Loose Threads

I recently was able to sit down with Ledo G. Prent for an interview, and it was... well, difficult to parse. Below is a transcript of our conversation on ...Between Two Interrogation Droids

What is your purpose, or direction, in life? Do you feel that you have a destiny?

Dunno bou' alla tha' fee-lo-so-phizin' shite. Us'ally Ah'm abou' 'alf a bottle of rum in, an' wedder tha' bottle's 'alf empty'r 'alf full, jus' depends on 'ow the cosmic winds blow. Neva did a lotta tinkin' abou' wedder Ah was comin' or goin' t' be frank. Ah s'pose Ah'm jus' here till Ah isn't, an tha' ain't a bad way t' be in me estimation. Keeps me honest, dunnit?


What is your occupation, exactly? How did you start out?

Dunno 'ow t' answer tha', on either account. Mos' blokes jus' call me a pirate an' be done wiffit. And sure, Ah's done me a share o' piratin'. But Ah do wha' Ah like. Always 'ave. If dere's credits innit, anna sure promise a' thrills, danger, fame, infame (da's a word innit?) an' pussy, den tha's a job for Ledo G. Prent, th' Rancor of Malastare. So Ah guess Ah had me job cre-dentials in me pocket when Ah was still on me mudder's teet. Jus' 'ad t' find an outlet. Can't say where Ah started, though. Beena lorra stiff drinks since den. But iffenit makes dis innerview sound sexy, you can tells em tha' Ah heisted me first treasure ship when Ah was th' sweet age a' ten.


How do you think reconnecting with your grown children is going? What sort of relationship are you looking to have with Sanis and James?

Dis 'ole daddy business ain't 'sactly sumtin' tha' Ledo'd planned for, y'know. Ah'm norra fadderly figure t' say th' least. Till jus' recen'ly, Ah figgered me brood a bastards was bes' wiffou' dere ol' man in th' picture. But seein's 'ow dey an' me 'as crossed paths, mus' be destiny at work. Ah ain't much t' look at, and Ah ain't got no creds Ah ain't pissed away, but Ah'd like to get t' know 'em, an' maybe dey wanna get t' know me. Ah takes it like Ah takes everyting, one day atta time.


Tell me about a job you've had that you really liked, and why.

So when Ah was a young buck, some geezer putta pre'ty penny onna...uh...fer-till-itty idol onna planet called Drongar. Ah hatched a caper t' nick it. Ev'ryting was comin' up roses, when orrasudden dese honeys come in th' temple forra sac-ruh-ment or sometink. Dey start'd pullin' off dere robes an' oilin' up, and singin' sweet as can be. Den dey passed aroun' dis pipe fulla...hoo!

Ah di'n't 'sactly finish tha' mission, come t' tink abou' it, heh heh heh. Still, it were nice. Dem birds took me forra a-vee-tar of dere fertility god. An' since Ah were abou' as 'igh as a star cruiser, Ah weren't abou' t' disagree.


Do you consider yourself a good man?

Dunno wha' tha' really means. Iffen y'mean did Ah follow th' rules an' stay wiffin th' lines, den fuck no. Ah've done me bess t' live a life wiffou' regrets. Course Ah've 'ad a few, but in me es-tee-mation, fewer still den most.


Where do you see yourself in a year?

Dead. Ah'm not bein' mel-o-dramatic love, stay wif me. See, ev'ry night when Ah've got enough wits t' reflect on tings, Ah tink 'Ledo good man, you've lived t' de hilt. But tha' ain't gonna last. Someone's bound t' put a bolt in ya tomorrow.' Ah wake up, ev'ry time. Bu', iffen Ah don't, tha's prob'ly fair. Ah've had more good days den bad. So, Ah fully expect ev'ry day to be me las'. Ah'm norra fa-ta-listic bloke, Ah'm just where Ah wanna be. Right now.

And now some questions for the man behind the character:

How long have you RPed Ledo?

Almost five years.


What do you enjoy most about writing him?

He's absolutely in the moment. There's a charming optimism when you get past all of his gross and offputting ways, and all of the incidental bits about him doing bastardly deeds. He's not a sociopath, but he's unshackled by morose downer moments.


In what way is Ledo like you, and how is he different?

We both plan the same way, which is to say, we don't plan at all. We're most comfortable when we let the chips fall where they may.

That being said, the most outlawish I've ever ventured was participating in a protest or illegally homebrewing by accident. I'm hardly suited for the life.


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

The accent is a nightmare and it takes forever to crank out his dialogue, but I like what Ledo has to say because he has this weird way of meandering with his recollections to almost make his past look like Gulliver's travels. He's absolutely not averse to hamming it up or playing to the crowd. At Ledo's heart, he's a storyteller and he wants you to be entertained.


Share something about Ledo not many people may know.

His alias / calling card "The Rancor of Malastare" was stolen from some unknown spacer. He found it written on a bathroom stall and fancied the moniker, and it's stuck with him ever since. He's never even been to Malastare, much less seen a Rancor.


(thanks!)

It's a pleasure!