Helen Beal
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Helen Beal |
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Lieutenant Helen Beal is currently a Counselor aboard the USS Eagle.
Stats
- Full Name: Helen Beal
- Race: Terran
- Date of Birth: 235712.31
- Place of Birth: Normandy, France
- Gender: Female
Life Before Starfleet
Helen Beal was born in Normany, France, as the end result of her artist parents' whirlwind and utterly utopian romance. There she lived until the age of twelve, when the three moved to Los Angeles, California. Despite the change, Helen experienced a typical and uneventful childhood. In fact, it was likely easier than most, as Helen was exceptionally popular among her classmates and a favorite of her teachers. Of course, this was partially due to her French charm, but much credit should be given to Helen's own intelligence, wit, attractiveness, and foremost to her artistic talents. She was a gifted child who couldn't seem to avoid standing out.
By high school, Helen was slightly more aware of her talents and decidedly more French about them, in the unflattering stereotypical way. She became the socially elected It Girl, with a loyal clique following. Outsiders saw her as a snob, which she was for a time. It grew tiresome for her quickly, but without means to deflect the attention, Helen took deeper solace in her art. Among her fellow young artists, Helen found friends who were more interested in life's complexities and less interested in Homecoming. One such artist was David Lithgow. Love came quickly.
David, a seductive and mysterious figure, rapidly accumulated all of Helen's attention. She lived for him. Everything else took second place. A few days before their graduation, the two eloped, surprisingly to the delight of both families. For Helen's parents, their daughter was following their love-blazed path, and David's father now had a son who would be forced to give up his "silly art habit" and provide for his wife in the family business. David happily does this, but the joy fades as he begins to resent abandoning his artistic aspirations.
Helen, free to continue her artistic study, was taken as an apprentice by Samuel Nathans, a colleague of her father. Although twice her age and married, Samuel fell in love (or lust) with Helen. Their year together was marked by several tentative advances on his part, which Helen--still very naive about the darker paths of love--laughed off as jokes, but when Samuel attempted to force himself upon her in their studio, she fled in horror. Their professional relationship was immediately severed. Confused, and ashamed by her own foolishness, she told no one what had taken place. For several months, she found it difficult to work.
This lull in Helen's career ultimately brought fresh life to her marriage. They attempted to begin a family, but found it difficult to conceive. The pain of two two miscarriages thrust Helen fully into adulthood, which she found to be a dark and disappointing shadow of what she had expected. It also shattered her own golden self-image. She was not as perfect as she had been led to believe.
In dire need of a change, Helen returned to school to pursue a degree in psychology. David's father died, leaving the entirety of his restaurant empire to his emotionally broken son. In search of comfort, he entered into an affair with an employee: Anna Greco. It did not remain secret for long. Devastated, Helen left David and returned to the home of her parents. Six months of arguments, short reconciliations, and fights, as well as a third miscarriage, passed before Helen finally filed for divorce. She ended all contact with him and returned to her maiden name.
As soon as she obtained her psychology license, Helen applied to Starfleet Academy, determined to get as far away as possible from David and the remnants of her shattered youth. Buried in her work, life proceeded uneventfully for a while, until her nerves reached their breaking point. Helen succumbed to a nervous breakdown, forcing her to take a leave of absence--the reason, however, is mostly absent from her personal record. At home, her parents tried to get the best care possible for their daughter, though accomplishing little more than leading Helen into an overly medicated haze. After a year, a frustrated Helen ended all treatment and took her recovery into her own hands. She returned to Starfleet, completing her courses and training with impressive speed and finding great healing in hard work. She now considers herself recovered, though she still has anxious moments from time to time.
Helen's parents remain outside Los Angeles. David Lithgow's current whereabouts are unknown.
Appearance
- Height: 5'6
- Weight: 115 lbs.
- Hair Color: Black/Brown
- Style of Hair: Shoulder-length, loose curls; typically worn "pinned up"
- Eye Color: Black/Brown
- Skin Tone: Golden undertones, tans well
- Build: Lean, though in that sinewy way that makes a woman seem deceptively dainty
- Face: Classically beautiful, although looks slightly older than she should
- Carriage: Calculated movements, particularly from the waist up, excellent posture; delicate, thin fingers
- Taste in Clothing: Even in her Starfleet uniform, she manages to seem fashionable. When not in uniform, she remains a step beyond most. She has an excellent eye for clothes, decor, and aesthetics in general. Wears a dress every chance she can get. However, she is frequently seen in a pair of paint-splattered canvas pants and a similarly speckled short-sleeved black t-shirt.
- Voice: Retains a slight French accent. This may be done on purpose, however, since she has lived outside of the country for so long. It is part of the persona she has unconsciously created: The French Girl, which she of course is... but it is a little odd that an *American* accent she slips in to when caught off-guard.
- Handedness: Right-handed, but her left is not totally useless
Personality
- Quarters: From the start, she has refused to use any sort of replicators to decorate. Everything in her room is something she has purchased, made, or been given. More importantly, however, is that aside from the bed, one would easily mistake the room for an art studio. It is also usually very messy, full of still-life props, and tends to be dimly lit when she is not painting.
- Talents: Has an almost startling ability to pick up on the tiniest details, Sherlock Holmes-style, particularly emotional revelations. Helen is also a gifted artist - realist, because she detests abstract visuals.
- Habits: Tends to sum a person up almost instantly, and is usually correct, for better or for worse. Sometimes Helen considers this a curse.
- Mannerisms: Very easily distracted. In conversation, her eyes tend to wander. She also fidgets quite a bit and has a very difficult time standing in one place, though her energy is far from manic and actually quite low at times. That said, she rarely misses a detail and is constantly paying attention, though perhaps too much. It's difficult to conceal a brain that is moving a 1000 miles-per-minute.
- Religion/Spiritual Devotion: Catholic (Somewhat Practicing)
- Hobbies and Pastimes: Painting. She also very much enjoys parties.
- Likes: Holodecks -- Feels secure in the "fakeness" of it all. Tea. Gourmet dining. Realist art. Darkened rooms.
- Dislikes: Transporters. The actual outdoors, due to some remaining agoraphobia. Abstract and Pop art. Also, photography, which she considers boring. Bright lights.
- Ambitions and Goals: Mostly survival.
- Disappointments in Life: Falling short of her perceived potential. And romance has utterly failed her.
- Temperament: When comfortable, genuinely sweet and playful, if not a little giddy. When uncomfortable, Helen tends to bite her tongue, or hide in the background, which may have the effect of making her seem snobbish or a little brusque. She is simply trying to keep from "making a fool of herself," as she believes her panics have done. Helen feels somewhat ruined as a person and is extremely self-conscious, hence the need to create a persona. And this inevitably leads to frustrations that sometimes end in outbursts of self-assertion and defensiveness.
- Mental State: Recovered panic disorder sufferer, but still has occasional bouts of anxiety. Has a distrust of teacher-student relationships. Actively fights against her natural romantic idealism. And she thinks she's more of a mess than she really is.
- Other Personality Traits: An extremely private person, but not reclusive. She simply does not answer questions she does not wish to answer. Keeps a smile pasted on her face, not only as a mask, but as a means to keep herself positive.
Family
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Ex-Spouse: David Lithgow
- Children: None
- Father: Marcus Beal
- Mother: Brigitte Beal (Moreau)
- Siblings: None
Personal History
- 2357: In the span of a single year, Marcus Beal and Brigitte Moreau meet, marry, and welcome a daughter: he an American-born artist, teaching abroad in France, and she an art student in Paris. Helen Beal, who would be their only child, is born in Normandy and remains in France until the age of twelve, when the family moves to California, USA, where Marcus continues to teach and Brigitte pursues a career in art therapy.
- 2362 - 2374: First in France, then in America, Helen attends primary and secondary schooling, excelling in art, literature and composition, and the game of lacrosse.
- 237405.20: Helen Beal elopes with her high school sweetheart, David Lithgow, days before their graduation ceremony. She takes on his surname. David is the son of Ronald Lithgow, owner of over twenty fine dining restaurants on the West Coast. He enters the family business.
- 2375 - 2376: Helen studies fine art, under the direction of Samuel Nathans, a friend of her father. When Samuel professes his love, Helen spurns him and leaves, but tells no one.
- 2377: Proving herself to be her mother's daughter, Helen takes up the study of psychology.
- 237808.12: David is discovered to be having an affair with a co-worker. Helen returns to the home of her parents and files for divorce six months later. She also legally returns to her maiden name.
- 2380: Helen Beal, now with a license in psychology, applies and is accepted by Starfleet Academy, where she continues this study.
- 2384: Helen takes a year off from the Academy for health reasons. [Privately, she suffers a nervous breakdown, seemingly over the end of her marriage. This manages to stay off her Starfleet record and is only mentioned as a leave of absence.]
- 238605.31: Helen graduates from the Academy, and is assigned to Starbase 118 Ops as a Counselor. She specializes in anxiety and stress management.
Professional History
- Date Graduated from Academy: 238605.30
- Current Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
- Current Assignment: USS Eagle
- Duty Post: Counselor
Awards Won
- Order of the Valiant Heart for Dedication to the Art of Counselling: 2010
NPC Listing · USS Eagle Crew Manifest · Crew History
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