Renna Cosplay: Freijya McNulty
Posted by Karen
Hey everyone! We’ve been working with some fantastic fans recently—from bakers to reviewers to awesome cosplayers. Today, we’re happy to feature Freijya NcNulty.
Freijya was one of our winners from The Skull Throne ARC Contest and continues to amaze. Check out her thought process for this incredible Renna cosplay:
“I’m sure many people, like me, shipped Leesha and Arlen so the ending of The Desert Spear made me go “NOOOOOO!” and initially I thought her actions to be childish and that she would hold Arlen back. Re-reading the first two books before going onto Daylight War I felt I understood her more, I could empathise with her situation and really she’s reacting in a very sane way to all the trauma that has happened to her.”
“Whilst Leesha was struggling between suitors, Renna dusted herself off and decided she would no longer be powerless and took control of her life. She became the strong female lead and I found myself surprised that I was cheering for Arlen and Renna’s relationship.”
“I was conflicted with Renna lying to Arlen and eating demon flesh. I understood she just wanted to keep up with him, and if he went down to the core she didn’t want to get left behind. But Arlen didn’t understand what was happening to him and so for her to follow that path only worried him – distracting him from what he should be doing. But in Skull Throne she grew once again! She still has a wild temperament but she is more in control now and is a very wonderful wife.”
“Perhaps being married myself I now understand the struggles and worries of husband and wife or maybe I just can see a bigger picture now reading the books side by side, who knows. She’s a fighter and seeing her growth despite the odds made me feel proud – it’s this that made me want to step into her….shoes? She doesn’t wear shoes at all does she?”
“Seeing the US cover art released for The Skull Throne was the perfect opportunity for me to do this, with the London Skull Throne book launch as my deadline I re-read all of Renna’s chapters to get as much of the details down as I could. I then shopped and shopped around for fabric that would work for the clothes.”
“Drawing up the patterns is fun, I get to cling film and masking tape my mannequin and draw the shape I needed then cut out and transfer it to fabric.”
“The Knife is made out of foam covered with worbla and then painted. Drawing on the wards to the knife and necklace, it made me glad I studied Japanese. Drawing impossibly small characters is my thing!”
“Putting it all together on the day I hoped to match the cover as much as I could.”
“I was very pleased and I’m so humbled that Peter V Brett also loved it. Speaking with him, showing him my warded tattoo and the costume up close – he’s just a great guy and has the best fandom to be a part of!”
“I’m hoping for The Core’s cover, Ashia will be on the cover – I think I will do her next or perhaps a coreling….?”
“Thank you Peter for bringing us this epic world and for having time to geek out with us!”
It’s so thrilling to see people cosplaying characters from The Demon Cycle. Thanks so much to Freijya for keeping in touch and letting us show off her cosplay skills. Not only is her Renna amazing, but she’s also such a pleasure to work with!
Want to see more of Freijya’s cosplay work? She’s done everything from DC heroes and Attack On Titan to, of course, The Demon Cycle. Check her out!
Interested in the photographer of these amazing photos? Feel free to follow them on Twitter.
If you’d like to see more cosplay from The Demon Cycle, click here!