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

we gettin existential up in here

[yeahmagnets]

[ The van hums beneath them, a steady, low thrum that matches the rhythm of the road and the pulse in his neck. Outside, the sky's beginning to drop into that bruised purple-blue that comes as the sun is starting to set; the kind of twilight that makes everything feel suspended, like the whole world’s holding its breath. Jack’s words echo in the quiet: All people are responsible for their choices. And Jesse feels it hit, right in the hollow behind his ribs, where regret lives like a splinter too deep to pull. It’s not an accusation. It’s not even a judgment. It’s just clear. Honest. And it makes something uncoil in him that’s been wound tight for too long. Jesse exhales through his nose. Not a sigh. More like letting out something he didn’t know he’d been holding. ]

Yeah...I guess that’s fair.

[ They drive for a while, the silence between them not awkward, just full (of dust, of memories, of whatever-the-hell this strange new world is made of). Jesse’s hands rest loose on the wheel, eyes on the road, but his mind’s drifting somewhere deeper. Somewhere colder. ]

Yo, can I ask you somethin’? [ He says suddenly, not waiting for an answer before he continues. ] You said you’re part angel, right? So does that mean you’ve been...like, you’ve seen stuff, yeah? Other worlds. Heaven. Hell, maybe? Or know about 'em?

[ A beat. He swallows hard, not sure if he really wants an answer, but the words tumble free before he can pull them back: ]

So's it real? Like, really real. That thing they say, uh, if you do bad, you go someplace worse. You burn. You suffer. Like...forever.

[ He doesn’t look at Jack when he says it. Just keeps his eyes fixed on the cracked line down the center of the road, knuckles going a shade paler on the wheel. Jesse's voice drops lower as he continues. It's like a dam opened and he can't hold the waters back anymore. ]

'Cause I’ve done a lot of shit. Some of it I didn’t mean to. Some of it I did. [ People got hurt. People died. But he's not ready to say that part out loud. ] And I just- Look, I just wanna know if there’s any comin’ back from that or if it’s already settled, y’know? If there’s already a place waiting for people like me.

[ The music plays on, something aching and wordless. And Jesse: bruised, battered, but still moving, continues on that road toward Panorama, waiting for the answer like it might change the shape of his whole life. ]

[godjr]

[ Jack is someone who is comfortable in companionable silence. He doesn't mind it stretching on as the two of them drive and he wouldn't be the one to break the quiet first. He should have expected that question eventually, given that he is an angel. He turns his head to look at Jesse when he begins and doesn't interrupt him just like before, he lets him say what he needs to and get it out.

He understands all too well what it feels like to have done bad things and fear what that means for the future. Jack the first time went to Heaven and it seemed right, but he went to the Empty after he made all his mistakes, and part of that is because the Shadow believed firmly he belonged there. But he also thinks that he doesn't deserve to be in Heaven anymore. He hasn't found absolution, no matter how hard he tries to be good.]

There is a Heaven and a Hell, at least in my world, and many other universes that God created. But I don't know about here, and I don't know about yours.

[ It's likely in his eyes that they exist, he's never heard of some place without them, but Jack isn't going to open a portal to Hell, and he couldn't to Heaven since he doesn't know how. He would prove it if he could. He takes the question seriously and his gaze is steady, non-judgmental, sympathetic without pity. He's been there. ]

From what I'm told, when you die, everything is added up. Redemption is possible. You have many years left to change your path, if that's what you want to do. I can't guarantee you, but I know it's not set in stone.

[ Jack doesn't add that sometimes a person can do good in the end of their life, and it doesn't save them. Rowena did too much evil in her life for her redemption to actually matter big picture. It's a tragedy but she found a way to make it work for her, and he respects and admires her for that. She used her influence for good, even in the worst place. He doubts Jesse could be to that level though. Even if he's done bad things, only the worst of the worst go there. ]

My biological father believed that humans were hard-wired to fail because they were born flawed. I think maybe for some that's true, but I also think many of them are just trying to do their best in a complicated world.

[ This is the kind of mentality that eventually makes Jack a very good and kind God. He tilts his head, trying to catch Jesse's gaze with his steady one. It's always easier for him to reassure other people when he's so hard on himself.]

No one is only one thing. Being alive is hard. Just do your best. It's all anyone can do.

[yeahmagnets]

[ The words settle in his chest like warm rain on scorched concrete. Not fixing anything, not erasing what's been done, but soothing it a little. Softening the sharp edges. Jack's voice isn't full of divine thunder or a preacher's certainty. It’s just steady. Almost human if he can put the fact that the kid lifted a fuckin' van over his head out of his mind for a few minutes. Easier said than done.

Jesse doesn’t answer right away. The wheel's warm beneath his palms, worn from years of being guided by someone else's hands. The road snakes out ahead, endless and anonymous. One universe stacked on another like fragile bones. Somewhere in it all, there's a Heaven. Somewhere else, there's a Hell. Maybe in his world, both exist. Maybe not. But Jack believes in the space in between - the possibility of becoming more than the sum of your mistakes. Redemption is possible. Not a guarantee, but a possibility. Jesse isn't entirely sure he believes that, but the way Jack says it makes him want to. He's quiet for another mile. Two. Then, voice low: ]

Yeah, man. Being alive is hard. [ He huffs, a small breath like a laugh that didn't finish growing. ] Never heard anybody say it like that. Not without tryna sell me somethin' first, anyways.

[ His gaze flickers to Jack. No deflection this time. No joke. Just a look, open and honest. Raw around the edges. The van rolls on. The radio hums something wordless between stations. Jesse suddenly doesn't feel like he's trying to outrun anything. Not his past. Not the weight in his chest. Not the idea that maybe there's still time to build something better from what's left. He drums his fingers lightly against the wheel again, glancing over. ]

So...what about you, Jack? You talk like somebody who's seen a lot. What keeps you going? [ His tone is easy, but curious. Not prying so much as curious and inviting. ] I mean, if you're cool talking about it. We got road - time to kill.

[godjr]

[ Jack truly believes what he says and the words hold that sort of gentle confidence because of it. He doesn't agree with Lucifer about the nature of humanity, he's seen too much good, even in his short and sheltered life. Being flawed doesn't make someone evil, otherwise every living being could be seen that way. You could say that his obsession has been the line between good and evil and where he falls on it, but he doesn't weigh the rest of the world the same way. He believes in others more than himself. ]

I've died and I can tell you from experience, being alive is much harder.

[ There is finality to death, although it didn't end completely for him. But coming back held so much weight, he felt that each time he got another chance, it underlined the question 'what now, Jack?' to him. How he could be better, how this time he would be the person he was meant to be. Death is not something that he is afraid of. He's gone from one to the next, it's a staple of his short existence.

He looks out into the long space in front of them and it's soothing in a way, he likes the space, the possibility of it. He rarely got to be in a city and they described it as so many people in one place, and he's interested in what that might be like. It was daunting before but it feels less so riding with someone else about to embark on the same challenge. ]

I'm seeking redemption too. [ He says gravely, quietly. ] I burned out my soul stopping my uncle from destroying the world. For a time afterward, I was unstable and confused. I did bad things that I regret.

[ Mary is the biggest one that comes to mind, given that she was his adopted mother and she died trying to get through to him. He killed someone he loved, but at the time he couldn't feel that love the same way. He felt only echoes of emotions outside of the absence of them. But it wasn't just her. He let the angels lead him to kill people, to "purify" the world, and he left a trail of destruction after him. Then he caused violence and riots in the street by commanding the world to do as he said. So, there is a lot in a short amount of time for him to make up for, if he ever can.

He takes it seriously. He thinks that weight needs to press down on his chest at all times for him to understand he is not above anyone. His father always thought he was better than everyone else. Jack will not be him. ]

I have my soul back now. What keeps me going is the hope that I can do enough good to make up for my mistakes. I can't go to Heaven regardless, angels go somewhere else when they die, but I can still do the right thing.