Inside the polychromatic and flamboyant tent walls, an entire continent that reeks of cotton candy, circus animals and old-fashioned plastic exists. The continent is flooded with people dressed in vibrant and extravagant costumes, women and men drenched in bizarre and diverse make-up, animal trainers whipping lions, elephants and sea lions as they rehearse their acts.

Boy’s Voice: “The outside world is unknown. We live within the colorful patterned walls of the ever expanding continental tent known as Circopia! It stretches seemingly infinitely and is home to approximately 9.5 billion people.”

Colossal Ferris wheels and roller coasters are what comes closest to the tent’s extremely tall ceiling. There are people blowing bubbles in the shape of flying chinese dragons, there’s a woman dancing with a monkey, there’s a crowd of people watching someone swim and do tricks with an orca.

Boy’s Voice: “The only way to leave Circopia? IT IS TO PERFORM A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE THAT THE AUDIENCE FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LOVE AND APPLAUD!”

There are individual smaller tents built under the great continental tent of Circopia that people seem to be using as homes. They are all built extremely tightly close to each other with party decorations riddled all around the packed streets.

Boy’s Voice: “Everything we know is under the tent. All of us were born here and most of us will die here without ever seeing outside.”

Boy’s Voice: “Yes… most of us…”

Inside a crooked, barely stable red tent shaped like a giant jester’s hat - the boy clenches his fist tightly!

Gianni: “BUT NOT ME!”

Similar to the shape of his tent, he’s wearing a crooked jester hat with bells attached to the four ends. His messy wavy purple and gold hair leeks out from the sides of his hat. Makeup riddles his face. His mouth looks like a giant creepy smile thanks to red makeup extending his smile all the way up his cheeks.

Gianni with a clenched fist: “I, 15 year old, GIANNI THE GENIUS, will be welcomed to the outside world with open arms tonight thanks to my latest whimsical performance! I call it… GIANNI THE GENIUS AND HIS COMPANIONS BUMPKIN THE BAT AND GOMA-CHAN THE SEAL BATTLE THE RINGS OF FIRE!”

Goma-chan the seal claps with her flippers: “Ikou! Ikou! Gianni-kun!”

Bumpkin the bat unenthusiastically hangs with his wings hugging himself, upside down from a bunk bed.

Bumpkin: /＼ ^-_-^ ／ “Eeh..?”

Gianni poses violently: “Goma-Chan! Have you prepared the rings and the gasoline!?”

Goma-Chan: “Haii haii Gianni-kun!”

Gianni points aggressively: “Bumpkin! Did you pitch our performance to the 17th grand theatre!?”

Bumpkin nods, upside down: “Eh.” /＼ ^-_-^ ／

Gianni: “Good bat!”

Gianni navigates his way through the mess in the house, jumping over juggling balls, spilled decks of cards, white doves in cages and costumes until he gets to his mirror.

He faces himself in the cracked mirror lit with flickering lights.

Gianni takes a deep breath: “Today’s the day. Our 100th performance. I got a good feeling this time, Bumpkin. Goma. WE’RE GONNA MAKE IT TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD!”

Bumpkin eyes Gianni, he notices Gianni trembling as he stands in front of the mirror, his eyes covered by his jester hat.

Goma-Chan smiles supportively as she carries the rings around her neck and the tank of gasoline by its handle with her mouth.

Gianni whispers to himself: “I’m gonna make it today. Blanca. I’ll carve out the path for you, so you can follow me to the outside.”

-32 Mins Later In The City Center Square-

The city center is jam packed with people, the strangest shaped buildings and colors that you wouldn’t know ever existed. The sounds of the unorthodox streets are amplified thanks to all of this being under the tent. And even though it’s 10:00P.M., the area is still really well lit thanks to the lights built around the tent walls and ceilings.

In the middle of the city center is a humongous chocolate fountain swarmed by crows. On the edge of the fountain, there’s a 15 year old girl with medium-length messy white hair sitting beside her bag and kicking her legs back and forth as she watches the crows. Her left eye is purple, her right eye is pink.

Blanca smiles, picks up her bag and unzips it. Inside is packed with marshmallows.

The crows eye her.

Blanca cheekily eyes them back.

She takes out a marshmallow, dips it into the chocolate fountain and hands it to one of the crows.

Blanca: “Open sesame! Say aaaah.”

The crow opens its mouth and grabs the chocolate marshmallow, chewing it vigorously.

Blanca giggles: “Hahaha, chew it slowly, you’ll choke! I brought these marshmallows for you guys, they’re not going anywhere, ok?”

Suddenly Blanca notices almost a hundred crows staring at her holding the bag.

They tilt their heads in curiosity.

Blanca gets a little shook: “Eh? Uhh… There’s enough marshmallows for all of you… I think.”

The crows blink.

Blanca blinks with a nervous smile as she starts slowly zipping her bag.

The crows swarm her aggressively, grab her bag and start flying away with it.

Blanca: “Eeh!? Wait! My poem is in there! Please give it back!”

The crows laugh as they fly off with the bag.

Blanca tears up a little: “That’s so mean!”

Suddenly in the blink of an eye Bumpkin the Bat soars in with a surprisingly powerful right jab kick straight on one of the crow’s cheeks.

The crow’s cheek gets squished and saliva flies out its mouth as Bumpkin looks at it in a disgusted way in slow motion.

Bumpkin: “EEEEH!!”

/＼^Ò ‸ Ó^ ／

Blanca’s eyes widen: “Bu… mpkin?”

The crows drop the bag and immediately flock away.

Bumpkin catches the falling bag midair but a poem slips out of its side pocket and starts floating down gracefully.

Blanca watches, still startled from a distance.

She sees the poem gracefully fall into Gianni’s left hand. He’s standing there with his other hand in his pocket.

Gianni glances at the paper: “Hm?”

Blanca blushes really red: “AAAH!! GIANNI! PLEASE DON’T READ THAT!”

She runs at Gianni as Bumpkin watches from above.

Gianni raises the poem high as Blanca tries reaching and jumping up for it.

Gianni nonchalantly: “What is it?”

Blanca completely red and jumping up and down: “Nothing! It’s nothing! Please!”

Gianni looks Blanca in her eyes.

Gianni curiously: “Hmmmmm…”

Blanca nervously, shaking: “Hmmmm…”

Gianni: “Aight. Here.”

Gianni hands her the poem.

Blanca takes it really fast: “Thank you!”

Bumpkin swoops in and puts Blanca’s bag on for her.

Blanca chuckles: “Thanks Bumpkin! You’re my hero!”

Bumpkin nods: /＼ ^-_-^ ／ “eh.”

Goma-Chan cutely waves at Blanca with her flipper.

Goma-Chan: “Konbanwa! Blanca-Chan!”

Blanca bends down and lifts Goma-Chan’s flippers up and down, making her dance.

Blanca: “Konbanwa! Goma-Chan! Kawaii!”

Gianni bends down sideways glaring at Blanca.

Gianni: “Yoo… I’m here too.”

Blanca giggle smiles: “Thanks for coming! Gianni! I like your makeup!”

Gianni blushes and looks away: “Y-yea sure… whatever I guess.”

-15 Mins Later, They’re Walking Through The City Center-

Bumpkin flies from above chasing Goma-Chan around the city center.

Gianni walks with his hands in his pockets as Blanca flicks one of the bells on Gianni’s jester hat. There seems to be 2 eye shaped holes in the middle of his jester hat.

It rings merrily as they walk together.

Gianni: “Don’t play with that! It’s my signature hat!”

Blanca giggles: “I remember when it was too big on you. You used to wear it as a mask, that’s why you carved those 2 eye holes in it back then, right?”

A large pirate themed ship carried by people dressed as ocean waves passes by them. There are dancers spinning fire sticks and dancing on top of the ship with loud music.

Blanca: “Oh! Cool! Look at that!”

Gianni looks at Blanca’s innocent face instead.

Gianni: “Blanca. Today’s your first performance, huh?”

Blanca’s face gets a little nervous: “Oh. Uh. Yes. I finally appeared on the Performances list this time.”

Elephants riding unicycles pass by them along with a couple clowns practicing juggling.

Gianni smiles in relief: “I’m glad. You’ll be performing more and more shows in no time. And once I get to the outside world… I’ll be waiting for you, ok?”

Blanca blushes: “B-but I’m nowhere as experienced as you! This is your 100th time you’ve appeared on the list! You have 100 shows of experience on me!”

Gianni snickers and fixes his hat: “I don’t know why but Circopia has decided to let me perform 100 times already, even though we’re the same age. That is exactly why I shall teach you, Blanca!”

Blanca bows really fast: “Y- YES! I’LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO LOOK AFTER ME!”

20 people standing on top of each other, body painted to look like one big wobbly walking giraffe pass by them.

Gianni: “Remember, when you perform, don’t be nervous. The audience are from the outside world and they never talk. They only sit silently, applaud, or boo at you. It’s like they can’t talk or say any words. No one in here knows why that is but it’s just like that, ok?”

Blanca nods with a smile: “Don’t worry, I’ve watched all your performances, Gianni! The mysterious never talking audience from the outside world won’t scare me!”

Gianni: “They were all once in Circopia too, so they’re really one of us, fellow Circopians who have seen the outside world! The only difference is that they’re there now. So they shouldn’t scare you anyway. Just focus on making them applaud. If they do it loud enough the tent walls will open to the outside world. Loud applauds from the audience trigger the sound lock on the walls.”

Blanca firmly nods again: “Got it! I’m all pumped up now!”

Blanca slaps her face with both hands excitedly.

Gianni offers a fist pump: “Ha! Let’s both give it our all!”

Blanca nods firmly and fist bumps: “HM!”

As they hold their fist bump, Gianni’s eyes wander.

Gianni: “Huh?”

Gianni looks ahead to see the 17th grand theatre of Circopia! Performers bloom all around it.

It’s built close to the NorthEast edge of the tent. Inside it, lies the stage, the hundreds of thousands of seats for the audience from the outside world and one of 100 exits in the great continental tent of Circopia, that lead to the outside world.

Gianni: “OHOHOH! Voila! There it is! The audience of the outside world must be taking their seats as we speak! Le Grand Théâtre de la Circopia! Elle est magnifique, non? Blanca!”

Goma-Chan: “Hai! Utsukushii Desu!” ^_^

Blanca: “Haha… yea. Oh! I mean ‘oui’ or something…Heh, heh…”

Gianni squeezes her hand.

Blanca: “EEH!?”

Gianni smiles at her: “I got you. Ok? You’re gonna do great. We’ll see the outside world together!”

Bumpkin lands on Gianni’s shoulder and shakes his ears, yawning.

Bumpkin: /＼ ^-o-^ ／ “Eooawn.”