Chapter 1 -- Victim Of The Vixens
* * * * *
Micah sat in the midst of the large crowd as the excitement built. He applauded and cheered along with the throngs of enthusiastic fans as each announcement was made. Still, much of his attention remained on the screen of his smartphone until the formalities were over. It was Saturday afternoon, the second day of
UwU Con
, and the festivities were just beginning.
The first day had been spent milling around the convention hall and taking in all the sights and sounds. Micah had played beta builds of unreleased videogames, seen previews of upcoming seasons of some of his favorite anime and collected a plethora of convention swag and freebies. UwU Con was
weeaboo
nirvana. Even if it had only been a one day event, it would've been worth the trip.
But UwU Con was a three day event and the best was yet to come. The primary reason Micah had attended was approaching rapidly. The cosplay contests would begin soon. Better yet, some of his favorite professional cosplayers would be in attendance. Jessica Natiri, Gwen Hellsong and Roxy Blight were scheduled to take part in the proceedings in addition to several other devastating beauties.
Jessica, Gwen and Roxy had all started as normal con-goers who liked to dress up. Over time, they garnered more attention and started working gigs for the various gaming and anime companies. They would attend conventions dressed as particular characters the corporations wanted them to portray and hawk their products as booth babes.
In recent years, they'd gotten organized and moved on to greener pastures. Now they had their own company,
Cosplay Vixens
, which the conventions had to hire directly if they wanted the most sought-after cosplayers to attend. This gave the women freedom and autonomy they'd previously not had. Now they could dress as any character they liked, they no longer had to take orders from stuck-up suits and they could charge whatever they wanted for autographs and photo-ops.
Micah was ecstatic. He'd finally get to meet the Vixens in just an hour or two. The women of his dreams! He knew it was the most typical
weeb
shit ever to obsess over cosplay girls, but he didn't care. He'd been gawking at these beauties on social media for years. They were Goddesses. Women on high.
He'd do anything to be in their presence. Wait in any line, no matter how long! Pay whatever they demanded for a signed photo and a brief meet and greet. If he was really lucky, he might garner a touch on the back or shoulder. He'd seen some pictures where they kissed a guy on the cheek or surrounded him with an affectionate hug. He would die if that happened.
Suddenly, Micah realized they were launching into the final round of announcements about the cosplay events. He quickly closed the photo gallery on his phone where he'd been swiping through pictures of the gorgeous Vixens and pocketed his device. He looked up eagerly and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Alright folks, let the cosplay fun begin!" the middle aged announcer yelled into the microphone. "The cosplay parade will begin in one hour, so get changed and meet us out front at three o'clock! We're going to take a nice, long walk around the city and show off our costumes to all the normies!"
Laughs and giggles rippled through the crowd. Micah rolled his eyes. He would participate, but only because the Vixens would be there. Any chance to see them in action was worth it.
"After that, we'll let everyone take a break and then the Men's costume contest will begin at five o'clock. The women's contest, or as I like to call it,
THE MAIN EVENT
, will follow at six! Both judged by the beautiful, talented,
COSPLAY VIXENS
!"
Raucous cheering and clapping went up from the crowd and Micah joined in gladly. If there was one thing everyone in attendance could agree on, it was they couldn't wait to see the ladies don their sexy outfits. The fact that the Vixens were judging was the icing on the cake.
"But wait! I've saved the best part for last!" the announcer added in a dramatic voice.
Micah's eyebrows raised along with his level of interest. He leaned forward along with many others in the crowd.
"You may recall seeing
MYSTERY PRIZE
listed on the prize packages on the website! Well, it's my pleasure to unveil them now! The winner of the women's competition will be considered for membership in
Cosplay Vixens
! And the winner of the men's competition will be going to an exclusive after-party with the Vixens themselves!!!"
The world stopped and reality itself seemed to fold in on Micah. He hardly noticed the screaming and thunderous applause all around him. He looked around in dazed disbelief. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and he wasn't prepared. Micah would get his chance to meet the Vixens, but spending an evening with them would've been so much better. Once this was over, he'd probably spend the rest of his life wishing he'd put more effort into his costume.
* * * * *
*THUD*
"Ow!!!"
Even for a smaller guy like Micah, the bathroom stalls weren't spacious enough. He'd already banged his knee on the door and smashed his elbow into the walls twice as he removed his clothes. Now, as he pulled on his costume, it was a struggle not to trip and fall on the slick tile floor.
He put on his 'tunic' which was really just a long, green shirt. After that he donned his beige trousers and buckled the black leather belt around his waist. Finally, he pulled the tall, brown leather boots up his feet and calves. If he was honest, it was the only part of his costume that looked authentic.
Micah packed his regular clothes into his backpack, picked up his accessories and carefully exited the stall. He walked out into the brightly lit bathroom and stopped before the long row of mirrors. The young man dropped his backpack to the side, donned his sad emulation of the signature green cap and took up his plastic sword and shield.
As he gazed into the mirror he saw some dollar-store version of
Link
from the
Legend of Zelda
looking back at him. The accessories had the official game logos on them, but they were practically
Fisher Price
toys. He'd ordered them online and they looked like something elementary school kids would play with; not props you'd bring to an official cosplay contest. The rest of his costume was obviously thrown together quickly and cheaply.
At least Micah somewhat looked the part at 5'7 and with a slender build. He didn't have Link's blonde hair, but his light brown locks should pass muster.
'Oh, shit! Link has pointed ears, doesn't he? I totally forgot about that until now!'
He sighed and briefly thought about changing out of his costume and calling the whole thing off. Then he remembered he couldn't participate in the parade if he wasn't dressed.
'Dammit! This is lame, but at least I'll be close to the Vixens...'
Micah gathered up his backpack along with his silly plastic toys and what was left of his pride. He slumped his shoulders and made a hasty exit from the restroom.
* * * * *
It had been a long march around the city and the cosplay parade had depleted the stamina of many. Most of the convention goers were resting or getting a bite to eat. Not Micah. He was no fool. He figured this would be the best time to check in at the
Cosplay Vixens
booth.