Last Minute Cosplay

Story by Leena The salt-kissed air of Port Solei carried the electric hum of excitement, a palpable energy that seemed to sync with the flickering orange and purple fairy lights strung between the palm trees lining the boardwalk. Halloween in the mutant capital was less a holiday and more a state of being. For a population where tentacles, scales, and extra limbs were the norm, the line between costume and reality was beautifully, thrillingly blurred. It was a celebration of self, amplified by artifice. Perched on the wrought-iron balcony of Leena’s apartment overlooking the shimmering harbour, three friends were deep in the annual ritual of costume deliberation. “The sheer audacity of some tourists,” Karin sniffed, adjusting the strap of her designer top. Her blonde hair shone like polished brass in the setting sun, a stark contrast to her friends. “I saw a group down on the pier, just gawking at a woman with peacock feathers. It’s not a zoo, it’s a city.” “It’s the price of fame, Karin,” Leena said, not looking up from her handheld gaming console. Her six arms made her a natural multitasker; two hands were dedicated to the game, two were idly braiding a section of her fiery red hair, one was holding a mug of tea, and the last was gesturing vaguely. “We’re the ‘mutant capital.’ People come to see the freaks when spooky season comes around.” She said the word without malice, a simple reclamation of a term she’d heard whispered all her life. “Don’t call us that,” Lilly murmured from her corner, her voice soft as moth wings. She was curled in a large wicker chair, a thick fantasy novel open in her lap. The leathery membrane of her wings, stretching from her wrists to her waist, was pulled tight around her shoulders like a living cloak. Her black hair fell over her face, hiding her glowing red eyes. “See? Lilly gets it,” Karin said, pointing a perfectly manicured finger. “It’s crass. Anyway, back to important things. My costume.” She preened, a gleam in her blue eyes. “I’ve decided. I’m going as Lady Dimitrescu.” Leena finally paused her game, her five green eyes blinking in unison, a small ‘pfft’ escaping her mouth. “The nine-foot-tall vampire lady? You’re like what? Five-foot-four.” Karin waved a dismissive hand. “Details, details. I just need to find the right person to… borrow from.” “Oh, are you actually using your mutation this time?” Leena asked. “Usually you try to avoid that sorta thing.” “Normally yes,” said Karin. “But the plan is perfect. There’s a woman who works at the coffe shop near the labs, Genevieve. She’s nearly eight feet tall. A little persuasion, one friendly handshake, and voilà. I’ll have the height. Then I just have to wear any of my own ravishing dresses and bingo, zero dollar high fashion Halloween costume.” “You’re going to trick a stranger to mutate you for a halloween costume?” Leena asked, a smirk playing on her lips. “That’s commitment. But won’t ya not fit into your dresses if you grow that much?” “Fashion is pain, darling. Even the transitory kind. And I ease that pain by getting dresses of many sizes, just in case I mutate out of nowhere.” Karin turned her attention to Leena. “Don’t worry, I put it on Access’s private lab account. I’m not sure he even checks the balance on that thing. So what are you going as?” Leena set her console down, a proud grin spreading across her face. She gestured to herself with all six of her two-fingered hands. “Isn’t it obvious?” Karin and Lilly both stared. Leena’s slender, multi-limbed form was clad in her usual casual wear: a band t-shirt and jeans tailored for her unique anatomy. The only thing that stuck out was a yellow hoodie. “No?” Karin said, her brow furrowed in genuine confusion. “A Joltik!” Leena announced, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “It’s my favorite pokemon.” There was a beat of stunned silence. Karin blinked slowly. Lilly peered over the top of her book, her red eyes wide. “You’re cosplaying as an electric spider pokemon,” Karin stated flatly. “Yep! Pokemon ZA just came out and I’m repping the team.” Leena puffed out her chest. Karin’s expression shifted to one of dawning realization, then pity. “Leena… I don’t think Joltik is even in Pokemon ZA.” Leena’s proud posture deflated by a fraction. “Uhhhhhh…” “In fact,” Karin continued, leaning forward and squinting, “aren’t you just wearing a yellow hoodie?” Karin said tugging at the raggy cloth of Leena’s overwear. Leena looked down at the faded mustard-yellow garment she’d draped over two of her shoulders. She looked back at her friends’ expectant faces. The silence stretched, punctuated only by the distant sounds of the city and the cry of gulls. … … … “Look OK I forgot!” she finally burst out, all six of her hands flying up in a gesture of surrender. “I was doing so much work at the lab Halloween snuck up on me OK? Money is tight so I’ve been picking up overtime at the lab, and then before I knew it the month was almost over and all the Spirit Halloween shelves have been picked dry!” Lilly gently closed her book, marking her place with a feather. “It’s okay, Leena. We know you’ve been busy.” “Busy is no excuse for a fashion catastrophe,” Karin sighed, though her tone lacked its usual bite. She tapped a finger on her chin. “But a Joltik… that’s actually not a bad idea for someone with your… uh… interests. We can work with this. The core concept is sound of course. You already have the… foundational limbs.” Karin stood up, circling Leena like a sculptor assessing a block of marble. “We need fuzzy yellow leg warmers for your lower arms, to simulate the stubby legs. A big, fuzzy yellow beanie with googly eyes. Some simple black felt for the facial details. It’s minimalist, but it reads. We can put it all together tomorrow.” Leena’s excitement shot through the roof “Really? AWESOME! I wanted to show up to the big festival in SOMETHINGH. I’m sure Sophie and Lucy are gonna be in some high quality thousand dollar cosplay again and they wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. “I can’t have my best friend looking like she just gave up. It reflects poorly on me.” Karin’s smile took the sting out of her words. “Besides, it’ll be cute. Now, Lilly. Your turn. Don’t tell me you’re going as a ‘bookworm’ again.” Lilly shrank deeper into her winged cloak. “I… I hadn’t decided. I was thinking as going, maybe as a vampire?” “A vampire?” Karin asked, intrigued. “But you’re already a bat-mutant. Isn’t that a bit… on the nose?” “I… I guess… but it’s easy,” Lilly protested. “Besides, I’m going as a vampire,” Karin butted in. “Lady Dimitrescu isn’t, like really a vampire, she’s a mold induced mutation that–” “We KNOW Leena, you don’t have to launch into an hour long Resident Evil Youtube retrospective… you get the idea. It’s the same vibe” Karin said rolling her eyes. “Well, I don’t know then, what should I go as?” Lilly asked meekly. “What book ya been reading?” Leena asked. “Oh just The Lord of the Rings.” “Again?” asked Leena. “Again…” confirmed Lilly. She was nothing if not predictable. “Well you’ve gone as a hobbit more times than I can count. What if you shake it up, like, go as a dragon, or OOOOOH a ring wraith!” “Nazgûl,” Lilly corrected. “Same thing. Ya spread your wings and we cover em in black cloth and armor, it’d be sick,” Leena said excitedly.” “Yeah, but that would take a lot of time and money. I’m not sure we can get that together unless we had a ton of money to rush order everything. Lilly silently looked at Karin. Leena slowly joined her. After a pause Karin threw up her arms in defeat. “Fine, fine, I’ll Access’s credit card.”