Friends or Frenemies?

This blog post was inspired by a conversation I had with a fellow cosplayer recently. I had a ton of things I wanted to say here, but alas I could not put my feelings into words. I apologise for anything that doesn't make grammatical sense as I was just ranting when I wrote this.

It has come to my attention, that there are certain people in the cosplay community, that seem to only be nice to you to preserve their image...then completely dog you in the online world or at the next con. As a person, I am quite reserved which leads me to appear anti-social at conventions and online. This is not the case. I have tried to be friends with almost every cosplayer I have come into contact with, and when they did not share the same desire, I stood back not wanting them to think I was annoying or weird. When I was at the height of my cosplay career, I moved out of home and no longer had access to the internet, except my phone. This caused me to lose contact with people which I really regret. My whole life I have felt like a majority of my friendships have only been kept, because I was making the effort to keep it. I am not attacking anyone that I used to be friends with by saying this, I am just being honest and expressing how I felt. Since I started this amazing hobby, I have seen new people join the scene and have everyone love them from the start...this never happened to me. I can honestly say, I am jealous of the people this happens to. Having heaps of friends on social networking is not just about looking popular though, it also provides you with heaps of networking opportunities and access to people with skills that can help you with your own costumes. I am constantly calling out to cosplayers through my page asking for help, however getting barely anything in return. This I believe is caused by not being in the right social groups.

At a recent convention, I even witnessed a cosplayer scowling (in what I can only assume was jealously) at another after she said "your wig is so much better than mine". People go on and on about how cosplay is not a competition and we should be praising each other for their work...but these are the same people who are the biggest hypocrites in their own minds. I will admit, I have thrown a few comments about inaccuracy around when I am passionate about a character someone is dressed as...and anyone who tells you they've never done that, is a liar.

In saying that, there are cosplayers (mainly in Sydney) whom I do not see for months and sometimes years at a time, but will gladly interact with me and hang out as if no time has passed by. These are the people I am truly grateful to call my friends.

Next year when I have improved my weight, and in turn my costume confidence, I hope to reconnect with everyone that I lost touch with over the years and be accepted again. It may seem petty, but I miss being the one everyone would hug at conventions and want to get selfies with.

If you ever feel like it's difficult to make friends or that no one likes you, don't feel you are alone...know you aren't the only one thinking this about themselves. It's impossible for everyone to like everyone, that's not human nature...but NEVER think there is no one in cosplay that won't be friends with you. The community is made up of so many different types of people, and there is a friend for everyone.

Keep on sewing,
Bloom xoxo

Oz Comic-Con Brisbane 2014

Oz Comic-Con Brisbane 2014

By Lois Lane

This weekend was the first Oz Comic-Con event for Brisbane, Australia and as a quick summary, wasn't too impressed by the event in general. The attendance was very different to our usual convention, Supanova, and didn't come close to comparing. 

It is good for events such as these to be nowhere near crowded, for ease of moving around and seeing all there is to see. This definitely wasn't a problem for OzCC. The attendance itself was lacking severely, which in turn, made the general atmosphere dull and uneventful. On top of the atmosphere, the stalls themselves were uneventful. With multitudes of stores for con-goers to buy their wares, I seemed to find the same merchandise over and over. There was not one individual stall that stood out. Other than the 3D printing service, whom charged way too much for the typical customer to afford.

If I had known that OzCC would have been like this, I would have only purchased a day pass and not bothered for the second. With all of the hype surrounding previous events by these organisers in other states, I had high expectations...which were unfortunately disappointed.

On the organisation side of things with queues, volunteer knowledge and time management, this convention left Supanova for dead. Granted there were substantially less attendees, but everything was organised, weapons were actually checked on arrival, volunteers knew the answer to any question I had, and the lines for photos and autographs were structured.

All in all,  the con was a bit of a disappointment, but will make Brisbane much more grateful for Supanova when it comes in November this year.