Thread:Marvelus/@comment-26838855-20190116120806/@comment-3095612-20190404050534

BEJT wrote: I had taken that to be when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. academy, not the main organisation, since she's talking about her motive for joining and her choosing to join the organisation would've been when she chose to start at the academy, rather than going to S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy and only then after deciding to join S.H.I.E.L.D.. While your suggestion would otherwise make more sense (it would also match our understanding of the academy as a university-equivalent, if Simmons got her PhDs there), especially since the "('04)" would usually mean graduated in 2004, I think with the fact that Fitz and Simmons met on the first day of the academy and only about "10 years" before 2016, they can't have met earlier than 2004 (my 2011-18 school class were called both the "class of 2011" and "class of 2018").

I would guess that they met age 16 in August 2004, if the term started a bit early or something, but most of the academic year Simmons was 17 (from September).

Agh, I'm doubting myself now. This is a bit inconsistent.


 * August 19, 1987 - Fitz is born.
 * September 11, 1987 - Simmons is born.
 * Between September 11, 2003 and August 18, 2004 - Fitz and Simmons meet on the first day of the academy. "10" years before 2016.
 * 2004 - A marked date for FitzSimmons either starting or finishing the academy.
 * Between September 11, 2004 and September 10, 2003 - Simmons properly decides to join S.H.I.E.L.D..

Your suggestion makes the most sense to piece it together, but it relies on the academy only lasting a year which seems wrong. Maybe because they were super smart and fast, but that much faster than most? Agh I don't know. I always assumed that they met in 2004 at the start of the academy, "10" (12) years before 2016, being about 16-17. If Fitz was younger than her we could say he was 16 going on 17 and she'd just turned 17, in September 2004. But if we're taking it as canon that he's "23 days" older... Alternate suggestion. It's only said they met when they were 16 but that doesn't mean nor was it said that was when they started at the Academy. It's notable they graduated early so... what if they started early like at age 14 and didn't meet until they were 16? They noted they both had Dr. Hall as their chemical kinetics advisor in their 2nd year at the Academy in "The Asset" I think it was. And we know the implication was they were in different social circles, she was popular and he was well isolationist and didn't hang with people. Just from personal experience, there was plenty of people in my year that I didn't really talk to until sophomore, even junior year and become friends with.