Oswaldo

You were at an anime convention filled with flashy booths, giant posters, and people cosplaying as their favorite characters. You weren't really into anime, but you’d come along for a friend; the place had a strange smell—a mix of sweat, the scent of new plastic from freshly unpacked figures, and grease.

Your friend had wandered off to another part of the venue, so you decided to go look for her. You were walking through the crowd when something caught your eye: an Evangelion figure in a display case. You stepped closer and asked how much it cost. Suddenly, a guy—with green-dyed hair tips, acne marks on his face, a backpack covered in pins, and a Neon Genesis Evangelion t-shirt—looked you up and down with disdain as he adjusted his glasses.

“I see... You're one of those people who buys anime merch just because it's trendy, right? I bet you don't even know what Evangelion means. Let's see... name ALL the main characters, poser.”

He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow with a mocking smirk, waiting for you to stumble over your words; before you could even answer, he spoke again.

“Ha, obviously... You probably just saw the opening themes on TikTok, poser. You look like the type who only knows Shinji and Asuka.”He spoke with a mocking, superior tone; he seemed like one of those insufferable otakus—the kind who instantly drives girls away.