11/14/2020

GGB Reno’s 5th Annual Cosplay Brunch (Virtual)

Despite all the trials and tribulations of 2020, brunchettes gathered over Zoom for GGB Reno’s fifth annual cosplay brunch to keep the tradition alive!

It’s fitting – pun intended – that this brunch is Officer Vanessa’s last with GGB Reno because costuming is her number one passion. She states boldy that she sews to be Princess Leia and Korra, not to make regular clothes. As she’s in the middle of a move, her costume this year is a Last Jedi fan. Her future costuming projects are Shadow Weaver (She-Ra), Madam Mim (Sword in the Stone), and Cara Dune (the Mandalorian). We wish her all the best in Austin!

Nuriko and Ami both prefer mobility for their costumes as they attend and table at many conventions. This year, Nuriko has commissioned a shoulder creature from Wishlessworld that instantly added an element of terror to her outfit. Ami has a scarecrow bull mask that she plans to create a costume around then later convert to a Tauren costume. Both have the future goal of making a fur suit with Nuriko still undecided what to make and Ami with plans to come up with platform hooves.

Officer Anzia has never made a costume though she learned how to sew in high school. Last year, she wore a set of Sith robes and had a dueling lightsaber fight with Officer Julie (who was missed at today’s virtual brunch). Anzia was going to wear her full set of Hogwarts robes this year but they wouldn’t have had the full effect over Zoom. Finger crossed for an in-person brunch next year!

Officer Kayla was really into costuming when her son, Leon, was younger. Due to the demands of graduate school, she had to take a break for a bit. Now that she’s done (Congrats!!!), she’s getting back into cosplaying with some 3D printing fun. Her future cosplaying plans involve her family and include My Hero Academia, Jurassic World, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Resident Evil. The last one is quite a while away but she looks forward to her son cosplaying as his namesake with his parents as zombies when he’s older.

Chelsea is Kaylee (Firefly) but this isn’t her first Firefly costume. She and her family dressed up as the crew of Firefly to – drum roll, please – meet the crew of Firefly! A former belly dancer, she had the perfect pieces to cosplay as Inara with her husband as Jayne and her son as Wash. Her costuming goals are Jadzia Dax (Deep Space Nine) and a 1940s-super-glamorous-nightclub Glinda the Good Witch (Wizard of Oz). Her current project is a real-life invisibility cloak, using fabric of the same color as a green screen, for her son.

Janet dressed up as Mario with gloves that are 100% in character but rather cumbersome. She got into video games because of Super Mario Odyssey, previously having little interest despite her background in animation. Gir (Invader Zim) is her most ambitious costume. She made it with a hoodie, felt, a laundry basket for the head, and big foam balls for eyes. She’d like to commission a Totoro costume for the future.

Halloween is Yve’s favorite holiday! She used cosplay actively in 1970s but stopped due to harassments from male attendees at conventions. An unfortunate problem Geek Girls can empathize with.

Yves got back into cosplay in 2014 and has been making a new costume for each convention. For this brunch, she wore her Tank Girl (Tank Girl) costume from Pop Culture Con. Her fallback option is the Eleventh Doctor (Doctor Who). Her future cosplay plans are Wendy Wowser (Big Hero 6), Milo Murphy (Milo Murphy’s Law) and Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice).

Paola also likes to make costumes more than wearing them. Her next project will be a costume her daughter wants but can’t be found in stores. Which makes a lot of sense as costuming is a time-intensive endeavor. Speaking of costume that can’t be found in stores, she once made a zombie football player (Plants vs Zombies) costume for a little boy she was nanny for.

Aja decided to purchased the pieces for her Mina Harker (Dracula) costume due to time constraints and her sewing machine being temperamental. Her costume, a no-nonsense take on the character, includes a hat with garlic flowers, bustle pad and petticoat. She dyed her hair pink for her Spinella (Steven Universe) cosplay for Pop Culture Con. She gave a shout-out to American Duchess, a local historical footwear designer.

Officer Angela prefers easy and quick costumes using what she has in her closet or pieces she can reuse later. In the past, she dressed up as Daria (Daria) and Ali Wong (Hard Knock Wife). For her Flowering Cactuar (Final Fantasy) costume, she “sacrificed” a green sweater and “borrowed” some pipe cleaners from her son’s art box. She also made a tissue paper flower clip to finish off the costume. She has no plans for future costumes but confesses that whatever it is will likely be last-minute and low-key.