The fabulousness of BIPOC cosplay is THE thing helping me cope through these very scary and tumultuous times. At the core of the cosplay community is the very essence of love, passion, and creativity. All of this is backed by strong friendships and the intention of folx uplifting one another.
A cosplayer I can still recall after seeing them months ago is ColdIndulgentRevenge and her Demon Slayer cosplay. The elegance and femininity in their cosplay just punched me. In. The. Face. Shinobu Kochō is hands down my favorite Demon Slayer character and seeing how gorgeous ColdIndulgentRevenge’s look was really lifted my spirit! I was honored to be granted the time for an interview with her.
Black Nerd Problems: We’d love to learn a little more about you! What has been your Hero’s Journey thus far?
ColdIndulgentRevenge: I started out like any other anime fan, enjoying anime as a kid, not knowing what it was! But my first ever experience with cosplay was pretty humble, a small event at a local festival. I was in regular clothes, completely entranced by the attendees walking around in intricate cosplay costumes and floral yukata. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be just as cool as those guys. So I begged my grandmother to buy me something to wear for the next event because I just had to dress up. The following year, I wore Sakura Haruno with pride! It was perfect; I felt pretty, confident, and strong.
Honestly, it was love at first try-on! The joy I felt to finally participate in cosplay after spending so much time as a spectator. Unreal! But it wasn’t enough to wear a costume to a festival. My next cosplay was going to be something I designed and made from scratch. Three years later, I finally bought my very own sewing machine. Around this time, I started watching the Reborn anime and planned a cosplay for a tiny little character named Lambo. I sketched a hooded, cow-print leotard, measured myself, and drafted my own pattern pieces out of notebook paper.
I managed to finish it in one week! Let me tell you, being able to say, “I made this!” is so self-gratifying. I went on to make my own cosplays for three years before putting down the needle for good. Hinata Hyuga, Ayame Sarutobi, Chocho Akimichi, Ashi, Elizabeth Liones, Shizune, and Garterbelt are costumes I’ve made, so they all hold a special place in my heart. One day, I would love to pass them down to another Black cosplayer looking to get their start in the community.
BNP: What initially drew you towards the cosplay community? How does it stoke your creative juices?
CIR: In the early years of DeviantArt and before I really even knew what cosplay was, I followed cosplayers like VampyBitMe, Hollitaima, Jessica Nigri, Yaya Han, and thought they were all really cool! Seeing them make their own costumes inspired me to try my hand at it once I acquired my own machine. When I became more stable financially, I started buying cosplays to spare myself time and consistency. These days, I’ll see a character I want to cosplay and build a shopping list for them on Amazon. More recently, I’ll purchase the costume outright on Miccostumes or DAZCOS. Sometimes, I’ll get lucky and find everything I need in my closet!
The most important thing I learned from this transition is that you don’t need to sew or make every little thing to feel accomplished. As long as you’re comfortable and happy in your costume, your cosplay is perfect!
BNP: What has been your favorite cosplay so far? Any exciting plans for the future?
CIR: My favorite cosplay so far? Yumeko Jabami (Kakegurui)! That was probably the hardest I’ve ever done in terms of editing- I tried to match the same level of intensity as Yumeko herself. I even paired a little TikTok with it! I’m just a sucker for crazy characters. I have a ton of cosplays lined up. 2020 has the highest number of cosplays I’ve done to date!
Granted, they’re more obscure/nostalgic than your average cosplayer, but that’s also what sets me apart from them. Aiming to branch out and cosplay the more mainstream characters, revisit some of my older cosplays, and do a ton of genderbends. Overhaul simply wasn’t enough!
BNP: You have a team of five to help save the world, who are you picking?
CIR: I’d pick Miruko from My Hero Academia, Saeko Busujima from High School of the Dead, Ganta Igarashi from Deadman Wonderland, Kagura from Gintama, and Tsunade from Naruto!
You can find ColdIndulgentRevenge’s cosplay on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
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