Cynthia Marie | @Cyndancer
she/her
This week we spoke to TTRPG Enthusiast, Dancer, Performer, former Cosplayer and Podcast Host, Cynthia Marie!
Cynthia shared her experiences as Nelli on LA by Night, the future of TTRPGs and some wonderful advice for others with anxiety. We are absolutely honoured to share this interview with you all!
When did you first hear of TTRPGs and what were your first impressions?
I first heard about TTPRGs back in college around 14 years ago playing World of Darkness’ Changeling: The Dreaming! I was absolutely enthralled with the acting and performative aspects as the group I played with were the actors from my arts college. Boy did we have a ball playing out the fights!
How can we make sure the TTRPG space is a welcoming one for women?
I think Respect is key in making the TTRPG space a safe one. I feel that if everyone plays with the level of respect as they would want for themselves, that we as a community can truly show how welcoming and fun it can be.
We'd love to know about your inspirations for the fabulous Nelli G on LA By Night, and what it was like to develop Nelli through the course of the show?
OH gosh Nelli was so much fun to make. As far as inspirations, Nelli was certainly based on the styles of Anna Wintour and Evie from the Descendants initially. Throughout the show, Nelli’s fashion style morphed into the mature Baron executive queen bee look we see towards the end with a hint of that Hollywood glamour. Emotionally I feel as though Nelli was the part of me that I always sorta held deep inside. I really allowed myself to react and feel situations deeply. While getting into makeup I usually reminded myself to not hold back and to lower my wall/filter and say what was on my mind (Most of the time that went well until it happened in front of the prince… hahaha!)
With NY By Night hitting our screens, what are you most excited for in this new show and what advice would you offer the team?
I’m most excited to see what other characters are brought to the table, and what are the other sides of the clans we haven’t seen. The only advice I really could give is don’t hold back!
Your openness as an anxiety warrior on social media is so inspiring and we'd love to know if you had any advice you'd offer to others with anxiety out there, looking to jump into the actual play scene?
Thank you so much it’s been a tough journey, but I figured that if I can help at least one person by sharing my journey, then it was worth being open about.
My number 1 rule when going to play is making sure that you have your safety tools ready and in place. What I mean by that is to make sure that before you play that you find those tools be it a player in the game who can help you stay calm, a physical item that brings you peace and grounds yourself, and/ or a snack or drink that you know will make you feel better. So when you go and play you’re able to have your tools at your disposal. OH and always, if your comfortable, let your GM know about your state of being so that they to can be cognizant of helping you through your situations. 🙂
With the surge of interest in D&D and other TTRPGs in recent time, what effect do you think this could have on the community and industry?
I think we’re already seeing the effect the surge is causing, and it’s actually pretty awesome. We’re getting a lot more diversity out there in terms of game playing, stories being told, and just a general sense of new creativity flowing through the community. It really is a beautiful thing to watch stories told from ALL sorts of perspectives!
Thank you so much to Cynthia for sharing her insights and experiences with us!
You can catch Cynthia in a playtest TTRPG called Marvel’s The New Vanguard: Piercing Chaos on Twitch Wednesday nights or on Youtube. Also on Renegade Games The Nightlife, playing Reina De La Vega a Tremere Celebrity psychic also Wednesday Nights.
Cynthia will also be playing Miss Scarlet on First Draft’s read-through of the script for Clue on Life Action Roleplay twitch channel, and make sure you check out her social media for any of her other one-shots and games!
Image description:
Cynthia has long curly black hair and is wearing a white T-shirt featuring a pin up witch. She is wearing bronze eyeshadow and red lipstick. The room behind her is lit in purple.
