erica sinclair

18, poly sci and math double major at harvard, smarter than you

[qxeenerica]

stvehrringtcn​:

location: family video open: to anyone

Steve did his best to play it cool half the time. He didn’t want people to see him falter – call it a consequence of years of always attempting to be the best – so when it came the murders, he tried to not let the paranoia seep in. It was easier said than done but it was either that or stay up at all hours of the night wondering if someone he cared about might be next. Part of that plan was throwing himself into his mostly useless work. A handful of movies tucked under his arm, Steve mindlessly slid movies back into their spots with a look of dread washed over his face. He didn’t turn around when a shadow came up behind him, sighing heavily as if he could predict who was there. “Before you ask, no. I don’t know which movies have the most blood and guts in them. Do all of us a favor and stick to Scooby Doo, yeah?” 

The weather had gone from the fall seen in family movies and fake commercials to a dull overcast sky and a ground perpetually soaked in just melted snow. An oversized black sweater hung off her slender frame, making her seem small even though she reached a height of five foot nine. At home she still felt small. With his last growth spurt, her brother had climbed to the unfortunate height of six foot four.

“Did Lucas tell you to say that? Or was it my mom?” Erica shot back. The Sinclairs had begun to discount Erica’s movie choices after she deceived them into watching Alien.

[qxeenerica]

troubledsouls​:

maybe erica was right. there weren’t a lot of people who thought that mike was particularly cool. he thought the party did, but that was where the list ended. “maybe, maybe not. i don’t have a lot of people to compare it to.” because, for as cool as mike might think he was, he didn’t know a whole lot of people who could fall into that category. “i heard you, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. i bet they think that i’m cool. at least… some of them.” none of them were particularly cooler than mike was so they didn’t particularly have a leg to stand on in thinking he wasn’t. “you’re not very cool either,” he pointed out.

Erica’s gut reaction was to remind him again that she went to Harvard, but that wouldn’t work for two reasons. One, he wasn’t Lucas. Saying she went to Harvard wouldn’t draw on sibling rivalry and cause him to get riled up the way Lucas did. Two, Harvard was kinda a school for nerds. Erica thought it was cool, but she did recognize that with the exception of a certain type of person, most of the other students had all been the nerds at their own high schools.\

“Agree to disagree. The popularity needed to win student council president implies some coolness.” Even as Erica said it, she cringed. “Lucky for you, whether you’re cool or not doesn’t really matter once you leave high school.” At least she didn’t think it did.

[qxeenerica]

troubledsouls​:

it wasn’t an untrue assessment, but mike frowned nonetheless. how was he supposed to make other friends when he didn’t like so many people? he was lucky he had the party, he thought. he didn’t have to think about things when he was with them. he could just act and it would all work out for the group of them. “or they think that i’m cool! that’s possibility - that i’m cool!”

he thought she was jealous regardless of what she was saying about it. sure, she could have more friends, but wasn’t it quality over quantity? he had the best group of friends he could ask for. scoffing at erica, he shook his head. “three people - i! we hang out with more than three people! you said it yourself. hellfire!”

“No one who’s cool has to say they’re cool,” Erica reminded him. By the time she finished talking, she was smiling more than she’d meant to. She’d never really thought about it, but perhaps that’s what her brother and the others liked about Mike - his goofiness or ‘uncoolness’ was sort of endearing.

“I did say it, but having been a member myself, I also said them accepting you was a mistake. Don’t forget that part.”

[qxeenerica]

shmackin​:

was it the smartest thing in the world for argyle to get seperated from jonathan directly after indulging in some purple palm tree ? no …. not in the least bit. but is that what happened ? yes …. yes it is. standing in the middle of the grounds, he stared blankly at a cardboard cutout of some skeletons …. convinced that they were dancing. his eyes felt watery as he continued to stare at them …. scared that if he took his eyes off they’d make a run for it.

it was only when he came to when he realised he was blocking the enterance to the corn maze, and also that someone had been tapping him on the shoulder. rubbing at his probably red eyes, he smiled down at the other. “ what’s up, brochacho !? ” he greeted before nodding. “ a hayride sounds righteous, dude !! i’ve never been on one of those before, my man. ”

Erica knew that greeting, but didn’t think she’d ever given it a try before. When in Rome though.

“Well, brochacho,” unable to stop herself from giggling a bit as she spoke, “I think you’re going to like it. I’ve been going on them since I was a kid and they’re honestly one of my favourite parts of the fair, aside from all the sugary food.”

As they approached the wagon, Erica eyed a free space and made her way towards it, looking over her shoulder to check her companion was still with her.

“It’s nice getting to sit back and relax, looking at all of the pretty foliage, the crisp fall breeze brushing against your cheek...” Erica trailed off as she sat down, smiling as memories of past rides floated by in her mind. “It’s really lovely.”

[qxeenerica]

troubledsouls​:

mike had come to the festival with his parents which meant his first order of business was to lose them. he cared about his mom and younger sister - ted could go either way - but it didn’t mean he would want to spend the entire day with them. hell no. he was trying to find the party and, as usual, none of them had stopped to consider talking about where to meet. shrugging it off, mike settled for wandering around until he found someone he knew. 

he didn’t, of course, find anyone on his own. no, erica found him. which would have been great - had she known where lucas was. she seemed to assume the party was together which was a safe bet, but mike hadn’t seen any of the party members today. then she asked the question before he did, tearing down any possibility mike would get information on that from her.

“your guess is as good as mine,” he said after a moment. “and just because we do a lot of things together doesn’t mean the party only hangs out with each other. it’s just … easier that way, you know? i think you’re just jealous we get to hang out with each other all the time and you don’t have someone like that.”

“Are you sure?” Erica continued. “Cause I’ve never seen you hang out with anyone else unless you count Hellfire, but I’m pretty sure they made a mistake accepting you and then felt too bad to kick you out after they realized their mistake.” She threw in a smile at the end - she always did. Throwing insults around was fun, but when push came to shove Erica would protect any of her brother’s friends rather than leave them out to dry.

“Hm, yeah, that’s it,” she laughed. “Between my friends from Hawkins High and my new friends from Harvard, I spend every Friday and Saturday night alone, wondering why I can’t spend all of my time with only three people like my brother does.”

[qxeenerica]

who: mike wheeler (@troublemakersxx​) where: hawkins cider mill when: october 8, 1988

Sure, there were other food options at the fair. The mill had a wonderful restaurant attached with much more sustaining meals available. There was also a corn on the cob stand that would give her one of her daily servings of vegetables that her mother had always reminded her that she was supposed to have. However, you just couldn’t beat freshly made doughnuts. They may have cemented her fate of a sugar crash in the near future, but God, classic honey glazed just couldn’t be beat in Erica’s eyes.

The stand was heaven on Earth for her before an all too familiar face appeared on her left.

“You know you can do things without each other,” Erica reminded Mike. She wasn’t sure exactly where her brother was at the moment, but from a conversation she’d eavesdropped on between Lucas and her mother, she knew the Party had plans to check out the fair together that Saturday.

“Where is Lucas anyway?” Unless something had changed in the past several hours, going for doughnuts at any given opportunity was a family trait.

[qxeenerica]

who: @shmackin​ where: hawkins cider mill when: october 8, 1988

To Erica, the corn maze required a certain frame of mind. You had to be focused and ready, because when she entered, it wasn’t just a relaxing stroll accompanied by a beautiful fall breeze. No. For her, it was a race. It was a test of determination and navigational skill, even though she logically knew it didn’t say anything about intelligence. She just liked to believe that because it felt so good when she beat her friends as the first one out.

For most people though, you could enter the maze with almost any frame of mind. Almost any.

At the entrance, just about to start his journey, Erica saw a man by himself who she did not think was in the right frame of mind to enter. Hawkins did not need another person getting lost in a corn maze after what had happened a few years ago.

Erica made her way over to him, deciding she didn’t need to do an exhibition run of the maze in order to beat her friends this year.

“Hey,” she tapped him gently on the shoulder. “If you’re looking for an adventure with some fall scenery, I think another hay ride is about to start and I don’t have anyone to go with. Wanna check it out?”

[qxeenerica]

buyatboatem​:

Jumbo Ask Game

Relationships

💖 Has your OC ever been in love, be it romantic or platonic or otherwise? Who with and did they ever express their feelings or keep it private? How long did these feelings persist / do they still feel this way?

❌ What kind of things would end any relationship for them? Is there a history behind why these things bother them? Could they ever take someone back despite this? If so or if not, why?

💋 How affectionate are they with their friends? Their family? Their romantic partner(s) (if they have any)? Are they more physical or emotional when it comes to displaying their affection? Why?

🌹 How easy is it for them to connect with others and make friends? On the flip side how easy is it for them to make an enemy of someone? Are they the kind of person who hangs around the food table at a party and never talks to anyone or are they the type who can talk to anyone?

🍒 What kind of things do they expect from their relationships? Does this differ between platonic relationships and romantic ones? Is your OC “demanding” or a door mat? What kinds of things do people expect from them in a relationship?

Preferences

🔥 Give us a list of general likes and dislikes, such as colours, textures, music, weather and other stuff!

🍊 What is your OC’s favourite meal? Snack? Dessert? Drink? Any reasons behind this besides liking how it tastes? What is your OC’s most hated food? Stuff they can’t stand to eat or drink?

🍑 Where is your OC’s favourite place to relax or calm down? Recount a story of their time spent in this place! What makes it so special to them? Is there anywhere your OC hates to go to? Anywhere that stresses them out or have negative memories of?

🧡 Who is your OC’s favourite person? Why is this person the top of their list and have they actually met them (an idol or rolemodel or celeb can be someone’s favourite after all!). Who does your OC absolutely hate, the one person who they’d sell to Satan for one corn chip? Why do they loathe this person so?

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun? What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

Emotions

😊 What can make your OC smile even when they’re feeling down? What cheers them up and makes everything feel better for them? Is your OC genrally a happy person and do they enjoy making others smile? What about your OC makes others happy?

⭐ What is your OC afraid of? Any crippling phobias or some such? How do they act when scared and what helps them calm down? Does anyone ever find your OC scary? Why?

🍋 Does your OC act petty and jealous easily? What sort of things make them feel like this and do they experience guilt for getting so worked up? How do they deal with these emotions when they get them? If your OC doesn’t feel like this often, why not?

📀 How easy is it to shock your OC? To confuse them? To lie to them, to manipulate them? How are they with feelings of trust? Can your OC be trusted?

💛 In general, how in control of their emotions is your OC? Do they have a good hold on them or do their emotions control them, not the other way around? What do you think is the reason behind this and is your OC ever concerned about their lack of or good control?

Mental Health

🌳 Compare your OC to themself from 10 years ago. How has their mental state changed since then, how have they aged and grown up? Would they say they’re in a better place than they were back then or do they need help? What advice would they give their younger self? What advice would their younger self give to them now?

🍏 Does your OC have any triggers? What is the history behind these triggers and are they related to any disorders or mental illnesses? In what ways does your OC react to being triggered?

🥝 What does a bad mental health day look like for your OC? Walk us through it with them. What kind of things can help them out of this slump and what kinds of things comfort them when they start to feel like this?

🍐 What is your OC’s mentality? Are they overall positive? Negative? A bit of both? Describe their thought patterns and reasoning behind their choice making!

💚 Talk about some of the traumatic events in your OC’s life. These events can be ones that have happened to them or a loved one. These events can be minor or major.

History

💧 What is the earliest memory your OC can recall? Do they know what their first words were or remember where they took their first steps? Do they have any mementos of their childhood they’ve kept such as a stuffed toy or tiny baby clothes?

🌠 Who was your OC’s first friend? Do they remember them or are they still friends now? Talk about some of the people your OC has lost contact with over the years. Do they have any regrets about losing these people and would they revist them if they could?

💙 What did your OC want to be when they grew up and why? Did they have any lifelong dreams or ambitions they never got to work on or are they currently working to achieve this dream? Has their life taken a very unexpected turn and put all these plans on hold for a while or have they given up on any dreams?

🌀 Where is your OC from? Where were they born? Do they still live there, if not why did they move? If they still live in the area how has it changed since their childhood? How many places has your OC lived in and where has been their favourite?

💤 What was your OC like as a baby, a child and as a teen? (if your OC is a teen or a child, what will they be like as an adult?). How have they changed since then? What lessons have they learned and what things about their youth do they miss the most? Do they have any general regrets?

This or That

🍇 Day or Night? Sun or Rain? Summer or Winter?

🛍️ Function or Aesthetic? Skirts or Pants? Heels or Flats?

🔮 Star gazing or cloud watching? Hand-holding or snuggles? Early mornings or late nights?

💜 Music or Silence? Swords or Spells? Cities or Nature?

🍆 Tea or Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Sweet or Spicy? Fruits or Vegetables?

Features

🌸 What does your OC’s voice sound like? Their laugh? Are they good at singing? Do they have an accent?

🎀 Do they wear a specific accessory with a special meaning behind it? What is their usual fashion sense like? What do they wear when they want to be comfortable and what do they wear when they’re going to a fancy party? Or do they just not care?

💗 What would your OC say is their best feature? Why? What do their friends / family / lover(s) / people they know think is their best feature and why?

🌺 Does your OC have any tattoos or other body art? Does their body art have any specific meaning behind it? Do they have any scars? How did they get those scars? Any birthmarks?

🌷 In what ways would your OC alter their body if they could? How would they do it using mundane means (hair dye, surgery, make-up?). What is their ideal look for themself?

[qxeenerica]

who: @thefreakmunscn where: rick’s records when: an afternoon in late july, 1988

The records gently fell against each other, their plastic casing making a soft fwoosh each time Erica flicked another one back. She didn’t know what she was looking for, or if she was even looking for anything in particular at all. She had finished the seventh chapter of her textbook a few minutes ago and was know simply browsing through the shop’s wares to pass the time.

A tall, thin woman dressed in a few different variants of deep mauve walked away from the register, satisfied with her purchase as Erica spoke, her eyes fixated on the records in front of her the entire time.

“Do you ever feel like a record is just meant for someone? Like it would be wrong if it went home with anyone else?” Erica lifted Appetite for Destruction from the bin and looked it over. “Do you think there’s one that’s just meant for me?”

[qxeenerica]

kallkali​:

there really wasn’t a lot that kali believed in.  she wasn’t taught to follow a religion or exact political party,  or even specific mannerisms.  to be protective of someone or care was something she learned all on her own  –  and man, she cared for erica.  it was probably the number one reason she hadn’t left yet and she knew she’d have to.  every moment spent with her was a moment she’d have to fight for.  it was a realization that she’d never let her get hurt even if they had smart mouths or got up to specific chaos between the two.  lucas didn’t get it.  kali owed her life;  so why couldn’t she owe friendship too?  erica was funny and smart,  and definitely sharper than a whip with comebacks. 

“i don’t need to ask if this is safe,”  kali laughed.  the sounds of creaking and screams should’ve been a warning but kali liked feeling alive.  the dropping of her stomach in fun rather than fear was a better feeling.  “but i might toss my funnel cake.”  this was her first time on rides,  much less like these,  and she couldn’t promise anything.

luck seemed to be on their side and she took it as a sign,  following to seat number seven.

climbing over her, she sat down with a plop and followed instructions with a keen ear.  “why?  will we fall out?” kali cackled,  noting the fact that that seemed both dangerous AND fun in the same stroke. 

“I’m smart and I’m choosing to ride.” Erica shot Kali a smirk as she answered, knowing full well that both her and the other girl knew that even though she was brilliant, that didn’t always mean she made safe decisions. Erica liked to think she took calculated risks, and she was pretty damn good at math.

She laughed Kali’s question. “No,” she responded, choosing to answer seriously. “But, we will get squished against the outside edge here,” she rested her arm on the top of the metal carriage wall beside her. “And there is nothing we can do to stop it, so it’s better just to give in from the beginning.”

[qxeenerica]

troubledsouls​:

it was a good question. he wouldn’t have known where either of his sisters was if someone asked him, but he was expecting erica to know where her brother was? when she brought up the walkie talkies, he smacked himself on the forehead. why hadn’t he thought of that? it could be the prospect of carrying a backpack all around the fair.

“no, but that would have been a good idea.” in the back of his mind, he knew erica was mocking him. of course, he should probably care more about that than he did. regardless, he had already started the conversation. “so you don’t have any idea? not the slightest?”

There was a moment of silence after Mike asked again, during which Erica simply stared him down, one eyebrow quirked higher than the other.

“Again, no - at least not really. I haven’t seen him since breakfast this morning. In the past he always really liked the swinging hammer game thingy and the one where you knock the bottles down, but I don’t know if he still does. That was when our parents used to take us.”

Erica was still at an age where her parents yelling across the street that they loved her as she went off to school or to hang out with friends felt embarrassing, but years from then she would look back on that and all of the other ‘cringey’ moments fondly, remembering what amazing parents they’d been.

[qxeenerica]

rhiagillenkerk​:

“Top Gun, huh?” Rhia glances down at the movie, before ringing it up for the girl. Working at The Family video had it’s perks, endless movies to rent and seeing what people liked to rent. To her, it was free entertainment, espically if it was something that seemed a bit out of character for the particular customer. “Look at you being a good sister and getting something you think the whole family would enjoy. The Gillenkerk clan doesn’t really roll that way. Lately we’ve been letting one person pick the choice for movie night and everybody else just has to suffer.”

Erica smiled and rolled her eyes every so gently at the compliment. She was being a good sister, but she could never quite silence the voice inside of her that told her to just say ‘fuck it’ and do exactly what the Gillenkerk clan did instead.

“If only. But I don’t think the repercussions would be worth it,” she said with a slight laugh. “If I could, I’d get Alien or A Nightmare on Elm Street, but I just know I’d get a comment from my mom about how that’s not an appropriate choice given...” Erica added, the last portion in a voice that sounded more like her mother’s than her own.

[qxeenerica]

troubledsouls​:

( @qxeenerica​ ) 

the second day didn’t have the same mystique as the first day had. no charming small town first date. instead, mike was in search of the other party members. as much as he loved them, they were also easily lost in a crowd and you could lure dustin and lucas away with the promise of candy like those men in the after school specials his mom had always tried to get him to watch. they promised him they would meet… somewhere and mike couldn’t remember where that was. he ought to, but… well. he got distracted when he saw a man with balloons. maybe he was as bad as dustin and lucas. 

he did spot someone familiar. walking straight up to erica, mike was sure she would have something to say. she always did. he looked down. there was nothing markedly wrong with his outfit she could comment on. there we go.he would be fine. “erica! where is lucas? did he tell you where we were supposed to meet up?” he would leave out the fact that he had forgotten.

Erica had just parted ways with some of her own friends when she was bombarded by one of her brother’s. At least that’s how she felt when Mike Wheeler rushed towards her through the crowd.

“Why the hell would I know? I’m not his keeper,” she questioned back. “No, he didn’t tell me. What, don’t you have your little walkie talkies to keep track of each other?”

Erica had teased her brother about the devices throughout his preteen years when they’d used them the most and had several times turned off her brother’s if he wasn’t around to quiet the crackly frequency. Erica would never admit it, but she actually found how they used the devices kind of cool. To their faces though she called them the prepubescent gossip girls of Hawkins.

[maclarensgifs]

[blueblccded]

@qxeenerica

[qxeenerica]

who: @rhiagillenkerk​ where: family video when: late july, 1988

Erica perused the shelves, looking for a choice that would at the very least placate everyone. When they were younger it’d been easy. Her mom would take Lucas and her to the video store, they’d run around the aisles, she’d politely but firmly - as only she could - tell them to slow down, and even though she said before they entered that they were only getting one movie, Lucas would get his pick and Erica would get hers. There was the odd time that they’d agree, but that was only on a full moon during the third week of the month.

Erica slid her choice, Top Gun, across the counter to the woman behind the counter. Erica knew her name and she was pretty sure they’d spoken before, but it was only ever in passing.

“It’s difficult to find a movie that everyone in the Sinclair household likes, but this should do it.”

[qxeenerica]

kallkali​:

there’s no true way to say thank you to someone who isn’t completely in the know. erica understood, probably to a point, and kali struggled with not telling her every aspect of her life before they had met. but never the less, kali had an appreciation (and adoration) for the other. she wouldn’t tell her that she had considered not coming at all; either out of fear or paranoia. the hug was nice, welcomed and returned instantly. “of course i did!” one night to blend in with the people of hawkins? it seemed like an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. kali grinned.

she didn’t know what they had been talking about before she rudely interrupted them but it seemed as if the tension was only building. fighting might be fun but tonight needed to be fun in a different way. it was the first time she had seen such things outside of books and videos shown in the lab, and erica deserved fun just as well. never mind that the tickets were stolen in some form or another. “pick your poison.” because she knew nothing outside of bumper cars and funhouses.

kali shook her head no. “i think i’ve seen them but i’ve never ridden them.” another thing erica would come to learn about her. “how about both.”

Erica laughed, smiling bigger than she had before. There was something that had just clicked when she met Kali. A connection - perhaps a fearlessness, though Lucas would say it was a lack of common sense - that Erica didn’t have with her other friends and family. Erica didn’t believe in astrology or the red string version of fate, but if such a thing did exist, then there was certainly a thread tying her and Kali together.

“That sounds perfect,” she said as she lead her friend towards the neon light studded death trap.

The two girls ran to the end of the line as the attendant was directing patrons to board and were one of the last few to make it on that round. Perhaps there was a God.

Erica darted towards the seat with her lucky number on it, number seven. It being Kali’s first time on the Scrambler, Erica decided to be nice and let her have the inside seat. Erica sat down on the iconic diner red leather and pushed herself up against the outside edge.

“Here,” Erica patted the space next to her. “Trust me, you don’t want there to be a gap between us once the ride starts.”

[qxeenerica]

phixconners​:

The night was loud as the blonde looked around, trying to get a sense of her surroundings. She had lost Julia in the crowd and honestly the girl was getting a little irritated. Her headaches had been coming back more frequent and she could feel one coming on with all the carnival lights around. 

Smelling food, Ophelia figured it could help her mood. Walking over, she ended up in line waiting for an elephant ear before checking to make sure she still had her wallet on her. Feeling someone bump into her, she sighed and turned around. 

“Walk much?” The edge to her voice shouldn’t have been there, but it was. “Look where you’re going next time.”

Erica was drunk. Not on alcohol, but on the sugar and adrenaline high of fair food and the possibility that one of the dangerous rides she chose to brave could break at any moment. Kali had decided to embarrass the same group of boys that Erica had been winning an argument against earlier at a strength-based fair game. While it was fun to watch overconfident men realize they were going to lose to a girl, Erica was also in need of another hit, so she decided to weave her way through the crowd to get another dose of cotton candy.

As she did, her shoulder collided with another girl’s. An obligatory sorry was about to leave Erica’s mouth (her mother raised her right) when the other girl spoke first and curbed her routine polite gesture in its tracks. “Excuse me? Have you ever heard of staying out of the flow of traffic? It’s just common sense.” Bitch. In a rare show of restraint, Erica kept the last bit to herself.