Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Cream on 07-05-2012, 05:47:52</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cream</strong> on <strong>07-05-2012, 05:47:52</strong>
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				Welcome All.&nbsp; Information within this thread will be added, changed, and sometimes removed as the game progresses.&nbsp; This is where we attempt to make it easier for both newcomers, and those who have already joined us to understand the game itself.&nbsp; Any comments or questions that you have about the information contained within this thread we ask be posted within the OOC Thread (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=138641.0).<br><br>For those who have yet to view the interest thread, feel free to take a look. Interest Thread (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=138093.msg6176960#msg6176960)<br><br><ul class="bbc_list"><li>The Spirit (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=139428.msg6242364#msg6242364)</li><li>The Phases (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=139428.msg6242375#msg6242375)</li><li>The Burlesque Tent and Game Locations (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=139428.msg6242385#msg6242385)</li><li>Active Characters, Characters Needed, Tagging System (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=139428.msg6242388#msg6242388)</li></ul><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cream</strong> on <strong>07-05-2012, 05:50:31</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>The Spirit</strong><br><br>The spirit is not something that is incredibly easily described.&nbsp; &nbsp;I will attempt to break it down into separate categories, to give examples of what it is/what it does, so on so forth.<br><br><strong>The History</strong>&nbsp; <br>The history of the spirit follows the history of the circus.&nbsp; The circus, in one form or another, has been around almost as long as civilization.&nbsp; There has always been a form of entertainment that travelled as a group, doing everything that they could to entertain others for the simple sake of putting smiles on people’s faces.&nbsp; The spirit formed as the Circus itself evolved.&nbsp; There is no telling exactly when, nor where the spirit came into existence.&nbsp; The spirit had its hay day from the late 1800s to around the 1930s.&nbsp; It is speculated by Elizabeth that it decline began with Film, once it was something that was not only for the rich.&nbsp; During that time, the spirit changed from something similar to an mood, to something that actually existent in and of itself.&nbsp; The spirit flowed between the members of the circus and the audience itself, giving a sense of euphoria to all that were involved.&nbsp; It allowed acts to push just a little bit harder, and endure just a little bit more.&nbsp; The audience seemed far happier than they should have been.&nbsp; The circus likely hit its prime in the 1920s, when it could even be found in Burlesque shows and Vaudeville revues.&nbsp; It seemed like the crash of the stock market coincided with the downfall of the spirit.&nbsp; The depressive state made it harder and harder to capture a crowd’s attention like it once had.&nbsp; The spirit began to pick and choose where to show itself, finding now that the larger circuses seemed to be more out for money than anything.&nbsp; It followed around the smaller circuses, the ones that still embodied what had formed it in the first place.&nbsp; As those began to trickle away into non existence, the spirit finally collapsed upon itself and went into a dormant state.<br><br>The events that lead The Spirit to Elizabeth, through the eyes of the spirit:&nbsp; The spirit had never went away entirely.&nbsp; It still followed what was left of the travelling circuit, but it never would lend itself to them.&nbsp; It wasn’t until Elizabeth and Lawrence took over a dying circus that it was forced to come into full attention.&nbsp; The spirit had the ability to pick and choose to an extent, but in the end it was still bound to the circus.&nbsp; As Elizabeth and Lawrence revitalized the original idea of a circus, the Spirit found itself being given to the show without its consent.&nbsp; Though the spirit did not mind, it still was weary about being revitalized only to fall again.&nbsp; But as time went, and Geralds circus continued to grow in popularity, the spirit decided to let the Circus and the crowd use it at will.&nbsp; The spirit was almost positive that it would again find itself useless once the events around Lawrence, and Gerald’s death took place.&nbsp; It was then taken by surprise that those events caused Elizabeth to pursue it with an even greater zealous.&nbsp; She continued to lend to The Spirit’s power, until it felt as though it were ready to come out of dormancy.&nbsp; Then came the night of Elizabeth’s spectacular performance.&nbsp; The spirit knew the girl was attempting to coax it, and believed that it may be done.&nbsp; When the spirit felt the power of Elizabeth’s act, and the remarkable reaction of the crowd, it felt itself come back into full strength.&nbsp; Then it felt itself find a home, within the great Ring Mistress herself.<br><br><strong>The spirit’s power, how it effects the family, and its limitations</strong><br>Elizabeth found herself a vessel of the Spirit.&nbsp; That does not mean that she controls it, not by any means.&nbsp; The only control that Elizabeth has over the spirit is who she chooses to give pieces of it to.&nbsp; What it means to be given a piece of the spirit depends upon the Act who it is given. But with all, it allows the act to perform their show better than anyone else ever could.&nbsp; These abilities are only at full strength while performing, though they are always there in one sense or another.&nbsp; At the current time, only three PCed acts have the spirit.&nbsp; For Elizabeth and Lawrence, it makes them nearly invulnerable to flames.&nbsp; Direct fire does not harm them, and they are also able to manipulate it to an extent.&nbsp; This means that if there is a wall of flames, both Lawrence and Elizabeth have the ability to, say, open a hole within the flames that they may slip through.&nbsp; This doesn’t mean they can create fire that is not there, nor can they cause a match flame to erupt into a ball of fire.&nbsp; More or less, they can manipulate what is already there.&nbsp; Neither of them can receive scars, meaning they cannot have piercings as well as things like tattoos.&nbsp; For Chloe, the other spirited act, her benefits also coincide with her act.&nbsp; She has two main abilities.&nbsp; The first is her ability to seem weightless while in the air and in front of a crowd, allowing her to travel much farther through the air then she would typically be able to.&nbsp; That coincides with the second ability, she is capable of falling to the ground without a net and landing without injury.&nbsp; For other acts that come along, similar things will be given.<br><br>For Clowns and Stagehands different effects are given.&nbsp; The clowns have the ability to capture the audience’s attention to an extent where they are not capable of seeing anything else.&nbsp; This is also only usable during a show.&nbsp; This allows them to do one of the most important jobs in the show, distract the crowd from seeing what is being set up on stage.&nbsp; A single clown could step in front of a crowd of a thousand and perform their show, and blind the crowd from seeing the stage hands behind them setting up the next act.&nbsp; The stagehands’ receive a boost to their talents just like the other two.&nbsp; It allows them, during a show, to seamlessly perform their duties without ever making a mistake.&nbsp; They seem to build twice as fast, and are given a high that is easily described as pure euphoria while they assist in helping the circus run.<br><br>The Spirit can only go so far as the circus itself takes it.&nbsp; During the current storyline, it is still at its strongest.&nbsp; But in the future of the story, if the show itself begins to diminish or a great trouble occurs within the Family then the spirits power will begin to falter.&nbsp; The Spirit is also bound in no way to Elizabeth, and she does not have the ability to hold it against its will.&nbsp; The Spirit is loyal only to one thing; the preservation of the Circus.&nbsp; If at any time the Spirit believes that Elizabeth is no longer serving its needs, then it will either vacate the circus entirely, or find a new vessel to call home.<br><br>The Spirit is not something that one can see in any way.&nbsp; It cannot be smelled, touched, tasted, anything of the like.&nbsp; The spirit is something that is simply felt.&nbsp; It is felt in one way or another at all times.&nbsp; During group events, especially after a great show, then the Spirit gives a unity to the family that is what keeps them so close.&nbsp; It allows everyone to feel a sense of whole, and whether they’ve ever talked to someone before or not still feel a sense of connection with them.&nbsp; That connection also serves to help protect the family.&nbsp; Say Character A hates character B within the family, but character A see’s that character B is in danger from someone outside of the family, Character A will feel compelled to help to protect character A.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cream</strong> on <strong>07-05-2012, 05:53:11</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>The Descriptions of different phases of Roleplay</strong><br><br>For those who are not familiar with what a “phase” is within a group game, it is more or less what you would assume.&nbsp; It is a period that occurs within the circus, that will allow us to separate different times and help us to advance within the story.&nbsp; This means that when one phase is occurring, all roleplay that occurs in that time is bound to one time frame.&nbsp; The benefits of this system is that a character is able to roleplay in different sections of the game at the same time without worrying about gaps in time.&nbsp; More or less, it keeps us from having one group of people still rolelpaying events that occurred in the first week of IC time while others are playing events that occur in week three IC time.<br><br>The game will begin in what will be one of the more common game phases.&nbsp; It will begin at the end of a week’s worth of performances.&nbsp; This phase will be labeled “After Party/Strike” and will occur for <strong>approximately</strong>(I do not like setting a certain date, because if we are 2 weeks in and the game is still vibrant and without need for advancement then it will go longer) two weeks.&nbsp; It will be a short phase as far as IC time is concerned.&nbsp; It will be the after party, directly after the last show, and the strike the next day.&nbsp; For those unfamiliar with what a Strike is, it is more or less the breakdown of the entire show.<br><br>The next phase that will occur will be a “Train Phase.”&nbsp; This will be another common phase that will occur between circuses, when they are travelling.&nbsp; This will be a time more set aside for character and plot building.&nbsp; Some may find them boring, but I believe that they are vital to the games advancement.<br><br>Other phases will include things like an “Arrival” phase.&nbsp; This will be a time for the building of everything, training for acts and clowns, time set aside for shopping and things of the like.&nbsp; These will be relatively short phases.&nbsp; Then we have the circus phases themselves.<br><br>The Circus phases will likely be the longest.&nbsp; It will be set aside into two main parts.&nbsp; It will have the circus itself, where Acts will be able to perform their characters, clowns will be able to do their shows, and the burlesque show*(Will need one of those fancy codes that lets you click the word Burlesque Show and be lowered to its description)will be written out.&nbsp; Alongside that will be the before and after of the show.&nbsp; This will be where everyone has the most freedom to write where they want.&nbsp; Unlike the Train, Arrival, and After Party/Strike phases the Circus phase will let you write in just about any part of the game.&nbsp; Descriptions of different locations for writing will be given shortly.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cream</strong> on <strong>07-05-2012, 05:56:14</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				A new element has been added to the circus.&nbsp; I have discussed it with some of you, but for the rest here it is.&nbsp; I have decided to add a second venue for performances, alongside the Big Tent.&nbsp; This will be labeled as “The Burlesque Tent”, and the name essentially says what it will be.&nbsp; If you are not completely familiar with Burlesque(Not the movie, forget that exist), it is essentially a form of entertainment in the 1920s.&nbsp; It was more or less their version of a strip club.&nbsp; But instead of poles and raunchy acts designed solely for drunk, horny men to get their rocks off, it was instead something that took talent and you were expected to put on an actual show.&nbsp; It is more or less the mix of a theatre act, and a toned down strip show.&nbsp; Full nudity never occurs, and typically the girl will end up topless with pasties(Usually with tassels attached) covering her nipples.&nbsp; The girls will be allowed to wear any sort of panties, so long as their crotch is covered.&nbsp; This show will be strictly 18+(NPC).&nbsp; We will add different elements to this, other than the typical Burlesque show.&nbsp; This is where anyone who wishes (The clowns are the most frequent, however) may perform.&nbsp; Male, Female, Stage Hand through act.&nbsp; Any character who has the whim to put on a show has all the right in the world to do so.&nbsp; I am hoping that this will be a care free way for our characters to express their dirtier side, and could prove to be a place for characters who are typically more reserved to break their shell a little bit.&nbsp; The Burlesque tent, in IC time, will start after the big tent’s show has ended.&nbsp; However, as far as phases go, the Burlesque tent will be going on at the same time as the circus phase.<br><br><strong>Locations within the game</strong><br><br><strong>The Big Tent</strong><br>&nbsp;This occurs in all phases but the Train phase.&nbsp; In all three, it has a different appearance.&nbsp; During the arrival phase, then it is more or less going to be bare.&nbsp; The first day of arrival, it will be nothing more than a large empty space, with either a dirt or grass floor(That’ll be addressed as we go).&nbsp; The second day, when it is being set up, then it’ll be full of stage hands, busy building away(Most of the stage hands will be NPCed, so PCs do not have to worry about the boring work.)&nbsp; On either day, all are welcomed to write within the tent.&nbsp; During the Circus Phases, then the big tent is reserved for circus related play only.&nbsp; I have yet to concretely decide how the circus show is going to be written, and believe I am going to do it as a group collaborative.&nbsp; Meaning all who wish to be involved will be able to put in their ideas, and we will be able to come up with something that is the brainchild of everyone.&nbsp; Once within the Afterparty/Strike phase, it’ll have two different appearances.&nbsp; The lights will be dimmed during the afterparty, and the bleachers will be removed.&nbsp; The trapeze will remain up simply because they are too hard to take down.&nbsp; Tables and chairs will be given, and the stage in the center of the circus will remain as a makeshift dance floor.&nbsp; Once the strike occurs, it’ll be obvious what happens, things get taken down.<br><br><strong>The Burlesque Tent</strong><br>This will largely be used for one of two things.&nbsp; Obviously the burlesque show, but it can also be somewhere for private get togethers.&nbsp; As this is the only tent with a backstage, and a couple of dressing rooms(Sheets for walls), this is a place for privacy.&nbsp; Smaller get togethers and training can also be done here.<br><br><strong>The Train</strong><br>The train is the only location that is available during absolutely every phase.&nbsp; The most obvious reason is because this is where our characters sleep.&nbsp; The circus will always be located beside the train tracks, where the train will be located.&nbsp; This means that in every phase other than train phases, you can get on and off the train at will.&nbsp; The train is not as private as you may expect, where as everyone has their own sleeping compartments, none of them lock.&nbsp; The only places on the train that lock are the bathrooms for obvious reasons.&nbsp; During train phases, when you cannot exit the train, then individual compartments of the train will be given to make tagging location easier.&nbsp; <br><br><strong>The Circus Grounds</strong><br>This is another one that will be separated into different sections, but all in one thread.&nbsp; The different sections will be noted in the tagging system.&nbsp; The circus grounds, obviously, include everything within the grounds of the circus that does not have it’s own thread.&nbsp; Currently, we have these sections.&nbsp; Train to Grounds Trail, Public Restrooms, Ticket Booth, Training Tent, Merchandise Tent, and the obvious Circus Grounds, which is everything outside of those.<br><br><strong>The Outer World</strong><br>This is a thread that will not be used very often.&nbsp; Due to the fact that Elizabeth tries to keep the family together at all times, it is an unspoken rule that you do not leave the circus grounds without reason.&nbsp; Sneaking off, if found out, is something that can result in punishment(Nothing severe, perhaps just a chastising.)&nbsp; I have decided, however, to have shopping trips.&nbsp; These will likely happen during the arrival phase, though if it arises at another occasion I see no reason why they couldn’t do it then.&nbsp; The reason for Elizabeth wishing to keep the family together is because she does not wish for someone to go out and bring modern technology back to the family.&nbsp; She will allow you to buy any sort of clothing that you wish on these trips.&nbsp; Typical amenities are allowed, within reason.&nbsp; She also allows her family to shop and buy from sex shops, as she will be frequenting them herself.&nbsp; Alcohol and tobacco products are also allowed, though drugs are <strong><em>strictly prohibited</em></strong> with the <strong><em>sole</em></strong> exception of marijuana.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cream</strong> on <strong>07-05-2012, 05:57:01</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Characters and their positions</strong><br><br><strong>The Players</strong><br>Elizabeth Sawyer - Ring Mistress.&nbsp; Act, Fire Handler.<br><br>Lawrence Hawkins - Old Timer, Spirited Act, Fire Handler(Elizabeth’s Partner)<br><br>Chloe Monroe Mallory - Elizabeth’s Talent, Spirited Act, Trapeze Artist<br><br>Alexis “Lexie” Moore - New Talent, Clown<br><br>Keith Hunter/Kinky The Klown - Elizabeths Talent, Clown<br><br>Isaiah Kepler(Goes by Kepler) - Elizabeths Talent, Stage Hand, Security<br><br>Mariana I. Nicholas - New Talent, Stage Hand, Engineer/Carpenter<br><br>Lottie Stewart - New Talent, Stage Hand, Burlesque Dancer<br>Kate Stewart - New Talent, Stage Hand, Burlesque Dancer<br><br><strong>Those Needed</strong><br>Acts needed include: Animal Trainer, Aerial Silks, Weapons Master(May be taken).<br><br>Clowns Needed: We need at least two more clowns.&nbsp; At least one female character, the other can be male or female.<br><br>Stage Hands Needed: Cook, Tool and equipment upkeep, Accountant/Administrative (Assistant to Elizabeth), Grounds/Train Keeper (Janitorial, Circus Grounds upkeep).<br><br>And feel free to come to myself or Dancing Flowers with any ideas not listed.<br><br><strong>The Tagging System</strong><br><br>With every post, we request that you use the tagging system.&nbsp; This makes it easy to sort who exactly you are engaging, where you are, and other basic information.&nbsp; We request that you only tag those who you are directly engaging, though you may mention if you are noticing or talking about someone(Just ensure to put in parenthesis afterwards that you are only mentioning/noticing them)<br><br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft]**Insert image here[/floatleft]<br><br>[b]Name:[/b]<br>[b]Place within Hierarchy:[/b]<br>[b]Role:[/b]<br>[b]Position:[/b]<br>[b]Location:[/b]<br>[b]Wearing:[/b] (Optional)<br>[b]Languages and Accent[/b](When applicable, Though note English is the primary language)<br>[b]Tagging:[/b]</code></pre><br>The images and the coding that’ll be used for your tags will be put up in time, but for the time being you may leave that part out.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Flower</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 05:04:37</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: comic sans ms;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size">Tagging System</span></span></div><br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img][/img][/floatleft]<br>[b]Name:[/b]<br>[b]Place within Hierarchy:[/b]<br>[b]Role:[/b] <br>[b]Position:[/b] <br>[b]Location:[/b] <br>[b]Wearing:[/b] <br>[b]Tagging:[/b] <br></code></pre><br><div align="center"><span style="font-family: comic sans ms;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size">Character Pictures For Tagging</span></span></div><br>(http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o1_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o1_250.jp[/img][/floatleft]g</code></pre><br>(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o2_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o2_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o3_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o3_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o4_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o4_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o5_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o5_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oodrLvSj1r7wrq1o1_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oodrLvSj1r7wrq1o1_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o7_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3oo3fv7yh1r7wrq1o7_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3op8ql1VS1r7wrq1o1_r2_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3op8ql1VS1r7wrq1o1_r2_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo62/cimsoderholm/Sochiportrait.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo62/cimsoderholm/Sochiportrait.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5zknaNX681r7wrq1o1_250.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img height=200]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5zknaNX681r7wrq1o1_250.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5zkbk30bd1r7wrq1o1_r1_400.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img height=200]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5zkbk30bd1r7wrq1o1_r1_400.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5a9j56Smy1r7wrq1o1_400.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img height=200]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5a9j56Smy1r7wrq1o1_400.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre><br>(http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt357/Niferbelle/garretneff3.jpg)<br><div class="codeheader">Code: <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return smfSelectText(this);" class="codeoperation">[Select]</a></div><pre style="margin: 0; padding: 0;"><code class="bbc_code">[floatleft][img]http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt357/Niferbelle/garretneff3.jpg[/img][/floatleft]</code></pre>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Flower</strong> on <strong>01-06-2012, 06:51:48</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: comic sans ms;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Character Sheets: Part One</strong></span></span></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Ring Mistress: Elizabeth Sawyer</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2wuioszjX1r7wrq1o1_500.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Elizabeth Sawyer<br><strong>Age:</strong> 28<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Province, Thank you.&nbsp; Quebec.<br><strong>Role:</strong> Ring Mistress<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Yours truly.<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Black<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Green<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5'4<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 108<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong>&nbsp; Her body had once been scarred in more places then she bothered to count, and tattooed about everywhere else.&nbsp; With the Spirit, both the scars and tattoos disappeared.&nbsp; Her skin is flawless, and quite pale.<br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> She is two people put into one body, and all have the ability to see both sides.&nbsp; However, the side that they wish to see is the side that she most often conveys.&nbsp; She is social, friendly, and physical.&nbsp; Her idea of social and physical boundaries are non existent, thus she says what she wishes and touches whom she wishes within her family.&nbsp; She is charismatic, and a natural leader.&nbsp; However the other side is one you only see when you have done something wrong.&nbsp; That side is incredibly vindictive, and very passive aggressive.&nbsp; She will look you in the eye with a sweet smile while subtly telling you to change your ways or find yourself dead.&nbsp; She is also incredibly selfish, and while she wishes the best for the circus she believes that the circus is hopeless without her.&nbsp; So the best needs of the circus are often the needs of herself.<br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Prior to the circus, she had grown up within the french parts of Quebec.&nbsp; Absolutely nothing is known of her time there to any other than Lawrence, and the only real reminder of her youth lay within her accent, which was still French Canadian.<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> (See Circus History)<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Herself.&nbsp; Her circus.&nbsp; Her family.&nbsp; The roar of the crowd, and the power of the spirit.&nbsp; To be doted upon.&nbsp; Obedience.&nbsp; A persons ambitions to achieve more then most would believe them capable of.&nbsp; The scent of marijuana.&nbsp; The happiness of her family.<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> The modern world.&nbsp; The taste of marijuana.&nbsp; Hecklers.&nbsp; Betrayal.&nbsp; Greed.&nbsp; Fear of ones own shortcomings.</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Lawrence Hawkins</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2wz8cUtgJ1r7wrq1o1_500.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Lawrence Hawkins<br><strong>Age:</strong> 30<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Alabama<br><strong>Role:</strong> Act, Partner to Elizabeth<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Would be Ring Master, Currently Elizabeths Talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Black<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Brown<br><strong>Height:</strong>6'1<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 186<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong>&nbsp; Thin, but still with a touch of muscle.&nbsp; Burn scars along his arms, and portions of his body.&nbsp; No tattoos or piercings.<br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> Loyal.&nbsp; Protective.&nbsp; Believes in his causes, no matter the opposition.&nbsp; Quite, but approachable and social.&nbsp; Blunt.&nbsp; Fearless.&nbsp; Stubbornly selfless.<br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> All but those who had known Lawrence know nothing about him.&nbsp; Those who knew him that remain in the circus know that he was dedicated hopelessly to making it succeed.&nbsp; They know very little of his past, beyond that he was from Alabama and has "Little family to speak of", never giving anything more.&nbsp; He always preferred the betterment of the group over the success of Gerald.&nbsp; While with the circus, he spoke cryptically about Gerald starving the mass of the circus for his own ends.&nbsp; Lawrence always seemed to dislike Gerald, but he respected the man for the simple fact that he was his boss.<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> Lawrence had never anticipated going back.&nbsp; The day that he had been thrown out of the circus, he had decided that he would never bother with attempting to join it again.&nbsp; In fact he had contemplated joining The Wringling Brothers out of spite…But his spite could never outlay his loyalty.&nbsp; He had given far to much to Geralds circus to ever join the enemy, even if the enemy seemed a bit friendlier.&nbsp; All he knew was that he wasn’t given a reason for being removed, even when he asked the men who escorted him out.&nbsp; It wasn’t hard to put two and two together, Gerald had found out that he had slept with Elizabeth and wanted him gone.&nbsp; He actually felt a bit of debt to the man, typically he would have been killed.&nbsp; At least he had some loyalty to the man who had been the key factor in reviving the circus.<br><br>He was in a southern town one evening, tending to a glass of scotch.&nbsp; He had became a travelling teacher of sorts.&nbsp; He went from town to town, and for a minimal fee he trained people in the art of fire spinning.&nbsp; He received everything from housewives to adventurous young adults(He refused anyone under 18, it was too dangerous.)&nbsp; He made just enough to get by, and was okay with it.&nbsp; While he sat at the bar, a family walked in talking about a circus.&nbsp; He had only arrived this afternoon, by which time the posters had been taken down.&nbsp; They spoke of an incredible act, and went on and on about the brilliant woman who made fire seem harmless.<br><br>He paid his bill and left.&nbsp; He felt a pull within him.&nbsp; He had felt an odd tingling when that family had entered but wasn’t sure what it was.&nbsp; Nor was he sure what let him know exactly what direction he should walk in.&nbsp; It was a rather warm evening, and the scent of the air was nearly intoxicating.&nbsp; He knew he was riding some sort of high, he blamed it on the scotch.&nbsp; Then he found himself at the outskirts of the circus.&nbsp; It was just a single tent, and he arrived in time to witness a large banner fall to the ground as a number of stage hands carried it to a train and disappeared.&nbsp; He had seen the face of the Ring Mistress.&nbsp; He felt the high grow more and more as he stood this close. “You found it.” <br><br>Lawrence walked through the canvas doors of the big tent.&nbsp; Everything was still in tact.&nbsp; He knew within twelve hours it would be broken down and readied for packing.&nbsp; In the center of the ring sat Elizabeth upon a three foot high three foot wide circular stage, she was facing the opposite way, but he knew it was her.&nbsp; His skin was tingling and the hairs on the back of his neck rose.&nbsp; He began to walk towards her, and he heard her sigh. “Lawrence.&nbsp; I never thought you would come back.” He had no idea how she knew who it was, he had no idea that the spirit was speaking to her.&nbsp; After all, he had been the one to begin the process of finding it.&nbsp; He had failed.&nbsp; Even though he hated Elizabeth, he was still happy she did.<br><br>He stopped twenty feet from where she sat.&nbsp; The dim lights around them made it hard for him to see her.&nbsp; But she slid from the stage and walked towards him.&nbsp; He knew every inch of her body.&nbsp; But what he had known was not what he now witnessed.&nbsp; She was wearing a blood red dress, with slits where they needed to be to make every man want her.&nbsp; He may hate her, but the dress still had the same effect on him.&nbsp; What was odd was that not a scar showed, nor did a single tattoo.&nbsp; She was perfect, and she seemed to glow.&nbsp; She stood still, knowing what this new vision of her would do to him.&nbsp; He was in awe.&nbsp; Finally after half a minute he spoke. “Ten years ago we set out to recapture the spirit of the circus we both mourned.&nbsp; Venue after venue, no matter how small or large, we offered ourselves to the spirit in order to bring it back.&nbsp; Three years ago you betrayed me.&nbsp; How close were we?”&nbsp; Hostile words were spoken in a curious voice.&nbsp; It didn’t matter what had happened.&nbsp; The spirit was alive and apparently thriving.&nbsp; He needed to know how before he cared why.<br><br>Elizabeth smiled and paused, at this point they were two Ring Masters squaring off.&nbsp; But he was teaching soccer moms and she was astounding thousands.&nbsp; Finally she stepped towards him, and stopped five feet in front of him. “Gerald is dead.” She said. “I know.” Lawrence. “I killed him.” “I figured.&nbsp; How much longer after?” Elizabeth smiled.&nbsp; She hadn’t anticipated Lawrence to keep up on current events.&nbsp; Elizabeth shook her head, he had a faint idea of why but he didn’t bother with saying anything.<br><br>“He left, and I changed things.&nbsp; I made them as they should be.&nbsp; I forced people to abandon the world outside and live within this world.&nbsp; Two months and we began.&nbsp; When I was leading the show, the spirit began immediately.&nbsp; From that moment on talent came to me.&nbsp; Whether it was the spirit that guided me to them, or the spirit that guided them to me.&nbsp; About a year ago I captured it entirely.&nbsp; It belongs to me now.&nbsp; And it is why you were guided to my circus.” Her words were precisely stated to let him know she couldn’t have done it without him, while at the same time telling him from this point forward he couldn’t do it without her.&nbsp; He had promised never to join this circus again.&nbsp; But she possessed the spirit.&nbsp; He hated the fact that she alone controlled it, but too much of his life had been given to finding it to walk away now. “Yes, Elizabeth, you control the spirit and that spirit guided me here.&nbsp; If you would like to take dicks out and decide who’s is bigger then I am sure you know I’ll win.&nbsp; But the important question is what comes from this?”<br><br>Elizabeth laughed softly at his words, while she would passively tear you apart Lawrence always had a way of putting it bluntly.&nbsp; Elizabeth knew she now owned him, and reveled in that. “You accept your position as stage hand” Lawrence cut her off “Fuck you, I’ve always been better then you and you have always known it.” Elizabeth was at a loss for words.&nbsp; Anyone else who spoke that way to her would be killed.&nbsp; But she knew that he was right.&nbsp; Elizabeth waited until the mix of anger and humility faded, and she spoke in a stern voice. “Then you accept that this circus is mine, and that as long as I own the spirit you will never be my equal.&nbsp; You will be my partner at best.”&nbsp; Elizabeth stepped towards him now, and stopped a few feet in front of him.&nbsp; She bowed her head, tapped into the spirit that she had gained from this evening, and used to much.&nbsp; At once a cape that didn’t exist swooped over her form, and a cloud of blinding and choking smoke emerged.<br><br>It took him a little while to recover.&nbsp; With a soft cough he looked towards where Elizabeth should be, she was gone.&nbsp; In her place lay a small bottle with a cork lid.&nbsp; Lawrence stepped forward and picked it up.&nbsp; The seconds his hand touched it, he felt that same high he now knew was the spirit.&nbsp; This was her peace offering.&nbsp; In has hand was a bottle of the spirit, and the knowledge that he either took it and became one of hers or never got to taste what it was.&nbsp; The cork was removed, and the bottle lifted.&nbsp; Nothing was tasted, it was only felt.&nbsp; Fire ran through his veins.&nbsp; When he opened his eyes, he saw flames bursting through his flesh.&nbsp; He never felt pain, he didn’t burn.&nbsp; All that he knew was that he had signed his life over to Elizabeth…And he refused to believe that he could not take her place.<br><br>The spirit belonged to the person who best embodied it’s meaning.&nbsp; He had taught her, he had told her of the spirit of a circus, and by the end he would take it from her.<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Loyalty.&nbsp; Truth.&nbsp; Bluntness.&nbsp; Dedication.&nbsp; Social graces.&nbsp; Friendship.&nbsp; Humility.<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Betrayal.&nbsp; Tyranny.&nbsp; A person who pushes someones boundaries.&nbsp; Prejudice.&nbsp; Disbelief in ones self.&nbsp; Selfishness.&nbsp; Failure.</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Chloe Mallory</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2syx8VXsI1rn3hh8o2_250.png)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Chloe Monroe Mallory<br><strong>Age:</strong> 24<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Kansas<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Acts<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Elizabeth's Talent<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Appearance</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div align="center">(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ppurrJZZ1qif9qto1_250.png)(http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ppurrJZZ1qif9qto2_250.png)(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2syx8VXsI1rn3hh8o1_250.png)</div></div></div><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Black<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Bluish-green<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5'8<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 125<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> She walks with grace at all times of the day. Even though it appears natural, she is often aware of every single step since she know the consequence of one wrong move. A broken arm or leg can be the end of her career. It also means the difference between glory or pity. Her hair comes to about the middle of her back when completely straightened though most times it hangs in loose curls. She has no piercings. There is only one small tattoo of the figure of a raven on her left shoulder. She is not one for jewelry since she doesn't have the patience to take care of it. She only wears a locket stolen from her mother before she left for a life in the circus. <br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> She grew up in a place where manners and etiquette was essential to everyday living so she can't bring herself to be overly rude to people. She does not swear or behave in ways not befitting a lady. Instead, she gives people a taste of her mind and opinion of them tactfully through cleverly phrased words. Often times, it takes people a second or two to notice she has just insulted their entire family. It takes a lot to rile her up because of these reasons. She enjoys having fun with people since it helps take her mind off hurtful memories. She understands that there is nothing more important than perfecting her craft, but some days she just likes relaxing in the grass while thinking of things that could have or should have been. She know it's foolish, but sometimes she can't help herself at times. <br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> She grew up in a pretty large family in a small town. Everybody knew everybody, but that was fine with her. She went to school with her cousins and siblings every day. They would walk since it wasn't very far from their farm. Her mother always made sure they looked nice and tidy since she didn't want folks thinking they weren't being taken care of. Also, she didn't want the gossips down the street talking about them. She did pretty good in school though she shone outside on the monkey bars. She could hang from them longer than anyone else in her school year. Her daddy took her to the circus around when she was about six one year, and she feel in love with it from the moment they were there. The lights, people, and the noise. All of it seemed so surreal that she nearly peed myself in excitement. <br><br>When they got home, she annoyed him every day until he fixed up his own little replica of something she could swing around on. Just like the lady and man from the circus. As she got older, things became a bit more difficult between her folks when her pa lost his job. Money became tight, and her brothers were forced to find work outside of the farm to help support the family. Round then, her pa starting hitting her mother though she wouldn't dare say it to anyone outside of the house. He scared Chloe sometimes when he would drink until his head fell in a pool of his own vomit. Despite all this, she managed to practice out in her little swing even though her brothers had to change it over time to make sure she didn't end up hurting myself. That ended up happen just once, and her daddy got all crazy and decided to take all her equipment down. Her mama couldn't do nothing either so they just watched all her dreams disappeared. Or so he thought. <br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> It was in the middle of the night that Chloe Mallory left her house to go join the circus. She'd already had a big argument about it with her family, who did not approve of the idea. Yet still, it was her dream. A dream that had been watered for a long time since her first adventure across the school's monkey bars. Surprisingly, that dream did not turn out to be a glamorous as she imagined. Upon arriving, she was given a job as a circus hand. She was unable to go back home so she worked around with other people just like her. It was fun at times but still hard work since it took a lot of coordination for the circus to run properly. There was a lot of crying in the middle of the night too since it was her first time ever being away from home for an extended period of time. She was in between happy and almost mournful. It took everything she had not to go home and beg for forgiveness. <br><br>A couple of weeks past before one night after helping clean up the big tent, she went outside to see no one other than one of the stars of the circus. Elizabeth. It took a second or two for Chloe to feel comfortable until the woman took her back into the big tent. For some reason, she thought that Elizabeth wanted her to clean up something another circus hand left behind. Not tonight. The trapeze was still set up in its full glory. Well, from there, she was given an ultimatum of going up the ladder and soaring across blindfolded without a safety net or leaving the circus completely. There was no other choice since she was not welcomed back home. There were thoughts of ending up a broken pile of bones on the floor as she climbed up the ladder along with thinking this Elizabeth woman was some form of crazy for asking her to do such a thing. Before long, her vision was blocked by the blindfold, and there was the familiar weight of the bar in her hand. She could hear the sound of Elizabeth telling her to start along with the sound of the other bar being thrown through the air for her to catch. Chloe managed to propel herself through the air, grasping the bar by the tips of one of her hands. She nearly fell down, but pure strength allowed her to hold on before her other hand joined the first. This was her first performance in the circus. <br><br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Practicing, elephants, horses, music, routines, ladybugs, birds<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> rudeness, arrogance, bossiness</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Alexis 'Lexie' Moore</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae219/LimitlessNIkkie/girls%20for%20rp/1qmsms.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Alexis 'Lexie' Moore<br><strong>Age:</strong> 21<br><strong>Home State:</strong> California<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Clown<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> New talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Red<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Blue<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5' 7<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 113lbs <br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> With bright blue eyes and even brighter red hair against a creamy skin tone Lexi excels in catching the eye. On the taller side she is slender with long legs that look stunning in her normal heels. She had nice understated curve and smaller bust. Her most striking feature is probably her eyes a shifting shade of blue that reflect her every emotion without censorship. <br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> Lexi is a fun loving person who thrives on her interactions with people. She is they type of person who makes an impression with those around her. She's someone who loves to laugh and does so often. She someone who lives for the joy of life, never taking things seriously unless she must. She is rarely quiet, often mischievous and always looking to have a bit of fun.<br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Lexi was born in a town of five thousand people, in an area that thought preforming arts were something for depressed girls and gay guys. Lexi never felt like she fit in. With her vibrant nature and desire for attention she loved preforming from a young age and felt repressed by the constricting views of her home town. <br><br>As she grew up her feeling of being outside the norm increased. When she hit her teens cell phones were all the rage. She hated them. She hated phones in general for how impersonal they were. You couldn't see the persons face. How could you have a conversation with someone and no see their face? The internet was even worse, anyone could say anything and you had to take it as truth because you couldn't tell if they were lying.<br><br>High school was awful and wonderful in the same breath. While she was considered weird for not having a cell phone, preferring walking and bikes to cars and generally not being a fan of technology she was bright and fun to be around and had a vast network of friends she spend time with once she could get them away from the addicting LED screen that was their cell phone. <br><br>Even with all her friends and her place in life Lexi never got over the feel of not quiet fitting, of being a round peg stuffed ill-fittingly into a square hole. She though maybe it was just the 'teen syndrome' but then again maybe not.<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> It was Lexie's birthday when the Carnival came into town. While the rest of her friends wanted to take her to a bar and get her so drunk she couldn't walk she resisted. She'd been looking at the posters put up around town all week, no way was she missing the chance to see the show just because she happened to be turning 21.<br><br>The show she saw was more then dazzling or astounding, it changed her. Not once before in her life had she experienced something that reached down into the core of her being and squeezed, changing something inside of her. She went to the show twice more brings friends the second time and the third going on her own. At first the acts had dazzled her stealing her attention but the more she went the more her attention shifted to the clowns and she envied them.<br><br>Why can't I do that? She thought as she watched them dance and flirt and act so carefree and happy. Why can't I be like them? <br><br>The last night of the carnival Lexie went for the last time feeling a profound sadness. She would miss them, the familiar faces, the atmosphere that made her feel at home, the magic of the performer and the performance. <br><br>It was a fluke as she was leaving to see Elizabeth off by herself in the shadows of the big tent. Lexie would never know what came over her. She wasn't known for being shy in the least but she wasn't overly pushy either. But that night she was driven she walked right up to Elizabeth and told her she wanted to be a Clown.<br><br>For whatever reason Elizabeth let her try out. She dressed in the burlesque outfits the clowns wore and painted her face and did a dance that had her swirling and moving to the music in a way that would have made her mother turn pink with embarrassing but made Lexie feel wholly alive. She knew she wasn't the best dancer, it was something she did out of love and joy and though she had fun she really wanted to be a part of the circus more then she'd ever desired anything else.<br><br>"I'm meant to be here" She said with such certainty it was hard to dispute her. Made up in make up of black in white dressed in a costume cast off from someone else she should have looked silly and out of place, instead she looked like she belonged like she was a piece of there world that till this moment had been lost but was now found.<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Strawberries, thunder storms in the summer, sunbathing, running, dancing, preforming, flirting, men, music, swimming, and getting into a little bit of trouble.<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Lemons, boredom, having to sit still, and people that don't listen when she says no.<br></div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Kepler</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt357/Niferbelle/male_model_77.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Isaiah Kepler (just goes by Kepler)<br><strong>Age:</strong> 26<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Illinois<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Circus hand (security/general muscle)<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Elizabeth's Talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Black <br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Light brown<br><strong>Height:</strong> 6'<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 170#<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Kepler is a handsome guy, his features as sculpted as his body, with shaggy black hair that manages to look good whether he's combed it or not, golden brown eyes, and a certain detachment about him that gives you the feeling he's always thinking about something else. He's muscled and hard as a rock but not especially imposing in terms of bulk, leading some steroid cases to think they can take him on but it invariable turns out to be a bad idea when they do. He pays little attention to what he wears, always jeans and whatever shirt he can find that's clean though with the work he does it's not unusual for him to be a little grimy during the course of the day. He has anywhere from heavy stubble to a light beard and moustache, where on the spectrum he falls on any given day not a matter of design so much as when he felt like shaving last.<br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> he seems to be a kind of walking stereotype of the handsome brooder, with that air of danger about him that inspires the naive (and sometimes not so naive) to fantasies of winning him over and civilizing the beast. It's inevitable that in every town he attracts young women who find him as compelling as the acts but he pays them little mind beyond a polite tolerance. In his experience they think they want to lay down with the wolf but they always complain when he bites. In truth he's more thoughtful then most would give him credit for, lacking in book knowledge, but philosophical in nature, the result of a guilty conscience and a young lifetime of making mistakes. He's taciturn but generally helpful unless he thinks you're shirking your work and trying to get him to do it, and he's very protective of everyone in the circus. <br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Kepler grew up in a working class neighborhood of Chicago, his father a mechanic when he wasn't too drunk to show up for work and his mother a waitress who spent her tips on crank. He had two younger siblings he tried to look out for but by the time he was a teenager he was getting into trouble, in and out of juvie and dropping out of school eventually though he got his GED. When he turned eighteen he figured he couldn't afford to get arrested anymore and he wanted to get the hell out so he joined the Marines. This seemed to be working out well for a couple of years, and he excelled physically in the training and was able to put the mechanical skills he'd picked up from the old man to use as well as further his education in that regard but it wasn't to be. He served a little time for assault and was dishonorably discharged after punching a superior officer who didn't have a sense of humor about getting his nose broken. <br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;He returned to Chicago, despairing at how things had turned out. He slept with too many women, got in too many fights, worked a series of crappy jobs before settling on becoming a bouncer at a strip club. But one night a particularly obnoxious guy who thought money could buy him anything came in with his buddies and started getting grabby and mouthy when asked to back off. Kepler did his job and grabbed the guy by the collar to show him outside but the jerk was drunk and feeling like he had to front for his pals, and after talking some smack he gave the bouncer a shove and Kepler lost it. Kepler put the guy down before he could draw another breath but didn't stop there, lost in a rage that seemed to come out of nowhere. Three days later the guy died from the beating he took and Kepler was arrested, and while you'd think he was relieved when he was let go on a technicality, that wasn't the case. Kepler left Chicago once he was freed and headed downstate, his conscience finally having taken all it could, and it was there he found the Circus.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;He's been with the Circus for about a year now, acting as security when needed and generally filling in wherever needed. His mechanical skills come in handy keeping the equipment running and well maintained. He's found a refuge here that seems to give him some sense of purpose and has no desire to rejoin the rest of the world again. Been there, done that, and fucked it up royally.<br><br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> <em>It's not your goddamned job, not here, not now. These people should have their own bastard to take care of this shit. Watch the damned show.</em><br><br>It was the second night Kepler had been to the circus. It was a fluke he'd found it the first time. He'd just been passing through and he was just sick enough of the road and his thoughts to take any sort of distraction he could get that didn't involve a bottle of booze or a local floozy and what he'd seen here had blown him away. He was nothing but a pretty face, a hard fist, a bad temper, and a whole lot of nothing but these people...they were putting something out there in the world. They were creating beauty. So he'd returned the second night rather than moving on, a quiet but appreciative watcher in the stands, but tonight serenity was not to be thanks to the three hundred pound asshole sitting across the aisle. <br><br>Some of the clowns had come up to engage the crowd and one in particular...a lovely, willowy young woman...seemed to have gotten the bald, portly biker's attention and he was trying to 'convince' her not to move on, mainly by grabbing at her. Kepler tried to mind his own business, knowing it couldn't be the first time this had happened and that they had to have somebody assigned to handle it. But nobody was showing up and the girl and the other clowns were getting nervous and long about the time the fat guy put his hand on the girl's ass, Kepler'd had enough. He was across the aisle in a flash, grabbing a handful of shirt and cocking his fist back, putting the asshole down in one punch despite his size.<br><br>"If you don't think I'd kill you for less you're wrong," Kepler growled, bending over him, fist at the ready again. "Get the hell out of here."<br><br>He was relieved when the biker did just that, scrambling to his feet in ungainly fashion and waddling to the nearest exit. Kepler looked around, realizing he'd become part of the show as everybody from the clowns to the crowds to the ringmaster...what was her name again? Elizabeth?...seemed to be staring at him. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. <br><br>"Sorry about that miss," he mumbled to the clown and after hesitating just another moment, decided to leave before he got kicked out or the cops came. It's not like he belonged in a place like this anyway. He stepped outside and got a few strides away before he heard someone calling and turned to look. <br><br>“Hey, asshole.” She called out to the man who had just fixed a situation he had absolutely no right fixing.&nbsp; The man that she had formally used to deal with the crowd had had a late night drinking.&nbsp; No, fix that, a late morning drinking.&nbsp; He had managed to show up to the big tent, but when she tried to get him off his stool to go and interrupt the problem he fell back to the floor.&nbsp; Later that week he would find himself thrown off the train into a lively river.&nbsp; None the less, the man who had dealt with the problem turned around.&nbsp; She anticipated that, in all likelihood he expected a pissed off biker bitch.<br><br>Elizabeth walked up to him.&nbsp; She stopped a few feet in front of him and looked him up and down.&nbsp; She smiled, and without any fear spoke. “You are beautiful, that is certain.” She took a step forward, and moved her hand to the fist that had been used as a weapon.&nbsp; Her fingers ran over his knuckles, with intentions to hurt. “But do me a favor?&nbsp; The next time you see one of my clowns, or anyone in this circus, get violated or hurt you react quicker?”&nbsp; Elizabeth smiled and took a step forward.&nbsp; She leaned up to kiss him, before she turned around and began to walk away.<br><br>She stopped just before the canvas doors, and turned around to look at the man.&nbsp; Now she more or less looked irritated.&nbsp; “Are you coming or not?&nbsp; The last bastard who was my muscle got drunk last night and passed out when I told him to fix the situation.&nbsp; You fixed it.&nbsp; You’ll be paid well and get to beat anyones ass who violates my circuses talent.” Elizabeth didn’t wait for him to respond.&nbsp; She walked into the big tent, and began her show.<br><br>It was a hell of a pitch...a kiss from a classy woman, a promise of money, a way out of the mess he'd made of his life, and even more, the feeling, however brief, that he'd made something better...it went without saying, he followed her in.<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Living in the moment, friends with benefits, time to think, Mexican food, fixing things <br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> The past, unruly crowds, teases, lazy people, drunks<br></div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Mariana I. Nicholas (inactive)</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv301/mh0916/girlinsuspenders.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Mariana I. Nicholas<br><strong>Age:</strong> 26<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Nebraska<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Circus Hand<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> New Talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Brown<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Hazel<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5’9”<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 129lbs<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong>&nbsp; Long, lean, freckled, and lanky. Quite thin but there is muscle that hides underneath it all. A few scars here and there from life and her hands and feet are callused and speak to her history of being a hard hands-on worker.<br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> A little quiet but when she speaks it’s quite to the point. She is tough and honest seeing no point in beating around the bush or lying. It just complicates things and often leaves her friendless. Always had a hard time finding people she fit in with besides her family who understood her and her oddness. Very tough, emotionally and physically, knows how to hold her own in a fight and it takes a lot to make her emotionally upset. Often stares off into space thinking, day dreaming, and always seems to be creating something in her head.<br><br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> <br>Mariana was born and raised in Nebraska. Her family wasn’t rich but they were not poor either, they made what they could and worked hard for every penny. Her father owned a garage and fixed any machine you brought in that needed fixin’. Her three older brothers also worked in the shop and her mother had done most of the paper work and tax stuff that everyone seemed to forget about. She did anyways until she was in a car accident and passed away when Mariana was five. From then on it was just her and the four men in her life. <br><br>Her mom, before she passed, had enrolled her in a youngsters gymnastics program thinking it would be a fun after school activity – only to find out her daughter was talented and in love with it. She came from a family of athletes but Mariana was not going to be joining the local baseball or football teams anytime soon like her father or brothers had – she was a local gymnastics star instead. At first it was just fun and something she was good at, then as she got older and better it grew into something she could do at a national level, and winning became a huge goal. She worked for her father before school and anytime she wasn’t training to help pay for gym costs, training, and she did everything she could to pay for it herself. She even dropped out of school when she was 15 got her GED that year so she could work to help pay. She was extremely smart and knew if gymnastics didn’t work, college was an option – and her family supported her, two of her brothers getting football scholarships she had heard of some for gymnastics and thought the stars were the limit. Until a qualifying meet to get to regionals went all wrong. <br><br>At the time she was 17 and was all but guaranteed a medal and to move on and after that it was Nationals. Until the vault. She was tall, unlike many gymnasts who were small and muscular she was a taffy pulled version of them. The vault was to be adjusted slightly to compensate for her height, it was all regulation. It wasn’t and when she hit the spring board and her hands went to launch her into the air her hands and fingers slipped off causing her to fly to the ground breaking her left wrist, a few fingers, right ankle, nose and tweaking her neck. Nothing so severe where she’d be in hospitals forever, but enough to end her career as a gymnast. <br><br>From then on she spent time at physical therapy and working for her dad, fixing things, something she had quite the knack for. Flips, tricks, and fixing internal combustion engines – among other things. Eventually she grew tired of doing the same things and decided if gymnastics was not going to let her travel, she’d just do it on her own, maybe go to college if she found one she liked and when she was done exploring. So on her 18th birthday she gathered her essentials, all the money she had and bought a train ticket out of there. Her dad didn’t want her to leave but like her mother she was a rather independent woman she always had a home to come back to and at that point had 2 brothers in parts of the country she could stay with. She never went back and eight years later she was still on her own, making her way through the U.S. sometimes barely scraping by. She found new interests – like being a contortionist and new ways to make money. Always the thinker and innovator she lived on the road the thought of settling down anywhere made her nauseated. But she didn’t know how long “fixing things for cash” or performing at night clubs by twisting herself into a pretzel would keep working. Her joints and old injuries were hurting and people didn’t always trust a random girl to get their machines working again. How long this would last started to worry her greatly.<br><br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong><br>Mariana’s day had started like any other day in a new place. Lots of walking around, checking out the lay of the land and then searching out the cheapest motel, which was usually at the edge of the city in a less than reputable area. On her walk through she had seen multiple posters for a circus, but the posters were magnificent. Not the usual hokey picture of a man with a whip, a lion, and some random dancing horses. This was different, and had piqued her interest by more than a little. <br><br>She had found her motel for later and a bus schedule and decided to make her way towards this circus. There were enough posters and flyers to suggest a large number of people would in attendance and if so maybe one of those fine patrons would like to provide her with some work, or cash. At minimum a ride back into town – it was a bit of a risk but that’s what she lived for these days – the fact that anything could happen while she traveled the road. It took a few buses and a considerable amount of walking but she made it there and was pleased with what she saw. <br><br>It was huge and loads of people were driving up and making their way in. She straightened up her jeans and button up shirt, fixed her hair a bit and pulled her cardboard sign out. She made her way towards the side, not too close to the entrance but not too far away from the crowd. She stood there with a bit of a smile, her duffle bag on the ground next to her, backpack on her back and a sign that read, “Will fix stuff for food”. On the other side it said “Will work for food” she switched it back and forth from time to time, also this way if she held it right people in both directions would see it. The dirty brunette in suspenders stood there, hoping to strike gold.<br><br>~<br><br>Of all the horrors that could occur in a circus, this was likely the worst that hers could endure.&nbsp; Her acts were always absolutely flawless, and even if they made a mistake the spirit that flowed through them got them through it.&nbsp; But there were certain elements of the circus that could not be controlled, no matter how hard you tried.&nbsp; One issue with travelling by train was that there were curves, and different parts of the circus shifted inside of the train.&nbsp; Thus far it hadn’t effected much beyond a bit of motion sickness.<br><br>This time it had put a severe kink in her show.&nbsp; One of her spirit gifted acts, Chloe, depended upon her equipment to work properly for her show to work.&nbsp; Everything had been working well, the landing stage had been assembled forty feet above the floor.&nbsp; The take off stage was being built, and the last part of the wooden scalding had a fault.&nbsp; The idiotic builder hadn’t thought anything of it and had began building the top part of the stage.&nbsp; Where Chloe would stand.&nbsp; And one of the wooden bars broke, the man(Her carpenter) fell ten feet to the stage below and broke his arm.&nbsp; She was nearly in a state of panic, she had an hour and no one to assemble the stage.&nbsp; She had to go outside, for the simple fact she was going to break the carpenters other arm if she stayed any longer.<br><br>She walked through the crowd until she came across a woman who appeared as though she as homeless.&nbsp; She went to look away when out of the corner of her eye she caught the sigh. “Will fix stuff for food.”&nbsp; The Ring Mistress turned towards the girl and stood in front of her.&nbsp; She lowered her hand, and beckoned the girl to her feet. “Up, up.&nbsp; My trapeze stage needs fixed or I am screwed for one of my acts, you had better know carpentry or I am going to break your other arm.” In her state she didn’t differentiate between one possible carpenter to hers.&nbsp; She was just furious.&nbsp; She turned around and began towards the tent, looking over her shoulder to yell out. “Do it and you’ll have a job.”&nbsp; She never looked back.&nbsp; People tended to follow Elizabeth when she asked them.<br><br>~<br><br>The night had been uneventful; no one really looked at her and if they did it was either with some contempt or pity. One person gave her a dollar and she just hoped that maybe there would be better luck after the show. Her luck seemed to change quickly as a rather flustered woman came to her, had her stand and offered her work. No names were exchanged just asked to fix a stage and a small threat. The rather beautiful woman was in charge or in a higher up of some kind and Mariana quickly gathered her bags and followed her inside the tent. <br><br>She was pointed at the problem and it was quite evident and immediately her mind went to work and she couldn’t deny that she could have built it better. She was pulled from her cocky ponderings a moment when she was offered a job if she fixed it. She wasn’t 100% sure what that meant but if anything she’d probably get some money and food out of it all. She pulled her tool belt out of her backpack, clipping it around her hips and climbing the ladder up to the platform. She got to the platform and tried to anchor herself underneath it to fix the supports. She went to work and as quickly as she could not only fixed the platform but made improvements. Not by much but enough where she was proud of it. With more time she’d re-do it entirely but this was sufficient, and more importantly – safe. <br><br>Climbing down she wiped the sweat from her brow and checked the time on her pocket watch. She jogged over to the other platform and made similar adjustments making it safer, and far more stable. Shimmying back down she found the woman that had recruited her. <br>“So, I finished and made a few adjustments to both platforms… it’s much safer now. With some time they could be better… But for now I’m sure you will be pleased with my work.”<br>She didn’t want to sit there and demand a job now but her curiosity and desire for a real work was getting to her.<br>“Um, about that job you spoke of…”<br>&nbsp;<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> engineering, hard work, cars, contorting, challenges, traveling, honesty, gymnastics, and integrity.<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> liars, closed-mindedness, incompetence, whining, being ungrateful.<br><br><br></div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Katie Stewart</div><div class="spoiler_body"><strong>Name:</strong> Kate&nbsp; Stewart&nbsp; <br><strong>Age:</strong> 22<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Burlesque Dances<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> New Talent<br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Red haired<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Green<br><br><br>(http://openmuz.ru/uploads/notice_photos/tori_amos.jpg)<br><br><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Physical Description:</strong> <br><br>The most notable physical trait about Kate is that she is a conjoined twin. She is bound together with her identical sister by the hip. Despite this, she is still considered very attractive. Out of the two, she is more outgoing an fashionable in he attire. She tends to wear makeup even when not on the stage. There is always a friendly smile on her face even though off stage it is slightly more alluring. When working her clothing is appropriate for the sensual setting, and she is often in an identical costumes to her sister. They do not mind pushing the limits with their clothing so often times it is viewed as risqué. Like her sister, Lottie's body is slim due to her lifestyle as a dance. She is also flexible in many different and interesting ways<br><br><strong>Personality:</strong><br>Kate certainly enjoys a drink or two and a party, and she is somewhat more veracious than her sister. She is the more dominant and outgoing twin. She is extremely protective of Lottie and woe betides any that upset her. Indeed, Kate seems a little less sensitive than Lottie, and she can bear the brunt of unkindness easier. She also seems to have a better sense of humour and take life less seriously. However, as much as she prefers a more lively life, she also feels the need to spend quiet nights reading. However, her sewing is not quite up to scratch thus she leaves that alone.<br><br>One thing both agree on they can be a little suspicious of men especially the ones that are interested in the two for one deal. For indeed, they have had many offers.<br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> <br>The twins come from a very long like of carnies. It is said, though is likely just a story, their family has been in the business since before Rome. If one is to believe these stories, some of them even entertained some of the Caesars. Whatever the truth or lack of in the matter, it does make for interesting stories. Indeed, if there is truth in the matter, they do have some marginally famous ancestors in the family line. Indeed, their grandmother was a bearded lady of some repute. Their great grandfather had been a ringmaster himself and owned a small circus of his own. <br><br>However, due to his rather addictive nature. Love for both gambling and the sauce lead to the slow demise of the circus and carnivals in general for their family, and soon he was forced to sell it.&nbsp; This meant that the family became more fragmented, and over the years this has continued to happen to a greater degree. <br><br>The twins' mother died in childbirth, and their father for a time went off the rails so they were brought up by grandmother. She personally considered them a gift from Carna so she refused what would have been a simple operation to separate their bodies. The twins did not mind being joined as they had never known anything different.<br><br>The two fitted into carnival life easily, even though the idea of ‘freaks’ was becoming distasteful to many of the more politically correct. From a young age, they worked many roles in a number of different circuses. The two were usually ticket touts and worked on some of the side attractions. All the time, their grandmother was working in various ways so the two would find an act of interest over and above the fact that they were conjoined twins.&nbsp; <br><br>So they were trained hard and became quite the gymnasts performing in a most interesting fashion. Their moves always needed to be perfectly timed, whether it was this, or their obvious symbiotic nature, the two seemed to move fluidly together. Also, they appeared to be able to communicate in many ways without need for words. They were also taught by their grandmother in the art of the burlesque entertainment<br><br>With the death of grandmother and&nbsp; father, that was little interested anymore. Finally, they found a far more normal lifestyle and family. Soon Kate and Lottie decided it was time to look for something a little larger than they were used to. The twins put out feelers into finding somewhere and indeed found that which they might be looking for.<br><br>Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes: Circus Of Blood And Fire <br><br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> <br>Still dressed in their black clothing, Catherine and Charlotte stood with many of their friends and colleagues along with some of their family members. Yes, it is time to watch the final embers of the trailer burn. The occasional flickering flame mirrored the two girls' red hair even more so as the sun began to melt into the ever darkening skies. Slowly, the other mourners turned and walked away after saying their final goodbyes so that they might talk into the night and reminisce about the fine and grand old lady. The woman had been the true back bone of the family, and certainly she remain strong to the spirit of the carnival right up until the very end of her life.<br><br>The twins looked one last time of the old poster of the woman when she had been a performer. Even then with her beard, there had many a young men that tried to court and woo her, both other carnies and even a few that were not. They said goodbye silently kissed the poster and then laid it to rest in the glowing embers. The paper caught alight with a bright flare and then was gone. Just as grandmother had finally joined her husband.<br><br>Yes, Lottie and Kate would spend the night there and in the first light of morning. When the birds sang their chorus, the two knelt down and wiped the ashes upon their faces before joining the other mourners. Or perhaps they might be revelers. For though a sad occasion, all wished to celebrate the great life that they had known. So the tales and songs as well as the drinking continued. Finally, this came to an end so decisions had to be made as now they were no longer tied to this particular small circus because of duty and love the twins. After some discussion, they decided then to move on and find another circus or carnival better suited for their talents. <br><br>The girls had many contacts. They started to slowly put out the word that they were looking for work. At first, they took the usual totting jobs that one started with until they were able to get more information on one place that offered so much for their true potential. After further travel and speaking to certain interesting contacts and friends, eventually the two found their way to the destination that they hoped for, yes that Circus …<br><br>Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes&nbsp; &nbsp;-<br><br>All it took now was them to impress the ring mistress.<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> singing, dancing, a shot or two of good whiskey the occasional smoke on a pipe, her twin, a good party, ice cream, daisies<br><br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> prejudice, lies, apples, snobbery, those that don’t pull their own weight</div></div></div><br><hr><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Flower</strong> on <strong>01-06-2012, 06:52:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: comic sans ms;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Character Sheets: Part Two</strong></span></span></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Lottie Stewart</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001382863/tori_amos_xlarge.jpeg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Lottie&nbsp; Stewart <br><strong>Age:</strong> 22<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Burlesque Dancers<br>Place of Hierarchy: New Talent<br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Red haired<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Green<br><br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> The most notable physical trait about Charlotte is that she is a conjoined. She is bound together with her identical sister by the hip. Despite this, she is still considered very attractive. Her long hair is reddish auburn in color. There is always a friendly smile on her face though during her performances it turns beguiling. Lottie tends to dress in an unassuming way when not performing in front of a crowd. However, obviously, when working her clothing is appropriate for the sensual setting, and she is often in an identical costumes to her sister. They do not mind pushing the limits with their clothing so often times it is viewed as risqué. Like her sister, Lottie's body is slim due to her lifestyle as a dance. She is also flexible in many different and interesting ways. <br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong>Lottie is a little quieter than her sister Kate. She enjoys sewing and reading in her spare time. Of course, the carnival is her life&nbsp; and her spirit. However, when her costume comes off, she would rather not engage in some of the more unseemly parts of the circus activities. When the costume is on, the girl is as confident as her sister. Lottie is the more submissive of the sisters or at least appears to be so she will often end up joining in some of the pursuits with Kate. Though not a drinker, when one is joined to a sister that likes a few drinks she cannot help but get a little tipsy. Lottie will join in with the fun, but really she prefers quieter times when she and Catherine are alone.<br><br>One thing both agree on is that they can be a little suspicious of men. Especially the men interested in the two for one deal. For indeed, they have had many offers.<br><br><br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> <br><br><br>The twins come from a very long like of carnies. It is said, though is likely just a story, their family has been in the business since before Rome. If one is to believe these stories, some of them even entertained some of the Caesars. Whatever the truth or lack of in the matter, it does make for interesting stories. Indeed, if there is truth in the matter, they do have some marginally famous ancestors in the family line. Indeed, their grandmother was a bearded lady of some repute. Their great grandfather had been a ringmaster himself and owned a small circus of his own. <br><br>However, due to his rather addictive nature. Love for both gambling and the sauce lead to the slow demise of the circus and carnivals in general for their family, and soon he was forced to sell it.&nbsp; This meant that the family became more fragmented, and over the years this has continued to happen to a greater degree. <br><br>The twins' mother died in childbirth, and their father for a time went off the rails so they were brought up by grandmother. She personally considered them a gift from Carna so she refused what would have been a simple operation to separate their bodies. The twins did not mind being joined as they had never known anything different.<br><br>The two fitted into carnival life easily, even though the idea of ‘freaks’ was becoming distasteful to many of the more politically correct. From a young age, they worked many roles in a number of different circuses. The two were usually ticket touts and worked on some of the side attractions. All the time, their grandmother was working in various ways so the two would find an act of interest over and above the fact that they were conjoined twins.&nbsp; <br><br>So they were trained hard and became quite the gymnasts performing in a most interesting fashion. Their moves always needed to be perfectly timed, whether it was this, or their obvious symbiotic nature, the two seemed to move fluidly together. Also, they appeared to be able to communicate in many ways without need for words. They were also taught by their grandmother in the art of the burlesque entertainment<br><br>With the death of grandmother and&nbsp; father, that was little interested anymore. Finally, they found a far more normal lifestyle and family. Soon Kate and Lottie decided it was time to look for something a little larger than they were used to. The twins put out feelers into finding somewhere and indeed found that which they might be looking for.<br><br>Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes: Circus Of Blood And Fire <br><br><br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> <br><br><br>Still dressed in their black clothing, Catherine and Charlotte stood with many of their friends and colleagues along with some of their family members. Yes, it is time to watch the final embers of the trailer burn. The occasional flickering flame mirrored the two girls' red hair even more so as the sun began to melt into the ever darkening skies. Slowly, the other mourners turned and walked away after saying their final goodbyes so that they might talk into the night and reminisce about the fine and grand old lady. The woman had been the true back bone of the family, and certainly she remain strong to the spirit of the carnival right up until the very end of her life.<br><br>The twins looked one last time of the old poster of the woman when she had been a performer. Even then with her beard, there had many a young men that tried to court and woo her, both other carnies and even a few that were not. They said goodbye silently kissed the poster and then laid it to rest in the glowing embers. The paper caught alight with a bright flare and then was gone. Just as grandmother had finally joined her husband.<br><br>Yes, Lottie and Kate would spend the night there and in the first light of morning. When the birds sang their chorus, the two knelt down and wiped the ashes upon their faces before joining the other mourners. Or perhaps they might be revelers. For though a sad occasion, all wished to celebrate the great life that they had known. So the tales and songs as well as the drinking continued. Finally, this came to an end so decisions had to be made as now they were no longer tied to this particular small circus because of duty and love the twins. After some discussion, they decided then to move on and find another circus or carnival better suited for their talents. <br><br>The girls had many contacts. They started to slowly put out the word that they were looking for work. At first, they took the usual totting jobs that one started with until they were able to get more information on one place that offered so much for their true potential. After further travel and speaking to certain interesting contacts and friends, eventually the two found their way to the destination that they hoped for, yes that Circus …<br><br>Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes&nbsp; &nbsp;-<br><br>All it took now was them to impress the ring mistress.<br><br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> singing, dancing, her twin, a glass of fine wine and the occasional illicit smoke, card games, sewing, reading, forget me not’s, and crunchy apples<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Prejudice, lies, snobbery, laziness, those that don’t pull there own weight and rude and uncouth behaviour.</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header"> Kinky the Klown</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <div class="floatright">(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgo2ig2kGk1qh25rpo1_500.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Keith Hunter Alias: "Kinky the Klown"<br><strong>Age:</strong> 34<br><strong>Home State:</strong> New Jersey<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Clown/Knife Thrower/Production Designer!!! (Select Acts)<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Elizabeth's talent.<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Naturally brown, but he dyes it more often than he showers.<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Green<br><strong>Height:</strong> 6'4"<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 193 lbs.<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong>&nbsp; Tall, lean and tattooed all over. That is Kinky the Klown! He is almost never seen out of makeup (http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/63/a5/clown,clowns,content,friendly,happy,loving,man,men,mens,humor,photography,arts,pleased-63a5657075acd16a26c4e75e401dd011_m.jpg), though he's notorious for not caring if the design becomes smudged. He's always in search of the next tattoo or scar to remind him of where he's been and how far he's come. His "Tribal" view of body modification has left various scars, holes and artwork across his flesh.<br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> Outgoing and playful when in front of an audience, and always flirtatious. Behind the paint and good natured jokes, Kinky has a very dark side that others learn to fear and or avoid. When he's drunk, it's common knowledge that he blacks out and becomes something of an animal, steer clear. He takes almost nothing seriously, often referring to death as the ultimate punch line. The only thing that he does take seriously is of course the circus. It's his task to ensure that things run smoothly, transitions, ad libs, focus pulls, he's a master of distraction. When something that the audience isn't meant to see takes place, it's Kinky's job to make certain that all eyes are on him and his contemporaries. Pain and violence are also jokes to him, as he's never been ashamed to be the only one laughing.<br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Keith Hunter was still very young when his parents were killed in a car accident. Too young to have retained any lasting memories of either of them, in truth, he could scarcely remember their faces outside of picture frames. His earliest memory was of their funeral, as they were both being lowered into the ground. Everyone all around him, friends and relatives, all of them were crying. Keith wasn't crying though, he was laughing.<br><br>Even as a young boy, Keith knew it was wrong, his parents were dead, he should be miserable, not falling from his seat with laughter. Everyone was looking at him with evil eyes, but that only made him laugh that much harder. Did they really think that their grief was more real than his, just because he expressed it differently? When would it end? There was nothing he could do to quell the laughter, not with that goofy bearded blowhard bagpipe player tooting away. "Oh Danny boy! The pipes, the pipes are calling." He was still rolling around the grass after the hole was filled in and everyone had left. Everyone except one, "Carolyn Brooks, Social Services".<br><br>His first time in therapy had felt like more of a joke than the funeral had, the old tweed coated douche, with his salt and pepper beard and suede elbow pads. "Tell me about your parents." "They're dead." That was all Keith told him before he lost himself to the laughter, that should have been enough, what else did he want to know? It wasn't like rehashing the cruel fate of nature would ever bring them back, nothing would. That much, Keith understood with a crystal clarity.<br><br>The shrink, however, didn't get it. Keith was incarcerated for the first time then, in a mental health facility for most of his adolescence. As he grew, he grew impatient with the tedious rules and regulations and even the drugs grew tiresome. For the first time he wanted something more than what he had. He wanted freedom.<br><br>It was just a lucky coincidence that the circus happened to be in town when he made his escape. He remains at large, but clown paint does wonders to keep one's identity hidden. <br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> The heavy boots made a loud clicking sound as Kinky flipped the plastic tabs closed. He was already in full costume and makeup, in spite of the fact that the main tent was still being set up. All around, the sounds of hammers and bawdy voices rang out as the clown pushed off of the chair and struggled for a moment to balance on the arc stilts (http://www.flyjumperstore.ca/images/products/1931.jpg). He was wearing bright purple suspenders that seemed to be made of colorful sequins in such mass that whatever fabric they were made of was completely hidden, but no shirt under them. His pants were lime green and baggy in a style made famous by M.C. Hammer, made of a reflective, shimmery material that held the light.<br><br>After the first few hesitant steps, Kink took his first practice bounce, flailing his arms at his sides while he soared up, several feet off the ground after just a tentative hop. When he landed, the stilts bent like a bow and launched him back up, more sure of his balance, high enough for a full grown man to run under before he was falling again.<br><br>"Woo! Now we're cooking." Kinky wailed over the growing sound of ambient clatter. "Let me get the setups for the intro sequence. I want to make sure I can perch from a backflip."<br><br>Some of the stage hands who were close by groaned, Kinky was infamous for his temper and no one was in the mood to deal with his demanding fastidiousness that he applied to his staging. The task was quickly delegated to the newest techs who begrudgingly set up three small platforms, taking care to stake them deep into the dirt floor around the wide bases.<br><br>Each of the three columns was painted green with leaf stencils painted around each. At the top there was a round platform, each painted like a different colored flower. Kinky was laughing as he bounded over in long, bouncing strides.<br><br>"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! They look great, now back up a bit, let me try to land on one." Kinky shouted at the techs, already planting both stilts and beginning a front flip that ended in an awkward landing on the tallest platform. Kink took a long moment, flailing his arms and moving his sculpted core to rise up to standing. "That was close... Rig! Let me get a green wash down here."<br><br>Once Kink had his balance again, he stared down at the small platform stroking his chin. He'd hardly stuck the landing and it was only going to be more difficult when each of these platforms was occupied by a person in floral costume. He gave a few test leaps on the three foot platform while he was waiting for his light, but from somewhere up above, one of the techs called down to him.<br><br>"Look, clown! We're still wiring the grid up here. Besides that, you know how Elizabeth feels about colored lights." Some tech who was perched precariously along a catwalk barked. "I'll bring up the fronts and dim out the backs once we get-"<br><br>The technician was interrupted by a sharp electrical pop and a shower of sparks somewhere in the rafters, followed by the hum of generators and a wash of bright light. Kink took a moment to bask in their glow, their warmth, their delicious embrace. He waited for the tech to do as he'd promised, bringing up the spots to frame the painted columns at center stage. Once that was done he took a few warm up hops before bounding backward off the tiny platform into a high, sweeping backflip with his arms outstretched at his side, imagining the fluttering of the silken wings of his butterfly costume.<br><br>His stilts hit the ground and he bounded upward, spreading his legs in a wide split, made wider by the stilts before planting and bounding up to the next platform. He landed much easier this time. The lights helped.<br><br>"Yeah, that's better. Can we set those like that and maybe throw some woodland gobos on the outer half?" Kink called up to the rigging. "Let's get some shadows on this."<br><br>"There's plenty of time for all this later!" The same tech from before called back. "Let us finish, then we'll set your lights."<br><br>"Don't you make me come up there!" Kink wailed in reply, it wouldn't be the first time he'd scaled the rafters in pursuit of an uncooperative tech. The last instance had ended badly for everyone, the tech who was thrown from the rigging and Kink as well who had to endure Elizabeth's wrath for the deed. It was a bluff, this time. But the tech had no desire to find out the hard way. Slender, metal cutouts were slid into the appropriate lights, casting long shadows and blending leaf shaped beams with the other lights, creating the illusion of some unseen overhead canopy. "Was that so hard?" Kink asked at last, bounding off the platform in a front flip this time and landing without so much as a momentary loss of balance.<br><br>Confident that the lights were in place, Kink bounced in place a few times, pondering the vignette that would follow this one in sequence.<br><br>"The cue to bring back the floor lights will be when the bee stings the butterfly. Short blackout, fade up on all." Kink continued, giving more unwanted guidance to the capable techs. "Now, to check on the costumes."<br><br>Kink bounded toward the back of the tent, heading for wardrobe. He'd become so comfortable in the stilts that he forgot he was wearing them.<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Scotch, Cuban cigars, laughter, applause, blood, scars, piercings, tattoos, standing ovations, cash, good times, freedom, anonymity.<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Rules, cages, fire, serious faces, police, judges, therapists.</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Olaana</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ruwzkjJn1r7wrq1o1_400.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Olaana Noemi <br><strong>Age:</strong> 23<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Mississippi <br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Act/ Beast Master<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Elizabeth's Talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Black<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Hazel with speckles of brown and green<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5'9<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 140<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Olaana is a woman of tall height with long flowing hair, which reaches to the middle of her back when completely straighten, although most of the time it is in loose curls that form around her face or in a pony tail. Her entire back is tattooed with a spider web with a black widow at the center of her back. Due to the nature of her work, there are marks along her arms and legs due to hard labor along with miscalculations. Her hands are not smooth though not completely callused. She has gentle curve that displays her femininity. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div align="center">(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ox5b8N0H1qfx423o1_500.jpg)(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyfe06mzaG1qabxuao1_500.jpg)</div></div></div><br><strong>Personality:</strong> Olaana is a gentle person due to the extreme amount of patience necessary when dealing with animals. She is often found in a good mood with a smile on her face. There are moments when her temper flares up, but she manages to suppress killing someone by going for jogs around the circus grounds. She's a morning person with a love for sweets. Her desire to satisfy her sweet tooth has turned her train car room into a garden on wheels. She plants various types of vegetables and fruits to be used in pies. When on stage, a transformation is made as she literally becomes one with her beast. It is only through rigorous training of herself and animals that the tricks are able to be performed flawlessly. Some say that she becomes some type of dancing spirit during her acts. Olaana has no issue getting dirty since it is a requirement when working with animals. <br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> One of the first sounds she heard upon taking her first breath into the world was the sound of an animal in the background of her mother's pained cries as she bleed out after giving birth to her. Olaana's father was a wildlife conservationist with interest in a wide variety of animals around the world. His love for his family and career often collided with each other, and this was the reason for the death of his wife. She was born in a foreign land since her father was in the process of researching a rare type of reclusive trope of monkeys. He was a selfish man, who was very much in love with his wife. So instead of leaving her in relative safety, her dragged his pregnant wife with him. The doctors traveling with them were not able to stop the bleeding caused by a tear made during birth. So as Olaana took her first breath, her mother took her last with just enough time to name utter a name for her only child. <br><br>The death of her mother sent her father in the depths of grief. Yet, instead of taking a step away from his career, her father drowned himself in work and completely ignored his daughter. Some whispered her father harbored a hatred towards her for killing her mother while other said it was due to her looking like a small replica of the woman. All throughout her childhood, she jumped from continent to continent with no friends other than the family pets to keep her company. From a young age, she displayed a skill with training her animals to do complex tricks. She watched her father for clues of how to do certain things with animals along with various television shows and books. Soon the animals in their house were well trained as a rescue or police dog, able to respond to a huge variety of commands. Her father took her under his wing for the first time to teach her about wild undomesticated animals. His presence was desired in many places so they were welcomed openly into zoos since many zoologist desired his knowledge to help animals in captivity to survive longer or reproduce. These were some of her favorite moments since she was allowed in the nursery homes where young animals without parents were being raised by humans. <br><br>Her education revolved around all types of animals from their behavior down to ailments common to specific species. Even though her father paid attention to her, it was not always for her benefit. He was harsh and impatient in his teaching with her. It seem to make him angrier that she did not reacted to his verbal taunts of her intelligence. So she was forced to endure his verbal abuse with a smile even though all his words killed her inside. Her only sanity was the animals. The animals helped her get through each day when alone and night when tears of sadness fell down her face. Part of her duties when dealing with smaller animals with her father during her training included cleaning after them, bathing, and feeding. It was not until they returned from a trip home to Africa did she encounter an amazing creature that literally touched her. By the time she was eighteen, Olaana was her father's legal apprentice and intern. She was a force in the research world along with an avid writer on different species she encountered. <br><br>Despite all these riches, she was not happy since her father still was not satisfied with her success. Her father's presence was requested in a small African town which was suffering from a series of attacks from a variety of animals. It seemed the village was a mecca for tragedy. In the past year, they had been raided by lions, losing children and older members along with having huts trampled by bull elephants. They arrived in the city just as one of the elephants left after killing another townsperson. The people were ready to take action into their own hands to shoot and kill any animal who came within town limits. This could not happen in her mind so she was given a time limit to stop the problem from happening. If she did not, a great deal of animals would be killed. Her father and her went to work, learning more about the creature's habits when away from the town. <br><br>It was then they learned a number of poachers were taking down calves illegally thus making the elephants act violently towards any human. They were coming near the village to move away from the poachers. The lions were a different case entirely. It appeared as though these were inexperienced male cubs just kicke from their homes. Neither appeared capable enough to take down a fully grown gazelle or buffalo so in their eyes the humans were easy prey. She worked day and night with her father to figure out a way to solve the issue. Relocate the animals or take care of the poachers? Neither option seemed to have a better success rate. It was always a risky move to relocate animals of such size. The villagers were getting antsy then all hell broke loose. <br>&nbsp;<br>The day before chaos erupted, Olaana was speaking with some of the villagers about the issues faced with solving the problems of neighboring animals. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the people were tired of waiting for the problem to be fixed since it was taking longer than expected. After nearly an hour negotiation, she was given more time, which was proving to be a valuable commodity. Her father was ready to call it quits. It seemed an impossible task to deal without killing the animals. "The lions have already tasted man flesh. They will never stop hunting here." His attitude on the elephants was the same. <br><br>She was about to head back to the field for work when a strange looking man caught her eye. Curiosity made her head over along with the need to tell the newcomer about the dangers involved with staying. The conversation with him proved interesting, and even though she wanted to prod his mind, there was no time for the simple pleasure of conversation. The day progressed until the sun lowered over the horizon and the land was covered in darkness. Olaana retreated to her room for some mapping of nearby lands possible to lure the elephants toward. <br><br>The sounds of screaming stirred Olaana from sleep at her desk as she jolted upward then ran towards the door. An attack. It was happening again. She ran outside as the villagers tried to evade the huge legs of elephants coming toward them. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed some of them picking up spears. "No!" The yell did not reach their ears. Violence begets only death. It solved nothing. She ran out in her clothes, wildly waving her hands to grab the elephants' attention. Her father's voice was behind her as she ran directly into the midst of danger with no other thought than to rescue the creatures from an ugly death. The men with the spears advanced forward. With no other method to gain the elephants attention, Olaana let out a blood curling cry. The attention she wanted was now on her. It seemed like time slowed for her as she jumped to stop a man from thrusting his spear into the underbelly of an elephant. <br><br>They hit the ground with a heavy thud as she tried to wrestle the spear away from him. He screamed at her in a language she could not fully comprehend, but enough was clear to know he was damning her soul. No one died on this night, but she was considered out of work. They only wanted her father's help now. It was death sentence for the animals. She was headed back to another city in the car when she heard a strange noise. Instinct lead her to stop as she headed on foot towards it. She witnessed the terrifying sight of a baby elephant caught in a trap with poachers surroundidng it. Olaana ran towards the men, not thinking of her safety. She picked up a thick branch along the way and knocked the nearest man across the head with it. They seemed so surprised by her actions that it took a while for them to react. She was shot in the shoulder. The men likely would have shot again if the sound of approaching elephants did not reach their ears. <br><br>From the sounds of it, there were a lot of them. So she and the baby elephant lay together in a pool of blood. Once again, time was against her, and she turned over despite her pain to fiddle with the trap. She knew it was useless since even if she managed it, the injured calf would not survive the wild. There was an audible clicking sound as the trap popped open. By then the adult elephants arrived as their young one hobbled over. She closed her eyes and prepared to be crushed under their foot. Nothing happened other than something brushing over her face then they were gone. That is when he came to her. The man from the village. <br><br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> <br><br><em>I was destined to be a world renowned conservationist. Destined for greatness.</em><br>&nbsp;<br>The words echoed in Olaana’s mind as she stood in a shadow of pure darkness. Everything over the past few months had changed after the situation in Africa. Her father was terribly mad with her for leaving the continent completely without him. His unquenchable anger reached to the highest of ears to tarnish her reputation. If she did not work with and under him, he did not want her to be allowed on another expedition. He sought to ruin her. It worked with some people while others sent their sympathies.<br>&nbsp;<br><em>Why did you join the circus?</em><br><br>It was bound to be a question asked in the present and future. Her only logical explanation was the issue of the animals. Circus creatures were often breed in captivity and made to bend to the entertainment o men, women, and children with a whip. The animals were kept for a certain amount of time until the circus held no use for them. Then they were abandoned to a worse fate than death. Like in the plains of a foreign world, she could make a difference here as well. Dying did not frighten her since over the years she’d been faced with circumstances that might end her, but she knew the gratitude of those who could not speak for themselves. In the end, this was all that mattered to her. So as all the other decisions in her life, she joined the circus because of the animals needed a true leader. The animals needed a person who would see to all of their needs, both physical and mental. <br><br>The woman, Elizabeth, or more like child in a grown body did not please her. From her knowledge and experience, there could not be two females of power within the same area. There would always be one matriarch. Yet, like in the wild, the female leader must gain her place either through trials or being elected into the position by those around her. She, unlike some, did not judge purely on past actions, but present as well. Her first meeting with Elizabeth did not go exactly to plan due to an unforeseen circumstance. Even the animals sensed her weakness and inability lead as a true matriarch. There was no plan to become an upstart in this place since there were many unknowns, but her true loyalties would always rest with Lawrence. <br><br>Her head craned to the side, listening to the exchange between Lawrence and Elizabeth, as she reached upward to stroke through ebony hair. There was a familiar clicking sound, which she associated with cages. What are you doing, Lawrence? He had not told her the plan for tonight so she was to trust him. It was not a difficult task since he proved himself to her a long time ago. She knew him to be many things such their short time with each other. Friend. Companion. Lover. Yet, there was one role he could not fulfill in her life, and she would never ask it of him. Even still, the flickers of jealousy burned within her. <br><br>The sound of her name being called by him caused her to blink as she intentionally took a few seconds to make an appearance out of the shadows. Tension choked the air as she glanced over towards the open cages of the animals who seemed distrustful of this sudden action. Words were spoken from Lawrence on her behalf, but Olaana remained mysteriously quiet as she watched one of the felines draw closer to the entrance of the cage. My life is in the hands of an idiot. Her calm eyes shifted over to the woman without an ounce of fear, but time was not on their side. <br><br>“I have heard from Lawrence that you value your life and circus. Even more so, you value an essence which has been harnessed by you. I believe you will make the right choice. I would do so quickly though because the male lion is curious of those he is not familiar with. I guarantee you his inspection of us will not be painless. If you decided to allow pettiness to cloud your judgment, I have no issue with death.”<br><br>Elizabeth wouldn't take kindly to her words.&nbsp; She'd say "The first thing that you must learn" and be interrupted by Lawrence "Is that you are nowhere near as important as the Spirit, Elizabeth.&nbsp; The Spirit chooses its master.&nbsp; You give it to her." Elizabeth would turn her head to the Tigers cage.&nbsp; The large cats were the most dangerous, and the tiger seemed to be thinking about leaving its cage.&nbsp; When the woman glanced over to the tigers, again Olaana’s calm voice spoke through the silence with the exception of growls, “It is not only those you should fear.” On the other side, the elephants were growing anxious. Patiently, she waited for the woman to place judgment on all of their lives. No doubt her fear was intoxicating to the predators. Elizabeth would stand up and bend over, and with a thin cloud of smoke she would place a bottle of spirit upon the ground. <br><br>The bottle was placed on the ground, and Olaana nearly took it as an insult. Was she trying to say that like the animals her belongings, meals and anything else, belonged on the ground? There was no time to exchange words. Plus, she’d had her belongings in worse areas. She walked over calmly despite the ticking clock since nothing roused a predator like a running target. Carefully, she picked up the small bottle, feelings its power course through her body, even without consuming it. Twisting the top, she drank it into herself. Into her soul. <br><br>“I dearly hope that he is correct about you, Olaana.&nbsp; These animals are as much my family as any of my human family.&nbsp; Take the spirit, and let me know that my decision wasn't a foolish one." She would of course mean that she wanted Olaana to calm the animals. Her eyes flashed at the woman’s words as she lifted one hand, and instantly the animals calmed. “We will have to see if your choice was foolish, won’t we?” Olaana gave a small bow to the woman then glance to Lawrence. She gave the woman her back since she did not fear the woman striking out at her. Not with the amount of power in her hands. Soon all of the cages were closed as the animals did not seem concerned with the humans. “Lawrence, are you ready to go?"<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Animals, hard work, nature, photography, books, writing, <br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> arrogance, stupidity, yelling, insults</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Sochi (inactive)</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo62/cimsoderholm/SochiTemujin.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Sochi Temujin<br><strong>Age:</strong> 54<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Khentii Province, Mongolia<br><strong>Role:</strong> The Khan (Combined horse riding, sword play and archery)<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Old timer<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Black<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Brown<br><strong>Height:</strong> 6'6"<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 182 lbs<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Sochi is quite impressive to behold, standing a good part taller than most. His crudely chiseled face seldom show any other expression than the purely stoical. He often dress in his country's traditional clothing, even when he is not performing. His horse, Ogedei, if just as giant in proportions, which is fortunate since he carries his master's weight every day during punishing practice. Ogedei is pure white and none can remember that Sochi has ever ridden any other beast.<br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> The Circus means everything to Sochi. It is his home, his family and his eternal resting place. The traveling life style fits him well as his ancestors cheer and his ancient blood burns with a lust to never stay long in one place. He is quite and inexpressive whenever he performs as well as when he's with the others. He has been known to smile whenever he's with his horse and often speaks with it for hours on end in his native tongue. It is pretty unclear if he even speaks English at all or if he chose not to. He can often be heard in the late evenings or during the celebrations performing the traditional throat singing and playing the morin khuur. Should the circus ever be in danger, Elizabeth knows that he would die to defend it, with sword and bow if he has to.<br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Mongolia was in the clutches of the Soviet Union when Sochi was born. The Great Patriotic War had been over for years, yet his people were still reeling from the event. His family was one that lived by the old ways, as commissioned by the Party to be shown to visitors like animals in a cage. Sochi was brought up to love the freedom of the steppe and horse, but he never felt the free winds on his face. The oppressive yoke of Communist Mongolia meant he would never be free.<br><br>One night when he was tending to his horse, he saw strange smoke rising in the east. Gathering his possessions he rode towards it, unyielding and steadfast, but never coming any closer. He felt compelled to follow it and so he did for days, crossing the steppes and deserts, mountains and valleys, until on the fourteenth day he reached the ice-covered ocean. The smoke still lingered in the horizon as he drove the horse on, fueled only by water and a will to find out where the smoke came from. As he reached the other side he found a village, not unlike his own back home. As he approached a short elderly man came forward. They spoke not a word to each other, but for the first time in his life Sochi felt the wind of freedom on his face.<br><br>He lived with the Inuits for several years, helping them hunt and gather anything they needed. He learned their language and was told he was in Alaska. America, land of the free. To Sochi it sure seemed like it. The Inuits lived off the nature and walked or sleighed over the snow covered landscape. They weren't depending on the Party's rice or resources, not caged and forced to perform for corrupt politicians or blind diplomats. He was happy and content. But one night he saw the smoke once more. Again he gathered his possessions, bid farewell to the Inuits and took off east.<br><br>He finally arrived a year later, seeing for the first time the blinding light of civilization. He knew it not at the time, but he had traveled over Canada and arrived outside a town in northern Minnesota. He followed the smoke trail&nbsp; and found that it came from a gathering of tents and wagons. As he approached a young man came forward. They spoke not a word to each other, but for the first time in his life Sochi felt truly at home.<br><br>Gerald found the young Mongolian exciting and over the years they worked out an act that no other circus had available. The skills and talents of an ancient people was compiled in one man and Gerald called Sochi the Khan, after the famous warlords of old. None other was as skilled with horse, sword or bow. Sochi could lead his steed in marvelous maneuvers, wring his swords in a deadly but beautiful sword-dance and hit any target with his bow and arrows. He could bend an arrow in the air to hit a target hidden behind a man, balance the tip of a sword on the tip of his nose and leap his mount clean over any obstacle, be it burning or the audience itself. He was the main attraction for years!<br><br>Then Elizabeth and Lawrence arrived. Sochi was an old man by then, but had never lost the sharpness of his body or mind. He was still one of the greatest acts of the circus, but he was stunned by the beauty of their act, the ferocity of it, the amount of raw excitement. Sochi never became the great act again, but to him it didn't matter. As long as the family prospered and his horse was well fed, he would be content in the knowledge that he truly lived the life according to the old ways. He had no need to pillage and conquer, for the excitement of the audience was its' own awesome treasure.<br><br>But the times changed. Gerald changed. He became a bitter old man, fawning for the young ambitious Elizabeth. He found himself doubting if his old friend was doing right. He realized early on that the two young acts were playing a dangerous game with the old man. He saw it all unfold as clear as a hawk spotting its prey over the open steppes. When the whole charade broke and Lawrence fled the field, the real hell begun. Sochi began giving his horse food from his own plate to keep the steed strong, but it wasn't enough. The night when his horse collapsed in the act, he realized Gerald had gone too far. No one starved a Mongolian’s horse to this state. Something had to be done!<br><br>Sochi waited in the rain for an hour, his bow ready. The old man arrived to his tent and lit a light. He sat down and had his fill of drinks. Sochi pulled an arrow and nocked it. He watched the shadow on the canvas, how it moved and distorted. Finally he knew where to place the shot. He drew back the shot and aimed. One through the head. Then he could take care of the body, bury it in the field under the trampled dirt of the circus ring. Let it be forgotten there, let everyone forget him. But then someone else entered the tent. Elizabeth was a fury, making sure that the passed out man never woke up again. He watched the whole spectacle through the canvas, watched her cry as the deed was done. He returned to his horse and slept by its side that night.<br><br>The police tried to get something out of him, but he pretended the old gaggy Mongolian, refusing to speak English. It took a while, but in the end they left him alone, one of them a soar jaw richer after he threatened to take the malnourished horse away. He stood by the others' sides when they welcomed Elizabeth back. But he gave her a hand on the shoulder and a look that said it all. He knew and supported it all the way. He would have done anything to save the family. It was his freedom.<br><br>Sochi still have not performed since that fateful night, but as Ogedei grew stronger he started to return to the practice field. Driven by Elizabeth's Spirit he has become even stronger and the more accurate, his horse faster and more agile, his arrows bending to the sheer force of his will. The time has come for him to ride again! It is time once more for him to conquer the audience!<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> The day was done. Elizabeth had manage to return from the police, her name cleared of all guilt. She had triumphed over the wretched old man in more ways than one. She had eased a burden for the whole circus. He had spent the day tending to his beloved steed. Ogedei was weak, almost dead as a matter of fact. When the police was over to interrogate everyone, they had threatened to take the poor creature away. Sochi had flown into a rage and the circus hands had to pull him away from the arrogant officer. They had also managed to keep the police away with a mix of insults, deceptions and looks that said "get out or we'll pummel you into the dirt". Many were the young people of the circus that came to him to talk. They spoke about anything with him, poured their hearts out. Perhaps it was because he never answered them, but only listened. He was one of the "old timers", so respect was a given, but they genuinely liked him. Like some sort of weird grand father who is just there to be old and wise.<br><br>The sun was setting. He took care of the sick horse until it fell to sleep, then went back to his tent. He brought out his armor and weaponry. He prepared them for battle, as was the old ways, and donned them with a sense of pride emanating from his heart. As he always did before shows, he prayed to his ancestors for fortune in the coming battle. It was a show to the audience, an act to the others in the circus, but every night he performed he prepared for battle. Because it wasn't for show, or an act. It was a battle for his family and home.<br><br>It was almost midnight as he left the tent and crept through the camp. His eyes were narrowed and blackened with coal so that his eyes would adapt faster to the darkness. His knees were like springs, carrying his weight without a sound over the camp grounds. He slipped in to Elizabeth's tent without a noise. He approached the bed where the woman was lying. He sat down on his knees at the foot of it and crossed his swords and bow over his lap. Now he did something he had never done with anyone other than Gerald before. He whispered in a heavy accented English.<br><br>"I don't know if you are awake to hear this, but through the spirits of my ancestors and the honesty of my heart, I know you will understand regardless. I was there last night. I watched. But I felt the same hatred as you did and the same sorrow. Gerald was an old friend, but he wasn't a good man anymore. I had intended to shot him through the canvas of the tent. But you beat me to it..."<br><br>He let out a low sigh. There were tears in his eyes. The memories were difficult to conjure.<br><br>"When I first arrived here I had ridden Ogedei for almost two years across the steppes of Mongolia, the wastes of Kamtjatka, over the frozen waters of the Bering strait, through the beautiful landscape of Alaska and the wilderness of Canada. I arrived here and realized that I was at home. Gerald was like a brother, all of you were like little nephews and nieces. But... he changed. He changed when you and Lawrence came. I know that you wanted this, to be in control. I know you never intended for it to end this way. But Gerald had become twisted like an old tree. You had to burn it so that a new one could grow in its place..."<br><br>He bowed down, touching his forehead to the ground. His tears welled up and started to moisten the dirt. He drew a shivering breath before he continued.<br><br>"I have always listened. To you and Lawrence, Gerald and everyone else. You never thought of it, but I spoke not because I couldn't. I never spoke because no one else would listen. I know of every problem you have ever had, because I listened. I will continue to listen as long as you never do what he did. Keep our family safe and I shall forever protect it from within and without with my swords, my bow, my horse and soul. I will kill for this family. I will die for this family. And if that means I kill and die for you, so be it. You call me the Khan. Call me what you may but to me there is only one Khan. You."<br><br>He reached back and pulled an arrow from his quiver. Straightening up he placed it gently on the bed before rising without a sound and retreating out of the tent. He ran from the camp, out into the open field and felt the cold night air brush the tears out of his eyes. The winds of freedom blew through him and he leaped up on a post of a picket fence. He balanced on it perfectly. A low vibrating hum broke out of his throat as he began singing. The nature around him enveloped his very soul. He truly was at home. From now on he would always be at home, no matter what.<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Horses, singing, archery and swordsmanship (of course) and trying new food.<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Spiders, communism and lazy people. Rather a true American for a Mongolian.<br><br></div></div>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Flower</strong> on <strong>08-06-2012, 06:57:43</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: comic sans ms;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Character Sheets: Part Three</strong></span></span></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Erin</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae219/LimitlessNIkkie/girls%20for%20rp/3517224298_57d2347dcb.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Erin Jackson<br><strong>Age:</strong> 24<br><strong>Home State:</strong> Nevada<br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Act: Weapons Master<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> Elizabeth's talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> White blonde<br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Blue<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5'7<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 113lbs<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Tall and extremely slender. She is very pale looking as if the sun had never touched her skin. There are faint scars on her hands and forearms though they are only visible if one looks closely. <br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> Erin is cocky and confident. She is prickly using wit, sass, and sarcasm to keep people at arms length. She is friendly enough and willing to talk to anyone though there is a sense of danger she always carries with her. It is clear she only lets people close to her that she likes. She is fearless and it shows in the way she talks to people, how she conducts herself and her act where she risks her life on a regular basis. She exploits her innocent looks to hide the hard edged girl under a soft look and sweet smile. She is intense especially when preforming, but she carries a hint of that every moment of her life. When you gamble your life constantly every moment counts.<br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Erin was born in vegas, a child born of love and desire between two fetish performers who were dedicated lovers. Erin was unfortunate in the fact that she never got to know her mother a sensual soft exotic woman with more self confidence then anyone else. Her father loved her mother dearly and when she died a week after Erin's birth it changed him. He was lost after that. It was hard to believe such an overtly dominate male could have depended so much on the ethereal&nbsp; pale beauty that was Erin's mother but he did.<br><br>Erin's father had no idea to be a dad in and many ways had no desire to be without his wife at his side. He did his best by Erin but often his best was dragging her along to his performances where he hung his body from hooks for the exhilaration and excitement of himself and others. Erin was exposed to sex and lust, desire and passion from a indecently young age and it made her grow up fast. <br><br>She was back stage bored as young girls of 5 often is. Her father was swinging from the ceiling and a woman dressed in fishnets and a corset who was supposed to be watching her was missing the sound of harsh breathing from the dressing room the only clue that the young girl wasn't alone. She had no dolls or toys to distract her from wondering around picking up things at random. As a fetish show often had Erin found toys in a chest. Most of them held no interest to her a young girl had no interest in paddles of cuffs, vibrators or clamps. <br><br>The one thing that did interest her was a long coiled length of leather. With small chubby hands she pulled it out and flicked it around her short slender legs just about tripping herself with it. A man walked by. He wore nothing but a pair of low slung jeans and a dark brooding look. It was he who taught her how to wield the whip replacing her fishnet clad babysitter while her father preformed.<br><br>She took to the discipline of the art as a fish would to water. From there her interest only grew. She learned knives and swords, stars a bow and arrow even a gun though she cared for it not. She loved working with weapons. She felt strong and independent able to use weapons as she did. She grew close to Ben her whip instructor and her father who'd finally managed to take an interest in her was jealous and worried over her. <br><br>At sixteen he enrolled her in school thinking that a normal environment would help normalize the girl who knew too much, had seen too much and was far too cocky for her own good. School didn't help it only made the girl bitter. Being called a freak will do that to you. Erin was criticized for everything from her hair and clothing not of the main stream style to her hobbies that were seen as scary and dangerous. She was already a snarky, rude sarcastic school, the weapons skills now made her a bad kid in the eyes of authority figures too.<br><br>At seventeen Erin quiet school and unable to stand her fathers overprotective and pushy nature took off from home too. Living in Vegas had it's perks. She started street preforming on the street wielding swords most of the time since often her skills with a whip were seen as more sexual then she wanted to appear. She was still a freak here but one others were drawn to. Little kids looked at her with awe and adults with a mixture of envy and distaste. It was comfortable.<br><br>Elizabeth found her there juggling swords tossing them high into the air doing flips before catching them before they could impale her making the crowd gasp in amazement and wonder as the frail blond girl did things many thought of as skills belonging to big burly men.<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong><br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Elizabeth</div><div class="spoiler_body">It’d been the farthest west that the troupe had went in quite some many years.&nbsp; Many more years than Elizabeth and Lawrence had been with the circus.&nbsp; They had done it for the Family, with everything that had gone on in recent history she figured that they deserved one last night in the sin of the modern world.&nbsp; She knew that after this they would only see cities that more resembled the 70s then the modern world.&nbsp; Elizabeth had decided not to join the rest of the family, she didn’t care to see how they enjoyed the city that never slept.&nbsp; She herself had simply taken to one of the areas that had far less tourist then the main strip.&nbsp; Honestly, she was only even there because the area had quite a…tasteful sense of fashion.&nbsp; More or less, she was going to the sex shops that seemed to cater to fetishist.&nbsp; They had the best outfits.<br><br>She hadn’t actually seen the girl.&nbsp; She only saw the swords flying high into the air.&nbsp; She realized that either someone was being very creative in their suicide attempt with playing catch with swords, or there was a possible prospect.&nbsp; Juggling sharp objects really wasn’t anything special enough to catch her attention…But it was the rate and height that they went up with, whoever it was was a natural.&nbsp; Elizabeth made her way through the crowd.&nbsp; She stopped just at the circles edge.&nbsp; It was amusing how far away people stood from the juggling swords.&nbsp; Anyone in her line of work knew that the girl wouldn’t attempt something this deadly if they were not a master.&nbsp; So she broke the invisible barrier and walked towards the girl.&nbsp; She didn’t stop until she was close enough that one slip up could leave Elizabeth impaled…She felt a twinge of fear, and it excited her.&nbsp; Give her an inferno and she was safe, give her something out of her comfort zone and even she felt fear.<br><br>“You’re working for spare change and casino chips to a group of people that look at you as a freak.” Her words came with an appreciative smile.&nbsp; It wasn’t too long ago that Elizabeth was doing the same thing.&nbsp; She still had a few flyers in her bag that she hadn’t passed out, so she took one out and laid it in front of the girl.&nbsp; It was a flyer for the circus, with the address plainly printed. “The circus is over.&nbsp; But come visit me tonight, and I will give you a chance to be looked at as a marvel instead of a freak.” Elizabeth said nothing more.&nbsp; Her parting gesture was a hundred dollar bill left in the case that Erin used to carry her swords.<br></div></div><br>It was her normal show. Nothing too hard to accomplish. These people so hopped up on the vibrancy of the city were easy to impress. Even so near the middle of her show she started showing off. It was out of boredom more then anything.&nbsp; The people gasped and a few even lifted there hands over there heads as if afraid the swords would fall on them. Erin rolled her eyes not that anyone noticed. Morons.<br><br>It was then that someone walked up to her breaching that invisible barrier between her and the crowd of people around her. Erin gave her a distant quizzical look her head tilting just a touch. As she drew closer, close enough Erin could kill her with a wrong move, a single slip of her hand Erin smiled. The woman impressed her already.<br><br>Her words were met with nothing more the a slow blink and a dead pan look the implied the woman had better make her point and make it fast. She tossed the slender rapier high into the air so the blade caught the flashing lights of the shop signs and took the flier looking at it briefly before shoving it in her pocket with a nod. She stuck out her hand and with perfect precision gripped the hilt and twirled it through her fingertips.<br><br>The woman left her a tip larger then anything she's made in the last two weeks and walked away with a kind of confidence that made Erin smirk. They'd either end up friends or at each others throats only time would tell. Erin had nothing tying her to this place besides a father who would be happy with anything she chose. She went to her tiny apartment and changed from her street performer get of of tight clothes to a baggy pair of jeans a tight tank top and a leather jacket her father once owned.<br><br>She took her time she didn't want to seem to eager, the woman seemed like the type who'd use anything she could to get what she wanted and for whatever reason she wanted Erin. Erin would be lying if she said she wasn't interested but it wasn't her only option. Locking her door and slinging the multi sword case across her back she caught the bus and went out to meet the mystery woman.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Elizabeth</div><div class="spoiler_body">Elizabeth sat in the only remaining tent that was left up.&nbsp; It wasn’t the big tent, instead it was one of the smaller ones used for the new Burlesque show.&nbsp; The chairs all still remained, as did the stage.&nbsp; Elizabeth sat upon the edge of that stage with a bucket beside her.&nbsp; She held a knife in her hand, and her thumb ran up and down the sharp edge of the blade.&nbsp; She had expected the girl to arrive earlier in the evening and was about to call it quits, until she saw the linen doors ruffle and the lovely blonde walk in. “Well well, I was beginning to believe you had no intent on showing up.” Elizabeth dipped the blade into the bucket beside of her before she stepped off of the stage and walked toward Erin. “We do not exactly run ma and pa’s circus here.&nbsp; The name itself, Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes” She spoke the words in perfect French “Circus Of Blood And Fire.&nbsp; What we do is…Just a bit more dangerous then what I imagine you’re used to seeing.” Elizabeth twirled the knife in her fingers, using it as a slide of hand distraction while she lit a match with the other hand and set the blade on fire. “And we have our tricks.” Elizabeth placed the palm of her hand against the sharp edge of the blade.&nbsp; She slid it upwards, putting out the fire as blood began to drip from her hand.&nbsp; Yet there was no scent of burning flesh.<br><br>“If you want a home in a place that will appreciate you, then I need to know that you do not just have a knack for juggling.&nbsp; I need to know that you are a natural.” Elizabeth returned to the stage lifted herself onto it.&nbsp; She found her own set of swords.&nbsp; Something that the girl wouldn’t have comfort with, as the weight and balance would be different from her own.&nbsp; There were four all together.&nbsp; She walked to the edge of the stage and sat down.&nbsp; Next she pulled a sponge from the bucket with her unharmed hand, squeezed it, and began to apply it to the swords.&nbsp; Once each and every one had the liquid applied, she set them down and walked away with the bucket.&nbsp; The only thing left on the stage was her match book and a blindfold. <br><br>She took a seat in the first row, never looking back to Erin.&nbsp; If she was sane, or not completely confident with her abilities, then she’d likely run.&nbsp; Otherwise the stage was quite clear. “Give me a show that is worthy of your life and I will give you a taste of something that no one in this city of lust and greed has ever dreamt of having.”<br></div></div><br>Erin half wondered if the woman would even still be about. there was only one tent left standing and Erin looking sure of herself walked without hesitation towards the tent flipping back the tent flap and walking in taking a seat and turning to around straddling it as Elizabeth spoke. She listened to the description looking kind of blank until she said this was probably more dangerous then her normal flair. The Erin smirked her eyes bright with dangerous light. <br><br>She watched the woman light the blade on fire and slide it through her hand. If she expected Erin to be surprised she was wrong. The girl was raised in sin city, a place where the impossible seemed almost mundane. She did note though that while the flame didn't harm her skin the blade did a fragile drop of blood sliding down that pale skin of hers that was almost a match for her own coloring.<br><br>She moved around and talked more but the words were caught only as a generalization as Erin watched her swab the four blades with the clear flammable liquid she'd used in her own demonstration. A touch of fear made her stomach quiver. She'd never used fire in one of her performances before. She simply had never had a draw towards it but she knew swords, the delicate balance the natural feel of it she could do it, a little heat wouldn't make a bit of difference.<br><br>She walked up to the stage leaving her bag in the abandon seat. Shrugging off her jacket she tossed it aside and picked up the blind fold a smirk playing on her lips. She tucked it half hanging out of her pocket before picking up the first sword a short bladed scimitar that would reflect a great deal of light and sparkle under normal circumstances. She held the hilt and circled her wrist testing the weight and balance before moving on to the next three repeating the process with each.<br><br>Nodding to herself she wore an expression of intense focus and she stuck the swords tip impaled in the wood in front of her and picked up the matches. With brightness flaring to life in those sapphire eyes of hers she set the blades on fire. She tossed the blown out match away and pulled out the blind fold and covered her eyes leaving her lips slightly parted the only part of her small face visible.<br><br>Even with her face covered her hand shot out and gripped the hilt of the first sword a light Épée. It took no effort to yank it out of the stage floor. She brought up her whole arm and flicked her wrist as she released it into the air. It twirled up in a lazy spiral flames dancing off the thin blade. As the first sword soared into the air Erin grabbed the hilt of the curve scimitar. She held it close enough to her body she could feel the heat of the flames brushing her skin as she did a fast twirl the blade following the spin of her body led by the hilt. The flames danced and she again tossed the sword into the air in time to catch the falling Épée.<br><br>She caught the sword in her left hand and flipped it twirling it like one might a baton. her lips were drawn into a tight line as she grabbed the heaviest of the swords, a thick broad sword that would fall heavy and was harder to manipulate without practice. Jaw tense as tossed up the Épée again and manipulated the broad sword. The muscles in her arms stood out as she twirled the heavy broad sword in a wide circle. <br><br>The Scimitar was falling the blade pointing down looking as if it was going to impale the young pale girl. With a tight jaw Erin flexed and through the broad sword into the air. It went strait up without a twirl and she caught the scimitar as she turned into a spin catching the light Épée next. Wielding both she juggled the two before tossing them both into the air the Épée much higher before catching the heavy broad sword. She pulled the long sword from the stage floor wincing just a touch at the heat of the hilt in her hand.<br><br>Taking a deep breath she visualized the swords in the air. Her arms flexed and held the blades out the scimitar hit the long sword the flats coming together with the sound of clashing swords. She smiled then catching the hilt with the broad sword. The weight was off but she moved with a type of sureness the suggested she could do this in her sleep. her arms flexed and she flicked her wrists and juggled the scimitar like a demon stick flipping it up into the air just in time to do it again with the Épée. She moved quicker with the Épée using more flair.<br><br>She flipped it high into the air as the Scimitar fell and flipped it right back into the air before using some muscle to flip the long sword into the air followed by the broad sword that she grunted hefting into the air. With all four swords in the air flaring brightly the fair dancing she stood still her arms crossed looking at ease. Her arm shooting out at the perfect time to catch first the broad sword turning it to impale it in the stage as her left hand caught the long sword impaling it as her right caught the scimitar the left the Épée. With the Épée impaled into the stage she tore off the blind fold and smirked briefly not noting the soot clinging to her arms where the flames all but burned her, nor the places where they had caught her clothes if only briefly.<br><br>Cocking her head slightly to the side Erin regarded the woman who for whatever reason had decided to offer her this chance, a chance she suddenly wanted. Where else could she feel such an intoxicating high as doing something so adrenaline inducing and not be looked at as an escaped mental patient for it. "So impressed?" She asked her voice an urban drawl as she spoke.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Elizabeth</div><div class="spoiler_body">Elizabeth swept her fingertips across the wound on her hand as she watched the girl perform on stage.&nbsp; Quite frankly the girls unearned arrogance that was shown without words had pissed Elizabeth off.&nbsp; But she knew it took that type of arrogance to perform the type of show she was performing…Without absolute confidence in yourself, you’d make a mistake.&nbsp; Set yourself up in an inferno, or impale yourself with a sword you’ve never used and no site at all.&nbsp; She used the pain from the swipes of her fingers to calm herself down, and thus allow the spirit to work on its own.&nbsp; She never decided who the spirit went to, it decided on its own.<br><br>Had Erin been able to see Elizabeths face she may have been put off.&nbsp; Yet another reason for the blindfold.&nbsp; She had a dead pan stare towards the girl as she analyzed every last movement.&nbsp; The ability to do it was certainly the most important.&nbsp; But the ability to pull it off in a way that was alluring to the eye was the subtlety that she absolutely demanded in the act.&nbsp; By the end of the show she couldn’t quite place her finger upon which of the three possibilities it was, but she found herself drawn to the girl.&nbsp; The Spirit, The show, or the pain.&nbsp; Perhaps all three, but she did indeed enjoy what she saw.<br><br>“It is not me that you needed to impress.&nbsp; You impressed me on the street, which is the only reason you’re within this tent.&nbsp; But the spirit is who you needed to prove yourself too.” The girl may think that she was insane.&nbsp; Spirits were usually associated with ghost stories.&nbsp; Elizabeth stood up and walked to the stage before she pulled herself onto it.&nbsp; She walked to the edge of the curtains and pulled a stool out.&nbsp; She walked back to Erin and set it in front of her. “I’m going to offer you a taste of the spirit.&nbsp; Once you take it into you, you will forever be bound to it.&nbsp; Make your decision wisely.” Elizabeth held no bags.&nbsp; She had on a shirt that stopped at her upper arms, and was too tight to hide anything.&nbsp; So when her hand waved over the stool, and a puff of light grey smoke appeared with a small vial, it should be clear that it wasn’t some slide of hand.<br><br>Elizabeth walked to the edge of the stage and hopped off.&nbsp; As she walked towards the doors, she spoke back to the girl. “You can think I am insane and deny it, and continue to make pocket change performing in front of a few.&nbsp; Or you can drink it, and perform in front of thousands who will look at you as a goddess.” Elizabeths words ended just as she found the linen doors.&nbsp; She walked out without ever looking back.&nbsp; No one had ever denied the spirit, she doubted that this girl would be the first.<br></div></div><br>The encounter with the woman had left her with an odd feeling of desire mixed with unease. She could feel the heaviness of the moment weighing on her slender shoulders as she lifted the vial looking up in time to see Elizabeth disappear. Alone a great deal of Erin's natural arrogance seeped away and she looked like a fragile young girl of 22 with no idea who she would eat the next day or keep a roof over her head. She had her father that much was true but she loathed to lean on him when he him self seemed half lost most of the time.<br><br>Slender fingers that in no way looked strong enough to wield a broad sword caressed the strange vial as she bit into her plump lower lip. She wanted it. wanted the shimmering chance the vial represented but she sensed more behind the offer that was left unsaid. Unfortunately there were to be no answers, this was a leap of faith. That decided it for her. She'd always trusted her instincts that had led her from one daring thing to the next. She'd never once hesitated before leaping in with both feet without looking down.<br><br>Long fingers stronger then they looked plucked the stopper from the vial and pressed the edge to her lips as she tilted it back and let the spirit what ever the hell that was flood into her being. She gasped dropping the vial to shatter against the wooden floor of the stage as the euphoric feeling of the spirit took hold of her. She found herself laughing as she plucked the long sword from the stage and with more ease then she'd ever been able to before turned it in her grasp like someone from a drill teem would a lifeless gun. The edges of the sword that usually cut into her palms only just cut into her skin barely making her bleed. Never in her life had she felt more right then in that one exhilarating moment. <br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Strawberries, piano music, hard rock music, contrast, the unexpected, arrogance, moonless night, and secrets.<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Timidness, apologies, societies rules and limits.<br></div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Noah</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright"> (http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt357/Niferbelle/garretneff3.jpg)<div class="floatright"><strong>Name:</strong> Noah Connelly <br><strong>Age:</strong> 24 <br><strong>Home State:</strong> California <br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Act -- Cyr wheel<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">What He Does</div><div class="spoiler_body">Ethan Law Cyr Wheel / Roue Cyr act 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q5ZEEwHadU#ws)<br>Circonvolution improbable... Alexandre Lane Roue Cyr - Cyr wheel ImproCirque 9 juillet 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBBypvakUdI#ws)</div></div><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> New Talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Brown <br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Blue<br><strong>Height:</strong> 5'9"<br><strong>Weight:</strong>&nbsp; <br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Noah is good looking but unassuming in his mannerisms, his demeanor so low-key he is easily lost in a crowd. He is well muscled from years of gymnastics and acrobatics though that's often lost under the baggy, modest clothing he wears when not performing. His brown hair is cut short on the sides but left long on top, causing a wave of bangs to constantly fall over his forehead and give him a boyish look. He wears thick framed glasses most of the time though they're not needed when performing his act. His eyes are blue and set off by thick, almost girlish lashes, and when you talk he looks at you as if he's really listening. He has an easy smile and a terrible poker face.<br><br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> Noah is a nice guy. Despite this being a lukewarm recommendation most times, it's completely true in his case. Friendly, with an inherent decency that is displayed in nearly everything he does, he is kind and humble and unfortunately sometimes a doormat for the more manipulative and arrogant. He tends to be quiet unless he feels confident his company is wanted and then blossoms with a little attention. her has stamina, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally, with great patience and the ability to endure. <br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Noah grew up in Southern California, the middle child of three sons born to your typical Type A power couple. Both his parents were lawyers with high expectations for their children to excel in academics and sports and life in general. His brothers fit the mold perfectly, true princes of the upper middle class, but Noah was always the odd boy out, lacking the focus and the competitive nature of the rest of his family. While his brothers played traditional team sports like baseball and football, it took some time for Noah to find his niche which turned out to be gymnastics. He had a natural talent for it and loved training, the sheer art of being in motion, but he found the meets nerve wracking so by the time he reached his mid teens, much to his parents' disgust, he dropped out of competition.<br><br>Around this time he first saw someone on the Cyr wheel down at Venice Beach and was instantly enamored. He got a job to buy his first wheel and by the time he graduated high school, he'd given up all thought of going to college which further alienated him from his family. He spent every minute he wasn't working as a waiter perfecting his skills on the wheel and taking acrobatic classes when he could afford them. Never very lucky in love, after the third girlfriend in a row that cleaned him out he found himself restless and decided to hit the road with no particular destination in mind. He bought a beat up truck and threw his wheel in the back and has spent the last couple years just traveling from place to place, stopping to work when he needed the money, earning it from street performances and odd jobs here and there. <br><br>As he moved across the country he would occasionally hear stories of this unusual circus that was making the circuit and was intrigued by the description of its old-fashioned atmosphere. He's grown more and more intrigued with every story he hears but as of yet seems to keep missing it. <br><br><br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong> (I was thinking Noah would hook up with the circus at the next stop so basically this would be covered in game)<br><br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Being in motion, improving, learning new things, cheering people up<br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Competition, cold weather, being judged, shellfish (he's allergic) <br><br><div align="center"> (http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt357/Niferbelle/garretneff6-1.jpg)</div></div></div></div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header"> Wayland Peck</div><div class="spoiler_body"><br><div class="floatright">(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw7f1erUar1ql0mb8o1_500.jpg)</div><strong>Name: Wayland Peck</strong> <br><strong>Age:</strong> 24 <br><strong>Home State:</strong> Texas <br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Circus Hand - Musician (Fiddler) / Security part time. <br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong> New Talent<br><br><strong>Hair Color:</strong> Brown <br><strong>Eye Color:</strong> Hazel<br><strong>Height:</strong> 6'2"<br><strong>Weight:</strong> 198 Pounds<br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Wayland is a very tall, somewhat muscled fellow. With his Scott background, his skin has a difficult time tanning though will if left out in the sun for long enough. With a build of an athlete, the young man is decently fit, able to hold his own in a bar fight if given the opportunity. It's quite easy to put a smile on his face, and often has one when greeting another of the circus. <br><br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> Wayland is a very easy going guy, (almost) never allowing himself to drop off the edge of depression or rage. With a positive outlook on life, it's very rare to see him in another mood than happy. It's very difficult to irritate the young man, though as many in his family do, he does have a fuse which will eventually end... And once it does, well, I hope you have fun. <br><br><strong>Brief History:</strong> Wayland grew up in the middle of nowhere Texas, living on a farm and going to a school with less than a hundred people. Living in such a place gave him the perfect chance to learn how to play the fiddle. With nothing but country bars in the small town about five miles from his house, there was always someone willing to listen. In such a small town, word of him spread rather quickly and would bring most of the town in to the bar on Friday and Saturday nights. <br><br>From teaching himself how to play, he developed an ability to listen to a song once and play it back almost perfectly. Along with this he can also jump into a song which may not even have the same instrument in it, but make it sound as if it should have been. With these talents under his belt, he was able to make some cash from the bar, putting it away in the box which held the tools of his trade. <br><br>Dreams of leaving the small town rose up after a couple of years, the longing to leave what he considered a trapper of dreams driving him to save every cent he made. During one of his regular nights at the bar, he was approached by a man from Dallas, claiming he could get him a number of gigs at local bars and clubs around the metro-plex. Without another thought, Wayland packed up his things, said goodbye to his family, and moved to Dallas. The man didn't lie when he said he could get him the gigs, though they weren't for what he thought. The man had him running around from place to place setting up for different bands, making sure instruments were in tune and such. <br><br>Wayland went through this job for over two years, always getting taken by the promise that the man was still looking for the 'right place' for him to start. It didn't take much longer before he started getting tired of hearing the same old shit from the man.<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Introduction Post:</strong>&nbsp; "No, fuck you Jimmy!" Wayland's voice rose over the hum of his trucks motor, making people in traffic look over at him with a confused look. "Take your fucking gigs and shove them up your ass, you fucking prick!" The curse words flew from his mouth like bats out of a cave, having no end it seemed. It seemed to take forever until the man on the other side of the line decided his pleas were useless, hanging up the phone without saying another word. "Son of a bitch just hung up on me..." An almost crazed look glared at his phone, throwing it over his shoulder into the bench seat of his truck. <br><br>Wayland found himself driving on interstate 35 for what seemed forever though it was only a couple of hours, a billboard advertising the Circus popping up as he came out of his mental coma. He still to this day doesn't know why he decided to take the exit off the highway toward the circus, but it doesn't matter much to him now, knowing it was the right decision. After sitting through all of the acts, Wayland found himself almost set in a trance, never having watched something so amazing. <br><br>As he exited the tent, he caught sight of the woman which owned the Cirque, staring at her for a moment as he walked back to his truck, a thought burst into his mind and grew like a wildfire. Before he could get halfway to his truck, he found his feet taking him back to Elizabeth, the conversation starting out with, "I don't know if you'd have much use for a fiddle player, ma'am..."<br><br><hr><br>Elizabeth had been none to pleased with the arrival of what she simply assumed to be a gawking fan.&nbsp; Her time spent with Chloe after the show was always one of her favorite.&nbsp; The two were always so intoxicated with the spirit that they simply rolled with one another, no matter what it was they were doing.&nbsp; This time they were simply packing Elizabeths fire supplies.&nbsp; It was a job only entrusted to Chloe and Elizabeth, and now Lawrence.&nbsp; Though Elizabeth assumed he’d stalked away with that African bitch, so it was just the two girls.&nbsp; With the mans arrival, she gave him incredibly unwelcoming eyes and interrupted him mid sentence.&nbsp; Her hands waved his words off as she spoke. “No no no, I’ve no more need for a fiddle player than I do a rabid dog.” French accents were often looked at as beautiful, or sometimes sexy.&nbsp; But with her tone, it just came out sounding as sharp as a scalpel.<br><br>But Chloe had to put her two cents in.&nbsp; Her voice was as collected as ever. “I think it would be nice to have live music rather than just the phonograph.” Elizabeth stepped back to one of the tables and began to place the gun powder into it’s appropriate container. “Then Chloe my dear, learn how to play an instrument.&nbsp; He’d just be another mouth to feed.&nbsp; We don’t need music badly enough to make up for that.” In her mind the conversation was dead.&nbsp; She never bothered to look back to the door of the tent to see if the man had been humble enough just to walk away.<br><br>Never underestimate Chloes stuborness.<br><br>Before she knew it the girl was going on again.&nbsp; Elizabeth didn’t look at her at first. “Elizabeth, we both know I have little time to master an instrument.&nbsp; Besides the sound of me trying would likely disturb your rest in the morning.&nbsp; Plus, I hear that live music is beneficial to those who listen.&nbsp; I would hope the overall happiness and health of the circus outweighs matters of money.”&nbsp; Elizabeth just looked up to her friend at that moment.&nbsp; The argument she made was an absolute moot point.&nbsp; One little secret of Elizabeths was that what Chloe wanted, Chloe received.&nbsp; Even if it was as ridiculous as a Fiddler. <br><br>Elizabeth turned sharply from her table and walked to the man.&nbsp; She stopped a couple of feet in front of him.&nbsp; Despite the drastic size difference, Elizabeth still always had a way of seeming intimidating.&nbsp; Perhaps it was because she played with death every single evening and walked off stage in a state of high. “I suppose that we can find a way to keep you.” Those words were spoken loud enough for Chloe to hear.&nbsp; What followed was spoken under her breath, just loud enough for Wayland to hear. “But you’re going to be doing more to earn your keeping than playing a bloody fiddle.&nbsp; I’ll figure out what in the morning, but for now I advice you go and find one of the stage hands and tell them that I said you could come along with us.&nbsp; Keep your head low until I get a chance to figure out your place, I won’t have my Family believing I’m taking away from their mouths to keep a musician.” Elizabeth turned around and turned a blind ear to anything else he said.&nbsp; Elizabeth was quite frustrated with having her choice taken from her by Chloe, and she had decided to take it out upon the innocent fiddler. <br><br>“Be sure to tell them Elizabeth sent you.&nbsp; Otherwise you’ll be thrown out.”<br><br><hr><br>Wayland nodded to her, a slight grin coming to his face before he could realize what was going on, "Thank you Ma'am. If you'd like I could even teach you a thing or two." With a wave of his hand, his feet took him in search of the first stage hand he could find. After explaining how he came to be, the confused look on the guys face wasn't all too surprising to Wayland, having a feeling that he just might be a little bit of an oddity around here by the sounds of things... Surely finding out from working that night that this was far from the case. If his parents could see him now... Well, that wouldn't be a good idea... His Dad would probably shoot him. Before the end of the night, all of his most prized possessions were out of his truck, and the keys sitting in the hands of quite possibly the happiest sixteen year old in the world... Though his parents looked as though they just got a stolen truck for all of three hundred and fifty-six dollars and seventy nine cents.<br><br><strong>Likes:</strong> Rain, Thunder, Lightning, Humor, Sarcasm, Animals, Playing the Fiddle, Showing off (sometimes), Good Whiskey, Beer, Company, and Women. <br><strong>Dislikes:</strong> Arrogance, Distrust, Drunks, Hippocrates, Addicts, Lazy Bastards, Sons'a Bitches, and Ignorance. <br></div></div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Cirque De Sang Et De Flammes - Information Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Flower</strong> on <strong>22-06-2012, 07:22:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: comic sans ms;" class="bbc_font"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Circus NPCs</strong></span></span></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Megan</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3rol1AjlK1qedoxoo4_250.png)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Megan<br><strong>Age:</strong> 26<br><strong>Home State:</strong> California <br><strong>Desired Role:</strong> Clown<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong>&nbsp; Elizabeth's talent<br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> An open ear willing to listen to anyone and everyone something of a mother hen to the other clowns caring for each in her own way, soothing hurts both physical and emotional. She is infinitely caring and concerned for all around her and can't leave someone down in the dumps alone to save her life. she if fun loving and brawny telling crude jokes and is a highly sexual being never having learned the line between whats appropriate to share and whats not. She's also rather loose with her favors.</div></div><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Jim</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div class="floatright">(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m65seaIdYr1r7wrq1o1_500.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong> Jim <br><strong>Age:</strong> (not yet discussed)<br><strong>Home State:</strong> (not yet discussed)<br><strong>Place of Hierarchy:</strong>&nbsp; Circus Hand/ Chef<br><br><strong>Personality:</strong> (not yet discussed)<br></div></div>
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		</dl>
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