So, my mom broke the internet this week.
I’d been wanting to bring Mom to a comics convention for a long time. I wanted to show her what I do, and the community I’ve helped build; and to share parts of my life that usually don’t intersect with my family. I wanted her to get to see stuff I knew she’d think was cool.
And I really, really wanted to dress her up as Cable; for reasons that I assume are obvious to anyone who’s now seen her in the costume, plus the fact that Second Coming-era Cable is basically Mom’s own aesthetic dialed up to eleven.
Mom was super nervous about it at first–in particular, she was worried that she was too old or too short or too fat or would generally look silly or like an interloper. We talked a lot about cosplay, and why people do it; and found some photos of women of roughly her build cosplaying Cable and killing it. (As for “old,” I’m pretty sure a 62-year-old is closer to Cable’s canon age than are most people who cosplay him.)
Also, I promised her that if she’d go as Cable, I’d do the heavy-construction parts of her costume and go with her as Rule-63 Hope.
So, Saturday morning, we met up early, got dressed, painted on her scar, and headed to the convention center. I snapped and tweeted a couple photos of her while we were waiting for the elevator. And then this happened. Josh Brolin, eat your heart out.
A few notes WRT common responses and frequently-asked questions, since at this point there are too many for me to reply individually:
-The response has been overwhelmingly positive, which is awesome. I know the Internet–I work on the Internet–and it’s been very cool (and a huge relief) seeing y’all turn out to tell my mom how rad she is.
-Yes, she is that badass IRL: she is a biker and teaches at an alternative middle school, and would generally be a pretty good pick to keep a kid safe in a dystopian future.
-She had an awesome time at ECCC. I’m pretty sure she got photos of every cosplayer she saw; and I got a ton of Good Son points for introducing her to Ryan North, which absolutely made her weekend.
-If you want to send her a note, I will (probably) be happy to pass it along. Don’t be creepy.
-We would fucking love to see fan art of this.
- @teaberryblue and I made the arm; it’s aluminum tape over foam, weathered with acrylic paint. I made the gun (modded from this), along with both cloaks and my Hope costume. Mom brought her own impeccable Cable glower.
-Both costumes are from Second Coming. Mom’s is pretty much page-accurate; mine is significantly redesigned.
-To the roughly infinite people who tried to be funny and original by posting variations on “LOL is she cosplaying a Florida teacher”: She is actually a teacher in Florida, and, like most Florida teachers, emphatically pro-gun control. You’re not funny. Fuck off.
-To everyone who kinda wants to cosplay but thinks they’re not the right age/build/gender/whatever: Do it anyway, and fuck the haters. <3
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