The many fans that witnessed the epic cosplay competition at 2019’s Comicon Africa were justifiably blown away by some of the amazing constructions on show. From two-faced predators to adorable My Little Ponies, the competition was filled with some real ingenuity, resourcefulness and an alarming amount of skill. But who could forget the stunning, hand-crafted cosplay that took the crown on that South African stage?
Kelsey Atkins, also known as the infamous JinxKittie Cosplay, presented her amazing Priestess Bathory cosplay and everything from the staff to her walk screamed elegance and death. In stiff com
petition, JinxKittie came out victorious and was sent by Comicon Africa and their ultimate wingman KFC to compete in the C2E2 worldwide cosplay championships hosted in Chicago.
Kelsey has been working at her craft since 2014 when she began with a Daenerys cosplay and dreams of making it big. Many people underestimate the amount of time and effort spent in not only creating each cosplay but in learning, making mistakes and relearning. Cosplay is a craft unlike any other, asking of its participants the ability to make everything from custom socks and fake wounds to flapping wings. The sheer variety of skills needed to create a cosplay by hand is astounding, an effort JinxKittie knows far too well. While the average Comicon fan left the Gallagher convention center last September with fond memories, Kelsey left with a lot more than a crown.
Representing not just South Africa but Africa itself, Kelsey was in the running against cosplayers known the world over in a battle for the C2E2 crown and title of Cosplay Champion. High stakes and high expectations awaited her as she followed in the footsteps of Tayla Barter A.K.A Kinpatsu Cosplay who placed second the year before after winning the first-ever Comicon Africa cosplay competition. While Kelsey did cosplay the same character at both Comicon and C2E2, during the break between events she was hard at work. The level of detail needed did not escape her careful eye, from the little things like adding pearls to completely reshaping the skirt and repainting the armor. Kelsey left nothing to chance and made the most of every minute she had.
And it was all so worth it. Our very own JinxKittie not only gave a brilliant show for all those attending C2E2 on March 2nd, 2020 but brought back the crown and showed the world how badly they had been underestimating African cosplay. Congratulations Kelsey, and all hail our crowned Priestess!
