Full Name:
Ardella D’Avalon (Yes, it’s an alias, girl’s gotta protect her identity!)
Profession:
I’m in Real Estate!
Favorite Movie:
That’s a hard one. Maybe… Serenity?
Favorite TV Show:
Also a hard one! I don’t watch much TV, to be honest. Supernatural, Game of Thrones and Once Upon a Time are all shows I watch regularly.
Favorite book:
Sabriel by Garth Nix, or The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.
Favorite Author:
Garth Nix
What were your favorite cartoons when you were a kid?
I really liked Pokemon and Danny Phantom.
Sometimes! More grown up ones like Family Guy and American Dad and the ever classic Simpsons. Throw in a little Anime too!
What were your favorite video games growing up?
Zelda Ocarina of Time, and I had an amazing time with a group of role players on a Neverwinter Nights online server. That’s where my alias originated!
What are your favorite games now?
Team Fortress 2. I know it’s old by most people’s standards, but I still love it.
What is your favorite anime or Manga?
Fullmetal Alchemist, Full Metal Panic, Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Cowboy Bebop… just to name a few.
Do you read comics?
Sometimes! I wouldn’t say I collect them, though,
What’s your favorite comic?
I don’t really have a favourite comic. My favourite graphic novel is The Sandman by Neil Gaiman.
What is the weirdest thing about you that we can get you to admit?
My arms and knees both bend the wrong way.
How did you get started making costumes?
I’ve always loved dressing up! I used to do it as a kid and I guess I never grew out of it. Once I started getting too big for store bought costumes, though, I started making my own. I guess that’s how I got to where I am today!
Who is your favorite Superhero?
Iron Man. Without a doubt!
What would be your ultimate Superhero battle? Who would win?
The Hulk VS The Thing. I mean, c’mon. I think the Hulk would win.
Outside of Cosplay and video games, what are some of your hobbies?
I don’t really have time for much else! For many, many years I rode horses competitively, but now that I’ve moved away from my parent’s place I have nowhere to keep them!
What was your first costume?
Misato Katsuragi from Evangelion. I think I was 15!
What’s your favorite costume of all time, and why?
My favourite one that I’ve done? Probably my Power Girl or Giselle costumes. Power Girl is so much fun to portray, and I love being a princess as Giselle! It’s so different to what I normally do.
What would your dream costume be?
I’ve always wanted to create the dress Sarah wears in the ballroom/dream sequence in Labyrinth. All those fluffy 80s layers!!
What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you at a convention?
I was dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz once, and one gentleman seemed to pop up out of nowhere at least 10 times throughout the day and demand I sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow for him. I’m not a particularly good singer, so I thought after the first time, he’d leave pretty quickly… but he kept coming back for more! Other than that, I once had a gentleman come up and ask for a photo with me, which isn’t strange in itself, but after he left I was informed that he was one of the celebrities attending the event and I had had no idea!
You spend a lot of time dressed as super heroes and video game characters, if you were an actual hero, what would your super power be?
Telekenisis! I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this in the past. It incorporates a little bit of flight too if it’s really powerful (think dark Phoenix), but I guess that’s cheating and picking two super powers.
You must get hit on a lot at shows. What was the most memorable pick up attempt that you’ve experienced?
Hahahaha, I’m not sure I do get hit on a lot at shows! Lots of guys are far too shy to attempt a pick up. I do remember one guy, though, who decided it would be a great idea to tell me that I looked exactly like his ex except with… bigger assets, and he broke up with her because hers weren’t big enough so would I like to spend some time with him? Hot tip: that’s not how you win my heart.
I have lots of advice!! The first and most important, though, is to exude confidence. I know how difficult that can be, but I guarantee you girls most attracted to confidence. Secondly, start looking in a place you know girls who like the same thing as you will be. For example, conventions, arcades, comic stores and so on. Thirdly, learn to read body language! If a girl is completely uninterested in you, pushing the point will only make matters worse for you and you’ll gain a reputation as a creep. Leave those girls alone, they’re frankly not worth your time. If she’s mirroring your actions, playing with her hair, and seems genuinely interested in what you’re saying, you’re on the right track!
What projects do you have coming up and where can people go to see you online or at live events?
Australian convention season is coming up in a couple of weeks! I’ll be at Sydney Supanova in the middle of this month, and I do attend all the major Sydney conventions (SMASH, Animania). If you’re attending too, please do come up and say hi! I don’t bite.
As for online, you can find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ArdellaCosplay.
My Youtube page is still young but I have lots more ideas for it, so keep an eye out at http://www.youtube.com/user/ardellacosplay?feature=watch.
And it all started at my DeviantART page, where all my best photos are posted. Check it out at http://www.ardella.deviantart.com.
Here’s a look at video of Ardella’s transformation from mere mortal into Power Girl