1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,560 Hey there and thank you for joining me for another episode of YQG In Bloom. 2 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:15,840 I am your host Tracy Martens and don't forget to like and subscribe to my podcast. 3 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,680 Today I have Rachel Gray from RayGrey Cosplay. 4 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:19,680 Hey. 5 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:20,680 Hi everyone. 6 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,160 And I'm so excited because I want to know exactly what is cosplay. 7 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:29,600 Well, do I have a tale for you? 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:35,800 So originally cosplay when it came like it came from Japan and it meant costume play. 9 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:42,200 So in Japan a lot of things are very structured and very solid and there's you know 95 or 10 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:48,520 not even 95, 90 whatever and they wanted a way to express themselves and to kind of 11 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,100 free up from that stagnant energy. 12 00:00:51,100 --> 00:00:56,160 So people would start to dress in characters from their different animes and things they 13 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:57,520 used to watch. 14 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:02,240 And then actually the very first cosplayer in America was actually Wonder Woman cosplayer. 15 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:03,240 Yeah. 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,240 It was a big deal because people didn't dress up to go to Comic Cons and there was a first 17 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:11,600 girl who was like I love Wonder Woman and I'm just going to dress like her and she blew 18 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:12,840 everyone away. 19 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:13,840 That's so cool. 20 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:14,840 Early San Francisco. 21 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:15,840 Oh no sorry San Diego. 22 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:16,840 Early San Diego. 23 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:22,520 Now I really enjoy going to the Comic Cons and seeing all the people in the costumes 24 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:27,920 and how much they get into it but it's nice to have a backstory because I mean realistically 25 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:33,280 you look at it and it's like okay there's adults running around in Halloween costumes. 26 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:39,720 So it's fun and it's a community is it not? 27 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:40,720 It sure is. 28 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,520 It's definitely a very vast community but it's all based on kind of the love of the 29 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:46,520 fandoms. 30 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:55,880 I find a lot of times people really love whatever movie or video game or manga or anime or whatever 31 00:01:55,880 --> 00:02:01,520 it is the piece of media and art that they love kind of transcends and transfers into 32 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,200 this physical thing which is why people do it. 33 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,240 I mean they also do it because it is a lot of fun when you're dressed up and you're 34 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:13,160 a different person and a different character you kind of get into a different mindset so 35 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:14,680 that can be fun sometimes. 36 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,080 It's like acting without the paycheck. 37 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:17,080 Very, very much. 38 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:18,080 Sometimes with the paycheck. 39 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:22,880 Well with the paycheck this is true and you are one of them. 40 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,840 You've turned this into a job of sorts. 41 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:31,920 True I've gone through a lot of different variations of what a cosplay job is because 42 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:36,760 there is definitely multiple different types of jobs. 43 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:44,000 You know there's the professional or the content creator type version who just makes a lot 44 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,600 of stuff and does a lot of stuff and puts it all online to get monetized. 45 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:49,280 I don't really monetize as much. 46 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,600 I should do a little more. 47 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:57,120 But there's that side of things where there's what I do mostly do is judging so I go to 48 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:02,280 the conventions they bring me in just because of my eye because I've had a lot of years 49 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:07,000 experience building things and making things and I could tell you from a mile away what 50 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:11,920 that's made of and how they did it or at least close enough to how they did it because some 51 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:13,680 people would surprise you. 52 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:18,520 There's very much ingenuity in cosplay and like engineering and things like that. 53 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,040 I mean even with you what is your background in school? 54 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:23,840 I know you've told me this before. 55 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,080 I've done a lot of things. 56 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,160 My background technically is musical theater. 57 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,360 So singing, dancing, acting. 58 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:36,480 But when I was in musical theater I originally I wanted to be a fashion designer so I would 59 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:40,320 like I was applying to things and I just wasn't getting back what I needed because of math 60 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:41,880 related stuff. 61 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,800 But when I was in school for musical theater I would do the whole day. 62 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,600 I would sing, dance, act my little heart out and then after all that I would go and I would 63 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,800 help them sew the costumes in the evening. 64 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:58,040 Well and that's what I love and if you get a chance go to Ray Gray. 65 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:05,640 It's R-A-Y-G-R-E-Y cosplay dot com because first of all your website I was looking through 66 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:06,640 it last night. 67 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:07,640 Oh thanks. 68 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:08,640 And it is so cool. 69 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:09,640 I love all the color. 70 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:10,640 I do need to edit some things. 71 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,400 Some stuff needs to be updated. 72 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:13,400 That's for sure. 73 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,200 I don't have like a web person so I really do everything myself. 74 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,480 But you're sewing because I know you make your costumes. 75 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:23,800 They are amazing. 76 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,240 They don't look like they're homemade. 77 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,320 I know a lot of people sometimes are like where did you get that? 78 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:30,600 How did you get that? 79 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:31,600 That last blue one. 80 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:32,600 Oh Vaporeon? 81 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:33,600 Yeah. 82 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:37,180 It's like okay she made that. 83 00:04:37,180 --> 00:04:38,180 You could have. 84 00:04:38,180 --> 00:04:39,360 Within like three days too. 85 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:43,640 You could have an entire career on just making costumes. 86 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:44,920 I want to. 87 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:49,240 The issue is it's hard to kind of break into that industry especially here because it's 88 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,480 not really a vibrant industry here. 89 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:57,600 So I'd have to do say commission work or I'd have to like outsource the things that I do. 90 00:04:57,600 --> 00:04:59,680 And like I said I'm one person. 91 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:05,240 So not only am I my own seamstress and you know person who does all the dyeing and the 92 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:10,320 dremeling and cutting and all those things not only do I make it but I do my own social 93 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:18,040 media and video editing and sound and lighting and makeup and hair and wigs and hair and 94 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:22,640 production and I'm my own director and producer and publisher and whatever. 95 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:28,200 Like I do it all but it's just it does you hit a wall after a while. 96 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,180 So you need a break in between things. 97 00:05:31,180 --> 00:05:35,680 You're also a local content creator or you've got new events that I've gone to. 98 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:36,680 So fun. 99 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:37,680 It is. 100 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:38,680 It really is. 101 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,240 It's a nice little community itself which I enjoy. 102 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,240 Now what got you started in the cosplay? 103 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,960 I know you like to do the sewing and the theater. 104 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:49,960 I do. 105 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,040 I was doing that way before. 106 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:57,480 Like I was for a while and it's funny that I'm gonna go see Dee Dee tonight hopefully. 107 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:03,520 For a while Dee Dee and I were actually doing fashion like runway shows in bars. 108 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:04,520 Yeah. 109 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:09,360 So she had her own little company already started and now it's like way bigger. 110 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:10,920 But I just did it for fun. 111 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,000 I wanted to make some cool stuff and she was like why not do this? 112 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:15,920 I was like that's such a great idea. 113 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:17,240 Why don't I do that? 114 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:21,740 So I joined but a lot of my stuff was very fantasy based. 115 00:06:21,740 --> 00:06:25,680 You know like medieval or armor or like comic books or things like that. 116 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,760 Everything that I enjoyed I kind of encapsulated into it. 117 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,680 But I didn't realize that people made costumes. 118 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,600 Like in high school I would just make cool stuff because I wanted cool stuff. 119 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,360 And then later on one of my sister's ex-boyfriends introduced us to Comic Cons. 120 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,360 He said do you know what Fan Expo is? 121 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,280 And I was like no what's Fan Expo? 122 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:51,840 At this point in time I was reading a lot of comic books and one of my exes actually 123 00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:55,520 had given me a comic book technically about myself. 124 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:57,760 And I thought that was fascinating. 125 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,000 Which comic book was it? 126 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,000 It's Excalibur. 127 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,440 So for those who don't know, for the X-Men, because X-Men is really big right now, for 128 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:10,240 the X-Men, Jean Grey and Scott Summers, they get together in a different alternate universe 129 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,320 and they have kids. 130 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:18,160 One's name is Hope Summers and one's name is Rachel Summers aka Rachel Grey with an 131 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:19,160 E. 132 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,880 So and it's interesting because especially right now with my short hair we look exactly 133 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:24,960 alike in the X-Men 52. 134 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:26,240 So that was my first thing. 135 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:27,240 I was like you know what? 136 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:28,400 I'm already a superhero. 137 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:29,840 I'll just be myself. 138 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:32,440 And then I made the outfit for her. 139 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,520 Nobody knew who it was because it's very like niche character. 140 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:36,520 That's okay. 141 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:37,520 Yeah. 142 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:38,520 Everybody thought it was Jean Grey and that's fine. 143 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:39,520 It's her mother. 144 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:40,520 She's still cool. 145 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:41,520 She had Wolverine. 146 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:42,520 Heck yeah. 147 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:43,520 Family resemblance and everything. 148 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:50,080 So yeah I went to Fan Expo for the first time and I looked around and I'm like wow these 149 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:51,600 costumes are amazing. 150 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:52,600 These people. 151 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:53,600 The artistry. 152 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:56,040 They're big for art all around. 153 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,120 So I just was like you know what? 154 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,060 I can do better next year. 155 00:08:00,060 --> 00:08:02,760 And then it was this ongoing thing of I can do better. 156 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:03,760 What am I doing? 157 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:04,760 Yeah. 158 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:10,800 I remember I think it was like 2014 and me and my husband were just together almost a 159 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:16,000 year and him and his daughter used to go to Fan Expo and I was the type that I don't 160 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:17,240 read comic books. 161 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:19,480 I don't watch these like Marvel things. 162 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:21,160 All the superhero movies. 163 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,920 And he's like well let's go to Fan Expo and I'm like okay Toronto I'm there. 164 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:25,920 Heck yeah. 165 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:29,920 And I ended up having so much fun and seeing the people. 166 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:30,920 It was just insane. 167 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:36,160 But then I'm also the type that will go up and start talking to the people without paying 168 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:37,160 for it. 169 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:38,160 Oh like to the celebrities. 170 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:39,160 I'm bad. 171 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:40,160 You know what? 172 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:41,160 It used to be fine. 173 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:44,560 It used to be okay and everybody was like just excited to talk to people. 174 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:47,560 Now the celebrities are like it's $20 for a selfie. 175 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:49,560 Yeah a selfie with your own phone. 176 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:50,560 $20. 177 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:51,560 $40. 178 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:56,560 Because we went a couple years ago and it was like the Motor City Comic Con. 179 00:08:56,560 --> 00:08:58,040 That is a fun one. 180 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:02,160 And Princess Leia was here. 181 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:03,160 I saw that costume. 182 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:04,160 Did you like it? 183 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:05,160 Oh yeah. 184 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:06,160 Oh my god. 185 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:10,240 I think you hit every boy's fantasy in that costume. 186 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:11,240 Maybe. 187 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:12,240 I don't know. 188 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,560 There's trolls online who tell a different story but they're trolls so who knows. 189 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:16,560 It's okay. 190 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:18,720 I think it was fabulous. 191 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,720 So you'd look a lot better in it than I did. 192 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:28,480 Honestly it was really fun and I like my little video I made about people yanking my chain 193 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:30,200 and telling me jokes. 194 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:32,720 That was really good. 195 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:37,680 The whole you got to scroll through her Instagram but there was people that were pulling you 196 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:38,680 by the cheek. 197 00:09:38,680 --> 00:09:41,560 Now were they taking pictures for themselves as well? 198 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:43,960 Because that looked like you guys were having a blast. 199 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:45,920 Yeah it's always fun at Motor City. 200 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:51,200 I find that to be one of the best ones and one of the ones I have the best memories with. 201 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:52,600 Like with Michael Rooker. 202 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:53,880 He's so great. 203 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,040 In the 2014 when I said I'd go up and talk to everybody. 204 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:02,560 I had not really watched The Walking Dead or just minimally. 205 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:03,560 Okay. 206 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:05,560 And had no idea who he was. 207 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:09,840 And I'm sitting there and there's nobody in line and I'm just chatting with him at the 208 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:11,040 side thinking it was a handler. 209 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:12,680 Sometimes it's just like that. 210 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:19,440 And after about 5-10 minutes we laughed and as I'm looking I'm like oh my god I told my 211 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:20,440 husband. 212 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:21,440 I talked to him. 213 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:22,440 Hold on. 214 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:23,440 He's like really? 215 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:24,440 I'm like yes I did. 216 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,000 One of my favorite pictures of all time. 217 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,560 I was dressed as Gamora and he had just done what was the Guardians of the Galaxy. 218 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:33,060 It was after the second one. 219 00:10:33,060 --> 00:10:36,080 So I'm dressed as Gamora and I walk up to him and we're chatting and stuff and I said 220 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:38,800 can we take a picture but like a funny pic. 221 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:39,800 Like I want a funny picture. 222 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,840 I don't want like a oh we're here smiling and yay go us. 223 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:43,840 No I don't want that. 224 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:45,840 I want something like memorable and fun. 225 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:47,280 Can we do something like that? 226 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:48,640 And he said sure stick out your tongue. 227 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:49,640 I'm like huh? 228 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:51,040 He's like yeah just stick out your tongue. 229 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:52,040 I'm like okay. 230 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:53,040 Stick out my tongue. 231 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:54,040 He grabs a hold of it. 232 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,120 He's not holding my tongue and I'm just like okay. 233 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:58,120 Funniest. 234 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:01,120 Funniest man I swear. 235 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,120 Oh my goodness that's awesome. 236 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:05,120 He's hilarious. 237 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:06,120 I would have died but. 238 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:07,120 I did. 239 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:08,600 I mean that's so cool too. 240 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:09,600 Come on. 241 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:10,600 I guess. 242 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:14,720 Another really good like celebrity story I have is from first Windsor Comic Con we've 243 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:15,720 ever had. 244 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,520 The very first one was my very favorite because they had everything. 245 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,760 They're ducks in a row and tons of people were excited for new like event and avenue. 246 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:24,520 I think I was at that one. 247 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:26,200 Oh yeah the first one was amazing. 248 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:30,200 And I mean I maybe I just loved it because they treated me like a celebrity which was 249 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:31,320 really sweet of them. 250 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,280 Like we were driving around a little golf cart and we had to go around the city doing 251 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:35,280 media stuff. 252 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,240 Me and Batman and Lou Ferrigno right. 253 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:40,040 So the three of us I was riding in the Batmobile. 254 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:41,160 It was all a good time. 255 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:42,160 Brampton. 256 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:45,320 Shout out to Brampton Batman for his Batmobile. 257 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:49,360 But yeah so we were waiting at the police station and I'm poison ivy so I'm kind of 258 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,360 like you know I'm scandalous and I'm chilly. 259 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:54,360 Lou Ferrigno just like gives me his coat. 260 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:56,720 I was like oh that's so sweet. 261 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,240 Seriously can you find a nicer man than that. 262 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:00,240 I don't know. 263 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,520 And he's been in the scene for a long time. 264 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,040 From what I've heard he has been he is so nice. 265 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:06,040 He is. 266 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,120 I've never had the chance of meeting him. 267 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:13,320 He's one person that I would pay to meet because I heard that he's just got a heart of gold. 268 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,800 I would love to go and just be able to do stuff like that. 269 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:18,800 I love the makeup and the hair and the costume. 270 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:19,800 You should try it sometime. 271 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:25,280 You just have to pick whatever character really like feeds into your soul or what you're feeling. 272 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:29,840 I find it always works best if you really care about the character. 273 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,440 Either be it their design or their backstory or what have you. 274 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:39,840 Now some of your costumes are they well I know actual characters but are some just characters 275 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,120 you've created? 276 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,840 Not technically I don't think. 277 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:46,840 Or your own spin on them. 278 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:51,040 Yeah I mean there's always I always have my own tiny little spin on it because I pick 279 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:52,040 really niche stuff. 280 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,040 I don't know why. 281 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:59,040 There is this designer that she like a graphics designer that she does a bunch of different 282 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:02,080 designs and her name is Hannah Alexandra. 283 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:09,400 And she does a lot of very art nouveau beautiful goddess like versions of like new regular 284 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,200 characters we all know and love. 285 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,280 So I've done a few of those. 286 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,680 I wouldn't consider them my designs personally like obviously but I mean it is different 287 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:20,240 from like regular Poison Ivy right? 288 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:25,160 And when it comes to her I have taken liberties on how I want to do things or like where it's 289 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:30,520 not all it's based off of a specific like here's a picture boom. 290 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:31,520 But some of it is. 291 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:38,000 You have so many multiverses and different genres and that so realistically when you're 292 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:42,000 dealing with any of the comic book characters you can take liberties because there's so 293 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:43,480 many different ones. 294 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,520 Especially with Harley and Ivy forget about it. 295 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:49,560 It's all whatever variation you want. 296 00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:51,320 Yeah exactly. 297 00:13:51,320 --> 00:14:00,480 Okay so outside of the fan expos and the comic cons what do you do that is cosplay related? 298 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:01,800 I have done multiple things. 299 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:08,920 So I have done like free comic book days and or I've done events with LaSalle lights and 300 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,800 things like that where we dress up as Disney princesses and we're there for the kids reading 301 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:14,080 books and things like that. 302 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,080 Oh I bet they love that. 303 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:16,080 Oh the kids love it. 304 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,160 And well and I've been a camp counselor for my entire life. 305 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:20,160 Yeah. 306 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,680 Like I always I was doing camp counseling at Braeside for a while. 307 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,760 I did camp counseling in Alberta for a summer. 308 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:30,080 I don't know I've always just been really good with kids probably because I am one. 309 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:31,080 Internally. 310 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:32,080 You don't have to be. 311 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:33,520 Internally I'm five years old. 312 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,320 Have fun with your costumes. 313 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,600 Yeah so I don't know there's some costumes. 314 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:45,760 It's a definite strange balance for me because as much as I love doing children's entertainment 315 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,200 and things like that because I do love performing and the kids get a kick out of performing 316 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:50,200 very well. 317 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:57,160 I also though am an adult who loves adult things so there's a very fine line of like 318 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:02,480 what I wear where and I try to like be mindful of it but sometimes people don't give me information 319 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,880 and then I'm in something that's a little more scandalous and I would have chose something 320 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:06,880 else. 321 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:07,880 Yeah. 322 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:11,000 You know it just it really depends. 323 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:18,160 Now I know that you have also had an affiliation with the circus school in Windsor. 324 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:19,160 Yeah. 325 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,160 You know have you taken classes there or taught. 326 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:26,720 You know I have actually taken classes there originally back when like the original circus 327 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:27,960 school was working. 328 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,880 I won a thing to go for like a week or something. 329 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:31,880 Oh that's cool. 330 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:37,240 Yeah so I learned silks there and I was going to continue but then COVID happened and then 331 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:43,040 everything got shut down which was unfortunate especially because I'm very active person 332 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:47,960 and a lot of the costumes or characters I like are also extremely active like cartwheeling 333 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:50,560 or back flipping or I mean I can't do a back flip. 334 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:51,560 I wish. 335 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,840 But I but I love Lyra. 336 00:15:54,840 --> 00:16:02,240 Like I picked Lyra up this no sorry last year I picked Lyra up at Movadi and I don't know 337 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:07,320 I fell in love with it ever since so now I'm just anytime I can get myself on a hoop I'm 338 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:13,680 on a hoop and originally when I started doing it my whole thing was okay well I love cosplay 339 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:18,960 but I sometimes get bored at conventions because I feel like I need to be doing something which 340 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,160 is why I like being a part of like helping with the convention because then I'm doing 341 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:26,560 something and I'm not just like I'm here I'm in a costume you know and I mean some people 342 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,640 love that some people love to get dressed up and they just like to hang out and vibe 343 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:31,640 and have a good time and relax. 344 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:34,880 And that's fine too but I don't know where relaxing is. 345 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:39,680 Well the thing is is if you you can only stand there for so long before you're looking going 346 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:40,680 okay is it done yet. 347 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:44,720 Right you're right exactly so I always try to find something to do or like some kind 348 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,360 of fun gimmick to add in or like something. 349 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,440 And then it draws attention to you as well. 350 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:51,840 Sure yeah I don't really do it for that per se. 351 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,040 No but it does and I'm sure it helps. 352 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:57,440 People enjoy to see your costumes. 353 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:03,360 Yeah of course and I think they see the amount of work that I put in to stuff. 354 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,040 Well you really get into your character. 355 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:12,960 I've noticed that you really get into it and you're like a little chameleon when your hair 356 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,360 will be all blue and you won't even know it's you the makeup is phenomenal. 357 00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:18,360 Oh thank you. 358 00:17:18,360 --> 00:17:23,080 It really is I was looking at those pictures going and online I'm like darn. 359 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:25,280 Is that her? 360 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:33,760 That is nice especially that I think it was the last thing you posted on Instagram. 361 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:38,640 There was like the four of you and you were in the blue costume. 362 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:39,640 Like Vaporeon? 363 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:40,640 Was it Vaporeon? 364 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:42,240 I think so let me just. 365 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,600 So the Pokemon stuff? 366 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:48,160 I'm just going yes yes that costume was amazing. 367 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,560 Thanks I was unsure about that one. 368 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:57,080 That one technically is my own design like when you asked about if I did my own design. 369 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:58,280 That one technically was. 370 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:01,600 I really wasn't sure it was going to come together because I wasn't running off of a 371 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:06,160 base pattern like usually when I'm making something especially if it's like already 372 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:11,400 a shirt or skirt or something then I'll have a base pattern to go off of and then I will 373 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:16,440 just like add to it or extract from it or things like that edit it as I go along but 374 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:22,280 this one I literally just was like okay here's what a bathing suit shape should be and I 375 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:28,120 cut it and then I did like a mock up and I'm like okay and then yeah it just kind of came 376 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:30,040 to life from there. 377 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:31,040 It was beautiful. 378 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:32,040 Thanks. 379 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:33,040 And I know. 380 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:34,040 It's nice fabric. 381 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:35,040 The fabric turned out. 382 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:36,040 Yeah. 383 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:37,760 That dye job not to suit my own hair. 384 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:38,760 You dyed it? 385 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:44,040 Yeah you know the fabric for the tail and like a little yeah it was like a white fabric 386 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:48,040 actually no it was purple and I was like I wonder if I can re-dye this and then I put 387 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:49,040 it in blue dye. 388 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,040 And it matched perfectly. 389 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:55,520 To give it that little ocean wave vibe yeah and then I sprayed some starch stuff on it 390 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:57,640 to hopefully stiffen it a little. 391 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:02,240 It kind of did but then it gave it like a splatter effect and I'm like it looks so good. 392 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:03,240 It did. 393 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:04,240 It matched perfectly. 394 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,080 You'd never known that it was purple before. 395 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:07,080 Yeah. 396 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:08,080 Straight out purple. 397 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,080 It was blue. 398 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:10,080 I loved it. 399 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:11,080 Yeah. 400 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:17,880 Now I know last year you went and worked at ScareHouse with Velvet Entertainment and it 401 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,600 was the carnival noir. 402 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:21,600 Yeah. 403 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:23,080 Now which deadly sin were you? 404 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:24,080 I was envy. 405 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:25,080 Envy. 406 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:31,520 Honestly it was the most fun sin to be because I got to be the nice one. 407 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:32,520 Oh here I go. 408 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:34,520 I can't stop touching my microphone. 409 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:36,080 I got to be the nice one. 410 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:37,080 Oh cool. 411 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:38,080 Yeah. 412 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:43,400 I mean I made my lovely outfit, my green little, I wanted it to look like a snake kind of wrapping 413 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:47,120 around my body and I feel like I did a perfect job of that. 414 00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:51,440 But my whole thing, my whole gimmick I wanted to do all night was because there's two different 415 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:56,040 envy cards and so the first one I would like I gave people they had to come and take a 416 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:57,440 picture on our little chairs. 417 00:19:57,440 --> 00:19:58,440 Okay. 418 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:02,840 And then they get their first card and the first time around I go oh my god I love that. 419 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,040 Oh my god I love that necklace. 420 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:10,160 I'm envious of like whatever it is they have and I'm like I want that. 421 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:11,160 You know? 422 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:16,320 The second time around they had to come back to me and be like I'm envious of you. 423 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:17,720 That's how they got their second card. 424 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:18,720 Oh that's cool. 425 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:19,720 Yeah. 426 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:21,640 And if they didn't know then they didn't get their second card and then they didn't win 427 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:23,800 the top prizes. 428 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:24,800 So yeah. 429 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:27,160 I am so upset that I missed that. 430 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,120 You know they're doing another one again this year. 431 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:31,120 Good. 432 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:32,120 I'm definitely going to be there. 433 00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:33,120 Red Death I think. 434 00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:34,120 They're calling it Red Death this time. 435 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:37,120 It's off of Stephen King. 436 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:38,120 Yes. 437 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:39,120 Yes. 438 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:40,120 Stephen King. 439 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:41,640 So they're doing another one this year? 440 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:42,640 Yes. 441 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:45,600 It's called The Red Death and it's based off of a Stephen King novel. 442 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:47,440 So we'll see how that goes. 443 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:53,360 And are you guys doing something coming up soon with the circus school as well? 444 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:55,560 It's not technically with the circus school. 445 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:57,080 It's with Alex Embodiment. 446 00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:58,080 Okay. 447 00:20:58,080 --> 00:20:59,080 Yes. 448 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:02,800 So Alex Embodiment she is going to be doing a wellness retreat but it is circus related 449 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:07,080 so she is partnering with Velvet Edge and with me I'm going to be there helping her 450 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:11,840 with social media related things and just kind of celebrating circus and the circus 451 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:12,840 arts as a whole. 452 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:13,840 When is that? 453 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:14,840 August 2nd. 454 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:15,840 August 2nd. 455 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:16,840 Well the whole weekend. 456 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,160 So August 2nd to the 4th I think. 457 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:20,160 Oh. 458 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:21,160 Right. 459 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:22,160 Friday to Sunday. 460 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:24,960 And do they still have enrollment? 461 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:25,960 Oh yes. 462 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:26,960 You can still purchase tickets. 463 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:30,380 You can purchase them with Alex Embodiment on her website or Velvet Edge if you feel 464 00:21:30,380 --> 00:21:31,380 like you want to go there. 465 00:21:31,380 --> 00:21:32,380 Either way. 466 00:21:32,380 --> 00:21:37,040 And they are also, when we are speaking of other things that I'm helping out with, there 467 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:40,000 is an eSports tournament coming soon. 468 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:41,880 July 20th even sooner. 469 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:47,040 So July 20th there is called The Summoning and it's going to be a big eSports entertainment. 470 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:54,520 They are going to have multiple different Battle Royales tournaments and then we are 471 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:56,400 also going to do some cosplay related stuff. 472 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:00,600 I think we are going to do a red carpet for Nintendo related cosplay. 473 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:01,600 Where is that going to be? 474 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:02,600 It's going to be at St. Clair. 475 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:03,600 Oh that will be. 476 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:04,600 Yeah they are partnering with St. Clair. 477 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:05,600 Oh yeah because they have their... 478 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:06,600 For their eSports. 479 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:07,600 Yeah. 480 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:08,600 That's really cool. 481 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:09,600 Yeah. 482 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:10,600 I think it's going to be a good time. 483 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:11,600 So you are busy. 484 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:12,600 Oh yeah. 485 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:13,600 Tell me about it. 486 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:14,600 But that's a good thing. 487 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,080 Well and I'm still trying to work on my own things too. 488 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:22,640 I have three different characters in the works at the moment so I'm trying to slowly chip 489 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:26,680 away at that while I'm also trying to live regular life. 490 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:30,360 Do we have a little sneak peek of what those characters are? 491 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:31,360 Oh sure yeah. 492 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,560 Well I mean I'm working on Zelda from Tears of the Kingdom. 493 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,920 Well technically Breath of the Wild Zelda. 494 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:38,920 It's her blue dress. 495 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:40,920 It's her like very royal, very regal. 496 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:45,880 I've been working on it for a while and the girls have been like get it done. 497 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:46,880 I will. 498 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:47,880 It's got to be perfect. 499 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:48,880 I will. 500 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:49,880 It takes a while. 501 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:52,400 Certain things and I mean they don't have a pattern for everything. 502 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:56,280 I'm going off of my own patterning and intuition right? 503 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:00,840 And then well we are doing a Sailor Moon shoot on Sunday at Jackson Park so I'm going to 504 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:03,880 be Sailor Mars on Sunday. 505 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:08,800 And then I have Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn that I'm working on. 506 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:10,880 I have to finish her but that's going to take a while. 507 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:12,800 There's a lot of detail work in that one. 508 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,200 I don't know if you've ever played that game or seen it. 509 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:16,200 Which game is it? 510 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:17,200 Horizon Zero Dawn? 511 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:18,200 No. 512 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:19,200 No? 513 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:23,800 It's basically a story about this red headed girl which I question if it's always the red 514 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:25,480 heads that I pick. 515 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:30,560 But it's the story of this red headed girl who is like an anomaly sort of. 516 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:36,360 So she's shunned from her society because she's not part of her society and she has 517 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:37,360 to figure out why. 518 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:38,360 She's an orphan. 519 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:42,040 She doesn't know where she comes from and so she's searching around to kind of try to 520 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,440 find where she came from. 521 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:45,440 That's the game. 522 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:50,840 You're running around in this jungle but there's all these machine dinosaur type things that 523 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:54,800 you have to learn how to kill or control. 524 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:56,180 It's a very interesting story. 525 00:23:56,180 --> 00:23:57,180 It sounds like it. 526 00:23:57,180 --> 00:23:59,240 It's very much about planet Earth too. 527 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:00,640 It's about helping planet Earth. 528 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:01,800 That would be a good show. 529 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:02,800 A good TV series. 530 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:04,200 It would be a good TV series. 531 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:07,360 I wish that they would turn her into a TV series because it would be fascinating. 532 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:08,360 That sounds really good. 533 00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:09,360 That would be interesting. 534 00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:12,440 You can technically watch it on YouTube like a TV series. 535 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:13,440 Technically. 536 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:14,440 Oh watch the gameplay. 537 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:15,440 It's not the same. 538 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:16,440 Yeah. 539 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:17,440 It's not the same. 540 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:18,440 No. 541 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:19,440 What else? 542 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:26,680 We might do Marvel vs. Capcom because I have Cami and I really haven't done much with her. 543 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:33,280 I do want in the realm of Zelda related things I have her armor in mind that I really want 544 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:34,280 to build. 545 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:35,280 It's one of those things. 546 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:41,720 I'm going to be going into Toronto in August so I don't know how much time I have for anything. 547 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:42,720 Fan Expo. 548 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:43,720 Yes, true. 549 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:44,720 Fan Expo. 550 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:45,720 I'm going to be going to Fan Expo. 551 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:50,440 Beyond Fan Expo I'm also working for the CNE this year again. 552 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:52,280 It's in Canadian National Expo. 553 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:55,520 I haven't been there in years. 554 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:56,520 I love it. 555 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:57,520 I love it so much. 556 00:24:57,520 --> 00:24:58,520 Yeah. 557 00:24:58,520 --> 00:24:59,520 It's so many people though. 558 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:00,520 It's so overwhelming. 559 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:01,520 It is. 560 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,640 So it's the same weekend as Fan Expo? 561 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:07,080 Well it's the whole month and a half. 562 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:08,080 Month and a week or something. 563 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:11,160 So Fan Expo is right in the middle of it. 564 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:12,160 Right in the middle. 565 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:13,160 Yeah. 566 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,200 I remember the year we went it all started at the same time. 567 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:17,200 Really? 568 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:18,200 They started the CNE at the same time? 569 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:19,200 It was insane. 570 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,200 It was literally insane. 571 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:25,120 Yeah that seems like maybe they knew that and they changed it. 572 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:30,040 They had to because Toronto was crazy. 573 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:32,280 You couldn't get into a lot of the attractions. 574 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,280 So we ended up going to Fan Expo the second day because... 575 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:36,280 Interesting. 576 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:37,280 Yeah. 577 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:38,280 But it was fun. 578 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:39,280 So what costume are you going to do? 579 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:40,280 Do you know? 580 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:41,280 Fan Expo? 581 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:42,280 I don't. 582 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:43,280 I never really... 583 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:48,520 I mean back in the day when I first was fresh to building certain stuff I would have a 584 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:55,120 goal of okay this is really what I want to do for this specific event or like year or 585 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:59,680 whatever because sadly there's a... 586 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:04,420 There's this thing with cosplay especially after COVID where certain characters and their 587 00:26:04,420 --> 00:26:07,200 popularity kind of hold more... 588 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,160 I don't know what the word is I'm looking for. 589 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:14,560 It just holds more so people try to cosplay the... 590 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:16,560 Like the popular stuff more. 591 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:20,480 So people just looking for that kind of bump I guess. 592 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:25,040 I mean or they just love the character but usually you know when Barbie came out there 593 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:26,040 was a million Barbies. 594 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:27,040 Yes. 595 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:28,040 There was a million and a half Barbies. 596 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,040 And you don't want to be that... 597 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:34,600 You don't want to be the same thing so you want to be unique. 598 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:37,960 It is cool but I don't know. 599 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:38,960 I personally... 600 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:39,960 You want to be your unique Barbie. 601 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:40,960 Sure. 602 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:41,960 Yeah. 603 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:42,960 Redhead Barbie. 604 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:43,960 Redhead Barbie. 605 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:44,960 Why not? 606 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:45,960 Go on. 607 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:46,960 I don't know. 608 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:54,680 I do like to do popular characters but I only like to do the popular characters that I truly 609 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,080 love or else I don't really feel... 610 00:26:58,080 --> 00:26:59,080 You have to resonate. 611 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:00,080 Like it's true to me. 612 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:01,080 Yeah. 613 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:02,080 Exactly. 614 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,600 I want to resonate and if I'm not resonating it's like what's the point and then halfway 615 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:08,520 through making it I'll be like what's the point and then I'll give up and I don't really 616 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:11,920 want to give up on things if I can help it. 617 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:17,720 That's a really good thing about you is that you're doing what you love and the characters 618 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:25,120 that you feel a connection with and not just going with what everybody else is. 619 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:32,960 You're putting your own spin on you and you can still be going the same way but it's unique. 620 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:34,240 It's usually what I do. 621 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:38,840 I try to stay within like okay if we're doing a certain theme then I'll stick to the theme 622 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:39,840 but like... 623 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,200 But you stand out because you do... you look amazing. 624 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:46,160 Is that why I stand out? 625 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:47,160 Because it's different? 626 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:48,880 I never really thought about it. 627 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:49,880 Yeah. 628 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:51,720 Well it's different but the same. 629 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:56,760 Like you said you want to stay within the theme but you put your own spin on it so of 630 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:04,080 course it's going to stand out and like that costume you did with the Nintendo is just... 631 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:11,520 you had all of you guys standing there but your costume is like wow and that's great 632 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:19,520 that you take the time and the energy to do that and that way people really enjoy it more. 633 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:24,240 Cosplayers really find that drive and passion into whatever it is that they're making. 634 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:28,720 You can see, at least me anyway, maybe most people can see it but I can see the love and 635 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:32,520 care that people put into it which is why I love being a cosplay judge because I get 636 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:37,960 this very special moment of where the kids come closer and they show me all the details 637 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:43,040 and they're so proud of what they've accomplished and I too am proud for them of what they've 638 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:44,040 accomplished right? 639 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:45,040 So I just... 640 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:50,360 I love when they explain stuff or when I get to talk shop, oh my gosh, I love talking shop 641 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:51,680 like what did you use? 642 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:52,680 How did you do this? 643 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:53,680 What kind of technique is it? 644 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:58,680 Like I get really into it and maybe that's just because I'm usually on my own making 645 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:03,120 my own stuff so when I get around people who kind of do the same thing we geek out together 646 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:04,120 right? 647 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:05,120 Oh gosh yeah. 648 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:10,960 But even as somebody that doesn't do cosplay going to something like Fan Expo and it's 649 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:16,400 insane and I'm not going to stand in line for the stars because they're insane but... 650 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:17,400 Some of it's crazy. 651 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:22,880 It's so much fun to see all the people in their costumes and the characters that they've 652 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:24,440 created and it's like... 653 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:26,120 And the love and care that they take for some of those things. 654 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:32,920 It's true you can tell and the enjoyment they get when you compliment them or when you recognize 655 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:33,920 who it is. 656 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:34,920 Yes. 657 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:35,920 Oh that's the best. 658 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:40,560 Especially if it's something that's a little on the unique side that you wouldn't expect 659 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:42,560 and they're like you know? 660 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:44,000 Oh you know? 661 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:48,480 That's the best feeling when you're some niche character or like you know you're some random 662 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:54,040 TV show that no one's ever watched and then you're walking in and you're like oh my god 663 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:55,040 yes! 664 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:56,040 We get it! 665 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:57,040 We get it! 666 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:58,040 Yes! 667 00:29:58,040 --> 00:29:59,040 It's such a good feeling. 668 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:05,680 I swear I could sit here and talk about this all day because it is new to me and I mean 669 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:11,200 just in the last 10 years I've really learned to enjoy the Comic Cons and the Fan Expos. 670 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:14,760 I actually think I enjoy them a little bit more than my husband now. 671 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:15,760 Nice. 672 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:24,120 And I love watching you evolving and honestly if you guys want to check her out it's Ray 673 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:34,560 Gray r-a-y-g-r-e-y cosplay for Instagram and dot com her website and just take a look at 674 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:39,680 the costumes and everything that she's up to and find new events. 675 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,400 I'm trying to think of what else. 676 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,760 There was something else I wanted to talk about but I can't remember. 677 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:52,160 Well I just wanted to speak on the creation part of cosplay because I think that's really 678 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:55,920 important and I think that's something that we're losing in the world. 679 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:56,920 Like creativity. 680 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:02,400 We're kind of being drained out of the world a little bit and I want to just inspire people 681 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,200 or I want people to know like it's a good thing. 682 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,360 It's a good thing to take your time and like stay creative. 683 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:09,360 Stay painting. 684 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:10,880 You know stay drawing. 685 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:15,800 I know it sometimes we think okay well we're wasting our time with all these things and 686 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:17,680 AI is coming up on everybody's tail. 687 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:18,680 No. 688 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:19,680 Don't even get me started on that. 689 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:24,760 It's really important and I love to do like when I've done panels at conventions before 690 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:27,880 my panels are usually art into reality. 691 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:33,000 So it's talking about what it takes and like the process of taking a piece of art or a 692 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:40,360 design that you love and transforming it into a reality and bringing all of that to life. 693 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:45,520 I had the nicest thing happen to me at Motor City this year where there was a girl that 694 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:49,800 I had met a few times and I can't remember her cosplay name right now. 695 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,080 I think it's Unravel Co. 696 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:56,600 But she looked so awesome and I was like your armor looks so cool. 697 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:59,320 Like it's the greatest thing I've seen in a while. 698 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:01,040 You know she's like thanks it's because of you. 699 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:05,360 I was like what do you mean because like I know we've talked before. 700 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:11,000 Like I knew who she was but she's like yeah that panel that you did at Great Lakes you 701 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,680 were talking about armor and you gave us some tips and tricks and showed us some tools and 702 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:19,520 things we could do to make things better and yeah like I took the tips and tricks and like 703 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,200 you know I watched some stuff on your YouTube page of the tools and got myself some good 704 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:28,000 stuff and yeah I'm only standing here where it is now because I've learned from you and 705 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:35,420 I was like that's literally all I ever want is to like help inspire a new generation to 706 00:32:35,420 --> 00:32:40,320 stay creative because sometimes we're all tired and we don't want to do it. 707 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,640 I've been tired and I don't want to do it sometimes. 708 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:45,320 It really helps with your brain. 709 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:46,320 It does. 710 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,520 You know because we've all become so sedentary. 711 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:53,200 It's just so easy to sit there and play games on your phone. 712 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:55,720 It's so easy to go online and just buy something. 713 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:56,720 Yeah but you. 714 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,280 At least put your spin on it. 715 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:06,320 Exactly and I mean everybody's so impatient and they're just you know watching TV or playing 716 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:12,360 games on their phone or on their Xbox or whatever but I like to see that people are getting 717 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:13,360 back into the arts. 718 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:14,360 Yes me too. 719 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:22,360 Being creative because realistically creativity whether you are acting or sewing or doing 720 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:27,480 cosplay or any crafts that really helps you down. 721 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:32,840 You don't realize how much that helps you down the line with your cognitive skills. 722 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:36,200 And you're like and you're processing emotions and things like that. 723 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:38,000 It's very important. 724 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:39,000 You hear me Windsor? 725 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,920 You hear me University of Windsor? 726 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:41,920 Art is important. 727 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:48,120 Yes don't even get me started on the UP and the fact that they are getting rid of. 728 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:49,120 It's insane. 729 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:52,840 I'm sorry but like it's insane. 730 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:59,960 That is a problem I think with all like cities combined is that they don't want to give grants 731 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:00,960 or things. 732 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:01,960 They don't want to celebrate the arts. 733 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:06,920 They don't want the arts to continue and so we get all of this like a randomized art that 734 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:10,560 is there and is great but it's just so random and people don't know about it and they don't 735 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:15,240 hear about it and they see it too late but if we actually if the city itself and the 736 00:34:15,240 --> 00:34:21,760 people actually came together and helped it grow like they helped the sports grow we would 737 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:23,160 be in a much better place. 738 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:29,480 And it shocked it really honestly shocked me because seeing the arts that are growing 739 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:35,520 in Windsor-Essex County like not only movies are growing I mean the Capitol Theater and 740 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:44,120 the oh my goodness between the plays and the symphonies and the various symphonies and 741 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:49,920 then I did Cortisone Theater and then there's the other theaters like for them to get rid 742 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:50,920 of them. 743 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:52,920 And they are doing it so hard like they're trying so hard to keep it going. 744 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:53,920 And they're really good too. 745 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:58,480 And they are the stories are phenomenal and hilarious and beautiful like the art coming 746 00:34:58,480 --> 00:34:59,920 out of there is fascinating. 747 00:34:59,920 --> 00:35:02,960 I think that's why we've been going to see things. 748 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:07,680 Yeah and it's really just starting to build up like people are really getting back into 749 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:15,160 it and enjoying it and we need to do something to keep it going for definitely for the university 750 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:22,160 players and you know St. Clair College and Capitol Theater and all the small little independent 751 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:23,440 theaters that we have. 752 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:25,600 Yeah because what is life without art? 753 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:26,600 It's so much. 754 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:27,600 It's rab. 755 00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:28,600 Yes. 756 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:29,600 It's gray without art. 757 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:30,600 Yeah and I mean. 758 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:31,600 Without color? 759 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:32,600 I will never understand that. 760 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:33,600 I love this color. 761 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:34,600 This is gorgeous. 762 00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:35,600 I know. 763 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:36,600 You gotta go big. 764 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:40,480 But Rachel thank you so much for being here today. 765 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:42,000 I really enjoyed our conversation. 766 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:43,000 Yeah me too. 767 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:47,480 I've learned today you can't talk cosplay without talking creativity. 768 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,760 Never it's a very big part of it. 769 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:53,400 And I'm very much a person for art as a whole. 770 00:35:53,400 --> 00:36:00,400 So regardless of cosplay which is more costume related or design related like I said engineering, 771 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:04,040 physics there's so many vast things. 772 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:09,200 Technology because people are learning how to do LED work or robotics or all kinds of 773 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:10,200 things. 774 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,760 The kids we saw at the Capitol Theater doing newsies. 775 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:13,760 Exactly. 776 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:14,760 Oh my god. 777 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:15,760 Like that. 778 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:16,760 We can't take that art away. 779 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:17,760 No. 780 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:18,760 There's no way. 781 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:19,760 Those were high school students. 782 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:20,760 They were amazing. 783 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:22,560 They were the music choice. 784 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:27,480 Well I mean newsies in general the music's great but like they practice and the choreography 785 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:28,480 everything. 786 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:29,480 The lighting. 787 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:30,480 Yeah. 788 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:31,480 Immaculate. 789 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,400 I don't want to ever see a world when we're living without art. 790 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:35,400 Yeah for sure. 791 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:40,440 I want it to keep going and to keep growing and that way people can express their feelings 792 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:44,400 and express their love of just everything. 793 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:45,400 The world. 794 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:46,400 For sure. 795 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:47,400 Yeah. 796 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:49,800 It's how people express love and love is necessary for the world. 797 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:50,800 I agree. 798 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:51,800 Yeah. 799 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:52,800 Thank you so much for being here today. 800 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:53,920 Thanks for having me. 801 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:54,920 I really enjoyed it. 802 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:55,920 It's been so fun. 803 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:56,920 It has. 804 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,120 And my name is Tracy Martins. 805 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:04,000 And I want to thank you for joining me for another episode of YQG In Bloom and don't 806 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:11,160 forget to like follow and subscribe and if you have any comments feel free to leave them. 807 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:33,520 You guys have a good day.