Many a flame war has been fought on message boards, blogs, and gallery sites on the proper etiquette for cosplayers and event photographers when attending local cons. In an effort to cut the bull and head straight for the really important stuff, here’s a short list of things cosplay and cosplay photographers should keep in mind, as suggested by the cosplayers and cosplay photographers themselves.

If you think there should be more items on the list, feel free to make suggestions in the comments section. If, on the other hand, you disagree with some of the items listed here, have your say in the comments section as well. Let’s make this an open and productive discussion on the do’s and don’ts of attending local cosplay events.

For Cosplayers

• DO read up on the rules before signing up for the competition. Ignorance is no excuse. If the event organizers refuse to let you register for the competition because you were not able to satisfy one of their criteria, you have no one to blame but yourself.

• DO come on time. If the press release for the event states that registration for the competition ends at one in the afternoon, you have to be at the sign-up queue about half an hour before that. Being a cosplayer does not make you special enough for the event staff and con organizers to bend the rules for you. Please be considerate of the schedules they have to keep.

• DO NOT spend too much time and make a mess in the public restrooms. You are not the only people who need to use the toilet — please be considerate of other people.

• DO respect the purpose of the holding area, and those authorized to police them. Holding areas were created to facilitate the stage ramp, and not as a playground or daycare center. While many events allow you to bring one companion into the holding area to assist you with your costume, it does not mean that you can bring you entire family in there to sit and avoid the crowds of the main events hall. Please do your part to help keep the congestion down in the holding areas.

• DO respect your fellow cosplayers and other con attendees. Being in costume does not excuse you from basic social rules such as courtesy and personal space. Screeching at the top of your voice in the middle of the events hall is annoying, not to mention it makes you look like an attention whore. Glomping a complete stranger, on the other hand, is just plain bad manners.

For Photographers

• DO ask for permission before snapping photos. It’s basic human courtesy, and cosplayers are generally nice and will rarely refuse if you ask politely.

• DO NOT throw a fit if the cosplayer you asked happens to refuse to let you take a picture of them. I’ve heard one photographer call a lady cosplayer the B word just because she said no to his request for a photo op. Cosplayers have their reasons for not being able to comply with your request, and it’s probably nothing personal. Just smile, thank them, and walk away to look for another, friendlier cosplayer.

• DO thank the cosplayers who pose for you. Again, it’s common courtesy — and it makes the cosplayers feel appreciated, encouraging them to cosplay more and improve their craft.

• DO respect the personal space of the cosplayers — especially the ladies. Please do not put your arms around their shoulders or waists, or grab their arms or their behinds. Let me put it this way: if you had a younger sister, and she was dressed as a super-cute anime character, would you like random guys putting their arms around her? Nope — we didn’t think so.

• DO give them time to eat or freshen up in private. No cosplayer wants to see pictures of themselves taking off their wigs to fix them, retying or re-taping their costumes, or opening wide to eat a cheeseburger in the photo galleries of random strangers.