#GSTQ series

[skippyv20]

Anon Sarenza

Hello Skippy, I’m a Kiwi, a couple of months ago I submitted a post which was received with suspicion, i.e. that I may have been a “sugar” - I was pretty horrified about that because I wanted to participate in your blog which I have followed daily for at least 18 months.

I have two friends, one of whom is a half sister, and the other a lifetime friend of at least 50 years, and I have been espousing our cause re MM to them, but they are totally believing in the pretty rubbish which they see in the scared NZ newspapers who only publish “known” truths.  I have given up with them. I am keeping mum and following this crusade on my own, and am 100% with all Skippers here.

Right now we have Charles and Camilla here in NZ which appears  to be being well received and coincidentally we have had for the past few weeks, a series of Royals on Holiday, and tonight we have a Documentary of  Royal Servants on our screens also. 

Makes me think for a smallish Commonwealth Country, we are still being notified of the importance of the Royals and it’s all accumulating now in some extra activity. 

Of course, this is never going to distract from the awful startup impact that MM has made on all of this, made only worse by the reminder that PA’s recent interview has opened many international foxholes, and there is a larger worldwide cleansing to come. This is why Ms Markle’s carryons have gone into the background meantime, she is fading now, while something larger takes over. 

GSTQ 

Thank you so much. Sorry again about thinking you were a sugar.....I agree, something bigger is happening in the background.  😊❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[cosplayinamerica]

I wanted to do a group cosplay and the Lantern Corp seemed like a great idea. I knew I was interested in the Red Lanterns because I often say my super power is my rage. It is my anger at the wrongs in the world that helps repel the despair I feel and the things I cannot change. After looking into the backstories of the Red Lanterns, Bleez seemed like a good fit. Smart, powerful, capable of stepping up and sometimes wanting to take over. That resonated strongly with me.

This cosplay is surprisingly complicated, mainly because I refuse to become a pro builder. Being able to play around with stuff, problem solve, and flaunt my mistakes are some of my true joys in cosplay. Perfection is truly overrated in my opinion.

The mask is crocodile leather that I purchased second-hand from someone who was quitting cosplay, which gave me the chance to use the skills I’d learned in a mask making class with Cathy of GSTQ Fashions. I made a foam mock-up before cutting and wet-molding the leather then dying it black. I wanted the face mask and bat wings to be all one piece without making it into a helmet because helmets are HOT. Instead I wore a black cowl and used spirit gum to attach the make to my face. I will admit, there were some issues with spirit gum and face paint that I’m still a bit of an issue as spirit gum doesn’t adhere well to the paint, but I’ve gotten better at managing it. I made the Red Lantern chest piece from red puffy paint that I used Velcro to attach to my undersuit. The wings were costume wings I bought at Costumes Etc.that work on a pulley system, allowing them to expand and retract. I painted them black, then made bones out of glow-in-the-dark puffy paint. If you didn’t know, fabric puffy paint is the bomb. It works as an adhesive with fabric because it becomes part of the fabric.

Everything else was purchased. Black legging from Amazon, blue, footless tights from We Love Colors, corset from Corset-Story, which sadly has scaled back their plus-size corset line significantly. Boots are from Torrid, gloves from Costumes Etc, and the Red Lantern ring was a gift from my significant other.

The response was awesome. She’s not a popular character, as she’s never been in a movie, but she was on the Green Lantern animated series with a different look. The costume itself is so startling, from the blue skin, to the fangs, and then the wings, that it was a difficult costume to ignore. Everyone was slightly startled and then impressed when I spread my wings.

When you cosplay a scary character, watching the kids is hilarious because they can’t figure out what’s going on. They kind of know monsters aren’t real and clearly nobody else is worried about me, but I’ve had several stop in their tracks and then run behind their parents, only to peek out and hide when they see me looking at them. Scaring kids isn’t my motivation but it’s a fun bonus.

When we cosplay, we meet a lot of people. Some we like, some we love, and others live on the other end of that spectrum. People will try to convince you that everyone should get along, but that’s not possible. Racism, sexism, ableism, anti-LGBTQIA rhetoric, fatphobia, xenophobia, white christian supremacy…these are just a few of the basic differences that exist in this community and you’ll find yourself facing at some point.

Just like the world outside of cosplay, these beliefs and social hierarchies exist within cosplay. So, I urge people to be careful. To listen to what people say and watch what they do. See if their words match their actions and trust yourself when you feel something is off. Cosplayers wear a lot of masks and seeing behind them can be a challenge. But if spending time with people makes you feel bad about yourself, these are probably not the right people for you. You deserve to be respected and treated well, in and out of costume and cosplay has helped me better understand that.

If you aren’t aware, Black cosplayers are often marginalized in the cosplay community. Online visibility is limited to predominantly Black spaces, for many reasons fed by white supremacy. There are many darker skinned cosplayers out there who also deserve support. To show yours, share their work. Check out the hashtags #BlackCosplayerHere, and #CosplayAnyWay and keep an eye out for other cosplayers occupying intersecting spaces who also face discrimination and erasure by supporting hashtags like #BigBeautifulCosplay, #PlusSizeCosplay, #DisabledCosplayer, etc. Make the time to see the variety of people participating in cosplay because that is what makes it special.

----- TaLynn Kel

Photo : https://www.instagram.com/theampimage/

#Bleez