We’re excited to kick off our very own Creator Spotlight series, where we feature creators across all disciplines in the anime universe, from cosplayers to collectors to stylists and more. As a merchandise brand, we are innately creative ourselves and share the same passion as many creators. However, stepping into the dynamic yet volatile world of content creation requires more than just passion—it takes a splash of creativity, and a whole lot of discipline and dedication to build something that’s lasting.
For Gabby, a.k.a .@fearfiction, this journey has been nothing short of transformative, turning their love for anime into a thriving platform that inspires her followers around the world. To start our Creator Spotlight series, we spoke with Gabby recently in an e-mail interview to help you get to know her better!
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
Hi Gabby! First off, Happy New Year to you! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. We have had such a pleasure collaborating with you for our debut collection and we are really excited to catch up with you.
Let’s start off with a quick introduction of yourself, who is fearfiction and what content do you create in general?
I’m a cosplay content creator since June 2022! But I’ve been making non-cosplay related content for a long time, I just didn’t have much success until I started cosplaying.
How did anime play a role in your life when you were growing up?
I grew up watching shows like Inuyasha, DBZ, and Yu Gi Oh with my brother. I started playing Yu Gi Oh with him before I could read so he had to read all the cards to me. There is also a drawing of my parents have that I don’t remember doing when I was in elementary school of goku going super saiyan haha. My favourite was Inuyasha though, my first ever email was kikyo3003@hotmail.com.
How did you first get into cosplaying and who were your first few cosplay characters? What was the digital content scene like back then?
I used to make anime-inspired outfit videos on tiktok. For my 50k celebration, I decided to actually do a cosplay. My first cosplay was Zoro with my first video hitting 1m, and my next few all were the same so I realized I should see where it goes. My next few after that were Inosuke, Yor, and Haruhi. Since I’m fairly new to cosplay the digital scene was pretty much the same.
When did you start to get some recognition in the cosplay scene? And how did it impact your content creation journey as a career?
I think I answered this one in my last answer, but I was lucky that I was able to get recognition on my first cosplay! It is what convinced me I should continue trying more. However, as I did more I realized there are so many skills you need to cosplay that are also practical in real life: hair styling and cutting, make up, sewing, acting, crafting, lighting, editing etc. it was like everything i have learned up until this point with my background in film could all be utilized at once + had the opportunity to learn new skills.
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
What are some of the best/funny/emotional memories or experiences that cosplaying has brought you?
The best thing cosplay has brought me aside from new skills is amazing friends! I’ve become so close with a lot of my online cosplay friends to the point I would consider some of them my closest friends. Making international cosplay friends have brought me so many opportunities for travel as well. Since I started cosplaying I have traveled more than I ever have, visiting friends in Poland, Germany, US, UAE, and soon–China!
How do you decide which anime characters to bring to life through cosplay?
I don’t know how to describe it but there is a specific type of character I like to cosplay, and when I am watching something new, I’ll just know as soon as they appear that they are the one haha. Unless I love the show a lot, then I’ll cosplay everyone possible like OHSHC and Nana.
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
Bring us through your creative thought process when you are planning for a cosplay look & content piece.
I have no process, as soon as I want to cosplay a character, I have to do it as fast as possible or I lose momentum. So I’ll just start with whatever I have available, if I have a wig I can repurpose, or fabric that works, otherwise I'll go out and start gathering all the materials and make it immediately. For content, I have more of a process. Sometimes I’ll make a cosplay simply based on an idea I have which I usually get by listening to music and just imagining what the video would look like. If it’s a more complicated video (like this one), I’ll storyboard it in a huge google document outlining every line, the shots, what I need, etc. Or if it’s a short video I'll record myself in the draft and replicate it when in cosplay.
What is the hardest part of the process, nailing the character’s look or persona?
Definitely the characters look since I am not very good at makeup yet. Lately, I've noticed a lot of people commenting about how I don’t wear much makeup in my cosplay, but that is not true, I am actually wearing a lot! Funny enough is that in my male cosplays I am actually wearing more makeup than in female cosplays. But I also just don’t know how to achieve the look of anime make up, it looks odd on me. I am still learning as I never really knew much about makeup before cosplay so I haven’t figured out what works well for my face.
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
What do you think is your best cosplay look till date and why?
I think I have to say Nana since that’s what most of my audience knows me for now I think. It’s also the easiest for me because it is a very natural looking cosplay and it’s comfortable.
What is the most challenging cosplay look that you’ve worked on so far?
Alastor, Hazbin Hotel destroyed me haha
Is there a specific character you’ve always wanted to cosplay but haven't had the chance to?
Not really, there’s a lot of characters I want to cosplay but if I really want to do it, I’ll do it eventually.
How do you engage with your fans? Has their feedback ever changed how you make your content?
I mostly interact through comments but it’s most fun to interact at a con. The best fan experience I had was in Abu Dhabi, I was so blown away by the support there and how sweet everyone is. I never expected to have fans there. Aside from taking requests, I wouldn’t say feedback has affected my content, except for one pivotal time. When I used to only cosplay fem characters, I found out my demographic was 90% men and the comments were really weird. I started experimenting with masc cosplays to attract more women to my page and realized I actually prefer cosplaying male characters. It also provided me with a new challenge to learn how to contour and make myself look more masculine which helped improve my makeup skills a lot. Also, it worked, my audience is now 50/50 :)
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
What's the most awesome comment or feedback you've gotten?
I can’t pick just one but some people leave really thoughtful and inspiring comments. It is easy to assume nobody actually is paying attention so when people reference something extremely specific like a reference to my story or noticing which characters I haven’t completed yet, it is really special.
Oh one thing I remembered is when I was in Abu Dhabi, I noticed the gifts fans gave me were all very considerate of my travels, eg. small jewelry, face wipes, a toiletry bag. It was so cute they were thinking of what would be easy for me to travel with!
Are there any projects you’re currently working on right now that you can share? Or any characters that’s currently on your wishlist?
I am so spoiled I have nothing on my wishlist atm, I have plenty as long as I can find time to do them! Currently, I’m trying to work on Lucifer, Hazbin Hotel (technically has half been making it since summer), Dellinger, One Piece, Sypha, Castlevania, so many!
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
What are some conventions or events this year that you are attending?
I’ll be guesting at FanExpo Vancouver in Feb. I’ll be visiting China with friends in April (not for a convention) so TBD if I go to other cons, I usually can’t handle more than 2-3 cons a year.
Any advice for budding content creators (especially cosplayers) out there?
Don’t be complacent, the biggest thing holding you back is yourself. There is no point in sitting around and waiting for the right moment to start. Don’t wait for some kind of sign or wait for people to tell you what to do, just go out and start because there is no “good time”, you have to decide that for yourself. Same for those who have already started, don’t be hard on yourself but always make efforts to improve and slowly you will get there. For example, when I first started cosplaying I couldn’t do makeup so I did a lot of research, tested many products and asked for help from friends and slowly started to figure it out. Then I moved on to wig styling, sewing, crafting etc. But don’t stop there, start again, go back and improve your makeup skills again after a few months, there are always opportunities to improve and no one is going to tell you to do it, you need to find those opportunities and see where your gaps are. If you do this, I can promise you will see big improvements over time :)
Here’re some quick-fire questions for you -
Name 1 guilty-pleasure anime of yours.
I have been deep into all villainess animes/light novels.
Which anime character do you resonate the most with?
Haruhi, OHSHC
If you could have any anime power or ability in real life, what would it be?
I have always claimed this power whenever someone asked the superpower question and it is always Wind. It is so underrated but OP because you can have almost every single power if you control wind. You can manipulate water, earth, fire, you can fly, you can have super strength, I don’t know why more people don’t choose this!
Joker from Persona or Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul?
Kanekiiiii
Image Source: Instagram (@fearfiction)
Anime you are most looking forward to in 2025.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint!
That’s it for the first of our Creator Spotlight Series by KISSUI! Shoutout to Gabby for being an absolute sweetheart and taking time off her busy schedule to speak with us. We truly appreciate it and we would definitely love to feature more of you guys from the digital content space! If you are a content creator yourself, do reach out to us for a feature if you are keen. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter so you won’t miss out on any of our new features & releases.
