mother x3 father x5 siblings x∞ tomas nyberg (biological brother)
Handedness
right
Gender
female
Orientation
asexual + heteroromantic
Relationship
single
Nationality
swedish
Speaks
english; swedish + other scandinavian languages; russian; polish
Species
metamorphmagus
Blood Status
half-blood
Eye Color
brown
Hair Color
platinum blonde (dyed) dark blonde (natural)
Height
5'0"
Model
veerle dejaeger
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Everything about Erin's appearance is as neat as a pin. From the sharp edge to her platinum-blonde bob (the natural blonde she previously sported was so uneven in tone, it drove her mad) to the red lipstick applied with exquisite precision every single day, the word which first springs to mind upon seeing her would most likely be clean. It's an extremely conscious effort on her part; looking dishevelled or scruffy is a major worry of hers, and it has manifested in Erin swinging too far in the opposite direction to the point where even the ghost of a makeup stain on her collar is enough to make her change the whole shirt. The paleness isn't just contained to her hair, with milk-white skin and a muted-colour wardrobe, but her eyes are purely her father's: dark, rich brown. Her height, on the other hand, is her mother's - barely reaching 5'1" on a good day. It sucks. She can't reach any of her bookshelves.
When disguising herself for cover when stealing, it's almost painful for Erin. She hates it; anybody else would enjoy experimenting with new hair and eyes and features but Erin can barely stand changing her appearance, and will shed herself of her cover as soon as physically possible. It feels so not her, so different to the image she's spent so long crafting to perfection, and you'll never see her looking any different than usual outside of doing her job.
HISTORY
TRAITS
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It's safe to say that Erin didn't have the most conventional upbringing. Pretty much everyone can say that about themselves - barely anyone has the nuclear family anymore, do they? - but there's a difference between parents breaking up or something and being raised in the situation Erin was: namely, a cult. No, it wasn't a cult. Maybe that's a bit strong. Cults need a leader, and Erin's never even met the person who brought everybody to that abandoned mansion in the Swedish countryside, all twenty-four of them existing amongst each other like it was the most normal thing in the world. Her definition of the word "family" is a little skewed; whilst the only biological family she lived with was her mother (mum #1) and her older brother Tomas, she was encouraged to consider every person in the house as her "family", which led to her somehow ending up with three mothers, five fathers and more siblings than she can count. She's not even particularly close to her real mother, preferring the company of mum #3, Eva. That's a bit weird, isn't it?
And as if being in a cult isn't wild enough, the cherry on top was finding out the shared occupation of everybody. You see, they're art thieves. Proper ones. As in, key players in one of the biggest black markets for stolen art in the whole of Europe. Any masterpiece that has disappeared from the wall of the Louvre or been swiped in transport between museums was more than likely their doing; in fact, any painting worth more than a million dollars that has gone missing in the past fifty or so years was almost definitely the work of one of Erin's family members. To say they're all Muggles, they've got the process down to a fine art, and it's left them absolutely filthy rich. Hence she grew up wanting nothing, at least in a material sense: whatever hyperfixation she developed, be it learning to play the harp or ballroom dancing or collecting Pandora bracelets, was easily funded without a second thought. Her family quickly learned they could easily keep her quiet and out of the way by providing Erin with whatever she wanted, and it's a trend that still continues - she receives a monthly allowance and it isn't small - but Merlin forbid somebody actually talk to her.
Things started to change by the time she hit eight years old. Her metamorphmagus abilities had shown themselves a couple times previously - little things she thought she was imagining, a strip of her hair turning brown or her eyes flashing blue when she was angry - but her magic came through good and strong when she, rather ironically, set fire to a painting that had just been stolen. A Van Gogh, of all things, utterly priceless, and she burned it to a crisp without ever striking a match. Her family was understandably horrified; they didn't understand what was going on, and had no idea how to deal with their daughter's newfound powers until a letter was dropped off saying that Erin was to attend Durmstrang Institute. Ah. That explains a lot.
A few weeks of research later, a golden opportunity was discovered by mum #3, Eva, who pointed out how dark and dreary Dumstrang looked versus the majestic turrets and sculptures of Hogwarts. Of course, aesthetics wasn't the main priority here; what really caught everybody's eye was that Hogwarts is basically a massive art gallery. And not just any art: moving portraits. Imagine how much they would fetch on the black market. It became clear to Erin right here and then, even at ten years old, exactly what was going to happen. She'd be shipped off to England, to boarding school or whatever other excuse the family could come up with, and attend Hogwarts with the sole purpose of being a plant used to steal portraits. It's pretty depressing to be that young and know you're being used, but oh well. At least she's useful.
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One of mother #2's - Linnea, the mean one - favourite things to call Erin was a "control freak". She first said it when Erin was six years old and couldn't sleep because the books on the shelf opposite her bed weren't lined up straight, and to be honest, it set the general tone for the rest of her life. To call Erin a control freak would be exaggerating a little; she has no desire to manipulate or control other people, far from it. Over her own life, though? She needs complete control. The aspect of Erin's personality which becomes clear very quickly upon meeting her is her neatness. From the preciseness of her signature makeup to the colour-coded apps on her phone screen, Erin needs everything to be organised. Everything. It's exhausting. Growing up around such chaos and uncertainty has led to her becoming fastidious to a worrying degree; it's virtually impossible to find a time to take her out because her day is timetabled down to the minute. Her dorm room is spotless, her Cantisfy playlists are extremely organised and she's not very adventurous when it comes to meals or her appearance, preferring to stay well within her comfort zone at all times. It has its perks - when your heists are as meticulously-planned as Erin's are, they tend to go off without a hitch - but the problems are glaringly obvious. Well. To everybody except Erin. She's fine just the way she is, thanks.
Unsurprisingly, growing up in a totally-not-a-cult screws with your social development a little. There was no sense of individuality amongst the family, at least not until she started showing signs of magic, so flying under the radar and blending in with the crowd is a skill Erin learned very early on in life - after all, the only person who is allowed to be special in a cult is the leader. Affection isn't something she's well-versed in, either. You'd think that having so many "family" members, biological or otherwise, would create a loving environment but it was quite the opposite: nobody had time for her, and so she spent most of her childhood just left to get up to her own devices, which was usually reading or playing an instrument or something equally as underwhelming. Socialisation isn't Erin's strong point, not by a country mile. Though she's whip-smart and naturally sarcastic, the words often get stuck in her throat - compliments are a huge no-no, and unexpected physical contact will probably result in her punching you or something. She doesn't give secrets easily, nor does she refrain from calling your music taste shit or your logic incorrect if it is. If you want to at least attempt a successful conversation with her, get her talking about something obscure and pretentious - French arthouse movies, maybe, or Asian art history. Or, just - you know. Be nice to her. Give her a chance. Merlin knows she hasn't been given enough of them over the years.
Her relationship with affection and niceness in general in a complicated one, as is her feelings towards loneliness. Is she lonely? Fuck yes. Does she like being alone? Yes. Well- it depends to what extent you mean alone. Erin both hates a crowd and needs it to survive - it's all she's ever known. The house was crowded and uncomfortable and nobody was allowed to be themselves, not even the girl who has magic powers and can change her appearance at will, so the scraps of praise she receives whenever she successfully steals a Hogwarts portrait is akin to a straight dopamine shot. She exists in that paradox of both wanting to blend in, so she doesn't feel so lonely, and stand out, so she doesn't feel so pointless. As much as she dislikes using her metamorphmagus abilities and rarely utilises them outside of work, the fact that she has such a power is deeply cherished to Erin, as it sets her apart from others. Her avid studying habits are born from the same feeling; her intelligence is not natural, rather developed and built-up from years of teaching herself since nobody else could be bothered to, and she enjoys having that edge over people. Regardless of how lacking her self-esteen is in most aspects of her life, at least Erin knows that she is far too talented to let herself disappear into obscurity. Maybe that's why she - secretly - enjoys stealing the portraits. It gives her something to be recognised for.
She really does want friends. Merlin, she wants friends. She just has no clue how to go about obtaining them. Genuine connections are confusing for her, and don't even get her started on whatever the hell her sexuality is - or rather, the lack of. Whatever. As if anybody would actually like her like that anyway.
RELATIONSHIPS
TRIVIA
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General
Boggart
mess (represented by tangled headphones wires)
Amortentia
that smell when you open a window and fresh air floods in; freshly-printed books; rotting wood
Patronus
butterfly
Wand
Interests
studying; making playlists; playing the harp
Pet Peeve
untidiness
Habits
over-working herself; tidying; humming under her breath
MBTI
intj
Star Sign
taurus
Dreams/Goals
escape the cult leave home
Favorites
Color
icy blue
Song
those [lofi / jazzhop / chill mix] videos
Show
marie kondo
Movie
coraline
Book
life of pi
Food
sushi
Drink
lemonade
*she has successfully gotten three people expelled by using their appearance when stealing. it's an effective cover.
*she timetables her life down to the minute in a meticulously-kept bullet journal.
*ironically, she can't paint for shit.
*she's an avid fan of the [lofi / jazzhop / chill mix] videos on flootube.
*she has so many phobias: heights, snakes, lightning, spiders just to name a few.
*she loves playing instruments, and is currently on grade 8 for piano and 5 for flute. becoming a classical pianist isn't out of the picture just yet.
*she has a studytube account, but doesn't upload as often as she should.
this character belongs to ellie | this template belongs to red
