Gossip Gurl: gallery

Decided to reflect on my growth as a cosplayer today and dug deep into my computer (photobooth to be specific) and found quite a few gems, and holy crap I sure have come a long way. Never stop learning, my friends! I've come so far as a cosplayer and I can't wait to see how my skills change farther up the road ✨💙✨ it sounds cliche but I encourage you to NEVER give up, because no matter what your skill sets are you can constantly improve upon them and grow. We all start somewhere! 😊 Now I challenge all my Cosplay, artists, and MUA friends to post something similar! "Change is inevitable, growth is optional" so go on and be proud of how far you have come!

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Jun 4, 2016 at 12:33pm PDT

For years, Richard Schaefer's tumblr Ariel's Grotto has been in the right-hand bloglist. You can see his cosplay evolution in the above images.

This past month, Ariel has been the subject of much publicity -- pieces in Cosmo online, The Daily Mail, The Huffington Post, The National Enquirer, etc. That's the kind of attention that helps yield 158,000 followers on Instagram!

I wonder if Richard would cosplay Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, or Jessica Rabbit? Here's a Taylor Swift look:

Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane 😏💋 Congrats, Queen @taylorswift #dontsueme

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Feb 16, 2016 at 2:22pm PST

Mostly, as the stories report, Richard goes in for Disney princesses. Here are some faves:

It's hard to explain. Lizards and pumpkins and things! ✨✨✨

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Jun 23, 2016 at 10:13am PDT

I must say, I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation 💚😈💚

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Jun 7, 2016 at 2:56pm PDT