Armageddon: fun, fandom and families
Armageddon is a colourful, unabashed celebration of fandom, from the most dedicated cosplayers to casual fans – and for some it’s a family affair.
The two-day event, held at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on April 17-18, is an annual celebration of all things television, film, comics, gaming, and science fiction, now in its 20th year in Wellington.
Odin Turner, 11, and his sister Aria, 8, had been doing odd jobs, such as vacuuming cars and collecting scrap metal from Tawa Stream, in exchange for cash to spend at the event. The scrap metal earned about $70 for the pair to spend on merchandise at the expo.
Odin and dad Charles had been dressing up as father-andson characters for the past seven years. Last year Charles, Odin and Aria entered the Armageddon cosplay competition as characters from
Demon Slayer. They didn’t win, but earned quite a few compliments.
This year, mum De´sire´e was able to make it, too, all dressed as characters from the television anime series Dr Stone, based on the manga of the same name, which Charles and Odin watch together weekly.
Odin was dressed as the show’s protagonist, Senku, a child genius and the first to awaken after the world’s inhabitants are turned to stone.
Charles is the brawny best friend, De´ sire´ e was dressed as his girlfriend, and Aria as a village girl.
Odin enjoyed the show’s combination of fact and fantasy. ‘‘It’s quite a creative show, it’s got some silly stuff, but the facts are true,’’ he said. The storylines were fiction, but it was based on real science.
Everything about their costumes was handmade, taking about five weeks to complete. ‘‘We had to learn a few new things,’’ Charles said, such as how to create a 3D helmet out of foam for Aria.
The family relished the challenge and the occasion to do something creative as a family. This year it was busy, and excitement was high. There had been a relatively short turnaround between last year and this, because the 2020 event was postponed due to Covid-19.
Organiser Bill Geradts said there had been 15,342 tickets sold, and the feeling around this event was positive.
The event came from humble beginning in the Michael Fowler Centre, two days after 9/11 in 2001, and every year was different. ‘‘Last year we were just out of lockdown.’’
But at every event, you were guaranteed it would ‘‘revive your spirit’’, he said.