Cosplayer Interview: Midge Scully!
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| Photo by 7 of Diamonds Photo |
In this interview, Midge talks about her beginnings of being a nerd in her family. having grown up in the N64 era of gaming with her sister. Along with joining the heated debate of Pokemon vs. Digimon (spoilers, her side is chosen in here), Midge would play Mario Party and Diddy Kong Racing with her family which to her, made them much more enjoyable. I got some pretty awesome details about her construction process for both Espeon and the Ziggs you see above you (which is cute and badass!). Midge definitely seems to have an equal love for all forms of geek media, preferring Marvel over DC (though Red Hood is her favorite character on the other side), and watching anime!
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| Photo by WN. |
I'm just so in love with the answers Midge gave so I hope you all enjoy them <3
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What
got you into cosplay and how long have you been doing it?
My sister's friend invited us both to
a convention in CT called Connecticon back in 2007. I had no idea what
conventions even were but I heard that people sometimes dressed up for them and
I was all over that idea. I threw together a costume in a week, which at the
time I thought was a LONG time, and haven't stopped since.
Which
cosplay was the first you ever created?
My first cosplay was Luneth from Final
Fantasy III. I had never played the game but I saw that character and was like
"I WANT TO BE YOU". I didn't know what wigs were at the time or
sewing machines so everything was held together with velcro and pins.
Thinking
back to the last convention you were at, did you enjoy it?
My last conventions was Anime Boston
in the spring (it's been a while, I know). I LOVED it! I hadn't been to Anime
Boston in the past couple years due to it conflicting with school so I didn't
really know what to expect. The vibe was fun, the people were friendly and I
discovered who Super Sonico is and now am completely addicted.
What
cosplay(s) did you bring to this convention?
I had 3 costumes: Black Star and
Excalibur from Soul Eater and Merida from Brave. Excalibur was by far the most
fun to wear and walk around in. I could be a complete goofball and seem like
I'm character when in reality I was just being me
What
is your favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
I would have to say Ziggs from League
of Legends. That was the costume that pretty much pushed me to start my page. I
didn't really know it was common for cosplayers to have a page and got a lot of
people asking for it when I wore Ziggs so I decided: why not? I wore Ziggs this
past year at PAX East and debuted it at PAX East 2014.
What
got you into being a geek?
I grew up on the Nintendo 64 so I
think that set the stage for me becoming a nerd haha I remember watching
Digimon before elementary school and having long debates with friends on
whether Digimon or Pokemon was better, which obviously is Digimon *drops
microphone and walks away*.
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| Photo by Stephanie Laroene Photography |
Do
you have any other members of your family who are into what you enjoy? Or are
you at present the only “geek” in the family?
My sister and I were always the
"nerds" in my family of 4 but we all played video games together,
which made Mario Party and Diddy Kong Racing way more enjoyable. We all stayed
gamers but my sister and I are the only two that really watch anime, attend conventions
and cosplay. So I would say my sister and I are the honorary representative
nerds of my family.
So
the cosplay that got me to love your work was your Espeon gijinka! How did you
come up with interpreting the Pokémon as a belly dancer/mystic? Were there any
favorite parts to constructing it?
Why thank you! I really had a blast
with my Espeon cosplay. It was the first time I ever made an original design
and I've really fallen in love with the freedom that comes with it.
Unfortunately it wasn't as detailed as I had first hoped it to be but I might
come back to it and add some flare. My favorite part of constructing this
costume was the belt piece. I wanted to hide the Psychic Pokemon symbol
somewhere in the costume and thought the belt would be the perfect spot. I made
the design to look like a goddess/belly dancer because I thought it would best
capture the spirit of a physic Pokemon. Especially Espeon who is this stunning
and regal looking Eeveelution.
If
you had to pick a favorite comic publisher, which would it be? Some of your
past outfits have been from Marvel characters but maybe you prefer DC?
I would have to say Marvel. I grew up
with Marvel having a much bigger presence in my life, though I LOVE Red Hood
and the Outlaws, with Red Hood being my favorite super hero/villain/don't worry
about it lol So there is a place for both Marvel and DC on my book shelf.
You’re
also planning (or have done already?) a Super Sonico cosplay! I feel like
you’re one of many cosplayers that just adores her correct? What about her do
you like the most? Did you also happen to watch the recent English Dub that got
released?
Super Sonico is just this mesmerizing
character, I can't get enough of her. I'm a sucker for figures and cute anime
girls so when I saw there was a series of Sonico figures in all different
adorable outfits, my mind exploded. I like her head- phones, hair, face, boobs,
everything! Sonico and Pochaco are my newest obsession, so naturally I have to
cosplay them. I have a couple original design cosplays of Sonico in the works
as well as Beer Girl Pochaco I plan on debuting in October while Octoberfest is
happening, it just makes sense, right? I have seen both the sub and dub of
Soni-Ani and found both delightfully enjoyable, props to everyone involved in
the dub for making that happen, two thumbs up!
One
of your crazy cosplays was Ziggs from League of Legends! That looked like an
absolute blast to wear from the poses and funny faces you’ve made while wearing
him! What was it like creating that crazy yordle?
Oh man, Ziggs indeed is a total BLAST
to wear. I get so energized by the people that come up to me and love running
around finding other League cosplayers to bother for pictures. I made that
costume while I was at college so my dorm room was a hot mess. Foam was
everywhere, hot glue was stuck in the rug, probably not my best judgment to
think a 10X6 foot dorm room would make a good cosplay space. It was also the
first time I had ever crafted a cosplay as apposed to sewn so it was a learning
experience. All things considered, a rather smooth experience.
You’ve
mentioned on your page before that one of your jobs is working at a bakery! Do
you find that some elements of that job somehow transfer over to cosplay? My
only guess is possibly cake decorating?
I do work at a bakery! I'm the head
cake decorator at a well-established NYC bakery. I LOVE working there, the
atmosphere is so friendly and everyone is a job to work with. My job has
inspired me to cosplay an original skin for Ziggs called Sweet Tooth and Sweet
Meats Super Sonico. Other than that, not to many elements of my work inspire my
cosplay but that isn't to say it never will. I'm sure some light bulb will
click at some point lol
What
do you think about cosplay as it is now hitting the mainstream?
I think it's pretty cool that people
are starting to show more of an interested in cosplay. I remember when a
convention with 20,000 people seemed big and now conventions are starting to
hit 50,000+ with ease. I feel like a cosplay hipster sometimes thinking "I
liked it before it was cool" but totally think it's great that more people
are getting into it. I know there tends to be controversial opinions in the
community and judgments made on the quality or content of a cosplay but in my
personal opinion: cosplay is what you want to make of it. There is no wrong or
right way to do it, be who you want to be, whatever version you want to be.
Have fun with it and show compassion to other cosplayers. We’re all here to
have a fun time.
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| Photo by Noxi Photography |
Do
you have any upcoming cosplays for this year that you’re able to share?
I haven't had too much time recently
to dedicate to cosplays so it's been a bit a bit dead on my page but I DO have
some cosplay ideas in the works. I'm working on a couple Original Super Sonico
cosplays, Beer Girl Pochaco and a scrap-fabric Sylveon cosplay! Other than
that, everything is still very up in the air.
Do
you imagine cosplaying being a part of your life within the next 5 years and do
you hope to evolve your skill set?
I totally see myself cosplaying in the
next 5 years. I look forward to all the skills I will learn and ways to improve
my craft. Which shouldn't be too difficult because I really don't know what I'm
doing still and I've been doing it for close to 10 years lol. I really want to
eventually work with Worbla and make more armor cosplays; I think that would be
a really cool and foreseeable next step in my costly work.
What’s
a day in the life of Midge Scully?
I wake up at 4AM, get to work around
6AM and work till all the sugary goodness is done! After that I'll take a walk
around the city, pop into Midtown Comics and Forbidden Planet to check out
their figures (love me some figures) and then try to work on cosplays, art and
other hobbies of mine before I hit the hay at 9PM. No late-night parties for me
lol
Any
upcoming game releases you’re looking forward to?
I can't say at this moment there are any
new games keeping me up at night waiting to play but I am really looking
forward to Overwatch. I got to play the demo of it at PAX East and it had a
very Team Fortress meets League of Legends feel to it. I feel like everyone and
their mothers are waiting for that game and I have been enjoying seeing the new
characters they've been announcing while we're waiting.
Do
you have a favorite convention?
I would say PAX East has been
consistently my favorite convention to attend. It's by far the largest
convention I've attended to date and is a candy land for gamers. I love getting
to see all the new games first hand and all the nerdy merchandise. The cosplays
too are always out of this world; I love swooning to other people’s
craftsmanship lol
If
you had unlimited funds and time, what would be a dream cosplay of yours to
make? Unless you’ve already made yours?
That's a tough question. I really would
love to one-day do a Chii cosplay. Chii is my favorite anime character hands
down. I've wanted to cosplay her forever but want to make it PERFECT so I keep
holding off. If I had the funds and time, I would do one of her cute Lolita
dresses and go all out with the beadwork, quality fabrics and embroidery work.
Maybe in the near future I'll build up the nerve to finally cosplay. Chii and
Sonico are my true loves lol.
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I can't thank Midge enough for all the answers she gave along with the time she put into doing this for me. Like every other interview I've done, it means the world to me and hers is no exception <3. You were beyond excited to do this Midge and it looks like you enjoyed the questions so I love you for that :D. Please follow her work at these links I have for you guys! ALL THE HUGS AT NYCC!! :D
