[Note: This is Part Four of a five-part series being published this week. Be sure to check out Part I, Part II, and Part III.]
As DragonCon 2015 shouldered on, I encountered a woman in the front lobby of the Hyatt Hotel that was posing for pictures in her cosplay. She had a giant smile on her face and was giggling as she willingly obliged to give me an interview. As she and I spoke, I could instantly tell that she loved what she was doing and that her cosplay was something she was extremely passionate about.
This interview is lightly edited for clarity, and some of my questions are edited for concision. My questions are in bold.
Good morning, what is your name?
Gabrielle S******
I see that you are cosplaying today…Who are you cosplaying as?
I’m doing Alluka Zoldyck from Hunter x Hunter.
Why did you choose that particular cosplay?
Because my friends were doing a group and I wanted to join. And this was one of the characters that they all felt -that I personally felt- that I fit. So, I chose her.
Why do you feel like she fits you?
Because I always wanted to be the younger sister, but I’m an older sister. For one, *giggles* to fulfill my dreams. And also, she’s just really happy all the time until you piss her off. Which is just like me, so I relate to her.
Did you make this costume yourself?
I did not. The only thing I [did was] style the wig from almost stock. [It] took awhile. I’m not talented enough to sew, so…
So someone else made it for you.
Yeah, someone else did make it for me.
It’s really fun to be around nerds in costumes. Like, you can smell bad or whatever and they’ll still be like “Hey, you’re in a costume! Same!”. Because, it just brings a sense of community to conventions.
Have you cosplayed before? Or is this your first time?
I have, this is like my fourth or fifth cosplay. I lost track. *laughs*
What cosplay have you done previously?
I did Medusa Gorgon from Soul Eater a long time. Like, my first year of cosplaying that’s all I did. And then I did Hiyori [Sarugaki] from Bleach. A couple others along the way. One I’ve done a lot recently is [Tadashi] Yamaguchi from Haikyuu!! So, that’s my main bae.
Why do you cosplay?
It’s really fun to be around nerds in costumes. Like, you can smell bad or whatever and they’ll still be like “Hey, you’re in a costume! Same!”. Because, it just brings a sense of community to conventions. It’s like you see someone in a Big Bang [Theory] shirt, and you go “Ok, I guess this person likes Big Bang [Theory].” But you see someone in like, Soul Eater cosplay, and go “Woah! That person loves Soul Eater! Same!”. And it’s really cool to meet up with other people. Its the passion.
When you have people that you’re comfortable with, and then you are also in the same group when you can cosplay together, you can take better pictures. I feel like that it helps bring out the character.
What cosplay are you looking forward to doing in the future?
[At] MomoCon, the next one I’m going to be doing that I haven’t debuted yet is Umi Sonoda from Love Life! [School Idol Project]. I’m doing a cheer-leading group. I had to choose her because she shows the least amount of stomach and I’m very self conscious. *laughs* So, I’m looking forward to that one though.
You’ve mentioned cosplaying in groups. How is that different from doing cosplay on your own?
My first year I did no group[s]. The only groups I got close to doing were at photoshoots. And then, when I was still dating my ex, we were doing a couple groups of Soul Eater stuff. That was a lot more fun because its more fun for the pictures part. When you have people that you’re comfortable with, and then you are also in the same group when you can cosplay together, you can take better pictures. I feel like that it helps bring out the character.
Is there anything else that I haven’t asked you yet that you would like to say about cosplay?
Just be yourself, have fun.
This is Part Four of a five-part series about cosplay at DragonCon 2015. Part Five will post tomorrow (September 18th, 2015) at 2 P.M. Pacific Time.
