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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citycenter) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
citylogs2023-09-19 09:00 pm
sorry for the late reply!
"Unh-- just a wee bit queasy..." And not as steady on his feet as he'd like to be. But hopefully if he finds a place to sit and try to breathe it out, he won't be throwing up on anyone or anything.
His grip tightens in Loki's shirt as he takes another small step forward. "...this ride is bloody awful!"
My turn to apologize!
There’s a moment where he recalls having a conversation with Marc about shaving his hair and he almost giggles, but only almost.
He manages to quell that urge and instead places a hand on the man’s shoulder. Part of him wants to leave the man to his queasiness and maybe check out another ride, but he’s starting to think of Marc as a friend and he owes the man for wanting to help him figure out his magic, so he feels like maybe leaving his doppelgänger to his own devices isn’t the nicest thing to do.
“Come and sit,” Loki says as Steven grips his shirt and leads him to a nearby bench. “Would you like some of my popcorn? I find sometimes salty foods calm my stomach when I’m in such a state.” Not that Loki is often in such a state, and when he has been, rarely there is much food around, but it is something that helped him when he was a child.
no worries!
"I'd been fasting. It's probably a bad idea, actually..." or maybe it's a good idea considering he doesn't have much to throw up.
"You been alright? Tried all the rides and games and everything?"
Re: no worries!
“Fasting? Not always a bad thing, though it likely did make these rides harder to take.” Loki knew well what it was like to go long periods without food and mostly it made him feel nauseous and light-headed. He can’t imagine it would do well to ride anything while feeling like that. “May I ask why you are fasting?”
Loki nods as he watches Marc’s double, fascinated with how he can look so much like him and act completely differently. “Yes, I believe I have tried all there is to offer. No ill effects thus far.”
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"Yom Kippur's just past. It was a holiday where we-- well we didn't go anywhere, here in the city. But we fasted and reflected a wee bit over how far we've come and talked about what we might want to do in the coming year. Marc and I I mean. Assuming we get out of all this--" Steven pauses and gestures with a twirl of his hand to their general vicinity, signaling at nothing in particular but just the city around them. "Alive and in one piece."
Technically they were in one piece but now they're in two pieces, so. It's not going so well...
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He doesn’t know that he’s Marc’s superpower, only that Marc cares about him and that they appear to be twins (which explains why Marc cares so much, at least to Loki. He has a brother himself and despite everything, does care very much for Thor).
“Yom Kippur. That is a Midgardian religious holiday, yes?” It sounds familiar, but Loki would be lying if he said he’s paid much attention to anything from earth beyond his own needs. “That sounds like a nice holiday.” Mostly Loki is being polite now. He’s not one to be very good at self reflection. In fact, it sounds a bit like a living nightmare to him, but who is he to judge?
At the mention of getting out in one piece, Loki stiffens slightly, knowing there is no getting out for him, unless he can somehow manage to get back to a different point in time. He hates that he was brought here and that he’s been weakened and is unable to live as he is used to, but so far it is better than death. “I do hope you are able to. I believe Marc deserves his life back, and assume you do as well.”
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"I do love some Norse mythology... Admittedly I don't know as much about it as I do the Ancient Egyptians but I do have an interest in the subject and I'm sure there are plenty of parallels, as there is with many ancient beliefs. I think there's a lot to learn outside of the mainstream, cherry-picked, surface-level readings of the culture."
If he gets his life back, he's going full nerd apparently. And Marc is going to have to put up with a lot more than what he's already having to tolerate.
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Loki huffs slightly. He’s also not too keen on how many people think he’s a myth, but the rest of what Steven says has him interested. Most simply dismiss his claims of actually being Loki. Or at least once they do believe, don’t think too much more deeply on that (not that it was something he expected. Humans really didn’t often deal well with learning these things), but Steven seems much more interested.
“Yes, thank you. People don’t really seem to care to learn about us, or any other, as you say ancient, beliefs. I must say, it is refreshing to find someone who is at least a little bit interested.”
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"'Your people'? What people? And how did vikings find out about 'your people'?" Steven has like thirty questions but at least he's vaguely keeping them on track instead of going off on his wild history and mythology
and conspiracy theoriestangents."I'm very interested!" Steven says with his back slightly more straightened and his chest puffed out. All the queasiness seems to have magically disappeared as soon as they start talking about his favourite topic. "There's a lot you can teach me if you're into Norse mythology."
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Questions though, especially ones about himself, those Loki can handle. “Well, I was raised by Asgardians, but I am from Jotunheim, the land of the frost giants. So I have the physical abilities of one, but the societal views of the other.”
Loki shakes his head slightly at the strange man, who is charming in his own way. “It is no mythology to me, but yes, if you are interested, I would gladly let you know what Asgard was really like.” Or at least, really like for him.
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"Wow!! Asgard?!" Steven can barely contain his excitement. That this might be the very same god trying to worm his way into Marc's heart to get him to help is lost on Steven.
"I've never been!" And Steven is not even trying to be funny. "I'd love to know more, yeah! Shame we don't have pictures from home on our phones! Not that London would be as impressive as Asgard. She's got some charm left in her to be sure, that old gal, but some parts are pretty rubbish..."
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Then again, considering where they find themselves, maybe they were both crazy.
“You’ve heard of it then?” Loki can’t help but find a bit of his enthusiasm contagious. As much as he has denied how much he misses Asgard in the past, the events of Ragnarok changed much of that for him. As it is, he has no idea that anyone might think he’s trying anything nefarious concerning his friendship with Marc. But for the moment, Loki is blissfully unaware.
Loki chuckles softly. “No, not many humans have had the pleasure. I suppose it is a shame that I have no pictures for you. Perhaps tales of my people would do in their stead?”
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"Maybe we should write some of this down." Asking for a recording is probably too invasive but at least he can play scribe and they can furnish and embellish with as much fact or fiction to make it material worthy of the library's collection.
"If you're willing to share your stories of course? With other people?" Imagine the tales he could spin. Nobody would think to question otherwise.
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Loki cocks his head in thought, a small smile on his face. “You would transcribe for me? I have heard that there are others who are writing down stories to fill the books around this place. I suppose we could help with that, if you are willing.”
A lightness fills him for a moment. The idea of doing something good, even it if was just marking stories for others to read. That was a good thing, right? Loki isn’t always sure, he spent so long wrapped up in his own issues he’d lost sight of what was good and evil for a long time, but this felt like something right, at very least.
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"It's not easy, writing a good book, even if you are just making a story up as you go. Especially if you're just making it up as you go. But it can make you feel good if you're working on getting something off your chest, without having to really talk about it. Of course I'll just write down everything you say, but. I'm happy to do some editing too! I mean I'm no editor, but. I've read a lot." That counts for something at least, right?
"Wish I had some good stories to tell meself. But I haven't lived much of an interesting life..." Hence all that vicarious living through books, no doubt. Maybe luck does factor into it, but importantly, it's that adventurous spirit, and willingness to take risks, and Steven doesn't have very much of those in his bones either.
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He doesn’t expect Steven to say yes to the in his mind part, but he puts it on the table anyway. You never know if you don’t ask, after all.
“I cannot say I have ever made up a complete story as I went along.” He sounds vaguely impressed that anyone can. Loki is an adept storyteller, but every one he’s ever told has at least been based in some sort of truth, though he often embellishes. Creating a new story, purely from fiction would require planning, something Loki doesn’t typically have the patience for. It’s much easier to simply build on something that actually happened. At least for him.
“I would not mind seeing what you might have in mind to add to my stories. Though I would like to retain the right to not include your suggestions.” He realizes he might sound a bit rude, but he doesn’t know what kind of things he might add. If they’re good, they can stay. If not, he wants to be clear that he will not want them included.
Loki looks at Steven, considering. “Oh, I don’t know. I would say your life right now is rather interesting. There must be something about you that caused this place to bring you here. I’ve hardly met anyone I would consider truly boring, which truly is a feat. Perhaps you do not give yourself enough credit.”
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"I wouldn't add anything fantastical! I mean just. Maybe minor things. Grammar or. Some descriptions here and there. Maybe too long or too short in certain places, you know. I know it's all very clear in your mind but it doesn't always all translate well in writing... I'm definitely not touching any of the meaty bits!" Are they still talking about writing?
He flashes Loki a small, tight-lipped smile. It's comforting for someone else to see something potentially in Steven. Or rather maybe it's hard to take Marc seriously when he's been gaslighting Steven and trying to protect him this whole time.
"Perhaps. I'll have to think about the things I've done too. If they're worthy of anything. It's just-- not always that easy when you don't exactly measure up to an older brother, you know? Or maybe you don't know."
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“I’ll have you know my grammar is impeccable.” He puts on an air of annoyance, but really he’s teasing. The Loki of old would have definitely been annoyed by such a suggestion, but he’s finding Steven much too charming to feel any real animosity. He glances at him from the corner of his eyes, trying not to smirk, waiting to see what kind of reaction he gets.
Loki turns back to him fully then. “At least if you find you don’t have anything interesting to write, you could add something fantastical.”
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"Something fantastical? Well yes of course. I suppose I have a rather-- vivid imagination to thank for some of the stories I could tell." Of course the fact that they're either mostly true or at least truth+embellishments is not something he could easily attest to without sounding downright insane.
And he's not denying that he is bonkers, but. It's hard to make friends when you're running around acting like a nutter!
"Besides, I mean. One day hundreds or-- or even thousands of years from now, only the stories will be left. Might as well try to keep things a little interesting!"
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None of what he says sounds insane to Loki, but then again, he’s no stranger to mental health issues himself. No one as chaotic as he is could be truly sane, though he has gotten much better over the years. “You see, I think that has all the makings of some wonderful stories. All you really need is some imagination.” Something far too many people were lacking, in Loki’s opinion.
“Yes, precisely. You should leave your mark. We all should. That being said, you may pen for me, but perhaps I could pen for you as well.”
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"Maybe you need a big open safe space to try a little bit of everything." If Loki hasn't already done that. Of course, maybe some of those things require a willing volunteer to assist, but he should be able to do the rest and try to figure out what's happened to him. It must be destabilising, in ways Steven only knows too well, to just have things happen to him or to his body and not be aware of anything.
"Oh! You would be my scribe?" Steven laughs at that. Imagine that! But it seems only fair they at least trade some stories, so he nods in agreement. "Yeah alright mate. You've got a deal. We should meet after this, in a couple weeks maybe, when we've got something in the works to share. Compare notes and all, you know?"
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With a thoughtful look, he turns to Steven and smiles. "Yes, that is probably the most suitable kind of place so ensure I don't do any unintended damage." Intended damage is, of course, a completely different thing. Still, testing in an open space is always a better idea when dealing with magic.
"Yes, why not?" Loki says with a smile as he watches Steven laugh. "I quite enjoy writing. Of course, I might have to take some liberties myself. You know, check your grammar and what not."