VRSUS Cosplay Feature: Levia, Shadowborn Abomination by Gerzsefex

Happy Halloween! In this spooky season, we’re thrilled to showcase our VRSUS Cosplay Feature for October, bringing you a look at Levia, the Shadow Brute from Flesh and Blood—one of our favorite trading card games. Levia isn’t just a terrifying figure in appearance; she’s a force to be reckoned with in the game, wielding immense power and dealing a lot of damage while constantly risking self-destruction due to her insatiable hunger.

Born into abject poverty, Levia’s life took a dark turn when her mother was forced to sell them into the service of the merciless Lady Barthimont. After her parents vanished under strange circumstances, Levia remained with the Barthimonts, driven to uncover the sinister rituals within their blood-soaked halls. In a desperate bid for survival, she learned forbidden rites and used them against her captors, emerging as a reborn Shadow entity. Now, with an insatiable hunger that drives her to consume souls, her journey has led her to unimaginable depths—and to foes as ravenous as herself.

The Shadowborn Abomination herself was brought to life by Gerz Binarao, more known in the cosplay community as gerzsefex! She was able to capture the gruesome details of Levia through her makeup and prosthetic work, and this garnered international attention when she placed Top 4 in the Flesh and Blood Cosplay Competition at Calling: Manila amidst what is considered one of the best lineup of contenders in the contest’s history!

Fearlessly capturing the Shadow Brute’s photographs within the dead of night is Erving Go, one of the most well-renowned cosplay photographers in the Philippines!

Once all of her haunting and hunting was over, we were able to sit down with a satiated Gerz to ask more about her prosthetic work and history with cosplay.

VRSUS: Hi Gerz! Actually, our first question is… can you see through all the prosthetics?

GERZ: * Points to face * I can see naman directly, pero kapag peripheral medyo mahirap. I have to turn side to side. * laughs * (I can see directly, but the peripheral vision is kinda hard – I have to turn side to side.)

V: Nice! Alright, could you introduce yourself?

G: I’m Gerz, known as Gerzsefex. I’m known in the cosplay community as a makeup artist, or a prosthetic artist. I do beards, prosthetic stuff, and transformation makeup.

V: When did you first get involved in cosplay?

G: I first got involved, I think around my late college days? Nag-experiment lang ako on myself muna and then may mga friends ako nung college na nakita na “uy magaling ‘to, pagawa ako sayo”. I answer them that I’ll try, and kaka-try ko it evolved to a point na nakikita na ako in the cosplay scene as “uy gumagawa si Gerz ng beards and prosthetics” – that was sometime around October 2014… ilang years na pala!

(I first got involved during my late college days. I experimented on myself first, then developed a reputation with my friends as someone who is good at makeup and prosthetics. Then I just kept going until I was known in the cosplay scene for doing that stuff. This was in October 2014, so it was quite a while back!)

V: What’s the favorite work that you’ve done?

G: Of course yung may pinakamalaking achievement, which is “The Night King” which was even featured in MetroUK! It won APCC Skycable – may Game of Thrones contest sila nun back in 2017. I worked with my friend Chris Evan (he helped me work with this Levia cosplay too) on the Night King head.

V: So you don’t usually cosplay?

G: Yeah

V: When was the first time you cosplayed?

G: Actually, the first time I cosplayed was just recently in August, at Flesh and Blood TCG’s Calling: Manila. I tried lang to do this character – Levia. She caught my attention kasi she’s gruesome, she’s got tentacles, and she’s bloody! First time ko din on the runway with so many people watching, and I actually got Top 4!

V: Congratulations – that was pretty impressive for a first cosplay! Now that you’ve achieved that, what’s another difficult cosplay project that you want to do?

G: I dunno if it’s achievable, pero you know yung sa Pan’s Labrinth? Yung may mata sa kamay? Pero syempre maliit lang ako – I’ll just figure out a way how to be taller! * laughs *

(I dunno if it’s achievable, but do you know that creature in Pan’s Labrinth – the one with eyes on their hands? But of course, I’m small – I’ll just figure out a way how to be taller!)

V: How about in terms of prosthetics? Is there anything that you’d want to make and try? Not necessarily for cosplay.

G: Maybe different types of prosthetics naman, maybe furry? Or animal-type prosthetics since I usually do Zombies and other fictional characters and animals are very different. Maybe soon I will do that.