Work Text:
The television program seemingly appeared out of nowhere. That wasn’t true, of course, it was a direct result of the White Nights and Dark Days, but most people weren’t aware of that. The program simply began broadcasting every evening at 8:00 p.m. throughout the City. Anyone with a television had the chance to see it, be it residents of the Nests or Backstreets. But it was still only a chance, not a program that was shown on every single television. Although unknown to those who could see it, the show only appeared to people who were susceptible to its message, and no one else. The ones who watched the television program were the people who were the most unhappy with their lives.
…you enjoy today’s show?
Laugh to your heart’s content at the end of a weary life, and maybe you could have a good eternity’s sleep!
You never know, regular viewers of ours might get the chance to come on our stage in person!
It would be so delightful to join me on this stage, wouldn’t it?!
We’ll be back at the same time tomorrow to bring you even more laughter
Nail your heads, everyone, and have a bloomy splodey night~!
They could tell that although it was a show, none of it was acting. The ringmaster spoke with enthusiasm and joy alongside the rest of the performers. It was obvious that the performers on the stage were truly happy, not putting up a front. Their smiles reached through the screens into the captivated audience, where they planted a seed.
Each night the viewers would watch the program, and the sprout was fed with laughter.
Sorry! I can’t go out with you guys tonight, I have something at home. Maybe next time?
I have to get home before 8:00. I have to get home before 8:00. I have to get home before 8:00. I have to get home before 8:00. I have to get home before 8:00. I have to get home before 8:00.
Sprouts grew in all different corners of the city as laughter poured from the stage to water them.
Have you seen the new show that’s been on every night lately? The one with the clowns?
No? That’s a shame. They were so happy…
The disappearances weren’t noticed at first. And when they were, they didn’t seem to be anything too out of the ordinary, considering how often people are killed in the City. Only an urban Myth about some unexplained disappearances.
As the disappearances continued, the empty seats began to be met with a bit of concern. An Urban Legend. Known, but not a huge threat. Not yet, at least. The Seven Association added ‘The 8 O’Clock Circus’ to a few request lists, but not as a priority.
The only reason the investigative Offices were able to deduce the missing people’s location as being a circus was the fact that before vanishing, the victims had a tendency to obsessively talk about the television program to their coworkers, friends, and family members, but somehow every time conveniently leaving out any details that would indicate its location.
The Seven had determined its location as being in the Backstreets of District 12 due to a report from someone whose friend had tried taking them with them to the show, ending in the person running off before their friend was swallowed by the tent, but the case wasn’t looked into much further due to none of the victims being very noteworthy.
However, the nature of the television program led more and more particular individuals to vanish. A high-grade Fixer overwhelmed with their workload, a dissatisfied office worker, clusters of Wing feathers cracking under the pressure. The least happy people were often the most valuable to the City. Wing feathers and Fixers were often replaced or killed, but the sheer rate of the disappearances had become inconveniencing. The City’s workforce was threatened.
The disappearances began to be recorded carefully. And by carefully, that is to say that only the disappearances of Wing feathers, high-grade Fixers, and workers that were a hassle to replace were recorded, disregarding any others. A board member of U Corp, Six important workers from N Corp’s Nest, seven grade three Fixers from L Corp’s Nest, two Wing feathers from J Corp, over twenty Wing feathers from L Corp, gone.
More and more with each passing day.
The victims were drawn to the circus tent from all different Districts of the City, proving the Seven’s information was lacking. How could it be located in the Backstreets of District 12, but affect the entire City? As it was, the tent’s location could be moved so that it could strategically avoid Fixers. The Fixers didn’t know this, of course, only adding to the concern.
The Hana Association exalted the status of The 8 O’Clock Circus to an Urban Nightmare. But the list of missing people only grew. The only ones who had seen the program, the ones who had the most information about the Distortion, had vanished. The public had no way of guessing where the circus would be next, but its victims always found it and disappeared into it, never being seen in the City again.
Upon the status elevation, numerous mediocre Fixer Offices tried to locate the circus, failing each time. As more Offices became involved with the case, the circus was finally located briefly by an Office affiliated with the Liu in K Corp’s Nest, only to seemingly vanish much like the people drawn to it, not giving the Fixers any time for further investigation. It was found nearby in one of its previous locations, the Backstreets of District 12, where it stayed for a longer period of time, finally giving the Fixers a chance. That is, they were given a chance to be consumed by the circus just like those drawn to it with the television program. An Office from V Corp’s Nest and the Distortion Detective of District 14 were among the first Offices who made contact with the circus and avoided being swallowed by it.
All missing people were presumed to be dead. The nature of the Distortion was thought to be a trap of sorts, luring people in with the television program and killing them upon their arrival. The point of Fixers being hired on the case was never to save the missing people, only to stop the disappearances from continuing. Nobody could have predicted the truth of The 8 O’Clock Circus.
The truth was, it was a dream come true! A fantastical stage where you can happily perform alongside your friends. Take their hand and leap into the spotlight! Your friend’s sunny smile is contagious. You dance, kicking the stage with bells on your shoes, you sing, your fins glittering, you perform a balancing act, everyone united in a pyramid together, until one unbalanced tail causes everyone to topple down. Clap your paws! This wasn’t a mistake, it was a part of the performance. Everything that happens is a part of the show. Every ball is cheered for no matter which direction it rolls in. The laughter of the crowd fills you with joy. A sense of self-worth and belonging, even if you can’t speak. Even if you can’t see. Even if you will never be seen as normal again. You are happy. You will make others happy. Because you want to.
The truth was, it was a show of pure insanity and hedonism. The erratic behavior of each entity within the circus of lunacy was near impossible to predict. Amoebas of animals and objects danced horribly and without any rhythm. The performance in the mysterious and bleak lair was mind-boggling. Animal cries that sound like human screams. Human screams that resemble animal cries. None of the disgusting beings could be considered human anymore. It was akin to a festival in hell. A Fixer’s body was destroyed beyond recovery by one of the grotesque animals, her body and innards mimicking a popped water balloon, spraying yet another layer of horror over the scene. Another Fixer successfully slew two of the circus abominations, but the devious ringmaster escaped from the grasp of the Fixers with ease, slipping out and fleeing as the tent collapsed in his absence. The remaining creatures followed the clown. The circus vanished.
The truth was, it was a distortion. Nothing more and nothing less. A result of the White Nights and Dark Days. The light that shone over the City had created a blinding whiteness, only to go completely black in an instant by the end of the third day. As if a light switch had been flipped off. However, the four days of darkness that ensued could not undo what the light had done to the people of the City. It was a mass awakening of the dreams and desires which had been shoved away and pushed down into the deepest depths of the minds of the people. The light drew out parts of people that they weren’t aware they had. Genuine desires, hopes, realizations, and dreams, and also horrible instability and vulnerability. As if layers of themselves were being peeled away to bring their desires closer to the surface, without any control over it. These new experiences brought with them extreme emotions, continuing to peel away at the people’s minds until their minds themselves began to twist and distort. Their bodies changed shape invisibly. They didn’t know they had changed. They didn’t know what would come next. Only after reaching the emotional threshold would the Distortions manifest physically. And by that point, were the people still “people”?
Before the pillar lit up the City, a person sat alone. Being alone was the opposite of what they wanted. Their attempts to make friends had ended in failure. They sulked in shame, regret, embarrassment, sadness… Every misunderstood action, every joke met with silence, and every painful moment of awkwardness plagued their thoughts, replaying in their mind and pausing at the most painful parts. Their attempts to make others smile were frowned upon. The only laughs their jokes earned were ones accompanied by sarcastic comments whispered halfway out of their earshot. Even if they managed to form weak connections that could be called friendships, those people would slip away one after another.
Their loneliness was dark and endless. But after some time, their mind slowly filled the space with vague dreams of the kinds of friends they wished they could have. An idea of the kind of friend they wanted to play with. A scene of friendship and comfort. The three days of light illuminated these ideas until they felt so real, it was unbearable that they weren’t. But they had hope again. Their loneliness was replaced with a renewed desire to make friends and smiles.
I wanna have friends!
Maybe I’ll meet someone who will laugh at my jokes!
Maybe I’ll have lots of friends someday!
Maybe I’ll be happy someday!
Someday! Someday! Someday!
But that day was impossible to reach. How could that day ever come, when nobody in the City seemed to understand them? When all of their previous attempts to bring smiles to others only led to themself sitting alone, frowning. They wished the friends they dreamed of in their mind could become real, but that was even more impossible. It tormented them. The emotional toll of the harsh reality made their head ache with horrible pressure.
If only I could lounge inside a seashell with my mermaid friend and her graceful fins and scaly mane, eating jelly beans and singing songs together. Above the ocean and in the open air with my friends in a world so clear and beautiful, the skies are never polluted. The tall hamster would drink clouds straight out of the sky, but he would always drop some into the sea to share with us. We’d play together all day and have a grand feast once the sun set!
It was completely unrealistic and unattainable.
It was unbearable.
Until for once in their life, someone reached out to them. A voice called out to them, telling them that she recognized their efforts. A voice that told them she would grant their wish and make their friends real. A voice that told them they deserved to have friends, to be happy. The voice was so calming and soothing that their anguish melted away, replaced by a sense of comfort and belonging after suffering for so long.
That person’s body twisted and distorted as their mind oozed out all kinds of dreams. A beautiful mermaid and an elongated hamster born from their dreams. The beautiful voice granted them a stage to perform on alongside their friends. A performance every night at 8:00 p.m.. They became the ringmaster. They were adored by the audience, supported by their friends who danced next to them, and at peace with themself, at long last. All thanks to the beautiful Ms. Sun who whispered down to them in their darkest moment. The circus stage was their perfect playground where they could keep making friends forever.
The 8 O’Clock Circus did not last forever. The ringmaster decided to take the hand of a new friend to walk onto a new stage, unknowingly sealing their fate. The ensemble of Distortions together on that stage would never be allowed to continue living in the City. The circus would have ended eventually even if the ringmaster hadn’t joined the orchestra. As the Fixers gained more and more information on the circus, it was only a matter of time before they’d send the Fixer Associations after it. It was doomed from the start as a Distortion.