Theodore Monroe
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f4/a0/ff/f4a0ffaec9a4872e82f501544581c27c.jpg"Align="right">Prologue - The Setting of the Show
Real Name: Theodore Monroe (Theo)
Age: 24 years old by appearance (Born in 1719, met Serena in 1743)
Species: Gifted Human
Position at the Circus: Animal Handler, The Avian Experience, Logistics
Act 1 - The Face on the Outside
Height: 59 tall. Theo isnt a particularly tall man, nor is he short although in a Circus, this makes him rather easy to miss.
Weight: A touch shy of 155lbs.
Physical Description: Theo is a man of small frame but sturdy build. With long legs and a thinner, yet firm torso, he has the body of a runner, albeit with a bit more definition to his arms than most would expect. It is a Frontiersman build in truth, the kind of body a man earns by working with his hands, doing what is required to survive on ones own in the wild, or in a physically demanding world where any and all food is acquired by the sweat of ones own palms. He is handsome, with rounded facial features, a wide jawline, and expressive blue eyes. He is blonde, albeit a darker, dirty blonde, and has his hair kept long, often done up in a rough ponytail with the banks left loose. Some call it a touch roguish; in truth, hes simply too lazy to bother sorting it out. The softness of his visage lends to a concerned or thoughtful neutral expression.
Distinguishing Features: Truth be told Theo doesnt stand out in a crowd, and he likes that just fine. Were anything to stand out, it would be the stitched scar over his left breast, and the bandages he has it wrapped in; however, Theo never wears anything with an open chest, so few even know that exists. Also of note is the simple, silver band around his left ring finger.
Act 2 - The Freak Within
Personality: Theodore is a softspoken, caring man who prefers to keep his own company, or that of his animals. He doesnt hate people, he simply doesnt fully understand them, nor is he ever completely comfortable around them. For these reasons he generally doesnt trust people. Thus, he keeps to himself when given a choice with one exception, of course. All that said, he is a man who will go out of his way to help a person in need, and would do the same for any animal, even at risk of bodily harm. To him, animals and nature are sacred, and with few exceptions would lay down his own life for his animals or those he cares about. Theo is also something of a problem solver, a man who enjoys piecing things out when presented with a puzzle. When left to his own devices, he can often be found tinkering with things, fixing whats broken, or trying to improve on what is already there. Lastly, due in part to his connection with nature, Theo is a vegetarian, though he does not scorn others for their taste for meat.
Species Description: Theo is a full-blooded human, albeit with one particular quirk, or so he calls it. Theodore is an empath, with the ability to feel the thoughts and emotions of animals, as well as project his own to them. Thoughts, of course, is a bit misleading, as animals in general do not possess true sentience. His mind, however, is well attuned to the uniqueness of most species, so while he cannot talk to animals (for they cannot talk back), he can understand them, and have them understand him as if he were one of their own. This ability does not translate to human beings, however he has discovered that it does apply to beings that share some but not all genes with humans. Beings such as Mermaids, who are as much creature as human, yet fully sentient and intelligent. With them, his ability holds true, allowing him to communicate fully as if he were speaking normally. He can also feel and send emotion through the same connection.
Oh, and hes technically about 300 years old but that particular ability cant be attributed to him. His long life is thanks to Serena, whose mystical abilities have kept him alive since the day he was mortally wounded. In truth, it is more of a kind of stasis, as though his wound a stab wound through the left breast, right next to the heart will not kill him, it also has not and will not heal. It has since been stitched closed, and to further protect it Theodore wears a tight bandage across it at all times, which he usually changes daily. The stitches, on the other hand, last up to a month before requiring changing.
Noteworthy Qualities: Theodore has a varied skillset, owing to his life as a frontiersman for the better part of a couple centuries. He is a skilled hunter, forager, and woodworker. In more recent decades he has picked up an impressive skill in mechanics and metalworking. His skills with mechanics and other trades prove useful and make up for his lack of interpersonal and performance skills. He is also fairly skilled seamstress, a necessary skill for one who lives on their own.
Act 3 - The Big Finale
Character History: Theodore Monroe was born in July of the year 1719, to a fisherman father and a seamstress mother, in a small town on the coast of England. He spent an uneventful youth learning the trades of his parents, and coming to terms with his empathic talents with animals, which he discovered at a young age by acquiring and, to a limited extent, training a small pet rat. His parents were kind folk, instilling in him values he still holds to this day. Unfortunately, his father was killed in a freak storm in Theos 14th year, prompting the boy to take on a job as a deckhand aboard a merchant vessel that made trips down to Africa and through the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Theo held this post for several years until, when he was 19, his mother passed away of a pestilence that swept through their town. With no family left, Theo took to live aboard the ship. His skills with animals had become quite useful to the ships Captain, as their main trade was in exotic livestock. Theo would keep the animals calm and see to their health and wellbeing during the long voyages.
It was in the year 1743 that Theos life ended and a new one began. After a long, stormy night spent soothing the animals in the hold, Theo ascended to the main deck to find the Captain and Crew involved in a heated argument over what to do with a priceless treasure they had happened across in the night. The treasure, he assumed, had something to do with a large, leaking barrel nearby which had been tied to the rigging next to the gap left for a rope ladder to be thrown down for the ships rowboat. There were muffled thumps coming from the barrel, and while the crew argued, he snuck over to see what it was.
Silently, he unfastened the top of the barrel and peered inside to find the face of a terrified young woman staring up at him. Yet, when he first spoke, his shock and worry for her overcoming him, he did so not with voice but with his mind and she understood him. In the few moments he had, Theo noticed two things: the first was that she was not fully human; she had a womans torso, but where she should have had legs, she had a long, elegant tail like a fish. She was a mermaid, of course, a mystical creature he had heard of but never before seen or believed in. Well, as they say, seeing is believing! The second thing he noticed were the cuts across her flesh, some caused by blades, others apparently by rope burn. She was the treasure the crew argued about some argued for cutting her up for her meat, while others argued to sell her to the highest bidder.
Theo would have done something sneaky, but before he could one of the crew noticed him hunched over the barrel with the lid off. In an instant he was surrounded, with two of the tougher men holding him by the arms up against the railing. Bravely, Theo demanded that they set her free, that a creature such as her deserved to live life free. She was intelligent, he had said, not some mere creature. He did not budge on this, too worried and too naïve to consider a safer, smarter course of action. Thus, rather than deal with the risk of him doing something in the night, the Captain ran him through the chest with his sword, and left him there to die while he turned to address the crew.
Theodore would have died. He should have. Yet, in his final moments, with the last of his strength, Theo thought not for his own life but for that of the mermaid he sought to save. With the knife he kept on his belt to deal with caught rigging, Theo cut free the ropes holding the barrel to the railing. Strength failing, he tipped it onto its side, spilling the water onto the deck and, with the last ounce of effort he could muster, threw himself against the barrel and rolled with it off the side of the boat, tumbling both of them into seas still churning from the passing storm.
It was Serenas magic that saved him, preserving his life and preventing the fatal wound from actually killing him. Freed from her prison and, Theo assumed, believing herself indebted to him, she swam across days and nights to get him to land, to safety for, though the wound wouldnt kill him, hunger and cold might still. Theodore survived thanks to her, and in their short time together, decided like Serena that he did not want to be apart. The two had shared something special in their shared grief, and in the empathic connection Theo had made with her and so the two began a life together, one that proved to be far longer lasting than either could have expected.
For many years, Theodore lived on the sea, traveling alone aboard a small boat with Serena at his side. The two toured the Caribbean for a time, before making the trek back across the Atlantic (thanks to Serenas skills as a guide, the trip was fairly uneventful). Their wanderlust sated for a time, Theodore and Serena moved to a small, secluded lake, on the shores of which Theo built a small cottage. It was far removed from civilization at large, offering them privacy and peace to live among nature. In their time together, the two decided to marry, forming a bond that while unofficial, was to them as meaningful as any true marriage.
Eventually Serena grew tired of the peace and privacy, her wanderlust proving ever present. Theo didnt mind instead, with newer techniques and better materials available to him, he was able to construct a more permanent traveling tank for Serena to use. Together, the two set out by land to travel, eventually joining the circus both to meet others like them, and to travel the world without having to worry about Serena drawing too many eyes. The two did not remain with a single Carnival or Circus, however they have been moving from one to another over the last hundred years or so, lest their lack of aging draw too much attention. The Circus Obscura is their most recent employer, and in the year or two theyve been with the group, it has become home.
Your Act: Theo does have a selection of birds (ranging in size from a large falcon, to a pair of ravens, down to a parakeet) and smaller rodents who travel with him, however he does not have a central act. On occasion, he will fill in with a minor act, which he dubs the Avian Experience, wherein he performs in a manner similar to Falconry albiet a fair bit more precise. The falcon, with her broad wingspan, is the star of that show, performing sweeping passes within arms reach of the crowd, even plucking meat or treats from the hands of guests. Outside of the main tent, he will at times have the Ravens perform clever tricks for general entertainment.
However, Theodores main position with the Circus is to be Serenas manager and caretaker. He ensures her shows go off without a hitch, and that she is safe throughout. Under his watchful eye, none are allowed too close to her or her tank. When not performing these duties (or entertaining in a limited fashion), Theo also acts as the Circus main mechanic and handyman. If its broken or working poorly, he can fix or improve it.
References: Serena is the main source of Theos references. The two are a matched pair, though it is she that has earned him his place among the many carnivals they have joined over the years. Her talent for singing and her draw as a fantastical creature are a shoe-in for any circus.
Real Name: Theodore Monroe (Theo)
Age: 24 years old by appearance (Born in 1719, met Serena in 1743)
Species: Gifted Human
Position at the Circus: Animal Handler, The Avian Experience, Logistics
Act 1 - The Face on the Outside
Height: 59 tall. Theo isnt a particularly tall man, nor is he short although in a Circus, this makes him rather easy to miss.
Weight: A touch shy of 155lbs.
Physical Description: Theo is a man of small frame but sturdy build. With long legs and a thinner, yet firm torso, he has the body of a runner, albeit with a bit more definition to his arms than most would expect. It is a Frontiersman build in truth, the kind of body a man earns by working with his hands, doing what is required to survive on ones own in the wild, or in a physically demanding world where any and all food is acquired by the sweat of ones own palms. He is handsome, with rounded facial features, a wide jawline, and expressive blue eyes. He is blonde, albeit a darker, dirty blonde, and has his hair kept long, often done up in a rough ponytail with the banks left loose. Some call it a touch roguish; in truth, hes simply too lazy to bother sorting it out. The softness of his visage lends to a concerned or thoughtful neutral expression.
Distinguishing Features: Truth be told Theo doesnt stand out in a crowd, and he likes that just fine. Were anything to stand out, it would be the stitched scar over his left breast, and the bandages he has it wrapped in; however, Theo never wears anything with an open chest, so few even know that exists. Also of note is the simple, silver band around his left ring finger.
Act 2 - The Freak Within
Personality: Theodore is a softspoken, caring man who prefers to keep his own company, or that of his animals. He doesnt hate people, he simply doesnt fully understand them, nor is he ever completely comfortable around them. For these reasons he generally doesnt trust people. Thus, he keeps to himself when given a choice with one exception, of course. All that said, he is a man who will go out of his way to help a person in need, and would do the same for any animal, even at risk of bodily harm. To him, animals and nature are sacred, and with few exceptions would lay down his own life for his animals or those he cares about. Theo is also something of a problem solver, a man who enjoys piecing things out when presented with a puzzle. When left to his own devices, he can often be found tinkering with things, fixing whats broken, or trying to improve on what is already there. Lastly, due in part to his connection with nature, Theo is a vegetarian, though he does not scorn others for their taste for meat.
Species Description: Theo is a full-blooded human, albeit with one particular quirk, or so he calls it. Theodore is an empath, with the ability to feel the thoughts and emotions of animals, as well as project his own to them. Thoughts, of course, is a bit misleading, as animals in general do not possess true sentience. His mind, however, is well attuned to the uniqueness of most species, so while he cannot talk to animals (for they cannot talk back), he can understand them, and have them understand him as if he were one of their own. This ability does not translate to human beings, however he has discovered that it does apply to beings that share some but not all genes with humans. Beings such as Mermaids, who are as much creature as human, yet fully sentient and intelligent. With them, his ability holds true, allowing him to communicate fully as if he were speaking normally. He can also feel and send emotion through the same connection.
Oh, and hes technically about 300 years old but that particular ability cant be attributed to him. His long life is thanks to Serena, whose mystical abilities have kept him alive since the day he was mortally wounded. In truth, it is more of a kind of stasis, as though his wound a stab wound through the left breast, right next to the heart will not kill him, it also has not and will not heal. It has since been stitched closed, and to further protect it Theodore wears a tight bandage across it at all times, which he usually changes daily. The stitches, on the other hand, last up to a month before requiring changing.
Noteworthy Qualities: Theodore has a varied skillset, owing to his life as a frontiersman for the better part of a couple centuries. He is a skilled hunter, forager, and woodworker. In more recent decades he has picked up an impressive skill in mechanics and metalworking. His skills with mechanics and other trades prove useful and make up for his lack of interpersonal and performance skills. He is also fairly skilled seamstress, a necessary skill for one who lives on their own.
Act 3 - The Big Finale
Character History: Theodore Monroe was born in July of the year 1719, to a fisherman father and a seamstress mother, in a small town on the coast of England. He spent an uneventful youth learning the trades of his parents, and coming to terms with his empathic talents with animals, which he discovered at a young age by acquiring and, to a limited extent, training a small pet rat. His parents were kind folk, instilling in him values he still holds to this day. Unfortunately, his father was killed in a freak storm in Theos 14th year, prompting the boy to take on a job as a deckhand aboard a merchant vessel that made trips down to Africa and through the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Theo held this post for several years until, when he was 19, his mother passed away of a pestilence that swept through their town. With no family left, Theo took to live aboard the ship. His skills with animals had become quite useful to the ships Captain, as their main trade was in exotic livestock. Theo would keep the animals calm and see to their health and wellbeing during the long voyages.
It was in the year 1743 that Theos life ended and a new one began. After a long, stormy night spent soothing the animals in the hold, Theo ascended to the main deck to find the Captain and Crew involved in a heated argument over what to do with a priceless treasure they had happened across in the night. The treasure, he assumed, had something to do with a large, leaking barrel nearby which had been tied to the rigging next to the gap left for a rope ladder to be thrown down for the ships rowboat. There were muffled thumps coming from the barrel, and while the crew argued, he snuck over to see what it was.
Silently, he unfastened the top of the barrel and peered inside to find the face of a terrified young woman staring up at him. Yet, when he first spoke, his shock and worry for her overcoming him, he did so not with voice but with his mind and she understood him. In the few moments he had, Theo noticed two things: the first was that she was not fully human; she had a womans torso, but where she should have had legs, she had a long, elegant tail like a fish. She was a mermaid, of course, a mystical creature he had heard of but never before seen or believed in. Well, as they say, seeing is believing! The second thing he noticed were the cuts across her flesh, some caused by blades, others apparently by rope burn. She was the treasure the crew argued about some argued for cutting her up for her meat, while others argued to sell her to the highest bidder.
Theo would have done something sneaky, but before he could one of the crew noticed him hunched over the barrel with the lid off. In an instant he was surrounded, with two of the tougher men holding him by the arms up against the railing. Bravely, Theo demanded that they set her free, that a creature such as her deserved to live life free. She was intelligent, he had said, not some mere creature. He did not budge on this, too worried and too naïve to consider a safer, smarter course of action. Thus, rather than deal with the risk of him doing something in the night, the Captain ran him through the chest with his sword, and left him there to die while he turned to address the crew.
Theodore would have died. He should have. Yet, in his final moments, with the last of his strength, Theo thought not for his own life but for that of the mermaid he sought to save. With the knife he kept on his belt to deal with caught rigging, Theo cut free the ropes holding the barrel to the railing. Strength failing, he tipped it onto its side, spilling the water onto the deck and, with the last ounce of effort he could muster, threw himself against the barrel and rolled with it off the side of the boat, tumbling both of them into seas still churning from the passing storm.
It was Serenas magic that saved him, preserving his life and preventing the fatal wound from actually killing him. Freed from her prison and, Theo assumed, believing herself indebted to him, she swam across days and nights to get him to land, to safety for, though the wound wouldnt kill him, hunger and cold might still. Theodore survived thanks to her, and in their short time together, decided like Serena that he did not want to be apart. The two had shared something special in their shared grief, and in the empathic connection Theo had made with her and so the two began a life together, one that proved to be far longer lasting than either could have expected.
For many years, Theodore lived on the sea, traveling alone aboard a small boat with Serena at his side. The two toured the Caribbean for a time, before making the trek back across the Atlantic (thanks to Serenas skills as a guide, the trip was fairly uneventful). Their wanderlust sated for a time, Theodore and Serena moved to a small, secluded lake, on the shores of which Theo built a small cottage. It was far removed from civilization at large, offering them privacy and peace to live among nature. In their time together, the two decided to marry, forming a bond that while unofficial, was to them as meaningful as any true marriage.
Eventually Serena grew tired of the peace and privacy, her wanderlust proving ever present. Theo didnt mind instead, with newer techniques and better materials available to him, he was able to construct a more permanent traveling tank for Serena to use. Together, the two set out by land to travel, eventually joining the circus both to meet others like them, and to travel the world without having to worry about Serena drawing too many eyes. The two did not remain with a single Carnival or Circus, however they have been moving from one to another over the last hundred years or so, lest their lack of aging draw too much attention. The Circus Obscura is their most recent employer, and in the year or two theyve been with the group, it has become home.
Your Act: Theo does have a selection of birds (ranging in size from a large falcon, to a pair of ravens, down to a parakeet) and smaller rodents who travel with him, however he does not have a central act. On occasion, he will fill in with a minor act, which he dubs the Avian Experience, wherein he performs in a manner similar to Falconry albiet a fair bit more precise. The falcon, with her broad wingspan, is the star of that show, performing sweeping passes within arms reach of the crowd, even plucking meat or treats from the hands of guests. Outside of the main tent, he will at times have the Ravens perform clever tricks for general entertainment.
However, Theodores main position with the Circus is to be Serenas manager and caretaker. He ensures her shows go off without a hitch, and that she is safe throughout. Under his watchful eye, none are allowed too close to her or her tank. When not performing these duties (or entertaining in a limited fashion), Theo also acts as the Circus main mechanic and handyman. If its broken or working poorly, he can fix or improve it.
References: Serena is the main source of Theos references. The two are a matched pair, though it is she that has earned him his place among the many carnivals they have joined over the years. Her talent for singing and her draw as a fantastical creature are a shoe-in for any circus.