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.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thediadem) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
diademlogs2025-06-08 10:11 am
no subject
she moves further around the ambulance, putting more distance between her and the men but also anticipating what has his attention )
It seems like my fortune is now your dinner. You're welcome.
no subject
I fear you may be getting the wrong idea about my capabilities as a hunter.
[It's a joke, kind of; he doesn't actually care what she thinks. But it's rotten luck that the two times they've run into each other, he's been an utter failure at murder.
He yanks the fellow out from under the car and slams him down on the bonnet in one fluid motion, but pauses to glance back at this Scottish woman before he tucks in.] What are your plans for this chap's friends? [Without looking, he snaps the victim's neck.]
no subject
which might also be why she rolls her eyes at the slight drama of how laszlo feeds on the first man, and when he looks back at her she looks entirely bored about it )
Leaving them here was my plan.
( as long as they weren't bothering her she didn't really care. and they hadn't done anything yet, aside from harass her, to be worth anything more of her time )
Should I leave you with them?
no subject
One moment, if you'll permit me. [He bows to her gallantly, then hoists the now-corpse over his shoulder and carries it round the car.
Once he's in view of the others, they predictably start making alarmed noises at the sight of their dead friend, but Laszlo silences them with a gesture, waving his fingers.]
You'll remember nothing about this. Your friend's a twat and you don't know where he's gone, nor do you care.
[He opens the back of the ambulance, nonchalantly chucks the corpse inside, then shuts the door.]
no subject
it's curiosity keeping her there, and she takes a step around, watching as he waves his fingers in front of the men. shockingly, despite the stupidity of the statement, they say nothing, and it's almost as if they nod in response.
so curiosity presses her on, and she releases her spell on the men. rather than argue, they just tap each other and walk off, as if nothing had even happened )
You altered their memories.
( not judgemental, nor impressed, just a stated fact )
no subject
Standard vampiric hypnosis. Or glamour, if you'd prefer the terminology of the old country.
[As he says this, he is a little more proud than usual, which is certainly saying something; there are a few choice things Laszlo Cravensworth enjoys talking about more than himself, with vampiric superiority being one of them.
It does occur to him, though, that she ought to know this, and he tilts his head curiously.]
Have you not much experience with my kind?
no subject
Too much of it.
( only some of it has been murdery. they started it )
Vampires of my world don't do that.
( and her tone is very bored. purposely )
no subject
But if it means different places have different sort of vampires... he will need to be cautious how he comports himself in the future. Defying someone's expectations could be advantageous.]
How unfortunate for them. What can they do?
no subject
( rowena likely living far away from supernatural life, amusing as that idea was when she was a witch. though she did know of vampires, having tangled with them in the past, she also wasn't about to let details free.
besides, she didn't particularly want to talk about vampires )
Not all creatures are palatable.
no subject
I can't say I am often found in the company of witches, either.
[He tips his head, eyebrows raised, and his fangs flash in the perpetual moonlight of the diffusion zone as his smile widens.]
How lucky that we didn't kill one another.
no subject
Not often, but enough.
( since he knew of them and chose not to fight her on them. clearly, he's run into them )
Why would a vampire run into a witch?
no subject
Similar interests. Blood, sex, and so forth. Or am I wrong? [He's not.]