Maillardet's Foundation for the Future of Humanity

Maillardet's Foundation for the Future of Humanity is primarily a training academy for young posthumans between the ages of eight and eighteen. Located in Oregon's Cascade Mountains, it was originally founded by Professors Vincent Maillardet and Rajmund Jelen during the early 20th century. The Foundation developed a reputation among posters as a place of refuge, attracting a steady stream of (mostly young) research volunteers looking for the answer to why they were different, and as a result Maillardet's focus shifted from study to training and education.
After Dr. Maillardet's death, the school passed into the hands of Roger and Regina Hart, both former students themselves. Under their direction, the campus has grown to encompass the local posthuman community of Foundation. Mrs. Hart is also responsible for the school's mascot, a deer, intended as a symbol of one who will not fight unless provoked.
==History==
===Early history===
During the early 20th century, the popular view among scientists was that humans with extraordinary abilities were an unnatural aberration: "sideshow attractions at best, monsters at worst". This went doubly so for so-called "abhumans", powered individuals with visibly nonhuman attributes.Foundation
Not all scientists agree with this consensus, however. Vincent Maillardet correctly recognised these supposed 'aberrations' as a connected, and snowballing, population, which he termed posthumans. His passion and desire to understand posthumans and their abilities were fuelled by the two great loves of his life, his partner Rajmund Jelen and their daughter Beatrice, both of whom were posthuman themselves.
Rajmund was abhuman according to the terminology of the day; his power of probability cognition manifested on his skin in the form on violet fractal patterns, marking him apart from baseline humans. Beatrice, too, possessed precognitive abilities; she could channel the souls of posthumans not yet born. Following her untimely death, Vincent and Rajmund dedicated the rest of their lives to the study and protection of the growing posthuman population, with the help of the many prophecies and predictions Beatrice had left behind.Traveller
Eventually the couple settled in Oregon's Cascade Mountains, away from the prying eyes of those who might threaten harm against the visibly posthuman, or for that matter a pair of men in a committed loving relationship. They gradually built themselves a new family, rescuing and offering sanctuary to young posthumans, often guided by Beatrice's predictions. Then, a terrible act of human violence and hatred took the lives of three of their children in a single night. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Rajmund and Vincent recommitted themselves to providing protection and sanctuary for posthumans and resolved to transform their isolated home into a secure school.
It didn't take long for posthumans to begin showing up on their own. The mortality rate among posters was high, and those who couldn't pass for baseline humans rarely lived past thirty. Once word trickled down that help and sanctuary could be found in the Cascades, posthumans began showing up in droves. Most of them were under twenty: orphans, runaways and scared children looking for the answer to why they were different.
Over time, the history of Maillardet's has been edited and sanitised to create a more convenient and "acceptable" narrative. Vincent's loud, opinionated, bombastic nature and more infamous exploits have been conveniently glossed over, and his identity as a gay transgender man erased entirely, with modern depictions characterising him more blandly as an enlightened baseline human who used his considerable wealth and influence to advocate for and protect posthumans. Despite being instrumental in the school's founding, Rajmund's role is typically minimised or ignored by history books, with Vincent credited as the sole founder.quipquipquip: "Tata Ray Is So Important"
===Revisionist history===
According to the edited, revisionist history taught to Maillardet's students and published in history books, the Foundation was established during the first half of the 20th century by Dr. Vincent Maillardet, who originally envisioned it as a research facility. At the time, the popular view among scientists was that the surge of humans displaying extraordinary abilities were an unnatural aberration, "sideshow attractions at best, monsters at worst". Maillardet saw things differently: he correctly identified these supposed 'aberrations' as a connected, and snowballing, population, which he called posthumans. His daughter, Beatrice, was one of them, and his desire to understand her abilities drove his research.Origins, Issue #2, pp. 78-79
Following Beatrice's untimely death, Maillardet dedicated the rest of his life to the study and protection of the growing posthuman population. It took almost two decades, but eventually he managed to secure the funds, establishing a facility far away from prying eyes in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.
It didn't take long for the volunteers to begin showing up. The mortality rate among posters was high, and those who couldn't pass for baseline humans rarely lived past thirty. Once word trickled down that a scientist in the Cascades was offering help and sanctuary, posthumans began showing up in droves. Most of them were under twenty: orphans, runaways and scared children looking for the answer to why they were different.
Research gradually gave way to education, and education to training: "Maillardet didn’t intend to build a school for superheroes, but his teachings produced a wave of confident, dedicated posthumans. They joined the police force, the firefighters, and the army. Instead of fearing their powers, they’d learned how to use them." As Maillardet's first generation of graduations began making their mark on the world, the perception of posthumans began to change.Origins, Issue #2, p. 80
===After Maillardet===
After Maillardet's death, the Foundation passed into the hands of former Academy students Regina and Roger Hart. Under their leadership, the Academy has become more student-driven, with Regina taking a warmer approach to education while Roger expanded the campus into an unincorporated area encompassing the posthuman community of Foundation.
The Harts have also built up the Foundation's branding, with Regina choosing a deer as the school's mascot and emblem. This is intended to represent peace and harmony, embodied in an animal that will not fight unless provoked.
Since the Academy's founding, other training facilities have sprung up, both in America and around the world,quipquipquip: "So are there other training academies around the world?" however Maillardet's remains one of the world's premiere schools for posterchildren.quipquipquip: "How do they stop bad guy Posters from attacking the school?"
==Academy training structure==
Training is split into five stages: testing, during which the posterchildren's abilities and limitations are explored; three blocks, each spanning a three-year period; and the capstone, during which the top 25 students are split into five-man teams and put through more rigorous training. Only the third block is essential in order to graduate or qualify for a capstone team.
Academy placements are government-subsidized for Alphas, for whom training is mandatory. Betas may also attend, either as fee-paying students or under a mandatory court order.quipquipquip: Things To Know About Academy Training Structure There are always 48 students per year, but they flex between the blocks; any student with less than half the possible number of points is dismissed, and one of the names on the school's long waiting lists takes their place.
During the initial testing period, which takes place prior to beginning formal Academy schooling, the children are given guidance in exploring the extent of their abilities, pushing their limits and experimenting with what they might be able to do.quipquipquip: "How often, if ever, would you say a posterchild's power/level gets misidentified?" As a result of this testing, they are assigned strength tiers and color band classifications.
The first block runs from ages eight to ten, the second from eleven to thirteen, and the third from fourteen to sixteen. At the end of each, students are given a practical exam encompassing ten categories (Combat, Ethics and Psychology, Criminology, Public Relations and Law, Science and Mathematics, Language, History, Strategy, Acting, Athletics and Kinesiology), each marked out of five (for a total of fifty possible points).
At the beginning of the third block, students are paired off into two-man teams, each consisting of an Alpha and a Beta. These partnerships are intended to condition the students to group dynamics and relying on others. During the summer, third block pairs compete against one another in a series of nighttime practical exercises known as the Night Games.quipquipquip: Things To Know About Night Games These are fiercely competitive, as the winning teams are awarded "free" points, which are added to the students' total grade, and can potentially make or break a student's chance at qualifying for the capstone year.
Only the top 25 students pass from the third block to the capstone. Of these, the five highest-scoring Alphas are designated leaders, and each selects their five-man team from the remaining top twenty.quipquipquip: "Do the twenty-five who end up in the Capstone year choose their five-person teams themselves?" The training focuses on rigorous, real-life-applicable testing in an environment where failure does not mean civilian casualties.
===Graduation===
Graduates of the Maillardet's Academy who achieve a combined score of 67% or more may become licensed public heroes, with the possibility of going into law enforcement, freelancing, gaining employment with the BPHA or (if they are extremely lucky) gaining funding through companies or private sponsors.Origins, Issue #7, p. 322 However, graduates seeking employment in the baseliner workforce can be hampered by a diploma from Maillardet's as it advertises their posthuman genetics to employers, most of whom prefer to avoid the potential risks of hiring a poster.Gunsmoke, p. 3
===Failing===
Alphas who receive a failing end-of-block grade (that is, less than 50%) are given the choice of power suppression (generally through some combination of surgery and medication) or repeating the block. If an Alpha fails to graduate by the age of 18, they must undergo mandatory power suppression. A failing Beta with a reputation as a "problem poster" may also be made to undergo suppression, or be involuntarily committed; a Beta with a clean history may simply be dismissed without incident. Any student who has been expelled cannot enter law enforcement.quipquipquip: "What happens when someone gets a failing score?"
==Faculty==
Teaching at Maillardet's is considered a huge honour, and as a result the school has some of the most highly skilled and powerful posthumans on their payroll.
==Student life==
===Student housing===
The living arrangements are different for each block. During the first block, students are divided into four barracks-style houses, each of which has one large shared bedroom containing six bunk beds, housing twelve children in all. For the second block, they live in six cabins, each of which houses eight students.quipquipquip: "Are people grouped together in dorm rooms?"
Third block students live in gender-segregated dorm buildings, where they either get their own 8x9 room or - optionally - share a double room with a new student. Room-sharing is entirely voluntary, which means that new kids generally end up rooming with the more outgoing students.
The five-member capstone teams live in three-room cabins of their own, as sharing living quarters tends to foster the formation of healthy group dynamics.
The one exception to this is in the case of the children of teachers. As all full-time instructors have houses on the Academy grounds, any children they have attending the school will generally choose to live with their parents.
===Diet===
Maillardet's enforces a strict diet; unhealthy fats and sugars are monitored.  When new students arrive, the RA goes through the things they brought with them.Origins, Issue #1 The Academy does, however, allow students to eat whenever they want, including during class, as many posters at the school have enhanced metabolisms and require extra sustenance.Origins, Issue #2, p. 71
===Allowances===
All students are allowed a little spending money every quarter, and parents are allowed to send extra to their children, but nobody is allowed to handle cash. Instead, the school's General Store keeps track of the funds everyone has and how much has been spent. Students who want to go shopping in Foundation during the weekends must cash out through the General Store.Origins, Issue #4, p. 168
===Culture===
Maillardet's culture heavily emphasizes the practical knowledge students have to absorb, so students who have grown up in Foundation or attended from the first block do not have much exposure to media. They have access to the internet and can check out movies from the General Store's collection, but most choose to spend their time in other ways.Origins, Issue #4, p. 183
As much of the students' days are taken up with training and study, mealtimes double as social times. There is a visible pecking order in the mess hall and "who sits where is A Big Deal." Being teenagers with little contact with the outside world, the student body is fairly rife with rumor-mongering.quipquipquip: "What're the typical "cliques" sitting together at mealtimes?"
There are no formal school dances.quipquipquip: "Does Maillardet's have school dances?"
====Sex ed====
The school takes a practical approach to sex education: as the Commander puts it, "Son, I'd be a damn fool to think that a bunch of young people cooped up in the woods for fifty weeks out of the year aren't going to find things to do with themselves." The staff don't encourage it, but sex ed classes are not abstinence only and birth control, condoms and dental dams are available.quipquipquip: "Will there be much sex positivity and good views on sex especially with the characters being underage?"
===Holidays and vacations===
Students get weekends and the last two weeks of the year off. As most children are not local, this means that they do not get to see their families much. Parents and siblings are allowed to come to Foundation to visit any time, provided they have staff approval, but except for special circumstances, students are not allowed to leave. The main exception to this rule is the second block sidekick program.quipquipquip: "Does the academy allow the posterchildren to go home during holidays, summers, etc.?"
===Dress code===
When training, students wear white raglan shirts with colored sleeves that match their band color. Each student has their moniker printed on the back of their training shirts.quipquipquip: "I'm curious about costumes!" Beyond that, there is no formal uniform.
==Campus==
Located in Oregon's Cascade Mountains, the Academy employs artificial climate control to avoid the frequent rainfall that plagues much of western Oregon. As a result, the weather in Foundation is always mild, with temperates hovering around the mid-seventies.Origins, Issue #1, p. 17
===Locations===
*Forum: The forum is a building large enough to hold every student at Maillardet's at once, so it is used for large school gatherings.Origins, Issue #1
*Running tracks
*Devil’s Club LakeOrigins, Issue #1
*Mess hall
*Dorms
*Training facility
*Academic buildings
===Defensibility===
Attacks on the school do happen, but they are rare, and the Academy is well-equipped to handle them. It is staffed by some of the best of the best -- such as John Wright, the much-lauded Commander, and Catherine Newmeyer, one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the world. The school has organized drills for attacks, and pink-band power-nullifiers are permanently housed on the edge of the campus to block anyone trying to teleport into Foundation. At night, the campus is patrolled by the younger members of the faculty.Origins, Issue #4, p. 166
As a result of a fatal attack by an anti-poster group during the school's early days, Professor Maillardet had a ten-foot stone wall built around the campus.Origins, Issue #4, pp. 170-171
==References==
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Category:Maillardet's Foundation for the Future of Humanity