WHEN you meet Laura Cranston, you would be forgiven for doing a double take.

By day she works hard on her PhD in biochemistry at Glasgow University, but by night and at the weekends, Laura indulges in her other big passion: cosplay.

The 27-year-old from Govan can often be found dressed as Wonder Woman, Batman's arch enemy Poison Ivy and even as Flareon, a character from the Japanese cartoon Pokemon.

Cosplay, short for "costume play", sees fans dress up as their idols from film, television, comic books and video games.

Already hugely popular in Japan and the US, a growing number of Scots are choosing to inhabit this curious and kooky world.

"It is basically the art of bringing mostly fictional characters to life using costumes," says Laura. "These can be from films, video games, comics, Japanese anime and manga. Cosplay is a tribute to characters that I love and respect. It is almost like a version of fan art."

At the last count her wardrobe contained 90 costumes, the majority of which are handmade. "Depending on the complexity I can spend anything between seven hours and a couple of months making each one," she says.

Laura first discovered cosplay in 2008 and joined the Glasgow University Anime and Manga Society. "Being a geek has become more mainstream," she says. "The success of comic book-inspired movies has helped drive that into the spotlight."

Within the cosplay community Laura is better known by her alter-ego Aranel which is an elvish word from Lord of the Rings.

She describes her look as including "general badasses and strong women who don't take any crap."

"A lot of people think cosplay is a fetish which isn't true," she says. "There is also an assumption that women take part for attention and that is also completely wrong."

Others to embrace the cosplay scene are Lisa Connolly, 21, a fashion technology student from Partick and Henry Woo, 25, a cafe worker from East Kilbride.

"I have always been interested in Japanese culture and fashion," says Lisa. "It was through that I discovered cosplay and have been doing it for around two years."

Her favourite characters include Giffany from the Disney cartoon Gravity Falls and Harley Quinn from the Batman series, although she admits the latter look can be tricky to pull off.

"It involves wearing a full body costume that every time I need to go to the loo, I have to unzip and take off completely. I also have to wear white grease paint on my face which stains anything it comes in contact with and so is a bit too high maintenance."

Lisa, who studies at Cardonald College and hopes to carve a career in theatre costume design, makes all of her cosplay outfits from scratch.

Her dream character, she says, is a toss-up between She-Ra: Princess of Power and Xena: Warrior Princess.

"When someone recognises your character, comes up to you and freaks out, that makes your day," she says.

"A few years ago I saw a She-Ra cosplayer and almost cried I was so happy. Knowing someone appreciates a character the same way you do is great."

Henry has also been doing cosplay for two years and loves the escapism it brings. "Sometimes in life you want to get away from the stresses of work and home," he says. "Cosplay is a great way to take time out and have some fun."

He likes to dress up as a character called Noctis from Final Fantasy XV. "It's an adventure video game where you are saving the world," he says. "The character is calm, cool and collected. He gets things done. I like that."

Henry has built a loyal following among the cosplay community. "I've made so many new friends through cosplay," he says. "You all have something in common. There is a connection and bond.

"To date, I have more than 800 fans. That definitely came as a surprise but it's nice to be appreciated."

Angel Newlands, 14, a student from Lanark is a recent newcomer to cosplay and says she fell in love with it after attending MCM Scotland Comic Con in Glasgow last year.

"I'm drawn to characters with a similar past or personality to me," she says. "It's a way of expressing myself.

"My family are really supportive and find cosplay quite cool. Strangers can give you weird looks, but it honestly doesn't bother me."

Like many cosplayers, Angel is all too aware of the misconceptions people have.

"People often think it is childish," she says. "They don't understand the confidence you can build through cosplay. Before I would rarely leave my house and didn't have that many friends.

"Through cosplay I have found a whole community of friends. I never feel self-conscious.

"The rule among the cosplay community is: 'never judge your family.'"