Interview With: LEGACY D.

Welcome to NightAngelRanting! Please introduce yourself before we begin!

            ~ My name is Magena D, I'm a Toronto based cosplayer who makes and models my own work.

You call yourself ‘Legacy D.’ online Tumblr and Facebook.  Why is this?

~ Well, the word 'legacy' has always been one of my favourite words. I think the concept of one's works and choices they make in life, leaving something behind for others in some form, is always something important. And so when I do my work (for cosplay or otherwise) I put my best foot forward with this concept in mind, so that looking back on it myself or in the eyes of others, I've left something that I can be proud of. As for the D, well it's just my last name initial.

Interesting! When did you start making your own costumes and props? How long have you been doing it?

~ I started making my own costumes and props when I was about eleven years old, so it's been thirteen years in total.

 

What attracted you to making costumes and their props?

~ I'm not really sure, to be honest. :P I used to watch YTV a lot back in the day, and they [would] show clips of Anime North and other conventions all the time. I remember seeing these three girls dressed up as The Rainy, The Power, and The Windy cards from ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’ and thinking it was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life; so I decided to try it out myself and never looked back, haha!

In your thirteen years of experience, do you know how many costumes, approximately, you have made?

~ Ummmm I think maybe 24 in total? The better part of them will never be seen though, I have no pictures of my early ones and some of them are just terrible!

Haha, oh my! Can you tell me about your favourite cosplay to make, and favourite to wear?

~ Oh lord, the first cosplay I ever attempted to make was Heero Yuy from ‘Gundam Wing’. It was so terrible in retrospect; I had no clue what I was doing whatsoever! (XD) My favourite cosplay to wear would either be Nathan Drake (‘Uncharted’) or Altair Ibn-La'Ahad (‘Assassin’s Creed’), I can't choose between them.

Why were these your favourite?

~ Well... Nate is my favourite because he's definitely the most comfortable of all my cosplays, and it gives me license to be a total derp.:P I just love Nate's character so much, it's so wonderful being able to represent him in cosplay. ^_^ Altair is my other favourite for many reasons... I could write you a novel about all the reasons why I love him and why it was important for me to make that costume on a personal level, as well as just loving the character and the series he comes from.

Where does the price range average for one of your costumes when you make them? Would you ever take commissions?

~ Hmmm it definitely varies a lot. Some costumes are relatively cheap to make (like Badou from ‘DOGS: Bullets and Carnage’, for example), while others - namely Altair and Rapunzel - have really put my wallet through the wringer. I have considered doing commission work, but I don't think I would start seriously accepting them for a while yet unless it's leather or prop work to be honest.

Leather and Prop work are more of a specialty to me, sewing is more of a necessary evil.

Not to say I don't enjoy it, but leather and props are definitely my strengths in comparison, given I do all my sewing by hand.

Would you mind if I asked what your most expensive costume was?

~ Not at all. :) It's actually a toss up between Altair and Rapunzel (which I've yet to finish). They both ended up costing me about the same amount, although I think Altair might be a bit more because of all the extra tools and materials I needed to purchase in addition to the necessary amounts of leather, silk, linen, etc. to make the costume itself.

Leather can be very pricey… What would be your most memorable cosplay moment?

~ Ooooh dear, I have quite a few, lol! I have two really wonderful memories in particular though. The first was quite a few years back now, it was the first real snowfall of winter and we were having that really slow, quiet, peaceful sort of snowfall (I don't really know how to describe it any other way). Anyways, it was about 11 at night or so, and at the time, Zero Kiryuu from ‘Vampire Knight’ was my newest cosplay and I wanted some photos in the snow. I remember running outside in my costume and just standing there, watching the snowflakes fall slowly in silence. I'm a real sap that way I guess, but I love those rare moments of peace and quiet. :)

My other one was more of an extended experience and the realization of a six-year long dream. I got the opportunity to take my Altair cosplay with me to Israel, and was able to take some on-location photos in Jerusalem. That was an experience I will remember and cherish forever, for more reasons than one :P

Almost every cosplayer experiences some problem with their costumes, especially facing weather and travel like your Zero and Altair costumes have! Have you had any issues, and could you explain what they were?

~ I've definitely had my share of "wardrobe malfunctions" over the years, some have been worse than others, but always fixable in the end.

            I'll use my most recent example. I was forced to rush the construction on my Altair if I was going to finish it in time to take on my Israel trip. I didn't cut corners or anything, but because of the short time limit I was given I didn't get to try out my full costume and see if everything would hold up. While it was fine through the course of my trip, when I came back and put it on for the weekend of FanExpo, the triangular piece at the front of the Baldric came detached from the rest of it about 15 minutes before I had to leave. I was in such a panic, believe me! I got it fixed up in time though, so it all worked out.

Have you noticed some sort of trend with your costumes (i.e, short hair, long hair,  crossplay, etc.)?

~ Trends? Hmmmm well, first and foremost I would say that my biggest trend is crossplay. Of my 24 costumes, only three of them have been girls thus far haha. I suppose I tend to cosplay main characters as well, but not always the case. :P

At costume events, have you ever gotten odd looks from those not participating? How do you react to them?

~ Too many to count over the years I'm afraid. :PAt first it used to make me feel self conscious, but after a while you just stop noticing - or caring, for that matter - what other people may be staring at. I'm not really concerned about what people might be thinking about me.

Speaking of events, which do you attend and which do you wish you could attend? Where are these located?

~ My two regular conventions are Anime North and FanExpo here in Toronto. I also attend DTAC and MTAC* if I have time to spare. :)The two conventions I would love to attend someday are San Diego Comic Con and Katsucon... I've always wanted to go to those! PAX East would also be amazing.

 

(*NightAngel’s note; DTAC and MTAC technically no longer exist. They were turned into the December and March ComiCons, however most all Toronto cosplayers continue to call them by their easier-to-remember names of DTAC and MTAC.)

Do you have any plans for future cosplays? Have a dream costume, perhaps?

~ I do have quite a few plans actually. As for my to do list, it's Sherry Birkin and Jake Muller (‘Resident Evil 6’), Daenerys Targaryen (‘Game of Thrones’), Female Dragonborn (‘Skyrim’), Korra (‘The Legend of Korra’), and Link (‘Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’).

         Quite a few in progress cosplays as well... I'm currently working on Aquilus, Connor Kenway, Aveline de Grandpre (Assassin’s Creed), Rapunzel, and Ada Wong (‘Resident Evil’)- I like to keep myself unreasonably busy, as you can see.

Any advice for somebody who wants to start making their own costumes and props?

~ Yes, don't be afraid of making mistakes or of not being as accurate as you'd like. Mistakes are how we learn, and if we're afraid to fail or mess up then you'll never be free to grow and develop your skills! So even if you're afraid of a project you want to do or feel overwhelmed by it, just jump in with both feet and give it all you've got!

That brings us to the end of our interview! Do you have anything else you want to say to the readers?

~ I just would like to thank them for taking the time to actually read through my impromptu, novel-like answers! I know I talk a lot. Thank you to your readers for the interest and thanks to you for asking me to do this interview!

Thank you so much for your time!!

~ No problem! :D

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Photo Credits; Mao Haruta
Adley Lobo Photography
Legacy D.