Hi, it´s Päivi and Satu here!

We have been tagged by BEJJA: [link]

COSPLAY QUIZ!

PÄIVI ASIKAINEN answers

Who did you first cosplay as?
- My first serious cosplay I used in con was Ryuk from Death Note. Very easy costume for beginner XD… I didn´t take into account those cosplays I haven´t used in cons. For me cosplay = con (convention). Before Ryuk I cosplayed once white tiger Lolita Dorothy, but she is my oc.

When and where did you first cosplay?
- Shirocon in Savonlinna 14.2.2009. Valentine´s Day! It was a very small con, the con where I was wearing Dorothy. Ryuk I was in Bakacon 25-26.4.2009 in Pieksämäki.

When and where was the last time you cosplayed?
- Tsukicon 17-18.10.2009 in Helsinki. Tsukicon is con for Japanese music and streetstyles. I was wearing classical catgirl costumes.

Who have you cosplayed as in the past?
- Ryuk from Death Note, Mayuri Kurotsuchi from Bleach and Grimmjow Pantera from Bleach. My oc cosplays are white tiger Lolita Dorothy and two classical catgirls.

Who is your favourite person to cosplay as?
- I love them all! I like to be Mayuri, because I´m the only Mayuri I have seen here in Finland, and other cosplayers like my Mayuri-cosplay. It is because Desucon´s 2009 Final Fantasy Fight tournament where I defamed myself wearing my Mayuri costume XD! I like also to be Ryuk, because Ryuk´s costume is very ambitious, but it is hard to move because the big wings.

Who do you REALLY wanna cosplay as?
- I would love to cosplay pink panther Synestesia, but she is my oc. I like ambitious costumes, but I can´t choose the best. I´m happy I will cosplay Scorpion from Mortal Combat, because I looooove ninjas!

How many of your friends cosplay?
- Three and some more. For one of them I´m making her cosplays. My twinsister Satu cosplays too, and I´m making cosplays also for her .

Have you ever walked around in public in your cosplay outfit?
- Many times! I even drive a car wearing my cosplays, because normally it is my job to transport me and my friends in cons. For fun I don´t use my cosplays, only for cons.

Have people in public ever recognised you and asked for photos?
- Not really, but sometimes people can photograph me only because I have a weird costume . Once one old man photographed me and Satu when we were wearing our Ryuk and Rem costumes and I was fixing Rem´s wig in a campsite before leaving in con ^^.

Have you ever made your own cosplay outfit?
- Whaaaat!? Of course cosplays have to be done by your own little hands! The real cosplay is self-made! I always make my own cosplays and I´m making costumes also for my friends and Satu. I´m studing costume making. Sewing clothes isn´t a big problem for me. I even try to make the hardest details by myself.
I´m making my cosplays by myself, because normally I take part in cosplay competitions. Competition costumes have to be self made, otherwise those are forbidden.

What was your favorite cosplay experience?
- I have many. I like just hanging around and talk with people. And I love Final Fantasy Fight! Totality is the most important made by all nice things. My favorite con is Desucon 2009, because there everything worked very well and I got many nice memories from there. Every con is a new surprise!

What is your worst cosplay experience?
- When we were in Animecon 2009 we got BIG problems to find the con scene. I almost got crazy driving by car all around Helsinki wearing my Mayuri cosplay and most of time totally out of map. Helsinki was too big city for my abilities to conceptualize. Luckily we finally find the con scene and now I´m only laughing for our razzmatazz around the Helsinki XD.

When and where did you first learn of cosplay?
- I always learn something new from cons, but in Bakacon I learned how to cosplay. I realized how much work cosplay needs, how early you have to start making costume and also some good practices. Bakacon was a medium con. Very good for a beginner to learn about cons and cosplay.

What did you think of it then?
- I had lot of fun even my costumes wasn´t perfect! I fell in love to cosplay and I got great pushing for my cosplay careen. I got so much enthusiasm!

What do you think of it now?
- I learn from mistakes I have made and I will become even better cosplayer. I´m afraid I started cosplaying too late, because after couple years cosplay is out of fashion and I can´t cosplay never again.

Where do you usually cosplay?
- In cons. I have been in Shirocon, Bakacon, Desucon, Animecon, Cosplay Gaala and Tsukicon.

Have you ever done a cosplay skit on stage?
- I like to do skits because I´m not afraid of performing. I did a performing in Desucon (Ryuk+Rem), Animecon (Team UnDeath Note) and Cosplay Gaala (Ryuk+Rem again). I´m normally performing with Satu. I can´t wait Cosplay Gaala 2010. We have planned amazing show!
Go and see the Desucon: [link]

Have you ever won a prize for said skit?
- Nope, but I have won costume prizes: In Shirocon I won prize “Event´s wow”, in Bakacon I won the first prize in audience´s voting and I also won a shared third prize. In Animecon our Team UnDeath Note won sponsor´s prize and we were second in an audience´s voting.

Do you plan your cosplay outfits waaay before you’re meant to wear them?
- I already know what I´m going to cosplay 2010. Enough time to start making costumes…

Have you ever been to a convention and cosplayed?
- I cosplay only in conventions and I will always dress up cosplay costume.

Ever have something terrible happen to your outfit?
- My Grimmjow Pantera is ruined because some mystery yellow colourspot middle of my costume´s stomach and I don´t know where the hell it came from. The fabric was expensive and now I need to make whole new costume. Oh well, the costume was horrible anyways and the colour in black stripes is messed. There is also black dirt in my Mayuri jacket ´s hem because the car´s door I closed and my jacket was in between. I can´t get it away in wash.

What is the best thing about cosplay?
- Other cosplayers. I don´t need to be afraid is someone jeering me and I can be proud of my hobby. Normally Finns are quiet and shy, but in cons we don´t need to blush each others. Cons are nothing without other cosplayers!

What is the worst thing about cosplay?
- I always start too late to making my costumes and then I have to hurry and then I will get crazy and cry and flip… Stress is making me out of my mind!

Why do you cosplay?
- I´m a costume maker. I love fabrics and sewing. Cosplay offers me a great change to make difficult costumes and prove my skills in cons and cosplay competitions. I like to search answers in problems of making difficult costumes and mix together my sewing and bodypainting skills.

Now Tag 3 Other Cosplayers
1. Lumitus: [link]
2. Nono [link]
3. Kiipy [link]

SATU ASIKAINEN answers

Who did you first cosplay as?
Satu: I´m not sure because I have had some cosplay-style costumes before the real cosplay but I think my first was Mystel from BeyBlade G-Revolution. Päivi made that costume for me. Next summer I will make that costume again and it will look gorgeous! BUT my first real con-cosplay was Rem from Death Note. I used it in Bakacon 2009 [link]

When and where did you first cosplay?
Satu: I said this already, it was Bakacon 2009 in Pieksämäki. So the world of cosplays is quite new for me but I had very much fun there even things didn´t worked as we wanted. I hurted my eye there for example!

When and where was the last time you cosplayed?
Satu: I was with Päivi on Helsinki´s Tsukicon 2009. It was con for J-rock and different kind of street styles. I was Kandi Kid there [link] But because Kandi Kid is a style, not a cosplay, I can say that my latest cosplay was in Helsinki´s Cosplay-Gaala where I was wearing my Death Note Rem costume. [link]

Who have you cosplayed as in the past?
Satu: My first real con-cosplay was Rem from Death Note. We decided to do a Death Note group cosplay with our friends and because Päivi was Ryuk my role was to be Rem. I didn´t know who Rem was before that. I have used Rem cosplay in Bakacon, Desucon, Animecon and Cosplay-Gaala.
Then there is Soi Fon from Bleach ([link]) and we have made her cosplay even before we went to the cons. I have used this cosplay in Desucon and Animecon.
And then is Halibel from Bleach ([link]) and I have worn this costume only in Animecon but I will wear this again!
As you can see, I don´t have con-cosplayed much! I have also made Ming Ming and Mystel cosplays from BeyBlade G-Revolution but I haven´t used those in cons.

Who do you REALLY wanna cosplay as?
Satu: If I wanna cosplay somebody I will do that. For example Halibel from Bleach was a woman I wanted to cosplay, and now I think there is Ming Ming from BeyBlade G-Revolution.

How many of your friends cosplay?
Satu: I don´t have lots of friends but almost they all. We usually do group cosplays together.

Have you ever walked around in public in your cosplay outfit?
Satu: Yes, and even more we have drove a car! Usually when we are in cons and we have to move somewhere like a night-party, we go there wearing our cosplays because we know there is also other cosplayers who do the same thing. People stare and ask silly things but sometimes they do that even I´m not wearing any cosplay. It´s part of cosplay!

Have people in public ever recognised you and asked for photos?
Satu: No, I think... Once one little girl recognized Päivi´s Ryuk costume which was quite strange. We usually move by car why it´s easier to avoid the public eye.

Have you ever made your own cosplay outfit?
Satu: No, my sister Päivi and her friends have made my cosplays because they are costumemakers. I just do some little things I can´t mess. But on the next year I will take more part in making my cosplays!

What was your favourite cosplay experience?
Satu: I love those all ! But I think my best cosplay experience was when I saw my sister to win her first prize in Bakacon. I was so happy because I knew she deserved that win. I was also very happy when she was second in Desucon´s FFFight tournament. I´m very proud of my sister and all her wins are also my wins !

What is your worst cosplay experience?
Satu: I hurted my eye in Bakacon. It wasn´t nice and I have to cover my eye for a few days. This cost me 50 euros only because my contact lens didn´t worked!

When and where did you first learn of cosplay?
Satu: I´m not sure but I think the first marks of cosplays I found from some Japan-theme magazines or some Japan culture TV documents. Cosplay isn´t anymore a new phenomenon in Finland, so I´m quite late now. I have think cosplay many years but because I haven´t have any reason to start it took quite long time before we finally started to make costumes and took part in cons. It´s a big pity.

What did you think of it then?
Satu: I have always thought cosplay is quite cool hobby but also very difficult. You have to make your own cosplay etc. and what if you don´t know how to sew? When I was younger there wasn´t very much animes or mangas in Finland, so I´m sure finding a good character to cosplay was hard. In Finland we don´t have wig stores etc. in every corner so cosplay is not so easy thing here.

What do you think of it now?
Satu: There is one big plus and big minus on these days’s cosplay: Big plus is you can find very gorgeous cosplays from Finland. There is still lots of different kind of good cons. Big minus is cosplay´s gold-generation starts to be over – if there is good cosplays there is also very bad cosplays, cons starts to be more like some meeting places where we just buy expensive stuff and people come to laugh us and took photos. We can´t be serious anymore. Japan starts to be too much everywhere so we don´t know anymore what is Japan and what is not and we start to be tired for that JapanJapanJapan and one more time Japan fashion.

Where do you usually cosplay?
Satu: In cons of course. I don´t know any other places for cosplay so cons are the only events. I really love to go cons, I start to wait those early and I always miss when those are over. But I think the biggest reason to go there is cosplay.

Have you ever done a cosplay skit on stage?
Satu: Yes, many times. I don´t scare to go on stage so cosplay-shows are just perfect challenges for me. Usually we plan together with Päivi very crazy cosplay shows like we have in Cosplay-Gaala where we tried to go in a same box as Death Note Shinigamis. Next year´s shows will be smarter !

Have you ever won a prize for said skit?
Satu: Yes, from group cosplays... Hey wait a minute! I have taken part in competitions wearing only one costume and that is my Death Note Rem cosplay! Oh well, our group has won two prizes in Animecon 2009 and those were sponsor´s prize and the audience choose us the second best group cosplay.

Do you plan your cosplay outfits waaay before you’re meant to wear them?
Satu: Yes, we have next year´s plans ready because we try to avoid hurry and stress. I think all cosplayers should think their cosplay-ideas ready as soon as possible.

Have you ever been to a convention and cosplayed?
Satu: Yes of course! Are there some other events where I can cosplay?

Ever have something terrible happen to your outfit?
Satu: Yes, many times – I don´t have cosplay costume where everything is allrigth! For example I can´t wear underwears in my Soi Fon or Halibel cosplays but luckily nothing have ever happened. When I was in Desucon 2009 I broke my Rem costume´s pants you-can-guess-from-where. I hope anyone didn´t see that because I don´t know how long the pants was broken and how many see them XD!

What is the best thing about cosplay?
Satu: The whole cosplay is the best thing! Nah, it´s the atmosphere in cons – lots of people who likes the same thing. All people are usually very nice, they took photos and talk nice things. Very rarely there are stupid people like once we meet one boy who has drink alcohol and he clasped my sister´s breast because he didn´t know was Päivi a man or a woman. Päivi hit him back.

What is the worst thing about cosplay?
Satu: There is many things: I don´t like cosplay-fashion where all people start to cosplay same anime or manga just because it´s on “fashion” now. They don´t care do they like that anime/manga or what kind of costumes there is but they just don´t want to be different. Then all cons are full of this one anime/manga cosplays.
And then I don´t like people who critize cosplay even they don´t know what it is like “they play there some role-plays together eh heh heh hee”. First: we don´t play any role games there! If we are not on stage in some show etc. we don´t have any reason to play. Usually we are what we are but we just have some strange suit on. Who wants to meet a person who is only acting? I hope we all are enough smart to know where is the limit between acting and just cosplaying. If you see one coplayer who acts like a child in her/his cosplay it doesn´t mean we all are the same.

Why do you cosplay?
Satu: Good question – I started to cosplay because my sister needed more people in their group cosplay. I think without my sister I won´t cosplay because I don´t have any skills for cosplay but when there is enough help and good people with everything is possible! It´s not only the cosplay – it´s whole atmosphere which makes the cosplay the best hobby I know!

Now Tag 3 Other Cosplayers
1. Taena [link]
2. Pahisman [link]
3. Marlec-san [link]