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

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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.

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Comments

[vestments]

( marc's gaze drops to adrian's lips when he speaks, involuntary and instinctual as soon as he realises he can't hear the words. he's not precisely skilled in lip-reading, but he's had some experience of it in the military, but here and now it doesn't help him. the rain's too heavy, obscures the shape of adrian's mouth behind the glass to the point that marc can't even begin to guess, and truth be told, marc's not sure if the language is one he even knows.

it doesn't much seem to matter, for adrian holds out a palm and disappears, and marc does indeed wait, something that sits adjacent to curiosity but isn't quite that holding him where he stands.

whilst adrian retrieves the binder, marc keeps half an eye on him, and half an eye on the water. it's rising, but not in any formation that marc can make sense of. it's not steady, not like he'd expect if it were the result of a leak or a burst pipe, and in the moments before adrian returns to the window, marc's gaze seems focussed on a particularly dark, inky black portion of the room, brows pulled tight as if he's silently trying to work something out.

there's no sudden bang against glass to grab his attention, instead it's the glint of laminated paper in moonlight, and he drags his gaze across. it's too dark to make out the shape of the words, but the symbols are clear enough. mostly clear enough, he mentally amends, something pulling tight in his stomach the longer he looks. that adrian's giving the code to him says it's something out here, and his eyes lift slowly to meet adrian's.

if he looks tired — and he does — it's nothing to do with the situation at hand and everything to do with marc, sorry to say. fortunately, or something along those lines, it doesn't seem to dull marc's edges. he pulls out the fucking terrible phone he's managed to purchase, the one he'd argue is better than his phone at home by virtue of not being smashed yet, and holds it against the window.

the light's limited, but he can at least make out the words 'rear', 'building', 'panel'. all in a day's work, really. he holds up a finger as if to say 'one' or more likely, 'one moment'.

he's gone for what feels like long too long, and by the time he returns, he's certain they're not alone. any disorientation, any nausea, any burgeoning headache is shoved to one side out of practice and familiarity, even as he re-studies the symbols. in spite of himself — or perhaps, thanks to himself, someone used to forgetting, to having to recover details he doesn't want to admit he doesn't recall — he makes a few quick notes in his phone, a kind of shorthand understandable only by himself.

it's punctuated by the occasional, fleeting glance to adrian, a non-verbal 'you okay?' accompanied by a silent checking of the water level. he knows what it's like to drown, and it's not an experience he'd recommend but to his most unfavoured enemies.

he's still disoriented and off-balance after entering the code, fresh blood staining the sleeves of his shirt, running down his dominant (right) hand as he returns to the front of the building. is it immediate? did he get it right? he's not quite sure, and his focus wavers for a beat too long (khonshu? no), and then—

shit
fuck
doors. )

[faithfall]

[ He understands, it seems. That's a relief of a sort. It's only later that Adrian will understand what he might have been looking at in the water. The man takes his notes, then he leaves.

It's not so different from before, Adrian tells himself, having to rely on a practical stranger to pull him out of his own foolish mistakes. Nothing is free anywhere, nothing easy. He should have known it was a trap the moment he saw the medicine. He should have let the man leave, and he should have drowned, he should have died like those he had allowed to slip through his fingers—

If only for the sake of focusing on something, anything else, he snatches a pad of sticky paper and a pen and writes notes to stick to the window.

Too late to ask for a sandwich?

Is your sodden laundry an extra charge?

Even as the water climbs higher he writes: No rescue breathing before marriage. Use barrier. It's a terrible joke but he underlines the second bit, later. Really. I'll make you ill. It's worth a warning. Just in case.

His composure holds because it has to. It has to. There's work. He doesn't wonder at the time it takes because he's barely holding to lucidity himself. He wouldn't dare admit how much of his remaining fortitude seems to hinge on seeing that flash of white again. Is he seeing it at all? Is he simply losing his mind?

White catches his eye, and he looks up, frigid cold water numbing him from the waist down and still rising. He grips the binder to his chest in numb, cramped fingers, dragged away from staring into the water at seemingly nothing. Drowning isn't what frightens him, but the coldness of the water that seems to crawl up through his sodden clothing and constrict his chest. It's always the cold.

He notices that the white suit is dotted red now, like blood in a field of snow, but nothing else has changed. The water is still rising, threatening to wash the notes away. Adrian must have made some sort of mistake. Did he find the wrong code? Something outdated and pointless? The binder slips from his numb fingers, into the water, and he puts a hand over his mouth, trying to breathe slowly through his nose.

He is, perhaps, beginning to panic. ]

[vestments]

( it didn't work.

the realisation hits quickly, accompanied by a hot flash of anger, a growl punctuated by a fist slamming against glass. he doesn't notice the pain — anger's great for covering a multitude of sins — but he does notice the streak of red his hand leaves behind. it's not enough to bother him, not enough to cause concern — blood's just blood, as far as he's concerned — before he whips back around, runs back to panel to check his notes and re-enter the code.

this time's at disorientating as the last. this time, marc has to blink away not just rain but the imprint of the symbols from his mind, and he feels something watching him. this time, he's certain it's not khonshu — he might be a miserable fucking asshole, but he's not this. this isn't vengeance, this isn't protecting the travellers of night, this—

—briefly, cold dread hits, sitting in his stomach and his chest as he circles back round to the front of the building. it's not a fear he's felt for a while, but now it strikes suddenly, and he wonders if this is a reminder of what he achieves when he's alone. no god, no mission, no friends.

but then he catches sight of it: water inexplicably rushing up and he realises without warmth, without joy, that this time, it'd worked. the doors are open, but that doesn't mean the guy inside's okay. the kid with the annoying messages that weren't funny.

his shoes squelch with each step, the sound not quite echoing in the waterlogged building as he rushes with surprising speed and grace towards adrian. he knows how to do cpr, but he hopes it won't and hasn't come to that. )

[faithfall]

[ Death has loomed large these past few weeks, its shadow stretching toward everyone he knows and loves, and yet that weight, when it reached him, had begun to feel almost peaceful. Now that it presses against chest and seals the air from his lungs, he can't imagine how he ever saw it that way. He's barely cognizant of the feeling of wings wrapping around him, keeping him from properly drowning for the few seconds it takes for Marc to finish entering the code. His patron's protection; though it feels different somehow, strange as it had been when he first set foot in Barovia.

He doesn't have time to think about it. The water rushes up and away, and then Adrian is doubled over on his knees, head pounding, coughing up dark water. He looks up at the sound of footsteps, relief washing over him in a rush. ]

You— [ He coughs around it. So much for that thank you. ] Are you hurt?

[ He's already reaching for the edge of a desk to try hauling himself up. He has little magic left, but he remembers the blood. There's something terribly wrong with this place, and it only feels more wrong by the second. ]

screams i thought i already replied to this

[vestments]

( here, to avoid captcha lol )