Introduction - What is it like being a Cosplayer?

Salvete! I am MkPlay and I am fairly new to cosplaying. I started cosplaying after accidentally bleaching my hair from red to orange. People told me I looked like "that girl from the fifth element." So even after getting much needed color correction I decided to become Leeloo Dallas for Halloween. It was cheap, it was uncomfortable, but it felt amazing being a character many people around me loved and recognized, especially when my costume was homemade. From there, I have tried to create costumes progressively more durable, creative, and accurate. Cosplaying is just another outward way to show your interests. It's like wearing your favorite band or sport teams shirts. As with anything it comes with criticisms, but for me it's brought a whole load of love. My first con was spent taking pictures with my favorite anime characters, talking about new shows, and learning about different cosplaying techniques. Cosplaying is it's own but very distinctive community that I am lucky enough to be a part of.

What are your next goals?

I want to construct a very ambitious suit of armor. I know I have tons of time to work on it so I'd love to blow people away at my next con.

Cosplay Characters

Not too many characters, I'm very new to this. Leeloo Dallas, female Link, Rin Okumura, and DC Bombshell Supergirl.

What does Cosplay mean to you?

Cosplaying means complete acceptance for my eccentricity. I never could have guessed that there were people so close to me that understood what its like to play video games for hours, to wait for a new anime to be relaeased, to work obsessively on a costume, and to fangirl over ladies like itsrainingneon or Jessica Nigri.

Who have been your biggest influences/role models/mentors?

I adore DeAnna Davis! She is a jack of all trades; construction, make-up, photography, business, even social media. My biggest mentor has actually been my dad though, he taught me to use many a powertool and offers engineering suggestions that I never think of.

Do you have any advice or suggestions for upcoming Cosplayers?

Use others experiences to your advantage. Read other people blogs and tutorials to learn new ways doing things.

What is the most negative experience you've dealt with while cosplaying, and how did you handle it?

I posted my DC Supergirl cosplay onto a site and immediately the feedback was negative because I had a cigarette in my hand. What I thought was a pin up era touch was perceived as gross and inaccurate. It definitely hurt that someone took enough time to tell me how bad I looked. However I got several compliments in my inbox as well as construction questions. For every action their is an equal and opposite reaction. Sometimes you just need to ignore or educate people.

Any final remarks or shout-outs?

Thanks for contacting me! :D