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royalooc2026-02-05 11:48 am
royaldecreemods) wrote in royalooc2026-02-05 11:48 am
Entry tags:
Test Drive Meme #3: Season of Budding
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!
Not long after Budwake ends, the shift into Budding becomes impossible to miss. The last of Fallow's frost finally retreats, though early mornings remain chilly and the first weeks still bring occasional overnight dustings of snow. From there, Rosavelle wakes quickly. Fresh shoots push through newly turned soil, vines reclaim walls and bridges and colour steadily returns as gardens, trees and canal paths grow greener by the day.
The thaw also brings with it plenty of rain, usually just in passing showers that are chilly but surprisingly refreshing. According to locals this is a prelude to the rainy season that won't be too far behind. And as the Azurite Sea warms, new fish return to Rosavelle's waters, filling Marelys' markets and drawing seabirds back to the coast - another sure sign that the cold season has finally passed. Rosavelle is finally awake again!
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!
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!
Not long after Budwake ends, the shift into Budding becomes impossible to miss. The last of Fallow's frost finally retreats, though early mornings remain chilly and the first weeks still bring occasional overnight dustings of snow. From there, Rosavelle wakes quickly. Fresh shoots push through newly turned soil, vines reclaim walls and bridges and colour steadily returns as gardens, trees and canal paths grow greener by the day.
The thaw also brings with it plenty of rain, usually just in passing showers that are chilly but surprisingly refreshing. According to locals this is a prelude to the rainy season that won't be too far behind. And as the Azurite Sea warms, new fish return to Rosavelle's waters, filling Marelys' markets and drawing seabirds back to the coast - another sure sign that the cold season has finally passed. Rosavelle is finally awake again!
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
Budwake Work
- The first thaw has finally broken and that can only mean one thing: Budwake has officially arrived! Across Rosavelle, everyone’s pitching in to help the island wake up in time for the warmer weather. Volunteers are needed everywhere, whether they're tilling fields or tidying the streets - hauling soil, pruning stubborn vines, reorganizing tools, or just providing moral support while someone else does the heavy lifting. Once the work is done, the After-Till Feast begins! Castle kitchens and community halls alike declare it time to eat everything that won’t last another day: soups, stews, pies, fritters and casseroles made from odds and ends and whatever happened to be left in the pantry. Enjoy the fruits of your hard labor and tuck in!
A Stormy Situation
- Storm clouds are rolling in earlier than expected and the docks at Marelys are suddenly alive with urgency. Boats need to be secured, sails tied down, loose cargo hauled out of reach of rising water and ropes checked twice before the wind picks up. The fishermen are grateful for any extra hands willing to help even if you’re mostly just holding a rope and trying not to get blown sideways by the gusts. Between the rain rolling in and occasional wave splashing a little too far inland, it's a pretty soggy affair - bit once everything’s secured, there’s something oddly cozy about ducking under an awning or crowding into a dockside shelter with your fellow volunteers, watching the storm roll in together while the sea churns safely beyond the harbor.
Secondhand Spring
- Budwake has everyone in Menthward in a tidying mood and the market district has transformed almost overnight. What started as a few people clearing out cupboards has turned into a full-on swap meet, with rows of temporary stalls and plain old blankets rolled out on the street, all piled high with old trinkets, forgotten keepsakes, mismatched dishes, spare tools and plenty of things nobody quite remembers buying in the first place. Everyone's browsing with enthusiasm, bartering cheerfully and swapping stories about where each item came from - and if you're in the mood to be busy there’s plenty of opportunity to get involved. Help vendors sort through clutter, hunt for hidden treasures or even set up a stall of your own if you’ve got belongings ready for a new home. Just be careful what you pick up - while most of these items are perfectly safe and ordinary, there might be some magical trinkets with with surprising effects mixed in with all the clutter...
Freshwater Overflow
- A rain-heavy week has caused the freshwater channels near Primavain to overflow, flooding nearby vegetable plots and washing nutrient-rich water straight into the fields. The result, somehow, is explosive growth well and beyond anyone's expectations... or, really, their imaginations. Greens the size of shields, root vegetables pushing themselves halfway out of the soil and herbs so fragrant they're making people dizzy - it's a blessing, truly, but also a logistical nightmare as the sheer volume of produce is at risk of going to rot before it can be properly harvested and preserved. Calls for helping hands have gone out across the island, with promises of warm meals, a share of the harvest and enough pickled and preserved produce to last you through to next Budwake. You can either help with getting the greens out of the fields or, if you're still sore from Budwake work, assist in the processing of already-harvested goods.
Primavain Food Tour
- The Season of Budding always brings with it new fruit, fresh herbs and seasonal flora and tradition calls for these tasty treats to be spun up into experimental desserts. Many cafes and kitchens up and down the district are offering free samples of brand-new seasonal treats in exchange for honest feedback. Which is all well and good, but depending on where you go, you might have to be very honest. Some of these recipes look gorgeous and taste delicious but they might be a little too experimental - enchanted pastries that change flavor mid-bite, cakes that temporarily change your hair color, jelly-filled pastries that have a surprising amount of bounce, or candies that make you talk in rhymes for a minute... or an hour. It's up to you whether the free food is worth the risk, but maybe you can take a friend along - or interrogate those who have already done their dues to find out which desserts are safest.
Rainy Day Reading
- With the weather turning unpredictable, the Amourian Library has become the refuge of choice for those in and around the castle - all that rain pitter-pattering against the windows makes for the perfect atmosphere to catch up on your to-read list. Claude, the librarian, is delighted (if just a little overwhelmed) by the sudden uptick in activity and as such, extra hands have been drafted in to assist with the day-to-day upkeep of the place. Depending on where your expertise lies, you might be found at the front desk checking books in and out, or maybe you've been tasked with reshelving returned tomes. If you've spent a lot of time in the library, you might be able to step in for Claude and point people to where they need to go. Or you could just go around aggressively shush-ing the people who are getting a bit too rowdy. Your call!
Pollen Problems
- Budding has arrived a little too enthusiastically around the Castle Grounds. A burst of early blooms has coated everything in a thick layer of glittering golden pollen - statues, windows, unsuspecting passersby… nothing has been spared. It's harmless in the long term, according to the gardeners, but that hasn't stopped the sneezing fits, watery eyes and wounded pride of anyone caught walking through the worst of it. The castle attendants have organized a cleanup effort, armed with masks, brooms and enchanted cloths designed to gather the pollen without spreading it further. Unfortunately, the stuff seems determined to drift right back where it came from, reforming into lazy clouds the moment anyone turns their back. Volunteers are needed to help clear paths, keep the worst of it out of the halls and maybe figure out why the blooms are producing quite this much in the first place.
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[she puffs that little angel fuzzball of hers out of existence and takes a step closer. with her semblance, she projects a nearly identical image of herself into simran's brain, but, you know. a little closer to the movies. messier golden hair, a few smudges on her face, maybe some dried blood on her forehead. maybe a rumpled half-open shirt that's just a button too low.]
I'll need some guidance, Simran. [fuck, this is intoxicating. she's grinning more than she thought she would be. it's a wonder she isn't bursting into laughter at how ridiculous she is.] What kind of rogue do you like? So I can know what to stay far away from.
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...escalate? ]
2/2
[ Like this, she looks...pliant. Inviting. But there's a hint of challenge in her eyes—daring Emerald to take the risk. Daring her to treat this like it's more than a joke. ]
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That would be terrible. [and she takes the risk and kisses this person she's known for ten entire minutes. nothing about emerald is joking right now, not the hand on simran's arm or the slow way her eyes close or the firm press of lips to hers.]
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Eventually, gently, she pulls away—though not entirely. She's content to continue holding Emerald's arms, and to rely on Emerald to support her weight for a moment longer. ]
Congrats, Em. [ A little giggle. ] You beat my record after all.
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[she'll have to think about that later. or never. because the kiss is over and she's still holding this other woman who hasn't run away or disappeared. still supporting her weight, still keeping her closer than she expected to let anybody else get. and emerald feels a heat in her cheeks that she just knows is peeking through the illusion.]
Did I? [how intelligent. simran gets a smile through that smudged face framed with golden hair; it starts soft, but turns cocky once she remembers what she's supposed to be doing.] I guess I'm more of an overachiever than I thought. So is that roguish enough for you?
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So, hey, Topaz, did I catch you saying you picked a gemstone for your name? [ And then, slightly hesitant, but not terribly so: ] For me, I, um—lucked out getting something gender-neutral enough to keep.
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Yeah? Huh. [how else is she supposed to react to meeting someone else like her for what may as well be the first time? doesn't it kind of make everything else make sense, em?] No, it's not the name my parents gave me, but wherever they are now, I doubt they care. Simran's a nice name. I like it.
[oh brothers, how are you supposed to compliment someone on their name??]
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...I think there's like five or six of us here? [ She does a quick count on her fingers. ] Maybe seven, depending on where that one gi—person, I shouldn't be hasty. [ She shoots Emerald a sly smile that, as with her apology for teasing from earlier, seems relatively devoid of shame. ] Depending on where that one person ends up. That's out of like fifty total advisors, maybe fortyish women. So apparently the magic tree just knows that girls like us are essential to the sapphic ecosystem.
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I'm going from not knowing anyone like me to knowing six people? [she has got to keep it together. good thing her hair is still matching her mood.] You're kidding. Like, this is a joke, right? [it isn't, though. she can already tell.] And I just ran into one of them at random? —I just kissed one of them. Us.
[this almost feels too good to be true. she's willing to ignore the suspicion. she wants to feel happy for a second.]
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I don't know what it is, but I just got the right kind of feeling from you, yeah. If it's any of that, I really must have... [don't think about it right now. stay happy. she shakes her head.] Whatever. What matters is we're here. Is there... this sounds dumb. Are there meetings?
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What words do you use for it? Because I don't know if Remnant has any. I've just always kind of known, and... [and if she'd gotten lucky at any point in her life maybe she would have run into just one other person like her and had all this explained to her better and earlier. but stay happy.] That's been enough for me.
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[ She gives Emerald the run down, interspersed with some occasional flirting. It's a nice way to pass the time, and (like she said), Simran finds Emerald easy to like. ]