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, a sales manager at a paper company named Reuben 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 eventually became increasingly distant and despondent and began to argue more frequently 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 Mississippi.

Having been a relatively young mom, she was often seen as a pretty woman who often has a hard expression in her eyes. She is somewhat short with a feminine figure and has dark green eyes, ivory skin, and long dark auburn hair that falls wavily 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. Despite being a genius, she admits that she is quite terrible at passwords, with her birthdate being the only password that she goes by. 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's faced with people like Rupert, 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 various adventures with her classmates and seemed to see herself as being" very cool". She took advantage of her nice living arrangements and 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 is forcibly moved away from the things she loves, but she always managed to remain calm. She experimented with a different look one day and shows up to a gathering with dyed pink hair combed over to one side, purple eye blush and lipstick, and gold piercings on her ears and a stub on her eyebrow. She affectionately called her first zit Pam and fully embraced it due to believing that it was a sign of maturity and womanhood. 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 and skills 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. Zelda exhibits a bright, peppy personality to the world as a way of masking her insecurities and tends to give others the impression her life is better than it really is, but Shelby is well-aware of the reality.