Army Noodles and Ketchup
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Skew
Age: 18
1./ If you could have one job, what would it be? Oh, lawks. I change my mind about this every month or so, and there's a hell of a lot of jobs I dream about. In a perfect world, I'd be able to live off my writing, both fiction and non-fiction, but as it is, I'm hoping for some small job in broadcasting or politics.
2./ What are your four worst qualities?
1. I can be terribly lazy and prone to procrastination. I know I could get so much further in life if I put more effort in, but most of the time I'm content to just bluff my way through life.
2. I'm a real coward. I don't like to take risks. It holds me back.
3. I can become very careless regarding those I love, and tend to take them for granted. Last year was the first time I ever actually bought my family Christmas presents with my own money, for example, instead of expecting them to get gifts for each other and let me stick my name on the tag. I don't really go far enough to show people I care about them, and it's always the ones closest to me I'm the worst with.
4. When I'm drunk, I lose all my inhibitions, and I usually wake up really regretting the idiotic things I've said and done. Nobody judges me for it, but I always feel guilty.
3./ What are your four best qualities?
1. This is going to sound kind of arrogant, but I'm quite clever and very quick to learn things.
2. I'm laid-back and non-judgmental. I tend to be well-disposed and friendly towards everyone.
3. Again, not to blow my own trumpet, but I think I've got a decent sense of humour. I like making people laugh.
4. As mentioned before, I'm bad at showing it, but I'm really damn loyal to the people I care about. If you're a buddy of mine, chances are I'll forget your birthday, but I'll go to the ends of the earth to help you out of trouble.
4./ Describe yourself in five words or fewer. Inquisitive, friendly, unashamedly geeky.
5./ Describe your leadership style. I don't like to lead and I don't like to follow, really. Ideally, I'd like to just work alone, under my own initiative, though if I trust and respect someone I'll accept their authority. However, if I have to lead, chances are I'll get all twitchy and insist on doing all the work myself. I tend to get visions about how things should be done and decide I'm the only one who can carry them out properly. It's terrible.
6./ How do you think others would describe you? I'm not sure, really. I'd hope that they'd just see me as a decent guy and a good friend; someone who you can have a laugh with, but somebody who'll offer support and a shoulder to cry on when stuff gets tricky. But I bet they just think of me as the little dork who eats all the biscuits.
7./ When under a lot of pressure, how do you manage it? Not very well, I'm afraid. I have two tactics, really. One is total denial - I pretend that I'm not under pressure, take each task as it comes, work very closely to the deadlines and force myself to maintain a chilled attitude. Integral to this is giving people the impression that I'm not under pressure at all. The other attitude is just panicking completely and having a bit of a breakdown. I don't do that as often as I used to, but I can still get a bit fraught when my workload is heavy.
8./ Pick one that describes you the best.
a./ Introvert or Extrovert (self-motivated or action/people-motivated): Introvert.
b./ Logical or Intuitive (go with concrete fact or trust your gut): Logical, though when I just can't decide I'll go with random whims.
c./ Thinking or Feeling (follow your head or follow your heart): Thinking. Feelings are fine in their place, but too irrational to be used as a basis for decision-making.
d./ Shy or Outgoing: Kind of depends. I'm nervous around strangers and new situations, but provided I'm in good company, I'm quite open. Alcohol also tends to completely remove my shyness and nerves around new people.
e./ Optimistic or Pessimistic: Broadly optimistic, but with a bit of a cynical streak now and then, if that doesn't sound too contradictory.
9./ How do you show that you care about others? I listen to their woes, and offer companionship, support, and a cup of tea.
10./ Give us a quote. "They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do." This Be The Verse, by Philip Larkin, is the one poem I can quote in its entirety, off by heart. It's rather dour and cynical, which is probably why I enjoy it. And you've got to admit, that's a hell of an opening line.
11./ Who is your hero and why? (Does not have to be anyone famous.) I've never been one to have heroes. There are swathes of people I rather like and admire the work of, but I can never put my finger on a single hero. Most of the people I could name are just great creative talents, they haven't actually done anything heroic. Perhaps Aneurin Bevan - he was a British politician responsible for setting up the National Health Service. He had a fantastic way with words, and a devotion to his principles that seems so sadly lacking in modern discourse.
QUESTIONS RELATED TO BAND OF BROTHERS
1./ Favourite soldier in Easy Company. Why? Welsh! Hands down. All cheery and scruffy and downright awesome. He doesn't get nearly enough screentime, in my opinion. That said, loads of the others give him a run for his money, and so many of them grew on me over the course of the series. Luz, Roe, Nixon, Muck... and I'm strangely fond of Dike, because I have a feeling I'd be tempted to act like him in his situation. He makes for a rotten CO, but I can sympathise.
2./ Favourite episode or favourite chapter in the book. Why? Bastogne. Roe's story is fascinating; I find the role of medics in war to be really interesting, and frequently overlooked. I also have a tendency to notice cinematography, and whilst the whole series is beautifully shot, that episode in particular was one of the finest, what with all the snow everywhere, and the final scenes of the town in ruins are gloriously apocalyptic. Carentan comes close, because Blithe's story is fascinating too (and Welsh is in that episode a lot), and Points is probably third on the list, for being the happy ending we needed after a long and harrowing journey. The final baseball match makes me grin so hard it hurts.
3./ If you had been alive in World War Two and eligible for military service, what branch would you have joined? What job would you have wanted (infantry, artillery, medic, pilot, at all.)? Why? When I was a little kid, I dreamed of being a Spitfire pilot. I adore the planes of that era of history, and being a fighter pilot is one of the more thrilling and romantic roles in war, though I imagine it could be just as awful as any other wartime job. Realistically, I'd probably be better suited to something where I got to spend the war behind the safety of a desk - intelligence, perhaps, or codebreaking - but I imagine they knocked the cowardice out of whole swathes of conscripts in initial training.
4./ Okay, so now you're in the military. What is the one thing you want to send or bring home from Europe? If I was a fighter pilot I'd hope to God I never ended up on mainland Europe, since that would mean I'd been shot down, but that aside... I'd totally swipe myself some Nazi memorabilia. Something to bring out when telling wildly exaggerated stories of heroism and derring-do to the grandkids.
5./ The war in Europe is over. Would you be willing to go fight in the Pacific? Why or why not? I'd rather not. I've seen The Bridge on the River Kwai. Not pleasant out there. Anyway, I'd really rather get back to normality as fast as possible. If I had the points, I'd be out of the military as fast as possible.
6./ What are your plans for when you return home? Go home, see my family again, have a cup of tea and start readjusting to normal life as a civilian.