Eleanor Byrne

Resident Full Name: Eleanor Strawberry-Fields Byrne
Supplemental information provided by Mrs. Helen Lentil, Head of St. Ia’s Home for Girls.
Resident Date of Birth: 2/22/1996
Resident Age: 15
Resident Gender: Female
Current Address: 14 Cunnery Rd
City/Town: Banbridge
County/State: County Down
Country: Northern Ireland

Resident Hair Colour: Red
Resident Eye Colour: Brown
Resident Height: I'm 5 feet 6 inches
Resident Weight: I weigh 118 pounds
Distinguishing Marks: I have my goggles nearly always glued to my head or my eyes so those are pretty much a physical description - black rimmed, circular, black band, one half inch thick protective glass. I normally have calluses on my hands and assorted cuts from working with scrap metal. If my hands are ever soft it's because my foster mother got hold of them and decided to suffocate them in lotion. I have no piercings or tattoos.

Do you have any ongoing medical conditions for which you require long-term treatment or medications?

Nope.

Are you aware of any allergies you may have to foods, medications or environmental elements? If so, please list them below along with age of onset.

Stupidity and laziness None that are known.

Do you take any other medications or drugs not prescribed to you, or participate in the consumption of alcohol or tobacco?

None that we are aware. About that, not quite true. I like a fag now and then as much as the normal person does, same with the occasional drink. Not that I've been able to get my hands on any while I've been here obviously.


Where were you born and where did you grow up? What was it like there?

I guess I grew up around Belfast. It's kinda a blur to be honest. We lived wherever the music was. Mum had this van, huge thing, old as all fuck and that's what we lived in. We'd kip at friend's houses or sometimes hotels if Mum could get money from a gig. She was a drummer, so we'd travel around with whatever band she was with at the time, playing wherever she could get on stage. It made schooling a real bitch, let me tell you. Enrolling, dropping out, re-enrolling, moving somewhere else. But I did okay I guess. My grades were always good. Mum said I was a fast learner and Rodger and Helen both agreed. Never really had a problem trying to pick up stuff as far as school went. When Mum died everything changed. Since my Dad was a no show and Mum had been disowned as far as I know, I was thrown into the system at nine. I've been stuck in fuck off boring Banbridge ever since - MI stayed at Saint Ia's till last year when I got my first foster home. Kinda fucked that up royally so now I'm back here.


Please describe your relationships with your biological family, including parents, and siblings if applicable.

I go to visit my mother's grave whenever I can. They normally let me put flowers on it and make sure no shit heads have done anything to it. If you care about before that, Mum and I were very close. She was my best friend and I was all she cared about other than music. She was a cool mother - never cared if I got in trouble at school, didn't bother watching her language around me, she'd let me steal out of her drinks...you know, stuff like that. Don't have any siblings that I know of. Mum didn't really let on whether she had any kids before me, wouldn't be surprised if she did but yeah no idea where they would be. Same with my Dad. Apparently Mum didn't even know who he was, but he was a ginger. Hence the hair.

How were/are you in school? How are your grades? Do you enjoy school?

When I was in normal school I was okay from what I know. My marks all came back passing so I guess I was okay. I always was better with things that weren't graded as much. You know like arts and crafts and that sort of thing. I'm better with my hands than I am with books or whatever. Not saying I don't like books, I'm just easily bored with them. I'd rather be rocking out to Cream and tinkering with something instead of trying to find a quiet place to do arithmatic or something. We're schooled by Ms. Catherine here since there's only a few of us and apparently I don't apply myself like I should. Honestly I don't see the point. I don't want to go to school anymore than I have to. Teach me something interesting instead that I can use, like how to fix a car or something. That I would do great with.

Do you participate in any extracurricular activities or belong to any after-school clubs?

Not really. When I was actually there for school – it really depended if Mum was awake to get me there – I was generally carted off at the end of school promptly by Mum to go have some mother daughter time before the next gig. I guess it was Mum’s way of trying to make sure she was still a good mother since she got such shit about how I was coming up. Not that it mattered to me; I turned out fine as far as I’m concerned.

The following comment is scribbled through until it is almost ineligible.

We believe that some of Eleanor’s OCD might stem from the lack of structure that came from her mother’s negligence.

If you no longer reside with your biological family, please describe any previous homes as well as your current situation.

I’ve lived at St. Ia’s since I was nine. That’s when Mum died. Since we didn’t have a permanent address the system sucked me in here. It’s a church sponsored orphanage so Mum’s rock and roll didn’t go over really well to begin with. To be honest it’s still not going well, but it made me hard to get rid of. No one wants a kid like me, especially when they can pick some little church mouse in the line up next to me. Helen and Rodger were different though. They’d had kids like me before, or they’d had kids that no one wanted before. I don’t think they were ready for someone like me. But they were nice. Really nice. I mean for a pair of plain people that live in a boring little town they were probably the best replacements you could ask for parents. Just, not my Mum. No one could ever replace her.

When my room filled up they gave me back. By that point I had already gone off on Rodger. Probably one of the stupidest, if not the most stupid thing I’ve done. They were nothing but nice to me and I fucked it up. Royally. They sent me back to St. Ia’s and by then the ladies that run the place weren’t happy to see me. That was only a few months ago so I’m not surprised they’re trying to ship me off again.

Do you have many/any friends? If so, please describe them.


I make friends quickly, or at least I try to. Mum kinda kicked the introvert out of me when I was little so I’m pretty easy to talk to. While I’ve been at St. Ia’s I’ve gotten along with most of the girls. I say most because this new batch is mostly a bunch of spoiled bitches that got shuttled in from another orphanage. My closest friends when Mum was still alive were Murphy and Scott. They were the guitarist and bassist for Gaping Maw, a band Mum was with for about four years or so when I was growing up. They would look after me sometimes after school when Mum was out doing other things. I think they were something like six years older than me or something. They were like my big brothers. They taught me all sorts of important stuff – how to roll a fag, which bands were the best to listen to, what to do when the van overheated on the side of the road. You know, useful stuff. Unfortunately I lost track of them after the group split up. My best friend at St. Ia’s was Mary. She was a year younger than me and her parents died in a fire. She got picked on because of the burns she got from the fire but she was the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. Real bookworm, but she loved the stuff I showed her how to make. We got into so much trouble together. Apparently I was a bad influence on her because we’d be separated constantly, not that it ever stopped us from having a bit of fun. She go adopted two years ago and she’ll send me letters every now and then. I miss her...

Are you sexually active? Are you aware of any gender preference, or preferences in intimate practices, activities or situations?

No. Hell no. I'm not some stupid chav that's going to get knocked up at 15 and have to give the kid up or get it flushed. I don't have a gender preference because I don't care about sex, simple as that. The first and last guy that ever tried to come onto me ended up with a bruised ego and a crushed foot, so that should help prove I don't want anything to do with sex. Fuck sex. It's a waste of time.

Have you ever knowingly committed a crime? Were you caught and convicted? If convicted, what was your sentencing?

If you call underage drinking and smoking a crime, then yes. If not, then no. And no, I’ve never been caught. Mum didn’t play around places that police broke up. She hated them almost as much as she hated cats, which was saying something because she would throw a fit whenever she saw one.


Have you ever been diagnosed with any psychiatric ailments by a medical or psychiatric professional? If yes, please explain below.

Ellie has been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder with her main compulsion resulting in hoarding.

My shrink decided that I have obsessive compulsive disorder and stuck me on prozac for it. Bullshit diagnosis for a bullshit shrink. Do I look like one of those people that goes and washes their hands till they bleed? Honestly how the fuck did he even come up with that? I couldn't sleep once I started taking that stuff. It made me all sorts of moody and twitchy like you wouldn't believe. I'm not taking any more pills that he prescribes. Bet he's one of those doctors that just sticks people on drug cycles to get them to shut up. I'm not some robot you can just feed pills to and expect me to suddenly run better.

Dr. Strauss assured me that the prozac would help Ellie if she would just take it normally. Ellie has had bouts of insomnia but that's a common side effect, according to the pamphlets at least. Ellie refuses to go see him anymore insisting that he's trying to "drug her up" in an attempt to make her normal.

Please describe any incidents associated with these ailments, such as antisocial behaviours, social or environmental difficulties, incidents of self harming, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, substance abuse, etc.

The following statement comes from Mrs. Jane Kidder, Eleanor’s foster mother, up until September.

Ellie came to live with us, myself and my husband Rodger, in April. During that time she has managed to somehow fill her entire bedroom from floor to ceiling with stuff. Not just stuff but mainly junk. Ellie likes to find spare mechanical parts especially. We had an old VCR player she got her hands on and dismantled and she did the same when the oven broke. I think she saved every little nut and bolt for...who knows what but it was important to her so we just let her go on with what she was doing.

At first...it was really not a problem. Ellie is such a bright young girl and she loves tinkering with the things she finds and trying to make them into something new. But...the stuff kept growing and growing. She literally couldn’t get into her room anymore.

Rodger tried to clear a path through all of the junk and Ellie exploded. She shoved him into one of the nearby piles and the resulting crash of things left Rodger with a broken toe. It wasn't anything serious by way of injury, but it was enough for us to draw a line. She's an good girl, honest. I think Ellie just needs some professional help. Right now, she's a danger to herself and potentially anyone that attempts to take away any of her precious belongings. It's not only that though. She kept bringing things home even when she was sleeping in the hallway of our already tiny flat because there was no room in her bedroom left.

Unfortunately this was only one of the times when Eleanor’s behaviours have exploded like this. She has attacked other girls who have tried to move her things or dispose of them. She’ll even turn hostile on the other faculty here at the home. She’s collects things from all over the house, taking apart pieces of toys that the other girls bring in or hiding away the occasional nicknack she finds when cleaning. To be honest we're not quite sure where she manages to get the things from but we know it's from inside the house since she's not allowed out. Whenever these little piles are found they are thrown away promptly which often results in Eleanor throwing loud tantrums coupled with foul language and throwing of objects. We've gone to checking her room once daily but to no avail - she keeps finding things to hide, no matter what they are. The other day we unearthed a large collection of paperclips and thumb tacks from under her bed, pinned to the underside of the mattress. While we've been sure to keep these piles to a minimum there's only so much we can do to stop her. She still refuses to stop with her attitudes no matter how many chores she's punished with or how many privileges we take away. We no longer have the resources to try to deal with her and hope that by sending her to Highgrove she can get proper psychiatric attention and find peace.

Have you ever seen a licensed psychiatric professional, psychologist, or counsellor for these ailments? If yes, please list doctor(s) or counsellor(s) below:

Yes, begrudgingly. They’re sending me to see a shrink. Rodger and Helen tried to get me to see one but I flat out refused. So when I got to the home what’s the first thing they do? Get me to see a shrink. Bastards.

Do you take any medications for any diagnosed psychiatric ailments? If yes, please list medication, dosage, and frequency of dosage below:

Fluoxetine HCL (20 MG)

Supposedly once a day. Ellie is very adamant about not taking her medication. What Ms. Lentil is trying to say is I refuse to take drugs for something that I've been misdiagnosed with. I can go on the internet just like everyone else. Fluoxetine is friggin Prozac. I'm not depressed or anxious about anything or suffering for moodswings or have obsessive behaviors. My quack shrink thinks that's why all of my stuff is so goddamn neat. It's neat because I need to know where everything is in case I need it. Yeah I've got a lot of stuff but it's all organized just the way I like it. Go screw yourself if that makes me crazy or whatever.

Have you ever been admitted to a short or long-term psychiatric facility as a result of these ailments or associated incidents?

Nope. Haven’t sent me off to the loony bin yet. Doesn’t mean they’re not going to try to put me in one at some point I bet. Does this Highgrove place count as a loony bin? Because if so there’s no way in hell I’m going.

How do you feel these ailments affect your quality of life or your situation in life?

What ailments? I’m not sick or anything. I’m an orphan or are we classing that as a social disease now?

If you could be cured of your ailments, what would your goals in life be?

I’m going to ignore the first part of that. I plan on being an engineer. I want to invent things and make things better. Like simple things – tasers, guns, safety equipment, cars with doors that pop off in an accident…stuff like that.

How do you feel these goals would be best attained?

Well, go to college; get a degree that sort of thing. Really I’d like to just skip all that shit and go straight into working and learning that way. I don’t really care about books or whatever. I’m good with math and shit but who’s that going to help in the long run really? I’d much rather just get my hands on the stuff I’m going to be working with for the rest of my life.

Why do you feel you are being referred to Highgrove, and by whom?

Because I messed up, like I mentioned before. After the incident with Rodger it’s been happening more often. I can’t help it – they touch my stuff, it’s like they’re asking me to freak out and go off on them. As soon as they found out why it happened (that I was sent back) they started picking at me, making me upset. Ms. Lentil has said that it’s becoming a matter of space, that they can’t keep me if I keep collecting so much stuff because there’s not enough space even though I’ve only got half a room filled. So they’re getting rid of me before I cause more problems.


Hello, and thank you for meeting with me today. Our interview today will be recorded for review later. I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and I'd like for you to answer as fully as you are able. I'd like to start by asking you how you're feeling today.

I'm doing just GREAT doc. How about you, did you have a good trip? Oh wait, I forgot, I don't give a damn. Can we skip the bullshit so I can go back to my room now? Those little rotting cunts are probably trying to get their shit back by now.

Patient Observation: Patient seems rather angry about the situation, her clothes ruffled and her expression fixed into a scowl. She has a pen with her that she keeps taking apart and putting back together seemingly without realizing she's doing it.


Okay. And how are you feeling about this opportunity to join our family at Highgrove?

Patient Observation: Patient slumps in her seat when she realizes that she's not going to be able to go back to her room until the interview has concluded.

I don’t want to join any family. My family is dead. This isn’t a family, this is where they send kids that no one wants to deal with.

If you could alter one event in your life, what event do you think you would change or remove, and why?

Shouldn't that be obvious? I mean you got me out of a girl's home. I'd want my mother back. Duh.

Patient Observations: Patient has crossed her arms by this point over her chest and it pointedly glaring, obvioiusly annoyed.

If you had to describe yourself in only three words, what words would you choose and why?

What is this primary school? Fine, I’ll play along.

Patient Observations: Patient sits forward and makes deliberate eye contact

Prepared, inventive and music. I will always be prepared because I make sure I’m prepared for anything and everything. I’m inventive – I make shit all the time. And music because music is my Mum and I’ll have part of her with me as long as I have music. Satisfied?

How do you feel currently about your life so far, and anything you may have done?

What’s that supposed to mean? Are you expecting me to feel guilty or whatever? If we’re talking about Rodger, yeah I feel guilty about that. If we’re talking about those other cunts at St. Ia’s? Hell no. I’m not apologizing for them.

What would you do if you found a stranger being attacked by another stranger, and why?

Depends what I have on me. If I’ve got a knife or whatever then yeah I’d go and try and get the attacker off of the….attackey? Victim. Sorry that’s the word. But I’m not about to go in there unprepared. Sorry but yeah I’m not going to throw myself into something blind like that.

What would you do if you were being threatened by a stranger, and why?

Try to get away of course. Try to distract him or like kick him in the balls and get away. I’m not keen on dying or whatever right now.

Have you ever deliberately harmed yourself, another, or animals in the past? If so, why do you think that was?

Deliberately?

Patient Observation: Patient fidgets in her seat.

No…I mean not hurt to a point where they’re like going to be hurt permanently or whatever. I mean yeah I’ve beat up some girls in the past because they fucked with my stuff. I don’t go out and hurt people on purpose.

And lastly, what do you hope to find at Highgrove, and how do you think this will help you to learn and grow?

If I have to be there I want to learn something useful. I want to learn a skill that will get me through life.

This concludes our interview for today. Thank you for filling out our application and speaking with me. We will contact you or your guardian shortly with our decision or recommendations. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your day. Goodbye.


Is there anything your character is not telling us? Do they have any dirty or dark little secrets they're omitting from their application? Please explain below.

Eleanor suffers from OCD which stems from post-traumatic stress. Eleanor’s mother Gwen died when her car went into the River Bann on the way home from a concert. Eleanor was able to make it out of the car but her mother drowned after getting caught in the seatbelt. Eleanor has never been able to forgive herself for not being able to save her mother. She blames not being prepared for her mother’s death and it has become her obsession.

Player Nickname: Jezebel
Player Chatango Name: Jezebelassasinated
Character Playby: Allison Scagliotti

But don't fret! Just follow the steps given to you below and edit your application appropriately. When you're done, please reply to this thread to let us know that the application has been edited, and we will review it again.

• You're almost there, but there are a few issues we'll need you to sort out before we can get Eleanor approved.
  
• First off, why did she move to the UK? If she was born in the Republic of Ireland, it'll need to be explained how she ended up on Northern Ireland, and why she stayed there after her mother's death. She's not a UK citizen, she'd likely have been sent back to her country of birth.
  
• The meticulous way she records her age, height and weight doesn't fit with the variety of OCD you're going for. It seems more of a gimmick than anything. Can you drop it in favour of just giving a reasonable answer?
  
• The main issue we have with her is the implausibility of her condition. Where is she able to get mechanical parts from? At her age, it'll have to be theft, and with the amount she has, she's going to get arrested. Scrap metal theft is a big problem at the moment. Not only that, but if she's in state care, she's not going to be able to keep it all. Rusty chunks of metal are a huge health and safety risk, she'd get the home shut down if she kept them, so it's extremely unlikely she'd get away with it for long. If she was hoarding her own stuff, or something small, then maybe, but not chunks of vehicles.
  
• Her attacking her foster father with a claw hammer is a problem too. She'd be looking at a custodial sentence, or, if she was found to be mentally incompetent, she'd be institutionalised.
  
• Lastly, the comment 'Dr. Strauss admits that Ellie may not have a fully fledged case of OCD, but hoarding is often related to the disorder very closely.' sets off a bit of a red flag. It's no good giving her a condition linked to one we accept, she has to actually have the condition on the list if you want to get her in.
  

Fixed hopefully *crosses fingers*

But don't fret! Just follow the steps given to you below and edit your application appropriately. When you're done, please reply to this thread to let us know that the application has been edited, and we will review it again.

• Ellie's almost there but she needs a few more tweaks. The hoarding is still an issue for it's implausible that and orphanage would allow the behavior to develop to the level it's at. She simply couldn't bring the items in and keep them. Unless she's stealing buttons, plastic forks, and the occasional metal bit found around I feel that they would notice her stash growing and have the collections thrown out. Children's homes are subject to regular inspections and having a room full of scrap metal would be break code, likely resulting in people losing jobs. At her foster home it's possible for the hoarding to grow as she would have a room of her own but the moment she returned to the home her collections would be disposed of. If Ellie tried to bring anything in and build again it would be tossed. There's also the matter of where she's getting it from. Again, at her foster home it's more likely that she'd be able to collect piles of random metal but once she's being watched in the orphanage it's unlikely that she'd be able to get out and get enough to fill a room.
  

One more time now! *crosses everything* Changed it so she's restricted to the house so she can't go out and find any scraps and that they do a daily sweep of her room to get rid of her piles.

Resident Full Name: Eleanor Strawberry-Fields Byrne
Resident Age: Fifteen
Resident Gender: Female
Known Diagnoses: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Dormitory Number: Dormitory 5
Bunk Number: 02 Top
Assigned Chores Group: Grounds Chores
Assigned Therapist: Dr. Nadiya Zvarich

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Resident Name: Eleanor Bryne
Therapist Name: Dr. N. Zvarich
Patient Observations: Arrived clearly furious, closed and standoffish body language initially, relaxed over course of session, left not intirely happy but in as less confrontational mood.
Therapy Report: This was Ms. Bryne's first session, so much of our time consisted of simple orientation and mood questions. She was initially very upset about her ipod being confiscated upon arrival, she came to my office immediately after her intake search and demanded it back. This segued into a short discussion of the privilege system and the importance of her 'tinkering' and stealing/hording/appropriation of roommate's personal belongings. When asked directly her reply was that she did not take anything of importance, defining the difference as items "that people use daily. Ones that have real purpose in the world."
Not surprisingly, when we touched on academic learning she was less then pleased believing it is a waste of her time, "What good is literature or math ... I can read as well as the next kid so who cares about what Shakespeare meant when he sent fairies poncing about all over the place." when asked what she would prefer [to learn]: "How to put together an engine. How to make a car run. How to change oil and brakes and replaces shocks. Stuff that I could use to make a living."
She seems to very pointedly lack the ability to empathise with the feelings of others when she appropriates and dismantles their belongings. She does not understand, or care, that what she is doing is upsetting that person, we will explore this further in subsequent sessions. We also touched how Eleanor's adjustment to Highgrove was going before she left, considerably calmer then upon entry.
We did not tackle the subject of her mother her previous foster families or, her room mates at St. Ia's, all of which will be explored at a later date.
Notes:
This was Miss Bryne's intake session,a s such I have only two recommendations as stated below,
Because of her history of, I am recommending Regular (every other day, minimum)searches of her entire bed and wardrobe area(s), during school hours to prevent and reduce the hording tendencies. I will hold back medication until or unless she has an ourburst or incident regarding her OCD, if and when that happens she will be prescribed an anti-anxiety medication and a sleep aid at dinner to combat the insomnia she has experienced previously with such medications.

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