THE WILD & WONDERFUL APPALACHIA WELCOMES... joan 'joni' turner as written by mel ( they / she / he ).
✱ affiliated with NEUTRAL ✱ working as ADMIN STAFF ( TATUM’S DAIRY FARM ) ✱ has taken up residence in DEVIL’S ELBOW ✱ born on DECEMBER 16TH ( 26 ) ✱ identifying as CIS WOMAN ( SHE / HER ) ✱ known to be KIND-HEARTED, PATIENT, FRIENDLY, APPROACHABLE ✱ also know to be PEOPLE-PLEASING, NAIVE, GULLIBLE, INDECISIVE ✱ portrayed by GRACE VAN DIEN
DIGGING DEEPER.
TW: parental death
joni turner was pure sunshine from the very moment she came into this world. it’s a phrase very commonly used by everyone in their family. despite finding it easier to be kind to everyone she met, the young girl always knew she was bound to leave the life they were beginning to build behind when her father’s positioning changed. this didn’t stop her from getting attached, caring and feeling so much – resulting in eventual heartbreak. joni always considered such a trait to be a blessing and a curse, the way she cares. but, she always had her siblings to look after her. if there are two stars in her sky, it’s monty and ziggy.
when their father was killed in combat, their entire world shifted. joni was still quite young – learning about the universe, and not yet grasping the concept of death. how final it was, and that their father wouldn’t be coming home. while monty had his books and a sharp mind and ziggy was blossoming into quite the gifted writer, joni spent her days strumming on her grandfather’s beat up guitar. although the instrument itself had certainly seen better days, she found herself stringing melodies together in her spare time, before beginning to put words to them. songwriting became her safe haven, and yet, she never quite found herself seeking out a career. maybe, deep down, she believed she wasn’t good enough. there were better voices, ones that were made for the stage, and she came to the conclusion that hers was not one of them. then there’s the fear of what could come of it, if music would stop being a love and more of an obligation. therefore, it’s just for her.
the one thing that’s never changed about joni? the smile on her face. gentle, patient and kind to everyone that she meets, she’s often been called too nice for her own good, too trusting. it's so much harder being mean. she’s become a bit more vigilant as she’s entered her twenties to not worry their mother, monty and ziggy – that she’d be just fine making a life for herself on her own. she left the nest at twenty-four, partially out of her own fear of starting a life on her own, but also wondering if their mother needed someone there. by the time she left, she’d be an empty nester.
did joni get a job at the dairy farm just to be around animals all the time? maybe a little bit. she does enjoy any opportunity she can get to help people, make their lives easier, and even manages to find something to be passionate about when it comes to office busy work. she’s just happy she gets to spend quiet days surrounded by the farm, and has built quite the little corner of the universe for herself at her desk. she's deeply grateful to the tatum family for their generosity, and certainly will make every attempt to show it.
joni still writes songs in her spare time, but keeps her songbook to herself – she’s also picked up several instruments in her spare time that fall under the same family as her guitar: bass, mandolin and banjo being some of them. currently she lives in a small, shabby complex close by the farm with her dog luna (her built in best friend) – as long as there’s a roof over her head, it’s enough for her. when she’s not home she can often be found pestering her brothers, catching a show at the sound factory, or grabbing a box of pastrys at barley & rye to take with her to work just cause. even if many could consider joni’s life small, she manages to find fulfillment in the little things. life is certainly short, so why not make it count?
