Queenie

I have a comment about the running of the masquerade, and I'm not entirely sure who to direct it to; I'll post it here in case anyone sees, but if you could direct me to the appropriate email address or whatever, that would be wonderful :) It was my first time in a cosplay competition of this level, and I was super-excited - And rapidly very, very disappointed that I only got a maximum of two minutes to pitch my costume to the judges during the pre-judging. I didn't get to say half the things I'd planned! I'd spent the best part of eight months on my costume, and felt that one or two minutes did not represent the amount of effort myself and several other competitors had put into their work. Just as I left my stint of judging, I heard the organiser (Whose name I don't know, my apologies) say to the judges that they had to hurry it up further, more like a cursory glance than any in-depth analysis of costume construction and presentation of the character. I understand that something like the masquerade takes an awful lot of time to organise - Such as the forty-five minute delay on Saturday! - But is there any chance the pre-judging could be scheduled to start at 1pm instead of 2pm, to allow those competing to present their costumes to the judges a little more thoroughly? In the long run, I believe it would make a lot of people a lot more satisfied with the attention given to their hard work and diligence. Thank you, and I hope you can take my feedback into account in the future!

Thank you, enty! Do you get time between the pre-judging and the stage show to touch up stage make-up and whathaveyou, or does that all have to be done in advance?

My friend wants to bring his wooden sword for a costume. It looks like this: http://www.jmcremps.com/images/ClaymoreGreatsword_WEB.jpg It is a child's toy, really, so does it need to have a scabbard or be peace bonded, or is he alright to just have it hanging from his belt and not draw it? Thanks for your time!

Hi all - First time convention newbie here, but, as I'm an actress as well as a cosplayer, I've decided I'd love to enter the Masquerade this year! Can anyone explain to me exactly how it works? I mean, do we get to discuss our costume and methods with the judges privately or on the stage, or is it just get up, prance about and that's your lot? I've never performed in anything like this before, so your help and previous experience would be much appreciated! Thank you so much!