Oh yeah, almost forgot! While making refs for Art Fight this year, I made a proper reference for Jacob for SRU! Behold, my handsome spider tailor son! It is so nice to finally have this together, I feel good.
So in sru Sammy doesn’t get inked completely, HOWEVER. He does get… pretty affected by it… he’s very happy about Joey becoming the ink demon! He doesn’t get why nobody else is as excited as he is about it!
Featuring Buppy designed by @xraytheredx, Lacie designed by @bertrumstrousers, Jacob designed by @angelofthepage, and Sammy written by @haunted-hijinxer and designed by @inkdemonapologist (and Joey by me)
Oh yeah, I haven't posted this yet, have I? So you know how I wrote that fic, Trapped in his Web? Well I doodled this around the same time I made it. Meet Jacob, the spider tailor that accidentally turned out a little too handsome! X''''D I really like how he turned out, he's gorgeous. This man is here to be fabulous and spite Bertrum by dressing even better and being a spectacle. And I'm here for it, he's fun to play with.
~ Buddy gets to sit down and meet with the circus’ ringmaster, the great Bertrum Piedmont, for a job interview. ~
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Set in @bertrumstrousers‘ Step Right Up AU; been working on it with him and others from his server for quite a while now, so I hope you all enjoy it. ^u^
A big thank you to @haunted-hijinxer for helping me with editing!
~~~~~
The show had begun in fire and ended in fire, and nearly every member of the audience stood up in thunderous applause. It was a safe bet that everything experienced that night would be talked about for quite some time amongst the townsfolk, just as the other shows preceding it had been.
Buddy certainly thought so. All the wonders he had gotten to see from his spot in the stands had been more than enough to push what worries he had about his upcoming interview from his mind. Once it all had come to an end, however, and the other patrons filed out, it wasn’t long before he was trying to ignore the growing feeling of butterflies in his stomach.
Lacie returning quickly to fetch him helped keep them at bay, at least. Not wasting any time, she had him follow her out of the tent from a different exit, cutting right into the “employee area”. From what could be seen, there appeared to be something of a party stirring up; men and women gathered around a couple bonfires, drinking, laughing amongst themselves. Others appeared to be busy getting out of their makeup and costumes, others still getting some last bits of chores done. Buddy tried not to stare and just focused on sticking close to his guide, who in contrast happily addressed a few of those they passed while moving through the crowd.
They soon were out of the fairgrounds and entered the quiet of the small field beyond it, past a few trees until finally coming upon the train tracks. “The Triumph” sat there peacefully compared to the settling circus, with only a few windows lit sporadically along each car. Belonging to those more than ready to turn in after a long day’s work, most likely.
The grass and gravel crunched under the pair’s boots as they walked alongside the train for a handful of yards, heading towards the front half of it all. Buddy looked ahead of them, and then to the back of Lacie, “…Mrs. Piedmont?”
“Yeah?” Lacie’s head turned back a bit, but other than that kept moving forward.
The boy hesitated slightly, but asked what had been on his mind for a little while now, “Will I be talking to Mr. Arch too in the interview?”
Lacie was quiet again. Her pace slowed as she looked more towards the ground than ahead to the engine. Buddy’s hand started fiddling with the strap of his backpack, “I’d heard he stepped down as ringmaster a while back, but wasn’t sure if he’d be sitting in o-“
“No,” Lacie cut him off. Her voice came out softer than before, “You won’t find him around here anymore.”
Buddy hadn’t been prepared for a reply like that, and soon found himself needing to walk fast to make up for lagging. Just as he had caught up with her, Lacie had them stop at one particular car. It was a tad different compared to the other ones they had passed by; a couple more windows showing it to be empty and dark inside, the decorative exterior suggesting its significance.
“…Wait, so he’s not even-?... Huh,” Buddy looked down towards the ground while his companion climbed up the steps, “I just thought he worked behind the scenes nowadays, doing… boss stuff.”
Lacie had just unlocked the door when she turned her head back to the kid, “Any other thoughts you’ve got about that man, you’ll do better to keep to yourself when talking to Bertrum.”
Again, Buddy found himself pausing in his stride just as he was just setting his foot on the first step. He looked back at the woman so confused by her sudden sternness. Lacie’s look softened once more and she helped him up the rest of the way, “Just focus on answerin’ whatever questions ya get, hon, not askin’. Keep things professional-like, y’know?” she explained away, all while taking a moment to fix the teen’s collar and hair.
It all seemed to help win Buddy’s gentle smile again, “Yes, ma’am.”
From first stepping into the office, it was made quite clear that it was a pride and joy in and of itself, reflecting the larger-than-life man that owned it to a tee. From the mahogany desk near the back wall to the upholstered furniture to the many ornate bird-themed trinkets, everything had the look of high quality and great care. Buddy couldn’t help but stop a couple steps in and look around at it all. Meanwhile, Lacie walked back through the doorway, “Stay right there, he’ll be here in a lil’ bit.” She told the teen. At him turning back and nodding in acknowledgement, she slid the door shut once more and walked out of sight into the neighboring car.
Buddy spent the first minute alone simply moving quietly around the room, looking a little more closely at things similar to someone in a museum. Newspaper clippings and photographs on the walls, intricate figurines lining some of the shelves, and oddly enough stones of all shapes and sizes nestled all around the place. Eventually, he went and sat down in one of the chairs placed just in front of the desk; it was funny, he hadn’t been able to tell just how big any of the furniture was until he was reclining on it, almost making him feel like a little kid again.
Making himself comfortable and holding his backpack in his lap, the teen allowed himself to go back to thinking things over in his head. His interview… what was he going to say? What all should he say? The butterflies in his stomach were fluttering again. He turned toward the clock ticking away on the wall; how was it already past eight? Maybe it would have been better if he had waited till morning to —
Heavy footsteps made Buddy’s train of thought go off the rails. They grew louder, louder than they should have been.
The door opened and Mr. Piedmont had to duck down while making his way inside. In the time between the show ending and him coming in, the man had done away with parts of his ringmaster ensemble, no longer sporting his gloves, hat, or coat and letting his sparkling purple vest be on full display. Another change was the look he had; tired, seemingly underlined with irritation as he stood fully upright within the car looking at his guest.
Buddy was up on his feet the second Bertrum came in, dropping his bag in the process. All at once, his nerves were everywhere again and he found himself struggling to find words. The giant standing in front of him at last, he put on a nervous smile and held out his hand, “I-it’s an honor to meet you, sir. I’m Daniel Lewek.”
Bertrum, for his part, remained stoic and quiet, looking from the hand back to the anxious teen.Those couple of seconds seemed to stretch out, the tension only building like watching one walk a tightrope. Buddy could only hold his breath.
The instant that Bertrum finally returned the greeting, his entire demeanor flipped, and he couldn’t hold back his warm welcoming smile any longer, “I heard you prefer to be called Buddy. Is that right?”
A short chuckle followed at seeing the surprised look come over Buddy’s face, “Just pulling your leg a little, young man. It’s a pleasure to meet you too! Come, have a seat,” Bertrum said with a jovial tone, and with that moved to go sit down behind his desk. “I understand you’re interested in working here at Colossal Wonders.”
Buddy felt a wave of relief and returned the grin, “Yes, sir,” He replied.
Just as the both of them had settled into their spots, the door opened yet again; this time, it was Lacie making her return, casually walking in holding a full serving tray in front of her. Buddy snuck only a couple glances at her as she moved over to a nearby counter to set her load down, but tried to keep his attention on Mr. Piedmont.
“Your timing couldn’t have been better,” Bertrum remarked, “We’re set to pack up and leave for Charlottesville by noon tomorrow, little over 400 miles south of here.”
Buddy’s eyes widened, “Holy crow, that far?” he asked back. Suddenly he was feeling glad about not waiting any longer to have this chat.
Once again, his reaction pulled another chuckle from the man, “Yes, and that’s a short trip!” Bertrum pointed out, “Oh, and of course it being dinner time as well.”
Coming up to her husband’s side, Lacie placed a plate down in front him along with a drink. A steak dinner fit for a king with roasted potatoes and veggies to go with it. Buddy couldn’t help but stare a little bit; for the past couple of days, most of his funds had gone into travel fare. It had been fine, but it did force him to skip a meal here and there along the way. Even today had been no exception with only a small breakfast having kept him going; he pulled his eyes away from the food and told himself he could handle that later, there were more important things to deal with.
That being said, Buddy was genuinely surprised when the same meal was set down on the other side of the desk, right in front of him. He turned up to Lacie; the woman still didn’t say a word, but beamed a happy grin to him before walking away and sitting down with her own portion in one chair near the wall.
“Don’t let it get cold now,” Bertrum told him, already cutting into his food.
Buddy didn’t need any more clarification than that and made quick work of cutting a bite out of his own steak. The enjoyment was written on his face almost immediately once it hit his tongue; soft and juicy, so full of flavor. Did circus folk really eat like this? One wonder after another, it seemed.
It wasn’t long before Mr. Piedmont was striking up conversation again, “Have you been travelling a lot lately yourself, Mr. Lewek?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Buddy replied while scooping up some potatoes to try next, “Well, just a little ways, actually. I came over from Manhattan but had a little trouble getting transportation all worked out.”
“Manhattan, you say.” There was a sparkle of excitement behind Bertrum’s tone, “You know, originally, I had thought to secure a venue closer to there. Certainly would have led to higher attendance numbers, but finding a location with enough space for everything is always a struggle in the big city areas. To add to that, there hardly ever seems to be anyone with a proper horror scene --”
“Horror scene?” Buddy piped up.
“The threshold people have when it comes to the macabre. You see…”
Buddy did try to comprehend Mr. Piedmont’s more thorough explanation, but in the end, it still made little to no sense to him. In truth, for the majority of it, he had been more focused on savoring each bit of his meal than anything else. Before Buddy knew it, the ringmaster had moved on to talking about Kingston’s growing popularity, it being host to many festivals. Something about the town having quality resources?
The sharp sound of a glass being struck a couple times was enough to make both of them stop and turn; Lacie set her fork back down, but kept her drink in her hand, “Going back on the whole travel thing,” she began, “I’m more curious about what ya thought of the place comin’ in. We’ve been makin’ quite a few changes.”
Buddy looked off to the side, “I…noticed.”
“You’re not bothered by scary things, are you, Mr. Lewek?” Bertrum asked.
Buddy was quick to wave a hand at the notion and explain himself, “No no, not at all, just wasn’t expecting it. There’s fun in getting scared once in a while, a good rush, like…” The young man paused, and then chuckled a bit, “Like when you set the circus rings on fire with the whip. That was really something.”
Bertrum sat up a little straighter in his chair and grinned proudly, “You have no idea how long it took to perfect that trick; glad to know all that hard work has paid off,” He told him. “Anything else you liked from the show?”
“Mmph!” Buddy tried to swallow his latest mouthful a bit faster to answer, “The part with the bird lady! What was her name, La-something…-“
“Ms. LaMonte,” Bertrum finished smiling.
“Yeah! Her dancing and flying around all along the tight rope like it was nothing!” Buddy continued. He was honestly pretty excited now, recounting it all. “Oh, and the piano duel! Agh, I actually really wanted to go up and give it a shot after the second guy, but pretty sure I made things bad enough with Mr. Lawrence.”
That one got a good laugh out of Lacie.
“The best part though – and I’m not saying this just ‘cuz you’re here, Miss! – The best part for sure was the finale. I mean, you can’t top commanding an actual fire-breathing dragon all around the stage! There’s just no way!” Buddy took a moment or two to calm down, a big smile still stamped across face. All the fuss and worry he’d had just a few minutes ago had faded away completely. He adjusted himself in his chair, “Heh… sorry, got a little carried away there. Should we start the interview now, sir?”
The room fell quiet while Bertrum took a long sip of water and set the glass back down, “We just finished.”
It took time to register, and for the confusion to settle in, “…What??” Buddy asked.
Bertrum moved his empty plate off to the side, “Mr. Lewek, I’ve been in this business for quite a long time. I can tell you for certain that hard work can be learned and learned well. But passion… passion is not as innate, though it can manifest in any field. Education, agriculture, politics and the like.” The ringmaster shifted to lean his elbows on the desk, leaning in as he continued, “In the entertainment industry, having a love for the job is just as important as having the skill to do it. From all you just said, you’ve proven to me that you’re more than qualified, and I look forward to working with you. Welcome to the troupe, son.”
One large hand reached out to seal the deal, and Buddy was more than eager to stand up and return it, “Thank you so much for this, Mr. Piedmont! I’ll help out wherever I can, promise!” he swore.
“Wonderful,” Bertrum chuckled.
Buddy looked between him and Mrs. Piedmont, “So should we start working on the paperwork and everything now? A contract for me to sign?-“
“We can take care of all that later.” Lacie got up from her spot and came to stand at Bertrum’s side, “For right now, how about I show ya to your room. You don’t mind havin’ a bunkmate, do ya?” She watched as Buddy gave a quick shake of the head while taking up his bag again.
“Grand idea, Dove,” Bertrum remarked. He turned as his wife’s hand came to rest on his shoulder, sharing a quick kiss before she started making her way back towards the exit. Buddy once again followed not too far behind to wherever they were heading next. “You have a good night, Mr. Lewek…… Oh! Wait just a moment!”
Lacie had only just opened the door as the pair of them turned back. Bertrum brought his hands together, “Do you mind telling me what your favorite colors are?”
Buddy raised an eyebrow, “Wha…?”
~~~~~
The sleeper car was all but quiet, the radio on the nightstand listing off the evening’s local news report punctuated by a soft click-clack-clicking. Bertrum kept his focus on his needles more than listening; he had only just started and already the sweater was coming along nicely. He wagered that he’d have the skeins of white, blue, brown, and indigo yarn all worked into it in no time, well before the chillier months arrived.
His creative momentum came to a stop at hearing the door open and close. Lacie walked into view soon after; she opened her mouth to say something while coming up to the bed, but any words stayed stuck in her throat once she caught sight of what was going on, “You’re already-?” she paused, and followed it with a snicker, “I thought you were “knackered”. What happened to headin’ to bed right after supper?”
“As if my mind could possibly calm down now,” Bertrum replied, moving all his craft tools off the bed before turning back to face her, “How is our new young gentleman settling in? Any issues between him and Mr. Edgars?”
Lacie began moving about the room while the big guy talked, slipping off her bandanna and opening up one of the nearby dresser drawers, “They’re like peas in a pod already. No worries there,” She assured him.
“Good.” He said that, but Bertrum still kept a look of concern on his face, “… From how you worded it before, Dove, I had expected the boy to be a little more worse for wear. One of few cases where I’m glad to be wrong. Still though… his clothes… that tattered old rucksack of his.”
Lacie stood in the bathroom now, busy setting her change of clothes and a towel out, “I ought to choose my words better next time. Kid didn’t seem all that bad to me, just a little dusty, and hungry.” Bertrum went on to mumble a little at that, something along the lines of if the boy got enough to eat or not; his classic brand of worry-warting. Lacie rolled her eyes and proceeded to finish getting ready for her shower.
She didn’t take long, only staying in just long enough to get the day’s makeup and grime off. Hair dried and dressed in a clean nightgown, the woman stepped back into the bedroom with a thoughtful look on her face, “… You remember that one little girl back in Yuma? Found her way into the makeup tent, was chattin’ Jack’s ear off?” she asked.
Bertrum laughed, “Of course I do. I had to scoop the little one up and have her parents collect her at the front gate. Poor Jack was in such a conundrum; couldn’t get ready for his next act but couldn’t leave the tot all alone.” Recalling the funny anecdote made him grin without fail, but seeing the look on his wife’s face made the joy fade a bit. It didn’t take long for him to piece together why it had been brought up to begin with, “… You think Buddy might have run away from home,” He stated.
“We can’t really rule out the thought,” Lacie pointed out, “And if I’m right, it’s a whole new kinda conundrum. He’s young, but he ain’t some tyke runnin’ off from Ma an’ Pa on a whim. Seems to me like he’d packed up what he could and came lookin’ for-“
“A family.”
Lacie had stopped just short of pulling the drapes shut when Bertrum had finished her sentence. She paused, “…Maybe. Possibly.”
With a click, the radio and the bedside lamp were turned off, and Bertrum went ahead and nudged the comforter aside for his love to join him, “Well, in any case, if the young man is willing to put in the work, I have no reservations about having him with us,” He said, laying his head down on the pillow. He felt Lacie nod in agreement after pulling her closer, then gave her a tender kiss on the forehead, “Goodnight, Dove…”
You know who else I love in BATIM? Jacob from Dreams Come to Life. I know, odd choice to fixate on, but I can't help it, he's charming. So it should come as no surprise that I have a hand in bringing him and the rest of the DCTL art department to the Step Right Up AU.
This is one of my favorite drawings from 2021. He needs some design tweaks, but this is Jacob in monster form! So because the art department has three primary gents, I've sort of forged a connection between them and the butcher gang. Because they have no last names canonically, I've gone with Dave Charley, Richie Barley, and Jacob Edgars. Yes I put my two faves together, and I have no shame.
Jacob ends up as a spider creature for fairly functional purposes. Bertrum tends to to throw his circus staff to the machine to "improve" them. The costume and make-up department was struggling and falling behind thanks to his exceedingly difficult demands, meaning long nights with too much to do. Jacob is primarily a tailor within this setup, so his spider design complements it. Multiple arms to finish tasks quicker, ability to spin inky webbing should he run out of fabric or thread, it's quite thoughtful. He made the addition of pincushion pauldrons, and he's also discovered he can attach himself to walls and the ceiling in order to get away from people (and drop down to scare the daylights out of them). He's a lot more mischievous, vengeful, and protective compared to his human form, but when you put a guy and his found family through cursed magical ink, can you really blame him?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
[Bertrum Piedmont is a man of pride, running a traveling circus filled with colossal wonders. But as time goes on, things start to unravel, from a change in management to sacrificing his performers to Joey Drew's magnificent ink machine, for a whole new brand of horror.
Tonight, we get a peek into the Make-up and Wardrobe department, where tailor Jacob Edgars is cleaning up for the night. Little does he know that this will be the last night the room will be this calm, as everything is about to change. But is it a change for the better, or the worse? Who's to say?
Part of the Step Right Up (SRU) AU run by @bertrumstrousers. Read with caution, please be mindful of the content warnings at the top of the fic, they’re there for a reason.]
And THIS is exactly why you should be concerned when I get hooked on an idea, I go WILD with it and stuff like this happens. XD Hope you enjoy the story! Let me know what you think!
