· Ellie’s first name is actually Eleanor. She hates her name. To her it sounds like the name a much older woman has, so she can’t stand it. She doesn’t ever introduce herself as Eleanor, and she tries to avoid people finding out that it’s her full name. Though the people closest to her do eventually find out. She loves going by Ellie, and if someone she knows calls her Eleanor, she’ll ignore them until they Ellie instead.
· Ellie needs glasses to look at screens. She needs them a little for reading, but any kind of light given off by a screen really bothers her eyes. She’d just squint and have her eyes water up if she was to look at a computer, tv, phone, or tablet without her glasses.
· Her glasses are something she’s a little embarrassed of. In an academic setting, she doesn’t care. She’s there (on a dig site or in a lecture hall) to learn or teach. But in her personal life, she doesn’t like people to know she wears glasses, which is why she got the thinnest frames she could. She’s been made fun of too many times to really let people see them. But if she loves or trusts someone, she’ll wear them with no worries.
· Ellie has loved plants ever since she was a little girl. She used to pick the flowers in her aunt’s garden and learned how to press them and make things out of them. She also loved dinosaurs growing up, but she never wanted to be a paleontologist. She always wanted to work with plants. She planned on either owning a nursery or trying to study current plant life in some way. One of her college friends invited her to sit in on a paleontology lecture, and Ellie went for the fun of it. Through that lecture, Ellie found out about paleobotany. And the rest, as they say, is history.
· Ellie has always had her own garden throughout her life. Either in recycled glass jars or in little garden pots. She loves plants that are poisonous, but she doesn’t belittle their power and makes sure that they’re in an area no animal or child could get to. She takes safety very seriously. And when she leaves for extended periods of time, one of her neighbors always checks in on her plants for her.
· Ellie is incredibly confident and competent in her academic life. She knows she’s one of the best in her field, and while she is proud of herself, she doesn’t boast. She’s very logical, organized, and can hold her own in any debate/argument about the prehistoric world. She’s very quick in general. She has fast and excellent come backs, and to get into an argument with her is often more than most people can handle. Ellie can fight with her words very well.
· That said, Ellie is not good at pushing for what she wants outside of her academic life. She can strive for her goals and wants when it comes to her career but not with her personal relationships. She’s such a loving, dependable, and giving person that people tend to walk all over her. They take advantage, and most of them time, Ellie let’s them. Part of her is scared that they will leave her or hate her if she doesn’t bend. But she often bends so much that her personal wants and needs are placed on the back burner. Getting married and having children with Alan and not doing so are a perfect example of this. As unsatisfied as she is, she may often go along with things until she reaches her breaking point. Then she’s forced to evolve, shedding people from her life and moving on to people that she hopes will treat her better.
· Ellie does have a very strong protective instinct. She has a very strong maternal instinct, but she’s so much fun to be around that people tend to look at her as an older sister.
· Ellie had a complete nervous breakdown after the events at Jurassic Park. She wanted nothing more than to forget and move on. She wanted to live her life and not wait for other people to catch up to her. It was part of why she and Alan’s relationship could not survive the aftermath. He was obsessed with what had happened at the park and the raptors. Ellie was plagued with constant nightmares about them and couldn’t handle talking about them or remembering their calls. She would jump easily, sometimes scream, cry, or shut down if things startled her too badly once she came back from the park. She really can’t handle any metallic scraping sound, because it reminds her of the dinosaur’s claws against the doors. And sometimes she’d need to hole herself up, just stay away from people to feel safe and secure. But she’s too strong a person to let her fears stop her.
· Ellie has distinct dualities about her. She does have a very strong and independent personality with those who know her. She can also be very shy around men she likes, and it can be difficult to get to know her. She’s incredibly confident when it comes to her work. She isn’t so confident outside of work. Since the park, she feels like life is moving to slow and she’s impatient for…anything to happen. Other times, she just needs to be stationary in her life to have a sense of security. She loves to be adventurous and go new places. But she also loves a quiet weekend at home, lounging around and not doing much. Others might think it’s Ellie being inconsistent or insincere. She’s completely genuine about who she is, and her actions are never dishonest. Ellie enjoys almost everything in life. She wants to experience everything in life. She is grateful for everything in life. She was this way before Jurassic Park, but almost dying reminded her to be in awe of the world around her every day.
· Ellie loves springtime and summer. She loves them because she can enjoy her plants more thoroughly. She likes the light, the heat, the long summer days. She loves being able to go outside, walk, sweat, and enjoy nature. She embodies everything about those seasons. Despite her academic mindset, she can also be a bit of a free spirit. She likes the term and personification of ‘mother nature’ very much.
· Ellie is actually very confident about her body. She certainly doesn’t think she’s the prettiest girl in the world, but that’s never mattered to her. She likes the way she looks, and she never worries about if she’s too tall, too skinny, if her breasts are too small, or if she doesn’t wear enough makeup. She thinks she’s fine just the way she is, and she knows that anyone who finds her attractive with no makeup while wearing hiking boots on is the right one for her.
· Ellie certainly notices when other women are attractive, and she’s not ashamed to admit that. She thinks the female form is beautiful, and she’s thought about dating other women. She hasn’t though, simply because she does have a stronger desire for men.
· Ellie really enjoys sex. She hasn’t had an opportunity to experiment too much, but she’s very open to different things. She’s not embarrassed about the fact that she watches porn. She’s not embarrassed to talk about sex or do something to please her partner. She does like a lot of tenderness and to know that she’s appreciated, but Ellie certainly doesn’t mind any rough stuff. In fact, it’s something that she often wants but doesn’t receive.
