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

Tressa Colzione | Octopath Traveler | OTA

[eyeformoney]

A - A Mysterious Gift

[It's a gradual process, getting used to life on this strange island. The peacefulness helped a lot, but even so, Tressa has been itching for some excitement, something new, something...

Well, maybe not exactly like balloons carrying gifts across the sky, but it's a start!

Maybe you're walking by a tree and hear it rustling - if you look up, you'll see Tressa, having pulled herself up into the branches to get a closer shot with...a very makeshift bow with an even more makeshift arrow. Seriously, can that thing even take down a balloon? You're about to find out, as an arrow is set loose and...arcs wide, missing the balloon and package entirely.]

Darn it...

[Tressa notches another one, lets it fly...it hits the package, jostling the present's trajectory and sets it higher up on the wind current.]

Darn it!

[Oh my Gods, does she try]

B - Gotta Catch 'Em All

Step right up, folks! Hungry for a fresh catch of the day? Have I got the deal for you!

[Looks like Tressa's set up shop along the riverside, quite literally. There's a campfire nearby with freshly caught black bass roasting on sticks, and a crafted stall with "TRESSA'S" painted across the base. While the area smells literally fishy, it's clear that each roasted bass she has for sale is clean, and it does look fairly delicious. Growing up in a coastal town has its benefits.]

I'm offering each of these for fifty bells! You don't have to catch it yourself, I've got plenty to spare!

[Seriously, this is the only thing she's been getting from the river, and the resale is a pittance. Doing something helpful and industrious is much more fun.]

C - Henry's Quest

It just doesn't feel like a fair trade...

[Pick some weeds and get some of those iron nuggs? Sounds like the best sort of deal, if you ask me! But if you ask Tressa, you'll find her gently trying to convince Henry to, uh. To "up his price".]

There's weeds all over, and you can collect so many so quickly. Are you sure you don't need anything else? I can't just take ten whole pieces of iron for weeds...

[She's going to ruin it for all of you if she manages to convince Henry of the worth of his nuggs. You, uh, may want to stop her? Definitely stop her, this is too honest and earnest to be beneficial to anyone but Henry.]

D - Winding Down

[The sky here is incredible.

It's like being on the road in Orsterra all over again, camping in the Coastlands and settling around a campfire with the friends she'd made. The deep darkness of the night pinpricked by stars after a cozy sunset and the pink-orange melting beyond the horizon has put her in a contemplative mood, and she lays back in the sand with her merchant's cap clutched over her chest, taking in the view.]

I guess it's not so bad, to be here. [Is she talking to you? Yes, she's turned to look at you, if you're sitting nearby.] Something tells me we could've ended up somewhere a lot worse than a deserted island with animal-people. Even if it's weird.

[Agree with such an optimistic sentiment? Or do you disagree and have been waiting for a chance to vent to someone? Tressa's got open ears!]

C

[monstersitter]

[Oh girl. Oh baby. No.]

[Someone clearly has to stop this from happening, because it's already a pretty good deal as it is.... Frog Girl decides to take a step in.]

Excuse me, dear? I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping you could help me with somethnig...

[look at this sweet frog lady with a handkerchief headband. You couldn't refuse her, could you, Tressa?]

:3

[eyeformoney]

[Oh!!

No absolutely not she cannot refuse her!]

Oh, sure - Henry, I'll see you later?

[He says sure, see you later Tressa, and this well-meaning human is now Frog Girl's attentive audience.]

What's up?

>:3

[monstersitter]

I was hoping to get your opinion on some fish down by the river...

[Gently, so that her froggy fingers don't stick to Tress's arms, she begins to guide her new human friend along.]

Oh, and I did want to offer some advice, although I don't want to be presumptuous and just force it on you!

[eyeformoney]

Of course! Which ones?

[Sticky is not an issue, she really doesn't mind? But the care is appreciated all the same.]

Oh...?

[monstersitter]

More than a few had brown scales... But, well, we can see when we get there.

[In the meanwhile... Frog Girl leans close, one hand covering her mouth a little bit.]

I know you didn't mean it, but you were being just a little rude back there with Mr. Henry.

[eyeformoney]

Huh?

[Blinks]

I was? How?

[How is trying to pay someone what their goods are worth rude?]

[monstersitter]

Well, don't you see what he was doing?

[She holds up one froggy finger.]

It was charity!

[This is complete b.s. She has no idea. But her husband has definitely extolled to her the virtues of such wording before.]

b (not apping, just voice testing!)

[brawldarius]

No.

[ he sounds and looks so unimpressed. ]

Why would I spend currency on a sea bass when I can easily get one myself?

[ guess who has...one too many sea bass... ]

[eyeformoney]

It's not a sea bass, it's a black bass.

[Semantics.]

Because these ones are already cooked for you, of course!

[brawldarius]

Same thing.

[ no, they're not, but okay felix...... ]

And I can cook them myself, too. If you want to offer a service to people, you're going to have to do better than that.

[eyeformoney]

[Pout!!!]

I'd say this is a pretty good deal, all things considered! I could be upcharging!

d

[sugooooooooi]

Is it weird?

[Serval sniffs and looks over from digging in the sand.]

I think it's lots of fun! And I've never seen so many humans!

[She says, even if there aren't many...]

[eyeformoney]

A little bit, yeah. Back home, creatures similar to the locals here...well, they're not usually so friendly.

[Translation: they're monsters, we fight them]

Are humans rare where you're from?

[sugooooooooi]

Yeah! My friend and I were looking for some. She's a human but also a Friend, like me! Maybe it's like how some of you said you were turned into animals. But if humans are still around, we wanted to find them!

[eyeformoney]

[A human but also a Friend...?]

Did you find any?

[sugooooooooi]

Not yet! We'd just gone off to look, and then I came here with you all. And I guess this isn't the same as home, is it? But there's humans anyway, so it's too bad she's not here.

[eyeformoney]

Ah...yeah, that's a shame. If she were here, then you'd have both found the humans you've been looking for!

B

[gohomeivar]

[And Milla is obviously in it for the food, especially if she's not the one cooking it.]

I'll take two.

[eyeformoney]

No problem! Here you go...

[Two black bass on skewers, freshly cooked! Looks like...the seasoning is basic salt and pepper, but that's much better than none at all, right?

Tressa waits quietly for her 100 bells.]

[gohomeivar]

[Does she have the bells to pay her? Yes, of course. Should she be using her bells like this? Probably not. Is she going to do it anyway? Yeeeeppp. So she'll hand over the bells in exchange for the fish.

Whether or not it was properly seasoned doesn't seem to bother her though.]

Thanks.

[eyeformoney]

You're welcome - and thank you! I hope you like 'em!

[What are you talking about, you're supporting a local business! That's a valid way to spend one's bells.]

Tell me what you think, okay?

[gohomeivar]

[That's a valid point.]

Hm... It could be better, but it's definitely tasty.

[eyeformoney]

Oh? What's...uh, lacking?

[Not to put Milla on the spot but customer feedback is important for growth!]

D

[whereswalder]

[Welp, Walder nods enthusiastically, actually!]

Indeed it isn't! Even with the oddities, it's nice to be somewhere with pristine wilderness and... not too many people! We could be trapped in some horrible industrial wasteland.