It all started when Pablo approached Tanya because he needed help stitching his costume together. Because Tanya at the time, started working in her first job, she was busy and consequently had to work on her own costume as well. Nevertheless, Tanya helped in him and in return, Pablo helped her in any way he could. “We took turns helping each other. When I was at work, he’d work on my costume and it turned out good,” Tanya says.
Pablo smiles as he recalls painstakingly cutting and smoothing out the sharp black feathers he had to singularly attach to a 6-foot wing, which was a part of Tanya’s costume. “We’d work together on different costumes together since then, and it was fun, we both learn different skills, and learn to adjust to each other,” says Pablo.
Like any other relationships, Pablo and Tanya argue a lot, “and it’s mostly about costumes,” Pablo claims, “I feel it’s because we’re both so passionate about it, a lot of times we wont agree on a certain approach. There are certain things she’s O.C. about, certain things I’m O.C. about, so we fight but at the same time its still a good experience because you get to discuss things; plus you both have a common passion and it helps bring you together.”
Jokingly, Tanya looks at Pablo blankly, as though she disagrees about Pablo’s take on fights actually bringing them closer. For cosplayers, they are actually highly expressionless and have straight, deadpan faces even when it comes to talking about their personal love life, making me feel a little uncomfortable at their awkwardness. Even during cosplay events, they have that same, sort of glum facial expression making them look like a pair of models in extravagant costume; but once the camera lens are focused on them, or once they set foot on the stage, their real identities disappear and the character they are cosplaying sets in. It’s quite entertaining, most especially when a little girl runs in and joins them.
This little girl, is Tanya’s 7-year old daughter Akira who has grown up in the once obscure world of Philippine cosplay. As a child, Tanya has already been exposing Akira to this fantasy world because Akira herself, enjoys Japanese anime and dressing up as her favorite characters. “I’d like that she be familiar with the character she dresses up as. As much as possible, I don’t want her to wear a costume only because she or I think she looks pretty in it; I want her to really know her character,” says Tanya. Pablo also believes that Akira’s involvement in cosplay is good for her, “It allows her to be more extroverted rather than introverted because cosplay also teachers her how to interact with other people – both kids and adults – and it teaches them on how to exercise their judgment when it comes to talking to different people,” he says.
They’re a family of cosplayers; although not exactly, but in spirit they are. At cosplay events, they look out for each other particularly when one of them is wearing a highly complicated piece. At home, they are united by the common passion of cosplay, strengthening their bond as they extract their creative juices, and intricately reproduce the seemingly impossible costumes.
