Test Drive Meme #1: Season Of Wilting

[royaldecreemods]

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!

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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.

(CODE)

Comments

[wingstosee]

[ oh, wow. she looks... like an actual scout. the sort of person that can be flashy and pretty and dye her hair without being an affront to god, even though it doesn't mention dyed hair anywhere in the bible and at least two of the counselors do it even though they say it's changing god's natural beauty? he'd be jealous if that wouldn't be weird. so instead, he tries to smile brighter, and laughs nervously, and says:
]

Oh! Right, that makes sense.

[ except for the part where it... doesn't. but he doesn't bring that up immediately, choosing instead to point down to the canals again- ]

Festival bananas! Haha.

[ ...good lord, that's a lot of festival bananas. like. a crate's worth. ]

[nightwild]

... Really weird festival.

[She's staring down the canal at them... She seems completely oblivious to what Venus might be thinking. He's just focused on the fruit, right? Her too. She's pretty hungry.]

Think we could grab them?

1/2

[wingstosee]

Probably not...? I mean, that's a lot of bananas. They'd be heavy enough we'd need to both lift them. And it's, what, four feet down? One of us would have to hold the other's legs to get enough reach.

[ ...please don't get any ideas from that. ]

[wingstosee]

-wait, no, we can't do that! What if it's- a festival thing???

[nightwild]

I guess. I'm hungry, though...

[Her stomach growls. :(]

... If I could swim, I'd just dive in and throw 'em out.

[wingstosee]

I'm pretty sure in any festival where you dump things in the water, you're not supposed to eat them.

Or when you dump things in city water at all, actually.

[nightwild]

I guess... Offerings to a local sea god or something, maybe.

... Wait, I thought this place was all about flowers. Why would they dump things in the water?

[wingstosee]

Maybe it's... you know, "the offspring of the flowers?" That kind of thing? Like, fruit's a part of the pollination process, right, so it's...

[ this was stupid. he was stupid for saying this. after a moment, watching a quite frankly obscene number of what looks like melons with spines: ]

...so a boat absolutely crashed, right?

[nightwild]

... Yeah.

[That makes way more sense, doesn't it? Good job on the detective work. Still, Yayoi looks this boy over one more time...]

Can you swim?

[wingstosee]

...t-technically?

[ he's not the worst swimmer around. he's probably not even the worst swimmer in the summer scouts. but he really, really would rather not take his shirt off right now and have people stare at him.

and also: ]

Wait, isn't it below freezing? Isn't that... That's a really bad idea to swim in, right?

[nightwild]

... Crap. Probably.

[Definitely, rather. She lived on the streets, she knows how dangerous cold and wet conditions can be. So...]

But the people who crashed definitely need help.

[wingstosee]

...it might not be a crash. Maybe it was just... a helicopter drop? Does this place even have helicopters.

[ he doesn't look like he believes his own excuses for a second. ]

[nightwild]

For now, let's scope the situation out. We can follow the trail of fruit upstream to figure out where they're coming from.

You're with me... whoever you are. Let's move.

[wingstosee]

Right. Yeah. Good idea.

[ he doesn't move to follow her immediately, though. instead, he sets the object in his left hand down - an old crystal radio, maybe? - before unwrapping it, holding its body in his left hand while the radio's wires snake and wind down his right. he doesn't turn it on - doesn't connect the last wires needed to make contact, doesn't tune, doesn't pray to bring the light forth - but he knows as well as anyone that any scout is supposed to come prepared. ]

...okay. I'll follow.

[nightwild]

[Is that... a transformation device? Is this weenie another hero? Or...

... She can't think about that right now. For now, someone needs help. She starts running up the sides of the canals, following the trail of fruit floating. Though she's running, she's not winded- Clearly she's used to this.]

What's your name?

[wingstosee]

Venus.

[ short and quick. it seems like he's focused down, somehow, the earlier stammering gone as he tries to pick up speed behind her. he's not as in shape as her, not quite, but he's keeping up just fine. after a few moments, only slightly winded- ]

Uh, maybe we should... slow down a bit??

[nightwild]

Oh.

[If he can't run, she should... maybe tip her hand a little bit?

She reaches into a pocket, and pulls out... a bulky, magatama-looking trinket. And tossing it forward, it unfolds and expands until it becomes... a full-sized motorcycle.

She's throwing Venus a helmet.]

Get on behind me, then.

[... It's easier to focus on this before admitting she can't pronounce 'Venus'.]

[wingstosee]

[ yayoi, that's a great idea and all, except for the part where- ]

WHY CAN YOU JUST SUMMON A MOTORCYCLE????? [ and then, without even taking a breath: ] IS THIS LEGAL TO DRIVE??????????

[nightwild]

I'm pretty sure there's no motorcycle laws here, so hurry up and get on.

[COMPLETELY IGNORING THE FIRST PART]

[wingstosee]

We are going to jail. We are going to go to fantasy jail for driving a motorcycle without a license and they're going to kick me out of the country.

[ ...he's still getting on, though. firm commands tend to have that effect. ]

[nightwild]

They'd have to catch us first. Keep talking and you'll bite your tongue.

[VROOM

The ride is, well. Almost impossibly smooth. This bike must have ungodly good suspension. And if Venus is looking at the dashboard, it... doesn't seem to have an ignition key? It's got a weird magatama-shaped indent where one should go. The dashboard also is lit up in a way that seems... pretty unique? It's got the normal meters and everything, but it doesn't seem to have a fuel meter. And it's got some other weird symbols.

Basically, this is a very unique, special bike. Which, no shit, she brought it out of a little trinket.]

[wingstosee]

[ well. yeah? no duh? she's obviously some sort of scout. like, one of the ACTUAL scouts, the ones with radios with accoutrements and crystodyne diodes and motorcycles evidently.

...he doesn't say a word. he really is trying. instead, he focuses on holding onto fauna with one nervous arm and fiddling at the radio in his lap with the other. shifting wires, changing spots, making sure it's active and ready to go. ]

[nightwild]

[She can't tell exactly what Venus is doing back there. But if it's getting ready for whatever's to come, then it's helpful. Still...]

... I don't get the feeling there's a fight waiting for us. If things were dangerous, that princess would've said something.

[wingstosee]

Right! Right. I know that.

[ just gonna skip over the part where he may have met someone who was already the devil, or the way they moved without moving, and talked about cutting out memories and oblivion. obviously. ]

But, uh- I can't really do much to help without it?

[nightwild]

Yeah, that's fine. Get ready with whatever it is you do.

[Good thing Yayoi can't read his narration!]

I can't swim, so it's gonna be difficult for me.