Flooberoid

Hawthorn would be happy to join! He knows a lot about plants and medicine, so could not only help find the berry in question but also be a critical asset if anypony happens to get hurt! He's spent a lot of time in the Everfree Forest but typically relies on his pet chipmunk (who you can count as my second character I guess) to keep him on safe routes. I think he'd be curious to explore deeper into the forest and would jump at the opportunity to join a group that makes it (relatively) safe! I doubt he would have had any prior interaction with Lady.

((SO SORRY IF YOU ASSUMED I WAS GONE FOREVER!!)) "Oh! Um..." Rosemarey awkwardly trotted over to the side of the pitch and retrieved her ball, smiling to cover up her embarrassment. When she was across from Sweetie Belle, she rolled the ball back and forth between her front hooves, getting used to how it moved. Then she wondered how best to pass the ball. Her hot shot (no pun intended) coach seemed keen on passing it any which way with just about every part of her body, and she never really had explained the best way to do it for beginners. Rosemarey thought back to watching those apple ponies buck their trees. They always used their rear legs for power, so... like this? She turned around and peered behind her. "Alright, here I go!" she called out to her partner to signal that she was ready. She then bucked the ball as hard as she could, and... ...The ball was sent flying, rolling about 30 degrees to the left of her intended target and bouncing off the ground to fly up into the air. Rosemarey could feel that her pass had gone wrong but didn't want to turn around to see just how wrong. "Sorry! Heh..." she yelled sheepishly.

Rosemarey places one hoof on her ball and rocks it back and forth, a bit nervous. She shakes the nerves off quickly enough, though. After all, none of the other fillies here mentioned having experience in soccer, so it was probably a pretty level playing field. Wind Walker seems to be the most athletic of the other fillies, so her partner for this activity should probably be- Well, she doesn't have to give it much thought after all as Sweetie Belle approaches her as soon as the circle disperses. Classic Ponyville geniality- that's why it's the best town in Equestria! "Sure, Sweetie Belle! I can hardly walk straight with this thing, but as long as that's fine with you!" She points to the ball and giggles. Then a thought occurs to her. Having both balls for a passing activity didn't really seem necessary, unless this task was about to get a lot more difficult than she was ready for. Assuming it won't be needed, she gives her ball a gentle kick to the side where it rolls for just a second before coming to a stop just off the pitch. She then happily trots over to watch the demonstration by Shot and Thunderlane.

If it weren't for the ID requirement, maaaaaaaybe, but it wasn't that long ago that he deserted and the name "Drop Shadow" would still be pretty well-known. I don't think he's getting an invite legitimately or that it would be respected if he did. As for getting in, I'm really thinking less "Mission Impossible" and more "Hitman." Well, except that instead of trying to kill anypony he's just sort of there to check up on the Royal Guard and narcissistically ask around about himself in disguise, see what people are saying about him since he deserted. But the point is, he would obtain a uniform, invite and ID by force and not really care about the lieutenant waking up and telling everypony because he'll be long gone before that happens. He's targeting a soft-spoken lieutenant specifically so that the pony he's posing as isn't such a high-ranking officer as to be well-known and have everypony see right through him. Going to post his application here in this post just to avoid flooding the topic with extra posts, so I can edit as need be. Name: Drop Shadow (Posing as Still Waters) Role: Guard Rank/Branch: (Lieutenant/Royal Navy) Plus One: "Couldn't make it" due to "last second arrangements"

I am itching to use one of my characters in a guard thread, but I should definitely run it by you before I apply here. Drop Shadow is a former royal guard fairly recently disgraced as a deserter of the army. (Sorry, I'd grab a profile link but I'm on mobile right now) He wouldn't be invited, but I'm thinking he could disguise himself (through a combination of dressing up, stealing the ID, and illusion magic as necessary) as a lieutenant of the navy in order to attend. He wouldn't cause much in the way of disruptive mischief, just generally be a bit creepy and off. Thoughts? And if I did do that, I feel I should include the name and rank/branch he's pretending to be as well. Also should clarify that the lieutenant in question isn't a real character anyone owns.

This thread has two distinct parts to it. 1. Offering Hawthorn's unapped family members for others to apply for. They have certain characteristics I've already chosen for them, but will largely be up to the other member's creativity to produce. 2. Finding people with characters that either would logically have met Hawthorn for whatever reason or who would have an interesting dynamic with Hawthorn that would make for a good rp thread. Hawthorn's app 1. Hawthorn's family In general, I recommend these characters to either new members who are struggling to come up with ideas for an OC, or for players who like a lot of slice of life. They are by nature rather wholesome characters built on simple archetypes that I encourage anyone who apps them to expand upon. However, there is some potential for a deeper narrative with Hawthorn's father, Flax Seed. Ginger Snap: Hawthorn's mother. A middle-aged mare. Sweet and caring, but also very hardworking. Loves her children more than anything, but rarely has time to express this because of how busy she is with work. The exact nature of her work is currently unspecified and could be expanded on. Parsley: Hawthorn's oldest brother, not much younger than he is. Honestly, been thinking of retconning this guy out of existence considering I don't really have any ideas for him... Still, I'm leaving him up for grabs. His personality is the most up in the air out of everypony. Sage: Oldest sister of the family. Could be written as either an older filly or a very young mare. Mature and soft-spoken, though not shy, she is the most independent of Hawthorn's younger siblings. Tends to pick up on the lessons Ginger Snap and Hawthorn give more quickly than anypony else and has been known to help with the housework. Thyme: Youngest brother and a young foal. As the youngest child of Flax Seed, he is actually the only member of the family not to have even briefly met their father. He is creatively inclined and aspires to be an artist, likely a painter. Has been known to find inspiration in the beautiful plants their family grows in the garden. Possibility of being initially a blank flank. Flax Seed: This is the guy I mentioned previously that leaves an opening for a possible deeper narrative to develop. For whatever reason, he left the family when Hawthorn was young (and by extension is the only member of the family who does NOT live in Ponyville). The reason for him leaving doesn't have to be selfish in nature, but does not have to make him a good father either (for example, my current thought is that he left to use his knowledge of medicinal plants to help sick ponies around the world in order to atone for some currently unspecified guilt). Whatever the reason, nopony in the family knows it besides Ginger Snap. As of right now I don't envision him as a villain character, though I can be convinced of just about anything with compelling reason. 2. Other connections For those not interested in apping a new character in Hawthorn's family, this thread is also targeting anyone who believes their existing character or character ideas may be good for friends of Hawthorn. This includes, but is not limited to: In general particularly outgoing residents of Ponyville he inevitably would have run into at some point Night owls, as much of Hawthorn's gathering of rare magical herbs is done at night Fellow lovers of nature; Plant lovers would have a lot to talk about with him while animal lovers could provide a different perspective Anypony with a medical condition or tendency of getting sick that an herbalist could help with

Rosemarey is about to respond to Sweetie Belle's question when she is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Long Shot. "Nice to meet you, Sweetie Belle. Looks like I'll introduce myself in a minute." Recognizing that there isn't much point in introducing herself twice, she follows Shot's instructions. After bringing the ball closest to her to a stop, she clumsily navigates it over to join the circle next to Echo. Listening to the other fillies' introductions, it doesn't seem like any of them are very familiar with soccer. That's a relief. When it is finally her turn, Rosemarey enthusiastically announces her name. "Hi everypony! My name is Rosemarey! I've never played soccer before, but I do love going outside and having fun!" Now the hard part. She has so many fun hobbies and only has the floor for a moment, so she has to choose one. "My favorite thing to do is, umm... planting flowers all over Ponyville!"

Drop Shadow is a former guard and one that was known for being as physically strong as he was egotistical. It's entirely reasonable to believe he would have had a rivalry of sorts with the noble swordstallion of Canterlot. As for Burning Aegis, well... they could have met. Both being guards in Canterlot. Doesn't have to go much deeper than that, lol. However, I would bear in mind that Drop Shadow is likely a fair bit older than either of them, Aegis especially. Also also bear in mind that Drop Shadow is no longer a guard, no longer physically fit, and tends to be preoccupied kidnapping fillies nowadays. Drop Shadow's app

Rosemarey sets down her one tray and already finds herself the center of attention. Cautiously, she looks up at Hawthorn, who rolls his eyes with a smile to show he's not upset and nods back to her. She then smiles her appreciation back at him as he sets about doing the rest of the unloading himself. The filly wonders if all siblings are able to communicate in this way. Probably not, but that was beside the point. She now has permission to focus on chatting with the other guests, and an opportunity to talk up a storm wasn't going to get by her. "Yona," she starts, "I'm glad you like my dress, but it's not all that formal, is it? I'm just a waitress, that's all. Besides, I think what you came wearing is just as pretty!" She notes that Yona is the only other guest to have come here wearing something, probably clothing traditional of yaks. It is the simplicity of the cloth that she finds so appealing, so bold against the glamour and frills of much of pony fashion. The filly then turns to Dream Wanderer. "Sure, you're early, but that doesn't mean you can't hang out! Maybe Lamp could get you something to drink while you wait for the feast to start?" She helpfully suggests. "Oh, and about the special occasion? This is Ponyville, silly! We don't need an occasion to party!" Rosemarey laughs, but Hawthorn helpfully adds, "We made too much food and decided to share it." Having organized the wagon's storage to be easy to unload later, Hawthorn finds himself making very rapid progress on the setting of the table. He expected nopony to approach him until he was done, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the baby dragon seems interested in the food. "Hey, Spike," Hawthorn says, somewhat glad he was thoughtful- or hungry- enough to keep him company while he works, "Stews, soups, salads, grilled carrots, sweet potato fries... Cupcakes and pies for dessert... Just about anything anypony in Ponyville could ask for. This was kinda my siblings' super-mega-comprehensive exam on our cooking lessons so far." He then grins and chuckles while setting down a serving bowl of what looks like... squash pudding? "No gems though I'm afraid. We were mainly cooking for ponies, after all."

There's not exactly a posting order, I'd just like everyone to either post or pass each round.

It's been just about a week for this, so I'm curious what everyone's up to. Do I need to do something to move things along or are we just busy?

The other pony acts as if she didn't basically save his life back there, and Hawthorn meets this with a frown. "Ah, I'm actually a bit of a night owl anyway. Besides, can't reckon I'd get any sleep tonight after all that's happened at this point. I actually love sharing a meal with new friends, too, so it's really no problem at all. He hopes it isn't presumptuous to call her a friend already, but he already feels quite comfortable with Rose's presence. Given how often he goes out at night, he is surprised that they've never met before now. "Sure you ain't boasting just a tiny bit much there, Rosa?" Hawthorn chuckles. "Well, the biggest conditions for a Featherroot to grow are height and magic. It's a tall yellow flower that resembles a pegasus feather. Finding high places shouldn't be a bother, but it's the magic requirement that worries me." Hawthorn sighs and explains. "There is a lot of free magic in the Everfree Forest, that's for sure... but most locations with a high concentration of it, the plants are mutated into monsters. I can't get close to 'em, so I've just been explorin' on the safe trails Pinecone picked out for me." He gestures to his satchel where the journal is, remembering how much of an embarrassment his notes were compared to her talent for cartography.

Ordinarily, Rosemarey's family would walk her to a place like this in the morning. It's not like she was some baby foal who needed the attention, but they would insist anyway. However, it turns out this was too early in the morning for any of them. Ginger Snap was sound asleep, and Hawthorn had been up all night doing... something in the forest. Whatever the case, she's coming alone and is honestly relieved for the opportunity to make friends without the adults getting in the way. It isn't even like Rosemarey likes soccer, but since the Fillies' Canasta Club got cancelled for some reason, this is now her only option for fun team activities. Besides, she's heard this soccer camp was being run by some famous pony this year. Maybe her friends would be jealous, Rosemarey thinks with a grin. Upon reaching the field, the first thing she notices is the grass. How did they trim it down so neatly? Were there employees whose job it was just to graze the field? Seems like a pretty laid-back job to say the least... Her train of thought immediately derails upon seeing other ponies. It looks to be an adult and two fillies. Could the adult be this Long Shot she read about in the ads? No, she shakes her head. Long Shot was supposed to be a mare, not a stallion. So why did he look familiar then? Shaking off her wandering thoughts, Rosemarey approaches the group. With a big smile she always tries to put on for new friends, Rosemarey speaks up. "Heya, everypony! You all here for the soccer camp too?" She's not sure what else they could be here for... but hey, doesn't hurt to ask.

Hawthorn laughs at Yona's response. "Ah, well, it's good to meet ya either way!" He then notices the other group approaching and turns his attention to them. "Just need to set the table, Lamp. Rose and I have it covered. Speaking of, she hasn't been annoying y'all too much, has she?" he teases. Rosemarey pouts and protests, "Of course I haven't! Lamp's been happy to have me, hasn't he?" She looks expectantly at Lamp. "I'm sure he is, Rose." Hawthorn smiles. He's quite glad he decided to bring her along now. She could bring life to the party that his down-to-earth demeanor wouldn't likely provide. "I'm gonna work on unloading the cart now. You wanna help, sis?" Without waiting for her response, Hawthorn immediately drags the first large platter out of the cart. It seems to be some fancy stew served inside of a hollowed-out pumpkin. He carefully hauls it to the side of the cart and then eases it onto his back to be carried. Rosemarey gasps. "Oh no! I forgot my dress!" How could she forget when she was so excited to wear it? Ginger Snap had picked it out just for her. She dashes away from the group and moments later comes back wearing a dress and apron befitting of an old-fashioned waitress. With her head up and a smile across her face, she picks up a smaller plate of appetizers and follows her brother towards the dining area.

"Fruit? I suppose I should have guessed that. Ever tried it fried, maybe grilled?" He thought of all the recipes he knew for fruit-based dishes. There were quite a few, particularly apple dishes. After all, it was easy to get high quality apples out of Ponyville. "I happen to be a pretty decent cook, if I may say so myself. And I feel like I've got to do something to thank you properly after we get out of here." Hawthorn then trips on a root and barely catches himself before he hits the ground. Suddenly, he's reminded of why he came here. He quickly looks around, hoping they didn't miss a Featherroot while they were focused on their conversation. "Say, um, how's your map coming along? Still a decent amount of ground to cover?"

Rosemarey beams from ear to ear when Lamp immediately identifies her and Hawthorn as siblings. "Mmhmm! Hawthorn's my big bro, and my name's Rosemarey!" She trots around Lamp giving him a look over. "My brother said you two were fast friends, you know! He said you 'had an easygoing and inviting disposition,' whatever that means." She guesses it means he's a nice guy. That seems accurate to her. She didn't contribute much to the banner and is ultimately bored by the bigger ponies talking about it. As such, the filly is about to wander off and explore when Lamp starts heading out front. She decides to follow him, hoping he'll go and greet some of the other party guests. Her wish pays off when she and him end up encountering a pegasus from out of town. She smiles and nods as Lamp introduces her. Maybe it was a bit rude not to let her introduce herself, but hey, it was also less work on her part! But when the pegasus starts asking what he can do to help, her smile fades. Doing her best to imitate her mother's stern voice, she says, "Oh no you don't! Party guests are not to lift a hoof to help with the work. You have fun, and leave the hard work to Lamp, Hawthorn, and your adorable waitress Rosemarey!" Acting stern was already tough for her, but with that last line she cracks. Her voice raises back up to its usual pitch as she stifles a giggle. Satisfied that his sister is in good hooves with Lamp, Hawthorn decides to greet the other two guests he saw. But just as he is making a move to say hello, the baby dragon has already approached him. "Yes, I think you could say we're friends! Even though we met yesterday!" he chuckles. A baby dragon and a yak... and just the other day I met an Aerion... This is shaping up to be a very interesting week, he ponders. "I'm Hawthorn, by the way. Pleasure to meet you." He glances over at the yak, noticing she's seemingly being led around by her smaller companion. "A bit shy, is she? No need to be nervous, Yona." Hawthorn tries to encourage the yak to stand next to Spike.

Hawthorn takes a moment to digest everything Rosa was saying. She was really talkative, possibly feeling she needed to take advantage of any opportunity she got to talk to other ponies. "Well, I prefer the term 'apothecary,' but I suppose that's just splitting hairs. Herbalist is perfectly accurate." As for her job... a cartographer in this day and age? By now, most places already had staggeringly accurate maps... "It must be tough making a living as a mapmaker in modern Equestria... I hope you're not putting yourself in too much danger mapping the obscure corners of our world..." Hawthorn didn't know whether he was worried about her or just chiding her for being reckless, but it quickly occurred to him how much of a hypocrite he was being. If she hadn't showed up tonight, he would probably be plant food. He shakes off the frightening irony and hesitates for a second before addressing Rosa again. With a small sigh, he speaks up again. "Listen, Rosa, I know your kind can't all be bad... I was reacting from a... fear of the unknown, I guess." Hawthorn explains slowly, choosing his words carefully. "It's just, the only bat ponies- excuse me, Aerion- that visit us normally are the bad ones. Seeing one usually means you're in for a fight or the town could be facing famine. So I apologize if we started off on the wrong hoof." With that off his chest, he gets his confidence up a notch. He smiles to her, but with a faint hint of playful mischief on his face as he adds, "Now, if you'd like to answer some questions, I suppose you could start with what you like to eat?"

Well, no reason not to have Rosemarey join I suppose.

"Compass Rose? Lovely name, but you mind if I call you Rosa? We call my little sister Rose." Hawthorn explains when she gets around to criticizing his directions. "Not a dog! ...A chipmunk, actually." he admits a bit sheepishly. How is it she knows this forest so well? It seems nopony else is brave enough to go in here alone, but this mare is mapping the place at night? She's either fearless or out of her mind, Hawthorn thinks to himself. Then the strange pony suggests wandering the forest together for a while. It's true he still hasn't found the Featherroot yet... "Um, if ya don't mind..." It isn't easy asking favors of somepony he's probably offended, but he does need her help. "I'm looking for a rare plant called the Featherroot in these woods. It only grows in magical places and only during the week between spring and summer. It's this beautiful golden yellow color, a bit like a stalk of wheat but it looks like the feather of a griffon's wing. It can be used to make a poultice that-" Hawthorn catches himself rambling and wraps it up, embarrassed. "A-Anyway, I really want one and I haven't had any luck with it so far..."

Weeeell I don't think anypony is actually still inside the inn, but I'm sure someone will notice your character. Anyway, I did finally get around to posting Rosemary's app, and also retconned her name to Rosemarey from here on out because I CANNOT miss out on a pun under any circumstances. So yeah, I'll be a lot more active with her participation in the thread now.

Roleplay Type: WoE Name: Rosemarey Sex: Female Age: Filly Species: Earth pony Eye Color: Fire red Coat: Leaf green Mane/Tail: Her mane is short and poofy and a deep red in color. Her short red tail is just as soft and fluffy and curls in a small spiral. Physique: Average for a filly Residence: Family home on the edge of Ponyville Occupation: Student Cutie Mark: A rose bud, symbolizing her ability to find the beauty in anything Unique Traits: She has a green hoof for flowers in particular, which she suspects is related to magic. History: As the fourth of five siblings, Rosemarey struggles to get any attention at home. This was not made any easier by the fact that her father left their family before she was even old enough to speak. However, this isn’t to say her upbringing hasn’t been pleasant. She has always had a loving, if busy, mother in Ginger Snap and her eldest brother, Hawthorn, has been taking an increasingly active role in her upbringing as well. In fact, she has recently started to look up to her brother very much, and he is always willing to indulge her when she wants to help with the gardening or cooking. When Rosemarey started school, she had no trouble making friends. Naturally a social filly, she got to know her classmates quickly and often threw out casual compliments that brought smiles to her friends’ faces. One student in the class, however, was cynical enough to refuse her friendship. The filly remarked that Rosemarey’s hollow compliments were nothing more than attempts at shallow popularity. She fired back by saying the filly’s mane was very pretty, which only earned her an eye roll. But she chose to persist and follow through on her compliment, delicately placing a single rose in the filly’s hair. She encouraged her fellow student to wear the rose around for a day and tell her how it went. The next day she got word that the filly got nothing but compliments, not just on the rose but also for the confidence which she started to show over the course of the day because of it. The filly gave a hushed and embarrassed apology, to which Rosemarey smiled as her cutie mark appeared. Character Personality: Brimming with positive energy, Rosemarey is among the most optimistic ponies in Ponyville. She is extremely sweet and sociable and spends much of her free time beautifying Ponyville- picking up trash, planting flowers, and offering ponies advice on how to bring out the best of their beauty and style. Her advice isn’t always up to a professional standard, but she is still learning. She can also be a bit clumsy but plenty earnest enough to make up for her mistakes. Character Summary: Rosemarey is the textbook picture of youth: Lively, energetic and sweet. She firmly believes there is beauty in everything and everypony and is determined to find it. She admires and respects her big brother Hawthorn and tends to hog his attention more than her other siblings.

Though a bit apprehensive, Hawthorn turns around to face the bat pony. She didn't seem hostile, but what if that was a trap to gain his trust? "Hawthorn... that's my name." He reluctantly shows her the haphazard chicken-scratch that is his disorganized guide to the forest. To try and calm his nerves, he attempt to make conversation. "So, uh, what's your name? I haven't seen anypony like you around Ponyville..." He leaves the meaning of "like you" up to interpretation, but it's quite obvious what he means by that. In the dim glow of his lantern, he looks the strange pony head to tail. Surprisingly, she actually had a cutie mark, and a rather unique one at that. He had always assumed bat ponies couldn't earn cutie marks when they were only really good at sneaking around and stealing food.

Hawthorn jumps and spins around to find the source of the unexpected voice. He reaches a hoof out in her direction cautiously, then feels his lantern. He takes it from her with a smile. "Ah, thank you kindly! Didn't expect to see a friendly face out here at night!" Well, 'see perhaps wasn't the right word, not yet anyway. He lights the lantern with what little fuel is left to see his rescuer properly. It is then that his smile fades and he backs up against the cliff face. "A-A bat pony?" The frightened stallion clears his throat nervously and tries to adopt a natural-looking posture. "Yes, well, um, thank you for helping. I'll be on my way now!" He takes a moment to study the scrawled notes in his notebook, trying to find his place in the elaborate process he'd written down. Should he try to find the river? Or perhaps the three-humped boulder? There must be some kind of landmark nearby. He trots around in circles but only seems to be wasting energy as well as lantern fuel.

Hawthorn groans and rolls out of bed, staring up at the moonlight outside. After days of searching, he thought they just needed to accept it: The Featherroot isn't growing in that forest, at least not this time of year. Still, he can't convince himself of that, which was why he finds himself sleepless and agitated tonight. It feels like he will never sleep until he finds it- a sentiment somepony else doesn't seem to share. He gives a sidelong glance at Pinecone sleeping away in his little straw-lined bed by the windowsill. The little critter probably can't be dragged out for an expedition at this hour, and he was the stallion's only guide through that confusing forest... It might be for the best that he just go back to sleep. Hawthorn lays his head to rest and closes his eyes, drifting away to sleep... to sleep... to sleep! Argh! He rolls over and out of bed for the fifth time tonight, and that's when he's had enough! A silly plant isn't going to get the better of him! It must be studied! Hawthorn slings his satchel over his back and sneaks out the back door, careful not to wake anypony (or anychipmunk). On the way out, he grabs a small lantern in his jaw and, as soon as he is out of earshot of the house, starts galloping away at full speed. His pace slows to a stop, however, when he's staring at the entrance to the Everfree Forest. With a gulp, he psyches himself up... On his trips with Pinecone, nothing had ever jumped out at them. It always seemed as though the little guy knew all the safest paths, all the twists and turns that led them to safe glades and open water sources where they could take a break. Still, he flips to the back of his field notebook and studies the crude notes he's made there. Turn left at the big boulder, hug the treeline on the right until you see a face in the great oak, then turn sharply right. Run three times around the stump in the glade- he never did really understand that part- then take off westward toward the dangling vines. The list went on for pages, which is why he had it written down. As long as he stuck to this trail, he should be fine, surely! He takes a deep breath, forces a smile, and trots into the dark forest. "...along the river until a tuft of grass tickles your left hind leg, then trot fifty paces east..." he mutters to himself. "Come on, Featherroot, I know you're here somewhere..."[/b] He yawns and wipes the sleep from his eyes as he trots obediently fifty paces. Twenty-six, twenty-seven... or was he at thirty now? He was distracted momentarily as the lantern began to flicker. "Shucks, looks like I'd best head back soon if I don't wanna be caught in the dark..." He chuckles and turns around, trotting back thirty paces... thirty-one, thirty-two... Wait, was this the right way? Thirty-thr- Hawthorn's train of thought is interrupted as he walks right over the edge of a cliff, earning a nasty scrape on his front legs and a knock on the head from the hard dirt floor. He abruptly finds himself much more awake, and irritably pats the soil for his lantern. When he doesn't find it, irritation rapidly turns to anxiety as his breathing quickens...