" honestly, i don't even care. " she deserves a reward for how much of a liar she is, the way she thrusts straw into the ice of her drink like a mountaineer to show how much she means it. " i mean, i do ... but, i don't wanna seem clingy, you know ? like, mega-clingy. " person is kind enough ( look up the definition of forced ) to listen to woman ramble on at the bar, having become a regular occurrence by now, until it was time to send her home by uber or phone call to a familiar. tonight was just another one of those nights. " i want him to know i like him without saying i like him, i wish he'd go ahead and say something. one of us has to say something. "
as if she can't be bothered to be the one to bring it up, words freezing up in her chords until all she can mutter is a sullied nothing when prompted. " i don't want him thinking i only want him for the hook-ups, or hanging out, or his smile ... or his ... really wide ... shoulders ... " sentence starts drifting off somewhere else when she realizes she's not getting a response, finger poking against their shoulder. " are you actually listening to me, or are you letting me talk ? i could really use your advice. "
despite being a regular at vortex, helena still hasn't gotten used to the amount of strangers unloading their life stories on her whenever the lights of the bar begin to dim and the amount of drinks she's had has made her vision hazy. this stranger's story isn't much different from the others, but it's still early in the night and helena's not nearly drunk enough to pretend that she knows exactly what advice that they need to hear. ❝ i'm listening, believe me, ❞ helena hums, though she doesn't truly look like she is. her eyes are wandering, and she's tapping her fingers on her martini glass like she would rather be anywhere else. ❝ i don't know what to tell you … i think boys are a waste of time, and if he doesn't see who you really are and what you want, then he's a lost cause. but hey, i'm just a stranger in a bar. don't take me seriously. ❞
it had always been more of a hobby than anything else , something she never quite managed to grow out of no matter how much life tried to pull her in other directions. snow stepped out of the cockpit and onto the concrete , her boots landing with a heavy , familiar crush as she tilted her head toward the sky , reading it the way other people read a mood. it wasn’t in their favor today. she let out a small , apologetic smile as she turned back to him. “ weather’s not up for it , ” she said softly but firmly. “ sorry , i don’t wanna risk it. maybe next time ? ”
she shifted her weight, then softened the refusal with something warmer , something meant to ease the disappointment. “ hey , i’ll make it up to you. we can grab lunch instead , i’ll have it delivered to the hangar and you can come by , see all my trinkets. ” a faint spark flickered in her expression at that , a little more alive now than a moment ago. “ it’s not as cool as flying today , but … it’s still me. ”
the weather hasn't changed since morning. with a shudder, helena realises why it seems so familiar. the grayish hue of the sky and the clouds blocking out the sun is instantly reminiscent of tilbury, a place where its weather was just as depressing as living in it had been. helena doesn't feel so keen on going on a flight where the view would only be a reminder of the worst time of her life — so when her companion apologises and calls for a rain check, helena nearly sighs in comfort. ❝ that's alright, honestly, ❞ helena assures with ease. she's not going to tell snow morgan that she was just given an out to something she didn't want to do … let her believe that helena is always this gracious; that helena is always understanding even when the circumstances change unexpectedly. ❝ lunch sounds lovely. i've been wanting have the pasta from marea for a while, but if you give me a tour of the hangar right now, i can be persuaded to have something else. ❞ her smile turns mischievous. ❝ trinkets ? that's adorable. do you get one for every flight you go on ? ❞
WHAT NEIGHBOURHOOD / COMPLEX DO YOU LIVE IN ? WHAT MADE YOU STAY ?
i live in the juniper ! my parents own a few properties in willow glen, but i chose this one specifically because of how great the amenities are — plus it's located in the bustling downtown area, where i love to go shopping on the weekends !
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION IN YOUR HOME ?
my gemstone collection. they're not all in one place and displayed out in the open like you might think — i think it's somewhat gauche to do that. instead, i've put at least one gemstone in every room in the apartment. some are in plain sight, some of them you won't notice immediately — and it makes for a fun little treasure hunt for my guests !
DO YOU HAVE ANY HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS LINED UP ? WHAT ARE THEY ?
i'm thinking of expanding the shelf where my record vinyl collection is kept — the collection keeps growing so much that there's no space for my new ones anymore ! i've been busy with work lately so i haven't had the chance to do it, but it's definitely on my to-do list.
IF YOUR HOME HAD A SOUNDTRACK, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY ?
anything by rina sawayama — more specifically, her debut album. currently, i live alone, but whenever i put on her music, the apartment will instantly come alive with all the genres and sounds she's experimented with. my personal favourite song of hers is dynasty.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU USED YOUR POOL ?
just this morning ! those who know me will know i love swimming — actually, it's the activity i do most frequently outside of my job. the juniper's pool is amazing, and i try to use it every chance i get.
⋆ ⭒˚｡ was that CLARA SINCLAIR i just saw over at BLUE MOON ? you know, the THIRTY SIX year old LAWYER that’s been around willow glen for SEASONALLY THE PAST TEN YEARS. people around town say they can somehow both be STUBBORN and COMPASSIONATE, but if you were to ask them, they’d probably say they’re more like sparkly bronze eyeshadow, butterflies scattered across your collarbone and a sharp gaze that follows your every move. the town sure has been rumbling about them lately, apparently they MOVED AWAY FROM NEW YORK TO AVOID AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE . . . but who knows if that’s true, i guess i’ll just have to stop by THE JUNIPER and find out !
pinterest. connections. playlist.
♡ ◞ statistics.
full name: clara evangeline arroyo sinclair. nickname: prefers clara only. date of birth: february 1st, 1990 ( 36 years old ). zodiac sign: aquarius. place of birth: new york city, new york. current location: willow glen, texas. gender: cis woman, uses she / her pronouns. sexuality: pansexual. languages: english ( native ), tagalog ( native ), french & spanish ( intermediate ). father: david sinclair. mother: gabriela sinclair ( née arroyo ). siblings: 2 younger sisters, wcs !
♡ ◞ bits and bops.
character trope/s: the philophobe, the facade. traits: eloquent, perceptive, compassionate, sagacious, stubborn, vengeful, cagey, anxious. likes: learning new languages, 80's r&b and jazz, collecting record vinyls, swimming, leopard prints, wearing stilettos. dislikes: balloons popping, heavy rain, horror movies, slow walkers, enclosed spaces, showing vulnerability.
♡ ◞ background.
for nearly a century, the sinclairs have been established as a name that was synonymous with power in the city of new york. david, a fourth generation sinclair, was only twenty four when he attended the newest production of tchaikovsky's swan lake. it was there where he found himself utterly captivated by the beauty of the principal dancer — gabriela arroyo, a young ballerina who had just graduated from the national ballet academy. determined to meet her, david used his connections to arrange an introduction, and what ensued for the next few months was a whirlwind romance between the two.
while david and gabriela's swift courtship and resulting marriage raised a few eyebrows in the sinclair family, ultimately it was gabriela's parents that were most openly disapproving of the match. the arroyos never failed to voice their objections on their relationship, fearing their daughter was not fit to be married to a name that carried so much prestige. gabriela ignored the criticisms and instead focused her attention on being a mother. she gave birth to two daughters in the span of a few years and that was all that mattered.
by the time gabriela had her third daughter, the issues she thought she could brush aside had grown impossible to ignore. over the years, her marriage with david became increasingly more strained due to david's role as an heir keeping him busy. despite the two's attempts at maintaining a united front for their daughters, clara—though still young—was perceptive enough to sense what was going on between her parents. as the raised voices behind closed doors escalated to full-blown arguments at the dinner table, clara tried her best to shield her younger sisters from the inevitable collapse that was the end of their parents' marriage.
but it never came. david and gabriela remained married — though by all measures that mattered, they were married in name only. they maintained the image of the perfect couple in public, attending galas arm-in-arm and hosted lush parties for their guests. behind closed doors, the silence was sharp enough to cut through walls — they slept in separate bedrooms and led entirely separate lives when no one was watching. clara understood why long before anyone had the chance to explain it.
❝ you must guard your reputation with your life. people can forgive unhappiness, but they will not forgive disgrace. ❞
those were the words uttered by david to his daughters at a young age, and the lesson became ingrained into clara's soul. being a sinclair meant being impeccable and to protect the family image at all costs, regardless of any personal adversities. and so she did what every other sinclair did — she excelled. she graduated with the highest honours possible, fully intending to become the first lawyer in both sides of her family, a dream that she effortlessly achieved by age twenty-four. her career flourished throughout her late twenties, and she established herself as the kind of woman she'd always wanted to be: successful, elegant and untouchable.
by the time clara was in her mid-thirties and was still single, david and gabriela began arranging for her to meet other wealthy heirs and socialites whose last names carried as much prestige as the sinclair name did. some lingered longer than others, but clara always fled the relationship before it became too real for her to deal with. she knew her parents only had the best intentions in mind, but the thought of marrying someone when her own parents' marriage was so broken made her resent every potential match they pushed towards her.
living in new york eventually became tiring for clara. rumours began circling more openly in their social circles, whispers speculating that the sinclairs weren't as perfect as they claimed to be. her parents hosted family dinners every month to remedy this and to establish that they were still a united front, but it was a sentiment that she and her sisters no longer believed in anymore. it was then that clara made the decision to move permanently to willow glen, away from the relentless scrutiny that came with having the sinclair surname. clara has been living at the juniper for two months now, and she's also invited her sisters to join her.
♡ ◞ personality.
clara is gracious and friendly, having the immaculate manners that every sinclair should have. she will take care of anyone she considers family, so much to the point that she forgets to take care of herself. extremely perceptive, able to understand others' emotions quickly just by observing them ( which helps her a lot as a lawyer ). she's a workaholic – her job is the most important thing for her, and she's not usually willing to try new things outside of her regular hobbies. it's quite easy to get on her bad side, and as soon as you wrong her, she will ice you out without waiting for an explanation. clara's a bit cagey, doesn't talk much about herself unless she's known that person for a long time or if someone asks about her.
♡ ◞ headcanons.
always a wip .
has never fully let go of the reputation thing, i i fear … maintaining appearances is more vital to her than anything else, and clara would rather pour acid into her eyes than show some vulnerability. because of this she's kinda uptight in a way. someone tell her to loosen up a bit pls
uses unhealthy coping mechanisms when she's under a lot of stress, such as drinking an ungodly amount of coffee just to stay up late finishing work that doesn't need to be done immediately, and then skipping sleep. she also overworks herself a lot
whenever she's not in court, you can find her helping out charities for families in need !
is a gemstone girlie ! likes amethyst the most because it's her birthstone
a lil old fashioned cus she listens to music through record vinyls and record vinyls only
has 3 butterflies tattooed on her collarbone, a symbol of her and her sisters <3
tends to ghost people a lot, not even intentionally but she's such a workaholic that sometimes forgets that she has friends LMFAOJSH
i'll make a full wcs post later but basically, i would like for her to have friends in the same wealthy social circles, fellow lawyers/attorneys, her clients, people she's ghosted and exes on good terms / bad terms !!
i'm very much open to more general connections, but these are just some ideas i would lurveee to play out, or we could also brainstorm off of these plots <3
platonic …
platonic soulmates : the oldest friend helena's had since she moved to willow glen almost a decade ago. helena wants to trust y/m with everything – she just doesn't know how yet … but she's willing to work on it.
friends that have drifted apart
secret friends
romantic …
slow-burn romance : falling in love had never been something helena did … until she met y/m. because how the fuck is she supposed to think properly when they make her laugh harder than anyone else, or when they're smiling at her like that ? helena tries to convince herself the racing of her heart and the butterflies don't mean anything – but the more time she spends with them, the more she feels herself falling deeper.
one-sided infatuation : helena knows y/m has a crush on her. she finds it funny. she would never look at them in any way other than an occasional nuisance, but she's recently found out that she can take advantage of this little crush by manipulating them to do things for her.
antagonistic …
the one who sees through her : y/m knows helena is hiding something – be it a sordid past or a life-changing secret, they're not sure yet – but they are definitely onto her. helena senses it. she's determined to stop them from getting any closer to the truth, but she hasn't had the proper chance to talk to them besides having a few words and exchanging icy glares in crowded rooms.
career rival : helena should be supportive of y/m ( another up-and-coming actor in willow glen ) and their budding career, but she's been feeling irked ever since y/m landed the lead role helena had spent weeks preparing for.
friends she's betrayed : helena would've had a phase in her life where she was suspicious of everyone she became friends with, and stabbed them in the back before they would hurt her first – or that's what she believed they would've done. this would've been around the time she first moved to willow glen, as she was always wary of others and how they would look at her if they ever found out about what her father did.
⋆ ⭒˚｡ was that ISEUL "HELENA" CHO i just saw over at VORTEX ? you know, the TWENTY SEVEN year old ACTRESS that’s been around willow glen for NINE YEARS. people around town say they can somehow both be CUNNING and PRUDENT, but if you were to ask them, they’d probably say they’re more like a childhood dream that never truly faded, the warmth on your face from watching a sunset and the fear of not being seen. the town sure has been rumbling about them lately, apparently they WERE SPOTTED LEAVING A RECORDING STUDIO LATE AT NIGHT WITH A MARRIED RECORD PRODUCER . . . but who knows if that’s true, i guess i’ll just have to stop by WILLOW HEIGHTS and find out !
pinterest. connections. playlist.
♡ ◞ statistics.
birth name: iseul park. legal name: helena cho. nickname: helena. date of birth: november 14th, 1998 ( 27 years old ). zodiac sign: scorpio. place of birth: ontario, canada. gender: cis woman, uses she / her pronouns. sexuality: bisexual. languages: korean ( native ), english ( native ). biological father: james park ( estranged ). stepfather: jun-myeon cho. mother: seo-hyun “sloane” cho. siblings: none.
♡ ◞ bits and bops.
character trope/s: the optimiser, the facade. traits: ambitious, quick-witted, determined, prudent, sharp-tongued, cunning, manipulative, guarded. likes: gold jewelry, spa days, writing poetry, classical music, fresh scented candles, shopping. dislikes: fireworks or any loud noises, cheap beer, washing dishes, birds, sports films, being overshadowed.
♡ ◞ background.
warnings : criminal activities ( gambling, embezzlement & fraud ) and mention of prison
iseul had been the result of a passionate encounter between seo-hyun kim and james park on the night of their college graduation. the fact that they barely knew anything about each other didn't matter – as soon as seo-hyun broke the news to james that she was expecting his child, the two had eloped and moved to the quiet town of tilbury, away from judging eyes. their arrangement was clear from the beginning: seohyun and james' marriage would be an open one, as long as they stayed together to raise their daughter.
the first few years of iseul's life can be described with one word – unremarkable. with her mother working late nights and her father's frequent baffling absences, iseul was often left alone at home. there wasn't much to do in tilbury, and there were even fewer people she could befriend. she knew she was destined for more than what this depressing town could offer. iseul promised to herself that one day, she'll leave and make a name for herself; to shine like she was always born to be.
the worst day of her life came when she was only ten years old. iseul will never forget the frantic look on her mother's face when she arrived by the door of her classroom, telling the teacher that there was an emergency and she and iseul needed to leave immediately. one moment iseul was still at school, the next moment she was witnessing her father being escorted out of their home in handcuffs. the nature of james park's mysterious activities were revealed in the next few months: he had racked up an impossible amount of debt from gambling and desperate to pay them off, he committed fraud and embezzled millions of dollars from the company he worked at.
long after james was sentenced to fifteen years in south west detention center, the whispers still followed iseul and her mother everywhere they went. iseul learned quickly that children could be just as cruel as adults, and that her father's scandal is all people could see when they looked at her. the anger she felt didn't go away. it embedded itself deep in her soul and became stronger, a flame burning fiercely inside her that she never really learned how to tame. she realised then that there was one person that was responsible for making her life into the nightmare that she now had to face every single day – her father. at age twelve, iseul vowed that james park would never be a name she would utter ever again.
in the years that followed, iseul became quieter, colder – sharper. her rebellion wasn't dramatic, it was subtle and deliberate. she betrayed friends before she believed they could betray her first. she learned that she could manipulate situations to her favour with pretty little words and a charming smile. the bitterness hollowed out something in iseul – she became convinced that showing kindness was a weakness, and that there was no one she could depend on to protect her family except herself.
everything changed when her mother met cho jun-myeon, a real estate investor who was passing through tilbury for an acquisition. where others saw disgrace, jun-myeon saw survival in iseul and seo-hyun. for the first time in years, iseul watched as the light returned to her mother's eyes from the joy of being loved again; how content and relaxed she'd been getting married a few months later. taking her stepfather's surname felt natural, and when jun-myeon suggested the three move out of the country for a fresh start, iseul didn't hesitate to say yes.
living in willow glen meant a clean slate and the start of something new, which is why iseul started going by helena – a name that had graciously been given to her by jun-myeon. being in a place where no one knew of her past softened her edges a little, and being helena cho was much easier than being iseul park had ever been. helena became less defensive, less angry, though she always remained cautious of the fact that the past would eventually come knocking on her door.
more tba …
♡ ◞ personality.
helena is very soft-spoken and sweet, though sometimes her intentions are not out of genuine kindness. she's more likely to befriend someone if it could benefit her in some way – not really out of selfishness or greed, but because she's always thinking of her future, first and foremost. she has endured quite a lot of cruelty at a young age, making her bitter, and that bitterness has made her to believe that the world owes her. when helena gets angry, it's not the explosive kind of anger – but more a quiet, cold rage that simmers into an almost spiteful determination that she will never, ever be wronged in that way again. every move she makes is calculated to some degree, which makes her very meticulous in everything she does. she always ensures that every relationship or friendship she has stays on good terms. she's great at acting ( no really, it's also her day job ), and she is also exceptionally clever.
♡ ◞ headcanons.
constant wip !
is always wearing her mother’s golden wristwatch that has a far-too-big strap that she refuses to alter ( because that would mean she tampered with an age-old family heirloom which, like, absolutely not ! )
in another life, she 100% would’ve been a ballet dancer. the only reason she didn't pursue it was because the only ballet classes near tilbury would've been at least an hour drive away and the fees were expensive
has manipulated and wronged people in the past but she deems the betrayals necessary to get to where she is now
has a small serpent tattoo on her left wrist because she's a snake it represents rebirth and transformation <3
lowkey has a mysterious aura to her, she doesn't like revealing much about herself
whenever someone asks, she will say that helena is her real government name so that no one can look up “iseul cho” and accidentally stumble upon her family's history. only her mother calls her iseul in private moments
has acted in supporting characters in a few indie films and is still waiting to land her first lead role !
helena has recently been getting into writing song lyrics ( though she'll never let them see the light of day ), and has went into the studio a couple of times to produce beats but she's still on the fence about making it into a career
will be posting a whole post with my wanted connections as soon as i can !
theartofmadeline
yousharknotpass
2087
snowghoul
tangentwithtanner
germansingergirl
jbbartram-illu
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
annaxmalina
areudirty
