Protagonist // The Investigator
Ellis is a driven, hardworking man who takes what he does seriously. He enjoys doing his best and proving himself - he aspires to being someone others look to for excellence. This manifests in many ways - to many he comes off as cold and distant, full of himself, sometimes cocky. He is competitive and likes to be challenged in the things he does. He can at times be aloof, certainly, but his intentions are good. He wants to be looked up to and admired. Once a person gets past his seemingly grumpy, "im better than you" exterior, he's actually an incredibly caring and loyal person.
Despite all of this...Ellis at his core dislikes himself. He feels inadequate if he can't perform to the level he feels he should. At times he is unwilling to face that he is wrong - He is afraid of failure. If he isn't doing his best, being THE best, carrying his and everyone elses weight for them - he's not doing enough. This has a tendency to leave the people around him feeling inadequate in his wake, and is just another thing that drives a wedge between him and others.
Ellis had a hard time growing up. His father was abusive in the "you have to excel at everything you do" kind of way so from an early age and into adolescence he was pushed harder and harder into being what his father wanted him to be. He played sports (soccer, since he mother wouldn't allow football like his father wanted), he studied hard, he got A's in all his classes. He worked extremely hard to do all of this, for the fleeting approval of his father.
The stress of these expectations would weigh heavy on him. In private, he'd have meltdowns - ugly, heaving ones. In comparison, his sister Erin had things much easier - and Ellis' jealousy and bitterness grew the more he was pushed and the less she was expected to do. Things culminated into a shouting match at some point over something small, and that was it.
Ellis' parents split not long after - not because of him, solely, for a number of reasons - and Ellis was checked into therapy for awhile. He started learning how to just exist, though these lessons wouldn't stick with him for very long. Still, it allowed for him to grow into his sense of humor, to experience what it's like to just be a person with flaws.
He decided he still wanted to be a police officer, even if that's what his father wanted him to be. He wanted to be helpful, to be needed. By the time he'd gotten out of the academy, he was the closest to normal he'd ever been. That's when he met Charlotte, and hit it off with her.
Things started off good. Really good, things were great. They got on well, they had the same sense of humor, the same kind of drive for perfection. Their similarities eventually proved to be too much, though, as their relationship eventually began to get rocky. When Charlotte became pregnant with Chloe, their bickering and arguments were pushed to the side as both were excited and ready to be parents.
Then his father died. And his death drudged up many complicated, painful feelings for Ellis. Resentment, rage, hurt and confusion all mixed into a messy package and set at his doorstep. He began drinking more heavily to deal with his emotions, something that got worse over time. He became a functioning alcoholic, something Charlotte came to hate.
Things went on for longer than they should have, and finally Charlotte leaves. She filed for divorce. An agreement was made that if Ellis could get sober, he'd have visitation rights with Chloe - if and only if he could get sober. It takes him a rocky three years to do it, with ups and downs and even a manipulative relationship in between, but he comes out of it sober, if not worse for wear.
Only a few short years after, his mother passed. Charlotte tried to help both Erin and Ellis deal with their grief, but she could only do so much. Ellis managed not to drink again, but only just - and both Erin and Ellis are pushed into therapy by their mothers Will. Instead of drinking, Ellis picked up smoking to cope, and it's had a lasting effect.
Now he's sworn off alcohol, sworn off relationships, and sworn off anything and everything that threatens his time with his daughter Chloe. When Erin comes to him begging for him, at first he's hesitant - but looking more into the situation even he knows something is wrong, and he fully intends to find out what.
Character Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3fK1yjmMQ86WPhXFwrTDSP?si=CAgPWgTlTiiBn-nCsiT8qQ