Recs for Role-Playing Games (RPG), LARP and Cosplay

[brsis]

Ah, I'm glad I found this one... I've been trying to think what I'll wear for my next Con now I've become BPAL addicted! Plus I think I need something to compensate for the smell of copious quantities of Manga Head hair putty...

 

On one day (Haven't worked out what order they're going in yet...) I'm cosplaying Jin from Samurai Champloo - for those who don't know the series, he's a Japanese ronin (Lordless, wandering Samurai), the strong, silent type, very serious (Or at least he appears to be), intelligent, direct and a little bit dark. He wears blue and black traditional Japanese clothing, glasses, and is currently roaming Japan looking for... well, the plot's kinda odd Ideally I need something strong and masculine, outdoor-sy, but without the cologne-y smell that many of the male scents seem to have, as that wouldn't be appropriate for historical Japan ^.^

 

On the other day, I'm cosplaying Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He's... emo >.< and dark, and mysterious, and kinda sexy in an odd way, and a sulky, glowering little... and he's actually really old, despite not looking a day over thirty, and has a dark and tragic past (Don't they always? ). He wears red, black and bronze - lots of black leather, lots of metal, big swirly red cape - and carries a tri-barrelled pistol. I considered De Sade, but since I'm going to be clad from neck to ankles in black leather as it is, that one's probably unneccessary... possibly one of the Ars Moriendi scents? When I think about his character I think of something dark and masculine, but dry, dusty and a bit sad, and maybe a bit of leather and gunpowder for good measure!

 

Can anyone suggest some (Genuinely masculine! One of my friends wanted to slather me in roses for Vincent and... yeah, that's not happening ) fragrances I could try for these two? Sorry I can't help anyone else out with their reccomendations - my knowledge of fragrances is still very small!

 

Thanks very much in advance!

Edited February 18, 2008 by GentlemanCaller

[northatlantic]

I'm cosplaying Jin from Samurai Champloo - for those who don't know the series, he's a Japanese ronin (Lordless, wandering Samurai), the strong, silent type, very serious (Or at least he appears to be), intelligent, direct and a little bit dark. He wears blue and black traditional Japanese clothing, glasses, and is currently roaming Japan looking for... well, the plot's kinda odd Ideally I need something strong and masculine, outdoor-sy, but without the cologne-y smell that many of the male scents seem to have, as that wouldn't be appropriate for historical Japan ^.^

 

As you probably already know, while incense has been huge in Japan since the middle ages, personal fragrance historically has been minimal, and definitely geared towards the fresh/outdoorsy/low-key when worn. I'd suggest something with cedar, tea, bamboo, and/or aloeswood(a.k.a. oude, wood aloes, and lignum vitae) maybe Habu from Carnival Diabolique, Fox Fires on New Year's Eve at the Garment Nettle Tree at Oji from the Salon Exhibit III, or if you're feeling a bit racy, Men Ringing Bells with Penises from Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements.

 

On the other day, I'm cosplaying Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He's... emo >.< and dark, and mysterious, and kinda sexy in an odd way, and a sulky, glowering little... and he's actually really old, despite not looking a day over thirty, and has a dark and tragic past (Don't they always? ). He wears red, black and bronze - lots of black leather, lots of metal, big swirly red cape - and carries a tri-barrelled pistol. I considered De Sade, but since I'm going to be clad from neck to ankles in black leather as it is, that one's probably unneccessary... possibly one of the Ars Moriendi scents? When I think about his character I think of something dark and masculine, but dry, dusty and a bit sad, and maybe a bit of leather and gunpowder for good measure!

 

The first thing that came to mind was Highwayman from Bewitching Brews - don't be alarmed by the flowers, it's TRES masculine. The other two were The Black Tower, also from Bewitching Brews, and The Bow and Crown of Conquest, from the Sin and Salvation subgroup Come and See. From Ars Moriendi, I'd look at Dance Macabre, Haunted and Thanatopsis. The only gc scent that has gunpowder is Agnes Nutter in Good Omens, and that can't be ordered in imps. You might be able to track down an imp, though, and while you're at it, look for Crowley, it seems to go more with the overall feel of the character. Good luck!

[brsis]

Thanks very much for the suggestions! I'll certainly hunt down the Fox Fires one and some of the suggestions for Vincent ^.^

[policyoftruth]

I'm cosplaying Mikami as part of a Deathnote group for Momocon. Any ideas?

 

(tbh I haven't watched the series yet, though my friend lent me burned DVDs with all the eps )

[Reaver]

Right.

So I get that people use BPAL for themselves, and some people *hi-fives* use them for their re-enactment or LRP characters.

 

I've been dowsing myself in BPAL for a while now, and I've used light, floral blends (that I wouldn't use for myself usually) for my Star Wars jedi character, but now I've hit a stump.

 

I need a scent for a Steampunk scientist (Herbert West and Mechanical Phoenix I've got a tried, and they're no-goers )

 

I need a scent for a Togruda (Star Wars) gunner. (Fun, young, cute and alien. Rainforest-y.)

 

I love BPAL, and they're so so so so good for my modern-day LRPs, and medievil style fantasy LRPs and I'm a sucker for the crazy fun scents for myself every day, but I need some suggestions for futurist, tangy, metallic, circuit-board scents.

 

(Would help if suggestions were GC or generally easy to get ahold of!)

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU,

Path.

[scarletgenesis]

For the steampunk scientist, what about Dee? I realize that John Dee was way early (time period wise), but I feel like he would fit right into the steampunk world. And the scent is all leather and paper and sexy and a tiny bit metallic yum. But in a smart-sexy kind of way, y'know?

[heysunshine]

Maybe it's a bit obvious but I like 51 for "Fun, young, cute and alien," which should totally be its description.

[suileach]

Cathode comes to mind.

[Reaver]

Dee and 51 added to the next Imp order.

And I know I have Cathode in one of these little bags SOMEWHERE... *throws baggies of imps about*

[starwild]

Not a GC, but... *points to icon*

[twilighteyes]

I need a scent for a Steampunk scientist (Herbert West and Mechanical Phoenix I've got a tried, and they're no-goers )

 

I need a scent for a Togruda (Star Wars) gunner. (Fun, young, cute and alien. Rainforest-y.)

of!)

 

 

For the scientist:

I haven't tried it or smelled it, but Kataniya, The Clockwork Woman in the Carnaval looked a little steampunk. Some of the reviews indicate that it does indeed smell metallic, but of course it depends on your chemistry.

 

Someone else in the review thread for Kataniya mentioned Bed of Nails (but that is not easy to get!) Neo-Tokyo is mentioned on Scent Scribbles as having a metallic scent but that was discontinued almost a year ago. In fact most of the ones with metallic notes listed on Scent Scribbles are LEs.

 

Maybe Agnes Nutter? She has rusty nails! gunpowder, charred wood, smoke... maybe a scientist who blows things up? Could always be layered with something.

 

Togruda gunner:

Hmmm. Enraged Orangutan musk has rainforesty stuff in it. Are Orangutan's considered alien?? "Five dark, aggressive, furious musks with ambergris bouquet, Malaysian rainforest plant extracts, black amber and orange peel."

 

Machu Picchu is "Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber."

 

Manila is "A tropical, humid, lush scent, with a faint echo of Pacific breezes, jungle blossoms, and deep wet woods. Sampaguita blossoms, banana leaf, palm, and narra."

 

Let us know what you decide on!

[northatlantic]

I need a scent for a Steampunk scientist (Herbert West and Mechanical Phoenix I've got a tried, and they're no-goers )

 

Hmmm. Ultraviolet or Lurid from Bewitching Brews, maybe? or Nyarlthotep from Picnic in Arkham. Not impable, but still available is Kataniya, the Clockwork Woman in Carnaval Diabolique. Good luck! Try hitting the search engine for "electric," "metal," or "ozone" maybe?

 

I need a scent for a Togruda (Star Wars) gunner. (Fun, young, cute and alien. Rainforest-y.)

 

Manila in Wanderlust sounds like what you're after: A tropical, humid, lush scent, with a faint echo of Pacific breezes, jungle blossoms, and deep wet woods. Sampaguita blossoms, banana leaf, palm, and narra. Other thoughts in Wanderlust: Ile de la Tortue, Macchu Picchu, Santo Domingo, The Isle of Demons. Also, from Excolo, Hi'iaka or Xiuhtecuhtli.

[Reaver]

Not a GC, but... *points to icon*

It's on order

 

And yay! So many ideas!

I think I might add Kataniya to my next order - looking to hoard some CD oils before they disappear. At the moment, Doc Constantine is my as-many-bottles-as-i-can-get oil from there. 'Lurid' seems to work too. Just seeing how it lasts through the day now on my shoulder.

 

I've added all of the GCs to my 'wants imps' list for future lab orders, and Neo-Tokyo has clocked up a few more notches on my 'kill-people-for' list.

[MaidMirawyn]

I'm hoping to do a classic Trek communication officer costume for Dragon*Con. So, the question: what would Uhura wear if she were a fair-skinned white chick?

[HatterRenoAxel]

I'm a bit of a Final Fantasy VII geek and I'm dying to cosplay Cid Highwind. Any suggestions? I'm going to give Mechcanical Phoenix a try....also something that is Hojoish for my next covention

Edited April 1, 2008 by HatterRenoAxel

[eyeska]

Oh, dear . . . shortly after discovering BPAL (early this year), I started realizing some scents fit my RPG characters (most of whom are retired, boo). At this point, out of about fifteen or so, I only have one whom I cannot pin down, largely because she keeps flipping me the bird when I think of what she'd smell like. Starting to suspect Miskatonic University would be best for her, for the coffee smell and lack of "traditional" perfumeyness - she's a young Orpheus operative with lots of computer skills, a 'tude you couldn't carry without a wheelbarrow, and a moderate coffee addiction.

 

I only just discovered this thread.

 

Right now I have an imp of Dragon's Hide on order for my only current character - a redheaded elf who, partway through the current campaign, assisted in killing a black dragon. Guess what she wanted for her reward? That's right, new dragonscale armour. *grin* I've got my fingers crossed for it arriving before the end of the chapter/her death. Sitting maybe 50/50 right now.

 

I also spent a disturbing amount of time discussing this concept with a friend/fellow RPGer whom I successfully enabled onto BPAL.

 

So I'll be in this thread a lot.

[stillalive]

in our RP, I play (among others) a Catholic vampire. Because she was devoutly Catholic before she "died" she's now one of very few vampires that can touch/wear religious icons. Her defense is really high, especially against other vampires, because she wears a rosary for protection, but her offensive powers (at least the more magic ones) such as summoning familiars, absorbing souls, etc. are nonexistent. She can transform into a house cat and a bat.

 

So what BPAL should her and her cloak smell like? I'm inclined to think Cathedral or something similarly incensey, but would something blood related be better? I know the High Priest Not to Be Named has both incense and blood in it, but I'm not sure that's really the scent I'm looking for. Something feminine but not in a floral, traditional way... maybe Bloodlust or a Dragon scent mixed with Cathedral mixed with something else? I really don't know. Maybe Valentine of Rome? Lust with something?

 

I half think I'd like her cloak to smell more woody and incensey (silk road or similar?) and her to smell more like blood and spice... or something... I'm really dense on what this character should smell like for some reason.

Edited July 5, 2008 by systemaurora

[jizatt]

Blood Amber might be good? Obsidian Widow was feminine, but mean and sharp to me. Sheol has that incensey touch to my nose. Black Rose was a dark, maybe incensey rose that might match. Hetairae was a skin scent, but with some bite (haha)

 

I'm not great with notes, but those seem like they might be good matches =)

 

(I've not tried Perversion, but would it work for this character? ALso havent tried, but Blood Garden?)

Edited July 5, 2008 by CaudaPavonis

[Rouge]

Hi systemaurora,

 

There's definitely an RP thread around here somewhere; I'm sure it'll have lots of helpful suggestions if you can find it.

 

When I played Vampire: The Requiem, I played a devoutly (read obsessively) religious Lancea Sanctum member from Clan Mekhet. He basically believed he had been sent by God to fulfil the role of Satan on earth; to tempt, seduce and corrupt humans and then punish them when they fell for his machinations. I used to wear Sin or Fallen on game night. It looks as though you want something a bit more incensey, though... how abot Sacred Whore of Babylon?

[eyeska]

This is the aforementioned RP thread.

 

I'm not too sure with incensey scents - not my major area of interest, though I do have a few incensey favourites that unfortunately wouldn't be appropriate here - but Hetairae I've tried, and that does fit the bill of being feminine and sensual but not floral.

 

A greener, gender-neutral scent that might fit the bill for the cloak could be Odin, though Yggdrasil has a sweeter scent to it, to my nose. Both are somewhat herbally, though, which may or may not be what you're looking for.

[stillalive]

argh, I do seem to search for totally the wrong things in my thread titles, don't I?

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Sacred Whore of Babylon is out, but I haven't tried any of the others... I'll look into samples and sniffies though! At this point I think I'm leaning towards Silk Road and maybe some Cathedral or Midnight Mass layered in for the cloak... I forgot to mention that she was married to a wealthy British scholar before her death, so the tea scent really fits (and she does prefer a cup of tea over blood just before bed! ). I might also look into London, Famine, 13 June 2008 (if I can find it!)... but Silk Road will work for now, I hope.

 

I should probably mention I'm allergic to lavender and need to avoid hyssop, sage, and rosemary for seizure reasons.

[blu°]

The mention of a vampire's cloak made me instantly think of Wings of Azrael. The combination of violet and incense comes over like a dark greyish worn piece of cloth that might have hosted the one or the other moth over the years. It'd work very well as a veil for the bloody scent you want to wear on your skin.

[stillalive]

oooh, thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely check it out. The florals in the scent scare me a bit, but maybe it will be less scary than I imagine, lol.

[leezer]

For some reason I thought of The Black Tower. It's neither incensey nor bloody, but it always sort of reminded me of an old battlefield, strewn with the bodies of the fallen with the remaining king walking amongst them. It has red wine, leather, burnt grasses, ivy, ozone...it just smells very old and somber and steeped in history to me. It might be an option.

[Sadakaya]

I have two characters I'd like to have scents for (mostly because I'm curious to see what will turn up in the recommendations).

 

One from my friend's original LARP setting...

ALCYONE is a drow cleric. Like most drow, she doesn't beleive in freindships, love, or anything of that sort. However, she also shys away from alliances, thinking that she is best alone. This may have root in her basic personality: she truly functions best when she is alone. In most ways, she is like an icicle: cold, solitary, and deadly.

 

And one from D&D...

WILLOW is a free-spirited half-elven Druid. She tends to be off in her own little world (read: communing with nature) and thus is a little socially awkward. She dreams of a peaceful world, but realizes that that is impossible. Knowing this, she will fight to protect the people she loves.

 

On a side note, I'm thinking of cosplaying Teru Mikami at the next anime convention I go to. Any scent suggestions for him?