Julia Orchards // D10 [CLOSED]

I’m not completely sure if the above makes any sense, so I’ll clarify here. The guy who built the Orchards (Felix) bought an abandoned apple farm on the dying wish of the lahv of his life (Julia), and he built a supah huge house in the middle of that farm, and now random people come and go to live there. These people can be either homeless, running away, craving a new environment, or just about any other reason. Anyone is allowed to live there on one condition - that they help out to make the farm thrive.

OH AND ONE MORE THING, I did not come up with this idea. This was all inspired by the lovely Martha McPhee, who wrote the book L’America. This is all inspired by her, the background story and concept and everything. The only thing I’ll claim as originally mine are the following characters:

Elijah Harper // 17
Reserved for Chelsey

The only son of Felix - although he might as well be an orphan. He understands that there’s something within Felix that few people are able to reach, and among these few people was his mother, Julia. Maybe, if she were alive today, she would’ve guided the path for her son to find that part of his father, to unlock that part of Felix that kept him so distant from his own child. Sometimes, he hates his mother for dying on them, for leaving him with Felix, with no traces of parental affection to be found anywhere. And, other times, he couldn’t give less of a damn. That was the way Elijah worked, the way he taught himself to be. Slowly, although unwillingly, Elijah catches glimpses of his father in himself. The way he shuts everything and everyone out. The way he finds it hard to trust. The way he beholds an unhealthy obsession with dreams. The way he can’t allow himself to love as passionately and violently as Felix did for Julia. Though, he does know that his father wasn’t always that way, that there was once a time when dreams still roamed his world. Then again, that was during the time that Julia stilled roamed the world, as well.

Corvan Harper // 18
Reserved for Cait

An orphan and Elijah’s best friend. He came to Julia after the death of his father, in hopes for a new beginning. The reason why him and Elijah get along so well is probably for the simple fact that they’ve both been abandoned by their parents - this one shared history of despair tying them together into a bond they both cannot even fathom. He was the first child who stumbled upon Julia’s grounds, and is the closest thing Elijah has as a brother (therefore, adopting his last name). From everyone else’s eyes, Corvan is carefree, reckless, and insensitive; he's always getting into trouble with the law and dragging Elijah down with him, and at times, when he wants to, can be a "ladies' man" of sorts - when, in truth, he is just hardened from years of waiting for better things to come along. He doesn’t like talking about his past, not even to Elijah, and mostly keeps his story hidden away, although most have guessed that his past was a violent one. He’s taken a liking to raising the goats and cows, and, in his spare time, smokes a joint or two with Elijah on the roof top.

Zariah Lytle // 17
Reserved for Tattletale

A little girl with big, big, big dreams. Has an ambition to become anything and everything, and is sure that one day she will fulfill this “destiny” of hers. She’s the only other person who Elijah can trust at Julia, the only other person who can connect to Elijah’s obsession with dreams, who understands that - without dreaming without hope, without something to believe in, without something to strive for - they are all nothing. She ran away from home when she became too tired to live in the strict black and white environment that her parents trapped her in, and found the freedom of Julia exhilarating. She swears on her life that she will never become like her parents, and to never become like her parents means to never get married, and to never get married means to never fall in love - but her heart jumps a little when she thinks of this “love,” and the sudden image of Elijah pops into her head. Such feelings, however, are foreign to Zariah, and therefore unwelcome - for Zariah must always have everything figured out for herself. Anyway, two dreamers clashed together in a passionate romance never ends well - after all, just like at the fate of Felix and Julia.

Esme Ayres // 16
Reserved for Cass

Before arriving at Julia, Esmeralda found herself sinking into a fit of adolescent depression with no one but herself able to get her out. On the verge of suicide, she discovered the community, where anyone who was anyone would be welcomed, where no one was considered someone, where small people mattered. At Julia, she was reborn, and Esmeralda renamed herself for the beginning of this new life - from here on out, she would be called Esme. Every now and then, flashes from her past would attack her in the most unexpected of moments, and she’s once again finding herself sinking into that desolate isolation that she had just narrowly escaped. For now, she desperately seeks for the light that she’s been searching for her entire life, while lurking the depths of shadows only the hopeless have ever ventured to.

Elias Dixon // 17
Reserved for Onyx

A bit crazy in the head, some believe that he was dropped as a baby and has never been quite the same since. He hardly speaks to anyone, and when he does, it regards about the animals that he grew a fondness for. ”I think the animals should be fed more organic food.” “I think the animals should have better living conditions.” “I think the animals this -” “I think the animals that -“ He’s hardly seen inside the house, rather, mostly found lurking in the ranch that holds the cows or horses. He spends so much time in there that Felix arranged a little corner for himself in the ranch: a bed of hay covered in blankets for a bed, a small wooden desk with a smaller wooden chair, and a shelf tacked to the wall to hold the few of his belongings. He spends his time caring for these creatures, speaking to them as if they were human, and convinced that they’re speaking to him back.

Gwen Jones // 15
Reserved for Dars

Niece of Helena and John. Came to Julia as a child, a kid wrapped in blankets while held in her aunt’s arms, and it has been the only home she has known since. Her parents are still somewhere in the district, living a life free from the burden of parenthood and children. Her mother gave Gwen up to her sister, ridding herself from the responsibilities that every mother should have. By this, Gwen knows that she owes her aunt her very existence - though her pride and temper would never admit it. She has a fire raging inside of her, a fire that’d be too dangerous to even to just try and extinguish, and it’s something that not even she can control, nor even comprehend. Because of that fire, she loves arguing, loves irritating others to the max, loves seeing someone else angry because of her, loves sparking a fire within someone else. For some unfathomable reason, she found friendship in Jordan, the only person in the entire farm who is able to calm down that fire. May or may not have feelings for Jordan, depends on the decision of who ends up having her.

Jordan Snow // 16
Reserved for Wonder

Enjoys the art of story telling, and possesses the talent of easily persuading others with just the use of her words. Even though among the youngest of the community members, she is among the wisest. She ran away from home when her home became too unbearable, as the older sister of five little brothers and sisters, but often visits her parents to help them out with their financial problems. On most nights, many will gather around a fire with nothing but the orange flames to illuminate their faces, listening to her vast expanse of tales and stories of people far away who had not known a life of hardship or challenges. All the residents are so drawn to her story, so attracted to the happy reality she creates with her voice, so deceived into believing that maybe, one day, their happy ending would come, too. This was the effect of her stories, of obtaining the ability to soften the pains of their harsh world. Intricately woven between the gaps of her words, however, lies a lie as thick as the brick walls of the house. Jordan knows this, knows that their reality will never be half as happy as the reality of her fake world, and almost despises herself for the sorry truth. Almost.

Simon Karnes // 18
Reserved for Arx

Has a secret hidden within him that he trusts with absolutely no one. The newest member to Julia, although not the youngest. He keeps to himself most of the time, working when necessary, and locking himself up in his room when not necessary. He is cold, distant, and ultimately stiff from everyone else. Everyone finds this mystery behind him exciting, and are always trying to find ways to unveil bits and pieces of his history - all to no avail. Few understand that he wasn’t always this way, that - just like Felix - a sad past shaped him into the person he is today. In this case, guilt transformed him into a shell of his former being. Secret is up to you.

Branden Osborne // 14
Reserved for Shine

Branden came to the farm as a child with no hopes or prospects for the future. His brother got reaped, died in the games, and his parents disowned him. Of course, Julia Orchards has that ability to change people, and change Branden did. Turns out, somewhere deep inside of him, Branden wasn’t the mess of a kid his parents always thought him to be. Deep down, he lives to become a genius. As an aspiring scientist, he helps Felix create formulas to keep the pests away from the vineyards. All over his room, his walls are covered with ink smudged papers of future inventions and formulas for different chemicals and things of the sort. He’d do anything for his parents to see where he is today, to prove to them that he isn’t such a disappointment, and that - maybe - he could even return home.

Odell Longbourne // 16
Reserved for Zoë

She lives in the bell tower of the house, with bookshelves stacked against every corner of the wall, tattered pieces of paper and worn spines covering every inch and surface of the tiny squared room. She came to Julia on a rainy night when she was only 14, donning nothing but a leather jacket and two paperback books tucked within it. She hardly spoke for months, she hardly speaks now, but everyone leaves her to be since they’re guessing she’s like Elias and not “right in the head.” Really, she’s just trapped in her own fantasy world (like the kind of world that Jordan paints with her voice), stuck in the pages of her books, as if she could leap into the bare papers herself and have her fate entwined with those of the characters. Her contributions include tending to the vegetable gardens and ringing the bell at the beginning of each hour. She’s found a slight attraction in Simon, and latently hopes that this attraction is mutual.

Raven Covella // 16
Reserved for Python

No one can be too sure to put their trust in Raven (whose real name is Carolina), or even be too sure to simply be around her. She says that she came to Julia for refuge because peacekeepers were trying to hang her for witchcraft, so she changed her identity and “cast a spell” on her physical features to transform her appearance. She enjoys the art of fortune telling and would tell anyone’s fortunes if asked, although most don’t because of the strange fact that her fortunes are always accurate. She’s spiritual in her own kind of way, and often goes deeper into the forests of Julia to “clean up,” although most suspect she’s actually doing some holy ritual or sacrifice. For some ungodly reason, she acts like an older sister to Branden - at one point trying to teach him how to tell fortunes himself.

Dahlia Widower // 17
Reserved for Lalia because it's her character duh

Felix Harper //
NPC

Was a dreamer in another life. Now only lies the ancient remains of a love story so suddenly interrupted and destroyed - while somewhere underneath this heap of rubble lies the boy who dreamily carved his own fate into the crisp, clear sky during a summer afternoon. Often, he spends his days strolling the empty parts of the vineyards, talking to Julia as if she had never even left. ”These apples are growing fine, aren’t they Jule?” “I really do need to get around to fixing that leak in the pipes, remind me later, will you Julia?” “Look at our boy, hon, look at how he’s grown. He has your eyes, you know.” When he’s not talking to Julia, he shuts the large oak door of his study and gives in to despair. It’s an unspoken secret between the residents of the farm, unspoken of yet known to all. Behind that door, even if only silence flows through the cracks of the entrance, everyone knows that he weeps for lost love, lost hopes, and - above all - lost dreams.

Nana //
NPC

Although her real name is Eleanor, everyone calls her Nana, and simply Nana. She’s the oldest resident at Julia - at 72 years old - and no one really remembers why she came or when she came - although no one really cares. There’s a silly joke between the community members that she’s lived at the orchards for her entire life, starting out as just another apple tree sapling when the soil was new and rich, only sprouting legs, arms, a head and walking the grounds when Felix finally moved in. She’s considered the head of the community, leading everyone with her wise (if not slightly crazy) words and treating each resident as if they were her own child. Her mind has long since been gone, however - malfunctioning from her wearying old state. In simpler words, the woman has gone slightly crazy. She likes to tell myths of fairies and dragons and creatures of the sort that used to roam these very lands, so caught up in her own childish lie that she’s convinced herself of their very existence - ”They’re real! I found them! They’re real! If you look close enough, you’ll find them, too!”

Helena Farrow //
NPC

A middle aged woman who came five years after the establishment of Julia. She likes to bicker with everybody and turn them into as just a bitter person as she is, although deep down inside she truly does care for the community. Everyone refers to her as “Auntie” or “The Bitch.” You’ll mainly find her in the kitchen cooking or fighting with her niece.

John Farrow //
NPC

A middle aged man who has an appetite for hard work and determination. Probably the closest Elijah has ever gotten to having a father. Although he’s mostly found with his nose buried knee deep in a book, he spends his spare time herding sheep. Mostly, everyone adores him for his simple stability - something absolutely no one else at Julia possesses - knowledge, and kind words accompanied by an even kinder smile. Others pity him for being bound to life to The Bitch. Many go to him in times of trouble, or when they just simply need advice. Often referred to as “Uncle.”