Switzerland 🇨🇭
Tanysa (solo): Hi, My name is Gaëlle and I am 37 years old. I am a mother of two children. My stage name is Tanysa and I’ve been cosplaying since 2012. I have already represented my country at L’ECG solo and duo, L’EC 2 times, Le GEK, during the covid, we took part in the WCS video contest and recently the E2C where I finished in second position. I am a crafts teacher and, my passions apart from Cosplay? Enjoy life to have no regrets!
Shoyaco and Lubnao (duo): Hi, we are Shoyaco and Lubnao, but our real names are Lisa and Naomi. We are both 23 years old! Shoyaco has been cosplaying since 2016 and has won different local prizes in Switzerland! She is currently doing a master’s degree in biology and more specifically in animal cognition. Working with reptile by day and making costumes by night is truly the perfect recipe to get me happy!
Lubnao has been cosplaying since 2020 and her costume for the ICL selection is only her second one. She is a student photographer. She loves traveling and discovering new things, so coming to Madrid is a perfect opportunity for her.
We are both looking forward to travel to Spain, compete in this lovely country and get to know all the different teams. We already know this experience is going to be absolutely priceless and even more as we can share it as best friends! (Shoyaco & Lubnao)
How did you discover cosplay and what made you start in this hobby? How long ago?
Tanysa: I loved seeing the cosplayers on stage and once I gave a negative judgment on one of them and I said to myself we don’t judge if we don’t know. 2 months later, I was doing my first scene and my perspective changed on the work that people do and I admire the work that it takes whether you are a novice or a pro.
Shoyaco: For me, I have always been quite interested in the pop culture world, from anime and manga to comics and even video games. The first time I went to a con and saw a bunch of people with the clothes of my favorite licenses, I immediately knew I had to try it, it has almost been 10 years since I discovered the meaning of cosplay.
Lubnao: I discovered the cosplay world thanks to Shoyaco, I followed her cosplay journey by doing photoshoot of her in almost each of the costume she created, so we can say that we grew in that community together even if it was from two different point of view, one from behind the camera and the other posing for it. I wanted to start cosplaying along her side, so we tried to find a cosplay in common to make. I knew about cosplay for a long time, maybe at the same time as Shoyaco, but really got into it in 2020.
Why did you choose that project for the ICL national selection? Is this your first time joining an international cosplay competition?
Tanysa: I chose this costume because I like the Blizzard universe and this skin clearly inspired me when I saw it. Because this contest is 100% based on the costume, I was able to let myself go on a less practical project than if I had to run everywhere! No, I have already done several international competitions.
Shoyaco and Lubnao: First of all, we chose something from League of Legends because it was a game we both play, and we even got to pick our mains since there is a skin line that just came out with both of those character, plus how can we say no to cute maids ready serving glitter and sparkle and ready to battle? We wanted to cosplay characters that were close to our morphology, with similar size and that act close to the way we do. But the most important part about choosing them was so that we could be able to give joy to the public, including them even if they are not a League of Legends player.
It is our first time coming to represent Switzerland in the ICL costume contest, and we will do our absolute best for you to have a good time having us!
What does cosplay mean for you? And what is your favorite part of the hobby?
Tanysa: For me cosplay is a way to let off steam. When I lost my father, I was happy to find refuge in cosplay. I can also show my students materials that I would never have touched before practicing this hobby. My favorite part is the beginning of the project, I have a crazy motivation and I like to see the evolution of my costume.
Shoyaco and Lubnao: Cosplay is that type of hobby that can group all kinds of skills but also all kinds of emotions, for me it really has been a roller coaster. At first, you are kind of scared because you see people in front of you that have jumped on the bandwagon a long time ago and they are used to the techniques, critiques and they can even say that they have been on several amusement parc. It’s true that I’ve been looking up, for all my life and to these days, to the wonderful people that made me fall in love with cosplay. With every new contest I knew seeing these amazing contestants that I wanted to be part of their groups and get to know them through the experiment they gained from all those years. I finally stepped into this world of skits, and I am not ready to let it go now that I’m sure roller coasters don’t scare me anymore. I think we are lucky to be able to show your character you’re impersonating on stage, but the beginning stage where you actually have to create the whole costume is my personal favorite, because I love to solve problems, craft and finally see that everything works once I finally put the costume on. (Shoyaco)
I love choosing a cosplay with already a skit in mind. I think trying to create a story that can speak to everyone and that let us have fun is my main motivation. I love to know what people think and what I could be better in it. Of course, I love creating a cosplay and to sew, but for now, I’m still a beginner, so I love each thing I can learn. Doing it with my best friend and mentor is the best part. (Lubnao)
How did the pandemic affect your motivation and project for the selections?
Tanysa: Well I took advantage of making bigger costumes. My motivation has remained the same!
Shoyaco and Lubnao: It was quite a weird feeling to get to stay at home, events were shutting down one after the other, and they all got canceled for two years. And this was the hardest part for me, not to be able to “rush” a costume because of a deadline ended up leaving me with a whole lot of unfinished projects. As for the ICL selection project, I started it at the end of 2021, but for a long time I didn’t even think about it, I just left it somewhere trying to get the better of quarantine without losing my mind. But let me tell you that I jumped on the occasion when cons were back and took a whole year to finish the project properly. (Shoyaco)
I started my costume at the end of the pandemic, this is why I could not see a difference. (Lubnao)
Do you think cosplay is changing since the pandemic? Why and how?
Tanysa: Mmmm hard to say. There are people who have taken advantage of quitting because they have discovered other hobbies. Motivation has gone down for sure. Some competitions were afraid that there would be fewer people and therefore opened up new categories. Our competitions in Switzerland are always well filled and by new talents, so it’s great!
Shoyaco and Lubnao: We think we can all say that there was a before and an after. Mostly because life got in the way for a lot of people and the regular cosplayers started to leave the community. We feel like the online community exploded though, with TikTok and every other platform, there is a whole new community that were able to share content from home because of the restriction, and it sticked. But there is also a part of the pandemic that made us all a bit less motivated and hyped to work on projects, and even more groups and duos who couldn’t hang out like they used to do to work on cosplay. (Shoyaco & Lubnao)
What do you expect from your visit to Spain? Is this your first time visiting the country?
Tanysa: I go every year to Peñiscola, so I often go to Spain 😊 But I still don’t speak Spanish or English^^. My expectations… Eating well :p
Shoyaco and Lubnao: When I was a child, every Summer we went on holidays in Spain, but mostly close to the coast and this is way getting to go back is so nostalgic for me, I really like this country and would love to discover new things about it. It’s funny because this year has been the first time I went to Madrid, I had to chance to spend a day there only to go to a shopping mall because of a connecting flight that got canceled. I hope I’ll get to see more of it, but also to get to know the Spanish people! (Shoyaco)
I’m half Spanish from Madrid, I do not speak it very well, but I’m so happy to have the possibility to come back and see this city in a different way. I’m glad to have this opportunity and be able to meet new people. (Lubnao)
Have you decided your project for the finals in Madrid? Can you give us a clue?
Tanyas: Mmmmm I wanted a badass, but classy warrior !
Shoyaco and Lubnao: We decided to stick to our selection Project and rewrite the whole skit making it something really different but staying true to ourselves. It was simply not possible for us to create something from scratch since we had to work all Summer, but we hope that your eyes Will sparkle nevertheless when you see us! (Shoyaco & Lubnao)
Describe the cosplay community in your country using five words.
Tanysa: Family, Friends, Mutual aid, Happy, gifted
Shoyaco and Lubnao: Family – Support – Creativity – Encouraging – Apéro (Shoyaco & Lubnao)
Link to your Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter (add other social media if relevant):
Tanysa: Instagram tanysa_cosplay
Shoyaco : https://instagram.com/shoyaco
Lubnao : https://instagram.com/lubnao_cosplay
Team Switzerland was selected at Polymanga.
