2025 Cosplay Goal: Qi Rong

Last year I went with my friends from the JET Program to Matsuricon and had a great time. The whole thing came together kind of at the last minute, and I did not cosplay because my cosplays did not (still do not) fit me anymore. But I miss cosplaying so much! After talking to my friends again, we're going to make a triumphant return to this year's Matsuricon (largely because the actor who plays Zhong Li will be there). And I want to cosplay!

I decided on Qi Rong from Heaven Official's Blessing because he's insane and has a fun design. Plus, the voice actor who plays him will be there (Jordan Dash Cruz). I met Jordan last year at Matsuricon to get his autograph on a Qi Rong art print, and he was so cool--he even did the character's voice for me! So this year, I want to take a picture with him in costume.

Of course I want to lose weight for this. I won't be able to do much because I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life and there's not a lot of time for anything dramatic, but I'd like to look a bit trimmer than I do now. I have a puffy belly, and Matsuricon is only a little over four months away.

But more importantly, I have figured out how to make the costume! I don't ever sew from patterns or scratch because that's too difficult for me. What I do is take preexisting items and alter them. The costume doesn't 100% look like the original depiction--I add my own touches--but I tend to get them to look pretty close. I at least capture the spirit of the original costume.

I did some snooping around. I looked at what it would cost to commission the costume first and it was far too expensive. Then I checked out Amazon and found a hanfu, robe, makeup, gloves, and more for much, much cheaper. The hanfu would be perfect for Qi Rong but it's a size smaller than what I am now. I think the green overcoat would fit because you're not supposed to tie it, but the white robe underneath with the green belt probably won't fit me. So I came up with a backup plan and chose a smaller green robe to go underneath it. And I will probably wear black pants to be comfortable even though Qi Rong's got nothing like that on.

It all looks great inside my head, anyway!

Most of the sewing will be done to the green outer robe of the hanfu. I've got to add fur, gold trim and epaulets, and skull accessories to that piece. And I found every single one of those on Amazon along with fake sharp nails, green eyeliner, weird purple lipstick that matches Qi Rong's mouth, dark blue gloves, and every other piece that could go with the costume.

I haven't been excited like this in a while, with the exception of working on the audiobook for Son of the Siren. I like having creative goals, and when I'm sewing, I tend to reach this zone of ultimate concentration. I haven't done anything like this since Anime Japan in 2019, and I really hope I can pull this off. I'll probably have update photos and chronicle this adventure as I go.

Please wish me luck!