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

©

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.

Main Navigation ::: ⇅ Top

Comments

[diametrically]

[ Matt comes in like some kind of avenging fighter - albeit not quite fast enough to stop the stranger from clocking him in the nose and making the taste of iron spill onto his tongue. His vision goes blurry for a moment as he staggers, trying (rather pathetically) to swing back at the stranger only for his fist to meet air. Thankfully there isn't enough momentum to accidentally hit the new arrival and everything else seems to snowball after that.

By the time he manages to stagger into the door jamb and his vision returns, his mysterious assailant is out for the count. A pained laugh answers Matt's initial question. ]

Apparently I have friends everywhere. [ His hand comes to his face in a very poor attempt at staunching the blood flowing from his nose. Somewhere from behind his calf, the air purifier cheerful puffs out more dust. ] I've had worse. Thanks.

[avo]

Come on, we should get outta here. [ Matt pauses suddenly, very still, straining his ears to focus on the soft sound of curious footsteps just under the floor beneath them. ] I hear his friends — they won't be far behind.

[ He gestures towards the emergency exit stairs, and points upwards: the roof. ]

We can hide out up top.

[ After a beat, just after the feline-shaped air purifier huffs another audible cloud of dust: ]

What the hell is that thing?

[diametrically]

You mean I can't just go back into my room?

[ As soon as he says it though he knows that's a stupid thing to ask in hindsight. He has more survival sense than that. But the fact of the matter is is that he's still completely baffled why a complete stranger thought it would be a good idea to come and punch him as soon as the lights had gone out. The split second glimpse of their face had confirmed that he had no idea who he was; so really, the annoyed question has less to do with stupidity and more to do with incredulousness.

Fortunately for Matt, Cassian doesn't put up a fight and follows after him while keeping his head down as blood continues to stream from his nose. ]

This?

[ Thankfully he doesn't even have to look up to know what 'that thing' is referring to. ]

Unnecessary debt. It's supposed to be an air purifier but it releases dust.

[avo]

It's following you.

[ And it's clunky and loud, which is kind of the opposite of what they want right now with guys close on their heels. It isn't even working correctly.

But they don't really have the time to figure out how to leave it behind, and frankly Matt's not sure this man is ready to abandon it anyway.

He hastens his pace towards the stairs, keeping tabs on the guys below. They still have time but the window grows ever smaller. ]

You okay to climb?

[ There's an implied ... 'if you're taking that thing with you, you'd better literally be prepared to carry its weight. Just saying.' in there somewhere. ]

[diametrically]

It's programmed to follow whoever's fingerprint it registers first.

[ Matt can probably infer the rest from there. But while Cassian's tone may sound incredibly wry he doesn't, in fact, completely hate the fact that he's somehow acquired a droid (even if it came with unnecessary debt) because it does make it feel at least a little like home. In this instance however he understands why the comment about it following them is being made.

Though one of its handful of cheerful little catch phrases has since concluded (and he swears it's a different language than the last three time it had burped out dust), its quiet humming paired with the squeaky wheel he has yet to fix sounds incredibly loud and is now echoing down the hall behind them. ]

My nose hasn't stopped bleeding. You might have to carry it.

[ Which is to say no he isn't leaving it behind and apparently this is now their droid. ]

[avo]

[ Great. You try to help a guy from getting the shit kicked out of him, and he comes with an adoptee.

Matt tilts his head towards the dust droid, half-still keeping track of their pursuers footsteps, and makes the executive decision to just pick the damned thing up and haul ass up the stairs instead of arguing that the smarter move here would be to leave the thing in a closet somewhere. How much is it even worth?

It's fine. They're only on the third level of this derelict motel. Just 27 more flights to go. He can only hope that this guy has been working on his cardio, or they're going to have a few more problems ahead. ]

Head up first, I'll follow behind.

[diametrically]

[ Do you really want him to raise this droid alone? This man who apparently made a random enemy for no reason at all? But to answer his question, not very much and yet it is still wildly overpriced for the amount of joolies that he had to pay.

Sue him. He's a softie for droids.

He nods (rather awkwardly) before opening the emergency stairwell door as quietly as he can holding it open for Matt before starting the journey upwards, quietly keeping track of the floors as they go. Their footsteps echo off the concrete but it doesn't stop him from listening for signs of any stampeding footsteps following him.

When they've maybe got about ten floors left give or take, he dabs at his nose. When it comes away as dry as a broken nose can be he pauses, turning to motion for the droid. ]

I can take C4T now.

[avo]

That it's name?

[ — asked casually, once Matt can be sure that they've more or less drawn enough distance between them and the thugs. ]

And did those guys think this robot had a stash of diamonds hidden inside it or something?

[ He knew times were desperate and all that, but ... as he passes the bulky (and not exactly light) droid over to the man, it's hard not to wonder whether he's just not seeing something here. ]

[diametrically]

Droids have names. That's C4T's. [ He says it so matter of fact as their child the droid adjusted in his arms before they resume their trek up the motel stairs. ] And it's less of a mouthful than C4T-AP.

[ Which still feels a little too on the nose for even Cassian who had come from a world full of droids with various model names that could also be a little too on the nose. But he doesn't have the time, nor energy, to think of a new moniker.

As for the guy who now lays unconscious on the floor outside his room - ]

I have no idea who that guy was. I opened my door and got punched. I doubt it was for C4T. And I doubt it had anything to do with me.

[ Well. He's like 70% sure that it has nothing to do with him. ]

[avo]

C4T — [ Ah. He gets it. It's silly, but he gets it.

The remainder of their trip towards the roof is blissfully undisturbed as the people after them continue patrolling the wrong floors. They'll catch on eventually, or maybe they'll just lie in wait until this guy and his droid return to their room, but for now ... they have a momentary reprieve.

Matt slips past Cassian and his droid to push the door open, leading them to a scrappy looking worn-down roof. It's not unlike the rest of the motel really, and feels nostalgic to Matt for how much it feels like a shitty Hell's Kitchen rooftop. It's ... homey. ]

So, wrong place, wrong time. Yeah, I get that. [ He doesn't miss a beat when he adds: ] You can set the droid down wherever you want. We've got some time before they find us up here.

[ There's a small box that he keeps up here for ... uh. Post-patrol emergencies. It's just a few medical supplies he'd saved up for during his shifts at the grocery store: some bandages, something that resembles antiseptic, clean cloths, that sort of thing.

He motions to a larger, turned-over box suitable for perching on. ]

Let me help you clean up.

[diametrically]

[ When realization dawns in Matt's voice, Cassian can't help the breath that could very nearly be laughter were it not for the fact that he was having some amount of trouble breathing. It certainly helps some with lessening the adrenaline that had been coursing through him. So does the cool night air that hits his face, allowing his shoulders to relax just a touch. Not completely. But just enough. After all, the only barrier between them and those thugs was flights of stairs.

Before he can lob a soft question back about what exactly he means by understanding 'wrong place, wrong time', Matt reminds him that he's carrying a very heavy droid. Despite his ongoing grievances with C4T there's an obvious care in which he places him onto the ground before turning around to be greeted with Matt pulling out a beat up looking box. There's a beat where he regards him before he meets Matt halfway and settles onto the ground. ]

If I didn't know any better, I'd think you do this often.

[ Is it a line? Maybe. Maybe he's trying not to get hung up on the fact that some random fluxdrifter came and punched him in the face the minute he'd opened his door. Or maybe there's a question in there, a quiet call out that he finds it curious that Matt keeps a pseudo-supply kit on the roof (because how else would he have known it was there in the first place?). ]

[avo]

I like to be prepared.

[ There's a hint of amusement edged in his voice, a kind of 'I'll never tell' laced within it as Matt starts opening said small box to dig around for the appropriate medical supplies. It could even, maybe, be construed as 'coy'.

Nevertheless, Matt starts with the cloth and a little bit of antiseptic, crouching before Cassian with impressive coordination for a guy who supposedly can't see. He leans in with a gentle, tentative touch to start wiping at the blood that's been dried around Cassian's nose. He knows from experience and a few too many hits to the face what a bruised or broken nose feels like, how tender it can feel — and so he tests out the other man's pain threshold first.

He isn't usually the one administering the medical aid, but he knows how it's done. And honestly, it's almost (almost) a refreshing change to be on the other end of the process. ]

Let me know if this is okay.

[diametrically]

[ The coyness, the very evident, 'I've got a secret', should set any number of alarms off in his head. Is it hypocrital of him to feel that way considering the number of times he's employed that tactic himself? Absolutely. But like saw like, and in this case, Cassian knows that the first aid kit is up here for a reason. It also, shockingly, doesn't set off as many paranoia alarms as it might otherwise.

He stills watching as Matt begins to work. The gentle touch against his face has his muscles twitching slightly buut there's no big wince of pain that follows. Apparently his pain tolerance is high. Or at the very least, used to broken noses. ]

It's fine.

[ There's a pause as the sting of the antiseptic settles into his skin. It's not bacta, that's for certain. He would never say with certainty that he enjoyed the feeling of the cold, slimey texture of the stuff, but at least it didn't sting like this. The noise of the city wafts up towards them filling th silence and after a moment Cassian asks - ]

I don't get a pity hint or a clue as to why you have a first aid kit up here?

[ As if he's going to let that coyness go unanswered. ]

[avo]

[ There's a pause now, as Matt brings the cloth back down from where he'd finished up with the first round of cleaning this man's nose up.

He turns his hands over to demonstrate where his knuckles have been bruised, and the skin shows as a little bit raw. Kind of like a guy who's been in a fight himself more recently. Maybe as recently as a couple of hours just before he'd run into Cassian, actually.

And if Cassian were to study Matt's face, he might notice the scrape at his eyebrow, just above one of the frames of where his sunglasses sits. Sure, he could have bumped into something by accident — he's blind, after all, and it's a particular favourite excuse of his — but there's something about the scruffiness of his countenance that might say otherwise.

He waits for a moment, waits for Cassian to pick up what he's putting down before he flexes his fingers and reaches for the cloth again. ]

Like I said ... I like to be prepared.

[diametrically]

[ Even with the dim light projected from the parts of the city that do have power, Cassian's gaze lingers on the telltale signs of bruised and ruined knuckles.

His entire childhood had been plagued by roughhousing and an inability to keep out of trouble - a trend that had apparently followed him into adulthood. And having grown up on a planet known for salvaging scrap, it wasn't uncommon to collect a number of scrapes and cuts along the way. All of which to say is that he knows the difference between knuckles that have seen their fair share of fighting and knuckles that might have accidentally cut up by scrap metal.

Next his gaze flits towards the scrape above his brow. ]

Prepared for random guys to punch someone leaving their room? [ There's a lilt to his voice as he plays along. ] I appreciate it. You being prepared that is. Have you been in Diadem long?

[avo]

[ Matt lets out a huff of laughter. ]

Yeah, something like that.

[ He shrugs by way of 'don't mention it' — after all it's not like this is the reason he does any of what he does either. But the sentiment does not go unnoticed. ]

About seven days, give or take, I think. I moved into a room here a few days in, I think the landlord took pity on me.

[ He resumes the last of the clean-up before going for one of the small bandages to keep the wound from reopening again. Again, his touch is surprisingly deft and sure for a guy who can't see. ]

Time often doesn't feel real here, but it might just be me.

[diametrically]

[ The sentiment Cassian gives him isn't empty either. He's mastered the use of pretty words that were meant to be skin deep, but in this case - being tended to by someone who had saved him from more of a scuffle than he anticipated getting into tonight - it does deserve some genuine appreciation. ]

We can agree there.

[ On the time thing, not so much the landlord taking pity thing. Stilling again so that Matt can place the bandage on him he mulls over his next question before deciding, what can it hurt? ]

Can I ask something?

[avo]

Sure, go ahead.

[ With his job of patching Cassian up more or less concluded, Matt sits back and begins to put things back into the box where they belong, so he can ... well, use them again in the near future.

Likely for himself, but that's neither here nor there.

And while he does so, he waits for Cassian to ask whatever it is he has to ask. ]