Q&A Interview with Malice Cosplay

Photo by Tetsuya Cosplay

This week’s MMOsite Cosplay Spotlight is Malice Cosplay, an amazing and versatile cosplayer I met on a League of Legends cosplay Facebook group. I sat down with Malice to talk about the game and the art of cosplaying in general.

Where are you from?

I'm from Québec, Canada.

Photo by David Ngo

How did you first get into cosplaying?

I used to wear a lot of random stuff as a kid and wear costumes. My friend brought me to a small cosplay con in 2013, and if I’m not wrong he told me to put my Halloween cosplay on and that was my Alice Madness dress. I had a lot of fun. After that I looked for tutorials to do my own stuff and ended up following a lot of cosplayers that still inspire me today.

Who is your favorite League of Legends champion? 

My favorite champ is Lulu! I love her she's so darn cute. I used to play her all the time. I also love to play Caitlyn and Jinx. My favorite champs for the design are Syndra and Shyvana. They are both my cosplay dream.


Which champions have you cosplayed thus far?

Bittersweet Lulu, Dynasty Ahri, and Snowstorm Sivir. I rushed Vel’Koz for a con right after his release. I also rushed Alistar to duo with a friend.

Any plans for future LoL cosplays?

I'm working on Syndra now, FINALLY! I tried years ago and wasn’t happy so I put it aside for awhile. I feel like I have more skills now and it’s time to use it. I really want to take my time and be happy with the result.

Favorite video games other than LoL?

I love solo games like the Tomb Raiders and DmC: Devil May Cry. I play a lot of games with my friends. Sometimes what’s important isn’t necessarily the game itself but who you play with!

Photo by Novii Photography, costume by Hi, Stranger Creations

What is the most challenging part of cosplay in your opinion?

To not give up. That’s probably the most challenging for me anyway, hahaha. With my busy life sometimes it’s hard to get some motivation to work on a costume especially when things fail. I always fail some part and have to re-do them because I’m not happy but that’s how we learn and get better.

What about the most fun part?

The final product. It’s so satisfying. When you go to a con and people recognize your costume and like it. You can tell yourself, ''Hey I made it. I finally made it and it was worth it!'' To be part of a group, be proud. We wear uncomfortable costumes, heavy wigs, contact lenses, and high heels. We suffer, we don’t sleep enough, don’t eat enough during a con, sometimes wondering why we are doing it and after all that we still can't wait for the next con.

What is the furthest you have traveled for a con?

I went to Katsucon. We went by car and it took us 15 hours to get there. By the end I didn’t even know how to sit anymore because nothing seemed comfortable. But the con was beautiful and it was such a good weekend!

Photo by CP Photographie, Setting by Lexa One Photographie,
Makeup by CandyKiller

How does cosplaying for a convention differ from cosplaying specifically for a photo shoot?

I think conventions are way more stressful and painful than a photo shoot. There's a ton of people everywhere. You forget to eat; people bump into you (sometimes your costume even suffers from it). You can be a statue for hours because everyone wants a picture with you. You're dead after a day.

For a photo shoot, you can take more time. You know the pictures will usually be better than the one a stranger will take of you eating your sandwich at the con (without asking permission of course it always happens!)  It's usually friendly and more relaxed. You can take a break if needed (something you can barely do during a con). You can use more accessories, huge props, which you don’t always want to carry around during the day.

I love both but they are completely different experiences.

Outside of video games and cosplaying what are some of your other hobbies?

I love to dance. I dance all the time even though I never took any dance classes or anything. I love a lot of different styles and I try to learn some dances I see on video clips and movies since I’m young.

Picture by Martin Labbe Photography, Setting by Lexa One Photographie,
Makeup by CandyKiller

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I just want to tell people who want to cosplay or start cosplaying that they really should do it for themselves first. Even if you want a fan base or wish to eventually make a living out of that, people can feel it when you do a cosplay for yourself. It shows through on pictures. We are always more proud of stuff we do for ourselves than costumes we do to please others. Take your time; we are always learning and we are always improving!

Where can fans find more of you?


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaliceCosplay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malicecosplay/

Picture by Don Dolce Photography

Q&A Interview with Pam's Snow Stage

This week’s Cosplay Spotlight features Pam’s Snow Stage, an up and coming cosplayer whose popularity has been growing recently. Her page has recently eclipsed three thousand likes and four thousand is already within sight. I sat down with her to talk about cosplaying and video games.

Where are you from?

I am from Brazil.

How did you first get into cosplaying?

I started to cosplay in 2006. I was 16 years old, so young and full of dreams. For me be your favorite characters was so nice and has been an awesome experience from the first time.

What does “Pam's Snow Stage” mean? Can you explain the meaning behind the name?

Well, my page's name meaning is that I always wanted a good name for my page, nothing like just "my name plus cosplay," and I saw some other cosplayers that used a name that means a place like "wardrobe" or "land.”

But this was a difficult task, because it had to be an original name. So, “Snow Stage” because I always do blue characters or characters with some relationship to the ice and snow. Then “Stage” because a stage is a place where people show off their abilities like dancing, singing, or whatever. My page is the place where I showcase my works for the community and so “Stage” seemed like a good name.

Who is your favorite League of Legends champion?

Jinx. I love to play her and love her personality; she's so lively and cheerful! (and also pretty crazy hahaha).

Which champions have you cosplayed thus far?

So far I have only cosplayed as Teemo.

Any plans for future LoL cosplays?

I am planning to do Firecracker Jinx because it is my favorite skin of hers. But I also want to do Sweetheart Sona and someone from the Star Guardians.

Favorite video games other than LoL? 

I love Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, and lots of games from Square Enix. I am huge fan of Legend of Zelda and recently I have been playing a lot of Overwatch.

What do you think about the upcoming Final Fantasy VII remake? Are you excited for it, or skeptical of it?

I am very excited about it! Final Fantasy is one of my favorite video game franchises and the VII was one of my favorites as a kid. I played all the spin offs that I could (like Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus) and to see this game getting remade like that is awesome and I am very happy to be alive to see that.

Who is one LoL character you think is under-represented in the cosplay community?

I actually think all characters are very well represented, League of Legends is very popular among cosplayers and even the craziest and difficult characters have been cosplayed.

Does it ever snow in Brazil?

Yes! I live in southern Brazil and sometimes it is very cold here. It snows quite often in some cities near where I live (like the city of Gramado). The snow though is different from other countries; it isn't soft and the flakes are very tiny, not a lot like in others countries.

Is there a big cosplay/convention scene down there? 

Yes, here in Brazil we have some of the best cosplayers in the world. World Cosplay Summit is very big here and we have some large contests that people from all states come to participate in. People here are very competitive and they cosplay with a lot of materials that we don’t normally use. It’s a very dedicated scene!

What are some of your hobbies outside of gaming and cosplay?

Well video games and cosplay take me a lot of time and dedication, so it is just those two hobbies that I have.

Anything else you'd like to add?

I would thank you for the opportunity.  If someone wants to know more about me or see my other cosplays, please visit my Facebook page.

Cosplay is a beautiful hobby and we always have a duty to make it stay safe. Be kind to everyone and encourage more people to enter into the cosplay world. That is how it will grow as a hobby and become even better.

And that's it. A big kiss for everybody!

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For more images visit her Facebook page.

Q&A Interview with Lullabie & Props

MMOsite recently had the chance to sit down with Cosplay Lullabie & Props, a Canadian gamer and cosplayer that is into League of Legends. She explains her passion for cosplay and also teaches us how to trash talk to a noob in French.

Where are you from?

I'm originally from Canada, South of Montréal.

How did you first get into cosplaying?

The first time I got into cosplay was when I was planning to go see a French friend from France who told me the Japan Expo was coming during the summer. I managed to throw together some simple outfits I and really loved this first experience with cosplay.

Who is your favorite League of Legends champion?

The only one I’ve cosplayed, for now, is Jinx. She is absolutely adorable and of course crazy, which is amusing. Her appearance isn't something we see very often in games, so she caught my eye immediately.

Any plans for future LoL cosplays?

Yes, I do! I am planning to cosplay Katarina in her classic skin, as I'm a lover of original characters. Some new skins are beautiful, but in my opinion classics are the best.

Favorite video games other than LoL?

My favorite video games are honestly Zelda from Nintendo, being a fan of this series since I was seven years old. Same with World of Warcraft. I’ve been playing that since I was six years old. Then, I also got into Overwatch recently!

What's the easiest cosplay you've ever made?

So, the easiest cosplay I have made was Ritsuka from Loveless when I started cosplaying in 2013. It was to be with a friend, this way we could make a duo.

How would one say "get owned noob" in French?

Honestly, I'm not even sure what this expression means haha, but a noob is for us, if I am right, someone playing badly in video games or doing foolish things to annoy people.

I do not want to say it wrong, but maybe noob would be something like “Espèce d'incompétant, de nul!”

In a neutral way!

What are some of your hobbies outside of cosplay and video games? 

My first hobby is drawing. I’ve loved to draw characters since I was just one year old! Crafting things is another hobby of mine, even outside of cosplay. Making stuff for Halloween, Christmas, etc.

What is your favorite cosplay memory since you started cosplaying?

Favorite moment would definitively be when I got a fan of Jinx all excited behind her prints-selling table at Otakuthon when she said we looked like characters straight out of the game, haha! (Me as Jinx and my best friend as Ashe), then I received a very pretty Jinx poster from her!

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Last thing I would say is that I really hope to bring more characters to life to the best of my abilities in cosplay and to not let people saying you can't! I'm still improving my costumes skills since 2013.

Where can fans find more of you?

On Facebook here.