Finally, after a year of waiting, it was time for the best cosplay Halloween party in Ottawa: Heroes and Villains That Came from Space!
I was there from start to finish. Literally.
This year I helped with both set up and tear down and was at The Bourbon Room for close to 14 hours (give or take). I have only been going to Heroes and Villains since they started holding the party in The Bourbon Room, so I cannot say how it compares to previous venues for this event. However I will say that as far as I’m concerned, this is a good space for this kind of party. There are two floors, four bars, plenty of space for dancing, and lots of seating if you just want to hang out and chat with friends.
The Bourbon Room also provided the party with some special themed drinks for the night, although I found this year’s specialty drinks were not as good as the ones from last year. Two of them – “Planet of the Apes” and “Warp Core” – I passed on because the flavour combinations did not appeal to me; in fact, I heard from a couple of friends who had tried “Warp Core” that it wasn’t very good. Out of the remaining two choices, one was called “Last Son of Krypton” and I’m embarrassed to admit that I cannot remember the name of the other one (but it was delightfully geeky and sci-fi themed). One of the drinks was much too sweet for me and I couldn’t finish it. The other was absolutely perfect. So although I appreciate the work that went into creating these special themed drinks, I preferred last year’s selection.
Although this year there were not as many decorations for the event they were still grand and over the top. There were aliens and spaceships decorating the walls, and guests were even encouraged to take a selfie with Stitch in his spaceship. The best, and most noticeable, were the robot and the rocket ship. When cosplayers arrive at the event, they are given a numbered ticket that signifies their place in the queue for a free photo of their cosplay by Open Shutter Photography. The numbers are then displayed on a monitor so that everyone can see when it is their turn. This year the monitor was in the head of a giant robot. And as if this wasn’t cool enough, thanks to some ingenious work with lighting, the robot was being shot at with lasers by a large rocket ship that was hanging above the dance floor. Pretty cool, right? And of course, the prizes were incredible. The judges certainly had some tough decisions to make with so many phenomenal cosplayers present, and those who did walk away with prizes at the end of the night most certainly deserved it.
In terms of the overall ambience I actually had a lot more fun at the party this year. Last year I spent most of the night sitting around with friends and didn’t do a whole lot. I’m not sure if it’s because I was more involved in the behind the scenes work, or if I was more excited for this year’s cosplay, but I did way more than just sit around at this edition of Heroes and Villains. I spent my time dancing, hanging out with friends, and just sitting around and chatting. Admittedly, I did need a cool-down break part for the way into the night when I had to remove my headpiece and sit in the hall near the entrance. But even when I needed a break I was still having a good time.
My cosplay turned out better than I thought it would and it certainly got me a lot of attention. Friends, strangers, and acquaintances who only know me in cosplay when I’m covered in yarn stopped me to ask questions and take selfies, and based on the response I’d say this cosplay is right up there with “Knit-crawler” (Nightcrawler) in terms of positive reception and popularity. Thankfully, because of the way I structured my cosplay, I could crank the mouth open so that it was a little more breathable compared to some of my previous full-yarn cosplays. Apart from that almost 2 hour break I needed, I was able to wear my full cosplay all night (I survived the party much better than I thought I would). The only downside was that the shoe covers I made are not the best I’ve ever done, so those will need a little bit of tweaking later on. Although the idea to cosplay Jar Jar Binks started out as a joke, this was definitely a good cosplay decision. This one’s a keeper and I can’t wait to wear it to a convention.
(Open Shutter Photography caught a pic of me taking a selfie)
Not all of the photos from Open Shutter Photography have been posted yet, but hopefully that will happen soon. They’ll be posted on the Retro Joad & Critical Miss Heroes and Villains Costume Page and I’m sure they will be absolutely spectacular. I’ll be sharing all photos of me me and my cosplay to my Yarn Monster Cosplay page so keep an eye out, but make sure to check through some of the other photos as well because there were some spectacular cosplayers at that party.
I had a fantastic time with all of my friends and I can’t wait to see what Critical Miss and Retro Joad have in store for us next!
