It’s no secret that cosplayers love to recreate established and well-known characters from their favorite fandoms, but designing an original character can be an incredibly rewarding experience too! Role-playing games, LARPing, and extended universes have helped to open the possibilities of designing a character that is entirely unique from backstory to costume. In this panel we will talk to cosplayers who regularly create characters that have never been seen before, why they do it, and why you should too!