Cosplayer of the Month: Dorothy Thicket Cosplay

Happy Friday everyone! This week we are bringing you an incredible cosplayer, Dorothy Thicket Cosplay! She hails from the exotic lands of Canada and came highly requested by readers to be interviewed! I knew of her but never really dove into her Facebook like I usually do. After receiving so many requests I did my research and was blown away by every single one of her costumes!

She is a high quality cosplayer that puts so much hard work in every project she is apart of that it’s a crime everyone in the world doesn’t follow and low her!

But that is what this interview is about! To inform you fine folks on awesome peeps like Dorothy Thicket Cosplay exist! Enjoy our interview!

The Geek Lyfe: Although I have been a fan of yours for quite some time, there may be a few Geek Lyfers who have not seen your work before, would you be alright introducing yourself?

Dorothy Thicket Cosplay: Hey there! I’m Dorothy and I’m an awkward dork from Canada who likes to make ridiculous things then wear them around in public.

TGL: How long have you been into cosplay and what led you down this path?

DTC: I have always loved Halloween and dressing up, as well as crafting. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been putting things together in weird ways to see what happens, or taking apart other things to see how they work. Crafting has always been a hobby of mine, only the subject of my crafting has changed over the years. The first time I ever tried to make a Halloween costume from scratch was for Halloween 2008, and I stitched/glued a jester costume together from some quilting cotton and leftover fabric I had around the house. My mom had to help me heavily, limited as her sewing knowledge is, but somehow we made it through. I quickly decided making costumes wasn’t really for me and I shelved it, focusing my crafts more on geeky crochet and embroidery. However, in 2009, I went to my first anime convention – Otafest in Calgary. My friend dragged me along. I started to go every year, as well as the comic expo, because I loved it. After a couple years, I decided I wanted to make a costume and dress up alongside all those wonderful costumers I saw at the shows, and aimed my sights for Otafest 2011.

My first cosplay was made for Otafest 2011, and it was a mix of disaster and amazing. I was cosplaying a “portal test subject”, but everyone started calling me Chell, so I rolled with it. I didn’t have Chell’s hair or eyes, but I called myself Chell anyway. My portal gun was disintegrating in my hands, as it was held together by duct tape, electrical tape, and hope. I had to carry a large repair kit with me, and I pretty much spent the whole weekend just adding more tape to try and hold it together. The heel springs kept sliding down, forcing me to walk on my tippi toes, until my calves were so sore I couldn’t walk anymore. But, it was all worth it! Because everyone was taking my picture and talking to me, I got to meet other Portal fans, and I had a ton of fun. I decided to keep going, and have been making costumes ever since.

TGL: What has been your favorite moment?

DTC: Ooh boy, that’s a hard one. There have been so many amazing moments for me! Probably my favorite though was when I won at the SDCC masquerade. I had had some turbulent times leading up to that con and was absolutely miserable by that point, even backstage at the masquerade, but then I went to the masquerade itself and it was all worth it. I met SO many amazing people backstage, all of us were able to chat about craftsmanship for HOURS. And because we were stuck backstage for that long, we did. I talked to armorsmiths, seamstresses, prop makers, makeup artists, actors, all sorts of people! And to put the cherry on top, not only did I NOT make a fool of myself on stage (I usually do), I ended up winning an award as well. I was feeling very down by that point after some bullying on facebook about my work, and the award boosted my self esteem and made me feel like maybe continuing my work was worth it. I felt like I was on top of the world, and I wanted to make every costume on my cosplay bucketlist that very day. Naturally though, I went home and slept for like 12 hours, and was too tired to even get dressed in costume the following day. I think I even went to the con in my pajamas.

TGL: When you aren’t doing this, what do you do in your spare time?

DTC: I am studying computer science in University, playing with my dogs, and battling my mom for title of best pokemon trainer in the house. I also do many things linked to my cosplay work that aren’t necessarily part of my cosplay work – such as creating and maintaining my website, writing articles, and creating hand made products to sell in Artist Alley and online. Those seem to consume the majority of my time, as I am striving to turn my skills as an artist into a viable part time job while I am in university. I can’t work most /normal/ part time jobs because of my anxiety, so I’m doing my best to make due with what I have.

TGL: What geek medium(Video Games, Comic Books, Novels, Movies etc.) made the biggest impact on your life and why?

DTC: Definitely video games, as I find them to be the easiest to get lost in. I like feeling like an active participant in the story, capable of making my own decisions and changing the course of the story itself. I particularly love open world RPG games where you can be who you want to be and get lost in a fantasy world. As someone who struggles to find their way in the real world, having a virtual world to get lost in is a godsend. I also enjoy other mediums, but not to the same extent, as I find it hard to get sucked in like that.

TGL: If given the chance, what one character from any fandom would you bring into the world to have as your best friend and why?

DTC: Probably a pokemon, maybe Ho-oh? I really love animals to begin with, but having an intelligent creature that can understand me by my side would be amazing. Not to mention that I could fly around with it too! And good luck forever seems to be pretty cool, too. So does burning my enemies to a cri– I mean, what?

TGL: Do you have any projects in the near future we should be excited to see?

DTC: Hmm, I’ve got big plans for Blizzcon this year! My first year I had to cancel my plans thanks to both my mental health and my physical health, so I didn’t really get to enter anything serious in their costume contest. The second year, I didn’t even get to go because I was in a car accident and had a pretty serious head injury and couldn’t go. And now finally, third times the charm right? I have been planning this costume for months, and I really hope to be a serious competitor in the Blizzcon costume contest! Keep an eye out on my page, I’ll be making official announcements soon, as soon as I can actually breathe under all of this Artist Alley work I’m doing right now.

TGL: What advice do you have for any aspiring cosplayers out there?

DTC: Just jump right in! The cosplay world can be scary to a newcomer, but I promise we don’t bite. The vast majority of cosplayers I’ve met over the years would love to have you join us! Don’t be worried about how your first costume looks or what your body type is – everyone’s first costumes suck butt, and all bodies are beautiful in our world. The hardest step is just getting started, but once you do, you won’t regret it! Whether you choose to make your first costume, buy one, or commission one – you’ll look fabulous, and you’ll make more friends than you ever thought you would in the process!

TGL: What costume would you say is your favorite so far?

DTC: Definitely my Leafeon costume. I enjoy showing off the work that went into it, and it’s not a miserable pain in the arse to wear like my daedric armor was.

I wanna thank Dorothy Thicket Cosplay for taking the time to answer a few of our questions! I missed her a few years ago at Fanfest but never again! Next AZ or Cali convention she is at, I am going to try and hunt her down, give her a high five, and a hug for being amazing in every way!

Be sure to follow her on Facebook to keep up with all of her future shenanigans! 😀

Photos:

Vaporeon: Photographer: Eurobeat Kasumi Photography

Leafeon: Photographer: facebook.com/ A.Driskill.Photography

Daedric Armor: Photo by The Seamstress Life