Em Johnson

Name? Em Johnson

Age? 33

Where are you from? Billingham –Teesside

Main Costume? Imperial Fists

Space Marine from Warhammer 30k

Are you part of any costuming groups? Yes, The Funhammer Cosplay Group

How did you get into costuming/ cosplay? I dabbled occasionally through university, but only got serious once I was in full time work. I’m a video game artist/animator in my day job, where all my work is digital. Cosplay and prop building is a great way to make something PHYSICAL, whilst still using the skills I’ve honed throughout my career.

What was your first ever costume/ cosplay? Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII

How often do you go to events or cons in costume/cosplay? Usually every few months. I go to a lot or Warhammer based events, particularly around Nottingham at Warhammer World. I hope to get to more/ go further afield once I pass my driving test.

What has been your favourite costuming moment so far? Repping my Imperial Fist build at last year’s Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Open Day event at Warhammer World for Games Workshop.

Do you make your own costumes or is it bought? I make them all.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get into costuming/cosplay? Don’t be intimidated. We all start small. Ask for help, there’s a huge community willing to bend over backwards to help.

Tell us 3 random facts about your- self?

1. I keep tarantulas

2. I occasionally breed Praying Mantis

3. I’ve worked for almost 10 years at various game studios all over England, but being at a studio back in the North East has been the best

What is your favourite fandom? Probably Star Trek (TNG - Enterprise era). It’s definitely been the most chill in my experience.

Do you have a prized position/ collectable? I have a lot of Final Fantasy VII memorabilia. From limited edition books and figures, perfumes, jewellery, games consoles, soundtracks, to a Panasonic mobile phone that has no use over here, but is the same model Cloud and crew use in the games/movies.

Or a holy grail item that you would love to own? I’d love to own a Playstation Net Yaroze, it’s a consumer level Playstation 1 dev kit that sold in the Japanese market. It’s a neat piece of gaming history. That or one of the PS2 TOOL dev kits, just because they look cool.

What is your favourite computer/ arcade game? There’s a few. Crash Bandicoot 2 is probably the reason I’m in the career I am, but I’m a huge Final fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts fan, so as you can imagine, I’m having a GREAT time with the current FFVII Remake project.

How can people follow you? Check me on Instagram at @limestone_forge