Personal - Cosplay for Tea Party

Hi Blog,

I don't intend to make it into a long post, but since I have a lot of photos contributed by other cosplayers, I decided to make a long post. Today, I agreed to help out at an event by PROJECT GIVE Tea Party.

Elmo agreed to sign up as a Minder, and we decided to go down together. Thanks, ELMO for helping out.

As my blog has been set to private, the guests at the Tea Party will remain hidden on my blog. I realised a bit late that I should have blurred out the guests.

(credit ELMO) So what is the Project GIVE about? Based on the found URL online, It began with Rae's initiative to pay it forward, a gesture of gratitude for the kindness her family experienced while caring for their 19-year-old special needs child, the lovely Rachael.

(credit ELMO) Thank you, ELMO, for the encouragement to wear my first captain's costume again. I had outgrown the suit since I provided my measurements, making it a tight fit. Without ELMO's assistance and willingness to help, I probably wouldn't have considered trying on the costume myself due to the zipper (one missing tooth) at the back was so difficult to pull.

I was pleasantly surprised to encounter Suzie, the top guide at USS during my VIP Halloween Tour, who had volunteered to assist as a Minder. She was considering how much she could contribute during her break time, so she is considering becoming a minder or a cosplayer.

(Credit Suzie) She assisted us by capturing our actions and behind-the-scenes moments.

(Credit Suzie) PFAC team helping Project GIVE.

(Credit Suzie) Now featuring the best guide, Suzie! PFAC began with Jaden's one-man show and has grown into a larger and more robust community.

(Credit Suzie) It was my first time walking onto the stage, and I responded nonsensically to a simple question - What is your superpower? As my mind waged a battle, I was aware that I possess no superpowers in reality, and that Captain has only superhuman strength. Yet, I responded that my superpower lies in helping others. STUPID and BORING ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was confused... I should get into the character or speak as myself... Next time, I should get into my character, not real me. Shameful experience! 😂

I should not think so much, just stay focused on photo taking.

(credit Suzie) Before we started, we gathered ourselves at the photo booth for a group photo. It seemed like I looked like meh within the group... (Wait a minute, I think I need to adjust my mindset... I should not compare... I should compare myself. Okay, let me see...) it seemed like I tried to be confident to fit in the team and trying to look natural.

(credit Suzie) Similar to the other volunteers in the photos, the focus is not on individual shine, but rather on their collective contributions.

(credit Suzie) Since I was talking about getting into character, then I should think like Captain America and...

...consider the team members as a whole rather than just individuals (including myself), as Captain America would do his best for the team.

(credit Suzie) that's including the awesome minders.

(credit ELMO) The balloon volunteers created a shield that complements the superhero theme. It's a reminder that no matter how impressive an individual's accomplishments may be, they pale in comparison to the combined efforts of a team.

(credit D) The child was thrilled to receive a balloon shield like my shield. I'm sure he had a great time at the event and is a big fan of Captain. There was this other kid who got the back of his hand-painted with Captain America's shield at the painting booth and then grabbed a balloon shield. He was totally enjoying it!! 😊 (too bad I don't have an image of it, hopefully, they will share it on their FB page)

Finally, I had to discard this pair of gloves as the material had deteriorated. Thanks, gloves, for doing good deeds together. But I won't give them to someone else because it's disrespectful to pass on a worn-out item. So goodbye, my good gloves.

(Credit M) I took a short break behind the stage and decided to have some fun by trying out a fusion of characters, becoming Cap Spidey! I was pleasantly surprised by how great it turned out!

(credit M) A asked us to bring a Spider-Man mask for a group photo, even a Mario-Venom variant fusion! That's fun!

(Credit Suzie) After the event ended, we took our final group photo together as a symbol of our shared journey.

(Credit Suzie) Speaking of fusion, it was the moment to see many Spidey Variants!

(Credit Suzie) The whole animation looked so awesome! I was thrilled to participate as Spidey; I always wanted to cosplay as Spidey but my chubby tummy was a bit of a letdown...

(Credit ELMO) Suzie will be the judge between the fight of me to join the spidey group.

(Credit D) I'm glad that with Elmo's assistance and encouragement, I was able to finally don my first Captain costume today. Without him, I doubt I could have done it myself. I'm feeling great about having two costumes, or perhaps even three if I consider the Spidey fusion.

During the event, many people were curious to know how and why we joined this community as cosplayers. Some thought we were paid to help out, and were shocked to hear that we did it voluntarily. We tried to share the purpose of our small community and managed to get some people interested in joining us and contributing their skills, like balloon sculpture. Even though I wanted to share more about my mission to spread the truth and spiritual cultivation, I feel it's important to start from the ground and not just be a salesman without substance.

Cosplaying periods are short, especially since I only have one character with a similar costume and ageing, and it will deteriorate after some time. For now, I must treasure this moment while cosplaying.

Jeff