figmentPez
Staff member
- New threads by Pez
- New threads by Cosplayers and Photographers
- Rules and the reasoning behind them
- Final Thoughts
1. New Threads by Pez
The bad news is that the Good Cosplay Thread Part 3 is (eventually) coming to and end. The good news is that new threads will open in it's place. Tentatively I'll be splitting the cosplay into these categories:
- DC / Marvel
- Comics & Animation
- Video Games
- Movies, TV & Books
- Unidentified Cosplay
- LOL Wut?
- Steampunk
- Complain about Pez's Moderation
- Someone needs to cosplay THIS
- ????
For these threads, I'll ask that off-topic discussion be kept to a minimum, to make browsing the pictures easier for visitors. Please talk about the photos and cosplayers as much as you'd like. However, if you'd like to discuss the comic/game/movie that the cosplay is based on, please post a link to another thread so that these cosplay threads can be as much about the photos and cosplayers as possible.
I'm also thinking about some threads for cosplay news, convention plans, as well as the discussion of cosplay issues. (i.e. The Ethics & Politics of Cosplay: Theory and Practice.)
I've got two thread starter posts ready to post today, DC and Marvel. What I'd like from everyone is feedback on what categories they think should be out there. Should DC/Marvel be one thread? Would you rather me get all the new threads started as quickly as possible, or would you like me to keep posting DC/Marvel until I run out of pics in the queue?
2. New threads by Cosplayers and Photographers
Additionally, I hope that cosplayers and photographers will start up their own threads to showcase their work. I'll have Dave add the appropriate tags, and hopefully we'll get to see more updates of work-in-progress and other behind-the-scenes news. LittleKagsin already has her own thread, and it will be re-opened soon.
3. Rules and the Reasons:
Respect people, especially the cosplayers. I know that Halforums generally allows good-natured ribbing, and that's usually fine, but most of the cosplayers featured here are not Halforumites. We don't know them, and they don't know us. Please take some time to consider your words before posting, that includes words directed at both forumites and those not here.
- No Sexual harassment. Saying that cosplayers are beauitful, even sexy, is okay. Talking about sexual acts is not, even obliquely.
Good: That's a beautiful dress, it really shows off your legs.
Okay: You've got beautiful legs.
Unacceptable: I'd love to get between those legs.
Other examples of unacceptable comments: “I'd hit it”, “Dat ass”, grunts or other onomatopoeia without context (i.e. “unf” alone will be assumed to be sexual, while “unf, I can't imagine sewing that many pleats” is fine.) and any images that convey these type of messages.
Please err on the side of caution. I can't make up an exhaustive list of every single type of infraction. If your comment isn't something you could walk up to a random stranger at a convention and say (without them feeling threatened or harassed) then don't say it.
This forum generally draws an intelligent crowd; I'm sure you can come up with ways to express yourselves without being vulgar. The easier you make this forum to moderate, the more leeway will be given when people approach the line. If posts are constantly on the line of what's acceptable, I'm going to come down harsher because constantly pushing the limits makes it more difficult to be consistent and fair.
- No personal attacks. If you disagree with someone's opinion, or wish to critique a cosplayer's work, please do so in a reasonable manner. It's not necessary to insult a person in order to make your point.
- No discussing the rules outside of the rules thread(s). This is simply to keep threads on-topic and avoid locks.
- Please take non-cosplay discussion to another thread/forum. In order to keep these threads as full of cosplay as possible, for easy browsing when viewers end up here via search results, if you'd like to talk about the source material not directly relating to the cosplay, then feel free to start a thread in the appropriate subforum and provide a link.
No posting NSFW content in the Cosplay Depot. While this is part of the TOS for the forums in general, I feel it needs restating here. I know that there are a lot of revealing costumes posted, and that the various cosplay threads may not be suitable for surfing at most workplaces, but these costumes are still generally worn in public. If something is borderline, put it in some spoiler text. If it's outright nudity, something that couldn't be worn at the majority of conventions, then feel free to join the forum and start a thread in the Hive, but please don't post it here.
Why have I made these sub-forum specific rules? Well, first and foremost I've always felt uncomfortable with the way cosplayers are objectified, even though I've held my tongue. What's finally caused me to speak up is not some need to defend cosplayers, but anger about how such treatment reflects on cosplay as a hobby and nerd-dom in general. When cosplayers are treated as sex objects (and no dissenting voice is raised), that leads those outside of cosplay to view all nerds, and particularly cosplayers, in a negative light. Cosplay gets viewed solely as a sexual-fetish, and cosplayers get stereotyped as attention whores. I am bothered by this, and I want to do something about it. The majority of cosplayers do not cosplay to get sexual attention or be pornography in any way, and they don't like it when people treat them like they are doing that. What I feel I can do is try to ensure that the tone and attitude displayed towards cosplay I post remains respectful, so that the hard work and talent that goes into it can be the focus.
4. Final Thoughts
Right now I'm not feeling very motivated to work on posting cosplay. If you want to see me post what I've found, then play nice. Treat me like crap and you get nothing. No, I don't care if I'm coming across as spoiled, it's a lot of work to search through this many photos and I'm doing it for my enjoyment. If you guys ruin the fun of sharing, then I have no reason to keep posting.
I don't know if this will work out, and get this subforum more active, but I want to try.
