As I've mentioned numerous times on here, getting into cosplay has allowed me to make some of the greatest friends ever. Especially through a common love/admiration for Jessica Nigri, some people have become like family to me. One such person is Jess who runs one of the many Nigri fan pages on Instagram known as "GayforNigri". Also known as Italktogh0sts, Jess is based in England and found out about cosplay through visiting sites like Tumblr. After watching some of Jessica's Mail Monday videos, that gave her a pretty solid reason to check out her cosplay work and subsequently fall in love with her so to speak. I mean, the name GayforNigri is pretty self explanatory right? When she was younger, Jess grew up around sci-fi novels and some of the early games like Doom and Duke Nukem. In a way she was always a proud geek at heart. She also states that she loves finding fandoms to dive into.
Meeting Jessica in person was pretty huge for Jess. She details how much of a caring person she is and how if people could just look past the looks, they'd see how genuine of a person Jessica is. With that statement, I couldn't agree more. Aside from the fan page, Jess herself has also dabbled in several cosplays from such things like The Fifth Element, Sword Art Online, and League of Legends (which is an upcoming outfit from her). I also know she dabbles in several crafting hobbies and even runs Etsy stores selling some of her nerdy jewelry!
Other things you'll learn about Jess include how she feels about cosplay overall as it continues to grow in popularity, as well as her favorite part about cosplay as a whole. You'll get an insight as to what game she's looking forward to the most not to mention some of her top cons to visit in the US! Enjoy the interview guys!
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How did
you discover cosplay?
I discovered cosplay through Tumblr, believe it or not. I used to always
want to dress up like Lara Croft or Buffy so knowing there is a community out
there that thrived on making and wearing costumes was amazing to me. I didn't
fully find out about cosplay until 2013. I had seen it on various websites
before then but it wasn't until that year that I became immersed in cosplay.
What got
you into being a geek?
From a very early age I've always been into the culture. Maybes it's because
I grew up around SciFi shows and films with my parents. I used to play Doom
& Duke Nukem before I was six. I just love being a geek, whether its films,
games, anime etc. I always find a fandom to obsess over.
Do you
have any other members of your family who are into what you enjoy? Or are you
at present the only “geek” in the family?
I have a few relatives who are into
"geeky" culture. I have cousins who love Anime and my Dad loves to
Game a lot too.
You’re
mainly known--besides from your own Cosplay page—as the admin for the fan-page
GayforNigri on Instagram. How did you discover Jessica Nigri’s work?
I found Jessica on Youtube when I was watching Mail Vlogs and her Mail Monday
came up, the one with the Big Super Sonico and then I binged watched whatever
was on her channel and then I looked up her cosplays and just instantly fell in
love with her. It's how I got the name GayForNigri, because I literally would
turn gay for this woman.
What has
it been like running that fan-page?
It's weird and awesome all at the same time, I
love that I'm supporting someone I look up too and through Jessica, I've met
some awesome people in my life who are now my friends and running this page can
be a little bit time consuming too. I'm always on the look out for new photos
and ones that hardly ever get posted. Sometimes Jess herself will send photos
for me to use. I'm so grateful for that. Sometimes I get followers tell me its
their favorite fan-pages out of all them. I think I'm currently third if you
have to rank them by followers. Nigrination of course being Top Fan-page. I have
to admit, I was inspired by Nigrination.
You also
managed to meet her a few times at MCM Expo in London. What was that experience
like?
It was amazing. I was so nervous but she was so
nice and caring and she gives the best hugs. The second time I hung out with
Jessica and it was probably one of the best days of my life. We had so much
fun. People who hate on her, don't know her in real life and I think if they
saw past her cleavage they would actually like her as a person.
What is
it about Jessica that attracts you to her?
She's strong, successful, beautiful, caring, thankful, funny.. She's just
someone that I love being friends with and she always remembers small details
about people and that’s adorable.
Through
following her work and many other cosplayers, you too have gotten into the
hobby yourself! Which cosplay was the
first you ever created?
My first cosplay was the McDonalds Girl from
the film The Fifth Element but my anxiety stopped me from wearing it at a con
and I just really want to remake it. After that I cosplayed Enid from Ghost
World, Casual Super Sonico and recently Gun Gale Kirito. I'm also in the middle
of working on a Genderbend Gentleman Gnar from League of Legends.
What is
your favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
Gnar as I made the ears from scratch and was so pleased with them. I would
say Kirito but I didn't make that and I enjoyed walking around MCM wearing
White Shirt Casual Sonico.
What
about cosplay do you love?
Mostly the photography. Cosplay really comes to
life when you’re so involved with a character and you get to show it through
photos. I love the process of making cosplays too, I'm a crafty person and it's
very enjoyable even if we do get frustrated when things don't go our way.
Any
other personal favorite cosplayers you follow?
I adore Ani-Mia, she's such a positive person
in the community. I also love VampyBitMe, Miyuki, SuperMaryFace, Stella Chu,
Ryan Brandt, Macy Rose, Amie Lynn, LeeAnna Vamp aaaaaah there are so many
cosplayers. Haha
What do
you think about cosplay as it is now hitting the mainstream?
I think it's awesome, there are people who still don't understand cosplay
and think its "sad" but It's so much fun and everyone loves to wear
fun costumes, life is too short to not enjoy it. So getcho Batman mask on and
have some fun.
Do you
have any upcoming cosplays for this year that you’re able to share?
I'm hoping to do either Arkham Knight Harley
Quinn or a New 52 Comic Book version of her. As well as Gnar and Chloe from
Life is Strange.
Do you
imagine cosplaying being a part of your life within the next 5 years and do you
hope to evolve your skill set?
I hope cosplay is still apart of my life in the
next five years, whether it be still going to cons or making props/costumes
(which is something I want to get into eventually) for others or myself. I
don't see cosplay stopping anytime soon.
What’s a
day in the life of Italktoghosts? Where did that name come from?
I'm a social media addict so the first thing I
do when I wake up is check everything, I'll potter around the house and clean
up or make food, write a blog post if I have anything to share, catch up on tv
shows, play a few games, tweet a lot, read a book then I'll search for a image
of Jessica Nigri for the Instagram page and I'll job hunt too until my favorite
streamers are on Twitch and I'll hang out in one of there chats, usually
DizzyKittens. My username just sounded cool when I made it, I'm a fan of horror
films and this one stuck with me. It's a great conversation starter online
Any
upcoming game releases you’re looking forward to?
Well since Uncharted 4, Battleborn and
Overwatch have been released. I'm really
looking forward to the new Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Dishonored 2 & Final
Fantasy XV. I think most of the other games are coming out next year!
Do you
have a favorite convention?
MCM in London by far is my favorite convention in the UK.
If you
were able to go to any convention in the US, which one would you choose?
Oh god, all of them? SDCC being the main one, maybes Amazing Arizona Comic
Con & Anime Expo as the main three I would like to visit.
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