Catching Up With Cosplay Icon & Gamer Girl Extraordinaire Raychul Moore

April of last year I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Ms. Raychul Moore. She is an icon in the Cosplay community, wowing fans with stunning interpretations of geek culture's many beloved characters. Kratos (God of War) Nathan Drake ( Uncharted) and Babydoll (Sucker Punch) to name a few and she shows no signs of stopping. We caught up over the past week and she filled me in on what she has been up to as well as giving me the low down on her new work Cosplaying as Catherine and Thor. So to you the reader, please, if you're a fan of Raychul or if you're new to Raychul's work enjoy the following interview with one of Cosplay's best.

Raychul as the Mighty Thor from her most recent photo shoot.

1. It's been awhile since we last caught up. From reading many of your tweets,

it looks like you have been traveling a lot. What's been keeping you busy the

past few months?

The last few months have been crazy, but in the best way possible! I went to

Disney World with my family went back home for the holidays in North Carolina.

Then I headed off to Vegas for CES. Finally, after CES, I was back home in San

Francisco for two weeks packing up my apartment getting ready for my move to

LA. Been here for almost a week and love it!

2. So, 2013 is here! Got any crazy Nostradamus predictions for the year? Will

Cliff Bleszinski open up a new studio? Will Kinect finally get a run of hardcore

games that don't involve dancing to Justin Beiber music?

Hahaha, well I don’t know about any of that, but I do know 2013 has some

freakin’ amazing games coming out! So I predict that what little of a social life I

have will see an even bigger decline.

3. 2012 was arguably one of the best years in recent memory for games. So

many new sequels and AAA titles came out it was hard to keep track! We all

know about the great games that came out last year but were there any games

from 2012 that didn't quite hit the mark for you? What games disappointed you

last year?

I’d say the top 3 games that disappointed me the most this year was Diablo 3,

Lollipop Chainsaw and Resident Evil 6. They all just had so much hype behind

them, and so much promise but just didn’t deliver for me.

4. In retrospect to my last question were there also any games you feel didn't

get enough praise or were overlooked amongst the sea of other titles in 2012?

Oh absolutely! I’d definitely say we had some amazing games come out this year

that came out under the radar. My favorites were Dishonored and Spec Ops: the

Line. In my opinion, those two games were way better than even some of the

huge AAA titles we had this past year.

5. Sadly THQ recently closed it's doors and auctioned off many of it's titles to

other developers. Let's Honor their passing. What titles from THQ were your

favorites?

As of recently, I adored their Saints Row series and also really enjoyed

Darksiders 1 and 2. Excited to see Saints Row got picked by Deep Silver but was

shocked that no one scooped up Darksiders! I hope we get more Darksiders at

some point in our gamer lives!!

Raychul as the sultry Catherine from her most recent photo shoot.

6. As many of your fans know you are by far one of the biggest Disney fans

and frequent park-goers out there. Give me some thoughts on their recent

purchase of the Star Wars franchise rights. Is it a match made in a galaxy

far far away or a terrible ploy from the evil empire looking to steal our hard

earned credits?

Hahaha, yes my obsession with both Disney and Star Wars is not something

I hide well. :) You know, honestly, Star Wars was murdered horribly years

and years ago. Yes, I am one of those annoying elitist. I’m not just saying the

prequels killed Star Wars, but it’s all the recent games like Star Wars Kinect and

Angry Birds that have helped nail that coffin shut. I will continue to live in my

sheltered bubble of classic Star Wars and just put my fingers in my ears when I

hear people talk about anything that’s not episodes 4, 5 or 6. ;) But...I will say,

Star Wars is represented really well in the Disney Parks (ok, except for those god

awful Star Wars dance parties) so, if anyone can make it a little less terrible, it

would be Disney.

7. Alright Raychul, let's talk cosplay. Recently you did a stunning interpretation

of a 'fem' Nathan Drake. Tell me about some of the challenges and rewards of

bringing male characters to life in a female style.

Aww, thank you!! <3 I adore doing cosplay of male characters. For me, cosplay

is all about showing off my fan-ism for a game or character. So I love doing the

guy characters because it allows me a little more creative freedom than just

copying a screen shot. I try to do the best job I can making the male character

translate into a female cosplay without it just look like I’m doing a “sexy”

version.

Are there any other male characters in your mind you are itching to cosplay as in

the future? I read of a possible 'fem' Dante perhaps...

Oh yes, I am working on a female version of classic Dante from Devil May Cry. :)

I am also working on a female version of Han Solo inspired from a piece of

artwork from one of my favorite artists.

8. Fans as well as myself can all take a look at your growing portfolio of cosplay

and choose our favorites but I'm curious. Which characters have been your

favorites to embody?

One of my all-time favorites was Kratos. It was so awesome getting to make that

costume and then getting to walk around as Kratos was just more fun than I can

explain! I also had a lot of fun with my Nathan Drake cosplay as well.

9. Alright, hot button question time! Video games have been getting a bad wrap

in the press as of late with all the violence going on in our country. Without

bringing politics into it, give me a little nerd rage on the topic.

The media will always place blame on everything other than the people directly

involved in that persons life or lives. Sometimes, there is no one to blame, no

one could’ve seen the violent incident coming. Blaming video games, movies,

music...whatever, allows people to be able to sleep at night. Personally, I love

violent video games, the more blood and gore is always better! That doesn't

mean I am more likely to do something violent then the next person.

Raychul as the famed adventurer Nathan Drake

10.I'd like to flip the script. I've interviewed you before with my burning

questions. So let's mix it up a bit. Go ahead ask me something! I'll answer as

if my Xbox hard drive memory depended on it.

Merry, Make Love, Kill: Kratos, Solid Snake, Nathan Drake?

Oh man! lol that's a tough one....especially to answer as a strong hederosexual male haha but I'd have to go with Kill Kratos so we can see a Dante's Inferno sequel that doesn't get compared to the God of War Series. Make Love to Solid Snake because he was another titan-esque character who shaped me as a gamer today, and finally, Marry Nathan Drake since I have never played the Uncharted series and wouldn't mind tagging along for a few adventures. Thanks for that one. I think I'm blushing.

Anyway....

11. While looking at some of your new work with the Catherine and Thor

shoots, I pondered on what all goes into making a shoot work. I know it's

much more than just throwing on a costume and taking pictures of it. Can

you give me a little insight into all the preparation that goes into the set up?

Well, it depends. :) Sometimes you just want a basic costume shoot, but then

sometimes you want it more themed to go a long with the costume. So you have

to think about locations. Then it’s all about collaborating with your photographer,

and getting creative! :)

12. So who is the person behind the camera? They really do get amazing shots

of your cosplay. Do you work exclusively with one particular photographer

or do you try and find someone with knowledge of the characters you do to

give the photos more authenticity?

I don’t work exclusively with one photographer, I love working with many

different photographers b/c they all have such different styles of shooting and

personalities they bring to each photo. Sometimes if I am looking for something

in particular, I will reach out to a certain photographer, but I also work with

others who reach out to me.

Raychul (left) Striking up a conversation with Thor

13. Thor is by far one of the mightiest in all the Marvel Universe. You have also

done a cosplay as a Playboy Bunny Hulk. Are these two characters your

personal favorite Avengers?

I am definitely a Thor girl, completely! Mark Ruffalo made an awesome Bruce/

Hulk in the Avengers and made the Hulk one of my favorite characters in that

movie, but I am still more of a Thor girl. When I was asked to join the Avengers

Bunny group, it was either Hulk or Hawkeye, I thought it would be fun to get all

green and Hulk-out...so I picked Hulk Bunny. :)

14. Maxing out at 4 heroes, build your ultimate comic book dream team. Who

made the cut?

Ooooh, Best question ever! I am gonna go with the Comedian (from the

Watchmen, because he just doesn't give a *** and I like his sick sense of

humor), Michonne (the Walking Dead, because she is just badass), Thor

(because he’s a god!) and lastly Ampersand (Y the Last Man, because we could

all use a monkey sidekick who is immune to plagues). :)

END

Well I hope you all enjoyed reading this interview just as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's always a complete delight and utter honor to speak with Raychul and I'd like to personally thank her for setting aside some time to answer my questions. She truly is one of the most genuine and good humored people out there.

Don't forget to check up on Raychul yourself by going over and following her on twitter @theraychul

as well as checking her out on her Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/RaychulMoore where she has a plethora of videos covering everything from games to conventions and much much more!

Below are a few looks at Raychul's most recent work as well as some highlights from our first interview (Originally published on wethegamerz.com) back in April of 2012 the year of the apocalypse. Make sure you also check out the rest of her undeniably stunning Cosplay at Raychul.com

Thanks for reading!

**All questions below were conducted back in April of 2012**

You have been practicing the art of cosplay for quite some time now. Making yourself a large face of the community. What are the best and worst things about being a cosplayer and what makes cosplay special to you?

There are so many “best” things about cosplay! A few of my favorites is meeting other fans of the game, movie or comic book character that I am dressed as. I only cosplay as characters that I am a huge fan of myself so it’s always fun to meet people who love the same things I do. Also, one of my favorite things about cosplaying is the creation of each costume. There are different types of cosplayers, there is your group who looks at the character art for their costume and replicates the costume in exact detail, which is very impressive. Then you have the group like myself who likes to add a little of our own spin to our costumes. I prefer doing female versions of male characters because it gives me a lot more creative control but also forces me to look deeper into that character and find the little details about them and their costumes that makes them who they are. When I do a costume, I like doing it the way I see them, it makes me each of my cosplays my own and not just a replica of a photo.

Video games and the industry has always been a hot topic of much debate between non-gamers and the gamer-centric. Most will argue that video games are an art form (which I agree with). What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about gamers, the industry, and the community as a whole?

Totally agree, I believe video games are a very powerful form of art. For sure. Another common misconception with non, or casual gamers is that games are for kids. Or that all games should be kid-friendly. I am an adult and I love blood, boobs, and language more than the normal person, so I like my games to include all of the above. Children should play games rated appropriately, and leave the kid-friendly stuff for those games. If a parent is offended by the content in games like GTA, then they need to not allow their children to play that game and let us adults who do want that in our games to have our fun.

Most know you as quite the accomplished and dedicated gamer. What really sparked your passion and transition into becoming an icon of the community?

Wow, thank you! Well my passion for games has been a prominent part of my life since I was just a little girl. So when I the opportunity to work in the industry, I couldn’t image letting it pass my by. This is my dream job and I could never imagine myself doing anything else but working in games. As far as community, I am like everyone else, I am just a gamer who lives and breathes games. I interact with my fans/viewers/readers on a daily basis because these guys (and girls!) are some of my closes friends; we play games together, we share tips with each other and I adore every single one of them!

DLC and downloadable titles have become an industry norm in today’s high selling and fast moving world. Information travels faster than the Millennium Falcon on the Kessel Run! How do you feel about the state of DLC and the fact that most times companies are charging customers to unlock content that exists on the disc already? Are we being nickel and dimmed or should we accept this as a standard practice as the gaming years go on?

I am in the camp of the people who hate this DLC/patch trend that’s going on. We are paying full price for games that aren’t finished, many haven’t even been through proper QA and then they want us to pay extra for stuff we already purchased?! In no other industry is this a common practice. You don’t buy a movie but can’t see the alternate ending unless you pay extra for it. You don’t buy a car with a radio you can’t use unless you pay extra for it. It’s really shady and I am surprised that we have put up with it as much as we have.

Gaming is trending to have its biggest year yet with so many amazing titles on the horizon. What are a few of your top picks for this year?

Oh man, so many awesome games coming out this year! A few of the ones I am super excited about is Borderlands 2, Diablo 3, The Last of Us (even though that’s not listed until 2013), The Last Guardian, and most of all — Bioshock Infinite.

Being well known in the gaming community, on Twitter, and on Youtube channels, do you ever go anywhere in public and get recognized?

I do get recognized, and I find it very humbling. I adore meeting new people and especially people who I can geek out with!

You’ve been doing freelance journalism for about 7 years now if my facts are right. What are some of the hardest and best things about doing what you do?

The hardest thing about journalism is definitely when you have to review a terrible game. Writing a bad review can be fun because you can be silly with it, but having to play completely through a game that you can’t stand is very rough. The best part of my job is that it never feels like work! Even when I have to play and review a bad game, I’m still getting paid to play games. How can I not be in love with what I do?!

Any words of wisdom for fans and aspiring writers who are looking to get into the world of video game journalism?

Yeah! If you want to get into journalism in the game industry, just go ahead and start doing it! Submit or articles to sites that heavily revolve around their community and use social media as your avenue of reaching out to other journalists. Just never ever lose your integrity. Write what you mean, don’t let the sparkly lights or promise of paying work cloud your writing. If you write people feel they can’t trust, then you lose your readers.

GameInformer

Catching Up With Cosplay Icon & Gamer Girl Extraordinaire Raychul Moore