When I first saw our Cosplayer of the month, she was walking around Wizard World Chicago. I stopped and pretty much chased her down. Her Cosplay grabbed my attention as she was wearing the Harley Quinn prison jumpsuit carrying a cup of tea. What made me want to ask her to be a Cosplayer of the month was her personality. Her genuine kindness and passion for the character. With that said, I am so very happy to introduce you to the December Cosplayer of the Month, The Queen of Arkham City.
What inspired you to become a cosplayer?
Originally, I had no intention of being a cosplayer. My friend convinced me to go to Anime Milwaukee, the 
biggest ‘geek’ convention Wisconsin has. She knew my love for Harley Quinn and convinced me to go with her cosplaying as Suicide Squad Harley Quinn. Immediately I fell in love with the art of cosplay.
I loved the environment of cons and the cosplay community in general. I loved the amount of work and time cosplayer’s put into their cosplays; and how happy they looked while in cosplay. I remember thinking I wanted to be just like them. After posting on Instagram, I began to receive messages from people, men and women, that I inspired them or gave them the confidence to cosplay. Impacting people in a positive way has always been a passion of mine. When I realized I had become a role model / idol for my fellow cosplayers, I knew I was in it forever!
What was the first cosplay you did?
My first cosplay was Harley Quinn. Specifically, her Daddy’s Lil Monster outfit from Suicide Squad. I’ve been cosplaying her since February of 2016, and to this day I am still working on improvements to make this cosplay as screen accurate as possible!
What is the most challenging cosplay or prop that you’ve worked on?
Definitely Harley Quinn’s Clubbing look from Suicide Squad. It has so much detail and very precise items that are 
difficult to find. Many items’ for this cosplay are usually made by other cosplayer’s. For example; there isn’t a truly accurate metal mesh dress sold by companies like Hot Topic or Spencer’s. I was lucky enough to find a talented cosplayer to commission it for me. I also had to order miniscule jewelry and attempt to make them into a whole other jewelry piece. I ordered a starburst bracelet off of EBay in attempt to make Harley’s Kenneth Jay Lane Starburst ring. I ripped off the chains holding the Starbust as it was the only piece I needed for my ring. I attempted multiple times to glue it to a regular plain ring and used multiple kinds of glue. Needless to say aftermultiple failed attempts I decided to sodden it. Which also, wasn’t an easy thing to learn.
If you could cosplay with anyone in a partner cosplay shoot, who would it be?
Jared Leto in full Suicide Squad Joker costume. It would be a dream come true to recreate scenes from my absolute favorite movie alongside my favorite actor and Joker!
When you aren’t working on cosplay, what are you doing in your spare time?
I have two great passions in life: cosplay and dentistry. I am currently in college studying dental hygiene, so in my spare time I do a lot of studying and staying up-to-date with the latest dental technology and discoveries. I also volunteer time to time if there are dental assistant’s needed in my area for dental volunteer groups. When I’m not cosplaying or studying, you can find me cuddled up by my fiancé reading a Harley Quinn comic!
What is the best things you’ve learned about yourself since you started cosplaying?
I’ve learned a ton about myself since I started cosplay! I learned I am very picky about screen accuracy. I’m a ‘go big or go home’ kind of person when it comes to cosplay. I’ll only release a cosplay if there are only a couple 
things I know I will upgrade in the future. I’ve also realized how impatient I am. I check my status of shipped item’s every single day if it’s for my cosplay, I used to never be like that. I also learned that I’m actually pretty good with children! They love Harley at con’s, and Harley loves them!
Do you have any projects in the near future we will be excited to see?
Absolutely! I have more cosplays to look forward too such as; Injustice 2 Harley Quinn, Princess Leia, and Clementine from the Walking Dead video game!
What is your advice to those just getting into cosplay?
Don’t buy the first thing you see. Invest in well-made, accurate item’s. It will save money down the line! Also, always have fun in cosplay, never be ashamed of it, and let your geek flag fly! That’s what it is all about!
Where can we find you online?
You can find me on Instagram, @queenofarkhamcity
