I dress up at the rennaisance faire and get seriously into rennie culture, and have done since I was a little kid. What really pisses me off is when people say "Oh, you're a cosplayer?" No! I'm not a fucking cosplayer!! I love costume because it helps create an immersive environment, where a big group of people all become part of a whole. As a socially awkward person, I can throw on some garb, get to thee faire, and drink, dance, chat, mingle with other rennies without social anxiety. It's a fellowship - a group hug - and it's a feeling of total camaraderie. Cosplayers, on the other hand, are mostly narcissists. They do whatever they can to stand out in a crowd because they think they're better than everyone else. They take selfies like it's going out of style. They charge money for others to hang out with them. They want to be treated like gods. I've also been around cosplayers, and 99% of them are backstabbing bitches who talk about each other in the worst ways, trying to one-up each other constantly. They're all about self-promotion and conceit. So please don't call rennies cosplayers. We're not. Just because cosplayers sometimes show up at the faire doesn't mean they "get it."