G'day fellas, how're you goin'? 
Now, this is a topic that every cosplayer is gonna have
an opinion on: 
COSPLAY PATREON GIRLS.
*smooth jazz playing*
OHHHH YEAHHHHH....
''Ohmahgahd! It's ruining cosplay!
They're all thots!''
''It's supposed to be about the craftsmanship and the fun, now it's all about neckbeard money! ''
Once upon a time, you made your cosplay, you uploaded your photos to deviantart, and you prayed
that someone's gonna look at them. But
nowadays it's pretty common to see
cosplayers grabbing a bikini and a wig,
taking some photos and then opening
up a patreon. So, for those
unfamiliar, patreon is a platform for
creators to earn a living doing what they
love. Where fans can subscribe and
support their favorite creators by paying
for special access to things that
creators can offer. And in the case of 
cosplay patreons, that's usually photosets of
half-naked or naked cosplays. And unsurprisingly,
there's a LOT of support for this kind
of cosplay and some cosplayers out there
are really raking in the money big time!
Because of the sexual nature of the
cosplay and the money involved there's a
lot of cosplayers out there who think
it's too sexual and it's ruining
cosplay. Well you know what? I don't think
it's ruining cosplay at all! But, I know it's
not something for all cosplayers but I
definitely don't think it's a bad thing.
So, let me tell you a little something! You ready?
''They're just cashing in on the trend!''
''They're just doing it to get cosplay fame and attention!''
Now, i've worked with some friends who actually have a cosplay patreon and I've seen the work that they
do and it's really not just something like:
*DUCKFACESELFIE*
''Oh my god I'm gonna sell this on Patreon for like a THOUSAND dollars!''
Do you think that's all there is to it? 
Do ya? DO YA??
Let me tell you, patreon is:
A photoset usually involves sourcing the costume or buying the materials and having to make the thing,
after that, it's finding backdrop props, finding a location
to shoot and then organizing a shoot
time with your photographer. And then after
that it's the shoot itself - you set up your
lighting equipment, you set up your backdrop
equipment, put on your makeup and you
actually have to do the shoot itself
which could be a few hours. And after
that, edit your own photos - 6 to 20 photos
in a set.
If you're gonna get your photographer to do
it you have to schedule some sort of
payment agreement with them as well. And
after that you take cute little videos,
you're signing your photo prints, you do
online chat sessions, you upload things,
you send things physically - do whatever
else you have to do, make sure
everything's done and dusted by the end
of the month. And then you do it all over again.
Now something like
this can turn from a hobby into a job
really easily and unless you love the
job and you love the work,
trust me people are not gonna want to
stick around in this for long. But, if they are
in it for just the fame and the
attention and the money AND they love
the work, hell, they've got their dream job
lined up there for them!
''Well they only have patrons because they're popular and attractive!''
Now despite what it may seem, opening up a cosplay patreon does not mean
that you're going to get rich! It's
because that there's so many people
doing it that there's a lot of
competition out there and people just
pledge to their favourite creators. You
know, for whatever reason: they like their
personality, they give them some good
laughs, they like their craftsmanship,
they like the sexy stuff that they do.
''I'm just pledging money for the BOB and VEGANA!''
Dude, if someone wants to
pledge money because they think someone's
attractive - that's fine! You know,
people's reasons to support a creator
really doesn't matter so it's pretty
silly to hate on someone just because
they're attractive or just because
they've got people who like them. I mean
I freaking love the Backstreet Boys and
I love Anne Hathaway and I love Owen Wilson,
I mean they're all amazingly attractive
people! But are you gonna hate on them now
just because I like their stuff? Hell no! 
Ah, Nick Carter....*mwah*
''They're just wearing a wig and lingerie, they're not even doing the character accurately!''
''Unless I show some skin or pop mah booty, I'm not gonna be relevant anymore!''
Now, everyone knows the first rule of
cosplay you don't even need me to tell
you what it is but I'm gonna tell you
anyway:
Cosplay is for everyone! You do what you
want, there's no right or wrong way to do it!
So if someone wants to do Sailor Moon in a
bikini or they want to do Goku with a
'virgin killer sweater,' they can do as they damn well please and there's nothing
wrong with it! Even with Goku... and a
virgin killer sweater...i'm sure there's
demand for that somewhere!
Now as for being relevant in cosplay, people really have
to ask themselves this:
Is it to be relevant? Is it to be famous? Is it to
grow your fan base? Is it because you
just enjoy doing it? Because you want to
challenge yourself in making things?
You know if it's just to have fun you just
love making things you love meeting
people then just do your own thing!
Who cares what half-naked girls are
doing on patreon - you just keep doing the
things that you love, you're gonna meet
your goals that way still! 
And if your goal is to be relevant or you want to be
famous and you don't mind doing half-naked shots of yourself, then
all means open up a patreon! But if you
don't want to be known as a hot
cosplayer just doing stuff on patreon,
what do you want to be known for?
Is it your armour? Is it your makeup skills? Your attention to detail in the really
simple costumes? Is it your personality
as a cosplayer? You know, throw it on Instagram,
make a blog, oh I don't know make some
youtube video which is better this one...!
If you don't like patreon, you don't have
to use it, there's other ways of getting
your work out there! And look, the patreon
system isn't perfect, there's still a lot
of negative stigma out there especially
towards female cosplayers. There's still
a lot of room for discussion and growth
about the subject but I still think it's
a really big step in the right direction
for cosplayers and creatives alike just
helping them make a living out of their
craft and something that they're
passionate about. And if you're a
cosplayer and you're sitting on the
fence about whether you should open up a
cosplay patreon or not: just do what
you're comfortable with!
There's no shame in opening one up and there's
no shame in not having one either. 
But hey look, I respect anyone who's actually
brave enough to get on patreon and sell
pictures of their half-naked body, like
that takes some serious balls! 
Oh man, if I had a body like Nick Carter, i'd be showing
that off in my cosplays too. 
Damn son, you aged SO FINE!!
Hey there fellas, thanks for watching!
I know everyone's got their own opinion, but that's just
my two cents in the subject. In the comments below,
let me know what you think! Is cosplay
on patreon a good thing? Is it a bad thing?
What's your own experiences with it?
And next week there might not to be a video like
this one, it might just be a short one or
just an update progress of what i'm doing.
As expected, I'm gonna be doing some
last-minute rush getting my costumes
ready for a convention next week which
is Gold Coast Supanova 2018! 
And hey, if you're heading down, let me know your plans, what
you're wearing, I might see you down there! 
Again, thanks so much for watching guys!
That's all from me for now, I'll catch you
again soon. Bye!
