What's in a Name?

Samantha Tran

Samantha Tran (ne. Masterson)- English/ German ancestry, distant Mexican ancestry; Samantha Masterson is the wife of Shephard Tran, with whom she shares three children, and currently works as a freelance copywriter from home. She is perceived as being kind and intelligent and having a bit of a polite reserve, describing herself as a homebody whom would rather devote her free time to writing or spending time with her family and three cats. A multitalented individual, she earned her master's in English literature from Sonoma State University and enjoys doing research on topics that interest her, namely history, foreign cultures, and psychology. She also volunteers frequently at an animal shelter in her spare time and considers it the highlight of her day to be able to interact with the stray kittens. Samantha is a heavily introverted woman who spent much of her early life with a lack of close friendships, leaving her with a vague feeling of being "different" from others that she could not quite fathom. She dedicated herself to her academics and participated in choir throughout her middle school and high school years, and mentions that she only had 3 genuine friends over the course of her youth. She began dating in her late 20s upon meeting Shephard by chance after their schedules coincided when the two attended an anime club together. She admits that she is very selective about her company and is very particular as to how she likes for things to be done, preferring to lead an organized life and proceeding with caution toward new ventures. Samantha is a sci-Fi and fantasy nerd and goes through periods of expressing overt enthusiasm over her special interests, and she grew up being a fan of the urban fantasy genre. She enjoyed reading Charles De Lint novels in middle school and was a fan of Jazz and Rock music, both of which she considers to be hallmarks of her adolescence. 

She is a cultured woman who considers a fun time for her to be visiting an art museum, and she shows a specific fondness for the impressionistic style of Renoir. Her vast intelligence often intimidated her prospective suitors, with her receiving a particularly derogatory comment from a man suggesting that "dating someone like her would be emasculating". Samantha is fairly self-sufficient and possesses a quiet confidence in herself, claiming she can easily entertain herself with the workings of her own mind. Her anxiety can prompt her to overthink at times however and jump to conclusions, leading her closest friends to label her as a worrywart. While she is a caring and well-meaning individual, her perfectionism leads her to hold herself and others to impossibly high standards and have a recurring fear of failure. She likewise tends to lecture others when they have done something wrong and can potentially hold grudges, making it rather difficult for her to administer forgiveness. Samantha's struggles have made her incredibly empathetic nevertheless, as she is quick to show concern for those who are marginalized and tries to be tolerant and inclusive. She adheres strongly to her principles and openly attempts to challenge the racist undertones that tend to be perpetuated by Western media by exposing herself to literature from as many different cultures as possible. Two of her greatest values are loyalty and honesty, as she prioritizes truthfulness and being her authentic self, although she prefers one-on-one interactions. She isn't a person to easily get upset or lash out on others, but when a person's actions have pushed her to such a point, she is an expert at giving the silent treatment.  

As a mother, Samantha tends to be a kindhearted and considerate woman, prioritizing the happiness and safety of her children above all is. She is also a loving wife and is attentive to detail, leading her to show her affection for those she cares about through actions rather than words. She is a thoughtful woman and is someone who likes to buy small gifts for her friends and loved ones and would rather pen down a handwritten letter than send an impersonal text.  She isn't much concerned with money or fame, feeling this is not true need to be a millionaire, and would rather work in a field she is passionate about. Samantha also tends to be an authoritative parent, appearing strict with her children when she needs to but usually offering a compliment after providing constructive feedback. She sometimes butts heads with her daughter teenage daughter Emma, a bubbly and extroverted young woman who takes after her father in terms of temperament and wears her heart on her sleeve. Although she can be quite protective of her children and occasionally underestimates their abilities, her husband has taught her to go with the flow and be more flexible in her attitude towards things. She identifies as a heteroromantic asexual, which can make sexual activity between herself and her spouse feel like a bit of a "chore", although she values emotional intimacy and the feeling of being connected to someone. Samantha's early life was defined by a sense of loneliness, as she could seldom find peers to whom she could relate, and her journaling offers her a therapeutic outlet. Her maternal grandmother was of Hispanic descent and described by her as being a bit of a "tyrant", with her mother and many of her relatives feeling tense in her presence. 

She also describes her father as being a bit of a womanizer and didn't share much of an bond with him growing up, although she is fairly close to her non-binary sibling Lio and younger brother James, who she considers the more outgoing between the two of them. She identifies herself as neurodivergent, having been tested for autism, and defends the rights of those within the queer community. There was a point in Samantha's life in which she did not have any close friendships, although becoming more involved within her community and joining book clubs have allowed her to branch out. She is closest to her youngest daughter Jenny, with whom she enjoys baking and cross-stitching in her spare time, although she mirrors her son Connor in her quietude and passivity. Although she is thoroughly educated, she had trouble finding employment following her college graduation, leading her to seek out services from Easter Seals. It is a nonprofit organization that caters to the needs of people with disabilities, and she manages to use her past teaching experience to serve as a helper of sorts to one of the instructors in the summer transition program for high schoolers. Samantha's lifelong dream has been to one day travel to Japan and explore the wonders of Tokyo, leading her to diligently save her money to pursues her desire to travel. She enjoys Asian cuisine, namely Chinese food and has also developed an appreciation for Mexican cuisine after spending many years living in California. The one foods she cannot stomach however are seafood and most types of fish, as well as certain types of beans and anything that contains sofrito. She loves milk chocolate and drinking tea as well, since chamomile tea tends to relax her as she is curled up in a blanket on a cold winter day. 

Samantha would sing "Blackbird" by The Beatles to her twins Emma and Connor when they were very young, but suffered from postpartum depression after giving birth to Jenny. She has taken many trips across the country with her family and has traveled as far west as Colorado and California, which she appreciates for its nature and scenery. Her mother took part in the Air Force reserves, leading her to have been born in Berlin Germany and briefly lived in a military base in Japan as a toddler. She learned to drive at 17 years old and managed to teach herself through continuous practice, although she formerly had a fear of merging lanes. Samantha is tall woman with a slim build who stands at 5 ft 7 in tall, and she has straight, medium-length dark blonde hair, grayish-blue eyes, and a thin, oval-shaped face. She wears glasses and tends to dress in modest attire, admitting that she never had too much of an interest in fashion or aesthetics. She doesn't wear too much jewelry and prefers the simply look, although she likes to go to thrift shops on occasion and wears multiple rings in her fingers. Her favorite color is green, and she is known for her trademark skirts and frequently seen carrying a pursue with her. Samantha is diagnosed with an early stage of cervical cancer in her early 40s and undergoes a hysterectomy, as well as a few sessions of chemotherapy. She doesn't lose much of her hair and manages to make a full recovery, although the experience brings her closer to her children, most notably Emma. She benefits from Shephard's strength and "take charge" attitude, and she relies on the support of her mother during this difficult time. Her son Connor publishes an award winning essay talking about how she was the most important influence in his life, and her children dedicate the song "Wind Beneath my Wings to her during her 25th wedding anniversary. INFJ 6w7