Gigawashed former pro football player dresses as Nigerian vampire samurai, fun ensues.
Heyo Ogre Chronicle faithful! I have emerged from my cave once again like the troll that I am with another fun piece! This past weekend I drove down to Washington D.C to meet up with some friends for one of the more famous conventions around in Otakon. This was not only the second con I've ever been to, but it'd be the first one where I actually fully dressed out in cosplay. I had even chronicled the past month of me preparing my body to best emulate the hulking mountain of muscle that is Nagoriyuki. Saturday was the day I finally donned the full outfit, and needless to say it was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had.
I could've never imagined myself doing something like this even as recently as a couple years ago, being the gigantic introvert I am typically. During the worst of the COVID lockdowns, I had a one-half epiphany, one-half panic attack about wasting away my days in isolation, a great irony considering such a situation is where someone like me would be most comfortable. Once were were back to something approaching normal, I resolved to go above and beyond what I had in the past in terms of putting myself out there and making an effort to be more social. What better way to accomplish this by going to events with people who share my interests in gaming and anime/manga and even diving fully into the absurdism of dressing up as characters from said mediums.
But enough sappy monologue for me, enjoy this gallery and the occasional snippets detailing me and my friends' weekend shenanigans. Compiling this together fully in this format was such an enjoyable time I think I'll make this a regular thing going forward! For those unfamiliar and/or curious who these characters are (e.g those are aren't gigantic nerds and/or weebs), rejoice, for I shall label them and the series they hail from underneath!
Friday pics!:
(Left to Right: Vi and Jinx: League of Legends/Arcane, Goblin Slayer/Goblin Slayer, Lisa Minci/Genshin Impact)
So I drove down to D.C in the wee hours of Friday morning. I had considered wearing my Nagoriyuki cosplay on the drive down, but I had looked up too many photos of people in cosplay getting arrested the night before, and chickened out like a little bitch. Thus the big day would be Saturday for that.
(Tobi/Naruto)
There was a charity booth in the gaming hall that let people swing around this baby. I almost fell on my ass doing so
(Maki Zenin/Jujutsu Kaisen)
Mad respect to this girl, its one thing to cosplay a character, another to get a whole ass tattoo of them on you. True dedication.
(Left to Right: Overhaul/My Hero Academia, Solaire of Astoria/Dark Souls, Kakuzu and Hiidan/Naruto Shippuden)
So about Otakon's grounds itself, the Walter E. Washington Convention center it takes place in might be the most deceptively huge building I've ever been in. From the outside it looks pretty big but the lower underground levels are absolutely gigantic
(Mona/Genshin Impact)
When I started my freelance gig writing Genshin Impact articles for Sportskeeda, Mona was the very first character I made a static page for. I've got a big soft spot for her
(Reaper/Overwatch)
DIE! DIE! DIE!
May be hard to tell but these pieces were made entirely from wood!
(Eula Lawerence/Genshin Impact)
You're probably wondering why the majority of these are selfies. At a certain level of introversion (and laziness) Its hard enough mustering up the courage to ask a stranger to take a pic with you. Having to ask yet another one to help you take it is an even harder task lmao. Thankfully by this point I met up with my friends so this ceased to be a problem
(Project:Yi/League of Legends)
IMO If there was a shortlist for best cosplays I saw at Otakon this is one that'd definitely be on it.
(Kasane Randall/Scarlet Nexus)
As I would later learn myself, there is just an immense joy when someone recognizes your cosplay even from a game/anime of varying levels of obscurity . Her face lit up when I talked about how much I enjoyed Scarlet Nexus.
( Left to Right:Ippo Makunouchi/Hajime no Ippo & Banjo and Kazooie/Banjo-Kazooie!)
(Loid and Anya Forger/Spy x Family)
I loudly d'awwwwwwed at this the second I saw it, probably the most adorable thing I saw all weekend. The uncle side of me was not ready.
The frozen in time from 2000 price tag is one thing. The craziest thing about this is that people were STILL BUYING THESE
(Ranni the Witch/Elden Ring)
Going by in game Elden Ring lore I am now a married man. Hoping this finally gets my mom off of my back
Saturday Pics!:
(Nagoriyuki/Guilty Gear -Strive-)
After waiting for nearly an entire year after incredibly poor timing for shipping delays and the like, the time had finally come to put the entire outfit together!
Quick Nagoriyuki bio!: His name translates to "Lingering Snow" in English. His birthplace is listed in Nigeria He is loosely based off of Yasuke, a real life black samurai who served under Oda Nobunaga, In the Guilty Gear universe, he is known as a Nightless (TL:DR vampire)and is defined by his noble, kind demeanor. If he's not careful however, his thrist for blood can send him into an unstoppable rage. He also has a sick as fuck theme song
(Left to Right: Testament, Jack-O, Faust/Guilty Gear)
Was extremely fun meeting fellow Guilty Gear cosplayers, what we lacked in numbers we made up in enthusiasm. Something surreal about playing Strive at the station in the gaming hall and seeing your characters IRL. Speaking of which, here's me on the station in costume!
(Left to Right: Overhaul/My Hero Academia, Alphen/Tales of Arise, Inquisitor Sally Whitemane/World of Warcraft)
Yes that is the same Overhaul from the earlier pic!
(Annette Fantine Dominic/Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Probably the single coolest prop I saw all weekend, super accurate to how “Crusher” (Yes the axe has a name) appears in game!
(Left to Right: Hisoka, Illumi Zoldyck/Hunter x Hunter)
(Left to Right: Edelgard von Hresvelg, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (2), Byleth Eisner, and Constance von Nuvelle/Fire Emblem: Three Houses.)
Fire Emblem is one of my favorite series and seeing so many cosplayers and their takes on many of the awesome weapons you see in game was a fun experience!
My financial discipline has rarely been tested as much as when I saw these beauties. One day I'll start to make the plunge into collecting figures/gunpla.
Tired: Asking female cosplayers to step on you.
Wired: Asking someone to just stab you right in your chest
(Left to Right:Vergil and Dante/Devil May Cry)
I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING, PROVOKING BLACK CLOUDS AND ISOLATIOOOOOOON.
(Left to Right: Beidou, Yelan, Yanfei, Mona/Genshin Impact)
More Genshin! Definitely one of if not the most popular series for cosplay. Hell, pretty good chance if I had a 2nd cosplay I'd do one myself!
This was, bar none, the funniest thing I witnessed the entire weekend. Just 10/10 comedy.
(A Hilichurl/Genshin Impact)
The two funniest things my cosplay was confused for was a Hollow from Bleach (an understandable conclusion with the mask) and a "Samurai Hilichurl". I found this guy only a couple minutes after I was told that too.
(Left to Right: Pyramid Heads/Silent Hill, Gwen and Pool Party Sett, Senna and Lucian/League of Legends)
It took a little coercing to bring him along, but my dude Nick enjoyed himself. Thanks for being my handler bud
My final haul of goodies from the weekend!
All and all it was an excellent experience, and Otakon is definitely something I can see myself making a yearly trip for as long as I live out on the East Coast. The next two cons I have plans for attending are New York Comic Con and AnimeNYC once again, so if you enjoyed this, odds are I'll be making little collage post for them too!