A cosplayer who spends hundreds of hours on painstakingly designing her creations says she is raking in the cash from her passion, but it’s “ruining” her dating life.
Lien Sue spends her days transforming herself into everything from warriors and mythical creatures to dragons and popular anime characters.
The 26-year-old, who is originally from Germany, first began creating the looks when she was a student to make some extra money.
But the venture soon took off; the influencer now has 135,000 followers on Instagram (@liiensue ) and makes around £55,000 ($70,000) a month from her unusual career, and even more money when attending anime conventions.
“As a child, I used to play video games like Pokémon, Zelda: Twilight Princess and watched a lot of anime,” the model told NudePR.com.
“In my hometown of Cologne, we celebrate ‘Karneval’ every February, where everyone dresses up in cheap costumes.
“One year I dressed as Midna, the Shadow Princess, and I loved it.
“I wanted to be her so badly.
“As an adult, I kept wanting to express my love for characters – and my personality – through cosplay.
“Then I saw another model, Jessica Nigri, doing it professionally and putting an erotic touch on it.
”She was my biggest inspiration and when I started crafting more revealing cosplays and sharing them online.
“The materials are expensive and, when I was a student, I didn’t have money for cosplay so I opened a subscription service [Patreon] online to fund my passion.
“But I never intended for cosplay to become the way I make my living.
“I dreamed of it but never allowed myself to think that it was truly possible for me.
“Well… here we are.”
While she is happy about her success, men are “intimidated” by her success.
She said: “There are always guys judging me before they get to know me.
“I don’t think it’s so much about the cosplay part of my job but about me being an erotic model.
“Some men don’t like women who enjoy showing themselves off sexy and confident in public – they’re probably intimidated by it and by the amount of money I earn.
“Because a lot of men have it in their mind that they need to be the providers.
“If my career is a problem, I wouldn’t want to date them anyway.
“I’m searching for someone who is confident and happy about themselves.
“And even though I make a good living, I still like being spoiled with actions, kind words and thoughtful gifts, and spending time with the person I’m with.”
Describing herself as a “nerd”, Lien, who is currently single, says the men she dates are often people she meets on the internet, such as fellow gamers and anime enthusiasts.
But it’s not a deal-breaker if her future partner doesn’t like cosplay.
The way to model’s heart? Build a friendship first and go from there.
She said: “I tried dating apps while I was at university and it was just not right for me.
“I want some kind of friendship first, otherwise I don’t feel comfortable.
“I’ve dated other cosplayers and even though it’s cool to have such a big passion in common, I like it when people can give me other views on topics and have their own life and their own passion.”
As for what she looks for in a man, there is one key trait that a budding partner must have: humour.
She said: “It’s my most favourite character trait.
“I fall for the character first, then the looks.
“My all-time-crush is Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu – yes, an anime-guy – because he still has his inner child.
“I like men who are kind and caring souls, do what they love and don’t care about what others think.
“Basic hygiene and treating your body well and healthy is necessary, of course – so I prefer non-smokers.”
When dating someone, Lien says some men will ask her to dress up for them and she’s happy to oblige.
She said: “If I like their recommendations, I sometimes cosplay for them.
“I feel cheeky doing it, knowing I’m making a wet dream come true for them.
“In bed, I think it’s exciting to have some ‘special role play’ ongoing from time to time.”
While her love life might be taking a hit, being a cosplayer has other perks – such as allowing Lien to buy her own house in Germany for £728,000 (€850,000).
Thankfully so, as the model’s materials take up a lot of room.
She said: “All of my armours (made from foam!) take up a lot of room so I bought a house this year.
“I have a huge crafting room, I bought a laser cutter and a 3D printer.
“It’s my only luxury, everything goes into cosplay.”
The costumes can take Lien 60-70 hours to make, with more intricate pieces taking even longer, up to 400 hours.
She spends around £80-£400 on each design, though easily makes this back through sharing photos of herself wearing the outfits online.
The model also attends popular conventions, showing off her costumes wherever possible, and sells calendars, prints, props and occasionally worn clothing.
How much the model makes depends heavily on what type of event she attends – but she once pulled in £12,000 in just three days (€14,000) selling photos, taking photos with fans and more.
Lien would love to visit international conventions in the future, such as Comic Con in the US.
She added: “I would love to if I get invited.
“I’ve never been to the US so it would be a great experience. Hopefully in 2024!”
