She is Dentistry student by day, rookie Cosplayer by night! From doing song covers to dressing up as various characters from Snowstorm Sivir from league of Legends to Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII. I was able to get Jodeci to settle down for a moment in order to answer a few questions for us at Guysnation.com
Mr. Incredible: What got you into Cosplaying?
Jodeci FM: Ever since I found out that people actually dressed up as their favorite characters outside of Halloween, I wanted to Cosplay. I was around 13 years old when I discovered what cosplay was. However, I was always too scared to be judged for dressing up, so I didn’t get into it at that time. It was two years ago that I went to my first convention (Otakuthon here in Montreal) with my ex-boyfriend and he suggested that we should cosplay. I felt a lot better having someone with me so I wouldn’t be judged alone at least!
Mr. Incredible: Do you remember your first Cosplay?
Jodeci FM: My first cosplay was a disaster! I did Tifa from Final Fantasy VII, which was really fun except that the process was kind of a hassle. See, I had planned to do the Advent Children version of Tifa because it’s more modest than her video game design, but the costume I had ordered never arrived. So here I was one week before the con and pretty screwed, so I found a white sports bra, a black skirt, suspenders, red boots and some gardening gloves and that was my cosplay! Tifa also has these tiny armor pieces on her toe and elbow and I thought making them out of clay and hot gluing it would work (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t). I may actually redo it later this year with my new and improved costuming skills!
Mr. Incredible: What have been some of your fav. Cosplays to do?
Jodeci FM: Well, to be honest, I’ve only ever had a total of four cosplays over the last 2 years: Tifa Lockhart, Yoruichi, French Maid Nidalee and Snowstorm Sivir. As much fun as I had cosplaying the first three, I am the most proud of Snowstorm Sivir because I actually made it.
Mr. Incredible: Who are some of the Cosplays that you look forward to doing?
Jodeci FM: I already have my next 3 cosplays chosen and I’m super excited to make them! For Otakuthon I will be doing a gijinka Mini Gnar from League of Legends and my good friend and cosplay partner, Ashari, will be doing Mega Gnar. He’s just so adorable, we couldn’t resist adding him to our cosplay plans! For next year I will be doing Izayoi from BlazBlue and Shia from Hyrule Warriors, both of which are pretty big cosplays that I really can’t wait to do.
Mr. Incredible: What goes into picking out who you want to Cosplay as?
Jodeci FM: First of all, I have to have played the game or watched the series. If I see a character design that I really love, but I have no knowledge of the series/game, then I will make sure I do acquire some sort of experience with it. I’ll be honest when I say that’s why I started playing League of Legends, but now that game’s an addiction for me!
Apart from actually knowing who the character is and their context in a series/game, I try to find characters that I can actually pull off. I know that we, as a cosplay community, want to promote cosplaying whatever you want regardless of appearance, and I totally respect that. However, I have a personal preference to have at least a slight physical resemblance to the character. Seeing as I have naturally tanned skin and generally exotic features, it does kind of narrow my options, but I don’t mind since a lot of the characters I find that are similar to my appearance are pretty strong and quite interesting (I don’t know if you noticed, but I like Cosplaying fierce women). 
Mr. Incredible: How does it feel to complete your first self made Cosplay?
Jodeci FM: Completing my first self-made cosplay, Snowstorm Sivir, was really a learning experience. First of all, I worked on it while having to study for exams every month because of med school (I’m actually in dentistry, but we learn med stuff first). If that wasn’t hectic enough, I also went in with zero knowledge about prop and armor making, and absolutely no sewing experience. I was a literal noob! Thankfully I had Ashari to share ideas and advice with. I still am a newbie at cosplaying, but I’m proud of how my first project turned out and I feel prepared to take on these crazier cosplays that I have planned for next year.
Mr. Incredible: What are your thoughts of Cosplay and the Geek Culture being the new sexy and cool?
Jodeci FM: Oh my, I could write a whole essay on this. I’ll try to keep it short and concise, but I probably won’t convey my opinion fully. I have mixed feelings about it, to be honest. I feel like on the one hand it has kind of turned cosplay into a fashion show of sorts. And while it’s cool that more and more people are coming out with these really incredible cosplays, the fact that it’s becoming more well-known and accepted has made it become kind of a contest, when we really should just be having fun. I mean, in the context of a masquerade, of course competition is expected. However, especially online, it’s pretty much the hottest girls who get the most attention, regardless of whether they actually worked on the cosplay themselves or even if they’re really only just wearing lingerie and a wig. In the meantime, I’ve seen other potentially more talented Cosplayers with incredible craftsmanship get left on the wayside simply because they don’t fit the mold of what our society perceives to be beautiful.
However, I can’t deny that Cosplay and Geek culture becoming sexy and cool has helped me in the sense that my fears for being judged are pretty much zero at this point. It’s no longer that thing that only freaks do, in the eye of the public in general. It’s becoming more accepted since more people know about it and embrace it, which I am entirely grateful for because it lets me continue with my hobby without anxiety or fear.
Mr. Incredible: How do your friends, family and people you date, handle your Cosplaying?
Jodeci FM: They’re all very cool about it, thankfully! I mean, my close friends always knew I was geeky to begin with, so there was never any judgment there. My parents always kind of made fun of my “Mickey Mouse conventions”, especially when I started 2 years ago in my ghetto costumes, but they were really impressed with my Snowstorm Sivir cosplay when they saw the finished product. I think seeing the hard work I put into it every day and then seeing the fruits of my labors has helped them respect my hobby more.
Even my colleagues in my dentistry class who aren’t into geek culture at all saw the photos of my cosplay and said, “Wow, you actually make this stuff look cool! You make me want to dress up all of a sudden!” That felt pretty nice, since I felt like I’m helping to make cosplay more accepted in society. As for my boyfriend, he’s very supportive of me and even comes to the conventions with me even though he doesn’t cosplay and he’s not really an anime fan. It’s pretty cool that I get to introduce him to this world that he wasn’t really a part of before and that he accepts my cosplay hobby as being a part of my life.
Mr. Incredible: Have your views on Cosplaying changed from before you started doing it to now?
Jodeci FM: I don’t really think so. I always thought that cosplay would be fun. I guess the only difference now is that I don’t feel that it’s as taboo of an activity as it was 5 – 10 years ago. I also used to think that I would never be able to make a Cosplay, but now I’m more confident in myself!
Mr. Incredible: What are your thoughts on the issues of Cosplay bullying and harassment?
Jodeci FM: Ah, this is another essay question that I’ll try to keep short. I find it really unfortunate that this kind of thing still happens, but at the same time I’m not entirely surprised. It takes time for prejudice in a whole society to go away. For example, most people know that racism and homophobia are wrong, but there is still the minority of people in our society who hold such prejudices even in this modern world where we try to preach acceptance. That’s essentially what’s still happening: even though Cosplay and geek culture are becoming more accepted, not everyone gets it still, and unfortunately people can be very awful sometimes.
Even within the cosplay community itself, people can be so rude to each other because of judgment about appearances or cosplay skill. I think the best we can do right now is continue to promote acceptance and tolerance within the cosplay community to reduce negative behavior between Cosplayers. At the same time, we need to stand strong when faced with adversity in the general public. It’s the same for bullying in general: if you see someone getting harassed for any reason whatsoever, stand up for them if they can’t stand up for themselves. Maybe knowing that they have support will help that person become more confident and strong in the future when faced with negativity in any setting. 
Mr. Incredible: Now those issues aside, a lot of people have said that Cosplay has helped them accept how they look. How do you feel about that?
Jodeci FM: Like any girl, I do have my insecurities, but they’re pretty minor because I would say that I am a fairly self-confident individual. I wouldn’t say that cosplay is necessarily why I accept how I look. I didn’t have a problem with my appearance when I started cosplaying because I kind of solved those self-acceptance issues around when I was 15 years old. However, I think that cosplay has helped me become more confident in general, and I believe that’s the beauty of cosplay. It can help people in so many ways, be it for confidence in one’s own appearance or even confidence in meeting and getting to know new people. Anyone can get into Cosplay and it’s a pretty therapeutic hobby where you can channel your creativity into this unique art form and then wear it for all the world to see!
Mr. Incredible: What have been some of your fav. conventions to go to?
Jodeci FM: I have only been to Otakuthon in Montreal and Anime North in Toronto so far. Otakuthon is super fun because of the anime karaoke in the café, plus it’s indoors so you’re much more comfortable in your cosplay. However, Anime North is just so much bigger with so many things to do and so many cool locations to take photos. The road trip there is always worth it. I couldn’t choose which one I like better, to be honest, because I love going to both. I do hope to experience other conventions soon though! I’ll be going to Montreal Comic Con for the first time this year and next year my friends and I are hoping to go to PAX East and Otakon.
Mr. Incredible: Now is it true that you also do some singing?
Jodeci FM: That is indeed the truth! I have been performing onstage since I was 14 when I competed for my high school’s “Idol” competition (and won!!) and I did a couple of musicals in grade 10 and 11 as a supporting role and then lead female role, respectively. I miss the acting aspect, even though I wasn’t very good. Nowadays I perform onstage for charity shows that are organized by my class and I now have a couple of really talented musicians who perform with me, so no more backing tracks for me! I also have an old YouTube channel with covers for anyone interested. I haven’t added anything in a while and some of it is pretty bad, but it’s there if you’re curious to watch. Also, ignore how emo the name sounds: www.youtube.com/user/CR1MS0NT3ARS.
Mr. Incredible: What is your fav. Song to sing?
Jodeci FM: I’ll sing anything really! If I had to choose a song that I’ve wanted to sing onstage for a while now, it would be “Let It Go” from Frozen. I know, I know! It’s done to death, but I’d want to sing it just once onstage.
Mr. Incredible: Thank you for taking time out to answer questions. Is there anything else that you would like to say to the fans and readers?
Jodeci FM: If you want to follow my cosplay progress, my page is https://www.facebook.com/jodecicosplay (I also post any performances I do there, too). If ever you guys have your own questions for me, don’t hesitate to PM my page and I’ll gladly answer ASAP. I also feature cosplayers on my page twice a week, so please send me your work because I’d love to see it and share it with my fans!
I also just want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this interview and for your continuing support! You guys really help motivate me to keep doing what I do <3
Photo Credits: Yernad Media, Martie B. Photography
