Introduction Post
Name: Marissa Lenore Martinez
Gender/Pronouns: Cisgender woman, she/her/hers
Date of Birth: April 15, 1997
Place of Birth: Greensville, North Carolina, United States
Current Location: Barton Point, Maine, United States
Positive Traits: Amiable, Clever, Enthusiastic
Negative Traits: Boisterous, Unrealistic, Zany
Marissa, as long as she’s remembered, has been known as “the crazy conspiracy theorist’s daughter.” Despite her cheerful demeanor, things weren’t full of sunshine and rainbows for the Cox family. Her family began to struggle financially after her father was fired from his job at the Greensville Gazette, and the struggle only became worse after her mother injured her back and became dependent on opiates. Desperation and poor choices lead to her mother’s arrest and eight-year prison sentence, but this wasn’t the worst part. Marissa was lied to by her father, who convinced her that her mom was abducted by aliens to complete a special mission.
Marissa was raised to believe in aliens and cryptids, and to distrust the government. Growing up, she often spent her days trying to convince others that her and her father’s theories were true. Most brushed her off politely, because it was nearly impossible to be rude to her sweet, innocent face, but the few that managed were incredibly cruel. By the time she reached her late teens, she began to keep the majority of her theories to herself. It was easier that way. It wasn’t until her last year of high school that Marissa began to really make friends, and she was able to find people who loved and accepted her for who she was, aliens and all. Her senior year was a whirlwind for several reasons. Not only did she gain valuable friendships, but she also met a spoiled rich girl from New York City who turned out to be the love of her life. Even though they came from two completely different worlds, Savannah Martinez and Marissa Cox soon became inseparable. It was also during this year that she discovered the truth about her mom and began to notice a decline in her dad’s health. Despite all of this, she managed to graduate and begin her journey through college.
After five years in college, going through several different majors and reevaluating her beliefs regarding politics, Marissa created a plan for herself. She graduated college in 2020, with a double major in special education (with a focus in American Sign Language) and history and a minor in political science, and married her best friend a month later. After graduating, Marissa got a job at a school for the deaf as a leave replacement; once the teacher who was on maternity leave returned, she started working in the school as a substitute teacher. However, once the school year was over, she decided she didn’t want to stay at that school and started applying elsewhere. She decided to take a leap of faith and apply outside of her homestate of North Carolina, which is how she ended up with a job offer at Barton Point High School teaching ASL as a second language. Before leaving, she tied up all of her loose ends and made sure her father-- who, after many years of refusing to seek help, got a diagnosis for his dementia-- got the proper care he needed in an assisted living home.
Connections || Character Questionnaire
