Tag: cosplay

Cosplay Everyday!

Posted on by in About Queen Grasshopper, Geeky Sunday

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net!

It’s cosplay everyday here in Club High Castle

Cosplay is very near and dear to my heart. You should see the left half of my closet! Hanging there is an assortment of medieval dresses, Star Trek uniforms, and other odes to my favorite fandoms that I’ve collected over the years. The oldest thing I have in there is probably from the 90s. 

23rd August – Cosplay

It’s international Cosplay Day this weekend and we’re joining in the celebrations by chatting about all things cosplay!

Have you cosplayed before? If yes, which character was your favourite? If no, which character would you like to cosplay as?

You have no idea, Grasshopper 😉 You just opened an entire world about me.

I was the QUEEN of cosplay in the early 2000s, and I loved every last second of it. As for my favorite character, that one is a tough one because every time I put on a costume, I’m having the time of my life, ha ha! 

With that being said, I’ll have to go with my Jedi robes.

Back in 2002, a group of coworkers/friends and I decided to go as Jedi and Sith for Halloween. We had our costumes tailor made with professional materials, and when Halloween rolled by, the head Sith and his wife hosted a party where we went full on nerd with light saber battles! 

What does cosplay mean to you?
The 80s never grew out of style

Everything!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday (any time I get to cosplay is my favorite day if I’m being honest). I love getting into costume, fixing my hair and makeup, and taking on the persona of something else. This is something I know I will never grow out of. Life is too short to not enjoy yourself to the absolute fullest!

Do you have a favourite cosplayer?

I don’t follow any professional cosplayers, so I don’t have an answer for this. However, when I see someone rocking a costume, I always give them a compliment because I *know* how much fun they are having and what it means to them. 

What is the most unique cosplay you have ever seen?

Let’s jump back to 2002, the year of the Jedi Crew. I was stationed in Turkey at the time, and in addition to the party my coworker and his wife threw, there was a base-wide party at the consolidated club (they didn’t have a separate enlisted/officer’s club there). Of course, the Jedi Crew went. How could we not? This backstory is important because wasn’t always easy getting certain things from the States. We had our costumes made at one of the local Turkish tailors we were friends with.

I will never forget the elaborate Mecha robot costume I spotted at the club. It was fantastic and well made. If someone was going to win the costume contest, I wanted it to be him. I talked to the guy, and he said it took months to make. I was shocked to learn that he had fashioned it out of cardboard boxes and duct tape–his paint job and attention to detail was so excellent, that I would have never guessed it was just cardboard.

If I recall correctly, he got 2nd or 3rd place. 1st place was given to a bunch of guys dressed as Roman soldiers, complete with head gear and shields.

Have you ever done a casual cosplay (aka everyday cosplay) or  Disney bounding?
Wearing my Loki vest

Story of my life, ha ha!

Before covid, this was almost every day for me because I dress in my own, unique mix of modern and vintage. Disney bounding falls right into that. I was going to go to Disneyland for my 40th birthday next month and had planned an assortment of Disney bounding outfits, but covid had other plans, and to say that I am torn up/heart broken over this is an understatement. 

Pick a group of characters from a fandom and tell us who they would cosplay as!

The Man in the High Castle

  • Joe & Juliana – Bonnie and Clyde
  • Frank – Indiana Jones
  • Ed – A French chef
  • Billy Turner – Dracula
  • Thomas – a Jedi Knight

Spook Yourself. Halloween is Coming.

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In just 7 days we will get to wear costumes in public without being judged for it. Want to be a badass Jedi? Do it. Craving to channel your inner witch, vampire, ghoul, or goblin? Do it. Beam us up, Scotty, because we are ready!

What are you going to be for Halloween? 
Share your awesome costume ideas on Facebook or Twitter!

The rules have changed at my work. I was told I could wear something as long as I am still in my uniform. You better believe I am going to push this to the limit! 😉 I haven’t made my final decision yet because, let’s face it, pushing the limit takes some serious brainstorming. I’m leaning towards some kind of steampunk cat (cat ears, a tiny top hat, and one of my gothic/western vests).

As for my characters, they don’t need to follow any rules!

From left to right: 
Jadelynn Jackson, Elly Reynolds, Major Pierson, and Aaron Winters*

Jadelynn: I found these adorable cat ears for only 5 credits! I don’t care what everyone at the office thinks! I’m still 12 years old at heart! *Takes selfie* 
Elly: I am the queen, and nobody can tell me otherwise. I wanted to be a witch again, but being the same thing two years in a row is lazy…Darn it. I love my witch hat!
Major Pierson: I hate you, Elly. I hate you. I hate you. This outfit is stupid. Why did I agree to this!? A jailbird!?  *Grabs a glass of whiskey* 
Aaron: … 
*Yes, that is Aaron as Thranduil. 

Review – Psi Corps Replica Pin

Posted on by in Alfred Bester, Babylon 5, Psi Corps

I am overdue for a review. I got a little Babylon 5 gem in the mail, so here’s the scoop!

This is my in-depth look at the Psi Corps replica badge you see floating around places like Ebay and Amazon. You can view Amazon’s listing here: Babylon 5 PSI CORPS Replica

Don’t be fooled by the crappy product photo. At first glance, it looks like a cheap, plastic replica not worth your time. I’m happy to say that I scoured the Internet for reviews to confirm that the badge is metal (not that cheap Halloween-bend it-break it metal either).

Imagine the way my heart sank when I pulled this out of the packaging. I was fully prepared for a broken badge.

Phew! A perfect badge.

My thoughts:
1. As I said before, it’s made of a decent metal and has a good weight to it which makes it feel like a proper badge. Sign me up for the Psi Corps right now!
2. The clasps in the back are just as the descriptions say: military style.

3. The size is perfect. It appears to be as large as the ones seen on the show. I couldn’t be happier with that aspect of it.
4. The casting/mold has dents in it to give the badge a realistic worn feel, but not to the point of being ugly and unwearable (see the large image above). 
5, There is a slight deviation from the badges on the show (I can see why this would anger people, but the product image–as crappy as it is–shows you this). The psi symbol in this badge is curvy, whereas the ones seen on the show are blocky. 
The difference between psi symbols got me curious (hey, I *am* a huge fan, after all!) Where did the curvy version come from? Take a look at the collage of screencaps I gathered below and click on the image to enlarge it:
I looked in my Babylon 5 Images folder to see if I could spot anything obvious. There was one possible deviation from the blocky version (circled in bright green). It’s hard to tell if the badge in that picture is an instance of the curvy psi, or if just looks that way due to the angle. If it is the latter, where did they pick up the curvy version from?
There it is. 
So why did they mass produce the curvy version instead of the show’s more prominent blocky version? I can only speculate…It could be that phantom badge I circled in green, an early prototype that was nixed in favor of the blocky version, but was somehow sent to the manufacturer instead, or maybe Alfred Bester didn’t like the idea of exact replicas being mass produced for Mundanes…I don’t know!
If there are any Babylon 5 fans who know the answer to this, I am all ears! 
There you have it! More than you ever wanted to know about the Psi Corps replica pin!
Conclusion
4/5 Teeps – The only reason it gets docked a point is because it is not an exact replica of the ones in the show.
Would I recommend this to a friend?
Unless you are a stickler for something that is 100% true to the original, then yes. If you are a fan of Babylon 5, it is a fun replica to have and a nice little addition to any collections you own. Get on Ebay, Amazon, or what have you and purchase one right now! 
*Tosses in more photos just for fun*