under that mask

When do we start?

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:28:00 -0400

When do we start?

The Loki Song

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:31:37 -0400

Starring: Movie!Loki: LeXis | Stuttgart!Loki: Bev | Tales of Asgard!Loki: Fenfen | Kid!Loki #1: M | Movie-Kid!Loki: Chris | Kid!Loki #2: Kei | Tales of Asgard!Thor: Fionn
Words drawn by Fionn
Photographer: Pancakes

Alternative happier ending:

Putting the “L” in Loki.

Moronically late reblog is go! Thank you for doing it up Kei - brings back good memories and y’all were such a blast. What a glorious army.

Photo

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:23:00 -0400

“An exceptionally clever pair dressed as Matt Murdock and...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 09:04:00 -0500

“An exceptionally clever pair dressed as Matt Murdock and his law partner, “Foggy” Nelson, who could occasionally be heard whispering descriptions of potential obstacles to his “blind” friend. So good was their act, it took me several well aimed Nerf balls to uncover their ruse.”
- Wizard World Chicago 07 - Seth “4:10” Robison

This photo is ludicrously amazing by itself, but with the context, it’s absolute perfection.

I have a question: Where did you go to get the pattern for you Iron Fist mask? I am trying to make one myself.

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:45:27 -0500

Noticed that you liked this entry; sorry that it sounded like I got a pattern off some dude called Tim, haha! Well, kinda - I worked my Iron Fist mask off my old Red Robin/Tim Drake’s self-made mask pattern. But since everyone’s faces are different, I suggest you draft your own! :-) If you look at that entry again you’ll see the rough shape of 1/2 of the mask drawn there and how I planned to trail off the back like a bandanna, the two ends knotted together at the back of the head. Those plans are exactly how my patterns and my draft looks like.

I recommend drafting and confirming the front of your mask first, checking the fit and where to put the eyeholes. Once that’s settled it’s easier to extend the pattern around your head, especially with stretchy cloth, and do a prototype to check that everything ties over smoothly. Then like unto a Fist of Iron! Good luck - the world could always use more Iron Fist.

contagiouscostuming: Batman’s Carrie Kelley (You can call me...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:59:32 -0500

contagiouscostuming:

Batman’s Carrie Kelley

(You can call me Robin.)

What a stunning Carrie with a gorgeously sewn costume, the fit and finishing are so neat. I found her cape folds especially fascinating. In the close-up shots you can see how amazing her hair is!

Damn you all. Photographer: William Tjhin | kid!Loki & edit:...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:36:00 -0500

Damn you all.

Photographer: William Tjhin | kid!Loki & edit: M | (Lady Loki) Helm: Kuro

Holy carp, thank you so much for the nutty number of notes on the wrong magpie photos (I am well aware that they’re all for Ami’s handsome and deserving Loki)! I’m so glad they were enjoyed.

And this is the last one. There were logistical issues re: pedestal and blood, and I had a hard time conveying to William that his eyes were closed haha, so it’s really more a tribute. Considered making it a ‘shop monster but held off…well, mostly, it’s currently a mini-‘shop monster, like the Poporing of Photoshops. So thanks for living through my Loki spam and hope it was somewhat entertaining!

Hello Mr. Magpie.* Photographer: William Tjhin | Avengers!Loki:...

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:43:33 -0500

Hello Mr. Magpie.*

Photographer: William Tjhin | Avengers!Loki: Ami | Kid!Loki & edit: M
_{*not quite the right universe’s magpie, but close! ;-)}

Photographer: William Tjhin | Lady Loki: Kuro | Kid!Loki &...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:39:00 -0500

Photographer: William Tjhin | Lady Loki: Kuro | Kid!Loki & edit: M

The secrets that you’ll keep. ~~The spoilers that you’ll feelz.~~
…featuring the ~~not that one the other one~~ enchantress and the ~~alternate younger version~~ child.

Photographer: William Tjhin | Avengers!Loki: Ami | Lady Loki:...

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:25:06 -0500

Photographer: William Tjhin | Avengers!Loki: Ami | Lady Loki: Kuro | Kid!Loki & edit: M

Requisite and dysfunctional ‘family’/various versions of self group photos. Guess who’s the oldest here! No, don’t - guess who would obviously ask this question…

Photographer: William Tjhin | kid!Loki & edit: M I remember...

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:36:22 -0500

Photographer: William Tjhin | kid!Loki & edit: M
I remember when I texted Kuro for a brief discussion of circlet pros-and-cons (moot point thanks to work in the end) and she very naturally in a by-the-way manner told me I would have solo photos. SOLO PHOTOS? I was just going to make grabby hands at Lady and Avengers!Loki! So here’s the rest of my solos, which I’m sure William wanted to choke me for, then the multiple Lokitude is on.

Exhibit 1: A totally shooped homage to JiM #622! Photographer:...

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 19:51:00 -0400

Exhibit 1: A totally shooped homage to JiM #622!
Photographer: the kindly William Tjhin | Kid!Loki & edit: M
Exhibit 2: Why photographers shouldn’t leave their laptops signed into Facebook if they don’t want it to be irrevocably LOKI’D.

Despite the height, I still managed to get a date with two pretty, young ladies. Actually, it was probably the height and eternal friends-zoneness, but I’ll take what I can get. Mutual enthusiasm and my brazenness got me tagging along for Kuro (the gorgeous Lady Loki) and Ami’s (the stunning Avengers Loki) shoot at William (Tjhin)’s place, a space solely dedicated, I found out later, to soft-boxes, flashes and filters, cheap tripods and a massive LCD to ostensibly use to reference official poses but really meant for ridiculous Youtube videos.*

_{*I’m not a telly person (save sports) nor a YT person so that was the highest number of stupid YT videos I have ever seen in my life. Granted, Ami is a young’un with fragmented attention span and we were waiting for William’s laborious soft-box shifting…but imagine 3 different Lokis, eyes cast upon a massive LCD in the corner of a room running an entire gamut of videos from 11 drunk guys playing Slenderman: The Eight Pages to a bunch of Dutch guys doing the dirty to a Hollish bridge. Maybe I’m getting old. I would’ve made old-people-media jokes about Stonehenge and Camelot so I’m not very cool, you see.}

Kuro, Ami and William were very wonderful to me despite my doddering! They took me into their crazy YT video fold and introduced me to their world of youthful nuttiness with relentless enthusiasm like a freight train. I have been too, too fortunate in the company that Loki has brought me, because everyone has just been impeccably patient, kind and superbly nice. Not once have I ever been allowed to feel like I was imposing upon anyone. It’s stunning.

So I guess that’s why #645 happened like that, and I have to say that as much as there’re feels, I thought it was magnificent wrap-up. Maybe it’s because I’ve read comics too long and anticipate its inflexibility, maybe it’s because I liked Blood Brothers (Esad & Ribic) & Siege Loki (and I adore Lady, but that’s a bit different), maybe it’s because my Albert/Ikol/Leah was the one who introduced me to BB & S and maybe it’s because I am very, very cynical. Either way, as it happened (the shoot was delayed to the Saturday of that week), I turned to my homie and said, “should I do *spoiler* Loki or *spoiler* Loki?” and was told with a wry grin, “I think Kid Loki was in the contract.” So it was, it was so, and as such everything from this photoshoot still reflects Loki in the midst of resisting his past.

Many, many thanks again to Kuro and Ami for graciously allowing me to cut in and their boundless enthusiasm, and to William’s amazing dedication and endless patience. We took a lot of photos with a lot of (mostly William’s) pain involved, so I’m going to clutter the Loki tags until I am spent. (Hehe.) Sorry folks, that’s the way the Loki tumblrs!

So, uh, how did you even start making that undersuit for your Red Robin cosplay?

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:34:00 -0400

Really flattered that someone thought it looked good enough to ask about, thank you! I’m happy to explain how I did mine, but please know that I’m self-taught and it might not be proper, as it may be!

What I did was:
1. Draft a basic bodysuit pattern! My ghetto way of doing it is as detailed in the graphic. (May not be suited to the ladies, who may need extra fabric & cut-ins around the chest.)

I draft because I’m an odd size, but if you’re not, you might want to buy a pattern, or a basic bodysuit to work off.

Other less trial-and-error methods include possibly stretchy.org’s detailed method (which I didn’t use because I didn’t want raglan sleeves, but I hear it’s been very helpful for many people!), and tailoring it.

2. For the red sections, I traced the basic pattern and cut out the appropriate shapes. I left the same seam allowance so that I could line up the pieces easily and sew the two (eg. the chest pieces) before sewing the complete bodysuit together. Because the middle section had such small, geometric edges, I just did a very simple straight stitch to attach it; the tight zig-zag stitch used for patches on stiffer fabric warps stretchy material.

…and once you have a basic bodysuit pattern, you’re set for most other bodysuit costumes with minor alteration for sleeve style, feet, patterns etc. I hope that helps, and feel free to drop me an ask anytime. Thanks again!

Okay, when I promised that one day I would show the Red Robin...

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 16:00:00 -0400

Okay, when I promised that one day I would show the Red Robin base suit in action (Redwing?), I honestly did not expect it to be like…this. But this was requested by someone I love dearly, and the person who conceived of and directed this madness is also someone I love dearly, so when M and my bodysuits are called, we come running.

So here’s Gangnam Man, employing myself, ‘Redwing’ and Loki, with the very first use of my balaclava. I apologise that I’m not in the best of shape right now and bespandex’ed - deadlines call and I will always shame myself for love, duty, comedy and most definitely not honour or dignity.

EDIT: We won! Where is your God now

Due to my sad, geeky existence and because Loki revealed my face...

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:19:00 -0400

Due to my sad, geeky existence and because Loki revealed my face to the world (I am now ~~fooling myself about~~ relying on the Superman effect IRL), I figured I may as well post this on release date: my really old Oblio wig test, dated Dec 2011.

Oblio is one of the characters that I have no business cosplaying because I am five feet short and not thin as a rail. He had, insidiously, become one of my favourite game characters overall over the course of DC1, and I’m blaming this on my predilection to laugh at hipsters and my bemused love for philosophy (briefly studied it) and Sun Tzu if-the-enemy-is-near-shoot-from-afar-type reasoning. So my only excuse is my deep reserve of affection for a dance game character.

Oh, and the wig. This wig is bitching. I desperately don’t want to cut it (at least semi-drastically) and the fringe length seems right, though I can’t quite tell what’s going on with the rest of it. We’ll just have to see!

So HAPPY LAUNCH DAY. BRING IT ON, HARMONIX (AND DELIVER IT, PLAY-ASIA). I AM SO READY TO GET OBLIO BACK AND TO SEE THE SEXIEST MS AUBREY IN HER DCI CATSUIT.

Thank you for the rampant love: the likes, the reblogs and the...

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:16:37 -0400

Thank you for the rampant love: the likes, the reblogs and the watches have astounded me. Re: the watches - I’m so flattered that you’re interested in my stumbling about in spandex. I must warn that, as is the nature of cosplay, I will go from fandom to fandom; once I get uninteresting to you, please drop me without hesitation! Perhaps I will bumble into one of your tracked tags sometime.

Exhibit 1&2: My ex-Alfred/Ikol/now-Leah? found my Loki draft and to-do list; thought it’d be interesting to post. I did a draft to consolidate how my costume would look like (a mash-up of Ferry’s and Braithwaite’s Loki) and in the end I changed how I did the hood (no zip; worried about gapping & spandex would stretch) and belt. My favourite bit, however, is the elucidatory instructions on my to-do list: “BUY CLOTH. SEW IT!” So specific. So helpful.
Exhibit 3: Actually finished the balaclava (notice I misspelt it as a Central Asian pastry in my to-do, haha) within the week after STGCC; not much luck on the helm though since I’ve only got a tiny strand of that (4-6 year old) gold thread left. DILEMMA.
Exhibit 4: The IF as mentioned in Exhibit 2 was Ultimate Spiderman’s Iron Fist, which in the end did not share golds with Loki; instead, I ended up with these 70s action figure colours. Definitely the best green by far locally, even though it’s too bright…but then again, I am also 5 feet tall, so I guess 70s action figure colours won’t hurt me too much (more). Sorry Danny.

Kid!Loki Cosplay - Progress Report #1

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:42:28 -0400

Kid!Loki Cosplay - Progress Report #1:

catraverse:

Bless your reply, actually, but close enough!

Thank you so much for your advice, and for taking the time to reply to my ramblings! Using this first version as a mock-up; that’s a brilliant idea, and not one that I would have come up with myself. I’m definitely going to do that, since I have quite a bit of time (and fabric) on my hands.
…

Thanks for being so amenable, and glad to know I wasn’t being horribly obnoxious! Fit is very important to me so a prototype is my standard MO, I really hope it’ll help. Chinatown is lacking if you’re looking for anything else other than patterned cotton (though you might be able to get the stretchy black cloth at the one or two more ‘costumey’ stores), but that one finishings shop is muy cheaper than Spotlight and similar alternatives.

You might’ve seen on my tumblr that yes, I’m the midgety spandex Loki (stylistically a mashup of Ferry’s art in Mighty Thor and early JiM Braithwaite, I lean towards the more streamlined, superhero look) who hijacked a bunch of lovely Lokis, including the wonderfully kind Chris. Also, yes - the early JiM kid!Loki (Ferry&Braithwaite) has a more complex belt, white hood and lighter green sleeves, while I think midway JiM Loki (Elson) has simpler belt, khaki hood and matching sleeves&tunic green. Sleeve colour isn’t something people really care about though, so don’t worry about it. :-)
Hope your trip today will be productive! Shushing now so I don’t get even more obnoxious than I was, ahah.

Kid!Loki Cosplay - Progress Report #1

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:52:23 -0400

Kid!Loki Cosplay - Progress Report #1:

catraverse:

a.k.a. Journey Into Misery

I’ve technically been working on this for the past three weeks, but I decided on a drastic change of plan that takes me all the way back to square #1. Hooray.
…

Oh man, I wish I’d done the research you did when I first started sewing. Sewing the sides first is spot-on, and your stitches are wicked neat. If I’m not being too presumptuous, may I suggest something? Since you have more than enough green cloth and the fit of your current tunic is not quite right, you might want to use it as a prototype and fiddle with it to get just the right fit in this fabric. That means slicing it down the middle (pin it together with your badges, leaving enough space to simulate a zip) and checking the collar fit, and maybe some long, perfunctory stitches down the sides to take it in for your hips and waist. Cut the hems (eg. collar, armholes, bottom) raw, just to see where it ends without having to hem them. After the fit suits you, cut along the stitches to get the pattern without seam allowance. Then make a second official one and it will be impeccably clean. Like many cosplayers I have no formal tailoring knowledge and I make my own patterns from scratch because I am a midget, so I hope prototyping works for you too.

PS: I’ve never been able to find zippers and the like in Arab Street. Maybe I’m just horrendously ignorant? Otherwise, Chinatown’s People’s Park has a great finishings shop that is accessible and decently priced. All the best and looking good!
PPS: if I am being seriously annoying and dicky right now, just ignore me please. I just don’t want people to toil through similarly horrible experiences that I’ve had if I can help it.

The week is not yet done and I am still waving my battle-banner,...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:37:02 -0400

The week is not yet done and I am still waving my battle-banner, but here’s a long over-due post of El’s dedicated Loki army photos, for which I am eternally grateful and have fond memories of, many thanks to all involved:

Stuttgart!Loki: Bev | Movie!Loki: LeXis | Tales of Asgard!Loki: Fenfen | Tales of Asgard!Thor: ever-hilarious Losse | Kid!Loki: Kei | Movie!Kid!Loki: Chris | Kid!Loki: M

Exhibit 1: Lest you forget.
Exhibit 2: Kei is superbly sassy. I am holding up 2 fingers stating the obvious.
Exhibit 3: So glad to have a shot where my hair still looks even remotely flippy! …and I’m horribly distracted by the Emma bare-back (heh) piece. Woof.
Exhibit 4: Instill-traumatic-childhood-memories-of-being-bullied-by-thyself version 2!
Exhibit 5: This had to be in because Thor just photobombed and sucked the focus off six Lokis. And you wonder why he’s so vindictive.
Exhibit 6: And an alternate angle of my iPhone Loki Army photo. So many feelz! Thank you all for having me again, you are the most massive sweethearts.

Mischief has been postponed to October, leaving space for Everything Burns to burninate more and a haircut dilemma. Now if only it stopped growing at that perfect point!

amarukei: The Poptarts Episode. All photos taken by the...

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:52:24 -0400

Left to Right : ex-Merrill, ex-Aveline, ex-Fenris

Because poptarts.

because MORE poptarts.

Because lots of poptarts.

Because ALL the poptarts.

amarukei:

The Poptarts Episode.

All photos taken by the wonderful @Pancakesandplaid, tweaked/cropped by Kei

Movie kid!Loki - Chris/@beingevil
JiM Kid Lokis - Shorter, cute and terribly adorable one = M/@isanothermask, taller, evil-looking one = Kei/@amarukei
Tales of Asgard Thor and Loki - Losse/@angrydumpling and Fenfen/@cookiewooga

I was really glad to have gotten that wonderful bumperpack of photos from El if only to understand this on-going Poptart business.

Actually, scratch that. I still don’t understand this on-going Poptart business but Kei is a lovely individual and I’m sure there’s nothing problematic about her blatant Loki/Poptart addiction at all.