Taylor

“Come one, come all, to the greatest show of fall!”

Taylor is the stagehand of The Circus, and is completely and utterly devoted to his coworkers. He's willing to do anything to earn their approval, even if it means doing the unthinkable. 

Name: Taylor MacMillan 

Gender: Cis Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Pansexual

ID: #6297

Base: Dog

Species: Domestic dog

Acquisition: Purchased for 150kt from Twalio!

Role: Taylor, unlike most everyone else who works in the circus, doesn't have a dedicated act. Instead, he acts as a Stagehand, helping the other performers with their acts. He announces when the show is about to begin (though the introduction of the show itself falls to someone far more important), and he's always on the side with props and a helping hand. He has a miniature train that he drives around, which allows the performers (and an obscene amount of clowns) to jump out for their opening act. He's also one of the few members of the circus who actually has a driver's license. So, when it comes time to pack up the circus and abscond to another location, Taylor is the only one qualified enough to actually drive the caravan to a different location. That's not to say that others haven't tried to pilot the machine, much to his chagrin. 

Personality: Taylor is an optimistic and fiercely loyal pup. His tail is always seen wagging save for very dire situations, and his voice practically carries his smile. He walks with a skip, and when he stands still, he bounces up and down. When he holds the megaphone to announce that the show will he starting soon, he appears to be almost vibrating with positive energy. It's almost like nothing can keep him down for long. Taylor is extremely praise-powered, always vying for headpats or to be called a “good boy”. This goes hand-in-hand with his extreme jealousy. If Taylor gets it in his mind that he wants something, there's almost no way to stop him from obtaining it. In the case in which he is unable to acquire the object of his fascinations for one reason or another, he will become extremely embittered, almost enraged as he is consumed with want. He's also incredibly loyal to the members of the circus. There's very little that he wouldn't do for one of his fellow performers. Very, very little. Taylor has gotten very good with a shovel, all on behalf of his family. 

Relationships: Pebble (older brother, estranged), The Puppetmaster, Penny, Ragz (coworkers), more TBA

Backstory: Hundreds of years ago, Taylor was born to a modest peasant woman and the love of her life. It was a small family, just Taylor, his parents, and his older brother by the name of Pebble. They didn't have much, just a small farm and menial land, but they were happy. When Taylor was just a small child, his mother sat him and his brother down for a very important conversation. As gently as she could, she explained to him that Pebble was, for a lack of better words, special. Pebble and Taylor were both their mothers sons, sure, but they did not share the same father. Pebble was the result of a miracle, the gift from a deity answering their mother's desperate plea for a child. A granted wish. She had no special powers such as flight or the ability to control the elements, the only divine rights she could claim was a divine birthright, that and conditional immortality. Unable to die of old age, sickness, or infection, but susceptible to blades and bullets just like any other normal creature. Able to be felled by wounds of the flesh. 

Even with this revelation, their mother made it extremely clear that she bore no preference for either one of her sons. Gift or no gift, immortal or not, miracle or a child born of true love, she'd love them equally all the same. Every day of her life, she made this clear. Even as Taylor's jealousy grew, he could never hold it against his mother. He had been loved, cherished and raised. He knew there was no question that his mother loved him and his brother equally. 

And yet, to both his own dismay and anger, there was nothing that could stop the feelings of jealousy from boiling up inside of him. Waves of nausea washed over him every time he even thought of Pebble's immortality-- how dare she be special while he was left with nothing! Nothing! She's managed to hit the jackpot in her birthright, while Taylor was nothing more than the child of two filthy commoners. Broke commoners, even. Was nothing fair? Was nothing good? Was he destined to die a simple farmhand, nothing about him worthy enough to carve into his eventual tombstone? Taylor found himself consumed by thoughts of loathing and self hatred, blaming his parents, his older brother, himself for all his faults. He hated himself for being normal, and hated himself for hating himself. What a selfish brat he was, cursing his loving family when they had done nothing but be kind to him his entire life. They loved him, he loved them, and yet there was nothing he could say to himself that would quell the burning jealousy within him. Every loving hug his mother gave him, every encouraging word his father told him, every laugh his brother emitted when they played together, it all stung with the rage of a thousand suns. Taylor sank into a deep funk, sure he was destined to be burdened with inadequacy for the rest of his life.

But of course, every dog has its day. And somehow, Taylor found an opportunity to claim everything he'd ever wanted. 

Taylor had been privy to some rumors that floated about whenever he visited town. Rumors detailing a traveling circus, the owner of which dabbled in the dark arts. It was said that if the Ringmaster saw you fit, they would steal you away from your home, turning you into their wretched servant that could never leave. And, adding insult to injury, you would be unable to die lest the Ringmaster was ready to do away with you. Taylor, heedless to the warnings and the many ways in which his plan could go wrong, saw only the potential for glory. He was fixated on achieving unlimited life, on becoming an immortal being just like his older brother. There was nothing short of death that could stop him from pursuing what he wanted. It didn't take much questioning around to locate the whereabouts of The Circus in all its dreaded glory, much to his glee. And so, in secret, Taylor packed a small bag of only the essentials. When the moon was full, he put his plan into motion. 

He travelled for one full night and one full day, arriving at The Circus just before the sun was due to set over the tents. He couldn't deny his exhaustion, having travelled for so long without any sort of rest or break, but the excitement kept his eyes wide open. His whole body tingled with anticipation, his fur practically standing on end. He walked with baited breath, hoping to whatever deities were listening that the rumors he'd heard were true. 

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