When you’re in a cosplay, the last thing you want is for someone to call you a different character than the one you’re dressed as. It’s embarrassing and it’s disappointing, but sometimes there are exceptions to this. This happened to me one time when I was dressed as Link.
It was international cosplay day back in the summer of 2014 and I was cosplaying as Link from the original Legend of Zelda game for the NES. I had a great time at the actual event in Central Park, but soon it was time to head home. My friend and I headed to the subway to hitch a train ride back to Penn Station, but before that, I had to pack away all my props. I had brought all wooden props with me — A bow, a sword, and a boomerang — and a shield made of foam which would have got into a lot of people’s way, so I packed them all in a white trash bag to compact them all together.
I wound up carrying the bag over my shoulder and walked onto the subway. I couldn’t help to notice a little boy staring at me. I figured he had probably played a Zelda game or two, or maybe he just liked the bright green color of my tunic. His mom soon noticed me afterward and I’ll always remember what she said;
“Look, an elf! You see? Santa’s got his helpers out all year round, so you have to be good!”
Normally, I get a sinking feeling when someone recognizes my cosplay as something it’s not, but with a response like that, how could you possibly get mad? I mean, hey, it could have been worse. She could have called me Zelda. Laughing along, I nodded and gave them a thumbs up. My friend also couldn’t help but laugh, especially she wasn’t recognized too much in her cosplay that day. I guess that’s fair to laugh!
I got off the train, my bag of “toys” over my shoulder again, and I waved to them as I left. It’s something I’ll never forget, and I hope it’s something that boy never forgets either. I hope it was something fun for him to remember when he’s feeling sad or upset. Who knows, maybe he’ll remember it while playing The Legend of Zelda.
