royaldecreemods: (Default)
Royal Decree Mod Account ([personal profile] royaldecreemods) wrote in [community profile] royalooc2025-10-06 08:01 am
Entry tags:

Test Drive Meme #1: Season Of Wilting

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!


The Season of Wilting settles over Rosavelle with a pretty healthy chill. Early in the season, the snowfall is light – just enough to dust the rooftops, lace the bridges, and gather along the edges of the canals. It's cold, but not biting, with most days bringing crisp air and still skies. But as the weeks progress, the cold deepens, and by mid-season, snow is piling up and most of the kingdom's blooms have begun hibernating for the cold season.

Throughout Wilting, expect soft snowfall most days, with the occasional flurry sweeping in from the Azurite Sea. The canals rarely freeze completely thanks to the island's magic, but the bridges can get icy, so tread carefully. The skies tend to stay clear, but a few soft snowstorms pass through. By the end of Wilting, the cold reaches its peak. The days are short, the nights come early, and most people tuck themselves into warm taverns and candle-lit shops to escape the chill.

But that doesn't mean there's not plenty to do around the kingdom! It's been a little while since your arrival in Rosavelle - just enough for you to start settling into the comings and goings of life around the kingdom and you should know by now that when folks are in need across the island, everyone pitches in to help!
PROMPTS










Mind The Gap
    Looks like one of the canal bridges is out of service for the time being! A decorative footbridge reacted particularly badly to the icy weather and collapsed. Thankfully no one's been hurt, but it does mean that easy access to the other side of this particular canal has been cut off. And the detour routes? Unsurprisingly, they're packed! Some handy helpers are trying to alleviate the situation, so it might be nice to contribute towards their efforts by giving strangers a boost across the canals or otherwise trying to organize a replacement bridge. Whatever you're up to, you'll have to deal with being stuck on this half of Menthward somehow!

Fruity Flotsam
    Fruits on the loose! A boat full of produce tipped over, and now fruits and veggies of all kinds are bobbing down the canal like runaway balloons. Normally this wouldn't be such a terrible problem, but this deep into Wilting the water's way too cold to just dive in and scoop them out! It's up to you and a partner to chase them down – whether by boat, on foot, or even from the bridge with a net – and rescue as many as you can before they float out into the sea and are never seen again. Or maybe instead of teamwork, you'll opt to get competitive about the whole thing! In any case, once they’re returned to their rightful place, the vendor might see fit to reward you and your fellow helpers with a warm drink, a tasty snack, or even a discount on your next basket for your troubles!

Dockside Detectives
    A mix-up at the Mouette Docks means the wrong goods have gone to the wrong boats, and vendors are not happy, to say the least! A handful of volunteers are running interference to try and make sure everything gets to the right place, and it just so happens that you've been looped in to help untangle the deliveries too! Who ordered twenty crates of lemons? Who's missing their flower garlands? It'll take a bit of detective work, but you’re in luck! A handy dandy enchantment on the boxes means that working in pairs will give everyone a sense of what should go where, so you should be able to figure it out eventually. Or if you're not the manual labor type, hey, someone's got to keep all these vendors calm and happy somehow. Feel like running some customer service interference?

By The Bonfire's Glow
    It might be cold down by the water, but to warm everyone's spirits a bit, an impromptu bonfire has been lit up on the beach and everyone's invited! There's meat, fish, and veggies by the bucketful to roast by the fire, and some mulled wine in case the fire isn't quite toasty enough for you. There's gossip and local stories galore (some definitely less based in fact than others), and everyone's in high spirits, which makes it a perfect opportunity to break the ice a little. Challenge a friend to a contest of who can tell the most unbelievable story, test your skills to see who can roast the best goodies without dropping their food into the fire or team up to keep the flames fed with driftwood gathered along the shore. Whether you're competing, sharing secrets, or just quietly soaking in the glow, the night is alive with possibility!

Petal Panic
    A magical flower stall has misfired, turning a corner of Primavain into a localized snowstorm of petals. It's extremely #aesthetic but also completely impractical, thanks to the enchantment on them. They’ll cling to passers-by and inflict glamors of all kinds on them - making your skin sparkle, changing your hair to all sorts of colours, making your features warp into a caricature of yourself and who knows what else! Thankfully, the vendor in question knows how to reverse the spell – but they'll need a handful of volunteers to fix it! Team up to help the vendor fix their runaway magic, chase down flying flowers, or otherwise do your best not to slip and die on the combination of soggy petals and snow.

Paint the Town
    A local painter is starting up a for-funsies communal mural project: help design, paint, or charm the flowers that will decorate Primavain's central square. If you're not the artistic type, you can help out with clearing the square of all the snow currently in the way or just wrangle supplies and keep the cocoa flowing for everyone else. However, once the canvas is clear, there's plenty of supplies free for everyone to borrow and use. Whether you’re painting seriously, messing around, or heckling your friends’ brushwork, it's a nice excuse to mingle.

Snowball Showdown
    There's a snowy skirmish going up in the hills! What started as a playful snowball scuffle between some noble kids has snowballed (literally) into a Bellvine-wide winter free-for-all. The flower-draped balconies are raining snow, enchanted snowballs are flying through the air, and even some of the stuffier residents have been pulled in to defend their honor. With this many people lobbing this much snow around, the lines between playful rivalry and outright chaos are getting blurry! If you've got decent aim – or you really just don't want to lose – it's the perfect time to jump in!

The Errant Envelope
    Someone's enchanted love letter got caught in a stray gust of wind - and unfortunately for them, the charm meant to guide it discreetly to its recipient has completely backfired. Now the poor thing is zipping wildly around Bellvine Hill, swooping past balconies, diving between flowerbeds, and expertly dodging every grabby hand along the way. To make things worse, the streets are icy from the snowfall, so chasing it means slipping, sliding, and probably landing flat on your back if you're not careful. The trouble doesn’t stop once you catch it, either - reading even a few words might stir up fluttery feelings and an irresistible urge to flirt with whoever happens to be in front of you! It's going to take teamwork (and maybe a little magic) to snag it before it blows right through someone's window – or worse, into the wrong person's hands.
wingstosee: (understanding)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-06 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
That's...

[ that's not what he meant. it's not even a little what he was thinking about. and that just makes him feel even worse about it. because here he is, in a new place, with an entirely new chance to start things over, and here this guy's assuming the best of him. this place isn't for the failures, is it? ]

...yeah. Something like that.

[ God. he really is the worst, isn't he? ]
soldragon: (talky)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-06 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
... And hey. Beats eating worms, right?

[what.]
soldragon: (pleased)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-06 07:56 am (UTC)(link)
If you don't know from experience, trust me, it does.

[He had to do a lot of crazy foraging underground.]
wingstosee: (idlethoughts)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-06 07:59 am (UTC)(link)
That's. I mean, I've definitely never eaten one, so.

[ an awkward pause. some cultures eat bugs, right? he's pretty sure he read about that online. hesitantly: ]

...eating worms is supposed to be good for the environment, right?
soldragon: (wonder)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-06 08:06 am (UTC)(link)
Wouldn't know one way or the other about the environment, honestly. I, uh...

[Look, guy lived in an underground city all his life. Everything in nature is new.]

You just do what you gotta. Even if that means eating dubious free food.
wingstosee: (shouldhaveknown)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-06 08:21 am (UTC)(link)
Oh. Yeah. That makes sense.

[ wow. he is just. not nailing a single one of these, huh. after a moment: ]

...sorry. I shouldn't be- you know. Making assumptions.
soldragon: (introduction)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-06 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. I think we're from very different places.

Which... You know, it's probably for the best that there are places that are different from where I come from.

Uh. Right. Ryu.

[Should he mention his D-ratio? Would this one even know what that is?]
wingstosee: (understanding)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-06 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
...honestly, yeah. Same here.

[ most people would say the world is fine. but venus isn't most people, and he doesn't feel like pretending he can be like that. so he takes the conversational shift where it's offered, clearing his throat and saying- ]

-oh, right, I didn't. Introduce myself? Sorry. Um, I'm Venus. It's nice to meet you, Ryu.

[ ...wasn't there a fighting game with a character like that? after a moment, politely: ]

Are you Japanese? [ and then, in a sudden panic: ] Wait, is that rude to ask?
soldragon: (neutral)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-06 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I... don't even know what 'Japan' is, really. So. Probably not.

[He hums.]

Maybe once upon a time? I haven't really had a chance to look into history on the surface.
wingstosee: (shouldhaveknown)

1/2

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-06 09:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. Right, different worlds. I forget that's... just a thing, I guess?

[ ...wait. ]
wingstosee: (dismay)

2/2

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-06 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ WAIT ]

The surface??? Wait, do you like. Live underground?????
soldragon: (pleased)

Welcome to Dragon Quarter here is your primer on Dragon Quarter

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-06 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Used to. First sixteen years of my life. Ever since I've been going back and forth from the surface, guiding people out of Shelter to the surface village. It's... Not much, but it's not a bad life, either.

[He shrugs.]

And hey, the air's cleaner, too.
Edited 2025-10-06 22:16 (UTC)
wingstosee: (ohwow)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-07 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, jeez, that sounds like. Kind of a lot?

[ "the air's cleaner?" probably?? did he live in a cave system???? after a moment, as gently as he can: ]

Wait, had you... you know, ever seen the sun?
soldragon: (content)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-07 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
Nope! Most of what we had were painted ceilings, that kind of looked like a blue sky.

[... well that explains why he's so DAMNED PALE.]

... it was warm. And brighter than even the gaps in the wires in arc sector.
wingstosee: (idlethoughts)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-08 07:02 am (UTC)(link)
That's. Kind of terrifying?

[ ...except he doesn't look terrified. actually, he looks... kind of contemplative? after a moment: ]

So you still had electricity, right? Which means... it was built to live in?
soldragon: (pleased)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-08 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. It was. I don't know how long we lived there, but it started before I was born. Apparently there was some kind of disease on the surface, but...

[He hums, thoughtfully.]

I haven't run into it yet.
wingstosee: (understanding)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-08 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
...it sounds like you came from a really intense place? Which... I'm sorry. That all sounds rough. I don't really have room to complain next to all that, you know?
soldragon: (Concern)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-08 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Nah, go ahead and complain.

The least I can do after talking about all that is listen.
wingstosee: (neutral)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-10 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
No, I mean like... It really doesn't feel like I have much I can complain about in the first place. You know?

[ it's a lie. sort of. he could complain all day, but it's his fault for not fitting the world.

...and if he knows that's not true. that's his fault too.
]

I was just in summer camp. And it's hot and sticky, and there were mosquitos everywhere, and everyone kind of hates each other, but it's not... It's not like anyone starves. Unless you believe Neptune.
soldragon: (neutral)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-10 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean. You can talk about Neptune if you want.

[He slowly pulls out his own roasted meat and vegetables.]

I won't mind.
wingstosee: (understanding)

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-12 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't really know what I'd even say. She's... nice? Well. She's mean, but in the way that's sort of nice anyway. Like she's trying to be mean, even though she wants so desperately not to be, because she feels like someone has to be. Does that make any sense?

[ it probably doesn't. he sighs, takes a bite of the little bits of morsels left on his picky eater's plate. ]

...she'd do a lot better here than me.
soldragon: (wonder)

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-12 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah. I think I know the kind you mean.

[That sounds a lot like Lin before he smashed the incubation tube.]

Well... After the day I've had, maybe we can at least be awful at this together, right?
wingstosee: (smilingsoft)

rolls out from under the mountain of tags. are you okay if i wrap this thread here...

[personal profile] wingstosee 2025-10-23 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
...haha. Yeah. Maybe we can at least do that much.

[ it's not much. but, well. it's better than nothing, right? ]
soldragon: (Default)

Sure!

[personal profile] soldragon 2025-10-23 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[Things went on a little in silence, then...]