102 Cosplay Questions (originally from Cosplay Kobo)

100 Questions About Your Cosplay Lifestyle and Manners

There are no right answers to any of these questions. Quite a few can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no", but there are at least three more ways to answer any one of them. Of course, every answer has its reason and every reason has a story. Our goal isn't to pass judgement, but to get you thinking about these questions. If this questionairre starts a dialogue on manners, then we've done our job.

General Cosplay Questions

1) What's the best part of cosplay for you?
The entire creation process, from choosing fabrics and materials to putting a finished garment on. (And of course the positive attention at cons is nice too.)

2) Do you use the term "kameko" ("camera-kid")?
Never heard of it before now, but nope, and I don't think I will either.

3) Do you read event catalogs?
Like the little booklets that come with your badge at most conventions? Not usually. I'll scan them for interesting events that I may not know about, or read about the special guests, but I'll only read the whole thing if I get bored at the con.

4) Do you rsvp to events?
When I am able to, yes.

5) Do you want to attend more events? Or are you content to remain in your local area?
I always want to attend more events, but I never have enough money.

6) Do you use color contacts?
Nope. Sometimes I want to, but it's a money and hygiene thing.

7) Do you make your own costumes or do you buy them?
I prefer to make them, but I have bought parts (t-shirts, jeans, etc.).

8) Do you stick to one genre?
Nope!

9) Do you think that when cosplaying, one should stick to the genre of a given event?
Nope.

10) Does it bother you when people break genre?
Not at all.

11) Does it bother you when people know nothing about the series they're cosplaying?
A little, but only because it sort of discourages conversation.
"Oh, you like this series?"
"No, I just like the outfit."
"Oh, well it is a [cute/cool/whatever] outfit!"
-nowhere left for the conversation to go-

12) Does it bother you if people only know a little about the series they're cosplaying?
Not particularly. I prefer that people at least read Wikipedia or watch an episode or too, but it doesn't bother me if they just started the series and decided that they liked a character right off the bat.

13) Does it bother you if people are familiar with the series, but have no affection for the character they're cosplaying?
Ehh, again, not particularly.

14) Does it bother you if someone else is cosplaying the same character you are?
Nope. If they look better than I do, then, yeah, I get jealous, but I"m generally good-natured, so, no, it doesn't outright bother me.

15) Do you like posed shots?
Yes.

16) Do you like candid shots?
Only if they're in-character.

17) Do you think cosplaying characters from adult games or pornographic material is in bad taste?
Only if the outfit itself is explicit and there are children/pedestrians around. Otherwise, as long as you're covered, I don'r care.

18) If there's a problem at an event, do you jump to conclusions about the parties involved?
Depends on the problem, but, yes, if people are causing problems, I do make assumptions.

19) How many times do you cosplay in one month?
One or two.

20) Do you go to photo shoots?
Occasionally.

21) Have you ever been included in a cosplay CD-ROM?
No.

22) Is casual cosplay okay?
Yup, as long as the cosplayer doesn't have a rotten elitist attitude.

23) Are you okay with your face appearing on the internet?
Sure.

24) Do you find yourself thinking people are "too old" for cosplay? How old is too old?
Some people are too old for cosplays of specific characters, but not cosplay in general. On a similar note, some people are too young for specific characters too.

25) Do people who walk around in gothic lolita fashion bug you?
Nope.

26) Do you think Chinese dresses count as "cosplay"?
Not unless it's a specific character, otherwise it's just fashion (and can still be worn at cons, in my opinion).

27) What bothers you the most about cosplay?
The elitists in the community and people who ruin other people's fun (in any way). Oh, and the expense.

28) Do you think it's important to be "in character"?
Only for photos. It's thrilling to see cosplayers in character, but it's difficult and sometimes awkward to pull off, so I never expect it.

29) Does it make you nervous to be eyed by regular visitors at a public event?
Not nervous so much as awkward, but as long as there's at least one other person around in cosplay, I'm alright.

30) Do pre-scheduled cosplay appearances by popular cosplayers annoy you?
I've never heard of this, but it doesn't seem like something I'd get annoyed at unless they were loud and obnoxious.

31) Do you tell other people your best locations for shoots?
I don't have any spectacular shoot locations, but if I did, I would definitely share them. I always tell the location (if I remember) of shoots that I have when I post the pictures.

32) Do you put on your makeup before your wig or after?
Before. In the fashion industry, makeup is put on before hair is styled so that the hair doesn't get messed up by the makeup or from having to be pinned back. But I do put on my wig cap before makeup, to keep my hair out of my face.

33) Do you know a lot about the series' you cosplay?
I make sure that I know the basics at least (a quick Wiki search usually gets me started), and I always read or watch at least some of it, but it doesn't always stick in my mind. So if you ask me "Remember when [such and such] happened in [such and such] an episode?" I might not always know what you're talking about, even if I watched it twice.

34) Do you wear costumes only once or many times?
I wear them until I get bored of them.

35) When you've decided what costume to do next, do you share that information with other people?
Yup. It's warranted me a lot of hate a couple of times, but after editing a few privacy settings on my facebook, I feel a lot more comfortable sharing.

36) Do you want to be in cosplay magazines?
It'd be nice.

37) What's the most important part of cosplay for you?
Same as my favorite part, of course, the creation. It doesn't bother me when people buy costumes though, as long as they have fun in them, but I feel like other people are missing out on the fun of creation sometimes.

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Event Participation Questions

38) How active are you cosplaying in your own community?
I try to be very active, but this is a difficult question for me, since I don't really feel like I have a defined cosplay community. I'm just sort of everywhere in my area.

39) What do you wear on the day of an event?
Cosplay, of course.

40) Do you eat lunch on event days?
Yup.

41) Do you eat breakfast before attending events?
Definitely, otherwise I feel sick all day.

42) How long does it take you to change?
Depends on the costume, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

43) Do you think it looks geeky to attend an event with a big SLR camera?
This is a silly question. NO.

44) What camera do you use? A compact? An SLR?
Little point-and-click digital camera.

45) Are you afraid of cameramen? Are you cool with them?
Cameramen are fine as long as they don't get too personal.

46) Are you one of the first to line up to get inside?
Ahaha, no, I hate getting up early.

47) Do you not mind showing up late?
Not usually, no.

48) Do you have a small after party or a huge get-together?
Neither. I go home and sleep.

49) Do you like karaoke?
Nah, just not my thing.

50) Are you tolerant of bad singers?
Not really, no, haha. But I also don't attend karaoke events, so that solves that.

51) Do topics unrelated to animation and manga bug you? Or do you think it's okay to talk about anything at all?
Free speech, buddy, talk about whatever you want.

52) Do you eat lunch while inside event areas?
Sometimes.

53) Can you handle the cold?
Nope, I get frostbite.

54) Do you buy doujinshi at events?
Nope.

55) Do you make doujinshi to sell at events?
Nope.

56) Do you have a group that participates in group events?
I chill with the BAC, yeah =D And then I have my cosplay buddies for just hanging out in general or planning group things with.

57) Are you a member of a cosplay circle/club?
B.A.C. (Bay Area Cosplay)

58) When the event is over, how late do you stay out?
I usually go home right after.

59) If a new face approaches you at an event and takes up a few minutes of your time, are you annoyed?
Only if they're obnoxious is some way, otherwise I'm always glad to meet new people!

60) Do you go to cosplay dance parties?
Like at-con dances? Yeah.

>b?61) Do you think your Layer status is higher than others if a lot of people want to take your picture? Does it bother you not to have your photo taken as much as you think you deserve?
I have no idea what "Layer status" is, so... No?

62) Do you get jealous of other cosplayers having a lot of pictures taken of them?
Yes.

63) You're asked for a picture but have something else to do, do you refuse?
Only if I'm in a hurry or eating.

64) When you take pictures of people at events, do you give them all copies of the prints or data?
No, but usually just because I never see or hear from them again. If they asked, I'd give them to them.

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Photo Shoot Questions

65) (at a studio or shoot) Do you give a copy of each photo to all of the participants in it?
I'm not the one with the camera at photoshoots, but assuming I was, I'd send digital copies to people that I could get in contact with.

66) How do you approach photo shoots? As a chance to gather with friends and goof off or as a meeting to take nice pictures?
Both.

67) Are you particular about how you look in the test shots before the shoot? Do you mind how you look in general?
Yes and yes. If there is going to be photographic evidence, yes I want to look good!

68) When you take photos, do you prefer shots from the front or odder angles?
Both.

69) Are you bothered by recieving lots of photos? Are you happy?
I love getting lots of photos. =)

70) When you take photos, do you photograph only people you know personally and like? Or do you look for other people with great costumes to photograph too?
I take pictures of costumes or characters that I like. Which doesn't always even include my friends, haha.

71) Do you wander around to meet people at events or do you keep to your own group?
A little of both.

72) How many photos do you usually take with your own camera?
Usually I forget my camera, but at the last event, I have maybe 100 pictures.

73) How many photos do you usually take for others?
None. I'm a selfish photographer.

74) Do you mind if people resize or crop the pictures you've taken to make them look better?
Nope.

75) Do you crop and resize pictures others have taken for you?
Rarely, but it has happened.

76) Have you ever set up a photo shoot by yourself?
With just me and a photographer? Yes.

77) Do you check shoot information beforehand?
If there is any.

78) Do you like it when there are a lot of people in the shoot area? Or do you prefer small events?
Both. It's nice to get pictures with a lot of people, but it's easier with just one person.

79) What size (how many people) is the best for a shoot?
I wouldn't really know, most shoots that I do are just me, but I'd assume maybe around 4 people.

80) What time of day do you like to take photos?
Afternoon. I'm not a morning person, and night shoots are difficult (or so I hear).

81) Do you prefer indoor or outdoor shots?
Outdoor, the lighting's better.

82) Which do you dislike more - hot weather or cold weather?
Cold weather. It's harder for me to hide when I'm cold.

83) Do you know any cameramen?
Indeed I do =)

84) Do you eat in the photo area?
Yes.

85) Do you like taking parts-shots? Or do you dislike them?
I don't know what parts-shots are. =/

86) Do you retouch your photos?
No, but usually the photographer(s) that I work with does(do).

87) Are you annoyed by people who don't retouch their photos?
Nope.

88) Do you use reflectors?
I've worked with photographers who use them before. They can be annoying because the light gets directly in your eyes, but if the photographer is cooperative and sensitive to your pain, they can produce amazing shots.

89) Which is worse ~ breaking the rules and getting great pictures, or following them and getting poor ones?
Breaking rules to get good pictures is worse. Usually rules are there to prevent people from getting hurt or to prevent things from getting damaged. There will always be more opportunities to get cool pictures, I wouldn't want to risk getting kicked out of somewhere for a photo.

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Friend Questions

90) Why are your friends your friends?
Because they're awesome people who share similar interests.

91) If you hang out for one day, do you consider yourselves friends?
Kinda, I guess. Depends on the situation. If we make plans to hang out, sure, we're friends, but if we hang out for a while at a con where we just met, then you're a potential friend.

92) Do you give copies of your photos to others?
Digital copies, sure.

93) Do you want to make more friends?
Well, duh.

94) Do you at least remember the names of people you meet at events?
I'm lucky if I remember people's first names.

95) Do you find yourself adjusting your behavior to that of the character you're cosplaying when dealing with people dressed as characters your character knows?
Only if they initiate it.

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Home Page/Websites

96) Do you recieve permission every time you post a photo of someone else online?
Not for facebook, but I try to if it's for my blog. If someone asked me to take a picture down, I would. I have plenty of others that I can use.

97) Do you get angry if a foreign site links to your page? Or are you flattered?
I prefer them to ask permission, mainly because I'd like to know what sites I'm supposedly affiliated with.

98) Are you happy to get mail from Layers overseas or does it scare you?
I don't know what "Layers" are! D=

99) Do you try to increase your web sites' contents/hits? Or doesn't it matter to you?
I try a little, but I'm afraid of becoming obnoxious. I mostly blog for myself, but getting readers is cool.

100) Do you not particularly care who links to you? Or do you ask people not to link without permission?
Already kind of answered this. I prefer people to ask permission.

101) Do you credit the location or studio when posting photo shoot images?
If I am capable, yes.

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Final Question

What do you think people who have "good cosplay manners" are like?
Do:
Ask permission for photos
Be aware of your personal surroundings

Don't:
Talk badly about other cosplayers (to their face or behind their backs)
Bother people who are eating or in a hurry
Block other people from taking pictures
Stalk people for pictures
Get a big head