Tiefling IRL

The US is too big at this point. I’m not against this.

I have a public facing persona separate from my legal name. Though I do take steps to decouple the two.

These are literally all factual. If they don’t want to look bad on paper maybe they shouldn’t be fascists.

The skill with a lot of these things is knowing how to present it with confidence. Plus pain tolerance, technical skills, and theater skills.

How dangerous really is your job?

Very. The name of the game is risk mitigation. Most acts put only the performer at risk, but fire puts the entire theater at risk, which is why I carry insurance and follow strict protocol. I perform at a historic landmark so they don’t allow just anyone to use fire there.

What happens if you get injured? Insurance/etc.?

I have a day job with insurance, but not everyone is so lucky and performers do get hurt sometimes. Injuries are bad because they mean taking time off to heal (a friend of mine is currently recovering from a broken rib and can’t perform). Minor cuts and burns are part of the job, you learn to manage them and move on, so we’re all covered in scars. Again, it’s all about risk mitigation.

What differences do you have when performing for adults vs. children? (since you mention child-friendly, I assume that means you don’t do things that might scare them)

Adult oriented shows often have more nudity/burlesque and more graphic acts, whereas kids get more traditional circus or campy horror. For example, children might see fire eating and mousetrap, while adults might get a bed of nails or human pincushion.

What are your least tame skills?

Tongue splits ALWAYS freak people out. So does anything involving a power drill.

How did you get into performing in the sideshow? Mentors, training, string of coincidences?

I started as a fire performer and got into it through fire eating. Eventually, one thing led to another, and I was invited to join America’s last permanently housed circus sideshow. Everything blew up from there.

Favorite memory?

We’re a close-knit group, almost like family, which is special since we’re a dying breed. My favorite memories are probably the things other performers have said about me while introducing me to the stage. We love to gush about each other.

Any frightening memories?

Earlier this year, one of my close friends tried to take her own life on one of my performance days. My phone blew up to the point where I couldn’t even see my GPS. My girlfriend stepped in to help thankfully. We got a group chat going, sent people to find her, got her to the hospital, and she spent a week in the psych ward.

After that, I hosted a fundraiser show that raised $1k to get her back on her feet. The event also brought a lot of people together.

If you read this far, here’s my IG

AMA I guess?

Sideshow performer. Lately been working on putting mousetraps on my tongue. It’s one of my tamer skills, but I just never really had the chance to develop that skill. It’s also one of the more child friendly skills.

A porcelain doll

I’ll warn you that it overcooks easily. Cook it for less time than normal pasta.

What about phoenix balut?

Is there gluten in chickpeas? I kinda prefer it to regular

VGA cables? You mean grappling hooks?

Yeah but that’s all my replacement’s problem to deal with

Self expression and community

If you enjoy folk songs or ghost stories, take a listen to Charming Disaster

A convicted consent violator nonetheless

Balanced binary tree

Real answer: Japanese maple and willows

You know how the curse of pet ownership is that you will almost certainly outlive them?

That, but with everyone you love

My midlife crisis at 25 was learning how to safely perform dangerous superhuman shit

They raided a dispensary a few hours before this