Video Game Cosplay
Meet Jinx!
Hi! I'm Jinx.
Since I can remember, I held a controller in my hands and had anime in my blood. My mom was always at her sewing machine, sewing us clothes, costumes or pillowcases. And then there was San Diego Comic-con 1996, where I saw people prancing in costume and I was hooked. A few years later in 2001, I told my mom I wanted to make a costume of Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy 8 and she was eager to help me! Thus a cosplayer was born.
My mom was the brains behind my cosplays. She was a brilliant seamstress, and I learned to sew from her. But I didn't learn enough.
In 2010, I took a job in Dubai and cosplay was put on hold. It wasn't until I attended the first Middle East Film and Comic-con that I rediscovered cosplay. Unfortunately, in 2013 my mother passed away. I was forced to make my first cosplay completely by myself without the help of my mother, but I succeeded. From that point on, cosplay became a much bigger part of my life, rather than the occasional hobby it once was.
In 2016 I moved back to my hometown of Phoenix, AZ. I've been taking on bigger challenges and more opportunities to grow in my cosplay. In addition, I take great pride in sharing my process and helping others in their cosplay journeys!
Questions and Answers
Wait. You lived in Dubai? What?
Yup! I worked as a flight attendant and traveled the world. It was amazing! My favorite places were London, Seychelles, Bangkok, and of course, Tokyo! I did amazing things like visit the Great Wall of China, road trip the eastern coast of Australia, parasailing in Mauritius, and pet baby orphan elephants in Kenya. Do I miss it? Heck ya! But I was ready to come home and start a new chapter. Oh, and yes, I did a lot of geeky things on my travels, too! Like visit the Pokemon Center in Tokyo, the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London, and visit ALL 6 DISNEYLAND PARKS!
Ok, what do you like to cosplay?
I primarily do mostly video game cosplays. My interest in anime waned as I approached my 20s and I never really got back into it. But I do still love Sailor Moon, Miyazaki, and Ranma 1/2. I'm also open to cosplaying characters I'm not familiar with if I am in a group. I've mostly been doing sew-heavy costumes but have recently been branching out into armor and props. I have dipped into movies, dolls (I'm a huge collector) and TV show and cartoon cosplays.
So you like dolls?
Before I moved to Dubai, I had quite the collection of Barbie dolls. Sadly I had to sell a lot of them for the move. But nowadays, I love to collect all types of dolls - most notably Monster High dolls. I have probably well over 60 dolls - eep! In addtion, I still collect a few Barbies here and there, as well as other geeky dolls (Star Wars Forces of Destiny is my most recent new collection). I also collect world dolls, many that I picked up personally while visiting said country. And I also love toys. I collect Kotobukiya Bishoujo figurines from video games - Street Fighter, Tekken, and Mass Effect. I have several Funko Pop!s and various other toys. I'm a big kid at heart!
Anything else you want to tell us?
I love food, all kinds of food. It was one of my absolutely favorite things about traveling! When I get the chance to, I can get down at karaoke - I have a background in vocal music. I also went to school for theater and broadcasting. My side hustle is acting gigs and hosting gigs. Most recently I've been getting into fitness, to focus on my health. I also work actively in a local pageant, and the Asian communities in my home town.