An Elf's Magical Journey: Plus Size Cosplay & Short Story

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com


I've always loved playing dress-up.  Since the Pandemic, I have stocked up on lots of pieces to act out my elf/hobbit/princess/cottagecore/witch fantasies to some extent.  (I wish I had my own private woods that I could go to in costume and live in my own little fantasy world now and again.)  What I initially envisioned for this project was a series of photos with a look at this elf character's journey, accompanied by a short story telling the tale.

I've sat on this project for a year and a half trying to write that story and doubting every part of it.  My anxiety and depression are not great creative collaborators, so that has also hindered my progress on a lot of fronts.  But here I am, still trying, still creating, and still hoping y'all are out there checking out my hard work, sweat, tears, and goofiness.

I kept feeling like everything was falling short of what I wanted this project to be, but a dear friend gave me some great advice about letting it be what it is and choosing to let things be "good enough". There are lots of ways any creative project can go, and many times they have a mind of their own. 

So please enjoy the magical project that I've poured a lot of heart into.


Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com
Brigid Maxi & Chemise - Holy Clothing   /    Leaf Utility Belt Bag - Talismana Designs (Etsy)
Floral Betsey Johnson Shawl - Zulily   /   Spell Bottle - DIY   /   Flower Crown - Amazon   
Wood Leaf Necklace - Josiah Eidmann Studios (Etsy)   /   Elf Ears - Etsy   


Some days she wanted to thank the trolls.  Though they tormented her for decades, it was often that pain that drove her to be more of herself than they were comfortable with.  The pain encouraged her to be kind, to think of others, to be a good friend and a curious creature.  That pain asked her to keep going, even when she stood on the cliff’s edge pondering why the sky had brought her here.  When the wind whipped and the rain poured down in fat splashes on the earth, she yelled into the piercing air all the pain she never got to share with anyone else.  And the sky let loose its thunderous applause in response.

If it weren’t for the pain, she thought, I wouldn’t have a purpose, but I have one now.

And so she set off before dawn on a day like any other, hoping to find a place she belonged.

This choice didn’t come easy to Namara, for she knew it required her to give up everything she had known and loved to this point in her life. Though she’d never describe her life with the trolls as a happy one, there were happy moments peppered throughout her rather short existence that made her plan to leave that much more difficult.

Her timid steps down the path to the village gate felt unsteady and indecisive.  She could never tell her friends of her plan because they just might try to talk her into staying. But surely if she stayed, the trolls would kill her from the inside out. She could sense their rage and fear in her bones and it made her physically ill. There had come a day she shakily asked them to stop, but her pleas were met with jeers and taunts, followed by a swift beating with her mother’s favorite leather-wrapped rod. Feirtha called the rod her “magic wand” despite having given up her magic for a love spell many moons ago. “Magic” because it did her mother’s bidding, Namara supposed, which seemed to mainly consist of finding creative ways to hurt her own daughter.

Though “daughter” felt like a loose term that lost more meaning to her mother as Namara grew. She had known she was different from the trolls for quite some time, but her body finally betrayed her when pointed elf ears grew in.  Her mother refused to tell the truth, instead forcing Namara to hide her ears and elven gifts away.  Even the village elders couldn’t perform binding spells strong enough to hide Namara the way her mother wished.  It was only when Namara had a glimpse of her own power that her mother’s rage began to erupt more violently.  It was then Namara knew that she was a halfling of sorts.  Enough troll to be mistaken for one from a distance maybe, but elf, and maybe human too, for she only heard tales of heartache as powerful as she felt it from traveling caravans of musicians, poets, and artists that occasionally passed through the valley the trolls called home. Elves were calmer perhaps, and fearless warriors. Humans tended to overthink and feel in more vivid ways, while Trolls focused too much on outward appearances and kept their feelings to themselves.  A Troll could hide his true self his entire life if he was practiced enough, often using this skill to trick others into seeing only what they wanted to see.

What if this village is its own trick? Namara wondered.  Her hand shook as she opened the ancient gate.  She had been fooled for a time, just like every worn-out traveler that happened upon this seemingly prosperous clan of Trolls. The gift of illusion was used on everyone all the time here, though Namara’s use of that innate gift was for keeping her loneliness, sadness, and anger obscured.  Though Trolls raged for any reason they chose to, she wasn’t allowed to speak up.  On the rare occasions, she defended herself or dared to have needs or emotions, the Trolls bullied her and humiliated her until they bored themselves with their own evil games.

Her steps faltered at the open gate as she looked back to the village, clutching her basket of provisions tightly.  She had no choice.  They gave her no choice.  She may be part Troll, but she was much, much more than that. Every day she let them dampen her spirit was a day closer to her sure demise. With her mind made up, she stepped across the village threshold and into the wide open arms of a world she knew nothing about.

*Author's Note: "Na Mara" means "of the sea" in Gaelic.


Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com



Behind-the-Scenes:

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com
I had to wear sneakers and be very careful not to step on dog turds as I squished along this muddy path.

Plus Size Elf Cosplay, Short Story - DivineMrsDiva.com
This is me trying to tell Sean that there was a group of seals
swimming down by the rocks!


Thanks for checking out the post!

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