« Previous in AC:NL | Next in AC:NL »
I finished Citàlune! :’) I’ve worked on this town for years, but around Autumn 2017 I got a fire lit under me to work towards finishing it once and for all. If you would like to visit yourself first without being ‘spoiled,’ feel free to give Luna the address 4F00-001F-F5E6. But if you’d like to tour the moon side of town with me, read on! (Photo-heavy content ahead)
First, a little background:
The name Citàlune is a colloquial shortening that popularized over time; the full name, which is not said much anymore, translates to “city of the setting sun & rising moon.” The land is known for its beautiful sunsets and clear starry nights, and for its two prominent royal families whose power and influence have waxed and waned over time. Estel’s royal symbol is the moon, and Lyra’s is the sun. For now, they each have influence over their respective lands, and have their own courts and residents who are loyal to them. They have priorities and values that are vastly different, but in a way, compliment each other and work together to make the entire city have a place for everyone.
The focus of this post is the Moon-side of the river that Estel rules over, which is more calm, quiet, natural, and woodsy than the other side. Estel values peace and tranquility, the conservation of nature, and providing public services to residents in her moon castle.
We’ll begin the photo tour with the most important building on the moon side of town, Estel’s castle. I think it looks beautiful on the start screen, with a glimpse of the river flowing behind it. We’re not going to go inside the castle yet though, saving that for a later tour 🙂
In the past few years, I’ve experimented with different ‘framings’ for Estel’s castle, like streetlights, or just one tree on either side. But I went back to two trees framing the castle on either side, which I had in the early days of my town, and I’m glad I did!
My favorite, classic view of Estel’s castle ^^ I can never resist panning up to see this view on a starry night.
This is the center of Estel’s garden, which as a whole is supposed to have a formal French garden look. Estel is all about providing services for the townsfolk, so her castle’s landscaping is her way of giving residents a public park to wander and relax in, and to take in the beautiful mixture of nature and order.
The bottom of the garden has statue fountains mirroring those from the top half, then the hedges open up to a pair of benches overlooking the ocean.
The waterfall is really the finishing touch to this scenic area :’)
Here, the path starts to break away a little, signifying you’re leaving the formal garden into more casual/woodsy territory. I made cracked half-marble pieces specifically for this area, and tried my best to blend them into the unique spaces (part dirt, part grassy) they’re placed on.
This is the main path for the moon side of town, new to this DA update! I liked the dirt paths I had before, but feel like the new path patterns add so much more to the white glowy look I wanted this side of town to have. Plus, the way they kind of mirror the sun mosaic paths on the other side make my heart happy 🙂
The main 2×2 pattern has a full moon of bright marble as its centerpiece, while the rectangular 2×1 pattern has crescent moons. The moons are surrounded by a sky of blue and purple mosaic pieces, speckled with white starry pieces.
I feel the view across the bridge looks kind of mysterious at this angle…
Crossing that bridge takes you to the center of Citàlune, where you’ll find a moon garden ringed by trees and water.
Some river views that often go un-photographed 🙂 I feel like the river being so close on the moon side of town has limited the space and made it tricky to work with, but I do enjoy the natural atmosphere the river adds to this side of town: seeing the water peak through the trees, hearing the water flow as you walk along the path.
You can bathe in the hot spring grove, then dry off on the rock by the cliff while enjoying the ocean view~
The same path that connects with the bridge takes you to the ramp that leads down to the beach ^^
A particularly busy bit of the moonlit beach 🌕🌴
Between the sun and moon beaches, the moon side is probably my favorite. It’s not too big, not too small; it has the dock and a few cozy nooks along the clff; and I love the peaceful atmosphere given off by the white flowers.
The moon side of town is a bit more sparsely populated than the more city-like sun side of town. Two of its residents are Julian, a member of nobility in the moon court, and Bruce, a hermit who enjoys the peace and quiet.
Two dirt trails branch off from the main path here, one to a witch’s cottage and one to a seaside tavern. I felt like I had to make a special tile just for this one spot because it looked kind of weird without it 😛
Here is Violet on the trail to her home, where the air is hung with the sweet aroma of wisteria and violets. The lonely witch has made her mark on the gardens in her nook of the forest, but also lets things grow wild.
Violet’s cottage is nestled deep in the woodland, next to the largest lake in Citàlune. Most residents give her home a wide berth, though Violet means no harm and would actually enjoy having guests on occasion.
One reason why most residents avoid Violet’s home is that it’s rumored she lives in an area of the forest dense with fairies, who aren’t always kind to strangers. Violet has a working relationship with some of the fairies, and has met with them to trade magical artifacts before; this seemingly ordinary old stump is one such meeting spot.
The same dirt trail dotted with stepping stones continues south below the main path to lead travelers to Fern’s Tavern. Violet will sometimes walk the trail connecting their homes, for Fern is one of her few friends. Then they catch up and share tales together in the main hall of the Tavern.
Fern’s Tavern has humble accommodations, but travelers know it’s much preferred to spending the night in the wilderness. The busiest days of the year at the Tavern are when fairs and festivals are held at the town tree clearing nearby.
The windmill helps grind corn and grain for the Tavern ^^
Rumor has it that good fortune will come to you if you blow one of the dandelion puffs that grow near Fern’s Tavern out to sea. Fern sure doesn’t mind the extra business this rumor brings, and encourages it 🙂
A special sapling was planted in the forest long ago, which grew into a tree so large that it became symbolic and significant to Citàlune’s culture. Its roots spread far and deep enough that a natural clearing in the forest formed around the tree. Throughout the year, merchants set up tents full of wares from faraway lands, and fairs and festivals are held that attract a variety of travelers from all over. Lights and lanterns are hung from the trees around the clearing since the revelry often lasts long into the night. As the night wears on, travelers will often try to find an open room or bed at Fern’s Tavern.
The clearing is also known for its beautiful star-shaped flowers and crescent-shaped pond, which are said to be blessings from the forest in return for planting the sapling that grew into the town tree.
Close-up of the town tree, courtesy of the start screen 🙂
And a hastily made panoramic — don’t look at it too closely 😛
If you wander off the path, peeking behind some trees is a fairytale bench to be found by the waterfall ^^
And lastly, this is the bridge that will take you across the river to the sun side of town! ☀ But we’ll wait to cross the bridge until the next part of our tour. 🙂 Thank you for reading!
A Forest Life 
Wow, you put a lot of thought into your town! I can’t wait to for a tour of the Sun side of Citàlune 🙂
Thank you, glad you liked it! 🙂 I look forward to showing the tour of the sun side, too! Just have to take some more pictures for it ^^
Can I just say this is the most beautiful town I’ve ever seen? For years, I’ve only seen the sun/moon concept whenever I visit it via dream address or through wi-fi but wow! I never really considered it having such a rich background! It really changes how I see Citalune now. I’d love to visit its dream address soon! (My 3DS isn’t with me atm so I’m glad to see a post version of the moon side of your town! Hehe)
I absolutely love the concept, from start to finish. I think it’s genius how you incorporated some of the game’s details to make a story! (Like how you made the watered flowers near the stump in Violet’s home a tiny home for sparkly fairies. I don’t know, I just love that detail!) Seeing how beautiful this town is now, it makes me really inspired and happy! I feel like I slowly watched a town grow in the distance from the moment we first bought ACNL from its release until now. 😀 Heck, this isn’t even a town…. it’s two magnificent kingdoms all in one place! What a big transition!
Congrats on finishing it! I’m proud of you and your town! Hope to visit it soon via dream address! ❤
Thank you so much Choco!! ❤ I've been formulating these sort of headcanons behind my town for a long time now; it was really nice to finally share them in full, and I'm glad you like them! It means a lot coming from you :') I remember the first day I got New Leaf, and I was chatting with you online in the lead-up to going to GameStop to pick it up. We WiFied practically right away, like the second day of playing I think (I spent the first day resetting)! Thank you for this incredibly sweet comment, and everything you’ve done for me as a friend over the years! 😀 ❤
Yeah! I can tell! I also like thinking of scenarios while walking around my own town. It can really make someone more invested in drawing out the concept and seeing it all into one finished piece! Your hard work really paid off ❤
Your town's background is really neat, though! It's such a mysterious and magical place, I wanted to draw a bustling magical city after I read your post! (I haven't done anything yet but it really inspires me to get my hands moving again :D) I can't wait to read the tour of the sun side soon!! ❤
Oh! and that picture sure brings back memories. :’D Really shows how far we’ve both come! <33
Wow, Amy! I feel so lucky that I got the chance to visit Citàlune the other day, it truly is a spectacular town. I’m even more blown away now that I get to read the rich storyline you’ve created for it!
I’ve always loved the two kingdoms concept you’ve had going on, but I could have never imagined it would blossom into such a breathtaking work of art! I have a real soft spot for towns with a storyline, and at this point Citàlune could have an entire novel written about it. Definitely one of my favourite towns of all time!
Great job Amy, all your hard work really has paid off! I’m proud of you!!! ❤
Aww, and I feel lucky to have had you over! I really appreciate you for staying in touch after all this time and watching my town develop from the start — makes it extra special to hear your thoughts on it finished! Thank you so much for the sweet words Liam, it means a lot!! :’)
Of course I stuck around all these years; I’m like a bad smell you can’t get rid of! 😉
Wow, you have made your town stunningly beautiful! I can clearly see all the love (and time) that you have put into the town, which I’m super impressed by. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the tour, and after that I’ll probably swing by in a dream.
Loving it so far!
Aww, thank you so much Usagi! That’s such a sweet thing to say, that you can see the love :3 Thank you for stopping by my tour, I’m glad you like it! 🙂 ❤
Um, WOWZA! I haven’t had the chance to visit any dream towns (no update), but Citalune will be first on my list! Also, how did you move your campground ramp? I noticed while staring at one of your plaza pics (also, love the plaza!), it had moved from Lyra’s rose field, that’s my #1 reason for not having the update…
Thank you so much, that’s so flattering! 😀 You can’t move the campground through normal means, unfortunately. I made a few tweaks with the save editor so that I could be happier with my town. I think that plaza spot is one of the two spots it could have spawned naturally, though; I just got unlucky — shame you can’t plot reset your ramp! I’m surprised you have managed to avoid downloading the Welcome Amiibo update this long! I understand why though, I was nervous about the ramp and the CAT machine when I updated too. Good luck!! 🙂
Awwww… but hey, just paid off and opened the Dream Suite, and will download the update and catch Citalune in a dream the next chance I get!
Sure hope I get lucky…
… Weeks later …
Did I get lucky or what! The camp didn’t spawn in the EXACT area I wanted (would’ve preferred it if it had spawned a little farther to the north), but it ended up just above Chow’s house. Being the old, cranky guy who would rather live in the forest, it’s a good fit. Shame that Bunnie had to leave to remind me to update, but I’m glad I did. Oh, and I spent a good hour scrambling around Citalune, and I STILL don’t think I saw everything. Actually, if you’d like, maybe we could meet in my town, and you can plant some money trees, since I still don’t have the gold shovel. I’d reimburse every Bell, don’t worry. 🙂
Thank you for motivating me to finally update!
Oh, that’s really nice it wasn’t too bad! Congratulations and welcome to the update, I hope you enjoy it 🙂 It’s great that you had a much more pleasant ramp spawning reaction than I and many others had. (But I’m glad that I was able to ‘fix’ it in the end :p) Thanks for visiting my town, that’s really nice of you to visit for so long!! 🙂 Sure, I am open to that! This is my FC: 0233-2558-0068; we’ll just have to find a good time. ^^
Ok, mine is 3969-8475-7515
WOW! this is truly amazing! How did you do the.crescent-shaped pond? This is so cute.
Aw thanks so much, I appreciate it! 🙂 I made the crescent pond pattern in the in-game ACNL pattern maker, and worked on its design in MS Paint a bit. Thanks again ^^
I decided to check your blog again after a while, and wow am I amazed! Your town looks so beautiful and detailed, I’ll have to visit sometime! I’m just getting back into NL again and seeing that Citalune is complete makes me so happy. I have to appreciate how much dedication and effort you placed into executing the celestial themes and the overall magical atmosphere, and this is only half the town! Ahh, you’re making me want to complete my other town so badly ^^; Can’t wait to tour the sun half of Citalune!
Hey Tanachan! It’s great to hear from you again, I hope you’ve been doing well! 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind words, I’m glad you like how Citalune looks finished :’) I was so happy to finish my town, but at first it was a little bittersweet, because it was a goal I’d had in mind for so long and finally it wasn’t a goal to work towards anymore. I’m getting closer to making a sun side of town post, haha, I’m so slow. xP I hope you’re enjoying getting back into NL and working on your other town! 😀
Your town looks so beautiful, wish mine would be this beautiful too 😍
Aw, thank you! All our towns have their own unique charm ❤
Your town is amazing!! Seriously incredible! It makes me want start my town over and finally act on the fairy tale theme I’ve been thinking of for a while. A question though, in Fern’s bedroom, what song is playing on the music box? I love it and I don’t think I’ve heard it before!
Thank you so much! This is a really sweet comment, I appreciate it 🙂 ❤ Good luck on your fairytale theme town, it's a fun theme to work with! Fern's music box is Steep Hill. I really like how melancholy it sounds as a music box, perfect for an innkeeper to unwind and relax after a long day of assisting inn guests.
I decided I can’t part with my “normal” town (mostly because it has the cafe, police station, campground that I won’t have in my fairy tale theme) so I’m just going to get another copy of the game, haha. I can’t wait to get started! And thank you! I agree, it really fits the theme of Fern’s character so well. You put so much thought and effort into this and it really shows. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous town with us, and I’ll probably stop by in a dream from time to time just for Citàlune’s calming ~aesthetic~ (considering my FT themed town will have some dark undertones).
Ah I can’t believe I didn’t see this till just now! Citalune has turned out soooo beautifully, it was already my favorite Dream Town back in its WIP stages, and this is just amazing! It feels like it’s been forever since I pulled out my 3DS and played New Leaf, gonna need to log back in so I can go visit! You’re making me want to finish my towns now too 😛 Congrats on finishing Citalune! 😀
Thank you so much, reading your comment brightened my day! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoy seeing it finished! I always loved hearing your thoughts on my town during its WIP stages, and seeing your work on Sunville and whatnot ^^
Hi! Your town is absolutely amazing! I hope this does not offend you, but I am trying to copy your town in my own town 100%, and it’s going great so far! My only problem is, by the windmill next to fern’s house. There is a book (the lost item one) and since you cannot drop them or place them in the save editor, I was wondering how you got it there?
Thank you very much for the compliment on my town, I appreciate it! 🙂 About the lost item, it was just a book that I found that I did not find the owner for. If you pick it up and never find the owner, after a few days it just turns into a book that you can drop on the ground. 🙂
Hi again! Sorry to bother you, but where is your cafe? If you don’t have one, where should I place it to look nice?
I didn’t end up building the cafe in Citalune because I didn’t feel it would fit the fairytale-city atmosphere. Plus, the best spot to put the cafe would have been the river nook in the center of my town, but then it would have created awkward wasted space above that river nook. I ended up putting a sun and moon garden in that river nook instead. ^^ I would build the cafe in a spot where it makes sense in your town, like near a path or other buildings, or in a scenic waterside spot or something 🙂
Ok! Thanks for replying!
Wowie, i want to visit this beautiful town, its stunning, i could never hope to get any of my towns to look like this
Hi there! I’m not sure if you’re active, but your town has been a big inspiration for me as of late! Everything’s so perfect and leaves me in awe! I’ve been still developing my town but I’m hoping to make it as pretty as yours!
Hi! Thank you so much, this is an incredibly sweet comment. I’m so happy to hear my town was an inspiration for you 🙂 Good luck and have fun developing your town!
Hi there! Me again, I was wondering what time and date your dream address was set on! I love the rare purple sunrise, and I know it is sometime in early summer, but I am not sure I can find when it is. It is really pretty and I would like to play in my town then!
Also Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukkah!
Thank you! Merry Christmas, and a good holiday season and new year to you too! ^_^ My town is set at 6AM on May 17, 2013. I had to specifically look for a purple sunrise date because I don’t play often enough naturally at 6AM. Everyone’s weather events are different, though, so your May 17, 2013 might not be a purple sunrise at all. I’ve found the purple sunrise frequently in the spring, but never during the cherry blossom festival. So April 11-June 27 at 6AM would be a good time period to look for one in.
Thanks!
Hey there! ^-^ I’m so in love with your designs, but I’m not sure where to get them 😦 I found your crescent moon pond because a german YouTuber used it in her Let’s Plays, but she only linked a site with the codes she used, not the one where she got them from. You probably posted it somewhere on this site, but I couldn’t find it yet 😦
Oh nevermind, I was just blind obviously :’D
Ohh, well I’m glad you found them! Thanks so much 🙂
I saw this town featured on tumblr as one to visit and oh my goodness! ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it 😀 ❤
bonjour, je viens de visiter la ville, c’est une des plus belle ville que j’ai jamais vu, juste une petite questions toutes les fontaines les meubles (glaces banc vitraux) et les sols dans ta maison (le manoir) comment as tu fais pour les avoir ?
Please give the dirt road QR codes. 😽