In most classic circuses, some roles were sometimes billed as part of the main performance inside the big tent.
They would perform alongside the acrobats, clowns, animal acts, and trapeze artists.
In that kind of setting was the strongman who would be a featured attraction, often introduced with dramatic flair, music, and a build-up from the ringmaster.
They would put on shows that involved lifting massive barbells, bending iron bars, or supporting platforms with people or animals on them, all in front of the main audience.
In a lot of travelling carnivals and fairs, strongmen were often part of the sideshow attractions, separate from the main tent.
Those acts were sometimes called "Grind shows" or "ten-in-one" shows, where the customers would pay a small extra fee to see them up close.
They would likely perform on an outdoor stage to draw crowds in, sometimes alongside sword swallowers, fire eaters, or "human oddities".
The purpose of the outdoor performance acted as a teaser, showing a feat of strength to entice people to buy a ticket for the full act inside.
While it was less common for a strongman to be part of a "House of Horrors" or haunted attraction, since those acts were focused on fear and shock rather than physical prowess, some spoke shows or freak show hybrids could be presented as a monster or brute character for theatrical effect.
With certain Quirks being involved, it made it easier for the Strongman to be a part of the House of Horrors or to have some form of relationship with them.
One of the Strongmen had a good relationship with those belonging to the House of Horrors due to the kind of working relationship that existed.
The Quirk he had was called Grip due to his forearms and hands that could temporarily increase in size and density, allowing them to lift and crush objects far beyond human limits.
He used that to bend steel bars, crush iron chains, or lift massive weights as part of a "world's strongest" act.
His name was Dorian, and he was sixteen years old.
While he did have quite a unique and powerful Quirk, he was still old enough to be an attraction in the carnival's strongman acts, but was still considered "unfinished stock" by the carnival owners.
Just like the others who had been sold off, it was only a matter of time before he would be sold off to someone.
The owners were just waiting for him to fully mature physically before selling him to the highest bidder.
They wanted to make the most out of him, so they had been trying to increase his worth and waiting for a higher bid on him.
He was very tall for his age, making him six feet tall with broad shoulders, with a naturally muscular frame that had been exaggerated by years of forced training.
His hair was dark brown, slightly wavy, but a part of it had been slicked back.
His eyes were a steel grey, with a tired, guarded look in his eyes that showed he was someone who had seen or learned too much for his age.
His skin was lightly tanned from outdoor acts, with faint scars on his forearms from training accidents and "discipline" from his handlers.
He was still dressed in his strongman act outfit that had featured a striped red and white sleeveless leotard, a leather lifting belt and a pair of black boots.
Dorian was used to keeping his head down and doing his part despite the hardships he faced.
He had learned to look the other way, but something had changed recently.
His gaze turned cold as he held onto the wrist of the woman whom he had always loved and accepted no matter what she did.
It was not the first time he had intervened in that way.
It had become a habit of his after learning the truth.
He would never have believed it if anyone were to tell him about it, but someone he once knew got back in touch with him.
It was someone who had been believed to have left them for good and would likely never be seen or heard from again, just like all of the others who left the family never to return.
The community of most carnivals was not just an entertainment troupe or a family; it was a close, self-serving system a lot of the time.
Loyalty would be manufactured through dependency, fear, and the illusion of belonging.
Leaving would be considered a betrayal in the eyes of the ringleaders, unless it was on certain terms, and such views would likely be spread to the others who remained.
The family narrative was a control tactic.
Once someone was gone, they were forgotten.
Once they left, or they had been sold or traded, they would likely never meet again.
If there had been some encounters in the future, then it would be possible that such people would be treated politely in public, but with a cold distance.
Old colleagues might even avoid them to prevent suspicion from management.