Jaidlyn has become a prominent voice over the last several years for women in the FGC.

She plays many roles ranging from actor to singer, but her true aspiration is commentary in the fighting game community. We followed up with Jaidlyn to go more in-depth on commentary, electrifying moments, opportunities, and connections throughout the scene.

You act, sing, stream, cosplay, commentate, and compete. How do you juggle everything?

Time management. I wasn’t really good at time management. I was all over the place. Making myself use a calendar, use a planner, figure out where in my day I can fit stuff, and how to plan appropriately was really important. I typically look at my day, decide to stream for so long, teach for this long, and maybe I have a gig at 8 o’clock. Let’s see how I can balance that so I’m not working all of the time.

You met Romanova when competing at a Combo Breaker cosplay event. What’s it like to meet someone in person after only seeing them online in the community?

It is really cool. The thing to keep in mind is that we are all just people. We are all really cool in our own ways. At our core, we’re people and want to be treated as such. Meeting someone like Romanova, getting to hang out with her, and building a relationship from there is really fun. It is neat to be able to relate with these people and have meaningful relationships with those you only knew online.

Is there any additional pressure to beat someone you look up to, whether that’s on stage like Romanova or in the bracket?

When I first started competing, it was that way. There is a sort of starstruckness of “Oh my gosh I’m going to be working with this person or competing in the same bracket as this person.” It definitely had an effect on my mentality. Now, a lot of them are my friends and colleagues. It’s cool that I get to be in the same bracket as them and we’re just there to have a good time. That mindset takes a lot of the pressure off.

In your Women of the FGC episode, you told Romanova you were afraid of taking the first step to go to an event. How did you overcome that fear?

I just ripped the bandaid off. For so long, I didn’t go. I just watched online. It was the week before Frosty Faustings and my husband and I were talking. We were thinking about going to a different event because Frosty’s pretty big. We decided to just go. The moment of thinking we should just do it really helped us jump into the deep end of the pool. Some people do need those baby steps, but for me, the most effective method is to throw myself into it head first.

Tell me about that first experience at an event.

I can’t say enough fabulous things about Frosty. For being a newcomer and not knowing a single person or what I was going to do, everyone was so warm and welcoming. At an FGC event, everyone is there to sit down and play fighting games. There’s that common bond of being with a group of people who are interested in the same things that you are. I was able to meet James Chen. He was so kind and accommodating. To meet James and have that personal experience, he has become a person I can go to with questions. It was really awesome to have that form from something that was just on a whim.

In that episode, you also said there’s something electrifying about the community when you get together that can’t be experienced anywhere else. Tell me about a specific memory that embodies that feeling.

Two stand out specifically. At Combo Breaker 2018, it was Goichi (GO1) vs. SonicFox. At that point, SonicFox had never beaten Goichi in a match. To see SonicFox beat his demons live with thousands of other people was just so electrifying. The comradery among everyone was so exciting.

At CEOtaku 2019 when Arc System Works was releasing the character trailers for -Strive-. It was the May Combo trailer and the Axl Teaser trailer. When Smell of the Game came on, the whole audience started singing along. That was the coolest moment. It was 1,500 to 2,000 people singing it together watching the release trailer.

You went on to say being a woman in the community shaped who you are now. What’s one specific moment from earlier in your FGC career that you would have handled differently given that chance?

I would have taken more opportunities sooner. I said to rip the bandaid off, but as far as commentary goes, I dug my heels in for a while. I didn’t feel like I had enough worth in that area. I didn’t feel like I had the experience, knowledge, or resume that my fellow commentators did. Reflecting on that, we all to the positions we’re in in the same way. We took every event that we could. We applied and took the risks.

Sometimes I wish I had taken the risks sooner and put myself out there earlier in my career. I don’t regret it, though, because I am in the place that I am now because of the path I decided to take.

You found your space in this community commentating locals 2 years ago and now commentate events like Combo Breaker and PlayStation Tournaments. When did you know you wanted to go into commentary?

It was at the very first local I went to. One of my TO’s bullied me into doing it. They just didn’t have anyone to talk. In the back of my mind, it was always something I wanted to try. I was fortunate enough to have a fabulous Marvel commentator, Airborne is Fly, sit down next to me. He happens to just be at our locals. I got to sit there and talk about video games, listen to an experienced commentator, and just work with that.

The thrill of watching the match, breaking it down, and analyzing had me so absorbed. I couldn’t think about anything else other than what was happening in front of me and what my co-commentator was saying. It was very zen-like. Trying it for that first time turned it into something I wanted to get better at.

You mentioned how commentating those events was a dream of yours. Now that you’ve made that dream a reality, what other goals and aspirations are you aiming toward?

I applied for December’s CEO tournaments of Guilty Gear -Strive- and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle to commentate those. Being accepted in either or both would be such a huge accomplishment. I haven’t gotten to commentate live since Frosty Faustings 2020. Online is one thing, but being in person to hear audience reactions and feeling that energy is totally different. At the time of the Women of the FGC interview, I said I wanted to commentate EVO. And I did. That was a goal I achieved. The ultimate dream for me, because I play so many Arc Sys games, would be to commentate ARCREVO at the Arc Sys studios at some point.

Lastly, what advice do you have for other women struggling to find their space in the community?

Don’t be afraid to say yes. There is a stigma for women in the games industry and the FGC. I’ve been afraid to say yes and say that I can do it. I know I’m capable, but I leave it to someone else and think it is not my place. Well, it is our place. Everyone has a place in the FGC. For those women who are struggling, don’t be afraid to make connections with other women. That has been a strong lifeline for me.

Sometimes it can be intimidating when you are faced with the figurehead women of the FGC, like Romanova, DaPurpleSharpie, or Persia XO. Don’t be afraid to approach them and ask them questions. Develop relationships and meaningful connections. That helps you find the place that you want to have within this community. The three women that I mentioned have helped me so much. I can send any of them a DM with a question and they will get right back to me. If you are at an event and I’m there, please come talk to me.

I want everyone to experience the same joy in the FGC that I do.