Perpendicular Confusion

[snurri]

Perpendicular Confusion
Originally uploaded by Snurri.

"May Day has, from the first, been a source of upheaval for the citizenry. May Day 1967--less than a month after the Exile--was marked by a 24-hour downpour. It is estimated that 44 inches of rain fell, and flooding was both widespread and catastrophic. . . . Despite the inundation, none knew to expect any further strangeness (an admittedly relative concept within the city) the following year, when two herds of walruses appeared and took up residence on the shores of Lake Berger. The effects of the so-called 'Walrus Plague' were not so dramatic as the flood's, but the internecine warfare between the two herds has made parts of the lakeshore inaccessible to the city's residents. (It is worth noting that the walrus bull known as 'One-Tusk' and the herd he dominates have been known to save drowning swimmers and to otherwise aid humans; it is rumored that they were an aid to Walter Wenstrup during the tragic events of the Day of Two Nights (see p.414-433). The city's other herd, led by the bull known as 'Greenbeard,' is best avoided.) . . . Every May Day since, without fail, some calamity or oddity has taken place: the appearance of the Black Tower in 1969, the May Day Musical of 1981, the deadly blizzard of 1987. It has been theorized that May 1st is the day when the city's imprisonment is most unstable, and therefore that it is the most auspicious day for a possible reversal of the Exile. . . . Some, including Mayor Faldbakken III, believe that one attempt to do so was the cause, or at least an exacerbation, of the May Day Earthquake of 1979. It is known that the Gemini Society was gathered behind closed doors for the last week of April, and the mayor believes they were trying to pierce the barrier. 'The magilantes took it upon themselves to forcibly wrest our city from its amber prison, and in the process they nearly destroyed us.' The Geminis deny the charges, saying rather that they were merely attempting to block the hex energies which ignite in the city annually. Whatever the case, their attempts seem to have magnified rather than alleviated the effects; the May Day Earthquake killed some ten thousand residents and destroyed hundreds of buildings, bridges, and other structures. . . . Not all May Days are destructive on such a scale. May Day 1971, for instance, is also known as 'Carpet-Maker's Delight' because every rug and carpet in the city limits transmogrified into a foul-smelling (and difficult to clean) ooze. . . . Still, the annual loosening of the reins of entropy has its effect on the city's fragile ecology; in 2002 an apparent confusion of gravity caused an estimated 90% of the city's avian residents to fly straight down into buildings or concrete; the population has yet to recover. And 2003's Rain of Fire, while largely contained thanks to the efforts of Gwandoya Kyoga and his fellow hydromancers, has only affirmed most citizens in their practice of locking themselves in a secure place on the last day of April and praying for survival." (p.442-446)

Comments

[the-flea-king.livejournal.com]

Another great one. Starting to think it's less of a fun place to live now :)

[snurri.livejournal.com]

The citizens are remarkably adaptable, for the most part. They have to be.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

I've always thought it sounded not-so-fun to live in, but excellent fun to read about.

[the-flea-king.livejournal.com]

In this universe, I would be a street naturalist, documenting all the weird ways life other than human has adapted. I love the touches like the walruses, roof lions, and so forth. I would probably be missing a hand.

Eh, couldn't be worse than my current job.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

If one were to mark one's secret city posts with a secret city tag, that would be useful in keeping others from missing any of them.


yes, I'm addicted to the notify option, I can't help it! It's so fancy and convient!

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Ah. OK. You have to remember that I'm a fossil in Internet terms. That's on the "Post entry" screen, right?

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Yes, or one of the options if you post from a client. If you're posting from flicker, you can add them later via the edit screen. (all sorts of ways!)

[tacithydra.livejournal.com]

"Magilantes"

Best. Word. Ever.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I aim to please!