test drive meme
Hello, and welcome to Vella's TDM! As a reminder, this game is invite-only and open to anyone on the mods' timelines: Cocoamplitude , 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.

Lio Fotia | Promare
[So. There is something floating up in the sky. Something that Lio is curious about. Problem: Lio is on the ground, is very short, and is also sans slingshot.
But there's a convenient pine tree right there, so what other option is there but to climb the tree and proceed to get stuck at the top. Because of course he would, especially with those cat ears and that cat tail and his relationship with firefighters.
You may find a pine cone chucked at your head if you're passing by.]
Hey. Do you have a ladder?
Questing
[Lio's tail twitches in agitation as he looks around at the veritable garden of weeds that is currently this island. The guy wants twenty weeds? Fine, sure, Lio will happily help him out. But...]
I don't think this is going to help anyone. We need a fire to get ride of all of these weeds.
[Lio no.]
Winding Down
[The second someone mentioned maybe getting a beach bonfire going, Lio volunteered. It's...very different without his powers, but it's still a fire. It's still familiar. He goes around, getting sticks and logs and discarded bits of paper for the fire and soon it's crackling on the beach.
And Lio's just watching it, oddly at peace. A shame it's a boring orange though...]
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[Because, ow? Lio get your shit together? This woman didn't ask to be assaulted with pinecones....]
[And yet she still wanders over to see just what the ruckus is, and tilts her head curiously to the side. Oh, right, she can talk to people here - ]
You can't jump down?
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[Don't ask questions, get a ladder.]
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[Whoops?]
Are you going to help or not?
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questing
[ which is a very good point. ]
...We give him the weeds, get the reward, and then burn them all after.
[ NO...... ]
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[LIO NO]
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[ why...why are you guys like this ]
The old-fashioned way.
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Though that comment has Lio frowning.]
...I thought matches were old-fashioned?
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QUESTING
[Ellie actually considers that idea for a minute. Yeah, it sounds like way too much. ]
Hey man, if you need help pulling out weeds I'm here for you.
[She's trying to be helpful and not destructive for once.]
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[Just saying.]
But I'll take the help. He didn't say if he wanted these in pristine condition or just the leaves or anything...
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[He does make a good point though.]
We'll just pick up some shitty weeds and get this over with. Hey, what's your name? I'm Ellie.
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[Please ignore the cat ears. But anyway, he will start to try and pluck the weeds and not just their leaves. That's how this works, right?]
Matches would work too.
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mysterious gift
...
Oh.]
I do, yes, but... [How does she put it gently--it's Deirdre, she doesn't.] How on earth did you manage to get up there in the first place?
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[And now he can't climb down.]
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[...You know what, heck it. Deirdre will set the ladder up so he can climb on down.]
Please, do try to be more careful in the future...what were you even trying to accomplish?
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[Ask him no questions, he'll tell you no lies. But Lio will start to climb down.]
Trying to get one of those packages on the balloons.
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Questing
[Milla no.]
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If who was here?
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winding down
[Byleth may have been the one who directly mentioned getting the fire going, she may not have, but she was definitely part of the group discussing it. Whether or not she was the one to bring it up, she's sitting near it, impassive as she roasts fish and apples.]
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[Whichever gets the job done.]
I'd say perhaps we could ask someone about the matches, but I don't know who we would ask. I have a feeling it would be something of a long shot anyway...
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