/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>586777

Ki grabbed a pair of red lace panties from the dressing table, time growing short. She hiked her dress up over her hips and stepped into the garments, momentarily thrilling at the sensation of the fabric sliding up the inside of her legs and snuggling up against her crotch. Replacing her dress in its original, if still very short, position, Ki walked to the other side of the table.

Sitting there, on a wig dummy, was her livelihood. Costing several times her monthly earnings, the company prized them above all "props" and costumes. It was the difference between their elite troupe and just another group of "cosplayers". Kumiko's head stared blankly into space from its perch on the dressing table, the red curls of hair individually embedded in its scalp framing the doll-like face perfectly. The eyes themselves were the real magic, seeming to be opaque glass, with piercing green irises and black pupils, but transparent from the inside to give the wearer a greater field of vision than was normally allowed by masks.

It was the only exclusive accouterment of kigurumi - or "masked theater" players...and these were some of the most finely crafted available. This tour was lucky enough to be sponsored by the production company responsible for the original series, so their budget for such things was of several orders of magnitude greater than most troupes, or even their own budget on past tours. Ki remembered wearing masks with pinhole eyes, having to know the blocking of the show by heart because she would be almost completely blind onstage. She remembered wearing masks with wire-mesh eyes that fooled no one in the audience, that would make them groan in disappointment because of the crude features of the mask. Kigurumi audiences come to see their favorite series brought to life, to live in the same space as their heroes and heroines....and they are very unforgiving of shoddy recreations and disappointment.