Heroes of Cosplay Recap: Wizard World New Orleans Part II

Written by Shae

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

I have to say, for someone who doesn't cry often, these TV shows sure seem to know how to make me tear up. This season finale really did tug at my heart strings (do hearts have strings?).

But first! Let's go over what happened to lead to such an awesome ending, yeah?! This week we get the girls side of costume contests! And it is LA VS Atlanta! Who's going to win? Well, both teams are still trying to finish their costumes before the deadline of the contest. On Team LA, it's finishing bits of costumes, and working out their skit. Which is oddly the same for Team Atlanta! Katie is in a mad dash to finish her costume…and by finish, it's more like, make completely. She's got a lot of pieces and not enough time. 

In the same boat, is Yaya, who is done with one costume and one contest, has to finish her other massive costume for the group contest, which she isn't judging. Instead, she's co-hosting. Something the Cosplay Queen isn't quite used to. For this contest, she's planning on a massive costume, so big she requires stilts! Stilts! That is a dedication to a cosplay that I have yet to reach. Mostly because I'm already really uncoordinated. Yaya has her entrance planned out, but what she doesn't have is her costume fully put together. She's in her hotel room, hours before the contest, without it finished. And she is very unhappy. Thankfully, she's got a supportive fiancé to help.

Not having to worry about any cosplay contests is Jesse, Miguel, and Carl! Instead, Carl and Miguel hit up a local bar in New Orleans to chat it up and chill out, now that the stress of their cosplay is over. The two decide that they should cosplay together, combine their skills, and take the next contest by storm. They're also excitedly praise the craftsmanship of the girls! Which adds to their excitement to see the group competition at Wizard World New Orleans. 

---

With just minutes to spare, how does the contest turn out? Well, Yaya has donned her costume, put on her stilts, and is ready to take the stage. Only it takes four people to help her up the steps to the stage. With one false start, she eventually makes it to stages, performs her quick skit, and sets up to help host the group competition. Speaking of, Riki and Indra make it down to wait for their turn, but Katie is nowhere to be seen. She's still in the room fixing her costume while Katie and Riki are waiting in the line to perform. Team Atlanta is preparing to go on stage with just the two of them. Neither want that to happen, but as they get closer and closer to the stage, Katie is still nowhere to be seen. Just barely working out what they wanted to do on stage, they're already reconfiguring how to do it if Katie never shows up. Thankfully, Katie makes it in time, with a complete costume. Having spent just a week on all their costumes, the team goes up and performs their walk on. Striking poses that would make the real Soul Caliber characters envious. With their skit done, it's down to Team L.A. and they've had their own fair share of issues. With some contact issues (lemme tell you, choose your contacts carefully!) and some minor prop issues, they're ready to hit the stage. But, their skit isn't as planned out as they'd like it to be. Chloe starts to panic, but the second they get on stage, it's all magic. Their skit goes off without a hitch, and at the end they're left with the judges wishing there was more.

Time for awards! Well, one team did so well that the judges created a third award, an honorable mention, for them. That would be Riki, Indra, and Katie's Soul Caliber. That's right, Team Atlanta is the first to take an award. But what about Team L.A.? Well, they end up going on to win Best in Show; the ultimate Cosplay Contest Award.

This is where the season ends, right? At the mid season finale we were left wanting more. But for the second half, however, it doesn't just end with who won. Our Heroes unite, in costume, and walk the streets of New Orleans. Yaya left the stilts back at the hotel this time. They all go out, grab a drink, and here is where it got teary. Holly and Jessica share that they were so astounded at winning their award. Feeling validated as artists, and sharing just how much cosplay means to them. Here, is where Chloe opens up at how cosplay brought her closer to her dad. And our heroes share a moment with each other, congratulate one another, and many tears are shed. It's all true, and hits close to home. We all cosplay because we love it, for various reasons. The best, was when Yaya shared how proud she was of everyone and how amazed she was to see such costumes. To end the season, Yaya shared her views on cosplay, and that is that there is no endless imagination or amount of creativity that cannot come from cosplay.

The support and love shown tonight was remarkable. It's what the cosplay community truly is about. It doesn't matter your skill level, what experiences you have, how long you've been doing it, what ethnicity you are, what shape you're in. If anything, cosplay brings people together, we accept each other. As I've always said, it's about having fun, and building each other up. Which was the perfect note to end with for this season.

---