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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I thank thee for the compliment, for I know it to be true. Let us be off, my kind companion.
[ ... well. she thinks herself a good heart anyway, true or not -- there are darker depths to every sinner, don is just the most optimistic of them all about things. ]
Prithee, speak thy thoughts on this fair as a whole -- have thee found it fun? I certainly have, and I intend to return every day so long as I am able.
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I don't think I've ever been to a fair quite like this before, so the experience is quite novel. There are festivals where I'm from that are similar, of course, but the lights and the rides... The overall flavor and arrangement of the event is quite new to me. I'm pleased by the experience.
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Is that so? Do, tell me more -- 'tis the first time I am experiencing such delights, and I find myself fond of them. Is that tunnel proclaiming love one such attraction that is familiar to thee? Or is it new as well?
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Mm... Not that bit. Honestly, if I hadn't seen the movies that come from Columbia, I would have been quite blindsided by the very notion. A dark tunnel, promising secrecy and love...? How thrilling.
[ Midnight laughs. ]
It's the food and games that are most familiar to me, at least in spirit. Although this place has the feel of a haunted house, perhaps, the rides are something that would be sequestered to a theme park rather than a festival like this.
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[ fascinating, says her tone. though she's not really keen on haunted stuff, so she adjusts her hold to be closer to midnight. ]
I suppose it is a little bit of everything for everyone. Have thee traversed the tunnel? Found love? It is-- a difficult thing for one such as myself to dabble in, not that I have a mind for anything but justice of course [ of course ] but the presence of it is intriguing, thou must understand, and I am always eager to hear others' stories!
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Love... Well, I'm already overflowing with it, so I don't think there was any left for me to find. [ Very matter of fact! He truly has dumbass syndrome. ] For that matter, the love one finds in such places is the sort that you take to the venue with you. [ ... wait. ] Did you have any notion of what the attraction entails?
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Th-That... As I, as I said, I have not a mind for it, for nothing but justice, but I was, perhaps, curious to see if -- as the name would imply -- that one would find love within it, though naturally I would have to forsake such a thing for their benefit rather than mine own, the life of a Fixer is far too dangerous to entangle another and other such reasons, and also one of my profession dedicates their life to it, and to goodness and self-sacrifice for the sake of others and whatnot!
[ she might be embarrassed by the question but rest assured, she is a dumbass too. ]
So, ehm, perhaps I... misjudged the purpose of the tunnel, if thy word is true.
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It is, though I do dearly wish we lived in a world where love could, in fact, be found so easily. You're quite on about your duty, aren't you?
[ He had the feeling she was very... mannerly... but unlike Miss Saga, Miss Don has a certain courtly vibe. ]
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It is all that I live for, and all I strive to see done in the world! As such, there are... experiences, perhaps, that I am missing out on that others have had, [ she's been made aware that's the only way she knows, ] but I do not feel lacking because of it. So long as those important to me can live to smile another day, then I am satisfied.
[ ... mostly. it isn't like she's yearning for a romance, but having someone to rest against once in a while isn't bad. that she knows already. ]
I am merely left curious by things outside of my sphere, that is all.
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[ Hmmm. ]
I suppose I'd be rather curious about whether others were happy with their love, were I you. I usually am quite curious about whether other people are happy, although I do confess that's a personal motivation.
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[ in the ways they cannot care for themselves, she remembers. and the opposite. ]
Thou'rt kinder for it, my companion, and I shall assure thee now that I shan't ever be anything but happy so long as I live! So there is no need to ask nor think of me -- thine attention may be laid safely elsewhere.
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[ Midnight grins. ]
There's the trouble, isn't it? The lovelier you make yourself to cause others less worry, the more people wonder about the circumstances of someone so lovable. The imagination fills in what reality cannot.
[ The eternal struggle. ]
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In that case, I shall allow thee to think of me whenever it should please thee, only do not allow imagination to fill the gaps -- I will be truthful in all matters if asked, but only then. It is against my principles to allow others to worry over me, for I aim to be dependable as any other Fixer of similar or better renown, and I seek to ease it as I can.
[ she's tweaked minor habits while she's been here, for her roommate's sake. only small ones to keep his heart from being too fretful. many other friends don't tend to worry over her so much for this and that reason -- not out of a lack of care, but more of a confidence in her -- so if there is someone who still wants to, she'll make it easy for them. ]
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[ ... Okay, he is teasing her just a little bit, but only because he can't promise her anything, either. ]
... A Fixer? What, like Miss Gebura?
[ ... How many of his friends are going to be Fixers? Time will only tell. ]
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[ ❤️ mistress gebura ❤️ ]
I have much to learn, but I am ever eager to hear her speak. She is stunning, no?
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What words do a woman like Miss Gebura justice? Radiant, majestic, graceful, peerless... All of these words are true, and yet.
[ A tut. ]
Simply insufficient for a lady of her quality. Perhaps she transcends such things... Though I must say you're the first I've met who understands my meaning on this.
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[ a sigh. ]
Why, she could have very well become a Color -- the highest honor a Fixer can achieve for their grace and noble hearts -- if her career were not cut short by circumstances I know naught of but surely must have been grave indeed, my friend, to take her from such a path she was so clearly born to tread. There is simply no one who understands thee better in this than I, and I can see I have found myself in thee as well.
[ wanna start a fancl ]
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Inspirational. You're quite correct. In absence of the correct words, one has no choice but to sing her praises ad infinitum. Were that I had some idea of what accolades you've laid upon her... Oh, that I had some power to bestow the greatest of titles in my world upon her! I do think she'd be among the veteran class at Rhodes Island, easily.
[ ... Now that he thinks about it, she does bear a striking similarity to Miss Siege... It's more the aura than the look, but it's uncanny. ]
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What is that thee do at Rhode Islands? Is that place why thee have taken up the blade as of late?
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Mm... Well, I'm currently employed as a civilian operator with their paramilitary force. I'm with the reserve corps. Before that, I had very little combat experience, so there is a very low possibility that I'd rank much higher than Senior rank... I would like to try, though.
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Hoho, Outis would get a fair more bit of mileage out of thy jargon than I, for she and Dear Gregor were both veterans upon a battlefield... I thank thee for the follow-up explanation. [ she gets reserves. she's sometimes part of that when they do the mirror dungeon. ] Why have thee not tried? Or have thee not been granted the chance to, is all?
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Ah, Gregor... Midnight still thinks about that odd, kind little man. He hopes he's doing all right... wherever he is. He shakes his head in response to the question, though. ]
I've enough skill to hold my own in more mundane scenarios of self-defense, but when it comes to live combat, my experience is terribly lacking. I really only started training a handful of years ago. Never had much interest in fighting before that. I suppose I could apply for the ranking examination anytime I liked, but those at even at the rank directly above mine are retired mercenaries, or survivors of prolonged action. I've far to go, even in the most generous evaluation of my skill.
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[ so she's got hope for midnight, that he'll do just fine when it counts. just like he's doing now with this maze. ]
It was hard for him at first, but when it becomes thyself or them -- well, the desire to live overcomes most if not all else.
[ ... and they can come back from death but. it's fine. that's just the training wheels; they've been getting better lately, fighting more without dante's direction, and don's smile is reflected (distorted) in the mirrors. ]
That is what decides a battle, be it mundane or prolonged: whether thee wishes to live more than thine opponent. And those of us who have a place we desire to "fit" have more reason to live than any other.
[ oh, to have a bit of alcohol to go with that quiet bit of truth. she likes to be needed, to be cherished (even if it's through fussing), to be relied on... the only way to have any of that is to ensure her own life. ]
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He looks away near the end, though, when she talks about the desire to live. Life, huh... According to Gebura, it's much more of a flexible construct than he's accustomed to. ]
Not to put a damper on the conversation, but seeing as how you've persevered through your share of combat... Do you fear death?
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[ why should she? it doesn't matter there, despite ishmael's concerns, it doesn't matter here, but...
she glances away from herself. even so, hadn't she been fussed at by more than one person -- friend and stranger alike -- for not sparing more meaning to her life? for not considering what it would mean for the ones who sought to bury her, who would see and know they couldn't stop it? it weighs heavily on her even now, when it comes to mind. ]
Though... I know that such a sentiment is upsetting to others, for when I broached the subject as a whole I was scolded quite firmly by many. It is not as if I am looking to die, my friend, but there are simply more important things than allowing the fear of the inevitable to control thy life.
[ because even before, surely, surely, she had been thoughtless. maybe part of her is looking to die. for her life to have some worth through it. but who can say? every flame has to blow out sometime. ]
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