Cosplayer Feature: Cat
“Reading Persephone’s story and journey made me accept my own, and most importantly have hope that I could come out the other side of it too.”
Cat is a professional Prop Maker and hobbyist Cosplayer from the UK. Open about her struggles with mental health and PTSD, Cat’s account is also filled with her journey of self acceptance.
How long have you been doing cosplay?
As a prop maker, I wanted to learn a new material, so I went for foamcrafting lessons and that got me hooked. My sister had actually been cosplaying for a couple of years at that point, but we didn’t know that was what it was called. I made my cosplay debut as Poppy from League of Legends in 2016.
Who is your favorite Lore Olympus character to cosplay?
If I could I’d do Persephone’s entire wardrobe!
Though I would love to give either Meg or Nyx a go.
Tell us your Lore Olympus story.
So I actually started reading on Chapter 41s release week, and I remember this because I was looking for Cinderella cosplay references, and the shoe moment from that chapter popped up in my search and I was intrigued.
I binged all 41 chapters straight away. I stayed mostly because I saw myself in Persephone. She helped me heal from my own (eerily similar) trauma. Reading Persephone’s story and journey made me accept my own, and most importantly have hope that I could come out the other side of it too.
What is the most memorable cosplay?
It’s actually my most recent one, Ariel! Ariel was my childhood favourite Disney princess, and I always told myself I wasn’t skinny or pretty enough to dress up as/cosplay her.
My Persephone cosplay journey was the reason I put those insecurities aside and gave it a go. I genuinely had the best day shooting with my friends at the beach, which had always been a dream of mine.
What other fandoms are you in? What’s special about the Lore Olympus fandom?
I’ve been a Disney nerd my entire life, and I dabbled in the Steven Universe fandom (but unfortunately I only discovered the show in its final season). Genuinely, the LO fandom is the only one I’ve ever actively been a part of. It always made me feel so welcome and heard, and most importantly it constantly makes me smile.
I don't feel like there is competition within it. Everyone supports one another.
If you could body snatch one LO character for a day, who would it be?
Ooh! It’s cliche but probably Persephone. Once she’s Queen of the Underworld of course. The mix of Queendom, all the doggies, and her powers would be pretty fun to mess around with for the day. Plus access to all of Hades incredible swimming pools!!
Or one of the Fates. I’d properly binge watch a ton of their tapes!
What does cosplay mean to you?
Not being able to cosplay last year due to 2020 being an all out hot mess has made me truly realise how much it means to me. It always pushes me to explore new or hidden parts of myself - and I think that’s truly a wonderful thing.
It’s self expression. I also really enjoy the unique kind of quality time it creates with my sister, friends and partner.
Any advice for a new cosplayer out there?
Do what makes YOU happy! We can get so wrapped up in social media, likes, popularity, all of those things, it actually can make cosplay super overwhelming and even negative whether you’re a seasoned pro or newbie. So start with picking characters or costumes that mean something to you and bring you joy, and then you can’t go wrong.
Just for fun: Who did you get on the Hades’ dog character quiz?
Fudge! Such a lil cutie. Plus I’m definitely a spaniel at heart, and I know this because I have one!