Everyone, meet League of Larcy Cosplay and holy crap do I adore her immensely already. Literally we've been chatting to each other for maybe a week or two after finding each other through my cosplay page. I instantly gravitated to her on similar interests (as cosplay does with everyone) along with enjoying her personality and company! As you can guess by her page name, Larcy is huge into League of Legends and has done several cosplays from the hit MOBA game. All of which geared around the Pool Party theme of skins (though she is planning other characters/skins)! Larcy is based in the East Coast and as always been a dreamer as she puts it. Growing up watching Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z introduced her to the type of culture that geeks make up. Along with being a huge Zelda and Pokemon nut, she's confident that she can out-geek her family in everything related to her interests.
Of course, the love Larcy has for these things is mutually accepted and borrowed within her family. You'll see in the interview how her Mom will read the books she does, and her sister is into the same shows as well. Larcy's been cosplaying for almost 10 years which is also the same amount of time she's been traveling to conventions. She first cosplayed as a gender-bend of Prince of Persia at Dragon*Con in 2009. Though many misinterpreted her as an Assassin from Assassin's Creed, that didn't stop her from having an absolute blast. It's definitely something to have Dragon*Con be your first big con!
In the questions that'll soon follow, you'll learn a lot of details that Larcy goes into answering them. A quick bio on why Lulu is her favorite League character, along with a glimpse into her former World of Warcraft days (which lead to the cosplay name), her IRL job, and a whole lot more. Though you might not think of it with the pictures I have to share for this post, Larcy has done many more cosplays. Prince of Persia is one as I've mentioned above, along with a few characters from the anime Fairy Tail. Judy Hopps from Zootopia is another big favorite of hers as well! Having just started up her cosplay page on Facebook, Larcy talks about what it's like owning one too!
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What got you into cosplay and how long have you
been doing it?
I have always been a dreamer. I play a lot of games and read a lot of books,
and some days I just wanted to leave my own body and become those characters I
cherish, have some adventures and make some memories. The first time I ever
cosplayed was back in 2009, when I went to my first big convention,
Dragon*Con. I had tried out the
convention life in 2008 when I went to Nekocon and had planned on dressing up,
but never did. I admired everyone’s
costumes and their confidence and wanted that for myself. So, I decided to try
it.
Which cosplay was the first you ever created?
The first cosplay I ever created was Prince of Persia. I modeled it after the movie
costume, which was pretty basic: a gray cloak with red and black scarves. I
made a gauntlet and also bought the Time Dagger, which was sooooooo cool at the
time to me. I had been binge playing all the games, and the movie had just come
out. I was a woman obsessed! I was sad however, because everyone thought I was
a modified assassin from Assassin’s Creed.
But I went on and dug it out of the closet for a Boston Comic Con back
in 2012 (I believe!)
Thinking back to the last convention you were at,
did you enjoy it?
The last convention I was at was Boston Comic Con, and while it was a shorter
trip (just one day), I definitely had a good time. I got to reconnect with Ivy
Doomkitty, whom I very much adore. She is a wonderful person, and I love how
she promotes positive body image and confidence. I usually wander around with
just my love, but this time I had a small group of League of Legends cosplayers
with me. I went as Pool Party Miss Fortune, which is a costume I put together
rather quickly but enjoyed immensely when it came to running around and being
in comfortable attire. Plus, the red hair was so much fun! I was disappointed
however, because I like to use BCC to meet some of my favorite comic artists
but this year there were less of them, including Babs Tarr, who does the new
Batgirl! I love her art and usually have something for her to sign, but not
this time.
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| Photo by Anthony Terrano |
What cosplay(s) did you bring to this convention?
Oh oops, I think I answered that one in my long winded spiel! Pool Party Miss
Fortune, because running around in a bathing suit is never overrated!
What is your
favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
So far my favorite cosplay is my Pool Party Lulu. Lulu is a character from
League of Legends who is very unique. As a child she was spirited away by fairies
from her village (because she had few friends and they were so kind), and she
re-emerges into society as a crazed fairy girl (in a nut shell!) She is funny
to say the least. While her game play is limited to certain dances, motions and
sayings, I still find lots of interpretations of her elsewhere that are just as
fun! I find that I connect with her personality, as I love to laugh, love being
weird and definitely enjoy all her strange mannerisms. As for the actual
cosplay itself, I love the vibrant colors, the fun outfit, props and the pool
party theme. I have actually made two interpretations of her shell wand, the
first of which was shattered after seeing it’s 3rd convention! My second one
has been downsized and is much easier to carry around. The first one happened
to be a large, heavy staff, so I am happy with my second, smaller version. I
also just created her minion, which is this really cute puffer fish that will
be hanging off my wand and following me around! Can I also add, that a close
second would be my Judy Hopps cosplay? I loved being a bunny cop, and my loving
man even dressed up as Nick Wilde to compliment me!
What got you into being a geek?
I have always been a geek! I have been an avid
reader since elementary school, and ever since the Nintendo, have been playing
video games on all interfaces (Console and PC alike). I think my most favorite
game growing up was Ocarina of Time, which was exclusive to the N64 when it
first came out. I also watched a lot of anime shows, including Sailor Moon and
Dragonball Z (and some Thundercats too…). I got to choose every day which show
I would watch with my 30 minutes of TV time, so sometimes it was hard to pick,
and other days I would sneak in both. As to reading, I think this summer alone
I have literally consumed about 20-25 books.
Do you have any other members of your family who
are into what you enjoy? Or are you at present the only “geek” in the family?
I can’t wholly say that I am the only geek in the family. However, I am a
combination of what everyone likes plus my own interests. My mom likes to read
everything that I read, and vice versa. My sister likes some of the games that
I play and some of the shows that I watch. But otherwise, I am my own geek. And
I definitely “out-geek” my whole family, but I am not ashamed. My mom likes to
refer to my hobbies as “cute.”
You seem to primarily focus on (at the moment)
League of Legends characters, which by extension is in gaming. Have you done
video game cosplays mainly up to the point where you’re at now?
Actually, less than half of the cosplays I have
done up to now are League of Legends! I admit, a lot of upcoming ones are LOL
based, but there are several outside that game as well. My first cosplay, as
mentioned before, was Prince of Persia. I have also done the Green Goblin, the
girl Pokemon trainer Dawn from Black/White 2, Levy McGarden from Fairy Tail,
Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail, Wendy Marvel from Fairy Tail (Okay you got me,
I LOVE FAIRY TAIL!), and one of my personal favorites, Judy Hopps from Zootopia!
So, for future cosplays, yes there are more LOL plans, but with a healthy mix
of my favorite TV shows.
So far, your League cosplays consist of their
Pool Party skins. From Lulu to Miss Fortune, is that theme of skins your
favorite?
It is one of my favorite themes for sure, but I think my all time favorite
theme is Arcade! I have not done any Arcade themed cosplays, but I may attempt
one in the future. However, I find Pool Party to be extremely fun and also
convention friendly (since the crowds in most conventions make most venues very
warm). They are also easier to maneuver in (minus the pool ring, but I like to
think of that as a buffer against people when they bump into me! They kind of
bounce off me and roll away, which I find amusing...)
You seem to have just started up your own cosplay
page as well as filling an album of upcoming characters that you wish to
cosplay. What’s it like operating/running a Facebook page despite the many
algorithm changes they’ve made?
Operating my Facebook page is rather easy. It’s not especially popular at the
moment, and I have very few followers there, but I use it as a reference to
people or a way to share my creations with the public. My personal Facebook is
private so anything I post there is strictly friends-only. The page is
basically just bragging rights, at the most basic of terms. Unfortunately, it’s
harder to promote my page than it is my Instagram, but my cosplay page has ALL
my photos that Instagram does not. I also use my page to keep my cosplay name
and my real name separate. While I love taking credit for what I do, I try not
to give out my true identity to everyone. It’s almost like being a superhero,
haha!
Out of all your upcoming cosplays, which one are
you looking forward to make the most?
Oh THAT’S EASY. Peridot. From Steven’s Universe. Because you are all CLODS. ALL
OF YOU. I WILL SQUASH YOU ALL BENEATH MY GRAVITY CONNECTORS!
What do you think about cosplay as it is now
hitting the mainstream?
I think cosplay is a great way to make a statement about yourself and who you
are, while in the same breath stepping into someone else’s shoes. What better
way to discover who you are than by trying on someone else’s shoes? Or showing
tribute for the things that you love? I think it is an incredibly positive community
in an incredibly negative world. Cosplay is something good that the whole world
needs. It brings people together, creates happiness and promotes positive self
image. What better way to bring people together than to nerd-out together? I
love it!
Do you have any upcoming cosplays for this year
that you’re able to share?
Well in a few weeks I will be attending Another Anime Convention in Manchester,
New Hampshire. I will be returning as Pool Party Lulu, but I will also be
trying TWO new cosplays. The first being Dynasty Ahri from LOL, and the other,
well that’s top secret and you will just have to wait and see! Dynasty Ahri
intrigued me because it is a completely different style than I am used to. The
cosplay is a small, kimono-like outfit with tall socks and an updo I am afraid
I will struggle with when it comes time to style my wig! I will have one tail,
(instead of the NINE that Ahri usually has) more for comfort than anything,
since nine would be very heavy and hard to maneuver through crowds. I am very
excited to try her out!
Do you imagine cosplaying being a part of your
life within the next 5 years and do you hope to evolve your skill set?
Oh this is a definite YES shouted from the rooftops. I LOVE cosplaying! It has
improved my self-confidence significantly! And it makes me so happy to dress up
as my favorite characters and to pretend to be them. It’s just so fun! I can
only get better from here on out. I would definitely like to improve upon my
sewing and prop making. Every costume brings forth a new challenge, whether it
is creating an article of clothing from scratch or trying to put together a
prop. I am also all for recycling cosplays, so I love when I can pull articles
from one cosplay and use it in another! For example, I play on re-using my green
goblin leotard in my future Peridot cosplay! I don’t think I will ever try
Green Goblin again, since everyone thought I was Dr. Doom. Spiderman is my
favorite hero so I was bummed that no one associated me with him. And I just
had this huge realization: I think I have a thing for leotards.
What’s a day in the life of Larcy? Where did your
page name come from?
A day in the life of Larcy can be either very exciting or very… not. My 9-5 so
to speak is working in a laboratory as a MAD SCIENTIST. MWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHA!
I work long shifts, so I definitely feel a little madness at the end of the
day. But when I am home, I am your typical person who gets up, works out,
drinks 999 cups of coffee and then indulges several different hobbies of
gaming, reading, creating stuff and playing in the outdoors.
As for my name, that is a short-long story. I am a previous World of Warcraft
player, and one of my best, most cherished friends, had a character he played
called Larcynis. It was a random name that was generated and the character was
a much-loved priest who was later renamed Ado. When he cast off the name of
Larcynis I took up the mantle on a death knight, who later became one of the
most formidable death knights on the server. Larcy was the nickname given since
no one knew actually how to say the name (“larce-in-iss” like arsonist…!).
Larcy was not my main character in that game however, so my nickname didn’t
stick until later. I was formerly known as the shadow priest Harmonia, or Harm,
deemed by most. Larcy came later when I started using the name as my main name
in League of Legends, Guild Wars and a few other lesser games. But I wear the name with pride, as it was
taken up with love and honor.
Any upcoming game releases you’re looking forward
to?
I have a few games reserved that I am awaiting with much anticipation,
including Pokemon Sun and Moon AND The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I
am a MAJOR Legend of Zelda geek, and I own all the games, several different
versions/copies of some, an actual Ocarina of Time and several books. And I
have been teasing the idea of a Steampunk female Link. But only teasing. And I
may have some patterns. Maybe… Otherwise, I have been out of the loop on
upcoming games other than the pleasant surprises my friends drop on me every
now and then. Oh, and I definitely own almost all the Pokemon games (all the
non-dungeon ones), minus maybe one because I lost it years ago.
Do you have a favorite convention?
I am not sure if I have a favorite convention since all of them are very
enjoyable and fun-filled! I have only been to one far away convention, so most
that I attend are local to the New England area. But I guess if I had to choose
I would say it’s a tie between Portcon and Anime Boston! Portcon is the local
convention we have up here every year in June and it’s full of friends and
people I know, so it’s exciting to see people closer to me performing and
enjoying themselves. Anime Boston was just a fun venue (I absolutely HATE
Boston but I was happy to attend this one) full of people who love (and know!)
all the animes that I love watching. Plus, there was sooooo much anime stuff
that I thought my eyes would fall out from staring at all of it. And there were
so many cool artists! They had a huge artist’s hall on it’s own floor that was
just as big as the vendors area. I love meeting all the artists and seeing how
they create their ideas into something solid and beautiful. It’s just amazing!
Favorite
part of the female body?
I get the feeling you are trying to make me the butt of a joke here…….
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I can't thank Larcy enough for doing this interview with me. I really hope you guys enjoyed it and I would recommend you check out her page in a heart beat. She has so many future cosplays planned and I can't wait to see them! Some will get featured for sure :). Check out the links below!
https://www.facebook.com/leagueoflarcy/
https://www.instagram.com/leagueoflarcy/
