It's almost here; we're just 5 days away from the official programming being announced (which should start on Thursday) and 18 days from Preview Night. You might be making lists of back issues to hunt down, figuring out which autograph/panel/party takes precedence over others, or buying new outfits (*guilty cough*) or still scrambling for parking spots and plane fare. You might also be test-driving your costume and making the final decision on what'll you wear and who you'll be. In which case, you should be adequately prepared to cosplay in CCI's world.
Toucan, "the only OFFICIAL SDCC blog" (note the all caps - we get it, Toucan, we're all imposters compared to you) has a tip of the day concerning cosplay weapons, which is a fairly important topic. There's an official policy and you need to comply with it. You can read all the rules and regulations here but this is the gist of it:
- You can wear fake weapons as part of your persona - no actual swords or guns or machetes. Foam, paper mache and that ilk are usually fine.
- You need to get your weapons inspected at the Weapons Check Desk in Lobby E. (When you walk up to the front doors of the convention center, you'll see that sections of doors are labelled A, B, C, etc.) They must conform to state and federal law.
- "Projectile" costume weapons must be inoperable. Swords must be tethered to your costume so that they can't be drawn.
- After you successfully pass inspection, you'll get a wristband indicating such. You have to wear it. If not, security will escort you to the security station. I have no idea what happens there but I'm sure it's not good.
Now. That's just cosplay weapon security. I'm going to touch on regular security later this weekend because there's an art and a science to dealing with security guards, and running afoul of them can ruin your Con experience. But I don't want to make you read an entire novella when you're still recovering from last night's holiday excesses. For now, just make sure your weapons are as safe as your cosplay is impressive.
