Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover: GENCON GENCON GENCON GENCON GENCON. My wife and I average four conventions a year, and GenCon consistently has the broadest, most impressive assortment of cosplayers and handicrafts of them all. Sure, we could leave this work up to the professionals with better cameras…but why?
In Part One we listed all the Costume Contest winners. In Part Two we celebrated several other entrants, all game-themed. This time around is the last of the contest photos, what we have left that’s as close to usable as possible. We would’ve taken more and better photos if circumstances had permitted. Traditionally we’ve been able to do so after the contest ends, when many of the contestants usually hang around the ballroom and/or the adjacent staging room for a while. Unfortunately this year’s contest ran much longer than usual. By the time the house lights came up and all the prizes had been claimed, the majority of the cosplayers had long since fled the vicinity for parts unknown.
Nonetheless, we’d like our opportunity to salute the variety and imagination that fans boldly put forth that day. Random example: steampunk Disney Princesses — Snow White, Ariel, Rapunzel, Jasmine, and Belle.
More princesses, you say? Say hello to Azula from Avatar: the Last Airbender, before her breakdown. I think.
Not uncommon enough? Try Princess Nuala from Hellboy 2: the Golden Army.
Game of Thrones is not my thing, so I’m unclear if Daenerys Targaryen is a princess, a queen, or just someone whose dragons you’re not supposed to take.
Rogue isn’t quite the princess type, not even so much as a stereotypical Southern belle.
Also not a princess: Janice Rand, the longest-lived redshirt in Starfleet history.
On the opposite end of the superhuman spectrum in every conceivable way: Scarecrow from the Arkham Asylum game.
Even more mysterious: this armored representative whose name sounded to my poor hearing like “Mate the Defender”. I’m 80% certain this is incorrect. Can I get a little help from the Viewers at Home?
UPDATED 8/19/2013, 10:15 p.m.: Special thanks to my son for ID’ing this one: Magna Defender from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, originally known as BullBlack in the Super Sentai series Seijuu Sentai Gingaman.
Much simpler to identify for us near-elderly fans: Captain America and Thor.
Also from the Department of Characters I Know: the fairytale-realm version of Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time. Obviously he could’ve used his powers to win the contest unfairly, but wisely declined because, of course, magic always comes with a price.
I read several chapters of the One Piece manga years ago when I collected Shonen Jump for a short time, but it took a good, long while before I remembered the irritating Usopp.
Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, one of my son’s all-time favorite anime.
Once more, with feeling: one more living TARDIS.
To be continued! Next time: costumes from around the show floor, nearly all of them in focus. Be there!
