Zahra Hamed As Ellen Ripley From Alien

Academia is cool and sexy until I’m expected to do work

"I wouldn't dare to try. You're evidently much braver than I am," she chuckled in agreement. "I know. I used to think I was pretty good at all that stuff, knowing what's new and hip. And now I'm the sort of person who uses the word hip unironically." She waved her hand flippantly at Violet's compliment. "You're one to talk. I am sure all the heads turned when you walked in." It didn't seem like an overestimation by any means, and Zahra had never been good at giving out meaningless words of praise.

She could feel her cheeks warm up as Violet inquired about her dating life. "Not a chance. Not that I'm against it, but I just haven't even thought to consider it," she admitted. "Oh, no, can't have you do that. How about you? You have your eyes on anyone?"

"God, and then you try to explain landlines to them. Oh do I feel old then! I like being in my thirties honestly but with the way tech moves sometimes I feel older. Still, we look beautiful, you especially." Violet said as the day unfolded around them with pleasant chatter. "So anything else new? You seeing anybody? Or is the thesis your one and only right now? I have some people I could introduce you to if you're interested."

my body is NOT. a “”temple””….it is a CLOWN CAR, and NONE OF THESE BITCHES KNOW HOW 2 DRIVE

[cis woman and she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [ZAHRA HAMED]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [AIYSHA HART]. You must be the [THIRTY FIVE] year old [ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF RELIGION]. Word is you’re [RESOURCEFUL] but can also be a bit [RESTLESS] and your favorite song is [MY GIRLFRIEND IS A WITCH BY OCTOBER COUNTRY]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [OCEAN CREST APARTMENTS]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

full name: zahra hamed

date of birth: 11 july 1989

gender & pronouns: cis woman, she/her

sexuality: bisexual & biromantic

family: mother, father

pets: a black cat called circe

occupation: assistant professor of religion @ aurora bay college

place of birth: st. cloud, minnesota

time in aurora bay: around a year

height: 5′10′’

hair colour & style: dark brown, wavy, a bit past her shoulders

eye colour: dark brown

tw: infertility, mentions of religion, smoking

despite her status as somewhat of a miracle child - her parents had already come to accept they wouldn’t be able to have children of their own due to a host of fertility issues - zahra grew up knowing a lot was expected of her. both of her parents had grown up with very little and had been able to use education as their way out of difficult home situations. she doesn’t resent her parents in the slightest, but sometimes wonders what her life would now look like if she been given just a bit more space and freedom to discover and make mistakes. still, she’s grateful for the drive her parents instilled in her as it has helped her to keep going even during times of distress. that being said, she has unfortunately picked up a host of rather unhealthy coping mechanisms for said stressful situations.

while the household didn’t necessarily seem all that outwardly pious to outsiders, religion was always a big part of the family dynamic and something that was discussed often and at great length, partly due to the interfaith nature of the family. zahra was a curious child and loved getting involved in these conversations, even when the concepts seemed far too complicated for her. she loved lingering in doorways when her parents had friends over, keen on sharing her opinions and the facts she had so meticulously taught herself.

she was a bright student. however, despite doing well academically, zahra often struggled with the social aspect of high school. she was kind of an awkwardly intense, gangly teen who spoke too little or far too much and couldn’t really figure out what her crowd was for quite a while. she eventually befriended a group of girls, some of whom she’s still in contact with to this day.

zahra moved to minneapolis at the age of 18 to attend university of minnesota. she went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in religious studies before completing her master’s in philosophy.

unwilling to give up studying just yet, she decided to pursue a doctorate degree, still unsure what she actually wanted to do in the future. she was accepted to princeton and later completed her phd in philosophy and religion.

while her life hasn’t always been easy or uncomplicated, it has been rather streamline. she has struggled and put in an enormous amount of hard work to get where she is now, but things have generally gone well for her. however, she has recently gone through something of a personal crisis and is really struggling to find her feet again. to put it simply, zahra has become wildly disillusioned with the academia and is suddenly really not sure she’s entirely happy with her choices in life.

she accepted a job at aurora bay college before coming to terms with the emotional and professional conflict she was having. she enjoys her job but is certainly very conflicted and is questioning whether or not she made the right decision.

zahra is bilingual and grew up speaking arabic with her father. she’s also fluent in french, can read german fairly well and studied hebrew, ancient greek and latin during her studies. her streak on duolingo is over two years long, but she doesn’t take it all that seriously. she just really likes mobile games and this one just happens to teach her languages, making it just a little more productive than candy crush.

an avid collector of all sorts of trinkets, zahra does not vibe with the minimalist aesthetic. her bedroom is full of knickknacks and keepsakes. she also collects books and dreams of being the sort of person who actually reads the books she buys. to be fair, she does read a lot, but it’s mostly stuff related to her research or the lectures she’s planning. all the new, exciting fiction books have gone unread for years. this fact has not slowed down her buying habits, though.

can be seen chain-smoking and cursing to herself at all hours of the day. when does she sleep? does she sleep? who knows.

some super vague connection ideas!

the stress has led to a lot of sleepless nights, resulting in her becoming a real night owl. she can be spotted frequenting places that are open late, and can be found chain-smoking and scrolling endlessly on social media. she would’ve undoubtedly run into some folks with similar schedules and habits.

any people with fun, interesting hobbies. after forming some sort of a connection, she would undoubtedly pester these individuals to teach her stuff. your girl needs to be distracted from her own thoughts.

zahra enjoys noisy music. so, a person willing to accompany her to gigs around the area. she’s happiest when it’s so loud she can’t hear anything at all.

friends/acquaintances/flings from minneapolis and/or princeton. would especially love to have some of her besties from high school.

people she has dated/hooked up with during her time in aurora bay.

she would have definitely been the sort of teen who had a pen pal. so, one of those would be super duper fun!

a neighbour who is trusted to watch her cat when she's busy or out of town!

“Of course not. That would be really boring and unrealistic,” she agreed with a small shake of her head. “I like reading about people who have flaws and who do dumb or morally questionable things, but framing definitely matters. None of those shortcomings are interesting if it feels like the author actually believes that being a shitty person is some sort of a virtue.” While Zahra could be quite withdrawn and even standoffish to a point, she genuinely and evidently enjoyed a good chat with almost anyone as long as she didn’t have to discuss her personal life in any particular detail. “Oh yeah?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, the corners of her mouth twitching, “well, I can’t blame you. Can’t say I’m the biggest fan of that book myself. But I suppose there’s some merit to it.”

She nodded along as the stranger spoke, grateful she seemed to take the lead. “Could’ve fooled me. So, you know, I am sure you would make an excellent bookseller as well. You seem to know your stuff." It wasn't a lie; she was clearly passionate about literature and had no problem approaching strangers to recommend things to them. "I suppose that's true. I wish I had more time to read fiction."

"i do fully believe that not all characters have to be likable in order for the book to be good. i will say, however, there's something so bothersome about them being framed in a way that suggest they're supposed to be likable. i try not to judge too hard, but sometimes i can't help it. catcher in the rye? i think that's maybe the worst book i've ever read," she rambled. she could go on, but she cut herself off with a shy laugh. not everyone wanted their ear talked off about books. "well when you make your assessment, you're definitely going to have to give me an update," she replied.

maddox flushed ever so slightly at the question. it wasn't the first time she'd been asked it. "ah, no i don't work here. i'm actually a tattoo artist. but if i weren't a tattoo artist, then working at a bookstore would probably be my first choice. i do read quite a bit. i've tried to tone it down though. i've learned the unfortunate truth that the more you read, the less stories feel unique."

My era rn is uncategorizable. The the way I am living is unheard of

cracking open a cold one with the girls except it’s my icy heart and they’re teaching me how to love again

Zahra reached for another book with an interesting cover, flicking through some of the pages. She was still very much engaged in the conversation, eyes darting back and forth between the text and her new companion. "There's such a thing as too my sadness and angst. I don't want to read about a never-ending series of tragedy. That's rarely all that realistic or relatable. I suppose it's just nice to feel seen when you're feeling like garbage." Zahra shook her head as the other mentioned how her opinions could be too strong. "It's a good thing. Means you can't be swayed too easily. Also, what can you have strong opinions on if not books? Surely literature is a pretty safe thing to feel strongly about."

Feeling brave, Zahra tilted her head to the side. "Do you happen to have any more recommendations? I think I might be able to squeeze a few more books somewhere on my shelves."

"i completely agree! although i personally don't understand why sad stories are so popular. i just want to kick back and read something so unserious. i don't always want to be stuck in a whirlwind of tragedy, but i guess this is an unpopular opinion because i can't seem to find much literary fiction without tragedy," she shrugged. "at least you have plenty of options!" she added cheerfully. she truly did wish she understood the appeal of those types of books. everyone else seemed to be getting a lot out of these stories. she wondered if there was something she was missing. she laughed along with the other. "yeah, well, sometimes my opinions can be too strong," she admitted, a flush to her cheeks as she looked away.

"that's great to hear. a relief, really. i like to recommend books more than the average person i'd wager, so it feels good to know i'm actually doing something useful. besides, recommendations are always better. especially from someone you can trust."

zahra hamed character inspo task

fox mulder (the x-files) cassie thomas (promising young woman) abby sciuto (ncis) jo march (little women) ambrose spellman (chilling adventures of sabrina) river tam (firefly & serenity) beth harmon (the queen's gambit) nomi marks (sense8)