Malaysian cosplayer Lynn, also well-known for her cosplay name Shinku (真紅), found her passion for cosplay at a very young age.
“I began cosplaying circa 2008-2009 after I saw a cosplay competition ad in a comic magazine acquired by my sister and decided to try it.
“I felt it was quite fun, made a few friends along the way, and continued to cosplay ever since,” she revealed.
According to Lynn from Selangor, joining cosplay competitions takes a lot of effort, time, and money but can also be an advantageous experience.
“The impression of going on stage to be your favorite character is so satisfying. I guess this comes when you are doing things out of passion.”
The cosplayer has over a decade of judging, performance, and craftsmanship. She represents Malaysia at Clara Cow’s Cosplay Cup 2017 in the Netherlands and World Cosplay Summit 2018 in Japan as Team Valkyrie.
As an application engineer based in Singapore, she strikes a work-life balance to relish her career while finding time and vitality for her geeky pastime.
She uses her engineering expertise to design amazing.
shinku_真紅 desires to serve as a judge for the Low Budget Cosplay Competition at Animangaki Online 2021, which starts August 6 – 22.
What is your favorite cosplay you’ve done?
I love the majority of my cosplays, though. If I have to choose, probably 2B from Nier Automata, Houseki no Kuni, Hrist, and Saria in Arknights.
In cosplay, all kinds of funny things occur. Which one is the most memorable?
Wow, haha, every single costume has its story, nevertheless. Perhaps, one of the most memorable ones is Phosphophyllite from Houseki no Kuni for this WCS tournament.
So, I applied this special fabric spray to create the costume details on my legs. Moreover, I could not spray the back part of the costume because it had to be done while I was wearing it since it was a stretchy material. So, I asked my mom to support me spray the back.
And we did it inside the toilet, thinking it may easily be washed off after that but guess what? We were horrified when the bathroom turned black with many black fumes flying around.
We had to hide our faces with towels. However, even after that, black powders were breathed out from our throats when we were coughing.
MAN, I FELT BAD. Therefore please wear a proper mask before spraying. No joke. Plus, I had to wash the toilet after that.
What was your most embarrassing cosplay moment?
Hmm. I’m not sure if this matter is embarrassing or horrifying, but since we are at it now, I’m finally comfortable telling the story and have some closure after keeping it for a few years.
So mainly, we were dispatched to C4 as the first Malaysia team, and we moved down to The Netherlands after a long flight. We held multiple props and luggage to manage, and finally, we returned to the hotel and rested.
As it was my turn to shower, I realized that one of my luggage was missing. In addition, it was the one with my competition armor. Like 70% of my costume was inside the bag. I can’t go on stage without it.
I was frantic and called the airline multiple times, but it was already late at night. I could not sleep and wait for sunrise. I prayed and made a promise, hoping I could somehow find it back. I will fulfill what I promised.
With the unexpected hiccups, did lady luck favor you in the end?
I was hoping that lady luck would be on my side while I went on this one last try. Once morning arrived, I called again, plus the airlines claimed that there was no lost luggage, all bags came, and they couldn’t do anything at that point, and I was just so wrecked.
So, in the end, I didn’t concern about it and just went to the airport with my contest partner Dova to find the luggage. I still remember it was a one-way 60 EUR trip, haha.
So we proceeded to the counter and asked around to be redirected to a few places with no solid answers. I felt defeated and unsure what to do, so we went to the original luggage unloading bay for one last try.
And guess what? The luggage was standing beside the conveyor belt, like single isolated luggage. Hahaha, it was such a weird and seemed a bit unreal moment.
Then Dova and I ran and hugged my luggage. Haha. Man, it was a touching and memorable thing that we looked hilarious.
Ya, and I want to thank Dova for providing emotional support. And the most important lesson learned is to mark your luggage with a phone number, please.
What important lessons have you learned using your years of cosplay?
Don’t ever be scared to go for it and do your best. Remember that people come and go. Communication is essential, and don’t assume things without clarification.
Mark your luggage. And I’m thankful for all the folks I have met along this journey. Most of them have become my real friends, as in out of cosplay, and I won’t be the person I am if it isn’t because of them. Also, many photo editing skills are super convenient for better results.
As a cosplay competition judge, how do you look over?
This depends on the judging criteria and the competition form. As a cosplay judge, I prioritize continuously checking what the organizer is looking for, the competition’s design, and fairness.
In my opinion, judging format aside, I would focus on a few main criteria such as flow, execution, expression, costume detailing, and finishing in conditions of accuracy, stability, and creativity.
You’ll never recognize what to expect from contestants. So it’s always an enjoyable experience for me. I hope you’ll watch AniManGaki Online’s Low Budget Cosplay Competition segment, where I judge alongside Rilkka Blurhound and Vivid Vision.
Can you share some helpful advice to help first-time cosplayers bring their characters to life?
This is a good one. I would say, perhaps ask yourself why you love to cosplay in the first place. Do not forget about the original intention and follow your passion accordingly. Starting is hard, especially to muster the courage to do so, but don’t overthink it.
Just try it first. Plus, if you are very shy or afraid of judgments, perhaps do a contest in your room and be happy that you took the first step! A battle into cosplay is testing out a cosplay.
Now it’s instrumental in getting cosplay costumes, and you can get them from Taobao or the secondhand market. Usually, they come in the complete set.
If you are curious about making costumes or armor, do follow some veteran cosplayers who shared tutorials on their social media. Sometimes you would never think that differently.
Also, you may join some cosplay prop-making community groups. They are accommodating, and you can ask questions whenever you are stuck. Or you can ask your friends around you.
Cosplay is a complex hobby, and you need multiple skills to pull off a look that you’re good at, such as wig styling, makeup, prop making, tailoring, concept planning, and photo editing. You need all these skills to execute well, so don’t be sad or frustrated during your first few tries if things don’t go well. Take things slowly and also enjoy them along the way.
What are your plans?
I’m asking myself this question every day. I don’t know either, haha. Though for now, I wasn’t super sure; maybe I will focus on my main job and some side hustle too! Or maybe make another epic cosplay only when the inspiration arrives cause I’m old and exhausted.
Finally, besides cosplay, what are your additional interests?
Hmm, cosplay has truthfully been a massive part of my life. Another interest I’m presently doing is more casual shoots with various concepts. The great thing about it is you have fewer restrictions, and it is enjoyable to work with people with the same interest.
We hope you enjoy this article. Our list is not exhaustive. If you know of other exciting and pretty girls online who are worthy to be featured, do share with us in the comments section below.
