˚ * ✩ ‧ THE PRACTICE ROOM was starting to become his new home. usually sam didn’t mind it, choosing to spend his free time there working on new moves over exploring whatever new city they were in that week, but today felt different. for whatever reason his head just wasn’t in it today, maybe it was because he was sleeping less than five hours a night (the result of working himself too hard) or maybe it was something else entirely different? though whatever the reason may be, it was why he found himself laying on his back in the middle of the practice room stretching out his hamstrings and not actually doing any practicing at all. the opening and closing of the door not far from where he was laying shook sam from his thoughts. “i’m sorry, let me get out of your way” he said with a smile as he sat up and prepared to leave.
cracking her back after setting her bag down on the floor, the twenty-year-old sighed, “you don’t have to leave just because i’m here.” not that the other would know off the bat, but anne-marie was just hiding from her parents. the poor girl grew up working with them and just for once, in one city, wanted space from them during her free time. and what did she do to avoid them? go to the place they least expected a girl in love with paris to go: the practice room. she didn’t want to see the landmarks again, they’ve already been here before and seen everything. slowly beginning to stretch herself she speaks softly to the older, “so... what brings you here? you hiding from someone? something?”
✞ ◠ . karson often felt his job was to intimidate the other people at the circus . he had been there so long that he just fell right into the role, personality included . he felt at home here and he always wanted people to know that he was the wrong person to cross . though sometimes he didn’t realize he could be intimidating without even trying . elijah had been with the circus for only a year and it was not like karson disliked him — but he was not sure how to really feel overall . a smirk tugs at only side of his lips before he says, ❝ elijah … ❞ whilst dragging his name out . ❝ i am having some trouble practicing today … what motivates you ? ❞
the younger begins to sit up from his last stretch with a confused look on his face; karson was always a mystery to him. an anxious habit that elijah couldn’t shake, he began to nervously pick at the scar that tore up his left wrist as the other asks him a question. however, he wasn’t too sure how to answer the question without some sort of cynical, sardonic answer. perhaps it’s how he was raised, he strives to find more worth in his life than what his parents made him believe. though, he thinks to himself, that may be too dark of an answer.
he was sure he must look utterly insane while he was lost in thought, basically gawking at the person in front of him with frightened eyes. it really wasn’t that deep of a question to have this harsh of a reaction. “i-i-” he stutters, still picking at his wrist while he wracks his brain for something of substance to say. “-maybe it’s the fact my family made me feel like i wasn’t capable of anything so...” a sigh, “... i want to prove them wrong, maybe? i don’t know... they’re kind of assholes.” a nervous laugh- was that what the other wanted to hear?
❝ ok but hear me out- ❞ seni gestures in a wide manner, nearly falling off of morpheus’s back as he perches cross-legged atop the horse. ❝ what if the roles were reversed; what if guys had the naturally thick asses, right? like who doesn’t want a peach, c’mon now- ❞ there’s a giddy look in his eye as he reaches for another cookie present on the plate so unceremoniously balanced on his lap, a twinkle of mischief present on his expression as the trainer peers down intently at the other. ❝ like tell me i’m wrong. come on, tell me! ❞
elijah scratches the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle, “well... as a gay man i have to say that the roles don’t need to be reversed seni... everyone can have a peach, peaches have no gender. a good ass is a good ass. therefore, you are wrong.” the other crossed his arms over his chest waiting for the other’s reply back. “i happen to be an expert in male asses, believe me.”
perched on one of the couches they had on the rooftop of the hotel, astrid flips over a card in a game of solitaire. she plays out of boredom, simply killing time before elijah joins her. in the moment she finally sees the younger boy, she wins the game ( she may have cheated along the way ). “how was practice?” astrid says in greeting as she begins to shuffle her cards. “sit down, i’ll read your fortune,” she gestures eagerly before fanning out the cards for him to pick as if she actually knew what she was doing. “pick a card, any card.”
the younger boy flops onto the couch beside the girl with a small laugh. an unlikely friendship, sure, but the broken seek out the broken. “practice was practice...” his voice was gruff, obvious that the other was tired mentally and physically. calloused hands from the trapeze bar gently rub tender muscles in his leg as they sat together. “is this some sort of new act you’re picking up?” elijah teases, knowing that astrid has done it before. sliding his hand towards the fan of cards he cocks an eyebrow up, “am i supposed to show you the card?”
☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ / kim yerim, twenty, she/her, cis female / ⟶ welcome to the big top anne-marie “am” song! i heard that you go by le bebe and that you're twenty and a trampoline artist and a hoop dancer? that’s pretty impressive, considering you’ve been with the circus for twenty years. i heard people say you were articulate and charismatic, but also overly critical and arrogant, and that you remind them of the sound of rebounding off tight fabric, adrenaline rushes as you twist and twirl in the air, the friction of a hoop spinning against bare skin. guess we’ll see if it’s true, eh?
baby number 2. lezz get it.
anne-marie was born into the circus with her parents being both long-time performers with the show. her father being a clown (pennywise will literally never scare her, weird-ass bitch finds him endearing) and her mother an acrobat of many disciplines respectively.
her stage name le bebe comes from the fact she was the youngest member of the show and the first generational performer in the circus. her name in french means the baby and even as she’s gotten older she’s really had no urge to change the name as it is truly a part of her. she is roughly only 5′1, so the name roughly still fits.
as a child, anne-marie picked up the nickname am off stage and was schooled while the show travelled by a travelling tutor. her first act with the circus was hoop dancing alongside others near her age, the girl had a natural incline to the act and excelled in performing it. she was a hit with the audience, and the leo (born in august!) loved the attention that stemmed from it.
nearing age 10, am wanted to challenge herself with more than just hoop dancing. around this time, her mother began to look around for someone to train her while on the road on the trampoline. the young girl loved the feeling of gliding through the air and twisting and turning doing traditional trampoline routines.
the young girl ended up getting her ged at age fifteen and finishing her education early so she could continue training herself. at one point, am even got scouted for a national trampoline team in the united states but she decided to turn it down due to her dedication to the circus instead.
ten years later, she is still practicing both disciplines.
☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ / jeon jungkook, twenty one, he/him, cis male / ⟶ welcome to the big top elijah wright! i heard that you go by aura and that you’re 21 and a trapeze artist? that’s pretty impressive, considering you’ve been with the circus for one year. i heard people say you were creative and adaptable, but also over emotional and impulsive, and that you remind them of bright eye makeup, scars covered by stage outfits and makeup, post-it note reminders. guess we’ll see if it’s true, eh?
hi guys, gals, and non-binary pals- how is everyone? the name is choerry and this is my precious baby elijah. i have been writing him forever and it’s super fun to keep reinventing him with each roleplay i play him in. his backstory is a little sad so please read the trigger warnings before continuing!
tl;dr: elijah wright is a trapeze artist from canada who had a terrible home life growing up. being bullied in high school for being adopted into a white family despite being asian and being homosexual, leading to an unsuccessful suicide attempt. though he came back from it and eventually found a passion for trapeze and joined the circus at age twenty.
elijah was born to a single mother and put up for adoption soon after his birth. it’s not that his mother wanted to, but rather she had to. originally, elijah’s father paid his birth mother to abort him and without his father knowing, his mother ran off with the money and left him for adoption. he has no korean name, no original birth name. just elijah george, given kindly by the hospital.
soon after, the wrights adopted elijah and raised him alongside an older sister. throughout his childhood, he was constantly compared to his sister delilah. it always seemed as if the girl was better at everything compared to him. this somehow leads his mother and father to choose favourites with himself being the favourite of his mother. she babied and spoiled elijah, but gave less attention to delilah in return. vice versa. delilah was treated the same way as elijah was. only by their father instead whilst elijah got almost no affection from him.
as a child, he was very lonely and lacked interest in most things relating to his schoolwork. his mother attempted to enroll him in basketball, taekwondo, among other sports. one that the young boy found a passion in however was gymnastics.
his father was very much against it at first, insisting that it was a “women’s sport” and discouraging his wife from letting their son pursue such a thing. there was almost a double standard in their household as there would be no comment when it came to delilah seemingly doing “masculine” activities.
his mother fought for him to be able to enroll, much against his father’s wishes. unlike her husband, his mother saw the twinkle in his eyes as he danced on the floor and swung on the horizontal bar (which soon became his favourite discipline). the boy was very much skilled and trained day and night in it-- gymnastics became his happy place.
however, no matter how skilled he was in gymnastics elijah’s grades began to slip. the boy was barely passing all of his courses while his sister was top of her class. of course the girl didn’t hold it against the younger boy but his father taunted him with the fact, provoking the son to grow to detest him.
with failing grades and gymnastics as a hobby, elijah slowly became a victim of bullying in his school. in his opinion, he always expected it to happen- if anything the boy thought he was asking for it with his hobby and passion. swinging around on that horizontal bar was the only thing that made the boy truly happy.
he realized he was gay when he was fourteen and fell in love with the most beautiful boy he’s ever seen at the gym. the boy was just about to confess his feelings at age fifteen, only for his love to move to another city across the country to begin to train for the olympics. of course, elijah was proud- but he was also crushed they never stayed in touch.
eventually, the bullying started to become more physical, evolving from the teasing nicknames to gay slurs and pushing him around. the boy too passive to prevent anything from happening- thinking that standing up for himself would only make things worse. the boy would go home and cry until his lungs burnt and his throat was raw. his mother stopped caring, soon siding with his father on most things out of fear that it would spark a huge blow up in the house. after all, it was easier to believe in the child that was succeeding beyond anyone’s expectation for their family rather than the closeted, depressed child.
he began sneaking out at night to go to the gym, to get his emotions out and be free of the household that seemed to be holding him in a chokehold.it was the days that he wanted to die the most, is when he bonded with his coach the most. the older man becoming his best friend, and the first person elijah felt the courage to come out to. the coach supported him more than his parents ever did, and in fact, began to coach the kid for free once he realized what kind of household he was in. the coach even went as far as suggesting that once he turned sixteen, elijah should attempt to be emancipated. obviously, the impulsive teen agreed.
eventually, messages regarding the topics of his homosexuality and pending attempt for emancipation was found by his mother on his phone. instead of sitting down with elijah himself, his mother told his father right away. this leads to a confrontation with his father, pushing him around and screaming in his face until elijah was in tears. because of this, the boy shakes in fear whenever someone raises their voice at him, occasionally even crying if it’s bad enough. his parents accuse him of being ungrateful, calling him a disgrace among other things. his father held him against the wall, forcing him to come out to his family as his father spat in his face.
this altercation caused the impulsive boy to attempt to take his own life in the bathroom of their home that same night. he survives thanks to his older sister’s vigilance in calling emergency services and getting him to the hospital on time. elijah ended up in psychiatric inpatients for the mandatory treatment after attempts, only choosing to voluntarily choose to stay longer for his only sake. his only visitor in that time was his coach, holding him up and encouraging the boy to find himself back at the gym once he got out.
and eventually, elijah dropped out of school to pursue gymnastics full time. his parents somehow agreeing to let him stay at the coach’s home rather than with them (perhaps they just wanted him out of their hair) and signing over guardianship until he was 18 to the coach. this was because the boy was not financially nor mentally capable of emancipation. his elder sister ended up going to university across the country and the two haven’t seen each other since. the coach and his family slowly became his new family, helping him recover steadily.
training and training until he began to grow bored of the horizontal bar, elijah began to grow an interest in circus arts, specifically trapeze. the coach enrolled him in the circus school in his city and he began to learn. the boy loved it, forming a dream to join a travelling circus one day. and in fact, he did.
at age twenty he finally joined cirque la luna and has been touring with them for a year since joining.
