What got you into cosplay?
I've always enjoyed crafts of all sorts (BEAM Robotics has been a hobby of mine since I was old enough to be trusted with a soldering iron, I got into drawing in college and I've been baking for fun since I was little). Although costumery wasn't one of them, I always looked forward to making a costume for Halloween. At university I found myself with a larger disposable income and plenty of free time (as well as an abundance of fellow geeks). Inevitably I realised the implications of being able to combine my love of making things and wearing costumes and began considering getting into cosplay.
What was your first costume and why?
I'm still working on my first costume; a crossplay of the Disgaea Thief. While I wasn't sure whether a crossplay would be a good idea straight off the bat, I'm a huge fan of the series and I love the Thief's design (I don't know why but I find the sleeves so cool). In the end a friend of mine mention she was going to try and make a Big Sister (from Bioshock 2) helmet, and not to be outdone I decided to try making a costume myself. In the resulting conversation we concluded that even if I messed up, the result would at least be funny. ...and so it began.
What is your favorite costume and why?
I suppose it'll have to be a half completed Disgaea thief by default. I'm having a lot of fun making it at least.
Do you have a dream costume you'd like to make?
One day I'd love to cosplay an FF style Black Mage (if only I could think of a way to get the hidden face and glowing eyes right). Also, Hazama from BlazBlue in the unlikely event that I ever get the resources and skill to make that suit.
What has been your most memorable cosplay experience?
Well, I haven't had many "experiences" yet. I suppose trying on a wig seriously (a brown wig I used as a placeholder while working on the hat for the thief cosplay) was quite strange. I've always kept my hair short and it's rather light brown, so it was quite jarring to see myself in the mirror with long, dark brown hair.
Tell us a little about yourself
I'm a British computer programmer (former student), with aspirations to be employed as a games programmer. Me and my parents are both English, but I have some Welsh ancestry (via a great grandmother) and currently reside in Wales and my surname is Scottish (in spelling at least) and some Irish ancestry (the counterpart to the Welsh great Aunt was Irish, apparently). Hobbies include; Gaming, Drawing, Baking (pastries and cakes), browsing TV Tropes and more recently; sewing and cosplay.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I'm a male terran hominid of the species homo sapians sapians born in 1989....wait that's not new infomation is it...oh well...then... My username (which I use in a couple of other places, being somewhat nomenclature challenged) is a pun on my given name's initials.
My favorite anime
Death Note, Azumanga Daioh, Baccano!!, Ghost in the Shell (both the original movies and the series), Bleach, Afro Samurai
My favorite game(s)
I'm a fan of both WRPGs and JRPGs, but my favorite genere is the Action/Adventure subgenre that has been christened "Metroidvania". My favorite games of all time are; Metroid (Super Metroid and Metroid Prime), Legend Of Zelda (A Link to the Past and Twilight Princess), Team Fortress 2, the Half Live series (and most Valve games), Disgaea and The Elder Scrolls.
My favorite book(s)
I'm a huge fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I also enjoyed the Harry Potter books (who of my generation didn't), the works of Isaac Asimov and I consider the work of Dan Brown a guilt pleasure.
My favorite character(s)
The Light Warriors from the original FF game (I consider them collectively one character), Taokaka from BlazBlue, Dart and Lavitz from Legend Of Dragoon, most of the cast of Futurama and many more.
My favorite movies(s)
Shaun Of The Dead, Jurassic Park, i, Robot (although I consider it terrible as an adaptation of Asimov's short story), The Matrix (first film only).