Category Archives: Op-Ed

Conventions & Work Schedules

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“…try and set your schedule to have the weekends off.” (pg 22, How To Avoid Hara-Kiri)

So the summer con season is in full effect, and with an abundance of choices, there’s a good chance you’ll want to attend as many cons as possible. However there’s one major thing to consider before anything else, and that’s time off from work.

Let’s face it. In the real world, going to an anime convention is very low on the priority scale, and it can be extremely difficult to get the time off from work, so consider just how far you are willing to go, to get time off for something that you will more than likely not make any money on. Conventions are fun to attend without a doubt, but they can drain your wallet, and if you want to miss work for a con without a proper excuse you may lose the means to attend anymore in the future. You know, your job.

This goes double for people starting new jobs. If you’re job starts the week before Otakon, don’t kid yourself asking for that weekend off, you haven’t been there long enough to ask for the time off yet, and missing 1 year of Ota is not the end of the world. If it’s a matter of being afraid of admitting that you’re going to a con, it’s okay to leave out the actual ‘convention’ part out of your excuse, but if you’re going to lie to get the time off of work be very careful to cover your tracks. That includes stuff like tagging pictures on Facebook; even if you’re not friends with your boss it’s better safe than sorry.

There’s no easy way to justify time off for these things, conventions are leisure after all, and going is a choice. But as with any choice, there are consequences.

Your Cosplay’s Just Been Destroyed!!!!!

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“Do not touch a cosplayer or their costume unless you ask.” (pg 37, How To Avoid Hara-Kiri)

One of the most common problems for cosplayers during a convention is cosplay malfunction. This can include props breaking, costumes getting ripped or frayed, buttons falling off, costume attachments becoming unattached; and the list goes on and on. An easy way to prepare for a costume malfunction is to buy a small hand-sewing kit; these can be purchased at the local fabric store and are normally inexpensive. In these kits, there are normally a pair of fabric scissors, needles, pins, thread, and measuring tape. If you take this to the convention with you, then you will be prepared to fix any small costume problem until you can fix it properly at home.

Prop malfunctions are a little more difficult to fix than a cosplay malfunction. Props are made from a range of materials and come in a variety of sizes. Some easy items to fix props with are super glue and duct tape. Depending on how heavy the prop is, it can be held together by either of these two things. Super glue would work best on something light, like a headpiece or small weapon. Duct tape would be used for something larger like a full body length shield or large type of weapon. Granted, these easy fixes won’t leave your prop looking exactly like it’s supposed to, but they will keep it together for the rest of the con until you can acquire the proper materials to fix them.

I unfortunately have had both prop and costume malfunctions happen at conventions, and it is not fun. At Katsucon 2012, I was cosplaying Namine from Kingdom Hearts and had my hand-made keyblade break. Someone hit my keyblade at a wrong angle and one of the attachments fell off less than five minutes before a photoshoot. Luckily enough, I thought ahead and brought crazy glue with me to the convention. Within that time limit, I was able to fix my prop and get to my shoot on time.

Even if you are not the cosplayer who is experiencing a malfunction of these sorts, if you notice it, please tell said cosplayer. Cosplay problems are like medical problems, in the aspect that if they are noticed quickly, before they get too bad, then they are easier to fix. If you see a small hole in a shirt, that small hole is going to be a lot easier to fix than a shirt ripped in half. The same can be said with props. Cosplayers put a lot of effort into their cosplays and would love it if someone would let them know that something is wrong with it. Especially if your mentioning that wrong thing can save them time in the long run!

Convention Food

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“Order Food Before Midnight!!!” (pg 34, How To Avoid Hara-Kiri)

At a con, one of the biggest oversights that attendees seem to make is in regard to eating habits; and to say that said habits can be unhealthy would be an understatement. One of the most notorious habits con goers have is to live off of sugary & salty snacks and energy drinks, mainly for their inexpensiveness, as well as an alternative to getting a full 8 hours of sleep.

And while this should go without saying, this type of eating is not good for the blood pressure; it can possibly lead to dehydration as well. There are plenty of alternatives to a con-diet besides Pocky, Ramen, and Red Bull. Low sodium snacks like natural cheese and crackers are an excellent alternative, as well as cold cuts, because you can’t go wrong with sandwiches, and the old standbys of fruits and veggies. And some of you may be thinking, “well it takes too much effort”, or “I don’t have time”, but if you have five hours to marathon ‘Tiger and Bunny‘, then you can spare a few minutes to make a couple of pastrami sandwiches.

Another issue is missing meals, which is worse than eating something salty or overly sweet. In that case, eating crappy food is the lesser of evils; at least you’re getting some nutrients. Yes there is a lot going on over the course of a convention weekend, but you need you strength, and it’s hard to geek-out on an empty stomach. Most conventions are insanely close to food courts or local restaurants, so hit up the golden arches if you have to.

Whatever the case, please don’t neglect your stomach on a convention weekend. Prioritize eating (healthily if possible) when waiting in line for the Scott McNeil panel, because it’ll be a lot more fun if your stomach isn’t drowning him out.

Re: Men’s Fitness Bends Fans Outta Shape [OPT-ED]

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*Madi’s reaction to this month’s Men’s Fitness article | Flickr/Mr Snork

It’s funny (read, sarcasm) that this article mentioned “It’s a bully-free zone in which underwear is in no danger of violently wedgie-ing its wearer and freak flags are free to fly. Nowhere is this more evident than in the practice of costume play, or cosplay.” and that’s exactly what they did, bully them. The article is down right rude and I even sense some insecurities from it. It seems like the man/men behind this article/magazine are too “proud” to let go and have some fun with dressing up, so they hide behind this ‘veil’ of it’s okay to make fun of others (oh masculinity).

I’ve always always been an advocate of no matter what your race, size, religion, anything that defines you and who you are, you have every right to cosplay and let no one stop you or tell you you can’t. I dislike it when people say they can’t ‘cosplay’ because of those reasons, because anyone can. And of course, this article goes against what I believe, but not only that, but probably has discouraged more people. The most complaint I hear about someone as far as “not being able to cosplay” outside of skin color is body type. “Oh I’m not skinny enough to cosplay this character” or “since I’m overweight, I can only cosplay ‘big’ characters.” We’re not all models, we cosplay for FUN. It’s because of things like this there’s drama ALREADY in the cosplay world. And the media already sheds enough negative light on us, Just let us have our fun. I consider us to be adults with big hearts and still have the imagination to dream.

A random older male said to me as a drive by comment when I was in cosplay in NY on my way to NYAF “Aren’t you a little too old to be doing that?” And I wanted to retort, “I guess you’re too old to have fun.” Cosplay doesn’t have an age and it never will.