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kendrixtermina · 5 years ago

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Assorted House of Feanor Thoughts

I wrote this as a reply to someone, but then realized that this should be a post of its own.

Line between extrapolation, interpretation & headcanon is going to be fluid here

Long post under cut

The seven sons in general:

all moody, fierce, intense and brilliant, each in various different ways

none of them can really stand to be cooped up in one place for long

F R E C K L E S you will not convince me otherwise

Apart from the ones explicitly described as pretty (ie, Maedhros and Celegorm) they’re actually relatively plain by elf standards, or at least sort of rugged-looking, especially compared to their part-Vanyar cousins - I mean, figures that some would turn out more like Miriel or Nerdanel both of which were supposedly more average.

all are very resourceful having spent most of their lives helping out with their parent’s projects, exploring the wilderness, or (save for Celegorm) hanging out in Aule’s halls. Most can probably whip up a steampunk or magitech solution to basic war-related problems

Because of this they’re a very tight-knit group

growing up, they did not know many children their age; Ironically the most contact they had was with their cousins because Feanor paid semi-regular visits to Finwe. Apart from Turgon (and Orodreth if you place him in the second rather than the third post-journey generation) the cousins really dug the adventure stories. (Galadriel pretended not to be interested and offered plenty of critiques, but listened anyways)

more survival skills and just a lot more casual than your average princes

They’d all been adults for a good while by the time of the rebellion; the twins are a tad older than Aredhel, Galadriel and Argon; Caranthir and Angrod are about the same age. Curufin is younger than Aegnor.

They all look back at that trip to the lightless shore of the outer sea as a cherished family memory

Also I don’t think Feanor disciplined his sons very much after all his own father let him get away with everything. In his eyes the brats can do no wrong especially not Curufin and to a lesser extent Amrod Nerdanel tried her best to counterbalance this and it kind of worked on some of them, but the three middle ones were a lost cause

I think a lot of the weight behind the oath comes from how Feanor made them promise him to see it through on his deathbed. It was his literal last wish.

Maedhros:

The Leader™, the most strong-willed and the deadliest fighter by a huge margin. What the orc under your bed has nightmares about.

Obviously a very competent diplomat, strategist, and the sort to put constructive results over personal glory; resilient, formidable, unpretentious and tough as leather

but not at all overconfident, and the type who is not blind to the flaws of the people he loves. He knows very well that Feanor wasn’t perfect and does many things that his father would not have agreed with - at the same time he has a strong sense of obligation, honor and loyalty which turns out to be his fatal flaw in the end when being loyal and keeping his word increasingly requires him to do dishonorable things

if there was a definite breaking point it was the fiasco with Dior’s sons

Stoic but courteous and eloquent; From Finwe’s death onwards increasingly grim, grizzled and not very hopeful, though he’s the sort to give his all and try to be noble even when there’s no reward or even thanks or respect.

Despite this, he has as a dry sense of humor and at times uses it to defuse tense situations or disarm people he’s negotiating with (see the scene with Thingol’s message) - does have a streak of gallows humor to him especially after the Thangorodrim incident

As the heir Feanor actually let him in on trade secrets and scientific speculation; Their relationship is probably the most equal; I do think Feanor was capable of actually appreciating that Maedhros got a mind of his own and isn’t afraid to stand up for himself. Feanor values independent thought, even if he’s not always good at really living that value with his tendency to take things personally and see others as taking sides for or against him.

Can’t really craft stuff to the same degree without his right hand. He then focussed on more abstract/mental pursuits which were perhaps his forte, to begin with but it still bothers him more than he lets on, especially since he still retains, or swiftly regained, his skill at making things dead.

He may or may not qualify as a cinnamon roll but he definitely looks like could kill you

Maglor:

Maedhros might have been the token responsible sibling, but Maglor was the understanding, comforting one and always had a nurturing streak - hence why he was the one to take in the kids.

Sensitive Artistic Type™ - goes from quirky and passionate back in Valinor to melancholy & tormented as the war drags on

one of those people who despair over & get self-critical over their work even when it’s regarded as masterpieces

Like Feanor and Miriel before him, he tends to get super absorbed in his work/art and just plain disappears for days

Now some ppl hold that he didn’t start having second thoughts until near the end, but judging from how he comes along to Fingolfin’s party or to hang out with Finrod, I’d hold that he was always ‘the nice/gentle one’, but not solely in a positive way; Unlike Maedhros he did not stand up to Feanor about the thing with the ships and indeed lets Maedhros talk him out of turning himself in at the very end, so he’s probably somewhat lacking in assertiveness

Even so, he’s probably one of the better fighters, given the difficult territory he gets, that he’s the one to kill Ulfang, and how long he survives. He probably feels ambivalent about this.

I imagine him having an agility-based fighting style

Probably codified the heroic epos as a specifically Noldorin art form

Celegorm:

A lot of ppl focus on the barbarian aspect, but I’d say he actually has some degree of ‘subverted prince charming’ going on, with how he sweet-talks Luthien at first before throwing her in the dungeon, and how he seems to have been one of the more accomplished ones, joining a respected order and all

He’s actually pretty elegant and perhaps playfully gallant, but it’s a facade; He’s an animal underneath; though his instincts are probably somewhat nobler than what ends up happening when he gets roped into Curufin’s schemes

usually, the first to react and leap into action when something happens.

Herculean strength, daunting presence

also a fairly efficient general, if a bit of a glory hound and pretty fearless in the pursuit of victory

very much has an ego and doesn’t like being humbled at all

Strikes me as the sort of person who would take badly to the realization that they can no longer return to the glory of the past or being judged unworthy, not that he’d respond with anything but defiance

Wrestles giant monsters barehanded

Always low-key wished to fight creatures of darkness before the rebellion to test his might against them; Orome and the Maiar members of the hunt would have told stories of them

though he gets his pretty face from Daddy, his strong build comes from Nerdanel, possibly somewhat accentuated by his being a dude

Caranthir:

grumpy, moody, no filter, likes his alone time, shows his feelings mostly through actions, also somewhat pragmatic

the quartermaster; Actually one of the smarter ones, if not outright the second smartest after Curufin, though he has more a logistic/administrative sort of intelligence

generally one of the more prosaic, practical family members, or maybe he’s just more subtle about his dramatic side or has a harder time expressing it. Definitely has Hidden Dephts™

I mean, putting your hideout on the slope of a mountain near a deep, dark lake circled by mountains? Goth AF. A+ aesthetic there.

Hosts the family get-togethers at his fortress. Has most certainly shoved Celegorm and Curufin in the lake at some point

has a certain respect for strength, valor and skill even in ppl he doesn’t necessarily like; Not at all diplomatic or polite, but also not finicky or fastidious, so actually forged a whole lot of alliances on a “everyone’s money/swords are equally good and we don’t have to set conditions” basis and seems to have been pretty successful at this

started out haughty but definitely learned to be more open-minded/ broaden his horizon over his time in Beleriand - but as no good deed goes unpunished, Ulfang happens

Whereas Curufin and Celegorm can put up a noble veneer but will totally stab you in the back if provoked, Caranthir’s sort of the opposite, in that he’s rude and quarrelsome on first contact but has a good heart deep down (see the Haladin incident) and doesn’t keep grudges long term once he’s done grumbling where Celegorm is sore loser and Curufin a spiteful twerp.

though personally, I don’t see Caranthir as trying to reign himself in. He wouldn’t really be known as “the harshest” in that case. Who was gonna teach him to behave himself, Feanor maybe? kek.

Curufin:

We have a lot of actual dialogue & description for him - he has this characteristic little defiant smile, is often coldly contemptuous in tone, some level of ruthless pragmatism

has mild/vague foresight - nothing as impressive as what Finrod and Galadriel have, but he has it more or less to the degree that Feanor did.

actually pretty insightful, thought-through and political-minded in some ways, too bad he shares Feanor’s tendency for unwarranted suspicion and factionalism, as well as a tendency to just act on his own without checking with anyone

always either filthy from work or fully blinged-out and impeccably groomed, no in-between

more calculated and subtle than Feanor - not that Feanor ever needed calculation or subtlety since he could get by on sheer awe or intimidation. Celegorm and Maedhros have that same quality in spades and Curufin’s a little bit jealous

Not actually that much older than the twins, but always acted older than his age, especially once he heard that Feanor was the same

collects weapons, loves fancy horses, the most traditionally aristocratic of the seven

Got married relatively young; saw it as a matter of honor to further his family’s line

continued his scholarly pursuits in Beleriand; this is part of why he elected to share a territory with Celegorm

The last Celebrimbor ever heard of him was a magically sealed box filled with research notes he sent out in case he didn’t make it out alive

Did not take his parents’ estrangement well and is stubbornly salty toward Nerdanel (though deep down he misses her as much as his brothers if not more)

Frequently the Bad Influence/ Shoulder Devil to his brothers.

But when he gets excited about his research/craft he’s got this “exited cocky little boy” side to him that’s surprisingly pure.

Only Nerdanel and possibly Celebrimbor’s mom are allowed to call him ‘Atarinke.’ His brothers might still use it when they’re teasing or scolding him.

The Twins:

Every time a fic does something else with them than “generic prankster redheads” I cry with joy

We don’t have that many data points on them, but most of them suggest they’re every bit as fierce as their brothers

they’re somewhat aloof & mostly do their own thing;

As kids they’d mostly sit in a corner and play with each other. Possibly deliberately played up their identicalness as a kind of emo fashion statement / to fuck with people (”Should we do this Ambarussa?” - ”I don’t know, what do you think, Ambarussa?”)

never really gave up their semi-nomadic ways

Compared to Celegorm they probably more on stealth and precision than strength and bravado. They suddenly appear in front of you, and bam! You’ve got an arrow poking out of your face. Probably the ones scouting the perimeter of the camp.

Amras is a bit sassier, but it’s actually Amrod who’s a little bit braver.

Hardly ever argued until their parents’ estrangement; That led to quite a few quarrels between them.

For all his faults, Feanor made a point of doing things with each of them individually.

quietly nursing some level of pent-up despair and frustration until they push for the assault on Sirion

In the version where one of them dies, and then no one ever talks about it, - I imagine that the remaining one ended up cynical in a “let’s just get it ever with we’re already doomed after all’ kind of way

Bonus:

Celebrimbor

“Curiosity killed the cat but the second mouse gets the cheese” incarnate. He’s a sweet, excitable, deeply good guy, but Curiosity is the strongest force within him, besides maybe “think of the potential”

very bold in his thinking, not held back by any conventional boundaries. This is partially why he ended up more independent than his father and uncles but ironically that might in a sense make him more similar to grandpa than any of them

Really looks like Feanor. Like, Arwen and Luthien level of resemblance. It takes ppl a bit to notice because of how different his general demeanor and surface-level personality is.

Very scattered and absent-minded, prone to sudden flashes of inspiration, often shows up in some form of disarray

spent his adolescence at Formenos. Retained a certain affinity for wintery places ever since

He sensed something fishy about Sauron before long, but between wanting to avoid the family propensity for unwarranted suspicion and being tempted by all the possibilities of what he could do with that power/knowledge even if it did come from a fishy source, he didn’t act before it was too late - he can't have been fully clueless since he hid the three; There was definitely just a bit of actual seduction/forbidden fruit appeal in place there, whether to use the word “hubris” probably depends on your philosophy.

He drops the ‘th’ once he renounces Curufin, but slips right back into the old habit when excited or exasperating. At some point during his rule of Eregion, he stops bothering to hide it - A similar thing happens when he’s talking Sindarin with his northeast Beleriand accent.

I know this is a very popular old hat headcanon, but... His other name is also “Curufinwe”. Everyone called him Telperinquar from the start, lest all three come running and grumble about being distracted from work, but after the Nargothrond debacle, he had other reasons for not using it. But really, Telperinquar/Celebrimbor is just another more metaphorical way to say “this baby shall be good at working with his hands” so yeah

My HC for where he was between the Finrod incident and the second age is as follows: He departed for war with Gwindor’s troupe (this is someone who tried to engineer a way around entropy - not a “do nothing” sort of guy) and fled the battlefield with Turgon. (hence some of the passages that place him in Gondolin can still be made to work. He totally made Earendil’s baby-sized mail coat) He fled with Idril’s party. Had she not tipped him off somehow he would probably have died with the rest of the smith’s guild. Or perhaps he grabbed all the valuable records he could find and ran for it because someone needed to preserve them. As living surrounded by the survivors of Doriath would have been awkward to say the least, he went to the isle of Balar to offer his skills and service to Gil-Galad. This is where he befriended/ reconnected with Galadriel and Celeborn.

Finrod once told him the “faithful stone” legend from Brethil. It would be an inspiration to him much later. Generally credits Finrod with being a good influence on him.

Judging by the stars on the doors of Durin his stance on his family probably softened over the years. He essentially attained their original new dream of exploring distant lands and building unparalleled new realms, at least for a while - also definitely has a similar “screw destiny!”/ “I defy you stars!” attitude. Perhaps he wanted to see their vision done right.

But on some level, I think he also wanted to associate himself with their fame eventually especially once his own accomplishments grew. His feelings were probably always very ambiguous because he must have admired and envied their great works but also lived getting weird looks whenever he did what he’s best at and loves doing most in the world because it associates him with these very ambiguous people whom many hated... at one point in the past he must have really admired his father and grandfather, I mean, he came with them across the sea.

Nerdanel

She got Feanor the apprenticeship / gave him the idea after they met on their travels.

Were seen as something of an eccentric hippie/ hipster couple in the early days

She’s tough, confident and definitely quipped/ yelled back at times. Definitely described as ‘strong-willed’ and individual. Like this was a ‘kindred spirits’ thing before everything went to hell

it counts for something that even during the ugly bitter parting scene the worst Feanor could say was “someone must’ve turned you against me because you definitely cared once” rather than “you’re a traitor” for all that everything else in that scene made him very punchable

Their relationship dynamic, as I see it, is that she’s the one person who just sees and treats him like a normal dude. No apprehension, no fawning. He’s not “the greatest” or a tainted aberration to her, he’s simply a like-minded friend. So she’s pretty chill about his idiosyncrasies and doesn’t see them as a big deal, but on the other hand, she’s not overawed and will not take bullshit

Since she is good at understanding people she probably usually gets where he’s coming from even when he’s not being reasonable

possibly invented abstract art; was most certainly influential.

the elves who serve Aule probably have their own little traditions. She might’ve imparted some of those on her descendants

Also ppl tend to forget that she also does metalwork. Again, it’s quite possible that she got him into it and that if they’d never met, he might have landed in a completely different discipline

I think it says a lot about Feanor that he chose her for being smart, creative and independent-minded. It shows that he actually values these things and that it’s not just a rhetorical device; he’s not a hypocrite, he failed at what he was genuinely trying to aim for.

She had Finwe won over the moment she mentioned that she likes children. To Feanor’s chagrin, she proclaimed that his then-tiny half-siblings were the cutest thing ever but since he was trying to impress Nerdanel, he actually kept his composure there.

She was totally buds with Earwen and Anaire.

I really like those fics where she played some part in the reconstruction efforts. She’s already renowned for her wisdom and has some familiarity with the court, so why wouldn’t Finarfin make her an advisor?

Miriel

She was described as having “silver” hair like what the teleri sometimes have, but that was for lack of a better world. It’s actually pretty close to pure white. It was an unprecedented anomaly. Celegorm got it. Though overall Maglor might be the one who most looks like her. Or maybe Caranthir.

Well, her tendency to refuse to eat her words no matter what has certainly proven highly heritable

Canonically one of those ppl who talks very fast

Feanor doesn’t look very much like her at all, but he talks like her and is similar in his body language etc. The shape of her hands, however, has made it all the way to Celebrimbor in an unbroken line. Maglor’s got em too.

She was the only one of her family to make the great journey. That’s why “the names of her kin are not recorded”. You see, they tried to convince her not to go, and that only made her more determined.

Miriel and Indis used to have this thing where Miriel would sing while Indis plays the instrument. First time Indis caught Maedhros and Fingon doing something similar she got very emotional about it. She told them how she and Miriel also used to have a sort of odd friendship despite their opposite looks and personalities. Maedhros had at this point never even heard that they used to be friends. She proceeded to tell him some fun stories from Miriel’s youth and encouraged the two to spend time together.

We’re told that Miriel and Finwe only got together in Valinor; Since Indis had a thing for him since before the Vanyar moved out of Tirion it’s fully possible that Indis actually liked him first. Maybe she actually introduced them to each other, like she wasn't confident enough to ask him on a date so she brought her friend, only for the two to be immediately smitten with each other. Poor Indis decided that she had no chance and moved out of town when Ingwe did.

Miriel definitely expresses her love/admiration in the way of “You! You’re perf! I must make art of you!”

Since his arrival in the halls of Mandos, Feanor has made several of Vaire’s Maiar cry with his critique of their tapestries, but he holds that his mom’s are best.

Feanor himself

In general, I hold that while he said many things that were not right, there’s a lot of what he prophecied that was not quite wrong and does come true in a kind of way, even if not necessarily for himself and his family. They sort of pave the way as Promethean figures. The second mouse gets the cheese (it’s usually some Nolofinwean)

Though he’s also the ultimate example of “you are not immune to propaganda”. Literally the smartest man in the world; Still touchy enough to be an easy mark for emotional manipulation.

I think a lot of ff undersells what a polymath he must’ve been and that part where he worked on many different topics and was “the most learned”.

You know the type of author who has a bazillion unfinished wips going and jumps wildly from topic to topic? Feanor’s research notes are exactly like that, especially the tendency to disintegrate into cryptic jottings and notes right before the most interesting part. Just like the unfinished texts from HoMe Just like Gauss or Euler, having invented everything a hundred years ahead and 40% more discoveries buried that he never felt ready to publish. (I can also definitely see the sons – especially Maedhros and Curufin – spending the better part of the siege of Angband compiling some of it into a presentable format. Celebrimbor would then be the one to stumble upon implications /corollaries that had somehow been missed for thousands of years.

For all that I enjoy fics where they’re all smoll and adorable as much as the next person, canonically we’re given every indication that he was an adolescent or young adult by the time the remarriage occurred. The published silm has him “well-nigh full-grown” by the time Indis started having kids; In the HoME passage detailing the romantic meeting on the mountain it’s said that he was “wandering in the mountains” (ie, old enough to do so on his own) at the time. He moved out as soon as he could, so he and his half-siblings never actually spent any significant time in the same household

I mean, he reacted like a teenager would, and IMHO neither his character nor Finwe’s make any sense if this wasn’t a single parent situation early on.

Personally, I really don’t like that headcanon that he was nicer to the sisters for no reason. I don’t think his relationship with Fingolfin was ever much better than the sort of “awkwardly tolerating” we saw at the reconciliation scene; At the same time, I don’t think things would ever have escalated to that degree if Melkor hadn’t gone mucking things up.

In the same vein, I don’t think he always had beef with the Valar. He used to hang out in Aule’s halls and let Celegorm study with Orome after all and studied their language. - he certainly seems to have had some romanticism for the Hither Lands evident in his speeches, he traveled far past the well-lit areas, made crystals that shine in starlight etc. so he was probably always somewhat independent-minded and he certainly knew, better than anyone, that the Valar are imperfect and can’t fix everything (they couldn’t heal Miriel after all) - but it’s a long way from healthy skepticism and understandable disappointment to asserting bad intentions where there are none.

There’s a long way between not wanting a relationship with someone, and pointing stabby objects at them. Feanor was always difficult and never the type of person to be easily satisfied but at the same time, he clearly had his “delight” in his work and life as it was pre-Melkor. He could’ve gone on as an inventor and author of strongly worded opinion pieces; perhaps the elves were even “meant” to go back & come into contact with the Edain for a brief while, just without all the murder.

The thing about Melkor’s lies is that they made a complicated situation conveniently easy in a way that he (and Fingolfin!) would want to believe. It’s not really either of their fault that they both exist, but if your rival is actually out to get you then suddenly all your negative feelings are justified

Personally, I don’t think it the remarriage made that much of a difference - Miriel would still be dead. What Feanor’s really mad at is the inherent unfairness of the world. But he can’t fix or fight that, so in a misfire of his engineer’s mindset that thinks in terms of simple cause and effect and wants the world to be logical and controllable, he blamed something tangible (Indis.)

I think Melkor hates him so much because he’s kinda what Melkor wishes he was or likes to think he is. They’re both the mightiest of their respective kinds and don’t really fit in, but Feanor’s actually extremely creative. He goes and does his own thing, and maybe errs in overlooking that no man is an island and that all works are built on those of others, but, look at Melkor who wants all the scale of a group project but none of the “cooperation” part and basically can’t make anything of his own. “You’re like me, yet you’re successful? I cannot allow it!”

In a sense you have classic Satan and Miltonian satan in the same setting, and they can’t stand each other

#silmarillion #house of feanor #sons of feanor #feanor #nerdanel #maedhros #maglor #celegorm #caranthir #curufin #amrod #amras #celebrimbor

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ober-affen-geil · 6 years ago

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Now that we have wrapped up the season, I know a lot of people will be filling the Roswell-sized hole with some fanfic. As someone who comes from a military family, and an Air Force one at that, I thought I could lay out a few things for those wanting to write fic that expands on the military aspect of the show. If anyone has questions more specific than what I put here, just ask and I will answer to the best of my ability!

*Please do note that I do not have a history of military service. All of this is stuff I picked up by proxy, if someone tells you something that is counter to what I’ve written here please listen to them and/or double check. This is meant for ficwriting purposes and nothing more in depth than that.*

- First things first. So far as I can tell, Jesse and Alex Manes are in the Air Force. Flint Manes is in the Army. The two are not interchangeable terms, they are completely separate branches. If you need an all-purpose term use “military”; it covers all the branches (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard). They are also proper nouns, they should be capitalized. (Cam has stated she has a military background, but says nothing else about it. So we have no clues as to her branch or rank.) - “Soldiers” is an all-purpose term used to describe members of the Army. It should not be used to describe members of the Air Force, that term is “airmen” or “airman” if you want singular. (”Sailor” is for the Navy and “marine” is for the Marines. Not sure about the Coast Guard.) So Flint is a soldier, Alex and Jesse are airmen.

- The Air Force actually developed out of the Army. It was originally the US Army Air Forces and was not declared a separate branch until after WWII, in September of 1947. (The original Roswell incident happened in mid 1947 and official reports state it was actually an Army Air Forces weather balloon that crashed. Do with this information what you will.)

- Character ranks are as follows. (I did not use the ranks from the pilot as those are different from later in the series; pilots tend to have a little weirdness and don’t necessarily reflect actual arcs or details as the series goes on.) Here are further rank references for the Army and the Air Force. - Jesse Manes is a Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt). This is an “enlisted” rank, an E-9 to be specific. He is an NCO (noncommissioned officer or noncom) which is a fancy way of saying he has authority but does not outrank officers. - Flint Manes is a Sergeant First Class (SFC). This is also an enlisted rank, an E-7. He is also an NCO. I’m not sure of all the intricacies of the chain of command, but I know that in situations where multiple military branches are operating concurrently, personnel need to respect the lateral comparison of ranks. Therefore, as an E-7 in the Army, Flint is technically laterally outranked by Jesse, who is an E-9 in the Air Force. - Alex Manes is a Captain (Capt). This is an “officer” rank, an O-3. It can also be described as a “commissioned officer” which is above an NCO. (Note, you do not abbreviate “commissioned officer” as CO, that stands for “commanding officer”. Idk it’s stupid.) And yes, this means that Alex outranks his father. - A note about “commissioning”. This is the main difference between officers and enlisted: an enlisted member literally “enlists” in the military, an officer commissions. This is why an NCO is called that, they are still “enlisted” personnel so they have not “commissioned”, but they are given command of units like officers. - A note about officers vs enlisted. While enlisted members certainly can be promoted to officer status, it is important to know that O-1 is also an entry point into the military. If you go to a military academy (different ones for different branches) or go through an ROTC program in college (the acronym stands for “reserved officer training corps”) you start as an O-1, the lowest officer rank in your branch. (In the Air Force it’s a Second Lieutenant, informally called a “butter bar” because of the color of the rank insignia). It is not uncommon for career military members who are well on their way to retirement to be enlisted and therefore outranked by people decades younger than them. I would personally bet my eyeteeth that all of the Manes family started from the bottom and worked their way up through the enlisted ranks, Jesse Manes at E-9 is pretty much as high an enlisted rank as you can get in the Air Force and is about right for someone his age who is career military. Same goes for Flint. I am operating under the assumption that Alex entered right out of high school, so he’s been in for 10 years. He’s apparently a Big Damn Hero (see next section) so it’s not surprising that he has been promoted to Captain in that time.

- Medals and decorations. We know nothing about anyone’s except Alex’s so I’ll be going into detail only on his. A note first, while there are literal medals that are given out, they are most commonly actually worn in the form of “ribbons” which are tiny rectangles about an inch long and the width of your little finger that are pinned to left side of the wearer’s chest when in a dress uniform. They stack in order of “significance”, and you can tell them apart because they are all colored and striped uniquely to mean certain things. (Fun fact, a “plate” of ribbons all stacked together on a person is informally referred to as their “fruit salad”. No, I’m not kidding.) They are also not as big a deal (mostly) as you might think, a lot of the ribbons airmen earn are actually just for the general course of duty. A well-versed person can take one look at someone else’s ribbons and know exactly when and where they served and what operations they have been a part of. - It is mentioned that Alex was put in for the Air Force Medal and the Air Force Cross, but it does not say that he was actually awarded either. (The Air Force Medal does not exist, I am going to assume they meant “Airman’s Medal”.) Both involve “heroic acts” but the Airman’s Medal is a “lower” honor because it does not involve actual combat. The Air Force Cross on the other hand is a Big Fucking Deal, it is second only to the Medal of Honor which is a Really Big Fucking Deal. Here are more details on the Airman’s Medal and the Air Force Cross. Again, we do not know for sure that Alex has actually been the recipient of either of these medals, but the fact that he was put in for them means that his CO at some point thought he had earned them. - As someone who has been wounded (I assume) in action, Alex also most certainly has a Purple Heart. Another note on ribbons, if a specific ribbon has been earned more than once it is marked by adding “oakleaf clusters” to the ribbon, one for each additional award. So a Purple Heart with one oakleaf cluster technically equals two Purple Hearts. So far as we know in canon, Alex has one. - Again, I am making the assumption that Alex joined the Air Force out of high school, which means he has been in since 2008. He has therefore most likely been a part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel; and he would have campaign ribbons for each. - Additional ribbons/decorations would include unit citations and such, find more about various military awards here.

- Because we know Alex was a code breaker, he may have been classified as either Intelligence or Cyberspace Operations, but he is now operating in the Security Forces after his injury. We know that Flint is a Weapons Specialist, but I’m not sure about Jesse. He may also be Security Forces.

- Alex has mentioned he is going to be “honorably discharged” soon, this is one way to exit military service. (Note, if you serve for more than 20 years you are not discharged, you retire. Jesse is probably on track for retirement.) There are a few levels of discharge for the US Armed Forces, find more details here. - An honorable discharge is basically given to people who did dun good; they have either completed their tours in good standing or otherwise would have had something not happened to them to prevent it. (Like losing a limb.) Anything less than an honorable discharge is Not Good and can and will affect the recipient in civilian life. - There are a few in between these two, but I’m just going to list a dishonorable discharge here and let the curious do their own research through the link above. A dishonorable discharge is Super Fucking Bad and in a lot of states is regarded as equivalent to a felony conviction. This type of discharge can only be given by a general court martial, and to earn it you have to seriously fuck up, like commit treason or murder.

- When it comes to “classified” information, your access depends on your security clearance. We have no hints as to what the clearance of any of the characters are, but we know that Alex was a code breaker so it’s probably safe to assume his is pretty high. Flint’s is probably also pretty high given the types of weapons he is working with, and Jesse also potentially has a high level given his involvement with Project Shepard. (Although that has apparently been running unauthorized for a while so idk.) - The US has three levels, from lowest to highest: Confidential, Secret, Top Secret. Find more information about the levels here.

- Generally speaking, the relations between service branches is that of friendly competition. Like different sports teams or sibling rivalry. Every branch of course believes it is the superior one, and service members will frequently josh each other about the various “failings” of each one. All the branches have their stereotypes and nicknames. I’ve heard “grunts” for Army, “flyboys” for Air Force, “squids” for Navy, and “jarheads” for Marines. If the branches were people stereotypes: Marines are dumb jock gym-bro types, the Navy is prissy (white dress uniforms I mean come on), the Air Force is lazy (heh “chair force” ha ha), the Army is full of try-hards who wanted to be in the Marines but weren’t “good enough” (not true), and the Coast Guard is the red-headed step child who is either “too good” to associate fully with the others or can’t keep up depending on who you talk to. In reality the branches are all apples and oranges, here’s a quick overview. - Army: ground troops/support. Infantry, artillery, calvary, paratroopers, that kind of stuff. Their motto is “This we’ll defend” and their song is “The Army goes rolling along”. - Air Force: air troops/support. Planes and pilots of all sorts and weather forcasting. Their motto is “Aim high...Fly-fight-win” and their song is “The US Air Force”. - Navy: water troops/support. Boats and ships out the wazoo and some pilots. Their (unofficial) motto is “Semper Fortis” meaning always strong and their song is “Anchors Aweigh”. - Marines: technically the Marines are a branch of the Navy. (It is not a good idea to tell a marine this.) The Marines are essentially the initial landing force troops; it’s not pleasant but they’re basically cannon fodder. Their motto is “Semper Fidelis” meaning always faithful and their song is “Marine’s Hymn”. - Coast Guard: in times of war, the Coast Guard acts as a branch of the Navy. In peacetime they are under the Department of Homeland Security. They are basically the boat police (don’t tell them I said that), and also do search and rescue. Their motto is “Semper Paratus” and their song is also “Semper Paratus”.

- Jodies. These are essentially marching songs or chants designed to help people keep in step. They are mostly used when drilling, or for infantry troops when they aren’t trying to be covert. There’s a whole lot of them and some of them can get pretty filthy, but there are a few that are “grand traditions”, like “Blood upon the risers” which is sung to the tune of “Battle hymn of the republic”. (It’s about a paratrooper whose chute doesn’t open. It doesn’t end well.) Some of them have been adapted for camp settings, like “Gee ma, I wanna go home”, but every branch has their own special ones and words are often changed around to fit the unit. This is a general overview of the tradition, find examples of some Air Force ones here and here.

- There are a whole bunch of different uniforms that I can get into but I won’t here, this is a good resource for Air Force for the more detail minded. Suffice it to say there are two main ones to know, the service dress and combat uniform. - Service dress is the mid-level fancy uniform, in the Air Force it’s also called “blues” or “dress blues” because they are blue. This is basically the equivalent of a suit. Service members can wear this to civilian events as well, one member of my family actually refuses to buy a civilian suit because he claims any event he goes to where he has to wear a suit, he can get away with wearing his blues. (He hates suits.) Members can also wear these after they retire. - Combat uniforms are the everyday service wear, usually in a camouflage pattern of some kind. They’re informally called “fatigues”. The military is actually surprisingly finicky about this sort of stuff, and there are specific acronyms for specific patterns and none of them are allowed to be the same. It’s a mess. The Air Force is currently in the middle of transitioning, the official name for the new uniform is the Airman Combat Uniform (ACU) and the pattern is Operation Camouflage Pattern (OCP).

- The US Military has been around a while, and there are a few things it is really good at because they learned the hard way. - Discipline. This is going to sound very harsh and dehumanizing (because it is), but in boot camp the entire goal is to break people of independence and foster group cohesion. But there is a reason why. You have to remember, every training exercise is designed around the idea that these people will be in active combat. You cannot question orders or do your own thing in active combat, you will die or worse, your unit will die. Boot camp is designed to turn you from a person into a cog in a machine, because humans cannot function in life or death combat scenarios. Machine cogs can. - Moral. War is a mind game. Troops in good spirits handle stress better than troops in bad spirits, it is a fact of life. So as much as everyone complains about it, the military is pretty good about making sure deployed members have a way to contact their families at home. Phone banks, computer banks, snail mail, the works. And I’ve heard a story from one family member about the higher-ups keeping track of who isn’t getting mail, and encouraging people to share care packages with them. - Dependents. These are immediate family of service members, usually spouses and/or children. A spouse is a dependent for as long as they are married, a child is a dependent until 26. The military considers dependents to be their personal responsibility. Widows and widowers will receive their spouse’s pension and benefits until they themselves die. There are support groups out the wazoo for family members. - Next of kin notification. The military has many strict regulations that it follows pretty closely for this kind of stuff. You can find a good rundown here. Fortunately I have no personal experience with this, but I believe the same principles apply for wounded in action as well as killed.

- It is an option for families of service members to hang a type of small flag in a window that has a blue star on it for every member of family in the military. (Blue star on a white field with a red border, hung horizontally.) If one of those members dies in the service, the star is changed to gold. People who have lost members of their family in active duty are therefore called “gold star families”. - The ribbon color to wear in support of the military is yellow. We tied a big yellow ribbon on one of our trees in the front yard when one of my family members was on deployment, but it can be as small as a pin as well.

- A note on the general attitude of service members regarding their service and the dangers of what they do. Almost every one I have encountered thinks of their military service as a job that they volunteered for. They are not in it for the glory, they don’t demand to be thanked, and any injury they may have is regarded as an unfortunate result of the hazards of their job. Alex’s flippant line about “doing it for the attention” when Liz thanks him for his service is not only funny and character informing, it’s also typical. His injury happened as a result of his service, it’s a matter of course. One of my immediate family members tells me he always accepts when people thank him for his service, but he personally does it on behalf of the service members who are not able to (KIA, MIA, or past veterans.) He also then thanks that person for their support.

- Dog tags. These are identification tags worn by all members of the military. In the US, each of the branches have slightly different layouts (find details here) but all contain the same basic information. First and last name, social security number, branch of service, blood type, and religion. The main purpose of these is for identifying bodies or rendering aid to wounded; rank is not listed because it’s not important in those situations, and it changes frequently enough that it’s not practical to reissue tags just for that. (Blood type is listed to help medical personnel aid the wounded, religion is listed so that in the event of death services can be conducted appropriately.)

- Small arms handling and hand-to-hand combat. Every service member, regardless of specialty, is trained in how to handle guns and how to fight in close quarters. (They’re not called the armed forces for nothing.) - Basic gun safety is to treat every weapon as though it is loaded at all times, never aim a weapon at anything you don’t intend to shoot, and don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you are prepared to fire. It should be noted that when Alex disarms Flint and turns his service weapon on him, Alex is not practicing trigger safety. He is fully ready to discharge that gun from the second he has it in his hands, which is to be expected given the fact he was surprised from behind. (What is interesting is that he does not immediately lower the weapon, nor does he take his finger off the trigger straight away after recognizing Flint. Do with this information what you will.) - Service members are taught to shoot for the “easy” targets on the body, which is basically torso. Fancy sharp shooting is not highly prioritized, the main idea is to hit the enemy before they hit you.

- All service members are taught basic “first aid and buddy care”. This is so that, in the event of incurring casualties during combat, the people closest to you can provide immediate assistance while a medic hauls ass over to you. (Note, a “casualty” refers to both the wounded and those killed in action. Alex is a casualty because he was wounded.) When going into combat situations, service members will have loose tourniquets around their upper arms and legs so that, in the event of injury, all their buddy has to do is pull it tight around the relevant limb.

- The US military uses a 24 hour clock system, when times are written out no colons are used and all four number slots are filled. It seems tricky at first, but all you have to do past noon is subtract 12 and you have the equivalent time. Midnight is also written as “00″. So 12 midnight is 0000, 3 am is 0300, 1 pm is 1300, and 8 pm is 2000. When saying the time verbally, it’s usually “___ hundred (hours).” So 8 am is “o eight hundred hours” (0800), and 5 pm is “seventeen hundred hours” (1700). The “hours” part is optional. Any time in between is usually pronounced like normal (0730 is “o seven thirty” and 1645 is “sixteen forty five”, 7:30 am and 4:45 pm respectively.) The US military also does a thing with time zones, in order to coordinate internationally. It’s very confusing and I don’t fully understand it, but basically everything is measured off of the Prime Meridian, otherwise known as Greenwich Mean Time or “Zulu Time” (”Z” for “Zero”). Find more details on it here.

- The military uses the NATO phonetic alphabet for spelling or using letters over the radio; this is for clarity of conveyance and is standard operating procedure, any military member is required to know and use it. Basically each letter of the English alphabet is replaced with a word that starts with that letter. (The word for “E” is “Echo”, do with this information what you will.) A complete list of the current alphabet is here. These are used over a radio to spell something or use letters, to avoid mistaking them. For example, instead of saying “Requesting reinforcements in quadrant A” you would say “Requesting reinforcements in alpha quadrant.” (Numbers are basically all the same, except I’ve heard “nine” said as “niner” quite often. Not sure how widespread that is.) But because this is such standard practice, service members will frequently use the alphabet in civilian life, like when you have to spell your name for someone over the phone. I know A-K really well because that’s what was used when I played Battleship as a kid, for example. There are other basic radio standards used for clarity of communication, find them here. A note, While “roger” is the proword given for “I have received and understood your transmission”, the word I have encountered more often in my personal experience meaning the same thing is “copy”. My immediate family members will use this in everyday conversation to mean “I have heard and understood what you said.” I don’t know if this is an Air Force thing or what, I can only say that it might be something more commonly used in actual, everyday speech by service members.

#my roswell meta #roswell new mexico #rnm #alex manes #jesse manes #flint manes #jenna cameron #fic reference #military #list #a riley special

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theareya · 7 years ago

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do the even numbers for the vg ask binch

BINCH

Video Game Asks!

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.answered!

4. Who do you play with now?Who? Like my friends? Mostly the same people I played with when I was a kid, but now they’ve grown up into ripe gaming fruits. And some new friends who I met through love of video games *stares directly into camera*

6. Ever buy strategy guides?No. I’d rather spend money on the game itself. I see the pretty art books often and wonder though…

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?uH. What? Rarest? I don’t have any of those classic games that are worth a fortune now. Most expensive was probably the Dishonored 2 bundle that I bought because I wanted Corvo’s mask super bad

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?

I have not! I usually pre-order using the internet and try to distract myself until I can feel the game with my fingers

12. Ever get picked on for liking games?Wheeeen I was younger, yes. I stopped playing for a little while, even though I was not any good at the time anyway. I didn’t pick it back up again until the middle of high school when I stopped caring.

14. Favorite game music?I… really like the Journey and Undertale Soundtrack. However, Kingdom Hearts and Nier: a tomato have been my… main music go-tos .In fact, I’m listening to the Nier ost right now.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?Answered!

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?No. Bitch. Worst-case scenario they “tolerate” it. Just kidding, NO that’s impossible. Worst case is they’re indifferent. And in that case, they’d have to be pretty darn spectacular. Like they own Disneyland spectacular. Trust me.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?BIOSHOCK. I can tell you where every audio diary is. And every ridiculous jump scare. I also could say the same about Nier, but that’s a little too recent, so the obsession is still fresh.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?I have a Fallout t-shirt, Kingdom Hearts Sweater, some lovely Nier pins, and a 2B phone charm accessory. I love game merch, I just am a bit picky on which ones I wear.

24. First Pokemon game?It was actually Yellow. I never got Red and/or Blue.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?I don’t like those, but literally Pokemon Go sets them up by making you pick teams and publicly fight the other teams down.

28. Ever play in a tournament?nOpe I’m not that good. I watch a lot of tournaments though.

30. How many consoles do you own?Uhh, since forever? I would say 8. However, the only active ones right now are my ps4 and Switch. Everything else is stored away in the closet or was given away.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?Not. Really. No. I don’t really love those. One time I got Narnia as a gift and cried at how bad it was. And then there was Shrek Party?? Which was a depressing version of Mario party, but with Shrek characters. I liked it… actually. If it were done well, maybe?

34. Do either of your parents play video games?My mother plays pokemon go and is level 40, which is higher than me. And it’s kind of made her more open to the idea of playing video games. But my mom knows the basics of certain video games enough to not get mad at me when I tell her I can’t pause.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?I have cried over a few video games. Not full on crying, but my eyes will water and that’s pretty wild. Sweat is all over my controllers. I clutch them so hard. I was also very emotionally compromised over The Last of Us, but it was mostly internal.

oHH! One time I was playing Battleborn and got a nosebleed, but I’m pretty sure that was on account of the weather and not the game.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?I have no shame at all whatsoever in any game that I like. I guess Fable, 2 and 3 were absolutely awful according to everyone, but I thought they were alright, mostly because it made me think of the first game.

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?I think they’re fun! But am sad that they probably won’t be able to reach their full potential in my house.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?…Bioshock tbh. That was the first game I legitimately played after stopping gaming for an awfully long time. The one that started it all. Kingdom Hearts and Bioshock. Two completely different games.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?I never really played arcade games? Soul Calibur? DDR??

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?YES THOSE ARE LIKE MY FAVORITE TYPES OF GAMES!!??!? I can seduce Harvest Moon characters all the ding dang day. And I can fish for hours. Fishing mechanics are vital in every game.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?84 years. In all honestly, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the options that are available. Dragon Age took so… so long. Basically any game with the objective of making your character look cooler is… dEATH

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?Answered!

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?Pokemon Y

54. Do you give in to Steam sales?I use my friend’s steam and he has like 2000 dollars worth of games, so I’d say he definitely does.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?I never played that game, but I remember quality video compilations of that.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?Answered!

60. Do you know the Konami Code?It’s like a bunch of directional buttons, but idk which ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?I bought a gosh darn PS3 like 10 years ago because I thought KH3 was going to come out for that. Now here with are the PS4 pro and KH3 will be out in a year.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?I have! Or I mean it was a family TV anyways, but I sneakily snuck in a question or two about gaming quality and the guy hooked me up.

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?No. I didn’t have a legit cellphone until after high school.

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?LOL no I’m so bad at those, I spend all my tickets immediately on the dumbest thing I can find like those finger traps.

70. Very first game you ever beat? I want to say Fable. As a kid I didn’t know what a memory card was and sort of assumed you had to start over every single time.

#augustussinclair #asks #video game ask

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