Halloween costume update

(We're sick, so this will have to do)

All - I have a bit of bad news. The Clark household is under quarantine. No, not COVID this time. Instead, we have that scourge of childhood - RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). It's running wild across the country; if you have young kids, your household likely has it too.

Anyway, it's no fun. I would say symptoms are about halfway between the common cold and the full-blown flu - plenty of runny noses, fevers, coughs, and sore throats. My son has it worse than me, and I feel bad for the little guy. But knowing that Halloween is just around the corner keeps him optimistic and looking forward.

As you'd expect, being sick has thrown a wrench in all the plans; writing, making, teaching (more on that later), and costume design/build have all suffered. But I have an admiring son who expects me to pull off a unique costume for Halloween this year, so I've sucked it up (literally - I'm sucking more snot than you care to know), and have been busy in the shop making.

I'll share more on this build later, but it's an entirely from-scratch costume mainly using EVA foam. It's the material and method used by many of those fancy cosplayers. Time is at a premium, so this design won't be quite convention-worthy. But I expect my son will love it, and we'll have a great time walking the neighborhood on Halloween night.

Have a look and let me know if you recognize it. Yes, the helmet will be big on him (I should have scaled it down way more). But he'll be adorable, even if not as intimidating as that much-feared galactic bounty hunter.

Until next time.

JRC

P.S.: For those interested, I’m using a helmet pattern developed by Punished Props Academy on YouTube. It’s a great intro to using EVA foam for cosplay designs. I highly recommend checking it out.