I’ve been a fan of Steven Universe since the very beginning. Mega Pearl spoke to me in terms of the acceptance of oneself. This cosplay was initially made during lockdown. It started out as a just because cosplay with no intention of competing in it. Later on once I decided enter MP into a contest, I also decided to make her weapon, the ribbon drill, to complete the look. I saw the drill as more of a challenge than the costume itself. I guess it’s because of the engineering. An umbrella served as the base with the handle being comprised of PVC pipe, EVA foam, and worbla. I knew I wanted it to be travel friendly and still collapse like an umbrella would. I also wanted to stick to using as much material from my stash as possible. I only needed to buy fabric.

Some challenges I faced were a short bout of con crunch (lol); problems with my makeup; the handle of the umbrella breaking twice (yikes!); and worrying about hosting my first panel the same day ????. The time commitment of contest itself is very short compared to other ones I’ve entered before. 

2023 started out with a bang for me. Receiving best in show at Fan Expo New Orleans was a total shock! It’s my first major award having previously received a few judge’s choice awards. 

If I could bottle up that feeling of hearing my name called for best in show I would.