Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Devil's Night - Zero Nine
Halloween Zero Nine

After another year of waiting, The Devil's Night came and went like an apparition in your head. This year, despite being on a Saturday, things didn't seem as spectacular as they did in previous years. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the night, oh no. I loved every minute of it. So let's start at the beginning, yeah?

As usual, my Halloween mindset began weeks (almost months) before the big night. Around August, I had initially planned to discontinue the black & white toy theme. I was looking around my room for ideas knowing I couldn't live up to Jaden and Dorian, but I still wanted something genuinely creepy and if possible, interactive. In my closet, I discovered a poorly made jesters hat that I [purchased from the dollar store years ago. It's black and purple, and a few of the bells on the tips were missing, but I thought I could do something with this.

I scoured the 'net to help give me idea for how to do the rest of the jester outfit. I was hoping that I would find clothing from a thrift store with similar colouring and just work from there. It was already September and I had nothing. The more I worried about the jester costume, the less I like the idea. I didn't want to be compared to that premade, manufactured "evil jester" costume that's usually seen in costume shops around the world and I really didn't feel motivated enough to start an original one from scratch. Eventually, I completely scrapped the idea.

And so the stress began. October arrived and I had no costume ideas.

Meanwhile, I started reading the letters written to Mr. Grinn. I think three years running the streets was enough for him, so I left the idea of his resurrection alone. But wait... Three years. Three. In terms of the monochrome toyset, I was only one away. I started with Jaden the marionette, and succeeded him with Dorian the wind-up toy. This was a good sign now that I had a general theme to follow. But who... or WHAT to complete the trinity?

It wasn't long before I envisioned the wonderful little creation to complete the monochrome toy trio: a simple doll.

Creating the face was time consuming as usual. The major difficulty was making the rest of the look. My props this year were a pair of hands, extending from my own and controlled by the wrist. The hands themselves were made from cardboard, a bit of stuffing and a loads of duct tape (which was blue.. and I don't remember why.) With the hand base done, I had to figured out what to covered them with. and what to cover the rest of me with. I then realized the inevitable. I had to sew.

I needed white cloth to make gloves for the hands, and black cloth to make a shirt with custom length sleeves to compensate for my elongated arms. While working out ideas in my room, I let out a frustrated yell. "Fuck! I have to sew!". Youngest Sis must have heard me because she came in and said "Good. Now you can make me my robe!"

The story behind this is that Youngest Sis, as you may already know, is a Harry Potter fan (her fandom inspired me to make the wands and all) so she's been wanting a robe for Halloween and to have at the ready for conventions and whatnot. She concocted this deal that if I didn't make her a robe, I'd have to buy one online or something. I never agreed to this, but I thought making a robe would be an interesting experience.

I visited the nearby fabric store with Youngest Sis and my mother (since she knows a tonne more about this stuff than I do). I felt a little awkward being the only guy in there at that particular time of the day. But I was on a mission to complete my costume and the Hogwarts robe side quest. I picked a thick white cloth for the gloves so no colours could show through, a fairly decent red cloth for the lining of Youngest Sis' robe and about 8 feet of that cheap Halloween fabric for the outside of her robe and my own short (which was going to be a one time use anyway).

I finished the gloves in a fair amount of time, despite doing it by hand. I knew I needed a machine for my shirt and the dreaded robe. I took out my mum's sewing machine, placed it on the table in the dining room and sat down. "MOM! TEACH ME THIS THING!" She entered the dining room a bit on the irritated side since I happened to yell during a phonecall. Mum set up the threads and whatnot and taught me what to do. That night, I learned the basics of sewing shit together.

Making the shirt was moderately easy. I just stitched together some cloth for sleeves, another piece for the torso, put those pieces together and voila! Instant top. After stitching in some white yarn to simulate larger stitches, the shirt was done. I planned to wear my big pair of black pants to complete the out of proportion look.

Now came time for the robe. That damned Hogwart's robe. I searched for an easy to do pattern on the 'net, but it was hoodless. I found one with a hood but it was too advanced for me to do. At this point, I figured "Fuck it. I'll just combined the easy one with a hood." and proceeded to do so. It took hours into the night to complete. Since the sewing machine made things ridiculously easy in term of putting it together, I spent most of my time just sitting with the fabric in my hands, trying to figure out which part gets stitched first, which parts go inside-out, which parts need that hem thing to straighten it out, etc, etc.

By the time I finished, I had snagged a clump of fabric twice, redid mistake stitches about 6 times, and misaligned stitches at least a dozen times. I needed to finish it at that time while I was in he groove of things.. If I left it until later, I probably would've screwed up a lot more and perhaps not even finish at all. In the end, it turned out a helluva lot better than I would ever think it to. It was about 4:00am so Youngest Sis was fast asleep. I tried it on myself to see if everything was alright. The shoulders were tight which put me in a slight panic... but then I remembered that she's smaller than me, so it wasn't that big of a problem. I went to sleep just before sunrise that night.

Just a couple of hours later, a kiss on my forehead and delighted laughter temporarily woke me up. "Thanks, Kuya (big brother)! It's so awesome!". Youngest Sis was trying it on over her school uniform (which isn't too far from Hogwart's garb) and admiring the robe in the mirror. "I'll adjust it and add the other bit later.. Now go away, I want to sleep." I grumbled. After a decent amount of rest, Youngest sis came home from school and so I shortened the robe to her height and asked where she wanted her wand pocket. After adding the final touches, I handed her the robe and said "You owe me. Now go away."

Thinking my work was done, Lil Sis asked if I could help her think up a zombie character for our outing this year. She used her Zombie Schoolgirl several times for zombie related events like the Toronto After Dark film fest and the annual zombie walks around the city, so she wanted to change it up for Halloween night. At first, she had planned on a Red Riding Hood zombie, but she felt it would be too similar to the look of the main role in the recently released Trick 'R Treat. Her next thought was Zombie Snow White, but adult sized costumes were sold out. We went to a couple of thrift stores for inspiration.

Value Village, a chain of thrift stores in the city, had tonnes of costumes in stock. At this point, it was just a matter of choosing which one we were going to bloody up. After taking a look at the selection, the decision became increasingly harder to make. If it wasn't too big or didn't fit with a zombie theme, it was the slutty version of a normal costume, marketed towards lazy whores who look forward to getting their photo taken by cellphones so that they can get drunk on the one day in the year when prostitution has a dress up theme. Anyway.. Lil Sis decided on a black & white film star. Think Audrey Hepburn-ish, but Asian and dead. She found the dress, gloves, feather boa, pearls and whatever all in one go. All she needed was a nice jacket to wear over it all (Halloween isn't usually very warm)

With one more sleep before the big night and my costume and sisters' costumes ready to go (though Youngest Sis wasn't coming with us downtown), all that was left to do was wait. Another cousin was staying over for the night to chill with Youngest Sis so he arrived in the evening that Friday. At around the same time, I received a phonecall from the cousin who was coming with Lil Sis and I downtown, telling me to brace myself for his costume. I wouldn't have expected anything less. Just before heading to bed, I asked Lil Sis if she could tie my hair to make "pseudo-dreads" for lack of a better term. I wanted to differentiate this years style from the previous ones, and tying it up all kooky-like was my only idea. When my seemingly endless overexcitement for night ahead died down, I finally fell asleep.

October 31st - Halloween

I woke up with my scalp feeling a little sore because I'm not used to sleeping with my hair tied up at all, let alone tightly done in a dread style all over my head. I mixed up a pitcher of iced tea and had a quick snack, just enough to get me through most of the night. As tradition goes, the feast comes at the very end so I didn't want to eat too much.

Lil Sis put on her dress and asked me if I could add some tears and ruffled edges here and there before dabbing a bit of stage blood to mimic scrapes and wounds. While she still had it on, I CAREFULLY poked and cut through the fabric of her dress with an exacto knife. With the addition of some stage blood over the opened tears, it made a great simulation for undead bang-ups. It was about this time my cousin arrived.

Disclaimer: Before I continue, I should note something. This year, my cousin donned a costume portraying a particular figure, and though on its own it really doesn't seem like much of a big deal, there are a couple of details (mentioned both in the report and visible in photos) that might make it seem a bit on the offensive side. I will take this opportunity to warn you in advance that the rest of the report will contain some bits that may make us seem like blasphemous basterds. Perhaps we are... But we are also Catholics with a sense of humour. Besides... Halloween is the one night in the year when we can raise a little hell. Why not have a bit o' fun with it, yeah?

With that out of the way, let's continue.

The 'Cuz greeted me with his adopted catchphrase for the time, "Mornin', Fuckface!" (despite the time being halfway into the afternoon), marched into my room, shut the door and proceeded to change into his costume. After a few minutes of rustling clothes and an occasional "Oh.. Haha! It's backwards.", out of my room stumbled Jesus Christ.

I laughed my ass off at how Jesus looked. Not so much a savior.. The wig gave him this "stoner" look. Despite this, he was hoping to put in a detail or two so that his costume was as "accurate as possible". The 'Cuz dabbed a bit of blood gel where the thorns in his crown would poke, letting a bit drip down his face. In addition to the crown wounds, he wanted some lashes of blood across his back. I obliged by swiping a paintbrush of blood over the top layer of cloth. We pocketed a small bottle of stage blood to bring downtown for the final touch to the Jesus outfit. Jesus was more or less ready to go.

After helping Lil Sis with her makeup a bit more I suited up and placed my mask on, knowing I wouldn't be taking it off until late into the night. It took a bit of help from Jesus to secure my hands and, well, I pretty much had to depend on him for a number of other things like opening doors and paying for busfare. We gathered whatever necessary effects in my pockets and/or Lil Sis' purse and headed out.

At the bus stop, we waited for about 20 minutes, which to our advantage, gave enough time for Lil Sis to run back to the house (about 40 metres away) to grab her cellphone which she had forgotten. By this time, the wind was picking up, which would have made for a great high-speed camera shot of Jesus and his robes flowing in the wind. When the bus arrived, we hopped on.

Lucky for us, a trio of seats were free right in the centre. Needless to say, we had many eyes dart back and forth at us out of curiosity, amazement and in Lil Sis' case, fear. A Filipina and her child kept their eyes focused on Jesus. It wasn't long before the mother encouraged her child to "say hi to Jesus". Nice, I thought.

A man sitting opposite us noticed the Jesus costume and began talking to The 'Cuz about Catholicism and job hunting. Acorss from us sat a chatty pair of hideous looking girls who resembled rats and no, they were not in costume. Since my eyes were completely covered by my mask, I would occasionally give a heads-up to Jesus and Zombie that many people were reacting to our costumes. So far so good.

After a bus trip to one station, then a train ride to another, we emerged the underground passages to a dark, windy and chilly night. We made it downtown. First stop: The Video Game Shop

This place holds a special place in our heart because of the nostalgia one feels once you enter. This store sells games for almost any console in existence. Lil Sis introduced it to me a couple of months ago and since then, I've bought a new (old) game every time I've visited. What attracted us to the shop are the old school Nintendo games. We're talkin' everything NES and SNES, which to me, make up 85% of my video gaming childhood. There's a great condition original copy of Chrono Trigger sitting in one of the glass cases for... erm.. $70.00. Despite already owning the same game for my DSi, I'm so tempted to pick it up just so I can sit on my couch and play through it again and again, using the very same controllers I used when I was a wee lad. In any case, it's an old-school video game heaven.

So for what reason would a doll, a zombie and Jesus visit this little shop? 5% off if you arrived in costume AND everyone else in the store would be dressed up too. The place is independently run and the guys there are awesome. Last year, one fellow dressed up as old-school Joker and have Batman games running on their Sega Genesis and Super Nintendos. This year, the same guy dressed up as Moonwalker Michael Jackson. At one point during the night, he started up the Moonwalker game and started doing a Jacko commentary (voice and all) while playing. The two co-owners of the shop dressed as Shinobi and Solid Snake. We saw a Pokemon master visiting as well. It was a neat little gathering of gamers in a very cramped store.

Though the 5% discount for any purchase was definitely appealing, we couldn't take advantage of the offer because none of us has cash and mroe importantly, nobody could decide what to buy. We snapped a photo or two and went on our way.

It was well into the evening now. The temperature was tolerable but the wind was picking up. Thankfully, it wasn't raining. From the game shop, we walked to Chinatown to stop by the bank and if we were hungry, pick up a snack. The smell of barbequed meats was enticing as hell but I held off because I was saving my hunger for the feast at the end. Jesus picked up a hotdog and ate it while we walked. I regret not asking Zombie to take a pick of Jesus ordering the tube steak. Many passers-by gave him a look of amusement and confusement. Oh well.

This year, I wasn't exactly all that excited about the costume competition since 2007 set the bar pretty high (that's when I won Third) and I knew this years costume wasn't going to place because people are deadly creative as time passes by. I mention this because at this point in the night, we were already somewhat late to enter as we were too far away from the street party. However, I wanted to spend as much time at the party as possible because it only gets bigger and bigger as years go by and there was much to see.

With that said, I motioned to Jesus and Zombie to pick up their pace so we could get there sooner. Unfortunately, we got lost in the process because we ended up in a part of the city none of us were familiar with. After circling a few blocks several time and yelling out frustrated sighs, we eventually saw rainbow lights. Ah.. That must be where "The Village" is. To the Gaybourhood!

Once we were close enough, we felt it. The party was pumpin' and the crowds were ridiculous. The main stage featured a DJ blasting dance music that could be heard for blocks. There were literally thousands of costumes out and ten times as many cameras. Halloween was alive and we were once again in the middle of it all.

The moment we started mingling in the crowds, flashes went off all around us. Zombie, Jesus and myself were quite the attraction to various fans. It was tricky since I kept asking Zombie to take pictures of the costumes we thought were cool. After escaping the crowds for a bit, Zombie made her way to a Subway to get a sandwich and a drink to replenish her undead energy. While Zombie ate in the subshop (surrounded by curious Croatians, no less), Jesus and I made some rounds just outside to scope out good costumes, hot girls and rare combinations of both.

Jesus decided that at this point, it was an opportune time to implement the effect that would both add detailed accuracy to his look AND push the blasphemy even further. He pulled out the small bottle of stage blood and added a dab to his hands. He clapped his palms together and stamped the excess on on top of his hands. Voila. Instant nail wounds. When the blood dried, he pulled out a small round piece of bread. He motioned at it asking if I knew what it was. I laughed at how ridiculous he was and shook my head. "We're going to hell, man." I said. He replied, "Look around. We're already there." Good point, Jesus. Good point.

After zombie had her snack, we began to party. Well, our idea of partying isn't necessarily dancing half naked in front of the stage with the same sex (though that IS the idea for many others on the street). Instead, we were content just walking around, taking photos and feeding our Halloween characters' egos by getting our picture taken.

The rest of the night was spent interacting with the many people around us. Zombie lurched around as much as she could while still taking as many pictures as possible. It was a little difficult for her to stay in character. Her weaknesses are cute babies. Cute babies dressed up in costumes are super effective. That night, she would see one all too often, disabling her from groaning like true undead. Her highlight that night had nothing to do with infants though. We encountered a very done Shaun from Shaun of the Dead, cricket bat and all. He posed with Zombie for an impromptu screengrab from right out of the film. Zombie's wish for at least ONE zombie killer to attack her was granted.

Jesus would pose for shots by offering the bread up as communion for the people who pretended to eat it. At one point, Jesus encountered ANOTHER Jesus (who didn't look very Jesus-y), and eventually started a Jesus battle. In the end, our Jesus won since he had the bread and blood to prove it. The other Jesus needed to borrow a friend's ID (which actually said Jesus) for his move. It ultimately failed and our Jesus was victorious. After posing for a couple of shots, the Jesus' went their separate ways.

My interactions with the people were quite playful this year. Since I wasn't suspended from strings or relying on gears to function, my movements felt less restricted. I stumbled around often, swinging my arms low and jerking my head in an unnatural fashion. Again, I took advantage of the eyeholes concealing my line of sight and spied on passers-by who appeared creeped out by my costume. While their eyes were still trained on me, I would turn my head quickly and let out a shriek. Of course, this instigated my victims to let out a shriek of their own, followed by amused laughs and sometimes clapping. For photos, I would play on the ragdoll influence and bend backward, at times reaching a full 90 degree angle, while wrapping my extended arms around those in the photo with me. I received many comments regarding my flexibility, most of which would be inappropriate for virgin ears. I took them as compliments regardless. The arms made a fun impact on some who weren't paying attention to the fact that my new wingspan stretched out a few feet longer than normal. I was a little surprised by the number of children who were brought out with their parents that night. For whatever reason, many of these parents thought I would be a great person to take a photo with, despite having a mask on that isn't necessarily the friendliest-looking face. After the snap, I'd offer my hand out for a high-five or handshake. One gave me a hug which, again, threw me off.. But hey... If you get enjoyment out of seeing a mask like this, I like your style, kid.

Some fun moments to note:

- During a backwards bend, a crossdresser remarked that if I bent any lower, I could smell his "cooch" or "hooch" or something. Grossed out and somewhat confused, I got back up while he/she convinced me to ACTUALLY take a whiff. I shook my head and ran off.

- While Lil Sis was taking a pic, an old European man nearby held his camera up hoping to take a snap of her. He stood still with a cherub-like grin on his face for a good few minutes before I motioned to Sis that he was behind her. She turned around and they both screamed. Everyone around had a good laugh.

- A man posing with me waiting for his wife to take the picture was emitting a strange, nervous moan because the flash wasn't going off. He would trying telling his wife to fix the settings to make it work and to make sure the shutter is pressed properly, all in another language, nonetheless. This happened about three times while he moaned during the whole bit. Lil Sis was having a ball behind us.

- Jesus scratched 'down below' once in a while. I'm positive I wasn't the only one who saw. Thankfully, the noise and my mask covered up my laughs.

- The Japanese sound of surprise/awe (Heeehhhhh??!?) is the most satisfying thing one could hear. What's even more satisfying? Screams or terror. I was very satisfied that evening. (That almost sounds perverted.. Oh well.)

After an entire night of awesome, the three of us felt the night should come to a close. It was just past midnight so the best costumes were dwindling in numbers while others made their ways home or to clubs for hours of sweaty shaking. Lil Sis' camera ran out of battery power anyway, so with nothing else to do, we hailed a cab and went home.

When we returned to the house, we unfortunately just missed my aunt and grandma who had dinner with my parents. It would have been neat to show them our costumes but thinking about it again now, it was probably better that we didn't. With our costumes still on and stomachs empty, we drove over to our favouritest Chinese take-out place in existence to pay the old Chinese lady there a visit and, of course, order copious amounts of food.

Upon our arrival, the lady gave off a delighted scream and welcomed us in. She left the counter space and inspected our costumes while laughing and frequently commenting with a "Wow" or "Whoa". With just enough camera battery left for one final flash, we decided to take a photo with her to commemorate our annual tradition of stuffing ourselves with her distinctly delicious cooking taking place once again.

We said goodbye and walked out with multiple bags of tasty goodness. Returning home once again, we dropped the bags on the dinner table, set up some plates and chopsticks as well as a few pitchers of water and left for our rooms to change back to our real-life personas.

The 'Cuz had the easiest transformation, as he only needed to wash off some blood on his forehead and change clothes. Lil Sis' carefully removed her wounds and washed off her makeup while I spent a good 20 minutes pulling the little elastics out of my hair. I'll admit, I was a baby because I screamed every time one would get caught and tug my hair, but honestly, it did hurt.

Resuming our everyday look, we returned to the dining room and were joined by my other cousin and Youngest Sis. Lil Sis brought her laptop in and uploaded the night's photos so we could all have a look back on the night. With a fullscreen slideshow up and running, we opened up each piping hot dish and began to feast.

After eating, we managed to use what little energy we had left to clean up and head to the basement to play some video games before drifting off to sleep.

As I said, this year couldn't have topped previous years, but nevertheless, I couldn't be happier with how this yearly indulgence of mine turns out. I sometimes get asked why I put so much effort into Halloween of all days. Well... When the results give me a tale like this to tell every year, it is so worth it.

And now for your viewing pleasure, I present to you the more exciting part of my annual post: PHOTOS! (and captions!)

Please enjoy!


The Trio
Here's the cast of our little Halloween adventure. (Glam'd up with character-appropriate movie poster effects!)


Moonwalker
This was a shot from the video game store we visited earlier in the night. Moonwalker Michael Jackson ACTUALLY playing Moonwalker was definitely a sight to behold.


Shinobi
And in the background, a pretty cute Charlie Chaplin. (from the video game store.)


Where the Wild Things Are
In the Gaybourhood!


Queen Bees.
Get it? Hur hur hur..


Bioweapon Scientist
I can't say I know what he was researching.. but I don't like it.


The Wicked Witch of the East
Note the ruby slippers. Now watch as her feet curl up all fucked up-like.


Pope Gregory VII
With his boss, Buddy Christ.


Zorro Gal and Zombie Bathrobe
Y'know... Hotels want you to pay for those.


Mardi Gras Man
I can only assume this is what he was. "He danced around a lot" says Lil Sis


Adam & Eve
Sans nipples.


Sailor Mangirl
Aye-Aye Captain! *shudder*


Superman
And his curiously large head


Candy Tossers
More like Salad Tossers! But seriously... They were on a rooftop throwing candy to the people below.


Blurny Rabbit
I don't know what this is.


Ninja Doctor, Robyn and Indiana Jones
Not a common grouping but still fun!


Venetian Grim Reapers
With scythes, of course.


Canoers
Fishing trip!


Gothic Loli
Kawa-- Wait.. who's that beside you?


Chicken
Come and get me, Colonel!


Maxed Out Credit Cards
Thankfully, I use neither of those banks.


Dreadknight
He was here last year.. Being all dready and shit.


Demon Mages
Hooray dark sorcery!


Big Fuckin' Skull
Deep in thought.


Palm Tree Lady
With Curious George BEFORE captivity


Winnie the Goddamn Pooh
Standing next to the silly bear, Asian Vampiress


Tiki Warriors
Ooga booga!


Spiderman, Green Lantern and Supersomething
Don't worry, Asian fellow. Green Lantern's got yo butt!


"Condy" w/ Crazy 8s
Playin' it safe


Superman and Superpup
Widdle puppy gonna save the world? Yes he is!


Superpup w/ Lucian
Smile, canine superhero!


Death & Death's Bride
Open bar reception... IN HELL!


Mario?
What the..?


Vamp & His Magenta Victim
None of this new age fangless vamp garbage. Oh hey, it's Gothic Loli again!


Spider'd Man
He stays in an attic for the other 364 days.


Cone Puppy
The lamp's getting away.


Paul Stanleys
God gave rock & roll to you... and you.. and you.. and you...


Scotsman
Yes, that's a true kilt. Pray for no wind.


Sweeney Todd
No, thanks. I don't need a shave.


Pope & Jesus
Note the blasphemous nail wound.


Stomach growth
Holy f-, what is that?!


The Proud Mother
You might wanna get that checked.


Santa Claus & Marilyn Monroe
Happy Birthday, Mr. Claus.. Mmmmm..


Werewolf
FIGHT TWO DEMONS!!! (If you get this, I'll see ya in hell. *smile*)


Vampire
..or Mr. Hyde...


Jesus Fight!
My money is on Jesus.


False prophet
Jesus doesn't wear a wig on his face so...


False Jesus' crew
If he was real, the pirate wouldn't need those crutches and the cow would've been slaughtered.


Luchadores
Oro de Boobies


Dead Kennedy
Nobody is safe here.


Dead Play Nurse
Some plastic stethoscopes actually work, y'know.


Cowboy
Because only true cowboys have holsters for their cell phones too.


Zoot Suit Demon
Watch out, Little Old Lady!


T-Shirt Ninja
Props for attempted costume. Double props for something concealing your identity.


Brock Samson
You look stronger on TV.


Monarch, Number 24 and Lady Monarch
I should start watching Venture Bros. again..


Spiderman
C'mon, pose! Do something, Spidey!


Friendly Neighbourhood Thumbs Up
This is what you get when you suddenly ask someone to do a cool pose.


Mad Hatter & Queen of Hearts
Young for a queen, eh? Princess of Hearts, perhaps?


Klingons
tlhIngan maH!


Glammed Gay
This almost looks Bruno-ish


Phantom Gentleman
We were the only ones who could see him.


Hi Doggie!
It's a bat or somfin'


18th Century Man
Where did I leave that blasted time machine?!


Paper Bag Prince
I wonder if he eats yardwaste.


Borat
Eh.. We just missed him.


Jailbird & Cop
The warden ain't gonna like this.


Mariachi Man & Cat Slave
Two different approaches at spicing things up.


Newpaper Box
Fucker took my change!


Clown Duo
I thought the girl was really cute.


Clown Duo again
There's something unsettling about these fellas.


Hi Another Doggie
Did you pick that costume?


Iron Man
Tying his Stark Industry laces.


Captain America, Iron Man, Spartan Cheerleaders & A Wild Thing
Now THAT'S a crossover!


Greek Goddess
"Honey, where did you park the chariot?"


Deck Maiden
Please be a girl because I find you a little cute.


Wicked Witch, Glinda and her winged friend
Rasta witch commin' atcha!


What the fu--
Did I just step in this?


Swamp Things
Ah.. That's what it was..


Dead Dancer
..and his staff of whacking.


Bunny
Bunny bunny bunny!


Princess Precious
I can't help but think of Buffalo Bill here.


Captain Jack
Rum? OKAY!


Hannibal Lecter
Well.. Perhaps his scenester son.


Venetian Bird Mask
And a mother gorging on junk food.


Edward Ssscissorhands
*Meant to be said all lispy-like


Two-Face
There's a cream for that.


Dorothies
Definitely not in Kansas now.


Crossdressers
Here's where it gets weird(er).


Qipao Guys
Probably bloodied up in a quarrel over who massages who.


What in the world?
Don't come any closer!


Bumblebeeses
The buzzing bastards of summer.


Ladyboys
They just kept posing and posing.. Well.. It's the night for it, at least.


Century Wig Guy
I'm focused on the cute nerd nurse girl, actually.


Blue
Aren't you cold? You must be cold.


The Dutch
These guys dressed up as a pair of nurses for a previous Halloween. Keeping w/ the couple theme, I 'spose.


Strange Gang
I'm sure I've seen these figures before somewhere..


Retroooo
Bad fashion goes with Halloween too!


Silk Spectre's behind
The front would give him-- I mean, HER away.


Silk Spectre from the front
Ah, too late.


Crossdressin'
I'm creeped out by the fact that this seem familiar. Oh god....


Glam He-She
Apparently, she's Catholic.


Steel Punk Skull & Frankenstein's Monsta
I... don't even know what's going on anymore.


Crossdressing Ho Ho Hos
Festive, are they not?


Showoff
It's rare to say no to boobs.


Pervert
With underwear drawing included.


Not a costume
Seriously. I laughed my face off.


Jerseyless Footballer & Bee again
Somehow, I doubt he plays the sport.


Rollerbeans?
They're dressed in green and were on rollerblades, conga-ing through the crowds. I have no other explanation.


Mischief Imp
Methinks I see a Tink in the back.


Glam-sha
I suck at making up neat names.


Yellow Thing
Do yo.. clean things?


Gorilla Tits & Mime
Gorilla Tits is probably something you should call someone on any other regular day. *laughs*


Gorilla Tits again
Touch' em!


Fatties
Somehow more insulting to call a girl than Gorilla Tits.


Big Red Cheerleader
I just felt the opposite of cheer.


Rabbit Stew
Needs some PO-TA-TOES


Almost Jester
This won't go down well with the king.


Guy-shas
Eh, I think I did better with the name thing this time. *laughs*


Dumbledore
I saw a better Dumbledore but had no camera. Oh well, he's dead now.


Split-face
I like this mask, actually.


Persian
Definitely not Spartan.


Bananas
Just... focus on the bananas and nothing else will harm me.


Craft Time Couple
Their kids made their costumes.


Clash of Weird Shit
I told you this was a strange place.


Starla
I'm gonna call her Starla, okay? That makes the most sense in this bizarre world.


Dork
HAHA, WHAT A LOSER!!


Dorky Loser
Look at that dweeb wave like an ass!


Dorky Dweeb Ass Loser
What are you smiling at, nerd?


No, Zombie!
Stay away from that Dorky Dweeb Ass Loser Nerd!


Scottish Family
Is this accurate? I hope not.


Pooh & Tigger
Cuz Tigger's a wonderful thing!


Jail Bitch
You're gonna lift that, aren't you?


Jail Bitch Panties
You lifted. You fuckin' lifted it.


Big Sass
"I'll eat you up, little boy."


Marge Simpson & Drunken Asian Popeye
I am fuckin' terrified at this point.


Barbara Streisand
Can't be anyone else.


Tinsel Dog
Furry just got an upgrade.


I give up.
Seriously. But from this point on, it becomes the awesome. Trust me.


Flintstones!
Bam Bam, Betty, Barney, Pebbles & Fred... IN A BEDROCK CAR!


Yabba Dabba Doo!
Told you it gets awesome!


Yoda Pumpkin Baby
The babies this year were top tier. This is Star Wars, Halloween and cuteness all wrapped up in one smiling little package. The father toted her around and chanted "Best Costume! Best Costume!". It's definitely up there!


Thor & Captain America
Lil Sis, the comic book fan, loved it.


Cute Bloody Couple
Literally.


Killer Robot & Space Lady
Guess what the robot does.


HE FUCKING LIGHTS UP!
That's right!


Gloomy Bear
This one is for Pom Pom.


Hagrid
Same guy from the other year. Same gigantic size too. I'm convinced it's him.


Another look at Space Lady & Robot
I drink tea out of her rocket pack.


The MOOna Lisa
Get it? GET IT?!


Peanut Butter Jelly Girl
Look at her nana pride!


Chefs & Lobster
Best family costumes of the night! Lil Sis mentioned that the mom is boilin' another lobster in her pot, if ya get what I mean. (She's pregnant you slow bum.)


Lobster baby and chefs again
Lobster baby snapped her claws around all night. Too adorable.


A Pug
What? It's a pug.


Spartan
W/ SMG


USB Man
He's gonna 2-point your 0. Ehh.. I'm lame.


GIMLI
Holy shit, this was fuckin' awesome. It's not the best costume of the dwarf, but RINGERS REPRESENT!!


Super Grover
Sesame Street is immortal


King of Pop
This is oddly accurate. R.I.P. Jacko.


Carrie
They're all gonna laugh at you.


Scared Girl
Again, I think I know this from somewhere I just can't remember where. She was genuinely creeped out by Lucian.


Giant Jellyfish in Bikini Bottom
Yes, that's Spongebob at the bottom there. Creativity points to this one!


The Breakfast Club
Captain Crunch, Franken Berry, Count Chocula and Lucky.. My childhood mornings are alive!


Michael Myers
From Austin Powers, right? Joking aside, it was fun watching his lurch around with his knife and expressionless eyes.


Nuns
Taking the body from ol' J.C.


Communion
H has more than one, y'know.


Catholic Family
Close runner up for Best Family Costumes. They were pleased to see Jesus.


Nun Baby is displeased
Look at her face! *laughs* She's adorable.


Catholics W/ Lucian
At the request, the Macabre stepped in for a pic too.


Devil Baby
Lil Damnation.


Boba Fett
What's Halloween without a Bounty Hunter?


Cool Ass Shirt
It's one of those shirts that detect sound and lights up bars accordingly. The 'Cuz bought one for himself online not too long after.


Iceman & Wolverine
A little stylized, but still a great take on the mutants.


Skeletonnes
Many of them. I really like this shot.


Kung Fu Panda
If Lil Sis went schoolgirl again, this would've been fun.


Another Michael
I thought there would be more of him this year.


Shaun
He''s got some red on him.


Killer Robot once more
Lil Sis hoped he would murder that clown to the right.


Harry Potter
Youngest Sis saw this and went "Pssh. My robe is way cooler than that." I'm so happy.


Bruno & O.J.
I can't help but laugh when I think of this film.


ORCS & URUKS
Again, not the closest to P.J.'s vision but RINGERS REPRESENT!!! Actually, I think these orcs look fuckin' cool.


Super Mushroom and item block
I feel super just looking at her.


Bill & Hillary Clinton
Valiant effort back there, Hillary. Good thing you got Bill, eh?


Miss Bath Time
Bubbles, hairnet, scrubber and ducky, the full set!


Tall Guys
They were on stilts or something. I'm sure Lil Sis must've thought they were cute.


The Queen and her Guard
God save her. Jesus, you mind calling your Dad?


Big Bad Wolf
*laughs* This just cracks me up. Not such a subtle disguise, is it, Wolfie?


Bert & Ernie
We did see actual muppet-like versions of these two, but I think that these real-life incanations are just too much fun. The resemblance is quite close, eh?


Seigfried unt Roy
Post-tiger attack Roy, nonetheless.


The Enquirer Issue
I'm sure some of you would have an aunt who would want this issue.


Roman Guard
Your sword is in your shield, man! Put down the camera!


Kigurumi Gang
Only Asians...


Colonel Sanders
He's not dead, man. He won't rest till all them chickens are fried!


Jesus & The Colonel
Who do you think brought him back to life?


Nurse
Gettin' friendly with other ladies. Mm.


Fry & Leela
Because Futurama is awesome.


Myers & Myers
Before and after? I wasn't around but Lil Sis said they stared each other down for a few minutes straight. THAT is fuckin' scary.


Myers'
No... Fuckin'... Emotion...


Jon & Kate Plus Eight
It was always about money, wasn't it? I still think Kate's a bitch though. ANYWAY... The gang's all there!


Chinese Lion
Lettuce Destruction!!! Hmm? Too early?


Florida
Best fucking cartoon reference of the night. Homer made an honest attempt, didn't he? Fuck you, Gamblor!


The Traveller
I don't quite know what this guy is... but his costume look hella awesome.


That guy from the Sopranos
"What do you mean it's Halloween?"


She's thinkin' Arby's
Look closely.


Mr. Burns
Smithers, release the hounds. Too cool!


Maleficent
The villainess from my favourite Disney film.


Not a costume
But a very cool hat!


Cute Witch
Of course, we he have a few snaps of pretty and cute girls. Not very many though since Lil Sis had the camera. *laughs* You can see the fellow with the cool mask on to the right here.


Cute Police, Alt-Fashion Girl & T-Shirt Ninja
Lucky ninja bastard.


Kimono Girl
You'll notice a trend with these "cute girl" pics. They're all pretty much Japanese girls. The thing here is that there isn't a sizable Japanese community in Toronto. Well, at least from my experiences. Japanese reside in a few very small pockets throughout the city, so seeing so many on Halloween took me by surprise.


Cute Vamps & Cute Witch
The absolute best part about all the Japanese tourists and Torontonians is that they're REALLY into the spirit of Halloween and they really know how to have fun. With that said, interacting with them was an absolute blast. (And by 'interacting', I mean trying to scare the shit outta them).


Fun Japanese Group
(And Hiro from Heroes)


Cute Pirate
I kinda wish she fully smiled here. Regardless, she's a very pretty pirate.


Pretty Cop, Pretty Minnie, Pretty Bee and Pretty Dancer
My nose bled under my mask.... Don't tell anyone.


Slash & Cute Leprechaun
Jesus and I were with Lil' Sis when she took this shot. We were both oh so tempted to tell her boyfriend to go away for a minute. *laughs*


Hellooooooo Nurse!
"Umm.. I have a nosebleed."


Cute Scout Geeks
I thought these girls were too cute. Is it weird to bubble up over such dorkiness?


Jesus & a fan
Speaking of dorkiness, Jesus was such a goofball that night. Plenty of people got a real kick out of his costume.


Jesus & another fan
These are just a few of many. Needless to say, Jesus is a popular guy. Notice how he attracts the cuties too?


Jesus' Fairy Angel
Lucky... bastard...


Shaun Vs. Zombie Film Star
Despite being behind the camera for a majority of the night, Lil' Sis had this precious moment with Shaun after he discovered she was undead.


Lucian Stretch
Of course, I had my share of fun too.


Post-Scare Witch
I mentioned before that I would often let out a sudden shriek while walking through the crowds. Here's one of my pretty little victims.


Lucian's Tongue
I stuck it out a lot that night. The next day, my tongue felt really sore. I never thought I'd say something like that.


Freaky proportions
Just a glimpse at my elongated arms.


Lucian & Little Asian Guy
Lil Sis thought his hair was fascinating. Sorry for blocking it.


Kids love Lucian too
If I heard correctly, the girl cried after this was taken.


Lucian & The Frightened Korean
This would make for a GREAT movie title


Lucian & Cutie
Bendin' backwards for the ladies.


Lucian running somewhere
I had a lot of fun with my pseudo-dreads. If I walked fast enough, they would bounce and it felt cool.


Cute fans with Lucian
These arms can accommodate many. Bring your friends!


Freaking people out
Lil Sis explained to me that since I have a slight resemblance to most Asian horror figures (most notably the long hair, white face and unpredictable movements), many people had trouble approaching me.


Messing with Lucian
Some people held me up thinking I was falling down.


Lucian Shriek
Letting off a scream sometimes attracted more cameras.


Lucian Lean
Rather than stand up straight, I thought it'd be interesting to level myself at the same height as others. I'm not really that tall.. There were just a lot of shorties that night.


Lucian & The Barmaid
I suddenly want a beer. And her.


Jigsaw's Puppet & Lucian
Ah, I was wondering when we'd see a Saw reference tonight.


Tying my shoelaces
It was exceptionally difficult tying up a pair of Chucks with your smaller real hands obscured by bigger fake ones.


Lucian is a family figure
Just a keepsake for the photo album at home.


Posing with Lucian
Mimicry is the sincerest form of thinking I'm awesome.


Nosebleeds
Trivia: I kick myself every year for not talking to girls like this even BEHIND a mask.


Only on Halloween
I'm officially jealous of all my Halloween personalities. Lucian topped the list this year.


High-fiving tall people
Perfect.


Lucian the metal drummer
This is an interesting story. I was taking a break and resting against a parking ticket machine when a skeleton gentleman approached me with compliments on my costume. He then asked if I was a musician because I apparently had the aura of a creative mind. When I mentioned I am a drummer, he took another bite of his ice cream and asked if my band had anything online. I responded with "I don't have a band at the moment". Seizing the opportunity, he told me about a band he was producing that needed a drummer. They're a metal band with a very powerful sound. He told me his email address so we could keep in contact and so he could send over sample of the band's work. I haven't emailed him because I'm not good enough for metal (really.. drumming is just a hobby I take only 3/4 seriously).The fact that my costume attracted a band producer out of nowhere just blows my mind.


Ultimate bend
One of my more extreme leans that night.


Waiting for Chinese Food
Sitting in the take out place later in the night. Probably one of the better looks at my mask.


The Cast W/ Chinese Food Lady
This is my favourite pic. It's all kinds of awesome in one shot.


Goodnight Jesus
This is Buddy Christ signing out. Bless you all!


Goodnight Zombie Film Star
Unngghh...


Goodnight Lucian
Wasn't that fun?


And that's it for 2009. 100% Halloween goodness to to once again prove why this is my favourite holiday ever. So what did you guys do this year?

Well.. I'm gonna send this report to Mr. Grinn and see what he thought of this years escapade. Thanks for comin' by! Til' next year, boys & girls! Can't wait for the next installment!



- enin -


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