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

[magike]

I doubt there will be much space, not with the debts we already have, but being here won't be permanent for us either.

( she was too determined for that to happen. whilst they might have to settle with something terrible to begin with, rowena was too much of an opportunist (and charming) not to try and get something better for them.

but she'd also be working on a spell to get them home. and if he did have archangel grace, perhaps the spell would be easier to cast than she thought )

I don't know what this city will be like, though. If it's anything similar to where we woke up, you'll need to be careful.

( she cautions him just because he's new to the world, because he's so trusting. rowena doesn't have that problem but she'd make his problems hers. she'd keep him safe for the boys. and her own growing fondness of him )

But you won't be alone.

[godjr]

I can get a job! [ He smiles. ] That will be fun. Like a real human.

[ Jack likes work and he doesn't shy away from it as others do. He'll be the best customer service representative anyone can find with his cheerful demeanor. He can make money for them and Rowena can help them figure out the numbers around their debt because he doesn't understand cost of living in the slightest. He's always had that sort of thing handled by his family. He's not snobby. ]

I'll be careful, I promise.

[ Of course in Jack's mind, that is more about him controlling his powers and not accidentally hurting anyone while he works through it. He is enormously trusting though so that will eventually come up. He's tried to become better at not believing what he's told, especially because even Sam and Dean have lied to him before, but it doesn't come naturally to him to doubt other people. Only himself. ]

I'm glad, I don't think it would be good if I was alone, Rowena. [ He's so relieved. ] I try my best to be good but when I don't know what to do ....

[ He doesn't trust himself entirely. ]

[magike]

( there's a softer sound from her, light amusement. she'll clarify "rules" with him when they have somewhere, when he's found that job and needs more guidance on what he should do. it certainly won't be her own advice that she'll be giving him )

Being good is a strange idea. The Winchesters are good, they do everything to save the world and help others, but if someone didn't know what they were doing, it would appear very different.

( they killed and hurt those that looked human. those they knew were not )

Samuel's belief in me is what changed my actions. I imagine their guidance is what you know also. They may not be here, but we have their memories, the advice that they have given us.

( and whilst she wouldn't claim that her best friend was like a conscience on her shoulder, it was the simple fact that she had a best friend that guided her. someone trusted and believed in her and had helped her to see that the life she'd always hoped for could actually be hers. that was what guided her hands now )

[godjr]

[ Jack forgot that Rowena wasn't always part of their team. When he met her, he knew that they had history, she had a whole history before. But she helped him anyway, despite the fact Lucifer hurt her so badly. That's what he remembered. But she wasn't always a 'good guy' either. Jack's tried so much to be one, from the moment he was born, until now. He listens to her attentively and it matters, what she's saying. He's been very black and white on this issue and still is hard on himself about it. ]

I'm not like Lucifer. I know that now. I used to be afraid I was, that I had no other choice.

[ It was Sam who argued from the start that Jack could choose, that they could raise him to be good and not go down the same path. The ways in which Jack made mistakes and went down a dark road, none of it was the same as Lucifer. His was always well-meaning. Trying too much, but being too powerful and out of control. It doesn't change that Jack did harm. With Lucifer's power inside of him now, he still knows in his heart, he is not him. ]

But I don't have to be like him to do the wrong thing. Sometimes I just ... do. Now that I have his power and mine, I'm worried.

[ Jack should be worried. Every time he's taken his power in a casual sense, things have gone horribly wrong. He can't be reckless about them. He looks over at her, maintaining eye contact for a moment, but then back to the road so he can make sure he's being safe. ]

Will you help me stay balanced?

[magike]

( she rests a hand lightly on his arm, a comforting gesture, there only for a moment so as not to distract him )

My dear, you could never be like that-- ( bastard ) like him.

( she opts not to swear, to remind him of those true feelings of hers. neither of them may think too fondly of lucifer, but he's still jack's father, as unfortunate as that information is. she's behaving herself, even if she knows he wouldn't begrudge her for the truth )

I will do my best to help you, but remember that whilst power can help us do wonderful things and terrible things, the same can be true of people without power. Decisions need care and information, especially what is important. We don't know this place, it's something to keep in mind when making any impactful decision.

[godjr]

[ It touches Jack that she would comfort him and also reassure him about Lucifer. For so long he was scared that he was supposed to be that way. Dean was convinced he had to be evil like his father, that blood trumped everything else. ]

He fooled me. I'm embarrassed about that. Everyone told me he was evil, but I wanted to believe he could change. I was very wrong, I'm glad he's gone.

[ Lucifer did show his true colors relatively quickly, so Jack didn't get fooled for long, and he did not need to be shown a second time what Lucifer was after that. He regrets it because it meant he wasn't respecting his true fathers, who tried to warn him. He killed Nick (roughly) because the idea of bringing Lucifer back after all he did was too upsetting. He doesn't think anyone told her that for a brief time Jack was played the fool, but it was brief. He can learn.

He listens very closely to her and her wisdom, nodding along. He knows humans can do bad things too. He learned that from the soup kitchen and the girl he thought could be his friend hurting people in the name of religion. They might meet humans like that here. ]

I will protect you from them, Rowena. No one will hurt you when I'm around.

[ She isn't thinking of herself there, but him, and he still wants to say it. She is powerful, yes, but she still died. She's in Hell. He won't let that happen here. She is his family. ]

[magike]

( rowena had been convinced at first, too, too afraid of lucifer to want to see past that, even with samuel's reassurances. then she'd met jack, and his gratitude for her actions and kindness towards her made him look at him, seeing the boy rather than the father. she'd known immediately that he was not lucifer.

kindness that he still shows now, and even if rowena isn't afraid in this place, or tells herself that she isn't because she knows the world, his thought makes her smile anyway )

Finding somewhere to stay will be our first thing to do.

( she was not living out of a car. that was worse than some of the ways she'd lived in her past )

Then learning more about the location we are in. Where things we will need are, people to be aware of, at least until we can get the ingredients to cast a spell to return us home.

[godjr]

They said it's a city, there have to be motels. If they allow more debt until we can make money.

[ Jack is used to them from traveling with his family, they exclusively stay in cheap motels to save on costs and also because they never stay there for long. He already misses the familiarity and comfort of the bunker which will remain true as they go forward, because it was his home for most of his short life. He knows that Rowena is far more classy than they are, so she might not like what they find, but she is a very pragmatic person too. They'll figure it out together. ]

I wonder if they have their own magic users here. Maybe they can help you find ingredients, or the equivalent of them here.

[ It might also cost them but it could work out for them. He doesn't know if the exact same ingredients exist here, that's all. Jack knows only a little bit about magic that Sam has told him, and Sam learned from her. ]

If you suddenly need me somewhere, Sam has been able to pray to me before, and I could find him right away. Like to other angels.

[ Jack doesn't always know where to track people using his powers, although he's pretty sure he should be able to, but that was instant. He could hear Sam's voice and could simply will himself there. It might help her in the future, even if all she wants is to check in with him, since he can fly to other places too. ]

[magike]

--Praying?

( okay, she knows that in theory given samuel and dean and castiel but actually being told that she should pray for someone? oh boy. the pagan witch who'd never put stock in gods now realising she has to figure out how to pray to a nephilim to hear her?

that is an idea that rowena knows she's putting aside for now, entirely uncertain (and unconvinced) about it... and probably wont touch until it's too late and she needs him.

but she looks back out of the window, trying to quickly change the topic from it so it doesn't get awkward )

If the magic users in this universe can even be trusted. And if it doesn't hurt us to ask them.

( debt or trust )

[godjr]

I know it's strange. But I can hear it. I'm just saying.

[ Jack can probably keep track of her more than he knows right now, since they only just reunited, but he has so many abilities trapped inside his body and he's barely scratched the surface of it. If he can hear her voice clearly in his mind, like when the others prayed for him, he'd be able to zero in on her immediately. She might not want to use it now, but eventually, it could be useful. Like when he saved everyone from Michael. If Sam hadn't thought to pray to him, they'd be dead. ]

Maybe they can! [ Optimistic, sometimes. ] I wish I knew how to use my powers better. With Lucifer's strength I should be able to cross dimensions, but ... it's probably too risky without training.

[ Jack's more likely to break a hole in the universe. And he can't do anything that would jeopardize Rowena's safety, not now that they're together and the only family each other has. Maybe he'll just try in very small doses out in the quadrants, where no humans are around.]

They said it's a city, I've never really been in a real city before, at least not for long. It'll definitely be bigger than Kansas.

[magike]

Cities can be useful.

( she's still digesting everything about his powers, that he's absorbing them, that he has lucifer's strength and what that means. it's something she needs more time with, particularly given that he may still be absorbing power here thanks to billie's interferences.

so she switches to the simpler item, the city and their unknown destination )

They have much more within them. It certainly makes shopping for what you need easier.

( spell ingredients, clothing, anything that you could think of. those parts she'd appreciated over the centuries )

Though the more people there are in a city, the greater the risk is. I don't mean your powers or danger, but in being human. And my dove, there is much a boy your physical age should know that you don't.

( there's no blame or judgement in her voice: rowena knows the circumstances, knows that he hasn't lived those years to learn that information, and it certainly hadn't been something that the boys had thought of when they'd taken him out. so she continues )

Crafting you a story will help protect you and give a plausible reason for why you lack certain pieces of knowledge. Something other than explaining that you're a nephilim.

[godjr]

[ Jack doesn't feel blamed or judged, she's just telling the truth. Jack's ignorance has been a problem more than once, and his lack of understanding of 'normal' human behavior makes him stand out from others. Most of the time they've just thought him strange, but it's occasionally suspicious, the way he acts and talks. Non-trusting people, like those from a city, might think twice when he lies very poorly about himself. ]

I didn't really get chances to talk to normal people and learn how to act like one.

[ As Rowena knows, Jack is remarkably sheltered. Every person who knows him well enough to be around him regularly is aware that he's a Nephilim and there's reverence and also some fear that goes with that. For the brief time he tried to be around kids 'his age,' he scared them quickly with his power.

It's not only that he lacked the time that would help him learn, it's that the Winchesters, despite meaning very well on his behalf, never did well at socializing him either. They wanted to keep both him and the world at large safe, and that meant keeping Jack in the bunker and away from possible trouble. But it also meant that his entire world revolved around them and the hunters and never outside of it.

He liked being called 'my dove' though. It was nice. An affectionate nickname.]

I can say that I was from a small town from Kansas and never left and was sheltered. Would that be good enough? Maybe people will just think people from Kansas are strange.

[magike]

That could be believable.

( rowena certainly knew the opinions that were given to those from small towns in america, particularly those who never left those towns. the boys had certainly encountered enough of them, which meant that rowena had as well.

she hums lightly, adding a detail )

Especially if you were also home-schooled. Even in a small town, children who went to school would have had more social interactions. Being homeschooled would have limited that.

( a small town limited the number of people in it, and being homeschooled would further limit the number of people you saw in a day. she figured it could work )

As we walk around the city, I can teach you certain smaller things that you should know, even a boy from a small town.

[godjr]

And it's all truth, which means I won't have to lie.

[ Jack is from a small town, he's sheltered, and he was homeschooled. It all fits. He can hide behind the truth. Knowing him though, the deception won't last for long. He speaks too honestly and his strangeness sets him apart. He'll try. He likes the idea of meeting people. Maybe he could even make a friend! Rowena's family so having her there is important for him to stay more level than he would be on his own. But he's always failed at people before. It would be nice if he could make it stick this time.

Rowena knows so much more than him. She knows more than his fathers too, even more than Castiel, who has been alive longer. Because she's lived among people in a different way and her age has built wisdom. That's why they turned to her when they couldn't figure out what to do with him. It wasn't her fault she couldn't save him. Jack wonders sometimes if it would've been better off leaving him dead, so he never lost his soul, and Mary never died. ]

Thank you, Rowena. I appreciate you being willing to help me. I know I should be strong on my own, but I was just fooled again by someone I trusted. I don't know if I can be trusted to be alone.

[magike]

Sadly, everyone has been betrayed by someone they've trusted. It's an unfortunate part of being human.

( even if the person who betrayed you wasn't human it was a very human experience. it didn't mean you were someone not to trust for believing them, not when some people were proficient liars. rowena liked to believe that she could spot these lies, too guarded to trust but even she'd been taken in by fancy ideas and then betrayed. jack who knew little of the world was an easy person to target with his trust, and an easy person to betray )

Having people around you also means you don't need to be strong alone. People are a strength.

( which was something rowena had only learned because of the boys. she'd spent centuries alone thinking she was stronger without trust, being the first to betray someone, but it was these last few years where she'd felt her strongest, when she had people who cared for her )

If Samuel, or Dean didn't trust you they would never have asked you to help them. A case or saving the world. You are trusted.

[godjr]

I've been fooled before, but I really wanted to trust Billie. I wanted to be right for once.

[ The angels and Lucifer managed to manipulate him, and after that Jack was determined to get wiser and not trust so easily. He is still soft in the ways that matter, but he's tried to harden in that area. But he fell for it again, and he fell for it hard, he had true faith in Billie. Enough to be willing to be her bomb to save the world. She tricked him by giving him what he was searching for, a way to save the world and get the Winchesters to forgive him. He's tired of being a sitting duck. ]

I can only trust our family.

[ Rowena is that, he doesn't care if it's not made official, that is how he feels. They trust her, he knows that, and he can rely on that to make that connection and hold onto it. With Dean and Castiel, he doesn't know, but he is positive about Sam's deep respect and care for Rowena. That's all it takes for him. Sam isn't like him, he doesn't trust easily, and he's been through ups and downs with her. She earned that from him, and so Jack will keep that going from his father.

Never mind that he couldn't trust Sam and Dean before, but to be fair to them, they did what he sees now as the wisest course of action. It didn't work out for anyone, but he was out of control. They lied for the greater good. He respects that and he'll trust them regardless of it. ]

Dean said I'm not family anymore. [ It makes him deeply, terribly sad. ] But that he was grateful I was willing to die for everyone.

[magike]

( rowena's utterly stunned when she looks at jack and there are many very unpleasant thoughts running through her head, various ways that she could curse that idiot.

it shocks her that dean would say that, when rowena knows how important family is to him. she understands it partially, dean had a complicated relationship with jack, not trusting him as easily as samuel had (she certainly understood that), but after the time that they'd spent with him, far greater time than she'd spent with the boy, she hates that dean just brushed him aside, particularly when it wasn't the first time that the boy had died in his short life.

considering his fondness for others, her son, even herself, it makes it the more frustrating and baffling to hear.

this boy was family, and even rowena would admit that, and she had a much harder time with the idea of family )

Ignore him. If he wants to be a bloody idiot-- ( there was a lot of emphasis on bloody. she could justify it to try and make jack feel better, to tell him that dean was scared or under pressure from god, but she's not in a giving mood about that. she'd rather yell at dean, honestly )

We'll figure it out. However, this specific world works, and whatever we need to do to survive that and find our way back, we will. And I trust you.

( which is a big thing for her to say, not because of his parentage but because rowena doesn't trust easily. those she trusts usually have it implied in other words and actions, she never explicitly states it, but she knows that she needs to here -- he needs to hear the words, and they need to be said )

Whatever happens neither of us are alone, no matter what that situation becomes.

( and no matter who makes a mistake, as whilst rowena is more experienced with the world she's also made a lot of missteps in it )

[godjr]

I killed his mother.

[ Jack has his soul back so the crushing weight of that reality is firmly on his shoulders. He won't hide from the terrible action he took and what it meant for all of them. She was the only mother he knew, she loved Jack, she took care of him too. He doesn't know if he would forgive himself in Dean's shoes (he would, he always forgives). That is why he can't hold it against Dean either, even if it hurt more than he could say. Dean said a long time ago that people deserve to be saved, and that Jack didn't. At the time, they were new to each other, but maybe he'll always think that. ]

I thought if I could just stop Chuck, I could prove to him that I'm worthy again. I can't do that as long as I'm here.

[ He can't kill Chuck and save the world from here, or at least, he thinks he can't. Honestly, Jack wouldn't be surprised if Chuck showed up just to talk at him some, he seems to really like to talk. If he does, then he'll have a chance. He realizes that saying that much puts Rowena in a place between him and Dean, which wasn't his intention. If anything he's saying how much Dean means to him, what he's willing to do to earn his love again. ]

We're both capable of opening portals to other worlds. I feel like if anyone can make it happen, it would be us, Rowena.

[ She held one open for them, Jack created it in the first place. They have more capability than most people, even the Winchesters, who relied on their skills to get it done the last time. So surely together they can make something happen. He glances over at her and smiles shyly. ]

We don't usually get to talk so much. I like this.

[ She's so smart and powerful, he could definitely learn important things from her, and Jack is a sponge, he loves to learn. He doesn't get to have extended conversations with most people outside of his family. He was dead by the time Rowena spent her last time alive. The idea that they could bond a little bit while they wait to go back, that sounds like an upside of the situation. He could use a positive note. ]

We need to stay together. We'll protect each other.

[magike]

That we will.

( the words are said with utter fondness and an absolute belief that it would happen. rowena would protect jack to hell and back, and she believed that he'd protect her: he was honest, what he said he meant.

she fell quiet, thinking on his words. the spell she'd used before she already knew, and whilst rowena didn't currently have all of the ingredients, she knew that there was something she could try )

When we find somewhere to stay, I'll talk you through the spell I used and the ingredients that I need. If you absorbed Lucifer's power, perhaps your grace can power it.

( if he was willing )

we can wrap here on this one!

[godjr]

We can definitely try. We'll just have to be careful.

[ Jack is willing to test it but he is too responsible to put this planet at risk with the level of power he is capable of. The rift that happened before he was born was a mistake, and while they managed to save many people from an Apocalypse world, he doesn't want to do that to the people here. This isn't their world but it's still full of innocent people.

Jack looks over at her, quick so he can focus on driving, and smiles, relieved. He isn't alone. He can do this with Rowena, and he doesn't have to be as scared as he was. ]