Valhalla Faire question

[barnabas_truman]

Okay, I gotta ask this, because otherwise it's just going to keep bothering me.

What the hell was going on with the dragons?

Seriously. Sure, come to Faire, have your fun, even dress up like a stupid barbarian or a "pirate" if you must, but dragon fursuits? TWO of them? Faire is not FurryCon. Faire is not Disneyland. Some of us are trying to do some historical reenactment and two people dressed like theme park characters and acting like cartoon anthro-dogs does not help. Were they patrons or participants? I can't imagine management would be crazy enough to deliberately bring them in, but they were being followed around by a photographer with a participant wristband, and they were there all day, so I'm really not sure.

ARG.

Also this was Pirate Infection Infestation Invasion weekend. Which also doesn't make any sense. It's like a historical reenactment group in the 25th century having a 2000s Faire, and including a Terrorist Invasion Weekend wherein kids can run around in robes, turbans, and eyepatches, waving their plastic uzis and shouting ARRR! Not only that, but in the opening festivities some noble or mayor or whoever announced that it was Pirate Invasion Weekend and, as far as I could tell, introduced the pirate leaders. (Imagine the actor playing Bush at the 2000s Faire cheerfully announcing Terrorist Invasion Weekend and introducing the actor playing bin Laden!) Introduce? Why not just arrest now?

Yes, Secret of Monkey Island was a brilliantly awesome game, and Captain Jack Sparrow was pretty cool, but hasn't this whole pirate fad kinda run its course?

Anyway, other than that Faire was a lot of fun. I played plenty of music with Minstrels and Pryanksters both, saw a neat new juggling/music/acrobatics family act (the pennywhistler also has a Copeland!), bought a new belt pouch and a couple of shirts, ordered a pair of boots, and got a list of tunes from Siamsa (thanks Richard!) to practice so I can jam with them next time. I also told a story on stage to amuse the audience while waiting for the other Minstrels to show up.
A ducke did once walk into an inne, and did aske the innekeeper "Innekeeper, hast thou any grapes?"
Fun times indeed.

Comments

[brokenallbroken.livejournal.com]

Faire is not FurryCon. Faire is not Disneyland.

Disneyland does not permit guests in costume to enter the park. I believe, however, they make exception for kids young enough to not get mistaken for Cast Members.

Faire is exactly like Disneyland, except there are no head characters. And fewer rides.

[whalejudge.livejournal.com]

If the "dragons" were more clearly, oh, jesters in some sort of costume, or an act, it would be better.

As for pirates--probably not. I do think they should make more of an effort to present them as seadogs (were I to do a pirate character, I would claim to have sailed with Drake), but this is a time period where pirates did have the support of nobles and the crown as long as they stayed away from English shipping. English pirates weren't so terrifying to the populace of England. Barbary pirates were. If you really want to get nitpicky on the historical details, the Ottoman Traders have no place--trade in the Ottoman Empire at this time was in the hands of the Greeks and Jews.

[figsauce.livejournal.com]

Dragons: do they make more or less sense than the fairies?

Fairies: do they make more or less sense than the samurai?

Discuss.

[ribbin.livejournal.com]

Officially sanctioned pirates are dumb, but that's the current trend, and that's where the money is. Hence the pirate fair this weekend (which, BTW, is a hell of a lot of fun!).

The dragons have gotta go.

[lyahdan.livejournal.com]

I didn't really mind the 'more period' looking dragon. The leather and metal and so forth that he used for the costume looks reasonably like he could have been the eccentric nutjob on the hill who decided to be a dragon. No wackier than some of the Morris outfits have been, really. It took a lot of work and entertains the customers to no end. Much like the fire-breathing metal dragon that has made an appearance at various faires.

The plushie one? Ick.

Likewise our bubble fairy (who was definitely a participant). I've seen wings that would have looked more period, but she wasn't outrageously modern. Her bubble toys were wire and string, and she kept kids and adults entertained.

Given that faire is a balance between historical reenactment and theatrical entertainment, you're going to have things running closer to one end or the other and everything between.

At least we haven't been overrun with anime-costumed patrons yet. The pirates, fairies, and fur-bikini wearers don't break the mood the way those would.

[whalejudge.livejournal.com]

Frankly, if I see the plush dragon near our show again, I;m going to ask it to move on the grounds he scares Kitten.

[barnabas-truman.livejournal.com]

Human-shaped things that aren't quite human are scary, especially if you can't see their actual face.

[cat51819.livejournal.com]

How can fairy wings be period?

My sister is in the SCA and there has NEVER been a dragon at her events. Time to switch to the dark side? ;-)