Cosplayers of Folsom Ohana Comic Con

I had the joy of attending Ohana Comic Con in Folsom last Sunday! As some of you may already know from my previous column, "SacAnime is always a blast for me!" I love conventions. I am a sucker for all things considered geeky, such as comics, movies, video games and much more, so conventions like these always draw me in. Ohana Comic Con is a series of local toy conventions spanning locations such as Folsom, Turlock, Merced and even all the way to Fresno. They feature numerous vendors and artists selling a variety of merchandise. To learn more about the convention, please read "Collectibles, artists, costumes, and more at Folsom Ohana Comic Con!" One of my favorite parts, aside from shopping, is dressing up as some of my favorite characters. I like to be characters from my favorite shows, movies and books. Others who attend conventions also participate in dressing up, known as cosplaying. The word "cosplay" derives from the words "costume" and "play." It literally translates to people playing a role different from themself by putting on a costume. While I proudly donned my press badge, I also donned a Spider-Man suit! Seems fitting, considering Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker, is a photographer at The Daily Bugle. After attending my first convention, Roseville Comic Con in 2020, in a costume I threw together, I realized I wanted to continue going to these events and to upgrade my costumes. Thus far, I have cosplayed characters such as Spider-Man 2099 from Marvel Comics, the Wolverine from Marvel Comics and Gohan from "Dragon Ball Super." I got to meet other cosplayers, not only while walking around the convention but at the Ohana Comic Con costume contest also. The colorful costumes made for great photos! It was especially nice to try out my brand-new camera. Since graduating from California State University Sacramento, I'd been wanting to get a camera all my own, and I finally did. Ohana Comic Con was the perfect opportunity to try it out. While attending, I met up with old friends and made new ones also. One cosplayer I met for the first time named Naomi, aka @crows_nest_cosplay on Instagram, was cosplaying Tifa from Final Fantasy VII, a video game. We had a great conversation discussing eye contacts, which I have used on occasion for my costumes. Cosplayers will often use eye contacts to change their eye color, sometimes subtly and other times drastically. Naomi's costume constituted a set of menacing red contacts. I, along with my sister, Rhiannon, discussed our experiences with eye contacts with Naomi. Rhiannon shared a useful tip: getting your eyes measured. When it comes to eye contacts, you need to be careful since eyes are one of the more sensitive parts of the body. We also agreed practice makes perfect! It can be difficult putting in contacts at first, but as long as you relax and give yourself ample time, it will eventually be a breeze. We also discussed our future cosplay endeavors. Most of us have started handmaking costumes for the first time. Not for our good friend Valentino Navarette, however. He's been creating creations for the last few years, specializing in EVA Foam, a common material cosplayers use to create all sorts of props and even armors to wear. Navarette recently finished a Bowser from Super Mario cosplay. He created an armor, with meticulously cut hexagons to form turtle shell-like armor. One of the coolest parts of cosplay is seeing what others have created. Cosplayers have the skill of taking materials and turning it into something totally new. One guest at Folsom Ohana Comic Con used cardboard, foam and paints to recreate B.M.O. from "Adventure Time" for their son. The costume even comes equipped with handmade, magnetic face plates to change the costume's expression. At Ohana Comic Con, I saw many friend groups attend, each dressing as different characters. A group of three friends coordinated their costumes, attending as characters from the Anime, "Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun." Sometimes, people are afraid to begin cosplaying because they feel they need to handmake their costumes. The truth is, anyone can do it. Even if you buy a Spirit Halloween costume, you can call yourself a cosplayer. Cosplaying is more than just wearing or making a costume: It's a community of like-minded people who love to embody their favorite characters.