I’ve been cosplaying for over six years now, and find myself wondering time and time again where all the time has gone.

My very first con was a tiny local event called Anime Detroit. It’s now a convention called Go!DaikoCon. But, back then, this anime-filled wonderland was my playground. I remember going to the thrift store a week before the convention picking out pieces that I thought would be perfect for my costume.

Little me didn’t know how to paint, sew, or even what a wig was. I just brushed my hair, wore a white shirt and a skirt and claimed I was cosplaying Konoka from a really obscure anime called Negima.

I remember going to the convention and taking pictures of all of my favorite characters. Like a checklist, I ran through the halls with my friend asking everyone and anyone for a picture, because the costumes were just that great to me.

And I was terrified. I found out right before the event I was able to go meet Greg Ayres, a voice actor popular for voicing countless characters in English versions of anime. It just so happened one of those characters was the lead in that really obscure show I was cosplaying from.

So I grabbed my friend and went with her to wait in line for an autograph. I was super nervous, holding a crumpled up schedule in my hands for him to sign.

Looking back, he must have heard me talking in line. Because when I got to him he grinned ear to ear and said “Oh my gosh, I’ve never seen a Konoka cosplayer before! Your cosplay is great!”.

It really wasn’t. The one with her shorts sticking out under her skirt and skirt the wrong color is me. But in that moment, I didn’t care my skirt was the wrong color because it came from a thrift store. I didn’t care that I felt so inadequate to these amazing cosplayers I saw all weekend. My idol recognized the character I was.

I was so excited. He signed my schedule, and noticed how nervous my friend and I were. He asked us if we were going to his panel that day, and of course we were, and he invited us to stay and chat with him through the autograph session. He let us stay in the very front row.

In that moment, he wasn’t really an idol anymore. He was down-to-earth, personable, and when we listened to his panel, stories of how he had a serious medical problem at a convention and how he struggled to accept the criticism he got online, it all stuck with me.

Years passed. And every time I would work on a new cosplay, I would doubt myself. Being a plus size cosplayer tends to make you have a lot of doubts of whether people will recognize your character or think you’re a good fit.

But every time I second guess myself, I try and remember Greg Ayres. Listening in on a fan's conversation and making that effort to make her feel welcomed and accepted.

I left that convention proud. From then on, not only can I say I met Greg Ayres, the voice actor, but every year when I go back to Go! Daikocon, I always look out for him. It’s been years since I’ve had the time during the convention for an autograph, or even to attend one of his panels, but when I see his colorful hair in the crowd, I always get that warm, fuzzy feeling. Remembering my first convention, and remembering how Greg Ayres was one of the reasons I always found the confidence to cosplay.