This article is from the WeChat public account: Real Story Project (zhenshigushi1) , author: Zhang Jing, Photo by Nur Taufik Zamari on Unsplash

Role-playing (Cosplay) usually belongs to the younger generation. In the city, some middle-aged people also join this game. Cosplay gave them a space to interpret the other, and was able to temporarily forget the multiple crushings of middle-aged life.

Story time: 2015-2019

Story location: Shanghai

1

At eight in the morning, I arrived at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre with my camera on my back. Hundreds of superheroes crowded the Mei Man exhibition, which made me confused, and some characters could be discerned, and most of them couldn’t figure it out. Pulling out the camera, he didn’t know which hero to aim at.

In 2015, I quit my job and took up my own photography. Artists, children, and wedding dresses have been done, and there are the most live events. In particular, Manzhan has grown more and more these years.

The role-player asks me to take a photo, and occasionally add WeChat, I feel that I took a good photo, then I change my clothes and take a photo, or recommend other players. Over time, we are getting closer and closer to this circle.

Role-playing, commonly called Cosplay, refers to a kind of performance that uses characters such as clothing, accessories, props, and makeup to play characters in anime and games. Role-players involved in dress-up activities, commonly known asCoser. With the spread of foreign animation and games among the younger generation, this circle has also expanded.

According to statistics, in 2015, the size of the domestic secondary derivatives market exceeded 38 billion yuan, of which the apparel derivatives market share accounted for the second, reaching 16%, exceeding 6 billion yuan. For those well-known Coser on Weibo, 29 have more than 500,000 followers, 15 have more than 1 million, and the most can reach more than 3 million.

I was like a headless fly, banging around in the exhibition hall, and suddenly saw a girl I had previously photographed. Her dress today is Donna Troy, Wonder Woman’s assistant. I was just about to say hello, and heard her say to Batman next to her: “Look, he’s here again. It’s all four people, isn’t it good to be with his wife and children at home?”

Following the direction of her fingers, I saw a blessed Spider-Man, less than 1.7 meters tall and weighing about 170 pounds. In the corner of the stadium, Spider-Man looked around, seemingly looking for a companion, and like walking through this big party out of thin air, confused.

I held the camera and just aimed the camera at him, trying to catch his lost moment. The guy walked, behind the pillar on the right, exposing half of his head, peering around. Very dramatic.

With the look of his eyes, I turned around. Captain America and Iron Man were standing side by side and were coming over this way. Spider-man stunned and jumped in front of Captain America. The captain was frightened, the shield in his hand fell to the ground and stared at him angrily.

Spiderman took off his hood, bent down, picked up his shield, and bowed to the captain. Under the hood, there is a 30-year-old man’s face. When he frowns, three layers of head lines are squeezed out from the forehead. He quickly explained that he had no malicious intentions, and they were all Avengers. It was very kind to see him, and joking about it.

Iron Man looked him up and down and said, “You are the uncle in the group. Sorry, we don’t need fat.” After that, the two turned away and glanced at the blessed Spider-Man from time to time. Burst into laughter.

Spiderman rubbed his belly and shrugged his shoulders. Obliquely forward, a Hulk is showing his muscles, and a dozen flashes are aimed at the raised biceps. The crimson witch next to her poses in classic comics, and the shutters click around.

I saw Spider-Man, take a few quick steps, drill out from under the Hulk’s arm, point at the camera in front, and pose in a “silk” pose. The red witch glanced at him, the pattern of smiles on the corner of his mouth disappeared instantly, gave him a white look, and turned away. Hulk followed closely and took a few steps to turn around and said, “Uncle, you stillLet’s go home. “

The two actors leave, and the photographer flees. The hustle and bustle of the last minute became empty immediately. The remaining Spider-Man is standing there. He took off his hood and squatted down.

The actors and photographers in the surroundings form a group, joking, posing in exaggerated manner, and passing by him. I walked over and squatted to show him a picture, and Spider-Man grinned and talked to me.

Picture | Spiderman played by Li Lifei

2

Spider-Man is called Li Lifei. He is 34 years old this year. Most of the Cosplay circles are post-95s, and even post-00s, and those who have passed the 30s like him belong to the heterogeneous circles. Boys and girls are careful about their blunt ages and are not polite to middle-aged fat people like him. Across the phone screen, indifference and alienation can also follow the words.

It’s not even his most humiliated time. At a certain event in 2013, when Li Lifei said the mantra of Spider-Man: “The greater the power, the greater the responsibility”, a young girl yelled at him face-to-face: “Do you have power? It is better to change to more fat, Greater responsibility. “

He likes Spider-Man. Under the mask, no one knows the true face of this hero. But after that, Li Lifei’s mantra changed— “The greater the responsibility, the stronger the power.” He reversed the front and back, because sometimes the word “responsibility” seemed like a joke.

In the early morning of the working day, Li Lifei changed to another suit, a black suit and a dark blue tie. The meeting room is quiet, with a simple and rustic decoration, counted and counted, counting the succulent plants on the table, so there are two or three colors.

The role he is about to play is an insurance salesman. After a lot of rumors, he signed a big order, and his promotion and salary increase are just around the corner. For this business, he spent two consecutive nights preparing materials.
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