CONNECTED contacted me in my Deviant Art inbox stating that they've selected me as a candidate for a feature on their page. I gladly accepted. I was told to email at least fifteen photos and answer the questionnaire that was emailed back to me. Their questions and my answers are down below.
1) When and how did you get started in cosplay?
Middle school, I believe was seventh grade in 2004 when I bought my first yukata. It's violet adorned with flying cranes and I currently still have it hanging up in my closet.
2) What was your first Cosplay?
Dorie from Magical DoReMi. My first time actually making a costume with some assistance by my animation teacher. This was back when I was in high school. My sophomore year, 2007. If I remember correctly, I placed second in the Anime Club's costume contest.
3) What was the most difficult character?
I haven't really ran into any difficult characters yet, but I will end up with one that will most likely involve elaborate armor pieces and weapons.
4) What characters are you planning for the future?
Akira Souma from Meganebu, a Jack Frost inspired Lolita coord, an Attack on Titan inspired Lolita coord, the duelist from Aura Kingdom, and gender bent Shino Aburame, hopefully to be completed some time soon.
5) Are there any helpful hints in sewing, costume design or any other aspects of your cosplay that you discovered in doing your creations?
I can't successfully sew a garment nor make armor because my knowledge is minimal, but I've been attending several workshops to boost my skills. Even though I can't necessarily sew, there's other ways to join garments together. My first kimono that I made three years ago was put together with Stitch Witchery tape, and iron-on adhesive strip. I've found that it's very long lasting, durable, and machine washable. There's many ways to put together or arrange a cosplay even with the items that reside in our closet.
6) Do you have a preferred brand of make up in your cosplay? And if so why?
I have really sensitive skin, so I break out easily. My makeup has to be really light and not clumped or caked on because it will irritate me all day. I tend to use a lot of MICA Beauty products because of it's long lasting formulas and vibrant pigments.
7) What are you listening to right now?
Let Me Hear - Fear, and Loathing In Las Vegas
Ever since I started watching the anime series Parasyte - The maximum I've been rocking out to this awesome opening.
8) What are your favorite movies?
ROTG and HTTYD of course and all the studio Ghibli films as well as some Chinese, Japanese, and Korean films that include martial arts and horror.
9) Do you have any favorite animes?
Awww, I hate having to choose favorites for anime. I have a lot of favorites and would rather not fill this section with an extremely long list.
10) What are your favorite TV shows?
Basically all the ones that come on Toonami/Adult Swim every Saturday night and the anime series that sometimes show on Boomerang and Nick Toons as well as 90's cartoons.
11) Is there a scene from a anime, cartoon, movie, or TV show that left a big impression on you?
The scene in Rise of the Guardians where Jack Frost sees Jamie's belief fading in the guardians because of Pitch's rein of nightmares. He steps up and creates signs and messages on his window to show that they still exist even though he's invisible to children's eyes. Jamie Bennett finally sees Jack for the first time after it snows in his room and a single snowflake lands on his nose. The expression on Jack's face is just priceless and the emotion he puts forth that he can finally be seen and heard. That scene got to me and hit my feelings hard. To be honest, it made me tear up pretty bad.
12) What types of books do you like to read?
I love dark novels. Anything that has witchcraft, vampires, werewolves, dark fairies, or any sort of macabre magical being. Except for Twilight, that was a horrible series.
13) What games do you play?
Aura Kingdom, Bleach: Shattered Blade, Blazblue: Continuum Shift, Elsword, Pokemon X, League of Legends, Naruto: Clash of the Ninja Revolution 2 and The End of Eternity.
14) What's your preferred beverage?
Coffee with sweet cream, if not that tea. Preferably Earl Grey, Green, and Honeybush Vanilla or if I've had a long day and want to drift off easily I'll have a hot mug of Lavender Dreams. Maybe a bit cream soda every now and then.
15) What's your junk food of choice?
I have a large sweet tooth, so I'd most likely sit with Honey-senpai from OHSHC and join him on all of the yummy cake and pastries from apple stroodle pie with ice cream, German chocolate cake, red velvet cupcakes, caramel cake pops, and many more.
16) What's our favorite type of candy or sweet?
I like a lot of candies, but I favor Ferrero Rocher and See's Candies because it's not often that I receive a box.
17) What's your favorite type of breakfast cereal?
I actually really don't like cereal. I'm more of a hot quality breakfast type of gal.
18) Is there something not going on in the cosplay world that you'd want to see or is there something you'd want to change?
The bullying, the body shamming, and societies stupid status quo that you have to look a certain way to cosplay a character. I want to change all of that, but it can't just be me alone. I'm gonna need a lot of help to accomplish that.
19) What was your favorite toy growing up?
My rocking horses Bucky and Coco. I actually had two growing up and broke both from my growing weight. When I got bored, I'd go into my room and ride and bounce like I was in some sort of race with my music blasting from my cassette player preferably the Pokemon soundtrack or Radio Disney.
20) Who is your biggest character crush and why?
I'd have to say Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians. He's kind, funny, sweet, laid back, some-what childish, a bit mischievous, and he has lots of conveying emotion, his eyes are so expressive and his hair is wind-blown and makes him an exciting person to be around, but he know when to take things seriously. He follows no rules except for your own, talk back when people try to tell him what to do, and still realize when he's gone too far. He's very powerful, heroic, and confident in his ability to use his powers... and even pull out that bankai he can't explain. What I like most is of who he is as a person. The fact that he's a guardian to his very core. He didn't care for the tittle or interacting with the big four. He originally turned down the position of guardian, but still protected the children and are much closer to them individually then the others. His strong bond with children gives him a very "brotherly" figure quality that I find endearing. He gave up his own life to save his little sister. He loved her and would have done anything for her. I just can't help, but think how admirable that is. He's had to spend 300 years all on his own. Having absolutely no one there for him and having to just live with the fact that no one really cares. But despite all that he still manages to see the bright side in life. Not all the time, but he still had the heart and the strength to go out, have fun, make people happy, and try to live his life the best way he could. I truly admire him for it.
21) You enter an abandon warehouse. There's very little light, but you are able to make out your surroundings and find your way around. The sound of music draws you closer to the corner of the back warehouse. There are FIVE GHOUL CLOWNS, playing a dancing video game. They have razor sharp teeth and deathly weapons. Magic can't affect them, They sense your presence and turn facing you. They run at you to attack. Time to fight! What character would you want to be to defeat them and how would you handle the situation?
I'd be InuYasha. What better way to make a quick victory is to wipe them all out at once with his fabled sword Tetsusaiga. KAZE NO KIZU (WIND SCAR)!
22) If you were chained with a character for one year, what character and what would you do?
That character would be Sebastian Michaelis and I'd most likely make a contract with him in the long run. I'd be nice to have a handsome butler catering to you day in and day out on your every need even though in the end he'll devour my soul.
23) You have dinner with your favorite character. And you may ask one question. Who would be the character be and what's your question?
Ciel Phantomhive also because his butler is one hell of a cook. My question: "What do you do with all of your money and what do you spend it on?"
24) What's the number one thing on your bucket list?
To be a very successful mangaka and/or animator. I'd like to be remembered for my work.
25) What advice would you give to people getting started in cosplay?
This is so important. Everyone starts somewhere. Part of the fun of cosplay is progressing and learning new things. I think something that cosplayers do is compare themselves to someone else. Just be yourself. Don't look at someone else's page, someone else's number of likes, and compare their progress to your own. Don't get frustrated if you aren't at a point that someone else is at. Just go out there and have fun. Enjoy the craft, learn more as you go, and enjoy the ride. I was bad at cosplaying when I first started. I couldn't pose, I couldn't stay in character, I also couldn't do my makeup right and I felt like I was doing something wrong. But when I learned to pose, referenced YouTube and looked other places for makeup tips, and asked my friends how to stay in character. Then it all became natural to me. Just because you feel like you can't do it doesn't mean you should give up on it. Keep trying and pushing yourself. You'll prevail.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
