Fangirl Squee! Or, How I Stalked Cyclops.

It started in Target.

Specifically, it started in Target when the Boygeek and I went in to buy shoelaces to relace a corset for a Scarlet Witch costume (more on that in my next post.)

Then we came across this.

Fuckyeah, Colossus

They had a couple others - Wolverine with a scary face and a ton of Winter Soldier. (Sorry but no one likes you, Winter Soldier.)

More important was what I saw on the back of the Colossus box - fucking Kitty Pryde.

And I must have Kitty Pryde.

The worst part was finding out this line has been out for two years. I had NO IDEA. I have wanted a Kitty Pryde figure FOR SO LONG. One of my biggest disappointments in Wolverine and the X-Men being cancelled was the Kitty figure for that line never being released.

We tore through Target, but no Shadowcat. It was past 10pm, and Toys 'R' Us was closed, so we went home and set the alarm so we could be there when they opened.

What Toys 'R' Us didn't have was a Kitty Pryde figure. What they did have? James Marsden.

Cyclops was walking around our Toys 'R' Us, yo.

I had literally been holding a figure of him and debating whether to get it two minutes earlier. He was with his kid, which meant I didn't take any pics or try to approach him. I try to respect the kid thing. I had an urge to grab the Cyclops toy (a double pack with Jean Grey which came with a copy of First Class #1 and was actually really cool), rip it open and have him sign the comic. Or just go up and ask, "So wtf was up with X3?" But I didn't.

Instead, I was just really surprised by how fangirl excited I was. Seeing celebrities in Los Angeles is something you learn not to get too excited about. Like when you run into Lt. Dangle in Chinatown and you don't say anything because you have no idea what his real name is and you almost don't recognize him not wearing shorts. But seeing Cyclops in Toys 'R' Us while you're there to buy X-Men toys is actually awesome. Boygeek and I totally just hung out in Toys 'R' Us way too long walking somewhat near him. I think we creeped him out. But he and Boygeek did the guynod thing at each other, which was neat. I went home without Kitty Pryde, but it was a fun day.

Narwhals, narwhals!

This week's theme? Small, cute, weird, and wonderful.

It started with some of a challenge. "Tesla? I'm wondering if someone can make tiny little platypus earrings..."

In fact yes, yes someone can.

I couldn't stop there. Everyone knows platypus are pretty much mythical creatures. You know what else are basically mythical? Narwhals. I'm like 98% sure no narwhal sighting has ever been confirmed. Whales don't have horns. Don't be silly.

But I did need something realistic, so I also made some unicorns.

Before we go, sing it with me, because I won't rest until someone else has this stuck in their head.

Narwhals, narwhals,

Swimming in the ocean,

Causing a commotion,

'Cause they are so Awesome!

Internets, I made a funny.

This is the most exciting morning I've had in ages.

A few weeks ago I entered a caption contest for my very favorite webcomic, Wondermark.

Much to my surprise and delight, I totally won that shit.

See that caption there? I wrote that. It's totally canon now. I did that.

Really I'm as surprised as anyone that I actually won, but I'm so happy. I've loved Wondermark for years. David Malki ! is a clever, clever, genius with words. I usually go to events he is at, buy a signed book, try to make small talk, and fail miserably because I am so shy and socially awkward. It's always beautiful. I even was included in a blog post one Christmas for my lovely headless merch shot I sent him after opening my Christmas gifts.

Exciting stuff, this. I don't know about you, but I'll be spending the morning basking in my winning glow.

When nothing is going as planned.

Status: Waiting again, a little more upset.

Deadlines suck.

They suck when you have two weeks to finish a project for a major event, and everything is going wrong.

I had to pull off a layer or so of paper mache from most of the octopus, my approach was incorrect and I realize that now. I'm waiting for the rest to dry now so I can continue with the right method.

The head might need to be completely redone, I feel it is out of proportion. That's a few hours more and a lot more drying time.

On the plus side, I've made progress with my dress tonight, so we'll stay hopeful. Looks like this is going to be a true all-nighter, and a short post.

Adventures in Paper Mache, or, How to Balance a Giant Octopus on a Stick

Status: Waiting for newspaper to dry.

The last few days have been filled with work on my octopus staff for the Labyrinth of Jareth ball.

A little background: Besides my unashamed obsession with cephalopods, I had another obsession that is harder to admit: I used to be a hardcore WoW player back in the day. It's been a long time since I've played, and I think I can now be open about my addiction.

Like any kitty druid in her heyday, I was in love with Terestian's Stranglestaff, otherwise known as the Original Octopus on a Stick(tm).

(Thanks Stil for the screenshot!)

That staff inspired me. I wasn't going to use the same design -- I wanted mine to be right side up, sitting on top of the staff with the tentacles wrapped around it... and the correct number. (It's not a quadapus, Blizzard.)

This isn't a proper progress post, I plan to do a series of posts on building it start to finish, but here's a few pics of how the paper mache is going on the first four legs.

Four chicken wire tentacles -- Plus a head in the background!

Beginning to paper mache...

First four tentacles with a layer of paper mache.

I'm actually a bit farther along than this, but I'll upload those pictures in the next update. More progress pics and some non-octopus related posts coming in the next few days!

"These Are Not The Nerds You're Looking For."

I finished my last final of my first year of college today! Woot! Clearly this called for celebration, and that meant a costume. At least, a mini-costume.

Luckily I received a package in the mail last Wednesday.

Marc Ecko Stormtrooper Jacket

I have wanted this hoodie for so long, and a combination of leftover birthday money and Ecko's 'Judgement Day' 35% off sale meant it could finally be mine. I nearly cried when I opened the package. This thing is fucking beautiful.

It was hard to wait until the last day of finals to wear this, but I needed the unveiling to be special. For the mini-costume, I paired it with my sparkly black H&M shorts (which I've hardly worn... because where do you wear sequined shorts?) some white tights I picked up at Target ($5) a black shirt, and my black boots underneath.

The reactions I got were pretty great. I tried to spend a lot of time with the mask zipped all the way up. I was unrecognizable in it, you can see out but not in -- one of my friends was a little freaked out when I imaginary 'blasted' her as we passed. A lot of people try not to react, which I always find funny, but some groups laughed as a walked by, and that's the reaction I hope for.

My friends were great, and most of them found it pretty awesome, and a lot were asking me where they could get one. My friend Matt provided the quote in the title, and another subverted the "short" comment I was expecting to get all day with, "Aren't you a little scantily-clad for a stormtrooper?"

The boygeek knew I was dressing up, but it still floored him. His reactions to my outward displays of geekery are always fun. I got some interesting attention when I asked the him to take a picture of me on campus -- another guy ran up and asked him if he could get a picture too. I should have taken more pictures, but  here's the one of me posing outside the college entrance.

The jacket is well-made, really heavy, and it is pretty hot and hard to breathe with the mask all the way up. I couldn't have done this if it hadn't gotten unseasonably cool that day (thanks, weather gods!), and I don't know how much I'll be wearing it the rest of the summer. It's very white, which is nice, but I was so paranoid about getting dirt on it... I don't want to have to change my costume to sandtrooper, and I'll probably want to only dryclean this. I bought the smallest size they offered, a men's small, and this thing is HUGE on me. Because of the heavy material, it doesn't shape at all like men's hoodies usually do -- I'm used to buying smalls and having them cling to my curves a bit and looking nice. This one is very shapeless in the way it hangs on me. Worth the money, but I missed my girlshape.

But now the semester is officially over, (!) and I can dedicate the next month to costuming and especially Jareth ball prep, so more posts coming soon.