Celebrity Gaymer: Megami
Megami was recently seen on our screens on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 where she stood out, not only for the awesome Lipsync Lalaparuza in the penultimate episode, but also as the series’ first major cosplay queen. While a lot of attention has been on her performance in the former, it’s the latter which really stood out to the gamer and nerd community.
Megami isn’t the only drag artist to have had looks inspired by gaming and geek references on the show, of course. There have been other stand outs such as Jaremi Carey (previously known as Phi Phi O’Hara) and Asttina Mandela from the UK, who we previously spoke to about her Mileena look. But Megami is certainly the first artist to compete who fully embraces her cosplay and geek roots and put them proudly on show through her various looks.
I had to the chance to chat with Megami to find out more about her looks, inspirations and love of gaming.
Robin: Hi Megami, thanks so much for joining me! You’re fresh off Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, if you had to pick one stand out moment that summed up your whole experience on the show, what would it be?
Megami: Well the Lalaparuza of course! My good Judy Ms. Love Dion may have won the prize, but I feel like I won the episode. Which is kind of a good summary of my life in general!
What made you audition for the show? Was it your first time auditioning?
So I auditioned five times for the show. I just wanted to share my love of geekdom and cosplay with the world and I knew Drag Race would give me the platform to do it.
You’re well known for being the cosplay gaymer girl and despite the copyright restrictions, it was truly iconic how many cosplay-inspired looks you were able to serve. Did you set out with a mission to begin with to have most looks inspired by something gaming or geeky?
I mean cosplay and geeky inspired looks just ARE my drag. I can’t help but be inspired by the characters and stories that I love. So when I was designing and sewing my looks, making mood boards of what I wanted to look like, I kind of unintentionally leaned into slightly geeky fashion. Plus cosplay is how I learned to sew and craft items and accessories, so I couldn’t help it!
Let’s break down some of your most iconic looks from the show… Your promo look was inspired by Rogue from X-Men, tell me more about the look and is Rogue your favorite character?
Well our Promo theme was heavy on “Green”, and when I was putting together a mood board or different concepts and silhouettes and figuring out what I want my look to say about me, I settled on “Superhero”. Then, of course, being a MASSIVE X-Men fan with several X-tattoos, Rogue just fit the brief so well. She’s a character that is strong and adaptable in an iconic green and yellow suit, perfection!
Episode 3 saw your Nyx from Hades inspired look, are you looking forward to Hades 2 coming out later this year?
Oh I am counting down the days till I can get my hands on Hades 2! The first one was such a revelation. It was truly my like Lockdown Game of 2020. Not only was the gameplay just superb, but the storylines, character development and art style were just gorgeous! 10/10! Zagreus and Thanatos 4 Eva! I am so excited to see the next chapter!
In the epic Lipsync Lalaparuza we saw you in a Fallout-inspired look, what do you think of the new Fallout TV show?
Okay, so maybe it’s a good problem to have, being booked and blessed, but I have not had a moment to sit down and watch the new Fallout show. Kind of one of the occupational hazards of working a lot I guess! But I’ve heard it’s great and it’s literally number one on my list to watch when I catch a break!
Lastly, in the finale it was your Lilith from Diablo 4 eleganza, tell us more about that look and what did you think of Diablo 4, it’s been a slightly divisive game with the online nature of it and less linear storylines.
So I did a Lilith cosplay a few years ago because she was just instantly such an iconic character with an iconic silhouette. For the finale I really wanted to kind of tie all of the parts of my brand together and Lilith was the center of my moodboard. Slightly sacrilegious, half demonic, half fabulous, bring in a little cosplay… it was very me!
As for the game, I will say I FULLY enjoyed myself for what it was. The world was gorgeous and fun to explore and the story was there when I wanted to come back to it. I know there’s been a bit of controversy about the post-game content being lacking, but I enjoyed the story and game itself while it lasted. There’s too many games on my backlog to complain about Diablo not giving me 500hrs of extra content!
We should also add in your press look, which you admit to being more cosplay than the others as you weren’t on TV! Tell us more about your Morrigan Aensland from Darkstalkers look.
For our Press Week I knew I wanted to give the girls something gaggy with my look. I have always had a deep LOVE of female characters who aren’t afraid to be sexy and scary at the same time. Powerful Women in Geekdom is what inspired my drag to begin with, so I wanted to honor my roots and one of my faves!
This season of Drag Race was filled with gamers! It’s so great seeing drag artists embrace their inner geek! Did you all have any chance to play together? Who’s the biggest gamer on the cast apart from yourself?
Yes! I love that my sisters are all such gamers! Dawn is a big Animal Crossing girlie, Amanda is a Sims addict, Xunami is a Poke’maniac just like me, and Morphine and Mhiya are big into Fortnite. So this cast is chock full of gamers! We haven’t had a chance to play together JUST yet, but we constantly talk about getting us all together online, when we can all finally sit down and do it.
You’ve recently started streaming on Twitch, what inspired you to make that jump in the streaming world?
Yes! You can all go follow me on Twitch @MegamiNYC. I mean I’m a huge hardcore gamer. I still have my original NES, SNES and Pikachu N64 from my childhood, so getting to share my lifelong love of video games, and also talk to fans in real time, has been absolutely so much fun. I hope I get to talk to more of you all!
What consoles/platforms do you play on, and what games are you currently playing?
I currently have a PS5, a Nintendo Switch, and a Steam Deck. I’m working on getting that gaming PC! Give me time! Give me TIME!!
What was your favorite game last year?
Probably Diablo 4, I enjoyed the storyline. Lilith is an icon. It was a fun time!
What games defined your childhood?
Final Fantasy X-2 made me gay, first and foremost. Kingdom Hearts also had a strong hand in releasing my inner homosexual, Utada Hikaru is an icon. Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an all-time classic, surprising absolutely no one! Pokémon Yellow and Silver defined my existence as a human being for years. Space Channel 5: Vol. 2 is a supremely underrated camp classic
What’s up next in your world?
Well I will be traveling as much as I can, so find me in a city near you, and in August you can catch me at FlameCon, the geeky LGBTQ+ convention in New York City, celebrating their 10 year anniversary!
Megami, thanks so much for your time, how can our readers keep up with you?
You can follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter (X) and YouTube, I’m @MegamiNYC on all of them.
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