Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
Grell Sutcliffe is probably one of my most favorite characters of all time. He’s extremely flamboyant, really funny, is terrible at being a butler but is amazing at being a Shinigami.
He also gets to carry around a bad ass chainsaw and wear a lot of red. For some reason, I always seem to pick out the homosexual characters even though I’m straight. And they all tend to be males, too. Not sure what that says about me, but it’s all good =D
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
It wasn’t too bad. Assembling the pieces of the outfit took a while. Constructing the vest was a pain in the ass, but it somehow worked out in the end (thank God). The chainsaw, on the other hand, took about a month to complete.
I’m really proud of it because both me and my dad worked so hard on it to look just right. If we had more time, we were going to have the chain move on the blade, but alas we weren’t able to. Maybe there will be a second model soon that will actually function =)
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ?
Haha, I got so many different reactions mainly because of the chainsaw!! They all vary from ” Oh my God, there’s a chainsaw!” to “Woah..there’s a chainsaw…” People were either shocked and amazed or really freaked out/worried because they thought it was real.
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
I’m not really sure. I think I was a freshman in high school when I found out that there was a local anime convention in Nashville. I had never heard of “cosplay” until my friend mentioned something about dressing up as a character. I looked it up and researched it all and I fell in love. I’ve been cosplaying ever since and I hope that I will be able to continue in doing so.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
My first con was Middle Tennessee Anime Convention (MTAC) and it’s still my favorite because I know most of the people who run it. They’re all really great people and they work so hard year round to raise the bar at MTAC. It gets better and better the older it gets!
What does cosplay mean to you ?
Cosplay to me means that you are able to go out of the norm and be your true, geeky self with a bunch of other people who are the same. It’s a great way to get out there and have fun, no matter what!
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Probably Jasmine You from Versailles. He has such amazing outfits and I would love to be able to pay homage to his life by recreating his outfits and doing them justice. Plus I have other friends who have Versailles cosplays and it’s fun to cosplay in a group. I would also love to do an Amano version of any FF character. I can’t decide which one, though.
