FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How old are you?
I'm a witch.
How tall are you?
4'10" I'm not sure why this surprises so many people but it does lol
What's your job? What do you do?
I'm the HBIC at Vault 16 in SoCal (Southern California)
What does 'shiimapan' mean?
My online name that I go by is 'Shii Arisugawa' who is an original character by Japanese artist Shunya Yamashita. She also wears shimapan which are those ubiquitous striped panties you see in anime, if you watch anime you know exactly what I'm talking about. LMAO So my username is shimapan, just with an extra 'i' added, also I've always really liked stripes and striped clothing in general for as long as I can remember.
What's with the 'Fallout Mom' nickname?
It's just a nickname that started from a friend a few years ago and sorta caught on, I think his exact words were 'because you're always organizing the gatherings and looking out for everyone' so there ya go (I also tend to be the 'mom friend' in whatever group of friends I'm in). I don't know why some think it's something super serious and it means I'm some know-it-all in the community or something. It really ain't that deep lmao
Do you have (insert social media here)?
Yes, check the social media bar above the main navigation at the top of the page. I'm mostly active on Instagram, Twitter is more personal and for shitposting, and Youtube is for video-related things of course. I also have a Discord server but it's pretty quiet most of the time despite there being a good number of people, so I jokingly call it Real Quiet Hours™
Can I send you something?
Yes! E-mail me for my mailing address! You don't have to send me anything fancy, I'd be more than happy to receive letters and postcards from around the world!
How long have you been cosplaying?
I've been cosplaying since 2007, and Anime Expo that year was my first con experience.
Do you make your own costumes?
Unless otherwise stated, yes. I enjoy (...HA) the entire costume construction process from planning to adding the finishing touches, but sometimes it's also nice to buy a premade costume and not worry about all of that. All of my active cosplays have construction notes, if there's a cosplay progress log available on my blog it'll be linked!
Do you do commissions or sell costumes?
Thanks for your interest but I don't do commissions, and I no longer sell any of my old costumes either.
When will you post new cosplay content?
Sure, when you wanna sponsor a costume for me. I only do this as a hobby, so as long as I'm the one putting my time, money, and effort into it, it'll be done on my watch and no one else's.
Can you share your jumpsuit pattern?
NOPE. I've spent the past few years perfecting my pattern and there was a lot of work put into it. I don't share any of my patterns anyway, as they're tailored to my measurements.
How can I get started with cosplay?
This is such a loaded question LMAO but honestly doing Google searches is going to be your best bet, there are SO many great tutorials and cosplay books these days, not to mention a better, and wider selection of materials to work with! Getting into the hobby is much easier than when I first started, you just have to take the plunge and go for it, and if you don't feel comfortable making your own cosplays? eBay, AliExpress, and Taobao have you covered for pre-made costumes, just make sure to do your research!
Can you do a tutorial for 'xyz' thing?
Maybe! But I won't make any promises, there's so much I want to do but making tutorials is sooo consuming. It's worse with YouTube videos, because that's even more time consuming with all the video editing involved lol
Do you have a store/shop where you sell your crafts?
I stopped for a lot of reasons. Everything and anything I make now is purely for personal use only, I'm not open to sale or commissions. Thanks for your interest though!
Do you sell cosplay prints?
No. I'm really not interested, and there isn't enough of a demand.
Do you have a Patreon?
No. I'm not interested for a variety of reasons, I've also never expressed ANY interest in making one and don't ever plan to start.
Do you work for (insert company name here)?
I'm an affiliate for a few sites, but no, I don't work for anyone if anything I'd like to think they work for me. *wink*
Where did you get (insert merch item here)?
If it's something that's been posted to any of my social media, the artist/maker will be tagged in the photos and additional information will be in the description. This is something that I've always been on top of since forever, yet it continues to be a problem, because too many can't be arsed to take a few seconds to tap for tags or skim the description. I'm always more than happy to answer specific questions, but c'mon 99.9% of the time the answer is already on the post lmao
Did you get (insert merch item here) for free?
I always disclose this information, I really don't know why some are under the impression that I get sent ALL this shit for absolutely free. Also, it's never really 'free' because it does come with strings attached, and they're generally getting a better deal out of it. I still buy a large, and I mean very large majority of whatever's in my collection, have been doing it the past several years and will continue to do so.
Where do you buy your display cases and clear acrylic organizers, risers, shelves, etc.?
My display cases are DETOLF glass-door cabinets from IKEA. I shop around mostly on Amazon and The Container Store for my clear acrylic organizers, risers, and shelves, but also find good shit at Daiso, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and dollar stores. I spend a lot of time searching online and in store for stuff that suits my needs, for example searching for 'Funko display case' turns up some amazing results, or keeping an eye out on makeup organizers as they're great for smaller, trinket collectibles.
How do you afford all of this?
I'm a collector, also it really isn't any of your business or concern so don't worry about it lol
How come you won't respond to my DM?
I check it when I can, but honestly can't respond to everyone as my time and energy is limited. I get so overwhelmed with notifications as it is whenever I open Instagram. I also don't use my DM for chatting as I'd rather keep that sort of thing to my Discord server, less chaotic and easier for me to keep up with.
Also, a lot of the times I get people asking really vague, but loaded questions that would be best suited for a blog post and/or vlog for YouTube that others would find useful. I find that too often, everyone wants and expects 100% hand holding help from me, and honestly I really don't have the time or patience for that.
Can I ask you a question?
You just did. Seriously though, don't do this. I get you want to be polite but it makes me EXTREMELY ANXIOUS when people do this, so just get right into it and ask your question. I will generally answer as long as it's nothing inappropriate or something that can already be answered by reading my post descriptions.