Ever since I started interviewing cosplayers, I’ve wanted to be able to sit down with a fellow Bostonian face-to-face, and it finally happened! Serena’s a Boston-based cosplayer who’s only gotten into the scene within the past few years, but has already amassed quite the following. In addition to being a rising star in the cosplay community, she’s also a former Disney princess and spends her days working in environmental science. Impressed yet? If you aren’t yet, I promise you will be by the end of the interview with this lovely person who’s fighting to help save the planet and entertain the masses with her impressive cosplay skills.

AiPT!: Tell us a little bit about where you’re from and how you like to spend your time when you aren’t cosplaying.

Serena: I’m from Boston and I have a degree in environmental science. I work full-time studying climate change which keeps me very busy. On the weekends I’m traveling for conventions or working on new cosplays. Trying to catch up on some sleep when I can [laughs]. I really enjoying reading and spending time with my friends.

AiPT!: What’re you reading right now?

Serena: I try to vary between high literature and trashy fantasy. Currently I’m reading the Throne of Glass series, which I’d never heard of prior to picking it up. I went to a book store, asked what was popular and this is what they gave me. It’s more on the teeny bopper girl side of things, so I don’t know how much you’d enjoy it. [laughs]

AiPT!: Where’d you go to school?

Serena: I went to school out in Chicago at a small school called Wheaton College, it’s a small private school. I also studied abroad and lived in Ireland for half a year. That was the start of my wanderlust and my travel bug.

AiPT!: What was your first exposure to cosplay and the convention scene?

Serena: When telling this story I always laugh. I was probably in middle school and my father used to work at the Prudential Center in Boston where they used to hold a lot of conventions. I went with him to take your kid to work day or something like that, and we were walking through the mall as a convention was going on. It was definitely an anime convention because I distinctly remember seeing people in anime costumes. At the time I had never encountered or heard of anything like that before, so being a judgmental young kid I remember thinking to myself “These people are so weird! I would never do this.” [laughs] So that was my first ever exposure and looking back at it I always laugh because now I’m one of those weird people.

I was always involved in theatre growing up and met a lot of creative people through it, which helped me with trying new things.

AiPT!: Did that make it easy for you to step into a public stage such as cosplaying at conventions?

Serena: Yeah. I met some people who were mainstream geeky and they cosplayed. I actually started because they begged me to be in a shoot with them for the Fantastic Four. So I was the Invisible Woman and they got my suit for me and being blonde it was very easy [laughs]. So I did it and I loved it. I already knew the characters from growing up in a fairly geeky family and I loved the feeling of bringing this character to life. It gave me a little taste of the bug, but I didn’t start consistently cosplaying until years later.

AiPT!: What changed for you that made you want to get back into it?

Serena: When I first started I was still in college, I was busy and I was away from home. Plus I was working with a college student budget which really doesn’t allow for much [laughs]. I was also very studious and focused on getting my degree and graduating. So I only cosplayed when I came home from break or if a friend was leading the charge on it and I could jump onto it.

But then I graduated, starting making a lot more money and had more free time. I made friends that were interested in cosplay. But the real impetus was I started working as a professional Disney princess for a character company. I grew up loving Disney and I always wanted to be a Disney princess. So I jumped at the chance to use my theatre background, dress up as a princess and get paid really well for it. Where could you go wrong with that?!

Being a princess was obviously a job, but through that I made friends in the cosplay community. In turn I started going to cons and realized I loved conventions, meeting new people and connecting so quickly with strangers over a shared fandom. All these things combined helped my hobby keep growing and growing and growing. In the last year I’ve been going to conventions constantly. It’s taking over my life.

AiPT!: What’s the furtherest you’ve traveled for a convention?

Serena: LA. I’ve been to LA two or three times in the last four to six months. The first convention I traveled for was D23, the Disney convention this last summer. That’s kind of when everything really started taking off for me.

AiPT!: Is this something that you could see becoming a career for you, or do you love what you’re doing with climate change that you couldn’t give your career with that up?

Serena: I love cosplay. A lot of people have encouraged me to make it a career but I’m worried that if you take something that’s a hobby, that you’re passionate about and make it into a job, you’ll lose some of the joy. I feel like it’s inevitably what happens with my hobbies. I did my princess gig for four years and I loved it, loved it, loved it, but the joy decreased significantly and now I’m almost sick of it. So I don’t necessarily want to monetize something that I love so much. I also worked so hard for my science degree and to get to where I am in my career.

AiPT!: Out of all the characters you’ve cosplayed as, which one would you say you align with the most?

Serena: I would say just about every character I cosplay I relate to in some way. Either you relate to them or you admire them. I think you see something in characters that you cosplay as that speaks to you. Queen Elsa from Frozen is the classic Disney answer, but she was the first character I cosplayed as for my princess job and I see it as the start of my cosplay journey. When I saw the movie I related to the character so much and was drawn in by her relationship with her sister. My sister and I were the same age as Elsa and her sister when the film came out, we have similar personalities, our family originates from Norway and there are just all these weird little coincidences there.

AiPT!: You have a large social media following that’s growing at a fast pace. While you receive a lot of positive words and compliments, there’s always going to be negative people. How do you deal with the folks who have nasty things, trolls and jerks?

Serena: I’ve been very lucky that people have been wonderfully supportive of everything I’ve done so far. 99% of people are complimentary, loving and supportive. I always try to thank people, put out a very positive image and generally stick to more wholesome characters. I want the cosplay community to be a loving and accepting place.

I’m very sassy by nature, so I try not to snap back at people because I want to be a good role model. I have a lot of young followers from my Disney cosplays, so I generally try and turn the other cheek. But if it’s something inappropriate or hateful to other people, especially people in my pictures, then I tend to snap back. Usually it’s just asking them to be kinder, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. If it’s harassment then I end up blocking and reporting.

AiPT!: We’ve established that you’re a huge Disney fan. How many times have you been to Disney World?

Serena: [laughs] Many, many times. My family used to own a lacrosse spring training facility for private schools down in Florida, so I used to go down to Florida once a year every year. Every time we’d go down, we’d go to Disney. So I’ve been at least 24 times now [laughs]. But I’d never been to Disneyland until this last summer when I went out for D23.

AiPT!: Out of the two parks what’s your favorite ride, attraction or place to visit?

Serena: I love Animal Kingdom. Obviously I’m really into the planet and the environment. So when they made that park I absolutely loved it. Having gone to Disneyland recently, I love the Indiana Jones ride which they don’t have at Walt Disney World.

AiPT!: Are you going to be planning a trip for the opening of Star Wars Land?

Serena: Of course! I’ll be out there since they conveniently planned the opening to coincide with D23. I really want to stay in the hotel inside the park where you can live out a Star Wars story.

AiPT!: Are you planning on going into The Last Jedi blind or are you theorycrafting?

Serena: I try not to theorycraft. I’d really like to go into it blind. When you have all these theories that you read about for big exciting shows and movies, such as Game of Thrones and then it comes true, it’s not as satisfying as it could be if you didn’t know about it.

AiPT!: I saw on your instagram that you were in Salem recently, which I love spending time in. Do you enjoy traveling around Massachusetts? Is there a favorite spot you recommend to people who visit?

Serena: I’ve always really enjoy history so I’ve always felt lucky that I grew up in the bed of American history. So I love Salem and definitely recommend it to folks. It’s not as fun in the summer as it is in the fall for Halloween.

You can never do the Freedom Trail too many times. I love doing that [laughs].

AiPT!: What’re you most looking forward to in the coming year?

Serena: I’m going to try and go to a lot more big conventions. This past year I went to Dragon Con for the first time and that changed my con life. It’s unlike any other con. I’m already super excited for next year — I’ve already planned the cosplays for it. I can’t release what they’ll be yet, but I’m super excited for it and seeing where my cosplay journey will take me.

Here’s where you can find Serena online
Instagram
Facebook
Email

Jessica Nigri isn’t the only one who can pull off a stunning Alexstrasza cosplay; Brazilian cosplayer Cami, who we’ve already featured for her calm, collected casual Pharah from Overwatch represents the Life-Binder and World of Warcraft‘s Queen of Dragons with poise and power in the following set from CAA Photoshoot Magazine:

Instagram: Cami_Cosplayer

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We already know Enji-Night makes for a very good Lara Croft and Harley Quinn.

That’s why we’re adhering to one of our New Year’s Resolutions for 2018 and putting together a cosplay gallery of Enji’s that deserves every bit as much attention: Supergirl.

Facebook: Enji Cosplay

Or: Browse more AiPT! comic book/video game cosplay galleries.

“My world is all just shades of grey, Batman. That’s why you’ll never really understand me.”

Selina Kyle aka Catwoman is notorious for her jewel heisting, passion for felines and love/hate relationship with Batman aka Bruce Wayne (she’s currently his fiancee and closest confidante in Tom King’s excellent Batman run).

When she’s not kicking butt with her fellow Gotham City Sirens (Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn), you can find her at the most well-to-do socialite events in Gotham City. Over the years Catwoman has evolved from a simple thief to one of the most important crime fighters in Gotham City and AGflower’s portrayal of the character brings the famous femme fatale to life.

Here’s where you can find AGflower online
Instagram
Facebook
Patreon
Deviantart
Prints

You can also browse more AiPT! comic book/video game cosplay galleries.

It’s a new year and with it we’re bringing you, our fans, the first cosplay interview on AiPT!’s podcast of 2018. Today we sit down with two rising stars in the cosplay community, Leah and Alex Daberry. The two are twin sisters, best friends, Disney princesses and extremely talented cosplayers. We’ll discuss their family’s influence on their passion for all things nerd, tag teaming cosplay projects and their weapon collection. That’s right, weapon collection!

Here’s where you can find Leah & Alex online
Leah Instagram
Alex Instagram
Shared Facebook
Alex Ko-Fi
Leah Ko-Fi

I’m the kind of person who saves up and spends all her money on higher education, not vacation, but this was a trip I had been wanting to splurge on for months. Having returned from Star Trek: the Cruise II, there remains that voice in the back of my head calculating how many months of student loan payments I could have made instead, but I can usually shut her up with a good G&T.

50 billion bars on this boat and not one of them could make a good gin and tonic. I need to move back to Edinburgh.

I had been hoping to go with one of my friends from grad school, a doctor (not a moon shuttle conductor) from Monterrey. Alas, her work schedule was not compatible. I don’t know if I’d want to travel solo on a “regular” cruise, but I knew that all of us on the boat had at least one thing in common. I might not make any lasting friendships, but I was sure to have a few good conversations [Spoiler alert: this turned out to be true]. And so I booked two days before registration closed. Two weeks later I was on a red-eye to Miami.

I arrived at port around 11:30 am, a crowded mass of people filling the waiting area. A sea of nerdy t-shirts. I myself was beating the morning chill with my NASA hoodie (and constellation-patterned pants). And no – before you ask – no one was dressed up as a Klingon. That wasn’t until later.

Hey look, a boat!

I don’t remember the exact time I boarded, but it was only a few minutes until I had my first “celebrity” encounter. And by “encounter,” I mean Connor Trinneer (aka Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Charles “Trip” Tucker) passed me while I was waiting for the elevator and I gave him a head nod. This was, in general, how vacationers interacted with the on-board talent, unless you paid for a photo/autograph session. Exceptions exist, of course – I eventually got to have a somewhat lengthy conversation with him (and a hug) after a blackjack tournament – but we’re all decent enough human beings not to stalk the famous people.

Connor plays blackjack like I play any type of gambling game that doesn’t involve real money. Go all in on round one and then lose so you can just hang out with people and drink.

That doesn’t mean Trekkies don’t act weird when they accidentally find themselves in a star’s presence. Within an hour of boarding this random lady and I found ourselves standing about a meter away from George Takei, who was getting a personal tour of the boat. She was so embarrassed by being in his presence she scrunched up her shoulders and did a 180 in some terrible attempt to hide. I like to remind people in these moments that celebrities get diarrhea just like everyone else … or at least when said celebrities are not within earshot.

Our launch party began at 4:00 pm; most of the stars accompanying us on the voyage got to say “hi” to the throng of Trekkies on the pool deck and mention one or two of the special shows they were going to do. I learned a fairly valuable lesson on this trip: to sacrifice angle of view for proximity. That is, it’s okay to stand/sit to the side if it means you’ll be a few (or many) rows closer.

The other lesson is it’s okay to take off your shoes and stand in the shallow end of the pool to get a better view of things.

That evening LeVar Burton read us a couple of children’s books, including one he co-wrote. As someone who first knew of the man from Reading Rainbow, and then as Geordi LaForge, it was like an extra wave of nostalgia washing over me. Then Nana Visitor and Rene Auberjonois pretended to be chickens.

Okay, fine. That’s not the whole story. They were reading a bunch of different sketches, all portraying different kinds of love … one of which involved pretending to be chickens. I will not remember a single song Brent Spiner or Bob Picardo sang during their musical nights, but I will forever remember this ….

I can think of a few fictional characters who would have learned a lot from this performance

People were already breaking out the costumes by then, but the first themed party officially kicked off a few hours later. I didn’t have any costumes with me. I didn’t have any costumes in my closet back home, either. It’s just not one of those activities I’ve ever participated in. And of course not everyone on the boat did, either. There were plenty of people running around in t-shirts or casual dresses with a communicator badge pinned to their chests.

One of the fundamental tenants of Trek is the acronym IDIC: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. The word “Trekkie” conjures up a very specific image in a lot of people’s head, and that’s just not a true representation of what we are. We come in all varieties.

And yes, that includes people dressing up as Darth Vader on a Star Trek cruise.

Complete with coneheads in the background.

Our first port of call was the island of Roatán, off the coast of Honduras. Since I was sola, and saving money by booking things directly through island tour companies (i.e. not the cruise line), I had to plan my excursions in anticipation that I might end up with a personal tour guide. That’s how I ended up with Ronald driving me around the island to go ziplining and have a monkey sit on my head, and him reading my copy of the Silmarillion while waiting for me to acquire some souvenirs.

Said souvenirs consisted entirely of rocks. And minerals. And sand. Yes, I’ve got sand from most of the foreign beaches I’ve visited. My degree might be in astrophysics, not geology, but I know a pretty rock when I see it.

It was humid AF down there, and I absolutely did not care. Any change from the freezing midwest is welcome.

I also acquired “rocks” from our next port, which I think is best described as Epcot!Belize. Harvest Caye (pronounced “Key”…um…no??? who made that decision?) is a private island run by Norwegian Cruise Line, and many will (correctly) tell you it’s a fabricated tourist trap.

Not shown in this image: the “Beware of Jellyfish” sign to my right

But you don’t have to spend money there if you don’t want to. I know some people who took a ferry to the mainland, but I used the day as my “relaxer” and just wandered around the beach area working on my nonexistent tan. Saw some starfish. Collected some seashells. Connected to Anakin Skywalker in a way I never thought possible (No, seriously, it was the worst sand I’ve ever walked on).

And I chatted with Armin Shimerman (aka Deep Space Nine‘s Quark) and his wife for like an hour about Shakespeare and the importance of Critical Analysis. Two amazing human beings, even though one of them doesn’t know how to use a smartphone.

You’re a great actor, Armin. But your photography skills need a little work…

Another awesome married couple I ran into was Dr. Phil Plait and Marcella Setter. As I, too, have a background in astrophysics and currently work as a science communicator, I was totally stoked at the opportunity to meet him. Like, more so than any of the Star Trek actors. Yeah. I’m that level of nerd.

He gave two different astronomy talks, during each of our “at sea” days: one addressing the question of “Is Earth Special?” (The answer, of course, is “yes, no, maybe, it’s complicated”) and the other about asteroids and Near Earth Objects that have impacted or might impact the earth. Yes, that one Bruce Willis movie did get mentioned, and I didn’t have the heart to tell Phil I actually love it. The science is just. so. bad, guys.

Unlike the Mayans. Great astronomers, those Mayans. (These are ruins at Chocchoben – and, ya know, the Moon)

There were a few other “scicomm” lectures on the boat that week, including a couple by a real-life astronaut. Due to scheduling I didn’t get to see all of them, but props to the program directors for getting these guys. (If they could actually get some gals for next year, then I’d give them all the props.) I thought about what I’d cover if I – a completely un-famous nobody – had somehow lucked into giving a talk, instead. Probably not what the rest of the audience was pondering while Phil was waving his arms around to demonstrate the transit method of hunting for exoplanets.

We Trekkies come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. We’re people. We live different lives, work different jobs, but we’re all connected by a franchise we love. Some rock the cosplay game, some don’t. Some rock out on the dance floor. Some don’t. But we can all agree on at least one thing:

the price of alcoholic beverages on that boat was much too high.

I will, however, gladly give up alcohol again for the best Mexican food I have ever had in my life.

“No one can hide from the huntress.”

One of the more unique skins in Overwatch is Widowmaker’s period French nobility outfit, the Huntress skin, which showcases the French assassin, Amélie Lacroix’s heritage.

Cosplayer Niamash, AKA Niamashina, who we’ve seen before as Gamora in an awesome group Guardians of the Galaxy cosplay brings Huntress skin Widowmaker to life in the following set:

DeviantArt: Niamash

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If you’re a gamer then you know what Overwatch is. Heck even if you aren’t a gamer you’ve probably heard of it. The game has surpassed over 30 million active players and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. But should you be one of the rare individuals who isn’t familiar, allow me to catch you up real quick: Overwatch is a multiplayer first person shooter video game with a strong emphasis on teamwork. The game features a wide array of unique characters which results in a lot of fun and wacky team combinations.

Fans of the game are crazy about it and with such a broad selection of heroes to play, everyone has a favorite. People love their favorite heroes so much they decide to take it a step further and cosplay as them. Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to visit a gaming or comic convention and not see a multitude of Overwatch cosplayers. That’s where I come in. I’m a massive fan of both Overwatch and cosplay, thus I took it upon myself to dive into the bowels of Instagram and find some of the best Overwatch cosplayers out there.

I’ll be posting four Overwatch cosplay galleries, featuring each of the four types of heroes: Offense, defense, tank and support. Today’s feature: offense heroes!

DoomFist . . . #doomfist #gaming #overwatch #henchmen #henchfam #actors #Sydney #Australia #thestarhotelsydney

A post shared by Rockley (@rockleyrock) on Jul 20, 2017 at 8:25pm PDT

I have a massive fist of doom! Now I shall melee you with my left hand. That’s right, the small non-threatening one.

Hide your healing, I’m headed out for the day. : @xcaptainsphotography #overwatch #overwatchcosplay #blizzardcosplay #blizzard #genji #genjishimada #genjicosplay #onigenji #expcon2017

A post shared by Daniel (@thicc.pachi.cosplay) on Nov 1, 2017 at 11:58am PDT

Making my life hell ever since I decided to main Mercy.

In Dawson City right now!!! It is legit like the wild west here!! The sidewalks are all boards and every building is from frontier days!!! About to do the sour mummified toe shot!!! Ahhh wish me luck!!! #dawson #wildwest #yukon #mccree #overwatch

A post shared by Andy Rae (@andyraecosplay) on Aug 28, 2017 at 3:48pm PDT

When you hear “It’s High Noon” and instantly resign yourself to death.

I've never posted a clip of my wings fully functional in costume. Here's a look at it! Also a huge thank you to @daniellebaloo for being the best handler this weekend and recording this! You're the best #NYCC #NYCC17 #pharah #pharahcosplay #overwatch #overwatchcosplay #blizzard #blizzardentertainment #genderbendcosplay #genderbend #genderbendpharah #pharahoverwatch #cosplay #cosplayer

A post shared by Justin (@juscosplay) on Oct 9, 2017 at 11:59am PDT

Don’t worry, I’m just as amazed as you all are.

My Mariachi Reaper at AX 2017! Should I wear this again? Amazing pics by @petits.pois.photography #ax2017 #animeexpo2017 #ax #animeexpo #blackwatchreyes #Blackwatch #overwatch #blizzard #reaper #mariachireapercosplay #mariachireaper #reapercosplay #overwatchcosplay #videogamecosplay #amazingcosplay #badasscosplay #cosplaylife #edgelord #deathblossom #pcgame #pcgamecosplay #edgelord #overwatchmemes #grumpyreyes #daddyreyes

A post shared by blackwatchcosplay (@blackwatchcosplay) on Jan 2, 2018 at 7:46am PST

Hey buddy! You were in Coco right?!

‘I love the smell of charcoal in the morning.’ . . Another photo from our shoot with @mikel_lex_photo Ryan looks so epic . . . . . #soldier76cosplay #grillmaster76cosplay #dad76 #overwatch #overwatchcosplay

A post shared by R Squared Cosplay (@rsquaredcosplay) on Jan 23, 2018 at 11:31am PST

I too enjoy the smell of charcoal in the morning good sir.

QUE TAL? get this print and lots more in my store soniaralynn.bigcartel.com @saffelsphotography

A post shared by Soni Aralynn @HOME (@soniaralynn) on May 4, 2017 at 8:51pm PDT

Oh, please by all means! I didn’t want to use that health-pack anyway.

Tracer Ultraviolet | Part 1 __________________________________ #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplaygirl #sexycosplay #gamecosplay #game #blizzard #blizzardcosplay #overwatch #overwatch #overwatchcosplay #tracer #tracerultraviolet #tracerpunk #tracercosplay #makeup #craft

A post shared by Haku (@haku_mikiriyami) on Jan 17, 2018 at 1:20am PST

How is it you manage to stick me and only ME each and every game?

“The name is Freya. Remember it.”

We certainly will remember the name of Smite‘s Queen of the Valkyries, Nordic Goddess Freya, a task made even easier by AiPT! favorite cosplayer Akina Gasai, AKA Ksana Stankevich:

Facebook: KsanaStankevich

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Megan Coffey does it again. She’s wowed us as Overwatch‘s D.Va, McCree and Witch Mercy and now, the disguise Link must wear to infiltrate the stomping grounds of one of our favorite recurring races in the Legend of Zelda series, the Gerudo: Breath of the Wild‘s Gerudo Link.

Facebook: Megan Coffey

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It’s a time of celebration for World of Warcraft fans. Yesterday Blizzard made Battle For Azeroth, the franchise’s seventh expansion pack, available for purchase on Blizzard’s online store. The game is expected to be released on or before September 21, 2018.

The bad news of course, is we still have to wait eight agonizingly long months for the game to be released into our eager hands. So in an effort to help make the wait a little more bearable, I thought I’d celebrate the WoW community’s amazing passion for this game. How better to do so than by showcasing some of the best World of Warcraft cosplay that Instagram has to offer.

Thank you so much @martinwongphoto for the beautiful photo of my Alleria Windrunner cosplay from Blizzcon! #alleriawindrunner #alleria #Blizzcon #blizzcon2017 #highelf #voidelf #Worbla #propmaker #wowcosplay #worldofwarcraftcosplay #worldofwarcraft #Warcraft

A post shared by Danielle Beaulieu (@daniellebaloo) on Nov 17, 2017 at 8:19pm PST

One of my absolute favorite characters from Warcraft II. The Ranger-Captain of Silvermoon turned Void Elf has always held a special place in my heart. Danielle Beaulieu’s portrayal is utterly perfect.

I can't thank everyone enough for all of the support you've been showing me! To all of my old followers and new, thank you . A huge thank you @eurobeat_kasumi_ebk for this shot of my Turalyon cosplay! #turalyon #turalyoncosplay #blizzard #blizzcon #blizzardentertainment #blizzcon2017 #warcraft #wow #wowlegion #wowcosplay #worldofwarcraft #worldofwarcraftcosplay

A post shared by Justin (@juscosplay) on Nov 27, 2017 at 3:31pm PST

As a Vanilla WoW veteran, Dwarf Paladin main and lore nerd, I’ve been dying to see Turalyon see the game debuted. Blizzard teased us in the Burning Crusade with Arator, but finally delivered the goods with Legion. Justin’s work on Turalyon has brought a Paladin legend to life and made a die-hard fan very happy indeed.

Teaser of my new photoshoot! I cannot describe how happy I am about this cosplay. So, I hope my work saying enought about my endless love to the Night elves and Tyrande. Thanks to magnificent photographer @kmitenkova for make my dream come true. Tyrande costume, wig, prop made and modeled by me. Thanks to Ira Ivanova for an owl. Yes, the owl is real. Assistants: my dad, @aoki_lifestream, @hilderry_m, @yuliakryachkova. To be continued. Soon you'll find BTS and Making of video on my Youtube. May Elune light your path! #tyrandewhisperwind #tyrandecosplay #tyrande #fantasy #nightelf #nargaandaokicosplay #cosplayer #cosplay #cosplayphotography #alliance #elf #elfgirl #elves #heroesofthestorm #hearthstone #worldofwarcraft #warcraft #warcraftmovie #blizzard #blizzardcosplay #gamecosplay #sentinel #owl

A post shared by Natalia (@narga_lifestream) on Jun 27, 2017 at 12:15am PDT

I mistook this for a digital painting the first time I saw it because my mind couldn’t believe a cosplayer could achieve this level of accuracy and detail. Narga_lifestream knocked this one out of the park and hit the moon. Stunningly beautiful image and the owl is the cherry on top.

Check out the full gallery of Narga’s Tyrande Whisperwind cosplay.

In one month it's time for the Swedish cosplay championship!!! Whaaat! Already!? This is from 2 years ago from my first time as one of the 10 finalists, love it but I promised myself no more bodypaint for at least 5 years Have u ever promised yourself to stay away from something related to cosplay? . Photo by: @vikstroem.photo (cropped) . . #thrallcosplay #thrall #femalethrall #cosplay #genderbend #worldofwarcraft #worldofwarcraftcosplay #orc #femaleorc #wowcosplay #itsnoteasybeinggreen #bodypaint #green #armor #armoredgirl #girlinarmor

A post shared by Tokah (@tokahcosplay) on Jan 25, 2018 at 10:03am PST

Raised by humans only to become liberator of the Orcs, the former War-chief turned shaman and finally Earth-Warder is one of Azeroth’s most legendary heroes. Tokahcosplay’s gender bender portrayal looks like it’s ready to kick some Garrosh ass.

FOR THE ALLIANCE JUST WATCHED NEW CINEMATIC WITH ANDUIN OMG IT'S EPIC

A post shared by Ewenae (@ewenae) on Nov 3, 2017 at 12:36pm PDT

RIP. We miss you Varian. I’ll never forget the first time I found you on Alcaz Island while randomly exploring around Dustwallow Marsh. The good news is Ewenae is doing your legacy right by showing everyone what a complete and total badass you were.

Finished King Magni Bronzebeard #cosplay done back in 2015! Tons of fun making one of my favorite characters in #worldofwarcraft! swipe right for more photos!!! #cosplayer #wowcosplay #magnibronzebeardcosplay #dwarfking #lordofironforge #kingmagni #costume #warcraft @warcraft #ironforge #dwarfcosplay #dwarf #cosplayprops #cosplaystuff #worldofwarcraftcosplay @blizzard

A post shared by Joe Winkler (@cuppajoecosplay) on Nov 9, 2017 at 1:29pm PST

My favorite beer guzzling dwarf who also happens to be the former Lord of Ironforge and King of Khaz Modan, is known as a different name these days, The Speaker. As in the speaker for Azeroth. Cuppajoecosplay helps me remember Magni as I liked him best, huge beard and a big hammer!

I have some fun news to share! Next week Carlos and I are going to attend the @dragoncon @medieval_times Atlanta event! I figured why not bust out my World of Warcraft Death Knight cosplay for the competition. This week I'm going to make some well needed repairs on her. Who else is going? I can't wait to see everyone and chat. It's been too long. I miss all my Atlanta cosplay friends! by @_kendelb . . . #cosplay #armorcosplay #blizzard #blizzardcosplay #cosplaywip #worldofwarcraft #worldofwarcraftcosplay #worbla #worblacosplay #smoothon @smoothon @tandyleather #wowcosplay #deathknight #deathknightcosplay #apocalypse #prop #photoedit #worblasfinestart #thibracast #clearworbla #photography

A post shared by Emily (@gbghcosplay) on Jan 27, 2018 at 1:41pm PST

Gbghcosplay helps remind us why you should feel both awe and fear when meeting a Death Knight. The armor, sword and make up are all frighteningly accurate. Unless you want to join the legion of undead that are slaves to the Lich King, steer clear of this lady.

Hall shot throwback to my favorite female dragon aspect in all her corrupted glory! Shot by @anoblecos This was Rose City last year and I was so stressed out I basically swore I'd never go back to Portland Happy to say I couldn't have been more wrong about that one. So now it's 2018 and we're all scrambling to hit those cosplay deadlines for Emerald City. This baby probably won't make an appearance… but ya never know! She'll be back out to play at PAX West . . . . . #cosplay #cosplaygirl #womenofcosplay #cast4art #worblaarmor #worldofwarcraft #worldofwarcraftcosplay #yseracosplay #corruptedysera #nightmareysera #emeraldnightmare #wowcosplay #gamergirl #rccc #worblasblackart #maker #builtnotbought #craftyourfandom #womenofwarcraft #womeninarmor #bodypaint

A post shared by Léthe (@lethedesignscosplay) on Jan 29, 2018 at 1:10pm PST

The moment where Xavius corrupted Ysera and turned her into a dragon of Nightmare, is one of the saddest moments from Legion for me. I’ve been enthralled by druids and the Emerald Dream since Warcraft III and I’ve been wanting to visit it since we first saw the four green dragons in Vanilla. Lethedesignscosplay does an amazing job in bringing one of the most diving moments of the latest expansion to life.

Illidan, Mercy, and now, Artanis. The blizzcon rush never ends. Photo by @alive_alf #Illidan #illidancosplay #wowcosplay #blizzardcosplay #warcraftcosplay #blizzcon

A post shared by Oliver Holmes (@kohalucosplay) on Oct 20, 2017 at 11:31am PDT

Why can’t you ever just do the right thing man?! Seriously! Since Burning Crusdae Illidan has been making all the wrong choices. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t look good while doing it. Every player in the game yearns for a transmog of the Warglaives of Azzinoth and cosplayer kohalucosplay got his!

Here's the first photo of our Jaina / Arthas shooting with @komophea.cosplay! We're glad to have a few nice photos as the shooting hasn't been as easy as we expected, many perfect spots were closed and there were a lot of people and cars, it didn't help Anyway, it's certain we'll do another one later, but we're still happy with what we have! @blizzard's Blizzcon starts tomorrow, we can't wait to know the next @warcraft's extension! #cosplay #arthas #jaina #arthasmenethil #jainaproudmoore #jainaportvaillant #arthascosplay #jainacosplay #warcraft #warcraftcosplay #wow #wowcosplay #worldofwarcraft #worldofwarcraftcosplay #blizzard #blizzardcosplay #blizzardentertainment #blizzcon #blizzcon2017

A post shared by Minana Cosplay (@minana.cosplay) on Nov 2, 2017 at 9:52am PDT

Admire young Prince Arthas as he was before he became the biggest douche in all of Azeroth. By our Prince’s side is the lovely and powerful Jaina Proudmoore. Two of the more tragic characters in the history of World of Warcraft. Hats off to Minana Cosplay for the simply incredible work.

At first, I didn't really like my cosplay… Many people liked it, now I'm pretty proud of it Thanks @ze_cousu for your help And a big thank you to @micheltakuma for this photograph #cosplay #arthas #warcraft #worldofwarcraft #woltk #lichking #arthascosplay #cosplayer #cosplaygirl #frostmourne #TGS #winterispast #arthasmenethil #warcraft3 #blizzard #wrathofthelichking #evafoam

A post shared by Symbiose cosplay (@symbiosedrood) on Jan 9, 2018 at 5:22am PST

Arthas how can you be so bad, but look so good? Cosplayer symbiosedrood’s gender-bender take on the Lich King looks both imposing and inviting at the same time. No matter what you do, don’t take your eyes of Frostmourne!

Gilneas shall not fall!! Here's an amazing photo taken by Henrickson photography at Coticon Rendez-vous this past weekend of my Young Greymane Cosplay. What I like about it is my Greymane coat catches the wind nicely! #coticon #coticonrendevous2017 #greymane #greymanecosplay #blizzardcosplay #warcraftcosplay #worldofwarcraftcosplay #canadiancosplay

A post shared by Little Al (@littleal1990) on Aug 21, 2017 at 8:44pm PDT

One of my favorite characters in Heroes of the Storm is also one of the most sought after characters by fans since World of Warcraft’s release. Star of many of Blizzard’s cinematic trailers over the last few years, the leader of Gilneas is an easy fan favorite. Cosplayer littleal1990 gives us a look at the Alliance hero before the curse of the worgen transformed him and his beloved people.

I'm almost done with Vol'Jin cosplay"I speak for the Horde!" #Worldofwarcraft#Vol'jin#Vol'jincosplay#Cosplay#Awsome#Troll#Horde#Trollmask#Morphsuit

A post shared by Mattias Kurkimäki (@mattillakurki) on Jul 22, 2016 at 11:39am PDT

“Here come the voodoo!” If you don’t like Vol’jin than something is straight up wrong with you. Not only does he have some of the best dialogue out of any character in Warcraft, he’s a all around great guy and throws a mean axe. Mattillakurki’s portrayal brings one of Warcraft’s oldest and most beloved characters to life.

Photo by @kobaru.pl #worldofwarcraft #cosplay #warcraft #warlock #t5 #warlockt5 #stygianvi #skull #horde #wow #wowcosplay

A post shared by stygian vi (@stygivi) on Aug 31, 2017 at 2:46pm PDT

Tier 5 aka Corruptor Raiment aka the reason behind why so many people rolled Warlock.
Stygivi does what so many of us wish we could do, puts on a real set of Warlock Tier 5! This armor set is easily one of the most iconic to ever grace Azeroth and looks even better in real life.

“The Light will not forsake us!” photo by @eurobeat_kasumi_ebk (With some small newb edits by me) . . #velen #prophetvelen #blizzcon2017 #blizzcon #blizzconcosplay #blizzconcostume #preist #worldofwarcraft #worldofwarcraftcosplay #draeneicosplay #draenei #prostheticmakeup #prosthetics #makeup #fakebeard #hairwork #flexfoamit #smoothon #dragonskinfxpro #dragonskin #worbla #gems #exodar #sewing

A post shared by Steel Barrel Cosplay (@steelbarrelcosplay) on Nov 15, 2017 at 12:10pm PST

Poor Velen. The guy cannot catch a break. His world, his best friends, the majority of his people, his SON – it all gets taken from him. Yet someone he keeps on truckin. It gets better Velen, steelbarrelcosplay does a ridiculously good job in making you look incredible. The Light won’t forsake you and neither will steelbarrel!

Insult me in life and you will serve me in death. • • • I cosplay a lot of very powerful female rulers these days. I wonder what that signifies on a psychological level. Maybe Sylvanas should raise Sigi Freud and ask him about that… • • • Photo: @nsulley Makeup & Body Paint: @rabidbeauty Costume: @sylviaslays • • • Please check out & follow the badass pages I model for: @cosplay.alliance @realleagueofjustice @sharemycosplay @cosplay_connection • • • #sylvanas #sylvanaswindrunner #worldofwarcraft #cosplay #cosplayer #sylvanascosplay #blizzcon

A post shared by Sylvia Slays Cos-Art (@sylviaslays) on Jan 19, 2018 at 10:02am PST

Last but certainly not least. The Banshee Queen is now leading the Horde as Warchief and already has her hands full, as seen in the trailer for Battle for Azeroth. Sylvanas has ever been the resourceful one though, even escaping death on more than one occasion. Sylviaslays believes in the Horde and after one look at her, you probably will too.

Love or hate her, we can all agree that Daenerys Targaryen has seen her fair share of triumphs and hardships. She’s been a slave, sold off and married to foreign warlords, fallen in love, conceived and lost a child, discovered and raised dragons, presided over conquered city-states and more; despite her trials and tribulations, Daenerys has remained strong and focused in her seemingly destined path to rule the Seven Kingdoms and that’s part of what’s made her so beloved among her fans, especially cosplayers.

Going into the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Stormborn figures to be an even more integral character than ever and in recognition of this, we’ve put together an assemblage of our favorite Dragon Queen cosplay offerings:

Velveteen Velours

My #Daenerys test. Твоё лицо, когда понимаешь, что стоило как-то поаккуратнее накидывать пальто в перерывах на погреться. Приношу свои глубочайшие извинения за помятое плечо, за свой нос, взгляд, и что там ещё обычно не нравится ценителям и экспертам.Когда-нибудь будет завершена цепь, но это не на сей раз. #gotcosplay #gameofthrones #daenerystargaryen #daeneryscosplay

A post shared by Velveteen Velours (@velveteen_velours) on Jan 31, 2018 at 1:32pm PST

”Do you know what kept me standing through all those years in exile? Faith. Not in any gods, not in myths and legends. In myself. In Daenerys Targaryen. The world hadn’t seen a dragon in centuries until my children were born. The Dothraki hadn’t crossed the sea, any sea. They did for me. I was born to rule the seven kingdoms, and I will.” – #Daenerys #Targaryen #gameofthrones #got #gotcosplay #daenerystargaryen #daeneryscosplay #khaleesi #queen

A post shared by Velveteen Velours (@velveteen_velours) on Jan 13, 2018 at 1:54pm PST

Fire cannot kill dragon #iwilltakewhatisminewithfireandblood #daenerys #targaryen #cosplay #gameofthrones #got #gots7 #hbo #motherofdragons #khaleesi #fireandblood #daeneryscosplay #gotcosplay #emiliaclarke #selfpotrait

A post shared by Velveteen Velours (@velveteen_velours) on Jan 11, 2018 at 2:36pm PST

Did she steal that costume from the Game of Thrones set? Because it’s astonishingly accurate.

Ilona Bugaeva

I am no ordinary woman. My dreams come true. wig by @wigisfashion cosmetics by @maccosmeticsrussia and @nyxcosmetics_russia #daenerys #daenerystargaryen #targaryen #gameofthrones #got #gameofthronesfamily #emiliaclarke #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplayers #cosplaying #cosplayersofinstagram #cosplaygirl #geek #geekgirl #косплей #играпрестолов #дейенерис #makeuptransformation #makeupartist #margaery #jonsnow #sansa #cersei #purplelenses #dothraki #motherofdragons #stark #nyxcosmetics

A post shared by Ilona Bugaeva cosplay&makeup (@sladkoslava) on Dec 28, 2017 at 8:00am PST

I am not your little princess #daenerys #daenerystargaryen #targaryen #gameofthrones #got #gameofthronesfamily #emiliaclarke #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplayers #cosplaying #cosplayersofinstagram #cosplaygirl #geek #geekgirl #косплей #играпрестолов #дейенерис #makeuptransformation #makeupartist #margaery #jonsnow #sansa #cersei #purplelenses #dothraki #motherofdragons #stark #nyxcosmetics

A post shared by Ilona Bugaeva cosplay&makeup (@sladkoslava) on Nov 23, 2017 at 10:46am PST

WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS? #costest #wip #daenerys #daenerystargaryen #gameofthrones #got #got7 #dothraki #motherofdragons #khaleesi #targaryen #emiliaclarke #daeneryscosplay #gotcosplay #gameofthronescosplay #cosplay #cosplayers #cosplayer #cosplayersofinstagram #geekgirl #geek #косплей #играпрестолов #дейенерис #makeuptransformation

A post shared by Ilona Bugaeva cosplay&makeup (@sladkoslava) on Sep 13, 2017 at 10:01am PDT

Yes. All men must die, but we are not men. #costest #wip #daenerys #daenerystargaryen #gameofthrones #got #got7 #dothraki #motherofdragons #khaleesi #targaryen #emiliaclarke #daeneryscosplay #gotcosplay #gameofthronescosplay #cosplay #cosplayers #cosplayer #cosplayersofinstagram #geekgirl #geek #косплей #играпрестолов #дейенерис #makeuptransformation

A post shared by Ilona Bugaeva cosplay&makeup (@sladkoslava) on Sep 9, 2017 at 10:26am PDT

I am the blood of the Dragon. I must be strong, I must have fire in my eyes when I face them, not tears #daenerys #daenerystargaryen #daeneryscosplay #gameofthrones #got #gotcosplay #motherofdragons #targaryen #jonsnow #sansastark #emiliaclarke #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplayers #cosplaying #cosplayersofinstagram #cosplaygirl #косплей #играпрестолов #дейенерис #makeuptransformation #geek #geekgirl

A post shared by Ilona Bugaeva cosplay&makeup (@sladkoslava) on Aug 15, 2017 at 9:03am PDT

Those purple eyes, though. (Just like in the books.)

Unnamed Cosplayer

Couldn’t find her name, but loved the air of Targaryen confidence that she exudes. The hair could be a little more accurate, but it’s nice to see someone go for the Mereen look from Season 4, Episode 10.

Cosplay

Starbit

We’ve featured Norwegian cosplayer Starbit’s awesome Daenerys cosplay in the past and we’re still every bit as impressed as the first time we saw her. Oh yeah, she recreated the stallion heart-eating scene.

. 'I am the blood of the dragon. I must be strong. I must have fire in my eyes when I face them, not tears.' _______ Some more Dany bc I can never really get enough of her Next to Katniss she's my most cosplayed character, do you have a character you just keep coming back to? _______ #daeneryscosplay #gameofthronescosplay #gotcosplay #daenerystargaryen #cosplay

A post shared by Ida (@starbit_cosplay) on Jan 28, 2018 at 12:17pm PST

'My reign has just begun.' _______ Dany gives me all the feelings, I love her story arch and I'm really pumped ro finish my season 7 version! I'm looking forward to trying to portray a different and stronger version of her on camera, I want it to be a big contrast from this one! _______ #daeneryscosplay #daenerystargaryen #cosplay #gotcosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay

A post shared by Ida (@starbit_cosplay) on Nov 27, 2017 at 7:18am PST

'If I look back, I'm lost' _______ Finally took some proper photos of wedding Dany, months after finishing it! Cosplay and photography by me, dress is entirely handsewn, made with 100% silk, armbands and neckstraps weaved over craft foam, and dragon brooch made with fimo clay This was one of my dream cosplays to make, and even though there are definite improvements to be made I'm still VERY happy with the result. I literally spent years finding the fabric for it _______ #daeneryscosplay #gameofthrones #daenerystargaryen #gotcosplay #cosplay #motherofdragons #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay (Inb4 anyone tells me to cosplay/says i would suit someone else beter, Dany is one of my all time favorites and I worked hard on THIS costume, please respect that )

A post shared by Ida (@starbit_cosplay) on Nov 26, 2017 at 9:12am PST

Hoping to finally photoshoot this tomorrow!! Fire and blood time #daeneryscosplay #gameofthronescosplay #gotcosplay

A post shared by Ida (@starbit_cosplay) on Nov 25, 2017 at 8:24am PST

I was meaning to shoot this cosplay ages ago, but since parts of it broke at DragonCon and I forgot to fix it, and the weather turned into full autumn, I haven't had the chance. Oh well Maybe when I'm back from my London trip there will be one rain free day and I can shoot, praying to the cosplay gods (And if you missed my announcement post, idapod starbit_cosplay, sorry if there was any confusion! ) #daeneryscosplay #daenerystargaryen #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #gotcosplay

A post shared by Ida (@starbit_cosplay) on Oct 20, 2017 at 7:03am PDT

Carli Bybel

Daenerys Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Most Fleeky Makeup Artist in the Seven Kingdoms.

Who's ready for tonight's season finale check out my new #Daenerys makeup transformation on YouTube! Direct link in my profile! Make sure to tag your friends who love #GoT get my wig 10% off with code: CARLIBEL18 on @posewigs

A post shared by Carli Bybel (@carlibel) on Aug 27, 2017 at 11:36am PDT

NEW VIDEO IS UP! #DaenerysTargaryen makeup transformation! Link in my profile to watch #gameofthrones

A post shared by Carli Bybel (@carlibel) on Aug 26, 2017 at 12:51pm PDT

#GoT Daenerys video is now up! Link in my profile

A post shared by Carli Bybel (@carlibel) on Aug 25, 2017 at 1:53pm PDT

Reytao

Game of thrones Daenerys Targaryen Cosplay by @reytao Photo by @milliganvick Dress by @wildpike #cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #got #daenerys #emiliaclarke #khaleesi #играпрестолов #MotherofDragons #матьдраконов #DaenerysTargaryen #DaenerysStormborn #Daenerys #Daeneryscosplay #Dany #winteriscoming #Дейенерис #ДейенерисТаргариен #кхалиси #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay #gotcosplay

A post shared by reytao (@reytao) on Jul 7, 2017 at 2:20am PDT

Mother of puppy #cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #got #daenerys #emiliaclarke #khaleesi #играпрестолов #MotherofDragons #матьдраконов #DaenerysTargaryen #DaenerysStormborn #Daenerys #Daeneryscosplay #Dany #winteriscoming #Дейенерис #ДейенерисТаргариен #кхалиси #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay #gotcosplay #gotseason6

A post shared by reytao (@reytao) on Dec 7, 2017 at 11:33am PST

#cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #got #daenerys #emiliaclarke #khaleesi #играпрестолов #MotherofDragons #матьдраконов #DaenerysTargaryen #DaenerysStormborn #Daenerys #Daeneryscosplay #Dany #winteriscoming #Дейенерис #ДейенерисТаргариен #кхалиси #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay #gotcosplay #gotseason6

A post shared by reytao (@reytao) on Sep 20, 2017 at 6:31am PDT

Cosplay by @reytao Photo by @milliganvick Dress by @wildpike #cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #got #daenerys #emiliaclarke #khaleesi #играпрестолов #MotherofDragons #матьдраконов #DaenerysTargaryen #DaenerysStormborn #Daenerys #Daeneryscosplay #Dany #winteriscoming #Дейенерис #ДейенерисТаргариен #кхалиси #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay #gotcosplay

A post shared by reytao (@reytao) on Mar 12, 2017 at 7:23am PDT

Cosplay by @reytao Photo by @milliganvick Dress by @wildpike #cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #got #daenerys #emiliaclarke #khaleesi #играпрестолов #MotherofDragons #матьдраконов #DaenerysTargaryen #DaenerysStormborn #Daenerys #Daeneryscosplay #Dany #winteriscoming #Дейенерис #ДейенерисТаргариен #кхалиси #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay #gotcosplay

A post shared by reytao (@reytao) on Mar 10, 2017 at 2:30am PST

Cosplay by @reytao Photo by @milliganvick Dress by @wildpike #cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #got #daenerys #emiliaclarke #khaleesi #играпрестолов #MotherofDragons #матьдраконов #DaenerysTargaryen #DaenerysStormborn #Daenerys #Daeneryscosplay #Dany #winteriscoming #Дейенерис #ДейенерисТаргариен #кхалиси #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay #gotcosplay

A post shared by reytao (@reytao) on Feb 25, 2017 at 5:55am PST

Goodnight dragons Cosplay by @reytao Photo by @milliganvick #cosplay #gameofthrones #gameofthronescosplay #got #daenerys #emiliaclarke #khaleesi #играпрестолов #MotherofDragons #матьдраконов #DaenerysTargaryen #DaenerysStormborn #Daenerys #Daeneryscosplay #Dany #winteriscoming #Дейенерис #ДейенерисТаргариен #кхалиси #khaleesi #khaleesicosplay #gotcosplay

A post shared by reytao (@reytao) on Feb 24, 2017 at 10:04am PST

—

Which Daenerys cosplayer is your favorite? Want to share a Daenerys cosplay of your own? Let us know in the comments.

If you’re a gamer then you know what Overwatch is. Heck, even if you aren’t a gamer you’ve probably heard of it. The game has surpassed over 30 million active players and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. But should you be one of the rare individuals who isn’t familiar, allow me to catch you up real quick: Overwatch is a multiplayer first person shooter video game with a strong emphasis on teamwork. The game features a wide array of unique characters which results in a lot of fun and wacky team combinations.

Fans of the game are crazy about it and with such a broad selection of heroes to play, everyone has a favorite. People love their favorite heroes so much they decide to take it a step further and cosplay as them. Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to visit a gaming or comic convention and not see a multitude of Overwatch cosplayers. That’s where I come in. I’m a massive fan of both Overwatch and cosplay, thus I took it upon myself to dive into the bowels of Instagram and find some of the best Overwatch cosplayers out there.

I’ll be posting four Overwatch cosplay galleries, featuring each of the four types of heroes: Offense, defense, tank and support. Today’s feature: defense heroes!

It's painted, it's ready for the con! #overwatch #cosplay #dragoncon #overwatchcosplay

A post shared by Alex Theodore Ambrose (@owlickx) on Sep 3, 2017 at 4:27pm PDT

Please no Genji. Please no Genji. Please no Genji.

#throwbackthursday to last year's #animelosangeles cosplay, Hanzo! I won't be at the con today, but I'll be there the rest of the days! Be sure to keep a lookout for my panels on Friday and Saturday (especially cosplayers/photographers). Can't wait, and thanks for your patience while I situate my life *comment your favorite food emoji for bonus internet brownie points* #Hanzo #overwatchcosplay #overwatch #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplaying #CosplayGirl #girlsofcosplay Hanzo made by @riansynnth and @elizabethrage on #diycosplayshop Bow by @vlogozio on #diypropshop Photo by @extranoodlesco

A post shared by Rian Synnth (@riansynnth) on Jan 25, 2018 at 11:05am PST

NERF SCATTERED SHOT! I may or may not have personal feelings about this.

Is time to repost this correctly If you follow my official account on Facebook I just move my works on Instagram slowly, for more you can follow my page below www.facebook.com/stylouzcosplay #hanzoshimadacosplay #hanzocosplay #demonhanzo #hanzooverwatch #dilfosaur #cosplay #overwatch #hanzo #overwatchcomic #blizzard #demonmakeup #overwatchart

A post shared by Stylouz (@stylouz_cosplay) on Jan 31, 2018 at 4:00am PST

Making Reapers hate their big ole heads since day one.

IM ON FIRE, I NEED MORE SUNBLOCK Hope you guys are having a great start to the holiday season. Im just catching up with friends and working alot while making props. Im making Junkensteins Pegleg atm so i hope thst comes together good :3 #bondibeach #bondi #auscosplay #pooljunkrat #summer #summerjunkrat #winterwonderlandjunkrat #winterjunkrat #christmas #overwatchcosplay #Overwatch #junkrat #Junkratcosplay #blizzard #blizzardcosplay #riptire #australia #auscosplay #leanguy #skinnywhiteboy #sydney #trashmouse #whiteguy #funkrat #funkyjunky #evafoam #wig #wigstyling #shirtless #abs #fit

A post shared by Jason (@fifty_face_jayce) on Dec 20, 2017 at 5:58pm PST

Causing mischief and mayhem at Australian beaches is a summer pastime.

Super old photo of my Junkrat from Katsucon last year. Part of me is super upset that the cosplay is gone. Part of me wants to completely remake it again. Part of me wants to make another skin for him. All of these parts are going to have to wait until Zenyatta is done. . . – @brilanimagery . . #overwatch #overwatchcosplay #junkratcosplay #junkercosplay #junkrat #videogames #videogamecosplay #videogames #blizzard #blizzardentertainment #cosplay #cosplaygirl

A post shared by Hanari Solomon (@hanari502) on Jan 21, 2018 at 10:50am PST

It’s hard to just sit around knowing there’s someone out there that needs to be blown up!

"Ni Hao!" I have a lot of Snow Plum photos to share so I hope you guys aren't tired of her! Photo credit to @eurobeat_kasumi_ebk #overwatchmeicosplay #meicosplay #blizzardcosplay #blizzcon2017 #meiisbae #overwatchcosplay #snowplummeicosplay

A post shared by Phoebe Abdelmessih (@chiefy_creates) on Nov 8, 2017 at 1:15pm PST

DIE SATAN!

I love BEEing Mei #beekeepermei #meicosplay #overwatchcosplay Body suit design: @brandonogilberto Suit printed by: @RPCStudio Gun by: @Rawrbomb Neck Piece base & Gloves by David Han, Painted by me Boots made by Myself & @Keintastic ( Check older progress photos too refer to what work I did and what he did ) Harness, Belt, Hat, Backpack all made by me || PHOTOGRAPHY BY: @alive_alf

A post shared by Momokun (@mariahmallad) on Dec 4, 2017 at 11:03pm PST

Oh a different skin and it’s super cute! Nope. Nope. Still Satan underneath.

Blizzcon contest photo! I really wish they used the other one with the fun pose, this one is so boring. #torbjorncosplay #overwatch #overwatchcosplay #blizzardcosplay #cosplay #ledcostume #cosplayengineering #moltencore #costume #3dprinting #cosprinting #propmaker #blizzcon #blizzconcosplay

A post shared by Spoon (@spoon_makes) on Nov 22, 2017 at 12:08pm PST

My favorite character to enrage the masses with.

by M9 Cosplay . . . #widowmaker#widowmakercosplay#overwatch#overwatchcosplay#cosplay#kawaii#sexycosplay#overwatchwidowmaker#widowmakeroverwatch#cosplayer#nerd#gamergirl#gaming#gamer#pcgamer#kawaii#katsucon#tekko#waifu#overwatchmeme#blizzard#blizzcon#blizzardentertainment

A post shared by Jeana // Dawaifu @Katsucon (@dawaifu) on Mar 10, 2017 at 12:26pm PST

Is a date worth it if she kills me afterward? Tempting. Tough decisions ahead.

Check out more of DaWaifu’s Widowmaker cosplay.

Ph: @ad.photo.cosplay #widowmaker #widowmakerodettecosplay #widowmakerodette #cosplay #widowmakercosplay #cosplayer #cosplaygirl #italiancosplayer #armor #dark #goth #gothgirl #katvondlipstick #bodypainting #makeup #makeupaddict #firenzecomics #cosplaymodel #modeling #photography #cosmaker #overwatch #overwatchcosplay #overwatchgirls #amelielacroix #l4l #instagood #picoftheday #videogames

A post shared by Ellie Amber (@ellie.amber) on Jan 26, 2018 at 11:51am PST

Pretty but deadly. C’est la vie.

Karrigan Taylor isn’t a name you may be familiar with, but chances are if you pay any attention to cosplay you will be soon enough. Since starting her cosplay journey less than two years ago her popularity within the cosplay community has exploded. Karrigan’s name and face are all over fan pages, reddit and Instagram. In less than two years her social media following has blown up to nearly 200,000 Instagram followers and shows no sign of slowing down. If that wasn’t impressive enough, she’s somehow managed to do this while juggling her cosplay career with modeling, working as a part-time professional princess, figure skating at a competitive level and studying for a degree in creative writing for entertainment. Lucky for you AiPT! was fortunate enough to grab some of the rising star’s precious free time for an interview.

AiPT!: Tell us a little bit about where you’re from and how you like to spend your time when you aren’t cosplaying.

Karrigan: I’m from a very small town in Massachusetts but I now live in Orlando, Florida now. Most of the time when I’m not cosplaying I’m either in class, doing various different forms of art (writing, makeup, dance, etc) or I’m in Disney World. I also work part time as a princess performer.

AiPT!: Walk us through how you got started with cosplay and what your first experience at a convention was like.

Karrigan: My first cosplay and convention was Catwoman for 2016 Boston Comic Con. I fell in love with it almost immediately, especially because I had been wanting to cosplay for a long time but didn’t really take that step towards it until then, I didn’t really know how to. I typically don’t like going to cons now as much as I used to, but that con was definitely magical in a way. It was eye opening.

AiPT!: You mention on your website that less than two years ago you debuted your first cosplay and as a result your social media following literally exploded. How do you deal with the massive amount of positive and negative exposure and attention that comes with that?

Karrigan: Yes, it blew up pretty quickly. It was something that I definitely had to get used to. Luckily, for the most part, people are super nice. For every hate comment there are 50+ nice comments. At first the hate got to me a lot, I would be devastated every time someone would comment negatively on my work. Now I’ve learned to laugh it off and just pay attention to those who love me. It’s still crazy to me that so many people love me, it’s humbling. I have no time for the haters anymore haha. I’m way too busy for that!

AiPT!: I see that you’re a student at Full Sail University studying creative writing for entertainment. Any chance we’ll see you behind the scenes at NXT working with writing team?

Karrigan: That would be amazing, we’ll see! My school is really involved with WWE NXT so, it’s a possibility for sure!

AiPT!: As a fellow Overwatch fan, I have to know your thoughts on Overwatch League thus far. As a Florida native I imagine you’re supporting the Florida Mayhem, or has another team stolen your allegiance?

Karrigan: To be completely honest with you, I haven’t really been keeping up with it. I was at the very beginning but I’ve been pretty busy. I’ve been playing a lot of fortnite recently as well. I just played Overwatch for the first time in a couple weeks the other day. I wish I had followed it more.

AiPT!: I’m a Mercy main and the latest patch has hit me hard. What heroes can we find you playing and are you working up the ladder or having fun in arcade mode?

Karrigan: I’m currently a Reaper main but I also play a lot of Soldier 76, Dva and Bastion. I don’t play comp. I find it to be super toxic and I’m just not into it. I feel like I’m not a real overwatch fan because of the fact that I only play arcade and quick play haha, but it’s just what I find myself enjoying the most. I game to have fun, I’m not trying to stress myself out more than I need to, which is ultimately what comp does for me.

AiPT!: You’re a cosplayer, model, professional princess, accomplished figure skater and studying for a degree in creative writing for entertainment. That’s quite the impressive resume. How do you balance so many different passions and manage to have a personal life on top of that?

Karrigan: Thank you! It’s a lot, I’ll be honest. I have always juggled a lot at once, it’s been that way my entire life. To some extent, I’m so used to it that now if I’m not doing a million things at once I feel like I’m not doing enough. Sometimes I can’t post as much because of how much I’m doing outside of my instagram business, and I’ve had no time to stream. I can’t really complain though because I’ve been so blessed with success, and I’m super proud of all I’ve accomplished. A lot of the times I’ll make a cosplay during my only free time with the hour I have between work and school. I also usually will spend an entire day off just taking a bunch of different pictures to post on my page over the next week. I’ve found doing this typically works and helps me keep up with my page.

AiPT!: You’re a massive Star Wars fan like myself. Talk to me about The Last Jedi. Did it meet your expectations? Exceed them? How many times have you seen it?

Karrigan: I’ve seen it twice. I have mixed feelings on TLJ. I really didn’t like it the first time I saw it, but I went back to the theater and saw it again and found that I liked it a lot more. It was disappointing, that’s for sure. I think a lot of the answers we wanted weren’t given to us. I’m hoping the next one will be better. I’m excited for Solo though!

AiPT!: A lot of your fans are hoping to see you put a Patreon page together. Is this something we can expect from you in the future?

Karrigan: I’ve tried patreon twice. Both times I just really didn’t like it. I found it hard to keep up with and it just wasn’t worth the trouble. I don’t think I will ever have a patreon page again.

AiPT!: What’re you most looking forward to this year?

Karrigan: I have a bunch of new cosplays coming up including Chun Li, Nidalee, Dva and I also am working on a Fortnite hero cosplay. My merch is coming out soon which is super exciting and I am going to be opening a print store as well! In terms of entertainment I am super excited for Deadpool 2, Infinity War, Solo and Tomb Raider. I’m also excited for the Mission Impossible coming out with Henry Cavill, I love him haha. I’m super excited to see what 2018 will have to offer the cosplay, movie, and gaming world!

Here’s where you can find Karrigan online:
Instagram
Facebook
Twitch
Donate/Tip
Official Website
Twitter
Tumblr

Do you have an irrational hatred of pants? Is the wait for season 3 of My Hero Academia slowly killing you on the inside? Do you find yourself unable to eat most foods without first slicing them up to consume from the inside out? Well then gather round my friends, because have we ever got the interview for you! But seriously as hilarious as Candylion.cos (Drew) is, she’s also an incredibly talented cosplayer and one of the rising stars within the cosplay community. Not only that but she’s a natural beauty, possesses a remarkably good method for dealing with internet trolls, sports a wonderful attitude towards her career and man is she ever passionate for the world of anime. I was fortunate enough to grab some of the lovely Drew’s time to discuss her passions and how she’s finding her way through the world of professional cosplay.

AiPT!: Tell us a little bit about where you’re from and how you like to spend your time when you aren’t cosplaying.

Drew: My name is Drew and I was born in Southern California where I’ve lived my entire life. I’m 18 years old and I’ve been out of high school since I was 16 and I’ve pretty much been making costumes balls to the walls since I was 13 [laughs]. When I’m not working on cosplay most of my free time is spent binging anime and playing video games.

I recently had a job for a breast lift company where I processed shipments and did some modeling. My boyfriend’s mom helped me get the job, she was my boss at the company and I started off with one day a week. They ended up liking me so much that they hired full-time and asked me to model for stock photos. They were like “Oh you have boobs! Why don’t you do some stock photos for us?” [laughs]

AiPT!: What was your first exposure to cosplay and how did that lead to you wanting to experience it for yourself?

Drew: That’s actually a pretty funny story. I had this friend in middle school who was super into anime and at the time over the summer I was getting really into it myself. So he invited me to an anime expo that a bunch of our mutual friends were attending and I was really excited. As we were talking about setting it up he randomly moved to Canada, so I figured he’d still fly back down and go with us since he was so invested in it. But sadly he didn’t. I was 13 at the time and I ended up going to dinner with a bunch of the kids who were going and their parents. During the meal I brought it up and no one knew that I was going [laughs] since he didn’t tell anyone.

Anyway we all ended up going together and I didn’t know much about cosplay at the time, but I had seen some pictures online and knew that I wanted to make a costume. I ended up making my costume the night before and I went as Tsubaki from Soul Eater. The outfit was all white and the second I got there I split cranberry juice all over myself [laughs]. There were so many great cosplayers there and seeing all the League of Legends cosplays is what really inspired me. It was more than Halloween dressing up to me, it was art.

AiPT!: Is cosplay and modeling a passionate hobby for you? Or is this something you’d like to make a career out of?

Drew: I’m actually trying to turn this into a career for myself right now. I’m in between jobs right now so I figure this is as good a time as any to make a career out of this. I love cosplay, I spend 80% of my time working on it and 100% of my time thinking about it. This wasn’t something I thought could ever be a career for myself until social media opened up a new world for me.

It’s funny because I used to hate having my picture taking. [laughs] If you see any picture of me prior to cosplay and I’ll be scowling into the camera. I did not want to be photographed.

AiPT!: I know that you have a Ko-Fi page set up, are you planning to set up a Patreon page to help with your career?

Drew: I am! I’m actually in the process of setting my page up right now and I hope to have it launched by the end of the month. It’s been a long process to put it together and I’ve had a lot of anxiety around it. It was one of those things where I could see other people doing it, I respect them for doing it and I totally get behind it. But then I picture myself doing it and I don’t feel that, I worry instead.

I never want to feel like I’m taking advantage of a community that’s given me so much. I understand that Patreon is service and goods in exchange for money, that makes perfect sense to me. But when I started cosplaying there was a lot of controversy around Patreon, GoFundMe and cosplayers asking people for money. I guess it got in my head that people would hate you if you asked for money. But I know that’s not the truth of it. People like to support artists, creators and the content and entertainment that they provide.

AiPT!: You’re only 18, you don’t have a Patreon set up yet and yet you’ve already closed in on nearly a hundred thousand Instagram followers, with no signs of slowing down. On top of that you’ve got an agent you’re working with from a marketing group. That’s kind of crazy. What’s that transformation process been like for you?

Drew: I think Geeksmash, the marketing agency, reached out to me when I was at around fifty thousands followers. They told me I had unreasonably high engagement and I shouldn’t be doing PR for companies for free. It was never a goal of mine to monetize something I loved. I started my Instagram account to try and get the cosplayers I looked up to, to notice me and it worked! [laughs] I never expected everything that came with it. The first time I had someone at a convention come up to me and recognize me it completely blew my mind. It wasn’t until that moment that the number under followers translated into something real.

AiPT!: You’ve mentioned how you’ve been recognized by fans at cons, received positive feedback, nice messages and Ko-Fi donations. But what about the unfortunate but inevitable reality of internet trolls, harassment and people who don’t have nice things to say? How do you deal with that?

Drew: Growing up I always had a general apathy for what people thought of me. I would go to school wearing a mustache because it was what I wanted to do and I didn’t care what anyone else thought about it. I think as you get older as a woman in this society you’re always told what not to do. But at the end of the day that only opinion that matters about yourself is your own. Unless those people are friends, family or paying your bills. I’ve had countless amount of people who don’t like the way I like or make costumes and it sucks. I’ll get messages and a lot of the time it’s someone saying something nice but sometimes it’s a person who’s only goal is to bring you down. But you have to remember that’s a reflection of them and not you, if they’re that unhappy with some aspect of their life that they feel the need to bring a stranger on the internet down.

AiPT!: Let’s move on to a very serious topic that I’ve been wanting to ask you about. Tell me about “Pants are an illusion and so is death”.

Drew: [laughs] That’s a quote from one of my favorite series of all time, Avatar: The Last Airbender. That show means the entire world to me. It’s so good! Plus I hate wearing pants with a burning passion.

AiPT!: What would you say your favorite anime is?

Drew: Oh sheesh. That’s a big question. It’s so hard to say because animation is such a diverse medium. There’s so many different genres. I would say for strictly nostalgia reasons Avatar is my favorite show. I love anime so much. I love a lot of shonen anime. There’s a list somewhere of my top 20. I even got into it kind of late, it wasn’t until I was 13 that I started watching. Once you get hooked though you binge it endlessly, which I still do [laughs].

AiPT!: Let’s move on to a topic I know we’re both passionate about. Talk to me about The Last Jedi. Did you love it? Hate it? Is Snoke gone for good? Don’t hold anything back.

Drew: I loved it. I thought it was amazing and I can dispute a lot of the reasons that people tend to dislike it. I think that Sci-Fi fans especially are very resistant to change [laughs]. You’d think that nerds would be more open to change, but no.

So yeah I thought it was a very interesting way to handle the middle film of a trilogy. They killed off the main villain in the second movie, which no one saw coming. I love that Kylo Ren is in charge of The First Order now and it’s opened so many doors that we weren’t even aware of before. I really liked the decision to kill of Snoke and overarching theme of the film to not let failure define you. Kylo Ren is such an interesting character, I love him. His immature and irrational decisions make me laugh, especially when people quote him “kill the past”. This probably isn’t the guy you should be taking life advice from.

AiPT!: What’s a weird quirk, habit or fact about you that most people aren’t aware of?

Drew: There’s a lot of things I can’t eat unless I cut them in half first. Sandwiches and burritos I just can’t eat it from the outside in, I have to eat it from the inside out. [laughs] One of my profile pictures on Facebook for a while was me doing that to a burrito. Everyone hated it. There’s a lot of other stuff, but I don’t want to tell the internet everything.

AiPT!: What’re you most looking forward to this year?

Drew: Oh god. That’s a big question. Season 3 of My Hero Academia and LCS worlds. NA gets closer every year, one day we’ll be able to play head-to-head with the Koreans.

Here’s where you can find Drew online:
Instagram
Ko-fi
Facebook
Email

Our first gallery of Enji-Night as Tomb Raider‘s main protagonist Lara Croft has nearly broken our website on more than one occasion due to how exemplary and downright enticing she fits the role. And wouldn’t you know it? Enji keeps dressing up as Lara not just because it’s one of her favorite cosplays to enact — but because she knows how much we appreciate it. To that we say, “Thank you, Enji.” And keep ’em coming.

I got a bunch of new Lara photos from @pugoffka_sama today, so you need to deal with a lot of Lara spam in the next few days #laracroft #laracroftcosplay #tombraider #tombraidercosplay #cosplay

A post shared by Enji Night (@enjinight) on Jan 11, 2018 at 12:54pm PST

Another Lara photo from @pugoffka_sama Costume and props made by me Photo by Pugoffka #laracroft #laracroftcosplay #tombraider #tombraidercosplay #cosplay

A post shared by Enji Night (@enjinight) on Jan 12, 2018 at 9:20am PST

Since it was raining 70% of the time during FotoCon, we tried to shoot in the rain with Pugoffka. We figured out really quickly, this is not the way how other people shoot those epic badass 'in the rain' pictures, but still we were able to snap some photos where I don't look like a wet stray dog. Costume made and worn by me photo by @pugoffka_sama #laracroft #laracroftcosplay #tombraider #tombraidercosplay #cosplay #rain #guns

A post shared by Enji Night (@enjinight) on Jan 14, 2018 at 9:22am PST

If there any martial art or sport you wanna start this year? I was thinking to start taekwondo and go to the shooting range more often So I can shoot more action pictures this year with my upcoming cosplays. – Photo by @pugoffka_sama Costume made by me #laracroft #laracroftcosplay #tombraider #tombraidercosplay #cosplay

A post shared by Enji Night (@enjinight) on Jan 16, 2018 at 1:50pm PST

If there any martial art or sport you wanna start this year? I was thinking to start taekwondo and go to the shooting range more often So I can shoot more action pictures this year with my upcoming cosplays. – Photo by @pugoffka_sama Costume made by me #laracroft #laracroftcosplay #tombraider #tombraidercosplay #cosplay

A post shared by Enji Night (@enjinight) on Jan 16, 2018 at 1:50pm PST

“Now do you understand? I’ve both beauty and ability!”

If you don’t know about Mai Shiranui, one of the most popular and uh, visually stimulating characters from the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters fighting game series, we feel bad for you, son. Because Mai Shiranui cosplay is some of our favorite cosplay going. After you see Zhou Yu Xi as Mai in the following gallery, we’re sure you’ll feel much the same way:

More: Check out Pion Kim’s Mai Shiranui cosplay.

“I know you want my help because I’m so good!”

Alex Cosplays channels the rebellious, tomboy nature of Final Fantasy VII‘s youngest party member: the shuriken-wielding Ninja/Thief from Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi:

Facebook: Tag Team Cosplays

Or: Browse more from our comic book/video game cosplay category.

“I had a dream… In the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule… But suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds and lit up the ground… The light turned into a figure holding a green and shining stone, followed by a fairy… I know this is a prophecy that someone would come from the forest… Yes, I thought you might be the one… Oh, I’m sorry! I got carried away with my story and didn’t even properly introduce myself! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule.”

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gifts Princess Zelda with some of her most intriguing and engaging characterization in the series’ long history yet and Russian cosplayer Nataliya/Odanga-datte represents that well in the following photoset:

DeviantArt: Odango-datte

Or: Browse more of our comic book/video game cosplay galleries.

If you’re a gamer then you know what Overwatch is. Heck, even if you aren’t a gamer you’ve probably heard of it. The game has surpassed over 30 million active players and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. But should you be one of the rare individuals who isn’t familiar, allow me to catch you up real quick: Overwatch is a multiplayer first person shooter video game with a strong emphasis on teamwork. The game features a wide array of unique characters which results in a lot of fun and wacky team combinations.

Fans of the game are crazy about it and with such a broad selection of heroes to play, everyone has a favorite. A lot of players love their favorite heroes so much they often decide to take it one step further and cosplay as them. Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to visit a gaming or comic convention and not see a multitude of Overwatch cosplayers. That’s where I come in. I’m a massive fan of both Overwatch and cosplay, thus I took it upon myself to dive into the bowels of Instagram and find some of the best Overwatch cosplayers out there.

I’ll be posting four Overwatch cosplay galleries, featuring each of the four types of heroes: Offense, defense, tank and support. Today’s feature: tank heroes!

Swap a mountain dew for a milkshake and Cruiser D.Va is a happy girl Daddy-O.

I didn’t know I wanted a Sylvanas skin for D.Va until now. The Banshee Queen in a mech? Yes please!

The cute onion toy everyone loves to blow-up in the starting area and the cutest little D.Va I ever did see.

For your safety, please move behind the barrier.

I made sure I got a picture that included another person in it so you could see just how big this guy is.

Overwatch skinned Reinhardt makes this look good.

Have you ever wondered why there’s a giant suit of rusted armor in Eichenwalde? So did this guy.

You may find this hard to believe, but sometimes Roadhog likes to take a load off.

Squeal for me.

So much drama goin’ on in the LBC, it’s kinda hard bein Road H-O single G.

This Winston cosplay is ridiculously good. I’m happy to see this Tracer is being dived. Well…sorta.

Bubble me and I’m yours.

Hire me and my snowblower. You won’t be disappointed.

Do you even lift bro?