test drive meme

[vellamods]

TDM

Hello, and welcome to Vella's TDM! As a reminder, this game is invite-only and open to anyone on the mods' timelines: Coco amplitude , Avery daintily , and/or Amber twistingkage ! Friends of friends are welcome to participate, in case we do end up having slots available (please see the Reserves page for more information) -- however, the mods' Plurk lists will be given priority.

A Mysterious Gift

Good morning! Today’s shaping up to be a bright, sunny day on the island. The weather is balmy but not too hot, and there’s a gentle, cool breeze. It’s as idyllic and perfect as you could want… but there seems to be something being carried by the wind. It won’t take you long to notice because it’s so out of place - it’s bright and colorful and definitely not something normal. It’s a balloon floating towards the island at a leisurely pace, and hanging from the balloon is what looks to be a… wrapped present? It’s a white box with a red ribbon, and it doesn’t seem to be weighing down the balloon at all. How odd...

If you happen to be armed with a slingshot, you can use it to pop the balloon. When the balloon is popped, the present will fall to the ground - but be careful where you’re shooting! There’s a river running through the island, and your gift could easily end up swept away if it falls just above the water… And if you don’t have a slingshot, feel free to get creative! Or you can make one and be ready for the next mysterious package - because there will be one just a few minutes later, drifting along.

Should you choose to unwrap the present, one of two things will happen: Maybe you'll get something small in size but no less valuable: a shiny, pristine crown that looks like it might cost a fortune. Whether or not you take care of it is up to you, but hey, you run this island now! (Not really.) Alternatively, you might get a very large red double sofa; when you unwrap the present, it suddenly springs out and lands with a loud thunk onto the ground. Pray that it doesn't smash your toes! How something so big squeezed inside a box so small is a mystery, but hey...congrats?


Gotta Catch 'em All (cw: Scorpions)

The island has tons of natural resources. There are the apple fruit trees dotted around the island and plenty of flowers that you can see up on the cliffs, but beyond that are the rivers threading through the island and the beaches themselves. They seem to be filled to bursting with fish - you can see their dark shadows in the water clear as day, and the fish seem to come in a variety of sizes. Make yourself a fishing pole and go for it! The fish are not only good for cooking and eating, but you can also sell them off for bells. Or keep them as pets, that’s fine too.

But if you’re not a fan of fishing, there’s still plenty to catch. The island is also completely filled with… Well. Bugs. The island is filled with bugs. Butterflies flutter around, and you can get some bells for selling them off...and don't count out the dragonflies, grasshoppers, and mantises, either! You'll need a bug net to nab these critters, but once they're yours, you're free to do what you'd like with them.

When it gets dark, though, be careful! That’s when scorpions come out, and they’re known for their sting. They're far and few between, but when you find them, try not to panic. If you don't have your net out, they'll leave you alone and stay at the edges of your general vicinity. If you bring your net out, though, they'll raise their legs and shake their tails defensively at you. Get too close too fast, and they'll chase after you. They're fast.


Henry's Quest

Henry the frog has been living on the island with you, and today he has a request! He wants to make some hedges to put around his house (or maybe he just wants to tidy up the island), and for that he needs weeds. Twenty of them, in fact. More is fine, but less is just unacceptable. If you choose to accept the task, he’ll give you a reward for helping him: ten iron nuggets! It’s all he has though, so whether you choose to do this solo or with some friends, you’re only getting ten iron nuggets total. Still, while it’s not exactly a rare resource, it’s certainly a limited one, so you may find the reward enticing. Or perhaps you just want to help him out of sheer kindness. Whatever the reason may be, it’s time to get to work.

The island has plenty of weeds, so it shouldn’t be too hard to pick the ones you need. If someone happens to be plucking in the same spot as you, maybe you can work together! After all, more hands means more weeding, which means you can all make Henry happy even faster.

For those who are less teamwork-oriented, you’re free to do this solo, but where’s the fun in that? … Ah, you’re thinking of hogging all of the nuggets for yourself, aren’t you? Well in that case, maybe you should consider sabotaging the competition...though do you really want to draw the ire of the people you’ll be spending at least the next few weeks with?

(OOC Note: We will not be NPCing Henry on this TDM.)


Winding Down

Another day at the island has come and gone. The night sky is clear and the stars are out -- the perfect way to wind down after a day’s worth of hard work. Someone - maybe you! - has built a campfire on the beach, and it’s as good a time as any to get to know the people you’re living with. You’re stuck here, after all.

Sit around, chat, maybe tell some spooky (or not so spooky) stories. Enjoy yourself! You’ve got many more days ahead of you, but for tonight you can just rest and enjoy the peace of the island you now get to call home.




Taken / FAQ / Locations / Full Nav

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Chris Redfield | Resident Evil

[starsenal]

Mysterious Gifts
[A slingshot was not Chris' first choice, not by a long shot, but it was better than nothing. Barely. It makes him miss having Sheva at his back with the dragunov but more important it's another reminder of all of the gear he doesn't have.

It's just a balloon, Redfield.

His aim is just as good with a slingshot as it was with his Lightning Hawk, though, and it turns out his paranoia is... useful, at least. Because lifting the lid off that box with a stick makes sure the couch that bursts out of it doesn't take out his shins, but it does leave him staring, dumbfounded, at it.]

Are you shitting me?

Gotta Catch 'Em All
[Collecting bugs and fish was so mundane it was bizarre but years of BSAA training made his reflexes perfect for it. Of course, then scorpions scuttle out of hiding and Chris is on the defense. The little critters might be fast but then, so were lickers. There was one benefit to the strange changes here (changes that made him nauseous and unsettled, waiting for them to continue morphing them all into some sort of horrific mutated undead) and that was that he didn't have to rely on the rubber soles and hardened leather of boots for protection but could, instead, trust in... well, the thick bony layers of hooves now. Hooves made it even easier to crush the arthropods if he could coax the damn things away from the soft sand of the beach.

If he happened to see anyone else foolish enough to be out at night, he was quick to get their attention, trying to keep any of the more dangerous fauna focused on himself. Of course the new addition of thick ram's horns limited his peripheral vision in ways that made him nervous.]

Watch out! Stay back, they're fast.

Winding Down
[Sitting around a campfire on the beach of a tropical island. God but isn't that the dream? It's hard for him, though. Relaxing, unwinding, believing there's somewhere safe enough to do those things in the world still. He can't help thinking of Claire, of how much something like this would mean to her, how pleased she would be.

He should be more... involved. He knows that. Once upon a time he'd have been all over this opportunity. Sitting around joking with Barry and Jill and- at least a dozen ghosts from his past. But that's all they were now, ghosts, most of them. Jill though... where was she now? Had they finally gotten her to safety only for him to vanish on her this time.

Dwelling on it would not help at all so he shakes his head, pushing the thoughts away, getting up and moving closer to the fire, dropping down to sit beside someone that doesn't seem to be actively engaged in a conversation with another, two bottles of soda in hand, holding one out with a sheepish -ha!- smile.]

Hey... kinda weird, isn't it?

winding down;

[transfusionem]

[The woman takes the bottle, smiling back. Orange ears have sprouted from her black hair, and a black, fluffy tail with a white tip is waving behind her. She seems to be...taking things well, all things considered.]

What, showing up on deserted islands with new parts isn't something that happens to you every day?

[She grins at him, cheeky.]

...Yeah, it's a little odd.

[starsenal]

[He snorts a soft laugh, shaking his head. The motion ends up exaggerated because of the additional weight of the thick ram's horns that keep unbalancing him.]

In my experience? New parts are not a good thing.

[The very thought of it makes him shudder.]

[transfusionem]

I think that's just about everyone's experience.

[A pause, as her ears twitch.]

...Though I don't have any experience with that myself.

[starsenal]

Good. I... wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[His expression darkens, bright blue gaze drifting away.]

These, at least, seem harmless. For now.

[transfusionem]

[...Hm! That's curious, isn't it?]

Yeah...

[She shifts, looking over at him.]

I dunno. If you hit someone with those you'd probably knock them out cold.

Gifts

[turntoashes]

[. . .]

How did that even fit in that box?

[starsenal]

[Chris looks absolutely flabbergasted.]

I- I don't...

[He starts to laugh to himself. This just keeps getting more ridiculous.]

I have no idea but if I'd known that I sure as hell would have moved the box so I don't have to move the couch.

[turntoashes]

Can you get the couch back in the box?

[Seriously. How?!]

[starsenal]

[He flashes a startled look at Lio, then looks back at the couch.]

Where would you even start?

[turntoashes]

It got in there somehow! There has to be a way to get it back in there.

Mysterious Gifts

[monstersitter]

Oh, how lucky! Couches are so nice to have, especially with how little we have nowadays!

[Chris might be dumbfounded at this shit, but the nice frog lady to the side sure doesn't seem to see the problem.]

I'm so sorry she freaks him out

[starsenal]

[He's over here assuming she was a normal person before and quietly thankful that his weird pieces are at least still mammalian. Sweet as she is though he can't help thinking of Hunters and those god awful giant toads... It reminds him of Arklay, of Antartica, of so many places in between.

It's not her fault. She's trying to be nice.

He doesn't quite look at her, can't hold a conversation and look into her strange amphibian eyes.]

Y-yeah... I guess so. It's no bed but it's better than the ground.

it's that RE trauma lmao.... you can do it chris

[monstersitter]

Perhaps the next one will be a bed! It would certainly be an interesting and innovative way to move things around, don't you think?

[Still, she does pick up on his unease... It's not that hard to miss. Well, this is something Frog Girl is more than used to. She was a monster of the second floor. While some people had adjusted to the presence of creatures like herself, others still needed a moment, especially with something different from the goblins they'd previously faced.]

[so she just politely keeps her distance, looking over the couch.]

Now it's simply a matter of getting it around.

[x] doubt

[starsenal]

I should be able to move it pretty easily.

[The only trouble was hefting an entire couch onto his shoulders would put him at a disadvantage if he were attacked. If.... they? were attacked. She seemed nice enough but it was hard not to look at her and see a potential enemy. Then again... it was hard to look at anyone and not see a potential enemy.]

At the very least we should try to find some shelter for it. It's not going to do us any good to have a soggy couch next time it rains.

[monstersitter]

That's true... Oh! [She presses the tips of her fingers together.] I saw some trees that would be absolutely perfect, lined together in a row. They shouldn't be far, and then we can get it to some place better at a later date.

[Because if he's this strong, well, it's good to see just how much. It might be good for her later down the line too; she's only a simple mob monster. Impressive strength was never on her stat card.]

Would you like to move it, and I can show you the way?

Winding down

[jokedout]

It's super fucking weird! You got me. I don't even know where to begin.

[Ellie puffs her cheeks up and then grumbles uncomfortably. It's too quiet. This is almost eerie in a way. She can't hear the sounds of anything suspicious nearby. They might be safe for now, but she refuses to let her guard down. ]

Everything is way too...peaceful. I'm probably going crazy or something. Shit.

[starsenal]

Right??

[He laughs a little, relieved that someone else seems to think it's too peaceful.]

I keep thinking I hear... something? No idea what but this is too good to be true y'know?

[A pause, a playful smile. She reminds him of Claire already.]

Language.

[jokedout]

Yo, dude. I talk like this all the time what's it to you?

[Ellie is a vulgar child with little to no manners. ]

I mean, fuck. I haven't seen anything dangerous here. That must be a good thing.

[starsenal]

Just figured someone should mention it.

[Chris smirks, trying not to outright grin at her rebellion. Oh yeah, just like Claire. But he lifts his hands in a helpless shrug, not his place to enforce it.]

Nothing.... abnormal at least. Saw a few scorpions. Just scorpions. Nothing mutated.

[jokedout]

Scorpions are super creepy. We just need to be careful around them. Keep our distance.

[She raises a brow when Chris mentions mutated beings and other abnormalities. That interests her a lot.]

I hope there aren't any monsters down here.

[Chris kind of reminds her of Joel in some ways. She finds these types of conversations familiar.]

Gotta catch 'em all

[gohomeivar]

[And here's Milla with no fear, net ready. Not this time, scorpion. Not this time.]

I've dealt with worse things than this. [Sorry, Chris. She's a stubborn protag. What can you expect?]

[starsenal]

[He looks over at her, surprised and appraising. If she looks like she can actually handle herself or has any kind of combat experience then... well then he won't necessarily interfere but he's still on high alert.]

Do you-

Is that a net!?

[gohomeivar]

Indeed. I didn't think these would be that helpful but...

[And the scorpion is on the offensive and.... caught. No problem.]

Seems they're more useful than I first gave them credit for.

[starsenal]

[Okay so... maybe she can handle herself. Sure. ]

And what're you gonna do with it now that it's- [One skitters a little too close for comfort and Chris is quick to stomp on it, crushing the bug just as easily as a zombie's skull.] -caught?