RainyRen

issue is, Bruce is just so happy to see and talk to his kids at any point that he doesn’t even notice the breach of privacy, and the kids just end up feeling really awkward about how happy their dad is to see them.

Jason will bring up something in conversation with Bruce that was only privately relayed through texts between Bruce and a colleague, smirking because he knows Bruce is gonna be really paranoid about who’s watching his texts, except Bruce just smiles and happily chats with him for thirty minutes and he’s in a good mood all day because Jason willingly had a casual conversation with him, and when the JL ask why Batman’s in such a good mood at a meeting later that day Jason just goes bright red and doesn’t know what to say because he didn’t realise how much Bruce genuinely craves just catching up with him every now and then.

Dick will stalk him for weeks and wait until Bruce has a really tough busy day at work, specifically so he can wait for the evening where Bruce finally has a single moment to himself in a bar somewhere to relax, and then he busts in loudly sitting down next to Bruce and talking non-stop while ordering a drink, thinking that Bruce is going to be mad because this was his one peaceful moment and Dick ruined it by constantly tracking him. but instead the second Bruce realises Dick’s there all his exhaustion disappears. he gets a really wide genuinely pleased look on his face and happily offers to buy Dick a drink because ‘it’s so rare that they get to hang out!’ and Dick is left floundering because he was trying to be an asshole but now he just feels bad that he doesn’t spend time with Bruce outside of patrol business.

Tim keeps watching him through security cameras and updating him through text on his location in an attempt to make him tired of the constant supervision, but every time he texts Bruce like ‘you just walked into starbucks for the second time today.’ Bruce will just openly smile at his phone and respond like ‘would you like me to get you a drink? i can drop it off at your office if you’d like :)’ and Tim has to give up almost immediately.

short form writers look at people writing 100k+ fics as though this is some sort of talent given as part of a fae bargain, that the commitment required shows some sort of ungodly mental fortitude.

and here’s a bonus!

By the Grace of the Gods

by Roy, Art by RanRan

Character Design by Ririnra

Light Novel Volume 01

Magical World, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Drama, Isekai, Adventure

Story  ★★★☆☆  ||  ★★★☆☆   Art

Summary

One day, the life of middle-aged Japanese businessman Ryoma Takebayashi came to a rather sudden and disappointing end. Ryoma had never had a blessed life, but after his death, three great gods sought his cooperation and reincarnated him as a child in another world with swords and magic! Receiving a most cordial and divine welcome from the gods, Ryoma decides to live leisurely on his own in the forest for the time being. Working diligently at magic and hunting, Ryoma’s greatest passion comes to be researching his tamed slimes?! Training a variety of slimes (some newly discovered), the curtain rises on this easygoing life fantasy celebrating a second life with kind people in another world!

Review

Due to an influx of health issues, I now have A Lot of time on my hands, (Like a fucking lot, dear lord) and thus, naturally, I’m binge watching anime. So, of course the natural progression of that is to review anime right? (Or it’s just me and my film degree having ass) 

I’ve been on an Isekai anime kick, cause who wouldn’t want to be yeeted into another world when our world is so sucky at that moment? The first one I’ve managed to finish (mostly because the first season has finished airing) is a cute anime called By the Grace of the Gods. 

By the Grace of the Gods advertises itself as a cute, light, low stakes slice of life Isekai anime and it lives up to that through all 12 episodes of the first season. If you’re looking for an anime that’s light, cute and doesn’t require a lot of brain power while still giving you that nice shot of serotonin we all desperately need, then I’d say give this anime a try.

Overall, I give it 5/5 Gilly’s. 

For a more in depth review with light spoilers, look below the cut.

By the Grace of the Gods

by Roy, Art by RanRan

Character Design by Ririnra

Light Novel Volume 03

Magical World, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Drama, Isekai, Adventure

Story  ★★★☆☆  ||  ★★★☆☆   Art

Summary

Ever since he left the forest, a boy from another world named Ryoma had been cared for by the duke’s family. Rather than take advantage of their generosity, however, he’s determined to live independently. Seeking to earn a stable income, he decides that alongside his adventuring job, he’ll use his cleaner slimes to open a brand new laundromat! After he sets up his store by himself and hires some excellent employees, the laundromat opens to praise that far surpasses Ryoma’s expectations. As business gets busier and more exciting, he also gets ahold of some new familiars in the third installment of this daily life fantasy!

this 11 yo just started a laundry business using cleaning slimes to clean the laundry. and business was so wild the first day he needs to hire more staff. And the two that end up being fine working alongside slimes as coworkers and having a kid as a boss happen to have a staff and then the lady has a pin ornament in her hair.

they go through all the hiring questions and then he's like, can I ask yall somethin?

two peeps: Of course!

ryoma: ...🧐, what are those weapons you have? (referring to the staff and hair pin)

and these hoes are former assassins!!

Just your bodyguard is dying in this forest and then suddenly there's this wild child with really broken japanese- who barely even flinches at having a sword pointed at his neck- strolls up with this miracle medicine that's actually working. Now this kid is leading you to his home, you're thinking the kid's probably with the bandits (at this point maybe even the bear was in on it too) but no. This kid has tamed a metric shit-ton of slimes, used magic a kid shouldn't be playing around with just to hide his home, and his home is obviously furnished for only one child sized person. This is a fantasy world and now you're reasonably suspicious that this is just a being that looks like a human child, especially cause wild child here suddenly knows how to speak to a noble, but no the crystal ball says this is just an 11 y/o kid. Now it's been a while since you've been a kid, but your daughter is precocious little thing and she's nothing like Charles Darwin over here

You come back again with your family, because why not, and not only get an unknown slime as your daughters first tamed monster, but use his little crush on her to get him to come with you to the city. Sue me, but it pulls on your heartstrings as a father and the kid could be very good for your family's prospects. The kid shows off a little on what types of magic he can use, pulls his weight, and his resourcefulness is probably what kept him alive these past 3 years. He's very resourceful.... (terrifyingly resourceful what the fu-)

Now you're taking the kid to the adventurers guild so he can have some protection, and a source of income with little kiddie jobs, but his skill with a bow reminds you that this child survived for 3 years alone in the woods. You are also reminded that this kid likely has the gods blessings, but you can't even be mad because to get the physical and mental resistance stats this kid has? The Gods' favor is not worth that suffering

Now you're hoping everything has quieted down and you can just lead the kid to be well socialized, but he comes out of the left gate with evidence of embezzlement and a potential epidemic. The worst part is that the utter efficiency and determination the kid uses to take care of it is arguably more terrifying than the epidemic itself.

And now you've had a day to see how the kid uses magic, how quickly he can master new techniques, and humbled at how he spends hours on end on things he can't immediately master. You decide he should have some supervised battle against some low level monsters, simple. You then get the report on how he used magic just to harden his skin to take out 4 giant razor sharp praying mantises with daggers, and you remember how when you first met the kid he mentioned sometimes running into bandits, and you realize that this child has absolutely killed a man. Only to turn around to find that he used alchemy to turn some dirt into a shining pure iron ingot. You rush to do some damage control and introduce a reputable merchant, but then you look at all of the kid's goods and realize you have little Alexander Graham Bell here. This kid is going to shake things up, probably spark an industrial revolution focused on fucking slimes, and by the gods your family will be riding on the wave of this kids success.

-> Clark passes as a beta with a very muted scent and before Lois and him got together his parents used to scent him. It’s not uncommon for betas to have little to no scents at all but the Kent’s wanted to be sure no one suspected him of anything

-> He vaguely smells like something floral and new books(from Lois)

-> (going based on the origin of her being made of clay because that’s my favorite origin of her) At some point Diana’s presentation used to be a mystery because she definitely HAS a scent but she doesn’t have a secondary sex herself. She smells like the ocean and a thunderstorm and she even produces smells but she doesn’t have a cycle. It’s convient for her and she doesn’t hide her lack of presentation but it definitely used to be in the League’s rumor mill for awhile of what her secondary sex was

-> at some point in her youth she felt isolated because of this but she’s long realized something that made her different wasn’t necessarily bad and it even made her relationship with her sisters stronger

-> At the age he was supposed to present, Duke was busy with the WAR movement so he didn’t notice when nothing really changed about him. When things finally calmed down he figured either he was a late bloomer or he presented as a beta with a muted scent

-> It wasn’t until after he gets his powers and he met Gnomon that he started to worry that his lack of presentation was actually because he wasn’t human (something something Duke’s dehumanization of himself as more of a symbol and less of a person)

-> He doesn’t tell the other bats and birds until he finally presents as an omega and he can’t efficiently hide his concerns anymore. (Duke as the only omega in a team of alphas and beta is peak to ME)

-> He eventually makes it work but he does it kicking and screaming

-> ALSO! Jason who doesn’t have a presentation either because the universe brought him back out of wack and their lack of presentation used to be a thing Duke and him could bond over

-> At some point in his teenage years, a little after Mary presented as a beta, Billy realized he wasn’t presenting at all and he thought he might’ve just been a late bloomer until the gods told him the Champion of Magic just don’t have ANY presentation (because the Living Lightning is a being outside of time and space) which extends to their vessels. Like yeah they smell like ozone and rain but that’s just apart of being the Champion not exactly something connected to what their secondary sex would be

-> This, understandably, messes Billy up a little inside because he already missed out on some things in his childhood and he gave up a lot to be a hero and this normal thing that everyone goes through is just another thing he’s going to be missing out on because of who and what he is

-> He starts feeling better about it when he realizes that actually! A lot of people in Fawcett don’t have presentations (for one reason or another) and they’re doing just fine! And just because he missed out on this it doesn’t make him less of a person!

-> (Kit doesn’t have one either but that’s because they died before they could present. Mary is a beta and Freddy is an omega)

Tim, smug: he does,

Damian, beginning to wash up: *hisses* i'm not arguing with you, i just don't see why it matters.

Tim: are you kiddi- Dami, it's your first crush!

Damian: it's not though???

Tim: ok- well, it's the first time a guy's had a proper crush on you at least. do you seriously not like him back?

Damian: *scoff* 'proper', this is Jon Kent we're talking about. he gets a crush on anybody who ruffles his hair. you should have seen the first time Jason complimented his ability to fly, i thought i'd have to kick him out the manor to get away from the puppy adoration.

Tim: he's such a sweet kid though! i thought you guys were really close, anyway, do you really not reciprocate anything romantic?

Damian: of course not. i have no interest in human relationships.

Alfred, interrupting Tim with a warning glare: and that is perfectly fine, Damian. relationships do not define us.

Tim, rolling his eyes: well yeah, obviously, all that aroace acceptance shit; i just think it would be cute to have him as a younger brother in law.

Damian: *eyebrow raise* so get over yourself and ask out the clone?

Tim, abruptly going red: i-i don't know what-

Damian, exasperatedly throwing the dish towel at him: oh for fucks sake, Drake.

Tim: IT'S COMPLICATED.

Damian, giving a disgusted look: ugh. everything's complicated with you people. fucking romance.

Tim, whining: alright, alright, i'm just mourning the potential Damian-Jon wedding, that's all.

Damian, as he walks over to open the fridge: *casual* ...oh. well there's no need for that, i still plan on marrying him.

Alfred: *drops his spoon*

Tim: ....EH?

Damian, blinking cluelessly: well it would be beneficial? he is clearly affectionate of me, which is good for loyalty, and his meta abilities make him very useful in a lot of situations, which makes him a good potential right-hand. marriage is just a business contract, after all.

*complete baffled silence*

Damian: plus, a relationship that has no possibility for producing an heir will severely disappoint my grandfather, which Jason tells me should always be a priority.

Alfred, genuinely speechless: ...and this is a plan you've... thought about?

Damian: *shrug* not much? it just seems a no brainer.

Tim: ...does Jon not get a say in this?

Damian: well i assume he'll have to say i do at some point, so yes.

Alfred: and you think this is an arrangement Jon would be ok with?

Damian: i'm sure he's fine with it.

Tim: how the hell would you know that?!

Damian, looking at them as if they're stupid: ...because he's in the manor and has super hearing? i assume that if he was against the idea he would have spoken up by now.

Alfred:

Tim:

Damian:

Jon, faintly from the other side of the manor: I'M UP FOR IT!!! WE JUST HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I'M AN ADULT, DAD SAYS SO.

Tim:

Alfred: