“The Circle of Weirdness” is a phrase my best friend and I coined as overly-enthusiastic, nerdy preteens who assumed that screaming was something we should do every time we talked. This was what we called the first cosplayers that would start to pop up on the long car ride to Anime Boston.

This phenomenon plays off of the juxtaposition of nerd life with regular life, something 14 year old me found laughable. Spotting every Harley Quinn stopping at a trendy local shop, Hatsune Miku waiting for the bus, or Sephiroth at Starbucks was a sort of cosplay “I-Spy” game for us.

If we didn’t see any cosplayers in the streets yet, we would joke that all of us, packed in the group leader’s car like pink-haired sardines, constituted our own outer-layer of weird.

Going to anime conventions and, in particular, going to Anime Boston, would be the highlight of the year for my best friend and I. At the con, there would be new people to meet, awesome art to buy and the possibility of high-fiving any character from “Kingdom Hearts” that we wanted to. It seemed like we could be the coolest nerds in the world at a convention.

Now it seems that as the people I used to go with get older, they stop enjoying going to conventions. Panels are boring, no one recognizes any of the guests, creepy guys are always hitting on every con-goer, cosplays are too hard to make and too expensive and badge prices are ever rising. Even the Circle of Weirdness seems less awe-inspiring.

It’s sad to find out that old friends have given up on going to conventions. The transition from being a hopeful geeky kid to a jaded taller geeky kid (read: adult) can seem inevitable. In all honesty, people have made conventions into something that’s supposed to be work instead of fun.

There is this idea that people at conventions have to cosplay and that they must be incredibly talented or they should never make anything. Which is totally nonsensical, as all great cosplayers had to start learning, and learning never manifests as perfection. Many cosplayers are afraid that people will snap photos of them only to make fun of them. Or that there are people who follow others all day and try to get all their online contacts, phone number, etc. Or people who need proof of nerdiness beyond the fact that one shelled out $50 just to be around other geeks. It’s hard to have a good time knowing that these people are out there.

The best advice is to stick with a group of good friends and do whatever you want. Don’t want to cosplay? No worries, you’ll look awesome in whatever you decide to wear. You want to make a cosplay the night before as a challenge (or, be honest, you procrastinated)? Try to get a little sleep, but give it a shot! Want to dress up as an alternate universe steampunk Batman just because? Dude, that’s so cool! I cannot wait to see those neat tinted goggles and gears.

There are people who will be rotten no matter what. If bullying or harassing occurs during a convention, tell security. This also applies to pictures taken without permission. If you’re too anxious to do that, ask a friend and, if you see something happening to someone else, be that friend.

It’s impossible to regain the sort of unbridled joy I felt about conventions as a teen. However, I think that one can learn from past me, even with my bed-sheet cosplays, unbrushed wig and constant shouting. Being a nerd is about spreading excitement, enthusiasm and positivity everywhere. Bringing the stories we love with us every day as we walk, we are the ever-expanding edge of the Circle of Weirdness.