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| Photo by Riamux Creations |
Interviews with cosplayers are something I really enjoy to do and provide with you guys on here. There are dozens that I've had the pleasure of speaking with either in person or online. As I've gotten better in coming up with questions more tailored to the cosplayer, I get new favorites each and every time. The video ones are always a blast but while I'm working things out with perfecting them at conventions/doing them via Google Hangout, the written ones right now are truly special. Especially since it gives the cosplayer a chance to really dive into the questions with as much space as they need. I'm definitely alright with saying that some of these types are my favorites I've done. For today, I'm excited to add in another <3. Rachel Nycole is a cosplayer based up in the Vancouver area of Canada who really brings in the cuteness with her outfits. Having started cosplaying 3 years ago, Rachel has taken characters from anime and some games (here and there) to truly bring them to life.
Much like myself, Rachel knew about cosplay from seeing images of her favorite characters pop up as other people cosplaying as them. With always wanting to try it, she couldn't seem to find the right time. That is until an event featured a fashion show advertising a new convention known as Anime Revolution! For that first con, she went as Link from The Legend of Zelda and has been hooked ever since. You'll see in the interview how while Rachel admits it being "really bad", hearing others recognize who she was made her smile.
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| Photo by David Circle |
With Zelda in mind, that's the franchise that really kicked off Rachel's love for all the nerdy things. Having played A Link to the Past when she was 4, she finds games interesting for it's story, music, characters etc. So shooters like Call of Duty are not really in her field. That does however lead into franchises like Final Fantasy. Not only is FF7 her favorite, but it also caused her to cosplay as Tifa too! Rachel notes that strong female characters are something she gravitates too. Satsuki from Kill la Kill and Rei from Evangelion are other characters that she both loves and cosplayed as!
In part, Rachel feels that these characters help her with her own confidence. With feeling insecure when she was younger, Rachel thinks that cosplay has helped with that in a huge part. BlizzCon was her last convention attended and while she couldn't finish her Death Knight cosplay in time, Rachel had an absolute blast. This also made her super excited for WoW's upcoming expansion Legion! Throughout this interview, you'll learn of Rachel's favorite outfit she's done so far, various materials she's worked with, and some insight on the Canadian Cosplay community! I really hope you enjoy this guys, Rachel is such a sweet person!
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What got you into
cosplay and how long have you been doing it?
I’d have to say that my love for art and geeky things is what got me into
cosplay! When you’re a fan of something and you start looking up your favorite
characters on the internet, sometimes you’ll get a few cosplay photos in the
search results. That’s how I first came across cosplay. I knew that cosplay was
open to anyone that wanted to do it, but I had no idea how to start. I was also
extremely insecure and could just never imagine myself dressing up in public on
any other day than Halloween. A little over three years ago, I was at a local
night market in Richmond, BC with two of my friends, and they had this stage
set up where they were having a cosplay fashion show to promote a new
convention in Vancouver called Anime Revolution. I was so excited and inspired
by the whole thing and had a fangirl moment when I saw a couple cosplaying as
Link and Zelda together. I was really into Zelda at that time so that summer I
spent quite a bit of time making my own version of Link. I attended AR 2012 and
it was wonderful. I fell in love with cosplay and have been hooked ever since!
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| Photo by KL Media |
Which cosplay was the
first you ever created?
My first cosplay was a female version of Link from the Legend of Zelda! I
got an extra-large green t-shirt from a thrift store, and tried my best to turn
it into a convincing tunic. All the sewing was done by hand. I also made a
little Hylian shield out of cardboard and craft foam, which was my favorite
part of the costume! :3 Honestly, it was really bad, but people recognized who
I was supposed to be and that made me so happy! I felt really proud of myself
for making something from scratch and also for stepping out of my comfort zone.
I’d really love to redo Link someday, since the Zelda series is really
important to me!
Thinking back to the last convention you were at, did you enjoy it?
Yes! It’s rare that I
don’t enjoy a convention. Even when the convention itself is not so good, it’s
still normally a nice time with friends and good vibes. It’s not every day I
get to derp around in a costume! BlizzCon was the last convention I attended,
and it was insanely good. Everything about it was incredible and I definitely
want to go back next year!
What cosplay(s) did
you bring to this convention?
No cosplay this time. I had been working on a Death Knight set for
BlizzCon, but I just didn’t give myself enough time to finish. It’s okay
though! I’m happy that I don’t have to rush it anymore.
What is your favorite
cosplay you’ve made so far?
I really love each of them for different reasons! If I had to choose I’d
probably say my cat plugsuit version of Rei Ayanami. It was the most difficult
cosplay that I’ve completed so far. My favorite cosplay to wear would probably
be Catherine. Elaborate costumes make me feel badass, but I prefer wearing the
simple outfits to conventions because it allows me to enjoy the con without
having to worry about things going wrong or falling apart.
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| Photo by Destiny's Curse Photograph |
What got you into being a geek?
Back when I was about
four years old, I had this neighbor who played a lot of video games. He
introduced me to my first Zelda game, A Link to the Past. I don’t think I’ll
ever forget it; the music is what really drew me into the game and stuck with
me for all these years. Growing up I had a Nintendo 64 and a PlayStation, and
some of my favorite games were Pokemon Stadium, Majora’s Mask, and Crash
Bandicoot. I also watched anime like Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and InuYasha. :>
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?
No, not really. My
younger brother does play some good video games. He got me into God of War, but
other than that our tastes are very different. He also really dislikes anime.
The rest of my family doesn’t understand any of it haha.
Judging from your cosplay portfolio, you cosplay from lots of anime,
videos and some video games here and there. Do you enjoy anime over other geeky
media?
Yes! Anime and manga
have been a part of my life since I was very young and I definitely prefer it
over most geeky media. I certainly enjoy video games as well but I’m really
particular about it. I don’t like first person shooters or playing with groups
of people. I’m not a competitive gamer at all and generally enjoy the games I
do for their art, stories, and/or characters.
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| Photo by The Kaigan |
The outfit that arguably made me a fan of your work was Tifa from Final
Fantasy 7. One reason is my past crush I had on the character XD. What was it
like cosplaying and creating a well known/strong female character? What made
you choose her?
FF7 is my absolute
favorite Final Fantasy game in the series! One reason that I chose Tifa is
because she’s bad ass!! I’ve always admired her. I suppose a reason why I chose
to cosplay such a strong female character is because of my own lack of
confidence. Cosplaying as someone who inspires me helps me feel empowered! I
also chose her simply because her classic outfit is so simple yet so
recognizable. I need to do another Tifa shoot soon!
Another cosplay you’ve recently done is Satsuki from Kill la Kill but
with Ryuko’s Senketsu/outfit! You looked absolutely adorable in the shots I saw
of the cosplay! Were there any difficult parts to create for her?
Another strong female
character!! Thank you! I make most of my costumes myself, but this time I
actually ordered Senketsu online. It was really cheap and cosplay makes me
broke haha. Originally I had actually planned on cosplaying Ryuko; I personally
feel that I relate to her character a lot more, but in the end I decided to try
and pull off Lady Satsuki instead. :)
From many other cosplayers, I’ve heard that Canada has a huge community
for cosplay and is just about the sweetest place when it comes to attending conventions.
For you personally, has that helped make cosplay more enjoyable?
Yes! I’m pretty
socially awkward and introverted and it really helps that all of the people I
have met within the cosplay community have been so friendly and sweet. I hear
about there being a lot of drama, but I haven’t experienced any first hand. I
think that’s something that goes for just about any large community, though.
Your Rei Ayanami from Evangelion is super detailed and complex! Again
you bring such a cute nature to the character. What was it like creating her? I
imagine you’re a fan of the series correct? It looks like a varying amount of
different materials were used for her, what were some of them?
Thank you! Evangelion
is one of my top favorites, and I’ve made three cosplays from the series so
far. My newest Ayanami cosplay was based off of a figure called “Super Plugsuit
Version” by R.C. Berg. It’s basically a mecha cat suit haha. I loved the figure
ever since I first saw it and I immediately added it to my ~Future Cosplays~
list. I really wanted to try making something a little more complex this year,
so I figured why not start with this one! The costume is made out of stretchy
white matte fabric and black wet-look fabric, as well as wire, craft foam and
worbla. This was right before I got my sewing machine, so all of it was sewn by
hand. All of the details on the boots were sewn on while I was wearing them,
and I poked myself a lot in the process T__T… This was also my first time
working with worbla, which is a thermoplastic that you heat up and mold, and it
was honestly really amazing. I found myself loving the material which is
unfortunate because it’s really expensive! It took a lot of blood, sweat, and
tears to make, but it was so worth it in the end to see the results! My
favorite part is the tail, which is actually a pool noodle.
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| Photo by KL Media |
As with most hobbies, some controversial topics/movements appear and
take place be it at conventions or mainly on the Internet. Is there any within
the cosplay community that you’re super passionate about?
“Cosplay is not
consent” is something that I strongly stand by. It’s really simple. If someone
is out in public wearing a cosplay, sexy or not, you need to ask for permission
before you snap a photo, touch them, or their costume! ^^
What do you think about cosplay as it is now hitting the mainstream?
I think it’s so
great!! Cosplay is a wonderful art form and I’m glad people are giving it a
chance, or beginning to accept it even if they may not understand it.
Do you have any upcoming cosplays for this year that you’re able to
share?
Nothing new, but I’m
currently putting together a Nana Osaki cosplay, a character from my favorite
anime, Nana, which should be finished before the end of the year!
Do you imagine cosplaying being a part of your life within the next 5
years and do you hope to evolve your skill set?
Absolutely! I know I
will take breaks from time to time because of how expensive it gets, and
because I plan to go to school for makeup artistry next year, but I don’t see
myself quitting cosplay entirely any time soon; it makes me happy!
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| Photo by D.I.S/C Photography |
What’s a day in the life of Rachel Nycole?
Not too interesting!
My days are mostly spontaneous honestly. I’m not working at the moment so I’ve
been spending lots of my time at home. Sometimes I get up really early and try
to be as productive as possible, spend hours crafting things when I’m feeling
inspired, and other times I’ll just sleep in and watch Netflix all day hahaha.
I also really enjoy going on nature walks, doing photoshoots, and spending time
with my friends!
Any upcoming game releases you’re looking forward to?
After BlizzCon I’ve
got to say I’m stoked about the new WoW expansion, Legion. I got to try a demo
at the convention and it was really, really cool. I’m even considering cosplaying
a Demon Hunter now, which is the new playable class. I’m also really looking
forward to that new open-world Zelda game that’s supposed to be coming out for
the Wii U. Another one is Final Fantasy XV! I’m really excited to play as Noctis. ❤_❤
Do you have a favorite convention?
BLIZZ!! Before that
though, it was Anime Rev. Since that was the con that introduced me to the
world of cosplay and the community. I attend every year and it will always be
special to me! ^^
What anime world/setting would you rather live in?
Probably Naruto. Who wouldn’t want to be a
ninja~ I’m not still in love with Kakashi or anything… (^^;)
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| Photo by Jeri Arsenault Photography |
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Having been such a big fan of Rachel's work, I'm so glad we finally got a chance to do this interview. She really seems to enjoy cosplaying and has learned so much from it. I now have my fingers crossed for meeting her one day <3. Below are links to Rachel Nycole's social media sites. Please go check out her work, you will not be disappointed! Thank you again Rachel for giving me this opportunity, it was well worth the wait and you gave some amazing answers that connected to me :D
https://www.facebook.com/officialRachelNycole
https://twitter.com/rachelnycole
https://www.instagram.com/rachelnycole/
