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[artpop]

Hi there,

My name is Bee and I'm writing a feature on cosplaying for my university journalism project.

I was wondering if anyone would be able to speak to me about their cosplaying experiences. While I do cosplay myself, unfortunately I can't use myself as an interviewee!

If you could fill out these simple questions and post them below, that would be great!

When did you start cosplaying and what made you start?:
What was your first cosplay? Did you make the costume yourself?:
Do you cosplay in public?:
Have you been to any expos/conventions?:
If yes, which was/is your favourite to go to and why?:
Do you cosplay regularly? If yes, how regularly?:
What do people think of your cosplay?:
Who is your favourite character/person to cosplay as and why?:
Do you make the costumes yourself?:
How long does it take for you to construct a costume?:
What do you enjoy about cosplay?:

[artpop]

Also if I could get your name, age and location, that would be great too!

[Neelh]

When did you start cosplaying and what made you start?: I started because I felt a strange compulsion to dress in a wig and prance around like a fool. I started in May this year.
What was your first cosplay? Did you make the costume yourself?: My first cosplay was Gumi from Vocaloid, in her Matryoshka cosplay. I bought the hoodie from the internet, and painted the eyes on myself.
Do you cosplay in public?: I do when possible and in the mood. However, I haven't been able to often, because I usually go out with my parents and they don''t like it when I wear it in public. I have spotted a young child staring at me when wearing it, though.
Have you been to any expos/conventions?: I went to Bristol Comic Expo in May, and was meant to go to MCM in October, but stuff happened. As stuff does.
If yes, which was/is your favourite to go to and why?: Bristol Comic Expo. The only one I have attended.
Do you cosplay regularly? If yes, how regularly?: Yes, once or thrice a month when I can. However, it's usually just hanging around in character, though I don't even have much of a character in my only current costume.
What do people think of your cosplay?: It's not stunning, so people don't usually care, but nobody's come up to me and said that I look stupid. However, I've gotten more compliments under a wig than out of one.
Who is your favourite character/person to cosplay as and why?: I'm pretty sure that, when I finish her, my gijinka (human) Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony will be my favourite, though I hate it currently. I need to do a LOT of work on it to straighten out the mess made for my mum to sew the collar.
Do you make the costumes yourself?: I do the parts that I can by myself, and modify clothing when avaliable, though I have some problems with motor skills that make me less than okay on a sewing machine. My mum helps me with that.
How long does it take for you to construct a costume?: Between half a month to over a year with procrastination.
What do you enjoy about cosplay?: The fact that I can escape under another person for a while, and be confident in myself.

Helen, 14, England.

[artpop]

Thank you! Any one else out there willing to do this for me?

[Pheasants]

When did you start cosplaying and what made you start?:
I was 14 when I first started. I got really into Anime and Manga, and me and my best friend went to a convention together. I saw so may amazing costumes there, I loved them to bits, even though I had no idea what most were.

What was your first cosplay? Did you make the costume yourself?:
The first costume was a gift from my mother, the second, she helped me with. But then a friend gave me an old mannequin and I've been making everything since.
Do you cosplay in public?:
Yeah, but I'm not going shopping dressed in a suit of armor. My more casual costumes I have worn out before. The big fancy ones I do use for when my school does fundraisers.

Have you been to any expos/conventions?:
I've been to 9 conventions over 5 years.

If yes, which was/is your favourite to go to and why?:
London MCM! I love the people there, they're all so nice. I love getting photos of my costumes taken, and I love how if you stop for a second, even somewhere out the way you're still surrounded in costumes!

Do you cosplay regularly? If yes, how regularly?:
I tend to only really get my full costumes on for events of photos, because they take a lot of effort to get into. But most of my spare time is cosplay related one way or another.

What do people think of your cosplay?:
My friends like it, even those who don't cosplay. Strangers ted to ask a lot of questions or stare, I don't mind.

Who is your favourite character/person to cosplay as and why?:
Kushina Uzumaki from Naruto. The costume is really simple, and it's my most successful. The wig I use is amazing, it comes to my knees, gets horribly tangled but can be fixed in 5 minutes.
My boyfriend cosplays her husband, so the costume means I get to spend the con with him.
Do you make the costumes yourself?:
Yes, sometimes I have to have someone pin me into a dress because I'm thinner/shorter than my mannequin, and sometimes I bribe them with cake to hold things while the paint drys.

Helen, 17, Nottingham, England.

How long does it take for you to construct a costume?:
It depends, between three months and three days.

What do you enjoy about cosplay?:
Being my favorite characters, meeting new people, walking into a supermarket dressed as iron man and having everyone do double takes.

[AnakhaZero]

Stephen
21
Buckinghamshire

When did you start cosplaying and what made you start?:
Started cosplaying in 2009 after visiting the MCM convention in london started watching some of the anime I had bought at the con and decided that I could relate to some of the characters.

What was your first cosplay?
Did you make the costume yourself?: My first costume was Gilbert Nightray from Pandora Hearts - This was a bought cosplay as I wanted to see whether or not it was something that would be worth spending the time/money/effort in making cosplays for future cons.

Do you cosplay in public?:
Whenever I can - I have a cosplay group for Vampire Knight which we do photo shoots in public places.

Have you been to any expos/conventions?:
Yes

If yes, which was/is your favourite to go to and why?:
The MCM conventions in London - as it is a 3 day event in which the atmosphere is pretty amazing - You will always find friendly cosplayers there looking to meet others even if they are in their own groups.

Do you cosplay regularly? If yes, how regularly?:
Yes - Most Weekends

What do people think of your cosplay?:
My Kiryuu Zero cosplay seems to be popular with our cosplay groups DeviantArt fans.

Who is your favourite character/person to cosplay as and why?:
Kiryuu Zero - Because I can relate to him in several ways to how he acts and thinks.

Do you make the costumes yourself?:
I have been making my own cosplays in the last couple of years.

How long does it take for you to construct a costume?:
It varies, mostly depends on work and theatre hours - the simple cosplays tend to take a few weeks, the more extravagent a couple of months.

What do you enjoy about cosplay?:
I enjoy being able to become someone else. To act/talk as they would in the anime/manga/game/movie.
I enjoy challenging myself to make different cosplays and props, finding new and different ways of making the same thing.
I enjoy it when people say that the photos/videos of the cosplays have inspired them into cosplaying from that anime/manga etc or just cosplaying in general as it shows that what I do is encouraging others join the hobby/lifestyle of cosplaying - and helping make it more widespread around the UK.