Name: LimitlessEdge Cosplay – Lee, Jie, Lyn, and Ker
Location: AMERICA!!!
Tumblr: www.limitlessedge.tumblr.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/limitlessedgecosplay
Photographer(s):
Lee: Minotaur Photography, Sojian, thebooradlus & Mike Cabusi
Jie: Alton Sun, Minotaur Photography, Yao Sae Lee Photography & Mamuro5254 (Romero Chan)
Lyn: Cosportraits, Kelly Dun, Sojian & Ker (LimitlessEdge Cosplay)
Ker: Sojian, BlizzardTerrak Photography, Rachel Chatham & Bart
What was your first Cosplay experience?
Lee: The first costume I made was Haku’s kimono from Naruto. It was for Halloween (which I celebrated that year with Lyn and Jie, actually!), and I had no idea what costume crafting was. All the work that made the clothing wearable was done by my mother and my aunt. All I remember doing is some messy “appliqueing.” I’m having flashbacks of stray threads and unfinished hems now. I have no idea where the costume’s disappeared to now!
My first official cosplay experience was at Fanime 2006, when I cosplayed as L from Death Note. It was entirely store bought, and the first time I did it I used my own hair, so not much effort was put into the costume at all, but I think that was the first time I really got into the “roleplay” aspect of “cosplay.” I had a great time and actually received a lot of good feedback about acting in character! I think that’s honestly when I really fell in love.
Jie: The first cosplay I debuted was Misa Amane from Death Note! Since I was new to the cosplay scene, I gathered most of the costume parts (belts, boots, buckles, bracelets) from thrift shops. It will forever be one of my favorite cosplaying experiences!
I ran around with Lee and our other friends, checked out all of the merchandising booths as well as the artist alley booths, attended the masquerade and watched the skits, and listened to a variety of speakers at the panels! We had our photographer friend take photos of our Death Note group and we learned to pose in front of strangers who asked for our photos!
Lyn: Oh jeez… my first cosplay I ever made was Light from Death Note (six-foot-tall scythe and everything!) for a photoshoot, but the first one I ever wore to a convention was Colette from Tales of Symphonia. I still remember playing Frisbee with my chakrams at the convention! (NOTE: Kids, don’t throw your cosplay props around. That’s dangerous.)
Ker: The first cosplay I brought to a convention was a version of Princess Zelda from Super Smash Brothers Brawl that I had made for Halloween because it looked like a fun challenge. I had heard that you could cosplay at conventions, but had never been to one myself so I took a risk and went in costume–the only problem was I forgot my gloves!
The instant I got out of the car everyone was asking for photos, and I was so embarrassed I hid my hands behind my back. Everyone was excited about the costume however and were so very friendly and kind, that even though it was embarrassing at first, I got to see what a fun and supportive cosplayers are, and am proud to say I am a part of that community still today.
How long have you been Cosplaying?
Lee: If I count 2006 as my first year cosplaying, that would make it about nine years now. Goodness. I’ve been cosplaying on and off though, so I wouldn’t call it nine straight years of cosplay.
Jie: I have been cosplaying for 9 years! I first started cosplaying in 2006, a year after attending my first convention.
Lyn: I started cosplaying in 2007, but I’d been sewing and making costumes for school theater and Halloween since 2002.
Ker: I started cosplaying at conventions in 2008, but had been making my own costumes of my favorite anime and movie characters since 2002.
Who or what inspired you to take up Cosplaying?
Jie: The first con I have ever attended was FanimeCon in San Jose in 2005. I was very inspired by the amount of cosplayers versus the number of non-cosplay con goers. Walking around at a large convention and admiring all of the craftsmanship of the costumes was what prompted me to start cosplaying along with them!
Lyn: I was always really into dressing up as a little kid, especially for Halloween. Cosplay was just sort of a natural progression for me—like, you mean I can play dress-up as my favorite characters all the time? Where do I sign up?!
Ker: For me it was wanting to be a character. I had always dressed up as favorites, but one year my father helped me make a staff that lit up for a Gandalf costume, and my mother showed me how to sew, and from then on out anything I wanted to be was possible.
Lee: Seeing my friends cosplay definitely inspired me to try it out. I really think the aspect of expressing fondness of a character or a series via costuming and roleplaying was what initially spoke to me and made me curious about starting cosplay. Jie was the first person I made a costume with (we cosplayed alternate outfits of Haku that Halloween I mentioned earlier), and once we started doing paired and couple cosplays together at conventions, and eventually group cosplays with the other members of Limitless Edge, I just couldn’t stop!
If you had to pick a favorite Cosplay you have worn, or have seen someone else wear, what would it be?
Jie: My favorite cosplay I have made and worn would probably be Serah Farron from Final Fantasy XIII!
Lyn: I can’t possibly pick just one!! I have favorite parts and things I’m proud of in each costume I’ve made… but more than anything else, I get excited about the cosplays I have planned for the future. Wait, that was a really cheesy answer! I’m sorry!!
Ker: I like cosplays that people are instantly excited to see because that character is beloved, yet not often cosplayed. My favorites are Suki from Avatar, and Wasp from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, so many great fans to meet, from adults talking about how much that character means to them, to young kids who are so amazed that their favorite character is there and sometimes think you are the real thing! It is nice to feel as loved as a princess at Disneyland, and wonderful to know you have just made someone’s day!
Lee: Gosh, it’s really hard to choose… I’m with Ker on this one, though. My favorite costumes have been the ones that gave me the most opportunities to interact with fellow fans and really see people as excited about the character as I am. I really enjoyed the process of making and wearing my Disney Ping/Mulan cosplay, and it made me even happier to see how happy it made everyone else!
If you had unlimited funds and resources, what Cosplay would you create?
Jie: I would create a cosplay based on the illustrations of the Japanese artist Sakizo. Her Victorian style dresses always consist of layers and layers of ruffles and lace. It would be a dream come true buying the perfect beads and appliques for her insane dresses!
Lyn: All of them! I’d make massive groups for me and the rest of LE, and our extended cosplay friend circle. My favorite part about cosplaying is getting to dress up with my friends at conventions, so the bigger the group, the better! I’m also trying to bully Ker into being a million different versions of Zelda and Sheik with me, so, that too. Fierce Deity Sheik, anyone?
Ker: More armor and weapons! They’re possible now, but I would love the time, money, and resources to get everything as accurate to the source material as possible. I love to look like the real thing!
Lee: Reyson from the Fire Emblem series has been on my dream cosplay list for a looong time, but if I had unlimited funds and resources and time… the sky’s the limit! I really like the idea of cosplaying something with ridiculous body proportions and/or ridiculous props. I’ve always wanted to do an anatomically accurate/realistic Redead cosplay from the Zelda series, just because it I think it would be pretty fun zombie-ing around. Or Armor from X-Men with her psionic exoskeleton thing?!? Or perhaps something like an accurate Cortana? With unlimited resources I’m sure I could figure out how to make myself into a hologram, and wouldn’t that be exciting?
What advice would you offer to those who are aspiring Cosplayers?
Lee: Find like-minded friends! I wouldn’t have come nearly as far as I did today without the rest of my group. Their enthusiasm and passion and support have really kept me going in cosplay throughout these years when I thought about stopping so many times. I can’t believe it’s been nearly a decade at this point. Make cosplay friends and hold them close.
Jie: Use the internet to your advantage. A lot of cosplayers learned to sew on their own by watching Youtube videos or by reading step-by-step tutorials. There are a ton of makeup, sewing, and prop making tutorials out there to help you along. Don’t be shy to ask for advice either!
Lyn: Cosplay is about having fun! I’ve let myself get really stressed out about deadlines, or not being able to get details right, or just not having the skills necessary to really pull off the vision in my head. Don’t be me! What matters is that you have fun making the costume and you have fun wearing the costume. Take care of yourself first, push your deadlines back if you need to, remind yourself that nobody is ever 100% perfect all the time, and get some sleep. Remember, you’re doing this for fun!
Ker: If you love an idea and you are excited, just start it. You will find a way to solve whatever problem you might face.Trust me you will, and you will be better for it. It is so easy to fall into the trap of talking about how much you want to do something or how in the future you will do something, and that might get you pumped, but use that energy to just begin doing it. Beginning is the hardest part, and the feeling you get when you finish, and then the feeling of seeing others appreciate and get excited about your costume when you show it off in public is amazing! Do what you set out to do, there is nothing more satisfying!
To learn more about LimitlessEdge Cosplay, check out their Tumblr page: www.limitlessedge.tumblr.com and also their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/limitlessedgecosplay
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