“nothing gold can stay”

“I keep thinking surely somebody will save me at every turn I learn that no one will”

Name: Marilyn “Foxtrot” Ryder

Nicknames: Mari,Fox,Foxtrot

Age: 15

Birthdate: March 4th

Social class: greaser

Sexuality: unlabelled, ace spectrum

Face claim: Meg Tilly

Allies: Johnny Cade, Dallas Winston,

Enemies: Dallas Winston (also), a lot of socs and greasers.

family: Michelle Ryder (mother) Stephen Harvey-Ryder (half brother)

A Fox’s lament

Foxtrot Ryder lives up to her nickname she’s as sly as a fox and moves as elegantly as a ballroom dancer. I’ve known her by that name for as long as I can remember, she’s probably more used to hearing it than she is her own.

Darry tells me to be careful around her apparently she pawns off stolen jewellery for cash. I’m not sure how true it is but I’ve seen both socs and greasers clutch whatever valuables they have on them around her.

She’s on her own a lot she isn’t apart of any gang, a true outsider. what she lacks in allies she makes up for in enemies she’s sly enough to escape trouble but sometimes her luck runs dry. “karma” I heard Dallas mutter one evening as we watched her limp away from an upset soc boy.

Foxtrot lives a few blocks down from me sometimes I hear her and her mother’s screaming matches going from late hours of the night to early hours of the morning. I pretend I don’t hear them but they get real ugly.she frequents the diner and library staying at either place for as long as possible, anything to avoid her own home.

sometimes I wonder if she has a home life like Johnny’s.

-Ponyboy Curtis

Upbringing

Marilyn Ryder comes from a troubled household with a brother who’s in and out of jail and a mother who resents her. she has a very rocky relationship with her mom you can often hear the two of them having screaming matches sometimes they end in dead silence after the sound of a thud or slap.

Her mother Michelle had dreams of becoming an actress but never made it in the industry she holds resentment over both of her children for her failed dreams, especially Foxtrot as her father a script writer told Michelle he’d make her a star before ditching her after finding out Michelle was pregnant. Michelle eventually developed a drinking problem to cope with her shattered dreams.

Foxtrot thinks her mother prefers her older brother Stephen because the household is calmer when he isn’t in jail compared to when it’s just her and her mom. she holds slight resentment over him for his rebellious attitude as things are a lot worse for her whenever he isn’t around.

Both Foxtrot’s mother and brother have trouble keeping jobs the family struggle a lot financially which lead to Fox pawning off stolen jewellery from socs and greasers for cash to help pay for rent and groceries. Neither Michelle or Stephen question where the money comes from.

Personality traits

Foxtrot is exceptionally clever and uses her wit to her advantage, she’s a strategist who’s able to get what she has her eyes on. Foxtrot has a tendency to overestimate her skills though shes learned her lesson the hard way about setting more ambitious goals for herself. her wit unfortunately can’t save her from her own arrogance.

Foxtrot is incredibly perceptive and surprisingly good at reading people. she’s also really curious in nature spending a lot of time at the library to figure out more about the topics that interest her, she has a great fascination with outer space.

There’s an element of mystery towards her little is known about her which adds to her charm. she puts walls up as a way to defend herself she’s grown to rely on herself and is afraid of letting others in and accepting help. underneath it all there’s a hidden vulnerability.

Additional information:

-was named after Marilyn Monroe her mother got the name from the lead actress in ladies of the chorus (1948) both her and her mother share an infatuation with her namesake.

-foxtrot has very faint ginger highlights.

-after Johnny was attacked Foxtrot stole one of the rings the soc that hurt him wore and split the cash with Johnny after she pawned it which started their short lived friendship.

-would either like to be an actress or an astronomer when she’s older.

-depending on the day her and Dallas go from allies to enemies. Dallas respects her but only when she isn’t taking from him.

(@east-side-pole my tumblr isn’t letting me answer the ask my apologies)

Foxtrot found herself looking through the window of a bakery eyeing its goods. a sense of despair hitting her once she feels her empty pockets. she’s starving and they look delicious. just her luck.

A thought pops into her head, if she was real careful she could take a few things and slip away unnoticed. the idea is tempting but hesitation slips in she hasn’t been very lucky this week, if she gets caught this could be another store she’s banned from. one less place to get food from. she remains in place debating herself unaware that she was being watched by the girl working in the bakery. unaware that someone was preparing a basket for her.

As she’s about to leave something catches her eye “a basket?” she picks it up carefully almost afraid to damage the goods inside of it, she inspects it gently removing the blanket before taking note of the treats inside some she recognised others she didn’t, they looked amazing though she couldn’t wait to dig in. Foxtrot looks around but there seemed to be no one else here. was the basket meant for her?

Another thing catches her attention a note she places the basket down gently there’s no worry of anyone taking it from her but she’s still cautious.

She’s curious to who may have left a basket of treats for her she hopes the note has a name, maybe she could thank them. if they weren’t one of the many people who seemed to dislike her. her eyes lead her to the bottom of the note signed ‘Kalina’ she whispers the name she thinks she’s heard it around before.

She reads the rest of the note “something filling for everyone from the heart of Poland” the second part of the text is in a language unfamiliar to her, she rereads it hoping she’ll miraculously be able to translate it but alas nothing. she continues staring at the text her curiosity begins to eat at her she has to know what it says, she doesn’t think she’ll be able to rest until she has her answers.

She’ll have to find Kalina if she wants answers she takes a look at the bakery. ‘maybe she’s still there’ Foxtrot is hesitant to walk into the bakery but her curiosity will eat at her if she doesn’t attempt to.