I know it's been nearly a week since the end of the event, but I just haven't had the time. Now I can get this all down, for my tens of loyal readers.
I got a ride from Fae, Aly and Medic, who miraculously had room for me and all my shit. Hallelujah. They get here and I begin to get my gear downstairs... Which they had never seen me do before. I live on the second floor, over a guy who never uses his sliding glass patio door. For anything. So, what is a pirate to do but take advantage of the situation? I usually assess my gear for those things which are non-breakable... and DROP THOSE THINGS OFF THE BALCONY. This event was no different. They were surprised at first, and got a good laugh out of it. They accused me of cheating, then went on to say they would probably do the same if they could. Suffice to say it saved time.
We arrive onsite, and the first thing I notice is the drastic changes to the way our encampment is laid out: It has walls. Yes, they drove dozens of fence stakes into the rock hard clay and put up sheet walls, to keep out prying eyes. Because I asked for privacy. Not because it's me, but because of a certain adult-oriented fire show I do: Fire Floggings, Fire Whippings, and Fleshing. More on that later, I'm getting ahead of myself. Suffice to say, though, I love these guys. The Whispers ROCK OUT LOUD. Another thing, Makoto was there. He moved to Florida a while back, but made the trip out here to attend the event. He brought the Katana I made for him, too, which meant there would be a damn fine showing onstage that night.
Not much to do in the daytime, really, so I spend much of it in camp, waiting. I spend more of it wandering about the site, on merchant's row, visiting friends' and fans' encampments, etc. All of this waiting for the sun to drop below the horizon. There was a second troupe of performers there, Dragon Steps. I met with them to find out the performace situation, and it turns out they were the opener for Friday's show, doing their full lineup before we go on. Not a bad show! Lots of martial arts choreography, and one firebreahing trick I have wanted to get Fire and Steel to learn for years (just getting all of us together for practice is like herding cats): They line up side by side, with only one torch at one end... and breathe fire one at a time, passing the blast of flame from their mouths in front of the person to the right, so they can ignite off of them, to pass it down the line. Looks damn fine, let me tell you. Ah well, can't be first at everything, you know. But we go on, and rock the house, in true Fire and Steel Style. Much kickassness is laid down, with the new count-off for the KABOOM routine (Mass firebreathing) and Friday had an overall carnival feel to it.
After the show, I get back to my encampment, and set things up. People are filing into the encampment, after getting their ID checked. No one under 18 is allowed in. The acts being performed are not only adult in nature, but being videotaped. I explain to the audience what is going to happen, and what each act does. I even show them what fleshing looks like, using my own skin to demonstrate. (For those of you not in the know, fleshing is the act of drawing a torch across the skin, leaving lines of flame on the flesh. Sometimes the torch is lit, sometimes it's unlit, and the fuel trail is ignited by a second torch, sending the flame down the fuel trail to the first torch to light it. This is called a transfer.) I begin taking volunteers, and the first girl steps up. Once it starts it's a good hour and a half before I am done taking volunteers. One of them was Gir, and ex girlfriend of mine. She was once a cutter, so it's no surprise to me that she chose whipping as the act she wanted me to perform on her. She took 33 lashes on the FIRST one. Yes, I say first because there was a second one. The second one lasted 53 lashes before it went out. She sank to her knees, and I carried her back to her chair. There were not many people familiar with BDSM in the crowd, so her reaction (SUBSPACE) was mistaken for shock. Suffice to say I had some explaining to do to a chirurgeon, who, unfortunately, is also not familiar with BDSM or its many nuances. But Gir was fine, and happy with the outcome of her whippings. In total 83 lashes. The first person to ever take two whippings in one night, and most others dropped out after ten to twenty lashes. Gir's a skinny one, but she's tough as nails when it comes to her tolerance for pain.
Saturday leads me to pause long enough to mention One Motherfucker. Remember that asshole who tried to accuse me of stealing from kids, and tried to get me banned from performing because I am "unsafe?" Well he was there, hiding in his little quadrant of the site. He made a scene Friday night after the floggings and whippings, stating that if anyone in his encampment volunteered for one, they needed to wash their skin to remove fiberglass from the wicking. Now, here's the funny part. Yes, there is fiberglass in Kevlar wicking most times. But the fibers are so short and fine that they generally can't get through the skin. Medic has worn one of the tails from one of my floggers around her ankle as a badge to commemorate her first... for nearly a year now. Never had a complaint about fiberglass from her.
Back in Boot Camp, in 1992, I had a Drill Sergeant, who said, "There's always One Motherfucker." Every time someone did something totally stupid, lame, or pointless. If you asked him about that statement, he'd reply with, "Did you ever notice how there's always One Motherfucker who tried to ICE SKATE UP HILL? Always One Motherfucker PUSHING ON A DOOR MARKED PULL? Always One Motherfucker Trying to BUILD A HOUSE FROM THE ROOF DOWN? That's him, private." My basic assessment of the shitheel fuckstick who keeps trying to start shit is this. He's One Motherfucker. He exhibits the above symptoms along with JUST NEVER LEARNING WHEN TO SIMPLY SHUT THE FUCK UP. What I think is funny about it all is if he'd just stop trying to start drama, i'd quit hitting back. Look around on YouTube and you should be able to find a video of a kitten picking a fight with a cactus. That's him.
The heat Saturday is just enough to be uncomfortable. I throw my tarp over the top of one of the shade arbors, since its fabric top is too thin to really stop the heat from radiating in. There's just enough wind to deliver some comedy relief, as I have to put it up twice before I just tie it down. Namigin gave me more than a few pokes, telling me my brown tarp is purple (she's kind of right, really. When sunlight comes through it, the tarp looks purple.)
Lestat the Bloodboiler finally shows up onsite, so I can finally give him his firesword. It's a beautiful Hand-and-a-Half with a total length of four feet. He's not one to get all giddy and show too much excitement, but he just glittered and glowed when I handed it to him. He didn't put it down for most of the day, except to set up, park his car, or eat.
Saturday's show goes reasonably well... I tried something new. I breathed fire, through the motion of my double whips overhead. It gave kind of a machinegun effect, I was pleased. The energy from Friday had kind of faded, but what can you do? We were all a bit tired. There was a bit of a scare when Ace caught himself with his ropedart, which one witness (One of Dragon Steps' members) said left him on fire for ten seconds before the safety tech moved at all. I watched the tape and timed it. It came up at about 2.5 seconds. Dragon Steps' safety techs couldn't have reacted any faster, honestly. I'll have to clear that up for them. Not saying they were idiots or anything. Nothing of the sort. I just know that things tend to distort in a situation like that. 2.5 seconds can look and even feel like an eternity when the unexpected occurs. There was a near miss when one of the audience members came up behind one of our guests as she was performing a staff routine. I went over to the gentleman in question and explained to him that his actions were not okay, and should never be repeated. I told him I didn't want to have to treat him for burns and a concussion, and he saw my point.
The adult show: WOW. Twice as many people as Friday, and twice the sexual energy. OH MY GOD. I got so many fleshings and floggings and whippings that I ran COMPLETELY out of battery power, and almost out of tape. Gir stepped up for a breast flogging and fleshing, which I must say rocked most righteously. Pity that my battery died before I could get the last bit down-- a full-chest Fluer De Lis. It turned out beautifully, I assure you. You're unfortunately just gonna have to take my word for it. It's gonna be a long task of capturing it all onto the hard drive and converting it over to a tighter format, but that's why I taped it all-- so they could receive a copy of it, as a token of their experience. One of the volunteers, on her way out of my encampment, thanked me-- with a hair-grabbing, tonsil-swabbing, if-you-didn't-have-anything-planned-already-we'd-be-in-a-tent-right-now kind of kiss. Holyshithowdy.
Sunday, I packed up my things and got a ride home. I had an easier time finding a ride for just me, and the Whispers agreed to bring my gear home for me Monday. Did I Mention the Whispers ROCK OUT LOUD? Oh, okay, I did. Well just so you know, they do. I got home, bathed, checked my email, and collapsed. I was so far gone that when Lorelai came home, she crawled into bed with me, and kissed me... I didn't notice. I slept like the Dead. She arrived home to find the gift I got her-- a beautiful metallic cobalt blue bellydancing veil. She loves it. YAY me!
It was a good weekend, a great event, and I spent it in the company of good friends in a great household. It left me exhausted, sore, and satisfied.
And the Whispers ROCK OUT LOUD. That is all.
I got a ride from Fae, Aly and Medic, who miraculously had room for me and all my shit. Hallelujah. They get here and I begin to get my gear downstairs... Which they had never seen me do before. I live on the second floor, over a guy who never uses his sliding glass patio door. For anything. So, what is a pirate to do but take advantage of the situation? I usually assess my gear for those things which are non-breakable... and DROP THOSE THINGS OFF THE BALCONY. This event was no different. They were surprised at first, and got a good laugh out of it. They accused me of cheating, then went on to say they would probably do the same if they could. Suffice to say it saved time.
We arrive onsite, and the first thing I notice is the drastic changes to the way our encampment is laid out: It has walls. Yes, they drove dozens of fence stakes into the rock hard clay and put up sheet walls, to keep out prying eyes. Because I asked for privacy. Not because it's me, but because of a certain adult-oriented fire show I do: Fire Floggings, Fire Whippings, and Fleshing. More on that later, I'm getting ahead of myself. Suffice to say, though, I love these guys. The Whispers ROCK OUT LOUD. Another thing, Makoto was there. He moved to Florida a while back, but made the trip out here to attend the event. He brought the Katana I made for him, too, which meant there would be a damn fine showing onstage that night.
Not much to do in the daytime, really, so I spend much of it in camp, waiting. I spend more of it wandering about the site, on merchant's row, visiting friends' and fans' encampments, etc. All of this waiting for the sun to drop below the horizon. There was a second troupe of performers there, Dragon Steps. I met with them to find out the performace situation, and it turns out they were the opener for Friday's show, doing their full lineup before we go on. Not a bad show! Lots of martial arts choreography, and one firebreahing trick I have wanted to get Fire and Steel to learn for years (just getting all of us together for practice is like herding cats): They line up side by side, with only one torch at one end... and breathe fire one at a time, passing the blast of flame from their mouths in front of the person to the right, so they can ignite off of them, to pass it down the line. Looks damn fine, let me tell you. Ah well, can't be first at everything, you know. But we go on, and rock the house, in true Fire and Steel Style. Much kickassness is laid down, with the new count-off for the KABOOM routine (Mass firebreathing) and Friday had an overall carnival feel to it.
After the show, I get back to my encampment, and set things up. People are filing into the encampment, after getting their ID checked. No one under 18 is allowed in. The acts being performed are not only adult in nature, but being videotaped. I explain to the audience what is going to happen, and what each act does. I even show them what fleshing looks like, using my own skin to demonstrate. (For those of you not in the know, fleshing is the act of drawing a torch across the skin, leaving lines of flame on the flesh. Sometimes the torch is lit, sometimes it's unlit, and the fuel trail is ignited by a second torch, sending the flame down the fuel trail to the first torch to light it. This is called a transfer.) I begin taking volunteers, and the first girl steps up. Once it starts it's a good hour and a half before I am done taking volunteers. One of them was Gir, and ex girlfriend of mine. She was once a cutter, so it's no surprise to me that she chose whipping as the act she wanted me to perform on her. She took 33 lashes on the FIRST one. Yes, I say first because there was a second one. The second one lasted 53 lashes before it went out. She sank to her knees, and I carried her back to her chair. There were not many people familiar with BDSM in the crowd, so her reaction (SUBSPACE) was mistaken for shock. Suffice to say I had some explaining to do to a chirurgeon, who, unfortunately, is also not familiar with BDSM or its many nuances. But Gir was fine, and happy with the outcome of her whippings. In total 83 lashes. The first person to ever take two whippings in one night, and most others dropped out after ten to twenty lashes. Gir's a skinny one, but she's tough as nails when it comes to her tolerance for pain.
Saturday leads me to pause long enough to mention One Motherfucker. Remember that asshole who tried to accuse me of stealing from kids, and tried to get me banned from performing because I am "unsafe?" Well he was there, hiding in his little quadrant of the site. He made a scene Friday night after the floggings and whippings, stating that if anyone in his encampment volunteered for one, they needed to wash their skin to remove fiberglass from the wicking. Now, here's the funny part. Yes, there is fiberglass in Kevlar wicking most times. But the fibers are so short and fine that they generally can't get through the skin. Medic has worn one of the tails from one of my floggers around her ankle as a badge to commemorate her first... for nearly a year now. Never had a complaint about fiberglass from her.
Back in Boot Camp, in 1992, I had a Drill Sergeant, who said, "There's always One Motherfucker." Every time someone did something totally stupid, lame, or pointless. If you asked him about that statement, he'd reply with, "Did you ever notice how there's always One Motherfucker who tried to ICE SKATE UP HILL? Always One Motherfucker PUSHING ON A DOOR MARKED PULL? Always One Motherfucker Trying to BUILD A HOUSE FROM THE ROOF DOWN? That's him, private." My basic assessment of the shitheel fuckstick who keeps trying to start shit is this. He's One Motherfucker. He exhibits the above symptoms along with JUST NEVER LEARNING WHEN TO SIMPLY SHUT THE FUCK UP. What I think is funny about it all is if he'd just stop trying to start drama, i'd quit hitting back. Look around on YouTube and you should be able to find a video of a kitten picking a fight with a cactus. That's him.
The heat Saturday is just enough to be uncomfortable. I throw my tarp over the top of one of the shade arbors, since its fabric top is too thin to really stop the heat from radiating in. There's just enough wind to deliver some comedy relief, as I have to put it up twice before I just tie it down. Namigin gave me more than a few pokes, telling me my brown tarp is purple (she's kind of right, really. When sunlight comes through it, the tarp looks purple.)
Lestat the Bloodboiler finally shows up onsite, so I can finally give him his firesword. It's a beautiful Hand-and-a-Half with a total length of four feet. He's not one to get all giddy and show too much excitement, but he just glittered and glowed when I handed it to him. He didn't put it down for most of the day, except to set up, park his car, or eat.
Saturday's show goes reasonably well... I tried something new. I breathed fire, through the motion of my double whips overhead. It gave kind of a machinegun effect, I was pleased. The energy from Friday had kind of faded, but what can you do? We were all a bit tired. There was a bit of a scare when Ace caught himself with his ropedart, which one witness (One of Dragon Steps' members) said left him on fire for ten seconds before the safety tech moved at all. I watched the tape and timed it. It came up at about 2.5 seconds. Dragon Steps' safety techs couldn't have reacted any faster, honestly. I'll have to clear that up for them. Not saying they were idiots or anything. Nothing of the sort. I just know that things tend to distort in a situation like that. 2.5 seconds can look and even feel like an eternity when the unexpected occurs. There was a near miss when one of the audience members came up behind one of our guests as she was performing a staff routine. I went over to the gentleman in question and explained to him that his actions were not okay, and should never be repeated. I told him I didn't want to have to treat him for burns and a concussion, and he saw my point.
The adult show: WOW. Twice as many people as Friday, and twice the sexual energy. OH MY GOD. I got so many fleshings and floggings and whippings that I ran COMPLETELY out of battery power, and almost out of tape. Gir stepped up for a breast flogging and fleshing, which I must say rocked most righteously. Pity that my battery died before I could get the last bit down-- a full-chest Fluer De Lis. It turned out beautifully, I assure you. You're unfortunately just gonna have to take my word for it. It's gonna be a long task of capturing it all onto the hard drive and converting it over to a tighter format, but that's why I taped it all-- so they could receive a copy of it, as a token of their experience. One of the volunteers, on her way out of my encampment, thanked me-- with a hair-grabbing, tonsil-swabbing, if-you-didn't-have-anything-planned-already-we'd-be-in-a-tent-right-now kind of kiss. Holyshithowdy.
Sunday, I packed up my things and got a ride home. I had an easier time finding a ride for just me, and the Whispers agreed to bring my gear home for me Monday. Did I Mention the Whispers ROCK OUT LOUD? Oh, okay, I did. Well just so you know, they do. I got home, bathed, checked my email, and collapsed. I was so far gone that when Lorelai came home, she crawled into bed with me, and kissed me... I didn't notice. I slept like the Dead. She arrived home to find the gift I got her-- a beautiful metallic cobalt blue bellydancing veil. She loves it. YAY me!
It was a good weekend, a great event, and I spent it in the company of good friends in a great household. It left me exhausted, sore, and satisfied.
And the Whispers ROCK OUT LOUD. That is all.
I'm glad you were satisfied with it.
xoxo
yes, I did get it to play finally. Thanks.