royalooc | 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

not

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

[Atomic Energy, no. Got that dragon in him? Yes.]

Well, if you say so.

[It's not too hard to get up to the roofs of Primavain, and there's not enough moisture in the air just yet to matter.]

[As such...]

Let's see if there's something in the real nosebleed section.

...Nosebleed section??

[She's confused by the term]

Is that...a good thing? or are You gonna like punch me in the nose or something?

[Being punched is the only way she's ever gotten one of those]

"I mean high up. I... Don't know why it's called that, but it's definitely still called that." He takes the way up one ladder at an easy amble, offering a hand for her.

[Milla takes his hand and quirks a brow as she follows him up]

...language is weird as crap sometimes.

... Yeah, I'm not gonna argue with that one. There's a lot of stuff in my language that sounds just plain weird when you've been living underground most of your life.

[Sitting down on the rooftop Milla perked her head skyward]

Underground huh? Grew up on an island myself. Spent a lot of time in the city though.

[What she isn't mentioning is how much of that time was spent BLOWING IT UP]

... mm. An island...

[He thinks about how open that must have been, and smiles. He looks up to the darkening sky.]

... It must have been pretty.

It was beautiful, the volcanoes were a nice spa place.

[...Hrm, was that the right thing to say? Too late to worry about it now]

The Volcanoes on my new island aren't really as nice, but I guess I could be looking at things through rose tinted glasses

[there's a bristle of Milla's scales as she coughs a bit, re-centering herself in the now]

Anyway-shower's gonna be going any minute, wanna give this little star catching game a shot kiddo?

[Maybe Kiddo wasn't the most respectful nickname]

Ryu, if you please. You are?

[He's looking up at the sky, and Odjn quiets about the insult.]

Oh! Right, I'm uh, Milla, but most people call me Godzilla.

[The girl finally introduces herself, flopping down and peering up]

Milla, then.

[He sets out the blanket and lies back on it. The sky begins to clear.]

[Open the bottle...]

[Plopping onto the blanket, Milla leaned back]

Alright so I guess from here we've just gotta get a good angle...

OR that's the legend, anyway...

[Let's see, how to...]

[do the thing...]

I mean I've seen more than enough legends to not write it off just yet

[As metoer shower began, and it seemd as though stars were falling, Milla playfully motions as if she's shoving her hand over the cup to prevent the star from escaping when it SORT of looks like it's fallen into the cup]

[not really focusing on if it was possible, just on how fun it seemed]

[...]

How did it go, again...?

'you have to see the same star...'

[Pausing and freezing for a moment, Milla narrowed its eyes]

...Alright, guess this is gonna take more of a team effort than I was really counting on

[She takes in a deep breath for a moment before stepping back]

I'll follow your lead then, point out the Star when you see it and we can do this together.

[As the meteor shower starts to pick up...]

[And the lights below in Primavain dim...]

[The real difficulty isn't in finding one, it's in finding one to agree on.]

Uh--

[Ryu's eyes scan the skies.]

[he leans in- and points--]

[Milla's eyes latch onto the light Ryu points out in an instant]

Alright here we go-...!

[she cups her hand and tracks the arc of it through the sky]

alllmost-

[towards the cup now...]

Test Drive Meme #2: Fallow

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