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

[cryptsleeper]

--Well, better for him that he's not involved in this nonsense.

[But now they have a puddle of water in the middle of the room. Alucard frowns down at it.]

Can you convert it into mist so it can disperse, or did you want to try the spell again for one of your own?

[kingsroads]

I already know that the person I was previously with can't be here. He'd have found me by now.

[ Plus, Strange and Norrell are kind of cursed and forced to spend time right next to each other. He has no idea why the curse hasn't followed him—perhaps it is more firmly tied to Norrell now? Or perhaps this realm simply cannot handle that curse? But deep in his heart, Strange knows that if Norrell was here, the man would have found him instantly.

He then would have had to reassure him about cars and probably end up driving them, but that's to be expected.

There are other people he should look for, though. So as he gazes down at the puddle, Strange murmurs a few more words under his breath. Absolutely nothing happens.

With a deep sigh, he idly waves a hand and the puddle disperses, turning into mist that fades into the air. ]

I suppose it was idealistic thinking that someone from home would be here as well. Still, a man's allowed his idealism.

[cryptsleeper]

Ooooh, cryptic.

[The tone is dry and light, not wanting to actually prod. Alucard knows better than to go poking at anyone's deep dark secrets. His goal is really just to get a reaction.

He welcomes the mist. It makes the room feel less damp.]

I'm not sure if it is better or worse to have that be the case. Suppose they're from far ahead in the future or the past.

[kingsroads]

It would still be them, [ Strange says, with a little shrug. That's what matters most. Even if Norrell or Arabella were younger or older or changed somehow, it would still be them.

Strange knows what it is like to be reunited with someone who you thought was lost. It is one of the most precious feelings in the world. ]

Anyway, I am a magician. It is my right to be cryptic. Give me enough time and I'm sure there will be plenty of rumors swirling about me—all baseless, of course, but the profession tends to attract them.

[cryptsleeper]

It's still no easy thing to be an oracle to those you care for.

[Alucard will let the matter go. He can only say that it is an unfair thing to ask anyone to speak of the future as if it is written in stone, especially if it is dire. Especially to a loved one.

Easier to deal with the question of magic, because frankly, that gets a noise that on anyone else would be a short and sharp bark of laugher. On Alucard, it is only a little huff.]

I've met plenty of magic users in my time. You'll have to hope your reputation isn't skills backfire 50% of the time.

[kingsroads]

Fortunately, my skills and my reputation are higher than that, [ Strange responds. And, knowing full well that Alucard will point this out, ]

At least, my reputation was high back home. I plan on rebuilding it here, though obviously that shall not be done overnight.

[cryptsleeper]

And where is home?

[Alucard's spilled enough of his personal details. Turnabout is fair play here.]

[kingsroads]

[ Strange doesn't exactly know how to answer this. Where he currently exists back in his world is...difficult to explain. But then again, where he currently exists isn't exactly 'home', is it.

As much as he enjoys travel, as much as he enjoys seeing these strange new worlds and casting magic he can only dream of, 'home' is with Arabella. ]

Shropshire, England. Around 1817 or so, but that might not mean much to you. I've lived in London for the past ten or so years, but have only recently returned to my estate.

[cryptsleeper]

Ah, you're only a little bit ahead and further north than I am.

[Alucard has seen England some time ago, including London.]

By my own count, it is 1792 and France has just decapitated their king.

[kingsroads]

I regret to inform you that any glorious dreams of a free nation you might have are short lived, [ Strange says, with an aggravated sigh. ] Around twenty years from that time, you'll have a maniacal little despot of a general ruling over France and trying to rule the entire continent.

[ fuck Napoleon, all my homies hate Napoleon. ]

He is pushed back eventually, thanks in no small part to the British military and admiralty, but then that jumped up tyrant decides that a second try is needed! Honestly, one should learn to accept defeat!

[ Especially if they're French, a crime all in itself! ]

[cryptsleeper]

Oh, I'm not French. I'm from Wallachia, which has been under the control of the Ottomans for the past few centuries.

[That said, it isn't a bad thing to know how the whole revolution thing goes. What Strange describes is...a little biased, because honestly this seems like old rivalries renewed, but it'll help with Maria's beliefs in the ideals of the revolution going by the wayside.]

But king, republic, different-form-of-king feels about right. I believe that your country had a chaotic in-between period after you all decapitated a king, correct?

[kingsroads]

[ A chaotic in-between period? What does he mean by—ah, wait. ]

You're talking about Charles, correct? Honestly, that was fairly chaotic, but I wouldn't call it the most chaotic. He had a long reign of stability, of course, but I suspect most Englishmen would view the appearance of John Uskglass and his fairy army taking the north as chaotic. Say what you will about Cromwell, but he at least managed to repel any attempted invasions.

[ Despite his words, there's an obvious fondness for John Uskglass in Strange's voice: that's a ruler he certainly looks up to. ]

[cryptsleeper]

I'm sorry, the surname Uskglass is wholly unfamiliar to me.

[Wait also fairy army? The fuck?????]

When was his name in the picture of English history?

[kingsroads]

Uskglass arrived in England in 1100 and ruled as King of the North for around three hundred years.

[ Alucard doesn't know John Uskglass????? Also the fuck???? ]

Look, I know you might not know all of our kings, what with being a foreigner, but surely you've heard of John Uskglass? The Raven King?

[cryptsleeper]

I assume that "King of the North" here does not mean Scotland.

[Alucard frowns at this because actually now this is going to bother him. He knows his history, thank you very much.]

1100 would have been William II and Henry I if I remember their death dates correctly. But I'd know a moniker like the Raven King, that's distinct and borders into the night world.

[Waaaaaaaait.]

You mentioned fae?

[kingsroads]

Yes?

[ wait a moment. ]

Do they not have fairies where you are from? English magicians have a long history of working with the Fairy Host.

[cryptsleeper]

Mr. Strange, I think yours are far more active agents in your world than in the version of England I am familiar with, to the point of the history of your homeland as I understand it is dramatically different.

[And as annoying as the man is, Alucard will begrudgingly admit:]

I am also intrigued by this fact.

[kingsroads]

[ There's a hint of a smile on Strange's face as Alucard admits his intrigue. Honestly, the magician is perfectly happy yammering on about fairies and magic and the Raven King until the cows come home. ]

I suspect everything diverges around the time of the Raven King's arrival. England had magicians before then—Merlin, Joseph of Aramathea, legends of that nature. And there have always been legends of children or young people being stolen away into the realms of Faerie. But it was only with John Uskglass that everything became...more standardized, as it were.

[cryptsleeper]

[A man can be annoying. His world can be interesting. These two facts can co-exist.]

Standardized how, precisely?

[kingsroads]

With such an influx of magic, people began to take it seriously as a discipline. Books were written, spells were studied...it became less of something that existed in myths and children's stories and more of an actual profession.

The amount of literature produced during that time alone was staggering! One can only imagine how many books of magic there were on the whole.

[ And Strange, big nerd that he is, fricken loves that ]

[cryptsleeper]

So this is a version of history without the rampant witch trials of the late 1400s into the early 1700s?

[That he can get behind, if his tone with a hint of hope means anything.]

But you're using the past tense. There was a decline, I assume?

[kingsroads]

You'll have to tell me what you mean by 'witch trials.'

[ Because it sounds like something Alucard knows a lot about? But whatever it is, Strange has a suspicion it's not great. ]

But yes, there was a decline. When the Raven King returned to the realms of Faerie, vanishing from England, all magic started to slowly vanish as well—until recently, of course, when my mentor and I decided to revive it.

[cryptsleeper]

...I'll get into it in a bit.

[They're finishing your thing first.]

So his presence is directly tied to the use of magic. That makes sense, and your revival, I presume, came from curiosity?

[kingsroads]

Honestly, the way I fell into magic was happenstance. A man under a hedge sold me spells and rambled a prophecy at me. Later, expecting nothing, I cast the spells—you can imagine my surprise when it actually worked.

[ There's a hint of nostalgia in Strange's tone. It was only ten years ago, but he was still so young then. To go from fumbling around to becoming one of the most powerful magicians of the age...what a trajectory. ]

Most magicians of the time were theoretical, men who only studied magic. To have two practical magicians on hand, myself and my mentor, was something that had not happened for over a hundred years.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard feels a particular level of pride in not commenting about the man under a hedge bit. That is in fact madness, and well, okay. It worked.

It is interesting though, because he thinks he follows the logic here.]

If magic in your world is connected to the fae, then I assume there was an uptick of activity with them in order for practical magic to have any means of being used in your own era?