When I saw the first trailer a few years ago, my first thought was, "Wow, this girl kicks ass. I want to play this!" Well, then "she" started speaking and I realized it was supposed to be a guy, but I played the game and loved the outfit anyway. Still looks like a woman to me, so I ended up doing it as such (not that you can really tell the difference...). I am fortunate in that my friend Yuriy makes an awesome Orha to go with me!

CONSTRUCTION NOTES: Other than some minor issues with snaps and shoes the first time I wore it, I'm really pleased with the construction of this costume! The biggest snag was when my extensions came in the wrong color a week before the con, so I had to improvise with the wig. The pants are gabardine, and carefully engineered to avoid showing too much. The top is a slightly stretchy twill. The feathers coming out of the bottom (on which I painted gray stripes with very watered-down paint- the sunlight seems to have washed this detail out of photos), but the feathers that come out of the collar are attached to a piece which snaps in between the outer layer and the lining. This way, I can take out those feathers and transport the costume without fear of crushing them. The sleeves are pleather. The lining of the sleeves has the same design. The side... things are mostly craft foam. My father cut out the basic shape of the sword and sent it to me, although I did the painting and details such as the bird of paradise hilt myself out of plastic. This costume is almost completely based on the CG renderings, which are different than the artwork and not even totally consistent with each other. I mostly used this image for reference: http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/Solaria735/Progress/?action=view&current=cg_calintz04.jpg. However, most HTK cosplayers probably realize that you usually have to combine a couple of inconsistent references to get the best result! If you have questions about how I made any part, feel free to PM me.

Avatar photo by EBK.