Greetings, adventurers!
Has it been a great weekend for all? I hope so, because it certainly has been a blast for me. But yes, the time has come where I lay down my unsettling thoughts - awesome and not-so-awesome - down to words for the world to read. (Sorry this took so long - I had a crappy vlog to quickly edit and not forgetting, school! Blegh).
If you have been keeping up with the world of conventions in Singapore, you would have known about GameStart 2014, which was held from 25-26 October at Singapore Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre. Check out their facebook page here for more details (because that's just way easier for me and you, no?): GameStart Asia
So I went for GameStart on the second and last day (26 October, Sunday) and of course I went with my lovely bae Kize King. We didn't fully cosplay because we came for the games, so of course we needed to wear something that's comfortable to walk in crowds. Hence, we opted these cute matchy and cheeky batgirl outfits. We did a photoshoot with these outfits beforehand and you can look them up here: http://itsjustizzie.blogspot.sg/2014/10/first-photoshoot-gamestart-2014-preview.html. Halfway through, we dropped the masks because they were just being annoying.
I'd like to make a note here that I wasn't in tiptop condition - I was sick with a blocked nose and a splitting headache as well as a disgustingly nasal voice. But hey, I came despite feeling so horrible and I had a great time.
Our day started with us all decked out in our getup and with our one-day tickets, we received our wristbands and entered the event hall. It was just one hall and the mood felt exactly like when you enter a lan/gaming shop - the lighting was extremely dim and the only lights came from the stage and various booths everywhere. For someone with night blindness, it was very challenging for me to move around. Not five minutes into the event hall, I was already bumping into people.
As a gamer, especially a fresh one, it was literally a game heaven. Looking at all the gaming stations and all the games they featured, it was enough to send me over the moon and back. We visited every booth but we didn't manage to try out many of the booths because almost every spot was taken by other gamers, which was a huge bummer.
There wasn't much to do at the booths, except playing the games or watching others play the game. So throughout the day, we just walked through the event hall then exited and then we'd enter the hall again in hopes to find something interesting to do. Around these times, we were searching for cosplay friends or cosplayers with interesting cosplays inside and outside of the event hall.
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| HOW ADORABLE IS THIS PIKACHU CUTIE!! |
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| this Cloud cosplayer is gorgeous, i love it so much! |
At this point of time, we were already on the hunt for Sempai4Lyfe aka S4L. If you have yet to watch the vlog on my YouTube, or if you have and you are confused with what was going on, here's the backstory: Basically, Kize King has a cosplay sempai that she has been infatuated with for a really really long time, long before we started cosplay even (and that's a good three years). And this sempai, which we are going to call S4L, came for GameStart as well. And we tried so hard looking for S4L, up and down, left and right, in and out but he never appeared anywhere. Kize was not amused by the fact that she didn't get to get a selfie with her S4L but I was having a lot of fun as a third party. So this happened for the entire day, until the end of our day in the evening, so I do not wish to repeat this for the entire blog.
Now that I've cleared that up, let's move on with our day. While walking around, we bumped into our good friend, Rayray Tigercub, who is by far the best Deadpool cosplayer that I've met. And the sweetest one too. For Rayray, that day was a big one because he was participating in the cosplay competition, and Kize and I were obviously rooting for him like hardcore fangirls. Read on to find out how he fared in the competition.
After bumping into Deadpool many times and still tirelessly hunting for S4L, we went in back to the event hall and we joined the stage crowd for the showcases. The first showcase we joined was the Bloodborne game showcase. It is a new game, with amazingly beautiful graphics and sound systems. The gameplay is interesting too, and the producer (who's from Japan) actually led us through until they reached the final boss, where he actually managed to kill it at the end. It is definitely a game Kize and I will try on her PS3 but we'd never play it at night - else we'll shit bricks with all the spooky characters and setting.
After Bloodborne, we went for the "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution" showcase, where gamers had a duel with the producer of the game (who cutely dressed up as Naruto). Of course, Kize and I were squealing every time somebody chose an awesome character, especially if both the characters had a special meaning pertaining the anime.
Right after that, it was the cosplay competition. There were many cosplayers who were so talented, whether in craftsmanship or in entertainment, but I have major respect for those with huge props that are perfectly crafted. We waited patiently and then Rayray came on and he KILLED IT! He was amazing on stage as Deadpool, it was like literally seeing the real Deadpool doing the nonsense that he always does. If you haven't watched his performance, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7ZPxjK9c8
And guess what? He won the Best Stage Performance title! How awesome is that?! Kize and I were obviously over the moon squealing and screaming in joy for our dear friend. Did I mention he said he was nervous before the competition? Watch that video and tell me that's bullcrap.
Now, right after Rayray's performance, both Kize and I had to leave immediately for the loo. And this is where things get even more interesting, especially for me. Kize and I were already flustered from screaming so much for Rayray during his performance as we were leaving the event hall, and upon stepping out of the exit, there were some guys standing just outside and one caught my eye. Only one name popped into my head but I was like 'No, that can't be him... Can it?'
By this time, I was turning back to look at the said guy, who I exchanged an awkward eye contact moment just moment before while all these thought processes cranked around in my head. I asked Kize but she was confused because she doesn't play Dragon Nest. Now you must be wondering who it is, don't you?
Now, for me to actually go up to someone who is like a sempai figure, it usually takes me at least 3 tries. (I have social anxiety, its challenging for me to go up to people in general). But you know what? I just stuffed social anxiety into the cupboard, locked it up and just went for it. I went back my steps and tapped his shoulder and asked "Hi, are you Adriano Wong?" I was not expecting to say "Yeah" with A SMILE! OMG I COULD DIE MY HEART WAS ABOUT TO BURST OUT OF MY CHEST. Then I asked if I could take a picture with him and he was okay with it. While I was trying to control my overflowing euphoria, I realized he was so confused like as though he was thinking "Why is this chick with cat ears asking for a picture with me, and how does she know me?" And so I told him I played Dragon Nest and he was like "Oh! Addison is here too!"
MY RIBCAGE WAS CRACKING FROM MY SWELLING HEART. If you're not up to date with Dragon Nest SEA, Adriano Wong is one of the popular Game Masters in the game - he's also known as GM Adriano - and Addison Kang is the producer of DN SEA. THAT IS NO JOKE. I literally saw these important men of my favourite online game of all time BY CHANCE! How lucky could a girl get.
Right after we snapped a picture, I thanked him (I hope I did) and fled to the ladies and my hands were shaking and my legs felt like jelly. If you're wondering why I'm making such a huge fuss about this, as a girl gamer, you don't find such a good-looking gamer like GM Adriano all the time. I'd like to call him a hot geek gamer, and not just a gamer, he's a GM too. I thought it would take me years to finally meet these dudes, because I'm still not pro enough to attend the gatherings and parties. But hey, I guess luck was on my side on that day.
After visiting the loo and unsuccessfully calming myself from that once in a blue moon encounter, we returned to the event hall to reunite with Rayray and took some selfies with the champion!
After that, we just went around playing at some booths that were free because the crowd started dissipating. It didn't last long because time was running out and S4L has not been found yet.
Finally, I managed to convince Kize that it was just not meant to be and that she'd have her revenge during AFA. And that is how our day ended. It was a hectic day, as you can see, coming from my position. I tried my best to organize everything the best of my capabilities, but if its messy, I humbly apologize. If you haven't watched my vlog, watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KBRo6FiqJU
I hope you enjoy reading my personal account of my first experience at GameStart. Kize and I had a blast and we'll definitely go for the next one in 2015. Can't wait! Can't wait!!Thank you for reading this post! Till the next event blog, take care!
Hoshi Miharu x
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