#united states military academy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sy-on-boy · 2 months

Text

My 2 cents on the plot / thematic relevance of Ch 95

This is not about advancing Plot B or showing Anya's school life (which is still true but has been discussed), but rather the overall theme of education and war. There was an excellent post about how Eden is at the frontline of the cold war and it is subtly shown through the innocent lens of the first graders (I can't find it now, would link it if I could). And I think that perfectly applies to Ch 95.

Quick recap on some references about education/students/war throughout the series (that I remember at the moment):

Sylvia gravely condemning the Berlint University Student Terrorists during the Doggy Crisis arc (Ch 20) and saying "did you learn nothing about war at your university?"

Henderson talking about his experience as a history teacher (Ch 27.5, Short Mission 4) and quote: "Yes, well, I have always maintained that there is nothing to be learned from the memorization of time lines. From the grand efforts with which our forefathers crafted society to the foolish notions that sent them racing to war, to not study the human element at history's root is to not understand history at all"

Note that Damian's best subject has been established to be history, and his family (father) has been involved in war, at least Donovan was PM during most of the war (established by Melinda in Ch 91). Donovan is also a graduated Imperial Scholar (Ch 64).

The Red Circus group started out as a peaceful student demonstration "advocating for peace and quality" (Ch 72) and "speaking out to protect the weakest members of our society". And Billy Squire said, "We were a respectable movement that fought for our cause with respectable means. It was the state that turned violent against us. So I'm not taking criticism from a member of the establishment (referring to Henderson, an educator). I'm gonna see to it that they reap what they've sown." Billy's daughter Biddy was killed by the state at a protest.

Less of a point, but Becky is the daughter of the CEO of a major military manufacturer. Despite their very likely involvement in military conflicts because they sell arms, the Blackbell cohort has been depicted positively so far: Becky being a kind, wonderful friend to Anya, Becky's father doting on her, and Martha again being kind and dignified (and also being an ex-soldier and acquainted with Henderson).

Eden Academy is a major setting for SxF and the themes of politics, education, and war are embedded in it. The students involved in protests/groups are older (the university students, Billy's daughter), but the political implications remain even among the youngest of the students— the first graders.

Hence, Ch 95. When mere first graders are shown to fight to gain connections, which can be political as pointed out by Henderson: "In the world of politics, dances serve as major social events". But of course, they are kids, so they see it more playfully and innocently, especially Becky with her shipper lens on.

Of course, there is also the aspect of getting to know other people better out of interest (the boys asking Anya and Becky to dance because they were impressed after the bus hijacking). But as people have mentioned, nobody mentions this to Damian despite him being equally involved in saving the class (all three of them got a star). The girls aren't interested in Damian as a person, they're interested in him as an asset because of his family and their power.

And I can see the teachers trying to diffuse the tension and create camaraderie with their friendly competition. To me, this reads as the teachers fully realizing "the battlefield of political maneuvering", and they want to remind the kids to have fun, to show good sportsmanship, to unite the kids, to operate as a class and be friendly with one another, and overall make it more lighthearted. It's nice to see the classes work together and get excited / win as a unit, especially compared to the more "individual" bits of fighting for a dance partner later.

We get a bit of comparison between Bill and Damian, with Bill showing good sportsmanship while Damian scoffs at him. But Damian ends up becoming ultra competitive and telling his classmates to not screw it up.

Like the Dodgeball chapter, Damian is clumsily attempting to lead the class by doing good in his quiz, while getting stressed and yelling at his peers when they don't succeed like he did. So he's not really a good leader. Like how him being good at history does not necessarily mean he is good at being peaceful (Short Mission 4 ends with Henderson staring in exasperation at Damian + Anya bickering with each other). But obviously, he is merely a child, and he is naturally immature.

At first Loid is all for advancing Plan B and analysed Anya's suitors in a rational (reductionist?) way by ranking them in terms of gaining intelligence, but he remembers this is just a dance, Anya is a kid, and she should do whatever she wants. Loid (and the adults) are very aware of the political side of the gala, but ultimately they want the kids to have fun and not worry / worry less about politics.

Because they're kids! They'll grow up and learn more and be politically active later, but right now, they're just kids. Kids who don't know much about the world but are eager to make the world a better place.

In the end, we get a panel of Anya and Loid "teaming up" to win Damian's hand for Plan B / world peace. The Damian-Anya dynamic is cushioned with the silly crushy feelings, but underneath it, Operation Strix continues to be a core motivation.

I find it interesting that Endo chooses to focus on the first graders and their innocent view of the world / politics. It's embedded everywhere and especially in a prominent school like Eden, but the kids don't really realise it / realise the severity of it. Heirs and heiresses are educated at Eden and grow up to have incredible influence and the power to shape the world. Our protagonist's best friend comes from a family that manufactures arms. Henderson mentions the importance of learning history to avoid making the same mistakes (ie. war).

So Ch 95 is a cute prom chapter. But I think it also helps to show the themes underneath the fun, bubbly interactions.

#spy x family spoilers #spy x family #spy x family manga #sxf analysis #meta #idk #what do i tag #long post

207 notes · View notes

thatsrightice · 9 months

Text

HOW TO BECOME A FIGHTER PILOT

So as you may or may not know, I am writing a fanfic. Unfortunately for me, I can never do things half way, and because aviation is my passion I must do hours of research on a particular subject that I probably won't even use or reference in said fanfic. Here is a guide for how our favorite characters (probably) became fighter pilots. If there are inaccuracies let me know, I want to know :)

United States Naval Academy

The USNA is an undergraduate college that is a combination of academics and military development programs. Students who want to go into Flight School could qualify with one of a variety of different majors, but there are particular majors that obviously may provide a bit of an advantage to aspiring pilots. The USNA currently offers a variety of different majors and minors, though there are fewer than you might expect from a typical university, and overall the degrees are more tailored towards the Navy. They encourage participation in athletics in the form of a Varsity or club/intramural sport(1).

NOTE: Maverick likely attended a regular college and was a part of the Naval ROTC program at that school. He would have gotten his degree in a field relevant to aviation, likely Mechanical Engineering given his mechanical aptitude seen in Top Gun Maverick, and then attended the 13-week program called Officer Candidate School. To be honest, Maverick’s path within the Navy is a mess and impossible to follow but in the most straightforward scenario, he would go to flight school following Officer Candidate School.

Flight School

Flight School is an approximately 2-year-long program that is required for Naval Aviators to earn their wings. Primarily located at the “Cradle of Naval Aviation” aka Pensacola, FL, flight school consists of many different phases that will divide students into different specializations.

1. Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation (NIFE)

Divided into four phases, NIFE is a program that evaluates students’ aeronautical aptitude as well as screens them to ensure they’re capable of becoming aviators. Students may earn a “pink sheet” for any score below 80% or a failure of a task, requiring them to stand before a panel of instructors to explain why they failed and how they plan to improve. Too many pink sheets result in removal from the program(2).

1a. Water Survival Training Following medical clearance, students are taught and tested on their ability to swim while wearing flight gear as well as formerly instructed on various survival techniques and CPR(2).

1b. Academics A 3-week phase where students take classes and exams in five subjects. It is condensed to test a student’s ability to retain information, learn new information in a high-stress environment, and challenge their self-discipline in regard to time management and other areas(2).

1c. Introductory Flight Screening (IFS) Students are entered into a 2-week-long modified civilian flight training program where one week is dedicated to ground school courses before they must conduct a series of flights in a Cessna using Navy flight procedures during the second week. Students had to memorize and prioritize information to complete the flights, specifically in regard to conducting pre-flight briefings and emergency procedures. Overall, they’ll conduct seven flights in which they are required to complete a set of standardized maneuvers(2).

1d. Aviation Physiology A week-long training course that consists of emergency-specific training evolutions such as the hypoxia chamber, emergency first aid, and the “helo dunker.” The “helo dunker” (from what I understand) is a particular training device that consists of strapping a pilot into a cockpit-like or helicopter contraption within a pool and submerging the entire structure under the water, simulating an environment in which their aircraft has landed in the water and they need to escape from the seat(3). An image of this can be seen below(2).

The Top Gun cast had to undergo a similar training course in order to be allowed to fly in military airplanes for filming. A video of some of their training can be viewed below.

youtube

2b. Aviation Pre-Flight Indoctrination

A 6-week long program that marks the beginning of the aviation pipeline. Located in Pensacola, FL, students attend classes covering the basics of aerodynamics, weather in relation to aviation, air navigation, flight rules and regulations, and aircraft engines and systems (3).

Prior to API, those interested in becoming Radar Intercept Officers (RIO) will have expressed their interest and requested a designation as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO).

2c. Primary Flight Training

A 6-month-long program that teaches the students the basics of flying. There are two locations for Primary, one at Training Air Wing 5 at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Pensacola, FL, or Training Air Wing 4 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, TX. Both Naval Air Stations (NAS) are taught the same curriculum and fly the same aircraft, the T-6 Texan II. The students learn about the instruments, flight basics, radio instrument navigation, formation flying, and aerobatics, and also conduct several solo flights. At the end of Primary, students choose which pipeline they would like. This is conducted depending on the needs of the Navy and how many spots are available(3).

Obviously, Iceman, Slider, Goose, Cougar, and everyone else got Jets, though they may not have gone through flight school at the same time.

2d. Intermediate Flight Training

Intermediate Flight Training is a 27-week program. Split into five platforms; Jet, E2/C2, Helicopter, Maritime, and E-6 TACAMO. The jet platform flight training focuses more on navigation, air traffic control, individual skills, and cooperative skills of flying jets. The intermediate flight training program for jets is located at Meridian, MS (Training Air Wing One) at either VT-7 or VT-9, and Kingsville, TX (Training Air Wing Two) at either VT-21 or VT-22, both of which teach the same curriculum. Students in the jet platform will complete 58 graded flights in the T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft(3).

2e. Advanced Flight Training

Similar to Intermediate Flight Training, the program is split into five platforms but lasts 23 weeks. The students will probably have stayed with the same training squadron throughout the intermediate and advanced flight training. This stage includes learning skills specific to the chosen platform. The Advanced Flight Training program for jets is what’s called the Strike Syllabus. The Strike Syllabus includes an additional 67 graded flights in the T-45 covering air combat maneuvers, low-level navigation, tactical formation flying, and aircraft carrier qualifications. Students will then graduate from Advanced Flight Training with the Wings of Gold(3).

3. Squadron Selection

The final selection process assigns naval aviators to a particular squadron based on the needs of the service. Naval Aviators are assigned to a fleet replacement squadron or other similar training assignments for further training on their specific aircraft type. Here, RIOs and pilots must become qualified by gaining the required flight hours and meeting the proficiency standards necessary.

NOTE: It’s kind of hard to figure out when exactly the RIO training occurs. I know it takes place over the course of all the primary through advanced training occurs as well but I’m not sure if they have to attend seperate courses for it.

TOPGUN

From there, pilots and RIOs may have been moved to their first official squadron for deployment. They would have been in their first squadron for approximately one and a half years, deploying with them. Their squadron would come back from a deployment and during the stand-down time before their next deployment, their commanding officer would select them to go to TOPGUN.

Sources

(1) https://www.usna.edu/homepage.php

(2) https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2944668/nife-lays-foundation-for-naval-aviation-training/

(3) https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/tw4/flight-school.asp

388 notes · View notes

opencommunion · 5 months

Text

"Everywhere around the world, the broad masses of the people, from the heart of the Global South to the center of the imperial core, are expressing a clear and thorough rejection of the ongoing genocide that has quickly accelerated to a firm revulsion to the Zionist ideology and Zionist project as a whole and to solidarity with and inspiration by the Palestinian people and their heroic resistance in all forms, particularly the armed resistance. The 'red triangle' over targets featured in the resistance videos of Al-Qassam Brigades, Saraya al-Quds and other resistance forces has become an online shorthand for the triumph of the people, their determination, their love for their land and their community over the automated, technologized forces of death and destruction represented by the Merkava tanks and military bases of the US/Israeli war machine.

The 'Dahiyeh doctrine' of mass destruction of civilian lives and infrastructure failed in Lebanon in 2006 because the people were a popular cradle, a source of nourishment, growth and sustenance, of the resistance, because the resistance was of, by and for the masses; today, it is failing once again in its full genocidal furor in Gaza for the same reason. This Resistance emerges from the very camps of refugees, denied their right to return home for the past 75 years, that the Zionists seek to destroy and drive into a new displacement today. Globalizing the intifada today means developing the international popular cradle of the resistance – the growing recognition that the Resistance of the Palestinian people, joined by their comrades, brothers and sisters in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and beyond, today represent the hope of humanity on our collective front lines.

Like the great popular Intifada of 1987, today’s Palestinian, Arab and international globalized intifada is an anti-imperialist cause. It is a movement against colonialism, imperialism, racism and oppression everywhere. The Palestinian flag is not only a symbol of Palestinian national liberation, but of a commitment to anti-colonial principles, to Indigenous sovereignty, to the fight against exploitation, to the fight to end the extraction of wealth, labour and resources by the United States and its imperialist cohort in Europe.

The anti-imperialist nature of the Palestinian cause has perhaps never been more clear than in the present day, where every imperialist power has clearly aligned itself with the Zionist regime with unparalleled fervor, sending billions of dollars in weaponry for genocidal aerial bombing of the Palestinian people in Gaza; banning demonstrations and Palestinian and Palestine solidarity organizations, including Samidoun in Germany; arresting and prosecuting demonstrators and organizers in France, the United States, Canada and elsewhere; setting up new parliamentary and congressional bodies meant to silence and suppress the growing movement and releasing a torrent of deceptive propaganda; and unleashing a wave of social terror in the academy. It is clear that the imperialist powers are doing this because they see the events of October 7 and the rising regional and global resistance as a threat to their continued domination and extraction of wealth from the region and view the Zionist regime as their mechanism to hold on to such power through genocidal violence.

The imperialist powers, led by the United States, have always viewed Zionism as a mechanism to extract wealth from the people of the region while denying the Arab nation sovereignty over its land, wealth and resources. From the Zionist colonization of Palestine, directed by Britain, through the Nakba, the 1967 occupation, the Intifada to the Zionist genocide today, the imperialist powers have always been the central enemy of the Palestinian people, and every rock, every bullet and every strike that confronts 'Israel' also confronts imperialism.

Today’s international popular cradle of the resistance, this globalized intifada, stretches from Gaza, Sanaa, Beirut, Baghdad and Damascus to the streets of Havana, Caracas, Sao Paulo and Johannesburg to the heart of the imperial core, raising a collective voice and developing an international struggle against imperialism and its murderous wars, sanctions and siege, with Palestine at the center.

Also like the great Intifada of 1987, we are in a clear era of unity of the Palestinian cause despite the lingering near-afterlife of the collaborationist Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. The Palestinian people throughout occupied Palestine and everywhere in exile and diaspora are united to bring an end to the genocide, unified behind the Resistance, forming a global resistance front that also embraces popular mobilization, arts, culture, political engagement and grassroots organizing as central to the liberation struggle. On this 36th anniversary, we recall that the siege of the camps in Lebanon was finally broken by the eruption of the Intifada inside occupied Palestine in 1987. Today, we look forward to breaking the siege on Gaza, not only through the strength and resilience of the Palestinian people in Gaza, but through the uprising elsewhere and everywhere.

... From members of U.S. Congress, to university officials, to German security services, to British police, to the French interior ministry, imperialist forces are attempting to criminalize, suppress and silence clear speech for Palestine. They seek to turn reality inside out, whereby 'intifada' – the term reflecting resistance to genocide and oppression – is redefined as itself 'genocidal.' These propaganda campaigns aim to empty the term 'genocide' of meaning and legal weight and to attempt to reclaim control over the discussion of the Palestinian cause, a control that has been swept away by decades of struggle, and has been rendered unrecoverable after October 7. They also seek to target the growing role and organization of Palestinians in exile and diaspora, reclaiming their role in their national liberation movement stripped from them through the years of the Oslo liquidation process.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Long live the Intifada. Victory to the Palestinian Resistance. Stand with the Palestinian armed struggle. Zionism is racism. Imperialism will be defeated. These slogans are ringing out everywhere around the world, and now is the time to declare them, more loudly and clearly than ever. There are no slogans or statements that will satisfy Zionism and imperialism – on the contrary, they wish to strip our movement of our most effective advocacy and our most unifying vision, the vision and promise that enables people to continue to fight, to resist, and to move toward victory in the most extreme conditions of genocide and deprivation."

Samidoun Network, Globalize the Intifada: Regional resistance, international struggle and Palestinian liberation on the 36th anniversary of the great Intifada

#palestine #zionism

130 notes · View notes

gothhabiba · 6 months

Text

[November 10, 2023. An exerpt:]

Gathering at the Port

The Port of Tacoma and the nearby ICE detention center are located in an industrial area that also houses a police academy. They are only accessible through narrow choke points; in the past, police have taken advantage of these to target and harass protesters. The preceding action at the Port of Oakland took place in a more urban terrain; as protesters prepared for the ship to dock in Tacoma, concerns grew about the various possibilities for repression. Veterans of the Port Militarization Resistance and other logistically-minded individuals compiled lists of considerations to take into account when carrying out an action at this particular port.

Other anarchists remained at a distance, standing by to do jail support and advising the participants on security precautions. Others set up at the nearby casino, investigating and squashing rumors in the growing signal groups and helping to link people to the information or communication loops they needed. Whether autonomously or in conversation with the organizers, all of them did their best to contribute to the unfolding action.

The demonstration successfully accomplished what some had thought might be impossible, preventing the ILWU workers from loading the military shipment. Unexpectedly, this was not enough. Even seasoned longshoremen were surprised that the military could be brought in to act as scabs by loading the ship.

Could we have focused instead on blocking the equipment from reaching the port in the first place? According to publicly available shift screens, the cargo that was eventually loaded onto the ship had already arrived at the port before the action’s originally planned 2:30 pm start time on November 5. Considering that Sunday afternoon was arguably the earliest that anyone could mobilize a mass action on such short notice, it is not surprising that the idea of blocking the cargo was abandoned in favor of blocking the ILWU workers. Of course, if the information that military supplies were entering the port had circulated earlier, something else might have been possible.

The organizers chose the approach of blocking the workers in spite of the tension it was bound to cause with the ILWU Local 23. Our contacts in the ILWU describe the Local 23 president as a Zionist; most workers in Local 23 were supposedly against the action, despite respecting the picket. The president allegedly went so far as to suggest bringing in ILWU workers on boats, a plan that the military apparently rejected.

There were rumors that a flotilla of kayaks was organizing to impede the Orlando’s departure the following morning. In the end, a canoe piloted by members of the Puyallup, Nisqually, and other Coast Salish peoples and accompanied by a few kayakers blocked the ship’s path for a short time on November 6, but nothing materialized for November 7.

This intervention is an important reminder of the ethical and strategic necessity of working with Indigenous groups who know the land and water and preserve a living memory of struggle against colonial violence that includes repeatedly outmaneuvering the United States military.

The ship departed, but one Stryker Armored Personnel Carrier that was scheduled for work according the ILWU shift screens was not loaded, presumably due to the picket. Given the military work-crew’s inexperience in loading shipping containers, it’s unclear how much of the shipment was completely loaded in the time allotted for the ship, as ports hold to a strict schedule in order not to disrupt capital’s global supply chains.

Evaluation

The main organizers received feedback in the course of the protest and adapted their strategy as the situation changed, shifting their communication to articulate what they were trying to do and explaining their choices rather than simply appealing to their authority as an organization or as Palestinians. Nonetheless, some participants have expressed displeasure about how things unfolded. It was difficult to get comprehensive information about what was going on, and this hindered people from making their own decisions and acting autonomously. Some anarchists who were on the ground report that the vessel was still being loaded when the organizers called off the event; others question the choice not to reveal the fact that the military was loading the equipment while the demonstration still had numbers and momentum.

It is hard to determine to what extent organizers intentionally withheld information. We believe that it is important to offer constructive feedback and principled criticism while resisting the temptation to make assumptions about others’ intentions (or, at worst, to engage in snitch-jacketing, which can undermine efforts to respond to actual infiltration and security breaches in the movement and often contributes to misdiagnosing the problems in play).

Cooperating with the authorities—especially at the expense of other radicals—is always unacceptable. This is a staple of events dominated by authoritarian organizations. Fortunately, nothing of this kind appears to have occurred during the blockade on November 6. Those on either side of this debate should be careful to resist knee-jerk reactions and to avoid projecting bad intentions onto imagined all-white “adventurists” or repressive “peace police.”

In that spirit, we will spell out our concern. The organizers simultaneously announced that the weapons had been loaded onto the ship, and at the same time, declared victory. This fosters room for suspicion that the original intention had been to “block the boat” symbolically without actually hampering the weapons shipment, in order to create the impression of achieving a “movement win” without any substantive impact. Such empty victories can deflate movements and momentum, sowing distrust in the hundreds of people who showed up on short notice with the intention of stopping weapons from reaching Israel. It might be better to acknowledge failure, admitting that despite our best efforts, the authorities succeeded in their goal, and affirming that we have to step up our efforts if we want to save lives in Gaza. We need organizers to be honest with us so we know what we are up against.

It’s important to highlight that ultimately it was the military that loaded the ship, not the ILWU. This move was unprecedented, just like the military spying on demonstrators during the Port Militarization Resistance. But it should not have been unexpected. From now on, we should bear in mind that the military is prepared to intervene directly in the logistics of capitalism.

This also highlights a weakness in the strategy of blocking a ship by means of a picket line and blockading the streets around the terminal. To have actually stopped the ship, a much more disruptive action would have been called for, potentially including storming the terminal itself and risking police violence and arrests. This isn’t to say that storming the port would have been practical, nor to argue that there is never any reason to blockade the terminal in the way that we did. Rather, the point is that the mechanics of war-capitalism are more pervasive and adaptable than the strategies that people employed to block it in Oakland and Tacoma. Any form of escalation will require more militancy and risk tolerance.

At the same time, we should be honest about our capabilities, our limits, and the challenges we face. Although many people were prepared to engage in a picket, storming a secured facility involves different considerations and material preparation, and demands a cool-headed assessment of benefits versus consequences. We should not simply blame the organizers for the fact that it did not happen. A powerful enough movement cannot be held back, not even by its leaders.

Considering that the United States military outmaneuvered the picket strategy—and in view of the grave stakes of what is occurring Palestine—”Why not storm the port?” might be a good starting point for future strategizing. Yet from this point forward, the port is only going to become more and more secure. Another approach would be to pan back from the port, looking for points of intervention outside it. In this regard, the rail blockade in Olympia in 2017 might offer a promising example.

Likewise, while we should explore ways to resolve differences when we have to work together, we can also look for ways to share information and coordinate while organizing autonomously. We might not be able to reach consensus about what strategy to use, but we can explore where we agree and diverge, acquire and circulate intelligence, and try many different strategies at once.

#long post /#tacoma port action #readings

85 notes · View notes

bangtanhoneys · 5 months

Text

The Grammy's - Part Two

Part 1 l Part 3

The GRAMMY’s.

The Grammy Awards are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognise “outstanding” achievements in the music industry…if you believed what you read on Wikipedia and if you didn’t see the artists who had brought exceptional change to the music industry like Lana Del Ray, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and even Diana Ross.

BTS were included in that list of people who had changed the music industry, had made Billboard change their rules every time they brought out a new single or album, had streaming numbers no one else had and yet for all the Grammy nominations, performances and making an appearance, there was no Grammy.

Until they had received a notification from Bang-PD to their phones, though five of those messages had been delayed in getting to their recipients.

Grammy Nominations have come through - Grace has got 3.

7 Rings - Record of the Year

In My Head - Album of the Year

7 Rings - Best Pop Solo Performance.

Each had a different reaction to the news, which was understandable. At first, there was elation over the fact that at least one of them got a Grammy nod, second was amazement that she had scored three big major categories and then worry mixed in with disappointment. Why hadn’t they had the nomination? Whether solo or as a group, the Grammy’s had left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Namjoon, Yoongi and Seokjin knew Grace would flat-out refuse to perform or even go to the awards. They knew her back to front - her loyalty stood with the group and if they weren’t getting a nomination, then neither would she.

However, this was a defining moment in her career, their careers, their history and for the country.

And for those who knew what kind of start Grace had, this would be the perfect way to celebrate that career.

She started as an admin assistant, straight out of school and into employment with Big Hit Entertainment who then saw that she could do ballet dancing, and ballroom dancing, who could sing though that skill was untouched, spoke perfect English, could speak German as well and had all the charm of an idol.

Yet there was no place for her.

Everyone knew Bang PD wanted a hip-hop group and that’s what he started with in Namjoon, then Yoongi and Hobi. Grace was added as a backup for the ability to sing their ad-libs and rap alongside them without any problem. Then along came Seokjin & Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin and suddenly they were an idol group.

A woman shouldn’t be doing hip-hop with a boy group and so she had signed a two album contract which had left her on tenterhooks as to whether all the skills she had gained while working with Bangtan Sonyeondan would now be worthless. But along came Skool Luv Affair and Dark & Wild and everything fell into place.

Now they couldn’t see the group without their eldest member, the only female, their noona. The woman who protected them in every sense of the word and who had always been there for their solo projects and careers. Her own started very late after their military careers had started so she had full reign of being the BTS representative.

If her upcoming tour was a testament to how well her solo career had taken off, then a Grammy nomination would just solidify that.

Updates were coming in every day and then it was the date of the Grammy Awards themselves. Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung, Namjoon & Yoongi were given special permission for absence of leave for two days so Seokjin planned a private viewing party just for the boys, their close friends who knew Grace as well and some of their team.

Seokjin had been up till late preparing snacks and food as the Grammy’s would start at 10am their time. There was plenty of alcohol covering his kitchen counter and there was food everywhere when Hobi had arrived first.

“Hyung, have you been stress cooking again?”

Seokjin paused where he was putting out plates and cups, chilling the expensive alcohol that had been gifted to him by someone and making sure there was enough kimchi in the container. Multitasking at its finest.

“Maybe? I can’t help it. I’m nervous, more for Grace than anyone else.”

Hobi sighed, having had the same conversation with every other member of the team and Grace herself. She had massive reservations about attending and performing, believing it all to be a big farce so they could have big viewing numbers.

“I know, but noona will be fine. She’s a lot stronger than us and a loss at the Grammy’s won’t affect her like it did us. As she said, as long as her performance is killer, who cares.”

Nothing more could be said as the front door opened and the rest of his boys poured through, Jungkook first then the rest following with bags of more food and alcohol.

“How drunk are you all getting?” Hobi laughed, receiving hugs and pats on the back as he looked at the various sized bags that were being dumped in the kitchen.

“It would have been more but Yoongi-hyung stopped us,” Taehyung shrugged as he dropped his bag and then lifted his arm, flexing it to show off his muscles which caused Jimin to roll his eyes and push at him. “We’ve all got muscles. It hasn’t been that long since Hobi-hyung has seen us.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Yoongi and Namjoon asked Seokjin at the same time, causing the two to pause, look at each other then back at their hyung.

Jungkook, while looking every inch the military man he had become, had wrapped his arms around Seokjin and pushed his face into his back.

“Nervous,” Seokjin admitted while patting Jungkook’s hands. “I’m more nervous for her than about the whole thing. But I know she can handle it. It’s just a big thing.”

“For everyone,” Namjoon smiled slightly and reached over to give Seokjin’s shoulder a squeeze, causing the man to squawk at how strong that grip had become. “Ah, sorry hyung.”

“Come on, let’s get the TV sorted before everyone else comes. And start cracking the bottles open hyung, let the champagne breathe before we get started,” Yoongi grinned as he took control of the situation, shooing people to start doing jobs.

Even though it was early in the morning and most people had been up all night working, everyone was in bright spirits as the coffee churned. The living room was filled with about 20 people, some on the couch, some on the floor, some on chairs they had brought over. Jungkook had even stolen the spare mattress in the other room and had laid it out on the floor for some.

BTS, however, had taken control of the couch.

They barely listened to the people talking on the screen as they all settled down with their various glasses of drink though Seokjin, Hobi and Namjoon had stuck to iced coffee for now. They wanted to be sober enough to get to her performance before drinking any type of alcohol.

Their phones went off at the same time.

“Oh my god, look at her!”

Taehyung lifted his phone up and began showing it around to the others. Sejin had sent a picture of Grace between her parents, dressed in her Elie Saab dress and made up to the nines as her father stood in a suit to her left and her mother stood to her right in a gold dress. They all matched perfectly to what Grace was wearing.

Messages quickly flew out of good luck, hope it all goes well, kill the stage, etc. None were read by Grace but Sejin sent a thumbs up emoji back with a winky face.

There was silence in the room as they watched the red carpet, pointing out the various celebrities they knew of or had met. They had immediately spotted Liam McEwan, one of the reporters who they actually liked. And then they saw Bang PD step out of the car with Grace’s parents, a member of staff leading them past the red carpet and inside.

“Here we go,” Seokjin muttered as Namjoon’s hand squeezed his shoulder again, a bit more gently this time.

The noise from the crowd was instantaneous.

Hands reached forward for the remote control to turn down the volume a bit as screams were heard, many heads turned as the camera switched to Liam McEwan. “Everybody, Grace Chu from BTS has arrived! The queen is here.”

The boys held their breath until the camera caught up with where it was meant to be, showing Grace in front of the Grammy backdrop, cameras flashing in her eyes as she smiled for the photographers. The dress sparkled each time the camera flashed and then she was moved along, straight towards Liam.

“Seee! Told you she could do it,” Yoongi said as he raised his glass of whiskey, not at all a bit tipsy as Jungkook reached over and filled it up for him. When did he get started on that?

“She hasn’t even gotten inside yet hyung,” Jimin laughed, already opening another bottle of champagne as if Grace had already won her three awards and had been crowned Queen of Korea.

Seokjin and Namjoon as well as Hobi, the only three who had been determined not to drink until the end, slowly sipped on their iced coffee and laughed as they watched an excited maknae open Taehyung’s bottle of wine for him.

“But she’s won everyone over! I mean, that dress is amazing on her,” Taehyung said as he stood, pushing over Jimin who spilled himself into Hobi’s lap. Obviously, a career in the military had done nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.

Taehyung stood next to the large TV screen, pointing at various parts of her dress. “I mean, it’s pretty low. I wonder who signed that off but either way, she looks amazing. And look! Cleavage! No one has seen noona with cleavage yet.”

Yoongi groaned, covering his eyes. “Don’t mention Grace and cleavage in the same sentence. I’m not drunk enough yet.”

Seokjin hid a grin behind his hand and tried not to chuckle, ignoring Hobi who was cackling into his back and Namjoon who stood ready to defend his noona’s honour until he was pulled back down.

“What?” Taehyung asked, grinning. “Okay, okay. But this is history in the making here. She’s got everyone eating out of her hand already and she’s not even inside yet. Is that Taylor Swift she’s saying hello to? Oh, it's Nicki Minaj. Ah, another collab being set up there.”

“Tae,” Seokjin started and threw a napkin at him. “Sit down before your eyes turn into the same shape as the TV. You’re blocking the view as well.”

There were plenty of voices who agreed with him as Tae pouted and sat back down, ignoring the maknae line’s giggles.

The next time they saw Grace was sitting with her parents in the main room, taking a glass of water and gulping it down before Sejin and the Grammy team led her away.

“Oh this is it,” Jungkook whispered as he somehow managed to squeeze in next to Seokjin. If there were two people in the room who were close to Grace and could feel her nerves from here, it would be them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to 5-time Grammy nominated member of BTS, Grace Chu,” the loud announcement came.

“Okay. This is it,” Namjoon said as he went into leader mode. “Everyone shut up and let’s enjoy it.” Nothing more needed to be said as everyone went into quiet mode, 20 sets of eyes on the TV that showed a black curtain being lifted as the opening to the Sound of Music’s ‘Favourite Things’ was being played by a small orchestra, dressed in black dinner suits and dresses.

Jungkook reached over and held onto Seokjin’s hand tight.

Each light in the middle came on to show her standing there, in her blazer dress that was very short but presentable and caused some uproar from the boys the moment they saw it but a quick look from Namjoon and they settled again.

Her eyes met the camera as it slowly zoomed in and she gave a small smile as she started to sing, four female dancers walking on stage to meet her dressed in white suits.

“My wrist, stop watchin’, my neck is flossy,” Grace and Jungkook sang at the same time, though he did it under his breath as he watched the choreography on the TV. By the time the chorus came, the four female dancers spread further apart to allow the seven male dancers to come alongside though they were dressed in matching black suits.

“Wearing a ring, but ain’t gon’ be no Mrs,” Grace sang as she flashed her left hand, wiggling slightly causing Jimin and Taehyung to giggle.

There were more outrage noises when it came to the second pre-chorus, the female dancers were back as the lyrics “my smile is beamin’, my skin is gleamin’” were sung but instead of Grace doing the usual choreography that the boys were used to, it had been changed for American tv.

All five women turned and leaned forward, resting heads on backsides as Grace shifted hands to turn her head towards the camera as she sang the rest of the lyrics, “the way it shine, I know you’ve seen it” as her hand went down the thigh of the dancer who she was resting on.

“I bought a crib just for the closet,” Grace sang as she rightened herself, not paying attention to the crowd’s delighted noises or what her parents were going to think. Right now, it was a cause of getting through this song to get to the rap part and then done.

All dancers were back for the chorus and Yoongi, Hobi and Namjoon shifted towards the edge of the seat. They had seen the many comments around this song and whether Grace could perform the rap part live, since it was so fat, not realising she covered their rap parts with ease when they needed her to.

“When you see them racks, they stacked up like my ass yeah,” she sang/rapped, turning her body a little to camera to show her hand grabbing a chunk of her backside to match the lyrics. She then fully turned to the camera, the dancers in formation on either side of her as she continued the verse.

“Shoot, go from the store to the booth. Make it all back in one loop, gimmie the loot,” she continued as she danced her way through the verse without stopping to take a breath.

In complete jubilation, every single person in Seokjin’s living room sang along with her.

“Nevermind I got the juice. Nothing but net when we shoot. Look at my neck, look at my jet!”

“Ain’t got enough money to pay me respect. Ain’t no budget when I’m on the set If I like it, then that’s what I get,” Grace continued from where they left off singing.

The dancers all left the stage as the orchestra took over the last chorus, letting the song play out once Grace stopped singing. The audience stood, clapping and cheering for her and even though the camera’s didn’t show it, she did a full bow to the crowd.

“Okay, that was amazing!”

The alcohol was flowing now the worst of the nerves were over with and Seokjin happily accepted the glass of wine, Namjoon a whiskey from Yoongi and Hobi a washed down glass of white wine. All seven boys, their close friends and team lifted their glasses in cheers.

“Namjoon, you do it,” Yoongi said as everyone looked to Seokjin to lead the toast.

“Oh right,” their leader said as he stood, making his way to stand next to the TV where the awards were flowing.

“When I first met noona, I was a shy teenager who had no clue, probably like many of us. She didn’t care that I was into hip hop, that I had big dreams and that I wanted to be something. All she cared about was Namjoon - what did he want? And I never knew the answer to that question until the day she and I were out buying plants,” Namjoon paused then laughed when he realised he was getting teary as was the rest of the boys in front of him.

“She asked what I wanted? And I picked up this plant pot because it was cute. And I realised there and then, that all noona wanted from me was to be happy and if a plant pot made me happy because it was cute, then that’s what she was going to get for me. Seeing her come from someone who didn’t know their place in the world to now seeing her up there on the Grammy stage, I’m very thankful that I have Grace Chu in my life. So fuck the Grammy’s, who gives a shit. Grace Chu just made history!”

Everyone’s glasses went up with cheers. “To Grace Chu!” they all said then downed their alcohol in one go, only for glasses to be filled again just as quickly.

There was complete and utter silence when she didn’t win Best Pop Solo Performance, though Jungkook could see the storm brewing over his leader’s head. “Noona isn’t bothered,” he muttered as he pointed to her on the screen as she laughed and talked to her parents, completely unbothered by the fact she didn’t win.

It turned out to be a very long morning as each award came and went.

“The nominees for Record of the Year are,” that sentence interrupted all the conversations in the room, heads turning on a swivel to stare at the screen.

BTS turned to look at each other and as if they had the same thought, they each reached over to clasp hands. Namjoon closed his eyes, let out a breath and prayed.

“And the winner is,” there was a giant pause and Grace on the screen turned to her mother to say something before the answer was revealed: “7 Rings - Grace Chu.”

There was complete and utter pandemonium in Seokjin’s living room. Namjoon had fallen to the floor on his knees, Jungkook on his back. Taehyung and Jimin were hugging each other, Hobi stared at the screen in utter confusion and Yoongi reached over to wrap an arm around Seokjin’s shoulders.

“She did it, hyung. She actually did it.”

They missed most of her speech, only calming down enough to hear the last part of it.

“Holy shit,” Namjoon muttered as he wiped a hand down his face and stayed where he was. Jungkook grabbed hold of his shoulders and whispered hurriedly at him. “Hyung, hyung, look.”

On screen, Chris Martin from Coldplay was walking across the stage.

“No way,” Seokjin whispered as Yoongi grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing tight. If there was anyone who was important to the couple and to the rest of the band, it would be Chris. The fact he was there to present the biggest award of the night was not missed by anyone.

“The winner for Album of the Year,” Chris paused and turned to look at Grace. “In My Head" by Grace Chu, produced by Bang PD & PDogg from Big Hit Entertainment. Congratulations.”

There was silence for a moment and then a multitude of noise. Cheers, screams, crying, hooting, laughter and some kind of noise Taehyung had produced at the news. Each man had a different reaction as they watched Grace stand and walk up to the stage, greeting Chris the traditional way before hugging him.

They went silent again as Grace started her speech, each of them holding their breath as they were standing. It wasn’t missed that she had said her boys, ARMY and her man separately and for her to acknowledge Seokjin like that on American TV was another big moment.

Jimin’s phone rang just as Grace walked off stage and he quickly pulled it out, seeing Sejin’s name on the screen.

“Ah Sejin-hyung,” Jimin said while he put the voice call on speakerphone so they could hear their old manager.

“Grace is just coming backstage now so I’ve got you on speakerphone, one moment.” They could hear the tears in his voice over the noise in the background. “Grace, the boys are on the phone.”

They were all screaming their congratulations on the line and suddenly they heard Bang-PD on the line.

“Boys,” he started crying again. “I’m so proud of you all. So proud. I’m letting Grace have a moment with her parents but I just wanted to say I’m very proud of you all. Thank you.”

It was hard to even get their words out but there were promises for a celebration dinner when they got back and Grace would speak to them later once she got back to her hotel.

“She did it,” Namjoon whispered as he saw the notifications on his phone on various media outlets across South Korea and America reporting on Grace winning her two Grammys. CL, IU, TXT and others were posting on their social media, tagging BTS and Grace in their posts. Even Billboard had put up a post.

“She did it,” Namjoon repeated as he rested a hand on Seokjin’s back and an arm around Jungkook’s shoulders. Hobi joined them at Jungkook’s side, pulling Jimin and Taehyung in and Yoongi joined them by wrapping an arm around Taehyung and Seokjin.

Grace would return back to Korea, to them, as a twice Grammy awarded artist. And no one would be able to say that Korea’s Noona hadn’t broken the barrier that they all needed to be broken and no one could say that they as a group and individually weren’t leading the way for other Korean idols and groups.

#bts 8th member #bts additional member #bts eighth member #bts female member #bts fic #bts fanfiction

72 notes · View notes

usarmytrooper · 2 years

Text

21 notes · View notes

hiyoung8 · 4 months

Text

The age of the students at Bullworth Academy (part I)

I found it interesting and fun to find out the age of the students. Of course, for each student there will be arguments, but it is possible that I am wrong.

Details:

-> I'm going to assume that Bullworth Academy is a high school

-> Since it is a high school located in the United States, four years ago and not three as in Europe (ex: France). That's why I'm going to make the following cut:

1st year: 14-15 years old - Freshman

2nd year: 15-16 years old - Sophomore

3rd year: 16-17 years old - Junior

4th year: 17-18 years old - Senior

Bullies:

Russell Northrop:

In the U.S. system, you can get a driver's license between the ages of 14 (for one state) and 17 years old. Most states have set the age of 16 for obtaining a driver's license. However, knowing that Bullworth Academy is located in New England, the age to obtain a driver's license is between 16 years and 16 years and 6 months. So we can already rule out the fact that Russell is a Freshman and a Sophomore.

In the mission Busting In (Part I), we can see Russell riding a police motorcycle that he stole. He is then chased by the police not because he has restrictions (yes, people under the age of 18 have restrictions when they get the license) but because he stole the car. Also, if we get used to his imposing physique and his minimal intellectual skills for his age, we can assume that he is 17-18 years old and is a senior.

Davis White:

"You know something's wrong when a freshman fights back, we didn't do that in the old days!" With this line of dialogue, we can say that Davis is not a freshman, therefore a 1st year student. Moreover, if we look at the "old days", we can make the assumption that Davis' 1st year was a very long time ago like several years ago. It can then be assumed that Davis is a 17-18 year old senior.

Trent Northwick:

Truth be told, I couldn't find anything that could tell me Trent's age other than the fact that he uses the word "kid" in a line of dialogue. I had thought that he would be a 17-18 year old senior to talk about a student like that but no certainty so I leave it hanging for the moment.

Troy Miller:

Troy wants to join the military when he reaches the minimum age of 17, which means he's neither a junior nor a senior. In a line of dialogue when he loses a fight, he can be heard saying, "So much for the army…" We can understand from this sentence that he probably seemed close to being able to enter the army but that this possibility now seems to be over. Thus, it can be assumed that Troy is a 15-16 year old sophomore.

Ethan Robinson:

During Chapter 2, Ethan can be heard saying: "I can't believe the Carnival's already here! This year's just flyin' by". From that, we can put aside the possibility that he is a first-grader since he has already experienced carnival while being at Bullworth Academy. Afterwards, his sentence may mean that compared to other years, the carnival is already here. So I'm torn between saying he's a 16-17 year old junior or a 17-18 year old senior.

Tom Gurney:

As far as Tom is concerned, I initially thought he was a 14-15 year old freshman or a 15-16 year old sophomore because in a line of dialogue he says: "I'm too young". However, in some lines of dialogue, he uses the word "kid". That's why I came to think that he couldn't be a freshman or a sophomore because it would be ridiculous to call someone the same age as you or a year apart. I'm mixed between the fact that he's a 16-17 year old junior and a 17-18 year old senior.

Wade Martin:

Wade remains for me the biggest mystery of the band. No matter how much I've gone through all of his lines of dialogue and his profile, I haven't found anything concrete that could make me go on a track. At the very least, in a line of dialogue, he says: "My dad says he's gonna buy me some condoms so I can like, do it with chicks, y'know?" Knowing that the sexual majority in New England is 16, I thought he might be a 16-17 year old junior but that's a far-fetched theory right?

That's the end of this first part. In the next one, I'm going to deal with the Preppies. Feel free to let me know what you think. Au revoir

#bully canis canem edit #canis canem edit #bully cce #bully game #bullies #russell northrop #davis white #trent northwick #wade martin #tom gurney #ethan robinson #troy miller #bully scholarship edition

39 notes · View notes

dumbass-tumbler-cryptid · 2 months

Text

Alright everybody here's part 2 of the Cabin Custody Au!

So first off I want to clarify that Quaritch did not know Mercer was going to do that to Spider! Corporal punishment isn’t even aloud in the military and hasn’t been allowed in schools since Quaritch was a kid so he had no reason to even think that would happen to Spider. He figured Mercer would have Spider running laps in his regular clothes until he was sick, forcing him to change into his uniform to have a clean outfit, or scrubbing dirty bathroom floors until he was too tired to fight back, things that Quaritch himself would do to unruly cadets back in the day. Just punishments that generally really suck. He warned Spider to spare him from that. He never thought Mercer would harm Spider otherwise he never would have let Spider go to that school.

Spider is too hurt and humiliated to tell Quaritch what really happened, though Quaritch can obviously tell it was bad. During Spider’s lunch break Quaritch storms into Mercer’s office in a rage, “what in the fuck did you do to my kid.” Mercer shrugs, “just normal intimidation tactics. Your son is just more - sensitive then you think.” “Bull shit! My boy is stubborn and strong as hell!… “and disrespectful and wild. Isn’t that why you wanted him here in the first place?” “He can be taught respect and discipline through training! Not with whatever you did…” “nothing he didn’t deserve.” Quaritch advances on Mercer ready to beat the shit out of him. Mercer tsks at him, “watch it Quaritch. Don’t forget you still have a record. Wouldn’t want to go back to prison for assault now would you?” He backs down unwilling to risk his family again.

Back in the cafeteria five pairs of eyes are giving Spider a very strange look. He deflates a little, “aren’t you Na’vi?” A girl nods looking embarrassed, “we are but….we don’t really remember the language.” Spider sits giving them all hard looks. While these kids look Na’vi all cultural markers like braids and jewelry have been striped away. There’s something behind their eyes that Spider can’t really place. A boy of about fourteen, the youngest of the group, timidly adds, “plus Headmaster Mercer gets mad when we speak in that savage language.” Spider pales.

“I’m Spider. What are your names?” The kids all look at each other. The girl that first spoke says, “we’re not allowed to say our Na’vi names…” “I don’t even remember my original name,” says a kid that looks like they could be a boy or a girl. Spider feels sick. He already knows what’s happening here. His social worker Norm works to rescue stolen Na’vi children from the American soldiers who kidnapped them from their families. Spider knows that’s what’s happening here. He’s disgusted. Mercer went so far as to change their names and punish them for worshiping Eywa, making them too terrified to ever try and reclaim their culture.

So the Sarentu kids forced American names are:

Teylan- Tyler

Ri’nela- Regina

Aha’ri - Alice

Nor- Nolan

And our non-binaire teen that can’t remember their original name - Sam.

I won’t use these names at all but I’m basing what Mercer did to the Sarentu kids on the very real very atrocious schools set up to “re educate” indigenous children in the United States and Canada.

Spider is so horrified for these kids that everything he went through that morning goes out the window. Because if that’s what Mercer could do to him in a morning then he shuddered to think what these kids had been through over YEARS. He vows to save them and bring Mercer to justice.

The Mercer Military Academy is only a semi boarding school so at the end of the day Spider meets his dad outside to go home. It’s a twenty minute car ride and Spider waist no time in asking, “what did you think Mercer was going to do to me?” Quaritch sighs, “I thought he’d yell at y’a lot. Make y’a run laps or do push up till your arms gave out. I figured he might try to embarrass you by takin’ y’a out in front of everybody during lunch to criticize your appearance. Probably even get the other kids to make fun of y’a until you were beggin’ to change into your uniform and to take a trip down to the campus barber.” Spider nods, “that’s still pretty fucked up that you would just let that happen to me.” Quaritch looks guilty but also a little shocked. He was so used to that behavior in the military that it didn’t even cross his mind that it was wrong, until his son blatantly pointed it out. “Do you want to talk about what Mercer did?” Quaritch asks. “No.” Spider says simply. It’ll be awhile until he’s ready to unpack that plus the small amount of trust he was starting to have in his dad is now completely out the window. Quaritch nods, “I’m handing in my resignation tomorrow and I’m unenrolling you from that school. We can move back to our old place once we find a home for the live stock and sell the house. Until then I’ll homeschool y’a..”

“No. I want to keep going to the military academy.” Spider can’t leave the Sarentu kids behind. He’ll put up with all of Mercer’s psycho shit to save them. “Alright” Quaritch says, “I’m just gonna drive y’a to the hospital cause Mercer must’ve hit y’a in the head…” “he didn’t hit me in the head! I’m fine! I just…” he doesn’t want to tell his dad about the na’vi kids. He doesn’t trust him to understand. Instead he says, “…I don’t want Mercer to win. I don’t want to runaway.” Quaritch actually looks proud of him. “That’s my boy.” Spider blushes under the look.

“I do have one ask though.” “Shoot tiger.” “Get me a new phone already! And a lap top! Stop keeping me from talking to my friends you jealous piece of shit!” Quaritch laughs, “whatever you want son. We’ll go into town tomorrow night and I’ll get y’a anythin’ your little heart desires.”

When they get home Quaritch gets right to work making dinner (Spider’s favorite) while Spider goes upstairs to change out of his suffocating uniform. It’s there that he sees himself for the first time and it makes him cringe. His hair is super uneven but worse his back is so covered in dark bruises that it just looks like one mass of pitch black. The area is swollen and has ached terribly all day and he knows it’ll continue to ache for the foreseeable future. Maybe his dad had the right idea about taking him to a hospital. But he also can’t tell him. Quaritch would raise hell over it and probably take him out of school against his wishes. So Spider puts on his comfiest pair of sweatpants and tucks his shirt into his waistband so it won’t slip up and reveal his back. When he gets downstairs and sees his father he says, “hey old man. Do you think you can fix this,” he points at his hair, “I look like weird Barbie.” Quaritch looks at him like he has two heads, “you look like what?” Spider laughs, “it’s from a movie. I’ll have to show it to you sometime.” Quaritch smiles at the idea of movie night with his son. Spider is trying to keep it together knowing that his big gruff dad will probably hate the Barbie movie but will sit through it for Spider.

The next day Spider shows up looking the model student. Mercer catches him walking in with his dad and stops Spider, making him stand at attention so Mercer can inspect his uniform. Quaritch is right on top of him the entire time ready at any second to go full papa dragon on his ass. Spider smiles in a fake, I’ll murder you one day, kind of a way. “I see you took our little talk from yesterday to heart. Nicely done Socorro. It seems you’re not as stubborn as your father made you out to be.” Father and son have matching glints of fury in their eyes but they both keep calm until Mercer walks away.

So Spider has a two point plan at this point, befriend the Sarentu kids and call Norm. He’s getting a new phone after school so today his focus is befriending the Sarentu kids. Which is actually pretty easy for him- mostly. Taylan is obviously the teachers pet out of the bunch. The others while terrified of Mercer’s wrath want to hear everything Spider knows about the Na’vi but Taylan is the one always saying, “Headmaster Mercer doesn’t want us talking about this.” “He said Eywa was dangerous.” “Spider your going to get us in trouble.” Nor will aggressively tell him to shut up. Aha’ri, Ri’nela, and the Sarentu are much nicer to him trying their best to calm Taylan’s fears. Spider tries to make them all feel safe by assuring them that if Mercer ever finds out that he’ll take full blame. They never wanted to hear any of it but Spider forced them to listen. Spider hates having to say goodbye to them at the end of the day. He feels terrible that they have to stay in this awful place 24/7 while Spider gets to go to a nice comfortable home.

After school Quaritch makes good on his promise to get Spider a new phone and laptop. He drops him off at an electronics store with his credit card saying that he has another errand to run but that Spider can get whatever he wants. Spider doesn’t need to be told twice and runs inside to spend his dad’s money. Quaritch meanwhile goes to the library. He’s riddled with guilt over everything he’s put his son through and is starting to question whether the military actually fucked him up. Because everything he put his son through and was willing to put his son through seemed so normal to him. Because he went through it. And he put plenty of others through the same thing because it was standard practice. He asks the nice librarian to help him find books on parenting but also “military related topics” he’s embarrassed to say he wants to learn more about p.t.s.d and trama but the librarian seems to understand and leads him to a row of books on psychology and mental health then leaves him to it. Quaritch walks out with a huge stack of books that he dumps in the backseat of his car and hides with a blanket he keeps in there for their dog.

When he picks up Spider the kid not only has a new phone and laptop but a new tv and gaming system . Quaritch sighs at the sight but Spider just smirks, “you said yesterday I could have anything my little heart desires.” Quaritch just grunts in response and loads it all into the car. They get dinner at a local diner then go home. It’s late by the time they get home and it’s even later on the east coast but still Spider sneaks off behind their barn to call Norm. His old social workers number is the only one he has memorized. Unfortunately he doesn’t know any of the Sully’s numbers but Norm will give them his new number.

Norm picks up after a few rings, sounding incredibly tired. Spider definitely woke him up. “Norm, it’s Spider.” “Spider! Oh my god are you okay! What has Quaritch done to you! Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.” “Norm I’m okay. The old man moved us to the middle of nowhere Wyoming without telling me and put me in military school but I’m still alive.” “Tell me where you are, I’ll find a way to get you away from him.” “Dad isn’t the one I’m worried about. I’m at the Mercer Military Academy. It’s run by a complete psycho who has five stolen Na’vi kids. Norm they’re not even allowed to use their real names! They’re afraid of Eywa! I’m really scared for them. I need to do something to help them.” “Okay bud, I hear you. I’m going to start an investigation on my end. I know you want to help but you need to be careful. I don’t want you putting yourself in danger.” Spider agrees but he’s already decided- if there going to be an investigation then Norm will need evidence. Spider is determined to find it. He starts by taking pictures of his back. He can’t bring himself to send them to Norm but he has them now if they’re needed.

When Spider wakes up the next morning his phone has blown up with texts and calls from the Sully family. He takes a selfie with the caption I Live! and puts it in the family group chat. (It would have been I lived bitch but Tuk is in the group chat) Jake and Neytiri are relieved to see him in seemingly good health. Kiri immediately wants to FaceTime even though because of the time difference she’s already in her first class of the day. Lo’ak messages: holy shit you got scalped! Only for the whole fam to scold him

So to speed run the rest of this concept, Spider is becoming good friends with the Sarentu kids. He helps them relearn the Na’vi language, he tells them myths and history and all about Eywa. He sings songs with them in far away places of the school. Most of them love it. Teylan goes along with them but is clearly nervous all the time. Spider is also doing his Nancy Drew thing, picking up on little clues that hint to the abuse the Sarentu kids have been through and making excuses to hang out with his dad so he can search Mercer’s office. He finds horrifying files on the Sarentu kids and every student that’s dubbed a problem, including him, detailing the best ways to break them down, with detailed descriptions of what was done. The Sarentu kids folders are in a sub folder labeled “pet project”. Spider feels sick when he reads that and wants to punch a wall. He takes pictures of it all before scurrying away.

Meanwhile while Spider is doing all this Quaritch is trying to learn how to be a better parent. The first big thing his books tell him is that children are their own individuals and not extensions of their parents . Seems straight forward but for Quaritch it’s a grand epiphany. He was definitely viewing his son as a mini him. Spider’s ties to Na’vi culture needed to be severed because Quaritch didn’t have those connections so his son shouldn’t. Spider would have been a military brat if Quaritch had always raised him so he was just helping his son be the person he should be. And that was another thing he had all these concepts of who his son should be that he wasn’t allowing himself to accept his son for who he is. And when it comes to reading up on mental health struggles in veterans the man is absolutely shook. He feels like both everything makes sense and yet his world is turning upside down.

One night at dinner he says, “hey tiger, how would you feel about us going to therapy? I think I could use it and I think it’d be good for you too. We could have our own individual sessions and then family therapy once a week.” Spider looks at him like he’s insane, “who are you and what have you done to my father?” “Is that a no,” Quaritch is so out of his comfort zone that he feels embarrassed for even suggesting it. Spider shrugs, “I guess we can go. It probably would be good for us.” Quaritch is relieved. This is so out of left field for Spider that he tells everybody about it and the Sully’s and Norm are equally surprised. Norm though thinks it’s a great idea and since he has Quaritch’s contact info from Spider’s file he sends Quaritch resources and recommendations for a family therapist for the both of them and a therapist that specializes in veteran mental health. Their located back on the east coast but the therapists are willing to do zoom meetings.

They start ASAP and it does wonders for Quaritch’s mindset and his and Spider’s father son relationship. Spider isn’t as willing to open up to his therapist because he doesn’t want her to know about what’s happening at school (since this would be dangerous for Spider she’d be legally obligated to tell someone about it) but he will talk about his childhood, parsing out his deep feelings of abandonment, how happy he’d been to find a stable home with the Sully’s and how incredibly hurt he was to be ripped away from that.

Family therapy is really awkward at first because neither of them like to talk about their emotions but their therapist is good about coaxing discussions out of them. Spider goes off on Quaritch early on, “your so fucking selfish! Nobody asked me if I wanted to live with you! You never bothered to ask if I wanted to live with you! You stole me away from everything I’ve ever know and for what, because it sure is shit wasn’t me!” Quaritch just takes it, until their therapist prompts him to speak, “your right. It was selfish and cruel of me to move us away without telling you. I take full responsibility for that. But don’t you dare call me selfish for wanting to be a family again! You have no idea what it was like to have you taken away from me! From the moment I held y’a in my arms I loved y’a. I knew there was nothin’ in this world I wouldn’t do for y’a. And your mama too. And then she died. I thought I’d lost everythin’. But I was wrong. Attackin’ her killer out of grief, lost me everythin’ ‘cause I lost you. ” it triggers Spider a lot because he spent most of childhood feeling unwanted so to hear how much he is wanted by his dad makes him so emotional he just leaves the room for awhile.

After a month or so of sessions the dust starts to settle and they’re able to reconcile on a few things (though not everything they have a LOT to work through) and have deeper conversations about their shared pain from being separated. They learn how to have calm open discussions with each other that makes Spider feel like maybe he can trust his dad. Maybe but he’s not there yet.

To wrap things up Mercer knew what Spider was up to the entire time. He never believed that Spider had actually fallen in line and Teylan was also telling Mercer everything (no hate to Teylan though. He’s actually my favorite from frontiers of pandora. I want to give that poor boy so much therapy). So Spider gets called out of class to Mercer’s office where all the Sarentu kids are gathered. Spider knows it’s bad the moment he walks in the door.

So Mercer would have originally taken the Sarentu kids to indoctrinate them in the American way then send them back to the clans to advocate for the Americans and get the Na’vi to move far away from all unobtainum supplies so the R.D.A (under government contract) could mine the shit out of the land. That plan ended after the war but Mercer decided to keep the kids because he enjoys breaking them down and controlling them.

Mercer takes the kids down to the schools basement. Spider is a little scared but the Sarentu kids are terrified. Spider is secretly recording the whole thing on his phone, so he asks a lot of questions like “what are you going to do to us” (the answer, though Mercer doesn’t tell him this, is a mix of beatings and shock treatments) “why are you doing this” “to civilize you. Teach you respect.” “What do you mean by civilize?” Mercer laughs, “please. Do you think living in the mud and worshiping trees is what civilized people do?” Spider shrugs, “it’s better then beating kids.” “Not when the kids need it to be put on the right path.”

Meanwhile Quaritch feels a disturbance in the force and just has to know that his son is okay. This isn’t abnormal for him. He gets sudden panics over his son all the time and has to check on him. His therapist says it’s anxiety from the trauma of having Spider taken from him but Quaritch hates calling it that. It makes him feel weak (another thing he’s working on) He walks by Spider’s class only to not see him there. He checks all the closest bathroom and still doesn’t find him. Then he opens up the find my phone app and starts to hunt him down. Hopefully Spider’s just smoking pot on the roof, or snuck off campus some how. His son has never done anything like that before but simple teenage rebellion is a nicer thought then something being wrong. When he reaches the door to the basement he didn’t know about he’s booking it down the stairs and threw the hall as fast as his legs will take him.

Mercer takes the kids into a room that looks like a straight up torture chamber. The Sarentu kids are all crying though Nor is doing his best to put on a brave face. Teylan throws up he’s so scared, not as much for himself (Mercer promised he wouldn’t be punished) but for his friends (Mercer also told him he’d go easy on all of them if he turned them in) Spider volunteers to be the first one to get his beating. He’s planning on holding out as long as possible so hopefully Mercer tires and goes easier on the Sarentu kids. Mercer instructs him to take his shirt off and put his hands on the wall. He’s got a switch in hand and is winding up to deliver the first blow when Quaritch burst through the door, takes half a second to assess the situation then starts beating the shit out of Mercer. Mercer tries to fight back but really isn’t a match for Quaritch. Once Mercer is unconscious and beaten within an inch of his life Quaritch finally stops and yells, “start explainin’ right now!”

Spider is shocked after seeing his dad nearly kill a man and tbh a little scared of him but also really relieved to see him. He spills everything, even tells his dad about the beating he received from Mercer on his first day. Quaritch has to be stopped from straight up murdering Mercer. Spider grabs him by the arm and shouts, “dad don’t! You might go to prison and I don’t want to lose you again!” That stops Quaritch right in his tracks. He looks at his son. His safe, healthy, incredibly brave and kind boy and his anger completely fades. Quaritch pulls Spider into a tight hug that Spider returns with equal strength. Then after their nice family moment they call the cops.

Mercer is arrested. Norm flies to Wyoming to both help prosecutors build their case against Mercer (Norm has decades of evidence of Mercer’s wrongdoings. With Spider’s evidence on top of it Mercer gets multiple life sentences. He’ll never see the light of day again) and to collect the Sarentu kids. Norm takes them to the group home he runs for displaced Na’vi orphans back on the east coast where they get so much therapy, and get to learn all about the culture they where stolen from. The school is completely shut down.

Quaritch and Spider start making their plans to move. Spider has gotten really attached to all his farm animals and wants to bring them with. He makes the case that their home out east is on a huge property with nothing surrounding it and that they could easily have some stables built. Quaritch dismisses this as too much work. Spider fires back with, “but you said being a stay at home dad was boring. Now you can be a farmer all day! It’ll be great!” Spider is so persistent that Quaritch caves and calls Lyle to have him get some stables built around their old house for when they get back.

They move a few weeks after everything. Spider’s teachers at his old school sent him plenty of homework so he’ll be caught up when he re starts school in the middle of the semester. It keeps him busy during the very long trip back, though this time the trip is a lot more fun since him and his dad actually talk. Plus since they’re in a camper van he can play with Cupcake and their cat (who’s an orange striped tabby cat names Tigger that used to have a 24/7 job as a mouser in their barn until Spider decreed “workers right” and got Tigger’s hours reduced to a reasonable 9-5. Spider did this purely to have time to play and cuddle with the cat. Both Tigger and Cupcake sleep with him at night and both pets cuddle him during therapy sessions) When they get back Spider is eager to see the Sully’s but he tries to be patient. Spider and Quaritch have had a lot of talks in therapy over there similar feelings of abandonment and so he doesn’t want to make his dad feel like he’s running to be with the Sully’s the second they get back. They take time to get the animals settled and bring all there boxes inside. Then Quaritch says, “Spider, I know you’re ready to go see your friends. I’ll drop y’a off.” The Sully’s have a massive welcome home part waiting for him. Spider ends up spending the night at their house. Quaritch is completely content with that.

And they all live happily ever after (and yes Spider does watch the Barbie movie with Quaritch. Quaritch will never admit that he kinda enjoyed it) This was really fun for me so I hope you all enjoyed! I'd love to hear what you all think 💞

#miles spider socorro #spider socorro #miles quaritch #colonel miles quaritch

24 notes · View notes

qs63 · 2 months

Text

Amestris Military Training

This is the fourth of my series of long posts about the Amestrian Military. This is the speculative part of this meta. Little is known about the training the Amestrian soldiers receive, the most we have seen about it comes from the OVA “Another man's battlefield” and a few scenes in the manga. However, as we have seen through this series of posts, Arakawa took a lot of inspiration from the real world. The Imperial Japan military training seems to match a lot of what we see in FMA. Brace yourself, this is long and history heavy.

Once again, I'm not a historian and I'm not fluent in Japanese. Please let me know if there's anything I missed or got wrong.

To see the rest of this meta series check out the Main Post.

First a little background about the Empire of Japan. It was the Japanese nation-state that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the reformed Constitution of Japan in 1947. Its history is divided in three periods named after the emperors that presided over them: Meiji (1868-1912), Taishō (1912-1926) and Shōwa (1926-1947).

This is a period of transformation for Japan, where they opened to the world and tried to modernize themselves and catch up with the western nations… by copying them. Meiji Japan is almost a pseudo European country. Their laws, government organization, education, etc. was reformed and modeled after the contemporary European nations and the United States of America. The influence of the third French Republic was especially strong in the early Meiji period, with it getting revised and remodeled in favor of other systems — mostly German as the relationship with the USA and its allies soured — throughout the years.

This is also the case in their military education.

Officers training During the early Meiji, the military cadets (meaning candidates to become officers) received a French style training which was later changed to a German style cadet system. The main difference between the two systems is that the German style required for the cadets to gain experience as Non-commissioned officers before graduation, while the French one didn't.

Based on what we see in Fullmetal Alchemist they follow the German style system that lasted from 1887 to the American intervention in 1945. The main indication of this is that we see Riza Hawkeye in Ishval as a NCO.[1] She would've never been there under the French system. The time frame of the German style training also matches what we see in FMA. I'll explain this a bit later.

For now let's concentrate on who and how someone could enter the Imperial Japan Army Officers Academy.

Three types of students could enter the academy: graduates of the Army's Children School, graduates of Junior high school (both these schools covered ages 12 to 16), and selected active Non-commissioned officers who applied for officer training.

The graduates of the army's children school didn't need to pass any exam to enter the academy, but only the best were selected. They had to compete for positions with the external candidates, those aged 16 to 19 who passed the recruitment exam (which required at least a junior high school education). Both of these students would enter the academy as cadets.

While the program was revised many times, the longest standing program was the 2 courses 4 years system.

In this system the cadets would first take a two year military officer preparatory course that was equivalent to regular higher education. They were taught science, history, geography, etc. by civilian teachers. Their rank (the equivalent of private first class), military branch, and unit were designated upon graduating the preparatory course.

After graduation the cadets would serve in their designated unit for six months (during which time they were promoted to corporal), afterwards they would be given the rank of sergeant upon entering the main military officers course.

The main course was 1 year and 10 months long, and it was where the actual military training happened. The cadets would be taught tactics, military history, military system, weaponry, marksmanship, etc. they would also receive training in camp duty, shooting, swordsmanship, gymnastics, horsemanship, etc. in addition field trips were also conducted.

Upon graduating they would become Apprentice Officers (a rank equivalent to Sergeant Major, the highest of the NCO ranks) for a trial period of about six months. Afterwards they would be officially appointed as 2nd Lieutenant (the lowest of the officers ranks) on the recommendation of their original troop's officer corps.

Now you might be wondering why I think Arakawa used this system (or rather one inspired by it) in Fullmetal Alchemist. I have a few reasons.

The first is the characters' ages. We know Roy and Hughes are 18 in “Another man's battlefield”, and we see them training in marksmanship and military tactics. We also see they have upperclassmen which implies the course is longer than one year.[2] We also know that Roy is 20 years old when he graduates the academy and visits the Hawkeye family, thanks to brotherhood giving us the date of Berthold's death.[3]

This all matches with the imperial Japan German style cadet system, where the majority of students would enter the preparatory course at 16 upon graduating from junior high school or the military school, they would then be 18 at the time of starting the main course, and 20 upon graduating from the academy. The ages of the characters and what we see on screen matches the system’s time frame.

Riza Hawkeye is yet another example three years after her father's death and conversation with Mustang, during the Ishval war, she is yet to graduate from the academy.[1][3][4] Either the Amestris academy lasts more than the two years we see Roy and Hughes go through, or she waited about two years to enter the military Academy (otherwise she would have already graduated by Ishval). I don't think it makes sense for her to wait so long to join the academy, specially if it has an age cap (of 19 in Imperial Japan). So assuming she entered right after her father died, that would put her in the last year of the German style system by the time we see her in Ishval, perfect for getting pulled into a war with her already assigned unit.

This brings me to my second reason for believing Arakawa is using this system: the ranks.

I mentioned before that the cadets in FMA don't seem to have a rank, this makes sense when you consider that in imperial Japan they were given ranks that do not exist in FMA. Instead of adding ranks or messing up with the system Arakawa might have just completely skipped them (much like she seems to have done with the military police).

I also mentioned that graduates (the so called Apprentice Officers) are assigned a temporary rank of Sergeant Major. In FMA we know that you graduate with a rank of Warrant Officer[1][3][4]. But hold on, that's not the same… well not in name, but yes in practice. Sergeant Major was the highest NCO rank in Imperial Japan. It's not in FMA, that's Warrant Officer. So technically they're equal ranks. Furthermore, It doesn't make sense for a graduate of the OFFICER school to be officially assigned an NCO rank, unless that's for a trial period like in the German style cadet system. For reference, the French style system assigned graduates the rank of Second Lieutenant (the lowest officer rank) upon graduation, since it didn't require the cadets to gain NCO experience. The fact that we are shown both newly graduated Riza and Roy with the rank of Warrant Officer can only mean there is also a trial period in Amestris.

Further proof of this is that within a year of us seeing the freshly graduated Warrant Officers Riza Hawkeye in 1909[1][3], she's already a full fledged 2nd Lieutenant by the time we see her in Resembool in 1910[5], and again she's a 1st Lieutenant a year later when Ed becomes a State Alchemist[5]. Riza is good, but that's a lot of promotions in a short time. It makes more sense if you think that she was officially assigned her 2nd Lieutenant rank after completing her 6 months trial period, and then she was promoted around the same time as Roy got his Colonel promotion, perhaps for her work in Ishval + whatever cases they worked together. Now, that seems a lot more reasonable than Riza averaging a promotion per year in her early military days.

Another hint towards this system is the number of 2nd Lieutenants we meet: Havoc, Breda, Ross, Catalina, Henschel, Darius, Heinkel, Jerso, and Zampano. This is the rank we see the most of, and it makes sense if they all got it by going through the Officers Academy. We know this to be true for at least Havoc and Breda.

Havoc's and Breda’s graduation.[6]

Now you might notice I haven't mentioned the third type of student, the active non-commissioned officers (aka Second Lieutenant candidates). This is because while they go through the academy too, they're very different from the cadets:

They must be under the age of 38 and pass the Army Preliminary Course recruitment examination, which is different from the cadets exam.

They do NOT live on campus.

Their training only lasts 1 year (during peacetime), unlike the cadets 4 years.

Because they are older than the cadets at the time they become officers, their promotion ceiling is lower as they hit the active duty retirement age before achieving high ranks.

Falman would fall into this category as he was a Warrant Officer for more than six months and clearly looks older than the rest of team Mustang. However, a year does not pass between him getting appointed to the North and him getting his promotion. My explanation for that is that the North has a shorter program for Second Lieutenant Candidates. In imperial Japan not only was the program shorter during war time (10-2 months), but the time also depended on which branch, region, and school you enrolled in. Since the North is quite hostile and is technically in a cold war with Drachma, it makes sense their Second Lieutenant Candidate program is short. The other explanation is that Falman started the program before being transferred.

That more or less covers the Officers military training and education. Feel free to ask me if you want a more day to day explanation of the cadets’ life at the academy. You can also check this article. There's at least one documentary about it, available on Amazon Prime Japan.

Non-commissioned officers training NCO’s training in Imperial Japan was first performed by the training corps (1871–1899), then by each unit (1899-1927), then after a decline in quality it was done at a training school (1927-1938), and finally back to the training corps until the American intervention. It's impossible for me to know if Arakawa used this system for the NCOs, and which period she chose to use, given how little information we have about the NCO characters. I still mentioned it in case anyone was curious about Fuery’s training. The training school lasted just one year and it was focused on general education, military education, and technical training.

The military police To end this, I will mention that the military police had their own academy separate from the officers’. They also had their own ranks equivalent to those of the army, i.e. Police First Lieutenant. It is possible this is the case in FMA. They're at the very least not trained together with the military personnel.

Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please don't hesitate to reach to ask questions or just rant about this. I love discussing FMA.

Source Fullmetal Alchemist Manga

Chapter 24: Fullmetal Alchemist [5]

Chapter 58: footsteps of ruin [4]

Chapter 59: the immoral alchemist [1]

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Episode 30: The Ishvalan war of extermination [3]

OVA: Another man's battlefield [2]

The complete art of Fullmetal Alchemist [6]

#fullmetal alchemist #fma #fma meta #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #amestris #my work

38 notes · View notes