At different times of the year in Melbourne, you’ll find a group of superheroes chatting casually at Flinders, or you might stroll past Harry Potter.

They’ll be hurrying from stations and tram stops, usually heading  towards the Convention Center or the Flemington Race Course. A lady dressed in purple-striped punk attire might walk past, with a man who impressively looks like he’s straight out of the video game, “Assassins Creed”.

This scene exists in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth too, when convention season is in full swing. Cosplayers from all over unite to showcase costume designs and enjoy the company of fellow enthusiasts.

Cosplay, the combination of the words ‘costume’ and ‘play’, is the art of designing and wearing replicated outfits of characters from fictional worlds or stories.

Saerianne, a cosplayer and graphic design student from New South Wales, says depending on the complexity of the character, it can take months to construct outfits from scratch. She started cosplaying when she was 13 and taught herself how to sew. Her first cosplay character was Asuka Soryu Langley from the Japanese anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion”.

“Since then, I’ve been having a blast bringing my favourite characters to life. It’s such a thrill spending a day as a character close to your heart,” she says.

One of the aspects of cosplay Saerianne finds so enjoyable is the friendships and memories created over the years. In 2013 she and her friends made a sixteen-hour road trip to the Gold Coast Supernova, meeting staff and professional players of the popular online game, “League of Legends”.

“I’d say the cosplay scene in Australia is definitely growing and spreading,” Saerianne says.

Teagan Malkoutzis, also a Melbourne cosplayer, says there is a huge Facebook following in the Melbourne cosplay community, with over 3,000 members in one group.

Having attended conventions for seven years, Ms Malkoutzis has seen the culture of cosplay grow considerably. But there are still challenges, she says.

“There were some cosplayers helping out EB Games during the Starlight Campaign, and one of the guys had someone walk up to him and tell him to ‘grow up’ because he was twenty and in a costume.”

The stigma surrounding cosplay, that it is infantile behaviour, is something all cosplayers face. But it’s especially difficult when female characters are harassed and accused of dressing provocatively.

“I’ve had people taking unwanted photos of me and harassing other girls,” Ms Malkoutzis explains.

Male video game characters in cosplay also deal with pressures of body image and verbal abuse. The community, however, actively works to combat negativity with the “Cosplay is not Consent” campaign. It encourages people to respect the hard work of costume-making rather than focusing on body image.

Another initiative in the cosplay community is a group called Medic. Established by prominent cosplayer Eve Beauregaurd, the group unites cosplayers from around the world using social media to promote different charities. This month is “Kiss Goodbye to MS”.

“So we wear red lipstick, and every time we post a photo of red lipstick we’ll link the page and tell people to donate and just bring awareness to MS. We’ve already surpassed our goal of 2000 dollars in just over a week,” Ms Malkoutzis says.

Cosplayers make community celebrating the characters they admire, and it requires talent and hard work. But despite the long hours, effort, and challenges, to them, the charitable culture and creative spirit makes it worth it.