#eugene hawke

[kintheartist]

My roommate decided that her Hawke makes loud sounds with any item in arm's reach whenever Sebastian tries to talk to the elves

[star-trek-pop-quiz]

Star Trek POP-QUIZ #3

( 21/10/2023 )

Question 1.

Which of these people were not a guest-star on Star Trek? a. Stephen Hawking b. Mae Jemison c. Seth MacFarlane d. Eugene Cernan

bonus question: Identify which episode one of these people appeared in.

Question 2.

What is the name of the play by Andrew Robinson and Alexander Siddig? a. The Nexus b. A Stitch in Time c. The Ex-Expatriate d. Letters from the Northern Continent

Question 3.

Which book was the planet in "A Piece of the Action" ( S2, E17 TOS ) based off? a. Chicago Mobs of the Twenties b. The Hotel Royale c. The Great Gatsby d. New York Gangs of the 1900s

bonus question: which other Star Trek series features a similar book as homage?

Question 4.

What is the name of the inhabitants of Risa? ( Spelling Counts! ) bonus question: what is the planet Risa known for?

Question 5.

TRUE OR FALSE: Voyager may have inadvertently aided an American presidential election.

Score: __/5 + 3 bonus points ( answers under cut )

Question 1.

d. Eugene Cernan ( an American Astronaut )

+ a. Stephen Hawking ( S6, E27 Descent TNG ) b. Dr Mae Jemison ( S6, E24 Second Chances TNG ) c. Seth MacFarlane ( S3, E20 The Forgotten S4, E15 Affliction ENT )

Question 2.

a. The Nexus

Question 3.

a. Chicago Mobs of the Twenties

+ Enterprise ( 2001 )

Question 4.

Risians.

+ Risa is known as the "pleasure planet", a popular vacation spot for various Federation species.

Question 5.

TRUE.

[atrxcities]

Old photobashes

[thefrogknight]

When I started playing metaphor my biggest complaint was how lazy a lot of it felt borrowing too much from persona 5 specifically but I'm in the last dungeon and now there's basically nowhere left for the plot to go the plot really is the worst part of this game

[scumgristle]

Want to see a man famous for eating worms without having to go to a carnival? Sure you do! Women farting? Uh hunh. Or what about sassy cats? Right.

And that’s before we even get to, g-d forbid, the Dark Web. Or Joe Rogan.

On fame, it was the famous artist Andy Warhol himself who had prognosticated that in the future (now our past) everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. Probably/possibly a throwaway line but it gained traction. In the past. Now in the present of the Hawk Tuah Girl who is famous for miming a sloppy blowjob on TikTok, or Kyle Rittenhouse who shot more people than he’s had dates, it’s not nearly as exciting as it first may have seemed.

[arrakisser]

shamelessly plugging my gattaca fic bc i JUST posted a new chapter after another 2-month delay! hip hip hooray :)

bodyguard/celebrity AU

~8k, 5 chapters, incomplete (it's all planned, trust)

teen and up, no smut, no archive warnings

slow-burn (extra extra slow. we're still getting into their backstories sorry about that)

technically, watching the movie is optional to enjoy whatever amalgamation of headcanons i've cooked up here. so just do with that info what you will...

as always, i super duper appreciate comments even if you think you'll offend me :,) and with that i'll just leave you here with my humble crumb of contribution to this fandom

[sqeeebus]

Eugene was having homosexual thoughts when Vincent blew the smoke into that glass come on now

“What’s Titan like this time of year?" 

"What’s Titan like? Titan is exactly like this.”

[popkverse]

Idols da ARR Labels são flagrados em festa fora de controle no porto de Incheon

Na madrugada do dia 8 de maio, a polícia de Seul foi chamada para acabar com uma festa que estava acontecendo em um barco de classe alta no porto de Incheon. Segundo os passantes que fizeram a denúncia, a festa vinha acontecendo desde as 16h da tarde com música muito alta e uma quantidade altíssima de pessoas, além de quantias exacerbantes de álcool e drogas. Após averiguação, foi constatado que era uma festa de aniversário, e quem fez a denúncia alega que a festa só continha celebridades da indústria do entretenimento. Dentre os nomes apontados pelos mesmos estão as seguintes celebridades:

As atrizes Suki e Camilla. Os solistas Paris e Chaemin. Jack e Junny do Burst. Eugene, Gabi e Wine do Timeless. Mara do Nephentes. Hawk, Shoto, Victor e Ying do Narcissus. Kolt e Ewan do 2U.

A polícia foi até o local, mas saiu sem fazer nenhuma apreensão, permitindo que a festa continuasse noite a dentro. As informações ainda estão sendo averiguadas e nenhuma empresa se pronunciou sobre o assunto.

Comentários dos netizens.

[+277 -82] Narcissus em época de comeback e fazendo uma merda dessas… Não sei porque não me surpeende mais.

[+433 -285] Mentira que os mais velhos do Timeless estão todos nessa? Eles não debutaram tipo, ontem? Que mal exemplo pros mais novos do grupo.

[+356 -140] Esse Chaemin não é aquele do Vicci? Aposto que os meninos devem estar muito decepcionados com ele vendo isso.

[+468 -389] É a segunda vez que vocês só hoje que vocês enfiam o nome da Camilla em algo nada a ver e essa porcaria nem é confirmada, vocês não se cansam?

[+358 -137] A Paris é uma lady, jamais se meteria em algo assim, parem de inventar coisas idiotas.

[+387 -188] Eu não esperava isso do Nephentes, acho que deve ser verdade que a gente nunca conhece nossos idols.

[+289 -42] Os 2U tudo com quase 40 anos e ainda sendo criticados por adolescente por se divertirem.

[+356 -189] É sério que vocês estão acreditando no que essa merda de site posta? Claramente estão querendo boicotar todo mundo.

[+389 -287] Eu bem que sempre achei os meninos do Burst com cara de problemáticos, acho que estava certo.

[+376 -249] Digo o mesmo da Suki, sempre achei que ela tivesse cara de troublemaker.

[whatamigonnawatchtoday]

To Have and Have Not

1944. Romance War Adventure

By Howard Hawks

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Dolores Moran, Hoagy Carmichael, Sheldon Leonard, Walter Surovy, Marcel Dalio, Walter Sande, Dan Seymour, Aldo Nadi, Paul Marion, Eugene Borden...

Country: United States

Language: English

[pommedepersephone]

I watched Queer yesterday and I have FEELINGS about all of it. First of all, brava, it was amazing. The acting, the costumes, the cinematography, the soundtrack, it all worked for me. I am going to be gnawing on this for a while. But to satisfy my immediate urge to scream into the void about this movie, I want to talk about cameras, in both the book and the movie.

In the intoduction to the 1985 edition of Queer, William S. Burroughs wrote-

What Lee is looking for is contact or recognition, like a photon emerging from the haze of insubstantiality to leave an indelible recording in Allerton's consciousness... Lee does not know that he is already committed to writing, since this is the only way he has of making an indelible record, whether Allerton is inclined to observe or not.

For context, the semi-autobiographical Queer makes Burroughs into Lee, and Eugene Allerton is the fictional version of Lewis Marker (seen here with Burroughs in 1951), who Burroughs pursued intensely.

In a letter to Allen Ginsburg, Burroughs states, "I wrote Queer for Marker." Their relationship fell apart in the course of writing the book, with Burroughs penning repeated letters to Marker in an attempt to reconnect. The longing for "recognition", to leave an "indelible record", is pervasive in the narrative. And the camera serves as a physical manifestation.

🚫 SPOILERS FOR "QUEER" BELOW THE CUT 🚫

In the book, the camera makes its first appearance immediately after Allerton and Lee first sleep together. Lee mentions that Allerton's camera is in pawn, and he offers to buy it back for him.

After they get the camera out of hawk, Allerton does not express any gratitude, and becomes "nervous and irritable" and after a tense conversation the the cafe he abandons Lee, refusing to make future plans.

In the movie (at least the theatrical cut, I mourn for that lost hour) the camera just appears as an object belonging to Allerton. However, the tense scene in the cafe remains, and ends with Allerton getting up to abruptly leave, nearly leaving the camera. Lee stops him, handing him the camera before he goes.

Lee in the book sees the incident with the camera as indicative of their relationship, saying -

He forced himself to look at the facts. Allerton was not queer enough to make a reciprocal relation possible. Lee's affection irritated him... Allerton did not recognize friends who made six-hundred-peso gifts, nor could he feel comfortable exploiting Lee. He made no attempt to clarify the situation. He did not want to see the contradiction involved in resenting a favor which he accepted. Lee found that he could tune in on Allerton's viewpoint, though the process caused him pain, since it involved seeing the extent of Allerton's indifference. "I liked him and I wanted him to like me," Lee thought. "I wasn't trying to buy anything."

While the story of their trip I to the jungle is vastly different from book to movie (which I am sure will be its own future ramble) they end very much the same - abruptly and with no closure.

While Lee wanted reciprocal affection, when he realizes that is unlikely to happen, he does buy Allerton's attention by paying for their trip to South America. In the book, the camera isn't mentioned during their journey, but its inclusion in the movie feels like a solid artistic choice. Allerton is along as an observer, after all, giving Lee the recognition and indelible record he longs for.

The final chapter, in the book and the movie, finds us back in Mexico City, two years after Lee's trip with Allerton and an extended absence by Lee himself. In the book, Lee is seeking subjects to take pictures of, but mostly resorts to snapping portraits of unwilling people. He says -

There is in fact something obscene and sinister about photography, a desire to imprison, incorporate, a sexual pursuit of intimacy.

The movie, though, offers an absolute gut punch. Two years have passed in the literal blink of a cinematic eye, spitting Lee back out with a camera and Allerton's haircut. It is as if he has become the observer he so desperately wanted, but still he is seeking out Allerton. It made me think of a line from Burroughs' introduction to the book -

While it was I who wrote Junky, I feel that I was being written in Queer.

One of the things I find fascinating is the self editing that took place between when Queer was written in 1952, and published in 1985. Burroughs writes in the introduction about how the death of his wife had influenced the book, and never once mentions Marker. But his memory clearly still stuck with Burroughs, as the editor of the 2010 edition of Queer notes that Allerton appears as a character in My Education and The Soft Machine.

Annnnnyway, I can promise I will be revisiting Queer. AND if you are like me and could not get into Junky, I highly suggest still giving Queer a read.

[mysterycitrus]

combat skill ranking of bats etc? i feel like i know what order you'd put but i love the way you explain things

idc about powerscaling except for interesting narrative reasons…. so this will be no evidence only vibes. and yeah i really feel like my opinions won’t be a surprise at all + im not interested in arguing about it but in brief

cass — obvsly. borderline superhuman eugenics baby. i don’t think there’s any elaboration needed but what isn’t talked about so much is she can dodge bullets and outrun a speeding car so like. she’s gonna curbstomp any vanilla human

dick — i know people disagree w me on this and like. yeah bruce could be considered a stronger physical combatant but dick is also the only person who’s better than cass at something and we know he excels at crowd control. he’s an acrobatic prodigy from birth, he’s got a really good strategic mind, and he’s really fast. he doesn’t hit hard but he hits a lot. u can’t catch him if he’s flipping around all over the place then launches himself at u going 80mph

bruce (and damian) — i only rank bruce higher cause damian is a lil baby. i dislike the idea that bruce is thee physical combatant, even ignoring cass, cause frankly bc and wildcat and connor hawke and richard dragon should all be substantially better. he’s really good at ten things vs a mastery of one. anyway he’s really big and still light on his feet. he has a fun belt full of bombs. he’s super bossy

once damian’s older i think he’ll surpass bruce easily (and possibly dick too). everyone else im really so so about. i’d rank babs and tim just after bruce probably. people act like tims only ability is his intelligence when he’s also one of the best staff fighters on the planet and it’s weird. steph is down towards the bottom because a lack of formal experience compared to everyone else, but is still very powerful when she hits. duke also has less experience but an edge with his powers and training w cass. jason…. he’s deffo closer to the top but idk i subscribe to the idea that there’s always going to be some subconscious adjustment to the new body he’s stuck in. he’s taller, he’s very capable, he’s a master of weaponry. but like pretty much everyone else he doesn’t have the physical advantage that someone like cass or damian have. i do not believe he can take dick grayson in a fair fight. sorry. partially for realism but mostly for tragic robin legacy reasons, yknow?

[mymhameme]

Custody AU

Takes place during Hawks' infiltration a bit before the League attack the CRC.

Garaki begins melding people's DNA together to purposefully create more intricate and powerful quirks to help study his doomsday theory. His plan after his research was to transfer the successful experiment's quirks to AFO and turn those he didn't want into Nomu.

Dabi finds out about his and Hawks' 'son' and is completely thrown for a loop. He is not interested in being a parent but seeing someone mess with eugenics regarding him once more pisses him off and he demands to be given the kid. Garaki refuses but Shigaraki convinces the doctor to let them take the boy on the condition that he can still study him to see his work's progress in the real world. Hawks finds out soon after and is horrified. He also has no desire to be a parent but he can't leave the kid with the League so he turns to the HPSC who tell him to focus on the mission. One test tube baby's life isn't worth the millions at risk right now. They will rescue him when the job is over and forge him into a hero like they did Hawks.

Without meaning to, they both continue the cycle of abuse they both faced as children- making their son feel unwanted and unloved. As if he is a faulty product or a burden that shouldn't have ever been born. Both Dabi and Hawks see what they've done and have to come to their own decisions about whether they step up and try to do what they wished their parents had been for them or continue to back away and focus on themselves.

___________

Basically, this AU is a shit excuse to draw what I think their kid would look like and use him as a mirror for Hawks and Dabi so they're forced to look at themselves instead of wallowing or deflecting the issues to chase after grand goals.

Not necessarily a ship AU but it's open enough to be that way if you like.

Also, I'm not sure of how old I want him to be so the drawings above kinda jump ages a bit. Blame it on rapid development serum or something idk

[darkonekrisrewrite]

Emily from Hazbin Hotel would be infinitely better at Deku's job (narratively and literally) than he is. For the simple fact that when she finds out about Heaven's dark secret, the exterminations, she is horrified and goes this is not okay, it's not okay that this is happening, I am not going to be quiet about this. If we are judging people off of one moment and are refusing to look at the context, or improvement, while allowing our people to get away with this, than this entire system is a lie. We get this in one episode, fuck it, a song

Deku meanwhile in 400+ chapters finds out horrifying truth after horrifying truth about hero society, and doesn't care, half the time it doesn't even occur that this is fucked up, and should not be happening. He is bullied for years based on his quirk status, especially by Bakugou 'well he's going to be a hero so this shouldn't be taken seriously' He learns that the number 2 hero bought his wife, neglected his not perfect quirk babies and abused all of them, and was already an ass before that, 'theres no need to bring this up to All Might, or the principal, or do anything about that, I just need to get this victim to be cool with his quirk' (this also goes for Bakugou the easedropper). His upperclassman stops him from saving a six year old in blatant danger, and both that top upperclassman, their boss, and his past mentor outwardly state/ agree with it would be bad publicity if they didn't arrest all the Yakuza at once, and that they barely care about that child after learning see was the ingredient to the weapon they were making, 'well were saving her now'. Lady Nagant was and Hawks is the personal assassin for the commission against whoever they want without trial or due process, 'Hawks is going to make a great new president of the commission'. Rody Soul was forced to support his younger siblings as a child, was assaulted by adults, was forced to turn to crime, while heroes did nothing, 'well I'm helping now (because it goes along with a larger case) so it's all good'

After all this Deku is a fucking bootlicker who is mentally so fucking lazy he has never questioned this shit ass system after all this, his values are empty because he only cares to look at the titles and not reality, he has gotten worse, not better, at this over the course of the series. Meanwhile Emily wasn't tolerating this shit day one of finding out, and she was working within this system too

Yeah pretty much true.

People say that hazbin hotel rushes things because of it's short episode count/runtime but at least it always gets to the point without going in circles for years, dragging out the characters finally understanding the message.

When something obviously wrong and counter to everything they believe in, is shoved in a character's face, there should be a reaction equal to the importance of the 'idea/theme' in verse.

In theory, it doesn't matter if their reaction is good or bad/for better or worse, because either way it should be an understood event that causes a blow to their way of thinking, based on the importance of the revelation.

Deku did that all of 1 time.

And that's putting it generously, in him mildly calling out Endeavor at the sports festival, way back at the beginning of the series.

This never happened again, not towards anything related to heroes or hero society.

It should have been a very big deal for Deku to realize that the number 2 hero was able to buy another human being as part of a eugenics goal to make a more powerful hero.

He at least should have considered telling an authority figure (All-might or Nedzu) about it, just in case there was anything else that may have been going on with Endeavor.

It should have been a very big revelation for Deku that his upperclassmen was willing to let a very clearly injured (wearing bandages) and terrified little girl go back with the guy who was obviously implied to be responsible for doing it to her.

Mirio could have beaten or at least stalled overhaul until backup arrived while Deku took Eri and ran.

(He definitely could have too, as he was able to fight against overhaul in a confined space while quirkless, for a fair amount of time.)

But until everyone knew exactly what was going on with Eri, Mirio was fine with putting the mission above a little girl's life, letting her go with someone who they knew was a dangerous Yakuza.

Gigantic red flag regarding what the heroes prioritize when the situation isn't ideal.

It ties back into hero society abandoning those who are inconvenient perfectly, leaving them to suffer and eventually become villains or die.

Looking back Deku should have realized that but because he got the approval of the system to go back and save the girl as part of the mission, everything's cool...

And this does show that he has gotten worse as the series goes on, as he's not even willing to bark back at the hero system.

Deku has called out villains all the time (Dabi, Flecturn, toga and Shigaraki), he knows how to talk back, so it's not that he CAN'T.

But whenever it's something that's got to do with hero's flaws, nothing.

It's that he WON'T talk back to heroes.

And if he really is just a kid who can't even talk back to his bosses or peers, or the "innocent" people who are responsible for (at least) half of the villains in bnha -

With the idea that they are responsible for the villain's current lives, showing how their callousness and cruelty drove the villains to that point.

-Then what the hell have we been following him all this time for?

Izuku has only temporarily saved their society, like Mirio said: "Setting things at Zero".

Is that it? The best to hope for?

Setting things back to Zero with no idea of improvement? Because it's "Impossible"??

[icy-bluez]

Strongest You've Ever Been (Part 2)

Warnings: Female lead, pet names, lots of fluff, bit of angst, mentions of blood and gore.

Characters: Zayne

Synopsis: You go to war, whilst pregnant.

A/N: Domestic moments with Zayne are killing me. I don't know if I should be writing a version for Xavier and Rafayel too. Btw, I need to know if I should include the other boys in the these fics or not.

| Part 1 |

The morning sickness was back. Well, it wasn't really morning sickness because you were nauseous almost all of the time and struggled to eat much. Zayne held your hair back as you threw up in the bathroom, rubbing circles on your back and soothing you before bringing you back to bed.

He had gotten incredibly protective over you all of a sudden, not like he wasn't before. You currently had a pillow supporting your back, his arms wrapped around your legs and his head on your lap. He refused to let go.

You looked over his shirtless back as you ran your fingers through his hair. He seemed to ease as time passed by.

"Zayne, are you alright?"

"I should be the one asking you that question..." He looks up from your lap, vulnerability evident in his features. He sighs. You smile at him and keep stroking his soft hair.

"Is something bothering you?"

He finally relents. "I'm...quite anxious..." he starts. You encourage him to go on.

"I'm so elated about the fact that I'm going to be a father but thinking about you throwing yourself in the face of danger has me worried for the safety of both of you." He softly touches your stomach.

"I'm going to make sure I'm alright Zayne, for you, for me and the growing life in me." you pause with a sad smile. "And my squad is almost as protective as you. When we tell them of my pregnancy, I'm pretty sure they're going to watch over me like hawks."

"Still does not reassure me." He mumbles.

"Oh Zayne..." You kiss his hair.

----------------------------------------------------------

The time to get back to the frontlines had arrived. Zayne had successfully gotten hold of the permission to temporarily serve at the military facility in the current warzone. The both of you arrive at the barracks together, Zayne held your hand the entire way. The Z01 squad immediately welcomed you back, which was running at you so fast they almost toppled over each other, you included. But Zayne came in for the clutch, immediately whisking you away in his arms as Tyler and Eugene fell on top of each other.

"Hey! Mr. Husband! That is cheating!" Tyler complains.

"Yeah, why'd you just whisk her away?" says Eugene.

Zayne just sighs like an exasperated father, arm still around your waist.

You laugh. "We have something to announce."

"That Mr. Zayne's serving as a military doctor temporarily? We all knew that would happen." Jennie whispers.

"I can hear you, you know?" You say pointedly.

The squad quietens down.

"Okay, I'm pregnant. I will continue to serve my position as General, I have run it over with Captain Jenna and the other HQ officials. My Evol will still be used in order to protect you, be rest assured about it. There will be slight changes in the scheduling for troops directly under me--"

"Wait wait wait slow down!" another squad member exclaims.

"Yes? Any questions Ms. Davidson? You stop.

"You've just going to speed run over the fact that you're pregnant and expect us to go 'oh yeah makes sense'?!" Jennie throws her hands up.

You look around, confused. Zayne just stood slightly enamored by the authority in your voice.

"I don't understand..." you start.

"Well! We're going into war, you're pregnant, you're also the General, you have a heart disease and I'm pretty sure the entirety of the squad is concerned. But. WHO CARES WE NEED TO CELEBRATE." Eugene proposes loudly.

"You deal with a very energetic bunch." Zayne says, a small smile on his face.

"I know...but we have to get started on the plans and drafts--" you start saying but Zayne just moves away and pushes you towards them.

"Have fun."

"What no! Don't go! You're coming with me!" You grab his hand then look expectantly at your squad. Never having seen you so vulnerable before, they just cheer and half-carry, half-drag the both of you to the mess hall.

----------------------------------------------------------

The morning after, a stillness had settled in the military settlement. You hadn't seen Zayne since the morning as he had gotten busy with tending to the wounded. The Metaflux ratings had spiked. Squadrons went into the containment zone under your lead and you waited until the worm hole appeared again. This time, you were more prepared but also scared. You ordered your soldiers into formation and almost in queue, the Wanderers appear. You could see many of the hunters stood closer to you, poised and ready. With a surge of gratefulness in your heart. You charged into battle.

You took down enemies with a grace that had your squad feeling proud of having you as their Captain. The Wanderers did not mindlessly attack this time, they stood in a formation, led by orders. You didn't like the behavior. Aiming at another wanderer, you shot before it impaled a soldier. You were scared about overexerting yourself so you stood at a distance, using ranged weapons only.

Before a wave of nausea hit you and you dropped to your knees on the ground. Tyler shouts your name from the side whilst fighting a wanderer.

"Captain! Are you aright?"

You take a deep breath, look up and shoot at your target, still on your knees. You shout back at him.

"I'm your General on the battlefield."

You hear Tyler grunt but still spare a look to smile at you. You sign 'don't get distracted' at him and once again do your graceful dance.

You squat down behind a destroyed house, gun to your chest and listening for the threat. A wanderer roams slowly looking for you. Eugene, Tyler and a senior member of the squad named Amir are all close.

"Target at 2'o clock. Get ready." you whisper.

"Roger."

"General, are you sure you're going to be okay?" Amir asks.

"I can fight Mr. Zhafran. Be rest assured. If I do drop, I'm counting on the lot of you."

"You're scaring me Gen.." Tyler says, looking like he was about to cry. You sigh.

"You can hug me later, just focus on the target at hand right now."

"...Roger." Tyler says, his voice breaking as he sniffs.

----------------------------------------------------------

Zayne can feel anxiety creeping up on him. While his face betrays no emotion, his steady hands show no sign of shaking, his mind wanders.

'What if you come back hurt?'

'What if you're too tired to come back?'

'What if--'

So many 'what ifs' eat at him. Unable to take it anymore, he walks out of the infirmary and looks into the containment zone. He can see silhouettes of people, bright flashes of Evol and can hear lots of screaming. The ground is bloodstained, some mutilated bodies lie close. The stench of sweat, blood and rotten flesh wafts in the air. He immediately regrets coming outside as his fears become more deep-rooted. The sight was nothing he wasn't used to but thinking about you in this same situation...

He is brought out of his spiraling thoughts by his phone vibrating in his pocket. Its Dr. William.

"Yes, what is it Dr. William?"

"Just called to check up on you. Are you busy?"

"Not currently and I'm fine. Is there anything important you wish to talk about?" he asks.

"Let me ramble, nothing important. You know, you could have at least thanked me for helping you get that permit. You just rushed out of the hospital like you were being chased."

"Thank you." Zayne says, deadpan. There's silence on the other side.

"I can almost see you rubbing your nose bridge in anxiety in my mind's eye." William says, his voice gentler now. Zayne sighs.

"Your wife is one of the strongest women I know. Going into war while pregnant. She's going to get one of those fancy military awards for sure when she comes back. Have you seen her fight?" William says with an excitement in his voice.

Zayne smiles to himself. "I have yes. I was frankly impressed by her skills."

"Yeah you see? Everything is going to be just fine." William reassures, ever the cheerful guy.

"I'll have to take your word for it."

An announcement goes off.

"The squad on the Eastern battlefield has been wiped out. All military trained medical personnel are requested to come to the safe camp in the containment zone immediately. There has been a flux of wounded and casualties in the eastern squad. I repeat--"

Zayne feels his heart drop.

"Oh no, I'll call you later. Go!" William hangs up.

Zayne almost drops his phone while bolting. Rushing to meet the other doctors, Zayne follows them into the containment zone. When he reaches the eastern battlefield, he immediately gives out orders to start with their healing. He can see the immense massacre and subconsciously looks for your face. It wasn't long before he saw your face, his only reprieve was you weren't wounded.

"Zayne!' you say, while fending off a wanderer. You shoot it between the eyes, pull out a dagger from inside your boot and chop another's neck off. A third arrives, you drop to the ground and use your feet to kick up into the wanderer's face. You then use your Evol to jump high into the air and drop kick the wanderer, your Evol enhanced strength effectively buries the wanderer neck deep into the ground. Zayne watches, awestruck before hurriedly resuming his duty. Troops appear around the doctors, protecting them as they help wounded hunters. Zayne reassures himself that you're going to be alright and continues with diligence.

"Standby team, get into formation and come to set co-ordinates immediately." You order.

"Get the stretcher ready. We need the defibrillator, carry patient into the camp immediately. Make sure to sterilize the surroundings." Zayne instructs.

Together the both of you help bring a moment of peace to the battlefield. Its almost the end for this day.

----------------------------------------------------------

There's a quietness that you cannot bear after the immense amount of screaming. Nobody talks. A lone wanderer appears from the very edge of the battlefield. Everybody gets ready. You are starting to feel extremely exhausted and can barely keep your eyes open. Losing balance, you steady yourself on a nearby hunter.

"General..." they say, holding you steady.

"This is the last one remaining?" you ask, feeling sick to your bones.

"Yes ma'am. You should sit down for a while, we will be able to take care of it."

You put your hand on your stomach. No matter how much you want to step onto the battlefield with your soldiers, you did not want to make Zayne more worried about you than he already was.

"Okay."

----------------------------------------------------------

You had collapsed. Zayne immediately came into the infirmary after his latest patient was stable. He would only be able to stay for 15 minutes max but he wanted to utilize whatever little time he had with you. Sitting down on a chair beside the bed, he grasps your hand in his.

"Are you going to do this to yourself for the next month or so?" he whispers, bringing your hand to his lips and closing his eyes. You stir.

"Mm...Zayne..." you say in your sleep. He clutches your hand tighter.

"I'm right here." he whispers, not knowing if you were awake or simply calling his name out in your sleep. You did that a lot and he found it incredibly endearing.

"Zayne.." you say again and open your eyes, finding yourself eye to eye with a very blurry image of him. "Why are you still awake...go to sleep..."

Zayne smiles sadly, listening to your half-asleep rambling.

"Its not time to sleep yet, love. Though for you it is. I recall you saying you would not over-exert yourself..."

"I tried..." you say, weakly pulling his arm, wanting him to get into bed with you.

"I still have some work to do Y/N..." he scolds, yet gets under the sheet, throwing one hand under your head and the another over your waist. His presence like a warm blanket, making you feel safe and loved. You feel his fingers stroke your hair and detangle the knots in them. You bury your face in the crook of his neck.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay now.."

"Be honest y/n." he scolds gently.

"Mm...nauseous and tired. My boobs hurt but they look bigger teehee." You look into his eyes. The both of you look dead tired.

"That is normal during pregnancy. Please tell me if there's something out of the ordinary. If there's blood--"

"Stop, I'm scared enough already."

Zayne almost instantly shuts up. You look up slightly guilty but he just kisses your forehead.

"My apologies."

"You don't have to apologize you big oaf."

"Oaf? Me?" he looks amused.

"Big Snowman?"

"How about Dr. Zayne? Doesn't that fit?"

"Big Snowman." you declare. You feel his chest vibrate as he laughs.

"You were amazing today." he muses.

"Oh yeah, you saw me."

"If you fight like that everyday, I cannot help but be concerned."

"The eastern squad was wiped out Zayne...I...got angry..." sadness clouds your voice. "We're going to hold a memorial for the deceased soldiers tomorrow. There were some we couldn't even get the bodies of." you pause, continuing in a whisper, "I don't know how I'm going to face their families..."

"Y/N..." You fall into silence.

"There were times when patients had died by my hands when I had spent and immense about of time, put an incredible amount of effort into saving them. If they still didn't make it, I would feel devastated and you would come comfort me." he says.

"But this is the thing, you tried your very best and that is what matters. You cannot spread yourself too thin, cannot protect everybody. That is reality, maybe with time the grief will lessen."

"Does grief really go away with time?" you ask, letting yourself be taken care of, be scolded, be comforted. You were human after all, you couldn't be strong all the time and you had an amazing person to be vulnerable with. So why not?

"No, but people can simply get used to being in sorrow."

Somebody opens the door, making Zayne look up from your embrace. Tara, your friend looks into the room, gives Zayne and apologetic look. "Just a little announcement, Dr. Zayne you can stay here if you want. The patients in the ward have been taken care of, many of them are stable now. Please rest, and you too Y/N, don't forget that I'm mad at you." she says sadly before leaving.

"Stay with me?" you ask Zayne.

"I would never say no to your requests love."

ANTHOLOGY LIST

[kwebtv]

Eugene Allen Hackman (January 30, 1930 – c. February 18, 2025) Film, stage and television actor. Considered one of the greatest actors of his generation and a paragon of the New Hollywood movement, Hackman's acting career spanned over four decades. He received several accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.

Primarily a film actor Hackman did appear in a number of television series, including The United States Steel Hour, Brenner, Tallahassee 7000, The Defenders, Look Up and Live, Naked City, Route 66, The DuPont Show of the Week, East Side West Side, The Trials of O'Brien, Hawk, The F.B.I., The Invaders, Iron Horse, CBS Playhouse, I Spy, Insight and the made for TV Movie Shadow on the Land. (Wikipedia)

IMDb Listing

[coimbrabertone]

Who is the Ferrari of the Motorcycle World?

A bit of a short blogpost this week since this is that time in my writing schedule where I've just posted a chapter of Fastest of the Prancing Horses, have to post this month's chapter of Racing in the Golden Age, and then back to Fastest of the Prancing Horses for that story's biweekly uploads. Self-imposed fanfic upload schedules aside, let's talk motorcycles.

Who is the Ferrari of motorcycles?

Ducati comes to mind first, being Italian and red and heavily associated with racing. The fact that when Ducati entered MotoGP in 2003, it had a very Ferrari like set of sponsors didn't hurt either. Marlboro and Shell at first, then Telecom Italia's Alice brand got involved in the late 2000s, and after diverging a bit in the early 2010s - when Ducati had a sponsorship with Mercedes-AMG of all people - they both wound up with Philip Morris' Mission Winnow as a sponsor.

And around the same time as Mission Winnow, both gained Lenovo sponsorships. Ferrari's Lenovo deal seemed to only last for 2018 and 2019 and has recently been replaced by a title sponsorship from HP, whilst the ties between Ducati and Lenovo have only grown stronger, becoming a title sponsorship from 2021 onwards.

So, the sponsorship is very similar, but it's not the same.

Plus, there's now a pretty big stumbling block to the whole Ducati = Ferrari thing.

That being that Ducati is owned by Lamborghini. Yup, in 2012, Ducati was acquired by Audi - which itself is part of the Volkswagen Group - and Ducati was placed under the control of Lamborghini. So, in a funny little shell game, Ducati was owned by Lamborghini who was owned by Audi who was owned by Volkswagen.

So yes, Ducati may have the superficial resemblance to Ferrari, but being owned by Ferrari's greatest rival kinda breaks the whole comparison.

Another thing that doesn't help is that Ducati's Grand Prix racing history is rather recent. Sure, their history with superbikes and the Isle of Man TT, with famous riders like Mike Hailwood and Carl Fogarty, but they did not have that MotoGP pedigree until 2003 onwards. Even then, Ducati only had a single 2007 championship until their recent (2022-present) success.

So, how about someone who does have GP pedigree?

MV Agusta.

The massive amount of success that MV Agusta had with the likes of John Surtees, Guy Hawking, Mike Hailwood, the great Giacomo Agostini, and Phil Reed gave MV a stranglehold over the 500cc class from 1958 to 1974, a level of domination that Ferrari could only dream of.

The problem is that, since then, MV Agusta hasn't really had the money to race.

They've tried a couple of times, with various Superbike and Supersport efforts, most prominently with Reparto Corse who is still in WSSP, as well as a brief partnership with Forward Racing in Moto2 between 2019 and 2022. None of this compares to MV Agusta's past greatness, and none of it is really comparable to Ferrari either.

That being said, on the road bike side, I think MV Agusta matches Ferrari in terms of being these rare, expensive, incredibly desirable things. Ducati is no slouch either in that regard, but, come on, just look at a MV Agusta F4 or Superveloce and tell me those aren't some of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made.

So MV Agusta and Ducati both meet some criteria, but both fail at some others.

So here is another contender: Aprilia.

Now, Aprilia's racing history started rather recently, but they've done a lot in that time - their 125cc and 250cc bikes dominated the lower classes of GP racing in the 90s and 2000s, with riders like Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri, Alvaro Bautista, Jorge Lorenzo, and Marc Marquez all taking championships on board their bikes and then going on to have massively successful careers.

Even once the two-stroke success dried up, Aprilia took the fight to World Superbikes, winning the 2010 and 2012 titles with Max Biaggi and then the 2014 title with Sylvain Guintoli. The likes of Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri also took wins on the Aprilia WSBK bikes at this time.

Their factory team efforts ceased in 2015, but that was because Aprilia was entering MotoGP.

First with Gresini, Aprilia began a long preparation period, but come 2022, Aprilia was ready. Gresini went its own way as a Ducati satellite team, while Aprilia entered a full factory effort with Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales.

Aleix would win in the third race of the season at Argentina and finish fourth in the standings while Maverick took three podiums and an eleventh place finish.

In 2023, Aleix would win at Britain and then sweep the weekend at Catalunya to finish sixth in the standings, while Maverick Vinales was just behind him in seventh. That Catalunya race would also mark Aprilia's first 1-2 finish.

2024 wasn't as strong, but Maverick Vinales still swept the weekend at COTA on his way to a seventh-place championship finish, whilst Aleix Espargaro won the sprint race at Catalunya for the second year in a row, a fine feather in the cap for his retirement year, even if he did slip to eleventh in the standings in the process.

Now, with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin as their riders - and Jorge having the option to put the #1 plate on the Aprilia if he so chooses - Aprilia is certainly on the way up in MotoGP.

Oh, and the team is run by former Ferrari man Massimo Rivola.

If that's still not enough to convince you, then let me take you back to the 90s when, for a brief period of time, it seemed like the Piaggio Group (Aprilia's parent company) and Fiat (then Ferrari's parent company) were on the verge of a merger.

Giovannino Agnelli - the nephew of Fiat supremo GIanni Agnelli and the son of Antonella Becchi Luserna Piaggio, the adopted daughter of Enrico Piaggio - became President of Piaggio in 1993. In 1995, Gianni Agnelli officially named Giovannino his successor...only for Giovannino to pass away from cancer in December 1997.

Gianni Angelli would die in January 2003, with the Ferrari F2003-GA named in his honor.

Had Giovannino not predeceased his grandfather, Aprilia and Ferrari could well now be sister companies.

Another side effect of the whole Piaggio ownership thing is that Aprilia's sister companies include Moto Guzzi, Gilera, and Derbi, and those brands certainly fill out Aprilia's racing history.

Gilera was the first giant of 500cc motorcycle racing, winning six titles between 1950 and 1957. while Moto Guzzi wasn't quite as successful with its 500cc V8, it did win the very first 250cc championship in 1949, as well as five consecutive 350cc titles from 1953 to 1957.

As for Derbi, it had a ton of success in 50cc and 125cc GP racing with Angel Nieto in the 70s, and then later on during the golden age of two-stroke Aprilias, Aprilia had some of their bikes badged as a Gilera or as a Derbi.

Marco Simoncelli won the 2008 250cc title on a Gilera whilst Marc Marquez's aforementioned 2010 125cc title was on a Derbi.

So, when you put it like that, Aprilia does have a pretty consistent history in GP racing after all, huh?

Well, if none of those convinced you, there's a surprise fourth candidate, because the rumor mill is that, with KTM's financial difficulties, Lewis Hamilton is in talks to invest in the KTM MotoGP team. So, there is a possibility that we'll see a MotoGP team owned by a Ferrari Formula One driver in the near future.

Yup, after all these Italian companies, the Ferrari of MotoGP might end up being the road racing arm of an Austrian dirt bike company.

We live in strange times.