Cosplay Bucket List

It’s official, after finishing my Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII and Uncle Death costumes for the upcoming Phoenix Comic Con, I have been bitten by the Cosplay Bug. And, from what it seems, as soon as you have been bitten, the ideas of what you want to do just start flooding in. It’s like someone opened up the floodgates of possibility of who I could portray, and how I could possibly build their costumes. So here is a definitive (and most likely incomplete) list of all the costumes I think I would be able to pull off before I kick the bucket.

[in alphabetical order]

Alexander – Final Fantasy VI, VII, VIII, IX, XIII

Everyone has a favorite Summon/Gaurdian Force/Eidolon/Esper/Astral from the Final Fantasy series, and mine just happens to be that giant armored gorilla-like castle, Alexander. Probably my favorite version of him is from Final Fantasy VIII, he ambles out of the ocean, puts his big foot down, opens up his mighty pauldrons and casts Holy Judgement upon your enemies as hundreds of dazzling beams of energy. I was devastated when He was obliterated in Final Fantasy XI, and even more disappointed on his Transformer-eqsue return to the fray in Final Fantasy XIII. I just hope his presence in future Final Fantasies restores his original Holy Glory.

Anubis – Egyptian Mythology


I’ve always been a fan of mythology, and where most people favor the gods of Greek and Roman culture, I prefer the Egyptian Pantheon. Osiris may be my favorite when playing Smite, but overall, my top god will always be Anubis. I’m not a fan of how he’s been portrayed as of late, being a ruthless werewolf-like warrior, I’ve always figured him to be a calm, silent priest or druid who’s sole task is to weigh your heart and judge if your soul is light enough to enter the Egyptian Underworld.

Auron – Final Fantasy X


From one Old Man to another, Auron was definately my favorite playable character in Final Fantasy X. And even though he was only a ghost from days past when he and Jecht accompanied Braska to battle Sin’s previous incarnation, I always considered his style and grace to be a welcome remembrance of classic Japanese culture. From his flowing robes to his jug of sake, Auron was a class act.

Bender – Futurama


How can you not love the loud-mouthed, vulgar, drinking, kill-all-humans robot of Futurama? He was a solid character, and one that made the show even more enjoyable. Whether he was telling you to “Kiss his shiny, metal ass” or coaxing Hermes to “do a flip” if he was going to jump to his death off Planet Express’s tower, he knew exactly how to make every scene a memorable.

Bigby Wolf – A Wolf Among Us


Now, I have yet to play “A Wolf Among Us”, but I’ve seen enough to know what kind of character Bigby is. It is on my Steam Wishlist, and if I do end up portraying him, I would make it a mission to play the game first, so I can learn as much about him as possible.

The Black Jester – WellHey Productions


I have to give you a reason to play myself? I came up with The Black Jester way back in 1996, and he’s been the mascot of WellHey Productions ever since. The reason he’s never been portrayed yet is because of his complex dress code. Purple and Green checkerboard fabric isn’t easily come by. But recently I was clued into an online store that may just allow me to FINALLY leap over that hurdle!

Deadpool – Marvel Comics


A no-brainer. If Mr. Creepypasta is Spiderman, then I’m Deadpool. It’s canon, right? I’m snarky, witty, and have a foul-mouth. It’s a perfect match!

Dr. Doom – Marvel Comics


One of my favorite Marvel Villains. I’ve always been a Fantastic Four fan, and even though Thing came close to being my #1 guy, their arch nemesis Victor Von Doom won me over. Something about a green tunic over an Eastern European suit of armor that just does it for me, y’know.

Edgar Figaro – Final Fantasy VI


Final Fantasy VI was the beginning of it all. I played it on Super Nintendo (Marketed as Final Fantasy III) way back in 1995, and I fell in love with the series. I’ve played every iteration, except 11, 14 and 15 (only because I don’t own a PS4), and I’ve loved every single game. Nine was kinda weird, and Thirteen was a bit of a disappointment, but the games as a whole were fun to play. And in Final Fantasy VI, my choice characters were always Setzer and Edgar. Setzer I enjoyed because of his dice roll ability and his side story with the two airships and Daryl. Edgar’s story, along with this twin brother Sabin, was truly a fantastic piece of literature. Two brothers, destined to rule the kingdom in the sand, decided their fate with a coin toss. Sabin left to relish in his personal freedom, Edgar stayed behind to rule. And let’s not forget the off-chance that you use Edgar’s Chainsaw, he dons Jason’s hockey mask.

Frankie – One Piece


Another series I have yet to watch, but it has been suggested that I do so, and do so soon. From the clips I have seen, One Piece is a show that I would vastly enjoy, and Frankie is right up my alley.

Dr. Frank-N-Furter


Call me sentimental, but I’ve had a thing for doing The Time Warp. Since the first time I ever went to a midnight showing, and had to throw toast at the movie screen, I was hooked. And I knew, when I was in high school, that if we EVER put on Rocky Horror Picture Show, that I would be Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Now, there’s no way I could EVER by Tim Curry’s Frank-N-Furter, but DAMMIT, I got nice legs, and it wouldn’t be the first time I ever dressed in drag.

Gilgamesh – Final Fantasy VIII


Not a notable character, but a recurring one in the Final Fantasy Series. In some, he’s an optional boss. In others, he’s a summonable character. And in others, he’s just a pain in the ass. His Final Fantasy VIII is an upgrade from Odin who you acquire earlier in the game. He’s random, yet extremely powerful, if you’re lucky..

Hellboy – Dark Horse Comics


This seems like a natural fit for me, since I have been told by MANY MANY MANY people that I actually resemble Ron Perlman. I’ve always loved Hellboy, although only in movie/animated form – I have yet to read the comics. His gruff exterior and his love for cats and cigars sold me from the very start, plus I’m a big fan of Mr. Perlman, so that was just an added bonus.

Jet Black – Cowboy Bebop


Cowboy Bebop, my #1 favorite anime overall. The characters, plot, continuity, and all around fun of this series won me from the moment I first saw “Toys In The Attic”, the episode where a Ganymede Lock Lobster somehow escapes from a forgotten fridge on the Bebop, and infects the crew – only to be eaten by Radical Edward. Of all the characters on the show, I gravitated towards Jet Black the quickest and tightest. He’s the father figure of the rag-tag band of bounty hunters, and ends up failing his fatherly duties as Spike and Faye do whatever they want anyways. The episodes that center themselves around Jet are poignant, nostalgic and all-around heart wrenching as you can see Jet’s past coming back to haunt him.

Negan – The Walking Dead


So I have this leather Harley-Davidson jacket, I naturally gray in my beard more than any other part and I like baseball – how can I wrap this all up into one character. Hmmm? I was introduced to the character through a friend and SERIOUS fan of Negan, and I thought… meh… why not.

McCree – Overwatch


My main when I play. There’s just something about Jesse that makes playing overwatch fun. He’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, with a breastplate, a cybernetic left arm, and a bad ass muther fuckin’ belt buckle.

Pyramid Head – Silent Hill


I’m not big on horror video games, mainly because I jump and scream like a little girl. But Silent Hill has ALWAYS been a favorite of mine from the very first game. Now you don’t see Pyramid Head until Silent Hill 2, but when he came onto the scene, he made his presence known – He is King around here. My main problem is to figure out which version I would want to portray.

Red Foreman – That 70’s Show


The older I get, the more I relate to Reginald “Red” Foreman. The no-nonsense dad from That 70’s Show always made the show so much more entertaining, knowing that there is a little bit of him in every dad on the planet. Not to mention that he is the ONLY cast member of the Point Place, Wisconsin sitcom who is a real native of Wisconsin. But how would I pull off the hair? I ain’t gonna shave my head for a weekend con!

Two-Face – DC Comics


Many people are fans of super heroes. Many fans of the entire comic brand. And then there are fans of the villains. I am one such fan. Out of all of the comic book universes, teams, heroes and villains, Harvey “Two-Face” Dent is by far my #1 guy. I fell in love with him first, when I was reintroduced to the Batman universe through Batman: The Animated series. His story was so tragic, yet so relatable. Just a single push, could drive anyone over the edge, and the struggle to return back to normality was painful. When I found out that he was voices by Richard Moll (whom I only knew as Bull Shannon of Night Court), I loved him even more. I started reading up more and more about Gotham’s fallen white knight and discovered that he was originally slated to appear in the 1960’s Batman with Adam West and Burt Ward. The man to play Two-Face? Non other than The Outlaw Josey Wales himself, Clint Eastwood. If you’ve ever seen pictures of Clint in his youth, the dude was GORGEOUS! So it was a fantastic marriage to turn a hot young man like Clint Eastwood in to the disfigured half-and-half gangster. When Batman Forever was released, and I saw that Tommy Lee Jones would be portraying my future ex-huband, I was ecstatic! Then I saw the movie, and was let down, becuase he was simply portrayed as crazy, and not an indecisive dangerous maniac. Then the release of The Dark Knight and Aaron Eckhart dons the split-suit in the most realistic rendition of the man torn in two, and my love was re-kindled. And that one line has always stuck with me “You either die the hero, or you live long enough to become the villan”

Vash The Stampede – Trigun


How to describe Vash. Wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps? If you’ve never watched Trigun, it starts off kinda goofy, but as you watch the characters and story unfold it becomes more and more of an epic drama. And Vash is just trying to survive it all, but danger just follows him wherever he goes. The Adventures of Vash, Meryl, Millie and Nicholas are some of my favorite to watch, and even though it can get fairly violent, it’s not a show that I wouldn’t show my kids early on to get them acclimated to Anime.

Voltron


Really? I have to give a reason? I have been a fan of Voltron since the 80’s. And yes I know the American Lion Voltron is just a bastardization of the Japanese GoLion, and the REAL Voltron was the Vehicle Voltron, but WHO CARES?!?!?! IT WAS AWESOME! And the Dreamworks series on Netflix made me love it even more. So why wouldn’t I want to pretend to be my childhood hero for a day or two? Who DOESN’T want to form the Blazing Sword? That’s just someone I don’t want to meet!

Yojimbo – Final Fantasy X


We’re gonna end this bucket list with another member of the Final Fantasy family, the Summon Yojimbo. Yojimbo from Final Fantasy X was very different from any Summon to date, since you had to pay him for him to dispatch your enemies. Depending on how much gil you spent, it would buy you an attack. The other thing I have always loved about Yojimbo was his colors. Very bright and vivid, but underneath the colorful robe, and hat was a very dark and cold metal mask that shielded his true identity. I will say that walking on Japanese sandals for a full day would be the BIGGEST challenge.

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