What got you into cosplay?
I was heavily into anime at the time, and my mom found a link to the Anime Mid-Atlantic website. She told me about it, and said that it looked like people dressed up like anime characters. So.. I decided to join in! The thought of it excited me like you have no idea. It felt like Christmas. I went for one day, and I was completely hooked. At this point, I'm not much into Japanese Anime anymore - I cosplay from video games, American shows and comics, older animes, and occasionally styles such as Lolita or Steampunk. I love cosplaying and everything about it, and I don't see myself ever getting out of it.
What was your first costume and why?
Yuna from Final Fantasy X. At the time, I was looking for a character that had the same hair as I do, but I do like the character as well. Sadly I don't own the game; I've never been huge into the Final Fantasy series.
What is your favorite costume and why?
At the moment, I think my favorite would be the Red Scout from Team Fortress 2. I put that damn thing together in about four days, and - not to toot my own horn - but I've been told it's pretty accurate. Which is besides the point, because my favorite thing about it is actually playing the character. Being a boisterous virgin Bostonian who thinks he's hot shit is way too much fun.
Do you have a dream costume you'd like to make?
GLaDOS, eventually. I've had a really complex design sketched out for a long time, but it'd take a lot of work and money, and would more than likely be my only cosplay for an entire weekend convention.
What has been your most memorable cosplay experience?
Absolutely the Valve gathering at Anime Expo 2010. I met a ton of incredible people there, including ones I'd already known online. There were so many hilarious in-character experiences, but I think my favorite was this one female Blu Sniper. I had said hi to her at the beginning of the day, just because I was excited to have seen another TF2 cosplayer. She waved and smiled, and then went, "Waaait... but you're on RED team." Being an admitted lover of TF2 slash, I batted my eyes and said, "But I like crossfaction~" From that point on, every time we saw each other, we'd wink or blow kisses, and I ended up getting my picture with her at the gathering later on. Pretty much made my day and I still giggle about it. This sounds creepy now that I've explained it.
Do you participate in masquerades?
Just the Chibi Masquerade at AX10. It was pretty poorly run, and we didn't get to do our skit.
Tell us a little about yourself
I'm currently a freshman in Mt. San Jacinto College, where I'll be taking community classes for credit. After that, I'll be transferring to UC Irvine or UCLA to study costume design. I run my own business making miniature food for both dollhouses and jewelry/charms. I also occasionally get paid for artwork, and other creations. It's my dream to make a living doing what I love - which is simply to create. As far as location goes - I hate my town. I live in a dink town called Temecula, California, which is right in the middle of BFE. Fortunately, we're currently working towards our goal of moving to Anaheim, and should be there by next spring.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
"I have friends. They're just all on the internet."
My favorite game(s)
Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 2, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, Portal, Half-Life, Garry's Mod, We Love Katamari, The World Ends With You.
My favorite book(s)
Magical Thinking, The Zombie Survival Guide, Poison, The Mist, Skeleton Crew, IT.
My favorite movies(s)
Fight Club, Kill Bill (Vol. 1 + 2), Pulp Fiction, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Dead Alive, Dawn of the Dead, Quarantine. Any zombie movie, really.
My favorite actors/actresses
I have a monstrous crush on Milla Jovovich.