BitBanter: Fake Nerd Guys
When it comes to cosplay there are thousands of us out there just doing our thing and having fun. Although in any field there are always a few who end up having their cosplay shared by thousands because of how well executed it is. This group cosplay did exactly that and I had to get in touch with all or at least one of them.
We are a group of gay nerds from Vancouver BC, and we’re pretty ridiculous. We cosplay for fun and love to be as shiny as possible.
I got in touch with Dominic, one of the guys in the Fake Nerd Guys cosplay group to talk about cosplay, how it began for him and about future plans for the group.
What or who got you interested in cosplay cosplay and why?
It was roughly in 2009-2010. Some friends of mine were gearing up for a Con called ‘Anime Revolution’. Their plan was to dress as various characters from Final Fantasy 13, and they suggested I join them. I thought it sounded like fun!
At that point, I was mainly just a big Halloween fan, so it was basically like asking me to celebrate Halloween in the summer (woo!). The only problem was….Final Fantasy 13 is essentially one of the worst games I’ve ever played, and there were no characters I could connect with, so instead I just showed up as the Final Fantasy franchise mascot; A giant Moogle.
Do you make or buy your cosplays?
I used to make them, as well as a handful of props, but I have a lot more fun designing than I do constructing. In the case of the rule63 Sailor Scouts, for example, I designed the concept art for the suits, and our good friend Russell brought them to life.
How did you feel the first time you cosplayed?
Blind. Deaf. Overheated. Most importantly…POWERFUL (Mwahaha)!
It was the middle of summer and I was in the giant Moogle suit that a friend and I had made. It was horribly ventilated, and I had to breathe from a small indent made near the bottom of the head-piece. I may or may not have passed out a couple of times.
It didn’t matter though, because it was SO much fun.
Most people forgot I was a human being. They only saw a giant, fluffy, Moogle that was ready to save games. I felt like Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.
What would your top 5 dream cosplays be?
This is a hard one for me, because there are just too many to choose from, and they’re always changing! Let me see……If I had to choose five right at this moment:
- Nathan Drake. I love the Uncharted series, and Nathan Drake is the best.
- Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger. I love the Power Rangers, but Billy was always the best one. I related to him quite a bit, blue is my favourite colour, and I was OBSESSED with the Triceratops growing up. It was my favourite dinosaur. We actually saw a full group of MMPR over the weekend at Emerald City Comic Con, and it took a lot of my willpower to not pounce their Billy and squeeze the life out of him.
- I’ve cosplayed Harley Quinn before (crossplayed, rather), but I wouldn’t mind tackling her again, this time designing a genderbent outfit for her (him). Harley Quinn is the best character in the existence of nerd culture. I’m a fan of everything she’s accomplished (in and outside of the animated/comic book world), and she’s a force to be reckoned with. I love her!
- Guardian Bob from Reboot. I grew up on Reboot, and although Bob wasn’t my favourite character (Hexadecimal was), I think he’d be fun, and such a shiny cosplay. Shiny costumes are always a plus.
- Cyclops (his latest outfit) would be fun. Or doing a genderbent Dark Phoenix. Oooh! Or Psylocke! Archangel would be great, although those wings would be a mission to get through a door, and I’m sure I’d be the bane of EVERYONE around me. Okay, now I’m getting carried away. Next question!
Do you have any advice for other cosplayers out there?
Have courage, and be kind……Oh wait. That’s advice for Cinderella…um…
Have fun. Do it for whatever reason you want, but just have fun. I think people have a tendency to get wrapped up in it, and forget to just enjoy their surroundings. The way I see it, I get to meet connections and friends from all walks of life, connect with artists and writers I’ve admired either while growing up, or through social media….all while wearing the most sparkly spandex ever. WIN.
What’s the process of doing a group project and how long does it take?
So far it hasn’t taken that long when it comes to choosing characters, because everyone has such different tastes. The Sailor Scouts were a perfect example. We all shared the traits, and favoured the Scouts we suited up as. Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) was a perfect fit for me. While Rei-chan (Sailor Mars) was a perfect fit for Raye (he’s a Mars super-fan), and so forth.
As for the designs, it started with Sailor Moon, and it came to me in a sudden flash while at work. I stopped everything to scribble on the corner of a dusty instruction manual in a handful of minutes. I raced home, opened Photoshop, and from there the other scouts fell in line. Mercury, then Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, as well as the Outers (including Chibi Moon). I showed the gang, and a few other Sailor Moon fans, and they all reacted positively (which is a good sign, haha). From there, we sent the ideas to Russell, and he whipped them out in no time. It’s been amazing!
If you want to stay up to date with any cosplay developments from the guys follow like their Facebook page, follow them on Instagram and you can also check out some of Dominic’s own art here.
Got something you’d like to talk about? Want to promote your work, art or project? Get in touch anytime, editor@the-arcade.ie
