humble pie

[elliereynolds]

ELEANOR REYNOLDS. 30 YEARS OLD. CIS FEMALE. SHE/HER is here! They’ve lived in Cascade for TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS  and currently reside in DOWNTOWN. ELLIE is a DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY and frequently hears that they look a lot like SARAH PIDGEON. Funny, huh? If ever caught by Letterboxd, they’d say WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... is in their Top 4 and the theme song to their life’s soundtrack would be CALIFORNIA STARS by WILCO & BILLY BRAGG.

OVERVIEW

Full Name: Eleanor "Ellie" Maureen Reynolds

Birthday: February 14, 1996 (30 years old)

Birthplace/Hometown: Cascade, CA

Current Residence: Downtown Penthouse since April 2023

Occupation: Director of Community Impact & Philanthropic Strategy, Reynolds Foundation (As of January 2026)

Education: B.A. Political Science & Public Policy, University of Cascade ; Master of Public Affairs & Public Health, Brown University

Family: Nathaniel Reynolds (Father), Elizabeth Reynolds (Mother), TBA Reynolds (Brother), and TBA Reynolds (Sister)

Relationship Status: Single (Heterosexual)

Personality: Dry-witted. Socially intelligent. Responsible. Blunt. Thoughtful. Loyal. Observant. Ambitious without being ruthless.

ELLIE'S STORY

Was born in one of the most notable families in Cascade. The Reynolds name was woven into every corner of the city, for her ancestor helped build Cascade, providing the foundation to what the city has evolved into today. The family fortune grew exponentially, and outsiders couldn't fathom why the Reynolds would remain.

Her parents always emphasized that "being a Reynolds is not an accomplishment." Eleanor had a very normal childhood. Attended public school, played sports, volunteered, and worked summer jobs as a lifeguard and ice-cream shop attendant. Eleanor and her siblings were expected to write thank-you notes, know the names of everyone who worked for the family, and contribute as members of Cascade.

Ellie was one of those children who thrived and found comfort everywhere. People naturally gravitated towards her. Teachers and coaches loved her, and her friends' parents trusted her. She was very much a people person. At family dinners, she inquired about the local elections, began accompanying her mother to foundation events, and began speaking at public events.

By high school, she was involved in almost everything: student government, volunteer organizations, fundraisers, soccer, academic clubs, and community projects. She genuinely loved being involved and a part of things. Some of it stemmed from whether people liked her for her or because of her family name. Everyone assumed she'd jet set off to an Ivy League, but she decided to stay.

She loved home. It was as simple as that. The university was great, and just as active as she had been in high school, she remained the same in college. She thrived and performed well. Met her first serious boyfriend during that time. Everyone assumed they would get married, but with graduation looming, neither wanted to sacrifice their futures, which were pulling in separate directions. So, they broke up, and she left California for Brown to continue her studies.

It was wonderful. No one knew her name. The anonymity was liberating. She studied and enjoyed the four seasons, establishing herself apart from her hometown and family. Yet, the three-year way emphasized how much she missed home. The community, the culture, and everything that made Cascade, Cascade. So, she returned home, and she hasn't left since.

Today, Eleanor oversees the scholarship programs, nonprofit partnerships, environmental initiatives, and community outreach efforts in Cascade and across Northern California. She's always traveling, with most days starting around 4 AM, visiting a hospital, school, or nonprofit organization. Most evenings end with donor dinners or community events. She has become the public face of the family. What she contemplates behind closed doors is who Eleanor Reynolds is beyond her legacy? For now, she's content. Maybe the answer will come in due time.

*Headcanons & Connections!

[m1nnies]

carmen  was  too  busy  taking  sip  after  sip  of  her  iced  vanilla  latte,  that  she  almost  didn’t  notice  that  ellie  was  speaking.  her  eyes  widened  slightly.  “um,  there’s  …  bad  news ?”  her  cup  slowly  lowered  from  her  mouth.  “alright,  uh..  give  me  the  bad  news  first.  to get  it  over  with,  y'know  ?”

[elliereynolds]

"Bad news is that you're fucking brilliant, so people are going to want you to keep publishing work, and you'll have to find the balance of not having writer's block. Good news...you very well could end up on the New York Times best seller, babe," she smiled, sliding the work over to Carmen. "You let me know when you want me to reach out to my friend at HarperCollins."

[darrowhawthornes]

Want to feel happier? Take a 10 minute walk!

The eye-roll inducing article title was lodged in the back of his mind as he undertook it's instruction while thinking it was nonsense. Four hours of sleep had been followed by an hour of tossing and turning before he had given up and decided to start the day against his will.

He's surpassed the ten minute mark, his stroll closer to fifteen when it comes smack bang to a halt that certainly didn't make him feel any sort of joy.

A mumbled apology was about to leave his mouth until the blonde pops off, recognition then dawning on him.

( Only a Reynolds could be that self-absorbed. )

"I want to walk in a straight line without you in my fucking way," He tells her like it's the most obvious thing on earth, "Do you think you own the paths here too?"

He wouldn't be surprised.

[elliereynolds]

"What?" she says, taken aback by his comment. Then it dawned on her that he had no affiliation with the boys posing as men she barely escaped from. "Shit, I'm so sorry. I thought you were with this group who was following me," she tried to quickly explain. Not that it corrected her misplaced outburst towards him. Ellie was rarely one to lose her cool, but this day had truly broken her in more ways than one.

A beat later, she looked at them slightly dumbfounded. "Own the paths? What are you talking about?" Did she strike a nerve with someone else who had resentment towards her and her family? Ellie knew she was privileged, and that was nothing to take lightly or be boisterous about in this day and age. However, it was taxing to constantly defend herself  and her family against people and their distorted opinions. "Look, I'm sorry for flipping out on you, but you don’t know me.”

[adcmsahin]

in the midst of a conversation, rambling on about marine bio-diversity, he almost misses the arrival of someone new. he recognizes her voice before anything else, like a distant memory unfurling, eyes darting up to spot familiar blonde curls and a face he'd done his best to erase but never could. there's the instinct to duck, make himself smaller in the hopes of disappearing amidst their friends, but he fights against it. after all, avoiding her couldn't last forever - even if he's been dragging it out ever since returning to cascade, unsure of how to approach someone who'd once meant the world to him. truly, he ought to have known that this wasn't an innocent get-together, should have remembered penny's tendency to meddle and the way she hadn't quite answered him when he'd asked who was coming. but he'd been caught up in writing a research paper, mind unfocused on her lack of response, and hadn't thought twice about it. so he supposes now has to be as good a time as any, even if he wishes he ( and by the surprise on her features, ellie too ) hadn't stumbled into this blindly. "hey ellie," the nickname slips from his lips before he has the chance to wonder if she should be eleanor to him now. "it's good to see you." it's the truth, even if he wouldn't have chosen this particular moment, even if the words don't feel like nearly enough, but he doesn't know what else to say that wouldn't feel out of place in the midst of everyone else attending.

[elliereynolds]

Ellie was stunned, to say the least. It felt like the whole table was aware of this setup, and all eyes were subtly diverting towards her end of the table for the entirety of the dinner. Laying eyes on him for the first time in years, coupled with hearing her name roll off his tongue, sent waves of emotions and flashbacks. There was nothing inherently wrong with their relationship. In the eyes of many, it was as perfect as one could be. There was no love lost, but life directed them onto different paths. It was bittersweet.

"Yeah...it's good to see you too," she nodded before reaching for her wine glass. She kept the conversation to a minimum on her end, especially with him, inquired about everyone else, and simply shared the latest in her own life. Thankfully, Penny drove most of the conversation, with side convos happening here and there. As dinner wrapped up, she said her goodbyes before catching Adem on the way out. "Sorry... I wasn't trying to come off cold, I just wasn't expecting to see you tonight. Is it too forward to ask you if you want to grab a drink to talk?"

[kylejdobbs]

It was like he was fated to end up here at Star Bar, one way or another. Tonight, he had a scraggly little joint he was sucking the life out of, his eyes somewhat glazed over, out of it on something possibly stronger than weed. He looks up from his joint and sees an angel — no, it's just a woman, but the mistake could have been made sober as well.

"Depends. By passing through, you mean you'll never see me again after tonight?" He raises a brow, looks her way, though doesn't fully meet her eyes, not for longer than half a second anyway. "Cause I am. Passing through. But you might see me again." Sure, he was passing through Cascade. It was just taking him several months. "Are you passing through too, passenger?"

[elliereynolds]

"That was an incredibly vague answer," she chuckled as she eyed him, making note of his mannerisms and his tone. It's like he wanted to be a ghost. The fewer people who knew them, the better. What were they hiding from? Better yet, running from and trying to get to?" "Born here. Will probably die here unless something dramatic or incredible lures me away from this place." That was the truth. Even her short stint on the East Coast couldn't keep her away from Cascade for more than a few years. "What's your deal?"

[elliereynolds]

WHO: Carmen Miller (@m1nnies) WHERE: Bigfoot Beans (Shasta Heights)

"Okay," she stated, capping her marker after making some edits to Carmen's work. "You want the good news or the bad news first?"

[elliereynolds]

WHO: Darrow Hawthone ( @darrowhawthornes ) WHERE: Audrey Horne Park

Today had truly been a day from hell. Ellie's car had gotten a flat tire on her way out to a meeting this morning. The three-hour meeting was nothing but a refusal to engage with the Reynolds Foundation. Engagement was overshadowed by unconfirmed rumors and biases. Despite Eleanor’s best attempt to deny such claims, she was dismissed from the meeting room only to be dressed by black coffee colliding into a mailman on the sidewalk outside the offices. Wrong lunch order, incorrect address, and a contract renewal that had all gone to shit. The icing on the cake was just her simply walking through the park to be accosted by two men who spewed nothing but vitriol her way in regards to her family. Yet as she rounded the path to get away from them, she collided with someone who was eerily dressed like the men before. "Please just leave me the fuck alone! What on earth do you want?"

[elliereynolds]

WHO: Adem Sahin ( @adcmsahin ) WHERE: Black Bart's Cut

"Hi guys!" she says, greeting the group. "I'm so sorry, I'm late. The traffic coming up from San Fran was ridiculous," she explains as she quickly says her hellos and makes her way to the empty seat. Her friend Penny from undergrad loved gathering everyone around for dinner. Granted, those days were spent between The Hole in the Wall, PB's, and the diner. Seemingly, they all upgraded in life and could dine at the nicer spots in town, and with Penny's return came this last-minute dinner with people she's hardly spoken to since they graduated. As she gathered her bearings, taking her seat, Ellie greeted Cindy, a poli-sci major to her left, before locking eyes across the table with her ex. Shit. "Adem."

[serpensreigns]

⋆ I. :: FORTUITOUS ⋆ OBSIDIAN :: MID EVENING ⋆ OPEN :: @cascadestarters

₊ ✵ ⁺ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSARIN RESISTS GLANCING AT HIS WATCH for the nth time and tells himself to snap out of it. To stop hoping for something that is likely not happening. It’s been almost forty minutes past their meeting time and he still hasn’t heard from his date. Whatever, he won’t let this ruin the rest of his night. The bartender finally sets his strawberry-coconut daiquiri in front of him, along with a small platter of duck confit crostini and mushroom arancini. Turning to the fellow patron next to him, Sarin clears his throat before dropping a sudden question. “Do I look stunning? Perhaps a little too much that my date chose not to show up tonight?” There is a slight bitterness in his words, masked behind that silly grin of his.  

[elliereynolds]

"Thank you, Jude," she winks as the bartender hands her a fresh glass of Prosecco. A few former classmates were in town for a baby shower, and the girls all decided to go out for drinks and catch up. Needing a breather from the conversation, the blonde found her way to the bar, moseying her way to the fashion icon. El had noticed them when they walked in initially, presuming they had their own agenda of fun for the night, but no one ever came to join them. "What kind of question is that coming from your mouth? Of course, you do!" she exclaims. "If anyone has you questioning that, they surely aren't worth your damn time, babe. Who you wearing?"

[january-newby]

open to anyone, feel free to assume a prior connection! @cascadestarters

Sometimes January liked to pretend she was more athletic than she actually was. She'd get these urges to put on her sneakers and go over to Audrey Horne Park to jog. Typically, she'd make it halfway around the path before she remembered how unathletic she was. The weather was nice today and January had been at the bakery all day, so she thought a nice jog around the park would be a good way to unwind. As per usual, she was wrong about that. So, instead of finishing her run, she'd collapsed like a starfish in the grass, staring up at the clouds in the sky. "Not dead," January mused when a shadow passed over her. "Just bad at running..." She patted the spot next to her. "Join me, it's nice down here. No one has to pretend to be athletic down here..."

[elliereynolds]

"You sure?" she chuckled as she approached her friend. "I can call EMS, no shame. It'll be our little secret." Ellie was passing through the park to grab a bite after an arduous meeting with potential investors for an upgraded children's play center to be built in Old Cascade. Men were so simple. Despite her flawless presentation, they still had to deliberate further on whether they were agreeable to the project and its cost. What she needed now was a drink to combat her frustrations, but at Janie's prompting to join her on the ground, she dramatically rolled her eyes and joined the baker in the grass. "Did some bridezilla break you today?"

[scottgrainger]

with: anyone! / @cascadestarters location: false cascade trails when: a sunday, early afternoon

"Cujo!" His windbreaker swished with his every step, taking long strides along the trail as he tried to catch up with his dog. Well, not his dog. Technically, Cujo belonged to his dad, which felt like a cruel punchline after surviving a childhood where he wasn't allowed so much as a goldfish. He'd gotten the beagle almost five years ago, but Cujo had somehow retained his too-big paws and floppy ears, making him that much harder to ever say 'no' to. After slipping his collar and extending this hike an extra twenty minutes? Scott didn't think those literal puppy dog eyes would be working on him for a long while. He sighed, squinting up at the sky that'd gone gray, a fine mist of rain just starting. "Cujo, where you at, boy!"

[elliereynolds]

"Scottie, Scottie," she tsks as he meets her where she stands with an obedient beagle lying by her feet. Despite being very much a "cat mom," she did have a way with animals since she was a child. Far more palatable than dealing with human beings every day. Ellie was out on her usual Sunday stroll. It started out by the harbor, but with all the thoughts filtering through her head, she found her way out on the trails. Her phone off, with no one to bother her but the birds in the trees and the rustling of leaves by a passing creature, it was peaceful. "How dare you let Cujo out of your sight! I thought you to be better than that," she smirks as she bends down to rub the belly of the beagle. "Better clear out before we get trapped in the storm."

[elliereynolds]

WHO: Kyle Dobbs ( @kylejdobbs ) WHERE: Star Bar

As much as people liked to see Ellie as above, hanging around people outside her orbit, she actually preferred their spaces. It was authentic, raw, and free of bullshit. Excusing herself from the table she was at, she headed outside to take a call. Exhaling once it ended, she turned to see that she was joined by another. "Are you passing through, cause I most certainly haven't seen you before?"

[elliereynolds]

WANTED CONNECTIONS

SIBLINGS (0/2) : Connection listed on main!

THE EX THAT ALMOST BECAME FAMILY (1/1) : You met during freshman year at the University of Cascade. Four years together, countless football games, study sessions, holidays spent with each other's families, and a future everyone else seemed more certain of than the two of you. The breakup wasn't explosive. Life simply pulled you in different directions. Years later, there's still a tenderness between you. People still occasionally ask if you'll ever find your way back to each other. (@adcmsahin)

THE CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS (0/3) : You've known Ellie since kindergarten. You've had sleepovers at the Reynolds estate, gotten into harmless trouble together, celebrated birthdays, graduations, heartbreaks, and everything in between. You're one of the only people who can tell her she's overthinking something and she'll actually listen.

THE FAMILY EMPLOYEES (0/5) : Your family has worked for the Reynolds for decades—groundskeepers, accountants, ranch managers, executive assistants, chefs, doesn't matter. She still asks about your parents every Christmas and remembers your children's birthdays. You know the Reynolds family better than most outsiders ever will.

THE LOCAL CRITIC (0/3) : You appreciate somethings the Reynolds Foundation does, but you're skeptical of old money and inherited power. You've challenged Ellie at town halls, disagreed with her publicly, maybe even written editorials criticizing Reynolds Holdings. She listens. Sometimes she even agrees with you. But she most definitely has her eye on you. (@darrowhawthornes)

THE BAD INFLUENCE (1/1) : Someone has to convince Ellie to leave the office before 8 p.m. and remember she's thirty, not sixty. You're the one dragging her to trivia nights, brewery patios, impromptu road trips, and concerts. You affectionately refer to yourself as her "work-life balance." (@cashsullivan)

HEADCANONS

Keeps a stack of handwritten stationery on her desk and sends thank-you notes after every meeting, event, and sponsorship or donor deal.

Has an almost photographic memory for names.

Owns a luxury wardrobe almost entirely made up of timeless pieces that she's collected through her travels and has had tailored over the years.

Every Sunday morning she walks the Cascade harbor with a coffee before the city wakes up. It's the one hour where she belongs to herself instead of everyone else.

Still has her University of Cascade student ID tucked inside an old planner because she can't bring herself to throw it away.

Has a terrible habit of buying books faster than she reads them. Never enters a room without first greeting every employee working there. Security guards, caterers, custodians, interns—titles don't determine someone's worth.

Carries protein bars, Advil, tissues, mints, phone chargers, and stain remover pens in her tote because "someone always ends up needing something."

Loves local gossip because she genuinely enjoys knowing what's happening.

Doesn't cry easily, but scholarship ceremonies absolutely destroy her every year.

Surprisingly competitive at board games and refuses to lose Monopoly.

Owns one piece of jewelry that never comes off: her great-great-grandmother's gold signet ring engraved with the Reynolds crest that is now a necklace.

Doesn't particularly enjoy public speaking anymore.

If she's stressed, she'll bake lemon loaf. She isn't particularly good at baking, but it calms her down and she'll break a bottle of Moscato to enjoy with it.

Wants children someday but refuses to settle simply because everyone assumes she'll marry someone noteworthy to join in on the Reynolds legacy.

[inafieldofdaisies]

[vexheart]

call me an old soul, but I find peace in nature, nights, moon, sunsets, breezes, books, poetry, flowers, the smell of rain, and people who feel like hug

[sashaburns]

[zendeyas]

Audrey Hepburn wearing GIVENCHY – Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)