Posted by Happy Cosplay Friday! And May the Fourth Be With You. This week a shining star in the galaxy far, far away is brought a little closer. Aurora Yulia is a world class cosplayer who produces amazing Leia and Star Wars cosplays. Her beautiful crafted cosplays are a feast for the eyes and are created down to the most minute details. With such detail oriented cosplays it was a true delight for Temple of Geek to get a chance to interview her on her style of cosplay. Enjoy her breathtaking cosplays Aurora talking about how she creates them.
JR:How long have you been cosplaying?
Aurora: I’ve been cosplaying for 4 years.
JR:Most cosplayers consider there to be three main categories of cosplay, tv, movies, and video games. What do you consider yourself to specialize in?
Aurora: When I started to make characters I thought that I would cosplay only from videogames. But then a good friend of mine suggested for me to try Leia. So after all these years I can consider myself as a Western fandom cosplayer, though I make some anime female characters, but not as much as my more Western style cosplays.
JR:What is your favorite fandom to cosplay from?
Aurora: I love all the fandoms I’m working on dearly. Of course, usually everyone thinks that it’s Star Wars, but I’m absolutely crazy about Dragon Age and Child of Light. Then there are such titles as Fantastic Beasts, Sailor Moon that I also adore. It’s nearly impossible to decide on one.
JR:What do you consider your most memorable cosplay to be?
Aurora: There are two I’m especially proud of. One is my first Leia in the white gown, because so many people positively reacted on her. It was a huge surprise to me. The second character is Aurora from Child of Light – I’ve been  preparing for a very interesting and hard photoshoot project for 2 years. And I finally finished it in February. Can’t wait to see the result!
JR:As a Leia cosplayer, what is your opinion of The Last Jedi and the new Star Wars movies?
Aurora: It’s complicated. I’m not in the high spirits about certain things Disney has done to fandom. Especially the fact that they are ignoring all the amazing stories, that have been written in the past decades, calling them «not canon». So many people worked and developed the world of Star Wars, fans loved it and then a big commercial giant came and destroyed that legacy of Lucas. And it’s not to mention the fact that it feels like they are using fans love to get as much money as possible. On the other hand I do understand that Disney didn’t have a choice, they had to «clean space» for new ideas and they need money to bring them to life. I can’t say that the new trilogy sucks completely. Though I have strong doubts about the upcoming Solo movie.
JR:What is a cosplay Pet Peeve of yours?
Aurora: When somebody is making a popular character cosplay to get more audience and doesn’t know whom he or she is cosplaying. I also don’t like when someone is concentrated on the quantity, not the quality of cosplay.
JR:If there was one animal you would compare yourself to what would it be and why.
Aurora: I compare myself to a horse I guess, a strong animal, a symbol of freedom. When I was a little girl I fell in love with the Spirit movie. Watched it 100 times, knew all the songs. It made a huge impact on my soul.
JR:What cosplays are you currently working on?
Aurora: I’m working on Aloy from Horizon: Zero Dawn.
JR: What was your last convention?Â
Aurora: It was Star Fans V – a russian Star Wars convention.
JR:What is your next convention?
Aurora: It will be StarCon in Saint Petersburg in June – one of the coolest events in Russia.
JR:What does cosplay mean to you?
Aurora: It’s my hobby at first. Now I feel like it’s my lifestyle. I can’t imagine my life without my cosplay friends, without new characters, events and photoshoots.
To see more of Aurora’s incredible cosplays, check out her social media at:
Deviantart:Â yuija.deviantart.com
Instagram:Â @aurora_yulia
And as always,
have a geek filled week!
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