FanimeCon 2013 Weapons, Props, Peace-bond & Costume Policy [Final 1/1/2012]

Started by Aelia, August 17, 2011, 11:14:07 AM

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Aelia

The FanimeCon 2013 Cosplay Rules & Weapons Policy
This is the final draft, and is current as of January 1, 2012. The rules posted here are subject to change and may be updated at any time.
The latest changes are highlighted in red.

FanimeCon Costume Rules & Limitations
There are only a few rules, and most of them are common sense.

  • All con attendees must wear shoes at all times while in public areas of the convention center and attached hotels. Even if a character goes barefoot, the cosplayer must wear shoes.
  • Costumes and daily wear shall not expose the body in such a way as to be deemed indecent exposure under California and City of San Jose ordinances. Private parts must be covered in an opaque material and not be subject to slippage or gaps. Liquid Latex or other conformal body coatings that conform to the body will be judged on a case by case basis.
  • All costumes worn within the convention center must fit through a standard doorway.
  • No costume may generate odor, smoke, or fog, or have overly bright or flashing lights.
  • All costumes with limited visibility and/or movement must have a "handler" to assist with crowd navigation and safety. This also applies to costumes with large "wings" or other over sized elements.
  • No costumes may be realistic depictions of American Law Enforcement or current American Military uniforms, or have the words POLICE, POLICIA, SWAT, FBI, DEA, CIA or any other official Government Agency names or initials on them.
  • Official flags shall be respected, and cannot be worn as clothing. They must be on a flagpole. Home-made or unofficial flags are exempt from this rule.

FanimeCon Prop Rules & Limitations
This is the common-sense and common-courtesy props policy.

  • If you want to carry a prop at FanimeCon, it must be peace-bonded by a Rover at a peace-bonding station. With the exception of explicitly banned props, all peace-bonding will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
  • Only props which are part of a cosplay and suit the costume will be peace-bonded.
  • In order to carry a peace-bonded prop, you must be in the matching costume.
  • Certain weapons are banned no matter what:
         - Anything which is illegal in the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California or the United States in general.
         - Real weapons, projectile weapons (such as airsoft, or bb guns, bows, crossbows, and firearms), live steel, metal/wooden baseball bats, metal kunai, incendiary devices, solicitous signs, lasers, laser pointers, paddles, whips, floggers, brass knuckles, butterfly knives, concealed blades, throwing stars, tonfa, saps, clubs, nunchaku, sai, tessen, jitte, metal or glass props, to name a few.
         - Prop guns which are suitably realistic that they could be mistaken for a real gun, or which utilize significant parts of a real gun.
         - Any item may be added to this list at any time by FanimeCon. Changes will be posted at Rovers, Peace Bonding stations, and to the website.
  • Some props are allowed conditionally:
         - Gun-like props must have a non-removable orange tip at the end of the barrel which is visible from the side and which extends at least one inch up the side of the barrel, or they must be painted all over in a bright safety-color. They cannot have any functional parts, and must not be usable.
         - Sword-like props may not be made of live steel (metal which can take an edge) have a hardened edge if of other materials (wood, plastic or laminates).
         - Signs which are an integral part of a cosplay, and which an actual character carries may be peace-bonded. Sign standards or poles must be of plastic or light wood.
  • All props must be small enough to fit through a standard doorway without effort.
  • While carrying props, you will be held to very strict behavior standards:
         - Props may not be brandished, flailed around, or used (for play-fighting or otherwise).
         - Props must remain with the costume which they were peace-bonded for.
         - Especially in crowded areas, attendees are expected to carry their props carefully & in neutral positions. Long or tall props must be carried vertically, and sword-like and gun-like props should be holstered or otherwise secured.
         - Using props in an unsafe or threatening manner may result in more severe consequences.
         - Gun-like props may not be pointed at anyone at any time
  • Any behavior which a FanimeCon staff member considers to be unsafe or unacceptable will result in appropriate action by a staff member.

Potential Consequences for Violations:

  • First Offense:
    Props: Removal of peace-bond and/or prop taken off premises.
    Costume: Required costume modification/removal or acquisition of handler.
  • Second Offense:
    One day badge suspension and/or full weekend suspension of prop privileges.
  • Third Offense:
    Badge pulled and all convention membership privileges revoked.
  • FanimeCon reserves the right to modify consequences as necessary at their discretion.

Weapons & Props Bought During FanimeCon from the Dealer's Hall, Artist's Alley, or SwapMeet must be put into a box or bag which renders them unaccessible, and unusable. They must then removed from convention premises as soon as possible. We will not peace-bond anything bought during con except props which meet all peace-bonding requirements.

Props for Masquerade have a completely different set of rules. If you wish to carry a prop for Masquerade around the convention center, it must meet all peace-bonding criteria (and have been peace-bonded). If it is only for Masquerade, it must stay in the car or hotel room except when you are taking it to, are at, or are taking it back to your car or room from Masquerade.
Director of Operations

Aelia

#1
Why can't I carry ______?
This is our number one question, so I'm going to answer this first. The short version? Probably because it's one (or more) of the following:
a) dangerous
b) illegal
c) something someone has caused major problems with in the past
d) related to something which has caused problems at other conventions (we like to learn from their mistakes, rather than duplicating them here.)

The slightly longer version? It's probably something which you wouldn't be allowed to carry out on the street, or which would make people uncomfortable. When FanimeCon arrives in town, everyone knows, but that doesn't mean that everyone will remember when they see something which makes them feel uncomfortable. (Or, they may remember it as a negative thing, and hold it against the convention.) In order to stay in San Jose, we have to make sure we keep the goodwill of the San Jose Convention Center-- and surrounding businesses-- and in some cases, that means honoring their rule requests, and in others it means addressing complaints which have been made.

But I spent a lot of time/money on this prop. I wouldn't do anything stupid with it!
In most circumstances, it's not actually you we're worried about. Nor is it most of the thousands of con-members. It is, in fact, that idiot who's trying to show off for someone and decides it's a good idea to duel with someone else in the middle of the Road by Stage Zero. Because we can't test for common sense, and if we could, we can't account for bad ideas, we have to create rules with minimal gray area, so they can be most evenly enforced. We don't get to say "Oh, it's [name]! I remember you, you're cool, go ahead and carry that [banned weapon] around the convention center!"

I think your rules are stupid.
I know. I hear it a lot. People don't like our rules, but without working alternatives, we can't do anything about it. The rules which are here are largely here to stay, though if you have a major issue, and feel like you can suggest a functional, enforceable alternative please PM Me with it.


Now for the classic FAQ:

What is Peace Bonding?
   FanimeCon Rovers peace-bond props with "Peace Bonds" (aka zip-ties) to mark that the cosplayer carrying the prop has agreed to abide by the rules. For safety reasons, we require all props to be peace-bonded as soon as possible after they enter the convention center.

What can't be carried?
We do not allow real guns, or toy guns which can shoot things. We do not allow props with actual blades, or which could be sharpened to have a blade. We do not allow things which are illegal according to State or Federal Law (sai, nunchuku, and tonfa are in this category). What we do allow are props which are clearly props, things which are not weapons, and which cannot shoot anything. We allow items which are part of a costume, and which actually suit the costume. They must be peace-bonded, and they may never be used, or brandished—this means no play-fighting, no pointing at people, and no actual fighting.

I just bought this awesome ______ in the Dealer's Hall/Artist's Alley/Swap Meet. Can I get it peace-bonded?
Only if you are in a costume which the prop is appropriate for, and it meets all other peace-bonding requirements, will we peace-bond the prop for you. Most of the time, the answer to this question is "No." Sometimes we have to say no because the prop is not allowed, sometimes it's because it doesn't suit the costume you're wearing, and sometimes we say no because you're not in a costume at all.

You said I couldn't carry this, what now?
Weapons and props which have not been approved for peace-bonding should be promptly removed from convention center property and public hotel space. They need to be taken back to a hotel room or car, and should remain there for as long as you are in the convention center. We cannot hold your props for you, even if you lack a car or hotel room. If you get a cardboard box and put the prop inside that, you may carry the cardboard box, provided the prop is inaccessible while it is in the box.

I don't have a car/hotel room, what do I do?
   If you don't have a car or hotel room, there are a couple options. First, you can ask a friend to use their car or hotel room. If you don't have a friend with a place to stash your stuff, you can sometimes ask the hotel desks to hold stuff temporarily. The last option is to get a box which can hold your prop, and then put your prop in the box. As long as your prop stays in the box, you are ok.

This was OK last year, what about now?
We review our rules yearly, so items and costumes okay for 2011 may be disallowed in 2012. Please come by and get your prop checked and peace bonded for the current year.

You just said no, but I saw someone else carrying the same thing...
Locate the nearest Rover and politely point the person out to the Rover. Give the Rover a brief explanation of what you believe is the peace bonding violation. We'll take it from there. We try to be even, but there are never enough Rovers for the number of people at Fanime. You can deal with it yourself (by politely asking someone to go get their prop checked), or you can have a Rover take care of it for you by notifying one and pointing the other person out.

What about the signs carried by Durara cosplayers?
Those are OK since they are a part of a cosplay. As long as they are just the street signs and they're not soliciting anything we won't stop them.

Are there rules about the flags carried for Hetalia or other anime?
Yes, actually, thanks for asking! You must be respectful of flags at all times, this means keeping them on flag-poles and carrying them carefully, keeping them off the ground, and not wearing them as capes or other articles of clothing. While carrying flags indoors, keep them held firmly against their flagpole so they are not drifting behind you and causing safety issues. Please do not modify or attach things to official flags.

What if I'm in the Military and want to wear my Uniform?
You may wear your Class A or B uniform while in the convention hall area as long as you:
1)   Are a currently serving member of the United States Armed Forces.
2)   Have your Military ID on you and can present it to the Convention Authorities when asked.
3)   Present yourself to the props tagging room to have your badge marked as official military.
4)   Continue to wear your uniform properly. There are NCO's who work this convention and they will insist you wear it correctly or not at all.

What about NERF guns?
This is a common one for us. There are two rules to carry NERF:
1) It must not be functional. If you could put ammo in and shoot it, we cannot let you carry it.
2) It may be painted so long as the tip remains fluorescent.
I personally think it's better to leave a whole side unpainted, but the only requirement is the tip

Can I carry this shovel/wrench/hammer?
The answer is probably no. Tools are heavy, and can often be dangerous.

Can I have metal armor?
Sure, as long as your metal armor doesn't have sharp edges or large metal spikes and you follow visibility rules. A full helm for example requires a handler as you have restricted visibility and hearing.

I have a cane, and I actually use it to walk. Does it need to be peace-bonded?
No. If it is medically necessary, we do not have to peace bond it.

Can I carry this tonfa/baton/sap/club?
No. California State law lists tonfa as well as several weighted (and non-weighted) baton type instruments as illegal to carry. In many cases, this includes wooden baseball bats. In most cases, if it is a functional club we will have to say no.

Can I carry my bow & arrows?
If the bow has absolutely no tension to be able to fire something, and the arrows have no tips, then yes, we can let you carry it. Real bows have an ability to fire something, and are considered functional projectile weapons. To carry a "real" bow you'd have to string it with something which could not be tensioned to fire anything.

My prop got damaged from peace-bonding. and/or This Rover was a jerk.
   If you can describe the person who peacebonded in such a way that your prop got damaged, or if it happens in 2012, get the person's badge number or name, we (the Rovers) can take care of it. (If you have reports of this from previous years, please PM Me.)

If a Rover is acting in an unprofessional way, get their name/badge number and take it to the Rovers Shift Lead at Rover Base. Please be aware that we cannot fix this after the convention is over. The best way to deal with a Rover who is being overbearing/mean/unprofessional is to get their badge number and description and come to Rovers Base ASAP.

These questions are lumped together because they're frequently related.

Can you tell me if my prop will be OK?
   It's very difficult to approve a prop over the internet. What I can do for you, if you provide some key things, is give you a tentative answer. I need to know what you are cosplaying, and I need pictures of your props. If you have them, I'd like pictures of you in costume with your props. If your question is early on in the fabrication process, I can sometimes make suggestions that would make your prop OK, or give you things to be sure you include. I try to work with you guys, and I try to help you make your props OK whenever I can. Please feel free to post in this thread and I'll do my best to help you out.

I'm confused by what you mean by _____. or What about _____?
   If you don't see your question answered here, or in the above post, please post in this thread. I will do my best to answer your questions promptly.
Director of Operations

Aelia

#2
Third placeholder.
Director of Operations

Aelia

#3
This post is a placeholder. But since I'm now paying attention to this thread, feel free to ask questions.
Director of Operations

BSaphire

Sorry Aelia... I tried to do some clean up ... fixed my boo boo but I hope I didn't mess it up to bad :) We need to get together and rap but I'm currently transitioning my life and I hope to have it settled in a week or two. Please shoot me an email and/or at least a way to get in touch with you so Maikiritori and I can go over some stuff.

Missed you at Dead Dog :(
Squidges
B
BSaphire
Cosplayer Gatherings Organizer 2005-2015
Cosplayer Gatherings Department Head 2009-2015
BSP - Cosplayer, Costumer, Photographer, Journalist
Founder:
AC   DC

Kite

I was planning to build the plasma cutter from Dead Space. I planned on building in LED's to simulate the shooting effect.

But in relation to your gun prop policy, I was uncertain how to proceed.

It obviously isn't real, it doesn't shoot anything but light, and I don't think it's a danger to anyone. So is there anything else I need to take into consideration?

Cosplay Circus

I'm planning to make a cosplay that involves stilts (I do have a handler for this costume as well) but I noticed the "All costumes worn within the convention center must fit through a standard doorway." so I'm wondering what my limit would be for this. I'm about 5'5'' and I plan to make stilts that will probably bring my total height to 6 feet give or take just to give an idea of how tall this is going to be.

Also, planning to make a chainsaw prop and I wanted to check before I did this but would making it rotate be allowed? The teeth would more than likely be made out of a dulled plastic and not spin fast enough to cause any harm if someone touched it while it was in motion.
- Elizabeth (Seven Deadly Sins)
- Morrigan (Dragon Age)
- Panty (Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt)

Furrat

Hey, how would u peace bond a snowboard? My friend is going as Horohoro from Shaman King & we couldn't figure it out (other then hooking about 8 zip ties together & going around the whole board). It's basically a piece of wood with some cool paint work done on it so there's nothing to attach anything to. She was worried that the bonding would mess up how it looks in some way.

maikiritori

Quote from: DarkLotusRen on August 31, 2011, 12:45:55 AM
Hey, how would u peace bond a snowboard? My friend is going as Horohoro from Shaman King & we couldn't figure it out (other then hooking about 8 zip ties together & going around the whole board). It's basically a piece of wood with some cool paint work done on it so there's nothing to attach anything to. She was worried that the bonding would mess up how it looks in some way.
I know it wouldn't be 100% accurate, but I would drill a small hole (big enough for a zip tie) near one edge of the prop. This way it can be peace bonded, and fairly easily concealed when you're doing photos.
Cosplay Gatherings Department Second 2010-2015
Cosplay Gatherings Department Staff 2009

Kanzake

Quote from: DarkLotusRen on August 31, 2011, 12:45:55 AM
Hey, how would u peace bond a snowboard? My friend is going as Horohoro from Shaman King & we couldn't figure it out (other then hooking about 8 zip ties together & going around the whole board). It's basically a piece of wood with some cool paint work done on it so there's nothing to attach anything to. She was worried that the bonding would mess up how it looks in some way.

If its a real snowboard and you don't want to damage it via drilling a small hole, the only other way would be to wrap/connect multiple peace bonds until it wraps around once. Even if it gets in the way of photos - it would show you've agreed to the policies.
Fanime Rovers Department 2nd - Ku

tallgeese_custom2002

#10
Will Military cosplayer be welcome at fanime 2012?

so are metal gear solid and Resident Evil or Biohazard cosplayers not welcome at fanime 2012?

Aelia

Apologies for the delay on replies; I'm usually more on top of things because I'm usually subscribed so I get emails when people reply here.

Quote from: BSaphire on August 18, 2011, 09:11:51 AM
Sorry Aelia... I tried to do some clean up ... fixed my boo boo but I hope I didn't mess it up to bad :) We need to get together and rap but I'm currently transitioning my life and I hope to have it settled in a week or two. Please shoot me an email and/or at least a way to get in touch with you so Maikiritori and I can go over some stuff.

Missed you at Dead Dog :(
Squidges
B

I don't see anything immediate and terrible, so you must not have damaged anything permanently.

Quote from: Kite on August 18, 2011, 02:35:24 PM
I was planning to build the plasma cutter from Dead Space. I planned on building in LED's to simulate the shooting effect.

But in relation to your gun prop policy, I was uncertain how to proceed.

It obviously isn't real, it doesn't shoot anything but light, and I don't think it's a danger to anyone. So is there anything else I need to take into consideration?
I don't foresee it being an issue unless you're shining it at people.

Quote from: Wolftale on August 19, 2011, 11:05:50 PM
I'm planning to make a cosplay that involves stilts (I do have a handler for this costume as well) but I noticed the "All costumes worn within the convention center must fit through a standard doorway." so I'm wondering what my limit would be for this. I'm about 5'5'' and I plan to make stilts that will probably bring my total height to 6 feet give or take just to give an idea of how tall this is going to be.

Also, planning to make a chainsaw prop and I wanted to check before I did this but would making it rotate be allowed? The teeth would more than likely be made out of a dulled plastic and not spin fast enough to cause any harm if someone touched it while it was in motion.
Standard Doorways are 7' tall. 6' would be fine. A handler would be required, but it sounds like you've made plans for that.

I'd rather the chainsaw prop not move.

Quote from: DarkLotusRen on August 31, 2011, 12:45:55 AM
Hey, how would u peace bond a snowboard? My friend is going as Horohoro from Shaman King & we couldn't figure it out (other then hooking about 8 zip ties together & going around the whole board). It's basically a piece of wood with some cool paint work done on it so there's nothing to attach anything to. She was worried that the bonding would mess up how it looks in some way.
We can/will work something out. Perhaps I'll invest in some stickers for "odd" props like that. I will have some "spare" zip ties to use to wrap things like that.

Quote from: tallgeese_custom2002 on September 01, 2011, 08:04:31 PM
Will Military cosplayer be welcome at fanime 2012?

so are metal gear solid and Resident Evil or Biohazard cosplayers not welcome at fanime 2012?
I cannot give you a firm answer on this yet. As of now, we are not allowing military cosplays.
Director of Operations

InfinityThief

So, I've read through this thread and I was wondering if possibly there will be stickers for odd props such as snow board with no footholds, and I would rather not drill a hole in my prop.

Aelia

Quote from: Beyond.Human on September 18, 2011, 07:59:11 PM
So, I've read through this thread and I was wondering if possibly there will be stickers for odd props such as snow board with no footholds, and I would rather not drill a hole in my prop.
Don't drill a hole yet. I can't tell you for sure if there will be stickers, but I'll look into my options and have an answer for you soon.
Director of Operations

Suzifully

I was wondering if we use flags on a pole, does it matter if the pole it metal, wood or plastic?

SukebeStudios

At least the rules say it's because of the SJCC, not the SJPD. Last year my friend was told it was by request of the SJPD, and he asked an officer, and the officer thought the rule was stupid and said they never asked for that. What about my friend who cosplays Leon Kennedy in his Raccoon City Police Dept. uniform? Last year he was told to take it off when they dropped the ball on instituting the rule. Is he STILL not allowed to wear it? I mean, I doubt anyone will think he's REDWOOD CITY PD.

Aelia

Quote from: SukebeStudios on September 26, 2011, 03:40:41 AM
At least the rules say it's because of the SJCC, not the SJPD. Last year my friend was told it was by request of the SJPD, and he asked an officer, and the officer thought the rule was stupid and said they never asked for that. What about my friend who cosplays Leon Kennedy in his Raccoon City Police Dept. uniform? Last year he was told to take it off when they dropped the ball on instituting the rule. Is he STILL not allowed to wear it? I mean, I doubt anyone will think he's REDWOOD CITY PD.
I still don't have an official answer. What I can say is that it absolutely will not be allowed to say "Police" on it. We are still working out the finer details of the rest of our no police/military rules.

Quote from: Suzifully on September 26, 2011, 01:13:44 AM
I was wondering if we use flags on a pole, does it matter if the pole it metal, wood or plastic?
Wood or Plastic is preferred. If it must be metal, make sure it's got a finished end, instead of sharp or unfinished aluminum.
Director of Operations

SukebeStudios

Quote from: Aelia on September 26, 2011, 08:23:22 AM
Quote from: SukebeStudios on September 26, 2011, 03:40:41 AM
At least the rules say it's because of the SJCC, not the SJPD. Last year my friend was told it was by request of the SJPD, and he asked an officer, and the officer thought the rule was stupid and said they never asked for that. What about my friend who cosplays Leon Kennedy in his Raccoon City Police Dept. uniform? Last year he was told to take it off when they dropped the ball on instituting the rule. Is he STILL not allowed to wear it? I mean, I doubt anyone will think he's REDWOOD CITY PD.
I still don't have an official answer. What I can say is that it absolutely will not be allowed to say "Police" on it. We are still working out the finer details of the rest of our no police/military rules.

Understood. But if my friend's costume is Leon Kennedy's Racoon City Police one, and it says, RCPD, is that ok? It wouldn't say POLICE, but most likely RCPD.

maroonsparrow

I was wondering about Yoko's rifle? I was planning to make the barrel using metal tubing and then casting plastic and carving foam for the rest but it appears metal is not allowed. It seems like Yoko is a popular character so i'm wondering what people have done in the past to make a safe prop? I could use all plastic, with of coarse the orange tip, but I would like it to look very realistic so is that still an issue? What are ideal materials for me to use? I can try to make anything work. This will be my first Fanime so I would like to make it hassle free. Thank you in advance.

Aelia

Quote from: maroonsparrow on October 15, 2011, 12:00:39 AM
I was wondering about Yoko's rifle? I was planning to make the barrel using metal tubing and then casting plastic and carving foam for the rest but it appears metal is not allowed. It seems like Yoko is a popular character so i'm wondering what people have done in the past to make a safe prop? I could use all plastic, with of coarse the orange tip, but I would like it to look very realistic so is that still an issue? What are ideal materials for me to use? I can try to make anything work. This will be my first Fanime so I would like to make it hassle free. Thank you in advance.
Help me out here. Who is Yoko? What series/movie?
Director of Operations