Creepy App Guy | Cosplay Storytime | AnyaPanda 

Yeah, it feels like almost any female pokemon trainer always like... brings out the creepos

Honestly adults especially parents/guardians should start teaching younger people that saying no or making up excuses when you feel unsafe is fine and very important also to contact them/someone near by when something like that happens

Ugh I’m so sorry this happened to you. I have had many similar experiences and now that I work at conventions as a rooming musician, I have had to hire a “male figure” to be with me at all times because people get very handsy with me and my violin. Or angry when I try to leave a conversation, even though we may have been chatting for a few minutes already. But videos like this let younger cosplayers and con-goers that their personal boundaries are valid. Thank you for making this! ❤️

Make a shortcut on your phone to a minute timer and when the timer goes off pretend it’s a phone call and walk away.

The low-key "starving artist" insult lol I totally would have been so angry being treated like an object like that too. Oof. Hate that most people have stories like this

I am a male and I was in a steam punk cosplay and I was at a park and it is within walking distance from my home so I was leaving to go home and a normal looking guy on a bench gets up walks right up next to me and just says hi and then starts to grope me as I am walking so I just told him no thank you stop and then he left and then I ran home so when she says it’s ok to say no please for the love of god say no

Ahh I hate people sometimes. Like is it so hard to not be gross and creepy :/

that "girls were socially conditioned to always be polite" bit was too relatable... thank you for spreading the message that the cosplayer's (or anyone being creeped on's) comfort is way more important than some weirdo's feelings

completely off-topic, but the text edits this video were soooooooooooo cute!!

I used to be the kind of person who would have stood there and listened to the whole thing, and not realized how creepy it was until they touched me. Nowadays, I'd be a bit more aware of things after watching videos like these. So thanks Anya! 😄 Also, I think my excuse in the future will be that I need to go to the bathroom. And if they point out that I walked past one, I'll be like "Oh, that's where it was!" and go hide inside.

something like this happened to me it was my first katsu-con but over all i kinda punched the guy in the nose and ran to my friend group.

Interesting story, Anya. The main lesson is never being afraid to run away from uncomfortable strangers in public areas or scream HELP! when you're held physically by these individuals. I hope many people (not just young cosplayers, but also adults) remember this. There always will be creeps we encounter in our lives. Also, in this type of events, when someone who you want to talk with says no, it's NO... and let her alone.

ah yes, so many creeps at cons who dont understand the concept of consent

My best friend went as Serena from Pokémon to one of our first cons, and the amount of uncomfortable interactions she had with creeps was absolutely astounding. There’s something about Pokémon girls, I guess, which is EXTRA creepy considering the age of the characters!!

Some people, both male and female. are just awkward, very needy, and sometimes too touchie-feelie. Be kind at first, but be as brief as you feel you would like to be. Walk away and, if necessary, say "NO - Leave me alone!", and then leave the situation. It may hurt their feelings, it may be that you misinterpreted, you may be overreacting, but it is when you begin questioning yourself that you may put yourself in risky situations. Follow your feelings when you are scared and/or uncomfortable and act upon them. By the way, we have found people at Cons to be quite kind and polite and cosplayers eat up compliments - especially our Granddaughter - but I can see how this could make her more vulnerable. Thank you AnyaPanda for sharing this.

Always have a fake name ready to go. Or if you're caught off guard, say you have the same name as your cosplay and that's why you chose it in the first place. I mean if you're dressed as Alice in Wonderland it's not far fetched to think that your name is actually Alice.

Yoo that's terrifying but seriously if anyone does that at a con, and you see it, and one person definitely is giving off "I dont want to be here "vibes like shoving the guy off, or pulling away, recoiling and reclusing themselves slightly from the person they're talking to, yall have seen uncomfortable behavior before if you've been to a con. Also if someone gives you the "help" face. give them an excuse from the outside. If you recognize their cosplay just use that name, if not just say "hey I've been looking everywhere for you! The photoshoot is in 5 minutes we gotta go now!" Or something like that. Easy escape for them, get out of eyesight and just ask if they wanna hang around for a minute so they can call a friend to come get them so they won't be alone again. Or yknow. Make a new friend. But like dont be weird about it.

Yes! Preach that message! You don't owe anybody your time or conversation. Especially when they're making you uncomfortable!!

it's videos like these that help so much! 🙏 there's this photographer (older, guy maybe even 50+) going around conventions and medieval markets in Switzerland and he's always so pushy and basically forces you to have your picture taken. and "no" doesn't count. ever. I needed to watch videos like that during the pandemic to know that at the next con - or if I ever see him again - I can say "no" and just walk away; or maybe even tell him how rude he is; or maybe even reporting him to security 😑

Sadly we have to learn how to get out of those situations. I was that person who would see the interaction through when I was a fresh con goer but now I can get out and get other people out of those situations quickly.

I'm so glad that nothing bad happened to you and you were able to get out of the situation without anything worse happening. It's really great to hear you telling everyone that they can and SHOULD get away from uncomfortable situations! Because it is okay! Like many people, I've been forced to be polite when I don't want to be throughout my life. Sadly it happened mostly when I was working in retail several years ago and I couldn't escape. I still should have used some excuse. It's okay to regret not doing anything in the past because it allows us all to be wiser in the future

We should probably have a code that’s specifically for cosplayers when we get into the situations, so I’m going to make one and hope that it makes it to the rest of the community. If someone is interacting with you and you get that gut feeling, put your hand behind your back (or wherever someone else might be) and hold up: 1 finger- I’m a little uncomfortable, so please stay for a bit 2 fingers- Please stay a little closer 3 fingers- Interact with me and make an excuse for me to leave (we have a panel in five minutes, our group is about to go grab lunch) 4 fingers- go get someone else here too 5 fingers- do whatever it takes to get me out of here (go get security, go get a large group over here, etc.)

I'd be the type of person who would just sit/stand there listening to them not realizing their creepy until sometime goes wrong, My friends catch on before I do, or Later in the week when i think back TwT

A friend of mine cosplayed as Terezi from Homestuck and was being stalked by a girl all the time, she asked my friend to lick a red t-shirt due to Terezi's quirk on the webcomic. And she was really annoying, so once i told her off, that girl was still following us around all day by distance. We felt both really unconfortable. Some people think that because you are part of the same fandom as other people means that you can inmediately pester them with weird requests.

I hear you. I remember this one time I was pretty new to cosplay. But this guy comes up and starts talking to me. And I am super shy and awkward and I guess sometimes that come off as flirting. Anyways he's talking and asking me about my cosplay. And then starts to critic me on parts of it, like I built it wrong and should be this way. So I try to brush it off and say well I am fine with it. But by this point I am rubbed the wrong way and he's still seems happy. So I say I have to go to see my friends now ,and he asks for a hug goodbye. Like I didn't know him,but I also didn't want to come off as rude. So I gave him a hug. Then he started to follow me to my friends. Which were not there but it was my excuse. I somehow ditched him.but like an hour later he shows up again to give me another hug and ask one for his friend. It was just so uncomfortable. But thankfully by then I had my friends so I could block him out of my friends circle and he eventually got the hint and left . Now I am way more assertive with what I allow and don't allow.

This hasn't happened to me but if it ever does, will definitely take your advice Anya, you have the best morals.

A year late but I haven't seen anyone else comment this, so here it goes. That guy was grooming you. Sometimes creeps, not just at cons but anywhere, well test your boundaries to see how much you'll let them get away with. Using the app as an excuse was his cover in case you reported him. "Oh, I didn't mean to make her uncomfortable, I just thought she'd like this app!" If you hadn't pulled away, he probably would've tried testing your boundaries more. It's okay to excuse yourself out of social interactions that make you feel uncomfortable, but I get it. I hate being rude, too.

I completely agree with the lesson of "dont say your name if you don't want to" But I couldn't help to laugh because you also implied your reason was because you just met. Yet that's usually the first thing you do when you first meet someone is to exchange names

I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you. I feel ashamed for being a guy when I hear these kinds of stories. I've also been in one of these situations myself when I crossplayed. My friend dared me to hug everyone at the convention with a 'free hugs' sign and I did, and there was this one dude who didn't want to let go. He was very invasive and creepy and I also didn't just walk away because I thought that would be impolite. In hindsight I wish I had just walked off. I do think it's funny he believed I was a girl, but that just makes it all the more creepy. Nobody should feel entitled to this kind of behaviour. It's unacceptable and gross.

I always have the weirdest encounters in Pokemon cosplay! I was wearing Touko from B/W and this one guy came up to me, excited to see the character and keen to talk about the games, it was normal enough, we took a photo and exchanged instagram, then out of nowhere he starts going on about a graphic rape/murder fantasy he had between the game's main villain, who he planned to cosplay, and Touko, who I was cosplaying. After a moment of shock I ended the conversation and walked away. He tagged me in the picture we took and I blocked him.

It's a strange phenomenon that Pokémon cosplayers are quite ofter harrassed in conventions or in public altogether.. I have a very similar experience when I was cosplaying Serena from Pokémon XY... And older guy approached me on the street while I was walking to the convention area and it must have been clear to him that I was young, I looked like a minor back then. He was just staring at me from top to bottom while talking to me and asking suggestive questions and I just wanted to get out of there. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation and I had to face it all alone since my friends were already in the convention.. Luckily I got out of the situation pretty fast and all but after that, I have felt very cautious when walking full cosplay on in public especially if I'm all alone. I am also the kind and sweet type of a person and it's very difficult to say no and just leave the situation :'D

I'm glad that this interaction would not have been accepted now a days. I am glad that now we are working in society that women can now be aggressive in these situations.

i haven’t been feeling great recently but your videos help me so much and theyre just so entertaining to binge 🥺 thank you for uploading!! ^-^

not cosplay related but i had a stalker and whenever he tried to talk to me or go near me i would stand my ground and tell him to go away (very proud of my younger self for that) and i would have multiple people excuse his behaviour saying “oh it just means he likes you” “why are you being so rude? just be polite” thankfully i had two counsellors and they both took my side and said that i did the right thing by standing up for myself. it really sucks that we’re taught to just tolerate creepiness and harassment like that yet the creeps are never taught to change

its always a Greg (i know thats not his name) but theres something about Greg's that just make pepole think "creep" lol

Anya:cosplayers as a TEN YEAR OLD: :creepy men:oh mk here’s my time to be here:

Could you do a video talking about your favourite nerd related apps, like apps for manga, anime, tv and film ext...

I'm 32 and I've been cosplaying for 15 years, ladies (and gentlemen too) DO NOT explain yourself to anyone. You don't owe anyone an explanation. Just leave. Please. I've learned over the years that it's easier to just walk away than stand there and have a painful experience that can scar you.

one of my first times cosplaying at a convention I was dressed as moon/selene/female trainer from Pokémon sun and moon, and this one creepy dude was following me around like dude wtf I was barely 13

with all these stories, I think it's always better to stay with a group or friends or with your parent's if your going to a con. I just kinda do outings or whatever they called, so I don't really go to cons. I'm so sorry this happened to you!

This is why I don't go to conventions.

I have some fake names ready to go just in case I ever get asked my real name and I don't want to give it 😂 I love how in cons someone could go up to a group to get away from a creep and that group will protect them

"You Don't look like a Starving Artist Type".... Thanks, cause I am exactly that. BROKE!

I want to believe the guy was just trying to flirt or befriend people at the con and didn't realize he was making you uncomfortable. It's less common nowdays, but back when liking cartoons, anime, etc. was a "nerd thing" people got overly-excited when going to cons and ended up acting creepy unintentionally. Wich is just the more reason why you shouldn't be afraid to tell them if they're invading your personal space, they'll most likely back off immediately and apologize.

For younger girls from personal experience if a guy keeps asking for your name and won't take no for an answer, say a fake name. Personally I like to say Stephanie or Mikelia. But DON'T REVEAL YOUR REAL NAME

Thanks for sharing your stories. Good video. It is important that someone tell stories like this.

Omg thank you for sharing! This story gave me squirmies ..😖 I stopped giving my number out to random ppl at cons...after all many bad experiences where the people seemed nice (let's be honest...they were guys) and we had fun convos but then they get weird and want to hang out or tell me personal stuff or whatever until I block them....I just tell ppl now that I don't give my number out. Lol they're usually cool about it.

Gregs are always.... yeah

Oh man, hearing you re-enact what app guy said to you... I was going YIKES every few mins 😰😰😰 Glad you were able to get away from him and great advice for anyone that's planning on going to cons for their first time (once they're a thing again) also makes me glad that we were able build our friendship over yelling "WELCOME TO CHILLIS" and aggressively dabbing at each other across hallways vs. whatever it is "Greg" was trying to do LOOL

I really needed to watch this because sadly creepy guys like that come with the package being a cosplayer. Unfortunately im a magnet for guys like that since i look japanese, im actually chinese, which makes me worry about getting harassed since ive read weeb stories where weebs obsess over people who they think are japanese Im really wondering how stupid those guys are to think girls will just welcome them into their lives if theyre complete strangers

I have never been to a con before, but if I ever go to one I'M DEFINITELY GOING WITH FRIENDS

The politeness thing is real... but, it has to be both sides of the coin. If people try to treat ya with disrespect, they are not deserving of your respect, either.

I usually don't comment but I have to say there, you got it right; I am certain that the point of this interaction was not him showing off his app. If right after showing you he asked you to tell him where he could find your work, then that clearly means he sort of tried to settle some kind of exchange. like "i show you my stuff, you show me mine". That would make total sense, knowing how weird interactions can happen between a crepy guy and a woman. It's really sad there are still so many of those encounters in our society.

This is a very good video for you to do. Young women are told to stay, that it's rude to leave so you telling young women how to get out of that kind of situation is great. I had my own situation and the other thing creepy guys aren't good at is...understanding no. I had to point to my massive 6'2, heavily armored boyfriend to get the guy to back off.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Thank you for sharing your story, I'm sure it will really help people to hear this.

I love cosplay Story videos. There funny and informative.

I know you didn't really ask but.. You should do a "my cosplay progress" video where you show your oldest cosplays and then your newest :] I'd love to see that!

Thanks for sharing these stories they really helped me when cosplaying in public. The first cons were stressful for me. I didn't know what to expect and was afraid of making a scene if I was uncomfortable.

🌀I’ve Actually Just Had A Similar Experience Today At The Mall (Except He Never Actually Touched Me). I Had Just Finished My Holiday Shopping & Decided To Wait Outside For My Lyft. I Had My Headphones On & It Was Playing Music. Then All The Sudden This Man (Who Look A Lot Older Then Me) Walks Up To Me & Starts Talking To Me. So I Paused My Music So I Could Hear What He Was Saying. I Told Him To Repeat What He Said & I Still Couldn’t Understand Him. I Kept On Trying (& Failing) To Hear Him Out When I Suddenly Got This Gut Feeling That He Was Gonna Try & Do Something, So I Took My Phone Out & Pretended I Got A Text, & Then I Said “I Have To Go Back Inside” & I Went Back Inside. So I Guess It’s A Bit Different Then Your Story, But At Least I Took Your Advice!🌀

Creeps are the reason I try to go to cons in larger groups so I can help friends and they can do the same. An example being my friend was cosplaying Lillie from Pokemon and she worried about her dress even though she had shorts on underneath so anytime we had to go up the escalators I would stand behind her to help prevent creeps (there were a couple that approached her during the con weekend)

I love the editing in this video

The dislikes are from that guy's many accounts

i love ur makeup

SkIppIng HoMewoRk for AnyaPnada!!

I remember once I had this older guy (and I mean 20+ years old) keep trying to talk to me at a convention. He wasn't creepy per say, and was actually being really nice and just trying to encourage me to get out there with my costume. (he was also in costume btw) But I felt really uncomfortable having him talk to me when I was on my own. I was probably around 22 at the time, and without being rude he was easily 40+ thankfully someone of a similar age in a costume from the same thing came to me and asked to get some photos of us together, so that became my excuse. After that I just did my best to avoid the guy.

My reply would be, "oh wow I can read manga virtually thats already been done many times before..."

Hey! I know you didn’t ask for video idea suggestions in this video but I actually came up with a pretty neat one-what if you tried out some of those “cosplay hacks” and debunked or approved different ones? Like soaking shiny wigs in detergent, dying wigs with sharpies, ect! They don’t have to all be wig related but you get the idea!

Now im scared to go to conventions......

hay did you know the don from pokemon had a mascot costume like a kigurumi suit im not lieing look it up

Of course he didn't make the app. He's using it as the hook in his pickup routine. A liar, conman and groper.

I’ve never had anything even close to as creepy but lucky I always say something like I have to go whenever I have that feeling 😓😌

SHES A 10 YEAR OLD CHILD

not necessarily cosplay or con related, but I've given out fake names to guys that have made me uncomfortable more times than I'd like to admit.

Already when he asked for your real name I would be like "you are freaking me out so i'm gonna leave now, bye" But I get that not everyone is the same in situations like that. Or just make up a fake name. If he would have touched my I would have kicked his balls or twist his arm. Hell NO! I'm so sorry you experienced this.

Wow it’s crazy how people just can’t read ppls emotions and body language.

I really want to go to conventions but I’m underage and my parents won’t let me go In this instance I’m very grateful I’m underage because I don’t think I’m going to one anytime soon If this happened to me I would go full goat mode. *playing dead screaming and falling over* I’m not good with awkward interactions and that really sucks as a cosplayer because it feels like you almost always have to Interact with people lol

I'm at the point in my life, where if my warning bells are going off, all bets are off, politeness off the table, and I'll be very blunt. Also, he has a manga app, but doesn't know one of the most main stream mangas/animes out there? Wtf

I'm a younger cosplayer who hopes to go to a con when this pandemic is over, and I'm pretty sure the first con I'll go to will be with my sister (who is older than me and an adult) and I'll make sure to stay with her at all times because sadly, people can be creepy

I have been on this road only different and for some reason ain't getting so far but told him off am the blunt type of a person if don't like person nor person being a creep ill call it is why will not let anyone touch me cause ill be nervous ill do next.

oh no another pushy Kevin XD

Hey Anya! New subscriber and I really enjoy your vids! One question though, how do you know that a wig looks good for your cosplay? Thank you God bless!

I sadly dealt with my first creeper experience happened BEFORE I EVEN STARTED. I announced my intention to display the character Shannon from the visual novel Umineko When They Cry which if you’re not familiar the character is decently tame overall but she still has HUGE breasts and she’s like a maid but the outfit has like this little slit to show off a tattoo on her thigh. And immediately I got this one guy in the Discord chat I was in lusting after the character and while it’s not AS BAD as some other creepy shit it was undeniably sexual in nature especially one of them was discussing one fantasy that’s…not explicit but still pretty lustful if that makes sense which made me uncomfortable. And initially my friends and my sister was like 🤷🏻‍♀️ Eh they were just jossing don’t take it too seriously. Which wasn’t malicious, but….as it turned out they were NOT kidding and eventually it turned out they later banned for being a pedophile so that was great 😬…so yeah I ordered one of those “please don’t take my picture unless you ask first” buttons after that somewhat traumatic experience

TFS ❤️

okay, this story made me uncomfortable. I'll just leave. bye! all jokes aside, I would've had a stroke if I were in Anya's position :/

ok who tf disliked the video.

But can you make a meme that doesn’t get reposted?

...You drink water with a straw?...Why though?...

Early!

Maybe he was just trying to flirt with you, you did say he thought you were cute.

I'm just going to be frank I think you're kind of overly skeptical, which makes you kind of weird and honestly any approach would probably throw your alarm of security off, so in my opinion it seems that both you too should of just walked away.

I like these cosplay stories. But you repeat the same stuff/sentences multiple times, which kinda makes harder to listen to ur story