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ysabetwordsmithThis story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk," and "kintsukuroi."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Nick Fury
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Minor character death. Bullying. Fighting. Suicide attempt (minor character).
Summary: This is the story of how a little boy named Flip grows up to save the world a lot.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Accidents. Emotional whump. Disability. Sibling relationship. Nonsexual love. Parentification. Manipulation. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Protection. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Comic books. Fixing things. Martial arts. Gentleness. Trust. Role models. Military. BAMF Phil Coulson.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25. Skip to Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31.
"Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 26
At 23, Phil finishes his four-year hitch in the Marines. It's been enlightening, but ... it's just not as much of a challenge as it used to be. He doesn't feel bored, exactly, more like restless. Something in him itches to reach for a higher bar. So he decides to try out for Special Operations.
There's little talk about the training and the testing, beyond general topics, because many of the challenges are meant to come as a surprise. Phil is careful and quiet and observant. He pieces together some ideas, and he gets himself a good mentor to help him prepare. Phil takes the time to build up both his physical and mental skills before he enters the program.
The seven-month course begins with ten weeks of basic skills. Phil already knows most of this, could in fact teach over half of it. At least the hand-to-hand combat offers an opportunity to learn from guys who know different martial arts than he does. Phil wants to branch out from karate, so he is all over the guy who knows Russian sambo and the one who does tae kwon do. Tactical casualty care raises his knowledge of first aid and mission planning piques his interest.
The second eight weeks of unit training introduce maritime navigation and small boat handling, both relatively new to Phil. What he really loves, though, is intelligence gathering. When it's his turn to search or interrogate, he always achieves the goal, and everyone hates getting pitted against him when he hides the information. Irregular warfare begins to think outside the box. By the time they get to survival evasion resistance and escape, Phil feels pretty sure he made the right choice.
The third five-week course teaches precision, both in terms of teamwork and marksmanship. Phil never liked group assignments in school because the other kids usually left him to do all the work. Here, everyone pulls their own weight, and each other's too when necessary. Phil discovers that while he can handle a machine gun or a rifle competently, he has a particular knack for handguns, coaxing them to deliver far more accuracy than usual. He develops a healthy respect for precise aim.
Then it really gets good. The final seven-week course focuses on asymmetric warfare. Phil learns how to think like the enemy. It is as if people, sometimes, turn to glass so that he can see right through to the core of them. They keep some scary stuff in there. Phil studies ways to thwart insurgents, terrorists, and guerillas. Everyone else learns that if going up against him on intelligence was frustrating, opposing him in asymmetric warfare is a nightmare. The only reason they don't quit is because they are, after all, Marines and it's better to get their butts kicked by Phil in training than by the enemy in the field.
As the final exam approaches, Phil uses every trick he knows to store up extra energy. He splurges on fresh fruits, greens, and nuts while most of the other men are stuffing themselves on protein. His body is built; it's his mind he wants to hone at the last minute. He uses meditation to improve sleep and stock additional rest.
Phil looks forward to the challenge that awaits.
* * *
Notes:
Special Operations is the elite branch of the Marines, akin to the Navy SEALs. The training course is exhaustive.
Preparing for SO relies on mental toughness. Phil's years of experience coping with bullies and learning martial arts are very useful for this. Here are some ways of honing your mind.
Mixed martial arts cover a variety of individual disciplines, sometimes blending them, other times pitting them against each other. It is becoming more common for martial artists to study multiple styles.
Irregular warfare means everything outside the standard of two more-or-less equally matched armies butting heads.
Teamwork is a crucial skill which is often demanded but rarely taught. You need to know when and when not to use teamwork, because it does have drawbacks, especially if people lack the skills. Some good research on teamwork has been done. There are cooperative activities for young children and guidelines for older student teams that teach how to work together. Know how to work on a team. Sadly Phil's earlier experiences are typical of what happens in school.
Asymmetric warfare is when one side has vastly more resources and/or training than the other.
Special forces have suggestions for maximum effort such as pulling an all-nighter, and for warrior nutrition. Meditation can improve sleep or serve as an additional rest mode.
[To be continued in Part 27 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Nick Fury
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Minor character death. Bullying. Fighting. Suicide attempt (minor character).
Summary: This is the story of how a little boy named Flip grows up to save the world a lot.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Accidents. Emotional whump. Disability. Sibling relationship. Nonsexual love. Parentification. Manipulation. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Protection. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Comic books. Fixing things. Martial arts. Gentleness. Trust. Role models. Military. BAMF Phil Coulson.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25. Skip to Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31.
"Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 26
At 23, Phil finishes his four-year hitch in the Marines. It's been enlightening, but ... it's just not as much of a challenge as it used to be. He doesn't feel bored, exactly, more like restless. Something in him itches to reach for a higher bar. So he decides to try out for Special Operations.
There's little talk about the training and the testing, beyond general topics, because many of the challenges are meant to come as a surprise. Phil is careful and quiet and observant. He pieces together some ideas, and he gets himself a good mentor to help him prepare. Phil takes the time to build up both his physical and mental skills before he enters the program.
The seven-month course begins with ten weeks of basic skills. Phil already knows most of this, could in fact teach over half of it. At least the hand-to-hand combat offers an opportunity to learn from guys who know different martial arts than he does. Phil wants to branch out from karate, so he is all over the guy who knows Russian sambo and the one who does tae kwon do. Tactical casualty care raises his knowledge of first aid and mission planning piques his interest.
The second eight weeks of unit training introduce maritime navigation and small boat handling, both relatively new to Phil. What he really loves, though, is intelligence gathering. When it's his turn to search or interrogate, he always achieves the goal, and everyone hates getting pitted against him when he hides the information. Irregular warfare begins to think outside the box. By the time they get to survival evasion resistance and escape, Phil feels pretty sure he made the right choice.
The third five-week course teaches precision, both in terms of teamwork and marksmanship. Phil never liked group assignments in school because the other kids usually left him to do all the work. Here, everyone pulls their own weight, and each other's too when necessary. Phil discovers that while he can handle a machine gun or a rifle competently, he has a particular knack for handguns, coaxing them to deliver far more accuracy than usual. He develops a healthy respect for precise aim.
Then it really gets good. The final seven-week course focuses on asymmetric warfare. Phil learns how to think like the enemy. It is as if people, sometimes, turn to glass so that he can see right through to the core of them. They keep some scary stuff in there. Phil studies ways to thwart insurgents, terrorists, and guerillas. Everyone else learns that if going up against him on intelligence was frustrating, opposing him in asymmetric warfare is a nightmare. The only reason they don't quit is because they are, after all, Marines and it's better to get their butts kicked by Phil in training than by the enemy in the field.
As the final exam approaches, Phil uses every trick he knows to store up extra energy. He splurges on fresh fruits, greens, and nuts while most of the other men are stuffing themselves on protein. His body is built; it's his mind he wants to hone at the last minute. He uses meditation to improve sleep and stock additional rest.
Phil looks forward to the challenge that awaits.
* * *
Notes:
Special Operations is the elite branch of the Marines, akin to the Navy SEALs. The training course is exhaustive.
Preparing for SO relies on mental toughness. Phil's years of experience coping with bullies and learning martial arts are very useful for this. Here are some ways of honing your mind.
Mixed martial arts cover a variety of individual disciplines, sometimes blending them, other times pitting them against each other. It is becoming more common for martial artists to study multiple styles.
Irregular warfare means everything outside the standard of two more-or-less equally matched armies butting heads.
Teamwork is a crucial skill which is often demanded but rarely taught. You need to know when and when not to use teamwork, because it does have drawbacks, especially if people lack the skills. Some good research on teamwork has been done. There are cooperative activities for young children and guidelines for older student teams that teach how to work together. Know how to work on a team. Sadly Phil's earlier experiences are typical of what happens in school.
Asymmetric warfare is when one side has vastly more resources and/or training than the other.
Special forces have suggestions for maximum effort such as pulling an all-nighter, and for warrior nutrition. Meditation can improve sleep or serve as an additional rest mode.
[To be continued in Part 27 ...]
Thank you!
Date: 2014-08-28 10:06 pm (UTC)Yay!
>> Love the details about what the training involves, and particularly the line about being able to see through people like they were made of glass and to understand what makes them tick. it's an outgrowth of the perception his therapist spoke of in the earlier chapter where the bully tried to suicide... and now he is honing his weapons appropriately. <<
Yes, exactly. This is what you get when you start out with good talent, add some diligent hobby work, and then go pro with it. Phil is leveling up.
>> Damn. <3!! <<
Thanks.