Anime = short for animation = used in Japan to refer to animated media, but in most of the rest of the world it's specifically used to refer to animated works from Japan. The style of these animations are often characterised by their colourfulness, the character's big eyes and the dramatic storylines. At least, those are the ones I like the most. I specifically like the ones that are really over-the-top in their character proportions, with big eyes, really big hair and poofy dresses that stand out more than gravity would really allow. They're the most fun to me.

Two years ago

I roll my suitcase into the hotel room. My parents have allowed me to attend the AmAnime convention with my best friend Jason. His parents are in the next room over and will be at the event too, but I know that we're probably not going to see them much, luckily. They're just here to 'supervise', we're sixteen so we don't need that much 'supervision', though my parents, and the con, really want people under eighteen to always have adultier adults around. Sigh.

I put the suitcase at the end of my bed and sprawl all over it, letting out a deep sigh. "Fiiiinally."

Jason sits down on his own bed, grinning as he looks my way. "What? You don't like being all folded up in a tiny car for hours on end?" He also stretches out, but it doesn't take long. "The event starts in an hour, we should get dressed." He's, of course, talking about the opening ceremony, which is supposed to be this big event thing with lots of cosplayers and everything.

"Already?" I groan, but then I sit up.

"People are already messaging me, they're waiting out in the halls for us. You don't have to meet with them if you don't want to." He opens his suitcase and starts pulling out clothes, spreading them over his bed.

"No, I'm good." I also open my suitcase and pull out the outfit I've got planned for today. It's a black dress with bright green elements and requires me to wear really high heeled shoes. But I've worked on this outfit for months, I know I can, and will, pull this off. I take the dress and everything I'll need with it. "I'm changing in there." I point to the bathroom.

Jason nods. "Of course, just as long as you remember that I need help zipping this thing up later." He grins. He's used to me disappearing into bathrooms to get changed, I always do that, he doesn't know any better from me. That, and I don't really have to watch him change either. We may have been born with the same body parts, but he's a lot more comfortable with them than I am. Understatement.

I close the bathroom door behind me and hang the clothes on the bath's edge, then I check myself in the mirror. My eyes are wide and I can feel a little panic chipping away at my sanity. I know I'll be fine. Rationally, I know that I'll be fine and that there won't be any issues. Jason has said so himself, there is nothing to really worry about here, no matter what happens. But still, it's one thing to dress up all cute when everyone around you just identifies you in a binary way: boy, girl. But AmAnime is known for having a lot of cosplayers and crossplayers around, so people may not identify me the way I want to... And even after years, that still scares me more than it maybe has to. I don't know. I've not been misgendered in months, if not more than a year, but I've not been in a situation like this before, where people's genders and gender expressions are a little fluid anyway.

I sigh. I've been so looking forward to this, I've been waiting all year to attend, but now I'm actually here, I'm starting to freak out a little. What if people... What if people are going to make an issue with how I dress?

Jason knocks on the door. "Izzy."

"Yeah?" I look up, breaking the staring-contest I'm having with myself.

"I'm not hearing you move. Come on, get changed." He's so excited, and I can't help to let it affect me too.

"Yeah, yeah." I quickly strip off the leggings and comfy dress I wore during the car ride here. Then I look at the outfit I'm about to put on. I sigh. "Moving now."

"I know, I can hear it." Jason laughs. "Gonna put on some music." He walks away from the door and I can hear him turn some music on on his phone.

I sit down on the side of the bath, taking off my socks and sliding on the fishnet stockings. Today I'm not going as some anime character, cosplay is for tomorrow when the real convention starts, but today I'm going in just a cute gothic lolita style dress. When my stockings are on, I quickly put on the pristine white socks with frilly edge to go with my shoes, then I stand up and pull on the dress. While the arms and skirt are all pretty and fiddly, the body is plain, but that's because I've got a corset to go over it. That was the one thing in this outfit that took me months to finish, but the end result is definitely worth it.

I look around, realising I've left something in my bag. "Jason!"

"Yeah?"

"Can you get me the black petticoat from my bag?" I open the door a little.

Jason moves around the room and is back with the petticoat in no time. "Here."

I take it, pulling it into the bathroom. Then I close the door again. I'm not going to flash him, no way. I smile a little as I think it. Yeah, flashing Jason wouldn't even surprise him. Strange guy. I pull the petticoat on and then pull the dress down over it, smoothing it down. I check myself in the mirror again, plucking at the top of my dress. I wish I had more to fill out the top, but that's the advantage of making dresses yourself, you can just design the fit to hide the things you don't want people to see, like my lack of cleavage. Which will be different soon, hopefully not too long anymore. I think back to the conversation I had with my parents last night, hopefully not too long anymore for real.

Then I grab my old clothes and get out of the bathroom, making sure I enter with flair, of course, which suits a dress like this.

Jason stares at me. "That, with heels and a corset?" His eyebrows go up.

"Yes." I grin.

"Wow." He grins too. "I should have gotten myself a bodyguard outfit instead."

"Hey..." My cheeks flare up and I quickly drop my clothes on the bed. "You know I can kick anyone's ass anyway." My parents insisted I take some classes in self defence so I would be less of a target.

"I know." Jason turns his back to me. "Can you zip me up? I'm not as flexible as you are."

"Sure." I pull the back of his dress tighter and then zip him up. We're somewhat of a match, I'm all black and green and he's all black and white, with similar styles, though my dress is a little more extravagant. "I'm gonna need you to do my make-up though..."

"Of course." He grabs his make-up bag, pulling a chair between the beds and puts it on there. "I actually got you some fake lashes for today, if you want them."

"Which ones?" I normally have my own, but for this look I've just got plain black fluttery ones, nothing too extravagant.

"Green." Jason grins. "Should match your dress." He picks up a small box from the bag. "Check them out."

I open the little box and he's right, they're a bright green, a close match to my dress, and they're really nice and long. "Wow. Thanks. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing." Jason winks. "Got them in a two-for-one at a new place. They had the perfect eyelashes for the cosplay I'm doing tomorrow."

"You have to stop doing that. Just giving me stuff." I pick up the green lashes, they do look really nice, if a little strange, but that's not a negative.

"You make me things that would otherwise cost me a lot of money, or repair some of my clothes when I ruin them. This is the least I can do." He sits down on his bed. "What are you looking for? Anything specific you want with the makeup?"

I shake my head. "Nah, with these lashes... Just something nice would be good."

"Okay." Jason leans in. "I hope you're ready to have a lot of pictures takes."

I shrug. "Isn't that what this weekend is all about?"

***

I'm not sure what I expected of the opening ceremony, but I don't think this was it exactly... There are a lot of people waiting around in the hallway, and I'm a little overwhelmed as I look around. Most of the people are dressed up, though there are many who are just in normal clothes too. Wow.

Jason keeps hold of the sleeve of my dress as he looks over the crowd. The guy is tall, but today he's wearing heels, which makes him easier taller than almost anyone here. "Ah." He waves, then turns to his parents. "The people I'm meeting are at the other end of the hall. The guy in the pink hair and the white princess dress is with them." He points.

His mom looks over and nods. "Just be careful, please?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jason grins. Careful? Yeah... not likely.

"Are you going with him?" Jason's mom looks at me. "You can always find us, we'll be at the cafe upstairs."

"I'm going with him." I've gotten a little used to all the excitement and am calm enough to be curious again.

"Good. Have fun." She grins, and then takes her husband's arm and they walk off.

"Come on." Jason tugs on my arm a little. "You really need to meet Ruby, he's awesome. And I think you'll get along with him, he makes his own dresses too." Jason starts dragging me through the hallway, through the crowd.

I do my best not to get stabbed by weapons or hit in the face with bags and hair. But, we make it to the other end without getting hurt. Yay.

As we get out of the crowd, I'm faced with something I should have expected, though I still wasn't prepared. We're standing in front of a group of people who're wearing some of the most extravagant outfits in here. If I thought that I'd stand out in my black and green dress with green eyelashes, I shouldn't have worried. These people... they definitely stand out more than I do.

"Jay!" A guy in a pink wig and a big white dress comes over, taking Jason into a hug.

"Ruby." Jason laughs, wrapping his arms around the other man. "You look extra princess-y today."

"I did my best." Ruby laughs, then he looks at me. "Do you hug?"

I nod.

Ruby steps closer and lets me initiate the hug. When I wrap my arms around him for a hug, he takes me in his arms and whirls me around. "You're adorable. Love that dress." He lets me go again and I have to take a moment to get my breath back.

"Thank you. Made it myself." I feel my cheeks heat up a little.

"Cool. I'm Ruby, as you've probably heard. And you are?"

"I'm Izzy."

"Izzy? So you're the one Jay is always bragging about." Ruby eyes Jason. "I don't think your description did her justice." He grins. "Okay, let's get you introduced to the rest of the group." He turns around. "So, everyone, this is Izzy. Izzy, this is the strange group of people that Jason hangs out with when he goes to conventions."

A guy with black hair and also a black and green outfit comes over, looking at me closely before he smiles. "I believe I've met my match for the evening. And those lashes rock."

I guess that these people aren't as scary as I made them out to be. Just like Jason, they seem to just accept that I dress this way and am who I say I am. This could be a very cool weekend.

This could be the first time I get to share my passion of geeky and creative things with a lot of people instead of just one or two.

This rocks.