Cosplayer: Alston Stephanus

Social Media:  @alstonstephanus (Personal & Cosplay Account), @a5_accessories (Accessory Design Account), @sublimeboudoir (Events Company Account) @rosalees5 (His Adorable Cosplaying Puppy’s Account)

What are your Favorite Movies, Television shows and Books?:

My favorite movies tend to be part of a franchise, such as sagas like Star Wars and Harry Potter (including Fantastic Beasts). I love anything that comes out of Ghibli Studio; I find the artwork inspiring. I’m a fan of pretty much everything from Marvel and DC. And of course some of my favorite films come from Disney Animation Studios. 

I love a good sci-fi/fantasy or supernatural live-action television series. My geeky favorites are: Grimm, Supernatural, Penny Dreadful, Sleepy Hollow, Gotham, Once Upon A Time, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead / Fear of the Walking Dead, Legends of Tomorrow, Flash, and Supergirl.  I also enjoy cartoons like, Adventure Times, and Pokémon.

My favorite graphic novel series is Fables by Bill Willingham and I’m a big fan of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, too. As for a novel, I would have to say Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder.

What is are some interesting facts about yourself? 

• Birthday: February 10th
• Height: Tiny, only 160 cm
• Astrological Sign: Aquarius
• Ethnicity: Indonesian, Chinese, Dutch
• What I Speak: Indonesian, English, Conversational Mandarin
• What I Do: Accessory Designer, Cosplay Entertainer, and Amateur Zoologist
• Where I Live: Jakarta, Indonesia and Singapore
• What I Love: Nature, wild life, vintage living, the magic of theater, graphic novels, and making dreams come to life! I really love Disney Parks though!
• Recent Accomplishment: I just completed my second Masters degree; an MBA in Business Management.

Characters you have cosplayed before?

• Ash Ketchum
• Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya
• Dapper Maleficent
• Finn the Human
• Gender Bent Belle
• Gender Bent Officer Judy Hopps
• Gender Bent Prince Mononoke
• Gender Bent Steampunk Harley Quinn
• Gijinka Wall E
• Hiro Hamada
• Mega R2 Mash Up
• Newt Scamander
• Pokémon Go Team Valor
• Quicksilver
• Spider-man
• Spongebob
• The Monkey Warrior
• Victorian Tock-Tock the Crocodile

What got you into Cosplay?

I’ve always been somewhat of a nerd, especially for Star Wars. I discovered my love for cosplay in 2013 when my dear friend, Kayleigh Rodriguez, invited me to attend my first convention at San Diego Comic Con International with Mackenzie and Maurizio, too. We all cosplayed for the first time together that weekend and we’ve been back every year since! There was no looking back for me. I was hooked!

Who are your favorite cosplayers?

Every cosplayer I encounter has a story to tell and they always inspire me. When I was first starting out in 2013, I looked up to a few cosplayers and still do to this day. People like: Yaya Han, Chris Villain, Liui Aquino, Richard Arthur, Stella Chuu, Amber Arden, Gehe Ichou, GoGo Incognito, and Nipah. I’m currently inspired by Ying Tze, Maid of Might, Knite, and C-Pher, too.

Since moving back to Indonesia, I’ve become more active in the Indonesian cosplayer scene. Cosplayers like: Kevin Oinky, Eren Schifferling, Maul Gotic and Echow Eko have influenced me greatly.

What cosplays are you currently working on?

I’m currently making a Gijinka Shishigami cosplay, the Forest Spirit from Ghibli Studio’s Princess Mononoke. I’m working together with a local Indonesian prosthetics artist to make the feet and hands. The costume is full of moss-like textures and lights up with a series of different LED patterns and fiber optic fabric. 

Other costumes in the works for me are: Genderbend Mulan, an anime version of DC’s Nightwing, a samurai R2D2, a Gijinka Steampunk R2D2, Markl from Howl’s Moving Castle, Kubo, Gijinka Victorian Aggretsuko, Jack Frost with an interactive light-up staff, and a Gijinka Keroro from SGT. Frog. I’m also revamping my Monkey Warrior cosplay to a different colour palette with a phoenix armour. 

Advice for people who want to get into Cosplay?

From my experience, cosplaying has given me more confidence in front of crowds and cameras. This newfound skillset has benefited me greatly in the “real world.” A piece of advice I would give, is that when you’re creating or purchasing a new costume, be sure that you’re able to store and access your business cards and essential items without difficulty. It also helps to be able to easily go to the bathroom. These are just things to think about. And remember to always have fun; it’s a bully-free zone, so be open-minded. You never know where new friendships might lead you.

Check out some of Alston’s awesome cosplays below and if you or someone you know would like to be featured in our next Cosplay Spotlight please slide our DMs or send us an email at Contact@geeksofcolor.co

Published by Dre

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