#boone apex

[cowpokebeetle]

does the pspsps thing to you boonehound fans

[mynniemourning]

Me messing around on character ai : Give me a list of Bloodhound headcanons.

"Bloodhound wears a necklace with Boone's old/worn dogtag attached."

Me:

[starshapedspider]

boone could be a beautiful feminine trans person and we don’t even know it

[houndings]

WIP.

POV, this is what 10 hrs of hozier yearning and colonizing Boonehound results in.

[estercity]

i think the biggest writing flaw with fusehound and maggie's involvement is that it not only does a disservice to everyone involved but it minimises the actual interesting conflict in their character writing in favour of relationship drama.

maggie's conflict with fuse isn't because he abandoned their efforts to save their planet from colonisation by the syndicate in favour of a blood sport, it's because maggie's framed as an abusive ex-girlfriend who didn't want fuse to 'follow his dreams' and leave her behind.

bloodhound's struggle to let fuse in emotionally isn't because fuse is complicit with the very people who caused their planet to be destroyed and mined out for resources, ultimately leading to their family being killed, it's because of what hapened to boone.

i don't even think fuse HAS much character motivation at this point. his whole character is that he's compliant with whoever's giving him the more interesting offer be it maggie, blisk or bloodhound. this in itself isn't a bad writing decision imo! i think it's interesting to have a character whose previous 'selflessness' was clearly selfishness as it becomes more and more aparent their morality is entirely based on their own comfort.

HOWERVER, the writing is sooo kind to fuse. apex wants you to think that fuse is in the right and maggie is in the wrong for trying to stop him, but they obviously don't want the message to be 'maggie is wrong for opposing violent colonisation of her homeland' so they cut it off at the knees once fuse and bloodhound are pushed together and made to kiss. that's ignoring the very CLEAR and more INTERESTING direction where they actually show bloodhound at odds with the fact fuse is just objectively not a very good man and that maggie alligns with bloodhound's struggles much more closely.

i don't understand in a game whose writers obviously loooove writing relationship conflict (will never forgive what they did to bangaloba and valkyrie as long as i live and breathe) why the one time they have a perfect set up they completely squander it.

[thaoworra]

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association recently released the poems that made it to the finalist stage for consideration for the 2024 Rhysling Awards for Short and Long Speculative Poems of the year. Congratulations to all of the nominees! This will be the 46th year these awards have been conferred!

Short Poems (50 finalists)

Attn: Prime Real Estate Opportunity!, Emily Ruth Verona, Under Her Eye: A Women in Horror Poetry Collection Volume II

The Beauty of Monsters, Angela Liu, Small Wonders 1

The Blight of Kezia, Patricia Gomes, HWA Poetry Showcase X

The Day We All Died, A Little, Lisa Timpf, Radon 5

Deadweight, Jack Cooper, Propel 7

Dear Mars, Susan L. Lin, The Sprawl Mag 1.2

Dispatches from the Dragon's Den, Mary Soon Lee, Star*Line 46.2

Dr. Jekyll, West Ambrose, Thin Veil Press December

First Eclipse: Chang-O and the Jade Hare, Emily Jiang, Uncanny 53

Five of Cups Considers Forgiveness, Ali Trotta, The Deadlands 31

Gods of the Garden, Steven Withrow, Spectral Realms 19

The Goth Girls' Gun Gang, Marisca Pichette, The Dread Machine 3.2

Guiding Star, Tim Jones, Remains to be Told: Dark Tales of Aotearoa, ed. Lee Murray (Clan Destine Press)

Hallucinations Gifted to Me by Heatstroke, Morgan L. Ventura, Banshee 15

hemiplegic migraine as willing human sacrifice, Ennis Rook Bashe, Eternal Haunted Summer Winter Solstice

Hi! I am your Cortical Update!, Mahaila Smith, Star*Line 46.3

How to Make the Animal Perfect?, Linda D. Addison, Weird Tales 100

I Dreamt They Cast a Trans Girl to Give Birth to the Demon, Jennessa Hester, HAD October

Invasive, Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, Polar Starlight 9

kan-da-ka, Nadaa Hussein, Apparition Lit 23

Language as a Form of Breath, Angel Leal, Apparition Lit October

The Lantern of September, Scott Couturier, Spectral Realms 19

Let Us Dream, Myna Chang, Small Wonders 3

The Magician's Foundling, Angel Leal, Heartlines Spec 2

The Man with the Stone Flute, Joshua St. Claire, Abyss & Apex 87

Mass-Market Affair, Casey Aimer, Star*Line 46.4

Mom's Surprise, Francis W. Alexander, Tales from the Moonlit Path June

A Murder of Crows, Alicia Hilton, Ice Queen 11

No One Now Remembers, Geoffrey Landis, Fantasy and Science Fiction Nov./Dec.

orion conquers the sky, Maria Zoccula, On Spec 33.2

Pines in the Wind, Karen Greenbaum-Maya, The Beautiful Leaves (Bamboo Dart Press)

The Poet Responds to an Invitation from the AI on the Moon, T.D. Walker, Radon Journal 5

A Prayer for the Surviving, Marisca Pichette, Haven Speculative 9

Pre-Nuptial, F. J. Bergmann, The Vampiricon (Mind's Eye Publications)

The Problem of Pain, Anna Cates, Eye on the Telescope 49

The Return of the Sauceress, F. J. Bergmann, The Flying Saucer Poetry Review February

Sea Change, David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Ann K. Schwader, Scifaikuest May

Seed of Power, Linda D. Addison, The Book of Witches ed. Jonathan Strahan (Harper Collins)

Sleeping Beauties, Carina Bissett, HWA Poetry Showcase X

Solar Punks, J. D. Harlock, The Dread Machine 3.1

Song of the Last Hour, Samuel A. Betiku, The Deadlands 22

Sphinx, Mary Soon Lee, Asimov's September/October

Storm Watchers (a drabbun), Terrie Leigh Relf, Space & Time

Sunflower Astronaut, Charlie Espinosa, Strange Horizons July

Three Hearts as One, G. O. Clark, Asimov's May/June

Troy, Carolyn Clink, Polar Starlight 12

Twenty-Fifth Wedding Anniversary, John Grey, Medusa's Kitchen September

Under World, Jacqueline West, Carmina Magazine September

Walking in the Starry World, John Philip Johnson, Orion's Belt May

Whispers in Ink, Angela Yuriko Smith, Whispers from Beyond (Crystal Lake Publishing)

Long Poems (25 finalists)

Archivist of a Lost World, Gerri Leen, Eccentric Orbits 4

As the witch burns, Marisca Pichette, Fantasy 87

Brigid the Poet, Adele Gardner, Eternal Haunted Summer Summer Solstice

Coding a Demi-griot (An Olivian Measure), Armoni “Monihymn” Boone, Fiyah 26

Cradling Fish, Laura Ma, Strange Horizons May

Dream Visions, Melissa Ridley Elmes, Eccentric Orbits 4

Eight Dwarfs on Planet X, Avra Margariti, Radon Journal 3

The Giants of Kandahar, Anna Cates, Abyss & Apex 88

How to Haunt a Northern Lake, Lora Gray, Uncanny 55

Impostor Syndrome, Robert Borski, Dreams and Nightmares 124

The Incessant Rain, Rhiannon Owens, Evermore 3

Interrogation About A Monster During Sleep Paralysis, Angela Liu, Strange Horizons November

Little Brown Changeling, Lauren Scharhag, Aphelion 283

A Mere Million Miles from Earth, John C. Mannone, Altered Reality April

Pilot, Akua Lezli Hope, Black Joy Unbound eds. Stephanie Andrea Allen & Lauren Cherelle (BLF Press)

Protocol, Jamie Simpher, Small Wonders 5

Sleep Dragon, Herb Kauderer, The Book of Sleep (Written Image Press)

Slow Dreaming, Herb Kauderer, The Book of Sleep (Written Image Press)

St. Sebastian Goes To Confession, West Ambrose, Mouthfeel 1

Value Measure, Joseph Halden and Rhonda Parrish, Dreams and Nightmares 125

A Weather of My Own Making, Nnadi Samuel, Silver Blade 56

Welcoming the New Girl, Beth Cato, Penumbric October

What You Find at the Center, Elizabeth R McClellan, Haven Spec Magazine 12

The Witch Makes Her To-Do List, Theodora Goss, Uncanny 50

The Year It Changed, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Star*Line 46.4

Voting for the Rhysling Award begins July 1; a link to the ballot will be sent with the Rhysling Anthology, as well as with the July issue of Star*Line. More information on the Rhysling Award can be found here.

[revelboo]

True Romance Pt 7

Seeker Trine x Reader

18+ content

• “I can do it myself!” You hiss, flight or fight fully triggered as you try to launch yourself out of Skywarp’s servos and back to the safety of the desk. Knowing full well that’s there’s nowhere to hide and that one of them is just going to catch you again. That you’re probably the equivalent of a talking hamster to them, but still. You can’t make yourself cooperate for community shower time and being gawked at naked by the three of them. What little pride you have left from being a glorified pet, is screaming at you to the tune of death before dishonor.

• Even though the fall isn’t that high, when you launch yourself out of his servos, hit the desk, stumble and fall, then immediately bolt, Skywarp’s spark constricts. “This isn’t negotiable, you stink,” he snarls, shaking off the worry that you might have broken one of those tiny bones. Wings flared out in embarrassment because Star and TC are watching you evade him. Because for being so tiny, you can move when you’re properly motivated.

• “Enough,” Starscream vents tiredly as Thundercracker fidgets beside him, wanting to intervene. He really didn’t think you’d get so distraught about being washed, but Skywarp has a point. “Come here.” Shouldering up beside Skywarp, he lays his palm on the desk and glowers down at you. Watching you raggedly breathe, body tense and those eyes angry. “Now, little one.” And shoulders slumping, you slowly approach him and rock to a stop in front of his servos. Refusing to climb into his palm in one last little act of rebellion.

• Finally. Wings easing as Starscream picks you up and strides past them toward the private wash racks attached to their habsuite. A boon because of Star’s status as SIC that’s especially welcome now since they won’t have to risk you being seen by the other Decepticons. Thundercracker really can’t understand why you’re being so difficult about this as you wrap your arms around yourself and sulk. Eyes almost panicked when Star grips the bottom of your covering and tries to tug it up off your body. And it clicks as he watches your very doomed struggle to not give up your covering. You’re embarrassed. Swearing nonstop as Star finally wins the brief struggle and strips your covering off.

• And they’re all staring at you as you shuffle so your back is to them as best you can and cover yourself with your hands, shoulders hunched in defeat. Honestly, your nakedness is probably as interesting to them as a hairless cat. Because you’re not a person to them, you’re a pet that talks. “All that fuss,” Starscream mutters as he cradles you to him and reaches to touch the controls for the water. And the warm, almost too hot water is wonderful. Almost worth being gaped at. Tipping your head into the spray, you startle at the feel of a servo sliding over the curve of your hip and up along the bottom of your ribs.

• “Soft all over,” Skywarp murmurs, grinning when you swat at his servo. Your little face even redder than it had been. And you’d stopped covering the apex of your thighs to smack him, giving him a glimpse of you. Ignoring Star’s frown as the SIC uses a servo to rub your wet hair and both hands lift to shove at him, a leg shifting for balance. Hears the surprised sound TC makes on Star’s other side.

• You’re outnumbered. Starscream staring down at you, his expression almost surprised as you realize what you’re doing and try to cover yourself again. Only to have Thundercracker stroke along your spine. Giving up and just sitting in Starscream’s palms with your knees drawn up against yourself, though you’re sure you just flashed all three of them trying to stop Starscream from messing with your hair. Trying your best to ignore the three of them as you just wish you this was over already as you scrub at your skin and hair, while trying to keep your bits covered.

• Under the coverings, you’re shaped curiously like a tiny, delicate protoform. And while Starscream had noticed the similarities between you and them, the differences had always snagged him. Watching your mortified attempts to wash, he flares his wings out protectively, using his wingspan to nudge his brothers back so they’ll leave you be, because that embarrassment bothers him. Ignoring it as Skywarp shoots him an annoyed look and drifts into a stall further from him. Optics narrowing as the other Seeker frees his spike and grips himself, Starscream turns more toward Thundercracker in annoyance, but not before he sees your little eyes widen in shock.

• Face hot, there’s no unseeing that. Or forgetting it. Because your giant alien robots have all the equipment and you have no idea why. But you can hear Skywarp growling softly. Not wanting to look, but unable to stop yourself from peeking over your shoulder like a voyeur as he pumps his fist. His head turning to catch you staring and just grinning at you as his hips rock. And then Starscream is flaring his wings again, firmly nudging your head away with a servo against your cheek. Seeing Thundercracker watching you before glancing at Starscream. And his jaw is clenched when you look up at him, clearly unhappy as you all get to listen to Skywarp snarling as he strokes himself.

Previous

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[omagpies]

No way! Another person who has spent way too much time on apex! Who's your main? I'm guessing BH but I don't want to assume. How did you feel about the BH/Fuse engagement? Do you have any heirlooms? Sorry, not very many people play apex on here.

Also, do you have any apex art? If not that's totally cool but I would love to see it!

you have activated my trap card!! many drawings ahead

my main is indeed bloodhound. i also whip out fuse, mirage, and to a lesser degree octane, but mostly i'm a one trick bloodhound. they were what got me into the game in the first place back in season 7 when i heard their 'i'm afraid of heights :(' voicelines (a cool hunter nonbinary character voiced by none other than allegra clark? sign me tf up), and even though i am Very Bad At Shooting and don't actually like battle royale-type games apex stayed my brainrot for over two years. the brainrot is definitely over now and these days i play it as a social thing, but that's how i acquired 2k+ hours lmao

also they released a magpiehound recolor called 'frosthaven' that i gleefully snatched up and have been wearing it ever since (ft the magpie holospray and the magpie mural on their latest map. i think they are catering to me specifically)

i am. truly Not Good. i am here just to clown and gossip and make poor life choices. my impulse control is too non existent for someone whose best skill is shooting a perfect outline around the enemy and not a bullet within

i had SO MUCH bloodhound art over on twitter good god. out of the following two drawings, the first one was bought out by allegra to sell as signed prints, and the second one was reposted onto apex's IG account, and in general this was the one time i genuinely had a blast on twitter interacting with all the devs and vas before everything went downhill both in respawn and on twitter lol. also i have to say, s10 and the whole White Raven thing fed me so. so so. SO well. the existential angst was incredible.

i participated in a couple of zines/projects as well! i have many thoughts about their canonical(!) respawn system and the resulting unimportance of death. adds to the existentialism and to bloodhound's religious themes

overall it was a very, very prolific period for me, and there are many pieces i'm still very happy with to this day

(^ the second to last one is a reference to the fusehound confession scene, and the last one is related to one of my fics, wooden bones (forest deity!bh au))

shipping!!! miragehound was my initial and most prominent ship, and i will never forgive respawn for not expanding on their backstory (their mothers worked together COME ON. they might have met as children! COME ON!!!!! i have a whole series exactly about the What Could Have Been)

their backstory with boone also fascinated me for a very long time, and my friends and i spent many a yap session dissing the dude until we stopped and thought, hey, what if he really was Just Some Guy who made mistakes, what if he wasn't evil, and that's what pulled me right back into the brainrot when i was already starting to slowly recover from it. boone now has a very elaborate backstory and lore and i hope to god respawn never puts him in the games the way we did because a) they don't GET him and b) i don't trust the fandom with him lmao. i'm super down to blabber about him though just say the word. he's everything to me, my big, sad, hairy man

we also invented in-game stuff for him. he had abilities and skins etc etc (the top row of skins is his titan pilot backstory + talos era + 'default' in-game skin)

this diptych still lives rent-free in my head, i think i really won with this one

where miragehound and boonehound flourished, mirageboonehound wasn't far behind! i wrote how it came to be and all. also Рorn. so much Рorn. seriously.

also this was the first time i redrew the twelfth night as my otp. the second one was mouthwashing

fusehound was an absolute delight to watch blossom, especially since we know it wasn't planned and just Kind Of Happened. i felt that lmao. characters be like that. i'm a bit sadge they shelved the whole talos plotline in favor of romance but at this point i gave up on expecting good lore from apex, especially after they fired herr frozenfroh. i didn't draw fusehound nearly as much, BUT i do have one fic that was basically a dream i had lol

honorable mention goes to revhound!! this is the ship that went really hard with artists and writers. deeply painful, deeply compelling, absolutely incredible. mindblowing angst and just as mindblowing рorn, together or separately. best shit. the one ship i didn't write for because compared to the fandom's behemoths i never felt like i'd be able to contribute anything meaningful lol, i just got to sit back and enjoy

bonus: as one of my friends eloquently put it, bh and their bhitches :)

i was going to put in more pictures but hit the 30 images limit!!! my twitter is now abandoned but if you scroll down just a little you can see all the stuff that didn't make it into this post.

apex and bloodhound also REALLY, REALLY got me writing. i came into the fandom already relatively warmed up after a 170k fire emblem fic, but i ended up writing 200k+ for miragehound, mirageboonehound, and fusehound combined. i was unstoppable. it was insane. i've linked some already but you can peep them all here. bloodhound's pov was especially fun to write for, purple prose my beloved

also you asked me about heirlooms! i'm a lucky motherfucker who managed to get one set of shards from the 500th box and another from just the random 0.4% chance. so i have bloodhound's and fuse's as they are my most played characters :)

[elchis-art-dump]

I love the baby seikret <333

+rant post

With MH Wilds finally out I wanted to rant about how I feel about it so far. For reference I just beat ray dau, which I feel is a good place to compare the full release to open beta 1 (I didn't play the others). The only other MH games I've play are World and Rise, but mostly World, so I'll be talking from that perspective and will be making a lot of comparisons to World.

Combat:

To preface this, I'm a hammer main and have been mostly playing hammer, so all of my more specific points may only apply there. I want to get my main issue so far out of the way, the game is really easy so far. I've averaged about 10 minutes a hunt on some of the harder monsters. My first ray dau hunt took about 9 minutes, while in the beta it took about 40 minutes + two faints. I know that I'm still early in the game, but the apex of a region being that easy kind of concerns me. The ratholos and diablos story quests in world, or even earlier monsters, felt far harder at the time. It's entirely possible that I've become more skilled over time, considering that it's been a few years since I did low rank World, but some monsters have felt way to easy. Now that that's done with, I think that the combat feels fantastic. Hammer over all combos better, the spinning bludgeon comboing from any attack really helps that. The dodge you get for charging is also fantastic (having evade extender with makes it even better), I honestly find it most helpful as a tool to close distances. Having only the walking speed while charging is kinda annoying, so having this dodge is a huge offensive boon despite it being a more defensive tool. I'm also in love with the wounding mechanic; it feels like what Iceborne was trying to do with tenderizing parts but better. It's no longer tied to having to use a somewhat risky option (although I miss wall bangs). I like how spontaneous it is and that their easily destroyed. These make it feel less like a free damage boost, rather it's far more deliberate since you need to actually target specific parts to break wounds. It's also a fun way to supplement the lower quest rewards since it gives you material.

Environment:

The game is absolutely beautiful and I'm in love with it. The environmental design is fantastic, each area feels super creative (big shout out to the oil basin). The weather changing the area itself is just awesome. I just cannot express how cool, beautiful, and creative the environments are. It seems to be taking a similar approach to World with the incredibly detailed areas, but unlike World everything feels as big as it should be. The open world aspect really makes everything bigger lol. I think the size makes everything feel more reasonable in a way. Unfortunately I don't feel like the areas are quite as memorable as world. Maybe I just haven't gone out of my way to explore them enough (we'll get to that later). I am very excited to get to explore the oil basin tho, absolutely wild area idea.

Two weapons + weapons skills:

I don't think I have much to say here other than that I really like this. No longer having my offenses being tied to my armor saves me from having to decide on if I value my defense or offense more (I still value skills more, but at least armor skills help keep me alive). Weapons skill in tandem with two weapons really incentives choosing weapons that synergize with each other and I just love that.

Performance:

I've seen people complain about performance issues, but so far it runs well on PS5 (idk about PC). I've had one hunt with performance issues, but it was multiplayer and I've only done two multiplayer hunts, soooooo idk what the issue was.

Railroading:

Definitely my biggest gripe with the game. I get that Wilds is far more narrative than other games, but I hate when games tell me I'm not allowed to do something. It just sucks that the game will force me into things immediately before and after a hunt. Considering that at worst it's annoying, this isn't a huge criticism.

Tracking:

Another small point, I just wish that you didn't immediately know where a monster is on the map. I like the scoutflies in world and gathering tracks since it made you explore. I just miss it, man...

Seikrets:

They're adorable and I love them <3333

[kirschteinoir]

[3] you're here, that's the thing.

post-timeskip osamu miya x reader.

❝he brought his other hand, not yet blessed by you, to cover his eyes as he waited for his cheeks to cool and his heartbeat to become steady again.

this was going to be a long summer.❞

when life in the city becomes overwhelming, your grandmother decides to sign you up for a summer in the countryside working at onigiri miya, the best onigiri place this side of hyogo! you're not the biggest fan of the early starts and long hot days at first, but your attractive new boss may change your mind...

wc; 2.9k

[i went a bit cray cray (positive) with kita's desc but also... jealous!osamu hehe...]

chapter masterlist.

𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙀𝙀. 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨.

normally you had every other sunday off. despite your protests, osamu would insist that you deserved the break and that he was just fine managing whatever inventory needed sorting or floors that needed sweeping. however your sunday off happened to be the first of june, and the day of your rice delivery from the kita farm.

osamu had called your grandma’s landline late on saturday night, apologising for what he was about to ask you. he had other business to take care of tomorrow so he couldn’t be at the shop for the rice delivery - you had to go instead.

“‘m sorry y/n, i really am. y’know i wouldn’t ask if i had any other option,” he was uncharacteristically contrite and you could hear his pout over the phone. you bit back a giggle at the visual image and assured him that it was alright, you were more than happy to take the delivery on his behalf.

the way he breathed his thanks into the phone had your stomach fluttering, his accent stronger as he became more emotional.

“yer a lifesaver, i swear. what would i have done without you?”

so here you were outside onigiri miya, early on sunday morning. you cursed your past self when your alarm went off at a time no one should have to wake up at and you groaned, eventually sliding out of bed in a few clumsy movements. but with a clean OM uniform and some fresh air in your lungs, you were excitedly awaiting the arrival of the rice farmer.

you glance up and down the street, straining your ears for the sound of a diesel engine struggling up the slight incline that onigiri miya was at the apex of. not that you had to listen very hard, for there was hardly another soul alive at this time of day. you began pacing, over-checking your wristwatch whilst fighting the anxious feeling that had begun churning in your lower gut. the corner of the delivery sheet attached to the clipboard digging into your hip became mangled as you absentmindedly fidgeted. just as you debated calling up your boss, a pick-up truck appeared over the summit like a boon from the gods.

the red paint was patchy and flaking off in some places, which you politely ignored, and the whole vehicle looked like it was being held together by duct tape and a single can of WD-40. you try to spy the driver (or drivers) behind the wheel but with the sun in your eyes, you couldn’t do much more than squint stupidly as it cruises to a stop right outside the entrance. softly clearing your throat and smoothing down the front of your black t-shirt, you put on your best customer service smile.

“hello! you must be from kita farms! i’m y/n and-”

your voice peters out into silence as the driver (and there was just one, thank goodness) slinks out of his seat, walking around the front to greet you. he was already smiling, and you quickly noticed that he probably didn’t do so that often. it was small, barely friendly, but it was kind and you found yourself flustering. this guy wasn’t as tall as osamu but he was still fairly built, clearly comfortable in his life of physical labour. in fact, you could see the fruits of his work well-displayed by the thin white tank-top he adorned. it was practically stuck to his skin, chiselling out the curves of his abs, pecs and other muscles you couldn’t name from the marble that made up his body. your cheeks flush as you not-so-subtly check him out, your gaze honing in on the tanline that would reveal itself ephemerally every time he swayed his arms.

like osamu’s, his features were strong and hard-set. his eyes were wide but upturned, vaguely feline, and his hazel irises held you in sharp regard. if it hadn’t been for the smile, you would��ve thought he was about to chew you out for standing in the middle of the road like an idiot. his hair was an unusual colour - stark white, much like freshly cooked rice, with jet-black ends that were curled with sweat and you wondered what he had been doing so early in the day to be this sweaty already.

when he spoke, you couldn’t help but groan inwardly at how unfair it was for someone to both look and sound so attractive.

“mornin'. i’m kita shinsuke. you must be the new hire? osamu-kun’s told me all about ya’. nice to finally meet you.”

in one swift movement he removes one of his gloves using his teeth and extends his hand towards you. you shake it tentatively, staring at the fabric lodged between his lips. it's surprising how soft his skin is and how tidy he keeps his nails - odd for someone who’s hands are their entire livelihood.

since you weren’t expecting someone so attractive (and also similar to your age), your chirpiness from earlier was thrown for a loop and you felt deja vu from your initial meeting with osamu. either kita was used to this or he genuinely didn’t notice how you stared at him with a mixture of attraction, intimidation and surprise - nonetheless he was already unlocking the back of his truck.

“don’t worry, i can carry it in myself. usually i’d just dump it for osamu to deal with, since i know he’s got this freakish strength but ya look like ya might need a hand, hmm?”

you could hardly do more than squeak out your gratitude as you watch this hunky farmer haul bags of rice as if they weighed nothing. before your thoughts could run away with you, you jump into customer service mode again and offer him a drink and some breakfast.

“i’ve got a fresh batch of barley tea in the fridge if you’d like some, kita-san. and i know where osamu keeps his own secret stash of onigiri - i’m sure he wouldn't mind if a few were missing!”

you were looking at him so attentively. his eyes widened slightly before he averted his gaze, hiding his blush with a gloved hand.

“ah, sure. thank you kindly, y/n.”

you glowed as you prepared the food for your guest, stealing glances at him as he worked and beaming at him every time he would walk past you to get to the storage room, two bags of rice hoisted over his shoulder each time.

“that should be all. osamu is our best customer - i’ve never seen a business go through more of our rice!” he chuckles to himself, signing the delivery invoice before taking a gulp of the barley tea you’d poured out for him. he hums in appreciation and you laugh nervously in relief.

“so, how’s it been working for onigiri miya?” he asks, eyeing you as he bit into his first onigiri.

“well,” you begin, endeavouring to answer his question earnestly. “it wasn’t easy at first. it was probably almost as difficult as working for my degree back in tokyo. mentally, i mean. i have no idea how osamu has managed to run everything on his own until now,” you muse out loud, much to kita’s enjoyment. every few bites or so his eyes would glean the details of your face - the way your eyelashes flutter when you laugh, how the colour of your eyes changes as you move in and out of the sun, how you would wrinkle your nose when the heat became too much.

cute, he thought.

you take his silence as an opportunity to continue your rambling, rather enjoying his company.

“i can tell osamu does a lot of the work behind the scenes too. if he’s not working he’s probably crunching numbers at home,” you giggle, relishing in the small freedom of poking fun at your boss without him peering over your shoulder. kita chuckles too, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

“i’ll tell ya now - yer right on the money. him and atsumu used to mess around a lot back in high school and osamu was only ever serious about food. like what to eat for his next meal, that kind of thing.” he pauses for a second, his eyes filling with fond memories you didn’t know about. “it’s nice to see him all grown up now, running his own shop at twenty three! and i’m glad he’s doin’ business with me.”

“you knew osamu in high school? what was he like?”

shinsuke opens his mouth to reply, wanting to satisfy the curious sparkle in your eye but the sound of the door opening and heavy footsteps interrupt your moment. you peek behind shinsuke’s shoulder to see none other than the topic of the conversation himself stretch towards the two of you.

“osamu-kun, nice to see ya,” the farmer greets him, swallowing down the last of his drink. he slides the empty glass and plate towards you with a shy smile. “i’ll get going then. got a couple more deliveries to make. i’ll see ya ‘round, y/n.”

osamu hardly glances at his old volleyball captain as he stalks into the kitchen without another word, leaving a trail of electricity in his wake, and the hair on the back of your neck stands up as you see kita out. the older rice farmer says nothing, choosing to stare at the swinging door to the kitchen, the only sign left of his presence.

“see ya, y/n,” he turns to you and bows politely. you reciprocate with a more nervous touch, watching him leave with a seedling of warmth blooming in your chest.

your giddy moment is quickly dampened by osamu’s attitude as he makes you hang around the shop to do things that honestly could be done tomorrow morning before opening. he eyes the plate that kita had eaten his onigiri from, gaze darting over the grains of rice stuck to the ceramic. he orders you, not rudely but not with his usual flippant edge, to clean everything up and then go look for umeboshi from the store room as he’s about to make a new batch to sell tomorrow.

you keep your grumbling to a minimum and follow his instructions, muttering to yourself about how much of an ass he was being and that kita was only being friendly.

osamu watches you sweep the dirty plate from the counter and wash it in the sink from the corner of his eyes, his hands on autopilot as they shape the boiled white rice. he turns his head imperceptibly in your direction as you saunter into the store room, hearing noise leave your lips and assuming (correctly) that it was about him.

seeing you and kita together instilled a foreign tightness in his chest, one that he did not like one bit. he’d quietly observed you both from the window before stalking in, his gaze repeatedly flickering to how you’d laughed around his former volleyball captain and conversed with him like you’d known each other forever. but osamu knew you first. way before kita.

it didn’t even occur to him that he was being childish as he suddenly dropped the onigiri he was working on and inhaled sharply. he slips off his plastic gloves and scrunches them into his fist with frightening intensity before marching into the storage room after you, his rational side quickly dwindling as he wondered what was wrong with him today.

it was comical, the way his shadow fell over you. you were slightly crouched, one arm stretching all the way to the back of the shelf to rescue the jar of plums that had miraculously gotten themselves lodged between the wall and the shelf. you were scolding it like it was a naughty child and if osamu’s head was in the right place he would have laughed at you for being so juvenile.

you fell silent and stopped squirming as osamu’s thunderous presence announced itself behind you. you hung your head slightly as you immediately assumed you were in trouble with your boss; perhaps he had heard you complaining about him earlier? his silence was starting to perturb you and you wasted no more of his precious time wrestling your arm free and standing amidst the onigiri ingredients, trying to look as small as possible. you couldn’t meet his gaze, afraid you’d combust on the spot if you did.

“is everything okay, osamu?” you finally ask, your voice sounding less assured than you’d wanted it to. osamu doesn’t speak and only continues to stare at you with those analytical slate-grey irises of his. they dart within their ivory prisons, his long lashes fluttering as he analyses your body language. his hands twitch at his sides, one of them still clenched in a fist around his gloves. he realises you’re looking up at him so obediently and with such concern for him and something within him stirs, your widened gaze eagerly awaiting his next instructions.

he steps closer slowly, his heartbeat lurching into his throat - what was happening to him? he saw how you sucked in a sharp breath, searching his face for an explanation for his actions. but osamu couldn’t give you one; instead, he swallowed thickly, his free hand shaking as he brought it to ghost over your cheek. it was barely touching your skin but he could feel the voltage emanating from you, pulling him ever closer. his eyes search for yours, waiting for you to call him a freak and for you to leave hyogo again.

to leave him again.

instead you simply stood in front of him, caged between the shelves and his body. his broad shoulders block any view behind you and the sandalwood smell of his cologne with undertones of the citrus detergent you both used to clean the kitchen lull you into a daze.

you open your mouth to speak but the words dissolve on your tongue as you match osamu’s stare. the second your gazes lock, you feel the wind being pushed out of your lungs: your six-foot-whatever hunk of a boss who looked uninterested on his better days, was gazing upon you like he didn’t deserve to be in your presence, unworthy of your divine attention. his eyebrow was furrowed and you could almost hear him pleading with you, begging you to bring the torture of his heart to an end. if you didn’t know him any better, you’d have thought he was about to start crying as he leaned down towards you, his own mouth slightly ajar.

he was looking at you like you were a divine statue, gracing his makeshift temple that he had constructed in a wild attempt to bring your good fortune back home to him. he dared not touch you, afraid to chip or blemish your skin as if it was made of ceramic, and the hand by your cheek was shaking with the effort of restraint. the rice bags at your feet became his humble offering to you: he was nothing more than a lowly peasant with his hands clasped in prayer pleading for you to bring him miracle after miracle until he can worship you no longer. you were his deity and his deity alone, and he would wreak havoc on those who dare taint the goodness you’ve bestowed upon him.

his face is inches away from yours now and you can tell that his eyes are glossed over like he’s no longer in control of his own actions. you’re torn between your morals: either you succumb to his stupidly good-looks and kind heart and irrevocably change your relationship dynamic, or you protect what you’ve built for the past two months and snap him out of it. your own selfishness surprises you as you find yourself leaning towards the former option, but before you can even speak again, osamu seems to wake up.

you can almost feel his laboured breathing on your lips as he stiffens in front of you. he blinks a couple of times and you suppose he’s reorienting himself. his back straightens and his hand falls back to his side, the air by your cheek noticeably colder in his absence. 

“y/n..i-” the way he’s looking at you as if he’s hurt you, like he regrets what happened just now, causes a pang in your chest so hard you visibly wince. he must’ve misinterpreted your reaction though as he draws back from you with the practised speed of an athlete, his face returned to its usual deadpan. “...sorry. ‘m so sorry. i shouldn't have-”

once more he’s gone, leaving you to pick up the pieces of your own heart as you attempt to process what had just happened. the air in the storeroom is stifling and you clumsily switch the light off and slam the door. for a while you stumble around onigiri miya, looking for osamu, but he’s not in the kitchen (having abandoned his current batch of onigiri), nor is he fussing about the storefront. you sigh in exasperation, bringing a hand to massage your temple, and decide to call it a day, leaving your apron neatly folded on one of the tables ready for tomorrow, leaving without a second look back.

osamu watches you trudge down the hill from the shadows of the side alley, his lip tucked between his teeth and his fists clenched at his side.

about me. 

ao3 link.

[pardoxysm]

I just had a dumb headcanon of how in a evolutionary standpoint, Ice Bears came to be.

(NOTE: I'm new to the fandom and basically anime watcher, so if the HC sounds stupid it might be because of that, sorry)

So, I noticed some things that I find really interesting in terms of visual and behaviors of the bears, as someone who loves bears a lot and once in a while try to learn about them.

One thing I noticed is that... despite being ice bears and white their body resembles more of a Grizzly (round wide head, hump on the back ) , but also they don't have the very droopy and far more protruding lips that Grizzlies do but yes a odd in between which makes their snout feel a bit more canine like and note as much protuding like a Polar bear snout is, making me realize that...Ice Bears are Golar/Pizzly Bears (Polar+Grizzly Hybrids), plus another thing that can prove it further is how Tank when he was alive, had a "mane" with brownish coloration that also made it's back hump stand out.

This leads to my theory: Ice Elves REALLY established themselves as the new Apex being and almost drew the local, once normal bears to extinction, leading them to hybridize in order to adapt (which is a thing that actually happens btw) and got mutated by the local magic that the Ice Elves brought.

You see, it has been established that Ice Elves have a brutal and ruthless hunting culture and that they ARE the Apex of the biome where the bears were and them killing them is something that happens often.

Now think about it. There WAS a point where the biome was just a normal place where Polars and Grizzlies lived in tandem and were the Boone's apex being, that is until the whole magic rifts happened and magic got introduced to the world... including the Ice Elves.

You can see this was at first a MASSIVE Hydrogen Bomb and Coughing Baby situation, with the Elves knocking down the Apex status of the bears and driving them to near extinction.

With that, of course, the local bears attempted to adapt out of desperation through hybridization , which may sound like nothing but actually, it really made some WAY MORE LETHAL bears, you see you have Grizzly Bears, absolute powerhouses in terms of strength, and even speed and intelligence, as Grizzlies have a astoundingly impressive memory that they even pass down previously known knowledge through generations, and overall they have a remarkable intelligence that actually leads to occasions of tool usage and even being able to learn commands. And then we have Polar Bears, who are MASSIVE and are known to have a intelligence factor that Grizzlies tend to lack, tactical calculation, which makes them efficient hunters at killing animals twice their own size, not to talk about their brutal resilience, their impressive scent and tracking/orientation skills.

Basically even in a nature standpoint, a hybrid of a grizzly and a polar bear is a HORRIFYING idea because that's just cracking up all dangerous aspects that bears already have to 100, basically making them a resilient, really smart, really strong and maybe away bigger bear, that WILL track you down.

And that's not all, with the introduction of Ice Elves to the biome, so arrived magic which came from them, and so basically mutated some bears to fit their survival adaptations which pretty much made what is already considered an absurdly powerful bear in concept, a complete juggernaut since magic pretty much made them much bigger than they should be and possibly enhanced many other aspects (while also maybe somehow changing them enough to allow actually successful generational hybrids turning Ice Bears officially their own species?), now here's the interesting thing that may be a bit overlooked because well, there are a ton of beasts that use magic and aren't... necessarily "smart", but I find it interesting to mention none the less, magic in general in order to be mastered requires intelligence, and according to some wikis: "Ice Bears despite their feral and brutish appearance have a very tactical Battle style, using their ice magic to their own advantage to disable their enemy." Which makes me wonder...How smart are these bears exactly to actually be using magic in a tactical manner.

Now focusing on behavior change which is what I consider the most interesting aspect of everything that I've already stated. You see another thing that surprised me was the fact that these bears live in packs. This is actually way more interesting than it seems because...the social nature of bears in general have been pretty odd and ambiguous, with many of them being solitary due to the seriously competitive nature of survival that they have, with the only occasions of socialization being in mating season, once in a season event like salmon runs or whales going ashore (in Polar bear occasions) and mainly family meetings. (Note: there are occasional exceptions to what I listed, like how male polar bears once in a while play wrestle and other odd things, again, the social nature of the bear is still pretty ambiguous to this day, there is STILL a lot to learn about of how social these animals are, usually odd situations of sociability occurs when there isn't competition for food or mating.)

The reason I put Family Meetings in italics is due to how it actually makes sense for them to adapt a wolf like social structure , not because well...bears and canids had some very far away relatives but how the ACCURATE wolf social structure ( without the whole alpha beta omega stuff which is very inaccurate) is based on pretty much just caring about your family and taking care of the most vulnerable concidering that numbers are power when dealing with a powerful enemy, and you sure as hell you don't want to lose allies.

I believe that the bears adapted a pack-like system due to taking reference of the Elves themselves as they hunt in group, and to adapt such system provides took a while concidering that they had to shake off the whole idea of in species competition, although with the whole Polar Bear aspect it probably was a bit more easier considering that they are relatively more social than Grizzlies as they engage in play fight and occasional food sharing? (Note: yes I'm aware that the Manhua and Anime use the outdated pack structure as they mention that "Tank was the pack's Alpha" but I like to imagine a more likely outcome, and yeah not being the "alpha" doesn't mean he wasn't the strongest of the pack, he definitely is.) (I also HC that a group of Ice Bears is called a Blizzard, just for fun lol).

Now with the pack system it sure did help to increase their numbers but...it's not enough, the scar that the introduction of the Ice Elves really affected them as a Tiger affects the habitat of a Sloth Bear, what does that mean? It means they are super territorial and if they see anything remotely resembling an Ice Elf it's on sight. You see, the fact that Sloth Bears have to share their territory with Tigers, the few animals that can be considered equal in terms of power and maybe intelligence to Bears, implies a brutal fight against an ambushing enemy for the Apex status leading them to be VERY aggressive to anything remotely threatening and instantly attempting to kill them and if not, severely disfigure them, which guess what, it's the same thing that's going on between Ice Elves and Ice Bears. And now here comes the most interesting part, bears in general have powerful senses... except their vision, their vision is miserable, but they make up for it with their scent sense which is SO MUCH more powerful than a bloodhound's , which means yeah, Ice Bears with no exception, now, I believe with their mutations, that they are capable to sense magic with their scent in order to track Ice Elves since their vision doesn't help them much, now, what happens to also be bipedal and have magic? Humans. Hunters specifically. Which now justifies why they are so brutally aggressive towards humans, because they confuse them with Ice Elves as their scent and magic may have some similarities.

So TL;DR: Jinwoo has a whole ass army of Bears that are so jacked up that can barely be considered bears at this point and are possibly way more smarter and useful than we give credit for and also despite them evolving themselves to be absolute juggernauts, it's not enough to dethrone the Apex status of Ice Elves, which begs the horrifying question: How Powerful Ice Elves actually are.

Thanks for coming to my crazy bear talk.

[dragons-daily]

Coastal Hellion

These dog-sized drakes are found traveling in small packs along the southern coasts of the Euress continent. These packs usually consist of family units, similar to a wolf pack. Despite their relatively small size, coastal hellions are often considered apex predators in their native ranges due to the coordination and strategies of the pack. They like toying with larger predators, stealing kills and being general nuisances. They often get away with the bullying owing to their speed. Not only are they capable fliers, their strong hind legs are an incredible boon when taking off and also make them amazing sprinters.

~Cornelius Coin

[houndings]

pulled a laugh out of me that they said boon after mentioning Boone, also it always give me whiplash when Boone is ever mentioned officially

[swooning-skulls]

--- character list

blue - currently interested | red - not taking requests | green - no romance | pink - yandere allowed

i will occasionally write characters not on this list, that doesn't mean they will be requestable.

{...live action...}

BULLET TRAIN: Lemon, Tangerine, The Father, The Wolf

COMMUNITY: Jeff Winger, Britta Perry, Annie Edison, Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes, Shirley Bennett, Ben Chang, Dean Craig Pelton

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: ---coming soon

YOU: Joe Goldberg, Peach Salinger, Guinevere Beck, Candace Stone, Love Quinn, Forty Quinn, Delilah Alves

YELLOWJACKETS: ---coming soon

FALLOUT: Lucy MacLean, Norman MacLean, Chet, Maximus, Thaddeus, Cooper Howard, Lee Moldaver, Bud Askins, Henry "Hank" McLean, Betty Pearson

{...animation...}

A.N.) depending on the continuity, i may decline romantic requests for scooby-doo characters since they're not adults in all continuities.

SCOOBY-DOO (all except hbo velma): Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, Scoobert "Scooby-Doo" Doobert, Fred Jones, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, Thorn, Luna, Dusk, Vincent van Ghoul

G1 MONSTER HIGH: Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Ghoulia Yelps, Deuce Gorgon, Clawd Wolf, Toralei Stripe, Scarah Screams, Abbey Bominable, Spectra Vondergeist, Operetta, Venus McFlytrap, C.A. Cupid, Nefera de Nile, Mr. D'eath, G. Reaper, Ms. Kindergrubber, Mr. Rotter, Mr. Where

G3 MONSTER HIGH: ---coming soon

SONIC BOOM: ---coming soon

LOVE, DEATH & ROBOTS: ---coming soon

{...video games...}

MARIO FRANCHISE: Mario, Luigi, Pauline, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Princess Rosalina, Yoshi, Bridette, Bowser, King Boo, Wario, Waluigi, Vivian, Goombella, Madame Flurrie, Lady Bow

CLASSIC SONIC FRANCHISE: ---coming soon

MODERN SONIC FRANCHISE: ---coming soon

FALLOUT NEW VEGAS: Courier 6, Arcade Gannon, Craig Boone, Lily Bowen, Raul Tejada, Sharon Cassidy, Veronica Santangelo, ED-E, Rex, Christine Royce, Dean Domino, Joshua Graham, Benny 'Gecko', Legate Lanius, Robert House, Ulysses (MORE COMING SOON)

FALLOUT 3: The Lone Wanderer, Butch Deloria, Charon, Clover, Cross, Dogmeat, Fawkes, Jericho, RL-3 (MORE COMING SOON)

FALLOUT 4: Nate, Nora, Cait, Codsworth, Curie, Danse, Deacon, Dogmeat, John Handcock, Nick Valentine, Piper Wright, Preston Garvey, Ada, Old Longfellow, Porter Gage, Bobbi No-Nose, Desdemona, Erikson, Ham, Irma, Kent Connolly, KL-E-0, Pickman, Red Tourette, Swan, Tinker Tom, Travis Miles, Vault-Tec Rep, Whitechapel Charlie (MORE COMING SOON)

COD: COLD WAR: Bell, Russell Adler, Lawrence Sims, Frank Woods, Alex Mason, Dimitri Belikov, Perseus, Vikhor "Stich" Kuzmin

RAINBOW SIX SIEGE: ---coming soon

APEX LEGENDS: Alter, Ash, Ballistic, Bangalore, Bloodhound, Catalyst, Conduit, Crypto, Fuse, Gibraltar, Horizon, Lifeline, Mad Maggie, Mirage, Newcastle, Octane, Pathfinder, Rampart, Revenant, Seer, Valkyrie, Wattson, Wraith

OVERWATCH: Soldier 76, Reinhardt, Sojourn, Mercy, Winston, Tracer, Genji, Mei, Brigitte, Echo, Lucio, Pharah, Zarya, D.Va, Baptiste, Bastion, Doomfist, Moria, Reaper, Widowmaker, Sombra, Sigma, Ramattra, Junker Queen, Roadhog, Junkrat, Wrecking Ball, Hanzo, Ashe, B.O.B., Symmetra, Lifeweaver, Zenyatta, Orisa, Illari , Venture

{...books...}

---NA:

[cloaksandcapes]

I'm experimenting with some new boons in my D&D game. Everyone is going to get different, unique, powerful blessings that will only be able to be used a single time.

Some of them have risky downsides like this one. Others have pretty okay benefits all the time, but a really clutch use, that will cause the whole blessing to fade when it's used up.

Eye of the Apex Predator

Blessing, temporary boon, very rare

“You can see every weakness, every fault, every gap in the armor. With a golden eye replacing your own, you are connected on a primal level to the Apex Predators of the world.”

Though the physical manifestation of this blessing is always present, you must use an action to invoke its power. For 1 minute, any attack roll you make is a critical hit on a roll of 17, 18, 19 or 20 on the d20. You can invoke this blessing one time and when the effect ends, it fades away and your eye returns to normal. You gain one level of exhaustion for every critical hit you made in the last minute.

Join us on Twitch every Mon\Wed\Fri to create new Homebrews and check out our Patreon for 573+ magic items, tokens, maps, and more.

[parvulous-writings]

Bloodhound.

Taking this opportunity to write down some thoughts I have...

(And a note to all you lovely people, there will be an update to the masterlist soon! A double new-fandom whammy!)

Recently started playing Apex - and Bloodhound is one of the characters who absolutely captivated me. (I refuse to play as anyone else, at the current time).

The beads/threads attached to their helmet represent various people and times in their life that hold great meaning to them; their parents, Artur, Boone, the battle with the Goliath. It gives them a way to keep these memories close to them, to not let them slip away.

Occasionally likes making similar little trinkets for those they care about; something to symbolise a moment with them, or a battle. Much thought and care goes into the creation of each strand.

Incredibly methodical, at times. They get a small bit of joy from doing tasks in a sure and ordered manner; a lot of their tasks and usual activities have a certain order they go in or are performed in. It gives them a bit of calm, and even safety, when they're able to do things the 'right' way.

They almost always have cold hands and feet; they never really notice it themselves, but if they were to ever lay a bare hand on someone's shoulder, it would be a rather startling experience - they feel like ice, especially their fingers. Their left hand sometimes has moments where it feels a lot colder than their right - but there isn't this issue with either of their feet.

They have been given wildlife guides in the past, as a joke from other legends. They tore it to shreds correcting a fair bit of the information, writing better tips in the margin or critiquing the images used to illustrate, before handing it back a few days later.

Isn't a huge fan of music that doesn't have words/lyrics. They like music that tells a story, that means something - they don't always get that or feel the emotions intended through instrumental alone. They don't mind classical/instrumental, but if given the option, they would pick something that could be sung.