This week I decided to do an interview with Aska from The Fenrisian Forge instead of boring you with another week of me building Drop Pods.
But who is Aska, what is the Fenrisian Forge and why do girls like cosplay so much?
All these questions and much more will be answered below...
That's pretty easy. I am also a huge Viking fan and as a friend of mine showed me the hobby and brought me to Games Workshop. I told him before that if there´s a way to play Vikings or barbarians, I want them! also my favourite animals are wolves, so it was a simple choice.
How many years ago was that?
Hmm... I think it was about 18, now I'm 26.
And how big is your army now?
Built and painted or still in boxes? Well, in boxes it surely will be around 10,000 pts. Built and painted are maybe 2,800. I'm lazy in painting.
I know your pain. If only all this stuff came built and painted!
So tell us about The Fenrisian Forge. What is the idea behind this? I see that there appears to be a comic to go with it?
Well the forge is my own hobby page. I wanted to share my hobby to others, to inspire people and bring them up to creativity. Also I was annoyed by the people "fluff-nazis", who would say things like "bla bla bla you cannot do this, it´s not allowed to make female marines." They were pissing me off. So I grinned and told them, "Never ever tell what I cannot do! I do what I want".
I have a good artist who I commission to make so artworks for me. But there won't be a complete comic.
She´s a Primarch's biological daughter
Does this mean she is taller/shorter/same size as a Space Marine?
Hmm.. I would say almost same size. She´s about 2,30 tall. In armour maybe about 2,40 or more.
Could you tell us about her back story. Name, weapons of choice, etc?
The whole Story and Aska developed in the whole time I've been in the hobby. So the whole thing is not from yesterday. Her Name Aska also means Ash. The Name Kjelu is from the Celtic and means Light (especially the light of the moon). The name remembers a little bit on a eternal reawakening. A kind of cycle that represents the winter and the summer, the darkness and the light. Her weapon is very special. She had forged it out of the tooth from an legendary Wolf during her tests while she had been an aspirant. Aska requests Leman Russ for permission to fight alongside him and her brothers to serve the All-Father. There are no exceptions made for her and she endures the same hard tests as all aspirants of the Wolves. As expected she overcomes these trials without problems. In her last test she was attacked by a legendary white Fenrisian Wolf: Vargnara, Full Moon's Huntress and sister of Narghar, New Moon's Huntress. Aska fought and killed Vargnara with her own hands and a spear carved out of wood. With the fangs of the passed legend she forged an unmatched scythe, which she also named Vargnara in honor of the slain wolf. These legendary wolves are creation by mine. I just wanted something special
Any reason she has white hair?
I personal quirk. I just love white hair totally! I want white silver hair by myself
Haha and of course white is a good colour for a moon wolf like her ^_^
Lots of burned fingers and blood! really! Before this I've made her hunting dress. As a Wolf King's daughter I'm pretty sure she´s allowed to have a huge wardrobe. The power armour is more tricky, you need lots of EVA foam. it´s a kind of foamy training-mattings going to be cut, heated, formed, glued, covered, painted and sealed. So it´s a lot of work, but hell this makes fun!
I saw some photos of your painted gauntlets. They look amazing. Especially the battle damage. How articulated are the fingers on the gloves?
Thanks I´m also pretty proud on the battle damage, thanks to Forge World powder. the gloves are made out of worbla. it´s a thermoplastic thin material which you can form as you wish to when it´s heated, once cooled down it stays in it´s form and is stable and hard as hell. I made plates over my fingers and connected all by movable rivets. also they were built on a thin cloth, so I completely can move them I will make a video in few days on my page and show how you can move your fingers in a armour glove.
What would you say has been the most challenging part of the costume so far?
'Til now, the damned breast! It´s pretty tricky to make it fit like you want. In the moment it looks like a huge potato, but this will change soon. I think also tricky will be the back module - I hope that's right in English?
Backpack?
Haha yeah XD I forget the word you use in English.
Hunting in Asaheim is the best place to get your material! Nah, I really like hunting, sometimes I have a good day and get something so I have real bones. The rest is from LARP shops or creative stores, also we have a leather store right at my corner, you can buy lots of leather pretty cheap there. And everything you need to work with it. The Hammer was made by my uncle, he forges such small treasures and also has made the Viking pearls I wear in my usual hairstyle.
Sure I will go on conventions. I see it as a kind of art in the hobby I do. and everybody wants to share his art, wants attention or that others can see it. it´s a normal thing. But the main reason is... I do this for myself, it makes me happy, it makes fun, i love it and since I created Aska I ever wanted to be like her. That was pretty silly, because Aska is just me in the 40k world. I would lie when I say that lot parts of her character are not coming from my own. I just needed a power-armour, so I've decided to build one. but this won´t be all, I am maybe the biggest fan of Ragnar Blackmane which is my most favourite Lord. I wanna make his armour for my boyfriend and may I will make a Ragnar armour of him for myself one day, but this is still the melody of future.
I saw a guy walking around in one of the life sized space marine costumes at SALUTE in the UK last weekend. It sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you!
I have I thought it might be better to start small. it´s the first time I cosplay and work with those cosplay material. Before this, also LARP was a part of my Life. Who knows, maybe one day I´ll challenge myself and build fathers armours
That would be incredible!
aye so the steps are like, Aska's hunting armour, all her other dresses, her power-armour, Ragnar armour for me, Ragnar's armour for my boyfriend in real life size and when I really can handle this, I am pretty sure I also can handle Leman Russ' Armour!
Hahaha everybody asks me why why why? Dammit why not? some would say yeah it´s silly. Maybe they´re right but this would also mean all dark Eldar are silly. She has a kind of belt of Russ, so she is protected in this place. Also her speed and reflexes are matching the ones of a blackmane even more. You won´t hit her that easily. And of course... personal style ^_^
It must get hot in all that armour right?
Hot as hell XD
But I still have a bare midriff as cool down option.
You were saying you were also making a dress for Aska?
Aye, this will be released to the chapter where this dress is coming in But I won´t spoiler this now
fair enough
It's been awesome talking to you about your take on the hobby. I look forward to seeing all these costumes you're working on
Sure. As I said you all can follow me on my Fenrisian Forge if you wish to. my fan fiction is free to read, maybe not in the best English, but I have some very nice English wolf brothers that are helping me a lot. Thanks mate.