Young Writers Society

May or may not have been inspired by The Night Circus novel... XD

Hiya! Welcome to the DT.

Ask me questions and/or comment if you would like to join.

Here are some basic descriptions of each Major Arcana card's properties, so that you can get a sense of what they're all about. And here are some great ideas for card abilities!

If you are planning to create a character as option 2 (joining the circus), you can preference what card you would like your character to bond with once they join.

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I may repeat myself a bit, but here you go...



Brief Overview

The Arcana Battles are a year-round annual event made possible by the curse, and occur randomly according to the characters' organised determination. The winner of all the battles is determined at the very end of the year, and is the circus member with the most battle victories.


Details

The Arcana Battles do not operate in a structured time period. An Arcana Battle can take place anytime, anyplace, anyhow. They can happen during performances at night or during the day when the circus is closed. The characters participating in a battle must all agree to the terms of each battle. The curse is the judge, and will announce the outcome of a battle by burning the losing character's Roman card numeral onto the winners body (like a tattoo).

The characters organise the battles. If a character wants to escape the circus, they need to battle the others. However, the battles don't only have to be physical ones... they can be anything. If a character is smart, they will initiate a battle that lends to their personal strengths. It can be a battle of popularity, knowledge, object hunting, stealth, discipline etc.

As long as the battle form and its terms are named, and as long as the other battle contestant agrees to the battle the initiating character describes, then the curse will recognise the battle, and it can begin.

Examples of battles can range from a physical fight in the Hall of Mirrors tent (this could lend itself to The Magician card), to the best display of control in a performance (perhaps between two elemental cards), to winning the heart of a desired person in a love triangle (this could lend itself to The Lovers card), to locating and stealing a particular object before the other contestant (this could lend itself to The Hermit card), to constructing the most impressive new circus attraction, to going the longest without using any card abilities whatsoever.

As you can see from the examples above, the only limit to an Arcana Battle is your imagination. The characters will want to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the other cards and their owners in order to take advantage of them.

The Arcana Battles occur annually, from the beginning of the year to the end. Each circus member must fight at least one Arcana Battle in order for the year's winner to claim the freedom prize, whether they want to or not. The winner of all the Arcana Battles is the character with the most 'card tattoos' on their body (a.k.a. the most battle victories) by the end of the year. Only that one person may leave the circus, while the other circus members remain trapped.

The Arcana Battles are for every member of the circus. Each circus member must participate in at least one Arcana Battle before the year's end, or else the winner of all the battles is held back from leaving the circus. This means that those not wanting to escape the circus would ideally only need to fight one Arcana Battle. However, those competing seriously in the Arcana Battles will need to win as many battles as they can, and hence will likely ask non-serious circus members to battle them.


Serious Battle Competitors

A circus member who is serious about winning won't have to battle everyone in the circus. They will only need to battle enough circus members to win at least one more victory above all the others. Because many circus members don't feel inclined to leave the circus, the amount of victories needed to have the most won't be too high.

The curse restricts that a circus member can only battle another circus member once in the year. This would mean that towards the end of the year, those serious participators would eventually want to face each other, after already battling the other non-serious members or being refused battles. Naturally, the difficulty of these battles would be much harder and more ambitious, since both battle competitors are serious about winning against the other.

Meanwhile, those non-serious characters would barely have any victories, and it would take an immense amount of effort for them to get on the same level as the serious competitors, especially later on in the battle year.


Curse Side-Effect

The circus curse also messes with the lifespans of the circus members, meaning that the longer-enduring members of the circus could be almost a hundred years old and not look a day over fifty. The curse increases the lifespans of members, but does not make them immortal. Basically, a circus member ages twice as slow after joining.


Card Abilities

Due to the unlimited possibilities of an Arcana Battle, there are sure to be plenty of battles that each character will struggle with, no matter their ability. The characters will also use their abilities casually for performances and everyday life.

Their card powers only exist within the circus boundaries; once they leave, their ability stays behind, making them the normal person they were before joining the circus. This consequence might add reluctance to those who are considering leaving the circus, because they are essentially choosing between magic and the real world.

Someone else would be able to take a leaving character's Arcana card after they leave. However, if that leaving person were to return, the circus curse would 'analyse' which character's spirit is most similar to the card. If the card is still better fitted to the previous owner, then it will be snatched from the newer owner, who will have theirs replaced with another. If the card is better aligned with the newer owner, it will remain theirs, and the previous owner would be given another. It comes down to the spirit of individuals.


The Circus

The circus is like a secret bubble of magic, hidden from the real world. Its name, Le Cirque d'Avalon, is French for 'The Circus of Avalon', like the mythical Avalon island from Arthurian legend, which is also cloaked from the real world by mists. I decided to leave the setting without a description, so that everyone posting for this storybook can help build the circus out of their imagination :3

The place has a very dreamy and mystical atmosphere, with lots of secret tents and rooms with cryptic purposes. The circus' appearance takes on elements of King Arthur's legend, Avalon island, and other medieval ideas. It seems to mysteriously travel from town to town via thick mists. The mists conceal the circus during the day when it is closed, and if outsiders of the circus were to try and find it in the mists during the day, they would get lost and find themselves back where they started.

The circus is almost a century old. It was created at the start of the 1800s, and the storybook is currently set in the mid-1870s. How it was created and how the curse came to be is a mystery to most people.

Hey, I would love to join! I'll post my profile later today if that's alright!

Sure Go right ahead!

Name: Alicia "Lish" Spinelli
Age: 22
Gender: F (she is trans)
Up For Romance: Yes, and Alicia is bisexual

Character Option: 2
Arcana Card: The Hermit
Circus Role: Lish is the circus security, not so much a guard, but someone who watches and prevents anything unpleasant from happening between guests and circus folks, or even guests and other guests. Her powers are key to helping her fulfill this role.

Physical Appearance: Lish is of average height, around 5'6", and has a mass of thick red curls. She is broad shouldered, but lithe, with long legs and strong arms. She's very freckly, and usually wears some sort of sleeveless shirt or vest, with leather trousers and lace up boots. As such, she is considered unladylike by some, but this does not bother her in the slightest.

Personality: Lish is somewhat reserved. She appreciates her space and is typically silent around new people, although can be quite rambunctious among her friends. She is quite adept at staying in the background, but if she is comfortable she will become gregarious quite quickly. She is also a very sarcastic person, to the point where some people in the circus view her as unreasonably cynical and rude.

History: Lish's childhood was fairly ordinary, albeit difficult due to her family's poverty, and the resulting anxiety about food and the safety of her three younger siblings,ior where her parents could next pick up work. When Lish was 8, she started working to support her family as well. She worked at i lumber mill, sweeping saw dust. She kept this job for two years, before the manager found her stash of girl's clothes in the broom cupboard and chased her out. Her parents were unsure to handle her coming out, but have been overall supportive. At 12 she once again started working, this time as a maid in a local hotel, and this went well, until she was 16 and a guest got handsy with her and she hit him. She was once again fired, and, while wandering the streets thinking of a way to break the news to her family, discovered the circus. In a decision that pains her and fills her with guilt to this day, she opted to join the circus and jumpstart her abilities instead of returning home. This decision haunts her, and she thinks about her family every night. She wants at least one more chance to see them, and explain herself to them. She is so obsessed with this idea that she might do aiything to achieve it, although she loves her circus family as well.

Reason For Joining The Circus: As detailed above, she joined the circus because she wanted to escape the burden of supporting her family, but this weighs on her quite a bit and she is torn between her circus and biological family.

Arcana Card Abilities: Because her representative card is the Hermit, Lish is extremely adept at finding secluded areas for just herself, and is also a shadow jumper. That is she can literally melt into the shadows and into a sort of reverse dimension, where she has created a cave hideout for herself. She can also exit this reverse dimension into any shadowy area within the circus (she is constrained to the circus by the curse, but could be able to do this in any shadowed area in the world, for all she knows). She can also transport one or two others into the reverse dimension if she really concentrates, but this is difficult and feels very uncomfortable for the other people.

Other: She loves owls and other night birds.

@RedBird The Character Template must be placed on the SB's main page, actually. There's a "Create your character" white line to click on in said SB (right side), and you can totally click on it to copy/paste all of this.
Just helpin'!


@CoffeeCat ...I'm not entirely sure... I mean, I want to join this and all, and writing something I'd have to keep realistic for once - well aside anything that's related to arcana powers, of course - would be a very interesting "out of your comfort zone" experience... Hmmm...

Okay, question! How active would I need to be for a character that's using option 1, AKA pre-established member of the circus? Post-wise, I mean - I can be active in the DT basically every day, unless Life duty calls.
I'm reserving The Devil in case I end up joining. *which is leaning towards the Yes side*

@Tortwag I know, I put it there too

@Tortwag You wouldn't have to post too frequently Because this story can accept heaps of members overtime, I would expect that the SB won't struggle too much with posts.

And the genre of the storybook, if we were to assume one, would be magical realism. However, the circus is a fantasy in itself, and has many mystical, unexplainable qualities about it. The circus is like a secret bubble of magic, hidden from the real world. Its name, Le Cirque d'Avalon, is French for 'The Circus of Avalon', like the mythical Avalon island from Arthurian legend, which is also cloaked from the real world by mists. I decided to leave the setting without a description, so that everyone posting for this storybook can help build the circus out of their imagination :3

As for the Arcana Battles, they do not operate in a structured time period. An Arcana Battle can take place anytime, anyplace, anyhow. They can happen during performances at night or during the day when the circus is closed. The characters participating in a battle must all agree to the terms of each battle. The curse is the judge, and will announce the outcome of a battle by burning the losing character's Roman card numeral onto the winners body (like a tattoo).

I guess what I'm trying to explain is that the story will be quite consistent in magical elements XD Magic will exists within and around the characters. The characters will also use their abilities casually for performances and everyday life. This information is for everyone to know about


@RedBird Thanks for creating your template so quickly! I approved your character.

I will try and get my own character up there in the next few days ^_^

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I thought up some possible card abilities, in case anyone struggles for ideas in the future:

The Fool -- Luck or Madness Manipulation
The Magician -- Illusions
The High Priestess -- Water Manipulation
The Empress -- Plant Affinity
The Emperor -- Fire Manipulation
The Hierophant -- Religious Incantations
The Lovers -- Compulsion and Enhanced Charisma
The Chariot -- Super Speed
Strength -- Animal Affinity or Super Strength
The Hermit -- Shadow Jumper (as @RedBird described)
Wheel of Fortune -- Psychic Clairvoyance
Justice -- Weapon Transformation and Mastery
The Hanged Man -- Gravity Manipulation
Death -- Bone/Blood Manipulation
Temperance -- Healing and Potion Mixing
The Devil -- Dark Arts
The Tower -- Lightning/Electricity Manipulation
The Star -- Shapeshifting into Constellation Animals and Enhanced Navigation
The Moon -- Force Fields and Dream Manipulation
The Sun -- Thought Penetration and Light Vision
Judgement -- Divine Music Enchantment
The World -- Teleportation or Time Manipulation

@RedBird Then you're a foreshadowing badass and I stand corrected. Have a cookie!

@CoffeeCat Yes, I know of magical realism. Posts wouldn't have to be too frequent... Well, depending on how much we are by the time this starts, I kind of expected it, but it's important to know of everyone's needs here before I try and randomly join, so thanks.
Yes, I did realize what the title meant, as French is kinda sorta my first/native language. That would be one of the reasons that triggered my appearance in this realm.

Oh, hey, that sounds like Shadow Games. How are the Arcana Battles organized again? Do they have a consistent gimmick, or does the battle type change every time there's a new Arcana Battle?

I noticed upon reading the SB page, but I won't say no to such a confirmation :3 Thankies! That answers a lot of questions I could've had in the future.

So, I'm joining. Expect the CT to appear in the following days. As for The Devil card, welp, the ability I thought up for my character yesterday night would be giving life to non-sentient objects. Details when the CT is complete.
The card itself is related to being slave to one's mortal desires and enoying material items, so, I thought that was fitting. It also fits dark arts, because it's totally not a natural thing to do, lol.

Yay I'm happy that you're joining! That's awesome that French is your first-ish language. I also love the ability for your character! It definitely works with The Devil card like you said.

As for the Arcana Battles, the characters organise everything. If a character wants to escape the circus, they need to battle the others. However, the battles don't only have to be physical ones... they can be anything. If a character is smart, they will initiate a battle that lends to their personal strengths. It can be a battle of popularity, knowledge, object hunting, stealth, discipline etc.

As long as the battle form and its terms are named, and as long as the other battle contestant agrees to the battle the initiating character describes, then the curse will recognise the battle, and it can begin.

Examples of battles can range from a physical fight in the Hall of Mirrors tent (this could lend itself to The Magician card), to the best display of control in a performance (perhaps between two elemental cards), to winning the heart of a desired person in a love triangle (this could lend itself to The Lovers card), to locating and stealing a particular object before the other contestant (this could lend itself to The Hermit card), to constructing the most impressive new circus attraction, to going the longest without using any card abilities whatsoever.

As you can see from the examples above, the only limit to an Arcana Battle is your imagination. The characters will want to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the other cards and their owners in order to take advantage of them.

The Arcana Battles occur annually, from the beginning of the year to the end. Each circus member must fight at least one Arcana Battle in order for the year's winner to claim the freedom prize, whether they want to or not. The winner of all the Arcana Battles is the character with the most 'card tattoos' on their body (a.k.a. the most battle victories) by the end of the year. Only that one person may leave the circus, while the other circus members remain trapped.

Well not even my first-ish, it's literally my first language - I just felt like I had no way to say that without it sounding... off, somehow. Maybe I'm wrong, but eh, I said it now.
It does? Yay! I lack quite a large amount of data related to the Tarot cards and they're meaning, but this SB is a perfect excuse to start readin' up on that.

And now I realize just how vast the possibilities are for these Arcana Battles. Man, that's a pretty cool concept.

'Kay! Only one, and it's an annual thing. Fun times! Well, except for those accidentally trapped, I guess, lol.

My character template is up in the SB ^^

Hi, can I take the Lovers?

@Chaser Sure I'll save your spot.

@Chaser oh hey! We meet again. Glad to know you're joining :3

@CoffeeCat mine shall join the club either today or tomorrow.

I created a second character for the SB, because I think it's necessary >_< The circus curse also messes with the lifespans of the circus members, meaning that the longer-enduring members of the circus could be almost a hundred years old and not look a day over fifty. The curse increases the lifespans of members, but does not make them immortal. Basically, a circus member ages twice as slow after joining.

If anyone wanted to create a long-enduring circus member, the character could still appear very young (like twenty or so) but actually be twice as old