TEST DRIVE ∞ May 2025

[thediadem]

Test Drive ∞ May 2025

The First Collision

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Jump ⇅ :: Arrival — Panorama — Fringes — Invite Request

The Diadem is an invite-only panfandom game set in a retro-futuristic world where uprooted souls find themselves deep within an eerie wasteland of roads and highways frequently assailed by cosmic storms. Three united strongholds keep the population. Its capital is Panorama, a large metropolis at the planet's center.

Soon, you realize you aren't alone. Calling themselves fluxdrifts, the "locals" have similar stories to you, either for themselves or their ancestry. You speak to an old woman who claims she hailed from another star. You meet a young man who says his great-great-grandfather knew a strange language everybody spoke "back home." As you explore, you stumble across a coin you recognize or your sister's locket. How did it get here? What does this mean? That's for you to discover.

But first, you need to find a ride.

No invites needed to play on the TDM. Everyone's welcome! Use the Invite Request thread below to request an invite from another player.

∞ Summary ∞

IC-wise, arrivals are scattered throughout the month. Events described on the TDM are also ongoing throughout the month. If you'd rather jump right into the action, you're free to begin in media res with your character having already been on the planet for several days.

Post-impact, characters will wake up in a med tent by the Scrapyard. From there, they must accept a vehicle on loan and make the 2-hour drive to the nearest city, Panorama. If they refuse the car because they don't want the loan, they'll be in debt for medical bills instead...so just take the car. It'll come in handy.

Some things to keep in mind when bringing in your character:

• Pick an injury. At minimum, they got knocked out; at most, whatever they can recover from. Medicine is decently advanced so they'll heal faster if not painlessly.
• Decide items kept. Reasonable items on their person only: photos, keys, clothes, costumes. No pets or animal companions. Wildly out-of-place tech and personal cell phones will be damaged beyond repair.
• Select a weapon. Do this only if eligible. Guidelines about weapons and powers are on the FAQ.
• Choose a vehicle. Decide whether your character gets 2-3 options or if they're stuck with something they hate. Players can pick directly from our collection or source their own images. Anything under a similar aesthetic will work. If your character needs accommodations for driving, they can have them. Ask us for details.
• Get a phone. Characters have to obtain a phone (and a SIM card) themselves. If they've got one from home, it's damaged beyond repair. Phones are cheap. It'll only take a couple of weeks to afford one. You need to know the number before you text or call anyone. Read about phones and the Forum before you hop on it.

TDM threads can be canon if characters are accepted. Top-levels made to the TDM should be open to all.

TDM Questions? Here — Game Questions? FAQ

Setting — Taken — Reserves — Applications ::: ⇅ Top

Fluxdrift

Arrival & Introduction

Date: Throughout May

You've tumbled over a cliff. You were fighting for your life. You're on the cusp of death. You slipped in the shower. Whatever the catalyst, you struggle to cling to consciousness. As darkness overtakes you, a swirling vortex warps light and shadow in a way that defies all physics. A dark wail etches into your very bones. You couldn't describe it if you tried. You can barely comprehend what it is.

Then you open your eyes.

Through the figure's mask ©, you swear the face is grinning down at you. The tent you're in smells of antiseptic, and scratchy blankets line your cot. Injuries you've sustained have been bandaged. In the corner, you spot a MedBot that's fixed you up. Depending on the extent of your injuries, the doctor on duty might give you some painkillers before you go. Thankfully, your belongings are by the exit. Sorry if anything's damaged. Your landing was pretty rough.

You follow the figure outside. They are Yom Crook, here to lend a hand to fellow fluxdrifts like yourself. Their car's parked beside them. Actually, there are lots of cars around, but Yom Crook's stands out with its painted shark mouth. They explain they found you, unconscious, in a diffusion zone and brought you here. The nearest city is a 2-hour drive northeast. Forget about walking. You'll never make it. Also, you owe the doctor a lot of money for patching you up. But you're in luck: they've got some wheels for you and if you accept the vehicle on loan, Yom Crook will cover your medical bills. That's a good deal, right? It's not the shiniest car or motorcycle, but it'll do. If fortune favors, you'll get to choose between two or three options. Plus, if you need accommodations to drive—like adjustments to your seat height or modified controls—you'll receive all that for free.

Take the vehicle. (And the loan.) Yom Crook assures you that you'll have six months before collectors come around. Any time you're ready to pay a part of it down, return here to the Scrapyard. You'll get a receipt and everything. Paying off the loan in six months isn't impossible, but it will take a lot of work. Just don't get too lax. There's a good chance you'll be juggling multiple loans as you try to get by.

You either know how to drive, or you'll have a bare-bones manual to get you started. Road rules are more a suggestion than enforced, so just hit the pedal and go. The car has some basic features. The built-in compass will help you navigate.

OPTIONAL PROMPTS: a flat tire; a body on the road (is it a trap?); a fender bender

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Panorama

Explore & Settle In

Conditions: Warm spring temperatures, light showers

After 2 hours on the road, you find civilization. The largest of the strongholds, Panorama is where the economy thrives. Massive power plants glowing red make it visible from a distance. The city is divided into three districts. For now, you can access the Pavilion and the Blocks. Don't worry about the Sanctum; they're not letting you in.

You only need to know two things about Panorama: 1) it's big, the size of a modern metropolis, and you'll need your car to get around; 2) anything goes as long as you don't pick a fight with the wrong person. Street smarts will get you far. Despite its geographical size, the population isn't huge. With roughly a million people in a city designed for over twice that number, Panorama is far from deserted, but nor is it overcrowded. It's a good thing. Resources are limited as it is.

The Pavilion: Free Samples

©

Like any large city, Panorama features a couple of supermarkets. The stock's not as consistent as a proper supermarket. On occasion, shelves can remain cleaned out for a week or two. Regardless, the long tradition of free samples remains. If you're not already shopping, you'll notice the crowded parking lot and clusters of lines inside.

Try samples, push through the crowds as you shop, or give yourself a five-finger discount. If you're cautious, you can pocket a few small items without consequences. The Pavillion doesn't have the infrastructure for surveillance; unless someone sees you, you won't be caught. Steal from the store or pilfer someone's wallet. Maybe you even make a new friend if you bump into another fluxdrift. Or, start a fight with somebody who cut you off in the cheese line. Don't make too much of a ruckus, or you'll be thrown out.

As you look around, you'll see posters advertising temporary positions for the cash register or graveyard shifts in the warehouse. Seems they might've lost several employees recently (how'd that happen?), which is good for you! It's just a 6-week position, but it'll get you on your feet. The city has temporary positions like this all over. Permanent ones are harder to come by when you're new.

Samples include: steamed cabbage dumplings, synthetic cherry juice, cheddar cheese, and chocolate-covered alien eggs (it's crunchy and weirdly tasty). They're served in the usual throwaway paper cups with little toothpicks.

The Blocks: Power Outage

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Power's finicky in Panorama, especially in the Blocks. Saint Margery's Hospital, located in the same area, has priority for power so the first to go are the motels. Maybe you've been in your room for a couple of weeks, maybe you just got here—and by the way, every motel desk is happy to put the fee on your tab if you don't have the money upfront—but all the motels on the east side are in a blackout, leaving only the west side motels up and running.

What do you do? You have three choices:

• Risk leaving your room and head to the other side where there's power. Knock on some doors and negotiate with another to share the room. They might shut the door in your face, ask for a favor in return, or be nice enough to help you with no strings attached. There's no guarantee your unattended room will be untouched, though, and you'll be on the hook for any damages an intruder causes.
• Sit in the dark and deal. It's not the worst idea, but the TV's down, the vending machines are powered down, and with the entire place plunged into darkness, you risk getting robbed. If you struggle with defending yourself, you might want to find some trustworthy company. You can also sneak out of there and let them take your leftover pizza. It's not like you've got a ton of valuables, right? Plus, clobbering someone in the face with a frying pan sounds great until you realize you've gotta do something with the body. And what if this person's got a friend waiting?
• Get in your car and drive (or grab a friend for a road trip). If you scroll the Forum, you might notice reports on diffusion zones southward. Besides, these motels are hardly your forever home. The city can only provide so much. Why not go for a ride and see what you can find out there?

OPTIONAL PROMPTS: clean up on aisle 3 (what is that goo?); a knock at your door but no one's there; you hear screaming or a commotion down the hall

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©

The Fringes

Quad 3: Lockdown

Conditions: Stormy, with flooding roads

Felix Bjurstrom
> Date: 125-05-17
> Time: 02:15:57

> Emergency road lights have been reported in Quadrant 3! Please, can someone go see what's there? When last we chasers investigated emergency lights, a whole truck filled with sour candy had tipped over. Our stores were stocked for weeks! Oh, be careful - reception looks bad in that zone.

Whether you end up here on your own or you were following a tip on the Forum, the outcome is the same: you come to a stop in front of a 2-story office building that's flooded several inches deep. Emergency lights from a roadblock flicker through the stormy night. Stepping out of your car, you're soaked within seconds. When you check your phone, you don't have any bars. No calls in or out.

Through the open windows, a computer awakens and displays a cheerful smile. The lights inside switch on.

Pick your scenario role below. Your thread partner doesn't need to take the opposite role! They can join you in the same scenario (i.e. trapped together). Players are also free to create a generic NPC for the other side to facilitate the thread.

After characters escape, they'll find one bottle of antibiotics in their pocket or car, whether they remember taking it or not.

A: Sealed In
As you peer through the windows, you see crates of medicine floating around. Antibiotics in the diadem are valuable. Hospitals and doctors are always buying. You can keep it for yourself or make a quick buck. Or maybe you're compelled to help somebody back in the city who's in need. Whatever the reason, you decide to take the risk and step inside.

Water splashes around your ankles. The lock buzzes behind you. If you try to break the windows, you discover they're unnaturally resistant to shattering. With the whole place locked tight, the water begins to churn. Then the computer lights up again.

Warning, it flashes in large, bold text. Quarantine in progress. Release code required for exit.

• To find the code, you'll have to search. Duck under the water, go through sopping envelopes and sticky notes or pick the locks on the filing cabinets and desk drawers. You can also try hacking the computers. Use your computer knowledge or fall back on the age-old trick of seeing who wrote down their password.
• The files, notepads, and emails start innocuous, but as you look through them, disturbing phrases jump out at you—a dark thought you've had or a cruel taunt from someone in your past. The longer you're fixed on the terrible words, the higher the water begins to rise. Only another can break you out of your trance.
• With the rising water comes fear. And the more you're afraid, the more the water also rises. You begin to see faces in the water, bobbing like balloon heads. Do you recognize them? If you move to take a closer look, they will sink back beneath the surface as if never there.
• If you manage to swallow your panic, you can eventually find a triple-laminated binder with the release code and instructions. Bad news: you need someone on the outside to punch in the 6 strange symbols in order. The instructions explain that the code panel is located at the back of the building.

Let's hope a friendly face comes along.

B: Set Free
As you peer through the windows, you see not just the crates of medicine but someone trapped inside. They look like they might be in trouble, and from your vantage point, you notice that the water is bubbling strangely. It's definitely not normal rainwater. As you watch, the water rises unnaturally, stopping and starting. It's as if the water level is responding to an external stimulus.

• The glass is soundproof. You can't hear what the person inside is saying, so you'll have to communicate with each other another way. Try charades, typing on your phone, or whatever you think of. Eventually, you determine that they're stuck and that you need to enter some sort of code onto a pad located—according to your trapped partner—at the back of the building.
• Around the back, shadows swallow your surroundings. The panel must be pried open, but a slippery substance makes it hard to get a good grip. Each time the substance touches you, you grow uneasy. You swear you see eyes watching you, though when you turn around, nothing's there.
• You can't seem to keep the instructions in your mind. And those symbols...they burn into your retinas. Through them, you glimpse an incomprehensibly massive figure unfurling in the darkness, pulsing as if in a deep sleep. When you snap back to reality, you realize you've injured yourself, slicing your hand on a sharp edge or a bruise you can't remember getting.
• Once you manage to release the doors, the water inside the office drains upward into the sky as though sucked out by a giant hose. The darkness spreads. Get out of there fast before the shadows drag you or your partner into the void.

Of course, you don't have to help anyone. You can leave the individual there, make a deal, or outright extort them. But remember, you're not the only person on these roads. You might want to play your cards carefully, even if altruism isn't your first instinct.

Main Navigation ::: ⇅ Top

Comments

<3

[carmesi]

( river really seems to just take things as they come and not overcomplicate himself about it all. she tips her head at him saying it's nice to meet her, thinking that maybe, at some point, she'll consider the sentiment the same.

for now, he claims to be a doctor, and he's definitely glanced at the burns on her wrists.

(and it really is by virtue of his spending all this time trying to talk her through the whole name situation that she doesn't react awfully to him stepping out of his hummer. she freezes up, puts one foot flat on the ground, to balance the bike under herself.) )

I figure it'll heal over time.

( it's not a no on getting to see them. )

[tirejacked]

[Hello Wanda. Consider: He is very wet. There are spooky faces in the water. He has history with being locked in random buildings ticking down to certain death. So you can imagine the kind of stress he is under.

The choppy water only seems to kick up at his agitation, even as the splash from the furniture settles. He takes a deep breath. In through the nose. Out through his teeth. Mostly to himself—]

Y'know, I was really hoping that was gonna work.

[It would simplify things considerably. Sometimes you really can just Occam's razor your way out of a deathtrap. Just...not this time.

On the upside, in the time it takes him to gripe and the time it takes the water to settle, he realizes there's someone in the window all of a sudden. His surprise is visible. A sudden blink, shoulders gone stiff. He stares— maybe a second too long, like he's trying to decide if she's really there. (But, y'know. She's still there when he locks eyes with her, and none of the shifting, drowning phantoms in the water have stuck around this long.)

Okay. O-kay. Great. Super. He can work with this. Where the hell did he put that binder.

He holds a hand up, in a hold on sort of gesture, fixing Wanda with an urgent look. And, sharpish, as he turns back toward the rest of the flooded room—]

Don't move! Stay right there.

[Not that she can hear him, but. Y'know, they'll figure that out.]

VASH | TRIGUN STAMPEDE

[skelters]

➤ FLUXDRIFT

➤ TAKE THE VEHICLE >>>> DRIVE THE VEHICLE ???
[ okay, vash is probably the last person to be fazed by driving without traffic lights or proper roads - in fact, it's probably doubtful that he even has seen any outside of the really big cities ... but in all the years of travelling, this is probably the first time he's been behind the wheel with nobody to yell instructions at him or take over out of sheer frustration at his incompetence.

because really, that's what it is when a pretty beat up looking red pickup truck comes skidding to a stop merely an inch away from you (or your vehicle), rough enough that it actually lifts the back wheels up in the air for a moment before crashing back down with a rough rattle and whining of metal.

behind the dusty windscreen there's a frantic whirlwind of movement (while vash figures out how to wind down the window) before an untidy mop of blond hair appears, sticking out through the gap. ]

I'm so sorry!!!! Are you okay? Are you hurt??

[ in fact, vash is the one who's got blood all over his face right now from smashing his nose into the steering wheel ... ]

➤ TAKE THE VEHICLE >>>> HAVE AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS ???
[ the good thing about free for all landscape like this is that there is no risk of running into anyone (both figuratively and literally) once you go out far enough ... which is what vash does, basically keeping his foot pressed to the pedal until all that's around is dirt ... and more dirt.

it's not an unfamiliar sight to him, but nevertheless vash can't help but swallow around the lump in his throat at it as he slowly lets the truck roll to a creaking stop with a cloud of dust.

if anyone is driving (or walking???) by, they'd see a figure slumped over the steering wheel ... are they sleeping maybe? it's hard to tell with the dirty hood pulled up halfway over his head, the coat streaked with so much dust and grime that it'd be hard to tell just what the original colour was. it could be red, it could be just weirdly bleach-faded black. ]

➤ PANORAMA

➤ SUPERMARKET
Hi!!! [ nobody should have a right to sound this chirpy in a depressingly lit supermarket in the middle of nowhere, but vash is all about subverting your expectations.

he's also maybe got an apron on, not to mention a crooked name tag pinned to his shirt with his name scrawled on it - or what's supposed to be his name when he signed up for this job. it's clearly written out by someone who couldn't give less shits, because the nametag just spells out VAPE.

surely that's not his actual name, right? ]

How can I help you today?? [ the amount of optimism could melt the skin off your bones ] Um, we're out of water ... or any kind of food apart from those weird egg things, but they're good! Try it!

➤ THE BLOCKS
[ if you are stuck in the east side blocks in the dark, you might get a knock on the door randomly - but please don't grab your frying pan or guns!!!! or do, because you can't be too careful at any point. ]

Uh ... hi? [ regardless of whether a sharp (or dangerous) object is pointed at his face or not, vash will smile tentatively in the dark, hoping that he doesn't come across as suspicious. ] Please, I'm not anybody suspicious!

Just, I was wondering ... if you got maybe half a candle to spare? I was just in the middle of something, see!

➤ THE FRINGES

[ note: i'm happy for vash for either of the scenarios! feel free to hit me with a starter or just comment/PM to work out and i can write one :)

vash cannot swim for the life of him but he's pretty tall so you could probably climb him like a tree as the water rises. alternatively he is more than happy to try and help you break someone out or help YOU. he's just one of those self sacrificial guys who'll do anything! ]

➤ ETC / WILDCARD

[ anything else goes here! again, please feel free to PM/comment with a starter, i'm super open to everything and i'm keen to play with the setting! EMP for vash is here. ]

[mockingjays]

[ the woman seems... nice, in the way she sits and speaks, but that doesn't mean it's true. katniss doesn't return the smile, but she does resume eating her own food, taking a bigger bite of her cheese without a lick of manners to the gesture. ]

[ she waits until she finishes chewing before she replies, though that's mostly because the cheese is really good and she prefers eating to talking over politeness. the cheese is very much the priority. ]

Are they different people running the booths? Or do they just not notice?

[longtooth]

[ The wandering somehow feels better than simply staying put, Fern must admit. She isn't one to sit idle when there might be trouble afoot. It has occurred to her that this stranger could be walking her into some sort of trap, that this entire situation has been staged to pull the wool over her eyes, but she doubts it.

In this place, she is hardly so important.

Besides, the more the other woman speaks, the clearer it becomes that they're in similar situations. She must also be... a "flux-drift," as they called it.

With no idea what a fritz or a breaker is, Fern fights back the irritation of being so in the dark — not literally, but figuratively. ]

It doesn't bother me, but with how others were leaving their rooms, I sensed it was a disturbance of some kind. [ That it might signal danger. ] Should we check, then? If it's a — [ awkward pause ] — a fritz, you said?

[tirejacked]

[To be honest, he's kind of surprised to see her up and about. It's dark, just the ambient light from the sky and the distant not powerless parts of the city filtering in. Not impossible to navigate once your eyes have adjusted, but not the best kind of take a stroll situation. Not alone, for sure. (Pot, kettle.)

At least he knows he's not the only one who heard the noise. He hums, pitched low. Presses an ear against the door like he's listening for voices. Footsteps. Something.

Nothing, though. Spooky. Absently—]

Never was much for either, if I'm honest.

[Landlords. (Or, y'know. ...friends...) It's only gone more quiet behind the door, and he doesn't much like it. But the walls here are thin, the surrounding rooms are theoretically occupied, and no offense to Monts, but she doesn't immediately strike him as someone who can hold their own if this goes south. Going in guns blazing with this much potential collateral damage is a bit much even for him. (...Metaphorical guns. Whatever dropped him here left most of his arsenal behind. Pretty rude of it. He's still working on building that back up. Doesn't mean the locals have the same problem, though.)

Instead, he fishes into a seam of his jacket and produces a couple slim little hooks.]

Maybe we try the subtle approach instead, huh.

[Shouldn't take long. These locks aren't exactly masterworks.]

[littlemushroom]

[[He's run through that scenario a few times since parting ways with Eight. He was a resourceful mushroom, so there were a few different ways he could see it going. None of them were probably up to this guy's standards however. An Zhe considered his options.]]

I'd just have to deal with it.

[primepool]

[Wait a fucking second.

Wade gasps, one leg shoved in through the window and the other still lodged outside where he clearly couldn't get any further traction from his sword hilt getting stuck on the frame. Had he the hands, they would be clapping to his face.

Early 2000's James Marsden? Oh, now we're in a written format, suddenly we got the appropriate Disneybucks for better (and younger) cameos?]

Well, well, well. Look who came crawling back after Sonic. Not quite the winning franchise you thought it was gonna be, huh? [His front leg wiggles and the window begins to groan as he starts using force to push himself through. The window's gonna break way sooner than his adamantium sword will.] Of all the windows to go through, you should be feelin' lucky it's yours, gorgeous. [Because of the Disneybucks coming his way, obviously.] Now either you help me through or you're gonna have a drafty new hole in the wall, and I'm gonna make sure they're grillin' up stinky tofu under your place all night.

nikolai lantsov | grishaverse

[reznikolai]

I. fluxdrift

Not even the cares of an entire nation, whose weight he stubbornly shoulders, could quash Nikolai's excitement when he lays eyes on the array of machines crammed into the Scrapyard. They are rusted and beat-up and absolutely perfect.

He had emerged from unconsciousness with the monster's last screech still raw in his throat and the shadows in his veins throbbing. Panic seized him, but panic has never been of any use. So he swallowed it and did what he has always done: figure out what to do next. Keep moving forward. His concerns — about his imperiled country, his precarious throne, and the monster caged in his ribs — would hang over his head like a noose. They would come for him eventually.

But for the moment, Nikolai is less a king and more a boy in possession of a shiny new toy. He insists on peeking under the hood to inspect the machinery of the car. He asks such a deluge of questions that Yom Crook practically shoos him into the driver's seat. When he turns the key in the ignition, and the engine growls to life, he lets out an exultant whoop. Then he's off like a bullet.

a. Should you encounter him on the road, Nikolai may try to goad you into racing. What's the point of having a motorized vehicle at your command if you're not going to push it to its limits? Look over and there's a boxy car roaring across the next lane, a man grinning at you sideways from the driver's seat and blaring the horn.

b. Of course, his downfall is that he's learning how to drive a car at about seventy miles an hour. At some point, a curve flings him off the road and he slams to a stop in a ditch. Happily, this stretch of the drive is so barren that there's nothing for him to crash into, but there's the small problem of getting the car back on the road. At the gravelly edge of the highway, he waits for another vehicle to approach so that he can flag down the driver.

II. the fringes: sealed in

Nikolai answers the call because he has never had much talent for sitting back and leaving things to someone else. He pushes into the building because, despite all that rides on his shoulders, he has never thought twice about sticking out his own neck.

And suddenly, with the doors locked, the water churning, and the windows refusing to give, the "drowning man" he has begun to recognize in himself is not just a morose metaphor anymore.

"Well, so much for my evening plans," he says, frowning at the flashing warning on the screen. He might as well have just learned that the ballet has been cancelled.

III. wildcard

[Hit me with your best shot, or find me at whaleen to plot something!]

[markofkaine]

[If you got long pointy ears, you’re an elf. Them’s the rules.

Kaine plants his hands on his hips, not satisfied with her explanation. Like, even with no one to really blame, he’s still irrationally annoyed!]

Well with one of them, you won’t turn yourself into a smear on the road if you lean the wrong way. The other one you just fall and die.

[It’s not hard to see there’s a whole chassis surrounding the driver to keep them safe! It’s obviously the safer option if you’re unfamiliar between the two! (Though… even he can admit, a motorcycle is a lot cooler. Like, a lot.)]

power outage

[longtooth]

[ In truth, the dark doesn't bother Fern. Her vision means that she can see well even within it, and that ability has benefited her more times than she can remember. But as of late, she'll admit that the dark has become associated with other, unpleasant things.

She's opted to venture out, mainly because she doesn't know what causes a power outage in the first place and it might mean there's trouble. She might be better off simply keeping her head down and waiting for this to be over, but will it be over? Ultimately, she isn't willing to just sit on her hands.

She hears the knock on one of the motel's many doors and quickly pivots at the sound, her dagger out of its sheath and in her hand within the space of a breath. But there's no sign of what caused the noise.

A moment later, the door opens.

What she sees is a man with pale skin and pale hair. That on its own isn't enough to mean anything, but when he bares his fangs like that? She feels a weight drop deep into the pit of her stomach.

She'd almost set aside the idea that Strahd had anything to do with us, now that some days have passed and she's conferred with Adrian. Now, though, a cold sense of dread drapes itself over her.

His dry comment may as well go in one (furry, pointed) ear and out the other. She stares him down from a safe distance away, her grip on her dagger tightening. When she speaks, her voice quakes slightly. ]

What are you doing here?

spoilers all the way down!

[eyesite]

( to put it simply: he hadn’t trusted martin’s optimism. he either hadn’t been strong enough to, or he had simply allowed the constant ebb and flow of human fear and anguish through his consciousness to drive his decision-making toward cynical fatalism. gertrude robinson had believed that, once fundamentally changed, the fabric of the world wouldn’t be able to revert back to what it was, and the plan that had been spun to them by annabelle cane on behalf of the Mother of Puppets hadn’t exactly instilled him with confidence, let alone his natural dubiousness whenever the Web was involved. this would all grow to one day pain him far more than it had at the time. the fact that he had accompanied martin to walk from one end of hell to the other, not because he believed they could find whatever mythical “solution” he believed might exist, but to prove to him that he, in his grim comprehension of that place, was right. that there was no other way—that the risk of playing into the hands of the Spider was far too great. that it would be the best and the safest decision to oversee the slow death of the world, all of the lives within it, and then the Fears themselves; to simply let Terminus win, as it always knew it would in the end.

he’d allowed himself to be blinded by his own despair and the weight of guilt he felt for the part he had played in all of it, to the point where he couldn’t even trust and believe in the person that meant the most to him. yet another grievous mistake he’d made—one more to throw on the pile. the only thing he could hope for would be to keep living long enough for the chance to try to make it up to him.

this salient thought burns in his mind, galvanizing him to try to force his way out of the cot despite the fierce burn in his chest and the weakness of his muscles. no, no no no, if he’s still alive, then he’s not going to accept that he’s the only one who made it out of that—he has to go and find him, then, even if the sudden attempt to get up has caused the hands of several attending medical personnel to reach out and try to gently keep him from doing so, rumbling of the severity of the wound and what it would take to recover—

if martin hadn’t showed up at that exact moment, he might have very well suffered some consequences in the stubbornness of his attempt. he hears his name, the familiar voice, and suddenly all that panic and ill-gotten verve floods out of him, replaced by an overwhelming wave of relief (and the very edges of exhaustion, snapping at its heels). ) Marti—mmph, ( he can’t even get his name out before arms wrap around him and his momentary burst of energy gives out. he sags into the embrace, burying his face into martin’s shoulder. he finds himself wishing that it was the nature of the mind to preserve moments like this, dilating them in one’s mental conception of time, rather than its typical inclination to do so for fears, dangers, and traumas. as it is, he forces all else out of his mind to absorb the moment for all its worth, slowly gaining enough strength to draw one arm around martin’s back.

though, in retrospect, maybe hugging someone who was only until recently mortally stabbed wasn’t the best plan… the ache in his chest returns, its pulse quicker and more urgent. his voice creaks in pain, and he mutters, ) Careful, careful—I, I, ah… ( okay, and he has to at this point force out a wincing laugh as he continues, dryly,) I appear to have been stabbed.

( hey, they have to learn to start joking about it, right?

he poses an excellent question. for once, post-apocalyptic Google has no answer for it. he has no idea whether to be relieved to be rid of the nonstop flood of information through his mind and thoughts, but there’s something sickening about it as well—the vertigo of stepping out into nothingness, the confusion of reaching for something to find it’s no longer there. )

I… don’t know. ( the tone of his voice is tentative, almost disbelieving. after a moment, he continues, softer and more warmly, ) I hope it is, though.

[seavere]

[ well, at least now she'll remember which pedal makes the "car" go forward. it takes her a moment to put her own brake on, but she realizes she's not going anywhere until this man and his own car do, because she hasn't figured out how to make the thing go backwards yet. ]

[ she does not get out of her own truck, but she's already been driving with the window down so it's wide open; she figured that part out pretty quickly. she scowls at him, by default. ]

It moved. What the hell d'ya think happened?

[ anne, why did it move? that's the real question he is asking, and it is the one she is not answering. ]

Why is yours singing so fucking loudly? Shut it up.

Re: flat tire

[markofkaine]

[First of all, there was no way an inflatable pool ring could pass as a temporary tire, no matter what kind of insane clown logic you functioned under. Second of all, he would sooner die of embarrassment instead of being seen driving like that. Third, just no.

Well, now that Kaine felt extremely confident that whatever shitty attitude he pulled, this painfully earnest duck man would not notice and would not decide to leave him in the lurch for being a rude bitch… his expression flattens into one of incredulous deadpan. And heavy, blunt force sarcasm.]

I’ll take the tow. Thanks.

[carcajous]

Bobby. And Erik? Where?

Takes him a second, but he realizes this must've gone on while he was in the past. That they'd went and found Rogue. How'd they figure out where she was? He's stuck on more than a few questions when she throws her arms around him, and then he decides it doesn't matter. Not right now.

He hugs her back, giving her a squeeze. "Hey, it's okay."

He gets it. She doesn't need to give him all the answers. Jesus, he really just misses her. Misses them. All of 'em, you know? The kids, everything. Their numbers kept whittling down, not only the X-Men, but every single one. That growing memorial wall. He remembers standing on Cerebro's platform, five decades back, watching Charles overwhelmed by the sheer fucking number of mutants out there in the world. The way it used to be.

"I, um..." He lets her go and steps back. "Wish I had some good news, but I dunno where the hell we are any more than you. No Sentinels, though." So maybe a shred of good news. Kind of. He nods toward her bike. "Need a hand?"

The least he can do is get her back on the road. They can talk more after when they're not sitting ducks.

[seavere]

[ if anne knew what a pizza was, she'd find it funnier... ]

[ despite knowing full well she is responsible for this mess, she still scowls at getting called out for it. rude, honestly. she doesn't know what she's doing. ]

[ she's still grimacing, but what the hell? why not be honest? maybe she can get away with the damage by playing a little dumb, even if she's still bristling - maybe getting angry on the road is simply part of the driving experience. ]

Maybe it is. Some of us ain't even heard of a car before today.

[flyoctofly]

He nods with a smile. "I'm glad you're not hurt, An Zhe."

OK, now how to get the truck upright...

"I think we might be able to put it back on it's wheels if we can get a pole or something under it. I'd use my brush but I don't think it'd take the weight without breaking..."

[healbuff]

[With both feet on the ground he makes his way towards her until he's keeps a close, but respectful three feet of distance between them.]

I can help. Make it heal faster if you want.

[How? Well, he doesn't answer right away.]

Just hold out your wrists.

[There's no one to tell him what to do, what he should do. The usual doctrine he follows was thrown out the window the moment he woke up near the diffusion zones with hundreds of other strangers.]

[longtooth]

[ The job is limited in time, which Fern didn't find all that odd upon reading it. This woman seems to think otherwise, though. It would probably be easier for her to determine the likelihood of it being some sort of trap if she had more information.

She's grown tired of knowing so little; of having to ask the simplest of questions, of having to rely on the kindness of others to explain things to her. ]

... One wouldn't expect manning a shop to be so treacherous.

[ This time, she doesn't admit so much as make a semi-educated guess to see how it goes over. ]

In truth, I was expecting jobs that were far more clear about such things. Mercenary work and the like.

[ Maybe she's just looking in the wrong place. ]

[seavere]

[ anne whips around at the voice, mouth in a thin line - and her eyes narrow a bit as she takes in his attire too. the style looks slightly off, but it's far more familiar than anything else she's seen today. besides, it's not like she's knows what's much in fashion elsewhere beyond her corner of the world. ]

They're sayin' we drive it. It's got a wheel inside. [ she's very observant. ]

Dunno how it's supposed to fucking move.

[longtooth]

[ To this stranger's credit, he holds it steady even as she places cup after cup on. That does take a steady hand, and Fern's relieved that she hasn't entrusted her samples to someone who was going to send them all tragically falling to the floor.

At his suggestion, her eyes do flash with the promise of more food for a brief moment, but quickly dim as she shakes her head. ]

I suspect I've used up their good will by now. I'll clear a path for you. Carry that outside and we can eat there.

[ It seems only fair to give him one or two of the samples in exchange for his help, and she turns before he can say anything else, striding through the crowd with a glare on her face to ensure people make way. ]

Power Outage - whether or not she touches bare skin is totally your call! follow ur heart

[valle]

She's not the only one who hears the shrieking — the sound is carrying down the corridor from around the corner, a woman's voice crying out no, no, no- in obvious distress. Just how serious the situation is may be hard to determine by voice alone, and the oppressive darkness of the sudden blackout likely doesn't help with the ramping feeling of anxiety practically radiating off of every claustrophobic wall in this dark hallway.

Rogue is ready to take a swing, and that's a good reflex in general, except she stumbles onto one of the least-punchable options in the building. Two things happen simultaneously. First, a hand clamps down on her wrist before it can even properly arc forward, holding it firmly in place. Second, she'll find herself face to face with a very familiar set of adamantium claws hovering close enough to be visible even in the dim light.

Except there aren't three of them. There are only two. And they're attached to a slender arm, which is attached to a rather petite brunette on the other end, one staring at her sharply in the dark, scrutinizing her face, seeking out intention to decide whether or not this is about to escalate into a fight.

Lights Out

[widows_kiss]

[ Natasha felt like she was following an impossible trail of breadcrumbs.

She thought she’d seen him, the day before, but he’d vanished into the shadows before she could reach him. She’d almost convinced herself it was her mind playing tricks on her, wishful thinking, maybe, to not be here alone. Almost talked herself out of looking further, until she heard two locals at the bar talking about the fights and…

…Maybe? She had to look. Just to know, one way or another. If it was really him…

You could find a lot out about who passed where if you knew the right people to ask. The right questions to ask. It came as naturally to her as breathing, after all these years. It’s certainly not the first time she’s had to track him down, even if she knows he’s not hiding purposefully from her. Probably.

Still, she hadn’t accounted for literally hunting through the dark for him, that proved a bit too much of a challenge even for her and the thump he’d heard at his door had been born out of frustration, rather than intent.

But then his voice comes from the other side and she freezes in disbelief, not even able to breathe as the sound of it washes over her and she could almost cry with relief.

As it is, her voice wobbles a bit as she thunks her forehead against the solid wood and gives a shaky exhale before calling back through the door. ]

You sure about that? You’ve been awfully hard to find.

Re: 2

[intelligent]

[ The fact that he doesn't hesitate probably gives it away; he's not talking to himself. ]

Big rainy cities where nothing works right all of the time.

Only this time, I drove up to it and didn't [ ... ] wake up in a tiger pen.

[ He should maybe not say the whole "I was time travelling instead of being punted through reality though" thing this time... ]

[carcajous]

Took me away, [ Logan mutters under his breath. Took him away, yeah, that's exactly how he'd phrase breathing in lungfuls of water.

Whatever, it's fine. Erik's not here. He doesn't think. God, he fuckin' hopes that asshole isn't here. Look, they worked together without trying to kill one another (much); he can accept that when they've got two dozen robots up their asses and having a guy who controls metal becomes real handy. But the Erik he teamed up with was also fifty years older, fifty years of regrets, of figuring out his shit. Kind of a crapshoot which Erik might land in this dimension. And given Charles' thick head of hair?

He's not gonna make a bet, that's all.

He curses. Perfect. So if Raven didn't kill Trask, if that all went to plan, then how the hell does it explain this? He's about to say something else when the dark windows, the blacked out signs in front of the eastern strip of motels, makes him stop short. ]

You gotta be kidding me. [ Just what they need. He pauses. ] Don't tell me you're staying on this side.