Hello fellow Geeks! Who here missed seeing their favorite cosplayers and reading about their epic journies? Well, we’re back with your weekly dose of Featured Cosplayers, starting with the beautiful Trickster Redux! Coming to us from the big city of Anaheim, California, Trixie (as her friends like to call her) has wowed us with her amazing attention to detail when it comes to becoming her cosplay characters. So, where did your journey as a cosplayer begin and how much has she grown thus far? I took a moment to ask her the important questions! Here’s what she had to say:
Photo Credit: NSulley
1. About how long have you been cosplaying?
I started cosplaying in 2012. I went to Anime Los Angeles for the first time with friends who had already gone a few years in the past, and they sort of showed me the ropes and opened my eyes to the convention world! I started making my own cosplays that year as well since I kind of got hooked, and while my mom made most of my first cosplay, I wanted to make more and taught myself!
2. What first inspired you to start cosplaying?
I’ve watched anime since I was really young. I was started on Sailor Moonas practically a baby, and it kind of grew from there. But, I didn’t really get into it until I actually transferred to a brand new school that had opened up. There, I was met with a lot of new people and no one really knew each other so there were “getting to know you” activities where I met other people who also liked anime. From there it was fast friends and after some time they were the ones who introduced me to conventions.
3. What was your first cosplay and why did you choose that character?
My first cosplay was Miku from Vocaloid – it was made by me and mother and it was for Halloween! I cosplayed Miku because I thought she was adorable and, at the time, I loved the music. I met a transfer student who was obsessed with Vocaloid who already cosplayed as Gumi, so we decided to get some costumes together and wear them!
Photo Credit: Mission Start Podcast
4. Are there certain types of characters you are most drawn to when looking for a new cosplay?
I can’t really say, as I cosplay a wide variety of tropes! I usually cosplay strong hearted females, the energetic ones, the healers, or the do-gooders. There is the occasional “bad guy” in my wardrobe, but they commonly have their redeeming qualities and (sometimes) a redemption arc! I don’t usually limit myself to a “type’ as inspiration, and love strikes at any moment for a character!
5. What have been your top three, favorite cosplays so far?
This is an EXTREMELY hard question for me to answer – every cosplay I do, I have a strong connection to what almost feels like an emotional bond. However, if I had to pick three, I’d say (in no ranked order): Rogue from X-MEN, Kat from DMC, and Pyrrha Nikos from RWBY. Rogue holds a special place in my heart as I’ve always loved her strong yet vulnerable nature and how untouchable (literal and figuratively) she was. The entire cosplay was an undertaking as I made every aspect of it by hand (gloves, boot covers, gloves, suit, belts, and sewing together wigs) and it was my first time making a bodysuit! I used no patterns and just went with it and it came together so well, I was shocked! My Kat cosplay had new experiences as well, but making that cosplay is how I came to meet one of the most important people in my life, my Dante, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. Pyrrha was just a whirlwind of leather, armor, and spandex and I drew so many similarities between her and I, it was freaky! She was a dazzling cosplay to look at and really fun to wear!
6. Looking back, how have you grown as a cosplayer?
I have grown so much, I shock myself. Seriously. It feels like I’m a completely different person from when I started! My first cosplays were all fabric and pretty simple, but I really fell in love with the craft and wanted to make bigger and better things. That’s when I got into props and armor, some real eye catching stuff! I taught myself through extensive research online, and trial and error. As a little girl, I watched my mom sew and learned visually through that, I still sometimes ask her opinion on things I make to get an idea how to tackle something.
7. What has been your favorite cosplay/con moment so far?
I still get so excited when I’m walking around a con and hear someone excitedly call out the name of the character I’m cosplaying and flag me down. You can just hear the excitement and joy in their voice and, for me, knowing I’ve made someone (besides myself) happy through making and wearing a costume makes the labor and stress so rewarding.
Photo Credit: BAdept Photography
8. How has cosplay influenced you as a person?
I am definitely a lot more patient. It seems like once you’ve watched resin cure for a good chunk of time at 3 am the night before a con, nothing can really stress you out anymore! It’s made me a lot more resourceful in everyday life when it comes to getting creative with budgeting, and it’s helped my confidence a lot because I know I can pull off some crazy of things now- and I’m not even done growing yet!
9. Is there a dream cosplay you have yet to create? Why this character?
There are SO. MANY. Currently one of my big time dream cosplays is Mako Mori from Pacific Rim in her plug suit. I try to make my dreams a reality as I go, so I can move past hurdles and continue to push myself and grow. But, some of the tasks I want to complete are pretty daunting. I’ve done armor before but never like Mako’s – it’s a full body (armored) plug suit equipped with a lot of etching and LEDs. It’s something I am really working towards to make it the best I can! Pan (the Faun) from Pan’s Labyrinth, Sarah from Labyrinth, Odette from The Swan Princess, and Mercy from Overwatch are all currently big dreams of mine!
10. What is one tool/skill you recommend every cosplayer keep in their utility belt?
Safety pins, a seam ripper, and a long playlist of good music. Safety Pins for the inevitable costume malfunction, a seam ripper because no matter how experienced you are, mistakes are bound to happen, and good music because whether you’re making an entire costume/prop from scratch, doing your makeup, or styling a wig, you will need something to keep you going in the zone!
11. Do you have any advice/words of wisdom you would like to give to aspiring cosplayers?
Learn to be adaptable! Things are bound to go wrong, not work out entirely, and everything in-between. Rarely will everything go smoothly and there is almost always a hint of stress behind things whether you are anxiously awaiting your mail order or slaving away into the nights before a con trying to get things done. Rarely will things go exactly how you want, but that is life. Learn to be adaptable and efficient and know what you want. I also want to say that there are people out there who are negative and want to bring others down because misery loves company. People will say anything to get a rise out of someone or damage their self-esteem out of jealousy. What matters is that you have fun, you are doing what you love, and you are not hurting yourself or those around you. My advice is to be happy, be flexible, take control of your own happiness and bring light into your life through a hobby that brings people together.
Photo Credit: Bakephotogatari
