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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diademlogs2025-06-08 10:11 am
no subject
manchildmisery. Lucina is parked a ways away, but can probablydefinitelyhear it. ]I’m so tired of sweating! [ The sigh is a whole body experience. A deeply sullen moment passes where he throws his beach(?? generous)towel back on his passenger seat and turns to stare at the park. The resigned nod. ] Seems about right. Just my luck.
[ He seems to accept his fate, giving a little wave. ]
I really was hoping for water. Or air-con. Or anywhere that might not have sneaky snakes hiding in the weeds?
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So: Martin gets a small, apologetic smile. Lucina may not know what air-con is ( one day, she'll put two and two together and figure out that's what AC stands for ), but she gets the gist of it. He's got a giant towel that practically screams wanting a dip in water. And while she had every intention of scouting a different part of the Fringes today, that's ... sort of what this is, in a way. It's not the resort anymore, is it? ]
We could venture inside if you'd like. If nothing else, the shade should provide some relief from the sun. [ There's a tilt of her head towards the overgrown part. A beat, then— ] The snakes should not be harmful in this kind of climate. [ But if they are, she's got a sword. She'll figure it out. ]
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He picks up on what she's suggesting and takes a moment, before rummaging back to grab his bag. It goes over the shoulder as he makes his way over. Seems like there'd been a walking path once. Now it's grown over with the rest, and there's… a lot? He can't quite tell. ]
Guess it's worth a little bit of look over. Wonder how far it stretches out?
[ Maybe it could be a worthwhile trip after all, and he's kind of enjoyed exploring the fringes. Oddly reminiscent of the past year before getting slapped into this reality, without the guilt, and he is curious. ]
Oh I'm not too worried. I just don't want to step on a little guy and have to pry it off my ankle. Besides... [ it's not a sigh. Maybe a resigned breath. ]
We were warned… [ the pleasantries are shared. I'm Martin blah blah blah. It's kind of cool if you don't consider how much a downgrade it is, etc. He motions to the path ]
If you don't mind being slowed down by me taking notes here and there I'd be happy to explore together.
no subject
So, when he offers— ]
I'm in no rush. [ Without hesitation. Genuinely, just like the rest of her. She reaches to pull a low-hanging branch out of their way, motioning for Martin go first. A brief glance inside shows that it's just an overgrown park, eerily silent as the rest of the Fringes.
She falls into step with him easily. ] Is there anything in particular you're looking to research? [ That's what people take notes for, right... That's what Laurent seemed to take notes for. Research. ]
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…I mean he is, but damn. ]
Oh, well, I guess I just want to get a better idea of what’s going on with these… Do they shift and remain unchanged until the next cosmic hiccup slaps another thing down in its place? Are there ones that seem to have a rotation here?
[ He’s very animated in how he goes when in a proper ramble. This feels so similar to parts of the landscape he'd marched through, but so far, infinitely less menacing. For instance, there's proper birdsong when he stops long enough to breathe and just take in the path they're on. Another thought crosses his mind and he pauses to gently poke the bark of a nearby tree with his pencap. ]
Morbid, but what do you think happens if somone is inside one of these pockets when they flicker out?
[ That. That gets a quick jot in the notepad. Nope nope nope. ]
no subject
Besides — quiet confidence or otherwise, she immediately does a double take at his questions. Her eyes are a little wider. Huh. None of those things sure crossed her mind. It's probably a good thing they pause, because she would have stumbled on a tree root if they kept walking like this.
The bark, when poked, does absolutely nothing. The entirety of the park they've seen so far is unremarkable, especially in comparison to what had been here not more than a few minutes ago. If she hadn't seen it herself, she probably would not have believed that entire areas could just pop in and out of existence like this.
She frowns at a nearby tree. ] Now that you mention it... many were warning others not to stay in one of these for too long, especially once it started getting close to a fortnight. [ ... ]
Perhaps we'll find our answer once we're deeper inside. [ For better, or for worse. She's still committed to the adventure for now. ]
no subject
Oh yeah, that’s right. Something about it being closer to an anchor keeps them here longer –
[ He’s awkward, but he’s not the kind of guy to loom. Already, he’s scouting for a good walking stick, a clipped sound of victory when he finds one that he deems safe and worthy of their adventure. Could he be less golden retriever? He uses it to poke around in the grass, which is dismissed quickly enough. ]
I already miss Thomas. I had to help him make a few drinks, and he told me all about his son. He had…more skin in the photographs.
[ Spoken like a man who has his perception of normal twisted by happenstance. He cranes his head to look ahead, eager to see what else this sad little park holds. With his walking stick, he gives camp counselor vibes. He’d whistle a little tune, but he’s not completely at ease, not yet. ]
Have you been exploring the Fringes for long?
hey martin why were you expecting the tree to swallow you
Which is what makes it stranger. It's also probably what's keeping her from relaxing, the more she thinks about it. Not that she's ever been one to relax, but it's the principle of the matter. She's not as obvious about looking around as he is, but her gaze do dart to the foliage, then back on the path. Then to Martin, then back to the foliage, then—
If the horrors aren't going to be the end of her, the paranoia will do it. At least her hand's not reaching for her sword yet. That's something. ]
Not exactly — I've only just arrived a little over a month ago. [ Give or take — her head tilts the next time her eyes are back on Martin. Strangeness aside— ] Though it may be worth making a habit out of it. [ She's never been much of an investigator, but. Well. It's not like she has much else to do right now. Outside of trying to get out of debt. ]
Nothing at home could just ... appear and disappear like this. I don't think any of our sorcerers could manage such a feat.
don't yuck his yums
Ahem.
She’s not wrong to suspect the mundane. He’s just making sure that things stay mundane. He seems to make a note after she tells him about the general time she arrived, just for science. ] Mm. Right, that’s close enough to when John and I arrived. Did anything – [ He looks contrite, blowing out a breath and forging onward anyway. ] anything traumatic happen shortly before you woke up here?
[ LOOK AT HIM, DRAWING A SAD FACE IN THE DIRT PATH. lmao. But look, he’s not going to miss an opportunity when it presents itself. ]
That’s a bit personal. Don’t feel like you need to answer. [ The Martin awkward stammer is present but unaccounted for. I’m lazy. ] It does seem to be a common link between many here. [ He shrugs, and continues to walk and talk, sounding thoughtful. ] We had pockets, but not like this. This doesn’t seem to have any purpose?
[ The wind blows through the branches overhead, and he swears they sound offended, but it’s probably not a thing. ]
you're right, my bad
A beat. Eventually, she shakes her head. ]
... I can't say it did. [ If 'shortly' here means moments before. The rest of her life can probably be classified as traumatic in varying degrees, but the last few weeks had been peaceful for the first time since her childhood. No threat on her world, no dragon to slay. A bright future for her country she fought to protect.
There's a small shrug of her shoulders. Almost sheepishly— ] There was a tree root in my path, and I ... tripped. Next thing I knew, I awoke here with a broken arm. [ Not exactly her finest moment, but at least the arm's healed. Anyway, all of this circles back around to the reason that she frowned. Her single theory since arriving here, please clap. ]
Perhaps we're similar to these diffusion zones. That is to say — if things arrive here with no real purpose, then we could disappear without reason as well. [ Okay, so it's probably not the most comforting theory. ]
np it's just ~niche~
[ This might be a better way to understand how well the helper bots manage their healing practices. How much of John’s healing was science and how much of it was spooky Eldritch tomfoolery? ]
That’s just …so much less traumatic. I’m kinda envious. [ He is. He is actually deeply envious, but she’s gonna have to probe for that sweet, sweet ep200 lore dump.
Her theory makes him frown slightly. ] So much for the vacation… [ That’s not what bothers him. He doesn’t want to lose John again. ] It’s a possibility– everything is but I don’t know how well that would work out for us.
[ He sounds unsure, but shrugs it off. ] Or, we need to keep to the anchors. Or have an anchor. Did you arrive with anyone from home?
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Er— it was the medbots, for the most part. [ As far as she can tell, she doesn't exactly heal faster than anyone else.
The next question though. Hm. ] And ... I believe I'm alone. [ There's a quiet resignation at that; it's neither good or bad, really. It just is. It's not the first time she's been in this position either so there's a small shrug to accompany it. ] At least, I have yet to see another familiar face.
How about yourself? Have you arrived with anyone?
forgive the cronch
It’s him making excuses, hoping his Eldritch boyfriend isn’t quite as Eldritch as he knows to be true. Oh well. Fine. At least he has the man here.
Lucina’s response inspires a deep pang of sympathy, even if she doesn’t appear to be anything beyond quietly resigned over the fact. He's been there before. ]
You might find a familiar face eventually. I ran into someone here whose family arrived a bit after him. [ She doesn’t seem bothered, though, so he chooses not to be an annoyance pressing her into an impromptu therapy session. Genuinely, the blind leading the blind.
Okay, Lucina, have a sappy smile for .2 seconds before he returns to scouting out for any danger (???????) in this abandoned park. Please, Martin. ]
My boyfriend, John. [ He’s careful to not gush. He spent years being painfully obvious to everyone around him, and while he hardly wishes to keep things clandestine, polite is okay. ] Part of the reason why I’m out here poking around. Like I said, we had something kinda similar… if you consider miles of bubbled hellscapes littering miles of abandoned countryside similar. [ Martin feigns that optimistic cheer he’s perfected oh so well. ] Sure, it was weird seeing a bunch of defunct androids at the resort, but it didn’t seem intentionally spooky. Ours were intentionally spooky.
[ An understatement. ]
Hope that they’re gone now that we’re no longer there.
no subject
But there's something undoubtedly fond in Martin's voice — or maybe she just caught the sappy smile on his face and filled in the blanks — that has her smile, in turn. She's glad they have each other, and wants to tell him as much — but Martin seems to shift the conversation in just a way she misses her chance. There and gone, especially once he talks about why he's out here. Huh.
Hopefully he does gush about John sometime. For now— ]
Do you mean to say you're ... familiar with things just appearing and disappearing? [ A beat. ] And it's out of malice? Was someone behind all of it? [ She's used to gods(?) trying to destroy worlds; imagine what they could do if they could just make them pop in and out of existence. ]
no subject
Her question makes him grimace a bit, but he tries to taper it into a rather (unsure) grin. ] Mhmm… [ He does, however, quickly elaborate. ] I mean, it wasn’t that way for the majority of my world’s history. Most of it. Worked for this spooky library for years before getting transferred to the archives. I found out that there were spooky, fear-based entities that fed on things that feared them.
And sometimes people were more attuned to serving them. Intentionally or not.
[ And so begins the bulk of an explanation as they poke around. Oh, yes, the fear of the dark can be fatal. So can being Seen – which is where he gets sups awkward. ]
Our old boss was a major prick who wanted to be immortal, so he might’ve molded John into an all-seeing being who kicked off the apocalypse. Very unintentionally. Tricked him into a ritual that brought them all into our plane of existence. [ He blames himself for John’s involvement, but Martin blames himself for a lot of shit. John, his mom… the incorrect takeout order someone received after putting his own in (didn’t matter that his order was wrong as well). Pathetic. ] Neither of us wanted that. We weren’t even tortured like the rest and it was pretty bad.
no subject
Quietly— ] I'm ... sorry. [ Not that 'sorry' covers much, if at all — but it's still as genuine as she can make it. ( A little bit of something in her voice that may or may not sound like she gets it; at least the broad strokes of an 'unintentional apocalypse'. ) What should have been a nice little stroll in the park feels heavier.
But asking about what happened after an apocalypse is always a loaded question: it's alright, or it's not. She's not sure if she could answer the answer the question herself. So Lucina's gaze flits to nowhere in particular, taking a moment to let air fill her lungs. Another glance back at Martin. ] John, I hope— is he alright? Now that he's here?
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[ That question does warrant the contemplative grumble as he genuinely considers it.] He’s … probably as good as he can be. He’s still got ties to his Patron, more than I thought he would after… [ He pauses, rather abruptly. What a pleasant flush of embarrassment. ] Well, after coming here. Still needs to feed on accounts of fear-based trauma. Yeah, that sucks…
[ Martin sounds apologetic, like he’s mentioning some vague obligation nobody wants to attend. The bias. ]
What was it like for you, back home? Can’t help but notice the sword. [ YEAH LISTEN, it’s not just Magnus Trauma Talk ]