Hello all :) I personally love the Language of Flowers and have always wanted to use it in character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_of_flowers I realize historically, it became a society craze 9 years after 1811. But I figured people would be ok fudging that a little bit.
I would love any and all players to join me in using the Language of Flowers in letters and mailed trinkets. I definitely saw several posts of people expressing interest in sending other players pressed flowers. I propose that we all use the same source as our "codebook" so that PCs will have an easier time decoding the hidden sentiments of each nosegay or bouquet. I propose this one: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31591 I am open to proposals of other books/sources. I like this one b.c. it's free and was written during the Victorian era.
Rules and Logistics for the In game running of Alices Florist shop, W. GadsbysIIIIIffffIffff your PC wishes to send a bouquet to another PC, please send a letter addressed to Alice at W. Gadsby Florists.
2. In the letter, please state the name of the PC recipient, what you wish it to say on the card that comes with the flowers,and what meaning or sentiments you wish to convey with the bouquet.
3. This is the biggest rule: one bouquet !at be sent per PC per month. Bouquets take about 3-4 hours each for me to create. It is a joy to create them but time consuming and so I am setting this limit
4. Players from any part of the AU globe may sent flowers to a PC in any other part of the globe. But if this location is more than two days coach ride from London, the paper bouquet will be a phys rep (physical representation) of a dried flower bouquet to support a sense of in game laws of nature andcurrent technologies.
Why is Alice Managing a Flower shop when She is the owner of a theatre troupe???
During non-quarantine times, Alice is hard at work establishing her theater company, the Eglantine Players. Because theaters are not currently allowed to host in person performances, Alice has returned to the W. Gadsby Florists, the flower shop she worked in when she first arrived in London. As she is now more established in society, she was hired on as an assistant shop manager. Many of Alice's actors came to work for the flower shop temporarily as flower delivery people. The flower delivery business has been booming during the quarantine as many middle and upper class people have been sending flowers to loved ones and friends in the London area. Any PCs who feel they would be out of work due to quarantine are welcome to work at W. Gadsby Florists until the quarantine is over. Just send Alice a letter :)
Hello friends. I have been loving all the request letters I've been getting. Please see above for a few updates on how I am running my florists business,W. Gadsbys, in game
To Alice? You got it :))) looking forward. We have mannnny of the flowers from the book but not all of them.
I just got in all my plant catalogues and I am stokedddd to make players some paper bouquets. If you would like a paper bouquet to another character, please write a letter to Alice at Gadsby Florists. You can give as much or as little detail about the bouquet that you want. The bouquet can also say who is is from or be anonymous. Language of time y'all <33333
I would also love to use this thread to brainstorm and discuss phys reps (Physical Representations) of bouquets with other players. Perhaps even photos of phys rep bouquets once the recipient PC has received the actual phys rep. I'm looking for suggestions from others on how best to create beautiful phys rep bouquets that aren't too labor intensive. Different ideas I've had: pictures cut from flower catalogs and decoupaged, watercolor paintings of bouquets, dried flowers, color print outs from the computer. Sadly the last idea isn't an option for me b.c. my printer only does black and white :'(
ETA: Maniacal laughter! Muhahahaha! I have just ordered six free flower catalogs in the mail for my phys reps HAHAHAH! Will report back which I feel have the best pictures for making bouquets in case others would like to try their hands at this two.
ETA2: I think for some bouquets, I may write the name of the flowers in pretty script below the flowers. For example, there are a Pazillion types of roses in Greenaway's Language of Flowers and they all mean something different. So example, below a bouquet, it might read "Burgundy Rose."
ETA3: someone is absolutely gonna get a bouquet with all the weird silly ones like turnip flowers, flytrap, corn, and cabbage flowers.
in Devon (where Eudora is Duchess of) she has an estate with a very well known garden, same with the estate in Leeds for holidays. The St. Clair family hosts a garden party once a year in the spring to show off the gardens with all their new flowers and hedge maze- flowers are a huge part of my backstory!
If you are asking if I would be willing OOC to craft phys reps of specific flowers for a bouquet for ur character to send to anothet I'm totally willing. But in return, Id want a phys rep of similiar value in work effort. I dont know yet how labor intensive they will be. Deoends on how i decide to make them. Hoping to get my hands on some glorious plant catelogues and then decoupage them to look period.
Additionally, I would love it if people said they bought the bouquettes they are sending from W. Gadsby Florists. Unless of course their character has a huge lusgm garden at their estate and prefers to simply take cuttings from their collection ;) In turn I am happy to name drop the companies and services of others to make our shared universe feel more united and lived in <3
Language of flowers is my entire jam! Love the idea of a common reference too
YES PLEASE. Definitely here for this.
I am very here for this! I've always loved Victorian flower language and am very onboard for it having come about slightly earlier in this world.