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    27 Cosplayers Share What Cosplay Means To Them

    "The most important thing I’ve learned? Fuck the haters – you do you!"

    We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to show us their favourite cosplay. Here are some of their responses.

    1. "My husband and I dressed as geriatric Han and Leia in honour of our 27th anniversary and the release of The Force Awakens!"

    2. "Black Cat exudes confidence and fierceness, which is something I don’t personally possess on a day-to-day basis."

    3. "I dressed up as Sharknado and won the costume contest one year on Halloween."

    4. "Cosplay is not about accuracy for me. It’s about feeling a connection to a character and wanting to be outside myself."

    5. "I cosplay as Daenerys Targaryen and it truly gives me butterflies in my stomach each time I put on one of my costumes."

    "When I was wearing this cosplay at Bubonicon 2015, George R.R. Martin called me 'Khaleesi' as he signed my dragon egg. Whenever I'm in cosplay my confidence boosts and I feel like I can take on anything or anyone. I tend not to care what other people think if they see me driving, walking, or eating after an event, because I’m the rightful ruler of Westeros and their opinion doesn’t matter. I love cosplaying as her and I will continue to do so. Cosplayers unite – turn us away and we will burn you first."

    – Submitted by Marisa Chacon via email

    6. "Cosplay is about the community of people getting together to have fun without a fear of judgment."

    7. "When information about Korra first came out, my friends joked that they modelled her after me."

    8. "I’m definitely most proud of my General Grievous cosplay from Star Wars!"

    9. "Cosplay is a chance for me to feel the joy of being a child and show my love for my favourite series and characters."

    10. "Raven from Teen Titans is the first cosplay I really felt like I nailed. "

    11. "I find so much relief in being able to be someone else for a few hours and the challenge in bringing characters to life is so much fun."

    12. "I'm a female version of Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess."

    13. "I love getting absorbed in the character and becoming someone else for a day."

    14. "I’ve learned a lot in this community, both as an artist and as a human being. And the most important thing I’ve learned? Fuck the haters – you do you!"

    15. "This is my Brienne of Tarth costume I made two years ago. It's still one of my favourites."

    16. "I love cosplaying rarer characters because I’m almost one of a kind, and people who recognise your character get really excited. It’s an amazing feeling."

    17. "I wanted to be an androgynous version of Cruella de Vil. I think she’s fabulous."

    18. "Cosplay to me is an important part of any fandom. It allows us to live in the shoes of characters we either admire or just fangirl over."

    19. "Cosplaying gives me the confidence to be who I am, regardless of if I am in costume or not.

    20. "Effie Trinket! I didn’t want to spend the money on pre-made butterflies, so I made my own (over 350 of them!) using orange children’s craft foam, white paint, and black Sharpies."

    21. "My all-time favourite cosplay is my Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina cosplay. I loved making this costume so much that I’ve made her twice!"

    22. "I REALLY love the things I love. My fandoms are as close to me as any intangible thing can be."

    23. "Norma from Orange is the New Black! You can’t see it in the picture but I had the beige prison uniform too. I made that toast."

    24. "Half of the fun of cosplaying is coming up with a great idea."

    25. "This is us dressed as Robbie Hart and Julia Sullivan from The Wedding Singer and it was possibly our most successful cosplay yet."

    26. "It took seven people in total to create. I'm the chair’s right seat."

    27. "The family that cosplays together stays together!"

    Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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