Basic Information

• Name: Mayaad
• Age: 47
• Pronouns: they/them
• MBTI: ENFJ
• Species: Shara’se
• Form: Permanently locked in semi-feral shape due to human experimentation
• Role: Co-leader of the Circle (alongside Azia)

Relationships

• Neda: Parent; holds very high expectations
• Azia: Peer and co-leader; frequent ideological clashes
• Terése: Learning to trust, cautiously
• Feisa: childhood friend turned lover

Appearance

Mayaad’s feral shape is tall, sinewy, and striped, with quills running along their back and head. Their body bears clear evidence of experimentation and survival.

• Eye Color: Right eye orange-red; left eye missing
• Missing: One leg, part of a finger
• Notable Traits: Permanently feral; deeply self-conscious about their body

Personality

• Patient, deliberate, and soft-spoken
• Gentle but guarded
• Highly intelligent; capable of manipulation when necessary
• Values harmony, even to their own detriment
• Compassionate and welcoming toward other Shara’se
• Self-conscious, sometimes masked with dark humor
• Deeply attached to leadership and responsibility
• Consistently chooses the safer route, often clashing with Azia

Strengths: Empathy, patience, endurance, wisdom through survival, ability to hold contradictions.

Weaknesses: Distrust of humans, emotional conflict, hesitation, manipulative tendencies.

Behavioral Quirks

• Speaks rarely, slowly, and with intention
• Avoids eye contact, especially with humans
• Notices subtle details others overlook
• Uses dry, unsettling humor

Backstory

Mayaad was born into a Circle that lived close to nature. Their parents died of old age after prolonged health complications. They grew up alongside Feisa, a childhood friend who later became their partner.

Mayaad was abducted by humans and subjected to cruel medical experimentation, leaving them permanently trapped in a feral form. During captivity, they formed a traumatic attachment to the neuropsychiatrist responsible for their care.

Deemed “useless,” Mayaad was released due to the doctor’s intervention. They returned alone, struggling, before eventually reuniting with their family and Circle.

They now serve as an elder and co-leader, offering patience and restraint as a counterweight to Azia’s decisiveness.

Leadership in the Circle

• Contrast with Azia: Mayaad is reflective and cautious; Azia is decisive and swift
• Role: Slows decisions to prevent rash outcomes
• Mentorship: Stabilizing presence for younger members, especially Neda
• Philosophy: Leadership is responsibility, not dominance

Themes & Arcs

• Trust vs. Mistrust: Learning to trust Terése despite trauma
• Loss & Identity: Grieving their human form
• Love & Contradiction: Shame over trauma-bonded attachment
• Survival & Leadership: From discarded experiment to respected elder