Entries tagged with left 4 dead

Current Mood: calm

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CCEE 2011 Day Three. Now with pictures!

So, CCEE 2011. Much better than last year, not because of the calibre of guests they got but because they listened to the complaints from last year and actually improved things. Bigger exhibit hall and more space to walk through it, bigger main panel room, and organized lines (for the most part). Some things still need tweaking, like their photo-op process (don’t get me started on that), but everything seemed less chaotic.

( CCEE Day 3 )

I know Katee Sackhoff and George Romero will be at the expo next year and the expo people teased some Whedonverse actors, too, but how do you top Captain Kirk? Captain Picard? Captain Tightpants? Captain Jack? Oh man, they need to get some Doctor Who actors. Then I’m sure the Doctor Who fans would be out in force. Ooh, that’d be so cool…

Current Mood: creative

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I'm all ready for the zombie apocalypse!

I'm all set for the comic book expo in two weeks! It's amazing what you can throw together with some tape and cardboard:

All the accessories a person needs while fleeing a horde of zombies. First aid kit, pistol with holster, pistol with flashlight attached, pain pills, and a pipe bomb.

I think I prefer this first aid kit over the one I made for Halloween. That one I made in two days. This time around I had more time so I could properly measure out the dimensions and work out how many strips of duct tape I needed to bind it all together. Obviously, it's still pieces of cardboard held together with red duct tape, but seeing as I can't sew, I think it looks pretty good. :-) Any Left 4 Dead fan would probably recognize it should they glance my way.

And now Summer Glau's coming to the expo! Whoo! They were promising some last minute guests and, wow, they did not disappoint. Once I meet Summer, I'll be a third of the way through the Firefly cast.

Much to my annoyance, Nathan was back in Edmonton doing improv while I was on vacation. Sigh.

So this should be a fun, geeky weekend. I can't wait to see what other costumes people come up with.

Current Mood: creative

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"Pills here!"

Finally started work on my re-vamped Zoey Left 4 Dead costume for the local comic book expo. I need to buy some supplies this weekend to make my new and improved health kit, but in the mean time, no zombie killer is complete without a helpful bottle of painkillers:

I know the bottle shape isn't quite right, but I'm not going to buy a bottle of something that I won't ever use. So I used a bottle of expired ibuprofen I had kicking around the house instead. The label is one I modified, which I found here. In my continued efforts to use mostly things procured from work to make props for the costume, I used the labels I have at work and I printed it on the colour printer at work, too. But, shh, you didn't hear that from me...

I figure I'll tape a carabiner to the bottle and then clip it to my belt. This is where real life clashes with the reality of video games. Everything just sticks to the characters, no straps, no clips, no nothing. I think I'm also going to buy some Tic Tacs to put inside the bottle so it'll make the appropriate rattling sound every time I shake it. :-) And, hey, I'll have mints to suck on if I decide to do some photo-ops.

I hope I run into other Left 4 Dead cosplayers. Heck, I'd settle for meeting a single zombie just so I can take a funny picture.

Current Mood: creative

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"Can everyone stop a sec? I'm gonna heal."

A friend's having her annual Halloween party and, of course, costumes are mandatory. I really hate buying a cheap costume and only using it once, so I was inspired to go as Zoey from Left 4 Dead, the awesome zombie apocalypse video game.

As you can see, she wears stuff I already have or wouldn't be against wearing. I'm still mad I couldn't find a track jacket like hers, but oh well. But I have black Chucks, jeans, a belt, and a white t-shirt. I bought a pink jacket and wig to finish off the costume.

And no zombie apocalypse would be complete without the oh-so-handy first aid kit:

I'm so happy with how this turned out. It's basically red duct tape and paper materials, with some black electrical tape for the handles and zippers. For two days' worth of work, I think it looks pretty good. It even has magnets inside so I can attach it to my back without any straps, like in the game. I've done a few tests already and it doesn't fall off. This is definitely more epic than the Wonderflonium case I made two years ago. :-D

(The in-game version for comparison.)

All in all, the costume probably cost me under $50, when you include props. That's more than I would have paid for a cheap costume, sure, but I can recycle the costume and wear it at the local comic book expo next year.

Of course, after all this effort, I bet no one at the party is going to recognize my costume. :-D