Here at Bgeekyblog we have grown to appreciate the community of cosplay. There is something special about the cosplaying community that deserves more recognition for their craft. Countless hours and hard work go into the details of bringing to life beloved characters. Your gender, physical appearance or age should never hinder you from your passion to cosplay. Cosplay is for everyone.  With that ideal, we are excited to expand our highlights to the cosplay community.  We are excited to highlight Flutterbymama.

1.) What sparked your interest in cosplay?

I was drawn into cosplay after attending Long Beach comiccon in 2016. Seeing the costumes, the creativity and the passion that the cosplayers had for their craft, fascinated me. Plus I’m a total girl, sometimes, and I love dressing up!

2.) What has been your favorite character to cosplay?

I loved Little Red Riding Hood. She was my first and my favorite. I wanted her to be strong and powerful and I did a photo shoot that truly showed that side of her. Never fear the big bad wolf, especially if your weapon is bigger!

3.) What would be your dream cosplay?

My dream cosplay would be the pink and blue Harley from Injustice Two (leather jacket and all) or Scarlet Witch (classic) or steampunk Elsa.

4.) What has been the most difficult cosplay for you and why?

My most difficult cosplay, so far, was steampunk Poison Ivy.  I had to hand sew all the ivy into the lace top and the top hat was all hand sewn with several layers of fabrics to give that lace look.  The pants started out as yoga pants and, after cutting, sewing, and editing, they became Poison Ivy’s pants.  The entire cosplay was created based on Free Isabelo’s Poison Ivy steampunk.  I have brought several of his girls to life.

5.) If you could reenact any scene in cosplay from any fandom, what would it be?

Wow, reenacting…. I truly had never thought about that because I don’t think of myself as being worthy of acting. But in a dream world…… the Dark Knight Rises, Cat woman fight scene on the roof when she takes on all the bad guys and Batman joins in!

6.) You cosplay a lot of different fandoms.  Which character (if any) would you say you relate to the most and why?

I like to cosplay a variety so that I can try new things and push myself harder. Each outfit and persona lets me grow and discover new things about myself. I connect to each in a different way so sadly I can’t pick a favorite. Red riding hood was my strength after being sexually assaulted in my past, never let the wolf win. Poison ivy and Maleficent stood up for themselves at any cost. Then we have Harley who I am drawn too like no other. She is strong and doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion except Jokers and I think it’s cute and twisted how their love grew. They aren’t perfect and they still love each other. She is strong and fierce without him, but playful and twisted with him. It’s like two women in one body!!

7.) If you could hang out with any character from any fandom, which character would you like to hang out with and why?

If I could spend time with any fandom it would have to be Wolverine because he was the first person that I considered more human then Superman and Wonder Woman and Spider man. I was drawn to him because he made mistakes, he wasn’t perfect and he still mostly helped people. Imagine the drinking stories he would tell. Luke Skywalker in the old episodes purely because he was hot back then and it would have been amazing to be on the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon ?

8.) You’ve been to a few conventions in cosplay.  What has been your most memorable convention moment?

My most memorable convention moment was this sweet little girl at Amazing Las Vegas this year. She came up to me and said hi.  She was all of 3, maybe. I was dressed as steampunk Maleficent and I knelt down to talk to her and she kept wanting to touch my clothes and my jewelry and every time she did she would smile and giggle. Then ask about another piece on my outfit. We talked for at least 15 minutes, her dad kept apologizing, she was priceless. The kids are what make cosplay so much more enjoyable. Seeing their faces when they recognize you or when they ask for a picture. Hearing them call your characters name and run over to you for a hug or a hello. It truly melts my heart every time!

9.) You do a lot of crossover cosplay like your Star Wars Sith Harley.  What do you like most about crossover cosplay and what is your dream crossover cosplay?

I love being able to mix and match two of my loves into one. Taking two incredible characters and making it my own is an incredible feeling. Star Wars is always a favorite of mine, but I don’t look good in the classic outfits so being able to make it my own by connecting it to another character is a blast. I wanted to do a Poison Ivy/slave Leia or join the girls that do the mandalorian Disney princess crossover (they are amazing). I want to do some more cross overs with steampunk too.

10.) You have an Etsy shop where half the proceeds go to Comic Books Need Kids.  Can you give us more details about Comic Books Need Kids and  how people can donate and how was it started?

I currently have an Etsy shop of my cosplay prints.  I’m trying to raise money for Comic Books need kids so that I can purchase comics and take them to kids in shelters and hospitals.  All kids deserve a little hope and the adventures that comics bring could help provide them a little peace or encouragement.  You can purchase my prints or go directly to my go fund me page (comicbooksforkids) to help get comic books to kids.

I started this organization because I lived in a women’s shelter with my two girls and it was scary.  There is nothing easy about being scared to go home and feeling alone. Then to try and do it with two kids, it was hard. Knowing what I went through and what my girls went through, made me want to give back. Having someone show up and be there for them, offer them someone to talk to, offer them some comics to keep, giving them hope and encouragement at time when they are scared and feeling alone. It’s hard to put into words without getting emotional, but giving a child a few minutes a day to feel normal and safe would mean the world to me.

11.) You are a mother and a cosplayer.  What advice would you give to mothers who may want to cosplay, but feel discouraged, and don’t know where to start?

As a mom, cosplay is even harder. We don’t have the looks and bodies that we had at 20. We get self conscious and insecure because of that. It doesn’t help that men in the cosplay industry try to over sex us up. As a mom, I suggest finding a cosplay that you are comfortable with. I started with red riding hood. Pants, hood, corset. Everything was covered, yet I felt beautiful. I reached out to some cosplayers online that would be at my first con, this was mostly for me. I wanted to know that when I got there, I would have someone in cosplay to find and maybe help shake my nerves. I still remember all of the cosplayers I met that day and still talk to them. Once you get into the cosplay community it becomes a family. My cosplay family is very supportive and encouraging of one another. Be proud of who you are and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Cosplay is for everyone!!!!

Thank you so much for doing this highlight with us Flutterbymama.

Please make sure to follow her on her social media:

@flutterbymama on Instagram

Flutterbymama on Patreon

Go Fund Me Page for Comicbooksforkids