Weekly character question: Reasons for enlistment

[Silly goose]

Just as with the weekly lore discussion, we're going to be doing some weekly character questions. 

 

To follow the theme of service, this week's discussion is about enlistment.

 

Why did your character sign up?

 

• Was it a genuinely better option than staying where they were?

 

• Were they just a through-and-through patriot? Do they still feel that way?

 

• Were they seeking travel and adventure?

 

• Did their family push them into it?

 

The reason for a character being on the server is an important part of who they are. What's the driving force behind your character? Why did they enlist?

[cat danny 25]

I'll bite. I went a little above-and-beyond the few simple questions in order to elaborate a little bit on the characterization that has occurred to contrast civilian Quinn and Sergeant Caffrey.

 

Caffrey began as a trashy civilian charged with a couple of felonies coupled with some lesser degree things. Her aptitude as a psychic opened up the possibility of penal service which she opted for over going to prison. In lieu of a penal battalion, she was stationed in the 112th given that they had only one psychic at the time. Psychics are rare, and the Federation tends to make good use of them. Posting one in a penal battalion to go and die immediately seems a waste. Originally a character of crude mannerisms, 'give no shits' attitude and naught a care for a single fellow trooper save for perhaps one or two.

i. Caffrey was an addict to fentanyl prior to her enlistment. She had originally regretted her decision to serve and had voiced prison as a preference to 'serving with these idiots'. About a year and a half later OOCly, I would say that she's glad she chose what she did.

 

ii. Caffrey originally did not care much for the Federation, as they served to impede her habits and chosen lifestyle. It took her a long time to realize that the Federation was not the problem, but rather her outlook on life was the piece of the puzzle which did not fit. Quinn was allotted a pardon after the civil war, yet instead opted to re-enlist with the Coalition.

 

iii. Caffrey at one point in her earlier years vyed strongly for something other than the life she led. In a way, serving in the Mobile Infantry turned into an 'out' that she neither regrets nor is terribly fond of. Of late, she's grown tired of adventure and looks to how she will settle in the future.

 

With Caffrey's characterization came a lot of traits I had never anticipated I would instill within her as a character. Vickers was the first character to really 'pick up the pieces' when it came to Quinn. She had been a terminal lance for almost an OOC year before she was given the opportunity to try her hand at Corporal after having risked her life for all the wrong reasons. When asked why she did what she did, Caffrey lied to Vickers and told her that it was in order to save her men. What she was really looking for was an opportunity for attention, to be in the limelight after having spent the majority of her professional career in the background. Vickers ate the bullshit up and took to Caffrey in what felt ICly and OOCly like a genuine mentorship, something that had never happened prior with the character. I decided that this would be the turning point in this character's run on the server, and chose to instead instill her with gradual thoughts of self-doubt as a leader, the eventual pick-up of humility, and a sense of duty to those she was placed above.

[Craig R. Smith]

I too shall bite with Old Man Klaus, don't expect paragraphs from me.

He enlisted as, for him at least, it was an out of a shitty situation. He rarely talks about his past so for the sake of fun I'll not say too much but he enlisted because he wanted to no longer be living paycheck to paycheck, meal to meal, etcetera. He enlisted 3 OOC years ago and served ever sense, never regretting his decision (most of the time). 

 

To answer the bullet points; Yes it was better than paycheck to paycheck, No he's not a flag waving patriot, No he didn't enlist for ADVENTURE, and he did have his brother push him to enlist as he was in the same situation at the time.

[saiphun987]

Izla Sinthachai enlisted because he got no where to go. He have to feed his sister and his younger brother so he have to choose the best jobs that pay him well. So he choose to enlisted into MI through Gurkha recruiment program.
 

• Was it a genuinely better option than staying where they were?: Yes, MI offers many priveledges and paygrade which he can keep his family up and alive.

 

• Were they just a through-and-through patriot? Do they still feel that way?: Kinda yes. As he proceed through Gurkha training programs they train him to be loyal to the federations and self-sacrifices. Joining Gurkha and passed the training to become a full-fledged killing machine is the greatest honor that one could've dreamed of in Nepal.

 

• Were they seeking travel and adventure?: Nope but Izla thought that this is one of the priveledges.

 

• Did their family push them into it?: Nope he joined the MI by himself.

[Whiplash]

Squires enlisted for one primary reason; his life, as he knew it, was crumbling down around him. He had lost his job as a welder due to an on-sight injury, his wife had filed for divorce, and his family was in no position to support him -- nor would he have taken their assistance. These culminated in his enlistment.

 

• Was it a genuinely better option than staying where they were? Probably not. Rhohan's economy had been completely militarized, and most jobs had been filled by unskilled workers. He wouldn't have been able to sustain himself.

 

• Were they just a through-and-through patriot? Do they still feel that way? Nope. Squires sees things in shades of gray; nobody is good, nobody is evil. Everything is relative.

 

• Were they seeking travel and adventure? Not exactly. Squires is a homebody; he's expressed he may call the Grant his home, but Rhohan is the only place he'd wish to live.

 

• Did their family push them into it? Squires' family is not one of military heritage, and his enlistment had mostly come from the blue.

 

EDIT; This is my 69th post. I wasted it on this.

[Traitorverpackung]

We do a little char round here. Man hell I created my first char with no clue. Lick was just nothing pretty much. I joined mid event and had no clue and almost died two times. Poor Krautstag. And the first question back on the ship was how he passed Boot camp and why . So I thought about that for a few minutes.

 

• Was it a genuinely better option than staying where they were? : No.

 

• Were they just a through-and-through patriot? Do they still feel that way? : Oh well at first time Lick saw members of the MI and co as good bois. Dudes who do everything to protect the weak. He still feels the same but also believes in a big meat grinder. You ever will ask him if you should join the MI the answer is a clear "If you want to suffer the shit out of you, sure. If you want a decent human life, then no."

 

• Were they seeking travel and adventure? : Somewhat. Being in active combat is always adventure.

 

• Did their family push them into it? : His wife was in the Medical Detachment. Both have the same ideals. So why not he thought. His wife supported him, and took care of the kids. But as things went, both are not so sure staying in the MI anymore. Not much for his wife, she's a medic and CO. Not that high risk of dying. But Lick is a filthy NCO in the MI. The risk getting killed is always high and so he evaluates if it's still reasonable for him, his kids and his wife. But a few words he remembers "Darling you are clever enough not to get killed. And don't dare you not coming back in time. I'll kill you a second time if you die."

 

[saiphun987]

1 hour ago, Traitorverpackung said:

"Darling you are clever enough not to get killed. And don't dare you not coming back in time. I'll kill you a second time if you die."

 

BOYS! THIS is why you would never EVER make your wife waits for too long or she'll fucking kill you even in the afterlife.

[Traitorverpackung]

54 minutes ago, saiphun987 said:

BOYS! THIS is why you would never EVER make your wife waits for too long or she'll fucking kill you even in the afterlife. 

You got the point

 

[OpTiCFaZeSoCkzZz]

I'll do it with Bently, why not. 

 

Was it a genuinely better option than staying where they were?

 

Not really, no. His family were quite wealthy (Middle to Upper class) and helped run a rather well off business in London, they wanted him to follow their general career path but he wasn't interested, so he went to join the MI and get a few years alone, being independent. 

 

Were they just a through-and-through patriot? Do they still feel that way?

 

With his parents both being Civilians who got to their positions with out needing to serve the Federation, he was raised in an environment where the so called 'Importance' of putting your life down for the Federation was seen as needless and nothing more than Propaganda. So, Bently himself never has and will probably never be a die hard Patriot for the Federation, even as an Officer. 

 

Were they seeking travel and adventure?

 

Somewhat. As stated, he wanted to get away from home for two years and live independently. Take some time to travel and see different places, look for different ideas for what to do with his life instead of simply following his parents footsteps. He wanted to find something that worked for him, which just so happened to actually be the Infantry itself.

 

Did their family push them into it?

 

Bently's parents were very against him joining. Until she died on Terra, Bently's Mum had mostly cut him out of her life, only sending him yearly Birthday messages or a half arsed 'Merry Christmas' while his Father was a little more understanding. Though again, he never made an effort to reach out to Bently during the three years he served before Terra was attacked. Now, him and his Father are a bit closer but still don't talk much. Though his Father has more recently stated that he is proud of his Son for doing so well in the Infantry. 

[F r a n c o]

My old char torfin helle

• Was it a genuinely better option than staying where they were?

nope, dude had a pretty normal life. He caught a misdemeanour weapons fire charge and wasn't allowed to touch firearms outside of federal service. Decided to join.

• Were they just a through-and-through patriot? Do they still feel that way?

Nope. He really didn't care one way or another. He's dead now, but when he lived, he was just there for the experience.

• Were they seeking travel and adventure?

He was seeking guns initially, then it was for his friends.

• Did their family push them into it? Nope. His family thought it was cool and all but didn't mind one way or another; his life.

[HoneyElk]

I'll take an excuse to talk about my characters, any day.

 

So Cheslock was born into a rather typical family of Citizens. None were entirely gung-ho about service to the Federation, and primarily attained the title of 'Citizen' for the fiscal and educational benefits, among other things. Military service was never looked down upon, but it wasn't high on the list of options either. Simply a choice in a sea of options. Cheslock was never an incredibly patriotic or athletic figure. He had grips with the Federation, but they were nuanced and minor at best. His original plan was to simply attend college in order to pursue a career in chemical engineering, which was, in turn, to be used to pursue in career in .

 

Though I haven't explicitly stated Cheslock as having any sort of mental disability, I've more or less played him as a very OCD, ADD-like figure. Unable to attend specialized, high-end universities due to high tutition, Cheslock originally attended community college, but found the menial book work boring and difficult to follow on. Combined with his separation from his father's construction firm thanks to an accidental demolition on a site (An scenario that was thankfully swept under the rug by his father), Cheslock found an opportunity to both gain tuition needed to attend an appropriate university, as well as cater to his interests in demolitions and general engineering through the Mobile Infantry.

 

Cheslock was born more or less as a tribute to the character "Wendy Cheslock" from Valkyria Chronicles (Wendell, Wendy, eh? Eh?), an explosive-obsessed shut-in, but obviously had to be tweaked in order to fit in with the more "realistic" setting of SST. He is still very early in his development, but I'm hoping that his exposure to the culture and chaos of the Mobile Infantry will lead to some expansion in his status as a former recluse, and show that there's more to his role than "making things go boom".