Going to strive for the points without Pico in general, but usually they can't be separated. CW: ghosts
Meeting Ghosts: As an actual infant, Dolce could see and interact with ghosts, and latched onto Pico (a permanently six-year-old seeming poltergeist). Her parents just accepted this, having actually experienced it Dolce's whole life, and set an extra plate at dinner for Pico and treated her as Dolce's add-along twin rather than an imaginary friend. As such, when Dolce started meeting other ghosts, she couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead. Seriously.
Sewing/Knitting/Crochet/etc. She became a hobbyist seamstress and clothing designer to lean into the whole elegant gothic lolita fashion and made clothes for her plushies, and did puppet shows to entertain Pico. She's insanely shy (even worse the younger she is) so she almost used it as a talking point, wear things she likes (bats!) and lean into it all the way.
Meeting Ventuswill: Her BFF (other than Pico who is more like a sibling) is a dragon goddess. Come see the palace, it randomly has a farm in the backyard (as you do), and Dolce trying to get Ventuswill to drink medicine instead of pancakes -- which is what Venti demands. See also Dolce trying to learn to cook pancakes and being very very bad at it. She's better with steamed dishes.
Becoming a dragon guardian: SOFT Spoilers: A huge portion of the discussion between Dolce and the Earthmates is laid out in canon. Becoming a guardian means that Venuswill's life is extended and she doesn't have to reincarnate and forget her life. The entire country depends on Venti's runeys that get restored via her existence. However going to sleep for indefinite centuries meant Dolce's own parents and everything else she knew in her time would die and fade, and she had no idea what the world would be like when she woke. Consolation: Venti and Pico would still be there. It was extremely rough on Pico who was awake for 400 years btw.
- NONSpoilers, just FLAVOR: Dolce acts as a costume designer for the stage theater, not realizing (and/or caring?) half of them are ghosts. Also does marionette shows.
Tour Obsidian Mansion with all its CREEPY AF classic goth aesthetics, take in a dinner show (the actors are DEAD :V) maybe a romantic violin performance (the violinist is a ghost) but be very very very careful not to get hit by plushie boobie traps!
Possessed by Marionetta: CW: possession duh. Marionetta is a boss monster that does magic shows (classic IRL illusion style even though the entire world takes magic for granted! That's what funny) and is an annoying pest. Dolce held out really hard, but when the orbs started replacing the other guardians, she got taken over, much to Pico's (understandable) consternation. As a monster, Dolce will not understand a SINGLE thing anyone says/does, and not be in control of herself (ofc) she will be 100% attack/defend/prank.
Bonus: if you snap her out of it with/or instead of the Earthmate MC (Lest/Frey) you can get naked manga Dolce idk. I play ridiculous canons thanks.
Up until possession, Dolce has normal rounded ears. They become pointy almost elf-like after that. She is not an elf, however. There are others in town (Margaret!) who are.
Life in Selphia: Pico drags Dolce to Venti, and Venti erases Dolce's guardian memories (TEMPORARILY -- they get restored) -> New town, 400 years later, what do? Nancy instantly adopts Dolce and Pico, I mean instantly. Meet Nancy the nurse, Dr. Jones the Doctor, whom Dolce becomes very quickly attached to, and works as a pharmacist/alchemist for. The town all seems very very idyllic. Although Dolce is crazy shy still, and Pico generally purposely creates mischief so that Dolce has to run after her and talk to people.
Ethelberd and the Floating Empire: Spoilers for Chapter 2 of RF
The lunatic Ethelberd wants to take over the world, become a God, and has gone on a genocide of Earthmates for stopping him previously, and tries to take all the rune spheres that allowed Dolce and the other guardians to come back to the waking world. Experience AIRSHIP and Floating Empire which is like a metal floating doomsday ship with golems and sechs dragons and giant fucking spiders of doom.
Dolce / Rune Factory 4 soft spoilers
Meeting Ghosts: As an actual infant, Dolce could see and interact with ghosts, and latched onto Pico (a permanently six-year-old seeming poltergeist). Her parents just accepted this, having actually experienced it Dolce's whole life, and set an extra plate at dinner for Pico and treated her as Dolce's add-along twin rather than an imaginary friend. As such, when Dolce started meeting other ghosts, she couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead. Seriously.
Sewing/Knitting/Crochet/etc. She became a hobbyist seamstress and clothing designer to lean into the whole elegant gothic lolita fashion and made clothes for her plushies, and did puppet shows to entertain Pico. She's insanely shy (even worse the younger she is) so she almost used it as a talking point, wear things she likes (bats!) and lean into it all the way.
Meeting Ventuswill: Her BFF (other than Pico who is more like a sibling) is a dragon goddess. Come see the palace, it randomly has a farm in the backyard (as you do), and Dolce trying to get Ventuswill to drink medicine instead of pancakes -- which is what Venti demands. See also Dolce trying to learn to cook pancakes and being very very bad at it. She's better with steamed dishes.
Becoming a dragon guardian: SOFT Spoilers: A huge portion of the discussion between Dolce and the Earthmates is laid out in canon. Becoming a guardian means that Venuswill's life is extended and she doesn't have to reincarnate and forget her life. The entire country depends on Venti's runeys that get restored via her existence. However going to sleep for indefinite centuries meant Dolce's own parents and everything else she knew in her time would die and fade, and she had no idea what the world would be like when she woke. Consolation: Venti and Pico would still be there. It was extremely rough on Pico who was awake for 400 years btw.
- NONSpoilers, just FLAVOR: Dolce acts as a costume designer for the stage theater, not realizing (and/or caring?) half of them are ghosts. Also does marionette shows.
Tour Obsidian Mansion with all its CREEPY AF classic goth aesthetics, take in a dinner show (the actors are DEAD :V) maybe a romantic violin performance (the violinist is a ghost) but be very very very careful not to get hit by plushie boobie traps!
Possessed by Marionetta: CW: possession duh. Marionetta is a boss monster that does magic shows (classic IRL illusion style even though the entire world takes magic for granted! That's what funny) and is an annoying pest. Dolce held out really hard, but when the orbs started replacing the other guardians, she got taken over, much to Pico's (understandable) consternation. As a monster, Dolce will not understand a SINGLE thing anyone says/does, and not be in control of herself (ofc) she will be 100% attack/defend/prank.
Bonus: if you snap her out of it with/or instead of the Earthmate MC (Lest/Frey) you can get naked manga Dolce idk. I play ridiculous canons thanks.
Up until possession, Dolce has normal rounded ears. They become pointy almost elf-like after that. She is not an elf, however. There are others in town (Margaret!) who are.
Life in Selphia: Pico drags Dolce to Venti, and Venti erases Dolce's guardian memories (TEMPORARILY -- they get restored) -> New town, 400 years later, what do? Nancy instantly adopts Dolce and Pico, I mean instantly. Meet Nancy the nurse, Dr. Jones the Doctor, whom Dolce becomes very quickly attached to, and works as a pharmacist/alchemist for. The town all seems very very idyllic. Although Dolce is crazy shy still, and Pico generally purposely creates mischief so that Dolce has to run after her and talk to people.
Ethelberd and the Floating Empire: Spoilers for Chapter 2 of RF
The lunatic Ethelberd wants to take over the world, become a God, and has gone on a genocide of Earthmates for stopping him previously, and tries to take all the rune spheres that allowed Dolce and the other guardians to come back to the waking world. Experience AIRSHIP and Floating Empire which is like a metal floating doomsday ship with golems and sechs dragons and giant fucking spiders of doom.