diademlogs | MINGLE ∞ LOG

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MINGLE ∞ LOG — June 2025

Mingle ∞ Log

No Lifeguard on Duty

Jump ⇅ :: Intro — Prompts — NPC Interaction

Summary

What's going on?

An unexpected heat wave in mid-June, coupled with the cycling shutdown of all air conditioning units in motels across the Blocks, has made the summer unbearable. Meanwhile, the ever-eager storm chaser, Felix Bjurstrom, has uncovered a fancy resort with a pool in a diffusion zone only 1 hour out from Panorama. Lucky, right? Well...kind of. It's got some quirks.

When is this happening?

June 10 - 30

What should I know?

This area is one of many diffusion zones that appear throughout the planet.
A storm chaser is someone dedicated to studying the cosmic phenomenon in the Diadem. Felix is a pioneer in his field.
A winding highway filled with old empty barrels will take you to the zone.
Characters can travel with a friend to save on gas! Parking's limited, so it might not be a bad idea.
At any given time, there's max several dozen visitors. Most work long hours, some are traveling through the diffusion zones, and others prefer not to risk the drive or waste precious gas, so it won't draw a huge crowd (but there's still a crowd!).
This is a mingle rather than an event. Plot-heavy elements will be minor. The game's first proper event will be posted in July!

What does my character know?

Having lost his phone, Felix will spread the word using good old-fashioned printed posters that he's put up around Panorama. A young woman is seen helping him. They appear to be close. Some say that's his daughter.
Though the timing is impossible to predict accurately, Felix believes that due to this zone's unusual proximity to an anchor point, it has a high chance of persisting for 2-3 weeks.
Directions are printed on the posters, though characters are also free to stumble across the zone by accident.

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Travel — Map — Setting

Introduction

The resort looks like your typical upscale vacation spot: a beautiful pool, lovely cabins, and plenty of pool chairs. The sky is perpetually nighttime and there are two moons. One moon is smaller than its sister and glows purple. The other looks like the Earth's moon. The weather is pleasantly warm. In fact, conditions are almost too perfect.

Other fluxdrifts are here, too, and you might come across them, all of whom are taking advantage of the pool. They'll converse superficially with you and will come and go randomly. You'll want to keep a close eye on your belongings. Other than cooling off, this isn't a bad place to start making connections. Life in the Diadem is better when you've got allies if not friends.

Just outside the resort is a spacious parking lot, designed for visitors. Nobody's following parking rules so put your car anywhere it fits. If you get blocked in, well, that's a problem for when you leave.

At the end of June, the diffusion zone will flicker and morph into an unremarkable overgrown park, long abandoned to the decades.

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Prompts

As you wander around, you discover deactivated androids in many of the poolside huts. These androids cannot be mistaken for any organic species: their chassis is metal, and their heads are shiny. Circuits and wires are visible. But each is dressed distinctly human in a way that borders on disturbing. You spot lipstick drawn on some of the metal faces, as though they're playing dress up...or as if they don't realize they aren't human. One android is frozen in place with a diary clutched in its hands. Another has a hairbrush for its nonexistent hair.

Something seems to have destroyed them—perhaps a powerful EMP wave that knocked them all out. All except one.

The Bartender

The poolside bar is at the eastern end of the resort. There are plenty of seats. A few are occupied by deactivated androids. The bartender is also an android and appears to be the only functional one in this place. He speaks with a modulated voice and has a neutral accent. He exhibits the following behaviors if you sit at his bar:

Icebreaker. Whether you're alone or with a companion, he'll try to get you all to be friends, asking random self-generated icebreaker questions. He'll be visibly disappointed if you don't play along.
Bartending. While cheerful, he can't make the correct drink: it's always too strong, incredibly weak, added salt instead of sugar, messed up the ice. He's obviously doing his best, but it's just not working. The harder he tries, the worse he performs until it becomes a comedy of errors with stuff falling over, ice dumped in your lap, champagne corks flying, and any number of slapstick mishaps. You can help him out by mixing the drink yourself.

If you're nice to him, he'll introduce himself as Thomas Lustras. He's happy to tell you about his son. Strange, you think, but who says androids can't have paternal instincts? Yet, when the android takes out his wallet to show you a photo of his son—named Edward Lustras—the picture is that of a human child, roughly 5 years old, in the arms of his human father.

The driver's license in the same wallet confirms that Thomas is (was?) a real person. The picture on the license matches the human male in the photo. A half-scorched business card states that Thomas was a consultant at Outer Rim Resettlements. Thomas believes he's on a company retreat and wistfully declares he's eager to return home to his son.

Maybe don't look too closely. After all, this place will soon disappear. And so will he.

The Grill

It's not a vacation without a grill! Not a grillable item is in sight, though, so you'll have to rely on what you can bring out of Panorama. Some of the visiting drifters will pitch in to share, unloading hotdogs (some synthetic, others authentic, and some far past expiry), burger patties (same) and buns, and "kebabs" made of blocky frozen vegetable squares. The squares vaguely resemble corn, mushrooms, and pineapple. The texture is passable, like a flavor-infused block of tofu.

Fire up the grill and take turns grilling. You'll also have to manage the propane. The grill's also prone to sputtering out, requiring regular minor repairs to get it back up and going. Any loose bolts or screws can be taken out of the dead androids to replace the rusty ones in the grill. You're unsure if you should feel uncomfortable doing that or what, but it is a solution.

Parking Woes

Like any crowded event, the parking lot can get chaotic, and the lawlessness of the diffusion zones doesn't help. While some are happy to help barbecue, others are more interested in picking fights over who got to the parking space first. It won't take much for a fistfight to break out, and a knife fight isn't out of the question, either, though nobody'll be killed (this time).

You can let the troublemakers beat each other, or you can try to intervene if somebody who doesn't deserve it is getting harassed. Just avoid causing too much of a scene. Breaking noses is acceptable; gutting someone head to toe is not. There are Enforcers visiting the zone, and if you interfere with their nice pool time, they won't hesitate to haul away everybody involved and make you sit in jail for a few days.

Questions? Ask here

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[ Said with zero hesitation, ]

Do they have ale back there as well?

[ We are dying on this stupid hill, Alucard. ]

I see a tap and I'll probably have a better pour than the actual bartender.

[This is the exact kind of stupid argument he's craved for weeks.]

Wonderful! I'll have an ale instead.

[ Unknown to Strange, this is also the exact kind of stupid argument he needs. ]

[....son of a bitch.]

Well then you're pouring it yourself.

[ Strange has an expression that can easily be read as 'undeniably smug' as he stands up to make his way around the bar, towards the back where Alucard is. ]

Happily! Shall I pour you one as well?

No, no. I'll have the port.

[Which he's going to just sloooowly reach for. And uncork.

And siiiiiiiiiiiiiiip from the bottle.]

[ As he goes behind the bar and finds a pint glass, Strange looks over right in time to see Alucard taking a sip directly from the bottle.

Well. That is rude.

But it's a rudeness that he won't let it bother him. After all, he's perfectly fine with an ale of his own! All he has to do is get the pint glass, hold it up to the tap, adjust the pint glass in a little way...

The ale that Strange pours is a solid 75% foam. He looks down at it and lets out an annoyed little, ] Hmm. [ before waiting for the foam to subside so he can top his drink off with more actual drink. ]

[Alucard politely does not look while his new worstie pours himself a pint.

He does, however, look immediately after and makes a cough-laugh when he sees how much of it is foam.]

First time?

One cannot expect to be proficient at everything.

[ Yes, this is his first time. Also, shut up. The second pour is far better—now, only 1/3 of the glass is foam. Finding this an acceptable level, Strange takes a sip of the ale.

Idly, he casts his gaze over the pool before musing, ] This...diffusion zone? It seems rather placid. I cannot help but worry what we will encounter next.

Usually your country is strongly associated with ale. I was mildly surprised.

[He pauses, then angles his hand slightly.] Start the glass like this, then slowly move it to a flat angle. That should help.

[Trevor would be so proud of his dhampir, telling others how to pour beer.]

I don't disagree. But I'm also loathe to return to that city, having experienced the relative peace and quiet of this place.

I prefer wine myself, [ Strange muses, with a little shrug. ] I could put away a bottle a day back in my bachelor years.

[ that is not something to be proud of. Still, Strange will take that advice for his next pour. As it is, he's fine finishing this one off first. ]

That city was horrendous, [ he sighs. ] I know we must return to it for supplies, but now that I know how to drive [ sort of ] part of me wishes to drive out into the wilderness simply to see what precisely is out there.

Fortified or regular?

[The question seems pertinent, given the port situation of it all.]

Mm, I think that's ill advised. If there's poor signage, then returning for supplies or finding another place for more could quickly become a death by misadventure. Not that I don't agree with your impulse. [Hell.] I'd stay here, if plausible.

[ Strange gives Alucard a wry little smile before musing, ] You have no sense of adventure. But I suppose some might say I have too much. We have such a wide, interesting world out there. I would love to explore it.

Ah, and fortified wine, of course. Though I am certain I could put away a regular bottle if I so chose.

Edited 2025-06-12 02:57 (UTC)

Exploring is all well and good, but there is some sense in having a few basic supplies. I wasn't in India for years on end without so much as a sword and something to hold water, for example.

[And of course it's fortified. Show off. Alucard rolls his eyes.]

If you hadn't clarified that you were a student at the time, I'd be asking if you were a drunk.

Oh, it was even worse than that, [ Strange laughs. ] I said I was young. My wastrel days were during a period of my youth post schooling where, through no fault of my own, I was forcibly unemployed.

[ He was a drunk, but he was a CLASSY drunk. And at least Strange is well-aware that this isn't the best look, as he gives Alucard a slightly apologetic shrug. ]

[The dhampir can only laugh before he takes another sip of the port.]

You know, you could have just not clarified anything and let me just give you the grace of schooling years.

I'm an honest man! I wouldn't want to misrepresent myself, especially to a practical stranger.

[ Strange's wry smile tells Alucard that he's not entirely serious by talking about that. This is a man being a goof for the sake of being a goof. ]

[The smile does get a laugh, soft and genuine. The goofiness is welcome, and finally Alucard offers over the bottle of port.]

Well, now you've earned this.

I will happily claim my prize, [ he grins, as he takes the bottle. Victory! Now he has port and a glass of ale. Everything's coming up Strange! ]

These things apparently do not last long, after all. Best to enjoy it while we are here.

I'll agree with your last point. I also think I'm going to give up bartending. It is very clearly not for me.

On the contrary, I think your drink choices have been splendid.

[ And as proof, Strange holds up the bottle once more. He's got a full bottle of booze, that's a win for him. ]

That's the first and last compliment I expect I'll ever receive from you.

[He grins, taking it.]

See if there's any other bottles lurking about. Perhaps we might be wise to take a few back with us. I'll come back later to help sneak them out.

Happily, [ Strange says, with a nod. ] I can cast a spell to blur someone's perceptions, but it is always easier if they have someone to talk to—or to distract them as needed.

I think this is the one hundred and forty second time I've been the distraction. [The sigh heaved is entirely for comedy value.]

Come find me when you're ready to leave and we'll see how much we can sneak out.

[ Strange reaches over to give Alucard a clap on the shoulder, wide grin on his face as the conversation continues. ]

Then you have plenty of experience being the distraction and shall do it well! This plan will go off perfectly.

[ it probably won't but hey, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take! ]

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cryptsleeper - 2025-06-15 22:37 (UTC) - Expand

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kingsroads - 2025-06-16 02:05 (UTC) - Expand

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