#he is definitely an aerialist/acrobat

[venomous-qwille]

Introducing Noon, or 'New Moon' from GITM AU. Noon was the last Moon animatronic made by Fazco before it shut down- created for a themepark based on their popular childrens cartoon 'Fazteam Cosmic Rangers'.

[gristlegrinder]

okay quick 2024 roundup of all of my new gw2 kids. including some people i've never posted about! yeehaw okay let's go

ZOOFAHSHOO

she/they | quaggan | herald

they’ve been an ongoing bit in some of my rps for a while but this is the year that zoof manifested fully in my brain! (zoof? my brain keeps wanting to shorten it to zooey, pronounced like “gooey,” and i have not decided if that’s too silly or if it’s cute). she’s a priory scholar who left their home village of kahloipoi to try and find a way to take care of the risen for good. from there, she becomes the noble pact commander and champion of aurene, taking up arms and leading the charge against the elder dragons. she quietly ignores everybody who demeans her station because of the novelty of what she is, and she bites her tongue whenever she wants to lash out at her enemies with the ferocity she knows she harbors within her.

when they get knocked out of the sky and crash land in cantha, an uninvited guest latches on while everything is dark. it’s an old “friend”— the demon deimos, crawling out of the shadows after being mercilessly slaughtered by her and her squad six years earlier. he’s only a mist reflection of himself, so he insists that he isn’t there to feed on their torment and misery. instead, he’s the worst enabler, finding the quaggan’s reluctance to embrace or even acknowledge all of the nasty impulses festering inside of them— a quaggan’s rage, her envy, her arrogance, her hungers— too fascinating to not spend his afterlife picking at. it’s an odd dynamic that serves as a constant source of uneasy temptation and bickering, but she has to admit that he has his merits, and that maybe he's right about some things.

this, as you can imagine, makes things interesting when she investigates strange camps in kryta and plunges headfirst into a rift, face-to-face with his estranged brother, his sister hissing in their ear, and a war about to start. there are some things that the astral ward doesn't need to know about their new wayfinder. and deimos can complain under his breath all he wants as long as they can keep their act together. i love her a lot.

OUR LADY SERRA

she/her | krytan human | tempest

serra ran away to the circus as a plucky kid with ideas bigger than her parents could manage. growing up with them, she specialized as an acrobat and aerialist, although her innate talent at magic definitely came in handy with more elaborate stunts. her troupe was her family, and her ringmaster ivy was like an older sister to her— she would follow them to the ends of the earth. and that’s what she did, when their ship crashed in the ring of fire on their way home to lion’s arch and they spent years stranded as castaways on the ember bay. afterwards (and perhaps after watching one of her family members get eaten by a giant sloth) she exited the high stakes of the circus business and left all of her grief behind with it, and now works independently as a burlesque performer in smaller venues.

i’m not entirely sure how deep her involvement was in the white mantle. i think it’s fair to say that ivy’s circus was probably funded by caudecus, at least originally, and i have a hard time believing they weren’t somehow involved in the white mantle when they were inexplicably in the heart of maguuma at the same time as the events of heart of thorns and everything going on in the forsaken thicket raid. but they also don’t mention their politics at all, and they seem unaware of the escalating tension back home and the imminent krytan civil war, probably because they would’ve shipwrecked and lost contact before xera was killed. do you ever just completely abandon your cult mission because you got distracted adopting a slubling and turning it into a circus attraction? surely there’s something going on there. she’s not happy about whatever it is. i definitely want to expand on whatever she's got going on next year, which should be fun.

anyways, why are carnival weapons so expensive? send help.

THOR (not pictured) + SIF 

he/him and she/her | norn | unknown + core necromancer

thor isn’t built in the game yet (my character slots…), but sif is! thor is the rhythm guitarist of THE BLOODBATH APOSTATES, a my chemical romance knockoff pop punk outfit that started in lion’s arch in the wake of its destruction. as the oldest of six or seven children, thor’s mother picked everybody up and left their father’s sons of svanir cult in the middle of the night when thor was a young adolescent. he’s got complicated feelings about that, in the way that you do when you know objectively as an adult that your father sucks and was not a good person to people who were not you, but you also can’t help yourself from hating what you lose in the process. he decided to channel that angst into making music with his best friend (a guy he met by getting into a drunken fistfight in a back alley) and the charr cub crashing on his couch. ultimately, thor’s a typical guitarist sleazebag who flirts with their fans a little bit too much and causes too much of a scene in public when he’s had a little bit too much of the good stuff, and arrogantly assumes they’re all the new rock gods of tyria.

sif is his wife, who is kind of miserable with the whole arrangement. she was cooler when they first started dating— a DIY show regular studying necromancy with all of the snarl of leopard, daring and bold despite a lifetime of insecurities. but she put her studies and her life on hold when she became pregnant, and agreed to support their new family if it meant he could carve out a legend for the three of them, and it wouldn’t change a thing. it ultimately wasn’t what she thought it would be, and she bears most of the heavy burden of childcare and managing a homestead (and being a creative consultant, and helping with budgeting and travel logistics) on her own while he tours, pretending she doesn’t know what he smells like when he comes home for a fleeting hour in the middle of the night, or what the gossip rags have been writing about him. she’s busy having an affair or two of her own and thinking about killing him before she runs out of time to get out of this lot. it's a bitter resentment festering.

guild wars 2 is a game about cycles repeating themselves.

IBUKI

they/he/she/it | tengu | profession undecided (probably a virt?)

imagine a world where we get playable tengu and i don’t have to fight with getting screenshots of an NPC with the closest character model. anyways, they’re my other 2024 character in me and saint’s bloodbath apostates project. ibuki is their keyboardist, and they also mess around with synthesizers and a lot of technical audio production.they’re classically trained in a lot of traditional instruments, and they’re figuring out the electronic parts as they go with some help from my thereminist oc they’re sleeping with. ibuki was born and raised into a prestigious family in the dominion of winds (possibly the Great House kalidris talks about), one that i’ve intentionally left vague while begging arenanet for a crumb of information. their life was largely predetermined and held up to intense scrutiny. they were engaged to a lovely respectable girl, they kept a respectable bureaucratic internship as they prepared for a serious career, they ran all of the minutiae of their life through their family for approval. it was a perfectly fine, gilded cage.

and then they were caught breaking the rules and sneaking around where they shouldn’t have. oh, the scandal! the impropriety! they won’t tell anybody what happened, but it involved other people with more power than them, and they were politely given the option to leave the dominion of winds without saying another word, before they caused more trouble than they were worth. exile was better than prison— or ruining the rest of their family’s lives. even though they were terrified of the world outside of those walls when they first crossed the threshold, they wouldn’t go back in a million years. ibuki’s fashioned themself into a rebellious art brat intent on shocking all good society (or a spun-out honors student finally learning about freedom), with a lot of bright-red eyeliner and a lot of nervous energy pacing around in the bathrooms backstage while thor repeatedly tells them to relax a little before it kills them.

MOURNING PEAT (in-game name that nasty bear)

he/him | kodan | harbinger

alright, technically i am still grinding convergences to get the bearkin combat tonic with more options, but this is what he looks like for now. peaty’s a lowland kodan who sincerely believes that rot grows inside of him. when he was a cub, he almost drowned in the bog while sticking his nose in places he shouldn’t have and wandering far too off the path. that’s a secret he’s been carrying with him for years— it, and all of the fossilized remains of white mantle victims that he still sees in his sleep— and it’s sort of bloomed into its own set of internalized neuroses. the bog queen isn’t just a legend; she’s real, and she’s claimed him as one of her own. he’s tainted, he’s rotten. that’s why he still feels her jubilant swarm crawling up his arms if he stands still for too long, and why he feels like such a fraud around all of the other bearkin, pretending he really belongs with them. that’s why he mostly keeps to himself, politely hanging back during celebrations and keeping to his charts until somebody needs a weather prediction. strange, but not bad, he is, they think.

(honestly, alessia couldn’t care less about some flea-ridden bear having a self-destructive fixation on her. she doesn’t even know he exists— having only been spurned awake in recent years due to the titan resurgence. this is all on him.) 

well, peat’s dumped six bodies in that mire so far over the last twenty years. the first was a frantic accident that he covered up. the last two were astral ward mages that he figured nobody would miss. it calms his nerves, and the rest of the details are between him and alessia, as far as he’s concerned, and they’ll die with him someday. i wanted a nasty bear for the bit, and so i made myself a nasty murder bear.

BLOODSTONE BUTCH (BB)

he/him probably | charr | renegade

i feel kind of bad about bb because i haven’t done much with him and he's definitely the least developed character on this list, but i am busy skittering around in the walls of various discord servers. technically he’s another musician oc (yes i have a lot of musician ocs do NOT say anything)— some other friends of mine started a band and so he’s the drummer in the bloodstone fems. bb was an olmakhan who left the village after coming of age to try and find himself, ended up making ends meet in amnoon for a bit while traveling around and experiencing the world, jumped in and out of a couple bands on tour, and eventually met his current group of unhinged freaks that he loves very much.

he’s also a revenant of sorts, having opened his mind up to bloodstone— a habitual indulgence (thanks, fems) that went wrong once, and now leaves him susceptible to the wails and memories of bloodstone ghosts, and other mists phenomena. i’m keeping this open-ended and subject to change, on the off-chance we get some really interesting mursaat lore in future JW updates, but i’m currently stuck between his main revenant echo being the seer doyen, sidony, or perhaps manikaz or one of the other mursaat we’ve gotten recent references to. (i’m leaning sidony because i already have a couple of characters with white mantle stuff going on in their backstories, and i think the seers are a fun enigma to play around with— but it kind of depends on what information we get!). either way, he’s vibing, and trying not to sink too deep in the sorrow that comes with centuries of horrible sacrifices singing in your brain. it’s honestly not that bad. some of us are dealing with deimos's theatrics.

anyways, yeah, i've been surprisingly productive this year LMAO ty for reading all this if you made it to the end <3

[tvb0y]

HI THERR ^^ my name is Austin or Reaper and I have a couple of TMNT Hcs. Some are the Rise version, others are the 2012 version.

First, for both versions, I think the turtles are heavily co-dependent on each other. Like HEAVILY. Let ONE turtle not come back home one night, everyone is freaking the hell out. ESPECIALLY IF IT’S MIKEY.

Another both versions HC, yk that whistle in Black Widow? The turtles have a certain calling system, kind of when teachers clap and you clap back in school. But it’s whistles and chirps. And it’s like silent communication in a way. Also, Master Splinter is definitely usually confused when he hears the whistles and chirps but has decided against saying anything.

Now, for 2012 HCs!

Ralph has major anger issues. Like completely destroying his room, cracking fingers to calm down and accidentally broke one, punching walls in the holes kind of anger issues.

Donnie is somehow the type who has such an unhealthy eating disorder (eating a lot one day and then not eating at all while designing an app another day) and it’s a miracle on how somehow, it hasn’t stamped his fighting abilities.

Leo paces in circles when he’s bored or practicing a new technique with his sword. Perfect circles if he’s anxious about something.

Mikey has an acrobatic fighting style (this goes for Rise and 2012).

Donnie used to have a rubix cube hyperfixation and literally has over 26 rubix cubes in there, 3x3, 2x2, 100x100, you name it. It’s not has much of a bigger hyperfixation now but you can still occasionally catch him fiddling and messing with one just to solve it again.

Ralph gets easily overstimulated with noise, especially if it’s insults and has a tendency to lash out as a defense mechanism when things or people get too loud.

Ralph is an avid smoker and probably an addict.

Mikey has completely mastered all forms of pencil spinning, every trick in the book and Donnie still gets jealous over it.

Ralphael “You didn’t eat again.” and Donatello “And you didn’t sleep again.”

Leo knows such useless but somehow important information? Like while Donnie knows only the important stuff, Leo knows the unconventional stuff. Like he knows how dismember a body but does not know how to cook a body.

Leo likes true crime podcasts and books about detectives.

Ralph and Casey do not argue. They spar. And whoever wins has successfully proved their point in whatever the argument was about and loser has to do what they say to fix whatever they were arguing about.

Have you seen the fights between Natasha Romanoff and The Winter Soldier? That’s usually them.

NOW RISE HCS!

Leo is a pathological liar, and is trying to not lie as much. He also has a tendency to copy trauma responses he sees on the tv shows Splinter puts on to get Splinter’s attention.

Leo would absolutely be a theatre kid.

Ralph likes hot chocolate and only smokes when he’s stressed or angry.

And also refers to his brothers as “his boys”.

Mikey commonly does ballet and is an aerialist. It helps a ton with his fighting style — seeing as both ballet dancers and aerialist have to be A. On point, B. Discipline and able to handle being pushed beyond their physical limits and C. Controlled and deadly.

Again, Donnie has disordered eating. But mostly just consumes drinks instead of actual nutrition and even has forgotten to eat at some points.

Ralphael “You didn’t eat again.” and Donatello “And you didn’t sleep again.” because YES.

Leo is, how could I say this? The brat of the family. Regularly finds loopholes to punishments he gets.

Mikey starts bouncing up and down when he’s excited. Pizza? He’s bouncing. Patrol? He’s bouncing. Movie night? He’s BOUNCING. Ralph, Donnie and Leo essentially have a damn ball for a brother.

Ralph is actually great with kids, especially younger babies. Surprisingly, they don’t seem all that afraid of him. It’s Donnie they’re afraid of.

Ralph still has horrible anger issues, but in a way that his head starts to hurt when he’s angry. In a way that his own anger-filled thoughts terrify him, in a way where he’ll take it out on himself instead of others.

Donnie paces when he’s ranting and paces in perfect circles when he’s figuring something out.

Donnie is the “genius and madness” trope and nope. I don’t wanna hear any criticism.

Donnie does jigsaw puzzles. And has learned Japanese just so he could understand the sub version of anime.

Leo is a writer but NOBODY knows that.

And yeah, that’s about it :p

DUDE THIS IS INSANE /Pos

I love all these Hcs and I especially the overstimulated by noise one with Raph, which I think would apply to ROTTMNT Raph too

TYSM FOR SPENDING YOUR TIME ON THIS AND TELLING ME!!! LIKE SERIOUSLY, THIS IS IMPRESSIVE :0

[dramatisperscnae]

Dick Verse: Olympian

Dick Grayson was raised in a circus until tragedy struck and left him orphaned. Taken in by billionaire Bruce Wayne, he kept up his training as an aerialist and acrobat in order to hold on to his family heritage. Naturally this extended to traditional gymnastics as well.

A gifted athlete, Dick nonetheless never sought recognition in competition. He was in the sport purely for the joy of the sport itself, a true amateur in the traditional sense of the word: one who does a thing for the love of that thing. Dick was far more often seen on the sidelines supporting his fellow athletes than he was in the competitions themselves, though just why this was is still a matter of some debate: some said it was because he couldn't stomach the thought of failure, that he knew he wasn't as good as his reputation suggested and refused to let anyone see, others that he knew no one else could come close and he was sparing them the embarrassment, hiding his own skill and ability to allow others to shine instead.

Whatever his reasons, his decision to try for the Olympic gymnastics team definitely came as something of a surprise, though some of his [very few] detractors complained that he was only doing it on a whim, without actually caring whether or not he would truly be an asset to the team or bring home a medal to honor his country. And perhaps he was, but the one thing Dick Grayson has always enjoyed is a challenge, and where better to find one than on the global stage?

Things To Note

Dick has a largely laid-back approach to the Games in general, at least in public. Naturally he wants to win, everyone does, but he's genuinely there for the challenge it gives him and his love of the sport.

He's a good all-around gymnast, certainly in the top ten - or top five - in every event, but he excels at floor exercise and horizontal bar as these are the closest to his original acrobat/trapeze artist roots. Next best are parallel bars and vault, followed by pommel horse and still rings. The divide between his personal best in each event is often tiny, but it's still there.

He competes as an all-arounder, as well as in the individual floor exercise and horizontal bar events.

Given his choice of all gymnastic events, he'd choose the uneven bars. He gives zero shits that it's a 'women's event', it looks like fun and he wants to play.

Given his command of so many languages [he speaks twelve!] he's constantly chatting with members of other teams, happily swapping training tips.

He is absolutely on the sidelines supporting the women's team and cheering them on. When he's not preparing for his own events Dick is very often found at other events cheering the other athletes on. His favorites are archery, football[soccer], breakdancing, track and field, taekwondo, bmx, equestrian, skateboarding, and sport climbing.

[insomnishnik]

MY TIME TO SHINE

This might sound a little weird (it already did) but Dick is a chameleon, he definitely smells like cologne and fresh garments!

He 100% has a dior Sauvage / chanel de bleu phase when he was in high school, and just absolutely BEGGED Bruce to buy him the most fuckboy cologne just because the hype and he thinks it'll make him cooler.

As he gets older I feel like he'll likes something more poignant but at same time light since he's an aerialist / acrobat and he moves a lot which means he doesn't wanna smell like a "man" Like... Man musk??? Hence the diligence to always make sure that his clothes smells fresh as well. Hope this makes sense 😭

You could never caught Dick lacking since he's media trained by Bruce from a very early age, and since he's always meeting people, he always smells good. Dick is an avid perfume collector, he switches different types of perfumes so he stays unrecognizable during patrols, again — like a chameleon.

everyone knows what jason smells like. leather, books, gunpowder, etc. wtf does dick grayson smell like

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Can you rank your favorite hairstyles of Dick?

sure babe!

just letting you know tho, i have absolutely zero idea what comic or which run these are from, i just either a) randomly read comics that i'm in the mood for or that people have recced to me and if i see a panel that i like i save it to either my computer or my phone, or 2) see a panel on tumblr/discord/etc. and go ooooooooooh that's cute and save it. so if you're looking for specific issues for the hairstyles i can't help you there but i do have a couple of my personal favs

number five: from future state somewhere. i just liked how dick was drawn in this issue in general. his hair's slicked back, but escaping the gel/hairstyle/whatever keeping it in place and starting to curl at the ends. it has a little bit of personality and it's the funniest thing i love it.

Number four: rebirth titans. i don't really care for how dick's hair is drawn in this run, it's a little basic. it's not bad, and it def doesn't take away from the story and the rest of the art, but nothing of special note. what i do love is the colouring. it's always black or dark gray with definite blue in it (the pic below is one of the most clear examples i have on me right now.) compared to his blue mask and his costume an the blue accents on his everything, it just really brings the character design to a cohesive finish. also i, personally, am a sucker for characters whose hair is so black that it's just not black anymore, it's blue. so there's that.

Number three: travis moore. this is no surprise. like, at all. my favourite dick grayson hairstyle is him with curly hair. not like super wild or poofy or crazy, like i've seen in some comic art, and not mostly straight but some weird funky thing going on in just the ends and the roots like i've seen sometimes when he has a mullet. just, a relatively short haircut with curls. just give me dick grayson with curls please and thank you.

Number two: the lost carnival. i just really truly enjoyed the lost carnival as a whole, and the art probably played a role in that. his hair here is just so floofy oh my GOD. he looks like a puppy i wanna squish him and ruffle his hair until it sticks up. 10/10, the most adorable little acrobat and aerialist i have ever laid eyes upon.

Number one: i have no fuckin clue where this is from. but that thing i was saying about curls? yea that. LOVE this, it's the ideal curly hair. also i like the side part on him??? no lie i don't have much idea what fashion is and what looks good or not but to my untrained eye, side parts work for him. i'd like to see him with this particular hair style more often.

[allsassnoclass]

19 & 57 for the 100 ways to say i love you prompt list? whichever pairing you vibe with for it 😊 -💙

okay roll with me here blue heart but let me give you some context for this. michael and luke are part of a youth circus. michael is an acrobat. luke is an aerialist. this is part of a larger universe that has not been written yet but this prompt said muke and i've been thinking too much about youth circuses lately.  there is not a festival for world circus day yet but if there was. whoo boy. it sure would be something.

muke: “Can I hold your hand?” and " There is enough room for both of us.”

The circus festival is huge.

Logically Michael knew that it would be, since it's the first World Circus Day festival and over 100 circus groups signed up, but it's still shocking to get to the festival space and see all of the people and tents.  They've been here for three days already and performed five times, but it's still boggling his mind.

Luke seems equally mystified but a lot more excited, so when he invites Michael to go exploring with him after their morning hand balance routine he accepts eagerly.  They've changed out of costume but haven't wiped off their makeup yet, but Luke is bouncing on his toes and already chattering excitedly about all of the other performances and booths they could hit, so Michael decides to forgo the makeup wipes.  Besides, Luke looks good in glitter, even if circus makeup is ridiculous and big.  Everyone else here is wearing it, so they're not going to stick out or anything.

At least, Michael won't.  Luke draws eyes naturally, especially when he's in the air.  He's the only aerialist that makes Michael want to stop being so scared of heights.

There are dozens of other performances happening simultaneously around the grounds, but Luke bypasses the offers of maps and a program and dives into the crowd instead.  Michael almost loses him immediately in the press of other people, and when he pushes through the bodies and finds Luke again Michael immediately snatches for his hand.  Luke startles, but doesn't pull his hand away, and Michael's stomach swoops like it did the first time he truly gained height on the Russian swing.

"Can I hold your hand?" he asks.  "It's too crowded.  I don't want to get separated."

"Oh," Luke says, face still flushed like it was right after they finished performing.  "Yeah, good idea."

He readjusts their grip, threading their fingers together, then tugs Michael forward again.

They find another performance soon enough, some contortionists from Sweden on a platform twisting around each other.  They watch for a few minutes, but Luke is still bitter that he's not flexible enough to be a contortionist so they move on quickly.  A sword swallower is next, which they watch for longer and with equal parts fascination and disgust.  Danger acts like that aren't taught at their school, and Michael wants to look away but can't find it in himself to.

"How does he do that?" he asks.  He's not sure if he wants to know.

Luke shrugs.  His face is doing something weird, a grimace mixed with curiosity, and they clap enthusiastically when the performer finishes but don't stick around to see what he does next.

Luke takes his hand before they move on.  Michael doesn't let himself read into it, because it's still crowded and Michael really doesn't want to get separated.

There's a Capezio tent, so Luke makes them stop because his are wearing out and he wants to see how much variety is here rather than at their local dance store.  Michael actually should see about ordering another pair before the fall session starts, but his don't have any holes in them yet so it should be fine.  His teeterboard shoes still work and that's all that really matters to him, anyway.

Luke is delighted by the fact that they have more colors than tan, white, and black, but there's not much to see when they're not going to buy anything and they quickly move on.

There's a booth selling cotton candy.  Michael immediately buys some and offers Luke a bite.  He takes some of the fluff and pops it in his mouth, then complains about how his fingers are sticky from just one touch.  For a split second Michael considers doing something ridiculous and gross like offer to lick the sugar off his fingers, but he catches himself and tries not to turn a noticeable shade of red.  Thankfully, Luke is already scouting out their next stop.

The next stop happens to be one of the larger tents on the grounds.  Luke grabs Michael's hand again and beelines for it, stopping short outside and checking his phone for the time, then the schedule for when the next act will be.

"Come on, we're just in time!" he says, pulling Michael into the tent.  He wants to ask what they're just in time for, but the two straps hanging from the ceiling give him a pretty good idea.  At least it's not high wire.  Michael's heart still hasn't recovered from watching Ashton do that without a net, even though he knows that he had a harness.

"I think I see some spots over there," Luke says, pulling him along again.  They pass by other audience members to get to one of the benches near the middle.  The woman near the end scoots over a little when she sees them coming and Luke beams.

"Come on, there's enough room for both of us," he says, plopping down.  He may be right, but barely.  If Michael wants to fully fit on the bench, he has to sit pressed fully against Luke from shoulder to knee.

Luke also hasn't let go of his hand yet, which Michael definitely is still not reading into.  Nope.  No reading happening here.  In fact, Michael is illiterate.

Luke squeezes his hand excitedly when the audience lights dim and the stage lights come up, a voice announcing the performers and country of origin in French, English, and what's probably Russian, given that that's where the performers are from.  Luke watches with rapt attention as two men enter the ring, then the music begins and they start their routine, full of lifts, tricks, and impressive displays of strength.  If Harry and Louis had been a bit stronger, Michael thinks that the duo straps routine from last year's summer show probably would've looked a little like this.  It's impressive, but what's more impressive is the way the stage slight still shimmer off of Luke's makeup and the delighted laugh he gives when the performers do something he hadn't predicted.  He's completely reeled in, smile wide and eyes lighting up like fireworks with each trick.  Watching his reaction is almost better than watching the performance itself, although Michael would never tell him that.  Luke gets offended every time Michael reminds him that aerial acts aren't for everyone.

"Did you see that?" Luke asks excitedly, leaning closer with his eyes fixed on the arena.  He glances at Michael and stops when their faces are about an inch away.

"What?" Michael asks.

Luke's smile shifts into something softer.

"I think they're getting to the finale," he says instead of actually replying.  "You should pay attention."

He turns his gaze back to the performers, hand flexing in Michael's grip.  Michael looks back at the ring where the performers are holding each other up in the air.  He still finds himself in tune with Luke's reactions more than the performance, noticing every sharp intake of breath and relaxed exhale when a trick lands.

When the performance ends, Luke finally detaches their hands to clap.  Michael tries not to mourn the loss.

"Do you want to keep watching these guys?" Luke asks, leaning close to be heard over the cheering.  "I think they have a few more routines, but acrobats from the Chinese State Circus are going to perform at the East Tent soon.  I only really wanted to see the straps routine, anyway."

"Do you have the whole festival memorized?" Michael asks.

"Just the things I thought you'd want to see," Luke says.  "Also, Lena is here, so Ashton wants all of us to see her German wheel routine and say hi, so we're going to do that in the afternoon."

"Oh," Michael says, still stuck on the fact that Luke specifically looked up the things he thought Michael would like.

"Come on," Luke says, nudging him towards the entrance.  "Let's go see the Chinese State Circus."

Once they get outside, Luke takes his hand again.

They pass by a trapeze set up on the way to the East Tent, and Michael's stomach swoops when he looks up and sees the performers so high above them.  Luke just continues pulling them forward, though, and Michael thinks that his feelings about heights are no match for the acrobatics his stomach does when Luke glances back and smiles at him.

[kyoonqs]

iluso amor ; third part.

↬ summary: Cora has always considered herself elusive, easy to bore and adventurous to the last fiber of her body. One day for no apparent reason, she appears in front of the manager of a globetrotting circus passing through the city where she is temporarily staying to fill her life with magic. Baekhyun, as serious as he is handsome, has no intention of playing a role other than on the main canvas of the circus. He decides to separate Cora from her life of fantasies created by her travels and sets out to show her reality as raw and cruel as he knows it. Or so he believes.

Will time run out too quickly before love and passion devour him and he decides to risk everything for a love that lasts… Forever?

↬ pairing: baekhyun x cora fem!reader.

↬ circus!au ; illusionist!baek x hitchhiker!oc ; strangers to lovers au!

↬ genre: fluff ; romance ; angst ; drama.

↬ length: 9.2 k words.

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↬ masterlist.

When Cora left the trailer in that afternoon, she bumped into a young woman with shiny golden skin, dark hair, and a very pretty, contagious rectangular smile. She recognized her as Talia, she was a member of the group that performed acrobatic skills using various elements from ribbons to hoops and balls. From the moment she saw her, Cora could read how transparent she was and dared to say that she was surely the sweetest young woman in the whole circus.

The girl introduced herself and without losing her smile she brushed her hair behind her shoulders. Cora returned the greeting with a cordial smile of her own, as she caught sight of  another woman approaching. The woman, dressed in black baggy pants and an oversized shirt came up and introduced herself as Ramona. Cora instantly recognized her as one of the women who had entered the arena on the back of one of the horses. Her casual clothes made Cora feel overdressed. She'd wanted to look good on her first day at the box office; for this she had put on an ivory silk blouse with black leggings instead of the jeans and the outlet shirt that Baekhyun had insisted on buying her in a shop window they had passed before settling in Fraga.

“Cora is Baekhyun's girlfriend, she joined us in Monzón.” Said Talia, who seemed increasingly happy with the news.

“I already heard the news. How lucky you are. Man doesn’t have a single particle of waste in his body.” Ramona replied.

Cora opened her mouth to tell them that she was just showing up for work, that she was definitely not his girlfriend but she snapped it shut when Ramona interrupted her with: “Algeria is going to have a fit when she gets back.”

“Actually... I applied for this job because of the vacancy, I didn't know Baekhyun before and I don't think he's interested in me either.” Cora felt embarrassed. She didn't want these girls to get a bad impression of either her or Baekhyun in the first conversation.

“Vacancy? The positions were filled by the time flyers were posted and besides we only needed male performers. Are you sure he has no interest in you?” Talia looked in bewilderment to Ramona, who only shrugged her shoulders with an apology that she had to leave.

Cora was going to investigate a little more, considering the girl's words had given her a lot to think about but she was in a hurry to get to the box office in time.

“I guess I’d better go. It was nice meeting you.” She waved goodbye and headed toward the locker trailer, mentally correcting herself that the place was to be called “The Red Wagon” shortly before. Baekhyun had told her the circus lockers were always called that, no matter the color.

Despite its name, the locker was pale in color. Dotted with a handful of colored stars, it showcased a hanging blackboard with prices according to age and number of family members.

In contrast to the cheerful exterior, the interior was dull and cluttered. A battered steel desk sat in front of a small sofa piled high with stacks of newspapers. There were mismatched chairs, an old filing cabinet, and a radio. Baekhyun was sitting behind the desk, with a calculator in one hand and a clipboard in the other. A single glance at his stormy face told Cora that Baekhyun hadn't had a good day so far.

Baekhyun stood up and gestured for her to follow him, leading her to the window at the side of the trailer to explain the procedure in a soft voice. It was very simple and Cora learned it immediately.

“I'll check every penny and make sure you don't lose sight of the fundraiser for a minute. The circus is on the brink of ruin, we cannot afford to lose money.”

“Of course I won't. I’m not stupid.” She held her breath, feeling that he would deny it, but Baekhyun concentrated on unlocking the hinge on the window. He accompanied her while she dispatched the first clients to make sure she was doing it right, and when he saw that she had no problems, he announced he was leaving.

“Are you going to the caravan?” she asked.

“I'll go when I have to get dressed. Why?”

“I left it somewhat scrambled.” She had to get back to the trailer before he saw the mess. When she started cleaning, she should have saved the cabinets for last, but wanting to scrub thoroughly, she had emptied the shelves to clean them first. The cabinets were clean now, but she hadn't had the time to put everything back and as a result, there wasn't a single surface in the trailer that wasn't occupied by something: clothing, tools, or an alarming pile of whips.

“I swear I’ll pick up everything as soon as I finish here, don’t worry if things are out of place.” Cora said hastily. 

Baekhyun simply nodded, leaving her alone. 

The next few hours passed without incident. Cora liked chatting with people looking to buy tickets and many of the circus employees made excuses to stop by and satisfy their curiosity about her –she guessed they were curious after the information Talia had given her, that they had all assumed she was there for other reasons, very dissociated from work–. 

She recognized some of the men tending the stalls: clowns and several members of a group that performed equestrian numbers. She couldn’t shake the feeling that some of the girls were hiding their jealousy over the rumor floating around that she had managed to “catch” Byun Baekhyun. She appreciated the covert gesture. It gave her a glimmer of hope. Maybe things would work out after all.

Only after the second performance had begun was Cora able to leave the box office to watch Baekhyun perform. She hoped that watching the show again would dilute the shock she'd experienced the night before but she found his performance even more impressive. Where had he learned to do these things?

It wasn’t until the performance ended that Cora recalled the re-ordering she had yet to take care of back at the caravan. She rushed back to the living accommodations and was preparing to open the door when Talia called out to her.

“Come on Cora, I want to show you something.” She closed the trailer door quickly, before Talia could see the mess inside. The young woman took her arm and led her through the line of caravans. To the left she could see the emcee talking to Baekhyun as the workers stacked bleachers.

They rounded the last caravan, and Cora gasped in surprise to see many of the performers, still in performance clothing, around a folding table with a rectangular cake on top. Laia, the girl she had met before, was near the cake, along with Ramona, Fionn –if she remembered her name correctly– and her group of aerialists, various clowns and many other employees she had encountered.

Grinning widely, the emcee pushed Baekhyun forward and Talia raised her hands like a conductor. “Attention everyone, let’s all welcome Cora!” She was speechless.  These people hardly knew her but here they were, extending a friendly hand to her. After spending months away from her family –not to complain of the wonderful travels– she took pleasure in the intimacy of this moment. At this impromptu gathering of future friends, she felt as if her family were welcoming her at the airport, with bright smiles and cheeks numb with happiness. Cora weighed the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes.

“Thank you. The cake looks delicious. I bet everyone wants a slice.” Cora glanced at Baekhyun, who had a lopsided smile on his face, surely trying to hide it. Even if they had only spent the last 24 hours together, she was beginning to grow familiar with his expressions. 

Cheeks burning –somewhat embarrassed– Cora walked up to the folding table, grabbed a knife, and began to slice the cake into neat squares. Someone ordered one of the men to turn the radio dial to a happy station. After all, what was a celebration without dance? 

When Cora had distributed the last of her cake, she watched as a tall boy with dark hair and round, shiny eyes like coins approached Talia. He looked hesitant but still held out his hand and she took it kindly. Guiding her to the center of an improvised dance floor, he then took her by the hips. Both of them mirrored a smile that could only have one explanation and Cora imagined how nice it would be nice to have company like that. In that moment, she thought of how Baekhyun had stroked her cheek the night before and turned to look for him, feeling disappointed when she found no sign of him.

For the next several hours, while the circus was being dismantled for the next town, Cora set about putting everything back into the cabinets. She was filled with a sense of despair that left her hardly able to stand upright but she kept working nonetheless.

The leggings she was wearing were completely dirty and the blouse was sticking to her skin but she didn't care. The little impromptu party and cake had been a small blessing to her but the fact that Baekhyun left the place sooner than she would have thought possible gave her the impression that all the hope she was gathering would only bring her a headache in the future. And she hoped it was just like that.

When Baekhyun entered the caravan shortly after midnight it still looked as messy as when Cora had first arrived. In the morning he’d found out that the circus was supposed to pay more taxes than expected. Afterwards he’d found out his boss would be back soon and with it the idea of receiving more tasks than he already had didn’t sit well and finally... he hadn't been able to get Cora out of his head. And it frightened him to such an extent that he had transformed the unfamiliar feeling into anger.

Although Cora had cleaned and organized the cupboards, she hadn't had the time or energy to do anything else. He rested his hands on his hips and examined the dirty furniture, the dusty tabletop, and the remnants of the cake the artists had insisted she take.

“I thought you were going to clean this up but I see that it’s still just as dirty.”

“The closets are clean. And I washed everything in the sink.” She said through clenched teeth, indifferently.

“Who cares about closets? Don't you know how to do anything right? You don't know anything about real life, do you, Cora? You're here for work, not to get thrown from one place to another for free. From now on, try to think of others, not just yourself.”

Cora's eyes stung as she tried not to cry. Without thinking, she picked up the cake with one hand and tossed it at him. He spread his hands automatically to stop her from throwing it at him, but it wasn't fast enough. The cake hit him on the shoulder and fell apart into a thousand pieces. She watched as the mess, bits of cake and icing flew everywhere. A sticky white substance splattered on Baekhyun's hair, eyebrows, and even eyelashes. Chunks of chocolate that had stuck to his jaw fell onto the shoulder of his shirt. Cora's nonchalance disappeared when she saw him turn red. He was going to kill her. He tried to wipe his eyes as he moved toward her. Cora got out of his way and, taking advantage of Baekhyun's temporary blindness, ran out the door.

She looked around frantically, searching for a safe place to hide. The circus had been dismantled. The smaller tents were closed and most of the trucks had left. She tripped over a bush and ended up taking refuge in a narrow space between two vans. Her heart beat hard against her ribs. What had she done? Had she completely lost her sanity? What if the emcee's introduction wasn't just about a lack of rationality and psychological logic? Could it be that the man's attractiveness had robbed her of her sanity so much that her heart already belonged to him? Was she going to go crazy because of love?

She hated arguing, irrespective of the person and the reason they might have, Cora had never been one to lose her temper so easily. She knew how to listen carefully. She thought before giving an answer and only if it suited her did she open her mouth. But at that moment she had acted with her heart. 

Cora hugged herself, repeating that she was a fool for having too white a heart, for allowing herself to give so many opportunities to people who had rejected her in the first instance, and above all for believing that she had the ability to make a difference in their lives.

She winced at the sound of a man's voice and slid deeper into the shadows, crashing into something solid and human. An alarm went off in her head. She turned around, unable to bear it any longer. Turning, she found a warm fortress behind her and knew she had found a sanctuary. Then she felt something rough under her cheek. The events, the fear, the exhaustion and all the –distressing– changes in her life over the past two days overwhelmed her and she burst into tears.

Baekhyun's hand was surprisingly soft as he took her chin, forcing her to face him. Cora looked up at him. Still stained with cake and icing sugar, he looked fierce and magnificent. She realized that she feared Baekhyun in another way, one that she did not fully understand, she only knew that it was something that went beyond physical threat. It was more than that. Somehow she felt that he could damage her soul.

Cora had reached the limits of her endurance. There had been too many changes, too many conflicts, and she didn't feel like fighting anymore. 

“I suppose now you want to threaten me with something horrible.”

“Don't you think you deserve it? Only children throw things, not adults.”

“You’re right, of course.” She brushed her hair away from her face with a shaking hand.

“What is this about? Humiliation? I've had enough for tonight. Limits? I've had enough too. Pressure? No, that won’t work, I'm too numb to feel it” she paused, hesitating. “I'm afraid you'll have to resort to something else.”

As he looked at her, she seemed so unhappy that something went soft inside Baekhyun. He brought his lips to hers, brushing against them but then he remembered that he shouldn't, so he turned away again. The sugar that hadn’t been cleaned with his sleeve had mixed with the salty liquid of her tears.

He knew that Cora was afraid of him –he had made sure of it– and yet he still couldn't believe that she had had the courage to throw the cake at him. He felt her tremble under his hands. Cora had shown her claws tonight but her eyes showed only despair. Did she know that her face reflected every one of her feelings? He wondered how many things had happened. Who was responsible for making her want to flee each time. 

As he watched her, he had to restrain the sudden urge to pick her up and carry her back to the trailer, where he would lay her on the bed and find the answers to all the questions he was beginning to ask. What would her hair look like down and spread out on the pillow? He wanted to see her naked on the wrinkled sheets, to see the paleness of her skin against his, he wanted to soak up her essence and feel her touch.

The day before, he had told himself that she wasn’t the type of woman he would sleep with, much less be in a relationship with, but he also knew it was a matter of time. He couldn't touch her until he was sure she understood how things would be between them. And by then, there was a good chance that Cora would grab her suitcase and run away.

He took her by the arm and led her to the trailer. For a moment, she resisted and then she followed resignedly. 

“I'm really starting to hate you,” she said weakly, her words almost inaudible. Baekhyun was surprised to find those very words hurt him, especially when that was what he wanted from her. Cora wasn’t cut out for such a hard life and he had no desire to prolong this indefinitely. It was the best he could do.

“Maybe it's for the best.”

“I've never met anyone so cold and cynical.”  “Cold, Baekhyun. You're so cold.” He'd heard a lot of women say that before her. Kindhearted women. Competent and intelligent women who had deserved more than a man whose feelings were long gone before meeting them. When he was young, he had thought that a family could heal that wounded and lonely part of him. But while seeking a lasting relationship, he had hurt those kind-hearted women and proved to himself that he had no feelings to love any of them, even if he had intended to.

They reached the caravan. He passed Cora at the door and stepped inside.

“I'm going to take a shower. I'll help you clean up when I get out.” She stopped him before he reached the bathroom.

“Couldn't you have been a little more pleasant… Or at least try to enjoy my welcome party for one more hour?”

“I am what I am. I’m not pretending. I never do that. Don't get romantic ideas about me. It would just be a waste of time. I have learned to live by my rules. I try to be as honest and as fair as possible. For this reason I overlooked the fact that you threw cake at me but don’t confuse justice with feelings.”

Baekhyun entered the bathroom and closed the door. Squeezing his eyelids shut, he tried to put the play of emotions he had seen crossing Cora's face out of his mind. He had seen it all: caution, innocence, hope, and love, the last one terrifying, the prospect that he might not be as bad as he seemed.

↬ author’s note: next chapters will start to get spicier, as always, hope you enjoy it! as you know, any feedback is welcome ♡ and again: thank you and i love you a lots, Oliv.

[graysongraysoff]

What I Have Learned: Dick Grayson is the best boy. He grew up in a circus I'm p sure? And I think he might still do flips and shit when he fights although for some reason I think he was trapeze mainly. He probably has Trauma that he hides behind humor and sweetness. Maybe his parents died in a trapeze-related accident? Batman adopted him idk how and I guess that means he's Robin but sometimes other people get to be Robin and i fully do not understand how that's a thing. Sometimes Batman gets mind controlled and they have to fight each other but then they fix it. Batman probably has complicated feelings about being his dad. Most of the other Robins look basically exactly like Dick Grayson, and i don't know any of their names. The other most famous one is like Dick but bigger and more square jawed in character. Also there was a girl w red hair i think and she got a spinal injury so she uses a wheelchair now, but i think she wasn't a Robin, she was Batgirl maybe? For the life of me I can't remember her name altho I know I'd know it when I saw it. All of them live together in a house with alfred and are collectively called the Batfam but this may be a pleasant AU that fans enjoy and not canon cause it seems like batman usually only has one child around at a time.

Also apparently there's no character limit for asks anymore?

PARDON ME WHILE I INFODUMP BC THIS ASK HAS MADE ME SO FUCKING HAPPY

What I Have Learned: Dick Grayson is the best boy. He grew up in a circus I'm p sure? And I think he might still do flips and shit when he fights although for some reason I think he was trapeze mainly. He probably has Trauma that he hides behind humor and sweetness. Maybe his parents died in a trapeze-related accident?

the ACCURACY of this entire bit has me screaming every single thing in this chunk is 100% correct, you receive full credit for Complete Knowledge of Dick Grayson’s Backstory. dick and his parents were indeed trapeze artists in a circus, and his parents were killed when a mob boss who was trying to extort the circus for protection money cut the trapeze lines and they fell to their horrible deaths. so that’s the Trauma, lol. he does also do a lot of Flippy Shit when he is fighting; though aerialists and gymnasts are two different beasts, in the batman comics they’ve just been kind of blurred together to make him just a Generally Acrobatic Boy.

Batman adopted him idk how and I guess that means he's Robin but sometimes other people get to be Robin and i fully do not understand how that's a thing.

so basically that’s a matter of where we are on the timeline.

dick was the first robin, but eventually he grows up and “graduates” from being robin and becomes nightwing, a hero in his own right rather than a sidekick. so, after dick leaves, jason todd comes on the scene, and he’s the second robin (i think he’s the square-jawed one you mention a little later on; he’s a Broody Boy), and then tim drake is the third robin, and so on.

best not to think too hard about how old bruce must be to have All These Children, bc comics do not think about it at all, lol.

Also there was a girl w red hair i think and she got a spinal injury so she uses a wheelchair now, but i think she wasn't a Robin, she was Batgirl maybe? For the life of me I can't remember her name altho I know I'd know it when I saw it.

barbara gordon!!! she is the first batgirl (yes, there are multiple batgirls, as well. COMICS!); basically the batgirl to dick’s robin. but in a Very Controversial Arc she suffers a spinal injury and loses the use of her legs, and after that she becomes Oracle, who is basically “the guy in the chair.” she’s a super smart tech genius / hacker and she helps the batfam with their detective work and gives them any info they need in the field. she is one of dick’s main romantic interests (alongside starfire from the teen titans) and DEFINITELY the one i ship him with the most. she is also commissioner gordon’s daughter!

All of them live together in a house with alfred and are collectively called the Batfam but this may be a pleasant AU that fans enjoy and not canon cause it seems like batman usually only has one child around at a time.

while i think all of the batfam living under one roof together happens way more in fanon than in canon, there IS more of it in canon than you’d think. basically, there is some overlap between who’s living at wayne manor when, and it’s also not uncommon to have people staying over from out of town, since it’s a big enough place (like, dick technically lives in gotham’s sister city, blüdhaven, now, but he still has a room at the manor and stays over from time to time).

but just look how good you did at all the OTHER stuff!!!! you absorbed so much of the plot from my Posts, i’m so proud :,)

[cuddly-pastel-dragon]

Silk Cage

Patton walked with a bounce in his step as soon as they got out of the car, it was his idea and he was definitely excited. Spending time with his family and going to a circus! Virgil wasn’t too sure about it, the circus was somewhat dangerous and not really his style. Logan was admittedly happy they were going to the circus sometimes they had interesting things and he supposed it was somewhat enjoyable. Roman was ecstatic! He always admired circus workers and especially loved acrobats. Everyone started to make their way toward the booth but something caught roman’s eye. A small glimmer. Amongst the other performers practising there were silks and hoops and all sorts of aerial apparatus. What really caught his eye was the man gracefully dancing on the silks, he was somewhat toned but rather slim with a peculiar hair colour. Roman watched carefully as the man danced and did an inverted belay. Roman was ripped from his daze and he looked towards Virgil who was dragging him back towards the ticket booth where the others were. He glanced back at the man and he swore they locked eyes. Those piercing eyes… Roman felt as though they bore right into his soul. Virgil rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers in front of roman, taking him out of his daze once again. Roman sighed and walked in with everyone. Patton glanced at Roman, “you okay, kiddo?” Roman flashed a toothing grin, “fantastic, padre! Just thinking is all!” Logan cocked an eyebrow, “that’s a first…” Roman gasped dramatically, Virgil snickered. Everything was usual once more.

Roman couldn’t focus on any of the acts, his mind continued to wander to the man on the silks. Patton gasped slightly, “Roman, isn’t that the guy you were staring at?” Roman looked up and there he was. He watched intently as the man first started on the ground. Roman decided to call him Mask, due to the mask he wore. Mask did tricks on the ground and a man walked up to mask and they danced before Mask pulled a red cloth from the man and he dropped to the ground. The same happened to another man before mask gracefully made his way up the silks, as ‘evil night together’ played, and started the aerial part of his routine. Never once did Roman take his eyes off Mask’s form. As mask blew a kiss into the audience Roman felt his heart do a flip and he wished that was just for him. And roman just stared at where Mask had been when he left. Now Roman’s mind was just going even more wild.

When they left Roman knew he had to meet that man. Roman quickly sped round to the side of the main tent, quickly making his way around the crowds and finding the aerial equipment. He looked around and saw Mask on the hoop. As Roman started to walk over Mask quickly got off the hoop and bolted. Roman followed as Virgil, Patton, and Logan tried to catch Roman and stop him from chasing the poor guy who was obviously trying to get away. Unfortunately for Mask, he bumped into his boss, who was not happy with him since he should have been practising. Roman quickly caught up and the boss turned to roman, “yes sir? Can I help you?”

Roman huffed a little, catching his breath, “ah, yes, I was trying to speak to your aerialist. I was wondering if I could get an autograph.”

The boss smiled kindly as if he wasn’t shouting and threatening the man stood next to him but a minute ago, “I’m sorry but he doesn’t give out autographs.”

Roman seemed a little disappointed, “ah, I was also going to inquire about the possibility of lessons?”

The boss held his chin and thought for a second, “maybe. It’ll cost about twenty dollars per session.” At this point, the others were stood by Roman. “And 10 extra for each person that tags along.” Mask looked rather uncomfortable with that idea but he was just ignored because everyone was either confused or excited or, in his boss’ case, just didn’t care for his opinion. Roman smiled at Mask, “when would you be free?”

The boss interrupted, “oh, he’s free whenever.” Mask sighed and looked away. Patton noticed and felt a bit concerned but Roman had already made a deal to meet with Mask every week on a Saturday. “Oh god, where are my manners, what’s your name?” Once again the boss interrupts, “we all just call him Snake.”

And before Patton could see if Snake was alright he was ushered back to the aerial equipment. Patton couldn’t help but feel suspicious of the oddly shaped bruises and marks that were just barely visible, he wanted to put it down to his aerial work but something didn’t sit right. Patton also noted that the poor man definitely needed to eat more, he may have been a bit toned but that still didn’t hide the fact he couldn’t have been eating properly. He’d maybe go with roman to those lessons and try to help him out. For now, though everyone got into the car and went home.

[fireintheforest]

Market happenings

A nudge to Saufinril’s shoulder made him stir in his bed, but his eyes remained closed. He fell back to sleep when a second nudge interrupted him, but he just made a sound from the back of his throat, and in no time he was sleeping back to unconsciousness…until the third nudge came. Saufinril repeated the noise he’d made before, though now he extended it and covered his head with the sheets.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” A familiar voice said. Then it was all still and silent, quiet.

Until the fourth nudge.

“Mhrmm?” Saufinril asked, pushing the sheet down from his head and opening one lazy, emerald green eye. The figure in front of him said something earnestly, but even though he heard it, he couldn’t exactly comprehend well or retain what it was saying. Not even the silhouette in front of him rang a bell, though it wasn’t threatening either.

“Saufinril!”

Saufinril just blinked slowly.

“Oh come on!” he felt a fifth nudge, “Don’t fall back to sleep, you lazy bastard!” Saufinril’s eyes closed gently, “No-Saufinril!”

And in came the calm darkness, where all outside noises ceased to exist. Where the reality doesn’t matter as the descent to the realm or dreams commen-

A sixth nudge, this one harder than the others.

“Mmh!” Saufinril protested, now really starting to wake up.

“Come on! How quickly you jump to the arms of dreams, yet you run from mine. Hypocrite!”

Oh, it’s Muraz. Saufinril pushed himself to sit down, yawning while he did so, then rubbed his eyes with his palms.

“What…is the need…?” he didn’t even know how he was asking this, he just pushed his messy hair back and looked at Muraz in front of him, “Morning.” He said in a sleepy voice.

“You look equal parts cute and handsome when you wake up.” Muraz said, “The sunlight of my life. What a fucking task it is to wake you up, by Y’ffre, doesn’t it ever bring you trouble? One day your house is gonna be set on fire by some jealous lover and you’ll sleep through it. Nobody will feel bad in your funeral because we all will know you slept through it and didn’t suffer. How did Lillandril do with you all those years? Did he had to fucking throw you from the mattress? Ice, maybe? Did it even work, or did it just set you into a hibernation mode?”

Saufinril was staring at him with a still somnolent face, blinked slow and only caught half of what the orsimer said. He sniffed and took the leather ribbon he had next to the bed and tied his hair up in a messy bun. “What do you want, Muraz?” he asked, passing a hand to tame the flyaways and covering his yawn with one hand.

“I gotta go down to the market to fetch some things. Thought it might work for you to leave the Den for a bit. If anyone asks, you’re the one carrying the things so it’s still bitch work for you. Can you even leave the Den while you’re under the rap?”

Saufinril thought for a second. He stretched his arms upwards, letting them crack at the joints here and there while his shirt rode up a bit, revealing a strip of his lower stomach that Muraz looked at for a second before turning back to Saufinril’s face.

“Mmmmhhhhh….” It was a noise of satisfaction at the stretch what came from Saufinril before he said, “One doesn’t recall him saying one couldn’t leave. Granted,” he lowered his arms again, making the shirt cover up his skin again, “the confinement is somewhat self-imposed. One doesn’t want to run into the Thalmor or that ginger pig again. Besides, with everything one has had to do here, one hasn’t had the chance to stroll outside.”

“Saufinril, you can’t lock yourself forever over one mistake you did. And ok, you’ve been busy but also! Remember I need a little mule to carry my shopping so…” Muraz tilted his head with a grin, “What do you say? I need help.”

“Muraz, you’re stronger than one.”

“Your compliments warm my heart, beloved, but I do need an extra pair of hands. Come on, we’ll be back soon. If you’re worried about the bosses,” he added in a low volume, “I’ll take the rap for you. You always do with me and it’s the least I could do. I promise. If Lillandril gets pissed, I’ll take full responsibility.”

“One must be dreaming, one has never heard you say that sentence in one’s life.”

“Shut up, I’m being nice. Well? What do you say?”

Saufinril sighed, then smiled at Muraz, “Let one take breakfast and get ready, then we can go.”

“Yess!” Muraz clapped his hands, “Alright, yes.” Saufinril pushed the sheets aside and stood up, then went down to the kitchen, followed closely by Muraz. Around an hour later, the Den’s door opened to let both Muraz and Saufinril out, with Saufinril carrying the bag where they’d put the things they’d acquire in.

“-fuck you need two hours to get ready for, anyways?” Muraz protested

“One did not take two hours in getting ready, Muraz.” Saufinril contradicted, “One took just enough to look good, get off one’s dick.”

“It took forever, Saufinril.”

“It didn’t, you’re just overdramatic.”

The bickering went on as they reached the market, at which point it lessened when they got distracted by the merchants, their goods and, more importantly, the knife jugglers in the center of the plaza with their music ensemble on the background of the antics. All of them Bosmer, the jugglers consisted of three males and two females, all moving as nimbly as if they were made of air. All movements closely coordinated, all choreography executed flawlessly, all looking like they were having fun and, as such, infecting their growing crowd with it. The drums marked the beat of the juggling and the acrobacies, which ranged from cartwheels between the fire balls being tossed by two of the Bosmer, to using each other as climbing pillars and extending the juggling higher up, while the flute added the melody of danger when the acrobats jumped from one of their partners to the other amongst knifes in the air, and the big, harp-like guitar of 21 chords made of leather and ivory accompanied the flute in an entrancing melody. Somewhere, a pair of bone castanets were being played to the tempo of the drums but it was impossible for Saufinril to see which of the musicians were the ones playing it.

The smallest girl of the group had just landed an aerial backflip from one of the Bosmer pillars and had managed to jump to the other pillar flawlessly (which already consisted of two Bosmer), earning a round of applause. Saufinril’s gaze wandered away from the acrobats back to the musicians to solve the mystery of the castanets when he saw someone on the public on the other side. It took him some seconds to recognize him as one of the Dunmer that had been frequenting the Den these past nights, it was the one with the neck scar. The one that always came with the other younger Dunmer with a Mohawk and a tattoo in his head, though this time he was in the company of a rather tall and muscular Imperial woman. Both were focused on the aerialists, with the Imperial woman being the most excited of the duo.  Though his face didn’t share the thrill of the Imperial woman’s, he was nonetheless clapping with the audience and seemed interested in the number.

He’s particularly stoic. Then again, it’s not that bizarre for the Dunmer to be so standoffish, especially to strangers. It’s just their culture. This one, for instance, would give the first impression of being completely disinterested in the show despite paying attention to the gymnasts, evidenced in how his sharp, ruby red eyes followed their movements. His face was sharp, too. The ink black hair, which back in the Den that night had been let lose, was now tied up to show the undershave that had started to grow. Saufinril kept observing the Dunmer, absorbing every detail he couldn’t that night. That was a long scar. One line, clean edges, that was made by a blade aimed at the jugular. It was a miracle he’d escaped, with only a pebble gray scar on his aegean skin. He had a nice eye shape. Sharp, rather narrow, but there was something about those eyes that didn’t make him feel any hostility or alert. The shape of those eyes reminded him of the blades of grass or on the little vine leaves back in his grandparents’ house. That, along with the shade of red and the sense of serenity and air of confident arrogance, brought a feeling of something. Saufinril couldn’t exactly place a finger on what he was feeling, he just knew he felt it, vibrant and present and pleasant, in his stomach. It was an immediate effect. Similar, he guessed in silence, to what Ria had with his suitors. Or with anyone, really, that crossed his path. Some people are just magnetic, he concluded, looking back at the acrobats, that’s all.

As if to test his theory, he looked back at the Dunmer. He was listening to something that the rugged lady was telling him, complete with her moving her hands in enthusiast explanation. The Dunmer listened, gave a nod here and there, but otherwise remained silent. Yes, the pull was there. That’s how he could call it, a pull. Perhaps this Dunmer was also of the Serpent sign? Did all signs share a similar gift? Perhaps not exactly the same, but similar. Just like how he and his mother were both of the Mage sign but she excelled at Alchemy while Saufinril was proven adept at spells. He just knew that he felt a peaceful focus. Perhaps this was his gift? What an interesting one. And what a beautiful eye shape. At that moment, the Dunmer crossed his arms, observing the show, and Saufinril’s gaze went to his arms. Taut muscles defined them, coming to sight with the change in position. Now Saufinril could also see some scars around the Dunmer’s wrists and forearms. Probably obvious that he’d be in good shape if he was from the Thieves’ Guild, but somehow the thought that he’d be buff hadn’t crossed Saufinril’s mind when he’d guessed that at the Den the other night. He also now realized there were some tattoos on his arms, mostly on the upper part. And the pull was still there. Definitely probably someone from the Serpent sign too.

“That was great.” Muraz interrupted Saufinril’s train of thought, “Come on, let’s go. We still have some stuff to do.” Saufinril looked away from the Dunmer, realizing that the acrobats and musicians had ended their show and were collecting coin. He put some in the cup that one of the drummers passed, but when he looked up to search for the Dunmer again, he and his brawny companion were gone. And just like that, the pull lowered in intensity. Saufinril followed Muraz to one of the stores, where they left only after an hour (“You have no business calling one out for taking one’s time getting ready in the morning if it takes you an hour to pick a pattern.”) to go to the next one. And the next one. And the next one.

“Muraz, this is taking a considerable while and you said it wouldn’t be long.” Saufinril protested, following Muraz from yet another stand while carrying the bag Muraz had given him.

“Listen, I know. We just need some eyeliner and we’re done. Plus we haven’t lasted that long, don’t be impatient. I waited for you for an hour.”

“Can’t you be normal and make the eyeliner yourself like your mom does? One can teach you, it’s easy.”

“And waste ingredients over and over and over?”

“She doesn’t waste them ‘over and over and over’, plus they go back to the ground and all that.”

“It’s just that one stand over there and we’re going back to the Den. Relax! Lillandril won’t kill you for leaving for a couple hours.”

“You don’t know about that.” Saufinril muttered, following the orsimer, who replied, “Like Rialas would let him kill you! You’re a constant source of entertainment for him.”

 The purchase was done fast, in a store near the end of the merchant part of the city, but much to Saufinril’s chagrin, something caught Muraz’s eye.

“Hey um…” he began, “do you mind waiting for me here one moment?”

“Where are you going?” Saufinril asked, puzzled

“Just, it won’t take long.” Saufinril followed Muraz’s gaze, only to see a curly brunette with honey eyes that he recognized instantly, “Ohhhh no. No. No. No, Muraz. You said she wouldn’t be an issue anymore!”

“And she hasn’t been!” Muraz said, turning back to him, “We just, suddenly stopped talking and that’s it.”

“Then all things ended, so what’s the need of you to go bother her? Look at her, she’s busy buying cheese! Just, let her be! Let’s go back to the Den, before Lillandril decides one has to clean the floors with one’s tongue.”

“It’s just, we never got to actually say-there’s a lot I need to say-”

“Muraz,” Saufinril put his hands on the orsimer’s shoulders, almost begging by now, “sometimes you don’t need to say shit. Sometimes, silence by itself is an answer. If neither of you guys spoke to each other in months since one left for the Isles and came back, the message is loud and clear.”

“Well, but we did talk…”

Saufinril stared at Muraz. “Come again?”

“Yes, um…we saw each other, it was two weeks or so after you left and she asked me some things and I need to-you know, let her know. It was something private, something that got me thinking, and I do think that if I don’t say them right now, I never will have the chance and I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Or hers, given that she’s Imperial.”

Saufinril stared at Muraz, then sighed and let him go, “By Y’ffre, you can be such an idiot. Fine. Go clear up whatever you need to clear with that-that trollop. One will be waiting here.”

Muraz blew him a kiss, walking backwards, “You are the sun of my life, the fire in my sky, the reason for my life!”

“One is also the whip on your ass, Muraz, telling you to hurry up so we can go!” Muraz then turned and left. The market was somewhat crowded, so Saufinril could see the wild black hair going after the curly brown one until a Bosmer with her water buffalos cut the line of sight. At that, Saufinril put the bag on the ground and stretched, wondering how mad Lillandril would be if they came back by nighttime, which was a sure time for them to come back if Muraz let the little hussie talk him into staying on the palm of her hand like she always did. Saufinril rolled his eyes. He’d be grateful he couldn’t fall for the opposite gender if only he hadn’t fallen with shitty specimens of his own in the past. Hopefully Lillandril would be in a good mood when they came back. Or hopefully, Muraz would remember to say it was his idea. He was going to smear honey on all his clothes if he didn’t or, more conveniently, ‘forgot’. Still, this was probably not an easy talk, so Saufinril understood when ten minutes had gone by and Muraz hadn’t returned. Fifteen even. By twenty, he was wondering what was going on. By thirty, Saufinril was peering around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the orsimer. When forty-five minutes had passed, the Altmer gave up and, grabbing the bag again, started to go back to the direction of the Den.

“Well, if it isn’t the knife-ear I was looking for!”

Saufinril stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes and exhaling. Great. Perfect. He turned around to face the ginger Imperial. Several scars adorned his face now, all red with scabs and still healing. One of those went across his nose, probably even a fracture from the way it crooked slightly to the right now, and another was horribly close to his eye. That one made Saufinril stare longer. A little more and he could’ve lost an eye. The Imperial immediately figured that was what Saufinril was looking at.

“You piece of shit elf.” He growled, stepping forward with his other six friends, who carefully circled around, “You gods-damned subspecies. You think this is funny, huh? Your little fucking artwork on my face? Look at it!”

Saufinril did. Scars that would stay there forever, scars that almost reached eyes, that went all the way to the side of the face and mingled with the freckles in the man’s visage, “Yeah, it connects the dots.” He mocked.

“Got a sense o’ humor, this one!” one of the men around him, the one with a simple wooden club, said

“Let’s see if he laughs when we give ‘im a drubbin’.” Another said, pulling out his knife. “Fuckin’ wedgie-ass twiggy!” another snapped. Saufinril looked around, seeing all of them with weapons here and there. “Let’s make him look normal, trim them ears.” Someone said. “Serah, I am so sorry”, he thought as he summoned spells on each hand.

[voltronbookshelf]

hi sorry I was wondering if the circus au square was still available on the bingo and if so could you hit me with your headcanons for that? Thank you!!!

Yes it is and yes I can!

Thank you for the prompt!

For my @voltronbingo AU card, the prompt “Circus AU”…

I actually had two thoughts about this at first, “Greatest Showman AU” and “Generic Circus AU” (Also an ancient Rome AU because Original Circuses. I do plan to at least make character aesthetics for that one eventually. I’ll probably make aesthetics for this one tbh)

I’m going to talk about the Generic Circus AU because I have more concrete ideas for that one so far.

It’s a very small circus. Small but good. Very close knit community. Everyone fits multiple roles and fills in to help where needed.

Allura is the owner, and daughter of the former owner, of the circus. Also a tightrope walker because she is just that cool.

Coran is the ringmaster. Also in charge of costumes.

Shiro is the lion tamer. He is very protective of his lions. One of them, nicknamed Black, is a rescue from another circus where she was abused. She tolerates only Shiro and sometimes Keith.

Keith throws knives and does motorbike stunts. He and Shiro both do actually, its a double act and they enjoy stressing everyone else out with their recklessness. He also trains dogs and has a few that he does an act with. Kosmo is the largest and probably his favorite, though he’d never admit it. He is very protective of them all and will fight anyone who insults or threatens them.

The Holt Family are aerialists and acrobats. They also run most of the electrical engineering side of the circus (lights etc…) 

They enjoy dragging people up into the sky and teaching them how to fly. Keith and Lance and Allura (and Shiro before he lost his arm) take to it with much aptitude and joy. Hunk a little less so but most down days you can usually find the majority of the circus hanging out in the Holt’s domain.

Lance and Hunk are clowns. Which means they run interference and also fill in for almost anyone else if needed. 

Lance is also a contortionist and has a hula hoop act. 

Hunk pretty much single-handedly keeps the circus running from a technical point of view and is the best assistant/backup to have for just about any act. He can also juggle just about anything you hand him, but he doesn’t consider that anything special. (he is wrong) He is the Best Base to have for any acrobatic act. Pidge and Matt fight over him sometimes.

Veronica manages their books for them.

I am definitely still taking prompts for my AU card. You can request headcanons, fic, or aesthetics, though I can’t promise I’ll always deliver in that medium if I get pulled really hard in another direction.

[river-bottom-nightmare]

HELLO I HAVE ARRIVED.

Now, I’ve only performed with a professional circus troupe a couple times in my life, but I have been learning practically my whole life. I’ve done countless routines and performances for a variety of occasions and what I can tell you is that almost all of that, down to the very last second, is planned.

In aerial, there’s very little room for mistakes. Other forms of acrobatics are incredibly challenging, I agree. But when you’re an aerialist, you’re doing these crazy stunts at a height of minimum 12 feet, but usually much higher. On top of all of that, this is a performance. You have to look good, you have to show off, while simultaneously paying close attention to your surroundings, your apparatus, and anyone else you may be working with. You practice and practice and practice over and over again until, not only do you get it right, but you can’t get it wrong. Every single moment is planned best it can, because improvisation is dangerous, risky, and more than likely will result in injury. Of course, improvising a routine is a skill in of itself, but usually those stunts are performed lower to the ground, the moves are simple, basic ones, and it’s not really improv as it is “running through a couple tried and tested moves and positions in different orders.”

When Dick Grayson prepares for a fight, if granted the privilege, he will always look up the building schematics beforehand, noting support structures and windows and the like. If he isn’t granted that luxury, then he will take a good couple of minutes before every fight, before the opponent sees him, to scan the room and make a plan of action before striking. He’ll map out what he wants to do, where he wants to go, and how he’s going to get there. If there’s ever a brief respite in the fight, his mind is instantly calculating a couple different plans, trying to figure out where to go next. If he’s doing straight up hand-to-hand combat, that’s mostly action-reaction to the opponent he’s fighting, but if the particular fight involves his aerial abilities, he most definitely will plan ahead, as much as he can.

Bruce did probably train him to be able to improvise, of course. You never know what will happen on the field, and you have to be prepared. However, this is something Dick probably only utilizes when necessary. Also, the improvised aerial moves are, once again, going to be pretty basic compared to the other stunts he can pull, because to do those higher-level acrobatics, he needs to plan for it. He needs to figure out where he’s at, how he’s going to get where he needs to go. He needs to make sure there’s enough space to move and get leverage, he needs to know if the structure he’s on is sound enough to support his weight. All of that requires planning.

And this will most definitely carry over into other aspects of his life, too. I hate it when people call Nightwing impulsive or carefree. It’s so far from the truth. That boy plans a lot, and I’m not talking contingencies or plans of action like Bruce. I’m talking MCU-Dr-Strange level stuff. Cycling through different possibilities of an outcome before settling on one that will benefit him overall. This has been trained into him since birth, all aerialists know this by heart. You have to plan your routine, no matter if it’s a long one you’re going to work to perfect, or a couple basic skills strung together with elegant-looking transitions. 

Now, is Dick a primarily emotional person? Yes. Does he sometimes make judgement calls based on his feelings, and not the facts? Yes. Does he often let his emotions overpower his judgement? Yes. But if you ever see Dick Grayson written as impulsive, going in without thinking, jumping into situations without planning, etc., just know that that characterization is completely wrong. No self respecting aerialist plays things by ear when there’s important stakes, whether that be a performance or a mission. Get rid of that ridiculous idea, give me more of Dick Grayson: Actual Aerialist and Smart Human Being Who, Despite What It Seems Sometimes, Actually Has Quite A Large Amount Of Common Sense.

Any trapeze artist or likeminded up to this? @river-bottom-nightmare ?

[thewidowstanton]

Keaton Hentoff-Killian, tight wire, Chinese pole and hoop-diving artist, Circa ensemble

American circus artist Keaton Hentoff-Killian, who comes from St Louis, Missouri, was born into a circus family with an illustrious background. His mother is Jessica Hentoff, who founded the St Louis Arches youth circus performance troupe and Circus Harmony, and is a founding member of The Big Apple Circus and Circus Flora. His grandfather was Nat Hentoff, the renowned jazz critic and historian.

Keaton attended the National Circus School in Montreal and graduated in 2016, having specialised in tight wire. He has performed with numerous companies including Circus Flora, 45 Degrees/Cirque du Soleil at the 2015 Pan American Games opening ceremonies, Circus Harmony and Le Fabuleux Cirque Jean Coutu. He joined the leading Australian troupe, Circa, as an ensemble member in 2016 and now heads to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with its show Humans, which runs from 4-26 August at the Underbelly’s Circus Hub on The Meadows. Keaton chats to Liz Arratoon.

The Widow Stanton: Tell us about your family. Keaton Hentoff-Killian: My mum [pictured below] started circus when she was in college. She became a trapeze artist there and toured professionally with American circuses until she was in her mid-thirties. Then she started her own circus in St Louis, where she did a youth circus. I started there. My dad’s an electrician. He actually did the lights on one of mum’s shows and that’s how they met. I have three older sisters and one little brother. My youngest older sister, Elliana, is in the circus and is an aerialist, and my brother, Kellin, is a juggler.

You started circus at a month old. What were you doing onstage at that age? [Dryly] I was playing the baby…

[Laughs] Well done! Thank you. I was on top of elephants and horses and getting tossed around, all that old-school circus stuff.

When were you first aware of being in the circus? I don’t know… circus has been part of my life forever. When I was three or four I was onstage but I was so tired I just lay down and went to sleep. That kind of stuff would happen on a regular basis because, you know, when you grow up onstage you don’t know the difference all the time.  

And what was it like having such a famous grandfather? I didn’t know he was famous until a couple of years ago. I knew he was a writer and everything but I had never read one of his books. I didn’t really do any research; he was just my grandfather. Then I was at his apartment in New York and there was a photo of him and John Lennon and I kind of froze. I was like, ‘I know that guy. How did that happen?’, and then I found out. I actually just finished a book of his, Listen to the Stories, yesterday. It’s really great!

Was his apartment completely filled with records? Records and books to the ceiling. He passed away just a couple of months ago, and we had to start cleaning out his apartments. He had two and one was just to the ceiling stacked with books; it was ridiculous.

Being born into the circus, was it inevitable that you would make it your career? Really I was just grasping at anything normal. It seemed almost forced upon me, the circus life. There wasn’t really any way around it and I just kind of tried to hold on to anything other than circus. I really like to read and be around books and spend time at the library so a librarian seemed like a natural job choice for me… but here I am onstage.

Here you are. What pushed you back to circus? I have a very competitive nature and growing up I had a couple of friends in the youth circus with me; I’d known them for years. They were older than I was and they’d gone off to a circus college. That really kind of sparked a little fire in me and I decided to give it a shot as well. 

Why did you choose tight wire at Montreal? I didn’t choose it, actually [laughs]. Up in Montreal you have four-day audition at the school. On the last day they try you out on a couple of different disciplines. They tried me out on five, one of which was tight-wire. One of the coaches thought I’d be really good at it. I’d never really done it before; I could walk forwards and backwards, you know, do the basics, but that just came from youth circus. He was one of the jury members and decided that he wanted me on tight wire and I wanted to go to the school, so I decided to give it a shot and spent four years training. I did Chinese pole and Chinese hoops as complementary disciplines.

Were you happy with that choice or might you have liked to be an aerialist or…? When I started the school I wanted to do duo trapeze as a porter but I’m quite small so it doesn’t really work out unless there’s a flyer smaller than I am and there wasn’t. Tight wire was one of the disciplines I knew I wasn’t going to be able to learn anywhere else and I thought I might as well learn something I couldn’t learn in the future. The complementary disciplines were just fun things to do on the side, so yeah, overall I was happy.

What’s the hardest move you learnt on tight wire? That would have to be the back tuck. This is a trick I wanted to do the first time I stepped on a wire at École National de Cirque (ENC) and it took me until the end of my second year to confidently throw it on a 6ft-high wire. It took another year to be sure enough to put it into a performance.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start it? I think most people who want to start see how far along other people are skill-wise and get a bit discouraged, but with absolutely everything in life circus just takes passion and dedication. Also not limiting yourself to just circus is critical in what this art form is becoming. Familiarise yourself with dance, acting and other forms of art and it will help you understand and love circus so much more.

How intense was your training in Montreal? I've heard they push you quite hard… Yeah [laughs]. ENC is one of the most prestigious circus schools and they really like to keep that title, I think. They definitely push the students as hard as they can to really get the best out of us. But I think as well all the students going to the school want to get pushed that hard. They’re there for a reason, they’re there to be the best so it’s not undesired stress or unwanted aggression from the coaches; it’s really coming from both the coaches and the students to get pushed that hard.

How did you then come across Circa? I saw one of their shows, Beyond, while I was at school in Montreal, and I really liked their style. I liked that all of the artists were used throughout the show, that there was a lot of personality. They weren’t over-performing anything. Later I saw their show Carnival of the Animals. I have a friend, Tim Fyffe, who is also in the company, who graduated with me, and he was talking about how he sent some stuff in to creative director Yaron Lifschitz and was talking to them. I asked for the contact information and sent my stuff in as well. Tim and his porter, Seppe Van Looveren, joined the company a couple of months after I did when we finished school.

Has Circa managed to fit your disciplines into a show yet? Tight wire hasn’t been in many Circa show recently but I got to do it in the outdoor show Depart that we did in England just a month or so ago, which was really nice. We were rigged up between two trees overlooking a lake when the sun was going down, it was beautiful. It was really great fun.

Was that your first outdoor show? Professionally yes, but growing up in the circus we used to perform all over the place. I performed in front of symphony orchestras, outdoors, indoors… under a ceiling that couldn’t even hold a two-high, once in a cave… it was crazy.

How did it all work with going to regular school? Actually I was home-schooled so that helped quite a bit. My mum was my school teacher, my circus coach and my mother, which at times was quite draining and difficult, but we managed to get through it all and now she’s just my mum.

Have you spent much time in Brisbane or has it all been travelling? Yes, I’ve spent quite a lot of time there. After I joined the company I spent three weeks creating a show called Reclaimed Pianos and another week creating a show called 31 Circus Acts in 30 Minutes, which is a Circa show that had already been done. Then I spent a couple of months touring those shows, plus Carnival of the Animals, then came back to Brisbane, learnt What Will Have Been, toured that, came back to Brisbane, spent three weeks creating Humans, which we’re doing now in Antwerp, came back to Brisbane spent a couple more weeks creating One Beautiful Thing, toured that, came back to Brisbane to train What Will Have Been before going on this mega-tour.

Is it still Lauren Herley and Daniel O’Brien in What Will Have Been? Yes. I was hired to be the third member of that show and it’s definitely one of my favourites. We’ll be starting it again in October.

And One Beautiful Thing, that was with the Indian artists, wasn’t it? Yes, the Mallakhamb acrobats.

Were their poles anything like Chinese pole for you? Oh, we tried it out, but that is tough. I had a couple of classes with them on it, but it’s almost the opposite. For us we want as much padding and clothing on as possible on our poles because they’re quite sticky and rigid and can rip your skin. Their poles are very slide-y and you want as much skin contact as possible on them. The shape’s a bit different but the root of the technique is quite similar.

So what can you tell us about Humans? I was on the creation of Humans and the whole concept of the show was to get us, the artists, to really showcase who we are onstage together, what we can make and really push the boundaries of what we can handle onstage. So there’s definitely a lot of demanding scenes and acrobatics that are quite intense for us. But it’s really hard to explain this show as a whole. I guess Yaron was trying to express the freedom we have as artists to create and let us really put something together that showcases who we are as acrobats and artists, while still coming in and shaping the show into something incredible.

Have you had any mishaps onstage? I threw my back out while we were in Romania doing Opus, during the show.

Did you have to kind of crawl off? No, [laughs] I finished the show. It was a bit difficult because I couldn’t bend forwards, but backwards was OK. You just kind of power through it and let the adrenaline run but then after the show I had to lie down.

Do you enjoy Circa’s way of involving the artists in the creation? I think it’s one of the largest draws for acrobats to Circa, to be able to have that freedom in what we do. Every night in the shows we’re allowed to change up the scenes if we like, we’re allowed to do new tricks and completely change an act for what we think would work better. They are very allowing in that aspect, which is really incredible. Not a lot of companies give you that freedom.

You’ve worked with Cirque du Soleil, who are stricter… I did opening ceremonies in Toronto for the Pan American Games with them – it’s a subset of Cirque du Soleil – and for that everything was on counts. I had to know the music exactly, I had to hit every beat, there were cameras that I had to face… That was one of the most stressful things I think I’ve ever done. I had to repeat the same actions every single night. It takes a different kind of mentality to do that. In my opinion it’s more of a gymnast mentality, but at the same time I have great friends in the shows who are amazing artists. It’s a different world.

Do you have any hopes or ambitions for the future? About a week or two ago I hit my one-year mark with Circa so I have another year on my contract. After that I have no plans. I really enjoy the company and the way it’s set up, and how I get to do different shows and how I’m not stuck doing the same routine quite often. So if I sign for another two years it’s not like I’m signing into the same show for another two years; I’m signing in to five new creations and a world tour or a plethora of different opportunities, so I’m quite happy staying on with this company and seeing where it takes me. If not, I really have no clue.

In the long term might you like to follow your mum into social circus? Yeah, so when I finish performing I hope to take over my mum’s circus, Circus Harmony, in St Louis, or start my own wherever I end up. If I have a family, wherever they are, but that’s down the line. I hope to perform into my thirties if possible.

Did you come across Rudi Mineur at Circa? He proved that you can go on and on… Yes, but Rudi is a machine. He’s something else. I’ve met him and he’s stronger than I think I’ll ever be. That man is incredible.

Can you pick out a couple of career highlights so far? Circa is the first company I worked for professionally out of school and it’s also the first time I went to Europe and the first time I went to Australia. So every time I get off the plane and I’m in a new city or country it’s a huge rush to me. Every time I step onstage somewhere different, in a different atmosphere, it’s again nothing I’ve ever experienced, so right now, every time we change a city I get flooded with new experiences and new moments that I’ve never had before, so it’s hard to pinpoint a real visceral favourite moment.

Keaton will appear in Circa’s show Humans from 4-26 August at the Underbelly’s Circus Hub on The Meadows during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Picture credits: Jessica Hentoff, Circus Harmony; Depart, Tristram Kenton; One Beautiful Thing, Jeff Busby; Humans, Pedro Greig

For tickets to Humans, click here

More Circa tour dates

Keaton on Facebook

Twitter: @CircaPresents @circusharmony @FollowTheCow

Follow @TheWidowStanton on Twitter

Read our interviews with tight-wire artists Lucas Bergandi and Hanna Moisala

[bonbonzbb]

Calvin Harris has a habit of making ubiquitous summer jams. But he really threw down the gauntlet earlier this year when he tweeted in February, after releasing "Slide": "All my songs in 2017 have been sonically designed to make you feel f****** incredible." He makes good on the promise today with a three-headed pop hydra with the seasonally forward-looking title "Heatstroke."

Pharrell and Ariana Grande both feature on the smooth funk-pop song that will almost definitely be heard on dance floors and in supermarket aisles alike this summer. But in the tradition of upcoming rappers guesting on mainstream pop songs (and maybe hurting their cred), Young Thug comes off like a natural. His introduction and verse are positively ebullient, his unique vocal styling bouncing off Calvin Harris' neon production like an aerialist acrobat.

[kansascityhappenings]

California governor signs fur sale, circus animal bans

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will be the first state to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products and the third to bar most animals from circus performances under a pair of bills signed Saturday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The fur law bars residents from selling or making clothing, shoes or handbags with fur starting in 2023.

Animal rights groups cheered the measure as a stand against inhumane practices. The proposal was vigorously opposed by the billion-dollar U.S. fur industry, and the Fur Information Council of America has already threatened to sue.

It follows Newsom’s signing of legislation that makes California the first state to outlaw fur trapping and follows bans on sales of fur in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“California is a leader when it comes to animal welfare, and today that leadership includes banning the sale of fur,” Newsom said in a statement. “But we are doing more than that. We are making a statement to the world that beautiful wild animals like bears and tigers have no place on trapeze wires or jumping through flames.”

The fur ban doesn’t apply to used products or those used for religious or tribal purposes. And it excludes the sale of leather, dog and cat fur, cowhides, deer, sheep and goat skin and anything preserved through taxidermy.

It could mark a significant blow to the fur industry that makes products from animals including mink, chinchillas, rabbits and other animals. The U.S. retail fur industry brought in $1.5 billion in sales in 2014, the most recent data available from the Fur Information Council.

Fashion designers including Versace, Gucci and Giorgio Armani have stopped or say they plan to stop using fur.

Under the California law, there is a fine of up to $1,000 for multiple violations.

Animal rights groups have said animals may be subject to gassing, electrocution and other inhumane actions to obtain their fur.

The advocacy group Direct Action Everywhere said it’s working with activists to pass similar bills in cities nationwide, including Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon, and it’s optimistic California’s law will spur action elsewhere.

“Ordinary people want to see animals protected, not abused,” said Cassie King, an organizer with the Berkeley-based group. “Now governments are enshrining that in our laws.”

Opponents of the legislation have said it could create a black market and be a slippery slope to bans on other products.

The ban is part of a “radical vegan agenda using fur as the first step to other bans on what we wear and eat,” spokesman Keith Kaplan of the fur information council said in a prior statement. He further said fake fur is not a renewable or sustainable options.

Meanwhile, California joins New Jersey and Hawaii in banning most animals from circus performances.

The law exempts domesticated dogs, cats and horses and does not apply to rodeos.

Circuses have been declining in popularity for decades. The most well-known act, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, closed in 2017 after 146 years of performances.

State officials say at least two circuses that include live animals were scheduled to perform in California this year. At least 18 circuses don’t use animals, including Cirque du Soleil.

At first, critics warned the proposal was too broad and would impact county fairs, wildlife rescues or rehabilitation organizations. In response, lawmakers narrowed the definition of circus to include “a performance before a live audience in which entertainment consisting of a variety of acts such as acrobats, aerialists, clowns, jugglers, or stunts is the primary attraction or principal business.”

The law includes penalties of up to $25,000 per day for each violation.

Democratic Sen. Ben Hueso authored the law, arguing that wild animals in circuses endure cruel training and near-constant confinement.

“We cannot allow this type of abuse to occur in California,” Hueso said, according to a legislative analysis of the proposal that eventually became law.

The Southwest California Legislative Council opposed the law, arguing it will prevent people from being able “to experience the thrill of a circus performance featuring beautiful, well cared for animals.”

Also Saturday, Newsom signed legislation aimed at helping protect horses from slaughter. The law requires public and private auction yard operators to post new signage, maintain sworn statements and post identifying information online starting Jan. 1.

It is key to ensuring California’s horse population isn’t illegally sent to slaughter, said the bill’s author, Democratic Assemblyman Todd Gloria of San Diego.

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