In her own words: “I’ve always loved creating my own costumes combined with great photography and decided to share my work with everyone. I like tough characters and villains so most of my Cosplays will be quite evil >:D (muahaha) I will be making a few costumes per year so lookout world! “
Jack Nickelz: So what got you started in Cosplay?
Reign Cosplay: I started seriously Cosplaying about two years ago at the first Ottawa Comiccon. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday just because it gave me an excuse to dress up. I’ve always loved costumes, videogames and comic books so I thought I’d give it a shot. I was a bit shy to Cosplay at the beginning but I got hooked right away after my first con as Bane with my friend Maja who Cosplayed Poison Ivy. There are so many cons out there; it’s great to know I can Cosplay pretty much all year round!
Jack Nickelz: How was your first convention in full gear experience like?
Reign Cosplay: Well I guess what surprised me the most was how much attention my gender bent Bane was getting. It was AWESOME! I loved getting feedback from fans, even if I was starting out I’d have people approach me and mention that they saw my Bane pics on a few websites and it just shocked me how fast my Cosplay made its way around the web.
Jack Nickelz: What have been some of your fav. Cosplays to do? 
Reign Cosplay: It’s tough to choose a favorite, I worked very hard on all my Cosplays and I’m attached to all of them. They’re all special to me in different ways. Bane was my very first Cosplay and I think it will always be placed a bit higher than my other Cosplays. I also did Commander Keen, I grew up with a DOS computer with some pretty kick ass games but Commander Keen brings back such good memories so I made a tribute Cosplay to honor my childhood game. The Beast, Liberty Belle, Dawn from Contrast, they’re all very special to me for different reasons.
Jack Nickelz: How did you come up with your name?
Reign Cosplay: I wanted a logo that represented retro gaming, strength and my OCD for little details all in one. I remember the only idea I had was to integrate a pixilated crown somehow, I thought it’d be spiffy for the retro gaming aspect of the logo. My buddy Jean-Pierre Houde, who’s a graphic designer, decided to come to my aid for the logo and this is the design we came up with. When I decided to make my very first Facebook Cosplay Page, it took me about a month to finally choose the name: Reign Cosplay. I was hesitating between a few names but Reign Cosplay was the first name I came up with and it just stuck.
Jack Nickelz: Do you have a Cosplay that you are becoming known for?
Reign Cosplay: I think Bane is the Cosplay that everyone recognizes most but I’ve got some pretty wicked Cosplays coming up that I’m excited to share with everyone.
Jack Nickelz: How long does it normally take you to do a Cosplay?
Reign Cosplay: It depends on the amount of detail. Let’s take Commander Keen for example; it took me about a month and a half to make. I painted all the villains pixel by pixel on large cardboard sheets then cut them out with an X-Acto knife. I used a tape measure to figure out how tall I wanted my characters to be and calculated the size per pixel per character. So I think I spent a good month just measuring and painting pixels in the evenings after work and on weekends!
Jack Nickelz: Who are some of the characters that you are looking forward to Cosplay as?
Reign Cosplay: Ooooh, I don’t like revealing too much! I’m very secretive when it comes to posting my next Cosplays, I always wait until I’ve bought all my fabric and have started making it! But here’s my big reveal for November: I’ll be Pajama Party Harley Quinn and Shizuka from Knights of Sidonia for Ottawa Pop Expo. I’m addicted to the Knights of Sidonia… I think I watched the entire first season in less than three days! As for Harley, I noticed the action figure at the Comic Book Shoppe on Bank Street in Ottawa and I just couldn’t resist making this Cosplay… and buying the action figure!
Jack Nickelz: Have you ever had to switch up a Cosplay because it was too revealing?
Reign Cosplay: I haven’t encountered this issue yet, I’m always going to Cosplay characters that I’m comfortable with whether it’s revealing or not; it’s all about the details.
Jack Nickelz: What are your thoughts on the bullying and harassment going on in Cosplay?
Reign Cosplay: There’s a certain line that shouldn’t be crossed, there’s also a difference between admiring a Cosplay and harassment. Whether you have a revealing Cosplay or not, I think it’s important to also respect the person who is Cosplaying. Just because we’re in costume, doesn’t give a person the right to bully or harass. I read an article recently on vice.com about “Cosplay is not consent” and Cosplayer Vivid Vivka had some words that really stood out to me: “Speak up and stand up for yourself. No is a viable and powerful word— it’s OK to say it! Don’t let anyone push you down or pressure you into something you don’t want to do. Someone is being a jerk? You don’t have to take a photo with them. Someone is touching you, or invading your personal space? Tell a security personal. We, as individuals, are powerful creatures.” – Vivid Vivka
Jack Nickelz: How did it feel to be featured by Cos Couture for your Bane Cosplay?
Reign Cosplay: I didn’t realize I was featured until my friend Walter a.k.a Akufafum Cosplay (who Cosplays Diablo and Bane) posted the link on my wall the other day. I was sitting at work and I saw the notification on my phone, I was SO PSYCHED! I couldn’t believe my Bane made it in the top ten; it’s still all so surreal to me!
Jack Nickelz: What made you want to do a gender bent Bane? 
Reign Cosplay: My favorite TV series when I was a kid was the 1992 Batman animated series and I don’t know why but I’ve always had a thing for villains. Bane was just so bad ass; I knew he was going to be my first Cosplay character. As I don’t have much of the muscle tone he has, I thought a gender bent Cosplay was the way to go. I wanted to integrate the modern Bane along with a little bit of the retro Bane which is why I used the red eye shadow to incorporate his red eyes from the animated series. I love to use sneaky little details like that in all my Cosplays.
Jack Nickelz: Are you surprised at the reaction you have gotten for your Bane Cosplay?
Reign Cosplay: To be honest, I really wasn’t expecting it to get this much attention! I hope to get the same reactions for some of my future Cosplays!
Jack Nickelz: What made you want to do a Professor Layton shoot?
Reign Cosplay: Ah yes, Professor Layton. I’m addicted to this Nintendo DS/3DS game series. I was at work talking with one of my coworkers’ / fellow gamer and of course I brought up this game. I was actually just joking around about Cosplaying this character when suddenly I thought of the perfect location to have a photo shoot and then I just went full throttle! I bought all my fabric a few days after and made venue reservations at Perth Manor. I haven’t seen many gender bends of this character and I thought it’d be neat concept to have an “haute couture” look for Professor Layton and his sidekick Luke.
Jack Nickelz: Well thank you for taking time out to do this. Is there anything you would like to say to the fans and readers?
Reign Cosplay: I’ve got a pretty awesome Cosplay lineup coming up for November and next year 2015 so keep your eyes peeled!
For more on Reign Cosplay, check out:
http://reign-Cosplay.tumblr.com/ http://reign-Cosplay.deviantart.com/
http://worldCosplay.net/member/134823 https://twitter.com/Zombies_Pew_Pew
https://www.facebook.com/reignCosplay
Photo credit: Bane (Photo Credit: John Wenzel), Dawn from Contrast (Photo Credit: John Wenzel), Liberty Belle (Photo Credit: Richard Dufault), Professor Layton (Photo Credit: MTKS Adventures), Commander Keen (Photo Credit: Corey Graham)
