you understand, i got a plan for us.

[headandhand]

WHO: Errybody in the city
WHAT: Marker tag and NAPs
WHERE: Everywhere in the city for marker tag; the Spenny’s near the dorms for NAPs
WHEN: July 10-31 for marker tag; July 10-14 for NAPs
WARNINGS: Please use these if applicable!

To tag or not to tag - that is the question.

Welcome, one and all, to a long-running Dualis summer tradition: the annual city-wide Dualis Marker Tag Competition! For the next three weeks, all participants who accept the challenge will be given a marker and set free to tag any other participant in the city by making a mark on their skin, while attempting to avoid being tagged themselves. Careful, though - the ink marks last three weeks, so you’ll have to wait until the competition concludes to wash everything off.

Markers come in all colors, even fluorescent, glitter, and glow-in-the-dark, and you can use however many markers your inner child’s heart desires. These markers will leave marks even on people who have chosen not to play, but you can easily purchase an armband, headband, or similar accessory that says NONPARTICIPANT if you so desire. Marking nonparticipants is considered extremely bad form and wins you no prizes, but "misfires" do still happen, on occasion. It’s usually considered polite to offer a mistaken nonparticipant that you’ve marked a small reparation, like coffee or a more adult beverage.

Safe zones do exist! Any establishment can put out a sign that marks it as such - signs in shop windows, chalkboards outside bars, and the like; many do this, just to keep the general chaos and injury/property damage liability down. Tenants of private residences typically agree that their spaces are also safe zones, but that's up to y’all to hash out.

Have fun! And maybe try not to put anyone’s eye out, yeah?

I like to party and by party I mean NAPs.

Look at all of these bright, shining new faces! There’s even a few less bright, less shining faces, but hey, this city welcomes all types. Chances are, if you’ve just arrived, you're seeing some pretty crazy things, unless you're used to an eye-blinding amount of neon, robots, weird-ass technology, magic, and an omnipresent police force...and hey, if you are, congrats, you're gonna settle in juuuuust fine. But for the rest of you, the Head knows this has gotta be pretty overwhelming, right?

Well, since your quaint individual processing units are probably having a hard time, why not link up with another one? By which the Head means...

Hello, new citizens of Dualis, and welcome to your monthly Network Adjacency Protocol~!

NAPs are a monthly community networking event similar to the Earth concept of speed dating! Two citizens (new arrivals and old hands alike) are placed at a table together with a handy cue card of queries to help break the proverbial ice. Ask queries and receive results, or ignore the card and yeet yourself straight into a brand new friendship! But don't be too shy, you've only got ten minutes together, and if you just sit in silence for the whole ten, then the Network Admins are likely to come supervise and try to repair the uplink through a mild shock to the ol' central nervous system. You might find yourself saying all sorts of unintended facts about yourself if that happens...probably better to just make friends, right? Who doesn’t like friends?!

Plus, you get to hang out for a while at the intergalactically renowned Spenny’s Diner! Spenny’s is a declared safe zone from marker tag shenanigans - until you roll out of the door, at least. So pull up a chair, get to know your new neighbors, and enjoy a cup or two of Spenny’s famous Electric Shock coffee, which contains 900 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Hope you didn’t plan on sleeping tonight!

Comments

Revan | OTA come at me bro

[therevanchist]

[Revan is exhausted in every way it's possible to be exhausted. Maybe she ought to have begged off and just slept for a solid day, but her fatigue can't dampen her curiosity. The Force will keep her going, at least...and so will this caf--"coffee," they call it. She suspects a cup of it represents an unhealthy amount of caffeine, but if she starts getting heart palpitations, the Force can take care of that, too.

She sits at her speed friending table with her head propped on her hand, the fingers of her other hand drumming on her list of questions while she thinks unproductive thoughts, her weariness unconcealed...right up until the Force warns her to expect company. She straightens and the tired expression disappears under a friendly smile, a transformation so immediate and complete it's almost uncanny.]

Hello.

[Revan's wearing Jedi robes, which, depending on your perspective, makes her either a monk or a giant nerd willing to cosplay in public. At least it's a very high-quality cosplay. Maybe she's in the Rebel Legion.

OOC: I have a permissions post for Jedi mind-reading, and fourth walling is fine as long as your character doesn't have knowledge of the Knights of the Old Republic portion of the timeline. Also, I'll match format if you prefer prose.]

Coming At You, If you want to mind read, we can chatter on Disco.

[helpdesk_hero]

[There is something off about her posture, David thinks as he sits down across from the woman with his own coffee. Perhaps he's used to other people being slightly wrong but, he doesn't really know. No way to be certain what is on without more data, and there is no more data he can get. But he does nod his appreciation of what she's wearing.]

Those look comfortable. Sadly, robes went of fashion in my part of the world I'm from a long time ago. What's that made out of?

[Seems like a friendly way to start.]

[therevanchist]

[David's pretty controlled and she's not prying, so she wouldn't get much more than his general emotional state regardless.

Revan glances down at her robes and plucks at the lapel. Good question, buddy. One more thing she ought to know and doesn't.]

No idea. Probably a plant fiber?

[That seems adequately Jedi to her.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Frankly, David's really good at staying controlled, in part because at one point he was a form of telepath, and for another part because he went to school with a lot of powerful telepaths. He's used to keeping his mind clear and as protected as a normal person could.

As for her answer, he takes it with a smile.]

Well, it looks durable and comfortable. I'm David by the way.

[therevanchist]

We do have that going for us.

[Revan acknowledges David's point with a snort and a wry twist of her mouth. In the fashion world, "durable and comfortable" usually ranks well below "stylish." Of course, Jedi aren't supposed to care about that sort of thing, and Revan does enjoy showing up to work every day in her metaphorical pajamas.

And then she has to decide how to introduce herself. Simple things have become fraught these past few weeks, and she hesitates just a beat too long, trying and failing to force the name of her false identity past her lips. On Korriban it had been necessary. Here? It would probably be prudent, but she can't bring herself to start with a lie. The Jedi Council had begun her mission that way, and look how that had turned out.]

...Revan. Nice to meet you, David.

[helpdesk_hero]

[David's had just enough sets of clothes ruined in fights to understand the value of durable and comfortable. And he chuckles at her snort. The delay in her name is a bit interesting, but he doesn't really bother calling her on it. It doesn't matter.]

And you, Revan. So, question in return?

[therevanchist]

...Right. We don't have this kind of thing where I'm from.

[Well, not in the circles she runs in, anyway. Revan skims the list of questions, looking for one that doesn't seem too likely to cause problems.]

Oh, forget it. [She punctuates that by setting her coffee cup down on the questions. They're a coaster now.] How long have you been in Dualis?

[That might cause problems, but at least it'll be useful information one way or another.]

[aleifr]

[The man that settles down across from her is ... large, to put it mildly. He's either seven feet tall or near enough that it makes little difference. Instead of having the relatively slim build of most humans that height, his broad-shouldered frame is heavily muscled to the point that either of his tree-trunk arms is probably thicker than her head. The shaved sides of his head and his forearms are decorated with tattoos - markings in a likely unfamiliar runic script. His clearly homespun and hand-woven clothing, though, looks at least somewhat similar to hers, albeit far lower quality.]

Hello.

[His voice is ... it's too much of a growl to be considered friendly, but it's certainly less irritated than the scowl that seems to be chiseled onto his face would suggest.]

[therevanchist]

[Fortunately for the conversation, she has a more reliable barometer of mood than mere expression. The man's mental presence doesn't seem unduly irritated, and she doesn't have that itchy feeling in the back of her mind that comes when the Force is warning her to watch her step. Scowling, enormous, and covered in tattoos does scream Mandalorian, but they don't dress like Jedi if they can help it, and she thinks he's probably just from some other culture that likes free weights and body art and that this chat isn't likely to turn into a fight.]

I'm Revan. [She smiles at him, less far up than he was a second ago but still looming over her even seated. The name comes more easily now that she's used it once, and it feels right. She'll worry about what that means some other time, after she's had a full night's sleep.]

I'd avoid the coffee. It might make your heart explode. [She takes another sip of hers, because she does what she wants.]

[aleifr]

[He lets out a small, amused snort.]

Don't touch the espresso, then. Felt like my heart was going to burst out of my fucking chest.

[Did wonders for his exhaustion, but it tasted like dirt and he's not going out of his way to have it again without reason.

[He holds out one massive, spade-like hand across the table toward her.]

Aleifr. Son of Bjorn.

[therevanchist]

Duly noted. [She's definitely trying the espresso.] Nice to meet you, Aleifr.

[Revan accepts the handshake, not really expecting him to go for that crushing grip big guys often do, but ready to surprise the hell out of him if he tries.]

[aleifr]

Likewise.

[He doesn't. To him, there's no point in it other than massaging insecurity or intimidation, and he's not insecure, nor does he have a reason to want to intimidate her. As such, his grip is firm, but not crushing.]

New?

[He's guessing. He hasn't seen her before.]

[therevanchist]

'Fraid so. [Revan purses her lips and shakes her head. She had important stuff going on back home.] The timing's so bad that if I were the paranoid sort, I'd think someone had it in for me personally.

[You know, on top of all the people she's already aware have it in for her personally.]

[merged]

[ Heather was vocal about her thoughts on the NAPs. She's always been on the shy side and, initially, this event felt like a waste of time. She didn't want to get to know the people here, she wanted to go home, but after a month she's come to realize just how useful this could be. She knows what the likelihood of someone she knows showing up is but it doesn't stop that trickle of hope. And hope makes her do ridiculous things.

She slides into the seat across from Revan, a heavy feeling of disappointment clinging to her like a shadow. Christopher wasn't among the faces in the diner. Next time, maybe. ]

Uh, hi. [ She responds somewhat awkwardly, a touch cool and uncertain. She's done this a handful of times but she hasn't gotten used to it. She drops her gaze to the index cards of questions and blurts out the first one she sees. ] Do you have any allergies—[ Her brows furrow in confusion, her worries on the wayside as she comprehends what she just asked. ] Wait, what the fuck kind of question is that?

[ The kind of question you get when you read off a card. ]

[therevanchist]

[Revan laughs, more at Heather's reaction than the question itself.]

No allergies. Up-to-date on my vaccinations, too. [She shakes her head, looking at her own list of questions with a wry half-smile.] At least I knew the answer to that one. I couldn't tell you what my "sign" is, and I've never heard of peanut butter, either smooth or chunky varieties.

[Well, at least she's not allergic to it, probably.]

[merged]

[ Revan seems to take the odd question with a sense of humor and it helps ease the tickle of nerves that have long since settled into the pit of her belly. Heather smiles, albeit somewhat shyly, as if she's unused to such an expression. ]

Hey, at least you know the important things. [ She points out, clearly indicating that neither the signs or the peanut butter really matter—at least not to her. ] I'm personally not a fan of astrology—signs that people on Earth are assigned based on shit like star alignment on the day they were born, or even peanut butter, really, so you're not missing out.

[ Both the signs and peanut butter seem like things everyone should know about. She's still having a hard time adjusting to the city. ]

So... Have you been here a long time? I think it's been about a month for me, though it feels like it's been so much longer. [ An anger, a fury, lies deep under her words. ]

[therevanchist]

[Revan catches the powerful anger bubbling underneath those last few words, deep but strong enough the Force carries a whiff of it to her, and she masks her moment of consternation with a sip of coffee. What had Heather been pulled away from that could drive such rage?]

About a day. [She sighs.] As much as I'd like to help, I really can't spare them the year.

[merged]

[ Her anger remains at the forefront but is quickly tempered with sympathy and she frowns deeply. ]

It's not like you got much of a choice, you know? [ Softer, quieter. No choice and the lack of choice infuriates her. ]

[therevanchist]

There's no circumstance so bad you don't have choices. They're just not necessarily going to be the ones you wish you had.

[What saves that from being an infuriating Jedi platitude is the air Revan knows what she's talking about from very unpleasant experience. At least, that's what the bone-deep fatigue she's no longer concealing entirely suggests.]

[whosthemonsternow]

[Okay. Great. Her next boring person is dressed like a weirdo. Probably has no useful information, probably just full of bullshit that wouldn't help anything, much less her getting out of here.

Still. She has another plate of food on the way, and the third cup of coffee has helped jolt her more awake. She can handle another small talk with another stranger.]

S'up. Those your pajamas?

[South's in a tank top, jeans, and combat boots. Simple, comfortable, looks great in her opinion- and cheap. She's not spending that little bit of supplied money on bullshit clothes, food and booze are going to take up her "allowance", thanks]

[therevanchist]

[Revan just chuckles, because her crew has made her immune to annoying personalities.]

No, but they're that comfortable.

[Don't hate her because she gets to roll up to work in her PJ's, South.]

[whosthemonsternow]

Is it an attempt to keep from getting markered?

[She just can't wrap her mind around the idea of wearing it because you want to. It's gotta be for a reason. Though, comfort could be a reason, but still, leggings are comfortable and don't look like something a pope would wear]

[therevanchist]

[Another laugh from Revan, who's still on the fence about marker tag. She does like winning, but Jedi vs Basically Anyone Else isn't a fair fight.]

Well, back home they'd be an advertisement that you shouldn't try, but you wouldn't believe how many people are doubting my bona fides here.

[Everyone seems to recognize Jedi, but no one thinks they're real. It's a very odd experience.]

[whosthemonsternow]

You some big deal?

[Whether she knows of Star Wars or not, it's not clear. But she's immediately puffing up with competitiveness, cockiness, and bravado to challenge this woman]

[therevanchist]

[They do make a lot of 500-year-old pop culture references in RvB.

Revan hasn't missed South suddenly spoiling for a fight, but she has no intention of feeding the fire, and her own posture and tone are calm.]

I'm a Jedi Knight.

[She's actually an even bigger deal than that buuuuut she's not talking about it right now. Or ever, if she can help it.]