MINGLE ∞ LOG — June 2025

[thediadem]

Mingle ∞ Log

No Lifeguard on Duty

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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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Comments

[carcajous]

[ Right. Guess it wasn't that hard to put together. Logan rubs the edge of his thumb against his temple. ]

Yeah. Yeah. Months, actually. [ That's not all, though. That's not what's been gnawing at him. If it was only Scott's death, if he'd gone down fighting the good fight, Logan never would've hesitated. Wouldn't have liked telling him, but he'd have said it. For all that they've never gotten along, he knows Scott enough to understand the man wouldn't flinch over giving his life for their people.

It's everything else. How it happened. The way it all went so fucking wrong.

He doesn't know if now's a good time to go to Charles about it—the Professor's been dealing with his own shit—but he hasn't got anybody else that he'd wanna talk to. There's still no one he trusts more than Charles. ] There's somebody else. I don't know, maybe you saw her. Jean. She died that day, too. Or we thought she died. After she came back, something...was wrong with her. She wasn't herself. She killed him, Charles. And I—

[ Ah, shit. He scrubs a hand over his face. He hates every fucking thing about this. ]

I killed her. I was the only one who could stop her. I mean, what do I say to him? How do I tell him I murdered the woman he loved?

[ Charles isn't wrong about the tension, but there's a reason it's somehow worse than it was. Taut. Like it might explode any second. Scott keeps trying to make nice, and the truth is, if things were different, Logan would've let him. You know, he'd have given it a shot. They're both on the same side at the end of the day. He just...Scott doesn't know. Not yet. And if he did, he wouldn't be trying so hard to make friends with the man who's the whole goddamn reason his girlfriend's dead. ]

[thetruefocus]

[ Charles listens to him because it's clear he needs someone to listen to him, and that is what Charles is for in a general sort of way. Especially for one of his people, and especially for Logan, after everything he did for them. For Charles himself, pulling him out of his depression and forcing him to get back into the world. He knows that his future self did a great deal for Logan, and that he was merely paying him back, but Charles is still grateful. He would have listened no matter what, but he is paying closer attention give their relationship. ]

I know about Jean. [ That at least he can be upfront about. ] I saw it in your mind.

[ He had to push through Logan's mind first before getting to the future, so he knows possibly all of the man's major memories at this point. It was painful and tragic and Charles feels deeply empathic about it. He's never had to kill someone he loved; he's only technically killed one person, by holding Shaw so Erik could finish him. An accomplice more than anything else. He doesn't know what he would do in Logan's situation. He hopes he'll never have to know. ]

I see. That's why you have been difficult with him. I wondered why, given his loss.

[ It seemed to him that Logan would be glad to see a dead teammate alive and well, even if he does it in his gruff way. They might have their tensions but Logan's been distant. Charles might not think much of it if he didn't see Scott's attempts keep failing. He considers the question then, what Logan's asking, what his point of pain is. Charles is not prone to impulsive decisions so he gives it thought. ]

Scott is overwhelmed by this situation. Us being young, you and Rogue being from the future, it's not easy for him, and he's struggling to adjust. I don't think you have to rush to tell him. He needs time, I would be concerned with his state of mind.

[ It is Charles's instinct to protect people, his own people most of all. Scott is strong and intelligent, but he is also sensitive and very conscientious. He cares about taking care of other people more than himself, but there is a point where too much is too much for anyone. Charles was put under significant pressure and rushed to just deal with it in their situation, but that was the end of the world at stake. This is more on a personal basis. There is no hurry. ]

When he is ready, he will ask you more questions, and that may indicate he's ready to learn more. You do need to tell him eventually, for your sake too. [ Holding onto this will only hurt Logan himself, and the truth has a way of getting out. ] There's no easy way out of this, you'll have to tell him all of it, and be honest, Logan. About your own grief, and that she herself asked you to.

[ Charles moves closer and reaches out to touch Logan's arm gently, offering that physical comfort, however small it is. ]

Would you like me to do it for you? Or be there when you do? My presence might be soothing for both of you. I can also help you share your memories of it through a mental connection, if he decides he needs to see it for himself.

[carcajous]

[ He's not expecting a real solution from Charles. There is no real, easy road. What he does need is for somebody he trusts to tell him he's not making things worse by keeping what he knows to himself. That he isn't being stupidly stubborn or a huge bastard for not being able to say it yet. 'Cause it's not for Scott's sake that he's stayed quiet, not completely. It's that every time he thinks about finally saying something, he just. Doesn't. Just fuckin' freezes up. And the more time goes on, the more he begins to think going for a permanent swim in the ocean makes a pretty good alternative.

Helps when he doesn't have to explain any of it to the Professor. Not when Charles has had an intimate look through his past (future), might as well have lived through it himself, in a way. That's the thing, too. You know? Last time, Charles wasn't here. By the time it all went down, Charles was already gone, and Logan couldn't stay to pick up the pieces. He tried. For the kids, for Storm. For Jean. He tried, and he couldn't do it.

He doesn't want to run away again.

For a minute or two, he's silent. Just...thinking. About what Charles is saying. Not 'til Charles puts a hand on him that he looks back over. He shakes his head. ]

No. No, this is on me. It has to be me.

[ Whatever happens, however it ends up coming out, it's gotta be between him and Scott. Scott's a grown-ass man and so's he. Still, he might end up taking Charles' offer in a different sense, might end up coming to him again after he finally spills the truth to Scott, though he's just as liable to disappear into the Fringes for a week. Hard to say. Part of him wants to ask, Do you think he'll forgive me? He doesn't. It's not for Charles to answer. He suspects the Professor will say that only time will tell.

And maybe, deep down, in a dark corner of his heart he's not altogether aware of, he's hoping Scott won't forgive him. He isn't sure he deserves it to begin with.

Anyway. He'll carry Charles' words for the next while. If nothing else, it gives him something to think about—but honestly, it does make him feel better. Not a hell of a lot less conflicted, but...better. He exhales, reaching for his drink. ]

What about you, Professor? Getting a little more used to people around?