citylogs | EVENT: The Nights Were Humid, Still. (September 2023)

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EVENT: The Nights Were Humid, Still. (September 2023)

THE NIGHTS WERE HUMID, STILL.

WE WERE DREAMING, WAITING FOR NIGHT.
» THE PARK — INTRODUCTORY NOTES

When District 3 opens up, subtle and silent at first, the most noticeable area is the large park. A mixture of open picnic fields and heavily wooded trails, the park offers an escape from the cityscapes for those who seek an oasis amongst nature. Benches and light posts dot the twisting paths, offering a moment's rest to anyone traversing the park for a leisurely stroll or running for… exercise. Unlike its smaller cousin to the south, this park is devoid of statues or monuments, instead more of a tribute to nature and the pursuit of its company. There are, however, several small playgrounds spread around the outer edges for anyone who seeks some playtime with their inner child.

Speaking of your inner child, should you venture to the southern half of the park, you'll find a small carnival that appears to be abandoned. The rides and stalls all appear to be in decent condition despite lying still and silent; if you choose to hop the fence, you'll find that the cables running haphazardly over the grass are connected but powerless. No amount of effort to turn on the rides nor break into the games will prove fruitful, but the park at large has posters stapled to trees here and there advertising the opening of the fun fair very, very soon.

For those who are brave enough to leave the paved walkways to venture deeper into nature, you may find hidden gems—a quiet pond covered in lilypads with a small dock to sit on and dip your feet into the green waters; a romantic pair of swings atop a small knoll overlooking a creek; a shortcut through the trees where even your footsteps are muted by the leaves and dappled sunlight barely reaches your face through the trees above. Here and there you'll find the woods open up to a secluded meadow where the grass is tall and the wildflowers grow thick.

You may also find yourself imagining things just out of reach, like shadowy figures darting from bush to bush, predatory in nature. The phantom call of a crow may echo through the forest's canopy though, like the rest of the city, there is no wildlife to be seen nor heard otherwise. Was that the shout of a woman in the distance, or the cry of a fox? The longer time stretches on, the harder you'll find it is to make your way back out of the treeline, and the trees stretch far above to block out any hope of navigating back to the familiar buildings of the surrounding city. You might want to call for help—if you get find service for your device, that is.

The new park is a permanent location that is open to residents 24/7 as there are no fences nor gates. It's larger than the one new City Hall and has more potential for exploring as well as different features from its cousin. For those that are familiar, it will evoke thoughts of New York's Central Park with its mixture of open areas contrasting with thick woods. Paved walkways, freshwater ponds, picnic areas, and a couple of playgrounds can all be found throughout the park. Along with these, residents may stumble upon other natural and man-made areas such as rocky outcrops, unmarked trails, bicycle paths, fountains, and other things typically found in large urban parks—minus the wildlife. It can be a romantic setting as easily as it can be a horrific one depending on the time of day as well as the company that you keep.

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THEN THE HEAT BROKE, THE NIGHT WAS CLEAR.
» THE FAIR — RIDES & ATTRACTIONS

At 6:00 PM City time on September 19th, the numerous light bulbs of the fun fair burst into blinding color simultaneously, lighting up the darkening sky as loud carnival music slowly churns to life from unseen speakers. The rides all spring into motion, operating on a strict schedule that will allow carnival-goers the time to get on the ride as well as stumble back off after they've had their fun. No one is running the rides that you can see, though they all have the typical podium with an array of buttons that could be used to start and stop the machinery that creaks and groans with age. If you'd like to see what it's like working as a rider operator, you're more than welcome—just make sure you're not making everyone sick.

Due to the fair's small size, the rides are all fairly tame in size and speed. There's a merry-go-round with brightly painted horses to ride along with a handful of mermaids, sculpted hair permanently billowing in the wind. One section at the edge is dedicated to a massive stationary head, evocative of a ventriloquist's dummy, with its mouth gaping open for riders to sit inside, perched on the tongue-shaped bench. For the braver riders, a few other unnerving steeds await, such as a lion with blood dripping from its teeth and claws, a zebra with eight legs, an uncomfortably hairy tarantula, and a gray-skinned creature with its eyeless head split open into a massive mess of razor-sharp teeth. Though the merry-go-round spins at a leisurely pace, staying on if for too long is likely to induce a strange sense of dizziness even after disembarking and attempting to walk it off. The repetitive groan of the pipe organ rings in your ears, hardly helping your disorientation at all though you seek a quiet place to recuperate.

Further along in the fair is a low building comprised of little more than a laminate floor, metal grating roof, and bright red railing that encloses all sides. Strewn about inside are bumper cars, big enough for two if you want to squish in together with a friend, but lacking seatbelts. As you run to find a car you like, you can hear the electricity begin to hum through the roof and spark with the bent antennae of each car as their motors awaken. Loud rock music drowns out the sound of squealing wheels as the drivers begin the arduous task of steering the bumper cars into each other. It's all fun and games at first, but it's easy for a little competition to turn into a grudge match.

The last ride looks like a large metal bowl with steep sides painted dark blue and covered with stars, plantes, galaxies, and a comically simplistic spaceship. The archway standing just in front of the ride's entrance calls it "THE GRAVI-ATOR" with a disclaimer in small print about holding on tightly to personal belongings once on the ride. Stepping into the door cut out in one side, you'll find there are no straps nor seats—everyone should find themselves a comfortable place to lean, preferably in one of the spots that has padding on the walls, because soon the ride will begin to spin and everyone will be pinned down by centrifugal force.

Though they may not be as thrilling as the mechanical rides, there are a few tamer attractions for those seeking a break from the bright lights and loud sounds of the carnival. A hall of mirrors stands to one side of the area, a gaping clown mouth serving as the entrance to the dark building. The laughter and screams from outside are quickly muffled as atmospheric music plays lowly while you try to navigate through a maze of mirrors, many of which distort your appearance. You may see flashes of people that you don't remember seeing come inside, oddly shaped and shadowy where the corners of two mirrors meet. Did you feel someone brush up against you? No, impossible in such tight corridors, but you should probably hurry along to the exit.

There is also, of course, a tunnel of love, though it is a cheap imitation of one. Rather than sitting in a romantic gondola, those interested in going through will do so on foot—a rather daunting task considering that you'll be in the dark once you walk through the heart-shaped door and through the musty red curtains. Still, there's enough time to steal a kiss, or grasp blindly for a hand to hold if you're scared of the dark. Has your lover always had such cold, rough hands? It might be soothing in the muggy warmth you find inside, or maybe it's reason enough to find the way out on your own.

Located in the southern half of the large park is a small fun fair that will open to the public the evening of September 19 with operating hours from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM City time. Before opening, none of the rides or games will be operational; however, there will be fliers advertising its opening all around the city on billboards and telephone poles, and adventurous characters are able to hop the fence and explore if they so desire. However, they will not be able to turn on any of the rides or games, and will not be able to break into the rides or booths under any circumstances.

Upon opening, there will be a number of rides running themselves on a schedule that allows people time to get on, have some fun, and then get back off again. Though there's something unsettling about the music they play, or maybe how shaky they feel, there's no apparent danger anywhere. Residents are encouraged to enjoy themselves with a group of friends, or maybe a date, and experience all that the fun fair has to offer! The fair will not be open forever, though; its gates will close permanently at 11:00 PM on September 30 and all traces will disappear that night to leave a large, open field behind in the park.

This is a good, ol' fashioned carnival designed to bring together groups of people for thrills and fun. Though there are no overt game mechanics at play, we encourage everyone to get creative and add their own flair to this month's event. If you have any questions about player plots you'd like to run, please revisit the Events & Interactions section of the F.A.Q. and drop us a comment on the mod contact for any additional questions.

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IT SEEMED AN HONOR TO HAVE A MOUTH.
» THE FUN — GAMES & FOOD

The majority of the fair is occupied by stalls full of fair games, their walls and awnings decorated in various themes to match. The shooting gallery is a scene from the American West, cowboys astride horses with a background of cacti and orange rocky mesas. The targets themselves are a variety of desert animals: vultures flying from the roof, lizards skittering along the ground, and coyotes chasing rabbits throughout the middle. A handful of rifles are waiting along the half wall in front, chained and bolted to the wooden surface to keep them from getting carried off, and an array of hats hang above them as prizes displayed for winners. There are the typical cowboy hats, then some pink and green ones, some multi-colored jester hats, and a few that look like uncomfortably realistic rubber masks of faces twisted into horrifying expressions.

The next stall over is as different as can be imagined with psychedelic rainbows, glow-in-the-dark smiley faces, and paint splotches covering all surfaces. Inside is a grid of brightly colored balloons that rain silver glitter once they're popped. Cups of plastic darts lie in wait for those who wish to try their luck to pop five balloons in a row, though the observant will notice there are only four darts per cup. The sides are lined with prizes ranging from sticky fingers, slide whistles, and bouncy balls to an assortment of blow-up weapons such swords, hammers, maces, and frying pans.

Another quintessential carnival game is ring toss, set up in an extra large stall with three open sides for groups to play together if they wish. The bottles are all uniform in size, shape, and their clear color, but if you get a good look at a few, some appear to have items floating inside of them, suspended in glowing liquid. Above, massive stuffed animals hang from every possible section of the ceiling. None of them look quite right, though, such as the smiling bear with an extra row of teeth or the goose with two heads at the end of one floppy neck. The dog is pretty cute, but it's missing an arm and a leg in a way that appears intentional, and that cat has its eyes sewn shut.

Of course, no fair would be complete without food. There are plenty of stalls ready to serve, much like the restaurants in the city, where residents are welcome to swing by for some greasy grub. Corn dogs, fries, funnel cake, pizza, shaved ice, and fried junk food are all easy to find around the carnival. Spread amongst the stalls are popcorn machines playing cheerful music, carts with towering racks of bagged cotton candy, and poles planted in the ground with rainbow lollipops and candied apples sprouting from them. In one corner of the fair where the biggest concentration of food stalls can be found, there is an area of tables with umbrellas for anyone to sit and eat. Food at the fair adheres to it's own unique reset cycle and can be found replenished every evening at 6:00PM just in time for opening.

Despite the potential for danger from the shooting gallery and balloon dart games, both are designed to be as harmless as possible—the bullets are rubber, and the darts are made of plastic. While they will still leave a bruise, there shouldn't be risk of blood loss. The shooting gallery guns are chained in place, unable to be stolen. Removing the darts from their stall will result in thiefs walking in a tight circle that always brings them back in hopes the darts will be restored to their rightful place.

Though the food and games are free, the prizes are not—anyone who attempts to steal prizes without winning the games first will find themselves misplacing their items before leaving the carnival. If residents become aware of this phenomenon and try extra hard to focus on not losing their stolen prize, it will nevertheless slip from their hands and be lost—though a keen eye might see it back in its rightful place at the game stall. If you have the right temperament, this could become a game in and of itself!

Additionally, if there are any fair games or foods that have not been explicitly mentioned above, players are welcome to assume they can be found. Nothing as extravagant as a theme park or amusement park will be present as all of the stalls are designed to be mobile—this is a traveling carnival, after all. Similarly, players are welcome to design their own brand of unsettling game prizes as long as none of them can be used as an actual weapon or to otherwise harm fellow fair-goers.

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WILDCARD.

The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back.

If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations.

This month's event headers come from "Midsummer" by Louise Gluck.

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TUNNEL OF LOVE.

( the carnival here, in this city, feels similar to the school festivals that would occur back home. of course, many of these rides and games and even snacks are reminiscent of a different place, and not necessarily japan: still, there's a lot to look at, and though he's not usually the type to enjoy places that are loud and chaotic, there's likely something to be gleaned from this experience. if nothing else, he can at least confirm whether or not the strange presences from the mall exist here, too.

it's the sign for the tunnel of love that has him most perplexed--a hall of mirrors makes sense, and a merry-go-round makes sense, and even a shooting gallery makes sense, but a 'tunnel of love' seems both foreboding and terrifying in its own right. he's watched a few couples head inside, but past the old red door, there's only darkness. is it some kind of haunted house, then?

with his arms folded against his chest, he waits outside the attraction, wondering. gently, then, quiet and so as not to disturb, he wonders to the next person that comes by: )

...Do you have to be in love? To go through...the tunnel of love. ( it seems like it would make sense, anyway. )

GOLDFISH SCOOPING.

( although many of the games are unfamiliar to him, there are a few that make more sense than others. balloon darts, for example, or the ring toss: he'd looked up at those strange prizes and decided to avoid those games, for now, as though not entirely certain that he should be taking home any of those creatures. some of them remind him of the creatures he experienced inside the 'create a creature' store in the mall--and he definitely doesn't feel any better now, seeing them stuffed and waiting for eager hands.

so, instead, he wanders towards the quieter side of the gaming alley. here, further away from the steady pop of rubber bullets or the crack of balloons exploding, are a few easier games, or ones that are geared towards a younger crowd. among them is a game that he's played before as a child, going to festivals in japan: the goldfish catching game, a large, cold tank of water set out along the ground and buckets of paper scoopers that are meant to be used to fish up the fish.

of course, as he crouches down by the tank, he realizes that the items in the tank are not goldfish--most of them are plastic toy fish, wriggling by some battery-powered motor, but some of the fish have legs, some of them have the heads of other animals, some of them are just blobs of colored plastic. with a faint frown, he picks up a paper scoop and dips it down into the water. like it or not, he does want to catch at least one. )

BUMPER CARS.

( one of the many things he'd never really considered about adulthood: getting his driver's license.

after all, is there really much of a use for it? not only is it expensive to get, but he can already get around fairly easily by public transportation; more than that, of course, is the ability his quirk gives him, skating quickly across cement via ice. then again, he's always thought that some of the other pro heroes looked really cool while driving, and his father rarely drives...

well, this can be practice, then. waiting patiently for the gate to open, he heads out into the bumper car track, neck craning to look up as a crack of electricity seems to bolt through the whole device. it's not quite dangerous yet, but he does wonder about the age of this ride; solemnly, he picks a bright blue car, hopping over the side of it and sliding down to sit.

hopefully he's not about to endure this round alone: with quick, curious eyes, he glances around as he watches others come into their cars. maybe it's someone he knows, or maybe not: but either way, he'll give a quick, polite bow of his head, addressing them calmly. )

Do you know what you're doing? ( because outside of video games, he doesn't. )

OOC & WILDCARD.

feel free to hit me with something random, i'm open to all prompts! alternately, feel free to send me a PM and i can write us something closed.

[ Hiyori shakes his head in response to the question. There's a few couples here, but he does find that the pool of participants would be small and smaller if they were limited to that. ]

No, of course not... It's enjoyed by couples first and foremost, but you can go through it with anyone... Well, normally at least. They might be stricter here.

[ There's an amused little smile, and he doesn't seem to be concerned about hat prospect. It's just a marketing gimmick, actually, with darkness and other quirks to make it seem secretive and a little scandalous. He's not that cynical to speak those words aloud though, especially not when he himself is fond of such romantic gestures. ]

Did you want to try?

Couples...

( there's a soft nod of his chin, as though assenting: it does make sense, given the amount of couples who have found their way through the doors, but it doesn't seem like love is a prerequisite at all, then. peculiar name for a peculiar attraction.

his gaze moves from the entrance to the boy beside him--he seems kind, at least, and doesn't seem to react negatively towards his questions, which is a relief. there's a faint, embarrassed hint of a smile on his lips as he shrugs a shoulder. )

I'm not sure. It might be a good idea to go through it to make sure everyone inside is okay... Ah. ( an embarrassed dip of his chin. ) I'm sorry, did you want to go through? I hope I'm not keeping you from your...couple.

[ He shakes his head with a little chuckle. ]

Nothing of the sort... I haven't found that special person yet, myself.

[ It goes without saying that it would prove to be more difficult here, too, but he's content enough to see others. He folds his hands behind his back, tilting his head back to admire the sign. It's gaudy, led lights illuminating a dark entrance, and he nods now. ]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, hm? We should make sure the others are alright, and at any rate we might as well see all the attractions, hm?

[ He'd like to say that it's pretty enough to be enjoyable even if one isn't coupled, but.. Well, all of the attractions here seem to have their own quirks. ]

( he likes the sound of that: nothing ventured, nothing gained. it's a good way to look at things, something that he's put into his own actions without even realizing it; it makes him feel a little more comfortable with this stranger, where he might normally feel a little put-off.

still, if they're going to go through this ride together, then-- )

I'm Shouto. Todoroki Shouto. ( this is said with a slightly stiff bob of his head, a bow of greeting, before his gaze works shyly back to the stranger's face, and then down again. how should he do this?

awkwardly, he bends an arm at his side: offering the crook of his elbow. )

...I figure we ought to play the part. ( in explanation. )

Sou Hiyori. It's a pleasure to meet you, Shouto-kun.

[ There's a nod in return, and his suggestion earns a slightly humored but nonetheless warm smile. ]

Is that so? People will get the wrong idea, you know, and then you'll be labeled a playboy who toys with people's hearts...!

[ Well, that's not quite right - if anyone would be scolded it would be Hiyori, who ought to be more responsible of the pair. He doesn't mind that though - if they run into issues that will take priority in people's mind, and if they don't it was just a bit of fun. And so he has no issues linking arms with the other, pulling him close and approaching the attraction without a care (or at least, none that he shows, being that worrying will do less for them than action.) ]

Let's see... If we're playing the part, we should do it properly! What's Shouto-kun's ideal partner like?

todoroki shouto | my hero academia

tunnel

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goldfishing

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Bumper Cars

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goldfish

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1/2

Tunnel

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