Phoebs' Author Castle discussion

Any characters y'all have questions about, or just want me to give a rundown on the major ones?

If you could give a rundown that’d be awesome! I want to know every character as if they weren’t best friend 👏

Okie dokie! I'll probably post one or two a day because there's a lot of them 😅

okay thats fine lol 😆

cool👍

Ok, here we go! I'll start with the main character:



Nineteen-year-old Sgt. Steven Parker, son of Sgt. Charles Parker from We Gave Our Tomorrows, has a natural bent to leadership. He's good at working with people and cares about everyone around him. Like my brother, he has a logical mind, and whenever possible he likes to explain things to his men instead of just telling them "because I said so" (though sometimes he has to say that). He's a rules follower like his dad and makes sure his squad behaves themselves. His greatest weaknesses would be worrying about his men and doubting himself. Naturally some people don't like his Christian character and morals, but his lieutenant eventually comes to respect him for it.

Parker writes letters to his parents as often as he can, because they're a very close-knit family. He used to watch the show Combat! with his dad every Tuesday night, and he's a hugger like his mom. He also writes letters to Ruthie Jones; they've been friends since they were kids because her dad was in his dad's squad.

If Parker had a theme song, it would probably be "Fix My Eyes" by for KING + COUNTRY; not in the sense of wishing he'd done things differently, but his goals right now.

Pvt. Rory Gillis is largely based on my orange tabby, Cupcake. Perpetually full of energy, his biggest problem is that he doesn't think things through. Consequently, he's easily influenced, always takes a dare, and has gotten himself hurt a lot. He eats like a wild thing, wastes a lot of his ammunition (because he blasts away on full-automatic fire instead of using short bursts), HATES filling sandbags, and gets bored easily. He has very sharp senses and always seems to know if someone is sneaking up on him.

For all that he's the wild kid of the bunch, there is a lot more to him. He has a soft spot for kids and animals, as proved when he rescues a family of cats. Furthermore, he's basically adopted Petey (who's next up on the list) as his younger brother, and he's very protective of him. He also gets nightmares because (view spoiler)[he has trauma from when he and his sister nearly drowned in a flood (hide spoiler)]. His family is poor but happy, and he loves them a lot (hence "Love You Mom" written on his helmet cover).

Rory is also best buddies with Reg, the squad's grenadier. They sound TERRIBLE when they're singing one of Reg's dumb spoofs together, because Rory is extremely out of tune (Kelly said he sounds like "a dying rooster stuck in a rusty barn door"). He wanted to be a singer when he was 8, because he watched Jailhouse Rock and got inspired by Elvis; like most of his career ideas, that only lasted for about a week.

Rory is . . . definitely one of my favorites 🤭 He's a LOT of fun to write about, but it's very easy for him to take up a lot of screen time, lol.
The two cats in the picture are mine, by the way. 😁

I LOVE RORYYYY

ME TOOOO 😁 he's six foot tall and redhaired (obvi hehe) and even tho he's a stupid teenager he's hilarious 🤣🤣

I've put SO MUCH of my cat's character into him, it's kinda crazy 😆

He seems so sweet 🥹🥹🥹

I also love Steven 🤭

He is really sweet in spite of first appearances 🥰 and if I'm laughing over a scene there's a good chance that he's in it, lol. 😆

Yesss Steven is great! He's sort of a mix of his dad, Sgt. Saunders from Combat!, and my brother.

Ways Rory is like my cat:

-orange hair
-long and lanky
-has a scar above his left eye (my cat doesn't actually have a scar, just a white "lightning stripe" that kinda looks like one)
-crooked teeth
-is restless in his sleep and has nightmares
-has a sister that he secretly really loves
-is good at giving defiant looks
-way too much energy
-does stupid things sometimes
-gets bored easily
-hates hugs and kisses (unless it's his idea)
-fights hard and fierce
-knows if someone is sneaking up on him
-makes unearthly noises if he's in desperate trouble
-once he sets his mind on something, he'll get it one way or another
-good at giving backrubs
-can't sing worth anything
-fiercely loyal once you win his trust
-"no" means "try harder"

umm yeah, so my cat is quite a character 😂

good at giving backrubs LOLL 🤣

lol yes, cuz my lil dummy will cuddle up next to me when I'm trying to sleep and knead my shoulder and head 😂

Awww why is that adorable 🥹🥹🥹

🥹🥹🥰🥰

it makes me so happy even though his claws get scratchy sometimes 🤣 and he leaves my hair a mess 😂

Yes!! There's something so sweet when my cats snuggle with me!

It's adorable! 🥰🥰

(Some of this will be in spoiler tags because it's really hard to talk about Petey without spoilers!)



Pvt. Peter "Petey" Cook is pretty much the opposite of his honorary big brother (Rory). He's quiet and thoughtful, rarely ever complains, and doesn't feel like he needs to act tough or super-manly to gain the others' acceptance. He always obeys orders promptly and never has to be told something twice. While he likes all the guys in the squad, he's especially attached to Rory, Parker, and Cowboy (coming up soon).

SPOILERS BELOW
(view spoiler)[Petey is the youngest member in the squad; he ran away and lied about his age because he couldn't stand his home life anymore. His dad, who fought in the Korean War, is addicted to drugs and alcohol. Him and Petey's stepmom are always fighting, and they're both abusive. Things weren't always like that - his dad used to have a steady job, and his stepmom didn't always hate him - but his dad started drinking a lot and things just went downhill from there.

Because of what he's gone through at home, Petey is pretty tough internally; he can take a lot and never cries except in extreme cases. He's also terrified of drugs because he doesn't want to end up like his dad, so he refuses to take morphine or other painkillers (all the anesthetics the military used at the time had addictive qualities). He feels awful for lying about his age, but he's too scared to fess up, and at this point there's really no turning back because his parents would be furious with him. (hide spoiler)]
END OF SPOILERS

Petey hates fights and breaks them up whenever he can, but he knows when it's best not to interfere. He's a smart kid, but he has mild dyslexia which made things hard for him in school. He really appreciates the squad because it's his found family, and all the guys are like brothers.

I LOVE the friendship between Rory and Petey - their scenes are some of my favorites to write! Rory is really sweet when he's all protective and worried, and I think part of the reason I love it is because they ARE such opposites.

It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted (*cough cough* Petey's face) but I drew a picture of them together:

Cpl. Reg Snyder, aka "Golden Boy", is the joker of the squad. He was drafted into the Marines; he didn't see what the point of the war was, but he went when America needed him. A native of Brooklyn, he has the accent to prove it. Like his Pop (whom he's named after), he has a darkly funny sense of humor, and makes a lot of snide remarks and spoofs on songs. He also writes a monthly newspaper, printed with the help of one of the clerks, that's full of funny articles and helpful hints - it's very popular with the enlisted men but NOT with the leadership.

Reg and Rory are an inseparable duo (and they're usually a trio because Petey joins them). They have different tastes in music; Rory likes Elvis, Reg likes the Beatles and other modern singers, so they have friendly arguments about that. Reg makes fun of Rory, calls him "Rat" and occasionally "idiot box", but he wouldn't hesitate to stick up for him in a tight spot.

Reg is good at playing cards and dancing - he's always been popular at the dance nights at his dad's deli. He doesn't really fear anyone, and he never gets hurt - claims it's because of the lucky joker card he carries tucked into the rubber band around his helmet. He also has graffiti on his helmet cover: "Don't call me sir - I work for my pay." Parker thinks it's funny but doesn't quite approve, and Lieutenant Corbin DEFINITELY doesn't approve. (For context, officers - lieutenant and up - should be addressed as "sir", anyone with a lower rank should not be.)

Reg uses an M79 grenade launcher, commonly called a Blooper or Thumpgun. It's a very important position in the squad, and the Communists HATED the M79; hence the gunner was usually a primary target. In addition to explosive grenades, the Blooper was used for smoke grenades; for example to cover a retreat or mark a position for a helicopter landing.

Phoebe wrote: "I LOVE the friendship between Rory and Petey - their scenes are some of my favorites to write! Rory is really sweet when he's all protective and worried, and I think part of the reason I love it is..."

AWWW I LOVE THEEMMMM

Phoebe wrote: "

Cpl. Reg Snyder, aka "Golden Boy", is the joker of the squad. He was drafted into the Marines; he didn't see what the point of the war was, but he went when America needed him. A native of Brookl..."

yup Reg is my new favorite

oooooooooooh Reggggg 😏😏

cassie wrote: "Phoebe wrote: "I LOVE the friendship between Rory and Petey - their scenes are some of my favorites to write! Rory is really sweet when he's all protective and worried, and I think part of the reas..."

They makez me melt 🥹😁

cassie wrote: "Phoebe wrote: "

Cpl. Reg Snyder, aka "Golden Boy", is the joker of the squad. He was drafted into the Marines; he didn't see what the point of the war was, but he went when America needed him. A n..."

Hahaha he's a fun one!! 😂 Except when I'm trying to write him my sense of snarky humor often deserts me 😭

Sophie [semi-hiatus] wrote: "oooooooooooh Reggggg 😏😏"

Doth I detect a fangirl? 🤭

mayyyyyybe 😉

Hehe he'll be quite happy to know. 😏

UHM SOPHIE I ACTUALLY AM HIS FANGIR 🤨

*Fangirl LOLLL

BAHAHAHA even better; unlike Rory, Reg would love being surrounded by fangirls 🤣

He sounds like that kind of guy 🤣

cassie wrote: "UHM SOPHIE I ACTUALLY AM HIS FANGIR 🤨"

can we share??

he lwk does sound like that typa person tho 😂

cassie wrote: "He sounds like that kind of guy 🤣"

He issss 🤣🤣🤣

Sophie [semi-hiatus] wrote: "cassie wrote: "UHM SOPHIE I ACTUALLY AM HIS FANGIR 🤨"

can we share??"

Reg says you can absolutely share.

mwhahahahahaha C:<

And Rory will be happy to have you hanging onto Reg because that means he doesn't have to deal with it. 😂😂

dangggg XD

I think Rory would get quite squirmy about having fangirls. After all he doesn't like physical affection unless it's his idea, lol. He's nice to girls and loves his sister, but I don't think he'd like being squealed and fought over. 🤣🤣

poor Rory lollll 🤣

lol yeah 😆

LCpl Eli "Cowboy" Harris, an M60 machine gunner, isn't officially part of the squad, but he might as well be. (Machine guns were at a company level and were assigned to the platoons, and the platoon leader would then determine where he wanted them to be.) Cowboy spends a lot of time with Parker's squad; he's somewhat of a confidant for Parker. He calls everyone "brother" and he's very good at making people feel noticed and important.

Cowboy likes to cook, and he always carries a bottle of Tabasco sauce tucked in his helmet band. The guys teased him about it initially, but they found that it made their rations taste a lot better. Unless they're under an order to stay quiet, there's a good chance that Cowboy will be humming or singing; he LOVES classic hymns and old spirituals. His assistant, "Iowa", is a little out of tune when he sings along, but Cowboy doesn't mind.

At 6'4", Cowboy looks pretty intimidating if you don't know him, but he's very easygoing and friendly. One of the only things that makes him mad is bullying, and then he won't hesitate to go in with both fists flying. He's faced discrimination in both civilian and military life, but he doesn't let that get him down.

Lt. Jamie Corbin is the tough, foul-mouthed leader of Second Platoon. He yells a lot, doesn't trust anyone, and tries to do everything himself - often getting worn out in the process. Since he failed at civilian life, he's just been kicking around in the Marines for years. Even though nobody really likes him, they at least respect him because he's so experienced, and he started out as a regular private like them (instead of going through the officer program).

Corbin is bitter about the hand life dealt him - his friend who joined the Marines with him got promoted and conveniently "forgot" about him. He doesn't believe in luck, realizing that you need brains and skill to survive. He's almost always on edge, grouchy, and lonely. Although he's not a stickler for morals himself, he expects his men to behave, and he respects those who are willing to stand up for what's right. He didn't like Parker at first - thought his Christianity made him mousy and spineless - but came to appreciate him for his integrity, guts, and reliability.

I actually really like the dynamic between Corbin and Parker; he was kind of inspired by my dad's former boss and their friendship. Eventually Corbin gets to the point where he really relies on Parker, who's basically become a confidant for him.

Can't trust your platoon sergeant - no, no. It's gotta be your squad leader 😂

Corbin is my brothers naw except it’s spelled with an A!

I hope he's nothing like Lt Corbin lol 😂