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

[yeahmagnets]

[ Jesse doesn't move right away. The silence stretches, the hum that used to live in the walls now gone like breath held too long. Logan stands there in the dark like it doesn't touch him. Like it couldn’t, even if it tried. And maybe it doesn’t. Jesse's seen people like that before: war-scarred, gravel-voiced types who walk through chaos like it’s just weather. The kind of men who bleed and don’t flinch, who talk in half-sentences and don’t repeat themselves. When Logan points at the ironing board, Jesse glances over at it like it personally offended him. ]

Yeah, well. It had potential. As like...a shield or somethin'.

[ He defends his choice, but still leaves it behind. He doesn't leave his duffel bag, though. There's not much in it, but it's all he's got in the world. In this world, anyway. He slings it onto his shoulder and follows. Not because he’s told to, but because the hallway behind him feels colder than the wind outside, and this guy moves like someone who’s made it through worse than blackout motel horror shows. Jesse jogs a few steps to catch up, shoes thudding against warped carpet, the motel’s cheap floor creaking under the weight of someone who suddenly remembers how small they are. Jesse hugs his hoodie tighter around his ribs, bruised from another life, another world, and squints at the back of the man in front of him, or at least does the best he can with one eye half-swelled shut. ]

What’s the deal with you anyway, man? [ His voice is half-winded, half-curious. ] You just...carry ‘fuck around and find out’ energy everywhere you go, or is this, like, a special occasion?

[ Jesse tries to climb into humor, his usual armor, but there’s something honest beneath it. The adrenaline hasn’t completely worn off yet, and Jesse’s walking the knife-edge of something primal and bright. He doesn’t say thank you. He doesn’t ask why Logan didn’t just leave him behind. But the silence between them isn’t empty, either. Or won't be for long, if Logan doesn't start talking. Jesse's rarely at a loss for words. ]

[carcajous]

[ Uh-huh.

Despite himself, Logan waits for Jesse to catch up. The closer he draws, the younger he looks. And yeah, fine, everybody's young compared to Logan, but that's not what he means. It's something else. Something that burrows deeper than age. Maybe a something that gives the kid the aura of a stray cat pulled out of a river. Twitchy, but somehow determined to live. When he found Rogue off the side of the road, she was a little bit the same.

Guess he'd wound up taking her along, too.

His gaze lingers for a second on that black eye. He could answer that question. Could say exactly what his deal is because sometimes, Logan just can't give enough of a fuck to hide it. Sooner or later, the claws come out. That's what he's learned. That's what he's accepted about himself. But he's pretty sure a sudden noise might send this kid skittering off, never mind blades outta somebody's hands, so he just shrugs.

It's different when you can't die.

He holds out his hand. ] Gimme your lighter. [ He might be able to make his way through the dark fine, but he's not gonna be responsible for Jesse breaking his neck on the stairs. ] How'd that happen, anyway?

[ The shiner, he means. Did he get that here or someplace else? ]

so sorry for the delay. sliiightly edited his canon-point to fit the app.

[yeahmagnets]

[ Jesse hands over the lighter with a reluctant sigh, like it's some prized relic instead of a worn-out Zippo with a chipped skull decal. In the dark, Logan's hand feels steady in a way that makes Jesse's skin buzz. Not from fear (maybe a little) but more like that static of being around someone who doesn't flinch at the dark. Someone who's made a habit of walking into it.

He doesn't answer the question about his eye right away, but he flinches a little when Logan mentions it. It's not dramatic; just the flick of a muscle along his cheek. The kind of instinct that gets carved in deep when too many people ask questions with their fists. The hallway stretches ahead of them like a throat waiting to close, and Jesse stares into it like maybe the answer's out there somewhere, pressed into the motel's rickety old bones. He doesn't stop walking, doesn't slow, but for a second his voice goes tight around the edges, like maybe that single question dug deeper than it should've. He pulls the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head like it'll soften the swelling around his eye. It doesn't. ]

Guess the multiverse don't hand out parachutes. You look like you got the red-carpet treatment, though, huh?

[ From what he could see in the flickering light from the Zippo, anyway. There's humor in his voice, but it's brittle. Like a joke whittled down to keep something sharp from cutting too deep. Jesse's good at that. He's good at talking sideways and turning bruises into punchlines. His hands stay jammed in the pockets of his hoodie, fingers curling and uncurling like they miss the fight they already lost. Because the truth about his eye is that it wasn't the landing that gave him the shiner. It was the kid with too many rings on his fingers and not enough sense to shut up about the dead. One of his best friends is gone. Murdered. And Combo's name had come up like a joke. Like he was nothing. Some comment about being too stupid to know he shouldn't sell on that corner.

Jesse didn't think. He just swung. Didn't win, didn't lose either, not really. He just walked away with bruises and a chest full of fire he couldn't put out. The kind of rage that doesn't come with closure. The kind that just lingers like smoke on everything you wear. But Logan doesn't need to know all that, and Jesse doesn't need to think about it, either. He just packs it all down to deal with later, or never. The motel around them groans like it's remembering something awful, and Jesse tips his head toward Logan without looking all the way at him. He keeps his pace light and easy, letting his words fill the space where the silence might start to feel too real. ]

So, where we headed? Please say it's not, like, Room 1408 or some shit. I don't have the emotional bandwidth for ghosts today.

[ He shifts the duffel on his shoulder again, ribs twinging with the motion, but he doesn't complain. There's something grounding about Logan's presence, even if the guy's built like a walking death-wish in a t-shirt. Jesse's got a thousand more questions, but for now, they can wait. The dark around them feels like it's listening. And Jesse? Well, he's just grateful someone's walking through it with him. ]

sorry for my own delay!!

[carcajous]

[ Logan flicks on the flame, both for the kid's sake and to give him a little more low light to work with if they're gonna be heading into pitch black stairwells. There's a pause where he gives a good once-over, undeterred by Jesse shying away from the question. He just wants to know if trouble's on their heel or if it was left behind a week ago.

Then he chuckles, dry. He pushes open the hallway door dividing one half from the other. Yeah. If only. I don't bruise easy sits on his tongue. He decides it's not worth saying, figures he doesn't give enough of a damn about answering whatever questions that remark's gonna lead to.

Seems the kid's not too keen about details, either. Logan leaves it alone. For now. ]

You look like you've seen a ghost already. [ Just saying. ] Power's still on at the other end. I'll take you on over.

[ It's pitch black all through the streets on this side. No lamps, no neon signs. Just the barely-there moon behind the clouds. He didn't think much of it coming and going himself, but the kid might as well be wearing a sign that says, Mug me, I'm free. And no, he's not making a habit of playing bodyguard. He just—

Whatever. He'll feel bad if something happens. He doesn't like feeling bad. This place is different, a world he recognizes as much as he doesn't, and the one thing that keeps standing out to him is that the humans around, they're not gunning to eradicate every mutant on earth. They're just people again. The sort he used to be able to interact with—plenty who feared his kind, sure, but plenty who couldn't give a shit, too. He remembers the ones who tried to help. And he wasn't ever able to help them in return before they were slaughtered. ]

You got a name?

[ You know, in case he needs to shout it. ]

[yeahmagnets]

[ The lighter casts just enough glow to make the shadows look like they're moving when they're not. Jesse's not sure if that's better or worse than actual movement. The hallway yawns ahead of them like something gutted it from the inside, and whatever's left behind is just husk and drywall bones. Carpet crusted with god-knows-what. A seedy old motel that already looked halfway dead before the lights cut out and made it official.

He steps just behind Logan, not on purpose (okay, maybe a little on purpose). Guy moves like he's made of stone and sleep deprivation, with that no-nonsense air of someone who's either seen hell or built a timeshare in it. Jesse doesn’t trust him, exactly, but he trusts what he isn't: Panicked. Loud. New.

And hey, if Motel Deathtrap decides to pick them off one at a time, Jesse's banking on Logan being the kind of guy who'd punch a ghost in the face before letting it touch him. But it's also kinda unnecessary to point out how not scared he is, man. Blue eyes narrow in the dark. Because yeah...people scream. Jesse's heard all kinds. Drug deals gone sideways, bad trips, worse come-downs, the kind of nights that start in laughter and end in sirens. But that sound back there? That wasn't normal. That was wrong in a way Jesse can feel in his molars. ]

What, screams like that normal where you're from?

[ He says it sharper than he means to, a little stank on it. A little snarl behind the teeth. It comes out reflexively, like a chihuahua baring its canines at a Great Dane just to prove it still has bite however small, even if nobody's impressed. It's petty bravado, yeah, but Logan's you look like you've seen a ghost landed closer to bone than Jesse would've liked. So he doubles down. Puffs up a little. Tries to sound unbothered, even though something primal is still rattling around in his ribs.

They walk a few more steps before Jesse volunteers a name. He thinks about lying. Instinct, really. He's got aliases stacked like bad habits. But nobody here knows him. Not really. Not unless he wants them to. That freedom tastes weird. Like gum chewed too long. He isn't sure how to feel about it. ]

It's Jesse. [ It hangs there in the dark, honest and unadorned, like he's testing how it sounds in a world that hasn’t decided what it thinks of him yet. Then, after a beat, he lifts his chin toward Logan, voice dipping low. Not hostile, but not exactly warm. Just...testing weight. ]

You got one? Or you just collect strays and glare 'til they stop askin'?

[ His mouth tugs into an almost-smile, a little amused in spite of everything. There's another soft groan behind them; walls shifting, settling, or something worse. Jesse doesn't look, but his pace picks up not-so-subtly. He rolls his shoulders like he's shaking something off. ]

Man, this better end with, like, working electricity and a vending machine.

[ He's not very pleased that he left that slice of pizza back in his room, even if it was cold and mediocre. ]

[carcajous]

[ In the dark, and with Jesse at his back, the roll of his eyes probably goes unnoticed. Yeah, Logan must've hit a nerve. Can practically hear the impact. Some part of him knows he's being a dick; it's the same part that doesn't apologize for it—not because he's trying to say something, but because he's had a long fucking week (decade) and can't bring himself to care about making nice with a kid he's got no plans of ever seeing again.

(Funny how that works. When he in all likelihood will.)

Still, the lines of his shoulders soften a hair. He glances back for the first time since they started walking to see if Jesse's keeping up. The moment the kid showed up, Logan reshuffled his priorities, and that scream's left his mind while he focuses on this instead. Maybe he should've gone to take a look, anyway, even with Jesse along, but Logan often follows his instincts ahead of anything else. If you asked him later what made him decide to take Jesse out of here and ignore that sound, he won't be able to say. It's just what he did. ]

Logan. [ No pause on his end. He's got one name that matters, and it's the only one he uses. Sometimes, he remembers the years where it was all he had, haphazardly flickering through the puzzle pieces of his life. ] Something tells me you won't stop asking.

[ Now what's that remind him of? But it's been years since there was a school or students to harass him every damn morning.

At the stairs, he pauses, listening, then opens the door. The hinges creak. Like the rest of this place, the carpet's scuffed and uneven. He releases the lighter's wheel for a second—lets his fingertips heal back up—before he flicks it back on. ]

Watch your step.

[carcajous]

(( moving here !! ))