Cosplay Arabia - January 2021

JANUARY 2021 | ISSUE # 03

2YEAR

ANNIVERSARY

EDITION

HADEEL’S

NEW AVATAR

+ EXCLUSIVE CAMEC

COVERAGE

Cosplay Arabia • january 2021

Inside

www.y ourwebsite.com // decem b er 2014


2

DXBbatman

THE DARK KNIGHT //page 06

10

04

LEVEL UP

Who say’s an editors note has to be

boring? get a peek behind the curtain of

how we’ve leveled up in the past 2 years.

SYNERGY IN ART

We talk with Phil aka @cospixcreation

about some of his best work & the rise of

cosplay photography.

40

HOW 2020 CHANGED

POP CULTURE

Veteran emcee & tv personality Baraa

Abdulla gives his take on the year 2020,

what it meant to him & what the world

of pop culture in the region might look

like post pandemic.

16

LOYAL

Two years after gracing the cover of the

first ever Cosplay Arabia magazine, we

get a quick update on Bahrain based

cosplayer Anya Dogari & her stunning

KDA cosplay.

39

LIFE OVER COVID

Writer & executive editor

Noor AlNoaimi pens her thoughts on

the shift in social constructs & the

insistent need for mankind to learn from

calamity during this pandemic.

20

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Kes & Marcel - a classic tale of boy meets

girl - except this time the girl was in cosplay

& the boy wouldn’t let her starve.

26

CYBERPUNK 2077

The rise and fall of Cyberpunk - one of the

most anticipated games of the decade with a

reportedly misguided focus on hype over

substance. What can we expect next from

the Triple A game developers?

3


42

62

43 HOW-TO WITH ICOSPLAY DE LIEFDE, SAKU

CAMEC 2020

Veteran saudi cosplayer iCosplay shares a

step by step guide to creating Mikasa’s

cosplay along with tips on where you can

find each item.

48

CAMEC 2020

Community correspondent Suad Majid

interviews prominent cosplayers about the

rise of online cosplay contests in 2020 &

their experience at CAMEC.

58

ROSEMAGPIE

You may know her as the incredible Hawks

or as “Angel” from #BNHAunited. We

know her as a strong advicate against

bullying and racism who has a heart of gold.

If love was the last word left in a websters

dictionary - Dutch cosplayer Sakuraflor

would be it’s definition! Read all about her

current plans and experience judging

CAMEC 2020

66

QUIZ & TRIVIA

Let's get those brain cells moving with a fun

trivia and quiz corner brought to you by

Cosplay Arabia co-founder & creative

director Haneen Alfarwan.

THE

TEAM

IBRAHIM ANSARI

EDITOR IN CHIEF


COVER STORY

Meet Hadeel AKA @hadoolalk, half

Kuwaiti, half Filipina and one hundred

percent awesome! We have a candid

conversation with the model / cosplayer

/ graphics artist about her fantastic

Tyrande Whisperwind cosplay from

World of Warcraft, the team behind the

stunning photoshoot & why 2020 was

surprisingly her best year so far!

30

HANEEN ALFARWAN

CREATIVE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Copyrights

Copyrights © Cosplay Arabia - All Rights Reserved.

All text, images, graphics, and other materials are subject to copyright and intellectual property

rights of Cosplay Arabia, unless otherwise stated. These materials may not be reproduced,

distributed, modified or reposted or published in any form without the express written permission

of Cosplay Arabia.

Noor Al Noaimi

Baraa Abdulla

Kabir Shafiq

Phil

Calvin Hollywood

Ibrahim Ansari

Suad Majid

Weda

Adrijana Cernic

Haneen Alfarwan

Nasser Jamal Nasser

iCosplay

Copyrights 2018-2021 MATSKI MEDIA. All rights reserved.

® "Cosplay Arabia" and it's distinctive logo are trademarks owned by MATSKI MEDIA.

All requests to be directed to:

editor@cosplayarabia.com

WEBSITE

CONTACT

Website: www.cosplayarabia.com

Social Media: @cosplayarabia

E-mail: editor@cosplayarabia.com

4



level

up

// Ibrahim Ansari

Editor letter

THERE’S APPROXIMATELY ONE

HUNDRED IMAGES IN THAT LITTLE

PHOTOGRAPHIC MONTAGE ON THE

RIGHT, SIGNIFYING OUR JOURNEY

OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS. TO QUOTE

PHIL “JUST SAY IT’S A FRIGGIN

AMOUNT OF WORK AND PEOPLE

SHALL SEND MONEY”

A friggin amount of work it is indeed and

we wouldn’t have it any other way. But I

won’t sugar coat it, 2020 was a tough year

for all of us. It started with us having to

pull out of MEFCC 2020 even though we

had designed and arranged a booth for

cosplayers unlike anything they’ve ever

seen. I still remember having several

conversations with Ayman Akaily as the

uncertainty kept mounting on whether

we would even be allowed to travel let

alone have a setup and showing.

Ultimately, we couldn’t make it and had to

cancel last minute. Shoutout going to

Ayman for being understanding and

supportive with our decision. MEFCC

2021 is going to be legen....wait for it..

Last year wasn’t all doom and gloom

though because it gave us the oppertunity

to organize virtual cosplay contests! we

started in June by collaborating with

Digital Games Conference (DGC) Dubai’s

very first cosplay contest. This opened the

doors for CAMEC – our first inhouse

online Cosplay Contest which was a

massive success owing to the unbelievable

passion of cosplayers in the Middle East

and support from prominent international

personalities like Sakuraflor, Rosemagpie

and Shadowborder Cosplay. We even had

US based cosplay photographer Paolo

from paoimages and VFX specialist

Adrijana Cernic from Croatia with us for

a few rounds of judging.

We rounded off the year by organizing

Speedycomics Con cosplay contest which

really showcased the creative cosplaying

and video producing capabilities of all the

contestants. Our judges comprised of Asad

Morningstar, Maikehuster3 and returning

judge Shadowborder Cosplay who did a

phenomenal job. Gratitude going out to

Mr. Rashid, Waleed and Asad from

speedycomics who made this entire

process as straightforward as possible

ensuring an amazing contest.

This year we’ve gone digital! This is the

first of four magazines and we’re super

excited to have Hadeel aka @hadoolalk on

the cover as Tyrande Whisperwind! The

work they’re doing up there in Kuwait is

mind blowing – from crafting the cosplays

to amazing work done by cosplay

photographers, such as the cover of this

edition by Nasser Jamal. We also have

coverage of CAMEC, a wonderful how to

guide by iCosplay, Interviews with new

cosplayer Batman_dxb, german cosplay

photographer Phil from cospixcreation,

german couple Kes and Marcel, Sakuraflor,

Rosemagpie and so much more!

At Cosplay Arabia we want to shine the

spotlight on the work of creatives, be it

cosplayers, artists, photographers or even

producers. We’d love to grow our

community of readers and the way for

this to happen is for you – the cosplayers,

the photographers, fans, friends and

family to share this community magazine.

There’s so much we have planned and so

much already underway which hasn’t

even been announced yet.

For 2021, lets work together so we can all

LEVEL UP!

Let‘s connect!

Get more behind the scenes and latest updates first-hand.

instagram: @ibbi_fit / @mia.shot

email: editor@cosplayarabia.com

5



Two years,

four countries

& countless memories.

Love to all who have been a part

of this journey. The best is yet to come!



6

BATMAN

DXB

“You are fair and worked hard

to bring us all together! You

arranged an amazing event, don’t

let them stop you. Be proud of

yourself, your amazing team

and the efforts you put into this.

Congratulations!”

These are words taken straight

out of a private chat we had with

Batman after he placed 2nd at

CAMEC - our first online cosplay

competition wherein most people

felt he should be first. This would

repeat once again a month later

at Speedy Comic Con after which

he offered the same words of

encouragement, peace & love.

This superhero definitely lives

up to his name; humble, polite,

understanding and one of the

nicest human beings you’ll meet in

the Middle East.

“I am trying to fight this

by being super helpful,

spreading happiness in

the community, being

friendly and nice with

everyone.”

7


I believe the pandemic and staying at

home helped me gain several cosplay

skills and techniques. I watched many

videos, contacted many people who

were kind enough to teach me and

made lots of friends. Yet, I’m still a

beginner compared to other amazing

cosplayers who started cosplaying

years ago; so far I’m just enjoying my

journey.

First off, I learned how to search for

the best suppliers, compare the quality,

prices and choose the best materials

based on my budget.

Second, I learned a couple of

weathering techniques and I believe

you’ve seen the Grappling Gun, Scar L

machine gun and the pistol I made for

my Knightmare outfit. Of course it took

me a lot of time, and I ruined many

guns but I enjoyed every minute of the

learning process.


My biggest supporters include my

family, who saw my passion and

encouraged me to follow it. Also, a

big supporter & motivator for me is

Mustafa Haider from the “Enforcer

Channel” who supports all the major

cosplayers in the region right now.

Q. What or who do you think is the

biggest threat to cosplaying in the

middle east right now? How will you

fight it & protect us Batman?

© @thecameraguydxb

Q. Please go ahead and introduce

yourself to our readers.

I’m Batman……

Q. How long have you been

cosplaying? We understand this is

fairly new to you?

I started cosplaying last year and

made my debut at MEFCC 2020. I

had previously attended every pop

culture event and comic con in the

UAE for the past 5 years. The idea

of gathering in one place with so

many cosplayers who are dressed as

their favorite characters was mind

blowing for me.

I enjoyed every second at Comic

Con, taking pictures with the

cosplayers and watching their

amazing skits on stage. They are

very confident; they enjoy the

character and they make me feel

like they are the real deal. Moreover,

attending these events gives me

enormous joy and happiness that I

just can’t express.

Q. In such a short time, what

cosplay techniques have you

learned and who has been your

biggest support?

The biggest threat to cosplaying is us.

The moment we think about ourselves

as individuals and not as a community,

the moment we stop helping each

other, the moment we see ourselves

better than others and finally the

moment we become selfish and want to

see others fail is when all is lost.

“ALSO, A BIG SUPPORTER & MOTIVATOR

FOR ME IS MUSTAFA HAIDER FROM THE

ENFORCER CHANNEL, WHO SUPPORTS ALL

THE MAJOR COSPLAYERS IN THE REGION

RIGHT NOW”

I am trying to fight this by being

super helpful, spreading happiness in

the community, being friendly and

nice with everyone. Supporting them

by liking, sharing and commenting on

their posts. Motivating everyone who

is passionate about cosplaying and

helping them however I can.


8


“SECOND, IS TO SPREAD

HAPPINESS AROUND ME

AND DRAW SMILES ON

KIDS FACES BY DOING

BIRTHDAY SURPRISES,

THIS IS MY BIGGEST PLAN

IN 2021”

Q. What kind of impact or goal

do you hope to achieve as the most

recognizable Batman in the UAE?

My first goal is to be happy and

take a break from life and work

stress with cosplaying. Second, is

to spread happiness around me

and draw smiles on kids faces by

doing birthday surprises, this is

my biggest plan in 2021. To attend

more birthdays and let kids meet

their favorite superhero, talk to

them, hug them and maybe hang

around with them for a while.

Another goal is to remain the most

recognizable Batman in the entire

Middle East; always presenting

my favorite superhero in the best

possible light with high quality

suits, screen accurate gadgets and

showcasing many variations of the

Batsuit in the future.

Q. What did you notice about

the cosplay community after

joining?

© @thecameraguydxb

I entered this world because I

loved it, and I believe that’s the

case for the rest of the cosplayers.

I also found most of the cosplayers

are super helpful and I just love

this community.

Q. Who is your favorite Batman?

For me is Michael Keaton and Ben

Affleck.

QUICK CONNECT

instagram.com/batman_dxb

9



“THE BIGGEST

THREAT TO

COSPLAYING,

IS US.”


10


Synergy

in art

On a chilly winter evening, I get a familiar reminder

on my phone to make a call half way across the globe

to Germany, for a scheduled interview with Phil

from @cospixcreation. What was to be a fairly simple

interview celebrating creative cosplay photography

quickly turned into a heart to heart with someone

I was speaking to for the first time. Such is the charm

& warmth of this multi-talented individual.


Character: Calibur of Spirit Robot

Cosplayer: @maikehuster3


11

• summer time •

Q. Phil, tell our readers a little about yourself.

I was born and raised in Germany and grew up

bilingually, with my mother being from UK. I have a full

time job in global product management for 28 countries

and photography is one of my hobbies. My parents are

very open minded and always helped me build and

craft things when I was a child. After getting into some

occasional spare time landscape and portrait/fashion

photography, I started searching the web for new ideas

and came across something I did not know before,

Cosplay. Having no idea who these creative people were

and where to find them, I started building a headpiece by

myself from some low budget supplies and asked a good

friend of mine at the time - if she wanted to be the model

for that headpiece. Her image became my unique cosplay

photography logo from day one.

I was able to meet many amazing and talented people

having been accepted at two large Cosplay-Photo events

in Italy and Poland in 2019.

Pictured: Phil @cospixcreation

Photo: @kingsmanfotos


12


“My tip is something that

I reflected at some stage

and which helps me a lot:

Always know and be

aware of what you did to

take that photo!”

Character: A2 - Nier Automata

Cosplayer: @vivivalkyrie


13

Character: Batman Damned

Cosplayer: @impostor.cosplay

Q. One tip you would give to

every cosplay photographer out

there?


My tip is something that I

reflected at some stage and which

helps me a lot.

Always know and be aware of

what you did to take that photo!

Because, only if you are able to

replicate what you have done,

you know your equipment and

the techniques well enough to do

it again at any time. Be sure to

increase that knowledge by trying

out new things and use the same

replication capability cycle again.

Anything else will frustrate you.

Q. Do you think there is a

career opportunity in cosplay

photography, either part time or

full time?

Q. Walk us through your Cosplay

photography thought process - how do

you prepare?

A lot of preparation already goes into

the pre-planning, but once agreed the

basic things I check are: weather forecast;

location accessibility (in case construction

work or events - more likely recently-

Character: Harley Quinn

Cosplayer: @vicious_cosplay

closure times); arrange for helpers to join;

traffic conditions (for myself or the ones

that travel far); amenities; prepare food/

snacks and juices/water for everyone at

the shoot; finally pack the car with all the

gear and check on meeting date if all are

well and are coming to the shoot.

I keep discussing that question

every now and then with my

cosplay and photographer friends

and we come to the conclusion

that if a cosplayer should pay a

photographer to get photos, the

photographer should also pay

the cosplayer to be able to take

pictures of the cosplay. Some of

the photographers I know offer

paid shootings because of their

high quality results, which I think

is fair, especially when these

photos are offered for selling to

the community/fan base. My

advice, unless you have something

extremely special that no one else

can offer - don’t plan for a career.


14


“WHAT MAKES ME CRINGE

MOSTLY IS THE WAY

SOME PHOTOGRAPHERS

APPROACH COSPLAYERS

(AND VICE-VERSA) TO

COLLABORATE”

Q. You are one multi-talented

individual! You not only take

stunning pictures, but also craft

weapons and have even recently

started experimenting with

airbrush and body art! Tell us how

that came about?

Many thanks for the

compliment. I started using

normal airbrush colors for my

cosplay builds, i.e. for props or

for some outfits I am working on

and recently found out from an

airbrush artist that you can also get

airbrush colors for body painting.

I talked to a cosplay friend about

it and, as we both like to try out

new creative things, we just went

for it and did a single colored body

paint with some smaller parts

airbrushed. We were really happy

with the outcome. When another

friend saw the results she came up

with a helmet from a movie and

we thought it would be cool to use

body paint for the costume and

match the helmet design. I then

tried a multicolored paint design

for the first time and, although not

perfect, it turned out quite cool as

well. I still have a lot to learn about

body painting and it takes forever

to paint someone really well, but

it’s a lot of fun to do, just try it!

Character: NovaTerra

Cosplayer: @enyu_cosplay

Q. What is a common mistake

you see photographers make that

makes you cringe!

What makes me cringe mostly

is the way some photographers

approach cosplayers (and vice

versa) to collaborate, i.e. I am

hearing that sometimes not enough

details are discussed to decide

whether to shoot or the words used

Character: Clone Trooper

Cosplayer: @clint_strickwood


up having to edit a ton of photos for

the people you shoot with. If you are

not invited to a con, you mostly end up

doing a lot of work for free. I miss cons

a lot however, as I love to meet both old

friends and make new connections. I

mainly like to shoot outdoor because

I have many nice and different styled

locations of all kinds around the place

I live and I enjoy being outside. Indoor

is mainly a good option in case of bad

weather conditions (there can be a

lot of rain in Europe!) and for special

themed shoots. We have some nice

rentable and well equipped self-service

studios - which again will need a cost

split agreement.

I also offer special shootings in my

spacious flat with a good studio setup

e.g. for very messy slime or body paint

or artificial blood shoots. I have a small

platform I use to create the illusion

of an action figure and also offer

something lik a festive season setup I

made recently.

15


Getting in touch with me is easiest

via Instagram. Here everyone can

easily check my work and style and

we can also exchange ideas before

switching to whatsapp where we’d get

into details and exchange info.

Pictured: @alexandra.klein89

Photo: @cospixcreation

can be misunderstood, i.e. what

to shoot, where to shoot and also

when to shoot. My advice to make

this smooth for all participants is

to invest some time before on both

sides and decide on the above items.

Then agree utlizing a team work

approach on all the steps needed to

finally make the meet up happen. It’s

not very different from a business

meeting, you should always prepare

in advance, regardless if you are a

beginner or a pro.

Q. With everything you do and

plan to do in 2021 - what is the goal?

Given the current global situation,

my plans are limited and focus

around increasing my photography

as well as editing skills. If things

get better, I would love to visit at

least one convention, potentially

without my camera equipment

(which usually doesn’t happen)

and just meet the cosplayers and

photographers I’ve known from past

years. Finally get to meet them in

person again, have good talks and

make new contacts. I will try to plan

individual shootings if the situation

permits this year.

Q. Where do you primarily shoot

& how can a cosplayer get in touch

with you?

I used to shoot a lot at conventions,

which is truly motivating for

networking and meeting people but

can be exhausting because you end

Q. At the end of the day, what would

you like people to remember about

you?

I am very grateful for getting to

meet so many amazing people in

this community during the past few

years and I hope to at least leave some

kind of positive footprint with my

photography, mainly just to make

people smile. It would be nice if people

remember me as a creative, motivating,

open minded, reliable and friendly

human being.

“IT WOULD BE NICE IF PEOPLE REMEMBER

ME AS A CREATIVE, MOTIVATING, OPEN

MINDED, RELIABLE AND FRIENDLY HUMAN

BEING”

QUICK CONNECT

instagram.com/cospixcreation

email: cospixcreation@web.de


16



Anya

Dogari

LOYAL

ARTICLE: IBRAHIM ANSARI || PHOTOGRAPHY: @MIA.SHOT & @ADRIATICACREATION

C

over girl, you’d be surprised how

long that was Anya’s nickname

after the first edition of Cosplay

Arabia was released back in 2018.

However, what you didn’t

know was the post launch controversy

surrounding it - namely for the title of the

magazine not matching the cosplayer on

it. To those who pondered the question, we

have one word - loyalty. You would be hard

pressed to find a cosplayer as dedicated to

the craft and as loyal to the brand as Anya

& that deserves recognition.

17


So what comes next? Currently she

has 5 new cosplays in line for shoots &

conventions, a ton of cosplans for 2021 and

has even started streaming on her Youtube

channel.


DONATE TO COSPLAY ARABIA

If you like our content, please consider

donating to help us grow.

ko-fi.com/cosplayarabia

paypal.me/cosplayarabialegal


18

Anya is one of

the most active

cosplayers in

Bahrain, even

churning out

cosplay content

during the

pandemic when

most cosplayers

had taken a hiatus.



19

QUICK CONNECT

instagram.com/anyadogari

tiktok.com/@anyadogari

youtube: @anyadogari


IBRAHIM ANSARI

interview

20


T

LOVE IS

IN THE

AIR

he thing about love is they say it’s always fleeting. In the world of cosplay, it’s very easy to get

swept away by emotions – jealousy, pride, envy, greed and lust. After all, you are with someone

who, just yesterday, looked exactly like your favorite anime/movie crush. But what happens

when the wigs come of and the makeup washes away? Are you actually in love when faced with the

real world? Meet Dr. Kerstin aka Kes Cosplay and Marcel – a beautiful cosplay couple from Bavaria

who are here to prove that love transcends all walks of life. All you need is compassion, friendship,

understanding & maybe, just maybe - some food!


Q. When you first met in 2016,

Kes was already cosplaying for

over 10 years whereas Marcel

had never cosplayed before –

does that mean opposites really

do attract? Who fell in love first?

Kes: Yes, I really do think so! we

first met at gamescom 2016 when I

was in full cosplay and Marcel was

attending the event with a friend in

a casual outfit. We ended up having

lunch together, he wouldn’t accept

the fact that I hadn’t eaten all day

due to my midriff exposed outfit and

insisted to get me food. And well,

to be honest I think that’s where

I already fell in love with him, so:

FIRST! Even though he has joined

me in cosplay now, we are still quite

different and that’s what keeps our

relationship great and never boring.

Marcel: She was! we met at gamescom

first while she was cosplaying with

a friend. It was a lucky coincidence

over a free hug. We had an instant

connection before we even realized

we were very different apart from

our outfits that day. So I’m not sure

if it was being opposites, perhaps just

destiny.

Q. You and Marcel organize cosplay

events across Germany / Europe

including host at CCXP Cologne! –

tell us a little about that?

Kes: Yes, we are the organizing

team of CCXP COLOGNE Cosplay

Championship in Germany & I also

host the event. I’ve been presenting &

© the_rising_thor

organizing contests at various events in

Germany for 10 years now and after we

came together, Marcel decided to help

me create cool contests for cons and the

community. It turns out we are not just a

great team in life and cosplay, but also in

working together.

Last year we converted the

championship into an online contest

due to the COVID situation and created

our first big international event with

judges like Lichee, Maul Cosplay and

Tingilya Cosplay – that’s also how I got

to know about the Middle East cosplay

community as well. It is amazing to

work with a partner like CCXP who

is unparalleled in their dedication to

“WE ENDED UP HAVING LUNCH TOGETHER,

HE WOULDN’T ACCEPT THE FACT THAT

I HADN’T EATEN ALL DAY DUE TO MY

MIDRIFF EXPOSED OUTFIT AND INSISTED

TO GET ME FOOD”

cosplayers and we can’t wait to see what

we will create in 2021.

21


© Jocaptured


22


© EosAndy_


23

used to. But of course we are grateful for

all the positive feedback. Also working

with Calvin Hollywood was a really great

experience. It was my first professional

photoshoot apart from a convention

ever. I learned a lot and we were happy

he chose us for this free project.


Q. You are fairly new to cosplaying –

what challenges did you face in cosplay

which you didn’t know about earlier?

© _sionart_

Q. You’ve been featured on several

platforms & done a shoot with

renowned photographer Calvin

Hollywood – do you enjoy the

popularity or are you still adjusting

to the spotlight?

Marcel: Popularity? Well, actually, I

don’t like being popular. I’m proud to

wear Kes’s creations and bring the

characters we both love to life. It is

a big honor to be featured, but it is

nothing we aim for or are getting

Marcel: Attention. Being the middle

child of five, I was not used to being in

the spotlight at any point in my life.

Gearing up e.g. as Thor or Kratos and

having people wait in line for selfies at

conventions was something I never

expected and still haven’t gotten used to.

Also I find it really challenging to be in

make-up for hours before you even can

go out to shoot or a convention.

© Kyo Cosplay Photography


24


Q. Lets talk Middle East, were you aware

of the community here? Any favorites?

Kes: As mentioned earlier, I got aware of

the amazing cosplay community in the

Middle East last year: Sumi Cosplay and

Vega Cosplay signed up for our online

championship and made it to the top 10!

I’m so happy I got to know this community

with those two! Sumi and I are still in

touch and even planning a little thing

together. Getting to know this part of the

international community was one of my

favorties things in 2020!

Q. Your best and worst experience as a

cosplayer?

The best experience was travelling the

world and meeting great cosplay

communities! CCXP is not only a

German convention, the Cologne event

is a sister of one of the biggest comic

cons in the world based in Brazil. We

were invited to experience the original

CCXP in Sao Paulo end of 2019 with

me even having a table. There I met

the most open, nicest, loving cosplay

community ever! I had hours and

hours of fun talks and wholesome

encounters with fellow cosplayers,

geeking out over common fandoms,

taking selfies, having the best time.

And frankly at day two I shed a tear at

the breakfast table in the hotel when I

told Marcel this convention gave me

the most positive vibes and this is why

I love cosplaying so much. The worst

experience I’ve had was with some

photographers who didn’t stick to

agreements or contracts we set prior to

the shoot, having us incur travel and

accomodation expenses without

delivering results. There were

instances where we would have to deal

with rude & unprofessional people

even going as far as publishing our

pictures without our consent. I think

LOVE IS

IN THE

AIR

it’s always sad to experience this and to

be let down by partners, but on the

positive side it motivated us to do our

own shoots and focus on the creative

network we had great experiences

with.

Q. Lots of cosplay couples /

relationships don’t last, what would be

your advice to someone who is

planning to date another cosplayer?

Marcel: Patience and support for each

other. We found out for us, that is very

stressful, especially if we both cosplay

at the same time. When only one of us

is getting in cosplay and the other one

is the handler taking care of the

costume, food/water, photos - we’re

less stressed and have more fun.

Also for someone new to cosplay who

is planning to be with a veteran

cosplayer: Be aware that the hobby is

not only happening at conventions. It

covers a lot of free time while the

cosplays are being crafted. This was

unexpected for me. It is important to

be on the same page when it comes to

the amount of time each partner wants

to invest for cosplay. Communication is

the key.

Kes: I think the best advice I can give

is: Always be a team, make it a real

partnership even beyond cosplay. Also

be aware that cosplayers, at most

times, do not look like what we do at

cons or shoots while we’re at home.

We are dust-covered, shabby, chic

wearing crafters during our free time.

Q. What is your favorite memory of

cosplaying with each other?

Kes: We have made so many memories

together! But I think for me, it was the

first time we cosplayed Thor and Jane

Foster together. Going out at the con

floor and taking our first couple shots

ever, cosplaying this iconic couple from

the Marvel Cinematic Universe was

amazing. Also I was very proud of him

being “my” Thor and being the first

time in cosplay ever – I’ll keep this a

dear moment forever.

Marcel: One of my favorite moments

happened while I was supporting Kes

at CCXP in Brazil. There was another

Kratos cosplayer who came up to our

table and recognized me, even though I

was without my costume, from a post I

made after being bodyshamed as

Kratos. Back then Kes and I recreated

one of the more creative insults “God

of McDonalds” in a fun shoot with the

message that cosplay is for everyone

and we don’t tolerate bodyshaming. He

told me that he saw the post when it

was featured by Santa Monica Studios.

Our message empowered him to finish

his own Kratos cosplay and gave him

the self-confidence he needed to wear

it to the convention. The photo we

took together is one that I’m most

proud of.

Q. What can we expect from you in

2021? Any projects planned we should

be look out for?

Kes: Like 2020 also the cosplay world

2021 will be not really plannable when

it comes to cons and photoshoots, but I

will definitely continue to craft! At the

moment I work on Anna from Frozen

and being a huge fan of Katee Sackhoff

also on the gear of Bo-Katan Kryze

from The Mandalorian. Apart from

that I plan to set up a stream place in

the craft room so I can be online while

crafting and be in touch with the

community even when the global

health circumstances might not allow

to meet in person.

Marcel: Absolutely more Eivor. We did

not have much opportunities to create

content or shoot with this cosplay in

2020 due to the pandemic, so there

will be more Viking things. Also, there

is a new God of War on the way. Let’s

see what new outfit Kratos will get.

QUICK CONNECT

Kes Cosplay

instagram.com/kes_cosplay

fb.com/KesCosplay

twitter.com/kes_cosplay

Marcel Cosplay

instagram.com/the_rising_thor



25

© Calvin Hollywood

Cosplay Arabia Cosplay • january 2021

Cosplay Arabia •

•

january

january

Cosplay Arabia • january

Arabia

2021

2021

2021cyberpunk

26

2 0 7 7

THE TEAM

----------------------------------------

Cosplayer: Suhaila Atef @xxsouhlxx

Photographer: WEDA @weda_74

Location: Karakon @karakonwork

Article: Ibrahim Ansari @cosplayarabia


Last 7 years? Well yes, it’s not

uncommon for a triple A game

to take that long. Sucker Punch’s

latest PlayStation exclusive, Ghost

of Tsushima, also took six years

in development. However, it’s the

constant delays from the announced

April 2020 release which got pushed

back to September and eventually

had it’s release on 10th December. But

the woes didn’t end there – the game

launched with tons of bugs which

rendered them practically unplayable

especially on older gen consoles. Older

gen consoles, mind you – that it had

been marketed and developed for from

the get go.

Fast forward to 2021, what we

know so far is the game has been

pulled by Playstation and Xbox from

their platforms until CD Projekt fixes

the bugs via large patches. Exactly

when these patches will be released is

anyone’s guess but it’s safe to say CD

Projekt will want it out ASAP.

27


Lets face it, if you are anything

like me – you’ve probably heard of

Cyberpunk 2077 for one of three

reasons, either you are a hardcore

gamer and were blown away by

the 2013 trailer on Youtube, you

love Keanu Reeves and couldn’t

wait to see him in the game or you

read all the controversial deadlines

regarding the “highly customizable”

characters and their... for a lack of

better term - assets.

Regardless how you heard about

it – its safe to say Cyberpunk’s

marketing campaign was both

divisive & highly effective at the

same time with more than 13 million

copies being sold despite everything

its been through, and we’ll get to

that in just a moment.

Cosplayer: Rahma Khaled @rahmatuhamyyy

Location: The Ink Boy @the.inkboy

For those who don’t know,

Cyberpunk is a massive open-world

game set in a futuristic society, along

with endless scope for character

customization. Cyberpunk, at least

on paper, sounds a lot like GTA on

steroids set in the not so distant

future.

The game’s dark neon aesthetics

definitely sets it apart from most

others and has been replicated by

cosplayers across the world - all

you need to do is a quick search on

Instagram for #Cyberpunk2077.

Just how does a triple A game 7 years

in the making fail so spectacularly at

launch? It’s easy to think a catastrophe

of this magnitude can be blamed on

one single failure, like unrealistic

expectations and pressure from

higher management at CD Projekt, fan

impatience, or failures on part of the

programmers; but usually the blame

isn’t just on one entity but a series of

smaller failures all adding up. New

reports suggest Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t

enter full scale development until 2016

with unrealistic deadlines for the near

500 developers who worked on the

project.

“THE GAME’S DARK NEON AESTHETICS

DEFINITELY SETS IT APART FROM MOST

OTHERS AND HAS BEEN REPLICATED BY

COSPLAYERS ACROSS THE WORLD”

Then there’s the issue of misguiding

the audience with the demo shown at

E3 in 2018 being reportedly “almost

entirely fake” by Jason Schreier based

on his interviewing over 20 current

and former employees at CD Projekt

for Bloomberg.


28


I JUST HOPED THEY’D

TAKEN THEIR 2013

TRAILER SERIOUSLY AND

RELEASED THE GAME

“WHEN IT’S READY”

The development also suffered

from the impact of the COVID-19

pandemic, with programmers

on the PC version and testers

of the console version working

separately from each other.

But all is not lost, let’s not forget

this is the same studio that brought

us the critically acclaimed Witcher

series. When the game does work

as intended – it is breathtaking

with it’s futuristic dystopian setting

and splashes of neon lights, where

your actions & decisions have real

consequences and the characeters

are memorable.

It reminds me of the final season

of HBO’s Game of Thrones – while

not as universally rejected as the

show, you cannot argue with the

SFX department, the actors, the

cinematography and the haunting

musical score which was top notch.

The developers have put their

heart and soul into Cyberpunk and

I’m convinced once the patches are

done – it will definitely be worth

the wait.

Cosplayer: hany brosilye @hany.brosilye_the.story

I just hoped they’d taken their

2013 trailer seriously and released

the game “when it’s ready”.


If you like our content, please consider

donating to help us grow.



Cosplayer: Rahma Khaled @rahmatuhamyyy



29

COSPLAYER

SHAHINDA ELHAWARY

@SHAHINDAELHAWARY

LOCATION : HELNAN LANDMARK

NEW CAIRO - EGYPT



30

THE TEAM

----------------------------------------

Cosplayer: Hadeel @hadoolalk

Photographer: Nasser Jamal Nasser @nasjxx

MUA: Amirah Al Mudhi @amirahofmakeup

Assistance: - Mohammad Talal AlYousifi

- Abrar AlKhamis

- Abdulaziz Safar

- Ali Kamal


COVER

31

STORY


BEAUTIFULLY HAND MADE TYRANDE WHISPERWIND

ARMOR, EXQUISITE MAKEUP AND AIRBRUSHED BODY

PAINT ON ONE OF KUWAIT’S MOST RECOGNIZABLE

FACES – MEET HADEEL AKA @HADOOLALK

Never underestimate the power of networking & social media! While we’ve

known Hadeel for quite some time including a brief interaction with her

during MEFCC 2019 – it wasn’t until her brilliant Pennywise cosplay that

we started interacting with her on a regular basis. When we got to know

she’s working on a World of Warcraft cosplay - we just knew it had to be

featured on the cover of our next magazine.

A graphics artist, a cosplayer, a fashion model and a gamer - Hadeel is one

of those girls who, the more you talk to; the more you want to know her

story.


32


“I was amazed to

find this form of art

in Kuwait and that’s

how I learned about

cosplay”


cover

“2020 WAS

HONESTLY MY

FAVORITE YEAR!

SHOCKING,

I KNOW!”

33

Q. Hey Hadool, please tell us a bit

about yourself & how you got into

Cosplay?

month and a half to create

this cosplay. I was saving it

up for a cosplay competition

that was supposed to be held

in March 2020, but then the

convention was canceled due

to Covid-19. Thanks to Cosplay

Arabia, I got an opportunity

to showcase my work.

The details of this cosplay

were mainly created by I am

most proud of how the bow

turned out because of the

level of detail. I’d like to take

this opportunity to thank the

people that helped showcase

this cosplay; Nasser, Amirah,

MT, Ali, Teddy and Abrar.

Q. 2020 has been a

roller-coaster ride! Tell us

about some of the highs and

lows you’ve faced?

2020 was honestly my

favorite year! Shocking,

I know! The good thing

about it is that I started to

do cosplay photoshoots,

both studio and outdoor.

Throughout the 8 years of

my cosplay journey, I never

really took a proper shoot

and I still question myself

why. The bad part is that

there aren’t any conventions,

cosplay competitions or

traveling and I miss that.


Hi! I’m Hadeel. I am a half

Kuwaiti-half Filipino cosplayer. I

have been cosplaying for 8 years

now. I love the Japanese culture,

video games and make-up, and

cosplay is a combination of those

three things. At first, it started out

as an experiment, my friend asked

me to attend a cosplay convention

with her. I was amazed to find this

form of art in Kuwait and that’s

how I learned about cosplay. So I

joined the fun and I turned out to

be very passionate about it and

actually met some really good

friends.

Q. Epic Tyrande Whisperwind!

Tell us everything - why, how and

what detail you are most proud of

on the cosplay.

Thank you so much! This might

have been the hardest cosplay I

ever made. I have been wanting to

cosplay Tyrande for years now and

I finally did it! It took me about a


34




35

D E T A I L S

Hand made shoulder

armor piece by

Worbla, EVA foam & epoxy.

Finished with

Acrylic paint.


36



Cosplay Arabia • january 2021 37


38


started to do cosplay photoshoots,

both studio and outdoor. Throughout

the 8 years of my cosplay journey, I

never really took a proper shoot and

I still question myself why. The bad

part is that there aren’t any conventions,

cosplay competitions or

traveling and I miss that.

Q. You model as well as cosplay –

what do you find different between

the two on a psychological level? Is

either one more fulfilling than the

other?

Modeling is a completely different

thing. When I am cosplaying, I get

into character, but when I model I get

to show my personal style and look

more like myself. Cosplay takes a lot

of effort in terms of time for preparation.

Modeling to me is more of a

hobby, but cosplay is definitely my

passion.

Q. Apart from modeling and cosplay

– any other talents or projects you’d

like to share?

I am a graphic designer and I do

motion graphics as well. On top of

that, I like to draw, sing and play the

guitar.

Q. Who inspires you?

KamuiCosplay, she excels in cosplay

crafting and makes them look easy to

build. Besides her, my friends

(Greeni, Bofa, Light & Noonz) inspire

me. They’re all very talented individuals

and cosplayers.

Q. Tell us about the cosplay scene in

Kuwait.

The cosplay community in Kuwait is

very inspiring. I am very impressed

with the attention to detail in their

work. In my opinion, the Kuwaiti

cosplay community excels in building

a whole scene that makes their

cosplay come to life during performances.

Their craftsmanship shows

not just in their cosplay, but in their

props as well.

Q. If given a chance to group cosplay,

who would be part of your cosplay

dream team from the middle east?

This is a tough question as there are

a lot of talented cosplayers in the

middle east. But if I had to choose, I

would love to group cosplay as Attack

on Titan. My dream team would

definitively have @hesakura as Eren,

@awesome_ology as Levi, @themed_

injection as Reiner, @sumicosplay as

Sasha, @greeniicosplay as Christa, @

yourbrojackie as female titan, @

vegacosplay as armored titan, @

noonz_alb as Jean and I’d love to play

as Mikasa.

Q. What has been the most rewarding

thing you’ve gotten out of

cosplay so far?

Being recognized for my work means

a lot to me. I am very grateful to get

opportunities to share my passion

with people that appreciate it. It motivates

me to keep doing what I love

and it drives me to keep improving.

Q. What can our readers look forward

to with Hadool in 2021?

I have great projects that I have

already been working on for 2021,

stay tuned for that. Hopefully

when things go back to normal, I

could attend international cosplay

events with my friends.

Rapid Fire:

1. Top 3 cosplays you’re most

proud of and why?

1. Tyrande Whisperwind from

World of Warcraft. I thought it

would be impossible to make but it

turned out to be more than perfect!

2. Sugar Plum Mercy from Overwatch.

I challenged myself to finish

it in two weeks before MEFCC

2019 and did it!

3. Female Pennywise from IT movie.

I loved how I created the costume

in my own style and because

he is my favorite serial killer.

2. What 5 things would you take

to an island?

My phone, internet, PS5, my cat

and gigantic fridge filled with food.

3. Top 3 pop culture events in the

Middle East?

MEFCC, Redfest and SoleDxb.

cover

Q. What can our readers look

forward to with Hadool in 2021?

I have great projects that I

have already been working on

for 2021, stay tuned for that.

Hopefully when things go back

to normal, I could attend international

cosplay events with my

friends.

QUICK CONNECT

cosplayer: instagram.com/hadoolalk

photographer: instagram.com/nasjxx

MUA: instagram.com/amirahofmakeup


If you like our content, please

consider donating to help us grow.




LIFE

COVID

39


Suffocated. Ironic that this very

sensation is a Covid 19 syndrome, I

say ironic because those who do not

have Covid in their lungs feel it too. It

is a strange thing, this tiny little speck

of a speck- a thing that floats and

renders humans, the giants of the

world into dying things.

I have friends who do not believe in this, who believe that

Bill Gates has found new technology to rid us humans of

lesser humans- those with long term diseases, allergies,

those who are diagnosed as ‘weak’ in private. I sit with

these people, drink my tea and try to take all possibilities

in- that a mad billionaire scientist is out to get us. That evil

is human, and the devil is still at large and somehow there

is a divine remote control that leads those innocent enough

to believe in a speck, a little invisible green dot and then

injecting themselves like frantic heroin addicts with the

cure, and ultimately that they have found all this out

through anonymous twitter accounts.

“I will never take it.” They say, proud and tall and yet you

see blankness in their eyes. What I call the ‘Sheep-age’

masses to these unproven theories. I choose to be one with

the ‘Sheep-age’ masses who actually believe men AND

women of science rather than unknown personas video

taping eerie messages in their basements about cryptic

things like ‘The Elite’ or ‘The Antichrist is about to rise.” I

do like these friends of mine, they’re entertaining, wild,

they remind me of when I believed in unicorns flying over

us while we slept. I need them, you see- I need fantastical,

believe in the different kind of people. I don’t think I’ve

liked them very much during all this however, ultimately

during a time of maximum stress, the ‘ might throw myself

out the window’ stress, I found myself wanting truth more

than anything. I wanted reality, a sit down and a voice

with all the answers. I wanted to breath, to take my kids

off on holiday without being too worried about the person

right next to us on the plane, or if the arm rest is stained

with someone’s residue of saliva and sweat. Things, I

confess- I never thought about before.

People say they’ve learned in 2020, they’ve found answers,

they’ve learned much about themselves, that it was the

year of reckoning or whatever. I would rather not list that

here because it has been listed everywhere and I’ve rolled

my eyes every time. I sit here as I write this, pondering this

insistent need for humans to ‘learn’ something- calamity

strikes and everyone is out to ‘learn’ something. I sit here

and take this painful year into my head, into my very

being and I suck it clear. I do not learn, I take, I grasp and

breath- Yes, in the year of Covid catastrophe I breath…

There is nothing other to be learnt here

This woman is happy to report that so called ‘Microchip’

hidden in vaccine is now injected in her left arm. Mild cold

feeling, no fever, a mere dull little dotty ache that is no

longer there while she writes this. Vaccinate, she urges

- Noor Al Noaimi

40


HOW 2020


CHANGED

POP CULTURE

IN THE MIDDLE EAST

WITH BARAA ABDULLA

When the world welcomed

the beginning of a new

decade with a blaze of

fireworks spanning from Burj

Khalifa in the UAE to the majestic

Opera house in Sydney Australia on

January 1, few could have imagined

what 2020 had in store.

In the last 12 months, the novel coronavirus – aka

COVID 19 as we have so fondly come to know it as,

has paralyzed economies, devastated communities and

confined nearly four billion people to their homes. It

has been a year that changed the world like no other

for at least a generation, possibly since World War II.

Setting aside the horrors of a pandemic, which need

absolutely no retelling here, we look to the future and

more specifically – to what 2020 has meant for pop

culture events in the Middle East.

The biggest conventions to be fortunate enough to

take place in 2020 were Kuwait Comic Con and Middle

East Film & Comic Con in Dubai (the fate of which was

undecided down to the last day) after which the world

went into a lockdown.

In terms of events, there were no events after

that for the remainder of the year. It wasn’t

just a short term situation. The sudden halt put

thousands out of business & lead to event companies

suffering massive losses or shutting down entirely.

The financial implications were the first to be felt, then

the psychological and emotional trauma followed which

takes longer to identify and is far more prolonged in

nature. One of the many effects of putting more than

half of the entire globes population under, what is

essentially, house arrest for their own well-being.

I lost half of my income because of the pandemic &

simultaneously felt like I lost a bit of myself. Being

an emcee is what I love to do the most so this really

took a toll on me. On the flip side, it showed we have

the strength to withhold & be patient during these

unprecedented times. It wasn’t easy then & it isn’t easy

now.

The golden question right now on everybody’s mind

is - what will pop culture events look like when they

eventually make a return and can we expect it anytime

soon. The short answer is a resounding - maybe.

At every convention there’s two sides of the aisle – the

consumers and the companies that sponsor these events.

The event organizer is essentially the middle man

responsible for putting it all together.


Pictured: Baraa Abdulla

Photo: @mia.shot

Event: Batcon Bahrain


41

What we’re seeing is a fundamental shift in the psyche of

parties on both sides of the aisle. By the time the current

COVID restrictions ease off, consumers or visitors of these

events will take another 2 or 3 months to cope with the

fact that its now okay to go back to these events. I don’t see

a full return this year but I may be wrong.

Things get even more messier on the other side of the aisle,

sponsors who are the lifeline of any event have realized

that Pop Culture events may not have been their best

return on investment (some of them, not all) and now see

social media and digital platforms a better return on

investment.

Companies are now focused on social media influencers,

digital platforms and content creators; whereas earlier

they saw the importance of a live stage

as being a matter of prestige, having

face time with their customers and

networking on the floor as they

thought it was the right thing to do.

But now that they’ve gone digital, they

can measure success by actual

numbers provided by the platform along with valuable

insights.

All this leads me to believe we won’t see a pre-pandemic

scale Pop Culture event anytime soon. Those who organize

it, would probably turn to e-sports or music events to reach

their intended audience.

Only the biggest & most established of pop culture events

in the region will continue moving forward.

That creates a bit of a void for content creators, artists and

even cosplayers. With events moving to a digital platform,

I’d recommend they invest in their online presence as well.

The top 3 platforms right now are Youtube, Tiktok and the

3rd is a toss between Instagram and other social platforms.

If you are a gamer or into e-sports, twitch and Youtube are

the future.

As for me, I’m focusing on content creation and getting

myself out there. I’m trying to meet as many people as I

can, learn from their mistakes as well as my own and get

involved in a rich variety of projects apart from gaming

and pop culture.

“ALL THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE WE WON’T

SEE A PRE-PANDEMIC SCALE POP CULTURE

EVENT ANYTIME SOON”

If there is a chance for me to host at a Pop Culture event

again, I’d go for it in a heartbeat. But for the time being, it’s

not my primary focus. Right now, the best thing for me to

do, and I’d recommend this for all the creatives out there, is

experiment and team up with different kinds of people to

explore your possibilities.


42


COSPLAY

Tutorial by: @iCosplay11z

Time to create Mikasa’s Cape, Emblem

and Scarf from Attack on Titan. In the

show the Scouting Legions wings of

freedom represents humanities fight

to survive, it also represents the groups

desire for freedom to leave the confines

of the wall.

TUTORIAL

As you can see the colors also carry

a meaning as the white emblem

represents the scouting legion and

the other represents the titans also

important to notice that the white is on

top given that humanity will triumph

in the end.

I believe the reason Mikasa wears a

red scarf is to show her progress and

change within herself personally,

and as someone who no longer needs

to fully depend on Eren. So, we can

hope during these tough times with

the distance and being away from our

loved ones, that this tutorial would

help remind us how we grew and

progressed mentally and emotionally

throughout the pandemic.

Let’ get into it!

STEP 1

We will start by searching & acquiring a

matte green Taffeta fabric as shown in

the image.


43

STEP 2

To figure out how much fabric you will need,

measure the cape and double the length since we

are going to fold it into two layers. Create cuts

from the top and bottom as shown in the images.


STEP 3

When we open the cape it should be as shown

below.


STEP 4

44

Use an old hood piece (mine is red) to

trace the new hood pattern & cut it

out. Finally pin up everything and do a

test fitting prior to stitching the hood

and cape on your mannequin or

yourself.



STEP 5

For the emblem on the cape, we will start

by using Inkjet Transfer Paper. One A4

sheet will not be big enough for a proper

sized emblem so you may need to use

multiple and split your design over them.

Print out your emblem and iron it on a

white fabric to transfer. I didn’t get good

results and the transfer paper was peeling

so I went in with markers and filled in the

blue until it was satisfactory.

45


STEP 6

Grab your marker or sharpie and start

outlining your beautiful wings of freedom

to give it a more animated feel, also helps

fix the mistakes we made earlier >.


STEP 7

46


Now pull out your sacrificial eye shadow

pallet and ask the beauty gods for

forgiveness (Goodbye NYX Pallet).

Fill out your emblem with

the blue eye shadow.

STEP 8

Use fabric glue and a roller to press the

emblem on to the cape. You’ve got

yourself your own wings of freedom!

STEP 9

For the scarf, we need a 2m long & 40cm wide dark red

Crepe fabric. Crepe is a great fabric for cosplay - it has a

dense texture, rich colors and is light weight.


STEP 10

Fold the fabric as shown in the photos, iron it

out so its smooth and pin it so it comes out

neat and perfect when we sow it up.


47

FINAL STEP

Flip it inside out and iron it again.

Next we will measure and cut the edges to create that

fringe kind of look. Voila your scarf is ready to rock a

Mikasa Cosplay.



48

Character: Ryoma - Fire Emblem

Cosplayer: @hesakura



49

With the 2020 lockdown and cancellation of every

major event in the region, it seemed like the end

of Cosplay. There was no hope outside closet

cosplaying within the confines of your home – limited to

the viewership of your mostly horrified family members

and pets. It seemed like nothing could motivate cosplayers

or support the cosplay community.

Two competitions came to light which managed to bring all

of us together again in the form of online events -

Cosplay Arabia’s Middle East Challenge and

Speedy Comics Con Dubai.

BY COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT: SUAD MAJID @XUEEDITS


@maanshaker

50


“I LIKED THE COMMUNITY

THAT I MET IN THE ZOOM

MEETING. NEW FRIENDS,

NEW COSPLAYERS, THAT

WAS FUN”

Here to give their views are:

@Snack._.Shack, @Samii_cosplay,

@Bloodragecosplay, @pendingwaifu,

@karmelacosplay, @noonz_alb,

@smolellie, @R9Props, @maanshaker,

@awesomeology, @hesakura,

@Seii.cosplay, @Sumicosplay and an

appearance by @yourbrojackie.

Q. Can you give us a statement on

your experience joining the online

cosplay competition(s)?

- Snack: I joined both online

competitions and honestly it was a

complete thrill to indulge and show off

our skills of crafting and cosplaying

even though we couldn’t go to any

cons like MEFCC, but I had so much

fun and watching others and myself

compete against one another and

show off their talents and surprisingly

win second runner up in the CAMEC

competition.

-Samii: Joining CAMEC and Speedy

Comics online cosplay competition

was really exciting and fun, that made

me think that anime cons and cosplay

competition don’t always have to be

outside, they can also be online as

well. We didn’t just stop because of

covid19, we did everything we love

from the safety of our homes & even

had judges from the world over.

-Bloodrage: CAMEC was my first

experience in online cosplay

competitions (sadly I didn’t have the

time to participate in Speedy Comics)

but CAMEC was a good idea and I

really appreciate it. I know how much

they worked for it, I mean it’s not

© @smolellie


-Smolellie: It was one of the best and

most fun experiences I’ve had in 2020

ever since the lockdown. Making the

panels and submitting the stuff was all

fun; judges, Baraa and Ibrahim were all

friendly and fun to interact with.

-R9P: CAMEC and Speedy Comics

were the smoothest competitions

I’ve entered, rules were simple,

requirements were simple, help was

always there on Instagram, many

categories to choose from which

allowed using previous cosplays rather

than making new ones during the

pandemic.

-Maan: I liked the community that I

met in the zoom meeting.New friends,

new cosplayers, that was fun.

51


easy to collect cosplayers from all

the Arab countries and working

with them... but it works!! The

meeting with the other cosplayers,

Rosemagpie and Ibrahim was pretty

cool. I had fun & I hope one day we

have the opportunity to meet each

other

@_breavo

Overall, it was a great experience

and I would definitely recommend

other people to join in the future.

-Noonz: It was a super exciting

experience. I missed cosplay

competitions & having cosplayers

gather (virtually) to do what they

-Awesomeology: I joined Speedy

comics’ online contest which was my

first official participation in an online

competition. I’ve always admired the

room for creativity when it comes to

online contests because you basically

have everything but a stage to perform

on, which may seem quiet odd for

traditional cosplayers but I think it’s a

fresh take that allows more skills to be

unleashed while creating the skit.

I entered the contest as Jafar from

Aladdin, modified my last cosplay

performance to a digital one andI

created my own set up with LED lights

and homemade fog *Smiles*

There was of course the help of my

friend Reem (@VanityToons) who

was my camera-man and director.

But yeah, eventually I ended up

winning the 1st place in the villains/

superheroes category. I wouldn’t say I

was surprised to win but I must say it

was overwhelming to finally land first

place.

-Pending Waifu: Well, it was

my first cosplay competition ever

actually! and being virtual got

me really engaged in creating an

immersive feel to my cosplay. I really

wanted to give it my all and it was

just such a great experience!

-Karmela: CAMEC’s online

competition was definitely a new

experience for me, with our current

situation I believe these competitions

still helped me build and improve my

skills in cosplay and photography!

“MAKING THE PANELS AND SUBMITTING

THE STUFF WAS ALL FUN; JUDGES, BARAA

AND IBRAHIM WERE ALL FRIENDLY AND

FUN TO INTERACT WITH”

love & enjoy was exactly what I

needed at times like these. Also,

everyone who managed this

competition was super friendly,

understanding & helpful. I could

really tell that they appreciated the

art in cosplay.

-Hesakura and Seii: CAMEC was our

first online competition in the middle

east. It was a very thrilling and exciting

experience being able to compete with

various talents across the middle east

from the comfort of our home. The

variety of categories offered for the


@karmelacosplay


52

competition was what drove us

to believe it is unique and worth

a try. It definitely brought us

closer to people than live stage

cons where you just perform

and leave when you’re done. We

personally think having everyone

in one place and being able to

interact with all of them at the

same time while supporting and

enjoying each other’s entry is truly

heartwarming. Holding onto that

happy feeling, we soon proceeded

with speedycomics entry for

more joyful moments with the

community.

-Sumi: It was interesting and

exciting, due to the fact that it was

mysterious, who is competing?

What did they choose as their

entry cosplay? What is their skit

about? You would only find that

out the day of the showcase! And

that is why it was fun.

-Samii: I mainly choose the

cosplays I loved the most, for

example at CAMEC I went as

Yuichi from Seraph of The End

which is one of my favorite

cosplays, and for Speedy Comics

I went as Izuku Midoriya, that

character is my comfort character

to cosplay. For backup I was going

to cosplay Sora from Kingdom

Hearts.

-Bloodrage: When I checked

the competition’s categories the

only one that I have the right to

participate in was the exhibition

category. So I decided to participate

with Warring Kingdom Garen

cosplay because I have so many

cool pictures with it which shows

all the details. I’m a League of

Legends fan!

Q. How did you decide the

cosplayer you would work with

for the competition(s) and did you

have any backups?

-Snack: Since I’ve been

cosplaying for about 2 years now

it’s only a small amount but it

was based on whether people

have already seen me do it or

haven’t yet. So, it was a process of

elimination.

CAMEC

-Pending Waifu: I

got to know about the

competition a week

before the deadline so

unfortunately, I didn’t

have a backup!! Being

a hardcore gamer, I

really wanted to cosplay

Pyramid Head for so long

and when I saw that there

was a gaming category, I

just jumped right into it

and made the cosplay in 5

all-nighters, which with

studies was actually very

tiring but I really wanted

to give it my all!

-Karmela: I chose

my cosplays based on


CAMEC


53

@ ahmedzekri97

@snacc._.shack

© enforcerchannel

my interests during

that time. BNHA was a

popular anime and I took

my inspiration from my

favorite characters! And

Yes, I did have backup

cosplays as well but my

online followings help

decide for me.

-Noonz: My friend (Light)

& I wanted to cosplay the

Monster inc. versions of

Sora & Donald for so long.

this competition was the

perfect chance to show

everyone the completed

cosplays. We actually

didn’t work on a backup.


54


Cosplayer: @m7cosplay

Photo: @ashwinsushil



55

Cosplayer: @tehkira

Photo: @ayzrocks_world

56



BATMAN_DXB

-Smolellie: For CAMEC I used my Dabi cosplay on one

of my friends for

a photography

session to join in

the Best Cosplay

Photography

category and @

majed_cosplay

// Majed

AlAkandari’s pictures that were completely edited

by me (Prince Lorian from Dark Souls 3) with his

permission of course! ^_^

SAMII_COSPLAY

-Awesomeology: When I looked up the categories and saw the

Villains/Superheroes I immediately knew what I was going to

do. Jafar is one my

“NOTHING BEATS THE CHEERS OF THE

CROWD IN REAL LIFE & THE EXCITEMENT

OF MEETING YOUR COSPLAY BUDDIES AT A

CON”

-R9P: I chose the cosplays based on the category, I had

Thor and the rest as backup, Thor did it at the end.

I’m worthy!

-Maan: No one in Egypt made Rakan and Xayah

together so i decided to be the first one making this

cosplay.

favorite cosplays

that I have done

and I only got to

showcase it once

at MEFCC so I

definitely wanted to

bring him back in

one way or another.

-Hesakura and Seii: Seii and I believe that having enough

knowledge and understanding about the character, contributes

in its accurate portrayal, thus we try to pick what we mutually

love and relate to. Since CAMEC was a competition across

the middle east, we thought that selecting a design that can

showcase our skills in different areas of crafting was essential.

Our plan B was to use an old cosplay that we haven’t brought

to stage yet. Later we were able to do so at SpeedyComics’

competition.

Cosplayer: @bloodragecosplay


-Sumi: First of all, as we know

there were 3 categories presented

in the cosplay competition, which

were: Super Heroes/ Villains,

Anime and Video Games.

I have prepared cosplays for

all of these categories, which

brings us to our second thought

- I thought in order to be fair, In

order to be fair I would compete

with a cosplay that I have yet

to use. Also thought of the

character to use which would

have a skit that made sense.

Lastly I choose a character that

I have been meaning to make a

skit for, this competition basically

made that possible!

Q. Would you like to see more

online competitions done in the

Middle East or would you prefer

going to a live audience one?

- Jackie: I really dislike online

competitions *Laughs* I love

performing to a live audience

and despite online competition

having their own charm to them

there’s something different about

live competitions and the thrill

they give you.

-Pending Waifu: To be

completely honest either is just

amazing, I would love for more

competitions to take place.

-Noonz: The truth is live

audience is truly the best

experience. Nothing beats the

cheers of the crowd in real life &

the excitement of meeting your

cosplay buddies at a con. But

still online has so many benefits,

our props were safe at home, we

could do cool videos & edit them in a way

that makes it more game/anime/movie

like, so in short.. yes, I’d like it if online

competitions kept going.

-Smolellie: Of course, I’d want more

online competitions done in the middle

east, even though live audience ones

include a lot of serotonin and life but I

would never say no to online ones!

-R9P: Online competitions are much

better than physical ones, they make the

cost less for the organizers, which means

event contents will be better because

more spent on it, social distancing

ofcourse and most importantly people

can participate from other countries!

-Maan: Actually both, but since corona

virus has another idea...

-Awesomeology: I’m a stage and audience

kind of guy. I feel the most alive when

I step foot on the ashy hardwood stage

floor as I sense the warmth of the stage

light and see nothing but a crowd in

front of me. But as I said I am admiring

the creativity that goes into the digital

performances, so as long we’re in

a pandemic I don’t mind the online

competitions, they’re fun to watch.

57


Cosplayer: @mitch0983

-Hesakura and Seii: There is no doubt

that live competitions offer a more

wholesome experience, but online ones

are also convenient, safe, cost effective

and offer the luxury of watching our own

performance while competing.

-Sumi: I prefer Live, due to my

experiences competing in international

cosplay competitions, I feel live has more

on point judging and evaluating which is

not possible online.

Cosplayer: @seii.cos

Arabia • january 2021

Night Life • december 2014

Cosplay

58

Cosplay Arabia Night • Life january • december 2021 2014

ROSE

MAGPIE

You may know her as the

incredible Hawks or as

“Angel” from

#BNHAunited. We know her

as a strong advocate against

bullying and racism who has a

heart of gold.

Q. Hi Rose! It’s been a while since

we last saw you at CAMEC – how

have you been since & what plans

for 2021?

Hi guys! so the end of 2020 was

quiet big actually, I ended up hoping

over to the Netherlands to self

isolate with Sakura and make a load

of content with her while planning

our future business endeavors. For

2021 I’m going to be improving on

areas where I see myself as weak in

with a special focus on increasing

production value, getting myself a

proper camera and lighting setup

opposed to just using my phone,

learning how to edit videos more

and produce high quality content.

I’d like to start expanding and

eventually get to the stage where I

can move to the Netherlands with

my family and go work over there

with Sakura on a full time basis.

Q. That sounds fantastic! The

fact that you are setting up your

own studio to produce content, is

that a necessity now due to the

pandemic as we’re seeing with a

lot of cosplayers in this part of the

world as well, or was it something

you had always planned for?

Well I do have a photographer

friend but she works a lot and I

always feel very rude & intrusive

to ask because she gets only one or

two days off in a week.

My husband on the other hand

can’t take pictures for crap and I

am too lazy to leave the house so I

figured if I can just do it all myself

and it doesn’t go well, I only have

myself to blame (laughs) – So I

guess I’ve always planned for it

but I would prefer to work with

a photographer who can get the

framing and angles right.

It’s a lot easier with a photographer

there but doing it yourself also

gives you the chance to practice

poses so when you are working

with a photographer at a later date,

it gets easier.


59


“WHAT WE NEED

TO BE DOING

INSTEAD IS

WORKING ON

BEING THE BEST

VERSION OF

OURSELVES”

Q. True, very true. Speaking of shooting your own videos and pictures, what did you think about the Middle

Eastern contestants at CAMEC who, for the most part, shot & edited their own content?

Honestly I was super impressed! I’ve been to a lot of conventions and seen a lot of costumes but it was really nice

to actually get to talk to everyone and find out just how much is done and the time frame it takes. Then there were

times where I was like wow that looks amazing the photographer must be really good and then they go “oh I did all

that myself” and I’m like what? (laughs)

The standard at which the work was done at is just really impressive and it’s inspired me to work hard as well!


60


“ I WASN’T

REALLY AWARE

OF THE COSPLAY

SCENE IN

THE MIDDLE

EAST BEFORE

I STARTED

WORKING WITH

YOU GUYS,

WHICH I’M GLAD

I DID”

© @steve9935



61

© @shootingcosplayers

Q. Is there anyone who’s work really stood out to you

from the competition?

I think the main one that really stood out for me was

Osama! I really liked his work and he is a really nice

person. His humor is completely on point with the amount

of work and the level of detail he puts in was just mind

boggling to me. I wasn’t really aware of the Cosplay scene

in the Middle East before I started working with you guys

which I’m glad I did, I feel like I’ve expanded my horizons a

little bit on that.

Q. If you had one bit of advice to give out to cosplayers,

what would it be?

I think the biggest thing we as a community do, is we

compare ourselves to other people all the time. We look up

to other people especially when we’re younger; you look up

to someone and want to be just like them when you get

older.

As fun and harmless as that seems, it can be really

damaging mentally. What we need to be doing instead is

working on being the best version of ourselves. Because if

we’re constantly comparing ourselves to someone, they’re

always going to be the best version of themselves. We are

not going to be able to attain that ever, its an unachievable

goal because we just can’t be them.

But the same applies to us, no one else can be what we can

be and that’s something we need to be striving towards.

The only person you should be comparing yourself to is

your past self.

Q. What are your thoughts on CAMEC, any suggestions

for us?

Honestly this was my first time doing something like this

and I really loved it! It felt relaxed while also being very

organized, so it felt really homely and the whole

community came together to watch the live which isn’t

necessarily something that would happen when COVID is

over so it was a very good way of dealing with it and it was

amazing to see everyone’s interaction and to sit and watch

it all, I really enjoyed it. Don’t have any suggestions really

or anything negative to say.

Q. You have the cutest pins and accessories on your etsy

store! give us some updates on how that’s going for you?

I have a new website where I sell my stuff now at

www.rosemagpie.com. I have Hawks, Dabi, Shinso and

some other stuff like that. I’m also on Patreon where

patrons get a print and new sticker every month. Every

new holiday like Valentines, Christmas, New Year, etc. I

add a new sticker to my store and we plan all new merch

twice a year.

QUICK CONNECT

instagram.com/rosemagpie

tiktok.com/@rosemagpie

youtube: @RoseMagpie

Arabia • january 2021


Cosplay

62

Cosplay Arabia Night • Life january • december 2021 2014

de ware,

de liefde

SAKU

Our overseas feature is none other than the lovely Dutch

cosplayer Sakuraflor! She’s working hard to make cosplay

mainstream and has found tremendous success on TikTok.

INTERVIEW: IBRAHIM ANSARI || PHOTOGRAPHY: BRAKECO & KEVIN JEUKENS

T

here are those who just want to

make everyone’s day. Who love

humanity! who make your joy

their own. Such people provoke

emotions so strong, you can’t

help falling in love with their refreshing

attitude on life. We first spoke with Saku

early last year after being referred to by

Baraa Abdulla as an insanely talented

and hard working individual, who also

happens to be an absolute delight. Saku

has been to several countries in the

Middle East including Egypt and Saudi

Arabia. The travel ban last year saw her

dedicate even more time to her online

platforms and production of cinematic

videos; even starting her own fandom with

#BNHAunited.


Cosplay Arabia • Cosplay Arabia • january 2021 Night Life january • december 2021 2014

63

Q. You currently host Dutch comic con, craft your own

cosplays, produce several CMV’s, have over 300

unpublished TikTok videos waiting in line for your

nearly 670k followers and just recorded rap vocals for a

track with @furysofoxy. At this point are opportunities

just pouring in or do you still have to actively seek them

out and do you remember what sleep is?

When you put all of it in one sentence like that it sounds

so crazy, haha. Honestly ever since corona I thought I

wouldn’t be as busy as I was before, but boooooy was I

wrong. I have taken the time we are in Lockdown to

really rediscover myself. Work on projects that I didn’t

have time for before. And do the things that bring me and

others around me joy. I was lucky enough to do these

things and be able to make an earning model out of it at

the same time.

I’m always open to new opportunities that may cross my

path & welcome them with open arms, but I really took

the past year to work on things that I wanted to do. By

doing that you really radiate your joy to others, and we all

know that positivity is much needed in these times! The

downside is that I have too many ideas and projects XD so

to answer your last question, sleep has become unknown

to me haha. But I try not to forget to eat and make sure I

include my friends in all of my madness!


64


“The kindness

and love I receive

motivates me so

much and knowing

what I do can mean

something to them

in these difficult

times, gives me

unlimited amounts

of energy!”

©Kevin Jeukens


Q. We have to ask, how do you avoid burn out both from

a content creators point of view as well as just physically/

psychologically? I have writers block after 2 emails!

big. Over 200 original characters have joined our journey on

TikTok and it has brought so many people together. The story

is still ongoing and will be for at least one more year!

This, is such an important and honestly difficult question to

answer. I feel like with the amount of things that I’ve been

doing but also with all that has happened in the past year, I

should have already had a burn down. And I won’t lie, it is

very hard because I often push passed my boundaries and

that causes me to then have to take a few days off just to sleep

and recover. It’s not a healthy lifestyle and that’s something

that I hope to work on this upcoming year.

Having said that, my work gives me so much joy! I mean

I already have a looooot of energy but next to that I have

amazing followers who just bring me so much happiness

every single day. The kindness and love I receive motivates

me so much and knowing that what I do can mean something

to them in these difficult times, gives me unlimited amounts

of energy!

As far as writers blocks and such… I have too many ideas, the

day I run out of ideas will be the day I die XD

Q. You actively promote and create content for the popular

hashtag #BNHAunited, tell us what that’s all about.

Oh I love this question!! So BNHAunited was the first “Self”

Project I did last year. I had always wanted to create an

original character that I could relate with. And so “Gl!tch”

came to existence. I had thought out this whole plot and

went with it to Rosemagpie, who then freaked out with me

and helped me turn this into an Universe adding in her own

original character “Angel” as well. We started it off just for fun

but giving the opportunity for others to join in if they wanted.

Never had we ever expected for it to turn into something this

Q. Since you create content across several platforms from

tiktok, Instagram, YouTube to twitch & others – which 3

platforms would you recommend for cosplayers and why?

So it really depends on what kind of content you create. If

you are a crafter and want to show others how to craft, I

would recommend Twitch and Youtube. I myself am mostly

active on Instagram and Tiktok at the moment. The reason

being that TikTok for me is a platform that allows me to be

a storyteller, like im doing with BNHAUnited. It also easily

connects people and I love that. Instagram is more like a

portfolio of what I’ve done and made.

Q. Switching gears, lets talk CAMEC. How was your overall

experience from talking and interacting with cosplayers

to finally watching the premiere together with the

community?

It was amazing! I loved the energy of all the people involved,

not just the cosplayers, but also the people behind the scenes.

We are all going through difficult times and CAMEC had

this fun and positive energy that we all needed. It was also

amazing to see how creative people got when they weren’t

able to get the things they would normally use for cosplay

because of COVID. So all in all it was so much fun!

Q. Lastly, what does 2021 look like for Saku? Any upcoming

projects we should know about?

65


Honestly 2021 will be even crazier than last year. Projects

will keep popping up and I won’t stop spreading as much

happiness as I can!

To be honest though I don’t know what exactly will happen

since I’m just going to live this year to the best I can enjoying

all the little things!

As for projects, we will continue BNHA United as well as

DemonsPact! Lots of crazy things happening for both those

projects! Next to that VXN will come to exist! This is still a

little bit of a secret so I’d say, stay tuned to my socials! And

probably my crazy brain will come up with many other crazy

projects but I’ll keep you informed about those as they come

haha!

©brakeco_

Either way I just hope that regardless of how this year will

go, I will still be

able to spread

QUICK CONNECT

positivity and

motivate others instagram.com/sakuraflorr

just how they

tiktok.com/@sakuraflor

motivate me!


66


QUIZZ

WITH

Happy new year!

Which of these 2020 quarantine

personalities are you?

Shoot! the government is going on lockdown for two

weeks, school/work is masks on and social distancing.

What do you do?

a- Netflix and snacks.

b- Good time to reorganize your messed up closet.

c- Great time to get into shape with a Chloe Ting!

d- PANIC NOOOOOO MY LIFE IS OVER!

CORNER

HANEEN

ALFARWAN

Lockdown turned into early curfew. Karen and Kyle,

the Maskless crusaders, jump your car for parking in

their spot, aka - any public parking they please.

How do you react?

a- Lol, still at home - laughing at Karen/Kyle memes!

b- Sprays Karen/Kyle with isopropyl alcohol and

yeet! cant catch the Karen/Kyle flu X(

c- Hands Karen/Kyle spare mask and tell them to

namaste the negativity away.

d- Oh yea this is gonna blow up my tiktok #karen

#kyle #masklesscrusaders

The quarantine blues are kicking in,

how do you stay sane?

a- Still Netflix, now upgraded with a blanket fortress.

b- Time to clean up the entire house. Hmm I should

be on that show “get organized”

c- Some lite yoga and meditation, and than a nice

lavender bubble bath.

d- OH MY GOD WE ARE GOING TO DIE! THIS IS

THE END!

The lockdown is over! We’re going out responsibly, still

wearing masks and social distancing. How do you feel?

a- Outside? What is outside? What year is it? Is this

the real life or is it just a fanta-sea XD

b- I can go outside? time to start gardening and

bringing life to my organized home.

c- Yes!! I’ve got my running shoes and a matcha latte

for after my run #fitnessinfluencer #health

#brandssponsorme

d- AT LAST IM FREEEEEEE where are my buddies at?

Let’s get together and jump around coz no hugs.

RESULTS

Mostly A

Cool as a cucumber, you more chill than an ice cube bruh, the

quarantine life got you in a state of happiness.

Oops, the virus is apparently spreading rapidly and the

lockdown extended.

a- My blanket fortress now has loyal cat guards!

b- House and closet organized, hmm - time to repaint

and refurbish?

c- Zoom called all my friends and family, shared my

newfound health routine sending positive vibes!

d- *Que sad music* I had a dream my life would be so

different than this HELL IM LIVING SO DIFFERENT

NOW THAN WHAT IT SEEEEEEEMS

Mostly B

Hard working quarantine blues?! Never heard of her. You keep

slaying and you keep being productive boo boo.

Mostly C

Queen/king of self love

The quarantine ain't got nothing on you. Built a happy routine,

stayed healthy and developed good habits.

Mostly D

The free bird.

Super adventurous and extroverted, the quarantine blues really

hit hard, but once you see the light, it ignites your soul and you

flourish babes. Time to hit the beach for some sun and fun.


10 Signs

you are a real

Otaku!

Here are some signs that you are a real Otaku at

heart

68



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