Cosplay is Costume Play, or basically dressing up in costume. It might be as simple as buying a mask on a whim in the vendors room and wearing it right then, or someone may spend years planning out the costume, and hours working on individual pieces. It might be put together from stuff aorund the house, or mat cost hundreds of dollars to build. People may spend hours making sure every little detail is perfect, or may call it close enough after a few moments. Some people play very specific charecters, while others make up their own. Some have just started, while others have been cosplaying for years.
Cosplay is pretty popular at NebKon, with perhaps half the people wearing some sort of costume, and many having more than one over the course of the weekend. Many people look forwards to just wandering the hallways of the convention, and seeing all the colorful and interesting costumes other have come up with, or to show off their own creations. While many enter the Cosplay Contest, others are content to stick to a casual level. Anime costumes are of course popular, but video game charecter, literary figures, characters from TV shows, and unique creations are all possible.
While NebKon is open an accepting of costumes, there are a few rules one should follow. First, while this is a convention, it's still a public place. Any costume not approprate for public isn't approprate for the convention. That means it needs to cover all the important bits, and can't be offensive. There are little kids running around, don't be crude. Also, don't be a jerk; huge wings that block the halls, or monster boots that block doorways are very much frowned upon. A large outfit put on strictly for the Cosplay Contest or a photoshoot is acceptable, but wandering around blocking the hallways is not. Weapons need to be safe, and checked at the weapons booth. There are a great many people running around the convention, and we don't want anyone getting hurt, even by accident. Any sort of 'real' weapon will at a minimum be bound shut, and perhaps outright banned. Throwing things at people, even soft plush items, is not allowed. Naturally, hitting people with weapons is not allowed; and since Security can't always see what's happening, you shouldn't brandish weapons at people either. At a glance it's hard to tell is someone is poseing, or actually about to hit someone. Don't make things harder, so just don't raise your weapon at anyone.
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