It ain't easy being otaku. There's costume malfunctions, contact lenses, wig maintenance, giant line-ups, giant weapons, giant weapons checks, last minute team ditchers, the occasional need to sleep, the ineffable difficulty of finding the right wig, and of course the king-sized anxiety pains that come with stepping out of your personal reality for a day or three... but we love it. It's so worth it. And otaku have more fun.

Because people who are not already part of this experience never believe me, here's photographic proof. A journey into the reality that we make and choose for ourselves. Just a slice.

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Cosplayers: if images of you are in this set and you would like a copy (or would like them removed) drop me an email: hypersapiens[at]rogers.com

Photo notes: This is a collection in progress. Early on this set ran in chronological order from oldest to newest, however the better pics are the newer ones. I've switched the ordering so the fuzzy ones from the old camera are now last.

Also, it should be noted, I don't use 'otaku' in any derogatory sense of the term here. I consider myself as much otaku-- as in "a fan" of anime and manga (and many other things)-- as anyone else portrayed in this set. I do not mean to portray anyone in a negative light by including their image here. (edit: Like I said, if you see your pic in this set and don't like it, or think it doesn't belong here, let me know. But guess what? To date nobody has ever asked me to remove a pic from this set.) I think we need to apply the word in willful new ways to ditch the negative connoitations... and because frankly the coolest (and hottest!) people I know in the world are otaku.

This set is for you.