I started off this tumblog a year ago with a costume, so I figure the best thing for this approximaversary is another costume. I dressed up again for Dragon*Con, this time as autodidactic robot girl Kimiko Ross from Aaron Diaz’s Dresden Codak.

Kim has had the same hair as me for about three years now (excluding when I grew mine out for Locks of Love), and my cosplay decisions are at least 50% based on hair styles. The other 50% here mainly involved the opportunity to make a robot arm. Also, I like that Kim’s clothes are really more of an outfit than a costume. Ignoring the input jack in the back, I could conceivable walk down the street wearing this and not draw too many strange looks. In fact, most people who recognized the costume didn’t get it until they saw the symbol on the back. Makes sense, since the Rising Sun is the most iconic symbol in Dresden Codak.

Things this costume was mistaken for include: Some kind of stormtrooper (until they saw the shoes), a skeleton arm (Cecilia?), Tron (most commonly), and something from Bleach.

Last year, I was quite apprehensive about the whole “dressing up as a cartoon character” thing. I felt very aware of the absurdity of it, and self-conscious because of that. Maybe because I was dressed as a cherry-red time pixie alien with coat hanger wings instead of a mad scientist with a robot arm who I’d based a GURPS character on. But since then, I’ve discovered just how fun making costumes is. I like cobbling outfits together out of thrift store finds. I like making neat things out of simple materials (fabric and clay and foam and paint and MOD PODGE, oh gosh yes, Mod Podge). I like remembering to keep the play in cosplay. I’ve become a lot more comfortable with the aspects of nerd culture I embrace. Because of that, I spent the entire weekend being excited about everything around me: the hard work and creativity of everyone dressed up, of the creators whose works brought 40,000 people, and of my own little outfit bringing an extra bit of joy to the people who knew it, and even to those who didn’t.