Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
I am cosplaying Magician’s Valkyria, a monster card from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. I chose this particular character because my friends and I wanted to do a cosplay group of the magician’s from Yu-Gi-Oh! After discussing all of the cards to choose from we came to the decision that Magician’s Valkyria would be a good choice.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
My friend’s aunt made my costume and it was quite a process to go through from what she told me when we would get together and try on the different pieces of the costume. Each of the sections were difficult in their own way but she had creative means to make it all work which was amazing to see. It seemed to be as tough as I imagined but my friend’s aunt loves a challenge and took it head on with outstanding results. My friend’s uncle also made my staff out of wood with fantastic detail as well. I owe my incredible costume to their hard work and great efforts.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
It seemed that people were blown away by my costume, and when together with my group of friend’s with all of their amazing costumes we would get mass bombardment. One story that tickled me was when a little boy came up to me and asked me in the cutest way, “Magician’s Valkyria can I get a picture with you?” It just really touched me at how happy he was after he got a picture and hugged me. It was a joy to make a little kid happy like that.
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
I started cosplaying in 2005 when I first found out about anime conventions. I have been into anime and such since I was really young and then finding out about something as great as that was like being a kid at christmas. As soon as I found out what conventions were nearby I immedietly registered to go to one. I’ve been attending them every year since then. My first cosplay in 2005 was not very good at all and was last minute, but the year after that I got better and I have progressed since then. I just love taking on a persona of a character that I felt connected with in some way or really wanted to try and bring to life.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
Otakon was the first convention I attended and has always been my favorite convention. I just love the atmosphere that Otakon has. Being around so many people that enjoy the same things you do is just great and makes it easy to meet many new people. I have to say Nekocon now ranks up there with my love for Otakon. For a much smaller convention it was such a fantastic time and I loved it a lot.
What does cosplay mean to you ?
Cosplay really means so much to me. I love being able to take on the persona of a character that I feel a connection with and “bring them to life” in a sense. It’s something that I hope to do for as long as I am able to do it.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Oh my, there are so many dream cosplay’s that i have. The one that I’d probably do right now if I had unlimited everything would be the artbook version of Astharoshe Asran from Trinity Blood.
