Vivian Ashcroft was working at a financial firm run by her family, specializing in wealth management for high profile clients, when she met Adrian Voss, a doctor doing his residency at a local hospital. Their romance was simple, professional, and real, above all else. After securing his residency, and getting hired as a cardiothoracic surgeon at a hospital in Boston, Adrian asked Vivian’s father Anthony for her hand in marriage, and it was granted, providing a prenup was signed.
Both Vivian and Adrian agreed to this, as the Ashcroft’s were old money, having maintained wealth for several generations through smart investments, a conservative reputation, and the pair served to come into a sizable inheritance, as Vivian was an only child. They married in April 2000, and spent time focusing on their careers before trying for a family. When Vivian fell pregnant, her father, Anthony, announced he was setting up a trust fund for the child, to be handed over when the child turns 25.
On September the 7th 2004, Vivian gave birth to their first and only child, a son they named Julian, a name they had decided on together, figuring it was a solid, unique, yet professional name their son could carry throughout his life. For a middle name, they chose Anthony, to honor Vivian’s father, a move he approved of. Vivian did not take to maternity leave well, wanting to head back to work as soon as she was able. When the time came, the couple hired a nanny, Maria Alvarez, to look after Julian.
Maria hailed from Guadalajara, Mexico, and had moved to the U.S. in her twenties, having worked for another family before the Voss’ hired her shortly after Julian’s birth. Warm, softspoken and deeply intuitive, she believed in kindness and honestly above all else, and worked to teach these values to Julian as he grew older. Additionally, she was often the one to sooth Julian at night, read him stories, and teach him small life lessons.
Julian was put into a prestigious private school when he was old enough, and it was in his early years that he fell in love with art. This was encouraged by Maria. As for his parents, his father scoffed at it, and his mother saw it as a phase, though neither actively discouraged it. When he was perhaps eleven, his parents had granted permission for Maria’s family to visit. Julian became fascinated with her son Mateo. The man had a number of tattoos, some good, some bad, several colorful, and some just black or outlined.
He’d asked if they had been painted on him, and Mateo was kind enough to explain what tattooing was. It took hold in Julian’s mind – it was art that you lived with, art that defined who you were, your loves, your likes, your interests. It walked with you, it breathed with you. He was fascinated. In some of his spare time, he began to draw tattoo designs, learning as he went.
When he was thirteen, his parents decided he was too old for a Nanny, and dismissed Maria with a generous severance. He was heartbroken, and struggled for a time under his parent’s closer scrutiny.
For friends, he’s always been seen as a kind of weird introvert, always sketching or daydreaming, but those who bothered to try and talk to him found him friendly but reserved. He didn’t have any close friends until high school, when he met Caleb. Caleb was a fellow art student, someone who liked Julian because he was different. Once Julian’s parents asserted that Caleb’s family was unproblematic, they allowed him to spend time with him outside of school.
Caleb’s family was warm and inviting, and Julian felt welcomed there, but still remained reserved with everyone but Caleb. The two of them could often be found, sketchbooks in hand. A favorite pastime of theirs was sitting on Caleb’s garage roof, sketchbooks on their knees, just being until the stars came out, and sketching.
By seventeen, he found himself falling for Caleb, and that’s when he realized for cetain he was gay. It was a struggle for him, deciding whether to come out and to whom, but eventually he decided to tell his parents. They accepted this fact, bust do not address it. Caleb was more understanding, and it helped break down some of Julian’s walls to be able to confide in a friend.
College was a sore spot for Julian. His parents were insisting he go to the school they attended, as a legacy. He tried to get them to allow him to go elsewhere (he wanted to follow Caleb to an art school), but they threatened to cut him off. While they didn’t mean it, they were hoping it would convince Julian to attend, and after talking to Caleb, who pointed out that going into debt wasn’t worth it, he relented.
The next point of contention was his major. He insisted on majoring in Graphic Arts, but his father especially told him he should major in something with real prospects, like business, law, or medicine. After a lot of back and forth, and interference from his guidance counselor, they allowed him to take Graphic Arts as his major, on the condition he took other classes as a fallback. To please his parents, he signed up for business classes, figuring they would help him achieve his eventual dream of opening his own tattoo parlor someday.
As graduation approached, Caleb grew somber. When Julian asked about it, Caleb would simply say that they would be going to different schools, and it would be harder to stay in touch, and that saddened him. Julian knew Caleb would be staying behind, going to a local school, whereas he would be headed to Rhode Island.
Ahead of the fall semester, Julian was assigned shared housing, meaning he would share a house near campus with three other roommates. His parents immediately liked one of them, (Evan) and even commented that Julian should try to be more like him.
After orientation and getting his schedule, Julian would arm himself with a sketchbook and check out the town. At one point, he came across Obsidian Inkworks, whereupon he wandered inside on a whim, and asked for an internship. The owner, Gideon, initially laughed him off. Then, noting the sketchbook Julian carried, asked to see it. Impressed with the quality of work, he hired Julian as an apprentice, but promised it wouldn’t be easy work.
By the present day, Julian is attending classes, working his apprenticeship, and in his spare time, sketching, or trying to make friends. Due to his tight schedule, he often doesn’t get a lot of sleep, and starts his day with coffee.