"Adeste fideles læti triumphantes! Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte regem angelorum! Venite adoremus Dominum."
Natum videte regem angelorum! Venite adoremus Dominum."
XXIII Decembris, anno Domini MMXIX
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we near the next anniversary of our Lord's birth, we, the faithful people and government of the Holy Catholic State, cordially extend to you our invitation to attend the Christmas Fair in Lisbon's Expo Park.
Christmas is a very special time of year, when we all put aside our differences and come together in joyous celebration. And now, people of all nations will be able to partake in the holiday spirit. From Christmas Eve to Epiphany Day, those traveling to Lisbon for the purpose of the Fair are exempted from usual visa requirements. In addition, religious laws will not apply for the duration of festivities.
At the Christmas Fair, you will have the opportunity to experience authentic Portuguese culture and watch energetic musical performances by military bands. Guests will also have the opportunity to represent their own nations at the Fair as vendors or performers. We are excited to see you all here!
Merry Christmas and happy New Year,
Afonso Salazar
Civil Director of Portugal
Henrique Carvalho
Minister of External Relations
Plácido Fernandes
Minister of Religion and Culture
About This RP
This is my first foray into hosting an international event. Some background info: in my universe, Portugal has long been seen as a religious, fascist backwater. So the government got the idea to do a Christmas Fair where everyone's invited, to show the world that they're harmless.
The setting of this RP is Lisbon's Parque das Nações district, also known as the Expo-Park, which was formerly the grounds of the 1998 World Exposition. It has, among other places, an arena, shopping center, aquarium, science museum and hotel (I'll have a map up soon). However, to keep the interactions manageable, only the hotel, arena and outdoor spaces can be accessed in this RP at first. If that's easy enough, I might expand the playable locations.
The timeline of the Fair is Christmas Eve (December 24) to Epiphany Day (January 6). Realistically, most people are quite busy IRL during Christmas, myself included. So the IC date will likely trail behind the OOC date. That's why the IC date is the only one that matters for this RP. Before I advance the date, I'll announce in the OOC thread so that you can finish up your conversations.
This is what I have in mind for the events (in no particular order):
- Opening and closing ceremonies
- Military parade and air show
- Musical concerts by Portuguese and guest performers
- Outdoor market with goods from Portuguese and guest vendors, as well as an auction
- Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve
The tech level for this RP is Modern Tech (MT). Prior RP experience is welcome but not required.
Locations
Expo Square: a large outdoor open space to the north of the convention center. All characters start in the Expo Square, but may freely move between any locations on this list. On the first evening, the lighting of the Christmas tree will take place here.
Pavilion of the Atlantic: a multipurpose indoor stadium capable of seating 20,000. The opening ceremony and all musical performances will take place here.
Convention Center: has four indoor exhibition halls. This is where vendors will set up their stalls and sell their goods.
Hotel Salazar: an upscale high-rise accommodation overlooking the Tejo River. All rooms have a double bed (or 2 twin beds), climate control, TV, mini-bar, bath, shower and coffee maker. This is where your characters will be staying while in Lisbon.
General RP Policies
Most of the following stuff should be common sense and basic RP etiquette, but I'm putting it out there just in case, to make sure everybody understands what's expected of them.
- You may only control characters that belong to you. "Godmodding" (deciding what happens to somebody else's character) is not allowed.
- Absolutely no attacking other characters or damaging property unless you have permission from the owner. Even if all parties consent to a fight, I still reserve the right to swiftly put an end to the disturbance.
- Please keep your writing family-friendly. Occasional profanity is fine, but let's not get into drunken sailor territory.
- When introducing your character for the first time or when changing locations, please state the character's name and setting.
- All characters must be created by yourself.
Character Requirements
- There are three types of guests: visitors (just going to enjoy the Fair), vendors (selling food or goods) and performers (providing entertainment). A single character can't be more than one type. If you're sending a band, you only need one app for the whole group.
- This event is intended for regular folks, not VIP's (heads of state, government officials, royalty, etc). They're welcome to attend of course, but they won't be given any diplomatic immunity since they're here as tourists.
- You can bring bodyguards, but they can't have any deadly weapons. The Holy Catholic State strictly prohibits the possession of any firearm: real or imitation, functional or inoperative. It's not like you'll need them anyway—you can know for a fact that police and security will be everywhere, whenever you need them.
- There's no dress code for this event, but clothing must meet a minimum standard of modesty (breasts, midriff and buttocks must be covered for both genders).
- This RP is strictly human and modern-tech. Absolutely no anthros, cyborgs, robots, etc.
Song Requirements (Performers Only)
- Lyrics must be family-friendly. No profanity, violence, recreational drug use, sex or criminal activity.
- Lyrics must not be offensive to Catholic religious beliefs and feelings.
- No songs of a communist, socialist, anarchist or revolutionary nature.
