Cosplay Hottie of January 2013

Hey guys and gals lets get this New Year rollin' hot with the First Cosplay Hottie of 2013 So I present to you the lovely Socies M Wilson

 What are your favorite geek vices of choice?-My go-to geek vices are: comics (mostly cape these days, though my roots are in alternative press and web comics), film (genre, arthouse, and foreign, but I can never resist a big, shiny blockbuster superhero flick), animation (especially "adult-humored", retro, superhero, and obscure cartoons -- Super Milk Chan, anyone?), toys (Marvel Selects, Mighty Muggs, GrabZags, Lego, and various vinyl toys tend to be my speed and price range, for right now), video games when I get the chance, writing fanfiction when I get the chance/inspiration, sci-fi (I can't get into Steampunk and Middle Earth stuff as much, sorry!), and of course, costuming. 
And since it has to be said: I'm a Marvelite above all else, but I am getting more and more into DC with time and the efforts of my friends. It's funny that I ended up this way, when Batman and Watchmen were the two comic mythologies I really got into first. 
I also am really interested in contemporary and street art, world cultures, sociology (especially the sociology of the Internet/social media), comedy, fashion, electronic music (mainly French House, Chiptune, Glitch Pop, and Chillwave, with some DnB and Dance Rock thrown in here and there) and basic marine biology (my friends Jen and Mandy certainly have me schooled in that department!), though I consider these less traditionally geeky pursuits, and more mere interests. 

What got you into anime/comics etc?- How I got into this whole thing seems to be a multi-pronged story. I'd have to say it started out with my dad. He certainly influenced my fledgling geeky self. I recall the original Star Wars trilogy being the first movies I fell in love with, and A New Hope being the first movie I'd ever seen, period. I was given Spider-Man, War Machine, and Blade 12" figures right alongside my Disney Princess dolls. I'd sit down with him sometimes to watch Star Trek: TOS, as he'd break down the characters and plots for me, and reminisce about his own childhood love of Star Trek -- I thought Spock, Uhura, and Sulu were really cool, and I think, looking back, that partly was/is because they were representative of groups that weren't really represented on television or in media at the time. Especially Spock. Vulcans weren't a thing prior to then. 

So, the seeds were certainly planted early. It wasn't until a little later on that they started coming into fruition, though, beyond simply watching the Saturday morning superhero cartoons, Toonami, and Power Rangers. It was the superhero movies that really got me suckered in, and proved that comics could be more than simple, "hero-get-bad-guy" stories. 
Then, at around age twelve or so, I read Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison, and just knew I had to read more, and go deeper. The rest is history, I suppose. Still reading, watching, listening, learning. Always. 

 What got you into cosplay?-I happened to be in Las Vegas when The Dark Knight came out. I threw together a Ledger Joker costume, complete with make-up and hair, from what I could gather together from my suitcase and the nearest Party City, and went to the premiere night event at the Brenden Theaters in the Palms Hotel. Despite not having the most dead-on accurate costume, I managed to be the only Joker in sight, and got insane amounts of attention from the other moviegoers and fans as a result. I even got to meet and talk to Lee Bermejo for a good bit, and he was incredibly nice and complimented my make-up job. After getting such a fantastic reception, I wanted more, so the next year back home in Atlanta, I went to a small, local con, and then went to my first major con (Dragon*Con 2009), both times in Watchmen gear. That one Dragon was enough to get me hooked for the long run. Haven't missed one since. 

What are some of your favorite anime/games?-I'm not a huge anime watcher, but I like Ghost in the Shell, Sailor Moon, FLCL, and Cowboy Bebop. I've yet to watch the Japanese-language, English-subtitled versions which I hear are superior to the dubs, so I feel inadequate there, but I'll get around to them sometime. 

My favorite games/game franchises are probably Skyrim, Assassin's Creed, the Arkham games, Marvel vs. Capcom, Little Big Planet, Animal Crossing, inFamous, the various Katamari titles, Galaga, Tekken, and loads of Playstation 2/GameCube/N64 games. Speaking of N64 -- Yoshi's Story and Pokemon Stadium are still two of my favorite games. Please feel free to judge me for this. 
I prefer arcade cabinet stuff more than console stuff, but that's most likely due to a perceived nostalgia factor. I also just got a PS3 late last year, so I'm majorly behind in the current generation of games (things like Mass Effect, Dead Space, and Bioshock I'm just starting to venture into, though they all sound awesome!). To further compound that problem, I don't run Windows, so I've missed out on all the great PC titles out there. 
I evidently have a long ways to go before I can claim to be a "hardcore gamer". It's a time thing more than an interest thing. I need to sit down and devote hours to a game, or else, I don't play at all. Playing for like 20, 30 minutes defeats the purpose of playing an immersive, layered game, to me. 

What are your favorite foods?-This question doesn't make my long-winded tendencies any more concise. Food is *everything*. Yeah, I've been a vegetarian for about 7 years now, but I still manage to try and eat a lot of great food. I like to eat as local as I can, where possible, while supporting the decent franchises where I have to. I've eaten at both hole-in-the-wall type places and some fancy-pants places, and the "seedier" joints are always where the better food is, it seems. 

I'm a big ethnic food junkie. Taiwanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Ethiopian, Jamaican, Cuban, Venezuelan-- I'll try anything (meatless) at least once. I also am a sucker for Creole and Southern food, pasta dishes, food trucks, meat substitutes, French baked goods (I have fallen into the macaron craze, and I can't get up), anything with fruit, non-rennet cheeses, and various tea-based beverages, be that boba, Thai, Chai, or a simple iced passion fruit green tea. If food is a fandom, consider me a member of it. 

What is the best part of cosplaying?-The kids. The kids are the best part of costuming. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely adore and am continually grateful for all of the great people I've met and friends I've made so far in this scene. And yes, I enjoy posing for the hall photos and in more formal photoshoots, and take pride in getting the artist/writer/creator's "seal-of-approval" where I can. Not to mention the hijinks that ensue late night at a con in costume with a group, at movie premieres, FCBD, or just trolling around in character. 

While those are all valid and highly pleasurable aspects of costuming, the most awe-inspiring, joyful aspect of it all is seeing the excited faces of the kids who truly believe that their favorite character has come to life in front of them. I have never fashioned myself a professional in this community, so to get that reaction from the kids as I am now motivates me to get better and better. That's also why I strive to be as in-character as possible when I know the little ones will be around, though I find it amusing that I got recognized by them as often as I did when I did Lady Deadpool. Since when did four-year-olds start knowing and loving Deadpool? 
I'm happy, though perhaps a little disturbed, by their recognition and excitement, though, and am made even more ecstatic when I costume for charity. Those kids are the best. Even if I eventually tire of the con side of costuming, I'll still costume for children's hospitals and other related events, because really, those kids are the best, and deserve every ray of happiness that they can get. 
If I, with my silly hobby, can make their lives any better by being the hero they want and need to see, and help assemble said heroes for them in various events, then I will do so as long as I can. 'Nuff said.