Feeling Old Today

[Anonymous No.7001541]

I've been out of the cosplay game for some years now, but I've recently been thinking about coming back and doing a couple of "bucket list" costumes again. But suddenly, I see that Yaya is on TV, Adella is married with a baby on the way, and there are a whole bunch of people I've never heard of selling signed photos of themselves. WTF happened? So many people I used to know have been through some life-changing shit (marriages, home ownership, divorces...) and yet they're still cosplaying and going to cons, but I'm chilling here with my own life and it's like, "do I really want to go back to this?" What do you guys think about the state of the hobby today? Pic is sadly somewhat related to what I was doing last night while thinking about this.

[Anonymous No.7001543]

Oh, and on top of all this, I find out Marty Gear died. WTF?!

[Anonymous No.7001676]

::putting on my old woman hat and cane::

State of the hobby is laughable. You used to be quite sure of three things when you met a cosplayer.

1.You can discuss the thing they are dressed up as ad nauseum. They knew damn near everything and man were they excited to talk about it.
2. They loved whatever they were dressed up as. There was no "this was the only spot in the group or this is who I look most like so I did it instead of the character I liked"
3. They put every stitch and coat of paint on their work because it was a fucking labor of love and damn right they wanted to be part of everything on it and not "I just want to look good"

I'm lucky if I can find one of those on your typical cosplayer now. They've seen 3 episodes, and bought it off ebay. They had their cosplay friend make it and are only there to fill in a group. They want to be famous and have the most facebook likes and they like another character better but this one shows off more skin. Any combo of those as well.

TL;DR: We care more about looks than content. Same as the rest of the world. shrug

On the bright side we have way more access to character sheets, techniques, and photos.

[Anonymous No.7001774]

>>7001676
I think that's because the barrier of entry has be easier to get through. Some people wear outfits just to be a part of the convention atmosphere and others are more serious about the crafting aspects and improving their skills

[Anonymous No.7001784]

>>7001676
THIS.
I used to make lots of friends at cons by talking to cosplayers doing the same thing as me. This is no longer the case. I have even cosplayed hamsteak and amazingly even the older crowd of that bunch hasn't read the damn comic half the time. I still make friends, but I meet them at con bars, not by their cosplay.

Fuck last year was the last time I even tried. There was a group cosplaying the Sentry, Ares and Phoenix and I was all "wow guys, incredible work. I never see anyone cosplay Sentry" and he just fucking stuck up his nose at me and made some kind of "tch" noise and said yeah okay".

I will also say what's so crazy to me is how much more complex, impressive and over the top the average costume gets every year. I mean, it's awesome but it's so weird to me when I remember a time when everyone used fucking satin and made props out of cardboard. It's so nice to actually KNOW what we're doing now instead of bumbling around in the dark like we once did.

[Anonymous No.7002040]

>>7001774
>Some people wear outfits just to be a part of the convention atmosphere

It used to be that those people were content with wearing the t shirt of their favorite anime/game. They were very much part of the con atmosphere. If prompted why they didn't cosplay they would usually say, "Oh man I do not have any idea how to make anything." Someone would then tell them to start simply and it's ok that it doesn't look awesome because we ALL had first cosplays that were really ugh.

I've seen that played out on the COSP and in front of me so many times I have lost count.

Now people are like "I just wanna have fun" as if you needed a costume to have fun. You don't. They know the attention a good cosplay gets and they want that too, without the annoyance of learning anything.

[Anonymous No.7002044]

>>7001774
"Barrier of entry" becoming easier is a good way to explain how the entire anime fanbase has gotten assbackwards stupid and immature over time.

Pulling out my own old lady cane, but there's good reason why cons in 2000 weren't full of kids. There was little anime available on tv and those of us who pursued it had to go to the effort to order and purchase or trade vhs tapes. It gradually got a bit easier when Napster came out, but now you can fucking stream anything anywhere and there's piles of shit like Naruto on tv that pulls in young idiots.

Cosplay is much the same, all these kids just cosplay to have even more fun acting idiotic while unsupervised at a con. Teens in general are a different group of people from the teens of 10+ years ago.

And yeah you also have all those attention whores otherwise.

I only still cosplay because I get a chance to get together with friends and I can act like the character. I love the artistic elements of the hobby. We are so ridiculously hermit-like at cons though. Almost every time I talk to a new person I'm disappointed.

[Anonymous No.7002047]

At least PT will never change.

[Anonymous No.7002123]

There's also a plethora of resources and ready-made items available. Need a specific color of wig, got it. NO MORE PARTING FOR PIGTAILS and the horrors and smell of burnt plastic. Oh hey, here's an accessory. Here's a detailed tutorial. Here's the exact costume you need.

Back in the day, we had to hunt down and draft our patterns, modge podge stuff together from existing items if you didn't know how to draft or read patterns. You used your real hair with colored spray or used a halloween wig because that was all that was availble. If you got lucky, you might find a better quality costume wig to work with for $50-60. But your options were, cleo, cleo bob, godiva, wig with no bangs (but a sewn in part, no skin top) and punky. Your anime color options were about 6-8 plus natural colors which were in abundance. There were also the same handful of series cosplayed over and over again. So at a large con, there'd be lots of the same character (and you'd bond over that shit) And you know what? That was considered good. You'd get a ton of pictures taken, meet all kinds of new friends and have a grand old time.

Now it's like, unless you are cosplaying the current popular favorite, attractive, and doing an amazing cosplay, no1curr. I feel the odd one out most of the time because if I wander away from my circle of friends, I find myself surrounded by kids. I have no issues making friends at cons anymore, I go away with at least one or two new contacts. But it's not the same as it used to be. A lot of times, I just feel this urge to roam around the con, knowing I'm going to meet a cool person, take some pictures of cool costumes, see an old friend. Then I just feel like a lost face in the crowd.

[Anonymous No.7002142]

>>7002040
But typically when you just wear an ebay costume or a bad costume you don't get any attention as its given to the cosplayers that actually try.

Good job you bought a generic ebay outfit. Say hello to the other 20 people at the same event who did the same thing.

[Anonymous No.7002150]

I easily made friends at my first anime con in '99. We hung out all night on Saturday and wandered around Baltimore. And none of us were younger than 17. And that was me, actually. I was the youngest, but I always had older friends and a job and that's how I afforded cons and anime. Now the kids are 13 or 14, and they're running around like little assholes, and you can't meet anyone worthwhile.

[G !!0KLJYlknxts No.7002157]

>>7002123
>Now it's like, unless you are cosplaying the current popular favorite, attractive, and doing an amazing cosplay, no1curr.

Older series stand out more at the cons so by going old school you become a bit of a mini celebrity. Most of my outfits are from series that are at least 4 years old and people don't have an issue recognizing them.

[Anonymous No.7002164]

>>7002157
Except when you cosplay from old video games and get mistaken three times in the span of 20 minutes by 13-17 year olds as teenybopper pop singers.

Celes Chere =/= Hanna Montana

[Anonymous No.7002210]

Are you just doing it for fun, and if not, can you hack it now? The scene is tougher than even four years ago. Mid-tier cosplayers from 2007 can probably out-sew you now. If you can del with that, come back in and have fun. If not, maybe it's best to pretend to retire gracefully.

[G !!0KLJYlknxts No.7002451]

>>7002164
It comes with the territory, I'm guilty of confusing new characters with older ones. It's give and take. Just remember that by going as older characters, whoever recognizes you is going to be really into the series so you'll have better conversations.

[Anonymous No.7002714]

>>7002210

I can't..I'm just like what is this post.
Cosplay circa 1995-2005 wasn't about hacking it to be the best at the show. That was left to the people participating in the contest and that was where it stayed.
Everyone in the hall though, that was fun shit. You met up with people from the same series and the same character and talked for hours. We didn't "deal" with people who could out-sew us. That had little to do with anything.

I'm sorry, this is not even a coherent post. I lack the cognitive power to get on the level with >>7002210 and tell them what is wrong with their entire post.

[Anonymous No.7004038]

>>7002210
Stupid me, I thought it was supposed to be for fun...

[Anonymous No.7004054]

>>7002714
Yeah, seriously, fuck that shit.
All these girls on /cgl/ and in the community these days only do it to be the most popular or be the best. Jesus, that's such a fucking annoying attitude for the whole of cosplay.
Lots of people make cosplay because they, you know, like the shit they're dressed up as. This is still a difficult concept for many on this board, as that post makes so evident, but hall cosplay is not a fucking competition.

It's a competition if you're actually entering a masq but that really does make up a minority of cosplayers in my experience.

[Anonymous No.7004528]

>>7001676
>1.You can discuss the thing they are dressed up as ad nauseum. They knew damn near everything and man were they excited to talk about it.
>2. They loved whatever they were dressed up as. There was no "this was the only spot in the group or this is who I look most like so I did it instead of the character I liked"
>3. They put every stitch and coat of paint on their work because it was a fucking labor of love and damn right they wanted to be part of everything on it and not "I just want to look good"
>mfw when I am all these things and I'm under 20

[Anonymous No.7004537]

>>7002123
>I find myself surrounded by kids.
And you seem bitter about that. Almost everyone starts hobbies young. Cosplay and eastern culture is just getting more popular nowadays. I, myself, have met some great younger people. I'm still young (22) but I can strike up a conversation with say, a 17-year-old, and a lot of the time they'll actually be pretty interesting and cool. It's all how you look at things.

[Anonymous No.7004541]

>>7004054
Gotta agree here. Everyone nowadays is obsessed with being the best. None of this making it and wearing it for the love of the character.

If I came across cosplay as it now is today as newbie I wouldn't be at all interested. Can't stand popularity contests. I'm actually glad that I am one the old cosplayers. Back when I started was much better. Yes, you didn't have the best access to materials or the best resources but damn, you had a great time.

[Anonymous No.7004559]

>>7004537
22 is all well and good. There are plenty of people around your age, and when you're all students, it's easier to relate.

I'm 29 and done with school, with a full time job. I can still sit down and talk to total strangers about anime and comics at a con. But when most of the crowd seems to be ~16, I can't relate at all anymore once they start talking about personal stuff. Especially when they start talking about sex or porn right away - I'm not comfortable having a conversation like that with a kid.

I've started skipping anime cons and aiming for more sci-fi/fantasy and comic book conventions. They seem to have an older, more chill crowd, and fewer running, screaming balls of hormones.

[Anonymous No.7004622]

>>7004559
I agree. I'm pretty much in the same boat.

I've found I can relate more to people at sci-fi/fantasy cons these days. The anime/gaming cons seems to be getting younger each time I go.

[Anonymous No.7005296]

>>7004528

Hi. You are that harder to find person worth talking to that us in the thread are looking for. You're the fun one we can talk to you for an hour and it only feels like 10 minutes. Then we can talk about techniques used on your costume and you actually have a fucking clue about how to make shit.

I hope you talk to lots of people at a con. You're one of the good ones.

[Anonymous No.7005418]

>>7004537
I'm not bitter about it. I realize there are going to be younger people there and I've got no problem with it. In fact, I don't mind talking to or being around younger folk at all. I like that there is a younger generation. That doesn't bother me. But there's a certain awkwardness when you're going around a con looking for something to do, or finding someone to hang out with and the atmosphere is definitely different than it used to be. You know, popping into the rave because you enjoy going to them and having 13-15 year old boys trying to dance with you (hey kid, I'm twice your age), you realize you're alone. Oh yeah, that's because everyone your age is at the bar.

It's like... oh. right.

And I agree with >>7004559 While I can sit down and talk about fandoms, costume making, funny con stories... as soon as it gets into the realm of personal stuff it becomes awkward. When it's about personal-life stuff, it's sort of like been there done that, I'm now playing the part of Con counselor. When it gets into the realm of sex and porn, it gets horribly awkward, especially with teenagers. It's like, sex is just as normal in my life since I'm an adult and married. It's not the same to a 16 year old, and in that, it becomes really awkward.

[Anonymous No.7005442]

>>7004559
>Especially when they start talking about sex or porn right away

For some reason this trend is really bothersome to me, as is the idea that opposing the incorporation of your sex life into casual conversation means you're just not getting any or whatever. I'm gonna blame Tumblr for a good bit of that.

[Anonymous No.7005453]

At 25 I'm one of the oldest people in my community. It's... Weird.

[Anonymous No.7005477]

>>7005442
Naw man, its so much older than that. I remember going to cons in the early 00s and everyone would be screaming about how much they love yaoi and had those paddles and shit. It was common place even then to see people talking overtly about their sex life and porn tastes at any random passerby.

>>7004622
Same here too. For the last 4 years or so I've been going almost exclusively to sci-fi and comicons. It's more my interest now (although I still am into anime/manga) and the scene is just also considerably more mature and chill.

Cosplay there is also generally more chill. People seem more genuinely pleased to see cosplay stead of snobby that someone else's costume is better, or the general catty attitude I find at anime cons. Also, not everyone feels the need to cosplay like at anime cons and overall I just find comic/sci-fi cons to be a nicer environment.

Then again, my one emotionally/developmentally teenage friend went to one and hated it because people WEREN'T running around screaming like at anime cons.

[Anonymous No.7005498]

>>7005477
I remember that too but it seemed so much more impersonal...like they'd talk about yaoi and smut and have the paddles but I don't remember people talking about their PERSONAL sex lives or shaming those who didn't want to participate.

[Anonymous No.7005513]

>>7004038
If fun is all you care about then you shouldn't even think about touching a sewing machine.

Cosplay isn't dress-up at your 6th birthday party.

[Anonymous No.7005533]

>>7005498
Yeah. God. I made the mistake of attending a cosplay meetup at a local arcade. I was the oldest person there. Within five minutes, some kids who had just met were whipping out their phones, comparing smut, and discussing how to keep their parents from finding their porn collections. One guy started talking about how he can only get it up for furry porn anymore. He was like sixteen.

Never going again. There is not enough alcohol on earth.

With any luck, that kind of shit is just a Florida problem.

[Anonymous No.7005562]

>>7005533
Nope. Arcade should have been the first sign.
>tried a lolita meetup in my hometown
>one girl
>ott sweet mostly Bodyline
>talked about cancer the whole time
She was pushing 30 and I was 18. Hoooo boy.
Now I worry I'll be like her if I go to meetups.

[Anonymous No.7005564]

>>7005513
Hah, oh wow. Get a load of this salty cunt.

[Anonymous No.7006179]

>>7005533
>One guy started talking about how he can only get it up for furry porn anymore. He was like sixteen.

I know that must have been terrible to experience in person, and I feel for you. I really do.

But holy shit did that get me laughing

[Anonymous No.7006258]

>>7004528
Same here. I think I would get on a lot better with older fans at cons for that reason. I've tried time and again to chat to people my own age but I just never seem to get on with them at all. I have no issue with them having fun or whatever, but I always just fit in better with the older and chiller people. Not to say we can't still get super excited about stuff together, but it's a different kind of excitement from 14-year-olds running around in bought costumes.

[Anonymous No.7006260]

>>7004528
Same here. I think I would get on a lot better with older fans at cons for that reason. I've tried time and again to chat to people my own age but I just never seem to get on with them at all. I have no issue with them having fun or whatever, but I always just fit in better with the older and chiller people. Not to say we can't still get super excited about stuff together, but it's a different kind of excitement from teenagers running around in bought costumes.

[Anonymous No.7006262]

I guess I qualify as being older, I'm 30 and have been cosplaying for 9 years. While the scene has changed since I started in 04', in ways other anons have discussed, I don't really think it has affected me to the point that I want out. I still focus in on making the best costumes I can, try new materials and techniques, and find that with my job (teacher), I actually have more tolerance for kids and their shenanigans. it doesn't mean I approve or condone it, but I can understand why they're doing it.

While I am older than many cosplayers, I find that I've actually made more friends in hotel bars and while waiting for hall cosplay judging. A lot of the times at judging the cosplayers are teens or young 20 somethings but at least they are there and interested in talking "shop" and about whatever the source of their costume is which is really quite fun.

On the flip side, as I've gotten older, I've realized how much less I care about other people/what they think about my work, etc. I'm happy sewing and creating, going to cons to hang out with friends and maybe make some new ones, maybe do a few photoshoots for pics, but beyond that? Too damn old to give any fucks about selling prints, getting famous etc. I have a full time job, house, car, and a life that I'm happy with outside of cosplay so this hobby is just more like icing.

[Anonymous No.7008606]

gaaaaayyyy

[Anonymous No.7008693]

>>7008606
babby's first time learning to internet!

[Anonymous No.7010601]

>>7005533
FLA

nope

[Anonymous No.7013434]

>>7002164
Lol, I actually have the exact opposite problem.

>My fiancé is 33 (I'm 31)
>He is a huge Macross fanboy
>Every time we see a Kaito cosplayer, he gets all excited
>OMG is that a (shitty) Maximilian Jenius?!?!
>Doesnt care if shitty or inaccurate, just happy to see some sdf
>I have to remind him constantly, no that is a vocaloid
>"wtf is vocaloid?"
>try to explain, crush his dreams, etc.
>"So...Sharon Apple, but without Myun?"
>"if that makes you happy, yes"