In Cosplay we Unite: The 40k Community in Quarantine Pt 2
The 40k Cosplay Community is still united in these strange times.
We might be separated from each other physically, we might not be able to see each other in person… But the spirit of community is so strong in the Warhammer 40k world. This week, we take a look into the hearts of some amazing people and see just how the current crisis has affected them-and what keeps them going strong.
The last few weeks of self-isolation have lead to a LOT of free time trolling the internet. I normally spend a fair amount of time looking online for new cosplay ideas, artists I haven’t yet discovered, and new sources of inspiration, but the Quarantine has exacerbated that to the extreme. While glancing at one of my favorite groups (40K Cosplay on Facebook) I came across a heartwarming post from one of my very favorite cosplayers – Dyfrig Griffiths of Iron Warrior Cosplay. If you haven’t heard of him, you obviously haven’t been reading the Bell of Lost Souls Cosplay beat for the last few years, because I have featured this gentleman NUMEROUS times (and for good reason). From my Cosplay Artist Spotlight with him to the Iron Warrior Sax Time video series, down to the beautiful tribute to Brand’s Great Army… Dyfrig has been at the heart of the 40K Cosplay Community for as long as I have been covering it.
So as I clicked along through the 40K Cosplay group last week, I paused to look over a post that Dyfrig put up that day- a gorgeous group shot of a huge group of Cosplayers.
“Really missing my Warhammer family, they are all amazing and beautiful individuals. This is us at Warhammer fest. One big happy Warhammer Cosplay family and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I want to see them all again! IRON WITHIN!!” -Dyfrig Griffiths
This got me to thinking. I absolutely love how close-knit the 40k community is, so why don’t we take some time to showcase it? I sent a private message to Dyfrig, asking him to message his army and have them send me an email with a picture, their social media links, and answers to a few questions. I was NOT prepared for the magnitude of responses, folks. For the next week my inbox was FLOODED with emails, from all parts of the world. I am astounded, and honored, and humbled to see so many people banding together with the sole purpose of connecting, sharing their stories, and showing how much our community CARES. I hope you enjoy the results!
XV22 Cosplay
What Cosplays do you create?
Where are you located?
How has the Quarantine effected you?
What do you miss the most about the 40k Community?
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
Where can we find you online?
I can be found at the following:
Argentum Cosplay
What Cosplays do you create?
Inquisitor in Power Armor
30K World Eaters Astartes
Titan Princeps
Marauder pilot
and have built a Sister of Battle
Where are you located?
Germany.
How has the Quarantine effected you?
build lightsabers for a living, and my shop is closed right now, though online is still open and working well. I miss conventions and shootings, had so much 40K stuff planned for this
year actually.
What do you miss/what do you love about the 40k Cosplay community?
I miss the people. Meeting new ones, and old friends. discussing new costumes, group meetings… I think the Warhammer cosplay community is one of the most positive out there.
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
Instagram and Facebook (for all their negative aspects) are a great help to keep in touch.
Where can we find you online?
Instagram: Argentum Cosplay
KandK Cosplay
What Cosplays you create?
My favorites currently are doing a generic Witcher and doing a Space Wolf.
Where you are located?
How the Quarantine has effected you:
Honestly? Not very. Had a couple of cons cancelled and not able to see some distant friends. That part stinks. But everything else has improved. I’m able to work at home (I’ve wanted to for over a year) and I was able to pay off my car a year early due to my tax return and the stimulus. And from this I’ve been able to buy a new PC.
What you miss the most about the cosplay community/what you love most about it?
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
Mainly just having my friends to talk to and play games with, my loving wife as well, they keep me sane and involved with those I love (I’m typically a hermit/introvert).
Any important tidbit you want included:
If you ever want to contact me/us for any collabs or involvements with projects, don’t hesitate! We love to work with people and have fun with it.
Where can we find you online?
Commissar Turch
What cosplays do you create?
Within out group we have mainly guardsman, but we do have other characters, such as tech priests, rogue traders and even our own living saint.
Where are you located?
We are a group of 40k cosplayers based around the uk, although mainly in kent.
How has the Quarantine effected you?
The quarantine was a bit of a blow to us this year, with pretty much all of the events we had planned either postponed or cancelled. Initially this was a real downer for us all, but this has allowed me to concentrate on other things. We are never idle.
What do you miss the most about the cosplay community/what do you love about it?
The 40k cosplay community is on the whole very friendly and has allowed us to make many new friends, as well as get new member for the group. When we all meet up we have so much fun and i think this is what is missed the most. The camaraderie. Many of us have problems with things like depression and anxiety, so when we are all together we help each other out and allow us to forget these things knowing we are in safe company.
What keeps you going/what motivates you during these times?
Staying in contact via social media helps a lot. Always bouncing ideas off each other. Many of us have other projects that we are working on as well. This helps so we can try to improve our work ready for the next event that we may be able to go to.
Merlyn Cooper
What cosplays do you create?
Where you are located?
Tango 1945
What cosplays do you create?
For 40k, I do Tanith First and Only’s “Sgt. Varl,” but I also do a various others such as Star Wars Rebel Commandos, Resident Evil, Red Dead Redemption 2, and various other historical-related cosplays and impressions for either museums or conventions.
Where you are located:
American Midwest for now, originally from Florida though.
How the Quarantine has effected you?
Well as a grad student, all my classes have been moved online, which has really made me miss the classroom experience as well as teaching my own sections to undergrads. It’s also made it harder to search for museum job in the summer, as no one’s hiring because they’re uncertain if it’ll open. But! At least I’ve had more time to read and listen to audiobooks.
What you miss the most about the cosplay community/what you love most about it?
I miss the human interaction. The Creativity everyone shows. The swapping of tips and tricks on how to improve things. I also love helping people find and source surplus military equipment to build their own cosplays, and talking about historical military influences on sci fi.
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
My fiancée has been a real trooper in all this, even with postponed wedding and cancelled honeymoon, she keeps me motivated to keep up my studies and to continue improving myself! I’m also something of an optimist, and I know that in the grand scheme of history, humans have survived through significantly darker and grimmer times than we’re going through now.
I’m hoping to run some panels at cons in the future talking about history and their influences on sci-fi and fantasy, so fingers crossed they can happen soon!
Where can we find you online?
https://www.instagram.com/tango1945/?hl=en
Join us next week for more stories from the Warhammer 40k Cosplay Community!
~Join us next week for more Cosplay Coverage~
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