Matilda (Mattie) Harris

Basics:

Face Claim: Antonia Thomas

Name: Matilda (Mattie) Jane Harris

Age: 29

Gender: F

Species: Witch dedicated to Aphrodite

Height: 5'1

Fashion: Mattie dresses professionally most of the time, and it's clear that she's a rather 'buttoned up' person both literally and figuratively. (She never wears anything that isn't all the way up to her neck and down past her knees, no matter how hot it is.) She wears her hair in a variety of styles, but almost never loose because it's so wild if she does.

Physical Description: Mattie is mixed-race; her mother moved to the US from Kenya after marrying her husband--he had been in the area with Doctors Without Borders and the two fell in love. Her hair is tightly coiled, and her skin is almost an exact midpoint between her two parents'. Her eyes, too, seem to have found a midpoint between her father's vibrant green and mother's brown--they're a shifting hazel that appears different depending on the light. Mattie is only 5'1 and often jokes that she needs a step stool to do most things in life, and will probably need one at her wedding.


-Personality-

Description: Mattie is a kind and caring woman who is constantly encouraging others to do their best and try new things. She often seems unusually in tune with others' feelings due to her natural tendency to literally absorb other people's energy. She does her best to take time to recharge herself and make sure she is not taking on too much, but if someone is hurting she can't resist trying to help. She incorporates her magic into her practice as well, teaching clients grounding and cleansing spells more as 'exercises' to help them heal from their grief and trauma. She loves knowing that she can have a positive impact on people's lives. 

She is devoted to Aphrodite, goddess of love, for all types of love: romantic, familial, platonic, and self love. She feels that love and human connection are a vital component of anyone's well-being. 

While she doesn't have as much self hatred as she could after multiple sexual assaults, she does do everything she knows how to avoid that situation again. She doesn't go out after dark, she wears clothing that is not revealing, and she doesn't drink or use any other substance that might impair her reflexes or judgement. She doesn't want to be a victim anymore, and she's terrified that if she 'makes a mistake' something else will happen to her. 

Habits/Hobbies: watches shows that have to do with psychology (not just crime shows, but she has a weakness for those), likes to visit the coffee shop and the bookstore on Saturday mornings

History: Mattie is the daughter of a nurse and a doctor, but she never wanted to do physical healing (bodily fluids make her gag). She knew early on, though, that she wanted to help others. Because the magic she inherited from her mother took the form of extremely high empathy, she decided that working as a psychologist would be a perfect fit for her skills. She started learning about it even while she was in high-school because she found it fascinating to learn more about how people's minds worked. In school, though, she found that psychology was a little too 'clinical' for her style. She changed majors and joined a 6 year social work program that got her a MSW. Thankfully many of her credits transferred, so it only took her one extra summer to finish up what she had missed her freshman year. 

Also during her freshman year, Mattie had an extremely negative encounter with one of the upperclassmen in the psych program. She never told any of her family members or friends the details of happened despite reporting it to the campus police and the dean. She received a great deal of negative push-back, and was blamed for what happened because she had been drinking and dressed for a party. (This is when her style changed.) She did her best not to let the issue get to her and to keep living her life, although she would be physically ill if she encountered that particular student on campus.

After graduating, she worked in California at a family counseling office for a few years gaining experience. While working there, she realized she was being a bit hypocritical by telling her patients to face their fears and not facing her own. She went out to a bar a couple of weekends, and on the second one, when she was leaving she was sexually assaulted for a second time. She immediately went to the police station, where she met Dr. Blake Carson while he was reporting a crime of his own. She had to go to the hospital afterwards for a rape kit, and ran into him again. The coincidence got them talking, and the two became friends. 

He told her about his clinic, and she basically said she envied him leaving California and starting over, getting away from all the bad memories. He suggested she join him and Cal if the clinic did well--they'd put in extra space for her to take clients. She told him that if it happened, she'd take it as a sign and really do it. Blake made it happen. She's beyond excited to be getting away and building a safe space for herself.

Family/Friends: Mother - Makena Harris Father - George Harris

Neighborhood: renting a house in old cross

Secret: Mattie was sexually assaulted in college at a party. A few years after graduating, she tried to get herself out again and went to a bar and wound up assaulted again. She stopped drinking completely after that and hasn't dated, either. She knows (since she is a counselor) that she should not avoid it forever, but she tells herself there is 'no rush.'