Dreams that make me giggle, Mail that makes me cry
Today was apparently my day to remember retired Soragumi babies.
In the night I dreamed about A Bunch of Us Fangirls (not sure how many) out and about in a shopping mall of some kind. Possibly it was Sorio, I don't know.
All I know for certain is that sumire_no_hana and princesslucia were involved, and Lucia was in kimono of course, and we saw Ayahane Maya.
It was one of those dreams where your mind convinces you of something even though the image is different. Like when you know you're at your house, only it looks nothing like your house. This time it was Chami looking absolutely nothing like Chami, and yet I instantly recognized her.
I really wanted to go up and talk to her, but true to my nature I was too chicken.
...So Lucia did it for me. ^__^;; She went up all chatty and got Chami's signature or something, and then waved me over to come talk to her. Which I did. And Lucia and Manda conveniently wandered off somewhere else, while I walked with Chami for some distance, kind of making a circle around the floor we were on.
For the life of me I can't remember what we talked about. Probably I asked if she was well and what she was doing post-retirement, etc. And there may have been something about her real name, and how it reminded me of Sawaki Rizu, because apparently I have Rizu on the brain.
I can recall standing there and looking into her eyes and knowing I had to say goodbye, and really not wanting to.
Before or after that part of the dream, there was something about a mass showing off of collections, and Manda looking through my Silver Rose Chronicle program (note: I do not have that program) and saying, "I'm so glad the two leads got equal importance, and Kiriyan didn't outshine Yumiko in this show."
...Because apparently the coincidence of "80th class batchmates" and "shows involving vampires" was enough for me to transplant Kiriyan into a Yukigumi play. o_O;;;
Thanks a lot, brain. >.>
And now, the other reason this post is about retired Soragumi babies.
I think I've mentioned, or at least implied, that starting last year I've made it a point to write letters to every retiring Soragumisei.
For the first time ever, I got mail back.
It's from Shizaki Hiroka. The envelope just says "Takarazuka Kagekidan, Soragumi, Shizaki Hiroka" -- no other return address.
But it's sealed with one of her senjafuda.
Inside the envelope, another senjafuda... And pictures.
One that looks like it could be from her bunkasai. Kiyao-chan singing into a microphone, and the shadow of a person playing the piano.
Backstage photos of her in costume from... This has to be Wao's sayonara show... Ryoma-den... Fantasista... and then...
One photo of her giving her retirement speech... One of her afterward outside the theater...
And a smiley, semi-girly offstage shot.
There's a plain white card with another picture of her in graduation hakama on the inside, and a poetic message about her time in Takarazuka, looking forward to the future, and how grateful she is to everyone.
On the back, a handwritten message.
お手紙ありがとうございました。
とっても嬉しかったです。
これからも頑張ります。
またいつか！
お会い出来る日を信じて…。
心から。
ありがとうございました。
Thank you for your letter.
It made me very happy.
I'll do my best from here on.
See you again!
Believing that we can meet one day...
From my heart.
Thank you very much.
And her signature. With a heart.
I... You guys, I can't... I can't even share the pictures. This is all too precious to me.
I just wish I could tell her... how touched I am, and how I will treasure this forever.
In the night I dreamed about A Bunch of Us Fangirls (not sure how many) out and about in a shopping mall of some kind. Possibly it was Sorio, I don't know.
All I know for certain is that sumire_no_hana and princesslucia were involved, and Lucia was in kimono of course, and we saw Ayahane Maya.
It was one of those dreams where your mind convinces you of something even though the image is different. Like when you know you're at your house, only it looks nothing like your house. This time it was Chami looking absolutely nothing like Chami, and yet I instantly recognized her.
I really wanted to go up and talk to her, but true to my nature I was too chicken.
...So Lucia did it for me. ^__^;; She went up all chatty and got Chami's signature or something, and then waved me over to come talk to her. Which I did. And Lucia and Manda conveniently wandered off somewhere else, while I walked with Chami for some distance, kind of making a circle around the floor we were on.
For the life of me I can't remember what we talked about. Probably I asked if she was well and what she was doing post-retirement, etc. And there may have been something about her real name, and how it reminded me of Sawaki Rizu, because apparently I have Rizu on the brain.
I can recall standing there and looking into her eyes and knowing I had to say goodbye, and really not wanting to.
Before or after that part of the dream, there was something about a mass showing off of collections, and Manda looking through my Silver Rose Chronicle program (note: I do not have that program) and saying, "I'm so glad the two leads got equal importance, and Kiriyan didn't outshine Yumiko in this show."
...Because apparently the coincidence of "80th class batchmates" and "shows involving vampires" was enough for me to transplant Kiriyan into a Yukigumi play. o_O;;;
Thanks a lot, brain. >.>
And now, the other reason this post is about retired Soragumi babies.
I think I've mentioned, or at least implied, that starting last year I've made it a point to write letters to every retiring Soragumisei.
For the first time ever, I got mail back.
It's from Shizaki Hiroka. The envelope just says "Takarazuka Kagekidan, Soragumi, Shizaki Hiroka" -- no other return address.
But it's sealed with one of her senjafuda.
Inside the envelope, another senjafuda... And pictures.
One that looks like it could be from her bunkasai. Kiyao-chan singing into a microphone, and the shadow of a person playing the piano.
Backstage photos of her in costume from... This has to be Wao's sayonara show... Ryoma-den... Fantasista... and then...
One photo of her giving her retirement speech... One of her afterward outside the theater...
And a smiley, semi-girly offstage shot.
There's a plain white card with another picture of her in graduation hakama on the inside, and a poetic message about her time in Takarazuka, looking forward to the future, and how grateful she is to everyone.
On the back, a handwritten message.
お手紙ありがとうございました。
とっても嬉しかったです。
これからも頑張ります。
またいつか！
お会い出来る日を信じて…。
心から。
ありがとうございました。
Thank you for your letter.
It made me very happy.
I'll do my best from here on.
See you again!
Believing that we can meet one day...
From my heart.
Thank you very much.
And her signature. With a heart.
I... You guys, I can't... I can't even share the pictures. This is all too precious to me.
I just wish I could tell her... how touched I am, and how I will treasure this forever.