#turns out they’re really fun to draw as merfolk but now i don’t remember how to draw legs anymore

[littleulvar]

glitter fish ✨

Arne belongs to @ronkoza

[littlewolf651]

Moonstruck

So @teamdoesminecraft made an au a while ago with Team Crafed and the series H2O: just add water. And like, at the beginning of the year we talked about a scene for it on her Discord server. So I decided to write it now.

Inspiration is weird.

Uh, enjoy Angie.

It was a nice summer evening out on the Gold Coast, the full moon was rising high over the sky, and most teenagers would be out partying in the warm air or on the beach.

Mitch hated this. He wanted to go out, have fun and try to forget the hell that was now his life, but he couldn't. The fear of touching any water while outside was too much.

For months now Mitch had wanted to prove mermaids were real. He'd been saved by one long ago from drowning and saw it! No one believed him, but he never let that stop him. He'd pushed everyone away in his attempts to find the truth. But no matter how much he wanted to prove it, that did not mean he wanted to become one! It had been a full month, and now he was utterly stuck dealing with this all alone. He couldn't trust anyone and those he could trust wouldn't want to see him. He couldn't blame them, but it didn't make the loneliness any better.

He hated being stuck inside and just wanted to get out for a bit. It wasn't too late so it wasn't like he'd get wet just walking the streets, he'd be okay right? He got up and grabbed his keys, putting on his jacket and heading for the door, opening it up and blinking up at the bright full moon shining down on him.

~~

Jerome had been invited out to hang out with Quentin Ian and for the night but he had turned them down. He wanted to spend some time at home playing video games. He'd typically invite Mitch over to play as well, but the two weren't exactly on speaking terms these days. Mitch's crazy quest to prove mermaids were real was destroying him, and Jerome didn't want any part of that. The final straw was when Mitch nearly drowned on the way to Mako island, and he got yelled at for saving him. If Mitch wanted to kill himself trying to prove something impossible, then fine by him. See if he cared.

"Biggums!" A familiar voice called out outside in his backyard.

Jerome tuned him out, he didn't want to talk to the other.

"Jerome Come Out! I Wanna Show You Something!" he could hear snickering in Mitch's voice. The other was probably drunk or something. All the more reason to ignore him then.

Mitch kept calling out outside until Jerome heard a large splash from his pool outside and a laugh. Of course, the idiot fell in.

Jerome rolled his eyes and paused his game, going to the window and opening it up "Dammit Asshole! I don't wanna talk! Get out of here bef-" his words died in his throat.

Mitch was swimming in his pool, that much he expected. What Jerome wasn't expecting was the enormous gold and orange fishtail swaying where Mitch's legs should be. For a moment, the rational part of him tried to rationalise that this clearly had to be a costume, but something told him that this was real.

Mitch had a stupidly happy grin on his face and waved at Jerome "Come down! Come and look at it!"

Jerome could only give a small nod and closed his window. Walking down the stairs, he felt like his mind was racing. Mitch had a tail. Mitch was in his pool with a fucking tail! What the hell was he supposed to do?! Plus that meant Mitch really was right the whole time! Fuck, Mitch was never gonna let him live it down.

When he finally worked up the courage to go into the backyard, Mitch just grinned and waved happily, swimming up to the edge and resting his arms on the stone edge.

"Uh… Hey…" Jerome muttered still standing at the edge.

"Wanna come for a swim?" Mitch smiled "The water's so niiiice."

Jerome blinked "Uh, you don't seem concerned by the fact you have a tail…"

"I know!" Mitch grinned at that, pushing away from the wall with his arms and admiring his tail that swished in the water "Isn't it pretty?"

"I mean, yeah. But… how?" Jerome murmured in shock.

Mitch didn't seem to hear the question or ignored it, happily running his hand along the scales of the tail "I told you merpeople were real." he snickered "Cause I am one now!"

Jerome could tell something was definitely wrong with Mitch. Mitch was a dumbass, but he wasn't this much of a dumbass "Uh, Mitch, have you been drinking or something?"

"Just the moonlight. It's so pretty, isn't it?"

"... Sure."

Mitch reached out with his hand and tried to reach Jerome's leg "Come swim!" he cooed.

"Uh, In a minute." Jerome smiled nervously taking a small step back "Just gotta make a call is all."

Mitch seemed satisfied with that answer and beamed "Okay!" he nodded before going back to entertaining himself in the water.

Jerome quickly raced back in and grabbed his phone. He had no idea who he was supposed to call but found himself calling Ian's number. He'd hung out with him and Quentin lately since cutting ties with Mitch. They were also pretty secretive so he hoped they'd be willing to keep one more secret.

"Hello?" Ian's voice yawned on the phone after picking up

"Uh hey Ian, where are you now?" Jerome asked, his foot tapping on the ground tensely

"At Quentin's house? I did invite you over, right? The offer still stands."

"Well yeah, but… Look can you guys come over? I need your help."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Uh…" Jerome looked back out the window at Mitch still happily swimming in the water, his tail flipping out water and soaking the deck with pool water "Mitch came over and-"

Ian sighed "Jerome, I told you, don't listen to him. He needs time to learn his lesson and-"

"No, Ian, you don't understand! Mitch is my pool right now with-"

"He's not drunk, is he?"

"Mitch is in my pool with a fucking fishtail where his legs should be!" Jerome yelled into the phone.

There was silence from the other line before Ian's voice spoke in shock "What?"

Jerome quickly explained what had happened, and he heard Quentin groan in the background and mutter something about the moon. Ian sighed again "Alright alright, we're coming over. Just, keep Mitch quiet and not draw attention. The last thing you need is neighbours checking him out."

Ian hung up quickly after that and Jerome put his phone down. He walked back out to the pool and sighed, watching Mitch happily swimming. He sat down by the edge and watched Mitch come swimming over, still grinning like an idiot.

~~~~

It took a while and a lot of trying to keep Mitch from splashing so much, but Ian and Quentin finally showed up, taking the side door into the yard and staring at the sight in shock.

"Hey, Ian! Hey Quentin!" Mitch grinned "I told you they were real! See?!" he gestured to his tail happily.

Quentin groaned and smacked his forehead while Ian looked at Quentin "I told you he'd blow it eventually."

"Shut it, or I'm pushing you in with him," Quentin grumbled.

Jerome got up and stared at them "How are you guys so calm about this?!"

Ian raised an eyebrow "Why the hell do you think Jerome?"

After a minute, Jerome blinked in shock "You mean to tell me Mitch was right about you guys knowing something about merfolk?" he demanded

"Look, do you want our help or not?" Quentin demanded

"Help with what? I've never been better!" Mitch grinned

Jerome looked at Mitch and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose "What's wrong with him?"

"The idiot went and got himself moonstruck." Quentin explained, shaking his head at Mitch in disappointment "The full moon can have different effects on merfolk depending on the planets and or what they're doing and stuff. We're just lucky he didn't go to the beach or something and expose himself to a crowd or something."

"Well, how do we turn him back?" Jerome demanded

"Well he won't go back to acting normal till the moon sets, and we need to dry him off as well."

It took a solid hour to get Mitch out of the pool. He kept insisting he just wanted to swim. They only managed to get him out when Jerome got in the water to lure him to the edge so Ian and Quentin could grab his arms and pull him out. Jerome got out as well, and after using a towel to somewhat dry himself, he wrapped it around Mitch's tail it to help carry him inside to Jerome's bed. They initially tried to put him on the couch, but the merman flopped onto the floor and started pulling himself back to the pool.

Once Mitch was reasonably dry, Quentin explained they just had to wait till morning now and that they'd properly explain everything to Jerome and Mitch.

They two left downstairs after that to go sleep on the couches while Jerome sat on a chair next to Mitch on the bed.

"So, uh… you're really a merman now.?" he asked, trying to break the ice since they hadn't spoken in a good month.

Mitch nodded "Yep. isn't it cool?"

"Yeah but... you have your own pool at home… why come here?"

"I wanted to see you." Mitch smiled and gave a small yawn "Missed you."

Jerome blinked "You missed me?"

"Mm-hmm." Mitch nodded, snuggling into the bedsheets "I've been a real meanie to you."

Yeah, he was definitely not all there at the moment, Mitch rarely ever admitted he was at fault.

Jerome sighed "We'll talk more tomorrow biggums, you've got a lot of explaining to do." he muttered, getting up and leaving to sleep in the guest bedroom while mitch happily fell asleep on the other's bed.

~~~~

Mitch's head hurt like hell when he woke up the next morning. Fuck, had he been drinking or something? He couldn't remember anything from the previous night. What happened?

When he realised where he was, however, he grew pale and swore softly. Oh God, what was he doing in Jerome's house?! In his bed?! How drunk was he?! He was still clothed thankfully, so it seemed like nothing had happened, but he really didn't want to know or be proven wrong.

He could hear the shower going in the bathroom next door, Jerome was probably in there. It was probably best if he left now. He didn't want to be caught in the awkwardness that would be talking with him after the last time they spoke did not end on good terms.

He got out, and after making sure he had his keys and phone, he tiptoed down the stairs and to the front door. He could see two figures sleeping on the couches but didn't stay around to see who in case they woke up.

Once out the door, he practically sprinted back home, slamming the door to his house behind him once inside, his mind racing.

His phone rang, and he could see it was from Jerome, but he let it ring out. He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to see him. It was better if he didn't try to remember that night.

But nothing major could've happened that night, right?

[elven-ariaera]

Welcome all!

If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re familiar with my work as either an artist, cosplayer, writer or any of the other creative things I do. Recently, I had been asked about some of the work that I do, and I thought a fun way to just that was to fill out a few questionnaires. Here I talk about some of the high and low points of doing what I do, what inspires me, and my process of creativity.

For those who are only interested in certain segments, I’ve broken the article into the following sections for you to easily maneuver your way throughout the piece: Art, cosplay, writing, and questions asked by you.

I know I’m no professional and compared to a lot of others I don’t have as outstanding an amount of followers, but if this article can help inspire at least one artist to try something new or learn something they didn’t know, well, that’s good enough for me! I hope you enjoy!

Art

When did you get into art?

I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember, but I do recall middle school in particular being the time that I really started pursuing art. I had to choose between volleyball and art club after school, and guess which one I picked. It wasn’t just academics either. My notebooks were full of fan art of mostly Link and Zelda, but you could find some Kirby, Pokémon, and Naruto scattered in there as well.

Show us your oldest piece of art you have on hand.

Yeah. It’s… Something.

What defines your artistic style?

I think the faces of the characters I draw distinguish my art. I always have a certain way of drawing the eyes, ears, and other features. I always give my females more prominent eyelashes than males as well. Certain clothing as well — The way I draw capes and hoods are distinct. Not to mention when designing my own clothes, I tend to use similar patterns.

Do you practice other styles/have you tried other styles in the past?

I occasionally dabble outside my comfort zone. I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the “Cal-Arts” style, but I’ve tried it every now and then, especially when creating fan art for shows like Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Amphibia. I don’t really do it too often, but I’ve made a piece for my portfolio mimicking several art styles from a variety of different shows just to demonstrate that I can do it if I’d like to.

What levels of artistic education have you had?

Honestly, just high school. I thought I was going to college for digital illustrations but it turned out communication/graphic design was totally different. I actually got into that because I could draw when not many other people in that field could. Of course, I’m always interested in learning outside of school. I learn through watching other artists on social media, seeing how they create their work. Just watching a speed draw can help so much! The way I learn the most, however, is just by doing. Practice, practice, practice! 

Show us at least one picture you drew or sketched recently that you did not put on a public site.

I’ve been doing a lot of Fire Emblem doodles for my new sticker line, so here’s Setsuna. Honestly, I just like drawing bust portraits like this.

What is your favorite piece that you have done?

I can’t just pick one! I’ve drawn over 900 things since I first joined DeviantArt (and I’ve been drawing even before then), you want me to pick just one? Haha, I’ll narrow it down to three of my favorites (in no particular order):

I love this one because it was like the first cute drawing of Ivysaur I’ve ever done. Ivysaur was always a tricky pokémon for me to draw, but this was the first time I feel like I nailed it. Ivysaur also happens to be one of my absolute favorites, so that’s a plus.

This is Minerva, a Guardian from my fantasy stories. Every time I drew her prior, I could never quite get the look I wanted. This was the one that I really liked and so I colored it and am very happy with how it turned out.

I don’t know why I just love this drawing I did of Dimitri from Three Houses. I think its the eyes and hair. And the color contrast — especially in the original ink sketch (that I hung up over my craft table.) I just love it.

What is your least favorite piece that you have done?

Again, you want just one? Haha, too many failures. I’ll be fair, though, and post three of those as well.

Here’s one from my early days. I was trying so hard to get the hair all detailed like and instead it came out looking like gross looking veins. Not to mention how atrocious the proportions were. Oh man, I’m sorry past me, I know you tried.

Here’s one I was so proud of: I copied the official art for Twilight Princess and thought it came out amazing. So amazing I titled the piece “Awesomeful Link.” Yeah. Um. Nope.

Here’s a more recent one that I’m not too pleased with. I was so excited about the latest batch of Steven Universe episodes (which I would later learn were a big bunch of filler episodes and that didn’t make anything better) I drew Pearl reciting her ‘big line’ of the trailer. I tried to mix styles and I tried something different with the eyes and all in all it just came out… Meh.

What do you like most about your art?

I like the faces that I draw. They’re always the most fun and I think they come out the best. I especially love the eyes, I go into so much detail on them (even though they’re usually so small when I print them.) I’ve had issues in the past where I made all of my characters look like they had the same face, but I feel I’ve been doing a lot better at individualizing the face of each character and that makes it all the more fun as well.

What do you like least about your art?

The hands. Sometimes I draw them well, but I still struggle hard and sometimes it really shows. For chibi drawings, I don’t really care as much, but on my more “serious” art, I get a little bummed when I’ve got a wonky hand hanging off their wrists. Feet also sometimes give me a bit of trouble, but usually only when I do poses that involve more movement, which is why I sometimes make my art stiffer and I don’t like doing that either.

Have you ever considered taking commissions?

I do take commissions. In fact, I’d love to take more if it were possible.

Are you looking to pursue a career in art?

I do it part-time right now. I’m satisfied doing commissions and artist tables at local conventions. I think I’d like to pursue writing more than art, but I do love art just as well, so part-time is perfect for me.

What do you like drawing the most?

As I mentioned before, faces. I love drawing facial expressions, I feel like it’s the very core of a character. It’s the first thing I notice when I look at anyone’s art, so I always go all out on my own. I also like drawing hair and wrinkles in clothing. I used to be really obsessed with wrinkles and it would always look like my characters didn’t iron their laundry, but I’ve definitely toned it down since then, haha.

All in all, I like drawing human characters the best — or humanoid. Elves, fairies, merfolk; I love them the most. I like drawing animals too, but not as much as people. 

What do you like drawing the least?

Once again my answer is hands. They are still as difficult to draw as the day I started.

Backgrounds are also not enjoyable for me to draw. It’s an important part of a piece, but I get so bored drawing anything that’s not a character — which is why you’ll probably notice in a lot of my art that I do a lot of very minimal backgrounds. I’ve been trying very hard not to just take stock photos anymore (with the exception of my Mythical Month art as they’re meant to be stickers,) and I’ve been using games like Skyrim and Breath of the Wild as inspiration with their gorgeous scenery. 

Do you draw more fanart or original art? If fanart, what fandom do you draw the most of?

I post a lot more fan art than original — at least I used to, but I also think I have expanded in sharing my original art more and more with my Mythical Months/Mondays. I guess maybe I’d say about half and half.

What medium/program do you use the most in your art?

Digitally I always use Photoshop. Always. As for traditional art, I’ve been using Copic knock-offs (I’m still learning, so I’d rather not waste the money) and the Sakura Micron pens for my ink sketches. I’ve really been enjoying them, actually, it’s very therapeutic. However, no matter digitally or traditionally, I always, ALWAYS start with a pencil. I like mechanical pencils, I don’t like traditional #2 pencils anymore. The thin lead helps me keep control better.

How would you rank your art? (poor, mediocre, good, etc.)

I always say I think my art is “above average.” I know it’s not bad, but I think it could always use improvement. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to a place where I think my art is phenomenal, but I’m content with it, it makes me happy, and that’s all that matters.

List at least one of your “artspirations.”

My art style was greatly inspired by Naruto, Fire Emblem, and Zelda. I always liked more proper body proportions with that hint of anime inspiration. I like bigger eyes on my characters because they help convey emotion so much better, but I also don’t like the oversized baby eyes outside of the occasional chibi style. Avatar: The Last Airbender was also a great influence since the creators did exactly what I like to do and execute it wonderfully.

What do you think you could stand to improve on?

I feel like I can always improve on everything that I do in my art. There are things I’m good at, but I don’t feel like I’ve mastered anything in particular. Then there’s hands and feet again which I definitely need to work on. Lastly, motion. I want to be able to draw more fluid character motions. I’ve been working on it with my original art that I don’t post online, but hopefully I’ll start incorporating it into all my work.

Do you have a shameful art past? (recolor sprite comics, tracing art, etc.?)

Ugh, yes, YES! I admit I was so bad at first, but I also think that’s just how we learn. I used to do a lot of tracing. I started first just full-on tracing images off my computer — That’s right, I’d put the paper up to the computer and trace it like that. Then I started using bases, which was better because at least I had to draw all the details like hair and clothing by myself. Then I finally worked up the courage to stop using them completely. I’d use references, but I would force myself to figure it out by eye rather than copy it straight from the source. I’m happy to say I haven’t been tracing since my late middle school- early high school years.

Cosplay

How many years have you cosplayed?

My first cosplay was when I was fourteen, and I’m twenty-five at the time of writing this article, so eleven years now. Wow.

How did you get into cosplaying?

I honestly don’t know. I was invited to a convention where I heard people dressed up and was like “hey, I want to try that!” I guess it was because I didn’t really do Halloween as a kid and I was so deathly terrified of costumed characters as a toddler that I never took an interest until high school.

How many cosplays have you done?

That’s funny, you want me to remember how many cosplays I’ve ever done. A lot. According to my photo collection, I’ve done about 60 different cosplays (59 exactly if I’m counting correctly.)

What was your first cosplay and why did you choose it?

My first cosplay was Osaka from Azumanga Daioh in her blue summer uniform. Azumanga Daioh was my second ever manga series and my cousin and I were so obsessed with it. She even went as Yukari with me to the convention (though only, like, two people knew who we were.) Tomo is probably my favorite character, but I related personally more to Osaka, being the air-head that I am. I also didn’t have to really style my hair (because that was an era before I used wigs.)

What is your favorite cosplay you’ve done so far?

It’s a tie between my Trainee Link (Hyrule Warriors) costume and my Royal Guard Link (Zelda: Breath of the Wild) costume. Both are alternative costumes for one of my all-time favorite characters that I hand made all the really detailed pieces all from scratch. Link has always been a special character for me to cosplay, but these two are my favorites.

What is your least favorite you’ve cosplayed?

Rapunzel (Tangled). I was obsessed with her at the time which is why I wanted to cosplay her originally, but my dress was not the best and I didn’t look good as her. At least I think so. It was the only costume that made me feel insecure.

What cosplay is the most uncomfortable or troublesome?

Okay, I love this costume and character to pieces, but my gosh the struggles I go through for Pearl (Steven Universe). Blue Diamond (Steven Universe) is the worst in terms of how long it takes me to put my makeup on, but Pearl is right behind her at about 2 hours being my best time. However, the thing that makes Pearl more troublesome to wear is one thing and one thing alone: armsocks.

They look great and prevent you from having to dab makeup all over your body, but I literally couldn’t even hit the home button on my cellphone and it’s not like I could just take them off like gloves. They’re attached at your middle and putting them on is a hassle on its own. Getting your fingers into each tiny socket is so time-consuming. Now imagine this while also being coated in body paint. Plus, having white be the color of the stockings, you have to be conscious of everything you touch because it will stain and show. Because of all this, I refuse to use the restroom dressed as Pearl, and while that is “in character,” it is not healthy and totally NOT recommended you do that.

What is your most comfortable cosplay?

During the winter, Ravio (Zelda: A Link Between Worlds) for sure. It’s like wearing a giant snuggie. However, in summer, it does get hot very quickly (which is why I literally only wear biker shorts and a tank underneath if I ever do take it out on a hot day), so I only wear it in summer if I know there will be AC. Heatstroke is a real thing. Miss Frizzle (Magic School Bus) is probably the best all-year cosplay in terms of comfort. It’s just a dress, stockings, and a wig really.

But in all honesty, most of my cosplays are relatively comfortable. There’s really nothing that I’ve been so uncomfortable that it’s made my physically ill or scarred me physically. My health is important to me, and should safety should always come first.

How do you research the cosplay before you make it?

I look up lots of reference images. I need an image of the front and back, though if it’s not available, I just improvise based on the images I do have on hand. After that, I kind of just wing it.

Do you sew your cosplays yourself?

A good majority of them, yes. There are a few exceptions to this, though: My Disney princesses are all bought since I use them in performances and want them to be durable if children come and tug on the outfit. Pearl, also being a performance cosplay, I did buy as well. For her second reformation outfit (the sleeveless with the ribbon) I got specially commissioned to look and fit me just right whereas her movie/future appearance (jacket and mom-jeans) I literally found at a thrift store. I also love to find costume pieces at thrift stores. Whether I use them as is or make alterations, they make life so much easier when you make a good find for a cheap price. Leni Loud (Loud House) is probably my favorite thrift/sew hybrid. I found a base dress, altered the top and added strap sleeves, put lace around the edges, found a blingy pair of sunglasses, bought earrings and painted them, and made bows for sandals I already had. The most expensive part of that cosplay was the wig I bought from Arda (and it’s always worth it to buy from them in my opinion.)

When I make a costume completely from scratch (like Ravio, Thranduil, any of my Link cosplays) are when I really love the costume and character and want to take on a challenge and bring it to life myself. They also tend to have pieces that can’t be altered from your everyday clothing, but that just makes me work harder and learn more!

How did you learn to sew?

My grandmother taught me how. Osaka was my first cosplay, but my mom altered it from a tee shirt we found at a thrift store and a lucky skirt find. Kabuto Yakushi (Naruto) was the first cosplay I made from scratch (and I won best novice at the convention I wore it to — even with my terrible wig, haha.) She showed me how to use patterns when we made that and my Ayame Sohma cosplay, but after that, I scrapped using patterns and I basically just eyeball everything now. It’s totally not recommended, but I’m a little weirdo and just prefer to do things the way I do. Still, I wouldn’t be able to use a sewing machine if it weren’t for her. Thanks, Nanny!

Do you make your own props?

Most of them. I don’t really use props too often as I find them cumbersome to lug around a convention (which is how I thought of the Fire Emblem, Gravity Falls, and Skyrim book boxes to store your stuff and add some extra flair to a costume.) The few props I have made include Link’s sword, his trainee shield, his original shield from Zelda 1, and Soren’s Wind Tome (which I used for Laurent (Fire Emblem: Awakening) because I didn’t finish Soren (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) yet…) Then there’s my prized cosplay prop; Victreebel for James (Pokémon). That was all thanks to my fleece hat business in high school that taught me the skills to build that thing.

I actually think the only prop I store-bought was my Hylian Shield because it was so lightweight and easy to carry, plus I was dreading doing all those details at the time. Maybe one day I’ll make it from scratch, but for now, I’m content with my store-bought.

Do you style your own wigs?

Yes. I have been improving my styling skills a lot more since I first started. It was always a more difficult task for me, but I’ve been practicing more and more. The first one that I attempted on my own was my short-haired Rapunzel. That was basically just giving it a haircut, though. My first real styling challenge was Breath of the Wild Link. It took a long time, but I actually had fun figuring out his hair.

For most of my costumes, it’s really just the bangs that need that extra pop, to which I use Got2B gel and spray. Does the trick every time and keeps everything in place. For those who are wondering, though: No, I did not style Pearl’s wig. I am not ready for that kind of gravity-defying styling. That was all E-Bay.

What skill has been most useful for making your cosplay?

Well, sewing mostly, but other skills that have come in handy for me personally have been painting, crafting, makeup, styling, and overall decorating. Probably other stuff too, just nothing more I can think of off the top of my head.

What is the hardest thing when making a cosplay?

Probably figuring out how things connect. This is the main reason I’m timid when it comes to armor. I’ve been getting better, but I’m still having trouble figuring out how everything attaches and how to put on these kinds of costumes, which is why my Skyrim Elven Armor has been put on hold.

What was the biggest screw up you’ve had making a cosplay?

I’m not sure if I had any major crisis’ when it comes to making cosplays, but I’ve certainly had my fair share of irritating mishaps and mistakes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally sewn the sleeves on a costume inside out about 4 times before I finally got it right.

I’ve cut holes in my clothing, I’ve sewn sleeves on too tight, and I’ve even completed a hat that took hours just for it to wind up being too small when I put a wig on. I guess most of the major issues I’ve had with sewing are measurement issues, so my advice to you is to always measure and try on your costume as you go. Don’t wait until the day of the con to try out your new cosplay.

How often do you injure yourself while making a cosplay?

Not too often, I occasionally prick my finger with my sewing needles, but I haven’t had too many serious injuries. I think the worst was when I slashed my thumb with the exacto-knife when making my first shield for Link. Needless to say, there was a lot of blood.

Do you try to stay cheap or do you splurge on materials?

I am a frugal soul; if I can save, I will. That’s why I thrift so much. However, on a costume I’m really passionate about, I will spend more to ensure the quality. For example, I spent a little more going to a more shimmery material for Royal Guard Link. It cost about $50 for the blue and red material, which to me, is a lot (and that was with coupons). However, the results were 100% worth it. PS, Michaels and Joann’s ALWAYS have coupons. I totally recommend downloading both apps.

I also stand by that with wigs and contacts. I love Arda, their quality is great, but they are more expensive than Amazon. Contacts I don’t mind spending more for as well since the quality is VERY important in this case; they are going on your eyes, after all.

However, as I said, I am absolutely not opposed to going cheap. If you can make it work, make it work. My Nyo!Austria (Hetalia) cosplay came out very cute and it was literally made from bedsheets. From using mostly thrifted and recycled materials, a lot of my cosplays came to around an overall price of around $30. Some of these costumes include Mega Gardevoir (Pokemon), Tomoyo Sakagami (Clannad), Spyro (Spyro the Dragon), and Luan Loud (Loud House.)

Cosplay can be totally affordable, you just have to be creative and think a little outside the box sometimes to make it work.

Have you ever cosplayed with a partner or group?

Yes, a few times. I’d love to do more group cosplays, but we all have to think of something we all like. Luckily, two of my very good friends decided they would dress up as Steven Universe and Amethyst to go with my Pearl this year for Comic-Con and it was such a great experience! I’m trying to convince them to do others as well, such as The Loud House and The Magic School Bus with me as well, haha.

Do you try to act in character?

Always: but I don’t always succeed. It really depends on the character. Pearl I could roleplay for days. It’s probably because I connect so much with her and performing as her doesn’t hurt either. Dee Dee Magno Hall says her favorite lines to say are peoples names, and after giving it a shot myself, I totally see why. I even practiced Garnets “Stronger than you” monologue in Pearl’s voice and tone (in case no one volunteered to sing during our karaoke event) and it always makes my friends laugh.

The characters that stump me a little more are the more serious characters I choose to portray; Link, Laurent, Thranduil (the Hobbit), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), just to name a few. I’m kind of a goofball/airhead so those characters clash with my personality a little bit, but I am getting better. Blue Diamond is surprisingly the easiest of these types to stay in character for.

That being said, I love being the outgoing, oddball characters. Like I said, Pearl is second nature to me, as well as Anna from Frozen. Back in my Hetalia days, Austria and America were my go-to guys. I could act as them forever, and my friends and I literally lived as them for a while with how much we role-played. Most of the Disney Princesses it’s pretty easy for me to stay in character, especially (like I said before) Anna, Sofia the First, and Merida.

How do you react to cosplayers dressed as a character from the same anime/game/etc?

If there are some good character opportunities, I will role-play on the spot, but more often than not I will ask if we could all get a picture together. There were so many fun interactions with other Steven Universe cosplayers when my friends and I did our little group, but one of my favorite interactions was probably when I was dressed as Laurent and I stumbled across a Miriel cosplayer and I just shouted out “MOM! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!”

Do you try to duplicate your character’s expressions, walk, movements, etc?

I can talk the talk (mostly), but I have more trouble walking the walk. I’ve been trying to replicate movements better, but facial expressions I have trouble with (ironic as it’s my favorite part of drawing.) I’m not as photogenic as I’d like to be, as you could probably tell by most of my pictures being the same face, but I definitely am striving to improve on that.

What was your funniest experience of acting in character?

Okay, there’s a lot that I could share, and eventually, I want to do an article solely on cosplay “in-character” experiences, but the one I HAVE to share right now is a recent experience when I was dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

I was performing at the family day event my church helps out at my pastor’s air force base as Ariel, and after my sing-a-long, my makeup was a little smudged. I asked a volunteer where the restroom was so I could touch up before I headed back out to the crowds. I thought he’d take me to a private restroom, but he brought me to the public one where there were families waiting outside. They noticed and the dad joked “See? Even princesses have to go.” to which I laughed and gave my best Ariel shrug to play along. I went inside, fixed my makeup, and went back outside.

It wasn’t long, so the family was still outside the men’s room. As I walked by, the man’s son shouted out “Ariel, congratulations on going pee-pee!” to which I bursted out laughing. Everyone was. I mean, if you gotta congratulate a princess on using the bathroom, you picked the right one! After that, I did explain that I was just putting on makeup but I appreciated his enthusiasm and thanked him for it.

Do you compete in cosplay contests?

All the time. I love them. Whether I win or lose, I always get something out of it. I learn tips from other cosplayers, get to meet so many interesting people, and those times I do win I get prizes which is always nice as well. Most importantly, though, the memories that are made there are the very best part.

Have you won anything?

I have won quite a few. I have three trophies, a medal, a few certificates, and have won a cash prize as well. My first win was my second convention as Kabuto where I won the best novice trophy. My most recent win was for Ravio in August of 2019 with best in show. It’s amazing, I never thought I would get this far, but I’m so grateful for everything I’ve been a part of.

Again, it’s totally not about winning, but I’ll admit that it does feel really nice to have my hard work appreciated. Just as drawing, I still feel like I have a lot of room for improvement in my cosplay, so winning a few contests here and there definitely helps my low self-esteem.

Do you prefer skits or walk-ons?

I’ve only ever done walk-ons. I’ve never had anyone to do a skit with and I don’t think I could pull one off on my own. I’d love to do one eventually, but for now, our panels are good enough.

How many friends have you made because of cosplay?

Quite a lot. My Instagram is full of cosplayers I’ve met at conventions and I love seeing their cosplays and drawings, it’s all so inspiring!

Do you attend photoshoots and meet-ups outside of conventions?

Occasionally. I’ve never done a professional photoshoot (though one day I’d like to,) but I have attended a few meetups. I’ve done one for Steven Universe, Once Upon a Time, Disney, and I actually accidentally walked into a Fire Emblem: Awakening one dressed as Laurent, so that worked out.

What is the funniest reaction you’ve gotten cosplaying from people outside of the community?

The best one was when I was dressed as Link and my friend and I were on the subway. There was a mom and her kid sitting across from us and she pointed to me and said to her child, “Look, an elf! You see? Santa’s got his helpers out all year round, so you have to be good!”

I also had another wonderful experience outside of a con dressed as Link, though it’s not as funny but more just a sweet memory. It’s quite a bit, but luckily I’ve already written about it for Zelda Universe so I’ll just link it here for anyone who’s interested. 

Name a few cosplays you’re planning to do next:

I’ve got to get Soren (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) done soon. I’ve been wanting to do this cosplay forever and I did start it, but I need to finally finish it. Dimitri (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) is also on my list to do next. Not sure about who else I want to do for sure, but some ideas that have floated around in my head have been Tilly Green (Big City Greens), Anna with her Frozen 2 look, Princess Peach (Super Mario), and a Thalmor Mage (Skyrim.)

What is your dream cosplay?

Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess. I’m still too scared to try to cosplay her. I bought a cheap starter costume that I was going to build off of and it wasn’t turning out the way I wanted, so I put it off again. One day I’ll feel confident enough to make her costume, but until then I’m totally satisfied with my Link cosplays.

What do you take into consideration when picking a character to cosplay?

Honestly, I just have to love them as a character and the costume itself has to seem do-able. I mean, I’m totally not opposed to buying cosplays if I really want to be a particular character, but like I said, making it means all the more to me. It’s my display of affection towards that character, the creators behind them, and the series as a whole.

Is cosplay serious business for you?

Yes and no. No because I don’t do it for money, likes, or internet fame. I do it because it’s fun and what I like to do. Yes because I go all out when I cosplay. I do everything I can to get the look the way I want it and I put my blood, sweat, and tears into it when I make them by hand. 

What is your favorite thing about cosplay?

Everything: Dressing up as a character I love, roleplaying them, taking photos, just everything! I would do it more often if I could!

How do you want to grow as a cosplayer?

I want to learn how to make more. I want to build armor, I want to learn new makeup and hairstyling techniques, and so much more. I’m happy where I am, but I know I can be better. I will watch others and learn from them and push myself to try new things!

Are you willing to answer questions and help other cosplayers?

Absolutely! I may not be a top dog of cosplaying, but if I can help someone with something I’ve learned along the way, I’m more than happy to help!

Writing

When did you start writing?

I started in middle school as well, I used to write a Nintendo fan fiction called “The Kirby Show,” where Kirby and his friends would get into wacky sitcom scenarios. They were really just knock-offs of the television shows I used to watch back in the day, but hey, everyone’s gotta start somewhere.

As for my original writing, I started that more in high school. I still wrote a lot of fan fiction at that point, but I was starting to develop my own characters as well. I thought it about time to think of my own creations, and I did. I remember I was in my Godmother’s car when I thought of the main three characters and since then the cast has expanded so much, their stories are much better developed, and the lore is much more solid.

When you were a beginning writer, what did you write primarily? What do you write now, primarily?  (i.e. romance, fan-fiction, poetry)

As mentioned before, I started out writing stories about characters that were not my own. Now I do all original writing — well, aside from my work at Zelda Universe. There I get to write about all the unique aspects of one of my favorite game series of all time, so there’s that as well. Writing there has helped me start writing little fandom topical posts for my own blog, such as top 10’s, reviews, and other things along those lines. 

How often do you write?

I make it a habit to try and write at least a half-hour a day. If I’m really on a roll, I could write up to a few hours a day before I get burnt out. Even though I’m not always writing, I’m always developing the stories in my head. 

When is your favorite time of the day to write?

I always write a half hour before I go to bed. The later it is, the more ideas keep rolling in. With my early hours for work now it’s harder to stay up late, but that doesn’t stop the ideas. I just gotta push myself a little harder to start earlier to have more time before I need to go to bed. 

Do you have a writing muse? If so, who/what?

Not in particular. I always just write about what I like and incorporate different aspects of my life into it. I guess I’m my own muse in that sense? I don’t know. I just write what I do know. 

What is your most popular lit piece?

Out of all my public pieces, I’d say either my “Animal Crossing Diaries” series or my “Endless Ocean” screenplay. “Vagabond” gets some decent attention as well, which is nice, but honestly, I’d be happy if there was just one person enjoying my work, so I really can’t complain. 

What is the piece you are currently writing?

Out of my public blog works, “Vagabond,” from my Zelda Universe collection I’m working on a character piece on Colin from Twilight Princess. 

What is the piece you most recently finished?

On my blog that would be my “Top 10 Favorite Fire Emblem Characters” list. For Zelda Universe, it’s actually a piece about Fire Emblem as well — It was DS week, I could write about whatever DS game I wanted to, of course I have to sneak in some Fire Emblem.

What piece are you most proud of?

While “Vagabond” definitely needs some more work, out of all the pieces I’ve posted publicly, that one is the one I am the proudest of. If anything just for Kurt and Maerwynn. They are two of my favorite characters to play around with and I’m so happy that somehow I was allowed to think these two up.

In my more private works, my fantasy story is my pride and joy. I feel so blessed to have been able to come up with these characters, and I do hope that someday I will be able to share them, whether on a television screen as I’ve always dreamed of in a novel of some sort. One day, maybe. 

What piece are you most disappointed in?

It’s not so much disappointment, but rather I’ve grown so much in my work, it’s very hard for me to look back at my first romance story. It’s a little cheesy and the dialogue is a bit clunky, some of the actions that my characters had performed totally go against what their characters have become now after spending a lot more time with them. It’s something I would love to revisit and maybe even go public with, but it’s going to take a lot of work. 

From all of your stories, who is/are your favorite character(s) and why? (try to limit it to 3)

Since I only published “Vagabond” online, I’ll stick to characters from this story in particular.

Maerwynn is definitely a favorite because she’s got a lot of qualities that I wish I was bold enough to enact myself. She speaks her mind without a care of what anyone else will think, even if it’s blatantly rude. She goes for her goals, even if they may seem ridiculous, and she pursues them with great passion and ferocity. Even with this rough and tough exterior, she’s still got a softer side that she’s just discovering in her new life at the palace. Now, I wouldn’t ever recommend being like Maerwynn ALL the time, but there’s definitely is a time and place where we could all be a little bit more like her, I think. Her confidence is the thing I admire most about her.

Kurt I connect with as well. Again, he says all the things that we all wish we could get away with at one point or another, but he knows he can because he’s royalty. However, he’s got so much going on underneath the surface as well with the complications of his past. He’s learning to open up, connect with others, and understand his feelings. Despite feeling restricted by the laws of his kingdom and the traditions of the royal family, he finds his own way to feel free and be himself. 

What is the best compliment you ever got on your writing?

My best friend who I’ve been sharing these stories with for as long as we’ve known each other told me the nicest thing not to long ago. I always laugh at myself for going so crazy in-depth with the lore and characters of my fantasy world, but she told me how she’s admired that and the love and care I put into each little thing was what made it so great. It really meant the world to me to hear that and I can’t thank her enough for all the love and support throughout the years! 

What is your main goal in writing?

I don’t know if there’s one main goal in particular, but I suppose if I had to pick just one, it would be to show good through the works of my characters and hope and pray that it inspires others to be like them. Kindness is growing scarce in the world, and if I can just inspire a little bit of it in someone, I suppose that’s all I can ask for. 

Have you ever been published?

No, but I am aiming for it. Once I complete Vagabond, give it another revise myself, and hopefully find an editor to give it another look over, I’d love to find someone to publish my book or even self publish on a platform like Amazon. Just something to get my work out there.

Questions asked by you

Who is an artist that you look up to? There are a few artists online that I follow who I just adore their work. Three that come to mind in particular are Bianca Roman-Stumpff, Bellhenge, and TheStarfishFace. Their art is so different from mine, but I think that’s probably why I love it so much (if that makes sense?)  They each have such a unique style and great subject material, I highly recommend giving them a look!

What did you think of “Frozen 2”?

I loved it. No secret that I’m a huge Frozen fan, so I was bound to like it. I was actually really nervous about how it was going to end, but I can say (without spoilers) that I am 100% satisfied with how it concluded. Also, Kristoff finally gets the spotlight that he deserves, thank you, Disney.

However, as much as I did love it, I do totally admit I do see flaws in it that could have been improved on. That being said, there was that in the first movie too and I stilled loved it. The characters have enough charm to keep the film entertaining throughout and I just adore them!

What does your family think of your art?

My parents have always encouraged me about my art and I know my grandmother loves it; I gave her a sweater with the art she liked of mine last Christmas and my mom says she wears it all the time. The rest of my family knows and supports my art as well, I  never really had any issue with my small art business and the family.

Any memorable cosplay experiences at a con?

So many. I’ve shared a few before, but I think I’d like to make a whole article on the great cosplay experiences I’ve had! There are so many to talk about and stories to share.

Is there a type of art that you would like to get into? I’ve seen a lot of people doing wood carving and burning, but that looks insanely difficult.

I’ve actually been considering wood burning, haha! It does look difficult, that’s why I’ve been hesitant, but maybe in the future I’d give it a shot. I think they’d make my Skyrim wood pieces look legit.

I’m really up for trying anything. If money wasn’t a thing, I’d have tried a lot more by now. In the future, I’d love to try needlepoint as well! 

Recently, I had been asked about some of the work that I do, and I thought a fun way to just that was to fill out a few questionnaires. Here I talk about some of the high and low points of doing what I do, what inspires me, and my process of creativity. Welcome all! If you're reading this, I'm assuming you're familiar with my work as either an artist, cosplayer, writer or any of the other creative things I do.

[rescuesirens]

NC Mermania 2017, part 2 - Mermaiding

From Jess (originally posted on rescuesirens.com, January 31st, 2017):   It’s hard to believe, but I haven’t written yet about my mermaid tail! I’ve posted a handful of tail photos here on the “Rescue Sirens” website as well as pictures and video clips on Instagram and Tumblr, but this is the first time I’ve blogged about it, and I don’t know if I can do it justice with mere words. My mermaid tail is a wearable, working piece of art.

Although it’s been around for decades, the sport, performance, or hobby of mermaiding has really taken off in recent years. Today, you can buy an affordable fabric tail that slips over a plastic monofin (a device, as the name suggests, that looks like a pair of fins fused together, designed to contain both feet and keep a swimmer’s legs together to aid in the dolphin kick), or you can spring for a variety of other materials, varying in price up to $4,000 or more. One of the most popular materials is silicone, and there are multiple tailmakers who create truly stunning silicone mermaid tails for swimming. My tail and matching top were handcrafted by Raven and Tyler Sutter of Merbella Studios Inc., based in my home state of Florida.

The story behind the creation of my tail is pretty magical. On our family vacation to Orlando in August of 2015, Chris, his daughter Nicole, and I made a side trip to meet Raven and Tyler at historic Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Florida’s “City of Live Mermaids.” There, I got to view the fabled springs for myself for the first time -- I grew up in Florida and spent a lot of time at Ginnie Springs over the years as well as Silver Springs and Homosassa, but, almost unbelievably, I’d never visited Weeki Wachee… and now here I was in this iconic mermaid mecca, with Mermaid Raven, seeing one of her gorgeous silicone mermaid tails in person! Wow!

I was so impressed with her handiwork’s artistry and flawless construction, and even more impressed with Raven and Tyler themselves: they’re brilliant, beautiful, fun, and phenomenally talented people who I feel very fortunate to call my friends today.

That first meeting. As you can see, we all got caught in a Florida thunderstorm!

Before we parted ways, Tyler and Raven took detailed measurements of my lower body so they could custom-build my tail, and I left Weeki Wachee looking forward to the day when I could try it on and go for my first swim.

Both the tail and the top that went with it were going to be designed as a “realistic” version of Nim’s, the Rescue Siren whose appearance Chris based on mine, and I was curious to find out how Raven would adapt Chris’s drawings into something that had to obey the laws of physics and look like it “belonged” on a real human being (as opposed to a cartoon), while still retaining the spirit of Nim’s design. Over the next eight months, Raven periodically sent work-in-progress photos as she sculpted Nim’s flukes and fins as well as the leafy, kelp-like halter top that Nim wears in her undersea home, Lophelia. Even in humble gray clay, everything looked amazing.

In April of 2016, Chris and I took another trip to Florida, and we made plans with Raven and Tyler to spend some time at Orlando’s YMCA Aquatic Center. The Y features a seventeen-foot-deep dive well, and I was beside myself with excitement at the idea of hanging out with Raven again and even getting to swim together. I knew that she was close to completing my tail and had already finished my top, but I wasn’t expecting to receive them until May, so I figured she’d bring one of her extra tails and I could borrow it for our swim. Imagine the look on my face, then, when Raven unveiled my very own Nim tail in the YMCA’s parking lot! It was so unexpected that I actually didn’t register what I was seeing for several moments, and then I squealed and squeezed Raven half to death.

Raven had taken the images of Nim that Chris had drawn and she had made them real. The delicate curling fronds of Nim's seaweed top, with sparkling green crystals imbedded amongst the gentle floral curves... the sweeping lines of Nim's graceful tail -- "blue as the ocean in the morning," scales glittering with iridescent shine -- from the flawless transition at the blended waist to the lightly ribbed dorsal, adipose, and ventral fins, all the way down to the immense flukes: three feet wide and ingeniously hiding a Finis Competitor monofin within.

Raven still had some finishing touches to put on my tail’s paint job, but I could try it on and go swimming with her!

I didn’t truly understand the phrase “fits like a glove” until I put on my Nim tail. It was made to conform to my body exactly, and, boy, does it do that. Even with Raven’s help, I swear it took me something like an hour and half to wriggle into my tail that first time. I’ve since gotten it down to under ten minutes (again, with my husband Chris’s help), but, if I hadn’t had Raven there to show me what to do at first, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve believed I could get into that tail. Once it’s on, it fits like a second skin, which makes moving through the water effortless. (Loose tails can flap around a person’s waist and legs, catching water as they swim and creating drag.) And once it was finally on that first time, I took off into the dive well… and I felt like I was flying.

When you’re wearing a mermaid tail, you can’t really get a good look at yourself while you’re swimming, so what made me do a double-take was seeing Raven (who can get into her tail in, like, two minutes!) glide past me in her own tail. The illusion is flawless; the blended waist effect that Raven can achieve with her tails is wholly convincing, her tails’ flukes bend and flow realistically, and Raven herself is so fluid and graceful in the water that you would swear she’s a real mermaid.

A post shared by Rescue Sirens:Mermaids On Duty (@rescuesirens) on Dec 22, 2016 at 1:33pm PST

Chris and Tyler, watching us, discussed the interesting quirk about mermaid tails: when a Victoria’s Secret model wears angel wings, she can’t fly, but, when someone puts on a mermaid tail, they really can swim. The fiberglass Finis Competitor monofin built into my tail is rated for ocean swimming, and I can cross a pool in only a few dolphin kicks. I went from the dive well’s surface to the bottom at seventeen feet below in the blink of an eye. I felt strong, powerful, and beautiful -- just like I imagine the Rescue Sirens in my stories -- and I can never thank Raven and Tyler enough for that.

My Nim tail has already been on a number of adventures, from Orlando to two Hawaiian islands to Weeki Wachee Springs and back here to Los Angeles, but those tail-tales will have to wait for another day, because today I want to write about mermaiding at NC Mermania!

The main event of NC Mermania was our time at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, affectionately referred to as the GAC (that’s pronounced “gack”). Merfolk took over the facility’s dive well, which, just like Orlando’s YMCA Aquatic Center, is a whopping seventeen feet deep and twenty-five yards wide; vendors (like us) set up on either side of the giant body of water. Chris and I readied our table with books, buttons, and Diving Belle motel key tags, and then I “turned tail”… with the help of Chris (who is an incredible husband for many reasons; this is only one of them) and a whoooole lot of coconut oil.

Although the tail is a challenge to get into, the reward once I’m in is well worth it: I get to go swimming! It’s so refreshing, both physically and mentally. I feel like a little kid again, only I’ve leveled up the way I “play mermaids” in a manner that wee Jess never could have imagined. I've always been a water baby, and swimming in a realistic mermaid tail is a whole new way of interacting with the element I love so dearly.

I recently had rashguards screen-printed with the “Rescue Sirens” logo, and I wore those stretchy lifeguard tops as part of my Nim outfit for both days in the dive well at the GAC. I was so tickled every time someone recognized our property! I loved talking to people, answering their questions about the books and the world, and spreading the word about this series that means so much to me. Because NC Mermania attendees are passionate about many of the same things that I am -- the ocean, marine conservation, water safety, and mythology -- that made everyone easy to talk to, even for an introvert like me!

Besides talking about "Rescue Sirens," conversations involved admiring and discussing one another's tails (Merbella Studios' tails like mine, Finfolk Productions, Mertailor, Mernation, any number of commercially available fabric tails, and even handmade), swapping water-friendly hair and makeup tips, learning new tricks (I was taught how to blow bubble rings!), and simply having fun swimming together. There was an innocence to the event that I found really charming. When was the last time, as an adult, that you really just enjoyed splashing around in the water with friends the way you did as a kid? I didn't realize how much I'd missed that.

While I played in the dive well, Chris was a rockstar and, as usual, a phenomenal husband: he not only sold copies of "Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist" at our poolside table, but he also took lots of photos and videos to remember our time at NC Mermania. The only thing that Chris couldn't do was take photos from in the water (since he had to be able to return to our table at a moment's notice), but the wonderful Karsten Shein of Mountain Mermaid Photography had that covered, spending both days suited up in scuba gear at the bottom of the dive well with camera in hand.

Here are some of my favorite candids shot by Karsten (thank you so much!):

In addition to Karsten's underwater photos, I chose some of the best pictures and videos that Chris shot from the pool deck and compiled them into this short video, which follows me around a bit during our time at the GAC on Saturday. Huge thanks also go to Tom Cardwell for graciously sharing the underwater footage that he recorded of me swimming, and to Mermaid Aria for the photo of her, Mermaid Jolene, and yours truly. I'm so grateful for everyone's help!

Next in this series: it's time to make legs and dry off for NC Mermania's social events and panels!

[housebeleren]

Throne of Eldraine Prerelease Recap

I’m a little behind here, but I did attend the Throne of Eldraine Prerelease, and generally had a good time. The preview season made me super stoked to crack open these packs, since the flavor of this set is off the charts. I’m very happy to say that opening the packs was every bit as fun as I expected. If only the limited environment play lived up to it.

Art: Joe Slucher

For this Prerelease, I ended up doing 2 Headed Giant, because that was the only option available at a time I could do. The combined pools had a lot of good options. Our promos were Robber of the Rich and Giant Killer, both of which deserved to be played. I also opened Embercleave, which was probably the biggest bomb of our packs. So it was very clear we were going to do Red and White in some combination of our decks. The next question was what else would we play.

After a cursory look at our pool, the odd color out was Blue. Our Blue was awful. Nothing great, and only a few even playables. Black had amazing removal, and Green had some solid threats. In the end, we decided that Green & Black paired better together, since they had the Food synergies (plus we had Savvy Hunter, and that was a strong pull into the color combo). So that left Red & White to combine into the second deck.

In play, the decks performed decently. We won the first round, with my Red removal keeping the board clear and ultimately winning with Tempting Witch to break the board stall. The second matchup was going okay for a bit, but they had one incredible Red/Blue control deck that blew up in the late game. The final match was a joke. They had 2 copies of Outlaws’ Merriment, and they landed them on turn 4 and 5. There was no fighting that, and we lost in short order. So, only 1-2 for the night, but some decent gameplay.

General Format Notes

Control is real. There are lots of defensive early creatures, not a lot of super aggressively costed threats, and plenty of card draw, removal, and counterspells that are actually worth playing. Time will tell how the format itself balances out, but it definitely feels like control will have a seat at the table.

There are bombs, but they’re not all Mythic. Certainly most of the Mythics are pretty close to bombs, but there are lots of cards at lower rarities that can run away with the game too. 

The removal is pretty universally good, but not necessarily plentiful. It’s going to be really difficult in this format to choose between removal and riskier high-payoff cards like Improbable Alliance.

Mono color seems like it will be a thing, but don’t expect to always be able to make it work. Most of the time, 2 color decks are probably your best bet, but every now and then a mono color deck will come together.

Adamant rewards skewed mana bases. If you have Adamant payoffs, or cards that are heavy in one color like the Rare legends, try to push your deck towards a 10-7 split, favoring one color strongly over the other.

Food is kinda a nuisance, and honestly should have been downgraded to gaining 2 life. Gaining 3 life a pretty big rider on a lot of cards, and it can make the games stall out really easily. But if you’re playing Food, it’s great. 

Card-Specific Notes

For this, the theme is going to be Read the Fucking Card. Seriously, this format has so many “gotcha” cards that punish you for not reading them carefully. If I had one last general format note, it would be to read cards very, very carefully, because they often don’t work exactly as you think.

Questing Beast is the poster child for this. The card is a wall of text, and even after playing against it in Arena for the last few weeks, I still can’t remember what it’s fucking abilities all are. Do yourself a favor and read this card every single time you see it. Don’t assume you remember what it says because you’ve probably forgotten. Oh, it’s also pretty damn good, but not actually unbeatable. A lot of the removal in the format will get it.

Acclaimed Contender is a card covered in words. It gets you a Knight. Or an Aura. Or an Equipment. Or a Legendary Artifact. But definitely not a non-Legendary non-Equipment Artifact. Oh, but it only does any of this if you already control another Knight, so don’t forget about that and cast it on curve without a buddy out, you fucking ninny. Seriously, they tried so hard to make this fit into every possible limited theme that white touches, and the end result is this utter mess of a card.

Hushbringer? The ‘80s called. They want their album cover back. Oh, and don’t forget this shuts down death triggers too, not just ETB triggers like every other card in this space has historically done. Honestly just the way the line splits, the word “dying” is so easy to skip over.

Merfolk Secretkeeper should have been a 0/3. Creatures are small in this format, and having a 0/4 is such a brick wall against anything except big Green decks. 

Midnight Clock triggers on each upkeep. Don’t miss that crucial line of text because it honestly changes everything. This card is playable.

You’ll need to read Syr Konrad at least once each turn that he is on the board. Or, just put a rubber band around your wrist and snap it every time you say or even think the word “Graveyard.” 

Opportunistic Dragon can only steal Artifacts and Humans, two totally similar things.. I guarantee someone fucked this up and tried to steal an Ogre or something on Prerelease day.

Robber of the Rich...... oh Jesus. This card has 10 rulings upon release in Gatherer, so we must be doing something right. Okay, so his ability only triggers when you attack if an opponent has more cards in hand than you do. And then, you get to cast the card only if you attacked with a Rogue this turn. Fortunately, there are a plethora of Rogues in Eldraine... What? There are 4 others, and two of them are Mythics, so practically speaking there are only 2 others? Cool. Thanks for adding a confusing and basically worthless line of text that only serves to make the card more inscrutable. Why have this text about Rogues in a set that literally does not have anything to do with Rogues? Why not just say “during any turn you attacked” or just not have a condition at all? Seems fine to me. Oh, and it has Reach, because sure. Apparently there was a sale on Reach in this set, because it shows up on all kinds of Rares for reasons, instead of on Commons and Uncommons that could actually use it.

Oko, Thief of Crown’s +1 ability doesn’t wear off. Ever. So... yeah, just track that with normal methods that you definitely brought to FNM with you. Maybe just write on the card. Also, have I mentioned this card is busted?

And now we get to the single biggest missed flavor opportunity in the entire set. Crystal Slipper. Seriously, why on Earth is this a Red equipment that grants Haste? What person runs faster after they put on glass footwear? Literally nobody, not even Cinderella, which is why the damn thing fell off as she was trying to run because glass shoes are probably goddamn heavy and not meant for running in. How’s this for a better flavor win? 1W, equip 2. Equipped creature has Lifelink and can’t be blocked by creatures with power 3 or greater. In other words, the Crystal Slipper turns the creature into a Beloved Princess! And then when the slipper is removed, it goes back to what it was before! Seriously... the current version is a flavor fail of pretty epic proportions.

Alright, that’s it for the Throne of Eldraine prerelease. I know I got into some other stuff at the end there, but that’s because some time has passed since the actual event, and I have thoughts. Hope everyone enjoys this format. Looks to me like it’ll be a mixed bag that alternates between fun and hair-pulling. Hooray!

[dmcrossroads-blog]

A Bold New World

Ladies and Gentlemen, I cannot wait to talk to you about Ixalan! It has been quite a week when it comes to the set. Wizards of the Coast announced this week that, in response to the massive leak from a month or so ago, they were going to officially reveal all the cards featured in the notorious leak. While there are tons of cool cards I could go over (including some awesome new Vampires to go along with my Lord Markov deck that I STILL HAVEN’T GOTTEN TO PUT TOGETHER YET (more on that later)) I want to take it slow because I don’t want to write a 10 page report for you. That being said, we’re going to split things up and I want to first address the theme of Ixalan (nothing new, we’ve known Dinosaurs and Pirates were the theme for awhile now) AND the mechanics we can look forward to in the new set.

Pirates… Dinosaurs… Seems… Familiar?

Normally, I don’t speak too badly of WotC. They make mistakes and whatnot, as human beings are one to do, but overall, I think they’re a great company that does their best. I also won’t pretend that I know the development cycles or planning timeline for all the popular trading card games, but I feel like there’s an elephant in the room… A question that has to be asked.

Who came up with this idea first? Blizzard Entertainment or Wizards of the Coast?

Journey to Un’Goro has been out for quite some time in Hearthstone and it was basically about dinosaurs. Then you realize that Blizzard has had Pirates in their game for years now and you can’t help but wonder if WotC wasn’t “inspired” by one of their biggest rival companies. Even down to the MECHANICS! Enrage is a Hearthstone ability and now Magic: the Gathering has it, too? They even work the same way?! (We’ll talk about the different mechanics in a moment, don’t worry) Hmm. Seems very… Well, seems very suspicious, if you ask me. Either way, you can’t deny that there is a high interest in Ixalan, it’s water-bound warriors and huge scaled monsters! The art looks great, the revealed cards look fun and very powerful and people are hyped at the thought of running a Dinosaur deck.

Before we get into the mechanics, Wizard released some information on the mechanics. Here’s the link, feel free to read and listen/watch the short videos!

http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ixalan-mechanics

RAWR! I AM ENRAGED!

Now that you’re back, let’s talk about these mechanics. Enrage is an ability that gives you an effect when a creature takes damage. This is almost the same as the Enraged mechanic in Hearthstone, though I think Wizards is a bit more diversified in the outcomes. For instance, I don’t remember too many Hearthstone Enrage creatures drawing a card when your creature takes damage. Most of them either get a keyword (like Windfury) or a stat buff.

ARGH, MATEY, RAIDING THE SHORES OF IXALAN!

Whether you remember or not, Raid is not a new mechanic. We first saw the combat-based ability back on Tarkir as the Mardu (red, white and black) mechanic and then again later in the set for the Kolaghan brood. Basically, like how Enrage triggers when a creature takes damage, Raid is an effect you get if you’ve attacked with a creature this turn. Overall, I don’t remember the mechanic being a game-changer, but it did influence your decisions during your pre-combat main phase as some cards were simply meant to be played post-combat.

LAAAND HOOO! EXPLORING THE SEAS!

THIS is what I was hoping for! Explore is a brand-new mechanic that does SO MANY good things, I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to see what cards come with it printed! Explore allows you to look at the top card of your library, like a Scry. If it’s a land card, however, you can put the card into your hand. Otherwise, the creature triggering Explore gets a +1/+1 counter AND YOU CAN CHOOSE WHETHER THE CARD REMAINS ON THE TOP OF YOUR DECK OR GOES INTO YOUR GRAVEYARD! Any time you can basically freely put something into your graveyard, you know it’s going to make me pay MASSIVE attention! I can already imagine the upgrades for, say, my Ghave, Guru of Spores deck. You either get a land off the top of your library and into your hand or give Ghave a counter and potentially throw something into the graveyard to reanimate. Or maybe you want to draw that card, so you put it back on top. The amount of value from each trigger is astounding and I hope Explore becomes an Evergreen mechanic (one we see in future sets like how we’re seeing Raid after Tarkir).

I’M ON A BOAT! VEHICLE! A VEHICLE BOAT!

That’s right, the mechanic from Kaladesh is back in the form of Vehicles we can crew. Unlike cars and air ships, however, it looks like we’re going to be able to crew our very own pirate ships! I’ll give Wizards a huge thumb up for flavor, though I wasn’t massively excited about Vehicles from Kaladesh. Since Amonkhet, it didn’t seem to make a big splash, even in Standard, but maybe Wizards has adjusted the balance of the Vehicles and we’ll see a new meta rise from the tides (see what I did there? Tides? IT’S A PIRATE THEME?! … Yeah, I know, I’m sorry…)

YOU TWO-FACED… CARD! YOU’RE A CARD WITH TWO FACES!

This one surprised me a bit. Wizards has gone on record in the past saying that double-faced cards are harder to print, ever since the last set that went wild with them (our return to Innistrad). So, for them to bring the cards back so shortly after this statement, I really don’t get it. Keep in mind, these aren’t cards like Werewolves, but seem to be mundane-looking items that turn out to be hidden gems and treasures. It almost seems like a change to how Amonkhet did Brick counters, where after a certain number of counters, a card’s ability would improve. Now you get landmark counters that flip the card when you reach a certain number. Seems neat, but we’ll have to see if it fairs any better than Amonkhet’s take on this system.

HERE THERE BE LEGEND…ARY PLANESWALKERS?!

That is not a typo. Legendary Planeswalkers. In perhaps one of the most controversial rule changes since the Legendary rule allowing two people to have a copy of the same Legendary permanent on the field at the same time, Planeswalkers have all been errata’d to forever have the Legendary Supertype, along with the Planeswalker Uniqueness rule being abolished in favor of the current Legendary rule. That sounds more confusing than it is. Simply put, you can now have two Jace Planeswalker cards, if they don’t have the same name. So Jace, the Mind Sculptor can sit next to Jace, Memory Adept! People already had some clue about this because of the leak and the price of Captain Sisay has been steadily rising. It went from about a $4 card to now running as high as $60! Seems unreal, but I guess EDH decks like Atraxa Superfriends is going to be even stronger.

Side thought… If the Gatewatch is nicknamed the Jacetice League, a play on the name the Justice League and Nicol Bolas is supposedly assembling his own band of evil Planeswalkers, does that make OG Bolas the perfect Commander for the Legion of Bolas deck? Interesting…

Overall, Ixalan promises to be a brave new world for Magic: the Gathering players. New and returning mechanics, new rules and some of the most hyped creature types (note: Merfolk are back, too!) we’ve seen in a while are big promises for, at the very least, a very fun flavor-winning set. I can’t wait to see the rest of the Ixalan cards when the real spoiler season is upon us and then the next part of this world revealed in Explorers of Ixalan!

What do YOU think of Ixalan? Are you brewing your Dinosaur deck? Tribal Pirates? Do you think the Vampires from Ixalan will find a home in the new Vampire decks that are coming from Commander 2017? Reply to this post and let me know what you think! I can’t wait!