The Making of Darth Talon (Dragon*con 2011 version)

Maybe this is how she keeps those boobs up:
perpetual free fall!

About a year ago (maybe longer?) I decided to tackle Darth Talon as a costume. She’s super evil, she looks damn good jumping from a speeder bike, she sleeps with wangsty borderline Jedi Cade Skywalker…okay, well, she’s not perfect, but she is fierce and I love those freakin tattoos.  My friend Cord decided to do Talon’s hulking man-brute counterpart, Darth Stryfe, and we attempted to rope a bunch of other friends into doing the rest of the One Sith group. One guy, Sean, put together an impressive Maleval costume for Dragon*con, but everyone else decided to hold off until Celebration VI.

We'll get you eventually,  my pretties. 

For someone who doesn’t wear a whole lot of clothing, Talon’s costume is tricky. I divided it into the major components: 

1.       Bodypaint/tattoos

2.       Bikini and Armor

3.       Lightsaber

4.       Lekku

I got my Sith contacts from Coastal Contacts (the "Vader" style) and they fit great. Do note, if you order prescription contacts, you *will* need to provide your doctor's prescription. In the US, prescription contacts cannot be legally sold without proof of prescription! I found this out the hard way (ie, six days of telephone tag with my dr's office and coastal contacts). 

I used the Flagship Eclipse as my main resource for creating a (semi) accurate Talon costume - it's definitely a great place to get ideas, learn from other cosplayers, and find reference material! I've included a list of links at the bottom of this page.

I’ll give a quick really wordy explanation of how I did each part.

1.       Body paint/tattoos

To answer everyone's burning question: The body painting took 1 makeup artist, 2 design students, and one engineer about 7 hours to paint both me and Cord. Bless their patient hearts! Also, their paint-filled lungs.

This was the easy part for me, because I assigned the body paint to my sister, Lyssa, who is a terribly cunning and artsy design student. She did my body paint for Celebration V, and after spending three days meticulously hand painting me white, we both agreed that we’d much rather use an airbrush for Talon (and subsequently Stryfe). Our good friend and costuming mentor Charlie lent us his airbrush for our endeavors.

This is actually what I normally
look like in the mornings

We asked around a number of sources about the best paint to use. We wanted an alcohol based paint, which doesn’t come off if you sweat. At first it seemed like we’d have to go with Reel Creations or Skin Illustrator – both very nice brands, but both crazy expensive. I was trying to figure out how to justify dropping a bunch of money on airbrush paint while my student loans continue to loom over my head, but we lucked out! After talking to one of the True Dungeon makeup artists, we found a brand called Kustom Kolor Custom Body Art, which worked extremely well and was considerably more affordable. Victory!

So we ordered a lot of red and black Kustom, as well as a small cake of red Snazaroo (the paint I used for my white Twilek), and a translucent setting powder. The Snazaroo was for doing touch ups over the body paint (applied in a swirling motion with a Kabuki brush) and the setting powder was brushed over the whole paint job to help keep it clean and dry. Also good to have on hand – rubbing alcohol and wipes to take the paint off afterwards. (and extra people to help clean those hard to reach spots on your back) When I say it didn’t come off, I mean it did NOT come off. Not when I lay down on the ground, not when I hugged people, not when I showered...I was scrubbing for two days!

Am I preeeeetttyy yet? :D
No? Okay lemme add more red paint.

To create the tattoos, Lyssa created vectored versions of each tattoo, using - I kid you not - DarthHell’s VERY NOT SAFE FOR WORK artwork of Talon. (okay, here's *one* SFW picture) DarthHell kindly rendered us a series of reference shots, since it’s extremely hard to get a high res, clear picture of Talon’s tattoos (hell, it's about impossible to get a consistent picture of her tattoos), and they worked beautifully. Then, she lasercut them into templates on sheets of 0.05 Mylar.

After that, she airbrushed me with red Kustom, touched it up with the Snazaroo, and then verrry carefully airbrushed on the black tattoos (frequently with someone else holding the stencil down). Those were touched up with a fine tipped paint brush dipped in Kustom.

Please be sure to use the airbrush (as instructed) in a well-ventilated area… we did not, and let me tell you, there is nothing more disconcerting than sneezing red and black paint! Also, be very careful using alcohol-based paint around the eyes – we left a largeish gap during the airbrush process (see the earlier picture) and then hand painted that in with Snazaroo and black eyeliner.

Pictured: One Sith Lord,
possibly high on paint fumes

Edit: I forgot to mention – I actually did pick up a pair of red tights for my legs, so I could sit/move without worrying about the paint. Given how well the paint stayed on, that might not have been entirely necessary, but it gave me peace of mind!

2.       Bikini and Armor

Ahhh…the fun part.

I commissioned my dear darling leatherworker Ribbons and Rivets (who also made Cord's magnificent Stryfe armor) to make Talon’s top for me – he’s got considerably more experience making women’s tops out of leather and I was not taking any chances with wardrobe malfunctions! Talon's bikini does *not* have straps - an oversight that I absolutely loathe. I refuse to believe the highly advanced technology of "bra straps" does not exist in the Star Wars universe.  

The rest of the armor was pretty straight forward – she has two rectangles of armor on each arm and leg (which, according to the CRLs, are metal…) so I cut out the appropriate sizes in pre-dyed black leather and some sheet aluminum, dremeled the edges of the metal like crazy, and then riveted the leather, metal, and a leather strap with Velcro on it all together. I attached the Velcro with rubber cement, and while that actually held up for the whole day, the pre-dyed leather doesn’t soak up the rubber cement as well as regular leather, so by the end of the evening the straps were starting to come apart slightly. Next time I’ll try a few different adhesives and test drive them before hand. (or, just rivet the Velcro down!)

The gloves and knee high stockings that go under the armor were ordered online, and the boots I already had in my closet. They’re pretty comfortable and I can pose in them without falling over, which were pretty major requirements for me! (also they make me look ever so slightly taller)

Talon does/doesn’t have a small half- headpiece, depending on which image you look at. I opted to use it, because it helps hide the seam/runaway hair in the back. The head piece was cut from pre-dyed leather and velcroed onto the lekku – I also made small black ear cones for the head piece. 

Edit: It should probably go without saying that her costume is pretty intensely uncomfortable -- the top is basically corseted on and puts a lot of pressure on  your chest, the armor pieces have to be pretty tight to stay on...  I have scars from this costume! And not the emotional kind! 

3.       Lightsaber

I was really tempted to try and make my own lightsaber, but ultimately didn’t have time for it, so I ordered the “Dark Initiate” saber from Ultrasabers (great lightsabers at affordable prices that will hold up to you ), and then customized the hilt using sculpting clay. This didn’t work too great. The clay shrinks and becomes very brittle when dry, so I ended up having to constantly re-glue pieces back on. Also, due to the large number of lightsaber battles I partook of, the hilt got pretty chipped and beaten up by the end of the con. I’m going to try something more rubbery next time, I think.

4.       Lekku

I also reeeeally wanted to make my own lekku. I have a pair that I bought from Twilek Pam, which look amazing, but Talon’s lekku are actually quite long, and I wanted them to be more mobile, in case we tried any acrobatic poses, haha. I started on a pair using a long process of rubberizing stuffed cloth lekku, but the challenge of attaching them to my head was a bit much, and I decided it’d be better to go with the safe bet and use Pam’s. I spray painted them red and then added the tattoos using black latex enamel paint (and a really lousy paint brush)

As a side note, I tried wearing the lekku with a swim cap to keep my hair covered, and nearly passed out from brain squeezing/dehydration?/whatever. The whole thing was so tight on my head that we had to slit the lekku up the back to give my poor head some room. My suggestion would be to try wearing the lekku around a bit beforehand to make sure they’re comfortable!

We tried disguising the forehead seam with some red latex paint, which worked so-so. That'll definitely be another area to work on for my next run of this costume. (That, and petition the Darth Talon artists to add a) bikini straps and b) a full coverage headpiece. You guys sure don't make it easy for the costumers!)

*someone pointed out I completely failed to post a picture of the finished outfit....durrr!*

I hope this write up helps! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions :)

Links

Body Paint:
http://www.snazaroo.us/
http://www.tcpglobal.com/Airbrushing-Supplies/Individual-Bottles_3/

Airbrush:
http://airbrushcity.com/144AC.htm

Lekku:
http://chucrew.com/Twilek/Twilek.htm

Armor:
http://www.facebook.com/Ribbons.Rivets

Saber:
http://www.ultrasabers.com/

References and Information
http://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=1030
http://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=1152

GenCon 2011

Ahh, one of my favorites! GenCon is a fantastic con, a great mix of gaming and cosplay, with some fun after hours activities. This year, like last year, I was working for True Dungeon, and I brought Kelly (2^nd year) and my sister Alyssa (1^st year) to come work with me. We were also joined by Marilyn (our roomie from last year and returning True Dungeon npc), Matt (Ribbons and Rivets) and on and off by my friend Doug.

Con for us started on Tuesday. Lyssa, Kelly, and I drove up from NC…alllll the way to Indy through Ohio, which is horrendously boring and filled with more corn and 55pmh highways than a state really needs. On our way up, though, we did some brainstorming on my new project (to be discussed in a later post! I will tell you it involves hot girls, costumes, collaboration, and photo awesomeness) We check into our hotel, grab some steak and shake, and mooch wifi in the lobby (side note – why is it that expensive hotels never provide in room wifi? Is it *really* that difficult?)

Wednesday is training for True Dungeon. If you’ve never been to or heard of True Dungeon, imagine giant life sized Zelda puzzle dungeon meets D&D – you have a party of people with different skills that runs through a two hour adventure, trying to solve all the puzzles and beat all the monsters before facing (and hopefully triumphing) over the final boss. They set up a huge maze, full of moving monsters, NPC actors, traps, and clues, and people turn out in droves to participate. It’s incredibly fun, and incredibly challenging. Last year, the final boss was a red dragon, which ate an untold number of parties.

This year, I reprised my role as an elven cleric, with Alyssa joining me (though she was always a different shift), and Kelly and Marilyn were NPC bosses. We helped with some final set up in the dungeon, worked on our lines, and scoped out all the rooms the players would be facing. There was some mild-moderate (okay, pretty severe) panicking when I found out my costume had not arrived yet... Organic Armor shipped it to us, but it was nowhere to be found. And since I have to go on at 9am Thursday, I kinda need the armor ahead of time.

(Fortunately, we found it -- they had delivered it to the room of Jeff Martin, the head of True Dungeon. which is sorta nice, but mostly completely out of line with their package policy and let's not do that again.) 

Also we went to Victoria’s Secret, because elven clerics need bikinis. I have a horrendous time bathing suit shopping but glory be! I found a suit that fits! I put it on hold and we go back to our hotel. (this will be important later)

Thursday morning – I have first shift in the dungeon. I am SUPER NERVOUS. I actually stayed up muttering lines to myself and woke up every hour, on the hour, convinced I was going to oversleep my 3 alarms and miss my shift. My job is to introduce the players to the adventure, and drop some hints about what they need to do. Of course, because I'm an NPC, it's hard to get them to give me the time of the day -- NPCs have feelings too! 

What do we want! Actual hit points! When do we want them? Now! 

Since Lyssa/I and Kelly/Marilyn are all playing the same parts, different shifts, we have a weird time coordinating with each other. But it works out so someone can always get the others food, which is good – you don’t need the final boss to be evil AND extra hungry. But we take turns exploring the dealer room (really huge and really difficult to get through in costume, haha. It felt like it closed really early every day, though) checking out the gaming (I have an awesome picture of me and Lyssa and Marilyn awkwardly playing Dance Central, haha. We didn’t get to jump in on any really long rpgs, like I would have liked, because of the scheduling stuff, but everyone tried out a lot of short demos in the dealer room)

After-hours stuff turned out to be interesting this year – usually one (or two or three) of us was finishing their shift after 12am… so we were crazy late to the parties. BUT WE WENT. Boldly walking in random directions around Indianapolis in outfits a stranger described as “brothel, school girl, chainmail…thingy and Babylonian warrior” (last one was me, ha!) White Wolf throws some low key (well, by the time we got there) but fun parties.

We also made sure to find time to lounge in the hot tub… after a long day at conventions, hot tubs are like the bacta tanks of our time.  And speaking of hot tubs…

So, Friday evening we book it for Victoria’s Secret, because I have to have my bathing suit before we hit up the hot tubs. Except… we’ve just come from the con, so you have me, in my evil-ass Organic Armor succubus bikini and stripper heels – Caitlyn in a very regal barbarian queen outfit, complete with fur cloak – and three assorted guys in nerdy tshirts (and one steampunk Han Solo outfit). Oh, and Matt, who’s in full black leather armor, with a cape. We very calmly walk through a gaggle (a flock?) of tween girls gaping at us and track down my bathing suit. I find the right size top. We go to the register.

Finally one of the sales associates can’t hold back anymore and asks: “Are you guys doing that…larping…thing?”

I scoff. “Larping is for nerds.”

She looks confused, because really, what else are we? I helpfully clarify that we are just avid costumers, which is somehow way cooler. She and the other sales lady take some Organic Armor business cards, and I tell her that most people will probably identify as “cosplayers”. I leave with bathing suit and they have a story about uppity geeks now. Hehehe.

We took about a zillion pictures, which will honestly give you a better idea of what the con was like than my out of order recap, but here’s some highlights:

•           Running into some absolutely gorgeous costumes including an Aasari (marry me, cosplay girl!) , Danaerys Targaryen, and an awesome queen who just felt like dressing up (she was one of the nicest people and had gorgeous white hair).
•       True Dungeon was in full swing this year! It looked amazing (underwater themed, with so many cool light/sound effects) and I'm really eager to see what they do next year. 
•           Ryan Sohmer, of Least I Can Do/Looking for Group/Gutters, gave me an absolute heart attack by giving me a box of books to hand out to passersby… then acting horrified and telling me I was supposed to sell them, after I’d handed out like half a box. OH MY GOD MY LEGS GAVE OUT. He thought it was hysterical.
•           Photoshoot with Echo Chernik! I’ve been a huge fan of hers and dying to model for her, and we finally got around to it. We nabbed a crazy evil looking helmet and did an impromptu shoot, and I can’t wait to see what she does with it.
•           Pictures with Matt and the troll. Matt has a tendency to show up and take all of my pictures from cute/interesting to “mildly steamy”, so I’m trying to be this sweet Elven cleric of goodness and light and then I’m suddenly being seduced by this dark knight in front of the cameras and people get way too much amusement out of it! (….admittedly so do I!)

Some anti-highlights (lowlights?):

•           Gencon rearranged itself! Everything was even more spread out…which meant it took even longer to get anywhere….
•           I accidentally ripped my chainmail garter during a picture, like a classy bitch.
•           My younger sister is really cute and I had to grit my teeth every time guys hit on her because I have not yet lost that overprotective big sister instinct.
•           Shoes… killing… my feet…
•           Still haven’t actually seen the costume contest, but the costume parade (in the hallway) caused a major traffic jam and it was hard to get pics. 

asAnyway, we drove back Sunday, just in time for Lyssa and I to come down with major con plague (from which we are mostly recuperated). PEOPLE AT CONS, WASH YOUR HANDS. Or I will become the Sanitizing Avenger! 

FetishCon 2011

Warning! This blog post is about a con called FetishCon. Not FluffyBunnyPicnicCon. Do not read ahead if you are easily scandalized. But don’t read ahead if you’re expecting a really steamy description, this is more of “a newbie’s impression of FetishCon”. (Pics from the con are mostly sfw and are here)

Chained Elegance (my chainmail dealer) and I decided to collaborate with Ribbons and Rivets (leather worker) and hit up FetishCon this year. I’ve done some fetish shows with Chained Elegance before, and I think they’re a lot of fun! We normally do pretty well sales-wise, everyone is very friendly, and there’s a lot less “why is that girl wearing such a skimpy outfit” glaring (that I sometimes get at conventions, ren faires, and other such family friendly events) and a lot less "hey that girl is wearing a skimpy outfit let me hit on her awkwardly" (that I also get at cons, faires, and family friendly events.) People at fetish shows are more polite and have this sort of "live and let live" mentality. True story, the most creepy guys I've had to deal with have been at regular cons or events. 

FetishCon is roughly a four day show, so we drive down Wednesday night (after fellow booth girl Ginny gets out of class and Matt gets off of work), get a speeding ticket in some crappy speed trap town on the highway, arrive at 4am, and decide that we’re never starting an 11 hour drive at 6pm EVER AGAIN.

Between Thursday and Friday we manage to get the booth set up, sleep a bit, eat some real food , and pop down briefly to the meet and greet. Tampa, much to my surprise, is actually quite a clean, nice city. Our hotel is within walking distance of the Hyatt, where the con is, so we spent a lot of time trucking it back and forth in high heels.

The Hyatt itself is a really neat hotel; it has this crazy twisted staircase/waterfall/planter box thing going on near the bar (where Photognome and I snapped some shots!) The vendor room, seminars, and art gallery are all up the escalator (tucked out of view of the poor normal people who happened to venture through) The vendor room is pretty packed with all sorts of demonstrations, booths, models, and artists – we were actually right across from a guy doing suspension tying –  and then there was the main stage slash clips 4 you booth, where they had (in no particular order) a diva drag show, some sort of bondage race, sybian demonstrations and super heroines. Apparently the sybian has the power to take girls from 0 to orgasm in about....well, under five minutes, so make of that what you will. I remain mildly skeptical.

Oh! One major highlight of the show -- I got to meet one of my favorite models, Mosh. She's a faaaabulous alt/pinup/fetish model, and I'm just in love with all of her photos. They're very sexy but still elegant at the same time. It was kinda intimidating to talk to her, because she is actually just as gorgeous in real life as she is in photos (unlike the rest of us, hahah) so I had a minor celeb freak out moment and I don't actually know what we talked about. I'm pretty sure my brain was on auto-babble mode... but she was very nice! 

I’m not gonna lie, Ginny and I went kinda nuts over the clothes and shoes. Whatever your feelings about the fetish scene are, you cannot deny that it produces some hot ass clothing. And with all the models and attendees walking around in their latex-y/lingerie’d/corseted best, the atmosphere felt pretty glamorous.

Our booth was pretty dolled up too! Chained Elegance had brought along the lovely ladies of the Succubus Sorority, so our poor mannequins weren’t burdened with too many outfits. They were a lot of fun to have around, and did a great job of showing off the chainmail.

Speaking of which – we have new chainmail buddies! There was another chainmail vendor there, and we were excited to see their stuff. Now, you might be surprised to hear this, because chainmail is a pretty niche hobby and an even more niche market, but chainmail vendors either a) get along famously because they share this random weird hobby and swap tips and ideas, or b) badmouth each other, try to undercut the other’s prices, and start catfights over the most inane things. (We had one vendor try to tell us one time that *he* had invented the chainmail bikini, so we couldn’t make them…what? Really?)  Personally, I don’t understand the latter mindset – it seems so small minded and pointless.

But the good folks at Poly’s Pleasures were wonderful! They have a very different style from us, with a big focus on bright colors and rubber rings, and it was really cool seeing all the gorgeous stuff they’d come up with. Their jewelry was actually probably some of the best I’ve seen in chainmail, because their use of color is just fantastic.  

My one gripe with Fetishcon was the after party – the “Vamps and Vixens” ball at the Castle. First we  heard that the Castle was really cool and they were gonna have a great show. Then, when we showed up to take the shuttle, people returning told us not to bother, the line was around the block, and the place was so jammed it wasn’t fun. Ahh…disappointing. But hey, pool time! Ginny and I had very firm plans to soak our poor abused feet. (The Venn diagram for "hot sexy shoes" and "comfortable to wear for 14 hours at a time shoes" does not have much of an overlap) Naturally, about 5 minutes after we get our toes in the water, a vendor friend texts us to let us know that vendors get in free, hint hint.

OH FINE.

So we truck back down to the shuttle, take it over to the Castle, get in line… and are promptly informed that while it’s entirely possible vendors get in free, the door guy doesn’t know for sure, and he can’t let us in. The only guy who can let us in is… the guy in charge of the party. Door boy’s suggestion is that we wait by the re-entry door and hope that Head Party Guy shows up and approves us to come in. Our vendor pal comes out to try and talk to the door guy, but gets the same song and dance. We spend a while waiting by the re-entry door, watching them deal with angry drunk people, but unsurprisingly, the busiest guy at the party doesn’t happen to stroll by and wave us in.

Now don’t get me wrong – I understand that the door guy has to deal with people trying to weasel their way in all night, and that it’s not a fun job. But seriously, you can’t call the head guy, or call a higher up, or do something other than suggest we hope a miracle happens? We paid $700 to attend this show, I’d think that should cover the damn party ticket. We wait around long enough to realize that our feet are absolutely miserable and take a shuttle back to the hotel.

Other than that, though, it was a fun show. Everyone there was really nice, very polite, and we did pretty well for our first show. I think we’ll definitely be back next year…possibly with more comfortable shoes.

The Hot Men of Cosplay: Part II!

A new day, a new batch of hot geek guys for you to ogle. I know, it’s hard work picking out their hottest pictures, but that’s just the level of professional dedication I have.

A couple people have asked how I picked the people on this list – well, I didn’t really. I’m too lazy to play favorites. What I did do was let people nominate who they thought should be on the list, and then did the article about the people who racked up the most nominations.

Also, in case anyone is worried about the psychological trauma of being interviewed for this blog (anyone? Bueller?) I assure you there was as little creeping as possible.

Well, maybe there was a little creeping.

Onwards to objectification!

First on the visual buffet today is Snake cosplayer Daniel - I met him at GenCon and he smuggled me around in a cardboard box when I didn't want to stop for pictures. 

Does that box make my legs look scrawny? 

Do you get hit on a lot?

All the time when I'm in costume, never when I'm out of costume.

Snake is the far right, just so we're clear.

How do you feel about being hardcore objectified for this article?

I figured if I objected that would only make things worse.

You got that right! What is your definition of a geek?

To paraphrase the Oracle, being a geek is like being in love. No one can tell you you're in love, you just know it. Similarly, no one can tell you you're a geek, you simply are when you know you are.

Being in pictures like this is also a pretty good indicator.

Your idea of a great date:

The one that ends with me not making an idiot out of myself, and has the possibility of a second.

What do you do to relax?

Listen to music, play video games (Just got Child of Eden, and doing another Mass Effect play-through), and go bike riding.

How do you stay in shape?

Due to my lack of six-pack, I sometimes have trouble saying I'm "in shape," but it's really just eating right and exercising. Going on runs, bike rides and lifting weights is just something I've gotten into the habit of doing. Also I can't stand soda and potato chips.

Pictured: chicks repelled by lack of six pack.

Favorite superhero:

Spider-Man, mainly because I grew up watching the cartoon on Fox.

If you had to rescue the damsel in distress, how would you do it?

Punch in the face whatever was causing her distress and carry her off into the sunset.

Kirk or Picard?

Picard. Mainly because I didn't watch any of the Kirk episodes, and Picard has this solid determination that screams leadership. I would follow him any day.

Best Bond:

Pierce Brosnan. Come on, how many bonds have also sung in Mama Mia?

I'm not sure that's actually points in his favor...

What's your zombie survival strategy?

Grab a team and head north. Zombies have a harder time surviving in the cold. And if that's not an option, than we'll head to the hardware store and KICK ASS!

"My alternate plan  is to wait it out beneath this cardboard box."

Well, I can definitely think of worse people to have in my zombie survival speed dial than Snake!

Next up is a trio of friends who cosplay everything from Spartans to the cast of Harry Potter – it’s Tonka, Fightstar, and Airborne!

I’m making Tonka go first because – will you believe this – he was shy the first time he cosplayed as a Spartan. Therefore  - set phasers to HARDCORE OBJECTIFY.

When you look like a walking Calvin Klein Does Sparta ad, you don't get to be shy. 

How do you feel about being hardcore objectified for this article?

Kinda funny, I don't think I've ever been objectified before!

Don't worry we'll fix that... I mean, ahem! Most romantic thing you’ve ever done for a significant other:

I proposed to my wife on stage at Cheerleading Camp in front of 2,000 people. We were college cheerleaders together. (All together now... DAWWWWW)

He wasn't joking about the cheerleading camp!

Do you cosplay in the bedroom?

Who doesn’t? Even people who don't cosplay in public do it in bed!

Have you always been a geek?

Absolutely....In second grade I went to the Kennedy Space Center in FL, and instead of going to Disney World the next day, I asked to GO BACK TO THE SPACE CENTER.

What is your definition of a geek?

Someone who does something they love that isn't popular, despite what others think. I also think it's synonymous with being an individual.

Your idea of a great date:

Anything active, I went rock climbing for my last anniversary.

What do you do to relax?

Put in a movie and work on prop relicas, or take out some noobs in COD:BO or GOW2.

How do you stay in shape?

By realizing fitness is a lifestyle, not a phase. Weights and cardio every day.

Most awkward convention moment:

 First time walking out in my 300 Spartan costume. It's one thing to wear it at home, it's a whole nother story trying to hide behind your shield for a whole convention!

Yes, how terribly embarrassing to look that that.

If you had to rescue the damsel in distress, how would you do it?

With my hair blowing in the wind and a snappy one-liner before we whisk away. Also, I think there would be some smoldering...yes, definitely some smoldering.

Is my smolder working? 

Kirk or Picard?

Neither....Solo

Best Doctor Who:

Ten (Tennant), but I may be a little biased on that one since I costume as him.

Best Batman:

Christian Bale -- Although I can't stand that stupid cancer voice he talks in when he's the dark knight.

Vampires or Werewolves:

Vampires......yes I like Twilight.....no I'm not gay

I would be about a million times more tolerant of the Twilight movies if  Edward Cullen had that body.

Weapon of choice in a fight?

Myself -- 2 time Korean martial arts world champion

If you were a superhero, what would your power be?

I'd like to be a shapeshifter, it would definitely free up a lot of time not having to workout anymore!

What song would you pick as a theme song for your life?

I joke that it would be the Ab Ripper X theme music

Airborne is next, because look what a sexy segue this picture of him and Tonka (and their towel girls) is:

Do you get hit on a lot?

It does happen a lot, but I love to meet new people and make new friends so it's fun. Sometimes I get some strange stalkers, though, and that gets weird. 

How do you feel about being hardcore objectified for this article?

I've come to terms with the fact that I'm a piece of meat LOL

A piece of meat AND an excellent Viktor Krum. Don't sell yourself short.

Most romantic thing you’ve ever done for a significant other:

I killed many Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae 

Do you cosplay in the bedroom?

It's all about the cape 

Have you always been a geek?

I have been a huge geek as far back as I can remember... I'd play RPGs, create costumes, and read sci-fi/fantasy novels any chance I could growing up, and things have not changed much!

What is your definition of a geek?

Someone who has a passion for nerdy things and isn't afraid to pursue what makes them happy.

Female celebrity crush:

Isla Fisher or Amy Adams. Redheads are my secret weakness. Don't tell anyone!

Your secret is safe with us!

Your idea of a great date: 

We'd head to the beach and watch as Xerxes' ships gets dashed upon the rocks of Greece herself. Afterwards, we'd make a wall out of dead Persian soldiers, and then topple said wall on the supposed "Immortals" that serve the God-King. We could also share a few of the apples I brought along!

I'll bring her some apples. Bitches love apples.

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Minimal time, really. Most delays are due to my cat, Tiger, as he doesn't like it when I leave for work (and stop rubbing his belly!)

You're leaving meeeeeeee?

What do you do to relax?

I love to read, everything from graphic novels to sci-fi, and everything in between. 

How do you stay in shape?

Lots and lots of hard work alongside my brothers and sisters in the Spartan forum. I've never met a better group of people, we keep each other accountable and go through serious workouts each week. It's a constant battle.

I'm battling the urge to drool on my keyboard

Most awkward convention moment:

Stalkers. Who knew there were so many? 

(I knew!)


Favorite superhero:

Wolverine, by far. Something about him resonates with me.

Is it the claws, the screaming, or Jean Grey? We may never know.

If you had to rescue the damsel in distress, how would you do it?

Sharing this secret would spoil 3 of my zombie plans. 

 Vampires or Werewolves:

Real ones! Vampires don't glitter and Werewolves don't date babies. They eat them. Mmm, so tender!

What's your zombie survival strategy?

 I have 37 different zombie plans.... 36 of which include using my pal Griff as a meat shield.

Weapon of choice in a fight?

Vera, my Callahan Fullbore Autoloc

Show my gun some love, dammit!

What song would you pick as a theme song for your life?

I don't know about theme song, but Fight Club is the theme movie for my life. Life isn't about how much money you make or how expensive of a car you drive. Life is so much more. Don't waste it!

And to round out this terrific and tantalizing trio of tasty…damn, I ran out of T-words. Anyway, here’s Fightstar, who looks way more like the Old Spice guy than any mortal man should.

That's just not fair.

Do you get hit on a lot?
At the conventions yes, a bit. At home back away from all the wonders of the awesome people no. That is why I am a single guy. No one understands how the art of costuming and all things geek is my mistress.

How do you feel about being hardcore objectified for this article?
Pretty DAMN good! Simply it's like this. Look at all the conventions that happen. All these lovely ladies looking good and getting their bodies and/or costumes right. Well, what's out there for them? Where is their 'eye candy'? It's not the sole reason, but it helps be get up at 5 am in the morning to run 4 miles to stay in shape. Helps me deny that doughnut or cake because there is nothing sweeter than the smile of a woman with nerdom in her heart.

What kind of drink do you get when you go out?
Tigers blood with a splash of unicorn's horn

Did we mention he does the fire spinning thing? Major hotness points. *PUN!*

Have you always been a geek?
Oh yes! I was born a geek for sure. While most people know me as this 8-pack stud I was not always this way. I have been playing on computers since I the tandy 1000. Only reason I learned DOS was to play video games like defender. Watching 'Doctor Who' with my dad, which I blame him for most of this. We bult PCs together and watch sci-fi shows like Star Trek.

What is your definition of a geek?
Someone who knows there is no power that is not knowledge. Also someone who would say this a give credit to 'Mortal Kombat' for learning it.

Female celebrity crush:
Sofia Vergara, Michelle  Rodriguez and milla jovovich. They are women who know their power and use it for awesome on a daily basis.

Your idea of a great date:
A woman who truly loves me for me and knows her awesomeness. Once we are together then adventure unravels on its own. Of course going to the local art gallery, seeing some performance art and at the end of the day relax on the porch with a cold one together.

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
I'm always ready!

Spartans cannot be caught off guard!

What do you do to relax?
when I'm not costuming and working out like a mad man I like watching cartoon network, video games, movies and listing to some smooth electronic music on pandora or somafm.com

How do you stay in shape?
Metal, blood and thunder!

There is no costume the fandom cannot sexify.

Most awkward convention moment:
Dallas, Tx, All-con. Dressed as SSgt Apone with some of my other friends. I start bustin' a move with my lady friends then move busted right down my pants. Yep right in front of my Spartan Texas friends and almost in front of the 6 Japanese guests we had at the party. So embarssing that there are photos and I will never run for President. The pants have a battle scar since that day and I have set a new standard in pants. Pants are pants unless they are Fightstar proof.

Favorite superhero:
There are many superheroes. The ones in my relm are my mother and father. My mother came from a foreign country to America and became more than what she was just like Superman. My father was a Green Beret so he worked for G.I. Joe. Nuff said

If you had to rescue the damsel in distress, how would you do it?
You could do it with courage, strength and humility. However, I have learned that many times the damsel needs to be the one to rescue herself because you will just be getting in the way.

Best Doctor Who:
The Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker. He was my first Doctor.

And you never forget your first Doctor!
Vampires or Werewolves:
Cyborgs. Especially the ones that ride unicorns.

What's your zombie survival strategy?
Aside from Cardio I need to have 3 things. Guns, crafting skills, the intangable qualities that make a leader. The first and last are easy enough, but the crafting skills is important. To many times in zombie films and tv everyone has guns, but never stops to make armor, craft other items or even break into a library for books on electronics. 

It takes more than a zombie apocalypse to intimidate Nick Fury.

What song would you pick as a theme song for your life?

There are many. Life cannot be contained by one song, but if I have to pick one. The Anvil of Crom.

The Anvil of Crom, you say? You know who looks like he was sculpted by the hand of Crom? Barbarian Dave!

He looks like an action figure. Seriously, how is that possible?

Do you get hit on a lot?   

Almost never.  No big surprise there.  Have you seen me?!

You're pretty hard to miss! What are you, like eight feet tall?

Maybe nine feet.

How do you feel about being hardcore objectified for this article?

Flattered.  But mostly surprised.  Especially at my age.

His Age of Conan, that is. Haha!

Most romantic thing you’ve ever done for a significant other: 

I'm not very romantic, but I used to buy my ex wife lots of presents.  Before last Dragoncon I surprised her with an $1800.00 necklace just because I wanted to do something nice for her.

Do you cosplay in the bedroom?  

Never.  And I'm not a fan of the term "cosplay".  I prefer "costumer".

Have you always been a geek? 

I don't think so.  I sorta drifted in and out of the category.  I think I'm here to stay now though.

What is your definition of a geek?  

To me a geek is someone who is as passionate about science/technology and or fantasy storytelling and all that goes with it as many people are about sports, religion or politics etc.

Female celebrity crush:

Don't have one.  I prefer women I've actually seen or met to entertain thoughts of that nature.

 Your idea of a great date:  

A beautiful woman with a fun personality.  Meeting other friends for dinner with interesting conversation and lots of laughter.  A drive home discussing the aforementioned dinner.  Hopping in the pool for a late night swim and whatever happens from there.

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?  

One hour to shower, eat, gather days food and change of clothes and get Stimpy the pug harnessed in the passenger seat for the drive to work.

All together now: DAWWWWWWWWWW

What do you do to relax? 

I take naps.  Even a 10 minute nap is good for me.

 How do you stay in shape?  

Four 1 hour weightlifting sessions a week.  A little bit of cardio if I'm getting ready to be Conan at a con.

Most awkward convention moment:  

Oh man.  There have been a few.  One I'm willing to tell happened at SDCC and there are several pictures of it online.  I was in the main hall of Comic Con dressed in full Conan gear waiting for my turn at the ATM.  It was a long line so I had plenty of time to notice that people with cameras were lingering around waiting my turn as Conan to use the cash machine.  And I don't blame them because it's a humorous photo.  But I was getting nervous and to make things worse I have two debit cards with different PIN codes.  Of course I got them mixed up and had to re-do the whole procedure, looking like an even bigger dumbass. hah!  I felt like a complete tool. lol.  One of the pics was used in a blog about technology and I was thrilled when I stumbled across it.

"Ahhh, my favorite brooding throne!"

Favorite superhero:  

Conan by a long shot.  Followed by Punisher and Thor.

If you had to rescue the damsel in distress, how would you do it?  

With all of the grace, competence, and athletic agility of Inspector Clouseau.

Best Bond: 

Superglue and fingers.  Virtually inseparable.  Any costumer knows this. ;-)

Best Batman: 

Adam West

Vampires or Werewolves:  

Zombies.  No wait….Cyborgs.  Cyborg Zombies!

Weapon of choice in a fight?  

Disagreement - empty hands for grabbing and pounding.  Life or death - 12 gauge riot gun.  Against zombie Vikings - spiked mace.

If you were a superhero, what would your power be?

Ideally to be like Thor.  But super strength if I had to narrow it down.

I don't know if it counts if you already have that power, Dave!

Dave is a tough act to follow, but I think his friend and fellow costumer Monkey of Steel is up to the task...

Challenge accepted.

Do you get hit on a lot?

From time to time. depends on if i'm having a pretty day or not.

How do you feel about being hardcore objectified for this article?

Feels like my last relationship. hah!

Most romantic thing you’ve ever done for a significant other:

I proposed at Dragon Con in front of our friends with a custom made Harley Quinn styled ring.

Everyone...on three.... DAWWWWWW.

The couple that cosplays together, stays together?

Do you cosplay in the bedroom?

Totally, i'm a snorlax. after a big meal, i pass out and snore like crazy.

Aw yeah, gonna need an Ultra Ball for you, buddy.

Have you always been a geek?

I've always prided myself on being a bit of a geek. i was a Superman fan when i was little, along with the cartoons of the time, and of course... star trek.

What is your definition of a geek?

When an argument in a marriage consist of the secret origins of a character, their powers, or their suit.

Female celebrity crush:

Christina Ricci. Grown up Wednesday Adams... yes. please. and thank you..

No arguments from me. Me-ow. 

Your idea of a great date:

Comic book store, Sushi, and cuddling on the couch in a cold house while watching a zombie flick.

What do you do to relax?

ooo... i love falling asleep watching cartoons

How do you stay in shape?

---- shape? this is all CGI.

God bless CGI, then!

Most awkward convention moment:

Old woman asking if "that" was "all me"...i guess when you reach a certain age, you just stop caring and start getting curious! haha!

Favorite superhero:

I have an affinity towards Superman, though i mostly resemble batman in my training and education.

An uncanny resemblance indeed.

If you had to rescue the damsel in distress, how would you do it?

awesomely. probably very showy. i'm a bit of a stage hog.

Kirk or Picard?

Picard. he did everything that kirk did and his voice was a bajillion times better.

Best Doctor Who:

ya know... i really enjoyed Peter Davison.

Best Bond:

there's one besides Sean Connery?

Vampires or Werewolves:

I'm leaning more toward werewolves... vamps used to have the edge... then they started sparkling.

What's your zombie survival strategy?

Omega Man strategy. I'm less than a half mile from gun stores, a walmart, a home depot and an autozone. first sign of issues. guess who's making a home generator powered out of a bike and sets of car batteries? a hole in the floor of above me allows me to take out my neighbors and and usurp their stuff, also putting me higher up. after barricading the lower level with the wood i have for prop making, i destroy the stairs leading down from the top level, making a stronger, more secure area.

Weapon of choice in a fight?

my fists.... Jabby and Punchy.

"Also my claws and fluffy ears!"

If you were a superhero, what would your power be?

If i were? what do you mean if i were??? what have you heard??? DON'T BELIEVE THAT WOMAN AT THE DAILY PLANET!!!

And to close out our Tour de Hawt Nerd, we have Kalel NC Sean!

Do you get hit on a lot?

Not that I know of. I'm horrible at signals. If someone wants to, they need to be straight forward. 

How do you feel about being hardcore objectified for this article?
Perfectly fine with it. I was the outcast and ugly duckling all through school so I'm ready for some objectification. 

Most romantic thing you’ve ever done for a significant other:
Sang to her at our wedding. (No longer married btw)

Sad awwww....

Have you always been a geek?
Absolutely, always have been, always will be.

What is your definition of a geek?
Well for me it's those of us who were/are into the RPG's, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comics, etc, but that is becoming mainstream so it's hard to say what Geek will mean in the future.

In the future, geeks will be green!

Your idea of a great date:

Not so much about what we do as long as we're having a great time in each other's company. Though I am partial to high adrenaline rides/adventures.

What do you do to relax?
TV shows. Too many to list. I could so be a full time couch potato.

I'm guessing one of those shows is "True Blood"

How do you stay in shape?

Spilt body routine with weights and interval cardio training. Also calorie reduction during the week. Would love to learn some Parkour.

If you had to rescue the damsel in distress, how would you do it?
Need more info. Give me a situation that I'd have to figure something out.  Though wouldn't mind having to use my Krav Maga skills.

Kirk or Picard?
Picard. I grew up on TNG.

Best Bond:
Sean Connery. I'm named after him.

Vampires or Werewolves:
Vampires hands down! And not that crappy sparkly kind.

What's your zombie survival strategy?
Preparation, preparation, preparation. That and outwitting the person next to me. 

"These Wolverine claws will be perfect for decapitating zombies!"

If you were a superhero, what would your power be?
Complete Psychokinesis (all the mind powers) that or Teleportation like they had in Jumper, in that I can bring people/stuff along with me.

Well it’s been fun, people! A big thank you to all our victims participants for their patience, good humor, cooperation... and their dedication to being eye candy fitness. I look forward to doing Part III one day.

That, and forcing my own boy to join the ranks of cosplay hotties. Oh, a girl can dream...