#Amaro very much is not into the idea of Battle School

[ken-katayanagi]

Plus, SPOILERS: in other books we see how often the chance to go to battle school is kind of held over kids heads. Zeck deeply opposes Battle School as a concept but they basically threaten him with exposing his 'satanic' photographic memory to his father if he doesn't attend (his father who is shown in the first few pages to be abusive to the point of obvious scarring and Zeck letting an insect just crawl all over him (hell I think it might've been his eye) to avoid being accused of 'not listening' in church and thus again being beaten).

Bean attends partially to escape horrific poverty but also because part of his education on planet is predicated on the idea he's going to Battle School.

Hell, even when kids go voluntarily, they go because something big and scary happened and they, being children, feel it's easier just to go to Battle School. Bonzo goes because his parents are on the brink of divorce and he reacts very normally for a child, basically running away from the idea of his family structure changing. Han Tzu's dad gets arrested helping him cheat to get into Battle School (which he rlly didn't need to), and Han is like well my dad just went to jail for this guess I'm going. A less, well, evil system might wait until these big life events have calmed down so that these kids can make more rational decisions.

It's a system very aware of the people it's 'recruiting', and its only voluntary if they can afford to not have you attend.

anyone contrasted Starship Troopers (movie) with Ender's Game (movie) in the way that they both involve teenagers being drafted by a fascist state into genocidal war against aliens?

[mobscene-london]

BASIC INFORMATION:

NAME: Gideon Rutherford. AGE: 35. PLACE OF BIRTH: Yeovil, United Kingdom. AFFILIATION: The Rutherford Family (in name only) OCCUPATION: Neurosurgeon. FACE CLAIM: Michiel Huisman. AVAILABILITY: TAKEN.

                        BIOGRAPHY:

Unlike his siblings, Gideon recalls the life he had before the Rutherfords fondly.

When his biological parents were killed by a drunk driver travelling home on New Year’s Eve, Gideon’s life fell apart. He had been five years old. Not quite understanding of the situation, yet just old enough to feel the pain of them not coming back. His aunt Esther had become his primary caregiver, but the grief of losing her sister combined with the responsibility of taking care of her child was too much. Gideon still struggles to understand why she dumped him before disappearing off the face of the Earth.

Gideon had never had siblings growing up, but when he met Damon in the children’s home, he very much suspected the bond they wound up sharing was exactly what it would’ve felt like. When Cerys and Andrew made the decision to adopt them both, the sad little boy began to feel like, perhaps, things could get better after all. Though at first he was adamant they were not his parents, and would never fill the void of those lost, it soon became clear he was very lucky to have them. They weren’t trying to take anybody’s place. All they wanted to do was love him. All three of them.

Losing his mother to her illness hurt him in a way it hadn’t hurt his two siblings. Damon had been abandoned by abusive parents, and Lara couldn’t even remember her life beforehand...but Gideon had felt the pain of losing those he loved already. Now it was crushing him all over again. A part of him was glad that he was forced to be strong for Damon—the one who had always shared the closest bond with Cerys—because if he hadn’t, he might just have broken down, too.

To be uprooted for the United States by his father shortly after made the situation even harder to handle.

Gideon didn’t like Porto Velho in the slightest, especially when it brought people like Constance into their lives barely a half a year after his mother’s death. God, he couldn’t believe it when his father married her. Even less so when their first child, Yvonne, came along in the blink of an eye. Whilst he didn’t actively cause trouble with his new step-mother like Lara did, he always made a point of taking his sister’s side in their arguments. He would always have her back.

The eldest Rutherford was the first to learn of his father’s involvement with organized crime. Andrew had tried to laugh it off with a ‘you were always too smart for your own good’ but he wasn’t amused. All of those nights spent alone with their mother whilst his father was off dealing with ‘business’ was because he was a damn criminal? Gideon was upset, but he couldn’t figure out whether it was because of the nature of his father’s work, or the dishonesty. Shortly after the revelation, he made the decision to return to the UK to study medicine at Oxford, just as both his biological parents had done.

Even though the relationship with his father became strained, he never stopped making an effort with Lara and Damon.

It’d always been his intention to return to California eventually. What he hadn’t expected was the life he created for himself in the United Kingdom to make him want to stay.

Years of medical school led to a neurosurgical residency at one of London’s most prestigious hospitals. As if his flourishing career wasn’t enough of an anchor, however, shortly after he moved to the city, he also met the woman of his dreams: the beautiful, successful and publicly adored British actress, Katherine Mayfair. Gideon was absolutely head-over-heels for her in the most embarrassing way imaginable, and even though he’d struggled to let people close for a long time, she’d made him want to. Life might not have always been the easiest ride, but it sure as Hell looked up when he found her.

Nobody on the outside could’ve known that there were ugly cracks in her otherwise perfect image. Not even him. The city’s opinion—and his own clouded judgements, for that matter—cruelly disguised that she was not all she claimed to be, nor had she ever been. Loving her was never difficult for him, but the fact that she wouldn’t let him help her work past her issues, was.

Katherine had been living with a drug problem for years; a product of a Hollywood lifestyle and the stressors of public attention, he was sure. Gideon had done everything he could. Been there for her every step of the way, and supported her even when she made it hard. He could just about stomach her lies about finally being clean when they were married. When it came to his attention that she’d used several times whilst pregnant with their son, Felix, however, it had been enough to finally push him over the edge. He might’ve still loved her—even after everything she’d done—but this was their son. His life.

Gideon filed for divorce after three years of a struggling marriage.

The woman was furious. Katherine publicly lashed out at him, taking to both her social media accounts and the local gossip magazines to condemn her husband for cheating. Though they were unfounded claims—unlike those he had leveled against her on several occasions—Gideon did little to discourage the rumours. In his experience with the press, they usually took the side of the ‘scorned’ woman; especially when it was someone as beloved by the public as Katherine Mayfair. Outing her for her drug abuse to save his reputation wasn’t on the cards. The last thing he wanted was for his son to look back on their very public split and have to further suffer.

Katherine battled for sole custody of Felix and won. Gideon had been subject to his fair share of pain in life, but little had hurt more than being told he was a less suitable caregiver than his drug-addled, hot-headed, cheating ex-wife.

It was hard to shield his family from their incredibly public split. The news about the starlet was lapped up as easily in California as it was in London, and he was ashamed that his name had to be associated with the media circus. At first, he’d assumed that Damon’s decision to come to London was a show of support for him after everything that’d happened. Both his siblings had been incredibly vocal in their defense of him, even from abroad. When he realized that his brother was merely following Lara, however, a woman who clearly had ulterior motives for being in London, he was less enthused.

With a job that is utterly emotionally and physically draining, it’s fairly easy to ignore the press that still constantly hounds him. Gideon tries to see his son when he can, but Katherine is making it increasingly difficult for him. The last thing he needs is to be worrying about the rest of his family, too.

Gideon has always completely rejected his father’s criminal affiliations. To see Lara more wrapped up in things than he ever could’ve imagined breaks his heart. Rather than turn his back on her like he did with his father, however, Gideon is determined to do everything in his power to steer her away from becoming so involved with the gang there is no longer a way out. Whilst he might not have been able to save Katherine from her demons, he’s certainly going to try and save Lara from hers. He refuses to fail them both.         

                      SOCIAL CONNECTIONS:

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. Katherine Mayfair (ex-wife), Diana Sehgal (ex-girlfriend) FAMILY: Felix Rutherford (son, unplayable), Lara Rutherford (sister), Damon Rutherford (brother), Yvonne Rutherford (sister, unplayable), Andrew Rutherford (father, unplayable), Cerys Rutherford (mother, deceased), Constance Rutherford (step-mother, unplayable) CONNECTIONS:

Diana Sehgal: Good friend. Gideon met Diana whilst attending Oxford, and even though they dated for a while, she eventually let him know he was ‘far too boring’ for it to go anywhere. At least she was honest. Despite this, they stayed friends, and have remained close ever since. Gideon was the one who introduced her to Lara and Adriana. Even though she regularly offers to shred Katherine through The Westminster Insider on his behalf, he always politely declines. That doesn’t mean the fact she cares enough to suggest it goes unappreciated, though.

Adriana Amaro: Good friend. Even though she’s not technically his sister, after growing up together in Porto Velho, he has always seen her as such. Moving to London meant he missed her just as much as he did Damon and Lara, and he is also just as protective. The idea of her becoming wrapped up in Rutherford family business because of Lara’s influence frustrates him immensely. Gideon plans to keep a close eye on the both of them.