Name: Marissa Anne Reeves
Nickname: Common nicknames growing up were “Rissa” and “Rissy,” but very few people use those anymore. It’s probably for the best, because she was never a fan of them anyway.
Age: 37
Birthday: May 19th, 1975
Sign: Taurus
Gemstone: Emerald
Blood Type: B-
Fav. Food: Fresh salads, deli sandwiches, and Hersey Kisses dipped in peanut butter. Chocolate is a huge comfort food to her, so she has several decorative bowls of Hersey Kisses scattered around the house.
Hated Food: Fast food. She’s also not a huge fan of red meat.
School: She grew up in the Destiny City school system, going from Knightside to Crystal, then to DCU part-time before finishing her education out-of-state.
Occupation: Marissa is a family lawyer.
Hobbies: History and Politics – History in politics and the politics of history. Most of Marissa’s undergrad college years were spent in history and political science classes, though her interest in both began much earlier and remains to this day. She reads historical journals, books, magazines, news articles, visits museum exhibits and spends most of her vacations touring foreign locales and the rich history they have to offer. She is most fond of the periods of Colonial America and Revolutionary France, but has studied or researched earlier and later periods as well. She enjoys discussing the works of the Enlightenment and their effects on the changing political climates of America and France, or engaging in debates about the Founding Fathers (in which she can become quite spirited). She’s extremely interested in the many ways the world has changed and advanced over time, and all the ways it’s remained the same or struggled to move forward. She firmly believes in learning from the mistakes of the past and using that knowledge and those experiences in the modern day. Most of her TV viewing these days comes in the form of documentaries or historical dramas. If not, you can expect the channel to be set on one of the liberal media networks.
The 90s – After having a kid in ’94, Marissa lost touch with most of her high school friends and spent most of her time going to college part-time, working on the weekends, or staying home taking care of her kid, with the result that she spent a lot of time in front of the television or listening to the radio. Since then, her music and television preferences have been a bit stuck in the past. But let’s face it: television in the 90s was pretty awesome anyway. She watched all of the old family sitcoms (Full House, Life Goes On, Clarissa Explains it All, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Clueless), and anything else that happened to run on TGIF and SNICK (All That, Guts, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the list goes on). She might have done most of her growing up in the 80s and enjoyed such artists as Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and Madonna, but she was endlessly devoted to the boy-bands of the late-90s. To this day she’s still rather proud of her old cassette tapes and CDs, as well as her extensive collection of old VHS tapes, some she bought and some she recorded straight from the TV. Since then, she’s been able to get most of her favorite shows on DVD, and she breaks them out every once in a while to watch them all over again. She is by no means ashamed of it. They never get old!
Star Trek – Most of Marissa’s hobbies have carried over from childhood and adolescence. Star Trek is no exception. She started watching it with her father when she was young and shared the interest with her husband when they were married. She enjoys everything about the Star Trek universe—the characters, the worlds, the stories, the actors, the fans—and has watched each new series as avidly as the last, from the Original Series to Enterprise to the reboot movie. All of them have their merits in her opinion, though she admits a particular fondness for both The Next Generation and Voyager. She’s forked out a lot of money to have them all on DVD, plus all eleven movies, and it was totally worth it. Otherwise, she doesn’t collect much memorabilia aside from the occasional board game, maybe a phaser, and you might find an Enterprise shaped bottle-opener or pizza cutter in one of the kitchen drawers. She also occasionally wears a vintage com-badge brooch, but she’s convinced most people don’t notice. She’s been known to go to a few conventions from time to time, but tries her best not to make a habit of it. Once she went dressed as Seven of Nine. It was awesome.
Fitness – Marissa loves the outdoors and likes to stay fit and in shape. Sitting around the house or being inactive for extended periods of time tends to bore her and cause her to become restless. She likes to keep moving and stay busy. Besides, she’s not getting any younger! Now that she’s three years away from hitting forty and menopause could always be right around the corner, she knows that if she wants to keep her figure while still indulging in some sweets and junk food, she’s going to have to work for it. Thus, she frequents the gym and can be expected to partake in a few outdoor activities a few times each week. She’s not one to lift serious weights, but she’ll grab a pair of lightweight dumbbells and she makes good use of the bikes, treadmills and elliptical. Otherwise she spends most of her time on the tennis courts (she played tennis in high school and still has a particular fondness for it), jogging along local park trails, heading up the mountains for a day of hiking and bouldering, or attending Yoga, Pilates, and aerobics classes.
Virtues: Driven – Marissa is the sort of person who enjoys working hard and always does her best to get the job done. She came from humble origins, but has never let that stop her from reaching the goals she’s set for herself, in an attempt to better herself and (hopefully) the world around her. She pushes herself to succeed and faces her problems with a grim determination. Getting where she is today has necessitated a few sacrifices along the way, and though she may have come to regret some of them, she’s able to move on and look forward, both to rebuild what she’s lost and to continue on the path she’s set for herself. She has drive, ambition, and a competitive streak that encourages her to fight for what she wants, what she thinks is right, and which carries her through to the end. She isn’t the sort of person to give up once she’s got her eye on the prize.
Self-Reliant – Some people enjoy being able to lean on people, and need their family and friends to guide them. Not Marissa. She finds it much easier to rely on herself instead of hindering other people with her problems. She enjoys and thrives on the freedom that comes with independence. She wants to solve her own issues and stand on her own two feet, take care of herself on her own and find her own success, and prove that she is just as capable as the next person in doing so. She’s willing to let other people lean on her, and does what she can to help her family and friends when they need it, but when the tables are turned she is entirely self-sufficient. She’s not one to whine, or mope, or turn to other people and burden them with whatever troubles may arise. She likes to take care of herself, to stand strong and never back down.
Patient – Marissa is as capable of succumbing to stress as the next person, but she still tends to be quite patient in her dealings with other people. She’s not going to fly off the handle when something doesn’t go her way. She’s not going to push people or rush things that are better left to play out on their own. Part of this stems from having two kids (if she didn’t have patience before, she certainly learned some then), but the rest of it is simply part of who she is, her natural inclination to wait things out and endure. In her opinion, problems are solved better and disagreements are resolved easier if the parties involved have a little patience with one another and make a concerted effort to understand. There are of course times when the stress becomes too much (she’s not a saint), but rather than taking it out on other people, Marissa will withdraw and close in on herself until she’s able to face the issue with the calm and maturity she thinks someone of her age should be able to exhibit in all (or most) things.
Practical – With her career and due to some of the hurdles she’s faced through life, Marissa prefers to operate under a realistic mindset. She knows life isn’t always fair and she doesn’t bother to try and pretend as if it is. Nothing is perfect. The only things certain are death and taxes. When faced with a situation, she tries to prepare herself for every outcome. If one arises that she didn’t envision or expect, she takes her time to reevaluate and figure out where she went wrong and what she can do to prevent future occurrences. Marissa is not the sort of person to let herself get lost in the clouds. She prides herself on being grounded and level-headed, not prone to flights of fancy. Every hurdle can be overcome, and each problem has a solution, it’s simply a matter of taking the time to find it. She might expect results, but she certainly doesn’t expect miracles.
Flaws: Workaholic – Marissa’s career (or working toward her career) has been her life for the last eight years. She enjoys her work, likes going into the office, loves speaking with people and helping them realize their goals, adores the sense of satisfaction she feels with a job well done. Unfortunately, this can lead to her getting a little carried away and forgetting that there actually
is life beyond her job. She puts all of herself into what she does, with the result that she can overwork herself or become too emotionally invested in her cases. A win at work might come with a loss at home. Her dedication to her education and career has limited her time with people not involved in her work. She has few friends and has made a few sacrifices with her family as well. She finds it hard to break away, not simply because of how much she enjoys it but because it’s where she feels most comfortable. Work is safe. She knows what she’s doing. Everything else ends up fading into the background, and sometimes she needs a little help branching out.
Reserved – Independence has its benefits, but it also has a few draw backs—some that are entirely intentional, and others that might be a little more
unintentional. For Marissa, she finds it easier to keep herself distant from other people if and when it’s possible. She isn’t the sort of person to immediately trust someone else, nor does she go out of her way to make friends or keep up the friendships she already has. She doesn’t always enjoy sharing her life with other people, and has been known to keep her secrets or take her time in offering an explanation. She’s friendly on principle and makes herself available when she’s needed, but a physical presence is not the same as an emotional connection, and it’s there where she has the most problems. Occasionally her unwillingness to expose herself may be constituted as simply not caring.
Prideful – Getting where she is today has taken a lot of time and a lot of hard work, and Marissa is proud of the fact that she’s gotten so far. This wouldn’t normally be an issue, except for when her behavior comes across as prideful, arrogant, and mildly self-righteous. She doesn’t actually think herself better than others—she knows how incredibly lucky she is, and she’s thankful for all the chances she’s had in life—but she isn’t one to minimize her achievements either. Her actions and her responses don’t always match-up with how she thinks. Marissa can seem to have a pretty big head, and her educational and career successes have perhaps made her a little over-confident in others areas of her life as well. She expects to be respected, and may come off seeming a bit pretentious in the process.
Defiant – Marissa isn’t the sort of person to be pushed around. When she fights, she fights hard. When she thinks (or knows) someone is wrong, she’ll make sure they know it—as politely as possible, of course. Unfair expectations are met with contempt. Marissa loves helping people, and she finds enjoyment both in working alone or working as a team, but undue force is seen by her as unnecessary and brings out her argumentative side. She’s not strictly against confrontation. If she thinks something is wrong or unjust, she’s not going to sit quietly by. If she doesn’t agree with an opinion, she’ll argue. She may be calm about it, and she may not allow herself to be drawn into heated debates, but she can be very stubborn. She is, however, not impulsive. Her arguments are at least usually well thought out and carefully planned. Furthermore, Marissa relies heavily on facts and can seem pretty intractable when presented with information that requires a bit of a broader sense of belief.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Eyes: Blue-gray in color. Large, round, and guarded. She has a distant, speculative sort of gaze. She was unfortunate to be born with short, pale lashes, but that’s why they make mascara. She uses it liberally.
Hair: Very fair, Swedish blonde—almost platinum, but not quite. It hangs just beyond her shoulder blades, styled in loose waves and relaxed curls with her long bangs brushed and styled out of her face.
Face: Heart-shaped. Still rather young looking and slow to age. Very fair skinned. She never leaves the house without some kind of light make-up on (mascara and lipstick or gloss, often with light color in her cheeks).
Physique: 5’6” without heels. She has a toned hourglass figure.
Clothes: Most of Marissa’s outfits give off a business-y vibe with just a little sex appeal. She especially likes pencil skirts paired with a nice blouse or top. Sometimes she’ll carry a jacket, blazer, or cardigan around, but depending on the weather or the temperature in the office, she might not always wear it. Heels are a must. If she’s ever looking less put-together or wearing a pair of sneakers or tennis shoes, chances are she’s at the gym or else on her way there or back. Outside of work she’ll wear jeans and a casual top with weather-appropriate outerwear. She doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry—typically just a simple pair of earrings and a watch on her left wrist (with the watch face on the inside of her wrist). She also wears a
sapphire ring and her wedding band from her deceased ex-husband on a thin chain around her neck.
Her one flaw when it comes to clothing as that she doesn’t always wear clothes other people may consider age-appropriate or mom-appropriate. She won’t walk around town in a mini-skirt (she at least gave those up years ago), but she’s quite the fan of plunging necklines and tends to keep a few buttons on her blouse undone during the day, and party dresses are usually rather form-fitting. She’s still very proud of her figure and youthful looks, and likes to show it off.
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