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

[primepool]

[Oh, yeah. Lucky. Lucky is being this close to the Package of the Future. And Wade's taking a whoooole eyeful.

Wait. Not a chance in hell he'd mistake Oldboy himself's voice, even if it's been, you know. Shaky hands. Years. And not that he was expecting Cable's next line to him to be the sexiest little ditty, but he sure as shit would hope for something a little better than "you're letting the air out."

Sort of something like, "Why the fuck didn't you call me for the threequel, asshole?" Look, there was a mix-up with the agents, he lost his phone, Shatterstar was cheaper, blah blah blah.]

Cable! Tell me this is a convenient meet-up in a brand new medium and not you being pissed about the timeline montage? [Is he selling himself out immediately? Yeah. You be face-to-face with the Terminator's T-1000 and see how you feel.] Totally not my idea, by the way, that's on Negs. Seriously, teenagers. You can't trust them with anything. Just wanna stick their little fingers in --

[He's still stuck in the window, and now he's starting to crush his dick, but Wade still sucks in a breath to smell -- cold.] Wait a second, which HVAC guy did you have to blow to still have AC on in here?

[Not a chance in hell he's leaving now! They're like, best buddies! Before he was replaced with a different best buddy who had his name in the title! And best buddies share the best air. Like, are Cable's lungs even fleshy anymore? He doesn't even need it, probably.]

[sodark]

[At this point, Cable is beyond asking questions like what does that mean and why did you say that. He does pick up on some of the nuance between the bullshit, but he's presently concerned that having Wade's ass writhing outside his window will attract the wrong kind of attention.

Whether he's being bamboozled by weaponised incompetence or not, he relents and reaches his metal hand behind Wade to shift the hilt. Rather than stopping there, he grabs a fistful of fabric and yanks Wade into the window.

He sidesteps him so he can shut the window, turning to look at Wade with a quizzical expression.]

How long have you been here?

[primepool]

[To Cable's credit, asking Wade what he means or why he's said something is like asking why dogs can't look up. And since Cable's baseline is being really pissed off, there's like a sliding scale of is he pissed off about the time machine thing or is he pissed off that Deadpool is currently stuck in his window and raising the air inside at least by, like, three degrees. Celsius.

Oh. Hey! Ignore the flinch; he feels the shift in Bea's position and leans himself lower so he can start wiggling into the room --

Or Cable can just. Bodily drag him straight in through the window, leaving Wade winded for, uh, whole other reasons. Is he flushed under the mask? Maybe. Who knows. That's why he's got the mask!]

In like an existential way, or...? [He rights himself up, shifting his sword back, brushing himself off and taking in sweet, sweet AC. He gives a little giddy sigh.

Look, it's not. Bad. It's good. It's great, actually, not only seeing Cable, but seeing him without a gun in his hands at the same time. Does he reach for a hug, or...? Wade sort of half makes like he's about to do it before pausing, remembering. Distinctly. Knives in his dick.] Two, three weeks? It got kind of muddled between all the loans, and the auto theft, and the... further loans. Did you know this planet hasn't invented APR yet? [He snorts.] Suckers.

[sodark]

[Just like last time, Cable sees the threat of a hug building and does absolutely nothing to move or push. He makes a face and this time Wade seems to read it better. It validates the idea that the memory of a knife in his dick is the best deterrent.

He also simply stares past his initial question, since it seems like silence will also get Wade to move onto a real answer.

The answer makes him clench his jaw. Something's fucked here. Makes a convenient way to work around to the next question.]

Got anything to do with a timeline montage?

[primepool]

[Worry not, fair cyberfriend. He's gonna spring it on Cable when he least suspects it. Now that he's settled that his ol' pal isn't mad about the threequel. God bless that kind of media ignorance. It's gonna geet him so far in life.]

Oh, that little thing? Haha, no, that's totally unreleated, and besides, it wasn't all bad, I left baby Hitler alive. [That's a bonus, right? He didn't fuck up history! (It was way harder than he thought it'd be.)] You'd think I would be blaming this on the TVA again, right? It's like the Void all over again, except there's more electricity and ramen. You know, you weren't there, but it's like you were there. Spiritually. [Mostly when he was being stabbed, over and over, with knives.] But me and the TVA, we're like this. [He curls both of his index fingers tightly together. Him and B-15, they're like besties, almost. In the way that she's totally dating Peter and Peter's his bestie, which makes him a bestie-by-proxy.]

So, uh, what I'm saying is... is we can blame this on a completely different cosmic entity that has noooothing to do with your time traveling thingie.

[Nailed it. This explanation made perfect sense.] That I don't have anyway.

[Anymore.]

[sodark]

[As Wade speaks, Cable begins to put metaphorical pins in some of what he says. He's also listening to what he says between the factual information. Rambling doesn't necessarily imply that he's trying to hide something, but there does seem to be some attempt to deflect blame onto an acronym that means nothing to Cable.

Surprising even to himself, Cable feels his anger rise quickly and quell just as fast. Is he annoyed that Wade clearly fucked around with his watch? Yes. Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? No. This isn't something his watch could do, so Wade's a broken clock and it's his turn to be right for once.]

Doesn't matter. [Even if he definitely did take his fucking watch. He wasn't going to go home anyway, no matter what the XMCU says.]

We're from different points in time. [He has made that assessment by himself, but he's sharing it with Wade because he trusts him.]

Last I remember, we just left the orphanage. [He gestures vaguely to the dilapidated chairs in the room. He's a good host.]

You wanna sit and tell me how you've wasted your time since then?

[primepool]

[Whoa, whoa, whoa, a lot of that is absolutely the TVA's fault. Actually, all of it was. Because? They have to be the only corporation in existence where their middle managers aren't middle managing, or they would've probably had a slightly superior superior who sniffed out that Paradox was crazy. And Evil. And British. And so upset at Mangold that he was going to destroy arguably the whole reason the MCU exists! That specifically being Earth-10005.

Man, that plot sounds so contrived when you write it out like that.

Hold on a second, does that say he trusts him?! How does he get that printed on a shirt? A set of personalized stationery? A string of those triangle flag things he can use to garrote the next guy who tries to break into his apartment? Sorry, sorry, he's not peeking into internal monologues here, bye.

Wade makes a noise between a "whew" and a sort of choked guffaw.] Ohh, yeah, I'd say so, yep. Let's just say you've lost the plot a little... (Or the plot left you behind, it happens to the best of us.)

[And Wade's gonna plaster himself in a chair (but backwards, because he's an actual child) since, let's be real, Cable inviting him to stay for more time is about similar to being handled a real life unicorn composed entirely of diamonds. It's a priceless treasure.

(And Wade really could use a familiar face.)] Wasted? Excuse you, I saved every single timeline in the multiverse. [Off Cable's expression, which is probably very similar to the last two 100x100's of frowning appearing in this conversation.] Hey! Don't you dare give me that look, I'm being serious this time. I saved every timeline. From Chuck's evil, strangely equally bald twin, who almost blew it all up with one of the over-designed Mcguffins I've ever seen set designers pour sweat into. Like, they literally named it a "Timeripper". Gee, I wonder what that's gonna do?

[Anyway. Wade shrugs, leaning back, like it's very much another day in the life of, crossing his arms over his chest 'cause he's so satisfied with how his story's going. Because there's no huge, incredibly unbelievable leap between killing pedophiles in one movie and then saving the entire multiverse in the next.] Also Wolverine was there. As a cameo.

[sodark]

[Cable takes a seat across from Wade and sits like a man who has never been comfortable in his life.

He can surmise that he wasn't present for this adventure, Wade would have mentioned it. It does vex him somewhat to know that he obviously felt he had something better to do than save the world, but he doesn't ask where he was. Partly because he doesn't want to hear Wade's assessment of it and also because it won't do anything useful for him now.

It does, however, please him on some level to hear that Wade is putting himself to good use.]

Kept you around for a reason. [It sounds almost like praise, which Wade deserves. He cannot be trusted with too much of it, though, so he adds:]

I'd offer you a drink but I don't have any and I don't want you to stay that long.

[He gestures vaguely toward the kitchen, but continues:]

Wolverine, huh?

[primepool]

Yeah. [Ignore the slight sound that is Wade swallowing down a girlish squeal.] 'Cause you love me.

[And it's one of those rare, self-satisfied things Wade says that he sounds completely confident in. After all, he has been invited to stay. Even for five minutes. That's love. That's what real love looks like.

You know, it strikes him now that Cable says the last thing he remembers is the orphanage.. The... is this before or after he had a heroic death? He's thinking, Cable seems okay in that less-than-murderous-rage way, so he's thinking (hoping) this is post seeing the light. The guy he likes who isn't filled with bloodlust to kill a kid. (Okay, so he liked Cable before that, but don't tell him that.)] Seriously?

[Unfortunately Wade's penchant for staying still is, uh, nonexistent, so the moment Cable makes his complete non-offer, Wade's rolling off his chair to go peek his head into the fridge, just in case.] Not even a can of motor oil, or...? [It's fucking empty. Has he stopped? Nope, he's opening cabinets now.] Jesus, this is depressing.

[And so like his ol' buddy! Seriously, the guy didn't even snack the entire runtime.] Yeah, Wolverine. You know him? Though guess he wasn't around in the future. [Haha, not after 2029. Look, don't think about the timelines too hard, it's a mess.

Since he doesn't find anything to munch or drink, he collapses back in his chair (though he does think about sitting on Cable's lap, decides against it, almost tempts himself back into it, and eventually decides not to. Out of fear, not respect.)] It's been six years since the orphanage. Not a lot, I guess, but shit's... you know, happened. [It's his first real, nonrambly answer. After a second, he pulls his mask off, wiping his brow off with a sleeve, his sword leaned up against the wall. Oh no, he's making himself comfortable.] You miss me?

[No, that was like, yesterday. Now he's just teasing Cable. (Or is he...?)]

[sodark]

[Cable makes a profoundly disgusted sound when Wade brings love into it, sinking back into his chair like he's exhausted.

He watches Wade nose around his belongings with a hard stare, but he's not doing anything to stop him.]

I know of Wolverine. [He knows plenty of the xmen pantheon. Why he didn't know Wade is not his problem, continuity is for the writer's to figure out.

For a moment, Wade seems to be having a terrible thought and Cable looks vaguely concerned as he looks up at him. It must pass, since Wade sits down.]

Not really. [He says it like he doesn't get the joke, but he's inspecting Wade as he leans back in his chair.]

Didn't miss me much, obviously. Steal my shit, go adventuring with some other dumbfuck and crawl into my room like a sex starved cockroach. [He's very good at sounding annoyed about something he definitely does not care about.]

You've got some nerve, Wade Wilson.

[primepool]

[Well, yeah, who hasn't heard of Wolverine? You're not special. He has an entire franchise perched upon his overly thick and handsome shoulders, buddy. The rest of them are just clinging to the coattails. The long, now yellow, ringmaster coattails.]

Yeah, well, that's why you weren't invited.

[To the threequel. Not really, but it's good cover. Anyway, as much as Wade is gorging himself on self-haterade on the reg, he's already convinced himself Cable did miss him, or does, or would be so woefully alone without him here that he would probably start desperately befriending other whackos, like maybe that freak Spider-Man guy. The vampire one, not the clone.

The things Cable's done you don't do unless you love a guy. Like shoot him. And shoot his team (the surviving part of it).

Or, you know. Save his life. So.

At sex-starved, Wade throws his head back with a groan.] Ugh, you have no idea. [Actually, it's probably the most sex-starved birthday-and-post-three-days-after he's ever had in his life. Not to mention the unspecified amount of time he's been here.

Hold on a sec. Wade's head snaps back up.] Cable Nathan Cableson. [Since they're doing full names right now.] I'm picking up vibes. Some really pointed vibes. You know what I mean. [He's connivingly squinting at Cable now, which is a thing I just made up. Is that a whiff of... oh? He takes a good sniff in the air, wafting his hand like he's trying to catch another hint of it. Dare he say it. The J-word?

No way. No fucking way. 'Cause he stuck his swords in another beefy metal man?

Wade might actually be touched. No, he's definitely touched. God, he really wishes he was being touched right now.] Be prissy pissy all you want, but you haven't exactly thrown me out yet. Something tells me you're hoping for a little, you know... [A wiggle of his eyebrows, if he had any.] Adventure. The sequel.

[Because Wade did miss him. And, in a vein same as Cable's, he's allergic to just saying it outright.]