WHeatley
Fandom: Portal | Time: ~ 1 week | Cons: N/A
Personal Statement
The Portal series (specifically Portal 2) has always held a special place in my heart, ever since their release. I recently replayed the games and fell back into the fandom, which has grown substantially since its early days. I was shocked to find it was Still Alive even after 9 years since the last game has been released, but that only made my desire to cosplay stronger. My initial plan was to put together a GLaDOS cosplay (and I still hope to someday), but when my sister and I came up with the idea for Chell’s Kitchen, I realized that Wheatley would be a lot quicker and easier for the time being. Between a few runs to the thrift store and Hobby Lobby, I was able to put together this cosplay—it is inspired by Blue Sky, the 2017 musical, and Tesserave’s art.
Wheatley and I have a complicated relationship. Sometimes I love him, sometimes I think he deserves what he got. Either way, I discovered that I enjoy role-playing as him while in cosplay. Like… a lot. I think it’s a combination of having an excuse to do a British accent combined with the freedom from the typical “I have to act professional and intelligent 24/7” standard that I hold myself to. Instead, I can just act silly, moronic, and happy.
Chell’s Kitchen
This YouTube series was inspired by my utter lack of kitchen skills. I was attempting to make lunch for myself (and making a right mess of it) when my sister commented on how I “turn into Wheatley in the kitchen”. I realized she was right, and the idea of Chell’s Kitchen was born. With me genuinely trying to “help out” and simply acting on my baking knowledge there was no way I wouldn’t mess something up; and if my sister (who is very competent in the kitchen) acted as Chell, it was the perfect opportunity. We filmed this in-character video over an 8 hour period with lots of silly jokes and references to the Portal fandom. The response has been extremely kind and supportive, and I look forward to making the next episode.
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