Hello Everyone!
Before I continue onto Saturday, let me first say I wish
Kaya a very happy birthday today! July 17th is his birthday, which I guess would be today by default if you consider the time difference.
I hope he has a lovely day today. Happy birthday Darling! <3
Anyway so now onto Saturday, this had to be one of the best
days (if not THE best!) day of the weekend. The first thing I gotta say is,
three hours, three effing hours! That’s how long it took me to get dressed that
day. Usually, it takes me less time, but I wanted to look my absolute best for Kaya, so I took special care in getting ready, putting on my Ophelia dress, and doing my makeup. I really wish I had gotten more pictures, though, BEFORE the heat and crowds got to me and ruined my appearance. XD But I’ve been inspired to finally do a
photoshoot with this costume sometime in the next month or so before putting it
up for good. I’ve decided to cosplay Kaya again next year, this time his Salome costume! But that’s for another entry.
I also want to thank my roomies for helping me get into my
dress and lace my boots. I was the last to leave the room that day around
2pm, by that time the possibility of going to the second gyaru fashion show had
become a lost cause. :( But I got a lot of imput and knowledge from going to
the booths that weekend and from Abbie so now I feel more comfortable doing it
in the future. ^.^
After nearly 30 minutes of stopping every few minutes for
pictures (I’m not kidding) I finally made it to the con and freshened up for
what would be a very special moment for me. Kaya’s autograph session was also
with Moon Stream and it started promptly at 3pm, because I had a winning
ticket at the Q&A on Thursday I would be assured an autograph and actually
ended up as the VERY FIRST person in line! Behind me was this very nice mother
and daughter who were also Kaya fans, they complimented my outfit and helped me
calm my nerves as I was EXTREMELY nervous and afraid about meeting Kaya.
When I
first met him back in 2009 he was wearing his Ophelia costume and performed in
it, I thought he looked so beautiful and elegant in this specific costume and
that’s why I decided to make it. But of course, everyone knows my insecurity
issues where this costume is concerned, I prayed to God Kaya would not become
offended when he saw me otherwise IDK what I would do!
Through the curtain behind the autograph table, I could see
his silhouette and bits of his skirt through the cracks of the curtain, finally, the autograph session started. Words cannot describe how nervous I was, but I
was determined to keep calm no matter what! I murmured hello to him and then he
said “Ah, Ophelia!” with the sweetest smile ever, I was very struck by his
beauty. I felt like crying right then and there but I’m proud to say I maintained
my cool the entire time while getting my poster signed and speaking to him. Of
course, I was not nervous at all about meeting Moon Stream again!
After that, I found a free spot and collapsed on the ground, fully overwhelmed but very happy, but I could not rest for long, I had to quickly return back to the Moon Stream/Kaya booth for the fan photo session. It
was much more crowded than I thought with many people in line for Moon Stream,
which made me happy. I didn’t have long to wait before I was my turn to meet
Kaya again. My courage had returned and I had intended to ask Kaya if he liked
my costume but before I could say anything he smiled at me again and said “Pretty, Ophelia!” He seemed very sincere too. In that moment I felt a great
flow of confidence flow through me, unlike anything I ever felt before.
Now, onto a little fact about me: while I try not to look completely angry or miserable when I get my picture taken, I have never really smiled in any picture like I really want to. This is because I always feel self-conscious about myself and how I look, and I especially feel like my smile is very ugly. I’m always worried about how I look, so I can’t be truly happy, which is why I never really smile in pictures like I’d like to.
Well, there is a first time for everything. In a very rare moment of full self-confidence, I decided to put on a full, true smile for this picture. And you know what? I love it! I actually think I look cute here, though not as cute as Kaya, of course! XD After the picture was taken, he signed it. Amazingly, I managed to keep it cool and not lose it during this whole experience, but man, did I want
to!
As I walked out of
the hall I felt one tear run down my face, only one. I could not believe that
he actually liked my cosplay, I was so sure he would not like it or not even
recognize it because of my size and my skin is nowhere near as pale as he was in the
official Ophelia photos. That’s when I realized something: whenever Kaya speaks
about how he does not care about the concepts of gender, race or looks, he
means it truly! I always wanted to hold onto these beliefs, which is why I love Kaya so much and decided to cosplay him in the end.
But in the past
few years, I hate to admit I’ve lost sight of this belief sometimes when I’m
feeling really down and inadequate about myself. Hell, I practically ripped up my
Node of Scherzo Kaya cosplay because I was so ashamed of how I looked when I tried it on. Lately, I’ve been trying hard to believe again in Kaya’s concept of self-acceptance, and being able to meet him in my costume and seeing his positive reaction, while it may seem small, really helped me a lot with my confidence. In the days since
returning to Baltimore whenever I’ve felt bad about myself I’ve been recalling
that moment to myself and remembering that while I am not perfect, I know I am
beautiful in my own way, just like Kaya. And that’s why I’m going to make his
“Salome” costume for Katsucon next year.
I doubt he’ll read this, but I just want to say thank you, Kaya, for helping me realize this again and for bringing out a real
smile in me. I will treasure this picture forever. Okay enough sentimental bullshit, back to my report! XD
I returned back to my room around the same time Abbie and
some of the other roomies did. She suggested that we go to Little Tokyo that
evening and I immediately said yes! Little Tokyo is made up of mainly Japanese restraunts and
specialty stores along with a little center square with pretty scenery and
stone walkways. It’s a very nice place and I took many pictures, mostly of the
food I ate though! XD
The window of one such Japanese restraunt. The food
displayed is fake of course, but it looks very good!
We went to a cute little macaroon shop, mango my favorite
flavor. Yum! :-3
The papers on the tree are most likely wishes for Tanabata, which was the next day. If you do not know the story
of Tanabata you should look it up, it’s a very sweet romantic tale! <3
Soon we went into the Little Tokyo mall which had even more
shops. The first one we went into was the Fairytale Boutique! I had heard of
this store before, a second hand lolita and kawaii fashion shop, and I decided
if I did go to Little Tokyo that I really wanted to visit. I’m glad I was able
to. It’s a very cute, glittering shop with a lot of beautiful things for sale
ranging from lolita clothes and accessories to dolls and wall art. Even cute kids
clothes! Me and Abbie both tried on faux fur lolita caplets, they were so
pretty! Sadly there was a sign on the wall that stated that photography was not
allowed so I could not take any pictures while in there. But it’s okay, just
know that if you are ever in Little Tokyo Fairytale Boutique is a stop you must
make if you love lolita or kawaii fashion in general. You will not be
disappointed! ^.^
I was glad to be able to visit a real jfashion boutique; I
hope that next I can go to the Harajuku Hearts store where Chantilly dresses
are officially sold. But that’s in San Francisco and an entry for another day. Next
we went to the two Jungle stores, one sold a lot of cosplay, jrock and cosplay
lolita items and the other sold anime, manga and some jrock items too. Both where
pretty cool, I just wish we could have taken purikura in the one store that had
purikura booths in it; I did not realize they would be so expensive though!
>_< Oh well, maybe next time.
Finally we sat down on a bench and rested while sharing some takoyaki. It was such a
nice evening but I was slightly sad because tomorrow would be the last day of Anime
Expo, but also slightly excited because I would also get to see David soon and
go to the next Moon Stream/Kaya concert! XD
A slight repeat of my gal outfit for Friday, which I wore for
Saturday evening too. I had some Demonia boots on earlier but…yeah…no way in
hell for walking! XD
Dress ~ Honey (Sixh sub brand)
Vest and tights ~ Wet Seal
Bracelet ~ MA*RS
Necklace ~ Princess Melody (Brand by age-hime gyaru and
MA*RS model Himena Osaki)
Hairpiece ~ Charlotte Russe
Bag ~ Loris
Wig ~ Farah “Vamp” by Gothic Lolita Wigs
Yours Jasmine
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