Cosplay, the art and craft of dressing as a character from some fandom, has been gaining popularity here in the US in the last several years. In fact, last year cable channel Syfy even launched a reality show based on the practice, titled Heroes of Cosplay. The craft covers a vast array of skill levels and intentions, from screen-accurate reconstructions of favorite costumes down to a T-shirt with your character’s logo/costume printed on it.

I know some people don’t “get” cosplay; I certainly didn’t used to. (To be fair, though, I didn’t get Twitter at the time, either. My, how times do change.) Actually, though, there’s not a lot to get. It’s kind of like dressing up for Hallowe’en, except in a venue where one can really uncork all the geekiness one might usually keep bottled up, knowing full well that someone will appreciate even the most obscure reference or crazy execution.

Although I was aware of the practice, I’d never really been immersed in the culture until my first convention (yes, ever) at Gallifrey One 2012. It was an eye-opening experience, and I felt almost out of place in my street clothes. I was an outsider looking in, but what I saw looked like a lot more fun than I’d ever expected.

I began to throw around the idea that I could create my own costume for the following year. After all, I reasoned, a feminine version of the Ninth Doctor (or femme!Nine, in the cosplay parlance) would be pretty simple. My husband already had a suitable leather jacket I could borrow, and simple black pants and spiky-heeled black boots from my own wardrobe would easily form the basis of the costume. I just needed a V-neck sweater (jumper) and an appropriate sonic screwdriver and I was set.

Pretty soon I had a femme!Three planned out, too. I’d learned rapidly how hard the cosplay bug can bite once it gets hold of a body. But things didn’t go crazy until a wonderful new Internet friend invited me to be part of a group cosplay.

For readers unfamiliar with this variation, let me clarify. A group cosplay is when several cosplayers decide to join forces and all do related characters. Maybe you’re Marvel comic fans and find a bunch of people to dress up as the various members of the Avengers. Maybe you decide your family will be characters from Labyrinth. Or maybe, as in my case, someone suggests you all do variations on a single theme.

Thus was born the “TARDISpod.” Some of you may remember seeing my pictures from last year’s Gally, in which I was wearing my TARDIS dress. If you follow that link and scroll to the bottom of the TARDIS section of photos, you’ll see the whole group of us with Sylvester McCoy. I have to tell you, I would never have believed how much fun it was to be part of that group. It was an awesome feeling to walk around with each other and have people stop and admire our creativity.

Here’s where I have to fess up, though; I didn’t make my TARDISpod costume myself.

There are no rules in cosplay (unless you’re in a contest; then there are rules galore), so the fact that I did not personally craft this awesome dress doesn’t really matter. While some folks buy as many pieces as they can, even commissioning artists for particularly elaborate items, I mostly know cosplayers who slave over sewing machines, hot glue guns, or more esoteric tools to create the pieces they so proudly wear. I guess that’s why I feel like something of a cheater for getting my multi-talented husband to execute the costumes I merely plan.

Not that the planning doesn’t take creativity. Every year I learn something new about the creative process, and the challenges not only of getting something from your head into physical form, but also of getting it from your head through someone else’s head into physical form. One has to have a very clear vision to make that work. And if you can express that vision well enough to instill an appropriate sense of urgency into your creative partner, so much the better.

But that’s the beauty of cosplay: however simple or complex you want to go, you can make it work. The only thing that really matters is that you have fun. So, cheater or not, I’m in the game for good. I can hardly wait for this year’s edition!