What if #14 [Writing Prompt]

Each week the Rivera Runs Through It blog presents a different "What If...?" question for you to explore.
 At the bottom of this post is a place for you to link up your own post about this week's question. If you have arrived at this post and the inlinkz tool is closed, or you don't have a blog, then please leave your response (or link) in the comment section below using DISQUS.

Happy pondering to everyone...

What IF #14:

What if you became your Halloween costume?

For the truly astute followers and readers, or long term friends and family that count themselves as readers, it will come as no surprise to you that I am a huge fan of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series. (My beagle's name is Buffy.) However, I have not written about it all that much, so I felt the need to preface it here because this week's What if question is 100% inspired by an episode of this fantastic series.

Here's what I wore all day Halloween this year! :)

Here's a synopsis of the episode straight from IMDB:

It turns out that Halloween is the one night of the year when vampires actually lay low, so everybody is getting their costumes from the new store in town, Ethan's Costume Shop. Buffy wears a noble woman's dress from the time when Angel was human, Xander dresses up like a soldier, and Willow chickens out on dressing like a hooker and goes as a ghost. But Ethan Rayne, the shop owner, has invoked the Roman god Janus so everybody becomes their costume. That means all the kids in the neighborhood are now monsters and Buffy thinks she is an 18th-century maiden who faints at the sight of demons and vampires.

This episode happened early on in the series (Season 2) which led to some of the recurring characters being quite thoughtful about costume choices year after year. Well, I guess they got into my head, too! Now, whenever I get dressed up or am selecting a costume I start pondering what my life would be like if I woke up November 1st as that.

This year, I am getting my costume a little bit late (our annual Halloween party is scheduled for November 5th!), so I'm not even sure what fate I could possibly be dooming myself to, but in previous years there was

• Waldo from the Where's Waldo books (does this mean NO ONE would be able to find me again?!), 
• a Ghostbuster (would I be haunted and slimed for all of my remaining days?), 
• a ghost (would I have to die?!),
• Albert Einstein (would this lead to extreme intelligence, or, the cold-harsh reality: Albert Einstein is dead!). 

 As a child I had some other options, I dressed up as

• a Smurf (this seems like a disaster scenario!), 
• an old woman (how heartbreaking!), 
• a chef (perhaps the best possibility in this case... although I don't know if I was a good chef - I carried around a rubber chicken!), 
• a clown (I don't know how entertaining I find this idea...)
• a scarecrow (boooorrrrriiiinnnnngggg - Do I just have stand around all day??)
• a cat (would I be a stray, left on the streets, or be adopted into a loving home?)

and this would be really scary

• the Virgin Mary (I don't think I can handle the responsibility!!!)

There are so many more. I'm sure after I publish this post, some really fantastic ones will come to mind, but what about you? Did you dress up this year? If not, go ahead and use a costume of your past. Even better - do you have kids? Well, what if your cute little monsters turned into real little monsters, super heroes, princesses, pieces of fruit, fanciful insects, or whatever else they dressed up as this year?

Think about it.

It could be scary.

It might be funny.

In some cases, it might be just what you need (maybe I should dress up as an independently wealthy woman!).

Whatever it is - write a story about it and then link up below!

For a list of all of the What if questions asked so far, 

see The What If Prompts

DIY Halloween Crafts

I just got this book yesterday, but honestly I couldn't wait to share it with all of my readers! If you are the crafty kind and you are looking for some fun ideas for this Halloween, then you need to check out Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cute Toys, Magical Treats, and More!from Quirk Books. The moment I saw the cover of this book I was already under its spell!

This collection of crafts, recipes and creations compiled by Margaret McGuire and Alicia Kachmar has something for everyone. Whether you are looking for something to share at a Halloween party, make with your kids or just use for yourself (did you catch a glimpse of those ruby slippers on the cover?!) this book has got Halloween fun spilled all through its pages! While I still have a-ways to go until I get the whole sewing thing down, there's enough of the foodie-fun to keep me distracted and family and friends impressed while I learn using the tips and resources laid out in the "Witchy Stitches" section of the book (thank you so much for thinking of us newbie seamstresses!).

Simple and yummy!

There are house decorations like the fuzzy bats, crystal balls, spell jars and trick or treat garlands. There are accessories like the ruby slippers, spider earrings or the spider web hat (complete with spider!). There are toys like the good witch doll, creepy crocheted bones or the plushy poison apples. And, of course, there are the treats like the chocolate marshmallow skulls, the witches brew, or the cupcake graveyard. All together, this book contains 27 different Witch Crafts to keep you busy this season!

If your creative juices are flowing and you're looking for some new and fun crafts to try out this season, I highly recommend you check out this book. The pictures are bright and colorful. The directions are clear along with a little "EEEK bat" whenever a helpful hint is necessary. There are even references to a website which includes helpful hints associated with some of the crafts within the book.

If you are particularly impressed by one or more of the creations in the book, the final section of the book, called "About the Witch Crafters" gives you a first-person account of inspiration from each of the contributors and where they can be found in both the virtual and global world. Each of the contributors has either a website or an online shop where you can continue to connect with them as I am sure they continue to create.

Well, crafters, this one is a no-brainer: you need to go check out Witch Craft and share it with your crafty friends! I, on the other hand, need to get my hands on some supplies so I can try some of these crafts out and share my endeavors with you!

Do you have a favorite Halloween craft or craft book?

I met the cool people from Quirk Books at 

the New York Comic Con. Their website

is worth checking out, as they call themselves 

"Seekers of all things AWESOME."