Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover: GENCON GENCON GENCON GENCON GENCON. My wife and I average four conventions a year, and GenCon consistently has the broadest, most impressive assortment of cosplayers and handicrafts of them all. Sure, we could leave this work up to the professionals with better cameras…but why?
In Part One we listed all the Costume Contest winners. In Part Two we celebrated several other entrants, all game-themed. This time around is the last of the contest photos, what we have left that’s as close to usable as possible. We would’ve taken more and better photos if circumstances had permitted. Traditionally we’ve been able to do so after the contest ends, when many of the contestants usually hang around the ballroom and/or the adjacent staging room for a while. Unfortunately this year’s contest ran much longer than usual. By the time the house lights came up and all the prizes had been claimed, the majority of the cosplayers had long since fled the vicinity for parts unknown.
Nonetheless, we’d like our opportunity to salute the variety and imagination that fans boldly put forth that day. Random example: steampunk Disney Princesses — Snow White, Ariel, Rapunzel, Jasmine, and Belle.
More princesses, you say? Say hello to Azula from Avatar: the Last Airbender, before her breakdown. I think.
Not uncommon enough? Try Princess Nuala from Hellboy 2: the Golden Army.
Game of Thrones is not my thing, so I’m unclear if Daenerys Targaryen is a princess, a queen, or just someone whose dragons you’re not supposed to take.
Rogue isn’t quite the princess type, not even so much as a stereotypical Southern belle.
Also not a princess: Janice Rand, the longest-lived redshirt in Starfleet history.
On the opposite end of the superhuman spectrum in every conceivable way: Scarecrow from the Arkham Asylum game.
Even more mysterious: this armored representative whose name sounded to my poor hearing like “Mate the Defender”. I’m 80% certain this is incorrect. Can I get a little help from the Viewers at Home?
UPDATED 8/19/2013, 10:15 p.m.: Special thanks to my son for ID’ing this one: Magna Defender from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, originally known as BullBlack in the Super Sentai series Seijuu Sentai Gingaman.
Much simpler to identify for us near-elderly fans: Captain America and Thor.
Also from the Department of Characters I Know: the fairytale-realm version of Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time. Obviously he could’ve used his powers to win the contest unfairly, but wisely declined because, of course, magic always comes with a price.
I read several chapters of the One Piece manga years ago when I collected Shonen Jump for a short time, but it took a good, long while before I remembered the irritating Usopp.
Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, one of my son’s all-time favorite anime.
Once more, with feeling: one more living TARDIS.
To be continued! Next time: costumes from around the show floor, nearly all of them in focus. Be there!
Very, um, colorful. I think I’d have to wear sunglasses if I were there. Of course, I could then throw on a cape and a breathing appendage and fit right in. 🙂
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Oh, sure, there’re plenty of famous characters with sunglasses. Even if you resembled no one in particular, no one would judge. They’d assume you went as someone SO obscure that they’re just not cool enough to get it. 😀
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Pingback: GenCon 2013 Photos, Part 4 of 6: Free-Roaming Costumes (Super-Heroes and Animation) | Midlife Crisis Crossover
I was nuala. I wish it wasn’t upside down. Lol!
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Okay, yeah, that’s weird. By any chance are you viewing it on an iPhone? A friend of mine is having the same issue, but it looks fine on my phone (Galaxy S2) and on my Windows devices. Sounds like I might need to talk to my hosts…
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Yes I am.
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That helps. Thanks very much for letting me know. I’ve gone ahead and redone your photo, so it should look better now for iPhone users (knock on wood).
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Pingback: GenCon 2013 Photos, Part 6 of 6: Games, Cards, and Other Treasures | Midlife Crisis Crossover
iPads too? 😉
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Wellll, I guess we’ll allow it to look okay on iPads, too. If we have to. 😀
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I’m honored to see my Tardis costume on your blog! Thank you for appreciating my creation!
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You’re welcome — the appreciation was quite deserved. I wish the contest allowed for more awards than they already give out — a very talented but crowded field this year…
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It was a hard fact to swallow that I had to compete in the “Professional” category just because I’m a seamstress by trade (apparently there’s no difference between a seamstress and a costume designer??)
Oh well, I think she looked great!
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Hm, yeah, it sounds as though the rulebook writers generalized a bit much. I couldn’t believe how many entrants were in the Professional category this year, either — in some years we’ve been lucky to have three.
I do like that GenCon’s system at least allows multiple winners every year (unlike the other cons we attend, where one wins and all else go home sad), but if they keep relegating too many talented hands to that same category, we’re likely to have a death match on our hands in the future.
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