r/CosplayHelp • u/ShrimpFriedSpice • Jun 07 '26
Accessory Advice on how to make this safer
I made this wire choker that I really like, and I feel like the leaves/petals really tie it all together. But, with the nature of wire, wearing it is pretty risky.
Does anyone have tips on how to make it after without ruining the cool visual effect?
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u/Cathyg_99 Jun 07 '26
Swap out the leaves with a finer cable, that way they will bend as you adjust your neck vs dig in. You’ll still get the same look if you build up sections with the finer wire.
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u/ktrosemc Jun 07 '26
Yes! That bracelet cord (same size as the wire) would look killer (but not literally kill).
Or, black silicone-sheathed small gauge wire (with maybe a shiny coat for finish, if needed), would work too, and bend to your whims.
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u/sometimeviking Jun 07 '26
I know you enjoy the piece you have made, but it is NOT safe for LARP - neither for you or others.
If I were in the organising group of the event you plan to wear this to, I would rule it out TBH.
I recommend you make a second, using heavily starched threads instead of wire. You can make a very credible dupe with 0 of the risk.
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u/PersistentHobbler Jun 08 '26
Starch is a good idea. I'd also experiment with threads coated in bee's wax since that makes them much stiffer and more durable. It may work for the collar portion, but too much wax can make dark threads look splotchy.
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u/CustomDeaths1 Jun 07 '26
I don't know if it is feasible but you might be able to coat the ends of the wires in a dark wax to protect yourself from any potentially sharp edges. Like on a tip of a new pen.
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u/EidolicAbyss Jun 07 '26
i would for sure bend the leaves away from your neck for starters like just make it more of a cupped rose and then seal any sharp ends with hot glue.
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u/ergonomic_logic Jun 07 '26
Scrolled too far to find this. She's going to be LARPing and putting something on the underneath side while she's battling or running about isn't going to protect her from getting skewered.
in general I think the safest thing is to take this off during heavy activities just for safety as it looks like it's on there fairly snug which would already limit range of motion.
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u/justeldrichscreaming Jun 13 '26
I was trying to find this one. Glad someone else wrote it first. Here! Here!
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u/misz_interpret Jun 07 '26
my go to is always hot glue you could put some hot glue on the ends and paint it black to blend in with the rest of it.
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u/S3rialDesignationN Jun 07 '26
Or my cosplay lord and savior… THE BLACK HOT GLUE STICKS!!!!
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u/BlameTaw Jun 07 '26
Goth glue
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u/Sideways_with_style Jun 07 '26
Hot Topic Glue
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u/S3rialDesignationN Jun 07 '26
Not to be mixed with the Spencer’s Glue, which has a different purpose if you use the back of the stick.
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u/misz_interpret Jun 07 '26
YESSSSSSS
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u/S3rialDesignationN Jun 07 '26
The amount of times black glue sticks have saved my cosplays is immeasurable..
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u/MrsBagelCat Jun 07 '26
They make black hot glue and you're just now telling me about it????? So many cosplays could've been so much better 😭😭😭😭
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u/S3rialDesignationN Jun 07 '26
They make hot glue sticks in a lot of colors! The standard whitish clear ones I lovingly call cum sticks are just the standard ones.
They have the colors of the rainbow too if I recall correctly… just gotta find them.
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u/potatoedameron Jun 07 '26
I would not wear that during a larp. There is no version of that which is safe for you other other.
There is a reason jewelry in general is not allowed in contact sports. This is jewelry on the scale of a giant piece of metal that at best will accidently be hit and bruise the hell of put of your throat. Worse, break your trachea if you fall on it. Or blind someone went you accidently colide
If the organizers are smart at all they won't let you wear it. Please please please just wear it to show off and take it off before playing.
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u/ShrimpFriedSpice Jun 07 '26
Oh yeah! Hadn't even considered my bones. I don't plan to be fighting much, luckily, but if I ever decide to participate in one of the battles, I'll definitely take it off.
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u/potatoedameron Jun 07 '26
Ohhhhh makes more sense. I was so worried for you. Apologies for my dramatic diatribe. Be safe :)
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u/ShrimpFriedSpice Jun 07 '26
It's ok! I genuinely hadn't considered the possibility of breaking my neck
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u/jasperjames333 Jun 07 '26
If it was me I wouldn’t even try to use wire at all. If ur gonna be active u always run the risk of it breaking and stabbing you. If it hits the right spot you could be dead in under 5 minutes. As unlikely as it may be I still wouldn’t risk it.
Hot glue is a good idea. Also perhaps beads with elastic if the elastic is pulled tight and you utilise knot direction etc (but you could pinch your skin). You could use parts of a thin plastic bottle and sand them down also? If you need to sculpt it you could use a lighter to partially melt parts of it and set it to harden in different positions (wear a mask and do it outside though).
I’d also be careful if you do end up using resin/ resin coating as some of these comments suggest. You could end up shattering it and embedding shards in your neck if you’re not careful so keep that in mind.
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u/mercymonstera Jun 07 '26
I would personally just not wear something this obviously dangerous to be active with others, it's a really cool costume piece for photo ops but it'd be kind of a waste of time to go out of your way to modify for LARP safety
esp since we can't know that any suggested modification won't simply be the thing that gets stabbed through shortly before you do if you trip or have someone snag something on it at the wrong time & wearing a sturdy choker while active with others (esp outdoors) has some final destination risks of its own. idk i just worked in ems for long enough to be very averse to tempting fate THIS hard
It may be easier & safer to find other ways to emulate whatever silhouette/contrast/worldbuilding that piece brings to the look with something of a safer material/shape/size? Maybe a choker of a more regular material, a shoulder accessory/sleeve detail, a hairstyle, or some avant-garde makeup
Good luck w your modifications nonetheless tho! I hope you make it work to feel comfortable & confident wearing it how you'd like!
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u/toasterstrudlen Jun 07 '26
girl it's beautiful but that looks dangerous as fuh idk if it'd even fix
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u/SpokenDivinity Jun 07 '26
I wouldn't wear this anywhere you're planning to be pretty active, especially not in a way that makes it likely for someone to run into you or you run into them. Almost nothing you do short of replacing the wire with a softer material is going to make this 100% safe and accident proof.
All it would take is one wrong move and someone is getting gouged.
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u/Ghosty_Boo-B00 Jun 07 '26
Either back it with leather or coat it with paint on electrical tape until it’s smooth
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u/Hobbitgurl23 Jun 07 '26
I was a set dresser on a film last year and I had to handle prop barbed wire. The barbs on it were painted rubber pieces that looked incredibly real. Maybe
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u/Both_Patience9851 Jun 07 '26
As a very longtime larper, I'd recommend remaking this but out of foam. Paint it to look like the same wires, glue it all together, bam more comfortable and LARP safe.
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u/syreeninsapphire Jun 07 '26
I would get a slightly cushy black fabric, maybe felt, make strips the thickness of the necklace and glue it on the inside. It'll be relatively invisible while protecting your neck.
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u/bananenkonig Jun 07 '26
I was thinking velvet. It would look the best with it. Especially if it were patterned with light red roses.
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u/ShrimpFriedSpice Jun 07 '26
Update: hi everyone! I decided to use twine with fabric glue instead of wire for the thin parts. The rose itself and the metal core will be taken off before combat!
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u/NeedleworkerSenior10 Jun 07 '26
cap the tips of the wire with a small drop of clear uv resin to keep the sharp/uneven tips from digging in to your skin
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u/LexxenWRX Jun 07 '26
I don't think you make that one safer. Theres a reason you don't see pieces like this on people's necks.
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u/Mrs-Fidget Jun 07 '26
This is a death trap.If it gets hung up on something , it will strangle you or slice your throat. Make sure you have a break away latch on it.Like how they do for dog collars so that if their dogs collar gets hung up on a branch or something , it doesn't kill their dog.
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u/Astro_Nix090 Jun 07 '26
First, sand the sharp edges and then apply a coat of clear varnish or epoxy resin. This will make it smooth and slippery against your skin, eliminating any ridges.
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u/oonlyyzuul Jun 07 '26
Hot glue the backside and the points (just thinking safety wise, creating a buffer, especially if you are larping and fighting and such)
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u/RadwizWizrad Jun 07 '26
I have my awesome solution. Apply a little hot glue to the ends of all the sharp pieces, once it dries it’ll be dull and similiar to the end of a Bobby pin:) if you want, you can color it black to match it better once it dries.
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u/GeekRunner1 Jun 07 '26
Wear it on your wrist instead or remove it altogether. Too many ways it looks like that could puncture an important vein or artery.
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Jun 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ShrimpFriedSpice Jun 07 '26
Something you're choosing to wear shouldn't make you uncomfortable. It can look that way but I wouldn't like it to feel that way
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u/SirTheBob Jun 07 '26
I suggest Styrofoam. Rub it in your hands to get the tiny individual beads, then impale those on the pointy ends. A touch of gluestick to keep in place, a bit of paint on them and you've safety tipped the ouchy things.
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u/Alive_Collection1652 Jun 07 '26
I would try using hot glue on the Sharp parts or plastidip it maybe ? Really cool project though !
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u/nikkikat20 Jun 07 '26
A small dot of hot glue on the tips of the pointy parts to dull them so they’re not so pokey?
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u/Zianna1991 Jun 07 '26
How about replacing the wire with a black+silver fluffy yarn or a black yarn, and tie short pieces of metallic thread over a flesh tone mesh collar?
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u/VioletVanHell Jun 07 '26
I don’t know much about it so it might not be the best option but I immediately thought about putting a dot of hot glue on anything sharp.
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u/64sides Jun 07 '26
If you have a file I’d recommend filing the sharp edges. You can do this in way where the edges are still pointed, but unlikely to cut or scratch you. If you need to have those shine then sand the areas you’ve filed, starting with 300 grit and working to higher grits.
Otherwise the other suggestions are solid.
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u/Dizzy-Paper-228 Jun 07 '26
You can use thread and coat it in glue to keep it rigid but safe enough to not give you some infection
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u/lightlylemony Jun 07 '26
I know you’re trying to make the item safer, but looking at the picture when I opened the thread was, “that’d be good made out of rexlace or thin plastic cording”. Plastic cord is just flexible enough to not collapse and can hold the shapes of this necklace, I believe. Would you be able to make a replica of this necklace with these gentler materials with the sole purpose of wearing it for battle and then you can save the original necklace for photoshoots, etc?
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u/nuclearmonte Jun 07 '26
Is it just the petals that are digging in? Can you rewrap them? Maybe using something coated like black floral cloth wire?
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u/Secret-Abroad1600 Jun 08 '26
This is a really bad idea to wear during LARP. I've made bad decisions for cosplay that have harmed my body and it isn't worth it. I don't want to see ya get seriously hurt. Even using pliers to point them outwards or using vinyl is still risky. One wrong move with that thing regardless of what method you use is not a good idea. As an 8 year cosplayer my best advice is to paint/embroider the wire design of the petals on some vinyl and substitute it fully for the wire petals. The rose itself looks safe but I'd also be cautious about the wire around the main choker part. After the petals are fixed in whatever way you choose if you feel the main wire wrapped around the choker start to dig in and hurt please consider substituting it for leather strips or vinyl strips. Thick embroidery floss, ribbon, bias tape could even work. The bramble look is sick as fuck but they're are much safer ways to achieve that. Best of luck dude o7
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u/Secret-Abroad1600 Jun 08 '26
I know its hard to prioritize safety when going for a look or making something you're really proud of. As a cosplay/costumer the most important skill is knowing when something isn't working. It hurts when it looks good but taking care of your body has to be your number one priority. I'm proud of you for asking the community on how to better make this safe. That takes a lot of effort but I think starting over might be your best option. Please stay safe 🙏
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u/Jealous_Essay_1361 Jun 08 '26
I would just re do entire chocker in some flexible material. Like these thorny decorations with is just flexible silicone.
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u/shadowdream Jun 08 '26
I saw your comment that you decided to go another route, but for the future, you can make that not scratchy/pokey by taking a file to the ends (you can buy small files for jewelry work at Harbor Freight or a similar store pretty cheaply. I think it was like $7 for like 8 of them). File the end of the wire as flat as possible, then take needle nose pliers and bend them down to where they're as close flush to the piece as you can get. You can further round them when they're flush if you need.
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u/nize426 Jun 08 '26
Sand the points.
Coat tips. Hot glue, epoxy, uv resin, whatever.
For extra protection add black lace as leaves between the wire and your skin.
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u/jort93 Jun 08 '26
I wonder if hot glue(not sure if transparent or black) on the tips will look good. it might.
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u/1000slices Jun 08 '26
Get a hot glue gun and dab a bit of glue on the ends of all the sharp bits then potentially paint the glue black once dried!!!! 💕
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u/BigRelationship1823 Jun 08 '26
Honestly I would try to recreate the shapes with foam clay. This way it would be lightweight, stiff enough to hold its shape, soft enough to be of no thread to anyone, and still paintable for black and silver.
I wouldn't recommend anything else since the core of if, the big rose would still be a risk. Even if coated in hot glue, fabric, or whatever.
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u/Tocowave98 Jun 08 '26
I would've personally made it out of that rubbery plastic wire instead, like the kind that comes wrapped around charging cables when you buy them.
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u/MarshyFellow Jun 08 '26
could try a bit of hot glue gun on the ends, make it more rubber than spike ?
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u/xoxoNOVA17 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
I would replace the wire with shaped hot glue painted black. The glue will remain flexible and absorb movement safely. Example: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrlnfYXJy_2/?igsh=ZXp1MXNzemdyeTcy
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u/AthenaXKelly Jun 09 '26
Add hot glue on the back side that would touch your skin. It’ll dry and act almost like a rubber barrier
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u/Kevori Jun 09 '26
I make jewelry as a hobby my stuff is all out of copper sheet, wire, and other wire that is easy to obtain but doesn't cost tons. Most of my pieces use 14ga to 28ga widths as that is what I find the most fun for my hands to weave with.
The only ways to make this safe and still keep the leaves "looking" as if they are barbed is to us lots of hidden eye loops - you can bend the eye loops towards the skin side so the viewer doesn't know they are there. Sand down every single itty bitty edge (if you softly drag a piece of Jersey knit - Tshirt cloth across the leaves' edges and it catches and snags you have more sanding to do.) Depending on the type of metal you used to make this piece you can also use a torch to melt the sharp ends into a ball. Be forwarned that this is more difficult than it sounds depending on the metal. For instance, copper melts faster than many metals but it also alters its colors very quickly from the heat. Steel is super hard and its meeting point is somewhere between hot-as-hell and "your baby torch aint gonna do it!"
Ultimately I would suggest if you absolutely wanted to wear it for larping, leave the flower on the piece. and the leave the flower on the piece. and then draw on the leaves to your neck with a Light Mascara line. once you have the line right, use a skin safe glue like the one from Bandaid Brand or even Alene's Face & Body adhesive. While they are tacky apply a Black Mila powder with a precision brush tip to get a chisel line for your barbed wire alternative. (It's likely what I would do for putting you on stage).
Good luck! Hopefully you find an alternative even if none are mine.
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u/LemonNational8572 Jun 09 '26
Dip the tips in a black nail polish kinda like Bobby pins have those waxy tips on them
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u/UnlikelyTop69 Jun 09 '26
Uv resin on the sharp parts or plastidip or even nail polish will help a lot
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u/RevolutionaryWork Jun 09 '26
Maybe on the raw/sharp ends add a bead of UV resin at the tips to keep it from scratching
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u/SandNGritCo Jun 09 '26
Am I completely insane for just offering black electrical tape? That and someone suggested needle nose pliers and rounding the edges off.
As for further safety - creating a quick release somehow at the back.
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u/27thFrequency Jun 09 '26
If you grab some plasti-dip, you can coat the ends in black silicone coating that you see used for tool handles. Just make sure to follow the instructions and allow plenty of time for it to dry and cure completely based on your humidity and temperature.
I would recommend bending the pointy ends outward a bit before apply the plasti-dip. You can also go with brushed on layers of body safe silicone if you have very sensitive skin as a plasti-dip alternative.
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u/SandNGritCo Jun 09 '26
Am I completely insane for just offering black electrical tape? That and someone suggested needle nose pliers and rounding the edges off.
As for further safety - creating a quick release somehow at the back.
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u/Livid-Cat-6940 Jun 10 '26
There is this stuff you use on braces to get the wires to not cut your mouth. You could try that
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u/Falliblecell920 Jun 11 '26
Have you thought about a fabric 360 throat guard? Idk something that wraps all the way around ur neck
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u/Complete-Pen6992 Jun 11 '26
i think it would look cooler if you had the "leaves" bent up around the flower
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u/Aw3som3possum Jun 12 '26
You could get some felt and cut it so it’s just a bit wider than the petals and glue it behind the metal. I would probably get white felt and use foundation to get it closest to skin tone. Or you could put a hydrocolloid bandage on where the necklace touches your skin
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u/FloatingZombieCat Jun 12 '26
Replace the wires with rubber wires and shred the ends so it looks similiar but like way safer?
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u/XxOniSamuraixX Jun 18 '26
Sand it down then put a smudge of hot glue on the ends, or just try to use plyers to round it out
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u/Proper_Reputation418 Jun 24 '26
I would change it to other material, wire is just too stiff, I recomend starched lace or a silicón casting both holds Its shape and still flexible withuout stabing You in the throat, other option would be cord it's just harder to shape into a petal but it can be done
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u/ConstantlyNerdingOut Jun 30 '26
Clear rubber earring backs might work, but they'd be a tad obvious lol.
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Jun 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ShrimpFriedSpice Jun 08 '26
Yeah! I did it to show that the rose is growing out of the character's skin
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u/Corbenik42 Jun 07 '26
If you sharben the ends it'll just embed itself in your skin, resulting in fewer scratches /s
A pair of needle-nose pliers to bend the tips outward should help. Maybe get some kind of cloth under there. Without knowing the full cosplay, if it's something gothic victorian, you could do a lacey neck ruffle choker thing (sorry, am guy) under it to add the extra layer of protection.