dualisooc | TDM 002. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.

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TDM 002. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.

» 01. 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, 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 the brand new RoCocoa Cat Cafe, a sparkly new establishment that caters to children and the young at heart with iced and hot cocoa drinks of all kinds, delicious pastries, age-appropriate live music, and of course many friendly kitties who love to lounge in laps. The cats are of all shapes, sizes, and colors, including some who may look a little different from what you expect, or may look like an ordinary cat but are actually anything but ordinary underneath that adorable fur coat. All cats in the cafe are adoptable, of course, for those who meet a new furry friend and just can’t bear to go home without them!

So pull up a chair, get to know your new neighbors, and enjoy a sugary treat or two with the resident furbabies. You might just meet your new two- or four-legged best friend!

» 02. TO TAG OR NOT TO TAG, THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Welcome, one and all, to a long-running time-honored Dualis tradition: the annual city-wide Dualis Marker Tag Competition! For this entire month, 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 a very long time, 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 sometimes. 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?

» 03. TRICK OR TREAT, TRICK OR TREAT, THE BITTER AND THE SWEET ...

Looks like the Head’s been clued in to the quaint alien custom known as trick-or-treating. Is today Halloween? Who cares! You get free candy! Free candy for you, free candy for you, everybody gets free candy!

And rather than make citizens work for that free candy by traipsing around in costumes, the Head’s decided to cut everyone a little break and just have bowls of wrapped sugary delights placed strategically throughout the city. You never know where you’ll find them, or what types of candies the bowls will contain - chocolates, of course, and jellybeans and hard candies of every flavor you can think of, and treats you’ve probably never seen before now. Ooh, is that a snoobloo-flavored truffle? Only one way to find out! Eat it.

The treats are not poisoned or otherwise dangerous, but some do have a trick up their wrappers. Candies may cause temporary side effects: minor appearance changes, enhancing or reducing senses, sudden mild development of extranormal abilities, or loss of control over abilities you already possess. Some sweets are just regular treats and produce no effect except maybe cavities, if you don’t brush your teeth. Effects will remain until another candy is consumed that either induces a different effect or nulls the current effect and simply tastes nice. Enjoy!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

South is...taking a little break. She's tagged a ton of people, avoided tags on herself, and even though last time she broke the "safe zone" rules and got kicked out- she's planning to behave this time. For a little bit. This second anyways.

She snags a drink with more caffeine than any human should probably consume, and turns around to find a spot to sit. That's when she notices some chick that is absolutely fucked with marks, causing her to outright cackle before she scoots over to the poor victim.

"Hey, you got a little something there." She gestures to the woman's face then on her own where the mark would be, grinning and unable to help another laugh.

Really, she knows that already, but she's trying to ignore it. Because she looks ridiculous and she knows it. Even so, she whips around to look at her reflection in the window and sees all the colors all over herself and sighs.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less. Everyone is acting like children."

"Children? Really?" She straight out scoffs, unable to help herself. "I mean, sure, maybe some of them. But ya really gotta keep yourself sharp and ready for anything in life, especially here."

Weird place she's been in for a bit? Yeah, honestly, she's still on guard and unsure of the entire ordeal. Is it some sort of afterlife? Maybe. Is she in a comma induced dream? Possibly. Could what they say is going on actually be true? Maybe. Who the fuck really knows. But with a seemingly dumb game like this- well, it does help remind her to keep her guard up and stay ready for anything. Sure, her job guarding the Mayor does that, too. But. This is different. Maybe she's taking it too seriously most of the time, but, full honesty, she's still alive, right? She must be doing something at least kind of right....

"Well, adults certainly don't chase each other with markers for no discernible reason." Or any reason at all. What ridiculous behavior. Who even thought that was a good idea? And why were so many people going along with it?

"I was doing perfectly well until the savages with writing implements attacked from the bushes. And the buildings. And, well, everywhere." Really, where were they all coming from? It was like they just kept...multiplying in the shadows. And always with yet another new color in their hands. How utterly pointless.

South fishes a marker out of her pocket and twirls it in her fingers, giving a cheeky grin, "Well, I don't know everyone else's reasons, but mine are a mix of funsies, fucking with people, and keeping myself sharp for whenever this place eventually goes to shit."

She looks at the marker thoughtfully a hot second before tucking it away again, "Luckily for you, I'm not looking to get my ass kicked out of here this time. But hey, you ever consider, like, either just not getting marked? Or doing some offence and marking first? It's not hard."

"So, being a child." She was smart, sure, but she sure wasn't bright. That was not likely to end well, but too late now, and she didn't even realize that.

"No, because I'm not a child and I have far more important things to be concerned with than inflicting multichromatic torture on other citizens." Do you know how many people have touched her to get her this many marks? And how many germs each of them had? She could practically feel them crawling all over her...

"Okay, pal, you might have 'more important' shit to do, but you should at least have some basic defense." She rolls her eyes, ignoring the child comment because, yeah, okay, maybe it was childish- but it was fun! "Seriously, even ladies as pretty as you gotta have some kind of idea of defense."

"Oh I do have some defense, I'd just rather not use it unless absolutely required." Because who even knew how Sirens were treated in this neck of the...galaxy? Universe? Note to self: determine which, bring findings back to Sanctuary. Potentially useful in locating Lilith.

"Pretty?" She's only half surprised by that, but it still gives her pause for a moment. "Well, if you wanted to talk--or find a dark corner somewhere, what fun!--you didn't need this whole ruse."

"I mean, not what I was getting at but..." She starts, chancing reaching a hand up in an attempt to smudge a thumb over one of the marks on her face, "If you want some help getting some of these off, I sure as hell wont say no."

"Oh there's no need to be so shy about it. It's a perfectly natural desire." Really, was everyone so backward? Didn't they realize that repression never led to anything healthy?

"Fine, are we being coy about it? Yes, I would like some help."

"Hey, hey okay, it's not being shy or coy! It's like, being polite and shit. We're not in a club or bar, ya know, gotta have some charm and finesse with it." She insists, giving a toothy grin.

It makes sense to her. If it was a club or bar or something, being more heavy handed would fit. But it's like, a cutesy little place, not a place to exactly go looking to get laid- right? Yea. Total sense.

"I've been recently saddled with a roomie, but if you're serious, I can tell him to fuck off for a bit or put a sock on the door or whatever."

"What does the setting have to do with it?" Doubtless it's some nuance of social interaction that she doesn't quite understand and has no desire to understand. Oh well. People are complicated, the galaxy would be better if there were fewer of them. Or at least she would feel better if there were fewer of them to bother her.

"My, how very collegiate of you. Do what you must, I suppose.

"...I hope a slight glow doesn't bother you."

"Cause it's usually rude as hell to hit on someone or try to pick them up just anywhere, since most people are trying to just exist in most places outside of bars and clubs?" Is it a question or a statement? No one knows, but she ends with a questioning tone, because that's how it is back home. People in cafes or other public places aren't usually looking to be pestered with flirting, after all. Right?

"Yeah, I'm collegiate alright. No problem, just lemme alert him and we're set if you really wanna." She still wants to give an out, she might be a horny son of a bitch, but she doesn't corner or pressure anyone. "Trust me, the "glow" isn't a problem at all, you're gorgeous as fuck."

"How utterly ridiculous. I will never truly understand humanity's need to compartmentalize their own sexuality to a particular time or setting. It seems overly burdensome." To be fair, she'd probably never understand people. In general. Oh well.

"Well, if you're alright with a little supplementary illumination, then I see no reason why you shouldn't carry me away into the sunset, or whatever it is you're planning on doing with me."

“Lady, I don’t know why it’s that way. I just loosely follow it to keep from making other ladies uncomfortable.” South shrugs, it’s all a bit silly but she’s not looking to make any women feel off or threatened or whatever.

“...Listen, if you want me to literally carry you, I easily can and totally will.” She says, warns(?), grinning widely and enthusiastically.

No use discussing it further, then, and Tannis drops the subject entirely by not answering. Maybe someone else knows, she'll have to make a note to follow up her own, admittedly vague, curiosity.

She actually sounds excited when she does speak. She even manatees to look it a little, too.

"Well, be about it then, my knight in shining armor."

Oh no, she’s not just pretty she’s goddamn adorable, too. Okay. Easy now, South, easy.

“Keep calling me pet names like that and I forget what I’m doing here..” She warns, but it’s the only kind of warning she gives, moving to try hauling the other woman up bridal style in her arms, “Guess that’s make you Princess? Princess Marker- no! Princess Notepad!”

"Oh my." Her tone grows somewhat flustered as she clings to the woman. Not because she wasn't expecting to be picked up, no, but--

"I never thought of trying out 'Princess' before. 'Lead Researcher,' or 'Savior of Mankind,' or 'Destroyer of Mankind,' but 'princess?'" There's a short pause whole she thinks about, well what she thinks about that.

"Odd... But I suppose I could come to like it."

South does pause a second at the 'oh my', making sure things were still alright and she isn't pushing boundaries. Maybe she's being too cautious with consent, if that's even possible, but she knows how uncomfortable shit is if someone is doing something like this without full permission. Better safe than making this chick uncomfortable.

"Really? Can't say I'd have guessed 'Destroyer' would be associated with in, except maybe 'Destroyer of Hearts' at worst." She replies as she lugs her out, more than a little giddy and beaming with pride- she's got quite the catch here, look at her go!

"Also, don't worry about any marker wielding dumbasses now," She starts once they're out in the open and 'dangers' of being in the tag-zones, "It's a knights job to keep their Princess safe after all. Unless they want a busted nose, no one will bring another marker near you while I have you."

"You flatter me. But I am a scientist, after all, and they're are any number of excitingly vicious little beasts I could unleash on the galaxy to see what happens. Though I suppose now too many other people are tolerable enough to me that I'll have to forgo wanton galactic destruction for the advancement of human knowledge. Ah, well." And Lilith would disapprove. If she were here to disapprove.

"Ah, the very best protection. I could have used that before." Long before the markers, but she doesn't say that. There are definitely better times to discuss her past and all the atrocities in it. And that's definitely not while being carried down the street.

“You know,” She starts in a quiet, hushed tone like it’s going to be a secret, ,”You still could unleash some crazy beasts on just,like, bad people. Fuckholes who hurt kids, for example. Do any world a favor with that, be a hero-princess-scientist.”

It absolutely makes sense and is an entirely ethical thing to do.

“Well, until I get my hands on a time machine, we’ll just have to make it up now.” And maybe in the future. If things keep going like they are, there’s a a solid chance she’ll be on her every beck and call. She’s pretty as hell, as superficial as that is, but amusing so far too. It’ll take more than a short first meeting to know how things will go, but it’s looking good for it right now.

"If I did that, half the population would be gone anyway, so why bother?" At least the Pandoran population. Where every other person was a bandit and everyone else was a vigilante. Ah, home.

Other places are supposedly different, but, well, she's been to other places and the differences aren't really that noticeable. Except maybe one is a swamp full of bandits instead of a desert.

"How intriguing! Perhaps I'll have to try and build one."

Yeah, that's going to get a highly arched eyebrow from her. Half the population? Fucking shit, where's this chick even from? Sure, okay, back home there's some slummy awful planets that would probably have a solid half of the population in the "bad guy" group. Then there's the planets the Innies have corrupted... And if they're counting more than human-inhabited planets, it's a whole other story- But still. The entire universe's population as a whole would only lose a small fraction to any bad guy eating beasts.

She has many, many questions cropping up in her thoughts, now. But they're going to wait, she is both trying to impress this lady, and get in her pants. That can of worms can hold off for another time.

So she focuses on the time machine talk instead, laughing slightly and looking at her face again with a fond little smile, "If you do, lemme know, Time Princess."

"I imagine if I do it will be difficult to miss. There's bound to be an explosion or two. Perhaps some deadly gas being released, or a crater or two. Ah, what fun!" So she has a strange idea of what constitutes "fun," but she also doesn't really care what other people think. She'll have to find a place to rebuild a lab anyway, might as well use it to make something explode testing something entirely theoretical.

Hey, if the explosions and shit don't come with her getting fucked up or killed? It could be fun, who doesn't like blowing shit up?

South shakes her head just slightly and gives an amused smile, looking down at the woman before a curious noise escapes her, "I can kinda get the explosions, but why would deadly gases even be involved at all?"

TDM 002. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.

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