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

[godjr]

Jack can tell that Rune is something special too, there is energy around him that is different, and when Rune mentions a spell, that seems to click in his head. A magic user then, they do have invisible power around them, like Rowena. He's instantly curious about that. He suspects Rune might know that he's something else too, most magic users guess that quickly. They have to focus on his healing first.

"Of course. I understand. I didn't expect any of this either." He's brand new on his way to the city, just like Rune. He's not supposed to use his powers frequently around new people but this is a whole other world, he thinks it's important that he does to help others. Jack reaches out and puts a hand on Rune's shoulder very gently. He doesn't want to hurt him. A white glow surrounds the wound and lights up Jack's eyes at the same time, knitting Rune's flesh back together, and it feels like heat is seeping into it. Not painful, just strange.

It's quick too, only a few seconds to make certain that the burn has faded, and Jack pulls his hand back. Angelic healing is powerful. His eyes are still glowing from the use of them but he smiles warmly, trying to appear less like a threat. He's used to people balking when they look at him.

"That should help."

[sawel]

Rune tenses himself, preparing for the sort of magical healing that he's used to -- being of the Sun Throne, he usually experiences less of a soft healing light than a scorching ray of fire that sunburns his skin back together and leaves him feeling slightly singed in the aftermath. By comparison... This is, well, nice.

Besides that, though, he can't help but notice the kid's eyes, which glow with a sort of warmth that Rune's never seen on anyone else before. Well. Not anyone but one of his people. His Court, and well. Himself.

For a moment, Rune does balk, before he shakes himself out of it and reaches out to put his free hand on the younger man's arm.

"Wait -- wait! Your eyes..." He searches his face for a long moment. He doesn't recognize him from anywhere on the island, but the way his eyes had glowed has to mean something, doesn't it? "Who are you?"

[godjr]

Jack's glowing eyes flame out, leaving behind the natural blue, and he blinks at Rune. He's not that surprised it bothered someone to see them. It makes it clear that he's not human. Rune reached out to touch him rather than trying to run away though, which is a relief. He always feels bad when he scares someone.

"I'm Jack." It's a simple enough answer but his eyebrows furrow as he considers what else to say. It's clear that he's not human and his new friend can tell that, he saw the healing and the glowing eyes. He doesn't know what universe they're in or his grandfather sent him here on purpose, so he considers what else to say, before deciding.

"I'm half-angel. My eyes glow like that when I use my powers." At least this time it's with healing, which makes him a helper of humanity, not when he accidentally uses his powers to blow up things. Or turn people into dust. That he's hoping he won't be doing any time soon.

[sawel]

Half-angel. Well that's... New. Rune raises his eyebrows slightly at the explanation, although the look on his face is not shock -- he was never shocked by the fact that Jack was other so much as he was surprised that he's so similarly powered as Rune's people themselves. No, now he's just confused. Although he supposes it does make sense that Jack should be something else, given that most of his own people are supposed to be, well. Dead.

"Oh," he says, stupidly. He blinks for a moment, collecting himself, before he holds his hand out to the younger boy.

"I'm Rune," he says. "I'm... an Atlantean. And I..." He hesitates for a moment, before calling on the power of his Aspect. His own eyes begin to glow, although less with the holy light Jack's had done than with the burning power of the Sun. If Jack looks closely, he can see that Rune's eyes quite literally are on fire. He only lets them burn for a few moments before squeezing them shut tamping his powers down. Honestly, it hurts a little. He's surprised he doesn't burn his eyelashes off every time it happens. "I guess you could say we have something in common."

[godjr]

Jack takes the hand and shakes it firmly but not too hard so he doesn't break him, like he was trained. "An Atlantean, like from the lost city of Atlantis?" He's seen the kid's movie about it so he's heard about the tales but never anything more detailed than that. It sounds cool though, he loves myths and stories, although if his new friend is one, it's not a myth to him, it's reality.

Jack looks very closely at Rune's eyes and he smiles, delighted, at the flames that he saw there. Jack's eyes are more light-based than fire, but he can see the similarity all the same and it's pleasing. He always feels so strange and other to the world, there are no other Nephilim like him, and while Rune is not one, it's still nice to meet someone who is different. He's not likely to be afraid of Jack like everyone else if he too has power.

"Can all Atlanteans use fire like that? I can create fire too but I don't use it very often." The last time he used it was to burn a man alive from the inside so he really is trying to avoid doing that again. It was a brutal death and indicative of how much Jack was going down a dark path. But he is considering training to be better at it.

[sawel]

Rune smiles slightly at the question. The lost city of Atlantis.

"Something like that," he says, with the quirk of his lips. "Technically I'm from New Atlantis, though. Since, well. As you said, the old city fell." There was a war, well over a century ago, before Rune's time himself, but it's been ingrained in him for as long as he can remember. Atlantean history. His history.

As for the fire...

"I, uh," he says, a bit hesitant to give too much information away too quickly but then again, what's the worst that can happen in a place like this? "Not everyone, no. I'm a member of the Arcana, the ruling class of New Atlantis, and that fire trick is connected to my Aspect. It's... A physical manifestation of my power, I guess. Most people outside the Arcana don't have one." He hesitates again, before, "They can do cantrips though. Like this." He lifts a hand and calls a small, golden ball of light into existence that floats lazily above his palm.

[godjr]

"New Atlantis. What's it like?" Jack wonders if there is one in his world too. It's possible. A lot of things are possible. If angels, demons, vampires, and ghosts are all real, there's no reason to think more places are impossible. But his fathers would probably have found it by now if it was easy to be found.

"The arcana, I've heard that term, it usually means magic." Arcana tarot cards, obviously, but the arcane itself, he's done magic. He knows a powerful witch who uses the arcane. So it sounds like his new friend might be a wizard or a mage, he doesn't know what term is more appropriate. Witch is the more common term for magic users that he knows.

"The ruling class. Are you a prince?" That would be exciting. He knows Princes of Hell, but that is the worst case in this situation. A royal is interesting to him, Jack loves fantasy novels that always have kings and queens in them.

Jack mirrors him and creates a ball of light in his own hand. It's more like a rippling ball of energy but it doubles as light. He creates fire in the other hand to show off. His eyes go golden again, glowing when he uses his gifts. He puts them both out by closing his fists. He's actually proud that he managed to control them so well when he's a little unstable at the moment.

"It's nice to meet someone who can do what I do. Even if we're different species!"

[sawel]

Since they’re doing a little bit of showing off, Rune uses a bit of Willpower send his own Light in a little circle around Jack’s head, before diffusing it. He can’t help but quirk a smile at the kid’s enthusiasm, and all the questions he’s shot at him. This place might be weird and confusing but it’s at least nice to know that there are some decent people here too. For better or worse.

“I, uh. Guess you could say that? We do have a mansion but it’s falling apart, like a real dumpster fire. You wouldn’t believe how much it costs for repairs, and that’s not even taking into account all the hauntings.” Most of which are you know. Former staff of his father’s or distant relations, but that’s neither here nor there.

“But I do have a seat on the Arcanum and technically I hold regular open court sessions…” He raises a hand and runs it through his hair. “I don’t know, it’s all kinda new for me.”

[godjr]

Jack is suitably impressed and smiles as he watches the light move in a circle around his head. He rarely gets to show off so he appreciates with someone else does the same. It makes him feel bonded to his new friend, like someone is connected to him by shared skills. Jack is one of a kind, the only Nephilim in his world, and it's lonely.

"I think that means you're a prince!" He's met a prince of Atlantis, he hopes that he sees his fathers again soon so he can tell them that. He's willing to give the title and the crown to anyone if it means he's spoken to royalty like he's in Camelot.

"Oh hauntings? We have to deal with those too. My family helps set ghosts to rest and stops violent ones from hurting people." Jack finds ghosts pretty concerning, more so than the other monsters because usually his powers are very easy to use against monsters. He can kill them in a variety of ways. Ghosts though, they require very careful handling, and he's learned about it through experience. "Why are there so many hauntings?"

[sawel]

((ooc: MY APOLOGIES for the delay in this reply, this has been a crazy busy month for me, sweats))

Rune can't help but quirk a smile at his companion. A prince, huh? He certainly doesn't feel like much of a prince, but he supposes if the shoe fits... He wonders what Brand might think of that, before shaking his head, knowing there would probably be some ribbing involved.

At the question, though, he pauses. There is no good way to answer, and it's not really the best way to make new friends. Everyone back home in New Atlantis already knows Rune's story. It's strange to realize that being here, he's starting off on a new footing.

"Oh, uh," he hedges, shrugging awkwardly. "You know. Some pretty nasty stuff went down there a while ago. The usual." No need to mention he was there. A survivor.