OOC:
I was discussing something last night with a friend, and wanted all of your opinions, although this discussion is certainly not important. I just like to see how other people view New Babbage now and then…
The friend and I were discussing New Babbage and how a new comer had recently stated that she was surprised the city was so empty… I had made some tongue-in-cheek mention of the Faceless Majority of the population which seems to stay indoors most of the time and largely ignore the insane antics of a small insane minority.
It reminds me of the soap operas my mother used to watch when I was a child… I remember asking her, after seeing the same people in the town over and over and over again “Is there only ten people in this town?” – where was everyone else? I suppose we were supposed to imagine they were there, and they simply didn’t figure into the plot.
How many active characters are currently in play in Babbage? More than a hundred? It’s hard for me to estimate, but even that number seems high. Certainly a city like New Babbage would have a significantly higher population…
So, what does everyone think… is there a faceless majority peeking from behind closed curtains, wondering when all the madness will pass?
i never could figure out where the hospital was on General Hospital, except for the shot of the ambulance in the intro.
Well, one of de things dat do surprise me is how relatively few people own Babbage. Dere people who got parcels in every sim. Even though Ah got parcels in two sims, Imma glad dat Ah don’t haff to pay dere tier. An’ yes, Imma thinking dere are more people in Babbage dan are seen. Laike de urchin who carried a note to de Fathers for Professor Lionhart. Who is dat urchin? Him a NPC. Dere are numerous builds that are meant to look like buisnesses (shipyards, bakeries, steamworks, ironworks) but dere nobody dere – or is dere? For those places to exist people hafta be working dere running things. So, maybe dey part of de faceless majority? Zaida say her currently stayin’ wid de Catholic sisters in town. Where are dey? Anyone seen dem? Nope. Dey part of de faceless majority.
Mr. Tenk watch soap operas?
Strangely, it was always on in the barracks and m-clubs during the early to mid 80’s, so it was something i’d watch in passing. Never did see the hospital.
Barracks?
I do believe in a faceless majority. I don’t think I could really imagine Babbage as bustling (I mean lag and all would be killer) but I think that there would be times of a bustle here and there.
If you look at other sections of SL I think we are really busy. Went to a Harry Potter area and it was dead. We could always create our own alts to fill the void of the faceless majority or even write stories about them to make it feel less empty but in truth I think Babbage is filled with wonderful and interesting people in hiding or out creating the drama we know and love :3
I find myself fascinated at the invisible npc’s: Mrs. Beasly(?) (Cleanslate’s housekeeper), Bill the Urchin, the city messengers, the ever expendable Biggins family, and my goat Ilsa. They all feel real to me, but you’ll never see any of them.
Bill must be a bastard Biggins. He will come to a bad end.
You have an *invisible* goat? You sure that’s not the after effects of the mushrooms?
Mister Biggins is real! He’s on my friends list. :)
My mom loved General Hospital back in the day. I was really young and it’s a bit fuzzy but I remember Luke and Laura’s wedding.
As far as the unseen masses, I’ve always thought of Babbage as more of the industry and commercial center of an even larger community. Most people commute into town to do their work and go home after their shifts. Of course there are those that make their residence within the center and it seems justifiable to question their sanity.
I like to think of it as full of potential people. As new people and new Alta pop up, perhaps they’ve been around all the time and we’ve only just learned their names.
Of course, a lot of New Babbage that would make it a real city is off-screen. How many outhouses and chamber pots are there for these 100 residents?
Good point. Like when the Emperor showed up last year, but had apparently been here all along…
Also good point, if there are no or very few restrooms why are there massive sewers XD
Ha! Good point. The lack of plumbed conveniences would explain why the sewers are so [i]clean, [/i]though[i]…[/i]
I do enjoy the illogically clean sewers! Makes them more fun to explore and fall into…
Seems to me there was a contest some time ago for items to go into our “too clean” sewers.
What ever happened with that?
Unfortunately, most of the items were high collision which made them too laggy for constant use.
Would it be possible to alter the color/texture of the water? Make it into a murky brown or something?
*Gasp* @ the thought of brown sea or canals
Its like the bathroom on the Enterprise…its there, but you never see it. (which was actually to the left of of the ready room and the only one in the schematics) and most people stay indoors due to the high soot content of the air or are falling into the sewers.
When my human severely broke her leg in 1997 (no it wasn’t a bike accident) and was out of work for 12 weeks, I KNEW it was time to get my butt back to work when I started to care what happened on the soap operas.
I also have vague memories of the wedding of Luke and Laura.
Without being part of the ning and now the not-ning, I probably would have lost interest in Babbage a long time ago as just a BEAUTIFULLY built sim with nothing gong on. But once I got involved in the rps here and the events held all over the city I was hooked. I think, if we want to attract more characters to the sim, we should advertise this page like crazy. ;) I know it’s my little bit of happiness while I’m toiling away at work (as I should be doing now).
(Wow Mara, you *are* old.)
I think a sense of emptiness is natural for newcomers to SL. You get used to it. That said, I’ve always wanted to see crowded streets in Babbage. I had dreams at one point of providing an army of clanks and automated conveyances to run errands in the streets (like the streetcars, except not capable of flight).
My personal IC narrative of Babbage is that the Collapse in our history was in part biological, prompting a huge global die-off. (That’s one reason why we turned to better and better machines – to make up for the lack of population.) Empty streets are an eerie reminder of that horrific time. Yet another reason why we Don’t Talk About It.
I am an old bat and proud of it! Actually, I think I was 9 or 10 when the Luke and Laura wedding happened. I remember the older siblings of some of my friends actually getting dressed up for the wedding. My friends and I were just a hair too young to be into soaps and thought it was STUPID.
Actually, when I was in high school (all girl Catholic school) one of my teachers observed that we were almost evenly divided between girls who ran home to watch soaps every day and girls who ran home to watch cartoons every day. So, she did an impromptu study and found those of us who watched cartoons tended to have higher GPA’s.
And what was Tenk doing in a barracks in the early-mid 80’s? I thought he was younger than me.
hm, yeah, i did too. i don’t remember seeing luke&lara’s wedding since mom did not watch soaps and i would have been in high school, but you’d have had to have your head in a box not to have heard about it. wiki says that was july 1979, summer after high school sophomore for me. the theme song did hit the top 40 and a common thing to say was ‘so where’s the hospital?’
Well, in July ’79 I was 8. But, I thought it was around 1981ish because I can remember my friends and me making fun of it, and I would have only just moved into the neighborhood then… But, I guess that could have been around the time we all met.
My mom never watched soaps either. My grandmother and great-grandmother watched them once in awhile. The only time I ever *followed* them was when I was laid up with that broken leg. Then, when I went back to work, I was just done with them.
You was 7 in July ’79. You birfday not until de fall.
*Opens mouth to argue and then realizes the little twerp is right* Big mouth.
Pffft! That’s not old.
And I’m quite proud of the fact I have no idea who these people are from General Hospital.
Forgetting your age. Dat really bad. How hard *did* you hit your head in that bike accident last winter?
[url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-06-26-general-hospital_x.htm]http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-06-26-general-hospital_x.htm[/url]
According to that it was November 1981, which would have made me 10. Man that is the ugliest bridal head piece I’ve ever seen.
When Ceejay was living in Her Dark Materials, she loved to write at her little desk in the loft. The Palisade streets were busy. Couples would take evening strolls, Django and his cart would clipclop down the road, Bob would stomp around banging on pots and pans, visitors would inquire of directions…. it was an ideal location for people watching and some light socializing.
There’s at least a thousand people in New Babbage. There will always be scholars, consumed in their studies, scientists toiling in quiet for decades to prove their personal obsessions, writers who only emerge at dusk to purchase headache remedies and absinthe, the elderly who are too weak to leave the comfy chairs by the fires, small babes and frail children who can’t bear the streets, painfully shy spinsters, oh, and don’t forget the truly sneaky-sly ones amongst us. You won’t see many of the urchins and tricksters EVER, and that’s just how they want it. And that’s just some examples of New Babbage citizens.
The ones making all the noise are, as in any city, just the tip of the iceberg.
hmmm…. i tend to wander New Babbage in my rl early mornings and evenings, neither time is very busy. I often meet new people who are visitng for the first time, and direct them to the Ning or now here to find out what is going on at different times. I see the city when it is empty, and usually think that this is the time an urchin would wander around, when no-one else is here – it’s safer.
I do see quite a few people i don’t know when wandering, often by themselves. Where possible i wander over and find out what’s going on, but often they vanish as soon as i get near, very strange. I do wonder what some of them are up to!
Babbage is empty? No, most people are sleeping! There are people from all over the world in babbage. This means to the characters, that some are night active while others are sleeping.
It’s difficult to take part in roleplay because of the diffrent times,But I hope there’ll be a away that everyone can take part in a bigger plot.
Everyone that lives in New Babbage takes part in the bigger plot. The plot of Living. Not all will want to participate in an organized roleplay – many may wish to be ‘in character’ but not ‘in adventures’, so to speak. I tend to be one of those. I’ll dabble in RP from time to time but for the most part, Ceejay goes about her life, a constant adventure in it’s own right!
Ah laike dat Miz Ceejay.
Also just because someone isn’t around doesn’t mean you can’t make your own adventure. That’s the fun of Babbage and the site. You can make your own adventure and then show people here all the exciting things that they missed because they were at work or sleeping ;3
Although I do think Loki tried to get everyone involved in the Mystery story he did after the holidays. I know that made me really fall in love with Babbage all over again and made me decide to build my home here. Now just need to work a bit more on my own story.
I must say that this has been a thought provoking topic for me. While I do work with the dead and they usually are NPC in a sense, I do love it when I have the chance to RP with my fellow citizens. I believe the Babbage sims to be some of the livest ones in the steampunk genre. I know that when I do wander in from other lands there are always a few of us here. I think part of the reason why is that we are a full service 24 hour role play area. Therefore someone is always here rather than a packed area just for a few hours and a desert the rest of the day. I also almost always make an attempt to welcome new people when I see them even if they are not in character. I have made new friends that way and I feel I am paying forwards to honor Babbage and all of us. I will say that having the Ning and the “Not” Ning is very important as I can tie my stories together much better.
I’m trying to push “Na-Na-Ning”, mostly because I like the sound of it.
Ah voted for de Gearbox because well…. *points at her own name* But, Na-Na-Ning fun too.
Makes me think of Chi-Chi-Chi-Chia.
*clutches head*
you die now.
Na-Na-Ning
Him can raise your rent Cyan!
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said jump
up the boogie……
One, two, Na-Na-Ning
*shakes maracas*
I miss folks standing around talking in Babbage. That’s what first attracted me to the city, and how I met people. Chatter on Steampunk group chat is fine and all, but it’s the hanging around on the streets that I enjoyed.
Get out of your houses and stores and loiter on the streets!
I think that happens more frequently in winter time as I have seen very little during summer. I do miss being so close to the CocoaJava though. There always seemed to be people sitting about chatting.
That’s why I’d perch on the wall at the Academy. soon enough, there’d be a whole row of us just shooting the breeze and making fun of the tourists. Of course its better when we’re loaded both inworld and out.
I fully agree, Sera. It feels at times that I hear about conversation, inside jokes, just… whatever, well after the fact. Steampunks chatter is nice for those that can indulge in it for hours a day, but not all can.
As we get into Fall, I should have more time, I hope, to be in the Cocoajava and connect with people. Come loiter with me! I also miss the days of simply strolling about town, visiting with the neighbors… just enjoying the simple pleasures of our town, without it having to be a special event or a roleplay scheme.
Ceejaytopians! This is a call to.. loitering!
I can haz chocolate?
*packs up old typewriter in backpack, ready to take up occupany at the Cafe again*
Come by the Bucket! I can almost promise you won’t end up with a knife in the neck.
I know lately I’ve been offworld (largely thanks to summer), and haven’t seemed to be able to get on until very late when everyone else is off sleeping. so can agree alot of the time it seems seasonal, as far as city population goes, I just assume there’s always NPC’s wandering around
actual avatars, with everyone on different timezones, it tends to get scattered
To me, the New Babbage sims constitute a sketch of a city and it’s up to the visitors who actually exist to use their imaginations and fill in the blanks (with a police force or sewage or horse-drawn carriages) to make a complete picture. It’s one of those gestalt-y things I learned about in art class. I routinely invent characters to add to my stories as I need them and assume I would pretty much always be surrounded by throngs of anonymous people going about their business when I’m in town. But some people think it’s a city in the past, some think it’s in some post-apocalyptic future, some think it’s full of people and some think it’s mostly empty. Maybe that’s the beauty of this set-up: Everyone can just make it whatever they want it to be, no consistency required.
I’m out and about almost exclusively at night so it’s less of a problem. I’ve noticed that the average citizen often seems somewhat uncomfortable in my presence. Some, on rare occasion, have even assaulted me. I find it best to avoid groups and daylight unless I know at least some of those present as it’s safer for all concerned.
I should note that this is no critique of the city’s population in particular. It’s common in most civilizations that I encounter.
I spend most of my days in my workshop on the farm. I have several projects going at any given time and those eat much of my attention on most days.
I tend to like the night anyway. I often feel more alive there. Running the night was an old pastime of mine and it remains one of my more enduring comforts.
(Gaby’s a bit paranoid about groups as they have an unfortunate tendency to turn into mobs in her presence. While the citizenry of New Babbage is better than many in dealing with those who appear different, it’s still her usual policy not to push her luck. I’ve always assumed the city was much larger inpopulation than the SL figures would relate. I’d figured on at least 15,000 and probably more. You’d need them to support the construction of some of the larger buildings present.)
Miss Anatra, for what it is worth, I have always considered my CocoaJava Cafe in the Academy of Industry to be neutral/intelligent ground. You are very welcome there, and if you encounter problems, I WANT to know about it. Think of the place as Bohemian, thoughtful, accepting, drunk, lazy and creative. I wish it to be Babbage’s parlor, or better yet, messed up living room. It is yours to use.
Thank you Ceejay. I do check in there most of the time when I’m in town.
My first arrival in New Babbage was the alleyway behind the CocoaJava. :-)
That would make an interesting topic of conversation…
*chuckles* That alley seems to be a lot of folks landing zone! Which is totally fine. As far as I know, there’s no spectres, muggers, crazed morticians, insane housewives, meglomaniacs or insurance salesmen lurking there, so it’s relatively safe passage. ;)
Clearly I’ve been lax.
Clearly so have all the Urchins too ;3
time to set a bear trap?
That’s because they’re all in the cafe.
*runs away*
*laughs*
*chases after*
Semi-seriously though, I take a lot of pride and comfort from being the keeper of the Cafe. I like seeing it mentioned in stories and tales, and knowing it’s a comfortable place for everyone. Even if you dont’ see me there, I’m paying attention and it means a lot to me, everyone.
And as I have told Tenk, I have no plans to remove it from Babbage unless he throws me out. Even when I am withdrawn, or grumbling about the state of the town or whatever, my roots in Babbage run DEEP. Really really deep.
As a newcomer, I was hard pressed for months to show up in the city and actually meet anyone. I’m not really sure what changed, but suddenly the city seems very well populated. For the untrained eye (or casual traveler) however, the city does appear largely empty of life most days.
*grabs her coffee cup and heads over to CocoaJava cafe*
Think I will check out the Bucket and Cyan’s place as well
I’m still working on other aspects of my build but the brewery is up and I think besides a few more knicknacks it’s about as done as I’m going to get it.
It really is nice when we get together. I’m super suprised to talk to people and meet new faces who happen to be OLD faces in Babbage. I have to agree with Mr. Eel…from my arrival until now I feel like there’s more people being involved. Could it possibly that everyone is starting to come off of summer holiday’s, etc?
Yes.
Summertime does tend to skew the dynamics in Babbage, I’ve noticed. There’s BOTH an absence of Babbagers who are traveling or actually (gasp) going outside the house, and also those who have the long, indulgent times to be able to roleplay and write extensive storylines for the Babbage website (you can’t make me say not-Ning! You can’t!)
Fall brings out the languid side of many, our lawns don’t need mowed so much, our gardens are falling dormant, there’s more relaxed indoor time. And with that comes a bit of balance in-world, too. Hopefully there will be more Work Parties at the cafe, and there are plans afoot for some special nights there too. Not dance parties, others have that well covered, but tapping into some aspects of the bohemian lifestyles, with art, speakers, and if my incoming notecards haven’t gone outdated, some live music suiting the era and mindframe.
Sounds wonderful! I look forward to that.
Along the same thoughtline, If others wish to arrange an evening at the CocoaJava, perhaps to have a discusssion on a favorite topic, or share a wonderous experience with a rapt audience – oh, remember the tarot card reader? More of that, please! Anyway, as I said, it’s Babbage’s messy living room and you are welcome to it. I have a group (Ceejaytopia) and can send out announcements for you if you like, too.
Thanks for the reminder. I miss the interaction of people just lazing around, talking about world matters or about nothing at all. While I am not a hard core rper, I do enjoy watching and occasionally taking part.
By the way, I visited The Bucket of Blood last night and had a pleasant time chatting with Mr. Underby and Mr. Rayna. The beverage I was served was rather strong (I did request a strong drink), and thus I was a bit unsteady on my feet as I left. It’s a nice place — I hope Mr. Underby doesn’t take offense that I said that.
Now, see, there’s a problem right there.
When people do gather these days, it seems like it’s often in one of the pubs. Bookworm, as a character, isn’t going to be going into pubs–at least, not very often. (Short explanation, for the newer folks: She had a brief bout of a drinking problem last summer. Doesn’t want to put temptation in her way now.) That does make it a bit difficult for her to socialize sometimes. *wry grin*
Den come to Zaidaville. De soda fountain over in New Babbage. We don’t serve no booze. Jes’ Zaidapop.
Perhaps you could also serve Clara Cola too?
It has twice the sugar of regular soda!
Book, I hear you. The tavern scene in Babbage seems to elude me. Many gatherings are during times I’m not able to be around, or so impromptu I can’t plan my RL evening to make time for them. And if they are in Clockhaven, I still cannot get Ceejay in there. It would have to be my Seraph city alt for events, and she’s certainly not the same personality.
*raises hand*
I’m not entirely faceless, but Fono Heninga is not a character per se, and I’m not really involved in active adventuring. I tend to see other people as their RP bowls past when I’m out to see what I can see. :)
Ah, I do miss living in Her Dark Materials CeeJay! It was fun having all those weird strangers drop by and engaging in impromptu RP. I still wander the streets when I have the time, so everyone please, if you see me about in New Babbage, stop me and engage me in conversation!
Lately, I constantly promise myself I will spend more time in New Babbage, and I constantly fail to deliver on that promise. RL for me is very hectic lately. Perhaps that is a good thing though. It’s better if I do get out and get some exercise and enguage in some RL folly from time to time.
Incidently, my latest RL folly: a coworker and I recently purchased a sailboat. Neither of us has ever sailed before. When my girlfriend expressed concern, I replied “What could possibly go wrong?”