Kraehe

I know a lot of my recent stuff has shared connections with my Tumblr rp blog, but characters being roleplayed aren't called "muses" for nothing. 

A lot of deliberation went into choosing a costume for Durarara!!'s Sharaku Mikage; flights of whimsy don't normally befall her.  That said, I wanted to participate in the Duraween event going on this month, so an appropriate costume was mandatory.  After coming up with a few options, expounded upon on the blog itself (link after it queues if I remember), I wound up chosing Princess Tutu's Princess Kraehe for Mikage's costume.

Kraehe, without giving too many spoilers, is one of many people dragged into Drosselmeyer's storytelling schemes and shenanigans.  Her crow "father" influences many of her actions and leads her, incidentally, into a major psychological crisis.  Kraehe is a master of her craft when referring to ballet; as Rue, she's a prodigy. 

Kraehe's brashness fits Mikage quite well.  Both are extremely strong, talented, no-nonsense, perhaps a tad antagonistic (while really straddling the line of neutrality), and have very high thresholds for stress.  Though ballet is much more graceful and less "tomboyish" than what Mikage is used to, the corporeal mastery required makes the costume appealing.  Though technically in a dress, the outfit is non-restrictive; perfect for a ballerina or a martial artist.  As animals, crows are quite appropriate for the holiday, as well. 

This picture specifically comes from a screencap (found here) where Kraehe is dancing with Mytho, but I couldn't in good conscious bring Mikage to dance with anybody, as all potential dance partners would be people she'd either turn down or who wouldn't dress or play the part of Mytho.  In reality, the image is black and white, just ink, but I enjoyed the lighting in the photo.  My camera actually did this one justice.

Princess Kraehe/Rue (c) Itoh Ikuko
Sharaku Mikage (c) Narita Ryohgo