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How Does It Feel: Supernova

Last weekend was Supernova, for those who have been under a rock (or a woman), it’s a nerd fantasyland extravaganza at the Melbourne Showgrounds. We set the tone for the day by catching the no. 57 there, which according to my photographer Heather is...

Last weekend was Supernova, for those who have been under a rock (or a woman), it’s a nerd fantasyland extravaganza at the Melbourne Showgrounds. We set the tone for the day by catching the no. 57 there, which according to my photographer Heather is the sketchiest tramline in the city. She also claimed that once she saw a hobo/karate fight on it, which seemed fitting for what we were heading into.

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We spent the next couple of hours talking to die-hard fans of things I’d mostly never heard about. It was nice to see how passionate people are about this stuff, even if it did sound like they were speaking another language a lot of the time. I did learn a few things over the evening, such as maybe I take my social skills for granted, and incredibly cosplay isn’t strictly a sex act.

VICE: How does it feel?
Ricki: Umm I don't know. It feels like being around a large group of people.

Who are you dressed as?
Dirk from the web-comic Homestuck.

Did you make your glasses?
No I got them on Etsy. It was a bit of a rush to get it together.

Are you excited to see anyone tomorrow?
I’ve got some friends I’m looking forward to meeting tomorrow.

How does it feel?

Andrew (Raven Master's vampire): It feels a lot better because I get to leave all my problems behind. It's like I'm a different person.

Are you different to your character?

Well I'm rather outgoing and work in a bakery. The character I'm dressed as now is quite dark and reclusive, because he's vampiric. Vampirism has always amazed and intrigued me. The character changes depending on the mood I have going into him.

Does he kill people?

No, but he carries around blood packs.

What does that blood taste like?

Like blood orange. You can heat it up actually. It tastes really smooth and creamy, so heated it'd be rather interesting.

Would you like to try real blood?

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Not particularly because of blood-related diseases. I stick to the artificial stuff to stay on the safe side.

Do people at the bakery know about you as a vampire?

No they don't. I work through the night and generally finish work as the sun's rising.

You're the vampire baker!

How does it feel?
Mark: Wearing this is quite easy. I find it a bit warm.

Those gloves are pretty cool.
Mark: They're made of hard plastic. We use them to hit each other mostly.

Isn’t there a helmet involved?
Mark: We don't like the helmet. It has this hard plastic bit in the middle that really hurts your head. That’s why we go with the berets and hats.

Are you really good at Resident Evil?
Jesse: I am.
Mark: I'm pretty good.

What are you most excited for?
Jesse: Well on Sunday there's going to be 15 of us in full gear. We have zombie actors that are going to come and attack us, like a full live action role-playing thing.

Are you from Melbourne?
Jesse: No. We live two hours away in Colac.

Do you go to parties where you hook up with complementary characters?
Jesse: Not really. We have parties in our town where we'll go dressed up in full gear. We do the occasional charity work for Starlight Children's Foundation as well. Other times we'll just wear it down the street, just because we can.
Mark: Shopping day!

How does it feel?
St John: It feels good. Usually it's a long sleeved costume but this is more of a summer item.

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Where did you get it?
I bought it off eBay.

Do you have a different costume for tomorrow?
I'm going as a character from Vampire Night.

What's the best part of Supanova?
All the people dressed up.

How does it feel?
Lilian: Tight.

Who are you dressed as?
I'm actually not dressed as anyone. I had this at home. I never get to wear it anymore.

Who's your photo of?
Eliza Dushku from Buffy and Dollhouse.

What are you most excited for?
Meeting her. I'm a bit sad that Ryan Robbins from Sanctuary and Kingdom Hospital isn't coming.

How does it feel?
Jay: These gloves are very soft, they're designed to be worn for days and days, for long periods of time.

Did you make the outfit?
Yes. I made the whole tunic out of cloth that my aunt bought for me.

He had a FREE HUGS sign. His manhood was slightly visible through the cloth.

Will you be giving out free hugs over the weekend?
I will be, unless security tells me off. There are premium hugs as well, but they cost extra.

How does it feel?
Shannon: I actually regret buying this costume, it's really tight. If I did it up completely I'd be choking and needing assistance.

How many Pokémon characters are there?
There were originally 150. Now there are 625.

Where do you live?
I live six hours northwest of Sydney. I moved down here at Christmas time to be with my girlfriend. We had a rough patch and it turned out really bad. We broke up so I'm going home. I quit my job and everything.

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I’m sorry to hear that.

How does it feel?

Emily: Oh gosh, what to say. It's great being recognised, hearing 'Liiiiink!' from across the room.

Did you see the other Link?

He had a tail didn't he? I didn't get a good look!

Who are you?

Gwen: I'm dressed as the Greed from an anime called Full Metal Alchemist. This is my best friend (motions to the plush toy). You may pet him.

Who's that guy in the photo?
Gwen: It's Adam Baldwin from Firefly.

He's got a nice jawline. Do you come here to meet people that are into the

same things?
Gwen: Definitely. There are people who want to meet up with us again that we met at last year's Supanova.

Are there Supanova parties where people hook up in costume?
Gwen: Not that we know of!

This is a good time to point out that Shannon the Pokémon has been loitering around us for a while.  

Shannon: There was a party on the pier in Frankston last time.
Emily: The Homestuck people do that I think.

What stuff are you into?
Emily: Anime, manga, tv shows and video games.

Are you any good at video games?
Emily: I won $100 in a Super Mario competition once. So I think I'm pretty good!
Shannon: Challenge accepted. I'm the best Super Mario player in my town.
Emily: (In a triumphant tone) I'm the greatest warrior in my town!

What happens when you bump into your enemy character at Supanova?
Emily: I got stabbed from behind one time. I was dressed up as Altaïr from Assassins Creed. They have these enemies called Templars.
Shannon: I just sold my Assassins Creed costume. I lent it to a friend of mine who destroyed it. He climbed up a mountain to take a photo and the idiot ended up slipping over and tearing the whole back apart. It was a $270 costume. I charged him half price.

Previously - How Does It Feel: LMFF Independant Runway

                - How Does It Feel: Melbourne University O- Week 

Follow Karl on Twitter:@karlhenkell