I live on the edge of Crestone Colorado at the foot of the Sangre De Cristo mountains. I chose this location because of it's remoteness. It has a population of only 120 people and for the most part, nobody there happens to know or care about my past. The land there was also cheap and I was able to purchase a couple of scrubby acres with some of the money I made doing odd jobs after getting out of jail. Also, due to the size of the community and lack of available services in the area, I am able to make enough money to feed and clothe myself modestly by being a handyman.
I work as a handyman for the small population of Crestone Colorado. They are remote enough that I don't have any real competition, and there aren't any hardware stores around, so I get steady enough work (low paid as it is) to support myself. Most of my money goes towards food (I'm vegan) and water. I don't have any real luxuries. The only thing I splurge on is making sure I have a good pair of boots, and an tools for my work. I also sporadically receive some money from The Planeteers who help to support me after I was arrested fighting for their cause.
Ted is devoted to ridding the world of its number one polluters. Billionaire executives, Oil Companies, Pop Stars who take their private jet to the supermarket, they are all responsible for slowly killing the earth. While in prison he became a devoted follower of Gaea and swore that upon his release, he would devote himself to saving her from those who would do her harm. Ted would absolutely kill to achieve this end, but he would not do it in a way that could potentially cause more harm to the earth or it's natural areas. Ted knows that one person alone, or even a small group of normal people would struggle to make the kind of change he wants to see in the world, so he had become a contractor with the hopes of acquiring gifts that will allow him to become a true champion of Gaea.
The time I spent in the foster system exposed me to both the cruelty of humanity and to those who would protect others from that cruelty. Through this upbringing, I met The Planeteers and found purpose in being an eco activist. I eventually became fully radicalized and without being asked to do so, decided to try to blow up the private jet of an oil executive. Being a kid, I didn't get very far and was arrested at the executive airport with my homemade bomb. I spent 16 years in jail for attempted murder. While in Jail, I spent time reading up on The Occult, ancient religions and Arachist movements throughout history. This all shaped who I am today.
Ted is mostly a loner and doesn't generally like to be around a bunch of people. Despite this, he does have a few people in his life:
Alexa (most important): The closest thing to a love interest in Teds life. She lives on the plot of land that borders his and is the only person that Ted interacts with almost every day. She is a free spirited hippie type who shares many of Ted's values, but would not/does not condone his use of violence to achieve his goals. She has some goats and cows on her property that Ted likes to visit as an excuse to see her. Ted also suspects that she occasionally breaks something in her Tiny Home just to get him to come over and fix it. They occasionally have dinner together at her place.
Chris: Ted's buddy who lives in "downtown" Crestone and runs the bar/hotel there. He is in his 30's and is a kind, lighthearted type of guy. He is a bit high-strung and a clean freak, but these traits just make him a better business owner. Ted likes to go into town and visit him, and Chris always lets him drink free at his bar.
Kevin: An old man who lives even further on the outskirts of town than Ted does. He's basically a hermit, but Red managed to befriend him and doesn't charge him for the maintenance he does on his place. Kevin lives in an old two bedroom cabin on a heavily wooded lot. He likes to complain about the government, conspiracy theories and aliens. Kevin will shout at anyone who even walks close to his property line and only allows Kevin to come visit. The mailman stopped coming to his house years ago, so Kevin licks up his mail from a PO box in town and brings it to him a few times a week along with some groceries.
As a kid, I never had the experience of being in love, then I went to prison where I kept to myself and was surrounded by only men. Now that I am an adult, and out of Jail, I find myself falling for my neighbor Alexa, and I think the feeling might be mutual, but it's still early. I visit her almost every day, and she always finds a reason to invite me over. Shes wonderful, but it's almost a little scary caring so much for one person. She is one of the only people that does t judge me negative out my past and simply cares about me for the man I am now.
Ted is terrified of failing Gaea and not living up her expectations. Ted is also afraid of his friends getting caught up in the fallout of one of his contracts. Ted also doesn't want to go back to prison and lose more of his life behind bars. All of this comes down to failing or failure in general being his deepest fear. He feels like he failed when he was caught and went to prison years ago, he feels like he failed to be adopted as a kid and he can't handle failing in such a grand way again. This is what is on his mind all the time, it's what keeps him up at night, and it's what comes up in his nightmares. These things are teds biggest fears, but in many ways, they also motivate him to push his boundaries and never give less than his all in high stress situations. Beyond this, now that Ted knows that many of the occult things he spent so much time reading about are more real than he imagined, he also fears certain occult phenomena that may become reality. Generally this could be considered a fear of the known unknown, the curse of knowledge.
-The patch on my jacket was given to me.by the person that brought me into the Planeteers.
-A book on the occult that was the only possession I got out my time in prison, but also sparked my interest.
-My trailer which is the only home I've ever had to myself in my whole life, modest as it is.
-My property in the middle of nowhere that gives me the space from the rest of the world that I so crave and a close was to nature.
Ted doesn't have many possessions and that has been the case for much of his life for one reason or another. As a result, the few things he does get are always very cherished and looked after. Likewise, because of his small home, he doesn't hang onto things that don't have deep meaning, or high levels of utility. Ted is a simple man in this way.