Cosplay Feature: Zoe Volf's Karlach
I recently came across Zoe Volf's work and wanted to pick something of hers that really stood out to me for today. There's many of the classic characters she's covered in both traditional cosplay alongside spicy versions. Characters like Cammy, Chun-Li, Princess Peach, Mad Moxxi among a whole slew of others you probably know and love. Her Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3 was really something else though. Especially when at first glance I was wondering if she actually did fully spray paint herself red and one of the photos I have pretty much confirmed exactly that 0-0. The fan-favorite Avernus born demon really has a battle ready design for her, falling in line what I feel is the Berserker class in D&D settings. To start, Zoe has this super styled up wig that has the perfect combination of red and black. Reminds me of my own efforts to add in red hair to a wig for a Shadow The Hedgehog cosplay I did years ago! The wig is styled with one part flat and another side all floofed up (if that's even the right term for it!) and you can see different horns embedded into her head!
Belts and buckles are strapped up and criss cross with each other when it comes to Zoe's chest piece. The photo on the right gives off a perfect look at the outfit in full without all the edited effects that the other pictures have. I'm curious if the piece itself is closed/laced up in the back since that's the only method I can think of where it makes sense for Zoe to put it on with ease. Lots of rips and tears can be seen along her full pants. You can even see hints of a very dark/faded red in them. Similar straps seen on her arms are placed up and down her legs.
At the bottom of the cosplay, you've got what looks like combat boots for footwear. I can't really tell if there's heel like parts on the back of them but they're insanely weathered up. That just leaves the giant axe in the room. No seriously it's a giant battle axe that Zoe's seen wielding in some of the shots. The makeup of this prop if I were to guess based on looking, includes a wooden handle alongside shinier sections of leading up to the blade itself. I have to imagine some sort of foam work was done here in the blade's construction. I love the curvature of the blade in addition to the gold plating and intricate etching that you can see on one side of the axe. Zoe's posing is pretty on point, capturing Karlach's confident smile and the way she wields the axe behind her head is kinda hot to me.
You also can see parts of Karlach's tail sticking out behind in some of the shots. To round out the post, I also have photos that show off the character's more playful side. No doubt these were part of the sexier shots Zoe had taken for some of her other sites. Including a full black bra being on display and a gorgeous formalwear dress! Oh and I wanted to quickly point out the insane markings/makeup Zoe had done on her body to accurately depict the things Karlach went through with her heart's makeup/structure in addition to super small bolts sticking out of her arms. SO FREAKING COOL!
I would simply LOVE for you all to check out more of Zoe's work through the link below. Karlach wasn't the only BG3 character she portrayed and I am really hoping I get to collaborate with her on a podcast episode in the future :).
