A Cosplay Love Letter

Last year on Valentine's day, I wrote "A Browncoats Love Letter" to express my affection and gratitude to my newfound friends of Browncoats Burlesque (and by extension, the burlesque community). And today, while my mind wandered on a long bus ride, I was thinking about how special my cosplay friends have come to mean to me as well, so I present "A Cosplay Love Letter"

Now, I've written many times about what cosplay means to me, and, being the introvert I am, the focus tends on myself and my own little world. But an unexpected byproduct of doing cosplay has been the people I've met at cons and cosplay events. For the first time since high school drama club, I started meeting people I had stuff in common with.

For the first little while, I did cosplay completely on my own. Like most of things I do, I just naturally did it alone and without help or company. I made it up as I went along. Then at every con, I met more people, more cosplayers. For a long time, I never wanted to go out anymore, and the idea of being around other people scared the bejeezus out of me because I had gotten so used to being poked fun of and even ridiculed for my hobbies and interests. But going to cons and meeting the wonderful people there made me actually WANT to go out to see them more.

And now, half my friends list is other geeks/cosplayers, most of whom I met in the past year or two. And the friendship I've been able to cultivate with many of you over Facebook and a few conventions per year has been immeasurably precious to me. I love having people that love the things I love, who understand my obscure nerdy jokes/references, and who joyfully celebrate weirdness in all its forms. And the cosplay community is so wonderfully open about sharing is wealth of knowledge that I went from my first con where I went in MacGyver-ed papier-maché armour to Masquerade Best-in-Show in just one year.

Words cannot express how amazing it feels when I'm wandering around a con floor and I run into someone I know in an ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR new costume. And I feel so much pride when I see one of my buddies winning a Masquerade prize or getting public recognition for their cosplay greatness that my heart just about bursts.

It means so much to me to have a group of people who not only won't judge me for my fandoms, but will most often than not, be there right along with me, jumping up and down and clapping like an excited 5-year-old. Your acceptance and kindness had become so much a part of who I am that I can't imagine doing cosplay without you now. Y'ALL ARE THE WIND BENEATH MY INTRICATELY CRAFTED COSPLAY WINGS!!!! Your talent keeps me striving for greater cosplay goals and your warmth and genuine camaraderie keeps me sane.

And I love each and every one of you! <3