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| Photo by Boyfriend Cosplay and Photography |
One person I met at this past Katsucon who was a definite highlight for me was Azumii! I found her through the surprising reveal that she's been following my blog and what I do for awhile. That alone made me incredibly happy and want to show off her work for you guys. With a feature having been done awhile ago, I was beyond happy she agreed to do an interview with me <3. Azumii is based up in the Northeast area which makes cons over there easy for her to travel to. Though she's been to other out of state conventions such as ColossalCon held in the summer! If you were to look at her portfolio of cosplays, you'd be right to assume that Azumii really loves gaming. Having been born up on it from using her Dad's PC playing Unreal Tournament, she really gets enjoyment from playing them. Games like the Witcher 3, to even MMO's like WoW and Guild Wars (both of which she's been playing for 12 years!).
Surprisingly to me, Azumii has been cosplaying for a long time and creating her cosplays for close to that same time frame. Other tidbits you'll learn about Azumii include her namesake, the cosplays she brought to Katsucon and what she's planning next! Her views on cosplay breaking into mainstream media and how Patreon is working out for her! I also made sure to include a good variety of pictures to share in the mix of the answers I'll be pasting in down below!
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| Photo by Wander Cos Photography |
Other tidbits you'll find in this interview include a day in the life, nerdy things she enjoys on top of gaming and anime, insight into how she made her Burlesque Vulpix, and much more! Azumii was without a doubt a total sweetheart and I can only imagine having a badass friendship with her :D. Really hope you all enjoy the interview!
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What got you into cosplay and how long
have you been doing it?
I've
been cosplaying for almost a decade and making my own costumes for about four
years. I got into it after attending my first local anime convention and saw a
few people cosplaying, and wanted to try it for myself.
Which cosplay was the first you ever
created?
Popstar
Ahri was the first costume I had ever made all on my own!
Thinking back to the last convention
you were at, did you enjoy it?
My
last convention was Katsucon 2017, and I had an absolutely amazing time.
What cosplay(s) did you bring to this
convention?
Ciri
from The Witcher series, my original Burlesque Vulpix design, Phil in the
Rugrats group, and casual Tracer with an Emily!
What is your favorite cosplay you’ve
made so far?
Probably
Ciri!
What got you into being a geek?
I've
been playing video games and watching anime on 4kids since I was really little.
Some of my earliest memories of geekdom are playing Unreal Tournament 2003 on
my dad's PC and collecting YuGiOh cards! I've also been a World of Warcraft and
Guild Wars player for 12 years.
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| Photo by Jason Freeman Photography |
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?
My
dad! He's the one who got me into video games, and I'm the one who got him into
cosplay photography. My sister is also into gaming!
Do you have a favorite media to cosplay
from? For example you’ve done several video game cosplays, are those more
enjoyable to do?
I
really enjoy video game cosplays! I tend to connect more with video game
characters since I'm actually playing or interacting with them. I have a few
cosplays planned that are from both games and anime, though!
After seeing your sweetness first hand
thanks to Danielle, I started looking into your cosplays and one that stood out
was your Ciri from the Witcher 3! You even wore her at Katsucon this year. What
was it like creating her/any difficulties? And why did you choose her?
I've
loved Ciri as a character through playing The Witcher games and reading the
books. I love her character and her attitude; I even have her rose tattoo. I
also love her character design, because I absolutely love the look of leather
apparel. I think the most time-consuming part was making her pants, from
drafting the pattern to sewing the pockets to putting in each of the grommets.
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| Photo by Sateriale Productions |
Another cosplay you debuted at Katsucon
was a crazy cute Vulpix gijinka! What was it like creating her? The wig was
incredible! :D
Burlesque
costume design is my true passion! After I created my Eevee burlesque design
for Otakon of 2015 I have really loved doing burlesque Pokemon designs. I did a
burlesque Eeveelution group at Katsucon 2016, and was really excited to do more
burlesque Pokemon designs. Vulpix is my favorite Pokemon, so it was only
natural I gave her the burlesque treatment next. I drew up the design myself
and then sewed some new parts from her, like the tails and the corset. I also
re-used some parts from my Eevee, like the gloves and underwear. I also re-used
my Ahri tail harness to save money on the design.
The
wig was styled by rolling strands of hair around some rolled-up paper, then
pinning it in place and using hair spray to keep the shape. I made the ears out
of worbla and fabric and then sewed them into the curls of the wig!
Your own personal website is fitted out
with a blog which you occasionally write on. Is that an enjoyable aspect of
cosplay for you to do?
I
enjoy it! With school I don't have nearly enough time to keep up with it as
much as I'd like, but I try to update it whenever I have something to write
about! I plan to do some write-ups on Vulpix and Ciri soon!
In addition, you also have been working
hard on your Patreon offering Boudoir content among other awesome exclusive
stuff. How has it been overall since you started one up?
The
start of Patreon for me was very slow, my Patreon only really took off in the 4
or 5 months. But all my fans on there are super sweet and excited to see new
content and it makes me really happy! As of right now, I only make enough to
cover some of the cost of materials for new costumes, but I am so thankful to
have people who think my work is good enough to support monetarily!
What do you think about cosplay as it
is now hitting the mainstream?
I
think it's great! I love seeing new people get into the community so long as
they're respectful!
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| Photo by CosLife |
Do you have any upcoming cosplays for
this year that you’re able to share?
I
plan to debut my finished Tracer and Blue Eyes White Dragon Ballgown at PAX East!
I also have Beatrice from the Umineko visual novel and Seto Kaiba from YuGiOh
for sure planned for the summer! Lots more plans, but I can't spoil them all!
Do you imagine cosplaying being a part
of your life within the next 5 years and do you hope to evolve your skill set?
I
really hope so! I still have so much to learn about cosplay techniques, and
from going to fashion school my sewing skills have evolved so much I really
want to show off all the new techniques I've picked up!
What’s a day in the life of Azumii?
Wake
up, go to class, do marketing, homework, cosplay work, then go to bed!
Sometimes I even remember to eat!
Where did the name Azumii come from?
When
I was in 5th grade a classmate asked to play with me and what my name was. I
told her my name, and she said "You don't look like a Meagan, you look
like an Azumii." And I'm not sure how popular that little girl was but I
guess really popular because the next day everyone was calling me Azumii. So
the name just stuck!
Any upcoming game releases you’re
looking forward to?
Pyre,
from SuperGiant Games! I played the demo at PAX East 2016 and have been dying
to play it ever since.
Do you have a favorite convention?
ColossalCon
is my favorite anime con and Katsucon is my favorite con for photos. But PAX
East is probably my favorite con of all time!
Is there a dream location where you’d
love to do a photo-shoot of a cosplay of yours? Do you even have an outfit
picked out for said location?
The University of
Coimbra General Library, actually! I think it's absolutely beautiful. I know
I'd wear a ballgown, but I'm not sure if it would be a cosplay or a fashion
design!
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| Photo by Boyfriend Cosplay and Photography |
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I can't thank Azumii enough for not only doing this Interview with me, but for supporting me and showing me so much kindness! I highly recommend you check her out on the following pages below! You will not be disappointed I promise. Also she has a REALLY CUTE VOICE <3. Thanks for reading guys!
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AzumiiCosplay
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/InappropriCat
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/azumiicosplay/
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/Azumii
