AngstnoKami

Hello, and welcome to my page on Cosplay.com!

Name: Zara Yost (AngstnoKami)

Next con I plan to attend: ???

Costumes I'm working on: ???

Previous cons:

Otakon 2008
Otakon 2007
Anime Boston 2006 (Masquerade Staff; Hall Costume Contest Coordinator)
Otakon 2005
Anime Boston 2005 (Masquerade Staff; Hall Costume Contest Judge)
Katsucon 2005
Otakon 2004
Otakon 2003

What got you into cosplay?
A group of friends invited me to join in a large cosplay group containing a significant portion of the Gensoumaden Saiyuki cast (we had 14 cosplayers at Otakon 2003). Being fond of the series, I readily accepted.
What was your first costume and why?
Chin Isou was my first costume. The principals from Saiyuki were already cast, but the choice of Chin Isou allowed me to interact in interesting ways with the rest of the characters in our group, plus I had the opportunity to hand out custom-painted mah jongg tiles to everyone I met, including the costume contest judges (I gave the panelists all serious fortunes excepting the last, who received the message that his future would hold "bunny"; it got a huge laugh and dissolved the tension in the room).
What is your favorite costume and why?
I know this answer is a bit evasive, but I don't really have a favorite costume at the moment, so... My favorite costumes are those that allow me best to really cosplay a character -- even if it's not a difficult costume to make or acquire, the best part of it for me is interacting with other people. Especially if it's snarky interaction.
Do you have a dream costume you'd like to make?
Yes.
What has been your most memorable cosplay experience?
At an Otakon several years after my first one, some friends and I were again doing a Saiyuki group, but this time our previous Sanzo was not present, so I was wearing her costume. Goku and I walked in the doors to the con, and immediately a girl ran up to ask us for slashy fanservice. So it happened that I was perfectly in character when I raised my extremely fake toy gun to her head, pulled the trigger, and growled, "Die!"
Do you participate in masquerades?
I suppose I have, for some definitions of "participate." Though I've never been in a skit or walk-on, I worked backstage as part of the masquerade staff at Anime Boston 2005 and 2006.
What was your best masquerade experience?
My favorite thing about the masquerade at AB 2005 was announcing the winner of my judge's award. Though I was extremely nervous about being onstage with the mic, I pulled through and even got a couple big laughs.
Have you won any awards for your costumes?
I haven't won any individual awards, but the 2003 Saiyuki cosplay in which I was Chin Isou won 2nd place in the Craftsman Division at Otakon.
Tell us a little about yourself
I'm currently a Computer Science undergrad thinking of switching to Computer Engineering. I dropped out of the Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies department at Bryn Mawr College after deciding that I just didn't have the interest to pursue a non-science oriented field. I'm single with no kids, and I most recently worked in a comic book store, though I had to leave due to lack of opportunities for advancement and benefits. Right now I'm in the application process for several local government clerk positions, which would be less fun but able to provide me with some security and financial flexibility. The rest of my time is spent in various expressions of creativity, including sewing costumes, of course, but also singing with the a cappella group Sassafrass and drawing an upcoming webcomic called Ashes of Shadow.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I want to be a mad scientist when I grow up, so I'm working on the prerequisite of being mad.