Scoop: First off, please introduce yourself.
Kamikaze Miko: Greetings! My name is Tiffany, but I’m also known as Kamikaze Miko online. I am from Washington, D.C., but currently I live in Maryland. I work in entertainment at Six Flags, and I have started costume charities for kids in need.

Scoop: What was your first introduction to the cosplay hobby? What was it about cosplay that made you want to participate?
Kamikaze Miko: My first introduction to cosplaying was in 2008, when I went to Anime Boston. I knew a lot about anime and video games, but I never knew people dressed up from them for conventions. Since then I had admired other cosplayers and wanted to get into it, but I had confidence issues that prevented me from getting into it. It wasn’t until 2011 that I gained the confidence to cosplay, which was at a convention called Anime North. 

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?
Kamikaze Miko: For me, it has to be a character I like or have some connection with. I watch a good number different of anime, and I play a lot of games. It sometimes takes me time to get attached to a character before I want to cosplay them. Rarely I will see a character that I want to do right away.

I make and get help for my cosplays. I have a condition called neuropathy, so my hands tend to freeze and hurt a ton when I sew. My friend will sometimes make outfits for me or even help me along with an outfit. Some cosplays I do make on my own – not because they’re necessarily simple, but because I have a huge time gap to work on it for a convention. 

Scoop: What was one of your best and most memorable experiences in cosplay?
Kamikaze Miko: I think the second time I cosplayed, which was Karma’s classic outfit from the game League of Legends. I was nervous because I thought I did a terrible job on it but I guess I was wrong. People loved it and at one point I was stopped for pictures for so long, I couldn’t move around the convention. Even other fans of the characters said it was good to see her come to life and told me I did a great job. 

Scoop: What was one of your worst?
Kamikaze Miko: I was Alice from the Zero Escape game series, and while the outfit is revealing, I wore a body suit to feel more comfortable. Some random person touched my butt—like full on slapped it—and another person poked the side of my chest. It was degrading, honestly, and that kind of behavior shouldn’t be allowed or tolerated at conventions.

Scoop: What challenges or issues do you think cosplayers face most?
Kamikaze Miko: I find bullying to be a big issue. For me, I’ve seen a rise of cosplay related bullying in the community. It’s something that should be talked about more and something that should stop. Everything from slut-shaming to someone’s cosplay being picked apart because it’s not to someone’s standards goes on. 

Scoop: What do you think cosplay adds to the overall convention experience?
Kamikaze Miko: I think it makes it more fun, at least for me. I love meeting people from fandoms I love and talking about the series. I try to host gatherings for several fandoms, including League of Legends, so seeing the happiness of people who share a common interest just brings me joy. 

Scoop: Do you have any major costume or convention plans lined up in the near future?
Kamikaze Miko: I’m planning to make a few big ones in the future. Azir from League of Legends will be a challenge for me and will be my biggest project yet due to needing to wear stilts and full armor. The next conventions I will be going to are MAGfest, Katsucon, Anime Expo and Fan Expo.

Scoop: Final thoughts?
Kamikaze Miko: Never let anyone tell you that you can’t cosplay something. Cosplay for your own happiness and love who you are in that cosplay.

You can follow me on Facebook or on Twitter, and please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you feel like you’re being ostracized by the community or picked on for your cosplay – I like to reach out to people who feel they are being bullied, so please get in touch if you’re being affected by that. I will also be participating in The Fighters Cause, which is a charity event that many other cosplayers are involved in, so please visit them for more information about that.