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#nerd things
thesargasmicgoddess · 8 months
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Newtons Apple Tree! 🍎
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This tree was grafted from THE original gravity apple tree🌳🍎
Found at Trinity College in Cambridge--Issac Newton's Alma Mater.
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ethereal-bumble-bee · 20 days
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“Haha you’re such a nerd I’ve bet you’ve read the whole dictionary for fun-“
Yes.
I did.
Years ago, for the shits and giggles, and because my best friend bet me I couldn’t do it.
Do I regret it? No.
Can I claim that I don’t know why I was bullied so badly then? Also no.
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acciowilltolive · 10 months
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when Gwen unboxed Miles' action figure i-
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darkroomnerd · 5 months
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I'm sorry, who? WHOMST?? 🤔
This edition of Crime and Punishment apparently did not have a copy editor lol
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bobfloydsbabe · 7 months
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I finished a 5000 piece puzzle tonight. It took five weeks to complete.
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angel-0f-verdun · 6 months
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6 Intoxicating Inertia
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Previous Chapter
I laid my head down in Maverick’s lap, feeling the booze flow through my system and fog my brain. It felt good to relax finally, I closed my eyes ready to let sleep consume my being. Maverick was fiddling with my hair taking it down from the bun I had it in. He ran his fingers through the messy pieces causing my eyelids to get even heavier. I didn’t know what it was but he had this ability to completely put me at ease. The car door closing woke me from my drifting, Goose and Crystal had disappeared.
“Babe, we’re back,” Maverick said to me. I groaned not wanting to move from my comfy position.
“What’d you call me?” I asked him, raising my head from his lap, and getting close to his face. I blew a stray strand of hair out of my face effectively hitting him in the face with it. I let out a giggle at his surprised reaction.
“Maeve, why would I call you anything else? I mean, unless you wanted me to,” He replied with a tenderness in his tone, watching me with those hazel eyes, my eyelids wanted to fall even more.
“You’re cute… I would like--” I stopped, thinking about how dark it was outside.
“Alright, alright let’s get you inside and patched up,” Maverick said softly to me, moving to get out of the car. He grabbed my hands as I pouted, not wanting to get out. He wouldn’t be able to move me past the center console, he moved up the passenger seat and folded down the backrest. I crawled on top of the seat in its flattened position not willing to use my feet. I reached out to him.
“Up!!” I said, my voice taking on the inflection of a child hoping to get what it wanted. He moved in giving me a hug, I took in his smell, spearmint and apples.
“You smell gooood.” I complimented him, enjoying his scent clinging onto him. He attempted to get out of my grasp with no success. Prying my hands off his figure, I groaned in his ear, annoyed that he wanted to get away from me.
“Thank you Maeve,” He thanked me, a grin appearing on his face.
“Mavvvv stopp” I begged him to quit moving as he was making my world spin. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder the sudden movement made my stomach churn unhappily. He shut the car door after successfully getting me out and walked towards the house, up the stairs, and to my room. He set me down in the chair near the desk.
“Stay here, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.” He told me as if I were a dog that was prone to not listening. I nodded, starting to unbutton my dress whites, I didn’t get very far as the buttons were moving around. Frustrated, I wanted to just rip the shirt in half, but I kept trying, closing my eyes and feeling the buttons with my fingers instead of trying to focus on them. Although, closing my eyes made the room spin even more. As I got to the last button I sighed happily ripping the shirt from my arms, when it slipped over my right hand I winced feeling a small twinge in my hand. I threw the shirt in the closet and as I went to examine my wound Maverick walked back in with a small white box in his hands. He knelt down in front of me, took my hand, and placed it on the desk. He opened the box and retrieved an alcohol swab, ripping open the packaging. 
“This might sting a bit,” He instructed me looking into my eyes before looking back to the split skin on my knuckle. I watched as he pressed the swab down on my wound letting the tiny wipe pick up the now dried blood. I winced feeling the slight tinge of the alcohol as it hit the cut. I let out a hiss at the uncomfortable sensation. He lifted the swab and threw it in the trashcan, getting another and wiping around the cut getting all the blood off the skin that hadn’t been ripped. Maverick then retrieved the ointment, placing it gingerly on my knuckle.
“You know, this probably needs stitches,” He said as he went to grab a bandaid from the kit. I waved my free hand at him brushing him off. 
“Whatever it’ll be my newest addition to the collection… Just a new memory,” My words were starting to slur and I knew it was only a matter of time before I fell asleep. 
“A good one, I hope.” He replied as he finished closing up the kit and moving back towards the hall bathroom to put it away. I nodded, standing up from the chair a bit wobbly on my feet. I trudged over to the bed trying to slip out of my pants as I walked. It proved a difficult task as I tripped over the excess fabric and fell. 
“Fuck.” I exclaimed as I hit the floor. Maverick came racing into the room, the look of shock on his face had me giggling again. 
“Hell Maeve, I thought I told you to stay where you were.” He said to me. I just smiled, closing my eyes. He held out his hand to help me up, but I had another idea, which was to pull him down to the ground with me. As I did he let out a grunt as he tumbled down next to me, avoiding falling on top of me. 
“I should’ve seen that coming.” He said as he let out a chuckle, his head next to mine. I could tell he was staring at me based on the direction his voice was coming from. I looked in his direction,
“You know I would never admit this sober but I think you and I could have made a real go of it,” I told him the smile falling from my face. He propped himself up on his elbow looking at me more seriously.
“What do you mean could have?” He asked me. I opened my mouth attempting to phrase my next words carefully but my brain was going too fast for me to pick what I wanted to say. I shook my head ignoring my conscious voice. 
“Do you ever think about what you would be doing had you not joined the Navy?” I asked him attempting to get us past the awkwardness that I felt pressing against me.
“We still can and I’ll prove it to you,” I heard him quietly whisper, not letting the subject slip from his grasp easily. I smiled attempting to hide the pain I was feeling in my heart from a past life. He continued to answer my question, “Not really, it was always one of my dreams. My father was a fighter pilot, lost during Vietnam. I always assumed he was killed in action but our family never received confirmation. What would you do?” He asked me. 
“I’m not sure, I’ve always been this way. Growing up all I wanted to do was get away, the Navy gave me that. Now, I don’t know after all I’ve been through following this path, sometimes I think I would have been better off doing something else.” I told him, letting my eyes close, completely this time. 
***
My alarm rang out loudly, pissing me off. I groaned, reaching over to smack the damn device off, when I did my hand ended up hitting something softer than plastic.
“Ouch, what the fuck?” I heard his voice clear as day and I knew who was in here with me, Maverick. 
“Fuck, I’m sorry, but what the hell are you even doing in here?” I asked him, annoyed, my head starting to pound from all the loud noises. 
“I must’ve fallen asleep… Sorry, I was watching–” He started as I grew more confused. He reached over to turn off the clock. I fell back onto the pillows covering my face with the extra one to block out the light. I grimaced, feeling the pain in my hand almost immediately when I tried to move it. I had no recollection of what had happened last night and wasn’t sure I wanted to know. 
“Can you get me some aspirin?” I asked him, changing the subject entirely. 
“Yeah give me a second.” He said as he moved towards the hall bathroom. I immediately flashed back to last night when Maverick was bandaging my hand, running back and forth between the two rooms. I sighed as I heard Maverick return from the bathroom with a glass of water and pills. I removed the pillow from my head, not willing to meet his eyes.
“Thank you,” I murmured out. I threw the pills into my mouth and swallowed a sip of water with them. I could see him nod from my peripheral vision. 
“Better get dressed. We’ve got class and flight time today from what I hear. Should be enough time to power through your hangover though.” He told me, leaving the room to go to his own. I nodded, throwing the covers off my body and moving towards the closet. My hand gravitated toward my flight suit, picking it up off the hanger setting it down on the bed. I looked at the clock wondering if I had enough time to shower. It was 06:00 so I knew I had ample time. I had already put my toiletries in the bathroom yesterday so I knew I had what I needed. I went to the hall closet and grabbed a fresh towel before heading to the bathroom. I closed the door behind me, locking it before I started to get out of my clothes. I started the water, letting it heat up to the perfect temperature, and hopped in. I scrubbed myself until I felt the smell of booze was gone. I washed my hair to make sure that it wasn’t greasy from last night. Once I was done I got out, dried off, and brushed my hair making sure to get every last tangle before I threw it into a ponytail, I would do the rest of the bun later. I wrapped the towel around my body and left the restroom for my room. I put on a clean undershirt and shorts then put the flight suit on followed by my socks and boots. I grabbed my flight bag and helmet and started down the stairs to the kitchen. 
“Hey, how’s the hand?” I heard Crystal greet me from the table across from the island. She was chomping on a bowl of cereal. 
“Agh thanks for reminding me. What the hell happened last night?” I asked her as I grabbed some cereal, milk, and a bowl. 
“Well, do you want the condensed version or the detailed version?” She asked me. I groaned, it was worse than I thought if that was her question to me. 
“Detailed, I guess,” I told her.
“How much do you actually remember?” She asked knowing it wasn’t much.
“Well, I remember getting to the bar, getting drinks, talking to Iceman… After that, it kind of goes blank.” I told her, pouring the cereal into the bowl, followed by the milk. 
“Well, you chugged one of your vodka tonics because ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ came on. Then you went to the bar to get another. Started a bar fight, kissed Maverick, and then I took us home before they called the cops… You really don’t remember any of that?” She questioned. riddling off the list of things that were an absolute blur to me. 
“I mean I kind of remember— wait, go back, I kissed Maverick??” I asked her.
“Yeah, just to fight some dude who pissed you off I’m pretty sure.” She smiled as she took another bite of cereal. 
“Well, I’m glad it wasn’t someone else who woke up in my bed this morning,” I told her. She practically choked on her food. 
“WHAT?” She asked me, completely taken for a loop. 
“Yeah, I smacked him thinking he was my alarm, rude awakening for him,” I told her, walking over to the table to sit down. 
“What happened?! Oh my god, does this mean??” She started rambling. I stopped her with my hand to quit. 
“I don’t know, I haven’t asked him yet, and no it doesn’t mean we’re a couple,” I told her, rolling my eyes and starting to eat. 
“I remember him bandaging up my hand and that’s really it. Fucking hurts like hell today, should’ve gone to the hospital honestly.” I told her as I examined my knuckle, wondering if there was an Ace bandage stored around the house somewhere. 
“Well Maeve, you should probably talk to him and figure out what happened between you two.” She said as she took a sip of her coffee.
“No, because then it makes it a big deal and I’m not really sure where I’m at with the whole situation,” I told her not willing to back down from my stance. She nodded as I continued eating. 
“Where are they anyway?” I asked her, noticing that the boys were nowhere in sight. 
“I think they’re eating outside.” She told me, the day shift and night shift were colliding and we had such different patterns. I groaned, not willing to move from my spot here just to talk to him about something so trivial and ridiculous. I would’ve rather not known anything at all but my curiosity got the best of me. 
“How’s the hangover?” She asked me.
“Ah, splitting my head in two, but I’ll be fine, what time did we get back?” I asked her.
“Around 22:00.” She answered. I normally recover fast from things like this. The regulations required us to stop drinking 8 hours before our flight time, so our flight time being around 10 am, we would’ve had to stop drinking at 2 am. Since it was more than likely that I stopped drinking by then I’d be legal and fine to go on the flight. I heard the door squeak open and close behind me and I knew our company had arrived. 
“I see you managed to find the provisions that Crystal and I picked up Maeve.” Goose said. I smiled as I felt him pat me on the shoulder and sit in the chair to my right, as Maverick took my left. 
“How’s the head?” He asked me. 
“It’ll be better when we get this class over with,” I told him, not wanting to really do anything today but sleep until this passed.
“You happen to pick up an Ace bandage?” I asked him.
“Yeah actually with Crystal’s proactive thinking, we did.” He said as he looked to Crystal who handed me the bandage out of a Walmart bag. I smiled at her gratefully. It was black which would be fine with the uniform. I put down my spoon, starting to wrap my hand in a brace-like fashion. Maverick noticed I was having an issue with starting the wrap and grabbed the bandage from me without a second thought.
“Thank you,” I told him quietly. He smirked at me as he finished up the wrap, placing his hand on it to make sure it was good to go. He lingered there for a moment before clearing his throat and standing.
“We should probably get going,” He said taking my bowl from me and taking it to the sink. I grabbed my stuff again and headed towards the door, my keys in my hand. 
“Crystal you wanna ride with me?” I asked her. She looked to Goose, 
“Actually I was going to go with Goose, it’ll give you and Maverick a chance to talk” She whispered the last part. Goose spun around looking for his keys to keep himself occupied as he had heard that last part.
“Alright Maverick, let’s go,” I grunted out to him walking towards my car and unlocking the doors. I waited for him, noticing that he wasn’t near me yet, I spun around toward the front door. 
“Mav!” I yelled at him, wondering where he went. 
“Yeah, I figured we could take my bike?” I groaned, getting into my car and grabbing my Raybans before locking my doors and conforming to his decision. I put on my sunglasses, 
“Fine,” I said as I put my hand through the strap on my flight helmet and my flight bag on my back. He got on first and started up the bike. I followed his lead straddling the bike.
“Don’t you dare kill me!” I told him as I gripped the metal behind me. He laughed, as he pulled out of the driveway slowly. He started going faster when we hit the highway, weaving in and out of traffic. He slowed down abruptly causing me to fall into his back. I wrapped my arms around his waist and I felt his breathing stop for a moment. 
“Finally Reaper, Jesus.” He said under his breath, I smirked as I realized he had been wanting that in the first place. This wasn’t the time or place to talk about last night with him so I decided to just enjoy the ride. It wasn’t too long before we pulled up to the security gate at the airport, I peeled my hands from Maverick’s waist, giving my ID badge to the guard. They let us through, giving us the ID cards back. Maverick pulled up outside a hanger, parked his bike out of the way, and stopped the engine. I got off the bike and walked into the hangar seeing a makeshift classroom on the hard concrete inside instead of planes. It felt like home, just off the runway. I would love to renovate a hanger like this one into a home, but that was a far thought, almost no guy would want to live somewhere like this. 
“Reaper!! Fucking awesome night last night. You definitely earned my respect, Mav, you better watch out, some of us might want a shot at her too.” Iceman greeted me, I nodded sitting down and waiting for Crystal and Goose to show up, resting my head on my arms covering my face from the light.
“Yeah, I would expect you to be hungover from last night, you want some aspirin?” I heard Slider ask me. 
“Please,” I said as I heard Crystal’s chair make a terrible squeaking noise across the floor as she arrived.
“Sorry.” She whispered to me. I nodded ignoring the pounding that had started in my head. Slider handed me two pills out of his bag and a water bottle. I nodded in appreciation as he went back to sit down. Taking the pills quickly with the water, I knew I had some a couple of hours ago but more could only help at this point… Hopefully, it would solve all the issues I was having. 
“Good morning everyone as you can see behind us your jets have been delivered. You’ll be happy to know nothing arrived broken. We’ve already done a preliminary inspection on them just to be safe. While you’re in this program you’ll be trained and evaluated by a few civilian specialists. The civilians are here because they are our very best source of information on enemy aircraft. One of the most qualified is our TAGREP, callsign, Charlie. She has a PhD in astrophysics and she’s also a civilian contractor, so you do not salute her. But you better listen to her because the Pentagon listens to her about your proficiency. It’s all yours Charlie.” Jester said to us as he stepped out of the way of Charlie who was currently strutting down our makeshift aisle in her high heels. I wanted to burn a hole through her heels with my eyes as the noise was very irritating on the concrete and did not help the migraine that threatened to take over. She spun around to face us, she had very pretty blue eyes that were complimented by her short curly blonde hair. I sighed pissed because more than likely she would have affairs every couple of months with the students in her class. These men were hard to resist, even to a woman of a higher stature, they embodied everything that someone could possibly want, but when you got to know them they were difficult to get along with. I almost envied her position, had I not gone the military route perhaps I’d be teaching and free of my past that plagued me every step I took. 
“Thank you, hello, we will be dealing with the F-5s and A-4s as our MiG simulators. Now then as most of you know the F-5 doesn’t have the thrust-to-weight ratio that the MiG-28 has, and it doesn’t bleed energy below 300 knots, like the MiG-28. However, the MiG-28 does have a problem with it’s inverted flight tanks. It won’t do a negative G pushover. The latest intelligence tells us that the most it will do is 1 negative G…” She paused watching Maverick lean over to Goose and whisper into his ear. I rolled my eyes, apparently, it was already time to be a show-off and annoy all the other pilots and RIOs in the room. 
“Excuse me, lieutenant. Is there something wrong?” She asked Maverick as he slid his sunglasses onto his face to block out the sun that was threatening our eyes. 
“Yes, ma’am, the data on the MiG is inaccurate.” Maverick cleared his throat before telling her that she was an idiot. 
“How’s that, lieutenant?” She asked him amused, preventing herself from laughing out loud. Maverick took off his glasses to emphasize some sort of point he was getting at. 
“Well, I just happened to see a MiG-28 do…” Maverick started, Goose didn’t let him get very far though. 
“We... We.” Goose said, looking at him pointedly, annoyed that Maverick had left him out, a smile broke out on my face. Fucking Goose, never wanted to be left out of the action that Maverick got them into. Crystal elbowed me, 
“I taught him that,” She said snickering. I almost lost my composure, these men were toddlers sometimes who couldn’t find a way to stick up for themselves. But I’m glad Crystal had taught him where to find his balls. 
“Sorry Goose.” Maverick paused looking at his RIO before turning back to Charlie. 
“We happened to see a MiG-28 do a four-G negative dive.” He corrected himself, making sure Goose was included this time. 
“Where did you see this?” She asked him more questions. 
“That’s classified,” Maverick told her, I could tell he was smirking before I even heard the words come out of his face. 
“It’s what?” She asked this time confused.
“It’s classified. I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.” Maverick continued to mansplain to her. 
“Lieutenant, I have top-secret clearance. The Pentagon sees to it that I know more than you.” She countered, I will admit it seemed she could stand up for herself. She almost impressed me, but barely. 
“Well, ma’am, it doesn’t seem so in this case, now does it?” Maverick replied his smart ass just couldn’t stop with the snarky comments. I understood this in a way because civilians did like to pretend they were smarter than we were. It was almost as if they just thought we were there to fly and look pretty but didn’t know anything.
“So Lieutenant, where exactly were you?” Charlie persisted in asking him. 
“Well, we…” Maverick paused dramatically yet again to receive praise from Goose. 
“Thank you,” Goose replied before Mav continued. 
“Started up on his six when he pulled through the clouds and then I moved in above him.” Maverick started to explain finally getting to his point. 
“Well, if you were directly above him how could you see him?” Charlie asked. This conversation was starting to feel a bit personal to both of them. I could feel eyes on my back which made me turn to see Iceman. 
“True?” He mouthed to me. I shrugged, not entirely sure because it was before my shift that they were engaged with the MiG and we’d really never had a conversation about it. 
“Because I was inverted,” Maverick told her. 
“Bullshit.” Iceman coughed out. 
“No, he was man, it was a really great move. He was inverted.” Goose said, looking back to the perpetrator who had called them out. 
“You were in a four-G inverted dive with a MiG-28?” She asked this time disbelievingly. She wasn’t alone, no one really seemed to believe it. I wasn’t sure what I believed. 
“Yes ma’am,” Maverick told her. 
“At what range?” She asked continuing on her line of questioning. Maverick and Goose stopped answering to have a sidebar. 
“About two meters?” Maverick asked Goose.
“It was actually about one and a half I think. It was one and a half. I’ve got a great Polaroid of it. He’s right there. It must be one and a half. It was a nice picture.” Goose explained to not only Maverick but the entire class as well. I heard two other pilots behind me stifle their laughter. 
“Lieutenant, what were you doing there?” She asked.
“Thanks, I like my pictures.” Goose was continuing on his random thought, “Communicating,” Goose said to Mav giving him the answer. 
“Communicating… Keeping up foreign relations. I was you know, giving him the bird.” Maverick said unrelenting. 
“You know, the finger,” Goose told her as he flipped off our new instructor in question. 
“Yes, I know the finger, Goose.” She said, I smiled, I always did enjoy Goose's dry sense of humor. He could always make me laugh when it was needed. 
“I’m sorry, I hate it when it does that. Sorry.” He apologized to her putting his middle finger away. 
“So you’re the one,” Charlie said to Maverick. I just about choked on the water that I had been sipping on for this entire conversation. 
“Yes ma’am.” He replied. 
“All right, gentleman, we have a hop to take. The hard deck on this hop will be 10,000ft, there will be no engagement below that. Move it.” Jester said from the back of the classroom breaking up the weird energy that had filled the room. I sighed, what had transpired in that classroom had made me want to puke, had we learned anything? No not really except that a MiG can in fact do a negative G pushover. I had a feeling that Charlie had manipulated that conversation out of Maverick in order to find out who the pilot was on the briefing she had read for that particular mission. Crystal and I walked down the hallway through the upstairs lounge and to the girl's locker room. I leaned my head against the cold metal enjoying the feeling. 
“You gonna be alright for our flight?” Crystal asked me, genuinely curious as she put her books in her own locker. 
“Yeah I’ll be fine, let’s go blow some bitches out of the water,” I said to her putting my things away as well and heading out to the tarmac for the preflight. 
Next chapter
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thegoblinwizard · 9 months
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New Merch!
I Licked This Post. You all now have my cooties.
Which means you wanna tell others what you licked too, right? RIGHT!?
-
Available at thegoblinwizard.com
New designs every week.
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bb-blueyellow · 8 months
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I broke out of bounds again! :D
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I am going to post more cards soon. In the meantime...
I bought the new Guess Who game and made custom Star Wars cards for it:
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We've playtested it, and while it's not perfectly balanced, it is a lot of fun.
I've saved the files as PDFs, and can share them if anyone wants to print their own. I'm just trying to figure out where to host them online. I might also make other sets like Batman or the Avengers. I considered Game of Thrones, but that's too many characters.
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botslayer · 1 year
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Check in on your homies who like Power Rangers, we are not okay. 
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a-peculiar-piece · 1 year
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Lets go! I would pay to watch thish crossover!!!!!
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ruusaanrambles · 6 months
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is it bad that I can’t watch movies anymore without daydreaming mandalorians into them
on that note, I need a star trek and star wars crossover
I am not ignorantly mixing the two up, I am recognizing their vast differences and realizing how fun blending them could be
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gianluc30 · 2 years
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Nerd Style
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halfberry · 1 year
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This lil fella turned up in the post today.
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noahhawthorneauthor · 2 months
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The corkboard circa January 2024.
Bottom art pieces are by Mon Reyes Artwork, art on the right side is Arlo and Thatch done by @gagakumadraws , art on the left is a character from Dark Moon Shallow Sea, art on the top left is from Letters to Half Moon Street, art on the top right is from Kit & Basie
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angel-0f-verdun · 7 months
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5 Gravity's Pull
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Previous Chapter
Maverick’s POV
I knew Maeve was right, that I needed to leave the subject of her previous RIO alone. It felt impossible, she was like a MiG I needed to shoot down but couldn’t get a target lock on. It was a relatively new feeling that I couldn’t seem to shake, no matter how many women would fling themselves at me, I did not want them. She would not leave my head, I wanted to keep her safe in a cocoon. But that was impossible because she was a fighter pilot, we craved the adrenaline, the danger, the fun of it all. On top of all that she was independent, she could take care of herself, but my instincts told me that she needed protection.
This would not be a good thing when we were flying together, I had already lived through the scares and constant worry of her not coming back one day. Not that she knew any of that, but I was sure her independence would prevent her from ever accepting the love she truly deserved. I sighed, leaning back in the lawn chair that I had sat in to prevent myself from going after her. I was sitting outside for quite some time, as I watched the sun start to dip below the horizon. The string lights outside kicked on and I heard someone clear their throat behind me.
“Hey Mav, you alright?” I turned to see Goose standing in the doorway looking down at me from the step. I smirked up to him, trying to hide the frustration I was harboring.
“Yeah, I guess I’m enjoying the downtime we’ll be having for the next couple of days,” I told him. He chuckled coming down the steps to sit next to me in the other chair.
“Yeah right,” He said sarcastically, knowing me too well to believe the web I had been spinning. Sometimes it was obnoxious how well he knew me.
“You’re thinking about M-A-E-V-E,” He spelled out her name as if there were a child nearby and he didn’t want them to decipher what he was saying. I slinked down in the chair I was in confirming his suspicion without saying anything. When I didn’t give his comment a chuckle he switched into a more serious tone.
“Mav, what is it about this girl that you can’t get off of? You’ve never been interested and pushy like this before with anyone. Trust me, I’ve seen a lot of your conquests, even with that one admiral's daughter… You blew through them easily without a second thought. Why her? Why now?” He asked, his questions were valid and to be honest I wasn’t sure.
“Honestly Goose, I just want to be helpful,” I told him, knowing he could see right through me.
“All right, you’re not ready to talk about it because then it makes it real. But just so you know everyone sees it but you two. She already seems like she’s lost in the dark... Don’t get lost yourself trying to find her.” He smiled at me sadly.
“There’s more to her than just that though, Goose. I intend to find out what it is, but I’ll take your advice.” I told him, letting my head rest on the back of the chair as I analyzed his reaction.
“Mav, let’s get out tonight, we can go to the bar, maybe get your mind off of things?” He asked me. I nodded, not entirely looking forward to being out with the other pilots but agreed nonetheless.
“All right, let’s invite Reaper and Doe,” I told him. I knew he wanted to go to the bar and scope out the competition, and I’ll admit it was something I wanted to do too. He got up out of his chair waiting for me to join him. I lifted myself out of the chair and followed Goose inside the house, the air conditioning inside felt great.
“Do you want to tell them? Or do you want me to do it? I’ve already talked it over with Doe.” He told me.
“Why don’t you let Doe do it then?” I told him, gripping the edge of the counter to stop myself from running to her. He nodded moving to go up the stairs as I rifled through the kitchen looking for a snack. The kitchen wasn’t stocked, but I did manage to find some fruit that had been in a bowl. My hand gravitated towards the orange, I picked it up, checking it before I peeled it to make sure it hadn’t rotted. As I bit into my first bite I heard footsteps coming downstairs.
“Goose has decided that we should dress in our whites.” I heard Doe come into the kitchen. I nodded when she came into view, she looked a bit annoyed at the thought of slipping into yet another uncomfortable outfit.
“Did you guys decide where your rooms are?” I asked her as I threw the orange peel into the trash and grabbed the bags I had left near the back door. I went to follow her up the stairs.
“Yes, you’ll be in the room to the left near Maeve. Nick and I are on the opposite wall” She said as we got to the top of the stairs, pointing towards the rooms as she mentioned them.
“Is she doing all right?” I asked her in a hushed tone. Doe nodded, gesturing me closer. I took a half step closer to her.
“I went to check on her when she came up, she’s not in great spirits so try to leave the past where it is. She just wants to have fun, she hasn’t let loose in a long time.” She told me, I nodded confirming to her that I understood.
“Thank you, Doe. She’s very lucky to have found you.” I told her as I left the conversation and went to my room to unpack the dress whites. I closed the door to my room as I unpacked everything, putting my clothes in my drawers and my flight stuff on the desk near the window. I hung up the things that needed to be hung. I shrugged out of my tans, hanging them up in the closet and replacing them with whites. I didn’t bother to change my undershirt and boxers, since I had already cleaned up from my shift this morning. I plopped down onto the bed, finishing off my orange, I closed my eyes waiting for Goose to come get me after everyone was ready. It wasn’t long before I heard my door push open.
“Mav, are you decent?” I heard a feminine voice call out, I forced myself to stay planted on the bed when I knew Maeve had come to get me instead of Goose.
“Yes, are we all ready?” I asked her as I quickly pulled my white dress shoes on. She stood leaning against the door frame as she pushed the door fully open. I took in her appearance, she had redone her hair in a neat bun as it always was. I loved her hair down, it held a natural wave that women craved. She was a petite little fireball who knew her limits and everyone else’s. She stuck to the rules strictly, she was so opposite to me and yet I felt my attraction grow.
“Yeah, we’re just waiting on you.” She told me, I chuckled as I tied the laces on the last shoe. Standing up, I grabbed my hat tucking it under my arm. I followed her down the stairs where both Goose and Doe were waiting. 
“How’re we going to get there, did we decide on arrangements yet?” Maeve asked them. 
“I say we all pile into Goose’s car,” I said to her, standing just over her shoulder. I smiled, I could smell the perfume wafting off her as she craned her neck to look at me. Everyone watched for each other's reaction making sure that idea was alright. When there were no objections, we filed out the door and to the Bronco that sat in the driveway.
I opened the passenger door for Maeve, then climbed in crawling over the center console. It was a tight squeeze but it was better without all the extra gear from earlier. Goose turned on the radio flipping the channels until he found something that fit what he was in the mood for. It wasn’t a long drive to the bar, back down the highway, and near the base.
When we walked inside, it was packed with people. We pushed through the majority of them making our way to the bar. I looked behind me making sure Maeve and Crystal were still there. I could see them talking amongst themselves, I wrapped my arm around her waist pulling her close to me for a second as she was about to get bulldozed by some already drunk patrons. I immediately let her go so as not to upset her as she took a half step out of my grasp squeezing in just between Goose and I, Crystal squeezing to my left. Maeve flagged down the bartender easily, 
“Vodka tonic, and whatever they want.” She gestured to us,
“Budweiser” Goose said to him looking at me for confirmation that I was okay with that. I nodded.
“Make it two, and a Cosmo for the lady.” Goose immediately said, ordering for the rest of us. The bartender nodded and briskly got to work on the drinks. He got us our beers first, then started mixing the ladies, getting Maeve’s to her before Crystal. I turned around resting my elbows on the bar. 
“Mav, you want to know who the best is? That’s him, Iceman. That’s the way he flies, ice-cold, no mistakes. Just wears you down, you get bored and frustrated, do something stupid and he’s got you.” Goose told me, I nodded taking in the information. I had a feeling I was going to really get on his nerves in the sky. I brushed the thought away as I watched Maeve, she looked around trying to find a booth against the wall away from our fellow pilots.
“Hey, hey Slider, thought you wanted to be a pilot, man. What happened?” Goose started the conversation with him pulling him closer by his collar. 
“Goose you’re such a dickhead. Whose butt did you kiss to get in here?” Slider asked him, a shit-eating grin on his face. He was a few inches taller than Goose but raised his chin to appear even taller, fucking annoying he thought he was better than us.
“Well, the list is long but distinguished,” Goose replied to him. 
“Yeah, well so is my johnson,” Slider replied to him, as he downed a shot, I laughed, sure.  
“So you’re flying with Iceman?” Goose asked him. 
“It’s Mister Iceman to you.” Slider said getting stupid over his pilot. 
“Hey, Mother Goose how’s it going?” Iceman walked up to us, shaking Goose’s hand. 
“Good, Tom. This is Pete Mitchell, Tom Kazansky. And well, you’ve met this one, Maeve Ford, and Crystal Harris.” Goose formally introduced everyone. Not that it was needed I already knew I didn’t like this bastard. 
“Congratulations on Top Gun,” Iceman said, giving Maeve a smile, she just stared at him, not offering a smile in return. 
“Thank you,” I replied for us, not giving her the chance to speak. I could almost feel her eyes burning through me for not letting her talk. I knew she was itching to give him a piece of her mind but now was not the time or place. 
“Sorry to hear about Cougar. He and I were like brothers in flight school, he was a good man.” He said as he reached over Maeve to grab some beer nuts, she scoffed and turned her head away from him as he got close to her. 
“Still is a good man,” I told him quickly as if he was implying Cougar was anything but. I knew Maeve was still touchy about the subject, he had only turned in his wings 48 hours ago, but I knew it was still fresh in her brain.
“Yeah, that’s what I meant.” He said unfazed by his lapse in wording, stuffing more beer nuts in his mouth.
“Right, because you clearly give a fuck about him and all the other pilots in here.” Maeve spit out angrily taking a step towards him, begging him to egg her on. I stepped behind her ready to grab her if she decided to pounce. We didn’t need the attention, not yet anyway.
“Guess the rumors are true about you then, Reaper,” Iceman said to her backing down from her harsh gaze. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her and she was locked on him ready to take him down. 
“You know, I was just telling Maverick not to believe everything he hears. Which means it’s either better or worse than what you’ve already heard…” She advised him as she took a sip of her drink watching him over the rim. I did the same, I needed more alcohol in my system if this was where the night was heading. 
“Say, you need any help?” He asked me, he just couldn’t shut his mouth. But I was glad he knew not to step any further with Maeve. She backed away from him, bumping into me, still fuming. I stabilized her, gripping her hip lightly with my free hand. 
“With what?” I asked him, genuinely confused about where he was going with this. Crystal moved in from where she was standing on the other side of me to hear the conversation. 
“You figured it out yet?” He continued the questions. I noticed Slider watching my movements carefully, I released Maeve from my grip, tapping her as I let go, I wanted her to know I was here for her if she needed it. But there was no need for there to be rumors of fraternization, especially coming from the most likely pair that would get us thrown out of this program at any cost.
“What’s that?” I asked him taking another drink of my beer.
“Who’s the best pilot.” He told me as he neared my face, a bit too close for my liking.
“No, I think I can figure that one out on my own,” I said to him glancing to my left to check on Maeve, she had finished her drink and started to wave the bartender down for another. She was tracking Iceman with her eyes not willing to let him out of her sight, even though she was not talking to him anymore. I could tell she didn’t trust him and didn’t like his attitude. 
“I heard that about you, you like to work alone,” I smirked, it was true, other people tended to slow me down in the air. The only one I would want as my wingman would be Maeve, she knew how to keep up with me when we were flying. She wasn’t afraid of the stunts I pulled, not many would want to follow me through the gates of hell, but I knew she would. 
“Mav, you must’ve soloed under a lucky star, huh? I mean first the MiG, and then you guys slide into Cougar’s spot? And you, your commander just gave you another spot?” Slider started on this bullshit again. 
“We didn’t slide into Cougar’s spot. It was ours, okay?” Goose jumped in before I could.
“Someone else dropped out, just because you’re insecure doesn’t mean you get to be an ass.” Crystal jumped in for Maeve. I could practically feel the irritation rolling off her figure just in front of me. I took another sip of my beer, almost ready for another. 
“Yeah, well, some pilots wait their whole career just to see a MiG up close. Guess you guys are lucky and famous.” Slider adjusted his tactic seeing as he was hitting some delicate topics.
“No, you mean notorious. I’ll see you later.” Iceman finished the conversation walking off, but not before giving Maeve and Crystal one last glance. 
"You can count on it,” I replied as I watched them walk away letting out a sigh.
“They were abused children,” Goose said to me, noticing my reaction.
“We’re going to have a good time,” I said to him smiling as we clinked our bottles together. 
“Always.” He said, leaning over the bar to order another round for all of us.
“Let’s go find a place to sit down,” I said, leaning into Maeve’s ear as I didn’t feel like shouting at her. She nodded and worked her way to the corner booth she had been eyeing. I followed her lead sliding into the seat next to her as Crystal took her other side waiting for Goose to arrive. He wasn’t far behind us but I noticed him struggling with the drinks, I got up and grabbed two from his hands and we made our way back. I set the glasses on the table in front of the girls and sat back down. Just as I did, silence rang through the air as the jukebox changed songs. 
“That’s it for me guys. I’ll drive us back tonight,” Crystal said as she pushed her empty glass in front of her and brought the full one toward her.
“No, no, you’re not driving my car.” Goose chuckled a bit, getting his keys out and waving them in front of her. She grabbed them quickly, stuffing them in her breast pocket. 
“Well if you don’t want me driving you’ll have to stop drinking..” She smiled at him watching his face fall with defeat. 
“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Maeve burst out, her head dropping to look at the table. I looked around the area confused, there was no one here that would cause that reaction from her. 
“What??” Crystal asked, also struck with confusion over her outburst. Maeve lifted her head and pointed towards the ceiling, a ghost of a smile gracing her face. She wasn’t entirely pissed and I could tell she was moderately amused.
All our times have come, here but now they’re gone. Seasons don’t fear the reaper, nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain, we can be like they are. Come on baby don’t fear the reaper. 
“Alright that’s gotta be one of the guys teasing you, but it doesn’t matter Reaper, you know the rules, drink up, finish that one.” Goose let out a chuckle gesturing to her newly bought drink. It was this game we played, if any song got played that related to our callsigns we had to finish our drink. Of course, this got difficult sometimes the more creative the callsign, like Goose, so he chose his own song each time we went out. Maeve groaned, not looking forward to the drink going down her throat but she was a good sport and chugged it down.
“All right boys, I guess that means I need another.” She told us, tapping me on the shoulder so I would let her out of the booth. She was definitely in better spirits as I watched her walk over to the bar, she took a seat on the stool waiting for the bartender instead of flagging him down immediately. I leaned in towards Crystal knowing that Goose wouldn’t approve of this topic of conversation. 
“I got a question for you,” I said to her as I finished the beer I was working on and grabbed the new one in front of me. 
“Why did you agree to be her RIO with all the rumors floating around with her previous one?” I asked her, she looked at me pensively. 
“Well it’s one of those things Mav, do you believe all the rumors about anyone in the squadron?” She asked me. I thought for a second, 
“Well no. But with all the suspicion surrounding it?” I prodded more. Goose just overhearing this shook his head at me as he realized what we were talking about. 
“When I signed on to be her RIO, they asked me if I wanted to hear the story from her or read her file. I chose to hear it from her, she let me in and told me in her own time. Mav, look at her, do you really believe she could kill me?” She asked me as I looked over to Maeve. 
“No, I don’t, you two are thick as thieves,” I said, this seemed to satisfy Crystal as she let out a giggle. 
“See, and you couldn’t kill Goose either. But regardless, it’s not my story to tell. Just give her time.” She said making her point. I nodded. 
I noticed Maeve stand up from her seat, a bit wobbly, drink in hand, she looked absolutely pissed. The guy next to her spun his chair towards her as she started walking away, he checked out her ass and grabbed her wrist to pull her back to him. At that moment, I jumped up from the table about to go over there with Goose and Crystal right behind me. I raced my way to her but the damage had been done.
Then the door was open and the wind appeared. The candles blew and then disappeared. The curtains flew and then he appeared. Saying don't be afraid. Come on baby, don’t fear the reaper. 
She raised her right hand that was holding the glass and threw it to the ground. It shattered instantly upon hitting the floor into a million little shards. It distracted everyone for a second, Maeve took the opportunity and punched him straight in the face. Immediately, there was a silence that fell over the crowd, which was quickly replaced with yelling from both sides. My heart skipped a beat as I noticed blood pooling from her hand, dripping onto the floor. I was on her in seconds holding her back from doing anything more to the poor fool who thought he could get something out of her. Some of the guy’s buddies jumped up upon seeing us and got in front of their friend ready to defend him. 
“What the fuck man? Psycho bitch!” One of them yelled at her. I made sure Maeve was situated behind me before I took the next step. I could feel her fight back against me hopping on my back just to take a swing at this guy. I steadied my feet feeling her additional weight combined with my own. 
“No one gets to call her that, you don’t even know her,” I yelled at him getting in his face. I felt Maeve shift her weight towards the bar grabbing a full beer bottle and taking a swig. Goose immediately intervened, pushing me back from him, Maeve slipping off my back. I noticed all the other pilots and RIOs from Top Gun appeared slowly next to our side wanting to see what was happening. 
“I said no and told him I wasn’t interested about 15 times and he still wouldn’t leave me alone. Not everything is yours to claim. I don’t belong to anyone.” Maeve yelled at him now in line with my shoulder. I refused to let her get much closer, she would tear them apart. I put my right arm in front of her, bracing her against it.
“Hey, hey. Wow, let’s calm down here, see, she has a pretty good reason why she reacted the way she did.” Goose started as he lined up on the other side of me.
Maeve slipped underneath my arm, her hands slipping around my neck, I broke my gaze with our offenders and watched her face. She smiled at me and brought my face down to hers. When our lips connected I completely lost track of what was happening. I grabbed her hips, pulling her fully against me, she let out a small moan that made me want her even more. I traced the tip of my tongue along her bottom lip, just as she was about to open her mouth she tore herself away from me throwing the bottle across the room, it hit someone and shattered on the floor. She ran towards the man who had called her a psycho bitch, he threw a punch at her, she dodged it, grabbing his wrist, twisting it, and coming down hard with her elbow into his arm. I heard a deafening crack that filled the atmosphere. A scream followed it as everyone backed away from her. It was like I was cemented to where I stood, waiting in awe for the next thing to happen. 
“Yeah let’s leave these pussies alone, they clearly need to rethink their tactics after getting beat up by a girl,” Iceman shouted near the front. 
“Man fuck you.” One of his friends said to him as he walked up and pushed against his chest believing he could move him. Safe to say he did not. From there, the rest of the night was a blur, people were throwing punches, breaking bottles, and chairs seemed to fly from one end to another. It was absolute chaos, anyone who wanted to fight, did. Clearly, there was no need to stick around as everyone had forgotten who threw the first punch and why everything had started. 
“Grab her, get them outta here!” I heard one person say about the injured men that Maeve had absolutely destroyed. She had punched strong enough to knock some teeth out. Upon hearing them trying to get her, I went forward grabbing her by her waist and throwing her over my shoulder. 
“Yeah, that’s right, get your woman.” I heard someone say behind me as I pushed myself through the people who had gathered around us. Maeve thrashed against my back trying to claw and scratch her newly formed enemies. Once I got us to the back near the booth, I set her down, which I quickly realized was a mistake as she tried to immediately go back. I stopped her, getting in front of her and holding her shoulders, keeping her in place. I looked towards the table spotting a cloth napkin, I knew this would be useful for her hand, as she had split open her knuckle on the guy's tooth, I stuffed it into my pocket as Crystal and Goose appeared next to us forming a sort of wall around her so she couldn’t go anywhere. 
“Reaper, we have to leave before anyone remembers you and wants to file charges,” I said to her using her call sign to get her attention. Her eyes flashed with anger at me but she turned around and headed towards the door. We rushed out of there so fast someone would have thought the bar was on fire, but we weren’t the only ones who decided to run. We piled into the car fast, I practically jumped over the center console into the backseat holding out my hands for Maeve to take so she could lower herself in. Goose took the passenger side as Crystal started the Bronco and peeled out of the lot bound for the house. 
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