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Within minutes of walking into the enormous, futuristic headquarters of New York Comic Con, it dawns on you: There are no rules here. This year more than ever, attendees deviated from typical cosplay characters into hybrid creations all their own, from "Dementor Busters" (i.e. Ghostbusters, but for the wraiths of Harry Potter), to a pomeranian Pikachu.
Best of all, a huge number of cosplayers — many with no background in design — crafted their own costumes from scratch, using items like Wal-Mart blankets as Mask of the Phantasm cloaks and a Bed, Bath & Beyond curtain rod as Ariel's fork.
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