Inkling
Splatoon
Status: Active
Cost: ~$150
Made/bought and worn in 2015 - Present
Featured in Cosplay Realm Magazine issue #29
This is my favorite game!!
When the first game came out on the Wii U, I knew it'd be a great summer cosplay, so I bought the WhiteTee (with “squid” written in stylized hiragana), bought some shorts and painted the pink stripes on them, and made my own Takoroka mesh hat. It took me about a year and a half to realize the design on the hat is a squid swimming. Heh. Since then, I’ve also worn this costume with the Layered Anchor top and the Black Squideye.
The Splattershot is an old Supersoaker I found online (cheap because it was broken!). I added foam to make the nozzle and the pump part, and painted it the appropriate colors. I was down to the wire on this gun to get in done in time for Otakon 2015, but I managed to finish it the day of in the hotel room. In 2019, I bought some officially licensed Splat Dualies (my main weapon as of Splatoon 2).
Later on, I bought an acrylic tube and the 3D-printed ink tank parts from Make Your Mark 3D. I painted the parts of the canister and assembled it myself. In 2019, I finally finished the ink tank’s assembly! I used EVA foam for the straps, painted them, and also used webbing on the straps (the kind you see used for backpacks).
The base wig is from Arda in hot pink. I sewed in short wefts to the back and teased the crap out of it. Then I used got2b spiking gel and freeze hairspray to form the little tentacles at the base of the back of the head. The two long tentacle pieces are made from vinyl stuffed with batting at the bottom. It's incredibly annoying to sew, but it looks fantastic for this purpose. In 2019, I remade the tentacles to make them narrower at the top, and I also added some spots to the bottom parts with Angelus Acrylic paint. For the finishing touch, I added the suction cups, making them out of foam rings with a glossy finish.
Watch my tutorial on the Inkling makeup!
Photos by Joseph Fox Photography, Vicissijuice, and Jo Bevvy
