we got fire cracker wishes that we can make

[somebraveapollo]

OKAY there's new people in this bar and I wanted to be all profound and informative, but, you know, whatever, it's sunday and it's warm outside and let's just talk in the comments.

How is everyone, how was your week, and here's a meme I stole from 

Comments

[somebraveapollo]

CIRCUS AUs! Okay I considered this question v. closely, because this was the only trope that I did not have a readily formed opinion about. I'm not sure I ever read circusfic? Nor anything set in a circus, except Doctor Doolittle, which was one of my favourite books as a kid (the one with the runaway circus seal and sad retired horses, not the one in Africa, which just kind of annoyed me), and Something Wicked This Way Comes, which I mostly appreciated for the non-circus parts (but which, admittedly, is v. fanfic-like! I hope there's Nightshade/Halloway fic.)

But, like, I was thinking about which aspects of circuses I'd keep. Because I dislike the, like, creaky creepy carneval aesthetic, all that moldy lace and murderclowns, ugh. I am also completely indifferent to the happy friendly daylight circus aesthetic - like, whatever, it sounds like a nice setting, there can be rats who perform tricks! But, meh.
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What I would keep is the travelling, the cool social outcasts thing. (But not, like, ~~~~freakshows~~~~ with body horror or disability/transness/whatever fetishism, BECAUSE THAT IS HORRIFYING.) I'd keep the pressure to perform, and maybe ante it up with, like, awful dystopian circumstances (make the audience laugh... or die!!). I'd definitely keep the clever rats. And I'd definitely keep the roadtrippy community feelings, people being safe together and practicing how to make an effective illusion.

So basically my ideal circus fic is like Leverage but with cyborg arenas and talking animals.