Question [G2] Reckless Reputations

Well someone's name is up on the "bathroom wall."

Nick is apparently a true giant among boys (or men).

The humorous side of the story aside, including the naughty message boards 'Just for Girls~' the story brings up a really interesting point.

Some of the Gen 2 POV students are actually famous. Do red flags actually apply to Nick and Tia? Tia has GSD, Nick doesn't, but would be considered as such by most. Animen are known worldwide, and Tia made the international news, and was the subject of massive media coverage for weeks on end. It's well known that both of them went to boarding school.

I'm honestly surprised that Falcon wasn't as immediately understanding as I'd have expected him to be. True, a lot of that is the uncertainty of being thrust into a position without a lot of time to prepare, but how do you deal with a situation like this?

Worse, if administration accepts that Nick and Tia are exempt from red flags due to public infamy, will the other students with GSD get upset? There are a lot of proud GSD students after all, like Zephyr.

As much as i enjoyed that little romp. I still can't get it out of my head. Every time the security guard went to harrass him i wanted to yell out. " Don't tase me bro!"

I'm honestly surprised that Falcon wasn't as immediately understanding as I'd have expected him to be. True, a lot of that is the uncertainty of being thrust into a position without a lot of time to prepare, but how do you deal with a situation like this?

Actually i thought he handled it quite well. Very diplomatic.He clearly saw a situation heading south on a very fast train. And calmly defused it. What worries me the most so far though. Security forces acting like jack booted thugs. Instead of trying to help.They seem to be very confrontational and on edge. Even Sam seems rather cool in her dealings with the kids. Something to keep a close eye on in the future i bet.

Also, if AJ is worried about mistakes in summoning sigils, maybe, just maybe, he should extend the olive branch from the Bad Seeds back in Bianca's general direction.

She can read them intuitively, after all.

Nice to have a guaranteed magic proofreader.

Katssun wrote: Some of the Gen 2 POV students are actually famous. Do red flags actually apply to Nick and Tia? Tia has GSD, Nick doesn't, but would be considered as such by most. Animen are known worldwide, and Tia made the international news, and was the subject of massive media coverage for weeks on end. It's well known that both of them went to boarding school.

I don't want to go into detail, but I will say that there was a LOT of discussion about this scene within the (TIN)Canon Cabal; and specifically what the answer to that exact question is.

SPOILER ALERT
Below is a stream of conscious commentary I type up as I read the story. There will details from the story included in it. If you have not read the story yet and don't wish to have details of it spoiled, read no further.


Reckless Reputations comments

Katssun wrote: The humorous side of the story aside, including the naughty message boards 'Just for Girls~' the story brings up a really interesting point.

Me, having a dirty mind could not help but think the message board should have had an addendum. You must be this tall to go on this ride.

peter wrote:

Katssun wrote: The humorous side of the story aside, including the naughty message boards 'Just for Girls~' the story brings up a really interesting point.

Me, having a dirty mind could not help but think the message board should have had an addendum. You must be this tall to go on this ride.

Ah, yes. Nick would apply for the Purple Book Male Exemplar Section... Mmm.

Malady wrote:

peter wrote:

Katssun wrote: The humorous side of the story aside, including the naughty message boards 'Just for Girls~' the story brings up a really interesting point.

Me, having a dirty mind could not help but think the message board should have had an addendum. You must be this tall to go on this ride.

Ah, yes. Nick would apply for the Purple Book Male Exemplar Section... Mmm.

To quote the estimable Sydney Scoville (after Super Hiro has his uniform burned off): "Are super women different down there? I do they have, like, vagoos of holding?"

OTOH, yesterday's page from the same series might explain the 'no bikinis' rule. Telekinesis and similar powers would make wardrobe malfunctions far too easy to manufacture, and while the Purple Book does discuss the limits of maillots (as battle costumes, but it still applies to swimwear), it is far easier to arrange for a bikini to slip (or untie, for some types) without getting caught doing it than to tear open a single piece without being dead obvious. Mind you, that probably wouldn't stop Math from trying to invent Martial Arts Surreptitious Disrobing of Hot Women or something.

(Then again, Dabbler probably mastered that centuries ago.)

It's difficult enough to police that with a small group of people who are nominally responsible adults under military authority; in a high school pool, where there could possibly be as many as a hundred teens at once, it would be pretty nearly impossible.

Well I enjoyed this fast romp from Nick's point of view. Interesting. Yeah I just bet the other guys are about to find out about Venus Inc. Because once the pics that Lisa took and her message gets out, Nick is going to have a monopoly on the hetero females of the school. Not entirely, but a large cross section of the female student body will be fascinated with him.

It's actually looking to shape up as a Kenshin vs Nick battle for the girls. On one side you have an amazing bod with a clearly foreign POV. Vs The amazing stallion with all the attributes that go with it. The only problem Nick might face is the timeless..."You wanna put that where?" A lot of girls are going to shy away from it due to size alone. Let's just hope Nick isn't into classic movies.

Inspiration

Kenshin, until they realize he's a martial arts wizard nearly on par with Chaka (not that anyone remembers Chaka unless she makes a visit to martial arts class...) is going to attract bullies. Nick, not so much so. he looks like he could tear the arm off Champion and use it to beat him to death with. Okay maybe that last is an exaggeration. But there is no doubt that he is going to hit all the jock buttons for the guys. And the whine will be Why does he have to look so good and get all the girls.
Sure there will be some that say you want to do what with me with THAT!?! Others will be like OH GOD I just have to try it once even if it splits me in half. There are size queens of both sexes.

I'd say that a school would err on the side of consistency, and rule that being famous is not a good reason to get an exception to the rules. So red flag days would definitely apply to Tia. Nike is a more interesting question, as indeed he is not a mutant and does not have GSD, and arguably treating him as if he does would be racial discrimination, depending on what status his people have in the USA.

Um, Nick is a mutant. It's why he's at Whateley.

He's also an Animan, which is causing the red flag day problem.

Enjoy the tunnels kiddo. Have to protect the others.

I'm not sure if I posted it or not. But I do remember writing a post back the first time Nick was introduced wondering the young teen-age girl fasination with all thing horses would translate to his benefit.

This story also answers another question. Which was. I wonder if Nick might have a different standard of beauty than a human male. Clearly he is appreciative of what would be regarded as 'normal' hotness.

you'd think it would be aimed at the furry types. It's what he grew up with.

Makes me wonder if he might actually be more attracted to certain types of GSD ladies than the typical hot exemplar babes. It's just that he's a stallion, and I'm not talking literally, and he's not going to turn down any girl.

Hmmm, is Venus Inc. still mostly segregated in that regard? If Nick would be a great model than it stands to reason that certain GSD ladies would be as well?

And that leads to another thought. Does the insult "pretties" apply to super hot furry types? Seems that in some of the recent stories we've seen a few GSD girls tossing around that insult despite the fact that they'd likely have lots of boys panting after them.

Oh, lord. I suddenly flashed on a contingent of those particular girls on a school trip getting stranded in a hotel where a Con is being held.

peter wrote: And that leads to another thought. Does the insult "pretties" apply to super hot furry types? Seems that in some of the recent stories we've seen a few GSD girls tossing around that insult despite the fact that they'd likely have lots of boys panting after them.

Oh, lord. I suddenly flashed on a contingent of those particular girls on a school trip getting stranded in a hotel where a Con is being held.

JG has hinted at the concept a few times before that the GSD girls feel really uncomfortable about being viewed as fetish fodder, especially so if they're receptive empaths. I don't know outside of Sandra if any of them have actually stated it in the stories. GSD girls certainly wouldn't like only being lusted after because of their physical traits, and not who they are. That's objectifying them, and they view it exactly that way.

That's why the Furies/TNT combo is so adorable. The once-bigoted assholes of campus refer to their girlfriends as "demon," but it was a bit more apparent from the later story that they like them for one reason or another that has nothing to do with their appearance. Like Tisi ordering Nitro around, Alecto pretty much needing a brick to date, and Megaera creating one heck of a feedback loop.

If the foreshadowing in IDTWIKA is any indication, an anime con is definitely going to happen, but Anime Boston is held in the Spring. Gen 2 Venus Inc. has their own cosplay subset, who also seem to be members of the anime club.

Regarding red flag days - I think the best course for the administration would be to allow him to go about above ground, but to politely request that he doesn't because of all the complications it would cause. Nick seems like a reasonable person who could be convinced by logic, and the fact of the matter is that if he goes outside on red flag days everyone and their mother will jump on him for "breaking the rules" and the GSD cases will dislike him (which means alienating a good part of his cottage). The advantages to traveling outside are probably not worth the aggravation for Nick, even if he has administrative permission.


On a side note, I can't remember if it's publicly known that Nick is a mutant. If it is, then the administration has reasonable cause to restrict him to the flag rules. His appearance is not caused by his mutation, but it is indicative of one.

I think Nick is fully justified in stating he should not have to pay any attention to the red flag. He is a member of a distinct subset of the human race. Not a mutated individual. No more than any other ethnic person would have to. Imagine telling an African at an all white prep school that he can't wonder around outside during times when non-school personal might see them. "shudder"

That said, as was said above it would cause hard feelings on the part of the students who are restricted. I think Nick, once he comes down off his high horse. "HEH" would be persuaded to keep a low profile.

The problem is that I think the comparison to a black student at a white school is irrelevant. If we're looking at the issue morally, none of the GSD students should be confined during red flag days. But Whateley has decided that the school's safety is more important than the students' personal freedoms. (Or that the loss to the students' personal freedoms that would come from the uncovering of the Whateley secret would be worse then the red flag restrictions. It comes out to more or less the same thing)

So the question becomes: Does Nick's status as an Animen mean that sightings of him on campus will not lead to people investigating the school in ways that will uncover its secret? Or would his public appearances put the school in danger? I don't think we have a good enough feel for the public perception of the Animen to make that judgement, so we'll have to wait and see what the administration decides.

If I recall correctly, their ROTC program is a scholarship. This is govt money I E tax money. Lesser levers have been used to give govt oversight. Other places that are providing scholarships... CIA at least. Wonder why the FBI doesn't get involved. Why DARPA isn't looking to prepay as it were certain gadgeteer types. Bunny might not think of it but the subspace radios she develops for TK are big tech if the team can figure out how to segregate their 'channel' they could sell just those and fund the team quite well. And still leave Bunny a nice bit too. But Kristin's points remain. Nick and Tia are famous. Are they going to be required to use the tunnels at all times? When their location becomes known (and it will!! ) then what will that do to the school? In a way I'm surprised that the admin accepted them at all. Simply put their very presence threatens the secrecy of the school.

I look at the issue in a much simpler way. Whateley operates under a "cover" of being a normal, boring New England prep school. The goal is to be unremarkable. Anything that draws too much attention when there are outside people in the campus is to be avoided. That includes any celebrities.

Consider, for the sake of argument, if Whateley had a deal with Disney to handle schooling for their (non-mutant) teen divas. If, circa 2007, a deliveryman with a Hannah Montana-obsessed daughter happened to recognize Miley Cyrus... that would be a problem. He tells his daughter, who goes online and posts the location of the school, and then Whateley becomes a tourist attraction.

Similarly, having it become public knowledge that the likes of Tia or Nick are going to school at Whateley is a problem, because it attracts unwanted attention. If the issue is put to Nick in such terms, he might be amenable.

I could see a few ways Carson and the faculty would deal with the famous student problem, after all they did educate Jobe without their secret becoming common knowledge. But with their unfortunate disappearance, death, temporal and dimensional displacement(?), their replacements are left in the dark and making it up as they go along. Which fits with what seems to be one of the themes of Gen 2.
Good story.

Jobe and the drow are an interesting comparison, but we don't know what the fallout was of that paparazzi-infested nightmare Vamp caused just yet.

But we do know that the Gearheads in general and Defensive Driving have a policy to not wear the uniform when students end up off campus. Practicalities aside, they've set it up so that offsite locations aren't being exposed to the crest of a certain boarding school.

I might just be throwing this out there, because we don't really have much in either direction about it, but, does Falcon really have that much experience with GSD in the first place? All the kids he's been used to dealing with over the years have been pretties, and went to normal schools before they were transferred to Whateley. Mainstream students certainly like Falcon more than Mazarin, but if the GSD students gravitate towards Caitlin, they're falling more into Mazarin's sphere than Falcon's. I don't know. There's some room to develop the, "learn as we go" administration, and I certainly like story possibilities.

Falcon is a Whateley alumnus, so he should have had plenty of contact with GSD cases in the past. Also, he married Tabby, who is a M2F changeling, which is not quite the same thing, but suggests he has a mind at least somewhat open.
He may be new to the position of school administrator, but he should know a bit about handling GSD cases.

Kristin Darken wrote:

Anne wrote: If I recall correctly, their ROTC program is a scholarship.

There is indeed a scholarship for those students who participate in the ROTC program. No one ever said that scholarship comes from the government/military.

From the U.S. DoD? It cannot. ROTC scholarships have citizenship and age requirements. U.S. JROTC programs don't work the same way, if for no other reason than the majority of cadets are too young to sign up for anything U.S. military even with the parents' permission. Training materials, equipment, uniforms are lent to the school. Besides, there are other ways to make "cut the kids we're sponsoring a break" agreements mutually beneficial - especially if the right kind of non-profit organizations can refurbish excess/salvage equipment and pipeline that to the school.

Anyway, given the multinational nature of the Whateley JROTC program, financial support would be better routed through NATO anyway (Because, no, Quebec and Ontario are not U.S. states, no matter what residents of the other provinces may or may not wish would happen ), so any "but the Government(tm) paid for it!" arguments just don't hold up well.

Back to Nick: there are already millions of people who know where he is and are cool with his situation. Does he know that for many students (with or without GSD), being caught in the background of a picture taken of him through a telephoto lens could cost them their freedom or their life?

There's nothing preventing the school from acknowledging that Nick Brennan is an enrolled student at this private
institution, however, in consideration of the other students' and their families' privacy, no interviews, photographs, or other access will be granted on school grounds. But having him out in the open when people who don't understand the risks to the other students are out and about undermines the school's ability to maintain that privacy.

Thanks to the paparazzi, anyone wanting to hook up with the drow or Vamp will be scouring New York instead of New Hampshire, so that's not so bad.

null0trooper wrote: Back to Nick: there are already millions of people who know where he is and are cool with his situation. Does he know that for many students (with or without GSD), being caught in the background of a picture taken of him through a telephoto lens could cost them their freedom or their life?

There's nothing preventing the school from acknowledging that Nick Brennan is an enrolled student at this private
institution, however, in consideration of the other students' and their families' privacy, no interviews, photographs, or other access will be granted on school grounds. But having him out in the open when people who don't understand the risks to the other students are out and about undermines the school's ability to maintain that privacy.

There's the question of just how much editing the Paradise Island show runners did. It is very likely that some critical material doesn't get broadcast as a matter of course - if only because, even if the series has it's own 24/7 channel, it would be limited in how much it could actually broadcast at a time. Unless the 'TV series' is actually a website which lets people choose from any of several hundred streaming cameras (which might well be done as an adjunct to the broadcast series, but not as the show itself probably), there would have to be editing for both time and content, as is the case with shows like Survivor and Big Brother. Even with the website stream option would probably have only a few of the most active/interesting cameras getting most of the viewing at any given time.

Chances are, anything that involves the security of the island or its citizens - or of interested parties such as the Whateley Academy trustees - would be edited around. So, while it would be known that Nick is going to a private school in the U.S., chances are the name of the school would be carefully cut out or at least avoided in the broadcast scenes. A streaming service would be more problematic, but there would almost certain be some editing on those as well - it wouldn't go out live.

I am also unsure if they would have broadcast the reason he was to go abroad. Nick, Sr., and the other leaders of Paradise, would definitely want to avoid it getting out that some of the younger Ani-Men have mutant powers. That would be an open invitation to trouble.

But even if they decided it couldn't be kept under wraps, they probably would have used the 'Paranormal Academy' euphemism for the broadcast parts. I expect that Carson would have insisted, and I am sure Mazarin would continue with that.

That having been said, I am not sure if Nick, Jr. would be as aware of the editing aspects of the show. He would probably have some notion of it - he's lived with it his whole life, so he would surely have some idea of how the show is run beyond just being aware that he's living in a fishbowl - but may not be privy to some key details.

Oh i am positive that Whateley's security would be ensured due to Lord Paramount's influences on the island.So unless they royally screwed up there would be no reason to worry.

I was thinking much the same thing. However, his disappearance (since, IIRC, he was with Carson and the others when they vanished - which may well also be one reason why Hartford suddenly resigned afterwards) may cause issues with that in the future.

The point is that while his presence at Whateley may get out eventually, there's a good chance that at this point, no one who isn't privy to the school's secret knows just where he is, nor would they necessarily make the connection between that and the bigger secret once it does get out.

The same applies to Tia, as it isn't really clear if it is public knowledge that she's going to a 'paranormal academy'; chances are, all that is generally known is that she was sent to a private school away from California for her protection. There's a higher chance with her that someone will connect the dots, once it is known where she is, but it isn't a given.

In any case, the rule is for students with obviously atypical features - regardless of the source - to stay out of public scrutiny. Is it fair? Hell, no. Is it wise? Arguably, given how much the school has to hide.

Would this mean that a student with a disfiguring condition that could exist for baselines (whether due to a medical condition or an injury) also be expected to hide? That's... a really good question. I suppose it would depend on how common said condition is, and how identifiable it makes them. It would be a horrible thing to do, something no school administrator today would want to be associated with, but we've seen the Whateley administrators do far worse in the name of school security, the general best interest of the students and faculty, or even just as object lessons force on the students.

Seriously, the seemingly-casual* changing of Jobe's legal gender? The way Gunny undid the safeties in Loophole and Sizzle's combat final (while he did change it back, they were off at first, and he didn't tell them they were back on; just threatening to do that would be considered criminal, under the rules for Assault, which keep in mind includes threats of bodily harm)? The way that the Elite League got punished (again, including the implication that the safeties weren't entirely working correctly)? The total lack of any investigation into or even official acknowledgement of what happened to Tansy while she was being controlled by Skinwalker (since her agreement with Thuban would fall under the category of unconscionable and illegal contracts)? The handling of the case against Kayda? That would all be actionable stuff, as would a dozen other events we've seen, if it weren't in everyone's best interest to sweep it under the rug.

So yeah, if they tried to enforce that, there would be some nasty legal issues, even with the school being on tribal land, ones which the school would want to avoid getting into the public record at all costs. The rule regarding GSD cases is already a very, very serious breach of rights as it is, even if it is one which serves the greater good and protects the students themselves.

*) It wasn't anything of the sort, obviously, as even given Carson's sweeping authority there's no way she could have done it in the off-the-cuff manner it was shown as being. It was almost certainly the case that the school's legal team had had the change of identity paperwork prepped in advance, even if they did have to rush its completion when the Belphoebe thing happened, including getting a local magistrate - whether in a US federal court, or by Ellie Donner as the representative of the Medawihla tribe - and Emperor Joe to sign off on it. They probably began working on it as soon as the possibility came up, and would have been conferring with Joe from the start. This also means that all the discussions with Gizmatic, and the whole disinheritance thing in "Saks and Violence" were - as Jadis rightly surmised - also a piece of theater, one which was probably scripted even before Jobe talked to him about the initial accident, possibly even planned with Carson's collusion. True, they clearly didn't expect the specific actions she took, as there were a lot of variables they couldn't have known about ahead of time (Anti-Chump's and Dr. Venus' involvements specifically), but it seems likely they knew she'd do something drastic and foolish which would leave her stuck and desperate for a way out of the situation.

I re-posted the stuff about Jobe in the character thread for her, as I think it probably deserved further discussion. I know that at least some of this was debated in the old forum, but I think it needs to get discussed again, if only so newer fans are aware of it.

Schol-R-LEA wrote: Seriously, the seemingly-casual* changing of Jobe's legal gender? The way Gunny undid the safeties in Loophole and Sizzle's combat final (while he did change it back, they were off at first, and he didn't tell them they were back on; just threatening to do that would be considered criminal, under the rules for Assault, which keep in mind includes threats of bodily harm)? The way that the Elite League got punished (again, including the implication that the safeties weren't entirely working correctly)? The total lack of any investigation into or even official acknowledgement of what happened to Tansy while she was being controlled by Skinwalker (since her agreement with Thuban would fall under the category of unconscionable and illegal contracts)? The handling of the case against Kayda? That would all be actionable stuff, as would a dozen other events we've seen, if it weren't in everyone's best interest to sweep it under the rug.

With regards to Tansy and Skinwalker, did Tansy complain to the school or did she keep it secret?
From everything that has occurred it seems she kept it to herself, otherwise we'd likely see Carson calling for the police like she did with Hamper and Damper when she learned what they tried to do to Loophole and Murphy.

For a lot of the questionable things that occur, I would say much of the reason it seems to get a pass is simply because its behind the scenes and doesn't come to the attention of the narrator or the main character. Whateley does take a more old style approach to punishments, but with all the legal waivers the parents sign, it's generally understood that things will be tougher than most schools.

I'm reasonably sure everyone in Administration knew that Jobe and Belphy put Counterpoint out to pasture, even if they're not exactly sure how. Ultimately, they didn't seem to care that much.

Back to the topic, I guess it is really a question of what happens once Tia or Nick start going off campus, enough that people can start putting two and two together and posting it on social media. The US media knows she went to a boarding school. The MCO certainly does, and they even know where she went specifically. Reality TV fans (and maybe something like TMZ or whatever) likely know Nick was headed off to boarding school too, and maybe even know he's friends with AJ.

Nick and Tia show up in Dunwich?
(It actually really helps that Dunwich and even Berlin are fairly out of the way and there's no good ski resorts around. This example is pretty stretched as it is...so maybe more Berlin)
"That super hot bunny girl from last summer spotted in Northern New Hampshire while I was stopping for food on the way home from Sugarloaf!"
[a couple weeks later]
"Hi, I'm from CNN, and I was wondering if there's a private school around here. Can you help me?"
"Oh, you mean Whateley? Their student body singlehandedly keeps our economy goin-...I've said too much!"
[reporter finds gate with creepy gargoyles and heavily armed guards]

Now Whateley has a problem. A big one.

Do they let Nick and Tia run around on Red Flag days? Do they let them off campus locally outside of Tia's club activities at all?

Katssun wrote: I'm reasonably sure everyone in Administration knew that Jobe and Belphy put Counterpoint out to pasture, even if they're not exactly sure how. Ultimately, they didn't seem to care that much.

Back to the topic, I guess it is really a question of what happens once Tia or Nick start going off campus, enough that people can start putting two and two together and posting it on social media. The US media knows she went to a boarding school. The MCO certainly does, and they even know where she went specifically. Reality TV fans (and maybe something like TMZ or whatever) likely know Nick was headed off to boarding school too, and maybe even know he's friends with AJ.

Nick and Tia show up in Dunwich?
(It actually really helps that Dunwich and even Berlin are fairly out of the way and there's no good ski resorts around. This example is pretty stretched as it is...so maybe more Berlin)
"That super hot bunny girl from last summer spotted in Northern New Hampshire while I was stopping for food on the way home from Sugarloaf!"
[a couple weeks later]
"Hi, I'm from CNN, and I was wondering if there's a private school around here. Can you help me?"
"Oh, you mean Whateley? Their student body singlehandedly keeps our economy goin-...I've said too much!"
[reporter finds gate with creepy gargoyles and heavily armed guards]

Now Whateley has a problem. A big one.

Do they let Nick and Tia run around on Red Flag days? Do they let them off campus locally outside of Tia's club activities at all?

Quick fix they could just suspend both Nick & Tia's ability to leave campus. I doubt they would though it would be rather draconian for a super school that probably has better cyber-warfare abilities than most nations.

Ebola wrote: Quick fix they could just suspend both Nick & Tia's ability to leave campus. I doubt they would though it would be rather draconian for a super school that probably has better cyber-warfare abilities than most nations.

Had. Hartford's gone, Cyberkitty graduated years ago. Hopefully, they hired Paige back.

Now, Kurenai and Adam's Stalker VI are probably enough to prevent things from happening in the first place, but Hikaru isn't always going to be arm's reach from Tia, and Nick doesn't have any of that stuff.

Katssun wrote: Had. Hartford's gone, Cyberkitty graduated years ago. Hopefully, they hired Paige back.

Now, Kurenai and Adam's Stalker VI are probably enough to prevent things from happening in the first place, but Hikaru isn't always going to be arm's reach from Tia, and Nick doesn't have any of that stuff.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yea your right Whateley's ability to cyber attack took a pretty big hit with that loss. However the defense systems she put in place would still be active.

Now what student with cyber abilities is going to take the first dive for information on Whateley's net? Maybe for footage of a certain encounter in the Venus Inc Photo room?

People finding out Nick is at Whateley is not a foregone conclusion. There are plenty of simple tricks that can be used to obfuscate the truth. For example, if people get the idea that Nick is near Berlin, that can be resolved by hiring a hobo to advertise Paradise Island by walking around Berlin in a horse costume that coincidentally resembles Nick. Hire some people in other small New England towns to do the same thing, but in different costumes (including a bunny girl for good measure). Now you've just discredited any rumors about Tia and Nick being in the region. This costs money, of course, but that's almost certainly factored into the cost of tuition. Not that the students who make them spend that money won't get chewed out over it. For every student who keeps their head down properly, Whateley can buy another golf cart more educational supplies.

null0trooper wrote:

Kristin Darken wrote:

Anne wrote: If I recall correctly, their ROTC program is a scholarship.

There is indeed a scholarship for those students who participate in the ROTC program. No one ever said that scholarship comes from the government/military.

From the U.S. DoD? It cannot. ROTC scholarships have citizenship and age requirements. U.S. JROTC programs don't work the same way, if for no other reason than the majority of cadets are too young to sign up for anything U.S. military even with the parents' permission. Training materials, equipment, uniforms are lent to the school. Besides, there are other ways to make "cut the kids we're sponsoring a break" agreements mutually beneficial - especially if the right kind of non-profit organizations can refurbish excess/salvage equipment and pipeline that to the school.

(Posting in late reply to this:)
That is real world. Not Whateley. In fact, canon flat out corrects you vis a vis Whisper. Students (Whisper, and others) are on a DoD scholarship, and it's a commitment. What that specific commitment is, we, the writers have never spelt out (Whisper thinks it's a service commitment, but viewpoint narrator.

Is that a general rule, as in Whateley Universe, the DoD can sign up 14 year olds? We don't need to cover that, so we won't. It might be a carve out exemption specifically for paranormals, it might be a change in total.
There also might be a 'payback' agreement, as well, in essence, a student loan. Which has the pay off option of service instead of cash.

Several ways to do it. It hasn't' been important, we haven't really covered it or needed to. The DoD does do scholarships, how it's specifically done is immaterial.

I mean, I don't think we're gonna object unless it's a major plotpoint. But then, we're not doing any work, so don't listen to us XD