Q&A Interview with Seviria Cosplay

Considering how popular League of Legends is, it's not at all surprising to see at least a few LoL-based cosplays at every gaming convention around the world. League is especially conducive to cosplay because the various character skins supply cosplayers with a bounty of possible outfits. Seviria is an up and coming cosplayer that has gotten some attention for her awesome League of Legends cosplays. I recently sat down with her to talk about the hobby and the game.

Is there any significance behind the name "Seviria"?

Well I am horrible at coming up with names, but when I made my League of Legends account last year I wanted to make a name that was original and that sounded cool to me. I ended up making a really simple one, "Severea," which is the word severe with an "a" on the end to make it sound feminine. As you can see, I'm not very creative! With that spelling, however, people pronounced it in some pretty strange ways so when I made my cosplay page I changed the spelling so the pronunciation would be clearer.

How long have you been cosplaying?

I'm going to say that technically I started cosplaying December 2014 when I made Snowstorm Sivir.

How did you first become interested in cosplaying as a hobby?

I’ve always loved dressing up, including participating in many school plays and acting events. I have a lot of fun getting into the role of different characters. So when I started seeing people like Jessica Nigri and Yaya Han and the amazing costumes they created I was totally inspired. I am a huge anime/gaming nerd so cosplay combines a mix of everything I love!

Which League of Legends characters have you done so far?

So far I have cosplayed Bewitching Nidalee, Snowstorm Sivir, Genderbend Malzahar, Arcade Sona, and New Dawn Katarina. I am currently working on Officer Caitlyn and will be doing genderbend Varus after that.

Which champion is your favorite to play?

My favorite champion? That's a hard question actually. I really love playing Nidalee but I also love Lux, Syndra, and Vayne! My first favorite champion when I started out though was Evelynn.

Alright what about most hated champ to play against? Any you find particularly annoying or troublesome?

I hate playing against Zilean. He has to be one of the most annoying champions. I also find Zed pretty annoying at times.

Aside from League of Legends what other video games are you into?

Oh my, so many! Minecraft, Guild Wars 2, 7 Days to Die, Borderlands 2, GTA, Gary's Mod, Team Fortress 2, BioShock Infinite, Diablo 3, Pokemon, Super Smash Brothers, Legend of Zelda, Spyro, Assassin’s Creed, Skyrim, Uncharted 3, the list goes on and on!

What about favorite anime?

I really love Fairy Tail. It’s probably my favorite. I also like: Highschool DxD, To Love Ru, Dragon Ball Z, Angel Beats, Sword Art Online, Gurren Lagan, Rosario + Vampire, Kaze No Stigma, and many others

In your opinion what is the most enjoyable part about being a cosplayer?

Getting to bring your favorite characters to life and getting to see the awesome pictures/edits that photographers make of your costumes!

Do you have any plans for future LoL-themed costumes?

Yes! So many! I have other things I want to cosplay but League hooks me in every time because it has such strong character design and with all the different variations of each champion there is endless inspiration.

What conventions have you attended/plan to attend?

So far I have attended: Anime Revolution, Halloween Expo, Anime Revolution Winter, J-fest, and Fan Expo.

The cons I plan to attend this year are: Northwest Fan Fest, Anime Expo in LA, and Anime Revolution so far. I'd love to go to PAX but tickets are so expensive!

Do you have any advice for people who want to get into cosplay but are intimidated or don't know where to start?

Start!!! That’s the easiest way to get into it. Don't be afraid to start. What have you got to lose right? I find that once you do the planning and start something, it is a lot easier to get into it. If you just think about it but don't pursue it, then it will seem a lot more intimidating.

Be sure to like Seviria's Facebook fan page.

Q&A Interview with Feoranna

Cosplaying has transformed from being a niche hobby to a much more mainstream pastime of thousands of nerds in just a few short years. As you would expect with a game like League of Legends, which at the beginning of the year Riot Games reported sees an astonishing 27 million players daily and over 67 million players monthly (and has likely grown even higher since), League of Legends cosplays are very popular. Looking at some of the best LoL cosplayers is how I ultimately found Feoranna. I recently sat down with Feoranna to talk about League of Legends, her tattoos, and of course her cosplaying.

Photo by Cloud City Photography

How did you first become interested in cosplaying?

Ever since I was a little kid I did arts, crafts, and everything in between. I love it! Well, my grandmother was a gifted artist and seamstress so from a young age I have done lots and lots of sewing. I took a break from that particular area of the arts for awhile and worked on other stuff like drawing. Once I finished college, I was turned onto cosplaying! I absolutely love Halloween and dressing up is so much fun. I already did a lot of it for an alt modeling group I worked with so getting into cosplay seemed fitting! I got a busted old machine that was like fifty years old and had my friend RikkuGrape help me remember how to use it. From there, it just escalated.

Which characters from League of Legends have you cosplayed?

I have a lot! My first LoL cosplay was for Halloween a few years ago. I made a Nurse Akali. After that, I did Ahri in her classic skin. I also have done three Jinx cosplays, three of Katarina, and Dark Valkyrie Diana.

Do you have any current plans for future LoL-based cosplays?

Right now, I am working on a Slay Belle Katarina cosplay which I am really excited about. I would love to make Ahri from the A New Dawn video that Riot released; her outfit in it is just so beautiful. I also have plans to make Mafia Miss Fortune as well as Lunar Goddess Diana. As of now, those are the ones I am 100% sure I will be making soon.

Photo by Cloud City Photography

Who would you say is your favorite champion from the game?

Orianna! I love her so much! She’s definitely my favorite champion. When I first started playing League, I realized that I liked mid and being a mage typically. Once I discovered Orianna, I decided that I would play her until I mastered her.

What about most hated champ to play against?

I really hate playing against a Lee Sin or Xin Zhao. Total mage killers right there. I used to hate playing against Fizz since he counters Ori so much but I have been counter picked so many times now that I have gotten quite used to him and can zone him pretty hard.

Photo by Cloud City Photography

Do you play ranked at all?

Eh not really. I do sometimes, but it’s not something I care that much about. I have had the unfortunate luck to get stuck on teams where people of go afk and after so many games of that happening I just don’t really do solo queue anymore. I do however enjoy playing ranked with a full five’s or three’s team of people that I know.

So I’m assuming you make all your costumes yourself. Which took the longest?

I most certainly do! I have made all of my costumes besides my Black Widow which was sent to me by Costume Super Center to review and use while at New York Comic Con this year. The costume which I made that took the longest was probably Dark Valkyrie Diana. I spent a lot of time and detail on that costume and it was one of the earlier costumes I made with armor so I was extra careful.

Photo by Kim Nguyen

Would you say that cosplaying is an expensive thing for someone to get into?

Oh yes I would! But it is definitely possible to cosplay on a budget as well and I do this as often as I can. Worbla can get pretty expensive, which is the main thing a lot of people like to use for making armor. There are ways around that such as craft foam or EVA foam. It does the same thing, looks just as good, and is easy to work with. The downfall is that it’s not as durable as Worbla is. It is definitely possible though to cosplay on a budget without spending too much.

Photo by TwistedManga.com

So tell me a little bit about your tattoos.

I have a lot! Like thirty something. I love them and I always have. I started getting tattoos when I was 18 years old since I had a job in a tattoo shop and they are pretty addicting. Most of my tattoos are related to comic books, video games, or literature. I just love all of those things and they mean a lot to me so I am happy that I have them on my body to remember forever.

Which was the absolute first one that you ever got?

Well, when I was in eighth grade I was kinda bad and gave myself a stick n’ poke tattoo also known as the prison tattoo. (No I wasn’t in prison, but it looks bad enough to be believable! Hahaha!) And that would be a heart on my finger. My first professionally done tattoo when I was of legal age though was the quote I have on my chest which reads, “What value would there be in life if we are not together?” It’s a quote from the movie Becoming Jane which is based on a book about the author Jane Austen, one of my favorites.

What are some of your other hobbies?

I love all other types of art such as drawing, painting, and calligraphy. I like to play other video games too such as World of Warcraft, and some PlayStation games. I really like reading both books and comics. Knitting is also something that I like doing in my spare time. One of my favorite things to do though is watch movies and go to the movies! It’s so much fun for me.


To check out more pictures of the talented Feoranna be sure to like her Facebook page.

Q&A Interview with Ibukii

Photographer: JavisEan

Ibukii is a video game and anime cosplayer living in Germany who has been cosplaying since 2010. She is a huge League of Legends fan and has already cosplayed as many characters from the game including Katarina, Riven, Ashe, Sona, Janna, and Fiora. I recently sat down with her to talk about her nerdy habits and what it’s like cosplaying in Germany

How did you first become interested in cosplaying and who was the first character you ever cosplayed?

I met someone wearing Kakashi from Naruto in 2008. I asked where he bought his costume and he told me that he had made it himself. I was super impressed by that and I also wanted to cosplay. The first character I ever cosplayed was Elwyn from Shining Tears.

Tell me about some of the other characters you have cosplayed.

Photographer: JavisEan

Most characters that I pick are similar to my personality or are heroes of my childhood. I get my inspiration from video games, anime, manga, and movies. Some of the other characters I have cosplayed are Luna from Sailor Moon, Panty from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Saeko Busujima from Highschool of the Dead, Sophitia from Soul Calibur III, and Baby Doll from Sucker Punch just to name a few!

Ah so you are also an anime fan?

For a long time I didn't watch any anime because I lost the passion behind it. One day my boyfriend told me that I have to watch Code Geass so I did. I loved it and it got me back into anime.

What are some of your all-time favorite video games?

Shadow Hearts, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Ratchet and Clank, Spyro, Tenchu, Dynasty Warriors, Crash Bandicoot, Valkyrie Profile 2, Tekken, Soul Calibur, BioShock, and of course League Of Legends!

Who is your favorite League of Legends champion?

Hmm my favorite… ugh that's hard! I really like a lot of them but I guess my most beloved is probably Janna! I love to play her. <3

What about most hated champion?

That’s also hard! Hmm… I think I actually hate no one. Sometimes Thresh and Blitz are annoying, but I wouldn’t say I hate them.

Photographer: 500px

What’s your current rank on LoL?

I am unranked at the moment. I was Platinum V before, though. I mostly play together with friends and my boyfriend. Sadly I am not that good anymore.

Any plans for future League of Legends cosplays?

Yesterday I started with my Classic Caitlyn cosplay. I also would love to do the Classic Janna skin. <3

Which of your costumes took you the longest to make?

I guess it was Sophitia from Soul Caliber III. It had a lot of little details and I also did armor for the first time.

What conventions have you gone to in the past and what conventions are planning to attend in the future?

The last one I visited was Gamescom in Cologne just recently. The next one is Connichi in Kassel. Both of them are in Germany. I have never visited a convention in another country but I plan to visit Anime Expo in 2015!

Photographer: B1NH Photography

Do you have any advice for people interested in starting to cosplay?

Start small! Trust me, every costume takes times. Search for tutorials or ask other cosplayers for help and advice along the way. If someone asks me anything, I always try to explain how I did something or help them otherwise.

Your profile on deviantART says you're from Germany. What is the best part of living there in your opinion?

Well, I can tell you that it's not the weather! I am also actually not from Germany per se, I was just born here and I am living here. I am actually half Turkish.

Outside of video games and cosplaying, what are some of your other hobbies that you like to do for fun?

I really like to cook! And nope, I don’t mean blue meth hahaha. I also like swimming and dancing. I should draw more, but I am too lazy…

Photographer: 500px

For more images be sure to like Ibukii’s fan page on Facebook.