About Me

Name: Gordon
Nicknames: rabidfanboy, rfb
Age: 25
Sign: Cancer
Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Height: 6'1"
Hair Color: Varies
Eye Color: Blue

      I've been into anime since I was about 4 years old. It all started back when I was a youngin' with Maple Town. I was obsessed with that show and still have, to this day, the playsets and all the figures. Next came The Fantastic Adventures of Unico. I loved that movie and watched it countless times with my brother and sisters. Then came such shows as Robotech, Transformers, Adventures of the Little Koala, Noozles and so on. What solidified my love for anime/manga was none other than the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. I immediately fell in love when Usagi transformed for that first time (at least in America ^_~) and knew this show would be something great. It was this show that made me realize what anime was exactly, and encouraged me to learn more on the subject. Having a greater understanding of what anime was I setout on my pursuit of becoming a rabid fanboy.

      Having lived next to the longest running anime convention in NA one would think I was a con veteran. Sadly, no. I finally made my way to my first convention, A-kon, in 2004. I had been invited to go by friends in previous years, but just never seemed to make the time for it. Needless to say, I'm happy I finally managed the time. Though there were some issues at the con I ended up having such a good time and discovering a new hobby...cosplay. Within hours of being at the con I made up my mind that I had to cosplay at Akon 2005. My mind starting racing with ideas and possibilities as I watched cosplayer after cosplayer parading around the hotel.

      With the convention over I started to make plans for A-kon 16. First thing first, I had to decide on a character. This actually took me quite a bit of time. Once I had decided on the character I thought I wanted to be I tried finding material for the outfit. This also was taking some time. Around this time FullMetal Alchemist had started on Adult Swim (told ya it was taking a bit of time, lol.) After watching a couple episodes I scrapped my original idea and had firmly decided that for my first cosplay I was going to be Roy Mustang. With my new resolve I quickly started planning out the costume. Having never made a costume before I decided I needed a sewing machine. I purchased a Euro Pro Shark Intelli-Sew and can safely say, it is the best purchase I've made for my cosplaying hobby. Even though I'd never used a sewing machine before I have always been crafty. So, I was pretty confident in my abilities that I would be able to use a sewing machine. I then found a pattern that I thought would be perfect for the outfit and checked out several books from the library for more information. Now all that was left was getting the material. Yet another task that was taking forever. I finally managed across the ideal fabric at a great price so I quickly snagged it.

      With my new sewing machine, pattern and material in hand I started making my outfit. In all I spent approximately six months working on my first costume. Once finished I made my cosplaying debut at A-kon 16 as Roy Mustang and ended up receiving a "Judge's Pick" in the Hall Cosplay Contest. Not bad for my first time out! With a succesful first attempt behind me I have since been studying and learning the fine arts of costume and fashion construction to further my abilities. With my expanding knowledge, and new techniques, I have been able to make more award winning and finer detailed costumes. I have also developed a love for historical fashion and costumes. I hope to continue to learn and create interesting and fun outfits!

- Gordon