Mingle ∞ Log
No Lifeguard on Duty
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.
∞ Links ∞
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.
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.
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thediadem) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
diademlogs2025-06-08 10:11 am
no subject
In response to that not-a-question, Emet-Selch merely levels a flat look the miqo’te’s way. What has he to gain from trying to unmake this world? He accepted his loss gracefully and backed off. That should be enough.
Besides, his connection with the Lifestream is so flickering and distant, he’s not going to risk plunging himself into waters unknown by orchestrating some scheme. ]
“Debasement,” he says. It is a shirt.
[ It’s not that deep. ]
I am stuck here, just the same as you. Saddled with the same debt. If this is not a pressing need, I do not know what is.
no subject
So he takes in a quiet breath, reminding himself on how the best ways to deal with Emet-Selch is to be that pillar of disinterest. Not to dig himself in a hole out of childish pettiness simply for the sake of it.
Not one too deep, at least. ]
Very well.
[ He accepts. At least they have established that no lingering good will might remain after their temporary partnership back at the hospital. He picks up his pen. ]
...
[ There is a pause, said pen hovering over the lines of his notebook. ]
It is...difficult to picture you amongst my fellow compatriots in this context.
no subject
The night is young, yet, and he may still find some excuse.
Golden eyes flick down to see if he can get a glimpse at what the other is writing, but he sure doesn’t expect the conversation to just up and continue. ]
What? Stuck here the same as you? I do not relish it anymore than you do, believe me.
no subject
He is making this a research project. ]
That is part of it, yes.
[ It's not that G'raha really wants Emet-Selch to understand where he's coming from--because, in the end, it doesn't matter and G'raha has no reason to trust the ancient. One concession--or...if he were being more charitable, one good deed at the end doesn't undo the centuries of pain he wrought, let alone the personal frustration and degradation he caused G'raha himself. The Warrior of Light certainly has their own opinions, ones that G'raha will always honor and give due consideration, if difference.
And yet...
He pauses, frowning. He taps his pen against the page a few times, leaving a deep dot. ]
...Though it does concern me that the reach of our deliverer is long enough to delve into the Aetherial Sea.
no subject
That concerns me, as well.
[ It’s not too much of a concession to admit that to G’raha Tia of all people. For anyone who hails from Etheirys, a force that can pluck up the dead whenever they so choose would be a concern.
It doesn’t sit right with him at all, and in a way that has less to do with having been denied his final rest, and more about knowing that dealing with such things was once his responsibility. ]
And my connection to the Lifestream is tenuous at best.
[ Like, just a little tidbit for G’raha’s information. ]
no subject
It is of no surprise that Emet-Selch would be equally bothered by the notion, however it's the admission that his connection to the Lifestream has lessened that pulls G'raha's attention back from his notes. His hand stills as he regards the ancient. ]
...I see.
[ His knowledge of the extent of Emet-Selch's responsibility and powers is limited, but he knows that Emet-Selch is able to see souls within the Lifestream and likewise pull them from it--something he demonstrated on the First and later when by some strange twist of fate, he used it to revive G'raha Tia himself. G'raha will not let that fall into a list of debts to the other man. Nope. ]
Is that you are unable--or rather, less able--to perceive or feel it?
no subject
He crosses his arms, considering for a moment simply not answering. Surely he’s given over enough information. It’s not as if he owes G’raha anything, least of all a list of which of his abilities are and are not working.
Ultimately, it’s relevant information for them both, so out it comes eventually. ]
More or less. It feels… distant. Muffled in some instances, completely cut off in others. Like there is some sort of interference between it and me. I am not overly fond of the sensation.