Ti-Tanya

July 4 at 2.18 p.m

Announcement, Team Titan:  I have arrived!  Words cannot express how pumped I am to be appearing at Con Found It in sunny Harlingen, Texas on this, our great nation’s birthday!   You can find me and the gorgeous Alexa Starr at booth 32A, signing copies of the Warriors of Cosplay calendar.  We’ll be here for the rest of the day, so that means plenty of face-time with you, my lovelies.  Everyone has been so nice here, and we’ve already taken loads of pictures with friends and fans.   Don’t be shy --  we really want to meet you!  

Now that I’m here and seeing all the wonderful and creative costumes on display, there is a question that comes up often that I wanted to address.  Why do I feel the need to dress up as someone else?  Why superheroes?  Is it harmless role-playing and escapism?  Is it empowerment?  Am I unhappy with who I am in real life?  You would be surprised at how prevalent the attitude expressed in that last question is.   I’ve come across entire essays on the topic by people who seem outwardly intelligent people, men and women who label themselves feminists, guys who run dating blogs, religious leaders,  you name it.  And with it is the attendant, often unspoken but clear message:  Cosplayers are creepy losers who have no life.  

Well, speaking for myself, and the many other epically talented cosplayers that I’ve had the pleasure to cross paths with over the years, I would definitely have to say that the desire to cosplay does NOT come from a place of dissatisfaction or self-hatred.   It’s the opposite really.  Cosplay is about loving yourself and showing the world the superstar you can be.  It IS empowerment, but not refuge from a place of weakness, not a frightened flight from reality.

No doubt cosplay is F-U-N, and escapist to a certain extent.   It is an avenue of expression of fanatical love for shows, comics and games, certainly no more bizarre or mental than those guys who paint their faces blue and stand bare-titted in 20 degree weather at NFL games.   Every con I go to I am amazed by at least one special, specific cosplay I see.  I’ll be like, OMG, I can’t believe someone cosplayed Frog-Thor!  Or Maya from Space: 1999!  Or Princess Ariel from Thundarr the Barbarian!  And so on.  In this respect, cosplay becomes a uniquely personal one-on-one expression.  You are saying, “Hey!  I am a fan of this!” to every unknown person out there into whose field of vision you happen to wander.  And when a connection is made, it’s like receiving a radio message from Mars saying “You are not alone!”  

Finally, cosplay for many is an ultimate form of self-expression.  I know some out there will say, “yeah, but you’re dressing as characters other people invented” but there is so much more to it than that.  There are so many individual choices, so much art that goes into the process of creating cosplays.  The cosplayer is not just echoing someone else’s work; they are interpreting it.  If customizing a car can be considered a form of self-expression,  if one can start an art movement by painting trademarked soup cans, if people can win Oscars for playing characters from 19th Century plays…well, you get the idea.  Suffice it to say: Cosplay is our art.  

“I know who you are!” crowed a slim, clean-shaven young man sporting a natty Edwardian jacket.  He bounded up to the booth where Tanya and Alexa sat and slapped the edge of the able with both palms.  

“You’re…”

He glanced down at the nameplates.

“Ta…Ti-Tanya and Alexa Starr.”

“You read that well,” Alexa deadpanned.

“Ha.  No, I’ve seen you on the…Youtube.  Love your costumes.”

“Oh, you recognize mine?” asked Tanya.

“Uh, some kind of near-sighted mime?”

“Yeah, I’m a mime.”

“Alright.  Awesome.”

“Are you Edward Cullen?”

“No.  Vampire Lestat.”

He made a dramatic clawing motion in the air with both hands.

“Hey, which hotel are you at?  I’m hosting an after-Con party…”

“I’m staying at my boyfriend’s house.  He’s a big local real estate-developer.  I think he built this convention center.”

“Oh yeah, cool.  I think I know him, actually.  Well, see you gals around.”

Lestat beat a hasty retreat.

“Real estate developer?” breathed Alexa after a few seconds, trying to suppress a giggle.

“It was the most impressive thing I could think of on short notice that wouldn’t sound like an obvious lie.”

“I thought he was kind of cute.”

“Run after him.  Make him yours. Overpower him with your sexy and mighty kung fu, temptress.”

“Ha.  Maybe if I get bored later.  By the way, have you heard from Troy?”

“Yeah.  He sent me a long message apologizing for not being here.”

“Everything cool between you?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, I see.”

“No, really.  Everything’s fine.  Except…well, I’ll tell you later.  It’s really nothing.”

“Wha…?  You can’t say something like that and end it with I’ll tell you later. That just ain’t right.”

“Not here in public, with people coming up and asking for photos and whatever.”

“I guess now you don’t have to feel bad about putting the moves on that comic book writer you like.  Waldo Bork.”

“Borg.  This is his first con appearance so it’s totally an event.  He’s written some of my favorite stories ever.  I’m totally psyched to meet him.”

“I’ll bet.  Are you ever going to tell me who or what you’re supposed to be?”

“I’m not spilling until someone guesses correctly.”

“Okay, be that way.  By the way, who else is here?  Anna?  Angelo?  Jonas?  Dawn? I haven’t even checked the guest list.”

“Anna will be here tomorrow.  Jonas and Angelo are around somewhere.  Not Dawn.  Possibly Suzie the Q.”

“I don’t remember her.”

“Tiny girl.  Looks like a Hispanic Tinkerbell.”

“Do you think Doll-E will turn up?”

Tanya grimaced.

“If she does, she’d better not turn up as Starbuck.”

“What has it been, three straight times where she showed up as a character you cosplayed at the last convention?

“I swear, by the old gods and new, if she does that one more time…”

“Welcome to the cutthroat world of cosplay, my sweet, innocent Tawnie.”

“Oh, shush now. They’re announcing the contest winners.”

A voice blared over a loudspeaker after a brief squawk of feedback.

“Good afternoon and welcome to the inaugural Con Found It, here in Harlingen, Texas, crown jewel of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  Hope ya’ll are enjoying yourselves.”

The voice paused for a smattering of applause.

“We are pleased to announce the five winners of the Con Found It Trivia Contest, who will split the prize.  Kenny McIntyre.  Alexa Sotomayor.  Tanya Sanchez.  Waldo Borg.  Ash Meyers.  Please report to the Courtesy Desk to claim your prize.”

“Hey, they announced your name, chief,” said Miles, having returned to Waldo’s booth clutching a turkey sub in one mitt and a can of generic cola in the other.  

“Hot damn, I won!” crowed Waldo.  “But fucksticks; I have to share the prize money five ways.”

“You want I should rub out the competition?” asked Miles in his best American gangster impersonation.

“Better wait until later, when things quiet down.  Make it look like an accident.”

“But of course.”

“Hey, does it seem like suddenly we’re swarming with little guys in black helmets?  I saw another two of them.”

“Now that you mention it.”

Waldo turned his head.  There seemed to be some commotion at the main entrance.  Someone was trying to close the entrance, leaving people stranded on both sides of the doors.  

“What in the exact World of Sports is going on?” Waldo asked himself.

.

Next Chapter: 3. A Typical Austinite