Senior Marissa Hume spends almost all of her free time making a wide variety of props and costumes known as cosplay. She begins a project when she sees something in books or on TV that interests her.

“I accidentally started doing it,” Marissa said. “I looked at some people online, and realized it was just really fun.”

Cosplay, short for costume play, is when people make costumes based on movies, books, and films and dress-up in them. Marissa has been working on cosplay for the past two years, and so far, her favorite prop she’s made is a Captain America shield.

“They’re usually like, really well put together,” senior Sarah Rutherford said. “Like, she knows what she’s doing. I mean, her props are just perfect. She knows what to do.”

She has made a broad range of cosplay, including armor, weapons, and fangs. Marissa’s most recent project was a giant volcano made out of cardboard, papier-mâché and chicken wire that was used as a decoration for Homecoming.

“I ended up in Wilkens homeroom one day and they were struggling for ideas,” Marissa said. “I could overhear them and some of the stuff they were saying, and I was like ‘Oh that’s easy to do. I can do this.’”

Marissa plans out how she’s going to make the prop or costume and gathers her materials. Because many of her family members are mechanics, she often finds materials she can use lying around her house, and if she needs more equipment, she visits junkyards.

“She’s very talented in how she makes her cosplay,” senior Miranda Nixon said. “I think she’s just really good at it.”

Marissa also belongs to a community of people who make cosplay. They have gatherings every month where they display their props and costumes for each other.

“It’s the only time [when making cosplay] I actually feel accomplished with anything,” Marissa said. “And it’s something that not everybody else can do.”