Back in 2008, if you were to tell me that I would rocket into the world of Cosplay through the simple notion of being bribed to go into an anime convention with a Roy Mustang Plushie, I’d think you were crazy. But that’s exactly what happened.
As a result of having just gotten my license and being one of the few people in my grade with that privilege, I drove one of my friends to AnimeUSA in Crystal City, Virginia. The plan had been to just drop her off. But she begged me to stay with her until the line started moving. And parking was free. Consequently, I stood in line. Then when the line began to move, I was ready to say ‘see ya’ when she yelled “I WILL BUY YOU A ROY MUSTANG PLUSHIE IF YOU COME IN WITH ME!!” I hesitantly turned around and… bought my ticket in.
It was probably the best purchase of my life.
There, I first encountered the world of Comic Book and Anime Conventions, each equally filled with Cosplay. Since I was in Middle School, the worlds of DC and Marvel Comics had ever intrigued me with stories filled with characters such as Nightwing and Spider-man. However in High School, I was just starting to fall into the fandoms and realms within Anime and Manga. This was the pinnacle of these worlds.
And I was instantly hooked.
My next convention, Katsucon 2009, was where I debuted my first cosplay, Riza Hawkeye, from Hiromu Arakawa’s “Fullmetal Alchemist”. I rushed the cosplay. I bought it. And the wig itched. But at the end of the day, I had had a blast. That was the first cosplay I ever did and it was sure to not be the last. That was it. I was a cosplayer.
Now, nearly a decade later, I now have more than 90 cosplays under my belt, am a cosplayer and am deep in love with the art of Cosplay. As a cosplayer, I hope that with my work, I can bring some of your favorite characters to life and also share my knowledge and skills to help you do the same!