David J. Pedersen's Blog of All Things

My Muse Dresses Funny

My 3rd year attending the Naka-Kon anime convention in Kansas City was a great time. When my daughter and I attended our first one, we left in stunned silence. It was like we had walked through a dimensional barrier to find an entirely different culture of people. Last year we were more prepared, but my friend Allie and her daughter had the same response we did. This year we went as seasoned professionals and were still surprised and impressed. I found my muse and she dresses funny.

People Watching

People-watching is one of my all-time favorite things to do. It’s also a constant education in sociology, psychology, and the general craziness that makes us people. From a writer’s perspective I try to find interesting individuals and figure out how I would describe them. I look for features that stand out, or gestures that a reader may identify with. On those days when I’m feeling less analytical, I enjoy a great amount of entertainment. I did a lot of both at Naka-Kon.

People Who Want To Be Watched

I think an anime convention is one of my favorite people watching venues.The attending cosplayers want to be watched, they revel in attention and opportunity to flaunt their individuality. The best compliment you can give them is to ask for a picture. Some spend months sewing, sculpting, duct-taping, and painting their visage (others don’t). Cloaks, helmets, weapons, uniforms… all works of passion and art. Even without being familiar, at all, with many of the characters these costumes were based on, it is still easy to appreciate the effort that went into their creation.