Circus of the Soulless OOC

[Trinais]

Your mother and father came to you one evening, perhaps mere hours ago- interrupting your evening gaming session or homework. Or perhaps it was a time longer ago, something on the edge of memory. You have a recollection of watching a man in a white space-suit set foot on the surface of Luna. Or father returned from the Great War, a medal on his chest and a pair of fingers missing. Some of you remember further back.

But all know what came next. A newspaper clipping or an email printout or a postcard. "There is a circus in town," they said to you. "And you can get in free because you are not yet eighteen. We should go!"

And you were as intrigued as you were annoyed. That you would leave the comfort of home to see something so banal, so average, so boring was regarded as some type of punishment. But their word is law, and so you grabbed your coat, piled into the car, and arrived at the fairground outside of the city. There, planted in an empty farmer's field, sat a tent city all its own. Great spires of black and white cloth rose into the sky, taller than your school and home, with strange lights that fluttered through the air within the iron bars enclosing it.

The sights and sounds within were too wondrous and strange to give words to. Animals never seen before did tricks for the amusement of the audience. Illusions more real than any Hollywood film can pretend at sprang to life from the fingertips of stage magicians, doing battle with wicked creatures from dark worlds unseen like gladiators in a ring. Always there was more to see, more to explore, more to do.

Perhaps most strange, though, was the ringleader of the opening show. The amount of makeup and special effects it took to make this being look so lifelike and natural... it boggled your mind. With each shift of the light, he became a she, then a he again, then a she. At times you saw a golden crown, a laurel made of thorns, and what looked like a great rack of antlers. Always in a midnight black coat with white buttons, you noticed the Master following you within the circus, now and again asking how you found the performances. And with a wink toward your parents, the Master finally asked if you'd like to perform in the circus someday.

"Of course," you said, because at heart you were still a child. And at some level, you did not know what the Master was asking.

But by sunrise, you prepared to leave the grounds when, unexpectedly, you were separated from your family. None too scared, you made your way to the entrance... only to see yourself leaving with your mother and father in the family car. But it wasn't really you. It was a doppelganger. A clone. And you hurried to run after them in the trail of dust left by the tires, to tell them it was another trick of the circus. It had to be.

"No," said the stage magician as she placed an arm on your shoulder to keep you from running. "That was a fetch which holds your soul to this place. It will grow and learn and live and love where you should have. And you will never grow older or sick- but you will learn how to cast fire from your fingers, to fly through the air, to lift whole cars with one hand, and to speak to beasts- so that one day you might be freed. Because you belong to the Master now. Welcome... to the Circus of the Soulless."

Rules of this story

1. The Circus and its Master are Eternal, Otherworldly, and cannot be destroyed by your hand or the combined strength of all its prisoners.

2. Though you are a prisoner of the Circus, there is a way out. Every year on the Winter Solstice, the Master chooses one performer and allows them to leave, to return to the life of mortal humans- never to be seen or heard from by any in the circus, ever again.

3. You are permitted to leave the Circus by day, but will always return by nightfall- whether by your own free will or not. Many have tried to escape this life, but always they are brought back before they can return home.

4. Though the Master seems all-powerful, the circus is under threat from creatures beyond our world. Dark Things from beyond the edge of the woods and hills, the stuff of evil fairy tales. The Master expects the performers to defend the circus and any humans within the vicinity should they attack- but to do so in a way that does not break the illusion of the show.

5. This is a story more about the people trapped within the circus than the battles they fight against the Dark Things. Willing or unwilling performer that you are, foremost in your mind is the knowledge that- should you please the Master- you will be released from the circus. No matter who you have to cooperate or destroy to get out...

Inspirations for this tale: The Night Circus, Kaleido Star, Tithe, The Immortal Circus

Character Sheet

Name:
Age (when taken):
Physical Description: (Image and/or written)
Profession: (possibilities include- but are not limited to- Beastmaster, Strongman/woman, Magician, Acrobat, Illusionist, magician, fortune teller)
What drives you to escape the circus:
What drives you to remain with the circus:
What do you fear/dislike the most:
(These last three are a bit off the wall, I know, but I think they're essential to making well-rounded characters)
Who (if anyone) will you be sharing a trailer with:

If you are willing and able to write two characters, I won't automatically say no to the idea. But please understand that commitment.

The show commences in two days!

[BigBullCrocker]

I'm afraid to apply in case my app gets wiped out by everyone elses...

[AkiBlue]

Name: Ace Tain
Age (when taken): 14 (if she's not mistaken..it has been 6 years so 21.)
Physical Description:
Eyes~ Dark brown
Hair~ Black with red streaks

And along with such, she carries all of the Aces (Diamond, Heart, Club, Spade) with her.


Profession: All things Pyro~ from her fire tricks to setting off the fireworks

**Don't get me wrong. Just because Ace may be a little bit of a pyromaniac doesn't mean she isn't fun, friendly, and quick to jump head first into adventure. Though sometimes...that can get her into some trouble...

What drives you to escape the circus: Ace wants to leave mainly because of the clone living her life. What if they love the clone more? What if that clone was ruining her life? What if her parents came to the Circus again, how would that turn out? There are so many questions...

What drives you to remain with the circus: She loves it! Ace loves that she can be herself, and legally burn stuff down. Ace always wanted the oddball life, though the circus wasn't what she had in mind.

What do you fear/dislike the most: Ace has the irrational fear of Octopi and Squids.

Who (if anyone) will you be sharing a trailer with: "Who ever is willing to risk our trailer being burned down."

[Chapatrap]

Name: George Woodall
Age: 15 (now 19)
Physical Description:
Profession: Knife Artist (as in, Knife throwing, sword swallowing, anything to do with sharp pointy objects, etc)
What drives you to escape the circus: George wishes to escape the Circus so he can tell the world about how the 'government' locked him up and forced him to swallow swords.
What drives you to remain with the circus: George also wishes to learn more about the circus so, in turn, he can tell the world about it.
What do you fear/dislike the most: George fears government control and believes almost everything he eats, drinks, watches or listens to contains some thing that the Master/Government will use to control him.
Who (if anyone) will you be sharing a trailer with: I honestly don't mind.
Bio: (I felt I had to add this) George was your average kid for the first twelve years of his life. Then. he discovered the internet and his life changed dramatically. Why? How can the internet change someone? Well, George discovered Conspiracy theories. And being the gullible young twelve year old he was, he believed them. Everything, from government cover ups to Aliens to subliminal messages. And he kept on believing when he saw 'proof' on the internet. Blurry pictures of 'Winston Churchill' shaking hands with an 'Alien' were all it took to persuade George that government was hiding something. He found a forum of like-minded people and was sucked into even more. Soon, he was refusing food and water unless he made it himself and refusing to watch T.V for fear of subliminal messages. He even washed his hair with special shampoo ordered from another Conspiracy Theorist in America. Of course, his parents were worried. Why wasn't their son going out to play Football with his friends? Why did their son insist on making food himself? They came to the conclusion it was a phase and all the brooding George done in his room would end in a few months. It didn't. It got worse. Soon, George figured he was being followed by a SAS sniper and the sniper would take him out the minute he stepped outside alone for 'knowing too much'. Even going to school, he insisted being driven in his father's car and was constantly looking over his shoulder for someone that didn't exist. He became very unsocial, losing all the friends he made as a child. He tried to 'save' his friends by persuading them to stop drinking tap water but they just thought he was crazy. The teachers at school were not impressed with his over-dramatic behaviour and suggested he was attention seeking.
Eventually, when he was 14, Georges parents had enough. They took him to a psychologist, which just ended with George arguing the psychologist over how genuine David Cameron was being with them all. The psychologist just suggested it was a phase that would end but again, it didn't. It had taken some persuasion to get him to go to the Circus. Even now, George believes The Master is just a government agent who is testing on them and the creatures that attack at night are just mutated people. George is split on two minds. He believes that escaping at some point will be necessary but at the same time, he is curious to the Masters aims. Even after all these years, he still believes that some sort of alien-government conspiracy is happening.

[BigBullCrocker]

Ok i'll make my character after ive done this hard-ass biology, dibs on music guy.

- - - Updated - - -

Screw the musician i'm going for something more circusy

Name: Louis Stills "Stills"
Age: He was 10 when he was taken but is now 23
Physical Description:
Profession: Fire thrower/spitter (If you've ever been to the Edinburgh Fringe you'll know about these guys *Scottish laugh*)
What drives you to escape the circus: He wants to escape so that he can build his dream of owning some sort of abstract shop.
What drives you to remain with the circus: He hates to admit it but he loves a crowd, they fuel him.
What do you fear/dislike the most: (Will our characters already know each other?)
The ringmaster
Who (if anyone) will you be sharing a trailer with: Anyone who wants to share.

If no bio is needed then hurrah! But if it is this is going to be a challenge for me.

[thorgili]

I would like to reserve a spot i am thinking of either some sort of aminal trainer/freak show leader (you know peple who act like they tame the mythical beasts and monsters) or a trick shooter of some sorts

[HiddenBeauty13]

Name: Aoi Bloom
Age (when taken): 15 (she is now 22)

Aoi does have a sword, but mainly uses it only for magic tricks and such. Her long red hair ususally stays in a braid to keep it out of her face and her clothes consists mainly of the ones she's wearing in the picture. The less heavy things she had on, the easier it is to move around on stage. She is generally a quiet and solitude person but, once she knows you, she (may) come out of the shell she'd worked hard to make. On her back is a small burn scasr iin the shape of a odd circle, one that she has never told a soul about how it came to be.

Profession: Magician--not the typical pull a rabbit out of a hat jig either
What drives you to escape the circus: Aoi wasn't alone in the house; she did have a little brother. He looked up to her and she was the one that had to take care of him herself when her parents were arguing or when they went out for days and didn't return. She just wants to make sure he's okay and even take him away from their parentss. She was old enough now to do so.
What drives you to remain with the circus: The thrill she get at watching people's awed faces as she preforms her tricks is like a drug to her. No one had ever looked at her like that, with such amazement, except for her brother. The children's faces reminded her of him...
What do you fear/dislike the most: She hates irresponsible parents. It was obvious that her own parents bearly wanted her, much less her brother. Instead of giving them away like they should have done, they kept them and treated them like they didn't exist sometimes. Now, the only thing she talked about, if she talked at all, was only her brother. Never her parents and the life she had with them.
Who (if anyone) will you be sharing a trailer with: Anyone who wants to, she assumes.

[Mikipi]

This roleplay sounds so awesome.
Here's my CS.
Name: Lil Ryann (short for Lillian)
Age: 16
Physical Description: She is a short slim girl, standing at 5'3 and having practically no excess weight. This is so she can preform better at her profession. She has long wavy light brown hair which is usually piled up in a bun or ponytail on top of her head when she is performing. Her eyes are a pale bluish lilac color and she has an olive skin tone.
On her left shoulder is a faint scar that starts at her upper arm and winds around to her back. She faintly remembers an incident involving a fire, but blanks when she tries to think about how she received it. She is insecure about the mark, but cares about her practice more than vainly covering it up with excess and unneeded layers.
She usually wears a simple pair of stretchy shorts and a tank top so she can move freely and practice contortion whenever she feels like it. In the colder months she can often be seen wearing the same outfit except the shorts are replaced with leggings and a sweater accompanies the top. Although, she never seems to feel cold so it wouldn't be unusual for her to be wearing summer clothing in the dead of winter just because it's easier to move in.
She usually doesn't care what she wears, usually it is quite laid back and isn't too fancy.

Profession: Contortionist/previously an Aerial Contortionist.

What drives you to escape the circus: She wants to see the last of her remaining family just one more time before they die. Other than that, she has no life outside of the circus. She was born in 1910, a few months before she was forced into the circus her baby brother was born. He'd be 87 by now, and she believes there is still a chance he may be alive.

What drives you to remain with the circus: All of the people she knew outside of the circus would have died of old age by now, except for maybe her baby brother. She fears ever leaving the circus because she has tried to in the past and nothing good has come to it. She also fears that if she was able to escape it, there would be no place in the world for her since everyone she once knew is now dead. If she had a choice, she'd remain in the circus for eternity. She is nowhere brave enough to venture into the real world alone since the circus is all she knows and the only memories of her family and previous life are faint.

What do you fear/dislike the most: She loves being high up above the stage, but she often has nightmares of falling to her death in mid air. She can't remember much of her life before the circus because when she first joined she hated the circus so much she tried to kill herself by jumping off the aerial silk during practice. She was unsuccessful, and awoke with little to no memory of her life before the circus. She doesn't know if the lack of memories was the effect from the fall or the ringmaster's doing. After the bad experience with the silk, she was moved to practicing contortion. Every now and then she'll venture up to the aerial silk and play around on it, but she doesn't have the confidence to preform on it on stage and without a net.
She also has a fear of fire catching onto her clothing, this has to do with her scar.

Who (if anyone) will you be sharing a trailer with: She doesn't mind who she is sharing a trailer with, she just hopes that they don't mind sharing a trailer with her.

Short Bio Summary: When she was sixteen, a circus came to town. This was in the middle of 'the roaring twenties', back in 1926. She always admired the performers and jokingly agreed with the ringmaster, binding her to the circus. At first she hated it, several times she had tried to run away. Finally she resorted to trying to kill herself by jumping off of the aerial silk. She awoke with little or no memory of her previous life, she believes that this was possibly the ringmaster's doing. So this wouldn't happen again, she was forced to study only contortion. As time passed she was allowed back on the aerial silk, but she prefers contortion. Ever since she has been traveling with the circus as a contortionist. She is overall a friendly person to those who can get over the weird positions she finds comfortable and the occasional old fashioned slang words she throws in every now and then. She is thought of to be quite weird and superstitious, making trips to the fortune teller to hear her fortune quite often and insisting on sleeping with all of the windows open, no matter the season or weather. She can't count how many times she's been forced to switch trailers because of arguments involving something as simple as the temperature.

Then if you need more characters I'd be cool with playing another one. For some reason a young albino boy pops into my head when I think of a second one.

[AkiBlue]

Bull... T~T but I picked the pyro-person.
Well I guess there can be two.

[BigBullCrocker]

Bull... T~T but I picked the pyro-person.
Well I guess there can be two.

Your character does tricks and shizzle mine throws it at infants i mean the air and spits it.