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

Comments

[turntoashes]

I was trying to get your attention. But what do you need help with?

[monstersitter]

[you have a mouth for yelling, lio, but okay]

I just need help gathering some food for dinner, and could use a pair of helping hands to carry things. That doesn't sound too hard, does it?

[turntoashes]

I can do that. Just help me get down from here.

[monstersitter]

Of course. I'll be back in just a moment.

[And she goes hopping off!]

[...And hopping back in pretty quick time. Whatever you say about the Koizumi family, it's that the dad of the family sure has had them learn how to be quick for all sorts of ridiculous and successful schemes.]

Here we go~. Oh, my name is Frog Girl Koizumi, by the way. I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner.

[turntoashes]

Lio Fotia.

[He'll just wait for the ladder before he starts climbing down.]

I was trying to get one of those packages in the sky.

[monstersitter]

Oh my, I've seen those.

[Once Lio is done again, she picks up the ladder.]

I've gotten a few myself, for when I see my daughters again. Climbing seems as though it would require quite a bit more luck for one to suddenly go floating by....

[turntoashes]

They seem to go by pretty frequently, and I don't have another way to get them down.

[monstersitter]

Oh, I've just been using my tongue.

[Like that's not a thing she said, Frog Girl begins to carry the ladder back to her home.]

I'd offer to help, but I'm not sure how much free time you have to keep owing things to me!

[turntoashes]

[...well, she is a frog. Frogs have tongues that can do that. Lio will just follow after her, since he did agree to help with her groceries.]

You don't do anything just to help people, do you?

[monstersitter]

Oh, no. My husband says that's an amateur mistake. He's a business man, you see.

Or, well, he was! Now he's the demon lord.

[She blushes demurely and turns her head to the side at the boasting.]

[turntoashes]

It's also called just being a good person. Not everything needs to benefit you.

[monstersitter]

Do you think?

[She tilts her head to the side thoughtfully, adjusting the ladder.]

That's not something I often saw. Then again, I suppose with the kind of people who showed up, that would make sense.

[turntoashes]

Where did you live that no one wanted to help anyone else?

[Even in Promepolis, people were mostly decent if you weren't Burnish or they weren't a Grade A Asshole.]

[monstersitter]

A dungeon.

[You know, perfectly average place to live.]

I was born and raised there, you know, hee! I was perfectly happy to be a simple mob monster, but my son has actually grown up to be a floor boss! He's so talented! Oh, but some people still get past him now and then.

Well, that's how it should be, I suppose, or else my husband would have nothing to do.

[turntoashes]

[...give him a second.]

Dungeon? Boss monster? What?

[monstersitter]

[He can have all the second he needs. They're coming upon her rather plain residence, and Frog Girl takes advantage of his stunned silence to prop the ladder up against the side.]

Oh, well, do you know what a dungeon is?

[They'll start small. She has no idea how familiar anyone is with the dungeon afterlife pipeline. Certainly a lot of people here don't seem like they died!]

[turntoashes]

Only in the historical way.

[And maybe the...adult way, thanks Meis.]

[monstersitter]

Well, the dungeon I grew up in is quite different, I would imagine.

[Everyone seems to be from a lot of different places, after all. Also, not an adult dungeon in any meaning of the word.]

At its core... A dungeon an underground place, with numerous floors that lead people deeper and deeper down. Each floor has a different look and different monsters, although many have tunnels or large stone hallways.

I believe every floor should have at least one very large space, so that people can make buildings for inns, or shops.

That's clear so far, isn't it?

[turntoashes]

[He nods.]

So far, yeah. An underground city, basically?

[monstersitter]

That's right. Each floor tends to have its own unique monster population as well. There are floors with a tendency towards goblins, while another floor has slimes.

[She gestures to herself.]

I was a monster of the second floor; this is how I've always looked like.

[turntoashes]

Huh.

[Alright then. Explains her name.]

Lucky you, the cat ears are new for me. But what's a boss monster?

[monstersitter]

[Monsters are, unfortunately, not very creative sometimes.]

A floor boss monster is a special type of monster that's far stronger than the regular mobs which resides in the rest of the floor, and they guard the door that would lead to the next floor down. If anyone wishes to move on further, then they have to defeat the boss.

It's a very important position, you see.

[turntoashes]

I...see. Why can't people just go down to whatever floor again?

[monstersitter]

It's meant to be a challenge. You see, the dungeon is for people who've died!

[ :) ]

[turntoashes]

...that doesn't make it make any more sense.