2018 is the year I’m catching up on The Lady Nerd blog. I am woefully behind…(but on the bright side, it gives me lots to post when I’m unable to come up with new content! #silverlining). I just realized while I’ve shared these pictures on social media, I have never posted them here. This photoshoot is from 2016. 2 YEARS AGO! Oi…While I could heave a heavy sigh about this timing travesty, instead I’m going to finally post this shoot on this particular day because yesterday was May the 4th…

Today is Revenge of the Fifth.

Behold Dark Rey.

This outfit was a last minute decision, borne out of an unfortunate circumstance. I had just endured a traumatic breakup and hadn’t left the house yet. After a week, my dear friends at Kuiosikle Props did what they do best – cheer me up with cosplay. Our local geek bar, Battle and Brew, was having a cosplay night with the theme of villains. I didn’t have anything for it, but they brainstormed helping me put together a dark version of Rey from Goodwill pieces. It took a minute for me to get into it, but soon I realized the challenge was exactly what I needed.

So off to Goodwill we went! For $10 we found a dress to mimic the original wrap dress and a second dress with Kylo Ren-esque sleeves that we cut off to make gauntlets. I added my paltry attempts at dark eye makeup and set off to the event. So many of my friends were there and surrounded me with such love that Villains’ night turned into Hero night for me.

Then comes Kyle Matthew Williams.

“I HAVE to shoot your Dark Rey!”
“What? That was just a crappy thing I threw together for a couple bucks for cosplay night at B&B. It’s not a thought out design wise…”
“I don’t care. I HAVE TO SHOOT IT.”

My attempts to argue fell on deaf, but excited ears. Soon after we met at Mount Arabia to shoot. This is when I learned that when you have a good photographer who really knows their craft, they can make even a cheap, haphazard Goodwill costume look amazing.

So….Did anyone else think Rey was going to go dark in The Last Jedi?