#taako cosplay prop

[foxofanequinox]

progress on con crunch taako shirt #1. think excessively flamboyant western shirt meets late 1890s blouses. gay as hell, essentially.

[rowanix-cos]

Taako ~ The Adventure Zone

I finally listened to taz balance very recently and it immediately lodged its way into my heart, resulting in a month of crazed sewing (delayed slightly by my obscene prop-making addiction, which I may make a separate post about at some point) until I finished this cosplay!

Oh, and bonus: I found this random skeleton lying around with an umbrella sticking out of it. Weird, right? lmao

[tunastime]

25?

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies? (x)

besides writing, I'm a cosplayer! I spend a good chunk of my free time sewing and prop-making to go to cons. this past weekend I both finished and wore my Technoblade (DSMP) cosplay, my Taako (TAZ) cosplay, and my Akari (Pkmn) cosplay! verrrry fun :3

my next few are probably going to be an Emmet (Pkmn) cosplay and fixing my Tango cosplay! I really want to do dungeon master Tango...

otherwise I play lots of video games and do a lot of cooking! I'd call those more fun past-times than hobbies, but I'm pretty good at minecraft ngl. also trying to pick up art... shoutout to my stream assets...

[actuallyrandomperson]

So, I made a fake book cover for my Taako cosplay I’ve been working on. It’s based off of the ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ cover design, by which I mean I edited one by using some creative font matching techniques, and I’m actually really proud as design type shit is not something I’m great at. I literally was working with a free trial with adobe indesign to put full thing (& including making the spine) together. If it doesn’t end up fitting the book I was basing the proportions off of I might cry.

[nanu-hammies]

As a cosplayer with ADHD, when I get a new hyperfixation, I immediately feel the need to make a new cosplay for said hyperfixation. This months newest victim is Taako from The Adventure Zone: Balance Arc.

This is the process of shaping it with wire and wrapping it to prep it for when I put the actual fabric on it! I did this all in one day.

God, I just hope I finish it.

[bubblyernie]

It’s Taako Time! (Man that...umbrastaff took me a whole day. I painted it and everything yeeOuch)

art tag // commission info

[lostlegendaerie]

because this is kind of blowing up my itty bitty instagram, im reposting this here! this is the umbra staff i made for @projectivepearl one of mt FAVORITE PEOPLE EVER! 

Took a standard navy blue umbrella and sawed the hook off the end, then used some super stiff cardboard tubes + thick wire for the core + EVA foam rolled up for the new hook and covered it with Worbla which I also used for the end and scored with a knife for the wood grain look. Painted the umbrella with acrylics mixed with fabric medium (put that painful nod to Lup on the inside of the band that holds the umbrella closed), had a friend help me rewire the blue LED string that I just wrapped around the canvas supports. Top LED is an inexpensive screw on type and the top is hollow so you can remove the light entirely/change out the batteries.

i followed the umbrella painting tutorial here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxn40dVjGQM

slow mo video that shows it lit up on the inside is here - https://lostlegendaerie.tumblr.com/post/186736654851/video-of-my-umbra-staff-lit-up-full-post-here

[peregrinepolaris]

sending off my blue cape taako with a bang!

[cipheral]

My taako hat is in the works!! Im probably going to be adding some pins and then it'll be done! I have second degree burns from hot glue. Before i get any asks or anything YES you can use this as a reference but please credit me for the design (also show me!! Id love to see!)

[hatters-workshop]

Some previews of the progress I'm making  for my Umbrastaff handle for Taako. The second image is to show where I started after my lovely Jak carved off the extra prong on the handle and sandpapered it all for me to prep for the paperclay. Please don't read any further if you haven't listened to all of the balance arc of the Adventure Zone. Spoilers ahoy! The runes spell out the names of each of the seven birds (Merle ended up being spelled Mearlea technically because I wanted to spell it with the symbol for earth) the phrases "light em the fuck up"  and "fuck you Greg" (side note the symbol for f means wealth) and it also had the symbols from Sirius Black's wand and the constellation for Gemini. Everything was carved in to the clay when wet and then painted in with Silver. Still got work to do but very pleased so far.

[feysplendent]

My philosopher’s stone glows now!!!! More Taako progress/preview for Podcon this weekend. Who is going to the gathering? What are you wearing to the con? I’m so excited!

[shalaxi]

What exactly do the sweets that Taako makes look like? Justin pronounces it macaroon but the wiki says if it's almond then it must be macarons

Why does a macaron look like

Macaroons are the colorful things that look slightly like burgers right

[rejectvalkyrie]

I've become addicted to making cosplay props :/ The bracer was the first thing I ever made and it was for my friend @video-to-the-games's Taako cosplay. The second was the Lance jacket, which took me FOREVER to do. In fact my friends got pissed at me for sowing during a DnD sesh xD Finally the Sword of Summer which I made today because I've been up since 8 and had the house to myself :/ Someone stop me.

[yves420]

it's taakos, from tvs!

[ceilingfan5]

Mmmmm, what about cosplayer AU and/or airplane passengers?

“Tell me why I’m tolerating this again.” Taako stands with his hands on his hips for maybe four seconds before he starts pacing again. It’s late, so late it’s early, and most of the other people waiting for their baggage are sitting in the chairs and dozing off, not wearing a hole through the tile. But Taako’s luggage is delicate, and he’s trying not to have a panic attack about it, and Kravitz understands, and calmly reassures him, trying not to yawn.

“You’re excited to go to one of the biggest conventions in the country, is, I think, one of the biggest ones. You get to meet one of your heroes, and you-” yawn. “And you haven’t stopped vibrating about that since you got the invitation. And you worked really hard on your cosplay-”

“Our cosplay!”

“Our cosplay. You’re excited to do a couple’s cosplay for the first time, I remember that.”

“Maybe,” Taako grumps, yanking his hair out of his ponytail and combing through it with his fingers. It’s limp from being up for ages and taking two horrible flights halfway across the country, but it’s still beautiful, and Kravitz can’t wait to see it done up pretty tomorrow when he’s in costume.

“Oh, and you don’t even need a wig for this one.” Kravitz snaps his fingers, like maybe this is the one that will remind Taako that waiting for their potentially very damaged props is worth it.

“Maybe I should have done a wig, though! What if I can’t get enough volume? My bangs have been fighting me- I could have just-”

“No wig hair.”

Taako stops in his tracks, and nods. And nods again. “I do like that, yeah. Fuck wigs.” He turns to Kravitz. “But- fuck, is it going to be okay? What if it’s awful? What if I make a fool of myself? What if they realize how much I hot glued-”

Kravitz walks over to him and gently takes his hands. “Hey,” he says softly. “You’re excited for this. You’ve been so excited you could hardly sleep. Not only do you get to go to this huge con, you get to be on the panel of judges for the cosplay contest, and you love judging people. You know more about this than anyone I have ever met in my entire life. You even got me to agree to wearing a costume. You are so powerful, Taako, and this? Being patient? Airport security? They cannot defeat you.”

Taako squares his shoulders, and he smiles.

“Yeah!” He bounces on his toes. “Yeah, I- I got this! I can handle anything that comes my way! I got invited- it’s- it’s so huge- Krav, I know you’re not that into fandom and shit, but holy fuck, this is the most important thing that’s ever happened to me, and- and I’m excited! It’s not all anxiety!”

“That’s the spirit!” Kravitz grins. “And those baby cosplayers are going to look at your outfit and shit themselves.”

“You’re damn right!” Taako pulls away and pumps his fist in the air, and, almost cinematically, the baggage claim conveyor belt starts moving with a hellish screech and a lurch. Taako’s eyes go wide and he rushes over, prairie dogging and freaking and peeking for his luggage. Theirs come out almost immediately, and Taako hauls his over to the open floor and unzips his- and swears a blue streak. “They- Krav- my props!”

“Hot glue, love. Hot glue can overcome anything.”

“I’ll hot glue your MOUTH shut! Who- I need to complain to someone- who the fuck decided to use my bag to beat ass? I’ll- I swear to god-”

“Taako, love, Taako… You’re so powerful. Please. Please let’s go to the hotel and sort this out there. Please. I’m dying of four am. No one will be able to carry your bags and phone tomorrow if you don’t let me sleep.”

Taako glares at him, and re-zips the luggage, and mutters foul things under his breath as they head for the exit. Kravitz takes his hand and squeezes it.

“You’re powerful and you get to judge people tomorrow. You’re the best cosplayer that ever lived. Your designs are better than the ones on the show.”

“Keep affirming me like that and I’ll be tempted to sleep with you,” Taako mutters, and he bumps their shoulders affectionately. Kravitz laughs. It’s just stress, and even if he doesn’t understand it, it’s real to Taako, and he’ll be there for him every step of the way.

Even if that means helping him hot glue shit at four in the motherfucking morning.

[cosplayinamerica]

SUNLIT RIDDLE

I first learned about cosplay back in 2001 when I saw a beautiful Cloud crossplay.  My brain lit up, I pointed excitedly, and shouted, “That! I want that!” Back then both the internet and cosplay as we know it today were in their infancy. The common construction methods we take for granted now were prohibitively expensive. Molding and casting were within the realm of trade professionals only. I learned how to sew the old fashioned way: my grandmother taught me quilting and my mother taught me clothing.   But I had to teach myself a lot more once I had exhausted my mother and grandmother’s realm of practical sewing knowledge. I’d developed roots in the practical and grew into the fantastic. None of my costumes are built like something found in a theater. They’re all clothing. 

I feel like the early 2000’s were a huge changing point in cosplay.  What started as papier-mâché turned to fiberglass resin and to EVA foam as materials became more available.  I was on the cutting edge of cosplay construction before life forced me into a half-decade hiatus. When I returned, things that were once outside of our financial reach were now commonplace.  I can’t tell you how much I wanted a 3D printer back in 2008. Within just a decade, there are now affordable desktop models. Laser Cutters? Sublimation? All right here. It’s made that unattainable level of craftmastery available.  For those who can’t afford the machines, there are commissioners who can do that for you. The way cosplay has developed as a hobby and business is astounding.

The skills I learned in cosplay, garment construction through building skit props, helped me get my current job.  I am now a custom lettering artist – I put mascots on cheerleading uniforms and athletic wear. I learned how to vector while working on a background for a Soul Eater skit.  Cosplay in general helped me refine my ability to read patterns and understand how sewing works. And, in turn, my job has further reinforced the skills I already have. I have a better understanding of pattern construction and fabric types.  I’ve always had to modify patterns – something my mom taught me to do – but I’ve progressed to drafting up my own patterns from measurements based on historic garments.

My long time friends asked me to join their Adventure Zone group as Taako.  It was a challenge, considering there are no official character designs.  I had to go off the descriptions within the podcast, which were basically just the existence of items.  Fact: Taako has a hat, a wand, a couple of spell books, etc. Beyond that, there was little detail. 

The challenge was to create a silhouette that’s readable with or without key items. Taako’s signature item is an umbrella known as the Umbra Staff. The only description we receive within the entirety of the podcast is that it’s utterly normal looking.  Considering that it is found next to a skeleton in a red robe, I felt the color needed to be red. However, since this item was found on a corpse in a cave, it was not bound to Taako’s personal style. In fact, I wanted it to be as separate from him as possible.

I put on my researching hat.  I looked up fanart of Taako, elves, wizards, fantasy garb, Final Fantasy garb, historic garb; I listened to the source material; I listened to other McElroy podcasts; I discussed options with my team and other friends.  I came across the “official” Cut and Sew Taako pattern, but I wanted a Final Fantasy vibe to this since it’s heavily referenced in the podcast.

In the final design, I kept the blouse and pauldron concept from Cut and Sew, but I changed the pauldron base to a slightly modified Evil Ted’s Vampire Hunter (because Yoshitaka Amano did the art for both Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy).  I used Reconstructing History’s 1770’s-1790s Fall-Front Breeches pattern because I wanted something that would come to my knee and show off the Black Mage striped stockings. Keeping with the Amano Final Fantasy look, I made a sash to match the stockings, then layered with what we affectionately call my “fantasy fanny pack”.

The hat was my crowning achievement. I knew that there were ways of making big, dramatic hats – Kentucky Derby, the Royal Family, Old Hollywood glamour – but I found little in the way of tutorials.  It reminded me a lot of the old days when cosplay research was accessible only for professionals in the industry. I deconstructed a witch’s hat from Party City to see how it was made, then reverse engineered it from there. The flowers in the hat were fun to collect. I wanted to keep with Taako’s culinary backstory, so all the flowers are edible – roses, chamomile, lavender, chives, and borage.  I started trying to stitch them into place, but I soon started to just pin them into the brim. I’m pretty sure that’s how flower arrangements are supposed to be done, anyway. I’m still trying to figure out how to attach my artichoke.

I designed the pauldron to be a fabric with stripes and trim that had little triangles in it to continue with the Amano Final Fantasy feel. I attempted a “corset” technique where yarn is used instead of steel for boning. That worked perfectly and left a subtle stripe on the pauldron.  There was no trim out there that fit what I wanted, so I built a loom and did some simple inkle weaving. I’m not skilled enough at weaving to make little triangles as originally planned, but I could do small stripes. I had enough materials to trim the top of the pauldron only, so I purchased black tassels for the bottom edge – inspired by Final Fantasy XIV’s newly announced Blue Mage’s pauldrons.

I feel that this costume is somewhat more like Ren Faire garb than it is an anime convention cosplay.  It’s the sort of costume that grows over time, that will change and evolve and level up every time I wear it. I’m already back at it, researching new skills and methods to add embellishments or structure or just that Certain Something that will enhance Taako, or at least how I see him.

(Top : 2018 / Bottom 2009)