WIP Update: "Borderline"
Nov. 8th, 2010 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mark_asphodelDammit, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shining_valor . That Civil War AU has taken over my brain.
I actually took off work today to do chores and errands and other necessary things, but I keep casting glances at my (borrowed) copy of No Better Place to Die and wishing I hadn't left my Shelby Foote collection at Grandma's house. If this were shaping up to be a short piece, I'd keep my thoughts to myself until the thing was finished, but since it's not, and some of these thoughts are very weird, I may as well air out the dustbunnies here.
OK. Seth and Orson, end of the American Civil War. The real Civil War, or a close approximation thereof-- not an Americanized Magvel, or a Civl War AU in which the Confederates win or... whatever.
Seth and Orson need to come from the same home state, to keep things close and personal. To keep them plausible, the state in question must be a border state. I considered Virginia, making Seth a figure like Maj. Gen. George Thomas, who picked the Union over his "homeland" (that being Virginia). Or making Orson someone like Confederate General John Pemberton, who came from Pennsylvania. Either option would have allowed for some action and confrontation in marquee battles-- Gettysburg, or the Grant-vs-Lee endgame.
Instead, I went for a real border state-- Kentucky. Y'know, the state that had two American Presidents serving simultaneously? And scions of famous political families serving on opposite sides? Given Seth and Orson are both going to be cavalry men, it makes sense to have them both be more Southern than Yankee. But opting for Kentucky opened up a plothole, because the campaign for dominance in Kentucky was pretty much over by the end of 1862. If Kentucky carries the "homeland" significance to the main players, that means the 'fic is never going to get around to all the famous key battles (I thought about using Missouri, too, but the action in Missouri ended in early '62).
Well, I guess that kind of works to my advantage-- I bet I know more about the Stones River campaign than any of my readers will. You just won't get to see Seth charging down Little Round Top, or marching to the sea alongside Sherman.
Oh, yes. Since I am trying not to openly mess with the course of history, the Fire Emblem characters will not be running the show. Lincoln and Davis are still Presidents of their respective nations, the army commanders and other high-ranked generals are still the real people. But there were a LOT of lesser-known generals in the Civil War, so putting FE characters in charge of brigades and even divisions will work, I think. And since many Magvel characters aren't appropriate in a realistic Civil War army (seriously-- no peg knights allowed), I'm importing characters from other games, ha ha. I kind of feel weird about it, but on the other hand a total mash-up makes a bit of sense... the Civil War on both sides was about these totally disparate Americans-- from states that might as well have been separate countries in terms of culture-- fighting and dying alongside one another. And, from beginning to end, people on the same side weren't necessarily fighting for the same thing.
Anyway, "Borderline" will feature the intersecting stories of Seth Harding and Orson Reed from West Point through the Mexican War and its aftermath, and into the Civil War itself, right up to New Year's Day of 1863. Yes,shining_valor , I'm using the surnames you invented in "Milady Luck" because they are the best names ever. I need some last names for the other characters, though, specifically Hector and Eliwood. Also, I will consider requests from shining_valor and anyone else about what characters to import from other FE worlds. It's gotta be plausible, though-- physical units are better than magical, male units preferred over female, and NO laguz or manaketes. Also, keep in mind that the Stones River campaign was a bloodbath and "your" import may well end up dead. And not prettily, romantically dead, either.
Also, expect a tie-in to "Transcendence" in some form, just because I can.
shining_valor . That Civil War AU has taken over my brain.I actually took off work today to do chores and errands and other necessary things, but I keep casting glances at my (borrowed) copy of No Better Place to Die and wishing I hadn't left my Shelby Foote collection at Grandma's house. If this were shaping up to be a short piece, I'd keep my thoughts to myself until the thing was finished, but since it's not, and some of these thoughts are very weird, I may as well air out the dustbunnies here.
OK. Seth and Orson, end of the American Civil War. The real Civil War, or a close approximation thereof-- not an Americanized Magvel, or a Civl War AU in which the Confederates win or... whatever.
Seth and Orson need to come from the same home state, to keep things close and personal. To keep them plausible, the state in question must be a border state. I considered Virginia, making Seth a figure like Maj. Gen. George Thomas, who picked the Union over his "homeland" (that being Virginia). Or making Orson someone like Confederate General John Pemberton, who came from Pennsylvania. Either option would have allowed for some action and confrontation in marquee battles-- Gettysburg, or the Grant-vs-Lee endgame.
Instead, I went for a real border state-- Kentucky. Y'know, the state that had two American Presidents serving simultaneously? And scions of famous political families serving on opposite sides? Given Seth and Orson are both going to be cavalry men, it makes sense to have them both be more Southern than Yankee. But opting for Kentucky opened up a plothole, because the campaign for dominance in Kentucky was pretty much over by the end of 1862. If Kentucky carries the "homeland" significance to the main players, that means the 'fic is never going to get around to all the famous key battles (I thought about using Missouri, too, but the action in Missouri ended in early '62).
Well, I guess that kind of works to my advantage-- I bet I know more about the Stones River campaign than any of my readers will. You just won't get to see Seth charging down Little Round Top, or marching to the sea alongside Sherman.
Oh, yes. Since I am trying not to openly mess with the course of history, the Fire Emblem characters will not be running the show. Lincoln and Davis are still Presidents of their respective nations, the army commanders and other high-ranked generals are still the real people. But there were a LOT of lesser-known generals in the Civil War, so putting FE characters in charge of brigades and even divisions will work, I think. And since many Magvel characters aren't appropriate in a realistic Civil War army (seriously-- no peg knights allowed), I'm importing characters from other games, ha ha. I kind of feel weird about it, but on the other hand a total mash-up makes a bit of sense... the Civil War on both sides was about these totally disparate Americans-- from states that might as well have been separate countries in terms of culture-- fighting and dying alongside one another. And, from beginning to end, people on the same side weren't necessarily fighting for the same thing.
Anyway, "Borderline" will feature the intersecting stories of Seth Harding and Orson Reed from West Point through the Mexican War and its aftermath, and into the Civil War itself, right up to New Year's Day of 1863. Yes,
shining_valor , I'm using the surnames you invented in "Milady Luck" because they are the best names ever. I need some last names for the other characters, though, specifically Hector and Eliwood. Also, I will consider requests from shining_valor and anyone else about what characters to import from other FE worlds. It's gotta be plausible, though-- physical units are better than magical, male units preferred over female, and NO laguz or manaketes. Also, keep in mind that the Stones River campaign was a bloodbath and "your" import may well end up dead. And not prettily, romantically dead, either.Also, expect a tie-in to "Transcendence" in some form, just because I can.
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no subject
Date: 2010-11-08 09:33 pm (UTC)-Bruce Levine's Half Slave and Half Free, the seminal text on the roots of the war.
-After Secession, by Paul D. Escott.
-Nothing But Freedom, by Eric Foner; his editor made him take a lot of his usual chest-beating out of this one, so it's not bad.
-Why the North Won the Civil War, by David Herbert Donald.
-The Civil War and Reconstruction: A Documentary Collection, edited by William E. Gienapp.
-Joseph T. Glatthaar's The March to the Sea and Beyond.
Now, I'm not a Civil War expert and less of a military historian; I'd wager you know a lot more about it, particularly the particulars of strategy, tactics, and individual battles, than I do. My friend recommended these books to me when I asked for a 'basic overview' of some parts of the War, he has a much bigger list of them on request and took a class from some highly-regarded people in the field. Are there any specific questions you're having as you write this fic? If so, I can pass them on to my friend and see if he has any recommendations or suggestions for sources and research ^^ He's also something of an expert on twentieth-century warfare, so if you have any questions about the World Wars, the Korean war, or contemporary counterinsurgency theory, I can ask him about those too, at least when he's not busy-busy. :D
no subject
Date: 2010-11-10 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-10 09:46 pm (UTC)"he South made better use of cavalry than the North because it had to; they had lots of good riders and horses (for a lot of reasons), but relatively limited infantry and artillery, which the North had in quantity. Remember, it takes up to two YEARS to train an effective cavalryman, but infantry can be trained to a useful standard in a matter of months, if not weeks. Union cavalry made much more use of rifles and carbines than Confederates, and often fought as dismounted infantry (i.e. ride to battle, get off, fight as infantry with rifles, then get back on and ride away) than actual cavalrymen. They also preferred sabers for their fear-inspiring capabilities, while Confederate cavalry liked pistols, namely six-shot revolvers of the Colt pattern, with some Confederates carrying up to four revolvers at once for extended firepower. Finally, some Confederate cavalry units made great use of shotguns, due to their spread. Reconnaissance and raids were their primary use, rather than in big battles, due to the relative vulnerability of horsemen to massed infantry with guns. They were also used to harass enemy troops after a battle, either to give cover to fleeing friendly forces (if their side lost), or to chase down enemy stragglers (if they won)."
He doesn't have too much on tactical or doctrinal use of these guys (again, doesn't concentrate too much on the Civil War specifically), but there might be some Civil War hobby books that are useful to you, like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Cavalryman-1861-65-Warrior-Philip-Katcher/dp/1855324628/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289425418&sr=8-1
Hope it halps ^^
no subject
Date: 2010-11-10 02:16 am (UTC)As for using the last names that I came up with - feel free - I feel flattered that they work so well.
Hector - Armstrong? [shrugs]
Eliwood - MacPherson?
For continuing the western theme that I've been pondering/procrastinating on, I had considered using Kent (surname Reid) and Lyn (no surname, half-Indian) as characters. Kent's association with Seth (as far as I've plotted it out) is that Kent was a scout for the army. I've not plotted him any involvement in the war, as my procrastination has been better than my pondering thus far.
As for the setting that you're considering, I think that will work really well. There are a few battles that get covered by the history books, but a lot of the war is left by the wayside by the focus on a few major battles and characters.
Also, I've never considered seeing either Seth or Orson attaining anything beyond the rank of captain, and definitely as a battlefield promotion, instead of politically motivated nonsense. That's just my take on the rank matter though.
I'm looking forward to seeing the tie in with 'Transcendence'. :)
(Also, depending how this all turns out, I may consider it an 'official' history for some of the time before 'Milady Luck'. Don't freak out about it though - I won't be like, 'NOES I CAN'T USE THIS!' and then sit in a corner pouting - it'd just be an extra bonus.)
I'll try to ponder additional characters/names while I work tomorrow. Not sure when I'll be online again, but if/when I come up with any I'll try to get them posted to you. Other people's suggestions are welcome too - for any of you other people who read mark_asphodel's marvelous posts.
And I wax long...
I'll bow out now.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-10 12:19 pm (UTC)I wasn't really planning on including Kent (or Sain)... reason being, it's a BIG war and even if all these guys are involved, they would be in another army. Also, FE7 = still not my thing, but some Eliwood&Hector BFF action is hard to resist.
Also, I've never considered seeing either Seth or Orson attaining anything beyond the rank of captain, and definitely as a battlefield promotion, instead of politically motivated nonsense.
In a peacetime army, yes. But battlefield promotions flew fast and furious during the war, and anyone with a West Point background (and I think it's fair to equate professional knights with West Pointers) would likely enter the war as a "colonel" or higher whatever his rank in the regular army. [Ex = General Custer, whose peacetime rank even at his death was merely Lt. Colonel.] A couple of acts of valor out of either Seth or Orson (or merely displaying competence in certain lousy campaigns) and I think they'd have stars coming their way.
As for political nonsense... heh. I already have a candidate in mind for "archetype" of the naive political general.
Also, depending how this all turns out, I may consider it an 'official' history for some of the time before 'Milady Luck'
I think, as is my wont, I will treat characters too badly to use them over. But if you see anything worthwhile in the backstory, I won't mind if you lift it.
:D
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 04:04 pm (UTC)In addition to the ones you've invented for "Milady Luck," I've surnames now for Carlyle, Kyle, Forde-and-Franz, Artur and Lute, Glen-and-Cormag, and Innes. And also for my FE11/12 cameo character, though his is technically "canon" based on the @#$%ing anime.
Haven't thought about Rennac, Gilliam (though it'll be something Scottish), Lowen, Marcus, Matthew, or Lyon yet. And I dunno what to do about Saleh, as his name doesn't feel like it fits.
Any more character requests?
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 04:22 pm (UTC)YES! I was just thinking that! LOL!
I did think about suggesting Marcus, but since you've already covered that, I guess I really don't have any other characters to request at this time. As for Saleh, he's more of a 'religious background, piety and propriety' character. In fact... didn't I make him a preacher in 'Milady Luck'?
Hang on... Yep, did.
"Old Fado Kingston had come in with his daughter Eirika, intending to pick up their weekly supplies and take supper with Preacher Saleh."
He might go better with the whole crowd from 'Transcendence'. If you happen to write a sequel or addition or something along those lines.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 04:50 pm (UTC)Oh, I still want him as a preacher. I want him as the influence on Eirika that convinces her to free the slaves of Renais plantation after her father's death. [Not that the Kingstons are pro-slavery, exactly... but they had them, and inherited them, and freeing one's slaves is a much more tricky issue than people want to believe.]
But preachers and politicians are going to be important background figures, and Saleh is too useful to neglect. Artur, for example, is going to be the regimental chaplain for Seth's group of soldiers.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 05:05 pm (UTC)So yes, not a pretty time at all.
And yes, I understand the whole 'inherited the mess' situation. And look forward to seeing how it all gets written.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 04:55 pm (UTC)If those don't work... http://www.fife.50megs.com/scottish-surnames.htm is where I went for a list of Scottish surnames.
Also, on a totally random note - Lowen is apparently a surname. O.o
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 05:11 pm (UTC)[dies]
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 05:14 pm (UTC)I like Gilliam MacDougal. Has a lugubrious ring to it. MacAlister is too close to Mac Allison, which I'm using for Glen and Cormag (Scots-Irish Southerners).
no subject
Date: 2010-11-14 05:26 pm (UTC)Rennac - (Le) Marchand, Marchaunt. He feels almost like he should be French something or other.
Marcus - Peterson
I'll have to consider Lyon and Matthew a bit more though. Hmmm.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-18 11:36 am (UTC)Matthew - Alderman, Ashton, Fisher
Too bad it isn't medieval times, then I could suggest 'Matthew de Guy'. :P
no subject
Date: 2010-11-19 10:01 pm (UTC)Hm. Those names for Matthew are all pretty good. May have to toss a coin.
Oh, yes. Wil. I forgot about Wil. How 'bout him?
no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 02:15 pm (UTC)Wil(fred) Boyer, Bowyer.