In her own words, Chunli-Love is…
“A little bit about me… hmm, I’ve always had a thing for anime and gaming since I was a toddler. My uncles would watch Dragon Ball and play Street Fighter, and I would sit there and watch. As I grew older, I discovered more anime, manga, manhwa, Cosplay, and eventually, I found out anime conventions actually existed! *stunned face* My first convention and Cosplay happened back in the Spring of 2009, and dude, I was so hyped! I eventually would like to make/buy more Cosplays to have fun with. I used to be scared to Cosplay whoever I wanted because I was told I was “too fat” for a certain character, or “you shouldn’t Cosplay Kagome because she’s not black” =_= man…. it made me feel like I was being bullied again. I was bullied in grade school for being African-American & Japanese. Hell, I was called “chink” and “ching choing yoing” and other crap. I learned that people are gonna talk trash regardless. My mom has always told me “Be who you want to be. You are a leader. Not a follower. You are beautiful.” My mom is one harsh woman and has never lied. I KNOW I am beautiful, so I am here to encourage the rest of you and let you know that you are never alone! I love you all & God bless you!
Jack Nickelz: So what got you started on your Cosplay adventure?”
Chunli-Love: Hmmm, what got me started on Cosplay…? Well, I’ve always wondered if there is such thing as “dressing up as Kagome from Inuyasha” or “play pretend as my favorite character” in my teen years. I had no clue it existed. My high school held a mini anime convention, thus, how I found out about “Cosplay” when I actually saw my colleagues come in dressed as characters from so many different shows. I was thrilled. I wanted to do the same thing, so I took it upon myself to ask my mom if she could buy me a Cosplay costume or help me make one. Of course, she bought me one. My first Cosplay was Kagome. I was happy. However, I wanted to dress up as other characters, so I saved up and Cosplay Kikyo, too!
Jack Nickelz: What was your first Convention in Cosplay like? 
Chunli-Love: My first convention, at sixteen years old, I Cosplayed as Temari from “Naruto”. Most of the time, it was very comfortable and fun. I have never had anyone ask for my photo before, and so many did ask. Of course, I agreed. It was so awesome. People complimented my Cosplay and I recommended so many to the creator of my Cosplay.
Jack Nickelz: What have been some of your fav. Cosplays to do?
Chunli-Love: OOHH!! My favorite Cosplay I’ve ever done, that I personally love and think was/is super duper awesome, is Korra from Avatar: The Legend of Korra. No matter what convention I attend, I always Cosplay her. I add her into every Cosplay line-up for my convention trips. I absolutely adore the character.
Jack Nickelz: Do you have a Cosplay that you are becoming known for?
Chunli-Love: I am mainly known for Cosplaying Korra. Haha, I’ve wore that Cosplay to a lot of conventions.
Jack Nickelz: How do you pick out which Cosplay to do?
Chunli-Love: I chose my Cosplays solely on how much I adore and/or look up to the character.
Jack Nickelz: Now did your crafty come before or as a result of your Cosplaying?
Chunli-Love: It came before Cosplaying. I’ve been into visual arts since I was a toddler. I’ve done everything from painting with all medias, sculpting, still-life, basic drawing, sewing, embroidery, and so much more. I also watched my grandma sew mine and my cousins’ dresses throughout my childhood. If it wasn’t for closely watching my Gran-gran sew, I wouldn’t know how to fix, redo, and/or make my Cosplays.
Jack Nickelz: What have been some of your hardest pieces to work on?
Chunli-Love: I have never really had to struggle with any Cosplays because I buy most of my Cosplays and support the creators of the Cosplay. However, I will start making my Cosplays from scratch and I know it will be a struggle.
Jack Nickelz: How long does it normally take you to do a piece?
Chunli-Love: Boy, oooohh, boy. I am a serious procrastinator when it comes to any form of art that has a dead line. It’d take me almost 2-3 months.
Jack Nickelz: How you ever had to adjust a piece because it was a bit too reveling?
Chunli-Love: No, I haven’t. Majority of my Cosplays aren’t revealing at all.
Jack Nickelz: What are your thoughts on Cosplay bullying and body shaming?
Chunli-Love: Cosplay bullying and body shaming is something that I feel very strongly about. It’s something that we all, not as just Cosplayers but, as humans, need to take serious. Bullying is wrong. Period. We all have flaws. NO ONE is perfect. We all need to treat each other with respect. I could go on for decades about this topic, because it’s something that has affected me. I’ve been bullied as a child, I’ve been body shamed, and told I shouldn’t Cosplay because I’m black. I am who I am and no one can change that but me. I will only change for me. And to those who are struggling with bullying and body shaming, remember that you all are beautiful individuals. You are who you are. Change for you, and ONLY YOU. At the end of the day, you have to live your life. Accept yourself, respect yourself, and learn to love yourself.
Jack Nickelz: Now it is listed that you are a vocalist. What type of music do you do?
Chunli-Love: I do sing, however, I am not a professional, haha! I graduated from one of the most popular high schools in this country. Shockingly, some do not know of it. Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts. I was trained in all music there is: different genres, different languages, etc. It was fun. Now, I just do singing for fun. I would never take my voice or talent for art for granted. Never. I’m super thankful.
Jack Nickelz: Is there anywhere that we could hear your music?
Chunli-Love: I do covers on my YouTube channel for fun. I do plan on uploading something soon. It’s been a while.
Jack Nickelz: Seeing that you are also a photographer, what do you like better…being in front of or behind the camera?
Chunli-Love: Honestly, I like being behind the camera more than I like to be in front of the camera. Taking photos of scenery and of people, in Cosplay or out of Cosplay, has always been such a nostalgic hobby for me. It’s something that I plan to never give up.
Jack Nickelz: Thank you for taking time to do this. Is there anything else that you would like to say to the fans and readers?
Chunli-Love: To all of my… well, I wouldn’t call them fans; I like the term “fellow Cosplayers”. To all of my fellow Cosplayers and followers, I want to truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me, motivating me, and encouraging me to keep going. I couldn’t have done it if it.
For more on Chunli-Love, check out:
http://chunli-lovexx.tumblr.com/ http://instagram.com/chunlilovexx
http://www.twitter.com/chunlilovexx http://www.youtube.com/MrsRonikuaNejiHyuga
https://www.facebook.com/ChunliLoveCosplay
