#@profdanglaisstuff

[wistfulcynic]

listen. alleged followers. i am writing a new gentlebeard fic. it is very sweet and angsty and with a major emotional climax. no one is reading it and this makes me sad. i know this is profoundly unimportant in the grand scheme of things but just try telling that to the rejection sensitive disorder that lives in my brain. i'm trying really hard not to delete this fic right now. i don't want to delete it i want to write it but i cannot deal with the emotional roller coaster of posting, hoping for feedback, and getting none.

so consider this my cry for help.

from the latest chapter:

“Stede.” 

He looks good, Ed thinks. Older. Obviously. Lines on his face that weren’t there before. Ed’s face has its own lines, of course it does, put there by the strains and triumphs of the life he’s lived. Everyone’s face gets lines, that’s how aging works, but still. Stede’s face has lines. 

Ed feels a sudden, burning resentment of those lines. What’s put them there, he wonders bitterly, and how? When and where and why? These are questions that he shouldn’t have to ask. He should know. He should’ve been there at Stede’s side, living the same experiences. They should have the same lines. 

“My father’s dead.” 

Ed blinks himself from his reverie and speaks the first words that come into his head. “Good fucking riddance.” 

[exhaustedpirate]

Tag 9 People You Want to Know Better

@kmomof4 tagged me so why not, right? It's the least I can do for my angel of writing ;) Thank you!

Last Song: Dance the Night by Dua Lipa

Favorite Color: purple (and all the pastels)

Last film/show: How to Get Away with Murder (last season)

Sweet/savory/spicy: usually sweet and savory, never spicy, my white ass can't handle it

Last thing I googled: when is the third trimester of pregnancy?

Last Book: (does fanfic count?) Time and Again by the lovely Krystal

Relationship status: single and ready to mingle

Current Obsession(s): Once Upon a Time but that's more of a long-term obsession at this point

tagging: @sotangledupinit @hollyethecurious @undercaffinatednightmare @lenfaz @jrob64 @booksteaandtoomuchtv @stephsketched @iverna @profdanglaisstuff

[estuaryorange]

Since it seems to be Love On EstuaryOrange Hour let me chime in to say I just finished a reread of Picture It Soft and I Ache and it remains one of my favourite fics and an all-time comfort read. Every time I read Stede say “I’m coming for you” I want to stand up and cheer.

(this is profdanglaisstuff btw, I changed my URL a while back)

😭😭😭

Hey sorry for such a late reply, it's wonderful to hear from you, I like the new url<3

AAAHHHH thank you so much!!!!!!!!!! That is the sweetest goddamn thing, I'm so glad it brings you comfort. And that you're invested enough there's potential cheering involved. And that you're rereading in the first place! This made my week<3

[snowbellewells]

“Their Way by Moonlight” by: @profdanglaisstuff

Right up front, I realize that I very well might have recc’ed this story before, but I have just recently finished a re-read of it. (I love it so much that I ordered it in physical book format, you guys!) What @profdanglaisstuff has done really is so detailed, well-drawn, and affecting, you just have to check it out if you have missed this gorgeous alternate take on 3b until now.

Not only has she created an entirely new (and one allowing for a lot more character work) plot line, but an original character, some incredible Captain Cobra depth and interaction, and a stunningly intense extra layer to Killian and Emma’s bond with one another. I don’t want to spoil the details, but you have to read it for yourselves.

Plus, she’s writing a sequel (“The Fire of the Frost”)!!!And now that I have finished my re-read and all the details are fresh in my mind, I am so ready to dive in! ❄️💗❄️💗❄️💗❄️💗❄️💗❄️💗❄️

“Their Way by Moonlight” by: @profdanglaisstuff

[cssns]

It’s time for another sneak peek y’all!!!

Tomorrow, @profdanglaisstuff​ will be posting The Eternal and Unseen, with artwork by @carpedzem​. Here is a sneak peek! Be sure to give these ladies lots of love!!!

David Nolan was always surprised by people’s reactions when they learned he was the Resident Assistant for H.C. Andersen Hall at Misthaven University. Sure, it was the oldest dorm on the campus, built of dark stone in a high Gothic style, with tall towers and pointed arches, way back when Misthaven and her people still believed in magic. And sure, the heavy wooden doors had a way of creaking on their iron hinges and the windows rattled in their frames when the wind was high—sometimes even when it didn’t blow at all. But this was merely rust and weather and David was a practical man, not one to be troubled by such things as can be plausibly explained away. 

And yes, Andersen did have that reputation, though David was certain it could be no more than simple silly student gossip. As an upperclassmen dorm its occupancy was by request only, and over the years it had become known as the place where some of the more… unique students tended to convene. But that was surely no reason for people to give that startled twitch or to take a wary step back from him when he told them about his job. Or for the other candidates to look so relieved when they learned it was he and not they who’d be taking over from the last RA, a guy called Walsh who had, in the words of one, “Still not recovered from the trau—er, the experience. But hey, good luck, man.” 

[…]

And the students who chose to live in Andersen certainly were characters, that was for sure. Even David had to admit that he’d never met anyone quite like them before. But, he reminded himself, at the end of the day they were just students. Just kids like all the others, despite the sometimes unnerving focus of their attention and the surprising depth to their eyes. Just college kids discovering themselves, exploring their quirks and hobbies and interests.

 Take Emma, for example. Emma Swan, as graceful as her name implied and even more beautiful, with her warm smile and wry humour and the spark of mischief in her green eyes. One of the nicest girls David had ever met, tough and smart but with a kind and generous heart and a tender vulnerability that made him wish it were still fashionable to slay dragons. He’d gladly slay one for her—or anything else she needed. His urge to protect Emma at all costs—though from what dangers was never quite clear—surprised him with its persistent and overwhelming strength.

Also surprising was Emma’s choice of dorm-room decor, the space in her room not occupied by the bed, desk, television, and mini-fridge that were standard even in Andersen rooms, filled entirely with plants. Plants the like of which David was certain he had never before seen, long and twisted vines that clung and crept across the stone walls, broad leaves and pointed ones and flowers in unexpected colours. He’d examined them with a frown the day she moved in, mildly unnerved by how comfortably they already seemed to inhabit the space but convinced by Emma’s soothing reassurances and the evidence of his own eyes that none of them were anything college kids might wish to dry and smoke. And while keeping what was essentially a greenhouse in a dorm room may be a bit unorthodox it wasn’t strictly against the rules—David had even made a special visit to the chancellor to ensure Emma wouldn’t run into any difficulty later on, if another student made a complaint, for example. The chancellor’s eyes had widened to an alarming size, but he’d confirmed that yes, students were allowed plants in their rooms, and there wasn’t technically a limit on their number, then hustled David from his office with the rather thin excuse of a dentist appointment he suddenly remembered he had. 

And as for Emma’s habit of chatting to her plants as though they understood her words, or chuckling to herself as she did so, or singing as she watered them—a low and haunting tune in a language David felt he really ought to recognise—all while wearing a pointed hat made of green straw with flowers round the brim which she called her ‘special gardening hat’… well, she wasn’t bothering anyone and David really didn’t think it was his place to judge.

[piinfeathers]

Art asks 6, 7, 21, 30 please! (hope you are okay and not waiting for anything serious!)

HI! <3 (no i'm ok, i was waiting for my dad. he's having dental surgery but he's fine)

6) Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

well i'm never beating the disney allegations as long as i live, so those are literally always present. but more specifically the way i draw my anatomy and clothing is suuuuper inspired by Sleeping Beauty and the Swan Princess (pretty fitting that one)

7) A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate

I'm so in awe of ceramic work and pottery, it takes such a delicate hand but also a level of upper body strength that floors me

21) Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways

i love LOVE super minimalist art, being able to describe something in as few lines and details as possible. there's a few tattoo artists i follow who do it and it's like magic to me. also super beautifully rendered paintings with a bit of magical realism to them, @svenjaliv is such a pro at them

30) What piece of yours do you think is underrated

hmmm, honestly any of the hornier stuff i draw skskakk. my fluffy stuff always tends to do better and i totally understand why! it's easier to reblog and share. but my spicy stuff is always more of a risk for me because i don't get to draw it that often. i usually end up agonizing over the details and the anatomy and keeping it juuuuust pg 13 enough that it doesn't get blasted off this site

[cshistfic]

Get-To-Know-Me: @profdanglaisstuff

We’re excited to introduce the authors and artists who will have signed up for this event! Stay tuned in September, and make sure to give them lots of love.

Tumblr/Ao3 handle: @profdanglaisstuff/profdanglais

How long have you been involved in fandom? In OUAT since 2018, though I watched the show from when it first aired in the UK, 2012-ish

What draws you to this event? What doesn’t draw me to it, is really the question. I like CS, I like history, and I like fics. There are no downsides. 

Do you have a favorite historical period to learn or read about? Not really. I think every time period has something of interest, and a lot also depends on where you are geographically. I love learning things like Oxford University is older than the Aztec empire, because it really gives you a better understanding of the scope of global history. 

Why do you like historical fics? I’m always interested in putting the characters in a range of situations and seeing how they behave there, and putting them in the past offers a lot of potential for exploring different aspects of them. Plus of course it often means  p i n i n g  which is my favourite thing. 

What is the inspiration behind your story? I’ve put Emma more or less into the shoes of a real woman from history, one that has a place in popular culture but that we actually don’t know that much about. But she was the inspiration. 

Do you have a sneak preview or summary you’d like to share?

Emma swallowed hard and with trembling fingers undid the rest of her buttons. Her blouse hung open to reveal the hooks of the corset underneath. 

 “All the way now, there’s a good lass.” 

 She shrugged off the blouse and let it fall to the floor. 

 “And the skirt.” 

 She unhooked her grey wool skirt and stepped out of it. 

 “Take down your hair.” 

Three pins and two combs held her hair in place. She removed them, letting them fall from her fingers into the pile of clothing at her feet; the bun tumbled down and over her shoulder. 

 “Shake your head.” 

She did, vigorously. The bun unraveled further and strands of silky blonde fell across her face. 

 He swallowed audibly. “Now the rest.” 

 Emma hesitated, fingers hovering over the hooks on her corset. She wore nothing beneath it but a combination made of thin cotton lawn. 

The man raised his gun and growled, “All of it.” 

Inspired by a real woman from history? Color me intrigued! 

@profdanglaisstuff will be posting on Sunday, September 19th. 

[kmomof4]

Without giving too much away, please answer number 1 about your soon-to-be-published CSSNS fic! (opportunity to hype it up, etc)

Mmmmmmmm...

But that's a hard one, Saira!!!

What inspired you to write the fic this way?

Well, this fic is inspired by the classic Eagles song Hotel California. It's one of my all time favorite songs and always struck me as rather spooky and otherworldly. So I got the idea that I may be able to adapt it to a CS ghost story for the Supernatural Summer. It's called Hotel Neverland and I was really at a loss of how to actually write it until I got to go visit @hollyethecurious and @winterbaby89 back in May. While I was there, Hollye and I sat down and brainstormed and got a full outline of the fic that I thought would really work and I'm really excited about! It's pretty much finished, but I have just a bit of tweaking to do- incorporating your suggestions, really- to get it where I really want it. It drops on August 28 and I can't wait to share it with everyone!!!

And while I'm sharing about the fic, I have to mention my artist for the event, @thesschesthair . What she has sent me is absolutely SPECTACULAR and I REALLY can't wait for y'all to see it!!!

Thank you for the ask, babe!

Send me one of my fanfics and a number!

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Stacy’s Favorite Completed Captain Swan AU Fics

I have mentioned before that reading Captain Swan fics has kept me going through this pandemic and has lightened my mood through the election.  I thought I would take a moment to mention some of my favorite completed AU fics.  

I have to really thank all the lovely fic writers on this list for continuing to write about this beautiful couple long after the show has left the air. As a former Glee Fanfiction writer, I know the struggle of getting in the chapters, waiting for comments, and hoping with that sick feeling in your gut that people will like it. These writers are very lovely and have created great stories that I have loved reading!

I will work on my WIP list later on but wanted to start with my favorites that are completed stories!

Completed Modern AU

These Nights Never Seem To Go To Plan

Author: stophookingatmeswan

Summary: When Emma Swan meets Killian Jones, he's a mix of sass, sex and hot mess. As their lives start to intertwine professionally, they're drawn together personally but their pasts keep getting in the way. A Captain Swan Police AU.

Completed: 2016-12-089

Chapters: 21

An Inconceivable Secret

Author: itssarahndipity

Summary: Ten years after giving away her illegitimate son, Emma Swan feels unexpectedly ready to be a mother. Little does she know she’ll soon meet her chosen sperm donor and quite possibly fall in love with him. Of course, why bother telling him she’s pregnant with his child? That would complicate things, surely…

Completed: 2018-10-03

Chapters: 21

your case or mine

Author: miamoretti

Summary: Detective Emma Swan is one of Boston Homicide's finest. Killian Jones is head of the FBI team who swoops in to take jurisdiction when multiple homicides sharing similarities with her current case pop up out of state. But they'll have to learn to work together to lure out their killer when they're required to go undercover. As a married couple. CS Cops/Undercover/Fake Marriage AU.

Completed: 2020-08-15

Chapters: 30

your wonder under summer skies

Author: LetItRaines

 Summary: Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

Completed: 2020-06-04

Chapters: 18

The Naked Truth

Author: brooke2broch

Summary: Captain Swan AU. Emma Swan, investigative reporter for the Globe, has arrived in Storybrooke, Maine, in the middle of a heat wave to do an undercover exposé on small town political corruption. The temperature gets even hotter when she meets the dashing mayor — and subject of her story — Killian Jones. When his political rival Regina Mills sets Emma to the task of finding the truth, she unwittingly puts her in the path of something darker and more dangerous than anyone ever expected. Although Emma has been in sticky situations before, something about this town, her newfound friends, and the confounding mayor have her edgy. Because for once in her life, Emma may have found something worth staying for.

Completed: 2020-11-27

Chapters: 23

With You I Have Everything

Author: OnceuponaSwan

Summary: Emma Swan is looking to start over with her son Henry. Boston seemed as good of a place as any to escape her ex-boyfriend. After receiving an officer job at the Boston PD, she feels drawn to the police chief, Killian Jones. Both too stubborn and broken, they embark on a romance that can only get trickier as the secret gets out.

Completed: 2017-09-18

Chapters: 17

The Convenient Groom

Author: searchingwardrobes

Summary: Killian Jones just happens to be there when Emma Swan gets the phone call that changes everything: her fiance is leaving her at the altar. The thing is, it also could mean the end of her career. Convenient that Killian has nothing better to do that day. Convenient that he’s secretly in love with her. Not that Emma has to know that.

Completed: 2020-01-18

Chapters: 14

Dark Gray

Author: colormyheartred

Summary: Killian Jones operates a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, preferring a life of isolation, until one day a woman and a baby wash up on his little island and change his life forever.

Completed: 2020-10-01

Chapters: 18

Devastation and Healing

Author: Jrob64

Summary: Sergeant Killian Jones has had more than his share of tragedy in his life. When he’s injured in an IED explosion, he’s assigned to a physical therapist named Emma Swan. While she tries to help him heal physically, can they help each other heal emotionally?

Completed: 2020-08-28

Chapters: 24

Catch Me If You Can

Author: LetItRaines

Summary: 298 days. That’s how long Killian Jones was away from a baseball field. It’s less than a year, only part of a season for him, but it might as well have lasted a decade as he alternated between physical therapy and spending an excessive amount of time sitting on his couch.

But then he came back and won the World Series.

It’s something no one saw coming, and it’s certainly not something anyone who knows about his arm would predict. Now it’s a new season with new possibilities, and anything could happen. On-field reporter Emma Swan will be there to cover it all even if she is not his biggest fan right now.

Asking her out live on-air will do that.

Completed: 2020-01-29

Chapters: 40

Completed AU

A change in the wind

Author:

nowforruin

Summary: As Emma’s twenty-eighth birthday approaches and Henry becomes more and more distant, Regina decides trusting in her wicked abilities will no longer do – Emma Swan must be stopped from ever reaching Storybrooke. Lucky for her, a certain pirate would do just about anything for revenge. AU, Captain Swan.

Completed: 2015-04-12

Chapters: 24

Strangeness and Charm

Author: bluestoplights

Summary: Killian Jones is a pirate captain down on his luck after a falling out with the Evil Queen. Emma Swan just found out she is the Savior. Their shared goals bring them on an epic quest to liberate the kingdom once and for all. It's a lot easier said than done.

Completed: 2016-07-28

Chapters: 24

The Princess and the Pirate

Author: riddler42

Summary: When the notorious Captain Hook returns to the seas of Misthaven, Emma Swan - personal bounty hunter of Queen Snow and Prince Charming - takes it upon herself to hunt him down. She soon discovers, however, that she's not the only one. They must work together to escape their mutual enemies, but can they learn to trust one another before it's too late?

Completed: 2015-06-28

Chapters: 22

Their Way By Moonlight

Author: profdanglais

Summary: A new curse has fallen on Storybrooke and this time Emma is trapped inside it, deliberately separated from Henry and anyone else who might help her break it. But what no one knows –including her own cursed self– is that she and Killian have the ability to share their dreams, and are working together in secret to find a way to break the curse and rescue the town from a new and dangerous foe.

Completed: 2019-02-05

Chapters: 20

Walk With Me (I Think We'll Find A Way)

Author: Elizabeethan

Summary: Killian Jones travels across realms to find Emma and Henry in New York after receiving an anonymous message about a new curse. When he finally tracks her down, he makes a bold move and greets her at her front door, but before he can even attempt to convince her to come back to Storybrooke with him, he’s met with a surprise that will change his life.

Completed: 2020-11-07

Chapters: 9

Stacy’s Recommended Fics and Stuff

You are all amazing!!! Thank you!

[justalonelywriter]

Oh please tell me about Compulsions!

okok, so compulsions is a veela!Draco sixth year monstrosity see what i did there? okay i'm sorry yes not funny) Here's a little snippet i've got written up even though the true plot is actually non existent

Too fast for her to see he’s suddenly in her space, much closer than he had been mere moment ago. She stumbles backward, only to feel her back pressing against the cool unyielding stone, where the fuck was her wand? His eyes brighten as her panic swells. His warm breath fans across her face as he lightly places the tip of his wand against her throat. “Why are you following me, Granger?” he hisses. His tall frame looms over her, caging her in place.

Malfoy's other hand grabs her chin, tilting her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze. Hermione could push him off, could shove him and kick him where she knew it would hurt. But she's frozen in place, frozen in time and frozen in his gaze. She doesn't want to move.

The wand digs into her jugular, “If I catch you following me again, I’ll…” he trails off.

“You'll what?” she challenges, haughtily. He smirks, considering her before moving in closer- so close that his lips brush against hers as he whispers the next words. “I’ll make you regret it”

[wistfulcynic]

here in the land of mud and fire

every time i think i'm done posting gentlebeard fic, some new interesting event crops up and my fingers just start typing. This particular folly is for @ecclesiasticallatinfest and their Continental Challenge. It's a two-shot set in Azerbaijan, a country that spans Europe and Asia. First part posts today for Europe, part two will arrive on Tuesday for Asia.

this is by far the most self-referential thing i've written for this fandom. i lived in Azerbaijan 2013-2014 which is when the fic is roughly set. Ed's thoughts and feelings here are basically my own. There's also references to other places i've lived and visited, all real except for the sea turtle sanctuary which does not exist. There is however a Sea Turtle Museum on Kume-jima in Okinawa and it is worth a visit.

aside from all that the fic is basically just a meet-cute, a silly adventure, then sex. Boom, bing, bang.

5k for the first part, rated M

-

“…and I still can’t figure out how to get out to Qobustan!” 

With a crisp, economical movement of shoulder, wrist and elbow, Ed makes his shot. The tip of his cue hits the eight ball at precisely the angle he’d intended but Ed doesn’t watch to see if the ball sinks into the pocket. He knows it does based on that angle and on the sound of Izzy’s irritated huff, but Ed’s attention is elsewhere. 

Specifically, it’s on the blond who’s just entered Hops Pub—an only slightly dive-y sports bar near Fountains Square in Baku, popular with locals and Baku’s tiny expat community alike. The blond fits in here about as well as a cut diamond might in a handful of gravel but the man himself doesn’t appear to notice this, or much else around him. He’s gone to stand at the bar now, wearing a turquoise jacket and a bitchy expression, mobile phone pressed to his ear, actually tapping his foot with impatience as Ilya serves other customers. His hair frames his face in flawless golden waves and the pleat in his trousers could cut glass. 

Ed’s fascinated. 

“Another game?” he vaguely hears Izzy say. “Fang, rack ‘em up. Ed? Hey? Edward! You up for a rematch?” 

“Nah.” Ed doesn’t spare him a glance. His eyes are otherwise occupied. “Let Fang have a go.” 

“C’mon, Ed—” 

“He’d just kick your ass again anyway,” Fang points out. Ed chuckles as Izzy splutters. 

“Perils of playing pool with an architect,” he says absently. “We’re all about the angles. Hey, I’m gonna go to the bar, you guys want anything? My round.” 

They all accept of course and Ed heads for the blond. Er, the bar. He heads for the bar. If in doing so he comes extremely close to the blond, well. The man is standing right in front of the bar. Which is where Ed heads. 

“A taxi?” the blond is saying as Ed settles in beside him with his forearms resting on the familiar scarred wood. “Don’t you think I’ve tried that already? None of them are licensed, I don’t think there even is such a thing as licensing here, and the minute the drivers see me coming they form a sort of wordless pact to quote me absolutely absurd sums. It’s pure corporate collusion is what it is.” 

Ed catches Ilya’s eye and indicates with a gesture he’d like another round of their usuals. Ilya acknowledges this, then attempts to catch the eye of the blond. Who entirely fails to notice him or indeed anyone or anything else in his immediate surroundings.

 “What do you mean what was I wearing?” he demands in a testy voice. “The same things I always wear… Well, in this particular instance it was my teal jacquard… No, Lucius, I cannot ‘just wear different clothes’. My clothes are the only clothes I have… No, I didn’t repack after Osaka, why would I… Obviously I brought a proper adventuring outfit but I’m hardly going to wear that until it’s actually time to go… Well, yes, I believe there is a shopping mall around here somewhere but Lucius I simply refuse to lower myself to the gruesome depths of poly-blend suits just to get a reasonable taxi fare. There are limits… No, I’m sure there’s got to be another way.” 

By now Ilya is all but waving his arms in the air to get the blond’s attention and at last he succeeds. “Oh, yes, um.” The man blinks, apparently only just coming to the realisation that he’s in a bar and certain social customs must be observed. “A mojito please, if you have that.” 

“Of course.” It’s impossible to tell from Ilya’s straight face or toneless reply whether he’s annoyed or not but Ed rather suspects he is. “One ‘mojito’, coming right up.” Oh, he’s definitely annoyed. 

Ed shifts his body so he’s facing the blond directly and observes him with unabashed interest. Predictably, it takes him a moment or two to pick up what Ed’s laying down but once he does his reaction is deeply gratifying. His eyes widen, then travel slowly from Ed’s face down his body and back up to his face again. Ed unleashes his most mercilessly sexy grin. The man swallows visibly.

“Lucius,” he says, “I’ll call you back.” 

A tinny voice from the phone’s speaker squawks in protest then is silenced as the blond cuts the call. “Hello,” he says to Ed. 

“Hey,” Ed replies. “So, I heard you say you’re going to Qobustan.” 

“Trying to.” The man pulls a face. “I didn’t think it would be quite this hard.” 

“Yeah? What are you finding hard about it?” 

“Well, my original plan was to hire a car and drive there myself. But I’ve been travelling a lot in the past few years you see and in all the confusion of being away from my usual routine I sort of… forgot to renew my driving licence. Turns out it’s been expired for six months.” 

Ed makes appropriately sympathetic noises and the man continues. “So then I thought, well, surely there will be a bus. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site! But, well.” 

“Yeah, mate, there’s no bus. Not outside Baku.” 

“Which I soon discovered. And then finally there were the taxis.” 

“I heard what you said about the taxis.” Ed can’t keep the amusement from his voice. “You’re absolutely right about them, they charge foreigners extra and you’re probably the most foreigner they’ve ever seen.” 

The blond gives him an odd look, a sort of bemused scowl. “I can’t tell if that’s an insult,” he says. 

“Wasn’t meant as one. Just a statement of fact. There’s not a lot of Western tourism in Baku so most of the foreigners here are Russian, Georgian, or Turkish. The ones that aren’t are probably oil rig workers or English teachers. Hardly surprising they haven’t seen anything like you before.”  

The blond sighs. “I actually get that a lot.” Ed believes him.

Ilya sets Ed’s drinks down on the bar then with exaggerated ceremony places a beautifully constructed mojito on a bar napkin and slides it over to the blond. “Sir’s mojito,” he says, deadpan. “Ten manat.” 

“Oh, right, um—” The blond begins to fumble for his wallet. 

“Put his on my tab,” says Ed in Russian. “Спасибо.” Ilya nods curtly and turns to the next customer. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” The blond picks up the mojito. “I’ve got manat of my own, you know. I didn’t come here entirely unprepared.”  His lips purse around the stripy straw in his drink as he takes a sip and Ed is momentarily distracted. 

“Wait,” he says, once his ability to produce language returns. “Do you speak Russian?” 

“Understand it mostly. Read it a little bit.” He shoots Ed a little smirk. “See? Not entirely unprepared.” 

“And did you know they spoke Russian in Azerbaijan before you came here?” 

The blond’s cheeks pinken. “Not precisely.” 

Ed starts to laugh. 

“Look, I know! This whole trip is a mess. In my defence I’m actually very good at what I do but the logistics surrounding my work are not something I normally have to manage. That’s my assistant’s job but he’s been down with the flu for two weeks and I’ve had to muddle through on my own. Not very well, apparently.” He gives a rueful shrug.

“Why don’t I take you to Qobustan?” Ed offers, casual as you like, as though this is merely a friendly gesture and not the object of the plan he’d formulated about three seconds after first laying eyes on this man. As though it were not the opening salvo of what he hopes will be be a quick and successful campaign to get himself into those sharply pleated trousers. Figuratively speaking, obviously. Pleats are not Ed’s style. 

The man looks taken aback but Ed can see he’s also considering it. “I don’t even know your name,” he says. 

“Ed Teach.” Ed holds out his hand. 

“Er.” The blond takes it in a firm and confident grip. Something ignites low in Ed’s belly. “Stede Bonnet.” 

Ed nods, swallows, forces himself to withdraw his hand. “Well now that we’ve been introduced, Stede Bonnet, can I give you a lift to Qobustan? Tomorrow’s my day off.” 

“Really?” Stede brightens. “On a Thursday? That’s a bit of luck.” 

“Isn’t it?” 

Tomorrow’s not Ed’s day off, of course. He doesn’t really have days off. But what’s the point of being the fucking boss if you can’t skive when you feel like it? Life is short and there are shiny blond men to fuck.  

“Well, if you’re sure it’s not an imposition,” says Stede. 

“Definitely not.” 

“And you aren’t some sort of deranged killer?” 

“Never on a Thursday. That’s my day off.” 

Stede laughs. It makes his eyes sparkle and his nose crinkle, exposes the line of his throat as he tilts his head back. Ed wants to devour him. “Then I’m delighted to accept your generous offer,” he says. “Thank you.” His beaming smile lights up the dim pub and Ed’s insides alike. 

“Cool,” Ed manages. He’s cool, everything’s cool. “Can’t wait.” 

continue reading on AO3

[exhaustedpirate]

song tag game 🎶

tagged by @happy-emma - post five songs and tag five people

( I really want to listen to "when Emma falls in love" - such a made-for-CS song! )

ok five people hmm, @profdanglaisstuff @sotangledupinit @iverna @kmomof4 and @scripted-downfall (if ya'll wanna!)

[snowbellewells]

CS Fic Rec Monday: “all the perfect things (that i doubt)” by: @profdanglaisstuff

This fic is just wonderful! There’s angst and pain for sure; it genuinely squeezed my heart numerous times, but the payoff is so worth it.  It’s incredibly rewarding to see CS work through all the hurt, the misunderstanding, the distance and time that came between them in this divergence from 3b, and wonderful that @profdanglaisstuff​ gave both Emma and Killian the freedom to express their hurt, anger, and finally, reconciliation and healing. 3b divergence fics are really some of my favorites anyway, but it’s more than that. We see a completely different take on what could have happened when Killian, Emma, and Henry were out in the Land Without Magic, free of prophecies and evil villains, and had to find their way back to each other on their own. So intense, heartfelt and WELL DONE!

“all the perfect things (that i doubt)” by: @profdanglaisstuff​

[cssns]

Let’s introduce the team of Mods for this years event one last time before the Get To Know Me interviews for the rest of the participants begin dropping later this week!!!

Name and Tumblr handle 

Saira, profdanglaisstuff

How long have you been a part of the CS fandom? 

I watched the show ever since it first aired in the UK in 2011, but was a pretty casual viewer at first. I didn't really ship CS until Neverland and I didn't get involved in any online conversations about the show until 2016. I joined AO3 in June 2018 and Tumblr in August 2018. So this is kind of a hard question to answer! 

What is your favorite part about fandom? 

Definitely getting to know other people who love what I love. I don't have any IRL friends who like Once or CS, so thank goodness for the internet! I've made some wonderful friends in this fandom (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) and I treasure them. 

What drew you to this event? 

I didn't participate in the 2018 event because I wasn't on Tumblr back then, but I loved all the fics I read and I really wished I could have written one! So when Krystal asked me to join the following year I jumped at the chance. I love how creative everyone is in imagining CS as a variety of different supernatural creatures, and the characters lend themselves beautifully to it! 

Will you be participating either as a writer or artist? If so, what will you be doing? 

Yes! I will be writing a sequel to my 2019 fic The Very Witching Time, featuring witch!Emma and Killian, now married nearly 20 years, and their two children. The whole family will need to work together to defeat a new version of an old enemy. I am insanely excited to get back into this verse, I love it so, so much.

What do you do in your "real life?" 

I teach English as a foreign language (basically I am a professional grammar nerd)

What are you most looking forward to in this event? 

Reading all the amazing stories! 

[katie-dub]

CS Fic Rec: To Keep It All The Year by @profdanglaisstuff

To Keep It All The Year by @profdanglaisstuff

Killian Jones is a broken man, betrayed by everyone and everything he thought he could believe in. He’s all but given up on life until a fateful meeting with bartender Emma Swan and her son Henry gives him a reason to live again, and a chance to redeem his past.

All it takes is a little Christmas magic.

Does it feel a little odd for me to make a gift for the lovely Saira's birthday based on a gift she gave to me in the first place? Yep. But. It just shows how perfect a gift it was and how thoughtful a writer - and human - she is. She created a beautiful, atmospheric Christmas Carol story for Killian Jones featuring magic, family feels, festive happenings and everything warm and cosy and lovely. Read this fic, it's delightful.

[kmomof4]

fanfic author ask meme 7, 13, 20 😘

profdanglaisstuff said

SORRY make that 5, 13, 20

(you can answer 7 too if you like tho)

😆😆😆

If you guessed that I’d COMPLETELY forgotten about these… you’d be absolutely right…

But better late than never, right?

So, here we go!!!

5. Is there any fic that makes you super happy to reread and remember you wrote that?

Uh, all of them? I guess? I certainly have my personal favorites and they’re the ones I go back and reread the most, but if any of my fics, new or old, get any kind of attention, whether it’s a reblog or a kudos, but especially if someone flails at me or comments on it, I will usually go back and read it again. And when I do, it’s usually much more enjoyable than I expected, and makes me very happy that I wrote that 😁

7. What’s the fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)?

Continue as in continue writing in that universe? I’m currently eyebrows deep in the universe of A Family Affair and that’s been a lot of fun exploring all the siblings different stories. I’m hoping to have the last two installments posted here in the next couple of months, but we’ll see if that actually happens or not. As far as my other fics are concerned, everything I’ve wanted to add to them, have been. I’m specifically thinking of the last chapter of Coming to Storybrooke, the second ch of Somewhere Out There, and making State of Emergency its own series. The only others I might someday add to would be A Christmas Surprise, Safe, and Make Me Look Good.

13. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today?

I have no idea… I honestly don’t think my style has changed much, but I hope I’ve gotten better at telling a story. Whether I actually have or not… 🤷🏻‍♀️

20. Have/would you ever rewrite a fic? If yes, would you take the original down?

I guess you could kinda say I rewrote Arise, My Love, gifted to our beloved @thisonesatellite for her bday in ‘19. That fic gave rise to Of Darkness, Vampires, and Soulmates, my first contribution to CSSNS, and which never would have happened without you. But since there were enough differences between AML and the chapter in ODVS that came from it, I kept AML up.

Thank you so much for the ask, babe! I’m so sorry I forgot about it until now!