Justin Redding

## Justin F. "Red Wind" Redding

The Skulk

On Duty:

* Grey t-shirt
* Dark green flight uniform

Captain **Justin Forest Redding** (Navy ID No. **JU-24-28**), callsign “**Red Wind**,” is a main protagonist in the *Foxtrot: Foxes in Arms* series. Justin is an animatronic red fox who currently serves as a fighter pilot with the United States Navy. Coming off as generally friendly yet impulsive at times, Justin has close ties with Swefred Hayden, Arthur, and Sewell Snow and, as the oldest of the group, holds them all under protective watch.

## Physical Description

Justin is an animatronic fox standing about an inch over 6 feet in height, the main characters’ tallest. His fur is primarily orangish-red, with some white fur on his front torso and his tail’s tip. Justin also has black fur on his ears, forearms, hands, calves, and feet. Justin's skin on his muzzle is tan, while his neck is metallic silver. Justin's eyes are a bright yellow; some describe his eyes as a "golden yellow."

Compared to the arctic foxes, especially Arthur, Justin still has an overall slim build, but it is evident that he's a (tiny) bit more buff than the others.

Justin has three fur tufts on the side of his head, and his hair is arranged in three mid-sized bangs, and later depictions will show him sporting a small ponytail. For attire, Justin commonly wears either a green or blue "Naval Aviation" t-shirt. When on active duty, he'll still have either of those t-shirts, but he'll also wear a green flight suit with his individual patches. And in the cockpit, Justin uses all equipment necessary for a fighter pilot: including an anti-G's garment, flight harness, life preserver, oxygen mask, helmet, etc.

## History

### Early Life

Being the oldest of the main group, Justin was born to Scott and Riley Redding in Washington, DC. Even from an early age, Justin showed himself to be quite the popular kid, and he got along fairly quickly with anyone who interacted with him. Justin came from a relatively well community and, while privileged, never thought of himself as being above anyone else, though that attitude would change given time. He would even form a particularly close bond with Tom Redding, his younger brother born four years after him. They would go on to do quite possibly everything together as they grew up.

During his teenage years, Justin would form a close relationship with a Texan swift fox by the name of Swefred Hayden while also getting acquainted with a Canadian-American grey fox named Arian Torres. Swefred was as bright and open as Justin was, but Arian was quieter, but he'd still hang with them whenever they went out and did things. Later on, Justin would make friends with a pair of arctic foxes named Arthur and Sewell Snow. And upon getting to know each other, the five would become a close-knit group of friends, even if Arian and even Arthur were a lot more reserved in that way. Justin, along with Swefred, Arthur, and Sewell would be the founding members of the Skulk.

As time when on, their more happy lives began to take an unexpected turn. Both Arian and Arthur changed. Due to his more scrawny appearance and socially awkward demeanor, Arthur started becoming a target for teasing. All the teasing deeply hurt Arthur, and Justin hated to see that. After witnessing a couple of animatronics teasing Arthur himself and comforting his already hurt feelings, Justin decided enough was enough. He took matters into his own hands and came to Arthur's aid, directly telling the other animatronics to stop messing with the arctic fox, calling them bullies in the process. Needless to say, they got the message and left Arthur alone after that. Arthur couldn't thank Justin enough for what he did, and since then, Justin has become a role model of sorts for the young arctic fox.

In regards to Arian, his overall personality changed for the worse. Even he'd picked up on teasing Arthur for a time and slowly began pulling away from Justin and the others. Eventually, Arian left, and they wouldn't see him as a friend ever again. Arian's departure was a surprise to Justin and the others, and while part of them did end up missing his company, they'd move on from his disappearance.

Justin fancied being athletic on top of having good grades throughout his school life, and he was commonly seen as a part of the school soccer team; this continued through high school. However, thanks to various stories told by his grandfather and former Navy pilot, Robert Redding, Justin grew the desire to become a pilot over a professional sportsman. Coupled with seeing the movie *Top Gun*, his dream evolved from not just being a pilot but a fighter pilot. Soon enough, Justin urged Swefred and Arthur to join the Navy with him once they were old enough. Swefred was interested, while Arthur was more hesitant. Nevertheless, by the time he was of age, Justin began to make his dream a reality, to the dismay of his younger brother.

### U.S. Navy Service

#### Flight Training

While still in high school, Justin joined the Navy JROTC program to get a head start. Years later, after signing up at 17, he officially joined upon graduating high school at 18. The next few years saw Justin earning his commission through the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, getting his degree. Upon passing his training and inauguration, Justin began his journey to becoming a naval aviator. Beforehand, he'd get accepted into an advanced training program to become a commissioned officer.

Soon enough, he received that title and was one step closer to achieving his dream. About two years of both primary and advanced flight training would effectively follow Justin's commissioning. During this time, he'd undergo centrifuge training to see if he could withstand high g-forces and get his chance to fly many training aircraft.

During his training, Justin learned as much as possible about flight basics, formation flying, instrument navigation, numerous combat tactics, and carrier operations. Justin would admit that he was incredibly nervous about landing on a moving ship in the middle of the ocean, but that wouldn't get in his way, wanting to fly in the Navy. After a long period of learning the basics of being qualified for carrier operations, Justin graduated at the top of his flight school class and finally made one of his childhood dreams a reality. By the time he was a Lieutenant, he had become qualified to fly the F/A-18 Hornet.

#### US Naval Service

Justin initially served serve two tours over the Middle East as a new member of Strike Fighter Squadron 196 (VFA-196) flying the F/A-18C Hornet. During both tours, he proved himself a capable fighter pilot; some would describe him as one of the Navy's best pilots. He quickly climbed through the ranks because of the amount of experience and flying time he was earning. He earned the nickname “Red Wind," and the name stuck soon after. Soon, Justin had earned the rank of Captain and reassigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 242 (VFA-242), serving as the flight lead of the squad with four other red fox pilots. Justin would make a name for himself and the entire squadron with the squad under his wing as they carried out air-to-air and air-to-ground missions more effectively than most other squadrons in the US Navy during subsequent deployments. It would be some time during or after this period when Justin would switch to the F/A-18E Super Hornet, though can still be seen flying the older F/A-18C on some occasions.

On top of serving several tours overseas, Justin also took part in a number of naval exercises, where he and his squadron performed dutifully. Now, granted, his long periods away have somewhat put a strain on his relationship with Tom, with him feeling abandoned and holding the potential fear of never seeing Justin alive again. Justin would do his best to comfort Tom, saying that he'd never abandon him, and that he's always thinking about him whenever he goes out. However, by the late 2010s into the early 2020's, things would prove to put Justin's skills to the test as he had to face off against the like of Arian yet again, but this time, as the self-appointed ruler of the country of Urocyia, having transformed it into an empire.

Justin and his squad would become actively involved in opening conflicts between the US and Urocyia, and mostly being able to hold his own up there with his squadron mates. However, things truly came to a head when Urocyan military forces launched an all-out surprise assault of American naval assets, with many ships being sunk or damaged, and dozens of lives being lost in the opening attacks. Justin's squad was embarking in a naval exercise aboard the USS *Theodore Roosevelt* when the attacks came. Justin made sure he was the first to be launched, followed by the other pilots of his squadron. They did manage to do their part upon taking off, and minimizing casualties being taken by allied forces. Since then, once the attacks had settled Justin and his fellow pilots did their best to get themselves ready for subsequent deployments.

## Personality

Justin is generally described as a friendly and charismatic fox. He acted as a role model for Arthur in their early lives and even acted as a secondary father figure toward him in some cases. When Justin first became a fighter pilot, he became pretty cocky and impulsive, but as time went on, those traits would decrease, albeit he’s still quite cocky in some aspects. Justin is also optimistic, very opinionated, quite cunning, wise-cracking, good-hearted, and selfless. Most of his cockiness and optimism could come from the fact that he’s never been in actual danger while in combat, though it might just be from his own talents and overconfidence. This cockiness has led to some contention from the others, and the others have voiced their displeasure towards it. It has also led to the title "Justin the Jerk" being tossed around, to which Justin will deny vehemently; he's aware his overconfidence isn't liked by everyone, but with his opinionated nature, he feels like this is a gross over-exaggeration of one flaw in his character he knows, and is trying to work on as time goes on.

While Justin can act impulsive and cocky, he does show love and loyalty to those he cares deeply for. Justin is very fond of those he's close to; he loves hanging out with them whenever he gets the opportunity, and when it comes to meeting new people, he does try and make as good of an impression as possible. This is especially true for Justin's relationship with his little brother Tom. As much as they do argue, he could never hate or dislike his brother, knowing what he'd been through, which is why he does try and keep things good between them. And there is one thing to note about the relationship Justin has with Arthur. Even after Justin stood up for Arthur back in their youth, he'll still have tendencies to poke fun at him from time to time. It's not mean-spirited and mostly just innocent fun. However, Arthur always finds it annoying, especially since Justin occasionally says Arthur's a bit too sensitive to specific topics.

Despite any flaws he may have, Justin is a great guy and does whatever he can to make it so others can feel that sense of joy as well. Even if Justin goes on about himself or his squad's reputation, those who know him understand that underneath any cockiness, there's a kind-hearted and good-natured soul who's willing to do what he can for the greater good.

## Abilities

Justin has exceptional flying skills. He was noted as one of the best F/A-18 pilots in the Navy, some pointed out as the best in the country. He's been so good that he's even brought in to train newer generations of fighter pilots. For the first half of his career, he flew the F/A-18C Hornet, and then later the F/A-18E Super Hornet. It's because of his prowess as a fighter pilot that gained him quite the reputation among not just other pilots in the Navy, but across a good chunk of the rest of the naval forces and even some other branches.

Apart from his piloting skills, Justin also has quite a bit of physical endurance. Already stronger than the average human male, Justin has a lot of stamina which helps him with said endurance in many different tasks. On top of that, Justin is already a pretty strong individual, though he usually doesn't try to use his strength in a fight. Though he will use it if he has to. And he does have some fairly decent hand-to-hand combat skills.

## Relationships

### Romantic Relationship with Scarlett Wilde

Scarlett has become one of Justin's closest friends and allies, mainly because they've become romantic partners. From the moment they met, it did seem to be love at first sight, though upon their first meeting, which was in a military setting, they kept things professional for a while. Justin did think Scarlett was quite pretty and in getting to know her, he found her to be quite bold, and that was something more he liked about her. As for Scarlett, she found Justin quite attractive, as evident by feelings developing within her as soon as she saw him. Though, while Justin's more of a maverick in many situations, Scarlett is more prone to more closely follow the rules, but since getting to know Justin, his maverick-ness did begin to rub off on her, to the point where she will bend rules, but only when the situation calls for it.

Off duty, Justin made sure to spend some time with Scarlett. For a long while, they were simply friends, up until the point where they finally confessed their feelings for each other, with Justin more or less revealing that he, too, had been developing romantic feelings for Scarlett; the longer he spent time with her, the more he began to like her. Since then, they started dating and have made no effort to hide the fact they've become a couple after their dating started. They still keep things decently professional while on duty, but it's well known they're romantically involved with each other now, and they do have their moments where they play around with each other.

### Tom Redding

Tom is Justin's younger brother, and thus, Justin loves him quite dearly, considering him as his closest ally. They have a strong brotherly bond, and are usually seen as getting along quite well with each other, despite their differences, especially when they pair of them were younger. Being that Tom is younger than Justin, he is fairly protective of him, and isn't afraid to stand up for him on top of himself, which has gained quite a bit of respect and love from Tom. And they have proven themselves to be quite the duo whenever they get into things together. Justin has even proven that he can and will, in some cases literally, put his own life on the line to ensure that Tom's safe, as any older brother ought to do; he does take his duty as big brother quite seriously.

Now, they aren't free of quarrels, as their differences do clash from time to time. Justin's increased boastfulness has been a source of annoyance from Tom, but quarrels can be expected from time to time, and Justin always does want the best for Tom, no matter what happens. Even when he goes out on deployments, Justin is thinking about Tom, and using him as a source of motivation to come back in one piece. And even when he does come back, Justin always makes sure he spends time with Tom and help him get better if he's gotten into a depressive episode.

### Swefred Hayden

Swefred has been a long-time friend of Justin, and he even considers Swefred as his best friend. They are generally seen to get along pretty well, with Justin having quite a bit of respect for Swefred for his abilities as a medic and as a sheriff. Swefred does sometimes humor's Justin, which Justin does the same back, and they almost never argue, even if Swefred is a bit more level-headed compared to Justin. Even from when they were a tad younger, they were seen as having each other's backs through many different types of situations, be they at sea or at home on land. If Justin looks out for Swefred, Swefred looks out for Justin. Their relationship is also seen as nearly being brotherly as well, even if Justin typically reserves the true brother relationship to Tom. And he also trusts Swefred to be a bit of a mediator if things get a bit out of hand between himself and one of his friends, such as Arthur. Justin has even sometimes referred to Swefred as "Freddie", which he's done along with his younger brother. Swefred also views Justin fairly fondly, as they have been seen to hang out quite a bit, as seen during one of Justin's recent birthdays. Despite their more differing personalities, Justin and Swefred are pretty close, all things considered, and if Justin needed someone to turn to for an ear or some varying advice, it was Swefred that would be his first choices.

They do sometimes not see exactly eye to eye, through unless Justin's particularly worked up, they always managed to talk about it. This is partly due to the fact that Justin doesn't want to get Swefred upset, in any regards. But no matter what happens, Justin and Swefred's relationship has shown to hold quite firmly through many different situations, as their best-friend relationship is somewhat mirrored by Tom's friendly relationship with Sewell.

### Jess Silver

Jess is one of the newer members of the group, and Justin has seen to be interacting with Jess quite a bit after she officially hooked up with Tom. They generally get along with each other quite well, and because she's become Tom's love interest, Justin began treating Jess as something of a younger sister figure, and is thus becoming somewhat protective of her as well, to a similar level to Tom. On top of that, Justin is also quite grateful to Jess for being there for Tom when he can't be, and thus making him feel considerably better. And he's also glad that Tom's got someone like Jess to look after him while Justin and the other service foxes are out on duty. He has expressed his desire to repay Jess someway, but is not too overbearing about it.

Overall though, Justin gets on quite well with Jess, and if she and Tom ever get married, Justin wouldn't mind having someone like Jess as a sister figure, or sister-in-law in this case.

### Arthur Snow

Arthur is another one of Justin's close friends, having known each other for quite some time as well. Justin is actually quite fond of Arthur, and usually gets on fine with him. However, it is noted that Justin's cockiness and more unorthodox nature does sometimes get on Arthur's nerves, being more by-the-book than Justin is. This has, in turn, caused some arguments between the two of them, though more often than not, they do get their differences resolved. Justin does also sometimes tease Arthur, but he always does so in a sort of playful way, and never out of malice. Arthur knows this, and doesn't let it get to him too much, and sometimes has a comeback to a comment Justin has, which they both find humorous. Arthur also knows know how to put Justin in his place if his head gets too high in the clouds, even if it does insight and argument in the process. Regardless, Justin and Arthur as still good friends, and Justin won't hesitate to stand up for Arthur in difficult times, being as protective of him as many of the other members of the Skulk, being the oldest of the bunch.

As far as their military skills are concerned, Justin does have quite a bit of respect for Arthur's knowledge of ship handling and knack for naval gunnery, while Arthur shows respect for Justin's piloting abilities. Whenever Arthur needs air support, he usually calls upon Justin and his squad, and Justin is usually quick to deliver. they've had a friendly rivalry regarding which could do more damage, an F/A-18 ladened with bombs and missiles or an *Iowa*-class battleship with full magazines. Still, they display quite a bit of confidence in each other's abilities, even if Justin doesn't have the slightest clue of how to handle ships.

### Vienna North

Vienna is generally quite friendly with Justin, and vice versa. Much as he would with Arthur, Justin does look out for Vienna quite a bit, and both do share a bit in common. Given Vienna's more positive nature compared to Arthur, it's fairly easy to see her getting along with Justin, and it does show when they generally interact, though should Justin get a bit in over his head and say something he shouldn't, Vienna's generally one to set things straight, even before Swefred could in some cases. Justin is also quite supportive of Vienna in many regards, given her position being out on the field and many other things.

Now, Justin could never put into words how much respect he has for Vienna, as she is not only a good friend, but an excellent fighter. Justin might be the strongest in the group, but Vienna's Marine Corps training, plus her own knowledge of some martial arts, gives her quite the impressive combat abilities. He's even gone on record to say that he wouldn't mind making a fighting duo with her.

### Sewell Snow

Sewell does have great admiration for Justin, and they are also quite friendly with each other. They are both quite extroverted, so their personalities match a bit more than Sewell and Arthur, even if Justin isn't as energetic as Sewell is. Even so, Sewell likes to have fun with Justin, and Justin does enjoy his time with Sewell as well, fondly looking at him like the group's youngest sibling, seeing as though Sewell is the youngest of the group. It is due to that fact that Justin is also fairly protective of Sewell, being that he is the oldest of the group. Sewell also doesn't look too fondly on Justin's boastfulness, but usually lets it slide and only jumps in to talk to Justin if it gets out of hand.

Justin has also been there to help Sewell whenever he needs it, an example being whenever Sewell feels a little insecure about certain things. Much like what he does with Arthur, Justin makes sure he's there for Sewell, and offers him some advice or motivation. This has given Sewell even more of a reason to idolize Justin, on top of being quite amazed by Justin's flying abilities.

### Friends and Allies

* Tom Redding (younger brother)
* Scarlett Wilde (love interest)
* Swefred Hayden (best friend)
* Jess Silver
* Arthur Snow
* Vienna North
* Sewell Snow
* Jesse Silver

* Members of the fighter squadron VFA-242 *Flying Foxes*
	+ Felix "Longshot" Radcliff
	+ Shirley "Dynamo" Yeager
	+ Autumn "Ax" Rowan
	+ Ash "In Luv" Russell
	+ Scout "Angel" Linwood †

* Crew members of numerous carriers and other pilots

### Rivals

* Tom Redding (sometimes)
* Arthur Snow (sometimes)

### Enemies

* Arian Torres
* Urocyan Dynasty
	+ Kenny Hunter
	+ Flynn Sykes

## Honors and Awards

* Naval Aviator Insignia
* Defense Distinguished Service Medal
* Navy Distinguished Service Medal
* Bronze Star
* Defense Meritorious Service Medal
* Meritorious Service Medal
* Air Medal
* Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
* Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
* Navy Expeditionary Medal
* National Defense Service Medal
* Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
* Armed Forces Service Medal
* Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
* Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon

## Trivia

* While Justin is a skilled fighter pilot, he’s never actually shot down an enemy fighter in a one-on-one aerial dogfight in an actual combat, despite his tours.
	+ At least when the series is set to begin, this is the case. This will likely change as the Urocyan War unfolds.
* It is implied that Justin may have been a student at the US Navy's Fighter Weapons School, AKA TOPGUN. It would explain how he became such an experienced pilot by the point of the series.
* During his younger days as a fighter pilot, Justin was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 196, or VFA-196, a fictional squadron like VFA-242.
	+ He previously flew the F/A-18C Hornet as a part of the squadron, with his aircraft modex number being 405.
	+ Now, as a part of VFA-242, he flies an F/A-18E Super Hornet with the modex number 411, with an older Legacy Hornet carrying the same number.
* Some aspects of Justin’s personality are somewhat based on that of Nick Wilde from Disney’s *Zootopia*.
* Justin is the tallest of the main protagonists; this can be linked to the real-world fox species. The red fox is the largest member of the "true foxes" species, and having Justin as the tallest and slightly larger build plays as a reference to this.
* On a realistic note, Justin is one of the only animatronics that has the closest match to their realistic base-animal with regards to fur patterns.
	+ The other two that could be seen as closely matching include his younger brother Tom, also a red fox, and Jess Silver, a silver fox.
* Aside from being based on Nick Wilde, Justin can be described as a "Maverick," which may be a reference to the main character in 1986's *Top Gun*, then LT and now CAPT Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
	+ As the movie apparently exists in this universe, Justin often sites *Top Gun* as being a huge reason for his desire to become a fighter pilot, wanting to be like Maverick.
* Justin, along with Swefred, are the only animatronics in the service not to have nicknames based on their ID numbers.
* The creator of the series knew someone named Justin in elementary school, so it's likely where his first name came from.
	+ It is likely that the name was remembered when the character was created, as it is likely Justin Redding does not have the same personality traits as the former classmate.
* Justin's birthday, June 11, is also the same day the USS *Missouri* battleship initially entered service in 1944 historically. An interesting coincidence, to be sure.
* Interestingly, "Red Wind" wasn't initially planned to be Justin's callsign, but instead, just a nickname he's referred to as by both allied and enemy forces, specifically "the Red Wind". Much akin to the protagonist of *Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown*, whose callsign is "Trigger" but is referred to as "Three Strikes" by both allies and enemies in reference to a distinctive marking on his aircraft's tail.
	+ However, as no decent callsign has come to mind, "Red Wind" has become Justin's callsign more or less. It will likely remain as such until a more fitting callsign is found, and "Red Wind" will go back to its original nickname status in that case.
* Justin is often heard referring to various types of naval vessels, such as the *Missouri*, as boats, regardless of if the ship is a battleship, cruiser, aircraft carrier, etc. This is a reference to the fact that real naval aviators commonly refer to ships as "boats", regardless of what kind of vessel it is. While submarines have historically been called boats while surface vessels are called ships, to naval aviators, they're all boats.