bakerstreet | Cirque de la Lune

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Cirque de la Lune

Cirque de la Lune is famous across the multiverse for its spectacular cast, each exquisite to behold as they perform feats of daring and wonder before enthralled audiences. Any privileged to attend a performance will never forget, for each show is filled with magic and splendor.

Literally.

For the secret of the Cirque de la Lune is that each performer is kidnapped, modified, and enslaved by the one who runs it, a mysterious figure known only as The Ringmaster. He draws the most promising, the most beautiful, and the most talented from any dimension to which he has access, then with a combination of magic and medicine transforms each into their fullest potential, a shining jewel to play their parts like marionettes on strings of his manufacture.

Will you be a part of the circus? Or are you one of the lucky few who's managed to procure a ticket? Step right up, then, and see what it has to offer....

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The kidnappings come without warning or a chance at escape: those summoned by The Ringmaster suddenly find themselves in the circus, so wound about by bindings both physical and magical they can hardly move, much less think of escape. Most are unconscious for the process of alterations, which could be considered a mercy considering how long and painful it is. The Ringmaster works with the careful precision of a master sculptor, and each of his creations bears a symbol of his craftsmanship that also serves to keep them under his unfaltering control.

As the symbol can only be removed by another person at the cost of their life, almost no one has ever even tried to escape the circus, and even if they did there would be the small issue of getting away from where it exists, suspended between dimensions. Most don't even realize they're being controlled, however, for the compulsions holding their imposed personae in place are subtle in their strength.

The best of The Ringmaster's creations, those who perhaps already possessed innate talent or beauty, or who simply adapted to the changes better than most, are fortunate enough to take their places in the First Circle. These are the most privileged and pampered, and each wears a tiny jewel in their ear to mark their rank.

1) Beast Tamer
Merciless and deadly, the Beast Tamer can subdue the most unruly animal with will and whip. They seek to dominate and control, no matter how meek or cowardly they might have once been.

2) Tightrope Walker
The Tightrope Walkers are the most exquisite jewels of the circus, delicate and graceful of form and movement and often breathtakingly lovely of face, able to dance butterfly-light on the finest of wires. They are also, however, often the most passive, the most controlled, like puppets crafted of fragile china.

3) Acrobats
Whether they are skilled as trapeze artists, hoop dancers, or tumblers, the Acrobats are all agile and quick of body-- and mind. Something about the changes made to allow their feats of skill also tends to make them more sly and cunning, more apt to lie or cheat to get ahead of the rest.

4) Strong (Wo)Man
These performers were enhanced for strength-- some were given added bulk and others simple toning, but all are significantly stronger than any unaltered human. Alas, they often lose some of their mental acuity in exchange for the physical enhancements, but none will ask a performer balancing an anvil to perform calculus.

Those without special skills or who did not adapt quite so well are still given places in the circus ranks, however, being placed in the Second Circle. Members of this group bear an unobtrusive bracelet around one wrist as a sign of their rank.

5) Clowns
Many a flaw can be hidden with makeup, and those who did not quite meet The Ringmaster's exacting standards of beauty must hide behind makeup and costume. Many are failed Acrobats, and as they are quite aware that only a small mischance prevented their admission to the First Circle, they spent much of their time plotting the downfall of those more privileged.

6) Sideshow Performers
These can include jugglers, fire-breathers, or knife-throwers, daredevils or magicians, those with clever hands and nimble tongues who can amuse the guests before the main show. Some failed Tightrope Walkers are veiled and costumed and put to work in a side tent as exotic dancers, while former Strong Men discourage the guests from getting too close (though rumor says they can be bribed, at times).

7) Beasts
The Beast Tamers must have creatures with which to perform, after all. Those who already wore the forms of beasts are enhanced, whether to look more beautiful or more deadly (or perhaps both), while some others are transformed entirely into lions or tigers or other fierce beasts to share in the main performance. Some of these unfortunates manage to retain their intelligence after the change, but others find themselves slipping away and becoming as mindless as the creatures whose forms they wear.

8) Sideshow Exhibit
The displays in the sideshow tent include those whose alterations fail, those who become trapped halfway between humanoid and beast form, or those who began in such an inhuman shape that they could never fit into the First Circle even with all The Ringmaster can do. Their existence is barely better than those of the animals, for they almost always remain caged, subject to the stares and giggles of the crowd. These again are guarded by former Strong Men, but they cannot be everywhere, and occasionally the mocking and stares of the guests devolve into worse.

The worst off of the circus denizens are those who inhabit the Third Circle. These unfortunates wear a plain leather collar as a sign of their rank, though none are likely to mistake them for a member of one of the other Circles.

9) Menials
Someone has to do the work of running the circus, after all. This group is unique in that not all of them were brought here involuntarily: some became lost and elected to remain, some sought employment, and some came seeking their missing friends and loved ones and chose to linger nearby in the vain hope that their memories might return. Most, however, are simply those too ordinary or unskilled to fit anywhere else, and they can be found just about anywhere in the circus, doing chores or maintenance, tending the animals, or selling concessions to the guests. They go everywhere, they see everything, but they do little of consequence, even if they aren't kept under as much control as the rest of the circus folk.

10) Slaves
These are the fallen, the failed, the grotesque, those who are too deformed to exhibit, too ugly or ungainly to be allowed to perform, or those who tried to escape and are now in disgrace. They remain hidden from the view of guests, serving as laborers in whatever manner The Ringmaster or the members of the First Circle might desire. (Rumors say the former prima Tightrope Walker attempted to run away from the circus, and now bent and disfigured from her punishment, cleans the quarters of the current prima.)

And what would a circus be without an audience?

11) Guests
It is difficult indeed to obtain a ticket to the circus, for most do not even known of its existence. Only the rich, the powerful, those who are well versed in dimensional travel, or somehow privileged to be given a ticket by The Ringmaster himself in return for some service are ever allowed into the circus grounds. Some say that anyone who can provide The Ringmaster with a particularly good candidate will earn a lifetime's pass in return...

(originally by

enthymeme)

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Beast Tamer
He's a slight figure in a deep blue suit, one that sparkles like the cosmos under the spotlights in the center ring, as does the nearly-black jewel in his ear. The beasts he tames are the strangest, the most other-worldly, things from dying or dead worlds, things like no one has seen before or since.

And sometimes, just sometimes, people say that it's almost as if time has stopped while he works with them.

Sideshow Exhibit
In one of the small tents off of the main big top of the sideshow sat The Cosmos. He was a compact figure, and while he didn't look deformed on first glance, on second -and third- it was clear that something wasn't right. Sometimes he almost seemed to glow, or didn't quite seem to fit in his skin, and his eyes were either the black void of the space between stars, or something liquid and glowing gold like the heart of a dying star.

Tightrope Walker
Shay wasn't the main attraction as far as the tightrope walkers went, but she was still popular, light on her feet as all of them were, and known for flexibility and her daring, always performing as if she actually did weigh nothing and a fall wouldn't hurt her. Some said she almost seemed to hover at times.

She generally wore a punched-metal wolf mask when performing, a bright red jewel in its ear to match the one in her own.

Beast
Shay was something like a wolf, with the bracelet marking her as owned by the circus high up on a foreleg. She'd been too wild to do anything with, already half-feral even before the Ringmaster had gotten ahold of her.

She was something like a wolf, certainly, but also something like a big cat, depending on the angle and the lighting. She had a tendency towards biting, and only a few of the beast tamers had had any sort of luck with her.

Tightrope Walker
Steve had slightly more bulk than most tightrope walkers did, but it didn't slow him down any, and in fact the spread of his shoulders seemed to help him keep his balance, often moving like someone smaller, light on his feet and unconcerned by heights, no matter how high they strung his tightrope.

Strong Man
Steve always seemed slightly uncomfortable in his act, whether he was lifting girls in sequined dresses or motorcycles, or both at once, he always gave the impression -despite his dazzling smile- that he'd really rather be somewhere else.

Even so he was popular as far as the strongman acts went, though he never seemed to fully enjoy that, either.

Beast Tamer
Iggy worked with the raptors, not just the birds, but the pair of velociraptors as well, and he was good at it even despite the fact that he was usually blindfolded. He was calm and steady, wings sitting low on his own shoulders, flicking open now and again to remind them who was in charge. He did, however, care for his charges, making sure they were clean and well fed, known to stay up with any of them who were ailing until they were well again.

Sideshow Exhibit
Iggy was clearly one of the failures, oh he could have been in the inner circle, he was certainly pretty enough for it, but the wings were too big and too awkward and more than that too flexible which made him unsettling on many levels.

Not only that, he was blind, eyes not just filmed over, but missing, the empty sockets usually covered by a wide band of soft leather.

Sideshow exhibit
Techie had a way of unsettling people even before they actually saw his unnaturally blue eyes, but that sort of thing tended to happen when someone was as pale as he was, almost translucent, veins visible under his skin, looking just a little too angular, more like circuits than a circulatory system.

He was also a human prediction engine, he could guess heights within fractions of an inch and weights within a quarter pound, he was also good at guessing names and ages with the same sort of eerie accuracy.

Menial
Everyone knew that if you needed something delicate or detailed repaired you tracked down Techie. Costumes, equipment, even security systems all fell under his purview at one time or another.

Of course, finding him tended to be tricky, he managed to hide himself away in the smallest of places and almost always seemed to know when someone was looking for him, especially those he didn't want to work with.

Beast Tamer
Angie worked with all sorts of animals, because she was good with most all of them. Despite her narrow frame and the fact that she barely hit five foot five even in heeled boots, there was something solid about her, something that wasn't to be argued with.

Her favorites were the big cats, but she would also happily put her head in the crocodile's mouth and let the python wind itself around her, or feed the eagles tidbits from her own mouth.

Clown
No one was sure, upon looking at her, what had caused Angie's assignment as a clown. She was certainly pretty enough, or so everyone said, until they heard her talk. Her voice was at turns shrill and gravely, as if her throat had taken a massive amount of damage at some point.

Most guessed that she'd been an acrobat who'd gotten tangled, or a tightrope walker who'd fallen and broken her neck. No one ever guessed that she'd been a beast tamer who'd gotten on the wrong side of one of the animals.

Acrobat
Clint was one of the tumblers, and not just a tumbler, but a knife-dancer at that. He could manipulate the blades just as easily as he moved his own body, fluid, constant motion, his whole act seemed to be one continuous movement. He never came to a full stop until he was finished, he did pause, now and again, but even in those brief moments he was still poised, his momentum just arrested for the span of a heartbeat, stirring again easily each time.

His routine always ended the same way, balanced on the balls of his feet, back arched at an incredible angle, one arm stretched ceilingward, the knife in that hand acting as a spire, with his other hand stretched out behind him for balance, that knife held flat against his forearm. All in all he looked rather like an art nouveau nymph of some kind before the lights went dark and he exited the stage.

Sideshow performer - Marksman
How one could be as excellent a marksman as Clint was, while blind, no one could readily fathom. The story was that he'd been demoted and blinded as punishment, though the storytellers could never agree if he'd been trying to escape himself, or if he'd been aiding one of the acrobats in her escape. Though if it was the latter, it had either worked, or she'd vanished completely when he could no longer see.

He'd been an acrobat himself before his fall from grace, his jeweled earring had been traded for a bracelet that was more of a bracer, something to keep his arm from getting too mangled by the bowstring. He was not only blind, but blindfolded with a broad strip of burgundy silk, but he could still shoot the center pip out of an ace card, and William Tell an apple on a volunteer's head every time.

Acrobat
Everyone always thought that the wings -pale gray and speckled like a pigeon's- were simply part of Zepar's costume. At least until he spread or flexed them during his act, arching them up over his shoulders or spreading them wide for balance, even using them to glide a few yards now and again.

Sideshow Exhibit
He was billed as Fallen Lucifer Himself, something that had amused him at first, but had started to wear on him after a while, though even he could agree that it made sense. His wings were tattered and torn, clearly scorched in places even after this long, and his back and shoulders where they attached were scarred as if he'd been burned, as if he'd fallen like a comet crashing to earth.

Sideshow - escape artist
Charles was a master at escapes, straitjackets, chains, locked boxes, even, most terrifyingly for everyone -including himself for anyone who was paying attention- a tank of icy water.

There were rumors, of course, how someone who looked like he did, like he should have been in the first circle, had ended up on the fringes, but he never confirmed any of them, though the rumors of his temper -not that anyone in recent memory had seen it- were the closest to the truth.

Menial
Like many menials, Charles had come to the Circus looking for someone, or even just an escape from his former life. He hadn't managed the first, and had only managed the second on a technicality by way of falling into set and prop maintenance, set-up and tear-down and repairs between shows.

He was known among the other menials, and even some of the performers, for rescuing odds and ends from the trash sweeps, anything that could be repaired, or used to repair something else, and his quarters were full of his projects.

Tightrope Walker
Alexis' costume made her look like a storybook fairy, which was the point, really. A skirt that looked like a bell flower a bodice that looked as if it were made of woven leaves and grass stems, even a pair of gossamer wings that sparkled and fluttered with every movement.

Even when she was out of costume she had a way of flitting everywhere, and an affinity for plants, no one quite knew if it was an act or part of her design.

Acrobat
As a rhythmic and aerial gymnast Alexis always appeared to be coiled up in jungle vines and flowers, whether she was bending herself through incredible shapes on the mat or swinging like some kind of jungle bird from the ceiling, she always seemed perfectly at home with the greenery.

Sideshow Performer - contortionist
Gabreel was as flexible as they came, even more flexible than that, really, as if like a shark he had soft cartilage instead of solid bone. No one was quite sure why he wasn't one of the inner circle as he was certainly pretty enough for it, though the rumors flew thick and fast, that the flexibility hadn't been intentional, that it was because he never spoke, that it was because he couldn't speak, that it was because he had been, once, but had fallen from the ringmaster's good graces.

But, of course since he didn't, or couldn't, talk, he never confirmed nor denied any of the rumors, he just did his part to entertain the guests, whether it was emerging from a suitcase, or folding himself into highly improbable shapes, or, sometimes, after the show, entertaining them in the way that most dreamed about when they heard someone was flexible.

Tightrope walker
Gabreel was one of the stars of the show, his tightropes a veritable web high above the stage, and always without a net. His costume was little more than red and orange gossamer and gold glitter, making him look like a living flame with his porcelain-pale skin and rich red hair.

He moved easily, lightly, seeming to flicker now and again, all but dancing from one wire to the next and back again, a candle flickering in a dying breeze. His music was always the same, the Firebird, and he was like a phoenix, rising from his own ashes.

Of course, when he wasn't performing he seemed dimmer, not a guttering flame, but a banked one, keeping to himself when he could, a silent observer of others.

If Ceder was a better person he would fret more about how simple it was to exchange some coin for a chance to lounge in a special tent that promised access to the performers of the circus. Instead, he busied himself with watching the different patrons and entertainers as they interacted in the tent, lounging on plush cushions and inhaling from long stemmed pipes.

“You.” He said, extending a hand towards Gabreel, a pleasant, slightly unfocused smile on his face. “Come and sit with me, won’t you?”

The Tardis (AU) | Doctor Who | OTA

Shay + The Uglies series + OTA

Steve Rogers - MCU - OTA

Iggy | Maximum Ride (Canon divergence & AU) | OTA

Techie | Dredd | OTA

Angie | Agent Carter | OTA

Clint Barton | MCU | OTA

Zepar + OC + OTA

Charles - Dead Boy Detectives - OTA

Alexis Barron | X-verse OC | OTA

Gabreel King + OC + OTA

no subject

Henry Stillman | X-Verse OC | OTA

Eames + Inception + OTA

Patrick | Companion (post-canon AU) | OTA

Petit | X-verse OC | OTA

Sami | Urban fantasy OC | OTA

Bucky Barnes | MCU | OTA

Edwin Payne - Dead Boy Detectives - OTA (M/M for romantic/smut but anything goes for platonic)

Alvis + Killjoys + OTA

Bane + Dark Knight Rises + OTA

Claire Bennet ∞ Heroes ∞ OTA

no subject

link △ twilight princess

Orym of the Air Ashari | Critical Role | OTA

no subject

Percy De Rolo | Critical Role | Ota

no subject