[S] Cosplay Question - We Want Your Thoughts!

[Kamiki]

Kitsune Mistress Nyoko

It's one kind of disappointment to have someone else get your quest first, but to think you won it and be told after work has already been started that someone else got it a long time ago, and the list was never updated to reflect that? That sounds like utter, soul-crushing heartbreak to me!

This has actually happened to me. Twice.

Yeah, it sucks.  

[Nayci]

I think what it comes down to is an interpretation of a canon character we all know and love. I've humorously made the comparison to a convention, this way it would be based on a soquili level.

The only way a cosplay would be canon was if you were the actor who played the character in the film. And the only way for a character to be canon completely is inside the creator's head, so even the actor playing the character is still an interpretation.

So, that said, multiple people can dress up as the same character and still come up with something totally different in their head canon. Example, my version of how I've brought the concepts of aiononline into the shop can be greatly different from someone else. It doesn't make my vision any less valid than that other person. Nor is my character Matania, who is technically an OC cosplay, any less valid in her storyline.  

[Revel1984]

Sorry if i'm missing it, my dyslexia makes it hard to read walls of text (not knocking them, it's just hard for me to read through)

Where do cosplays obtained through RL money stand? or where COULD they stand? I understand people work hard for gold, don't get me wrong but i don't think cosplays obtained through gold should be in the same category as cosplays obtained through RL money. I feel it's very different personally.  

[Jackariah Beckett]

Revel1984

I'm a little surprised that not a single one of the 14 or so people that have voted the top vote of all for the change... haven't commented at all saying so. All comments so far have had reservations or just don't like the idea at all.

-raises hand- I was one of the people who voted yes =p.


-still reading what everybody wrote- Oooooo, I really like Kara's idea! Of mock breedings where you post a soq and a cosplay. Or two cosplays and see what the colorists come up with. I know there have been things like that in Kara's shop and they were super fun nwn.  

[Uta]

Hello Revel,

I know there have been people who paid Sirenz money to obtain cosplays, OCs, and Breedings. Remember, that was just one way to purchase a pet to play in Soquili but they must abide by soquili shop rules. As far as I can see, there would be no difference in treatment between a cosplay purchased between a RL Bribe or any other means of obtainment i.e. SC, Custom, Gaia Bribe, Auction, etc.

We have no way to track who was bought by RL Bribe, and even if we could, it wouldn't make sense to make them excluded from the rest of the shop rules.

People who bought breedings or OCs have no special perks. They abide by all the shop rules, and cosplays follow suit.

Remember, Sirenz stating they were "the only cosplay allowed" at that time of purchase lines up with soquili's current ruling. You may have paid money for it, but that was your choice to do so. There were no special or additional perks when buying RL Bribes -- it was simply one other avenue to pick up a pet for Soquili.  

[Revel1984]

thanks for the answer Uta  

[USS_Galactica]

Honestly I am cool with it. I'd be happy to see my two Cosplays recustomed if that is what someone wanted to do.  

[pippi18848]

Honestly, I'm kind of for this idea. There are a lot of cosplays I want to get, not because I like the character...well...I do, but I love how they look, I love their items. But I could never pull off playing their personality exactly so I'd change it around to fit my own needs and just have it designed off of the character I love.

I mean, the way I see it, is that even if there are say, two uh I dunno, two Smaugs, or two Daenerys, or two of whoever, I don't see it interrupting roleplays or really being any sort of a conflict. Even if you're rping similar personalities because you want to keep true to the characters original concept. It just gives more people an opportunity to snag an rp with said character. Person A may play their cosplay in this fashion, but Person B may play theirs slightly different, and Person C who is looking for a pony to fit a plot, may pick Person A because they like their rping style better or they could pick Person B because they prefer how the character is turning out. [I feel like I'm confusing things but I understand it in my head D: ]

And unless you choose to have the same cosplays meet in a roleplay, then I highly doubt it'll cause issues, because each pony is unique. So what if say my Soq, Adelle ran into Cosplay A...she's not going to comment that Cosplay B looks so much alike to the other one. The only way it'll happen, is if the other people involve in the rp want it to happen. Again...I probably just botched my whole explanation but I totally understand it in my head. @____@;;;  

[Roarie Desu]

So I've always wanted a Sailor Moon and Ranma from Ranma 1/2. There is currently a Sailor Moon but there is not a Ranma. So I could get a Ranma but I have not even tried because I'm pretty sure someone is going to PM me and complain about how I play him. Even if I block said person and tell everyone they are mean, that seed of doubt is still planted. I will probably play that character less and might even stop playing them all together.

Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't Soq suppose to be about creativity and relationships? Hate and bitterness is definitely the opposite of those things. Relaxing the restrictions would solve all of that. Instead of 'My cosplay! Mine' it would be 'My character, mine!'. It seems like a small difference, but it's not.

In the roleplay forums (Barton) here on gaia, a lot of people play cosplays or versions of the original character. If you don't like how they interpret that character, you leave and don't roleplay with them. You don't rail against them and you don't cause a huge fight that could get you banned. You just leave.

How is this any different? Is it the shiny pixels that make it different? How is other fan made art different then? Is that stealing from your character? Your cosplay soquili is essentially fan-art. And there are lots of other interpretations of fan-art out there aren't there.  

[Das Tor]

I'm very for the idea of relaxing the cosplay restrictions. Partly because I'm one of those people who loves seeing all the different ways of interpreting a character. A good example of this is a bunch of people I RP with on Tumblr. My main character played knows a myriad of different Megaman Xs. And each one is very, very different. She's dating one, considers one a nephew, has dubbed another a little brother, and she wants nothing more than to kidnap another one away from the shitty situation he's in.  

[Malomy]

I'm for this. I think it'd level the playing field. I know a bunch of folks hide what cosplay they are trying for, out of fear that someone will see they are questing it and swoop in and take it. It'd be great if people didn't feel that way when it came to cosplays, and it'd be one less thing people would feel resentment about. That's a good thing, at least in my mind. Plus, I don't really see why we need a one cosplay of any character rule to begin with. We don't have this rule IRL. They aren't gonna say you can't dress up as Inuyasha when you go to an anime con just because someone else already has, why do we do this here?  

[ATh e a r t]

Roarie Desu

Even if I block said person and tell everyone they are mean, that seed of doubt is still planted. I will probably play that character less and might even stop playing them all together.

Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't Soq suppose to be about creativity and relationships? Hate and bitterness is definitely the opposite of those things. Relaxing the restrictions would solve all of that. Instead of 'My cosplay! Mine' it would be 'My character, mine!'. It seems like a small difference, but it's not.

Off topic, but if a person really is doing that, that would be something that should be reported to management. Because people will do that either way, but it doesn't mean the shop itself holds those standards.

People are the bane of hatred, not the shop ;3

On a related note, what about opening up customs to one M/F + Full Sized/Mini of cosplays? I honestly think that's awesome, but then again, that could be just me XD;

(I'm still very for the ask the original owner first though).  

[Kaitaia]

I don't really have a huge opinion either way; whatever way the rule goes, I'll be fine with. Just thought I'd post a few thoughts.

In a shop I used to manage, we had a multiple form rule for cosplays. If a cosplay had multiple versions, they could all be gotten, but by different owners. It'd still be one of each version, but it does open the character up more for other people. We had a Ocarina of Time Link and a Twilight Princess Link and I think possibly a Windwaker Link too. They're all the same character, but look different and have different stories. Same thing with like MCU Marvel characters and the comic characters. They have the same stories and personalities technically, but there's enough differences to play them differently.

Also, as for having two versions of the same character meeting... This comes up in Tumblr RP a lot. There's hundreds and hundreds of any given character, thousands possibly if they're a popular character. I made a personal rule not to RP with the same version of my character because to me it was just strange. Other people find it great fun, so they encourage it. As for RPing my character with multiples of another, I just ignore the fact I've already RPed with another version. I treat them all as individual characters. Yes, in the case of Thor and Loki, they all have a similar backstory and relationship, but your actual interactions with them will be different. And everyone plays the characters differently. Even with the exact same inspiration, background, and personality, everyone will play the character different. My interpretation of a character is not going to be the same as yours.

Just... play it by ear. RP with your own preferences. You RP for your own enjoyment, so just keep doing that.