royalooc | Test Drive Meme #2: Fallow

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Test Drive Meme #2: Fallow

TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to the Royal Decree Test Drive Meme!

If you're new here – hi, hello, welcome! This is your chance to give your potential character a little test run and see how they might fit into the world of Rosavelle. You can find all the relevant info over on our Navigation Page, so take a peek if you need to get caught up on the setting, rules, or just want to gnaw on the worldbuilding a bit.

This TDM is non-canon to the game overall, but feel free to treat individual threads or CR as canon between characters if everyone involved agrees. We've included some prompts and locations below to help spark ideas, but as always, feel free to go off-script and go ham!

When Fallow fully arrives, the blustery winds and swirling snow of Wilting seem to hush all at once and what remains is a serene, crystalline stillness. Every non-evergreen plant has tucked itself into a deep slumber, conserving strength for the next season and waiting patiently for their time to bloom again. This deep into the cold season, snow rarely falls but frost paints everything it can touch, freezing the grounds and making the canals slow with thick ice. The wind coming in from the Azurite Sea is sharp enough to sting and on some mornings even the bravest islanders hesitate at their doorways before stepping out.

As the weeks move on though, Fallow begins to soften. The cold eases bit by bit, the ice loosens its grip, the first hints of green begin to peek through the frost. Budding isn't far behind, and you can feel it stirring.

By now you've likely found your footing in the ebb and flow of island life, and you know how things go around here: when someone needs a little warmth, a little effort, or a little magic, the people of Rosavelle come together - and that includes you!

PROMPTS

Frost Crab Caper

The fishermen of Maerlys bring troubling news: frost crabs - normally dormant until the heart of Fallow - have started scuttling unexpectedly across the wharf a good few weeks earlier than expected. They're harmless (except for when they get mad enough to pinch you) but extremely mischievous and have begun stealing shiny objects: rings, hairpins, lanterns, and occasionally whole baskets of fruit. A daytime crew have assembled to return all the stolen objects back to their owners while a late-night round-up party has formed, complete with lanterns, nets, and bribery snacks - you're welcome to join either one! Try to lure the crabs back toward their proper nesting grounds, retrieve pilfered trinkets or just end up leading a parade of clicking claws down the dock. At least you'll be able to break the ice with one of your fellow volunteers… hopefully?
A Steamy Situation

The Marelys springs have undergone an odd change - the steam has begun shifting hues when the light hits it and there are iridescent petals floating on the surface that definitely weren't there yesterday. According to locals, this is their usual seasonal shift that happens around Fallow and despite the effects, it's nothing to be worried about. What are the effects, you ask? Well, it seems like anyone bathing in the spring (or just hanging out close enough) when the steam changes colours gets hit with a little mood-misting enchantments. These impulses range from "suddenly giggly" to "existentially contemplative." Between the poor people are trying to enjoy a nice soak and ending up emotionally compromised, alchemists who want to bottle the steam and trying not to inhale anything weird yourself, there goes your relaxing day at the springs…
Silent Garden

One of Bellvine Hill's fancier nobles is in a bit of a panic: their Fallow garden, normally full of cold weather blooms that chime musically during the frosty season, has gone totally silent. Thankfully, it seems like the flowers themselves are fine (even if the noble is very much not) and the flowers simply need to be stirred to life. According to the noble, the best push is a show of "strong emotion" but nobody can figure out which one. So now volunteers are stopping by to experiment: singing, storytelling, reciting poetry, bringing friends or trying to provoke the blooms into chiming with sheer stubbornness. The noble seems happy to pay anyone who gets their garden singing again, so why not bring a friend along and try? Or maybe see if you can compete to get the reward first?
Free Samples (At What Cost)

An apothecary in Bellvine Hile has decided that now is the perfect time to begin experimenting with their brand-new line of "cold-weather comfort potions." Volunteers are needed to try out these little bottled "warmers," but the side effects are proving to be… interesting. Some samplers have started radiating enough heat to fog every window in a ten-foot radius, others won't stop emitting gentle sparkles whenever they speak, some poor souls find themselves blurting out an unfiltered truth every time a cold breeze passes through… in any case, even if you're not brave enough to try one of the bottles yourself, the increasingly frazzled apothecary will need help (or at least, a stiff drink) while troubleshooting these magical mishaps. It's better than freezing your butt off, isn't it?
Meteor Mayhem

A spectacular meteor shower is passing over Primavain tonight and the central square is overflowing with bundled-up locals who've gathered to watch it streak across the sky. Every stoop and balcony is crowded, half with spectators and half with vendors who are happily plying everyone with spiced cocoa, roasted nuts, honey pastries and the like. According to the locals, if you and a friend work together to hold a jar or a cup or something similar at just the right angle as the meteors pass overhead, you can "catch" a falling star fragment before it fades - a tiny fragment of magic said to bring good luck. Whether or not that's remotely true… well, you're absolutely going to try anyway, right?
Make & Mend Festival

In honor of Fallow's turning season, Marigold Hall is hosting its annual Make & Mend Festival, where citizens bring in their worn out belongings for a little TLC. Local craftspeople are set up at long tables offering guidance, tools, and expertise - but don't expect to just drop your item off and wander away! Tradition says you've got to help repair it yourself, since the act of mending something dear is supposed to bring good fortune into the coming season. There's a spot for everyone, even if you're not the crafty type - someone's got to keep the cider warm and the pastry trays full!
Sprite Scramble

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Crownkeeper Trot-Along

The Crownkeepers' horses have gotten a little too energetic for their own good. Something about the shifting weather has left the steeds restless and bored and the stablehands are doing everything they can to keep them from inventing their own problems. To help burn off some of that energy, the stablehands are organizing a short afternoon trot through the castle gardens and they're inviting anyone willing to lend a hand. You can lead a horse, ride one if you've got the skill, or just walk alongside handing out sugar cubes and gentle pats. There are scenic paths to wander and at least one mare who insists on stopping to inspect every statue along the way so really, it's a calm, cozy way to spend the afternoon… assuming none of the steeds get any bright ideas.

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yoojin isn't on active crab duty; his skills are less suited for catching than for training, to put it in perhaps more familiar terms. What he is, however, is hair-trigger sensitive to anything even 2% resembling a monster from the corner of his eye. His head snaps around when he glimpses Macy, and his eyebrows rise higher as he notices Belle before her frost crab array. He hasn't seen anything like those two here in Rosavelle.

...And they're clearly not hostile. They seem as accustomed to humans bustling to and fro as--well, as humans are. They're... do they belong to that guy? With the stick?

With not even an ounce of shame, Yoojin scans all three of them. "Carnivine" and "Crustle," monsters he's never heard of, and--

Nathaniel Berger. Unlocked optimized skill: Thundertamer.

He's probably staring a little too long, but he's never seen something like this. Not from the outside.]

[Nathaniel has made it closer to Belle's side now, with her being still a bit too excited to try and command her new crab army. He's in the middle of trying to get them to disperse while Macy quietly collects some of the dropped shinies, when Macy suddenly nudges him, getting Nathaniel to look over in Yoojin's direction.

...why is that guy staring at him? Is he also from the same world, does he recognize him as Nathaniel of Quan's Hope? There's an awkward moment, as he tries to decide whether to say something or just go back to the crab wrangling. After another awkward pause, he finally speaks up.]

Do I know you? [...okay, that came out a bit more annoyed than he intended.]

Oh! Um. No, I don't think so. Sorry, that was rude of me. I'm Yoojin Han.

[He offers a quick, apologetic bow, then rubs the back of his skull like an embarrassed cartoon.]

I've just never seen monsters and humans work as comfortably together as you and your... friends? Even the kids I'm raising would be antsy around this many strangers. Are you a tamer?

Nathaniel Berger. [He should probably introduce himself, then, if this guy didn't recognize him. Not to mention the way he talks about "monsters"...]

Yeah, I'm a Pokemon trainer. Belle was mostly captive-raised, and Macy's been with me since before the start of my journey. [He makes a gesture with his head to indicate which of them is which.] But the way you put it...I'm pretty sure these "monsters" you're talking about are different from Pokemon. [Sure, the wild Pokemon have only recently started to settle down, and it's still dangerous to venture too far into the wilds alone even now. But the idea of Pokemon and humans working together is well-ingrained into the main culture still.]

...

[POKÉMON ARE REEEEEAAAAAL]

[Okay, no. Be cool, Yoojin. This isn't the weirdest encounter he's ever had, and he's bound to have weirder still.]

Yyyeah, probably, now that you mention it. Or at least, my world's relationship with 'em isn't nearly where yours is. We're still pretty new to the whole "aaahh, they exist!" thing, let alone trying to get along. That's what surprised me. Where I'm from, someone would've been skewered or chopped in two by now.

[Though, notably, he wasn't scared to see them. Just fascinated. He smiles at all three of them.]

It's really nice to meet you all, Nathaniel, Belle, and Macy! ...Belle, what're you doing with these crabs?

Well, I guess that's not a surprise. From the stories I heard, it took a while for Pokemon and people to learn how to get along as well. [He does appreciate Yoojin not acting scared, though.]

It's good to meet you too. [Belle seems to be trying to figure out how to get the crabs to divide into groups and travel along preset paths. If he knows anything about programming, it might loosely resemble a logic gate of some kind.]

I think it's got something to do with computers. She got a lot of experience with them from the adoption center she was raised in, so she's kind of our team's tech expert now. [Nathaniel looks very proud of her, patting her shell.]

Whoa. And I was impressed when Peace learned to use a cell phone...

[This crab thing is smarter than he is!]

Peace? What kind of Poke-I mean monster-are they?

[Somehow, Belle seems to actually be managing to direct the crabs in the way she wants. She looks very excited about it. Macy has also managed to collect all the rest of the items into a bag and is now just hanging back and watching the conversation.]

Peace is a fire manticore! Which is like... ummm, a large feline, big enough for a couple people to ride, with a mane and a big fluffy tail. And a horn, of course.

[Yoojin taps his own forehead to show where the horn goes.]

But he likes when I hold him, so he learned a juvenile transformation skill so he can stay small and cute most of the time. About this big.

[He holds his hands apart at about the size of an Eevee, then grins brightly.]

Suuuuch a smart little guy. He knew he wouldn't fit in the house all grown up, so he figured it out all on his own. Manticores don't usually learn juvenile transformation skills like that.

[Nathaniel's first thought is a Pyroar with a horn, or maybe an Arcanine with more feline features. But he's way more interested in the juvenile transformation skill.]

Oh, really? That does sound quite smart. And he can shift back and forth between his different sizes too? [That definitely sounds like a skill that Brinda could use, even if he has no idea if Pokemon can learn that kind of skill the same way.]

[Arcanine's a good comparison for full-size Peace. In his kitten form, though, the obvious comparison is Flareon.]

Yep! Cute and convenient. He picked up a flying skill, too, a little while ago. ...Hehe. The legal team loved incorporating that into the plushie designs.

[Nathaniel is no stranger to having merch made of him and his companions, but they definitely tend more towards posters and action figures than plushies.] Plushies? He must have a lot of kid appeal, I guess. [He looks a bit thoughtful.] You mentioned monster tamers being rare...how many of them are there, in your world?

In the world? I'm not sure. There's... maybe a handful in my country, but what they do and what I do is... kind of different.

[How to put this without giving too much away about his skills? Yoojin scratches his cheek.]

I guess you could say that, while there's a few people with the ability to tame and command lower-tier monsters, I have skills to... raise them? To help them grow and get stronger, which we haven't been able to do before. Monsters aren't native to our world, after all, so it makes sense they can't develop properly there on their own. They need help meeting their needs.

[It's definitely strange to think about, the way relationships between monsters and humans seem so different from those of Pokemon and humans. Different worlds mean different dynamics, but it's still a bit uncanny.]

Well, it's good that they have you, then. To help them with what they need, and bring them closer to people. [He's admittedly a bit biased about the most optimal ending point for this situation.

Meanwhile, it seems Belle's reached a certain endpoint in her experimenting, since she's letting her crab squad go. They seem to have forgotten about their pile of stolen objects, even, or at least they don't bother searching to find them.]

You're done, then? [He strokes Belle's shell, moving towards Yoojin's side, Macy supporting him as he slowly makes his way across the beach. He winces a bit, realizing he was standing for a bit too long, perhaps.]

So, we've still got to bring the missing items back to their owners, or whoever can find their owners. Would you mind coming along? [He's definitely curious about this other world, after all, and the monsters Yoojin's raising.]

[Yoojin makes a pleasant but noncommittal noise about bringing monsters and people closer together. He's seen too much blood and viscera on dungeon floors to necessarily want to facilitate that kind of cross-species integration, but he's not going to say that to an honest-to-god Pokémon trainer. It's a nice thought, anyway.]

I don't mind at all! Ah, here, why don't I carry that, Macy? Let me help you all out a little.

[He holds a hand out for the bag o' shinies, both to make himself useful as long as he's accompanying the team and to free more of her... tentacles... to assist Nathaniel.

He knows a thing or two about what it is to walk the world on a wrecked leg.]

[Nathaniel has lived through ten years of wild Pokemon becoming more aggressive, wild regions becoming more dangerous, and only one place being a refuge-but he was raised thinking of Pokemon as companions, and that's not a belief that goes away so easily.

Macy nods her saucer-shaped head, her vines working together to pass the bag over to Yoojin. The terrain isn't too bad, but she still wants to keep an eye out for Nathaniel.]

Thanks. [He offers a smile, and just walks in silence for a bit before speaking up again.] Are you also new to this place, or are you one of the earlier group?

[Yoojin walks along cheerfully, happy to match Nathaniel's pace.]

I arrived with the first group, but they asked us to stick to the castle for the first few weeks--at least until we could pass as foreign nobles, not people from other worlds. There are still a lot of places around that I haven't explored.

[Not that that restriction could have really stopped him from going out. He did, in fact, break curfew at least once. No, the real limiting factor was...

He chuckles a little.]

I was also on crutches for a while, at first. It's only recently I've been walking around here without a cane. Still hurts sometimes, especially in this weather, so I don't have as much of the lay of the land as I could.

Yeah, Callie mentioned something about having to keep us being from other worlds a secret...at least people don't seem to be prying too hard about whatever we share. [Nathaniel fiddles a bit with the fossil on his necklace, thinking about his position back home as Zapdos' "Chosen". At least he doesn't stand out as much here, even if technically being a noble should mean even more fame.

He winces in sympathy when Yoojin mentions being on crutches.] I don't go anywhere without my walking stick myself. And...I know some treatments for pain, although I guess I don't know if they'd work for your condition. [It's probably not permanent scarring like Nathaniel's, if he can walk without a cane now.]

Aw, I'm all right. I've lived with worse, and the healers here have done a lot. Thanks, though. It's kind of you to offer.

[That's the kind of advice one stores up from painful experience, and sharing it means acknowledging the weight of such a history. Yoojin means it; it's kind of Nathaniel to offer his knowledge to someone he's just met.

He looks from Nathaniel to Macy, from her to Belle, and smiles softly.]

You've all been through a lot, huh? You take care of each other well.

["I've lived with worse" is not really reassuring, but Nathaniel just nods in response. He's not going to push on that, not when he would also rather not be pushed.]

We have. Macy's been with me for more than ten years by now, after all. And Belle might have joined my team later, but she's also seen her own fair share of action. Both combat and hacking. [She was specifically chosen as a counter to Fire-types, and she plays that part well.]

Hacking. Man, that's so cool.

[Now that's something he's missing on his own roster. Unless Sung Hyunje can hack? Why not, the man can do every damn thing else.]

It's never been hard, working together when you're all different species? Heh, I ask because sometimes I feel like the toughest thing is getting my kids to get along.

[Belle is absolutely the tech expert of the team, including Nathaniel's human partners and all their Pokemon.]

Well...I think it's more about their own personalities than being different species specifically.. Rinn's always been the easygoing type, and Memo just likes to go with the flow, and Fran will follow his lead. Kate's probably the one who was the most trouble, considering I had to capture her because she was leading a bunch of Ekans to cause trouble in the wild. But by now she's settled into seeing us as her new pack.

I see. I guess it's different for us. I mean, of course everyone has their own individual personalities, but there's biology at play, too. Territorial squabbles, predators and prey... I have to be careful every time I introduce new monsters. I've had to request a loooot of property repairs.

Edited 2025-12-20 22:41 (UTC)

Though that's also true of the humans I look after. Might not be a monster thing at all.

Test Drive Meme #2: Fallow

Frost Crab Caper

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