Digital Devil Saga is the dream.

(It’s actually the post-apocalyptic cannibal demon nightmare, but seriously who’s keeping track.)

I have loved this video game for so hard and for so long I don’t even know if I have the words. It is, as they say, my aesthetic. And what do we do with the things that claw their way into our hearts and out the other side and call us comrade? We cosplay them, of course.

However, the template grey of the Junkyard uniform seemed so far and beyond what I could figure out. “Do the labcoats. Do the stupid volleyball scene.” But no. I wanted to wear the splash of Embryon orange and that special megaten brand of yellow demon eyes or what would even be the point. So it was a… bit of a struggle. And I might have run out of fabric by the time I got to the legs. And I might still have a long way to go to get where I want it, but my delight in stepping out in berserk demon babe style is so huge and overwhelming I could overlook the multitude of errors I made along the way. It’s fine. It’s all a learning experience.

For example, I learned that the perfect Embryon orange is Martha Stewart’s Satin Finish in Sweet Potato.

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Sera (Berserk / Demon): Lin (me)
Photographer / Arm Prop: Lionel

This is also a total heartshaped shoutout to my friend Lionel. That amazing switchblade demon arm? That’s him. The grueling photog work in the bitter cold of the late late night? That’s also him. And the bits you don’t see, the excited yelling and the hurried meals and the patience and kindness when we’re both tired and even the things we love don’t keep us quite on our feet? That’s him, too. Thank you for helping me make this dream (post-apocalyptic cannibal demon nightmare, always) work. We made it work, dude.

Do you sometimes look at a thing, and the feeling is suddenly so intense it’s overwhelming? The holy crap, I love this. I love this so much. This is a thing that was made for me. It’s something like that.

(Happy 10th Anniversary, Digital Devil Saga.)