Fictional characters come into play for Ohio State club

Ann Faris, a second-year in exploration, cosplays as Aya Shameimaru from vertical-shooter game series, ‘Touhou Project,’ in 2013. Credit: Courtesy of Ann Faris

Ann Faris (front) cosplays as Suki from ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ with OSU alums Jenny Ravi (back) and Ben Ng in 2014. Credit: Courtesy of Ann Faris

Camille Goetz, a second-year in atmospheric sciences, cosplays as Lloyd Reed from ‘Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword,’ a tactical role-playing video game, at Matsuricon 2014. Credit: Courtesy of Camille Goetz

Camille Goetz cosplays as Pit (Three Sacred Treasures) from third-person shooter Nintendo 3DS game ‘Kid Icarus: Uprising’ during Colossalcon 2014. Goetz made the costume herself. Credit: Courtesy of Camille Goetz

Camille Goetz cosplays as Lucina from ‘Fire Emblem: Awakening,’ a tactical role-playing video game for Nintendo 3DS, during Colossalcon 2014. Credit: Courtesy of Camille Goetz

Camille Goetz (black hair) cosplays as Xion from ‘Kingdom Hearts’ during Animarathon XII in 2014. Credit: Courtesy of Camille Goetz

Camille Goetz (black costume) cosplays as Dark Pit from third-person shooter Nintendo 3DS game ‘Kid Icarus: Uprising’ during Colossalcon 2013. Credit: Courtesy of Camille Goetz

Ann Faris (left) cosplays as Suki from ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ with Gwendolyn Haller, a second-year in electrical computer engineering, who is cosplaying as Finn the Human from ‘Adventure Time.’ Credit: Courtesy of Gwendolyn Haller

Hanna Edvardsson, a second-year in animal sciences, cosplays as John Egbert from webcomic ‘Homestuck.’ Credit: Courtesy Hanna Edvardsson

Hanna Edvardsson (white-out contacts) cosplays as Cronus Ampora from webcomic ‘Homestuck.’ Credit: Courtesy of Hanna Edvardsson

Hanna Edvardsson (tall hat) cosplays as Once-ler from the film based on Dr. Suess’ children’s book ‘The Lorax.’ Credit: Courtesy of Hanna Edvardsson

Hanna Edvardsson cosplays as Spock from ‘Star Trek.’ Credit: Courtesy of Hanna Edvardsson

Kelly Loughridge, a second-year in zoology, cosplays as Oerba Dia Vanille from role-playing video game ‘Final Fantasy XIII.’ Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Loughridge

Kelly Loughridge cosplays as Ruby Rose from American animated web series, ‘RWBY.’ Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Loughridge

Kelly Loughridge cosplays as Trickster Jake English from webcomic ‘Homestuck.’ Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Loughridge

Kelly Loughridge cosplays as Dogtier Jade Harley from webcomic ‘Homestuck.’ Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Loughridge

Kelly Loughridge cosplays as Articuno from Pokémon. Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Loughridge

Cosplay, short for costume play, extends past Japanese anime and manga — students can emulate their favorite characters from novels, video games, comic books and more, said Gwendolyn Haller, a second-year in electrical engineering and president of the club.

“It’s a life,” Haller said. “It kind of sucks you in.”

The club holds meetings in Lazenby Hall on Mondays from 5:30-7 p.m.

It was founded by then-OSU student Katrina Webber. Since its founding, the club has been on-again, off-again for several years, Haller said.

This year was different, however, and the club is now much more structured, she said.

Every week the club presents a workshop on a topic ranging from makeup, armor tutorials, weapon design and more. Once a month, they hold a photo shoot to show off the projects that the students work on, Haller said.

Members are required to pay semester dues of $10 in order to support the workshops, photo shoots and pay for snacks.

“This year, more than anything, we’ve been pushing to do things outside just the workshops,” Haller said.

Cosplay Club recently threw a Halloween party with OSU’s Scarlet and Gray Anime Club and the manga club. The Cosplay Club’s members plan to attend various conventions, including Ohayocon — a 3-day event centered on the art and culture of Japanese animation — at the Greater Columbus Convention Center the last week of January. The group also plans to host a “Cosplay Ball” in February.

Haller said cosplaying is something for people of all ages.

“Everyone when they were a little kid wanted to be either a Power Ranger or Sailor Moon,” she said. “But then you’re an adult and you’re like, ‘I didn’t want to give that up, I still want to do that,’ and cosplay gives you that chance.”

Cosplay also helps a lot of students come out of their shells, Haller said.

One OSU student, Ann Faris, a second-year in exploration, was no stranger to cosplay before joining the club.

Faris regularly wears Japanese-style school uniforms to class and first started cosplaying in elementary school.

This past year was the first year that Faris was officially part of the club. She said she has enjoyed being in a place filled with people who share a common interest and common goals.

“Meetings are always pretty laid back — there’s never any negativity, people are just there to help each other on their projects,” Faris said.

Not all members of the club are as seasoned in cosplay, however.

Kavya Gopalakrishnan, a second-year in animal science, said cosplay was not something she could do in her home country of India. She had no prior cosplay experience before joining.

“We didn’t have cosplaying or conventions or any of that,” she said. “Everything I knew about it came from the Internet.”

Gopalakrishnan first saw Cosplay Club during the Involvement Fair her first year at OSU.

“I was a little overwhelmed at first,” Gopalakrishnan said. “But then I saw Cosplay Club and I was like ‘I’m so joining this.’”

So far, Gopalakrishnan said she has really enjoyed being a part of the group.

“I feel like college is holding your breath, and then I go into a meeting and I’m like —” she exhaled. “It’s a very electrifying kind of atmosphere, to just sit there and watch fictional characters literally come to life.”