It’s time once more for another cosplayer interview! This next one, shared from Cosplay Blog with a Brain, is an interview with SmallRiniLady! She’s a lovely cosplayer from Washington, who has been doing this hobby for over a decade now!

SmallRiniLady as an original Victorian Puppet

What’s your cosplay alias and why did you choose it?
SmallRiniLady. It was a mash up of Sailor Chibimoon names I created when I was in high school trying to create a username for LiveJournal; ever since I’ve stuck with it.

How many years have you been cosplaying and what got you started?
Dressing up for Halloween in high school as my favorite characters; Black Lady from Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura. That was about 12 years ago. Wow, I’ve been doing this a long time.

SmallRiniLady as Tian Zi from Code Geass, photo by Carissa Starr Photography

What has been some of your favorite things to work with when constructing costumes and why?
Hats and hair accessories. I love how you can take a simple object and add a flower or a piece of lace, then the piece becomes something so much more elegant.

What are you excited to be working with in the future and why?
I’ve done Lighting and Serah from both Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2. I’m curious to see what is coming up for Final Fantasy XIII-3. I feel I owe it to them to round off the cosplay collection.

What are some of the traits you like to see in other costumes and who do you think does well in them?
Character crossed with a genre. I love seeing when someone takes a well known character but applies an unrelated genre, or taking an animal character and creating them in human form. For example, Okanmi Kimonos, Lolita Naruto, or Steampunk Princess Peach. My favorite mash up is of a Steampunk Princess Peach by Skirtz. She and her friends have made up a whole Steampunk Mario group and it’s amazing.

SmallRiniLady as Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII-2

What are some of the things you want to see change in the scene?
I want it to expand beyond the convention space more; to see more people on occasion walking around the park, or grocery store, or any other daily chores in their cosplay.

What is some advice you could give people starting to get into cosplay?
Learn the characters personality and poses. I find it helps in defining the character in pictures than the perfection of the outfit.

What are some of your favorite conventions you’ve attended and why?
PAX Prime, because I can cosplay and play a ton of unreleased video games.

Give a random fact about one of your costumes that you’re proud of!
My favorite prop is my Rozen Maiden suitcase, as its size accurate to me, so I get to sit inside of it and watch the cosplayers as they walk by, although more people are confused at why a girl is sitting in a box. One time I was sitting near the escalators, but not in the walking path, but I was asked to move because I had become such a “Visual Distraction”. I was causing a backup when people were getting off the escalators because they were stopping to take pictures of me.

SmallRiniLady as Hina from Rozen Maiden, photo by Rico Tam

Thanks for the interview, SmallRiniLady! You can see more of her work on her Facebook!

Koi

A cosplayer for over a decade now, Yunie is a giant nerd who still pretends she’s cool. She runs several sites on her own, including Engi no Shouzoku! Cosplay, Cosplay Blog with a Brain, and her store, Yunie’s Designs. An avid fan of fellow nerds, Yunie loves attending conventions and dorking around in costumes with all types. Oh, and if there’s shenanigans, even better!

More Posts - Website

Follow Me: