So, my initial idea was to go guns blazing onto this site I've never RPed on before and dump a bunch of lore here to gain interest. But then I thought: What if I put all of that effort into this and it doesn't get anyone's interest? So, I'm going to play it safe and pitch out what I have in mind and let those who are interested help decide the course of this role play.

A victorian-esque backdrop dabbling in the arcane horror cults of a secret society. Well, less dabble, more detective. The founders of our group are a bankrupt film company whose future exploits now consist of a hodgepodge circus act by day, and paranormal investigations by night...You see, we're not quite the bells of the ball here. We've been inappropriately coined as dregs of society. Lower caste. Disgusting. Yet here we are, with what little funds we have left in our purse, taking on this secondary profession just to stay afloat awhile longer.

We're like the ghostbusters in a steampunk setting - only we haven't seen anything remotely ghastly, save the drunk iron welder that somehow locked himself in a baron estate's attic. Well I lied. One of us has seen and dealt with ghosts, and that person is the very inventor of the contraptions and devices we'll be using to catch those mangy spirits. Dr. Isaac "The Living Skeleton" Sprague. He's the co-founder of the failed Bob & Sprague Film Co. He spends most of his days tinkering away inside his tent. The freak show is our day job, and we reluctantly/happily oblige our patrons by putting our biological oddities in a tacky spotlight. We'll all have our nicknames after vintage freak show performers like "The Four Legged Woman" and "Elastic Man", or our own nick name with biological oddity to match, if you'd like.

That's all I'll give out for now but I'll answer any questions.

I'd be interested! Would there be some kind of overarching plot, or would it be more of a sandbox type thing?

What's the extent of freakishness allowed? I mean if there's a "Living Skeleton", could I play, say, a giant humanoid bat?

I'm also interesting in knowing whether or not there's going to be a plot :)

I'll keep my eye on this because steampunk.

I'd be interested! Would there be some kind of overarching plot, or would it be more of a sandbox type thing?

There's definitely an overarching plot but I'd like people's opinion on this. I'd like to involve everyone and keep the group together but give you enough freedom should you want the option to go wandering around on your own. Perhaps set up a post cycle where it's essentially your day off and you get to do as you please?

I should also add that the tone I have in mind for this RP is more adventure horror with light-hearted moments in between. Because we've performed as a troupe for quite some time, we'll be starting off as a dysfunctional family. We may have our own little side-quests or mini-adventures of our own, but the RP's main plot will center around uncovering a particular city's mysteries through the Freak Show/Detective plot devices. I'll be more specific about the story once I've gained enough interest.

What's the extent of freakishness allowed? I mean if there's a "Living Skeleton", could I play, say, a giant humanoid bat?

In reality "The Living Skeleton" is just an extremely skinny individual. Make up/ smoke and mirrors of course plays a more dramatic effect come show time. Suppose a giant humanoid bat is something you'd like. In actuality, he/she could just be a really big fellow with a mask or birth defect that makes them look like a bat. So I guess what I'm getting at is that the freakier you want to get, the more likely your character is just playing it up as an act. After thinking on this, I think the best way to gauge how freaky you can get is by looking up the actual vintage freak show performers.

I hope that covers your questions. Feel free to ask more or weigh in on what I've put on the table with your own opinions. We don't have to strictly be investigating ghosts, we could also be tasked to hunt down monsters if people want to go that route. Sort of like the city's animal control service for very peculiar animals...

Sounds good to me!

Glad to hear it!

I could get in on this if the thoughts were a bit more organized. Count me in