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

[someonetostay]

Yes. My name is Connor. It’s a popular name choice for human males where I came from, although its prevalence is declining.

[Perhaps that might be related to why CyberLife chose it for him?

The deeper potential meaning, relating to dogs, is another consideration. Although a bit sad, perhaps, if CyberLife were trying to compare the RK800 model to canines themselves: CyberLife’s dog.]

Castiel is much more rare, in comparison.

[There’s also the religious meaning behind it, although Connor doesn’t mention that.]

Castiel in binary is 01100011 01100001 01110011 01110100 01101001 01100101 01101100.

[Connor nods once he’s done repeating the ones and zeros, as if he has imparted some manner of sagely knowledge.]

[messenger]

[ castiel doesn't know so much about name popularity, nor does he know much about binary, being as its a computing language (though he gleans the meaning— the universal laws are predicated on math as a basic building block, after all, even if human technology is a near total unknown to him).

he considers that it would be very strange if someone shared his name. ]

Your name is an anglicisation of Conchobhar, which means "lover of dogs". Do you like dogs?

I see what you did there I SEE IT

[someonetostay]

I do.

[Large dogs in particular, even, although Connor hasn’t met many dogs. But big dogs, friendly and lazy like Sumo... Connor finds those sorts of dogs especially endearing.]

Do you like dogs?

[Their slug friend is inching away from Connor, although now it is ever so slightly careening toward Castiel.]

woof woof :3

[messenger]

Then your name is appropriate.

[ castiel likes that. he doesn't think his own name, much as it is irrevocably his, is very fitting. he's a sad creature. nothing so grand as it sounds.

he squints his eyes as their little slug friend begins to veer in his direction. ]

Yes, I like dogs.

🐶

[someonetostay]

I suppose so. But I wasn’t programmed to like dogs.

[Or... was he? Connor’s preferences are strange like that. His interests. Because he liked dogs before he became a deviant.

Hank would probably tell him to stop thinking about it, so Connor will try.

Although Hank is... not here. Will never be here.]

Are we friends, Castiel?

[messenger]

I... don't know if I was.

[ he thinks he might have been. it's not like angels were given to free will, and he's loved god's creations since time immemorial.

but much like hank would tell connor to stop thinking too much about it, dean would likely tell him the same.

castiel turns his squint in connor's direction. ]

Well, you're not a dog, but I think so.

[someonetostay]

Are most of your friends dogs?

[No offense taken, admittedly.]

I haven’t seen any dogs here yet.

[Yet! A very important distinction. Surely where there are people there are dogs, right?]

Have you been outside of the city?

[messenger]

Well... No.

[ he says it like he's disappointed in the fact. he doesn't get to talk to dogs very often. ]

And neither have I. I haven't been outside the city, either, except when I first arrived.

[someonetostay]

[Connor nods sadly. Tragic: to love dogs but not have an abundance of dog friends.

He stands, heading toward the door.]

We might not be able to find many dogs here — [hopefully time will prove him wrong in that regard] — but at the very least we can collect more slugs.

[messenger]

Yes.

[ there's no reason to leave them to be stepped on when they could have a perfectly good home in here, of course. castiel stands to follow. ]

Perhaps we'll find some snails, as well.

[someonetostay]

Do you think so?

[The prospect is somewhat exciting: if not dogs, then why not an abundance of gastropods?

Connor opens the door first, leaving it open behind him. Scanning the horizon, then...]

There. [He doesn’t bother pointing, just starts heading toward the middle of the motel’s parking lot. The asphalt is cracked, with tufts of grass erupting from within.

There is a single slug attempting to find its bearings midst the mountainous cracked ground.

Slug: The Second.]

[messenger]

[ connor's eyes are almost as good as castiel's. he follows when the android walks out into the middle of the parking lot, leaving the door hanging open as he goes (it's not as though he has anything to steal). castiel would surmise that the parking lot is an even worse place for a slug to live, though perhaps they could hide in the grass-sprouted cracks when the sun is hot overhead. provided, of course, they could make it there before they dried up, or got run over. ]

Do you think they're an endemic species? They look like Philomycus carolinianus...

[ but they're obviously not in carolina.

this doesn't seem to be any version of earth he knows. ]

I see u slug nerding cas I see u

[someonetostay]

I believe so, unless further investigation proves otherwise.

[Perhaps they might discover additional species! Another exciting prospect.

Connor once more kneels, herding the slug onto his hand before looking around the parking lot again. He sees another by a flickering vending machine against the wall of the motel, but —]

How many slugs would you like?

he is a slerd (slug nerd)

[messenger]

[ that's a very exciting prospect! if a bit of a scary one. is this another of his father's creations, or the creation of someone, or something, else?

castiel watches connor coax the slug to him before honing in on another. he supposes it doesn't matter, in the end. they're still living things. ]

... All of them?

just a couple of slerds here

[someonetostay]

Excellent.

[Connor starts heading toward the next slug, kneeling beside the vending machine as he balances the slug on his other hand. Making sure to keep it from falling as he tilts his hand.]

I can scan the area for slugs for as long as you’d like, but —

[Well, most people seem to say one thing and mean another. Is Castiel serious about this endeavor? Connor isn’t sure, but he still offers his slug-covered hand to Castiel.]

Would you like to hold it?

couple'a slerdheads

[messenger]

Scan?

[ does he mean like the way they do in those science fiction novels? castiel blinks, momentarily imagining connor with laser eyes. then connor gets his attention again, and he holds both hands out. ]

Yes.

[ connor can't be expected to carry them all. ]

[someonetostay]

Yes. If I have an objective and knowledge of my target, it’s relatively simple to follow the clues. In this case, their mucus helps.

[Connor’s current self-assigned objective is: find additional slugs.]

Like there. [Connor uses his slug-occupied hand to gently gesture down the row of motel doors, to a car parked beyond Castiel’s room.] There’s another slug next to the front left tire.

[Now, though, Connor offers his slug hand to Castiel.]

Perhaps we might need some manner of receptacle.

[messenger]

And you can see the mucus trail from that far?

[ it wouldn't be out of ordinary for an angel. but connor... connor is something else entirely, isn't he?

castiel blinks. ]

Um...

[ there's some trash strewn about the parking lot, but a beer bottle doesn't seem like an appropriate place for a gastropod, either, much as he might want to crawl into one. ]

There's a Styrofoam takeout container in my car.

[someonetostay]

Elements of mucus, to a degree. The parking lot is riddled with the substance, in fact; it’s more a manner of determining which trails are most fresh.

[Before the retreating slug can escape beneath the vending machine, Connor coaxes it onto his hand.

Retrieval of third slug: complete.]

Can you get the container? I’ll meet you at your car.

[Because, yes, Connor has spotted another slug. In the direction opposite of Castiel’s car, but not too far. Quite a large slug, in fact. Haplessly attempting to slither its way up one of the motel doors.]

[messenger]

That's... impressive.

[ he has very, very good vision, but he can't separate out substances such as for the analysis connor is referring to. there are a few television shows that feature android characters who have a similar ability, but he doesn't know if what connor experiences is the same.

he doesn't have the opportunity to ask, though. ]

I'll get it.

[ once he has, castiel will meet him by his scratched up impala, holding a white clamshell container in one hand while he kneels on all fours beside the back door, trying to coax yet another slug into their new slug receptacle.

the word ASSHOLE shines in sharp key scratches from the rear quarter panel of castiel's car. the animal stickers on the back are cute, at least. ]

[someonetostay]

[The chonky slug is a bit trickier to coax, since it seems determined to live a vertical life. But Connor has a mission — collect slugs — so he doesn’t give up. Never gonna give up on the slug. Due to its size, it requires a monopoly of Connor’s left hand: length measuring from the bottom of Connor’s palm to the base of his fingers, and at least two fingers thick.

When he meets Castiel at his car, Connor says:]

I disagree with the word on your car.

[Hank, who was most definitely an asshole per the various definitions, was at least a kind asshole. Complicated.]

[messenger]

What?

[ castiel goes left, and the slug that castiel is chasing dodges right. it doesn't seem particularly interested in being rescued, but he's determined not to let it fall victim to the streets, whatever the cost. connor's words don't fully register before he's answered. ]

Why would you disagree with an impala?

[someonetostay]

I’m referring to “asshole.”

[The slugs Connor’s holding attempt to slide off his hands, but Connor is too quick. It’s not quite as stimulating, but it reminds him of the quarter he used to have.

The quarter Hank took.]

Would you like assistance? That slug seems particularly determined to remain as it is.

[messenger]

No, I can do it.

[ he doesn't want to look like a fool in front of this android. he has a reputation to uphold, as an angel.

(his reputation is dogshit, but connor doesn't know that yet.)

it's only after he puts down the clamshell container that he manages to corral the slug onto his left hand, but that's fine. he relocates it immediately to the safety of the styrofoam before backing out from beneath the car. when he moves the rise up, he knocks his head off the undercarriage with a curse of surprise.

he straightens up, frowning at the new dent joining the rest that decorate his rear quarter panel. castiel rubs his head. then he holds out the clamshell to connor. ]

[someonetostay]

[Connor waits patiently as Castiel herds the slug, rotating his hands every so often as his own gastropods slide across his hands.

Once Castiel emerges with his slug, Connor says:] You did it.

[Accepting the container, Connor tries to coax his slugs inside. The chonky one makes it a suboptimal environment for so many slugs.]

Did you hurt yourself? [Then, cocking his head:] I think we should drop these off in your room. I’m not sure how many slugs we should keep in such close proximity.

[Will they be friends — or perhaps territorial?]