Feature Friday: Awkward Turtle Cosplay
Getting back on track means having Feature Fridays more than once a month again! Today’s cosplay feature is the super sweet Awkward Turtle Cosplay. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her in person yet, but she reached out to me for advice at the recommendation of a friend. I couldn’t be happier to have made her acquaintance as she is just adorable. I look forward to sharing her feature with her as much as I look forward to seeing more of her cosplays as she grows as an artist.
Awkward Turtle Cosplay
What is your cosplay name? Awkward Turtle Cosplay
How did you come about your cosplay name? I used to be so painfully shy and would never talk to anyone before I became a cosplayer. When I cosplayed for the first time, I felt more confident and comfortable being my silly self, and I found it much easier to interact with others and socialize. So, when I decided I wanted to make cosplay a regular thing, I chose the name “Awkward Turtle Cosplay” to honor my painfully awkward self who started this cosplay life, even though I am no longer that person. Cosplay has made me much more outgoing and social, and I’ve really embraced the dorky person I’ve always been, but was too scared to show to others until I started cosplaying. Once you meet me now, you would never guess that I used to be such a timid, introverted person.
What is your real world name? Serena Scott
What do you do when you aren’t cosplaying? I write books, work as a waitress at my restaurant, and watch lots of anime that I end up deciding to cosplay literally EVERYONE from as I then slave over several cosplay sketches as a result of my poor decisions.
How old are you? Nineteen! 🙂
How long have you been cosplaying? Two years as of this Animazement!
What made you want to start cosplaying? I’ve always loved dressing up for Halloween, and I got into anime in middle school thanks to my little sister. So, when my mother informed me that anime conventions were a thing my junior year of high school, I immediately thought, “Okay, I DEFINITELY have to dress up for this.” …And I’ve been lost in the abyss of cosplay ever since.
Why do you continue to cosplay? I was an artist before I ever started cosplaying, and that creative part of me apparently really enjoys making myself suffer over giant suits of armor and ridiculous costumes that just do not exist in order to express my creative individuality. So, basically, the creative perfectionist in me makes me want to cosplay EVERYTHING and do something ridiculously detailed every time, because I apparently hate myself. I also really enjoy meeting people who are dressed in the same fandom as me at cons, or who are dressed as another fandom I really love. I have never had an experience in my life that was more fun than going to an anime convention and meeting other cosplayers.
How has cosplay helped you as a person? I’ve overcome my social awkwardness and have grown more extroverted since I started, and I’ve gained so many artistic skills that I never had before that help me throughout my regular life.
What is your dream cosplay? Cinder Fall was pretty much my dream cosplay, and I’ve already done her! XD
How do you choose who you will cosplay? It usually starts with me watching a show, and then I see a really cute character that I relate to a lot, and then the little voice in my head starts screaming “do it, do iiiiiiit!!” And then, what do you know? I’ve added 40 more cosplays to my to do list. And thus the suffering begins…
What was your first cosplay and where did you wear it at? Blake Belladonna was my first cosplay, and I wore her to Animazement 2015! It was a completely bought cosplay because I did not know how to do ANYTHING then, and it was a total nightmare when I look back. But it was still a lot of fun, and I enjoyed cosplaying her all the while!
What is your favorite cosplay you have done so far? Why? I LOVE ALL OF THEM SO MUCH IT’S HARD TO DECIDE! I guess I would have to say Cinder Fall is my favorite so far, because I got the most response from people in her, and I had a lot of fun dancing with my fire ombre silk fans!
Who is your favorite cosplayer/ cosplayer you most admire? Jessica Nigri! I absolutely adore her; she’s both an amazing cosplayer and a hilarious person! She’s the main reason why I continued to cosplay, and why I’ve embraced my silly, weird personality!
Tell us about some cosplays you are working on right now… Currently my biggest project at the moment is Princess Celestia! I’ve been making the most extravagant and intricately detailed armor set for her, as well as a pretty killer staff! I’ll be debuting her this Animazement hopefully if I can finish her in time! I’ll be cutting it close… XD
What is a skill you feel you have mastered for cosplay? The art of procrastination.…just kidding! Although I definitely have mastered that, I’ve also mastered the skill of painting 3D intricate details on costume pieces. I use 3D fabric paint to paint on ridiculously detailed designs that I incorporate into my costumes pretty much everywhere, because I am an over-achieving perfectionist, and it looks really cool once it dries and you paint over it! You’ll see a lot of this technique used in my Princess Celestia cosplay!
What’s the hardest thing about cosplay for you? Definitely sewing, hands down. I’ve never learned to properly do ANYTHING, and all of my skills are self-taught: same goes for sewing. I usually have to recruit a friend’s help with sewing, because I can only do certain things at the moment. I hope to be sewing all of my costumes by myself by next year, because my skills do improve with each project that passes my desk! At the moment, I can only confidently sew small things, like accessories or props. I can sort of do clothing items…but I definitely need more practice with them in order to be more satisfied with the result. If a costume has a very simple build, then I can definitely sew it myself.
What is the best advice you have for other cosplayers? Don’t procrastinate. Save yourself the torture of experiencing a “con crunch” by getting all of your stuff done ahead of time. Take advantage of Amazon prime: it’s a real life saver for cosplayers. Also, be stingy with your money! Don’t drop a lot of money on a costume or a material you need before you compare prices everywhere else you can buy it. Even if it’s just $5 cheaper, that $5 still makes a difference, especially when you are like me and you have delved so deep into cosplay that your whole wallet seems to want to gravitate towards it! XD
Anything else you want to add? Although I take my cosplay seriously, I am also a living meme. I am the absolute WORST to take pictures of, because I am horribly unphotogenic. Half the pictures I get of me at cons are serious, in-character ones, and the other half are derpy ones. I tend to enjoy taking the latter more than I do the former XD please take derpy pictures with me at cons if you ever see me!
I also am starting a cosplay group called ADI Cosplay with my friend Jamie. ADI Cosplay stands for Actually Dead Inside Cosplay, because we are all actually dead on the inside XD It’s a new group we’re slowly building up at the moment, but we hope to be adding more and more members to our group and panel cast very soon! We’ll be doing Noragami and Mystic Messenger panels at future cons very soon!
Check out Serena’s social media below. Leave a comment for her (or me!) below, and don’t forget to subscribe via email or to never miss a post.
Awkward Turtle’s Social Media
Facebook: Awkward Turtle Cosplay
Instagram: @awkwardturtlecosplay & @adi_cosplay
Etsy Store: AwkwardTurtleCosplay