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

[helpdesk_hero]

[Oh dear, spirited one, right? David just smiles warmly at her statement. No, that doesn't seem very likely. Not that David won't give other people a chance. Many people want out. But he's having a hard time with it, and he knows he's smart. And he hasn't figured it all out.]

Good luck with that. My name is David by the way. Since we're supposed to be learning about each other. Can I get a name for you?

[whosthemonsternow]

[She's gonna do it, don't doubt her, she's positive she'll bust out sooner than later!

Oh. David. Well, now she kind of misses her team again. A little bit. Tiny bit. She doesn't care- forget it, she's good.]

South. How long you been stuck here?

[helpdesk_hero]

[Not like he wanted to upset South with his name, but it is in fact his name.]

A little less than a month. Seriously, people always open with that, don't they? No, I don't know how much I trust the computer behind this. But one has to keep living.

[whosthemonsternow]

[She'd insist she wasn't upset, she doesn't care, really, it's the rookie, why would she give a shit about him or any of them not being here? She can stretch her legs here, screw the rest.]

Find any hints on how to not be stuck here with the computer bullshit overlord?

[Could she ask more subtly? Yes, but she's getting pretty fucking impatient with people not having anything useful for her]

[helpdesk_hero]

Unfortunately not, and I am quite good with computers.

[Sorry, but there is only so much he can do, South. And he's been searching. He wants to go home, because he doesn't belong here. None of them do.]

Thing is, it's not that simple. The real question is the tech used to get us here, that I'm trying to get to the bottom of.

[whosthemonsternow]

[And there's another heavy sigh, she's been doing that a lot sitting here. But he does bring up a good point]

I'm not my team's hacker, but I know my way around computers. Think there's a way to reverse it?

[She leans in over the table now, no need broadcasting the conversation. Her guard is up, she's not going to just go and trust some rando at a table during a meet-and-greet nonsense thing. But if he has information she can look into and verify, it'd be worth asking]

[helpdesk_hero]

If I could get at the tech? Maybe. But I can't. So I don't know.

[He leans back, he doesn't care about broadcasting. How many hundreds of thousands of times has this conversation played out in this city? Different people, different promises. No, the Head has to know some people always push. Instead he sips his coffee.]

I've only been here a month. You're pushing for more than I have at the moment.

[whosthemonsternow]

Useful.

[She puffs out what would be a sigh, scrunching her nose as she sits back up. A whole month and no information that can help, goddamn it. Was he that bad at collecting info, or was it that rare and hard to find?]

What do you have?

[She'd add 'if anything' but she figures that's implied]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Rare, hard to find, and his computer sucks.]

That's hardly the tone you should take with someone you're asking to give you information. And I'm not sure why I should tell you what I know.

[whosthemonsternow]

[Yeah yeah, catch more flies with honey than vinegar and all that shit. Kindness, not being a dick, whatever. She's heard it all before, but will she listen? Did she learn any lessons? Nah. She sits forward again, arms crossing over the table as she gives a sharp smile and tilts her head slightly]

Well, bud. Cause we can do it the easy way were we just chit-chat and help each other out- or the hard way where someone leaves here with a broken nose, and it's not me.

[helpdesk_hero]

[He's fought Wolverine to a stand still. He really doesn't feel that threatened. So he just smiles at the woman, and shifts his weight under the table a little bit.]

It won't be me either. So, unless you want to be banned from this wonderful diner for breaking the nose of an employee or unrelated customer, I suggest you tone down the hostility a little.

[No, he isn't really threatened. Sure, the woman looks capable, but hey, worst thing happens is there is a little pain and he goes to a clinic to get it fixed. Where's the danger?]

[whosthemonsternow]

Hostility? Me?

[She scoffs, giving another not-so-friendly grin]

Just having a nice, friendly chat. No hostility here.

[helpdesk_hero]

[Really? Does she just think he can't read expressions? David shrugs and flags a waiter down for another coffee.]

You just about threatened me for information. If that's you playing nice, I'd worry about people when you're being mean.

[whosthemonsternow]

[Sitting back again, she gives a somewhat more amused grin, shrugging]

You probably should worry, I hear I can be a "handful".

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh? Well people are telling you something wrong. You're clearly a whole bushelful. Too much for even two hands to handle.

[And maybe he's a bit used to those sorts of messes.]

[whosthemonsternow]

Bushelfil? Are you some granny or something?

[she gives a good laugh then, shaking her head slightly]

I’ll accept that compliment though.

[helpdesk_hero]

Or something. Definitely or something.

[It wasn't supposed to be a compliment, but he'll let her take what she wants.

[whosthemonsternow]

You gonna knit a sweater when it gets cold? Wait, do they have winter here- does it snow ?!

[asking the important questions here, she leans in like it’s vital information narrowing her eyes a bit at him]

[helpdesk_hero]

I've been here a month. I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. But there are clothing stores, so you can buy something.

[whosthemonsternow]

I don’t know, think you should knit something instead, granny

[helpdesk_hero]

[Really? He's clearly younger than her. He rolls his eyes.]

Teach me, old lady, and I will.

[whosthemonsternow]

Hey, you're the one that's talking like an old person, not me!

[So, clearly, he's the old one, in spirit at least]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Old in spirit doesn’t mean actually old.]

Talking is one thing. Being is another. You’ve definitely got the cranky down too. 

[whosthemonsternow]

I'm not cranky, I'm awesome.

[Somehow, that makes entire sense]

[helpdesk_hero]

There isn't an 'or' going on here. You can be awesome and cranky.