#its only mildly illegal

[wolven91]

Drought vs Flood

Cat calls.

Being called 'cute' or showered with compliments.

Paul had never really considered these an annoyance before. Hell, if he though back to his time on Earth, he couldn't remember the last time when he'd ever received a compliment from a stranger before.

No, that was a lie he realised.

Many years before, an older lady once stopped him to compliment him on a jovial Christmas jumper he'd worn. She said she liked it and that he was handsome in it too. He vividly remembered having a great day that day, despite having to deal with a queue of irate customers throughout the afternoon.

That compliment had kept the man sated for years!

As a man, Paul had never really understood the frustrations of women when they bemoaned the fact that they received compliments and manners from random strangers every day. The man would always hasten to add that he understood them from a logical point of view, but there was always a part of him that had wanted a taste of that life for a while.

Sure, maybe getting them every day might have gotten old, but after over a decade of surviving off one compliment? The man didn't *understand* the frustration. The isolation had to be worse right?

That was until the Earth was destroyed and Paul ended up like a few of his fellow humans, lost amongst the stars as a human, alone in the void.

At first, Paul thrived. He'd lived alone for seven years and with his friends moving away, getting families, or just losing touch; there had been times in his life where he'd gone whole weeks without saying a single word out loud.

After that initial period of learning the ropes, figuring out where he could get a job, food, even the stuff that wasn't quite 'legal' like a drink, Paul settled into what he expected would be a quiet life.

Only, every time he spent time out in public, like when he went to sit in the tiny bar that would serve him under the counter, it wasn't that quiet.

"I just love your fur; can I touch it?" Asked the bull-like alien as they had already begun reaching out and touching thick leather pads to the crop of hair atop Paul's head. The man shoved the alien's wrist away from him.

"No, thank you." He grunted, still hunched at the bar, uncomfortable about the two aliens that stood either side of him. Both were, alien, they had the heads of bulls but bodies that he would have given his left arm for back home. But regardless of their physical attraction, this was week three of not being able to have a single moment's peace outside of his own quarters.

"Oh come on, I read you love it when someone pets you?" Smarmed the second, quoting some bullshit, pardon the pun, text that Paul himself had read. Apparently, a few of the survivors had let slip that they were touch starved, so now every alien and their mother was quoting this as if gospel.

If Paul ever got his hands on the moron that uttered those...

"Not all humans are the same." He growled back, gripping his drink.

"Well, what if I showed you a gun? You like guns, right?" Offered the first taurian, briefly turning their hip and displaying a holster.

"I repeat, not all humans are the same." Paul was British, he thought guns were a tool and nothing more. No more exciting than a pen or a pair of expensive scissors. More than a handful of Americans made it out and had made a huge scene when they found out guns were illegal to humans. Yet more misinformation chumming the water.

"Aww come on, we're just being friendly. It's okay! I also read that your society said you had to be prudes; it's not true, you can relax." The alien explained as if she wasn't taking a big dump on the entire human civilisation and its history.

Paul sneered at the fact that he mildly agreed. The odd concepts that were considered fact back home were outright frowned on up here. With all the fur and lack of breasts on those without; clothes were almost optional by those not actively working. Granted Paul wasn't a nudist and didn't have the body to want to flaunt it, but it was a breath of fresh air to not be so gummed down with social rules.

"I was relaxed," Paul sniped, but the jab went well over the two female taurian's horns. "I just want a quiet drink." He reiterated, breathing deep and remaining calm. The sluggat barkeep watched him carefully, his eye stalks watching the taurians and the human independently. He was hanging around by the bar's emergency distress button.

"We can drink with you." Offered one of them, Paul didn't even bother looking now, instead attempting to drill a hole in the opposite wall with his eyes.

"I don't want company." He explained clearly.

"Why not?" They prodded.

"Because I said so."

"That ain't a real answer, just let us-"

"Can you actually fuck off?!" Paul snapped, turning his body to the last one to speak. "I don't want company, I don't want a drink from you, I want to be left alone!"

"Alright, fuck us, right? We were being nice and now you're acting like we're attacking you. We're the nice ones, but I guess you'll only learn that when you meet the other kind."

Paul just rolled his eyes as the pair stepped away from the bar and, as one walked past, clipped the leg of the stool Paul was sat on, jangling his already on edge nerves.

They grunted something as they passed that the translators flagged as an insult.

Paul rubbed a hand over his face as he sighed and tried to relax. The sluggat slithered over and asked if he was all right.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine." The man replied absently, using a thumb to wick the moisture off the side of his glass.

A drought, versus a flood.

That was how Paul now considered the perspective from before. How he would explain the difference of perspectives to a younger self.

How could the drowning woman understand the dying man in the desert?

It was great to be the centre of attention for a week or two, but the way they got handsy? If he didn't actively stop them, and make it clear he wasn't 'playing hard to get' that they'd start groping him?  The way they didn't give him space or even listen when he said 'no'?

Even when they were weird... and smelt bad... Not all the creatures up here were attractive.

"Fuck." The man drew the word out with a breath he only realised was shaking as his voice shuddered. With a guilty grimace, the man reached into his pocket and retrieved the data slate. He scrolled through the minimal contacts and selected his guardian.

It rang once before being answered by a near frantic voice that was obviously being kept neutral.

"Paul?"

"Hey Shu'ba. I fucked up... Can you... Can you come get me please?" The man asked humbly.

"Is everything alright?!"

"It's fine, nothing's happened, but I'd feel safer if you were near."

"I got your location, I'm two minutes away."

"Thanks, Shu'ba."

"Don't think anything of it."

"I'm sorry."

The voice of the ssypno sighed through the speaker.

"I get it's hard to have a babysitter, but we're here for a reason. It's okay, I'm almost there."

Paul stayed on the line, even though he and the sluggat were the only patrons of the bar, but when the neon green scales of his guardian slithered into the room, a wave of relief washed over him.

Perhaps it was time to stop giving the serpent the slip?

[r/WolvensStories]

[Ko-Fi]

[reallyhatethiswebsite]

Inspired by this pic made by @infernally_fond

Read on AO3

-

When the devil asks if you want to play, you’re supposed to say no. It’s a lesson most people learn as children. Some don’t take it to heart. They say yes instead because the devil promises he will give them something they desperately want in return.

Tav says yes because she fancies him.

That’s alright. They aren’t playing a game of life or death, and her soul isn’t on the line; just her dignity, and she never had much of that to begin with. Only an idiot would agree to a game they don’t understand. Tav isn’t stupid (honest!) but Raphael’s easy smile and request for her company – mostly the smile, it’s a dangerous weapon put it away damn you – chased off all her answers that weren’t ‘yes, of course, I’d love to play Lanceboard with you!’ So now she sits in his room at Sharess’ Caress watching him watch her across the table as she bumbles and bullshits her moves, losing pieces and losing her mind, because she knows he knows she has no idea what she’s doing but he hasn’t said a damn word about it.

He chooses a piece. She watches his long, deft fingers carefully position it on the board. Lucky thing. “Your move,” he says, languid. Everything about him is relaxed, even his posture. He’s resting his cheek on his fist, elbow on the table. Awful manners; must’ve been raised in a barn. His dark eyes glint in a way that makes it obvious he’s enjoying her squirming, her buffoonery. His expression is cooking her from the inside: not-quite-placid, could be conceived as bored if not for the subtle smoulder, a quirk of mildly sadistic amusement. If he keeps staring at her like that, she fears she might do something foolish.

She blindly grabs her piece. She doesn’t know which it is; knows it’s hers from the colour and that’s about it. Smacks it onto a square that’s (probably) alright. Nods, leans back in her chair, pretends to be confident with her approach, her strategy. “There. Your turn.”

Raphael blinks lazily at her. At the board. “Inspired. Truly,” he drawls, making his next move. “By madness, but nonetheless.”

Tav purses her lips. She doesn’t miss the way his gaze flickers to them. “What is madness but a denial of reality? That’s what you said before, right?”

His mouth twists with a lopsided, barely-there smirk. He surely doesn’t miss her glances, either. “Indeed I did. And what reality are you denying at this moment, little mouse?”

Knowing how to play this bloody game, she thinks, wishing he’d challenged her to checkers instead. “Letting you win,” she responds. Round peg, square hole – put her piece here, steal the piece she jealously witnessed him fondle, strangle it in her fist for its crime. He chuckles; rich, deep, raspy.

“A daring manoeuvrer, and highly illegal.” Yet he does nothing to rectify her blatant ignorance. (Actually, devil, what’s illegal is that chuckle). He simply makes his next move. “You know, it’s usually customary for one to be aware of the stakes of a game before they play it.”

And this, Tav thinks in resignation, is why he’s let me trample all over the match like a drunken elephant. She never learns. Somewhere, Wyll is shaking his head in disappointment.

“You didn't tell me there were stakes,” she accuses; considers pouting but doubts that would work on this crafty creature. “I thought we were just playing for fun.”

“And we are, my dear friend,” Raphael coos, terribly entertained (bastard). “What’s more fun than the thrill of a daring wager?”

“The security of knowing I’m not going to lose my soul?”

Raphael’s grin stretches; sharpens. “Oh, but I thought you were going to beat me. Where has your confidence gone, all of a sudden?”

He’s wretched. Vile. Despicable. Tav is so attracted to him it’s ludicrous. “I’ll win,” she snaps, “and then maybe I’ll take your soul instead. I’ll put it in a little jar and keep it with my other shiny baubles and all the things Scratch dug up. How’s that for a wager?”

“Riveting. Inexperienced, as far as eternal torment goes, but it’s a start,” the devil praises, pleased when Tav scowls at him. “Though, as delectable as your soul would be, it isn’t quite what I had in mind.”

“What, then?”

“Hmm…” He makes a show of drumming his fingers on the table in thought. Large, lithe, well-groomed; she likes his hands. Often wonders what other kinds of magic they can do. (Look away, Tav! This is serious!) “How about, if I win, you tell me exactly why you agreed to this game. Why you abandoned the safety of your companions and entered my den alone. Why you were so eager to say yes. And don’t think about lying, little mouse. I’ll know if you do.”

Well, shit. Letting him eat her soul didn’t seem like such a bad idea anymore. One does not simply inform a devil that they like him – especially not this devil. He will use that knowledge, that power, for naught but nefarious purposes, manipulating her much more than he already does. The worst part is, Tav knows she’ll enjoy it. You’re well and truly fucked, mate, as Karlach would say.

Stomach in her shoes, Tav plucks up all the courage and stupidity she has left. “And if I win? What do I get?”

“That’s up to you,” Raphael says. He clearly thinks he has the upper hand. He’s right, but damn him anyway.

Fine, then. In for a penny and all that. “If I win, I want a kiss.”

She’s surprised him, she can tell. She’s surprised herself, scarcely believing she actually said that, but it’s out there now, in the open, lingering like a bad stink. She’s basically already given him the answer he wanted, but Tav isn’t under the illusion he didn’t know beforehand. The power, you see, comes from getting her to admit it aloud.

“A…kiss,” he repeats slowly.

“Yes.” She sticks to her guns despite her racing heart, sweaty palms, impending sense of doom. “From you, obviously.”

He considers it for a long moment, statuesque, giving almost nothing away. Tav does her best not to squirm out of her seat, pretends to be as aloof and unaffected as he is, to questionable success. The satisfaction glittering in Raphael’s dark eyes makes her grind her teeth. He’s toying with his food, as he is wont to do. Stretching out this moment until she’s at her most uncomfortable. Pulling her nerves taut. The split second before they break, he responds.

“Acceptable. Shall we continue, then?”

“Let’s.”

Tav expects a massacre. Tries to mentally prepare for him to pull the rug from beneath her feet, decimate her pathetic attempts, and then string her up by her metaphorical toes and bleed her for every embarassing confession and admission she can give while he gorges on her emotional turmoil (and masochistic delight). That isn’t what happens. Instead, she wins – in about as loose as the term can be used, but still.

“My, my!” Raphael exclaims, faking every bit of awe as he beholds the board, the claiming of his king, the crumbling of his miniature marble empire. “It seems my devilish wits weren’t enough to stop the might of the Hero of Baldur’s Gate. I’ve been bested. A villain, defeated. Quite the fitting end for this little tale. Don’t you agree?”

Tav sits in stunned silence. Of course he let her do this. She’s not completely delusional (yet), but the implications for why are taking their sweet time sinking into her holey grey matter.

“Ah, but I suppose the Hero wants what she’s owed,” the devil continues, sweeping his arms in a grand gesture. “Let it never be said that I am not a man of my word. Come then, Tav. Claim your prize.”

For a moment, Tav doesn’t move. In some ways this is worse than if he won. Raphael waits, a smirk teasing its way onto his face. He’s challenging her. Daring her. Come into my lair, said the spider to the fly. She’s already here, and alright, she might be stupid, but she’s not a coward. Her knees only tremble slightly as she stands, makes her way to him.

He gets up, too.

He’s not much taller than her, but Tav feels like she’s approaching a mountain. The coals that have been simmering in her belly all evening catch flame. This close, the smell of him is overwhelming: cherries, smoke, fire. The heat he gives off can’t be anything but Infernal, despite his human guise. Anticipation sets her jaw, her throat dry. It’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking as he slowly, slowly, leans forward, dark eyes fixed on her mouth. His breath is hot as it fans across her face. Tav’s lips part unconsciously, eyelids closing. He’s but a whisper away, the silk of his sinful mouth a phantom against her own…

He kisses her cheek. The left one, high on her cheek bone, and though he’s completely composed, she can hear the brief huff of amusement leave his nose as he pulls away.

“There you are,” he says, jovial, almost business-like as she gapes at him, humiliated, flabbergasted, furious. “One kiss, its nature wholly unspecified, delivered as promised. I always deal fairly.”

This fucker’s trying not to laugh. Tav can see the tell-tale twitch of his lips (lips whose imprint burns on her cheek, entirely not where she wanted thank you very much) and the gleam of delight in his eye. Oh yes, he’s had fun with her today.

“Is something wrong?” He asks her innocently when she does nothing but glare at him.

“No,” she grits out.

“Good,” he purrs, unable to stop the shit-eating grin from spreading across his face. “I’d hate to hear that you’re dissatisfied with your victory. I did my very best to acquiesce. As a little advice for the future, from one thrill-seeker to another: you might try being more specific with the terms of your wagers. After all, what’s that saying you mortals are so fond of? Ah, yes. The devil’s in the details. Keep that in mind for next time, hm? Ta-ta.”

A click of his fingers, a spark of hellish magic, and she’s standing in the middle of their rooms at the Elfsong tavern.

“Arsehole!”

From where he’s lounging on a sofa, Astarion lowers the book he’s reading enough to raise an eyebrow at Tav. “Who’s the arsehole, darling, and what have they done?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tav mutters. “Where’s Gale? I need to learn how to play lanceboard.”

[nightlyrequiem]

Be Still My Heart

Chapter 13- Shotgun

Masterlist AO3 Next Previous

New Chapter Every Saturday

You're the best in the meth industry but a new product suddenly pops up. You and your boss, Valeria, must figure out who is making it so you can take back the market. All the while tension is building between the two of you.

A/N: Whole lot of dialogue but it's building the relationship between reader and Val. I hope. Also, sidenote, it feels weird assigning personality traits to reader or dropping little bits of lore because they're supposed to be a blank character but then if I don't they end up being a blank character in a bad way. I know it definitely drives me crazy when i'm reading a fic and the Reader does the complete opposite of what I'd do

Tags/Warnings: Illegal Substances, Boss Employee Relationship, Angst, Some Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Manipulation, Suggestive Themes, Smut (But Only in CH19.), Dual POV

Valeria sits next to you as you quietly talk to yourself, new notebook propped open in your lap. You've grown quieter since destroying the lab. Your shame and embarrassment perspiring off of you like sweat. She sneaks a glance at you, studying your profile. Valeria's gaze subconsciously drifts lower, following the slope of your neck and chest. The image of you wet and naked runs through her mind again and she looks away. She hadn't counted on you re-injuring yourself, but she thought it would make you more dependent. She was disgruntled to discover that it did not have that affect at all.

The sudden ringing of Valeria's phone startles you and you shoot it a judgmental look before returning to your quiet muttering. She leans forward and sighs, grabbing the phone and answering the call. With little regard for you she begins to speak.

"Yeah?"

"We got something." It's one of the disposables she had sent to Pajaro Azul. Valeria's attention is firmly grabbed and she straightens. "We found a dealer and got some answers, he got it from this guy in El Paso."

"El Paso?" Valeria murmurs. Raising an interested brow. "That's on the other side of the border." In the corner of her eye she sees your hand still as you begin listening in.

"Yeah." He says, voice mildly distorted through the phone. "He says he doesn't know his name though, he got it from someone else who works for the guy directly."

Annoyance makes its way through Valeria. All this digging for information just to get scraps of it. The only name she managed to get her hands on was El Paso. Valeria resents the headache she's going to have in trying to get her people across the border without rousing suspicion. Then she's going to have to track down the source of the meth while avoiding the DEA. Yellow meth, however, is distinctive. A colorful breadcrumb that will eventually lead her to her mystery man.

"Okay." Valeria nods. Eyes darting around her office in thought. "Come home." She tells them, hanging up.

"What's in El Paso?" You ask, looking at her keenly. She scoffs at you.

"Thought you were listening in." Valeria replies, leaning back and spreading her arms over the back of the couch. "Eavesdropping is rude, by the way."

You uncurl your legs and let them drop over the edge of the couch, feet disturbing the dusty rug below. "I was listening to you." You correct. "And it's not eavesdropping if we're in the same room."

Valeria furrows her brows. "It doesn't matter if we're in the same room, it's eavesdropping if you're not a part of the conversation."

"Sorry." You say. "What's in El Paso?"

Valeria debates on telling you. Recently she's been treating you like you're a part of her inner circle. Which in a way you are but she needs to ask herself if your input is really needed.

"They found a lead for that yellow meth." She says. Deciding to include you anyway.

"Finally." You remark. "So what now?"

"Wait for them to return and then decide from there." Valeria replies. 

"You already have a plan in mind though." 

Valeria reaches for a packet of cigarettes. "That I do, yes." Your face twitches in displeasure as she lights one. She inhales the warmth and lets it drift down her throat into her lungs. Gray clouds billow through her nose. She takes it from her mouth and holds it laxly between middle and forefinger. She impulsively lifts it towards you in offering. 

You shake your head. 

"Pass."

"You need to lighten up." Valeria mutters. "What do you have against smokers?"

"Nothing." You blink. "I just don't like the way it clings to things."

"Like lungs?"

"And furniture, and walls, and clothes." You reply.

"You ever actually try one?" Valeria murmurs, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table. "The effects are worth the smell."

"I've been tempted, but addiction runs in the family."

Valeria hums.

"No harm in trying once, yeah?" She says softly, trying to get you to concede. She really wants to see you smoke a cigarette. It would be amusing to watch you cough and splutter.

"I think there is, actually, that's how addiction starts." You say disapprovingly.

"No, addiction starts in the brain."

"It starts with the substance that triggers the dopamine receptors, which can-"

Valeria removes her feet from the coffee table and moves closer to you. "You aren't the least bit tempted to try one now?" You frown at her. Valeria wets her lips. "You know what I think?"

"I don't, and I'm not sure I'm interested in knowing."

"I think you need to lighten up and pick up a few vices." Valeria says anyway. 

You make a disinterested noise. Valeria shifts closer again, knee bumping yours.

"Lean in." Valeria mutters, gesturing for you to move closer. You frown but hesitantly lean forward. Eyes darting from her eyes to the side. She gently grabs your jaw, just holding it still. "Open your mouth."

"What?" You furrow your brows.

"Open."

"Don't spit in my mouth, Valeria."

Valeria blinks. "That's not what I'm doing, just open your mouth."

Reluctantly, you cease your protesting and open your mouth. Valeria raises her cigarette to her lips and sucks in a mouthful of smoke. Holding it. She leans even closer, eyes locked with yours. Your lips just a hairs-width apart as she blows the smoke into your mouth.

You inhale and turn your head to the side as you begin to cough.

"What do you think?" Valeria asks quietly, hand still resting under your jaw.

"I think this won't be one of my vices." You reply, voice hoarse. Valeria smirks and lets go of you.

"Well at least you got to try it, now you can mark it off your bucket list."

"That wasn't on my bucket list." You retort.

Valeria raises her cig to her lips again.

Valeria turns away, feeling agitated. She blows out the smoke and watches as it dissipates into the air. That close to you she felt the nerves in her lips tingling from the proximity, preparing for the sensation of touch.

You clear your throat. "So, about your plan for El Paso..."

Valeria sighs. "I'm thinking of sending some people up there, find out who's making it and get rid of them."

"Can I go?" 

"Why?" Valeria frowns. Not fond of the idea. 

"Because I want to go to El Paso." 

Valeria's frown deepens. "I need you here to cook."

"We don't have anywhere for me to cook, and I doubt we'll have a new lab built in the next few weeks." you counter.

"You won't be useful in El Paso." She says bluntly.

You stare at her for a few seconds before putting your hand on her knee and blinking at her weirdly.

"I can be very useful in El Paso." You whisper.

"What are you doing?" Valeria asks. Looking down at your hand again. You hesitate before pulling back.

You shake your head like she's an idiot. "Nothing." You sigh.

"My plans aren't full formed yet." Valeria tells you, stubbing out her smoke in a nearby ashtray. "I can't really decide anything until the group is back." Valeria can tell that you don't agree with that sentiment, but you don't argue. Her fingers tap along her thigh as she regards you intently. "It's late, we should head home."

[anxiousnerdwritings]

okay but Wayne!sibling!Reader being a villain?? one day she steals Wayne Enterprises from Bruce when he gets too caught up in Batman stuffs hoping it would garner his attention but he happily signs off on it and it irritates her cause she just wants his attention she won’t admit it but she feels Bruce put her on the back burner in favour of Batman and that burner only got colder with every child he adopted so she becomes a straight up villain just to spend time with him. not doing anything super illegal that the company couldn’t shell out some money to fix but enough to garner his attention. and he has absolutely no idea it’s his baby sister beating his ass on a weekly basis. all the Bat Kids know though and are just grinning like madmen in the background.

I love the idea of Wayne!Sister!Reader taking up being a villain but she’s a baddie who does good. Like she steals from bigger more corporate businesses only to give to smaller and harder working businesses, especially local family owned ones. Or she goes after people and places that are pretty terrible themselves whether it be a testing facility that does its testing strictly on animals or an abusive parent/foster home/orphanage.

It would also be kind of funny if the Reader fully divulged themself into villainy only to just mildly inconvenience Batman/her brother. Like she doesn’t really mean to do good, it’s not their #1 intention, she just wants to put a damper in Bruce being Batman but instead they inadvertently do really good and beneficial things in the process. Like, oops she accidentally destroyed an entire apartment complex, luckily no one was harmed in the process but fortunately it was also not up to living standards to begin with and is now being completely rebuilt with everything being like and working how it should have from the start.

Bruce actually finds this new up and coming villain quite amusing and dare he say that he enjoys their interactions with each other. At first he wouldn’t be any the wiser to his new foe being his sister because of course that would be in no way, shape, or form a thought in his mind that his own beloved baby sister would be out causing ‘havoc’ on the city, on their home. Hell, he probably doesn’t even think his sister has any idea about him being Batman. He didn’t even think twice when they took Wayne Enterprises right from under him, he didn’t see it like that at all. I could even see Bruce being delusional unsuspecting enough to believe that the Reader was only taking up the company as to give him a break and allow him to do more of his own thing (i.e be able to protect the city and do his Batman responsibilities without much more to hold him back or take up his attention). So of course he wouldn’t think much about his own baby sister taking on the company from him, if anything he kinda thought it was cute. Especially seeing his precious baby sister taking on the role of CEO. He’d totally have Lucius take discreet photos or videos of the Reader being a girlboss in meetings and whatever business dealings, all just to see his sister be a strong businesswoman and run the company all on her own.

I also really love the idea that even though the Reader felt left out on the back burner she was still a prominent figure in the kids lives and adored them to no end. Of course she loved seeing her brother be as much of a father to the kids as he could be, putting much necessary time and attention into them that was taken away from her. Like, she didn’t resent them or anything like that for coming into the picture and ‘stealing’ her brother from her but instead helped be something the kids needed and could trust when they felt they couldn’t go to Bruce. But as much as she loves and cares for her nieces and nephew and vice verse that did that keep her from still feeling abandoned by Bruce.

I could definitely see after becoming Batman that Bruce and the Reader’s relationship changed. The Reader certainly felt the change, the two used to be inseparable and so close but now it felt like there was a void between them. At least that’s how the Reader felt. Bruce doesn’t think anything is any different, he hasn’t picked up on any change. When the Reader does try to spend time with him and he turns them down in favor of crime fighting or something else, he always promises to make it up but he never does, probably due to forgetting but the Reader remembers and it weighs them down each and every time he turns them away for something or someone else. She’s kept her hurt to herself but it only got worse until she decided to move out of the manor, away from the kids and away from Bruce. She didn’t even tell Bruce, she just up and left without breathing a word of it to him. Hell, she may not have told anyone except Alfred that she was moving out. Alfred was only told because the Reader didn’t want to worry him, out of everyone in the family he was the one she didn’t want to be concerned about her. I also don’t doubt that Alfred is very well aware of the Reader’s feelings of being unwanted or uncared for regarding Bruce and he’s tried to help the Reader in his own way to get Bruce to spend some kind of time with his sister only for him too to end up waved off or turned away.

I could also see the kids having started paying less attention to the Reader once they took up fighting crime with Bruce, especially the older ones who moved out and were doing their own thing now. It would only add to the Reader’s feeling of being abandoned and left behind leading them to just leaving the manor and everyone else altogether.

If things weren’t so serious and this whole thing wasn’t a detrimental way to try and save/rekindle the Reader and Bruce’s brother-sister relationship in itself own way, then I could see the kids finding some amusement in it. But they would all still be very worried about the Reader, sure Bruce as Batman isn’t going off on her like he does with his rogue gallery or other criminals but that doesn’t mean that the Reader still can’t end up hurt or in real peril. The kids would try their best to help the Reader in their own ways but I think eventually someone would just crack and tell Bruce that he’s been fighting his own sister this whole time and giving her reason for it too. Bruce needs some time to process it but then he puts thing together himself and it all makes sense. He feels awful knowing that his baby sister felt like this was the only way she could spend time with him or have more of an interaction with him then he’s given her outside of this. He honestly feels like complete shit and a terrible brother, especially when he’s reminded of a promise he made her when they were younger after their parents died about always being there for each other and that she could count on him over anyone else. And he’s gone and fucked it all up.

I can’t help but have the idea that Bruce was slowly pulling back from his sister because he caught on to his obsessive tendencies and he didn’t want to turn into something much darker when it came to his beloved baby sister. He wanted her to be able to exist and thrive in the world without him holding her back, but now that he knows his baby sister went to these lengths for his time and attention he feels justified in indulging in his yandere behavior. And leave it to the kids to follow suit, especially after finding out the Reader felt abandoned by them too.

[strangelittlestories]

It was somewhere around a year into the apocalypse when the Lion and the Lamb found what they had long been looking for: a very remote (and thus largely unpillaged) and *very fancy* hotel.

(Lion and Lamb were the names I knew them by, at least. We met at a wedding - always a strange event in the end times - and they did not give me their true names. This was, honestly, a wise move given the kind of entity I am. But they did gift me with this anecdote, which perhaps reveals more about them than a simple name could.)

After scouting the place out - and bloodily evicting a small pack of ghouls that had gotten separated from the horde and (hopelessly lost) wandered into the hotel spa - the pair climbed the many steps to the building’s palatial penthouse suite.

There, they found many wondrous treasures. Fluffy bathrobes. Tiny sachets of shampoo. A bed so large it should probably have been illegal.

And, of course, a little peace and quiet.

---

“What do you think the thread count on these sheets are?” Asked Lamb.

“Do I look like the kind of person who understands thread count?” Lion was already lying in the bed, starfishing her limbs out across the pillowy expanse.

“It’s just…this might be the softest thing I’ve ever felt. This has got to be four hundred. Maybe even five?” Lamb’s brow wrinkled for a moment. “Hey - would you mind if I take this with us when we leave?”

“What’s the matter? You already afraid to go back to scratchy blankets and sleeping bags?” Lion grinned, while twisting the top off a little bottle of Jack Daniels. A small pile of tiny liquor bottles lay beside her; across the room, her axe rested against the sundered mini bar.

“No, I uh-” Lamb looked sheepish. “I was thinking it’d make for good bandages.”

Lion paused with the mini bottle of Jack on her lips. She made steady eye contact with Lamb as she downed the bottle, then threw it casually to one side.

“You want to take the sheets off this bed.” She sat up and calmly took hold of Lamb’s arm, pulling him close. “This bed that may as well be made of clouds. These covers that were probably hand spun by gods or artisanal Shoreditch arseholes. This bed that may be the last gift from a now-absent god, and which - by the way - we have not even hugged in yet…”

“Well, when you put it like that-”

“You want to take the sheets off this bed - this bed that is larger than some countries - and tear it up for stab wounds and bullet holes?”

“I just-”

At this point, Lion yanked on Lamb’s arm and he tumbled awkwardly into the aforementioned bed, rolling over Lion and landing nestled snugly in the crook of her shoulder. It was somewhere between a cuddle and a headlock and, if we’re being honest, Lamb really didn’t mind that.

Some time passed. We need not discuss how it passed, let us simply say that it did and that, for the Lion and the Lamb, its passage was necessary, healing and only mildly bruising.

Lamb sighed happily and said:

“I just thought. Y’know, about the bandages. That … well, dangerous shit happens to us so often. It’s really easy to get used to being scared. To being hurt. So I figured it might be nice, y’know, if when we were patching each other up, we had something soft to do it with. So that even when it hurts the most, we can *practise* being soft. And it’d be something that reminded us of this. This perfect day we stole for ourselves. A happy memory to literally bind up the hurt with.” Lamb looked shyly up at Lion. “It probably sounds silly. Or soppy. But, well. I am those things sometimes.”

Lion leant down and gently and carefully kissed Lamb on the forehead.

“Okay.” She said, in a voice roaring with love. “We can destroy the sheets when we’re done.”

“Thanks.” Said Lamb. “I knew you’d cotton on.”

And, even despite the pun, Lion could not have been happier.

[ninja-muse]

My last wrap-up of the year! Featuring one stack of "didn't know what to read, hey, this is on my shelf, also it's short and reading goals", and one stack of Christmas gifts. I'm very pleased about both. The Laurie Lee was as good as expected and the mafia romance was a gift last Christmas so it's nice to have that finished before the year was up. And I'm two books closer to having my Pratchett collection complete! I'm missing one major Discworld tie-in book now, and a handful of the maps that came out over the years.

In other news, whew, another year is over! It feels like it's taken ages, which I'm going to blame on a bunch of long books and general slumpiness rather than the global political climate. After all, this month has felt long due to both factors. A History of Ancient Egypt, Vol. 3 did take me twice as long as a normal book, and I had two DNFs.

As you can probably tell from the list below, apart from the history book, in December I prioritized fun. (It's about all I wanted to pick up after my workdays.) I was also trying to finish one of my Storygraph reading challenges, which I've managed—75 books from a list I set, mostly, at the start of the year. I recommend everything I finished, though Among the Gnomes is not a masterwork of Victorian fiction by any means. It was, however, readily available as an ebook when I needed something goofy.

In non-book news, I got home for Christmas? Barely a visit, but it worked out and I got to see my grandpa, who is getting very old. I'm sure one of the family cats is beside himself now, though, since I am his official lap provider and rarely around to offer that service. And I went on a walking tour near the start of the month, and ate far too many chocolates and baked goods.

I'll save discussion about reading goals and 2025 resolutions and what-not for my end-of-year wrap-up, which is coming soon, and in the meantime turn you over to my list of everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

A History of Ancient Egypt, Volume 3 - John Romer

A history of the last major cultural periods of ancient Egypt, centering archaeology and primary sources and deconstructing traditional Western scholarship and all its baggage.

8/10

warning: discusses racists and colonial attitudes

library book

Swordcrossed - Freya Marske

When Mattinesh Jay hires a swordsman for his wedding, he gets Luca Piere, annoying, attractive, and much more than he bargained for. And that’s before Luca discovers a conspiracy against Matti’s House…

8/10

🏳️‍🌈 main characters (gay), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic, trans man, nonbinary), brown-skinned main character, brown-skinned secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 author

library ebook

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning - Laurie Lee

At 19, in the 1930s, Laurie leaves his childhood home to walk to London, Europe, and the future.

7.5/10

warning: mildly racist towards Black people and Roma, period-typical misogyny, sexualization of child, sex trafficking of children

off my TBR

Greymist Fair - Francesca Zappia

Empty clothes in the middle of the only road to town. A tailor’s daughter and a witch’s cottage. A wandering prince. A lonely, beautiful girl. Magic, wargs, and Death in the forest.

8/10

major genderless character, 🏳️‍🌈 incidental characters (sapphic, achillean)

reading copy

Saga, Vol. 10 - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (illustrator)

Hazel and her family are picking up the pieces and getting by, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of danger. The Will is still out there, and so is Landfall.

8/10

🇨🇦

off my TBR

The Forbidden Book - Sacha Lamb

Fleeing a marriage to the rebbe’s son, Sorel adopts the identity of Isser Jacobs, not knowing that there’s a real Isser who’s just stolen a very important, very illegal book.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (genderqueer, lesbian), Jewish cast, Jewish author, 🏳️‍🌈 author

library ebook

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop - Emmeline Duncan

Bookshop owner Bailey is running the first literary festival in her Halloween-themed town when she stumbles over a murder victim.

7/10

Indigenous secondary characters

library book

The Rivals - Jane Pek

Claudia and Veracity are still tracking synth-bot accounts on dating sites when a prospective client dies after reporting a copycat profile. Was it someone from the app's developer, or truly an accident?

7/10

Taiwanese-American protagonist, Taiwanese-American secondary characters, Indian and Mexican secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (lesbian), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (gay, achillean, lesbian), Singaporean-American author

warning: suicide

reading copy

Broken Whispers - Neva Altaj

To calm a war between the Italian mafia and the Bratva, a ballerina is pushed into marriage with an enforcer. Beauty and the Beast vibes.

6.5/10

main character with damaged vocal chords, main character with monocular vision

warning: mafia-typical violence and torture

off my TBR

Under the Smokestrewn Sky - A. Deborah Baker

Avery, Zib, and their companions have reached the Kingdom of Fire, one “step” away from the Impossible City on the Improbable Road. But that doesn’t mean they’re home free yet.

6.5/10

off my TBR

Among the Gnomes - Franz Hartmann

A scientist travels to the Unterberg to disprove the existence of gnomes, only to find himself living among them. An anti-science satire.

6/10

warning: anti-Irish xenophobia

ebook/off my TBR

DNF

The Stardust Grail - Yume Kitasei

Maya’s put her thieving past aside to pursue academia, but when a chance to find the legendary stardust grail (and save her friend’s species) falls into her lap, she can’t help but be tempted—even if Earth wants to use it to save itself.

protagonist with Japanese heritage, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (achillean, nonbinary, alternate gender system)

library book

Big Gay Wedding - Byron Lane

Barnett returns to his mom’s farm in Louisiana to confront her unspoken disapproval and introduce his fiancé. And possibly get married there, if certain parties in town don’t stop them.

🏳️‍🌈 POV characters (gay)

warning: homophobia

library ebook

Currently reading

In Veritas - C.J. Lavigne

Drawn by her synesthesia and a dog-that-is-snake-is-shadow, Verity encounters a hidden world in an Ottawa theatre. A world threatened by technology and in need of saving.

🇨🇦

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 11 Yearly total: 127 Queer books: 3 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 6 Authors outside the binary: 1 Canadian authors: 1 Classics: 2 Off the TBR shelves: 5 Books hauled: 4 ARCs acquired: 1 ARCs unhauled: 2 DNFs: 2

January February March April May June July August September October November

[welcome-to-green-hills]

My biggest question with all of the leaks is how the hell did they get them??? Like I understand people like DanielRPK have contacts or have positions that allow them to hear things, but the Sonic leaks arent rumours, its a huge amount of photos and videos of the unfinished material? Isnt only the crew supposed to have those files?

Hey Darlin’!❤️✨

To answer your question, there was a big data breach on many major studios back in July. Filming studios like Netflix, Disney, Sony, and Paramount were hacked with a plethora of unfinished and finished projects stolen. The set photos and videos from Sonic 3 were one of the movies stolen. Last I’ve, both the film and the final season of Stranger Things had a large ticket price to purchase illegally.

This is mildly different from big name leakers, like Daniel Richtman (DanielRPK). If he’s lucky, he’ll get leaks that were okayed by select studios. If not, then he has to trust that whomever is “leaking” information is someone that’s part of the project. He picks and chooses to share what he thinks is right.

The best word of advice that I can give is to mute, block, and report accounts that are sharing leaks. There’s a LOT of people that have worked hard on this film. I’d hate to see it thrown out of the window because of some jerk leaking the film online.

[tossawary]

Watching "Batman: The Animated Series" (90s) is a lot like watching G1 "Transformers" (80s) in that they are both very much products of their times. I would say that the writing for BTAS is generally solid, decent more often than not, but rarely spectacular, especially watching it as an adult. It has its standout moments. G1 was generally very bad in a mildly entertaining way, with some rare exceptions on the better side of okay and some very cool concepts. They both have a lot of Potential, with key elements that went on to be explored in future iterations.

But both of them will occasionally take hard turns into "aged quite poorly" material, which is the nicer way of saying, "This was bad then too and they should have known it was bad." The degree of the offenses will vary wildly. Sometimes, female characters are kind of cool, but then female characters might suddenly be framed as strange, irrational, delicate creatures whose behavior simply cannot be fully understood. Sometimes, it's time for "The Orientalist Episode", which usually ranges from a fetishtic fascination with ninjas to an extremely racist depiction of the Middle East. BTAS definitely falls on the side of copaganda (yes, despite acknowledging that Some Bad Police Exist) and there's a lot of casual ableism in general, even though the show generally endeavors to be sympathetic towards people who are mentally ill. And so on.

Which is why I can only recommend the show with certainty to people who already like Batman to some degree. I'm pleasantly surprised by how often the show casts greedy businessmen as the villains or the inciting incident for the villains, as they engage in very recognizable cost-cutting measures or illegal activities to screw over the little guy (for example: terrorizing poor people out of their neighborhood to get their hands on the real estate). It contains a wealth of minor characters and one shot storylines. It's a major influence on basically all Batman media that has followed it.

But, holy shit, that episode I just watched with Ra's al Ghul and Talia was SO BAD. "Oh, fuck, they're going to Asia again, how weird are the writers going to be about it this time? How unintentionally extremely racist / xenophobic are they going to be about this? Because they're ALWAYS at least a little weird about it. Wait, what happened to Talia's previous characterization? OH, FOR THE LOVE OF-"

[wisteriagoesvroom]

29 please

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

from a kinkmeme omegaverse prompt about the FIA banning scent blockers, which idk that i’ll finish unfortch :(

——— mildly nsfw ———

Charles is fine. Has great self control. Has trained all the time for this. Never mind when he first presented as a teenager and Gianni was there and he spent a whole week trying to chop firewood and build a nest with his laundry and make pasta from scratch (the pasta was bad). That was long ago. He has better coping mechanisms now.

Max walks past, giving him a wave. The other man’s scent hits him like a truck. Motor oil. Musk. Pine. Oh, fuck, he’s going to be so sick.

His blood is about to vibrate out of his skin. He sweats bullets. Alpha, alpha, alpha goes the awful sound. Let us crawl in this place together, and never come out. I need teeth on my neck and your come on my skin and I need to make a place that is good for you that has only us, it will be us racing against each other forever, one breath in for you one breath out for me, alpha alpha alpha.

“Do you want to fuck?” Charles blurts out, in the empty hallway. “We don’t have to bite or anything.

Max’s mouth twists. “Charles… what happened to hello?”

“Ah. Hello. Also I am being very serious. I really need to get through this rut.”

“You’re not speaking from your right mind.”

Anger flashes in Charles. Always does, when he’s agitated. “What do you know about me being in my right mind? My mind is my own.”

“I know. But I also know you.”

“Then you know that I am just needing to make it through…” Charles gestures wildly. "This.”

“Isn’t there someone else?”

The omega in Charles is petulant now. There were some lines he would never cross with Pierre. And Carlos for some reason sprinted off to the McLaren side of the pits without warning after his engineering meeting, so there went his teammate option.

“There’s no one else. It's like this. I would never ask unless I needed to.”

It spins out between them. The fact that Charles is in championship contention for the first time in a long time, the fact that getting him through his rut tonight would mean Charles has the recuperation time to drive well by Sunday. They both know that a well-timed rut in elite sport constitutes a possible, and very legal, physical advantage. An advantage that the FIA seeks to exploit with its new regulations, for audience gain, but it’s not illegal to do this with their bodies for the price of a potential win. So be it.

Nonetheless, Max hesitates. He’s probably worried things won’t ever be the same between them again. Charles has no such concern. There are no feelings involved here, simply a biological fulfilment of his inconvenient second gender.

Charles grits his teeth. “Remember when you said that you owe me a favour? I must use it now, Max. Please.”

Curiosity, and something close to concern, flit across Max’s face. Max’s fingers seem to twitch on the cap in his hand, before he thinks better of it.

“Well. We are not doing it here.”

from asks here

[helix-enterprises117]

Halo Reloaded: Pie

John-117 and Linda-058 strolled up to an urban apartment complex that looked like it had seen better days, with its faded paint and the drone of city life buzzing around it like an old fridge. They were both decked out in their civvies, which for super-soldiers like them, meant trying to look unassuming—John in a plain tee that stretched a bit at the shoulders, and Linda, a touch taller, in a simple sweater that did nothing to hide her towering frame.

As they reached Corporal Perez's apartment, the door flung open as if by some telepathic anticipation. Maria, Perez's mom, stood there, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her unexpected giant guests. The smell of cooking that rolled out of the apartment was almost physically overwhelming, rich with the scents of cumin and fried onions.

"¡Bienvenidos!" Maria greeted them with a grin that could light up the dark side of any moon. "Come on in before the neighborhood notices I've got Spartans at my door!"

Linda’s stomach growled audibly, a sound that seemed to echo down the hallway. John gave her a sidelong look and chuckled. "Looks like someone skipped breakfast."

"Very funny," Linda shot back, her cheeks reddening just a bit. Maria laughed heartily as she ushered them inside, her eyes briefly scanning Linda with a mix of awe and amusement. "I hope you brought appetites," she said, leading them into a dining room that looked ready to host a small army.

The table was a cornucopia of Mexican delights, but it was the pie that caught Linda's eyes instantly. It sat there on the counter, looking like a golden treasure chest of calories. The butterscotch pie was a masterpiece, with crumbles of cinnamon strewn across its whipped topping like tiny, edible boulders. The caramel syrup was drizzled with an artist's touch, glistening under the kitchen lights, beckoning Linda with its siren call.

"Oh, man," Linda muttered, half to herself, her gaze fixed on the pie with the intensity of a targeting system. "That should be illegal."

Maria noticed, her grin widening. "That, my dear, is butterscotch pie—Perez family secret. You burn calories by just looking at it. You'll love it."

John raised an eyebrow, his grin teasing. "I'm not sure the pie will survive long enough around Linda to be loved by anyone else."

Dinner unfolded with Maria regaling them with tales from the neighborhood, each story more embellished than the last, while she kept piling food onto their plates like a culinary Santa Claus. Linda, for her part, dove into the meal with the gusto of someone who'd just completed a marathon in the desert. Her earlier embarrassment forgotten, she demolished her servings with a ferocity that was mildly terrifying.

John, ever the stoic, ate more slowly, though his occasional smirks at Linda’s antics spoke volumes. Between bites, he shared a story or two about their less classified exploits, carefully edited for civilian ears, each tale delivered with the deadpan delivery of someone who found jumping off spaceships less exciting than most people found a tax return.

As they moved on to dessert, Linda’s attack on the pie was something to behold. She savored each bite with a look of bliss that suggested she was having a religious experience. The cinnamon crumbles crunched satisfyingly with every bite, the cool whip and caramel providing a creamy, sweet dance of flavors that nearly drew a moan from her."Is it as good as it looks?" Maria asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.

Linda, mouth full, could only nod vigorously, her usual poise drowned out by the symphony of butterscotch.As they wrapped up the evening, Maria packed up some leftovers with a knowing smile. "For the road, because who knows when you’ll find butterscotch pie in space, right?"

Stepping out into the night, John and Linda felt a lightness that only a good meal and better company could provide.

[metanoias-substack]

On the Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez

Or: mirrors, morals & the (fe)male gaze

The Rokeby Venus is the only surviving female nude by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), the most celebrated painter of the Spanish Golden Age.

Now considered a masterpiece, the painting wasn’t displayed publicly for some 250 years, largely due to its controversial subject.

Female nudity was almost unheard of in 17th century Spanish art. Any show of skin was met with raised eyebrows — to put it mildly — by the Catholic Church and the Inquisition. It was illegal to paint, import or own nudes, with offenders risking excommunication and exile.

The Rokeby Venus was a major break with tradition and contemporary morality and continues to challenge our preconceived notions to this day. Learn more here.

[inventors-fair]

And Another Thing: Mistake Contest Runners-up!

Our runners-up this week are @corporalotherbear, @nine-effing-hells, and @stupidstupidratcreatures!

@corporalotherbear — Counterstrike

I was quite torn on this card, actually. It's incredibly complicated when it needs to be and extremely simple—and powerful—in every other circumstance. Honestly, I'd play this card for sure; at its worst, it's "deal 3 damage to target attacking or blocking creature, or a creature that's being declared an attacker at the beginning of combat before it can do its thing." At its best, it destroys combat tricks and smashes face. Versatile is the name of the game.

Is it just me, though, or is this quite ambitious for an uncommon? I think that the complexity stands out to me because of all the possible restrictions and inter-rules complications. I can imagine players being quite annoyed if their choice of target becomes illegal, and so the spell they were trying to counter still resolves. And at the same time, that's a corner-case that's easily explained in more complex gameplay in general, so like, I get it, and I love it. I especially love, if your opponent's at 3 life and about to swing for lethal, you can get them before damage with this and blow them away. I'm weird like that, though—and for the record, the mechanics stood out first and foremost but the flavor text is also sending me. Great job on the humor there.

@nine-effing-hells — Oeuvre Bonfire

Looks like this wizard's work is now...oeuvre-done. Heyo! Anyway, this card's probably fine as a ramp spell in limited if you really need it. I can't imagine that it would get more than 3-4 mana depending, but what do I know? I think that a set like Shadows over Innistrad showed the power of Delirium, but even then, the question is: at what point in the game are you hoping to fill your graveyard to the point where this card is worth it? If you max out on non-planeswalker card types in a normal limited environment, then getting artifact + instant + sorcery + enchantment + creature + land for 2→6 mana is... I don't know, I don't think it'd be worth it.

All the same, some combo players are gonna try to make it work through channeling and discarding and all that nonsense, so what do I know. The flavor of it makes it worth it. What kind of madness are we seeing here? Is this the freedom from the mistake that grants the speaker a new lease on life? Or, are we seeing the beginning of a madness only emergent from one's realization that time has been wasted so? The ambiguity here is really doing it for me—including the question of whether this was by force from an outside perspective, internally a mistake, or a choice upon a mistake realized. I love what you've done with this, honestly.

@stupidstupidratcreatures — Bright Idea

This flavor text saved you from the fact that you submitted this card literally three minutes before I had queued the list of entries. If you're gonna try to cut it that close again, you better believe you'll be scrubbing yourself out of the tiles! Regardless, I can't say that this card is especially inspired considering the 2BB instant that destroyed a creature or planeswalker, but for one, the tapped requirement is fair enough, and the W ideal cost is a little more aggressive and combat focused, and it exiles, so whateva. And the world as well! I can imagine this being less of the Kamigawa variety and more... Hm, that's a good question, actually.

Where would a wizard try to put a star in a bottle? I'll be honest, the first person I imagined was an old-school wizard in star robes with a fancy hat, and I'm stopping myself now before I try to go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole about historical depictions of wizards in fantasy. Maybe this is Dominaria, maybe this is even Capenna because of the janitorial angle. All the same! I think that the dark humor in a wizard's alchemical mistake is enough of a mildly-gross moment that I'll admit to cracking a smile here. Hey, what more can you want?

Commentary comin' as it comes. @abelzumi

[theanimeawarenessproject]

Welcome to the Anime Awareness Project!

My name is Lucian and I have started this project in order to give lists of trigger tags for the anime you love or wish to watch!

We are not saying the anime you love is bad, even if we don't enjoy it ourselves.

Its okay to like a dark red anime or hate a green one. No one is here to take what you love away, only to make it more accessible to others.

How does the AAP work?

I work on this project in my free time and I don't get payed to do this! I watch an anime, making notes every time a potential trigger comes up. This can be smoking, blood, breaking glass, high pitched noises, or anything you ask to be specifically triggered!

Please keep in mind that I only review sub, which means if there's anything heinous in the dub and its not easily found online, it WILL be missed!

We go on a colour system from Green to Dark Red, and from now on I will also be adding Flash Levels.

Green: Anime that have very few triggers in them, and the content of those potential triggers are very light.

Yellow Green: Anime that contain a little more than the above, but are still very safe overall.

Yellow: Anime that fall here usually have some larger triggers like a lot of loud noises, or guns present, things that wouldnt be awful, but can need a little prep to see for some.

Yellow Orange: As with above, but has more of those things or some slightly heavier things.

Orange: Anime that fall here can be quite emotional, or deal with some mildly heavy topics, like loss or grief. Many anime will end up here.

Red Orange: As with above, but likely heavier, or more intense.

Red: Red level anime are extremely common. They deal with very heavy topics, have many extreme emotions, and may contain large amounts of blood or violence. The majority of anime in this category may not be suitable for underage watchers, this is up to veiwer discretion entirely. You'll see anime like Death Parade, Full Metal Alchemist, and Lycoris Recoil here.

Anime here may also contain one or more moments in which Dark Red level triggers occur, but they don't happen enough to bump up the level.

Dark Red: This category is a recent edition to distinguish a standard red level anime from anime with illegal or immoral content within them. This includes extreme triggers like r@pe, SA, CSAM, 1ncest, z00philia, and things of that nature. L0licon and sh0tacon also go onto this category as they are considered CSAM by me. This category is the reason I started this project. Do not go into these anime lightly.

Flash levels:

Light

Medium

High

Intense

Each review will have this label for convenience, but every situation is different. All anime moving forward will have a note containing the types and most common colours of flashes, and when possible, time stamps.

How we deal with adult entertainment oriented content:

We will not review hentai here. If its p0rn for p0rns sakes, youre on your own. Many popular anime contain adult oriented content, and those anime will be marked with a header bar of pink warning signs.

Example:

What is considered anime for the purpose of the AAP?

The Japanese definition of anime is anything animated, be it 2D, 3D, or any other form of animation. For the purpose of this project, we are using a much more western definition.

We review Japanese made animation, usually 2D. This does not include games or visual novels at this time as that isn't something I can access easily.

We also don't deal in manga here as I find it too hard to follow while also constantly stopping to take notes.

I have a suggestion or question.

If you have any suggestions, no matter how new or old, you can send an ask, send a message, or write a comment, or even make a reblog! Any and all suggestions are welcome. Questions can be asked the same way!

Want to help out with a review? Let me know and I'll help you out! All outside contributions will be given the proper credit in their own post.

This is an AI-free zone. (AI kin not included) Due to the nature of this project, we have no set dni, but we will block as necessary.

Join our discord here: https://discord.gg/saWkrYR8mG

[spandexinspace]

It is done. Overall I'd say the game is a 6-7/10 something. It's fun, but it lacks substance at times and nuance all the time. Thoughts and stuff and probably spoilers under the cut.

I still think the lack of carry over from previous games not called Trespasser was a mistake. There are things in the game that should have been affected by what happened in the others and the game dances around them with absolutely no elegance. And they choices you do make aren't all that important in my opinion.

Another change that didn't really work for me was the reduced party size. It didn't break the entire experience, but I could have handled three of them and it would have spiced up interactions.

I ended up like the combat once I got used to it. It's quite easy to cheese once you get some ways into it though. I'll reply it at some point in the future to see if I think it works as a mage too, since that feels like the class that should be the most affected by the reduced number of abilities/spells.

Other pros include the soundtrack, soundscape and visuals. I like the art style and the environments are very impressive and may have burnt a hole through my GPU. The general plot worked well, especially the endgame, but I thought it got a little fractured towards the middle and wasn't a fan of all the companion quests. I like how they tied in to the plot, but some of them just weren't good.

I'm having a hard time really pinpointing what the issue with the companions is. They're not particularly flawed, which I think is part of it, but other than that there's just something missing. They're funny and sometimes emotionally interesting in other ways, but they're not the DAO or DA2 crew. Davrin and Emmrich are the standouts of the cast, Neve is fun, Harding and Bellara are fine and Taash and Lucanis are not.

I'm still absolutely obsessed with Evka and Antoine though. NPCs and couple of the year. I really hope we get to see what the Grey Wardens look like under their less strict and traditional leadership. And maybe now we'll actually see an end to the calling now?

Neve and Lucanis was also a pretty fun ship, despite my not really enjoyment of him. People should be normal about it.

I absolutely loathed how much this game pulls the "Rook you have to pick" choices. The previous games would at least occasionally have a "do whatever the fuck you want" option that seemed slightly connected to your companions' development. There should have been more of that because why am I making life-altering decisions for all these people.

But the elephant in the room throughout the entire game is its treatment of previous lore and nuance. There are so many exclusions and retcons that don't make any sense and/or seem to exist only to simplify the narrative or make it more appealing to a general audience. In some ways it reminds me of how DC currently treats its lore, which isn't a good sign when you're a game series of four games and a pile of mildly canon extra material, and not a comic book company with several dozen monthly books.

It's weird that the oppression of elves is suddenly not an issue anymore. That no one isn't even casually bigoted towards them now. People are claiming that it's because we're not in the south anymore, but everything we saw before this game seemed to indicate that at least parts of the north were even worse than the south. Slavery has at most been illegal for 8 years, it shouldn't be like it never even existed.

I'm disappointed by how the Crows were handled too. Even if what Zevran said wasn't true for everyone there ought to still have been at least some kind of reference to how people like him were treated. Lucanis mentions hardships, but nothing close to the 11% survival rate and random mental abuse. I still think a plot line that explored the difference between Lucanis' more privileged position and that of less fortunate Crows could have been interesting. But really, anything that doesn't just portray them as goody two-shoes local heroes would have been nice.

But overall the game just seems to suffer from a lack of nuance. Things are bad or good and shades of grey need not apply.

Another weird thing is how much and quickly Bellara blames herself (and sometime tries to blame Davrin and elf Rook too) for the things the ancient elves did. It also felt like the game didn't really allow you to push back against that idea too much. I'm not sure if it's intentional commentary, but if it is it's poorly done. Especially if it relies on elves suddenly not being oppressed.

The endgame was really good and tight. Solas' plot was well-done, more so than any other subplot in the game, and sometimes quite emotional.

The future teaser was... interesting. Magisters? Those from beyond the sea? Did it show up if you didn't collect those circles?

I'm not sure if the game will even get a sequel, but I hope it does and that it's a bit more nuanced than this. I expect a more major time and/or space jump for that one though, so how closely married to the lore it'll even have to be remains to be seen.

Also Zevran, Fenris and Josephine were still ROBBED.

[theinvisiblecatisnotvisible]

Mildly concerning realization three:

Grave robbing is illegal. Obviously.

However, there is, to my knowledge, no law in the United States saying grave robbing specifically is a crime. So what charge is it listed under? Theft.

Theft is, again, a crime. But the threshold between a misdemeanor and felony changes state to state. Here is a nice little hopefully accurate graph.

From: https://www.axios.com/2022/04/21/inflation-prices-shoplifting-felony-misdemeanor

The charge for theft also depends state to state, I don’t have a graph for this one but it roughly ranges from a small fine for misdemeanor to the death penalty for a felony (states with legalized death penalty or federal felony).

Since D.C. is the capital and roughly mid range we will be using its threshold of $1000.

Now a proper body is estimated to go for around $550,000. We will not be stealing a full body.

Here’s the fun part, there are many body parts that go for less than $1000.

Alas the black market hinges on the fact it’s unregulated, so reaserch is limited. I used this article: https://medicalfuturist.com/how-much-is-life-worth/

Off the bat we get some prices that will keep us out of a grave ourselves. Skin is about $10 per inch and a stomach is only $500. We only have one stomach so that’s not the most interesting. But you could go right up to 99 square inches of skin without hitting $1000. Accordingly to a quick google search the average adult has about 21 square feet of skin, so 252 inches. So be careful not to over estimate your immoral harvesting.

Less reliable sources say a liter of blood is $337.

Everything else? Go to Texes for a better chance. Fair warning, it has the highest number of executions.

Bonus information gathered in this rabbit hole:

Deers eat bones, including human. This was found by a Texas university studying human cadaver decomposition. These places are called bone yards or body farms.