Turtle and Tortoise Time with Strange Creature - CLOSED, everyone won something!

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Strange Creature’s reptile petting zoo is back again, but this time instead of wooden pilings creating a fence, there’s a low earthen wall surrounding a grassy paddock. Huge, slow-blinking eyes set in massive blocky heads rise up above the wall, staring softly at you.

That’s right, it’s turtles and tortoises this year!

“Welcome!” Strange Creature says, nudging a pile of hibiscus blossoms in your direction. “We’re taking it slow this year. Really slow. In fact, so slow, my booth helpers haven’t even shown up yet! But don’t worry, they’ll get here.”

[Scaramouche Fandango]

How to Play
Each week, there will be a new set of games up. You can enter the games at any time during the course of the winter market. Playing games gets you hibiscus flowers for the final raffle for the booth helpers (don’t worry, they’re coming) and the remaining picks from the prize pool.

However, there is also a raffle each week among that game’s entrants for a prize pick! So it pays to do the weekly games and not just wait until the very end.

(There will be one daily-style game, because this wouldn’t be a Strange Creature petting zoo/adoption emporium without daily trivia… but that’ll be the last game, at the very end. And this year we’re doing a “slow trivia” too, during the second week!)


Ticket Types
This might be where things get a little confusing, so don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Each week, you can earn tickets for the weekly raffle and tickets for the end raffle- at the same time! In-universe, this comes in the form of hibiscus flowers and hay.

Hibiscus flowers are for the final raffle, and you can generally earn five per week. Hibiscus opportunities do not expire- you can do all three of the first events on the last day and still earn 15 tickets. The only week where hibiscus tickets are different is the final week with the final trivia game, where you are on a bit of a timer.

Hay is for the weekly raffles. Hay doesn’t carry over, so you won’t be super behind if you miss a day or a week. The way you earn hay is a little variable- some weeks you can earn more hay than others. But it doesn’t carry over. You can only earn hay the week of the raffle; if you save all the activities for the last day of Winter Market, you won’t retroactively earn hay, or earn hay for that week’s raffle.

Posting
The first post you make in this thread shouldn't be an entry- instead, it should be your scorecard for the final raffle! You're in charge of updating this as you do prompts and activities. Remember, you can do the first three games at any point in time once they're released. (If you do the first trivia test after its runtime, you won't have to wait long for your score- I'll be checking pretty much daily.)

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[b][size=140][color=darkred]HIBISCUS COLLECTION CARD[/color][/size]
[b]Username: [/b]
[u]Game 1: Conservation Station[/u]
[I]Delete as necesssary[/i]
[url=postlink]Entry 1[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 2[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 3[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 4[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 5[/url]
***
[u]Game 2: Test Your Knowledge[/u]
Scara said I get [b]NUMBER[/b] hibiscus blossoms! 
***
[u]Game 3: What's In The Burrow?[/u]
[i]Delete as necessary; if you rolled all 7 at once, just put them all in one link[/i]
[url=postlink]Entry 1[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 2[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 3[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 4[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 5[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 6[/url]
[url=postlink]Entry 7[/url]
***
[u]Game 4: The World Famous Reptile Trivia Game[/u]
Scara said I get [b]NUMBER[/b] hibiscus blossoms! 

Each game will have its own entry code, so you'll link to the posts you make in your scorecard.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"I'm sure you're interested in seeing all of our fine scaled friends here!" says Strange Creature, as she gestures to the paddock. "As you can see, we have several delightful tortoises. And... well, we'll have some turtles. Eventually. I promise. It's just... well, turtles and tortoises are... famously slow. They'll get here when they get here. And if there isn't a tortoise to your liking, well, why not talk to one of my booth helpers? I had this lovely family of Totoma, wonderful tortoise tamers the lot of them, but like I said, tortoises aren't known for speed- but that's ok, because I found plenty of new friends to help out around here!


Tortoise 1 | Tortoise 2 | Tortoise 3 | Tortoise 4


Tortoise 5 | Tortoise 6 | Tortoise 8


Moss Turtle 3 | Moss Turtle 4


Moss Turtle 5 | Moss Turtle 7


Kimeti 1


Perfectly Normal Turtle 2



Tortoma 1 | Tortoma 2 | Tortoma 3 | Tortoma 4

How the Prize Pool Works
Each week, there will be 3 weekly raffle winners, with occasional additions to the prize pool. The final game- speed trivia- gives the winner first pick of the booth helpers (who aren't here yet, they're coming with their turtles!), and then three weekly winners will be drawn after that. Then, the final raffle will be for the remaining booth helpers and the remaining prize pool prizes.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"Have you found the perfect pet? Pose with them here!" Strange Creature beams and gleams. She loves seeing kin go home with their new best friends.

Each person can win one kin and one familiar from the weekly raffles and one prize from the end raffle. If you win a weekly raffle and you've already won a kin and a familiar, Strange Creature will find something else to give you. Probably pebbles. Maybe some eggs, who knows.

Ruriska:

Kalahari:

AMItotic:

HuniPi:

Tiarana:

LilacFishie:

Anhelisk:

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Wondering what the schedule is? Take a look!

• Monday, November 26: Game 1: Conservation Station opens
• Sunday, December 3: Game 1: Conservation Station closes
• Monday, December 4: Week 1 raffle is rolled, Game 2: Test Your Knowledge opens
• Sunday, December 10: Game 2, Test Your Knowledge closes
• Monday, December 11: Week 2 raffle is rolled, Game 3: What's In The Burrow? opens
• Sunday, December 17: Game 3, What's in the Burrow? closes
• Monday, December 18: Week 3 raffle is rolled, Game 4: Speed Trivia opens
• Closing Date: TBD pending travel

Speed trivia questions will post in the evenings of December 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, and four more that will be determined once I figure out what days I'm traveling.
(December 24 will be skipped because Christmas Eve in the Fandango household is... a production, and December 25 will also be skipped because it's Christmas and I'm gonna be messed up on hot chocolate and my 49th consecutive viewing of Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas.)


Want to get a forum notification when a new game is posted and when there's 24 hours left until a game closes? Post this in-thread to get added to the ping list!

Code: Select all

[quote="Scaramouche Fandango"]Ping me, please![/quote]

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Strange Creature spits out a piece of chalk and points to a drawing she did of a turtle on a stone. “You know, when we saw those flashes of light, I saw a horrible vision, a world unlike ours. It was a horrible world, where many turtles and tortoises are endangered. In this version of the world, the dominant species doesn’t care for their environment and due to habitat loss, they’re at risk of losing many of their chelonians?? It was a horrible vision!” Strange Creature shakes her head. “Can you imagine a world without the different kinds of turtles and tortoises? Let's not do that! Instead, let's practice studying and appreciating the ones we have- I'm sure they'd all love to model for you!

For this game, you can color three turtles/tortoises AND draw two, earning up to five hibiscus flowers for the final raffle. There are six coloring sheets and five sets of drawing instructions.

Each entry also earns you a piece of hay, so up to 5 this week. Simple!

To enter, simply post your images in the thread- no form necessary. You can edit these however you like- if you want to add stuff, take stuff away, do whatever! You should be able to paint bucket these if you want. You don't have to do anything fancy- just color some shelled friends. You can post all of your images in one post, or you can post them separately. Whatever you want!


Turtle Coloring Sheets and Drawing Instructions
Click the thumbnails to get the full-sized image!

How To Draw a Galapagos Tortoise - click for instructions!

Spoiler

1. Start by drawing a P with a long, slightly curved tail. Don’t close the P all the way!
2. Draw the bottom of the neck by making a curved line under the tail of the P. This forms the neck.
3. Draw an open rectangle for the front leg. Connect it to the bottom of the neck.
4. Draw an open rectangle behind the front leg. This is the back leg.
5. Draw a line with curved-in ends- kind of like a weird C, or an untwisted paperclip. This is the bottom of the shell. It should sit on the legs and go up towards the neck.
6. Draw an angled C-shaped line on top of the odd curved line you just drew. This is the top of the shell.
7. Connect the curved-in ends of the bottom of the shell with a curved line (with the curve going down). Add lines to create the outer rim scales.
8. Draw a Y-shape to segment the top of the shell.
9. Add the facial details: a round eye towards the back of the head, a nostril at the very end of the nose, and a mouth. The mouth should have a bit of a point to it. Look at the pictures for different mouth shapes and options, as well as more detail you can add like scales and claws.

How to Draw a Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle - click for instructions!

Spoiler

1. Start by drawing a pistachio shape.
2. At the pointy end of the pistachio, draw two curved triangles for rear flippers.
3. At either side of the broad end, draw the front flippers. You can draw them however you like; however, it’s easy to have one that’s a long curved triangle pointing down and one a curved triangle with a bend in it. This makes it look like your turtle is swimming.
4. Draw a triangular tail at the very pointy end of the pistachio, and draw a fat kind of bent oval for the head.
5. Draw the face, eyes, and shell detail. To draw the shell, draw an oblong hexagon in the middle of the pistachio and draw lines from it radiating across the pistachio. For the face, the nose should be at the end of the head, and the mouth should be a pointed V with a curve for the smiling appearance. You can draw the eye however you want; there’s some examples here.

How to Draw a Snake-Naked Turtle - click for instructions!

Spoiler

1. Draw an S.
2. Draw a second S next to the first S.
3. Draw a flattened oval connecting the two S shapes at the bottom.
4. Draw a tall oval at the top of the two S shapes for the shell.
5. Draw the legs by drawing two curved lines for the outside of each leg and three short lines to represent the inner claws. See the example for a better idea of how to put these together.
6. Draw a tall hexagon with lines extending from the corners for the shell design and put the face on the turtle. It should look somewhat deranged, because that’s just how snake-necked turtles look. The mouth should be a smile with a V-shaped beak in the middle, and the nose should have two nostrils and a curved line over top of them to give it depth.

“Feel like a real challenge? A garbled oracle told me of these creatures, although I did not see them for myself. What could they be?”

Yes, these drawing instructions came from Chat GPT. Good luck. Results may vary. There's another

How to Draw Mystery Turtle A - click for instructions!

Spoiler

1. Begin by drawing a circular shape near the top of your paper.
2. Extend two small, rounded shapes on each side of the circle to create the head and cheeks.
3. From the bottom of the circle, draw a slightly flattened oval shape for the body.
4. Add four short, stubby limbs extending from the body.
5. Draw a small, curled tail at the back of the body.
6. Create facial features: Draw two large, circular eyes with pupils and reflections. Below the eyes, add a small curved line for the mouth.
7. On top of the head, draw two pointy shapes for the ears.
8. Add details to the body by drawing the shell: a series of curves or lines on the back.
9. Give definition to the limbs by adding small curves or lines for joints and scales.
10. Add any additional details you like, such as scales on the head or patterns on the limbs.

How to Draw Mystery Turtle B - click for instructions!

Spoiler

1. Start by drawing an oval shape in the center of your paper for the turtle's body.
2. Add a smaller oval on top of the first one for the turtle's head.
3. Extend four short lines from the bottom of the body to create the legs.
4. Draw three fingers on each hand, making them slightly rounded.
5. Add feet by drawing three toes on each leg.
6. Create a rounded shell on the turtle's back, extending over the body and head.
7. Add a curved shape on the top of the head.
8. Add facial features: Draw two eyes on the head, and give the turtle a determined expression.
9. Draw the mouth by adding a curved line below the eyes.
10. Add a curved line along the shell to create a separation between the top and bottom parts.
11. Add a rectangular shape around the turtle's waist.
12. Extend the curved line to create a tail behind the turtle.
13. Give definition to the limbs and shell by adding scales, lines, or patterns.

Fun fact: All of these are based on tortoises and turtles I have personally met! Here's where I met them:

• Burmese Star Tortoise: Private conservation breeder, Tinley Park, IL
• Gopher Tortoise: Wild (in the backyard), Sanibel Island, FL
• Alligator Snapping Turtle: Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
• Blanding's Turtle: Wildlife Discovery Center (transferred to Brookfield Zoo), Lake Forest, IL
• McCord's Box Turtle: Mesker Zoo, Evansville, IN
• Sulcata Tortoise: Iguanaland, Punta Gorda, FL (his name is Jasper!)
• Galapagos Tortoise: Potawotami Zoo, South Bend, IN
• Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle: Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL (her name is Pistachio!)
• Snake-necked Turtle: Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, IN

[Scaramouche Fandango]

“Think you know everything there is to know about turtles and tortoises! Prove it! Step right up and answer some questions. There’s twenty of them, all about turtles and tortoises from stories!” Strange Creature is a repository of knowledge about stories about turtles, it seems.

To play this game, go to the Google form here: https://forms.gle/sfMy3oo1heF5Lvqf6

You don’t have to be logged in to an email account, but you do have to give me your full Matope username. Then, give your best responses to the questions! There’s 20 of them, but you only have to answer 1 to get a hibiscus flower. Spelling is not part of this test (except for one question) (you’ll know it when you see it), and if you give an answer that’s not on the list, I’ll make sure to double check it. You can earn up to 5 hibiscus flowers this week.

1 question answered (right or wrong): 1 hibiscus flower
2-9 questions answered right: 2 hibiscus flowers
10-15 questions answered right: 3 hibiscus flowers
16-19 questions answered right: 4 hibiscus flowers
20 questions answered right: 5 hibiscus flowers

For each question you get right, you earn a piece of hay (so up to 20 in this raffle).
Everybody who enters gets a piece of hay, regardless of whether you get the question right or not. You don't have to answer all the questions- answer as many as you feel up to!

At the end of the week, your quiz will be graded- and that's how you'll find out how many tickets you have! If you do this quiz after the week is up, it'll be graded pretty quickly, but I'm not sure of the exact time frame. And at the very end of the Winter Market, the full answers will be posted.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

What’s In The Burrow? Dice Game!

Tortoise burrows aren’t just for tortoises– they’re used by many members of the animal kingdom! This is why tortoises are considered landscape architects. For this game, you’re going to stick your head in a big ol’ tortoise burrow and see what’s inside.

To play this game, roll 7d20 and see what you get.

1. You find a cache of dried grass. Delicious…? 1 piece of hay
2. You find a sleepy tegu. 2 pieces of hay.
3. You find a small bitey mammal and it is furious. 1 piece of hay, and a nosebleed.
4. You find a whole hibernating mini bear. Awww! 2 pieces of hay.
5. You find an awake mini bear. Fortunately, it’s pretty docile. 1 piece of hay.
6. You find a grumpy skunk. OH NO! No pieces of hay.
7. You find a clutch of tortoise eggs. 1 piece of hay.
8. You find a clutch of tortoise eggs… well, the egg shells. You also find a fat tegu. Is this a coincidence? 1 piece of hay.
9. You find a tor- wait no this is a turtle. 2 pieces of hay.
10. You find a tortoise… shell. Oh, this guy’s been dead for a while. 1 piece of hay.
11. You find a pile of miscellaneous small animal bones and several tufts of downy fur. Looks like a small carnivore is using this as a den. 1 piece of hay.
12. You find some marshfowl. You get pecked a little. 2 pieces of hay.
13. You find several stolen items- little trinkets and the like. A rox chitters at you angrily for messing around with its stash. 2 pieces of hay.
14. You find that this hole is just crawling with slugs and snails. Ew. Or delicious, depending on your perspective on escargot. 1 piece of hay, mais oui.
15. You find a pool of muddy water. It could be a refuge during the hot months, but for now, it’s just a mud puddle. 1 piece of hay.
16. You find several tegus and they all want to be your friend. 2 pieces of hay.
17. You find… oh my god someone’s kid is down here, they say they’re playing hide and seek. You don’t need to worry, because tortoise burrows are really stable and more difficult to collapse than most burrows, but like. Wow. A whole child fit in here. 2 pieces of hay.
18. You find nothing; unfortunately, a swan finds you. How did a swan get in here and why does it want to kill you so badly? No pieces of hay, you have to flee the swan.
19. You find a whole bunch of owlcat kittens. They are screaming. 2 pieces of hay and tinnitus.
20. You found a tortoise! A pick from the unedited/familiar prize pool if you’re the first person OR the last person to roll a 20, otherwise 3 pieces of hay.

Once you’re done, fill out this form! You can stick it in a new post or edit or do whatever you want.
I found a lot of stuff!
Roll 1: NUMBER = X pieces of hay
Roll 2: NUMBER = X pieces of hay
Roll 3: NUMBER = X pieces of hay
Roll 4: NUMBER = X pieces of hay
Roll 5: NUMBER = X pieces of hay
Roll 6: NUMBER = X pieces of hay
Roll 7: NUMBER = X pieces of hay

Total pieces of hay: Y pieces of hay

These pieces of hay translate to tickets for the weekly raffle.

Here’s how you’ll get tickets for the end raffle:
If you rolled, you get 2 tickets for the end raffle.
If you RP a reaction, you get 2 extra tickets for the end raffle.
The person with the least amount of hay gets 5 hibiscus flowers. Perseverance pays off!

[Scaramouche Fandango]

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[Scaramouche Fandango]

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[Scaramouche Fandango]