Cosplay Assistants

One of the the things I like about cosplaying Ash or Red is that I don't have to carry many things, nor are the things too big, at least in most cases. However, if I decide to pursue other Pokémon costumes, it might be necessary to bring costumes or props of a greater scale, in addition to the things I normally bring. At that point, things might get out of hand for just one person - me - to deal with and take care of. So I propose a different idea to handle this issue, which is that of cosplay assistants.

A cosplay assistant would help to carry cosplay things to and from the place of the event or convention (or at least near them) where the cosplay would be. The assistant would also help the cosplayer in putting on the costume, especially if the costume has a great deal of parts that also may need to be put on in a specific way. Finally, at the event or convention, the assistant would help to carry anything else important that may be part of the costume but cumbersome, or may not even be desirable with the costume. For this last part, the assistant can take advantage of the benefit that the assistant can also enjoy the festivities, not necessarily alongside the cosplayer, and only regrouping when there is the need. There is quite a bit of work involved for the assistant, but the benefits may also be attractive.

In yesterday's event, I saw how this idea could be applied and be useful. One of my friends had a minimalist costume, and though it fit in a bag, the bag was less desirable (and didn't really fit) as a part of the costume, especially during serious photo ops - yet he had to carry his bag, since it was not desirable to leave it around without being watched. I myself had not gotten around to implementing my cosplay-in-a-bag idea for the costume I wore yesterday, so the same was true for me. On the other end of the spectrum, another friend had a sword replica that was almost as tall as he was and weighed as heavy as you'd think it was, which was very heavy. I discovered this fact when I was tasked to watch the sword as he went to retrieve stuff; I'm amazed that the sword even made it to the event, considering its size and weight, not to mention transportation issues, which I'm nearly certain of. Cosplay assistants can help to resolve most of these issues.

Being a cosplay assistant may not necessarily be desirable for everyone, especially if the assistant is a cosplayer or also wishes to cosplay. A lot of efforts go to assist any cosplayer, so it's a role that should be fulfilled well and wisely. Of course, that can't and doesn't stop cosplayers from playing assistants to other cosplayers; it can be and is in fact possible for a group of cosplayers to assist in each other's burden, depending on who designates whom for what task. This is certainly an advantage for groups of cosplayers, who may have others that can assist the way designated assistants do so. It's something that's not to be missed.

Cosplay in the end shouldn't be (very) burdensome, even if the costume itself took a lot of burden to make. Cosplay assistants, therefore, can help in easing the burden of individual cosplayers or even collectively as a group. It's a worthwhile opportunity for those who can do it and a beneficial one for those they assist. I myself might just need to peruse this for a future expansion to other Pokémon costumes of differently greater complexities.