otakufest cosplay contest award-winner
The Fort Myers cosplayer won the 'Con Chair Spotlight' award for her Franky cosplay at Otakufest 2023 in Miami earlier this year.
her first cosplay from scratch
"This is the first cosplay that I made from scratch and I feel like it gets the best reaction when I bring Franky to a con. He's such a fun, larger-than-life character."
"Franky was completely handmade, aside from the bikini bottoms. It took me about four months of work since I was learning on the fly. This cosplay taught me the importance of having patience to achieve a desired result. I also taught myself how to sew so I could make his iconic Hawaiian shirt!"
Photographer: fansinframe
"I had been interested in cosplay for a long time, but it took one of my best friends pushing me to finally take the plunge. She invited me to an upcoming con and asked me to do a group cosplay with her and the second I made it to the convention, I was hooked."
-@Rokudaiiime
dabi
My Hero Academia
"I made his flame gauntlet prop out of an opera glove and Worbla TranspArt, which I hand-dyed and then heat shaped to fit the exact curves of my hand and arm. I also do the special effects makeup which usually takes about four or five hours to get into each time."
esdeath
Akame ga Kill
"For this cosplay I made her rapier out of a wooden dowel, EVA and foam clay. I then used NMM painting techniques to make it look like real metal. This was the second sword I've ever made and it took about a week to complete."
home city: fort myers, Florida
Cosplayer general info
Rokudaiiime is 28-years-old and has only been cosplaying for 2 years. "Cosplay is a great escape from real life. There's nothing quite like putting on an outfit and some makeup and being able to become a completely different person. It's also so much fun to geek out with fellow fans of whatever video game or anime character you're cosplaying as."
Favorite Conventions
Her favorite convention is Holiday Matsuri, which she attended for the first time in 2022.
Advice For New Cosplayers
"As a newer cosplayer myself, my best advice is to not be intimidated. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there whether it's talking to fellow cosplayers or creating your own costume. Your only competition is yourself!"