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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citylogs2023-09-19 09:00 pm
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Lestat, showing a grace and maturity that Louis has rarely seen from him. Armand, his face and manner utterly unreadable. And Louis, feeling utterly out of his depth.
Selfishly, Louis is glad when Armand chooses to acquiesce (because it is a choice, Louis knows that much) and he easily takes his place at Armand's side, looking to Lestat to do the artistic work of placing the final touches and posing him just as he likes. )
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He feels his hands tighten in the air now that Armand has moved from him, a brief tensing of his hands into fists, a sight that makes him miss those dark leather gloves he'd taken to wearing, and then they fall to his side and he nods.
Peace, he'd said, as if peace was granted so easily that all you had to do was wish for it. Perhaps the more he says it, the more he'll believe it. Lestat feels like he knows nothing of peace now, with his heart torn between breaking and bursting, but in a quick moment he decides that he won't let it spoil this, he won't let it fester and become something that taints this picture, this memory. He won't become a victim to his own feelings, even as his face prickles with a strange kind of heat. If he has to wrench peace up by the throat and hold it still enough for him to subdue it, even for a second, then such a violent monster he will be. ]
A crowd.. [ Lestat scoffs lightly, pulling a smile onto his face as he regards Armand, trying not to wince at the sight of him taking down his hair, undoing his influence, how it burns in him almost like embarrassment. ] You look good, Armand, but not that good.
[ Louis comes into view and immediately Lestat feels relief-- but then he looks up at him with that expectant face, waiting for him to mould him like he'd tried to do for Armand, and his smile goes a little tight. He knows it's foolish, to think this way when Louis has always welcomed these particular kinds of choices being taken out of his hands, but Lestat's hands feel frozen at his sides. ]
Ah, we'll offset the balance at the back, Louis. That should look good in such a small frame, don't you think?
[ Eventually he manages to raise one enough to straighten Louis' lapel, patting the buttons of his waistcoat appreciatively, before turning to position himself slightly behind and to the left of Armand's smaller body with Louis on his right, the cord to the camera shutter in hand and prepared to snap it once they take their places and hold still. ]
no subject
He's posed for many over the years and plenty of paintings before that - knows exactly how to stand, to tilt his head - summons up the phantom touch of a large hand to his face, like that, just so and breathes out.
He can practically see how they'll look together - Blue, Gold, Green - thinks of the swirl of time that has brought the three of them, these clothes, this technology together, to offer them something that would have been impossible. It's the kind of juxtaposition that would have Daniel crowing with glee, snapping away for hours if they'd let him, just for the pure novelty of it.
It's enough to let the expressionless cast of his face slip - even just for himself - not the beguiling innocence of the youth his master loved to paint, but an open expression. Fond, still a little flushed, the carefully vague smile of a Vampire hiding his fangs - Armand.
The camera flashes as Lestat depresses the trigger and he can't tell the expressions of his companions, but there's lasting tension there, tension he doesn't want committed to celluloid. He rocks his weight back the smallest amount, as if startled by the flash, the barest press of his shoulder against Louis' arm and the ghost of his knuckles against the back of Lestat's hand. ]
Take another one, won't you?
no subject
The shutter goes off; he looks slightly haunted in the photograph, matching Armand's tension.
Louis glances downward at Armand's request and the press of his shoulder. )
Did you blink?
( Well, it doesn't matter if that's only plausible deniability for both of them. Louis gathers himself, some of the unhappiness in his posture traded for something lighter and gentler, more accommodating. )
That's all right. We'll try again. On the count of three this time, Lestat?
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He takes Armand's hand in his, cold fingers around smaller knuckles, folding them in and lifting them so that he can guide Armand's hand to rest daintily across the embroidered lapel of his golden coat, and then lets his own hand find a home on his shoulder. ]
Stand a little closer, that's it. Louis--
[ His other arm draws Louis in by a guiding hand at the nape of his neck. He glances at him and quirks his lip, like it's an apology for their pose not befitting the regal quality of their dress, and then turns to the camera and wrenches a grin onto his face with less difficulty than he thought. ]
That's better. Now. One, two, three-
no subject
He reaches for the back of the camera, opening the cartridge to see the prints and ah - yes, his first instinct had been correct with the first - but with the other duplicates...
Armand looks down at the photo in his hands and smiles. A moment of fond, unconscious emotion curving his face - the kind of moment only perhaps two others have really been privy to - before his expression slips back to a serene state and he approaches the other two, the copy in hand. ]
Charming enough don't you think?
[ Were it not for Lestat's animate grin - not to mention their poses, the closeness and openness of Louis and Armand's expressions - it would look like any portrait painted in the era, the slight sepia cast to the colours rendering the three of them in the mortal perfection of a painters brush and not the cool blankness of death. ]
no subject
... It's touching.
Louis presses against Lestat with a soft almost-smile on his face, looking something like a proud parent might. )
Ah... it's even better than I expected. Thank you, Armand, for indulging my whim.
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How like Louis it is, too, to take the blame for the rocky sea of their coming together. Lestat considers assuring him that the whim wasn't his, but.. if this handsome looking photo is the product, Lestat doesn't think it such a bad thing to be to blame for. ]
Agreed. It's the most content I've ever seen the two of you look.
[ He can't resist the tease, the little pinched grin that says he knows full well how cheeky he's being, and then he looks up at Armand with something a little more genuine. ]
Yes, thank you, Armand. You're free to go, should you wish it. Though I'd recommend you change beforehand. We saw someone try to steal a prize earlier, and I don't think you'd find the consequences too amusing.