/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

[Anonymous No.7057268]

Why do people think this shit is okay?

[Anonymous No.7057271]

>>7057268
tl;dr

[Anonymous No.7057272]

>>7057271
Lazy fuck.

[Anonymous No.7057277]

I'll give people a pass if they want to cosplay from things like that one MMO that's shut down that had the really elaborate designs because those designs are gorgeous and you can't play it even if you try. Not playing a Zelda game? It's harder to NOT play a Zelda game than to get your hands on a copy of SOMETHING and play it.

[Anonymous No.7057290]

Because they want attention.

How many people who have dressed up like Morrigan Aensland over the years played Darkstalkers? How many? Take a wild guess.

[Anonymous No.7057294]

>>7057268
Who cares

if you like a design, cosplay as it. Obviously it's helpful and less lazy to know at least a BIT about the character you are playing, but I doubt anyone is going to expect you to give a lecture on your character's history.

I dressed as misty last year and I've not seen more than four pokemon episodes since I was a kid

[Anonymous No.7057301]

This reminds me of something that happened at the last con I went to.

>friend and I are walking around, suddenly friend sees character they recognize.
>he's happy, excited and goes over to take a picture and maybe talk to the person a little about the series.
>friend: hey, can I get a picture?
>them: sure, what kinda pose you want?
>friend: his fight stand is good
>them: oh... -does awkward pose that is nothing like the character's actual fighting stance-
>friend snaps picture anyway and then walks away a little disappointed

It was a sad thing to witness...

[Anonymous No.7057308]

>>7057301
Yeah this is what kills me. Back in the day before the internet and before you could talk with people who liked anime online, cosplay was a sure fire way of meeting other people interested in the same shows as you. It was a giant target that you painted on yourself saying "Hey, I like this too. Come talk to me and we can discuss it together."

It kind of stopped being about that due to the internet and being able to find information instantly and how mainstream being a nerd has gotten.

[Anonymous No.7057310]

Cosplaying is more of a contest nowadays.

Muh internet fame.

[Anonymous No.7057314]

>>7057310
Do you know what will make you really popular at conventions? Cosplaying any anime made before 2006. It's insane how well people respond to old school cosplays. Like the handful of people who actually do recognize you are totally fucking psyched.

[Anonymous No.7057322]

>>7057314
Anything that isn't incredibly overdone.

>There are still Yoko Littners roaming around

[Anonymous No.7057359]

>>7057277
>>7057290
OP is a bad example of what they are looking for. The cosplayer researched not only the design of the character probably also looked up some gameplay footage and knows the storyline. If the cosplayer knew nothing about Zelda that's one thing but this person did a good amount of studying beforehand which I'm ok with.

I want to know where you actually consider the person being unfamiliar with the source material. In the following cases would you consider it ok or not ok to cosplay the character based off of the cosplayer's knowledge.

1. The cosplayer has watched the anime up until the point their character is introduced but has stopped for whatever reason.

2. The cosplayer has only watched episodes of their series where their character is introduced.

3. The cosplayer has yet to watch the series but has done a good amount of resarch on the design, wikipedia and watched youtube clips to know how their character acts.

4. The character is from a video game that the cosplayer is really bad at and is unable to finish it.

5. The character is not from the game but the cosplayer knows full well the events of the game after watching a let's play or a friend go through the entire game. Can correct recall events and facts from the game/story.

The character is part of a larger series but the cosplayer is only familiar with one adaptation. (ie Captain America cosplayer only seeing the Avengers).

[Anonymous No.7057368]

>>7057359
The girl in OP was claiming that Sheik was in Twilight Princess, and got severely butthurt when she was called out on it, telling people to fuck off because they weren't being nice to her.

Reading Zelda's brief Wikipedia article and looking at pictures of her doesn't count as "knowing the character".

[Anonymous No.7057371]

I don't really care, because if someone doesn't really know what they're cosplaying, then I have nothing to start a conversation with them about other than their techniques for making the costume--IF they made it themselves.

I don't care if someone cosplays for superficial reasons like design, just don't expect fans like me to give you anything but shallow responses. It's not like I can geek out about a detail in reference to the costume in-game/series, or make related character innuendos that would be appreciated with someone who just doesn't know what the hell I'm on about.

[Anonymous No.7057372]

>>7057359
If you haven't actually sat down and played the game, then you don't know jack shit about the game. Period. Watching a bunch of Let's Plays doesn't make you a gamer. Playing video games makes you a gamer. How can you spend a bunch of time and money on something that you don't love enough to actually play and experience properly?

The Avengers people, I get, but when they say "Oh my God I love Loki" they need to clarify that they actually love Tom Hiddleston and not Earth-616 Loki. Just make that distinction and I will have no problems with you, because Movie!Captain America and 616 Cap are different characters.

As for anime that's hard because most anime are only 13 to 26 episodes, and if you don't have enough time and patience to sit down and watch 26 episodes of something, then you obviously shouldn't be spending time and money copying a character from something you have no patience for.

[Anonymous No.7057380]

>>7057372
>if you haven't sat down and played the game then you don't know shit.

Is this really true? If the person watching the game play knew a lot about the characters, secrets and bosses along with specific events in the story (even moreso than people who played the game) shouldn't that mean something?

[Anonymous No.7057393]

>>7057380
Video games were meant to be played. That is the whole point of them. They are an interactive experience. If you don't want to do the most basic thing with a video game, which is the game part, which is why game is in the word video game, then why are you even bothering with the medium at all? It seems a tad bit asinine.

[Anonymous No.7057403]

>>7057380
Let's Plays are good for people who can't afford gaming systems or games, that's understandable. But if you have enough money to cosplay and go to cons, then you have no excuse. You could be spending that money on games, but there are unfortunately a large amount of women who can't be bothered to.

[Anonymous No.7057404]

>>7057380
>>7057393
Not the same person or w/e but what about games that are hard to get your hands on? Also what if the game is only on a council you dont own?

[Anonymous No.7057407]

>>7057393
Tell that to Hamburger Helper.

[Sonic Boom !ZGpyRoQe/M No.7057409]

>>7057314

I can confirm this. I did Ryoko from Tenchi at Otakon this year and people were psyched. They all wanted pictures WITH me, not OF me and it was like being dressed up as Mickey in Disney world haha.

Anything from Toonami that isn't Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball will give you +10000 cool points.

And I explicitly remember a lot of people going "Yeah! Old School!" and it made me sad and feel old because it feels like I watched tenchi like 2 years ago and then I remembered it was like 10 and I hated myself a little

[Anonymous No.7057410]

>>7057404
Then get the fucking console, or don't cosplay it. Because you don't know shit.

[Anonymous No.7057415]

>>7057404
> Also what if the game is only on a council you dont own?

Then you are a massive faggot for not having a PC.

[Anonymous No.7057416]

>>7057380

I wanted to cosplay as Beatrice the witch from dark souls after I saw pics of the design, and was told about her from my boyfriend, who is an avid player. He goes to cons dressed as Solaire, so he wanted me to go dressed as something related.

I've played a little of the game but not much, mostly because the PC is always being hogged. I know bits here and there, but not a great deal. Is it unacceptable to do this cosplay based on my lack of knowledge

[Anonymous No.7057420]

>>7057407
No. Please. I pre-ordered Dragon Age 2 and picked it up at midnight and it was the worst mistake I've made since that time I forgot to take my birth control before prom.

>>7057416
Well as long as somebody who actually plays video games is there to back you up, and you are nice enough to do shit for your boyfriend and not just for yourself, it's cool.

[Anonymous No.7057424]

I'd think that if she's looking for a challenge, why not make her own designs?

Other than that, it doesn't bother me when people don't know their source material. It just really makes me wonder 'why' unless they did it for a group.
I'd throw a cosplayer a bone if they were just asked to cosplay so they could fill in a spot in a group. However, if that's the case, then I'd really hate for them to complain about not getting anything but shallow attention.

[Anonymous No.7057423]

>>7057409
I'm a big outlaw star fan and I want to cosplay as aisha clanclan, but I'm a short and flat chested and the colour of a milk bottle, so I have no idea how I'll pull it off. Plus that wacky hair with the rat tail looks like potential wig nightmare

[Anonymous No.7057425]

>>7057410
>>7057404
Or maybe the game is the only title that I want to play on the console and buying a full system would not do me any good

[Anonymous No.7057428]

>>7057425
What is the game?

[Anonymous No.7057433]

>>7057425
How many console exclusive games actually exist any more? I could probably list all of them on both hands.

Seriously just get a PC.

[Anonymous No.7057430]

>>7057424
People generally don't like OC designs, and if she wanted to enter a competition many of them don't allow it

[Anonymous No.7057446]

>>7057425
Or you know you could cosplay from something that is on a console you own, and you know, something you've actually played instead.

[Anonymous No.7057452]

I've never played Metal Gear Solid in my life, yet I want to cosplay it.

I know the lore through and through, and then some. I've watched all the MGS, and MG, on stream.

Just because someone doesn't PLAY it doesn't mean they don't KNOW it.

[Anonymous No.7057458]

Whats this chicks dA?

[Anonymous No.7057515]

>>7057458
No drama. ;_______;

All I can say is that she looks as dumb as she sounds.

[Anonymous No.7057523]

Is it bad that the thing that upsets me most about OP is the lack of punctuation?

[Anonymous No.7057540]

>>7057452
I agree, I'm too big of a pussy to play survival horror games but I love watching Let's Plays for them. I've read a lot into Silent Hill and Amnesia too.

I think there's a difference between just reading into the source material and attempting to experience it first-hand. But it seems be less and less important these days as far as Cosplay goes. Not that it's really important, but I feel a little sad when I try to talk to a cosplayer about whatever it is they're cosplaying from and the it's obvious they don't understand it very well. But alas free will and whatnot, people can cosplay whatever the hell they want to.

[Anonymous No.7057547]

>>7057428
Ratchet and Clank. Outside of that game I don't want to own a Ps3

[Anonymous No.7057554]

>>7057540
man you run into people who HAVE played/watched the entire thing who still fuck shit up.

and then there's the weird case of visual novels where there is barely any difference at all between actually playing and reading an LP.

the people who have actually played dangan ronpa are a TINY minority in the fandom but it doesnt make a damn difference (but i'd be severely disappointed if the upcoming english release doesnt sell well)

[Anonymous No.7057562]

>>7057368
>claiming that Sheik was in Twilight Princess

How are people still getting that wrong?

[Anonymous No.7057569]

>>7057393
>>7057372
I think you guys are being too narrow minded. Just because we're not playing the game does not mean were are completly devoid of the experience. I'm not good at games but I love watching my friend play them and we often "co-op" these titles as we come up with strategies together, I warn him of dangers or secrets he's missed and we both ponder choices that we want to make.

[Anonymous No.7057574]

>>7057569
Stop being lazy and maybe people will actually respect you.

[Anonymous No.7057572]

>>7057562
There was concept art for Sheik in the Twilight Princess art style, but I don't know what the story behind it is. If someone was cosplaying this specific version I'd understand, but otherwise I have no idea.

[Anonymous No.7057576]

>>7057268
>Politely asks why you cosplay something you're unfamiliar with
>Is accused of being rude and attacking the cosplayer
>mfw people are seriously this sensitive.

If people seriously take offense to a simple question like that they need to grow up. It's really fucking stupid.

I for one only cosplay a character I know inside and out, I cosplay characters I like more than characters who have popular designs.

[Anonymous No.7057581]

>>7057572
Sheik was going to be included in Twilight Princess, but the idea was scrapped. That's all.

[Mandark No.7057585]

>>7057372

I'm going to tell you my gaming sin anon, out of all the zelda games I've played I can maybe count on one hand the ones I actually finished.

Does that make me less of a gamer to ya? Less of a Zelda fan? Regardless of me not playing all of the games I still like the series and still consider myself a fan.

[Anonymous No.7057587]

>>7057585
>Does that make me less of a gamer to ya? Less of a Zelda fan?

Yes. Yes.

[Anonymous No.7057588]

>>7057581
I can see why they'd scrap such a stupid idea, but at the same time, it would have at least added some depth to the robot they turned Zelda into.

[Anonymous No.7057590]

>>7057585
Yes, because Zelda games are easy as fuck.

[Anonymous No.7057593]

>>7057585
No offence, but how can you not complete them? Zelda games aren't really that difficult to finish. If you get bored of them and so stop playing then how can you call yourself a fan of it?

[Anonymous No.7057595]

>>7057588
That version is pretty much the Brawl version just with darker colors, so yeah.

[Mandark No.7057609]

>>7057590

Haha that is no doubt true. For extra fun here are the only ones I've finished:

- Link to the Past
- Ocarina of Time
- Twilight Princess
- Skyward Sword

>>7057593

Shrug, no offense taken. While Zelda games are not difficult to finish a lot of them I simply didn't own the console for. Can't exactly play a gameboy zelda game if I didn't own the gameboy itself now can I? (Fully aware I can get some games on the 3DS e-shop but I'm more referring to that period in time)

Ultimately I'm trying to show that you can be a fan of something despite not playing the ENTIRE library of that series.

After all, how many hardcore zelda fans can say they've played the CD-I games? Does it make them less of a fan if they haven't play those as well?

[Anonymous No.7057611]

>>7057609
>Can't exactly play a gameboy zelda game if I didn't own the gameboy itself now can I?

Emulation.

[Anonymous No.7057617]

>>7057611
Yeah. There's some consoles that are hard to emulate. The gameboy is not one of them. There is no excuse for not having played a gameboy (or gameboy advance) game.

[Anonymous No.7057622]

>>7057609
>>7057609
>After all, how many hardcore zelda fans can say they've played the CD-I games?
>Does it make them less of a fan if they haven't play those as well?

It'd make you more of a fan if you did.

[Anonymous No.7057623]

I don't know why people get so riled up over things like this. See a costume you like, make it, wear it, have fun with it. The only drawback to me is it cuts out discussion of the character with others.

[Anonymous No.7057624]

>>7057609
>Ultimately I'm trying to show that you can be a fan of something despite not playing the ENTIRE library of that series
No one ever said that though.
We're just saying, if you're going to cosplay from a game, you better have fucking played it, but this was in reference to games that are on their own, not a series.
With LoZ, if you're going to do a character that's in one game and only one, then play the damn game. If you're going to do, say, Link, then you should have played at least one LoZ game.

[Anonymous No.7057629]

>>7057622
Nope. Being a fan = how much you enjoy something. Which usually leads to doing more with it and learning more about it, true, but if X person who has played one Zelda game has gotten more enjoyment out of that one game than Y person has out of the whole series + collectibles + cosplayed numerous characters, person X is a bigger fan than person Y.

[Mandark No.7057639]

>>7057624

Oh yeah I fully agreed. I was just using the LoZ example to display a rather different point of view on the situation.

>>7057290 said it best earlier:

>How many people who have dressed up like Morrigan Aensland over the years played Darkstalkers? How many? Take a wild guess.

[Anonymous No.7057656]

>>7057629
A fan would try their best to consume as much of the medium as possible, though. A person with experience with a single game would be a fan of that singular experience, and not really a fan of the series as a whole.

[Anonymous No.7057798]

>>7057572
>>7057581
The design is because they wanted to include Sheik in smash brothers but since it was TP designs for Link and Zelda they did a version of Sheik as such.

At least that's what my Hyrule Historia says.

[Anonymous No.7057813]

>>7057409

Were you the Ryoko with Washu? Because if so, I saw you at the Masquerade and desperately wanted a picture of you. You were amazing.

[Anonymous No.7058826]

>>7057798
I need to read my Hyrule Historia. I pre ordered it, but it went straight to my shelf and hasn't budged since.

>>7057623
Nobody likes attention whores. You must be one of them.

[Anonymous No.7058844]

>>7058826
I don't understand, why does making something you like the design of making you an attention whore?

In fact that's the most ridiculous statement I ever heard.

Since when did doing something for it's aesthetic value become attention whoring?

The two are mutually exclusive surely?

[Anonymous No.7058847]

>>7058844
When you cosplay something because it looks pretty, you are an attention whore. Period. Because you don't know anything about the character or series, you just want people to look at you.

[Anonymous No.7058865]

>>7057593
Not that anon, just adding my 2 cents. I have played Arcanum: of steamworks and magick obscura more times than I can count. I would say it's one of my favourite games of all time, and I am definitely a fan of it. That said, I think I've only completed it like once or something? Because the part right before the ending is long and boring and just not worth it to me. I prefer just dicking about in the vast game world, doing sidequests and trying to find all the little secrets and stuff. Some of the zelda games are like that for me too, sometimes it's just more fun to do other things in the game than complete it, especially if the storyline is not particularly interesting. It has nothing to do with it being hard or the game itself being bad, it's just that some parts of a game can be more dull than others. Thinking especially of that fucking dungeon in phantom hourglass.

[Anonymous No.7058866]

>>7058847
Or you just want to make something that looks awesome and what other people think and how they react is irrelevant. You just want to wear the nice thing.

That's basically saying cosplay isn't about the craft at all. It's just about the perception of the end result.

Because surely the rule of 'if you don't know the source material you're an attention whore' must work for everyone. So someone who only likes, for example, one arc of a story before they decided it wasn't for them because of the direction the story took but cosplays it anyway is an attention whore but to a lesser degree?

But then if I lined up say, 50 cosplayers you wouldn't know just by looking at them if they knew anything about their series or not. Knowledge of a series doesn't infer quality.

In fact the only way you'd know if someone doesn't know the series they're cosplaying from is if they told you or otherwise shared that information.

Does this mentality also apply to the observer?

Because as someone who's just looking at the cosplayers, if you don't know the series or character someone is cosplaying from, does that make you any less capable of appreciating the craft or otherwise liking the costume?

So far as I see it, anyone can cosplay any thing for any reason they like. And anyone that raises an objection to that is defending a point not worth defending.

Because at the core of it. Someone is doing something, because they want to.

There is nothing wrong with wanting attention. It doesn’t make you selfish. It doesn’t make you desperate or pathetic or weak. It makes you human. We all want to be noticed. We all need to feel seen and heard and valued. And we all deserve to have those needs met. You are no exception. You deserve to take up space. You deserve to be acknowledged and loved and cared for. You deserve to shine. Don’t let anyone, including yourself, convince you otherwise.

[Anonymous No.7058873]

>>7058866
News Flash, but there are plenty of cosplayers that like to cosplay certain characters because they are fans of that character, know them inside and out, and want to bring them to life out of their love for him/her. Some of us like cosplaying so we can meet new people who like the same things as us, to try and start new friendships. Yes, getting compliments and attention is nice, but that's not the entire purpose of cosplay.

I get that you must be new to the cosplay scene and therefore follow the ideal that cosplay is all about attention, but it's not for most people, because there's more to it than just that. You honestly can't get offended when people call you an attention whore, because it's true. Change that about yourself and maybe people will respect you as a cosplayer.

[Anonymous No.7058874]

>>7058847
By that logic, all aesthetic creative efforts that are shared with the public are attention whore-y. People who like to paint? You're not painting because you're a FAN of something, you just want people to look at your painting and praise you! At that point I think the concept becomes kind of meaningless? I don't cosplay, but I've always kind of figured that the main aspect of cosplay was costume making, which is a hobby in and of itself and does not need to be related to video games and anime. I guess that's why I don't mind people who cosplay but don't know the source material, I always just figure that they like the character design and prefer using their costume making skills for designs that they like as opposed to LARP-outfits or somesuch.

[Anonymous No.7058878]

>>7058874
Costume making is not limited to cosplay, or even LARPing.

[Anonymous No.7058879]

>>7058873

[Anonymous No.7058881]

>>7058866
This post makes me happy. I like you, anon.

[Anonymous No.7058883]

>>7058878
Well no, hence "or somesuch". It doesn't change the fact that anime/video game designs might appeal to costume makers who don't know the source material, because they are usually very intricate.

[Anonymous No.7058885]

>>7058874
>By that logic, all aesthetic creative efforts that are shared with the public are attention whore-y. People who like to paint? You're not painting because you're a FAN of something

That's a false equivalence and you know it. It'd only be remotely similar if we were talking fanart. And yeah, you probably are an attentionwhore if you're drawing fanart of something you know fuckall about. Cosplay is, in effect, a form of fanart.

If you just want to wear cute costumes why not design shit yourself?

[Anonymous No.7058886]

>>7058881
That's because you are also a special snowflake attention whore who migrated here from tumblr who also confuses their personal feelings with fact.

[Anonymous No.7058887]

>>7058883
If the costumes are so fascinating to you, why not get to know the source material?

As stated earlier, if you have enough money to go to cons and make cosplay, then you have more than enough to buy video games or even a few DVD's. Stop being lazy.

[Anonymous No.7058888]

>>7057268
COSPLAY IS ONLY ABOUT HAVING FUN AND DRESSING UP AS DESIGNS THAT YOU LIKE

IF YOU DISAGREE OR IF YOU DARE TO DISLIKE THIS YOU'RE A MISOGYNISTIC PIG

[Anonymous No.7058889]

>>7058887
This.

If something catches your eye, don't you want to learn more about that thing? If I go into a museum and see a painting I like, I would want to know everything about that artist. What would inspire him to create such magnificent and moving work? I want to actually learn things. Isn't the natrual state of the human mind to be curious? That's how civilisation progresses, through curiosity. Think about how much science we wouldn't know if Newton just watched an apple fall from a tree and didn't want to know why the apple did that.

Why would you look at Yuna from FFX and go "I like this costume and this character, but I don't give a shit about the world she comes from." I am seriously at a loss.

[Anonymous No.7058891]

>>7058888
IT'S TRUE. SEWING YOUR OWN COSTUMES AND MAKING SHIT YOURSELF CAN'T BE FUN, BECAUSE ANYTHING THAT REQUIRES ACTUAL WORK ISN'T FUN YOU GUYS.

ACTUALLY LEARNING ABOUT NEW THINGS ISN'T FUN BECAUSE THATS SUPER HARD.

ACTUALLY PLAYING VIDEO GAMES ISN'T FUN EITEHR BECAUSE THAT'S STUPID WHITE MALE NERD SHIT, AND WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT LOL. I'D RATHER BE OFFENDED BY HOW SEXIST THEY ARE, AND THEN IN THE SAME BREATH BUY A SLUTTY COSTUME, THAN ACTUALLY SIT DOWN AND PLAY THEM.

[Anonymous No.7058895]

>>7058885
You're right, that was a hastily made comparison. I've spent most of the day in kind of a daze, my apologies. Let's try something more similar - If I like to create psychedelic art but do not do drugs, does that make me an attention whore? Psychedelic art is very heavily based on drug culture, and most people who are going to "get" your art are going to assume that you do drugs and are going to bring that up in discussing your art with you. To me, that is basically the same as a costume maker creating a costume based on a character that they just like the design of. I just don't see the harm in creating for the sake of creating, and I dont understand the hate that comes with it.
As for the "why not design shit yourself", some people have technical skill but are absolute shit at designing. Maybe they care about the end product and know that it will be better if they pick a design done by someone who actually knows what they're doing?

[Anonymous No.7058896]

Thread is over.
>>7058888
>>7058888
>>7058888
>>7058888

Quadz are God's way of telling the neckbeard virgins who don't even cosplay ITT to fuck off back to where they belong >>>/a/ >>>/r9k/ >>>/out/.

[Anonymous No.7058899]

>>7058896
Yes. Get these disgusting neckbeard virgins off of 4chan altogether. 4chan is no place for people like that.

[Anonymous No.7058902]

>>7058895

That's still an idiotic analogy.

Sure, people have the right to do whatever the fuck they want, but either take the time to get to know the source material or don't fucking bother. Cosplay's a FAN art. Why would you spend hours and hours on something you have 0 investment in beyond "oh it looks pretty" how much more shallow can you get?

And yeah I'd be throwing just as much of a fit if this was an issue of people spending hours copying intricate designer runway gowns 'for fun' without even knowing the designer's name.

[Anonymous No.7058903]

>>7058887
I don't actually cosplay, and if I see a character design that I really like I usually do look the series up, so I can't really answer this question. People are different, I guess? Maybe they did look it up but the short wikipedia summary of the series was enough to let them know that they wouldn't be interested in it? And then they figure, "well this isn't for me, but I still think the character is cool?" I honestly have no idea. I just don't understand all the rage that it creates in people.

[Anonymous No.7058905]

>>7058903
Because fuck fake ass triflin bitches.

[Anonymous No.7058906]

>>7058895
If you were actually to browse a pattern book at fabric stores, you'd see that there are plenty of cool costume patterns available. You can pick and choose fabrics, alter them a bit, or do whatever with them.

The point of fan conventions in the first place is to go and celebrate your fandoms. When you show up not knowing dick about anything, and just want to show off your work, it's defeating the whole purpose.

[Anonymous No.7058908]

>>7058902
Psychedelic art that imitates the visual effects of for example LSD or shrooms are just as much fan art as drawing a character from a series. It is a very specific experience.

And the designe thing I don't get. Sure it might be cool to look up everything that the designer has made previously, but sometimes a singular experience can just be about that singular experience, and not about all the artists work ever. I have several songs that I like from bands I don't know shit about, either because I haven't bothered to listen to their other songs or because I gave them a shot, but didn't like them. I still like that particular song, but I am not and nor do I have to be a fan of the band.

[Anonymous No.7058910]

>>7058873
I'm not saying that attention is the root of cosplay.

There is nothing wrong with cosplaying something because you love the series or the charater.

But nor is there anything wrong with cosplaying something because you like the design. Because you want to make it or because you just want to wear it.

No one is calling me an attention whore, you've just assumed that I cosplaying from things I don't know and that's the only conceivable reason I would defend this point.

I've been cosplaying for 5 years and I've cosplayed for all sorts of reasons, both in solo and in groups. And the main point is that I've always enjoyed it. Always.

Does that make me an attention whore? It does by this threads logic.

But your point about making friends...surely you don't just make friends with people dressed in the same series as you? What about the people that walk up to you, no matter what they're wearing, and go 'ohmygoshIlovethatseriesyouarewonderful'.

Different people have different motivations. And that's okay. One doesn't need to blacklist the other. It doesn't make either side better or right.

>>7058885
By suggesting that cosplayers cosplay something originally designed because they want to wear 'cute costumes'. You have essentially said 'cosplay something because you like the look of it'.

>>7058886
Isn't this entire thread an extension of personal feeling where the main point of discrepancy is that there are those who are happy for the rest of the world to roll along at it's merry pace and do as it likes because it likes. And those that need to find a fault in something, anything, because god forbid anyone enjoy something for the sake of doing it?

[Anonymous No.7058915]

>>7058908
Right, but you wouldn't be wearing a band shirt if you only liked a song or two.

[Anonymous No.7058917]

>>7058908
Yeah, but your not listening to those songs loudly in public at a place where people would assume you are actually a fan of those songs.

[Anonymous No.7058919]

>>7058899
Oh my god, anon you are LORD OF REPEATING DIGITS.

[Anonymous No.7058920]

>>7058910
>By suggesting that cosplayers cosplay something originally designed because they want to wear 'cute costumes'. You have essentially said 'cosplay something because you like the look of it'.

Are you illiterate or something? You're the one arguing that it should be totally acceptable to cosplay shit just because you like how it looks, but if all you're looking for is something that looks cool, why does it have to be a fan work? Why not design yourself a cute costume instead?

[Anonymous No.7058923]

>>7058887
Why is it being lazy? If someone can like the cover of a book without liking the contents, or appreciate the look of a painting without appreciating it's meaning then surely they can enjoy the craft of making something gorgeous without understanding it's source?

I'm not saying you have to like it or follow that mantra...but surely however you feel and however your approach to cosplay surely you can recognise that it has nothing to do with anyone else? And that insulting other people and demeaning their choices serves no purpose?

>>7058889
But what if you do look into the series or character and don't like it. For some people that is enough of a turn off and they may switch characters or choose a new design. But that doesn't mean that those who decide that despite that that they want to create something for the love of the design are any less of people surely?

>>7058906
You're really against people having fun aren't you?

[Anonymous No.7058927]

>>7058915
I would wear the IW mucha dress despite not knowing much about him or his other works, simply because I think that the paintings featured on the dress are pretty.

A character is an "artwork" from different disciplines. There is the story, the written aspect of it, and the actual design, the visual aspect. Appreciating these two things by themselves instead of together isn't that weird in my opinion. I can like the story of something but think the character designs are awful, so why not the other way around?

[Anonymous No.7058932]

>>7058923
>If someone can like the cover of a book without liking the contents

WHO DOES THIS? WHO THE FUCK ACTUALLY DOES THIS? Oh my god I love The Great Gatsby, because after seeing Avatar I have a fetish for blue people and I assume that is what this book is about based on the cover.

Do you have any idea how fucking retarded that is? Any idea at all how fucking goddamn retarded that is? Like I feel my IQ dropped from having read that.

Nobody is against people having fun, but I am against people being ignorant and assuming they can't have fun while actually learning shit. Why the fuck people would spend time and money on shit they don't even like when they could just be making their own shit instead is fucking beyond me.

[Anonymous No.7058937]

All I can really contribute to this thread is my experience as a cosplayer.

I've cosplayed solo and in groups of things I love. I've made the costumes of characters I didn't like for other people in my group to wear because they loved them.

I've cosplayed in groups with friends where I haven't known much about what I was cosplaying but they wanted a full group and I liked the design and I was happy just to be with them in a costume that I liked.

I've cosplayed from books, from games, from anime, from comics, from movies. I've done originals spins, or interpretations or used less than traditional fabric choices.

I've cosplayed from things no one knows, I've cosplayed from popular things. I've cosplayed from things that have no reference material bar the written word or cropped or singular references where much of it was open to interpretation.

I've cosplayed multiple outfits of a character I liked even though I hated some of those outfits because we were doing groups and it went up and down.

But throughout all those choices. I enjoyed what I made. I was proud of what I made and happy to display it. I enjoyed wearing it, I enjoyed the compliments I got for my craft. I enjoyed getting to know people and hanging with my friends for a variety of reasons.

So for a hobby that has so much capacity to just be enjoyed, a lot of you seem to get awfully hung up on something that really has no bearing on your lives or your capacity to enjoy them whatsoever.

[Anonymous No.7058940]

>>7058932
What do you mean who does this? I've picked up books I liked the cover of in the book store, read the blurb and thought no...not for me. Doesn't mean I can't like the cover.

I think you've misunderstood me.

On that note I've also massively enjoyed several books but disliked the covers but that's not a relevant point.

[Anonymous No.7058944]

>>7058917
Not the songs I didn't like, no. I would play the songs that I did like however, and that would probably be enough for people to assume that I like the band.
(Hypothetically, of course. I don't play music loudly anywhere except in my own home.)

[Anonymous No.7058943]

it's not always that simple. i'm big into cosplay and anime. use to date a gamer. he loved that i cosplayed and kept buying me outfits to wear...of characters that HE liked. While i always chose MY cosplays from experiencing the character through watching/playing/etc and did my best to recreate them, he threw lots of money at the ones he'd pick, which id often only meh kinda like. So of course knowing my luck, no one approaches me when i wear mine, but everyone asks for photos n jazz when i wear his - only to be dissapointed that i dont know the character in insane detail. but why would i go buy a console and game and play for a character i dont like? i think if someone else is pulling the threads, and youve researched a bit, thats enuf. (And in b4 chumps - couldnt say no to the outfit after he spent so much and wanted me to wear it!). Real problem is how cosplay is seen these days. for him it was all about me dressin up in outfits of his waifus radr than honouring the spirit of cosplay....like another halloween r sumtin :/

[Anonymous No.7058945]

>>7058888
It's not misogynistic. Sometimes guys cosplay shit they have never played/seen either (e.g. Maguma does it all the time).

[Anonymous No.7058946]

>>7058940
So you are literally judging a book by it's cover when there is a proverb that says not to judge a book by it's cover.

You are a shallow fucking retard and I am surprised you even know how to read.

[Anonymous No.7058950]

>>7058927
You're comparing a fashion to an expression of fandom, where fashion regularly takes inspiration from outside sources. The point of fashion is to look good, as opposed to cosplay where even the cool costumes look ridiculous from the outside. The band analogy made much more sense.

[Anonymous No.7058956]

>>7058946
For someone who is surprised I can read you are again misunderstanding me.

I illustrate for a living, I've done book covers. Cover art is important to me. Books on shelves are displayed with reams of text. Yes I pick up a book based on it's cover. Then I read into it before I buy it to see if it's something I'd like to read.

Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. If it's not, I'll put it back. So no, I don't just judge a book by it's cover, neither literally nor metaphorically. But you can't dispute the point that the vast majority of our initial encounters of things are visual. Unless you're literally blind.

[Anonymous No.7058957]

>>7058946
Are you seriously saying that pretty book covers don't grab your attention? That is what they are there for, you know. That doesn't neccessarily mean that you'll want to read them after investigating further (reading the blurb), but the purpose of the cover is for you to be all "ooh!" and at least pick the book up and look at it.

[Anonymous No.7058958]

>>7058946
Also swearing at me doesn't make you right.

[Anonymous No.7058966]

>>7058957
I'm saying that books have existed before covers. People were reading shit long before book covers even existed. The merger of visual the linguistic didn't really start until illuminated texts in the middle ages, and then that eventually died out with the printing press and with how expensive manuscripts became to print.

I'm not shallow enough to assume that something like Brave New World or Lolita is shit because it doesn't have a visually distinct cover.

[Anonymous No.7058967]

>>7058966
Your reaction would make sense if anon had said 'I don't read X book because I don't like the cover' which they haven't said.

[Anonymous No.7058974]

>>7058967
I suppose this isn't then a judgement on the written work of art, but rather judgement on whether or not an advertisement agency is doing their job then. In which case whoever designed the Twilight cover did an excellent job, where Stephanie Meyer failed miserably.

[Anonymous No.7058990]

>>7058974
If the question was about the content of this proverbial book then yes, it would be a judgement of the written word.

But you have taken the example out of context. Where the actual example was to illustrate the value of a cover. Which, yes, does have an impact on book sales. As does the blurb at the back of the book which, if you'll read, anon has mentioned.

The actual point being that appreciation for the cover and it's contents can be, and are, mutually exclusive.

Not that the quality of one affects the quality of the other.

Statistics do indicate, from surveys of re-jacketed books, that books with a popular cover sell more copies. This does not mean that anon or joe public buys books purely because of the cover. But it does at least indicate that it affects their choice.

But really anon you are confusing me. You appear to be defending a point that no one has made.

[Anonymous No.7058994]

>>7058866
>you deserve to shine

PT I MISS YOU

[Anonymous No.7058996]

>>7058950
Band tshirts can be a part of fashion a well as being an expression of fandom too, though. Some of them are so over-designed you can hardly read the band name, or even leave out the band name and instead have specific symbols that people who aren't fans of the band wouldn't know about. I would wear a shirt that had lyrics from a song I did like on it, which in my opinion is closer to cosplaying a character from a series. Like, band=series, specific song=character. How about if you are a huge fan of a particular character designer? Like that guy who does final fantasy concept art whatever his name is. Like you know everything about him and his work, but don't particularly care about the games that the characters are featured in? (In the early FF games it's not like they even resemble the concept art at all anyways) Would it be okay then?

(I have to go vomit some more so I will probably leave this thread soon, but I just want to say that I think it's interesting to hear peoples' opinions on things like this, even if it involves them swearing at me and calling me names. No hard feelings boos, I love you all <3)

[Anonymous No.7058999]

>>7058885
Because you want to replicate something you saw elsewhere? That's not really a legitimate solution.

It's still weird how mad this makes people, but whatever, I guess?

[Anonymous No.7059004]

>>7058950
>This

Honestly, what is so difficult about actually playing a game or watching a show?
It's kind of offensive to say "I hated that shit, but I like the way this character looks, so fuck you, I do what I want" around fans who love it. Or "I couldn't be bothered to try, but look how cool I look!" It's kind of ruining cosplay, killing the fandom aspect of it, which was one thing that made it so appealing. It separates cosplay from regular boring Halloween costumes. At that point, you're stripping cosplay of some meaningfulness and replacing it with aspects of fashion, where your only purpose is to look good. Why can't you just do that with regular clothes- where you can get your daily jollies of this without ruffling feathers- and be satisfied, instead of infringing upon something meant to be an outlet for fans? And not even try to like it? That's so lazy. What is it with people glorifying laziness and hating on learning and effort these days? Because if it's difficult and makes you feel bad, regardless of the benefits, it's just so terrible and fuck that shit, right?
If you're going to do what you're going to do, no one can really stop you, but seriously stop with all the "YOU'RE SO OPPRESSIVE, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO HAVE FUN!" bullshit people try to spew. You can ultimately do what you want, but really, don't expect to be rewarded or loved or not be called out for saying "fuck this, except this part, 'cause it'll make me look good, but yeah fuck all that other stuff all you like."

[Anonymous No.7059009]

>>7059004

Yes, thank you.

Y'all can do whatever the fuck you want, we can't stop you, but you've got no right to cry when you get called shallow for selecting a character you're wholly unfamiliar with based entirely on looks.

[Anonymous No.7059008]

>>7058923
I now understand that you're probably too stupid to complete a video game, but I don't get how watching anime, an incredibly easy thing to obtain, is like rocket science to you. It takes very little time out of your day to watch an episode or two, and since you're so fascinated with the character designs, there's a pretty good chance you may be fascinated with the show/game they're from as well. The fact that you won't even give these things a chance absolutely baffles me. You ARE being lazy, because you have no excuse other than that you don't feel like it.

Nobody likes ignorance, and nobody likes attention whores either. So when you show up to a con expecting lots of pictures and praise without knowing jack shit about what you're cosplaying from, people are going to think less of you.

[Anonymous No.7059018]

>>7058946
>trying to make assumptions about intelligence based on whether or not one can appreciate a book cover

[Anonymous No.7059024]

>>7059023
>>7059018

Your samefag is painfully obvious.

[Anonymous No.7059023]

>>7059008
>equating intelligence with other random irrelevant things

[Anonymous No.7059033]

>>7059008
Can you please stop saying 'you' like you know anything about me because I'm defending my opinion?

Why are you personalizing this?

I've completed several video games over the years, watched plenty of anime, read plenty of manga and books and a enjoyed variety of other entertainment media.

I've liked them without liking the characters designs and also the opposites.

Again, insulting me doesn't make you right.

I've gone to a con in something no one has known anything about, that I loved, and got lots of pictures and praise. I've been to a con in something I know nothing about (which I made for a group and then wore on my own because I wanted to wear it because I still liked what I'd made and figured I should wear it more than once considering all that had gone into it) and recieved the same and more and less attention.

Really I am a pour example to illustrate your point because I'm not stupid, or retarded or any of those other base line insults. I also fundamentally disagree with you and in my experience of cosplay, what I do and don't know about the series and characters I choose to cosplay has never been in question or had any effect of the people I have met. Nor the friends I have made.

If you want me to statistically analyse my costumes for you with regards to how much I knew about the series and the character I can and will.

[Anonymous No.7059035]

>>7058866
And again, Tumblr blows things out of proportion, molding fact to fit their lazy, shitty agendas. People like attention and need validation, yes, but participating in and pouring lots of work into something in which the main, if not only, reward is praise and validation from people whose opinions and relationship to you are essentially meaningless and that outside validation is the only motivator, then that's not healthy and one needs to find an activity where they can be more intrinsically motivated.

[Anonymous No.7059036]

>>7059023
>random irrelevant things

[Anonymous No.7059041]

>>7059033
>Really I am a pour example to illustrate your point because I'm not stupid, or retarded or any of those other base line insults.
>pour example
>not stupid

[Anonymous No.7059038]

>>7059024
I never claimed to be two different people?

[Anonymous No.7059043]

>>7059036
>resorting to a tumblr gif because couldn't argue
>still equating intelligence to irrelevant things

You are ridiculously stupid, not sure why you're even here when Tumblr is waiting with open arms.

[Anonymous No.7059048]

>>7059041
I'm sorry that I get my spellings mixed up. That doesn't make me stupid.

[Anonymous No.7059046]

>>7059038

Please leave.

[Anonymous No.7059049]

>>7059043
I copied that .gif off 4chan not long ago. I couldn't care less about where it originally came from.

What I said was completely relevant. Please learn to read.

[Anonymous No.7059054]

You guys who cosplay without knowing what the fuck you are cosplaying from are being shallow. Peroid. Guess what though? That's okay as long as you admit it and move on. Stop trying to defend yourselves. Just be okay with what you are doing. Obviously if you are trying to defend your actions, you yourselves aren't okay with what you are doing on some base level.

Just stop lying to yourselves and accept the facts. Then you can find inner peace.

[Anonymous No.7059599]

>>7057268
This is why I can't stand DA.
>asks a very simply, very straight forward question
>accused of attacking the cosplayer
>"People could get hurt"
I was almost on board with them until they started in on ERMERGERD FEELINGS

[Anonymous No.7059629]

>>7059004
To the highest heavens, this post.

I'm not going to pretend I'm good at fighters or cover-based shooters, but god damn it, if I want to cosplay from it, I'm going to try to get through the story no matter what. Not bothering to learn the source is like ripping the soul out of something that a lot of people love. I really don't get how people can cosplay (using time, money, etc etc) things they don't care about. Sounds boring.

[Anonymous No.7059743]

I don't give a shit if you don't know your character like the back of your hand, but since a huge part of what makes cosplay different from costuming is character portrayal, you should at least have a general idea on your character's personality, which is something you can only really get by watching/reading/playing what they're from even if you don't finish it completely.

[Anonymous No.7059747]

>>7057372
>Playing video games makes you a gamer.

Shit, guess I can't consider myself a gamer anymore since I only play tg.

[Anonymous No.7059823]

>>7058866
>you deserve

Clearly, you don't.

[Anonymous No.7061069]

Oh look.

Seems like half the people ITT are the type of fake nerd whores who only cosplay for attention. Hell, even JNig knows the things she cosplays from.

That being said, at least some of you can ADMIT that you're being fake attention whores. My biggest pet peeve is when people pretend they're huge fans of something, and then when you try to start a conversation about it they give you very brief answers and try to scoot away.

[Anonymous No.7061376]

>>7058865
I don't know who you are, anon, but I love you for mentioning that game.

[Anonymous No.7061386]

>>7057290
Real talk, did you forget the MvC players or Puzzle Fighter players? Morrigan is in a lot of Capcom games, I'd completely understand if they at least played the other games she appeared in, but yeah, there are honestly people that didn't play jack shit.

Proof? Offer to play with them. You don't need to be FGC leveled good, but if you at least enjoyed and touched the game, the cosplayer should be willing to try regardless.

[Anonymous No.7061390]

>>7057416
Just say your boyfriend is a huge fan and you are (slowly) becoming one. It's really good to know that you're not getting forced to cosplay it out of peer pressure either. I used to get pressured from an ex to cosplay from series I really didn't like.

[Anonymous No.7061399]

Now, I've never been to a con, though I'd like to, and if I went I'd want to cosplay something. Not for attention, mind, but because I want to. Suppose I pick something that I can conceivably cosplay, i.e. someone that wears glasses if I wear glasses. Is it so terrible to not like the source material, but still cosplay it because I want to do it, and *I* think I'd be able to pull it off? If asked about the character, I'd honestly say that I didn't like the source, but that the character design drew me to it. Honestly, some of you seem to think that making a costume, aka copying the design, isn't a form of fandom, in and of itself.

[Anonymous No.7061413]

>>7061386
She has been in more games that arent darkstalkers than actual darkstalkers games at this point.

[Anonymous No.7061416]

>>7061399
You didn't need to state that you've never cosplayed or been to a con, it's pretty obvious.

>Honestly, some of you seem to think that making a costume, aka copying the design, isn't a form of fandom, in and of itself.
It seems like, you're, confusing the term, fandom for, hobby.

[Anonymous No.7061418]

>implying cosplayers care whether or not people approve of how much we know about the source material.

We're not your fucking playthings, we're doing what we enjoy, we don't go to cons to please other people, we're there to have a good time too you know. Why do people treat us like we're fucking paid models and have to appeal to the preferences of others. Sure it's nice to get pictures taken and compliments but I could care less if people approve of my personal fandom. It's like cosplayers yelling at people for not being devoted enough to a series if they just wear a t-shirt depicting the character instead of dressing up as them.

[Anonymous No.7061420]

Honestly I think that cosplaying from random things just because of the design is a bit silly. I've had people want to cosplay from h-games and hentai and once they learn what it is they freaked out and changed their mind. All I'm saying, is that not liking the source material means you don't like the character so rather than cosplaying the character you're just dressing in that characters costume. It would be the same if someone say, dressed as a geisha cause they thought it was pretty, but didn't know what they were. Honestly it's kind of embarrassing.

[Anonymous No.7061422]

>>7061418
>We're
>we
Why are you referring to yourself as a group seperate from here.

[Anonymous No.7061450]

>>7061413
Blame Capcops for not making any new Vampire/Darkstalkers games. And no, the rereleases don't count.

[Anonymous No.7061499]

>>7061422
wut?

[Anonymous No.7063951]

Jesus christ who fucking cares?

We're talking about someone dressing up as a fictional character.

I remembered why I stopped coming here.

[Anonymous No.7063957]

>>7057268
Why did someone feel so completely insecure and self defensive they had to reply to a one sentence question with an entire essay on their costume instead of just saying "because I wanted to cosplay with my friends"?

[Anonymous No.7063997]

I think "cosplaying for my boyfriend who is wearing a matching cosplay" or "fill-in for my friend's cosplay group" is an exception. It kills me to hear about someone cosplaying on their own and not knowing the source.

I also find it really irritating how Tumblr people end sentences with question marks.

>>7061399
It's fine to cosplay and not like the source (although it makes no sense to me), but for goodness' sake at least KNOW the source even though you hate it. You don't have to know everything, just know your character, their poses and moves, and have a good grasp on the storyline.

If a character has awesome clothes but I don't like the series they're from, I don't even think about cosplaying as them for a second. If I really like a character/series, I look into their alternate outfits or look at side characters from the series to see if there's someone I want to cosplay as.

There's billions of series. You will find at least one that's awesome, with characters you enjoy and outfits you enjoy. Why pick a series you don't even like, or won't bother getting to know? Are you that desperate to have "someone" to cosplay as? Then just wear a generic uniform from a series you do like.

[Anonymous No.7064027]

>>7057576

Deviantart is the place of being oversensitive.

[Anonymous No.7065160]

>>7064027
This is true.

[Anonymous No.7065418]

>>7063951
Exactly what I was thinking.

[Anonymous No.7065459]

Slightly related, but what does /cgl/ think about cosplaying stuff like Sakizou's artworks? As a cosplayer, I already have a huge list of characters I love and want to cosplay so I have a hard time imagining myself putting so much effort into a costume with absolutely no story behind it other than it looks pretty. People can cosplay whatever they want, but I won't lie there's a part of my brain that automatically thinks "Oh they're doing it for attention." (Same goes for overdone Trinity Blood costumes in masquerades.)

[Anonymous No.7065761]

>>7057372
As if there is even a difference between playing and watching most games released today.

[Anonymous No.7065802]

>>7065459
I think I understand it more when there's not a full view of the art, and you have to really figure out what you're doing. Sakizou cosplay for me (and I've considered it) wouldn't be for attention, it'd be for the challenge of making something like that.

I did, however, decide to go pick something off my list that's simple and make it to the most absurd quality possible, and then dig up characters I like who have some of the same design elements for challenging myself.

[Anonymous No.7065805]

>>7065459
Most people don't mind- it's just costume-making for the sake of costume-making (and ruffles, and showing your underwear). We have Sakizou threads here pretty often, if you google for the archives there are some scan dumps.

[Anonymous No.7066042]

I think cosplaying something purely because you think the costume is cool / pretty / badass etc. is fine. You just need to do some research on the character and series / game first so you don't look like a total asshole at the convention. When it comes down to it - it's a costume, and you should spend your time and money creating something you LIKE - regardless if it's because you love the character or the outfit.

>>7065459
As far as art pieces are concerned, have at it. Do it because you like the costume or character design. Some people may do it for attention, yes, but others want to challenge themselves and make something beautiful.

[Anonymous No.7066055]

I've seen people cosplay horrible characters just because they look nice/cute/whatever, and they don't even realize how horrible the character is. Like, people will cosplay a character that straight up defends rape culture or something or is some H-game whore that loves NTR, simply for aesthetic reasons. These people want to represent and be represented by awful animated human beings, and sometimes they don't even know it. That's really funny to me and is a testament to how dumb it is to base your cosplay decisions on a design.

[Anonymous No.7066067]

>>7066055
Hahaha. I found a random character design on Zerochan once that I loved... researched the character a bit only to find it was from some godawful tentacle rape hentai. Needless to say that idea got canned real quick.

[Anonymous No.7066075]

People who cosplay things because they look cool have less interest and attachment to the character than people who go to cons cosplaying their OCs, and OC cosplayers are cancer.

[Anonymous No.7066151]

>>7057308

As an oldfag I feel the same way.

Yes people have always cosplayed for attention, but you knew the person in the cosplay was as crazy for the show/game/ect as you were and you could talk about it

Now it's a crapshoot. They might be filling out a group, wanted to be popular, or just wanting to show some skin.

[Anonymous No.7066185]

I like sewing and creating. You bitches take this shit too seriously.

[Anonymous No.7066192]

>>7066185

I think what they are saying is If you love sewing and creating, go sew and create something you know something about. Your skills would be better served that way.

The exception being commissioners because they only need to know a minimal about characters to help to pick appropriate materials.

[Anonymous No.7066235]

wait so its not okay to dress up as something you know absolutely nothing about...?

[Anonymous No.7066408]

>>7057314
I dunno if that's true. A friend of mine cosplayed Kenshiro and only black guys knew who he was.

[Anonymous No.7066430]

Wow, lots of fake nerd attention whores ITT. Normalfags cosplaying only because they want to look good, rather than celebrating their fandom.

I really expected better of you, /cgl/. I really did.

[Anonymous No.7066431]

>>7066042
You're going to look like a total asshole regardless. You can research a character all you want, but people who have actually played the game can smell that shit from a mile away.

[Anonymous No.7066585]

>DeviantArt
There's your problem there, already.

This whole thread is very entertaining.

[Anonymous No.7066599]

Honestly, I don't have tons of issue with people cosplaying something they no fuckall about. I think it's strange though. But I do think that they should understand and accept that it might bug others.

I can see both sides of the story. Some people just want to look cool or cute or something. I personally wanted to cosplay Neptune from Hyperdimensional Neptunia, but I like knowing more about the character, so I watched part of the series, played the first game, and it's horrible. Her character was unlikable and only cute. Did I cosplay her? No. Would someone else have anyway? Maybe. Would someone just have seen her design and not even looked into her? Probably.

I do also get that some people in the fandom want to talk to people who have common interests. And I think that is perfectly reasonable, just like it's reasonable to be sad or bothered when someone isn't in the fandom.

That said, I've known some people who end up feeling embarrassed by unintentionally cosplaying characters from porn. So I guess whatever then.

[Anonymous No.7066621]

>>7057268
>look at designs first
>looking for a challenge
>fitting her body type
>"researched" the character (still not reading/watching/playing)
>"Challenges"
>all dem typos

This is the opposite of what most cosplayers do.
Most will pick a character they already know and like, because taking the time to consume a new series is too much effort, pick a costume or outfit that is within their price or skill range, then they stay fat, because who wants to work out and lose weight when you're already perfect?

[Anonymous No.7066626]

>>7066621
>all dem typos
Her dA says she's from Canada, so I'm assuming she's a native French speaker?

[Anonymous No.7066650]

>>7066626
Only specific parts of Canada speak French as a primary language.

[Anonymous No.7066653]

>>7066650
This I know, but I'm just guessing she's a French Canadian because her English/Grammar is so terrible. A lot of times people who have terrible English actually speak it as a second language.

She might just be stupid. Who knows?

[Anonymous No.7066719]

I personally think if someone has a group of friends who are cosplaying a series, and they really want that person to cosplay with them and they do, then it's fine. Cosplay is about being with your friends and having fun. It's also about showing your passion for a character, but if you're helping out your friends and hanging out with them I don't see why you should be beat up on. Just don't lie.

[Anonymous No.7066745]

>>7066719

Filling in with a group is a little different than doing shit independently just because it looks cute/cool/whatever. I always think of it as being like a live prop for your friends.

[Anonymous No.7066912]

>>7057268
For me cosplay is about loving a character so much and maybe even relating to said character, depending.
My boyfriend has done a cosplay from a game and never played it, but he did love the character, design and personality. I still tease him about it in a friendly way.

I think sometimes people who know nothing about the game/anime/manga/comic but do a cosplay of it just want attention. Not all the time, but I would say most of the time.

[Jacuzzi (and sometimes Maou) No.7067112]

>>7057403
>>7057393
I rarely play console video games, I just don't have the time. But I do watch an awful lot of Let's Plays because I can put them on in the background as I work. If I like the game, I'll buy it and convince my roommate to play it if he has the time (so I can watch it again as I work). Since I've started watching Let's Plays, I buy 5x the games I did before. I love video games, but I cannot play all the 30+ hour games I'd like to and also afford to live. This way, I can see all the games I want, afford to support them, and then watch them all over again.

[Anonymous No.7071648]

>>7067112
I'm sure you could squeeze in an hour or two a day. Laziness at its finest.

[Anonymous No.7071655]

>>7057268
It's no fun seeing someone cosplay as a character they know shit about but some people take it way too far.

For instance, there was this girl (dressed as Alice from Twilight) coming up to four friends of mine who dressed as the four Links and starts asking details about the game. My friends can't answer and she snaps "Oh! That's not good enough, take of your costumes"

Yes, one of them didn't play the game but she was asked to cosplay it for the others so they'd have a full group

[Anonymous No.7071659]

>>7057314
Nope! Cosplayed San from Mononke hime last year and people thought I was Korra :<

[Anonymous No.7071673]

I was dressed as Lulu from League of Legends for an event. I'm a very casual gamer, as in, I play it for fun, am not very good at pvp and I really don't care about ranked. Plus, I really like the character and often play as her.
So this guy comes up to me, asks me if I know him and gets upset because I don't know he's some kind of awesome ranked player, giving me that "you only cosplay lol for attention" look...
Well geez, sorry I'm not obsessed with the game, I just really like the character.

[Anonymous No.7071677]

>>7071655
I used to do this. It was honestly fun as hell looking at the looks on their faces once you found out they don't know shit (and are likely pretending that they played it when they didn't) but then I developed some social skills.

While it's definitely an asshole move to test a stranger's knowledge just so you can laugh at them, pretending you played something when you didn't makes you just as much of an ass.

[Anonymous No.7071682]

>>7071677
Sure it's lame to pretend you played something, at least be honest about it. But there's a difference between playing a game and knowing every single detail about it

[Anonymous No.7071695]

>>7057268
I once cosplayed from Homestuck to do my friend a favor. I tried to read the comic but I really didn't like it. Is that bad?

I do like lots of their fanart though.

[Anonymous No.7071698]

>>7071673
Also, if I did it for the atention, I wouldn't have cosplayed a fully clothed character, now would I?

[Anonymous No.7071702]

What do you guys think about cosplaying from things where the fanart is much bigger than the original and they only know the fanart? Such as Vocaloid and Homestuck

[tink No.7071714]

>>7071648
I hope you enjoy not having a job and living on welfare

[Anonymous No.7071716]

>>7071714
>Has a couple hours a day of free time to play video games/watch TV
>"LOL WAT A LUSER YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE NO JOB OR EDUCATION LEL LEL LEL."

Do you realize just how stupid you sound?

[Anonymous No.7071724]

>>7057294
>not seen more than four pokeman episodes when kid

[Anonymous No.7071726]

>>7071714
do you have 3 shit jobs or something?

[Anonymous No.7071732]

>>7071714
Not everyone is working 16 hour shifts at Walmart, sweetie.

[Anonymous No.7071736]

>>7071702
It's still not going to end well for the person dressing up. There are still going to be plenty of people coming up and making it awkward (sometimes intentionally, as the threads in the past about guys harrassing Touhou cosplayers accusing them of being "secondaries" have shown) when you don't know anything about the original media, there will just be less of them coming up to you because the fanart is better known.

If I may steal the /r9k/ trolls' phrase: you're dressing in a fan's uniform, don't be surprised when people think you're a fan.

[Jacuzzi (and sometimes Maou) No.7071754]

>>7071648
I could, and then lose the money I would earn during that time or the sleep I always desperately need. I'm a freelancer, so I gotta take whatever work I can, and sometimes that sucks. When I do have free time, often I have to decide between cosplay time or video game time, and cosplay time usually wins out (especially during the major con season). Laziness? Naw, it's just different priorities. But if it makes me look less lazy to you(??), work has calmed down and I'm not going to any cons for a while, so pretty much all my free time is video game time now. Huzzah to that, Xenoblade has been sitting at 75% done for like nine months now and I'm itching to finish it.

[Anonymous No.7071796]

Ugh all of my rage!

[Anonymous No.7071808]

>>7071659
How bad did you fuck up that cosplay?

[Anonymous No.7071852]

[Anonymous No.7071855]

>>7071852
This basically sums up more than half the people ITT.

Take note, you stupid whores.

[Anonymous No.7071859]

>>7066408
>A friend of mine cosplayed Kenshiro and only black guys knew who he was.

Niggaboos once again confirmed for gods amongst weebs.

[Anonymous No.7071886]

>>7071754
Get a better job.

[Anonymous No.7071924]

>>7057268
What's funny, is the cosplayers you're all bitching about only exist on tumblr and deviantart, because you have no fucking clue as to whether or not people really know source material by just looking at them.

As far as communicating with them, I watch all of the anime I cosplay from and some of you weird asses still approach me with your weird as fuck questions that I don't recall ever reading in the manga.
I think you need to all calm the fuck down and realize that there are different levels of enjoyment and that just because you're obsessed, it doesn't mean that everyone else has to be also.

And to the person who was disappointed because someone didn't use the accurate character pose, you're a moron. Because if cosplaying isn't about getting attention, as you're all preaching, then you shouldn't be SOOO CONFUUUSEEED when an anxious as fuck cosplayer doesn't know what to do with his or her body when you want a picture.

[Anonymous No.7071934]

>>7071924
Before someone chucks a straw man at me.

>I watch all of the anime...ever recall reading in the manga.

Made a mistake with the sentence. I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure it out.

[Anonymous No.7071937]

>>7071924
Just because someone approaches you and wants to talk about the series, doesn't make them a "weird ass" like you're implying. Try to actually pay attention to what you're reading or finish it, because it sounds like you're getting overly jealous that some people know more than you do.

[Anonymous No.7071945]

>>7071937

Nah, I have no problem with the people that approach me. I just get the feeling that you're those types of people who quiz other cosplayers to ensure they're nerd enough for you. I bet you're passive aggressive as fuck.

[Anonymous No.7071948]

>>7071945
>I just get the feeling that you're those types of people who quiz other cosplayers to ensure they're nerd enough for you.
Not everyone who asks you questions is trying to quiz you. Maybe they just want to know your insight.

[Anonymous No.7071949]

>>7071937
It's comments like these that make me not want to cosplay. If I like an anime and I watch it and like a character, that's not enough? Do I really have to research every facet?
I get that I shouldn't care what everyone thinks, but it seems a majority of the community is like this and it's very odd.

[Anonymous No.7071953]

>>7071949
Then don't cosplay, faggot. No one will miss you.

[Anonymous No.7071952]

>>7071948

Well, apparently not since it appears this is how everyone in this thread figures out whether or not a cosplayer is worthy of cosplaying.

[Anonymous No.7071956]

>>7071953
I love you.

[Anonymous No.7071961]

>>7071953

Because anon was right. All of this "not nerd" or "doesn't know enough fandom" shit is basically everyone getting butt hurt because someone has a better costume. The only attention whores I see are the people in this thread.

Most of the community is like this, unfortunately. You're better off just taking their pictures and posting them here.

[Anonymous No.7071967]

>>7071961
Wait, so what you are saying is that the people who are actual fans of the shit are the true attention whores?

[Anonymous No.7071972]

>>7071949
>If I like an anime and I watch it and like a character, that's not enough?

Uh, no one's insinuating that you have to be able to write a 1000 page thesis on your chosen character. Consuming and enjoying the source material is more than enough imo.

I just don't see why people want to dress up as characters they literally know nothing about.

[Anonymous No.7071981]

>>7071967

Nah, nah. Just the people going around quizzing everyone to make sure they're "true fans".
I get the random quizzing every once and a while and it's VERY obvious to tell whether it's a genuine conversation or a survey.

[Anonymous No.7071982]

>>7071981
What really sucks is that when I get the random quizzing, I'm not prepared for it, and I can't think, so people think that I'm not actually a fan when really I'm just confused and caught off guard.

[Anonymous No.7071988]

>>7071982
I HATE that so much. I cosplay from Bleach a lot, but I've only read the manga. I can't tell you how many people would quiz me on filler arcs from the anime and then act like I wasn't legit for not knowing it.

[Anonymous No.7071990]

>>7071988
I'm the biggest fucking Bleach fan ever and FUCK THE FILLER. Like holy crap they were probably just quizzing you on it because of something they just saw on Adult Swim. The only filler arc worth jack was The Zanpakuto Rebellion because Kubo designed the characters and had a little say in the plot.

That being said though I've never been quizzed. I kinda wish it would happen though.

[Anonymous No.7072105]

>>people too fat and ugly to cosplay as the character from their fandom being pissed at the hot chicks who can actually pull off the outfit

Obviously this is the only reason for making such a huge fuss over a trivial detail. Cosplayers are just there to look at and add to the overall feel of a convention. You don't have to have an in-depth conversation with anyone cosplaying from your fandom, or get so butthurt when the cosplayer actually don't know jack shit. Take your picture and move the fuck on.

[Anonymous No.7072108]

>>7071990
I've been quizzed on my Valentine (Skullgirls) costume before. This guy had the nerve to come up to me and ask "do you even play?" and then - when I said yes, I do, thank you - "well, are you any GOOD?". ~_~ Gimme a proper fightstick and I could probably kick your ass at it...

[Anonymous No.7072126]

>>7071982

Oh god, I get so nervous about the quizzing. I have a terrible time with names in general and I feel like a piece of shit when I have trouble telling people the characters I like best since I spent the entire series referring to them as "the guy with the glasses who likes the girl with the freckles" or "permanent bandage-kun".

[Anonymous No.7072128]

>>7071990
Yeah, it was the bount arc. The conversation suddenly went to vampires in Bleach and I had no clue what the hell they were saying.

[Anonymous No.7072131]

>>7071990
>>7071988
You know, it's one thing if it's part of the conversation. But if they start it as the very beginning of it. That's just a pain in the ass. I'd love to talk about a series, but don't sit there an open your mouth just to quiz me on a character.

That happened to me at a cosplay contest at a store in the mall. The first word out of a person's mouth was "Oh, do you know who "insert character"'s rival is?" I mean, come on. At least talk to me for a few minutes before you start drilling me on character facts.

[Anonymous No.7072136]

>>7072105

Nice strawman.
Even attractive people with the potential to cosplay and pull off attractive characters can be upset that someone is being an attention whore

[Anonymous No.7072138]

>>7058866

>But then if I lined up say, 50 cosplayers you wouldn't know just by looking at them if they knew anything about their series or not. Knowledge of a series doesn't infer quality.

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned an anecdote where their friend asked a cosplayer to pose in the character's attack pose. Okay, so let's line up 50 cosplayers and tell them 'pick a pose that this character you are playing is known for'. I think that does affect quality, if we assume that quality here can be measured by how faithful of a reproduction you made of the character in question.

[Anonymous No.7072147]

>>7072131
For me, a lot of times they'll disguise it as regular conversation. We're chatting about the series and everything seems friendly - but if I slip up or don't remember a specific event or name, they suddenly get very rude.
It pisses me off because I watch this shit to be entertained and have a good time - I don't study it (though props to you if you do).

[Anonymous No.7072148]

>>7072138
I mentioned this above in a more insulting post, but some people just aren't good at posing or get very anxious when asked for photos. You can't just assume they don't know their shit if they don't pose correctly or in the manner you expect.

[Anonymous No.7072155]

>>7072147
Yeah. It was kind of annoying because I was cosplaying an older game character. Yes, she's well know since it's Capcom. But I'm not going to always remember the little details, especially if I hadn't played the game in awhile. I can remember all kinds of shit about the character, like victory poses, her attacks, parts of her story line, etc but the rival thing was something I forgot.

[Anonymous No.7072159]

>>7072105
Oh boy, this is the classic high school bitch mentality. Everyone who doesn't bow down to you is automatically a fat ugly loser because you're so perfect, right?
"Those NERDS! Their smarts aren't nearly as important as my flawless beauty and popularity!"

Your head is so far up your ass I'm surprised you're able to read. You are the text book definition of an attention whore.

[Anonymous No.7072168]

>>7072105
>Cosplayers are just there to look at and add to the overall feel of a convention.

The what now?

[Anonymous No.7072169]

>>7072159

>>"Those NERDS! Their smarts aren't nearly as important as my flawless beauty and popularity!"

"Those WHORES! They obviously don't now ANYTHING about what they're even wearing."

[Anonymous No.7072173]

>>7072148

You have a fair point regarding: bad at posing/anxiety for photos. I think there is a difference, however, between 'getting the general idea' and 'not even close', which can be easily avoided by doing some basic research.

For an extreme example, let's say that Alice decides to cosplay as a non-nonsense Amazonian type of fighter from a game and knows next to nothing about said game. Let's assume Alice doesn't have any sort of crippling problems with anxiety or posing when it comes to pictures. Random fan of the game asks Alice for a photo. Alice strikes a sugary sweet kawaii pose that would probably be fantastic if she were wearing lolita. But as the character she's playing? Ehhh...no.

I don't think that people should be expected to know every little bit of trivia about the characters they cosplay as (ain't nobody got time for that!), but I do feel that doing some basic research ex reading the character's story, watching one or two character-centric episodes or trying out the game would be a more reasonable expectation.

[Anonymous No.7072175]

>>7072155
Yeah. That and when people are deep into a fandom, they tend to mistake theories with cannon and fault you for disagreeing.

[Anonymous No.7072182]

>>7072173
I can agree with that. I've run into a couple people who know the series and character VERY well, but still insist on posing completely out of character (and not trying to be funny) - that actually annoys me more than it would have if they hadn't known anything at all.

[Anonymous No.7072195]

>>7057409
I am STILL so sad I didn't see you at Otakon. I regret not being able to see that cosplay in person, it was great.

Polite sage.

[Anonymous No.7072201]

>>7072169
>"Those WHORES! They obviously don't now ANYTHING about what they're even wearing."
It's true though. Cry more.

[Anonymous No.7072210]

>>7072182

Glad to see that we could find an area of common ground. Thanks for the polite discussion.

[Anonymous No.7072238]

>>7072201
I don't have to cry, I get sex regularly unlike you, neckbeard Virgo.

[Anonymous No.7072306]

>>7072210
I like to think that some of us aren't arguing just for the sake of arguing.

[Anonymous No.7072439]

>>7072238
Nah, but call me what you like if it makes you feel better. At least you can admit to yourself that you're just another loose tramp who dresses up so neckbeards can fap to your big fake tits and sleazy attention-whoring attitude. Let's see how well things pan out for you 10 years from now.

[Jacuzzi (and sometimes Maou) No.7072478]

>>7071886
I rather like my job, I take great pride in my work and it's fun and rewarding… just not in the free time and money departments, hahaha. But this is getting way off topic. My thoughts on what makes one a video game fan don't jive with some people, and that is a-okay.

[Anonymous No.7072547]

>>7072169
>don't now anything
>now
>know
Nah, you really are a retarded whore

[Anonymous No.7072569]

>>7072439
I'm not even a woman or a cosplayer and your first conclusion is that I'm an attention whore with giant fake tits.
Looks like someone's a jealous fatty.

[Anonymous No.7072581]

>>7072569
>I'm not even a woman or a cosplayer
Prove it.

[Anonymous No.7072587]

>>7072581
Now show yours.

[Anonymous No.7072884]

>>7071808
>implying it's possible to fuck up that bad

Oh please, they look nothing alike

[Anonymous No.7072894]

>>7071808
>Implying it's possible to fuck up that bad

[Anonymous No.7072950]

>>7072439
>Nah, but call me
Stopped reading right there.
Implying I would ever date a virgin.

[Anonymous No.7073394]

ITT

>My reason for cosplaying is better than your reason for cosplaying. Things like actually playing the games/reading the manga/watching the series make my cosplay legit and you automatically an attention whore even though we are both dressing up for the same reason (to wear a costume).

Trying to justify why some people should not cosplay a character for xyz reason sounds pathetic and even more like an attention whore than someone cosplaying a character because of popularity.

[Anonymous No.7073622]

>>7057588
zelda's personality in TP was standoffish, but i think her being a distant/different world princess compared to link was the whole idea.

[Anonymous No.7073641]

>>7073622
More that the game sucked and was poorly developed in general.

[Anonymous No.7073642]

>>7073394
It's cute how you keep coming back to this thread with the same statement over and over again to get your bullshit point across, but it's really obvious you're the same person and you should probably stop embarrassing yourself.

[Anonymous No.7076281]

>>7057407
to this day i wish that the fat cunt gets brutally raped and beaten up

and in the end somebody yells
>SHOULD HAVE USED THE "SKIPACTIONSEQUENCE BUTTON"

[DESPERATEDA No.7076300]

>>7057458
urawhiteknightfuckinnerd.deviantart.com

[Anonymous No.7077687]

I actually got into a few series due to wanting to cosplay characters.

The Touhou designs were cute and sucked me in real quick--I'm terrible at the games, but have been around so much Touhou stuff forever at this point that it's not even an issue. (But at the time of my first Touhou cosplay, I had not played the game.) I think Touhou might be a cheater way out, though, since even if you don't play the games, there's SO much out there thanks to the fans of the series--fighting games, music, cards, etc etc. How many Touhou fans can say they've beaten the games?

Friends kept suggesting fighting game characters for me as well, which lead me to get more into Street Fighter and stuff. I'm not the best and might not know /everything/ about it, but still have played it at least.

So I have cosplayed from games I haven't played, but mostly because I'm looking for a cool design that's more challenging than the last that I did, as well as a character that I just fall in love with her design--more often than not, once I start researching her character, I fall in love with her even more. However if I cosplay a character from a series I don't deal with, I almost always aim for video game characters. It's a lot easier to go and watch anime series online than it always is to get your hands on the copy of a game.