Staying in-character while in cosplay?

[Radien]

I've been watching some Genshiken lately, and for those of you who don't know it, it's a show about a college otaku club. Consequently, there are some cosplayer characters, and at times they talk about perfecting their characters. Some of their ideas about what it takes to cosplay are a little overwhelming, and it got me thinking about how I treat it.

Some people try to be 100% in character the entire time they're cosplaying. Others just wear the costume and act like their normal selves. Still others are somewhere in between. I created this topic because I'd like to know what range of attitudes are out there. How do you enjoy your cosplay?  In character or no?  Do you stick to posing for photos? Attend all con events in costume?

Personally, since my new main cosplay is Link from Legend of Zelda, I find it a little tough to stay in character. I've done theater before, so it's not a matter of performance. It's mainly because Link doesn't talk. Since I'm a talkative person, up until now I haven't tried too hard with that aspect of cosplay. But I've been thinking of being a little more restrictive with what I do in costume, just for the look of things. Learning how to pose is another aspect of being in character, on top of that.

Anyway, what do you all prefer?  Remember, this isn't a topic about what you think other cosplayers should do. I'm just asking what YOU find most enjoyable and rewarding.

[AllyKat]

Well... as I've only done cosplay once, I'm still working out the kinks to my "method"

However as an actress and thespian I am one who leans more towards the full time role.
When in panels and things I tend to be my normal self to avoid confusion but, when walking
around the convention I try to walk like my characters, and provide facial expressions and
comments that potray my character, in the event that someone wants to take a candid shot
from far away or something... (unlikely I know) but that way anytime you look at me in main
con-space I'm hopefully doing something close or similar to what my actual character might
do.

~Allykat

[CLAP_attack]

Well normally you cosplay the character to be its role right? x]
but annyywhhoo.~
I like to stay in character 80 - 70 % of the time cause it can get tiring. If your sitting and such and away from events and photo's normally I act myself =3
But photo's and interaction with other cosplayers are pretty darn fun in character x] specially Photoshoots or pictures for that matter since it captures the moment of the character and all. But having fun should be the jiff of it =D Kumoricon is once a year and three (or four ) lonnng days that seem so short D':
Sometimes the outcome of happy cosplays is , you cosplay them again =D I had fun being In Character with Roy Mustang & Jean Havoc from FMA <3 Awesome roles to be and have fun with for me! But it all depends on how you feel I guess? x] I personally like being in character. So much fun~

[~boogiepop~]

I think it's kinda stupid. I'm mostly at a convention to hang out with my friends, cosplay coming second, and I don't think they would enjoy me pretending to be someone else. I only get into character for pictures and if I am ever to do a skit, I will do that as well. I've seen too many kids, take it too over the top, and become completely annoying. That is my reasoning I suppose.

[Sayda]

I've noticed that most of the characters I Cosplay I'm already somewhat like. So really, I don't have much of a problem when it comes to staying in character. I'm pretty quiet when I Cosplay, and most of the characters I Cosplay are quiet, or reserved.

But I definitely agree that sometimes Cosplayers take it way too far when trying to stay in character. They don't know when to stop, or when it's no longer appropriate at the time, which can get annoying, or even offensive.

[RemSaverem]

I love LARPing, but there are times when it is and is not appropriate.
One venue where folks can enjoyably and approriately stay in character while in cosplay, is Fanfic Theatre at Fanfic Bedtime Stories at Creation Station. Typically this would be around 9 or 10 on con-Sunday night. At this event, folks read, and/or cosplay, their own or others' fanfics or works of original fiction. For example, this year I was in Luna Lovegood cosplay, and I performed my fanfics about Luna Lovegood while in that cosplay. The fics are written in 3rd person, but when I recited Luna's dialogue in them, I attempted my best Luna voice for them
Everyone is welcome to come give this a try! It's totally fun.

[nikkiolie]

I do it a little bit because I tend to cosplay characters with similar personalities as my self. But the one thing that really annoys me is when people act in character around people that aren't part of the convention, like when ordering food at a fast food place.

[Dubaby]

I think it's kinda stupid. I'm mostly at a convention to hang out with my friends, cosplay coming second, and I don't think they would enjoy me pretending to be someone else. I only get into character for pictures and if I am ever to do a skit, I will do that as well. I've seen too many kids, take it too over the top, and become completely annoying. That is my reasoning I suppose.

I agree with the above..... I'll pop into character for pics, photoshoots, or if I'm joking around with someone from the same series. Honestly though, I'm at convention to meet new people and enjoy all the fun events the con has to offer, and I feel like if I was trying to focus on mimicing my character the whole time I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself as much.

I've also seen some good examples of people who have taken acting as their character to a MAJORLY annoying level..... so yeah. XD

[nekovamp13]

I'm usually only in character for pictures/photoshoots, or if the character is a lot like myself...Anywho, I also find it really annoying when others attempt to act like their character, cause I'd rather know what the real person is like, not their character.

Though, it is fun to hang with people and play around in character, making jokes and stuff that make sense for the character some one is cosplaying as. Hence CLAP_attack as Roy and Havoc, lots of fun messing with them ^^

[Man of the Public]

Only for photos.

However with Domon I might just do some random yelling and fighting.

[Felix]

I've only done one cosplay, so I don't really know about myself, but I think it really depends on the character you're playing. If the character is someone you already have a lot in common with, it's a lot easier to stay in character. And I feel like there are some characters you really shouldn't be 100 per cent in character for, because some characters can be really over the top. I agree that when you're hanging out with your friends you shouldn't try to be someone else.

[Hazuza]

Unfortunately, I usually cosplay people that don't talk a lot, and when they do talk, they only say mean things xD; So I don't bother acting in-character since... Well, I can't act mean D: Unless I'm actually mad. And I'd rather not push people away from me that don't know me.

I want to act more in-character with my future cosplays though. c: Or most of the time, maybe not canon-in-character, but how people usually portray them. It makes it fun for everyone usually, especially other cosplayers or strangers that know the series~

[xxxchihiroxxx]

this is tough. When photos and what not sure I'll be in character, and you approach me as if I am said character (like call me by my characters name) I'll try to be in character but in all honesty I'm ussualy not.

When I'm talking with my friends, or just hanging at a panel or generally busy with something then I'm more or less myself.

but most of my characters are some what similar to me anyways : /

[TanisNikana]

I'm even in character when not cosplaying.

[NekoAkiko]

I don't really think I stay in character when in Cosplay. I've never really thought about it before but I do try to do poses that the character does for photos. The only time I think I "stayed in character" I was caught off guard and was asked a question that was true for both my character at the time (Selphie) and myself. D: A friend was unfair and asked me if I liked trains (I wasn't paying attention to the conversation until I was asked this question) and I promptly responded that I did. Prompty sang Selphie's train song too (which I love to sing on my way to train stations).

But I definitely agree that sometimes Cosplayers take it way too far when trying to stay in character. They don't know when to stop, or when it's no longer appropriate at the time, which can get annoying, or even offensive.

So. Very. True. People kept saying in character things to me this year at the convention and it was driving me up the wall since I wasn't expecting it. I think I bugged one of the girls talking to me because I kept giving out of character responses. xD

[Cassiopeia]

I try to sometimes be in character, but with all the stuff I have going on especially during cons, it's difficult. I really hate it when people do so and it's really not appropriate... I don't go anywhere near that. I think I'm kind of in the middle. When cosplaying, I always try to think about how my character would act, even if I don't do it myself, and it probably slightly affects how I act that time in general but not a whole lot. For photos, I always pose in character.

[Blizzara Dragon]

I usually try to be in character but I also have fun being out of character, especially cause we'll start making jokes about our characters. Great example was my cosplay for this year (Squall Leonhart) called for me being antisocial and emo, so whenever we were out of character and making jokes I would get sad and start acting emo as a joke, including pretending to slit my wrists with the gunblade ^^

There are some times though when being in character is totally inappropriate. I know next year I'm going to have to tone down acting in character since I'll be Kefka, and he can be a real jack@$$ sometimes 

[Mitsukai Mizu Amaya]

Again... "SON OF A SUBMARINER!" xD

I go in and out of acting in character. My main Cosplay is Garnet, and I am usually in character with her... unless I'm with friends. Then all bets are off. ESPECIALLY when playing drama games in the middle of the hallway after midnight when technically I shouldn't be there because I'm a minor. xD

Sometimes it's very fun to be in character, sometimes it's fun to be yourself, and even toehr times it's fun to be the polar opposite of your character, in my opinion. Depends on the situation.

[princessmoon]

When I am in costume at a con, I am pretty much just myself. I do try to pose as the character would for pictures, but I don't try to "perfect" them like the hardcore fanatic cosplayers in Genshiken do. (Haven't seen second season yet.)

Most of the time, I goof off with my brother. Guess, I kinda act like a big kid--just hang out and have fun!  I can see that it would be difficult to be exactly like a certain character though.  I think it's fun when it is not overdone.

"    Pinky: Gee, Brain, what are we going to do tonight?
    Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky - try to take over the world! "

LOL. totally not cosplay, but I imagined me being Brain...  

[Jacob_Blackfeather]

I personally do a bit of both but when I am at an event at con I will act like that character and I can't get out of it until i am either done with the event or the panel I am in at the time.

[TurboSaiyanJason]

This is the topic I've been waiting for...

In my personal opinion, just putting on a costume and not having a little character in it, makes it seem empty and hollow. It's like makeup, but you wear it as clothes. To me, my cosplay is my uniform. When I pull together clothing that resembles a character, I try to bring their spirit along with it. Rather than buying expensive outfits made already by another company, or even just an accessory to the costume, and having to sit and wait for it to come in the mail, I prefer to build the costume piece by piece using parts from real clothes. So most of my cosplays tend to look like clothes pulled together in a certain order.
Ex. Luffy: denim shorts, straw sun hat with red ribbon, red vest, sandals.
But also done based on how they match my own style in some way. Like Inuyasha who is a half breed, or Naruto who takes his knocks but never gives up, or maybe soon, Cloud, who's a calm-headed drifter and can't change a thing about it, no matter what group he splashes into.
I try not to cosplay a character that I don't know a good deal about. It took me a little while to start looking at doing Naruto. If I was in character, then it would be to the extent of the safety rules of the con, or common sense in the public eye if it was an out-of-con meetup.
Ex. I would cosplay Miroku and talk and act like he would, but not do EVERYTHING he would, because it would cross countless comfort boundaries for me and those around me.

I've seen only half of anyone at the conventions, even for a brief time, roleplay the character they're wearing except to pose for pics or bring it out in a skit. Maybe it's just me, but wearing a cosplay that most fans might love, and not putting some soul into it, is like seeing an eye-catching manga cover, then when I go to read it, nothing is printed. I just can't see myself wearing a costume and not giving life to it, otherwise what's the point in wearing it? If I wanted to be normal, I might as well wear normal clothes. If I'm in cosplay, it's an opportunity to represent the character I'm wearing, and express my fandom of them.

So next time you see me in cosplay, know that I'm looking for an opportunity to roleplay the character, but that I'm still me deep within this mask and soul of their impact on me as a fan.

[Serika]

hngg tl;dr

In my Gas Station Attendant outfit I did shake hands with everyone, and injured someone in the process, so that's pretty in character


Though in my Merines outfit I didn't attempt to commit genocide, so I guess about half and half

[Radien]

Interesting comments. Perhaps I should expand on a few things I said, though.

By "staying in character," I definitely meant "with limits." Anytime responding in character would interfere with your basic functions or cause undue irritation to your friends, it's a good time to make allowances and at least partially drop character. Inflicting your character on food service employees is particularly inconsiderate most of the time. The only good way to stay 100% in character is to limit your costume time to within a certain "bubble," e.g. a skit or a photo shoot.

Hmmm. I also see that a lot of you have taken "staying in character" to mean constantly LARPing. But remember that there's potentially a lot more to staying in character than determining what the character would say/do.

One thing I'm thinking about is demeanor. I've noticed that the cosplayers who have a real "presence" are usually the ones who say little, but project the character's demeanor. It's nice because you can imitate the movements, expressions, and habits of a character and otherwise speak normally. It's basically just an exaggeration of what we do in real life: a girl in an evening gown will probably consciously carry herself differently than she would if she were wearing overalls. This is a lot like that.

The benefit of this is that words can't be caught on camera -- you could be talking about getting Subway, but if you have the demeanor, the camera doesn't know that. In addition to looking better in candid shots, you don't have to recompose yourself every time someone asks for a photo pose. The downside, however, is that it takes a lot of concentration and sometimes it's very easy to forget, depending on the costume.

In my Gas Station Attendant outfit I did shake hands with everyone, and injured someone in the process, so that's pretty in character

You cosplayed the gas station attendant from Persona 4?... Now that's obscure. O_o; Unless the character gets a more formal introduction that I haven't seen yet...

[Serika]

You cosplayed the gas station attendant from Persona 4?... Now that's obscure. O_o; Unless the character gets a more formal introduction that I haven't seen yet...

OKAY MAJOR PERSONA FOUR SPOILERS.  IF YOU ONLY HAVE A VAGUE IDEA OF WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT OR DON'T KNOW AT ALL, THEN THIS IS A SPOILER. 

In the true ending of the game (that you really have to force your way to since the game will try to give you the normal ending) the Gas Station Attendant is the most important character.  I won't say any more than that...



/spoilers. 

[AllyKat]

Yeah I think I need to revise my statement!

I don't want to sound like I'm a crazy Thespian-Otaku who will only talk to you in her
character. My two big Caveat's are Panels & Event, and just being able to relay things
to friends and people. Like, as heather, I didn't go up to the guy at Arby's and say;

*runs into arby's shutting the door behind her*

"Excuse me, I'd like to order a number 5, medium with a coke...do you have a
public restroom I could use?"

*attendant nods and points*

"Great! I've been needing a save spot for HOURS!"

*turns on flashlight and runs into bathroom*

Okay... that didn't sound nearly as crazy as I'm sure it would have looked but,
yeah, there is no way I am going to disrupt normal human activities just for
look of character. However, I do want to visually appear in character as much
of the time as possible when in public con-space. That way if someone were to
(sticking with the heather example) yell; "Heather!" I remember they are probably
talking to me and turn and look up with my flashlight ready and in character!

Because it's just more fun that way!

~Allykat

[Radien]

Serika:

Yikes. Not gonna read. I guess that answers my question. o_o; Dangit, now my mind is playing out possible things that could be contained within that spoiler text...


AllyKat:

Heh, yeah, I'm glad you don't do that (the bathroom thing).

Now, if Heather is the character in your avatar, she's from a game I haven't played, but I can take a stab at it: it looks like a horror game, possibly Silent Hill, and it sounds like they have save points in the bathrooms. It also sounds like the flashlight is a major item in the game. Am I far off?

[RemSaverem]

This is the topic I've been waiting for...

In my personal opinion, just putting on a costume and not having a little character in it, makes it seem empty and hollow. It's like makeup, but you wear it as clothes. To me, my cosplay is my uniform. When I pull together clothing that resembles a character, I try to bring their spirit along with it. Rather than buying expensive outfits made already by another company, or even just an accessory to the costume, and having to sit and wait for it to come in the mail, I prefer to build the costume piece by piece using parts from real clothes. So most of my cosplays tend to look like clothes pulled together in a certain order.
 I try not to cosplay a character that I don't know a good deal about. It took me a little while to start looking at doing Naruto. If I was in character, then it would be to the extent of the safety rules of the con, or common sense in the public eye if it was an out-of-con meetup.
Ex. I would cosplay Miroku and talk and act like he would, but not do EVERYTHING he would, because it would cross countless comfort boundaries for me and those around me.

I like the way you think

[Wuntvor]

So far I have only cosplayed as two individuals.  Andrei Kalinin from Full Metal Panic, and Hohenheim from Full Metal Alchemist.  Both men are widowers and have a military bearing.  It is hard for me to figure out how to portray them when a young girl comes up to me and says "Hohenheim!  Can I hug you?"  I tend to be stiff, and not know what to do with my hands.    As for poses.  I am up for any suggestions you can give me.  Both of them are usually only seen standing straight and at attention.  They often look imposing.  Hohenheim may have a hand in his coat pocket.  Beyond that...

I did spend some time looking for an Edward.  When I found one I would approach them and say, "Edward, why did you burn down my house?"  In both situations, the Edward couldn't get away fast enough.  At least that was the impression I got.  I was never asked to be a part of a FMA photo-shoot, or to have my picture taken with any of the other FMA characters.  I did hear "Hohenheim" being yelled a lot though!  In all the photos I tried to stand in a 3/4 pose with my coat open a bit so you can see the vest and tie.  I usually put a hand in my pocket.  I always looked at the camera from the corner of my eye, and did a bit of a glare.  I think I got his general attitude and bearing across.

When in panels I would take off the coat, but would still try to maintain a stoic posture and bearing.  I didn't do a lot of laughing.  Wearing all of those formal clothes does sort of make you feel like you are wearing a uniform, or attending something important.  I tended to be pretty formal.  I was worried about getting stains on my front.  And always took my badge off, if I knew a photo was being taken.

[AllyKat]

Now, if Heather is the character in your avatar, she's from a game I haven't played, but I can take a stab at it: it looks like a horror game, possibly Silent Hill, and it sounds like they have save points in the bathrooms. It also sounds like the flashlight is a major item in the game. Am I far off?

You would be right, that is Heather Mason, the main character and your persona for Silent Hill 3, the direct sequel to Silent Hill 1.
Bathrooms are often where save points are, but mostly they appear in closets or other places that are small and secluded, so
bathrooms are a obvious choice, but it isn't always that way. And since they are survival horror games, a flashlight is VERY important,
even though it attracts the monsters to you, you'd need it to get around, another key item is a radio, which I haven't gotten for
my character yet. When static plays on the radio, that means monsters are nearby!

~Allykat

[GwarNekoChan]

^{Last year I tried to stay in character...
...that didn't work out. xD
This year I'm going as Sync the Tempest, who's like...
an emo kid XD
So I'm going to try to act serious during the convention.
"... ._."
I better practice now!}