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june-the-botanist · 3 years

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A salty sea breeze gently rustled the grass. The normally dreary grey sky was peppered with cotton ball clouds that gave way to blue sky and a warm sun. The trees swayed in the wind, leaves rustling happily, the smell of roses, berry pies and the ocean permeating everything. By all accounts, it was a beautiful summer day in Gilneas.

“Mama, why can’t we go to the picnic?” A little girl’s voice pierced the air of the tiny sitting room, her little blonde pigtails bouncing with artificial curls and obnoxiously pink ribbons as she sat on the little armchair, bouncing up and down restlessly.

The click of a tongue broke the silence, “Picnics are beneath proper young ladies, Juniper Rose. And you still have your scales to work through.” The woman’s voice was severe and unforgiving, and the tall figure that stood - arms crossed and nose haughtily airborne - in front of the girl looked anything but motherly. Her faded blonde hair was up in a tight bun, her grey eyes were cold as steel, and the lipstick she wore did little to draw attention away from the crow’s feet pulling at the corners of her eyes.

“But Mama, King Greymane said it was for everyone.” June’s voice was hopeful - she wanted to get to spend time with the other kids, outside her lonely home. And even at the age of 5, she understood to a degree that her mother preferred events where she could preen for higher classes’ attention.

Her mother took pause at that, tapping her lip. It had been some time since she’d shown her presence at a social event, and though she was young, she might be able to start preparing her daughter for betrothment. She sucked in air through her teeth, her face stern, “And you plan on wearing that?!” She motioned to her daughter’s current plain white day dress - the one Donna herself had put her in - and scoffed. “No, no, no. Go get the blue lace dress, and your matching ribbons for your hair, and be quick about it!”

June didn’t need telling twice - she ran for the spindly staircase that led upstairs to the closet her mother had deemed her bedroom. It had a single tiny window by the bed, and a short wardrobe where her dresses had been hung. She pulled down the blue lace item - frills and scalloped edging and eyelet lace and itchy-cuffed sleeves - and grabbed the blue ribbons that matched it from a little basket on the floor.

She hurried downstairs with the items just in time to see her mother had changed from the plain red housecoat she’d been wearing to a more posh, ruffle-collared crushed velvet dress of Gilneas grey, with a tiny hint of gold embroidery around the cuffs of her sleeves. A matching hat - which looked more suitable for a tiny animal to wear - was affixed atop her severe bun, modesty netting feathered out tastefully. The woman was adorning her ears with her nice pearl studs as June arrived before her once more.

“Well… at least you can follow instructions,” her mother’s tone was almost a complaint. But she wasted no time, taking the items from June and moving with a swiftness as she removed the girl’s current dress, straightened her undergarments, and slipped the lace dress over her daughter’s head. Getting the sleeves into place and properly fluffed, tying the lace belt snugly around her waist, and smoothing the skirt so that it was prim and proper took a couple minutes. Afterward, she carefully untied each of the ribbons in June’s hair and froufrou-ed the girl’s curls a little before using the new blue ribbons to tie it up in the back. The double-bow she affixed on top was impeccable, almost impossibly so. When Donna was done, her daughter looked less like a 5-year-old girl and more like a fragile doll which should only ever be looked at but never touched. A click crossed Donna’s tongue and she nodded, “I suppose it doesn’t get much better than that.”

June did her best to stand as politely before her mother as she could - within a few moments, her mother was correcting her posture, as always.

A half hour later, June and Donna were arriving outside Greymane manor in a tiny carriage meant for a single occupant. The driver held a hand out to Donna expectantly as the pair deboarded. Donna sneered and parted with three silver coins, then grasped her daughter’s hand tightly and walked them to the entrance. The butler motioned them forward to announce them to Lady Greymane and company:

“Mrs. Donna Blower and her daughter Miss Juniper Rose.”

Mia met them at the door with a pleasant smile, “Mrs. Donna, it’s lovely to see you again. Honestly, you should sell that glass-blowing business so you can retire as a proper Lady.” Donna did her best to maintain her smile, but the comment stung. She was the business, as she had yet to teach anyone else her techniques for glass-making.

“Why, thank you, my Queen. You are too kind. How fare your husband and young Liam this summer? The weather has been agreeable of late.” And before June knew it, the conversation was very boring. She tugged her hand a little, trying to free it from her mother’s vice grip. Eventually Donna glanced down at her and released her hand, warning the girl, “Don’t cause any trouble.”

And so June went to one of the refreshment tables against the wall, peeking at what they were offering. Summer in Gilneas meant there was fresh fruit, little finger sandwiches, and tea and lemonade to drink. June tried reaching for the plates on the back of the table but couldn’t quite get to them. After several moments of her struggling on her tiptoes, curls swaying with her body, a chuckle sounded from behind her.

“Hey shorty. Need some help?” The voice was that of a young boy.

“I am -not- a shorty!” When June turned around to puff her cheeks at the boy, she blinked in surprise and immediately bowed in embarrassment, “Prince Liam!”

Liam could not have been more than nine or ten years old. His ginger hair was pulled back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, his blue eyes bright as he looked at her, some errant freckles adorning his cheeks. Several awkward seconds passed, and June realised that it wasn’t Lady-like for her to bow. She shifted into a messy curtsey, but the movement caused her to lose her balance, falling forward.

This elicited another chuckle from the boy, “You should be more careful,” he said, offering her a hand to help her up.

“Thank you.” She took it, averting her gaze away from him in embarrassment. But then a plate with a big slice of sweetmelon appeared before her and she turned back to see he was holding it for her.

“This is what you wanted, right?” His smile was kind as he wiggled the plate in front of her again. Another chuckle sounded when she nodded at him, and he pushed the plate closer to her, “So take it.”

June couldn’t help but smile as the plate was pushed into her hands. She went to take a bite of melon and paused, frowning. “I… I should eat this outside. Mama will get mad if I make a mess.” She looked up at Liam and tried to curtsey again, “Thank you, Prince Liam.” And with that she hurried off before he could respond, winding around people until she was headed outside.

Once outside, she let out a sigh of relief. “Mama would be so angry if she knew I caused trouble for the Prince.” Heterochromatic eyes looked about to find a place to sit, spotting a tree with branches low enough to climb. She plopped down beneath it, picking up her slice of sweetmelon. A deep green rind gave way to juicy crimson flesh that glistened in the sun. Little white and black seeds shown here and there, and the scent it gave off was light and sweet. Even as she held it, juice was already coating her fingers and threatening to run down her hands onto her dress. She licked her lips and took that first bite, relaxing as the flavor of it hit her tongue. It was perfect!

With all the grace a five-year-old girl could have, she inhaled the rest of the melon slice. By the time she was done, juice had run down her chin onto the front of her dress, staining it slightly pink. Leaving the plate and rind on the ground, June stood and wiped her hands on her skirt to dry them before looking up at the tree. The great birch had patches of pale gray bark missing, revealing the light-colored wood underneath; its trunk was wide and strong, with gnarly, knotted branches sprouting out almost at the roots that the five-year-old girl could easily reach to climb.

Standing before the birch tree, sticky and stained with sweetmelon juice, June did the only thing logical in this situation. She started to climb. Each branch dragged against her skirt as she climbed. Her little white stockings snagged, leaving visible runs behind. As she moved from the fourth branch to the fifth, a bit of lace caught on a knot, leaving a rough tear in the delicate dress.

#Juniper Rose #The Botanist #June #origins #childhood #Donna Blower

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june-the-botanist · 3 years

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The Botanist Reborn

NAME: Juniper Rose Blower

(FC image below = manip by me for accurate reference)

FACE CLAIM: Elizabeth Olsen NICKNAME: June, Rose AGE: 24 HEIGHT: 5′6″ SPECIES: Human GENDER: Female BIRTHDAY: March 17 SUN SIGN: Pisces RESIDENCE: unknown SKILLS: botanist, shapeshifter, medic DRINK: Gilnean Ambrosia FOOD: Meat Pie (usually beef or venison) DAY OR NIGHT: Day SNACKS: Honeycrisp Apples SONGS: Assassin’s Theme composed by Lorne Balfe [click links to listen]; Invincible composed by Russell Brower PET: none COLOR: earthy tones (brown / green); Gilnean colors (faded blue & gold) FLOWER: Gilnean roses EYE COLOR: hazel-green (left), ocean blue (right) HAIR COLOR: Sun-rich Blonde BODY TYPE: slender, swimmer’s build, modest curves

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good

A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. She is devoted to helping others. She works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because sometimes it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

PREDOMINANT ARCHETYPES:

PERSONALITY: ISFP-T -- The Adventurer

Adventurer personalities are true artists, but not necessarily in the typical sense where they’re out painting happy little trees. Often enough though, they are perfectly capable of this. Rather, it’s that they use aesthetics, design and even their choices and actions to push the limits of social convention. Adventurers enjoy upsetting traditional expectations with experiments in beauty and behavior – chances are, they’ve expressed more than once the phrase “Don’t box me in!”

Adventurers live in a colorful, sensual world, inspired by connections with people and ideas. These personalities take joy in reinterpreting these connections, reinventing and experimenting with both themselves and new perspectives. No other type explores and experiments in this way more. This creates a sense of spontaneity, making Adventurers seem unpredictable, even to their close friends and loved ones.

Despite all this, Adventurers are definitely Introverts, surprising their friends further when they step out of the spotlight to be by themselves to recharge. Just because they are alone though, doesn’t mean people with the Adventurer personality type sit idle – they take this time for introspection, assessing their principles. Rather than dwelling on the past or the future, Adventurers think about who they are. They return from their cloister, transformed.

Adventurers live to find ways to push their passions. Riskier behaviors like gambling and extreme sports are more common with this personality type than with others. Fortunately their attunement to the moment and their environment allows them to do better than most. Adventurers also enjoy connecting with others, and have a certain irresistible charm.

However, if a criticism does get through, it can end poorly. Some Adventurers can handle kindly phrased commentary, valuing it as another perspective to help push their passions in new directions. But if the comments are more biting and less mature, Adventurer personalities can lose their tempers in spectacular fashion.

Adventurers are sensitive to others’ feelings and value harmony. When faced with criticism, it can be a challenge for people with this type to step away from the moment long enough to not get caught up in the heat of the moment. But living in the moment goes both ways, and once the heightened emotions of an argument cool, Adventurers can usually call the past the past and move on as though it never occurred.

[ SOCIETY ]

$ Financial : wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty. ✚ Medical : fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged. ✪ Class or Caste : upper / middle / working / slave / unsure. ✔ Education : qualified / unqualified / studying✖ Criminal Record : yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet.

[ FAMILY ]

◐ Marital status : married - happily / unhappily / engaged or betrothed / partnered / single / divorced / separated / widowed ◒ Children : has a child of sorts or children / has no children / wants children. ◑ Relationship with Family : close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased / Has cousins and is close to them ◔ Filtration : orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parents mother

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between. ♦ disorganized / organized / in between. ♦ close minded / open-minded / in between. ♦ calm / anxious / in between. ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between. ♦ cautious / reckless / in between. ♦ patient / impatient / in between. ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between. ♦ leader / follower / in between. ♦ empathetic / unemphatic / in between. ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between realistic. ♦ traditional / modern / in between. ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between. ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown. ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown. ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown.

[ BELIEFS ]

★ Faith : monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic. ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ✮ Belief in an Afterlife : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ✯ Belief in Reincarnation : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ❃ Belief in Aliens : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care. ✧ Religious : orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious. ❀ Philosophical : yes / no. / in between

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality : heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual. ❥ Sex : sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable. ♥ Romance : romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable. ❣ Sexually : adventurous / experienced / naïve / inexperienced / curious. ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all. ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all.

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none. ≡ Literacy Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none. ✍ Artistic Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none. ✂ Technical Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none.

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ☁ Smoking : trying to quit / never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ✿ Other Narcotics : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ✌ Medicinal Drugs : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ☻ Indulgent Food : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. $ Splurge Spending : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess. ♣ Gambling : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

[ MOST NOTABLE PERSONALITY TRAITS ]

TENDERNESS

You are not afraid of the sufferings and sorrows of other people, even when they are acted out in unappealing ways. Beneath even defensiveness and self-righteous behavior, you know that deep down people need nurturing and consolation. One danger is being naïve about people’s dark sides. But at your best you know you can be mean yourself, which helps you to sympathize. You bring strength and forgiveness where other people might panic.

RATIONALITY

You like clarity and intelligent simplicity and you get frustrated at messy thinking. This can make you seem unreasonably pushy to some, but it is actually a virtue: you are motivated by a horror at pointless effort and a longing for precision and insight into how things and people work. Your ability to synthesize and bring order is essential in producing thinking which is truly helpful.

INDEPENDENCE

You don’t set out to be different for its own sake; you are more easily guided by what interests and moves you. You are more concerned about what is right for you than about the pressure to fit in. In sex you are more aware than others of impulses which are not entirely conventional. You know the value of selective irresponsibility, of forgetting occasionally about being ‘good’.

Your archetype is the doppelganger.

Traits: manipulative, self deprecating, intelligent, knowledgeable, ambiguous, caring

The doppelganger is most commonly used to symbolize the divide between two egos, or the grey line between good and bad. Doppelgangers are extremely intelligent, and are able to manipulate a persons thoughts and feelings for their own benefit. While they are seen as a darker character, they are closer to being morally ambiguous, if not someone who has been forced into a position they never agreed upon. Doppelgangers wish they could do better, and often find themselves regretting not doing something. While they are capable of manipulating others, they are vulnerable, making themselves susceptible to being manipulated as well. Although many of their traits are negative, they crave attention, validation, and wish they could be a better version of themselves. If you can get under their hard exterior, you’ll find a true friend, and a loyalist.

FLOWER PERSONALITY Juniper is:

Fennel

You Are: You’re quiet, sometimes shy, with a tendency to be reserved. You have a humble, kind nature and often find yourself taking care of others. You can be known to hold things in, and you don’t always speak up for yourself. This tendency to hold things in can lead to disturbances.

Fennel is soothing and supportive, helping to ease digestive upset. For feelings of fullness and bloating, fennel is the friend to call on to help.

Sweet and mildly bitter, with a distinct licorice-like taste, fennel was revered by the ancients for its charming properties. Attributed with the power to bestow long life, courage, strength and even to ward off evil spirits, we modern plant people highly regard fennel for its capacity to ease uncomfortable feelings of fullness, bloating or gassiness, or as an all-around promoter of healthy digestion.

Nettle

You Are: Truly a nurturing and supportive friend, you’re the kind of person that just isn’t for everyone. But those who take the time are rewarded with your gentle disposition, and the kind of friendship that does a person good no matter the difficulty they’re facing. When out of balance, you can become more prickly than supportive or nurturing, though—a sign that you need to shower yourself with the same kind of nurturing you so freely give to others.

Nettle is a deeply supportive herb that has been used for centuries as a tonic to support your body’s well-being. A traditional springtime tonic whose alluring “green” taste is a reflection of the rising green of spring, nettle gently nourishes the whole body.

Nettle’s genus name, Urtica, comes from the Latin urere, meaning “to burn”, an obvious reference to nettle’s nasty sting. Nettle is widespread around the world, and evidence of this very old plant was even found in Neolithic stilt dwellings in Switzerland dating back to the third millennium B.C. It has long been enjoyed for its gentle support for the whole body, as well as for its refreshing, green taste.

Peppermint

You Are: Unflappable. You are cool in the crisis, calm in the storm, collected amidst the chaos. You’re a breath of fresh air, a waft of inspiration to the down-and-out, a refreshing, inspiring, uplifting person to be around. Of course, even a cool cucumber like yourself can run into trouble. You may try to take on too much, which can leave you feeling weighed down and not quite yourself.

With its comforting breath of fresh air and the peppery, sweet familiar scent that tingles your nose, peppermint is a classic candy flavor. But there’s herbal wisdom hiding in those after dinner mints—peppermint oil also has the power to relieve occasional indigestion and soothe your stomach when your digestion needs a little help.

Long before mint became the go-to flavor of everything from gum to candy to toothpaste, the Greeks, Romans and ancient Egyptians were using mint leaves as a digestive aid. Peppermint’s characteristic minty-ness comes from menthol, an important part of its essential oil that, when present in high enough quantities, will be felt in a tingle in your nose and a strong minty scent that carries across a room.

#Juniper Rose #The Botanist #June #Return to RP #Character Sheet

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