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
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[ Jack hopes they never give him a reason to. Castiel being so different here doesn't change that in Jack's point of view. He's an earlier version and he's been through a great deal, it doesn't make him less Castiel. Eventually he will be Jack's father, of that he feels confident. His family would have to stop being themselves and start killing on a grand scale, like Chuck did. ]
I don't know if you stopped loving him. I don't think it's that simple. The other angels didn't.
[ Duma made Jack feel like he could be the replacement God for them, and for a short time he almost was, but that doesn't mean they stopped loving Chuck. He thinks they probably all still did, despite him being who he was, and killing all of them. ]
But I think love like that should go both ways. I'm not sure he has any love left in him. Maybe it's just been too long.
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Sometimes it just... doesn't.
[ go both ways, he means. case in point: dean. now, that's one that stings to think about, and it always will.
he's wanted god to love him for for so long he's forgotten what it feels like to feel any other way, but he knows he's not worthy. the one time He ever asked anything of him, he failed Him. and try as he might, he can't undo it. he can't go back. just the same, he doesn't want to become whatever he is to jack in the future. he doesn't love him, and he knows he's better off without his love. he doesn't want— this. billie. the angels. god's stories. any of this.
castiel starts to stand up, sagged over the bar with one hand braced on the flat surface. ]
I have— I have to go.
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[ The fear is that he would be Lucifer, but Jack would just end up finding the next available person who could guide him. Whether the angels or demons got to him first would be the question. Instead he was embraced by people who nurtured him the right way. Technically he loves Castiel right now and he is not loved back, but that doesn't matter. It's a unique case.
Jack shoots up when Castiel does, concerned immediately. He puts a gentle hand on his shoulder, seeing the way he sags and doesn't seem well. ]
Let me help you. Maybe you should lie down? They have rooms, you could rest.
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[ castiel's family didn't— doesn't— love him. is that why he became this? if this was all a story, was it written that way on purpose? was he set up for failure all those years ago for the sake of a satisfying arc?
there's no answer that would make him feel good.
castiel is tense under jack's touch. he doesn't throw his hand off, but he stumbles away without allowing it to linger. in his haste to escape the conversation, he catches his shoe on the bottom rung of the bar stool as he turns, center of gravity yanked out from underneath him mid-stride.
he goes down hard. face first into the deck, like a house sparrow meeting a glass door for the first time. from behind the bar, thomas exclaims. ]
... Ow.
[ is all castiel has to say for himself. ]
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[ Jack is trying not to smother him, this is the first time he's touched him directly since they realized the situation. It's why he's not able to react quickly enough to catch Castiel before he trips and goes down. He's startled and immediately guilty, he should have gotten him to stop drinking.
Jack's all panic even though it's likely more his ego is harmed than anything physically wrong. He's an angel, this should barely harm him, but still. Jack's anxious as he kneels down next to him, reaching over to touch his back. ]
I'm sorry, I should have caught you. [ He should have been faster. ] Please let me help you, you need to rest.
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but he wishes he wasn't.
jack's hand is warm where it rests on his back. he tries not to imagine someone else, and sluggishly picks himself up, hair hanging limp in his face. his nose and mouth are bleeding, but on a glance it should be obvious the injuries are superficial. ]
I need...
[ ugh. propped up on his elbows, he he rubs his face at an awkward angle, smearing blood across it. ]
... A win. Just one. Just...
[ just one big win.
he squeezes his eyes shut. if jack tries to help him, he'll let jack pull him upright, but if jack tries to heal him, he won't be so accepting. ]
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[ Jack is distressed at the sight. It's not that they've never been beat up around each other, they definitely have, but usually because they've been in worse fights than falling down. Castiel is weaker than he thought, to be able to get drunk and look this out of it. Sam isn't here now or he would have gone running for him the moment this started to go wrong.
He does help pull Castiel to his feet, he's very gentle about it, failing at his anxious hovering at the moment but he feels like this is a situation that it is reasonable to be worried over. He reaches out with a hand and telekinetically pulls a towel from behind the bar, eyes going gold for a moment, and handing it over for the blood. ]
Please, let me heal you.
[ He asks rather than doing it right away, he knows that much. ]
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[ castiel is, in fact, bleeding. it's a strange feeling, punctuated by a dull ache radiating all through the front of his skull. he regains some semblance of balance as jack pulls him upright, his other hand feeling for and eventually landing on the bar stool behind him. thomas hovers nervously in the background before being pulled away by another customer.
castiel takes the towel, holding it before him and clutching it tight in his grasp. he stares at it for a long moment before moving away from the bar— more slowly this time. slow enough that jack has plenty of opportunity to keep up with him. ]
I can it myself.
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I think we both know that I can do it better than you right now. Maybe let's move to one of the pool chairs? You need to lie down.
[ Jack doesn't know anything about first aid, but he figures that Castiel moving around gives him more reason to fall over and get hurt some more. He's not exactly moving in a way that fills him with confidence that this is the best option for him. ]
I'm sorry I've added to your struggles, but I'm also here for you, you're my family. And before you say I'm not, you said yourself, I'm your nephew. We are family.
DO* it lmao. he can do it. but i cannot type.
[ castiel stares toward the pool with narrowed eyes. the poolside is probably a bad idea. face first into the concrete sounds like a less than ideal experience, and there are people milling around out by the water— he doesn't want to be seen. worse, connor might be there, and he'd rather his new friend not see him like this.
those are the excuses he tells himself, anyway.
he reaches out to touch jack's arm, but stops short before letting his hand fall, shoulder sagging with it. he doesn't look him in the eye when he asks, ]
You can fly us, can't you?
I got it!
[ Jack's never been anywhere like this before. He wandered the grounds when he first arrived to see everything that he could. He did peek into a few of the cabins, he's been told that people scavenge in these places, but it felt weird to take anything. He might give in and get a swimsuit before the end of the zone, just in case. ]
Of course I can.
[ He takes that for a request and puts a hand on Castiel's shoulder again, flying them away in a flutter of wingtips. Jack doesn't know that Castiel can't fly, although perhaps he should have guessed, given he didn't simply fly himself out of situations like Jack sometimes does. It might be difficult for Cas to feel the sensation of wings that aren't his, unaware as Jack may be. They land in front of a series of cabins in question, some with lights on indicating people are inside, and some that are abandoned for now. ]
It's a free for all, I think we can just take one.
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but he forces himself upright before jack can start asking questions, and begins to stalk toward the closest empty cabin. ]
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It makes him think about when he was weak and struggling, and how much it tortured his father to see him in that condition. It's not quite the same amount of fear and panic, but it's there. Jack follows him to the cabin and gets to the door before Castiel can, opening it and stepping inside first. This is to be certain there is no threat in there without making it obvious he's being protective, although it's not hard to guess. ]
Why wouldn't you want me to heal you?
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[ easy as that. it isn't because he fears jack's power, or anything so crass. his reasoning, depending on how you look at it, is either far simpler or far more complicated. regardless, he doesn't argue when jack opens the door and goes in ahead of him. it reminds him, with a pang, of dean. he stumbles over the threshold but this time doesn't fall, catching himself on the door frame before making his way inside. the interior is dark, but neither one of them needs light to see. ]
Dean used to do that, [ he blurts out, once the door is closed behind them. he begins to move around the room, looking for something. ] Stand in front of me. Push me behind him, like— like he'd throw himself between me and whatever danger we were facing off against.
[ a beat, and he adds: ]
Do you think they have an honor bar?
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[ So Castiel's hit it on the head, that sort of movement, the protective edge that comes with it, it's mirrored on purpose. Jack's smile is sad because he's remembering a time when things weren't as bad with him and Dean. It didn't last long, that time between when Dean decided he didn't have to die, and then when Dean wanted him to die, but it was important to him. ]
Even with how strong I am, he still did it sometimes.
[ Put his frail human body between Jack and damage, like he couldn't imagine putting their kid in front despite Jack being impervious to most attacks. All three of his fathers held a unique place in Jack's heart, and while he and Dean are the most contentious, it doesn't make him any less important. ]
I assume so. It's a fancy place. [ Jack watches him, frowning. ] I don't think you should drink anymore.
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but, yes, it is a "fancy" place, and he's sure that jack is right, that there'll be more alcohol here. and not only that, no thomas to cut him off or serve him cocktails mixed with pickle juice. (though he feels slightly uncharitable thinking this. thomas was nice. he means well, castiel is sure.) ]
But I want to.
[ he stops when he sees it, up against the wall in the master bedroom— a full cabinet. full of bottles, decanters, glasses. when he begins moving again, there's a little more pep in his step. his face is still covered in blood while he's placing the glasses onto the bar top.
when jack joins him, he announces with some amount of satisfaction: ]
I found it.
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I don't understand how you can be drunk. You're an angel.
[ Jack knows technically they can get drunk but it would take a great deal more than one bottle. Castiel being drunk bothers him, mostly because it only makes him worry more. There is no way that he can help him, he can't even stop him. He decides that it might be he has to simply support him in this endeavor and be around in case he needs anything.
Castiel 'babysat' him before. Now it's his turn. ]
You can't get alcohol poisoning, can you?
cn: alcohol abuse
[ another proud statement, said while pouring himself another drink. how many has it been, now? he's lost count. he glances at jack, shrugs, pours another and pushes it in his direction. if jack doesn't drink it, castiel probably will. better not to let it go to waste, right? this place is going to disappear in a few weeks anyway.
head tilted up, cas knocks it back in one go— these tumblers are smaller than the cocktail glasses they were drinking from at the bar— and pours another. ]
When my powers were failing.
[ this is probably an important detail.
he knows that he's been weakened. certain abilities, which were once effortless, now have an almost 100% failure rate. but he has no way of knowing if coming to this place is what made the difference, or if letting lucifer into his body has diminished him.
it could be either. it could be both.
worse, it could be neither. it could be that after all this time, his grace has simply run its course. his connection to heaven has been severed for almost a decade, now. ]
Let's find out.
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At least sit down, Castiel.
[ If he sits he can take his liquor with him and won't be likely to fall down on his face again. Jack would rather Castiel be here where he can keep his eyes on him. He knows that's what Dean would want and expect him to do for any one of them. He sips his drink and makes a face. It's just all too sour for him, he likes sugary drinks. ]
Will you please let me heal you now? At least your face.
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[ but castiel does move over to sit on the edge of the bed with his liquor— bringing the bottle with him, though he's much less worried than jack he might fall on his face again. it's just... easier this way, right? not many things in his life are easy. he imagines not many things in jack's life are easy, either.
bowed over, with his glass braced against once knee, castiel fails to study the room around him, his normal bird-like curiosity smothered under something heavier. instead, he stares at a spot on the floor.
some time passes before he speaks. minutes, at least. ]
... Are you staying with Sam?
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The question comes at the same time as that thought and he glances back at Castiel. ]
No, I'm staying with Rowena. We both wanted to protect each other.
[ Jack knows that Castiel has bad experiences with Rowena, they've discussed that before, but he trusts the witch implicitly. He knows how close she is with Sam all on her own. ]
Sam stayed nearby to look after both of us. In our time, we're a team.
[ Rowena included. ]
We've been working a lot because of the debts. I have two jobs now.
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She made me into her attack dog. Wanted me to kill Crowley, but instead I almost killed Dean and nearly died in the process.
[ he supposes she must have changed.
a lot.
but he doesn't know that he trusts sam's estimation of her character any more than he trusts jack's. the winchesters aren't known for having the best judgement. ]
She also called me a fish.
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[ It's true that they don't have the best judgment, Jack himself is an example of that, but he values it at the same time. He learned from them so he acts the same way. The only people he will never forgive are Michael (Apocalypse version), Lucifer, and himself. Everyone else he bends on a little. He would even forgive Chuck if he felt like his grandfather turned around and regretted his actions and fixed his mistakes by bringing everyone back. ]
She's been here for me. She knows how important being good is to me and she's never tried to manipulate me, which I can't say for most other people, outside of you.
[ Even Dean and Sam have. ]
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[ everyone has a bit of both in them, don't they? he should probably elaborate, but he moves on without concluding the thought, unable to see that it doesn't fully stand on its own.
castiel waves a lazy hand, slouching. ]
Don't count me out. You're... you're biased, anyway.
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[ Try being the keyword. He has failed many times, but overall, Jack has managed to lean better in one way than the other. His intentions have always been good, but his actions haven't been. He's still too young to understand nuance as well as he should be. Maybe in a hundred years he'll have a better sense of all of this. Being three is hard, but he is much wiser than he was at one. ]
I don't believe that you would. You could. You have a superpowered Nephilim in front of you, I have Michael and Lucifer's Grace, you could use me if you wanted to, and I would do it. But I don't believe you would.
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cn: suicidal thoughts
CN: suicidal thoughts lol
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