I often get questions about what started my interest in cosplay. Well, it's all began when I really wanted to make Dilandau cosplay. In fact, Seth Nightlord (Trinity Blood) made in 2006 was my the very first cosplay.

Everything's started with desire to materialise Dilandau's image.

I remember that two elements were causing most of my beginner's panic - the armour and the collar. That was my first experience in making truly complicated armor. Now I would make it differently and much faster, but I doubt it would be of the same quality. Of course I was helped by my friends; the shoes were customized, and I bought the sword and slightly customized it as well. Nonetheless, this costume was my first serious achievment in my hobby. Some years intervened but I'm still feeling joy whenever I'm seeing these photos by Emily.
And I still love Dilandau and "The Vision of Escaflowne".

By the way, our cosplay-group was named "Imperia" (Empire - Latin) exactly because we are fans of Zaibach Empire from The Vision of Escaflowne and True Human (New Human) Empire from Trinity Blood)))

I couldn't resist and try to make a Warhammer 40 000 cosplay photosession slide-show. First try, a little bit awry, I admit. But I was aiming on some roughness, uneven rhythm in editing. It turned out a little strange but it's still something. I hope there is possiblr to see the story in thos slide-show, what we wanted  materialize and tell the viewers.
Again, many thanks to all who participated, especcialy the photographer - Irina manage to create a positive miracle. And I hope I didn't mess with this miracle too much.

video=> [link]

I so want that spring would finally come. Here (and it seems, not only here) it's late. I made a costume last year, and now really want a plein-air photosession. Alright, I'll say what the costume it is. It's Ursa from AtLA. I think I can do it. All I need now is that snow stop falling and, finally, melt. And suddenly, I make another two cosplays, and I hope they will be successful as well. What confuses me is that all my current costumes are either black or red; they are bright but it's sort of tiring. And I miss Sengoku Basara, though I think I have an idea how to help this.

It's pity that I have no good video with my Warhammer 40 000 defile from Animatrix-2012. This year I had no opportunity to go to Animatrix-2013; instead I went to Sibcon - a large Siberian LARP and D&D convent as a constume contest jury. This convent isn't famous for its show part but this year there were several splendid performances in the show part. Organizers invited us (me and M.Keller) to show our Warhammer 40 000 cosplay. To say honestly, we had no time for any rehearsal, so it was pure improvisation. But I was very glad to have a chance to be on the scene (remember, here in Siberia we have lots of snow and none of good anime convents), and am very greatful to Michail for this video that now I can offer to you.

WATCH HERE => [link]

Our cosplay-group Imperia and our friends along with us recieved another, ninth, DD! Many thanks to and ! I was very glad to drop this bomb to Irina Zlobina (photographer) and all those people that participated in this photosession. This set happened in spite of many things, and I'm especially pleased that our work was noticed and acknowledged. Thank you all for the congratulations and I'm sorry that I can't answer each individually

New Year, New DailyDev!


And here is more news. Usually I go to Moscow each January to participate in Animatrix convent. This year I was invited to the Jury as one of last year winners but alas, I have to stay home for a range of reasons. Instead it seems I'm going to be on the jury panel at Sibcon, a major LARP convent that has taken place in Siberia for more than 20 years. Though, I really want to visit my friends from Moscow and I hope I'll have more opportunities to go there in this year.

This year comes to its end, and I wish you all Merry Chrystmas and Happy New Year and that your dreams will come true. This was hard year for me but I and my friends had managed to accomplish a project that was very important for me. I'm talking about Warhammer 40 000 photosession in which so many people participated. And with joy I recall this year winnings (Animatrix (Moskow) -  Hide-out and Imperia got prizes for best performance costumes & best presentation and Jury prize for my Inquisitor cosplay, photo-contests in Ufa and Ekanerinburg), COSTOP (chinese cosplay-magazine) publicution and DailyDeviation. I would like to thank all people who helped me, encoraged me with feedback, and of course, the especcial thanks to my friends and photographers. See you in next year!

Backstage. Yes, he like it.
INQUISITION FTW!


There are several photosession we had recently; it's all was rather sudden but this autumn is very eventful! All these photosession are very different but evry one of them is remarkable. The most important achievement so far is that we managed to organize a Warhammer 40 000 photosession. I was beginning to think it was cursed, so many obstacles we had to overcome. The idea appeared three years ago. Since then this photosession was postponed at least trice; the places had been reversed, the team had changed due to different circumstances (work, studies, family reasons). The shooting happened this weekend, but I had my doubt it would happen during  Saturday and Sunday morning. Of course, some inaccuracies happened, and my costume was assembled incorrectly, I know, my fault. But when a dream comes true, it's incredible. And I hope my friends had as much fun as me, and we will gather together next year for another WH40 photosession.
Great big thank-you to people that agreed for this adventure, especcially Irina Zlobina (photographer), my dear Panda (M. Keller), Irenne B., Joker and Alexey Rogalev.

I hope that soon I'll be able to show some photos of new Trinity Blood cosplay (rather simple) and little else. It will be a surprise. Nothing complicated but I really wanted to make it.

I'm very glad and proud that Imperia now has two more prizes - for first places in the photo-contests at Asia-Breeze (Ekaterinburg) and Animau (Ufa) cosplay-fests.
Trinity Blood. Jane Judith Jocelyn – Calamity Jane. Special prizes of the jury and the sponsor (Asia-Breeze).
Many thanks to Oleg Kugaev and all helpers.


Trinity Blood. Gyula Kádár. Best photo (Animau)

Of course, the credit is doe to in this nomination, she's awesome. Yes, this photosession isn't really new but I like it very much anyway. I feel sad to part with this costume but I really hope that the new owner will like it as much as I.
And I'm very glad to present our new photosession – Maria and Gyula Kádár. made an excellent Maria, I like it very much! Photo by Julia Anokhina => [link]

Anf I keep forgeting that I have an account at Worldcosplay =>[link], though I very rarely update it, because, well, I keep forgetting about it. But still, feel free to friend it.

As for the rest, well, life goes on. I've got new job that I like very much and I give to it a lot of my time, so there is less of free time I can spend in making new cosplays. I still cosplay, though; there are two new costume I've almost finished, not really difficult but I'm pleased with them. I hope you'll like them too.

Photos from my favourite Takenaka Hanbei from Sengoku Basara session were featured in chinese cosplay magasine COSTOP (#017). Many thanks to for photos, and of course, to Rita and for help.
My Takenaka Hanbei cosplay was featured in Cosmode 36 in 2010, but this time it's whole page spread! It's so lovely!
Also, congratulations to and with featuring in COSTOP)))

It's incredibly when your cosplay turnes out in art. I mean when an artist, inspired by the photo, draws awesome art. I'm not going to lie, often happens that we see an awesome idea in some asrt and use for it cosplay. But when an artist is inspired by our cosplay, it's just as filfulling. Many thanks to   for these wonderful watercolors!

fanworks by

This is my second costume of Jane Judith Jocelyn from Trinity Blood (manga). The first one was made last year for because Jane was just asking to be paired with Ester in civil dress.

...
This costume was made for (after our short but wonderful meeting at Animatrix where our cosplay groups (Hide-out&Imperia) got top places in Best Performance Costumes and Best Presentation category). I hope we will meet again in future.
In general, the idea to make this costume wasn't mine, I was asked to do this. Several times. And I couldn't refuse those wonderful people. And costume itself is pretty interesting for me; there was not that much of sewing but the accessories... I'd never done them, I'm an armour specialist, so it was very interesting for me to work on such tiny details.
I'm very grateful to Oleg and Olya for photosession, I managed to find fantastic location, and we all worked well together, I think. I like the result very much.
And now I want to go to Moscow, to   and my dear Hide-out cosplay group. I don't know if I could this year but I hope I'll be lucky.

Of course this tutorial should be made several years ago, but it's done when it's done. Many thanks to   for drawings and for the collage. Aegis is that thing often called "Seth's armour". I hope now its construction is more clear.


And by the way, I plan to make another tutorial on comlicated hats, hope somebody will find it useful.

Life currently sucks (like it always does, duh) but there are a nice surprises happen that help to cheer up. Imperia once again got DD, eighth one. It's fourth for me and fifth for our photographer . And the second for Takenaka Hanbei from Sengoku Basara cosplay. Many thanks for suggesting to , it was very sudden and because of that really nice.
And thank for featuring to
I'm very critical to myself and my cosplays. And things such as DD help not only me to raise my self-esteem a little but also just be happy that people like what we do. Thank you all for the comments and favs, it's really important for me. I hope we'll continue to make things that are interested not only to us but to other people as well.




Imperia&DD

There is a magazine in Russia, Страна Игр (Game Land), dedicated to, well, games. Last year it's introduced new column, and I'm very glad to say that every issue has photos of "Imperia" cosplay-group)))
All photos by
November, Warhammer 40 000 and Sengoku Basara

December, Sengoku Basara
(another pic from this set => [link]
January, Sengoku Basara

February, Sengoku Basara

Hide-out and Imperia got prizes for best performance costumes and best presentation. Here is our performance! => [link]

...at night on the eve of her coronation, Esther crams her speech up and can't remember it. She searchs a cheat sheet but it's lost somewhere. Virgil suggests to reconstruct how it could be lost and who could steal or destroy it. Dawn is coming, Esther comes to a conclusion that she sould speak with all her heart and not with a cheat sheet.

as Esther, as Virgil, as Abel, as Mary ,  Aen-Seidhe as Vanessa and me as Jane.

I've survived Animatrix. Exactly like that - survived. All photo I've seen so far, I look so terrible on them; but it's hard to look fresh and beautiful when you hadn't have a decent sleep for three week and suffer from a fever. But there was also a success, Hide-out and Imperia got prizes for best performance costumes and best presentation! We appeared on stage with Trinity Blood sketch. And I got Jury prize for Inquisitor (Warhammer 40 000) costume (that costume actually caused those three week of sleep dept) even though it wasn't a competition contest.
I don't remember the Animatrix well, I was barely standing those several hours. But I sincerely want to thank the organizers, jury, and viewers for a warm welcome. And I have no words to convey all my love to   and
Thank you all for inviting me. Though I'm still afraid I spoiled everything.
I hope there will be at least one photo of me in Jane costume, where I look good. On the other hand, soon I'll be posting photos of my new Warhammer 40 000 cosplay. Though there are many faults in this costume, but they're at least repairable when it'll come to the photosession. That means, this spring. I honestly don't know how I managed to survive these three weeks, and how I wasn't murdered by my friends who helped me with this costume.

...such entry regularly appears in my journal around this time of year. Next week I'm going to Moscow at Animatrix. Alas, I live too far from our two capitals and have no means to go to Moscow's and St.Petersburg's convents as oftenas I would like. And level of local Siberian convents is too low for me, unfortunately. I take two costumes to the convent: Jane Judith Jocelyn from Trinity Blood for joint performance with Hide-out - and -  and Inquisitor Ordo Hereticus (Witch Hunter) (yes, this is ny new Warhammer 40 000 cosplay), and it will happen next week. I miss my friends very much; I visit them one or tow times in a year (alas, our counstry is so large, and plane tickets so expensive. A fly from Novosibirsk, where I live, to Moscow costs more than a fly from Moscow to Berlin, for example). I miss the scene. I hope, this time everything will be ok, and I'll arrive to Moscow without any incidents. Last year there was a terrorist attack in the airport in Moscow that day I arrived. In other years there were snowstorms in Novosibirsk and Moscow. I really want that nothing goes wrong.

Calamity Jane)))

I'm still working on detailed list of all photo-sessions made in this year. In the meantime, a short version.
Alas, I didn't get a chance to make cosplay of Lust from FMA, just the wig-test. Considering the feedback *nasty smile*, I don't need to make the cosplay itself. As for unexpected cosplays, that was Jane from Trinity Blood. Also, this year has turned out to be a year of Sengoku Basara's Takenaka Hanbei fem-versions. When all costumes are done but desire to cosplay is still here, than why not? Again, no need to use bindings!))) The most unexpected cosplay in this year was in August, it's dead Hanbei (it was done before the second seaso release; this episode blown my mind when I was reading SB2 manga). It are just four photos but those are enough, they worth it. Not only because we got DD for them, as well as for Lachryma (Warhammer 40 000) cosplay that was approved by the artist who created this character - John Blanche himself. And of course, Olivier (FMA) and Nohime (Sengoku Musou/Samurai Warriors) cosplays. And Yennefer (Witcher), and Gyula Kádár (Trinity Blood)...

There was done so much this year. I don't know about the next year yet, but chances are that there are going to be less cosplays and photosessions. We'll see.

I haven't written anything here for quite a while, time to mend my ways. I'll sum the year up for the entire Imperia later. Meanwhile here's what I've done this year, not including fem versions, Takenaka Hanbei's (Sengoku Basara) originals and one more set for the marquis.
I told you how lucky our cosplay group is with its photographer ? I don't mind saying it again! We did several sets this autumn, and I can't even choose which I like best. And now it's winter, and last week was our last shoot this year. Hanbei's armor. Two years I've been longing to make it, two years, and a good thing is I've waited to tackle it. This time gave me the opportunity not only to improve my cosplay armor making skills, but also to study Japanese armor of the Sengoku period. I hope it all has resulted in not the worst cosplay of this version of the armor. My hands hate me [and still hurt], my sewing machine is afraid of me, my other tools are just cowering in the corners. But my illusion is still with me. I'm dying to see new photos)))
And who's the fool here? I am. I'm starting a new cosplay. I've wanted it for a couple of years, but in an abstract way. Yes, it's Warhammer 40 000. I'm not saying anything specific, we'll see
how it turns out. I hope to bring it to my favorite festival, Animatrix, which will be held in Moscow on the last weeekend of January. May it come sooner, I'm terribly missing my friends, whom I can meet only there [that's the trouble of living in a vast country with steep airplane ticket prices].
New plans for cosplay? Yes, I've got them. Yes, I realize that, perhaps, I'm too old for it, but I still want to, so there, bear with me.

The greatest joy, perhaps, is to rejoice in one's friends' success. This is the 6th Daily Deviation for our cosplay group Imperia. Today our amazing photographer has received DD for this picture (and yeah, that's me in the photo).

I'm just running out of words here, 'cause I like this picture to bits, I honestly think it's a terrific work, and our photographer is awesome, and it's definitely not the last DD))))
Many thanks to and for the featuring!

ИИИИИ!!!!))))) Дорогой фотограф, ура!