Hello everyone. I'm TheCinemaChick
and right now, I'm going to step away from my reviews to make a very
important blog. I have finished my other reviews, from “Begin
Again” up to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” but I am setting
them aside. I will post one a day for the next few days however,
there's something far more pressing I wish to discuss with you.
As you all know, I am a member of the
cosplay community. My costumes may not be the best or flashiest, but
I take pride in what I create. I have always been self conscious
about going out in public, mainly because I often get funny looks.
Most of the time, it's probably because I am not the skinniest of
women and the rest of the time, probably because I am disabled and
try to incorporate my crutch as creatively as possible. No matter
how hard I worked on my outfits, I always felt like I looked horrible
in comparison to the girls who were skinny and showing off a lot of
skin. For a while, I considered leaving the community because of my
deep seated insecurities.
Then I found Aquaman.
His name was Jonathan Vela, a
cosplayer from San Antonio, Texas. His outfit of choice was always
Aquaman. Let's all remember the Lycra and spandex are not forgiving
materials. They don't camouflage anything. This man, however, did
not shy away from his orange and green outfit. He stood out amongst
the crowd of Princess Leia's and all of the store bought costumes.
This Aquaman did not have six pack abs or a chiseled chin or even the
yellow blond hair. The first time I ever saw him, I heard a lot of
people making fun of him because of the tight fitting attire. At
another con, I got a chance to listen to him talk. I wish I'd had
the nerve to speak with him or even compliment him but sadly, I'm
painfully shy.
So, now that you know that, you may be
wondering why I'm writing about a man I have never actually met.
To be honest, because Jonathan Vela
was someone I aspired to be. He had a smile that lit up his face.
Even when people said bad things about him, he still held his head
high. Most importantly, he took pride in his cosplay. He is proof
that just because you aren't the smallest person or the most
“ripped”, you can still dress up as the person you love. Every
time I saw him, he seemed positive and upbeat, never once listening
to the comments said about him. He exuded confidence in every sense
of the word.
Another question you may have: Why am
I writing this? Why speak so fondly of him? What's going on?
Here's the answer. On July 25th,
he suffered a brain stem stroke. It was catastrophic. People
donated money to help with this medical bills. If you wish to
donate, I will leave a link at the end of this blog, but please, stay
with me. So here we are on August 8th.
It is with a heavy heart that I must
say ladies and gentlemen...Aquaman has passed away.
As I just said, the stroke did a lot
of damage and he never recovered. Facebook and Tumblr are lighting
up with words of praise for him, sympathy for his family and memories
of him. So here I am, mourning a fellow cosplayer who inspired me in
so many ways. I will never have the chance to tell him that his
dedication to being Aquaman made me feel determined to stay with my
craft. Just because I am not small doesn't mean I can't pay homage
to my fandom in costume.
In fact, let me tell you a story. As
I said, I never officially met Jonathan Vela. At the Sci Fi Expo
this past year, I wanted to do a Radagast the Brown cosplay.
However, the pieces I'd ordered never arrived or were put on back
order. With a week to go, I was scrambling to assemble something
semi decent. I mean, I was going to meet Radagast himself, Sylvester
McCoy, I had to look amazing. I was already upset because I wouldn't
look good and because I would still have my crutch to deal with.
Part of me wanted to just give up completely. What was the point of
going in a half assed cosplay that people would just make fun of?
Then I remembered Aquaman.
If he could walk through the
convention with his head held high, why couldn't I? He was proof
that cosplay isn't about who's the prettiest or who looks the best.
Cosplay is about having fun and making costumes while putting your
own spin on it. It's about meeting new friends who share the same
nerdy things.
Who cares if I'm not a perfect
Radagast? So what if my Dalek is a little rough? And if my TARDIS
is a little frayed...well, that adds to my charm.
And you know what? After I spent all
that time worrying about looking stupid in my makeshift Radagast
cosplay, I found out all my fretting was pointless. To my surprise,
I was a hit. I had people complimenting me all day. Everyone knew
who I was dressed as without having to ask. For the first time, I
had the courage to walk the red carpet, to let myself be photographed
by everyone. I finally felt pride in my craft.
The best part of all that was hearing
Sylvester McCoy himself praise my costume.
None of this would have been possible
if I hadn't learned from Aquaman. I wish I had the courage to speak
with him before losing him. I wish I could tell him how much he has
inspired me to keep at my craft. Because of him, my love for
costuming has been rekindled. I may never have the best costume and
I will probably still thrift all of the things I need for it, but I
don't care.
Aquaman is my hero.
Aquaman...wherever you are, I hope you
know how many people miss you. I am one of them and I can only hope
that I will inspire someone as much as you inspired me.
For now, I will pass along what I have
learned from him. Cosplay is about having fun. It's about being
silly or interpreting a character in new ways. Size and shape don't
matter as long as you're happy with who you are. Don't be scared of
what others think about you. In fact, if they are staring at you
while you are in costume, its possible they are impressed with what
you've created.
To the family and friends of Jonathan
Vela, I extend my deepest sympathies and just want you to know that
he was loved by so many. He will be missed.
I'm TheCinemaChick and I am now proud
to say, I am a cosplayer.
Here is the article from Big Fan Boy:
http://bigfanboy.com/wp/?p=23730
If you are interesting in donating, here is where you can help:
https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/v375/aquaman-s-recovery-fund
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