fun with costumes [OPEN]

[silksoul]

Who: You! Everyone else! Oh and also Hornet is here too, somewhere.
What: Shopping! Costume workshops!
When: The days leading up to Halloween celebrations (23-29 October)
Where: Soleil and the Academy campus!



A. Shopping Trip

[ Soleil is buzzing with activity as students flock to prepare for Halloween. Whether it's to marvel at what other people have left behind, to marvel at what's been donated in previous years, or you're just trying to pick a costume at all, you have no shortage of creations to gaze upon - and no shortage of your peers to judge them, either.

You can sometimes catch Hornet here, in the days that come, squinting suspiciously at the insect costumes. She mutters and paces, tugging at them like they're personally offensive to her. ]

B. Necessary Modifications

[ For those of a more crafty persuasion, the Academy has opened some usually-vacant classrooms as a makeshift work area for designing and creating your own costumes, or making modifications of your own.

Hornet has taken over a corner of one of the rooms. She's almost a permanent fixture of the workshop, as she sews and cuts with an intensity she usually only reserves for battles. ]

C. Wildcard

[ You can use this to just bother Hornet, or make up your own prompts. Go wild and treat this as a mingle log! ]

Comments

[arcadianvampire]

The biggest thing to where to start would be to find an aesthetic, my student!

[He turned, dramatically, a cape flourish following with little illusionary bats flittering out from the tip of his cape.]

Tell me, what in your heart of hearts do you value? It can be anything from traits, themes, or even looks. What truly speaks to you in the depths of your very soul?!

[stavros]

That -- [She coughs and tries to think.] I know not, I mean, clearly there are important things -- [destiny, duty, legacy, with a side of embarrassed indulging in teen mags and wondering how normal people live] -- but all of those just go back to how I am normally. I cannot very well just dress up as myself!

[arcadianvampire]

Of course not! But the point of this exercise... is self-expression!

[There's a passionate energy to his enthusiasm, bordering on exuberance. Valvatorez could often be hammy and over the top with his delivery in many a thing, but the sincerity on display is remarkable even for him.]

Things you like, things you love, things that are a part of you! It doesn't have to be every aspect, and it can in fact, be one thing.

Has there ever been anything you've wanted to wear, for example?

[stavros]

I... suppose? [She steps back and... honestly has to think about it.] I must say I've always thought I ought to be... dignified. Though something normal people would do wouldn't be amiss, either... this isn't helpful at all, is it?

I figured this would be fine since we talked before, but lemme know if this isn't okay!

[imyoubut]

[Urtz has been quiet up until this point, letting Val do his thing while staying on the sidelines with a notepad, but at that bit she does speak up.]

No, no, quite the opposite! Dignified, but also something that "normal people" might do. I feel there's a bit of room there. Off the top of my head, I can think of several costumes that could fit your criteria: mad scientist, grim reaper, witch, ghost, or even vampire.

[stavros]

Hm... I don't think any of those work. Besides, half of them might offend somebody. [She makes a small face.]

[arcadianvampire]

I can certainly understand the reluctance to pick vampire especially, given the family history. ...And Grim Reapers. ...And witches, and ghosts and...

[Valvatorez wraps himself in his cape dramatically, seemingly brooding.]

...Then we should come at it from another angle. While "spooky" is certainly a favorite of ours, perhaps 'dignified' and 'normal' can be applied in other ways.

A knight, for example. Or perhaps a brave gunslinger, or an action heroine, down to earth, but proud and daring?

[stavros]

[She deflates.] My apologies, I'm just making this more difficult, aren't I? I suppose something like that should work. Though how one goes about being an action hero when everyone here likely already qualifies...

[imyoubut]

Nonsense. Choosing the proper costume is important! After all, you are the one who will have to wear it at the end of the day. It should be one you are comfortable with.

[At her other comment, though, Urtz finds herself sliding a hand to her hip as she strokes her chin. The spot where her mouth usually resides is surprisingly empty. Perhaps a habit when she's deep in thought?]

Perhaps, but that doesn't mean you can't choose it. After all, there's plenty of options that are quite different than what you might see here. Superheroes are still quite popular. Then there's...magical girls, I believe they're called? And of course, we can't forget the prism rangers.

[stavros]

I think that's straying a little far from the dignified bit, if I may. I suppose we could fashion some manner of suit of armour out of the foam here, or at least I saw somebody do that once, though I'm not sure exactly how.

[arcadianvampire]

Ah, the Prism Rangers. The most classic sentai heroes the world has ever known! They'd be a delightful theme costume sometime. ...Though we'd need someone to play Prism Black and Prism Pink. They're criminally underappreciated.

[Valvatorez paused, and then blinked, seemingly coming out of that tangent and back to reality.]

And if you don't know how, that's part of what Lady Cromwell and I are here to assist you with. As excellent purveyors of fashion and lovers of Halloween and costuming, we'll be helping you every step of the way. That's the whole idea.

We're like your fairy godparents of Halloween. Except as a fae and a daemon, so that's even better.

So, we have a rough path with the idea of being a dignified hero, with a pathway to a knight. Why don't we look at some armor designs and see what you like the most? The sky's the limit, and maybe finding a baseline will be a good start.

[stavros]

[Her face is still red and she's still looking at the floor, but she sighs and nods.]

Understood. Do you have something like that here?

[imyoubut]

Here? Perhaps not, but I do have some pictures we can use.

[After fiddling with her phone for a bit, Urtz hands it over to her. True to her word, there's a whole gallery full of all kinds of suits of armor, mostly from Medieval Europe, though some seem to have been made more recently.]

If none of those suit your fancy, I'm sure Valvatorez may have some in mind.

[After all, he's likely seen many a suit of armor in person. And with a person inside it, no less!]

[stavros]

You know I still don't wish to be too picky. That one there looks simple enough. I'm sure you're working on a great deal else, after all.