The day after all that last snow, we were supposed to be driving up to the city to watch Chaz take part in a CosPlay presentation (performed on an outdoor stage) as part of the annual Japan Festival. On Friday it was like this: Chaz was sick as a dog and we had two inches of snow on the ground. On Saturday, the snow was gone, but more was threatening. And she was still sick.
But we went anyway. Because we are dependable people.
Anime, if you do not know this, is a film art-form in Japan – animated, but not really for children. Fantasy heavily connected to myth and folklore – and even Shinto.
CosPlay is sort of an off-shoot, the art of dressing up like these mythical, fantastical characters. Very much like dressing up to go to a Star Trek convention. That said, may I point out that while there are those people who, twenty-eight to forty years old, single and still living in their mother’s basements, are hard to convince that they are not actually Mr. Spock or Tuxedo Mask in real life – there are also very – well, mostly – normal people who just get a kick out of costume wearing, and play it up big time whenever they get the chance.
I know at least two of these normal ones. The above picture does not show you one of them.
And here is where I will mention that not only are Rachel and I going to the Renaissance Faire with Chaz on Friday wearing at least vaguely medieval clothing, but G – the pragmatist – is going, too. Maybe even with a feather in his cap. Not, I think, in tights. Chaz is, nevertheless, dearly loved.
But I digress. The Japan Fest was fun – and there were real Japanese people there. And there was stuff to buy, which always pleases me. And there were people wearing Chinese things, too, which was kind of embarrassing (for them). But the presentation, played OUTDOORS and so, snowed upon, started an HOUR late while we all stood around in the cold, waiting. If you have ever seen a Sailor Moon costume, you will know what that hour in the snow cost the poor CosPlayer. Not to mention the audience, seated gingerly on metal chairs.
I took pictures. I am going to show them to you.
Here she comes, suffering and sick, but impressive.
This is supposed to be the whole cast. But I do not see Chaz. Perhaps this is because she is Rukia, who is a master of stealth. Mistress. Mistress of stealth.
Here she makes her entrance with Jen, her antagonist. These characters are pretty intense; you don’t mess with either of them.
As you see. Each has her weapon of choice. Now, I would ask you to stop and consider – what kind of mother must I have been, to have brought up this small package? Look a little closer.
No. Closer.
You wanna mess with this face? You want to tell this face NO?
Or this face, either?
(She may be little, yet she is fierce. Name the allusion?)
Now she is finished, making her exit. What do we see here? Wry humor?
Naw – she’s just having a great time. (See those kids? Yeah. They know Rukia. They’re scared.)
On the way home, we saw these cool trucks. What is color, but another kind of costume? Oh – self portrait alert – rear view mirror.
And just to show you that the apple does not fall far from the tree, I am now going to include four dozen pictures of myself in the dress I wore to church the next day. I have shown off this dress before, but since I have lost seven pounds and about forty inches, the dress looks better now. Less anxious. And so I made G take more pictures of it and me in it. This is really kind of a movie. Still shots cannot really show you a person. They show you a slice of a person. We live in motion, and I cannot hold still. So I am showing you several in hopes that you can get a glimpse of me – because it’s the next best thing to throwing a hug, which I cannot do from this screen.
A nice, civilized picture. The hair is bludgeoned into this curliness. In life, it is very fine, which is a nice way of saying tiny and limp and straight with lots of space between. I am holding still. I am saying – “Don’t make me smile and don’t just take one – because I’m not going to just stand here much longer.”
See? Still just doesn’t hold for long.
Uh-huh. It’s gonna blow.
Look out.
And here it comes –
Ah, the relief of it.
What else can I say?
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