Baltics 🇪🇪 🇱🇻 🇱🇹

Visual Aya (solo): Hello! I’m Visual Aya,  I’m 29 years old, born and raised in Lithuania. I’ve been cosplaying since 2008 and I have previously represented Lithuania in CWM in 2019 and NCC in 2018 and 2022. My real name is Darja, I work as an AML (Anti-Money Laundering) specialist, but my real work starts after 17:00 which includes crafting, designing and jigsaw puzzles. I also love flying with airplanes, so I’m really excited to fly again, visit Spain and join ICL!

Bombeshe (duo): Hello! I’m Bombeshe, but you can also use my real name Matilda. I’m a 19-year-old cosplayer from Estonia and been cosplaying since 2021. Since my first cosplay competition in 2022 I have grown to love competing and also been awarded several times. I have been a dancer since childhood and I adore performing, which is also one of the reasons I’m always excited to participate in cosplay competitions!

Klean (duo): Hello! My name is Kai but in the cosplay world I’m mostly known under the stage name Klean. I’m 19 years old and one half of the Baltic duo! I have been cosplaying for 6 years but actually competing in cosplay for the last year and a half! I have won several awards at conventions across the Baltics. I love the Baltic con culture and I’m really excited to see what’s it like competing outside of my usual comfort zone!

How did you discover cosplay and what made you start in this hobby? How long ago?

Visual Aya (solo): The way I discovered cosplay was a pretty funny story. Back in 2008, the only anime shows available on TV were ‘Shaman King’, ‘Sailor Moon’, ‘Dragon Ball Z’, ‘Pokemon’ and ‘Naruto’. I had a restricted internet time due to my loving but very strict parents, and we did not have any cosplay competitions near the capital, so the concept of cosplay was very alien to me. I had a friend in the music school who knew more than me and introduced me to cosplay and how it works. In the same year, a first convention was organized at our city center, so we have decided to go and try cosplaying as characters from ‘Naruto’, she was Sakura and I was TenTen. We dug our closets, hit the second-hand shops, and here we were, Naruto-running through the old city streets. The convention was more like a meet-up, it was eye-opening that there were people just like me, there is still a video on YouTube of very angry old people that talked about how unpatriotic the cosplayers are. I was grounded for a month (I was 13), but it did not stop me from creating the costumes and representing the characters I love.

Bombeshe (duo): I had actually attended several conventions before being a cosplayer or even knowing much about it, I just loved the atmosphere and it kept bringing me back. I had some friends who were cosplayers and I started getting closer to them just before a con in summer 2021, where I watched a cosplay competition for the first time. I had a culture shock watching it and realized that with cosplay, there are pretty much no limits and I could express myself through it however I wanted. After that con, I grew really close to my cosplayer friends, as well as new people that I met. I was a bit nervous to start cosplaying, because I thought it wouldn’t be for me or I wouldn’t be “good enough”, but I tried it out and, with the support of my friends and other cosplayers, realized quickly that all the fears I had were irrational and that there really are no rules or limits with cosplay.

Klean (duo): I discovered cosplay 6 years ago when my friend invited me to my first convention! I felt like the people cosplaying there were having the most fun and I felt like I wanted to be a part of this new and interesting community!

What does cosplay mean for you? And what is your favorite part of the hobby?

Visual Aya (solo): For me, cosplay is a way to unleash the bottled up creativity and to learn something new. It’s also like a mini vacation from my daily life, in someone else’s body after putting the costume on. My favorite part of cosplay is the creation of the costume itself because it’s never a straight line, it’s more of a maze, but with the little rewards of knowledge while you’re trying to find the exit. It’s always fun to find something new while I’m crafting and implement the knowledge in the process. Without the cosplay, I would have never learned how to sew, knit, crochet, make swords, jewelry,how much I love the stage, would have never known which funky hair color and hair length fits my face the best, how I’m almost 30 and still can pull off an all-nighter, wouldn’t have traveled this much and I would still have been introverted to the point of being afraid to talk at all.

Bombeshe (duo): I wouldn’t say that it’s a way to escape reality, but rather a way to experience things that I couldn’t in my daily life. For example, cosplay has given me the opportunity to meet so many amazing people, some of who I now consider my closest friends, to be closer to the characters and sources I love, to express myself and my creativity and to receive recognition and love for that. My favourite part of cosplaying has got to be performing. From the process of developing an idea and creating a performance to getting on stage in front of fellow cosplayers, I love every part of it.

Klean (duo): Cosplay means many things to me but the first thing that comes to mind is definitely family! In the last few years the Estonian cosplay scene has developed rapidly and I am so grateful that I can organize cosplay projects, photoshoots and performances with ease thanks to our inspiring and open community. The people really make this hobby what it is for me.

What changes do you see in the cosplay community in your country compared to when you started?

Visual Aya (solo): When I started, there weren’t many cosplayers, we were just a small bunch of nerds who liked to dress ‘interestingly’ as other people would say. We did not know any fancy materials (worbla, EVA foam), our costumes did not see any LED lights until 2011, so the creativity was over the roof and we were a close-knit community. Nowadays, the cosplay community here has grown, we are united by conventions and a Discord channel, but with the easy access to the internet, costume stores and specialized cosplay stores, the young generation tends to avoid crafting and rather buys the costumes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against it, but as someone who has been in this community for over 15 years and had to make props from paper and yoga mats, it’s rather disheartening to see the youngsters take the easy way. Life is not that easy either, so taking the hard steps even in your hobbies from when you’re young really builds you as a person and prepares you for future hardships.

Bombeshe (duo): In Estonia, the cosplay community has become a lot more unified and closer to each other, which I’m very happy to see! We are a small country, so everyone knows everyone and whenever you need advice, assistance or just a wig or a tool, you can be sure you’ll get it from a fellow cosplayer. There are also a lot more events and activities for cosplayers compared to 2021. Estonian cosplayers and Baltic cosplayers in general are super talented and it has really started to show within the recent years! I’m very proud and happy to be part of this community and it’s an insanely big honor to represent it!

Klean (duo): Since I started near the start of the awful pandemic the community basically collapsed. But ever since everything opened up again the Estonian cosplay community has really blossomed. So many new organizations and people have popped up that have really developed the community and motivated cosplayers to do even bigger and better projects!

Why did you choose that project for the ICL national selection? Is this your first time joining an international cosplay competition?

Visual Aya (solo): High Noon Leona was the costume I have won the national selections with, but it wasn’t really the costume I have chosen for the national selection, I just wanted to be the strong and fabulous woman again and hit the stage, really. I have worn the costume in the Comic Con Baltics and I loved how I felt in it, so I have decided to simply compete in another con with it. Winning the nationals was a huge shock, I was hoping for a 1st place in Solo category at best, but this was a late Christmas present that I will not forget. I have participated at the international competitions before, I was the first Lithuanian representative at NCC in Sweden in 2018, where I was an observing nation there (not competing, just performance), then I flew to Lisbon in 2019 to participate in CWM, then returned as a full-fledged participant back to Sweden’s NCC in 2022. I am glad that I can add another international competition to my list!

Bombeshe (duo): Astrid appealed to me because of the different materials and techniques I could use, as well as, of course, childhood nostalgia and love for the character and source. I’m fond of little details in costumes and getting creative with them to make the cosplay my own, as well as finding ways to tackle seemingly difficult costume parts that don’t make any sense. Astrid seemed like a fun creative process, and she was! It was also a practical choice, because the costume is really warm and the national selections took place in Latvia during the high time of winter. This is both of our first experience joining an international competition, as well as our first time even trying out for a national selection!

Klean (duo): I chose Hiccup because he has been my dream project for years now. I felt like if I will compete internationally with something and have to put so much effort into a cosplay then it has to be a character I love and can never get tired of looking at! The effort paid off and now I’m competing in an international competition for the first time so I get to spend even more hours tinkering on my dream cosplay project!

What do you expect from your visit to Spain? Is this your first time visiting the country? 

Visual Aya (solo): I have never been to Spain before. I really want to taste the Spanish cuisine, and most importantly, have a bite of real churros. I would also love to see an old town and all the architecture that’s in it. I do hope it’s not too hot in there in September. 😀

Bombeshe (duo): I have visited Spain twice before and I loved both times, so I’m really excited to go there again! I’m a bit scared of how warm it’ll be, because as someone from Northern Europe, I might boil to death in cosplay, but regardless, I can’t wait! I’ve also not visited Madrid before, so I’m looking forward to exploring a new city.

Klean (duo):  This is my first time in Spain!! I am a huge culture nerd so I’m really excited to see the cultural side of the country. Being on the other side of Europe, I’m excited to bask in the warm sun and enjoy a proper spicy meal unlike the bland food I’m used to eating!

Have you decided your project for the finals in Madrid? May you give us a clue? 

Visual Aya (solo): My project was decided a pretty long time ago along with 6 other options, but was locked in after a certain artist was invited to the Japan Weekend. The clues are: artbook, narcissus flower, red velvet.

Bombeshe (duo): We are cosplaying the same characters as in the national selections, so I’m going to be Astrid. However, I’m going to be remake a huge portion of the costume and try out some more techniques to make sure I’m 100% satisfied with it, so there is still something new to look forward to! For the catwalk, similarly to our performance cosplays, the clue is childhood nostalgia.

Klean (duo): Yes! I am once again competing with Hiccup but me and my partner are bringing another nostalgic duo for the catwalk! Only hint that I can give is that my character doesn’t find life worth living if he can’t be beautiful.

Describe the cosplay community in your country using five words.

Visual Aya (solo): Growing, creative, speaks 3 languages

Bombeshe (duo): Inspiring, talented, lively, familiar, helpful

Klean (duo): Evolving, spectacular, memorable, inspiring and beautiful.

Link to your Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter (add other social media if relevant):

Visual Aya (solo): @Visual_Aya

Bombeshe (duo): My Instagram is @bombeshe and my Facebook is matilda.liise.areda

Klean (duo): @klean.cosplay

Visual Aya, Bombeshe and Klean were selected at UniCon Latvia