What do you like writing as on JvS?

To be honest, this is kind of a hard question to answer. I love writing, it’s one of my favourite pastimes and something I would eventually love to turn into a career. However, when it comes down to what character archetype I love writing as here on JvS? Its almost impossible for me to nail anything down, without wanting to say that another type is my flavour of the week. I guess you could say that’s why I’ve written almost every type of character over the years that I’ve posted things here on JvS; Jedi, Sith, Mandalorian, Mercenary, Republican, Imperialist, Smuggler, Terrorist, Law Enforcement Officer, Scientist, Doctor, Inanimate Asteroid, et cetera.

Yet, while it would be exciting to write a Jedi or a Sith again, I feel most comfortable in writing a Gun for Hire. Someone who lives upon the boundaries of the (Seemingly Non-Existent PC) Law, trying to earn a living for himself and anyone else he will, and or would, eventually attach himself too. Sure, he could become a Jedi or Sith, if he was drawn to either of their banners, but his ignorance about his enhanced senses makes Naiad a joy to write. I kinda grew tired of writing a supreme being that knew almost all of his limits or someone bound to the whims of another. (Who had little interest in how he operated, as long as it was within the designs laid out.)

With this character, I’m not only able to go where I would’ve been previously unwelcome, but I’m able to develop the organization he came from some more. Like the history and culture of the Sun Guard’s, which were barely touched on in Canon. Yeah, some of their most defining features were rolled into Palpatine’s Royal Guards down the road, but so too were a myriad of other cultures. So not only do I get to play a character free of any ties save the ones I make, but I get to dive into an obviously non canon interpretation of a barely touched, and influential band of brothers.

That, to me, is what I like writing here upon this wonderful - disorganized little sandbox.

Writing in the criminal world (smuggler/bounty hunter) has been a liberating joy, although I suspect a lot of the enjoyment I've gotten from it has to do with how simple I've kept Liya's life, rather than the exact genre. Rather than getting tied down with controlling planets or cities or armies or fleets, or worrying about lots of NPCs or politicians, I've kept everything small: what she can carry on her back or in a small freighter. If it can't be relocated at a moment's notice, then it's too big and too limiting.

That's not to say that the big political, military, and economic structures of the galaxy aren't also fun. I've written them in the past, and they can be enjoyable. But writing a character who is actually vulnerable and has to think on her feet if she wants her next meal has opened up a surprising level of character development for me.

That's a good thought, Cuyan. With as much as I write Mandalorians, I have never really thought of them in that manner. I know it's true, every bit of it, just I wasn't focused on that part. You are what you earn; nothing more and nothing less. Mandalorians are as fair and equal as they come. With that said, I'm strongly tempted to change my answer to my very own poll to Mandalorian as that is just another reason to like them so much.

Sith.

In general, we are all good people. We follow the rules, obey the laws, have a moral code that guides and encourages us to do right in our daily lives. We do not kill. We do not destroy. But we all feel anger. We have all been wronged. We have all felt stepped on at some point. And certainly, we have pondered revenge. We have craved vengeance. We have wanted to mete out justice. However, for the most part, people do not take those chances because of the consequences. Because we choose to be better than our childlike urges.

I prefer Sith because I get to explore the dark side of the human psyche. The kind of person whose moral code gives permission and encourages the basest form of action. To show that although they are horrible specimens of humanity, they struggle with the same things we all do. They just make a different choice.