#also … roe and daisy being universal touch stones is smth that can be so personal

[latibvles]

Hello Poet! Funny, cuz Matt's father was a Marine. Since the Ardennes chapters are coming (so thrilled, tbh. 6 + 7 are the soul of BoB to me) may I ask you about Eugene? I'm very curious about your view on Roe, and also about the nurses' bond with him. Thank you🎇

*clears throat. gets on podium. taps the mic*

I love Eugene Roe with my entire heart and soul. He is the loveliest ever to me. Seriously, he is one of my favorite characters in BoB. At first it was just a “yeah he’s cool” but I think when I first started doing my pre-research for SBT about combat medics and nurses my appreciation for him really grew.

The nurses’ bond with Roe is important to me. I know that I have a couple anons / ao3 readers who ship Roe and Daisy which is … Very Funny. Cue @liebgotts-lovergirl calling him “Her Cajun Prince Charming” in the gc. But BEYOND that and into the realm of “canon”, Roe is important to the narrative in his own way.

Many corpsman didn’t respect nurses in the field, refused to take orders from them, etc, despite the nurses having a rank and being considered officers. As we get into Mourmelon I do touch upon this a little more, not exactly diving into it but it’s mentioned.

Eugene Roe respects the Hell out of the nurses. And they, in turn, respect the hell out of him. He is most familiar with Laura, the resident social butterfly, and Daisy, who he met first. But given how long the nurses spent with E Company before splitting between the three companies — he recognizes Catherine, Jane, Carolyn, and Ginny by face, even if they haven’t all spoken to him.

Whereas Liebgott is kind of the one to bring a certain fire to Daisy’s life, like a brother — Roe is the one she goes to to talk about the smaller things, the things that bring joy. One of my favorite scenes is Roe and Daisy in Aldbourne, watching all their livelier friends have fun, content to sit on the edges and talk and breathe for the first time since Normandy.

Thank you for the ask, dear Anon. And I, too, am looking forward to the Ardennes Forest. Needless to say, I have a lot of plans ;)