#Medical training in Vietnam

[scientia-rex]

Wound Care

Ok so, take this with a BIG grain of salt, because I may be a medical doctor BUT you need to know how much wound care training we get in medical school: none. Zip. Zilch. There may be medical schools where you do, but mine wasn't a bozo factory and there was NO wound care training. Everything I know I learned from one of several sources: an intensive 2-day wound care course I did in residency (highly recommend), the local Home Health wound care nurse (highly recommend), a completely batshit insane old white male doctor who started our learning sessions by yelling Vietnam War stories at me (do not recommend), a hospital wound care nurse (highly recommend), and experience (oh god do not recommend).

The first thing you need to know is that wound healing varies dramatically across the course of a lifespan. Kids? Kids will heal. If they don't, get their ass to a pediatrician because there's something genetic going on. Young adults will heal. Middle-aged adults will heal. You know who doesn't heal for shit? The elderly, and people with severe illnesses, and people with uncontrolled type II diabetes.

Your body needs several things in order to heal. It needs macronutrients, so you need to be able to EAT protein, fat, and carbs. If you are on total parenteral nutrition, aka TPN, aka IV nutrition, you are going to be worse at healing. If you are starving yourself, you are going to be worse at healing. If your body is desperately funneling all the calories you take in to surviving your COPD or cancer, you are going to be worse at healing.

It also needs micronutrients. If your diet sucks, you won't heal. Take a multivitamin once in a while.

There are two CRITICAL skin components to healing: collagen and elastin. Guess what we stop making as we age. Promoting collagen isn't just good for "anti-aging," it's good for NOT ripping your skin apart. Taking oral collagen is probably bullshit because your body is going to have to disassemble it to get it across the intestinal membranes to absorb, but it's also harmless, and if your diet REALLY sucks, who knows. Give it a try. Collagen is made of amino acids; think protein.

Another absolutely crucial component is blood flow. As people age, they start to develop cholesterol plaques lining arteries that eventually pick up calcium deposits. This makes blood vessels less elastic, which is a problem, but eventually also blocks them off, which is a much bigger problem. If someone has the major blood flow to their feet decreased by 90% by arterial stenosis, they are not going to heal for shit AND their foot's gonna hurt.

One component of blood flow I hadn't thought about before going into medicine is fluid retention. The way your body works, blood exits the heart at a very high velocity, but slows to a crawl by the time it gets into capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the body. Water is a very small molecule and can leave the blood vessel, especially if there aren't big, negatively-charged molecules like proteins like albumin in the blood vessels to hold the water there. And we're built for this--some water is supposed to leak out of our blood vessels when it gets to real little vessels. It gets taken back up by the lymphatic system and eventually dumped back into the bloodstream at the inferior vena cava. But if you aren't making albumin--for instance, in liver failure--you may leak a LOT of fluid into the tissue, so much that your legs get swollen, tight, the skin feeling woody and strange. This isn't fixable by drainage because the fluid is everywhere, not in a single pocket we can drain. And because it puts so much pressure on the tissues of the skin, it often results in ulcers. Congestive heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure--these are all common causes of severe edema, aka swelling due to fluid in the tissues. And they're a real bitch when it comes to wound care, because we have such limited resources for getting the fluid back out, which is a necessary first step to healing.

Pressure is another common cause of wounds. Pressure forces blood out of those little capillaries, so you starve the cells normally fed by those capillaries, and they die. It's called pressure necrosis. Very sick people who can't turn themselves over--people in the ICU, people in nursing homes--are especially prone to these wounds, as are people with limited sensation; pressure wounds are common in wheelchair users who have lost some feeling in the parts of their bodies that rub against those surfaces, or diabetics who don't notice a rock in their shoe.

So, if you're trying to treat wounds, the questions to ask are these:

Why did this wound happen?

-Was it pressure? If it's pressure, you have to offload the source of the pressure or else that wound will not heal. End of story. You can put the tears of a unicorn on that thing, if you don't offload the pressure it won't heal.

-Was it fluid? If it's fluid, you have get the fluid out of the issues or else it won't heal. You can sometimes do that with diuretics, medications that cause the body to dump water through the kidneys, but that's always threading a needle because you have to get someone to a state where they still have juuuuust enough fluid inside their blood vessels to keep their organs happy, while maintaining a very slight state of dehydration so the blood vessels suck water back in from the tissues. You can use compression stockings to squeeze fluid back into the vessels, but if they have arterial insufficiency and not just venous insufficiency, you can accidentally then cause pressure injury. The safest option is using gravity: prop the feet up above the level of the heart, wherever the heart is at, at that moment, and gravity will pull fluid back down out of the legs. Super boring though. Patients hate it. Not as much as they hate compression stockings.

-Was it a skin tear because the skin is very fragile? This is extremely common in the elderly, because they're not making collagen and elastin, necessary to repairing skin. If this is the case, make sure they're actually getting enough nutrition--as people get into their 80s and 90s, their appetites often change and diminish, especially if they're struggling with dementia. And think about just wrapping them in bubble wrap. Remove things with sharp edges from their environments. I have seen the WORST skin tears from solid wood or metal furniture with sharp edges. Get rid of throw rugs and other tripping hazards. I had somebody last week who tried to a clear a baby gate and damn near destroyed their artificial hip.

The next critical question: why isn't it healing?

-Are you getting enough nutrients? Both macro and micro?

-Are you elderly?

-Are you ill?

-Do you have a genetic disorder of collagen formation?

Fix why it's not healing and almost anything will heal. If you're diabetic, find a medication regimen that improves your sugars and stick to it. If you're anorexic, get treatment for your eating disorder. If you have congestive heart failure, work with your doctor on your fluid balance. Wear the damn pressure stockings. Prop up your feet.

If, after those two unskippable questions are done, you want to do something to the wound--apply a dressing, do a treatment--that's a whole other kettle of fish. I'll write that later. The dryer just sang me its little song and I need to put away the laundry.

[queercanon13]

The Karma music video is packed with queer and sapphic themes. But what’s with that yellow beret?

We all watched the Karma music video on Friday (or Saturday), right? And then we all watched it ten more times because there IS JUST SO MUCH THERE. Right?!

I can’t even begin to unpack the whole thing yet, but let’s talk about the yellow brick road scene.

Taylor is obviously wearing ruby slippers (“the rubies that I gave up”) alluding to Dorothy/the Wizard of Oz. But she’s not wearing the rest of Dorothy’s getup. That’s because she’s not Dorothy, but in fact a friend of Dorothy.

She’s holding a broom (lots of witchy themes from her lately) and blows a kiss of blue (iykyk) glitter to three grim reapers (the two SBs and…?).

She’s keeping her side of the street clean, which harkens to the YNTCD MV where she clearly shows which side of the street she’s on:

Other things of note: it appears there are daisies embroidered on her collar, as well as growing along the yellow brick road. Her braids are also looped (“your braids make a pattern”).

The yellow brick road itself may be a nod to Elton John and his album/song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Here are some of the lyrics from that song, as well as a generally accepted analysis of the lyrics:

&

Seems like it would be super relatable to Taylor, right? Add in Elton John’s queerness/coming out journey, and the parallels continue.

There are probably a hundred other things I’m missing just from that scene alone, but what I really wanna talk about is the yellow beret, especially in light of current news surrounding Taylor.

When I saw the yellow beret, I furiously googled “yellow beret” + the names of Taylor’s muses, but I came up empty-handed. Because Taylor is specifically not wearing a Dorothy costume, I knew that fucking hat had to mean something. Then I remembered — isn’t yellow beret a military term? And we know she loves a good war story. To Google I went, and the results did not disappoint.

During the Vietnam war, all physicians in the US had a mandatory draft order. One of the ways to avoid the draft was to apply for a position with a Public Health Service program called the NIH Associates Training Program. Because the elite program was highly competitive, only a small percentage of doctors were able to serve their required military time without going to war.

Yellow beret was a self-deprecating and derogatory term used by and for doctors who avoided getting a green beret/going to war (yellow can be associated with cowardice, i.e. “yellow-bellied”) via the NIH program.

Sounding familiar? But wait there’s more.

Bob Seger wrote a song in 1966 called The Ballad of the Yellow Beret. It was written as a parody of the song The Ballad of the Green Berets. Here are some of the lyrics (I encourage you to read all of them!):

Verse 1: Fearless cowards of the USA // Bravely here at home they stay // They watch their friends get shipped away // The draft dodgers of the Yellow Beret

Okay, I’m seated.

Verse 3: Men who faint at the sight of blood // Their high-heeled boots weren't meant for mud // The draft board will hear their sob stories today // Only the best win the yellow beret

Oooookay.

Verse 4: Back at home a young wife waits // Her yellow beret has met his fate // He's been drafted for marching in a protest //Leaving her his last request

Are you screaming yet? Just wait.

Verse 5: Put a yellow streak down my son's back // Make sure that he never ever fights back // At his physical have him say he's gay // Have him win the yellow beret

And if that wasn’t enough, two of the last lyrics are “I've got a pimple on my trigger finger” (ew) and “well, we were planning on having children sometime soon” (devastating). These themes also align with The Great War, epiphany, etc.

But despite attempts to diminish their efforts through claims of cowardice, these “yellow beret” physician-scientists contributed to some of the most important and innovative medical research we have today. Dr. Fauci attended the training program, as well as nine others who went on to win Nobel Prizes.

Could it be that Taylor is trying to tell us that, while it looks like she dodged the draft (didn’t come out), she’s doing some important mastermind shit behind the scenes? Only time will tell, but since we are now at “dawn,” I believe daylight is soon to follow. ☀️

[republikkkanorcs]

In March 1967, shortly before the expiration of his educational draft deferment upon graduation from law school, McConnell enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as a private at Louisville, Kentucky. This was a coveted position because the Reserve units were mostly kept out of combat during the Vietnam War. His first day of training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was July 9, 1967, two days after taking the bar exam, and his last day was August 15, 1967. Shortly after his arrival he was diagnosed with optic neuritis and deemed medically unfit for military service, and was honorably discharged. His brief time in service has repeatedly been put at issue by his political opponents during his electoral campaigns.

Unsubstantiated rumors of a compromising incident persist.

[thewulf]

Silly Goose || Nick "Goose" Bradshaw

Summary: Pete and Y/N Mitchell were once thick as thieves. After your career splits the twins up the two reunite in San Diego. Nick Bradshaw is finally feeling normal after the passing of his late wife Carol. You comfort Nick in his loss while he comforts you after Pete can't stop being awful to you.

A/N: Hi friends! I had a friend request this one :) As always, let me know your thoughts! Also - sorry Carole, I did what had to be done.

Pairing: Nick "Goose" Bradshaw x Mitchell Reader

Word Count: 7,000+

It was remarkable how similar yet so drastically different the Mitchell twins were. Pete Mitchell was one of the most arrogant, cocky yet self-assured men you’d ever come across. And boy did he piss you off. You were convinced from an early age he made it his life goal to make you as furious as he could, often succeeding. He was your best friend though. Your first best friend, your fiercest best friend.

You were both incredibly mischievous particularly when the two of you were around the other. It’d been quite a while since you were around Pete. Your father was killed when you were both young, in the Vietnam War. A naval aviator of course. That sent you off to live with your grandparents. Shirley and Mark weren’t the most welcoming either. The twins were all each other had. You fed off each other sending you both in the principal’s office all too often. These actions alienated your grandparents even further from the both of you, driving you and Pete closer.

Pete was your protector. You knew nobody could really hurt you, Pete would always be there to put a stop to it. The downside being that no boy ever even tried getting that close to you, just knowing Pete was waiting. But that was all when you were younger. You both graduated high school, Pete determined to be a pilot in the Navy like dad. You wanted to be a doctor, not really want to follow your father’s footsteps as a pilot. Moving all the way across the country for undergrad made you miss Pete like crazy.

He went off and did his own thing though. He graduated from college early before enlisting and finding his way as a pilot in training. He constantly pestered you to either move closer or join the Navy with him. He wasn’t a fan of only seeing you once a year like he had been the past few. Eventually, his constant pestering wore you down. You applied to medical school at the Naval Academy. You really didn’t think you would get in knowing your family’s Naval legacy, Pete had already been rejected from the academy for undergrad.

To your pleasant surprised you were admitted. You had a hell of a lot of catching up to do though. You enrolled and were off. Another four years passed, and Pete became Maverick, you met his best friend and RIO Goose and you graduated from the Naval Academy. You did a Military Match with the Navy effectively signing you to another four-year commitment. Pete was thrilled when were selected. You still didn’t see each other as often as you liked. But Pete loved to say that you were both in the Navy, so you gave him that. You were shipped off to San Diego. Not that you didn’t love the Navy.

You were able to visit him a few times throughout the years. Seeing him grow from the young arrogant boy to the cocky asshole of a pilot he was. He was your best friend through and through. Each time you saw him it felt like no time had passed, the twins were always attached at the hip. Nick always joked that he ceased to exist when you came around. Pete dropped him like a hot potato.

Nick, Goose, was always kind to you. He knew how important you were to Pete. You always did your greetings and got on with it, Pete didn’t have any time to spare. He saw Goose all the time. He hardly saw you.

Goose and Mav grew closest after Carole passed leaving baby Bradley without his mom. Carole developed a rare complication after giving birth to Bradley. She passed when Bradley was nearing his first birthday leaving Nick completely shattered. Pete was convinced Goose would never come back not seeing how he would get through it. Mav stepped up for his other best friend though. He brought Goose out of the hole he was sinking deeper and deeper into. Pete stepped up like you’ve seen him do once before for you when dad died. Bradley stayed with his grandparents while Goose was deployed at Top Gun.

You’d only been at the San Diego naval base as a resident for about a year. You were really starting to find your groove as you entered your 27th year. Slowly putting your roots down, you had made a few friends at the hospital. You enjoyed San Diego. You were always an east coaster, but you were learning to love it. You even went on a few dates in your nonexistent spare time, simply enjoying your time. It was the first time in a while you weren’t actively stressing about exams, you were just stressing about getting the proper training in now. You were lucky though, the surgical team at your hospital was top notch. You were learning from the best of the best. Your attending convinced you to take a surgical residency after your first year of basic residency.

You had just kicked your shoes off after a long day in the emergency room, your least favorite place. But everybody had a few monthly shifts there. Your landline ran, you debated answering it not feeling terribly motivated to get up. Sighing when you gave in just hoping it wasn’t the hospital. You weren’t on call, so you didn’t have your pager around. Begrudgingly you got up hauling your ass over there picking it up on the last ring.

“My favorite sister!” Your brothers voice yelled through the telephone.

“Petey.” You giggled to yourself knowing how much he hated that nickname.

“Really Y/N?” His voice turned sour quick.

“Always.” You grinned leaning back onto the wall, “What’s up little brother?” You also knew how to piss him off. You were born first just by a few minutes, never letting Pete live it down.

“I had good news. I don’t know if I should tell you now.” He audibly huffed.

“Aww Petey, don’t be like that.” You laughed knowing he was likely going to hang up on you.

“I’m hanging up…”

“No, you’re not Pete Mitchell. What’s the news?”

“Thank you.” He paused, you thought he really did hang up, “I’m heading to San Diego. Tonight!”

“What?” Gasping you tried to figure out why. Pete coming to San Diego? It’d been over eight years since the two of you lived close, “You’re being serious?”

“Miramar! 100% serious. We’ll be there in like two hours!” You could feel his giddiness through the phone.

“Wait...” You paused realizing he said Miramar, “Isn’t that Top Gun?” Your mouth fell open slightly. You knew Pete was good but Top Gun was serious, next level.

“The one and only.” You knew he was sitting there with a shit eating grin twirling the telephone cord in his hand, just knew it.

You rolled your eyes. He was lucky you loved him more than anything else in the world, “Okay, spill Pete. How? What? Where? When? And We’ll?”

“Me and Goose!” You heard a faint cheer from the background, “Got invited a few hours ago, we’re waiting on our ride now. All packed up.”

“Say hi to Goose for me.” You laughed. He loved that man. He might’ve loved him more than you. He would scoff at that accusation though. You were his first best friend, always making sure to remind you of it. You were worried you’d lose some of that twin spark you had when you went away, but you still did it. You were so worried he secretly hated you for it. The two of you talked it out and he assured you that was okay. He knew you had to follow your own path as much as he didn’t like it.

“Goose says hi.” He paused. Muffled talking ensued on the other side of the line. He picked back up before continuing, “Wanna meet us at Hard Deck once we get there?”

“That’s late Pete.” You whined seeing that a few hours from now was nine at night. Nine wouldn’t have made you bat an eye eight years ago. But seeing as you had to be back at the Hospital by six, nine sounded like hell.

“9:30, that’s not late Y/N.” You heard Goose laughing on the other side of the line. The little shit always listening in.

“Pete. I have to get up at five.” You deadpanned.

“And we have to be up by six!” He countered.

You groaned knowing it was meet there or have them come here. You knew you wouldn’t be able to escape them if they came here, “Fine. One beer.”

“Yes! Score! She’s in Goose!” He called over to his RIO, “Okay! I’ll call you when I’m at the new place. See you soon!” He hung up before you could respond.

“Fucking brother.” You muttered hanging the phone back on the wall. You just couldn’t say no to Pete.

You walked into the Hard Deck quickly spotting your brother and Nick in their Navy Whites. Slowly, you walked up behind him smiling as you did so. Pete and Goose were very animatedly talking to one another, hands moving and all. You placed your hands over Pete’s face sending them both into defense mode. Pete nearly knocked you backwards before realizing it was you.

“Woah there Petey.” You through your hands up in mock defense after taking a step back stabilizing yourself. Smirking, you antagonized him on.

“Y/N.” He sighed wrapping you into a bear hug, “I know I’ve taught you better than that. We’re going to have to get you back into self-defense classes.”

“Shut up Pete.” You groaned throwing yourself down in the seat next to him. Pete and Nick joining you.

“Y/N.” Nick nodded at you, “Nice to see you again.”

“You too!” You grinned at them both, “I can’t believe you’re here.” You turned back towards your brother.

“Now don’t think so highly of me.” He smirked throwing back some beer.

Rolling your eyes, you did the same. Irritating. So, irritating Pete was, “Shush.” You pushed him lightly. Gosh you really did miss him. You’d never admit it, but you were so excited he’d be here for the next few months, “I knew you’d get into Top Gun. Just never imagined it would be when I was here.”

“Well sis, your wish is my command.” He winked. Shaking your head, you ordered a beer.

“Insufferable as ever.” You earned a laugh from Goose and the side eye from your twin. You saw Pete’s eyes fall to a pretty blond across the bar. He leaned into Goose whispering something earning a dissatisfied groan.

“Sis, I love you. I’m so excited to see you. But we have the next three months to catch up. And I don’t know if I’ll ever see that beautiful woman again.” He winked, ruffled your hair, and disappeared in the crowd. Goose muttered an apology before following him over.

You huffed throwing back another swig of beer. Good old Pete. You should’ve known he’d never change. Just like him to force you out only to ditch you for the first piece of ass he sees come across the bar. You sent her a quick prayer. You watched horrified as half the Naval aviators broke out into song with Pete leading the charge. Your fucking brother.

You ordered another beer, not quite ready to head back home just yet. You watched Goose get caught up in a conversation with some other aviators. Wonderful, the only two people you knew vanished in almost an instant.

“What’s got you so upset?” A voice from your side spoke.

You turned to see a cute blond pilot looking at you curiously, “Oh, nothing. Just a long day.” You turned back to eye your brother, avoiding his gaze.

“Cheers to that.” He grinned holding his beer up. You nodded taking a drink with him, “You work around here?” He asked making light conversation.

“I do, yeah. Down at the Naval base.” You stopped before divulging too much information to the handsome stranger, seeing he was in Navy Whites as well. He had to be a pilot, oozing that overconfidence your brother did.

His entire demeanor perked up in your one sentence, “Are you in the Navy?” He asked, digging lightly.

You nodded, “I am.”

“Curious, I am too.” He laughed at the obviousness of it all, “What do you do?”

“You work for the Navy? I never would have guessed?” You teased eyeing his uniform up and down strategically not answering his question.

“Ha. Ha.” He leaned in a little closer to you, “Name’s Tom. Callsign Iceman. I’m a pilot. And you?”

You sighed knowing the type, relentless. You grew up with one, “Y/N. No callsign. I’m a doctor.”

“I’ll be damned. Beauty and brains.”

You scoffed, “Please tell me you didn’t just say that.”

He put his hands up in defense, “Say what? What are you a doctor of?” He continued trying to keep the conversation light between the two of you.

“I’m a surgical resident.” You smiled to the handsome pilot. You knew not to ever get seriously involved with one, but having fun? Never off limits.

He scratched the back of his neck seemingly unsure of himself, “What’s that mean?”

You didn’t drop your smile, he was a curious one alright, “I graduated medical school and am a doctor. But now I’m in specialized training for the next four years to become a surgeon.”

“Seems intense.” He never broke his gaze with yours.

You shrugged, “I can say the same for you.” You broke the gaze and turned around looking for Pete and Goose. You quickly found Pete staring at you and Iceman. You flipped him off turning your attention back on the blondie. Pete ignored you. You’d ignore him.

Your conversation was cut short when Goose came up from behind you placing his hands on your shoulders, “Y/N! Come on over, Mav wants to talk to you.” You almost jumped out of your skin feeling the contact.

Iceman’s eyes cocked up in surprise, curious on how you knew the two assholes he’d only known for a brief stint, “I’m good.” You failed to shrug his hands off your shoulders. He only tightened down lightly letting you know he wasn’t going anywhere until you left with him.

“Y/N.” Goose tried to pull you lightly.

“Nick, I said I’m good. The idiot left to flirt with the blond girl. Let him.” You shrugged again.

“You heard the doctor.” Iceman chimed in sensing your irritation with the situation.

Goose laughed dropping his hands from your shoulders, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you Y/N.” He grumbled walking back to your twin.

“Sorry about that.” You smiled shyly.

“You know Mav?”

“Unfortunately. He’s my brother. Twin brother.”

He let out a sly grin, “You’re joking.”

“Afraid not.”

“Man, this is too good.” He laughed seeing how pissed off Mav looked across the bar, “You like messing with your brother?”

You perked up, “Oh, do I.”

He nodded, liking you far more than your brother, “Just roll with it.” He winked at Pete knowing how angry it would make him.

Iceman slung an arm around your shoulder after you gave him permission, “Oh boy, he’s on his way already.” Tom chucked pulling your chair closer to him. Not a second later you heard him cough from behind you.

“Hands off, Ice.” The annoying voice of your brother chimed in.

“Fuck off Maverick.” You spat back at him before Iceman could. You hardly ever used your brothers call sign, always feeling weird when you did use it. But it always caused him to pause. You only ever used his call sign when you were pissed.

“Y/N, let’s go.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re going home.”

“Go home then. I’m going to stay. I’m sure Ice would drive me if need be.” You shrugged.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Ice looking thoroughly amused at your ability to set him off, “Would you just come?” He asked in frustration.

You sighed apologizing to Iceman. Giving into Pete before he did something he’d regret. So, you got up and followed Pete to the other side of the bar. Sitting at his old spot you looked around annoyed.

“I thought you said we were leaving.” You yawned feeling how tired you were becoming.

“Another beer.” He smiled turning back to Goose.

“Pete.” You frowned. He shrugged getting up about to go take another shot. Nick sighed back into his seat apologizing to you yet again.

“I don’t even know why I come when he asks anymore.” You frowned turning away from Goose. Feeling oddly vulnerable as you shared your frustration with Pete.

“Don’t say that Y/N. I like having you here. He loves having you here.” He gave you a goofy grin. You were sure it was a Nick Bradshaw special.

“Thanks Nick.” You mustered a small smile, he was sweet. Sweet and goofy. The perfect foil to Pete.

“Anytime.” He held his beer up. You clanked beer glasses with him finishing your second beer off.

“How are you?” You asked looking at him sincerely. It’d only been ten months since Carole had passed away. Nick didn’t seem too different, but you knew he couldn’t be the same guy. He lost the love of his life. The mother of his son. And from what Pete told you, he was madly in love with her before he lost her.

He paused seeing the sincerity in your eyes. You Mitchell twins could convey a whole lot through a look. You knew it was from being in survival mode living at your grandparents’ house. A form of silent communication formed between you and Pete. To this day you utilized it.

 “I’m okay. Learning how to cope.” Goose admitted shyly.

You nodded slowly, so sad for him, “If you need anything, I’m right down the road. Really, if you need to talk or anything. I know Pete isn’t the easiest to talk to.”

Nick raised an eyebrow laughing, nodding in agreement, “You can say that again. Thanks Y/N. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Alright, I’m ready to go.” Pete huffed standing on the other side of Goose now, the two of you moving closer to chat.

“No dice?” You laughed.

“None tonight.” He frowned putting his jacket back on.

“See you two later.” You laughed having already paid your bill. As you walked back to your car you tripped on nothing, launching you forward. You caught yourself but cursed under your breath. You were a clumsy one, tripping on thin air half the time.

Pete caught Goose looking at you with a certain form of admiration in his eyes. You still weren’t sure how Goose could stand Pete but you sure were glad he did.

“Pete!” You ran down the stairs of his apartment. You needed to talk to him about plans for that day. Pete could never seem to commit to plans with you anymore.

“Hey Y/N.” Nick Bradshaw stood in the kitchen eating a bowl of mac n’ cheese.

You spun around not expecting the voice of Nick Bradshaw, “What are you doing here?”

He gasped lightly feigning hurt by placing his hand on his heart, “Nice to see you too Y/N.”

Shaking your head you responded, “I mean, Pete didn’t say you were here.”

“Mav didn’t say you were here.” He countered shooting you smirk.

You suddenly felt terribly self-conscious in your oversized shirt and barely there shorts. Nobody was supposed to be there. You ignored it best you could, “Besides the point. Where is he?”

Nick shrugged, “Beats me.”

“No help.” You frowned as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“Mav!” He yelled, loudly.

You jumped not expecting that one, “What the hell Nick?”

“I’m trying to help.”

You stood there dumbfounded, “You two are meant for each other. Really.”

He smiled sweetly grabbing another forkful of the mac n’ cheese he was eating, “You aren’t the first person to say that.”

“Take the hint then.”

He let a breathy laugh out, finding that one funny.

“What?” Pete asked sliding into the kitchen

You turned to him, “What’s the plan for today? And what’s he doing here?”

“I can hear you.” Nick rebutted laughing at the table.

“Again, besides the point Nick.” You replied not letting him get the best of you.

“Anyway,” Mav rolled his eyes at the slightly flirty bickering between you and Nick. Truth be told Pete was bit worried about this, Y/N and Goose. It wasn’t like he wanted to stop anything, but he was concerned, Goose was just returning to normal. He didn’t want anything to set him back or for anyone to hurt you. He was worried because he and Goose got along so well. You and Pete were so similar it was only fate the two of you would get along, “I thought we’d go to the Hard Deck.”

You groaned, not thrilled, “I’ll pass.”

Mav looked shocked. Goose cocked an eye. This ought to be good.

“Why not?” He took a defensive stance, arms crossed.

“You’re just going to leave us,” You pointed at Nick, “for the first pretty girl you see.” You spoke calmly to him, somebody had to keep a level head and that certainly wasn’t Pete.

“You’re a big girl. And he’s a big boy. You can figure it out.”

Your mouth dropped slightly, “Why would that be fun for me Pete?” You responded, almost spitting out his name.

“Hard Deck’s always fun! Come on. Don’t be lame,”

You didn’t know if you could frown any further, “Like I said earlier, I’ll pass. Have fun.” You attempted to pass Pete to go back up to the guest room. You stayed there whenever you got too drunk, his apartment always being closer than yours. Pete blocked you each time you tried to go back upstairs.

“What’s your problem?” He groaned in frustration.

“I just don’t want to go to the Hard Deck for the fifth night in a row!” You huffed in just as much frustration.

“Too good for the Hark Deck Y/N?” He asked. You just looked at him quizzically. What had gotten into him? He was being mean to you. You weren’t used to this Pete. He was always tough on you, not downright mean though.

“Would you let me go upstairs?”

“No.”

“Fine.” You turned around swiftly hightailing it out the backdoor. You weren’t sure what your plan was, but you just started walking. You wanted to yell at him. You wanted to fight back but you couldn’t, not in front of Nick. You didn’t even care that you were still in your pajamas, at least you had a bra on.

Not long into you swiftly exiting the house you felt pressure at your elbow, somebody trying to stop you.

“Fuck off Maverick.” You huffed ripping your arm away from him.

“Not Mav.” Nick spoke softly from behind, keeping pace with you easily. His long strides matching your quicker shorter ones.

“Oh,” you sighed softly, “Sorry, Nick. You didn’t need to see all of that.” Flushing with embarrassment you turned away from him quickly.

He sighed running a hand through his hair, “It’s alright, why don’t we just go back?” He gently nudged you back to the house.

You anchored your feet in the ground, fully knowing how childish you were being, “Not until Pete leaves.” Biting the inside of your lip you continued, “I should just go. I need to prep for a few cases anyway.”

He looked at you softly, feeling a bit sorry for you. Pete was a tough human in general, typically he thought about him and himself only. He hadn’t really had to actively think about how his actions impacted you for a long time, for over ten years now you two had went your separate ways. Of course, you were going to lose some of that twin connection you used to have. You never imagined you’d lose all of it. You felt so out of sync with Pete.

“No, don’t go.” He paused contemplating why he didn’t want you to go. He felt terrible at the way Pete was treating you, feeling like it was his fault somehow. He too had seen Pete transform before him. Yes, Pete had always been arrogant, but his ego just grew and grew in the Navy. Nobody really came close to his skill, and he sure knew it, “I mean… don’t let Pete ruin your day Y/N. He’s just being Pete.”

Your lips turned up at the corners slight, “Pete never fails to ruin my day.” You we’re being over dramatic, you knew it, but he was right. You really didn’t want to work anyway, “Maybe I’ll go to the beach instead. Sounds better than work.”

“Okay,” he took a timid step closer towards you, “Need any company?”

You shook your head, “Best you go with Pete. I don’t want to hear about it later.” You gave him a half smile, already growing tired of Pete’s attitude

“I don’t really want to go to the Hard Deck either.” He admitted while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“Oh.” You weren’t quite sure what to say to him. His look was begging for you to invite him along. He also needed breaks from Mav. He didn’t want to admit yet how much he yearned to know a little bit more about you. Just from his quick interactions he saw how quick-witted and fun you were to be around, pulling both of their legs nearly flawlessly with Ice. You were carefree, just like Pete. Letting the wind blow you in a direction as you went with it. He already wanted to know more. Not feeling this way in a long time. He wasn’t sure he would ever feel genuine interest for a person again after Carol’s passing. Yet here you came barreling in. Just like Maverick.

You too wanted to spend some time with Nick, easily seeing why Pete was attached at the hip with him. The best friend duo was so incredibly different but so eerily similar. They clicked just like you and Nick were doing right now. You always wanted to respect Pete and his boundaries, but Nick was unique, you couldn’t shake him. So, you did what you did best… silent cues. Nodding your head, you pointed towards the path that led to the beach.

“I’m going to let Mav know we’re going to the beach. He’s free to do whatever.” Nick threw you a carefree smile, “I’ll meet you down there?”

“Sure.” You nodded. Pete was going to skin you alive. But you really did want him to come along with you. He was the one person who knew Pete just as well as you, maybe more than you. You wanted to figure out why Pete was being such a dick but to also understand Nick some more, officially intrigued with the man.

You tried your best to remain calm when Pete was being an asshole. Knowing he just wasn’t thinking straight but it was awfully difficult trying not to snap back at him. You missed your old banter with him, it wasn’t mean and heartless like it’s been the last few times you’ve been around him.

You walked slowly, hoping Nick would catch back up to you on the way. Unfortunately, he did not. You were sure he and Pete were probably going at it right now. Sighing you spotted a bench by the path, gingerly walking towards it. You certainly weren’t looking forward to the argument that was going to come from this afternoon.

Sitting on the bench closest to the path you waited for Nick. Just staring at the water before you. Why was Pete being such an asshole to you lately? What did he have to gain from doing so? He practically begged you and guided your life choices in the military for him. And this is how he treated you?

Pete always cared about Pete. But Pete also cared about you. He had always cared so deeply about you and your feelings. But that seemed absent right now. You didn’t expect the two of you to pick up right where you left off, but you certainly didn’t expect to be treated as if your feelings didn’t matter. Maybe you two were spending too much time together too soon. Maybe you just grew apart. You prayed it wasn’t the latter.

Closing your eyes, you listened to the rough waves crashing against the shore sending the salty sea air in your direction. You loved it here, really loved it here. The lull of waves always seemed to calm you down.

Feeling a soft squeeze on your shoulder you opened your eyes slowly seeing Nick sitting next to you, “All good?” You enquired curiously, referring to the conversation to your brother and him.

“Oh yeah, I’m more than good.” He grinned, “And you?” He replied ignoring your actual question regarding him and Mav.

Your shoulders deflated when you leaned forward, “I’m fine.”

He let off a breathy chuckle obviously not buying your bullshit, “I know I don’t know you like Mav, but I do know that’s a lie.”

You blinked slowly, gathering your thoughts, “Has he been so inconsiderate the entire time you’ve known him?”

Nick paused thinking hard before continuing, “He’s changed a bit. Hardened up. But I haven’t known him the entire time he’s been in the Navy, just the last few years.”

You nodded leaning back into the bench, “Thanks for coming.”

“You saved me. I love Pete but I normally get to go home to Bradley when we aren’t at Top Gun. He’s a lot cuter than Mav and doesn’t talk back nearly as much, yet.” You smiled brightly. Nick had a way of doing that for you, making you smile when all you wanted to do was cry.

Seeing you smile made Nick feel somewhat successful. He didn’t know you at all, but you seemed sad, not at all the way Maverick described you. Nick genuinely wanted to see the real you, the one that Mav never shuts up about.

 “I can attest, baby Bradley is much cuter than grown ass Pete.” You giggled.

Nodding Nick continued, changing the subject back to Pete knowing you needed to talk about it, “It really is nice to have you here. Seems like you’re the only one who can even come close to challenging him.” He didn’t take his eyes off you, couldn’t take his eyes off you.

Nick took you in fully as you closed your eyes basking in the last of the sunlight. You really were pretty. Yes, Pete had pictures with you but most of them were in your adolescence, not many were taken recently. You didn’t look like him, you were you. So unbelievably pretty. He knew he needed to snap the hell out of it, but he was afraid he couldn’t.

“Well, I’m failing miserably.” You sighed turning your head towards him noticing just how cute he really was. You were convinced he was the only man that could get away with the moustache, it looked so damn fine on him. You too needed to stop having these thoughts about your brother’s best friend. Pete would be beside himself if the two of you got together.

Nick shook his head side to side, “Hardly. I haven’t seen him this agitated since the Admiral came down on him a few years back.” He sat back smiling fondly from the memory. It wasn’t often that Pete got nervous but having a 3-star admiral chewing you out? Yeah, that made him nervous.

“Good,” You let out a frustrated sigh, “he deserves it, he’s an ass.”

“While I agree, you probably should talk it out.”

“Nick Bradshaw, are you sure you’re a RIO? You’re acting a bit like a therapist would.”

He suppressed the smile he so desperately wanted to show you, not the right time, “I’m being serious Y/N Mitchell.”

“I’ll talk to him when he comes to me.”

“God, you two really are the same person.” He groaned after observing the similarities between you two. So stubborn. He had a feeling you weren’t going to give in. Maybe Pete would, if he was in the right headspace but not you.

“I think I’m offended by that.”

“Don’t be.” He chuckled scootching closer to you. He couldn’t help being so drawn in by you. What freaked him out the most was just how quickly he had become interested in you. The two of you had only spent about five hours over the last few days together. But he knew, he knew just how fast he could fall for you.

“Alright, fine.” You sighed yet again. Pete really would be the death of you.

“Seriously though. Talking this one out with him might really help.” Nick genuinely wanted to help the two of you. He didn’t like walking on eggshells just as much as you.

“I already said alright. Don’t push your luck Bradshaw.”

“Yes ma’am.” He dropped his head in mock shame, knowing you’d find it amusing.

And you did find it amusing. You noticed just how animated of a person Nick was. Not afraid to show what he was thinking right on his face.

With a breath of courage, you grabbed one of his hands in yours as you too scootched closer to him, thighs almost touching now, “How are you, Nick? Really?” Fuck it. You decided to throw caution to the wind. If you could build a dream man he was it, sitting right here waiting on you to make a move. He was so sweet and hilariously dorky. You saw how much he adored Bradley, making your heart skip a beat every time he talked about him. You weren’t sure how Pete had managed to trick him into becoming his best friend but you sure were thankful.

You looked at him with almost pleading eyes, begging for him to open up to you, “I’m uh…” He took a breath looking away from you, “I’m surviving. It’s a lot. Too much. Never in a million years would I have expected to do this alone.” He gave you a sad smile turning back to you.

“Well, you’re not alone. I know that. You’ve got Pete… and me” You whispered.

He nodded, “I know. And I’m so grateful. But I’m still alone. I miss her like crazy.” You saw the pool of tears well up. Not hesitating to comfort him you pulled him into a side hug.

“I can’t imagine Nick.”

“It’s just Bradley has to grow up without his mother. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” He looked down, defeated. Carole ran the show and he knew it. She was his rock, and he was beginning to float away without her.

Squeezing his side, you tried your best to comfort him. You didn’t know what to say that would help him. You were far too out of your own depth to comprehend it all, “You don’t know that. You could fall in love tomorrow with a pretty Navy girl. You don’t have to know everything either. That’s what me, Pete and your family is there for. We’re all here for you Nick.”

He leaned into you, feeling the same pull that you had earlier. Your words comforted him, immensely. He had yet to get it all off his chest. Yes, he’d been to a few mandated therapy sessions from command, but they didn’t help at all. Mental health wasn’t a thing in the military, “Thank you.”

Closing your eyes, you took everything in. To any passerby you two probably looked like an adorable couple snuggling up and basking in the last rays of sunshine. You wouldn’t have minded if that were the case. You realized you needed to relax. You were there to comfort each other, not jump his bones, “Anytime Nick.”

“It’s nice to hear my name again.” He mumbled lazily into your hair. He was enjoying this all too much. Why’d you have to be so damn sweet? So adorable? Why’d you have to be Mav’s sister? Why did Mav’s sister have to be so damn beautiful? All questions he wished he knew the answers too.

Laughing softly before replying, “It feels weird calling people by their call sign.”

He pulled back from you abruptly. Forcing yourself to bite the frown away you looked at him, “Please don’t use it. I mean it. It feels so nice to hear my actual name.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal Lieutenant Bradshaw.”

“You make that sound better than the admiral.” He sheepishly admitted. Was he flirting with you?

“I better.” You laughed.

“Certainly.” He stood from his spot offering you his hand, “C’mon, let’s go for a walk.”

“If you insist.” You happily obliged but had to give the illusion of annoyance, it was in your blood. Taking his hand he pulled you up to him, harder than you anticipated. Accidentally stumbling into him he took the opportunity to grab your waist so you wouldn’t run knock him over.

Cheeks flushed you hurriedly looked away from him, “Sorry about that.”

He chuckled seeing your reaction. Feeling slightly guilty over just how much you enjoyed his hands around your waist you turned away. How awkward were you?

Pete was really not going to be happy with you.

Nick didn’t drop your hand in all the commotion. He decided to pull you along, hopefully getting you to feel less embarrassed as the two of you started walking. He thought it was downright adorable how clumsy you were. If you weren’t tripping over someone, you’d be tripped by something, inevitably. He didn’t want to admit how much he enjoyed you stumbling into him, “Don’t worry about it. You’re not as coordinated as the average bird, it’s okay.”

“You noticed?” You giggled softly, feeling comfortable around him as the two of you strolled along the water. Walking slow the both of you were enjoying each other’s company.

“It’s hard not to Y/N.”

“Pete always makes fun of me for it. It’s not my fault I have two left feet! He stole all of the coordination in the womb.” You grumbled.

He laughed, a full hearty laugh. Enjoying your response, “It’s cute.” Shit, he let it slip. Too late to go back now. Not that he wanted to. He already thought so highly of you. A cute, sweet doctor? Pete’s sister to boot? How could it get better than that. He knew Mav would be rather mad at him at first, but he also knew Pete could grow to love the two of you.

“Thanks Nick.” You decided to look to him. Not hiding your cherry red cheeks. You couldn’t hide how he made you react.

“Question for you.”

“Shoot.” You replied, looking up to him.

“What’s your favorite type of food?”

“Why do you ask?” You deflected.

Shaking his head with a small smile on his face he retorted, “Why are you always so defensive?”

“Am not!”

“Are so.” He was laughing now enjoying how easily he got under your skin.

Crinkling your nose at him you refused to respond, giving him the cold shoulder as you walked ahead. It wasn’t often that somebody got the best of you. You weren’t exactly prepared to be bested like that.

“Y/N.” Nick grabbed only your elbow again. You had a mental battle with yourself. It’s not like you could outpace him and he certainly wasn’t going to give it up.

Sighing to yourself you decided to answer, “I like Mexican food.”

“Now was that so hard?” He bit his lower lip while he smiled at you.

Narrowing your eyes in on him you thought hard about your answer, “Yes, it was very difficult Nick.”

“And here I thought Maverick was the most stubborn person in the world.”

Rolling your eyes you continued, ignoring his comment, “Why do you want to know anyway?”

He grinned stopping you in your tracks, “So I can ask you out on a date.”

“What? Me? Pete will kill you!” You gave him a bug-eyed look.

He shrugged, “He’ll get over it.”

“This is Pete we’re talking about.”

“I know how to handle him.” He squeezed your hand anxiously waiting on your actual answer. He decided right then and there that he wouldn’t give up even if you rejected him.

“You really want to go out with me?”

Nodding his head he answered you, “I’d love to.”

“I’m kind of the worst person to date.” You sighed softly trying to deter him. You were so good at that. If it wasn’t Pete sabotaging your love life it was you instead.

He cocked his head slightly, curious as to why you would think that, “And why’s that?”

“I don’t have anything to give.” You looked away wanting to take it back. You wanted to go on a date with him, “My life revolves around the hospital.”

He shrugged again, “I don’t mind.”

“You say that. But when I get called in every night for a week straight you might not think the same.”

“Y/N,” He waited for you to look back to him, “I really don’t mind. Don’t tell me you don’t feel it too. There’s something here.”

You nodded looking everywhere but his face, “I didn’t say I didn’t.” Replying quietly, you finally made the eye contact he was looking for.

Softly smiling, “There’s that Mitchell attitude I love.” He took a small step closer to you looking back and forth between your eyes and mouth.

Your breathing became slightly erratic as your heart raced. You could smell the cologne wafting off him, “Yeah?” You mimicked him, taking a step closer.

“Oh yeah, so what do you say Y/N Mitchell?”

“I say, let’s do it Nick Bradshaw.” You felt his body heat radiating off him, sure he could hear your racing heart.

You could’ve melted right then and there when he smiled down at you, “I’m going to kiss you, if that’s alright.”

Nodding your head eagerly you replied, “That’s more than alright Lieutenant.”

[coolcarsntrucksngunsnusa]

1971 Green Beret Captain Richard Flaherty stands next to 6'6" Pfc. Nipps.

Richard J. Flaherty, due to complications at his birth, only grew to 4-foot-9-inches tall, 97-pounds. Coming from a family of military heroes Richard also wanted to do his part and serve his country.

People laughed at the idea of a man his size in the military and all the branches turned him down. But that didn't deter Richard, he spent the next 3 years writing letters until he finally received a medical waiver. With the waiver the Army allowed him to join... but no one ever believed he would make it through basic training.

His uniforms didn't fit, the equipment was too big, and he was required to carry a back pack during long marches that was almost the same weight as he was. Because of his leg length marching in step with the rest of his company was incredibly difficult but Richard kept up. All the obstacle courses were built for average size men but Richard conquered them all. No rules were ever changed for Richard - either he would sink or swim.

Richard didn't just make it through basic training he volunteered and become an elite paratrooper, with the 101st Airborne. When he would jump out of planes the instructors would have to strap machine gun parts to his body to help his descent so he wouldn't "float away."

He graduated Officer Candidate School in 1968 as a 2nd Lieutenant and deployed to Vietnam. Within weeks he would lead his platoon in some of the bloodiest battles during the "Tet Offensive." In that week he was wounded twice by grenade fragmentation and a grazing bullet wound to the head but as soon as he was patched up he jumped right back into the battle.

After several months of fighting on the front lines many officers would accept assignments in the rear away from the action but not Richard. He would request to be transferred to Echo Company to lead a RECON unit which engaged in dangerous search and destroy missions deep into enemy territory. By the time his first tour in Vietnam was finished, Richard would receive the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars with Valor, & 2 Purple Hearts.

If you think that's where Richard's story ends, think again. Richard would become an elite Green Beret with the 3rd Special Forces Group and be promoted to Captain. He served with the 46th Company based in Thailand where some of their clandestine missions sent them into Pink Zones "across the fence" fighting Malaysian and Burmese guerrillas.

As incredible as all his accomplishments seem that's just the first half of his life story as his next chapters of undercover operations around the world seem closer to something out of a Tom Clancy book.

Richard had one last surprise when it came to his final wishes. Even though he knew he was qualified for the highest military burial in Arlington National Cemetery he instead chose to be buried in a small anonymous cemetery in W. Virginia so he could be next to the women he loved for eternity.

To learn more about the unbelievable life of America's smallest war hero please check out, "The Giant Killer" Book, Audiobook and Documentary available worldwide.

Flaherty Military Bio:

Special Forces Capt. Richard J. Flaherty AKA The Giant Killer - In December of 1967, was sent to Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. He served as a Platoon Leader with companies B, C, and D and as a Recon Platoon Leader with Echo company.

In January of 1969, he returned to CONUS and attended the Special Forces School at Fort Bragg and was then assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group. Later that year he returned to South East Asia with the 46th Special Forces Company A-110 in Camp Pawai, Lopburi Thailand.

Captain Flaherty earned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, the Air Medal, Gallantry Cross W/Silver Star, Army Commendation Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, 3 Overseas Bars, Sharpshooter Badge W/Rifle Bar, Air Medal, Parachutist Badge, Vietnam Service badge.

[his-red-right-hand]

What do you think Danny’s childhood was like/took place at? I personally head cannon him as being from PA due to the hunting culture and he seems to gravitate more east coast. It would make sense if his mom was dead/disappeared, but somehow we was able to go through the education system normally.

*slaps Danny on the back* This asshole can fit so much childhood trauma in it. *is visciously stabbed to death*

Moving on, we know that Danny has at least spent some time in Utah as that's where his driving licence is registered. Being a Brit I don't know a huge amount about the individual states beyond stereotypes, but given Danny's utter hatred of "regular everyday folks", Utah makes sense. Being surrounded by that many Mormons will drive anyone to murder.

Our boy has an antisocial personality type, which by itself does not make a murderer. The other two components are Male and Child Abuse.¤ And Danny was raised by a Vietnam War vet with a Mother who was either entirely absent for some reason; or was there but had so little impact or involvement with his life that she is basically a nonentity to him.

We know his father wanted him to join the military, raised him to succeed in it. I already have my issues with military training for adults, but as a way to raise a child? The only surprise we should have in regards to Danny murdering his fagher is that it didn't happen sooner.

I imagine that his father's inability to let go of the military was some sort of attempt at a coping mechanism against PTSD, probably combined with a fair amount of self medication.

I'm certain there would have been hunting trips/"wilderness training" from a young age. How old do you think he was when he made his first kill?

Danny at school, I imagine, would be a loner. He lacked the emotional grounding to be able to make friends, and we know he has explosive temper issues. I can see this turning into a sort of bad boy appeal as he grew older and learnt to charm and manipulate people around him. And like most narcissists, he can be very charming and likeable. If he wants something from you.

Tl;dr: Danny was physically and emotionally abused by his veteran father, who thought it was more important to teach his son to be a Warrior and a "Man" over how not to murder people for drawing a dumb comic making fun of his murdersona.

¤ We don't have enough cases of Female Antisocial Personalities being caught doing crime to do an analysis on them, which either means they do it less or they're good enough to not get caught.

[nardo-headcanons]

Hello!

I'm currently planning out a fic centering around an oc from kiri, and I was wondering if you could expand a little on the scenery of kiri? Maybe just idea's of how kirigakure looks on the inside, specific buildings that could be of importance inside the village, ect if thats alright with you.

omg a request fjsanag

Hi there nonnie! Of course I can do that! I love talking about the scenery of different places in Naruto and Kiri is one of my favorite places to explore! I'm also currently planning on posting about holidays and festive occasions in the big ninja villages, where Kiri is included as well. So make sure to stick around ;)

This is the third expansion of my current Kirigakure Worldbuilding Headcanons, which can be found here and here.

Kirigakure Worldbuilding III - The Scenery of Kirigakure

Rice fields around Kirigakure

As previously established, rice is an important part in the local eating pyramid of Kirigakure. The population of the water country is very small and lives rather centralized, most water people are Kirigakure citizens. The few ones that aren't usually are rice farmers or fishermen.

Directly around the village

As we know, the village of Kirigakure itself is surrounded by mountains. However, there are also depictions of Kiri being a coastal city. This made me come to the conclusion that the landscape around Kiri probably looks similar to the coastline of vietnam.

Inside the village

Unfortunately, I haven't found any pictures resemmbling Kirigakure architecture. I even tried dabbling my toes into AI image generation, but the results were very bland and unsatisfying. Since the only canonical depiction of Kirigakure as a whole is the image below, we have a to use a little more imagination here. However, I got a little more inspiritation from imagines of the Kirigakure minecraft building project.

Buildings in Kirigakure

Kirigakure is criss crossed by rivers, so the urban planners of Kiri had to maneuver around that. Unlike Iwagakure, who can just erect buildings out of nothing due to their earth chakra affinity, Kirigakure's builds are carefully planned and constructed and involve a lot of bureaucracy.

The architecture of Kirigakure is compromised of large, cylindrical buildings which have vegetation growing on their roofs. This is a fantastic way to emulate the shape of the mountains surrounding the village, which makes it hard to spot, all hidden in the thick wades of fog. The residence of the mizukage is the widest and overall largest building of them all. It serves as both the home and the office of the mizukage, the Oi nin headquarters are also located in the same building.

Other important buildings of Kirigakure include the Kiri hospital, the Kiri academy and the Kiri waste management facility.

The Kiri hospital

As previously established, Kirigakure offers free healthcare for everybody, even lower castes. The kiri hospital is a tall, sky-scaper- like building which looks similar to the other buildings. Medic ninja are trained here, however their pay is very sparse. They are provided with housing and basic food rations and their salary is just enough to be able to afford eating out once a month. Members of lower castes often have to wait long waiting times to finally get an appointment with the only way of cutting it short being a 'voluntary' member of Kirigakure's experimental treatment program, where, as the name implies, experimental drugs and other therapies are tested.

The Kiri academy

As opposed to other villages, genin, chunin, jonin and anbu are all trained in the same building, which is the Kirigakure academy. Since the government has enrolled policies to encourage its citizens to eat and drink healthy, genin are handed out sauerkraut juice and lunch boxes for free, others are expected to pay.

The Kiri waste management facility

Kirigakure is a very clean village with a nationwide reclycling system. Inside the waste management facility, reusables are autoclaved and redelivered to the businesses that need them. Biodegragable waste is sorted by its biodegradation speed and then composted or used to produce natural gas. Due to its advances in scientific research, Kiri scientists have developed microorganisms that can slowly degrade many organic materials, including plastic. This is a highly controlled process, which is why the Kiri waste management facility is almost as well locked and protected as the Oi nin headquarters.

The Kiri waste management facility and the Kiri hospital both also serve as Kirigakure's main research facilities where biochemical, medical and general scientific research are conducted. Its advantages in research paired with the authoritarian nature of the goverment have proven to be an advantage in the face of catastrophes, such as endemic outbreaks of pathogens or natural desasters.

Aside from these buildings, there are other buildings important to the Kiri infrastructure, such as a thermal power plant on the outskirts of the village.

Other important places in Kirigakure

Big restaurants are a rarity in Kirigakure since most people can't really afford to eat out. Most of the time it's a small family owned business with a specialization in one dish or two. Cultural sites aren't found often either, since many ethnicities and cultures have been wiped out due to the ongoing political unrest in Kirigakure. The only remnants of clan culture in Kirigakure come from high ranking castes, such as the Hozuki and the Hoshigaki clan. The remaining places where people can meet up are Kiri's luscious parks and the public bathhouse. It is a place to meet and talk with all your friends, as Kiri bathhouses are traditionally unisex.

Dear anon, I really hope this is what you were looking for when making your request. As I said, finding fitting pictures really wasn't easy. If you have any more questions, feel free to make another request!

That's all, folks!

[psygull-arts]

assorted delta green sketches, featuring more members of OPERATION SILENT MOUNTAIN:

CARY ZANE: CIA doorkicker who may or may not have started the vietnam war and who so far is fooling everybody into thinking he's a trained medical professional (played by @steampunkforever)

EMMETT SOKOLSKY: USAF test pilot. they have to collapse him like a tent in order to fit him into planes

HOMER P. FLANAGAN: NASA computer scientist and so far the second most violent agent after Cary. the "P" stands for "Plomer"

i haven't done any colored art of the fifth member Bernice yet sorry Bernice love you Bernice

[remyfire]

korean war anaesthesia practices? please sir some korean war anaesthesia practices? 🤲🥺

God I am so excited. I love you.

What I need you to know is I spent multiple hours over multiple days researching this just for Leo Bardonaro backstory that I am probably never going to get to write in detail anyway. I headcanon Leo as an anesthesiologist. Also I think it's a shame that they stopped having at least one or two dedicated anesthesiologists in the show after Ugly John because it's such a complex set of measurements to understand and as important a trained specialty as any other. It's difficult to pick it up off the cuff if you haven't been properly educated. I appreciate little moments such as in Bug Out when Hawk snaps at BJ when Beej is the one setting up the anesthesia. Very true to life and history when anesthesiologists were thin on the ground in Korea and doctors or nurses did have to double up, and also affording MASH their smaller cast to focus on.

Side note, I discovered first in my research that anesthesiologist and anesthetist are two different terms. An anesthesiologist is a medical doctor while an anesthetist is a nurse who has received the training to administer anesthesia, either assisting the anesthesiologist or working independently. The more you know!

Now let's get to excited autistic rambling :D :D :D

This is the Ohio 685A military model anesthesia machine, affectionately referred to as The Pig. This is the machine that was most commonly in use during the Korean War, all the way through to the beginning of the Vietnam War. It was important because it was lightweight, easy to disassemble, and it broke down into an easy-to-carry box in the event of the MASH unit needing to bug out.

Look how cute it is!!! My best friend The Pig I love them so much. An anesthesiologist was not only keeping a close eye on vitals and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, but they were also constantly watching the levels of administered nitrous oxide (what we know colloquially as laughing gas) and oxygen (which has to be administered as a level of at least 20%) to make sure they were giving enough to keep the patient under but not enough to cause them long-term damage of any kind. This is important given that nitrous oxide causes intracranial pressure, for example.

An interesting thing to note is that while they had begun to pioneer intubation as a way to administer an anesthetic in WWII and saw impressive results, in the Korean War, the majority of patients were still anesthetized by mask on account of the doctors having to work so quickly and efficiently that they most often defaulted to the techniques they were familiar with if they did not have to change. This might also be why a large number of doctors would choose to administer a spinal anesthetic instead of using a mask.

So the rabbit hole I really went down was how we typically see anesthesia used in media versus the reality of it. We're used to seeing them just put a mask on the patient's face and they're out immediately. Not quite accurate! Nitrous oxide alone will not put a patient to sleep. It's a wonderful pain reducer and produces a sense of euphoria and it's incredibly fast-acting, only taking a few minutes to reach full effect. But anesthesiologists would first administer something to induct unconsciousness, most popularly a dose of thiopental into the patient's IV line.

Thiopental is a barbiturate often used as an induction agent. Within 30 to 45 seconds, the drug reaches the brain and makes the patient unconscious (an interesting thing is that thiopental also reduces intracranial pressure, which was also helpful with the comment above about nitrous oxide causing that). But thiopental itself will wear off within around 5 to 10 minutes as the drug leaves the brain and circulates through the entire body, thus meaning the patient would wake back up.

This is where nitrous oxide comes in!! The thiopental injection induces unconsciousness and the nitrous oxide maintains it. Because nitrous oxide as a gas dissipates so quickly in our system, removing the mask will have a patient coming back to consciousness within minutes.

With how rapidly things had to move in surgery in a Korean War MASH unit, the anesthesiologists had to be on their fucking game. If they administered just a little too much of an induction agent or nitrous oxide, severe side effects could occur. Patients would suffer convulsions, damage to the brain. A wrong dose was a ticket to total shock, heart attacks, death. It's so stressful to read about and also so cool. The surgeons always get the big bucks but other doctors deserve their flowers too.

This was a fun hour of rambling!! Thank you for asking :D

[garyroachsanderson]

i love your hcs sm!! do you think you could write 141 best friends hcs with reader getting hurt?

HI YES SORRY IVE BEEN ILL

141 best friend hcs— reader is injured

(requested) cw for blood, injury, near death, stuff like that

GAZ

when i tell you this man would scream at the top of his fucking lungs

he would do his best to stop the bleeding, but would also make fun of you as your face paled

“big strong y/n couldn’t handle a bullet, huh?” (this is the man who sat down and buried his head in his hands and hyperventilated after scraping his knee during a night out drinking)

he’d be there the entire time, but wouldn’t try to fight medical professionals from taking you off

“bitch, wake up”

he wouldn’t be allowed in the hospital room, and get pissed off, and proceed to tweet angrily outside. he knew you wouldn’t die, but he was scared you would, and it would be without him there to help you.

once you were awake, you’d probably send him some shit like this ^

he would then proceed to immediately run to your room and violently noogie you before hugging you

GHOST

now.. something is wrong with this man. he wouldn’t scream, he wouldn’t start crying out of anger or anything healthy. he lets out a guttural wail inside of his head as soon as he sees you’ve been downed.

if you’re near him, he’d drag you to a closed part of a building and desperately but calmly try stopping the blood. he’s learned a lot of tactics, and making himself appear like he’s staying calm is one of them.

his heartbeat is about 500 beats per minute rn. your flesh is now pale, which is unnerving considering your usual skin tone. he’s not trained in patching others up, and he doesn’t know how to fix that. he says something and you don’t respond so he raises his voice and goes “Stay with me, kid.”

incoherently mutters into comms, just completely trailing off

just cradling you the entire time until evac arrived, which he tried to follow but went with price and soap

if he was not by you, he’d keep asking questions until he got answers or he didn’t

“ C/N, come in. Do you copy?”

(radio silence)

“C/N, do you copy?”

“ . . . “

“..Fuck.”

moves through rooftops to find you, scouring the city like some kind of demented superhero.

would use his scope to try and spot you through any of the windows

he’d send out like 5 calls for an evac when you didn’t respond, but he’s searching in his spare time

NEARLY broke down crying when he found you slumped in a tiny apartment

he definitely thought you were dead and the anxiety in his voice was real. a tear and a sniffle or two might have been shed before he found the weak pulse in your neck

doesn’t move from your side ONCE, he stays up for days straight until you wake up or is slumped in a barstool

SOAP

thinks you’re joking for the first 2 minutes after you say you’ve been hit

SPRINTS to your location

you’re always together so of course he blames himself that in the 5 minutes you were apart a bullet tears through your chest

when panicked he just starts speaking heavily accented english or full out scots gaelic (he learned it from an old teammate), not out of choice but he noticed it keeps your mind moving when he does so he keeps doing it

one time while injured you went “gaelic more like GAY LICK” and then passed out and he laughed then cried

always thinks he’s going to end up in a vietnam war veteran position holding you

while carrying you to evac you repeated one of ghosts shitty jokes and he nearly dropped you out of fear/temporary resentment

the last words you hear before you die are going to be a mix of “hells fuckin bells” or “sweet baby jesus”

PRICE

this man’s friends are all dead. he’s had men die in his arms before and he’s scared every time that it’s going to be you

NO NO NO NO SOAP SOAAAPPP

absolutely silent, just trying to keep you awake and alive

this man will never leave you alone, you are ALWAYS with him and if you’re not you’re to be looked over by gaz. and if you get injured on gaz’ watch he’ll never hear the end of it

has definitely thought “if y/n dies im killing everyone in this room and then myself” but wouldn’t dare say it out loud

he’d drop everything he was doing, doesn’t matter if it was in the middle of a mission

STAY WITH ME SOLDIER

he puts his hat on you just to shield your eyes from the absolute liveleak that is your abdomen (or the sun, depending on the weather)

you wear his hat until you wake up. if you don’t, you’re being buried with the hat on your chest. that’s your god damn hat now

doesn’t understand what you’re saying but will pretend to laugh if you make a joke

ROACH

would kill everything in his path until he found the one who hurt you

you like to shout “GOOOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM” just to scare the living shit out of him

141: “i fear no man, but that thing..”

(bloodthirsty roach)

“it scares me.”

he’s nervous and it shows. he’ll cry

he’ll stand outside the door until the doctor lets him know you’re stable (he wants to give you privacy of course)

if you’re afab then he’ll literally pause before taking the gear off your chest because he doesn’t want to invade your privacy. he just shuts his eyes and hopes for the best

he will carry you through hell in order to get you to evac

lays his head on his arms on your legs when you’re in a hospital bed

“i didn’t sign up for this”

that one audio that’s like “oh my gosh.. what do i do?? euuGGGHHHH”

[countesspetofi]

Today in the Department of Dark Shadows Actors Spotted in the Wild: John Karlen guest stars on “Semper-Fidelis,” the twentieth episode of Season 4 of Quincy, M.E. (original air date March 15, 1979).

In his capacity as a Naval reserve officer, L.A. County coroner Dr. Quincy is called in to give a second opinion on the death of a Marine PFC who died in an apparent training accident under the command of a drill instructor with a hardnosed reputation played by Johnny. He gives one of his trademark tough-talking but devastatingly vulnerable performances that gives you a glimpse of what might have happened if Willie Loomis had gone to Vietnam instead of Collinsport.

Quincy was sort of the Columbo of the coroner's office: a kindly eccentric who became obsessed with the medical mysteries that came across his autopsy table every week, doggedly unable to let go until he tugged all the threads into place and justice was done. The show also explored social issues of the day and the latest medical and scientific breakthroughs.

It was one of my mother's favorite shows. She was suffering with several un diagnosed and untreated chronic illnesses at the times, and it gave her hope that even if the medical community didn't take them seriously during her lifetime, maybe someone would after her death. And I always get a giggle remembering watching reruns with her as a kid; in typical Hollywood fashion, Dr. Quincy dated a lot of younger women. When I asked her about it, she quipped, “Better an old man's sweetheart than a young man's fool.” I reminded her of this while I was writing this post, and she laughed and said, “I ubly said that because it's what MY mother always said!”

[frostyrose725]

Okay what the fuck so many people are following me for my laser and military reblog it has so many notes- everytime i log into tumblr its scary to see so many notes XD

So here's fun facts i guess

Purple lasers are the best for military practice, which is something the terminator got correct!

In the Vietnam war the US had a sort of heartbeat sensor that could detect people. (It was like one, it detected people.) But could be easily disabled using buckets off pee, it would go off if it detected pee so people would nail buckets full to trees.

In medieval warfare, archers used bows extremely skilled with them. So the meme of the knight getting shot in his eye slit was a thing that was although impressive not very note worthy amongst other archers, but this was their life, they lived and breathed their job, its all they did. (Pic related)

And finally.

In the military there is a thing called causality cards, these are used for training mainly for medics where you receive a pack of cards, draw one and the medic has to treat you accordingly, one is "laser burns to the face."

[jgfiles]

Hello, I spotted this picture on your profile. I'm curious how long the D Agency has been open? Who is responsible for teaching there? Did Yuuki and Jitsui die because they shared Miyoshi's position? Thank you!

I think...

my timeline for "Joker Game" might help you.

Anyway D Agency was founded in 1937, autumn. Around that same time Sakuma was ordered to become the liaison but, before going there he had to wait for his hair to grow longer so he went there in 1938 April and witnessed the exams of the various spies until only eight of them remained.

Well, according to the novels from which the anime is based:

"The training in the D-Agency was full of diversity.

For example, the students had been instructed on using explosives and wireless signals, the operation of automobiles and planes, as well as learning various languages and dialects. They had received lectures from professors of renowned universities on organizational theories, religious studies and international political theories. Lessons on medical science, pharmacy, psychology, physics, chemistry and biology were also given.  

Abstruse discussions about ideologists and strategists such as Sun Tzu, Kant, Hegel, Clausewitz, Hobbes, and more that Sakuma hadn’t even heard of, often happened between students. On the other hand, professional thieves and safe-crackers had been brought out of prison to instruct the trainees on the techniques and methods. Aside from being taught on how to pick a lock using a single wire, the students also received lessons on how to secretly switch items by sleight of hand as a magician would, dance and billiards techniques. Kabuki actresses had been hired to teach the students the art of disguise, while professional gigolos demonstrated how to seduce women.

All students had been required to swim in cold water while clothed, then travel to a location far away without sleep, and use complex ciphers, memorized only a day beforehand, fluently and naturally as the languages they usually speak.

The D-Agency had even trained them to be able to disassemble shortwave radios in complete darkness, and put them back together so that they were once again functional, relying solely on their fingertips. The students had also been ordered to seamlessly open envelopes with a bamboo stick, and instantly memorize words which had been written backwards and reflected in a mirror. Letters containing orders, no matter how complicated they are, were to be destroyed on the spot after they had been read; the students had also been trained to recover destroyed letters." [Joker Game Bool 1: "Joker Game" translation courtesy of @imayooshi]

Also Yuuki himself taught to the students as well.

The image you saw is an art from Shiro Miwa, "joker Game" character designer. It reflects his own headcanon about the future of the characters from "Joker Game".

Shiro Miwa said he assumed that, after the war Yuuki forced Kaminaga to take over the organization and disappeared with Jitsui and that Kaminaga kept on receiving instruction from an unknown address. He also said he picked up 1960 because it was a time of major changes in world affairs including the Vietnam war and Kennedy assassination.

Amari apparently ended up on a wheelchair and is being taken care of by Emma.

According to Shiro Miwa the one I speculated is Miyoshi (at the time I didn't have the book with the illustration and so I couldn't read what he wrote as that image was shared by @i-dedicate-this-kill-to-the-fans here) is someone else who got recruited by Yuuki while he was in hiding.

However this is just Shiro Miwa's headcanon. Due to lack of material many fans tend to accept it as canon but it's not really canon and if the series were to be continued in the future things could go differently (especially since Odagiri and, likely, Sakuma were both likely set up to die in war).

I hope this helps! Thanks for your ask!

[moosemonstrous]

Not me idly wondering what are the jaegers made of, checking out the wiki and once again going mad with crumbs:

a) I reject Mark 1s being made out of iron bc that's just. Not a thing. This sentiment started the mess below.

b) Gottlieb's dad started The Jaeger Program! Tony Stark had a dad! It's all according to plan.

c) The PR lore is insane and I love it.

"I reject that thesis and raise you this," Stark spins his chair around to point his pen at Amadeus's face. "My suits are just that good."

Amadeus raises an eyebrow. "All the seals melted," he says. "We had to cut Robbie out of it. He should've cooked, even if the flame retardant held up. You know there's more to it, and if you backed me up--"

"Oh, there sure is more to it. More body horror I want nowhere near my lab." Stark shudders. "Let's just be glad he made it and leave it at that, huh?"

It takes every ounce of Amadeus's professionalism not to say 'nuh-huh'. He's already laid out his theory. As tempting as it is to go around in circles until he wears Stark down, they have other work to do. It's just--it's so bloody frustrating! He joined the jaeger program specifically to study demon biology and its influence to exposed humans, and he's been stuck mid-maxing the rangers' reaction times like some run of the mill engineer.

He's seen what happens to people who trade in demon remains without protective equipment. The initial increase in strength and agility gives way to organ failure as soon as the corruption reaches the bloodstream. The longest documented survival rate was less than seventy-two hours from exposure and judging by the case footage still replaying occasionally in Amadeus's nightmares, the poor woman wasn't holding scholarly conversations in the last twenty-four.

Now, the exposure must be physical - drifting with the lesser categories haven't shown to cause the same rapid tissue degradation. The beastie riders down in the Bone Slums reported occasional headaches and weird dreams, but it's impossible to verify without independent study, and, well. Then there's Robbie.

Robbie has never drifted, period, before the accident with The Charger. His sudden physical improvements could be easily explained away by access to regular meals and a brutal training regime, and he passed medical before even approaching a jaeger. There is nothing about him - nothing that Amadeus has found so far, at least - that differs from any of the other rangers, other than, oh, being able to drift solo with the most haunted piece of technology ever allowed into military use. And now, apparently, withstanding an over twelve hundred degrees Celcius firestorm.

The media nicknamed the demon Inferno - there wasn't time for anything more creative. The whole Cam Ranh Bay turned to glass, eleven thousand dead, two whole jaegers reduced to slag. The only reason there is any Vietnam left to mourn the losses is still cooling in the sea outside the Shatterdome. The Charger isn't made of anything special, it's the same steel alloys as all the other Mark-2s. When Inferno threw up it's fiery guts all over it, Amadeus started mentally composing a way to break the news to Gabe - like hell he was going to let Ivanov field that one - and he's still not entirely convinced he hasn't hit his head and imagined the way the black jaeger's chains flew out of the fire to wrap around the demon's neck.

It's still black, although no longer from paint. The techs are already busy scrubbing it down and replacing the fried electronics, because at least something got damaged to prove Robbie didn't just teleport his mech in and out of the battle. At this point, there is no discounting any possible scenario. Maybe if he ran a Pons simulation with the Icebox protocol...

Stark sighs. "Kid, let me give you some sage advice," he says. His tone is suddenly very serious - enough to get Amadeus's attention. "Do you know what the military does with weird shit they can't explain?"

"What are you--?"

"One of two things," Stark slaps a finger to his open palm. "Either they pretend everything is hunky-dory as long as the weird shit does what they want, or," he adds a second finger, "someone complains about the weird shit enough that they lock it up, out of sight. So they can speed-run their tests. Are you picking up? What I'm putting down, here?"

Amadeus swallows past the lump in his throat. "You own the Jaeger Program."

Stark rolls his eyes. "You're confusing me with my father again. Keep up." His expression softens somewhat. "Look, I don't like it either."

"Save it," Amadeus pulls on his coat. "I'm going out."

"Cho, don't be--"

"See you at the debrief."

[terrence-silver]

Terry in different eras reacting to a call saying Beloved is in hospital after some sort of accident..

---

― Twig would undoubtedly still be reeling from the PTSD he brought home from Vietnam; those wounds are fresh and they're very, very new. Raw, in a sense. They're baggage he hasn't yet learned to entirely manage. So, really, I imagine that when he's faced with accidents, the concept of mortality itself, uncontrollable events or any harm in any shape way or form befalling those he loves or believes are his, he feels instantly responsible. Instantly like some sort of passive observer who is too weak to help them or change outcomes for the better, just like he was in the war, the way he'd see it. Like he's directly to blame, same as usual, because he might feel he's to blame for everyone meeting an ultimately bad ending, almost like he's cursed and innately carries death with him and everything he touches turns to dust. Getting a call that beloved was in an accident? Twig is prone to having a panic attack even while he listens to the details of the mishap. Freezing up, shaking, pushing his teeth together, dissociating, not blinking and holding back tears because he doesn't want to be as weak as to ever cry again --- but he's scared. He's scared beyond belief even though he tries to be strong to compensate for all the times he's freaked out during combat, convinced he should do better now. Tries to be the strong man he's convinced beloved will need. He might have a belief he's brought misfortune back from the war he tried to put behind him but that it followed him regardless with the intention of consuming everyone and everything around him like a virus. Heck, the accident beloved got into doesn't even have to be that serious. In fact, it can be entirely mediocre and preventable and yet the trigger Twig suffers is still enough to overblow the situation until he's convinced everyone would've been infinitely happier and safer if he simply died in Vietnam like should've.

― Terry in the 80's is perfectly okay with blaming the whole world for what happened to beloved; the bystanders are to blame. The infrastructure's to blame. The people involved are to blame (and will be promptly sued). The people who helped on sight are to blame (because they perhaps, didn't do enough, even though he's prone to rewarding them because 'nothing's for free', is it?) and the people who didn't help, oh, they're certainly to blame, and revenge towards them will be swift in due time. Each and every one of them. For all we know, the smog around LA was to blame that day. But, suffice to say, everyone and everything's at fault and never beloved. No, Terry's undoubtedly there, arguing in stride over the phone with whatever coveted, private doctor and team of assistants he has specially and expeditiously flown in, ensuring beloved gets the best medical care money can buy, because Terry can't function unless everything's under his strict scrutiny and control, pulling all the strings to what he feels is the best outcome --- his outcome. Man would personally perform surgeries, if he could, because he's convinced he'd hold that scalpel with more skill and precision than a trained professional. He is manic, but he's effective. He multitasks. Probably spends the whole time during beloved's emergency crisis and recovery already concocting plans on who to retaliate against and who to reward. Several people get sued. Several people find themselves endowed with mysteriously written out six figure cheques as consideration. Several people are threatened. Some are fired. Bribes happen. The streets around the private clinic beloved's in get shut down for traffic and all other patients and Terry hasn't slept in days. Probably hasn't blinked in days either. Functions on cocaine and the firm belief that if he simply forbids beloved from dying, it'll come true through sheer discipline and willpower.

― We do realize old man Terry is fully prepared to die if beloved dies, right? If something bad and unprecedented happens to them? Something all the money in the world can't change? Like, the minute he's alerted of an accident happening and it escalating into an operation room, a hospital, some high-end clinic, a comatose state or anywhere with a serious risk factor involved, in the back of his mind, he's ready for it. He's ready to die the minute --- no, the second beloved dies. He's ready to follow them and be with them wherever they go. He's ready to take authority of it; end himself on his own terms, on his own accord and be in control of when and how it happens. He might be in one of the closed waiting halls of the private facility, locking the door, all personnel barred from disturbing Mr. Silver while he's there producing one of his swords he brought or called over in a discreet case, suited up to the nines like someone almost expecting an upcoming funeral soon. Perhaps, bringing along a ritualistic dagger fitting for the occasion. A Wakizashi from his vast collection of weapons, specially intended for Seppuku. He ponders it, maybe over a glass of wine he orders over, thinking how he always figured he'd die in the war decades ago, like it was intended he did. On the battlefield, yes. But, dying for love? He never considered that until now. But, he sees no reason to continue going if the love he met so late in life is ironically taken from him so quickly. It's bullshit. He wants to follow beloved and he intends to, so really, this whole situation? It is a big and dangerous waiting game for Terry Silver at this age, and if anything, he should be on suicide watch if anyone, for all his austere privacy around the matter, knew any better. He could be there for hours, days, pretty much just standing by in limbo, waiting for further updates so he could proceed with the right course of action. And never doubt he's ready to take it to the extremes if he's faced with an extreme result. Man would die for love.

[topguncortez]

Day 18: Let's Break the ice ➣prompt: "Just get it over with" ➣character: Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell ➣warnings: cannon character death, sadness, passing out, description of injuries ➣word count: 760

|| masterlist || whumptober || whumptober masterlist || library page ||

When the call came across the radio, she felt her heart stop. She had actually begged that they take her on the rescue chopper, but they couldn’t risk sending her out and not leaving someone back at the hospital in case there was incoming trauma.

Instead, Y/N had to wait and pace the floor waiting to hear about who was hurt in the training accident. She had been working as a nurse at the hospital for nearly a month now since Maverick got his orders to come to TOPGUN. She knew Viper, he flew with her and Maverick’s dad back in Vietnam, and he had pulled some strings to get her a job on base. 

Y/N knew the dangers that came along with being an aviator. Her first taste of how devastating the career could be was when she lost her dad during the same mission in which Maverick lost his. That’s what sealed the deal for her wanting to join the navy as a medic. She hated the fact that there was nothing anyone could’ve done to save her father. That he was just gone, shot out of the sky and left bleeding out in the middle of a jungle on the other side of the world. Y/N wanted to be the person to help and do what she could to save them. And if she couldn’t, she at least wanted to be able to tell their families that they didn’t die alone. 

It felt like the longest wait of her life as she waited for the chopper to land. She made sure that both the ER and the OR were stocked and ready for whatever was going to come through the door. The call didn’t give a lot of specifics, reporting that there had been an accident, one pilot was critically injured and the other had severe injuries. Y/N had the team prepare for burns, fractured or missing limbs, possibly open bleeding. She was expecting the worst. . . but she wasn’t expecting to see the love of her life walking through the emergency room door. 

“Maverick?” Y/N called out. He lifted his head to look at her. 

“I think. . . I need to see a-” Maverick’s knees buckled and he went crashing to the ground. 

— — — 

Maverick’s head hurt and he was hoping whoever was shining a bright light in his eyes would stop. When he felt his eyes lids be put back down, and the soft, familiar voice he grimaced. He could hear a guy’s voice and short banter before the door opened and shut. Maverick’s eyes fluttered open and could make out the outline of her figure, leaning against the side of his bed. 

“Y/N?” He called out, and Y/N looked down at him. 

“Hey,” She smiled softly, “Do you want to sit up?” Maverick nodded and Y/N moved the bed up to a better position. She poured him a cup of water and handed it to him. He thanked her and took a sip, “You gave us quite a scare there. We ran a couple tests, did an EEG, as well as an MRI to check for internal x-rays. Doctor Collins said it looks like you have some bruising on your ribs, but that’s probably caused by the para-” 

“Goose?” Maverick asked, stopping her rambling. Y/N bit her lip and shook her head, “Say it. Just get it over with.” 

“He didn’t make it, Pete,” Y/N said softly, “He hit his head on the canopy during the ejection. It killed him instantly. He was gone before he hit the water. They sent Viper and the chaplain over to retrieve Carole and bring her here.” 

Maverick’s chin wobbled as he tried to bite back tears. Y/N felt her heart break as she watched the strong man crumble in front of her. She climbed into bed next to him, and pulled him into her arms. Maverick held onto her tightly as he cried, burying his face against her chest.

Y/N rubbed his back and placed a kiss on the top of his head, feeling her own tears rolling down her cheeks. She hadn’t felt the helpless feeling in quite some time. She was usually the first on scene when an accident would take place, and did what she could to help save someone. But knowing there was nothing she could do to save Goose, brought up old feelings she thought she had gotten rid of.