While most people watch their favorite characters on television or read about them in books, junior Josie Landers enjoys becoming them. For the past four years, Landers has been creating her own costumes for her favorite characters and wearing them to conventions, which is a hobby known as cosplaying. This coming May, Landers and a group of her friends will be creating their own costumes for a big convention, Anime St.Louis.

“I think it’s just fun to pretend to be in that world,” Landers said. “Some people get really into it and act like the characters that they are dressed as. It’s fun to put a costume together and see other people there cosplaying the same thing you are.”

Although Landers began creating costumes for conventions four years ago, she has always had a love for sewing. She has been making her own costumes for Halloween since she was a kid. Her skills have developed over the years, and now, she is helping her friends create their costumes in addition to creating her own.

“We’re all dressing up as characters from Star Wars: The Force Awakens because we like the movie a lot, and if we are hanging out, it’s our go-to movie to watch,” junior Emma Coser said. “Josie is helping me with the sewing because I don’t know how to sew and she’s also helping me make the staff for my Rey costume.”

Landers will be cosplaying as two different characters at the convention. On the first two days, she will be going as General Hux, and on the final day, she will be Ashley Brown from one of her favorite video games, Until Dawn. Landers started working on her costumes in January and plans on spending the next two months finishing them. Her costumes are a combination of pieces found and bought from online shops such as Etsy and handmade props and clothing.

“It’s just a fun experience,” Landers said. “You get to run around and have fun with your friends and meet a lot of people. It’s also great when famous people that you meet compliment you on the outfit that you worked hard on.”

Anime St.Louis will take place from May 12-14 at the St.Charles Convention Center. There will be booths showcasing artists work such as drawings, comics, posters, and figurines. Dressing up is not required, but attendees are encouraged to join in on the fun and get a costume together.

“It’s really fun to get together, and Josie showed us a lot of tricks on how to sew and where to go to buy stuff for it,” junior Bernadette Kornberger said. “It’s cool to see the intricate outfits that other people have spent hundreds of hours making themselves.”