TEST DRIVE ∞ May 2025

[thediadem]

Test Drive ∞ May 2025

The First Collision

©

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

⇅ Top

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

©

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

⇅ Top

©

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

the blocks —

[chuju]

[ Sleeping in the rundown van she'd been coerced into purchasing on a shady loan somehow seems the better option than staying in a questionable hotel on her own and running up a tab she isn't sure how to pay off yet. Everything about this place and the entire situation has her on edge, a million questions running through her mind as she struggles to put the pieces together and accept what she's been plunged into.

Why couldn't it just be another apocalypse or a supervillain with delusions of grandeur? Those would have been so much easier to deal with.

Daisy is still awake when the power goes out, the exhaustion weighing her down not quite enough to get past how unsafe she feels here. She stays down in the back of her van, curled up on a blanket she'd salvaged on her way to the city, listening to the gradual increase in sounds of life outside the vehicle. It's only when that scream pierces through the darkness that she moves, instinct driving her up and out the back of the van, and shutting the door behind her as she looks around with more than just her eyes.

The person approaching registers in her Inhuman senses before his voice reaches her, each footstep vibrating through the ground just lightly enough that she has to concentrate to really feel it. Her eyes slowly adjust to make out the shadows of him, and after glancing in that direction, she gives the stranger a nod. ]

Thanks.

[ There isn't even a moment of hesitation before she turns and begins walking quickly, purposefully toward what is undoubtedly trouble. She isn't armed, and in this place her suit might be anything from tactical to some strange company uniform, but her attitude says she means business. ]

[churnback]

[ Some people do an awful lot of talking and sharing about themselves, without ever saying a word. Okay, technically she said one word. But that's all it took, really, to give Amos a pretty clear picture of the type of person she is.

Whatever lies up ahead, it doesn't scare her. Whatever's waiting on the other side of those long shadows, she'll handle it. She's sure of herself. If the person who screamed is already dead, she still thinks it's worth checking things out. She's made it her business, quick as that.

He might not understand or share the immediate feeling of leaping ahead to help someone he doesn't know like this. Might not understand it, but recognizes it. It's an old familiar thing, and she's so much like Holden, Naomi, Alex. He can respect that.

But this does mean that she's handling it. Moving like she does, he wouldn't doubt she's a fighter. You gotta be, you react like that. He can respect that, too. And if she's got it, he doesn't need to do anything. So he doesn't move, he just gives one short nod in response to acknowledge.

There's a wide and deep chasm between Amos and people like her, people like his crew. They leap into these things, that's their instinct. Amos' instinct is to not. So he's often weighing his instincts against theirs, looking for the gaps. This is a big one. Much like her, he can handle himself with whatever lurks in the dark. It's not fear that holds him back, it's not understanding why he should help, why he would need to follow after someone who can clearly take care of herself and whoever's on the other side of that scream.

He hears a voice in the back of his head, though, that clearly isn't his, that says he should have her back.

Yeah, he guesses that's the thing most people would do. And latching onto the idea doesn't bother him. Sure, he could do that. The thing that motivates him probably a little more than that voice in his head is the idea that he doesn't want to be caught just standing by if this turns into a bigger fight, spills over from its dark little corner. It's less about the stranger, less about the girl moving to help, and all about being ready, being a step ahead.

So he follows — not in a hurry, but keeping pace. ]

[chuju]

[ Daisy fully realizes this could be an exceptionally stupid move. She's been here all of 36 hours and is still learning how things work; a smart person would hang back and let someone else handle things. It's too bad she's the hero type who tends to do the right thing instead of the smart thing. And as she passes other shadowy figures turning away, disappearing back into buildings to avoid whatever it waiting down the street, she knows that's what this is: the right thing to do.

Or it could be another trap. But the chance of it being a real threat to someone who needs help is what propels her forward, risks be damned. It's becoming pretty clear that nothing like SHIELD exists in this place, but that doesn't mean she stops being an agent. This is who she is, forever and always. But if it is another trap, she's gonna be pissed.

As she rounds the corner, she sees a cluster of goons who look straight out of an apocalypse chic catalog surrounding a woman on her knees, hands in the air and murmuring in a low, constant stream that reminds Daisy of a pleading prayer. The goons are illuminated by two glowsticks hanging from overloaded belts, giving the impression that these assholes aren't afraid to be seen in the dark. Who around here would bother to try to stop them anyway?

When she sees the gun leveled at the woman's head, Daisy doesn't care if anyone sees her, either. She stops at the entrance to the alley where they've congregated, feet planted solidly, and lifts both hands to her sides, palms facing out. The high sonic whine that fills the air is the only warning of what happens next, the gun shaking itself out of the goon's hand and continuing to shake while suspended in the air, vibrating so intensely that the various pieces comprising the weapon come apart and clatter to the ground.

The shocked chaos that follows almost makes her smile, but then she's too busy rushing forward to fight these assholes to really savor the moment. ]

[churnback]

[ Apart from the feeling of wanting to know who exactly is in that alley, what they're doing, and if they plan to keep screwing around with anyone else, Amos privately admits to himself he wants to see what this girl is capable of. The way she has an easy confidence, no apparent fear, she knows she's got the ability to overtake whatever happens and he wants to know more.

At the same time, when it becomes clear that there's a group of assholes threatening someone, he feels more compelled to act than he did before. Seeing it makes it hard to turn away from it. There doesn't need to be a feeling of loyalty for this stranger's well-being for Amos to have no patience for bullies, and react accordingly.

The girl — the hero in all of this — handles it exactly like she knew she could. Shit. You got a trick like that up your sleeve, there's nothing to fear. It's impressive, though, and it holds Amos' attention as long as it lasts before she's suddenly rushing forward, and — yeah. Instinct takes over, and he moves forward with her.

One of the guys tries to kick out and trip him up, but Amos side-steps it, reaches out with a sharp grip on his arm, twists him around. Just before he can pin that arm enough to break it, the guy gets in a punch and Amos doesn't dodge it in time. The blow lands near his temple, but in that half second of cockiness the asshole must be feeling, he leaves himself vulnerable, and it's enough for Amos to reach out, wrapping his hand around his neck and lifting him a little, pinning him against the wall. He may be a little breathless, but his voice is deceptively calm. ]

Bad move. No hard feelings, though.

[ He's not in the business of mercy, not for someone like this, so he has no qualms tightening his grip. If the guy dies, he dies. He glances over his shoulder, though, to check on the girl with some kind of — magic, and clock how many others are there, and who might be coming at him, or her, next. ]

[chuju]

[ It hasn't been long enough for her bones to have fully healed, even with the advanced medical tech found in this strange place, so she feels every punch and kick reverberate through the hairline fractures laced throughout her body, but she just grits her teeth as she lands another hit. Her style is more martial artist than bar brawler, using her opponent's size and strength against them, and she's quick to recover when she receives her own blow.

She's knocked one of the men out, his body crumpled on the ground, and with a hand outstretched in front of her, she sends a burst of vibrational energy to fling another one into a wall with a crunch that has her cringing internally. He's not dead, but he won't be walking away from that one. Turning to take stock of things, she notices her fellow fighter on the side of right, and it's pure instinct that has her raising her voice toward him. ]

Don't kill him!

[ Never mind that these goons are ready and willing to kill them. She isn't prepared to become the sort of person to take out a group of people like this. Not yet. Not unless it's all she can do to survive.

The distraction is just enough for one of the last two assholes standing to land a kick to her ribs and lay her out on the grimy ground. Fuck. ]

[churnback]

[ Her words pull him back a little, but they ordinarily wouldn't be enough to immediately motivate him to let this guy go. He didn't come into this fight with the intention of killing anyone, and it's not something he derives joy from — to him, it's just a solution to a problem. It's not even personal, he doesn't care why they're doing what they're doing, they just need to stop doing it, and not do it to anyone else. That doesn't mean there isn't a kind of satisfaction and release he gets from doing this to people who asked for it.

Don't kill him echoes in his mind, and he considers it, thinks about what happens if he lets him go, and what other problems they're gonna have, and all the while the guy is losing consciousness, and what actually stops Amos is the threat of another one coming at them. More specifically, coming at her.

She's down before he can do anything, but he drops his hand from this one asshole's neck, lets him hit the ground however he'll land, and immediately turns to charge at the other guy full speed, slamming him hard into the wall, smacking his head against the brick and letting him crumple. He turns again to get his bearings, taking a swing to the side of his head before he moves to try and kick the last guy's legs out from beneath him. ]

[chuju]

[ Having the wind knocked out of her from the fall means Daisy can't speak to issue a warning, voice a protest, or make an angry quip about this whole messed up situation. Her ribs are screaming at her, and she can feel at least one new hairline fracture that would have been a lot worse without the protection of her suit. But despite struggling to get her lungs working again, she still rolls to her side and pushes herself up, using the wall as leverage to get to her feet again as her heavy hitter companion sends the last of their attackers to the ground.

She doesn't pay attention to whatever he might do to that man, focusing instead on the woman who had led them into this alley with her scream — except she's nowhere to be found. Had she run off during the fight to get herself to safety? Had this all been some sort of trap to lure in unsuspecting do-gooders like her, who can't just turn away from someone in need? Pressing a hand to her aching side, Daisy trusts the kind (?) stranger to take care of business while she moves to the mouth of the alley, finally able to pull in strained gulps of air while she scans the darkness for the woman, but as far as she can see, the woman is just gone.

Shit. ]