Turnfreebaby interview

Who are you?
I’m Keria, but all the cool kids call me Kiki or Keeks! I’m a 23-year-old cosplayer, photographer, and twitch streamer.

What was the first cosplay?
Yang Xiao Long from RWBY for RTX 2014! I was so nervous to do it but it was one of the first times I could really see so much of myself in a fictional character, so I just had to bring her to life!

How did you get into cosplay?
My friends gave me the courage to give it a try. I went to my first RTX (of now 5 years running) with @kaitlynmagic and she cosplayed Pyrrha Nikos also from RWBY!

How long have you been cosplaying?
I took quite a break between working retail and going to college full time. Since I’ve really hit the ground running since graduation, let’s say 3 years!

Favourite cosplay you’ve done so far?
Oh geez that’s like asking me to pick my favorite child! I would probably have to say Deku because of the reactions that I’ve gotten at conventions, but Camie is almost done and it’s looking like she’s gonna snag that title for my fave <3

Which cosplayer would you love to work with?
All time life goals would be a photoshoot with Meg Turney and Jessica Nigri (one day, I can feel it)!

Any group cosplays you’d want to do (eg Mystery Inc, Sailor Scouts, Avengers, X-Men, etc)?
A huge My Hero Academia cosplay group would be amAZING Super close seconds would have to be a Resident Evil, FFXV, Sailor Scout Overwatch, and Persona 5 cosplay group!

Any advice for beginner or wannabe cosplayers?
Be like Nike and just DO IT. The more time you sit back admiring other peoples’ work, telling yourself you couldn’t pull it off, and wishing that it were you is more time you could be putting toward getting to work and perfecting your craft! We all started somewhere. I bought the entirety of my first cosplay and now I’ve made my last three! C’mon future cosplayers, let’s gET THIS BREAD

Going off your Twitter and Instagram, you’re doing a lot of Deku cosplays. How did you get into doing them?
I really lean more toward cosplaying characters that I see a lot of myself in, and going into My Hero with that mentality I was on the look out for characters that I could relate to. I, for some reason, had it up to think that I would never be (meaning relate to) the the main character of something because I’ve never had much in common with one. As I continued watching I finally saw a hella emotional, over analyzing, empathetic, eye on the prize character that I saw myself in. I really feel like Deku made me stronger as a person and I needed to thank his character and the creators by bringing him to life! (I also see so much of my mom in Inko so, like, relatable x10 T_T)

What other Dekus are do you have planned?
So I’ve got casual, uniform, hero, 90s, and gym suit down with (hopefully) bunny and upgraded hero Dekus in the works!

You’ve also been posting a fair number of TikTok videos as well, how did you get into doing those?
My friend Luke was showing me a bunch of cosplayers’ TikTok videos during this past RTX and it was my first time ever seeing the app. When I got back home I made an account just to follow some of the cosplayers I loved, made a few of my own and got addicted!

How much work goes into making them?
The time, for me, can definitely range from a minute to half an hour! The meme-y ones I can do in no time at all, but I did one where I transitioned from Deku to villain!Deku and I had to stop half-way through to completely change clothes!

You also stream on Twitch. What kind of stuff do you stream?
Not as much content as I’d like (until I get a gaming laptop!) but as of right now mostly Overwatch, story driven games, Jackbox, and sometimes IRL while I do my makeup to get into cosplay!

Have you bingewatched any shows recently? If so, what have they been?
Letterkenny (PLEASE check it out if you haven’t yet, I don’t remember the last show that made me laugh that hard (jk it’s Community….. which you should also watch)) and I just ran through like 6 seasons of Law & Order: SVU (perfect while working on cosplays). A friend just recommended Kakegurui for me so that’s gonna be where my weekend goes!

If you could live in one franchise, what would it be and why?
OHH that’s a good question! Of course I would say My Hero as my first choice (you gotta promise me a quirk though, All Might wouldn’t give me jack) but if not that then I’d have to go with Sailor Moon as a sailor scout. All I wanna do is look cute and kick back guys in the face with my heels, I don’t feel like I’m asking for too much.

Who’s the strongest character you could beat in a fight?
Probably dEKU PRE ONE FOR ALL. I’ve never been in a fight before so I feel like we’d make amends on that common ground and grab some lunch…

Are there any cosplayers you think deserve more attention/coverage?
Oh YELL HEAH, @kaitlynmagic, @suchamantis/@maybemantis, @alliebeggs_, @xGabbyNu, @ruffinmuffin_, @Katsumi_cosplay, @Cortana2552, @soniabladecos Honestly, I could go on and on!

Where can we find you online (social media etc)?
Just about everywhere!
https://twitter.com/turnfreebaby
https://www.twitch.tv/turnfreebaby
https://turnfreebaby.tumblr.com
https://www.facebook.com/turnfreebaby/
https://www.instagram.com/turnfreebaby