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Few understand the mind of the necromancer known as Mannimarco, but costume designer and ESO-fan Mary has truly become the King of Worms with this incredible cosplay. Check out our latest ESO Community Spotlight where we ask Mary about her experience crafting this dark ensemble.
ESO is filled with colorful costumes and characters, but few as nefarious as the Worm King. Why did you choose Mannimarco for your latest cosplay?
You know, cosplay has been my hobby for a long time, and sometimes I have difficulties finding inspiration to recreate a character. This is because most characters, even those from different worlds and universes, are similar to each other and do not provoke any interest from me. Moreover, I like to develop in my skills and overcome difficulties, so if a popular character looks easy, I am not inspired to recreate them. When I saw ESO's opening trailer for the first time, the shot of Mannimarco astonished me, and it gave me enough inspiration to ask the question: “Why not?"
What primary sources did you draw from to capture Mannimarco's look in such detail?
The design of Mannimarco in the game and in the trailer are very different, but I chose the cinematic trailer as the main source for my cosplay because it made the strongest impression on me. However, there was a problem: Mannimarco was seen in the trailer only three times, and many important details were simply impossible to find, so I explored a large amount of art and in-game items to build the image of the necromancer. For example, the small diamond-shaped ornaments on my belt are based on the in-game Xyvkin style found on my Spell Power Cure gear set.
When crafting a highly-detailed costume like this, including the outfit, makeup, and staff, how much time and effort goes into preparation and planning?
First of all, I had to understand in detail all parts of the costume, to determine what materials are best used for this or that part. I started crafting the costume after a few weeks of sketches and planning.
What materials did you use to create this outfit? And how long did it take to actually craft?
The clothes were made from a large amount of black leather. For armor, I used the two materials that are now popular in crafting cosplay: evaform and worbla. For the Staff of Worms, I used a plastic shape, which I painted to make it look like a real skull. After that, I added small details to give it that fascinating, evil charm.
What was the most challenging aspect of creating Mannimarco's outfit?
Definitely parts of the armor. The thing is that this was my first job with evaform and worbla, and I often reworked some of the details two or even three times from scratch to achieve the perfect form. In particular, a lot of time was spent on the shoulders.
How difficult was it to perfect the makeup and prosthetics required to truly capture the High Elf sorcerer's appearance?
This was one of the most difficult and important parts of the costume. The fact that I'm a girl was simultaneously a positive and negative. Makeup was especially important, because real people have little similarity with Mannimarco, but despite the difficulties, with the help of makeup I managed to change my face greatly, adding wrinkles, changing the shape of my lips, and much more.
Mannimarco is Tamriel's most powerful necromancer and leader of the Worm Cult. How did it feel to take on the persona of one of ESO's premier villain (second only to Molag Bal himself) if only for a brief time?
When you wear Mannimarсo's armor, you feel your strength and power increase. Then, you look down on the people nearby... and ask them to fix a lock of hair that was annoying you because you can't do it yourself in such clumsy suit *laughs*.
But seriously, this was a superb experience! Mannimarco in ESO showed himself to be a true antagonist, and I'm glad that he plays such an important role in the story. Some players might hate him for his actions, but does he really need anybody else's approval? He's a risk-taker, too, as he took up the study of forbidden magic early, and his ambitions took him almost to the top, making his story fascinating.
During your photoshoot, it looks like you're in some ruins. What was the inspiration for this grim scene?
The last scene of cinematic trailer with Mannimarco is the one I love most. An overconfident Nord comes into the White-Gold Tower hall and challenges Mannimarco. A silly and most unadvised move that results in a mocking grin on the necromancer's face.
The White-Gold Tower hall in my photo was made with the help of detailed 3D modeling. The idea was to show a moment of time of what was happening before the scene in the trailer.
To quote the villain himself from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: "Yet you worry about 'good' and 'evil' and do not accept they are manifestations of the same thing. So, you brand me a villain, and make vain attempts to destroy me. I watch, and I wait, and I collect you when you come for me."
What advice do you have for your fellow cosplayers who want to create a character from ESO?
Sometimes cosplay of a humble peasant or merchant can be more interesting than that of a well-known hero. You should always try to completely understand and love your character with all your heart, as it'll help you overcome any difficulties and create something fabulous.
Where can we find more of your cosplay?
Visit my DeviantArt page: https://maryvernikovskaya.deviantart.com or my Tumblr: https://elizamuir.tumblr.com/, and if you're a Russian-speaking player, come to our ESO fan community: https://vk.com/tesolibrary!
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Few characters are as fearsome as the leader of the Worm Cult, but Mary has truly captured the necromancer's majesty and power with her amazing cosplay. Thank you for sharing your story with us, Mary!
If you've seen or created something amazing based on The Elder Scrolls Online, let us know about it on Twitter @TESOnline or Facebook. We'd love to share it with the rest of the community!
