In this interview, Onii Meow talks about blending cosplay with Twitch streaming, sharing that while cosplay content is mainly for Instagram, streaming is a great platform for finishing cosplay projects. They recall starting on Twitch influenced by other creators and how streaming in cosplay, like their Star Guardian Xayah, adds excitement for the audience. Onii Meow emphasizes the importance of fun in cosplay and streaming, and how both have helped in building a community and making friends.
OG Nerd: How do you blend your cosplay and streaming activities on Twitch?
Onii Meow: Well, I try to keep both my streaming and cosplays consistent, I still have a backlog of photos to share so I keep my cosplay mainly for Instagram for the time being. I do make Twitch useful however when I need to finish a cosplay, why not complete it on stream?
OG Nerd: What inspired you to start streaming on Twitch, and how has cosplay played a role in your streaming journey?
Onii Meow: At first I was more of a YouTuber until I saw some of my favorite creators and friends start streaming on Twitch occasionally. I started streaming on Twitch in 2017 and thought it would be even more fun to mix cosplay into my gaming sessions from there.
OG Nerd: Can you share a memorable moment from streaming in cosplay?
Onii Meow: The first memory that comes to mind is when I was showing off my Star Guardian Xayah cosplay at the beginning of my first 12hr Stream Special. While showing off the full cosplay, I randomly did a Fortnite Emote in person very subtly, then realized and told chat not to clip it, but they did though haha.
OG Nerd: How does being in cosplay affect your interaction with your Twitch audience?
Onii Meow: I find my Twitch community always loves to see me bring characters to life on stream, which kinda adds to the excitement before the stream when I announce a cosplay stream. Most of my streams tend to be my Vtuber model nowadays, because I’m sometimes a bit too lazy to get into cosplay all the time, I do need my breaks haha.
OG Nerd: What are the challenges of streaming in cosplay, and how do you manage them?
Onii Meow: Sometimes the wig can dig into my head too much, creating headaches with the headset on too, at that point, I’ll take my wig off, if necessary or avoid streaming for too long in cosplay. Self care always comes first in that scenario.
OG Nerd: How do you decide which characters to cosplay for your streams?
Onii Meow: Whenever I feel like I want to cosplay a character on stream, normally what motivates me the most is… if I have a cosplay of a character from the current game I’m playing on stream. But when I can’t decide, I’ll throw a quick poll on my socials before the stream.
OG Nerd: What role has the Twitch community played in your cosplay choices or projects?
Onii Meow: Has motivated me to cosplay even more, like I did last year. I have started to share my progress on streams, whenever I needed to use stream time to complete projects before a convention.
OG Nerd: How do you keep your Twitch streams engaging while focusing on detailed cosplay activities like makeup or costume building?
Onii Meow: I have a tendency to always zone out on stream at times. So to prevent this from happening too often, I have sound alerts triggered by channel points or Twitch Bits donations. Sound Alerts always jumpscares me, but is funny to chat, when they want to get a funny reaction out of me. But another way to keep up my engagement with chat is by explaining the details of what I’m doing, whether it’s gaming or cosplay.
OG Nerd: What tips would you offer to other streamers looking to incorporate cosplay into their content?
Onii Meow: Don’t stress too much on the quality of the cosplay, do it out of fun. Cosplay whoever you want, I preferably would cosplay characters to do with the games I’m streaming, but you could cosplay any character to spark up a conversation on stream about it too.
OG Nerd: How has your experience as a Twitch streamer influenced your approach to cosplay, and vice versa?
Onii Meow: Mostly when finding a community or making friends was the same approach I took to both cosplay and streaming. I would follow streamers and cosplayers online and interact with our shared passion and interests in our activities.
