Scoop: Please introduce yourself!
Chas: My name is Chas! I live in California and I work in hospitality. I’m 28 years old and I’ve been attending conventions and cosplaying since I was 14.

Scoop: What was your first introduction to the cosplay hobby? What was it about cosplay that made you want to participate?
Chas: I attended my first anime convention in 2001 after browsing sites like Kevin Lillard’s “A Fan’s View” and Lionel Lum’s “Usagi-chan Search and Rescue” and wanting to meet the cosplayers I was so enamored with. Being shy, I thought maybe wearing a costume of my own would help me make friends.

Scoop: What is your personal approach to your costumes? How do you choose what character to emulate? Do you tend to make your own outfits, or do you receive help?
Chas: I usually have a gut feeling about a character I want to cosplay; sometimes it’s instantly when I see them, so I have to backtrack and watch/read their series to make sure it’s a character I’m really going to be into. Usually my instinct is right, though. I choose characters that I love and characters I know I’ll have fun as.

I enjoy making my own outfits but I’m definitely not the most gifted with a sewing machine. My favorite approach to creating cosplay is working together with my friends and exchanging service for service. I really enjoy styling wigs so sometimes we all get together and have a sort of cosplay assembly line going where everyone works to their best talent and it’s great fun! If we can’t get together to do that sometimes I’ll pay a friend to make a piece for me that I find too challenging. That makes me feel good because I’m helping them make some cash and getting a piece I can be proud of in return. Bragging about my amazingly talented friends is one of my favorite things to do!

Scoop: What was one of your best and most memorable experiences in cosplay?
Chas: I’ve had so many, I’m not exactly sure where I should start! Though I think some of my best collective memories come from working industry events at conventions through American Cosplay Paradise. I’ve had the opportunity to work with incredibly talented cosplayers and meet great industry guests and be a part of something I consider to be very special. I was fortunate enough to do volunteer cosplay work for several events for the Aniplex title Fate/Zero, which is a part of one of my favorite franchises. Being involved that closely to something dear to my heart was an incredible feeling!

Scoop: What was one of your worst?
Chas: I think when you’re young and part of a fast-paced and challenging hobby with a large online community, it gets easy to take things too seriously. There was a point in time where I treated cosplay more as a job or obligation than a hobby for my enjoyment. Looking back now I realize how silly that was! Still, I’m glad I pushed through those feelings and saw the error in my line of thought. As an adult I’m having more fun than ever in cosplay.

Scoop: What challenges or issues do you think cosplayers face most?
Chas: I think one of the bigger challenges that cosplayers face is one that affects everyone at some point or another: Comparing Yourself to Others. It’s sort of engrained into us by society that we compare ourselves to others in all sorts of facets of life, so it’s not really surprising that cosplayers do this to each other as well. As someone who didn’t have a lot of confidence when they were younger and has been able to use this hobby as a means to grow into myself, I really want to help promote a positive self-image for everyone.  

Scoop: Do you have any major costume or convention plans lined up in the near future?
Chas: I’ll be traveling to Japan and attending Winter Comiket for the very first time! I’ve never been, so I’m very excited and nervous to cosplay in another country. I hope I meet a lot of nice people while I’m there. The Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works anime will be airing while I’m there, so that will likely be a deciding factor in what I decide to wear.

Scoop: Where can people follow your cosplay travels online?
Chas: You can find me on a number of different social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can also find me on American Cosplay Paradise.