Origins

Rare things in this world seldom live long. So what is a unicorn to do: announce herself to the world and wait for the poachers to come with their saws, or hide in an amusement park and let everyone take the truth for a gimmick? Celeste chose the latter. The choice did not come free. She has complained that folks can hear the Jersey Devil perform in a comedy club and happily go along with it, yet the moment she says she’s a unicorn, everyone acts like she’s the biggest carny in the world.

“Folks can hear the Jersey Devil perform in a comedy club and go along with it, but tell 'em I'm a unicorn and everyone acts like I'm the biggest carny in the world.”

“人们能在喜剧俱乐部里听泽西恶魔表演，还乐在其中，可一旦我说自己是独角兽，所有人都当我是世上最大的江湖骗子。”TL

And so the “glued-on horn” became her charm against harm, and her scar as well. Apollo has mocked her to her face for gluing a horn on her head. Told it often enough, she too came at last to a moment when she wanted to give the words right back.

“I don’t need advice from someone who glues a horn on their head.”

“我不需要一个头上粘了个角的人给我建议”

Not that she has never shared the secret. When Rem asked whether she was really a unicorn, she first made sure he could keep a secret, then owned up plainly.

“I am a unicorn.”

“我是一只独角兽”

That her kind has not died out is something she guards closely. When Kelvin pressed her on whether there were others like her, she said only that she couldn’t tell him; and when she calls on her true power, she says that these are the mysteries of her people.

“These are the mysteries of my people.”

“这些是我同胞的奥秘”

She has spent years on Coney Island, and has come to find it safe, comfortable — and a little small. She has said she’s outgrown it, and that fear can’t be the only thing keeping her there; she has lived in the shadows her whole life, and she is tired of it. Yet her resolve is not unbroken: some days she doesn’t feel ready to face the world, she hates to risk the good thing she has going on Coney, and above all she is afraid of what will happen if she goes out there. She has also said that she doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

“Coney is safe. Comfortable. But I've outgrown it, and fear can't be the only thing keeping me there.”

“科尼岛安全，舒适。可我已经长大了，不能只因为害怕才待在那儿。”TL

Keruba the Mermaid, Blockhead Lenny, Chickenwing and Ted of the Sideshow are the family she chose — in her own words, “they’re my people.”

Behind the glitter of the stage lie some less cheerful stories. Breathing fire was the first trick she mastered, and it used to be her closer at kids’ birthday parties, until Julia McClomsky and her lawsuits came along. Another of her specialties broke a whole lot of her friends’ things while she practiced it, and once she added it to the set, the glass blowers’ convention stopped inviting her back; yet another she took out of her routine early on, after it caused too many concussions.

“This used to be my closer at kids' birthday parties until Julia McClomsky and her lawsuits came along.”

“这首歌以前一直是我在儿童生日派对上的压轴曲目，直到茱莉亚·麦克洛姆斯基和她的诉讼案出现”

The family has its little customs and jokes, too. When the sideshow’s last werewolf retired, she offered the opening to Silver: it beats getting shot at. Praising Haze’s way with a blade, she said that lady throws knives better than Lenny.

“That lady's throwin' knives better than Lenny.”

“那位女士扔飞刀比莱尼厉害多了”

Old Friends and Foes

Lenny: Family Who Never Stops Making Trouble

Lenny is where all of this began. She confessed to Baba that she wasn’t here to protect the Grove; this is about Lenny. Baba came back with “Did he Lenny?”, and she answered: big time.

In the thick of the fight she tells him she won’t let him down. The Doorman makes something of it: her found family is doomed, he says, and even if she saves Lenny’s soul now, he’ll just sell it again the next time it’s convenient.

“Your found family is doomed, Celeste. Even if you save Lenny's soul now, do you really think he won't just sell it again the next time it's convenient?”

“赛凌，你找到的这个家注定会毁灭。就算你现在救回莱尼的灵魂，你真以为他下次有机可乘时不会再把它卖掉吗？”TL

Ted: Family Who Thinks She’s Stupid

When Wraith asked how Ted was doing, Celeste said he’s good — he just thinks she’s stupid for doing this. Wraith chimed in that he’s probably right, and Celeste cheerfully agreed. Wraith had something else to tell her, too: she had tried to warn Celeste’s friend, and you can’t help that guy. Celeste only answered that she knew.

Solomon: She Calls Him Sol

Solomon is the one she greets as “Sol” the moment she sees him. He won’t go to the Ren Faire with her — even he has limits, he says. He finds her making too much of pizza after the ritual, her priorities a bit misplaced, and yet in the end he agrees to get pizza with her. When they stand on opposite sides, his counsel to her is an elder’s: you can’t solve other people’s problems for them.

“I will get pizza with you.”

“我陪你去吃披萨。”TL

Infernus: Each With Their Own People

The first thing Infernus asks about is Lenny; hearing he’s in deep, he says let’s give our boy a hand. She invited him to swing by the sideshow next weekend and say hi to the boys, and asked after Hank, too. Later, when they crossed swords, he summed up what drove them both: they’re both just trying to help their people, and it’s not personal. She calls him “Fern,” as fondly as can be.

“We're both just trying to help our people, Celeste, it's not personal.”

“我们俩都只是想帮助我们的人民，赛凌，这并非针对个人”

Rem: The Little Guy She Wants to Look After

At first she called Rem “Remy,” and only switched once he corrected her. If he can’t find his way home, she told him, he can stay with her for a while: folks like them need to stick together.

“If you can't find your way home, you can stay with me for a while”

“如果你找不到回家的路，可以暂时和我待在一起”

Dynamo: The Well-Adjusted Alliance

When Dynamo promised to keep her safe, she called him very chivalrous. She took his wife’s part, saying his wife surely cares more about him being safe; he answered that she deserves a husband with a heartbeat and a face. Later, facing him across the field, she said she wished she could help him get his body back, but she couldn’t let him win.

“I wish I could help you get your body back, Dynamo, but I can't let you win.”

“我很想帮你恢复身体，奇能，但我不能让你赢。”

Vindicta: Misery and Optimism

Vindicta holds optimism to be faux. Celeste, though, told her that if she ever wanted to stop murdering people and go straight, she could get her a job. Vindicta answered that she is not a dancing bear; she has goals. Celeste told her flatly that killing everyone with the last name Hathorne isn’t a goal, it’s an obsession. Vindicta said a lot of them changed their name after they got married; Celeste said she was missing her point, and Vindicta shot back: I’m ignoring your point.

“Killing everyone with the last name Hathorne isn't a goal, it's an obsession.”

“杀光所有姓霍桑的人不是目标，那是执念。”TL

“The world needs change, not faux optimism.”

“世界需要的是改变，而不是虚假的乐观。”TL

Drifter: The Taste of Blood

Drifter has a soft spot for carnie folk, yet he has also declared that he plans to kill her after the ritual, because he knows full well what unicorn blood tastes like. She wasn’t scared off; instead she started talking terms. Unicorns are hard to come by: if he kills her, he doesn’t know if he’ll ever see one again; if he lets her live, he can come back whenever he wants the novelty — she’d even just give him blood. You make a compelling argument, he said.

“I get that. But here's the thing: we're hard to come by. If you kill me, you don't know if you'll ever see a unicorn again. If you let me live - you can come back whenever you want the novelty. Also you get the added bonus not having half your face burned off.”

“我懂。可问题是：我们这种可不好找。你杀了我，就不知道以后还能不能再见到独角兽。你留我一命，想尝鲜随时可以回来。而且你还能额外落个好处，不用被烧掉半张脸。”TL

Bebop and Pocket: The Ones She Wants to Treat

Bebop politely declined her free tickets, unsure whether Miss Shelly’s health would allow it; after today, she said, her health shouldn’t be an issue. On the battlefield, she told him she was sorry about Miss Shelly. And Bebop, for his part, later said he was starting to think she might actually be a unicorn.

“I mean after today day, her health's not supposed to be an issue right?”

“我的意思是，今天过后，她的健康应该不会再有问题了吧？”

To her, Pocket is just “Pocket” — and also “Arin.” She knows he used to hide in the sewer and had it good with Mo & Krill, so she told him he could have hid a lot longer; when he said he was ready to face his father and nothing was gonna change, she answered: you’re wrong, kid, everything will. She has also told him that not everything’s about him — she’s got her own problems, and keeping his mole dad happy ain’t one of ’em. In the end she put it bluntly: he needs to hang out with more positive people.

“You're wrong kid. Everything will.”

“你错了，小子。一切都会变。”TL

“You need to hang out with more positive people, Pocket.”

“口袋，你需要多和积极向上的人相处”

Mo & Krill and the Rat King: Outcasts

To Mo & Krill she said that people like them were supposed to stick together; she apologized again and again, and said she still loves them. They, in turn, said that in another life she would have been their friend. The Rat King, though, called her a traitor who passes as one of the normal folk. She answered that outcasts should be sticking together, but that he’s taking it too far.

“People like us were supposed to stick together, Mo.”

“像我们这样的就应该团结起来，莫”

“In another life she would have been our friend.”

“在另一个世界里，她或许会成为朋友”

“You're a traitor Celeste”

“你是个叛徒，赛凌。”TL

Ivy and the Arroyos

Even standing against her, Ivy still hopes they can be friends, and has even said she wishes she could have been on Celeste’s side. Celeste is no stranger to the Arroyo family either: next time they’re on Coney, she says, she’ll give them free cotton candy and they’ll forget all about this.

“I hope we can still be friends…”

“但愿我们还能做朋友……”TL

Silver: After the Ritual

Beyond that joke about the opening, Silver and Celeste have also settled where to go after the ritual. Silver said she was hitting a bar; Celeste asked whether she wanted some company, and Silver said she wouldn’t say no. Then let’s have some fun, said Celeste.

“Then lets have some fun.”

“那我们去玩玩吧”

Vyper and Paradox: Lines She Won’t Cross

When Vyper wanted to lay low at the sideshow, Celeste first asked who the heat was with; learning that the cops were on the list, she turned her down flat: then, no. Vyper has also said that either Celeste helps out her friend, or there’s one less person Vyper owes money to, so either way it’s win-win; Celeste answered that she’s only happy with one of those outcomes.

“Then, no.”

“那就不行。”TL

Paradox told her she’d make a great cat burglar, and offered to introduce her to people. But she said she doesn’t wanna steal from people, and doesn’t wanna get over that, either. She is sick of those people forever trying to steal her horn.

“I don't think I wanna get over that.”

“我不想放下这件事。”

Holliday: The Sheriff Who Isn’t a Glitter Person

She teased Holliday that she really knows how to pull off that whole “cop on the edge” thing, and advised her to take the compliment and buy Celeste a drink later. Another time, she suggested glitter to go with the cowboy hat, and got back a flat “I’m not a glitter person.”

“You sure? It would really pop with the cowboy hat.”

“你确定吗？配上牛仔帽肯定很吸睛。”

Deadman Danny: The Over-the-Top Fellow Showman

Deadman Danny treats her as a big name in the trade: he calls himself a big fan, praises her style, calls her a consummate performer, and even when stopping her he doesn’t forget to say he’s sorry. Her replies are less reverent. Seeing all his showmanship, she first muttered that she’d thought she was the one who was too much; after putting him down, she took to mapping out his future — the man was born for the sideshow, he’d make such a good barker, only his aerials need some work. Her tongue has its barbs, yet she grants that he’s a guy who understands the spotlight; and at parting he still hoped that one day they could meet under more pleasant circumstances.

“He would be such a good barker”

“他要是去当吆喝的，肯定很出色。”TL

Violet: The Painter She Should Have Hit It Off With

On first meeting Violet, Celeste said she looked familiar. Hearing that the painter had stopped her studies partway, she asked why, and once she had heard, she started cursing the teacher on Violet’s behalf: sounds like an asshole who doesn’t have to pay rent. Violet, for her part, calls herself a big fan, and says it’s such fun to paint carnies. The two did settle things on the battlefield in the end, but what Celeste kept going on about was something else: the girl is shy, but cool, and under different circumstances they probably could have been friends. She also thinks Violet needs some found family.

“Your teacher sounds like an asshole who doesn't have to pay rent.”

“你那老师听着就是个不用交房租的混蛋。”TL

Nurse Harrow: The Stone Face Who Never Smiles

Nurse Harrow made fun of her getup the moment they met: she was dressed like she was about to work a children’s birthday party — and what was she asking the Patron for, how to make a better balloon animal? Celeste first answered that a girl’s gotta pay rent, then that she didn’t have time to get into this, and finally just told her to shut up. Another time, Celeste called her a judgmental nurse and asked whether she ever smiles; the nurse didn’t answer, but asked back whether Celeste ever shuts up, and laid it down plainly: they are not friends, not even co-workers, just strangers on the subway whose paths are briefly crossing. All Celeste could manage was a sigh: “Jesus lady…” Later, when she put the nurse down, she joked about who had sucked all the whimsy out of her, called her a buzzkill, and admitted that the lady creeps her out.

Anecdotes

Wariness. What she fears most is landing on the radar of the OSIC. After bringing down Haze, she said the last thing she wanted was to be on the OSIC’s radar; and when Haze took her down, Haze too remarked that the OSIC is gonna want an autopsy.

“The last thing I wanted was to be on the OSIC's radar.”

“我最不想的就是引起OSIC的注意”

“The OSIC is gonna want an autopsy.”

“OSIC肯定会要求进行尸检”

Hands Off My Horn. Calico says there are people who would pay a lot of money for that horn of hers; when the fight was won, she said: you’re not taking my horn. She also asked Paradox to try stealing someone’s soul back for her, and Paradox answered that she has never done something like that before.

The Bear Pit. To Lash she said “Nope” three times running. When she knocked him down, she said that was for what he did to Lenny in the Bear Pit.

“That’s for what you did to Lenny in the Bear Pit.”

“这是对你在熊坑里对莱尼所作所为的惩罚”

Those Who Hunt Her. When Venator came after her, she asked: why is the Vatican after me? She has also said she doesn’t trust Fairfax Industries. And of the 7th Moon, she admits that pissing them off probably wasn’t her best choice.

“Why is the Vatican after me?”

“为什么梵蒂冈要追捕我？”

What Her Opponents Say. Lady Geist says she reeked of cheap cigarettes and optimism. The dazzling sideshow performer, it seems, is forever being underestimated.

The Hotel’s Invitation. The Doorman says it is safe in the Baroness Hotel: Lenny is lost, and she need not suffer with him.

“Lenny is lost, Celeste. But you need not suffer with him. It's safe here in The Baroness.”

“赛凌，莱尼已经无可救药了。但你没必要陪他一起受苦。巴隆妮斯酒店很安全。”TL

Open Questions