Random crap with Uno.

[Unorthodox]

No one is going to confuse my greenman/horned one crossbreed costume for a walking tree. 

Stalkabouts (sit on the shoulders with puppeteering to control the head/arms/etc) and stilt costumes are a fairly common thing these days, I think the peak for those was the mid to late 90s.  Though the recent walking with dinos ones still wow folk pretty hardcore.  Generally, they don't have quite the same impact they used to.  (that's not to say kids aren't impressed) 

No interest in trying to make money at it besides.

[Buster's Uncle]

I figured as much.  You've got money, you can't travel far - I just think you'd enjoy the crap out of it.  You've probably got ten acts/gimmicks that could easily be made to fit a renfair in your repertoire already, maybe for walking around the lanes alone.  Lord knows how many different gimmicks you could slap together for a stage act - but those are harder to get a slot for, and surely too much trouble.

You're an entertainer and a natural for the faire - and a lot of your kind of freaks gravitate to this kind of thing, both audience and especially participants.  Keep your involvement simple/limited, and I can't see you not loving it.  -Making your gas money back definitely easy for you if you want to try...

[Unorthodox]

In other news, Alec wants a similar mask for himself.  We found a set of elk horns to do it in the boxes as well. 

[Buster's Uncle]

A related idea:

One afternoon, the same season of the Arizona Fair, my first on the road, I was sitting in the Mayor's pavilion for the shade and nosh, the Mayor had nodded off -there was one other participant sitting in there, but he kept quiet and giggled a little the whole time- a family approached gingerly and one asked "Is that the King?"

"Nay" quoth I, "'Tis the Lord Mayor, and he does make most gracious greetings that you honor our lovely town of Farihaven with your presence."

...I ended up having a five minute conversation with those nice people on the Lord Mayor's behalf ("He wishes me to tell you" and so on) and he never woke up.  I was really proud of that impromptu bit...

---

So the idea is, I see Greenman doing the walk around looking amazing and not talking thing, right?

If that's the plan, it would be insanely cute if part of the time, he has a lovely companion/assistant/ensorcelled damsel, Pirate/Princess/whatever Talia.  From what you've described of her personality and understanding of performing over the years, just give her a setup and let her do all the talking.  It sounds like she's ready...

[Unorthodox]

The mask needs a little work, the costume a whole lot (considering it was afternoon of addition).



If I get around to it, we'd have a trio walking around the Halloween fair this July.  Alec, myself, AND Talia.  Though we might be doing a test run of her painted doll at that point. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Great - I'd hope she didn't get too deeply into character, though, because you make her sound like her being Talia is what would be maximally entertaining.

[Unorthodox]

Keeping her on target would be a challenge. 

She wants to walk with all the kids that are scared at the house. 

[Buster's Uncle]

You and Alec can be in character.  Perky Talia FTW.

[Unorthodox]

Alec would be a fine teenage version, actually.  Especially if he gets DEEP into character like he sometimes does. 

[hEtErOdOx]

Like father like son.

[Unorthodox]

A little tidbit on Talia and the doll. 

! No longer available

I was kind of hoping they'd market this one like they did with #1 and release videos of all the songs as soon as it hit DVD, but that seems not to be the case. 

So, Talia was heading with me to the pet store last week, getting the second set of friends for Joe and looking for medicine.  She spent the drive watching the movie for her second time. 

When the doll sins, Heaven's security beats her to a pulp and tosses her down to hell.  She winds up at the carnival entrance thus, a bloody mess of a face. There is one thing I need to make rather clear.   

TALIA DOES NOT LIKE BLOOD.  Never has:

http://www.anunorthodoxhalloween.com/blog/?cat=26

Anyhow, our Doll winds up in Hell, where she is frightened, alone, and wounded.  She is brought to Satan who, through the course of a musical number, teaches her to accept who she is and thus heal herself.  (There's some crazy symbology going on around this as well, but I won't get into it now)  It is during this, we see her washing off her blood and wounds, to find the cracked doll beneath. 

Talia looks up at me:

"You know what would be cool?  We should have the cracks BLEEDING.  Just a little though." 

A:  She doesn't just want to replicate anymore, but make it her own.  That is awesome in and of itself. 
B:  Zootopia might have cured her of the blood thing.  Yes.  Zootopia. 

[Buster's Uncle]

That is indeed awesome.

Child artists tend to begin in utter imitation -which is great; it helps them master the basic crafting skills and learn what works about what they copy- and drift into more and more original elements until, one hopes, they're producing entirely original work.  In a few years she'll be doing work -in whatever medium, including dressing herself- you don't care for, I bet - but that's a part of the cycle, her job as progeny, to strike out on her own and annoy the parental units in her teens.

This comes as absolutely no surprise - you've been describing a budding artist who was starting to get it for a couple years now.  She's learning at the feet of a master, and has taken the first step of becoming her own Talia as an artist.

[Unorthodox]

Wind advisory again today.  What the hell is with the wind this year? 

[Buster's Uncle]

Gusty with a strong chance of 60mph+.  I thought you knew.

[Unorthodox]

This one SHOULDN'T be damaging, really.  (though some trees might have been weakened enough by the last storm. 

This is the 3rd 50+ wind advisory in the last month.