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

[thetruefocus]

( Charles is a rule follower at his core, he believes in order and general respect for others. He knows that more people don't do that though, so he is exasperated but not surprised when sometimes it becomes chaos as people do as they like. He could of course handle it if he wanted to, but he's not about to go against his telepathy morals out of pettiness. He has not figured out the next steps for his time here, he cannot possibly survive off free samples. It'll only solve an immediate problem.

He glances up when she approaches. She does strike him right away as different because everyone is very, very noisy at the moment. Charles does not have to try to read any minds, they are spilling out everywhere. He has managed to block most of it, it's not as if he wants to hear anything, but the silence from even the edges around her is a bit of a surprise. Only one other person has ever done that around him before, and it was a fellow psychic, so he studies her thoughtfully. He does not pry of course, not even a touch, she wants that distance on purpose.)

I cannot possibly take all of your samples.

( She must have waited for them on purpose and Charles does not want to be pitied either, even if his current state of being is on the pitiful side, solely because the pampered prince of Westchester has no training for this.)

We can share.

( If nothing else, he is curious to learn more about her and if she gives it to him and immediately leaves, he won't be able to do that.)

[carmesi]

( in closing herself off, wanda finds that she also closes off everyone else. especially now, in such a busy place, she wants nothing to do with the noise of everyone catching into her mind. so, she has no way of discerning that this man, too, is a telepath, or that his proposal holds an underlying purpose.

and perhaps wanda wants to think that a man in a wheelchair (sure, she pities him a little; whole reason she approached him the way she did in the first place) could do something awful to her. )

I'm not that hungry.

( shit, she should have said she had already eaten. maybe he just wants company?

ultimately, she is still holding the bag in her hand, and he hasn't taken it. she makes a quick choice regarding this. )

—okay. As long as you accept them.

[thetruefocus]

( Charles in time will be able to shut off everything so it pains him much less, the problem is volume for him. And ability. And his damned lack of current practice. He's spent years without hearing voices, years locked only inside his own mind, for better or for worse. Before that, he was highly trained from childhood so that he was always in control of his gifts, although even back then he might have struggled with a full city of minds. He still would have been better prepared and more competent. As it is, these are muscles he has not stretched in a long time.)

I will. Half of them.

(If she isn't that hungry, it means she is somewhat hungry, and she was willing to continue that in exchange for feeding him. A good sign for a person who is so intentionally shut down to other minds. It's fascinating. He could probably poke at it to see the extent of what she's done, but that would defeat the purpose of what she is doing, and be terribly rude because of it. He's only met one other person with mind abilities, and she was not a very nice woman. Certainly not the kind who would give a stranger food when she was hungry.)

My name is Charles Xavier. It's quite kind of you to offer food to a stranger.

[carmesi]

Is it?

( 'quite kind'? she wonders about that. wanda really thinks this is something anyone with half a heart and a sense of empathy should be able to achieve without needing it to be something so out of place, but she supposes not everyone has been in her position, lived her experiences within a war-torn country.

wanda isn't certain if he'd like to be helped with being led around on his wheelchair, and ultimately decides not to, instead walking away from the place at a pace that's comfortable for him to follow her in.

finding a quiet spot, she sits on the floor and starts unwrapping the samples; its no secret that people were gathering samples as a meal, which is why she had grabbed a bag and used napkins and other implements to store them in. they'll be a little soggy and soft, but they'll do.

not forgetting that he's introduced himself, wanda offers, )

I'm Wanda.

( there's no necessity in running the risk of anyone recognizing her by her full name. the more recent news reports with her full name on display, back home, make her reticent to leave it up to chance. )

Are you allergic to anything, Charles?

I LOST THIS NOTIF SORRY

[thetruefocus]

It is.

( And that is her instinct clearly, from both her actions and how she asks that so sincerely. Charles is a charitable man himself, he's given his money and home to strangers for years now, but he struggles with accepting help. If their positions were reversed he would be doing the same thing, yet there is a part of him that is still uncomfortable with kindness being aimed his way. He'll get over it.

He wheels himself and follows her, understanding that she is doing the pace that would suit him, another kindness. He never goes snooping in people's minds but having one that is locked to him is just a mystery he is not going to get past any time soon. He stops next to her, running a hand through his bedraggled dark hair. There's a little blood on the collar of his shirt from the incident that happened before he came here.)

Not that I'm aware of, so hopefully an alien allergy will not present itself.

( He smiles faintly at that, half-joking and half-not entirely certain if he is. This entire situation is an unnerving one. He's rarely been outside of the comfort of his own home let alone his own world.)

That is an interesting accent. Or, I suppose, it may be a very normal one where you're from. Where is it you're from, if I may ask?

no worries!!

[carmesi]

( sitting where she is, wanda waits for charles to settle with his chair beside her before she passes him a boxful of some-meat dumplings. they smell really good, and it's the ones she was looking forward to trying the most; they were also the ones that were running out fast.

in any case, cross that bridge when they get there, as far as allergies are concerned.

she shrugs at his question— )

From Sokovia. ( —and looks up at him— ) You're English.

( which implies, that even if 'sokovia' is not familiar to him, england is, to her. in the meantime, wanda, having locked up her mind to both perceive and be perceived, is happily oblivious to the gears turning in charles' mind about her. )

The dumplings are apparently a favorite. Have a few.

[thetruefocus]

( Charles takes them but makes certain she is keeping some of her own, he said to split it intentionally, he's not going to take all her food from her. It is more of a stash than he was capable of getting and it will likely tide him over until the next day, which is something he was not looking forward to figuring out well. Sometimes the kindness of strangers does come through for him; he'd forgotten that in his dark spiral into skepticism. He used to be a very hopeful and positive man, and while he may never lose the edge he has now, he likes to think he could get partially back there. Whether she knows it or not, she's helping that.)

I don't believe I've heard of that before. But yes, I'm from England, originally. I moved to New York as a youth.

( He never lost his accent and returned to England once he could, but in the end, his New York estate became his forever home. What a horrible thing, living in a glorious mansion with his beloved students, at least in the future he hopefully will be. And yet he is here instead. With no obvious way forward outside of surviving.

He eats a dumpling and it eases some of the deep hunger that was starting to invade his body on top of the constant headache. The fact it also tastes good is appreciated given that he wasn't hoping for the best at this point. He was going to take what they had to offer.

He has no way of asking her about the blocks on her mind without being the person knocking at them, so he might have to wait.)

I've only been here a short time, I'm afraid it is very different from what I know. I lived in a quiet part of the state.

[carmesi]

Do you know that saying 'as a youth' makes you seem a lot older than what you probably are?

( she asks this, her way of grammatically structuring the parts of the question making it easy for her to exaggerate the lilt upwards at the end of it—a sound of amusement, more so than anything else.

while charles eats a dumpling, wanda fusses over another of the packages, opening it up to reveal blocks of cheddar cheese. she makes a face, having not had a great experience with the last cheese she ate here, so she'll instead offer them to him and pick open something that is a little more doughy and meat-filled.

she takes a bite, chewing slowly. it doesn't surprise wanda much that he's never heard of sokovia. )

—I was also in a quiet part of New York for a while. I like busy cities, but this one is very busy. ( these doughy things are not half bad! she glances up at him, unable to resist asking, ) Did they give you a car, or does someone drive for you?

[thetruefocus]

(He laughs, smiling at her, and it knocks off some of the years that seems to accumulate under his dark circled eyes. The good kind of wrinkles take over.)

My sister said I was born sounding like an old fart. Even as a child.

(They met when they were the same age, her a few years younger, but putting himself into the big brother role also drove him to the sort of responsibility it takes. Charles has an old-fashioned way about him, despite in some ways being beyond the modern time of 1973, especially around science and technology. But his mannerisms, his behavior, his way of talking, it's a bit old.

Charles takes the cheese gladly enough, seeing from her face that she doesn't want it at all, and continues their little mini-feast. He's finally starting to not feel that hunger and probably can worry about tomorrow's food then. Soon enough Charles will run into someone who will watch out for him on that front, but for now he appreciates her kindness. She could hoard this easily, but he would do the same.)

They had an accessible van, actually. I've personally never seen it before. I can use my hands to put pressure on the pedals.

( Charles used to love to drive his fancy cars everywhere. The van is far from that, but it does allow him to drive, and it has plenty of space in the back for his wheelchair. And other people, if they ever need to go somewhere as a group.)

I'm from the year of 1973, if that means anything to you. Much of this technology is past what I know.

[carmesi]

( wanda brackets away the information about him having a sister, though not thinking it's entirely relevant or important. it's just the kind of comment made that she thinks is meant to make someone seem open and willing to engage; wanda definitely thinks better of him for it, especially once he laughs. )

I guess that makes sense.

( —the bit about the accessible van. she hasn't really seen one of those before herself, but it's weirdly considerate.

she bites down and takes some time to eat her food while she listens to him. 1973... was a long time ago, for her. )

I wasn't even born then. ( wanda glances up at him. unfortunately, she's more curious about him than she is keen in sharing about herself. ) What did you do, before coming here?

[thetruefocus]

[ Moved here for captcha. ]