i've been bitten by the bug ...

[headandhand]

WHO: Open to all residents
WHAT: Inoculation Season, plus your regular monthly NAPs session
WHERE: Throughout the city, with NAPs held at The Ax Hole.
WHEN: Sept. 10-30 for plague shots and associated side effects; Sept. 10-14 for NAPs
WARNINGS: Please use if applicable!

So tell me, what do you prescribe for these symptoms?

Remember that awful plague that wiped out the city's entire original population? You know, the entire reason you've been brought here? Well, the medical science community of Dualis has been hard at work concocting a cure for as long as anyone can remember, with minimal results. But during the morning of the 10th, news of a breakthrough is announced is a special city-wide bulletin. All media channels are overtaken with this message, and alerts hit every citizen's phone. The best part? Science needs your help!

There's no formal approval process for new vaccines and medications, just a series of volunteer trials before it's determined whether what's being tested is effective. All residents are invited to participate in these trials, with a bonus of 200 extra duos as compensation for their time and possible suffering. Simply head down to your nearest MedDualis clinic and inform the MedDroids supervising that you're reporting for your civic duty. Participants will be given a quick, easy, and practically painless inoculation shot in the arm, and will walk out the door 200 duos richer. Neat, huh?

Participants will be warned that like all experimental drugs, there may be side effects. A non-comprehensive list of those possible side effects includes: minor appearance changes (hair/skin/eye color), enhancing or reducing senses (smell, taste, hearing, sight, etc.), sudden mild development of extranormal abilities (telepathy, super strength, super speed, etc.), the ability to share dreams (if you're not tired of that sorta thing after last month), and/or loss of control over abilities you already possess, or those abilities misfiring. Hey, at least death isn't included on this list!

Any intrepid Dualizen who comes down with a case of weirdness as a result of doing their civic duty will find that weirdness will wear off by the end of the month. The Head thanks you for your sacrifice!

Don't you feel the fever like I do?

Look at all of these bright, shining new faces! There’s even a few less bright, less shining faces - maybe even a few folks without 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, 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?!

This month’s event is held at an exciting new establishment called The Ax Hole! The 'Hole is an indoor ax-throwing range plus bar plus mid-price grill-type restaurant, the first of its kind to find a home here in Dualis. You must be at least 18 to drink and/or throw axes, and if you are throwing axes, there is a limit of one drink per hour. The bartenders are very strict about enforcing this rule, and employees are available to give safety instructions on proper ax-throwing technique and supervise activities.

This is a family-friendly establishment, so anyone under 18 is welcome in the restaurant section and the viewing room between the restaurant and range to watch the ax-throwing action, but they are absolutely not allowed inside the range, even just to watch. In fact, anyone who wishes admittance to the range must sign a waiver stating that they understand the risks of participating and agree to hold the Ax Hole free of liability in the event of any accidents that cause injury or death.

If that hasn't scared you off yet, come on down and meet your new neighbors! Oh, and do try to exit with at least as many fingers and limbs as when you entered, OK?

Comments

[hellofishies]

"Do you always notice when your voice raises? Or do you sometimes realize too late that you're shouting?" To her this explanation explained everything. Sometimes people's thoughts accidentally shouted. The hint of a grin touched the corner of her lips. "If you say so then I guess you don't feel guilty."

[morethanatrickster]

He turned slightly at her explanation, eyebrows raising slightly. The girl had a point, albeit a convoluted one, but it may honestly be explained simply by the strange way she clearly viewed the world.

"And so, you at times accidentally listen with more than your ears?" That, at least, is what he'd taken it to mean. "What would I have to feel guilty for?"

[hellofishies]

"Yes. Not very often anymore. I've practiced a lot." And practice did make perfect in this case. Or getting closer to it. "Oh you know the answer to that better than I would. Right?"

[morethanatrickster]

He lapsed into a sullen silence. It was futile trying to hide his mind from this woman and he flexed his jaw in annoyance before responding.

"This place isn't what it should be." He scoffed, shaking his head gently. "I realize that makes little sense."

[hellofishies]

"No place is ever really what it should be." She shrugs nonchalantly. "I'm used to things not making sense."

[morethanatrickster]

"That wasn't precisely what I meant." This wasn't the place he'd been promised upon death, it wasn't where his family waited, it wasn't...right. "I like to believe myself to be flexible in new situations. Thus far, it's been true enough."

[hellofishies]

"I know it's not. But you don't want to talk about it, do you?" That's what he'd said, but was it what he meant? Not wanting to really talk about something was something she was familiar with. There were a lot of things she didn't want to talk about. "Have you been through a lot of new situations?"

[morethanatrickster]

"Not particularly." And what would it solve? Nothing on his end, at any rate? He didn't expect sympathy from these people, and it would be empty even if it was given. "As of late, yes, and not entirely of my choosing. Before that, it was something of a pastime, finding secret exits no one else knew, so yes. I have certain fondness for new things."

[hellofishies]

Nothing would come from pushing things with a stranger. So she let it drop. "That sounds fun. It must have been a nice pastime to have. We were never allowed to see much." Both by force and later because they just couldn't go anywhere else. "But I wanted to."

[morethanatrickster]

"It was certainly...freeing." He got himself and his brother into quite a bit of trouble at the very least. "Well, it seems you have ample opportunity. The city never stays the same."

[hellofishies]

"That's true. It moves." Changes. She liked the sound of that. "It should be exciting. I don't usually have trouble knowing things when I'm close."

[morethanatrickster]

"And you relish the opportunity to be lost?" He could think of another who saw far more than most who could cherish the same. Loki was fine with uncertainty himself...as long as he controlled it.

[hellofishies]

"Or the opportunity to figure new things out." Things that were better than what she usually saw back home. Though that was getting better. Or going to soon. "But getting lost might be exciting too. You never know what you'll find."

[morethanatrickster]

He smiled at that. "True enough." Loki himself enjoyed the exploration of the unknown. "On both counts. What sorts of things have you found?"