Cosplay Interview #4

Twinfools

Home: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 24
Height: 5'8"
Blood Type: O+

This year's Con list:
-Alcon (England)
-Aki Con (Seattle)
-Frost Con (Toronto)




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CosWeek: When did you start Cosplaying?
TwinFools: I started cosplaying in 2007.

CosWeek: What keeps you doing it?
TwinFools: It is most definitely because of the friendship network I have built in the cosplay community that keeps me involved in the hobby even when I might be tired of the hobby itself. From time to time you do get exhausted with building and constructing outfits, and even with attending cons. However these feelings ebb and flow and time after time I find my love for cosplay returning because of the people that make it so much fun.

CosWeek: What is the Origin of your name?
TwinFools: "Twinfools" was just a combination of my two favourite words at the time. I get words in my head from time to time that I like the "ring" of. Later on I connected the name to my starsign, Gemini, but this is a coincidental meaning.

CosWeek: What has been the highlight of your Cosplay experiences?
TwinFools: It has been absolutely incredible to be invited to cons in different countries and meet cosplayers from around the world. It's something that I feel is so unique and I never would have had the chance to experience had I not gotten into cosplay. My social circle used to be very localized and small, and now I find myself keeping in touch with folks from Norway, Sweden, Australia, England, the US and many other countries on a regular basis!

It's also been a really incredible way for me to express my creative side. Instead of making artwork I am embodying that artwork, which is a really kinetic form of art that really appeals to me.

CosWeek: What forms of materials do you work in?
TwinFools: I work primarily with heavier fabrics (twill, for example) because the majority of my costumes call for firmer fabrics. In terms of prop making I stick mostly to malleable materials, such as craft foam. For wig styling I almost exclusively use Got 2 B Freezing Spray as a hair product and thinning scissors for cutting the wig. I like to stick to materials that I am familiar with.

CosWeek: What is your 'Home' con?
TwinFools: My home con is Anime Revolution, as it's my favourite local con and one that I attend yearly. I'd also mention, though, that although Aki Con is in Washington I consider it to also be a "home con" of sorts because its where most of my "local" cosplay friends gather each year. The cosplay network that I'm a part of is very much a combination of people from Vancouver and people from Seattle/Portland.

CosWeek: What are you making currently?
TwinFools: I'll be starting work on re-making Eren from Attack on Titan soon. I also have a few "nostalgia" cosplays planned for the fall.

CosWeek: What was your, 'My Other Me' experience like?
TwinFools: There were a number of issues that came up during filming, most notably issues of scewed focus wherein the film's director was more fixated on my medical experiences than in my cosplay which I felt was a misrepresentation of intention. The film's crew also attempted to bribe my friends for information on the date/time of my wedding which soured my relationship with the film early on. The film also states that I left the project halfway through, which is factually not true and something that the director himself admitted was false information in an interview but has yet to rectify within the film. I think that people should see the film before forming their opinion on it, but this far down the road I cannot say that my experience with the film has been rosey.


CosWeek: What advice would you give to someone looking to get into Cosplay?
TwinFools: Cons are an excellent place to start, even if it's just for inspiration. I'd also suggest looking into your local cosplay community to see if there is a local Facebook group for cosplayers and cosplay events. For example, in Vancouver there is the "Vancouver Cosplay Exchange" page which is very useful for cosplayers across the board. But most of all I really urge people to just dive into it and take that first step. Everyone starts from somewhere so even if you're not happy with your first cosplay you can take that experience and improve it for next time. Cosplay is a craft of constant improvement, you will never be without something you can improve upon, so treat each failure and success as a learning experience.