I was 28 when I went to my first comic convention. C2E2 in Chicago. I was of course familiar with these conventions, but mostly through photos and accounts from a couple friends who had attended. It was fascinating. I remember being astonished by the quality of some of the costumes, and thinking that, while it looked fun, I would never do something quite that geeky.
I was 30 years old when I cosplayed for the first time. I had made an Optimus Prime costume out of cardboard and duct tape for halloween, it went over so well that I decided I would try it out at the following year's C2E2. I was incredibly nervous, the costume was nearly 8 feet tall, but surprisingly mobile. I felt like a rockstar. I couldn't walk more then a few steps without someone asking if they could take a photo of me. By the end of the weekend, I was a tired, sweaty, sore mess, I had lost count of how many photos I had posed for, but I knew I would be back next year, either as Optimus, or as something else. I have dressed up every year since.
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| C2E2 2014 |
That same year, I participated in my very first Larp (Live action role playing game) A friend of mine had been talking about this particular Larp for some time and thought I would be interested. My initial thoughts were "Aren't those the people that dress up in medieval costumes and swing foam swords at each other in the woods?" But I, like many other people, had merely a loose and vague understanding of what Larping really was, and just about everything I knew about it was based on movies and television. So I gave it try. Now, 2 years later, and I am eagerly awaiting the next gaming session.
So here I am. 32 years old. Part-time cosplayer, enthusiastic gamer, and full-time geek. On this blog I will be sharing stories, thoughts, artwork, and costumes. I hope you enjoy!
Welcome to Out of Character.
