It makes sense when you look so otherworldly to stand proudly beside one of Canberra's most celestial sculptures.
Olivia Mantzakos and Chelsea Piper, both local cosplayers, looked right at home next to the sculpture Ouroboros at the National Gallery of Australia ahead of Oz Comic-Con in Canberra on Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16.
They are two of the star attractions of the upcoming event at Exhibition Park in Canberra.
Cosplay is short for costume play.
And for Canberra's cosplayers, it's not just about dressing up - it's about bringing screen icons to life with local craft and passion.
Olivia is a 30-year-old public servant from Forrest whose after-work life is all about transforming into a cosplayer or drag queen known as Aries Khaos.
Her make-up takes hours to apply to become characters such as Marvel hero She-Hulk, right down to the piercing green contact lenses and bright green body paint.
"I enjoy the transformation," she said.
"It's sort of nice to be that character for the day, especially the cosplay I do with the body paint, it's such a transformation because you're changing your full face.
"It is nice to have a bit of anonymity and then you're a bit more free."
Chelsea Piper, a second-year film production student at the University of Canberra, spent about 600 hours hand-making her costume for the character Astrid Hofferson from the movie How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
Her armour is "head to toe" made from EVA foam.
"Which is kind of like a yoga mat," Chelsea said.
"All I've done is shaped it into the correct shape. And all the blue bits are scales, it's Astrid's scale armour, and there are 1889 of them and they're all individually hand-crafted and shaped and made to be as close as possible to the source."
The 21-year-old from Weston feels a special affinity with Astrid.
"She's one of my favourite characters of all time. I really love her and I love the whole How to Train Your Dragon franchise," Chelsea said.
"I have a few other characters I do, but Astrid is far and away my favourite. She was such a role model to me as a kid. She was very strong, very confident."
Chelsea has been cosplaying since 2022.
"Gosh, it's just so much fun," she said.
"I make all my stuff and I just love the process of crafting a new character and figuring out how to make something.
Oz Comic-Con runs events around the country, bringing together fans of pop culture, including comics, anime, gaming, movies, television, cosplay and collectibles.
It's so humbling to be asked for a photo.
Cosplay will be one of the highlights of the Canberra event on the weekend of August 15 and 16.
Fans can meet fellow cosplayers, pose for photos with professional cosplay photographers, join themed cosplay meetups and take part in the popular cosplay parades.
Aspiring competitors can also showcase their skills in the Cosplay Competition, while younger fans can enjoy their own dedicated Kids Cosplay Parade.
Chelsea and Olivia enjoy the whole spectacle and the interaction with fans, who appreciate the effort they put into their costumes.
"It's so humbling to be asked for a photo," Chelsea said.
"It's such a lovely experience. I remember the very first convention I went to in cosplay, I was asked for a photo once and that just solidified the fact that I loved this hobby. It's amazing.
"I love talking to other cosplayers, seeing their own craft and process, seeing how they approach something. Even if they've bought something, the creative outlet - that's what cosplay is.
"And just talking about our love for characters and franchises that really mean something to us. It's really lovely. We're all big nerds, we're all geeks."
At Oz Comic-Con in Canberra, there will be Artist Alley, where attendees can meet independent artists, comic creators and illustrators from across Australia. There is also a comic lounge, free-play gaming stations, a scribble wall, trading post and lip-sync battles.
Tickets are on sale at ozcomiccon.com/canberra
