royalooc | Test Drive Meme #1: Season Of Wilting

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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

somehow.

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

and

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.

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA???

[ oh. hm. his skewer appears to have caught fire. ]

WHY IS IT- HOW DO I PUT IT OUT?????

[ OH THIS IS. UNIDEAL? ]

Um! I think - drop it and stomp on it? Maybe? That's what they always say, right?

[ WHO. IS THEY. IN THIS SITUATION??? ]

H-hold on, I'll go see if I can find some water...!

[ the good news: by the time ai runs off, venus has already managed something about the marshmallow. namely, he's pulled the smoldering remains off the fire, jammed his skewer into the sand, and kicked a bunch of sand on top of it until there's just little wisps of smoke.

the bad news: venus's skewer is all sandy and also he kicked sand on the little bits of food he was grazing on and also maybe he wants to be taken to the afterlife like enoch, right this instant. ]

[ Ai is gone just long enough that it kind of seems like she might have abandoned him to his fate after all that...

...

But no, eventually, she comes bustling back with a pair of skewers in her hands - one with veggies and the other with a replacement marshmallow. ]

Oh phew, you managed to put it out! Okay, good - here!

[ Handing over... both skewers??? ]

I was thinking, I dunno what you actually like to eat so veggie are probably a safe bet...!

[ he is going to be so real: venus absolutely did not expect the pretty lady to come back, especially after he made a complete ass of himself. he all but stutters out a thank you, taking both skewers while he says- ]

Oh, that's- that's really sweet! Thank you, miss, I'm sorry about... all of this, haha...

[ he is going to be real a second time: he absolutely was not going to eat any of the veggies right now. but this lady got them for him, and it'd- it'd definitely be ungrateful to not eat at least some, right? so he'll just. get started cooking on that, and try not to think about mushrooms and their texture. ]

No, no, it's fine! Honestly, I burned a couple of them too before I got the hang of it...

[ This is only a lie in that she hasn't actually gotten the hang of it yet and has been relying on the charity of kind strangers taking pity on her. But obviously she's not about to announce that to Venus.

This would probably be the time to move on but instead, Ai settles herself down by his side. She needs a break from sparkling at everyone and this guy seems safe enough to chat with for a bit. ]

I've actually never seen a bonfire this big up close... I don't think? We don't really do them back home. Or at least, I've never been invited to one!

Oh. Really?

[ he winces for a moment after saying that. whoops. ]

-not that there's anything wrong with that! It's not, like... bad. Probably good, honestly? Mostly, it's a summer camp or homecoming kinda thing, and unless your family's rich you usually just get sent to summer camp if you're one of the problem kids.

[ like venus. after a moment, clearing his throat- ]

-oh, but, you'd probably have been popular at homecoming? I don't want to imply you wouldn't have been.

Oh, is that my vibe? [ She laughs. ] Actually, I don't even really know what homecoming is supposed to be... it's like, an American thing, right? In high school?

[ Which of course means Ai's disqualified right off the bat, American tradition or not. To be popular at high school, you have to actually attend. ]

I've done summer camp stuff once or twice, though. The place I went to school when I was little used to have a big camping trip for the third years but I guess they were worried about a bunch of little kids getting overexcited around a big bonfire... so we just had the regular size.

Yeah, it's an American thing. It's like... Honestly, it's like all the most popular people come back and show off for everyone? And there's a huge bonfire that's supposed to be for "school spirit." People vote for a king and queen, and it's always the most popular people, so.

[ he seems. less than enthused about the idea. after a moment: ]

...I, uh. I never really got to go to trips like that. Outside choir, I mean. I'd lose the permission slips, or forget to bring them home, or I'd just say the wrong thing and get told I couldn't go. [ a quiet laugh. ] And now I'm the kind of kid that gets sent to the Summer Scouts. So. I guess that's that.

[ a beat. ]

Oh. That's a bad thing, if they don't do Summer Scouts overseas. It's like... a corrective thing?

Huh. Yeah, we definitely don't do anything like that... I don't think?

[ The bonfire sounds a little like what she's heard some school festivals do but that's about where the similarities end. Some schools put on performances and stuff but do they do... voting like that? Eek. She knows even less about American schools than she does the regular kind and she's already pretty certain she would've liked them even less.

But she'll keep that to herself. No point in spoiling the mood. ]

That's kind of backwards, isn't it? [ She laughs, doing her best to keep her tone light enough that she doesn't come off like she's laughing at him. ] Like, if they want to make you guys shape up, they shouldn't give you a free summer camp vacation.

Haha. [ but it doesn't sound like he's really laughing. ] It's... not really like that. At all. It's supposed to be a way to teach the failures, you know? Get them to shape up. But it's more...

[ does he really want to talk about this? does she really want to hear any of it?

who cares. it's not she'll want to talk to him again in the first place. and besides, even if they're both supposed to lie and laugh with each other, he's so tired of doing it all the time. ]

...you're put into groups of three whenever you arrive. There always has to be a third person, you know? So that you learn how to make friends. See, it's like... Even if the kids don't get along, there's always going to be two who can stomach each other more than the third. So those two start spending more time together, and they grow stronger, and they start to understand God's graces. The way God intended, you know?

[ he thinks about the way jupiter's eyes linger on neptune when her back's turned, the way jupiter flicks the rubber bands over her wrist when she's looked too long. he thinks about the way neptune occasionally presses just a bit past jupiter's personal bubble, the way jupiter doesn't push her away.

he's not stupid. he knows who the third is, here. ]

...the closer they get, the more the odd duck starts to fall apart. They don't have someone to help them set up the sirens, or to check their work, or to help drag them out of perdition. So they just... keep getting worse, and worse. And eventually, the devil comes for them, and the only thing that's left is to exorcise it. Beat the devil away, with radios and bats and rocks.

[ he's staring openly at the fire, again. his gaze feels distant. hollow. ]

Nobody's died in a few years, at least. So at least there's that.

[ Her smile doesn't do anything quite as telling as sliding off her face, but she does feel it getting suddenly a little strained at the edges the more he says. She was expecting another of those awkward laughs and an uncomfortable change of topic, the kind that might've let her steer this whole thing back to more familiar grounds but she's finding herself stumbling out into increasingly unfamiliar waters the more she tries.

Jeez. New places with new people really are scary.

Eventually, she manages to make a sound that's almost like a laugh come out of her mouth. ]

Wow, um. America is way more hardcore than I thought...

[ Ugh. She might be playing dumb but even Ai knows that's probably a little too dumb. Her smile twitches before finally giving way to something more pensive and she, too, turns her gaze back to the fire. ]

... Sorry. Um... the place I come from doesn't have any... magic or stuff like that. At least that I know of. So hearing about it from people and trying to get my head around it all of a sudden is kind of a lot.

[ she laughs. (tries to laugh. he's not stupid. he knows that sound.) and even if she was trying to evade it earlier, at this point it's too much for him to bear going against. so he laughs too, and even if it's not a real laugh it's a bit louder and a bit more cheery, and even if he's not as good at it as ai a smile is still plastered on his face when he says- ]

Haha! No, I totally get it though? Magic isn't real where I come from, either, so seeing people float around and cast spells is sort of. I mean. It's cool, but also, kind of terrifying??

[ venus what do you mean magic isn't real you JUST talked about the devil and possession ]

I'm pretty sure I met an alien earlier today? [ whoops. can't think about that right now or he'll start blushing. ] And, um, don't tell anyone, but- I'm pretty sure there's a guy here who's literally a god? Like. For death. Isn't that crazy?

[ Ai laughs again. It comes through a little more naturally this time but also a little relieved. ]

Yeah, exactly! This place is nice and all but the magic stuff is... uh, it's a lot!

[ Okay!! Topic change!! Trying (and failing) not to look too transparently grateful, Ai hops tracks without so much as missing a beat. Admittedly, she feels a little bad - she knows what fans tend to want when they unearth things like that and pour them into her hands and when it comes to her fans, Ai knows what to give them.

But a total stranger is a whole different ballgame. It's better to stay safe while she's still learning the rules. ]

I guess maybe I shouldn't be surprised when it's already kind of wild that we're here in the first place but I just keep thinking... wow, there really are all sorts of places out there that're nothing like home.

[ she's laughing again. she's smiling again. good. he did what she wanted. they don't have to be miserable for now.

now he just needs to pretend neither of them know. he's always been worst at that part. ]

Yeah, I mean... I guess it makes sense. We were all brought here, right? And time doesn't even pass back home. That seems like... I don't know. Something crazy and magical and scientific. Parallel universes or something.

[ a small laugh. still fake, but it's the one he always makes, so maybe that makes it real. ]

At least it's not summer here. You know? You can always wear more when it's cold, but you can't take your skin off when it's too hot.

The science stuff kinda hurts my head more than the magic stuff does, honestly... [ said with a sheepish little smile. ] I was never any good at that kind of stuff back in school. At least with magic I've got a good excuse, you know?

[ Laughing at her own joke... if nothing else, the more they stick to lighter topics, the easier it is to keep a smile on her face. She's never really been a small talk girl, but you have to get at least a little good at it in her line of work - she can at least hold her own, so long as Venus isn't expecting any particularly scintillating commentary out of her. ]

Was it still summer back home for you? It was just getting wintery back where I'm from.

[ it was also technically her birthday the day she popped over here but. for some reason, admitting that feels a little weird, so she'll keep it to herself. ]

Haha, right? At least with magic, you can just say it's magic. If you say something wrong about science, everyone can tell you you're wrong.

[ whoops- starting to get into dangerous territory! he laughs again, a bit self-effacing and a bit polite, and jumps onto that last bit without hesitation. ]

Oh, yeah. Hot and dry and still kind of muggy in the worst ways? It must have been... what, ninety degrees? Ninety-five? [ an awkward beat. ] Oh! Um, I should probably use Celsius, right? That's, um... two-twelve goes to a hundred, and thirty-one goes to zero, so that's maybe... forty... ish?

Forty?!

[ Apparently this is appalling enough information for her polite smile to finally give way a bit and she gapes at him. ]

I'm pretty sure the highest it gets in Tokyo is thirty-something and that's bad enough at it is... Jeez, I can't even imagine how hot forty would even feel...

[ She's busy rolling this over in her head, finding herself wondering exactly why you'd dump a bunch of kids out in the woods in suffocating summer heat like that, but then a more pertinent question asserts itself and Ai feels her nose wrinkle of its own accord. ]

You don't think it's gonna get that hot here, do you?

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Test Drive Meme #1: Season Of Wilting

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cw: jesus camp, child abuse

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