Bunny Belle & The Crystal Tower
Tell me a bit about your history playing XIV! What pulled you in, and what inspired you to start creating art and merch for it?
I have always been a fan of the Final Fantasy series, my first one being FFVII. I started playing XIV in 2016. I had seen my friend, Theo, post screenshots and fanart of his character, and he recommended I give the game a try. I played a month’s worth of free play and enjoyed what little I was able to play but did not subscribe any further because I was afraid to fall temptation to neglect my studies for pleasure. In 2020, I got back into the game due to the COVID pandemic; I was receiving unemployment benefits and was not able to find a job because of the pandemic, so I figured, what could it hurt at that point? Since then, I’ve been subscribed for… wow, I can’t believe it’s been six years now!
I was first inspired by another jeweler, known as Bisou Lovely, to create jewelry based off of fictional media. I am a big fan of her beautiful works, my favourite being her Xiao (Genshin Impact)-inspired earrings. My second inspiration was from a woman I met on TikTok named Sophie (who I still work with to this day) who started off selling crystal scoops and then transitioned to crystal beads. I wanted to continue supporting her, so I bought a mix of her beads, and humoured the idea of making an Aymeric-inspired bracelet. I posted the bracelet on an FFXIV facebook page and was surprised by the positive reception it received. My third inspiration was from a girl named Hailey, who saw my bracelet on the page and asked me if I could make an Haurchefant-inspired one for her and her friends. That was what gave me the spark to continue to create more art.
How does your personal creative outlook or style influence the merchandise and art you create (XIV or otherwise)? What do you hope people take away or feel from your work?
I always loved the idea of magical accessories that could give you strength, like how Usagi has her brooch that transforms her into Sailor Moon. I especially think it’s more powerful when that accessory is associated with a loved one, like when two people exchange wedding rings, or when you receive a locket from a parent. My hope is that people feel the character through my work for comfort to help them get through hard times. My hope is that they don’t feel alone – that their favourite comfort character is with them at all times.
Is there a piece of art you’ve created that you are especially proud of – for example, a piece that pushed or “leveled up” your skills, or one that was particularly popular, or perhaps something that came out exactly as you had imagined it?
A friend of mine requested a Jing Yuan-inspired piece (Honkai Star Rail) and Jing Yuan just happens to be my husband in that series, so I really wanted to do his piece justice. He has a couple of lovely colours to his accents and I really wanted to highlight each of them to the best of my ability (and with limited materials I have). In the end, I chose White Jade, Cinnabar, Apatite, Tourmaline in Quartz, Gold Hematite spacers, and a red jeweled charm to kinda emphasize that he’s an important figure on the Xianzhou Luofu. There was trial and error, of course, but everything worked out in the end and the result came out how I envisioned. I’m really proud of it and I hope one day I can make another piece to give to his EN VA (Alejandro Saab) at a con one day!
What is a future project you hope to pursue, whether in fandom spaces or in your personal work?
I really hope to learn to work with metals and cabochons. I have a couple of crystal cabochons that I would love to turn into beautiful jewelry, and I have invested in drills for them, but for some reason I am unable to completely pierce them all the way. I want to be able to master that first before I invest in metalwork. Wish me luck!
What is your process from first idea to final design when creating a bracelet? Also, I’m really interested in how you decide which stone to use when presented with different options that have similar colors. For example, for Alphinaud’s white stones, you picked Satin Spar, but for Alisaie you went with White Chalcedony, which are both white but subtly different from each other.
Satin Spar is known to be a cleansing stone, and Alphinaud is a healer, so I thought it would be perfect for him! At the time I crafted Alisaie (before her stones were switched to White Chalcedony, it was White Agate), Dawntrail hadn’t been released yet, so I didn’t think Satin Spar was suitable for her, and to be honest I still don’t feel like it’s suiting for her even after learning she can take on the healing role in Dawntrail.
I chose White Chalcedony for Alisaie because Chalcedony seems to be the most versatile stone I have in terms of its dyeable variety, so it made me think about how, in Dawntrail, when Alphinaud isn’t available for Trust, Alisaie is able to substitute for him as a healer. She has healing capabilities, but she is not a healer main; she is a DPS main, but if in dire need, she will take on the role of healer. This makes her versatile, like Chalcedony, but would I trust her with my life? Probably not. (Laughs) I can trust Alisaie to put a bandaid on my boo-boos but not perform a minor surgical procedure, I would trust Alphinaud with that instead.
DPS is Alisaie’s specialty, Alphinaud’s specialty is healing. That is why I chose Satin Spar for Alphinaud’s white stone, and White Chalcedony for Alisaie. There is a method to my madness and I sure hope it makes sense.
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Tell me a bit about your history playing XIV! What pulled you in, and what inspired you to start creating art and merch for it?
I have to credit Haurchefant and Ser Aymeric for pulling me in!
I’ve always been a fan of MMOs. Around when Heavensward came out, I had been playing Guild Wars 2. My partner saw this and got the MMO itch himself, but decided to try FFXIV instead. Then he convinced me to give it a try. It’s funny to think that I actually didn’t like FFXIV at first – but I played through the Heavensward MSQ and from then on I was hooked by the story.
As far as art and merch: my first major fanart I made was an illustration I entered in the FFXIV Fan Fest Art Contest in 2016. It was selected as a finalist entry and I got to see it on display at Fan Fest alongside work by so many talented artists which was really inspiring. Back then, I was also traveling to fan conventions and selling art in artist alleys and added a print of that illustration to my offerings. People started asking me for commissions of their FFXIV characters and I got to meet many cool people who were excited about the game and their Warriors of Light. Art and merch has continued to be a way that I get to connect with other fans.
How does your personal creative outlook or style influence the merchandise and art you create (XIV or otherwise)? What do you hope people take away or feel from your work?
I’m a big fan of the FFXIV story and how it gives all of its characters a little bit of spotlight! I hope that the personality and backstory of the characters shine through whenever I draw them.
Is there a piece of art you’ve created that you are especially proud of – for example, a piece that pushed or “leveled up” your skills, or one that was particularly popular, or perhaps something that came out exactly as you had imagined it?
The illustration of the Scions sharing a peaceful moment in a library was something I drew for the FFXIV Fan Fest Art Contest in 2018. I had never drawn so many characters sharing the same physical space before, so I really struggled with believable perspective and balancing the amount of detail throughout the composition. I’m proud of myself for trying something new! But most of all I’m proud of how I drew Y’shtola in that illustration, somehow she turned out really pretty (at least, I think so).
What is a future project you hope to pursue, whether in fandom spaces or in your personal work?
I want to write a short comic story. Maybe backstory about my WoL or about the daily life of some of the lesser known NPCs in FFXIV. I think I’d have fun running around in the game taking screenshots to use as drawing references.
Are there any skills you’ve picked up that you think has improved or influenced your art that evolved from streaming your art on Twitch (or a previous platform, if you streamed somewhere before Twitch)?
I think I’ve gotten more brave both as a person and as an artist as a result of streaming on Twitch. Drawing live means I have to be very publicly honest about what is difficult about drawing, and I think sharing those struggles makes it less scary and more fun (especially because my viewers have been so nice and encouraging!)
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