Jyoti

Full Name: Jyoti "Joy" Verwey
Pronunciation: Jyoh-tee Ver-wee
Nickname/Alias: Joy
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Birthday: January 10
Zodiac: Capricorn
Ethnicity: South African/Indian
Species: Caracal
Orientation: Homosexual
Marital Status: Engaged to Parry Bisset
Preferred Hand: Left
Occupation: Carpenter on the Sunbird
Eye Color: Turquoise
Hair Color: Dark brown, almost black
Hairstyle: [cough]Luscious[cough] Long with a slight wave. Meticulously groomed.
Body Type: Ectomorph
Build: Lean but solid
Height: 5'8'' (WITH Ears)
Distinguishing Features: Long tufted ears, white banding around eyes
Health: 100%
Memory: Sharp as a tack (Eidetic memory)
Senses: Keen
Allergies: None
Handicaps: He has a small bit of early onset arthritis, especially in his knees. Hip injury (healing) causing difficulty in walking.
Phobias: Unnerved by moths
Addictions: Mild gambling addiction. Currently a little too dependent on laudanum.

Immediate Family: Amala (née Bhasin) Verwey (Mother; Alive); Masozi Verwey (Father; Alive)
Upbringing: Parents are both scholars who are very much in love with each other and their work. Jyoti was named for the extra joy he brought to their life through the sole miracle of being born. He has never known anything but love and validation.
Skills/Talents: Counts cards (eidetic memory), good with hands/building, good visualization skills, good listener, charmer
Likes: Potjiekos, Koeksisters, gambling, socializing, architecture, wood working, chess
Dislikes: Thinking too much about his own problems, guilt trips, passive aggression, lack of boundaries
Sense of Humor: He has one and employs it often
Superstitions/Beliefs: Cutting hair/nails on saturdays brings bad luck; Crow shit brings luck in money; The mourning family of a dead person should not cook food until shraddha
Quirks: Collecting trinkets; Everything has a place and there is a place for everything; Is likely to punch first and ask questions later at ears being touched/pulled.
Languages: Afrikkans (Fluent), Hindi (Fluent, native tongue), English (Fluent). Usually defaults to Hindi curses/terms of affection. Knows bits and pieces of other languages common in India, though not enough to hold a real conversation in. Can have a passable conversation in Dutch.

Extended
Jyoti grew up in a household that was about as healthy as an environment as one could have. They were not super well off with his parents both scholars that preferred doing work to better their communities and understandings instead of exploiting their ability to spread knowledge. They lived simply, lacking any real extravagances but being rich in experiences. They taught him the love of exploring, how to set personal boundaries, and most importantly encouraged him to be himself. He was often told he could do anything he wanted in life.

If there was something that Jyoti wanted to learn, his parents would do everything they could to give him that education. From a young age, Jyoti was fascinated with anything he could do with his hands. Blocks were his friends and those blocks evolved to being carved up with knives as he was old enough to learn to wield the blades. And then those blocks became beautiful objects eventually.

He became an apprentice to a local carpenter as a young teenager after bothering him incessantly with questions as a youngster. It was building something from nothing that brought Joy his joy.


Jyoti has a mind like a trap. It is constantly working on some problem, somewhere and it is unsurprising that he is always seeking the next thrill. He learned early on that keeping track of things was a skill of his and employed it in counting cards. Gambling eventually turned into somewhat of an addiction and while he is very good at it, it is not always good to him. Winning too much often leads to cockiness and Jyoti is not above that emotion. When cockiness becomes too high, one must fall, and so his pattern with gambling follows highs and lows. It's about 50/50 whether he owes money to someone or not.

At the crux, Jyoti is a kind person. He lives to experience joy wherever he can. He is tenacious, resourceful, ambitious, and constant. He enjoys looking at things from all the angles he can and because of this he often gives great advice. Not that he follows his own.

He has a strong sense of community and framework and feels best when he is contributing positively to the community that he is in. He needs to be useful. Everyone has their place, after all. He will feel most secure when he feels he is doing his part. If he feels as though he is not doing enough, he will just...do more. And if someone doesn't tell him that he is doing enough, he can try to bite off more than he can chew. It's not uncommon to see him with too many projects on his plate.

Jyoti is a good, loyal friend and someone you want on your side in a bind. If you need something done, it is this steadfastness that he possesses that makes him the best to go to. It'll get done, if possible, and it will get done well.

Other Notes

• Pacifist
• Can get possessive of people he cares for
• Can bluff his way into and out of most situations
• Impulsive, sometimes to a reckless degree
• Joy has a love of learning and will listen for hours to anything that interests him. If he ever settles down, he will have an amazing library.
• Sarcasm is an often used tool in his belt when he's upset
• Prone to absentmindedly taking things apart when anxious.
• Picks up language easily when his mind is set to it.
• Gives great hugs, apparently.
• Writes to his parents weekly. Still corresponds with his Master and runs very difficult projects by him.