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OOC INFORMATION
Name: Boatmom
Contact: appledrank
Other Characters: Ema Skye

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Joan Watson
Age: Mid-30s
Canon: Elementary
Canon Point: Pre-season 3 finale
Character Information: Elementary wiki!

Personality:

Joan Watson first appears as Sherlock Holmes' sober companion. Though initially at odds with Sherlock and his lackadaisical approach to sobriety, the pair form a relationship full of respect and admiration. Joan's no nonsense attitude and intolerance of Sherlock's pettier manipulations make her the perfect companion to a self-admitted difficult personality. Her empathy is always close to the surface, however. As someone whose first goal is always to help others, Joan possesses a deep kindness and understanding of those in crisis. When Sherlock first rejects her as ineffectual, Joan perseveres and Sherlock eventually recognises her worth.

It's revealed fairly early on that Joan left a promising career as a surgeon after a patient died while on her operating table. Sherlock recognises Joan's lack of direction and offers her a new calling in the form of a private investigator. Though at first resistant and unwilling to completely leave the trappings of her old life behind, Joan eventually takes to her new profession with conviction. Joan's empathy and ability to relate to victims and witnesses helps in many consulting cases, and even helps Sherlock's personal growth. Her medical expertise and observation skills are utilised to help in the solving of many cases, and Sherlock's initial recognition of her intelligence proves fruitful.

Sherlock is certainly the more well known and gifted of the two, but as Sherlock's apprentice, Joan slowly builds her own reputation. She eventually gains the respect of police liaisons, Detective Bell and Commissioner Gregson, on her own merit. There comes a point when they trust her with cases and projects with which they would prefer Sherlock not be involved. This is a far cry from when Joan was first touted as Sherlock's civilian handler or in some cases, assistant. She takes to her new lessons with aplomb, and learns quickly despite Sherlock's more esoteric teaching methods. Joan's skills advance so that at times even Sherlock is surprised at her proficiency, most notably when she teaches herself how to pickpocket. This allows her to acquire a key piece of evidence needed to convict an escaping criminal. At this point, Joan starts to be seen as an equal to Sherlock, instead of just an apprentice.

After Sherlock leaves Joan to work for MI6, she starts up her own consulting agency, utilising the many skills she's learned from her partner. Despite the feeling of betrayal, Joan is still driven to help others, and continues working with the NYPD to solve crimes. When Sherlock eventually returns, she refuses to let him back into her good graces until he makes proper amends, but willingly takes his new protegé under her wing as both friend and student. Joan is the type of person to know exactly when to bend, and when to hold her ground, and never is it more evident than in her relationship with Sherlock. When Sherlock needs support, she provides it. When he needs a grounding element, she's there. When he needs to make breakfast and choose someone's outfit, Joan is reluctantly available. Together, they form a unified and harmonious team.

Joan's past life does have an effect on her current situation. She struggles with balancing what she considers a healthy social life with the demands of private investigating, and is often at odds with her family who remain somewhat bemused by her choice of profession. After her boyfriend is murdered by a criminal Joan had imprisoned, she decides that solitary life similar to Sherlock's would protect those closest to her. Joan still understands the need for a healthy divide between her private and professional life, and thus lives separately at the brownstone, though still nominally with Sherlock. This realisation that Joan and Sherlock's deep connection can be maintained without constantly being in each other's company is a huge personal revelation for Joan, since earlier she struggled with maintaining when she felt were two different fictions. The harmonious blending of her life with Sherlock and the trappings of her more mundane life leads to a more balanced and fruitful partnership, with both Joan and Sherlock setting clear and easy boundaries. Joan is confident of her position in Sherlock's affections, and he in hers.


5-10 Key Character Traits:
empathetic
driven
self-assured
stubborn
resilient
loyal
observant
intelligent
cautious
overprotective

Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, or EITHER? fit
Opt-Outs: arachne, goblin, minotaur, vampire, troll, kelpie* (Ema)

Roleplay Sample:
here!