1. Draconi is having to recover from an extended overseas trip. A business trip to Japan is NOT a vacation, and it can take 2-3 days just to get back to normal. Having worked with an Anime convention, I know lots of people that have made such trips (and some that have made the opposite trip), and even a vacation takes recovery time - it's much worse if you had to do work there (especially given for what passes for lodging and food over there - you may like Japanese food, but try eating it every meal for several weeks). I wonder how much advance notice Draconi was even given of how long this trip would be? I somehow they intended for him to be out of country at the time of the Town hall, when he is typically one of the centerpieces of such events.
2, canary, you gonna share those hallucenigens? This was actually one of the best-handled events in a while, other than one factor (the ability to do it with "junk" characters, like those used for holiday gift training).
Oh, I doubt it was "figuring out" a dupe, as much as one malcontent shouting it (and others) out to the world in a deliberate attempt to screw with the game, because they wouldn't give him satisfaction.
This event has been the most fun I've had in some time, and it has caused a lot more teamwork and social interaction on my shard than I'd seen in years. Perhaps it's because my shard's so small that sometimes we CAN'T beat Melissa & a paragon Balron with the people on at the time.