In Cosplay We Unite: The 40K Community in Quarantine
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.
The Caption read:
“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!
Iron Warrior Cosplay
What cosplays do you do?
I cosplay as a few things: Ghostbuster, Steampunk, a Verymental Professor, and my main cosplay The Iron Warrior Space Marine from Warhammer 40K. This will not be the only 40K cosplay I do as last year I took ownership of a Grey Knight Terminator that is currently under restoration in my workshop. 😉
Where are you located?
I am located in the beautiful country of Wales, UK I live in a small village just outside of Carmarthen in the county of Carmarthenshire.
How has the quarantine affected you?
It’s hit me in a big way, I had some mental health issues not long ago but thanks to all my amazing friends and supporters who just came out of nowhere to support me and to pick me up, it was just amazing to have that kind of support when I really needed it. As for things not mental health related I’ve been okay, working on props mostly.
Over a 2 week period, I made a Space Marine scale Chainsword a smaller human scale Chain Axe (used all the off cuts from the Chainsword to do that 😛 ) and then just recently painted up my Space Marine scale Power Hammer, I kinda burnt myself out doing this but I’m happy the results of my efforts. I upgraded the knees of my suit, they are now different compared to the photo of me in my suit I’ve sent in, I don’t have a very decent photo of the suit as it is right now with the new knees, so this older photo will have to do for now.
I really miss my cosplay family and my Warhammer cosplay family, in general I miss my friends and would just want this all to end and, I want everything to go back to the way it was you know? I miss the events and people, just the whole convention scene has vanished until this virus ends, I just hope it ends soon.
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
Other than my cosplay stuff? I’ve got my beautiful side project going on, I am restoring a 1953 TE20 Ferguson Tractor, it’s a vintage tractor and I have a passion for vintage machinery, I’ve restored things in the past but this is the biggest project I’ve taken on. She’s coming along slowly but I don’t have to rush, this lockdown isn’t going anywhere anytime soon sadly.
Where can we find you online?
https://www.facebook.com/theironwarriorcosplay/
https://www.instagram.com/iron.warrior.cosplay/
https://twitter.com/IronWarriorsIV
IRON WITHIN!!!
Merc Stark
What cosplays do you do?
Where are you located?
How has the quarantine affected you?
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
Where can we find you online?
Ranger of Krieg Cosplay
What Cosplays do you do?
Where are you located?
How has the quarantine affected you?
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
Where can we find you online?
Harry of Ranger of Krieg Cosplay on Facebook and on Instagram.
Altar of Madness
What cosplays you do?
Where you are located?
How has the Quarantine affected you?
What you miss the most about the cosplay community/what you love most about it?
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
Where can we find you online?
Saphirone Cosplay Art
What cosplays you do?
As a big fan of Warhammer, I have a metric ton of project with my first and latest project being a fully equipped Blood pact soldier with armor, clothes, weapons, and gear crafted and painted by hand in it’s (almost) entirety. It’s not and will not be my only project related to Warhammer 40k or even Fantasy as I plan one day to create a Mechanicus, an Eversor, or to cosplay as Wulfrik the Wanderer and Karl Franz from the fantasy universe. I even got a duo project of Gotrek and Felix planned, needless to say as I also cosplay other universes outside, I’m loaded in projects for a decade or two.
Where are you located?
I live in Eastern France, Alsace.
How has the Quarantine affected you?
Being forced to stay at home, without being able to work and earn my life meant not only suddenly having all the time I wanted to work on my crafts and hone my skills, but it also meant being wise in my craft spendings and focusing on not losing contact with all the friends and people who share my passion for cosplay or even Warhammer. Heck, I’ve never done so much Warhammer’s RPGs than during my time in quarantine.
Still, not being able to go out, to meet these peoples in person, was still a hard challenge. I do miss the conventions and meetups.
What you miss the most about the cosplay community/what you love most about it?
I miss seeing them in person, where they cere and show their créations to us. Through a photo, there’s a lack of perspective. I’m someone curious and I just love seeing a cosplay Under every angle, see what has been handmade, what techniques have been used to do their paint job, how did they fix design problems, or made it more comfortable to wear. Facing the person, the scale of its cosplay and all the work and love put into it is something I dearly miss, for you cannot really feel it at a 100% through a picture.
What I do love, is how people stay in touch within the Community. How they have used that time to experiment and share their works, their feelings of pride. How they do not shy away from showing the ropes around. There is a spirit bringing a universe we hold dear to life in our world, whenever one shows the chainsword he is painting or the Space marine she made. This Community loves what they do. And this is what I love about it.
What keeps you going/motivated during these times?
My desire to, myself, bring a bit of this 40k into reality. When I do a cosplay, no matter it’s origin or universe I craft it and wear it so that people think, even for a fleeting moment, that in front of them is not the cosplayer, but the character they know and love. That they get this little moment of kismet of seeing someone who shares this fondness for lore or a story.
I Always wished to do Something with my hands, but sometimes the mind wasn’t there to keep up and I questioned why I was doing that. All I needed was one convention, out of the costume, to see all these peoples in their cosplay, to talk with them, and to my dear surprise discover that they do recognize me even out of it, to light the flames again and raise the banner. It pushes me to do better, to be better.
I might not have any pictures of relevant 40k cosplays to show it, as I’m still working on my first, but it’s an important step for me as it’s first I did with the will to do it right, and bring a smile to as many faces as I can.
What more can there be to say? Except to all theses peoples out there, sanding foams, cutting pvc and carving wood that what they are doing is not meaningless. They are brightening and shaping a bit of our reality, even if it’s only for the time of a smile.
Where can we find you online?
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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