#cs.911 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

matan4il · 1 year

Text

Buddie vs Captain Swan meta

This is for the darling Nonnies who asked me to delve into the comparison! Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy it! xoxox

Abbreviations: OUaT = Once Upon a Time // CS = Captain Swan (the Emma/Hook ship) // SF = Swanfire (the Emma/Baelfire ship) // TPTB = The Powers that Be (the team making the decisions for a show) // ep numbers: 201 = ep 201 of 911; O201 = ep 201 of OUaT Unlike with other shows’ canon ships that I have compared in the past to Buddie in terms of what happens to them on screen, this meta is also gonna compare the two ships on the level of the decisions TPTB made (with the two levels not completely separate), which is a part of why this has been one of my fave meta posts to write, ever.

A love story on screen starts with love off screen

Alright, so let me start by mentioning that Hook’s actor (Colin) was only supposed to be on the show for a brief stint. I heard different reports on whether he was originally booked for one ep or five. Either way, it was officially confirmed that even before his first ep aired, TPTB already liked Colin’s performance enough to promote him to a series regular. Yes, before anyone at home even got to watch Hook once. They didn’t specify what they liked, but we can assume it was his acting choices, charisma, the color, humor and sex appeal he brought to the character, but also the chemistry between Colin as Hook and Jennifer as Emma, maybe as early as in rehearsals. Once they expanded Hook’s role so much, they had to tie him in with some of the other regular characters. Hook’s original link to the show was the revenge he wanted to take on Rumple (as established in O204, his first ep), but if he was gonna be a regular, he needed something more. So O205 introduces him to a group of our heroines, especially through Emma’s eyes (she’s the one who sees right through him), while the climax of this meeting plays out in O206, laying out the foundation for CS. Just keep in mind that on 911, Ryan got the part of Eddie because of how much TPTB liked and wanted to work with him. In other words, in both cases it seems the on-screen chemistry and joint journey of two characters started with an off-screen love of TPTB for a charismatic actor.

Both ships were given this initial trajectory of enemies to friends. In the case of CS, Hook starts out on the side of the bad guys while Emma is The Savior. He also uses a sleazy sort of flirting as a tactic: when his opponents are annoyed, it distracts them from his true intentions, and it also disarms them by making it seem like he poses no real threat since he can’t even “keep it in his pants.” He uses this on many, yet from the get go, he has a special focus on Emma. There are four heroines he meets in O205, but she’s the main one he negotiates with, tries to win over, flirts with and when the women have to decide which one of them would climb the beanstalk with him, once they chose Emma he even states, “I was hoping it would be you.” Even the way he puts the bracelet on her wrist is more physically intimate than it needs to be. That means we have an antagonistic start, alongside an undercurrent of attraction. That’s exactly what we have with Buddie as well in 201, when Buck starts out disliking Eddie, but under the surface it’s clear he’s attracted (and not just physically) to Eddie as well, to how incredible he is.

During the O206 climb, Hook starts a dialogue with Emma, but I mean, he really wants to get to know her. It’s still something he can rationalize away in his mind as him simply doing whatever serves his revenge (maybe in the long run this info might be useful), but he doesn’t strictly need this in the short run. Knowing about her first love doesn’t help with how they’ll defeat the giant and retrieve the golden compass. Yet, he wants to know. She intrigues him and makes him want more. It’s the only time we’ll see him in Os2 (other than the finale) doing something that isn’t directly needed for his revenge. In fact, the issue of whether he would betray Emma in order to further his revenge explicitly comes up (she assumes he would based on how Neal had betrayed her in the past), he doesn’t try any tricks when she’s wounded, instead he bandages her hand, goes with her altered plan on how to tackle the giant even though it puts him in a much greater danger (the new plan has benefits for Emma, none for him, yet he still accepts it), comments on how well they work as a team, and we also discover in O209 that he wouldn’t have betrayed her later on either (Hook tells her so when they both know Emma has a lie detection super power, showing that she got under his skin, to make him honest and loyal to her even when it doesn’t necessarily benefit him). My point is, this ep isn’t shy about setting up the possibility of CS being more than two people who temporarily share the same goal. This is so much like Buddie, whose compatibility is clearly cemented in 201 beyond just that one grenade call they worked on together in the ambulance, leading to them exchanging a vow to have each other’s back.

Emma’s reaction to him is played in a more understated fashion. She goes with him because they need the compass, but she doesn’t like the flirting, she openly doesn’t trust him and at first she doesn’t quite open up to his questions. However, we get a hint that her real reaction might run deeper than it initially seems because we get her flashbacks to Neal (the name Baelfire chose for himself in The Land Without Magic), the only love she’s had before. Those flashbacks are triggered simply by meeting Hook, later intensified by his questions. He got under her skin from the start. She also spots his tattoo and asks about the woman mentioned in it. She wants to get to know Hook better, too. When he doesn’t really wanna open up to her about his lost love either, she also guesses correctly what it is he’s not telling her. When he acknowledges she’s right by calling her perceptive, she returns his honesty by admitting she might have been in love before (despite lying about it earlier). That makes their interaction perfectly mutual. We get everything needed for the classic trope of enemies to friends to eventual lovers, not to mention soulmates. And again, the mutual nature of the attraction is so similar to what we get with Buck and Eddie, who both want to get to know the other one better even at the peak of not getting along. Buck still asks Eddie questions to better understand the new guy, while in all of 201, the only person Eddie is shown as being interested in on a more personal level is Buck, with that comment at the gym about knowing that he’s a good guy going through a tough break up, showing empathy, but emphasizing they’re on the same team...

Keep your friends close and your story telling options closer

But CS didn’t get a simple love story set up. I’m certain the original plan was for Emma to actually have a different endgame, which IMO makes the comparison of CS with Buddie so much more interesting. Os2 is full of hints that Emma’s intended endgame was Neal. SF as endgame includes epic symbolism: Emma, the daughter of THE Good Guys from the Enchanted Land, and Neal, the son and grandson of THE Bad Guys from that land, meet in the Land Without Magic, fall in love and have a child together, their union bringing eventual salvation for all. It’s the stuff fairytales are made of! I also have to say that I really loved Baelfire as a kid, so it makes sense that if TPTB set him up to be such a loved character, they would want him (and assume the viewers want him) to have the ultimate happy ending with Emma.

How does CS fit into that? Well, my theory is that when introducing us to them, TPTB saw dramatic potential in the chemistry between Hook and Emma, plus it helped link him to the show, but they hadn’t decided yet how exactly to play with this ship alongside their intended endgame one. I believe they saw three options, and they tried to create the foundation for CS so that it would reasonably lend itself to any of the three, though I do think they had a preference. The first option was to set up the potential of CS as a romantic ship, but then not follow through, making it clear that Hook is attracted to Emma, but that her link to him would just be as The Savior, with him being one of many she helps to save. In other words, Hook’s attraction would be one sided, but it would help him to redeem himself and at some point find his own happy ending. Another option, and I believe the main one they were considering during Os2, was for CS to grow into something romantic (and mutual), but not an endgame ship. It would be a station on Emma’s romantic journey, and the love triangle created by CS would be another obstacle for SF to overcome (and it makes me LOL forever that we got a bit of that love triangle treatment for Buddie when Taylor was around, even without Buddie going canon, unlike CS who had kissed by the time Hook discovers Neal is still alive). The last option is again one that I think TPTB were less interested in, but made sure not to close the door on, which is that the set up for CS would grow into an actual endgame ship.

Why do I think the love triangle option was the initially preferred one? IMO just like Os2 is full of signs that SF were meant to be endgame, we also have hints that TPTB’s course was to create that love triangle between SF and CS, for example in the O206 flashback to the time when Neal shoplifted the swan keychain for Emma. Right within the shot there’s a heart-shaped keychain with a pirate symbol on it. Another example that connects the two ships is that in this ep, Hook tells Emma about having been in Neverland, while in her flashbacks we see SF talking about settling down, and she jokingly asks, “Like, where? Neverland?” Also, on the beanstalk, Hook says he can tell she has the look in her eyes of a lost kid who’s been abandoned by her parents. We already know based on the set up of his revenge story that Hook’s a bit of a lost soul himself (and we’ll find out in O222 that he was an abandoned orphan, too). This was Neal’s background as well. All three are, in a sense, kindred spirits. In fact, while O206 establishes the start of CS and shows us SF for the first time through flashbacks, O221 is going to show us that, independent of this, Hook and Baelfire had also crossed paths and cared about each other, completing all sides of the love triangle. Notice how ALL of these things, because they connect and parallel Hook and Neal, can just as easily support the idea that Hook was always meant to be an obstacle for SF to overcome, or that Hook is Emma’s true love. This is what TPTB like, to keep their options open in case things (and their preferences) shift.

I see similarities here to what happened with Eddie’s character on 911. He was brought in because TPTB liked Ryan and wanted him on the show. They were reorganizing after Abby’s departure in 110, so they introduced Maddie’s character as the new anchor at Dispatch, as well as Eddie to make the team more dynamic. Both needed ties to the team. Maddie would have one in Buck, but she also needed a romantic connection. We know TPTB decided on having the new characters develop a romance. JLH took one look at the ship name and said, “Chim,” 'coz she’s a queen. Which means Maddie would still have her romance, but what would tie Eddie on a personal level to the 118? My guess is TPTB saw the chemistry between Ryan and Oliver, and decided to go with that as the significant bond they’d give Eddie. The changes were made before 201 even aired. Once the ep did, Eddie’s entire introduction is all about Buck, including some clear hints at the option of a romance, without committing to it yet. I’m talking of course about the way Eddie’s presented shirtless for Buck to take him in, the sexy tune “Whatta Man” playing in the background, plus of course the classic enemies to friends trope. Again, TPTB hint at it, lay out the foundations, but keep their options open. When you run a show, there are a lot of elements that might end up not playing out as you intended them to, so you have to reserve some level of flexibility, keep your plans in mind, but also be able to adapt to what ends up working on screen. That’s why I think there were other hints at a possible romantic Buddie throughout s2 (the most blatant of which was the Elf Lady scene in 210 and the social media comments about Buddie in 218), but without anything becoming explicit yet. I do assume back then, they hadn’t decided yet whether to go canon with Buddie or not.

A part of what makes the comparison off screen so fascinating to me is contemplating what made TPTB change course and decide that the option they’re going with is CS as endgmae after all, because it might reflect on when and how a similar decision has been/will be made on 911 regarding Buddie. I do think the ultimate factor was on screen chemistry that garnered CS tons of vocal fans even before anything canon happened between them. Does that remind you of a certain 911 ship? But then, I also think SF's chemistry paled in comparison (I can specify in detail why the ship fell short on the story telling level as well, but my impression is it was a poor decision to cast Neal without an audition, including a chemistry read for SF. CS absolutely sizzle together. Chemistry is a mystery that few have managed to decipher. It’s not about whether actors are good or not, it’s not about whether they like each other as people off screen, it’s an unknown. And it might also be, at least to a degree, in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure there are SF fans who think their ship’s chemistry was way better than CS’. But I say to a degree ‘coz there usually is a general consensus, and in the case of Emma, most viewers seemed to agree her chemistry with Hook was off the charts). If the only ship that OUaT set up in a way that could (and was meant to) rival CS was failing to do that, what were the chances that any other incoming ship would? I suspect this is what settled the score in favor of CS. Not only did they become a canon couple, not only did they become Emma’s endgame, they became in a sense the whole show’s endgame. OUaT’s main theme (explicitly repeated) is that anything is possible if you only hold on to hope. The last significant zoom in we get for the entire show is on CS hugging while holding their little baby girl, Hope. 911 is very similar in its hopeful themes to OUaT, so here I have to point out that no one gives Eddie or Buck hope that things can be good quite like the other man (just one example is Eddie struggling from the very start of s5, and Buck helping him and giving him hope in 514 in ways no one else, not even a therapist, can).

Basically, this dynamic of TPTB creating a ship and not committing to it, but wanting it present in the minds of the viewers and realizing over time that none other could compare to this ship is once more very similar IMO to Buddie. After scenes like the lasagna Buddifer one in 601, there’s no character in the world that can enter the 911 verse at this point and win viewers’ hearts as the endgame ship for either Buck or Eddie over what they have with each other. Ultimately, I don’t see how TPTB can make any other choice that would be satisfying (and acceptable) for most of the audience.

In case you’re wondering whether I’m wrong and CS was supposed to be endgame all along, OUaT actually hinted within the show that this is what happened. In O621, after CS had just been married and immediately torn apart, Hook gives a small speech that seems to reflect the decision making behind the scenes: “Look, we made each other better! All right? Emma and I were never a predestined love story, guaranteed a happy ending. We fought for our love, and we won.” Within the OUaT world, where a whole bunch of things such as Being The Savior ARE predestined, there's nothing that tells Hook he and Emma weren’t. So why is he saying that? It’s TPTB inserting a meta comment into the text. As I’ve been pointing out, I believe these words resonate true for Buddie as well, who might not have been the original plan either, but they found each other, made each other better, and have been fighting together for the little family unit they ended up having.

Love is stored in the parallels

It’s fascinating to me that after CS first meet, the rest of Os2 gives each a mostly separate plot, because they’re both still preoccupied with a former love and they’re not ready to be with each other just yet. Hook is chasing his revenge, haunted by the ghost of the murdered Milah, while Emma is surprised by Neal returning to her life and taking his place there as Henry’s dad.

I find it insane how similar this is to Buddie in s2. They meet as enemies, quickly become friends, but for the most part have separate plots for that season, where Buck has to find a way to disentangle himself from Abby’s ghost (which is how he defines her when he writes his letter to her), and Eddie finds that his one request for momentary help turns into Shannon surprisingly returning to his life and trying to re-take her place there as Christopher’s mom. I’ll repeat, Hook and Buck are both haunted by the ‘ghost’ of a past lover, while Emma and Eddie have to deal with their ex, who’s also the biological parent of their kid, returning to their life. When I tell you that this perfect parallel makes me wanna chew glass...

But this allows them to resolve their issues and come closer together. There’s a moment when Hook thinks he did finally get his revenge in O215, which leads him to ponder in O220 what will become of his life if he does kill Rumple. He realizes it would be empty, as he has no one to share it with. This is a change inspired by Emma. He grasps the emptiness of his pursuit since in spite of himself, he started caring about her. It’s because of what he told her in O206, that she’s “bloody brilliant” and because of what she tells him in O222, that they understand each other (as fellow lost souls). There is something real between them that is changing him. The Os2 finale forces him to choose between his revenge and his own life. It’s a choice that he had to make before and he always chose to put himself in harm’s way in order to avenge Milah’s death (in an O311 flashback he even explicitly tells Tink that dying for his revenge would be satisfying enough). But this time, he realizes he does want to live. And as Emma challenges him in this ep to care about anyone other than himself, he does. He cares about her enough to do the right thing, returning to Storybrooke to save everyone. He practically tells her she’s the reason, that she inspired him to remember he could care about others. When he realizes his return was too late for his initial intention, but he could still help by offering the magic bean to save Henry, he immediately volunteers to do so and even to join the search party. It’s during this time that we’ll see them really coming together. That made me think of the distance we saw between Buddie in 5a, which gave way to them growing closer than ever in 5b, as Eddie confesses his greatest fear to and finds comfort in Buck.

O222 still doesn’t commit to a specific CS option, though. It could be Emma as The Savior helping Hook become better without returning his feelings, it could be the start of something that will eventually make way for Emma choosing Neal once she’s reunited with him, or it could be the start of CS as a ship that OUaT is actually invested in, not just as an obstacle to SF. When did the show decide between those options? I suspect the answer is during the hiatus ahead of Os3. What Hook did in O222, when he chose to return, it was the first selfless thing we’ve seen him do. But is it something that means he’s worthy of Emma or can compete with the feelings she and Neal still have for each other? I would argue that there’s nothing in the Os2 finale to definitively answer that in the affirmative, at least not just yet. In the Os3 premiere, however, I believe we get exactly that. We have a moment when Hook and Regina discuss whether villains like them can get happy endings. It’s a continuation of their talk in O220, where for the first time Hook wondered about whether he should have something more to his life than vengeance. In O301, he lets Regina know he hopes they can get one. As their conversation ends, the camera pans from that to Emma. That may not seem so significant, but in O416, there’s a scene where CS talk about whether Hook, as a former villain, will get his happy ending. She asks him if he’s found it, and he replies, “Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.” Visually, the show clues us in on this almost two seasons earlier, before Hook himself had even realized it, using that shot. TPTB have already chosen CS over SF, we just don’t (officially) know it yet either.

But it’s one of those things whose full significance you’re meant to only realize during a rewatch. That’s exactly what 911 gave us with that montage of memories Eddie has in 315, where he sees the family he recognizes he’ll always fight to come back to, and that family is not just his son, it’s about both Buck and Chris. As emotional and incredible as that scene was, we discover roughly a season later that it means even more than we realized, as Eddie reveals to Buck in 414 his decision to alter his will following that call, officially and legally binding Buck to their family. Now just imagine, maybe somewhere in what we’ve seen there’s already a scene that one day, with the gift of hindsight, we’ll watch and it will hit us that TPTB were using it to signal that they had already chosen to make Buddie canon, we just needed to wait for it to unfold...

I say this because even though O301 lets us know TPTB have already settled on CS, the show itself will continue to pretend as if the love triangle between them and SF is yet to be decided throughout the rest of Os3. Hook surprised Emma more than once along Os2, but as he chose her over his revenge, she got to really see the kind of man he can be. His bloodthirst for Milah’s murderer was always fueled by his love and by the kind of devotion that only lost souls can offer. If that was so intense, just imagine what he’s capable of feeling when he begins falling in love with the one woman who he thinks of as so amazing that she could even make him let go of his vengeance. Alongside this, TPTB still dwell on Emma’s lingering feelings for Neal. That makes it seem like an open race, but it was later confirmed in an interview that they knew they were going to kill Neal before Os3 even started airing.

There are still clues in the subtext that CS are it. For example, in O301 we get to see them as a battle couple again, something we hadn’t witnessed since their first quest together climbing the beanstalk in O206. Never estimate the power of this trope! Since the days of the ancient Greeks, it has been used to signify a pair of bonded souls, ready to kill and die for each other, playing on the duality of the fierce fight one conducts for the person they harbor the most tender of feelings for, with both partners being so in sync that their bond can be counted on even in the most life threatening of situations. And yes, of course Buddie falls into this long, intense (and historically, homoerotic) tradition, as we have seen them being the ultimate battlefield boyfriends multiple times.

Another thing is that the triangle’s two sides aren’t truly balanced. What I mean by this is that when a show hasn’t decided yet, and wants to build up both ships, it will make sure to balance every significant thing one ship has with an equal counterpart for the other. In O307, CS have a meaningful moment where Emma thanks Hook for doing the right thing and telling them Neal is in Neverland, so that he can be saved. She acknowledges this is something Hook did in spite of Neal being his romantic rival for her affections. Hook responds that when he wins her heart, and he will, it won’t be because of trickery, it will be because she wants him (there are actually three opportunities Hook has in Neverland to win her “unfairly,” and he resists using even a single one of them). What this does is cement the fact that the love Hook feels for Emma can help him be a better man, someone who he once was (as we saw in O305). It’s a redemption through love story. And Neal doesn’t have an equivalent to that. Another indication is in O311, when Emma and Henry have to leave Storybrooke, knowing that once they do, they will lose their memories of everyone else. Hook tells Emma there won’t be a day when he won’t think of her. She smiles and replies, “Good.” Hook on his part is confessing that his feelings have morphed into this hopeless, epic love that will haunt him even when they’re realms apart. Emma, by accepting that, is in turn admitting that she actually does want whatever it is that has started developing between them. But when Neal told her a moment earlier that it isn’t over and he will see her and Henry again, she didn’t answer. Again, these are small signs that TPTB already knew the endgame ship before we got Emma officially choosing Hook, but they still pretended as if it’s not settled yet, still acting as if the love triangle is balanced. And I am forever thinking about 911 and what TPTB have already decided, but still aren’t ready to admit...

The on screen parallels are, like love, endless

We talk a lot about what Buddie’s ‘Oh’ moment might be, that instance of recognition of what they feel. We might not have gotten one on screen yet, or we may discover later on that, like the visual clue in O301, we can only decipher their ‘Oh’ moment in retrospect. With Hook, I think he had his in O302. Emma has to admit who she really is, that she’s still a lost girl. We, as viewers, can tell how similar she is to Hook. When they talk about it later, he asks her, “And just who are you, Swan?” and she teases, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Hook is usually the one to bring on the flirting that most women don’t take seriously, but this time, when it’s Emma who’s being coy, he reacts with unusual sincerity and responds, “Perhaps I would.” It’s that uncharacteristic intensity that lets us know, he’s admitting it to himself. In O206, we saw that he was interested in getting to know Emma, but he could still lie to himself, hide behind how the info might come in useful at some point in his pursuit of revenge (even though we don’t see him take a similar interest in any of the other opponents). But here, he’s already let go of the idea of retribution, and is admitting to himself he honestly is interested in her, that what he feels is more than just attraction or a means to a goal. He genuinely would like to be the person allowed in. And yes, once more this is very similar to Buddie, who gravitated towards each other from the start, how they both showed such an interest in getting to know the other man better, and we got to see how similar in their trauma and journey towards healing they are, as well as being each other’s person, the one allowed in.

Another thing we have is instances of mutual longing stares. These are supposed to quietly make our guts turn, because CS exchange them in Os3 precisely whenever it seems like they can’t be together. For example, in O306 when Emma discovers that Neal, the father of her child, is still alive and in Neverland, there’s an intense exchange of stares between her and Hook. It reminds me a bit of how Buddie sometimes stare at each other, such as when the the team is discussing Eddie and Ana going to an event as a couple for the first time in 501, but it’s Buck’s eyes that Eddie meaningfully catches...

There’s of course the classic instants of jealousy. They don’t necessarily develop into full plots like on some shows, but they do exist in the background as a reminder for who someone really wants, no matter what facade they may present to the world. In O310, for example, Hook has decided to let Emma go so that she could have a chance to see if she could work things out with the father of her son. But he’s heartbroken, so he tries to take his mind off the pain by hitting on Tink, who of course realizes exactly what he’s doing and says no. Nothing happens, but Emma arrives just in time to see the two of them together and be visibly displeased by the idea. This is a lot like Eddie, even as early as 206, disliking the idea of Buck with any other person, like when he saw Taylor speaking to Bobby in that ep and ignored it, but the second he saw her speaking to Buck...

And let’s talk about building a family unit together! Well, Hook being Emma’s co-parent isn’t exactly a focal point of OUaT, since she shares custody of Henry with another, adoptive mother. The show is preoccupied enough with both Emma and Regina’s journey to accepting their motherhood and learning how to be a good parent to Henry, on top of Neal discovering that he’s a dad (not to mention all the grandparents this brings into Henry’s life), that I don’t think the show has a lot of space left to delve too deeply into Hook as Henry’s extra parental figure. And yet, it does have a whole bunch of really lovely moments that it dedicates precisely to that. For example, in O316, before CS even get together, Hook spends a lot of time with Henry to help this kid grieve. Even when we don’t see these moments on screen, OUaT makes sure to include references that let us know these are happening off screen. And to really cement it, all of O606 is dedicated to establishing that Henry does see them as a family unit and accepts Hook not just as Emma’s romantic partner, but also as an additional parent.

I don’t really have to explain how this is very similar to Buddie, where there’s no question Chris has basically embraced Buck as his other dad, and that these three ARE one family unit, right?

Another thing OUaT did with CS once it decided they were endgame is to give them an epic cinematic point of reference. I’m referring to O305, when Emma and Hook kiss for the first time. Hook, the womanizing pirate, is visibly shaken up by it. Emma, however, is still in denial and right away says it’s just a one time thing. But as she sends him away, he replies with, “As you wish.” This is an obvious reference to the movie Princess Bride which established that saying that is another form of saying, “I love you.”

Buddie have their own cinematic reference built into the ship. Their promise in 201 to have each other’s back is a clear reference to Maverick and Iceman’s exchange at the end of Top Gun accepting the other guy as their wing man. If you ask me, that was a way of saying “I love you,” too. And of course, Top Gun came out in the 1980’s, when mainstream Hollywood was not filming gay romances, but this hit film is widely known and understood as a queer coded movie. In fact, Val Kilmer himself once referred to Iceman as his first gay role...

And God, that epic reference really fits CS. Even before they get together, Hook’s feelings for Emma are so grand, he chooses to follow her to the ends of earth and time, literally. Magical vortex that leads God only knows where opens up in O321? Hook wants to get out of there right away. It sucks Emma in? Hook deliberately lets go and allows the vortex to claim him as well, while he mutters that one day he’s going to stop chasing this woman (except he obviously won’t). You know who else follow each other into the craziest, most life endangering situations without a second thought? Yep, our resident moron in love firefighters. They will never stop chasing and saving each other either.

An additional way to build up CS as a ship and a significant one is to have them parallel the other canon couples on the show, particularly the ones that have such a sound foundation that viewers know their love is true. If CS parallel those couples, that means their love is true as well. I think the most obvious parallel on OUaT is between CS and Emma’s parents, Snow and Charming. They were THE romance in s1, cemented by their exchanged promise that they will always find each other. Just imagine how feral I went when in O511, we had Emma leading an expedition to the fucking underworld because she was hellbent on finding and saving Hook, and she utters the same epic promise of love her parents have repeatedly made to each other, that she will find him, she will always find him. Just in case we still had any doubts, in the underworld she has to undergo a test of true love, and unsurprisingly, she passes it. Hook and Emma get to spend the rest of their lives knowing that what they built together, by being there for each other, comforting and learning and saving one another, is true love. So I hope you get why it drives me a little crazy to think about how, in essence, that’s exactly what Buddie have as well, their relationship is built from the same building blocks. Not to mention, they’re also repeatedly shown to parallel the canon, foundational couples of 911, like Madney, Henren and Bathena.

Another of these parallels to Snow and Charming can be found in the language one partner uses when they try to revive the part of the ship. In O103, it’s Snow trying to save Charming in Storybrooke, and she’s begging him at first to come back to “us,” but that doesn’t really express what she feels, her desperation, so she switches over to “Come back to me.” That switch says everything about how significant the “me” is. It’s not just a general rescue attempt out of respect for the sacredness of all human life. This is personal. A loss that the rescuer cannot bear. And they have faith that the connection between them and the person they’re trying to save is another life line, in addition to the physical actions to keep the other person alive. That’s exactly what Emma is also begging Hook to do when she’s giving him CPR in O320, in those very words, after Zelena almost drowned him to death. That of course parallels Buck begging Eddie to stay “with me” in 414. Also worthy of note? None of these couples are together when one half of the ship has to rescue the other and ends up resorting to this intimate language.

A parallel I absolutely have to quietly scream about into my fist is the one about emotional walls. In O503, Hook confesses to Emma that he liked her exactly as she was. He tells her that he liked her walls, and he liked being the one to break them down. That confession holds so much, like the acceptance of the person you’re in love with as they are, with all of the parts of themselves that they see as the worst, like the love, patience and support that turns being there for someone else when they let you in on what they see as their ugliest parts into something you see as beautiful, and like that awe-inspiring realization that you are special to them because you’re the only one they let into their mess. Now tell me this isn’t precisely what we got with Buddie, when Buck physically broke down the door to Eddie’s most private space, his bedroom, and he wasn’t kicked out for doing that or met with any kind of resistance, instead what Buck got was Eddie letting down his emotional walls as well, not just in that moment, but also later on, when he allows Buck back into that mess, to help clean it up and fix his broken walls. Yes, the most significant emotional developments that happen between romantic partners are ones that Buddie got to have, too.

And lastly there’s of course the parallel that you can see in the header for this meta post, between the time Emma had to watch Hook be stabbed in front of her eyes in O423 and when Buck had to witness Eddie get shot right in front of him in 413. The way that scene plays out (one is fatally wounded, the other is horrified into paralysis, but then before they can rush in, a third party has to intervene and stop them, as the wounded partner reaches out to them) is a romantic trope in itself, because yeah, shows and movies usually only do it this way to one person when it’s their romantic partner who sees everything and is devastated by it. That Buck was put in the same position Emma during this scene, that says everything.

~~ Thank you soooo much to the amazing @buckleyirondad and @madsbuckley who shared the load of giffing for this meta (since there were so many scenes to gif). Your creations are breathtaking and so is your kindness! I seriously can’t thank you enough, I hope you had a blast making the gifs, and that everyone reading enjoys this meta! If you have, please consider supporting it by giving it a reblog, thank you! xoxox

229 notes · View notes

hollyethecurious · 1 year

Text

I posted 853 times in 2022

101 posts created (12%)

752 posts reblogged (88%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pirateherokillian

@wyntereyez

@hollyethecurious

@killian-whump

@kwistowee

I tagged 744 of my posts in 2022

Only 13% of my posts had no tags

#colin o'donoghue - 158 posts

#killian jones - 132 posts

#captain swan - 75 posts

#captain hook - 41 posts

#icymi - 39 posts

#curious replies - 37 posts

#911 lone star - 32 posts

#cs ff - 31 posts

#words by hollye - 31 posts

#ask game - 27 posts

Longest Tag: 92 characters

#emma enlists killian to come to a family dinner so he can take some of the heat off her from

My Top Posts in 2022:

CS AU: Pan Says... (2/?)

Summary: After waking up in a strange room with a naked stranger, Emma and Killian must endure the twisted game their kidnapper insists they play in order to gain provisions and avoid punishments.

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. Originally, this part was going to be much longer, incorporating several prompts that were sent to me, but I have opted to go about it differently now. In an effort to highlight each prompt (or the bits of prompts I’m fusing together for a single scene), I’m going to keep the updates focused on one or two Pan Says scenarios as well as their reward/punishment.

I am still taking prompts, so if something comes to mind please feel free to send it in an Ask. Nothing is off limits, as I don’t really have triggers and very few things squick me out, however, I cannot guarantee every Ask will make it into an update. I’ll continue to take prompts until an end game for the fic emerges.

Lots of love to @ultraluckycatnd and @kmomof4 for their exceptional beta skills on this one!

Rated M & eventual E /Also available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me! / Part One

Prompt & Content Warnings: This prompt came from the csmm Discord - “Tell the other something you don’t like about them.” I don’t think there are any additional content warnings that apply to this part that weren’t listed for Part One, but as with every update to this fic: read at your own risk!

Part Two

“Swan, will you please come sit down?”

“I can’t. I can’t sit down. Not while you’re so calm. You should be yelling at me. Why aren’t you yelling at me?”

“I don’t want to yell at you. There’s no reason for me to yell at you.”

“No reason?” Emma shouted, rounding on him as he sat on the edge of bed, finally halting her frantic pacing. “Killian. I blew it. Failing Round One, that was all--”

“That was not your fault, Swan.”

“Yes, it was! Don’t try and make me feel better about blowing our chance to get out of here. It is my fault. I pulled you into the damn kiss.”

“Aye, you did.” He stood, the pillow still firmly in place over his groin, and Emma had to force herself to not keep glancing down at it every few seconds, focusing instead on his exasperated expression and increasingly frustrated tone. “But in your desperation to get us the fuck out of here, it seems you failed to notice my lips were halfway to meeting yours before your hand even met my shoulder!”

Taken aback, Emma’s lips parted, but he barreled on before she could respond. “That kiss was going to happen, Emma. Whether you initiated it or not, that kiss would have happened. We both fell for Pan’s tricks, and blaming ourselves or one another will do us no good. We have to keep our wits about us and focus on being constructive, because sooner or later he’ll be back to commence with Round Two and God only knows what fresh hell awaits us.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t classify what I have planned for you as hell,” Pan stated over the speakers. “In fact, I’m prepared to make you a very generous offer.”

“Save it.”

“Now now, Emma,” Pan tsked. “Let’s not be hasty.”

The sudden slide of a metal panel startled Emma, causing her to stumble back. Killian moved to stand in front of her, both of them unnerved by the sight of a now exposed window looking into the room from the outer hallway… and that which lay on the other side of it.

Two masked figures, dressed all in black, stood shoulder to shoulder facing them with long, black, pronged batons gripped in their hands.

“Meet my Lost Ones,” Pan said. “Round Two sometimes requires a bit of encouragement in order to really get going, so they’ll be doing my bidding if necessary.” A long pause echoed through the room before Pan spoke again, his tone low and applying a clear measure of threat. “I’d advise you both in making that necessity as infrequent as possible.”

The panel slid closed, hiding the window and the shadowy specters from view, and Pan’s voice was once again jovial.

“As I was saying, I am prepared to make you both a very generous offer!”

“What offer would that be?” Killian questioned through his clenched jaw, reluctantly playing along.

“Pan Says you can earn everything back if… you both spend two full minutes appreciating one another’s naked body.”

Furtive glances were exchanged, and Emma could see the slightest shake of Killian’s head, ready to refuse.

The action did not go unnoticed by Pan either. “Oh, please. Don’t act so noble. You both got your fill of each other’s backsides while taking turns in the shower, so what’s the big deal in paying equal attention to each other’s fronts?”

Emma hated that he had a point. They’d both been guilty of ogling each other in the shower, the only difference in his request was that there would be no sneaky peeks. Actually, that was not the only difference. This time, when she and Killian admired one another, it would be with the other’s full consent. Killian had already given his last night in a blanket statement, but based on the way he had his head craned upward, doing all he could to avoid looking at her at all, he would need for her to reciprocate his words if he was going to agree.

“Killian, look at me.” He shook his head, his Adam’s apple jumping and his teeth grinding in agitation. “Last night you told me I had your consent. Remember?” He nodded, but kept his gaze skyward until she took his hand and brought it up to rest against her sheet shrouded chest. “Well you have mine, too,” she told him, her eyes piercing into his, imploring him to understand why she needed him to agree. When he still seemed unsure and unwilling to relent, she quietly murmured, “Please. I don’t want to give him any reason to send those two in here. ‘Cause we both know they won’t care about our consent, only Pan’s rules.”

See the full post

66 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

CS AU: Conviction (3/?)

Summary: The story had been front page news for months. Scandalous details of a married woman of low birth and with limited means, murdering her husband; hatcheting him to death in order to save her own life and that of her unborn child - or so she claimed. No evidence to support her allegations of abuse had been presented during the trial, but in the end, it was the fact that Mrs. Cassidy was with child that saved her from a verdict of murder in the first degree, a judgment that carried the death penalty for both men and women alike. As an act of mercy, a lesser charge was issued, one that spared her life but now made her Misthaven Penitentiary’s problem to contend with, and more specifically, the Captain of the Guard charged with keeping order within its walls.

A/N: I continue to be blown away by the response to this fic. Thank y’all so much!

In answer to a question I received after the last chapter posted, this fic IS written entirely from Killian’s POV.

Thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in defringing (there, @teamhook, is that better?) Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list

Chapter One | Chapter Two

Chapter Three

As the weeks passed, the Captain of the Guard and his unusual charge settled into a familiar routine. Every night Killian would spend time outside her cell, talking with Swan about all manner of things. He would bring her books to read so they might discuss them, and she would share with him the local gossip she’d heard from Granny or one of the other ladies Elsa had recruited to keep her company during visiting hours and the morning walks he still oversaw before leaving each day.

It warmed his heart to see her cell filled with items gifted to her or crafted by her own hand with the yarn and knitting needles she’d come to master. Soft blankets, hats, and booties were overflowing the trunk Marco, the town carpenter, had made for her to hold such keepsakes. Another trunk had been approved to house the garments she’d collected through the generosity of her new friends in order to accommodate her expanding waist and keep her warm during the frigid nights as winter swiftly settled over the prison.

Nights like this one.

Killian turned up the collar of his overcoat and shivered past the drafts seeping in through every crack and crevice within the old stone prison. With a new, heavy blanket in his arms, he made his way to Swan’s cell, intending to spend a few moments with her while Officer Booth (who had replaced Robin on night watch) finished his patrol.

A few of the prisoners nodded at him as he passed, the cold making sleep difficult for them, and one or more groused under their breath at the sight of the blanket. Towards the end of the block, dirt-stained arms hung over the cross brace of the barred door, and one of their newest inmates, Will Scarlet, gave Killian a look bordering on insubordinate as he cheeked, “Something to help keep the missus warm, Captain?”

Killian ignored the man’s question, pausing before his cell only to issue him an order to get back in bed.

“It’s just…” Scarlet continued with a tone of ribbing. “I think someone’s beat you to it.”

Killian’s brow arched up his forehead. Before he asked the thief what he meant by that statement, the soft sound of Swan’s hushed laughter perked his ears. Setting off, he rounded the corner and found Booth standing outside her cell, a bright smile stretching over his usually wooden features as he passed a thick quilt through the bars.

“Officer Booth,” Killian barked, causing the man to balk and snap to attention. “Have you finished patrol?”

“No, Captain,” the man answered.

“Then I suggest you get back to it before I write you up for dereliction of your duty.”

Booth gave his captain a stiff nod, his eyes flicking back towards the cell as if unsure whether he could risk saying anything more to the woman inside. Resolving it wasn’t a risk he was willing to take, Booth made his way past Killian and back to the cell block to continue his patrol. Killian’s flickering jaw muscle practically chased him as he went.

“He was only checking on me,” Swan said, her face pressed between the bars with a look of alarm pinching at her features. “Officer Booth has always been kind, he’s never done or said anything improper. He’s--”

“I know, Swan,” Killian assured her as he closed the distance between them. “I know August is a good man with no… untoward intentions. But he does have duties, and he’s new to the night shift. Many of the men think standards can be lowered during the night because the inmates are asleep, when really it’s the time to be as vigilant as possible.”

Swan nodded, chewing on both her lip and his words before her eyes fell to the blanket in his arms. An amused sound huffed from her chest. “Is that for me?”

“Aye,” Killian replied. A swell of heat rose up the back of his neck, prickling behind his ear until he reached up to paw at it. “I thought you might need an additional blanket to help keep you warm, but it seems Officer Booth has already seen to that comfort.”

His eyes flicked down to the quilt tucked beneath her arm, then back up to her face, which was covered with an expression of affection. Normally, he would have been pleased to see such an appearance, yet for some reason he found himself rather perturbed by the sight of it.

“He isn’t the only one,” she told him, turning to the side and gesturing to a stack of quilts, afghans, and other spreads teetering upon one of her trunks. “Every visitor I’ve had this week has seen fit to bring me at least one.”

The irritation that had flared within his chest subsided when he realized her temperament was because of all the care and kindness she’d received from the community at large and not just from a single, particular source. He also resolutely refused to examine that initial annoyance any further, choosing instead to focus on the issue he could see swirling within the depths of her green eyes as she vacillated over giving it voice.

“What is it, Swan?”

“I know it’s probably against regulations, seeing as there aren’t enough for everyone, but…” Her eyes turned pleading as she gazed up at him, and Killian knew no matter what her request might be, he was unlikely to refuse her. “I have more than enough to keep me comfortable while others must spend the long nights absolutely freezing. Would it… would it be possible to have these extra blankets dispensed to other inmates? Perhaps the older, frailer ones?”

Killian stared down at her, stunned. It really shouldn’t have surprised him that she would be willing to share her excess with others she felt were more in need, but such mindsets were not at all commonplace within the hardened walls of a prison, or among equally hardened prisoners.

See the full post

66 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

CS AU: Conviction (5/?)

A/N: My apologies for not updating last week. While I am determined to maintain a regular, weekly schedule, I'm afraid I've fallen behind on my wiring, and therefore I can't guarantee there won't be more skipped weeks. Now that my homeschool semester is over, I'm hoping to get more writing time so I can catch back up. I just ask that y'all be patient with me.

Thank you for all the lovely comments! I treasure them, and am so thrilled y'all seem to love this story as much as I do! Also, thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in defringing Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Snow swirled and the frigid air burned in Killian’s lungs. The scent of pine danced in his sinuses and tickled his tongue, the aroma of the season stirring those feelings of good tidings even though there had been no great joy in his days for the past few weeks.

Actually, that wasn’t completely true. Despite the rift between himself and his brother - a chasm that had only grown wider since his brother’s decree, forcing Killian from Swan’s presence and the pleasure of her company, while removing any comfort his might have given her - there had been moments of elation and gratitude to help lighten the otherwise gloomy December days.

Elsa had wasted no time in acquiring the services of a few masons and the blacksmith, converting the old offices along the upper level of the officer’s wing into a much larger cell for Swan and her swiftly approaching arrival. The men had offered their time and materials, free of charge, and word had spread regarding the prison’s forthcoming addition, spurring the townsfolk into actions of charity, not only for Miss Swan, but the entire prison as well.

The soft crunch of compacted snow, mixed with the shuffle of freshly fallen flakes echoed beneath Killian’s boots as he made his way up the long drive towards the prison. He stopped for a moment, adjusting the bulky item in his arms so he could tighten his scarf, a slight shiver traveling down his spine when the winter breeze whispered across the thin layer of perspiration dampening his skin from the exertion of carrying the object from town. A ring of faint laughter tinkled through the air, and Killian knew the carolers he’d passed in the village must be making their way to the prison.

He remembered lamenting many months ago about how they were to make it through the winter without the assistance of the convent. He never would have imagined the outpouring of care, kindness, and compassion they had received from the town’s residents, from necessities like foodstuffs and fuels, to the indulgence of new clothing for the prisoners and a collection for the officers’ uniforms, as well as decorations and community visits to help lift the population’s spirits. Killian could not remember a more festive or exhilarating Christmas season in all his years, and though Elsa had certainly had her hand in making it happen, Killian knew the true prompting that had brought the whole town together to rally around Misthaven Penitentiary was Emma.

A cloud of vapor briefly hung in the air from where Killian had exhaled heavily. Emma. His Swan. Not a day had gone by that he had not thought of her, and not simply because the work being done on her new cell was happening, quite literally, before his very eyes day after day. He’d timed his arrival during those first few shifts he’d reported for duty with when she’d usually be out on her walks, so he would at least have the opportunity to see her, perhaps even speak with her. However, his brother had accounted for such an action and had issued new orders regarding her yard time. Now that they were back to full staff, they no longer had to depend on the off-duty night shift to perform the task, so she was worked into the day rotation schedule, usually escorted from her cell when Killian was in the training room with one of the new recruits.

The sound of his boot falls interrupted the quiet once more as he trod up the path towards the prison gate. Two of the recruits were milling about in the yard, most likely awaiting the arrival of the carolers. They snapped to attention as soon as they spotted him, one moving quickly to open the door for their captain, whose arms were still laden with an object he hoped to deliver before the visitors’ arrival.

It was a yearly tradition, the carolers beginning their Christmas Eve serenade at the prison before moving through town and finishing at the church for the Silent Night Service. They would spend some time visiting with the prisoners first, encouraging them with conversation and perhaps a small, gifted token, like a piece of peppermint or some other candy, to commemorate the holiday, then sing a few carols before moving on. Killian had always enjoyed the Christmas Eve caroling and the festivities it brought with it, the guards finding ways to make their own merriment as those off-duty joined the on-duty shift for a celebratory toast after the carolers departed, but this year… The rift between him and Liam would most likely sour whatever toast their warden made, and the only person with whom he wished to share Christmas he was forbidden from seeing.

That hadn’t stopped him from bringing her a gift, though.

Depositing the item in his office, Killian straightened his appearance, smoothing down his hair, which had become tussled by the winter wind, and took in a steadying breath as dread gnawed his gut. Never before had he been anxious to face his brother, not to this degree at least, and he wondered if the damage both their words and actions had caused to their relationship would be permanent. In addition to keeping his distance from Swan, as ordered, Killian had done all he could to avoid Liam these past few weeks, dispatching another officer to meet with the warden in his stead and begging off all of Elsa’s invitations to share dinner with them now he had his evenings free. When the rare moment occurred that he had to report to the warden’s office himself, he had been overly formal and guarded with a rapport of extreme professionalism, a conduct Liam had reciprocated in kind.

It had not escaped Killian’s notice that the officers walked on eggshells around them both, nor could he deny the strain it was starting to have on Elsa, who desperately tried to get the two brothers together so they might discuss the matter rather than allow it to continue to fester. Killian would be lying if he said the glimmer of tears in her eyes when he’d turned down the offer to spend Christmas with them hadn’t made his heart twist painfully in his chest, but he knew he’d only bring the celebration down with his sullenness, and he wasn’t about to make her sister or her sister’s family uncomfortable with the added tension his presence would bring.

Besides… Swan was supposed to be moved into her new cell Christmas morning, and Killian wanted to be there, even if he couldn’t share the occasion by her side or give her the gift he’d worked on with Marco himself.

Exiting his office, he glanced across the corridor as he passed the new cell and paused. Philip and Thomas - two of the newest recruits and set to make officer after the first of the year - were bustling around the space, depositing firewood into the nook beside the hearth and positioning the new furnishings into place, readying the cell for its new inhabitant. A copper tub sat in the corner, partially hidden behind a partition that would provide her privacy when she bathed, the fireplace allowing her not only warmth, but the ability to heat water without the assistance of the guards. A rocking chair faced the hearth, a fresh mattress was laid out upon the suspended frame on the opposite wall, and a wardrobe filled the opposite corner, ready for Swan’s and her baby's belongings to be transferred from the trunks they’d been packed in for months. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth, a moment of gladdened contentment pushing past the longing that had been hollowing out his chest cavity day by day.

“Do you need something, Captain?”

The question brought Killian back to his purpose. “No. Thank you, Thomas. Carry on.”

Leaving the recruits to finish their work, Killian turned and fortified himself before raising his hand to knock on the warden’s door. Dutifully, he waited until he heard his brother bid entrance.

“Killian?” Liam said, standing from his chair with a perplexed yet tentatively relieved expression. His hair was as unruly as Killian’s, but where the wind had been responsible for the younger Jones’ appearance, it seemed the chaotic nature of Liam’s hair had been caused by his fingers continuously running through the curly strands. “I was not sure you’d return for the festivities when Erik informed me you’d already left for the day.”

Killian lifted his chin, his hands tucked behind his back with his posture board straight as he addressed his warden. “I had an errand to run in town, sir.”

“I see,” Liam commented, wincing a bit at the curt edge of Killian’s formal tone. Making his way around the desk, Liam paused when he reached the front edge, wringing his hands for a moment before letting them fall to his sides. “I was sorry to hear you refused our invitation for Christmas,” he said. “And not because it means I must endure Elsa’s sister and brother-in-law without the aid of my li...er, younger brother.”

Killian’s brows twitched, nearly pinching together in disbelief at the correction. Was his brother attempting to make amends? It wasn’t like Liam to concede, to ever admit he might be wrong, and if it was his intention to make things right then it surely had to have been prompted by Elsa.

“I offered to take the Christmas shift so Thomas could spend the holiday with his wife. I felt the other recruits deserved to spend the day with their lady loves as well.”

“And the fact Mrs. Cassidy is moving to the cell across the hall tomorrow morning had no bearing on such an offer, I’m sure.”

Killian stiffened further, his posture becoming more rigid as he geared up for another row with his brother, but the spark of anger Liam’s quip had ignited was quickly snuffed out with his brother’s next words.

See the full post

69 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

WIP Wednesday: New CS AU Sneak Peek

Summary: The story had been front page news for months. Scandalous details of a married woman of low birth and with limited means, murdering her husband; hatcheting him to death in order to save her own life and that of her unborn child - or so she claimed. No evidence to support her allegations of abuse had been presented during the trial, but in the end, it was the fact that Mrs. Cassidy was with child that saved her from a verdict of murder in the first degree, a judgment that carried the death penalty for both men and women alike. As an act of mercy, a lesser charge was issued, one that spared her life but now made her Misthaven Penitentiary's problem to contend with, and more specifically, the Captain of the Guard charged with keeping order within its walls.

A/N: This fic was inspired by the true account of Martha Casto who was incarcerated in the Missouri State Penitentiary in 1843 for manslaughter. I first heard her story on an episode of Who Do You Think You Are, featuring the lineage of actress Cynthia Nixon. While I have taken some details of Martha’s crime and sentencing to weave into the story, mine will not be a retelling of the accounts of her time in prison. Also, while I am setting this fic in the same time period as the inspiration (mid-1800s), I will be taking some historical liberties.

Thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in debanging (don’t make it dirty, people) Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / updating weekly on Sundays / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me!

Sneak Peek from Chapter One:

“Mrs. Cassidy, I am Liam Jones, Warden here at Misthaven Penitentiary, and this is my Captain of the Guard, Killian Jones.”

Killian gave the woman a curt nod and tried to focus his attention on the words Liam was speaking. Not that he really needed to. It was the same speech he gave to every other inmate who passed through their doors. Albeit, no other inmate had ever had the privilege of receiving these remarks within the warden’s own office. A change in protocol that further iterated how remarkable a situation they all faced.

Remarkable. Yes. Such a designation seemed apt as Killian took in the woman before him. He was not sure what he had expected of Mrs. Cassidy, but the thin-framed young woman before him certainly was not it. She couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, and only reached his chin. Though she had to be petrified of what lay ahead, her countenance betrayed none of her trepidations. Standing stiff-backed with her head held high, she struck Killian as a tough lass. Tough and bloody beautiful to boot.

His job just got a whole lot harder.

A small grimace passed over her features when she turned back towards the door, having been dismissed by the warden and ready to be led to her cell. Her delicate hands clenched and released, the red welts from the shackles clasped around her wrists stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. Killian ground his teeth together, a response he’d involuntarily given into a number of times since seeing her disembark from the prison wagon with chains binding her wrists and ankles. It was standard procedure when transporting prisoners, but Killian could barely stomach the sight of those restraints on a woman, regardless of her crime.

Escorted by his fellow guardsman, Robin, Killian marched his prisoner along the corridor towards the catwalk that allowed them to cross over to the other side of the upper level. While passing the manned cells, Killian did his best to shield Mrs. Cassidy from the other prisoners’ view, but it didn’t stop a few taunts and lewd comments thrown her way by one of the more hardened inmates. Pulling his baton from where it rested at his hip, Killian slammed it against the bars as a warning.

“You’d best hold your tongue, before I remove it,” Killian said in a hushed, menacing tone that matched the look he stared the man down with until the perpetrator backed away.

Out of instinct, Killian reached out to grasp the woman’s arm in order to prompt her forward, but retracted his hand when he saw her flinch. He had to bite down on his tongue to keep from apologizing, reminding himself she was just another prisoner and had to be treated as such in order to maintain the necessary balance required for order and discipline within the prison.

They made their way across the catwalk, down the opposite side, and around the corner to her cell without further incident. Robin unlocked the cell door, swinging it wide, while Killian knelt down to remove the shackles around her ankles. The length and layers of her skirts made it difficult to locate the keyhole on the first side, until they suddenly hitched up, revealing her boots and metal irons surrounding them. Killian flicked his eyes up to see Mrs. Cassidy had bunched the fabric up in her hands in order to make the work easier for him, and he was once again tempted to break protocol, swallowing back the thank you that threatened to slip out.

Once her leg irons were removed and handed off to Robin, Killian gestured her inside the cell and closed the door behind her with a loud, jarring clang, causing her to flinch once more.

“Hands,” he ordered. His tone was a bit harsher than he meant it to be, so he was thankful when she slipped her hands between the bars without hesitation.

Like the shackles at her ankles, Killian made quick work of the restraints around her wrists. Anger flared within him at the sight of the red, raw skin revealed beneath the heavy metal, and this time he could not hold back the apology slipping past his lips when a hiss escaped her from the fresh air stinging the open wounds.

“I will have a salve brought to you that will help with those,” Killian told her, passing the wrist restraints off to Robin, who nodded his understanding of the implied order before heading back towards the officers’ station.

“That isn’t necessary,” the woman replied, gingerly rubbing the skin surrounding the welts and sores.

“It’s standard procedure,” Killian informed her, lest she think he was offering her special treatment. “As the warden mentioned, meals will be brought up for you to eat in your cell. Your dinner should arrive within the hour. Have you any questions, Mrs. Cassidy?”

“Emma,” she replied sharply.

“I beg your pardon?”

She sighed and set her features with a firm resolve. “I do not wish to be addressed as Mrs. Cassidy. Please, call me Emma.”

“I am afraid that will not be possible,” Killian told her, attempting to keep the sympathy out of his voice. “My brother feels such familiarity would be inappropriate.”

“Your brother?”

Killian bit back a curse at the carelessness of his words. “I meant, the warden,” he corrected.

“Right,” she nodded. “Jones. I should have realized the connection.” Robin returned and handed the jar of salve and a square of clean linen to her through the bars, which she accepted with a timid thank you. “How should I address you and the other guards if I have need?”

“You may address the guards as Officer, or include that title with their surname.” Killian gestured to Robin. “For instance, this is Officer Locksley.”

Robin offered her a polite nod which she returned before flicking her gaze back to Killian. “And you?”

See the full post

80 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

CS AU: Conviction (1/?)

Thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in debanging (don’t make it dirty, people) Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list

Chapter One

“You cannot be bloody serious.” Killian’s eyes jumped from the order in his hands to his brother’s face. “They’re sending her here?”

“This is the only prison within Misthaven County,” Liam reminded him, seemingly unperturbed by the proclamation that a woman, who had just been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to serve five years for the crime against her husband, would be housed within the stone walls he was charged with overseeing as warden.

Killian shook his head and tossed the missive onto the imposing mahogany desk in front of him. “This is madness,” he said, running a hand through his hair while trying to grapple with the logistical nightmare the magistrate had set upon them. “Her presence will cause chaos among the other prisoners, to say nothing of how she will affect the guards.”

“I see no reason why her incarceration here should cause such disastrous waves of which you seem concerned.”

Killian stared slack jawed at his brother, who had resumed his seat and began scratching quill to parchment. “Brother,” Killian began with an incredulous tone once he again found his voice, “We are not equipped to see to the needs of a woman here, especially one who is with child.”

“We will see to her needs as we do the men under our supervision. However,” Liam held up his hand to stay his brother’s protest, “I recognize that a few concessions will be necessary in order to ensure her safety and well-being whilst she is here.” Setting the ink he had just finished applying to the page, Liam stood and handed the paper to Killian. “As Captain of the Guard, I entrust these added measures into your authority. See to it the other guards are aware of my instructions and that they are upheld.”

Killian grit his teeth, but held his tongue. He knew a dismissal when it was issued, and though Liam was his older brother, he was also the prison warden and Killian’s superior. Positions Killian respected, even if he did think his brother was being purposefully obtuse about the reality of the circumstance about to befall them.

Upon exiting his brother’s office and returning to his own, Killian settled himself in his desk chair and read over the principles by which Liam would have them all handle the presence of Mrs. Cassidy. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Killian released a long sigh before glancing out the window that looked across the open corridor to the upper level cells that stood adjacent to the officers’ wing. From where he sat, Killian had a clear view around the corner to the secluded stretch where lay the cell Liam had determined would house the infamous ax-murderess.

The story had been front page news for months. Scandalous details of a married woman of low birth and limited means murdering her husband; hatcheting him to death in order to save her own life and that of her unborn child - or so she claimed. No evidence to support her allegations of abuse had been presented during the trial when neighbors and members of the man’s family had come forward with their testimonies of character, painting the victim in portraits of virtue while his wife was further vilified. In the end, it was the fact that Mrs. Cassidy was with child that had saved her from a verdict of murder in the first degree, a judgment that carried the death penalty for men and women alike. As an act of mercy, a lesser charge was issued, one that spared her life but now made her Killian's problem to contend with.

And she would most certainly be a problem.

Keeping order within the prison was a challenge on the best of days. They were woefully underfunded and understaffed. Though not as deplorable in condition as other prisons Killian had seen, Misthaven Penitentiary had always relied on the charity of the local convent to see them through hard times. With its closing earlier in the year, and the nuns dispersed to other parishes, Killian was not sure how they would fare in the upcoming winter. To say nothing of how they’d fare having an inmate of the fairer sex within their midst.

A scoff of scorn erupted from the back of Killian’s throat when he read back over his brother’s edict. No man shall enter Mrs. Cassidy’s cell for any reason, lest it be a matter of life or death. Liam was a damn fool if he thought such a decree would dissuade some of the more… unsavory members of their guard from the temptation the woman would present, and it would be left to Killian to maintain order and discipline, not just from the sentenced population, but from his own men. A task he was not relishing in the slightest. Nor was he overjoyed by his brother’s commands that essentially made him her own personal jailor, a notion which left him with a sour taste in his mouth and equally unpleasant sensation in his gut.

Checking the time on his pocket watch, Killian stood and made himself presentable for the shift change. Liam would be addressing the whole of their guard staff, informing them of the impending arrival of Mrs. Cassidy, as well as a dozen or so other new inmates to follow, which meant longer shifts would be required in order to make the necessary preparations. Killian’s hopes of spending some time along the coast while the autumn weather was still agreeable were well and truly snuffed out, much like the desk candle he extinguished before leaving his office.

~/~

“Mrs. Cassidy, I am Liam Jones, Warden here at Misthaven Penitentiary, and this is my Captain of the Guard, Killian Jones.”

His job just got a whole lot harder.

“You’d best hold your tongue, before I remove it,” Killian said in a hushed, menacing tone that matched the look he stared the man down with until the perpetrator backed away.

Once her leg irons were removed and handed off to Robin, Killian gestured her inside the cell and closed the door behind her with a loud, jarring clang, causing her to flinch once more.

See the full post

85 notes - Posted April 10, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #long post

4 notes · View notes