ArtsyBecca Cosplay as Inquisitor Lavellan from Dragon Age: Inquisition!

On a surprisingly cool early summer day in South Portland, Maine, we caught up with cosplayer, artist, and devout gamer ArtsyBecca Cosplay to talk about her outfit for PortConMaine‘s Masquerade Cosplay Craftsmanship contest. A 26-year old Maine native, and a regular at PortCon for several years, Becca has been cosplaying from anime and video games for ages, only recently expressing confidence to present self-made costumes for craftsmanship judging. The year before, she won accolades in the Novice class as Aloy from Guerilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn, a game playing to her passions of powerful single player narratives and strong women in lush secondary world fantasy/science fiction settings.

This day, she sported a cosplay of the player character options from BioWare’s critically-acclaimed third installment in the hit high fantasy action-RPG series Dragon Age. Becca cosplayed as the female Inquisitor Lavellan in her Keeper Robes, a powerful Dalish Elf mage who tries to restore order to the realm of Thedas, one of the many equipable outfits for the character. She describes her Lavellan as a healer, but also, a fighter, evincing the player-driven characterizations encouraged by the series.

When asked how she tackles big projects and avoids discouragement, she gave us the low-down. “I’ll look on ones like Aloy and Aurora for this one. Once I get past the initial excitement and realize there is a LOT of work, I’ll often list pieces from least difficulty to greatest difficulty. Often, I try to get the biggest and most difficult pieces out of the way first, as this helps me with overall motivation.”

Bringing Lavellan to life required her to learn several new skills and techniques, combining sewing, foam armor crafting, weathering, thermoplastics, and paint applique. There were setbacks.

“I’ve had many times when a costume hasn’t gone as planned,” Becca said. “With Aurora Lavellan, I created the chest piece 5 times; 3 from foam and 2 from fabric. Researching each problem on projects I’ve had zero dealings with is what I often do when I hit a wall.”

Overall, the creation process took nearly nine months. Several pieces had to be re-done, or revised, but that didn’t deter her.

“I got into cosplay merely by accident. My first cosplay was a Halloween costume, which was TenTen from Naruto. It was all sharpies, staples, found clothing and messy buns,” she recalls more humble beginnings. “It was great lol the little yellow closures on her shirt were sharpie!”

A Gaming Design Art major and Creative Writing minor, for Becca cosplaying from the games that inspired her career choice is only natural, though finding the time to balance school, a regular job, and working on hobbies like art and cosplay can be challenging and stressful. A disabled cosplayer with a variety of conditions (most notably, Stage 4 Endometriosis), she nonetheless embraces these passions fully, and though her mixed-media talents shine at the forefront of her pursuits, it is readily noticeable that she prioritizes a positive, compassionate attitude toward others in the cosplay community and gaming space, valuing inclusivity and understanding.

“The greatest take away [from cosplay] for me can be held in a practical and emotional sense,” Becca said. “For practical, I learned a beneficial skill. Sewing is a skill that I feel all people should know!” Asked what the hobby means to her, she had a nuanced reply. “But I also found myself with cosplay. I can express myself. And moreover, I can make others happy. Whether it’s a little girl booking it across the lawn and diving into my massive skirt as I cosplayed Ariel, or the intrigue in people’s eyes when they look over my Aloy bow. I made them happy, which is better than anything that I could ask for.”

To Becca, it has always been the power of games to transport the player to different worlds and experience compelling, believable characters that has hooked her, often giving her an escape and outlet in strenuous, difficult times. Naturally, games with realistic characters, complex relationships and motivations, and lavish settings that could pass for worlds exist somewhere, have always caught her eye.

Her cosplay goals remain straightforward, though. “When I think of what I want to do with my cosplay, I’d say that I’m doing what I want. I’m expressing myself, learning and growing with a vast community of people. If I’ve made myself happy and others, then that is what matters most to me. That is my goal, and my goal is achieved with each new cosplay.”

And she’s got lots of plans, too, setting her sights on future cosplays:

“You know it’s funny. I almost feel as though each cosplay is a dream cosplay for me,” Becca said. “My Mahariel Grey Warden was one of them. That and Marian Hawke [Dragon Age: Origins, and Dragon Age II, respectively] were the two that really allowed me to work on building my crafting skills. Currently, a dream cosplay is Shield Weaver Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn, as well as the light Carja Blazon Armor.”

Find more of her work at ArtsyBecca Cosplay on Facebook and @artsybecca on Instagram. My photography page on Facebook is Kay Inoue Photography.