There seem to be a few common misconceptions about how to portray Erinyes, so I (RL Erin) created this page as a reference for people who want to write IC Erinyes.
The Most Important Things (Short Version)
Personality
- Most of the time, Erinyes comes off as chill and prone to joking around, sometimes with an edge of sarcasm. She usually acts impulsively, but if she's in a leadership role, she's more inclined to be thoughtful. She doesn't go out of her way to provoke people, and will usually act dismissive towards those who try to do so to her, unless they present an actual threat (immediate or implied).
- Deception isn't really Erinyes' strong suit. She has a decent poker face when she needs to, but she usually leaves actual lying to people who are better at it.
- Erinyes has some degree of empathy—more so than is typical for a Sith, but not as much as most lightsiders. It's rare for her to lose her temper to the point of lashing out in anger, or to make people suffer for her own satisfaction.
- She also has some sense of honour and integrity, at least as far as keeping her promises and trying to look after anyone she considers "her people". That said, she's not above "dishonourable" behaviour when the stakes are sufficiently high.
- Pet peeve: The vast majority of the time, Erinyes goes by either her nickname, or a rank/title combo when it's appropriate (e.g. "Consul Ténama" from members of the Taldryan military). If someone unwittingly calls her by her given name, she'll tell them to call her Erinyes instead. Otherwise, the only people who call her "Seraine" are the ones who don't care what she prefers and aren't worried about her making an issue of it (mainly Grand Masters and fellow Elders), and/or are trying to provoke her.
Combat (ACC or Otherwise)
- When Erinyes fights, she has two modes: treating it as a game if an opponent is skilled enough to give her a challenge and she isn't pressed for time (see the "It's the Thrill of the Fight" Aspect on her CS), or finishing the fight as quickly as possible if she has other priorities (like during a mission) or it looks like it's going to be boring. She isn't above running if she gets in over her head.
- Erinyes' approach to most fights is to use her dual-phase standard/training lightsaber in her right hand, while leaving her left hand empty to grab her opponent, use Force powers, or whatever. If she's decided that the fight is for fun (which she would in most ACC battles, but less often in battlefield conditions), she'll use the training phase of her lightsaber. In situations where she's up against a large number of relatively non-threatening opponents (like a bar brawl), she may choose to fight unarmed instead.
The Most Important Things (Long Version)
Core Personality Traits
- Erinyes is a Dark Jedi because she's selfish, not because she wants to hurt others. I cannot stress this enough. Erinyes doesn't conform to the stereotypical "mustache-twirling villain" or "brooding teenage edgelord" depictions of a Sith. Like many people, she would rather do something she enjoys than be "responsible", and she tends to get away with it because not many people have historically had the power to hold her accountable for her actions (whether as a Force-sensitive growing up around non-Force-sensitives or as an Elder in the Brotherhood years later).
- Erinyes doesn't like to make people suffer, because she has too much empathy not to feel their suffering herself. Remember, the (Legends) reason Zeltros is a party planet is that Zeltrons experience others' emotions—not just perceive them, but feel them. The only time Erinyes goes out of her way to inflict pain is when she's angry enough that it drowns out her empathy. Otherwise, she'd much rather have fun.
- Erinyes is more impulsive than deliberate, but is learning to rein herself in. Being Consul during GJW XIV has prompted Erinyes to be more thoughtful and analytical when she's in a position of leadership in high-stakes situations. The rest of the time, she's driven more by her emotions.
- Erinyes has the full range of sentient emotions, and doesn't hesitate to express most of them. This kind of ties in with the first point, especially the "brooding teenage edgelord" reference. Erinyes has more moods than "seething rage" and "delighting in the suffering of her enemies". She gets bored and sometimes exasperated when she's at her "day job" doing a Consul's typical administrative duties. She compliments things she likes. She laughs at jokes, awws and squees over how adorable Harakoan polecats are, flirts with attractive women and feels disappointment if they don't reciprocate. It's rare for her to truly lose her temper (more on that below), but she'll readily express annoyance. The only emotion Erinyes tends to suppress is fear, because it tends to be a distraction at dangerous times.
Inspirations and References
Music
I don't exactly have a playlist that I listen to when I write Erinyes, but here are a sampling of songs that I think fit her well (links to YouTube):