Trystan Hawthorne, known as Azrai (he/they) is an openly transmasculine, neurodivergent artist. He has spent over ten years cobbling together a "Frankenstein's-monster education" in illustration, fabrication, and themed design. He specializes in creative production of immersive, collaborative experiences. He categorizes all of this under the umbrella term, "Themed Entertainment Design." He has been creating videos on the subject since 2016. (Starting on the YouTube channel: Azrai, formerly Larp House.) He has worked events in Denmark, Poland, Japan, England, Germany, and across the US. He's lived in as many places as he's worked, and is well accustomed to travel.
Immersive experiences have been a central part of his life from a young age, having spent much of his childhood involved in living history events (like Alafia River Rondezvous in Florida) and cultural festivals (like the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina) even stopping by classic roadside attractions like The Mystery Hole in West Virginia. It was a natural next step when he started larping in 2013, and the rest is well-documented video history.
His work now spans media platforms and subject matter, from making collaborative storytelling communities on TikTok to video essays about mental health, neurodivergence and gender, role-play, experience design and destination events. He cannot sit still (creatively or physically) and has constructed a space on the internet for himself that allows him to work with his neurodivergence, rather than against it. He goes where his work takes him, and hopes to continue creating immersive, interactive story experiences until the sun explodes.