Cosplay & Con Safety | Cosplay Tips

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[deans]

Some more helpful tips to add to Annie’s list

I’ve seen it very convention I’ve been to where someone has an awesome costume but it is bulky, heavy, limited view or attachments on the backside preventing you from sitting. Some cosplay costumes can be over 60lbs when wearing them and that is a lot of weight to carry around if your not used to it. If you are an aspiring cosplayer wherever possible try to keep the costume light and if you have a bulky or limited view have a trusted companion or 2 to guide you and protect your costume. If you have a tail or bulky backside you should try to incorporate a way to remove the item so you can sit or incorporate a seat into the design.

As Annie stated it is important to stay hydrated. Make sure you drink lots of water(no pop or juice) or a drink with lots of electrolytes because even in a light costume convention centres get hot and stuffy real fast and it is easy to over heat in costumes. People do faint more than you think at conventions.

Be wary of people because while most are innocent requests to have a photo taken be sure to set boundaries (ie. no touching the body or costume, stay a few inches away and so on) this is especially true if you are wearing revealing cosplay if your uncomfortable you have the right to say no. Most conventions have photo op areas setup so if the person(s) want a picture tell them to go there. Always avoid quiet, dimly lit areas and never accept a private photo shoot.

[polkadot]

My tip would be if you can build pockets or a place to carry phone and wallet into your costume. Sometimes I just make a bag that matches the cosplay so I can keep it with me to prevent theft.

[wendyspiesman]

Mental health is also important to keep track of. I'm very introverted and while I thoroughly enjoy all the activities at cons, I have no roommates at the hotel, and take a couple days off work between the con and work. I realize this can get expensive, but I budget for this and it allows me to fully enjoy nearly 24 hours/4 dsys of con fun.

[Taolan]

Hydration is important! Critical, even.

A lot of people get hydration wrong, its not just about drinking water. You also need to take in sugars and salts. Electrolytes, carbohydrates, all that fun stuff. You need to balance that against your activity level. Hydration is just one aspect of your nutrition and body function. Schedule your fluid intake and stick to it. This sounds crazy, but its important. During periods of activity, your body might suppress thirst signals, and so by the time you feel thirsty you are already mildly dehydrated.

Electrolyte replacement beverages are good to help if you're doing high activity, or if the costume is extra heavy, or if the temp means you're going to be sweating a lot, but balance electrolyte replacement drinks 1:1 or 1:2 with straight water. If you're considering caffeinated beverages, again you need to balance those. As a general rule of thumb, you should drink water between every non-water beverage. Bottle of gatorade, bottle of water, can of soda, bottle of water, and so-on. This is especially true if you are of legal drinking age and decide to partake in alcoholic beverages! Drink a glass of water between every drink, whether that's a bottle of beer or a shot of liquor or a glass of wine. This helps slow down your alcohol intake, and helps keep your digestion on tract so you can process the alcohol efficiently. Ultimately, listen to your body. There's a variety of ways to know if you are taking in enough water, and warning signs if you aren't getting enough or taking in too much (yes, overhydration is a thing!). Be smart!

Dried fruits and dried meats make good travel and working snacks because they are shelf stable and pack well, but if you are eating dried or dehydrated foods you have to boost your fluid intake to make up for it. A great snack product is nut butter; peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pistachio butter, whatever you want. You can get it in pre-packaged squeezy packs, or you can portion some out yourself into disposable bags or reusable containers, just make sure that whatever you are using is an oxygen barrier, and that you are storing them in something durable in case your bag gets bumped or rough handled. If you are using bags or other soft containers, I highly recommend packing them in something rigid. Be careful with any food stuffs you bring about food allergies, yours and others!

Don't underestimate the value of a good breakfast, either! If you follow a typical 2-3 meal per day diet, a moderate amount of protein in your breakfast can help you stay functional through the entire day. If you are staying overnight at a convention location, the hotel may or may not be able to accommodate the surge of guests when it comes to breakfast, and lets face it a lot of hotels don't provide great breakfasts. Almost every hotel room out there is going to have a minifridge and a microwave, so you can bring your own breakfast options. Prepackaged stuff is fine, but you can also prepare breakfast sandwiches of some variety in advance, and warm them up. Personally I would pack a large microwaveable bowl full of breakfast burritos in a ziploc bag. I would take the burritos out and put them on a paper plate wrapped in a damp paper towel, and microwave them domed under the bowl.

[catherineproulx]

Another tip for phone numbers! Keep a written list as well as in-phone contacts. If your phone dies, you can borrow someone else's to contact your friends! Great points Annie 😊

[jackiejames]

All of these tips can apply to other venues as well, like concerts, sporting events and amusement parks. Let's be safe out there it's been awhile since most of us have gone out, we're out of practice. Thanks for reminding us about our saftey.

[eef_is_cool]

highly recommend if you can to get long range walkie talkies for your group if you are going with one. it is nearly impossible to keep in contact with everyone if you just have your phones with how loud cons can be you might not hear/feel your phone ringing or getting a text. its also good for safety if someone needs to go off and do something away from the group you dont have to play the buddy system game(you still should but if push comes to shove its a good back up). with walkie talkies you can keep an ear piece in and then you always have contact with every one and you arent bothering other people with the chatter. this works for ren faire too it helps so much. you can find good ones with ear pieces for around $20 for a set of 2 the brand i have are pxton. i originally got them for a lethal company group cosplay that didnt play out and then used them for ren faire and have plans of using them in the near future. do always check your cons polices to make sure they arent banned or something.

[TherianDarkXwolf]

5:55 Me whos gonna be with a hoodie, grey tights, SOCKS ON TOP, grey sleeves, a white shirt, white gloves, A FRIKING MASK AND GLASSES
AND A WIG WITH A BEENIE ON TOP OF IT on a con in July

[Rizzler-cblp]

I’ve never been to a convention but I’m planning on one in a few months, a tip that is useful for me and probably other ppl, I’ve cosplayed a lot myself and a MAJOR THING is that if u make a cool, crazy, bulky cosplay that took weeks or months or even years, MAKE SURE YOU CAN USE THE BATHROOM WITH IT, you don’t want to go a full day without going to the bathroom lol.

[queenshroomyt]

the energy tip is super important especially if you’ll be performing in any capacity, such as contests where you will be on stage! pay attention and save your energy properly! when it gets to be that time your body will probably come up with the energy with adrenaline, but afterwards you’re gonna be at a deficit!! I’ve gotten sick way too many times from overexertion after competing and dancing on stage, you gotta pay attention and plan accordingly.

[dragonseahorse]

I'm the mom friend of my friend group and I try my best to make sure everyone eats and drinks at least something while were at the con. We haven't been to a convention for a long time but this time around I feel like I'm gonna be much more prepared now that I have been researching for two newbies who havent been to a con before!

[sira]

If your cosplay has a tail or something else big, make it detachable, so you can sit down, go to the bathroom, fit into the car comfortably. For my last cosplay I made my horns too big, getting in the car was a challenge and sitting in there was terrible, I had to turn my head in an unnatural way 😅

[oneloggerheadshrike]

hey annie, this should be under the creep video but i can’t find it— but is it a good idea to have a template for if someone’s harassing me?
liked id plan to walk up to someone and ask if my photo is appropriate, like as family, but show them a digital note saying someone is harassing me, and ask them to tell me to “go ask mom” if there’s staff in the artists alley, etc

[KodwithaK]

Another tip that I have been told if you can't bring a water bottle even if you do drink before you go to the con

[Ashe_is_lost]

I forgot to eat and drink very often, even normally so I’ve brought my friend with me so a, I’m not alone and b, they can check in on me and see if we need to return to the hitel

[BBQ_kevin]

Great video again. Not sure if this is safety or not, but how do you and others deal with gawkers etc while doing a photo shoot in public?