Q&A Interview with Crashqueenbaby Cosplay

When did you first start cosplaying?

I decided that I wanted to start cosplaying in July 2014. I was worried at first since I had never done it before. I chose Misty from Pokemon and then later on that year I decided to do my first full cosplay and loved every moment of it!

Do you create all of your own costumes?

Absolutely! There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears involved but in the end I'm proud. I do ask for help with prop making from my other half who also cosplays.

It's rare to see a couple that cosplays together. Did you have to convince your boyfriend to get into cosplaying? Did he convince you? Were you both cosplayers when you met?

I didn’t actually, no. He was already a cosplayer before I met him. I had never cosplayed before, but I really wanted to, thus he convinced me to gain more confidence and go for it! And we have cosplayed together ever since.

What do you like most about cosplaying?

I like being creative and the feeling of pride I get from something that I have made myself. I make pretty much everything from scratch and I get a great sense of accomplishment. But I’m also not going to lie I do love when people ask for pictures!

Which League of Legends champions have you cosplayed?

So far fully I’ve done classic Jinx, but I am also halfway through making Foxfire Ahri. I also want to cosplay as classic Ashe. League has some amazing costumes!

Who is your favorite champion to play?

Jinx naturally! I love playing Marksman, so there’s also Ashe. I do occasionally dabble with Ahri for a bit of something different.

Is there a story behind the name "crashqueenbaby?"

Ohh it's a really old screen name that I use for everything, including League! It stemmed from a couple of My Chemical Romance lyrics and it just kinda stuck!

Can you tell me a little bit about the UK cosplaying scene? What are some of the big conventions there?

There are actually quite a few conventions across the country. Some of the biggest ones are the 'MCM' ones. They hold two a year in London as well as others around the country. They are always fantastic and we love going to these ones! I would like to branch out and try others eventually. Cosplay in the UK is quite big; roughly about 80% of convention goers are in cosplay. Everyone is so friendly and I've made so many wonderful friends across the country.

Do you play any other MOBAs other than League?

I only play LoL!

What about non-MOBAs?

I play mostly JRPGs. Right now I'm restarting Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Explorers. I always have a Pokemon game on the go and soon I'll start Bravely Default!

Are you an anime fan?

I have dabbled in a little bit of anime. I love Sailor moon! But I am first and foremost a gamer!

What are some of your other hobbies outside of video games and cosplaying?

My day job is the assistant manager of a tropical fish store, so I am a fish keeper, with a good few aquariums at home! I also like to travel and will possibly go to Barcelona this year with my boyfriend.

For more images head over to Facebook.

Q&A Interview with Lilith Phaedra

Photo by BlizzardTerrak

How long have you been cosplaying?

I've been cosplaying since May 2014 and I made my debut at San Jose's FanimeCon. It's kind of funny when I tell people because for some reason they think I'm a veteran who has been at this a hell of a long time. But...I'm actually not!

What first attracted you to the hobby of cosplay?

I first heard about cosplaying when my friend Candytamer told me she did it and showed me pictures. I was confused at first. Then I wondered if I'd have fun doing it as well. At this time, I had the means as well as the passion to create my first cosplay and go to my first con. Been hooked ever since!

Who is your favorite champion in League of Legends?

I have been an avid Ezreal fan and player since August 2012. He was also my first cosplay! Ahri is a close second, though.

Which LoL champions have you cosplayed?

I have cosplayed five different Ezreal skins, Default Caitlyn, Kitty Cat Katarina, and Default Ahri. I’m probably forgetting one!

Photo by Blue Baby Productions

Tell me a bit about the process of creating a costume.

Honestly, the process varies depending on the costume. I don't consider myself particularly skilled when it comes to making my own cosplays, but if I can do it myself, I will. Kitty Cat Katarina is a prime example of this because I happened to have fur, belts, and foam lying around and I think it came out pretty well for being done in a day. Usually, though, if I have the funds, I just commission the parts that are too difficult for me and I have no shame in this, nor do I deny getting things commissioned. I'd rather pay more to have it done right the first time than possibly waste money on trial and error.

Ever had any embarrassing moments at cons?

Probably the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me at a con was at this year's SacAnime Winter 2016. For some reason, while cosplaying Caitlyn, I decided to try balancing my weight on my gun's tip. It ended up breaking in half. Twice. In front of a bunch of people! I was pretty mortified. Thankfully I was able to easily get it fixed because I found my prop making friend who had glue. Whew!

How do cosplayers clean their outfits after wearing them? I'd assume many aren't exactly washing machine safe.

I've actually cleaned a few outfits in the washing machine but only if I know it's durable enough or doesn't have any small parts that could fall off or stitches that could come loose. Overall, though, I'd say hand washing is always probably the best.

Proudest League of Legends moment/accomplishment?

Photo by Volfogg Cosplay Photos

Don't laugh, but I went 56/0 in a bot game once. Still counts, right? Hahaha. That or when I played an ARAM with a Rioter. I don't remember who it was but they were on my team and I got First Blood. Made me happy.

Favorite TV show?

I have not watched TV in probably a decade now. Couldn't tell you.

No TV huh? What are some things you do for fun? Aside from game and cosplay of course!

In today's day and age, I can find pretty much anything I want to watch (be it movies or videos) with the click of a button. Yay internet! Otherwise it's just generic stuff that everyone puts here. See my friends. See my partner. Read. Sleep. Eat lots of shrimp pasta. Go to cons. Work on cosplay, then play dress up with said cosplay. You know the rest.

Are you currently playing any games other than LoL?

Smash Bros., always. Now that I finally own a 3DS as well, though, I'm patiently awaiting Pokemon Sun & Moon.

Who do you plan on cosplaying next? Any upcoming convention plans?

I recently completed my first real "non-League" cosplay, which is a human version of Rouge the Bat from Sonic. I'm also working on a Pokemon cosplay as well. Obviously, there are no images yet of either of those two...because they've never been worn! My next cons require me to travel up and down my state and I will be attending FanimeCon, possibly Sacramento Wizard World, Anime Expo, and SacAnime Summer.

Photo by Jacksonrose Photography

You should totally ‘like’ Liliphae’s Facebook fan page for more images including a boudoir shoot she did recently!

Q&A Interview with Gilded Moon Cosplay

How long have you been cosplaying?

I have been cosplaying for four years now, started back in 2012.

What first interested you in the hobby?

Well I started off just wanting to try it out. It was a super small convention, SwampCon in Gainesville. The next year I cosplayed Homestuck with some friends and fell in love with how intricate and beautiful some of the costumes were and it made me want to get better!

Which League of Legends characters have you cosplayed?

I have cosplayed as Sona, both in her Arcade and Silent Night skins.

Who is your favorite champion to use when you're playing seriously? What about when just messing around?

I love playing Jinx, she's my go to champ for serious play. When messing around... I don't know! I love playing ultimate bravery with friends and seeing what ridiculous champ build I have to deal with!

What's the most difficult cosplay you've made/worn and what made it difficult?

I think Arcade Sona wins most difficult. I had never made a hoop skirt before, and there I was trying to make one that was so specifically shaped! The Etwahl for that costume was also the first major prop that I had ever made and I tried to make it so it would come apart for easy travel, which didn't turn out super awesome but it held together for all the conventions that I wanted to bring her to.

How does going to a convention to cosplay compare to just going as a fan / "normal" person?

Well, actually, I feel really weird going to conventions not in cosplay unless I'm working the artist alley. Because of how my schedule used to be with school I didn't get many opportunities to go to conventions other than the few big ones, so I like taking advantage of every opportunity I can.

If you could perma-ban one champion for being too OP who would it be and why?

It is probably an unpopular opinion, but either Corki or Dr. Mundo. Corki keeps getting buffed and since he's getting a lot of professional play people are just trying to copy those item sets and play styles in lower ELO and it makes me want to scream. Dr. Mundo is just broken because you can't kill him unless your team has perfect cohesion and focus!

What other video games do you like outside of League?

Oh boy, well I kind of cycle them out. When I was younger it was Roller Coaster Tycoon, Sims, Warcraft, World of Warcraft, and StarCraft. Nowadays I try to branch out with genres. I started playing Slime Rancher, I've played Skyrim, most of the Zelda games, and I love Splatoon!

Any other "nerdy" hobbies?

I play Pathfinder with a group of friends every week, I'm about to start rehearsing for two shows for a convention this summer, and I played Humans versus Zombies for a few years before being on the team that ran it at my university.

Is there such a thing as a "fake nerd"? 

Nah I don't believe that. I think that yeah there might be people who lie about interests in order to get friends or popularity, but whether they want to admit it or not, no one can try to pass completely as a "type" of person without knowing or liking that kind of stuff.

Any plans in the works for future cosplays?

Yes! Immediately I'm starting in Nona (Death Parade) and Tornado (One Punch Man). I hope to do Pool Party Draven over the summer but otherwise the last big one is Shiny Mega Gardevoir for DragonCon!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Hope to see some League friends at conventions this year!!

Check out Gilded Moon Cosplay on Facebook for more sweet pictures.