Little West Hollywood

06. Little West Hollywood

Welcome!

Lights! Cameras! Action! You see quite a bit of all three as you enter Sector VI: Little West Hollywood. Why West, you may wonder? Nobody really knows! Either way, you may realize that the sector has been molded into an exact replica of Old Hollywood in the former U.S., down to the smallest details. How did they even have enough reference to do so?

Your shuttle stops in a busy metro, with hordes of familiar people clamoring on and off the tubes and running to wherever they need to be. Lots of tourists, and lots of minor celebrities. Even if you keep your eyes trained on the crowds, you won’t see many big names, unless they happen to be filming in the sector. But hey, people will take what they can get--a photo of someone mildly famous still has some value if you get the right shot. You may find people secretly approaching you and snapping your picture; perhaps they’ve mistaken you for someone else. Or perhaps you are a celebrity! I don’t know, this is general flavor text. Besides the huddled masses, there’s little else in the metro besides a wall papered over with hundreds of fliers advertising events such as karaoke, a need for extras, or meet-and-greets. Of course, these are a few examples out of many.

Exiting the metro, you squint your eyes as the light blinds you. It seems that the sky in the city changes at random; perhaps it is altered somehow to accommodate different settings during outside filming. As a result, you notice a lack of streetlights. The streets themselves are winding and convoluted, but they’re devoid of dirt or crevices. The sidewalks are pure white, and occasionally you feel a strong pull upwards as all the debris on the ground is vacuumed into the air and removed. It’s advised you find a tour guide, a resident of the sector, or a map before you try to wander lackadaisically. If you somehow happen to navigate through successfully, you’ll find a variety of different areas. A small beach, where the sand feels gritty and plasticine; a school where students are confined to various hidden classrooms, to accommodate filming; an office building with no workers; a coffee-shop where the “hot coffee” is served ice-cold. It’s all fake, but some might find that exhilarating! You almost wonder if the people are real.

They are, of course. Robots couldn’t be that annoying. Due to the high concentration of visitors to the sector, it’s common to find giant groups of people talking, screaming, and laughing loudly. They often disrupt film sets in an attempt to harass the star of the production. It’s disgusting to some. To others: why else would you come here? If a group mistakes you for their target, it may be wise to run. Who knows what might happen otherwise? When the groups aren’t tourists, they’re probably paparazzi. They might even be both! Despite several anti-camera devices installed along sidewalks and the dozens of signs proclaiming the ban of these people, the photographers are insidious in their pursuit of a tantalizing or sensational shot to accompany their publication’s fabrications.

In the rare instance you meet a citizen, they’re really quite pleasant. They’ll hide you from paparazzi or tourists, invite you to coffee, or sit down with you for a meal. The people of Little West Hollywood seem utterly relaxed. Still, you can’t help but notice the dark circles they all share under their eyes. What haunts these citizens in their dreams? Perhaps it isn’t polite to ask. They don’t seem to realize the fake nature of the area around them, interestingly. They blow on their coffee and surf on machine-made waves without a care. Are they in denial, or are you missing something?

Oh well. Enjoy your time in Sector VI: Little West Hollywood, and snap a picture if you dare!