There are two dates in the year of a cosplayer in which your friends, family and acquaintances will think about you and your wonderful hobby. Those days are Carnivals (or Mardi Gras if you are from the States) and Halloween. And it always starts the same way. Friend: ‘Hey, you still do that thing with costumes, right?’ ‘You mean cosplay’ ‘Yeah that, I run out of time/have no money/introduce other excuse here. Can I borrow your cosplay?…
Let’s pause the conversation here for a moment… I know exactly what you are thinking, I am thinking exactly the same, but before I give my “friend” the answer, let me tell you a short story.
A little short story
This is a very old tale which happened a long time ago. It is about a young naive cosplayer and her friend on the week of Halloween.
The days before Halloween…
The busy cosplayer was very proud of her work. She was always very busy planning new cosplays. Of course she spent a lot of time sewing and crafting her favourite characters and also spent quite a bit of money on them. One day her friend spoke to her “Hey, I saw what you did with that character with pink hair, it looked amazing! The thing is, I have a party next week and nothing to wear, Can I borrow your cosplay? “
The good hearted cosplayer, which felt flattered by her friend, had no other option but to agree, after all, she was a good friend. Aftera all, it would have been mean not to share, or so she thought. So they agreed to lend her the “pink haired character cosplay”. This time she would be wearing the best “costume” to her party.
The cosplayer took so much pride on her work. She always made sure the cosplay was perfect, she took great care storing cosplays. This one was an ample coat bag with each piece hanging from a hanger. The perfectly brushed pink wig was inside a net and all the little extra details and accessories were perfectly attached to the costume. And so she lent it to her friend.
The day of Hallowen…
On Halloween, the cosplayer stayed at home. After all, cosplayers don’t do Halloween. But alas! While searching the webs on the day of the party she found a picture of her friend, wearing her beloved cosplay, on a party. She was at the gym! While doing exercise! She had gone to a party in her local gym while wearing her beloved cosplay. She saw it getting caught on the exercise bike’s wheels! Used as an old t-shirt! Drenched on sweat!
The return…
A few days later, the friend returned the cosplay. She had had a blast of a party she said. However, she had had to wash the cosplay (the delicate hand-printed fabric on the washing machine). One piece had fallen off (the time consuming details) She hadn’t ironed it because she didn’t know if I wanted to wear it soon (it was all creased and crumpled) and, as she didn’t have the space on her bike to bring it, she had put it on a plastic bag (all the pieces mixed together in a tiny little bag). The wig had become somehow tangled (knots upon knots of hair all twisted together) But she was very thankful and was looking forwards to see my next creations and maybe borrow another cosplay next Halloween…
My answer is…
Devastating, I know. It was indeed a hard lesson to take. But after that day, anytime someone asks if they can borrow my cosplay. Friend, family or foe. I do have a clear answer.
“You CAN’T borrow my cosplay”
And if my short story didn’t convince you, these are just some of the reasons why I may decide not to lend it to you
- It is not a costume
- It is expensive
- It is delicate
- It took me a long time to make it
- It is difficult to wash
- It is difficult to iron
- It takes too long to detangle a wig
- It is uncomfortable
- I don’t want to
Not to mention how I have often been ridiculed, laughed at, accused of being childish or just stared at on the streets while wearing my cosplays (not on Carnival or Halloween). Buuuuuut, no hard feelings here. Just enjoy your party while I drink a cup of hot chocolate with my blanket and my spooky films at home.
2011. Me vs my friend at the gym wearing my cosplay. I actually love her ♡ No hard feelings!
Last to say, I am not an evil person, I love sharing, and I love people wearing cosplays and costumes, all year around. That is why, if you are not a cosplayer, instead of asking to borrow a cosplay, why don’t you instead make one? Actually, it doesn’t need to be difficult. I will even give you some advice if you are new to cosplay. It is fun!
I hope you liked my short story. Remember you can support me on Ko-fi, you will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay downloadables make sure to check my collection!
