𓍢 ・( ruth wilson . cis woman . she/her ) ﹕eleanor astor middleton , the new york resident , has been living in the city for thirty four years . the forty year old artist & pianist is known around the city as the liability - maybe that's because they're erratic trait , but also compassionate trait . ( paint splattered loafers , oversized blazers , red wine stains in the carpet ) + [ kate, 26, she/her, gmt]
triggers: death, adoption, mental illness, hospitalization
eleanor was born to a single mother. she was never planned and was indeed a strain on the household. her mother hid her pregnancy with her until she went into labor and told her parents. it was a disaster and continued to be when el was born. none of it was her fault but her mother was already suffering from mental illness, something that wasn’t helped by the judgemental people around her. then suddenly, the woman was gone in an accident - eleanor's own family didn't want her. she would scream for her mother, for anyone but they wouldn't come.
at the age of five, she was adopted by the daughter of edward astor middleton, a known billionaire . money prevailed in getting the woman what she wanted, a child when she was a single and vile person that would say and do anything to get one. when unable to conceive herself, she looked towards adoption and the process was much quicker taking a five year old, plus, she skipped out baby night feeding so it was of no concern to her.
it took her a while to get settled but with edward’s help, eleanor managed. she always felt a bit out of place with her peers; she didn’t catch onto jokes that fast nor did she necessarily care about designer things or status. she was labelled as odd and that’s how it stayed. she loved singing, mainly to herself and also art. that was her happy place along with being with people - even if they didn’t understand her, she still found the positives to enjoy it. her grandfather was very supportive with whatever she wanted but she never once asked for anything apart from ‘dinners and dance parties’. in the absence of her mother's caring, edward was the one to make her feel like she was exactly where she needed to be, even be quick to put her into therapy, not because she was broken but because she needed that external support where she could be honest. el was always grateful, always reminded that she got lucky with the life by her mother and edward took that pressure off. the whole world probably had some opinion on the billionaire but he was perfect to her. edward was the one that initially taught eleanor piano and when she presented a natural aptitude and enjoyment, he enrolled her in classes.
when she was younger, she worked as a model for her mother’s cosmetic company. without realising it, el was responsible for her mother’s success because it made the woman branch out into new foundation shades - it wasn’t perfect but it was a step in the right direction and her mother was applauded whilst felicity became the face of the entire company - not just the face but the name of astoria cosmetics. you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing her face. it did cause controversy with her being young, as well as eleanor receiving hate for how she looked but it got people talking. opportunities arose from this - her mother's friends inviting her to model in their shows despite being a little shorter than the runway model.
it was a lot of pressure to put on her but she was agreeable in nature and never wanted to upset her mother so never said anything. she fell into her art work as a way to process emotions and things she cared about . through connections, she did manage to get a place at julliard but she’d crumble and pull out only a few months in. it was mainly sitting in her studio, headphones on being in a completely different world while she created and that was and continues to be her happy place.
the news that her grandfather was ill and he wasn’t going to get better - it hit eleanor the hardest. he was the one person who she felt understood her, the one that tied her to a lot of things and made her feel loved. impulsive and intense behaviour came from her during this time, that was in her second month at university. living in denial was a hard place to be as her mental health deteriorated quickly - el's mother wasn’t the talkative type and every time she tried to accept reality and try to talk about her feelings with the woman, she’d be shut down and thrown into a schedule. she’d dropped out and hadn’t told her mother - being dishonest was not her thing...
she had a breakdown at a photoshoot. the photographer was quick to intervene and attempted to comfort her until they could get her somewhere safe. a day after, she was hospitalised but her mother wanted to get her out quickly to 'salvage their reputation'. the entire ordeal upset her.. it was just her and her mother and although she felt broken, she needed to be there to comfort her mom because she could see that the woman was struggling - it was hindering them both that she still didn’t want to talk about it.
the reading of edward middleton’s will was a big event. eleanor wasn’t expecting to get anything as he’d given her more than enough love to make up for the lack in her life. it was a great surprise to everyone, including her, when edward left everything to her. overwhelmed didn’t even cover it. his savings, current bank account, shares in his company, property... everything. she was so confused as to why and did feel sorry for her mother but she didn’t even have time to think about what she wanted to do with the billions (tabloids will say millions which is half-true because they underestimate the situation) before the woman that she called mother would be filing to court to try get it revoked and passed to her.
eleanor did not want to fight with her mother. the woman didn’t even tell her about it, a lawyer made her aware that her mother wanted to take it from her and was bringing her sanity into question. despite her mother trying to bring in her mental illness, the ordeal was ruled in her favour but winning against her own mother didn't feel like a win at all. she'd dropped out of university, stopped playing piano because it reminded her too much of him, but had the luxury of focusing on her artwork as she had the privilege to do so. all it took was one person to come into her studio and the rest was history. eleanor was always humble, never flaunting her wealth in people's face (not for the most part, anyways). when she did, it was because she wasn't that self aware to recognise she was doing it.
she managed to keep herself steady for a while. her medication and therapy was working, she felt comfortable, her artwork was being admired and sold for $$$$$$$$ - she was happy, right? el was also seeing some success as she picked up playing again, reminding people of the talent they had discussed all those years ago. however, she felt like she had gone from someone that was easily satisfied to never being satisfied. it was then when she found someone she'd call her best friend. the two were very different but got on really well - eleanor felt safe, like they wouldn't judge her and when she had a bad day, they'd always find a way to cheer her up and if they couldn't, they'd make sure to sit with her in her penthouse to make sure she wasn't alone. it was at the point where she felt relaxed when she was looking into becoming a mental health advocate, particularly in schools.
however, pressures would get to her - with deadlines, her attempting to try have a hand in her grandfather's company from a legacy... everything seemed so stressful and then it felt so threatening. it was a long time coming but she sold the majority of her shares in her grandfather's company (she still owns 30% but is more a nepo figure than actually having to do anything). however, it didn't feel like a weight had been lifted - her grandfather would be so disappointed with her. she just wasn't up to - she was flighty, unreliable, a people-pleaser and whilst he'd always encouraged being kind, there was a point where she needed to stop letting people walk all over her.
it was her inability to deal with her therapist leaving that caused another break. people in her circles were ignoring it but not maliciously, they were just unaware of her circumstances. 'eleanor and her stories, she does let that brain of hers run wild sometimes' or just a simple scoff and shrug of the shoulders before 'artists...' was mumbled. it didn't help that her therapist moved to another country , still trying to call the woman when she shouldn't have been and that she was having trouble finding another good fit - she didn't know what she found so off-putting but it didn't feel like anything was working with anyone. her old therapist had left a plan for her but with the professional breakdown, it left her vulnerable. all of a sudden, everyone in her life felt so distant. there was somewhat of an incident at the metropolitan museum of art - the security suspected that she was on something. it was her doorman that took her to the emergency room and that lead to multiple referrals being made for her as well as her being admitted.
eleanor did spend a few months in hospital and then gradually started to appear again. it is disappointing to her - she worked so hard, was even talking about giving back due to her wealthy position but how could she even try to talk to people that were already a million miles away when she was missing her own foundations? she'd like to get back into it, to actually see it through but she first needs to be able to trust herself again. she's doing less pieces and has gone back to accompanying singers at smaller venues but she's started back running again because it really does clear her head and make her think about nothing.
little facts:
was born in england and split her time between london and nyc when growing up - her accent is primarily british but she does have an american twang on particular words/phrases/sounds.
she’s not bothered about designer labels. if it’s pretty, she’ll buy it, whether it’s from chanel or a charity shop, it doesn’t matter to her.
tries to be positive to everyone and everything but it makes her feel good. she is naive when it comes to trusting people but wants to be loved so is ultimately a people pleaser.
cries very easily - if she’s happy, sad or scared, she’ll be crying. el also very much wears her heart on her sleeve!
was labelled as ‘kooky’ pretty early on but doesn’t really mind. she does try to fit in but it never ends up being how she imagined. she's diagnosed with schizophrenia. it's not that she hides it, just doesn't feel the need to mention it most of the time.
has drunk since she was a teen and still doesn’t know her limits :)
she is messy, both in organising and behaviour.
either cant sleep so she decides to scrap book while listening to music at three am or she does nothing but sleep.
white cotton poplin is her staple in outfits, whether it be a dress or shirt!
has taken up yoga for the first time and she thinks she's terrible at it - not flexible and unbalanced but she does run a lot when she needs to clear her head and will say it's better to do that here than across the country on a treadmill.
she says she isn't a runner but is very good at it.
loves to wear suits and blazers! messes her hair up within 3 mins of leaving the house.
sold her mother a part share in the company (didn't give it to her for free after she tried to sue her). she's still very hurt about how the woman treated her but does want to mend the relationship somehow.
she's recently been giving a plant as a gift to help her focus and look after something (part of her self-care) but she's really bad at keeping green things alive - she's really trying though.
is incredibly loyal and loving but doesn’t try to ask too many questions. her personality can sometimes be imposing as it is.
sometimes labelled the 'worst dressed' at events - she doesn't pay attention too much.
is trying to act like nothing is happening so is over-compensating with her chirpy personality.
it's scaring her that, despite being a billionnaire, she's struggling to find a therapist. eleanor is privileged, she's aware of it so it has got her thinking about outside of her bubble - what would have happened if she couldn't even afford treatment?
likes all types of music
her fave colours are blue, green, purple and red but not together