Otakus and Geeks is pleased to present to you our new popular feature, Cosplayer Spotlight. It is dedicated to showcase talented individuals from the cosplay community. Catch some new talent or get a look at some well-established members from the world of cosplay.

I'm Francie! I'm actually new to publicizing my interests, but I'm a cosplaying, craft loving, videogaming, anime nerd! So anyway, hi!

How did you get into cosplaying and how long you been doing it?
It's something I've always thought to be super cool, and seemingly fun, especially since I've watched animes, and played different games for as long as I can remember, and wished I could be so many characters, hahaha. I technically started Halloween, of 2010! I always chose my favorite characters and really went the extra mile with making them my own.

What is cosplay to you?
Cosplay to me is a significant expression of someones personality, and creativity. It truly embodies their interests and talents all in one.

Do you have someone who inspires you to cosplay? If so who?
Although I have many inspirations, I think my main inspiration is my best friend Joanna Mari (Joanna Mari Cosplay). Seeing how talented she is, how far she's come, and how much she's still improving greatly with every costume, just makes me want to improve so someday I'm hopefully as talented as her!

Do your family and friends know you cosplay?
Yes, my family and friends do know! My family takes a lot of pride in what I do because they acknowledge that creating these cosplays take a lot of hard work. My friends also support me, in fact I'm pretty sure I've influenced a few of them to start cosplaying as well!

Are you doing cosplay as a hobby or professionally?
Right now I'd have to say It's a hobby, only because I haven't really built much of a reputation, and haven't attended as many con's as I'd like to. But hopefully that'll change someday!

Do you only do local or other conventions, as well?
I go to local conventions currently, although I'm hoping to attend katsucon and other out of state conventions in the year!

How many conventions do you go in a year?
As of this year, I've attended 3, but that should increase within the next year.

If you can, cosplay anywhere is the world? Where would it be?
Most definitely Japan. That is actually a dream of mine, especially since their culture is what helped me develop A lot of my interests.

When cosplaying what do you feel is most important? (e.g. detail , character portrayal, etc.)
I feel the portrayal of the character is most important. I really love to take a favorite character of mine, and really make it my own, although detail plays a major part in having your character recognized.

What is your pet peeve when it comes to cosplay?
My biggest pet peeve is asymmetrical parts, and pieces. For some reason I always have a hard time with matching things up perfectly. :(

Do you prefer to buy or make your cosplays/props?
I definitely prefer making my own props, It's so much fun to me, and not only does it help me improve my skills, but I feel so proud when I receive positive feedback from fellow cosplayers!

When deciding on how you want your cosplay to look, what goes through your mind? (e.g. does the fabric/material have to look like the picture)
It really depends on the character, or look I'm going for. For example, when making the powerpuff girl cosplay, we had a warrior powerpuff girl drawing where they looked a certain way, and we actually tried to match the fabrics, but what mainly crosses my mind, is "If I were that character, what would I wanna look like?".

What type of characters do you enjoy cosplaying?
I love cosplaying warrior/fighter characters. I thoroughly enjoy creating and wearing armor, and I love to feel like a badass, hahaha.

What is your favorite part of putting on your cosplay?
Seeing my hard work come together, and actually fit. Most of the time it even exceeds my expectations!

How do you choose the characters you cosplay as?
It's really an easy process into choosing who I want to cosplay. I just choose my favorite characters that I've always loved, or my current favorite, if i feel like I can embody that character well.

Are there any cosplays that you wish you could pull off?
A character I really wish I could pull off is, Catherine from Atlus' "Catherine". She is just such a beautiful character, but I feel as if I don't resemble her even remotely.

Do you have any cosplays that you will never do and why?
Attack On Titan character honestly. I absolutely love the series, but in my personal opinion, It's overdone.

Do you believe that a person has to have certain qualities to pull off a cosplay? (e.g. facial structure, etc.)
This also depends on the character being cosplayed. For example: There are some people who looked like they were born to play The Joker, but there are others who don't really resemble him. But it also depends on the level of work and dedication, into making the cosplay, so it can go either way.

What are some of your dream cosplays?
Some of my dream cosplays are, Ramona Flowers. aqua from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Ada Wong from Resident Evil 4, and Aigis from Persona 3.

Outside of cosplaying, what else do you do?
Besides work, I play video games, (Mostly online, or persona 3, and 4), I do A lot of crafting, and working on future cosplays.

How do you fund your cosplay?
I just go to work and try to earn the money I use to buy my cosplay materials. Whenever I make enough in a week, I buy more of what I need!

Where do you go most often for photoshoots? Do you do photoshoots?
I've only had a few shoots, in Manhattan, and Jersey. But mostly planned shoots at cons. I do photoshoots, yes. And I really hope to do more!

Do you prefer your images photoshopped or unshopped?
I like photoshop to an extent. I guess somewhere in between. But that's also depending on the cosplay! Sometimes it can really add to the picture.

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