Please don’t go to Salem MA in October. It is a gorgeous small city and my favorite place to be, but during October it becomes so insanely overcrowded that it poses a huge problem for the locals.

Go during summer instead, it’s a little cooler than most of the US

Florida is canceled. Hawaii.

I have spent all day crying and drafting escape plans since my life is now in extreme danger. I’m a Latina immigrant, trans, and drag-adjacent performer

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

I’ve gone to the ER twice due to a stomach virus caused by a bad deli sandwich, about 100 miles apart. I only wish that on my enemies.

The skill with a lot of these things is knowing how to present it in a way that makes an entire audience roar in a mix of applause and screams.

Plus, you know, pain tolerance and technical skills

I certainly don’t. The best pancakes have butter and very little sugar. Maybe I’ll add a drizzle of ultra dark maple syrup if I want that taste, but I certainly don’t drench it.

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.

they clutch their pearls and lecture them about how the party that is actually involved in genocide is the right answer against another party who will be just as involved in genocide

More likely the downvotes are because you are both sides-ing the issue. You are correct that the current administration is complicit (as is the Republican congress that overwhelmingly votes to fund Israel, but never seems to be brought up), but implying both sides are the same is disingenuous at best and malicious at worst.

Kamala at least pretends to care about a ceasefire, whereas Trump thinks Biden is holding back Netanyahu . Trump’s admin also boasts about waterfront property in Gaza. And that’s without bringing in the rest of the risks Trump poses.

I’m not typing this for you. I expect your reply will be something about how the current admin is complicit while making Trump seem like an angel. I’m typing this so others can see the type of manipulation your ilk tries to infect social media with.

My plan is to vote for Harris then try to get people to protest the genocide en masse on Inauguration day. I’d also like to help promote the NPVIC

I don’t oppose third parties on principle, but find them more harmful than good in our current political system. At least for nationwide elections.

CBD-Melatonin gummies. They knock me out in 15m.

These guys

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?

Self expression and community

To repeat a quote I’ve been seeing around, it’s far easier to pressure a president than it is to resist a dictator

No, cosplayers do that all the time