Anime has effected my life a lot, so I hate it so much when people diss it or say it 'makes you stupid' :|
(tl;dr got me into cool things instead of being just one of those outcast bookworms in the corner of the classroom)
It got me into a lot of things... Starting out it was just art and philosophy (delving into plotlines, relating them to my life and thoughts about life/death... really helped me through my angsty teenage years.) Soon it got me into other kinds of crafting, like charms and sewing. I like how my skills are pretty unique outside of the cosplay community.
With my first anime con came alternative fashions, and I started caring more about how I looked. I'm starting to get into wearing makeup now, even though I used to think it was only for preps :I and I started watching my weight so I can look good as certain characters, and so I can fit into certain Japanese brands.
I get a lot of my fashion inspiration from harajuku styles and cosplay (BUT I CAN'T AFFORD GOOD WINTER CLOTHES OTL) and I'm glad I don't wear the same ol' stuff everyone else does. Cosplay and these alternative fashions even got me into pursuing being a fashion designer, even though I have no idea how to go about it yet, it's given me some sort of goal. *_*
It also got me into Japanese (lolduh) and I'm in the top of my class, even though I skipped a year. It's another one of my goals to be a fluent translator, but again no idea how to go about these things since our school doesn't help us with it at alllll |:
And since there aren't many great cosplay photogs in the area, it's also gotten me into photography. I think I got my first camera in '08, but I've learned a lot. My current setup cost me around $550, but while it's not an SLR, it was so worth it *u*
And of course, if it weren't for Kumoricon, I wouldn't have so many friends :U
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... Aside from that, mentally I guess, I do the same things everyone does. Imaging people around me in cosplay, make dumb references that only I seem to understand, and such. ono;