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

free samples

[alwaysarmed]

[ She spots him in the crowd pretty easily. He might think he blends well, but he sticks out like a sore thumb to her. Maybe she's just hyper-aware of people she's tried to kill on more than one occasion. Or he's not as sneaky as he thinks he is because he is old and tired.

But then again, she isn't quite as young as she was the last time they met, either.

She trails him for a little bit, until she starts noticing what he notices. She of course has been less desperate about taking free samples, she's been taking them because she's angry about it. Her pockets are full of cabbage dumplings and little chocolate eggs.

She feels a little bad about it, when she overhears him offering what he does for them.

So she breaks off her stalking and disappears into the din, only to reemerge when he's paid for their items and are outside the store. She walks up and stands next to Clint, not looking at him but instead focusing on the mother and her son. She holds out a bag to the kid. ]

Here. Three things you didn't really need, but kids should get candy whenever they can, huh? There's also some extra dumplings in there, I made friends with a sample lady who does not like her job much.

[brandingproblem]

[Does he get the feeling of being watched? Yeah, that comes with the paranoid spy territory. He might've felt that way even if he wasn't being followed. It's like a sixth sense, though. But so long as nobody comes at him with an intent for harm, then sure, watch him. Maybe it's an employee who's gonna stop him at the door for his pilfering. Who knows. Who cares.

This woman cares.

And it's strange, because he thinks it an odd thing for a stranger to do, but also because there's the vaguest sense of familiarity. Can't put his finger on it. Nobody he's ever met, he's pretty sure.

The kid takes the bag, and the mother is trying to hold back tears, and they leave, sharing some dumplings. Clint slides his hands into his pockets and watches for a few long moments. As an aside:]

Thanks. I know it's not much, but...

[But it's a day those two get to not go hungry. And he knows how much that means.]

[alwaysarmed]

[ She breathes deep, watching the mother and son walk away. ]

It's everything. To them. Maybe most of the people here are still struggling, but tonight, not them. At least not so much.

[ It had taken her a while to understand the point of being a hero. It was easier to shoot a target, complete a job. Worrying about the little guy had seemed annoying and distant to her. But that was of course Natasha's legacy. One she had ultimately decided to take on for herself.

Exhaling through her nose, she turns her head to look at Clint finally, trying to determine why he didn't look quite the way she remembered him. ]

So, any theories on how we ended up in this place?

[brandingproblem]

[It's everything. Yeah. She gets it. Maybe he'd taken himself out of the hero business long enough to forget how it feels.

Like a bicycle, though. Never forget how to do it. Muscle memory.

He eyes his new companion and the very companionable way she says we.] Did you get involved in anything leading up to your death, maybe?

[alwaysarmed]

[ Yelena cocks her head to the side at that question, more surprised to hear something like that said out loud. She had thought it, of course. She doesn't remember much of what had happened before she'd woken up in the clinic, bandage on her head and the remnants of a concussion making her vision blurry.

She lets out a small scoff, shaking her head. ]

I do not think we are dead. This place seems too real to be an afterlife. Besides, if I were dead I think I would at least remember how I died and it wouldn't be some stupid head wound that took me out.

[brandingproblem]

[Well, given that a head wound can range from 'bleeds like a fountain but is barely a cut' to 'skull cracked open and brains on the pavement' and everything in between, he's not as sure as she is that a head wound wouldn't do it.

He remembers falling. Why would he remember an impact? Would anyone really remember the moment of their death at all?]

What's that even mean? Seems too real, what, like an afterlife wouldn't feel real at all?

[alwaysarmed]

Well, sure. But I don't think this way. Take them, for example.

[ Yelena gestures in the direction the mother and son departed in. ]

You and me, we belong in the same place for sure. But them? Do you think that a little boy deserves to be in the same place as two trained killers?

[brandingproblem]

[Trained eastern European/potentially Russian killer woman who recognizes him as some form of trained killer too sets off so many alarm bells in his head. And funny enough, all those alarms start sounding like Black Widow.

He is aware, in the way that someone as entrenched in the spy world as him even while on house arrest, that there has been some kind of effort to save the other Widows. He assumed Natasha was involved. Is this...?

Is it her? And if so, how far, far away should he be running? Because maybe he's dead, maybe he's not, but he isn't sure he wants to risk finding out what happens when he dies here, thanks.]

I didn't say this was heaven. [And before she can point out the obvious:] Didn't say it was hell, either. I don't know. Does anyone ever get what they deserve?

[alwaysarmed]

[ This seems like a weird thread to pull to her. She's never examined religion too closely, but part of her has always hoped that an afterlife was something better. At least for the people who had done things to get there. ]

In my experience, sometimes they do. I would hope this is not the dump we all end up in regardless of deeds done in life. Natasha would not deserve to be in a place like this, not after what she did.

[brandingproblem]

[Natasha wouldn't deserve this. He doesn't know what happens when a soul is sacrificed for--he wasn't even all that certain souls existed until...

Oh. God. It's her. There's a temptation to make damn sure, to whistle, call and response, but who else could it be?

He turns to her, fully, hands out at his sides and tense in a way that says he's expecting things to turn bad. That they haven't right off the bat is great, if bizarre, but one should never take chances with a Widow.]

She deserves a hell of a lot better than this.

[There is finally some spark of recognition in his gaze, but not the 'hey it's been a while, how have you been' kind. It's tentative. Like he might still be wrong. Maybe it's another Widow.]

[alwaysarmed]

[ Nodding she looks over at him again, and notes the posture. The way he's standing like he's ready for a fight. The wariness in his gaze. Her jaw drops and she turns, standing fully facing him. ]

Clint Barton, do you not recognize me?

[brandingproblem]

[Oh god?? He's offended her?? And they just met?? Don't mind the fear of god getting put just a smidge in him. Natasha could inspire the same; it might be a family thing. But only for a moment before it smooths out. Because, honestly, her face is kind of funny, and also what she's saying implies several things that are also pretty alarming.]

Considering we've never officially met before, I feel like it's very impressive I figured out who you are. I'm real cunning that way.

[alwaysarmed]

[ The audacity of thinking he's cunning right now. Yelena can't help but pull her head back and let out a strangled noise of derision. ]

да ну! Never met before.

[ She shakes her head, turning and taking a step like she's about to walk away, before turning back around. ]

I tried to kill you twice! This was a very big, important thing and you don't remember? But sure, you've figured out who I am, even though who else could I be? Wow. Good job. Very cunning.

[brandingproblem]

[...........okay cool cool cool alright okay cool great what the fuck is happening right now--]

A lot of people have tried to kill me. Pretty sure I'd remember if it was you.

[A Black Widow and Natasha's long lost sister, yeah, he's pretty confident he'd remember something like that. He watches her incredulity without moving save for a tip of his head.]

You sure you got the right target?

[alwaysarmed]

[ She cocks her head to the side, her irritation at him not recognizing her at odds with her ego that of course she had the right target. She clenches her teeth and takes a breath, looking at him. Then she relaxes, eyebrows furrowing. ]

You truly do not recognize me.

[ There's some odd sense in that, an ache that opens up the wound of losing her sister in a way she hadn't expected. ]

You... were the one who told me how my sister truly died.

[brandingproblem]

[Oh. Oh shit, she really is from some other time, other place. A future where he gets to meet Yelena instead of only hear about her. A future where he told her what happened to Natasha.

It's still fresh. The gaping hole where she used to be. Still actively bleeding every single second of every single day. For a few moments, he looks so lost as to what to do, how to react. Devastated, even. It had been so hard to tell the others, to even try to explain. His jaw flexes a few times, like trying to work out the words to say.]

I'm sorry, [with the slightest bit of break on the word] that you had to hear it from me. [Who else? He was the only one that was there. He's the only one that can carry the true knowledge, no matter how he words it, no matter how he tries to phrase anything, no matter what picture he attempts to paint.] Must've sounded a couple shades of insane.

[How else do you say 'there was a floating noseless red-skinned guy in an apocalypse cloak acting as the crypt keeper who knew our lineages, and then we sat and tried to figure out how to game the system for a few hours, and then we fought about who got to kill themselves and skip out on the consequences--'

There are simpler, gentler, and just as honest ways to talk about it. He isn't being very kind to himself. He doesn't deserve to be.]