Amanda Webster Born To Cosplay

HOMETOWN: Lebanon, MO

RESIDENCE: Phoenix, AZ

HOBBIES: Yoga, writing, activism, traveling

ZODIAC SIGN: Aries

I’ve been modeling since I was sixteen professionally and was practically born with a Nintendo controller in my hand, so my passions just naturally merged. My first portrayal was Nami from One Piece because her character had escaped slavery to pursue her dream, which seemed perfectly symbolic with the state of my life at the time.

All of our lives we are told to be who we are, and that seems perfectly rational and inspirational. And while I love who I am, sometimes it is nice to be able to get in someone else’s mind and clothes for a day. It is a great outlet for my imagination and truthfully, often for my emotions. Like representing Nami was reflective of my life at the time, I was dealing with a lot of frustration and resentment when I chose to do Dexter Morgan. I know this is probably not a commonly recognized aspect, but cosplay is exceptionally therapeutic! You have a place to express yourself in a healthy manner, a community to connect to and always something new to focus on or challenge yourself with.

Rogue from X-Men because essentially, I could obtain every superpower.

The thirteen-year-old in me is going to be mad at me for not saying Justin Timberlake (he is high on my bucket list), but I would have to say Chester Bennington. I have never been affected so harshly by a celebrity’s death, but to know that someone who saved me from the darkest places of my life succumbed to that same darkness was devastating. If my conversation with him could change the outcome of his passing, I would tell him to reach out to his fans and let us carry him like he did for us most of our lives. I would tell him that his light shone over millions of people and kept theirs burning when they felt just like he did. I would apologize on behalf of humanity for the bastards who did what they did to him that left such deep wounds. And I would answer the question he posed in One More Light: “Who cares if one more light goes out?
In a sky of a million stars?” I do. Because some stars burn far brighter than others and those stars should be the last to flicker out.

Even though it is a TV show and not a movie, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. It was a cowboy sci-fi series from the very early nineties with cult-classic Bruce Campbell. Sadly, it only had one season, but I am confident I have re-watched it at least a dozen times. While the premise was a bit grim, the show starts with Brisco’s father being murdered, I connected with his desire to avenge his father, as I was always very close to my parents. But I liked that it had the perfect balance of seriousness with wit and characters that were impossible to not like. Except the villain. He was the only true fear I had as a child. Even now I don’t have a single complaint about it, other than how short it was. I think thought that the show was really just before its time.

That is a toss-up between my used bath water and my toenail clippings.

I know this is kind of cheating, but in Assassin’s Creed, Ezio teamed up with Leonardo DaVinci. I mean, seriously, who better to handle all of my affairs? He was a mathematician, so my finances would be in good hands, an engineer, so everything would run like a well-oiled machine and an artist, so it would all look fabulous to boot!

Strangely, Princess Zelda. I have been wanting to cosplay her before I even got into the scene. I often see her portrayed as the damsel in distress, and (having been a Zelda fan since I could walk), I don’t see that as the defining trait of her character. She is the Wisdom part of the Triforce (which, by the way, I have tattooed on my hand) and I want to take my time to make sure that is what I am expressing. But, I have confidence that 2018 might finally be the year that bestows me the Power and Courage to make it happen.

If I come across a character that I take interest in cosplaying, I make it a point to do my homework. But for the most part, I stick with characters that I know well and feel a connection to.

Although it was a short-lived event that experienced a lot of unfortunate complications, Rewind Con was my absolute favorite. Anyone who knows me knows that I am stuck in the nineties and it made my teenybopper heart pitter patter. Other than that, Stan Lee’s Comikaze because it is larger than life and the attendees reflect that. You see people who have made functioning Transformers and Iron Man costumes and just stare in awe at the capabilities and dedication of these cosplayers.

I am too busy still wiping my tears that I missed the big NYC con earlier this month! Any requests from the fans?  

I get anxiety when fans cry. Not because I am judging them or upset by it, it is moving to see that myself or another cosplayer or celebrity has touched them that deeply, but I am never sure exactly how to respond.

Dexter Morgan. Aside from the obvious of being offered free ice cream at Rita’s because I happened to be walking by in my cosplay and they “were sorry for my loss,” there is something to be said for vigilante justice. The development for his character was flawless and the execution (no pun intended) was amazing. Though I, with many other fans, was unhappy with the direction they eventually went with the TV series, it is to this day one of the few shows that I can say truly captivated me to the end (besides Brisco and House.) Because, as much as we hate to admit it, we connect with Dexter, as there is a part of him in all of us. It was great giving my Dark Passenger some time to come out and play.

First of all, I like to switch up genres. It is easy to fall into a rut and start wanting to do only comic book heroes or only characters from a certain series. Second, I like to get into the minds of my characters, so I might wander around in costume for a day (yes, in public) and reflect on how he/she would react to or handle different situations.

Instagram: mandawebster

When I modeled for FHM magazine, I was invited to Bam Margera’s New York bachelor party. One of his friends thought I was hot and wanted me to go with them and keep partying. So, I wound up on a tour bus to West Chester, Pennsylvania, leaving my car and my boyfriend in NYC. I had about $50 to my name, a dead cell phone and no idea where specifically I was or how I was going to get home to Ohio.

To live it.