Or, how to quit cosplay and really mean it. No scripted video blog posts, no five million fanthings wringing their hands in despair, no April Fools Day jokes, and no excuses. Here are five tips:
No tearful goodbyes, just go for it!
If one day you suddenly wake up and think to yourself, “Cosplaying sucks!” — do something about it!
Cosplaying — like most other hobbies such as collecting bottle caps, going skydiving, and recreational drug use, can be harmful if done in extremes. So before you get in too deep, and destroy your life and all your existing personal relationships, just to play dress-up — it’s time to quit.
Erase your online presence.
Get rid of your Cure and Deviantart accounts. Shut down your cosplay blog. Erase your Facebook fanpage and cosplay-related Twitter account. Deactivate all your cosplay forum accounts.
The biggest outrcy for you to come back will be from your cosplay “friends” and “fans”. However, if they genuinely care for you, they will respect your decision. They will even help you transition back to non-cosplaying society. If they say you’re a quitter and that they are no longer friends with you, then good riddance to them. Real friends do not abandon you just because you decided you’ve had enough with wearing thick make-up and funny wigs.
Get rid of your cosplay wardrobe.
Sell it at a loss at a swap meet or garage sale. Ask friends to post messages online saying that the first person who shows up at a preselected meeting spot gets to take home suitcases worth of old costumes and boxes of old accessories for free. If all else fails, hold a giant bonfire on your yard — I promise you it will be cathartic.
As long as there are physical remnants of your previous hobby lying around your bedroom and your house, you will never be able to totally break free from it.
Stop going to cons.
Let’s face it — going to a convention for many cosplayers is less about attending the con and more about being seen at the con. If you are serious with your resolution, you don’t need to be surrounded by drooling fanboys, sweaty pervographers, and slimy old geezers who like to pass themselves off as part of your entourage to feel good about yourself.
As for your pals, if you’re real friends and genuinely want to hang out, you can just meet at your favorite cafe, go to the movies, or go bowling. You don’t have to go to a con to see them.
Find a new hobby.
Fly-fishing, stamp collecting, fostering stray cats — there are a million other hobbies out there for you to explore. Don’t limit yourself to just one thing! Learn a new language. Enroll in an acting workshop. Go back to school and take up a post-grad degree. Memorize the first 100 digits of pi. The possibilities are infinite!
JPOP Manila 
I’m curious to what prompted this blog post… :p lol. Love the subject title though. Haha.
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Good Job! :))
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However, if they genuinely care for you, they will respect your decision.
but an Incredibly Reputable Person said that supporting such a decision means you never really supported them!
(there are not enough eye roll images on the entire Intarwebs for that comment)
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I’m curious to what prompted this blog post… :p lol.
i have no idea what brought this on either :DDDDDDD
but an Incredibly Reputable Person said that supporting such a decision means you never really supported them!
i can hazard a guess on who that is /infinite eye roll lol
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Incredibly Reputable Person is trying to say, in some weird delusional way, that it’s not about her and that its really all about him.
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“No tearful goodbyes, just go for it!”
Amen on all of the tips. 🙂
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“Memorize the digits of pi. The possibilities are infinite.”
I see what you did there. XD
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I see what you did there. XD
gdemmit — foiled! back to the evil overlord drawing board >:DDDDDD
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“No scripted video blog posts.”
I think it’s better if she opted to announce it via a blog post or a status update. The vlog look so fake and scripted.
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“Cosplaying — like most other hobbies such as collecting bottle caps, going skydiving, and recreational drug use, can be harmful if done in extremes.”
I object to lumping in recreational drug use with cosplay, bottle cap collecting, and skydiving.
The recreational drug users I’ve met are far less insane than the average cosplayer, bottle cap collector, or skydiver. 😛
So… how long until someone tops “I’m quitting cosplay” with “I’m committing suicide”? XD
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Fly fishing sounds like a worthwhile hobby! Must try! XD
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@the_bumper_car
So are we lumped as the below average or above average then? XD
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@eva_guy01
You guys have managed to survive me. You are EXCEPTIONAL. XD
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i’m surprised with the level of batshit insane from the fans though — you’d think that it was the end of the world. but then again, it’s nearly 2012 XDDDDDDDDDD
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This made me cry and made me think twice about giving up my bottle cap collection. ;A;
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS FOREVER.
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you know the biggest tragedy with giving up your bottle cap collection?
YOU CAN’T USE IT TO GET HITS ON YOUR BLOG ANYMORE BAWWWWWW T^T
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Quit only after your corporate sponsor gives you the money and power you need to go omg arteesstaaaa. High profile boyfriend a plus.
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will likewise quit blogging when somebody offers me USD 350M to buy my blog~
HELLO GOOGLE DO YOU WANT TO MATCH AOL’S OFFER FOR THE HUFFINGTON POST FOR MY BLOG?!?!?! <3<3<3
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People who tend to say these out loud are usually the ones who will just do the exact opposite.
I’ll be optimistic about this.
Maybe the trend of cosplay will now stop…. Or maybe not, since someone might think that’s it’s their time to shine since the queen is dead.
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Enrolling *handwave* in an acting workshop sounds wonderful! Maybe it will stop me from choreographing my movements and facial expressions *puffs up cheeks* when I talk! *kindat kembot*
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Enrolling *handwave* in an acting workshop sounds wonderful! Maybe it will stop me from choreographing my movements and facial expressions *puffs up cheeks* when I talk! *kindat kembot*
WHERE IS THE LIKE BUTTON FOR THIS COMMENT?!?!
maybe there is a plug-in for that 😀
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“Globe’s endorser quits image that landed her the endorsement gig.” If the quitting was real and not an April Fool’s prank and if I were Globe, somebody will get royally screwed in court uh-huh! Also, I get dibs on the SMB red cap!
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If one will quit some hobby, should be cold turkey. No dramatic announcements so that the world knows it’s true XD
Oh wait. The announcement wasn’t dramatic. It was the reactions. XDDDD The cosplay industry will die~ ZOMG! XDDDDDDD
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Oh wait. The announcement wasn’t dramatic. It was the reactions. XDDDD The cosplay industry will die~ ZOMG! XDDDDDDD
the truthitude in this statement is over 9000!!!!111eleventyone
the announcement itself is okay — it’s the reactions to it that deserve mocking by all and sundry~
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“Get rid of your cosplay wardrobe.”
I can’t do that. It’s a souvenir.
But yeah, if you really want and decided to quit, even if your friends feel bad bout it, you can do it, they’ll understand and will remain to be friends if they are true ones.
It should not be hard. Just remember all the money you spent in it especially if you work for it. HAHAH
Or if someone really wants to quit but can’t, just remember, you can cosplay anytime in the future but not today or this year. HAHAH.
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Proceeds of the costume sale could go to Japan relief. More satisfying.
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I mean, if you’re going to milk the attention, might as well…
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comment #26 ftw~!
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OMG how dareh youU say allLh!!11!! tTHis bad thingz about my id0l! It isS n0ne of your businezz why she wants to quit cosplay or g0 back 0n! +=== You areh jus makingh s0 jeal0us of her kas1!! S00n she willh be in a =sHentaih= show like in Bi0man namanh so g00d for her!!!1111
How dareh youU so muchh!!!!111
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Oh wait. This isn’t a real How-To guide is it?
How come I fell for it. Is this article (or the comments) aimed at an actual person?
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it’s half-serious and half-mocking 😀 but yes — the point you made that you can go on hiatus, but not have to quit forever, is very much valid. a lot of cosplayers both popular and unknown have done that off and on throughout the years — it’s just that this time, the “retirement” of a particular cosplayer has caused fans to (pardon my french) go apeshit XD
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AHH! I’m so ashamed! Can my post(#24) be deleted?
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AHH! I’m so ashamed! Can my post(#24) be deleted?
but why? 😦 no worries there — the fact that you took the post seriously means that at least one person in the local cosplay scene finds it useful, and is also open to making a suggestion or two 🙂 it’s okay — nobody thinks you’re gullible 🙂 actually, i applaud you for finding the post useful, despite it’s pointed allusion a particular situation 🙂
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Please… take her pets with her.
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i quit after i did it again and thought that “maybe it’s still gonna be fun” and had the wrong idea afterwards. it made me uncomfortable and feel ridiculous so i’m stopping for good.
i still keep the costumes for halloween though 😛
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save your bottlecaps! they’ll be the currency of the future!
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