The rows of drawers where the league members keep their most precious items was inspired by this writing prompt:
Your main character finds a box of scorched human hair. Whose is it? How did it get there?
I imagined the box as a shoe-box-sized drawer and multiplied the single box into many drawers.
The “scorched human hair” became a plait of orange hair singed at the edges. Why plaited and why orange I’m not sure, that’s just what came up for me during the writing exercise.
When Asa, Dirt Circus League’s protagonist, discovers this creepy relic in one of the Memory Temple drawers she is compelled to touch it.
A powerful sensation surges through her that she can’t ignore.
This experience sets her on a path to uncover the true history of the Dirt Circus League.