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

[unsunder]

I have doors specifically to avoid the "spinny bits."

[ That's the trade off, he supposes. He can deal with getting his robes caught in a door a time or two. ]

And you? [ Another brief glance, a quick flick of his eyes from Verso's head to his feet. ] You've the look of an adventurer about you.

[reverso]

Adventurer. Now that's a nice word for it.

[HIS LIFE HAS NOT FELT LIKE AN ADVENTURE... But that's neither here nor there. It's not a wrong assessment, what with his Expedition uniform (worn, seen better days) looking suited to an environment like this one. Made for travel, made to last — and last it has.]

I come from a place, while certainly more colorful than this one appears, that is just as dangerous in its own way. And I chose to mostly live alone. You pick up something of a grizzled ambiance over the years.

That means, though, if you ever need someone with a sword and some battle experience? You can call on me.

[You know, to return the favor!]

[unsunder]

“Grizzled ambiance” is it?

[ That’s also a nice way to say he looks a bit of a mess.

It’s very likely that Emet-Selch will require no such mundane help, but then, his teleportation has already failed him spectacularly, so who knows? ]

Duly noted, though I am fairly confident in my ability to take care of myself. I’d not say no to an extra pair of… [ -hands.

SQUINT. There’s a dark shape on the horizon, apparently just lying in the middle of the road. ]

You do see that, yes?

[reverso]

Yes. A certain "been through hell and back again" flair.

[At least Verso's self-aware.

But while he intends to reply in the affirmative when it comes to offering his help, as he does plan to repay his debt to this man, it seems as though they'll be interrupted by something in the middle of the road.

A dark shape. Looks a bit like a figure sprawled out across the asphalt, which doesn't imply anything good.]

You mean that body in the middle of the road? Difficult to miss. Think someone's had a very bad day...?

[unsunder]

[ Okay, that gets a little smirk out of him, one corner of his mouth ticking upwards. Yes, at least he’s self aware.

The matter of the body on the road, however, has Emet-Selch scowling all over again. ]

I think that goes without saying. I do not see another vehicle. Perhaps the poor fool thought to walk all the way to the city.

[reverso]

Hm.

[Poor fool, indeed, if that's the case. Well, then it's clear that they're left with a choice: see if said fool needs aid, or simply drive past.

Verso, despite all his flaws, is not the sort to suggest the latter for no reason. He'll have some empathy with someone who made terrible traveling decisions, because being so new, he can envision himself making similar mistakes.]

We should check on him, then, at the very least.

[unsunder]

[ Emet-Selch seems to be in the latter camp, personally, because Verso’s suggestion gets him another sideways glance, that golden gaze scrutinizing for the space of a breath.

Ultimately, he seems to decide that having an argument about it is more trouble than pulling over for a bit. Besides, it’s not as if they’re on a schedule. What do they have waiting for them in this city? More of the same, he imagines. Debt and disappointment. ]

Fine. But if there is naught to save, then we move on.

[ The guy is like… smack in the middle of the road, so they need to pull off anyway. Once they’re close enough, Emet-Selch eases the Jeep onto the shoulder – or whatever passes for a shoulder anymore. He has foresight enough to take the keys out of the ignition and keep them with him as they move to investigate. ]

[reverso]

[Verso might want to take the helpful route for now, but that doesn't mean he won't also err on the side of caution. Emet-Selch is smart to leave the engine running, and he takes note of it as he hops out and rounds the vehicle to draw closer to the fallen figure on the road.]

Bonjour, mon ami. [-he calls out experimentally to said figure.] Can you hear me? Still alive...?

[Assuming nothing happens before he closes that space, Verso will walk up to him and... toe him softly with his boot.]

[unsunder]

[ He lingers a few paces behind, keeping one eye on their surroundings while Verso goes to investigate. Once he does deign to look at the body, however, it is painfully clear that the soul once inhabiting it has long shuffled off this mortal coil. ]

… He’s dead.

[ So matter-of-fact. ]

Let us quit this place ere someone not so altruistic happens by.

[ As if summoned by those very words, the sounds of approaching engines suddenly reach them – not coming from the road proper, but from either side of it. ]

[reverso]

[Well, that can't be good. Indeed, Verso echoes this thought aloud nearly as soon as he hears the rumbling of approaching engines, abandoning the idea of helping the man sprawled out on the pavement. A dead man's well beyond the point of help, after all.]

Look at what you've done. You've gone and jinxed us.

[Which means it's mere assumption that they're not about to be met with friendly faces, but he'snot the type to disregard his gut feeling on the matter.

With that in mind, Verso... summons his sword with a whirl of chroma, gripping the weapon by the hilt as it appears from nothingness.]

[unsunder]

[ Emet-Selch gives that summoned sword only a brief glance, curious as to the magic but not enough to distract from the real goings-on. About half a dozen vehicles, moving in packs of three, approaching them from either side.

The people inside look wild and bloodthirsty. ]

How annoying.

[ Emet-Selch lifts a hand and simply snaps his fingers. A volley of luminous purple spears streak toward one pack, slamming head on into two of the vehicles, piercing steel and shredding engine components. The cars veer away in a mess of flying parts, smoke and dust. ]

[reverso]

[He's seen similar displays of magic (or chroma, same difference) in his time, but the escalation is so severe that it actually startles Verso. So much that he actually blinks, taking a step back when he watches one of the vehicles skid away, lanced through by spears of violet magic.

Okay, then. At least he's in good hands, here.]

Swatting them away like gnats already? You don't waste time.

[Verso, however, urges magic to coalesce around his blade. The length of it becomes wrapped in light, vibrating along the steel, like it were simply waiting to be released — because it is.]

Let me try.

[Almost casually, he slashes diagonally with his blade. Slashes of bright light sudden cut across the front of another vehicle, making steel scream and windshields shatter. The men inside scream angrily and holler with alarm. One such magical "cut" slashes right through the front tires, too, causing it to spin out.

Great as that is, there are still other vehicles coming straight at them, sure to stop soon enough. The men that pile out all seem to be carrying firearms, because of course they do.]

[unsunder]

I mislike having my time wasted.

[ Yes, because that is what a band of vicious, firearm-wielding attackers are doing here. Wasting his time. He doesn’t seem overly worried about actually getting hurt or killed, but given the power he’s just displayed with a mere finger snap, it’s probably easy to assume that Emet-Selch is a man rather used to hovering near the top of the proverbial food chain.

He does turn to watch whatever it is Verso does – definitely magic of some sort, and he seems rather adept with it. Good. He won’t be carrying this battle all by himself.

The people in the remaining vehicles pop their heads out of the windows, weapons brought to bear. The thunder of gunfire is lost in the roar of approaching engines, but all the same, Emet-Selch lifts a hand, a translucent bubble springing up around him and Verso. It flashes brightly where the bullets make impact, but otherwise doesn’t seem to waver. ]

If you care to do that little trick again, now would be the time.

[reverso]

Mon dieu, I'm starting to think we're not the ones who're going to have the bad day here.

[He means it in an ironic way; their ambushers have caught not a rabbit in their trap, but a tiger. And most of those claws and fangs are attributed to his travel buddy here, or so it would seem.

The blinks as the bubble flashes when the bullets strike its dome, but it's clear it's a shield of sorts that isn't going down very easily. But Verso will not take any chances, and he's more keen on following instructions without issue — so, another flash of his blade, brimming with energy, bright and hot and more potent than before.]

Here we go!

[He slashes again, movement akin to a full forward lunge. The light shines and cuts at a distance again, but tenfold more than his first try, and far more keen on doing bodily harm. Their assailants have had their chances.

Flesh tears, tires pop, steel screeches, and what remains of windows shatter even more. It's a streak of cutting Chroma barraging past the vehicles and men alike, then it's gone.]

[unsunder]

I would appreciate it if they would get the hint a bit faster.

[ Still, Verso's display of skill is impressive in its own right, and Emet-Selch figures it wasn't a horrible thing to bring him along. Even if they did stop at his suggestion. Well, there's nothing to say the bandits wouldn't have chased him down anyway, so to-may-to, to-mah-to.

Some of the gunfire lets up after that attack, like the would-be bandits are considering cutting their losses.

The shadows around Emet-Selch lengthen and wriggle like a thing alive, crawling in long tendrils over the road, into the wastes, to catch whatever raider vehicles still remain by their front tires and squeeze, crushing steel and shredding rubber, effectively putting an end to their approach.

That does it. Someone hollers something, arms waving, and the men that might remain who are able to clamber out of their vehicles to flee in the direction they came. It's going to be a long run back. ]

Honestly.