{ Character Analysis }

[notasuggestion]

❦ BASIC STATISTICS
Name:
Helga Katrina Sinclair
Age:
30
Distinguishing/Hidden features:
Helga has various scars-
one above her left temple, faint and hidden by her hair
one on her right side below the ribs, from a bullet
one on her right side above her hip, from a bullet
one on the left side of her lower back, from a bullet
one up the side of her right calf
one on her right palm, from a knife
one on her upper right palm, caught in her gun's slider
Style:
Helga generally has a very "casual military" style. Her clothes are always pressed and creased perfectly, shirt tucked in, boots polished. However, she doesn't always wear a jacket or such.
In more professional situations, Helga is all military.
when the time comes to actually dress up, though, Helga is all elegance... with perhaps a hint of danger to her, lending her a very "femme fatale" air.
Greatest flaw:
Pride and greed are Helga's greatest flaw, and it's hard to say which is worse in her. All her trouble tends to stem from being unwilling to put herself in any sort of vulernable position or being unwilling to let go of an opportunity to get money.
Best quality:
Helga is loyal to her crew. This extends only so long as they show the same loyalty to her, but as long as they haven't crossed her, Helga is a valueable ally. She'll risk serious injury to help someone she feels responsible for, though she generally won't risk her life or financial well-being.

❦ BACKGROUND
Character's Financial/Social Situation:
Helga was born to an upper middle class Army lieutenant, Alexander Sinclair, and his wife, a woman from a lower class family in Germany named Freda. Helga's father advanced while she and her brothers grew up, eventually becoming a major. He provided for his family, so they never wanted for anything.
Helga's career as an adult has proven quite lucrative. She had squirreled away enough that she could live without worry for the rest of her life if she chose to lead a middle-class lifestyle. However, being the chauffer, bodyguard, and general personal assistant of a billionaire and living on his dollar, Helga has acquired both a social status and a taste for the exquisite that, if left to her own devices, even her considerable bank account couldn't handle.
Educational Background:
Helga was almost entirely homeschooled. Until she was seventeen, her mother and father oversaw her education personally. She learned Latin (mostly for church), French (because "a proper lady should know it" according to her mother, her father helped by supplying untranslated Jules Verne books as bribes), mathematics, geography, politics (her father insisted, despite her mother's protestations), logic, sewing, singing and piano (neither of which Helga ever showed more than a basic skill at), and history.
Much to her mother's dismay, Helga also studied some forms of combat from her father and friends of her father willing to teach her. She also learned knife throwing and the basics of knife fighting.
When she was seventeen, Helga met the recently retired Captain Lyle Rourke. He was about to teach at Fort Dix, Missouri, and both Helga's father and the captain thought Helga should travel with him and study. She did so, going through the training of a soldier and marksman under all of the instructors at Fort Dix. Rourke himself took her lessons further, training her beyond his class in tactics and espionage.
After traveling with Rourke as an intelligence officer, Helga went to the Philippines for further training. She studied Aikido under Moreihei Ueshiba and attained the rank of Yudansha-Yondan (third-degree blackbelt in vernacular). She is an expert in the Aikido disciplines of Henka Waza (changing from one technique to another seamlessly), Tanto Dori (knife defense), and Tachi Dori (sword defense). She has been trained in savate (French kickboxing), tactical combat knife fighting, Colt knife throwing, bo staff, kama (a pair of small sythe-like weapons), field tanto (knife), katana, and a range of handguns and rifles. Essentially, Helga can be considered an expert in several Western and Eastern styles and weapons. Give her a weapon, and she has a background to draw on how to properly use it.
Family & Relationships:
Alexander Sinclair-
Alexander is Helga's father. He is supportive and loving, a protector and teacher to his daughter. Whenever helga was in trouble, it was her father who bailed her out... before giving her a long lecture on what exactly she'd done wrong and why he was disappointed in her. The threat of disappointing him was the most effective deterrent of most of Helga's behavior... though it didn't stop her from fighting, generally because her father would scold her but with thinly veiled pride. Helga still feels close to him, even though she lies about most of what she does for her profession.
Living.
Freda (nee Bowie) Sinclair-
Helga and her mother don't see eye to eye. Helga loves her mother, but the two are drastically different women. Freda taught helga to assess everything for its worth, having grown up in a poor family and always being acutely aware of what others had and she didn't. She expected her daughter to grow up to be a lady, marry above her, and further her family's status. When Helga went military and then refused to marry again after being widowed, her relatinship with her mother became even more strained.
Living.
Alexander Sinclair, Jr.-
Alexander is the oldest of Helga's brothers. He is four years younger than Helga and tormented her the worst when they were younger. Until Helga learned to fight. They're closer than most of the others, probably closer than Helga and her mother even. They argue with one another, but Alex always invites Helga to the dinners and parties that his family (wife and two children) have. The only events she had come to are his wedding, his children's baptisms, and his children's confirmations. Even if Helga never accepts. Alexander followed Helga's example and went into the Army.
Living.
Gregory Sinclair-
Gregory is Helga's second brother and is six years younger than she is. He is close enough in age to Alex that, until she started learning to fight, he helped in tormenting Helga. Common amongst this was pulling her hair or breaking things and blaming her. He was, for awhile, the first one to run to his mother and father because Helga had hit him. Now, though, he is on good terms with his sister and even convinced her to come to his wedding.
Living.
Nathaniel Sinclair-
Nathaniel is the third of Helga's brothers, and he is eight years younger than Helga. By the time he was old enough to be a pest, Helga had established that she wouldn't put up with it. Because of that, Nathan grew up with a very... healthy respect... for his sister and what she could do to him if she got pissed off enough. He's joined the Army and is engaged, though the wedding isn't yet planned for any specific date.
Living.
Benjamin Sinclair-
Benjamin is Helga's fourth brother, twelve years younger than she is. Benjamin was just old enough to remember when Helga left for Fort Dix, but most of what he knows about her is from her letters to the family since then, the times they've had dinner or she's briefly stayed at the house, and the stories he's grown up on. He takes a slightly disdainful view of how Helga acts and lives, but he knows better than to ever say anything about it to her.
Living.
Thomas Sinclair-
Thomas is the youngest of Helga's brtohers at fifteen years younger than her. He was two when she left and knows only what she's revealed in letters and what his family has told him. He sees Helga more as an aunt than a sister, simply because of the age difference. Now that he's older, she's taken a stronger liking to him, even offering to teach him how to shoot a rifle next time she stays with the family. Their father could teach him, but she wants to be the one to do it. He idolizes her, and there's a LOT that Helga will never tell him.
Living.
Lyle Rourke-
Helga met Rourke through her father, who suggested she go with Rourke to Fort Dix and train. Without Rourke, Helga likely would have been forced through finishing school, married off, and... God only knows what she would have done when she finally snapped. Rourke was a mentor, teaching her not only combat skills but patience, control, and discipline. He took a girl on the verge of (possibly violent) rebellion and made her a soldier. Then he made that soldier a spy. And he made that spy a mercenary. While not all of her combat styles and weapons training came from Rourke, all the personality traits she generally displays are the ones he's groomed in her. He is also a father-figure to her. He gave her an out at seventeen when everyone else wanted to mold her into what they wanted. He molded her... but into what she wanted to be. Even if he wanted it too. She looks to Rourke for approval and will do damn near anything on his say-so, usually because it benefits her too. Rourke is also her lover, and Helga, in her more honest moments, will admit to seeing him as her second half. This isn't as romantic a concept as it sounds-- Helga knows that they're both ruthless and pragmatic. They're right for each other, she'd say, but it isn't a romantic ideal kind of "right." Rourke is one of the few Helga will admit to weakness in front of, and he is the one she turns to when she needs reassurance. Rourke is also the one person Helga would completely trust with her life... and Rourke is the only person whose promises Helga believes-- and even then, she only believes the ones he makes directly to her.
Living.
Christopher Jenkins-
Helga married Christopher when she was twenty-three. The couple only knew each other for four months before they were married. Christopher had presented himself, as a lieutenant, as a war hero, and Helga had eagerly listened to his battle stories and tales of how he got his scars. He also hinted at multiple exploits with exotic women. On their wedding night, Helga found no scars on his body, and he could barely unlace her corset. All of his experience-- military and sexual-- had been boasting. His rank was from family influence, not action. The only thing left going for him in Helga's eyes was his family's estate. When Christopher tried to control Helga and order her around, she bucked at his authority. He struck her to keep her in line... and she and Rourke plotted to kill him.
Deceased.
Henry Jenkins-
Henry was Helga's father-in-law. He agreed with Christopher's desire to "save" Helga, even if that really meant taming her. He saw her as wild, not a trained soldier, but he felt she was to be pitied rather than hated. He promised her a place in their home after Christopher's death, but Helga politely declined. He still writes to her on holidays.
Living.
Caroline Jenkins-
Caroline was Helga's mother-in-law. She was welcoming of Helga, even if she didn't know what to make of the girl. She tried to help her son take a soldier and make a proper lady of her. When Christopher died, she did all she could to console Helga and still writes often, always inviting Helga to stay with them, have Christmas dinner with them, and so on... even though Helga rarely answers her letters.
Living.
Susanna Jenkins-
Susanna was Helga's sister-in-law. She always disapproved of Helga, seeing her as a gold-digger who took advantage of her brother. She is firmly convinced that Helga played a major role in Christopher's death.
Living.
Preston Whitmore-
Whitmore is Helga's employer. She works as a chauffeur, bodyguard, and all around personal assistant... when she's not collecting artifacts for him to keep or sell. He's also a kind of father figure for Helga, having taken her into his home and into the position(s) she now has on Rourke's suggestion. She lives on Whitmore's dollar most of the time, eating his food and driving his car. Since most of her social appearances are with him, her clothes and accessories are provided by him... and he likes his company-- whether he acts as her escort or Rourke does-- to look as good as he does. He expects only the best from Helga, though he offers praise happily when she meets or exceeds his expectations. His disapproval is just as vocal, though, when she fails to do what he asks or thinks she should.
Living.
Jebidiah Farnsworth-
Jebidiah "Cookie" Farnsworth is a co-worker of Helga's. He is the "specialist" chef that Whitmore hires for every expedition. Helga would argue that he has no place anywhere near a kitchen. He is as stubborn as Helga is, and the two are engaged in a constant battle over what cooking supplies to bring along on an expedition. Helga tries to supply for her men, but Cookie views most of her packing as non-essientials. Cookie was vocal about his disapproval of Helga when they first met. He's old school and sees no place for a woman on the front lines. However, Helga's skill has gotten him to mostly silence his opinions on that, though he rarely calls her by name or rank, generally having some nickname or another. When he's annoyed? "Blondie" is most common.
Living.
Wilhemina Packard-
Packard, Whitmore's communication specialist, and Helga have, in a way, an understanding. They are both very different women with very different fields. They leave each other alone for the most part, each doing their separate duties. Still, Packard is part of Helga's crew, and Helga would feel personally responsible if anything were to happen.
Living.
Gaetan Mollier-
Gaetan "Mole" Mollier is another crew member, Whitmore's geology and excavation expert, Helga has a grudging respect for. He's the finest in his field and has proved invaluable many, many times in the field. somehow, Helga doesn't know how, he seems able to instinctively find the areas in any excavation site that will yeild the most results, and he can usually tell the group just how far to dig. However, Helga would love nothing more than to burn his ratty fur coat and dump hot, soapy, scented water all over Mole to try and clean him and make the smell bearable.
Living.
Manuel Ramirez-
Manuel worked for Whitmore as his chief mechanic and engineer, both at home and on expeditions. Helga likes Manuel. Because of his daughters, he has never once underestimated her, and he encouraged her to come to his house to eat quite often to serve as an example to girls about how much women could do if they pushed themselves and went against the grain of society. He considers Helga part of his family, even if she tries to keep her distance. Helga appreciates the attempts to include her, but she does prefer to try and dodge them, as she isn't the type for family settings. when he announced his retirement, Helga genuinely expressed her feeling that they were losing the best in the business.
Living.
Vincenzo Santorini-
Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini is the demolitions expert on the crew Whitmore employs. Helga personally recruited him on Whitmore's orders from a Turkish prison. He respects her authority, but she knows he rolls his eyes at her commands behind her back. As long as he follows them, though, Helga doesn't care. Vinny is a prankster, but he knows that Helga and Rourke are off limits. When his antics don't slow them down, Helga takes a silent amusement in them.
Living.
Audrey Ramirez-
Audrey Ramirez replaced her father as Whitmore's chief mechanic and engineer after Manuel retired. Helga sees the same fire and drive in her that got Helga where she is today, but she also feels Audrey lacks the ruthlessness that made it possible. She thinks Audrey will go far-- hopefully staying with Whitmore-- but she thinks Audrey is too prone to direct confrontation. She's more likely to throw a punch than reason out what the best counterattack would be. While not seeing herself as the mentor type, Helga tries to set something of an example for Audrey to follow... even though Audrey seems more likely to follow in Vinny's footsteps.
Living.
Joshua Sweet-
Joshua Strongbear Sweet is the medical officer employed by Whitmore for expeditions. His fast pace of talking tends to annoy Helga, but she knows he means well. He takes his duties and pledge very seriously. For as much as he talks, Sweet never divulges anything that patients have said to him in his office or ever about their health issues that aren't vital. If Rourke or Helga requests a status update on an illness or injury, he'll say everything he needs to, but he knows when an issue is private. He is the only person, other than Rourke, who Helga might trust with her life... and she's certainly trusted him to save it at least once.
Living.

Character's Spiritual/Religious Beliefs:
Helga grew up with a "practicing but leniant" Catholic family. Her mother and father took her to the chapels on the Army bases they lived on, but her father never held her to the strictest of the rules of Catholicism.
Upon arrival at Fort Dix and a lifting of her family's imposed mandatory church attendance, Helga gave up all ties to the Catholic Church without a second thought.

❦ EMOTIONAL/MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Any Mental Illnesses?
None.
How does Character see himself/herself?
Helga is actually fairly harsh when viewing herself. Physically, she knows she's in great shape and good-looking. Emotionally, though, Helga doesn't see herself as any sort of good person. She'll care for her crew-- so long as it doesn't endanger herself, and she knows it. She sees herself as extremely ruthless but also feels she doesn't strike unless struck against first.
How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others?
Helga knows few people like her, but she doesn't care as long as they know to respect what she can do.
How would others describe your Character?
Almost everyone would agree that Helga is ruthless. People not on her crew might consider that her only quality, except perhaps for her willingness to flirt with any man she might think has something she wants.
Her crew, however, knows her determination and her loyalty. They also know how far that loyalty extends and what its limits are. They know that Helga will get what she wants, no matter what else it might cost her.
Her family isn't fully aware of what Helga really is. They think she merely escorts archeaological expeditions, not the extent of her career.
Rourke alone knows the cracks in Helga's apparently unbreakable front. He knows her insecurities and weaknesses, but he rarely exploits them. Rourke has seen Helga grow up and mature and would, probably, give the most accurrate assessment of Helga.
What is the spine of your character?
Helga relies entirely on her position. She is the lieutenant to Rourke as a commander and her full crew. Without her place, she's out of her element.
What is the mental process of your character?
Helga investigates most situations thoroughly before deciding on a rough draft of a plan. When in a crisis situation, though, Helga can think on the fly-- usually with the thought of "shoot now, ask questions later."
What would most embarrass this character?
Helga would be most embarrassed by being directly undermined, especially by her superiors. She's fine at being overruled or corrected, but embarrassment (and anger) sets in when it is taken too far-- when the person doing it makes a public show of it.
What does the character want out of life?
Helga wants success and power. This usually translates into finanical security, but she also cultivates important "friendships," which are more like "mutually beneficial alliances." Helga maintains tight control of Rourke's crew, but she is comfortable being second-in-command rather than top dog.
What would the character like to change in his/her life?
Helga would like for her mother to understand her reasons for never wanting to remarry and to accept that she won't get grandchildren from Helga.
What motivates this character?
Money and survival. If Helga isn't fighting for her life, she's trying to get a great payday out of it. If her life isn't threatened and her pay is secure, then she will be motivated to do the right thing for her crew.
What frightens this character?
Death, ruin, and permanent injury. As long as she has metaphorical solid ground under her feet, Helga is fairly confident. Even if she falls, she can get back up. She fears being crippled permanent, dying, and falling so far financially that there's no way to pick herself back up and make anything work.
What makes this character happy?
Her commander. Being financially comfortable but having somewhere to go and make more money. She doesn't treasure hunt as an occupation anymore-- it's a lifestyle. She could retire easily if she wanted to and would live a middle-class life, but she doesn't want to retire.

❦ FAVORITE
Food: Steak, rare.
Color: Army green
Season of the year: autumn
Movie: The Life and Death of Richard III
TV Show: ...

❦ STATEMENTS
I believe when we die, we: die. End of story.
The greatest thing one person can do for another is: die for them.
The ugliest thing I ever saw was: Whitmore's "dinosaur fish."
The most beautiful thing I ever saw was: sunset over the Valley of the Kings.
I am superstitious about: nothing. Except floating crystals. Leaving those alone from now on.