Cool thread!

Hi, my name is Ryuko Kanzeon. I attended the 2014 fan fest and entered the cosplay contest in SMN AFv2 gear. (I had the light-up relic book if anyone remembers me.) Although I was really, really proud of the costume because it was my first time making anything nearly that complex, I was disappointed with the quality of some pieces. It was admittedly rushed because I didn't start on it until a month before the convention.

This year, I am making the SMN esoteric (Caller's) gear. I've launched an Instagram page as a way to share my progress and keep track of it. You can take a look here: https://www.instagram.com/ryukocosplay. I am trying to be true to form with the outfit, but I am taking a little bit of creative license to give the pieces some original flare. I've really only started on the himation (toga) and arm/leg cuffs. There's a lot to do, so I'm glad I started many months early! We're still 2.5 months out and I am working on this almost every day. For this costume, I am using a combination of fabric, foam and thermoplastic. I've worked with Wonderflex in the past, but now I am also using Worbla for some of the most molded pieces. I've also decided that... if I can, and if I have time, and if I can travel with it... I want to make a Garuda-Egi. A summoner needs an egi, right?

For anyone who hasn't cosplayed at this event before... I highly recommend having a social media presence, whether it be an Instagram account, a Facebook page, or even a Twitter profile. The reason being that people who take your photo will want to tag you in the photos! This was one of my big mistakes at the 2014 event. I had no social media presence and probably missed out on seeing a lot of pictures as a result.