Westeros in Russian: stories of Russian Game of Thrones fans. Westeros in Russian: stories of Russian Game of Thrones fans Leia Radna real name

The series “Game of Thrones” has been airing on HBO for six years. Unlike other popular TV shows, it managed to spawn an entire cultural trend comparable in scale only to Harry Potter and Twilight. Thematic cosplay, role-playing games, music and painting - thanks to fans, George Martin's work has found a second life. The editors of Life decided to find out what kind of cultural shoots “Game of Thrones” gave in Russia.

George Martin is known for his almost obsessive attention to detail. The history of his world is written centuries into the past, all houses have their own coat of arms and motto, and their pedigrees stretch to the very sky. All the intricacies of the story could no longer fit in the writer’s head, so he began to turn to fans for help.

Collection of information about the world of "A Song of Ice and Fire", its systematization and design into a complete historical work- one of the main hobbies of readers of the book series. They make up family trees, draw detailed maps and collect facts bit by bit. “Archivists” have to work very carefully with sources. Martin puts information into the mouths of characters who may well forget something, make mistakes, and even lie. For this reason, the first Game of Thrones encyclopedia is stylized as the work of a maester, a scientist from Westeros. With this literary device the authors took everything into account possible mistakes and errors.

In America, historical research is carried out by Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson, administrators of the website Westeros.org. In turn, Martin’s Russian chroniclers have been running the Seven Kingdoms website for more than ten years. It also has a voluminous encyclopedia, and it was created independently of its Western counterpart.

Having thoroughly studied the world of Westeros, many fans go into the role-playing movement. It's better to live once than to read a hundred times. In reality, a completely different story is developing parallel to the events of the book and the series. The role players are not at all worried about the possible death of Jon Snow in the series. After all, this character has survived more than one assassination attempt and dozens of deaths at the training ground.

This hobby is usually combined with cosplay - making costumes and creating images famous heroes. Before this modern form masquerade was the domain of enthusiasts, but today it is increasingly reminiscent of the modeling industry. Large companies began to “order” cosplayers for exhibitions, and the creation of complex outfits can now be entrusted to professional tailors and blacksmiths. There is even a secondary market for the costumes.

For many, a teenage hobby has grown into a big business with serious competition at castings. There are fewer cosplayers on the market, usually only a few events a year. To make money, models prefer to promote their personal brand using social networks. Here, of course, there are also intrigues and political machinations - Martin’s characters must be consistent in everything.

To find out whether there is still a place for fairy tales in cosplay and how the images of the Game of Thrones heroes are created, I decided to sign up for an audience with Cersei Lannister. It's damn dangerous, given the bitchy nature of the screen queen. However, the reception promises to be informal - the meeting will take place in a photo studio, and not in the throne room.

On the spot it turns out that I was doubly lucky. The queen has not arrived yet, and while she is gone, a cosplayer under the pseudonym Leah Radna agreed to talk to me. The queen's arrival is also expected by photographer Alexei Malakhov and another royal person - Daenerys Targaryen (or simply Polina).

While Leah is applying makeup, I try to find out from Alexei how he manages to put people on the throne with the help of a camera and decorations.

This is pure magic. No photographer can explain how this happens. Here stands a girl with a spear, smoke billows in the background, but no one will say how she turns out to be a warrior.

So, no secrets? - I ask in disbelief.

An expensive camera, hard drugs... - Alexey laughs. - In fact, a lot depends on the model. A costume can be made well the first time. Now there is more information, more support. But it’s impossible to start posing well the first time and...

The conversation is interrupted by a loud ringing - Leia accidentally knocked the wig stand off the table.

That's it, our image is broken, there will be no magic.

Luckily, the wig was not damaged and the Queen's arrival continues as planned.

Okay, the costume is ready, the history has been studied, but how to get into the “party”? - I ask.

“I got in through the bed,” Polina declares and immediately adds that her boyfriend went to the fencing club, and then brought her to the training ground.

There is a fundamental difference between cosplay and role-playing games,” Leia says while putting on makeup. - In cosplay there is competition and a competitive spirit, and people go to the training ground to have a good time. Everyone wants to become a cosplay star and shine at festivals, but winning a role-playing game is a rather dubious achievement. In addition, this is a fundamentally different approach to creating images. A cosplayer imagines his character for only a few days, but during the game he can stay in character for a week. The costumes are also different. To play you need a comfortable and reliable suit, there appearance not that important. For cosplay, very fragile materials are sometimes used.

The party itself has changed a lot,” Alexey picks up. - Now you can’t even find a travel companion to the game - everyone is in their own car. Now the bases have the Internet, electricity, even a sewing machine if you need to hem something. And although the children grew up, the toys remained the same. Wave a sword, fly on wings. These are the forty-year-old children. In role-playing games, the main thing has always been Lolita - she is played either by fourteen-year-old girls or thirty-five-year-old girls. There are two facets of the role-playing party.

Here, Lyosh, I’ll argue with you,” Lei intervenes. - In the 1990s, role-players were children in curtains who ran through the forest, and teenagers were into cosplay. Today, cosplay leaders are over thirty and are interested in adult characters. And children cannot invest so much in creating images - modern costumes cost fifty thousand or more. The costume of last year's Starcon winner cost five thousand dollars - and this does not include labor.

But it’s still too early to talk about a full-fledged industry. Typically, those who engage in cosplay do not expect to make money from it.

Meanwhile, Leia finishes her makeup and puts on a red dress. A couple of minutes later the queen appears in all her splendor. Alexey begins to set the light and choose the scenery for filming - his choice fell on the ivy-covered wall of a medieval castle. A great place for some palace intrigue.

Lei Radna, cosplayer

When I started reading the book, I had a pretty bad attitude towards the Lannisters. Once I went to a game under the flag of this particular house and ended up liking them. I was attracted to their power at court. Behind negative attitude Cersei, with her enormous ambitions and lack of foresight, is in fact responsible for the Lannisters. I'm interested in this character. If I were sixteen years old, my favorite character would be Daenerys - a pretty girl and a role model. Now she seems very boring to me.

Cersei has her own drama, vices and experiences. As actors say, playing villains is much more interesting. This is an opportunity to get the maximum of what you cannot get in ordinary life.

Alexey Malakhov, photographer

I read Game of Thrones right after it came out in 2000. It was translated and published - then this was already a sufficient reason to read the book. This is an absolutely terrible novel where a million characters are introduced from the first page. He made a depressing impression on me. You are going to relax with a book, but they literally force you to work. “Game of Thrones” turned out to be much heavier than the fantasy of that time, and if not for the lack of such literature, I would have stopped reading it.

Evgeniy Palchak, medical representative of Avantage Bio Pharm

My acquaintance with Martin’s works took place in several stages - first, my friend recommended that I watch the series, and from the second episode I was firmly hooked.

A more in-depth study of the world of “A Song of Ice and Fire” occurred after the role-playing polygon game based on the prequel “Hedge Knight”. To do this, I had to delve into the knowledge of the world and read both literature and forums. I’ve been involved in role-playing games for quite some time, and I’m not new to holding a blade, but I only discovered the world of Westeros in 2012.

What I like about Jon Snow is his sense of duty, selflessness, and willingness to sacrifice himself to save others. At the game I started playing him already in a coma, after the assassination attempt. Throughout the game, I survived four assassination attempts and even several deaths. John - very interesting character, here is the search for love, and overcoming, and hopelessness and, of course, the struggle for the sake of others with the gradual waste of oneself. It will be a shame if we don't see him on the show again, although I personally highly doubt it!

Ksenia Shelkovskaya, artist

In the beginning there was a word. That is a book. I became acquainted with Martin’s work long before the series came out. At that time, four books had already been published, which I read avidly. As a big fan of quality fantasy, I fell in love with this world, its characters and history from the first pages. I can’t say that this is my favorite fantasy series, but it definitely had a certain influence on the formation of my literary preferences.

Then, in 2011, after the release of the first season, Martin’s universe became known all over the world. The series is very different from the book, but that doesn't make it any worse.I was often told that I look like one of the actresses in the cast of the series - Natalie Dormer. And when I started cosplaying, I began to wonder if I should try on that same image of Margaery Tyrell. Judging by the reaction of people at festivals and on the Internet, it turned out quite similar.Now I, like many other people, are looking forward to both the new season of the series and the new book.

The first episode of the sixth season aired on HBO on April 24. The Russian dubbing will appear on the Amediateka service a day later - on the 25th.

Hello Lei! Tell us where your nickname came from?

Good afternoon! Leiradna is just Andariel in reverse. That was the name of the demoness from the game Diablo 2. Well, then I divided the word for euphony.

How did your passion for cosplay begin? Who was the first character?

As a little girl, I, like many others, dreamed of a warrior costume from the animated series “Sailor Moon.” And in adolescence I even tried to cosplay as Haruka Teno. But then somehow it didn’t work out - the suit remained hanging in the closet, and I was simply embarrassed to go out anywhere in it. Over the years, I made more and more acquaintances related to cosplay, this hobby was very interesting to me, but I was somehow embarrassed to approach it.

And then one day the club board games“Unicorn” decided to hold a costume contest based on the game for the release of the new part of Magic: The Gathering. The main prize was a set of new cards - a huge box for a hefty price! I was quite an active player back then and decided not to miss this chance. And she quickly created the image of the archangel Avacyn. And she won! Soon they decided to repeat this competition, and with the image of Liliana Vess I again took first place. Frankly, I am now very ashamed of those incarnations - these were the very first steps, but they inspired me to make new high-quality images. By the way, I hope to do Liliana Vess again in the very near future.

What character designs do you already have?

Compared to some people I know, I still have few incarnations. I had the image of Sailor Uranus in her battle form (childhood dream!), a nurse from Silent Hill, a character of the Avenossian race from the steampunk game "Parograd", the vampire Verona from the film "Van Helsing", the warrior Jade from the game Mortal Kombat, Jean Gray as Phoenix from Marvel comics, cheerleaders Juliet Starling from the game Lollipop Chainsaw, Cersei Lannister from the saga “A Song of Ice and Fire”, Silk Specter from “Watchmen” and, of course, Triss Merigold from the Witcher universe. I left something out - otherwise it would seem short list suddenly began to grow. But there were also gnomes, elves, zombies, circus performers, warriors... And I was also a German tank!

A tank?! How so?

I’m sitting, not touching anyone, I’m going to go to Igromir as a press conference. And then a message comes to me: “Lei, we made a concept for a German tank costume, we see you in it!” I was, of course, shocked. An unusual image, to be sure!

Wow! Have you taken part in other festivals or conventions? What else do you remember most?

Mostly when it comes to cosplay conventions, I attend multi-fandom festivals and Igromir. I’ve only been to anime festivals twice and realized that this is not really my thing. But I had to work for various events. Of these, I remember most the action with the iron throne at VDNKh from the REN TV channel. Sitting all day on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms is priceless! And a trip to Minsk for Tankman Day. I worked there in the already familiar image of a German Panther tank, and over the weekend I managed to try out the entire program of the event: I saw historical reconstructions with explosions, and an exhibition of old equipment, and even rode a tank and a helicopter. In general, working with Wargaming is always a pleasure.

What achievements are you especially proud of?

At the St. Petersburg AVA Expo festival, for three years in a row, we took the prize for the best group performance: first it was the Van Helsing team, then two years in a row - performances by the team in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. I don’t strive to create very complex images, but I want our performances to be interesting to watch.

What are you working on now?

I'm really hoping to make an alternate dress for Triss from the Witcher 3 expansion and that elaborate Liliana Vess costume this summer.

Do you think a cosplayer should match the personality of their character?

It is not at all necessary to correspond to the chosen character in life, but you need to understand the character’s character and try to get used to it. Cosplay is what it is good way try on some new look, completely different from your own. And many costumes often dictate character - in Harley’s clown costume you want to smile and joke, revealing costumes of femme fatales provoke seductive poses, and combat clothing makes you more decisive. The main thing is to try on the character’s character for yourself and try to look at the world through his eyes.

For me, this is one of the main advantages of cosplay - trying on new images, situations, discovering some new features in yourself. Some things can be transferred into your life later, others can be left only “for the exit”. By the way, visitors often don’t think about this when they see girls in bright clothes at exhibitions and, in some places, quite open suits or in the images of formidable warriors. Visitors think that these girls are very liberated in life or, for example, bitchy. But many cosplayers outside of their costumes are very friendly and sometimes quite timid people.

Are you similar in character to Triss?

I think so. Triss is quite young by the standards of her environment and, according to Geralt, behaves like a perky girl. At the same time, she is responsive, caring and a kind person. Her lively and spontaneous character has not yet been spoiled by cynicism and selfishness, so valuable among the magicians of her world. And even her attraction to Geralt is simply due to the desire to receive a small portion of warmth and love. And first of all, she remains a friend to him, Yennefer and Ciri.

Cosplay and field role-playing games are somewhat similar: people put on costumes and try on other people's images. Do you think these hobbies have much in common?

Oh, comparing cosplay and role-playing games is my thing favorite hobby. It’s especially interesting to introduce people who are interested in them to each other. There are actually a lot of differences, although they are gradually being erased. For example, costumes for field role-playing games must first and foremost be durable to withstand several stormy game days. And for cosplay, appearance is more important, often to the detriment of practicality. But modern materials and experience make it possible to reach a compromise and make armor for the forest no less beautiful than for the catwalk, and durable for cosplay.

Role players seem more united - after all, in a field game they live in the same camp, communicate longer, and in general, historically, more direct and informal communication has been accepted there. There are also celebrities there, but no one will take their autographs, be afraid to approach him with a question, or something like that. Outside the playing area, simple tramps and kings sit around the same fire. In cosplay, in my opinion, the division between experienced and beginners, and even more so between cosplayers and visitors, is more emphasized.

Festivals with crowds of people, with a lot of technology, cameras and noise have their own charm. And from the opportunity to live for a week in the forest, sitting in a tavern in the evenings, you get a different kind of pleasure. I wholeheartedly advise all cosplayers I know to go to role-playing game. And I advise young warriors to pay attention to cosplay as another way to relax. You men are sorely missed there.

Tell me, do you create your own costumes?

Unfortunately, I’m not very good at sewing - I’m not in the mood for this task. But I love making objects, accessories, armor and weapons myself. Arm building materials, a bunch of blades and sandpaper and cutting something out at night is a very meditative activity, I must say. Although sometimes you have to order accessories and weapons. Here, for example, is my medallion for Triss - work

A kind and cheerful girl, a person passionate about what she loves. He knows how to diversify his life, as he cannot stand anything dull and boring. She is very inquisitive, and will try to investigate any matter in order to find out the very essence of the issue. Knows how to color his life bright colors, boldly and fearlessly moves forward, there is never a dull moment in her company. Possesses great feeling humor, calmly treats humorous statements addressed to him. I am sure that ultimately laughter prolongs life, and also helps to smooth out many shortcomings and acute...

A kind and cheerful girl, a person passionate about what she loves. He knows how to diversify his life, as he cannot stand anything dull and boring. She is very inquisitive, and will try to investigate any matter in order to find out the very essence of the issue. She knows how to paint her life with bright colors, boldly and fearlessly moves forward, and there is never a dull moment in her company. He has a wonderful sense of humor and takes humorous statements addressed to himself calmly. I am sure that ultimately laughter prolongs life and also helps smooth out many shortcomings and rough edges. Able to combine construction successful career With personal life, very energetic, and also always positive.

He is well versed in many important things: economics, law, psychology. Gets carried away computer games in the genre of quest, RPG, she also likes some action games. Since childhood, he has loved animals, especially dogs. It is difficult to list everything she is interested in, as she is versatile developed personality. Her interests include: literature, cinema, dance, photography, theater, art and music. She is used to active recreation - she rides bicycles and motorcycles, enjoys rock climbing, takes part in cosplays and historical reconstructions. She is attracted to everything mysterious and mysterious - paganism and mythology, fantasy and the Middle Ages. In her spare time, she watches retro films from the golden age of cinema - the 1930s-1950s, as well as films directed by Tim Burton and films starring Angelina Jolie, whom she considers the most beautiful actress. Reads a lot, favorite books: Robert Asprin's "World of Thieves", Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Michael Swanwick's "The Iron Dragon's Daughter", Richard Bach's "Bridge over Eternity", A.P. Chekhov's "Late Flowers".

Due to his friendly nature, he has no shortage of friends. She has a bright, impressive appearance, but is not arrogant, but on the contrary, she shines like a kind sun. Her childhood memories are dear to her, she loves her family and parents very much. She has a loved one and she wants to build the same strong and friendly family. Very sociable, sincere and open, constantly participates in some interesting projects and events, her life is in full swing. is able to find mutual language with almost any person, but it is much more pleasant for her to communicate with like-minded people - cheerful, enthusiastic, positive-minded people like herself.

Place of work:

From 2010 to 2011 - Playnatic Entertainment, Moscow,

QA Specialist

From 2010 to 2013 - Digital Worlds, Moscow,

QA specialist, community manager

From 2012 to 2014 - Aggro Games, Moscow,

PR manager, community manager

2014 - Passion Fruit, Moscow,

Community Manager

From 2015 to present - UQSOFT Russia, Moscow,

Community Manager

She is a very sociable, responsible and loving specialist. He has extensive professional experience, as well as two important qualities– knows how to listen and speak to users in their language.