Locations
Last week, we caught up with Raymond Perez, who has had a lot of success playing Magic since we had last heard from him. Continuing with the retrospective theme, I want to catch up with someone else who has had quite a bit of success in the intervening months since we last talked to her, and a lot has happened! I decided to take a look back at the time since I told you to follow Christine Sprankle, the Finkel of cosplay.
Christine Sprankle
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A lot has happened since February! I think the case can be easily made that 2013 was the best year yet in Christine’s career (I don’t feel the least bit silly calling it that either), and things keep becoming better and better for her. Let’s get into it!
The Grand Prix in Las Vegas this year was, without question, the one can’t-miss event of the season. Christine, a California resident, wasn’t about to miss it, and she and her three suitcases full of costumes made the trip. She talks a bit about it on the podcast, and if you have a minute, listen—a lot more goes into changing costumes and traveling with a bunch of costume accessories than you might think.
Christine was the belle of the ball in Las Vegas, featured in a GatheringMagic video as well as in an episode of Walking the Planes that may be the best one they’ve ever done. Dozens of people had their pictures taken with Christine in Vegas, and it was the first time I’d seen the Mercadian Masques Brainstorm costume (pictured above). She also brought her Emmara Tandris, Liliana, and Elspeth costumes. This interview goes into more depth also . . . in case you didn’t have enough Sprankle-goes-to-Vegas content to keep you busy.
Grand Prix Las Vegas may have been the biggest event of the year for Magic, but not the biggest event of the year for Christine. Let’s hear a little bit from her about the year she has had.
What have you been up to since we last caught up with you?
Wow! A lot! I entered the Ignite Your Spark contest, completed a few more cosplays along with fixing up some old ones and was invited to cosplay over in Dublin for Pro Tour Theros! It's been a whirlwind adventure of cosplay and Magic for me!
I entered the Ignite Your Spark contest, wherein you entered a picture and a caption to pretty much audition to be one of the existing planeswalkers. I, of course, chose Elspeth! There were two winners: the grand prize winner, chosen by a group of judges at Wizards, and then a second-place fan-favorite winner, chosen by the fans. The fans were able to choose from a group of ten runner-ups whom the group of judges at Wizards picked. There were a lot of really great entries, and I was fortunate enough to be chosen for the top ten, and I won by the amazing support of the community. I really can't describe how much it meant to me to see so many people support me. I won a laptop, which was pretty spectacular, seeing as I didn't have a computer. I still, to this day, will randomly send a tweet saying thank you to everybody who voted for me.
Tell us about your experiences in Dublin.
I don't even know where to start! First of all, I am so thankful to be invited. It was an experience I will never forget and will cherish for a very long time. It was a very surreal experience—I woke up each morning and had breakfast with pro players from around the world and alongside the people who make Magic what it is. I also was able to see a very rare side of the Pro Tour: the after-parties and the downtime. Every time you went to the lobby, all you heard was Magic cards shuffling! I literally was able to draft with people from all over the world and got a lot of pointers and guidance from some of my personal favorites. At times, it was a little overwhelming. All in all, it's an experience I will never forget—and that I hope I can experience at least one more time!
What was recording Walking the Planes like?
Amazing! Nathan and Shawn are really good at what they do, and it shows in each episode. I had never had the chance to talk to Mr. Ochoa before and always thought he was kind of a monotone kind of guy, but I was absolutely floored by how funny he was! It was a great honor to work with him, Rueben, and the whole Walking the Planes crew. They make the whole experience absolutely amazing, and I feel so lucky to be able to work with them. I hope I can continue to do more in the future!
I have quite a queue going on right now: Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, Kaysa, Deranged Hermit, Braids, Conjurer Adept, and a few commanders. Like I said: very crazy. And that's just for Magic, not to mention the League of Legends champions and a few anime characters as well!
Are you encouraged that Wizards seems to be doing a better job of incorporating fan communities, such as the cosplay community?
I think it really speaks volumes about how much Wizards cares about all of its players. Cosplay is an amazing form of self-expression and really brings a whole new aspect to the community, and it really takes it further when the company who is responsible for that outburst of creativity takes notice and nurtures it. Cosplay is more than just people dressing up, and I think it can do this community a whole lot of good.
Where can we find your work online?
For the most up-to-date info, my Twitter is the main hub. And my Facebook is where I answer a ton of questions on a daily basis.
What's next for you?
A lot more cosplay! I feel so blessed to be able to share something I am so passionate about with so many people all over the world. I'll be hitting up a lot of Grand Prix events and, I hope, some more Pro Tours! But if you live on the west coast, I will definitely be at an event near you! I also always try to help anybody with things cosplay-related, so if you ever have questions or need some guidance, never hesitate to ask!
There you have it! Christine has had a great year, and she only plans to do more in the future. If you see her at a Grand Prix, go say “hi.” That’s if you recognize her—with many more costumes planned, she could be anyone next time!
Thanks for tuning in! Join me next week for more Who to Follow!
