Cosplayers will amaze us with their brilliant creations every year, BUT one will always set the bar high enough to leave us in perpetual awe. Not very long ago, that cosplayer was Ysa Marie at Puerto Rico Comic-Con, with her Tifa Lockhart cosplay (Final Fantasy VII). But of course, Ysa was not satisfied with just surprising us once, so she decided to drop our jaws with next year’s Morrigan Aensland cosplay (Darkstalkers). What other surprises does this tremendously creative cosplayer have for us for this year’s Puerto Rico Comic-Con and other cons??? Let’s see what she has to say:

Robbie: What Con did you start cosplaying in?

Ysa: Kaisen 3, where I cosplayed as a Chobit from the anime series Chobits. But people started acknowledging me when I cosplayed as Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII) at Puerto Rico Comic Con.

Robbie: What made you decide to get into cosplaying?

Ysa: Well I always loved this atmosphere, plus when I was a kid I took two or three modeling classes. So, having a hobby that I could mix both in was a huge plus for me!

Robbie: Do you have any cosplay role models?

Ysa: Kristen Hughey, because like me, she likes keeping her body healthy. So, her cosplays look better!

Robbie: You’ve cosplayed in the United States before, right? Where exactly, and what characters did you cosplay?

Ysa: Yes! Megacon at Florida. I didn’t have much money and time to make a great cosplay. So, I went simple and made a Hipster Ariel cosplay (The Little Mermaid but with much more attitude and Starbucks coffee… because everything else is too mainstream).

Robbie: What’s been the toughest piece you’ve worked on when making a cosplay?

Ysa: Morrigan’s lower wings.

Robbie: What’s been your favorite cosplay memory?

Ysa: When after hours of walking around and taking pictures, I go eat some nuggets!

*I never thought some nuggets could bring so much joy to a human being. Long-live processed chicken.* (Robbie)

Robbie: What’s your dream cosplay?

Ysa: Any cosplay that has armor, so I can finally use Worbla!

Robbie: Which of the cosplays you’ve made before describes you better as a person?

Ysa: Well, a lot of my friends say that I remind them of Tifa Lockhart physically and in personality, so I’ll follow their judgement, hahaha!

Robbie: What’s the difference between cosplay, and just dressing up as a character?

Ysa: Dressing up is something that people usually do in parties or Halloween; wear a costume just for giggles and because of the event. Cosplay is when you inhabit the character you’re dressed up as; cosplay is a mix of acting and modeling.

Robbie: What would you tell the people who make fun of cosplayers out there?

Ysa: People will always judge what they don’t know or don’t get, and we can’t really make people change their minds about our lifestyles.  I personally have never been the kind of person who cares what people think of me. I’ve been the geek, freak, nerd, outkast and “devil worshiper rocker” that everyone has had in their schools. I’ve learned not to care, and to do the things that make me happy, because at the end, that’s what truly matters.

Robbie: What’s the most fun aspect cosplayers have?

Ysa: We challenge each other to be better and give that extra mile for our cosplays!

Robbie: How would you rate Puerto Rico’s evolution in cosplay?

Ysa: Slowly, but surely, it’s getting a bit better every year.

Robbie: What are your future cosplay plans? What’s the dream Con you want to cosplay at?

Ysa: Well, I think that like every cosplayer, I have like a list of cosplays I want to do, haha. But, I personally don’t like giving out my cosplays, because then my excitement towards doing that cosplay would die. I keep them a secret until the day before the day of the convention! And dream conventions that I would like attend? Hmmmm… ALL OF THEM!

Thanks for spending a little bit of your time with us, Ysa!! We wish you the best of success in your future plans! If you wanna follow Ysa Marie’s work, follow her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/YsaMarieCosplay

Also, if you wanna be our next featured cosplayer in Alter-Ego, send us an email with your name, country, and cosplay pictures to supersmashhour@gmail.com. You could be our next cosplay star!