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Description

When you see him, you instantly recognize the ringmaster. He looks almost like a royal with the way he dresses and carries himself. Nonetheless, he greets you with a smile, even shaking your hand as he warmly welcomes you in his circus. You find yourself smiling back – and yet, something about him feels off…

Name:
Akefia, “Ringleader”

Age:
Unknown (looks mid-30s)

Job:
The ringmaster / a lion tamer

PERSONALITY

If you get to meet Ringleader as a visitor of his circus, he easily comes off as a charming gentleman. He’s polite, a talented speaker, and armed with a smile charming enough to breach any defences. If you meet him backstage, however… it’s a whole another story. With a closer look, you may see that the smile on his lips never quite reaches his eyes, and hear that his words are void of any genuine warmth. It’s all a façade – but a very skilled, and very dangerous one.
The first and foremost thing anyone should know about Ringleader is that his circus is his kingdom, and that he isn’t afraid to show how and why he has earned the throne. Behind the charming smile lies a ruthless, cunning mind void of any moral or sympathy. In short, he’s a man that you don’t want to cross. The bloodstains on the circus stage are a hint enough about the fate of those who have not heeded the warning.
Another notable trait of Ringleader is that he’s very prideful. He certainly holds himself above anyone else and sees other people just as tools he can use however he wants to for his own amusement. He finds great entertainment in toying with people, and unfortunately for everyone else, he’s very skilled at what he does. Manipulation and mind games are his A-game, and when you realize you’ve fallen into his trap, it’s already too late. If you ever even realize it, that is. He has a skilled silver tongue, and has mastered using it for his own profit and amusement.
What comes to his crew, at most Ringleader sees them as parts of his circus – his property. This isn’t to say that they deserve some sort of special treatment from him, though. No, not even close. Akefia rules his circus with an iron fist, and doesn’t tolerate any sort of disobedience. His circus is his pride, and staining that pride would be a very, very foolish thing to do. He expects to be respected, and won’t hesitate taking that respect by force if it is needed.
It is very rare to see Ringleader expressing any stronger emotions, and when it happens it’s usually on the negative side – most often anger. Otherwise he can seem even emotionless, and his emotional layer is indeed very shallow. Things that normally excite people don’t work for him. He needs extremes to stay entertained – and for that, his circus is the perfect tool. During the show, he’s at his prime – outside, not so much. He gets bored and grouchy easily, and ticking him off doesn’t require much. Yet, he rarely gets physically violent – even though his circus may show up as a violent place, he actually prefers psychological torture over physical. To him, shattering the victim’s mind is far more fascinating and satisfying than causing simple, physical pain.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
To an outsider, Akefia’s family may have seemed just like any other. A career-oriented father, a silent mother and a child. However, the truth was very different. While young Akefia did get food, shelter and even education from his home, he didn’t get much else. Akefia’s father was not only career-oriented, but also cold and distanced, even abusive. Akefia’s mother, on the other hand, had turned into a scared husk of a human being thanks to her husband. Even Akefia became quickly familiar with his father’s ways of discipline – the scar crossing his right eye is his father’s handiwork. However, unlike his mother, Akefia did not wither from fear. No, he grew angry, refusing to succumb into his father’s reign. Many times Akefia swore he’d get back at his father one day, and throw him off his “throne”.
However, that day never came. When Akefia was into his teenage years, a pair of burglars broke into his family’s house. His parents woke up, only to be attacked and eventually killed by the burglars. Akefia managed to stay hidden, but he still witnessed the whole scene – and felt something new. Joy. Watching the parents he so deeply hated breaking down filled him with excitement. At first he couldn’t even completely understand the feeling, but he didn’t care – it just felt good.
When the burglars had left, Akefia called the police and told them what had happened. At first the police offered to take Akefia to a foster home, but he told them he’d rather live on his own – he was old enough to do so, anyway, and since his father had died, all of his wealth now moved into Akefia’s hands. The police shrugged it off, took care of the bodies, and said they’d report if anything would come up in the investigation. Akefia, in all the honesty, didn’t care.
After getting the house for himself, Akefia had a clear goal set for himself. He wanted – no, needed – to feel that excitement again. Thus, he set to researching and studying – and after a few years of planning and preparation, committed his first murder. Soon after, he started making a name for himself in the city’s underground circles as an amateur hitman. At the same time, he began exploring different methods of torture. The beginning wasn’t easy – he did mistakes, and even got a few more scars on his face. However, in time he got better. A lot better. People started to pay good money for his “services”.
Ringleader kept at his new profession until he happened to find Marik. At first Akefia was planning to just sell the oddity to some collector with a good price, but then figured he could actually profit more from keeping Marik around. The first, faint idea of the Nightmare Circus started to form as Ringleader realized that there were people who were more than willing to pay to see others suffer. To feel the sort of excitement Akefia had grown fond of. So, why not upgrade the game?
It took Ringleader some time to get Marik in good enough shape to get his idea working, but in time he slowly got the lion under his thumb. When things started rolling smoothly, Akefia decided it was time to expand the business – and thus, the Nightmare Circus was created. It was small at first, but kept growing as the word spread around, eventually reaching its current state.

ROLE IN THE CIRCUS
The ringmaster / a lion tamer

x It’s not exaggerating to say that Ringleader is the king of his own land. He is in charge of the whole circus, and makes sure things run smoothly. In the circus, his word is the law.
x Akefia leads every show, giving the opening and ending speech, and announcing the performers. He may also take part in Marik’s performance as a lion tamer.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS

Marik: Out of all the people, Marik might be the only one who is on somewhat special pedestal for Ringleader, and that’s only because Akefia knows how deep Marik’s loyalty runs, and how dependent the lion is on him. It’s not exactly trust, but rather something worse. Ringleader enjoys the power he has over Marik, and exploits it as he wishes – sometimes subtly, sometimes less so.
Bakura: It’s probably easy to guess that Bakura’s rebellious behavior gets on Ringleader’s nerves. However, on the flipside Akefia derives certain sort of amusement from putting Bakura back in his place. For Akefia, it’s sort of a never-ending game of cat and mouse. Bakura can have his little acts of rebellion every now and then, but at the end of the day Ringleader makes sure it’s clear he’s the one in control.
Malik: While Ringleader doesn’t appreciate Malik’s occasional team-ups with Bakura, the acrobat is usually deemed as a good, valuable worker. Malik is, after all, a professional and dedicated performer who doesn’t question his boss’s orders. What more, the acrobat’s will to succeed and gain fame is an easy trait for Akefia to take advantage of.
Ryou: Frankly, Akefia doesn’t think much of Ryou. He’s a useful addition to the crew, but definitely not irreplaceable, or even notably important. It pretty much defines Akefia’s attitude towards Ryou: the clown is just another face in the line. Not worthy of any special attention unless he steps out of the said line.

OTHER NOTES

x He always combs his bangs to cover the right side of his face, because he doesn’t like people asking about his scars.

> The ask blog <

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Kazuki Takahashi
Circus AU & art (c) me

Description

When you see him, you instantly recognize the ringmaster. He looks almost like a royal with the way he dresses and carries himself. Nonetheless, he greets you with a smile, even shaking your hand as he warmly welcomes you in his circus. You find yourself smiling back – and yet, something about him feels off…

Name:
Akefia, “Ringleader”

Age:
Unknown (looks mid-30s)

Job:
The ringmaster / a lion tamer

PERSONALITY

If you get to meet Ringleader as a visitor of his circus, he easily comes off as a charming gentleman. He’s polite, a talented speaker, and armed with a smile charming enough to breach any defences. If you meet him backstage, however… it’s a whole another story. With a closer look, you may see that the smile on his lips never quite reaches his eyes, and hear that his words are void of any genuine warmth. It’s all a façade – but a very skilled, and very dangerous one.
The first and foremost thing anyone should know about Ringleader is that his circus is his kingdom, and that he isn’t afraid to show how and why he has earned the throne. Behind the charming smile lies a ruthless, cunning mind void of any moral or sympathy. In short, he’s a man that you don’t want to cross. The bloodstains on the circus stage are a hint enough about the fate of those who have not heeded the warning.
Another notable trait of Ringleader is that he’s very prideful. He certainly holds himself above anyone else and sees other people just as tools he can use however he wants to for his own amusement. He finds great entertainment in toying with people, and unfortunately for everyone else, he’s very skilled at what he does. Manipulation and mind games are his A-game, and when you realize you’ve fallen into his trap, it’s already too late. If you ever even realize it, that is. He has a skilled silver tongue, and has mastered using it for his own profit and amusement.
What comes to his crew, at most Ringleader sees them as parts of his circus – his property. This isn’t to say that they deserve some sort of special treatment from him, though. No, not even close. Akefia rules his circus with an iron fist, and doesn’t tolerate any sort of disobedience. His circus is his pride, and staining that pride would be a very, very foolish thing to do. He expects to be respected, and won’t hesitate taking that respect by force if it is needed.
It is very rare to see Ringleader expressing any stronger emotions, and when it happens it’s usually on the negative side – most often anger. Otherwise he can seem even emotionless, and his emotional layer is indeed very shallow. Things that normally excite people don’t work for him. He needs extremes to stay entertained – and for that, his circus is the perfect tool. During the show, he’s at his prime – outside, not so much. He gets bored and grouchy easily, and ticking him off doesn’t require much. Yet, he rarely gets physically violent – even though his circus may show up as a violent place, he actually prefers psychological torture over physical. To him, shattering the victim’s mind is far more fascinating and satisfying than causing simple, physical pain.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
To an outsider, Akefia’s family may have seemed just like any other. A career-oriented father, a silent mother and a child. However, the truth was very different. While young Akefia did get food, shelter and even education from his home, he didn’t get much else. Akefia’s father was not only career-oriented, but also cold and distanced, even abusive. Akefia’s mother, on the other hand, had turned into a scared husk of a human being thanks to her husband. Even Akefia became quickly familiar with his father’s ways of discipline – the scar crossing his right eye is his father’s handiwork. However, unlike his mother, Akefia did not wither from fear. No, he grew angry, refusing to succumb into his father’s reign. Many times Akefia swore he’d get back at his father one day, and throw him off his “throne”.
However, that day never came. When Akefia was into his teenage years, a pair of burglars broke into his family’s house. His parents woke up, only to be attacked and eventually killed by the burglars. Akefia managed to stay hidden, but he still witnessed the whole scene – and felt something new. Joy. Watching the parents he so deeply hated breaking down filled him with excitement. At first he couldn’t even completely understand the feeling, but he didn’t care – it just felt good.
When the burglars had left, Akefia called the police and told them what had happened. At first the police offered to take Akefia to a foster home, but he told them he’d rather live on his own – he was old enough to do so, anyway, and since his father had died, all of his wealth now moved into Akefia’s hands. The police shrugged it off, took care of the bodies, and said they’d report if anything would come up in the investigation. Akefia, in all the honesty, didn’t care.
After getting the house for himself, Akefia had a clear goal set for himself. He wanted – no, needed – to feel that excitement again. Thus, he set to researching and studying – and after a few years of planning and preparation, committed his first murder. Soon after, he started making a name for himself in the city’s underground circles as an amateur hitman. At the same time, he began exploring different methods of torture. The beginning wasn’t easy – he did mistakes, and even got a few more scars on his face. However, in time he got better. A lot better. People started to pay good money for his “services”.
Ringleader kept at his new profession until he happened to find Marik. At first Akefia was planning to just sell the oddity to some collector with a good price, but then figured he could actually profit more from keeping Marik around. The first, faint idea of the Nightmare Circus started to form as Ringleader realized that there were people who were more than willing to pay to see others suffer. To feel the sort of excitement Akefia had grown fond of. So, why not upgrade the game?
It took Ringleader some time to get Marik in good enough shape to get his idea working, but in time he slowly got the lion under his thumb. When things started rolling smoothly, Akefia decided it was time to expand the business – and thus, the Nightmare Circus was created. It was small at first, but kept growing as the word spread around, eventually reaching its current state.

ROLE IN THE CIRCUS
The ringmaster / a lion tamer

x It’s not exaggerating to say that Ringleader is the king of his own land. He is in charge of the whole circus, and makes sure things run smoothly. In the circus, his word is the law.
x Akefia leads every show, giving the opening and ending speech, and announcing the performers. He may also take part in Marik’s performance as a lion tamer.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS

Marik: Out of all the people, Marik might be the only one who is on somewhat special pedestal for Ringleader, and that’s only because Akefia knows how deep Marik’s loyalty runs, and how dependent the lion is on him. It’s not exactly trust, but rather something worse. Ringleader enjoys the power he has over Marik, and exploits it as he wishes – sometimes subtly, sometimes less so.
Bakura: It’s probably easy to guess that Bakura’s rebellious behavior gets on Ringleader’s nerves. However, on the flipside Akefia derives certain sort of amusement from putting Bakura back in his place. For Akefia, it’s sort of a never-ending game of cat and mouse. Bakura can have his little acts of rebellion every now and then, but at the end of the day Ringleader makes sure it’s clear he’s the one in control.
Malik: While Ringleader doesn’t appreciate Malik’s occasional team-ups with Bakura, the acrobat is usually deemed as a good, valuable worker. Malik is, after all, a professional and dedicated performer who doesn’t question his boss’s orders. What more, the acrobat’s will to succeed and gain fame is an easy trait for Akefia to take advantage of.
Ryou: Frankly, Akefia doesn’t think much of Ryou. He’s a useful addition to the crew, but definitely not irreplaceable, or even notably important. It pretty much defines Akefia’s attitude towards Ryou: the clown is just another face in the line. Not worthy of any special attention unless he steps out of the said line.

OTHER NOTES

x He always combs his bangs to cover the right side of his face, because he doesn’t like people asking about his scars.

> The ask blog <

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Kazuki Takahashi
Circus AU & art (c) me