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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[But he's obviously not offended, merely offering a huff as the man diligently bandages over his hand.]
...I heal just fine. Nothing too fast. Not like I have these scars for fun.
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[In return, Daan is also unbothered. If anything, he seems to enjoy the banter as he works, then he considers a moment as he looks at the hand.]
...Well. I could probably get them to heal a little faster, but I don't really know how you'd feel about that.
As it is, as long as you aren't doing anything stupid, you should be fine.
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[Don't say "damn" when you see the amount of scars he has, man...]
.....That depends on what you mean by that. You have some kind of healing agent up your sleeve, doctor?
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The side effect isn't permanent, but you might end up feeling weird. Flustered. Something like that. Really, it's usually whatever you define as the concept of "love", or how the Goddess Sylvian is feeling in the moment. Kind of an annoying roulette, but it could be worse.
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[what kind of fanfiction power is this - me, the player, not verg.]
So it basically makes you blushy or. Feel like you...have a crush, is what you're getting at.
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But you're a smart man. You can differentiate between that and reality, I'm sure. Anyway, it's up to you; I'm not gonna make you do it.
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[He does seem to be debating it...]
How long does the spell last for? With its...effects.
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[he's definitely dunking on Midnight for that one]
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[......A little snort.]
Don't think you have to worry about that. You aren't my type.
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Fuck. Fair enough, then.
Its potency is a lot less since I ended up in this place, but it should help move your healing along.
[Daan cradles the injured hand into his palm, then begins to murmur. It's difficult to exactly call it a language, but it holds meaning anyway. First love's kiss, yearning, tender emotions -- whatever it is that love might mean for Vergilius is exactly how he should feel.
Something like a gasp fills the air, but it's not from Daan. Ancient runes in violet glow around them briefly as the pains in his hand fade with some of the worse cuts. Daan finishes his whispering, and he releases Vergilius' hand.]
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....Thanks a bunch, doctor.
[He watches with some curiosity despite himself - to see the technology wrought by some Corporations seemed like magic, but he's never seen anything quite like this. The runes shine in the air, as if written by an unseen hand. His hand, bloodied, torn, starts to put its acute wounds to rest.]
[....The feeling that comes over him isn't overwhelming. It's hardly unnoticeable, either. He blinks a few times, like he's just coming to on a rocking boat in the middle of a vaguely familiar ocean.]
[Vergilius feels very warm. It's the warmest he's been in years.]
...Well. That's something, alright.
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[Daan assumes that Vergilius is absolutely determined to keep his head and wits about him as much as he can afford to in just about any circumstances. A little nudge from Sylvian's nature wouldn't be enough to tip that balance in any remarkable way, Daan presumes.]
How do you feel?
[he means the wounds but y'know. there's the spell's effects too, he supposes.]
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[It's very easy to think. It's very hard to think. He doesn't blush - maybe he can't blush - but somehow, the tips of his ears feel a little hot. Like a fever.]
It's.... [He starts, stops. At a loss for words. Something moves him forward - a gentle movement of the hand, to grasp onto the other's. Not even squeezing, just resting against it.] Like I'm in a cloud, I guess. [And another pause.] Thanks for helping me. I...really mean it.
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[Huh. This is probably as close to soft as he's ever seen Vergilius. It'd be easy to tease him, but that'd be needlessly cruel. So, Daan doesn't. He expects nothing less than sincerity from him, even in a moment like this.
Very gently, he takes the hand touching his own. Platonic hand touching, no problem.]
You're welcome. You went out of your way for me a few times, and I'd be a poor doctor if I didn't try to give back as I've been given.
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[In a seemingly casual manner, he takes the opportunity to pull the man's hand up to kiss it over its back, prince-like, before letting it back down. He almost doesn't seem fully cognizant of even doing it, like its something expected to do.]
I guess payment has been rendered. [Heh.] Let's find our way out of here, Daan.
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It's just the spell, he thinks to himself. It's always the spell. Daan's seen this song and dance before, this is no different. That's the double-edged sword with Sylvian's supposed love.]
Yeah. Let's go.
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[He smirks a little at the way the other's expression changes, though there's a softness to it that's more affectionately amused than callous.]
[...Wait, he can't keep staring at Daan. Get it together. Way out. His gaze moves back to the mirrors. (There we go.) He feels like he's steering some animal too addled out of its mind to understand what reins are.]
Which way did you come from?
[He's still holding his hand. He is failing at stopping holding his hand. Damn. This really is a predicament and a half.]
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Over here. Shouldn't be too far from the exit, I think.
[Yeah, they're definitely holding hands still. Which is fine, it's actually convenient so he can tug Vergilius to follow him.]
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[Daan's hand feels very nice. Warm, even. He can scarcely remember the last time he indulged in a soft gesture like this, and he's more pleased for it. They pass several mirrors, and maybe there's more shadows and ghosts of the past to bother him, but he ignores it. He focuses on the look of Daan's face instead in the reflections around them.]
[He wants to kiss him.]
[And here comes the battle, between irrationality and cold hard logic. A part of him immediately chimes in. This is the spell talking. You asshole. You idiot. Come on. Get it together. Chiding himself, trying to push the urge down. It doesn't feel like its doing much, though. Before, urges like that were quick and easy to bury, like chinks in armor easily patched up. Here, it feels like something has been set free. He hates it. He wants to indulge in it. He feels nauseated.]
[He squeezes Daan's hand a little, which makes the whole thing worse. Of course it does.]
...Have you ever... [He starts, stops, tries not to imagine how it would feel to embrace the man, failing entirety.] Used this spell on yourself?
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It's what makes it harder when he's certain it's just the spell, Sylvian's bastardization of her idea of love.]
Yeah. More times than I've cared to count. Each time feels a little bit different. And each time means my connection to Sylvian is a bit stronger, unfortunately.
...You doing okay there?
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[Even feeling this way feels dangerous. He's dealt with monsters, people, whatever the world throws at him. And here he is, with his most insidious enemy being himself all along. He knew that from the start.]
[He wants to say he's fine as a kneejerk reflex. Instead, he starts, stops. Let him take care of you,, a voice whispers.]
Not really, no.
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[The response is at least an honest one from Vergilius. Daan hesitates, then stops midway toward the exit to turn and look at the other man.]
...Sorry. I probably shouldn't have even used that ability on you. Look, if we need to part ways here, I get it. I won't take any offense.
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[Corporations are like gods, where he comes from. He doesn't even blame anyone who throws their lot in with them, as distasteful as the idea is.]
[The man looks back at him. He lets his gaze move to the side, as if embarrassed, caught red-eyed and red-handed.]
No. I appreciate it. I don't...regret asking. [Again, the warring impulse - he wants to pull him close, reassure him. Be there for him. It feels like a maddening itch under the skin.] I just...I-I just don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.
[He hasn't even done anything. He's worried about what he might do.]
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So, he squeezes Vergilius' hand, just a bit.]
Look. I'm familiar with what you're experiencing. Whatever happens, I'm not gonna hold it against you. You have my word on that.
Frankly, if I made your injuries any better, then I don't get to regret anything else. I did my job, especially since you'd probably have just left everyone a blood trail to find. Though I guess it might suit some of the decor around here, huh?
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[What a kind man he is. He's in such a state, and he's ready to forgive. How wonderful. Would he forgive a kiss? An embrace? More? Would he forgive mo-]
[He shakes his head, like trying to get rid of a gnat, before he registers what Daan has said. He retorts with a deep snort, amused.]
It could. Then again, blood's sort of my thing. [???] Actually, no. You wouldn't understand, really. I might explain later. When my thoughts aren't being addled about how nice you look.
[haha did that slip out whoopsie (vergilius beating himself up mentally)]
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THIS SMUG CAT ICON
all it's missing is someone pointing a knife at him
time to find one exactly for this
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