Interview with BCharlotteD Cosplay
Photo Credits:
Dallas Geek: Bell & Mabel
Open Book Entertainment: Christmas Harley & Fem Ash
With the 2018 convention season officially kicking into gear, more weekends are becoming packed full of nerdy fun. However, with the increased attention on comic conventions, we see more & more attention is lost on the spectacle, rather than what these conventions used to be about: the community. Luckily for us, we had the chance to begin our season with something charmingly personal. This year’s North Texas Comic Book Show was a convention that opened the door to meeting some amazing new people who we would probably have missed out on in the mass of fanboys at something larger. Mike & I had the opportunity to speak with the delightful Charlotte from BCharlotteD Cosplay about her experiences as a relatively new name making the rounds in the North Texas cosplay community. With only her second full year of cosplay rounding out later this year, Charlotte began by telling us about how she finally decided to jump into the deep end with cosplay & see what she could do.
BCharlotteD: I think my first cosplay, like my first official cosplay, was Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail. It looked [terrible], oh my god, it was so bad. It was Mega Con 2016. And then I did Misa from Death Note & that also looked [awful].
Oh, don’t say I curse, though. My mom would kill me…
Mike: She curses like a sailor!
BC: OMG! No I don’t! ...only sometimes!
[It was right around here that we realized Charlotte was going to fit right in with us!]
Brad: I’m sure your online gaming matches are totally family friendly…
BC: Oh, so clean…
Mike: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said?
BC: Don’t even get me started.
Mike: I made somebody cry once.
BC: Me, too! …wait what were we talking about again? Oh yeah! How I got started in cosplay.
So, Mega Con 2016, I was Lucy Heartfilia, it looked awful, but I loved it, people loved it. So, I thought, you know what? I should try to go pro with this; because that was my dream: to be for body positivity & open this world for people with disabilities. Not many people know how widespread dyslexia, anxiety, depression, & ADHD are & I want to put that out into the world. I want to be the ambassador for that through cosplay. I mean, you say dyslexia & half the time people are like, “oh, so you’re stupid?” No! I just have a little trouble reading, but I’m still just as intelligent as you.
[Dyslexia can even] affect every little part of your body. Like, you get your lefts & rights confused; it affects your speech; you can end up in speech therapy for years, just from dyslexia alone.
Mike: So, what is a character that you want to do, but haven’t yet?
BC: Oh, I have so many! One of my dream cosplays is to do a humanized Giratina from Pokemon! Giratina is one of the most misunderstood pokemon in the Pokemon universe.
Mike:…it’s the devil.
BC: He’s not the devil! He’s literally just trying to balance out the reverse world, which is where he lives.
Mike: So, he’s the ruler of the distortion world?
BC: NOOO!!! He’s referred to as the devil because he looks like it, just in his reverse world form. But he’s super kind hearted & wants to preserve the world as it is & protect everything, just like Palkia & Dialga. He’s my favorite! He’s like a teddy bear with wings & spikes.
Mike: And hellfire…
BC: Only to his enemies.
BC: Oh, I do an Ash Ketchum Cosplay.
Mike: Do you?
BC: Yes! A female Ash Ketchum. It’s kind of sexy…? Like it’s booty shorts & a crop top, but it’s really cute.
Mike: I just love how you prefaced that with, “it’s kind of sexy…?”
BC: Well, it’s not like bikini line. But my photos aren’t, like, super sexual. That’s the thing. They’re supposed to look like…cute!
I’m not trying to be Jessica Nigri. Like, I respect those cosplayers, but I’m not about that. Like, good for you [if you are], but I like my body hidden & under clothing…haha!
Mike: That’s the first time I’ve ever heard it put that way. That’s really funny!
Mike: So, how many conventions have you done?
BC: This year I’m going to be an invited guest at four cons: AMPX Con, in Denton; Fan Boys Comic Con, in March; Animania, in July; Geek Den Comic Book Day & Haltom’s Comic & Toy Show.
Mike: Ok, so you’re getting out there. So, I guess, what is the end goal?
BC: The end goal is to allow people to feel comfortable with disabilities in cosplay.
Mike: That’s really awesome. It’s a positive message that I don’t think people really think about when they go into something like the convention scene.
Mike: So, you’re going to be at Fan Expo in April. Who are you going to be cosplaying as?
BC: I will be doing a full Harley lineup. So, on the first day I’m going to do my D.VA Quinn. Hopefully it will be done, but if not, I’m still going to do it! And for day two, I’m going to do my classic Suicide Squad Harley, which actually won best competition at an NTX Comic Book Show. And then the third day, I’m going to be in a group for DC Bombshells with my Bombshell Harley Quinn.
Mike: Have you gone through the process to try to be an invited guest & get your own booth?
BC: For Fan Expo & Fan Days, I have tried & would love to be a guest there, but I need to get a bigger name for myself before I can even be thought of as a guest there. Right now, if I try it’s like, “hey, I’m that one Harley cosplayer” & they’re “which one?” “I do Star Lord” “OH! You’re Star Lord!”
I love that cosplay, but I don’t want that to be my [main] cosplay, even though I did put so much work into it & won two contests with that one, too.
Mike: Bragging a little bit. I like it.
Mike: So, you bring up people knowing you as your Star Lord. Do you ever run into that fear of, “I’ll only ever be known for this one character,” when you really want be diverse & do multiple characters?
BC: Well, one of my other popular cosplays is my Supergirl, which is actually store bought; which is funny when you put so much time & money into a cosplay, like my Suicide Squad Harley which I literally made it all from scratch, put over $300 into it & SO much work & dedication because I love the character; & then I come in with Supergirl & everyone says, “OMG, this is the best cosplay you have!” I’m just like, “oh wow…” “thanks.”
Mike: Is that defeating to know?
BC: For me personally, it is a little defeating because I want my most popular cosplay to be the one that I put the most time & effort into, which, if I’m being honest, isn’t even my Suicide Squad Harley original one. It would be my red & black one, which is my own interpretation for how I think Suicide Squad Harley should have looked. I made all of the components; the cuffs are 3D printed; I styled the wig myself; I made the collar from a belt & did the lettering, spray painted, dyed, & glittered it. The shirt I made from scratch, as well.
Mike: How long did that take?
BC: A looong time. I don’t set a timer when I start a cosplay. It just like, “oh, it’s been a month since I started this project…oh wow, it’s been a year since I started…”
BC: It’s more opportunity, as well. If I find a base piece that I can work off of, like a yellow slip, like I used for my Belle dress, & then add all of the tool to, cut it correctly; or take apart a dress & make it into my Star Lord jacket. I don’t want to buy material from scratch, I would rather recycle material. Even my Mabel cosplay took me at least five hours to complete because of designing, first, then finding all the components, altering them, & stitch in every single light into the jacket just to make it work correctly…all of it plays into more time that you end up “wasting” on a cosplay.
Mike: Do you set a timetable for like, this has to be done in X amount of time or is that something that you come across when you’re working on it?
BC: Well…I set myself goals, but then they never really get completed. Like this weekend, there were five different cosplays that I wanted to have completed in this timeframe. None of them worked out. I wanted to do Fiona from Adventure Time, but the first sword I made broke. I wanted to do Leia from Star Wars, but the belt is still too big. I wanted to do Spider-man, but it hasn’t come in. I have so many on the back burner that just need little things to be done to be perfect & I don’t want to wear a cosplay until it’s perfect!
Mike: This seems pretty time consuming & I know you said earlier that you are a student. Where do you find the time to work on this stuff?
BC: I am actually passing all of my classes!
Over our conversation with her, Charlotte continually showed us her derisive & self-deprecating sense of humor. She may be a relative newcomer to cosplay, but she has the kind ambition that could take her far. Even as a full-time student, she continues to find time to work on new costumes & attend conventions. If you haven’t met her at a convention, yet, then you really should! She is a delight to talk to!
Be sure to follow her on social media & keep up with all of her latest cosplay work: