We’re spotlighting talent in the cosplay community!
Every month, The Variant showcases cosplayers who display talent, creativity, and a positive voice within the cosplay community.

For April we’ve got three brand new sets from another from Variant newcomer Cosmer Cosplay!!!
Cosmer had been doing shoots with Staff Photographer Fox Dream for years and definitely caught our attention. 
Here’s what she had to say:
  
“Hello, I’m Cosmer Cosplay, but you can just call me Meredith as I love and embrace my old lady name. 

I’m an NC based cosplayer who has been cosplaying actively since 2013. I started attending conventions in college, wearing a few closet cosplays. I ended up cosplaying characters I didn’t really care about because I chose to only use my natural hair instead of buying wigs. It was fun, but I didn’t feel like the investment was worth it and was going to call it quits. So, if I wasn’t going to cosplay anymore I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and cosplay my all-time favorite character, Portgas D. Ace from One Piece. To my surprise, my Ace cosplay was very well received, and I made a bunch of new friends that really encouraged me to continue cosplaying. 

There’s little else in this world that I enjoy more than cosplaying with friends. Cosplaying solo can be fun, but for me personally group cosplays are where it’s at. Friends got me to branch out to new fandoms and pushed me to cosplay characters I wouldn’t have thought I could pull off. I learned that cosplay is all about having fun. Whether I make, buy, or closet cosplay, it all counts. It’s a hobby anyone can love and enjoy regardless of skill level and financial situation. Even though I’ve developed the skills to make my cosplays I still buy them on occasion and that
doesn’t make me any less of a cosplayer.

Through the years I’ve dabbled in most aspects of cosplay; prop making, wig styling, makeup, photo editing, and more. My strongest skill is definitely sewing. I learned how to use a sewing machine when I was 10, but never made use of the skill until I started to cosplay. It was simple enough for me to pick it back up even though the one sewing lesson I had was how to make a pillowcase from the elderly women at a local church. I’d never been formally taught, but that didn’t stop me. The worst part about being self-taught is when someone asks what stitches I use. I feel like I disappoint them when I can’t give a solid answer. A lot of my method is Frankenstein-ing patterns together, trying on pieces, and altering as I go. There are probably better ways, but I’m always happy with my results. I’m the only person I try to make happy with my hobby
and if it also brings joy to others that’s a bonus. 

Cosplay is something I always wanted in my life. I didn’t celebrate Halloween as a kid for “religious reasons”. When I told my parents that I just wanted to dress up they didn’t believe me, claiming I just wanted free candy… I think they believe me now! Haha! To this day Cosplay is just a hobby for me. I have no interest in doing cosplay professionally. I prefer my job and what brings me joy to be separate. 

Don’t be shy if you see me at a convention. We’re all just nerds here! Come say hi, and never be shy about asking for a photo. If a cosplayer is out in public, chances are they’ll be thrilled you like their cosplay enough to ask for a quick pic.
That’s my experience anyway. See you later nerds!”

 For our Spotlight this month, we were crazy busy and had to shoot all three of Cosmer’s looks at
Triad Anime Convention in Winston Salem, North Carolina. 
Cosmer brought us Nico Robin from One Piece, Lilith from Owl House and Rosie from Hazbin Hotel
all shot by Tomisina Lynn Photography.  

WAIT!!…why are you still reading this??

GO CHECK OUT THE PICS!!!!