

After finishing The Ashes & The Star Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent, I was inspired to cosplay as Oraya. I think it would be relatively easy. I would need a black wig, wearing all black with a black pleather corset to match. I already have black combat boots, and I bought silver colored eye contacts. I’m reading Fourth Wing, and I have been loving that, and I’m seeing similarities between Oraya and Violet. I think this would be fun because it’s a change in pace from what I usually cosplay.

Avantika – Critical Role

I finished The Mighty Nein recently, and I figured I’d cosplay as an NPC versus a main character. Avantika is one of my favorites, and I could incorporate pieces from my cosplay closet into this. I could probably use the tall brown boots I wear for Keyleth, and I have some navy blue workout leggings that could be a good contrast with this. This would be a fun look to put together, and I could use what I already own, which saves me money.

Yasha Nydoorin – Critical Role

Out of all The Mighty Nein characters, Yasha is the one that I’m the most interested in cosplaying. I like her aesthetic, and I wouldn’t need to incorporate body paint. While body paint would be neat, I don’t think I’m ready to learn how to utilize it yet. Yasha has a wide range of different looks, and I liked Yasha’s story throughout the campaign. This cosplay would probably be the one that would take the most effort to put together, but it would be worth it.

There is still so much time between now and Twin Cities Con, so this can always change. It’s nice to have a few characters on my radar, so when I get ready to do cosplay prep, it will be much easier than starting from scratch.

I debuted a new cosplay at CONvergence this year. I am proud of this cosplay for a few reasons. The first is that I used clothes I already had in my closet. It goes to show that cosplay doesn’t always have to be an extravagant costume. The second is that I loved this character for so long, so it was fun to cosplay as her. I cosplayed as Moonshine Cybin, from Not Another D&D podcast (NADDPOD). I wanted to share how I put the look together.

What made Moonshine more difficult is that there isn’t a standard look for her. Unlike characters from Critical Role, where they have an exact look, Moonshine isn’t that way. By scrolling through NADDPOD’s art prints for purchase, there are so many different looks for Moonshine. On my cosplay Pinterest board, I found a look where she has red hair, overalls, and has Paw Paw (her pet possum) stuffed into one of the pockets. Once I saw the picture, I knew that’s the look I wanted to achieve.

In going through my cosplay dresser, I found these overalls that I used from my Mario cosplay back in 2013. As far as a shirt, I didn’t have a shirt that was an exact match. As I looked through everything, I found this white and floral swimsuit top. I put it on underneath the overalls, and I thought “this was perfect”. It was going to be hot that weekend anyway, so I knew I would stay cool all day. I found a red wig that wasn’t too red, nor was it too orange. I styled my hair in braids, which I felt fit Moonshine’s vibe.

Picking what shoes to wear was tougher than I thought. When I think about Moonshine, my mind immediately goes to cowboy boots. The more I thought about it, I didn’t want to buy cowboy boots because when would I ever wear them again? Cowboy boots aren’t my style, and I’d hate to buy one pair of shoes for one cosplay. When I was browsing, I found these green rainboots. I don’t have a pair of rain boots currently, and I liked the color. When I put them on, they fit immediately with what I pictured for Moonshine. For the staff, it’s the same staff I use when I cosplay Keyleth. The staff comes in two parts, so I broke the staff and took the portion with the green gem on top. The final piece was the mushroom crown. A big part of Moonshine’s background is her fungal spores, which she uses to communicate with the other characters. This mushroom hat sealed the look and helped bring Moonshine Cybin to life.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t expect anyone to pick out that I was cosplaying Moonshine. While NADDPOD is popular, I wouldn’t say it’s as well-known as Critical Role. I was incorrect. I had several people come up to me asking if I was cosplaying Moonshine, and that they liked my cosplay. I heard someone say from across the room, “Is that Paw Paw?”. The theme for CONvergence this year was tabletop gaming, so that could have helped in making my cosplay more recognizable.

I am excited to wear this cosplay again! I like how I already had everything in my closet, so it made this cosplay much easier to pull off. This is a go-to cosplay for CONvergence since it’s perfect to wear when it’s hot outside. I’m glad I could check off Moonshine from my characters I’d like to cosplay list.

By the time this post is published, CONvergence will be over. If all goes well, I will be debuting a new cosplay and improving on a cosplay I have done in the past. One of my go-to CONvergence cosplays has been Red Riding Hood. Red Riding Hood is a simple cosplay. It’s the red hood, a white corset shirt, a black skirt, and the basket. The basket serves as my purse for the day. It’s bulky to carry around, but it holds so many convention essentials. I thought for my next cosplay reflection post, Red Riding Hood would be fitting since it’s a cosplay I have worn at CONvergence before. Red Riding Hood has become a cosplay staple for me.

Red Riding Hood is a cosplay I rent. Through word of mouth, I found out about someone who was advertising renting costumes. They had a variety of different costumes including Snow White, Leia, Wonder Woman, and other costumes. They used to have a Facebook page created for their business, but when I went to link to it, it looks like it was deleted. One of the cosplays I would rent the most was Red Riding Hood because I knew the cosplay fit and it was comfortable. As far as cost, it would depend. It depended on whether I would wear it to multiple conventions, how long I would keep the cosplay for, and how much was I renting. It’s hard to put this into an exact dollar amount. I can confirm that I never paid more than $80 for one cosplay.

With my cosplay reflection posts, I will break down each cosplay based on a series of prompts. Why did I choose this cosplay? How easy was this cosplay to put together? When did I wear this cosplay for the first time? Do I still wear this cosplay, and would I cosplay from this fandom again?

Why did I choose this cosplay?

This cosplay was presented to me versus me choosing to cosplay Red Riding Hood. During one of my costume consults, they suggested Red Riding Hood and once I tried it on, I knew that this was what I was going to rent.

How easy was this cosplay to put together?

This is the easiest cosplay because I didn’t have to put it together. The costume and the accessories were handed to me. I didn’t have to put any effort into this and once I was finished wearing Red Riding Hood, I simply dropped it off at a designated time.

When did I wear this cosplay for the first time?

I want to say the first time I wore this was CONvergence 2023. I scrolled through my convention photos and that was the earliest photo I could find.

Do I still wear this cosplay?

Yes! As long as it’s available to rent. I usually cosplay as Red Riding Hood for both CONvergence and Gen Con. This year will be different since I’m not going to Gen Con. Additionally, I already have my pre-planned cosplays for CONvergence and Red Riding Hood is not one of them. However, it doesn’t take away from the fact that I love this cosplay. Hopefully, I can wear this cosplay before the end of the year.

Would I cosplay from this fandom in the future?

This is a challenging question to answer. Red Riding Hood isn’t a part of a fandom, really. Red Riding Hood is a fairytale, so are fairytales considered a fandom? I don’t think I can answer this with a simple yes or a no. I think Red Riding Hood has inspired me to cosplay in a different way. Cosplay doesn’t have to be creating a costume that ties back to a character from a specific medium. It could be anything! It could be putting costume pieces together and creating a new character in costume. Red Riding Hood was part of the process of cosplaying in a different way than I was used to.

Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite cosplays and it’s been nice to cosplay this over and over again. It’s also great that I can rent this costume because it leaves more room in my closet for my other cosplays. I’d highly recommend renting a costume if you can. It’s a way to be thrifty and to cosplay without costumes taking up as much space.

I wanted to write a new series on BizarreBrunette that was cosplay-centered. This post sat in my drafts for months because I couldn’t come up with a name that wasn’t corny. I didn’t want that to stop me from writing, so I’m calling this series Cosplay Reflection for now. Since I have been cosplaying for twelve years, there are a lot of characters and cosplays to choose from. I decided that every now and then, I will take time to reflect on a cosplay I have done in the past. After going through old photos, I settled on revisiting my Amy Pond cosplay I did for Minnesota Fan Fest in 2017.

I chose to cosplay as Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) from the TV show Doctor Who. Amy was a companion to The Doctor, and she would travel across space and time through each episode. In the episodes The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon, the group meets The Silence, a species where, if you look at them, you forget that you did. Amy uses a marker to tally her skin as soon as she sees them, so when she soon forgets, she will still remember. In this episode, Amy is seen with several tally marks across her face.

With my cosplay reflection posts, I will break down each cosplay based on a series of prompts. Why did I choose this cosplay? How easy was this cosplay to put together? When did I wear this cosplay for the first time? Do I still wear this cosplay, and would I cosplay from this fandom again?

Why did I choose this cosplay?

In 2017, I was still watching Doctor Who regularly, so that’s probably why I picked this cosplay. Amy Pond is a classic companion, and her banter with The Doctor (played by Matt Smith) came off as natural. This episode is memorable, and I felt it was easy to recognize if you were a Doctor Who fan.

How easy was this cosplay to put together?

This was one of the easiest cosplays because I put it together with clothes I already owned. At that time, I had just graduated from college and moved into an apartment. I couldn’t spend much money on cosplay at the time, so thrifting made a lot of sense. I still own this shirt and tend to wear it more often in fall.

When did I wear it for the first time?

I wore this cosplay for Minnesota Fan Fest, a convention that no longer exists. If you care to hear about the background, I wrote a blog post specifically about Minnesota’s Convention History, where I talk about Fan Fusion in greater detail.

Do I still wear this cosplay?

In full transparency, I have not cosplayed as Amy Pond since Fan Fusion. I don’t have a specific reason why. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s for two reasons. The first reason is that I haven’t watched Doctor Who in a long time. I dropped off when Peter Capaldi became The Doctor. There wasn’t anything wrong with Capaldi; I wasn’t as interested in his series. I like to cosplay characters that I love, and it’s not that I don’t love Amy Pond anymore, but I haven’t watched her series in a bit. The second reason is that what I’m prioritizing with cosplay is different. Now that I have been utilizing wigs and colored contacts, I want to cosplay more elaborate characters. Amy Pond is pretty simple, which is fine, but I’m gravitating towards characters that provide a challenge.

Would I cosplay from this fandom in the future?

I would say not right now. I don’t have another Doctor Who character that I would want to cosplay as. This could change as I want to rewatch Doctor Who sometime in the future.

This is the only picture I have from the one time I cosplayed as Amy Pond. This might be a cosplay that stays in the past, but never say never.

Before Planet Comic Con, I went back and forth on what I wanted to cosplay. I thought about bringing the Padme cosplay I wore last year. I love that cosplay, and Padme is one of my favorite characters in Star Wars. With that said, I was on Pinterest and looking online for inspiration, and that’s when I found it. I found a complete costume for Scarlet Witch, specifically her look from Avengers: Endgame. I knew that’s what I wanted to do. When ordering a costume, there’s always that fear of whether it will fit, so I didn’t know if this would work. I was so excited when I got the costume, and it fit! I plan on wearing this Scarlet Witch cosplay again.

This is the Scarlet Witch costume I ordered. I read the size chart several times and took my own measurements. According to the size chart, I was between a small and a medium. I always go up a size in costumes and cosplay because, in my experience, everything is sized smaller than I think it will be. The costume has several pieces: the red jacket, the red tank top, black pants, and the red fingerless gloves. The jacket is the best part of this costume. It’s long and flowy and surprisingly warm. The day of the convention, it was WINDY, and I was never cold. With that said, the jacket is tighter than I anticipated it to be. I found it challenging to lift my arms over my head. I have thought about re-ordering this costume in a large solely for the larger jacket. The red top wasn’t super tight fitting, which I appreciated. It zips from the side, making it easy to get in and out of. The pants… the pants were okay. To be fair, I don’t expect a “one size fits all pants” to work with every body type. I swapped them out for a pair of black leggings I already owned, which was the correct choice. Finally, the gloves! The gloves feel a bit cheap, and I’m curious to see how long they will last. When we left the convention, strings were coming off the fingers. Ultimately, I think they will work for the few times I wear this cosplay.

In the future, I’d love to order a copper wig to complete the cosplay. I had one in my cart, but it sold out. Wig or no wig, I think this cosplay worked. In the comics, Scarlet Witch has brown hair, so my natural hair, in my opinion, complemented the look. Another idea is to order red colored contacts. I order all my colored contacts through a vendor that my optometrist is partnered with, and they don’t have colored contacts in red. I feel a little dicey trying to order contacts online, so if anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

I plan on making my Scarlet Witch cosplay a staple in my cosplay rotation. My next cosplay opportunity will be at the Critical Role live show in Chicago, but after that, I think my next convention will be CONvergence in July. I have some time to improve upon this cosplay and think of what other types of cosplays I want to incorporate this summer.

There is so much I have learned about cosplay since I started. Cosplay is one of those hobbies where I will continuously push myself and try new things that might be beyond my experience and skill level. That’s what makes cosplay fun. I went from wearing old Halloween costumes to wearing wigs and planning out in-depth what my next cosplay would be. I wanted to share what advice I would give my younger self, but also advice that I hope those new to cosplay will find valuable.

Don’t Let Cosplay Accuracy Stress You Out

When I say cosplay accuracy, I mean planning a cosplay that looks exactly like the character I’m portraying. I get anxious when I plan cosplays if I don’t think something will look how I want it to. This will lead me into a spiral where hours will go by in my cosplay planning process and I’m still at square one of figuring out how I will pull off this cosplay.

In all my years of cosplay, I have never had anyone come up to me and insult my cosplay because it wasn’t accurate. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but I’m fortunate it hasn’t happened to me. If someone were to do that, I think we can all agree that person would be a jerk.

It’s okay if a cosplay isn’t accurate or 100% exactly like the character you’re portraying. Some of the best cosplays I have seen are when cosplayers do something different. It’s something I need to remind myself all the time as cosplay should be fun and not stressful.

Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things

I mentioned this before, but I used to not want to wear wigs. Ever. I had this notion that all wigs were uncomfortable, therefore, I had no interest in incorporating them. Now, I love wearing a new wig. I have three wigs in our closet hanging up on hooks and hope to add a few more in the future. I would love to get to a point where I feel comfortable experimenting with body paint. I haven’t found a cosplay yet where body paint will be needed but never say never. I won’t be as nervous to try body paint because I know I will figure it out.

I wish I didn’t spend so much time avoiding wigs because now I love them. I’m applying this to other aspects of cosplay going forward.

Making Mistakes is a Part of Cosplay

It wasn’t until last year that I learned how to wear wigs correctly. When I started wearing wigs, I would put my hair in a low bun at the back of my head. I would put the wig cap on and the wig after. This left a bump at the back of my head. I went to a panel at CONvergence last year where two panelists explained that the best way to style hair before putting on a wig is to pin hair with bobby pins or braid the hair and pin it on top of your head. This allows for the wig to be applied without any bumps. The next convention I attended, I did this with my hair and it worked perfectly. I didn’t have a bump and everything lay smoother than before.

I laugh at myself for figuring this out recently. I wouldn’t change anything because now I can pass that wisdom on.

Make Time for Hair and Makeup Practice

For every cosplay, I do what I call a trial. A few weeks before the convention, I put together the whole look. Starting with the wig, styling the wig, doing my makeup routine, and putting on the cosplay. I would repeat this at least two or three times before the convention. I didn’t used to do this and it would take me much longer on the day of the convention to get ready. I would highly recommend this to all cosplayers. If something doesn’t fit right, the wig isn’t the color you want or the wig isn’t comfortable, it’s good to figure this out weeks ahead. Nothing is worse than realizing something isn’t going to work and there isn’t time to fix it.

I have been there and I won’t be doing that again. I always style cosplays ahead of time and it’s made it so much easier to get ready.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

Do I need to expand on this one? I will always prioritize wearing comfortable shoes even if my cosplay isn’t as accurate.

Cosplay is a hobby that continues to challenge me in creative ways. There’s so much I could go back and tell my younger self, but at the same time, I wouldn’t have learned as much if I hadn’t made mistakes along the way.