What's in a Name?

Zelda Doherty

Zelda Doherty- Scottish ancestry; Formerly a tender and loving woman, Zelda is the disgruntled mother of Shelby Doherty, whose heart has been embittered with resentment following her divorce from her daughter's biological father. Prior to her separation from her former husband Rueben, a sales manager at a paper company with whom she quickly became besotted, she was known to be very doting and affectionate with her spouse. She led a relatively happy, stable lifestyle and was described as having been mild in temperament, with ambitions of furthering her education after receiving her Bachelor's in Political Science. She aspired to serve for the betterment of humanity and put her skills to practice in order to work on the social policy issues that generally impact people. Shelby's untimely birth put a strain on her relationship with Reuben however, as the pair struggled financially with their working-class backgrounds upon graduating from college. Zelda quickly fell into a depression shortly after Shelby's birth and struggled to embrace her new duties as a mother and maintain a warm relationship with her husband. She was unable to work due to her psychological condition for a significant amount of time and quickly found her relationship with Reuben deteriorating due to continuous misunderstandings and miscommunication. Reuben, who had paid the organist and preacher at their wedding $20 each became distant and despondent and began to argue with his wife, abandoning his previously gentle demeanor. Once an argument between himself and Zelda escalated and culminated in her slapping him across the face, the two separated due to irreconcilable differences. As a result, he chose to estrange himself from his former wife and daughter and move away to pursue a new life in St. Louis, Missouri. Having been a relatively young mom, she was seen as a pretty woman who often had a rather hard expression in her eyes and was struggling with student loan debt. 

She is somewhat short with a feminine figure and has gray eyes, ivory skin, and long, dark auburn hair that falls towards her mid-back. Zelda can be slightly nervous and shows a more self-conscious side to herself at times, as evidenced by her reluctance to admitting she did not like pizza. She has a tendency to play by the rules and keep things in order, though this usually results in her getting into the exact trouble she tries to avoid. She will push herself to extremes so that she can accomplish her goals and, despite being anxious all the time, will throw herself out to help her coworkers. Her main attire as a child consisted of a dark green long-sleeved shirt with a white collar, a dark green skirt, long white socks, black Mary Janes, and noticeably a blue club jacket with a pink and orange pin on it, most likely part of the student government club. Zelda speaks with a sense of authority, but maintains a kindly composure that rubs off on other and can be determined to a fault, as she occasionally charges through without thinking of the consequences. She is actually considered to be a genius in her own way and has a good grasp on digital literacy basics, such as cloud computing. She was a kind-hearted and grounded young girl who could solve a variety of things easily, making her open to negotiating with just about anyone. She had a caring nature, yet her mental sharpness often shined through, particularly when she was faced with people like Reuben, who tended to show off. While she was very open, Zelda did show some shame for not being very descriptive of what she had been up to, as she tried to have people trust her. She speaks with a low voice and keeps to herself but has also proven to be a headstrong young lady who is very proud of her brainpower and fortitude. 

She showed a more active role in taking part in adventures with her classmates and seemingly saw herself as being "cool". She exhibited great pride over her role in student government, yet whenever she was given an actual task to do, she would claim at last minute that she wasn't prepared or that she is not at one hundred percent. Zelda could be pushed into discomfort, especially if she was forcibly moved away from the things she loved, but she always managed to remain calm. After noticing an unusual spike in respiratory illnesses and strange odors on the third floor of her residence hall, she discovered that the room had developed its own dorm petri dish ecosystem, with mold festering behind communal, water-damaged drywall. She affectionately called her very first zit Pam, fully embracing it due to believing that it was a sign of maturity and womanhood and has used both menstrual cups and discs. She is implied to have very poor social skills and tends to do things to people, including Shelby without asking, and she likewise be quite cynical. Zelda's pragmatic approach often contrasts with her brother's big dreams, and she enjoys poking fun at his grand ideas, grounding them with a dose of realism. Despite her tendency to discourage his aspirations, this behavior stems from a desire to protect her sibling from potential disappointment. He isn't as smart compared to the rest of the family but makes up for it with a string of hidden talents that aid the group in various ways. In the end, his realization that Zelda has been observing his habits and cares about their bond helps to mend their relationship. At age 14, Zelda exhibited a bright, peppy personality to the world as a way of masking her insecurities and gave others the impression her life was better than it really was, but Shelby is well-aware of the reality.