Agents!
Today we are bringing you a new instance of SHD Spotlight, an article series where we hand the mic to passionate members of our community to highlight their creations, anecdotes, and involvement in The Division community and the game. Remember if you would like to be featured in a future SHD Spotlight, reach out using the hashtag #SHDSpotlight!
For today’s interview, we approached CtpKharg to ask about his cosplay and his journey in The Division community!
Good afternoon and a warm welcome from the flight deck, this is your Captain speaking.
THE SPOTLIGHT
You might know him as CptKharg, Kevin or just Cap, but “Captain” is not just a nickname. CptKharg is an airline captain, flying short and medium-haul across Europe. It’s also during these flights, that he became an amateur photographer, capturing stunning vistas of the horizon.
Today, we want to show you not only his amazing cosplay work but his involvement in The Division community.
HISTORY
A day-one The Division player and a life-long Tom Clancy fan, CptKharg tells us that the reveal of the game during E3 resonated with his love for the universe, especially the realism and the tactical features.
He has never been a competitive player and sees The Division as a relaxing escape, where he can explore the very detailed game world and take virtual photos. He also tells us he’s passionate about the lore and it is the reason he started listening to podcasts like Rogue Agent Radio, Collecting What Remains and Sitrep Radio.
COMMUNITY
These podcasts were his introduction to Community-created content and the community itself. After listening to Collecting What Remains he got in contact with Tinkkz and Deep-Fried Dave.
He describes the community as extremely welcoming and its members as very enthusiastic and easy to speak to.
It was two other SHD agents (Splintershield and EidolonFox) that suggested he start doing cosplay. This push jumpstarted his journey as a cosplayer.
INSPIRATION
Along with Agent Mab, CtpKharg started writing an in-character diary, following the events since the start of the game. It was this that inspired him to start presenting his cosplays with a narrative behind them.
When The Division 2 came out, he cosplayed a member of the True Sons, and the community reaction and roleplaying motivated him into continuing his villain cosplays. This led him to cosplaying Cole D. Walker, which he describes as his biggest challenge to date. He had to learn new skills like sewing (thanks to his mother), working with full-body armor and learning John Bernthal’s body language and expressions.
When asked about other cosplayers that have been a source of inspiration, CptKharg mentions Goosecosplay and miniKenga111. He also admires both the cosplay and the photography work of MlleBellec.
EVENTS
In 2018, he became a Ubisoft StarPlayer and was invited to visit Paris Headquarters and to showcase his cosplays at Paris Games Week. There, he had the chance to meet other Star Players.
This led him to PGW in 2019 where he got on stage to perform Cole’s manifesto, a culmination of all the work that went into that project.
The crowd reacted so well and I was so into it, it was a mesmerizing moment that I will cherish forever.
THE PROCESS
We asked CptKharg about his cosplay process, from deciding a character to the finalized picture.
1. Research: Gathering all the pictures he can of the character, both in-game and from promotional material.
2. Recycle and reuse: A big part of cosplay is reusing and adapting.
3. Altering: Once all the pieces are selected, it’s time to make them work together. Via weathering, sewing, and welding.
4. Getting it on film: CptKharg takes his own pictures at home, either in the basement (which he has literally turned into a safe house) or in the garden.
5. Editing: Once the pictures are taken he uses a variety of apps to edit them such as Lightroom, Photoshop Express, Enlight and LD (Lens Distortions).
It’s a slow process and every step brings hidden challenges or frustration, but it also brings such an amazing feeling once you’ve finished it and see how the community reacts to it.
ADVICE
We asked CptKharg for some advice for people wishing to get into cosplay. He shared with us the importance of taking care of the small details, to make a cosplay look accurate and natural. Not everyone will notice those tiny details, but they will make all the difference and make your cosplay unique.
His advice is also to begin low and improve, building upon the existing material. The challenge of not having much to start with will provide unexpected creativity.
“Do it for yourself first and foremost, then use the positive feedback and constructive criticism to fuel your next content. The path is not easy, you’ll get some lows and unexpected highs sometimes. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with the cosplayers that inspire you. Make the most of it, have fun and remember, we’re all passionate.”
PORTFOLIO
You can find CptKharg on Twitter.
You can also follow him on Instagram for more cosplay and in-flight photography..
Find him on SHD France with his partners in crime Agent Mab and Jo. If you can read French (or fancy practicing it!) you can follow it over here.
I wanna thank you very much for choosing our Division community and hope to see you soon in our social network!
We would like to thank CptKharg back for taking the time to answer our questions about the community and his cosplay work. It was a pleasure to be able to highlight such a passionate and welcoming member of the community.
See you soon, agents.
/The Division Team