#and I don't like how Killian is portrayed

[princessanonymous]

When Night Comes

Platonic Yandere Vampire

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First Chapter

16. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓞𝓷𝓮

(Y/n) woke up tired the next evening. She could hear the two of them arguing throughout the day, the sound of their voice carrying all the way up to the second floor. She hadn't been able to sleep at all because of their constant arguing that lasted through a great part of the day. (Y/n) wondered who that man really was. From his appearance, she knew he was also a vampire, but knew next to nothing about the elusive Killian. She theorized that he must be the mysterious companion that was mentioned several times at the balls they had gone to. The frequent mentions of Killian at social gatherings and Dorian's guarded responses left her questioning the dynamics between the two vampires.

The intensity of their discord contradicted her expectations. Despite Dorian's readiness to defend their relationship, the palpable tension suggested a deep-seated animosity. They didn't seem to like each other. She didn't know how to feel about this new addition to life at the estate. He had mentioned that he planned to leave, but something was telling her he might stay longer than he expected. (Y/n) didn't know if she liked that. He had called her an uncontrollable beast, after all. 

She wondered if this had something to do with her upbringing. She wasn’t born into nobility and she wondered if he had realized it.(Y/n) knew how some aristocrats looked down on ‘poor peasants’ like her. It wasn't uncommon for those born into privilege to harbor preconceived notions about the lower classes. Her stomach twisted. Nothing good ever came out of her sort meddling with them. She should have listened to her parents; if she had, none of this would have happened.

Silence finally came during the middle of the day as the arguing ceased. Exhausted, she finally found reprieve in rest, waking up late the next night. The perpetual confrontation had dampened her spirits, relegating her to her room for most of the night, seeking solace in books. Dinner became a subdued affair, and her arrival at the table prompted strained smiles.

The two vampires were already present and she only ducked her head and took her usual seat, not knowing how to act around the new resident of the manor.

"Did you have a pleasant night, starshine ?" Dorian's strained attempt at warmth hung in the air. It was clear he wasn't as happy as he tried to portray.

Nodding in response, she joined the meal in a hushed atmosphere. The tension among the trio remained palpable, a stark contrast to their usual dynamics. Dorian was sipping his glass of blood, (Y/n) was eating and Killian did neither. Words were scarce, and the burden of unresolved conflicts pressed heavily.

Eventually, the blond broke the silence : "Well, don't you have anything to say, darling?" He almost snapped impatiently as he turned to the other man.

"What is it again?" Killian's sharp retort fueled the anticipation of another argument.

(Y/n) cringed, feeling another quarrel coming. She hoped this wasn't going to become the norm.

"She looks terrified of you," the blond noted. "Say something !"

The girl pushed her plate away and stood up. "May I excuse myself ?" She whispered politely. Without following the proper table manners she had learned, she turned and left before an answer came. She would most likely get reprimanded for it later, but she couldn’t care less now.

Her feet led her to her room and she simply collapsed on her bed, closing her eyes. With enough concentration she could almost tune out the noise from downstairs. She opened them once again a while later when someone knocked at her door. "Enter," she said, expecting a few servants. Ever since her attempt to escape, it was rare for her to be left with only one or two servants; she wasn’t trusted not to somehow convince them to let her leave freely like she had done the last time with– the corpse.

The knock on her door later revealed an unexpected visitor. (Y/n) stood up, waiting for him to say anything.

"I must apologize," he began, an unusual sincerity in his tone. "For my rudeness. My behavior was unbecoming."

"It's alright," she responded with practiced politeness.

"Dorian and I have quite a complicated relationship," he admitted. "I did not wish for you to be troubled by our antics." He paused before bitterly commenting : "We have been partners for more than 150 years, yet we can't seem to agree on most things."

"150 years ?" She repeated, baffled by how long they had known each other.

A faint smile accompanied his reply. "You will find that this is nothing in the eyes of a vampire." The smile waned at these words, a shadow casting over his face. "Do you truly want to become a vampire?"

(Y/n) looked away. She had never been asked that question. She had vehemently been opposed to it, but nobody cared. "I don't..." she admitted. She hadn't admitted this in a while.

His brows furrowed as he approached her, sensing the internal conflict within (Y/n). The air grew thick with uncertainty as he contemplated his words. Finally, in a hushed voice, he offered, "I can help. Help you leave."

A wave of hope and relief washed over her. Killian was a vampire too. Surely, he would know how to thwart Dorian’s plans the way she couldn’t. At the same time, a lump formed in the girl’s throat and she didn’t understand why.

Fidgeting, a sense of unease twisted in her stomach. "I— Yes, but..." Her words stumbled, her breath quickening. "I don't know, I—"

"Calm down," Killian advised gently. "Why don't you sit down?"

Seating herself, (Y/n) felt the weight of conflicting emotions. "I want to— I should want to, but..."

(Y/n) was beginning to slowly appreciate her time here. Sometimes, she found herself actively trying to spend time with the vampire. The girl had gotten used to it by now. She liked being able to just rest and Dorian was mostly very compassionate. But these thoughts scared her. Adjusting to the unexpected comfort provided by Dorian became a source of fear. They scared her so much, because this was her parents' killer and she couldn't forget it. She shouldn't. Yet, she yearned for the comfort he brought her, and couldn't help it. Moreover, she had nothing to return to. She was alone.

The room seemed to blur and spin around her, and she clutched her bedsheets desperately, attempting to ground herself. Mumbling explanations and justifications to herself, her thoughts spiraled out of control until a hand rested gently on her shoulder, jolting her back to the present. Teary-eyed, she looked up at Killian.

"You do not have to if you don't wish to," he assured consolingly. “Not now at least. We can wait a few days.”

Nodding silently, she bit her lower lip, still shaken by the sudden panic. She didn’t know if her decision would change in a few days. If it did, she feared it would be for the worst. Yet, she acquiesced mutely.

“Dorian is quite a charmer,” he added. “I am sure you must have noticed. Don’t be deceived by his caring exterior.”

“You talk about him as if you didn’t like him,” she noted. He didn’t respond. “Why don’t you just leave him ?”

Killian’s eyes grew vacant for an instant, as if he were remembering a somber memory haunting him. He shook his head and addressed her with a strained smile. She knew it was fake, but didn’t comment on it. “This can wait. I can’t leave you with him.”

“But before all that,” she probed more than she thought she should, “during all these 150 years. Why didn’t you ?”

He opened his mouth for a second, then closed it once again. Finally, he settled on answering, “I suppose I grew accustomed to our way of existing.” There was something so melancholic in his voice, a tinge of sadness and a bit of confusion as if he himself was unsure of his response. Then, in an even smaller voice, he added, “When you are born in a burning house…”

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. He shook his head dismissively, tapping lightly on her head. Then, he changed the subject. "Is this your bedroom?"

(Y/n) nodded, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

He looked around and his eyes landed on a shelf. "You have a lot of dolls," he noted.

A shrug accompanied her explanation, "They were gifted to me."

"Did you name them?" Killian inquired curiously, taking one of the dolls from the shelf. "My younger sister had the habit of doing it," he added with a touch of fondness.

"You have a sister?" (Y/n) asked, intrigued.

"I used to," he corrected with a hint of gravity, pointing at a doll with auburn hair and hazel eyes. "Why don't you name her Clementine?"

After a moment of consideration, she nodded. Pointing to a doll with dark skin and brown eyes, she decided on the name Cordelia. The process continued for the other porcelain dolls— Emmeline, Cosette, Angélique, and others — and slowly, her uneasiness began to dissipate. In this small act, a connection formed, and perhaps, this new resident wouldn't be as undesirable as initially thought.

┉┈◈◉◈┈┉

For those who didn't know, the full quote used was :

When you're born in a burning house, you think the whole world is on fire. But it's not. — Richard Kadrey

I know it isn't from that time period, but I really wanted to use it.

[sokokoko]

When I say enemies to lovers, enemies means they both fight back against each other. Actively opposing one another. Actively fighting back, actively competing, one upping each other, swiping resources from under each other's noses, sabotaging one another, hitting back just as hard as the one who struck first. Tit for tat. An eye for an eye.

I like the phrase enemies to lovers more than rivals to lovers because rivals doesn't feel as serious to me. To be someone's enemy is a deeper thing imo.

To me, enemies to lovers is the one I hate who hates me just as much becomes bearable somehow. Hate eventually turns to love (there's usually a stage that looks somewhat like friendship in there).

Me liking enemies to lovers is about the transition from hate to love and exploring the thin line and how they slip over the line. And I like when they retain some of that competitive fire in the established relationship but there are ways in which the edges have softened.

Abuser x abused ≠ Enemies to lovers

That's something else entirely and doesn't sound fun. That sounds awful to try and portray as an actual romantic dynamic and not a commentary against/cautionary tale. This would hurt me to read.

Annoyance x the annoyed ≠ Enemies to lovers

Asshole x the one the asshole keeps bothering ≠ Enemies to lovers

Would potentially piss me off depending on how much the asshole doesn't respect the autonomy of the one they're pestering

Bully x bullied ≠ Enemies to lovers.

Not in the slightest. That is something else. These are all something else. I don't think bully x victim can be wholesome at all unless there's a helluva lot of repentance. Silent Voice style where the bully is filled with self loathing over their actions and works to better themselves. Even then, the weight of the bully's actions are still a raw wound.

Random rant I wanted to get out because I have a WIP where I want to tackle the enemies to lovers dynamic, but in the way that I consider to be enemies to lovers. The comments I see saying enemies to lovers is abusive annoy me. I feel like an enemy is respected, in some sense. If only for the danger that they pose or acknowledgement of their power and prowess.

Optimus Prime is Megatron's enemy, humans and the other Autobots are mere bugs and annoyances to him. An enemy must be on equal footing.

No power dynamics!!

Still exploring and working out kinks, but in my story, they're both college students in space and our earthling protag Killian accidentally insults Halite, an alien from a warrior/battle culture. She is the one to strike first and consider them enemies but Killian fights back. Enemies soften into rivals, tentative acknowledgment of their similarities, you're somewhat bearable to be around, to I feel like you understand me. They both have battlelust in their veins.

Edit: I should add my distinction between enemies and rivals.

A rival wants to be better than you. Is constantly trying to get ahead.

An enemy wants to be the agent of your downfall.

I think, in this way, an enemy can either be more sinister or serious than a rival would. Rivalry is fuelled by superiority/inferiority complexes/wanting to be better, the best.

Enemy(ship? hood?) Being enemies is about the emotion hatred. Hatred fuelled perhaps by the threat they pose or by one's enemy as a person. You and your enemy are like oil and water, unable to be mixed because you are so different.

But then you find out you're both liquids. You can both be poured. Both of you can be used to cook. Friends? Lovers?

And hatred has a lot of similarities to love. To the point where it would be called adjacent, while love's opposite is indifference. Because someone indifferent feels absolutely nothing for you, while love and hate are intense, passionate emotions.

[ouatsnark]

Hi! Firstly, I love your blog. Secondly, I just saw a take on Killian Jones that made me want to scream.

This person said that Killian as a villain worked but that his redemption arc didn't work at all. Their evidence being that it took too long?

They also said that he was glamorised and portrayed as a selfless hero. Admittedly, I haven't watched OUAT in a bit, but I'm fairly certain that Killian's past actions are not portrayed as good things to have done.

They also listed some of the bad things that were APPARENTLY portrayed as good things. Some of the things on this list were:

Killian being a pirate

Milah leaving Rumple for Killian (which they phrased as Killian "homewrecking" Milah's marriage)

Helping Milah abandon Baelfire (why do they think he could control that? I got the impression that Milah really just wanted an escape. I feel like she probably would have left with someone else if Killian hadn't accepted her coming with him)

Trying to goad Rumple into fighting him when Milah first left with Killian

The rings that he took from his victims (I always saw that as a reminder of something he regretted, not as a trophy?)

Killian killing his dad and leaving Liam 2 an orphan.

Having "raped multiple women". (Guess what their evidence was. For the last time people, the line about drinking with women usually being his tactic is NOT AN ADMISSION OF RAPE!!! If it was, Emma would NOT have dated him afterwards!)

Shooting Belle at the town line

Killing David's dad. (They claimed that this meant that Captain Swan was not a healthy relationship, which... what?) (They also said that David being picky about wedding venues was because of this, and I just do not understand their logic. If that was the reason, why was he only being weird about the venue, not the wedding as a whole?)

And this was only SOME of their nonsense claims. The rest were all along the same lines.

EVERY piece of evidence they had for him being glamourised was stuff that he did while a VILLAIN (I swear, some people don't know the meaning of that word), and was stuff that was acknowledged as things that he shouldn't have done.

At least this person acknowledged that Regina and Rumple were bad characters, though?

Sorry for the long ask, this just infuriated me to no end, and I wanted your opinion on it, because I love your blog.

Wait. Someone against Killian Jones actually said that his redemption “took too long”? Usually it’s “it happened too fast” or “he didn’t do anything!” So this is actually a new angle!

Are they upset that Killian never cried about his happy ending the way Regina did every single season? Cause the show made it quite obvious the only reason she was on team hero was for her happy ending. I always thought this was a good thing in Killian’s favor. He mentions his happy ending ONE TIME and it actually has more to do with him fearing something will happen to Emma because of him.

So here is a list of things that were supposedly... good?

Killian being a pirate

When does this person think Killian being a pirate was ever portrayed as something good? Because I can’t point to a single moment. I can point out instances that contradict this: Killian talking about his rings, the whole thing with David’s father, his regret over how he treated Ariel in S3, how he shies away from wanting to speak about Ursula in Season 4 because he knows what he did was bad, his interaction with David in S6 when David wants his help finding his father’s killer. All of these are painted as bad moments in his past and Killian is ASHAMED OF THEM.

Killian “home wrecker” Jones & goading Rumple into a fight

Yes, Killian holds some responsibility for destroying Milah & Rumple’s marriage and for Bae losing his mother but it isn’t solely his blame to shoulder. Milah and Rumple share the blame too. Milah more than anyone because she ultimately made the decision for herself to abandon her family. She was not kidnapped. She was not coerced. And it was definitely clear from before she even met Killian that she wanted out of her marriage to Rumple. So, yes, if not for Killian it would’ve been someone else.

That being said, this was also never portrayed as anything good. There is a whole ass scene in S5 where Killian says outright that HE WAS THE VILLAIN IN THAT STORY! He even says that what he did to Rumple, the whole taunting him bit, was WRONG!

The Rings

The rings were a trophy at one point but Killian says that he wears them now as a reminder of what he was and that all sins can be forgiven when someone loves you. Sins are bad, right? Yes. Ok. Just checking!

When he speaks about what he did, his tone is one of sadness and regret. He isn’t happy about it. He isn’t boastful. "Every ring is a sad story," he says. Sad is also not good, right? Yes. Thought so.

Killian killing his dad and orphaning Liam 2

How was this portrayed as good? Liam 2 literally comes after him, twice. We see how much Killian’s actions damaged Liam 2. Killian also swore Regina to secrecy over it. Good things aren’t sworn into secrecy!

Killian “raping multiple women”

Yeah this would have needed to actually be canon but it’s not it’s just a fanon opinion that relies on his haters inserting words into one line that he never said then IGNORING Emma’s non-reaction to this supposed admission.

Lemme just scratch this one off the list as "irrelevant"

Shooting Belle

This person is stupid. When was this portrayed as good? He was arrested for it! Belle calls him on it in Season 3! And he brings it up again in S6 because he still feels guilty over it!? These people make up bull shit all day long just to justify why their crack ships are better. It’s so stupid.

Killian killing David’s father

Does this person know what the word “good” means? I am beginning to think they also need a dictionary. Because Killian faced some immediate consequences after learning about what he did. Emma broke off their engagement and he was sucked into a portal.

I am not sure how this means the relationship is unhealthy. Every relationship has its struggles. We’re dealing with a 300 year old pirate with a dark past, here. Things are gonna be a little more extreme but this is a fictional story. What makes it healthy is that they work through it together and apologize.

When Snow accuses David of not wanting Emma to marry Hook, David literally says “no, this has nothing to do with Hook”. David being all negative about the venue was actually trauma caused by Regina! Because he says, and I quote, “The day I married you was the best day of my life… until the Evil Queen burst through those doors and threatened everyone we loved. Then it became one of the worst. I don't want that for Emma. When I walk her down the aisle, the only thing she should be thinking about is the wonderful years ahead, not Gideon or the Black Fairy, not any of it. With everything she's been through, the least we can do is give her a real wedding day.”

It's been a while since i watched the entire episode but I am 99% sure the wedding is momentarily postponed because of David's rant. It only goes forward when they think they've dealt with the Black Fairy.

Conclusion:

I reject the idea that any of Killian's crimes were portrayed as good. In my opinion, if characters are showing shame, regret and remorse over an action that usually means that action is bad. I am also of the opinion that if the characters face consequences or apologize that also means what they did was wrong and the action is being handled correctly in the story. Killian's story has all of these elements.

It's nice that they admit Regina and Rumple were bad characters but if they were truly unbiased they'd acknowledge that "bad actions or crimes being portrayed as good" is more a problem with Regina's story than Killian's. I mean. Come on. She was crowned the "good queen" over a kingdom she doesn't regret cursing, to whom she never apologizes to and she still has many of the citizen's hearts stored in her vault... her most heinous crimes (rape of Graham and Henry's abuse) go unacknowledged.

So Kilian's story is the least problematic here.

Thank you so much for the ask! I am so happy you enjoy the blog!

[piracytheorist]

Top five deciding factors on who is a blorbo to you?

1. WHUMP. I'd be lying to myself and all of you if I said that isn't the top deciding factor. Just yesterday I rewatched the first few episodes of Naruto that I'd watched eons ago, and as we were introduced to Kakashi I started thinking "Why was that one the favourite?"... then there came the episode that he used his sharingan for the first time and at the end of it he collapsed from exhaustion... and that was it. That's what I had watched as a 13-year-old or so and said "This one. This is the favourite."

But seriously, most if not all of my blorbos have had canon moments where they get whumped in one way or another and that's what clicks it for me. I don't think I've had a blorbo that I didn't make up whumpy fanfic scenarios for. They're like geodes - they have to be beaten up to show their true beauty :D

2. Some kind of empathy. Look, call me boring, but while I can appreciate a well-rounded villain that gives no shit about how much pain they cause... if I'm to emotionally connect to a character, I need them to portray that same kind of emotional connection to someone else. They don't even have to be perfect heroes with clean records either - Killian Jones from Once Upon a Time and Twilight from Spy x Family are examples of the exact opposite of that - but I want them to be able to understand what it's like for someone else to hurt, and to want to comfort them in some form. It's not a coincidence that it was during season 3 of OUAT that I started loving Killian - when he started breaking through his bravado and showing how much he understood others' pain.

3. Characters who feel a lot in general. I want my blorbos to feel things, even if (in Twilight's case) they try to push them away. It's one of the things I realized while re-discovering my love for Yamato from Digimon. He's a character who felt a lot, tried to repress it, and it came bursting out of him until he accepted that it was okay to feel things a lot. He was also my only blorbo who hid his feelings out of a misplaced pride - and in his case it's understandable because he was a kid; other blorbos who hide their feelings mostly do it for self-preservation after having experienced a lot of hurt, with the narrative implying that they need to grow out of it eventually if they want to be happy. On the other hand, I had blorbos like Douxie, who were unabashedly themselves and never bothered to hide their feelings out of any kind of shame. And I really enjoy my blorbos being so expressive - it allows me some relatable moments so that I can explore my own feelings that way. (Also why whump helps. It forces out a lot of emotions)

4. SAD. I want to look at my blorbo and be like "Aw, poor guy. Now make it worse >:)". Like, I wish they can have a happy ending (Ethan ;_;) but I want them to suffer until that happens. Look, I ain't babysitting them! I'm consuming their content to escape reality, and watching characters go through shit is my way of expressing my own angst, because the world we live in forces us to undermine our own issues all the time and think "It could be worse!" so I've learned to find escapes through fiction. So make them SAD.

5. That said, Angst with a bit of humor. YMMV but I cannot handle a character who is all depression and is never ever used in a humorous way or form. From Killian "I'll flirt with anything that moves, to my own detriment" Jones, to Douxie "can't sing one note worth his damn" Casperan, to Manny "Grim Reaper on stilts" Calavera, to Ethan "Horrible One-Liners" Winters, to Loid "I have a totally normal wife and daughter :)" Forger, while I adore the angst they go through, they're still fictional characters and a tool for our recreation and expression, so they need to have a break where either the characters themselves or the narrative present a more humorous side to them.

Ask me my Top 5/Top 10 anything!

[their-seafaring-ways]

Hey hey hey! Santa is on his way with your custom-made Captain Swan gift! In order to help me customize it to your satisfaction, I’d like to know more about your preferences for your Captain Swan reading pleasure!

Do you like canon-related moments or aus the best? How do you feel about divergences from canon?

Who are your favorite characters to interact with our favorite couple? Who do you hate to see involved in Captain swan?

What would you like to see in your gift most? What are your do-not-includes?

Tell me more! I’m so excited to bring you the best gift ever!! 🎅🏻🎄😁

Well, I'm excited to see what Santa has in store for me :)

When, it comes to Canon or au related moments, I don't have a preference I love em both. I love, when both emma and killian's characters and their own duodynamic is explored- 'you and I, we understand each other'. One of my favorite fanfics that explores Emma's feelings, the parallels between swanfire and her own experience with killian,how she overcomes her own trauma and how killian supports and helps her through it, is 'dirty, pretty thing'.

I have a couple of other favorites, from role reversal down to captain duckling. Overall I don't really have many preferences apart from the fact that neither August nor Neal should be portrayed as good people.

As for who I'd like to see interact with cs, I'd love David to interact with them- David slowly starting to like Killian. I'd also like to see Henry, in the same way bonding with Killian. I'd alsoo love to see Emma growing on Liam maybe. Some feel good captain swan family moments *dies in fluff* :)

I'd alsoo maybe like to see a scene where David and snow actually realize how dirty Neal did Emma and actually give him shit for it (this scene was in an Elizabeethan fic..'always by your side' I think- was positively amazing).

I hope I answered everything you asked and that this helps. Take care and have a good week :)

[wistfulcynic]

Another Brick In The Wall

Summary: A high school AU. Why? I don't really know. Probably because I've read a few of them lately just out of curiosity and I can't say I care for how Killian is portrayed. So here's my version. It sort of wrote itself this afternoon. Give it a try, let me know what you think. 

I'm gonna say it's vaguely Captain Duckling-ish even though Emma and Killian are both teenagers. How is this possible, you ask? Read and find out.

Rating: T for now, might go M later on.

Tagging, just in case you might be interested: @teamhook, @resident-of-storybrooke, @wellhellotragic, @let-it-raines, @deathbycaptainswan, @rouhn, @kmomof4, @jennjenn615 @tiganasummertree

Read it on AO3

Chapter 1: 

She noticed him right away, the new face in her school. A face that was a bit too skinny, much like his lanky frame, but the high cheekbones of one and the long limbs of the other hinted at good things to come. His dark hair fell messily across his forehead, and his eyes were the bluest she’d ever seen. When they caught hers, he merely raised an eyebrow at her and turned away. 

Her mouth fell open in indignation. No one turned away from Emma Swan. Not in her school. 

“Who’s the new guy?” she asked Ruby, trying to sound nonchalant. Ruby was the gossip master; she knew everything that went on at Storybrooke High. 

Ruby followed her friend's gaze to the tall boy slamming his locker shut and frowning at his class schedule. ‘Um, his name’s Killian Jones. He’s from England or Ireland or somewhere. His brother’s the new harbourmaster, they just moved here last week.” 

“Killian.” Emma tested the name. It was unusual, but she liked it. It fit him. 

Suddenly she was engulfed from behind by a pair of strong arms, chasing all thoughts of the new boy from her head. “Hey, babe,” said Neal, planting a smacking kiss on her cheek. “Whaddya say we ditch this place and go make out under the bleachers?”

Emma shrugged him off, pushing away from his grasp. “Ugh, Neal, I’ve told you before not to do that. And it’s the first day of school, of course I’m not gonna ditch.” 

He laughed. “You’re such a nerd, Ems.” 

She glared at him. “I am not, I just want good grades so I can go to college. Not all of us have football scholarships.” 

“Neal doesn’t have a football scholarship either, not yet,” Ruby pointed out with a small sneer. She was not Neal’s biggest fan.  

“Only a matter of time, Rubes,” said Neal, with a smug grin. “Coach has scouts coming to the first game, so I just gotta be my usual awesome self and it’s in the bag.” 

He slung his arm around Emma’s shoulders and she took a deep, calming breath, barely managing to suppress the urge to cringe. She liked Neal, truly. They had known each other since kindergarten, and she guessed he was technically her boyfriend, but she hated --hated-- the PDA. He knew that, she had told him often enough, but it never seemed to stop him.

She gave him a tense smile. "I'm headed to Psychology," she told him.

"I'll walk you there." His arm tightened around her shoulders as he steered her away from Ruby and towards her first class. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Killian was in her third period English class, though that first morning he was nearly late to it. By the time he appeared in the doorway it was barely a minute until the bell, and the only open seats were in the first row. She could swear she caught an eyeroll, and he seemed to smirk at the class at large as he deliberately sat in the very front and centre. 

Just in front and to the right of where she was sitting. 

He carried a leather satchel instead of a backpack, and when he slung it open to pull out his notebook she noticed an AP Calculus textbook, a slim laptop, and a large pair of headphones. 

AP Calc and AP English, she thought. Who was this guy? 

He seemed to feel her eyes on him and turned to look at her. She resisted the urge to turn away, boldly holding his blue gaze. Emma Swan did not shrink from anyone, not even disconcertingly handsome foreign boys with very blue eyes. He grinned at her, and she sensed respect in it, even as its brilliance made her heart gallop. 

Then the teacher entered the room, and he shot her a wink and looked away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was in her AP US History class as well, and she heard that he also had AP Physics, French and German, from her friends who were in those classes. She heard that he was taking a Greek class online, from overhearing Miss French, the librarian who was monitoring his studies. She heard he had joined the fencing club from her own father, who coached it. She managed to hear a lot of things about him, eavesdropping and probing for the information as subtly as possible, dying of curiosity but not prepared for her friends or family to know just how much the new boy fascinated her. He was from Bristol in England and he had no family except for his brother, who was ten years older and as Ruby had reported, the new harbourmaster. They had American citizenship through their mother, and after some sort of scandal or disaster in England (no one seemed to know the details) had decided to make a new start in a new country. Killian was sixteen, more than a year younger than Emma, and he should be a junior but he’d already finished, according to Ruby, the British equivalent of a high school diploma and apparently the AP classes were the nearest thing to what he’d be doing if he’d stayed in the UK. 

“If he passes all his AP exams then he can finish high school a year early and start college next year,” Ruby reported. “I’d call him just your average nerd, but Victor and I were at that new coffee shop in Misthaven last Thursday and they had an open mic night. New boy was there, with his guitar.” 

“He plays the guitar?” Seriously?

“Yep, and sings. He’s pretty good. He did a Dylan cover, which, ugh, but then he sang an Irish song too that was acutally kinda great.” 

“Irish? I thought he was English?”

Ruby shrugged. “Irish, English, it’s all the same.” 

Emma was pretty sure that it wasn’t the same at all, but she remembered just in the nick of time that she wasn’t supposed to be interested in Killian, and changed the subject. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next time he spoke in English class (he never volunteered to answer questions, but when the teacher called on him he always produced a brilliant answer. Even though he never seemed to do any homework, spending his lunch and free periods on his laptop, with his headphones on) she listened carefully. She was no expert in accents, but he sounded English to her. Like, he wouldn’t be out of place on Downton Abbey. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She looked at the website of the Misthaven coffee shop and made a note of their next open mic. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting as unobtrusively as possible in a quiet corner booth, she watched as Killian sat down on the improvised stage and took out his guitar. He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, announcing that he would be playing what he described as “An old Irish folk song with a bit of an update.” He smiled as he said it, and Emma noticed a group of girls she recognised as Misthaven High cheerleaders whispering and giggling at a table just to his right. Before she had a chance to analyse the stab of something she felt watching them, something sharp and unpleasant, Killian began to sing and she was enraptured. 

He was beautiful. His song was beautiful, his voice was beautiful, his eyes were beautiful. And she was fucked. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She snuck out of the coffee shop without talking to him, and banged her forehead on the steering wheel of her car. Emma Swan did not crush on boys, she was crushed upon. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She smiled at him in class on Monday, a deliberate, flirty smile. He raised an eyebrow in response, but the corners of his mouth turned up as well and she felt like she could fly to the moon. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still, he didn’t talk to her. She’d smiled at him every day for two weeks in both their shared classes, had timed her departures so that they walked out of the classrooms together, had brushed up against him in the hallway, laughing and putting her hand on his arm as she apologised, had dropped her pencil and asked him to pick it up then leaned forward and flipped her hair as he handed it to her. She’d tried everything, all the little tricks that would have reduced any other boy in school to a quivering jelly, but Killian simply smiled and responded with the same detatched politeness that he used with all the other girls. 

Like she was just any other girl. 

Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer. “So,” she said, as they were gathering their things after English class. “Are you going to Homecoming?” 

He looked slightly surprised for a moment, then smirked. “No,” he said, and turned to go.

She grabbed her backpack and hastened after him. “What? Why not?”

He turned to look at her, this time with an incredulous expression. “Why on earth do you care whether I embrace ridiculous American high school traditions or not?” he inquired. 

“I’m just curious.” 

“Indeed. But why?”

She shrugged, not wanting to admit how interested she was in him. 

His eyebrow rose again. “Well, then, let me suggest that you mind your own business, princess.” 

She gaped. How dare he speak to her like that? “I’m not a princess!” she protested. 

“Oh, I think you are. Emma Swan, daughter of the town sheriff, niece of the mayor, girlfriend of the quarterback, head cheerleader, most popular girl in school. You couldn’t be more of a cliché of the perfect small-town American princess if you tried.” He started walking again, dismissing her. 

She followed, running to catch up with his long-legged strides. “You know an awful lot about me,” she huffed.  

“You’re hard to avoid.” 

“I know a lot about you, too.” She didn’t know where that confession had come from, but she planted herself in his path and stood her ground. 

He gave her a sardonic smirk. “I doubt that very much.” 

“You’re from Bristol, England, you’re super smart but you don’t make a big deal about it, you love music and you play the guitar.” She counted on her fingers before throwing him a triumphant look. 

“Oh, well done,” he sneered. “I’d almost think I had an admirer. But I’m afraid you missed out on the most important thing about me, love.” 

“Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”

Something flickered in his eyes, something lost and sad, just for a moment before he slammed the barriers down again. “I am just marking time in this town,” he replied, “until I can pass my exams and go the fuck back home.” She gasped at his language, and he smirked, leaning into her space and almost making her gasp again at the electric sizzle she felt at his nearness. “So don’t get too attached, princess.”

They were standing in the middle of the hallway, inches apart and eyes locked, when suddenly he was gone, slammed back into the lockers behind them with Neal’s forearm against his neck. 

“What are you doing with my girlfriend, dickhead?” snarled Neal. 

Killian was unfazed, merely raising a disdainful eyebrow. “Not a thing, mate.” 

Neal removed his arm, but remained close as Killian slowly straightened. He was skinnier than Neal but also quite a bit taller, and he somehow managed to look intimidating as he glared down at the older boy. 

Neal scowled and stepped back, putting his arm possessively around Emma. “You’re new here,” he said scornfully, “so maybe you don’t know how this works. I’m the quarterback—” 

“And you date the cheerleader and get elected homecoming king, yeah, I’ve seen that movie,” Killian scoffed back. “Trust me, mate, I have no interest in interfering or getting involved with you or your girlfriend.”

“Well.” Neal looked mollified, and Emma wanted to smack him. Couldn’t he see that Killian was making fun of both of them? “Okay then. But I still don’t like you.” 

“I still don’t give a fuck.” 

Neal snorted. “Let’s go, Ems, I’ll walk you to your locker.” He steered her away, the arm around her shoulder like iron. 

The last thing she saw was Killian giving her a mocking bow before he turned and headed in the opposite direction. 

[mx-barnes]

Soulmate AU Pt.7

Summary: When you turn 18 you get the name of a song on your wrist. That is the song you and your soulmate share. It is also how you can communicate with them.

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: swearing, implied smut (I suck at writing smut so this is for the best), talk of abduction, a little bit of Bucky's trauma, pet names, Sad!Bucky, think that's it.

A/n:Sorry that this chapter is so short I am camping this week and wanted you guys to have a new part out. So I finished this before camping, I'll be logging off for the week I have a few things queued but not much. Sorry I will be back next week with my regularly scheduled post. Not edited, Charaters not my own (Marvel don't sue me) Gif not my own.

Chapter 6 Masterlist

The next morning you woke up to find James still in bed with you. You figured he’d already be up but apparently he wasn’t a morning person either. Last night was amazing you had shown him where you grew up. He seemed so entranced by everything. Maybe it was the fact that you were talking a mile a minute or he was just happy to be there with you.

Honestly, he seemed like a great guy. He hadn’t pushed you into anything last night which you know from your own shitty experiences can happen. Most of the men and women you dated tended to have an expectancy. That if you were laying down in their bed or even laying down in your bed that something was going to happen. But James didn’t seem to be like that. You were grateful.

Yes, you were soulmates. Yes, you were “made for each other” but you wanted to take it slow until you couldn’t handle slow anymore. You wanted to build a relationship first not just jump straight in. He may be your soulmate but you’ve heard of instances where soulmates moved too fast and ended up hating each other. You didn’t want that. You want a best friend, someone you could depend on.

You felt the figure stir beside you pulling you out of your thoughts. “Mornin’ doll. You sleep well?” His morning voice was beautiful. It was just the right amount of gravely to the deep tone. This man had you just swooning at his voice.

“Ya I slept great what about you handsome?” You said placing a hand on his shoulder as you snuggled closer to him.

“It was one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a while. So,” he paused looking down and chewing on his bottom lip. “My arm.”

“What do you mean your arm?” you pulled back to look at him.

“It’s- well it's metal,” he stuttered. Scared that you would reject him. Push him away maybe if you hadn’t already connected the dots. See that he was a terrible person.

“So. Listen, James,” the way you said his name made butterflies rupture in his stomach. “I can’t change it. I know about your past but everyone is so much more than their past. If we lived in the past we wouldn’t go anywhere. So as long as you don’t judge me on my past I won’t judge you on yours. We all have a story but each day we have a blank page. That story may be filled with unknown horrors but the fact that you are here and can share those horrors if you so choose is proof enough that you are a strong and capable man.”

"But if you know my past you know I killed hundreds. You deserve better than that. You deserve someone better. Someone who is broken. Some who can gi-"

"Stop. If the universe put us together it must have a reason. It must have a reason and this is not me rationalizing this. I want to be with you. You were brainwashed those terrible acts the other guy did was not your fault. You are enough for me. You are more than enough for me. Last night you followed me around my childhood home where I talked a mile a minute and you were probably bored out of your mind but you sat and listened. I talk too much, I ramble but you sat and listened to me. Listen James I know your past from the media, but I want to know your past. I want to get to know the real you. Not the one the media portrays, not the one you probably put on when you go to your therapist, the real you,” you rambled on.

His arms jut out to grab your face. Grabbing it he pulls you close you instinctively close your eyes then he hesitates you can feel his hot breath fanning over your face as he asks “Can I kiss you?”

You open your eyes. Stare into his beautiful blues for a second almost getting lost in them but manage to answer him. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

After hearing your response his face lightens you ca. See the glint in his eyes as he once again pulls you close and kisses you. Your eyes flutter shut. The kiss is soft. His lips are dry and cracked a bit but you don’t mind. It's sweet and way too short for your liking. When he pulls away you allow him and yourself to have a breath before you pull him once again.

He chuckles into the kiss. He pulls away once again and you whine. “We gotta get up doll. ‘M gonna make you the very best breakfast,” he gets up and starts to pull a shirt on. You didn’t even realize he was shirtless.

Pouting you quip “The best breakfast you could give me is if you stay in bed.”

That seems to pique his interest as he dives right back into the covers and begins kissing you once again. Let’s just say you and him had a full meal.

<~>

You must have fallen asleep again because by the time you looked over at the alarm clock it was 2 hours later.

Scrambling to get your things for work you manage to wake up James. He looks at you with such love in his eyes. “Mornin’ doll.”

It wasn’t fair how good he looked or sounded. He looked as he had been plucked from the gardens of heaven. His voice was melodic. It was drawing you back in. "Morning sorry I have to get to work I've missed the past couple of days and it's not like my boss is unreasonable but she does need her assistant. I am really sorry to just run out on you but I will be back I promise. I'll leave my number on the counter," quickly crossing the room to give him a quick cheek kiss. You ran out of the room a little disheveled but looking fairly decent. You scribbled down your number on an empty piece of paper. By the time you actually left you looked down to your watch and it was 8:30 AM.

<~>

By the time you actually got to Stark Industries, it was 9:45 AM your shift started at 9:00 sharp. Immediately you went to Peppers office. You knocked on the door hoping that she wasn't in a meeting. "Come in."

"Pepper I'm so sorry for not being here for the past couple of days. I was abducted and then I was with my soulmate and I overslept. I'm so sorry," you ramble on.

"It's ok. Wait you were abducted? By who?" Pepper almost scolds. Her face softens as she takes in the last bit of your sentence. "So you spent the night at your soulmate's house. That must've been fun. What's their name?" She questions.

"Well, his name is James Barnes. Don go off on how he's the Winter Soldier. I know he is and it's fine that wasn't him. I know I just met him but I think I'm already falling in love. He's not like any other person I've been with. Not Killian, not Amanda, not Jade, and definitely not Dawson. He's just different but a good different you know?"

"I know I can see that he makes you happy. That smile hasn't left your face since you came in here."

You hadn't even realized you were smiling. This was something that you had experience before sure your other partners made you happy but this has been a long time coming, to find that ethereal happiness.

Chapter 8

Taglist:

@oceanmermaidwitch @navs-bhat

[kazoosandfannypacks]

5, 6, 34, 47, 59 and 22 for the asks!

5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?

I would say, in terms of "if they're trying they can definitely make me smile, no question," definitely my little brother or my older brother.

6. is it hard for you to get over someone?

Yeah, kinda.

34. most embarrassing moment

Oh BOY do I have a story for you, darling.

So I'm doing dish crew while I'm at my first semester at Bible college. I'm walking around in the very noisy dining hall (its lunchtime so it's packed full of people) and thinking to myself how weird it is that I can even sing to myself while walking around and no one can hear me becauae it's so loud in there.

Well, as I was putting a stack of glass plates on a shelf in the dining hall, the plates fell. They shattered- and it was, like, twelve really pretty looking dessert plates. I just told you it was so loud I could barely hear myself think, but as soon as those plates hit the ground with a soul-shattering crash, the room fell silent, and every eye in the room turned to me, standing over a pile of broken glass. I tried not to cry and comforted myself knowing that was probably the most embarassing that would happen to me for a while.

It wasn't even the most embarassing thing that happened to me that hour.

59. why i joined tumblr

To post Newsies incorrect quotes. That's pretty much it.

22. description of crush.

Okay let's see here, um. Blue eyes, like the sea on a tranquil day. Brown hair that somehow shines in the sun like a ripe wheat field. A charming smile. Very nice, a bit of a flirt but still respects women, loyal to the end. Older than me, probably by about two hundred years, give or take, and also really enjoys piratey things. Also, has a hook for a hand because he once double crossed the wrong person and was set on a path for revenge- oh, you meant real person crush????? Like, describe someone I have a crush on who isn't fictional? Someone who's not Killian Jones as portrayed by Colin O'Donaghue in ABC's Once Upon A Time??? Um, there was a guy at school I guess who was super godly and a great friend but nothing ever could've come from a relationship anyways and I don't think he liked me and I haven't seen him in eight months so I guess no one right now maybe idk?

Thanks for the asks <3 ily!!!

[doodlelolly0910]

Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind

Summary: Emma Nolan spent a lot of time alone, and that was fine by her. Because one is never truly alone. She should know. She can talk to dead people. What she didn’t expect was one of these spiritual encounters to hang around, taking her down a rabbit hole of missing women, revenge, and, least expected, love. Can she save the day and Killian Jones? Is there even another choice?

Read it from the beginning on AO3 and FFN!

A/N: This is it guys! This is the very end. I still can't believe it's over. I hope you guys liked it and I couldn't possibly thank you enough for reading and all of your amazing comments. Thank you also to @kmomof4 who has been invaluable during the whole process of writing this and just being an amazing support in general. And super huge thanks to the ever wonderful @courtorderedcake who created the beautiful artwork for this story. She deserves all the love. And away we go!

Epilogue

One year later

Killian Jones sat on his bunk and stared at the wall. The drab beige paint was peeling off the smooth concrete in several places, and Killian's mind began to imagine shapes in it, like one would imagine shapes while watching clouds. It had become a pastime for him, though he couldn't recall when it had begun. For the last year, his life had been reduced to a six foot by eight foot box, shared with another man called “Tiny”, though he was anything but. He didn't know where his cellmate was now, and he didn't care, his mind singularly focused. The slate gray polyester jumpsuit he wore felt stiff against the skin it touched, the thin white t-shirt underneath doing little to prevent the rubbing. He thought briefly about stripping it to the waist, but it wouldn't be much longer now.

The TV in the common area was tuned to a local news station, some of the older inmates having commandeered it for their recreation time, as they sat at a single table directly across from his cell. He couldn't see it but he could hear it, not that he was paying any attention. He scanned over the small space with sharp focus, ensuring that anything he had of value was tucked safely into the small box in front of him. Not that he had much. Just a few books, a couple of drawings and letters he'd received, a few plain, white shirts, nothing huge. The rest of them could fight over the remaining items he would leave behind for all he cared.

“And in other news out of Boston this morning, 62 year old Weaver Gold was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a long and arduous trial,” the reporter on the TV proclaimed, causing Killian's ears to prick up. He turned his head slightly so he could better hear, but remained seated on the bunk. “Gold was charged with several counts of assault, kidnapping, murder, and human trafficking, among other violations. This story broke last year when former BPD Detective Emma Nolan headed an undercover investigation into the head of one of Boston's most dangerous criminal empires. More on this story at 11. Let's go to Jackie with sports. Jackie?”

Killian smirked. It was the least the bastard deserved after all the irreparable damage he'd done to countless lives. He looked around his cell, the cramped space, exposed toilet, bars lining the only exit, and for the first time, the sight made him smile. He couldn't think of a more fitting cage for a crocodile.

The year since Killian had been sentenced for “racketeering” (in reality, the cash laundering scheme he had used to keep his operation afloat was the only thing they could connect back to him) was served uneventfully, for which he was grateful. He kept his head down and stayed mostly to himself, making sure that nothing would delay his release. He had made a promise to go on the straight and narrow and he didn't intend to break it. The police were more than lenient with him considering his own criminal operation.

As part of a plea deal including delivering testimony on Gold, he had received thirty six months in a minimum security federal penitentiary, and Will had received thirty himself.  Jefferson had stayed true to his word and helped them get the best deal possible but with the way everything had gone south, prison time became inevitable. Will had been released after eight months with good behavior to serve out the rest of his sentence on parole, as far as he had heard. He was glad for it. Killian had just had a parole hearing of his own, but he wasn't expecting any such miracles.

Until about an hour ago when a guard had stopped by his cell and told him his parole had been approved. And now he waited. His head was filled with images of his last day of freedom. It had been one of the worst of his life. He had killed a man. Watched other men (and a woman) die. He'd been beaten, broken, tortured for hours. But the thing that stuck out to him the most was Emma's pale and lifeless form in his arms.

It had been Milah all over again. Maybe worse, for he couldn't recall a time his soul had physically ached until that moment, like it had known immediately that it was missing its other half. She'd saved him, not only from the bullet, but from himself. He hadn't expected to ever walk away from the dark criminal underbelly alive. But here he was. Maybe he was a survivor after all. He didn't intend to squander a single second Emma had given back to him.

“Jones,” a sharp, commanding voice barked from just behind the bars of his cell. He looked up to see two uniformed guards waiting for him, an older seasoned guard called Spinelli, whom he knew, and a rookie officer that had just started last week. Howard, he thought he recalled. “Cuff up. Time to go.” Killian stood and obediently slid his hand and stump through the slat in the bars, smirking at the look of exasperation on Spinelli's face.

“Problem?” he asked cheekily, his eyebrow quirking up his forehead, and the rookie had to stifle a chuckle in a less than convincing cough, earning him a glare from the older guard and a grin from Killian.

“Be right back,” Spinelli muttered and stomped off towards the pod exit, leaving the rookie and Killian observing one another in silence.

“So…” Killian extended the conversation to the young officer, leaning up against the bars.

“No talking, inmate,” he replied, underconfident authority in his voice.

“Come, now. Who doesn't bend the rules every now and again?” Killian grinned, his tongue nudging his canine tooth mirthfully.

“Is that how you ended up here? All the fun of bending the rules?”

“Touché, Howard,” Killian agreed.

“It's Hendricks.”

“My mistake, lad. Didn't see a nametag,” he said. The younger man flushed scarlet.

“I forgot it this morning,” he admitted.

“Ah. Bit of a rule bender yourself then, aye?” Killian said with a wink and Hendricks bristled. “Don't worry, I won't tell. You'll do alright here, lad. Don't let these bastards get in your head and you'll do just fine.”

“No talking, inmate. Back away from the bars,” snapped Spinelli, who had huffed his way back in front of his cell as Killian finished speaking. Killian rolled his eyes and backed himself towards the bunk again. “Open!” he called out to the command center. A loud buzz rang out and the bars clicked, Spinelli reaching out to hold them shut for the time being.

“Palms, er, forearms flat on the wall, inmate,” Hendricks commanded. Killian complied. This was the very last time he had to do this. Never again. He'd promised her.

After a moment, the bars slid open and Killian was being fitted with what was called “the sleeve”, a mesh wrap with metal buckles in the back that wrapped around his body and secured his stunted arm to his torso, rendering it immobile. He was dressed with a chain around the waist next, a handcuff around his good wrist and the other end secured to the chain. The chain connected to another that hung between his feet where ankle shackles were added and connected as well. Spinelli stepped back, giving him a once over with a nod and a grunt, satisfied with his level of restraint.

“There we are, all nice and subdued and ready to leave prison,” Killian quipped. A thrill shot through him as soon as the words “leave prison” had left his lips. The rookie suppressed another chuckle.

“Just walk, Jones,” Spinelli grumbled, seizing him by the arm and leading him from the cell. Hendricks followed with his box of personal effects.

As they walked down the corridors, men yelling, cheering and jeering at him, he couldn't help but feel… excited.

When he got here, he was fresh out of spending the first three months of his sentence in the hospital getting physical therapy on his shoulder, two weeks of which was spent with his fractured jaw wired shut. He’d been arrested before, but prison was an entirely different beast altogether. And yet it was nothing at all, compared to what he'd gone through with Weaver Gold.

The day he had shown up at the docks, he had been so sure it was the right move. He had gone to Smee's with Emma and obtained a gun that couldn't be traced back to either of them. The plan was to slip in and kill the man, consequences be damned for the rest. He never expected to make it out alive. He had been so close to making it happen when he made one wrong turn and ran smack into Malcolm and Perdu.

He had fought a hell of a fight against them, but the two men eventually overpowered him when Malcolm wrenched his shoulder from its socket. Once again, he had underestimated Gold's influence, by extension to his henchman. It was when he was presented to the man himself like a wrapped gift that he realized just how far he had actually underestimated him.

Gold had wasted no time in his fervor to make Killian suffer. He nearly rejoiced in it. As soon as he was sunk to his knees, Gold smiled, offering a quick ‘Hello, Jones’ and cracking him across the face with the gold handle of his cane. Hence the fractured jaw. The older man was stronger than his looks portrayed. From there on out, it was a series of blows with the cane and taunts with a gun, his gun usually. He wasn't sure how long it had gone on for.

Then Will was led through the door and his stomach twisted. If Will was there, Emma was no longer safe. He had held on to that last mangled little piece of hope that she was still locked up where he left her, even as Will took a similar beating to the one he had. Right up until Emma marched out from behind those crates and everything went to hell.

He clenched his jaw at the memory as the door buzzed to let him in to the discharge area. Spinelli left his side, taking the box and setting it on a dented metal table next to them, but Hendricks remained, and he opened a locker to retrieve a standard set of street clothes for Killian. Jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and a set of laceless athletic shoes were set on the metal table beside the box as Hendricks worked on getting him unbound.

“Strip,” Spinelli instructed as soon as he was free of his chains and the sleeve. Killian had never moved faster to take off his clothes in front of two men in his life. Hendricks set about gathering his discarded jumpsuit and underthings, shaking them out and inspecting them as Spinelli stepped back towards Killian, who stood, hand clasped over his stump before him, naked as the day he was born.

“Arms out, mouth open,” Spinelli ordered. Killian did so, reminding himself for the hundredth time this was the last time he would ever have to do this. Spinelli searched his mouth with a tongue depressor, eyes scanning over every inch of his body to make sure he didn't have anything hidden. As if anyone would sneak something out of prison, but he was sure stranger things had happened. “Squat and cough,” he instructed next. Killian set his jaw and did that, too. Spinelli nodded. “Get dressed.”

Killian did so and Hendricks walked around him, putting things away. Once he was dressed, he picked up the box with his meager belongings and waited. Spinelli scanned his ID card and the metal door opposite to the one they had entered through buzzed and opened with a loud clank. They reached another door at the end of a short hallway. When Spinelli opened it, daylight flooded in from beyond the floor to ceiling windows that lined the room.

People milled about on the other side of the glass, waiting for a visit or for someone to answer their questions. The door at the end of the glass lined hallway led directly outside. He walked between Hendricks and Spinelli and they waited for clearance at the end of the hall before he stepped out the door into the yard. The two guards escorted him to the fenceline and opened the gate.

“Well, gentlemen, I'd say it was a pleasure, but frankly, I hope I never see either of you again,” he said, only half joking. Hendricks did chuckle at that and even Spinelli offered him a begrudging smile.

“Best of luck, Jones,” the older guard said and Killian nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes already set forward and searching for his future.

Killian Jones took his first free steps in over a year out the front gate, simply taking a moment to breathe it all in.

The rumble of a familiar engine had his head turning in a second, just in time to see a small, yellow Volkswagen Bug pulling up to the curb. Sunshine colored hair and a flushed face popped out of the driver's side door and Killian couldn't have held back his grin if he’d tried.

Emma's brilliant green eyes set on him and she smiled.

“Somebody order a getaway car?” she asked, walking around the front of the car towards him. Killian didn't care who was watching. He dropped the box of things that didn't matter to the pavement and rushed forward to the only thing that did, scooping her up in his arms and sealing lips over hers in a kiss that took both of their breath away.

His arms looped around her waist and he lifted her, her head falling back and laughing as her hands found purchase on his shoulders. He spun them around, resting his forehead against hers, refusing to let her go, not that she was even trying to escape.

“Hi,” she murmured, reaching up to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking over his less than immaculately groomed beard.

“Hi,” he replied, nuzzling into her touch, still a little disbelieving that she was here, alive, in his arms.

Emma had coded twice in the ambulance once medics were able to get to her and three more times in surgery to repair the damage in her abdomen. The last time had been the closest call. The doctor had been ready to call time of death, but Emma's heart inexplicably started beating again all on its own. No one could explain it. They had called it a miracle.

It had been a long road to recovery for her as well, but if nothing else, Emma Nolan was a fighter. She had completed grueling amounts of physical therapy and mental health evaluations, but she had never wasted a single second with Killian. Phone calls, letters, visits every weekend (with accompanying one hour drive both ways), Emma never complained, and Killian wouldn't be where he was without her. In every way possible.

Emma was released from the police force shortly after the incident, before she had even come home from the hospital. They had cited “medical reasons”, for which her resumé was grateful, but she had broken so much procedure it wasn't like she hadn't seen it coming. The women she saved had been worth it. Will was worth it. Killian was worth it. She and Will had set out to found a nonprofit for missing people, a sizeable donation from one Ivy Belfrey getting them off the ground, and she was happier now than she had ever been.

“You can't park there!” a voice shouted at them and they both turned from their embrace to see a stern looking woman in uniform on a golf cart motioning to her car. Emma waved at her in understanding as Killian set her back on her feet.

“Ready to get out of here?” she asked.

“Aye, my love,” he replied with a grin and another quick kiss.

“It's just you and me now.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way, agrà.”

The two got in the car and drove away, the scent of sea salt and jasmine following them on the breeze.

And when she brought him home to meet Ruby, the force of nature that was her best friend may or may not have actually passed out seeing the man from Emma's sketchbook come to life. But that was a discussion for another day.

[jackabelle73]

I'm one of those people who love both Killian and Rumple. I'm aware that my opinion probably means nothing to you. I don't want to change your opinion on Killian. But you seem nice and I would like to offer my two cents. Everything you said about Killian's apology to Belle is valid. He didn't say he was sorry. (I think he was apologizing with actions instead of words, just like Rumple later, but I love him, and I probably see that differently than those who hate him.) I'd just like to point out

that Rumple never apologized to Belle either later in s6. Not with words anyway. Not once. He never said he was wrong to lock her on the JR, he never said he was wrong for wanting to speed up her pregnancy, he never said he was sorry for lying to her again in 5B. He didn’t need to, imho. The show and his actions and the acting made it obvious he was wrong and he was sorry. I think the same about Killian and Belle. I know many people don’t agree with that and that’s fine.

But I think it’s important to remember that Once was never really about verbal apologies. We all love different characters and will see them differently, but if all the people who wronged Belle apologized to her, and whole episode would have been dedicated only to that. She didn’t get verbal apologies in s6 from Rumple or Killian or the EQ or the Dark Swan because she was not a central character. But I still think the show made a point of showing that she is important to Rumple and Killian.

Hi, Nonnie– First, I want to say thanks for reaching out. I actually love talking about differing opinions on characters, if it’s done in a respectful way like you’re doing. You probably won’t change my opinion on OG Hook, but I’ll gladly address the points you mentioned. 

(This is probably a good time to insert that part of my dislike of OG Hook has nothing to do with any canon evidence that I can reference; I simply don’t like the character, period. He just… rubs me the wrong way. It’s a gut reaction that’s only partially based on his list of misdeeds. I should also specify that my dislike only applies to OG Hook. I loooved s7 Wish!Hook/Rogers, and I’m so grateful that OUaT gave me one season of Colin O’Donoghue playing a character I could actually enjoy.)

So… you’re right that Rumple never apologized to Belle in s6 (at least, not that I remember) with the words “I’m sorry.” He did make mention of Belle putting up with a lot from him in 7x04, but never apologized. He did a lot of things that he should have apologized for, and I haven’t forgotten those acts. 

You said that the show made it obvious by Rumple’s actions that he was sorry, and the same applied to Hook. You also said that the show demonstrated Belle was important to both Rumple and Hook. On those two points, Nonnie, you and I will have to agree to disagree. See, I never got the feeling that Hook was sincerely regretful about any of the wrongs he’d done, to Belle or anyone else. Any scenes that might be used to demonstrate how Hook apologized to Belle through actions, just seemed so contrived and shoe-horned into the plot, that they didn’t work for me. Generally speaking, if a show’s writers have to resort to logic-defying plot points (like housing a pregnant woman on a pirate ship when there are several other places she could live) to show that two characters are friends, they’re probably not friends at all. And as for Belle being important to Killian… sorry, just don’t see it. I don’t think anyone’s important to Hook, except Hook. 

And there’s the central difference for me, between Hook and Rumple. I can acknowledge that both characters did a lot of awful things that they owed apologies for, and be pro-Rumple and anti-OG Hook, because Rumple convinced me that he cared for someone other than himself. Bae, Belle, and Gideon meant more to him than his own life, and Robert Carlyle could portray all that love and devotion for his family, with a single look or line of dialogue. 

I watched OG Hook for five seasons, and Colin O’Donoghue never convinced me that OG Hook cared for anyone but himself. His portrayal of Wish!Hook proved that it wasn’t the actor, it was the writing… and I’m still annoyed that the writing staff made me suffer through five seasons of OG Hook, when they were capable all along of writing Hook as an amazing character who actually did care about someone other than himself. 

I said that the beginning that you probably wouldn’t change my mind about OG Hook. It’s not my intention to trash your fave; I just don’t like the guy. 

[akane171]

Karamel😍😭😍

Yupp, just leaves a hole in your heart in the same way😖

We do not have a body count🙄 What's yours? Pretty sure you have at LEAST one there already 🤨🤨🧐

HAHAHAHAHA okay then, I'll try to keep this in mind for next time 😉😂 (Oh, btw, "Stay With Me" by Danity Kane is another good song that reminds me of Karamel, tho fair warning, I always just go with the lyrics videos, so no idea what might pop up if you klick on anything else😅 Or, you know what, wait, I'll just put a link: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=2ahUKEwiQuPehxaf3AhWxQvEDHef-DWsQ8TV6BAgLEAI&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov)

Well hermit in the metaphorical sense (tho not having to deal with people sounds SO tempting😉) and yes, I do kinda love them for being all hermit-y, too😁😂

Uff, Yeah, I feel you! I can barely handle any protagonists nowadays, they're just such IDIOTICAL HYPOCRITS😖😖😡😭 And even worse are female protagonists, it's like authors think all female protagonists have to be Wanna-be-Mary-Sue-Good-Girls who care more about boy drama than what's really important😑😑😑 (Can we go back to having female leads like Hermione Granger or Annabeth Chase?? They were just brilliant, I need more of THEIR kind)

HAHAHAHA yess, Ben just IS😉 The beloved King of Narnia for a reason😉😍

I DIDN'T like the update..... I LOVED IT!!😍😍😍 Fingers crossed LW's curse will strike again and you'll write even more chapters😉😝😜

Hey, I DID comment, it was just more chaotic cause I didn't get around to watching/listening to all at once🤷🏻‍♀️😂 But okidoki, I'll try to keep this in mind, too😊

I LOVE Poets of the Fall, they are SO underrated😍🙈 I heard "Carnival of Rust" first Thanks to a Pandora Hearts mmv and then kinda found a bunch of amvs with their songs, it's just...😍😍😍🙈 And Chasing Twisters kinda reminded me of "Night of the Hunter", don't even ask me why, just popped right into my head while listening🤷🏻‍♀️😅😂

The Lyrics sound angsty!🙈

Well, I could just follow LW's example of possessing a computer🤷🏻‍♀️😂 Or come back as a Ghost🤔 I don't even care as long as I get to read😂🙈

PS: Yess, they are Endgame and I could just cry of happiness cause their Development was just chef's kiss!!😂😂💃🏻💃🏻 Tho I'm still not too sure what I think of the last season... 🙈

Omg, yes, my thoughts exactly!! Like, they're just semi-perfect parallels of each other, even Karamel and Captain Swan's development with the early fighting/arguments and still helping each other, Killian/Mon absolutely falling first, Emma/Kara being reluctant to accept the reality of their feelings for each other, Killian/Mon always being supportive bfs just absolutely supportive for their girlfriends, even Killian and Mon having fucked up parents and a past they are ashamed of is brilliant! Oh, and of course the Villian(Pirate) vs. Hero(Savior) thing is a nice parallel to how they portrayed Kryptonian as mostly good vs. Daxam as terrible😂 THEY EVEN LOOK TOO SIMILAR! Dark haired dude with blue/grey eyes? Check! Blonde haired girl with light colored (green/blue) eyes? Check! Kara's cape and Emma's jacket they alway wear in "hero-mode" are even both red! And Killian and S3!Mon's tendency towards black! 

Tho I gotta say, I actually grew to like Regina as a character and while she had times in which she was a cruel bitch, she did pay for that and work hard to be better, sooo🤷🏻‍♀️🙈🙈🙈 Sorry?🙈🙈

Oh, and Wait, how much do you know about CS's happy end? I have something else I could mention, but I don't wanna spoiler you🙈🙈

XXX

Yes, KARAMEL TT

Don't change the subject ==' write karamel fics =='

So far 0, but it may change if LW won't respect her sleeping hours and you won't start writing =='

With your picture in my hands, story of a broken heart - welll.. yeah.... sniff

I mean, this is what healthy couples do, right? So aside of how much I starve for some content - good for them. And for us, becasue it means they are ok ^^

When we will get a good fantasy/sci-fi WITHOUT romances and boy dramas? Like, can't we focus on amazing, fresh, mind-breaking PLOT and STORY instead of romances??? IT's how you know show or a book sucks - you focus on relationships, because they are the only thing is interesting or makes sense (and in SG case, even that adidn't make sense, sigh).

I recall him more from Westworld XD The fact he can play charming kings, badass villains and broken drunken assholes says a lot about the range of his talent :D

Thanks and NO THANKS ==' I stricktly believe that you can't expand a stroy too much becasue it became a shit. That's my philosophy of a writer *violin music*

Thanks, and i will listen to the rest tomorrow, today is the day for napping. Sigh. I was supossed to write the final chap of Holding on to your soul today *stares into the void*

Oh, I think Carnival of Rust was my second Poet's song I have heard and loved it. Had some sad fanvids for GundamSEED made in my head (when he sings "Dont walk away when the world is burning" - the main male protagonist dying on a hostpital bed and the doctors trying to save him, while her, waiting in the waiting area....)

Well, in Chasing the Twisters there is something about horses and saving the souls, so it fits. Also, I think it fits canon Mon-El i n a way, but don't ask why.

Friend... you don't know how to do it, so just maybe stay alive =='

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah, exactly. Someone should piss scs and write captainswann and karamel crossover and piss SQSC eternally.

I liked Regina in the beginning because she was really a solid character and villain but then she became like... sluggish like a jellyfish? That constant moaning and ending with doing wrong choices - ugh. The same went for Gold. On some point I had enough of both of them. And i liked REgina when SHE WAS the evil bitch xD

I guess I know spoilers, so spill the tea.

Btw? One of my fave bands released the pirate song and it fits our pirate karamel AUs xD

the song is called The LEGION of the seas xD

undefined

[sanityshorror]

Why are people so mean to you? You're literally one of the nicest people of interacted with on the internet

Long answer below cut

Many reasons, though none which are actually legitimate lol. I mean, yeah I can absolutely be a massive fuckin ass, BUT if I popped off on someone, it's because they really, really, really put time and effort into having got me to that point.

Another reason is that a certain person who used to be a 'friend,' ... Well it's a whole can of worms but ultimately, the final result was her purposely lying in order to set me up to make me look like a terrible person, then wrote an entire ass book of a callout which was 95% just blatant lies and beyond distorted 'truths' to the point it wasn't even true.

Additionally, people make just... wildly incorrect assumptions about me ("sanity thinks he's better than everyone and has the biggest ego!" Or "sanity is so mean!")... despite knowing jack shit about me. It's so baffling given the fact my blog and everything I post is my CONTENT. I am not my content, I am just the creator.

Let's see... What else...... OH! I'm very edgy boi. And have very dark humor. GOD FORBID!

Oh, another reason is because even though I don't talk about it... Like... Ever. I have been open about the fact that, yes, I do look at and watch gore tapes. However, I never brag about that (anyone who does is fucking stupid), it's not a flex. I very vocally discourage people from going to look themselves, and have never, will never, tell anyone how to find it let alone send them direct links. I've been asked by people before, I blocked all of them without replyiny. AND SO, WHY DO I WATCH GORE? I am an extreme horror creator. I am a splatterpunk author and artist who does a lot of horror illustration that include gore. It's legitimately for RESEARCH /serious. And that should be obvious to anyone. I'm also going to mention that yes, real gore footage and images are completely legal unless it involves CSA - that is beyond illegal. Just the thought of that type of gore makes me physically ill. I never never nor will I ever look at illegal gore. Kids being harmed is a massive trigger for me and ugh- i just want to puke at the idea of someone seeking it out.

Hmmm...OH! Because ASF is my favorite movie. Why is it my favorite? Because it IS uncomfortable. It portrays horrific things that happen in the real world, and shows these things graphically. It's not supposed to entertain, IT'S SUPPOSED TO UPSET YOU. Yes, I'm working on a video essay explaining the importance of ASF.

Aaand people are sent into tizzies over...😨😨 EXTREME HORROR😨😨 SERIAL KILLERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY A REALISTIC PORTRAYAL OF SERIAL KILLERS 😨😨😨 GOD FUCKING FORBID?! UNACCEPTABLE 🙄

Also, because Julius and Killian are supposedly me fetishizing mlm. I AM A PANSEXUAL MAN. And frankly, if people actually bother to read about their dynamic then go talk to MLM folks IRL... You'd realize that Julius and killian are the farthest thing from fetishizing.

Hmmm... And at the core of it all? Yes, this is going to sound up my ass but the ultimate reason? Jealously.

It seems like more people hate me than actually do, just because the ones who hate me are really fucking loud and can't keep my name out of their mouth (even though I forget or don't even know they exist until they somehow wind up on my radar). And a few certain people have about 50+ alts that they use to never stfu about me.

As for Chris Piss, that's completely different from the usual stuff. Slimebeast is...sure something.

[tomeandflickcorner]

How would you fix OUAT in regards to the rape plots (Regina - Graham, Zelena - Robin, Gothel - Hook)? Completely take them out the show? Keep them in but actually bring the perpetrators to justice? Or not have done THREE of them 😒 (one was enough in my opinion)?

Well, at the very least, I would actually have the show's narrative actually address those rape incidents for what they were and not simply sweep it under the rug. I kind of get the feeling the head writers either don't think male rape exists, or that it doesn't count as rape if the victim isn't actively trying to resist.

Of course, if I was writing the show, I wouldn't have included the part where Zelena raped Robin by masquerading as Robin's dead wife as part of a sick attempt at getting back at Regina. Not only was that way too soap opera-esque for my taste, but it was just another way the show ruined Robin's character by reducing him to nothing more than an extension of Regina's storyline. Not to mention it retconned the fact that Emma saved Marian from being murdered by Regina, like she was in the original timeline, by having Marian die regardless. The fact that Marian was portrayed by a WOC kinda makes it even worse. There was absolutely no reason for them to go in this direction. If they absolutely had to find a way to bring Zelena back, they should have done some more brainstorming and came up with something else. Sure, leaving this plotline out might have resulted in us not getting Robyn, and therefore no Curious Archer/Mad Archer/whatever ship name you have for them, (which would have been sad as that paring was adorable and one of the best elements of S7) but I'm sure they could have worked Robyn in some other way.

Same with how Gothel disguised herself as someone else and tricked Wish Killian into impregnating her so she could pass on the curse that kept her trapped in that tower onto an innocent baby. Granted that did further illustrate how vile Gothel was, but... was that really necessary? They could have simply made it so Alice was nothing more than the product of a one night stand Wish Killian had with some random bar wench, with the bar wench dying in childbirth (which I'm sure was quite common in the medieval style world of the Enchanted Forest/Wish Realm) and Wish Killian, upon learning of the daughter he sired, deciding to step in and raise her. Then, if they needed to work in the part about Gothel cursing them to keep them apart, just have it so Gothel tried to get Wish Killian to assist her with her evil plan, only for Wish Killian to turn her down because he had his daughter to think about, and he obviously had to put Alice first. So, to punish Wish Killian for turning her down, Gothel forces Wish Killan and Alice apart by placing that curse on Wish Killian's heart.

Send me OUAT asks

[lizacstuff]

Hello dear CSSS. I hope you had a good week. Unfortunately, I don't watch any of the shows you mentioned but we can always gush about CS! I know you support him Emma and Killian and don't favor one over the other (yay!), but do you think you can relate more to one than the other? Or are you like me and you can find things in both of them that you can identify in yourself? Oh and if I ever ask you something you're not comfortable to share, feel free to ignore it :-)

Hello!  I had a very good, but busy, week and weekend.  I hope you had a great week as well.

Interesting question, I don’t think I really relate to either character or see myself in them, I’m more of an empathetic viewer.  Both Killian and Emma and their stories touch my heart, and both characters are so complex and well drawn and portrayed so compellingly that it makes me root for them.  

I suppose we could look at which one’s backstory rips my heart out more? That’s tough, but I suppose I ache a bit more for Emma.  Left on the side of the road and orphaned and alone her entire childhood, then when she does find someone he sends her to prison for his crimes? It’s unbearably painful.  Killian’s childhood was also heartbreaking, but at least he had Liam. He had someone to love and love him, and losing that is how he lost himself. 

Thank goodness they found each other!  That is one of my favorite things about them. They really are kindred spirits. It also always touched me that Emma who was alone and unloved her entire life, found someone whose capacity for love is limitless. She found the one person who would love her so much that it made up for all the rest.  So beautiful. 

Do you identify with one more than the other?

[killian-whump]

How can someone be a Colin fan if they think he is a sexist and he doesn't like JMo? I'm that kind of person who can't like a character if I hate the actor. I don't understand it.

Well, simply put, they’re not a Colin fan at all - but I think you meant how can they be a Killian fan whilst hating Colin, so that’s how I’ll answer it :)

Now, I’m always the first to admit that other people have different experiences than I do and may feel differently. Maybe some folks can juxtapose their feelings for an actor versus those for a character better than can. However, you’re asking me for my opinion here, so that’s what I’m gonna give.

I do feel it’s entirely possible to like a character without liking the actor who portrays them. There’s a lot of characters on TV that I like without really feeling much of anything (or caring to even know much of anything) about the actors who portray them. In fact, I often times prefer not knowing anything about the actors, for fear it will color my appreciation of the characters.

Because, like you, my feelings for an actor do color my feelings for the characters they portray. There are certain actors whom I actively dislike for one reason or another… and I simply can’t like their characters, either. I can’t see their face without… well, disliking it. And particularly in cases where the actor is someone I feel philosophically opposed to for some reason, I actively avoid their projects entirely, because I don’t wish to support individuals whose personal ethics or actions I do not condone.

So when I see someone actively hating a celebrity who happens to play one half of their OTP, it confuses me - much as it seems to be confusing you. Frankly, I have a hard time taking someone’s arguments against a celebrity seriously when they are simultaneously fangirling over and supporting that celebrity’s work. If they are truly convinced this actor is problematic, they need to put their money where their mouth is and stop supporting that actor’s work. Otherwise, their arguments simply have no bite. They’re just social buzzwords being used to generate more attention for the person spouting them.

Honestly, I think that these “haters” aren’t literal haters, so much as they’re petulant fans who are angry and disappointed that Colin is continuing to move ahead with the show despite Jen’s departure. It’s less valid criticism and more sour grapes, and it’s coming out about literally every move he makes at the moment, because it’s more just the general state of the ship and the show that is making these folks angry. That’s why their arguments often make no sense (eg hating on him for “sexist” risque remarks one week, then hating on him for NOT making risque remarks the next) and are lacking in the expected follow through one would expect from someone who actually hates someone.

[mrs-emma-swan-jones]

I hope Emma and Killian have a daughter, and i hope we can see them like a family in the season premiere. I was thinking that she could have like ten years because i don't see Emma and Hook having a kid right after they got married. I have a pretty god feeling about Jen appearing in the season finale, because like one of your anons say, she did it in how i met your mother and she only was in season 6, and she did it with House. So, i have hope :)

Jen has definitely been shown as willing to return to previous roles when asked.  I truly think that she connects to and cares very deeply for each character that she portrays, and that she wants to do right by their stories.  If they were ever to ask her to do a guest appearance, or even if she were to approach A&E about possibly doing another appearance later on, I’m sure it would happen.  It all depends on Jen’s schedule really, and if she’s available to fly to Van for a few days to shoot whatever scenes they need.  Honestly, this is what is keeping my CS heart going as I face season 7 without her.  I truly feel like, even though Emma’s chapter has ended, her story isn’t quite over.