Orchid Dreams

//characters

Full Name: Juliana Tasselberry
Culture: Breefolk
Desc:
This is a lean woman and one who has seen hardship at least once in her relatively short life. She is of average height with pronounced cheek bones, and the cheeks themselves often glow with a life-pink, a joy-pink, akin to the energy and attitude that constantly surrounds her generally-smiling form. She is one who loves things needlessly and too much, and this is easily expressed through doe-brown eyes and crinkled skin from too much laughing. Equally brown and straight hair is most often pulled back into careless pony-tails or loose plaits. Her skin is fair, though lightly freckled, hands are pulled into fine and definite points and frequently cradle a basket, bag, flowers or someone else’s child.

Juliana Green is a simple woman, and so dresses suitably simply: homespun cotton skirts, or wool in the winter of blues, browns and the occasional faded green, she adds the sporadic bright pocket or patch sewn somewhere inconspicuous, but obvious when she turns ‘just so.’

History.
Juliana was born the youngest of four children to Jacob and Miriam Tasselberry. Much to the disappointment of her father, she took many of the Taylor characteristics belonging to her mother’s family. No curls would be found on the head of this girl as she grew, yet those doe-eyes watched her mother with keen interest as she cooked and cleaned and helped the family when they were ill. She didn’t join her brothers in their adventures, but went to school as often as she could, and learnt as much as she could.. Though she enjoyed being with her friends, and talking and laughing with them, she didn’t enjoy the rough-and-tumble games of her brothers. Eventually she grew out of dollies and toys, though these were an important part of her childhood and searched for her calling.

Some people called her too joyful- too full of life. Always was she smiling and enthusiastic about whatever task was presented her, and if a stranger came knocking at her family’s door, she would answer and invite them in to share in a meal and have a bed for the night. Soon, (though her mother disapproved, and didn’t wish to see her go!) she left their Combe house to visit Bree, and didn’t come back. Her personality quickly found her a job as a carer for an elderly woman who survived only on her company and chocolate cakes she baked every Wednesday. And then, the time for the woman ended, and Juliana had to move on. She stumbled upon the Healing House and was torn between becoming a teacher and a Healer. Healer it was, after deciding she never was all that good at reading or writing anyway. It comes as no surprise, then, that she met her husband-to-be on his sick bed one early Spring morning and, no surprise due to her personality and his (which was incredibly similar, their ‘too much love’) that this would not be the last time they both met!

Darcy Green, injured in a hunting accident (“A bit of leg-damage, some bruising and a sprained ankle ‘s all.. nothin’ to worry ‘bout, Mr. Green…”) spent the next three months trying to track down this young Healeress, who at the time had barely come out of her teens. As he didn’t know her name, and she spent much time in Combe with her ailing Grandparents, she was near impossible to find, until he heard a friend mention his sister, who had married one Zachary Tasselberry who was sisters with a Healer, Juliana Tasselberry—the story is too long to remember and recall here, but it was one of those ‘a friend-of-a-friend-of-mine’ stories that goes on and on. Anyway! Darcy made the links, took a chance, and, as summer began to arrive he finally showed up at Juliana’s door-step with one daisy. Now, why he had a daisy is anyone’s guess, but Juliana was practically prepared to marry him on the spot. She didn’t, however, but said: “What took you so long? I’ve been thinking about you, and waiting.”

Another season of courting took place, though it was hardly necessary; Juliana just claimed she liked autumn better than summer. So, as the leaves began to turn, they finally married by the Combe Stream in a grand festival that involved dancing, laughing, singing and, for some, copious amounts of alcohol.

Thus, Juliana Tasselberry becamee Juliana Green, married to a hunter of a small but close-knit Archet family. Meanwhile, all her brothers and sisters had married themselves and were having children, or had already had children some years ago (indeed, while she was still a teenager herself!). Her sister Clover her two daughters- Ellen and Sarah, and James had been blessed with four- Anna, Jacob, Adrian, Megan… Well.. five, not counting little James, whom even she couldn’t save. More recently was the birth of baby Fortune to her brother Zachary who was crawling already and more-often-than not seen in her tender and careful care.

The love between Juliana and Darcy is unconditional and the strongest you’ll ever find. If they fight, they cry and make up within minutes. One would sacrifice his or her life for the other, and whenever they are together, others are often sickened by the far-away dreamy look in their eyes. But, why haven’t they had children yet? Rumours say that Juliana is finally pregnant, though only time will tell…

Graphics created from scratch using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, personal photographs and some brushes created by nice people. If you wish to know which brushes I used specifically, feel free to send a nice e-mail my way.

---> Layout obtained from Appassionato