The team heads to the South Bronx, meets Irina's contact Calixto and scopes out Flippr.
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@funcityventures is the show on twitter
@funcityventures is the show on instagram
@bijanstephen is TK
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@nguersh is Luxe
and @shodell is Lash
@taylordotbiz is the bad boys and
@mikerugnetta is everything else
--
Recorded at Fortunate Horse in Greenpoint BK
Produced, edited and sound designed by Mike Rugnetta
Pixlriffs is the lemon on your fishfingers.
Our music is by Sam Tyndall - https://pileofsecrets.bandcamp.com
Special thanks to Guy Snover for the 3D printer sounds this episode.
Our art is by Tess Stone - http://notdrunkenough.com/
Our Discord mods are Olivia Gulin, Kestrel and Kit
The voice of Artemis is Molly Templeton
Transcript by Ian Bird
--
CC-BY Licensed SFX and music used in this Episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSYdD5FhJ6A
https://freesound.org/people/frankum/sounds/442285/
[00:00:00] [ Intro Music begins ]
> Molly Templeton / "Artemis": [ IC ] In the early 21st century, magic reawakened on Earth, and alongside it, a new human race, with orks, elves, trolls, dwarves, and others. Humanity became metahumanity.
As technology proliferated and greatly advanced in the awakened world, global megacorporations seized ever more power, becoming de facto states with their own laws, courts, and armed forces. The corporations attempt to control all aspects of modern life. This has led to a vast and complex criminal underground which works for and against corporate interests. The independent career criminals who do what others can't or won't are called Shadowrunners.
The year is 2101. Welcome to Fun City.
[ Intro Theme concludes ]
[ Main Theme begins ]
> Mike / G.M.: Previously on Fun City, the team visited Irina Saavedra at her magical items shop in Grand Central Station, at the request of Yuri, who has just bought a new property he needs ridden of a bug ghost. Irina, his longtime friend, has a talisman that will help, but she'll only hand it over after the team does her a favor. Irina, an artificer and follower of The Oracle, does a reading on the team to quote, "get to know them", and sends them on a job that will test their convictions: head to the South Bronx and work with her contact there to frustrate the efforts of a startup called Flippr, which is exploiting the city's automated real estate purchasing system and their physical proximity to the South Bronx City Information Services Office and Data Center to buy up property in the mostly immigrant fishing neighborhood and redesign it into ultra-contemporary rentals. A round of matrix searches later, and the team learns that Flippr's CEO, Harris Trevorrow, loves talking to the press, their showroom in the South Bronx is open for tours, and they are quote, "always hiring", looking for both ninjas and rock stars. We join the team now as they exit Irina's shop and consider their next move.
[ Main Theme concludes ]
> Nick Guercio / "Luxe Scythe": [ OOC ] Rock stars and ninjas. [ Bijan laughs ]
> Shannon Odell / "Lash Goodbog": [ OOC ] Alright.
> Bijan Stephen / "T.K.": [ OOC ] So what do you guys want to do? Where do - where should we go? Through - Just go up there and see what's up?
> Jenn de la Vega / "Vivian Lakewood": [ OOC ] We should probably talk to the contact?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Could do that.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] And maybe visit the VR showroom or whatever it is, their office.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] And then maybe we'll get some ideas then?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K. wants to apply for the job.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yes, I think that's a good idea. We know we need access to their payroll and taxes and property tax accounts, things like that, in order to insert the skimmer, so we know that's the bare minimum. We also talked about perhaps finding out how they have rigged this whole system in order to have such a quick access and to actually turn that over to the neighborhood so that they would all have equal access to buying up real estate at the same time.
> Mike / G.M.: Maybe now is actually a good time also to - I don't think we've ever talked about how it is the matrix really looks.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ Intro Music begins ] Is there - like what does the internet look like? Is there one thing that is -
> Mike / G.M.: Whoa, dude, whoa slow down! [ Mike laughs ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Is there one thing that it looks like?
> Mike / G.M.: Yes.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] It looks like a bunch of windowless buildings and cables.
> Mike / G.M.: So the matrix, at least as far as - and this is something that Shadowrun has borrowed from Neuromancer, the - the look of the matrix is referred to as a consensual hallucination. The way that it looks when you're in AR, walking around in the world, is your field of vision is just dotted with many different icons for all of the things that you can interact with, and your comm-link will automatically filter out most of those to the things that are personally relevant to you. So your comm-link knows your contacts, your comm-link knows the businesses and media objects that you're interested in. It knows the things that your friends are sending and they really want you to see - different little augmented reality objects. So those are just plastered all over the world and you can essentially turn a knob up and down as to how much of that in the world you see. So part of the skill of being a decker is being able to wade through all that stuff. When you are in full VR, right? The world, the physical world that you walk on the sidewalk through, goes away and you enter a - an infinite gridded plane that -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": So infinite gridded plane?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, basically.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Is the short answer I guess to the question.
> Mike / G.M.: Well, but, there's - then there's two layers of it.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah.
[00:04:50] > Mike / G.M.: There's two levels. The lower level is a collection of all of the icons that you see when you're walking around in the world and those are ordered by proximity. So if you're in full VR and you're basically looking at the stuff that's near you, you kind of see the same thing that you see in the real world, just slightly more ordered, but not plastered over the actual world.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Mike, what's in the sky?
> Mike / G.M.: So, in the sky is where all of the hosts are and these are essentially the sculpted virtual reality locations that you can visit that represent sometimes real world locations and sometimes matrix-only locations, and they're arranged in a - it's kind of like a massive sphere and the higher up you go - or the further towards the edges that you go, to the sphere, the larger the companies. So in the very very outside of the sphere are the host locations that you can visit for the largest megacorporations in the world, whereas the things that are closer towards the center of the sphere are the hosts that you can visit for your local used bookstore, if they happen to have someone who is capable of producing a virtual reality location for them. You travel between these things kind of just by thinking about it. To say that you like, "fly" in the matrix isn't really the case. You kind of just like zip back and forth.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Mental click.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Mm.
> Mike / G.M.: Like saying that you walk or touch or whatever is all kind of a metaphor for what actually happens, but because we're a podcast and we need people to be able to picture things.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Well -Like "surfing" the web.
> Mike / G.M.: Sure, yeah, but it's a - but it's also like a fully embodied experience, right?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: Like when you're in VR, you - it feels like you are somewhere and it feels like you are doing those things, even if you're not actually doing them. [ Intro Music ends ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Like -
> Mike, Taylor, Nick: [ All at once ]Surfing the web! [ Jenn laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah sure.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] But at that time your meat body is back on...
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, just like sitting in a chair.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Or - yeah, whatever.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Correct me if I'm -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Doing meat things.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Correct me if I'm wrong, Mike, but that - my understanding is also that certain hosts have their own rules about how traversing the space can be. So you could - you can mentally click or whatever, traverse to a host, and then you could be in a fantasy realm where you can fly, and you can drink bubbly floating mead and things like that.
> Mike / G.M.: Correct.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] And so you could have like physics simulations in specific spaces in VR, but that's not the way the matrix, which is more like the map or the nav-space -
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] - looks - looks like - or works like.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, whatever - whatever host you're visiting, they basically get to decide what everything looks like and what interacting with it is like.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: You can go to the Flippr host, it exists relatively low in the sphere of the matrix.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Cool.
> Mike / G.M.: You just have to go into full VR and like beam yourself there and...
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Well, I think we should do that.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Should we drive up and then maybe jump in?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Do we - do we need - in order to install a skimmer, do we need to be in VR? Just - these are just questions that I just have.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Is - yeah, remind me, is the skimmer a physical object that needs to be put on a physical landline or is it a -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] A program, yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": - software object?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] I think it would be cooler if it was a physical object?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mm.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] But also, I mean, I like the VR thing.
> Mike / G.M.: I would say that it's possible you are not currently in possession of the information that would allow you to answer that question.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Like, you don't know -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: - what their infrastructure looks like, and you don't know how much is wired versus wireless. You would know that throughout most of New York, wireless is kind of the name of the game, and it's actually kind of weird that there are wires involved in this.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: Maybe speaks to some of the quirks of the neighborhood that you're going to go to.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] So, when you say she gave us the skimmer, she gave us the code for the skimmer. Is that correct?
> Mike / G.M.: She ga - She didn't give you anything.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Okay, she didn't give us anything.
> Mike / G.M.: She gave you a recommendation -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Ah.
> Mike / G.M.: - or a suggestion from her contact in the South Bronx.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] I see.
> Mike / G.M.: If you wanted to do something different in order to get money off of them, like, they're not against it, but that was what - that was the idea that was had by someone who was there.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, if you wanted to write a piece of software, you know, Lash or T.K. would likely have to spend some time -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: - putting that together.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Okay.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: And yeah, we could - we'll figure out what that test is, once - once you know more.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Okay. Well, I guess -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] - let's go see the contact.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah. Who was our contact?
> Mike / G.M.: So you have a contact for - hold on- Calixto Lobo Salgado Amaral Mendonça.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Mike / G.M.: They run something called the Câmara di 商业 [ Pronounced Shāngyè ]. Which I'm gonna say wrong.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: It's essentially the Chamber of Commerce in the South Bronx. It is located inside of the largest fish market that's there.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah, let's -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Alright.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] - let's go see him. I think yeah, let's go get as much info, so when we get a job there, we can gather info.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Yeah, T.K. -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Fuck 'em up. [ Mike, Taylor laugh ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Are we - Are we - Are we in the Bentley?
> Mike / G.M.: You head back underground to the large parking lot that you were in, if you guys don't do anything, you get back in the Bentley and you head - you head north?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Yes, but T.K. engages the legs so it's steps over the cars in the parking lot. [ Mike laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] God.
> Mike / G.M.: How does that feel inside the car, to be in a leggy car?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] It's kind of bumpy.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K.'s like riding it like a - he's sitting down - like he's riding the seat like a - like a horse saddle. He's just sitting down like wide-legged - [ Jenn laughs ] - wide stance. Holdin' onto the steering wheel.
> Mike / G.M.: Wait, can - can everybody - can everybody make this sound, "Zzt!" [ All Zzt! several times ] Okay, each one of us is a leg. Ready?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
[00:10:00] > Mike / G.M.: Go. [ All Zzt! repeatedly ]
[ Intermission Theme begins ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Hi Quaran-chummers! Or... Chum-distancers? Chum-dudes? Anyway, if you like Fun City, and we hope you do, join us on Patreon to help support the show. You get so much stuff! We have a bi-weekly chat show, aptly named Fun Chatty, Lash's workout plans, and Yuri's egg recipes. You also get an invite to our Discord, where you can hang out and talk to us about Shadowrun. Speaking of which, we have a book club, and starting on May 4th, we're going to read one of my personal favorites, "Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" by Neal Stephenson. I will do my best to not assign homework. Join our Patreon, read Diamond Age with us, and it's gonna be fun!
[ Intermission Theme ends ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] I think in the meantime T.K. is going to do some more matrix searching on our contact.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, roll it up for me.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] And I got four hits.
> Mike / G.M.: So, Calixto's pronouns are they - they/them. They have a long history in the neighborhood, they were born there, and they're kind of like, Calixto is kind of just someone that people know. They have a really big personality. You can find pictures of them all around. You can see that they're bald. They have some tattoos. They are big - they're not tall but they're like, a large person.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mm.
> Mike / G.M.: And they seem to be involved in all different aspects of the community, so when there is a parade, Calixto is on some of the, you know -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] The floats.
> Mike / G.M.: - is on the planning committee and on the float. When there is a politician that needs to talk about the things that they will do to support the community, they are there shaking Calixto's hand. So, I think they're just sort of generally involved in the neighborhood. They are not a politician as such, but they are definitely a - I don't know if you would call them a community organizer, it feels like such a... sort of empty term but something along those lines.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Got it.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Cool, yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: And - And - Yeah, there - it seems like their day-to-day job is running something called, in three languages, the Chamber of Commerce.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] I think T.K. relays all this stuff back to the team.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Hm!
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Cool.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Also, guys, I think I'm gonna start working on the tree trunk.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Oh awesome.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] See - See if we get some stuff from Odina.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: So you got - you've done a test on the tree trunk once. I think we were gonna try to get to ten total successes.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: So if you want to do a little -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] You'll have to remind me what I - what I need to roll.
> Mike / G.M.: It's your - what, your software plus your intuition.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Okay... that is three hits.
> Mike / G.M.: So you're part of the way there. I think you have - you have eight of ten.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Okay.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Nice.
> Mike / G.M.: You'll be able to do the next test on that tomorrow.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Cool. [ IC ] Guys -
> Mike / G.M.: Going to basically give you one of those rolls per day.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Tree trunk is almost done. We're close.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Wonderful.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Go T.K.!
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Hooray!
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K. just, you know, he does his thing. He's - He's very quiet about the things he's working on, but I think this is - this is the kind of thing where he's like, "Yeah guys. Just checking in. Here's how it's going. Never really done this stuff before, but I feel like we're close."
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Hey Luxe.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Hey, what's up?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Do you want to talk about what happened back there?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Oh... no! [ Nick and Mike laugh ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Have you ever had a reading by The Oracle?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] No, I haven't. That was... really interesting.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] She got you.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay. Thank you.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, she -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] She read you -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Thank you, Lash.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - like a -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay, Lash.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - book.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Thank you, Lash.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] She did get you. Yeah, she - I agree Lash.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] I - Okay, I don't have a comment on that. [ Shannon laughs IC ] I do - I did get a little creeped out - or freaked out. So I do - I would like T.K. to lead on this one, just in case? [ Nick laughs nervously IC ] Yeah, yeah, it definitely gave me things to think about. How did you feel about yours?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I thought it was a polite reading. I don't follow The Oracle, but I respect her words. What about you Lash?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I feel good about mine! I loved it.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Good.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I loved every second of it. I would like to get more readings done. Yeah, Death.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Doesn't scare you?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Doesn't scare me at all! I think that's great.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Lash, what do you think is the next big change for you, coming?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Hm. I don't know, I was thinking of getting some new shoes?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay. [ Nick laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, that's pretty big. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Your spiky ones are pretty cool.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I like your boots.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] You get a lot of - you get a lot of compliments on -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah... I think my foot’s growing, actually.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] It probably is.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] It's either growing or something's wrong. [ Mike laughs ] I think - it's pretty swollen.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] How... How -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] How often do you go to the doctor?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] What? Never. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Hm. Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] How - How late do - [ Jenn laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] No - I mean - technically I'm "fully grown" -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Ah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - but maybe my feet just got another thing coming. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] I think we should just put a pin in that. I don't - I don't know that we should - [ Shannon laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Probably put a pin in it.
> Mike / G.M.: Maybe you're just gaining weight in the feet. [ Mike and Shannon laugh ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah, in the feet area.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Lash, I'm going to check your nails later and make sure you're trimming those, because I'm 95% sure that's what it is.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] [ Laughing ] That is funny, Luxe! [ Jenn, Nick, Shannon laugh ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Lash, do you want to run a quick search - unless you're already on this, T.K. - on what job opportunities are available that T.K. and / or you -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Sure.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] - would be good for?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] You don't run that?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] I - [ Shannon laughs ] - barely can use my comm-link.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] You can ask Artemis, we've tried - we've talked about this.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] No, I can do it.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah do it, do it, Lash.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Lash just kind of tilts her head to the side and kind of like gazes off a little bit. She just goes on jobsforyou.com - [ Shannon laughs ] - and she looks up Flippr, or she writes "Flippr jobs posted this week".
> Mike / G.M.: You get a number of listings back that are entirely for the engineering department
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Ah.
> Mike / G.M.: And you can see that they, you know, it's like those job posts where they're also advertising the company.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: All of the language is very marketing oriented. It talks all about the benefits that you get working for Flippr and it touts that you would be working with world-class talent in a new corporation that has very exciting investors.
[00:15:02] > Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: There's all kinds of opportunities, you can get in at the ground level, they're looking for the hottest talent. It doesn't say specifically what skills you need.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: It just says like, "We are looking for any accomplished engineer who can help us build our platform. Get in touch as soon as possible. We're always hiring, competitive rates, etc. etc. etc."
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] And then, she looks at the - the - the corner of like the - Flippr's page on jobsforyou.com, and to see like, where it has the like social network aspect of the website, where she could see all the people who were like currently connected to Flippr.
> Mike / G.M.: Mhmm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] She just does like a broad like, look at those people's profiles just to see what those people are kind of all about.
> Mike / G.M.: Is there any particular piece of information that you're after, or do you want me to describe what -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] What's the vibe of those people?
> Mike / G.M.: White.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] White.
> Mike / G.M.: They are entirely like, blond-haired, square-jawed - Yeah. Humans.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Which - and, to continue to be that white in the future, you gotta work at it.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah, it's not an accident.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Like your family - Yeah, that has to be on purpose.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah. [ IC ] Okay. I'm just looking up and...
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] It's wrong to be white. [ Nick and Shannon laugh ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Honestly like, anytime I see anything in the future that has like people that are obviously just quote unquote "one race", I'm like, "I don't think so pal."
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Ain't gonna happen.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Do - Are there any remote work opportunities?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Are there any remote work - [ Shannon laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, most - most of the opportunities are work from home -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Oh, okay.
> Mike / G.M.: - but they do require an in-person interview.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: You have to go to the location. They do have an office that you can work out of, but they sort of have a - what do they call it - flex - flexible office whatever?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Flex desk? So, yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Hot desk.
> Mike / G.M.: Hot desk. That's what it is.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Hot desking.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] I also randomly click on one of those people's profiles and I want to look at where - their work history. Where else do they work? Because I'm on their LinkedIn.
> Mike / G.M.: [ Laughing ] Sure.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Their JobsForYou profile.
> Mike / G.M.: So like you click on a person and you see that it's mostly small startups -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: - that have been eventually bought by larger megacorporations.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: And so, it would appear as though this is like - this is a very particular talent pool.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: These are people who are hotshot programmers, who work mostly in the corporate tech sector -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: - who are looking to get bought, or acquired, by a larger company, and it seems like a lot of these people in this ring, that's exactly what has happened to them - or you know, you can see that their trajectory is intern, intern, low-level editor, engineer, senior engineer, and then SVP of some department that doesn't need to exist.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: Which probably means that they just c - get paid five hundred thousand nuyen a year to warm a chair somewhere.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] We should start a startup.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Hm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Hmm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Hmm, no. [ Bijan laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv unhooks her trodes from her belt loop and slaps them on and tries to look at the Flippr front end -
> Mike / G.M.: Mhm.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] - as a customer.
> Mike / G.M.: So you want to go to -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Just the service.
> Mike / G.M.: - the host?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah. Like the actual VR, or do you want to look at the website?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Just - just the website.
> Mike / G.M.: Just the website. So on the website, just looking at like a 2D, like a thing that you scroll through, you see mostly, at the front, a feed of properties that are in the South Bronx with - there is, sort of side-by-side photos. The first is always a kind of dull, drab, portrait of, ostensibly, the building as it exists now, with the color kind of drained out and you know, some boarded-up windows here and there. And, so then next to it is a kind of concept drawing of what the property could look like if it was "redeveloped in the Flippr style", which is just, a lot of just - it's like designer bullshit. It's structural plastics, lots of open floor plan, like, you can see into someone's living room and you can see all of their designer furniture, stuff like that. With a little counter on it, that is how long this property has been on the market, like sort of saying like "Hey, you know, if you don't come and get this one from us now, like, it's going to go soon you better, you know, it's only been here for a little bit. Get - get your redeveloped property that we're going to put together for you right now."
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Is there a search bar?
> Mike / G.M.: Sure.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv goes to the search bar and looks for houseboats. Are there any results? [ Jenn laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: Roll a d6? [ Jenn and Nick laugh ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Ooh!
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mhmm!
> Mike / G.M.: If you get - if you get -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Sorry, I'm on the new roller, so.
> Mike / G.M.: If you get three, four, or five - or, sorry, four, five, or six. [ Taylor gasps ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] A six!
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Cha-ching!
> Mike / G.M.: Yes. There is, on the very edge of the South Bronx, far, far south on the water, just on the other side of the fish market, there is one very old houseboat that is currently in redevelopment to be turned into a six-unit condo.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": A floating condo.
> Mike / G.M.: Floating condo.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] A six-unit floating condo.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Mike / G.M.: Floating six-unit condo. It used to be an old colonial house. An old colonial like, cedar - what is it? Cedar siding?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": It's all cedar.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, cedar siding, a cedar siding colonial house that was on, kind of like, pontoons. And, yeah, the person who owned it put it up for sale, and Flippr bought it, and they're currently in the process of renovating it and they're going to make it available for - for 425,000 nuyen.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv -
> Mike / G.M.: Per - sorry, per unit.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Right.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Duh. [ Mike laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": Mhm!
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv, in the air, is like making a backspace motion as if it's like computer keyboard. [ Shannon laughs ] And then she slowly like, tries to type "two bathtubs" - [ Jenn laughs ] - to see if Luxe's property comes up. [ Mike ad Shannon laugh ]
[00:20:12] > Mike / G.M.: It does not. [ Jenn laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Oh. [ IC ] Their website is very easy to use. [ Mike and Shannon laugh ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] That's what all those programmers are for.
[ Low, Percussive Music begins ]
> Mike / G.M.: Henley pulls off the highway and heads east, then south below Belmont and Arthur Avenue, commercial center of the historically Italian neighborhood in the Bronx which has, inexplicably, as far as much of the city is concerned, been the focus of aggressive city development. It is the site of many municipal architectural excursions. The dense, adventurous structures of Belmont provide a counterpoint to the South Bronx, which is low and old. What is still standing has been maintained, but never remodeled. It is aged not by design, but because of time.
After the catastrophe, much of the South Bronx closest to the water was destroyed and rebuilt on rock and concrete infill. Natural and synthetic sand was shipped in from China and Russia, as there was a shortage in America, mixed and sunk into the rising tides. Using what they learned building the superstructure that would eventually support Manhattan, the community of the South Bronx, largely day laborers and construction workers at the time, rebuilt their own firmament.
Over the last hundred or so years, the South Bronx has transformed into a vital fishing village, supplying grown, printed, and farmed seafood to the city and most of the Eastern Seaboard. It is a home to a mix of Brazilians, Italians, and Chinese, some of whom are first-generation immigrants, but many of whom come from families who have called New York home since before Manhattan was rebuilt.
Henley circles the neighborhood, weaving carefully around the food carts, fish stalls, and street vendors, looking for a parking space. The fish market looms in the distance, and every few lots, the team sees a large, angular, glass building with little sprouts of greenery sticking out here and there. These buildings look as though they've been dropped into the neighborhood, transported from the vicinity of Grand Central. Spores of corporate architecture, taking root in the South Bronx.
[ Low, Percussive Music ends ]
> Mike / G.M.: Henley walk - drives around for - walks around for a while, I guess?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] No Henley's driving. [ Low Background Hum begins ]
> Mike / G.M.: Okay, Henley's driving now. [ Shannon makes Zzt! sounds ] Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] People - people get upset when they see a car walking.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, I bet! [ Shannon laughs ] You know, finds a parking space and you guys are just kind of dropped off in the South Bronx. It's very busy. It's a weekday afternoon. There's a lot of - a lot of business being transacted. [ Hum ends; Busy Market Crowd sounds begin ] No one's paying you any mind.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] I feel like I kind of want to set Henley to just keep driving around the neighborhood.
> Mike / G.M.: Sure.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: There is a -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] It's a - I mean it's a conspicuous car. It's like -
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, there is a common feature that is just called the circle feature, and -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, Henley will gladly just circle for as long as you want until you want him back.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Great. Let's - Let's do that.
> Mike / G.M.: You get out of the car and Henley just drives off and putters around for a while, for as long as you guys want.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Hell yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Cool. Let's go find Calixto.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Is there a fish market nearby?
> Mike / G.M.: So you guys would be able to see the fish market from quite a distance. It's pretty large. It's, you know, a very very large warehouse that's right on the coastline, right on the edge where the South Bronx abuts the water. So you guys want to head there?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Sure.
> Mike / G.M.: Sure.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah. I'm just saying, I think we're going to want to wait to get the fish until we - we know we're going to see Irina -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Right.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] - soon, right?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Because otherwise it'll be stinky.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] It'll be stinky fish. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Can't have stinky fish.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Does synthetic fish stink?
> Mike / G.M.: Yes.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Oh.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Wow, the technology.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] [ Jenn laughs ] Just checkin'. [ Nick laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: It will - Yeah, it will - it will rot, right? Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Otherwise, it wouldn't be food.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, it is - it is - it is manufactured but it is organic material.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mm.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Mmm, got it.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Plus maybe we can ask Calixto where to get the best deal on rainbow trout steak.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Agreed.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Agreed.
> Mike / G.M.: You could get a soy fish, probably that wouldn't, but like that would just be -
[00:25:00] > Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] No, no no no.
> Mike / G.M.: - that's basically just a tofu chunk in the shape of a -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Not what she wants.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You can get that at home.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah. [ Mike laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Right, we're - we're here in the So -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] We want the best.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] We want the best.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": When you're here, you're family. [ Mike laughs ] [ Italian Accordion Music begins ] [ Crowd Sounds end ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] - South Bronx.
> Mike / G.M.: It looks like someone dropped an Italian villa just into the middle of the South Bronx, and there's a big side - [ Nick laughs ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ Loudly ] [ With Italian Accent ] Mamma mia! [ Mike and Shannon laugh ] Ma mia!
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] [ With Italian Accent ] [ Laughing ] Is okay Mamma, we have-a steel, is steel okay? [ Shannon laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: There's a -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ With Italian Accent ] [ Laughing ] My brick-a fall out of the house - [ Mike and Shannon laugh ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] [ With Italian Accent ] [ Laughing ] We get your brick back-a Mamma, don't worry!
> Mike / G.M.: [ Accordion Music fades, Indoor Market Crowd sounds begin ] So on the southeastern corner of the South Bronx, within view of the water but not quite on it, in one of the semi-permanent segments of the sort of patchwork superstructure that makes the South Bronx, there is a large indoor warehouse. And you can see from a distance, it's got like a big patchwork roof. Some of it is like, finished with tile, there's some aluminum sheeting. And as you get closer and closer you start to hear the din of basically just a giant indoor market. This is where - you would know this - like this is where everybody from the city who serves fish professionally comes to buy their fish. So every morning and afternoon, you have people coming in for the lunch and then the dinner rush and once you get inside, you see just two massive pathways lined with all of these stalls of people of various backgrounds and expertise selling all of their product.
You see fish steaks placed in ice sculptures, very nicely carved little, like, pockets cradling these expensive-looking steaks. You see whole fish laid out on electronic cooling pads. You see some very very fancy stalls that have what looks like just whole fish on actual ice and you see even fancier stalls off in the distance that have real, swimming, living fish in tanks. [ Jenn gasps ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Whoa.
> Mike / G.M.: Which is shocking. [ Jenn gasps more dramatically ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Mm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Whooaa.
> Mike / G.M.: Like that you would buy that and eat it.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Whoa.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Holy mackerel. [ Someone claps ] [ Shannon laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Woooow.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] And that's the show folks, and we'll see you next week. [ Mike laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Thanks for listening.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] And you get 15 million edge! Question. Is there anything - are there any stalls that are like - have like - like food to eat - like food ready to eat?
> Mike / G.M.: No one would stop you from just purchasing anything that you see and putting it in your mouth.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Like a weird penguin. [ Taylor laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Like sashimi.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah. But no like, stalls that are fit just like, for like, oh, it's like here's a fried fish - I'm looking for fried fish sticks. [ Crowd sounds stop ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Food trucks. Food stalls.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Food stalls.
> Mike / G.M.: Sure.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah, too many of them, right?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah not just service and inventory. Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah. Any of these places, you could approach, and you could ask for like a preparation of any product that they make available.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mm.
> Mike / G.M.: In the back corner, you know, if you like follow your nose -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: - sort of, you can follow the scent of some fried food, if that's what you're after. You can also spy off in the distance, there's a small sushi counter, so you could go and get some fresh sushi, if that's something that you're after. You're kind of surrounded by places where you could conceivably order lunch.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Depending upon your comfort level of being handed a salmon steak and just biting into it.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mm.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv is comfortable with that. [ Mike and Nick laugh ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah. Yeah, Lash looks around the group and says - [ IC ] I know we got things to do but we didn't eat lunch. Anyone hungry?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] I could eat.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah, this - this looks amazing!
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I love fish -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Let's -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] - in more ways than one. [ Nick laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Then let's do it. Let's - Let's -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] God.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Is this is this weird for you Viv? [ Nick laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Oh not at all.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Hm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] But you -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Not at all. It's part of the circle of life.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] But you see those live fish in those tanks?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Yeah. I'm going to go say hi to them. [ Shannon and Nick laugh ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh good because there's a fried fish - [ Shannon laughs ] - there's a fried fish stand right over there that I would like some fish sticks at.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] You want some fish sticks?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah, if you get some, get some for me.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] You would like an order of fish sticks?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yas.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, I'd like some fish sticks.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Okay, two orders of fish sticks. Viv?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I'm gonna get the raw stuff.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Okay, three -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] That's -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - four orders of fish sticks, because I get two.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Cool.
> Mike / G.M.: As you're walking from where you are - So does - you - you guys basically like, split up and look at the market?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yes.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Luxe is - Luxe is saying yes, he wants fish sticks, but he's looking at an octopus that looks like it has to be alive, but apparently it's printed. [ Water Burbling begins ] It's crazy, it is moving? [ Nick laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: Oh, that one is a display robot. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Oh, it's a display robot.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Yeah, T.K.'s entranced.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah, and he's just like, "What? How is this possible? They printed a live octopus?" and then he slowly -
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, you get -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] - realizes.
> Mike / G.M.: As you get closer and closer to it, you hear zzt zzt zzt zzt. [ Servos Whirring ] [ Nick laughs ]
[00:030:00] > Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] The little servos. You know -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K. -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] And Viv just pops up behind you. [ IC ] Ah, the scholar of the sea. [ All laugh ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Go on! [ Burbling stops ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Is that what the octopus is?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Octopi have problem-solving skills. They're very intelligent.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Oh, yeah.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I've met a few. [ OOC ] And she's just like polishing her nails on her - [ Shannon, Nick, Mike laugh ]
> Mike / G.M.: Slick home turf.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Lash as you walk towards the fish and chips stall, which will sell fried fish fingers if you want them -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: - you also see something that you didn't see from when you entered, which is a number of stalls that are all grouped together that actually sell the machinery that is used to print fish. [ Printer Whirring begins ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Oh.
> Mike / G.M.: It seems like this is a kind of, geared towards the home cook -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mmm.
> Mike / G.M.: - situation where you can buy a small-sized printer and, you know, subscribe to the material that you need in order to print and flavor -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You can print it, probably, in any shape you want. If I want to make a fishy minion for dinner...
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Hmm.
> Mike / G.M.: And that actually - there's a bunch of signs on one of them -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: - that advertises that you can make a fish steak in any - any shape that you want.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Nice.
> Mike / G.M.: And one of the shapes is something that you do not know what it is, but it looks like a thumb wearing a goggle, and it has one eye. [ Nick laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Thumb... wearing a goggle?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] I actually looked at my thumb. [ Jenn laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Thumb wearing - Is it - [ Nick makes Minion noises ] [ Mike laughs ] What would that be? Am I missing what that would be? A thumb -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC as Bystander ] Ohh! I see you're looking at the sign very confused. [ Nick laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] A thumb wearing a goggle?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] When I was a young boy, my mother would love these little yellow servants.
> Mike / G.M.: This is a very tiny Chinese man. He looks to be about a hundred years old.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] What's this thumb wearing a goggle?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] We used to tell stories about these little chirping yellow servants. [ Long pause ]
> Mike / G.M.: Shannon it's a minion.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh! It's a minion! [ Jenn, Nick, Mike laugh ] Wow I really - [ Shannon laughs ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] You remember! You remember!
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Well why didn't you say it's a - [ OOC ] No, I'm not gonna say that, I was gonna say -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] I'm old! Why are you yelling at me?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh, it's a minion, I've heard of these! Are you selling fish sticks?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Can I have a fish stick?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh, I thought you were working here.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Opposite.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh, you would like fish sticks?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Mhmm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Five. Five orders of fish sticks. Okay. [ Whirring ends ]
> Mike / G.M.: So yeah, you can go to the fish stick counter and they will gladly hand you a number of fish sticks.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Okay, I got the -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Oh wait, Lash, get an extra one for uh... Calisto.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh six orders of fish sticks. Okay. Oh, Luxe?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] [ Laughing ] Can I have nuyen?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah, I could send some -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] I send some to her in - through our comm-link.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Thank you, I - I don't keep any on me.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] You mean you don't have - you lost access to your accounts again?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I don't know! Okay. [ Shannon and Mike laugh ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Luxe sends her some nuyen in a little account that he had set up for just in case she can't access hers.
> Mike / G.M.: The bored looking teenager behind the counter operating the fryolator's like - [ IC as Bored Teen ] That'll be 24 nuyen.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Here you go.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] [ Mimicking POS device ] Do-do-doot.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Great. Wonderful transaction. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] He - He puts he puts a bunch of fish sticks into paper cones that are set within little, you know, they're kind of like pushed into a small holder thing -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - and he sets out six cones full of a bunch of fried fish fingers each.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] So she hands a order of fish sticks to the man that she met. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Randomly.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] What was his name?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ OOC ] He's gone. [ Mysterious Music begins ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] He's gone!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ OOC ] He's vanished.
> Mike / G.M.: The booth is gone!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": There's just like some paper blowing around where he was!
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I'll never forget you, man who taught me what a minion was. [ Mysterious Music stops ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] I'm over here! [ Shannon, Nick, Mike laugh ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Oh! There he is.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] I just walked over here.
> Mike / G.M.: I'd like to point out that Shannon, I, Mike Rugnetta, am the one who taught you what a minion is. [ All laugh ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] [ Laughing ] Yeah! And then she goes and eats two, immediately before - she eats them as she walks because she's a walker and eater, and gets back to the crew.
> Mike / G.M.: They are - it's delicious. Was not served with, and does not need, any dipping sauce.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Oh, what an optimistic - most optimistic -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ OOC ] - thing about the world. [ Nick laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Mike / G.M.: This is the best thing that's happened in the future.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] And she thinks -
> Mike / G.M.: Just a - There's just a little bit of lemon juice on them. It's great.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Mmm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Oh! She again, when she's walking back, she sees that like, at-home printing machine - [ Printer Whirring begins ] - and she thinks, "Wow Yuri would - would really like that. I think that that thing, that's what I'm going to get him for Christmas." [ Shannon laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] I think he would probably - if he wanted it, he'd probably already own it.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah, that's - she thinks, "That's what I'm going to get Yuri for Christmas, and I'm gonna pay for it with Luxe's money." - [ Bijan, Jenn, Nick laugh ] - is what she says.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Does she say that out loud?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yes.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K.'s like - [ IC ] Nice. [ Shannon laughs ]
[00:34:58] > Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Luxe hears her just say, " - and I'm gonna pay for it with Luxe's money." I don't know what she's talking about, I - but I do not care at this moment. [ Printer Whirring ends ] [ Shannon laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] How about those fish sticks?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Really good.
> Mike / G.M.: So you guys see on the opposite side of the... of the market, there is a - there is a tall... I don't know how you would describe it. It - a tall stall of some kind, that's pushed up against the far wall. As you approach, you can see that there is a sign on it that says "Chamber" in Portuguese, "of" in Italian, and "Commerce" in Mandarin. You can see that it's kind of a cross between a museum, a pharmacy, a bodega, a post office, and an office center. It's got all kinds of stuff on these tall shelves that go all the way up the wall. There's a broad bar-desk kind of thing that has a curve in it. You can see printers of various kinds, like paper printers, no fish printers.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Hm.
> Mike / G.M.: You can see a bunch of liquor bottles. You can see a assortment of small mailboxes. You can see these cylindrical tubes that you use to ship things via boat over long distances, so this is like a shipping center too. As you get closer and closer, you realize that it also stretches into a part of the market that you didn't see before. That it kind of like goes underneath a small overhang and extends further off to the right, where it becomes a bar with stools and you can see a dingy dance floor and there's an old style jukebox off in the - off in the corner.
And there is a average height person that looks roughly like the pictures that you had seen on the matrix - about 5'9" - standing behind the counter. They are large. Their head is completely shaved, and you can see as you get closer, their ears glint, they're rung with very small glowing studs and off of their right ear hangs - there's a little bit of a chain and there's a bright gold cross that hangs there. They sort of see you approaching with purpose and they lay their hands down on the bar and beam you a big smile as if to say, you know, "What do you need? Bring it on." You can see that their hands are dotted with gold rings and all these different colored jewels. And you see their trid-painted fingernails are kind of flashing as they move their hands around, and also how the sleeves of their long grey smock are pushed up to reveal these tiny smatterings of really small, very intricate tattoos underneath a dense coat of like, graying arm hair. And they speak in a very low, comforting tone. [ IC as Calixto ] Welcome. Welcome. How can Calixto Lobo Salgado Amaral Mendonça, and their Câmara, assist our visitors today?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] We got you some fish sticks. [ Nick laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Oh, uhh, I've already had lunch?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh, that's okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] I mean, I love them, so I'll take them. Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Okay, great, great!
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] To... to what do I owe the pleasure?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Hey! [ Shannon laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] It's not every day that people are coming in and offering me fish sticks.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh!
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Well -
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] So you'll have to excuse my confusion.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I understand.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah -
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] I'm not gonna try to do a Brazilian accent. I'm just gonna - [ Nick and Shannon laugh ] - I'm gonna ruin everybody's life if I try to do this, so.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Well, hi. My name is Luxe Scythe. And this is our team here. This is Lash.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Hello.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] T.K.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yo.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] And Viv.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Hello.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Irina sent us actually, to -
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Ohh.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] - to help with some -
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] The contract.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yes. To help you with some problems that - that you've been having in the neighborhood.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] They get a very big grin on their face and they eat one of the fish fingers and kind of look you over, look you up and down, and say - [ IC ] I understand, I understand. You might know as much as I do. What can I help you with?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] First, do you have anything to drink?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] More than enough. [ Nick laughs ] Pick your poison. [ OOC ] They gesture down the long end of the bar with the cone of fish fingers in their hand. Yeah. It's a it's a big bar. There are a lot of liquor bottles on the shelf.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I like salt.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Margarita?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Yes, please.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Okay, Calixto gets to work making you a margarita. Hands Lash the cone of fish fingers back, since it can't be placed down on the - [ Nick and Mike laugh ] - on the bar without spilling over.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] She takes 'em.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] I don't need to know why it is you've accepted the job. I know that Irina has her ways, but I imagine that you know roughly the problem that we are facing and how we're hoping to solve it.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah, we - we understand the problem at hand. We would just like to get some more - any information that you have on -
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Come, come. Sit, sit. [ OOC ] And they gesture towards the row of stools that are in the slightly more private part of the Chamber of Commerce and they walk down and they're shaking a margarita. [ Cocktail Shaker Rattles ] [ Jenn laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah, we - we don't like these Flippr guys, and we have some basic plans to get inside the company and do some skimming and perhaps get some of that money that they're filling their pockets with from the neighborhood -
[00:40:04] > Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Mm.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] - filtered back into the neighborhood. We also were curious if there was anything else you might want? I mean, we - we don't know how they're getting these notifications of real estate going to market so quickly, we will attempt to fig that - figure that out. If we could get that to you or to someone in the neighborhood, would that be useful?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Yeah, you mean, I would know before Flippr?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah. We - Before we st - got to work on, kind of, fixing what they've rigged, we wanted to make sure that that would be valuable to anybody who's in the neighborhood, who could actually take advantage.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Absolutely.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] If you don't - Yeah, if you don't have the money to buy the properties, for example, when they go in the market, then we might be wasted effort.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] I mean, as you can probably tell, I'm not the most technologically savvy person in the world.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] And they gesture around, and you actually do notice now, at this point, that the Chamber of Commerce doesn't appear to have a computer.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] [ Laughing ] Right.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mm.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] [ Laughing ]It's just a bar.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] It's just a bar.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] There's a jukebox there. [ Mike laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] But - Surely I could find someone in the neighborhood who would know what to do with any information you bring us, but that would be contingent upon what that is.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay. Alright, well that's useful to know. The only other thing I would say is that I've run into types like this before, and you throw a wrinkle at them or you throw something in the track, and they end up clearing it and findin' another way around. So if there's a way we could scare them completely off the neighborhood, that would be the thing that I think sticks the most.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] I told Irina this, because she said the same thing...
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] We don't want any trouble. The more of a bang this makes, the more people will run away.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Sure.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] And I don't want them to be able to say that the South Bronx is an inhospitable neighborhood, that it is unfriendly, that it is crime-ridden. We don't need that.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] We need them to think that their business plan is untenable, and we need them to choose to leave.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] And to not make any bad press for the neighborhood in the process of doing it.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] That makes sense.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv is licking the salt off the margarita glass. [ Mike and Nick laugh ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Oh, yeah, you - you are served a margarita. It's very refreshing, and yeah, there's a lot of salt on that rim.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] That's pretty much all she's interested in. [ Mike laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] So this... this Flippr, when did - when did they move into the neighborhood?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] They've been here a little bit more than a year at this point.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Anything about the building they're in -
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Ugh.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - of note?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] What an eyesore. It's terrible. If you - did you not see it when you came in?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Oh, is it the big glass one?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Ugh! [ Shannon laughs ] [ OOC ] And they spit on the ground. [ Spitting ] Sorry if I actually spit on you, Bijan.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] No, you missed. [ Mike and Nick laugh ] [ IC ] It would be hard to miss.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah, and anything since they moved in, anything - the buildings that are near their building, what - do you know anything about them? Like, what business is there?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] I know that they picked the lot that they are in because of its proximity to the local info center.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] And that's been there for decades. It's a very old building and, you know, our guess is that that's how they are doing what they're doing, is that they have somehow managed to get a private siphon -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Mmm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] - essentially, directly from the info center, so that they get info first, before anyone else.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Who runs the info center?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] The city.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Hm.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay. I have a couple of other questions. One, what Irina wants us to do is set up a skimmer, take a few cents on the nuyen from them. I don't think that's going to end up making them change their mind about being in the neighborhood and doing what they're doing. I think that if they ever get wind of it then it'll be a pretty easy problem to fix. We're happy to do it and we will, but maybe we could figure out what they're looking for, and maybe we make what they're looking for more sparse. For example, are there examples of real estate that they get information on first, but they're not interested in dealing with? I imagine they're not getting every piece of real estate that gets - goes up on the - on the - on the market. Is that - am I wrong?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] I mean, I'm not looking at - I don't have as perfect a knowledge of the real estate of our neighborhood as they do -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] - and that's part of the problem. They know so much more than even people who live here, because they have direct access to the info center and all of the updates. I - just from the outside, the amount that they're buying up seems like it's a lot.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] And it seems like there is nothing that they are not willing to purchase and then, in their words, "rehabilitate". [ OOC ] And they get this gross, disgusted look on their face.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Hm. Well, I think it's time to take a trip to the info center.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] To be clear, the idea of installing a skimmer is something that I just suggested.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] And I'm open to any solutions to this problem. That - I saw a movie once and it seemed like a good idea?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] You are the professionals and I leave it to you. I am just a...
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] What was the movie?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] It's a very very old one. It's about a group of friends who work in an office together?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] [ Laughing ] Yeah. Yeah. It doesn't work in that movie.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] I guess I never finished it. Do they not?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] No.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Oh.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] They do the wrong decimal. But we wouldn't do that.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] That seems like an easy - Yeah, that seems like a thing to - Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah, it's an easy thing to not - It's a short-term solution. What I'd like is to get the information about what's on sale in this neighborhood into the hands of people who have a vested interest in this neighborhood and the history of it. I think getting rid of that competitive advantage puts them in the same situation as any other realtor, and if they don't have that competitive advantage here, they may be able to find it somewhere else and they may be able to move it somewhere else. So that would be my idea. T.K. You got anything?
[00:45:15] > Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] No.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] [ Laughing ] Okay.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Great lead, T.K.! [ Shannon laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] T.K. is - T.K. is leading this one.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K.'s just thinking. He's just - He's just contemplating his options. He leads - He leads from behind. [ Nick, Shannon, Mike laugh ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I'm thinking we need to get ourselves to that info center.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Do you know anybody at the info center?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Unfortunately, no. They are a bunch of low-level city bureaucrats who come to work from other parts of the city and then leave at the end of the day.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Bureaucrats, you say?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] They're not - They're not a participating group, if you know what I mean.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Got it. Lash do you want to start seeing - seeing who works there? Do some searching?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah. What do you know about this Harris Trevorrow? Is this guy's ultimate dream to take over the neighborhood? What does he want?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] No - Trevorrow, the CEO of -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Trevorrow, yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] - of Flippr.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] You know anything about him?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Seems like a guy that really wants to be rich. I know that he hangs out with a bunch of the upper echelon of the, you know, rich people in New York. I know he's got a bunch of friends with deep corporate pockets. I know he looks real good in the suit.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Where does he live?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Oh, I don't know actually.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Hm, something we can look into.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Another question I have is where do you get your tattoos? I'm actually in the market for one. I'm thinking I want a soccer ball - [ Mike laughs ] - on my ankle.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Because it's where you kick, got it.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Mhmm, mhm, mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Hold on one sec.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] You kick with your ankle?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yep, I kick from my ankle. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Jesus.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Got all the strength.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah, I got powerful ankles.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] You wanna kick from your instep, but the ankle's close enough. [ Nick laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Hey, yeah right on the ball of my ankle - dink! [ Shannon and Jenn laugh ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] These were - you like my tattoos?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Oh, thank you.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] They're awesome!
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] These were all done by my friend Giada, who's in the neighborhood.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh, Giada?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Mhmm. I can send you her information if you'd like.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Please. I would love that.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Okay, you get a little contact - like a connection request, and yeah, you get a contact information for, hold on, Giada Allegretto.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Giada Allegretto. Wow, thank you for that. That is a tip that is going to be important to me. [ Mike laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Nice. [ IC ] The margarita is on me.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Oh, thank you.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] If you need anything while you're here in the neighborhood, and I mean anything, you come back to the Chamber of Commerce, and I'll do my best.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Thanks so much. You have a comm-link?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Do you want - I mean, I'll be here.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Alright. Well -
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] We could come here directly, or we could send you a message, but.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Yeah sure. [ OOC ] You get their comm number. [ IC ] So yeah - oof. Good - Do you know what you're going to do? You don't have to tell me, I realize that you are professionals and that there is a certain security element to this but - [ OOC ] And then they lean really close and whisper and they say - [ IC ] [ Whispering ] But like what are you gonna do?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Well, this is very helpful because you know, one of the easier things to do would be to try to stop people from - these yuppies from moving in or stop them from wanting to be here, but it sounds like the reputation of the neighborhood is something that we really have to look out for, so we're going to try to get into their little honeypot, direct jack into the info center interrupt that, and get that power into the hands of the people who live here.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC ] Anything you can do to look out for the reputation of the neighborhood would mean a lot to me and I know it would mean a lot to everyone here.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Lash, when she is - has been looking at - wait, what did you ask me to look up, T.K.?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Who the bureaucrats in charge of the -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Oh, yeah, who are the bureaucrats are in charge of the info center and she also looks on jobsforyou.com in case there's any jobs for the info center as well.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Doing a matrix search for a info center bureaucrat is a bit like doing a matrix search for a toll clerk.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mmm, difficult.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] It's like googling, "Who are the police officers?" [ Jenn, Shannon, Nick laugh ] You find little to no information other than maybe a Wikipedia entry about the existence of these historic buildings -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Oh!
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - and the fact that people work at them -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - but you can't find, on any public website, anything about who they are, what their jobs entail, really the details are very very light.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Any job openings?
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Not that you can find. [ Shannon scoffs ] Again - yeah. It's like - It's like being a toll clerk like -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - it is a - you might know, or you might - if you want to roll logic. Yeah, just roll logic.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Roll logic?
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Okay. [ Singing ] I'm gonna roll my new dice roller.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yes, thanks Mike, for the new dice rollers.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Yeah, I hope it works.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] [ Singing ] Rollin'! [ Spoken ] One hit.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] One hit
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] One hit!
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] I got one hit on the egg.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] I'll give it to you. This isn't - this isn't quite a - [ Nick laughs ] - This isn't quite a long leap. It is probably like other municipal jobs -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - in that, since it is a city job, it is relatively cushy, with great benefits -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - and an amazing pension. So you can retire and be set for life.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Mm.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] And so, it is unlikely that there are public calls for job openings, because there is a infinite line of people who just want this job.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] And that it is the kind of thing where when -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Nepotism.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Or like when someone dies, or -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] You know, like no one leaves these jobs.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Oh, no one leaves. Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] So like when someone - a job opening is from someone dying and then they just have the next person who is going to take that job ready.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Sure. [ IC ] Okay, so no - no jobs opening at the info center, nor can I find out anything about the info center.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Cool. We should find -
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] The info center - So like, if you were to look at the Wikipedia entry or whatever -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] It's going - It's not going to say anything that is super surprising.
[00:50:04] > Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] There used to be a lot more of these in the city. There are fewer and fewer of them now, as things have gone more and more wireless, and as grid infrastructure has been built into architecture. Like when someone builds a new high-rise, information management is part of that construction project, and so it is unnecessary to build buildings whose sole duty is to deal with matrix infrastructure. The South Bronx is one of a few places that still has these buildings standing. And yeah, it's just - it's - there's maybe half a dozen of them in the entire city at this point. And it kind of does what it says on the - on the tin. It is a information management center for a localized community and on the inside, they are usually largely either analog or digital patch bays. And there's - the people who work there make sure that information that is going from one part of the city to another part of the city gets there and gets there quickly and in the correct format.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] And just to refresh my memory at least, the nature of New York City and the arrangement with real estate sales means that people, at least in the South Bronx in this case, anytime they want to put their mark - their house up for market - or apartment up for market, whatever, they cannot do that themselves. They have to send that information to the info center. The reason why Flippr is able to do this is because there's such a centralized way in which things go, you know up, you know to sale they just have the direct jack to it. So they get the notification that it's up before anyone.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] The Bureau of Land Management -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - in the city is in charge of all real estate -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] - and when you want to sell something, you go to an Office of the Bureau of Land Management.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] The info center is not a place that people go, really, it's like going to the pump house?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Right. Yeah. [ Nick and Mike laugh ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Yeah, but it is the place where when the Bureau of Land Management has processed the fact that a piece of real estate is up for sale, it is then - it is then put out to the rest of the system through various data centers.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Right.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] And this is one of the few where, yeah, there is still a physical location. And so.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] But the info center is the point of propagation.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] For this neighborhood, yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] For this neighborhood, okay.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah, I'm thinking that it might be easier to get into the info centers. Like, I don't know what kind of security we're going to meet with Flippr, but it might be easier to set up something on the info center side rather than the Flippr side, but it might be harder to get - I mean it is a government building, maybe it won't be easier, but. They -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Well I say maybe we should do both -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Mm.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] - maybe we get - maybe we - you get working on the info center side and T.K. works on the - on the Flippr? What you think Teek?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Sure, I think it's probably a good idea to go to the info center itself, but -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] I assume Flippr's going to have a similar level of security, but probably not for job applicants.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Yeah, cool. Yeah, let's - let's - let's... Where do we want to - head over to the info center first and -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, sure, sure, and then we can decide what to do.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Cool.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] They are both within walking distance of the market, so -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Great.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Oh.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] It's easy for you to - yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] I was gonna yell "Henley!" [ Mike laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Hup!
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: [ OOC ] Henley can continue to circle.
[ Upbeat Transitional Music ]
> Mike / G.M.: You leave the market, you walk by a bunch of open stalls, small food carts, and food vendors. [ Seaside Crowd, Waves, Seagulls begin ] People selling whole fish, people selling fish steaks, all kinds of wares are available, fish catching equipment and so on and so forth. You turn a corner and you see, in the middle all of the block as you turn down this corner, a building that doesn't really - it sticks out, but not because it's big, because it's small. It doesn't fill the entire lot that it sits on. You can see all of these row houses and all of these tenements kind of abutting one another, creating a large edifice on one side of the block but then in the very middle of the block it all stops, and there's this small, squat, hexagonal building with a dome on top of it. Sort of looks like a two-story tall pepper mill.
And as you approach it, you can actually look through the lot to behind it and you can see the rear of what you would guess is Flippr, this huge glass cube of a building that is directly behind this data center. It's made of a yellow-gray kind of slab stone - the info center is - the data center is. And it's got this really old civic architecture feeling. It looks like it hasn't been washed, like it hasn't been power washed in decades. Gross, all around the eaves is all black, you can see there's a bunch of bird shit on the top of it, like it is old.
[00:54:56] Like I said, it stands alone and there are these slivers of space between it and the buildings on either side of it, and what you can see in those slivers of space between the data center and the buildings that are on either side of it, further towards the back there is this intense... it almost looks like iron armature that is shoved into the ground and is attached to either side of the building. There are these big slots, like holes, that come out of the side of the rear of the building, and out of those slots are just bundles and bundles of cable of all different colors, of varying diameters from something that's the size of like an audio cable to something that is the size of like a human waist.
And it all comes out of the top of the building through these two slits, wraps a little bit around that armature, and then dives down into the ground. You can see the ground is mostly loose stone except for, where the cables go into the ground, there's this really thick, black grating that the cables just dive into and underground and it just disappears into the blackness of this grating. Directly in front of you at the front of the building is a small concrete staircase, very ornate, weird little, you know, like brass handrails on either side of it. It starts wide and gets narrow up into an old stained oak door that looks like it's been there for eons.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": God, I can smell it, Mike. [ Mike, Nick laugh ] [ Background sounds stop ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I can smell it!
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K. walks up and knocks on the door. [ Rapid knocking ]
> Mike / G.M.: There is no answer. It sounds hollow inside.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Hmm. I -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv wants to stick outside but wants to quickly assense the building.
> Mike / G.M.: Sure.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah. She got three hits.
> Mike / G.M.: There are, from what you can tell, three people inside this building. None of them are awakened.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: One of them has - hold on.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Full-Body Morgellons. [ Shannon, Mike laugh ]
> Nick / "Luxe": Morgellons!
> Mike / G.M.: The fantasy name generator disease name generator is weird.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": A lot of like "Grayscales"?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah, "Bluefoot".
> Mike / G.M.: "Mouse Stomach".
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": "Mouse Stomach"?
> Mike / G.M.: "Mouse Stomach".
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Hachi-machi.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Whaaat?
> Mike / G.M.: "Rabid Baldness".
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Ooh.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Rabid Baldness.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Rabid Baldness is funny. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: You can also - You can also generate them -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] But is that a disease though?
> Mike / G.M.: - in English or French.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Ooh la la!
> Mike / G.M.: So like, "Les Dysfonctionnement Intense". [ Jenn laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] This should be in Mistura.
> Mike / G.M.: There are three people who are in this building. None of them are awakened. They are all old and one of them has emphysema.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Ah -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K. -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] - my people.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K. knocks on the door again. [ Rapid knocking ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC as Government Employee ] This is a government office. We're not - we don't sell food or fish or anything. Please leave us alone. Thank you.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] T.K. knocks a third time. [ Rapid knocking ]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Sir - [ OOC ] She opens a little port hole in the middle of the door - [ Mike and Jenn laugh ] - like the - like the guard at the - in the Emerald City and - [ Mike, Shannon, Taylor laugh ] - [ IC ] You can't come in here, no way no how! [ Nick laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Hi! Can I talk to you?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] You're talking to me right now, what do you want?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] I just wanted to say hello. I was in the neighborhood.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Hello. [ OOC ] It closes.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Okay. T.K. decides. [ IC ] I think - I think - [ OOC ] He goes back to the group. [ IC ] I think we should just wait for them to leave and then break in.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] T.K. you're the leader on this, so...
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I think that's an excellent idea.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I think that's a good idea.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Sounds good. Should we -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] What - what time is it?
> Mike / G.M.: 3:30.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Hmm.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Do you want me to put the fire alarm on in the building?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] No, because then they'll go back inside afterward.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] It will draw more attention. [ Shannon groans ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] If they're - My - If they're - If they're -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] [ Laughing ]You don't want to send all the -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] No, if -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - the fire department here?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] If they're bureaucrats, they leave at like 5:00 p.m.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Mmm.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] But it would be easier if we could check to see when they're going to leave without having to actually be here physically.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Do you want - I could give them all messages on their comm-links that their -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, no -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - dog is lost?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] I don't think we should do that. I think we should -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Okay. [ Shannon laughs ] I'm just spitballing here, T.K.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, no I can tell, yeah. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] Should we take a walk around the block?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, let's go see Flippr.
[ Upbeat Transitional Music ]
[00:59:30] > Mike / G.M.: The Flippr office sticks out like a sore thumb for the reason that is the opposite reason from the data center. It is huge and it is of a material construction that is unlike anything else that is on the block. It is in the center of the block. You can see through its glass windows the two-story salt shaker of the data center behind it. It towers above the buildings on either side of it. It is a five - maybe 6-story glass, like, monolith. It kind of gives off a gallery feel when you look at it from a distance. Everything's very sterile. Everything's very open and clear. You can see that there are multiple floors to it. And there is a wide staircase that links the first floor and the second floor.
Looking inside, it sort of looks like someone plopped an upscale northern European furniture store into the midst of like a working class fishing market village. There's a bunch of very expensive but comfortable looking furniture that is placed in these small groupings around this very brightly lit lobby. You know, it's three o'clock, so the sun is still kind of high in the sky. You can see that it's just like sunlight sunlight sunlight into this place. There is a bunch of wood, leather, and aluminum chairs and tables that are around, and you can see that there is a cherry wood desk with, like, a pleasant looking young man sitting behind it. The other thing that you would probably notice if you get a little bit closer - are you guys sort of like up close, a little bit? You're like on the sidewalk in front of it?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: Is that there are these very like, meticulously constructed physical models, like made of paper and cardboard and plastic, of some of the buildings that they have for sale. Viv, you would recognize, on the little plinths there are - there's that little clock that's ticking up, that says like how long they've been on the market, how long they're available.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Mmm, because I've seen the website. Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah. [ Jenn laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Okay, do we want to try to get in the building? Do we want to try to go in VR and check out the VR situation of this building?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ IC ] I would stick out like a sore thumb. I'll stay outside.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah, I don't think any of us need to be on the - on their cameras, especially until we try to get T.K. a job. Can you guys check to see if they have them around?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Yeah, I guess I'll do matrix perception test -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Is there a -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] - to see if there are any cameras?
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] - bench near the sidewalk, or like a parklet or anything?
> Mike / G.M.: There is homeless unfriendly seating that is attached permanently into the sidewalk in front of Flippr.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] The ones with the bumps?
> Mike / G.M.: The ones with the bumps.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] I hate them.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Three - Three hits.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, there's all kinds of security paraphernalia throughout this building. You can see that there are two security cameras all the way at the top of Flippr that point straight down. You can see that there are two that are on either side of the front door as you walk in. And you can see a couple other dull sort of icons.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Can I see anything in the back, pointed toward the -
> Mike / G.M.: No, you cannot.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Is that because I don't have enough hits or because there's just nothing back there?
> Mike / G.M.: You would know - I guess T.K. would know, you know, they're a tech startup, so, that you don't see a huge grouping of technology when you do a low-level matrix perception test is not really a surprise.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Mhmm.
> Mike / G.M.: You're like oh, yeah, they - everything runs silent and they're good at hiding things and these things aren't going to be available to the public.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Cool.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Do we - is there any kind of benefit to us going in, we pretend that we are in the market for a new condo for me, right? Okay, this is what I'm thinking.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Luxe, you're my dad -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yes. [ Jenn laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - I'm your daughter, we're going and you're looking to buy me a brand-new condo, and we just go in, we just find out a little bit more about them - about like, you know, about them. Just get some intel, see what office tensions are going on. Any - do we think this is a good idea? [ Shannon laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Can we see anyone inside the glass building?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, there is a very pleasant-looking man sitting at a cherry wood desk.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Alright.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Then let's go in.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Viv is still going to be outside. [ Jenn laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Cool.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Any plan on what we're saying when we go in?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Do you want me to spin up an ID for you real quick, so you can ask about a job, T.K.?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, that sounds good.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Alright. [ OOC ] I got six hits on his ID, I got some good -
> Mike / G.M.: Wow.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] - exploding sixes.
> Mike / G.M.: Alright, cool.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] And -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] What's the name? Give me the info.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] It is Bert... Bing. Bing Bean. No, it is not Bing Bean.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Bert Bing Bean, that's what you said.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You said Bert Bing Bean.
> Mike / G.M.: I think that's canon.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] First name goes!
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Sorry, it's Bert Bing Bean, it was - I actually -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Oh god. [ Jenn laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": - typed something I didn't need.
> Mike / G.M.: Bing - Bing Bean?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Bean Bean, two beans, right?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Bean Bean.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] Bean Bean, bean times two?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Two beans, yeah that's fine. Bert Bean -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Bert Bean - BBB?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Bert Bean Bean.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Triple B?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah. Bert Bean Bean and you have an amazing little resume here I've thrown together for you. It's kind of a compilation of a lot of tech skills that you may or may not want to -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Sure.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] - use that's associated. But yeah, just - [ OOC ] I throw that on to his comm.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Bert Bean Bean.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] And did you whip up some IDs for us as son and daughter?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah, I could do that. I could do that real quick, yes.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] And again, I think our relationship is a little tense.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Okay, so maybe we're not - we're a little cool on each other?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] We don't have the - Yeah, well this is -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Stepdad?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] It's not a s - Yeah, it's a stepdad. [ Shannon laughs ] Obviously. [ Mike laughs ] But... And it's also a situation where like, the only love language you have is - is gifts, you know, physical gifts. So like, this is your only way of showing your affection is to like, buy me a condo, and I'm more of like, I'm more of an acts of service type of - the love language that I like.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Lash, where did you learn about love languages? [ Shannon and Nick laugh ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I was - that was what I was -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Were you reading -
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - doing on the way in. I was - I was taking a quiz.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Were you reading my book?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Oh.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Did you come in my room and read my book?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] I didn't know it was in your book, but I got a lot to say about love languages based on what I was reading on the way up, so. T.K., I have a feeling that your love language is not words of affirmation. [ Shannon and Jenn laugh ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] It is not.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] What do you think about that backstory?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] That sounds great. I am Darryl Strawberry and you're Martha Washington.
[01:05:00] > Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] [ Laughing ] Yeah, okay, great.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Alright, but... [ OOC ] I got seven hits. [ Bijan, Nick, Shannon laugh ]
> Mike / G.M.: What's your limit?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] I think it's like 10 or 11, so I think we're fine.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] And also, I'm a professional skateboarder.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Oh, mental is actually six.
> Mike / G.M.: Okay.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] So it's my -
> Mike / G.M.: Six.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah, six.
> Mike / G.M.: Great. So you both have -
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: - level six IDs.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Jesus.
> Mike / G.M.: Great, sure.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] And it says I'm -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] Wow.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] - a professional skateboarder on there?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yes it does, yes it - [ Nick laughs ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] Okay, good.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Wait, so why would we be together?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] We're not.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] [ Laughing ] We're not.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ OOC ] Got it.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] We're just happening -
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] You're entering at the same time.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [ OOC ] We took the same train in, probably.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yes.
> Mike / G.M.: Okay. You guys walk in?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Yes.
> Mike / G.M.: The three of you walk in and Viv stays outside.
> Jenn / "Viv": [ OOC ] The three of them walk in. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: [ Doors Opening, Gentle Percussive Lobby Music begins ] You get inside and it is very pleasantly air-conditioned and smells lightly of sandalwood.
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] Mhm.
> Mike / G.M.: And the very pleasant-looking, red-haired gentleman wearing a light blue oxford, khakis, and loafers behind the cherry desk looks at you. His eyes widen and he says -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC as Tyler ] Well hello and good afternoon and welcome to Flippr! My name is Tyler. How can I help you this afternoon?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ OOC ] T.K. is -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Oh, wait a minute! Are y'all with Harlem Shake Productions?
> Shannon / "Lash": [ IC ] What?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] I am, yes.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Wonderful, we weren't expecting you until 4:00. But, hey.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] It's like 3:30, call time -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Early is on time.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Call time was at 3:30.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Oh, my mistake then. Do you have gear, do you have load in?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Uhh... Yeah, we have some people coming by.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Great, okay. If you just give me your comm-link number, I can send you the map - a beacon in the building and you can find the where the load-in dock is -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] - with AR. You can probably move in your - all your gear on the load-in dock, you know, we don't like to bring it in through the lobby, but you're a professional production company. So I suppose you probably know the ins and outs - [ Jenn laughs ] - and everything like that.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Yeah, right team?
> Nick / "Luxe": [ IC ] Yes! [ OOC ] Luxe was just pointing to something and talking to this woman like it was her - daughter, but then he was like - [ IC ] Yeah, I think we'll actually maybe want to shoot some - some coverage here. Yeah, yeah, that sounds good. Did they give you the beacon location?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Actually, can I - Tyler? Tyler, was it Tyler?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC ] Mhmm, it's Tyler.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [ IC ] Let me just send you my information. My name is Bert Bean Bean. You can call me "Triple B" for short. [ Lobby Music fades out ]
[ Main Theme begins ]
> Mike / G.M.: You are now leaving Fun City. Thanks for listening. If you want to support the show get access to bonus one-off episodes, our bi-weekly post-episode chat show Fun Chatty, and our Discord, where we will be starting our next book club reading Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age on May 4th, head over to patreon.com/funcityventures.
Of course thanks to all our current patrons for help keeping this ship afloat. If you like the show, you can give us a rating on iTunes, tell your pals about it, and come say hey to any or all of us on Twitter.
[ Main Theme ends ]
[ Outro Theme begins ]
> Bijan: I am Bijan Stephen, and I am T.K. You can find me online @bijanstephen on Twitter, which is B-I-J-A-N S-T-E-P-H-E-N. Or on Instagram, and you should just google that.
> Jenn: I'm Jenn de la Vega! I am Viv. You can find me online @randwiches, that's the word sandwiches but just replace the S with an R.
> Nick: This is Nick Guercio, I play Luxe Scythe. You can find me on Twitter @nguersh and Instagram @nguercio, G-U-E-R-C-I-O.
> Shannon: This is Shannon Odell, I play Lash Goodbog. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter @shodell, S-H-O-D-E-L-L.
> Taylor: This is Taylor Moore and I play all the Bad Boys. I'm @taylordotbiz.
> Mike: My name is Mike Rugnetta, I am your G.M. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @mikerugnetta.
You can find the show on Twitter and Instagram @funcityventures. Fun City was recorded at Fortunate Horse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was produced, edited, and sound designed by me, Mike Rugnetta. Pixlriffs is the lemon on your fish sticks. Fun City's music is by Sam Tyndall. Special thanks this week to Guy Snover for the 3D printer sounds. Our art is by Tess Stone. Our Discord mods are Olivia Gulin, Kit, and Kestrel. And the voice of Artemis is Molly Templeton.
[01:09:44] [ Outro Theme ends ]