If you know me in person (or even online) at all, you know that I became obsessed with Arcane—and specifically the character of Silco—in 2022. After finding an old hoodie I had made for my husband, I decided I wanted to make a new fandom-based hoodie for myself now that I’ve been sewing for much longer and also now know how to use my serger.
Continue reading “Making My Silco Hoodie”
This was one of those cosplays that was planned months in advance but constructed over very little time. This cosplay only took 6 hours of work (spread over 3 days because I like napping on weekends lol) between the dress, lei, sash, and bandana. The process involved lots of online shopping from Amazon and getting lots of quality time with my serger.
Continue reading “Making My “Secret Tunnel” Cosplay”
Back in 2016, I wrote this blog post “My Top 5 Cosplay Tools I Can’t Live Without.” While the title was a bit hyperbolic, I stand by those original choices. Considering it’s been eight years since that post and I’ve made significant strides in my cosplay and crafting journey, I thought I’d write an update with some new tools that either didn’t make the cut last time or I didn’t even know about back then. But rather than pick my favorites, this time I’m going to list the ones that see the most use and come in handy the most often.
Continue reading “My Top 10 Most Used Sewing Tools”
Up until this point, I’ve had my online lives compartmentalized very cleanly. I have my legal name (which you—dear readers—will never know); my cosplay name, Ashweez Cosplay; and my explicit fic-writing pseudonym Silcoitus. Each name had its own email account, each alias its own space online. Then, at last KimochiiCon (then Waifu Expo), I was given a new title “Chair Lord” as I helped produce the many cosplay events on the main stage throughout the weekend.
This past weekend at KimochiiCon 2024, the lines I had so painstakingly crafted between the different parts of me and my creative pursuits started to blur.
And it was overwhelming.
But maybe that was just the ADHD-induced sleep deprivation.
Continue reading “Three Aliases, One Identity Crisis, and the Importance of Rest at KimochiiCon 2024”
This weekend I entered my Melon Lord cosplay into Y2Kon’s first ever cosplay contest and I’m pleased to announce that I took home the gold! (Metaphorically.)
Continue reading “First Place in a Cosplay Contest!!”
Much like my Elizabeth cosplay, this one came about because I wanted to do something funny with a voice actor at a con. Toph’s VA Michaela Murphy is coming to Y2Kon and while I didn’t think I could throw together a Toph cosplay in time, I thought of the next best thing: Melon Lord.
Continue reading “Making My Melon Lord Cosplay”
This cosplay was a long time coming. I’ve wanted to cosplay Elizabeth since 2014 and wanted to make a competition-worthy build since around 2017. Every year, I would think of it and never do it because I was too scared I wouldn’t live up to the lofty expectations I had in my head. It took Troy Baker making an appearance at WeebCon this April for me to finally just buckle down and do it.
Continue reading “Making My Elizabeth Comstock Cosplay”
The pandemic did a lot of things for a lot of people. For me, it helped me remember why exactly I cosplay and what I value out of my experiences in this virtual and in-person community. While I still craft when the desire strikes, lately my convention and cosplay experience has been that of support and I’ve really been enjoying it.
Continue reading “My Recent Shift from Cosplay Craft to Cosplay Support”
Continuing in this practice I started in 2021, it’s time to review how I did on my 2022 goals and set some new ones for 2023!
Continue reading “2022 Retrospective & 2023 Goals”
I had the opportunity to judge another cosplay contest this past weekend at the HKMKT NightMKT event and it got me thinking about what makes a good judge. There are many skills required and I thought I’d talk about them!
Continue reading “What Makes a Good Contest Judge?”
Ashweez Cosplay 