Saber Forum

Handling Props
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBAELz3w6EY# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBAELz3w6EY#)

Inappropriate Photos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM0lxoI4muk# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM0lxoI4muk#)

Photography Sniping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HzL8u1MHz4# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HzL8u1MHz4#)

Inappropriate Touching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7prtYmxId8# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7prtYmxId8#)

Touching Displays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exe3z8Wq-Ok# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exe3z8Wq-Ok#)

Some VERY excellent points made here

Uh, Melvin, that wasn't just "inappropriate touching", that was battery.

Good information for first timers. Kinda like what my mother told  us as kids before going in the store "Don't touch anything or anyone without permission"

It's a sad state of affairs that these lessons need to be made into a video as there are people out there who cannot act with decency. Although, I think with the photography sniping one, that is just down to excitement and wanting to get a good photo. But there's still etiquette and protocol, which most professional photographers understand and adhere to.

Exactly, some need to realize not everyone is a creep or a*hole.  Some are just very excited and especially in our modern culture you see something cool you immediately snap a pic of it.  Touching props?  That's just rude.  You don't touch someone else's stuff without permission.  Had an incident with someone I knew grabbing my lightsaber (Bellicose) on my hip trying to take it to look at it.  Since it was on the covertec clip I had to move with it or risk my belt being broken (prototype belt, not sturdy yet).  When I told him off he said 'Jeez its just a toy".  My response?  Yea..but its an expensive toy and its MY toy.  seriously, no home training

Excellent point made there

Or, go old school and get a Prince Albert and strap it to your thigh

Agreed.  I was cosplaying as Captain America a few years ago and some dude slapped a woman on her behind since she played a sexy Spider Gwen and when she hit him, he called her a word that rhymes with itch and starts with a "b" and threw his arm back as if he was going to slap her. So I walked up to him, grabbed his arm and turned him around when he started with "What the **** do you want, you st...." when I knocked him out. I got applaud with that but I raised my voice and said "Anyone who wants to sexually assault someone, you send them to me"

I'm not asking for any applaud or anything, when we're talking about things like this, no one should touch another without consent in a sexual or anyway

I don't take harassment towards anyone lightly, let alone sexual assault. 

HELLZ NO!

<golf clap>

-3 for that

Points to "I can do this all day" Infinite01.

Chicken!

Hey I cleaned it up. I have a severe aversion to metal in my skin. You should see me freaking out over a vaccine needle.

I call any man who has an aversion to that piercing a chicken.  ;D

Time to work on my Melvyn cosplay.

Jedi Melvyn or Sith Melvyn?

METAL DOESN'T TOUCH THAT! EVER!!!!!!!

Like I said. Chicken! LOL

I'm kinda nervous sometimes about the costume I'm working on... it shows just enough skin to be considered an invitation to touch by jerkoffs.

I know some cosplayers have a spotter; a friend who is in normal clothes who stands nearby to spot when some asshat is about to do something they shouldn't be doing, whether they be touching or grabbing a cosplayer or prop. Maybe that's something you could look into?

Alternatively, depending on where the Con is and if it's possible, you could wander around in normal clothes first, soak up the atmosphere, buy stuff etc. Then, go back to your room, change into costume and come back to just pose for photos. At London Excel, where one of the big Cons is held, a lot of people stay in hotels or B&Bs nearby and do this. There tend to be certain times of the day when most photographers will be looking to take photos (basically avoiding midday as the overhead light is too harsh).

Thanks Knox. Some of my friends will appreciate this.

I'll gladly assist on things like that, Cap Infinit

The spotter idea is a good one. Thanks Knox.

I've never had that issue. Of course it helps that I'm a 6'1" figure generally clad in black with armor. I've been told I'm quite imposing. However, I'm usually very keen to check out props, but am always sure to ask permission first.

And that last part is the key.
I get asked about the Wrath by people at cons a good amount of the time.

The biggest reason I love carrying Project:BOOYA! at cons is for photo ops with people that don't have costume/saber. I'm able to split it and offer them 1/3 colors, and they're like "No @#$%ing way." More out of they can't believe someone is willing to let them hold a treasured prop. It's a great feeling.

The girl that took this found someone to take her pic with us.

(https://i.imgur.com/fuxMbs6.jpg)

I did this very thing. She said I made her year. She couldn't believe it.

Yup. We do that to our female cosplayers when we all go to cons.  It's sad when you have to do this to keep women safe

While I've never been sexually assaulted while in cosplay, I have been assaulted.  Back when glomping was a thing I'd been glomped to the point of getting knocked down, even had an over zealous fan  run at me full speed and jump on my back while hugging me around the neck so tight that I couldn't breathe... I'd been off crutches for all of a week.

Now that I am older and stuff I spot for other cosplayers to prevent unwanted advances of any kind.

After researching, it sounds like the infamous "attack hug."

I've never really seen problems amounting to sexual assault at cons so far beyond a couple of comments (that usually were quickly answered either by the person targeted or any bystander).

None of the female cosplayers I've gone to cons with ever really had issues like that. It may be partly due to Swiss people having a certain restrain pre-programmed by culture or because our cons are somewhat small. It could also be because the women I accompanied usually didn't go for cosplays involving little skin coverage, or the fact that they looked battle-ready or that they were surrounded by other battle-ready intimidating sword-wielding stunt performers. I don't know.

Anyway, I agree that cosplaying in a costume showing a little more than your usual daily clothing would NEVER means automatic consent for being touched or having pictures taken from all angles. Witnessing such behaviour would probably have me drawing my saber (aware that many others around would be doing the same). I may not send them to a hospital, but they sure would feel threatened enough to know not to do it again.

Never witnessed any "attack hugs" either (other than surprise over-enthusiastic hugs from a best friend that is).

I wouldn't mess with Logos in his armor either. :D

I actually would wear the Nomi Sunrider outfit, or something similar, as an everyday outfit. I'm not shy about showing a little skin, I just don't because the area I live in is very conservative, so wearing a shirt like that to the grocery store can cause problems. I had a friend kicked out because she stopped on her way from the gym, because a sports bra "doesn't count as a shirt."

It is something to behold.

(https://media.tenor.com/images/1bf5f1390ec5771fa637e719d6ed575f/tenor.gif)

LOL  ;D
Point for this visual example

For me, piercing is allowed only for medicinal purposes.  I've donated blood (both whole blood donation and platelet pheresis) many times, but I like my skin to stay intact as much as possible.  Call me a chicken if you like, but when you consider that when I was matched with a patient for the platelet pheresis, I was sitting for two hours at a stretch with a relatively large-bore needle in each arm, twice a week, for three to six months, I think you'd have to admit that I'm a committed chicken.

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There are people who are sensitive to these topics and have lived through said events so let's not discuss this further as to respect them

Understood. My apologies.