Ahhhhhh
This video's gonna be really emotional and sappy
Uhhhh I hope you guys are ready for that.
What's up guys, welcome back!
I know it's been a little while, but I am back doing a proper video, and as usual
it is lovely to see you all, thank you so much for hanging out with me this week
Today I am doing another Cosplay Storytime, but this one is going to be quite a bit different
I am going to be talking about some experiences that I had cosplaying at
ECCC which was just last weekend, so it was my most recent con, and I had an amazing time
But as well as that, I'm also going to be talking about some of my personal history
That is not related to cosplay
And how that kind of ties in to those experiences that I had last weekend
And it's gonna get really sappy and people are probably gonna be like "oh my gosh
Why are you crying about children's shows?" But I mean that's my whole life, is crying about children's shows
It's just who I am. So yeah, it's gonna be a little bit different
it's not gonna be the same kind of Cosplay Storytime that you guys are probably used to but I
felt like this was something that I really wanted to share and I thought it was an important thing to talk about and
honestly everything that I'm gonna be talking about in this video, or at least like the core
concept of this video is really the whole reason why I cosplay, so it is quite an important thing that I wanted to share
with you guys. So that being said, let's get into it. Like I said, last weekend
I went to Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, and I cosplayed with my friends
We cosplayed Teen Titans together
And this was something that we had been planning to do for quite a while; my friend Madeline (or Party Chicken Cosplay)
she and I had been talking about doing Starfire and Raven together pretty much since we'd met, and so when we eventually learned that we
were going to be at Emerald City Comicon this year, Madeline suggested that we finally make those cosplays and wear them together
So in preparation, I
marathoned the entire series
I had never actually seen the entire series
like, all the way through before that, I had just seen the first two seasons as a kid
And I had only
watched it like when it first debuted. So it had been 15 years since the last time I watched it
and I fell instantly in love with it and on top of that
I got a lot of nostalgia
and it brought back a lot of memories and a lot of the personal history that I have
with this series and with Raven's character, and that's basically what we're gonna be talking about today, so like I said
it's gonna be really sappy. So... Yeah *laughs*
So like I said, I first watched this series when it first debuted back in 2003
I think? 2003-ish? I was in grade 3 at the time
And that was a point in my life when things definitely started go off the rails
...Socially. In elementary school
I find, kind of looking back, in like kindergarten, grade 1
The clique mentality hasn't quite clicked in for a lot of kids
I find, so everybody just kind of gets along really well
But by kind of grade 2 and onwards, that's when, you know, the kind of social hierarchy
starts to form. And, I have never been considered a cool kid during my school career
I've always been like the weird nerd who nobody wants to hang out with
And so obviously once these cliques started to form, I was very much at the bottom of the social hierarchy
and it got to a point where, um, I
wouldn't have people to hang out with at lunchtime or at recess or anything. I got bullied on a daily basis and
for
recess, I kind of figured out this habit of like there was one particular
corner in the playground that I just decided was gonna be my corner
and I would sit there and like either eat by myself, or play with a plush animal by myself, or sing to myself or...
...Cry.
So
On the flipside, I also had really bad teachers during grade 2, 3 and 4 so
just all, like my entire days at school,
it was difficult to get through and it was just mostly kind of like a day of misery
That's pretty much what it would be, and it would take a lot to just make it through the day
Um...
Ah! Told you guys this was gonna be an emotional ride, but, um, here we are
So 2003, like I said, is also when Teen Titans first debuted. I have always had a major
love for cartoons and 8-year-old Anya was no exception to that
So Teen Titans first debuted and
obviously there were a lot of cartoons at the time that I really loved and really had a big impact on me
But none quite the same way as this show. I remember watching it and I fell in love with it. My little mind,
I remember, was absolutely blown by all of the, like, plot twists, and the writing, and like the character development. Like, this was something
unlike any other show that I had watched up until that point and I
instantly like really had an attachment to these characters in particular...
Raven, and
looking back, like I hadn't really thought about it this much
I was thinking, like "why did my 8-year-old self like her that much?" And it kind of hit me over the weekend when we were
at ECCC, when I was thinking back to this... Um because she's a character who deals a lot with like
isolation, and not fitting in, and feeling alone, and
all that fun stuff
And she has a lot of crap going on and it's difficult for her to like
make it through with all that, so she kind of has to like strive through all of this difficulty and that's exactly what my
8-year-old self was dealing with at the time...
Ooooh...
Um so it makes perfect sense, like as soon as I saw her, I remember watching the show and seeing her and just being like
"I like you a lot" and so... Oh gosh
This is, like- this seems really sweet
but it's also very sad, because like I said, I wouldn't have anybody to hang out with that lunchtime
so I'm like imagine that like, all of the characters were my friends and
my 8-year-old self decided that like Raven was gonna be my role model
I remember I would like walk around school and be like "she's my role model"
And I think like- it was kind of like, it was dumb and cringy, 'cause I was like "I wanna be just like her, and like act
like her," which is kind of stupid, but at the same time, like by the same token, um...
I also just decided, I think, that I
was gonna like draw strength on this character who was going through similar things that I was going through at the time and
help me have the strength to get through the day even though my teacher was terrible,
and I didn't have any friends to hang out with, and everybody was bullying me all the time
So, this show is a big deal to me... And this character is a big deal to me and
rewatching the show just like brought all that instantly back. It's kind of sad though,
I only got to watch the first 2 seasons
because eventually my parents saw that I was watching the show, and they were like "that's violent,
"we don't like you're watching this show, that's not appropriate for your age," and then my classmates were like "oh yeah
"my mom doesn't let me watch that show, so you shouldn't watch that show either
"It's terrible that you watch that show." So I had to kinda like disown this show that had like this major
impact on me. But it's all fine, 'cause like 15 years later I'm an adult I can watch whatever
I want, but that... Is
basically the background that I have with this show, and talking about it now, and thinking back to that -- it was a lot!
It was a lot
that just kind of like hit me. So anyway, fast-forward to Emerald City Comic Con last
weekend. The first thing that was a big deal is the fact that I was cosplaying this show
with close friends. Like if my 8-year-old self could see that, if she could see photos of these cosplays...
Ahh, it would be- it would be a big deal, like it's crazy to think that like that is so completely...
I don't know, that is just like, probably the ultimate best outcome that like my younger self could have hoped for
back at that time
So it was a big deal to think that like I have these close friends, and we're all onto the same thing, and we all
support and
think each other is cool because we have this shared interest and we're cosplaying it together and... Like that's really really cool
And we're allowed to like this show and no one's shaming us for it
Just thinking about that and putting that into perspective was a lot to think about. But most notably were the interactions that we had with
basically everyone. We had interactions with people our age and a little bit older; the reception to these cosplays was insane
We had people like our age and older stopping us for photos
and they were all super excited and like they pretty much all said the same thing, they were like "I grew up watching this show,
"this is really awesome, this is such a cool nostalgic throwback, you guys look great," and it was really awesome
We had so many
parents who didn't have their kids with them who came up and they were also very excited to see us, and all of them also
said pretty much the same thing
They'd be like "oh my gosh, my children love this show and they are going to be like ecstatic
"when I show them a photo of you guys, can I please take your photo?" So many people said like exactly that to us
But what hit me the hardest, um, were all the children that
came up to us during that day, and during rest of the weekend
I ended up wearing my Raven cosplay all throughout the weekend. The first day
I did it with body paint, and then the other 2, I just did it without body paint
just because like this was a cosplay that like I really enjoyed wearing. I had an actual lineup, and then I was like "screw it,
"I'm just gonna live in this cosplay all weekend"
And it was fantastic
So the first day obviously I had my 2 friends cosplaying with me, and then the other 2 days,
it was me by myself, and there were two interactions with children
that hit me by far the hardest. The first one was on the Friday
So we have like our full group and everything and I see this family and they had this little 3-year-old girl
And she has to like older brothers, but they don't really care as much
But she sees me and you can tell that she was very very
excited. So her parents are talking to her and like obviously telling her to go and say hi
I see where this is going, so like an anticipation, I kneeled down and like waved to her
You know, to also let her know that it's cool to take a photo with me. And so she starts walking
over and so I'm like "oh, I like your cosplay!" 'Cause she's dressed in a little Supergirl dress and
before I can even finish saying that, she just hugs me.
She just- she just hugs me and I'm like so caught off-guard, but like in a good way
It was very sweet
And so I hug her back
And then her mom eventually, like, is calling out to her, being like "okay like look at the camera,
"we're gonna take a photo!" And so she looks up, but she's still like, she is just glued to me
She just clings to me the whole time, so I have my arm around her and we take the photo together
And then, like you could tell she doesn't wanna to leave, and so the mom tells her like "okay
"we have to go now"
And so I wave goodbye to her and like she gets really stoked and walks away
The thing is, this family then went into this lineup for this jelly bean booth that was right next to where we were sitting
And so
while they were there, there were several different times when she would see me through the crowd
And so we'd make eye contact, and I'd smile at her and wave, and so every time, like at first
she'd- she'd have kind of this shy expression and then once I waved her,
she'd get this like huge smile and then like shyly look away
And this happened about three times while they were in this lineup. So like at that point, I'm like "well this day
"just can't get any better, 'cause my heart is melted,
"and she's really excited to have gotten a photo together and like
that's a very rewarding thing as a cosplayer is what like kids are excited to see you and get photos with you
And it was very very nice. The second encounter was on the Sunday
So I wasn't painted and I was by myself, but similarly there was a little five-year-old girl and
she came up to me with her parents
and
she was also very very shy. She
asked to get a photo, and I said "of course." So we get a photo together
And then she walks over to her parents
And then you can tell her parents are like talking to her and kind of like gesturing towards me. You can tell she's
deciding what she wants to do, and then she eventually decides to go for it, and she turns around,
she comes back, and just like hugs me. And it was a very long hug, one thing that I kept in mind
I don't know if anybody here has seen Confessions of Retired Disney Princess,
but Rachel Hankel, she used to play Snow White
She shares this story about how she was told that when you are
portraying a character and you're interacting with children, if you hug a child you should always be
the last one to let go because you don't know how long they need it
That's how the quote goes, so I was like "okay
"I'm gonna keep that in mind." So it was a very very long hug
I just decided like I was gonna wait for her to like let go. So it's a very long hug
And then, you know, I tell her, I say like "oh nice to meet you,
"have a good day," and she in her very very soft, very shy voice says "you too," and then they leave
*Sighs*
And these interactions really stuck with me, like I said, but they were a big deal
for
quite a major reason
Um, in many ways, I feel like we have come full circle, and when I really kind of put it all this into perspective,
this hit me quite hard, because- I mean, I know these little kids, they know these characters from Teen Titans Go
I get that, and it's not like as intense and emotional as the original series
I get that, but I think it's still fair to say that
these are characters that this new generation fans,
they still have like a major
attachment to, these are characters that they look up to and probably find
strength from in certain ways; maybe not quite the same way that I did
But like, same concept. So, the notion that, you know, I met two little girls
and this is probably a character that they admire, or feel empowered by, or you know...
Along those lines. And like, this is a role model for them
just like she was a role model for me, and then like getting to see how excited
they were to see somebody cosplaying her, and like getting to like take a photo, and like hug... Me and....
Just the notion that I had the same experience when I was younger -- obviously I was a little bit older than these girls were -- but like
still, when I was a child, and that I can kind of represent that for them or... Basically contribute to that for this new
generation of young girls...
Was a big deal. It was a big deal when you really think about it. So...
There you go, that's *laughs* that's what I wanted to share with you guys
Um
And... Yeah, I told you guys this was gonna be a very sappy, emotional video, and that's what we have, but
Um....  This is basically the reason why I cosplay, is because most of the characters that I do, like the vast majority-
There are some that I do, like, just for fun, but most of them, there is some sort of deeper meaning
There's some deep connection, and same with like the fictional properties themselves. Like for example,
like Steven Universe, back when I was like super big into Steven Universe
I got into that show shortly after I lost my mom, and so all the episodes in the first season
that dealt with like, uh, Steven losing Rose hit me very hard and was also very helpful
There was some - there was  some really helpful stuff in there for me at that time
So, I don't know, fiction, it always has like a deeper meaning
I think for most people and
for me, that is like one of the main reasons why I cosplay, it's like a love letter to these
characters, and to these fictional properties for helping you through different times or like
teaching you some lesson, or just giving you entertainment and comfort
Um...
And that's something that I really wanted to talk about! So there you go. Anyway, if you guys have any a similar experiences
I would love to know about it. We can get emotional together in the comments. Also!
Speaking of Emerald City Comic-Con, and Raven, and...
Emotions! Um, I got my first ever physical piece of fanart!
Shoutout to @Karter_Kat on Instagram who is the cutest Miku and like, just the this person in general
Who drew this gorgeous fanart and then gave it to me, and like drew this fanart before I had even done the cosplay
like, ah... I was so shook when I first saw this on Instagram, you have no idea, and then we got to meet and I-
I- I Got like the physical version, and it was wonderful. So like shoutout
And thank you so much again for watching and being adorable and awesome, and you're so talented
I will have a link- Instagram link in the description, so y'all should totally go follow. Um, but anyway on that note um
Thank you guys so much for watching this very emotional
Cosplay Storytime, and I hope that you guys enjoyed it, and I will see you guys all
for next week's video, but until then pandafaces, please be sure to take care, bye!
🎶🎶🎶
