Fandom Island: A Geographical Primer
Thanks to the last couple of BDEs especially, the island of Fandom's undergone some pretty significant changes since the original island layout was drawn up in 2005. With that in mind, we thought we'd put together a post describing those changes as well as some other little interesting tidbits that may have fallen by the wayside over the years. For example, did you know there's a wallaby lurking around the dorms who enjoys magically making people's hair grow? For more information on this and other fascinating facts, read on!
Geography
Campgrounds: Are non-existent as of Summer 2011, thanks to the creepy glowy rock's evil influence.
Causeway: The causeway itself is a land bridge (think long skinny peninsula) leading to the mainland. Following the attack by the Nothing and the Auditors, the parking lot at the end of the causeway was remembered as being clearly on Fandom's side.
Classrooms: In addition to the Home Ec and Journalism rooms, we've got an Art classroom with a pottery kiln, an Auditorium + Drama room with some fully moddable props/costumes for you theatre geeks out there, and any number of nice, normal ... wait, this is Fandom. Any number of deceptively normal looking rooms full of desks and chalkboards! Also, if you're a Teacher's Assistant you've got a key to the aptly named assistant's lounge (fandomassistant). Not to be outdone, of course, the teachers also have a lounge of their very own (fandom_lounge).
Dorms: Each dorm room comes equipped with a lockable door, bed, desk/desk chair, dresser, and closet space for each resident. Additional furniture may, of course, be added should they so choose. Whether the room has an attached bathroom is up to that room's current residents and is not set in stone- for example, Room 324 currently has an attached bathroom. When Warren and Bobby move out and the room is reassigned, the players may decide that their room no longer has an attached bathroom. Also, in addition to the stairs, there is an elevator that will take you to all six floors + the roof (which is where you'll find the Emo Garden).
Flight Shed: You're probably going to have to ask Anakin (of the Skywalker variety, that is) for the key to this one, but it exists and contains fully programmable sims for just about any aircraft you can imagine!
Isle of IKEA: If you don't have a home you can buy one here! Just visible off the northwest coast of Fandom, the Isle of IKEA is reachable via a handwavy ferry-ish boat that'll have plenty of room for you to cart all your purchases back in.
Ingvar Islet: Halfway between IKEA and Fandom is where you'll find wee bb Ingvar, although trips to visit this island are, for the moment, not possible.
Locker 327: Useful if you need a character off-screen for a while but don't feel like sending them home or animal-ifying them, this locker has a portal that'll suck your character in to any number of strange and wonderful dimensions. Like Canada.
Park: Has several notable features besides the pond: a fully-equipped childrens' playground, the Bel-shaped crater, and a tree with pink blossoms that will chase your emo away.
Selkie Lake/Cove/Peak: Once upon a time, there was a place called Selkie Cove off the coast of Fandom. Then the island grew and it became Selkie Peak. After that, the island remembered itself as having a Selkie Cove... and so Selkie Lake was born.
Sixth Floor: So you know about the kitchen, the ballpit, the safe room, and the common room... but there's also a dance floor (with stripper pole AND a disco ball) and an art studio. And then there's the closet in the common room, which opens up into a hallway full of "hypercubed rooms":
Town: The "old" section of town (everything west of Selkie Lake) contains buildings constructed in a style reminiscent of Mont St.-Michel, the place the island was modelled after. That means it's cramped, tiny, and most of the houses are smushed together European-style. On the other hand, the post-expansion portion of the island that appeared during the summer of 2008 has buildings that are constructed in a more modern style (as well as a fancy abandoned warehouse district).
Animal Life (all fully moddable)
Alots: Huge, fuzzy, and generally friendly (if a little grammar-obssessed), these creatures look like a cross between "a bear, a yak and a pug" and appear whenever bad grammar is used. A special kind of alot can also appear if its name happens to be your grammar crime- such as the Alot of fire. The possibilities are endless- Alot of candy, Alot of beer, and of course, the terrifying prospect of Alot of gremlins.
Ducks: They're ducks. Rather ornery ducks, as it happens.
Earl the Miniature Giraffe: Earl lives in one of the "weird" rooms up on the sixth floor, and he's very friendly. Just don't mention his height. At a mere seven feet tall, he's rather miniscule for a giraffe and is known to be rather sensitive about it.
Flamingos: Imported to Fandom by Leto Atreides, these birds have made the pond their home... much to the chagrin of the ducks.
Furry Fish: Making their home in the stream that runs through the Preserve, these are just... fish. With fur.
Hair-Cutting Aardvark: There's an aardvark that lives in the dorms that likes to sneak into peoples' rooms at night and cut their hair. Mostly it's an excuse to use icons of your PB that you might not get to otherwise if you stick strictly to their canon hairstyle.
Hair-Growing Wallaby: The aardvark's nemesis, this creature sneaks around and grows peoples' hair out. Again, it can be employed to make use of icons you might otherwise not get to use... or to re-grow your character's hair after the aardvark's been at it.
Geography
Campgrounds: Are non-existent as of Summer 2011, thanks to the creepy glowy rock's evil influence.
Causeway: The causeway itself is a land bridge (think long skinny peninsula) leading to the mainland. Following the attack by the Nothing and the Auditors, the parking lot at the end of the causeway was remembered as being clearly on Fandom's side.
Classrooms: In addition to the Home Ec and Journalism rooms, we've got an Art classroom with a pottery kiln, an Auditorium + Drama room with some fully moddable props/costumes for you theatre geeks out there, and any number of nice, normal ... wait, this is Fandom. Any number of deceptively normal looking rooms full of desks and chalkboards! Also, if you're a Teacher's Assistant you've got a key to the aptly named assistant's lounge (fandomassistant). Not to be outdone, of course, the teachers also have a lounge of their very own (fandom_lounge).
Dorms: Each dorm room comes equipped with a lockable door, bed, desk/desk chair, dresser, and closet space for each resident. Additional furniture may, of course, be added should they so choose. Whether the room has an attached bathroom is up to that room's current residents and is not set in stone- for example, Room 324 currently has an attached bathroom. When Warren and Bobby move out and the room is reassigned, the players may decide that their room no longer has an attached bathroom. Also, in addition to the stairs, there is an elevator that will take you to all six floors + the roof (which is where you'll find the Emo Garden).
Flight Shed: You're probably going to have to ask Anakin (of the Skywalker variety, that is) for the key to this one, but it exists and contains fully programmable sims for just about any aircraft you can imagine!
Isle of IKEA: If you don't have a home you can buy one here! Just visible off the northwest coast of Fandom, the Isle of IKEA is reachable via a handwavy ferry-ish boat that'll have plenty of room for you to cart all your purchases back in.
Ingvar Islet: Halfway between IKEA and Fandom is where you'll find wee bb Ingvar, although trips to visit this island are, for the moment, not possible.
Locker 327: Useful if you need a character off-screen for a while but don't feel like sending them home or animal-ifying them, this locker has a portal that'll suck your character in to any number of strange and wonderful dimensions. Like Canada.
Park: Has several notable features besides the pond: a fully-equipped childrens' playground, the Bel-shaped crater, and a tree with pink blossoms that will chase your emo away.
Selkie Lake/Cove/Peak: Once upon a time, there was a place called Selkie Cove off the coast of Fandom. Then the island grew and it became Selkie Peak. After that, the island remembered itself as having a Selkie Cove... and so Selkie Lake was born.
Sixth Floor: So you know about the kitchen, the ballpit, the safe room, and the common room... but there's also a dance floor (with stripper pole AND a disco ball) and an art studio. And then there's the closet in the common room, which opens up into a hallway full of "hypercubed rooms":
- 610: Upside-down Clouds Room: This room is filled with big, fluffy, solid-enough-to-walk on clouds. And if you look up (waaaaay up), you'll see... the lawn of the dorms? Yes, really.
- 611: Giant Room: This room is basically a normal dorm room, except that all the furniture is several stories tall.
- 612: Anti-Gravity Room: Step inside, and suddenly you're floating around, weightless!
- 613: Opens up into a hallway full of an infinite series of more rooms, starting with 613 1/2:
- 613 1/2: Unexplored.
- 613 1/4: Earl the miniature giraffe lives here, in a room that looks like an African savannah.
- 613 1/8: Chutes and Ladders: Or, you know. Waterslides. Dozens of different kinds of waterslides!
- 613 1/16: Super Mario Bros Room: Those characters who were around for a certain BDE may find themselves experiencing an odd sense of deja vu in this room, as they're transported into what appears to be the first level of a certain video game.
- 613 1/32 & beyond: Unexplored.
- 614: Room of Boy (and girl!) kissy: What it says on the tin. So far, the only known way out of this room is to make out with someone of the same gender. It helps if there's already some UST. No word yet on what happens if a mixed-gender pair wanders up there. Perhaps someone should find out!
Town: The "old" section of town (everything west of Selkie Lake) contains buildings constructed in a style reminiscent of Mont St.-Michel, the place the island was modelled after. That means it's cramped, tiny, and most of the houses are smushed together European-style. On the other hand, the post-expansion portion of the island that appeared during the summer of 2008 has buildings that are constructed in a more modern style (as well as a fancy abandoned warehouse district).
Animal Life (all fully moddable)
Alots: Huge, fuzzy, and generally friendly (if a little grammar-obssessed), these creatures look like a cross between "a bear, a yak and a pug" and appear whenever bad grammar is used. A special kind of alot can also appear if its name happens to be your grammar crime- such as the Alot of fire. The possibilities are endless- Alot of candy, Alot of beer, and of course, the terrifying prospect of Alot of gremlins.
Ducks: They're ducks. Rather ornery ducks, as it happens.
Earl the Miniature Giraffe: Earl lives in one of the "weird" rooms up on the sixth floor, and he's very friendly. Just don't mention his height. At a mere seven feet tall, he's rather miniscule for a giraffe and is known to be rather sensitive about it.
Flamingos: Imported to Fandom by Leto Atreides, these birds have made the pond their home... much to the chagrin of the ducks.
Furry Fish: Making their home in the stream that runs through the Preserve, these are just... fish. With fur.
Hair-Cutting Aardvark: There's an aardvark that lives in the dorms that likes to sneak into peoples' rooms at night and cut their hair. Mostly it's an excuse to use icons of your PB that you might not get to otherwise if you stick strictly to their canon hairstyle.
Hair-Growing Wallaby: The aardvark's nemesis, this creature sneaks around and grows peoples' hair out. Again, it can be employed to make use of icons you might otherwise not get to use... or to re-grow your character's hair after the aardvark's been at it.