Hall Meeting: When Acting in Character Becomes Downright Anti-social

In all my years, I don’t think I have cosplayed a single normal, entirely socially-adjusted character. So I get it. Your character can destroy the world with about as much thought as it takes for me to make a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. And because your character can do this, he/she/it/all of the above looks down on the rest of society and either says nothing or only opens their mouth to be a jerkface. And because you’re a dedicated cosplayer, you act in character.

Normally, I’d tell anyone who acts in character that they’re awesome for being so committed. But frankly, I don’t want to tell you because you’ll respond with something like, “heh. You humans are dazzled by the most pathetic things. Go drown yourselves in the slime of your own inadequacies.”

If your character is belligerently anti-social, for the love of cosplay, turn it on when you’re posing for a photo or when you’re role-playing. For the rest of the world, just be neutral. People will remember you as the amazing cosplayer who could effortlessly go between their character and real life.