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

[carcajous]

[ His lips quirk upward. Look, he's not crazy about the uniforms, either. He just wears 'em 'cause that's what they've got, and when you're being chased 'round the clock by unkillable government-sanctioned robots, his jeans don't last real long. At some point, he got tired of replacing them after every battle.

Anyway, alright, fine—when Wilson's not running his mouth nonstop about some incomprehensible bullshit, he's not the worst. He's not saying he likes the guy, okay? Just. That he's met worse. Logan's sat in a room with Wade longer than he ever has with Scott, so...that's somethin'. They'll see how long it lasts 'til Wade pisses him off again, but for now, Logan's relaxed some and put his attention to eating his pancakes instead of contemplating whether he could justify punching somebody out for talking too much.

He sucks a bit of syrup off his thumb, then wipes it on a napkin. ] Not exactly big on teams, either. Just, uh, I dunno. Kept finding myself in one somehow. [ He shifts, trying to decide how he feels about that description. How much it's all the shit he's thought, too. Not teaching material, not leader material, not by the book. Can't say he's surprised Wade didn't last at the school. Logan nearly didn't. Maybe the difference with Logan is, he knows they trust him—knows Charles trusts him—despite everything. But it took him a few long years to get there. ]

Guess none of it matters now. We're all in the same boat where I'm from.

[ Wonder if Wade knows about that: the Sentinels, the mutant eradication. Wade's not from that time, is he? He's gotta be some years back. ]

[primepool]

[Hey, he's gotta say, this is the longest he's spent with a Wolverine without being stabbed, repeatedly, which is kind of crazy. And he kind of doesn't mind it, either -- though the stabbing is fun, too.

Wade's gonna piss him off again inevitably, anyway. It's his whole thing.]

Well, yeah, it's what sells. Doesn't matter what universe you're in. [What issue. What timeline. Doesn't even matter what series it is. Somehow Wolverine's there, and he's on a team. Even when he's dead, he somehow manages a team-up.

Wade looks over with a brow raised. Thing is, when he had his little TVA pad, he knew where he was goin'. This Logan? This could be one in a million. Maybe even one he doesn't know about (gasp!) It's not Patch, though, which is kind of a bummer. The eyepatch does things to him. ('Course he could be Patch, without the Patch, but it sort of ruins the -- it's a nerd thing, you wouldn't get it.)] Yeah? And where are you from, anyway? Like, what's the social commentary situation looking like? Kind of rough? I'm getting a rough vibe, with the unholy way you are eating that fucking pancake.

[carcajous]

[ When might be the more accurate question. Logan takes another bite. (What? It's efficient.) ]

Government's been using these Sentinels to hunt us all down. [ Sorry to bring the bad news. ] We thought we might've had a chance to fix it, but...I don't know. It was a long fucking shot.

[ Doesn't mean that's the world staring Wade down. Time's gone sideways in this place. Between Charles, Rogue, Scott—Logan doesn't know what the hell is happening or whose timeline might be the right timeline. All he knows is, his people are here. He's found more than a handful of mutants. Now this guy. And after losing his kind by the hundreds, thousands, it feels like each one he comes across is that much more important.

Annoying asshole or not.

But it's also a reminder of what he's still gotta do. Put things right. Find a way to get everybody not just to the right time or place, but to a world that isn't being destroyed by the worst of humanity. ]

[primepool]

[When is the obvious question, yeah, but Wade's attempting to make himself not... you know what? He's not really sure what he's doing. He's not kidding when every other Logan killed him upfront, and the only one who didn't was too drunk off his ass to try it.

This one's so... stone cold sober, it's feeling nearly G-rated. No threats? (Okay, mild threats with the whole "I'm not in the mood" thing; anyone else gives disappointed dad, but Logan gives angry bartender with his finger on the trigger under the counter.) No flash of claws? He hasn't even been thrown through a wall!

This feels like... dunno. Normality? Feels like something he had once. The two of them, exhausted, wrung through from regenerating from being literally fucking atomized, eating half-price shawarma (not one of Wade's better ideas) while he squeezed Mary to his chest. It's not perfect, it's not all life could give him. It's not even how he saw his life going. But it's something small, and it's familiar, and it's safe. It's not the same Logan, but to Wade, now he's stuck in this new hell, he doesn't really give a shit.

Least for now. But he does still miss his dog. He didn't take her from Nicepool only to abandon her.

He can do this. There's Cable, there's Logan. That's... okay, that's a terrible combo, actually, there's a reason they didn't meet on screen. He's gotta make sure they never do. Not like he's gonna stay here forever. Not a chance in hell he'd give up the life he carved out in Earth-10005, not when Ness was -- well. Still there.

Yeah, he's capable of thinking of all of that in the space between sentences, fuck off.]

Sentinels? [His brows raise as he mouths the word "wow," but in a really not enthusiastic way.] Not a name I was expecting to get dropped this early. [But now Wade's looking at him suspiciously, counting those crow's feet and wrinkles again. Hard to tell what Logan's lookin' like under those clothes, but he knows if he got that shirt off, he'd have more to go on.] So, who's "we"? Anyone I'd know? And hey, this is totally random, head me off if I'm going nowhere with this, but do you mind if I just --

[He doesn't wait for an answer as he tries lifting Logan's shirt. Come on! Just one glimpse of those beauties! For science. 'Cause now he's gettin' heebie jeebies for a whole different reason. The reason being he doesn't know which one this is. And it's -- fucking annoying, not knowing.] Just wanna know what gym era we're workin' with.

[carcajous]

[ Logan is stone cold sober. There was a short period where he wasn't, when he first got dumped onto this planet alone, didn't know what the fuck was going on and thought, This is it. A stranger in a strange world all over again. Like Kitty said. He still doesn't have a clue what happened, but he does have Charles, Scott—the others. And they need him.

Wait. Does this guy know about the Sentinels? Logan peers at Wade. Is he from just before those damn things took on a life of their own? Or...?

All efforts to logic that out go flying when Wade just. Grabs at him, and the idiot's real lucky he's got the energy of an untrained dog jumping on your lap than an actual threat. The sort of energy that doesn't immediately trigger the claws—but it does make Logan shove him back, hard enough to rock the seat and rattle the table. Coffee splashes over the mug's rim.

What the fuck. ]

Hey— [ Jesus. ] Do that again, you're gonna lose that fucking hand.

[ Anyway, whatever civility was growing between them evaporates in an instant. Logan crams the rest of the pancake in his mouth and grabs his jacket. He gives it a shake, then shrugs it on. He needs a hot shower. And some goddamn sleep. And to be alone without some handsy asshole who won't stop yapping.

(But somehow, for some reason, Logan still doesn't leave his ass. He could, but he doesn't. And he can't explain why. That itch every time Wade talks. Something about it—the voice, his eyes.) ]

We're done here. Let's go.

[primepool]

[Yeah, he knows about them in an all-around knowledgeable sort of way. Never had a chance to do his own tussle with him, and honestly? Probably for the best. The way the narrative goes, he'd definitely be on the fridged side of things, and then someone could make a joke about him being dead meaning at least there's quiet, and someone cool and respectful like Storm would say something like, "all there is is quiet, because everyone's dead," and it would be really fun for everyone, in between the indiscriminate mutant murder.

Anyway, nothing new. Wade's barely phased by it, and he catches the mug before it slips off to crack against the floor. Between all his chattering he somehow did manage to down pancakes and eggs and a slightly worrying amount of syrup, but he maintains it's not as off-putting as Logan rolling up pancakes like shitty smokes and biting them like they're Pocky.]

Easy, tiger, I see we're still sensitive about a little handy action. It's not even the first time. [That he's lost a hand, he means. It's one of the less annoying things to regrow, but still. After that hardy breakfast, does he really wanna cap it with a bunch of blood everywhere?

Sentinels, a lack of drinking, and he hasn't popped claws. Even stopped to save him. Stopped to... eat fucking Denny's.

Who are you?]

Wait! [He pops up, digging into one of his pouches.] Don't wanna leave a bad impression. There's no comment cards. [So what he does leave is the exactly four toonies he had on him, dropping them in front of the machine that printed their breakfast as a tip. He pats it on the head (?).] Four outta five. We'll be back for seconds!

[As it is, he heads off to follow Logan back to his car.] So. [He heads for the door of his yellow Beetle, still where he left her.] See you around?

[He can't help it. Wade loves cinematic parallels.]

[carcajous]

[ Wait for what?

Logan rolls his eyes, turns around just long enough to catch Wade dropping a handful of coins that glint silver and gold. He raises his eyebrow. Huh. Interesting. Y'know, he shoulda guessed. Something about Wade screams prairie boy. It's that quality of a man who's definitely hit a deer driving drunk at four in the fuckin' morning. Maybe that's the weird sense of familiarity he keeps feeling.

Right.

He shoves open the door, letting it swing shut into Wade's face. Look, he did his job. Saved the guy, had a little chat with him, even. Made sure Wade can get himself back home in one piece. Now that Logan's sure that's true, he's not gonna be sticking around like some sorta guardian or hero or whatever Wade thinks he is, whatever Wade keeps trying to search for in him. 'Cause he can feel it. He can't explain it, might not even be altogether conscious of it, but there's more going on. It draws him in as much as it pushes him away. That more? Logan's not interested. Doesn't want it. Sure as shit don't need it. The stronger it grows, the less he wants anything to do with it.

He's already on his bike, revving the engine, when Wade calls to him. Logan's got not a clue about the cinematic parallels, wouldn't care if he did. He doesn't look back a second time when he says: ]

Nope.

[ And takes off. ]

1/2

[primepool]

2/2

[primepool]

[Somehow that didn't hurt any less even when he knew it was coming.]