Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned cosplayer, come learn how to plan your cosplay to avoid the dreaded crunch! This panel outlines “breaking down” a cosplay with a wide variety of budget and skillset options for your lifestyle, including tricks for tight deadlines and how to create a cohesive vision for your cosplay. We’ll walk through two examples and discuss techniques, timelines, material sourcing, learning opportunities—both good and bad—and how these lessons can help us grow as cosplayers by stopping the ever-dreaded breakdown!