So. Mount hope's 2019 costume sale was …. an experience.
It spanned two days, both segments taking place on the upper floor of the Barn and Barrel. We all know of the regular sale on the 23rd, but there was also an auction on the evening of the 22nd for the super fancy stuff. So highfalutin an event was this that it was by invitation only. I did not receive an invitation, but my mom did, so I was able to tag along. We had no plans to bid, knowing we were unlikely to be able to afford much of anything; rather, we were there to learn what not to look for the next day.
I'm hoping to do a more detailed write-up of the auction sometime, because it was surprisingly entertaining, and I've a number of things to say on the matter; but as I have other goals for this post, I'm skipping most of it for now. For my current purposes, you need only know that all items had a base price the bidders were not told unless nobody bid high enough, in which case the costume was set aside for the regular sale the next day. This only happened with a few items, one of which was (to my shock) Bridget's outfit.
Fast forward to the sale proper the next day. The sale began at 9am, as was stated on the Facebook event and in all the royal emails. As such, we arrived at nine. However, viewing had begun at 8:30am, a fact NOT mentioned anywhere on the Facebook event or the royal email, else that's when we'd have been there. In addition, only a certain number of people were allowed upstairs at a time (with good reason – the place was a zoo). So we spent a while in line, during which time I occupied myself scrutinizing the garments carried by those leaving the sale, alert for anything I recognized, but mostly Geralyn's bodice, for that was the one item I really wanted. I'd have been more than willing to spend my entire budget on that bodice, for it was the chief visual identifier of that character, and that character is more important to me than I can articulate.
At length we made it upstairs, and as I said, it was a damn zoo. It was loud and crowded and crazy, and overall sensory hell. By focusing on the costumes, I was able to push past much of how unpleasant it was for me, but it was still stressful.
My first order of business was to swiftly check every rack and table for Geralyn's bodice. I did not find it, and hoped it had simply not been up for sale.
Having inspected the place for my chief target, I proceeded to amass a heap of garments, most of which were just cool or good utilitarian items, nearly none of which I recognized. (The only familiar things I got ahold of were Tally Applebottom's corset and warm-weather shirt, and a pair of Angie Finch's bloomers.) In the process, I came across Bridget's costume — in the arms of another. Which would've been fine, except that upon inquiry, I learned that the group buying it was purely acquiring costumes for their own (traditional) theatrical productions, and none of them had ever been to the Faire! So this lot have Bridget's garb and they don't even understand what they have, they don't appreciate the find, they don't know the character, they have no love. I was and am furious about this. Strangers getting the costumes is fine for many items, but not the leads', and certainly not for our beloved Bridget. (I was so outwardly upset at the time that one of the strangers asked me if the actor had died.)
Time passed, and I made the rounds several times. Eventually I took stock, did math, culled a little, found a tub large enough to house my finds, and got in line.
I hadn't been in line for long when I spotted some of the Murder Mystery actors across the room. As is my wont, I ran over to greet and hug them. Among their number was Alexis Amarante, to whom I mentioned that I'd been searching for her 2017 bodice, but that it didn't seem to be up for sale. To which she replied that the head costumer had told her that it would be.
I was shattered. Alexis double-checked with the head costumer, because she's awesome like that, and found me later to confirm that, alas! Geralyn's bodice had indeed already been sold.
So because I arrived at the sale on time rather than early, I never even had a chance. I can only hope that whomever got Geralyn's bodice is a parfite who understands and appreciates the find, but I just about guarantee that it's not as meaningful to them as it is to me. I've never come across so clearly-coded Autistic a character portrayed so honestly as Geralyn, and seeing that part of myself so well-represented truly meant the world to me. That character gave me hope that I'd someday be able to have a functional life with active friendships while doing what I enjoy. And the way she just loved everyone, her unwavering loyalty and friendship, her sheer competence, her capability to work around and within her Autisticness and various issues to achieve the results she needed — she's basically everything I aspire to be. I've delved into her character so much through my in-progress fanfics, which has only endeared her to me more. I love that character more than words can describe. And only a bodice though it may be, I was and am distraught over missing out on her main visual identifier.
I teared up some at the time, but mostly stuffed it down to deal with and process (and friggin' bawl over) later, because I had company that weekend. But for the rest of my time in line, all I wanted to do was curl up in my bin of costumes and cry.
