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

[opticular]

[ At this point, Scott has his gray hoodie in one hand and the keys to his bike in the other when he decides to leave the dark motel. He had only been here for a few days, decided to get a brief part time job as a delivery man, traded away money he has on himself upon arrival, just so he can get by. He doesn't have enough for a new motel, but goddamnit, he'd at least try and find a better accommodation for less. He's not picky, anywhere with actual power will do.

He's in this line of thinking when he's stopped by a man on a wheelchair down the hall. Hearing his name uttered by someone he has never met in this realm was admittedly jarring, but it's the voice and face that came with it that took the cake. There's an inflection in this person's voice, yes, but his face looks familiar, too. As if he had seen it in some photos back at the mansion.

Scott can't put his finger on it, on why he's so familiar, so he just chooses to ask. ]

Sorry, have we met? [ Despite the stress he's in, Scott's tone is polite and doesn't let on any of the stress he's under. The man before him looks a little worse for wear, too. Who wouldn't be when you're stuck in this place?

He studies the man, and the more he does, the more there's a creeping feeling that he may actually know him, but not from here. ]

[thetruefocus]

We have. Give or take a decade or so.

[ Charles smiles wearily at him and his gaze falls curiously over him, taking in all the details that he never got from a profile in the minds of other people. The person he is in the flesh and blood, right in front of him. Not a concept. It's strange, to feel almost nervous in the pit of his stomach, something Charles has never professed to be before. His confidence is one of his defining characteristics, but it's not his best day, or his best week right then. Still, he must move past it.

He steels himself within to get it together, to push aside the voices and the feelings from around them, pulsating out of the motel, and to focus solely on Scott. It's the least he can do for the future team leader of his X-Men. ]

Charles Xavier. Circa 1973. It is a genuine pleasure.

[ If Charles had his shorter hair and cleanshaven face it probably would be more evident, not to mention the lack of a healthy head of hair in general, but perhaps the details can fill in now that they're closer together. He sits up a little straighter in his chair, almost unconsciously trying to smooth over his clothes to look more proper and less like the inner mess he currently is. ]

Sorry I'm a bit ... unkempt at the moment. I landed here at an inopportune moment.

[opticular]

[ To say he's surprised would be an understatement. Shock's probably the closest word. He already heard that people arrive here during varying points in time, but this is the first time he's encountering an incident where someone he knows from back home is from a different point in time entirely. It throws him out for a loop, and for a brief moment, he's speechless.

No wonder this man looks familiar. It's probably all the hair that catches him off guard, that blindsided him on this man's identity. But above all, it's his youth. This can't be possible, and yet, here they are: him in tattered clothes, the Professor he knows and respected looking like he's just about his age. Make it make sense. ]

Professor?

[ There's undeniable disbelief in his tone, as he studies the other mutant before him. ] How- [ How is this possible? How are you here? How are you young and from 1973? He clears his throat, not wanting to sound incapable in front of the man who placed a lot of faith in him. ]

How long have you been here? [ Not really the question he wanted to ask, but Scott doesn't want to look and sound as if he's a fish out of water here, even if he looks worse for wear. ]

[thetruefocus]

How did this happen? I truly do not know, I am as confused as anyone else.

[ The time discrepancy is truly a headache of its own kind but that is on the list of many reasons this situation is insane. They are in a new universe, and hardly a pleasant one. It could be worse, such as the apocalyptic future that Logan told him about, but it comes with its own complications. That being said, a part of him is glad, in this one moment, because he is speaking with Scott Summers, someone of great importance to his future.

He did wonder when he first arrived if what they did somehow caused a rift in time and space, if changing the future somehow caused the situation he is in now. But Scott being there disproves that, most likely, as he is from his own time and unlikely did the exact same thing. There may be no answer in the end. ]

I arrived in the city two nights ago.

[ He had to immediately find a place to crash, struggling to do precisely that, because the amount of pain that flooded him upon arriving at the city was too much to easily handle. He spent time in his van first to try and push back the worst of it, but he's had no sleep, and no ability to sleep. Not with the noise. He straightens in his chair a little better, wondering how to establish the sort of authority that Scott may be used to. ]

I saw you in Logan's mind, he was with me, in our world, before I came here.

[ Before Erik threw him into the water to drown but that is neither here nor there. ]

Are you well?

[opticular]

[ Trust the Professor to be able to read his mind right off the bat. He almost feel sheepish for even attempting to look presentable, to answer something else akin to what he's actually thinking. Time and again, the Professor knows what they're feeling, what they're thinking, and while honesty is paramount whenever he speaks to him, he's out of his game here, in this bizarre dystopian world they found themselves in.

Scott takes note of everything Charles just said. Arrived here two nights ago? Check. Seeing him in Logan's mind? That's... something he's going to put a pin on for now because he doesn't know what to feel about that, or even how to process it. Does this mean the Professor and Logan knew each other years ago? Not that surprising given Logan's age, but the Professor doesn't seem to know him prior to his arrival. He's going to stow away this train of thought for now in preference to actually answering the Professor's question.

Only because it's a loaded one. He looks banged up. If one looks closely, he has scratches on his face, on his neck, from the impact of his arrival. He's honestly lucky his glasses didn't break or that's a whole other problem he has to deal with on top of everything here. He has cuts and bruises on his left torso, though, and while Scott was good at bandaging himself up, it'll take someone very perceptive to see behind how he's not wincing whenever he moves. ]

I'm fine, Professor. [ A beat, before he adds, ] As fine as one can be in this place, at least. [ And that's probably the most honest answer he can give without giving too much away. ]

How about you? You're not injured, are you? Where are you staying? [ It's also a jarring how they're in the middle of a mission to retrieve and save the Professor back home and he's here looking quite young. ]

[thetruefocus]

[ In this case, he truly didn't need to read Scott's mind, he just could see exactly where that 'how' was going to end up. It was a question for him as well, he has yet to find any sense of how in this place. And certainly not why, that is even less likely to get an answer. Charles is a very perceptive person though and he has a tendency to see where people are going before they open their mouths, without any mutant abilities necessary. He's not so perceptive as to guess at Scott's injuries though; he seems well enough to his eyes, but 'well enough' isn't good. And it is natural for him to be concerned, regardless of the fact they've only just met for him. ]

As fine as one can be in this place.

[ He echoes Scott's response with a faint smile, inclining his head. He is not, in fact, doing well at all. He's struggling a great deal, he's had no sleep, he hasn't eaten much, and he is being attacked by constant voices in his head during all hours of the day. But that is not Scott's concern, and Charles doubts his older self likes to trouble his students any more than he did. ]

I did come from a rather contentious point in my history. Erik had just dropped a stadium on me, so I am afraid I lost my wheelchair to it.

[ And he is stuck with this second-rate one that functions but is far from comfortable. Charles had a rather nice one, albeit not one nearly as impressive as the one he would eventually obtain in the future. It still was better than this rickety one. A small complaint, but for him, a consistent one. He'll do with what he has. Perhaps someday he can find a better one. ]

I managed to talk my way into one of the powerless motel rooms, for now. And you?

[opticular]

He did what?

[ Is the immediate response Charles receives from Scott because of course Magneto would do something like this. Would do something to hurt his own because what are they but a means to his end? He visibly grits his teeth, brows furrowing, as he looks down. He doesn't like how he feels so powerless here, so out of his element.

So instead of answering the Professor (and he's sorry about it), he approaches him and takes it upon himself to assist him while he's on this rickety wheelchair. It's definitely old and probably uncomfortable, but Scott can fix it when they're back in his unit. ]

My unit's also powerless, but it's better than being out here. Let me get you inside, Professor, so we can talk more. My room isn't much, but I have candles while I fix this wheelchair you have right now.

[ Then, maybe he can knock on other people's doors so he can find the Professor a suitable place for himself because Scott does note how he also looks worse for wear. He can camp out in the dark no problem. He just needs to find the Professor a decent enough space. ]

[thetruefocus]

He can be very difficult, as I'm certain you know yourself.

[ Difficult, Charles says, as if dropping a stadium on him is only that. He is angry about that, make no mistake, and the fact Erik tried to murder his own sister shortly before, but it also is one of those details about his former best friend that he is used to. If people knew his mind like Charles does, they might understand better the reasons he cannot seem to stop going to extremes. It's not an excuse, but it means that while Charles gets furious about it and doesn't trust him, he can logically know where it comes from.

But it has been made clear to him that despite the fact they have partnered in the future together in the X-Men, they have decades of contentious struggles first. Which Scott no doubt has been a part of.

Scott reminds him of Hank, all of a sudden, who has been his constant companion for years now, always going out of his way to look after Charles. It is perhaps wrong of him to rely so heavily on his students, but in this situation he's in, it is a necessity. Charles is not so proud as to think he can do it all on his own. He is a community builder, not a loner. He will find a way to be there for Scott too, in his own manner. So he nods. ]

Yes, perhaps it is best if we get somewhere safe. I would like to hear more about you and the others, if you are amiable to questions.

[opticular]

Of course. You can ask whatever you want.

[ Scott replies as he pushes Charles wheelchair, along with him, to his room. It's not a far trip, just a few doors down the hall, but with how rickety the wheelchair is, Scott's careful not to make the trip as bumpy and uncomfortable as it should've been.

As soon as they're inside, Scott makes sure to lock the door behind him and sets down both his gray zip-up hoodie and the keys to his bike. He goes to work, finding the tools he scavenged during his second day here that are neatly placed in a worn-out box.

But he still keeps the conversation going. ] Magneto's not just difficult, he also kills fellow mutants, uses them to his own end. He's dangerous and shouldn't be trusted, even if back home, we formed a sort of alliance to rescue you and some students from Stryker. [ So Stryker won't be able to use the Professor to activate a second Cerebro that will mindlink him to every mutant he can kill. ]

[thetruefocus]

[ Charles has been privileged enough in his life that every wheelchair he occupied was state of the art or built with his comfort in mind. The one he and Hank designed together was particularly useful, so getting one second-hand like this is unpleasant. He has been suffering it to the best of his ability since arriving, but he would not mind Scott taking a look at it. ]

I know, Scott. He is not to be trusted.

[ It is fresh in his mind that Erik tried to assassinate the president, dropped a stadium on him, and nearly murdered Raven in front of him. Charles cannot trust Erik with that in mind, even if he were to try and bridge that gap. At the same time he is not surprised that in the future, off and on, he continues to try to reach him and convince him otherwise. He went through a period of time when he did give up on everyone, although it was mostly giving up on himself. But now he is back on track.]

I ... am surprised to hear that about other mutants. In my time, he takes their safety seriously.

[ He aimed his ire and hate at humanity. It sounds as if there came a time when Erik started seeing the ends justifying the means. He could see a bit of it with Raven, how he decided her life was worth sacrificing for the rest of mutantkind. And following that mindset, for him to eventually take those lives for the same purpose, it makes sense. It's just painful to hear. ]

The Logan I met came from 2023, we were working together then because machines were made that killed all mutants and humans who helped them. They found a way to send his mind back through time to 1973 to try and stop them from happening.

[ It stands to reason there must be a mutant with time-travel abilities. They can do nearly anything else. Charles never got every single detail about the hows, only that it happened. ]