Fanboys (and girls) are a special breed in the gaming world. With their zealous enthusiasm they single-handedly have the ability to make or break games, breathe life back into flailing franchises and (if they use their powers for evil) start flame wars across the Internet. Their undying devotion for a developer, game or character has spawned web-rings, epic works of art and the desire to participate in the ultimate fan tribute – cosplay. This weekly blog highlights some of the best cosplay found around the net. These fans put their blood, sweat and tears into their work, and it shows.

BelleChere is a friend of mine and one of the better known cosplayers within the community. Her costumes always blow me away in terms of craftsmanship and overall design. But one of BelleChere’s most recognizable traits is that she has an enviable figure that helps her pull off nearly impossible characters and costumes, such as Ivy Valentine of Soul Calibur fame. Really, can you get any more accurate? Check out her gallery below.

Who: The Character
Isabella 'Ivy' Valentine from Soul Calibur II.

Why: The Decision
“It started off as a proposal for a group cosplay...and a bit of a dare. Myself and some other gals were chatting about Soul Calibur being our favorite fighting game, and in celebration of SCIV coming out, we decided we wanted to cosplay the women from the game. I've always loved Ivy. She's curvy, she's confident, has a delicious British accent, and I'm a sucker for characters with silver hair. It seemed a no brainer and I immediately claimed her. However, I was met with skepticism: 'her costume is very revealing', 'she's always in those top 10 hottest video game women', 'are you sure you're up for that challenge?' What drew the line for me was one girl remarking 'if you want to back down and choose another character, it's okay'. Nope! After that, I was determined.”

What: The Process
“Despite my determination, I wasn't about to do Ivy's newest costume (a bit TOO revealing), so I went with what I felt to be her most recognizable outfit, from II. The whipsword (constructed from insulation foam, coil conduit, and thin plastic sheeting) was the most challenging aspect and took me roughly two weeks to make. I'd still like to make a whipsword which actually retracts and expands - I have the design figured out, I just need to do it! The armor (made from Wonderflex and gold metallic lycra) took a few days; trimming the wig was an hour. Prior to this costume's debut, a different costume devoured my time and made me put off making Ivy's actual costume till the last minute. The outfit (primarily lycra) was actually made in two days right before the convention. There was no test drive - the first time I wore it was at the convention. This cost me under $100.”

Where and When: The Debut
"Debuted at DragonCon 2008. The Soul Calibur group ended up backing out on me, but I did it anyway."

"I'm currently finishing making Nightmare for my husband, who will be six and a half feet tall with a seven foot sword. Once completed, we'll be having a photoshoot at a local oceanside granite fort. Ivy vs Nightmare! It should be fun."

Links: The Cosplayer
Want to know more about BelleChere? Check her out on Facebook, MySpace and Flickr.

The Gallery

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