Let me start by saying, I was bullied all through school, and it hurt a lot, I didn't have physical bullying, but I had snide remarks and mention of my weight and things like that.

I didn't really say much when it came to it, but when I started to enjoy and love Japanese animation, I started to realize that among us fans, we have a problem! The bullying was happening in our own community. I had a problem, I was friends with someone who was considered a popular person in the Anime community as we called it. But he had a few flaws, which as a good friend I over looked, until he started to stop paying rent.

I didn't know I was popular in the Anime Community, until people actually freaking told me. I ran panels at conventions and worked pretty hard on my research for these panels. Well...when I had to kick the guy out, he started to talk badly about me and also his friends started to verbally harass me at the conventions. The name calling got pretty bad to the point that my fiance and I had to move.

What I didn't realize until I returned to Colorado was things got worse! I saw younger anime fans and costuming enthusists suddenly being treated badly, when I complimented a cosplayer (costumer), someone would come up and start putting the person down. Or worse, started spreading rumors about the person, who is possibly younger than myself. I felt horrible! Truth was it wasn't just me seeing it, it was everyone, and no one wanted to do anything.

I got sick of it, I started to tell all cosplayers who put their best foot forward in their cosplays they were doing great. I told the people who were being the bullies to stop it, but they only laughed at me or made up stuff about me.

I have this to say, it doesn't stop at high school, it comes out in the fandoms, it comes out everywhere you go in a fandom. Truthfully, I hope that someone in the fandom reads this and also realizes they're not alone, that there are others out there who are going through it to. I wish there was a way to stop the Fandom bullying because it hurts. You see it online when people make fun of cosplayers, you see it at the conventions, personally, I find it sickening and mean. Those kids put a lot of effort in their cosplays and I champion them for even attempting, and coming.

i want to tell anyone who is an anime fan or going to high school, you guys are great, you are the reason the fandom is here to find fellow fans, not feel like you're outcasts. It isn't fair to you who go through all that pain in school with being different to being picked on in your own community. I hope if you read this, you have a friend in the fandom.