Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
The outfit my friends and I decided to pick out are “nurse monsters” from the Konami video game “Silent Hill”. I grew up on this game because my dad was an avid player. Many years later, I started becoming interested in it again. So, I introduced it to some of my friends. Our obsession grew, we recruited a few other friends, and spent an ENTIRE summer working on these costumes. We chose the nurses mainly because they’re one of our favorite SH monsters.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
Ugh…All I can say is I’m so glad my friends and I didn’t procrastinate like we usually do. We started the summer before A-Fest…and it took us ALL summer. Everything (except for the shoes and weapons—which we simply altered) was made from scratch.
The girls and I (there were originally 5 of us, only 3 of us got to go to A-Fest) decided to have a series of sleep-overs where all we did was work on those costumes! We started with the masks—which we did out of paper mache—then we commissioned one of my other friends to sew our nurse-frocks. We bought a couple of weapons for each of us to carry around as well—but we got them from Party City so they were pretty cheap and sad looking. SO, I sanded them down and painted them to look a little more realistic. We then made the nurse hats, bloodied everything up, and that was it! Doesn’t sound like a lot…but the process took forever!
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ?
Several, actually, but I’ll tell my favorites: There was a guy cosplaying as the Great Seiya-Man from DBZ, and he recited the whole Seiya-Man speech to us, it was really amusing! Then, there was this one guy who was absolutely terrified of us…we chased him around the whole dealer room as his friends cheered us on. Poor guy.
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
I got interested in cosplaying when I went to my very first convention: Anime Fest 2004. I had no idea what cosplaying was until I went, and it really excited me to see people dressed up as their favorite characters, and I knew I wanted to do that at some point as well. I’m still a cosplay n00b, though..The nurse costume was only my 2nd cosplay, but now that I have the money and determination..I’ll be cosplaying more often.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
The first con I attended was A-fest, all the way back in 2004. I’ve been going ever sense. I went to A-kon for the first time this past summer, and I really enjoyed that..! So far, I would have to say A-Fest is my favorite, simply because of all the memories it holds for me(I mean..I’ve been going there since I was 14 years old!) But now that I’m older and I’ve got a job, I plan to go to more conventions..so I’ll probably have a new favorite soon!
What does cosplay mean to you ?
Cosplay is not just a way to express yourself. it’s a way to show your creativity, devotion, and scream out your utter love for the character/creature you’re cosplaying.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
My dream cosplay is definitely Camus from the game Suikoden II. I don’t mind cross-playing at all, and he’s one of my favorite characters!
