DeLa Doll’s May Q&A!
Welcome to my first official Question and Answer post! I’ll be posting these on a monthly basis, with questions provided to me by my Patreon subscribers and other peeps! For this first Q&A session, however, I asked for questions from everyone from my Facebook, Instagram, and Cosplay Amino! I got a lot more questions than I anticipated (which is why this is a written blog post instead of a video, heh), so please forgive me if I didn’t answer yours this time around. Now, without further ado, here are the questions…and answers!
“What is your favorite cosplay so far?”
-Licianae, Instagram
My favorite cosplay so far is probably Enchantress. I had so much fun making it because I applied a lot of new skills and experimented with materials in a way that I hadn’t before. I even mixed chemicals to oxidize the chains! Plus, I really like doing all the make-up to for her character because it’s mostly just me making myself look as grimy as possible and I love getting messy! Another reason that she’s my favorite is because I don’t typically get to walk around in only a bra, rusty chains, and tiny tattered skirt looking like I’m ready to fuck shit up, so I appreciate that becoming Enchantress allows me to fulfill that desire. I just really dig that powerful, feral girl aesthetic.
Me in my Enchantress Cosplay!
– Circus Cosplay, Cosplay Amino
All of my cosplay friends because I see firsthand how hard they work on their cosplays and how amazingly creative they are. Some of the cosplayers I haven’t met but also really admire are
- Kamui Cosplay – Her tutorials and books on cosplay and crafting are amazing and she comes off as really sweet and down to earth in her videos! Her skills are goals.
- Kaybear Cosplay – The work she puts into her cosplays is amazing. She’s extremely talented and deserves every bit of recognition she gets. Plus she’s super cute!
- Ginny Di – I love how she mixes in her singing and music with her cosplay! She’s talented in both aspects, and she’s also really great about helping other cosplayers achieve their goals and speaking up on controversial issues.
There are also tons of others, but if I listed them all this blog post would never end.
“Do you ever say ‘funsies” out loud? When did you realize ‘Hey, I’m a cute nerd; I may be able to turn this into money?'”
-Lucas K, Facebook
I do! I type the way I talk. I also say “nifty” a lot. I don’t have time or energy to put on a fake persona and be inauthentic in anything that I do. As for the second question, it’s always amusing to me when people assume that I’m making money through cosplay. I do it mainly for fun, but I’d love to make a lot of money through cosplay, because who wouldn’t love to get paid doing something they’re truly passionate about? The reality is that I currently pay for my site upkeep, cosplays, and convention badges myself (with the exception of the conventions I get to attend for free in exchange for press coverage on my blog). But I mean, if you want me to be a cute nerd who turns cosplay and blogging into money, you can subscribe to my new Patreon (hint, hint).
“Do you love cartoony stuff like Tom and Jerry, The Looney Tunes, and The Animaniacs?”
-Tony M, Facebook
YES! I’m crazy about literally every cartoon you listed. I’ve seen every classic episode of The Looney Tunes, Tiny Toon Adventures, and The Looney Tunes Show that came out on Cartoon Network a couple years ago. I also still regularly watch Tom and Jerry because my daughter loves it, the original episodes and the newer ones that came out after the golden age. I also watched The Animaniacs religiously as a child, and can still sing the theme song from memory! So…yeah, I’m definitely really really big on cartoons! My all time favorite classic cartoon is Scooby-Doo, and some of my favorite newer cartoons are Home: The Adventures of Tip and Oh, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Adventure Time. I probably watch cartoons more than live action shows.
“What is your ultimate goal with blogging?”
-Belle B, Facebook
Mainly self expression, and provoking thought and discussion. I’ve always been a writer, so this is how I, you know, write! I’d also like for my blogging to become profitable because, again, who wouldn’t wanna make money doing the things they enjoy?Blogging also keeps my skills sharp for my other writing endeavors; I write a lot of poetry and short stories and I want to get to a point where I create a work of fiction that I can feel confident in publishing and sharing with the world. It would be amazing to write a graphic novel and see people cosplaying characters I made. I would probably cry. I cry a lot. I’m a waterbag. This is getting way off topic, so let me reel it back in! My ultimate goal with blogging can be summed up with
- Self expression
- Encouraging discussion and thought
- Gettin’ mooooooneeeeey because we live in a capitalist society and I kinda need it to live and stuff!
“How do you feel about being a true inspiration to women of color who cosplay? I appreciate what you do and I wanted to know your thoughts on this because you break boundaries and show anyone can cosplay whoever they want no matter [their] size or race.”
-Darkgx, Instagram
First of all, thank you! Every time I get messages like this, I tear up a little and feel all warm inside, seriously. Any time someone tells me inspired them or helped motivate them to cosplay or just be themselves without fear or shame, I get a little emotional. I started cosplaying for fun, and had heard horror stories of people being bullied and such if they didn’t look exactly like the character. It made me a little cautious, but I still went for it and I’m glad I did because the fun I’ve had has outweighed the negativity. Now that I have gotten to a point where I empower others to do the same, it just feels really good, I want to make sure I continue to set a good example and uplift others by showing them you don’t have to fit a certain mold or set of standards to do what you love, whether that’s in cosplay or just in life in general! Part of what I want to do is to start hosting panels on cyber-bullying, media representation, diversity, and facing your fears as they relate to cosplay. I’m not perfect, but it makes me feel good to know that I’m helping people just by being myself.
“How long have you been cosplaying?”
-Wowitswhitney, Instagram
A little under 2.5 years! I started in December 2014, when I went to Holiday Matsuri and cosplayed Marceline from Adventure Time and Saya from Blood+.
My very first cosplays. Marceline and Saya, respectively.
-Sean K, Facebook
I haven’t had any racist encounters in person at a con. Only online. I think that a lot of people who are hateful and ignorant feel safer expressing their negativity online. Most of them aren’t foolish enough to try that shit in person. I’ve actually had predominantly positive experiences at conventions with all sorts of people, which is part of why I love going to them! The only negativity I’ve dealt with in-person has been with being sexually harassed or the awkwardness of bumping into former friends who have bad blood, but even then it hasn’t been super extensive for the most part. Most of the really bad things happen online, it seems. Cowards.
“Have you ever done a cosplay that you regret doing? And Why?”
-Marc C, Facebook
I kinda regret doing my Yoruichi (from Bleach) cosplay at MegaCon 2016 because I didn’t take my time with it to make sure it was up to own personal standards, lol. It didn’t look bad, but it also didn’t look the way I envisioned it, and so I want to redo it. I’ve found that I’d rather take my time and make something exactly the way I want than to rush through it.
“Biggest success moment?”
-Kali N, Facebook
I have like 3! My first one was when I got contacted by the Huffington Post to become a contributor for them after my “Blackface” article went viral because it was so unexpected. I was just sharing my experiences and thoughts and it took off. It wasn’t something I wrote to make the rounds, so to speak, but it did!
My second one was when my “Open Letter to Tim Burton” went viral because it proved that my writing really did resonate with people and that my earlier success wasn’t just a fluke or stroke of luck. Even though I’ve always gotten positive feedback about my writing (dating way back to kindergarten), I still have my doubts, you know? But I’m starting to doubt myself less and push myself more! Those two success moments have motivated me to keep writing and shown me that I do have a voice and perspective that people relate to and admire, which feels amazing.
Me in the cosplay that won me money, featuring my munchkin in cat facepaint
All done!
That’s all for this round! I’ll answer some of the other questions I got (as well as some new ones!) in my June Q&A! Thanks for your questions and support, and don’t forget to share this post if you liked it! You can also subscribe to my blog and check me out in these places on the interwebs.
~DeLa Doll 💖
DeLa Doll is a culture writer, cosplayer, and artist based in Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2016, with some of her work being featured on sites like HuffPo and /Film. She is an advocate for meaningful diversity and representation in media, a gamer, a mom, and an avid user of DIY hair dye.
