War
It is unclear exactly why Bessai-Saul determined that the best way to signify that someone is a teenager is by depicting them as a soldier, but he did. Perhaps it is due to the absence of iconic casual youth clothing such as the "bunny hug" in the general time period that Bird People takes place in. Regardless, the result is an army that feels like a high school. Aviatrica goes through wars like fast fashion. (The King likes to declare them, because it means he gets to live in a strategic field headquarters instead of on the street). The previous war was against Poseidon, a possible reference to the Roman emperor Caligula. The next war will be against The Necrosphere, whatever that is.