#(that's just my tag! though trash collection day in the summer is...rough)

[notbecauseofvictories]

I'm thinking about applying to colleges in Philadelphia, so I'd like to know what your favorite places were in the city.

Philly is a cluttered antique store of a city and I cannot overstate the importance of just sort of...wandering through it sometimes. I discovered an entire alley of Zagar mosaics and murals and graffiti just by ducking around a corner one day. If you meander through Center City in spring, it’s like a pop-up botanical garden: so many flowers, so much green. One Saturday I went from river to river---Delaware to Schuylkill, camera in hand---and it was genuinely one of the best experiences I had in the city.

(Another time, a friend and I were sitting outside a bar on South Street, talking and nursing our drinks when a pair of black men on horseback cantered past. I think I gasped. Yeah, my friend said nonchalantly, Philly is famous for its Black cowboys, who ride out from the African-American-owned and operated stables on the South Side. 

Personally, I thought she was not appreciative enough of how obviously magical that moment was: the yellowed street light, the night air, and the sight of them like something out of time.)

But if you’re asking for specific places, these are my favorites: 

The Schuylkill Banks---Any park that’s long and skinny and runs parallel to a body of water is just...automatically very important to me. (If I ever went too far from Chicago’s Lakeshore, I think I’d die.) I biked up and down the Schuylkill plenty of times and it wends past public parks, boat houses, museums, nature preserves, statuary and cliffsides and cemeteries, the zoo...It truly was one of my favorite places to kill a Saturday. Especially because it was basically a constant ‘choose your own adventure’ book in terms of what you could see or explore.

Rittenhouse Square---To be fair, this is also a tourist destination, and an area so thick with gentrification that you could choke. But for people-watching and farmers markets, art sales and just hanging out, I never found anything to compare. Say hello to the greyhounds for me, I miss them.

There’s an Ethiopian restaurant in Philly (I’m sorry, I do not remember the name) with a bar on the second floor. My friend went to the bathroom and I leaned over (slightly tipsy) and tapped our neighbor on the shoulder, because she was wearing a jean jacket with a giant applique of Truth Coming Out of Her Well and I thought it was cool. We ended up combining tables, drinking too much, and having a fantastic night.

Cemeteries! I love cemeteries always in any context, but Philly had so many of them in close proximity, and they were always so cool. Laurel Hill had the best programming, but the Woodlands was always my favorite in the fall. You could sit and listen to a horror podcast for hours, with no interruption but the occasional polite nod to a jogger.

I have come around to Independence Mall. It’s obviously even more of a tourist destination than Center City, but it’s also a massive public park flanked by museums, and worth checking out. They also offer a lot of great programming, including the Opera on the Mall.

There is no thing I love in Philly more than Bartram’s Garden. If I had a million dollars to spend, I would give...well, a lot of it, to them. Not only is it a beautiful place, combining a historical site with rambling paths and gardens on the banks of the Schuylkill (with canoe rentals!) but they are passionate advocates for West/Southwest Philly. They run so many phenomenal education programs, collaborating with local artists and businesses to do it. They recently welcomed urban cowboy Malik Divers to build stables beside the property. If you have the chance to volunteer, or help with outreach...they are doing amazing work.

Mütter Museum: Philly has a lot of museums and a lot of them are wonderful, but this one is the weirdest, focuses on the history of medicine, and is therefore my favorite.

There’s more I haven’t mentioned here. But Philly really is a---well, “antique store” is the cruder way of saying “jewel box.” Say what you like about it, but there always seems to be something more to catch your eye.

[justasparkwritings]

Perpetual Bliss

Pairing: Kim Seokjin x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Little Angst, Bashful & Timid KSJ

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2.1K

Warning: Light Swearing 

Summary: Seokjin and you have been seeing each other for a few weeks, but neither have you have crossed the line from casually dating to lust and desire... will tonight finally be that night?

Listening: This Kiss by Faith Hill

Notes: This is for @ksmutclub​‘s Summer of Kiss event! 

Tag: @jinpanman

Beta: @sugasbabiie​ of course

           Lightning streaking across the sky.  

           The bubbles in fresh champagne.

           A perfect scoop of ice cream.

           Tingles down your spine.

           Subliminal.

          Driving on a summer day, music blasting, hair moving in the wind.

           Butterflies over a first love.

           A stolen glance.

           Blush creeping over cheeks and ears, burning down your neck.

           Plush pout, gentle lick of a bottom lip, nerves shaking as hands reach and hold.

          A pivotal moment.

          Ahhh.

          Bliss.

          The first kiss.

          Seokjin isn’t one to lean in on the first date, to invade the space of his companions, asking to cross the line between friendly interactions and lust—which is why he didn’t kiss you on your first date. Or second. Or, third.

          In fact, Seokjin has worked himself up in such a tizzy that he isn’t quite sure he remembers how to kiss anyone, let alone how to make the first move.

          “Jin?” You call, staring up into his clouded eyes.

          “Yes?” He answers, eyes coming back into focus, glancing past his lashes to stare at you. You’re beautiful, he thinks, sexy and charming, and so funny.

          Do you know you are hilarious? That when he goes home after every date to relay the jokes you told, he can’t ever get them out because he’s laughing too hard? Which inevitably leaves Yoongi annoyed that he ever decided to ask, “hey, how was the date?” Do you know that he’s crazy about you, that in between rehearsals and practices, he’s counting down the minutes until he sees you again? That when he falls asleep, he’s wondering when he can ask you to spend the night, or stay at yours, so he can hold you, wake up to you, maybe even love you?

          “I was just saying that I don’t really want you to go,” You repeat.

          You’ve propped yourself up on his chest, chin resting against your hand, moving ever so slightly with each intake of Jin’s breath. Somewhere between the third act resolution and the credits, you’d started speaking to him, only to glance up at him and realize he wasn’t paying any attention to you at all. You can feel the rapid beating of his heart, not at all calm and steady as it was a few minutes ago. It is cute, really cute, watching his eyes go out of focus, his thoughts so deep he hadn’t heard the call of his name, not once or twice. But finally, eyes focusing, blinking quickly, lips pouting again, he’s returned to you.

          “I don’t want to go either,” He smiles, “I have to, though.”

          You sigh, fighting the urge to trace his cherry pout with your index finger.

          “I guess, work or something,” You roll your eyes. “Not like you need to pay bills or anything,”

          “I suppose I don’t, but I can’t miss practice,”

          “I mean, you could,”

          Seokjin scoffs, “Ya - you want me to call in sick?”

          “Would it really be that noticeable?”

          “I’m one of seven, of course they’d notice, and I need all the practice I can get,” Jin uses his index finger to bop your nose, the immediate scrunch eliciting a giggle from him. “You’re so cute.”

          You glare, the finger you’d so desperately wanted to use to trace his lips, repeating his actions on his nose. “Anyway, you’re a great dancer.”

          “I work really hard to be okay at it,”

          “You’re great, better than okay,”

          His heartbeat, which has evened itself out, picks up at your praise, and the wiggle of your hips repositioning yourself against him.

          “If you say so,” Jin’s ears are burning, hot to the touch, and he can’t stop himself from glancing from your eyes, kind and soulful, to your lips. He notices the subtle poke of your tongue, wetting your bottom lip before your teeth rake over it. He’s watched you do this before, often taking your bottom lip between your teeth to gnaw at the flaking flesh, but never this close, never when his lust for you has reached monumental heights.  

          “When will I see you again?” You whisper.

          Again, your voice pulls his focus back to your eyes, staring again, expectantly, hoping he’ll say soon, bracing for the potential that he’ll have to disappear for work for a week or two.  

          “Day after tomorrow?”

          “Yes,” You nod.

          “It’s a date,” Jin pulls you closer to him, holding onto you, a gentle kiss on your head. You exhale, breath fanning his neck, nose nudging the column of his throat. It’s safe here, cozy and welcoming, the giddiness in your heart echoing in the beating of butterfly wings in your abdomen. Seokjin’s hands, resting on your lower back, dangerously close to tickling you, are steady and calm.

          “Your heart’s beating so fast,” You comment, lips coming in contact with the skin of his neck.

          “Ya, of course it is; it always is when I’m with you. You’re acting like I’m so cool and collected all the time, I’m a mess,”

          “You’re not a mess!”

          “Ayesh, my ears are going to burn off my head. You’re cool and collected! So unphased. I can barely get a sentence out without stammering. You make me so nervous all the time. And then you just laugh at me!” Seokjin argues. You love when he gets worked up, his words hurdling past his angered pucker, not stumbling but gracefully gaining speed, one after the other until he’s not only red from embarrassment but red from fury.

          You sit up, laughing while he tsk-tsk-tsks.

          “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I keep laughing. What you’re saying is valid; it’s how you’re saying it that has me laughing,” You explain, laughter diminishing as his embarrassment ceases.  

          “Seokjin’s pain is just so funny,” He mocks, “trying to be cute and vulnerable, and this is what I get!”

          “Here,” You take his hand, placing it gently above your heart. “Can you feel mine?” Your body stills, heart racing matching the pace of his, too quick, too unsteady, the warmth of his hand making the rhythm pick up speed.

          “Hm,” He answers.

          “Not just you, but my heart too.”

          For what he can estimate is the hundredth time, his eyes linger on your lips, lowering to the placement of his hand before he takes it away.

          “You should probably go; it’s getting late.”

          He follows your lead, standing too. “Yeah, yeah I should.”

          “Text me when you get home?” You ask.

          “Yes,”

          Seokjin hugs you, once again placing you in a position to listen to his heartbeat. The longer he holds you, the faster it beats. A kiss to your hair, and he’s gone—no traditional kiss goodnight, no lingering desire in his eyes. But if he isn’t mistaken, he saw yours: the slight disappointment, the gentle frown, the way you tucked your cheek between your incisors, gnawing as he walked away.

          Had he missed his opportunity?

          It isn’t until he gets home, tossing himself on his bed, shoes neatly tucked away, that he texts you. You respond immediately, and it’s your response that swells the lump in his throat.  

          Seokjin: Home sweet home

          You: Great! Also, I kind of thought you were going to kiss me…  

          Seokjin: I should’ve, I wanted to

          You: Why didn’t you?

          Seokjin: I was scared – what if I’m bad at it?

          You: Haha – I can’t imagine you are

          Seokjin: But… I could be

          You: I could be too

          Seokjin: I’ve wanted to, before tonight, I’ve just been so nervous

          You: I’ve wanted to, too… I think about it a lot

          Seokjin: Really?

          You: Yeah, I do

          Seokjin: Me too

          You: Well, then we better make it happen next time

          Seokjin: It’s a date

           Kissing you is all Seokjin can think about. Not just what it’ll mean for your relationship, but you.

          Kissing.

          You.

          How will your lips feel - will they be supple and soft? Chapped and rough? What sounds will you make? Will you hold his waist or tuck your hands into his shaggy hair? Will you be greedy or giving? Will your tongue move past his lips, drawing his out?

          But the one he cannot shake, cannot begin to comprehend: what will you taste like?  

           He’s tried not to venture down that path, the path of temptation, the path that moves from a kiss to kissing, to making out and hands slipping under clothes… clothes flying, sinful sounds… Seokjin has had to stop himself on more than one occasion. The temptation… the desire… it’s all too much when he hasn’t even kissed you once.

           As he tries to focus in rehearsals, brushing his teeth, playing games with Jungkook, all he can do is wonder: have you thought the same things, wondered what he’ll feel like, what he’ll taste like?

           “Hey,” You greet, stepping into the car. You’re glimmering, Seokjin observes, glancing at your bright smile.

           “Hey,” Seokjin offers you a nervous smile in exchange, ears already a bright red.

           “Jin, are you nervous already?”

           He chuckles, “Aren’t you?”

           You set your hand on the center console, palm up, waiting, expecting him to place his in yours. He complies, letting your thumb caress the skin as you speak. “I mean, yeah, but we’re still, us right?”

           “Yes,” He hums.

           “So, let’s go see the movie, and get pizza when it’s over,”

           “What, and make out on your couch?” His nervous giggles betray his hidden desires. He really would like to make out with you on your couch.

           “Do you want to skip the movie and do that instead?” You question. He turns his key in the ignition, shutting off the motor, and sighs.

           “We’re good, you and me, right?” He asks.

           “Yes, I think so,”

           Seokjin takes your hand again. “Good, good, me too,”

           “You’re asking because?”

           “Because, at some point in the very near future, I’m going to kiss you for the first time, and I need to know that if it’s a terrible kiss, if I’ve forgotten how or my teeth hit yours or our foreheads bump, that we’ll still stand a chance,”

           “You want a guarantee that if our first kiss is trash, I’m not going to ghost you?” You clarify.

           “Yes,” He’s staring ahead at the empty street, wondering if being this vulnerable will result in you no longer finding him attractive or interesting. Though nothing could be more embarrassing than his outburst the other night. He’d been kicking himself over it; how was it possible that he could both embarrass himself fully and so openly share how quickly he is falling for you.

           You squeeze his hand, still in yours. “Jinnie,”

           “That’s a new nickname,”

           “Oppa,”

           “No, please, no,”  

           “Jinnie, how about this,” You tuck your leg underneath you, turning your entire body to face him. “Kiss me,”

           “What?” He yells, head whipping around to you.

           “Just a peck, nothing more,” You instruct.

           “Okay,” His eyes are still wide, caught off guard by your sudden directions. He takes in your posture, the nervous habits he’s picked up on the last month or two, how endearing when caused by him.

           “Meet me halfway,” You whisper, squeezing his hand once more.

           Seokjin unbuckles his seatbelt, turning to mimic your posture. He inhales, steadying himself before leaning in.

           “Wait,” You request.

           “Oh god,” He groans.

           “Shut up,” You laugh, your free hand pushing his hair behind his ear, slowly coming to rest on his cheek. Your thumb draws languid circles on the apple of his cheek, blush seeping into his honeyed flesh. His eyes, already a little blown, gazing longingly into yours. “I really like you.”

           His eyes soften more, head leaning into the palm of your hand. The butterflies blossoming in his abdomen, he’s so relieved you can’t feel his heartbeat. “I really like you, too.”

           It’s the confidence he needs, the security and safety of being in his car, with you, so close together, and admission of mutual affection, that inspires him. It pushes him over the edge, leaning in slowly, brushing his nose against yours in an Eskimo kiss, eyes drifting closed, lips finally, ceremoniously, meeting yours.

           Unsinkable.

           The bubbles in fresh champagne.

           Centrifugal motion.

           Tingles down your spine.

           Toes curling.

           Shooting star.

           Everything is in slow motion.

           Soft touch.

Heartbeat in your ears.

           Sweet and gentle.

           A pivotal moment.

          Ahhh.

          Perpetual Bliss.

           Seokjin pulls away, resting his forehead on yours. His breath fans your face—it’s gentle, calming, not so nervous or shaking as it was before.

           “Wow,” You whisper.

           “That was criminal,” Seokjin says.

           “Do you want to go to the movie?”

           “I don’t know if I’ll be able to focus, now that I know,” He answers.

           “Now that you know what?”

           “Now that I’ve had a taste, a feel, I don’t know if I can focus on anything but you,”

           You groan, loudly, before opening your car door and stepping out. Seokjin follows, moving quickly to slip his hand back into yours. He’s following closely, excitement bubbling in his chest. Because now, now, that he’s experienced just a taste of kissing you, going a minute more without your lips on his, is completely unthinkable.  

[shireness-says]

The Set-Up Scam

Summary: They’ve always been friends first and foremost - Emma and Killian, Killian and Emma - until suddenly, they’re something a little more too. But with a $600 betting pool on the line about when they’ll actually get together - well, maybe there’s incentive to keep the good news a secret. ~5.5k. Rated T for language. Also on Ao3. 

~~~~~

A/N: Merry Christmas, @nevertothethird! I was delighted to be your pair for @cssecretsanta2020. It’s been wonderful chatting with you, and I look forward to a full stalking. ;)

You said you liked secret dating, friends to lovers, and characters being forced to work together - so I, like a fool, tried to include all three. I hope you like the result!

Special thanks, as always, to my beta, @snidgetsafan - the greatest treasure under any tree.

Tagging: @ohmightydevviepuu, @welllpthisishappening, @thisonesatellite, @let-it-raines, @kmomof4, @scientificapricot, @thejollyroger-writer, @superchocovian, @teamhook, @optomisticgirl, @winterbaby89, @searchingwardrobes, @katie-dub, @snowbellewells, @spartanguard, @phiralovesloki, @profdanglaisstuff

Enjoy - and let me know what you think!

~~~~~

They’re friends, first and foremost. Best friends, really - Killian and Emma, Emma and Killian. Partners in crime and two peas in a pod and every other cliché there is (and Killian would definitely know all of them). It’s been that way since the very beginning, when Killian let her peek at his attendance quiz answers in that awful intro to astronomy class in college. Their relationship had grown from there: late nights in the library and each others’ dorm rooms, studying or watching movies or chatting, all the way through graduation and eventually grad school. They get each other in a way that usually doesn’t happen for Emma, both coming from rough backgrounds and determined to make the world a better place because of it. Hell, they even work together now at Misthaven County Middle School - Killian as an English teacher, and Emma as a guidance counselor. 

And all that time, it’s been strictly platonic. 

It’s not like Emma hasn’t looked. He’s an objectively good looking man, and smart and sweet and funny. But he’d been in some “it’s complicated” situation with a grad student when they’d met, and then Emma was in that weird period where she and Graham gave it a shot, and by the time they were both available… well, by that time, they’d been Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. A collective, a pair, absolutely entwined every way but romantically. He’d become her person, and it wasn’t worth risking that. There was no guarantee a romantic relationship would work out, anyways - or that Killian felt the attraction too. 

The thing, though, is that they’re Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. Always together, always in each other’s stories, two birds of a feather. People constantly think that they’re together - or should be.

Emma doesn’t really mind, most of the time. She and Killian usually think it’s pretty funny, trading stories back and forth on his or her couch. Where it gets annoying is when each and every one of their friends are determined they should be dating. It’s been years of meaningful looks and hints about “so why aren’t you seeing anyone, Emma?” - but the last straw is the stupid, stupid bet.

“I just don’ unnerstand why you and Killian aren’t a couple!” slurs Mary Margaret, assistant principal and friend, at her yearly end-of-summer bash. “You’re ovviously in loooooooooove.”

“Sure we are, Mary Margaret,” Emma placates. 

“But why haven’t you yet?” she demands. “You made me lose the pool!”

That draws Emma up short. “I’m sorry, what?”

The little pixie-haired brunette frowns. “Don’t you know? We’ve had a betting pool going for ages about when you’d get together this year. I thought for sure it’d be the Fourth of July.”

It’s a good guess, actually - Ruby throws a famously boozy bash every year at her grandmother’s diner, conveniently situated right below the inn. It’d make sense for them to get drunk and take things upstairs - except for the fact that none of this is rooted in sense in any way, shape, or form.

“That obviously didn’t happen,” Mary Margaret frowns sorrowfully, staring down into her plastic cup full of god-knows-what. It doesn’t last long, though, as she perks right back up. “But they let me make a new guess! I’ve got my money on the Friday after your birthday.”

“How much money are we talking here?” Emma can’t help but ask. It’s like a compulsion, one she doesn’t like or understand. 

“Five hundred and fifty dollars.” At least that’s what she thinks Mary Margaret says; the slurring gets particularly bad on the f-sounds. It’s an astounding sum. Truly stupid.

Kind of tempting.

“And everyone bet that it would happen this year?” she makes sure to clarify.

“Yup!” Mary Margaret pops the p-sound and then giggles to herself about the noise. 

“Then I’m putting fifty dollars on it not happening this year. That Killian and I won’t get together.”

———

She means it at the time, too. Because yeah, there’s sometimes that niggling little what if?, but they’ve known each other for eight years. Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. It’s not going to happen - honestly she’s not even sure she would want it to.

Until. 

It’s not the Friday after her birthday, when they’re all going to hit the bar, but it’s the night before her birthday - a Tuesday. Killian comes over to grade vocab quizzes and eat greasy pizza, and stays to drink beer and watch stupid baking shows with her on the couch. Honestly, in so many ways, it’s a night like any other: two friends, just enjoying each other’s company.

Until.

Maybe it’s the beers. Maybe something’s been building for longer than she ever thought. Maybe it’s just that they’re both feeling good and, well, it is her birthday. But Killian kisses her - or she kisses Killian - they kiss each other and it’s like something slots into place. Like of course this was going to happen - they were just waiting for the perfect moment. It makes sense, in a way that Emma hasn’t let herself think about; he’s the person she trusts most, the best man she knows, probably the most important person in her life. Her best friend - and, probably, something more.

“That was…” he gasps, some indeterminable amount of time later. Somehow, he’s wound up on top of her on the couch - not that she’s complaining.

“Only the beginning,” Emma completes, smirking in a way she definitely picked up from him. 

Now that this has started, she has no intention of stopping. 

———

“Ok, don’t kill me - or, like, run away immediately - but I need a favor. A huge one,” Emma says much later, both of them naked and sated beneath her sheets.

Killian laughs beside her, peering up from the pillows with a smile. “After that, darling, I’m predisposed to give you just about anything you want.”

“And I’ll give it to you again,” she quips back, mostly to make him keep laughing. It works. “But seriously. Did you know that everyone’s got a bet going on us?”

That pops his head up. “I’m sorry, a bet? I… What? Who?”

“Seems like pretty much everyone. Ruby, Mary Margaret, David, Robin, Belle… I could go on and on. A six hundred dollar pool on when we get together.”

“Typical,” Killian mutters - though Emma catches a fond note in his tone. “Who’s the lucky winner, then?”

“Ok, this is where the favor comes in.” Hopefully this isn’t a breaking point for him; Emma would hate to have this taste of them, only to have it ripped away from her. “See, Mary Margaret told me about this when she got trashed at the back to school party, and I’d had a few too and was all hopped up on righteous fury or whatever, and I kind of… put fifty dollars in the pot that we wouldn’t get together this year at all.”

Killian stares at her for a moment, and Emma’s frankly scared that he’s going to get out of bed and go - but instead, he bursts into a near-hysterical cackle. “So you want to keep this a secret until the new year, so you can win the pot?”

Emma grins, knowing she must look like the cat that ate the canary (or however that weird-ass saying goes - again, English is Killian’s thing). “Exactly. We could spend it on a weekend getaway or something.”

“I’m in, then. Under the radar.”

“It’s just two months and change,” Emma says. “It’ll speed by. How hard can it be?”

———

Turns out - their friends are determined to make it as hard as possible. Even if they don’t know it.

Things are fine, at first. In fact, nothing really changes: Emma and Killian still show up at each others’ doors most nights, and Killian comes to hang out and grade papers in her office during his free periods most days. It’s just that their evenings are now filled with kisses and touches, and those afternoons in her office with all kinds of promises of things to come. It’s thrilling, in a way, to put on the front of normality for everyone else while only they know the truth. It’s nice, too, to be able to get their feet underneath them in this relationship without so many prying eyes watching them figure it all out. 

Just because they don’t know, though, doesn’t mean their friends stop trying. There’s a bet on the line, after all, and their friends have never exactly been ones to step back and let things naturally run their course. Not for those busybodies; not with six hundred dollars and Emma and Killian’s supposed happiness on the line.

(The fact that they’re right - that the two of them really are happiest together - is irrelevant.)

David, of all people, is the first to start meddling.

“Do you guys want to get dinner?” he asks out of the blue one day - calls Emma up on her phone and everything. “You and Killian and me and Mary Margaret, I mean.”

Emma’s antenna raises immediately. “What, like a double date? C’mon, David —”

“No! No,” he says hastily - a little too hastily, Emma thinks. “No, a cousin of mine - Kris, you’ve met him - he’s opening up his own restaurant. Some place with Scandinavian food, I guess?”

“That’s actually a thing?” 

“I guess. I don’t know, he studied abroad in Norway in college. Anyways, he could use a little business, support or whatever, so Mary Margaret and I figured we’d bring some extra people along. You know, help him out. And maybe Scandinavian food is good after all.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

The line sits silent for a moment, before David breaks. “So… you in?”

And as much as Emma suspects this is all some elaborate set-up - well, it’s supposed to be to help someone else. David’s cousin, who she has in fact met and is really a good guy. And so she reluctantly agrees. “Yeah, I’m in. One of us will have to check with Killian if he’s available —”

“What, he’s not right there with you?”

(He is, his lips kiss-swollen and pulled into a delicious smirk, but that’s not the point and none of David’s business.)

“ — but yeah, I’m down.”

In the week between the call and the dinner, Emma actually finds herself starting to look forward to it. Yeah, it won’t be a real date - not with David and Mary Margaret there - but it’s still a chance to wear a pretty dress that’ll make Killian’s eyes bug a little. She’ll have to pick something he’ll have fun taking off of her later, once they’ve pretended to go back to their own homes. 

Emma’s just pulling into the parking lot, however, when her phone rings, David’s name popping up on the screen. 

“We’re not going to make it tonight,” he says without preamble, followed by the most fake-ass cough Emma’s ever heard in her life. “We’re sick.”

“Yeah, sick off your own lies,” Emma mutters. “Alright, well, I guess we’ll go another time —”

“Oh no, I insist you guys still have dinner. You and Killian deserve to have a night off!”

“David, c’mon, don’t play dumb —”

He ignores her. “Besides, you’ll be doing me - and Kris - a huge favor. I already told him to charge whatever you guys get to me. Splurge a little, have dessert and a bottle of wine. It’s all on me.”

Killian climbs out of his own car as David pleads his case, cocking his head in confusion at the no doubt frustrated look on Emma’s face. He looks like he wants to kiss it better; Emma wishes he could actually do so.

“Fine,” she caves. “If you’re sure. But I’m running up the bill.”

“You say that like it’s a surprise.”

Emma takes particular glee in ending the call. She should have seen this coming. “Looks like David has come down with a possibly fatal cough, so he and Mary Margaret aren’t coming tonight,” she tells Killian, rolling her eyes. No need to resist that particular urge.

He snorts. “Ah, liar-itis. I thought he might be coming down with a case.”

“Complicated by meddler’s cough. Don’t forget that.”

“Of course not.” He dips down to capture her lips in a gentle, lingering kiss - another urge they don’t have to resist with none of their friends around to see it. “You look lovely tonight, Swan.”

She smirks back. “I know.”

“Of course you do,” he laughs. “I’m sure you wore that just to torment me through dinner. Now, shall we?”

“We shall.” Emma slips her hand through his offered arm. “Dinner’s on David, by the way.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

———

“So, how was dinner?” David asks the next day, his cough mysteriously cleared up. 

“Good,” Emma replies, knowing exactly what he’s digging for. “Your cousin’s got a good lingonberry cheesecake. Don’t worry, Killian and I totally ran up the bill. Kris has been well supported. You’re welcome.”

“And?” he demands.

Emma makes sure to play up her confusion. “And… what? It was a great dinner, might even go back if I ever have a date, and then I went home. Honestly, what did you expect to happen, David?”

Even through the phone, she can almost hear him audibly deflate. Something like a sigh, or perhaps the sound of his entire plan collapsing in on itself. Personally, Emma thinks it’s hilarious.

(It’s especially funny when she vividly remembers the way Killian had stripped her out of that dress, can still feel the scratch of his beard on her inner thighs.)

(But again - those are things that David doesn’t need to know.)

———

The set-ups multiply like rabbits, and Emma starts to notice her and Killian being forced into more and more situations together, just the two of them. Fuck only knows why they think these clumsy attempts will work; after all, Emma and Killian held out for 8 years of each other’s company before finally getting together (without anyone’s help, she might add). Still, 

Trivia night is a weekly tradition for them all, down at the Rabbit Hole. Some weeks, the turnout is good; sometimes, not so much. They usually meet up at someone’s house and carpool from there because there’s not a ton of parking spots outside the bar, and it’s always worked well - two, maybe three cars instead of a half dozen or more. It’s a good time, and Emma always finds herself looking forward to Thursdays. 

Tonight, they’ve met at Robin’s, Killian’s former roommate. It’s a good crowd tonight, too - Robin and his fiance Marian, Mary Margaret with David, Belle the librarian, Ruby and Mulan, even Graham and Lance and Tink. The gang’s all here, probably trying to let loose a bit before holiday obligations set in, and they’re raring to go - all twelve of them.

Emma hopes that it’s not planned - that there just happen to be two cars and then some worth of people here - but it’s more likely planned. Robin probably twisted their arms to come, just for this.

“Emma, would you mind checking the door one more time?” he calls as they congregate in the driveway. “I’m sure I locked it, but I’ve just got that niggling little feeling…”

“Sure, no problem.” And it isn’t - it’s checking the damn door. Except it’s actually winding down his stupidly picturesque front garden path to the front door, and then having to maneuver around the always-unlocked outer glass door to make sure that the real door is locked, and then maneuvering and winding and everything back… and by the time Emma makes it back, everyone’s already piled into Mary Margaret’s station wagon and Robin’s little SUV, even the middle seats everyone usually hates, leaving just the conniving man himself and Killian standing on the asphalt. 

“Sorry, looks like the two of you will be riding together,” Robin says, not seeming remotely sorry. “This is convenient anyways! I know how much time you two spend together, if you decide that it’s easier to crash together afterwards… it wouldn’t be a problem for the extra car to stay here overnight.”

“Oh, I’m sure it wouldn’t be,” Emma grumbles. “I don’t suppose you have any underlying motive here, do you Robin? Say, to the tune of six hundred dollars?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he responds cheerily. “I just really, really want you to know that you can keep your options open. And, you know, other euphemistic things if the urge moves you.”

Asshole.

(Emma does not leave her car at Robin’s overnight - but that doesn’t stop Killian from meeting her at her place afterwards.

“This euphemistic enough for you, love?” he teases as Emma pulls at his shirt, trying to tug the cotton tee over his head.

“How’s this for a euphemism: fuck me.”

“That’s not exactly how that word works, Swan.”

“I could not possibly give fewer shits about semantics than I do right now, Killian, unless it somehow relates to you getting your pants off.”

Somehow, even in the midst of their frantic stripping, he manages to laugh. “As you wish.”

She’s always preferred straight talking anyways.)

———

“Thank god I found you both!” Mary Margaret declares, bursting into Emma’s office a little too dramatically for her tastes. Until now, she and Killian had been having a wonderful lunch together, but that’s obviously a thing of the past now. 

“That seems a little extreme for a Friday,” Killian comments mildly as he sets his cafeteria burger back down on the styrofoam tray. Personally, Emma thinks the cafeteria food is disgusting, but Killian’s got a real fondness for the cheeseburgers, and especially the french fries. No one’s perfect, she guesses. “What terrible impending tragedy can Emma or I save you from, Mary Margaret?”

“Kathryn’s father is in the hospital, so she and Fred can’t work their assigned booth at the Winter Carnival tomorrow.” Storybrooke County School District’s charity carnival is a tradition every winter - one Mary Margaret takes very seriously. Something that’s clearly about to come back and bite them all in the ass. “Would you two be able to cover tomorrow? You’d be doing me such a huge favor…”

Killian raises a single eyebrow as he turns to meet Emma’s eye - that eyebrow that always seems like a dare. “My schedule’s clear this weekend. Count me in. What do you say, Swan, think you can find room in your schedule to save Mary Margaret from the tragedy of all tragedies?”

Emma rolls her eyes at the way he’s putting it on thick, but truth be told, her only plans had been spending the day with Killian. Might as well. “Sure, what the hell,” she says, reaching for another bite of her microwave pizza. “I don’t have anything else going on.”

In retrospect, Emma realizes that Mary Margaret could have done something terrible with this - assigned them to the kissing booth or something. God, she hopes that there’s not a kissing booth at a middle school carnival, but it feels like just the kind of thing she’d pull. Thankfully, they’re set up at the ring toss game. It’s not strenuous in the least; they don’t even have to take money, just paper tickets. Really, the only questionable thing is that they’re crammed right together in the box formed between the booth walls and the counter and the table of bottles behind them. Maybe that’s something that would have bothered her a few weeks ago, back when they were Emma and Killian but not Emma and Killian. Now, it’s just an excuse to get right up in his space and enjoy all those little touches, right under everyone’s nose.

(Maybe, every time they have to duck under the counter to retrieve poorly-thrown rings, Killian takes the opportunity to steal a quick kiss while no one else can see. And maybe - just maybe - Emma uses those same opportunities to steal her own kisses right back.)

“Soooooo, how’s it going?” Mary Margaret chirps when she pops up out of nowhere mid-afternoon. It’s like she thinks she’ll find them making out in the middle of the carnival or something. Which… fair. The urge is there. But they’re professionals - and Emma wants that money, dammit. She’s not caving here.

“Just fine, Mare,” Emma replies. “Nothing worth reporting.”

“There’s not? You two are looking awfully cozy in there… nothing to report?”

“Well, you’re the one who set up the booths, so…”

“Aye, just making the best of it,” Killian helpfully adds.

Emma almost feels guilty about the way that Mary Margaret visibly deflates.

“You know this was another ridiculous set-up, right, love?” Killian asks once their friend has walked away. “She probably never even needed our help. It was all a ploy.”

“I see it now,” Emma sighs. “I had just weirdly hoped she’d be above all that bullshit.”

Killian quirks that eyebrow yet again. “Mary Margaret? Infamous meddler? Of course not. It’s cute that you thought that though, darling.”

“Oh, shut up.”

(“Mary Margaret told me to take the weekend off, that they’d over-scheduled,” Kathryn tells Emma later when she tries to ask how the other woman’s father is doing. “Was that not the case?”)

(Fucking figures.)

———

Ruby, frankly, is not a surprise. In fact, if there was one person Emma would figure would be pulling this bullshit, it’s Ruby. The girl’s too competitive for her own damn good - not to mention that mile-wide chaotic streak running through her soul.

“Pucker up!” she crows, thrusting what Emma assumes is a sprig of mistletoe over her and Killian’s heads. They’re at Ruby and Mulan’s place for… some party; it’s probably, maybe holiday themed, but Ruby’s never needed an excuse to throw a party. Anything to get them all drunk and laughing and forgetting about the stresses of the week.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Emma demands. “Ruby, don’t be stupid. This isn’t college anymore.”

“Oh, like we ever did this in college,” Ruby scoffs with that devious twinkle in her eye. “Besides, college shenanigans are a state of mind. And I’m not giving that up. Now c’mon, no weaseling out of this.”

“It is the rules,” Mulan points out, appearing to slip her arm around Ruby’s waist and drop an affectionate - if slightly tipsy - kiss on her shoulder.

“Yeah, you hear that? Smart half says it’s the rules. So go ahead and pucker up and kiss him. And then go make out for a while and maybe bone each other so I can win the pool.”

Killian blushes a little bit at the phrasing - something that’s surprisingly cute on him, knowing how often he usually tosses around the innuendoes and exactly how dirty a mouth he has when they’re alone. Before Emma knows what he’s doing, he leans in to press a gentle kiss to her cheek, and then another, smacking one for good measure. “Who are we to deny the great, determined Ruby Lucas?” he proclaims grandly. “One kiss: delivered.”

Ruby’s face gets a bit mutinous; it’s the only word for that particular storm cloud, really. “No it isn’t! That’s cheating!”

“Eh. Technically, it was a kiss.” God bless Mulan for being the only one willing to go against Ruby when she’s got a plan; perks of being the girlfriend, Emma supposes. 

“And more importantly, Rubes, that’s all you’re going to get from us.” And that’s Emma’s last word on the subject.

(“Happy Christmas, darling,” Killian whispers into her neck later once they’re back at her place, dangling his own sprig of mistletoe over their heads. “How about it? C’mon, give us a kiss.”

Emma is more than happy to comply.)

———

Emma wouldn’t say it’s common for her to get calls from the school librarian, Belle, but it’s not unusual either. So when Belle calls her up in mid-December, shortly before Christmas break, Emma doesn’t think twice about it.

“The new Scholastic catalogs are here,” Belle informs her. “I haven’t started sending them to classrooms yet, but if you want to take a look now…”

“I’ll be right there.” Yes, the catalogs are full of books for middle school students, but Emma still loves those things. They’re chock-full of nostalgia.

“I haven’t even taken them out of the box yet,” Belle explains when Emma meets her at the check-out desk. “They’re all still in the back room. Here, I’ll let you in.”

That should have been Emma’s clue here. Why would a box of new catalogs, just arrived in the mail, already be shoved into the storage closet? But Emma’s too excited about the prospect of those newsprint magazines to think about it. By the time Emma realizes there’s nothing in this little closet but printer paper and old yearbooks… Belle’s already closed and locked the door, trapping Emma inside. 

So it’s yet another set up, most likely. It’s a good thing she’s not claustrophobic, at least.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, Emma can hear Killian’s voice outside the door. 

“How many boxes did you say it was, Belle? I’m happy to help haul, but I’m just wondering if we should get a hand cart to assist.”

“Oh no, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Belle’s voice responds. “Just a few trips for each of us. Right in here…”

And suddenly, Killian’s in the cramped little closet too, and the door is shut and latched behind them. Gee, what a surprise.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Emma comments dryly. Somehow, probably on some kind of ridiculous romantic instinct, Killian’s hands have already found their way to her hips. It’s nice, really, ignoring the circumstances.

His face is adorably confused, looking around the room and back to the door and then to Emma’s own face and all over again. “Did she just lock us in here?”

“Yeah, keep up, Jones,” Emma teases. “I assume another stupid set-up effort.”

That makes the confusion disperse alright, a smirk full of promise creeping across his face instead. “If that’s the case… we’ll just have to make the most of it.”

“Oh no you don’t,” she warns. “There’s a camera in here.”

“So? It’s not like she’s watching the monitors.”

“So, Belle recently started dating Will Scarlet in IT. You want to take the chance she locked us in here, and forgot to have her boyfriend monitor us?”

“Fuck,” Killian swears, dropping his head back in dramatic emphasis. “They’re really going overboard, aren’t they?”

“I’ll make it up to you later. I promise.”

Thirty minutes later, when Emma and Killian have done nothing but talk and try to find some little extra space in the crowded closet, Belle finally lets them out, just in time for the end of Killian’s free period.

“I’m sure you have no idea how that happened,” he comments, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“It’s just the weirdest thing,” Belle agrees.

Well, that’s one way of putting it.

(Emma makes it up to him, several times over, at her place that night, with a take-out pizza to boot.)

———

After what feels like an eternity, it’s finally here: New Year’s Eve. As long as they make it to midnight and the new year proper without anyone finding out, this whole ridiculous farce is over, and they can be the couple they’ve technically already been since October. Emma and Killian, Killian and Emma - but more than they had been before. 

They’d spent Christmas together - not that that was anything unusual. With everyone else going to visit family, the two of them often spend the day together, eating take-out Chinese and watching holiday movies. Killian’s got a brother back in England that he makes sure to call, and some years Liam will fly over, but Killian usually saves his visits for summer vacation, when he can stay in whatever little English hamlet his brother calls home for weeks at a time. There’s always something nice about spending the holidays together, just the two of them, but it was extra special this year. Who knew Emma was the kind of girl who wanted to trade kisses under the Christmas tree between swapping gifts?

(Killian, apparently - but then again, he’s always claimed to know her better than she knows herself.)

“Just a few more hours,” he murmurs against her neck, twining his arms about her waist from behind as Emma carefully brushes on mascara. “Few more hours, and then it’s all in the open.”

“Thank god for that, too. After all the PDA we’ve gotten from certain people all these years, I’m looking forward to rubbing it in their faces a bit.”

They carpool to Mary Margaret and David’s, just like they do every year. It’s routine, really; Emma always crashes at Killian’s after the annual New Year’s Eve party so that someone is there to help her with the hangover in the morning. Killian makes better hashbrowns than anyone she knows - even Granny - and they always manage to pull her out of the worst of her misery. He’s good about taking care of her, too, with water and Advil and making sure to shut all the shades as tightly as possible. They even share a bed a lot of years; it’s just that tonight, Emma knows there will be a lot fewer clothes involved.

They drink. They eat. They mingle. Sometimes, they’re together, carefully not touching, and sometimes they drift apart. That’s how this party usually works, after all - and Emma is nothing if not committed to seeing this entire thing through, pretending nothing is different this year, that she and Killian definitely aren’t together. Nothing to see here, folks.

God, she’s so fucking lucky he didn’t cut and run once it became obvious just how much of a competitive lunatic Emma is.

Finally, though, it’s the moment - less than a minute left. Killian is already waiting for her by the patio doors, just like he promised. Emma is only too happy to wind her way over there, grinning when she finally finds herself in front of her boyfriend - about to be secret no longer. Behind them, the assembled drunken crowd loudly counts down the last seconds of the year. They keep their hands determinedly to themselves - just as agreed, so no one can try and claim anything happened before the strike of the new year - but Killian still looks at her with that twinkle in his eyes and wiggling eyebrows. It’s anticipation, and excitement, and a good bit of joy - knowing that soon, this will all be out in the open. No more keeping their hands to themselves. 

“You ready for this, love?” he says just loud enough for her to hear as the clock hits ten seconds. 

“Hell yeah,” she grins back - because she is. She so is. This has been a long time coming - years in the making, really - and you know what? The whole secrecy may have helped her wrap her head around the whole thing, as well as win her the pot, but she’s ready to take it public. Maybe rub it in everyone’s faces just how happy she is and how she did this on her own schedule. Why the hell not?

Cheers erupt all around them, and Emma’s grin stretches to something that almost hurts her face. Killian looks much the same. “Happy New Year, love,” he says, finally pulling her towards him by the hips. “I think it’ll be our best one yet.”

Fireworks are going on outside, lighting up the snow on the ground, but Emma can’t be bothered to pay attention - not when Killian attacks her lips with purpose, grinning happily into the kiss before she insistently deepens it, slipping her tongue into his mouth to play. It’s just another in a series of kisses, they know - but it’s more than that. It’s a display, in the best way, declaring them them.

Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. A pair, a unit, a couple. 

“HA!” shrieks someone across the room as their make-out finally gains attention. Emma thinks it might be Ruby - though, at this point, it might be Mary Margaret. Maybe both. It’s definitely Ruby who materializes just as Emma and Killian finally break apart with a laugh. “It’s about fucking time!”

“Yeah,” Emma agrees - something that seems to short-circuit Ruby’s brain for a moment, if that look on her face is anything to go by. “It really was. And you know what else?”

Ruby shakes her head mutely, that twist of her eyebrows demonstrating that she’s still trying to get her bearings about what the fuck is happening here.

“It’s the new year. That pot is mine.”

“That’s my girl,” Killian whispers in her ear.

Best. New Year’s. Ever.

———

On January 1st of the new year, Emma and Killian - Killian and Emma - they, them, a pair, a unit, a couple take their six hundred dollars in winnings and treat themselves to a goddamn massive lunch at Granny’s. Together. In public. Because they deserve it. 

Grilled cheese has never tasted so good to Emma - especially the crumbs off the corners of Killian’s lips. 

[attina-the-responsible]

BDRPwrimo -- Day 28

Your character’s closet.

(Objects referenced are left to right, top to bottom. A is the left aesthetic, b is the right aesthetic. Click to enlarge.)

This is my favorite of all the tasks, just got to say that off the bat. I have a very specific idea of what all my characters wear, but to most of them, it’s not that important, so I rarely mention it in threads, because that’s like Creative Writing 101, but I am that trash person that ALWAYS wants to describe my character’s outfit, because as we discussed in my “Bodily Depictions in Ancient Egypt” class: clothing and ornamentation are the ways people express themselves!!

(Yes, I copied that from when I did these a few years ago, fight me.) 

Attina’s wardrobe was really hard to do because she just has so. much. stuff. She really loves fashion and definitely indulges all her like shopping whims, because she has Daddy’s credit card and is spoiled. Retail therapy is definitely something she participates in and it’s always something fun that she can do with (most) of her sisters. Aquata and Ariel are probably the one who want to go shopping the least and even they’ll tag along. 

Anyway, so--I did this kind of by outfits to give kind of a more general overview of Attina’s closet. She has a really varied style actually, but it is very modern, very kind of chic. She stays on top of trends though there are some staples in her wardrobe that make reappearances frequently. 

The palette of most of her looks is generally kind of earthly toned. She definitely will go for jewel tones on occasion, but usually for events and stuff like that. You can see that in B4 and B6. When it comes to her day to day wardrobe she gravitates towards burnt oranges, paler pinks, etc. Though, she also really likes to wear green a lot. And there really isn’t a color she won’t wear. She stays away from cooler colors more and I would say the color she’d wear the least is blue. 

Attina loves the summer time and wears a lot of strappy sundresses (A1, A2, A3). Those are probably her favorite thing to wear, along with some strappy heels. She actually isn’t a girl with a huge shoe collection. She has a few fun ones and she does like Rent-the-Runway for a lot of events because she does feel bad buying a bunch of shoes and clothes she’ll only wear ones. Some staples are her white booties that she loves to wear in the fall/winter. (You can see them in A4 and A8.) Additionally, she is addicted to Keds, they’re her every day shoe when she doesn’t want to wear heels (though, she wears a lot of heels.) Those are shown in B2. 

She does her hair a lot as well--mostly she’ll do updos with fancy braids, but she also does half-up looks a lot. You can see an example in B3 (and yes, that’s actually Sarah Drew, thanks Sarah.) Additionally, she likes to add cute little accessories to her hair a lot, you can see an example in B9.

As you can see in B7, Attina wears a lot of exercise wear too. This is because she takes a lot of yoga/pilates classes with her sisters. Usually Alana and Arista, though Adella and Aquata join sometimes. (Ariel/Andrina were the ones who go the least but even they’ll tag along sometimes.) 

B1 is her pearl necklace that was given to her on her eighteenth birthday by her father. I have a HC that it’s a tradition that all mermaids get a pearl necklace on their eighteenth birthday from their parents and that the pearls were collected throughout their life up until that moment. In the ocean, the necklaces can be very long and wrap around several times. Of course, it’s much harder for mermaids that have migrated onto land and they tend to be a lot shorter. Attina wears them only on very special occasions.

B5, of course, is her engagement ring. This is the only piece of jewelry that Attina wears consistently and never takes off. She adores it, it is literally exactly what she wanted. (The merSOs get it real easy, lmfao, literally ask any of the five million sisters for help.) Even when her and Panic were going through their rough patch, she never took it off. 

Finally, one of the most important aspects of Attina’s wardrobe is her jewelry, which is on display in B8. Working at an antique store, Attina is kind of addicted to the jewelry. Some of it is kind of gaudy, but she loves it anyway. I have this HC that mermaids are drawn to shiny, glittery things, lol. In the ocean, mermaids of both genders adorn their bodies with all sorts of shiny things--and Attina really embodies that. She absolutely loves jewelry and wears different combinations of necklaces/earrings/rings almost every day. If she’s not wearing coordinated jewelry, then she is definitely in a funk. 

[persephone-damnedqueen]

Mid Season Thoughts on the Winter Anime Season 2018:

*Checks the Date*  Um . . . yeah, this is a bit over due. . . .  “Persephone, it’s already halfway through Feburary and this is your first seasonal post!”  *Clears Throat* Yeah, I’m sorry I couldn’t get out my first impressions this season.  My laptop leapt for freedom and broke, and by the time I got a new one, it was already too late to do a first impression!  Whoops.  

Poputepipikku: Studio Kamekaze Douga

Dropped.  The memes were too much for me to handle.  In all honestly though, this show is unlike literally everything we’ve ever seen, so I’m not mad at that.  Honestly, the only reason why I’ve dropped it is because the episode length is too long for my taste in this show.  I feel like had this series been a 5 to 10 minute long show it would have been a killing and I would have loved the show, but it’s too much for me.  Also, I would like to mention that I did also watch the first episode of the dub solely because Chris Sabat and Ian Sinclair were cast, and I have to say, there’s nothing quite like Vegeta and Space Dandy voicing 14 year old girls screaming at thunder.  Quality shit right there, but moving on.  

Ito Junji: Collection:  Studio Deen:

Dropped, well sort of.  Have I stopped watching it weekly? Yes, but if I hear an episode, or a part was good, I will go back and watch that.  Since it is an episodic series, it’s easy enough to do that.  Now, I love Ito Junji, despite not like horror series in general, but then again, try to find someone who knows about his work and doesn’t like him.  With an author like this though, I feel like his work doesn’t really work in anime form, add that on the fact that I’m also not a big fan of Studio Deen.  I still think that everyone should at least try a few episodes of this series out.  (The first one should be skipped).  

Kokkoku:  Studio Geno

Dropped.  This show got weird. . . Like too weird for my tastes.  At first glance, I barely even know how to describe it because it’s just that random.  All this series left me with was too many questions to care enough about the answers.  Moving on. . . .

Beatless:  Studio Diomedea

Dropped.  For no other reason than it’s another generic, poorly exacuted series that I’ve seen a billion times.  I will admit one thing with this series, main waifu-chan is pretty cute.  

Karakai Jouzu no Tagaki-san:  Shin-Ei Animations

Is it me, or is this season just a ton of episodic slice of life series?  Or just episodic series in general this season?  Not that I’m complaining mind you, it just seems like a ton.  In any case, the skits in this series are just adorable in all the little romancey-first-love kind of ways.  What can I say?  I’m a sucker for a cute little romance.  

Hakumei to Mikochi:  Studio Lerche

You know me, anything with Lerche, and I’m all over it.  Tiny little people living in the woods.  What more do you honestly need?  I love this show; this show leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy and fascinated with this world and just how it works.  It’s got the perfect amounts of magical elements and the slice of life appeal without being over the top.  The characters are interesting, and have unique designs and the background is clean and beautiful; honestly, it’s just an overall strong show this season.  Also, it has weasel boss, and he’s just the greatest thing ever hahaha.  

Killing Bites:  LIDENFLIMS

This show is furry trash, but it’s trash I never knew I needed in my life until I got it.   Every season I have one or two shows that are trash, but become my guilty pleasure trash, with summer season of last year it was My First Girlfriend is a Gal, last season it was My Marriage Partner is My Student, a Cocky Trouble Maker.  This season it’s this.  Killing Bites is just furry fanservice with some pretty epic fights, and quality characters like:  Hitomi Honey Badger who don’t give a fuck, Fat Wolverine, Rape-y Vegeta, Shinpachi Gorilla, and Bland College Boy, (Go on, watch this show and tell me that is not accurate).  If you go into this show with the absolute lowest of low expectations, I promise you, you’ll have a good time.  

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni:  Studio Wit

Is it cute, or is it creepy?  That is the main question.  So far, I’m leaning more to the cute side.   Now, usually age differences don’t tend to bother me too much; I mean my husband is nine years older than me, but in this case, the age difference is MASSIVE.  Yes, it’s fiction, but depending on how this story goes, it could definitely change to creepy in a matter of minutes, so I’m praying it doesn’t go to that.  My other main issue so far with this series is the art.  I know this studio can do better, so why does this just miss the mark on all parts?  The characters look too rough, and the background is flat and pretty generic and the color pallet is just blah.  I know you can do better Wit, so I’m going to give you a pass right now, but get it together please.  Ugh, here’s to seeing where it goes from here.  

Citrus:  Studio Passione

Okay, I need to clear things up for everyone.  This is not Yuri-Bait.  It’s based off of a hardcore Yuri manga.   Now that that’s out of the way, I have to say, it’s good.  You can tell this studio is actually caring about how they animate this story which is wonderful, especially after how badly Netsuzou TRap was done.  Obviously, I’m going to keep watching this one and praying it keeps it up.  

Violet Evergarden:  Kyoto Animations

I love you KyoAni.  My god this is pretty.  Nothing short of beautiful from KyoAni, but this is like especially pretty.   I think it’s obvious, or at least well established by now, but I’m a sucker for a drama tag.  I’m all about that depressing back story or heavy character drama, but with this series, I feel like it’s not your traditional drama.  It’s more of a Slice of Life, episodic drama, which in no way is a bad thing.  Is it anime of the season?  Ehh?  It’s good, but It’s too early to see if it’s AoS, especially with things like Devilman Crybaby, which is going to be VERY hard to beat.  Also, side note, but Fuck You Netflix for releasing it everywhere except the United States, making us wait until Spring.  

Darling in the FranXX:  Studios Trigger and A-1 Pictures

My Dudes.  Bros.  Lady Bros.  This show is a gift.   Now, I must say, this series is one of the best this season. . . which is saying a bit. . . I mean taking out all of the sequels of course, but the problem I’m seeing is literally just the same A-1 problem. . . .generic characters, bland main lead, and slow pacing.  I feel like had this series been just solely Trigger, everyone would be all over this show.  I mean hello, no one can hate Trigger, it’s scientifically impossible.  Oh well, I’m going to keep watching this regardless.  Also, I’d like to take a moment to introduce you all to Best Girl Winter 2k18.  

You’re welcome.  I’ll be starting a religion soon dedicated to best girl.  Keep your eye out for that.    

Devilman: Crybaby: Studio Science SARU

Who is the real hero in this series: Ryo or Akira?  Neither, it’s the rappers.  They were the true heroes of the series.  So why is everyone talking about this series?  Because it’s fucking Fantastic.  Netflix actually did something amazing here.  Is it anime of the season like everyone is saying?  Absolutely.  Anime of the Year?  Probably.  I’m going to be frank here.  This series is going to be hard to beat.  The soundtrack alone is fucking perfection.  Every single beat from the fight scene tracks to the beautiful song that plays in that one particular scene in episode nine, to the rapping exposition.  It’s fucking perfection.  The art style is fucking amazing.  The art is simple and basic that fits so well with the show and is so beautifully executed that had it been any other series it would have failed completely.  My gods it’s like crack for your eyes or something.  This series is so fucking dark, but at the same time so raw, but that much needed rawness is part of what makes the series that much better.  It doesn’t censor anything, unlike anything created in this day and age.  But what solidified this series for me and what made this series so intense and real and a “fuck, I need to binge immediately,” was what happened in episode 8.   Without spoiling too much, there’s a particular scene in episode eight with the brother, father and mother that made me actually break down.  It was a very powerful scene that honestly, I was not expecting in the least, and made me honestly feel like there really was no boundary they weren’t going to cross.  That powerful breakdown with the father was fucking heartbreaking, and as a parent, I understood and felt every ounce of his pain in his internal debate.  It was just absolutely powerful and without a doubt my favorite scene in the series just for that struggle alone.  Then episode nine happens, and that character death scene gets handled almost as well as the episode prior, only to lead into that plot twist and ending in episode ten.  It made me realize just how much of a tragedy this story is, but also just how symbolic.   The amount of symbolism in this series and the way it’s handled, really just proves how just fantastic and ahead this story was.  Honestly though, I could, and probably will, write a separate post on just how much I loved this series, but please watch it.  It is very dark, and very graphic, both with violence and nudity, but well worth it.  

CardCaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen: Studio Madhouse

Nostalgia.  That’s what this series is.  You forget how much you love a series until they make a sequel.  This was my childhood, alongside Sailor Moon, and truly solidified my love for Magical Girl Series.  How does this season stack up to the original?  While the original one will always hold that special place in my heart, I feel like this one can be just as good, and so far able to stack up nicely with it.   Also, I have never shipped Sakura and Syaoran harder than I do right now.  Gods, they are adorable.  

Gintama: Shirogane no Tamashii-hen:  Bandai Namco Pictures

Guys, the end is really here.  300+ episodes, and it’s unfortunately coming to an end, and this arc actually feels like an all out final war, unlike so many shounens out there.  It breaks my heart that it’s coming to an end, but my gods this season is bad-fucking-ass.  Like Gintama, you’re picking a hell of a way to go out, but I think what my favorite part is seeing everyone, even minor characters from filler arcs, or 200 episodes back, coming to join in this war.  Take notes other shounen series, *cough, cough, Fairy Tail, cough, cough* this is how you do a full on war.  

Saiki Kusuo no Psi-Nan 2:  Studios J.C. Staff and Eggfirm

Is anyone surprised that I’m watching this?  No?  That’s what I thought.  I love this show.  It’s fun, and I’m a sucker for self aware comedy series like this.  Add on the fact that Saiki is voiced by Araragi, and it’s pretty much a guarantee that I’d watch it.  How’s season two going?  Well it is weird seeing it as full length episodes vs the five/six minutes skits it was last season, the way it’s done is actually surprisingly well.  It’s just as funny, if not funnier than the first.  I may just be biased though since I love the voice acting.  

Osomatsu-san 2nd Season:  Studio Pierrot

Osomatsu-san. . . .Wow. . . 

Had you asked me before episode 18 came out, I would have told you this series was just mindless fun you needed in your life. . . Then episode 18 aired.  My god, that was a fucking beautiful episode.  MY FUCKING GOD THAT WAS A HEARTBREAKING EPISODE.  Are we certain that was the same series?  The Same Studio?? Yes, I want to spend the entire length of my thoughts, going on about one episode.  Fuck, that episode was amazing, and is obviously my favorite from either season.  Even if you don’t like the show, watch that episode and enjoy the feels.  That is all.    

San-Gatsu no Lion 2nd Season:  Studio Shaft

I believe I’ve said this almost every time I talk about this series, but I still stand by it, this series is nothing short of a masterpiece.  It’s phenomenal, and every week I bawl my eyes out, either from pure sadness or pure joy, but that’s okay.  It’s worth every tear.  This series is one of the few shows that can deal with these topics, like bullying, or depression, or moving past, and portray it in such a real and often times breathtakingly, accurate way.  Literally words can not even begin to give justice to this show, just please go watch it.   

Mahoutsukai no Yome:  Studio Wit

Dropped.  For good this time.  The fandom is getting toxic.  It’s not worth it.  That is all.  

Black Clover:  Studio Pierrot

Dropped.  Meh, I’ve lost interest pretending to care about the adaptation.  I have the first ten volumes, I’ll just stick to reading it.