The Soaring Papillon

It’s 1935, you are the Soaring Papillon an acrobat of mediocre fame from a long line of acrobats. Joining the Zingling Brothers Circus at a young age, this life is all you know. The circus is currently touring the southwest circuit, and although you are in great shape for your old age(43), lately there has been trouble with your knees, making it difficult to perform. Fearful that if you bring your problem to the ringmaster, he will deem you obsolete and send you out to pasture. Do you… [[Self-medicate with opium to deal with the pain, a common solution for circus performers. Hopefully continuing to work as an acrobat at least for a few more years, if it’s worked for other performers why shouldn’t it work for you. ->Option A]] [[Tell the ringmaster the truth about your quickly deteriorating knees, hopes that he takes pity on you, and finds a way to keep you on at the carnival?->Option B]]

Everything is fine for a few months. Conveniently, a stall mucker named Bilbo Bob supplies the circus with all their opium needs. Although it’s rumored he has a pretty serious habit, which is why he never turns a profit. [[Things continue on as business as usual.->Option A-1 ]]

The ringmaster says the only position available is to muck the cages of the animals. A position with little prestige for the esteemed Soaring Papillon, you were hoping for something a little less demeaning. On one hand at least you will still have a home with the carnival, but on the other is a disgusting job, and you can’t help but feel that the ringmaster is trying to push you out. Do you… [[Accept the position of stall mucker.->Option B-1]] [[Decide to take your chances in the world outside of the circus.->Option B-2]]

The next night the same thing happens again, except this time you break your neck leaving you completely paralyzed. The ringmaster gives you the option of having all of your limbs removed so that you may star in the freak show, which he promises will continue to bring you fame. However if you decide to keep your limbs he will abandon you and leave you behind. Do you… [[Agree to have all of your limbs amputated.->Option A-1-2-1]] [[Decide to be left in the next nearby town.->Option A-1-2-2]]

Your fellow carnival friends figure out that you have been stealing from them and beat you senseless. They rat you out to the ringmaster, who leaves you behind when they leave for the next town.

A recovering drug addict herself, Maribella decides to help you. She organizes an intervention for you with the rest of your circus friends. They come together to help you overcome this addiction, through tarot card readings, phrenology, and other hocus-pocus and old-timey magic. Over this time, your relationship with Maribella evolves. How have you been so blind this whole time? [[You fall in love.->Option A-1-1-2-1]]

You continue to star in the sideshow as promised. Until one day they forget about you and leave you outside in the rain. You become very ill with pneumonia. You are at death's door. One day you wake up to see Maribella the Bearded Lady at your bedside. She has been nursing you back to health this whole time. [[Once you regain your strength the two of you leave the carnival.->A-1-2-1-1]]

You become a street beggar, but are eventually picked up by a man who calls himself “The Stranger”. He has his own oddities show which only consists of misshapen animals. In the beginning you badger him daily, trying to find out what his intentions with you are. Over time you stop. And although it is not possible for you to get away from this man, you are reluctant to try. He seems to be the only one willing to care for you.

Your new position begins almost immediately. It is even worse than you imagined. Not only is it gross and unsanitary, it’s also dangerous. You get a stye in your eye the first week, which is extremely painful and difficult to get rid of, given the modern medicine available to you. And to add insult to injury, all of your new co-workers mock you for what they see as a fall from grace. Papillon the great performer, is now just a lowly custodian. One morning when you are packing up to go to the next town you notice Bilbo Bob, the meanest of them all, passed out asleep under a tree yonder. The carnival is about to leave without him, what do you do? Leave him behind and your position will likely improve. Wake him. And possibly gain a useful ally. Do you….. [[Leave him, screw Bilbo Bob. If you saved him who’s to say he wouldn’t continue to make your life hell? Word of the street is that he’s a common junkie anyway. He’s probably just dope sick, he got what he deserved. ->Option B-1-1]] [[Wake him up and save him from being left behind. No matter how terrible Bilbo Bob is, you couldn’t do that to anyone and live with yourself.->Option B-1-2]]

The circus drops you off in the next town they pass through which turns out to be Las Vegas. It’s like nothing you have ever seen before! Gambling is now your new favorite pastime….. until you rack up a huge debt with the biggest casino in town, The Las Vegas Club. They offer you a job as a card dealer to work off your debt, but at the wages they offer to pay you it will take years. Is a roof over your head and all the buffet you can eat worth your freedom? Do you… [[Be responsible stay in Vegas. You’ve seen the casino goons, you’d never make it out of there alive. ->Option B-2-1]] [[Sneak off and hop a freight train in the middle of the night. You’d rather be a train-hopping hobo, than live like a prisoner. ->Option B-2-2]]

After leaving Bilbo Bob you do a few more shows. People wonder where he is, but the general consensus is that he just took off. Carnival folk are often wanderers. Things start to improve for you, you start to make a few friends and are regularly invited to the campfire in the evening to drink moonshine. One morning word has traveled that Bilbo Bob was found under a tree, days after they had left camp. He was taken to a doctor by some locals. Turns out he was paralyzed from having a stroke. He died a few days after they found him. Do you… [[Feel guilty for what you have done?->Option B-1-1-1]] [[Could you care less about how Bilbo Bob died?->Option B-1-1-2]]

You wake up Bilbo Bob, it’s immediately apparently that he is still half in the bag and can barely walk or talk. You half carry him to one of the caravans, and set him up so he can sleep it off in the corner unnoticed. When Bilbo Bob finally wakes up some hours later, he has no recollection of who saved him and continues to be a huge jerk to you. One day while Bilbo Bob is ridiculing you in front of a large group of your peers, Maribella the Bearded Lady passes by. This is especially embarrassing for you because you have been secretly holding the torch for her for years now. She thinks Bilbo is hilarious! The two of them plan to leave the circus and move to Elkcove, Oregon where Maribella has just inherited a roadside diner. You vow to get vengeance on Bilbo Bob. [[Fill his opium syringes with pee from the circus animals.->Option B-1-2-1]] [[Follow them to Elkcove, Oregon.->Option B-1-2-2]]

Yes Bilbo deserved better, even if he was rotten to you. You will never be able to forgive yourself for what you have done. You drown your woes in moonshine and eventually succumb to Jamaican ginger paralysis.

He deserved what he got. Every man for himself. Life is better for you now. Soon you will be King of the Carnies!!

Considering your situation, things could be worse. Without the physical strain on your knees ever night, they seem to be getting better. After a few years, your debt is paid off and you are able to save and buy a little bungalow. You and Maribella have kept in touch over the years, and she eventually moves out to join you, with her two ferrets, Kodo and Podo. You breed ferrets together, and live in platonic harmony for the rest of your days.

The train bulls raid your railcar in Los Angeles. After a few nights in jail, you end up skid row. One day while you are panhandling a man named David Selznick asks you if you would like to be an extra in one of his films. Shortly after, you begin a career as a character actor. You play minor roles in films such as Freaks, Gone with the Wind, and King Kong. You eventually retire in a little bungalow on Venice Beach, with your ferrets Kodo and Podo.

Your knees are getting noticeably worse, and your opium tolerance is getting higher. A bad combination. You quickly develop a serious drug problem, to the point where it becomes hard to function and stay awake, let alone perform on stage. During one of your performances you fall off your tightrope because you are too high. You are a little banged up, but no serious harm was done. Do you… [[Have a “Come to Jesus” moment, and decide that you should get clean before it’s too late.->Option A-1-1]] [[Decide that it is no big deal, and that you just need to be more careful in the future.->Option A-1-2]]

You decide to move to Elkcove, Oregon where Maribella has just inherited a roadside diner. You live happily ever after.

You keep it under control for a little while, but you aren’t able to give it up completely. You have convinced yourself that you don’t have an addiction and are just using enough to ease your pain. Over the next 6 months your addiction begins to grow, and now that Bilbo Bob knows he has you hooked he’s doubled his prices. Your wages can no longer cover your habit. Do you…… [[Begin stealing from your fellow carnival performers to support your habit?->Option A-1-1-1]] [[Confide in your friend Maribella the Bearded Lady.->Option A-1-1-2]]

You decide to move to Elkcove, Oregon where Maribella has just inherited a roadside diner. You live happily ever after.

Bilbo Bob get’s sepsis and dies! While Maribella is in mourning you take advantage of her fragile state and marry her! The two of you move to Elkcove, Oregon and are unhappily wed until the day you die.

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