Pimpcron: What’s The Deal With 40k Cosplay?
Pimpcron dives into the world of playing pretend with 40K costumes.
What it is, my bruthas and sistas?! The illest homie in your crib, Pimpcron, is here this week to brighten your day with warm thoughts on some nonsense I decided to talk about this week. Do you know how I decide what topic to talk on weekly? I have made this huge wheel to spin, and every slot says 40k. So I generally talk about 40k stuff. I know what the outcome will be each time I spin it, but I like the suspense. Sometimes it stops exactly on a line or something. I have a sad life.
So, What’s The Deal With Cosplayers?
First of all, I’d like to point out that I’m a manly (robot) man. A (robot) man who cuts wood with an axe, eats his meat rare, and has a beard that he never combs. I like Natural Light, have a Chevy truck, and will pay any amount of money to watch two things “wrassle”. The Pimpcron never understood the whole deal about people cosplaying.
I recently went to MAGfest near D.C. which is a Music and Gaming convention where cosplay is a pretty big activity people do. It is quite a spectacle as 30,000+ people mill about and a huge portion of them in costume. Some costumes are dead-on awesomeness (I mean, if I was into that sort of thing), while others are less-so. I saw one Eldar guy and a few Guardsmen this year and usually see Gaunt’s Ghosts other years. But here has always been my question: Why do these people take all the time and effort into making a costume, and then just walk around with all of their props all day? If you’ve brought a giant sword, for instance, it’s hard to sit down in a panel and listen, it’s hard to navigate through the crowd and you risk damaging it. It seems like a lot of stress just to dress up and play pretend.
My Tinder Profile Pic
I go there to hang out, watch panels on topics that interest me, and judge people silently. Ya know, normal convention stuff. I would never want to be bothered with the hassle of have to walk on stilts, wear a foam suit, or a wig all day. And if Pimpcron wouldn’t want to do something, why would anybody else want to do it? That’s just weird.
Here’s Why (I’ve Gathered) They Do It
Even though it isn’t my cup of tea (as if a Necron would drink tea), I think I know why they do it.
Everyone wants to express their selves creatively and sizing up a character, figuring out how to get the cosplay materials that would emulate that character, and all of the engineering behind making a wearable costume is creative. Of course some people put 30 seconds of thought into their cosplay, but others spend months of preparation and money into their suits and try to replicate the character perfectly. Ya gotta give it to some of these people, they look just like the beloved characters they are trying to portray.
40K Cosplay from GenCon
40K Cosplay from GenCon
It’s also a hobby, and like I said, they can spend months on one suit trying to perfect it. Just like we paint little men and push them around the table, they scout materials and spend their nights putting their outfits together. It’s kind of a nerdier version of being a tailor; if that’s possible.
Plus Other Reasons
Everybody loves an inside joke, or reference to something you both know about. It is an entire subset of humor, and makes your brain light up when you make the connection. I could hurt my knee, and go “[inhale] Ahhhhh”, a couple times and you’d all laugh from a Family Guy reference. Or some currently-over used Rick and Morty reference would basically arouse all my readers. So when you are walking around a con and an Eldar walks past you in a pretty sweet costume, you’re brain goes “Whoa, I get that reference!”
Like my reference to another reference? Referenception.
Most people are proud of what they like (unless you are a Pimpcron fan, the public ridicule would be too much) and nothing says “I Like My Little Pony” quite like dressing up like a god-forsaken teenage cartoon horse. The moment I saw one of those Guardsmen I just assumed he liked 40k. (Did I just assume his fanhood?) It’s cool and makes you feel like you’re part of a larger community. I am a huge Trekkie and get excited whenever I find another Trekkie in passing conversation. “You like Star Trek too?! Is Discovery freakin’ sweet or what?” That was not a joke. As much as I love the old Treks, this one is siiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.
Anyway, if you are like me and wonder why cosplayers do what they do, I think this mostly covers it. So just sit back and enjoy all of the hard work they put into their costumes and share a friendly “Hey! I get that reference!” moment with them. It’s good for the community of nerds.
Why Do You (or don’t you) Cosplay? Am I right?
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