What's in a Name?

Fatima Zarif

Fatima Zarif- Syrian ancestry; Fatima is a geeky, but kindhearted girl who pursues a romantic relationship with Jade Walsh during her college years. While quiet at times, she is a very imaginative, though very unusual and surreal young woman who is friendly, sweet, and selfless, proving to always be willing to help anyone in need. She is not shaken from her moral center or beliefs easily, which leaves her unapologetically herself, even when growing up. She also possesses a quiet confidence and is shown to be highly intelligent, reading into situations and choosing to give others the benefit of the doubt. Fatima previously worked as a banquet server, and before that, was a sales associate for a local sporting goods store in Syracuse. She needed a new place to live due to breaking up with her boyfriend, whom she suspected of cheating on her, and moved into an apartment with three men. She enjoys crafting but doesn't have much time for it anymore, and she also likes to write and post Nancy Drew fanfiction on the side. She was a member of her high school's tennis team and had formerly received a scholarship to play for the women's team at Rutgers University, although she declined the offer to take care of her sick mother. Fatima is on an endless search for true love, and refuses to settle for, as she often puts it, "anything less than butterflies", and she drives a copper Subaru. Despite this, she repeatedly expresses doubts that she is the type to get married and raise a family, particularly upon coming to terms with her queer sexuality when she was 14 years old. She is shown to be very compassionate and understanding, showing an immense amount of loyalty to her longtime best friend, an Indian girl named Kat. The two maintain a long distance friendship due to Kat's studying finance in California and frequently exchange letters with each other as pen pals. 

Fatima tends to speak in a soft, but raspy voice and is shown to have a good sense of humor, which brings comfort to Jade during difficult times. She is also easy to get along with and can solve problems on her own, although she can sometimes have trouble expressing her needs and asking for help. She wanted a sibling so she would not be as lonely, but she ends up regretting her wish after she goes to and plays with her neighbor's younger sister for a few hours. She is skilled in martial arts as well, most notably Tae Kwon Do, which makes her more physically strong than the average woman. Fatima suffers from dyscalculia, which makes it hard for her to do math, although she can be surprisingly practical on some occasions. She has demonstrated herself to be smart and witty, usually having a comeback to dumb-minded comments about her religion. Despite being raised as a Muslim, she chooses not to wear her hijab and prefers to wear casual street wear, which incites strong opinions from her father. She is passionate, yet somewhat reserved, leading others to believe that she's standoffish, when in reality she's just being respectful and polite toward those around her. Fatima first meets Jade during an anthropology class that the two share together in college, during which she is immediately attracted to her and offers to become her friend. She perceives her as shy and tries to break her out of her shell by inviting her to study together at the library, which she hesitantly accepts. As they do research in the library, she finds out that they have some points in common, like the quadruple stack oreos that they both enjoy. Their feelings for each other deepen over time, and they eventually share a kiss in the hallway on campus and hold hands in front of a couple of spectators, confirming their relationship. 

Although she is usually a pacific person, Fatima has her limits and can be a bit irritable whenever she is pushed too far by someone. She also had a tendency to overthink and jump to conclusions, which can lead her to act rashly in some instances. Even so, she is generally patient and levelheaded and described as a good listener and confidant, having a natural ability for advising and offering guidance to others. She is also deeply sensitive and emotional, which can cause her to be easily triggered by certain things, although she is also genuine and willing to admit to her mistakes and rectify her wrongdoings. According to Jade, Fatima tends to have a childlike energy and can appear excitable at times, still choosing to sleep with a stuffed narwhal named Nugget that she has had since she was a child. She is also curious and is considered the kind of person who will try everything once, indicating that she has an open mind. She has a special fondness for mushroom pizza and loves to eat ramen, although she shows an aversion to eating eggplant. She loves listening to Tame Impala and can often be seen in her room watching Disney shows in her spare time, although she considers her favorite films to be thrillers. While Fatima's mother was tolerant and accepting of her sexuality, claiming to have always suspected it, her coming out caused friction between herself and her father. She hid the fact that she was a lesbian from him for much of her adolescence and at one point began to date a Syrian boy named Baaz to please him, despite her unhappiness. She and Baaz remain close friends and were for some time considered a power couple at their old school, although they rarely shared public displays of affection. She was ultimately outed by her cousin during an argument, after which she and her father went without speaking for almost 2 years before he finally extended an olive branch. 

Fatima tends to be a person of only a few close friends, although she has several acquaintances and is willing to interact with those around her. She admires Jade for her authenticity and is deeply captivated by her artistic talents, with Jade having drawn a number of portraits of her throughout the course of their relationship. She challenges her perspective many times and talks her through her insecurities, meanwhile Jade benefits from the physical affection she receives from her. The two have planned moving in together eventually and joked about adopting cats as they pursue their respective career paths and adjust to adulthood. Despite her past desires to major in political science, Jade has since opted to pursue a career as a massage therapist instead, realizing that she is good at working with her hands. She comes from a lower middle-class upbringing and spent part of her childhood in Syria, although her parents remain married and happily devoted to each other. She is very close to her grandfather, who often tells her stories of her ancestors and looked after her when she was young as her parents worked long hours. She admits that she hasn't seen or heard much of her extended family in years however, as many of them still live overseas and do not have access to social media. Fatima has seen houses destroyed, including her own, lost her pet dog in a bombing, and had to frequently take shelter with others during air raids. Because of this, the game her classmates used to play of "Bomb Shelter" upset her, and she was bothered during one of the blackout drills the school conducted, even though they were not at actual risk and it was only practice. She confesses to Jade that she feels like a coward at times for having left Syria, and that if she was brave she would have stayed with her friends, who are still at risk.

She initially came to the US with stereotypes of Americans, believing her peers would resemble a movie star like Jennifer Lawrence, meanwhile Jade and her friends had stereotypes as well, thinking she might resemble an Arabian princess or be raggedy like children shown in magazines. Fatima is an attractive young woman who has straight shoulder-length black hair that is usually parted to one side, almond-shaped brown eyes, and an olive complexion. She stands at 5 ft 3 in. tall with an average build and a birthmark on her left shoulder, usually being seen wearing jeans and multi-colored shirts over her signature turtleneck sweaters. She shares that she doesn't work out as frequently as she used to, although she tries to go on walks throughout her neighborhood and occasional jogs. She is also interested in natural remedies and takes vitamin supplements daily to compensate for her iron deficiency anemia due to her dislike of eggs and red meat. Fatima remains a good-natured and sympathetic person as she ages, and she continues to seize opportunities in the moment. She temporarily leaves New York to help her mother in her struggles with Lyme disease, although she later returns to Jade and consummates their love after about a year of not seeing each other. The two become engaged in their early 30s and have a small wedding at greenhouse, with Fatima wearing a daffodil in her hair in honor of her favorite flower. They go on to have two children via artificial insemination and decide to move to Michigan to raise their young family, where Jade is offered a job teaching at community college. Fatima works for a few years as a massage therapist before deciding to go back to school to major in kinesiology to become an occupational therapist and further her career options. She and Jade open a private B&B together at one point, and she chooses to take Thalia's last name once the two are officially wed. INFP 9w1