- Please provide a brief (at least one short paragraph) backstory for your character.
Halfway between salvager and freelance mechanic and all the way to space-faring life enthusiast, Vels' career as a scrapper and technician is less undercut by his impulsive and carefree nature than it ought to be - all thanks to a mysterious aptitude for all things mechanical. From an early age in the technology-dense shipbreaking yards of Bracca, interacting with all manner of machines was as natural to him as breathing, and more natural to him than common sense, many would say.
Prodigal skill is often counterbalanced by something, and his own personality was the main sabotage toward any sort of major and stable break with the New Republic or otherwise. He's brash, impetuous, and seems dissonantly cheerful even when things are going wrong. His inability to read the room or think along normal lines has alienated plenty of people-
Yet the Jedi who discovered him would see through his social difficulties when the young man swooped in to repair their vessel free of charge out of nothing more than an eager glee to work on an unfamiliar machine and a desire to lend a hand - that he in fact wears his earnest desire to help others on his sleeve. A well meaning troublemaker and a brave, stubborn adventurer, recognizing the quiet, subtle way in which the Force has guided his hand leads him now to Dantooine... - Why does your character want to be a jedi?
Mysticism and the Force are definitely secondary to the idea of being part of a group of individuals doing good across the Galaxy on their own terms. Plus, he's out of work anyway.
- Are
there aspects of your character’s background (people, events, places)
that were more formative to your character’s current personal
development? Being a Braccan, Vels practically grew up buried in sheer metal and half-disassembled technology. He learned how to put things together - but also how to take them apart. What needs fixing and what needs rebuilding is the lens that he tends to view the world through.
- Describe the kinds of personal relationships you might have had in your past? While his home life was mostly free of strife and allowed him to grow up emotionally healthy, he has difficulty building close relationships to others for the simple fact that his brash and blunt, impetuous demeanor tends to annoy people away. He's good natured to a fault, so it's hard to hate him, but the salvager community has a mixed view on him overall.
- What is most Jedi-like about your character? What is least Jedi-like about your character? The most Jedi-like thing about Vels is his sense of wonder and eagerness to learn and experience new things. The least Jedi-like thing about Vels is his reckless abandon and his complete lack of mental discipline or appreciation for rules.
- Does your character have a strong idea of the Force? Do they experience it in a certain way or is it a mystery to them? The Force to Vels has always been in the underside of his life, manifesting as helping him feel the energy output of the durasteel and plasma conduits around him. Making that feel more than a vague manifest will be a large part of his journey.
- Some
characters have dark (or great) secrets that they keep locked away from
even their dearest friends. Does your character harbor a great regret
or a secret aspiration that is central to their character? For all his many flaws, Vels lives his life unabashedly - even when maybe he shouldn't. Dark secrets aren't his problem - it's being too honest.
- What elements of your character are you most excited to explore, whether narrative or mechanical?
Unconventional solutions, how the Force interacts with Droids, technology - being a more physical and material Jedi while struggling with the cerebral and mystical sides.
- Does your character have a long-term plan, mechanically? Grabbing Scavenger to serve a niche role is the most immediate plan long term, with a focus on Manipulate - aside from that, whatever comes about!
- The
Dark Side tempts each Jedi differently. How does it prey upon your
character's emotional weakness and what makes them susceptible to it? Vels fixes and breaks things. He easily lets his desire to do that get out ahead of his good sense at times. That, and if the issue is a person? The temptation to remove them and 'fix' the problem would be present. Callousness and cruelty make him angry as anything, and he might just act on his anger without thinking about the consequences.
- Would you rather start your character as an Initiate or as a Padawan? Initiate.