Where are you from, and how did you get into Pokémon?
I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I got into Pokémon when I was just 3 years old from the Indigo League anime. That year, I got Pokémon Yellow and a Game Boy Color for Christmas. I was obsessed!
How did you get started in cosplay?
My first cosplay I wore to a convention was May from Ruby & Sapphire when I was a sophomore in high school. I used my natural hair and clothes I bought-I only made the bandana myself. I’m remaking the cosplay this year with a proper wig and more accurate clothing, since that was over a decade ago. My skills have improved so much since then!
How did you choose costumes for this year’s event?
To be honest, attending NAIC was a bit of a last-minute decision for me, so I didn’t have a plan for a cosplay lineup initially. I was already working on Elesa, and since I wore Skyla to Milwaukee regionals a month before, I thought NAIC would be a good fit for her debut.
And the other costumes for the weekend?
For Saturday, I initially wanted to be Sonia from Sword & Shield on Saturday, but the outfit wasn’t really weather appropriate. Serena was better suited for the warm weather, and she’s a very recognizable character, so I decided to bring her. For Sunday, I chose to bring my “Champion Ash” to celebrate Ash's victory in the Master’s Eight tournament that came to Netflix the week before NAIC.
What went into making the Elesa costume?
Some of it is secondhand and some of it is handmade. The dress is made of a flexible material in three colors, the collar is from my Serena cosplay, and the headphones I painted and glued some cords onto.
Part of the outfit I got online, like the vest, and other parts are altered clothes or official toys. For the logo design, like the backpack and hat, I used a machine called a Cricut to cut out foam and vinyl (respectively). I got some basketball shorts online that I custom-dyed. For the wig, I used a black wig that I already had, and I cut, crimped, and spiked it. I had to use thinning shears to thin out the fibers so I could fit the hat on top! Ash uses all three regional gimmicks between gens 6-8, so I wanted to incorporate that into the cosplay. I glued a mega keystone of the glove for the mega glove. I purchased an official Z-Power Ring with Pikachunium Z and Dynamax Band replica toys for the other two gimmicks. I also have an official Rotom Phone like Ash has. I bought Leon's cape online as a finishing touch. Lastly, for the makeup, I contour my face to look more boyish, thicken and darken my eyebrows, line my eyes with black, and use an eye pencil to create those Z-shaped cheek marks he had.
Is it difficult to bring multiple cosplays to an event?
It depends! It’s always a challenge to cosplay on Sunday, since it's shorter, and a lot of the times you have to worry about checking out of the hotel too. It’s only really a pain if there is a lot of armor or big props, and most Pokémon characters don't have that problem, fortunately. Most of the problem is having the motivation to get up, get ready, and for Pokémon events, potentially compete.
What other cosplays have you done recently?
Most of what I cosplay is from Fire Emblem, but lately I've done a lot of Pokémon. Goh from the Journeys anime, Rosa from Black & White 2, and Vaporeon are some of my more recent ones. My Rosa cosplay was even featured in the trailer for Chuggaaconroy's BW2 Let's Play!
What else did you do at NAIC this year?
I competed in Pokémon Puzzle League! I play this game very seriously, and it’s based on the anime, which is one of my favorite things about it, because there aren't any other Anipoke games out there. I ended up placing 1st on Friday, 3rd on Saturday, and 2nd on Sunday. I also did side events for GO and VGC. Between all of those, I won a ton of prize tickets that I cashed in for plushies and other merchandise!
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