Cosplayer Interview: Mira Shiver

It’s no secret that I, like many others, have a passion for cosplay and cosplayers. Whether they are male, female, chubby, skinny, or any diversity it doesn’t matter at all to me because they are all nothing but wonderful. However, a common cosplay style is to be scantily clad like Drefan or Karen Sakai, many criticize such styles for pushing the envelope on what is socially acceptable. They are often looked down upon or shunned for their choice yet still hold their head high and move forward. But then there are cosplayers such as Mira Shiver who doesn’t push the envelope but completely wrecks it, the table, and anyone around by taking cosplay even further by having nude photoshoots, showing off her goodies with pride.

Once again, I appreciate all types of cosplay and will never look down upon another for their chosen style or costume. In the cosplay community many will preach about body positivity until a strong and confident woman bares it all, then the praise turns into taunts and that has always seemed silly to me. I was actually referred to Mira by a friend of mine and within a mere five minutes of viewing her profile I was blown away. Not only does she bare it all for the camera but she engages in ‘Catfights’, and is a cam girl as well. No matter what your stance is on all of this you have to agree that fighting, being an adult entertainer, and cosplaying has to fill her schedule to the brim making her a hardworking badass. When I reached out to her for an interview she was out of this world with kindness and responded wicked fast. It was a kind of kindness rarely seen nowadays!

Without further ado, here is my interview with Mira Shiver:

The Geek Lyfe: Although I am a fan of yours, there may be a few Geek Lyfers who have not seen your work before, would you be alright introducing yourself?

Mira Shiver: I’m Mira Shiver. I’m a Texas native and all around nerd. I made my first “real” cosplay in 2011, but have been making costumes in some capacity or another since I was 5 years old. I work as a model for Cosplaydeviants.com and do other adult work in addition to my cosplay pursuits. I am currently building my own business making costumes for other people.

TGL: I’ve followed you for sometime yet never learned the origin story! Could you tell us how you got into cosplay and what led you to where you are now?

MS: Like I said, I’ve been making costumes since I was 5. I have a background in theater and basically was the costume department at my high school. My aunt taught me to sew when I was very young and I’ve always had the drive to bring to life characters I identified with or designs I fell in love with! I discovered cosplay culture earlier but didn’t make my first “real” cosplay (Garona Halfoecen) until I went to Blizzcon 2011 (my first convention). I’d made character costumes for Halloween before and lots of theatrical work, but this was the first time I brought a character to life for a convention. Since then I’ve made almost 20 costumes for myself and helped my friends with pieces of theirs. I went back to school for a degree in costume/fashion design and graduated last year. This brought my work to a whole new level! I discovered Cosplay Deviants in 2014 and dove right into cosplay pinup work!

TGL: What has been your favorite moment so far cosplaying?

MS: It’s a toss up between seeing myself in the preview for the World of Warcraft documentary, wearing my Princess Serenity gown to DragonCon, and wearing my Nui Harime cosplay for the first time at Anime Expo.
TGL: What is the most frustrating part?

MS: The most frustrating part of cosplay are the inevitable failures. I’ve spent hours and hours and so much money on pieces that wound up trashed.  It’s part of any creative process but it doesn’t change the desire to cry and quit when it happens.
TGL: Is there one situation in your Cosplay career that makes you laugh when you look back on it? If so, what is it?

MS: I made a pair of red panties with the words “Bite Me” painted on them for my Fionna the Human cosplay (adventure time) to amuse myself whenever I’m wearing that costume and I see a deadpool, I will flash those panties in photos. It makes me happy to “out deadpool the deadpool shennanigan.
TGL: When you aren’t doing making costumes or making videos, what do you do in your spare time?

MS: I work multiple jobs (which I’m trying to change) and that eats up a lot of my time. Currently I’m playing Yoshi’s Wooly World and Diablo III when I have a free moment. I consume anime like a mad woman. I also like to cook and crochet/knit.

TGL: What geek medium(Video Games, Comic Books, Novels, Movies etc.) made the biggest impact on your life and why?

Mira post fight showing off her battle damage.

MS: Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I’ve had a giant infatuation with both of those mediums for so long and they’ve shapes who I am as an individual. The first movie costume I replicated was Arwen’s dress from Two Towers (the red and black one) and I’ve owned toy light sabers and did staged lightsaber fights throughout high school.
TGL: If you could live in any geeky universe(Anime, Novels, Comics, Video games, TV, Movies etc.), which one would it be and why?

MS: Star Wars. I love Star Wars, I want to be a grey Jedi who lives in a secluded area with a garden and crafts… So basically a non evil force witch.
TGL: Which cosplay do you hate to wear due to being uncomfortable the most but love to have worn it for photos and conventions?

MS: Currently it’s my Felicia from Darkstalkers cosplay. I wore it for the first time for a photoshoot yesterday and will probably only wear it one more time because the wig and fur are so cumbersome.

TGL: While being a cosplayer you also find time to be a cam girl and also participate in other erotic events such as ‘Catfights’. I was wondering if you could give insight on what it’s like to be a be a sultry cosplayer and take it a few steps further than most would ever dream of.

MS: I began adult work in 2014 with shooting nude photos for CosplayDeviants.com. I’ve always been a bit of an exhibitionist and I’d done modeling when I was younger, so when the opportunity arose to combine my passion for costumes with something I could monetize, I jumped at the chance. I’ve met so many wonderful people through this line of work and had so much fun! No regrets! I got into catfighting completely by accident and just kind of rolled with it. I have a fight tonight and another next week and couldn’t be more excited to continue in that lines

TGL: I can imagine that working in adult entertainment has made an impact on you as a cosplayer. What positives and negatives has come from such an adventurous lifestyle in regards to you as a cosplayer(Reputation, Conventions, Costume Choices etc.)?

MS: Shaming women for being provocative is nothing new, the Internet has just given it a huge platform for malice. I’ve had messages from people who hate what I do and I actively hide my life from my family. However in my day to day life my lifestyle has been incredibly well received by my friends (though I’ve been eliminating negative influences, I have a very short Facebook friends list) Online I find it easy to hide from the hate by ignoring it and eating nachos.

TGL: Do you have any projects in the near future we should be excited to see?

MS: I’m going to dive into some individual designs and creations this summer and made costumes for several of my friends. I want to give some steampunk designs together as well as some nature spirit/nymph things.
TGL: What advice do you have for aspiring cosplayers who might not have confidence in their body?

MS: Cosplay is for fun, and to express yourself. Show your passion through your work and it will be appreciated. There will always be people who will try to shame you no matter your body type, so find something you love and go for it!

A huge thank you to the very wonderful Mira Shiver for taking the time to answer our humble questions! Be sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter for more awesome! If you’d like to check out her more adult content content you can find it here!