Summer vacation had been ongoing for a week and I was already bored. The thrifty lifestyle I'd been living for the last eight months meant that my purse was bursting at the seams. The old wooden treasure chest was overflowing with coins and bills, you see I'd yet gone ahead and opened a checking account with our local bank as my best friend Madeline and older sister Lily had been strongly suggesting for the last few months. Instead I'd seemed perfectly okay with stuffing the wages I received from helping down at the family store, my older sisters baker and tea-shop, and from the other odd jobs around town in the old treasure chest, one of the few remaining tokens from childhood. The chest use to contain around four hundred plastic golden coins. According to my mom, I use to enjoy playing pirate when I was little.
So, right now the box was near overflowing, by my own reckoning I had around six hundred or so dollars put away in the box. That six hundred dollars in small bills, not counting the old milk jug full of loose change I had sitting beside it. A pretty good bit of dough if I do say so myself. Money that would soon be put to good use, because as I laid there, stretched out on my bed, my blonde hair sprayed across my pillow, my ceiling fan on high to stir the stale air in my room and aid in the cooling of my hot and stuffy room. Yes I laid there, listening to my dad mow the lawn with an old push mower and smelling the grass clipping. Laying there half asleep and full from the fried chicken tender lunch, my mind started to wonder. I started to wonder what I should spend all that money on?
Now, of course the best course of action would be to take all those bills and coins and bike down to the nearest branch of Bank Plus, a small regional bank that services my area of Mississippi and open a personal checking account with them and drop all the money into that account. That would be the best and wisest course of action and after giving the matter some thought I'd decided I would do that tomorrow morning. The bank was closed, today was the Monday after Memorial Day, and thus the lobby of the bank was closed but the ATM was open.
“I'll guess I'll do that.” I said with a small sigh. I hated going to the bank. You see, I'm different from most people. About two years ago when I was fourteen my sister had talked into doing this weird stunt. You see my school, Benton Academy and its biggest rival Manchester Academy have this weird, ongoing tradition. You see each Homecoming student either volunteers or is selected to be an “Hostage” that is given to the other school. This “Hostage” is guarded by the cheerleaders' rival school and is treated like a visiting guest. Okay, sounds good right, but let me explain a little further, the “Hostage” from the school that wins the game is always released unharmed. But the “Hostage from the losing losing school must always suffer a humiliating forfeit, normally that is getting slimed in the winning school's colors.
Yes, it's an old, but cherished tradition, but then again I'm sure most if not all private schools have those weird traditions. Anyway I'd been hogtied into volunteering for the role of hostage my Freshman year. I did so under the guise of “Jamie Sarah Potter'' the little sister to the famous “Lily Elizabeth Potter.” The events that followed slowly led to “Jamie Sarah Potter” replacing “James William Potter” and had spurred me on a quest of self discovery, a journey I was still on to this very day.
Anyway I think I've gotten off track here. Anyway, returning to the story, as I laid there, flat on my back, peering up at my ceiling fan that was making slow rotations, trying my best to board that express train to the Land of Nod, I felt a sudden feeling of recklessness starting to overcome me. Then as if out of the blue an idea popped into my head. At first I tried to discard the idea, but then it came back a moment later. Again I tried to discard it, and it came back, finally after what seemed like hours, but must have been only a handful of minutes. I accepted the idea with a sigh and then a smile.
With sleep now clearly out of the question now, I rolled out of bed, slipped on my flip-flops and made my way over to my computer desk, I quickly booted up my laptop, once it was booted, I clicked on the “Google” icon that kind of looks like a beach ball and then I started my search.
On a whim I decided to type in, “Anime Conventions in Mississippi.” and the results were well to be expected, slim to none. There was one big convention being held later that summer in Biloxi called CoastCon, and it was billed as being the oldest convention in the state. And there was another one in Vicksburg, and another two in Jackson. The newest one in Jackson was called “Kawaii-Con ''. That one was just three weeks away. And so without giving the matter much thought, and to be honest without thinking I walked over and picked up my purse, I reached into my purse and pulled out my wallet and pulled a prepaid visa gift car. Rolling the mental dice, I decided to go ahead and buy a Saturday Pass in advance while they were on sale.
I knew mom and dad would be away that week, Dad had business in Memphis and mom wanted to go with him. That would leave Lily and I alone to manage the household by ourselves. Ms. Kayla Brewer would manage the store for dad while he was away, and a friend of the family's petite little raven hair girl named Cerridwen Whitethorn would be helping her. So that would free me up, and I was owed some time off from helping Lily, and I could borrow the family car. So yes, everything in theory should work out. I just needed to take this first step and get the ball rolling.
So I entered all my information on the site, you know, name, age, sex and of course social, you know all the stuff that I needed to provided to prove who I claimed I was. A few moments later, after sending all of this information off, I got an email saying my con-badge would be mailed to me in about a week or so. Good, now I just need cosplay.
Now, in my personal opinion if you're going to attend an anime convention then you need to cosplay. Cosplaying is the act of dressing up as your favorite anime character. To me it's a way to pay tribute to your favorite character and to honor them. I know there is a lot of gatekeeping in the cosplay community, and I totally don't get that. Anyway, I was debating between going as Sailor Moon or as a bunny girl. I wanted to go as Sailor Moon because like her, I had blue eyes and blonde hair, and totally had the body.
But, I'd figured there would be at least three dozen Sailor Moon's running around the convention Hall. Sailor Moon was after all one of the most popular anime's of all time. It was right up there with Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Bleach. The top five most popular anime's of all time, and the five that had brought anime to the west first and paved the way for others. Also three of the five had been among the first anime movies to air in the west on the silver screen and bring anime for college dorm rooms to mainstream.
Anyway, after a moment of debating with myself, I'd decided that I would do Sailor Moon for my very next anime convention. Maybe Metro-Con or if I could swing it CoastCon. And so with my mind made up, I goggled 'Bunny-girl Cosplay' and trust me when I say this, my jaw honest to God dropped at the results that popped up on my screen. In for a penny, steal a pound I say, so after some debating, I decided to settle on a baby blue bunny-girl suit. I tossed in some inexpensive blue heels to finish the look and my total came to around fifty seven dollars and ninety seven cents. Paid again with my prepaid visa debit card. Again a few moments later I got a email saying my order had been received and that I could expect my costume in about a week.
With all that out of the way, I decided to try to nap again. This time, I managed to board the express train to Nod. And my mind conjured up dreams of being a sexy bunny-girl and being the center of attention. The week passed in a blur, cheer practice, chores around the house, helping with the family shop, helping Lily with her bakery, hanging out with friends, and you know time just seemed to slip through my fingers. Then one Saturday morning, about a week and a few days after I placed my orders, two packages arrived on the doorstep. Both were addressed to “Ms. Jamie Sarah Potter, 134 Town Creek Road, Benton, Ms.”
Mom of course had found the brown paper wrapped parcels first and had decided to drop them in front of my bedroom door. Mom, thankfully, respected my privacy and if a parcel was addressed to me, she would always drop it by my bedroom door. And that was where I found it, when I was returning from cheer practice.
And I'm not going to even lie to you, I felt my heart jump into my throat as I picked up the two brown parcels. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open my bedroom door, a sudden powerful wave of heat rolled out of my room. A long standing practice in the Potter Household is turning off all electronic devices when your not using them. That includes computers, televisions, lights, lamps, air conditioners, and fans. So my room was boiling like a toaster oven.
Sighing I tossed the package on my bed. And quickly I turned on my air conditioner and ceiling fan, and without giving it a second thought I tossed the form fitting t-shirt and gym shorts I was wearing into the laundry basket I keep at the foot of my bed. Once those were off, I decided that I needed t shower. Lily was about to graduate and had passed the reins over to a new girl named Rebecca Coleman. And Rebecca had been pushing us hard. She was drilling us, and the fact that I was to be her co-captain meant that that she was really starting to drill me. After all it was expected that when Rebecca graduate the reins would handed down to me... joy.
Anyway I was tired, sunburned and sweaty and I needed a shower. The package could wait a while. Plus my room needed to cool down a little. And I needed a snack, snack first, hydrate, shower and then see what had arrived in the mail. Then a short short afternoon nap. The dinner with family, followed by an evening of netflixing and chilling. What a way to spend a Saturday evening am I right?
The shower was refreshing, and brutal. Brutal as in I needed to turn the hot water all the way up to break through the inch thick layer of sweat, mud, and grass that had been caked on my skin during our grueling three and a half hour torture session under the hawk eyed Rebecca Coleman. Each student had to be repeated over and over again until each girl on the squad could perform it with her eyes closed. And in sheering heat of an Mississippian summer, that pure torture.
Anyway, shower done, it was time to eat. Post work-out snack for me was three glasses of creamy chocolate milk and leftovers from breakfast reheated. Better than nothing I suppose. Normally mom keeps a few pounds of cold cuts in the fridge for you know quick fixes and for lazy evening dinners. But, alas the fridge was bare as old mother Hubbard's. Mom had postponed the weekly trip to the supermarket one too many times it seemed.
Anyway, snack done, I decided now it was time to see what the postman brought me. But first I needed to brush my teeth, and I had to keep those pearly whites nice and clean. Anyway, teeth , I walked into my room. Mom and dad were out doing some shopping I think, hopefully grocery shopping, once a month they liked to skirt over to nearby Madison to shop at Kroger. And Lily, well Lily was doing Lily things.
So, I pretty much had the house to myself. I still shut my bedroom door. Once the door was shut, I shifted my attention toward the brown package that sat upon my bed. Taking a deep breath I started to walk toward it. Before I could catch myself I found myself tearing at the brown wrapping paper. Once I'd shredded the paper, I found myself starting to blush, a small box had been hidden by the paper. I opened the box and there before me was a one piece bodysuit, strapless.. the body suit was baby blue, under it I found a matching pair of velvet bunny ears. A black butterfly tie was also included, and two blue cuffs. Under all of this was a pair of blue heels.
I blinked and blinked again. So at last it had arrived. I eased the one piece bodysuit down and smiled. Quickly I started to strip down. I just had to try it on. I just had to, I wanted to see how I would look in the most alluring of costumes.
It took some doing, but I somehow managed to get the costume on. And once I did, I felt my breath being taken away. The costume flattered me in all the right places. It enhanced my bust, and flattered my curves. The skimpy costume totally showed off my hard earned tan. As I admired myself in my bedroom mirror I found myself wondering how the anime convention would go, and wondering just how far I've come on this journey to become Jamie Sarah Potter.
To be continued.
The Saturday morning of the convention dawned bright and clear, the forecast for that morning though was cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon. The digital clock on my car read six o' clock in the morning. And the traffic report said that the road was clear and everything was moving smoothly. In short everything seemed to be going my way. And so, with my spirits soaring like a bird, I pulled out of the driveway and aimed my car south toward Jackson. After a brief stop at Church's Chicken for two sausages and biscuits and Double Quick to top off the gas I was on my way.
As I drove down Highway 49, my mind started to wonder a little. Here I was sixteen years old, and about to attend my first anime convention. My tongue tasted adventure and that faint taste sent goosebumps up and down my skin. And most of all this would be my first time really being 'Jamie' on my own. I mean I roamed around Benton, I roamed around Yazoo City, heck I even roamed around Vicksburg. But I always had somebody there with me, I was always part of a pack. When I traveled with the other cheerleaders to far away games, I was part of a team. When I went shopping in the mall, I was part of a pack of other girls. Some like me were Transgender.
But here I was, driving just five miles under the posted speed limit down Highway 49, passing various road memories that dotted the road, a sobering reminder to drive safety and of my own morality, but most of all I was alone. Lily had decided that this was something I needed to do on my own. Madeline, my best friend, was down with a cold, she always seems to catch at least one cold a season. And mom and dad were in far away Memphis.
But that's okay, I'll be going to college soon. I'll be on my own soon. I needed to get used to this. I needed to experience this sense of freedom. And so I turned the car's air conditioner off and rolled down the window and allowed the wind to blow through my hair. I was now in the rural countryside, passing broken stone walls, grown up house places, fields, and junk yards full of rusting out cars.
Thirty minutes into my driver and I was passing through the sleepy village of Flora. Flora was half the size of Benton. And in a way if you blinked you missed it. Up next was the tiny hamlet of Pocahontas, Pocahontas was nothing more than a collection of shops and houses that were all clustered on one side of the railroad. Their main claim to fame was a small barbecue place called Big D's tepee BBQ, the tang line was that the barbecue was so good it stopped the train.
Anyway, twenty more minutes I was driving into the heart of Jackson, the downtown area. You see, the anime convention was to be held at the Mississippi Trade Mart, a shiny building that was located right across from the Mississippi Coliseum. It was located on the state fairgrounds. When I'd been driving a solid hour and a quarter when I finally found a space to park. My heart was racing. Taking a deep breath I parked the car and climbed out. Releasing that breath I tossed the bag that held the costume over my shoulder and started to walk across the tarmac.
I still had something of an hour left before the convention took place at eight, plenty of time to slip into my costume and get ready. I felt my heart starting to race again as I pushed open the door and stepped into the blessed air conditioned space. I waved my con badge along with my ID to the guard who allowed me to pass. Quickly I found the nearest bathroom and after fifteen minutes I'd managed to slip on the costume. I was once more bunny-girl Jamie.
With little less than an hour to kill before the con really kicked off I started to roam around. A steady stream of guest, and fellow con-goers started to trickle in. And I'm flattered to say the sight of a wild bunny girl caused them to stop and peer at me. I of course flashed them my best cheerleader smile and even offered to pose with some.
Now before I go on, I want to say something, Mississippi is not the desert wasteland most people make it out to be. The media does a horrible job showing the good side of my native state and an excellent job of showing the horrible side. Yes, we have issues, major issues that we need to work on. Yes, the state as a whole seems to almost cling to its Jim Crow past. Yes it seems to cling to the lingering memory of its Confederate roots. But there, at that convention I saw a different part of Mississippi.
The Mississippians that I saw there had come out together to celebrate not just anime. But Geekdom as a whole. As the trickle of people became a flood, I saw people dressed up as Batman, some dressed up as Superman, some dressed as Wonderwoman. Comic book geeks, manga geeks, steampunk geeks, wrestling geeks. It was not so much an anime convention as it was a celebration of all things Otaku.
And yes there were Sailor Moons, Sailor Mars, Lady Bugs, and of course there were guys running around dressed as maids and wearing Sailor Fuku. It was cute, I mean I really admired the courage of those guys who came out, some you could tell were doing it for the shock value, while on the other hand some had made an effort to pass as female. Of course on the other side of the coin you had girls cosplaying as guy characters. It was different.. a totally different world. I felt like Alice, who after chasing after the white rabbit had found herself in wonderland.
I think the most odd thing I saw that day was a Steam Punk Confederate Soldier.. So I guess we have some History buffs attending the con, and nobody blinked. Nobody freaked out. They were just there, roaming around the crowded convention floor in their gray tunic with a bunch of odd looking metals pinned to the front. They looked as lost as a lamb in a slaughterhouse. A totally normal reaction if you ask me.
After an hour or two of roaming around the busy convention scene I noticed I was leaving one area and entering into another. It was a subtle change, at first you noticed an increase of kiosks. These small open air booths and carts sold a variety of things. Read to wear Cosplay's still on the hanger, trinkets, anime inspired novelty items, and of course the classic plastic figurines of anime characters. It reminded me of a Middle East Bazaar in its own way.
As I browsed the tables and picked my way through the narrow paths, I could not help but smile, there were treasures here that rustic anime fans like me could only dream of owning. But, alas my costume did not have pockets, nor did I have the foresight to bring a purse along with me. My phone, bank card, house keys, car keys, cash, and change of clothing were stashed in a rented locker toward the front of the convention center. Anyway, I was here to be seen and to model, not buy.
So with that in mind I left that one area of the convention, I soon found myself in another area, I think this area must have been the fable artist alley part of the convention. I was amazed to see how many area artists and writers had come out to support the convention. But I wanted more, I wanted to see more, I wanted to make memories. I wanted to come out of my shell. You might not believe me when I say this, but I'm really an introvert. Sure I'm a cheerleader, but that is only because my older sister Lily pushed me into it. Sure I've been crowned Homecoming Princess and Mardi Gras Princess before, but that was just blind luck. Sure I'm Head Maid at our town's Southern inspired Maidcafe but that is just because of my older sister.
So, sitting there, posing as best as I could while others seemed to pause and admire my body, I knew I had to decide, should I drift alone and enjoy the convention. Be the person looking inside from a window frame? Or should I take a deep breath and jump into things?
Releasing my deep breath I decided that I'll join the crowd. There had to be some panel I could volunteer for? I'd mean I'd volunteered for enough things in my life to know that there is always somebody looking for a willing somebody. Then out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a girl. Okay I'm going to assume she was a girl, I was still getting used to the vibe of the anime convention. Anyway this girl had long, blue hair and was dressed in a pink Sailor Fuku.
“Hey! Excuse me!” She said waving her hands around. “But I need a favor!” She called out.
I blinked and blinked again as I turned around and peered toward the girl.
“Okay this is totally insane, but me and a group of friends are trying to gather up some cosplayers to help with a game of 'Cosplay Chess' and right now we really need volunteers.” She said blushing as she rushed up to. “Also FYI I love your costume girl. Totally rocking the bunny girl look.” She said, smiling sweetly.
I'm not going to lie, I was a little taken back by the forwards of the girl. But I smiled a little.
“Thanks.” I said, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind my ear. “And sure, I would love to volunteer. But first could you maybe tell me a little more about the event? This is kind of my first anime convention. And I'm totally lost.” I said, forcing a giggle as I started to blush.
“Oh no problem!” The girl said, smiling. “Like me and my club putting on this game of Cosplay Chess, its pretty much like Chess but with various cosplayers acting as the pieces. I mean since your the bunny-girl of the group you could the queen.” She said smiling. She then added, “If you want too that is, no pressure at all.”
At that moment a little light bulb above my head lit up. This was just the thing I'd been hoping for! Smiling, I reached out and took the girl's hand and then without thinking I gave a little squeeze.
“Sure! I'll love to volunteer!” I said smiling, I'm sure my smile reached from one ear to the other. It was the girls turn to blink now.
“Okay cool! In about half an hour could you go to the big ballroom on the second floor? Just look for the door that has 'Cosplay Chess' written on a slip of paper, it should be taped to the center of the door. Once you get in, flash your con badge and tell them Melody sent you!”
And with that the girl bounced away! Off to find more hopeful recruits I guess. Anyway that is how this chapter ends, and with thirty minutes to go, I guess I best try to find that room. Wish me luck, I'll keep you guys informed.
I found the room, but it turns out I took too long to find it. And the game was already starting when I stumbled into the room. I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed at first, after all I'd been promised the leading role of the “Queen” piece. But a few minutes later a sense of relief washed over me. I quickly learned that when a piece was “Captured” it was given a cream pie to the face as a penalty, normally by the piece that captured it.
Anyway, the game was just getting started when I settled into an empty seat near the back of the room. I only knew a handful of the characters on stage, I knew the “Queen” piece that was acting for the white side was Princess Peach, or Princess Toadstool if you're an old school gamer like me, with the “King” piece being Mario of course. On the other side, the “Queen” piece was a girl who was cosplaying as Princess Zelda from the Legend of Zelda series, with her “King” being Link.
The other pieces, I had no idea, but I noticed a few bunny fellow bunny girls on stage. Now, I'm not going to go through the whole lineup. But I did notice somebody I knew from Benton. Standing in the front ranks, you know where the Pawns are was a girl I knew, she seemed a little embarrassed being up there on stage. Her costume was nothing really special, a pink Sailor-Fuku with white socks, and black leather pumps. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in two cute pigtails that were adorned with ribbons. She seemed to blush as she moved across the board.
It took me a moment, but then that tiny little light bulb above my head lit up. The girl wearing the pink school girl uniform was none other than Linda Bell, formally Linda Perry. I'm not going to lie, part of me wanted to get up and leave the room then and there. You see Linda and I have a bit of a history together. Not a good history mind you, there is a lot of water under the bridge if you will. See when I came out as Jamie about two years ago, there was some push back.
I guess there will always be push back when somebody comes out of the closet. Anyway, Linda was the driving force and the loudest voice that called for me not only to be kicked out of school, but also hinted that she was plotting to have some footballers take me out to the field house to be shown what being a girl was all about. Funny, Linda had been my older sisters best friend for most of their lives, well up till she threaten to have me kidnapped and gang raped.
Anyway things came to a head, Linda attacked me one day and slapped me hard enough that I ended up spending a few nights down at King Slaughters, the gruesome nickname we've given to our local hospital. After that she was removed from school and had kind of vanished from my life. Did I like Linda? Yes and no. I later learned that Linda's dad had a few screws loose in the head and had taken her off her medication. I'd also learned later that Linda's dad had lost custody once news broke that he had withheld her medications. Since then she has been living with her aunt and uncle in Vicksburg and the two had adopted her.
Good for I guess, and man that was quite a history lesson. Anyway, revenge is a dish best served cold. And while I'd forgiven her Linda, I'd still not learned to fully trust her. So sitting there, watching her fidget and play with her pigtails as she moved across the squares was delightful as slipping ice tea on the front porch during summer time.
And then it happened, a person cosplaying as Tuxedo Mask, who happened to be playing as a “Knight” piece cornered her and a moment later, he was smashing a paper plate that was filled with whipped cream into Linda's face. A girlish scream escaped Linda's lips a few seconds before the plate that was filled to the brim with cream smashed into her face, spraying cream in all directions. A few seconds later, the Tuxedo Mask, holding two places this time instead of one, gave Linda a classic pie sandwich.
Linda now looked like a human snow-globe, her face and hair were totally covered in cream. But the Tuxedo Mask cosplay was not finished yet, he spun around before smashing another paper plate that was filled with cream on the very top of her head. At this moment, Linda lost her footing and slipped on some of the cream that had fallen down on the floor around her feet, in true anime fashion her arms spun around like a windmill before she landed on her bottom, her short skirt flipped up, showing her white panties.
And as expected, the crowd roared with laughter. And I'm not even going to lie, I did too. I mean I felt a little bad for her, but I'm sure she knew what happened to the captured pieces. Unlike me, who would have been going into the thing blind as a bat.
After Linda got pied, nothing much really happened. I mean, I could see why they wanted me to volunteer, the whole rooster was nothing but guys, and not even cute guys at that. And it's not like I would have flirted with any of them anyways. Anyway, the game went on. And well, after a few more minutes of watching I decided to move on. In fact I did move on, I was just about to leave the room when the girl before came rushing up to me.
“Hey bunny girl!” She called out as she saw me starting to leave the room. The game was almost over now, the Black Pieces had totally pulled off a quick victory, each piece had fallen in quick succession. “Sorry we had to start the game without you! But if you can spare a minute I would like to talk about something!” She said as she rushed up to me.
I turned around and blinked and blinked again as I peered toward the girl.
“Sure.” I said blinking as I peered toward the girl.
“So! Like it's a total bummer you had to miss our game of 'Cosplay Chess' and normally I would invite you to try out for another game. But with this being only a one day convention, there was kind of a strict time limit. Anyway, if you want too, you could help us with another game!” She said, smiling sweetly.
I blinked again in total surprise.
“I'm not sure, I'm not keen on getting messy.” I said, rubbing the back of my head as I peered toward the girl.
“Oh don't worry about getting messy, see we're going to host a little charity event. And I need somebody to host it, there something about you. You just seem to ooze charisma, and self confidence, and you're charming too. Like the way you move about in those heels is just so graceful, so like, You would be a perfect hostess for this event we're going to put on in a few hours, once we get everything set up.” She said, “Really, girl you would do me a solid if you could host, I know I just met you and everything and this is totally crazy.”
I blinked again, once more in total surprise.
“No, its cool.” I said smiling. “Just tell me where I need to be.” I said grinning.
“Okay in the large meeting space down stairs, you see a sign that reads 'Cosplayer in Peril' two members of my club already volunteered to take part. They're boyfriend and girlfriend, so it's totally Kawaii.” She said.
“Adorable.” I said smiling, and for a minute I kind of wished I'd invited my boyfriend Ben to join me at this convention. But then again, it was peak fishing summer time and Ben alone with the rest of the boys in our group would be working, either working in the garden, hoeing snow peas, or clearing weeds away from corn or rows of cabbage, or working the early morning shift down at Sunflower.
“Totally!” The girl said, smiling. “OH girl! Wait a minute, let me get a picture of them.” She said reaching into her purse, she then pulled up her purse and after a moment of digging around she pulled out her phone, a few seconds later she was pulling up a photo. The photo showed a girl with shoulder length hair, her hair was jet back and she seemed to have a shy, demure smile on her face, a boy's arm was wrapped around her shoulder, he had short, golden blonde hair and had a goofy smile. I could tell the two were very fond of each other.
“Adorable. So what are they cosplaying as?” I asked as I peered toward the girl.
“The raven hair girl is going to cosplay as Hinata Hyuga.” The girl said. “Her boyfriend is going to cosplaying as Naruto Uzumaki.” She added. “So, here is what is going to happen. My friends and I built this like a home-made gunge tank, kind of like the one you see on Saturday afternoon's on Heather's House Party. Its made of plywood, that we painted to look like mahogany.” At this point the girl paused. “We use for fundraisers around the club.”
I nodded my head.
“Anyway, we'll be hosting the event in about a hour or two, say two hours and a half hours, we still need to clean up this mess.” She pointed toward the huge chess board that was now coated in oily cream. “Give out some prizes, oh that right, whoever volunteered to play gets like a small prize, like a light novel or something. Anyway, since you're hosting our next event.. How about we give you a 'Rascal Does not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai' figure. We have a few of those, and it kind of fits, you're a bunny girl, the main girl a bunny girl. It's perfect.”
I blinked and blinked again, I was totally taken back by the spewing of words that seemed to rush from the girls mouth. She seemed to vomit the words up, and she spoke with a quick fired accent too, an accent we down here in the south call a 'New England' accent. See southerners talk in a slow, measured, manner, there often a gap of a second or two between each word. We believe conversations should be cherished and drawn out.
“Okay!” I said smiling.
“Great, you're a total life saver, remember to look for the large meeting room on the bottom floor. It should have a sign that reads 'Cosplayer in Peril' taped to the front of the door. The event is going to take place in about.. say three hours.. so around four in the afternoon. But since you're the host, I kind of want you to be there beforehand, just to see how things are set up, meet the cast, and let me go over a few things with you. Sounds good?”
“Sure.” I said smiling.
“Oh what's your name bunny girl?” She asked as sudden, but pressing after thought.
“Jamie.” I said smiling. “Jamie Sarah Potter.”
“Melody.” The girl responded. “Melody Harbor,”
“Okay Jamie, hope to see you soon. And remember to be on time this time. Or I might toss you into the gunge booth myself!” She said winking as she skipped away. And with that being said Melody Harbor vanished into the sea of people.
I decided to take Melody's advice and entered the room that was marked 'Cosplayer in Peril' about an hour after I left the other room. It was now well into the afternoon and the convention was about to reach the supreme madness that always follows an afternoon of fans being fans. The room was controlled chaos. A good dozen people were rushing around, all of them wearing jeans and bright neon orange shirts that had the words “Stage Hand” followed by the word “Volunteer” emblazoned upon the back.
The first thing I noticed though, or the first thing that came to my attention was the number of ice chests they had scattered around. I peered at the ice chest for several seconds before I was finally overcome by curiosity, there were four scattered about the area. Shrugging my shoulders I walked over to one and slowly I flipped the lid and there encrusted in ice I saw something that made me shiver.
Encrusted in ice, and I do me encrusted was a milk jug, the milk jug was about the average gallon size you find at the supermarket. Each gallon jug was filled to the brim with what appeared to be colored cake batter, there were four of them, each one a different color. The first one was pink, the second one was yellow, the third one was green, and the fourth and final one was mint green. That was the first ice chest.
The next ice chest held around eight okay, maybe ten aerosol cans of whipping cream. I guess those were for the pies, but Jesus that was a lot of cream. As a cheerleader, I knew you could get a pretty good make-shift pie from one can. But ten can's that was enough to cover a person from the very top of their head to the tiny tip of their toes.
The next two held nothing but bottles of water and canned sodas. And finally I came to the gunge tank, the gunge tank was the center of the show and set up at the center of the stage. The tank looked like one of those phone booths that Superman used to duck into to change from Clark Kent to Superman. On top there was clear, plastic reservoir that looked like it could hold around four gallons. A spout was located at the bottom of the reservoir, just below the spout there was a wooden, three legged stool.
“Wow.” I said blushing as I peered toward the tank.
“Amazing you can accomplish with two hundred dollars, a weekend pass to use your school's vocational center, and four friends who know their way around all manner of tools, from screwdrivers, to handsaws. Plus the internet.” A voice behind me said, “We've made our money back and then some from it. A bunch of the lumber was hawked though from the scrap piles behind Better Homes Building Supply, but with some sandpaper and plenty of elbow grease can't solve.”
I slowly turned my head. And much to my surprise there stood Melody Harbor, a few paces behind her stood two cosplayers, the first one was dressed in an orange and black jumpsuit. His longish blonde hair seemed kind of spiked up and he wore a headband on his head. His blue eyes seemed to almost shimmer like sapphires in the dim light of the room. And his smile, his smile struck me as a disarming smile that put me at ease.
Beside him I saw a girl that was roughly around the same height, she was a lot thinner than he was, I could not tell the color of eyes because she wore blind white contact lenses. And what struck me, was the fact that instead of wearing the normal outfit that I've often seen Hinata wear on the few episodes of Naruto that I've seen on Adult Swim and Toonami, I mean it was still Hinata, her hair was still black, still in the classic short bob style and still colorless, but the outfit took me back.
It seems this was the year for Bunny-Girls or Bunny-Girls were more popular than I thought because she too was wearing a bunny-girl cosplay, though she seemed shy, and totally embarrassed to be seen wearing something so skimpy. In fact when she saw me, she hid behind her boyfriend.
“So here we have our two volunteers. Remember we have to keep in character, so while on stage you'll address them as Naruto and Hinata.” Melody said smiling.
I nodded my head.
“So here's how its going to work, you're going to the host. Naruto here.” She said pointing toward the Naruto cosplayer, “Will try to do some silly stunts, okay there more like physical challenges, like.” Melody paused, “Sprinting from the stage to the doors at the back of the room and back in like two seconds flat. Stuff a normal anime ninja could do, but since this is not an anime, its real life, its pretty much impossible!” She said smiling.
I nodded my head.
“Each time Naruto fails a challenge, you get to smash a pie in our lovely Hinata face.” Melody grinned, “Be sure to have some two full cans of whipping cream, we have some pudding around here too, so you're going to make the pies too, kind of put a little sass into making them. You know teasing our Hinata, I would love to have some custard, but since we're in the United States, and not the United Kingdom, and Kroger wants way too much for a carton of custard, we'll have to settle for vanilla pudding. Just pour some vanilla pudding into a pie tin, coat the bottom, add a layer of whipping cream and top it with a cherry and then bunny hop over and smash the pie into Hinata face.”
“OMG Melody Sempai!” The Hinata cosplayer yelled as deep blush colored her face. “You said its just shaving cream, you never said anything about using vanilla pudding or whipping cream!” She yelled, her girlish voice echoed across the room.
“Sorry honey, but that show business.” Melody said.
“MELODY SEMPAI!” The cosplayer wailed. “It's bad enough I gotta wear this embarrassing costume, but now I gotta get pied too!” She said as she wiggled her body, causing the fluffy bunny tail at the bottom of her costume to wiggle around.
I felt a sudden wave of jealousy come flooding over me, sure I was the hostess, but it was clear that the two cosplayers were the true stars of the show and plus, this Hinata cosplayer had her boyfriend with her. My boyfriend was right now either bagging groceries or in the woods trying to shoot a squirrel to cook and clean. Country boys you either loved them or hated them.
“Sorry honey, but this is show business.” Melody said. “Anyway our lovely Hinata would be sitting in the gunge tank. After each pie, one of our stage hands will fill up the tank with the slime we have chilling in the ice chest. I salted the ice beforehand so the stuff is almost frozen. It's going to be like a slushie sitting above a lovely Hinata head.”
“MELODY SEMPIA!” The Cosplayer wailed as she started to bunny hop around the stage.
“Chill out Hinata.” The Naruto cosplayer said as he pulled her into a one arm hug. “I'm going to do my best! So you have nothing to worry about!”
“Really you need to chill Hinata.” Melody said, sighing. “After all, you volunteered for this.” She then turned around and gave Hinate a coy look. “Plus, I doubt your boyfriend will let anything happen to you.” She added
I braced myself for another outburst instead the Hinata cosplayer started to poke her fingers together a few seconds later she started to mutter something under her breath as she looked down on the ground.
“Anyway!” The Naruto cosplayer said smiling. “I'm famished, let's get something to eat Hinate before the game, I think there is a Udon shop around here. I'm in the mood for some noodles.” And with that the two left Melody and I alone.
“She's lucky you know.” I said smiling. “My boyfriend would never cosplay with me.”
“Same. I'm glad she found somebody, she is my best friend, we've known each other since we were babies. She never thought she'd find a boyfriend till this summer. I hope this little thing brings them closer together.” Melody said with a sigh.
“Part me wishes I was sitting in the gunge tank and getting pied though. I guess I crave being the center of attention too much.” I said before I could stop myself.
“Comes with being a cheerleader.” Melody said smiling. “And no, I'm not stalking you, I've seen you cheer before. I'm a cheerleader myself. And our school's often play with each other.” Melody said grinning. “I mean I guess our gunge tank is a little better than the one they used at your homecoming a few years ago.”
I blinked.
“I knew you from the moment I saw you. Ms. Jamie Sarah Potter, I never forget a face. Anyway, I would be more than happy to put you in our gunge tank if you wish and pull the cord on you. But we only have four gallons of slime and we need to save that for the show.” Melody said in a teasing tone of voice. “Plus we don't want to ruin your wonderful outfit now do we?”
A long sigh escaped my lips as I folded my arms across my chest and peered at Melody.
“Whatever girl.” I said, shaking my head.
“Ohayou-Gozaimasu! Kawaii-Con!” I called out into the microphone I was holding. “And welcome to the first Annual and we hope not the last 'Cosplayer in Peril!”. I said, smirking. “Today we have two of your favorite characters playing for the grand prize of fourteen thousand yen!” I added with a wink. Of course I had to say 'Yen' instead of 'Dollars' because we were doing a mock Japanese game show.
The crowd went wild and started to applaud.
“Now, put your hands together, because traveling all the way from Konohagakure! We have Naruto Uzumaki joining us today with his cute as a button girlfriend Hinate Hyuga!” I shouted as I peered pointed to the left side of the stage. A few moments later, the Naruto and Hinata cosplayer came out. Naruto was waving to the crowd. The Hinata cosplayer seemed content to hide behind Naruto's shoulder.
“So!” I said smiling as I bunny hopped toward the two. “You guys ready to play!” I asked as I peered toward the two. The Naruto cosplayer was smiling from ear to the other, the Hinata cosplayer was looking down at the ground.
'Totally!” The Naruto cosplayer said smirking as he peered toward the crowd. “I could use the money to pay off some of my bill at Ramen Ichiraku!” He said beaming.
The Hinate cosplayer refused to answer but only nodded her head.
“Cool!” I added as I peered at the two. “So if Hinate-chan would please follow me.” I said as I once more bunny hopped to the gunge tank that was located in the center of the stage. The Hinata cosplayer followed behind me, she nervously played with her hair as she walked. Once we reached the gunge tank, I opened the door and invited her to take a seat.
“Have a seat.” I said smiling, smiling sweetly. The Hinata-chan cosplayer paused, looked over her shoulder before slowly stepping into the tank, she slowly eased her bottom down upon the provided stool and looked up at the spout.
“Oh the tank is empty for now!” I said giggling as I closed the door and sealed it shut. “Now, Naruto,” I said to the bunny hopping toward the Naruto cosplayer. “Here how things are going to work, I'm going to issue a number of physical challenges. If you can complete them within the time limit. The Hinate-chan stays safe and clean.” I said with a nod. “But if you fail them, then I'm afraid she's going to get a bit messy!”
The crowd roared with approval and I swear I heard the girl cosplaying as Hinata muttered something along the lines of 'Oh God' under her breath as she folded her hands on her lap and straightened up. I'm sure right now she was wishing she decided to wear something beside a skimpy bunny-girl outfit to the convention. But then again a little eye candy never hurt anybody.
“Don't worry Hinate-Chan!” The Naruto cosplayer gave a big thumbs up. “You have nothing to worry about! I'm not going to let anything happen to you!” He said with a wink.
“Oh Naruto is doing a lot of boasting!” I said smiling. “He can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk! Stay tuned to find out.” I said pointing toward the crowd with a wink. “Because we're about to find out in a few minutes, on the first airing of 'Cosplayer in Peril' , a parody of a Japanese game show that is sponsored by the Madison High School Anime Club.”
To be continued.
The game was of course rigged from the start. I knew it, I also want to believe that the Hinata Hyuga cosplayer knew it, after all she had volunteered to be the stooge in this little mock gameshow and I hoped and prayed too that the Naruto cosplayer knew it. I want to believe the poor girl knew what she was getting into when she volunteered to take part in this silly little stunt. I hope so. I really do hope so. Otherwise I don't think I could have lived with the guilt for what I was about to do. Thankfully today was Saturday and tomorrow was Sunday. If I still felt guilty tomorrow morning I could always skip having donuts and coffee with my friends and pop into St. Mary’s Episcopal Church an hour early before Sunday Mass started to drag Father away from his morning coffee to hear me say confession.
Oh Lord, that would have been something. I could just see myself kneeling down in front of Father. An old, leather bound Book of Common Prayer opened in front me, and I dressed in my best frilly Sunday dress intoning from those yellow, brittle pages the Rite of Reconciliation in front of him in Elizabethan English. Oh Lord, what a life I live.
The stunts were silly little things. For the first one the Naruto cosplayer had to sprint from the stage toward the doors in the back of the room and back onto the stage in ten seconds flat. Because again Naruto was an anime ninja and he was suppose to be really fast. Of course it took the guy cosplaying as him around a minute and a half. The meant that poor little Hinta Hyuga got a chocolate pudding pie in the face! The crowded loved it but the poor girl almost jumped out of her bunny suit as I smashed the pudding pie in her face. The Graham cracker pie crust exploded like a bomb and sent tiny blobs of pudding and squirty cream in all compass directions.
The Naruto cosplayer just stood there looking blushing and looking bashful as he rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the Hinta Hyuga cosplayer get her first pie to the face. As she tried mostly unsuccessful to clean the pie, pudding and cream from her eyes, a volunteer wearing a bright neon orange shirt with the words 'Stage Hand' emblazon on the back stepped up a step ladder and poured a thick looking mixture from a gallon milk gunge into the clear, plastic reservoir located just above the wooden stool.
I winced a little, I think I was having flashbacks to when I was gunged for Homecoming. I sure as sugar hoped that the Hinta Hyuga cosplayer knew what she was getting into. Because things were about to get messy, really messy.
For the second stunt the Naruto cosplayer had to do fifteen sit-ups, eighteen push-ups, thirty seven crunches in under a minute! Because you know Naturo being an anime ninja was supposed to be really, really strong. I think you know what happened. It took the guy around eighteen minutes to do all that. I guess he could have done it faster, but that was a bulky cosplay he was wearing! That and he stopped halfway through to declare his undying love for his sweetheart Hinta Hyuga.
And you can guess what happened then. A moment later, I was smashing another pie in the poor girl's face and another gallon of ice cold slime was poured into the clear, plastic reservoir above her head. Two down, two to go. Oh and the crowd was loving it. You could tell the Naturo cosplayer was a real ham actor. Each time he failed a stunt he would hold his hands up in the air, shake his head from left to right and say.
“I'm sorry Hinta-Chan! I guess I'm really out of shape! Maybe I should train a little more!” He said it in such a laid back manner that I was not sure if he was joking or staying in character. And the Hinta Hyuga cosplayer only blushed as she shrugged her shoulders, her face was now covered in a thick layer of pudding and oily cream and at the bottom of the tank one could see the ruined remains of the two pies I'd tossed at her. Two crinkled tin pie pans lay side by side.
“That's okay!” The cosplayer who was cosplaying as Hinta said said the cosplayer who would cosplaying as Naturo said. “I still love you!”
“Oh how sweet!” I said winking.
The next stunt was really silly as he had to perform ten spells or something. I call them spells, I mean I never watched an episode of Naruto in my life. So I'm going to call the weird hand gestures he was doing with his hands spells or something like that. Of course there was a time limit on it, he was supposed to perform those ten spells in under two minutes flat! That was kind of unfair I felt, because come on, even the most hardened Harry Potter fan would have a hard time doing ten spells from the movies or the many books with correct hand jesters in two minutes. I mean maybe they could, but once you get on stage, things change. Stage fright takes over, you become aware of the crowd watching you. And I’m sure many would buckle under the pressure. The only reason I was thriving was because I was a seasoned cheerleader. Any jitters about performing in front of a large crowd had long since been worked out of me.
And of course as expected he failed and the Hinta cosplayer was rewarded or should I say punished with another pie in the face. I think this time the pudding that filled the pie tin was strawberry or something because once I pushed it into her face a landslide of pink pudding slid down her chest and pooled in her lap and the air around the tank started to smell like strawberries.
At this point, I doubted things could get any messier. I mean the poor girl was a walking blob of cream and pudding and the bottom of the tank was filled with broken pieces of pie crust, some big, some small, and mountains of once white cream that was starting to turn yellow under the relentless heat of the lamps from above.
But again I was proven wrong. The next stunt was something that I did not expect, but it was fun. A cosplayer was selected at random I think, and they were supposed to fight 'Naruto' . I was told to select some guy that looked kind of cute, like he made me feel things. The guy was around the same size and height as the Naruto cosplayer and I guessed they might have weighed the same.
The guy I told to select was a guy who was cosplaying as the famous swordsmen, Rurouni Kenshin, for those who don't know anime very well, allow me to clue you in. Rurouni Kenshin is the main character in a manga that is set eleven years into the Meiji era. Now I know enough about Japanese History to know that the Meiji era was kind of the era that defined the modern day Japan we know and love. Well the modern Japan I know and love. I’m not sure the same could be said about China or Korea. Anyway I digress. God my thoughts are scattered today.
If I can recall correctly, the Meiji era started on October 23, 1868 and lasted till July 30, 1912. In that time Japan had transformed itself from a mostly rural feudal society to a new industrialized society. It was a period of remarkable growth and transformation. Anyway the Rurouni Kenshin cosplayer and the Naturo cosplay had something of a mock fight on stage, and the crowd ate it up like popcorn. And of course in the end the Rurouni Kenshin cosplayer won with ease and that meant that I got to smash another pie in poor Hinta's face!
If you've been keeping count, that was the fourth and final pie. Those four pies had rendered the lovely Hinta cosplayer a walking, human-shaped blob of oily cream and pudding that was coated in a fine dusting of graham cracker crumbles.
“Oh I'm so sorry!” I said blushing a little as I peered toward the poor girl. I turned my head toward the crowd. “But it looks like Naturo has failed every one of our physical challenges. And that means, our lovely Hinta here is about to get an ice cold bath in four gallons of slime! After all this is Cosplayer in Peril!” I said as I bunny hopped over to the cord and wrapped the cord tightly around my hand.
At this point the Hinta cosplayer was blushing so hard, her body heat was starting to melt the cream. At that moment I hoped, and I really hoped that that girl, whoever she was, would forgive me! But then I shrugged my shoulders and pulled hard on the cord. A few seconds later the plug that was holding back the massive overflow of slime came pouring down over her head.
The girl jumped, as the massive downpour of red, green, yellow and orange slime poured down on her head, soaking her bare shoulders, coating her bare legs, and adding to the mess that had been collected around her feet. The roar of laughter filled the air. The girl had been transformed from a pudding coated bunny girl to something that looked like it belonged in a nineteen fifties black and white 'B' horror movie.
How that bunny suit was remaining up I have no idea. But at this point in time I’d consider it a miracle. Or maybe she had the foresight of buying a bunny suit with clear plastic trips that looped over the shoulders. Those strips were supposed to provide support and keep your girls properly covered. Of course I would call that cheating, since my suit did not have any support beside the tight fabric and the zipper in back. But I’m sure the shoe was on the other foot. My girls would be hanging out and the show would be canceled. Or maybe not.
“Cold.” The girl said blushing. “So cold.” She said again. Still blushing. “So.. So.. Cold..”
I blinked and rubbed my shoulders and then. Well at this point nobody had given me any direction. The laughter went on for a few more minutes and slowly the crowd started to filter out through the double doors in the back. I think only a few hours remained till the convention closed for the day. Maybe less. Maybe that convention was already closing for the day and people were heading toward the parking lot to get in their cars and head toward the house. Come to think up it, when the game started a lot of vendors were starting to close up shop and the artist alley was looking more or less like a ghost town
And so without stopping to shake a few hands or hug a few necks like we normally do down here in the South. I started to walk off the stage. I still had to get changed, load up the stuff I bought that day. And then hit the road before five o' clock rush hour traffic hit. Now, I was okay driving in and around Benton. I was perfectly fine with driving in such median size cities such as Greenville, Yazoo City, Vicksburg, and Greenwood. But the thought of five o' clock rush hour traffic in the massive urban spray that was the metropolitan area. No thank you.
So I took one more look around the stage. A few stage hands were helping the Hinta cosplayer out of the tank and helping her toward the shower I guess or maybe some clean up station. So that was good, the other members of her school club seemed to be hauling out buckets of warm water, bottles of dish washing liquid and a collection of brooms, dust pans and trash bins so they had the mess under control. So it seemed there was nothing else for me to do.
What happened then? Well I changed out of my sexy bunny girl outfit and into something normal, like a pair of jeans and form fitting white blouse, loaded everything I brought in the trunk of my car and carefully I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the open highway. All of that took less than fifteen minutes and as I started to zoom down the highway, I rolled down the windows to catch some of the early summer breeze.
The whole day felt unreal. Had I really gone to my first anime convention? Had I really pied and slimed a girl? Why did the mental image of her sitting there, covered from head to toe in pudding, cream and thick gunge make me feel warm and moist? I shook my head and sighed. Coming out of the egg it seemed to have been easy enough. In fact, from day one I had been surrounded by amazing people who had been there to guide me, mentor me and yes even minister to me. But none, and I mean none had ever sat me down and explained the birds and bees to me.
And so I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the road. Now I know you take your life into your own hands every time you step into a car or truck. But driving in Jackson presents its own perils. The asphalt is marred with pot holes that look more like craters that have been formed by falling meteorites. These potholes often hold and collect rainwater from the year around rainfall.
And people tend to drive like bat's out of hell. And so I pushed the thoughts of birds and bees out of my head. How odd that going from James to Jamie had been easy enough. Almost as easy as if flipping a light switch. But nobody, and I mean nobody ever told me that I would have to face my own sexuality. And so my anime convention adventure came to an end. Had it been fun wearing a sexy bunny girl outfit? Hell yes! Would I do it again hell yes! Would I volunteer to be a hostess on a messy gameshow? I doubt it though I won't mind being the one sitting in the tank. But that's a story for another day. But as I took the turn off that would take me home toward Benton. I breathed a silent prayer. Hopefully one day I would be on stage, sitting in a gunge tank, wearing a faux leather bunny suit, getting my face smashed with a pie from a cute, adorable blonde haired, blue eyed girl wearing a bunny suit too. That thought sent shivers up my spine and made me bush hard!
The End.