Maryam Reynolds
full name: Maryam Virginia Reynolds
nicknames: Mari {More common with original group of friends}, Gin {Common among current friends}
age: 21
sexuality: Pansexual
occupation: Criminal Justice Student {Pre-Law}
hex: ECB8B2
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"Isn't it lovely, all alone? Heart made of glass, my mind of stone."
lovely - Bille Eilish with Khalid
nicknames: Mari {More common with original group of friends}, Gin {Common among current friends}
age: 21
sexuality: Pansexual
occupation: Criminal Justice Student {Pre-Law}
hex: ECB8B2
x
x
x
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x
"Isn't it lovely, all alone? Heart made of glass, my mind of stone."
lovely - Bille Eilish with Khalid
appearance:
Maryam is half Gujarti Indian and half British Caucasian, leaving her with light skin and dark brown, almost black, hair. Her features always seemed somewhat delicate growing up, a bottom lip too quick to tremble and eyes that were always wide and open, empathetic to the world around her and quick to take in everything she saw. At 5'2", she has always been small, and her tendency to cry easily made her seem even smaller, made her seem sensitive and frail. Now, however, a change in how she presents herself has had physical effects. Maryam stands with a taller posture, making her seem larger than her petite frame. Her dark brown eyes are never quite so wide and open as they once were, instead often narrowed as though suspicious, her dark eyebrows slightly furrowed to crease the skin above her nose. Her lip does not tremble, but is stiff and strong.
It is also worth noticing that, in an effort to gain better control over her emotions, Maryam began to go take kickboxing classes to give herself discipline. While she is far from a gym bunny, these being her only visits to the gym, Maryam does have a slightly more toned, solid look about her. This contrasts sharply from a body that always seemed breakable. She tries to dress herself up to feel tougher, often wearing heeled shoes to make her taller, long pants for mobility, and dark clothes that she believes make her look more intense and more in control. Gone is her old wardrobe of flouncy dresses, soft sweaters, and comfortable flats. She also keeps her hair short now, never longer than her shoulders, which is different than the previously long style she wore.
"When you walk out the door and leave me torn // you're teaching me to live without it."
bored - Billie Eilish
personality:
In the past Maryam was known for being a crybaby, fragile and easy prey for those who liked to get a reaction out of their victims. It didn't take an attack on her to prompt tears- the girl was incredibly empathetic, and would cry at the sight of someone else in trouble or hurt. Maryam would cry when she saw an animal dead on the road, or a movie with a particular sweet moment. She was not very in control of her emotions, and was tragically vulnerable. The girl had no skill for closing herself off, and may as well have left the contents of her heart on display for the world to prod and observe as it wished. She had no ability for secrets or discipline, and relied on others for comfort and protection, and in exchange she showed unyielding loyalty and kindness. Maryam would have given anything up to her friends, whether it be the food from her plate or clothing from her back. All she ever wanted to do was give to others and feel the joy that such things gave.
Maryam has since desperately tried to change, tried to protect herself. She joined the debate team and enrolled in a kickboxing class, taught herself to excuse herself to the bathroom if her emotions became too much, to keep everything held back until she could weep in private. Now, people know Maryam in control- she seems like the woman who has everything in her life put together with perfect precision. Maryam speaks sharply, a woman of few words and seemingly little patience. She seems to have a very small emotional range, and is known to be ruthless towards people who don't pull their own weight. She has a mind like a diamond and eyes that pierce. All of this, a wall. She knows if she allows just a small crack, that the emotional, vulnerable girl will come flooding back. She is still a crybaby, but keeps it to herself- she hasn't watched a movie with a friend in years. Maryam is known as someone who wants to be a defender of the weak, who will step in to protect someone even against a person bigger than her- lesser known is how much her hands will shake while she does this. She wants to defend the weak, carefully hiding the fact that she weak herself. Gin may be the new version, tough as nails with a sharp tongue, butshe's terrified of letting her old friends release that girl, so dependent and soft, and breaking away all the work she's done.
Maryam has since desperately tried to change, tried to protect herself. She joined the debate team and enrolled in a kickboxing class, taught herself to excuse herself to the bathroom if her emotions became too much, to keep everything held back until she could weep in private. Now, people know Maryam in control- she seems like the woman who has everything in her life put together with perfect precision. Maryam speaks sharply, a woman of few words and seemingly little patience. She seems to have a very small emotional range, and is known to be ruthless towards people who don't pull their own weight. She has a mind like a diamond and eyes that pierce. All of this, a wall. She knows if she allows just a small crack, that the emotional, vulnerable girl will come flooding back. She is still a crybaby, but keeps it to herself- she hasn't watched a movie with a friend in years. Maryam is known as someone who wants to be a defender of the weak, who will step in to protect someone even against a person bigger than her- lesser known is how much her hands will shake while she does this. She wants to defend the weak, carefully hiding the fact that she weak herself. Gin may be the new version, tough as nails with a sharp tongue, butshe's terrified of letting her old friends release that girl, so dependent and soft, and breaking away all the work she's done.
likes
dislikes
history:
Maryam is first generation on one side, and has had family that fought in the Revolutionary war on the other. Maryam's mother came over to America from India with her first husband, who worked in DC. However, after several years of marriage an affair by Aanya's first husband led to divorce. It was after that when Aanya, jaded from her first marriage but lonely after her husband had taken custody of their twin sons, met Maryam's father: Harry Reynolds. It was a long courtship, as Aanya was hesitant to trust again, but eventually Harry won her over and the two married when Aanya was 34 and Harry 32. Maryam was born two years later, and after that her younger brother Aaron was born. Maryam has a happy home life, with a mom who was strict but caring and a father that was very protective. Perhaps this is why she grew up so vulnerable to others. Truth be told, she likely could have been born into great hardship and still would have been the way she is- Maryam has been sensitive towards others since she was very young. Her mother wanted to try and help her become more practical, but Harry intervened, telling her Maryam was just a child and being vulnerable in youth would be good for her. Unfortunately, when she cried in Kindergarten anytime she saw another kid scrape their knee, her classmates were less softhearted about it.
Maryam was called a crybaby by many of her classmates, who warned each other that if you hung out with her she'd just start crying and the teacher would think you'd done something wrong. Several years of elementary school went on like this, with Maryam finding solace in books and fairytales rather than friends, until she found the group that would prove her protectors, shoulders to lean on, and best friends. In return, she gave them everything she could. Maryam would do anything to make one of her friends smile or cheer them up, feeling the sadness and happiness along with them. But with their protection, she remained vulnerable and sensitive. She was sweet, but dependent on others to keep her soft heart from breaking. She was therefore hit particularly hard when the group broke up, and suddenly the protective barrier was ripped away to reveal a heart so gentle it may as well have been an open wound in the air. She was taken advantage of by a group of girls who saw her as easy prey, unaware that they weren't just trying to be friends with her. They'd have her run errands for them, help cover up their mischief, etc. It wasn't until several months into the friendship, when they let Maryam take the fall for something they had done, that her parents realized what had happened. No longer able to stand back and watch, Aanya stepped in and tried to toughen up her daughter. They enrolled her in kickboxing so that she could learn to feel strong and powerful, and encouraged her to join clubs that would also strengthen her will. Maryam joined the debate team, and having been always a researcher type, did well as the partner who wrote the cases while the other took the forefront of arguing. She boxed away her emotions until the end of the day when she could be alone, when any pain of the day could go unseen by others. This continued until graduation, at which point Maryam left to attend the University of Virginia. She wants to become a public attorney, one who can help others who aren't able to help themselves. But she's still soft, underneath barriers of coldness that she's put up to hide the fact that she still cries during almost any movie with even a very tiny sad scene, and that her hands tremble when she tries to stand up for others or herself. It's not that she's a new person- it's that there is a thin veil holding back the flood of emotions that she's never really been able to drain.
