Answered the character development questions on this UnVale post for the Pet Projects cast. Here's Veli's!
1. a) How does Veli see himself, b) how do others see him, and c) what is the truth?
a. Veli sees himself as a good person – kind, considerate, polite and a help to others. The L&F is his third family, and he already identifies himself as a part of it.
b. A complete outsider would be impressed by his politeness and friendliness, but his accent and animal features would strike him/her as strange.
To a member of another gang, he is as an oddity who doesn’t belong. He’s too trusting, a sheltered house pet, gullible…or, at worst, an easy target.
Shay considers him one of her adopted children. She recognizes that his kindness could be taken advantage of, but she also treasures it.
Tristan believes he’s a good kid, but he can only see his naïveté as a liability.
Everett sees him as his little brother and a buddy to hang out with. He does feel he’s too soft, though, and not cut out for gang life.
Avery would describe him as a nice person, understanding and curious. He’s fun to teach and to explore with. Because he goes out of his way to learn about him and shows interest in his likes and dislikes, Avery considers Veli his first friend. He also is grateful to him as one of the people who saved his life.
c. Veli is a bright, caring and optimistic kid who looks for the good in others and strives to do good toward them. However, he doesn’t realize how much danger his overly-trusting nature could bring to both him and his gangmates.
2. What is his main goal?
His biggest goal for the moment is to get to know his found family better and become closer with them, which will help Shay make the L&F a safe space for everybody.
3. What is his clothing style, and why does he wear what he wears?
He’s new to life on the streets, and his main outfit is a matched jacket-and-pants set he got from the man who took him in after he was kidnapped and spliced (whom he affectionately calls his “grandpa”). He’s a bit sentimental about these clothes and takes good care of them. He tries to coordinate any new clothes that he gets with this set.
4. What are his strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths:
Kindness: He is the peacemaker of the group and gets along with pretty much everyone.
Weaknesses:
Naïveté: He’s slow to doubt and ignorant of the dangers of street life. Coupled with his curiosity and warmth, this makes him easy to take advantage of.
Both Strength and Weakness:
Adventurousness: Veli is always on the lookout for something new and interesting. He’s very open-minded, ready to try new things and inquisitive about people.
5. What kind of person does he have the potential to grow into?
If his naïveté gets his found family into trouble, he would regret it deeply. He wouldn’t become completely distrusting because he’s seen in Tristan how that opposite extreme is also harmful; but he would learn to temper his kindness with caution. He could become a unifying force – and not just within the L&F.
