Dressing up as a Victorian helps my confidence

It is not every day that you bump into a medieval maiden, space commander and a Pokémon in the same place.

But it is not at all unusual in the world of cosplay - where people dress up as a character, often from video games, fantasy settings or science fiction.

The BBC spoke to cosplayers at a dedicated event - Fable Fusion in Falmouth, Cornwall, which was held earlier this month.

Steph Randlesome regularly cosplays and is a fan of tabletop roleplay games such as Dungeons & Dragons.

She said the community used to be very male-dominated and she was inspired to set up a group, Gals and Pals, to ensure women and girls feel included.

"In Cornwall we're used to being cut-off from the rest of the country and not having the same opportunities," Randlesome said.

"Something like Fable Fusion where people can come, just be their authentic selves and meet other people has been severely lacking in Cornwall and we should have a lot more of it."

David Curtis, 32, has been creating cosplay costumes for about a decade.

He made an armoured battle space suit, inspired by the video game franchise Halo, especially for the event and pointed out: "There's no judgement - someone could be dressed as a giant dinosaur, character from TV or in a space suit."

James, 26, who declined to give his surname, urged others to get involved, adding: "If you're ever nervous about getting into cosplay, the weirder you are, the more you are going to fit in."

One of the Fable Fusion organisers Amy Potter, 30, is the co-owner of the gaming shop Game On Cornwall, in Penzance.

"I've always had an alternative brain in how I think in the fantastical, I'm interested in creating a whole new world out of nothing," Potter said.

She found the cosplay community was welcoming to her as a deaf person: "It's not as simple as just speaking or hearing, it's very visual and that's something I really love.

"Live action roleplay and gaming is one of the best forms of self-expression and creativity, you can become whoever you'd like to be and you will be accepted."

Dressed up as the character Mimikyu, 21-year-old artist Jessica Jones-Shrigley, said she loved the designs of the different Pokémon.

She said: "Everyone has their favourite type of Pokémon and especially with Dungeons & Dragons you have to know your characters and play with everyone else."

Daniel Stephenson, 20, who cosplayed as Pokémon Charmander, said: "Our generation is very indoors, so something outside where you get to interact with people face-to-face is good because people have lost that ability because of Covid, and things like this help you get it back."

Ethan Taylor, 25, from Camborne, cut a dash around the Pendennis Castle venue, dressed as a Victorian gentleman.

He said he was autistic and cosplay had "really helped with my confidence", adding: "Before I got the bravery to wear Victorian stuff, I walked around not speaking much and hiding in numbers."

Taylor said he liked talking to different cosplayers at events like this, often asking how they made their costume, why they chose their character and finding out about their stories.

"It's something everyone secretly wants to do, come on! A lot of us want to wear this kind of stuff in our every day lives but have no excuse to do it," he added laughing.

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