BRAINTREE – Clad in their best costumes and giggling amongst themselves, teenage fans of science fiction, anime, manga and more whooped and hollered at Thayer Public Library on Saturday afternoon. Parents weren’t allowed past the front door at the fifth annual Teen Con, were super fans of all kinds gathered to celebrate nerddom and show off their best cosplay creations.

“All fandoms are welcome here,” said Christina Dufour, the teen librarian at Thayer Public Library. “It’s basically a mini comic con, but just for teens.”



Participants showed off their costumes in a fashion show, played games and took photos with members of the 501st Legion, a famous collection of Star Wars cosplayers with groups all over the world. Cosplay, a combination of the words costume and play, is the shorthand for people who make and wear costumes of their favorite fictional characters.



“Once you start, it just keeps going,” said Beck Gallahue, 18, of cosplay. “So many other people do it and then some of your friends join you. It’s an amazing experience.”



It was her second year attending TeenCon.



“It’s actually a little smaller than the cons I usually go to,” she said. “I really come here to see who else comes, and to find out what they like.”



Gallahue, of Weymouth, was dressed as the character Rem from Re:Zero, a Japanese anime series. Anime characters made up a majority of the costumes at Teen Con.



Meghan Freeo of Braintree was wearing a navy blue sailor-type outfit for her Ryuuko Matoi costume.



“I love (anime) because all of it is different. You see something new every time you watch,” Freeo, 16, said. “It’s also not limiting - there is so much anime that everyone can find something to like.”



Meghan Collerin of Wakefield has done cosplay for about 15 years, and was excited to see a younger generation getting into it. She was dressed as a Jedi with the 501st Legion, and has other costumes she wears as she makes them.



“It’s fun to watch it pass down,” Collerin said. “It’s cool to turn into the characters you like.”



The idea for a teen convention came from the South Shore Young Adult Roundtable - a group of teen librarians who meet to share ideas and resources. In the past, the event has been held at libraries in Duxbury, Milton and Weymouth and Elizabeth Murphy said it always draws a crowd.



“We wanted a way to get teens together from various towns to hang out and share something they’re passionate about,” said Murphy, the teen librarian at Turner Free Library in Randolph. “The biggest thing is that it’s free, a lot of our teens can’t afford to go to Boston Comic Con.”



Mary Whitfill may be reached at mwhitfill@ledger.com.



