My first cosplay

As part of my issue is needing to reconcile with being fat, when I was thinking of possible costumes I tried to think of fuller-figured characters. Two that came to mind were Ursula from The Little Mermaid (which is a possibility for Halloween) and Velma from Scooby-Doo.

Looking at the pictures, Velma isn't really fat. Compared to Daphne she seems stocky, but some of that is height and manner of dress. Still, pulling off the bookish, less attractive girl seemed like a possibility.

I don't know why, but I always thought that Rose City Comic Con happened later in September. That and being sick put me into scramble mode to make it happen. In that respect I am somewhat proud that I pulled it off. There were concerns about spending any money at all, of course, and needing expedited shipping didn't help, but I will wear the various articles from the costume again, though probably not together. Well, I don't know if the orange socks will get much wear.

Hair was the part that went worst. I had been thinking that I needed to put getting my hair done on the needs list for about two weeks, but I had put it off, and then I didn't have a voice to make the call.

I haven't been in since March. Hair care seems like a luxury during unemployment. I have touched up my roots a few times myself, but I am getting pretty shaggy and I can't even tell you what condition my layers are in. I have an appointment now, but for Comic Con I was going in with long, frizzy hair and roots showing.

I picked up a temporary kit for the roots problem. Since it was temporary, and I was thinking of Velma, I went a little more chestnut. This was a mistake. The color that went on top of brown is okay, but the color that went on top of gray is so blatantly, almost fluorescently red. Good to know. I had hoped I could blow dry my hair straight and then curl it under. I did blow it out some, but I still had a ponytail going, and way too red.

I will write more about other aspects of the con tomorrow. Having only a partial voice affected that and my confidence as a cosplayer. Still, some hopes were accomplished, and some weren't.

I was really hoping someone would tell me I was adorable. That never happened. On a more basic level I hoped the costume was recognizable. When the evil clown at the Fright Town booth smiled at me and said "Jinkies", I knew that part was working out.

There was also another Velma, sitting in the row behind me at one panel. Awkward! But not terrible. He had on an orange dress that was more similar to the movie version; I think I looked more accurate to the cartoon. Of course, his hair was better.

One thing about being at any convention is that there are so many amazing costumes, I was not likely to stand out. That was okay. I know realistically that my costume could not compare to some of the others, which are often breathtaking. At the same time, I enjoy the less amazing costumes too. There was a Deadpool with a boom box, and as he played music and danced around to it, a T-Rex accompanied him. Okay, it was not the best T-Rex costume I have ever seen, but I still loved it. If that doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will. 

So it could have gone better and could have gone worse, which sounds about right for a first attempt. I am not addicted, or planning next year, but I accomplished something I set out to do, and with harder circumstances than I'd been expecting when I first formed the plan. For now that's enough.