#.emma swan // answered ask

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

Let's spread some love 😘. What are some of your top five favourite cs fics?

Oh, Nonny... This is so difficult!!! There are so many incredible fics out there. So here is a list of the first five that came to mind because I rarely stumble on one that I don't love...

(1) @kmomof4 has a host of incredible fics. (It is kind of fun reading her backlog because her first few fics include author notes along the line of 'I am not a writer, but I had this idea. I will probably never write again' but she has 39 strong CS fics. I say all that to say... her recent Bridgerton-inspired fic A Mistress to No One is at the top of my list.

(2) @the-darkdragonfly was one of the first CS authors I read and I have yet to find a story of hers that I don't instantly fall in love with. I love her voice and style so, so much. She is single-handly responsible for my love for Will Scarlet. My current favourite of hers is Tempest - be warned it is incomplete-ish (it is a rewrite of an older story), but kudos and comments feed the muse... so, go read it and let her know how amazing it is.

(3) @nachocheese-itsmycheese will break your heart, bring tears to your eyes, and have no mercy for you while she does it. And, if that doesn't make for some amazing fics... I honestly don't know which of hers to recommend. Read them all? Currently, I cannot get enough of Between Waking Life and Our Dreams but that Darkness Series is also so good. And, I cannot forget the Captain Cobra story...

(4) @hollyethecurious and @winterbaby89 also have an entire bookshelf of amazing fics. Their joint effort Dark Hook Comes to Storybrooke is bloody brilliant.

I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I HAVE ALREADY REACHED....

(5) @donteattheappleshook is another of my first CS fic authors and, again, has a host of incredible fics for you to read. Not Broken at All is one of my favourites of hers, but seriously the other ones are so, so good that it is a favourite by the finest of margins.

But, seriously, this misses so many fantastic authors and amazing stories...

[heatherfield]

10 & 13 for swanfire!

Ohmygosh bless you! I miss Swanfire!

10. Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

I'm going to say Emma! (Maybe because I feel like I need to balance it out, but still.) I think she remembers all those details, which would be heartbreaking for her at times—all those years after he left her, she would probably remember all these things that she would give anything to forget. And when they crash into each other (literally, ha!), she realizes she still remembers all these details about him and what he would prefer, however mundane. And eventually, when they are mending their relationship, she might be glad that she remembers. (Although, there are probably a lot of things that Neal remembers that Emma has forgotten.)

I always think about the season five arc in Camelot in particular—how Neal should have been there—and how Neal and Emma would have these inside jokes about their time together that no one else would quite understand. Like maybe at one point she'd say low so only he can hear, "Bet you'd give anything for a double cheeseburger and curly fries now, huh?"

13. Who reaches for the other's hand first?

They probably both do, but I can see Neal being slightly more open and physically affectionate, so he probably often finds her hand first.

Send me a pairing/ship and a number.

[sassyandclassy94]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but do you have a specific song/songs you associate with Swanfire? 💛🦢🔥💛

HIIIIII!!!!

I welcome ANY ask about my babies! And if this has been asked before, it’s been so long that I don’t remember sooooo, here we go!!

“Winner Takes it All” by ABBA

“Love Goes Ever On and On” by Lindsey Stirling

“Your Heart Lies Here” by Eurielle

“Gold” by Eurielle👀 (this song is technically - no, it IS about sex but, it’s so them in a perfect canon so don’t judge)

“Shivers” and “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran

“Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol

“Once Upon a Dream” by Lana Del Ray

[kazoosandfannypacks]

I would like you to work on the OUAT Romeo and Juliet AU’s. Both of them. Thank you, love!!!

You got it! Here's a snippet of what I got written in the Captain Swan Romeo & Juliet & Boybands AU

 Three hours passed in a manner of seconds. Instead of following through on their plans to watch a movie, they'd spent the whole time just talking and smiling and enjoying each other's presence. Killian wasn't sure which he enjoyed more: hearing Emma tell stories about her life, or the look on her face as she listened to him tell stories of his own. Either way, the time passed all too quickly.

and then here's a snippet out of the August and Belle wip, which is set in the same AU, but tells Belle's side of the story.

 Most of the Buggies' music left much to be desired, in terms of composition. She didn't mind; she was mostly just listening for the lyrics, and those lyrics were a thing of beauty. For everything they lacked in ability and charm, they more than made up for in their keyboard-playing lyricist, August Booth. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't listening for the piano track in most of their songs, that she wasn't whittling down the list of his lyrics that she'd want a tattoo of, or that she didn't consider him attractive, or, at least, closer to her type than most musicians were.

kick-in-the-pants writer's game!

[martianbugsbunny]

for the ask game! frankenwolf or CS I can't decide lol): what made you ship it, what are your favorite things about it, and do you have an unpopular opinion about it?

ooooo why not both lol!!!

CaptainSwan I started shipping bc of the way Hook turned himself around for Emma, I loved seeing that. My favorite things about it are the way they support each other and grow with each other, and ofc the savior/pirate aesthetic, it's impeccable 10/10. (Tbh, their dynamic kind of reminds me of Tiana and Naveen, because they both teach each other things about living: Hook teaches Emma that sometimes you just have to take the plunge, even if you're afraid, and Emma teaches Hook that you can be better than you are, and that your mistakes don't have to exclude you from having a good life. They have a great sense of equality and balance.) Idk if I have an unpopular opinion about it, except maybe that Hook's introduction into Emma's storyline made it all the more interesting and beautiful, and that they really are mean to be together, bc I feel like there's a pretty big part of the fandom that doesn't like Hook very much and I think they're wrong.

Frankenwolf I started shipping bc of S2E12 (In the Name of the Brother) bc that was the first time Ruby and Victor had a real connection, and the whole monsters having a heart-to-heart thing was so cute! My favorite thing about them is that even though they're side characters without a lot of screen time, what scenes they do have usually point back to them being meant to be. Also the mad scientist/werewolf girl thing is so out of the box!!! I love it. My unpopular opinion about them is probably that it would have been more interesting to have Ruby stay in Storybrooke and have her and Victor develop a proper relationship than for her to go off and find Dorothy, bc as much as I enjoy Ruby Slippers it didn't have any buildup at all while Frankenwolf did, and I was kind of disappointed at not seeing any payoff there.

[justanoutlawfic]

what makes you think swanfire would be endgame in the afterlife? just curious on your thoughts

Simply based off of the scene from S5. Neal's afterlife is one where Emma is in it. Her dream on the way to the Underworld was of him.

[happy-emmdings]

Been enjoying your polls lately! do you have any headcannons on how you think cs live their married + family life? Like their habits, their kids, their jobs, their last names etc etc (also so happy you have asks now!!!)

Hi!!

Yes, I sure do have some! Maybe more then you asked for😅

But I have to say that I didn't watch season 7 and though I have a general idea what happens in it, I could not possibly be more confused about its timeline so... let's just say „I've elected to ignore it".

For their honeymoon, Emma and Killian go on a long cruise along the East Coast (there are many advantages to marrying the real Captain Hook), maybe to Florida and back and they make several stops along the way in different places. Killian explores more of the strange land without magic (and with way too much technology) with Emma as his guide and it’s very fun and wholesome

Of course, they inevitably interact with regular people and there is so much comedic potential in that. Obviously because Killian is 200-year-old pirate from another realm but it's time for Emma to realize that she's not the normal person constantly bewildered by the existence of fairytale characters anymore... she's one of the magic freaks now, she has to stop herself midsentence before she accidentally says something that would sound insane

Just imagine Emma and Killian finding themselves at a bar, getting to know some friendly strangers and they start playing Never have I ever... infinite possibilities how that could get increasingly weird

They have an adventure in the Bermuda triangle too, because nothing can be normal for Storybrooke's heroes

Hope Swan Jones is born 2 years after the end of season 6 and she adores her big brother Henry, even though their dynamic is still more like young uncle/niece because of the big age gap but they get full sibling energy when it comes to an argument

Swan is her middle name just to confuse everyone

I've always imagined Hope with dark hair and green eyes even though blond Hope seems to be much more popular. Now I'm contemplating the possibility of dirty blond

The jury is still out on whether or not they would have more than one kid but I suck at coming up with names so🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Emma continues to be Storybrooke's sheriff which at this point just means being the Savior. Let's be real Storybrooke hasn't enforced a single law since the first curse was broken and it’s not like deputy Captain Hook has ever had a lot of regard for law, but... They try to maintain order more or less. Things do get more peaceful, but it's still Storybrooke so of course stuff happens from time to time but nothing traumatizing or apocalyptic. Nevertheless, Emma and Killian solve occasional mysteries together and keep Storybrooke citizens safe

Killian is the first member of Belle's Book Club, because he supports his friend Belle when she decides to start organizing fun activities at the library. You just know he read the original version of The Odyssey. Other book club members include for example August, sister Astrid and Leroy (who is only there for Astrid and their will-they-won't-they non-discreet romance annoys Killian to no end because he's not a bloody matchmaker why are they asking him what the other thinks of them)

The Swan-Jones family goes sailing on their family vacations every summer!

Make it a joint family vacation with Belle and little Gideon. Belle finally gets to travel and Hope and Gideon become unlikely childhood friends.

There's also at least one Swan-Jones and Charmings camping trip that includes Snow teaching Hope and Leo how to make a fire and build shelter in the wilderness, sword duels with sticks, stargazing, campfire songs, so many campfire songs! (they all have such beautiful singing voices and they should use them) This is also time for Emma to bond with her parents and experience something she didn't have as a kid

"Eat some bloody vitamins" dad Killian vs. "Popcorn mixed with milk duds" mom Emma

Killian Jones cannot look at a child he has some connection to without being like "Welp looks like I have to teach this little pirate everything there is to know about sailing and navigating by the stars and secret maps, I simply must, it's the code..." So Hope can tie every kind of knot there is and becomes an expert in old timey boat stuff by middle school

She loves it because 1) it's a special thing she and her dad can bond over 2) it makes her feel cool and smart 3) she's a total nerd 4) she inherited the innate love for the ocean that runs in her dad's side of the family

Hope has magic but she's not super good at it, Emma helps her practice and sometimes pulling an innocent prank on dad or grandpa is part of the practice

Killian makes so many dad jokes. And so does Emma

Killian sings Hope to sleep when she's little and Emma reads bedtime stories to her

Sometimes she reads something like Winnie the Pooh and Hope asks if Winnie the Pooh is also real and Emma shuts the book and stares at the wall and has an existential crisis for a second because who knows at this point he might as well be??

So, these are some of them that I salvaged from the absolute chaos that is my notes app... Thanks for the ask❣️

[artist-issues]

Your favorite character was Graham you say?

How did/do you feel about his history/relationship(?) with Regina. Since there are a lot of different opinions and I'm curious how you view the two. Especially with Regina literally having Graham's heart and him having to obey her otherwise he'd die.

I don’t love his relationship with her. I don’t think they should’ve made it romantic, but I see why they did, because by making him romantic with the Evil Queen, they could segue into giving Emma a love interest that her rival also has. Like Mean Girls.

I don’t think they should’ve made it romantic because the only things we know about the Huntsman from the Snow White fairy tales is that he 1) is compassionate 2) works for the Evil Queen and 3) is afraid of her ((enough to initially obey her command to kill a child; enough to try and outsmart her instead of stand up to her directly.))

All those things are still intact in OUAT. It’s just…it’s not clear why the original Evil Queen from the fairy tale would ever want to be in a romantic relationship with her Huntsman. So why is it that way in OUAT? Just because the actor is handsome and the leading lady needed to prove she could get the villainess’ man.

Remember, this is the issue I had with season 1 of OUAT. Regina is an interesting villainess and a cool character but she’s not…actually…The Evil Queen Character from the original Snow White.

The Evil Queen from the original Snow White was self-obsessed in the MOST shallow way. She wanted to be the most renowned beauty in all the land. She wanted everyone to see her as beautiful, even though all along her heart was ugly. Which is what makes her a good opposite to Snow White, who is pure, innocent love on the inside and the outside, with nothing to hide. If you suddenly say, “no, the Evil Queen didn’t poison Snow because she was jealous—she poisoned Snow because she has this hole in her heart where love was stolen from her, and she thinks revenge or a child of her own will fill it,” that’s a cool character, but it’s not The Evil Queen.

If I were telling that story, I’d simply have had Regina find out that Graham kept Emma on as a deputy, or was consulting with her on police cases, and won’t stop defying orders on top of being dangerously close to finding out about the curse… then she crushes his heart and kills him. It’s still the same basic reasons—Regina needs to protect her secrets/Regina can’t stand losing control of something she once possessed/Regina hates anything that contributes to Emma’s happiness, etc. But you take out the weird “we’re in a loveless power-struggle relationship.”

But…you know, to do that, I’d have to re-tell all of OUAT, because this OC they made up who is not the real Evil Queen, Regina, really is the central character of the OUAT show. To re-write her motives in “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” would only make sense if she weren’t Regina anymore; if she were the real Evil Queen from the fairy tales, instead.

But either way Graham can still be in love with Emma and she can still be in love with him. I liked that, even if the “age” difference was weird. But take out the part where he’s ever forced into a relationship with the Queen. The Evil Queen wouldn’t have any interest in exercising her power, romantically or sexually or whatever, over someone who was already her subordinate. She’d just have him beheaded, or curse him. She doesn’t care about proving her power or finding someone to love her. She cares about appearances and being worshipped.

Anyway. Graham.

I liked that they explained his compassion for an innocent person like Snow White by recognizing she’s “pure of heart…” because he has this whole life-philosophy of “purity of heart” and knows how to spot it in animals. Because they raised him. So that’s cool. I like that he still has to learn to stand up to Regina, because in the original fairy tale, like I said, that’s the one thing he doesn’t really do. So it’s cool that when he meets Emma, he’s supposed to frame and ruin her by order of the Queen, but he doesn’t, simply because he genuinely feels compassion for her. That’s Step 1: show how he’s still The Huntsman at his core. Then Step 2 is: have the Huntsman’s story move forward from there, which essentially what the Curse being broken looks like: it stops all the fairy tale characters from moving toward a Happy Ending, and rewinds their character developments, and freezes them in time. Then when Graham starts developing past the point his character ended on in the fairy tale, that’s when the curse starts to weaken, so he has to be killed off. So I thought Graham was just a really cool bite-sized version of the whole plot, before they killed him off. 🤷‍♀️

[piraterefrigerator]

Emma and Killian <333

AWWWWWWW THEY'RE SO CUTE!!!!

[enchantedxhearts]

@faultyconscience ( gold ) asked: ❛ you look like you've got something to say. ❜

His words, coupled with that infuriating tone of his, would've made her mouth fall open in indignation... but Emma is not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her riled up ( at least, not if that's how he chooses to go about it ) so she presses her lips together instead, so tight they turn bloodless. Her whole expression hardens, eyes narrowing, nostrils flaring, and though that phrase is awfully overused, if looks could kill, the murderous glare she is burrowing into him would have dropped him dead.

( It's a good thing they can't, though )

At times like this, Emma's hands are itching to punch him in the face. Just once, just to snap him out of that damn cocky omniscience... but then again, he would probably see it coming, the bastard.

So take a deep breath and focus, Swan.

Words are what he's good at. If she wants to take him down a peg, she needs to use them.

“ I know that you are not helping Regina... or me... out of the generosity of your heart, ” Emma says, tempering down her anger and trying ( and not exactly succeeding, the tone sliding a bit to the mix of anger that she can't quite fully get rid of and desperation that becomes too, uncomfortably familiar a feeling for her these days, but she hopes she makes up for it with how thick she lays the sarcasm on the word generosity, clearly indicating her doubt he has any ) for the same cocky omniscient tone he is so fond of, trying to establish she is in charge here, “ You have some hidden agenda, and I don't expect you to share it with me. But I do expect you to tell me if you're on my side or her side in this case. ”

Emma swallows, blinking rapidly to not let the tears she convinces herself are of frustration fall, for a moment seeing not Gold in front of herself but Mary Margaret, too out of place in her school teacher outfit behind the bars, a resigned, hopeless look on her face.

She cannot afford to place her trust in the wrong person, now more than ever, because it's not just her on the line, it's her friend, one of the closest and dearest friends she has... Hell, practically family.

She cannot possibly let her down.

Acutely, painfully aware of that fact, Emma swallows her pride and does the one thing that she promised herself she would never do and pleads.

“ Please, Gold. I cannot let my friend down. I need to know if you're on my side... or I have to look for help elsewhere. ”

There he has it. If he wants her to plead, she will, for her friend.

But she won't let him entertain the idea he's the only one who can help her, who she can rely on.

( Even though he is the most clever and influential out of the whole lot. )

[springshowerssummerflowers]

“that’s the funny thing about birthdays. they’re kind of an annual thing.” (for Emma)

She graciously took the cocoa from her counter part, scrunching her features and wrinkling her nose before she continued. "That's the funny thing is that I didn't realize you knew when my birthday was."

It was that thing she did, put her guard up when someone tried to get under her armor. And she loved deflecting with sarcasm or humor.

( @heartlesshuntsman ; graham )

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

#20 "isn't that my flannel?" for Captain Swan please, if you're up for it? :)

Isn't That My Flannel?

AO3

Summary: A ficlet about chilly mornings and borrowed coats.

This prompt is from the Fall Drabble Prompts List.

Tagging others who might enjoy: @anmylica, @deckerstarblanche, @elfiola, @goforlaunchcee, @jrob64, @kmomof4, @pirateswhore, @stahlop, @teamhook, @tiganasummertree, @undercaffinatednightmare, @xarandomdreamx, @zaharadessert

Most of the clothing available in this realm left much to be desired after a lifetime of wearing the lightest linens, finest silks, and softest velvet a pirate could pilfer under the incomparable comfort of a well-worn leather duster but whatever made up this hideous coat that Killian lifted from Emma's car this morning was a surprising luxury. 

As he walked through the town on this brisk morning, thick with fog, the cosy warmth of something this lightweight had become a bit of a marvel. His duster weighed about the same as a half barrel of rum and seemed stiff in comparison. It almost made up for the brightly striped pattern with pockets set such that the pattern clashed with the rest of the coat. Perhaps he could find one in black or a deep blue. 

Breathing in the salty air and listening to the lap of water against the docked boats settled things in Killian he hadn’t known were unmoored. That feeling of belonging, of home, was exponentially multiplied when he caught sight of the gorgeous woman he was fortunate enough to call his wife. 

Emma narrowed her eyes and cocked her head at him as he approached, his boots heavy on the dock. Something flashed in her eyes for a moment, but she tucked it away before he could place it. She’d tell him when she was ready, she always did. 

"Hi, love," Killian greeted and held up the warm, spiced lattes to her. She smiled in appreciation before taking a sip from her cup. 

“You look,” she paused, a smile tugging at her lips, “cosy.”

“I stole it from your vessel, Swan,” Killian said defensively, but a blush crept over his cheeks. He knew this brightly coloured monstrosity was not his most flattering attire but surely it wasn’t so awful as to warrant her jesting. 

“Mmmhmm.” Emma returned to her drink as they fell into step, walking along the docks as the sun rose over the water in brilliant shades of reds and orange. 

“What was the emergency this morning?” Killian asked.

“The alarm at the school went off. We checked it out. Nothing was missing or damaged.” Emma shrugged. “It’s probably some kids getting ready for their class prank.” 

“Hmm, clever kids to get in without causing additional destruction.” 

Emma cut her eyes at him. “Do you think that I don’t know Henry can pick a lock? That you taught him?” 

“I am certain that I have no idea what you are talking about, love.” Killian smiled proudly, contradicting the innocence that laced his words. 

“Of course not,” Emma muttered. 

“As it happens, I do know Henry is innocent of this particular crime.”

“I know. Henry is getting the sheep.” 

“He told you?” 

“No. Dad did. Can you believe Henry asked him if he could borrow his sheep to fill the freshmen classrooms?” 

“Actually, I can,” Killian laughed, shaking his head. Sometimes it was difficult to imagine that Henry was the child of thieves and the step-child of a legendary pirate. “Granny should have her first batch of pastries baked by now. Let’s eat before you go back to the station.” 

“Ooh, yes.” Emma licked her lips at the thought of the fresh bear claw she was about to inhale. 

When they walked into Granny’s, David was already at the counter getting his morning takeaway before heading to the station himself. He turned when they walked in, smiling at them. But his smile faded into an expression somewhere between bewilderment and confusion, “Killian, isn’t that my flannel?” 

For the second time that morning, Killian felt his face heat as his cheeks burned red

-----------------------

@killianjonesz THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK, LOVE!! I really hope it makes you smile. Let me know what you thought and feel free to ask for more. I don't know why this prompt SCREAMED silly at me, but it did.

[heatherfield]

4; 11; 15 for SwanFire 🤗 (I was surfing the SwanFire tag lol)

4. Favourite non-sexual activity?

Hmm... I think they really like going to "Granny's" for a good burger and fries, or maybe sometimes taking it out on the road in the bug to a nice look-out spot. I think they enjoy the casual date night, low-key treat feeling of it all where they can just relax together. (Don't know if that would be the top favourite, but at least one of their favourite things!)

11. Who tops?

Um, they probably switch it up? But I'll say Emma, if I have to choose. 😂

15. Who wakes up first?

I think they're both late risers, but Emma's schedule probably means she's gotta get moving before Neal—much as he tries to keep her in bed with him for as long as possible. They very much enjoy the rare mornings where they can just lay around together and enjoy a lazy morning.

Thanks so much for the ask! And thanks for waiting.

Send me a pairing/ship and a number.

[justmilah]

fun fact! the selkie motif in fairytales is classified under the swan-madien motif: a type of legend where a woman can shape-shift usually by putting on a coat of swan feathers (or in the case of selkies, a seal skin). just amusing to me because you can take the selkie milah headcannon & combine it with emma as a swan madien and have both of them robbed of their identity and autonomy by stilkskin men

Sorry if this went way off the rails from where you intended it to go...

Okay 1) that IS a fun fact and I want to know more! 2) I just woke up and thought 'stiltskin' was a term for a man who stole skin and thought it was a clever play on Rumple's name -- only to realize that it's...just Rumple's name and probably a coincidence...

Even if you don't give them the literal myths, the analogy (I am 75% sure this is the word I want, thanks @pirate-owl for dealing with my flail) of them and then that parallel between the two ladies is fun!

Part of me wants to defend Neal but I mean...yeah. He really did her dirty in the end of their relationship. (So did August, he needs more blame there, and I'd like to know if he kept that money or not.) Anything before that that might fit, I don't remember enough of those scenes to comment on them in regards to this motif. (And I'll be honest, my first thought was about the maiden who had to knit sweaters for her brothers, so I imagined Emma having to make her own coat again after it got stolen and she wasn't able to get it back. Basically a 'she found the power from within to be herself again after many years' sort of thing.)

Then there's Milah, who is happy at first (and in love), but then heartache falls on her and she is forced to stay somewhere she isn't happy with someone she isn't happy with. And he has control over her, with her son, with having no where else to go, and that's a good stand-in for her coat because she needs to take it back for herself years later when the pull is too much and she finally escapes to the sea. (Either the literal sea or Killian is the sea, I dunno. Whether Milah would have left if Killian wasn't there to take her is a whole other post that I need a lot more coffee for.)

I think that's all my brain has at the moment? I mean, there's obviously MORE, but gathering it up and molding it into something coherent is...not in the cards at the moment!

Thank you so much for the ask!

[kazoosandfannypacks]

📔

(Got one for Captain Swan?)

Indeed!

A while back, I thought it would be fun to write a soulmate au for Captain Swan, the kind where the first words your soulmate says to you are written on your wrists. This was while I was still on my first watchthrough of the show as wasn't as biased towards or against certain other characters or ships.

One thing I've always loved about Captain Swan is that both of them have been in love before, both of them have had heartbreaks, and both of them still had love waiting for them out there, and I really enjoyed that about them. So, for this au (not saying this is true in canon. but for THIS au) Killian and Milah were soulmates, and so were Emma and Neal. Usually, after your soulmate dies, the words on your wrist go away, and your wrist is left blank (unless you use a soulmate spell like Regina and Robin Hood or something.)

Anyways, in this version of the story, less than a year before the Dark Curse is cast, Killian randomly finds himself with a new soulmark on his wrist. This is strange, but he's a little too obsessed with his quest for vengeance to even care, really.

Flash forward to late season 3, Neal dies, and instead of Emma's wrist having a blank space on it, it now has words on it, something along the lines of "help me." Apparently, if you're the product of True Love, True Love will always find you, and another soulmate is somewhere out there for Emma. Of course, when you're the Savior, the first words someone says to you being a cry for help doesn't really narrow anything down, so she doesn't think too much of it, even when Mary Margaret gets a little nosy in her motherly way and has some suspicions of her own.

I started this au with the Killian and Milah fic and actually finished that one, but got stuck partway through the Swanfire fic bc I grew an intense disinterest in the ship, so I never got the chance to write the CaptainSwan part that I was most excited for before my interests jumped ship back into the Star Wars fandom. I have, however, written out the climactic plot twist of the au in a discord message, so since I probably won't finish writing this au, I'll put that under a readmore for you guys!

(Also P.S.! I've rambled more about this au here!)

~🏴‍☠️♥🦢~

Killian spent all of two years struggling with the fact that he loves Emma, but knowing that, even though he feels empty and incomplete without her, he remembers the first thing she said to him, and that's... that's not what was written on his wrist. Despite his feelings and how hard he's been chasing her down, this girl isn't the one.

Then, after spending two years fawning after her and following her like a little lost puppy, he followed her right through a time portal, and in order to save her from disappearing from existence and to send them both back to the future, he has to get Snow White's life back on track, which requires a ship, which requires Emma to stall his past self while he ducks out of the tavern to return to his ship and...

He freezes at the door on his way out as her familiar voice, albeit in a more flirtatious tone than she usually took with him, rolled through the tavern, a sultry whisper of "What are you boys playing?"

Normally, these words would mean nothing, nothing to him, not in this timeline anyways— but these words, the ones that flowed as if they were nothing, were the same words that were engraved in his mind- and furthermore, engraved on his wrist. He rolled his eyes and smiled as his biggest torment washed away like the tide.

As he walked to the harbor where his ship was at port, he smiled at the words on his wrist for the first time since he saw them.

"What are you boys playing" he read his wrist again to be sure, reading along with her voice that rattled in his mind.

"I know what game I'm playing." He thought, hiding the words behind his sleeve again. "I'm in this one for the long game."

~🏴‍☠️♥🦢~

📔 send me any book emoji and I'll tell you about a fanfic idea that I daydream about but haven't written

[justanoutlawfic]

What do you think Emma's reaction would be to finding out about the 2x22 flashbacks (that Hook lied to Neal to gain his trust and gather information on how to kill Neal's father and then sold Neal off to Pan when Neal found out)? Part of me thinks that Emma would be furious since she loved Neal once, but from her almost non-reaction to the revelation that Milah, Hook's former lover, is Neal's mother in s5, I'm not so sure anymore.

So…I think it totally depends on when Emma finds this out.

Because on the one hand, if this was pre-Neverland/the missing year when Hookfire was still in a bad place, she’d be pissed and likely go off on Hook. And Neal would just sit there and do nothing.

But if this was an AU where Neal lived after the “you’re still that boy” scene and Hookfire was working on rebuilding a bond, Emma would still be pissed but Neal would talk her down. Because this ask really paints a black and white version of events. Which I’m not upset over, I think its how Neal looked at it for 200 years.

The truth is, Killian did grow to care about Bae and genuinely loved him. He did a terrible thing but once Neal realizes this, I think he’d be able to move past it. He was willing to with his dad.

This show is one of redemption and second chances. I don’t think Hookfire (and by extension, Killian) is incapable of that. Especially given Snow Queen’s growth and redemption.

So, if Neal could forgive him for it, I think Emma would too. She is able to forgive Regina for commuting horrible atrocities, so I don’t see it different here if Killian was truly repentant for what he did. And he genuinely seems to be.

Sorry, if this isn’t the answer you wanted or if you expected some scathing anti Killian post. I love Hookfire and I’m just as upset about the lost opportunity here as I am Swanfire and Papafire.

For what it’s worth, if Neal was still alive during the Underworld plot and rightfully pissed at Milah, I think Emma would’ve handled it much differently.