Welcome to Gaia! ::

Name: Erica Griffin

Nickname: n/a

Age: 24

Birthday: March 30

Sign: Ares

Gemstone: Aquamarine / Bloodstone

Blood Type: O+

Fav. Food: Roasted corn on the cob and grilled pineapple.

Hated Food: Bugs. She honestly can’t wrap her mind around people who put grasshoppers in their cookies. Protein or not… that’s just - nope

School: At the age of 16 Erica volunteered as an EMT at the local hospital for about three years. Once she became a senior in highschool she stopped and took of running start courses and went to a community college to finish her associate's degree. With a DTA she transferred to a local university and got a degree in criminal justice. She has since graduated and completed her training at the police academy by the age of 22.

Hobbies:
Target practice and shooting competitions: A hobby out of necessity, Erica spends at least 8-10 hours a week at the range and participates in at least one tournament every other week. She has placed in a few 3-gun competitions; although her accuracy was fine she was often beat out by people who were simply faster. While she is proficient at a semi-automatic rifle and shotgun she will always prefer a handgun if given a choice.

Volunteering: Erica volunteers one to two times a week at either a YMCA or Boys and Girls club for at risk youth. While most of the kids know that she is an officer, she tends to come dressed in normal civilian clothes. The reason behind this is because many of the teens and younger youth have a negative connotation with the uniform and associate it to incidents that have happened in their childhood. It is her goal to break that perception and teach them that officers are people too and whether or not she is in uniform, she will be there for them as they are our future.

Self Defense: Over the summer Erica teaches both a women's self defense course and a few gun safety courses. Proceeds are split between the DCPD and the two youth programs she volunteers at. Outside of this though she usually, if time allows, signs up to take advanced self defence and martial arts classes. She understands her own physical limitations and has seen this as a way to make herself more adaptable to situations that would otherwise be place her in a disadvantage. Many of the criminals she has come up against have been bigger than her in both size and muscle mass; while she is fit, Erica is not buff which means her strengths must lie elsewhere.

Hiking / Camping: While her other hobbies have a more practical application or motivation behind them this one is purely for the pleasure of getting away. Going on day hikes up the mountain to secluded lakes and waterfalls is a more frequent adventure she partakes in; so long as the trails are open and there is no impending storm on the horizon. Camping, on the other hand, is reserved for three day weekends and usually if a family member or friend is available to go with her. On occasion she will go alone but it is definitely more fun with a partner.

Virtues:
Deescalate: In a good cop bad cop situation Erica usually opts for the good cop role and is often the one called upon to de-escalate a situation. Regardless of whether or not she is in uniform, it is essentially ingrained in her DNA to step in and help calm a person down if they are upset or agitated. Be it a 40 year old man threatening to beat the s**t out of a person or a 7 year old child throwing a tantrum she uses calming tones and gentle touches (if she dares get that close) to bring the other person into a more sensible state of mind.

Positive: Erica has seen a great deal of thing that would normally scar a person in her relatively short life. She has squared off in front of the ugliest parts of humanity which have each affected her in their own capacity however she has still managed to see the light at the end of that long narrow dark tunnel. While it is a person's past deeds and achievements that define them, it is how they live their lives and who they wish to become that matters most. Nearly everyone is capable of being better than they were before, and deserving of a second chance at redemption (which is why she is often an advocate for parole). Yes, many have challenged that viewpoint and in situations they would be correct; some things are not redeemable such as murder. But everyone has at least some goodness in them.

Flaws:
Masks: Erica is a puzzle that is not meant to be figured out. Years of experiences have forced her to build up walls around her heart and emotions; walls that do not come down easily. Hidden behind a smiling face and a positive attitude is a woman who has seen her fair share of scenes unfold that are not meant for table discussions. While not many know her history prior to joining the police force, she can relate to several of the victims more than she lets on.

Competitive: While Erica may argue that she just has high standards for herself the truth is she really hates to lose (come in last or first eliminated) but even more aggravating than that is if someone offers her a handicap or just lets her win to circumvent any brooding attitude she might have after the event. There is a legitimate reason for this however for those who don’t know her history or profession it can come off as an unreasonable response. While she doesn’t resent the other person, despite their belief, for besting her (unless they boast about it) she will spend up to an hour, sometimes longer, analyzing every move made to figure out where she went wrong.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Eyes: Silver

Hair: Purple to cyan ombre. Her hair is about hip length and is mostly straight but the ends tend to curl.

Face: She has a oval face with more narrow eyes; not the big round teenage anime eyes.

Clothes: DCPD officer uniform, or nondescript rather ordinary clothes solid color shirts and jeans. Comfort over style.

Looks good to me! Have fun!