Clara Mellow

Clara Mellow is a character role-played by The_beautiful_void.

Background
Clara Mellow was born and raised in the small country town of Wee Waa, NSW. They have two older siblings; Faye (31) and Marshall (28). Their parents, John and Marie raised the three of them and also looked after Clara's grandmother, Bronwyn "Brownie" Mellow later in Clara's life. Growing up, Clara felt disconnected and misunderstood by her family. They struggled to keep focus during classes at school, was often forgetful and impulsive and generally struggled with being in the classroom, or inside at all. This was very different from their siblings, and their parents were very open with their disappointment.

As a result, Clara grew resent school and their family along with it. They very quickly started being rebellious, and began detaching from their family more and more. At around age 12, they attacked an older man who tried to touch them by stabbing him through his hand. This basically started a several streak of criminal activity, some charges taking them to juvenile detention.

Eventually, Bronwyn was able to intervene after moving to town, and helped Clara break away from the people they had fallen in with, and start rebuilding. Clara spent the first chunk of this unwell, recovering from addiction and injuries, but eventually got back on their feet. Brownie taught Clara how to bake as a way to occupy time and keep busy, which Clara liked because it involved moving a lot, and following a set list of instructions while also leaving room for creative freedom. Eventually Clara decided that they wanted to bake cakes and pastries professionally, so Brownie helped them go to TAFE to study.

During their studies, Brownie passed away, leaving a good sum of money and some heirlooms in Clara's possession, which they eventually used to move to Los Santos to start a fresh life.

Close Friends

 * Drew Nilliam:
 * Clara's close "Mountain Time" friend. They met each other working booths at Dean World, and the friendship grew from there into a very close, trusting and caring connection. They like to sit with each other quietly on mountains, or places with a nice view, and talk through all of life's troubles and joys to decompress and process. The two tend to keep each other grounded, and they often remind each other that they are cared about. Clara considers Drew to be a life long, platonic partner, something they find difficult to describe but is nevertheless important.
 * Lucky Calder
 * Lucky and Clara first met when Clara was in BCMR the first time around, as Clara offered Lucky assistance with access to the bank. They became closer friends, however, when Clara and Josh reconnected. They both like to laugh and find the positives, but also bond over the way their lives were changed beyond their control, and how it changed them as people. Lucky and Clara have a lot in common, and can spend many hours in each others' company without things being awkward or strange. Since Lucky got her color correction glasses, they have also bonded over photography and lovely mountain views. Clara considers Lucky to be a sister, and will proudly tell people of this connection.
 * Felix Klein
 * Felix and Clara met through the markets, and got to know each other through chatting over cupcakes. Eventually, Felix joined Clara's bakery, and very quickly became an important part of the group. Clara is always grateful for the support he gives, his ideas and his passion for the cakes that rivals her own. In recent months, Felix has taken on an almost fatherly role, although nothing quite official has been said. He has been supportive of her through a lot of life events, and Clara hopes to repay the kindness some day. Felix is also the one responsible for introducing Clara to the Neon Tigers MC.
 * Max Moody
 * Clara met Max through BCMR, and was responsible for beginning his training with the group before they decided to resign. All the same, Max and Clara kept in contact, supporting each other even though they didn't see each other face to face very often. This changed a little when Clara's falling out with other friends happened, and Max was a good support through that process. Clara has saved his life, and Clara would also tell anyone that Max is responsible, in part, for their continued sanity. Recently, they've been working together again through BCMR.

Other Friends/Associates


 * Rory Borealis
 * Fresh Juice
 * Skud Oftr

Current Romantic Relationship
Josh Grimm

Clara met Josh when she first started working for Hayes. He helped to show her the ropes, and they got along fairly well but didn't really speak all that much. They reconnected in the new year, bonding over a love of photography and the mountains, and escaping the loud of the city for the calm, quiet out there. It was clear early on that there was some mutual feelings, but with Clara feeling a little off about relationships at the time and the newness of it all, they decided to just go with the flow and try not to rush. They eventually had a long talk and agreed to go on a date, which ended up landing on Clara's 26th birthday. They went to Maldini's Pizzeria for a meal and Josh gave Clara a bunch of gifts. They have spent a lot of time in Josh's apartment just talking, getting to know each other, and just enjoying each other's company. For Clara, she feels like this relationship is more steady and likely to last than others she has had, as there's a more mutual interest in each other's happiness and lives, and things don't feel 'rehearsed'. Josh speaks Sindarin, and this has become a kind of love language for the two of them. They also both know sign, which is a relief for Clara, as it means she doesn't have to have her 'ears on' all the time, and makes some communication even more personal.

Despite a lot of difficult times, the two are still together.

Previous Romantic Interests

 * Oswald Tinkerman
 * Ryan Jacobs
 * Thomas Normandy

Disabilities
Clara has partial deafness, which she sustained from serious injuries younger in life. She using hearing aids that aren't always very effective, and she relies on sign language when she is struggling or when she turns the aids off. She has also been diagnosed with ADHD, and has regular, out of town therapy sessions to manage it. The combination of these things means that audio processing is difficult for her, but she still tries her best.

Gender
In 2023, Clara came out as Non-Binary, and can now often be seen swapping between masculine and feminine presentations. They started using They/Them pronouns. They may not be loud about it, but they are proud to be living life the way they have felt in their mind a long time.

Misc Fun Facts

 * She's a singer, mostly sings jazz/blues. She struggles to write her own music, and is shy about singing post hearing loss.
 * She likes reading sappy romance novels, as well as pulp sci-fi.
 * She paints and sketches, but is again shy about sharing it.
 * Her photography started as a hobby to pass the time before becoming professional/freelance.
 * Clara has two pet turtles, named Squirtle and Franklin.

Mort
Mort is Clara's Pit Bull, adopted in July 2022. He is grey with white socks and a white marking on his face. Mort is a mostly quiet, calming presence, helping Clara to feel grounded when she is nervous or panicked. This changes completely when he gets near water - the ocean especially. The two of them like to go on runs along the beach, which helps Clara with overcoming her fear of the sea, but also helps them both keep active and fit. Mort is a pretty intelligent dog, able to recognize commands in sign as well as through sound, and responds to people fairly well. His favourite treat is a burger patty from BurgerShot, or anything with peanut butter.

Quotes

 * "No you"
 * "No, I'm Australian, there's a difference"
 * "She'll be right"
 * "Nah, Yeah"
 * "Yeah, Nah"