#emma and the charmings are also the worst in this scene
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Season 3 Rewatch Drabbles: 3x19 A Curious Thing
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 3 of Once Upon a Time. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.
Word Count: 712
Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28)
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Killian’s heart rate gradually returned to normal as the adrenaline faded, but with it, his hope faded as well.
This whole situation had completely spiraled out of control. He’d tried so hard, so bloody hard, to do what was best–to protect the lad, to save Swan’s magic, to keep the Charmings and everyone else Swan loved safe. The damned witch had left him with no options.
He couldn’t kiss her. That much was clear. There was no possibility in any realm he would willingly take away her magic.
He also couldn’t not kiss her, or he placed her lad in danger.
He also couldn’t tell her what had happened for fear word would get back to Zelena and she’d exact retribution.
The only thing he could think to do was to get the lad away from the witch’s purview, and even that had gone spectacularly pear-shaped.
He was quite fortunate Swan, the queen and the Charmings had shown up to the boathouse when they had when he’d run out of ammunition or…well the alternative didn’t bear contemplation.
But then Zelena herself had shown up spinning her lies and perfidious insinuations about him.
“Don’t blame me. The captain failed me. He knew what the price of failure was–your son’s life.”
Killian’s heart plummeted as he looked into Swan’s eyes once the witch was stopped and the curse was broken. Her eyes were filled with anger and suspicion.
“Are you gonna tell me what Zelena was talking about?” she asked in a voice as hard as steel “She said you failed her.”
“Don’t listen to her!” he said, hearing the pleading sound of his voice.
“Killian, what’s going on?” she asked, arms crossed. “Were you working for her?”
Killian’s heart plummeted even further. Had she no faith in him at all? Had he not proven, at least to some extent, that her welfare and that of her family were his priority? How could she even ask such a thing?
“The witch tried to back me into a corner,” he said, desperate for her to see his sincerity, desperate for her to see the hopelessness of his situation. “I did everything I could to try to resist her plans.”
“So whose idea was it to kidnap Henry and stick him on a boat?” she demanded.
He closed his eyes, deflating. He was mucking this up royally. “It was mine. I was trying to save him.”
“From what?” she continued, “What is she doing?”
There was nothing for it. It was time to spill the whole sordid tale. “She cursed me. My lips actually.”
Her brows furled. “Your lips? Why?”
Did she really not know? Did she really not see it? “Because she wants to steal your magic. She thought I was the best way of doing that. She knows what we all know-that you can defeat her.”
For a split second he saw something that might have been pride or gratitude in her eye, but then the anger took over again. “It should have been my decision to protect Henry. Whether she forced your hand or not doesn’t matter! I can’t trust you now. How can I?”
It struck him to the very heart, her anger, her accusations, her lack of trust. What could he have done? What could he have bloody done? He’d been like a caged animal with no way out.
And as the scene continued to play out–as her parents looked on him with suspicion as well, accusing him of lying about how he’d obtained the potion, it suddenly became blindingly clear to him.
They’d never see him as a hero. He could never escape his past. A part of him–the part that had dealt with his grief over Liam’s death by becoming the most vicious and merciless pirate on the seven seas–was tempted to throw it all away and embrace his fate as a villain yet again.
But he’d tried that in the lost year. He’d tried it and he’d found that she’d changed him irreversibly. No, that wasn’t precisely accurate. She’d inspired him to change himself irreversibly. He was no longer the villain Captain Hook.
He was Killian Jones, and he’d never abandon her, never abandon her family.
Even if they never saw him as anything more than a pirate.
Note: I'm sorry. This scene always absolutely INFURIATED me, and if I have to suffer, so do you. I will however leave you with the following Gif because 1. I think this is what we ALL want to say to Zelena and 2. Killian with that intensity and anger saying "Damn you, Zelena!" is just...*whew! Fans self.*
NEXT CHAPTER->
#season 3 rewatch drabbles#cs fanfiction#zelena is the worst#but let's be real#emma and the charmings are also the worst in this scene#what exactly was Killian supposed to do?#Zelena left him NO options#my fanfiction#damn you zelena indeed!
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Hi, I loved all of the points you made with 2015 Cinderella. I haven't watched the original one in a while, but you reminded me of do many lovely things, and I completely agree with your take on her character! And I was wondering if you could write a little about all of the other live-action remakes, which one is your fave and which one is the worst (after Cinderella ofc) and why - compare the princesses' personalities a bit, and maybe say what was better than in the oryginal (if there was anything?). I'm thinking about Aladdin, Mulan, TLM and BatB - oh, and Maleficent, if you count this one :) I must say I haven't seen the new TLM yet, but Disney's remakes have been letting me down since Cinderella, so I'm in no rush and don't worry about spoilers! Love your opinions and blog in general, btw ❤
Thank you for being complimentary to one of my last posts! This question yields a lengthy response, though, so I'll try to be brief while covering all of the topics you inquired about:
In terms of favorites, I wouldn't say I'd rewatch any of these films? They're generally uninspired and bad rip-offs of a superior property that already exists. If I had to rank them though, BATB and Aladdin were the least unenjoyable to me, TLM and Maleficent really were not for me and didn't understand their source material, and Mulan was unforgivably bland.
To compare their personalities is a difficult assignment because the live actions essentially show us the same character, meaning all the live action Princesses are the same to me? They made them all display strength in the same way, made them broader/softer to appeal to more people, etc, so I wouldn't really say that Emma Watson's Belle and Lily James' Cinderella or even Halle Bailey's Ariel are different characters from one another. In the process of "fixing" the Princesses, they just stripped the characters of any individuality...but, if we're comparing the live action characters to their animated counterparts, there are quite a bit of differences.
Emma's Belle leans more into the snobbish vibe that we see from the animated Belle but also feels more vulnerable in certain moments? I've only seen this movie once, and it was six years ago, but I remember Emma's Belle having a one-off with the Beast about how the villagers think she's odd and I thought that was nice. Belle in the animated film never really questioned herself, though she did have a similar scene with her father near the beginning of the movie so...I don't know, I'm really not a good judge on Belle lol Naomi's Jasmine feels somewhat true to the animated counterpart? I think the difference here, though, is where animated Jasmine was locked away her entire life the first time we meet her, Naomi's Jasmine is someone we meet out and about the Palace grounds. So I guess Naomi's has less restrictions on her? I can't think of another difference. Halle's Ariel isn't really a character, it just feels like Halle Bailey starring in The Little Mermaid to me? That might be a marketing thing, because they pushed her pretty aggressively for years, but the best way to explain it is that she acts the way Emma Watson sings. She doesn't really emote, she sings along in Under the Sea when it doesn't make sense for her to, she just doesn't really feel fully emersed or like she's acting. And honestly it's not really fair to judge her on this factor because she's even admitted she's not an actress? So...I'd say Halle's Ariel is just a nice, agreeable girl that's generally palatable and can sing well. The original Ariel has more fire to her, a feeling of being marginalized, is definitely more flawed and nuanced, fully realized, fiery, emotional, realistic, and headstrong. Elle's Aurora and animated Aurora...whew. Elle's Aurora is a child- she's giggly and naïve and innocent and doesn't understand the world around her. She doesn't have the presence or the grace or the charm of the original Aurora, nor any of the romanticism that is so central to the character. Where, in the original, I had no doubt that Aurora was competent and essentially raised herself, I don't know how Elle's Aurora got by lol I think the original Aurora had a sense of love and duty and loyalty, where Elle's Aurora is more withdrawn generally but also blindly reactive. Mary Costa's Aurora is introspective and intelligent, with so many gears turning at all times, but also dripping with enigma and essence while Elle's Aurora is simple and assuming. The remake Mulan is written to be perfect, while the animated Mulan is loyal, persistent, determined, sometimes negative, humorous, with a hazy moral compass on a practical level but a very sound higher self that she taps into.
You mentioned what was done better...I'll challenge myself to say nice things about each, which will be easy since Lily isn't included lol it's a minor detail but I loved that Emma's Belle got the snowball thrown in her face- and I don't even mean that in a shady way. The animated Belle was beloved by everyone and the smartest and the prettiest and treated incredibly by everyone, so the fact that she also threw snowballs at the Beast while he kept missing her was too much lol the fact that the Beast was allowed to be more athletically inclined and get her back, so that they met more as equals, even in such a fleeting moment, was welcome by me. I like the inclusion of Jasmine having a female friend. The original Aladdin is down BAD for female characters, and while I would've preferred the older maid that Jasmine has in the spinoff books, the fact that we got more women in general in that universe is a win. I think it was nice that they gave Halle's Ariel more vocal screentime. In the original, there were so many moments I wish I could've heard Jodi's Ariel speak more (when Ariel doesn't have a voice), and while I think the scenes are incredibly effective in the 1989 film where she is voiceless and I support the creative decision, more Ariel is always a good thing. With Elle's Aurora...it's nice we get to see her at different ages? The live action Mulan...doesn't have Mushu? Which allows for a more grounded story??
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first time sending an ask lolll
but d, f, and g for the fanfic ask game? i’m curious. and d im wondering for monsters but you can also say for any other fic you’ve written!
D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with [insert fic]?
ans: Ah yes! I was talking about creating a playlist for Monsters but I do have songs for them that I associate with Monsters, the key one being: "Monster" by Lady Gaga, which was what inspired the name of the fic.
Also any song by Mitski specifically "Class of 2013" - which talks about Reader and her relationship with her mother. "I bet on Losing Dogs" - Which signifies Reader constantly reaching out to Izana, ultimately causing her pain. "Late Spring" Which is Mikey's delusion for his relationship with reader. "I don't smoke" which talks about Emma and Reader taking the brunt of the Sano brother's worst moments in different scenarios.
So much Mitski lore haha.
F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
Ans: In monsters? Alright,
You decided to read the book you bought with you amidst the fresh breeze, ‘I Capture the Castle’. It was the first book you ever bought for yourself after leaving the house and it always brought you some form of comfort. The main character was a bit like you, dreaming and imagining beauty and extremely naïve. She had a kind of sweet charm to her and it reminded you when you were her age.
Not that you were older than her by that much, but at 20 you felt like you’ve aged five years older with everything that has happened to you.
“Can I sit here?”
That deep melodious voice- you quickly shot your head up to look at Shinichiro standing in front of you, shyly away. Your heart raced as you nod in approval, shifting a bit for him to sit down. It was nice of him to ask for permission first and then stay silent, knowing that you were engrossed in your book, other people would just sit and try to start a conversation when you’re trying to read.
You two remained in a comfortable silence, you reading your book while he stared at you with gentle eyes. You snuck a few peaks at him and caught him staring at the cover of your book. Sometimes, he’d stare at you directly, trailing his gaze to your lips and then back to your face again, before looking at the book.
It was always like this. Subtle touches on your waist, on your arms. His gentle gaze staring at you. The way he’d press his body against yours when you ask him to help you with something. Always tiptoeing around you.
“Are you curious, Mr. Sano?” You teased, making him jump at your statement, getting visibly flustered. “About the book?”
“Well, I-i-'' he stammered, before clearing his throat to regain his composure. “-i’ve never seen this one before. I mean, Emma didn’t say it was part of your curriculum.”
“No, it isn’t” you giggled at his cluelessness. He looked so handsome when looking for excuses. “I’m reading this for fun. The main character is a lot like me, so I like it.”
His brows furrowed, revealing some frown lines on his forehead as he pondered on your words. “Really?” He asked, his curiosity piqued in the book now. “How so?”
You sighed dreamily, facing the book down as you excitedly talked about your favorite parts of the book. “She dreams a lot, romanticizing her otherwise bleary life in a big castle, despite it falling apart.” You started. “Her father is a recluse and she has a strange stepmom who paints nude. She has an elder sister, Rose -who reminds me a lot of Emma.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.” You said, a smile forming on your lips at his sudden interest in your silly little book and he smiled back, shifting closer to you. “The book is written in her pov, like journal entries. She talks about her life and love. I’m actually at the part where she fell in love with an older guy-”
You stopped yourself realizing what you were about to imply. You and him look at each other, his dark eyes peering into your very soul. All you could hear was blood rushing into your ears at how close you were to him, your lips barely inches away from his.
“And how did that end for her?” He said breathless, the sweet smell of nicotine infiltrating your nostrils. “Did she end up with the older guy?”
You know there is a hidden question between the two of you. As if he’s asking you about each other, if you two also have a chance, if he had a chance with you. Your breath hitched in your throat as he moved closer to you, tilting his head sideways.
- Chapter 4, the Calm.
Why I'm so proud of this scene is the pure romance of the scene. I'm used to writing heartwrenching stuff but this is different. It paints reader in a light where someone truly cares about her and likes her. It shows that she can be loved purely and it warms my heart.
G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?
Ans: Out of order all the time. I've tried start to finish but I feel like there is calm in chaos.
Fanfic ask game
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The little mermaid was amazing!!! In ur opinion, what are your favorite Disney live actions???
I don’t remember how many Disney live actions there have been and I haven’t watched them all so I will rank some of them from best to worst, giving my personal opinion on them:
The Little Mermaid (2023):
A beautiful adaptation of a classic, captures the magic of the original while feeling updated. You can tell a lot of effort and heart was put into this movie. Halle as Ariel was breathtaking. She feels like an animated princess come to life. Her vocals are show stopping and casting someone that actually sings makes a big difference. The visuals and that tail design were beautiful. The overall cast was also fantastic and the songs feel very theatrical, except for one song, but it’s short and not enough to ruin the movie.
2. Cinderella (2015):
I think it’s a solid adaptation. The few changes are good. It feels boring at times but it’s enjoyable and charming. The overall cast was pretty outstanding and on point. Lily James was a good choice as Cinderella and so was Cate Blanchett, but the reason why it’s so high on this list is because it easily has the best Disney princess dress. That blue dress was just too magical so props to their department.
3. The Lion King (2019):
A bit unpopular but I found it enjoyable. It had beautiful visuals and great design but it lacked some heart. It would’ve benefit from some changes since it feels like the exact same animated version just less magical. However, I don’t think it was that bad and it’s still one of the best Disney animated movies so it was never failing in my book. I just wished it had something more to make it surprising.
Now...after this it gets trickier so bare with me.
4. Maleficent 1 (2017):
This is a huge unpopular opinion but I actually like this movie. Angelina Jolie as Maleficent was one of Disney's best casting choices and she does a fantastic job. She just got that intimidating presence. Elle Fanning wasn’t bad as Aurora. She was sweet and charming. I think the movie does the job and the meaning at the end being more about mother-daughter love than just the love of a prince was great. The sequel was bad but the first one was great.
5. Beauty’s and The Best (2017):
Another unpopular take (or maybe not) but Emma Watson wasn’t a good choice for Belle. It was clearly a stunt casting and wasn't based on the ability to portray the character. I will always have a soft spot for her because of Hermione but she isn't a very good actress. For Belle, she lacked emotion and charisma. The auto tune in her voice was very evident while watching the movie and they needed to hire an actual singer. Emmy Rossum was reportedly in the running so the fact she lost this role is insane. The actor playing Beast was okay. But Gaston and Lefou were the only memorable things of the movie. A big let down was that ugly yellow dress. It made the scene extremely underwhelming. Evermore is a good prince song, second just to Prince Eric with Wild Uncharted Waters.
6. Aladdin (2019)
You see, this movie is very confusing to me and It's not my place to speak on this but I agree that the casting should've focused on arab actresses for Jasmine. Naomi is a great singer but I don't think she should've been casted for this because Arab culture is very important for the world of Aladdin. The actor playing Aladdin wasn't great (and is a nasty person). And he wasn't a singer which lowkey ruined A Whole New World and had Naomi doing all the work. And overall, the movie had great visuals and some interesting changes for Jasmine but it fails to create that extravagant spectacle I associate with the animated film. Will Smith tries to be a good genie but it lacks and I don't know if it was the direction or the script. It had the material to be excellent but just wasn't that. Speechless is a great new song, thought.
7. Mulan (2020)
It breaks my heart this movie was disappointing because Mulan is one of my favorite animated movies but it had a lot of problems. I won’t talk about the cultural inaccuracies because that’s not my place but there’s a lot of videos on that. Sure, the visuals were beautiful but it doesn’t feel like Disney. They gave Mulan super powers which removes the impact of her being an ordinary person doing grand things. They also removed the songs from the movie and Mulan has one of the best Disney soundtracks. They also removed Li Shang because “strong women can’t have love interests”. They should’ve advertised this as a movie about the legend of Fa Mulan, the real thing, and not as a live action of the Disney animated movie version.
8. Cruella (2021)
It was bad. Emma Stone is a great actress but not for this role and the script was not good. Not every villain needs a sob story to justify their actions but I feel this movie didn't even try. It feels like a joke or a bad constructed comedy. But, my biggest pet peeve about this is how bad the fashion is. Cruella is the type of character you can allow yourself to be extravagant and over the top with. In the live action, there's not those huge big fur coats or those elaborated hats, not enough animal print or punk rock. It feels so boring. The 90's gave her better fashion and it didn't have half the budget. The movie was bad, not needed at all.
#disney movies#the little mermaid#the little mermaid movie#the little mermaid 2023#cinderella#the lion king#aladdin#cruella#maleficent#the beauty and the beast#Mulan#movies#text post#animated movies
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Once Upon a Time season 2 thoughts
I’m rewatching OUAT and I wanted to share some of my opinions on each season!
- “are the nuns still nuns or can they… y’know date? Don’t say it’s me asking” Dr Whale you rascal
- Rumple x smashing glass: the real otp
- Rip Charming’s mom, you kinda remind me of Hercules’ mom
- Ok I kinda like Dr Whale now
- Regina it’s been DECADES you need to move on from Daniel
- I ship Emma and Neal so hard
- Wow the introduction of captainswan AND swanfire in one episode???
- Nooooo Belle crossing the town line :(
- This arc was TRAGIC
- NO NOT THE CHIPPED CUP
- Ugh I hate the Greg and Tamara arc
- Ruby x whale??? Why do I kinda ship it
- “What’s his name?” “Baelfire” “A STRONG NAME” what a delivery
- Robert Carlyle is the best actor in the cast
- Nooooo he just wanted to be a good dad
- Okay I’m really starting to not like Regina
- Idk why she is mad at snow and not cora, THE ACTUAL PERSON WHO KILLED DANIEL
- Snow’s mom: coughs into a handkerchief, me: SATINE
- Drink every time rumple says “bae”
- The casting of young snow was spot on, their mannerisms are so alike
- He called him papa… I’m crying
- NO IT WAS CORA
- Literally why does she hate Eva so much
- Regina you’re on the wrong side, killing daniel was part of her ten step plan to make you queen
- She just threw mrs patmore out of the window
- Not Tamara
- Pettiness runs in the Mills family
- Cora: murdered eva because she tripped her once years before
- Regina: wants to kill snow and everyone close to her because she didn’t keep a secret when she was TEN
- EW cora x rumple
- Their vibes are so gross
- Imagine if they had a kid… I can’t
- Screaming crying throwing up
- Rumple talking to Belle on the phone :(
- That was so sad
- RUMPLE AND NEAL
- THIS IS SO SAD
- Ooh snow tricking Regina
- “Any baby I have… it won’t be yours” yikes
- The amount of mommy issues in this show…
- 2x17 I hate this episode
- “You always pay your debts” is rumple a lannister?
- I hate Greg/Owen so much you have no idea
- Wooden august looks rough
- Like it’s not terrible but it’s not good either
- The dragon: is a magical powerful man, also the dragon: gets killed by a taser
- THE TASER SHOULD NOT HAVE AFFECTED AUGUST BECAUSE HE IS MADE OF WOOD WHICH DOESN’T CONDUCT ELECTRICITY
- Noooo why did blue turn him into a little boy and not a hot guy again
- GREG AND TAMARA LEAVE RIGHT NOW
- I can’t decide which I hate more cora x rumple or greg x tamara
- Both have such gross energy
- REGINA YOU ARE RUINING RUMBELLE
- “I can’t focus on my spinning with all your crying” lol
- Not Lacey
- Rumple about Belle/Lacey: oh no she’s not wholesome anymore
- I actually like the Lacey episode
- I don’t remember having liked it but I do now
- The sound rumple makes when he sees the prisoner is gone lol
- Wingman charming
- “I’m so sorry about your dress…” why don’t you take it off? ;)
- Did they recast Robin Hood? That’s weird
- She’s into him being evil…
- Rumbelle is so cute omg
- “Jail cell? I don’t think so” lol
- “She’s the evil one” GIRL YOU JUST KILLED AN ENTIRE VILLAGE
- I’m sorry I just can’t get behind Regina
- She’s just so manipulative and has zero regret for everything she’s done
- The Regina torture scene was TRAUMATIZING to middle school me
- “Is it magic?” “No… it’s science” THAT’S DR WHALE’S LINE YOU CAN’T STEAL IT GREG
- Bae fanficed himself into Peter Pan
- BAE NO
- Ugh Greg and Tamara are the worst
- NEAL NO
- Yay belle is back
- Memorable lines: “it’s delicious, cheesy and doesn’t lie” “no… it’s science” “love is weakness” “bae”
How I feel about the characters this season
Love: Rumple, August, Belle
Like: Neal, Emma, Charming, Mulan, Ruby, Archie, Dr Whale
Neutral: Hook, Snow, Aurora, everyone else in Storybrooke
Dislike: Regina, Blue
Hate: Greg, Tamara, Cora
Season rating: 5/10
I hate hate hate the whole Greg and Tamara plot, also Cora x Rumple grossed me out, but there was a lot of Rumbelle content (it was really sad though)
#ouat thoughts#once upon a time season 1#once upon a time season 2#ouat#rumplestiltskin#rumbelle#belle french#baelfire#emma swan#henry mills#regina mills#cora mills#jennifer morrison#lana parrilla#robert carlyle#emilie de ravin#ginnifer goodwin#josh dallas#killian jones#captain swan#neal cassidy#BAE#dr whale#all magic comes with a price
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Hi! I’m the anon who messaged you about Scream 6, thank you for your thoughts! I felt this movie was better than 5, but that’s not saying much, lol. What I dislike most about this whole reboot (I feel like it’s a reboot despite having some legacy characters, but I may be misnaming what it actually is) is that it’s soulless. Soulless is a harsh word, but it feels soulless when compared to previous Screams (1-3 especially, 4 too to me) If it was an original movie, I actually would be fine with it and feel like it’s watchable, but never better than that. I also am just so confused on why Scream 6 felt like a retread on things Scream 2 and 3 did better. The worst aspect of this for me was the reveal and the ghostfaces. I thought the acting was very joker-esque and a much less believable version. Did you like them? I will say I liked the opening quite a bit and felt that this set up the movie well, but of course it was squandered. The acting felt a tiny bit more improved from everyone, but I think it goes without saying that Neve and David were sorely missed. I also hate that Dewey is still dead in this universe. I think it was a big mistake to kill him off for good. I don’t think Kevin Williamson would have done that either. And speaking of Kevin, I think he has been the executive producer of this film as well as Scream 5, but why would they not try to get him on board as a welter or to do a re-write? This is a rhetoric question from me, lol. I just don’t understand why myself. The kill scenes were done up professionally to me, but that’s never really been a problem for me with this franchise. The other last thing I didn’t like and felt like it didn’t need to be there was the forced romance. It just didn’t make sense narratively to me with Scream 5 or 6. Overall, this movie felt a little tighter and had enough in my eyes to view it as an improvement over 5, but I’m just ready for this to be the last movie, lol.
Well, the soulless thing for me, goes back to what I was saying about the original Screams being in love with movies because that's where a lot of the fun and humour come from, like the thing about Scream was that it wasn't just another horror movie and Scream 6, to me, is just another horror movie, it lost all of the charm and the wit that made Scream stand out.
Like even in Scream 4, there was a level of meta in that Emma Roberts of all people is the Ghostface Killer who is tired of being in Sidney's shadow. Things like that aren't happening in these movies.
So for me, it was like yeah sure, there was convincing acting from Jenny Ortega and Melissa Barrera but that doesn't really do anything for me when I feel like the whole movie is falling flat. Even the murder scenes, I was expecting it to get the point of absurdity, I was expecting it to make fun of itself, like in the year 2023, we're still using knives, let's use guns but they didn't really do much with Ghostface and a gun, even the convenience store scene where I was like this is the type of moment to have a Community-esque scene
youtube
but this movie took itself SO seriously that I was just like why even make this a Scream movie?
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Regina being the one to get Emma from the wish realm was such a terrible idea...
The episode was fine and it was fun to see who was who in this new version of reality (even if I still have a lot of issues with it).
Regina is the Evil Queen, aka Snow and Charming's archenemy, aka the reason Emma became the Saviour in the first place, so it would be safe to say that something would have to happen involving Regina in order for Emma to not be the Saviour.
The fact that no one in the room, specially Regina "everyone is dumb except me" Mills, think that "hey, maybe Regina isn't the best option for this rescue mission" is ridiculous.
I'm not saying that Killian should have gone because of the possibility of more CS scenes (à la season 3 finale) - I am saying that Regina was the worst choice.
Besides, because Regina was the one to go, Emma had to endure her parent's death and Henry had to live with, not only, seeing his grandparents die but also see his mom taken away by the family's greatest enemy. Regina doesn't have the emotional pull any of the other characters could have - this seen by the fact that she thought killing Snow and Charming in front of Emma was a good idea. And while I appreciate the fact that Regina didn't retaliate against Wish!Henry's murder attempt (even though I was aware she wouldn't), it still doesn't stop it being a terrible plan.
Besides we wouldn't have that terrible misuse of Robin Hood.
I know that neither of them thought that the Wish Realm was an actual place like theirs but that shouldn't stop them having feelings towards the people in it - just like Emma was distraught over seeing her parents die, it should have been enough to stop Regina from murdering her enemy-turned-close-friend and her husband.
#carolina rants#ouat#ouat rant#once upon a time#ouat season 6#wish realm#wish emma#regina mills#the evil queen#emma swan#henry mills#wish henry
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ouat for the ask thing :-)
OKAY
favorite male character: david
favorite female character: REGINA
least favorite character: anyone who doesn’t know this yet hasn’t followed me long enough 💀
prettiest character: regina again and it makes my chest wanna explore
funniest character: emma?? regina?? they’re such DORKS do i have to pick?? s1 emma spilling a hot drink down herself bc regina looked at her what a mood but i love and support regina being a nerd and overreacting to everything and her snark oh but also fanfic!zelena she counts
favorite season: 1 bc we got the most sq but 2 bc we got the diner scenes even tho they were split up for most of the season? but also 3 bc the longing looks broke me, s4 bc lily/elsa/“you thought we were friends?” BIG GAY EMMA ENERGY, idk what happened past s5 i didn’t watch it at that point but i know from editing it that s6 was absolute YEARNING
favorite episode: nooo do we even have favourite episodes here i just wanna pick every sq moment instead
favorite romantic ship: swan queen
favorite family ship: swan-mills fam 🥺 ruby and granny are cute too tho i wish they’d explored that more and emma and daddy charming
favorite friend ship: emma and ruby but i love s1 emma and mary margaret and regina and kathryn too
worst ship: any of the beards that got forced in from season 2 onwards
send me a tv show/movie
#can you tell no one has asked me about swan queen in a long time#answered#hellomydanishsweetheart#henryhas2moms#my brain goes so blank on episodes idk
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For the bad Austen take game: Fanny Price is boring. (I hated even typing that)
Aaaaahhhh, you went straight to the jugular!
Mansfield Park was published in 1814, a year after Pride and Prejudice. The latter contained a spirited, active, and witty heroine. The former, a heroine who was shy, physically weak, and very introverted.
Fanny Price is actually closer to what a lot of contemporary heroines were like. Elizabeth Bennet, bursting in on the scene with her “pert opinions” and physical vigor and her direct challenges to the hero is not ahistorical because clever and witty heroines do exist in literature of the time, but she takes that to the next level.
The “perfect heroine” of the early 18th century in many novels was sweet, virtuous, morally dutiful, and somewhat passive. She was prone to fainting, basically had no faults, and at the end of the novel was rewarded with the love of the hero. She is not always a particularly interesting figure and often such narratives have a foil in a lively, witty anti-heroine who brings the fun to the novel but cannot be rewarded with a happy ending because she does not display the appropriate morals. That way the author and reader can get the pleasure of a “bad girl” or at least a “fun girl” without disrupting the expected didactic morals required of (many) novelists at the time.
Fanny Price and Mary Crawford are interesting variations on that. Fanny, like all of Austen’s heroines, challenges contemporary notions of what being a heroine was about. Austen does this in all her novels though Emma is the most obvious example. Fanny has many of the qualities that you would expect from a contemporary heroine but she is also not particularly attractive (a heroine should always be the most beautiful woman in the room) and it is hard to read her excessive passivity and not feel irritated by it. She has a much deeper inner life than most of her contemporaries of this type. We see her jealousy of Mary Crawford, we see her misery, we see her unrequited love for Edmund, her complicated feelings regarding her home in Portsmouth in ways that make her fully rounded internally, only little of that is spoken out loud. These feelings are very human and understandable, but they are not always to her credit and knowing them, we wish she could act on them. Austen seems to be asking the reader to take the classic novel heroine and then ask, “How would she really respond to novel situations?”
Austen’s plot also challenges expected novelistic plots. Edmund Bertram is not a satisfactory romantic hero. He is as quiet and rigidly moral as Fanny... except he blows all his convictions by his blind infatuation on Mary and he spends 99.9% of the novel oblivious to Fanny’s feelings or even that she’s an eligible woman at all. I have sympathy for him as well as for Fanny because he’s very young (only 22/23) and making poor judgements over women at that age and being an oblivious numpty over your childhood best friend’s crush seems pretty normal to me. Nevertheless, following Mr. Darcy, he’s hardly the stuff of dreams.
The character and plot that does seem more novelistic is Henry Crawford and his pursuit of Fanny. He’s handsome and rich and a bit of a rake. Then he meets Fanny who he attempts to seduce, falls in love with her for real, proposes to her and is rejected, then changes his behaviour, tries again and is accepted now that he is reformed and worthy her love.... wait. Rewind. That’s not what happened! Think this plot looks familiar? It should. Henry Crawford is what a lot of people think Mr. Darcy is who don’t understand Mr. Darcy on any level. Henry Crawford genuinely is a handsome bad boy who is reformed by the love of a virtuous woman after being rejected by her. And Austen teases readers with a redemption arc and a real enemies-to-lovers plot. But Henry is as real and complicated and human as Fanny and Edmund - he fails at the last hurdle and cannot complete his redemption arc. He relapses at the last moment. Isn’t that true to life? And is reforming a rake really Fanny’s destiny in life? She doesn’t think so. She sees right through his charm and hates who he is underneath. She doesn’t reject him as Elizabeth does Darcy because she doesn’t understand him; she rejects him because she understands him perfectly. She is the only person in the novel who does. I feel it would be a poor ending for Fanny to make her marry a man she despises and become the mistress of a large estate which brings with it the kind of social duties she must have been unhappy executing.
Fanny gets what she wants. She quietly, patiently does not change. She is surrounded by the superficial, the brash, the badly behaved, the immoral, the weak and she remains strong and stoical and by doing this and remaining true to her values, she triumphs. She wins. She gets the man she wants. She is truly and fully adopted into the heart of Mansfield Park with all her enemies and rivals removed. She is acknowledged as the best of them all. Without even needed to do anything except endure and stick to her guns, she defeats every big boss in her path.
These are not attractive modern values. Our concept of a “strong woman” (*shudder*) is Elizabeth Bennet. But not all of us are Elizabeth Bennets. Most of us aren’t in fact. Most of us are quiet and insecure and filled with envies, jealousies, private sadnesses. Many of us have experienced at some point less than ideal family situations and reacted not by being spirited and clever but by curling up in a ball and just waiting it out. Shouldn’t Fanny be held up as an icon for winning in absolutely the worst of circumstances? But she is an Aeneas in a society that only wants to read about Odysseuses and Achilleses.
Finally, another way in which Austen was distinctly saying in MP, “Hey, so, if you thought I was going to write another P&P, JOKE’S ON YOU, MATEY!” is that the entire novel is an anti-romance. Of course you’re going to be frustrated with Fanny and Edmund if you’re looking for a pair of exciting characters who fall in love and get a swoonworthy romance. But if you read MP as an examination of bad love, inappropriate love, selfish love, inexperienced love, love that taints and goes wrong through the eyes of a quiet and insightful observer who herself suffers the crushing and all too familiar pangs of hopelessly unrequited love - then you find a character and a novel that are rich, satirical, and deeply intimate and clever.
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I'm interested in hearing more about why you think Margot should've been Rumbelle's daughter. Sounds interesting, but what would that mean for her enchanted forest life? I think her being Robin Hood's daughter would've been fine if not for Zelena
Okay, Nonny, since you sent this a few days before Mother's Day, I'm gonna finally take the opportunity to try to sum up and speed-run the Belle's Daughter Margot feelings that have haunted me for THREE YEARS. Buckle in; this will be more than you or anyone asked for.
Disclaimer 1: It's been, well, three years, so my memory of Curious Archer and their story is not perfect; could be off on some details here. And Disclaimer 2: I really loved Tiera Skovbye as Robin/Margot; she did a lot with not much screen time, and she and Rose had fabulous chemistry. So although she was well cast as Robin Sr.'s kid, Tiera would be perfectly believable as a Rumbelle daughter, too--maybe give her some low-lights and call it a day. We keep Tiera as Margot in this rewrite. Okay: onward.
(Since one of the few things that would have to change about Robin if she were Rumbelle’s daughter is her name, I’ll just mostly use her Hyperion Heights name “Margot” throughout this post for simplicity.)
First and foremost, the foundation of everything: Margot is so like Belle! She is so like her. They have the same love of adventure, a similar sense of humor. She took Alice on a date to a bookstore. Most of all, she has Belle’s ability to see past “the mask of the monster” to a person’s heart. There was a great scene where Tilly explained that she didn’t want Margot to see her “bad days” because she thought it would be “too much,” and Margot said words to the effect that she was there for the bad as well as the good.
Obviously, people don't have to grow up to be exactly like their parents (Belle and Rumple sure didn't)...BUT. In fiction, one of the fun parts of next-gen stories is for the audience to see how their favorites' personalities are passed down. It's just more fun to see a Henry who has parts of Regina/Emma/Neal than one who doesn't; it's fun to see Lucy resemble little Henry. And it would be fun to see Margot be like her parents (she is very like Robin Sr; not so much Zee). Seeing a character who has so many of Belle's traits becomes just more...fun...when she learned them FROM Belle.
The family feud Rumple/Hook angle turns Alice and Margot’s relationship up another roman tic notch. A classic trope! It’s about reconciliation and love remaking and erasing those old grudges. Which is even more important when we’re supposed to believe that the evidence of Rumple’s final redemption is his saving Rook.
On a more macro level: the entire claim that OUAT is "a show about hope" COLLAPSES because it ends with the annihilation of the Stiltskin family. Rumple, Belle, and Neal are all dead; Henry doesn’t acknowledge them as his family; and Gideon is a friendless and forgotten orphan in another world. I did my rants about this three years ago, but long story short: the show’s not about hope unless it’s hopeful for EVERYONE. And having at least one of Rumbelle’s children alive and happy at the end (with her True Love and friends and acknowledged as part of the family) would fix that. My objection has never been that Rumple (and even Belle) die, but the way it happened.
And of course, Rumbelle needed to have at least one other child because Kitsowitz managed to deny them even one single shared happy moment surrounding Belle’s pregnancy with Gideon and his birth. Even if the audience didn’t get to see it (and we could have gotten a glimpse in Beauty), we deserved to know it happened.
Finally: Zelena did not belong in S7, period. I know it was fun for her fans! (Although apparently there weren't enough of them to positively affect the ratings, meow.) I do know! But it was bad storytelling. She served no point in the larger season arc, and the serial witch killer plot that was invented to serve her was one of the worst and most stupid things Kitsowitz came up with in seven years, and ate up time that could/should have gone to develop other characters. (Driz and Ana come immediately to mind, instead of having them shunted off to another universe, but also Henry/Cinda/Lucy and of course Rumple since his plot was coming to a close.) Zelena didn’t even get any significant growth herself, or develop her relationships with Regina or Robin. She still didn’t express regret for the horrible things she did to characters we love (Rumple, Neal, and Robin Sr.); the only result of all that screentime was to give an unrepentant rapist a love story with a person--we barely see and have zero investment in. And even that was ultimately negated at the end of the season, because in the finale Zee’s back in Storybrooke sans Boo Bear.
So, all that said: what would have to change about Margot’s, and Curious Archer’s, FTL storyline to give us Margot Gold?
Her name—but actually very little else. (And frankly it would have been more respectful to have Belle name her daughter after Robin Sr., who was actually her friend, than for Zee to name her kid after the man she raped, manipulated, and ultimately got killed—but that ship had sailed.)
Belle and Rumple could have given their daughter any number of fairytale names after people they know, aka fresh take on a Disney character. My favorite possibilities are Aurora (and then Curious Archer could have been Curious Beauty, and done a riff on the Sleeping Beauty story as part of their FTL backstory, with a built-in TLK) and Merlin (very pretty for a girl, I’ve always thought).
But the character herself would have been very much the same: she could be Rumbelle’s jock daughter, trained in archery and swordsmanship by family friends (Merida/Mulan/Charming), but always feeling out of place in her family of scholars/sorcerers/nerds.
I am SO sorry for the length of this--there's even more under this cut!
Robin/Margot felt insecure about trying to live up to her father’s name; Rory/Merlin/Margot could have similar anxieties trying to live down her father’s Dark One rep. There could even be a similar story where she was born with magic (like Robin was) but loses it or chooses to give it up—something that would estrange her further from her family. Or, if she was Merlin, she could keep her magic but be reluctant to use it, and part of Curious Archer’s Hyperion Heights arc would be both Margot and Tilly discovering and accepting their magic. (Sapphic sorceresses for the win.)
Now, one of the cutest things about Alice/Robin’s FTL dynamic was Robin being a girl from the Land Without Magic finding her feet in an enchanted forest, with Alice’s help. But it would only take a little finessing of S7 Rumbelle’s story to get that for Rory as well. (Of course, any decent story would have a LOT of finessing of Rumbelle’s plot so that Belle didn’t die and put Rumple on a suicide mission, but again—assuming the ship has sailed…)
Say that Rory is five to six years younger than Gideon. The Rumbelle family spend a dozen years or so traveling the realms, but then Rumbelle decide that they want Gideon and Rory to be comfortable in the LWoM with their extended Charming family, so they settle back into the Pink Palace so the kids can get a LWoM education. They still take occasional journeys, often Rumbelle going to save some hapless souls, but Rory grows up primarily in SB with very few, vague memories of all the fascinating places they visited when she was a small child. This feeds her hunger for adventure along with some envy of Gideon for having so many more fairytale experiences—another thing that makes her feel like a misfit in her family. So, presto, when she moves to FTL she and Alice have pretty much the same meeting/adventures.
One of the key notes of Rumple and Alice/Tilly's relationship, showing his growth and making it so special, was how he chose to set her free of being the Guardian or whatever, allowing her to be free and get what he never had, the chance to grow old with the woman she loves. And that would be weakened if Rumple knew that by choosing Alice's happiness over his own, he was also choosing his own daughter's happiness (because we know Rumple picks his kids over himself ever time). But--he doesn't have to know WHO Alice's True Love is when he makes that choice. He could just know that there is someone, or simply realize that Alice deserves her freedom for her own sake. (Rumple's daughter also getting happiness would be a side benefit that he didn't learn about till later, and have the added perk of Rumple actually getting a narrative reward for doing something good. Which almost NEVER happened! Bonus.)
Finally: I do understand that Robin's presence on the canvas was important to fans of Robin Sr.--getting to know he's remembered and having someone carry on his legacy. Of course I get it--Rumbelle and their family not having that is my biggest complaint (of so so many).
But we don't need a grown-up Robin Jr. to be Robin's legacy. Let her stay a cute background kid with perennially baby Prince Neal. There's already a character, one we're invested in, to carry on for the Hoods: Roland. And again, it would be satisfying for the audience to learn that a five-year-old orphan wasn't shunted off from what family he had left (Regina and Henry) into another universe and never heard from again. If Kitsowitz didn't waste time with Zelena, they wouldn't have needed the idiotic Jack-is-Hansel-the-serial-killer twist, and we could have have had Roland filling the role of Henry's best friend/little brother (and therefore Lucy's fake HH dad--God, that plot was bad all the way back in season 1; why Kitsowitz why?). We'd see Roland onscreen, part of the family, at the end of the show, perhaps with his own True Love (Drizella, maybe, or better yet Gideon) and happy future.
So, that's it: the combination of Margot Stiltskin-Gold and Roland Hood tightens and heightens the storytelling throughout S7, closes some plot holes, and actually fulfills some of the show's stated themes. Who knew!
Anyone else want three years of OUAT theory vomit? 😋 Shoot me an ask!
(I actually have another one, god help us all, but I might save it till Father's Day...)
#rumbelle#ouat of all things#curious archer sort of#rumbelle family#belle french#deserved a daughter damnit#roland hood#anti-kitsowitz as all things should be#long post guys sorry#op#UN!proofread!
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JJ Maybank Must Die | Chapter 3: Fanny Packs
fuckboy!JJ x Reader
series masterlist | prev. chapter | chapter one
JJ Maybank is the island’s most infamous fuckboy- not that you ever cared. But when a group of tourist girls come to your surf shop crying to you about him, you agree to help them plot revenge. Sabotage is all fun and games, until you find that the playboy you were sworn to ruin happens to be falling head over heels for you.
Yes, this is based on John Tucker Must Die lol
For once, you finally felt like everything in life was falling into place.
Sophia dropped off your Venus Panic ticket last night, you booked a ferry to the city for September, you just earned another ‘employee of the month’ title which basically meant you were a shoo-in for the scholarship, and you noticed in the mirror that your ass was looking just a tad bigger.
You were sorting out the application clipboards one afternoon when you heard the ding of the front door opening. In came a cocky head of blonde hair looking as smug as ever. You dropped the stack on sight.
How did he know where you worked? Was he stalking you? Should you file a restraining order?
“Uh, can I help you?”
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding all this time, huh?” JJ crossed his large arms and surveyed the tiny shop.
“Yeah... how the fuck did you find me?” You bent down to hastily pick up the mess. After the incident at the Boneyard on Saturday, you weren’t expecting to run into him again for the rest of the summer. You didn’t think he’d be this relentless.
He casually shrugged. “Eh, I just asked around town for a y/n and they told me you worked here. Still amazes me how I haven’t seen you around.”
You rolled your eyes. As if you and JJ didn’t have English together just this past semester. Nevermind living on the same island for how many years.
“Anyways,” he continued, I came here to sign up for surfing lessons.”
You flinched your nose. “You’re telling me you’ve lived here all your life and you don’t know how to surf?”
This was coming from the boy that won ‘Most Likely to be a Famous Professional Surfer’ in your 5th grade yearbook.
“Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve hit the water. Maybe I need a refresher.” He flashed you a shit-eating grin- the kind girls around here would swoon over. But in that moment you were just plain uncomfortable.
“Sorry, we’re booked for the summer.”
He inched closer to the counter. “Well, at least let me take you out to dinner. Come on, when are you off?”
You glanced side to side in agitation, racking your brain for some witty remark.
“December.”
“I’m serious, y/n. I want to take you out! You know, get to know you better,” he prodded.
You weren’t born yesterday. But he sure was if he thought he was going to take you out anytime soon. Or ever.
“Yeah well, I think I’ll pass. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have my last session of the day in ten minutes.”
Luckily, you were able to slip past him and out to the beach for your beginners’ class. It was a small group- an old couple and two boys around the age of nine.
You greeted them with you usual work-charm and had them set their boards around you. Just as you situated yourself, you hear a faint “Wait!” followed by JJ sputtering towards the pack with a board under his arm.
You wanted to rip your hair out.
“What the hell are you doing?!” you spat, startling the old couple with you vulgarity.
“I’m here for the lesson.”
“Like I said,” you sneered through gritted teeth, “We’re booked.” The glare on your face was very, very potent, and you knew this wouldn’t be good for the reviews.
“Yeah, your co-worker in there told me one of the guys that was supposed to be here said he couldn’t make it. So that leaves a spot open for me.”
Cody. That rat!
You sighed in defeat, motioning for him to situate next to the younger boys. “Fine, just take a seat and be quiet. You already missed the safety instructions!”
All throughout your session JJ was an absolute pest. He could have at least played the part of someone who’s never picked up a surfboard in their life. Instead, every time you went into detail about a specific step, he’d pitch in his own comments no one asked for.
“Well actually, it’s better if you add a jump when you stand up, you’ll go faster.”
“Well actually, if you try to pivot your board when they wave’s under you, you can ride it longer.”
“Well actually, if you attempt a big wave first, you’ll learn how to balance better.”
The next ‘well actually’ you heard, you were going to fling JJ to the sharks.
When it was time for the group to hit the water, you tried to guide them through the motions, but everyone was too busy listening to JJ ramble on and on about his personal tips.
For the remainder of the session, you sat on the shallow end, watching JJ have a rat-a-tat time with your customers. Blowing away a stray hair that fell on your face, you continued to glare at the light-haired boy cheering on the kids as they attempted the baby waves.
There was a point where one of them leaned over onto JJ’s board and threw their arms around him. You softened at bit at the scene. It was very cute.
Once the hour was over, you called everyone back to shore to give your closing remarks. JJ darted up behind the lot, sparklets flying everywhere as he shook his wet hair. He beamed at you, but you just averted your eyes.
While everyone headed back to the hut, you tucked the cash you were given into your fanny pack and gathered your items to leave. That was, until you felt the player boy grab onto your hand.
“Hey, the waves are absolutely insane out there. This is your last session today right? Come surf for a bit, you didn’t really get to do much earlier,” he offered, blinking down at you with his sky-blue eyes.
“Well I would have if someone wasn’t running my class.”
JJ let out a soft chuckle. “Look, everyone was happy with the way it went. And I’ll even tell your boss that you’re an amazing instructor. Which, to tell you the truth, you are.”
You huffed and picked up your board to tread back into the water. You had to give it to him, though. The waves were indeed on fire that afternoon.
You were able practice a few moves you were working on, executing them perfectly. JJ, too, was flexing his tricks and you made a few mental notes to try a few of them later when he wasn’t around.
When a pipeline wave began rolling your way, JJ tossed you a devilish grin, looking like a kid ready to break something. It was supposed to be one of the hardest ones to surf on.
“Bet you won’t get this one!” he hollered. You flipped him off with a smile.
“Bet I will.”
You both eyed the target, determination evident, as you paddled. JJ quickly bounced up once it tumbled in while you waited a couple seconds after.
Immediately, he plunged from his board while you expertly pivoted and glided along the tide. Poking his head from the water, he yelped seeing you nail it.
Afterwards, you plowed back up the sand with him while he raved about what just happened. “That was so sick y/n! It was a pipeline! A fucking pipeline! I’ve never seen anyone do that before.”
You blushed and tucked your hair behind your ear. “Well, it’s kinda my job.”
As you reached the shop, he turned to face you. “Yeah, speaking of, when do they give you a break around here again?”
You chuckled and shook your head. “JJ, I had fun out there, but I’m still not going out with you.”
“Alright! Alright! I get it. Can’t hate a guy for trying.” He held his hands up in defeat.
You bid him goodbye and started getting ready to close the store.
Later that evening, you met Sophia and the others at Annalise’s condo, spilling the beans on what happened. They all collectively gasped and hung onto their seltzers.
“He actually came back?” Maia repeated as Arabella anxious gulped her drink.
“Yup! Bothered me for my entire session and everything. God, he’s so delusional thinking I’d actually go on a date with him.”
All the girls giggled except for Annalise who stared at the ground in deep thought. “But what if... you did?” she finally spoke.
You grimaced. “Why on earth would I do that?”
“No, like, fake date him,” she re-emphasized, “Think about it- you can fake-date him and we’ll go on your dates and sabotage the fuck out of him! Then, for the cherry on top, you can dump him before he even gets the chance to run! It’s the perfect ploy guys! We need to make sure he never messes with any girl ever again.”
“Uh, I don’t know,” you scratched your head, “Can we really pull it off? It sounds so messy don’t you think?”
“Relax, we’re not killing him,” Annalise assured, “Also, it’s what he deserves! He’s broken practically every heart on this island. It’s time we take a stand in the name of our womanhood!”
“That, I agree with,” Sophia added and the other two nodded.
You were kind of shocked that Soph would be on board with such a preposterous plan. But, then again, this wasn’t the worst thing she’s ever agreed to.
“You know,” your best friend continued, “I heard after you ditched him at the Boneyard, he hooked up with Emma Cohen the same night and ghosted her too. The boy just won’t stop!”
Arabella gasped. “See! Rejecting him just isn’t enough! We need to kick him straight in the balls!”
They did have a point. A twisted, ridiculous point. But you weren’t all gung ho about being the one to beat JJ at his own game. You- the girl who couldn’t even get Pope Heyward to take her to a dance.
“All you’d have to do is bear him for a few dates. I’m sure we can take care of the rest,” Maia noted.
Reluctance was still evident on your face. You could tell Annalise was getting desperate. “You know, y/n, I saw all the UVA gear on your locker at the shop. My dad’s best friends with the chancellor. He owes my family a lot of favors. How about I make a deal with you. If you do this for us, I’ll have my dad write you a rec letter and talk to his friend. You’ll be pretty much guaranteed a spot at UVA when you apply.”
You let out an exasperated breath. Now that was an offer you couldn’t refuse. You wanted to put up more of a fight, but you didn’t want to let an opportunity like that slip from your fingers.
“Alright,” you sighed, “Fine. You sold me with UVA. Count me in your little scheming game again.”
Your friends cheered and clinked their drinks, eyes hungry for revenge. You sat back meekly and sipped yours, knowing the next few weeks were going to be an absolute train-wreck.
“But wait!” you raised in the midst of the group’s plotting , “I shooed him away today. What makes you think he’ll be back to ask me again?”
“You rejected him twice today?” Arabella questioned. You gave her a quick nod.
“Oh girl, he’ll definitely be back.”
-----------------------------------
Sure enough, JJ was back at the hut bright and early the next morning when you started your shift.
“It’s you again,” you greeted as he leaned his arms against the counter, flashing you a smirk.
He had on black aviators and a gray crewneck. For a second he seemed like a cute, innocent little puppy. Until he opened his mouth.
“Don’t act so coy, babe, you know you’re happy to see me.”
Oh God. This was the guy making half the island bawl in tears? You really couldn’t wrap your head around it.
You sighed, ignoring his corny-ness. “What do you want? We’re booked for the day.”
“Ouch, is that any way to treat a customer?” He pretended to have gotten shot in the heart.
As if on cue, Cody’s stocky legs strolled out of the back room, acting like he owned the place. He slid behind the counter to face you, disregarding JJ. You scowled and rolled your eyes.
“Y/n one of my customers had a complaint yesterday,” Cody stated.
“What? They had a shitty instructor? I could’ve told them that,” you shot back nonchalantly, inspecting your bare nails in disinterest.
From the corner of your eye, you could see JJ snort in amusement.
“Actually,” he prevailed, “They were complaining that their board was wobbly because someone let their customers take all the new ones.”
You remained emotionless at his petty grievance. “What? It’s not my fault I don’t make my students do a hundred push ups at the start of the session. Maybe quit the crossfit and then they’ll actually leave better reviews.”
Cody narrowed his eyes. “My students are grateful for my complimentary body-weight routine! They need to be fit for the waters. Whatever, stop fucking taking all the good boards! You’re taking away my customer experience, my good reviews, and my scholarship!”
He proceeded to storm out the front door to his first set of victims for the day. You shot daggers at his back before JJ’s giggling snapped you back to reality.
“Done,” JJ said, lifting his eyes from his phone.
“What are you talking about?”
“I just left a bad review for that guy on your website.”
Your eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
JJ flipped his screen to you with the post pulled up. You read it out loud.
“Do not recommend having Cody as your instructor. Made me do a hundred push ups before I got in the water, voice was too demanding, and shorts were uncomfortably short.” You erupted in laughter and playfully swiped his arm. “No way JJ!”
“What?” he grinned and pocketed his phone. “Dude was being a real asshole to you.”
You lightened up a bit at his kind gesture. Well, kind to you.
“Anyways, look,” he went on, “I know we might’ve started off on the wrong foot yesterday, but I wanted to come here and ask you out again. Properly.”
You opened your mouth to speak, but he persisted with his rehearsed spiel.
“And before you say no, I just want to say that it won’t be nothing grimey or weird. Just dinner. Tonight. It’s not gonna be the best night of your life or the worst, I just wanna get to know you.”
You sighed and cocked your head to the side. “If I say yes will you leave and stop bothering me while I’m at work?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
You blinked in disinterest. “Pick me up at seven. And don’t be late.”
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note: dUN DUN DUN!!!
chapter four
tags: @obxlife @rudyypankow @yeehaw87 @ilymarkchan @jellyfishbeansontoast @tangledinsparkles @toloveortobeinlove @pixelated-pogues @normatural @teamnick @drizzlethatfalls @hazelgirl355 @wicked-laugh @jjmaybankswife @ponyboys-sunsets @5am-cigarette @everydayimfangirling @angvelics @poguecollins @xealia @floridabornandraised
#outer banks fanfiction#outer banks imagine#outer banks#outerbanks#john b obx#obx fanfiction#obx imagine#obx#jj obx#jj x y/n#jj x reader#jj maybank#jj#jj maybank x y/n#jj maybank x you#jj maybank fanfiction#jj maybank imagine
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Season 3 Rewatch Drabbles: 3x7 Dark Hollow--part 2
Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 3 of Once Upon a Time. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.
Word Count: 827
Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28)
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Note: I got an ao3 comment from Polkie2 on Chapter 7 of this fic that was as follows: “Oh, I would love a part 2 where he realized whose name she called when the shadows had him and Neal pushed up against the trees. Also realizing how panicked her voice was.” After making the….possibly unwise…choice to share the comment on Discord, several of the enablers there demanded–not asked, literally demanded–that I agree to this request. So here you go! Your wish (or demand, as the case may be) is my command.
Killian tossed and turned a few hours later. How he despised this bloody island at night! Oh, to be sure, he despised it during the day as well, but the nights held a special kind of torture.
The nights were when the cries of the Lost Ones began. Killian had never considered himself to be overly sentimental (although those who knew him tended to smirk whenever he mentioned that fact, damn them), and ordinarily, while he wouldn’t have enjoyed the crying of homesick children, anywhere but on Neverland, the sound would have been merely unpleasant. Here…well, here, it seemed to reach right into his chest, to the deepest part of his being where he held close his worst memories of loss and abandonment.
He had to think of something else. Anything else.
And so he’d glanced around the clearing at their motley group lying here or there, wrapped in blankets. The prince and princess lay sleeping peacefully, arms around each other. Neal slept several paces away, his back turned to the group. He’d clearly wished to join Swan under her blanket, much as the Charmings lay, but she’d gently but firmly insisted she needed her space. A small smile graced Killian’s lips at the memory.
A smile, which quickly turned to a scowl as he realized the pettiness of the sentiment. Hadn’t he just vowed to himself to dispense with this jealous nonsense?
Swan, herself, slept fitfully, tossing and turning as he had done, but he was pleased to see she at least slept. She’d need the rest to prepare for their day ahead. The day when they executed their plan to storm Pan’s camp and rescue the lad.
What a day it had been! Killian thought back over the events of the day, trying desperately not to get swept up in his own self-loathing over what Swan referred to as “the lighter incident”. Aye, he’d acted like a child, but as she’d reminded him, what was important now was saving her son, and wallowing in self-hatred would do nothing to further that aim.
His mind flitted back to their time in Dark Hollow, to the moments immediately following the childish debacle. The next few moments were a bit hazy, his memory capturing sensations more than crisp details. The sudden cold as the shadows swooped in. The icy, incorporeal fingers grabbing him, picking him up as though he were no heavier than one of the dead leaves that swirled around his feet. The way his breath was knocked from him temporarily as his back slammed against the tree. The red-hot agony as his tormenter began ripping his shadow from his body. The agonized cry from Bae across the clearing as the same fate met him.
He’d shouted at Emma to leave, to save herself, just as he’d heard her own panicked scream.
Killian shuddered, hating the desperation in her voice.
But suddenly he realized…she hadn’t merely screamed. She’d shouted a name. His name. She’d turned toward him as he was taken, cutlass out, fear on her face. It wasn’t fear for herself; it was fear for him.
She’d channeled that emotion, used it to fuel her magic, used it to trap the shadow and save them all. She was bloody magnificent.
A sudden warmth that had nothing to do with the oppressive humidity of the jungle washed over him. In moments of crisis, in moments of great emotion, one tended to let their true feelings show, no matter how strong and fortified their walls, and it was clear she was not indifferent to him.
Far from it. That one, panicked shout of his name had spoken more to his place in her heart than a soliloquy could have.
She may not love him yet; he still couldn’t delude himself on that point, but she did care for him. He was important to her, and it made all the difference in the world.
Killian settled himself in, wrapping his duster around him and closing his eyes as the warmth of that reality settled around him.
When I win your heart, Emma, and I will win it, it won’t be because of any trickery. It’ll be because you want me.
As the cries around him slowly melted away, he slipped into beautiful dreams of returning triumphant to Storybrooke, a successfully rescued Henry in tow, and of, as he’d promised her, the fun that was then to begin.
NEXT CHAPTER->
#season 3 rewatch drabbles#cs fanfiction#ouat fanfiction#my fanfiction#3x7 dark hollow#killian reflects on dark hollow
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The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 21
A/N: I’ve always wanted to write a super-tropey scene like the bar scene in this so I went ahead and did it and I LOVE IT, OKAY?! Also, if you haven’t seen, I posted Part 3 of my Elias story last Thursday. It’s linked on my Masterlist!
Also, just a quick note that I will be returning to a full-time job after Labour Day today. I have enough chapters written out that I don’t think I will have to skip a week of posting, and I organize my time wisely so that I still give myself time to write, but this is just a PSA/FYI that I may not get to your asks/canon questions super quickly like I have been over quarantine. They will still ALL be answered, though, so don’t worry about that!
Anyways, enjoy this!
February 18th, 2020
Aberdeen Bloom was dejected.
The Leafs had lost their last two games, but these felt different. They’d lost to Buffalo on Sunday 5-2, and Buffalo was one of the worst teams in the league. It didn’t even matter that there were a majority of Leaf fans in the building. Now, tonight, they’d just lost 5-2 again, but this time to Pittsburgh. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her phone, with tweet upon tweet upon tweet calling this the worst game of the season for the team. Just an absolutely awful game. No effort. No heart. No soul. One that they would have to answer for at home, since they faced them again on Thursday, but this time at home. She didn’t even like hockey and she was taking everything to heart because, well – she was part of the team now. Everybody had told her that since day one. And now, at one of the lowest points in the season, she felt that.
She couldn’t stop scrolling. Couldn’t stop reading what everybody was saying.
It was Tyson who had volunteered to drive her home tonight. Ever since Morgan broke his ankle, it was a rotation of Tyson or John. When Emma picked up Tyson, she was just as nice, but she missed Bee. She missed seeing the way Morgan looked at Bee when they were in the car, because it reminded her of how William looked at her when they were alone.
Aberdeen shuffled into the backseat of Tyson’s SUV. Tyson was in the driver’s seat, and Emma was the passenger. Everyone was silent as Tyson began driving into the city – she and Emma could tell he was dejected and mad at the game that had transpired just a few hours ago. The short flight did nothing to quell his emotions. And as Emma laid her hand on his on the gearshift, Aberdeen watched as she moved her thumb back and forth, trying to tell him that it was all okay.
“Tys…it’s not your fault,” Emma said softly, finally, after what felt like a lifetime of silence.
“Em—”
“Tyson, listen to me.”
“—Emma, please, not right now—”
His eyes flashed to hers through the rear view mirror, but Emma wouldn’t listen to him. “I know it and you know it too. The whole defence is flawed. Plus, you guys are missing Mo. It’s not just you and you know that—”
“—Emma, I really don’t want to talk about it right now—”
“—and besides, if – or should I say when – you’re traded at the deadline, none of this will matter,” she dropped a bombshell. “Everyone knows you’re unhappy and it’s not working out and that you’re much better suited to play somewhere else.”
Aberdeen felt her body stiffen at the revelation. So Tyson was unhappy. Unhappy with playing on the Leafs. She knew he wasn’t having the best season, especially considering how successful he’d been in Colorado, but she didn’t think it was that bad. He’d gotten better when Sheldon came in, but apparently that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to make him happy. And in Aberdeen’s life, happiness was important. It was almost paramount. What you did and who you surrounded yourself with and your work should, ultimately, make you happy. Was it the same in hockey? Were hockey players allowed to be happy? Were hockey players on the Toronto Maple Leafs allowed to be happy? Or was everything just a business transaction? A long road to the ultimate success of lifting the Stanley Cup, regardless of who got hurt along the way?
Tyson let out a long sigh as he continued to drive, choosing not to answer his girlfriend or say anything else. When they got off the Gardiner and into downtown, Aberdeen was almost desperate to get out. She felt very awkward. Clearly Emma and Tyson wanted, needed to have a conversation, and she was stopping that from happening. Just by being in the backseat. She almost wanted to just tuck and roll out of the car. Tyson could return her suitcase later. She really didn’t care at this point.
When he pulled up outside her condo building, Aberdeen almost didn’t want until he stopped the car and put it in park to click her seatbelt off. “Hey Aberdeen,” Tyson looked at her through the rear view mirror. She paused all her movements to stare back at him through the mirror. “I uh…I’d appreciate it if you don’t mention to Brendan, uh, you know…what you heard…” he trailed off.
Aberdeen stared back at him doe-eyed. She shook her head slightly. “I don’t…I don’t tell Brendan about anything I find out about you guys. I mean I would never…” she said softly, trailing off too.
Tyson nodded, smiling slightly. “Thanks, Aberdeen.”
“Yeah, it’s no problem.”
When she got out of the car, Tyson popped the trunk so she could get her bag. After one last thank you, a polite wave, and a push of the button to get it to close, she walked into her condo building. She nodded towards the security guard before walking towards the elevators.
She wondered if William felt that same way when he played last year.
***
February 20th, 2020
“Get ‘em!” Aberdeen growled as she looked down onto the ice. “Get ‘em!!!”
Brendan chuckled as he watched Aberdeen, her hands balled up in fists as she practically hung over the box. He’d never seen her so into a hockey game before, and he didn’t know what had gotten into her. “You alright, Aberdeen?”
“Get ‘em!”
He got a kick out of it. Kyle, too, was doing one of those silent chuckles and getting redder by the second. “Aberdeen, you’re going to blow your heart out. We’re gonna need to put you on meds,” Brendan commented. “You gotta remember that you’re staying until the proofs get here. You can’t waste all your energy now.”
Aberdeen calmed down a bit, but she was still on the edge of her seat. “Sorry,” she said. She knew she was maybe taking it a bit overboard, but she couldn’t help it. After the awful game against the Penguins on Tuesday, the Leafs were dominating them right now. Freddie was playing phenomenally, Jake Muzzin had just scored to put them up 1-0, and they were getting really good chances. It’s like the team did a complete 180 from what they were. She also knew, though, that she needed to stay at the arena later tonight, because the final proofs for the St. Pats jerseys were coming and she was the one who had to sign for them and place them safely and securely in Brendan’s office to see tomorrow. She didn’t know how long she’d be up tonight, and she’d need to conserve energy.
“Don’t apologize. I just don’t want you to have a heart attack,” Brendan smiled.
With the Leafs on a powerplay, Aberdeen was like a hawk following the puck. With Tavares, Matthews, and Nylander on the ice, she was praying for a goal. And then—
“YES!!!!!” she screamed as William scored a beautiful goal, jumping up in her seat and throwing her fist in the air like she was Bender at the end of The Breakfast Club. From beside her, Brendan and Kyle stayed unnaturally calm. Aberdeen looked over at them and tried to settle back into her seat calmly. “Sorry. Again,” she said, gripping the armrests of her chair. “But how can you guys be so calm?!”
“You get used to it,” Brendan smiled.
“Well, maybe you do, Mr. Hockey Player,” Aberdeen joked.
“Especially when the camera is on you,” Kyle added.
Aberdeen’s face dropped. “Oh my God, I’m not on camera, am I?!”
Kyle shook his head, his smile spreading from ear to ear. “We’ll have to see, Aberdeen, but I don’t think so.”
The Leafs dominated the rest of game. Kasperi scored another goal only three minutes after William, and Zach scored in the third to make it 4-0. Freddie got the shutout. She knew he’d be happy about that, despite his stoic reserve. As she, Brendan, and Kyle made their way to the locker room, Aberdeen saw the media already speaking to Jake Muzzin. She knew they’d want to speak with the goal scorers too, and so when she saw William and Kasperi heading to the media room, along with John, Freddie, and Sheldon, she wasn’t surprised. It was a good game. Hopefully the media would back down a bit.
She congratulated the guys and stood on the sidelines as Brendan and Kyle spoke to some of them once the media left. By that point, some of them were dressed and ready to head home. “Hey, you want a ride?” Jason offered as he approached her, tightening his tie around his neck.
“Oh, I’m staying back, actually,” Aberdeen informed him. He looked at her skeptically. “The final proofs are coming in for your St. Pats jerseys in March and I have to receive them and put them in Brendan’s office under lock and key.”
“Oh!” he exclaimed. “Well, I can wait with you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Aberdeen, it’s fine. We can grab a bite to eat afterwards.”
“Jason, I might be here until, like, eleven.”
“So we’ll have an authentic Italian-style dinner then. All the more reason since I miss my motherland.”
“Jason—”
“Aberdeen, are you really going to say no me?”
She glared at him. It was like St. John’s all over again. Before she could open her mouth and say something else, another voice interrupted her. “Why’re you giving Jason the stink eye?” William asked as he approached them.
“I’m gonna wait with Aberdeen until the proofs come and then we’re gonna grab dinner. You in?” he asked William, but everybody already knew the answer.
William shrugged his shoulders casually, like Jason hadn’t just invited him to dinner with his own girlfriend. “I’m in.”
Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “You two are insufferable.”
“I like to think it’s part of our charm,” Jason smiled. “Let me call Jen and then we can go trash Brendan’s office.”
***
It was about 10:45 when Aberdeen, Jason, and William ended up at a small bar none of them had ever been to that served small pub-style plates. It was crowded, for some reason, even though it was a Thursday. Aberdeen quickly learned, judging by the drink specials, that it was their grand opening weekend, and tonight was their first official night open. Opening on a Thursday meant pandering to the university crowd for sure (whose pub nights usually took place on Thursdays), but this place was pretty full with an older, gruffier clientele that were seated at the bar and congregated in small groups around the open space in the centre of the room, away from the few booths against the wall. She wondered if they marketed the place wrongly, or if they just wanted to fill the place so they could say they had a successful opening.
It was a bit loud, but she, Jason, and William ate their late dinner in relative peace. They spoke about the game only for a little bit before they moved on to other topics, making it abundantly clear to Aberdeen that they didn’t want to discuss hockey at all. The food was fine, and so, too, were the beers William and Jason had, but Aberdeen’s Long Island Iced Tea had way too much rum in it so she couldn’t finish.
By the time they finished, it was almost midnight and Aberdeen was starting to feel her fatigue. They were told to pay at the bar, so they gathered their jackets. Aberdeen insisted on paying for her meal, ever going so far as to run up to the bar herself, inching between some patrons in order to pay, before William or Jason could even get out of the booth. William, however, was right behind her, ready to Jason’s meal on his card.
“H—Hey! Hey! Look what we have here! Y-You’re Wiiiilliam Nylander,” a guy, older and very clearly inebriated, slurred out as he laid his eyes on them.
“That’s me,” William gave a tight-lipped smile, standing just slight behind Aberdeen, waiting his turn to pay.
The drunk guy focused his attention on Jason now. “You. Spezza.”
“Yup.”
He turned back towards William, shaking his head. “Teams like this can’t win the Cup. Esp-p-ecially not with this guy around.”
That caught Aberdeen’s attention. She furrowed her brows as the friend of the guy, obviously just as drunk, nodded his head in agreement. “Don’t have the heart like Dougie or Wendel. All a bunch of pussies now. Especially you.”
Aberdeen pulled her card out of the reader dramatically, turning her body so she could face them head on. “What the hell is your problem? There’s no need to be rude,” she said, her voice loud and firm.
“Aberdeen, stop it,” William said loud enough for her to hear.
“Y-Y-Yyyyou shoulda just sssigned the contract, man,” the drunk man grumbled out.
Aberdeen tried again, ignoring William’s plea. “Sir, this isn’t the time or place,” she intervened, but William’s hands went straight to her waist to move her out of his way so she wasn’t standing in between them anymore.
Suddenly, it was William closer to the drunk man that Aberdeen. The drunk guy apparently didn’t like that very much. “You’re damn – you’re damn selfish! Ssssselfish and greedyyyy,” the man continued to slur drunkenly. “Seeeelfish, no good—”
“Sir—” Aberdeen showed up beside William, refusing to stand behind him.
“I oughta hurt you like you hurt the fffranchise.”
Aberdeen’s eyes widened. That was a threat if she ever heard one, and even though he was drunk, Aberdeen didn’t like the tone of his voice. “Okay sir,” she chastised. “You need to stop overreacting. We’re just here trying to pay for our meal. This is no time to be a dick.”
“You know what? Let’s just pay at the other end of the bar,” Jason said, trying to diffuse the situation as much as possible. He even started to herd William and Aberdeen away from the drunk man and down the opposite end of the bar. “You have fun with whatever whiskey you’re drinking,” he gave one last look to the man before walking away himself.
“Fuckin’ pussy!” the friend yelled loudly at William, already half way down the bar now.
Aberdeen looked back. William had grabbed her wrist and was dragging her through the crowd so she’d get to the other side with him. She watched as one of them slammed his glass down on the bar dramatically. “Willy—”
“Ignore them, Aberdeen.”
“Yeeeeeah, fuckin’ pussy! Fuckin’ lowlife! Worst Leaf on the team! Shoulda traded you back to Sweden, ya Swedish piece of shit!”
The men continued to yell obscenities and taunt William as they stood at the other end of the bar. Aberdeen stared at William as he stuck his credit card into the machine, quickly punching in his pin. “Does that happen often?” Aberdeen asked him.
“Aberdeen, don’t,” he shook his head, refusing to answer her as he pulled his card out of the machine and stuffed it back into his wallet. It was as if he didn’t want her to know; as if he wanted to protect her from learning just how awful some “fans” could be – at least to him.
“Did you pay?” Jason showed up beside them. William nodded. “Alright, then let’s get the hell out of here,” he ordered, herding them again to lead them out.
It all happened so fast that Aberdeen didn’t really know exactly that – what happened. All she knew was that she heard the guy yell from down the bar. Then she heard the breaking of glass (commonplace in bars, really) and someone else yell “Put it down!” as she, Jason, and William continued towards the door. Then another voice screamed “Watch out!” and she, Jason, and William turned their heads to look behind them.
Then it hit her.
Literally.
A glass had been thrown – obviously by one of the drunk men who had been harassing them – intended for William, but it hit Aberdeen right on the forehead instead. She staggered backwards but didn’t fall. As she brought her hand up to assess the damage, she could almost immediately feel blood dripping down the side of her eye.
“Aberdeen!” Jason screamed.
William looked over and saw the blood on Aberdeen’s hand and it dripping down the side of her face. His eyes filled with anger. Jason, who was still looking at Aberdeen, saw the look she was giving William. He whipped his head towards William, who appeared ready to murder everybody in the room. “Will—William—” Jason tried to get his attention, but to no avail.
“Ohmygodareoyouokaaaaay?!” voices began to ask as they huddled around Aberdeen, William, and Jason worriedly, forming a protective circle around them. There were so many people, so concerned and so loud asking if she was okay that Aberdeen couldn’t even respond – she was too overwhelmed and too confused to even comprehend what was going on.
That’s when the two men ran out. When most of the people in the bar were distracted trying to see if Aberdeen was okay, the men had the wherewithal to completely book it out of the bar with nobody stopping them. It was only William who noticed, screaming out a loud “HEY!” to try and get somebody’s attention to stop them, but nobody moved enough for him to get out of the scrum around Aberdeen to chase him. William focused his attention back on Aberdeen even though he could feel his cheeks flush red with anger and tears forming in his eyes. She was still holding the area above her eyebrow cautiously as the bartender waved her over. Jason and William led her towards the bar, making sure she didn’t step on any of the shattered glass that now littered the floor. The bartender was already opening the first aid kit. William heard Jason tell everyone “It’s fine, it’s fine, we don’t need your help, it’s alright, we’ll handle it, we’ll handle it.”
Aberdeen was offered a bar stool to sit on, but she turned it down. She didn’t want to be on display for everyone to see; she was already embarrassed enough as is. “You wanna go into a washroom?” the bartender asked, and Aberdeen nodded her head. He led them to the wheelchair bathroom, since there would be space for all of them, and ushered them in. “The emergency rooms are just up the street. They’ll do stitches.”
William glared at the bartender. “Aren’t you even gonna call a paramedic or something? What about the cops?” he demanded, his voice shaking from the anger he was still feeling. “Can we look at security cameras to get a face?”
“Bro, we don’t want cops or paramedics here opening night. That would kill us,” the bartender said. William couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “We don’t have cameras installed yet, either. Just clean it up and take it to emerge. It’s, like, two blocks north.”
William felt like punching the bartender square in the jaw. And he would have, too, for being so insensitive about it, if it wasn’t for Jason opening the first aid box loudly against the counter. Jason, for his part, glared at the bartender too. “You can leave now,” he growled, focusing his attention back on finding what he needed within the kit. “Useless piece of shit,” he mumbled under his breath.
Aberdeen sat on the toilet, trying to collect her thoughts and emotions. She’d gotten hit with a fucking flying glass in the middle of a bar. A glass seemingly intended for Willy, thrown by a drunk guy, but it had hit her. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She was sure her hand was covered in blood at this point; she didn’t even want to know what her face looked like. “Did I get busted open?” she asked, even though she was well aware of the answer. She needed someone else to confirm it so this all felt real and not like a nightmare.
“Yeah,” Jason said softly. “Listen, if that dipshit isn’t gonna call the cops or paramedics, I want to clean it before we go to the walk-in. Your face has a lot of blood on it.”
Aberdeen nodded her head slightly. There was nothing else she could do, really. It wasn’t like she was going to reject any medical attention, from Jason or otherwise. “Is it gonna hurt?” she asked.
“Of course it’ll hurt, but I don’t want any of the blood to crust and dry,” he said.
“Am I gonna need stitches? I’ve never gotten stitches before.”
“Move your hand a bit and let me see,” Jason said. She moved her hand the slightest bit, too scared to move it anymore out of fear that blood would gush out like some Halloween decoration, and Jason looked up close. “Yeah, probably,” he deadpanned. William winced at the thought.
“Oh, Jesus. Is it gonna scar?”
“No. Not deep enough to scar. At least not to me,” he said. She trusted him, if only because he was a father of four and had been around the block a few times. He cleaned her face as much as he could of the blood that had streamed down. She watched as he got some alcohol and put it onto a pad, prepped a sterile gauze, and whatever else he needed. Now, are you ready?” he asked.
“I guess so,” Aberdeen braced herself. She took her hand off the injury, relieved that no blood gushed onto Jason’s shirt. “On three, okay?” she asked. Jason nodded his head. She began to count. “One…two—”
She let out a guttural scream as Jason put the rubbing alcohol on her early so she wouldn’t wince away. It fucking stung. The sound that escaped her made Will’s heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He never wanted to hear it again. When he looked over, she was writhing on the toilet seat. Even Jason’s face was pained at her screams, but he was doing what he needed to do. After doing as much as he could, he took one last look at it before putting the sterile gauze on it, grabbing Aberdeen’s hand to hold it against the cut.
“You ready to go to emerge?” Jason asked.
Tears had streamed down her face at this point. She didn’t have a good tolerance for pain. She nodded her head. “Let’s go.”
***
It was just past two in the morning before an emergency room doctor saw Aberdeen. Jason had called Jen to let her know what happened and let her know that he was going to be extra late, and William…well, William was silent. He was still red with rage as they sat in the emergency room, with Jason and Aberdeen making conversation, but he was silent. Truthfully, all Aberdeen wanted to do was hug him, hold his hand, and nestle into him, but she couldn’t. It would have made things a hundred times better, but Jason being there meant that it was impossible. She noticed William’s silence from the moment they were in the washroom at the awful place and Jason had cleaned the wound. She was hoping that he wasn’t blaming himself.
“So, Miss Bloom, what happened here?” Dr. Behari asked as she sat on the gurney, Jason and William standing near her with their arms crossed.
“Some guy at a bar threw a glass and it hit me,” Aberdeen explained simply. “I think I’m going to need stitches.”
The doctor nodded, then looked towards Jason and William. “And you’re her bodyguards?” he joked.
Jason smiled, but William didn’t. “Friends,” Jason said. “I cleaned it up a bit with rubbing alcohol at the bar, doctor. I – It was the only thing I could think to do.”
The doctor nodded, stepping closer towards Aberdeen. “Let me take a look, Miss Bloom, and I can clean it and see if you need stitches.” Aberdeen took her hand and the gauze off the cut and the doctor put on his gloves. “Aallllllright…” he mumbled as he checked it, Aberdeen wincing in pain slightly as he pressed down on it. “You’ve got no residual glass in it, which is great. All we have to do is clean it up and give you some stitches.”
The thought of stitches made Aberdeen a bit woozy. She tried not to think about what they’d have to do. “Is it a deep cut? Like is it gonna scar?” she asked.
“Not a deep cut at all,” the doctor shook his head. “I’m only putting it one layer of stitches. You’ll probably have the slightest scar once it’s all healed but it’s easily covered with makeup, and due to placement, it won’t be too noticeable.” Suddenly, the curtain that blocked off the room opened, and some supplies and medical equipment were ushered in. Jason and William looked to see everything that Dr. Behari would need laid out on the tray. “Ah! Here we go. Have you ever received stitches before, Miss Bloom?”
“No sir.”
“Think of it as me putting this beautiful masterpiece of a face back together,” he joked, causing Aberdeen and Jason to laugh. William still wasn’t laughing, and Jason took notice.
“You’re great, Doctor Behari,” Aberdeen giggled. “I’m gonna get a scar like a real hockey player now.”
“Ahhhhh, so you guys are hockey players, huh?” he gestured towards Jason and William. “I’ve stitched up a bad hockey injury once or twice in my day.”
Dr. Behari continued with what he needed to do, cleaning up the wound and making sure everything was well and prepped for the stitches. The second he picked up the needle filled with lidocaine though, to numb the area so Aberdeen wouldn’t feel the stitches as much, William became more visibly upset. For the last two hours he looked like he was about to cry, and now he just looked extremely pained, distressed at the thought of what Aberdeen had to go through.
It took Jason intervening for William to stop thinking over and over about when the glass met Aberdeen’s head; the look in her eyes and the blood on her face as she tried to stop the bleeding with her hand. “Will, can you breathe for me?” he mumbled, Aberdeen and Dr. Behari too deep in a conversation to hear them.
William started shaking his head. “He needs to be arrested. He needs to be charged with assault. We need to find him,” his voice was still trembling.
“Will, we’re not gonna find him. He ran off,” Jason tried to reason with him. “There aren’t even any cameras we can check – the manager said. We just have to let it go.”
“No. That’s not good enough,” William was persistent. “We need to—”
“Listen to me,” Jason said in a low voice, grabbing William’s forearm and turning him away from Aberdeen and the doctor. They stood right in between the hallway and the curtain sectioning off the room. “I understand this is personal for you because it’s Aberdeen, but you need to be level-headed right now, because as much as the doctor is making her laugh, she’s gonna see the stitches and probably get scared. And she’s going to be looking at you to help calm her down and tell her it will be alright.”
William stopped breathing during the first part of Jason’s sentence. He furrowed his brows, trying to brush it off, and brush off what Jason was implying. “I don’t know what you mean about this being personal for me—”
“Will, come on,” Jason interrupted him. “I’m too old to be fucked with. We all see the way that you look at her and we know you have the biggest crush imaginable on her. It’s not like it’s a fucking secret.”
“H—How do I look at her?”
“She’s the only person you ever see, Will,” Jason deadpanned. “But…beyond that. You have to remember Brendan’s gonna be asking questions tomorrow at the office. I’ll handle a majority of that but he’s going to want the story from you too and you better be on your best behaviour or else he’ll figure out your little crush and Aberdeen will be fucked. Do you understand?”
William couldn’t look Jason in the eye anymore. He bit down on his bottom lip nervously, knowing that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. “I think he already knows…” he mumbled.
“Excuse me?”
“I think…Brendan already knows about the crush. At the Christmas party out on the ice I guess he caught me looking and he told me she can’t do anything with me until she leaves, and more importantly, I can’t do anything with her.”
Jason looked like he’d seen a ghost. “And?”
“And what?”
“Are you doing anything with her?”
Here it was. William’s first opportunity to lie outright to a teammate, a friend, a colleague, a guy that he looked up to immensely. Aberdeen had had to do it with Siena, now he’d have to do it with Jason. His girlfriend was a mere fifteen feet away and he had to deny that anything was going on. “What?! Of course not!” he said angrily.
“William I swear to fucking God—"
“Nothing is happening,” he stressed. “Jesus, Jason. How awful do you think I am? I wouldn’t do something like that to her.”
“Don’t fuck with me Willy. She’s got too bright a future for you to—”
“I know that,” William stressed. “I. Know. That. That’s why nothing has happened. That’s why it’s stayed a crush.”
“You promise me right here, right now, in the middle of this hospital while she’s getting stitches, that there’s nothing going on between you two, or so help me God, Willy—”
“There’s nothing going on between us,” William said bluntly. He saw Jason’s face relax slightly, meaning that he was buying it. “I’ve got my crush and that’s it. But there’s nothing going on between us. Nothing.”
“Woohoo! Boys!” Dr. Behari called out, interrupting their conversation. “Miss Bloom wants to hold one of your big strong hands just in case she feels anything. Any takers?”
Jason raised his eyebrows at William and gave him a look. William gave Jason one last look before walked over, stood next to Aberdeen, and offered his hand. She grabbed it without hesitation.
Jason watched.
***
February 22nd, 2020
“What in God’s name happened to your eye?” Brendan demanded as he got his first look at Aberdeen Saturday morning. In the town car, Lou had already commented on it. Now Brendan got to see it, bright and early in the morning before heading towards the office.
“It’s a long story,” Aberdeen mumbled.
“Well we’ve got a long drive to the office.”
She sighed. She recounted the events of the previous night to Brendan, from Jason and William agreeing to stay back with her, to them going to dinner, to the rude men, to the bottle throwing. Brendan looked more and more horrified as time went on, and especially angry when she got to the part with the rude men. They were essentially targeting one of his players, one of his star players, with assault; instead, that assault ended up hurting his executive assistant. And when she mentioned the no cameras and the clueless bartender, he got really angry, because there was nothing he could do either.
“And so, here we are,” Aberdeen finished. “I’m three days out from my 22nd birthday and one week out from my party and I have a giant scar on my face.”
Brendan could tell by her tone that she wasn’t necessarily upset about it, per se, but that she was more so a bit self-conscious about how it looked. “It’s not that big,” he said, trying to not make it a big deal. “The stitches will be out soon anyway. You don’t want to see some of the scars I’ve gotten. I mean…” he trailed off, pointing to the one on his top lip and the one on his chin, “yours won’t look as bad as these. Won’t end up as bad as these either.”
“You don’t think so?”
Brendan shook his head. “No chance. It’s only three stitches. Did you tell your parents?”
“Yeah, we FaceTimed so I could show them. They don’t want me in bars past sundown now,” she giggled slightly. “I’m going to have to go to my doctor before we leave for Tampa Bay to see if they can get taken out though. By then it will have been four days. The emergency room doctor said it should be okay by then.”
“I’ll call Noah and have him take a look at it once we get to the arena,” he said, referring to Dr. Noah Forman, the team’s head physician. “I’ll call Jason and Will in, too. To let me know what happened.”
Aberdeen nodded her head. It was only logical to talk to them about it to. William had been the one targeted, after all. “Are you excited for tonight?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
Brendan shrugged. “Last time we faced Carolina it was an…interesting game,” he said. “How much more interesting can it get?”
***
Aberdeen was absolutely horrified. Just absolutely fucking horrified at what was transpiring in front of her very eyes. A complete and utter collapse. Something that couldn’t be real. Something she didn’t want to be real. Something that was affecting her more than she ever thought hockey would. If Aberdeen thought that Penguins game on Tuesday was bad, this was a hundred times worse. A thousand. A million. A billion times worse.
The Leafs were losing to the Hurricanes. 6-3. And who was in net for the Carolina Hurricanes? Their emergency backup goalie, who was, somehow, also the Toronto Marlies’ Zamboni driver. Yes. The Toronto Maple Leafs were losing to a Zamboni driver. Their own Zamboni driver.
She wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
Brendan had already left the box. He’d asked her not to follow him. That made her incredibly nervous, because usually when he was upset or disappointed about games, she was still following him like a little puppy. That wasn’t the case now; he clearly wanted to be alone and alone he would be, wherever he happened to be.
When the final buzzer rang, Aberdeen felt her heart rate go up even more, because it now meant that she did have to go find him. She didn’t want to be in the locker room right now. The team needed to be with their coach, and she didn’t exactly want to hear whatever was going to go down in there. She wanted to remain willfully ignorant. So instead, she began walking towards the offices, where a part of her knew Brendan would be.
She was quiet as she walked down the hallway and towards her desk. She saw Brendan’s door almost closed, and knew he was inside his office. She gathered her things, grabbed her jacket, and took a deep breath.
She knocked lightly on his office door. “Come in,” she heard him say absent-mindedly.
She pushed the door open slowly. When she revealed herself in the doorway, Brendan’s eyebrows rose slightly. He was surprised she’d come and find him. But he didn’t want her to know that. Most other personal assistants he’d had usually let him be when he did something like this. But Aberdeen was different. “Oh, there you are,” he said, his voice low as he cleared his throat. There were a few moments of silence as he thought of something to say. “We need to go over the, uh…the proofs for the St. Pats jerseys,” he held out his hand.
Aberdeen was nervous. He was a bit too calm for her liking, considering what had just happened. She knew he wouldn’t want to talk about it exactly, but still. “Okay. Um, yeah, sure. I have it right here,” she said as she began digging through her bag with all the files in it. There were so many to sort through, and she knew she was taking a while.
“By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me,” Brendan said.
She pulled the proofs out of her bag and handed them to him. He took them, a bit dramatically she thought, and opened them up. “Okay, so…they’re done. They can be sent,” he said dismissively, putting his signature at the bottom of every page of proofs.
Aberdeen was shocked, slightly. There was so much back and forth on them because they had to be perfect and now he’d just signed off on them? “They…they’re done? So I don’t need to bring them back to the artist and fetch them back tomorrow?” she began to pull out her iPad so she could change her schedule.
“Well, if you think the team is worthy of even wearing these jerseys and want to convince me to not just scrap the whole damn idea…then yes, fetch away. You’re very fetching, so go fetch,” he grumbled out with a resolute emotion of nothingness in his voice.
Aberdeen stopped her movements. Okay, so he was affected by what had just happened. And he was going to let it all out now, in front of her, with no-one else around. No Kyle. No Sheldon. No team. Nobody but her. As she continued to stare at him, he couldn’t look her in the eye; he was looking everywhere in his office but her, even though she stood right across his desk from him. “You’ll need to contact PR, um…Leslie, to see what she can do to minimize the press on all this,” he continued, pursing his lips together, looking out into a void. “Another humiliating loss splashed across the Toronto Sun. I can just imagine what they’re going to write about us. The Toronto Maple Leafs lose to a Zamboni driver who works for them. The most embarrassing loss yet, and it’s under my watch. Every newspaper in this city should cut me a check for all the papers I sell for them.” He shook his head, pausing for a few moments to collect himself, and finally looked at Aberdeen. “Anyway, I don’t…I don’t really care what anybody writes about me. But the team. I just…the team. It’s just another disappointment…another let down. Another bad game. Horrible game.”
Aberdeen didn’t know what to say. She knew this was Brendan’s version of spilling his guts out to her. This loss had taken its toll on him – was going to take its toll on everyone in the organization, and he was the guy heading the entire operation. It all fell on his shoulders. And Kyle’s. But he was the overseer of it all. He put the brunt of the blame on himself – not on the players or the general manager. “Anyway, the point is…the point is…” he cleared his throat. Aberdeen could see him visually recollect himself. “The point is, we really need to get these proofs sent first thing tomorrow morning, because I’d like to see the jerseys before they get sent to the players.”
It was weird to Aberdeen how he could just switch like that – from experiencing the lowest of the low to going back to normal again. She wondered if it was a hockey thing, because Willy did it too – he would be upset after losses, especially bad ones, but it would quickly become dirt off his shoulder. She held on to her emotions and feelings much longer than them. “I’m so sorry, Brendan,” she offered. She knew there was nothing else she could say to him. “If you want me to cancel your morning tomorrow, I can.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would we do that?” he asked.
Aberdeen offered a tight-lipped smile. “Is there anything else I can do?” she asked.
Brendan nodded quickly. “Your job.”
***
Aberdeen called Siena the moment she was out of the office and walking home. She’d been okayed to go home by Brendan. She’d texted Will, but he wasn’t answering, so God knows what was going on in the locker room right now. She didn’t want to stay at Scotiabank Arena for that very reason. She just knew it was too much for her to handle.
She knew it was too much because she was already crying. Silent tears, but tears nonetheless. She prayed to God that Siena picked up.
“Hey,” Aberdeen finally heard her voice. “What’s up?”
“Siena…” Aberdeen’s voice was shaky. “Siena did you watch the game?”
“No, why? What’s wrong?”
Aberdeen sniffled. “I never thought I’d be crying about sports but here I am crying about the Leafs!” she blubbered out.
“Why? What happened?”
“We just had the most God awful game,” Aberdeen huffed out. “We lost to our own Zamboni driver.”
There was a pause on Siena’s end. “Aberdeen, are you drunk?”
“NO!!!” she exclaimed. “Go check the highlights or whatever. Go turn on TSN. It was humiliating. We’re going to get absolutely roasted. It’s going to be so bad and—”
“Aberdeen—Aberdeen you need to calm down,” Siena urged on the other end of the phone. “It’s not your fault, Aberdeen. And it’s not your problem. Why are you so upset about it? It’s not like you’re a part of the team.”
Aberdeen felt a punch to her heart at Siena’s words. But she was. Everyone had told her that she was – Brendan, Kyle, the guys, everyone – and she had no reason to think otherwise. It was hammered into her since the beginning. For all intents and purposes, she was a member of the team, which is why it hurt her so badly. Siena didn’t understand that. Siena didn’t understand how all the traveling together made them closer; how all the guys looked out for her – not in a patronizing way, just…in their own way – like they were her older brothers, especially after what happened at Christmas; how the word family was tossed around so often that Aberdeen really felt that this was a family in its own way, with a bunch of moving parts, often dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless. Siena didn’t understand any of it. “Yes I am,” Aberdeen said meekly, offering nothing. She couldn’t put into words what she’d just thought, and even if she could, Siena, with all her smarts, wouldn’t understand them. “I am a part of the team.”
“Just sleep on it, alright? I’m sure everybody is going to forget about it by tomorrow morning,” Siena offered, showing truly just how much she didn’t understand. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
At that exact moment, a car pulled up on the curb alongside Aberdeen. When she looked over, she saw William in the driver’s seat. He was already looking at her. “Okay, bye,” she ended the call abruptly, stuffing her phone into her coat pocket before approaching and opening the door, slipping into the passenger’s seat easily.
When Aberdeen looked over at William, he immediately noticed her red eyes. His heart tightened in his chest. “Why are you crying, minskatt?” he asked.
“How could you not be?” she asked back.
He leaned over the centre console to kiss her. “Please stop, minskatt. I can’t stand to see you cry.”
“I don’t know what to feel – what to do – I don’t know what to say to you to make you feel better about this,” she lamented.
“Shhhh shhh shhh,” William kissed her again, bringing his of his hands up to cup her face. “You don’t need to say anything.”
“Don’t I?”
William shook his head slightly. “You’re here, aren’t you?” he asked, as if that was enough. As if that’s all he needed, when really, Aberdeen knew he’d need so much more. That she would need so much more. “D’you want to come back to my place?”
Aberdeen looked William in the eye. He wasn’t asking politely. He was begging. She nodded. “Okay.”
***
Aberdeen was getting scared at how good she was getting at lying. She’d made up a stupid story about needing to stay late at the arena again for the trade deadline so Kasha would go to bed and not wait up for her. Kasha bought it. Aberdeen didn’t even know if she was staying at William’s tonight or if she’d walk into her apartment at three o’clock in the morning again, for the second time in two days.
(As if William would bring her to his apartment and then tell her to leave in the middle of the night.)
He took her to a tall, glass condo building, only about a ten minute walk from hers but closer to the south core that made him possible to practically walk to all the games if he wanted to. He held her hand firmly in his once they got out of the car and walked through the parking garage, getting on the elevator. William pushed the button for one of the top floors. Of course he’d have a penthouse.
Aberdeen was still too caught up in her own emotions to realize how big this was – every other encounter had been at her place, and now she was finally seeing his space. When he opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised at what she was greeted with. She knew it was rented, and so she half expected it to be kind of dull with no personality, but that wasn’t the case. There were touches of William everywhere in the apartment – the slight, boyish messiness just adding to it. Expensive shoes scattered at the entryway. A few plants that weren’t dead, so she figured they were fake. A giant, comfy looking couch in the main area with a massive TV that was hooked up to every gaming console known to man. And pictures. Lots and lots and lots of pictures everywhere. All of his family.
She could tell that there was a spare bedroom on one side of the apartment, and she saw a door leading to the master. William put his keys in the bowl in the middle of the kitchen island, watching her as she looked around his apartment. “So what do you think?” he asked.
“Do you miss your family on nights like this? When it’s a really bad game and really embarrassing?” Aberdeen asked, staring at a picture he had of him and him sisters together, holding them all in a giant bear hug as their smiles stretched from ear to ear.
The question caught him completely off guard. “Of course I do. I miss them all the time,” he said.
“What do you do on nights like tonight?”
“I sit on my couch and watch TV until I’m not thinking about it anymore,” William admitted. “Lately I’ve really been meaning to do it with my girlfriend.”
Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. Even after a night like tonight, he was still flirting with her. “Do you have a change of clothes?”
They went into his bedroom – bed messy, but huge; closet overflowing, but orderly; giant floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the other skyscrapers around them – and she changed into a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt that looked Supreme-branded but instead said ‘spaghetti’. It smelled like him, thoroughly, and the second she put it on she felt like she was being hugged, even though it was about six sizes too big. They changed together, and when they were done, they made their way back to the living room and William turned on the TV, pulling her towards the big couch. He made her sit down first before kneeling down between her legs, resting his head on her stomach just beneath her breasts before wrapping his arms around her.
It was calm. It was nice. It was mindless. William was mindless as he laid there, his arms wrapped around his girlfriend in his clothes, watching TV but not really watching TV. Aberdeen was mindless as she laid there, running her fingers through William’s hair soothingly, watching TV but not really watching TV. It was a while before Aberdeen decided to speak again. “You know, it’s not healthy to not talk about it,” she said.
She felt William sigh. “You know I’m not good with words, minskatt.”
“Oh, I think that’s a lie. You’re great with words,” she said.
“No I’m not.”
“William, every author in the English language wishes they came up with the words, ‘I think about you when I’m not even thinking’, including me,” she countered.
William couldn’t help but smile. “Those words are only for you,” he said.
“I know,” she said, “but can you please give me some other words so I know that you’re okay? Because I’m worried.”
The fact that he was making her worried made him compelled to talk. That was the last thing he wanted. “I just…I just know that we’re never going to hear the end of it. And I hate that. I hate that it’s gonna be the big joke now. Because hockey isn’t a joke to me. Neither is the Leafs.” He paused and Aberdeen was silent, and he knew that silence was urging him to continue. “It happened because…it happened because they rallied around their goalie. They protected him. They had his back. And we didn’t. We just…we didn’t. And I hate it when we do that. Because I have…I have every guy in that locker room’s back. I do. But sometimes it just…” he sighed, shaking his head. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out how I want it to.”
Aberdeen had continued to run her fingers through his hair. She nodded at the end of his speech. “I’m not going to pretend that I know what it feels like, because I don’t,” she said. “I haven’t been a fan of hockey and I don’t understand it like you do but I know how much a game like this can affect the group, especially with the media in this city. But I got emotional about it because I know how much it affects you. Even if you won’t tell me about it.”
“I don’t mean to not tell you,” William said. “I just…” he paused again, thinking if he should even say anything. “It’s that besides my dad and brother, nobody’s ever really…you know, listened. So I just stopped talking.”
Aberdeen’s heart broke. At that point, she stopped running her fingers through his hair and forced him to sit up, even though her legs were still wrapped around him, so she could look him in the eye. She thought about Mike Babcock and what he’d done to Will. She thought about all the other hockey coaches he had and wondered if they were just as bad. “Willy…” she said softly, running her thumb along his jawline and lips. “Willy, I want you to talk to me more. About hockey. About your family. About your feelings. About everything. Please. Please.”
William nodded. He understood completely what she was asking him to do, and he was going to make a concerted effort to do so, because he loved her. He loved her so much and he didn’t want to see her worrying about him. “I will, minskatt. I will, for you,” he said, kissing her quickly. He shifted them so she was straddling his body. “I just have to get used to somebody listening.”
“Willy, I’m always going to listen to you. Don’t forget that, okay?” she asked, cradling his face in her hands.
He nodded, quickly kissing her again. The words were coming now, and he couldn’t stop them. Aberdeen had that power over him. “What happened the other night at the bar was my fault,” he said.
“What?” Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out of her head dramatically. “Willy, that was not your fault at all—”
“Yes it was—”
“No it wasn’t—”
“Yes, yes it was,” he said sternly. “And I couldn’t take it. I was so mad, minskatt. I was shaking. I wasn’t able to stop it or to protect you or—”
“Willy—Willy, stop. Willy, it wasn’t your fault at all,” she repeated. “Those stupid guys were drunk.”
“But they were aiming for me. They hated me. I wish that glass would’ve hit me instead,” he said, bringing his hand up to her scar and touching it lightly.
“Don’t you dare say something like that. It was a freak accident, Willy. There was nothing either of us could do,” she said, hoping he would soon realize it.
William paused for a moment. “You’d talk to me too, right? Like you want me to talk to you?” he asked. Aberdeen nodded her head confidently. “Were you scared that night?”
Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “Just a little bit. But you were there. And Jason. And when I realized that, I wasn’t so scared anymore. I’ve been scared before in my life much worse and with less blood.”
William nodded. “Are you listening?”
“Yes…”
“I love you.”
Aberdeen smiled. “I love you too.”
They began kissing. Lightly, at first, and then Aberdeen couldn’t help but stick her tongue down his throat, and William couldn’t help but squeeze at the flesh of her thighs. As they made out like teenagers on his couch, Aberdeen placed her hands over his and guided them to her ass.
William giggled slightly into the kiss. “Aberdeen…” he said in a playfully accusing tone.
“I only want to remember feeling your hands there instead,” she mumbled against his lips.
William froze. Suddenly and all at once, her words hit him like shards of glass, cutting him to his very core. “I’ve been scared before in my life much worse and with less blood.” Ethan. She still thought about what happened with Ethan – she still thought about it and it affected her and it made her scared, something she hadn’t admitted to before. William felt like killing Ethan all over again right then and there, with Aberdeen sitting on his lap. What affected her wasn’t a physical wound; what affected her was something much deeper.
“Listen to me,” he said, his hand cradling her chin, thumb gliding over her lips softly as she’d done to him earlier. “Nobody is going to do that to you again, okay? Not while I’m here.”
Aberdeen nodded her head. She believed him completely.
“I mean it, Aberdeen,” he pressed.
“I know.”
“If I ever saw him on the street, I’d fucking kill him for what he did to you. For how he made you feel. And I want you to know that, like…you’re not what happened to you. You’re so much more. He was a pig who couldn’t see that but I can,” William said.
Aberdeen almost burst out into tears at his words. You’re not what happened to you. You’re so much more. She could have cried right then and there. But instead, she nodded her head before kissing William again, even more eager this time, wanting to show him just how much she appreciated him, just how much she believed him, just how much she loved him.
#william nylander#william nylander imagine#william nylander fic#william nylander fan fic#toronto maple leafs#toronto maple leafs imagine#toronto maple leafs fic#toronto maple leafs fan fic#william nylander blurb#toronto maple leafs blurb#nhl#nhl imagine#nhl fic#nhl fan fic#nhl blurb#hockey#hockey imagine#hockey fic#hockey fan fic#hockey blurb#the president wears prada series
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Self Promo Sunday: “Kingdom Come”
This is another one of my early Captain Swan one shots, this one written during the hiatus between 3a and 3b. The idea entered my head when I first heard "Demons" by Imagine Dragons, which is where the title and the lyrics included come from. There was also some added inspiration from episode 3x06 "Ariel" and episode 3x07 "Dark Hollow". I don't think there is anything in here that goes against show canon; it's mostly imagined thoughts and missing scenes that go along with what has happened, and some guesses at what we may see when "Once" returns again in March.
As always, I have no claim to the show, the characters, or the song used. They belong to their creators and I'm merely celebrating their genius!
Also available on both AO3 and ff.net
“Kingdom Come”
by: @snowbellewells
He knew that he should have kept his distance. She was shining light in contrast to his dark shadow, and a villainous wretch was the last sort she needed to have dogging her steps. Yet from their first meeting – knife at his throat, fingers fisted in his hair, hard, dangerous eyes hiding tense, nervous fear – he hadn't been able to pull away. He had no choice but to follow her. Call it a compulsion, an addiction, but he was as drunk on her as he had ever been on his chosen rum, and he despaired from the moment she left him chained atop that bloody beanstalk to any time she had left his side since.
The words Cora had hissed at him in warning echoed back to him, "You chose her…and the consequences of that decision…" Whether it was good or bad for either of them didn't seem to matter to his black, barely-beating heart. It was true: he had chosen the Swan girl…
When the days are cold
and the cards all fold
and the saints we see
are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail
and the ones we hail
are the worst of all
and the blood's run stale
It had become even clearer to him after the Echo Caves. When he had bared his soul and the feelings he harbored for her to be met with only silence and Emma's panicked uncertainty, fearless pirate he might be, but Killian Jones knew he should take a step back. The incredible, unparalleled kiss they had shared in the Neverland jungle told him the Savior was as attracted as he, but she was not ready for him. Her sole focus was on her boy – as it should be – but beyond that, she was running scared from anyone else who might try to breach her emotional defenses.
He knew it had been too much, too soon, to unload the truth about feeling that he could love again upon meeting her, and if he had been free to proceed as himself – as Killian Jones wooing a lady properly – he would have never been so clumsily blunt, but instead he was a pirate captain desperate to prove his loyalty and worth, while stuck on Peter Pan's nightmare island. They had needed to get Neal back without further delay and return to seeking Henry, and so he'd had to make clear that he was correct in the way the infernal cave worked. It had not been easy to look into her beautiful, tormented eyes when he had offered his confession, hoping he hadn't driven a wedge which would push her even farther away. It had been even worse to see her run across the bridge formed for her of their painful admissions, right up to Baelfire without giving him a word of comfort, encouragement, or thanks. He felt his shoulders slump in defeat, hurting more than he had imagined, when the cage holding the Crocodile's son vanished at words from Emma which he could not hear, and she fell into the embrace of her first love.
Killian felt her slipping away – if she had ever been within his grasp at all. Bowing his head, he hid the pain in his eyes from Snow White and Prince Charming's curious, searching gazes. Burning fire within him seared away the tentative hope he had foolishly let kindle within. He was nothing but a pirate, as the Prince had reminded him not so long ago. Though he couldn't help wanting to hold her, it was probably for the best…
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
there's nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed,
we still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come,
This is my kingdom come
There was no longer any doubt. He was a fool – a sodding, pathetic fool. For him to let a glimmer of belief take root in his chest again was begging for misery, but Killian Jones had felt it growing all the same.
Venturing into the Dark Hollow had been a risky, desperate move at best, but after his face-off with Baelfire and discovering that Emma had not even deemed what had been brewing between them worth mention, self-preservation had not been so high atop his list. He had barely cared what happened to him in their suicide quest to capture Pan's shadow.
Of course, the fiend trying to rip his shadow from his body had jolted things into focus with frightening clarity; especially when he realized that Baelfire was facing the exact same fate, but it was his moniker of 'Hook!' that Emma cried out in horror. That she found the power to magically light their star map shadowcatcher just after her concern for him surfaced was not lost on Killian. No matter how much he cautioned himself not to dwell on it, he couldn't ignore the implications. Emma might not want to admit it, might not be free to show it, but when push came to shove, she cared more for him than she wished to admit.
He had not lied to her when he had promised no deviousness or trickery. If Emma Swan – the Enchanted Forest's lost princess – ever gave him the chance to truly win her heart, he would use no dishonorable means. He understood good form and had once dreamed of being a hero. He might be an orphan and a pirate, not some prince or man of noble blood, and his thirst for revenge had kept him lost in villainy for countless years, but he still had honor, could strive to show it valiantly once again. He knew deep down that she wanted him; what he did not know was if Swan would ever allow herself to acknowledge her desires. He could only vow that he would endeavor to deserve her if she came to him with such a golden opportunity.
Swan needed some joy and lightheartedness in her life. Though she looked fragile, she was hard as steel; she'd had to be for far too long. To him, her beauty was unrivalled, but it was clear that Emma did not see that in herself. He wanted to worship her as she deserved, unfit as he might be to do so. Killian Jones wanted to restore her lad to her, heal the wounds of her past, love her unconditionally, and never leave her side. He trembled to risk pulling her that close; his history proving over and over that anyone he dared to love had suffered a horrible fate. It was better his own heart be crushed than for her to suffer harm by nearness to him. Still, if he fought back the darkness he had sunk into, shouldn't he be allowed to step into the light?
When you feel my heat,
look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
She came to him at the helm of his ship once Henry was truly safe and resting peacefully with Regina watching over him. There had been a scare when Pan had tried to take Henry from them once again, but it appeared Rumplestiltskin's strength had indeed been greater than the ageless boy's, and their antagonist was now trapped safely in Pandora's Box. Sighing as she came to a stop just beyond arm's reach from him and leaned against the Jolly's hull, Emma didn't know if weariness or relief was winning within her at present. She was not sure that seeking out Hook when her emotions were such a mess was a good idea, but it was a need all the same. She was drawn to him like a magnet – impelled to speak to him, to thank him for helping them to get this far…to make sure that he was alright.
Emma knew he had been left hanging, knew he wanted more. What she didn't know was what she had to give. It had nothing to do with still doubting his motives or that he was a pirate; Hook had long since proven himself in her eyes. She simply wasn't sure her heart could let any man in the way he would want and deserve. She found it didn't matter though: she still ached to be near the Captain. He calmed her, despite the turmoil she had been in ever since this voyage started, and his constant support at her back, whatever the situation or whatever her decisions, had given her strength. She wanted to tell him so; if nothing else, he ought to know what it meant to have had him in her corner and that she would not soon forget it.
"Hook…" she began, then shook her head to cut herself off, knowing that wasn't right. Her corrected word came out breathy and more ragged than she had intended, "….Killian…"
He turned to face her when she spoke his name, though he had already known she was there. Just then, she could see everything he was feeling in those ocean blue eyes. Though their decadent depths often smirked, prodded, threatened, or demanded as the situation called for, at that moment they were raw, reflecting mirrors letting her see right into his exposed inner soul.
All the words she had intended to give him flew from her head, and Emma was left standing frozen, swallowing hard and wondering why she wanted to talk at all. With that in mind, she moved to stand before him, just within his reach, when one corner of his mouth tilted up in a tempting smirk as he beckoned her closer. Obviously pleased with himself, he took things a step farther, resting both hand and hook at either side of her waist, his thumb rubbing soothing circles that she could feel the warmth of through the waistband of her jeans, as if he were stilling a skittish animal so it didn't flee. "Was there something you wished to discuss with me, Love?"
"I…" her mouth went dry staring into his eyes and she struggled to focus on anything other than the desire for a second kiss from him, but she finally pieced together coherent words. "I just wanted to thank you…for everything. We couldn't have even followed Henry without your ship and your help. David would be dead by now. And I, well, I just…"
"Come, Lass, it's just me. There's no need to be so formal. I offered you my ship and my services, and I meant it." As he said these words, he was slowly, deliberately, pinning her in his gaze so she understood just how much it did mean to him. He placed the cool, smooth curve of his hook under her chin, tilting her face up to meet his.
"But – it's just – it's so much more than that," she floundered, and if she weren't so grateful and attracted and muddled all at once she would have been irritated that he could sound so composed and romantic while she struggled to get a sentence out. Emotional tears almost welled over her eyelids, but she blinked them back and stepped closer yet, almost begging him to hold her, causing their noses to nearly brush. Looking up at him, she hoped that just maybe her eyes could convey her affection, gratitude, and want without the words that seemed lost to her. Biting her lower lip in nervous anticipation, Emma raised her eyes, blinking, to his cerulean gaze and prayed he would simply read her scrambled mind.
Chuckling low in his throat, Killian seemed to do just that, and wrapped his muscled arms around to reel her in. "All you had to do was ask, Love," he teased, lightly ghosting his lips over her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, forestalling the inevitable and making her heart thud erratically even as she grew impatient for his lips to reach hers. Just as she had grabbed him and driven their first kiss – fast, desperate, bruising – he was taking over this second one, creating a slow, languorous, building simmer that Emma wasn't sure she would survive.
Killian's hand came up to cradle her head, hook resting along her neck on the other side, the one bit of cool relief to the fire in which he had engulfed her. His calloused fingers stroked along her jaw as if hoping to coax her nearer still. This kiss carried their feelings in it; there was still heat and passion, but below it thrummed something more, something deeper: it required a decision. Emma's breath caught at the realization that this kiss was something which might last.
Killian was thinking, hoping, the same thing, hardly daring to believe, but unable to stop it either. Greedy thief and pirate that he was, he wanted more of Emma; it would never be enough. Fool he might be, but he did not aim to stop until he had stolen her very heart. Not so long ago, he had been rudderless, with nothing in this world to keep him but his vengeance. Now, he prayed that he could change his course. At last, he had something to fight for, someone to hold dear. Killian Jones – Captain Hook – had despaired of being anything else but hell bound…until she crossed his path. Perhaps he might still find redemption in Emma. Heaven had to know his every effort and act for good has been due to her. It's all for her.
Don't wanna let you down
but I am hell bound
Though this is all for you,
don't wanna hide the truth…
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
The door slams in his face – her door – and Killian lets himself slump against the wall, dejected. It all happened so quickly and now Emma is gone. She is beyond his grasp, as he had always known she was. He has waited so long to see her lovely face again, traveled so far, and though he tried to prepare himself for the very reaction he received, it didn't hurt any less when she gave him the blank look which told him his Swan no longer knew him.
Upon their forced return to the Enchanted Forest, he had tried to steer clear of everyone. Angry, wounded, and bitter, he had wanted nothing more than to hide himself below deck on the Roger and drink until he couldn't think of how being ripped from her just when she had given him a chance had hurt. He had not wanted to be near anyone and had made horrible, snarling company when someone forced the issue, but that had not stopped Snow and Charming. Emma's parents were a painful reminder of her, but no matter how he strove to avoid them and steer clear, they would not leave him alone.
It was exasperating how they kept trying to draw him into rebuilding the castle and their kingdom, tried to cheer him up, provided work for he and his crew as supplies were needed from other ports, and generally would not allow him to wallow in his misery as he had desired. They kept repeating that they had faith this separation would not last forever. For some unfathomable reason, he seemed to have found his way into their affection, and they would not let him despair either.
When Regina had finally put together a memory restorative potion, he had been willing to concede that these royal types and their unending hope were not so completely off base. The former evil queen had been almost pleasant and much more willing to help ever since meeting Robin Hood – apparently the man she had been destined to meet long ago. Some of the dangerous emptiness and hurt left her eyes when she was around the archer, and especially near his young son. Killian knew that she hoped Emma would find a way back and bring Henry if she could be made to remember. Regina also knew the rules of the second curse well though; she was to give up the thing she loved most. She couldn't be the one to go after them, couldn't force her hand. She would have to trust those whom she had spent so long fighting against.
Killian had been stunned however when David and Snow both championed his undertaking the quest. Something knowing flickered between the Prince and Princess' eyes, but he didn't waste time trying to figure it out. He was too grateful, touched, and ridiculously anxious to get going, whatever the mode of travel, to ask questions.
Now, faced with the harsh truth, he almost forgets the potion tucked into a pocket of his vest. He had to try True Love's Kiss, had to see for himself if it were possible. He shouldn't have even entertained the dream, and yet he couldn't help himself. He truly thought she loved him…but maybe she still does and has simply forgotten. He has come too far to turn back now without seeing his mission through. Any realm he tries to make his life in now will be empty without her regardless. He will wait for his moment, and he will try again…
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to Fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now,
Unless you show me how…
Killian stands outside the large, several story building where Emma and Henry now reside, oblivious to the crush of people rushing around him on all sides, looking up to the window he knows is theirs, comforted by the fact that, though she may not remember him right now, they are once again in the same place and time. He can get to her, and he will succeed in bringing her back to her family…and to him.
That she wants him to keep his distance right now means little. He is sorry that she is at last safe with her son and free of the heavy weight of her destiny and he seeks to interrupt that. However, he thinks he knows Emma well enough to believe she would not wish for an illusion over truth; even if it pained her, she would rather face reality. He knows that much of his Swan.
Villain that he has been, that the world has always seen, the selfless action would be to let her go, but he cannot allow himself to admit defeat. Emma has never truly been loved – treasured – as she ought to have been, as he had planned to do. He fervently wishes to be the one to show her what it is to be wholly adored. He wants her to know that she is his whole world, and he needs the chance to see if she can love him in return, keep him striving to live again. The demons that still haunt him, that say her kingdom and his black soul are already lost, try to whisper that he will fail. Their voices hiss that he will never bring her back, that her knowledge and memories are lost forever. Killian pushes those insidious echoes from his mind. Soon, he will meet her haunting, storm-tossed eyes again, and he will make her see.
This is my kingdom come…
Tagging a few others who may enjoy: @searchingwardrobes @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @laschatzi @whimsicallyenchantedrose @thislassishooked @resident-of-storybrooke @ilovemesomekillianjones @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @scientificapricot @tomeandflickcorner @lfh1226-linda @xsajx @stahlop @donteattheappleshook @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @darkcolinodonorgasm @elizabeethan @wefoundloveunderthelight @jonesfandomfanatic @spartanguard @tiganasummertree @optomisticgirl
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hello!! i just wanted to ask- i wanna do an ouat rewatch bc CAPTAIN SWANN but its pretty long and i honestly dont care for the other characters/how badly the overall writing was handled.. which are your favourite captain swan eps? anything them centered and i think ill just skip around to rewatch their romance as they did invent romance 😭😭 ty in advance <3
they absolutely did invent romance, you are right about that and i love them so much
UHMMMM as far as my favorite CS eps, here’s a roadmap of what I personally consider key eps in their journey (some of this is from memory but I haven’t done a full rewatch in a while so i’m going through the episode list as a refresher)
2x06: Tallahassee--this is a must-watch ep for any CS fan, and I really think this is the episode that sparked the fire that CS would become as a fandom. It has everything--flirtatious banter, all kinds of tension, deliberate parallels drawn between Emma and Killian’s pasts, as well as their first meeting being intercut with her relationship with Neal (which serves, especially in hindsight, to highlight just how sketchy that relationship was, and why she couldn’t bring herself to trust Killian--because the last time she felt this way about anyone, it ended horribly)
2x08 and 2x09: Into the Deep and Queen of Hearts--these episodes cover the race to the portal between Emma&co and Hook/Cora and while they don’t do a ton for CS as a relationship since they’re still enemies at this point, it lays great foundation for their future relationship development. Plus, sexy swordfight, Hook going out of his way to save Aurora’s heart--he may be a pirate, but he has standards ok--and Emma realizing Cora can’t remove her heart without her permission? Poetic Cinema
2x11: The Outsider--more of a Killian-centric episode, it shows a lot of Killian at his worst but it’s necessary for his overall character arc and I genuinely love looking back and seeing just how far he managed to come, to the point of eventually even letting go of his (very understandable) grudge against Rumplestiltskin.
2x12: In the Name of the Brother--am I including this purely for Emma&Hook banter in the hospital, and Killian saying ‘hey beautiful’ when he’s lying on the road because he just got hit by a fucking car? You bet I am. Also, go to youtube and look up ‘ouat season two deleted scene jello’, because it’s beautiful and there was a tremendous outcry in the fandom when we realized it had been cut from the episode lmao (It’s also the episode that made me start shipping Frankenwolf, which I’m still sad never went anywhere, but they had a lot of potential and great chemistry.)
2x22: And Straight On Till Morning--A few of the episodes in between have some fun minor interactions and flashbacks (and I always approve of episodes where Killian gets one up on Rumple, so 2x15 is fun for me if i ignore all the Neal bits) but the finale is where we finally get a glimpse of who Killian could be beyond his need for revenge. He didn’t have to come back, he didn’t have to bring back the bean and help the town--but he did.
Season 3a: there’s a lot of really good stuff here for Hook and Emma that is interwoven between the A plots of other episodes. I think, as far as half-season arcs go, it’s one of the best (and everything after 4a bombed hard, but I digress) But there are a few episodes that stand out if you don’t want to watch the whole season. (I recommend starting with the premier though, it was a really solid season starter overall.)
3x05: Good Form--this is the culmination of David’s poisoned-by-dreamshade arc, and is also Peak Captain Charming Bromance. Hook not only keeping David’s secret, but doing everything he can to help save him??? Poetic cinema. It also provides some crucial Killian backstory, showing how he lost his brother to the very same dreamshade. Plus, the character development--Pan offers Killian a chance to escape the island with Emma if he kills David, and instead, he saves him, refusing the deal and damn the consequences. Also also? The first CS kiss which drove the fandom WILD.
3X06: Ariel--not only to I love OUaT’s take on Ariel, but this episode has the infamous Echo Cave scene, which involves a lot of feelsy confessions and Killian being the one to tell everyone that Neal is alive and helping Emma save him despite his own growing feelings for her.....IT’S JUST A LOT AND I LOVE IT.
3x07: Dark Hallow--oh man, I’d forgotten about this episode, but it has Killian and Neal fighting over Emma, which may sound eye-roll worthy, but Emma is allowed to tear them a new one about it and it’s one of the few times she’s allowed to actually???? put her own feelings first so I have to include it here on spec
3x11 and 3x12: Going Home and New York City Serenade--these mark the end of 3a and start of 3b respectively, and it has some amazing shit like Killian vowing never to forget Emma and Emma smiling as she replies, “Good.” And then she and Henry are in New York with their memories completely altered, but Killian shows up because Storybrooke is back and in jeopardy, and he helps Emma get back to her family and her home and, much later, Emma finds out he sold the Jolly Roger to be able to do it and it’s just. It’s beautiful ok.
3x17: The Jolly Roger--there’s honestly not a whole lot in the back half of season 3 (until the CS movie) but of course anything named for Hook is a must-watch, and this is where we get the iconic line I swear on Emma Swan--which is Killian saying he’s in love with her before he even realizes it. We also find out just what he did to Ariel, and his attempts to make amends are what lead to Zelena being able to curse him, so it’s great from a character perspective as well.
The next four episodes round out the end of the season, and there’s a lot of great stuff in them--Hook refusing to get Emma to kiss him, but Emma feeling like she can’t trust him because he didn’t tell her about the curse to begin with, and then kissing him anyway to save his life regardless of the consequences.... but the only ones that are absolutely necessary are the final two episodes.
They are colloquially termed ‘The Captain Swan Movie’ for a reason, after all.
Killian and Emma essentially have an entire Time Travel adventure all to themselves, where they accidentally ruin her parents first meeting and have to fix it so that she’ll even be born, Emma finally getting into the storybook, the pair of them dancing at a ball, Killian rushing to save Emma only for her to get out of the cell herself, because “The only one who saves me is me.” Killian saying “I would go to the ends of the world for her... or time.” Finally fixing the timeline and making it back to Storybrooke and Killian feeling like he doesn’t deserve a place at the table so he doesn’t go inside, but Emma comes out to him anyway and finds out he gave up the Jolly Roger for her, the true start to their relationship...... IM CRYING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT I’M SORRY.
I personally really enjoyed 4a, the Frozen arc was one of the last good half-season arcs of the show, but a lot of people disliked it so it’s really up to interpretation. I don’t have as many Intense Opinions on this season (except hating almost everything about 4b and the queens of darkness arc), but I will say the episodes with good Killian/CS moments are 4x02 (Emma nearly freezes to death, Killian is desperate to save her, Captain Charming teamwork, my heart hurts), 4x04 (Emma asks Killian out on a real date, he tries to get his real hand back from Gold, things go massively awry and he winds up back under Gold’s thumb), 4x08 (Killian tries to save Emma from Gold’s plans), 4x11 (the 4a finale is just great in general), and then..... it cannot be overstated how much I hate season 4b, but 4x15 is the Killian-centric ep where his past with Ursula is revealed and he makes amends to her in order to get her to leave the QoD alliance and it’s great character stuff for him, and then there’s the season 4 finale.
Both parts are worth watching, if only because Deckhand Coward Hook still being a braver, more heroic man than ‘Hero Rumplestiltskin’ warms the very cockles of my heart, and of course the second part of the finale has him helping Henry to save Emma and it’s beautiful and also Emma watches him die for her and it is angsty as FUCK but gods I love it. Here’s where it gets tricky, though--my recommendation is, turn the episode off right after Emma finds Killian back in the present day of Storybrooke and they reunite.
Just turn off the episode there and skip right ahead to the s6 musical episode (Emma and Killian’s wedding ep) and pretend they got married and none of seasons 5 or 6 ever happened. >.> (Although I will say certain parts of the Underworld arc were incredibly feelsy despite how much I overall hated the season: 5x11 (the 5a finale, Killian as the dark one STILL being a better man than rumple, we love to see it), 5x15 (I am not immune to Brothers Jones feelings ok), 5x20 (emma literally takes a True Love Test trying to find a way to save killian, you don’t get more romantic than that--also Killian telling Emma to promise she won’t put her armor back up just because she lost him again??? my HEART), 5x21 (Hook does what he can from the Underworld anyway and zeus sends him back to Emma, they really just said ‘today I will invent romance’ and then Did That)
And then, yeah, just skip to the wedding. It’s beautiful, I enjoyed the music, personally, though I know musical episodes are hit or miss with most people. And if you turn it off when the last musical number starts (after the wedding ceremony, I believe) you can pretend it was the end of the show! =DDD
.....Oh my god I just rambled for years. I HOPE YOU FIND THIS USEFUL, ANON. I 100% support a CS-centered rewatch, their episodes were consistently some of the best across the entire series, and they are truly one of my favorite romances of all time.
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Star, January 11
You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks
Cover Story: Hollywood’s Best and Worst Bosses
Page 1: Shia LaBeouf currently accused of relentless abuse and sexual battery by his ex FKA Twigs was snapped making out with Margaret Qualley after she arrived at LAX for a solid 10 minutes and holding up traffic -- the PDA session was the first time Shia and Margaret who is the daughter of Andie MacDowell were spotted out in public together but the two got well-acquainted a few months ago rolling around naked for a NSFW music video for a song by the actress’ sister Rainey Qualley a.k.a. Rainsford -- Shia went out of his way to charm Margaret as soon as they met and he wooed her with compliments and gifts and flowers and texts and spur-of-the-moment dates where he’d just show up at her house but her friends are concerned because Twigs’ lawsuit against Shia alleges multiple incidents of abuse including choking her in her sleep and knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease -- Shia said many of those allegations are not true and he is in a 12-step program and therapy for PTSD and alcoholism
Page 2: Contents, Prince William and Duchess Kate with kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis for a Christmas card
Page 3: Candice Swanepoel in a bathing suit in Miami, Jennifer Garner stepped out to run errands in a mask and an expressive sweater in L.A., Ryan Reynolds cuddled up with a puppy to encourage his Instagram followers to donate to the SickKids Foundation
Page 4: Friends of Johnny Depp are keeping their distance as he gears up for another ugly defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard -- after losing the case against a U.K. newspaper that called him a wife beater and a scathing feature in The Hollywood Reporter that dubbed the star radioactive and his career all but dead, former pals want nothing to do with him -- the likes of Jude Law, Leonardo DiCaprio and Channing Tatum have been backpeddling on Johnny and it’s making him furious but to be fair Johnny had already alienated Leo and Channing by calling them Pumpkin Head and Potato Head and accusing them of having affairs with Amber -- Jude’s indifference cuts the deepest because for a time he and Johnny were brothers-in-arms as they filmed the second Fantastic Beasts movie and from Johnny’s perspective Jude hasn’t lifted a finger to defend him
Page 5: Mossimo Giannulli’s son is speaking out claiming the fashion designer is being treated harshly at California’s Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc and Gianni Giannulli took to social media to complain that because of the pandemic his dad has been locked in solitary confinement for one full month and is only let out every three days for a few moments to shower and Gianni, Mossimo’s son from an earlier relationship, is irate that his father is being mistreated and he feels sorry for his dad and doesn’t want to see him languishing in prison however his half sisters Bela and Olivia Jade don’t seem too bothered by it
* At age 74 Susan Sarandon has had it with men -- she said she hasn’t really had a large dating career and in fact hasn’t had a guy in five years and it’s not that she can’t get a man, it’s just that the men she attracts are losers or sub-par in some way -- she is happy hanging out in her NYC apartment but still friends can’t help trying to fix her up because she’s attractive and in phenomenal shape but the problem is she scares guys away; she’s a force they can’t handle
* Two years after sharing her shock diagnosis with multiple sclerosis Selma Blair is struggling with pain and fear -- she was recently spotted getting emotional outside a West Hollywood cannabis shop and she has turned to medical marijuana to soothe symptoms of the chronic immune-system disorder which can include fatigue, spasticity, walking issues, numbness, weakness, vision issues and pain -- on some days she can’t even get out of bed but she’s trying to stay strong for her son Arthur and smile more for him but it’s been hard
Page 6: Julianne Hough appears to be sweetness and light but she’s a heartbreaker according to her ex Chuck Wicks who split from Julianne in 2009 -- in a revealing podcast Chuck blasted Julianne saying they were both loving life then out of nowhere you find out that they are not the person you thought they were and you break up -- Chuck admitted that he and Julianne agreed to say their split was amicable but it wasn’t fine and it wasn’t his fault
* After holing up at his Oklahoma spread Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are having a blast decorating their 13,000-square-foot $13.2 million new home in the Encino area of California’s San Fernando Valley -- the home sits on 1.6 ultra-private acres behind double gates and extensive walls and features a pool and fabulous views -- inside the engaged pair give each other space: Gwen wants a dance studio and Blake gets his own man-cave with a big screen and high-tech surround sound
* Star Spots the Stars -- Nicky Hilton, Katharine McPhee Foster, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt making dairy-free and plant-based holiday appetizers, Jenna Dewan, Natalia Dyer
Page 8: Big Losers -- these stars shed pounds and got healthy in 2020 -- Jessica Simpson, Rebel Wilson, Kelly Osbourne
Page 10: Star Shots -- Gwen Stefani on the way to the recording studio in Santa Monica, Jerry O’Connell started his morning off with a fresh mimosa and a kiss from one of his dogs, Jodie Turner-Smith is the first Black actress to play Henry VIII’s ill-fated queen Anne Boleyn in a major U.K. TV series in Emley, UK
Page 11: Nick Cannon pitched in to help distribute 2000 free meal boxes to the Hollywood Food Coalition
Page 12: Demi Moore in a yellow bow for a selfie thanking readers for checking out her memoir, Paris Hilton kicked back for a Coach campaign reintroducing the early-2000s ubiquitous Swinger bag
Page 13: Derek Hough and his dogs Romie and Luna, Irina Shayk striking a pose
Page 14: Sofia Vergara during a photoshoot, Real Housewives of New York City alum Kristen Taekman is taking advantage of the California winter weather in a bikini in Malibu, Wells Adams takes out the trash in L.A.
Page 16: Carrie Underwood showed off her comfy at-home style, Vanessa Hudgens and her favorite condiment, Katherine Schwarzenegger celebrates her dog’s birthday
Page 17: Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval picked up a holiday-themed centerpiece ahead of Christmas in L.A., Katie Holmes slung a guitar over her shoulder in NYC, Dame Joan Collins dropped by The Jonathan Ross Show in London
Page 18: Normal or Not? Hailey Baldwin shares a glimpse into her beauty routine -- normal, Tiger Woods’ son Charlie showed off his skills ahead of the PNC Championship -- normal
Page 19: Pete Wentz playing tennis in L.A. -- normal, Pete Davidson hurt himself a few times while making a scarf -- not normal
Page 20: Fashion -- stars charm in romantic ruffles -- Keke Palmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong’o
Page 21: Kirsten Dunst, Halsey
Page 24: Ariana Grande announced her engagement to realtor Dalton Gomez with some celebratory shots and she’s telling everyone how she never thought it was possible to be this happy -- the couple began dating in early 2020 when Dalton helped Ariana find a home in L.A. and things hit the fast track amid the health pandemic which saw the two enjoying quality time together in lockdown and realizing they were a perfect fit because they never fight and are totally in sync about how they look at life -- Ariana went straight into wedding mode already deciding on an intimate outdoor setting in mid-2021
Page 25: Jon Hamm stepped out in L.A. recently with girlfriend Anna Osceola and she was showing off a noticeably rounder midsection and there’s a good chance the two are pregnant because they’ve been actively trying to get into the family way -- though Jon admitted in 2016 that having children isn’t necessarily an imperative Jon may have changed his tune after his year-long relationship with Anna and hitting the big 5-0 in March has him reassessing his life and now having a child has become important to him
* Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher will be camping in style now that they’ve purchased a $140K Mercedes Benz Sprinter and they’re preparing to embark on an adventure -- with sleeping accommodations for four and a kitchen the spacious luxury vehicle is perfect for the couple and their two kids -- other stars can spend their vacations in five-star resorts but Mila and Ashton prefer to keep things alfresco and it’s a tradition they’ve kept all these years; this is their idea of a perfectly fun vacation
Page 26: Cover Story -- Hollywood’s Best and Worst Bosses -- who’s great to work for and who makes employees’ lives a misery -- Jennifer Hudson -- best
Page 27: Jennifer Lopez -- worst, Rihanna -- best, Kenny Chesney -- best, Mariah Carey -- worst, Gwyneth Paltrow -- worst
Page 28: Keanu Reeves -- best, Sandra Bullock -- best, Emma Watson -- worst
Page 29: George Clooney -- best, Ellen DeGeneres -- worst, Guess the Bad Boss
Page 30: Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell: Man on a Mission -- amid all the tension on the set of Mission: Impossible 7 Tom has been pursuing his costar Hayley to be his next girlfriend and it seems to be working -- Tom has become very active with the U.K. Scientology Branch and is very taken with English women like Hayley and he’d like to make the U.K. his home base -- handcuffed to each other for several scenes in M:I7 Hayley and Tom were also spotted holding hands when the cameras weren’t rolling
Page 32: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s very L.A. Christmas -- the prince spends the holidays 5000 miles away from the royal family but Meghan’s mom Doria Ragland was on hand for the festivities -- the couple were intending to call Queen Elizabeth on Christmas morning otherwise they were happy to celebrate a low-key holiday
Page 38: Entertainment
Page 48: Parting Shot -- Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas suited up to hit the slopes stopping by a local store to pick up goodies before changing into warmer gear in Mammoth Lakes in California -- the couple are familiar faces in the ski town and looking forward they will be able to plan even more snowy getaways now that they’ve listed their NYC apartment for $5.9 million and moved full-time to Encino
#tabloid#grain of salt#tabloid toc#tabloidtoc#tom cruise#hayley atwell#prince harry#meghan markle#sophie turner#joe jonas#fka twigs#shia labeouf#margaret qualley#johnny depp#jude law#mossimo giannulli#susan sarandon#selma blair#julianne hough#chuck wicks#gwen stefani#blake shelton#ariana grande#dalton gomez#jon hamm#anna osceola#mila kunis#ashton kutcher#keanu#keanu reeves
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