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

[tirejacked]

[Spook-adjacent is as good way to put it as any. He's been doing this long enough that not enough sound pings at his attention just as strangely as too much. Most people land in a particular middle ground unless they're specifically trying to be quiet, or they've had to move that way for long enough that it's been drilled into a habit. You get a feel for it. This guy, he's leaning toward the latter. But he could be wrong.

Good a reason as any to feel him out. He spins the phone in his hands again. Answers with the same restrained irony that had posed the initial question.]

Well, I do like to appreciate the classics.

[Who doesn't know Snake. They've got 'em on phones, now, old man. Even in the retro spooky space future. There's no immediate change in his posture when Eliot joins him on the ledge, but his attention shifts. Gone from watching the passing traffic to eyeing him sharply.

After a moment's consideration...He shrugs.]

Could be I just like the ambiance.

[Dark and rainy and nestled several stories up in the crappier parts of town. Which, honestly...isn't too far off for nostalgia. Hard to beat Gotham for gloominess, but it's got a few of the airs.]

I'm thinking of taking up birdwatching. What d'you think?

[Another word for spook, in certain necks of certain woods. He'd picked that one up from Alfred, but mostly he thinks he's being funny. (No brightly colored birds or swooping Bats in these skies, he's sure.)]

[retrievalist]

[ The classics. Damn if Eliot doesn't just about age ten years after hearing that. Definitely cements the kid in as being young young—and here Eliot slides his gaze sideways, checks his peripherals, and confirms a smooth face under that red hood—which opens up a whole host of other questions.

He certainly paints a picture: the dark, the rain, the way he speaks like every word has three different meanings. He's dramatic at least, Eliot'll give him that. But birdwatching or not, ain't no way this kid is MI6.

Eliot snorts. ]

Now I know you're not old enough for that. Who'd you hear that from, your daddy?

[ He'd noticed someone on the roof as he was coming in, and once he'd noticed it he couldn't very well leave it alone. It could have been benign as much as it could have been a potential threat, but it could also have been someone thinking about taking that one step shortcut to the ground floor and unfortunately Eliot is no longer one for turning a blind eye to that sort of thing. Luck would have it that instead he's stumbled onto something interesting. And if his luck holds they won't even have to fight about it. ]

[tirejacked]

[Everyone seems to think he’s up to no good up here! Can’t imagine why. He’s just got one of those faces, probably.

Speaking of—Eliot’s gone and given his posture a close enough study that he’ll be able to catch when it changes. The little spike of stiffness that creeps into his spine when the subject tips to the topic of fathers. A tense tic in his jaw as it shifts, the way his fingers pull a little tighter around the phone still caged between them.

Needless to say, it’s a touchy topic. He curbs the (yeah, dramatic) impulse to say the kind of stuff he’d like to. (That he’s no one’s son, not anymore.) One more of those things that just sort of becomes habit after a while. He does, however, very deliberately dodge the subject.

Not lost on him—that Eliot picked up on at least two of the three meanings he’d stuffed into that provocative little joke. Which is one more than he’d really anticipated. So—]

Spent a lot of time around an old expat as a kid. Eggs and soldiers and taking the biscuit and all that.

[He’d done enough picking up the vernacular even before he’d had the chance to visit London. (Never mind that the man in question was ex special forces, himself. Details! He’d been delighted to hear all about it at the time. No one ever really expects that from Bruce Wayne’s butler.)]

Doesn't exactly sound like it was your neck of the woods.

[But hey, he could be wrong.]

[retrievalist]

[ Eliot does notice the sudden tension. He's paying close attention while trying to look like he's not and so he sees the moment it passes through Jason, bottom to top, like a wave. It takes conscious effort on his part to not tense up either, especially since it doesn't take much for him to realise that it was the daddy comment that caused reaction in the first place. Daddy issues, but that's not so surprising; there isn't a man he knows that don't have plenty of those so it's easy enough to let it slide, move onto the next topic. ]

Nah, other side of the pond. [ It's said with a little twist of his mouth, unable to use the phrase without remembering his own expat, Sophie. Without realising all over again that he's here—wherever the hell here is—and his team is not and the odds of them making it without him don't look so good. ] But I didn't spend much time birdwatching. What about you? You can't be a day over twenty, kid. Your expat get you started?

[ No judgement. At least, not yet. Sometimes the happiest path isn't the straight and narrow one. But Eliot's not too fond of the whole child endagerment thing. ]

[tirejacked]

[You know what they say, Eliot. It's not the years, it's the mileage.

Probably for the best that Bruce isn't here to catch strays on the matter of child soldiers. But honestly, he'd been plenty endangered before getting his start. He leans his arms against his knees as his poker face creeps back under control, but he exhales all-sharp through his nose, like Eliot's said something funny.

Nah. Pretty sure he'd rather I was using my knife skills on onions.

[Grow up food insecure and jump right into Robin training...you bet he was sniffing around the kitchen on a pretty regular basis. But it worked out—he liked to make himself useful, and he liked Alfred.

(What would Alfie make of him now? Nothing good, he figures. If he thinks of him at all.)]

[retrievalist]

[ Eliot nods along, because he knows all about transferable skills and what it means to hand a man a knife and have him do something good with it. He's the goddamn poster child for it after all. ]

What, you're not ready to give up on the birdwatching yet? Brave new world we're in here— [ well. dangerous or maybe weird as hell would be more accurate but it don't quite roll off the tongue as nicely ] —maybe it's time for something new.

[ And then he realises he's been sitting here giving life advice to some kid and he hasn't even introduced himself. ] I'm Eliot, by the way. Eliot Spencer.

[tirejacked]

[He looks noncommittal when Eliot starts offering life advice, though his expression tips a little sardonically. Sure. Yeah. Brave new world and all.]

Shame it still has such people in it.

[You know the kind. The kind that need watching, and maybe doing something about. He's read the Tempest, he knows how that goes. (Or should they talk dystopias, maybe that's more applicable.)

It's all tipping a little close to home, second chances and all, and he's been happy to keep this all metaphorical. All implications and plausibly deniable answers. But here, Eliot leaves room for him to actually offer up something solid. He considers it for a moment, clearly filing Eilot Spencer away and deciding if he wants to bother being honest in return, but what the hell. He gives an inch.]

Jason.

[retrievalist]

[ Ah. That seems like his cue. Eliot's been doing his job long enough to know when it's time to push and when it'd be a really bad idea to do so and the last thing he wants is for the kid to spook. Maybe he thinks the kid needs looking after, but also, for all their conversation never really went anywhere real, it's been nice running into someone normal here. ]

Jason. [ Repeats it to cement the name firmly in mind. Might not be a real one, and no last name, but it's not like it matters much out here. ] Alright, Jason, I'll leave you to it. I'm not much for birdwatching, like I said, but I do well in a pinch if you ever want company.

[ He gets to his feet and then dusts off his jeans for all the good that'll do it, rain having ensured that every spec of dirt has glued itself to him. He has to fight against the urge to place a hand on this kid's shoulder or something equally comforting; somehow it doesn't feel like Jason would appreciate it. ]

And hell, if you ever do decide you wanna learn how to dice onions, I'm on the 3rd floor.