Today we’d like to introduce you to Cutsceneaddict Cosplay
Hi Cutsceneaddict Cosplay, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My life is a timeline of moments influenced by the imaginary. I grew up with a deep love for reading, and heroes from fantasy stories served as my earliest role models and inspirations. Simultaneously, faith and fandom have always walked hand-in-hand for me. As a young child, I became (in)famous for dressing up as a fictional character when I went to church. As I continued to grow both spiritually and in my fandom repertoire, I saw reflections of my faith—the battle between good and evil, the power of empathy, and the promise of redemption—in the stories I loved, from The Chronicles of Narnia and Redwall, to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.
Eventually, I learned that my love for “character dress-up” had a name: cosplay. I attended my first convention in 2012 and never looked back. Cosplay became a way to honor the characters and stories that I believe were divinely brought into my life to help me grow as a person, minister to others, and deepen my faith. I launched myself as a “professional cosplayer” in 2024, building a community online to help promote friendship, encouragement, and positivity within the cosplay culture.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe in the transformational power of good. When encountering setbacks, difficulties, and trials, I look for the purpose within the pain. What can I learn? How can I grow? What message am I being given?
One of my favorite cosplays, Boothill from Honkai Star Rail, encapsulates this idea of transformation. He loses everyone he loves to the bad guys. But instead of giving up, he chooses to transform his human body into a cyborg—symbolically facing his pain and growing stronger from it, physically and mentally. I chose to cosplay Boothill partially because of the pain I was going through. I had lost my uncle in early 2024, and I put much of his legacy into my interpretation of Boothill in his pre-cyborg, “human/cowboy” form.
With cosplay, the road is rarely smooth. But I’ve discovered that if I’m willing to learn, be patient, and adapt, those bumpy parts can become something beautiful (and make great stories later!). Creating a cosplay takes effort. It requires you to learn the skillset of an entire theatrical department (hair, makeup, clothing, props, special effects, acting, photography, and more). This not only takes you outside your comfort zone (which is very empowering) but also helps you develop new skills (which builds confidence).
If you allow it, cosplay can teach you to be incredibly resourceful. It costs money to cosplay, so you learn how to find inexpensive materials at thrift stores, make “closet cosplays” at home, or trade cosplays with friends. It also takes time to cosplay. So you learn how to better manage your deadlines, balancing work, school, and social life with your cosplay projects.
Lastly, you learn to think outside the box. Perhaps my most difficult (and memorable) project was building Diluc’s sword Wolf’s Gravestone from Genshin Impact. Halfway through the project, my house was “hit” by a hurricane, leaving me without power for several days. I worked by daylight and used a small generator that helped power my crafting tools. It was a tough build, but made a great story! It also let me meditate on the concept of resilience and adaptability, which characterizes Diluc. This helped me “get in his head” a little bit prior to cosplaying him. That’s important to me because cosplaying a character means more than just “wearing their clothes”; it means “embodying” them physically and mentally.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My cosplay mission statement is: “Wear Fiction, Speak Life, Geek Meek.”
“Wear fiction” expresses my desire to bring a little of the imaginary into the “real world”—not to escape reality, but better reveal the magic within reality. By understanding ourselves “there” in those other worlds, we can better understand ourselves here.
I cosplay characters who hold personal meaning for me. They represent touchstones in my journey through life. Zhongli taught me to “choose justice, but never forsake kindness,” Vash echoes the call to “love your enemies” and “love your neighbor as yourself,” and Boothill honors the passing of my uncle, who best embodied my family’s “cowboy culture.” When I cosplay a character, I add a little of my story to theirs, portraying the specific “version” of them that changed my life for the better.
Characters mean things—often very personal, deep, intimate, healing things—to their fans. I love that moment when fiction and reality touch—when I’m at a convention and see someone’s eyes light up because I’ve helped bring a cherished character to life. That, to me, is the greatest reward of being a cosplayer.
“Speak Life” comes from Proverbs 18:21: “Life [is] in the power of the tongue.” Social media provides a wonderful platform for cosplayers to put good things into the hobby and the world. Whether I’m cosplaying at a convention or posting my work on social media, I aim to pour good, empowering, encouraging, healing, and comforting words into others. Kind words can change and save lives. For example, on my Instagram, I feature weekly activities (Template Tuesdays) to help cosplayers form friendships, find support, and build each other up through engaging Story template games. It’s incredibly rewarding when cosplayers message me to say: “Thank you so much for these weekly templates! I’ve made so many new friends!” There is a lot of darkness in the world, but that means it only takes a tiny light to stand out. People are drawn to light. Be a light, and you’ll soon find others at your side to help illuminate that darkness.
“Geek Meek” is a reference to my favorite virtue, meekness, which characterizes many of my fictional role models, like Vash, Zhongli, and Thorfinn. It’s this idea of being a powerful swordmaster who chooses to live peacefully with others, or of great might under control. It’s my hope that meekness guides my cosplay—and my life in general.
I primarily wear anime and video game cosplays, specializing in wigs, makeup, and props. I enjoy purchasing cosplays (see: Diluc, Claude von Riegan, etc.), as well as creating and/or modifying them from pre-existing parts (see: Turk Vincent Valentine, Gustafa, etc.). My most award-winning cosplay is Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan, which involves giant “Wings of Freedom” and an accompanying “angel” Petra cosplayer on stilts.
I attend multiple conventions every year, and in 2025, my goal is to wear 12 new cosplays (one per month). I’m honored to have my work shared by cosplay manufacturers, including Cossky, FM-Anime, and DokiDoki Cosplay; and published in Clean Fiction Magazine, Cosplay Glade Magazine, and Creative Cosplays Magazine.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
When I first started to cosplay, nearly everything needed to be made or modified. Today, cosplayers of all skill levels and experiences can access pre-made costumes, parts, fabrics, and tools with a simple internet search. I see cosplay moving toward the masses, as it was always meant to. The commonly touted motto “cosplay is for everyone” is truly becoming a reality.
I also see the presence of cosplay influencers growing significantly in the next 5-10 years. These influencers hold the potential to characterize the fandoms and communities they represent. I hope to see cosplayers using their abilities for the good of others—challenging others to grow beyond perceived limitations, increase their confidence levels, and engage with their fandoms in a constructive, creative, and productive way.
As for me, personally, I would love to create more opportunities and “touch-points” within the cosplay community—perhaps with weekly “live chats” over social media. I majored in media psychology, studying how our fandoms connect to our identities, beliefs, and aspirations; and I have a great passion for improving others’ lives. Creating a space for cosplay-related mental health discourse, interesting “psychology-of” facts, and just an overall “keeping-it-real” perspective on the hobby matters to me. I have several cosplay-related initiatives, such as these, that I hope to have well-established by 2030.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beacons.ai/cutsceneaddict
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutsceneaddict/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cutsceneaddict-Cosplay/100088785031659/#
- Twitter: https://x.com/cutsceneaddict
