I have been thinking a lot lately, about life, about growing up, and being an adult with an interest such as Japanese comics, to be interested in Japanese subculture to the degree that I am. When you reach a certain age, a certain level of maturity, and get certain responsibilities as an adult, you are bound to have to make a few sacrifices. As for me, I’ve decided a loooong time ago that I won’t become what youths call a “boring adult”. I want to keep playing my entire life, and cosplay is probably the embodiment of that wish.

Living the dream

Ever since I was little, I’ve loved dressing up. I dressed up as my favourite characters from childrens tales, from tv-shows, from movies, books, you name it. We had a collection of “dress-up clothes” at home, and I used these to the point where I almost abused them. I changes clothes and characters at least five times a day, depending on the mood I currently fell into. I wanted to be everyone but me, and live the story I was currently in love with, because damn if they weren’t a lot more interesting than my own every day.

Cosplay is basically the same wish, taken to a new level. The wish to be someone else for a while has developed to a wish to share the dream, share the illusion of someone’s favourite character coming alive before them. For me, cosplay is just as much about as looking like the character as is it about behaving like them. Thinking like them. When I cosplay, I perform, whether I am on stage or not.

Of course, it’s also important to know where the line is drawn; you have to know when to stop acting and be your own (hopefully) polite and aware self. If someone expresses discomfort around your self, you need to respect that and step out of character.

Many different artists

I have friends who see making the costume as the most important and magical part of cosplaying. I’ve seen amazing works of art on the stage of several cosplay competitions, such as Tennyo’s Princess Zelda, or this year’s Närcon’s Fran. When I think about acting as the character, I immediately think about Magus, who has told me a few times that what he sees as the biggest pleasure with cosplaying is to portray his own version of the character and make even the most impossible costumes possible through simple acting. I also know people who cosplay from smaller fandoms (this was before the Reborn-rush) for the sole purpose of reaching out to others who know their series, to find fandom soulmates.

It’s different for everyone, the reason they cosplay. We all enjoy different things; the procedure of making a cosplay, or wearing the appearance of a character, or performing a character. I happen to enjoy looking and behaving enough like the character I cosplay to fool people around me; give them a moment in which they can “live the dream” and be a part of the fantasy for which one longs when looking at the series.

The end of an era?

I am also a perfectionist. This doesn’t only apply to my own appearance, but I’ve noticed that I unfortunately apply my sometimes too high expectations on the people I’m cosplaying with as well. Now, not everyone has the same kind of priorities when cosplaying as I do, not even in own cosplay group. This, as well as a few other factors, has resulted in Sweden Ace Cosplay splitting into several different parts, and it’s time to face the facts; without a clear leader in such a big group of equally strong wills, we’re bound to go our different ways once people figure out their priorities. I, for one, even thought about quitting cosplay completely for a while, due to all the stress that trying to keep this group together put me through, but now I’ve realized that I could never give up cosplay In order to make it fun again, all I need to do is to let go of those who have outgrown me, to let them chose for themselves how they want to cosplay, and I can do the same.

The original Sweden Ace Cosplay group, which is to say everyone who appeared in out D.Gray-man Group during Uppcon:09, will still be the core, but most members will probably appear in other groups as well, or as individual cosplayers. The collected work of the “core members” and their different groups will still be displayed in Ace Of Sweden, same as usual. But most likely less often on my DeviantART.

Finally, the announcement

I write this to use my final authority as one of the founders to officially declare that Sweden Ace Cosplay is no more. The name will probably be used in the future as well, for skits and joined projects by the core members, be it two or more of them at the same time, but the cosplay group can no longer be called a group with this many voices pulling in different directions and no one to organize any plans.

In my opinion, the name Sweden Ace Cosplay should be used to represent all Swedish cosplayers who agrees to have their pictures shared on Ace Of Sweden, because they are all aces.

Thank you for one of the most valuable experiences in my life. Cosplaying with you, knowing you all this closely, has indeed taught me more about myself, about my priorities and my way of thinking, than I could have learned on my own. Truly, thank you.

And to all who has supported our group’s silliness for this long, has offered us enormous amounts of encouragement and kind comments, thank you as well. I hope that we’ll be able to continue walking this path together in the future as well, because assembled group-cosplay or not, there’s a lot more to expect where the rest has come from.

Lastly

To get back the what I brought up at the beginning of this entry; adulthood and cosplay. I believe that it is important to always, thorough our entire lives, feed the child within us. Do what the society expect of you to change society from the inside. Be responsible with your priorities, your life (your finances), and you'll be rewarded by being able to reach out to an even biggest group of people with mixed hobbies and interest. The same way it's wrong for someone to judge you for liking Japanese comics, it's also wrong for those of us who are more enlightened to look down on those who do a better job "fitting in".

I, for one, will continue to play my part in society, because I've found that it's actually rather fun and enriching when you get into it, but at the same time, I would never be able to give up my dream. While cosplay can't be my top priority anymore, my dream of being able to make reality a bit less flat; to add a few layers of fantasy to our every day life will never be disposable to me either. I hope that all of you - even after growing up to responsible adults - will be able to continue contributing in both ways. And I thank all of you who already do from the bottom of my heart.

I'll see you around.

Elict.