Cosplay: Titania 1.0

Posted on May 12, 2015

“Get the f--- out my forest.”

—Me to Ant and Mike, Snack Time with Mike and Ant #7

That was what I imagined Titania saying to MTG’s beloved bumbling brothers Mishra and Urza when they brought their war to the shores of Argoth, her island sanctuary. And though Argoth was ultimately doomed to be blasted into the equivalent of a Dominarian parking lot courtesy the sibling rivalry of the aforementioned brothers, Titania’s legacy has endured. We most recently saw her come back to life in Commander (2014 Edition) under the deft hand of Magali Villeneuve.

I actually didn’t know anything about Titania until her Protector of Argoth version came out, and I was compelled by the art to learn more about her as a character. That art also led me to discover Magali Villeneuve, who is one of my new favorite Magic artists (she also did the Narsets). Villeneuve recently did an interview with Art of MTG, which I highly recommend reading. In it, she speaks a little about the Titania assignment:

“The assignment was very precise for her, probably the most descriptive I’ve had to date, which made things very easy for me. It talked about her being an elemental and insisted that she should really look as though she was one with the nature around her. As if she was taking form from ivy, roots, foliage. I also loved the part saying that she shouldn’t look frail. She had to look strong, almost threatening. The “mood” indication for her was: “You dare enter my domain?” That is saying a lot about the character.”

—Magali Villeneuve on Titania, as interviewed by Art of MTG.

Titania, Protector of Argoth immediately inspired me to cosplay Titania’s new look, and I began to work on the costume, using old lingerie and silk foliage left over from my ill-fated (about as much so as Argoth) first wedding. However, as I delved into Titania’s lore, I started to feel that her earlier Guay treatment had a lot of appeal, too, and I decided to do a before-and-after using some of the same costume elements. I realized I could do a colorful, more floral cosplay of Titania inspired by Titania's Song and her Vanguard card before I finished the ensemble into the Protector of Argoth version.

This costume isn’t so much difficult as it is time-consuming. Hand sewing individual leaves onto the appropriate areas is fun, but slow-going . . . yet, it’s totally worth it to create an organic, layered look.

If you wanna get your Vorthos education on, Titania appears in the MTG novel The Brothers' War, which is a decent read. In a small but memorable role, she passionately defends Argoth from the invading mainland forces who are after the island’s resources to fuel the war effort. Described as possessing an “unearthly beauty,” Titania speaks through a mannequin made of jade, wood, and vines. She summons a titanic forest elemental that battles one of Urza’s metal giants to the death, but ultimately, the sacrifices of all the denizens of Argoth are futile attempts to stop Urza and Mishra’s relentless “progress.” There are a lot of characters in this book that you might recognize, including Hurkyl, Ashnod, and Gix—oh, and Creepy Feldon. Yes, if you’re a fan of Creepy Feldon, he does appear in this novel.

I really love that Titania is portrayed as feminine and bountiful yet, in personality, has this inner steel that comes out when her land and its peoples are threatened. My dad is from Hawaii, and as I was reading about the battle of Argoth, I kept thinking about the plight of native islanders in many locations around the world. I see Titania kind of as a green version of the Hawaiian goddess Pele, both female deities’ inherent passion quickly turning to wrath when threatened.

“You and the other invaders stink. You smell of metal and machine oil. Both sides despoil our land, and both sides will be driven out. Argoth is not yours, Child of the Artificer.”

—Titania, in The Brothers’ War

This is the first article in a mini-shoot series that features cosplays in the context of a specific focus such as storyline, technical aspects, or simply by virtue of being a concept I love that doesn’t have enough fodder to do the usual larger set of editorial shots. Some other cosplays on my list in this category include Dryad Militant, Angel of Flight Alabaster, Phyrexian Unlife, and Burning-Tree Emissary. Protector of Argoth (a.k.a. Titania 2.0) will be a full shoot.

In the case of Titania 1.0, there’s only one picture—but I think it’s a keeper. All of the above lore informed my “classic” Titania, and I really tried to channel her eldritch power, courage, passion, vulnerability, and sacrifice. I think her beauty and appeal are enhanced, not diminished, by the fact that she’s a tragic hero in MTG canon, but let me know what you think . . .