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ACen without her, many of her friends hosted a memorial for her
during the event. “Dani has been my very best friend and ‘sister’ for
over ten years,” explained Katy Lacy. “We met in college and imme-
diately bonded overa mutual love of Sailor Moon. Dani was the one
I called first with news, who I turned to for support, and with whom
I shared my joy. She was the one who knew my every secret. She
was my biggest cheerleader and, also, my reality check. Dani was
my travel buddy, my cuddle buddy, and my partner in crime. She
taught me how to use a sewing machine, read and alter patterns,
line garments, and choose fabric. If not for her, I probably wouldn’t
still be cosplaying. Dani will always be my dearest friend.”
During the Masquerade, many people close to Dani recreated
some of her favorite costumes and came out on stage to then recre-
ate poses from pictures of Miss Roelandt from previous conventions.
It was an incredibly beautiful way to celebrate her life with something
she loved very much. “Dani to me, was always a pure and open heart,”
Mogchelle told us of her friend. “She always had a smile on her face,
and her heart on her sleeve. She always had warm hugs and bright
smiles that lit up rooms as she came through. ACen was never ACen
without her! 2017 was very surreal without her. For a few years, we
talked about making Disney Princess Sailor Scouts together, since
we hadn’t had a chance to do a group cosplay with each other yet,
but finding time was always hard with work and family commitments,
but then next thing I knew, it was too late to do them with her. So, I
put all of my work aside for a couple nights, and made my Sailor Elsa
for ACen 2017, as my own personal tribute to Dani, and I hope she
would have loved what I created. Since I wasn’t able to be on stage
as part of her memorial, I did have the honor of watching from back
stage, as I was one of the craftsmanship judges. It was perfect, sever-
al of her closest friends recreated costumes she’s made in the past,
and they struck poses she used in those photos, from her Oddette
the Swan Princess, to her Naruto/Sailor Moon mash up! It was beau-
tiful, and heart-warming, and it brought me happiness because of all
of the love people have for her, and it reminded me of all the love she
had for others! The world is less bright without our Moon Princess,
our Super Girl, our Warrior Princess! But she’s left a trail of happiness
and love and light with her memory.”
There’s no doubt that her spirit of cosplay will run through the
ACen halls forever, and there’s no doubt that we’ll be back again
very soon to partake in another weekend at Anime Central.
IN MEMORY
Dani Roelandt images by Cerulean Photography
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COSPLAYCULTURE