Tess stands in the well-lit backroom of her basement, leaning over a cheap table pressed against the wall. She wears thick mismatched socks to protect her feet from the cool concrete floor. She brushes away her messy blond hair with her arm as it begins to fall in front of her forehead. She toils and works over a sewing machine, set next to piles of fabric and supplies. Her hands are small and rough from years of working the machine, of sewing and cutting fabric, of constructing props, and yet are somehow still soft. Against a stand is propped her phone, playing a backlogged episode of Critical Role on 1.75x speed, desperate to catch up. The background noise from this show is appropriate, considering she is putting the final touches on her cosplays of Jester and the Traveler. I watch her work, amazed at the skill of her craft. When she works, the basement becomes a factory of creation and passion, honoring works of fiction by working to take on the appearance of their characters. “How do you do it?” I ask. “How do you make these intricate outfits that so closely resemble those that the characters wear. How do you style the wigs and apply the makeup, and become this new person so flawlessly? How would I even begin.”
She smiles at me, and turns, bringing the long green cloak she just finished sewing and wrapping it around me, them pulling the hood up. It comes down so far it blocks everything over my upper lip, just as intended. It isn’t nearly as intricate as her own costume for Jester, but that makes sense. After all, we had yet to come to know him as anything other than Jester’s shady, cloaked friend. I watch Tess tighten the clasp on my neckline, allowing the cloak to obscure my entire form. Once done, she finally took a moment to register what I had asked, and gave her response. “You start the same way everyone does, by starting small, and fucking up until you get better.” I finally smile back, taking off the hood so I can continue to watch her work her craft. Tess is blunt, but she’s right, that is the only way to start. But how she does it so well remains a mystery to me.