A New Beginning

Well, hello there, and welcome to my humble bit of cyberspace. Please, make yourself comfortable. Have some tea, or hot chocolate if you prefer, and take a seat wherever you would like. Oh, and a biscuit of some kind. Have one of those too. Food makes reading anything on your computer screen a bit more enjoyable.

I suppose that I should begin this blog by introducing myself. But I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to start with my general purpose for writing this, and what I am actually going to be blogging about - that's why you are actually here reading this, after all, because I doubt you care little about who I am as an individual. But I will get to that for those of you who do - just be patient with me.

I tend to ramble on sometimes. That is just a warning going into this.

Anyway, yes, welcome to 'An American Cosplayer in Scotland.' Just based on that title you can safely assume that yes, I am an American, yes, I like to cosplay, and yes, I live in Scotland now (or well, I will be living there in two days). Thus, I wanted to keep a blog that could talk about....
1. Cosplaying in general - conventions, new outfits, fads and crazes, frustrations, etc.
2. The 'otaku' world in the United Kingdom versus the United States
3. General stories and thoughts about what it is like living in a foreign country

So yes. I thought it would be interesting to keep a blog in general about my experiences, but I knew that they would end up revolving a lot around cosplay, anime, gaming, etc, so why not just admit that from the start and say that is what this blog is going to be focused on? That way everyone knows what they are getting themselves into right from the start.

Or so you think, at least.

So, now on to a bit more background about the mysterious person typing this. My name is Yuki (no, it's not my real name, no, I am not ever going to tell you my real name, and yes, everyone in real life calls me Yuki anyway). I'm actually a post-graduate student about to start working on a Master's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. This past spring I graduated with a double Bachelor's degree in International Studies in Culture and Biblical and Ministry Studies through International Missions, as well as a double minor in Political Science and History.

Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Yuki. Isn't that a bit of a mouthful? Well, yes, it is, actually, but it is conveniently easier to type than it is to say out loud. And the next typical 'otaku' reaction - you study WHAT? Yes. I'm a politics nerd. I want to save the world some day. And yes. I cosplay and watch anime and play lots of video games in my free time. Somehow people just do not usually follow this connection - but I promise, it is real.

I'm just my own special breed.

Other than that - well, I love J-Rock and K-Pop. I do really bad dance covers of my favourite songs. I think that Sony will always always always PWN Microsoft in every way, shape, and form (I just finished up a year of working at GameStop, so I've had this argument many times). I love to write - so expect long entries - and I have a soft spot in my heart for fanfiction. I'm also part of a maid cafe as a host/butler/whatever title you wanna give to the people not wearing the cute dresses, but I'm sort of on hiatus from that because of moving. However, it is still a huge part of what I do and who I am. I'm also new to the Lolita fashion scene thanks to a few of my friends, and have been dabbling in kododa-style Lolita. So that'll probably be in here too.

Oh right. I guess I could put in a picture.

That would be myself and one of my best friends, July, who may be mentioned in here from time to time along with a few of my other friends. Anyway, yes. We're very beautiful people. Or she certainly is, at least.

Well, this post is getting quite long, isn't it? I suppose that I should stop this extended introduction sometime soon, but I will at least post a list of the cosplays I have done, currently do, and which are currently shoved into suitcases preparing to make the some-odd-thousand-mile journey to Scotland with me.

ACTIVE COSPLAYS
Lavi - D.Gray-Man - PACKED
Shizuo Heiwajima - Durarara!! - PACKED
Hei/BK-201 - Darker than BLACK - PACKED
Tamaki Suou - Ouran Host Club
Death the Kid - Soul Eater
Kagamine Len - VOCALOID - PACKED
Jin Kisaragi - BlazBlue - PACKED
Seifer Almasy - Final Fantasy VIII
Ciel Phantomhive - Kuroshitsuji - PACKED
Masaomi Kida - Durarara!!
Usui Takumi - Maid-Sama! - PACKED
Howl - Howl's Moving Castle - PACKED

PAST/INACTIVE COSPLAYS
Cloud Strife - Final Fantasy VII
Izaya Orihara - Durarara!!
Roxas - Kingdom Hearts II
Edward Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist 

Well, now that the obligatory list is over, I think I will draw this to a close with a few remaining words...
1. Packing cosplays is difficult and requires sacrificing a lot of regular clothes (especially to pack all the shoes...) but space bags help
2. Shoving styled wigs into bags and packing them flat in suitcases feels something like ripping one's still-beating heart from one's chest

But yes. My next post will be from after I am settled in my new home and hopefully at least somewhat unpacked - or at least the cosplays will be! Expect more pictures, first impressions, and anything else that I may feel so inclined to say.

I hope you have enjoyed our time together. I certainly have.

-Prince Yuki