2023-09-07: A 'Costume' That's More Honest than Reality
- Cast: Yurika Misumaru, Hikaru Amano
- Where: OCU Australia - Aboard the Nadesico
- Date: U.C. 0097 09 07
- Summary: Yurika's having Elaborate Cosplay Struggles. The solution is an Elaborate Cosplay Teambuilding Exercise!
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
Hovering between Tasmania and Singapore as part of a bit of an errand list, the Nadesico, of all things, has a fair bit of free time on its hands. That's probably arguably a bad thing considering just what happens when this dysfunctional boat has free time, but details shmetails! All things considered, with how perilous and tenuous current events are despite the feeling that they've been sorta resolved...a lot of the crew would like to just curl up and rest and sleep and recover when they get some time to themselves.
...*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
A boisterous and desperate thumping sounds at the door to Hikaru's room.
"Hikaruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. Aaaaaaaaah. I'm in a big pickle out here and I think you're the only one that can help. It's really bad. It's LIFE OR DEATH out he- okay it's not life or death I really have to be careful saying that. But it's a big problem! And I don't want to say it too loud!"
The impressive part! Yurika's gotten herself an elaborate Aestivalis cosplay, with a big helmet and pauldrons and boots and everything! It'd be super cute-
...if she put it on right! It's obviously quite complicated and needs quite a lot of securing, because the dilemma Yurika's gotten herself in is simple!
So simple that you don't even need to look at her directly, you need only observe the trail of improperly attached pieces and armor bits that form a tell-tale trail behind Yurika! It has not been put on properly. She's clutching the front and trying to juggle draping arm-guards at the same time. This cosplay might be more complicated than an actual Aestivalis...!
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
Hikaru has one thought about free time: it's free! So it's best to make the most out of it when it lasts, because sooner or later, something's gonna blow up and require her attention. So today's a quieter day than usual, Hikaru mapping out some sketch work while an episode of Gekiganger blares in the background.
She is totally in the zone, so when she receives a knock on the door, it actually surprises her a lot. "Whuhhh?" She vocalises, slowly standing up. "Coming, coming~" She forgets to turn off the TV but that's probably fine because it's not like the Nadesico's power is going to anything better right now.
"Omigosh, what happened?!" She gasps when Yurika explains she's in complete and utter trouble. Possibly life or death! ...And apparently Hikaru is the emergency contact here. "Did you check in with Ruri-chan? Minato-san? Maybe it's a Goat-san type of problem??!"
...No, when she opens the door and takes one good look at Yurika - it's clear that this is undoubtedly a Hikaru-type problem. "Oh! Ohhhhhhh, ehehe..." She bursts into laughter, seeing Yurika's poorly-worn Aestie cosplay. "I mean, to be fair, it's a super cute idea!" She adds. "And geez, real well-made too. It's got everything!" She picks up as many armour pieces as she can, moving it all into a pile.
"I've worn lots of cosplay before... and this is also kinda like some of the models I've put together. So you've come to the right gal! C'mon in!" She offers - because clearly they're not going to try to fix all this mess in the middle of the hallway.
Studying Yurika a little closer, she squints. "Yeah, I think I see it... with Aesties, it's all built around this lil' core frame. If you wanna make an authentic cosplay that doesn't fall apart... you'll probably need to put together some sort of support for it, right?" She places her hand on her chin in exaggerated thinking posture. "If you need a model for that... I'm down!"
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
Yurika takes that offer to hide away from prying eyes at lighting speed, marching her way into Hikaru's room and instantly getting blasted by very old anime! With a long sigh of relief, she slides against a wall and glances at the arguments of manly passion and justice while Hikaru gathers up her purged pink armor.
"Gaaah, thank you. I've been in some very big weird problems around here and I think everyone accepts that - but - this falling apart on me is - it's the type where it's CUTE, but the cute comes with RISK, and I really don't wanna be wearing something that's unwearing itself where anyone can see-"
A big flaring redness overcomes Yurika's head. "...I felt like, "oh, Hikaru-chan cosplays a lot, she understands", but I...to be honest, I'm really embarrassed here too. Oh this is bad. ...But this was also a set that really needed helping hands to put on, and I'm really not - not sure who else I actually...trust with that? Maybe Minato wouldn't make a big deal out of-" The Rumors spread through Yurika's head like wildfire. The whispers from Howmei's chefs about how they totally spotted Goat Hoary being led around by Minato the other day. "...gah. I can't take the risk with her either."
Perhaps the lull of Gekiganger 3 is that no matter what you seem to be doing, the on-screen events always seem to have a way of echoing what you feel. Case in point:
~~"Ken, how could you assume everything's just fine, after you tried to say that baking is wimpy for a man!"
~~"Akira, what's the big deal? We'll just combine the same way as ever! Get over yourself, the empire isn't letting up their attack!"
~~"Hmph. Ken, you seem to have forgotten that the only reason Gekiganger can stay in sync is with the trust of everyone on the team. Three hearts can't beat as one if one no longer can trust the other..."
"Joe, not you too...!?"
"...I still really don't get it with this Gekiganger obsession everyone here has. It looks really old. Did some celebrity make it trendy again or something? Is it just because it's about giant robots so it's like a mascot to help people like our Aestis? ...no, there's lots of shows about giant robots, I think..." Yurika muses, grabbing a nearby blanket off of Hikaru's chair to cover herself up as she messes with the straps on her chest-plate, but clearly struggling quite a lot...
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
"Hey, no problem!" Hikaru brushes it off, with a motion of the hands. "I get it, I mean... you know me, I'm constantly getting myself into some jam or another during battle, ehehe~" But when her eyes double back over to that gathered pile of parts, she adds, "Even then, I'm not sure my Aestie lost that much armour. But it's a-okay!"
Although as Yurika continues to explain her problem, and perhaps some of that oh-so helpful context from Gekiganger itself, Hikaru begins to understand that this problem is more than just the cosplay bungle, but also the messiness around that.
She nods sagely. "Yeah, it's... y'know, the process of cosplay is kinda intimate, right? When you wear it to a con or post it online, people are only getting the finished work, it's what you want people to see! But like this, it's, um... like," Her own cheeks turn red at the realisation, too. "Exactly that. Totally embarrassing...
Thankfully, as she promised, she has exactly the kind of model frame that would work for something like this. She was going to use it for a project of her own... but sharing isn't so bad if it's for a friend. Snapping some of those pauldrons on to test the waters a little, she nods. "I'd super hate it if stuff like that prevented you from trying something out you'd have fun with." She says, a little softer than her normal tone. "I really do think cosplay should be something that lets everyone express themselves! So... I wanna try and be the kind of person you can trust and rely on, Yurika-chan, even if it's just for this."
"Hey!" She exclaims, looking back up at the TV, as the main trio of Gekiganger argues over trust and combination. "This is totally one of the best episodes... even to this day, people quote Joe's speech about three hearts beating as one thanks to their trust in one another! I quite love the alternate ending where Ken learns to love baking too... whoops, spoilers!"
She tilts her head, then, when Yurika asks what the appeal over Gekiganger even is. "I was kinda surprised when my art and writing for it started getting so much traction, too... and that there were even fellow fans on this very ship!" She remarks, as Gekiganger completely fails to combine thanks to the bickering of the trio, letting the Kyokk Empire to launch a surprise attack! "C'mon, Ken, stop making this so difficult, you little scrimbunkly..." Hikaru remarks in between sentences. "Anyways! It's kinda hard to explain why it's so charming for me. It's old, and definitely didn't always age well, as you can probably see... but there's a lot of heart, and its imperfection just means I can put a lot of heart into it with my own work! Geez, I definitely sound pretentious as heck..."
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
"Oh thank the stars you get it." There's a slightly snively sniffle from Yurika as she relaxes her frantic efforts to sort this mess out on her own. "Okay. Okay!!! Good. Good! I was onto something asking you for help. I figured I can't possibly be the only person to ever be in this kind of mess, even though it's probably an unusual one. Somehow I did pull off the Nadesicosplay all on my own, but that one was sort of just a really funny hat and a kind of normal outfit. I'm surprised by how unusual this one turned out to be..."
Yurika cradles one of the arm-guards, and pokes at it to find out it unfurls and has a whole mechanically intricate inner frame under there, and starts to sweat. "...I'm starting to worry that this isn't just a costume Nergal sent, but rather some kind of crazy high spec super armor..."
With a bit of a relieved sigh, Yurika slowly, somewhat reticently, stands upright to meander closer to where Hikaru's testing all the attachment points herself, watching in fascination at the meticulous process. "Honestly, you probably wouldn't believe it, I bet everyone took me for a big social butterfly with tons of pals to help out, but uhm-! ...I've only ever had a few real, like, friend friends. To be totally honest I feel a little bad about it, with a lot of the crew! Because, sort of...really a lot of when we talk is kind of just asking you to risk your life. And-! It somehow doesn't feel right to get too close to subordinates like that, but it'd also be horrible if I was all cold and commanding about it, so I wasn't...sure what to do, ahaha! ...But...I really like trying stuff like this on! And I don't get to do it enough! ...So I'm gonna take the plunge! We'll...~help each other with cosplay from now on~, captain's or- PERSONAL REQUEST PLEASE-!"
--There's an awful lot spinning around her head, isn't there? The whole time she's muttering about all this, Yurika's fidgeting in place, not at all helped by one leg being in a big heavy mecha-boot and the other just being equipped with <Sock>.
"...It's not at all pretentious actually! I kinda know what you mean, sort of. It's just a little hard to be on the same wavelength, since not a whole lot of people are big on <"My Violet Iris Days - Travelogue of First Blooming Love"> or <"Please, Angels in Heaven, Let Him Hear My Feelings"> even online...!" the mental image you have of what these are like is exactly right. Long, plodding, dizzyingly bashful, terminally incapable of passing the Bechdel test.
"...huuu. ...I'm jealous! That's what it is! Hikaru-chan. As trendy and knowledgable a girl as you are, please forgive me! I'm way out of touch! I don't know what I'm gonna do about how out of touch I am! And a bunch of people here get to talk so much about an even older anime that I just don't get!" Big starry eyed sureness in that apology!
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
"I remember that one!" Hikaru lights up when Yurika brings up the Nadesicosplay. "It definitely caught us a lot of attention back at HaroCon, ehehe... but yeah, this one's in a league of its own!"
It's made only all the more apparent as the arm-guard reveals some kind of inner frame. "Woah!" She gasps, starting to realise what they might've gotten themselves into. "Next you're gonna tell me this thing literally lets you fly around in the sky like the Air Frame... that might be kind of cool, though." She ponders. "Let's just hope it doesn't blow up or something!" Surely that's a joke. Surely.
But as they begin to figure out an actual shape of what putting this cosplay together entails, Hikaru listens to Yurika, and how surprisingly socially awkward she is. "Yeah, it's like... you're real charismatic when you're in charge of the ship, right? But that kind of thing doesn't always translate to being able to level with people I guess..." She considers, nodding. "Personally, I'm fine with going out there, because the last thing I want is to die like a chump, and I know Ryoko-chan and Izumi-chan would never let that happen~"
"But the Nadesico is more than that to me." She adds, more seriously. "I'm pretty popular on the Internet and stuff, but I don't always know the right ways to talk to people. And people don't always see me for what I am... so this kind of means a lot actually!" She's starting to get real flustery here herself. "So, um.. yeah! It's a deal! I think... it helps us both a lot~"
Hikaru also listens quite attentively to Yurika's own media opinions. "Oh, so you like that kind of thing, huh? The real mushy stuff..." Hikaru asks, with a small smirk on her face, but it's clear that she's just teasing. "Yeah, that's actually not too weird in comparison? Between that and my own stuff... almost feels like we're both in love with the concept of love itself. The idea that love can blossom between all sorts of people... it's nice."
"No way!" Hikaru objects to Yurika's pleading to forgive her, that she's so out of touch. "Just because we don't like the exact same anime... doesn't mean we can't get along, right? There's all sorts of other things we can talk about. I think... you're so uniquely you, Yurika-chan, and I'd never ask you to change and sacrifice that just to make me happy!" She counters, equally starry-eyed.
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
A sudden blanching realization hits Yurika like a ton of bricks.
"Wait, doesn't Alto-kun have one of those? A little exo-suit he can fly with? Don't tell me this whole weird cosplay is meant to be something like that...uuuu, Hikaru, if we put this on and I burn a city block to the ground, please remember me as I was, and not as some civilization-destroying tragic maiden of unbridled destruction!"
...She stops there for a bit. Lips pursing off to one side. "...A-actually that's not a totally terrible mental image, it's a little romantic...!" (yurika no don't saikano yourself)
Extending her arms out, Yurika settles in place and leaves herself a little vulnerable now that she's decided that if anything, Hikaru's passion is probably more about the cosplay itself than the wearer, and that's a pretty big comfort! The stars in her eyes say as much on their own!
"Love can blossom between a lot of people...I...I really have to admit that I think I've never really thought about it that way! A lot of what I read is about destiny and fate pulling people together. If that's how it works, doesn't it mean there's only a handful of ways it can really grow? Then again, lately that's been a little frustrating..." Yurika's expression falls a little, as she finally gets her other leg back into the Aesticos, testing the range of motion carefully.
"...What do you think, Hikaru? ...I always thought certain people were meant to be, that they're pulled together by forces bigger than themselves, but...nnn. Things are messier than that, and I hate the feeling like I'm waiting around for it!" Fingers pushing together, flitting her attention between Hikaru, her own progress in being successfully suited up, and the current post-opening sponsor sequence on the current Gekiganger episode.
"...H-honestly, you're...nobody's ever said something that amazing and pure to me. I...nn. ...I was...getting a little sick of worrying that all my hard work was just a means to an end for everyone else. I hear a lot of 'good job Yurika's and 'don't give up, Yurika's, but hearing you say something so poetic is...something else entirely. ...If I can be myself and still make you happy, that's about the most encouraging thing I've ever heard, Hikaru-chan!"
Impulsively, Yurika's hands fly up to her cheeks, forgetting that they're currently padded and covered in a lot of metal, so her blushy maiden thing comes with a wince of pain. "O-ow! ...I was just about to say that I feel like I've been waiting to hear something like that all my life but ow ow ow my face..."
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
"D-Don't worry! When I inevitably have to deploy and stop your rampage with tears in my eyes, I'll remember you always Yurika-chan!" Hikaru reassures her, and then also mutually stops and stares when Yurika likens it to a romantic mental image. "...Wait, no that sounds eerily to that rich girl I just had to save you from!"
"Ooooh, it's coming together real nice!" Hikaru remarks, as Yurika offers a better look at the whole thing. "Very sleek form factor on the armour and backpack... yet I've always been kinda a huge fan of the imposing looking shoulder pauldrons. I'm obviously partial to orange, but pink is a real cool colour for it too!"
"Gushing about mecha design is easy enough, but Yurika's thoughts on love have her pause in thought for a little bit, considering her own stance on it. "I think the idea that something's meant to be is real comforting when you have something you never wanna let go, right? But when you feel like it's time to move on... it can really tie you down. It was like that with my ex-boyfriend, honestly... but when I moved on, I was way happier." She explains, and then immediately stops, at what she just said. "Geeeeeez... you're real easy to talk to, you know that!"
"Anyways! I guess it's like... there's so many stories about defying fate and destiny, right? Refusing to be defined by what the whims of the universe deems for you... that stuff is pretty cool! And I think it's a little like that with love too. If I'm happy with someone, I want it to be 'cause I love them and they love me, not because fate said so." She takes a long, deep breath. "Wow... that was kinda a lot. But it's good to be able to like, talk about it? Outside of not shutting up about it between characters or other crewmates or something, ehe..."
The way Yurika never heard anything like that in her life... wow, it's shocking to Hikaru. "I- I mean! I think everyone should pay attention to how incredible you really are. Sure, you've saved our butts a ton... but I don't think it'd be the same if we had an equally skilled Captain who was no fun and mean, yeah? Besides that..."
Her eyes immediately catch the very Yurika gesture she's about to do. "Ouuuuch... you fell victim to the classic blunder of cosplay. Gotta be careful with the pointy metal stuff!" Hikaru winces, watching Yurika's very Yurika-like gesture meet with pain.
"S-So what I was tryna' say was... I want you to be happy too! And if I can be myself and do that... then I'd hope you don't got to wait any longer~"
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
This is easily becoming the hardest Yurika's brain's ever worked about the subject of destiny and fate and letting ho and holding on! Almost about to not learn her lesson from harshly slapping her own cheeks, she mimes like she's biting her thumb a little bit, before deciding not to like, drool on her irresponsibly high tech cosplay*.
"...Holding onto fate as a comfort when you feel like you lost something...letting go and defying it when there's something you wanna move forward with..." But what in the world would Yurika feel like she's lost-
It hits her like a sudden realization. Yurika tips to one side just a little, then the other - one hand resting on Hikaru's shoulder for a bit of support, even though she's so much heavier and taller. "...It's hard to get over it!! Hearing about what's become of Mars, how it's limping along for survival, how there's so little interest in reinforcing and reinvesting in it, still hearing about Jovian Lizard attacks, managing to only rescue exactly two people from the whole planet last time I was there - ...an ex boyfriend is one thing, but like...what if that person's one of the only reminders you have from when-"
...That's when Yurika remembers! How Hikaru, Ryoko, and Izumi all came aboard after the sudden annihilation of the colony they themselves called home for a while. "...I guess you don't have much choice but to fight against fate, since it didn't really do you any good back then. You're someone who has nowhere to really go but forward. That's super amazing though! And perfect for a creative type! N-not that I'm trying to say something as cliche and insensitive like tragedy making better art or anything, no way!"
Deep breaths. Yurika was getting a little too teary and regretful there for a while. Relieving Hikaru of what must feel like an entire motorcycle trying to prop itself up on her, Yurika, all ~equipped~ and adjusted, turns around to look over herself, and gives a decisive thumbs up. "...Okay! This all came out really good though! I'm glad you could help me out so much after I made such a mess on the practice round. When I need to wear it for the big event coming up, I'll make sure that it's on your schedule to get me set up! In the meantime, since I want to know what being yourself is like..."
Eyes squeezing tightly together. Yurika's about to say it. The most difficult thing she's said in her life.
"...I'll stay here a while and watch this silly Gekiganger thing with you! Fine! I'll get around to it if everyone insists. But it's just to find out what you in particular love so much about it!"
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
Hikaru tries not to crack under the pressure of that Aestie-hand on her shoulder, even though she withstands G-Forces for a living, settling herself rather comfortably. "That's right..." Hikaru voices in realisation, that her pining for Akito must have something to do with what happened to Mars. "It must've been so much of a shock he returned to your life... how could it not feel like fate right out of a romance book?" She bobs her head consideringly. "I guess it's just up to whether he sees it the same way, huh?"
Her eyes turn up to meet Yurika when she mentions it must be different for her. Because it's definitely true that the destruction of the Satsuki Midori colony had a massive impact on her general mindset - ironically, being what lets her stay so positive and optimistic in the first place. "I think it's like... if I told myself the three of us survived just 'cuz it was fate, that'd just be sad, because why would fate be so mean?" She shakes her head. "I'm just glad I can keep moving forward and have something to live for. That once the fighting's all over for good, I'll get to travel the world selling my manga!" She exclaims. "Because it's true... being able to make art at all is better than nothing, right?"
Feeling the weight of all that armour off her shoulder, Hikaru gives the finalized cosplay a good, long look, going for the double thumbs-up. "Incredible, Yurika-chan! You're to wow every single person at that big event, I just know it! Maybe I should whip up some little accessories and decals for you while I'm at it... it's going to be so much fun!"
Hikaru waits in anticipation for what Yurika is going to say, what she's going to suggest. Could it possibly be...
"Aw, heck yeah!" It's exactly the thing Hikaru wanted to hear, of course. "Let's go with hot-blooded anime~" She hums, as the ending sequence begins on the one that was playing during cosplay session, displaying a preview for the next episode... where the Gekiganger team is forced to sortie with only two out of three of the Gekigan machines, due to Joe catching a bad cold (until he shows up at the eleventh hour anyways). "This next one is real exciting, so sit tight Yurika-chan!!"