Lady Gaga’s voice and liquid eyeliner filled the James Union Ballroom as MTSU’s Cosplay Club celebrated their semi-formal Saturday night with dancing, a silent auction and creative costumes.
Characters like Mizi from the anime “Alien Stage,” 2B from the video game Nier and Bowsette from the Mario Bros. franchise danced among navy and white balloons and twinkling stage lights as the club celebrated their first full semester as a student organization.
“It’s about to be the end of our first year,” Alan Camorlinga, sophomore and president of MTSU’s Cosplay Club, said. “I’m really excited for all the stuff we’ve done and looking forward to doing even more cool stuff.”
Instead of a costume, Camorlinga wore all black and drew lines on himself to make it look like he was a character in his favorite anime universe, “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.”
The club has come a long way since it launched in October. It now has close to 40 members, plus another 60 or so on the club’s Discord channel. That’s an impressive accomplishment considering how new the club is, Camonlinga said.
For some, including sophomore Cosplay Club public relations officer Anna Griffin, cosplay can be a creative way to express oneself in a safe and supportive space. Her evening ensemble included a Cookie Monster-blue wig with two white bows perched on top and sparkly makeup.
“Cosplay, to me, is just dressing up as whoever you like,” Griffin said. “So, if that’s from a video game, if that’s from an anime, from a book or a TV series — it’s just a fun form of self-expression.”
Later in the evening, attendees strutted across the ballroom stage in a cosplay showcase, where they shared the stories behind their costumes.
El Carlin, the club’s vice president, donned a green dress and wig, patterned leggings and an elaborate makeup design inspired by Queen Chrysalis from “My Little Pony.” She said that the outfit was pretty basic compared to her full lineup of competitive cosplay outfits, which include 3D makeup.
“For my cosplay, this is just basic,” Carlin said. “Like, I do a lot more [makeup] for [Queen Chrysalis] cosplay for a competition — my entire face is going to be decayed.”
While cosplay consists of dressing as someone different, people came to the Cosplay Club’s ball to express themselves comfortably and without judgment.
“We try to keep it such a safe place, especially since a lot of our members are LGBTQ,” Griffin said. “We [make] sure that nobody faces harassment or hate in our club, and if that does happen, we try to address it immediately and make sure that everybody feels safe and welcome.”
It isn’t just club leadership that values inclusivity. Selah Keegin, a club member who wore an art deco-style black and gold dress with shimmering tights and a cut bleach blonde wig, loves the possibilities of cosplay.
“It’s for everyone,” Keegin said. “Dress up is fun for everybody, no matter what your race is, no matter what you weigh, anything. Your gender doesn’t matter.”
The pulsing music began to dull around 10 p.m. After finding out the winners of the silent auction and raffle prizes, characters ventured off into the night and onto their next adventure.
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