Cosplay!!

I love me some good cosplay. And before you turn up your noses, here's why; anime isn't really my thing, I'll admit; it isn't as though I specifically don't like it, I just find it sorta hard to get in to nowadays. Young Lou enjoyed forays into such series as Trigun, Tenchi Muyo and, like every other middle school-aged girl, Sailor Moon. And I seem to remember that Fooly Cooly was a bit of fun, before I fell asleep in the middle of it.

Side note: Will someone buy this for me so I can wear it EVERY DAY!?

But whether or not you're into the inspiration for Cosplay (and to be fair, its not all anime), you can enjoy the result; the genuine craftsmanship of a good costume, one that is easily recognizeable, flattering, and effective; those can be truly impressive. Good for you, awesome cosplayers!

But...as with everything, there is a dark side, a yang to the ying, a Gary to an Ash (I could go on for days!). Something that I will totally own up to...I LOVE bad Cosplay. Its that reality TV curse that we're all guilty of; the joy in watching someone take a tumble and humiliate themselves, either on purpose or not. (And if you don't own up to it, you're lying; I don't care if you're Mother Freakin' Theresa, you've seen an episode of Wife-Swap and I WAS WATCHING YOU WHILE YOU DID IT AND I HAVE PROOF. Just kidding. Or am I?) Without getting into the psychology behind it (maybe in a later post!), a terrible Cosplay has the same effect; even though your face is melting a la Indiana Jones and you cannot unsee the unthinkable, you click on through to the next one.

So! On to it! For your viewing pleasure, horrific Cosplay outfits. Check back later on for some examples of AWESOME Cosplay, so that the internet may redeem itself. And while I don't particularly think its the nicest thing ever to put people on display and giggle at them, we're doing it anyway.

[that duct tape sword is amazing]

[wait, so someone dressed as a LOLcat? i'm confused.]
[bayonetta...the guns are clearly the best part]

[oh my god, shoes.][how not to dress in lolita garb. seriously, don't do this. please. there are SO MANY quality lolita items out there that this is just a crime against poofy skirts.]
[i think this is supposed to be some kind of raver/cyber goth Umbreon? in flip flops?]

So, for the sake of saving myself some dignity and in the interest of staying positive, the reason these pictures are ridiculous is NOT because the people are in any way unattractive, it has nothing to do with their physique and obviously, since we have a blog about female nerds, we are in no position to judge someone who is Cosplaying. These costumes look like crap because they're half-assed. For example, why would you spend all those rupees (BAHAHA) on a fitted, black bodysuit and carry around NERF guns? Why would you craft a gigantic weapon and paint it with what must have been painstaking accuracy, and pair it with a cheap wig and your dad's running shoes? And what the hell is with that last one? The bottom line is: When doing Cosplay, to avoid looking ridiculous, you just gotta go full retard. And then you will be a champion of the internet.