Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
Seras Victoria is an ex-police trainee who ends up getting turned into a vampire after being martyred (shot through the heart) to kill a different, malicious vampire. She’s really a lot of fun because she’s such an awkward character. A lot of people feel that she’s the epitome of sexy vampire fledgling, much like the movie rendition of Lucy from Dracula, but she always strikes me as the young, nervous girl who undervalues herself because of her low self-esteem. She always ends up getting herself into awkward situations like falling on someone’s face or being kissed by her human commanding officer, so staging such strange occurrences are always a lot of fun.
Originally, when we did our Hellsing group, I was Schrodinger on the side of Millennium (the main antagonist alliance) and I ended up getting a bit uncomfortable wearing the Hitler Yungend uniform. A friend of mine had been after me to be Seras for a long time so that he could make me a harkonnen (Her 7+ foot long cannon. I didn’t have it on me at the time of the shoot) and while making the costume, I fell in love with her character all over again. I always feel like making the costume right requires you to get into the character’s head in the case that changes need to be made. Like, what kind of fabric WOULD Seras wear? Sure it’s a uniform, but the polyester suiting would be strange on her, so I chose to hand-dye denim instead.
So, to be plain, I was first coerced into the costume, but I soon needed no more urging.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
Seras was certainly an adventure. Because of how I made her, I still have a lot of problems wearing the costume. I thought to myself, “This skirt needs to be ridiculously short! I don’t want a long skirt like I often see!” and then I made it entirely too short and too tight. Because of that, I think that wearing the costume is harder than making it! I have to wear multiple pairs of tights to keep it fitting in the right place and even then I show more of my bloomers than the skirt itself.
The most grueling part of the costume was certainly the harkonnen and I’m very upset with myself for not having it with me for these photos! It took the course of two whole months to get it done and even still it wasn’t how I wanted it. We had planned to make it hinged and loadable (I even have blank ammo) and we scaled it down to be in proportion to me rather than made for a 6 foot tall amazon. I’m rather short, so I couldn’t have an 8 or 9 foot long gun and have it look accurate!
Every time I wear the costume, it all has to be prepped; I need to iron it, check for fraying, restyle the wig so that it defies gravity and most of all…. I need to make new fangs. I honestly am pretty poor, so I always look for cost-efficient ways to do effects. To buy good quality fangs is very expensive and bulky in your mouth. Instead, to avoid the drain on my purse and also to prevent a lisp, I always make the fangs out of fake nails. I file them down and paint them to match my own teeth. (This is also helpful because my tooth color may vary depending on what I’ve been drinking since my last bleaching.) By the end of the day, they’ve popped off a billion times and are cracked, so they have to be retired. It just takes a little more time on upkeep, but I always feel like they really make the character.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
Oh man! Besides the regular upskirts, I’ve certainly had my own share of reactions. At Ikkicon 2 in February of 2009, I was called a “Trampy woman” while I was leaving the hotel to pick something up elsewhere. At first I wasn’t sure if they were talking about me and then I looked down at myself and then around at everyone else– I had to have been the one! Everyone else was bundled up while I was walking around short sleeves and a high skirt!
At this same convention, I scared many people who were unaware of the convention. Many people thought that my cannon was real and actually started to panic before I explained that it was made of PVC pipe and foam. I distinctly remember a woman saying, “Oh thank goodness! I was wondering what the world had come to!” All I can think is that if the Harkonnen was real, a little 5 foot pipsqueak like me could never lift it!
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
Originally, my sister AR got me started in cosplay. Back when I was 13, she dragged me along to Akon. I decided that I wouldn’t be the only one not in costume, so I found some navy slacks that were too short for me and a button up and went as “Reno” from FFVII, but it was so horrible that not a single person recognized me. After that I was bent on getting better and never letting that happen again! Now I put my all into every costume I do and while a fan following may be small, I know that I’m not unnoticed for lack of effort.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
Akon 13 was my first con, but I think it would have to be a draw for favorite between Afest and Ikkicon.
What does cosplay mean to you ?
Cosplay to me means forging a new family. Cosplay also means learning skills that will serve you well in the future. While part of a cosplay group, you have to learn leadership and teamwork, identifying your strengths and weaknesses and then navigating around them for the best possible outcome. It means planning ahead and managing money, then managing stress where the money fails to meet. It’s certainly a constant learning experience, but it’s part of my world and it’s taught me so many things that I know I’ll be able to pass on later down the line.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Oh geez. Every cosplay is a dream cosplay. Though, if I had unlimited money as well as time… I would want to do Amano Tera with Magitech armor. >_< I don’t have the skills to do it, but if I had unlimited time and money, I’d find a way. And it had better function.