Fortress of Meropide - Group Chat

[loupmorque]

MEMBERS:

{ A group chat made for people living in Meropide or for its regular come-and-go visitors. }

Comments

text; un: neoteric

[moderni]

Now there's a creative idea. Although I'm not much of a performer myself...

[but he's imagining how happy it would make Zulius. maybe...?]

UN: hikari-vi | Text

[whiteshroud]

That's alright! I think a lot of the people entering aren't normally performers.

This is more of an amateur competition, so there isn't that much pressure.

[moderni]

[Their finances are stable, but a little extra wouldn't do any harm. And he's trying to get himself out socializing more...]

And you're offering help with outfits? I'm afraid my fashion sense tends toward the practical.

[whiteshroud]

Yep, I am! I'll help guide you into a look that you want.

So are you interested?

[moderni]

I feel like I might regret this but...all right. Yes. I'll try.

[It will be good for him to get out of his comfort zone a little more. Really.]

[whiteshroud]

Haha, glad to hear it!

Okay, we'll start off simple. When developing a "drag persona", people will usually go one of two ways:

1) An exaggerated version of some of your own traits.
2) Someone the polar opposite of their usual selves

Which of those sound more appealing to act out?

[moderni]

Exaggeration sounds more appealing, I suppose, but I'm not really sure what that would be. I've spent many years doing my very best to be unremarkable.

[The truth is that even signing up to do something like this is fighting against instincts that have kept him alive. He knows he needs to grow beyond that environment, but figuring out how to do that is harder than it seems like it should be.]

[whiteshroud]

Huh... well, you know yourself better than I do. Is there anything that you wish you could do, but had to restrain yourself?

Like... be more sassy, or more flirty? Or even just sing songs loudly.

The main thing about drag is that instead of trying to hide in the shadows, you're meant to make your presence very known.

[Which, ironically, is exactly why no matter how good Jun is at the dressing up part- he always fails at these drag competitions. He was a person who at his very core, thrived at being in the shadows. ]

[moderni]

I do wish I could feel comfortable being...well, more outspoken and opinionated.

I did find that show you recommended to me the other day. Les Miserables? The young revolutionaries...that really was how my friends spoke to one another, cajoled and encouraged each other, in the face of our opposition. They admired my restraint, sent me out as our representative because I could keep a cool head...but I admired their passion just as much.

Sorry this got lost in my inbox

[whiteshroud]

Oh you did?

Ah, I had a feeling you'd relate to that part of the play.... and it sounds like it did more than I anticipated. [So hey! Good call there! At least if he's bringing it up in this conversation, it must be something that brings him happier memories than painful ones.]

In that case... why don't you go with something reminiscent of revolutionaries? There's a lot of different periods of fashion that's work well with that theming, depending on your preference. Just of off the top of my head there's the American Revolution, French Revolution, the Women's Suffrage movement, and of course the Stonewall Riot itself that caused Pride to begin with.

Wearing an outfit like that might embolden you to be more outspoken and opinionated.

all good!

[moderni]

...Oh, I do like that idea, actually. And it will be easier to work out a performance to go with it, too.

[A way to carry on the mission of the lost, even if only symbolically, and step into the bolder role he'd always wished he had the freedom to take. If he thinks of it like that...it's almost exciting.]