Loose Threads

I recently sat down with Jedi Padawan Ndonsa, for a quick chat about her life with the Jedi. Below is a transcript of our interview on...Between Two Interrogation Droids

You grew up in a society that's very different from the Jedi way of life. What about life on Ossus have you found most difficult to adjust to?

It is difficult to not be in charge. Even if I was never fully shaman, I was training to be shaman and my tribe and the tribes around us knew me. This is a position of respect. I do not have this with the Jedi. I am the ...low man on the pole here. Young children laugh at me because I am different, sometimes when they think I do not see them. This is difficult.

How do you get along with the other mongooses on Ossus?

I do not spend a lot of time with the others like me. We are not much alike. I 'get along' with them, but we are not exactly friends. Not as yet, anyway. The other females I have not even met.

Not to make you kiss and tell, but anything you'd like to share about your experience with Hal?

Kiss and tell? Oh, I understand. He is very... energetic. When we are together we are together, and when we are not I do not see him much. When I first arrived on this planet he was feeling a great need. I have this ...need as well, so we take care of each other. It is very enjoyable.

How do you feel about visiting other planets in the galaxy?

It is still hard to think of the galaxy as a big black space filled with different worlds. I have been in space, and I have left my home planet and Kuf behind, but it still sounds like a tale told around the fire. I would very much like to visit other planets with my master, Anbira.

What is the most important thing you learned in the course of your Repeating Day?

This is spoilers. But most importantly I learned that the Force guides us - yet we make our own decisions. Decisions have many consequences and I need to be mindful of the... ripples in the pool I cause when I throw in a rock. This is a metaphor.

Is this wisdom?

I believe that wisdom happens when you realize that you are not wise at all, and you seek guidance from those who know more than you.

And now a chat with the woman behind the character:

How long have you RPed Ndonsa?

My first post with her was in July 2012, so almost three years? The last three years have been fairly slow, RP wise, here on the boards, so my actual thread count with her is still low.

What do you enjoy most about writing her?

I enjoy her simplicity, which does not mean that she isn't a very complex character. Ndonsa simply brushes aside your nonsense and cuts to the chase. There is a lot going on between her ears, and she has an outsiders perspective on all the shenanigans on Ossus, which is refreshing to write.

In what way is Ndonsa like you, and how is she different?

Ndonsa is perhaps the most unlike me of my characters. She is fearless while I am shy, she speaks her mind with honesty (Okay I do tend to speak my mind as well), and she doesn't care what other people think. I can get into a mental loop of 'oh no everyone hates me aaaah backpedal! no frontpedal! I overshared! I didn't share enough! Better talk some more to cover up how awkward I am!' anyway, I envy Ndonsa her confidence.

Do you make any writing/stylistic choices for Ndonsa that make her distinct from other characters that you write?

For Ndonsa I try not to use words in my writing that she wouldn't know the meaning of, even outside of the dialogue. I don't use four words when one will do. Sometimes I've written a post, then I look at it and delete most of it, leaving just the bare bones behind. She's very concise.

Share something about Ndonsa not many people may know.

When Ndonsa throws her scrying bones (finger bones or knuckles) from the bag on her waist, she is actually using the Force to read into them. She can be quite accurate. Also, one of the necklaces she wears is a source of shamanistic (dark) power - it is made entirely of the teeth of long vanquished Kufu enemies of her tribe. She has not tapped into it since she has been on Ossus.