Otakuthon 2016

Mao-Chan helped out with shoot with PitFire. Such a cutie.

This was my 9th year at Otakuthon. Wow! It has always been a favourite of mine thanks to the venue, location, and friends. I had a great time this year even though it's getting harder and harder to spend time with friends since the event is so photoshoot friendly that everyone tends to wandering around shooting all day.

This was a much more relaxed year since I skipped competing in the WCS Canada preliminaries/finals and judged the masquerade instead of competing. Although after a year of judging events I feel due for a good stage performance.

---

Friday

I finished my Aion costume just before heading to Montreal with my roomies Calamity and Miss Messy Mia. We quickly settled into our Airbnb before we all got dressed to head out to the convention for shoots.

​I got to work with Elite Cosplay for the first time for a two-hour location shoot. It was a great experience because not only were Holly and Kevin fun to work with but we got to shoot at new and interesting locations. I have been going to the con for 9 years, so I've done the usual spots to death. Having a longer time to work meant we didn't have to rush when we ran into a raccoon family in the woods as we waited for them to clear the area.

We shot at Mont Royal and l'Oratoire, and I can't wait to share the photos with you. I wrapped up the night by having sushi with an old friend then rolling into bed early.

---

Saturday

I got to explore old Montreal with a friend searching for Pokemon and taking a gym for Valor. Then taking it again because holding one for more than 5 minutes is a miracle if you're downtown. Ps. it's very practical / super disctracting when your accommodations are on top of a Pokéstop.

On another note, three cheers for finishing not only one new costume but two! I managed to wrap up work on my Sakizo Mousse aux Fraises et l'Orange so I wore it on Saturday. I shot with PitFire Photography after lunch then went straight to greenroom where I judged the masquerade for the rest of the day. It is always a pleasure to see what people make and figure out how they made it. There were a lot of beautiful gowns and embellishments this year.

We wrapped up deliberations a little after midnight, then I managed to catch up with some friends for some late night chatting.

Side Note: I'm glad I did not freeze in this costume. Skimpier costumes + air conditioning kick my butt. Somehow my wig gave me the right amount of warmth.

---

Sunday

Another relaxed day. I shot again with PitFire, this time in my classic Storm costume. I forgot to snap a selfie, whoops! Actually, I forgot to grab a bunch of hall shots this year which is why the gallery is so minuscule. Blame it on my continuous low battery thanks to Pokemon hunting.

After shooting, I went straight to the awards ceremony and as soon as that wrapped I got out of costume because I was done with high heels for the weekend. After recovering from my foot injury in May, I have yet to regain all the muscle strength used for wearing heels, so it's more taxing to wear them lately. The rest of the day was spent going on Pokemon adventures, hanging out with friends, and trying to drive out of Montreal when enclosed in a marathon bicycle track. #MTLtraffic #howthehelldowegetouthere

​I had a great time and I look forward to next year.