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

"buddy!!!" or "buddy........."

[elriche]

[ The words are barely out of Wanda's mouth when another wave hits her. Subtle, but tangible – like a full-body chill before nausea. Sound pricks her ears – at first no louder than the sparks coming off the man's attempted portal, but then they grow. Muffled – voices? No, something more animal – whines, whimpers, roars – screeches and screams of a hundred thousand souls, twisted, gasping, compressed down to flesh that bridges teeth and mouths. Dark – dense as the heart of a dying star, cells within atoms within muscle and bone– ]

I'm fine. [ The guy sighs, irritated. He turns. ] Not a fan of roadtrips, but I guess we're...

[ He trails off. The voices silence, like a barrier's snapped up along their edges. Lingering sparks flutter and fade as wind whips across the dusty lot.

Something shifts in the air between them – a shimmer of magic, like heat on asphalt – some kind of protective enchantment. Tension lines the man's stance. His nails lengthen into black claws, though he doesn't seem to notice, gaze locked on hers.]

Hi. [ His voice stays even, but there's calculation behind his eyes – anticipation, consideration of outcomes beyond count. ] Wanda Maximoff.

[ There are few things in the vast reaches of time and space that frighten Stephen Strange. The Scarlet Witch is one of them. ]

we'll find out

[carmesi]

( wanda really isn't imagining it: she feels sick, and just as she's about to draw up a barrier of her own, willingly cut off her telepathy from whatever is making her feel and hear these things, it's gone—

as are the syllables of the words spoken by the man, cut short.

she notices him tensing, his eyes locked on her. gravity seems to grow heavier, rooting her to the spot, and she can't get rid of this feeling of helplessness that swoops through her, tries engaging with her energy, sends the hairs on the back of her neck stand as tension grips at her.

when he says her name, it's not so much surprise and anger that flit through her, but an irreparable sense of consequence.

wanda swallows thickly, before asking, )

Who are you?

[elriche]

My name is Dr. Stephen Strange.

[ The answer comes with gravity, loaded intention. Invisible tendrils snake through the air to probe the edges of her defensives – thread through quantum particles, energized ions – loaded, vibrating, overwhelming in scale, but – scattered. Unfocused.

And familiar. There's a certain normalcy to them, as he eases in-between the atoms, that the dimensional strata of this universe doesn't share. Another so-called "fluxdrift" like the lizard girl – but this one from a universe closer in resemblance to his own.

Stephen narrows his eyes. His vision tells him what his magic doesn't – the lack of lines in her face doesn't mean anything, but the anxiety at the corners of her mouth does. The tension in her stance. ]

And you. [ His shoulders relax just slightly, though the claws don't retract. ] You're... not the Scarlet Witch.

[ Not yet, anyway. ]

[carmesi]

( the name means absolutely nothing to her, but what does mean something to her is the unending dosage that comes with his utterance of it. it makes her feel sick, this overload of impossibility, of this chasm of so much filter into her mind unbidden despite her best efforts. as much as she wants to create a barrier between them, shut this down, wanda thinks that she'll be at a disadvantage in not knowing what to anticipate.

and yet—

her stomach feels queasy as she takes a few steps back, away from these invisible tendrils, doing her utmost to not engage. not if she doesn't have to.

despite her paling complexion, wanda manages to keep herself standing steadily. arms cross in front of her chest, fingers holding tightly onto the blue cloth of the raft's prison uniform. )

Is that supposed to mean something to me?

( wanda asks, voice thick with discomfort, with an edge of annoyance, to both his name and the confirmation that she isn't some sort of witch. yet there is curiosity here; it's neither a flight or fight situation, so what exactly is it? who exactly is he, beyond his name? )

[elriche]

Not necessarily.

[ He flexes his hand and the claws retract back into nails. Her slight steps backward, her uneasy expression, the way Stephen's perception still slides in along her aura without hitting any walls or any sudden, violent ejection from her space. This is an unfocused energy, an undeveloped one. No illusions here, or manipulation of the matter around her.

He also now, after the initial shock and assessment, notes the jumpsuit on her person. His mind ticks back – to a time far removed from this one, but still vivid in his memory due to the space and circumstances surrounding it. Lengthy tomes and exercises on the grounds of Kamar Taj, the pursuit of exhaustion to fill the emptiness inside him. Letters drafted in email form to a woman who'd never read them, apologies in pixelated text. News headlines, seen in passing during navigation – "Sokovia Accords," "Rogers Infighting," "Avengers Apprehended." There's no lettering on the uniform – no guarantee this Maximoff comes from that time, or even a universe in which those events occurred. But it's a lead. It's consistent with the inexperience. The apprehension. ]

I'm aware of you. Your powers. [ An influence on magic so strong it survived even death, in the particular ignominious timeline he harnessed. He realizes, at a delay, how he must look to her. The clothing, the aura, the... everything. There's no telling what she's sensed, what she's grasped. He raises his hands in an attempt at a disarmed motion. ]

I'm a sorcerer, from a world similar to yours – I think, anyway. Just want to talk, that's all.

[carmesi]

( there's no telling what exactly she has sensed, as wanda is having a really hard time parsing through it. it's not like she wants to, though, but the entirety of this man's presence—of stephen's presence—shakes her up in a way that she can't quite describe. the fact that he knows her name by simply glancing at her puts her on edge.

not to mention that the way he looks at her almost as if he knows the entirety of her goes strongly against how guarded she wants to be about her own person and her powers.

crossed arms tighten, nails digging into her skin through the threads of her sleeves. the keys press too against her skin, reminding her vaguely about the motorcycle she's supposed to get on and head into the city with.

it doesn't seem like she will be able to do much by just denying who she is and what she can do, so, )

If you just want to talk and you know about my powers, then you could start by not — doing that thing—

( she loses steam on what she's trying to ask for because she can't quite put into words what exactly is this bombardment to her psyche that he may not even be aware of? )

It's making me sick.

[elriche]

That thing...? [ Stephen echoes, at a genuine loss.

Even Maximoff looks unsure of what she's asking – which ticks another evidence box in the inexperienced column. Something skitters up inside him – tiny claws finding purchase on walls of pulsing flesh. A young Scarlet Witch – frightened, unschooled in the arts she's destined to wield, an untapped commander of chaos, a well of potential, of raw power–

Cold water on his thoughts. A realization – catching ideas in a net before they fall too deep, strangling them, drowning them in their whispers. He swallows down the grasping claws, tells himself – no.

She needs help. She's a kid. ]

I'm not sure what you're talking about – are you... [ He trails off. Information. Common ground. That's what they both need. He gestures toward his own chest. ] Where I come from, you were a part of the Avengers until you joined an insurgency with Steve Rogers. He broke you out of where you were being held. Can't help but notice your current clothing choice fits the bill.

[ Unless this Maximoff is from an intergalactic prison, or a magical hellscape, or any of the other million timeline permutations that this parasitic universe could have drawn from. The only thing he knows for certain, as he keeps his voice steady amongst his racing thoughts, is that she can't be from his. ]

[carmesi]

( it seems that he loses himself in his mind for a moment, wanda unable to really catch onto him, the man, this stephen strange, seeming to furl back unto himself before putting his attention back on her.

and she so pointedly feels his attention zeroing in on her.

still, even if he seems uncertain of what she meant, it feels a lot less nauseating. wanda knows better—knows that she should go, to remove herself from this conversation regardless of whether he claims to know her or not, and yet the words he speaks draw her back. how does he know so much about her? to the point where he immediately knew her by name, from the way she looked?

the way her lips thin and she grimaces should be answer enough that he's entirely right about his assessment. )

I don't — understand why any of this matters to you.

( as it were, )

No one came to break me out.

( she ended up here, and that's all she knows. )

[elriche]

It matters because I want to help, [ Stephen replies, quick, with earnest urgency that surprises even him. The Scarlet Witch is a name whispered on the cosmos to anyone able to listen – a terrifying power, an unbridled well of chaos and destruction. Stories so vivid in their intensity that even Stephen has tasted their tragedy – always a girl with powers overwhelming, with anger borne of sorrow. Universes destroyed or transfigured, turned to wastelands of red. He hasn't deciphered the text of those timelines, but he's seen their bindings – cracked, bleeding, burned to ash.

He remembers a dark horizon hemorrhaged into the sky. Buildings and figures, half-dissolved, wails on the wind. One of them must have been her.

His chest clenches.

No one came to break me out – which means she's confirming everything else. Stephen has knowledge and therefore power. He thinks of Peggy Carter, her creased brow. What happened to you? A common loss, shared. He breathes in. ]

I know how you feel. [ He raises his eyes to hers, slow and sober. ] Your power – choked with it, like you're... like you can't hold it in. Like if you let your guard down for a second, it'll burst from the seams. It'll hurt people.

[ A shuddering exhale. He shakes his head. ]

I'm not psychic – I know about what happened from the news. And I know about Wanda Maximoff from seeing other timelines she's touched. I don't... I don't want you to end up in one of the bad ones.

[ Like his. ]

[carmesi]

( the earnest urgency that surprises him surprises wanda, too, leaving her, to an extent, unsure of what to say to that. this relative stranger wants to help her? wanda doesn't know him, even if he expresses knowing about her. for a moment, anger bubbles inside her, because it's the audacity of assuming that she needs help, like she's some broken tool in the shed, and with what purpose? what will he want in return?

that same anger almost does boil over when he states that he knows how she feels. so stuck in her own prism of pain and regrets, wanda cannot see how anyone else could ever be able to compare their circumstances with her own. how long she's been burdened with this chaos that reigns inside her, unable to do anything but mistakes?

but — she bites her tongue (more because of a queasy feeling, more so than an ounce of sobering insight), and she gets to hear stephen speak of her powers in a way that she has put into words before, feels so much of, a truth that feels like a brand, the fear of hurting people.

her hands ball up into fists at her sides, flexing them to release some of the tension she feels already gripping at her shoulders.

the question she asks next is, perhaps, not one stephen might expect, voice tight. )

Is this not already a bad timeline for Wanda Maximoff?

( in the infancy of her powers, she does not see how anything but the loss of her family, her home, her place with the avengers can be worse. this, to her, is as bad as it gets. )

[elriche]

[ The words crash over Stephen slowly, at first a prickling sensation down his spine, then a cold deluge. He forgets, sometimes, the smaller microcosms of the multiverse. The space between one human and another instead of planets, galaxies, dimensions. A child swaddled by their mother, a belly laugh between friends. His hand, splayed out on Christine's chest to keep her safe, as he righted the car and told her she'd be okay.

He remembers the texture of her evening gown, the pattern of her breaths under his fingertips. Blinding headlights in the rearview mirror. The space between.

He tears his eyes away from Maximoff's fierce expression, toward the beat-up Volvo station wagon he'd picked because of old safety ads on CRT screens. For a second, he stands there, hands empty at his sides, edges of his cape rustling in the wind. ]

I don't know enough about this version of you to answer that. [ The answer is somber – sincere. He meets her gaze again, manages a melancholic smile. ] You're not a zombie, though, so... you've already got a leg up on the last one I met.