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Sci-Fi on the Rock happens just once a year — but for these superfans, the nerd life never ends

The annual Sci-Fi on the Rock convention gathers fans of all things nerdy and fantastical, including creative costumes. Kit Saurus, a self-proclaimed nerd, dresses up every every week.

The convention is scheduled to start on Friday and end on Sunday

A woman in a pink dress holding a toy sword stands next to a blue gown.
Kit Saurus, head of sponsors in the Sci Fi On The Rock committee, will head over the convention over the weekend dressed as Jedi Elsa, inspired by a character from the movie Frozen and the Star Wars universe. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)

Kit Saurus says being a "hardcore-mega-nerd" is not just her hobby, but her lifestyle.

She's standing next to two gowns she plans to wear to Sci-Fi On The Rock, the annual pop culture convention that starts Friday in St. John's. One of the gowns is part of her "Jedi Elsa" costume, mashing up Star Wars and Frozen, with a lightsaber paired up with glittery blue heels.

"I grew up a nerd.… My parents were nerdy and then" — she points to herself  — "tada!"

She's wearing a pink layered dress, with extravagant white sleeves and pointy elvish ears — an everyday look for her.

"I went to my first Sci-Fi on the Rock in 2008, and I was pretty much hooked after that."

Kit and her husband Drew — who both changed their last names at their wedding to the dinosaur-inspired Saurus, reflecting one of their many passions — are part of the committee that organized the convention.

Kit doesn't dress up only when the convention arrives; she lives and breathes the nerdy lifestyle.

In their house, the eyes always find something new to focus on: fluffy mushroom toys decorate the fireplace, dinosaur heads on the kitchen countertops, and a full-size human skeleton wearing a dress, casually sitting on the sofa.

In a bright pink room upstairs called the "fairy princess room," there are two closets that hold as many as 100 gowns. One shelf has crowns stacked on top of another.

Kit dresses up every other week — cosplaying — for her self-portrait business.

A woman wearing a long blonde wig and a light purple dress stands against a stone wall.
Kit Saurus, who goes by the stage name Kit Sora, sells self-portraits where she uses many of the costumes and props she gathered through the years. She says she has always been a nerd. (Kit Sora/Instagram)

"Cosplaying is essentially dressing up like a character that makes you feel happy," 

The character's outfit becomes an armour — a bodysuit — that a person steps in and can embody the character's personality, she says. It's a way to escape into fantasy and have childlike fun.

"A lot of people at the convention tend to be pretty shy, but the second they pop on like a wig and cosplay they're like, 'Yeah, I've got the confidence of 1,000 gods.'"

WATCH |  This is how Sci-Fi on the Rock comes together:

Monsters, superheroes and anime: Sci-Fi on the Rock invades St. John’s

12 months ago
Duration 3:17
Attendees of the pop-culture convention Sci-Fi on the Rock are the very definition of all in. Thousands of people don costumes, makeup and props to have fun and meet other like-minded cosplay enthusiasts. The CBC’s Arlette Lazarenko catches up with event organizers for a sneak peek.

A costume can be bought or pieced together from second-hand items.

"That's sort of the joy of it," Kit said. "You'll get your shorts and a vest and a shirt, and maybe you'll paint, like, a pokeball on a hat and you're a Pokémon trainer."

Another room downstairs is filled with action figures for the game Warhammer, exclusively for Drew — another self-described huge nerd — and two turtles floating in water tanks.

A man in a red T-shirt that says "Jurassic World" stands next to a bookcase full of small action figures.
Drew Saurus, vice-chair of the Sci-Fi On The Rock Committee, stands next to bookcase full of Warhammer action figures he has painted and built over the years. He says the convention is about people sharing their unique interests with like-minded individuals. (Curtis Hicks/CBC)

Drew, the vice-chair of Sci-Fi on the Rock, says it takes them an entire year to plan the convention. Last year's brought in up to 3,500 people.

"Anywhere from five-year-olds to 50-year-olds showing up, hugging their friends and walking off hand in hand," he said.

There will be as many as 80 vendors, a panel of actors and voice actors, a gala and karaoke, to name only a few items in a packed schedule spanning three days over the weekend.

"People want to show off their costumes. People want to talk about their interests," he said. "People just want to connect with other people."

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arlette Lazarenko is a journalist working in St. John's. She is a graduate of the College of the North Atlantic journalism program. Story tips welcomed by email: [email protected]