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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 1:08:14 GMT -5
This topic is a child of the Loonies article directory.PLEASE GO AWAYFor all their military hierarchy and structured existence, Looney bunkers are held together more by a sense of family unity than anything else. Related, unrelated, or complete stranger, members of the same bunker see eachother as brothers, sisters, cousins, and otherwise. Disputes and crimes are often settled informally - often times, with the approval of senior staff. Only the most egregious of crimes slip by to the judgement of the base's security branch. Even the most heinous of acts are given strong consideration before punishment. Similarly, to the Loonies, the bunker is everything. Their home is, in a way, a person unto itself, and its health is orders of magnitude more important than their own. Few are ever willing to consider abandoning their home facility. Fewer still are willing to put themselves in a position to be exiled from it. Only a handful ever leave during infrequent exchanges with other Looney facilities, in an effort to counter the likelihood of inbreeding. For isolated bunkers in hostile environments, it is possible that no one will ever leave.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 1:08:52 GMT -5
PUNISHMENT & SECURITY
The home facility of a group of Loonies is so central to their existence that punishment is often handed out in the form of patrols. Those who violate the base's laws are often given patrol assignments - regardless of their assigned duty - of proportionate length and difficulty. The "long patrol" is a resultant concept with a dual-sided nature. In one respect, it is seen as the ultimate punishment; exile by way of a patrol assignment to an unreachable location. In another, it is a respectful metaphor for death; "missing on patrol" is a status reserved exclusively for those who die outside the bunker, even if their deaths could otherwise be confirmed.
Base security extends beyond the immediate confines of the structure and into the wilderness surrounding it. As a result, Looney patrols are often forced to clear out nests of aggressive wildlife and monsters to secure their territory. Likewise, Looney activity in the underground routinely attracts cave-dwelling creatures, which further helps suppress the threat posed by animals and monsters in the region around any given bunker. Thanks to their training, technological sophistication, and raw stubbornness, the Loonies are respected across Set as tenacious peacekeepers - willful or otherwise.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 1:09:13 GMT -5
XENOPHOBIA & OUTSIDERS
In keeping with their reputation as monster hunters, the Loonies are xenophobic in the extreme. Aliens, mutants, and most non-humans are seen as threats to security like no other. There is no better example than the rift between the Loonies and their orbital counterparts, the simplistically-named Space Loonies. As a result of the Space Loonies' level of alien integration, the planet-dwelling Loonies often show a level of indifference to them bordering on - and sometimes verging well into - malicious. Interactions between Loonies and Space Loonies are short, rare, and occasionally hostile.
While the Loonies are an insular, mostly subterranean people, they are not afraid of the surface, nor outsiders. Looney xenophobia and pride often tangle relationships, but their dealings with hospitable towns and travellers are fair and honest. In harsh or resource-poor environments, Looney bunkers and nearby towns are often dependent on one another. Elsewhere, Looney bunkers regularly feature as valued trading posts along busy trade routes. Many merchants often choose to ignore them, however, thanks to how difficult it is for outsiders to find them.
Looney facilities typically employ a no-tolerance policy on immigrants; all residents of their bunker must be born from Looney parents and raised as Loonies themselves. Squatters are removed with force. Only extreme circumstances can push them towards opening their home to outsiders - and mostly under the pretense of them being refugees. Looney facilities with struggling populations or close ties to nearby towns, however, may offer partial membership to willing recruits from outside the base. Some facilities may even allow young children to be adopted into their community as full Loonies. Similar adoptions are often extended as an act of mercy to those orphaned in their area of influence.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 1:09:23 GMT -5
EARTH KNOWLEDGE & EXPORTS
On Set, the Loonies command a monopoly on information from various off-world cultures, including that of Earth. Each bunker often has its own slice of human history from mankind's homeworld, ranging from television series to historical records. Most, if not all Loonies have a grasp of Earth customs, languages, and traditions, and many bunkers draw influences from their closest match on Earth. What the Loonies do not have is any concrete facts on the location or state of Earth. By and large, most are entirely unconcerned with the human homeworld. Some even claim, with varying levels of sincerity, that Set is, in fact, Earth.
The nickname "Erf", likewise, comes from the Loonies themselves. "Erf" is the finest example of the reach of Looney culture; thanks much to their ubiquitous nature, elements of Looney culture and its earthly influences are present across Set. Loonies often trade non-native agricultural products, introducing crops such as potatoes and corn into regions that may have been exclusively reliant on Set's native flora. Weapon exports from Looney bases often serve as the templates for small arms across the planet. Genuine, non-export Looney equipment is highly sought-after for its quality and reliability.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 1:09:32 GMT -5
THE "BIG LIE"
A major element of Looney culture is the "Big Lie", an unexplained secret with scarce few facts. Only the relationship it holds with the Loonies' command elements has come to light. For example, officers above lieutenant are often expected to have been briefed on the Big Lie. Prospective base administrators are required to have been given a full disclosure on the Lie before they can be considered for the position. Some disciplines may require some level of briefing before training can commence. Others, such as intelligence specialists, may be barred from areas of their expertise if they have not yet been briefed.
Knowledge of the Big Lie is separated into tiers, with Loonies at lower tiers being briefed only in brevity. Some bunkers may not have access to higher tiers of knowledge. In these cases, promotion requirements related to it may be limited or outright absent. Loonies briefed on the Big Lie are required at all times to maintain the Lie's secrecy, even if it means that they must die to protect it. Consequently, only reliable, trustworthy Loonies are ever brought into the fold. Likewise, some bunkers elect to segregate personnel based on their level of disclosure. As a result, virtually nothing is known about the Big Lie, and few outside the Loonies are even aware of its existence.
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