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β if there is a road, i cannot make it out.
overview dr. wilma clements β field agent for the blackwood detective agency, an organization dedicated to investigating the paranormal. |
history
born in the texas hill country in 1864, she always had a fearless independence about her. as the youngest of six children, she could get away with it. after scarlet fever sweeps through the area (resulting in the deaths of her twin brother and grandmother), wilma decides to become a doctor. in 1889, she graduates at the top of her class from tulane university of louisiana and accepts a position at boston city hospital in massachusetts.during the hospital's renovations in 1891, wilma uncovers a scandal implicating several doctors and administrators. at first, she assumes it is simply taking babies from poor, unwed mothers and selling them. but, after failing to find evidence of their existence after being taken, she concludes the babies are being killed (in reality, the babies are sacrifices to a demon). immediately, she informs her superiors but is brushed off before finally being threatened to keep her mouth shut. realizing she has no other options, wilma turns to a journalist acquaintance, john davenport, and reveals all to him in an explosive exposΓ©. however, before the story's publication, she is fired from the hospital, and her name and reputation are discredited. despite her pleas, mr. davenport refuses to risk his career by releasing the story, and instead proposes that she forget the entire incident and marry him. she declines both offers, telling him that she will get the story out somehow. a few days later, a fire breaks out in her brownstone. miraculously, she escapes unharmed, but the fire destroys her apartment and possessions. she is jobless, connectionless, and, now, homeless.
two options now lay before wilma: return to her hometown in texas or continue to push the story. in both cases, she would consider her life forfeit. she never wanted to become just a country doctor, treating broken bones and fevers. she wants to do something in her life; something that would leave her mark on the world. as for the alternative. well. it's only a matter of time before whoever wants her silent finds a way to do so permanently. fortunately, before she's forced to a decision, she is approached by the blackwood detective agency. along with a job as a field agent, they extend their help in proving her assertions are true and restoring her reputation. with no other option, wilma accepts their offer and moves to san francisco, where the blackwood detective agency is based. at least, she'll have an income until she decides her next move or until the scandal dies down and she can return to the medical field. besides, she has never seen the pacific ocean.
in san francisco, she meets the director (known only as "the old man") and her partner. when she first accepts the position, she assumes the blackwood detective agency is similar to the pinkerton detective agency: fugitives, thieves, and runaway heiresses. it's not until her first case that she discovers their tenets: the agency's purposes are eliminating or containing paranormal creatures and retrieving paranormal objects.
personality
at first impression, she is a polite, prim, and fashionable lady. pleasant, friendly to strangers, and with a warm bedside manner that made her a popular doctor at her previous job. some of it is due to her upbringing. her mother was strict about manners: don't point, good posture, sir/ma'am. most of it, however, is a façade and a defense mechanism she's been forced to develop through her years of being one of the few or only women in a room of men. to minimize accusations of "being difficult" or "disrespectful", she tries to be as nice and polite in every situation.a fierce independent streak runs through her. if possible, she would prefer to complete tasks on her own, pay her way, and generally do things her way. some of it is because she thinks she's more competent than most and would rather do it herself. but maybe she believes that if she proves herself capable she will finally be seen as "worthy" or "valuable." despite years of dismissal, rebuffs, and rejections, wilma wants validation from her peers. and yet, because of the scandal, this independence has deepened to a disdain and mistrust of authorities while also invoking the terrible side effect of tricking wilma into thinking that she must do more to prove herself.
thanks to her time as a doctor, she displays remarkable composure and calmness in difficult and stressful situations. but, despite that and her mother's strictness about manners, controlling her facial expressions still proves difficult. her face is an open book to her emotions. in neither her words nor her expressions is she shy. her words are exact and deliberate. she never wastes a word or answers questions unless she's certain (even if the answer is "i don't know" β she will admit when she is clueless).
but, despite her open friendliness and apparent emotions, wilma is private about her feelings and thoughts with others. she is a formal, closed-off person who is uncomfortable with intimacy and afraid of her feelings being exploited. as such, she never expresses a desire for marriage or even romance.
being a doctor is central to her identity, which is why she'll immediately correct people when they call her "miss." she earned the title. while wilma believes in science and reason, once she witnesses proof of the paranormal, she believes in it relatively quickly. however, she still tries to find a scientific explanation for it all. do vampires exist because of evil and curses, or are there bacteria in their saliva that cause the affliction? curiosity makes her reckless and, sometimes, almost gets her and her partner killed. for example, she'll keep a creature alive for examination rather than kill it.
when her partner first meets her, they sense that, despite her politeness, it's obvious that she doesn't want to be here. in her eyes, being a private detective is not a useless job; it's just that with her experience and qualifications, she thinks it's not worth her time. when her partner brings up the paranormal for the first time, wilma will roll her eyes and dismiss their claims. but her thoughts will shift when her partner is proven correct. and maybe she'll stop thinking this job isn't worth her time.
abilities
- above average intelligence, demonstrating interdisciplinary thinking and methodology specifically in medicine.
- possesses strength and vigor developed from years of hard farm living.
- fluent in english, spanish, greek, and latin. knows some german.
- has extensive medical knowledge, is a skilled surgeon, and keeps up with the latest medical research (for the 1890s).
- decent artist (primarily anatomy).
- skilled violinist.
- skilled card player (and shark).
- talented at knitting.
- though not religious, she is knowledgeable in the bible from years of sunday school and private study.
- can saddle and ride a horse.
- can load and shoot a gun; though, admittedly, not well.
- she may not be quick on the draw but she is quick to pick up and master new skills.
her abilities will expand as time goes on, such as hand-to-hand combat (mostly defensive though), folklore, and some basic, basic magic knowledge.
| DISCLAIMER: wilma lives in late 19th-century america. as such, the topics of racism, sexism, ableism, and xenophobia will be brought up. additionally, since wilma is a medical doctor in the late 19th century, questionable and harmful medical practices will also be discussed. lastly, she also deals with the supernatural so a blanket warning for graphic description of violence and horror! while these topics will not be brought up in every thread, it can still happen. if it's something you don't want to engage with, i don't recommend tagging with wilma. |
ideas β
partner
others
demons/poltergeists
witchcraft
the fae
vampires
non-paranormal
misc.
down the road...