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
HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM SPECIFICALLY!!!
Perhaps that did the trick, though, because the android seems to lose interest in the tequila and begins pouring Henry, instead, a glass of ice water.
But now, it also asks: And what will you be having?]
Ha. [Henry can't help himself.] So you're dragged into it now, too. Sorry about that.
[He's not really sorry, but what a pain.]
twice the spiders in the next zone i say
[ She prefers her conversations on the less vapid side, but in this world she truly can't have everything she wants. Who knows if she'll even have the drink she wants.
Thomas swings his torso around happily, knocking over a cocktail shaker with an arm. I agree. There are worse things than getting to know each other. Every friendship begins with a chat! ]
An iced tea, Thomas.
[ Please, back on the rails, Thomas. The android nods and grips for a glass.
Coming right up, miss! But first, a question for both of you! What was the name of your first pet? ]
you're right and you should say it
And so, he offers, without further prompting this time. It does revolve around his favorite subject, after all.]
I don't remember, Thomas. I've kept many spiders in my time, and I don't always give them names.
1/2
no subject
[ She shakes her head mildly, arms coming to cross. ]
The spiders I've come to know since then have been less pet and more... neighbor. Either way, I do find them to be fascinating creatures.
[ Has she ever played cool so hard in her life. We may never know. ]
no subject
Henry stares for a moment, suddenly uninterested in Thomas, and far more tuned-in to this person who apparently once kept a spider as a pet?
Someone else who finds them fascinating creatures?
PLAY IT COOL, HENRY]
...Oh? What's your favorite spider?
no subject
One could hardly choose. Every spider presents a unique charm and set of adaptations.
[ Like choosing a favorite among children. But by the Tsaritsa, she will attempt it. She continues, raising a thoughtful, sharp-nailed finger to her chin as if she hasn't pondered such things for too many hours already. ]
But I do find particular inspiration in orb-weavers, as well as the tenacious species that have adapated to the harsh blizzards of my motherland. And you?
[ Thomas finally delivers her drink, which is the wrong color for iced tea. It goes ignored. ]
no subject
To this discussion about spiders, which is quickly evolving into the realization that this woman is someone who actually knows what she's talking about. How funny — he had not had the chance to speak to his fondness for arachnids at all
until this mingle in another prompt too, and to be given the opportunity now, it's as though he wishes to say a hundred things at once, but his own sense of self-control merely has him responding with:]I'm jealous if you've gotten to see one recently.
[Sincerity is rarely earned from Henry Creel, but this is a truly sincere statement.]
When I was... much younger, I used to live in Nevada. [This probably means nothing to her, but he continues.] It was arid and so hot... but you could find an orb weaver if you knew where to look; or if you were lucky, you'd find one in your home.
[Only Henry would call the potential of walking face-first into an orb weaver web "lucky."]
I think my favorites are still black widows, though. They have such a painful bite to match their appearance, but are generally misunderstood because of their reputations.
no subject
A fine choice. Spiders are largely misunderstood as a whole, but few like the black widow enjoy so fearsome a reputation for having done so little.
[ Something she admires and aspires to in a most serious way. She gestures vaguely with her hand, conversational. ]
Imagine if you were to encounter a giant the size of a building, only for that giant to lay eyes on you and recoil in fear. Only the most mythical heroes could boast of such a thing. Yet here is the humble spider, making it a daily accomplishment.
[ Good job, spiders. But remembering something, her gaze drifts slightly. ]
Well. I have yet to see any spiders at all within this zone, which is a great shame.
no subject
I hesitate to call that an impressive feat when humans are so easy to scare in general, but.. I get what you mean.
[Yet he's the type to not give humanity much credit for anything at all, so that's neither here nor there.
At that last comment, Henry finally does reach for his glass — only to find that, indeed, it is nothing more than ice. Huffing a little, unsurprised, he places it back down for now.]
You looked, too? I spent a good hour prying into dark corners, looking for even a trace of one.