#ask answers for @hollyethecurious

[snowbellewells]

Blizzard, Frozen, and Ice please 😘❄️

Aww, thank you for the asks @hollyethecurious !! Let’s see here…

Blizzard - have you ever gotten caught in a snowstorm?

Once, quite few years ago (during my senior year in high school, actually) we had an insane amount of cold and snow - so much so that we missed weeks of the second semester, and didn’t start back after Christmas until January was almost over. I remember not being able to go much of anywhere, and my brother and I doing a lot of snow tunneling and sledding.

Also, not long after I moved to my current town for my teaching job, we had a serious ice storm. That wasn’t exactly snow, but we were very much stuck at home for a long time by the thick ice. We lost most of February out of school that time. (Though I -thankfully!- didn’t lose power and binged the first two seasons of Downton Abbey!)

Frozen - do you have a favorite Christmas movie?

That is a hard one, because I am a huge sucker for all of the sappy Christmas movies I could possibly watch!!! I really struggle to pick just one. What I usually land on is the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Fallen Angel, starring Gary Sonia’s. There’s a really touching love story, but also an interesting familial storyline and a bit of a mystery mixed in. The goofy/sappy (bit equally true) answer is the A Very Brady Reunion special. The kids all come home for Christmas, Mr. Brady is caught in a building collapse, there’s a rousing rendition of “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”, and another miracle of 34th Street. I love it no matter how ridiculous it is! 😜 Plus, I love several somewhat holiday/wintry movies like Serendipity, You’ve Got Mail, and While You Were Sleeping, which might not actually be Christmas movies but feel that way to me.

However, just last week I saw the new movie I Heard the Bells about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and how he came to write “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”, and it might well be my new favorite.

Ice - do you like going skiing or snowboarding?

I have to admit that I’ve never tried either! I would be game to attempt it, but knowing how clumsy I can tend to be, I’m not so sure how well it would work out. 😜 I love ice skating though, for what that’s worth.

[kmomof4]

9 & 10, 12 & 13 for the Writers Asks please

😁

Thanks for the ask, Hollye!!!

9. Do you have a mood board / inspiration image / artwork for any of your WIPs? Share at least one.

You might have an idea of what this one’s for… 😏

10. Create a mood board / inspiration image / artwork for a WIP (active or idea and share.

I haven’t actually started making any artwork for that yet… so, can I give you an IOU for this one?

12. Which of your (the writer) posted fics was the last you reread?

I think it was actually my Family Affair series. Because I’m SO READY to share the Christmas fic in that universe, I have to revisit the other fics to keep myself calm…

13. Which of your (the writer) fics would you like to recommend your followers / readers read or revisit this time of year?

Probably my spooky fics… even if most of them were posted for the CSSNS…

Of Darkness, Vampires, and Soulmates

The Moon… Tells the Sea

Safe

Hotel Neverland

Into the Light

Send me a Writers Ask!!

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Girls' Trip Fairy Tale Ending--Chapter 5 of 5

Summary:  This is my combined birthday gift for Joni (  @jrob64​  ), Marta ( @snowbellewells ) and Krystal ( @kmomof4 ).  Happy birthday ladies! Four fandom friends are nearing the end of their annual girls’ trip when they’re suddenly visited by Isaac, the author before Henry.  He gives them an each a gift–an opportunity to jump into any scene in the storybook they want and fix it.  Large focus on CS, although other characters and relationships will be explored.  A big shoutout to @hollyethecurious​ and @winterbaby89 for betaing!

Word Count: 1090

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list): @sailormew @annaamell @flslp877 @emmateo26 @bethacaciakay

@ultraluckycatnd @effulgent-mind @ilovemesomekillianjones @kat2609 @brooke-to-broch

@missgymgirl @galadriel26 @the-lady-of-misthaven @charmingturkeysandwich @jennjenn615

@laschatzi @kimmy46 @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @daxx04

@nickillian  @gillie  @britishguyslover @ginnyjinxedandhanshotritafirst @kmomof4  

@linda8084 @golfgirld @captain-swan-coffee @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious

@laughswaytoomuch  @allyourdarlingswans  @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 @therooksshiningknight,

@lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree  @jrob64  @anmylica   @booksteaandtoomuchtv​ @elfiola

Other chapters:  (1) (2) (3) (5)

Can also be found on: (ao3) (ff.net)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Note: I know it's been forever since I posted (and you've probably forgotten what this fic is all about by now), but in the spirit of the thing, I decided to post on the last birthday of our group--which happens to be mine! I hope you enjoyed our adventures!

Epilogue

And with Jen’s return to the cabin, the fairytale adventure came to a close.

“I don’t know about the rest of you,” Jen said, “but for me, that is by far the best way to watch Once Upon a Time.  You get to meet the characters, fix plot holes, and experience the Happily Ever After.”

There were unanimous choruses of agreement all around.

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves,” Isaac said with a roll of his eyes, “but I hope you also learned something.  I hope you all learned that my job is harder than you thought it was–that when you change one thing, there is an entire cascade of unforeseen effects.”

“Is that really a bad thing?” Jen mused. “When the original trajectory was stupid, changes are a good thing.”

“Speaking of,” Krystal said, “can we finally talk about our experiences?”

Isaac sighed. Loudly. “Fine, but no cheating!  You have to disclose all of it, not just the things you liked, but the ways it changed the story, the ripple effects it had, the boring moments, the epic romantic moments that no longer happened.”

“Can you wrap this up?” Joni asked, “or is this lecture going to go on for a while, because if it is, I’m going to bed.”

Isaac sighed again.  “Just get on with it.”

“Gladly,” Joni said. “I went back to the beanstalk.”

There was a chorus of excited voices at that revelation, being, after all, a very significant moment in the Captain Swan journey.

“So what did you do?” Jen asked. “How did you change it?”

“I convinced Emma to go back and free Killian,” Joni answered. “How about the rest of you?”

“I saved Graham’s life,” Marta said with a sound that was half-way between a sigh and a giggle.

“There’s a shock,” Krystal said.

“How did you make that work with the story?” Jen asked.

“I really didn’t have to do much,” Marta said.  “I got Henry to distract Regina, and then I took back Graham’s heart. I got to put it back!  Then he kissed my hand and used a Killian line on me.”

“And you’re still alive to tell the tale?” Joni asked.

“Barely,” Marta said, clapping her hands and giggling again, “but it was touch and go for a little while.  Anyway, Emma decided she liked Graham, but she wasn’t sure she was in love with him. Then Regina got mad and banished Graham to the mental asylum. Then Ruby and Graham fell in love and lived happily ever after.”

There was a universal chorus of oos and ahs at that.  The consensus was that that would have, indeed, made for a better story.

“I went back to season six,” Jen said, when the discussion died down.  

“How could you possibly pick one scene from that hot mess to fix?” Krystal asked?

“Wasn’t easy,” Jen answered.  “Hot mess indeed.  Ultimately, I would have liked to change the entire arc with Killian killing David’s dad and all that came after that.  After all, that made no sense at all.  Since when would Killian kill someone to keep them from telling people he killed the king’s soldiers?  Wouldn’t that enhance his pirate street cred?”

“I needed one more conflict between them before their happily ever after!” Isaac said defensively.

“One, why?” Jen asked, “and two, if you needed one, you could have actually made it necessary to the plot and not just angst for angst’s sake.”

“Well…well…” Isaac spluttered, “that’s not even the scene you picked, so why are we even talking about this?”

“Because you need to hear it,” Jen answered.  “Anyway, I decided what bugged me the most about that whole arc was that Emma immediately believed he’d left her, and everyone else in her life just….went with it.  I talked some sense into all of them.  Oh, and I made it Christmastime–which let them bring Killian home with a little Christmas magic.”

“Well, of course, you can make things work out when you just randomly introduce a magical item!” Isaac exploded.

“You’re complaining about magical MacGuffins?” Joni asked. “May I introduce you to…any of your writing?”

Isaac grumbled under his breath, and then turned to Krystal.  “All right.  Let’s get this over with.  Time for you to tell us about your adventure.”

Krystal shrugged and gave him an evil grin.  “I killed off Neal.”

“Naturally,” Jen said.  “I assume there was pain?”

“Do you know me at all?” Krystal tossed back. “Of course there was pain.  Lots of it.  And screaming.”

“So Rumple didn’t absorb him?” Marta asked.

“Nope, and almost nothing ended up changing,” Krystal said.  “Except Snowing’s baby’s name, of course.”

Jen, Joni and Marta gave her blank stares.

“What does Neal’s death have to do with the baby’s name?” Marta asked.

“Without Neal around to be a ‘hero’,” she explained, “they ended up naming him Graham.

The blank stares continued.

“Oh come on ladies,” Krystal said, “I thought that would be your favorite part.  No one, and I mean no one liked that they named their son Neal.”

“What?” Joni asked.  “Why would they name their son Neal?  Who would name their son after their daughter’s ex-boyfriend who sent her to jail and broke her heart?”

“Exactly!” Krystal agreed.  Looking around, she noticed the other ladies were still giving her odd looks.  “Wait….you mean that’s NOT how you remember it?”

“No!” Marta said emphatically.  “There was a lot I loved about the CS movie, but the thing that always brought tears to my eyes was the naming ceremony when they named their baby after Graham and talked about how much of a hero he was.  It was just…”  There was the giggle sigh again.

Krystal looked over at Isaac, and he shrugged. “Far be it from me to deny it when I’m wrong.  Neal was a stupid naming choice.”

“You’ve got that right,” Jen said.

With a dramatic sigh, Isaac shook his head and threw up his hands.  “I give up.  Clearly there’s no reasoning with fanfiction writers.  Enjoy the rest of your trip, I guess.  And next year?  Lay off of the head trauma.  By my count you knocked Will upside the head seven times in your story. Gave me a headache just reading it.”

And with that, he was engulfed in a puff of smoke, and a moment later, there was no sign that he’d ever been there.  No sign, that is, but the excited chattering of the four ladies in the cabin who discussed their adventures long into the night.

[the-darkdragonfly]

NEW!! A Trick of the Light - A Captain Swan Tale

Chapter 8: The Broken Kingdom

Emma & Killian have found their way back to their own time, but finding their home again will prove to be another adventure entirely…The Tale of a reunited family, an inescapable destiny and the marvels of indoor plumbing.

*gasp!* I wrote things!! it's been ... a tad longer than I was expecting - sorry all!

I hope you like - we're heading into a few... intense... chapters... *smirks*

Thank you to @donteattheappleshook for fixing my horrible grammar 🥰

♥️♥️♥️

“So,” Emma asked between bites of pastry, her hand tucked into the crook of Killian’s arm, “the Sword in the Stone is real?” 

“Excalibur was pulled from a stone by a child named Arthur, aye. He became the rightful King of Camelot.” 

Killian held Hope, much to her displeasure, against his left side. She’d howled like a fiend when they walked down the gangway over the water- I know, lovie, but you can’t run around here, it’s not safe- and had settled into a quiet discontent as she allowed her father to feed her bites of his red fruit pastry, eyes flashing as she watched Henry walk ahead of them. 

“Like Thor’s hammer?” 

“Huh?-” 

“Yes,” Henry answered, trotting ahead of them, his own breakfast, an apple hand pie, held loose at his side. 

“Stay close, lad,” Killian warned, Henry’s gaze wandering as they made their way through the small port. Alec holding Liam, cutlass strapped to his side while Fiona flitted from one shop to another, buying supplies to take back to the ship. 

Emma hummed, biting off a chunk of her breakfast and holding it out for Hope’s inspection. Her fingers were sticky from sugar and the skin of Killian’s throat had started to shine slightly with the sugary remnants of her meal. 

“We need to find something else for her to eat,” Emma said, voice low as Hope sucked on her fingers, happy for the moment with the treats her parents had found for her. “She’s going to crash hard if we don’t.” 

Killian nodded, a sugared out, hungry Hope was a fairly unpleasant creature, and he nodded towards the doorway of an inn- let’s try here. 

♥️♥️♥️

Read the rest here.

Tagging:

@elizabeethan @donteattheappleshook @sailtoafarawayland @teamhook @wefoundloveunderthelight @caught-in-the-filter @batana54 @ultraluckycatnd @veryverynotgood @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @jrob64 @kmomof4 @artistic-writer @gingerpolyglot @xarandomdreamx @justanother-unluckysoul @zaharadessert @xsjax @karlyfr13s @tiganasummertree @wyntereyez @klynn-stormz @onceratheart18 @rkrbirdgirl @ouatdaily @blowmiakisscolin @courtorderedcake @winterbaby89 @pirateprincessofpizza @superchocovian @deckerstarblanche @jlsadphoenix @alexa-fangirl-forever @stahlop @undercaffinatednightmare @lostintheskyfaraway @anmylica @motherkatereloyshipper @last-tsarina @lfh1226-linda @hookedmom @yikes-00 @midnightsuki @paradiselady19 @jonesfandomfanatic

[aprilqueen84]

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

A/N: Hello! This was a story I wrote for CS Secret Santa last year and I thought I would share it again for anyone who wanted to read a fluffy CS Christmas story. Shout out to @killianslefthook who was my giftee last year for the event and the recipient of this story! 

Tag List:  @hollyethecurious, @resident-of-storybrooke, @kmomof4, @jennjenn615, @pirateherokillian, @piinfeathers @enchanted-swans, @a-faekindagirl, @kymbersmith-90, @ekr032-blog-blog,

Emma blinked her eyes open as noises from downstairs drifted up into her and Killian’s bedroom. She sat up, and when she realized the bed was empty next to her, reached over to grab her phone from the bedside table. 7:30 am. Emma groaned, wondering what on earth her husband could be doing so early in the morning, and on a Saturday no less. Rising from the bed, she grabbed her robe and headed downstairs.

When Emma stepped off the stairs she found the reason for all the noise. Killian, Henry, and her father were in the living room struggling to keep a huge tree upright. “What are you three doing?!” she exclaimed.

Jumping at the sound of her voice, all three lost their grip on the tree and it went toppling to the floor. The room was silent as everyone stared at one another, until finally Killian broke the silence. “Emma! Darling! What are you doing up so early?

“I could ask you all the same thing. What exactly are you guys doing? And why is there a tree on my living room floor?” she asked in confusion while pointing at the floor. 

“It’s a Christmas tree!” Henry said excitedly.

Both Killian and David closed their eyes and let out deep sighs. “Henry,” Killian said in exasperation.

Henry winced as he looked over at his step-father and grandfather. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly.

Emma looked at them in bewilderment. “A Christmas tree. But we’ve never celebrated Christmas, we’ve never celebrated any holidays,” she said, then looking over at her father. “Do you even know about Christmas?” 

“Of course I know about Christmas,”  David said as he reached down with Killian’s help to lift the tree back up, and the two were able to set it against the side of the fireplace. “The whole town does.”

Emma blinked in shock, she wasn’t expecting that answer. “Then how come nobody has ever celebrated it or even mentioned it, for that matter?” she asked.

“Well during the first curse, Regina did put the knowledge of all the holidays in our heads but she never gave us the will to celebrate it, and then after the curse was broken there was crisis after crisis, curse after curse we never had time to relax let alone celebrate any holiday,” David explained. 

“Okay I get that, but why the sudden interest in it?” Emma inquired.

“It was my idea!” Henry chimed in, “A couple of weeks ago I realized what time of the year it was and went to talk to Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma about maybe celebrating. I thought that since the Black Fairy was defeated and the town has been quiet for once now it might be possible to,” he said hurriedly.

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but Killian spoke first. “Aye. Then the lad included me in the discussion and I must say love, when Henry explained to me what this ‘Christmas’ is all about. I was fascinated. I’m very much looking forward to celebrating.”

Emma regarded the three of them, taking in all that they had said. Christmas. She’d be lying if she said she’d ever had a memorable one. While some of the foster homes she lived in during the holiday tried to include her in the family's festivities, most didn’t even bother. And when she got older she never had a reason to celebrate the occasion because she was always alone. She begins to think how wonderful it would be to finally have a real Christmas with the people that she loved. 

 "Mom." Henry's voice broke her from her musings. "Are you alright?" he asked, slightly concerned about her silence.

"Of course I'm alright. I was just a little bit taken aback. I think it's a wonderful idea," Emma said, flashing him a bright smile. 

"Really?" Killian said, delightfully surprised.

“Yeah. I think it’s great. Only I do have a few questions,” Emma said.

“Sure, love. What do you want to know?” Killian said, making his way over to her side.

“Okay. First of all, why did you three keep this from me for weeks?” Emma asked 

“We wanted it to be a surprise, Emma,” David answered.

Emma laughed. “Well, it was. I’m surprised you were able to, especially since Mom knew about it,” she said good-naturally.

“Oh, believe me there were a lot of distractions going on behind the scenes,” David admitted with a laugh.

Emma chuckled at that. “I bet. But if this was going to be a surprise, what were you guys doing with the tree?”

“Well today is the day that Mom is going to tell the town about the plans, and we wanted to find the best tree before everyone else,” Henry explained.

So, that’s what the town hall meeting is about, Emma thought. When she saw the notice in the paper last week, she had asked her mom if she knew what the meeting was going to be about, but Snow had been vague and actually jumpy about the subject. Looking back that should have been a clue that something was up. 

“So, was I just not supposed to question why there was a tree in our living room?” she said teasingly while looking up at Killian.

Killian reached up to nervously scratch behind his ear. “Henry and I were going to tell you after breakfast, we were just seeing where it might look the best then put it away until after the announcement, but we didn’t expect…” he trailed off.

“You didn’t expect me to wake up so soon,” she finished softly for him. She was still amazed, even after all these years, married to her true love and for the first time truly content in her life, that this was all real. That she had a family who would do things like this for her. She felt an overwhelming surge of love wash over her and without thinking, leaned up and pressed a fierce kiss to Killian’s lips.

Killian let out a surprised grunt but recovered quickly, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer as they got lost in one another. It wasn’t until the sound of a loud cough that they remembered who else was in the room with them. Breaking apart they saw Henry and David standing there awkwardly trying not to look at the display of affection happening in front of them. 

“Sorry, mate. Henry,” he said to his father-in-law and step-son.

Henry just shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s nothing I haven't walked in on before.” He turned to David. “Be glad you don’t live with them, Grandpa.”

David looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here at the moment. “Well I should really be going,” he said as he made his way toward the front door.

“Dad. Come on, you don’t have to leave. Why don’t you stay for breakfast,” Emma suggested, trying to salvage the situation.

David shook his head. “No. Thank you. I’m sure your mother is wondering what’s taken me so long, and Neal will be waking up soon. I’ll see you all at the meeting later,” he said, then made a hasty exit.

Emma let out a deep sigh. Well that wasn’t how she foresaw the morning going. Turning back to Killian and Henry she said. “Breakfast?”

XX

After breakfast the three of them headed upstairs to get ready and then they were off to town hall. The air was cold on the walk there, and despite her heavy coat, scarf, and gloves Emma shivered against it. Noticing his wife's discomfort, Killian put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight against his side. Emma smiled up at him lovingly while wrapping her own arms around his middle. Neither noticed Henry rolling his eyes behind them.

When they reached town hall the place was starting to fill up fast. It seemed like everyone was interested in what the big announcement was about. Emma spotted her parents near the front of the room and headed over to them. They both greeted her with hugs, although she noticed that her father wouldn’t quite meet her eyes. Snow frowned at her husband’s and daughter’s interaction and was about to ask what was wrong, but at that moment Regina came out of a side door and walked up to the podium that was on the stage.

She greeted everyone and then went into a lengthy speech about how we’ve all been through so much these past few years and how now it was time to celebrate the good times. When she told everyone the news the room broke out into excited chatter. The meeting ended a short time later, with details about everything from which stores would be selling what, and where trees would be available.

When everyone made it outside, Snow couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. “Oh! I am so excited! Our first Christmas as a family. I’ve been making a list of all the things that we can do together, like making cookies, decorating our trees and houses, and going shopping, it’s going to be so magical,” she exclaimed.

Emma smiled at her mother’s exuberance. There was a time she would have balked at the idea of doing those things, but she was actually excited to do them with her family. “That sounds great Mom. I can’t wait,” she told her. 

Snow sent her a beaming smile. “Me too! Don’t you think all of this is wonderful, David? She asked, turning to her husband.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sounds great,” David said distractedly.

Snow frowned up at him. “What on earth is wrong with you? You’ve been really quiet all morning.”She then remembered the strange encounter between him and Emma before the meeting started. “Did something happen while you were at Emma and Killian’s?” she asked him, then looked over at her daughter and son-in-law.

The three adults in question stared at one another silently. Not sure how to explain the awkward situation from this morning. 

Henry, who had been quietly watching from the side, rolled his eyes at them. “Mom and Killian made out in front of him this morning,” he said nonchalantly.

Snow scoffed. “Really, David? That’s why you’ve been moping around? They're married. Get over it. Now it's freezing, let us give you all a ride home and we can talk about some plans for tomorrow." With that she turned and walked away, leaving a bewildered group behind.

The rest of the day was spent making plans about what stores they were going to go to first. Later that evening, Emma and Killian were in the living room curled on the couch in front of the fire. 

“Penny for your thoughts, love,” Killian said softly,” You’ve been awfully quiet.”

Emma made a soft noise of content from her place with her head on his chest. “It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about how happy I am, and how much I’m looking forward to finally having a real Christmas.”

Killian smiled. “Aye. Me, too, love. I’m honored that I get to experience this occasion with you,” he said, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

Emma lifted her head up to look at him. “I wouldn’t want to celebrate it with anyone else,” she whispered happily, rising up to kiss him passionately. The pair stayed there for a little while longer before heading up to bed, both excited for what’s to come.

The next day was another busy one. They woke up early hoping to beat the rush at the stores. While they were having breakfast Henry got a call from Regina, wanting him to come over and decorate the tree with her, so with the promises of pictures and updates he was off. When Emma and Killian arrived at Main Street, the town was already abuzz with activity. As they walked along the sidewalk it seemed like every store had switched from selling their usual fare to the more festive variety. They reached their destination and entered the shop, and it was like they had been transported into another magical world. The shelves were full of every single Christmas ornament, garland, and bauble you could think of, and boxes of lights of every color were stacked on the tables in the middle of the room.

“Wow! This is amazing!” Emma exclaimed.

“That it is, Swan. Where do we begin? Should we wait for your parents before we get started?” Killian asked, since before they left the house Snow called and said that she and David might be a little bit late and that they would meet them there.

“I don’t think they would mind if we get started. Why don’t we browse around and see what jumps out at us and go from there,” Emma suggested.

They spent the next little while going from shelf to shelf and table to table picking out the decorations that they like best. They stuck to the classic red, green, silver, and gold colored ornaments, and white colored lights for the tree, with garland and stocking for the fireplace. As they were picking out a few more knick knacks, Snow and David finally joined them, apologizing for being late, stating that baby Neal had been extra fussy this morning when they dropped him off with Granny. With assurances that it was alright the four of them spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for everything they might need. They parted with plans to come over to the farm tonight for dinner and then to decorate the tree as a family.

 As soon as they made it home Emma received a text from Henry saying that he was done helping Regina decorate and would be there soon. In the meantime, they started to unpack all of their purchases and get ready. “Okay, so first things first, putting the tree in the stand,” Emma said.

Together (after some trial and error), they finally got the tree in the stand and that’s when Henry came home. “Awesome! I didn’t miss anything,” he said joyfully.

"No, you're right on time. How did decorating with Regina go?" Emma asked, going over to greet her son with a hug.

"Great! Mom had a lot of stuff! I think she had first dibs on all the decorations," Henry said with a laugh.

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Emma said jokingly, pulling him toward where Killian was pulling the lights from the box. "Come on. Let's get to it."

"Aye, lad. Come help me with these blasted things," Killian said as he started to struggle with the string of lights.

It took no time at all for the three of them to decorate the inside of the house. The fireplace was draped with garland, bows, and lights with stockings, each with their initials on them, hanging down from it. The front foyer had some wreath and bow wall decorations, but the tree was the highlight of everything. It was beautiful with the colored ornaments and white lights they had bought.

Emma stepped back to look at the tree. “It’s beautiful,” she said in awe.

“It really is, but it’s missing one more thing,” Killian said, walking over to a bag that was sitting on the floor and pulling out a beautiful golden star. “”You want to do the honors, love?” he asked, holding it out to her.

Emma nodded eagerly as she walked over to him and gently took the star from his hand. With a little boost from Killian she placed the star in its place and the tree was complete.

“There. Now it’s perfect,” Killian said, wrapping his arms around Emma from behind and pulling her against his chest.

“It looks awesome,” Henry said, coming to stand beside his mother and step-father.

They stood there for a few minutes just enjoying the moment together before they began cleaning up all the bags and trash from the living room and then started getting ready for dinner at the Nolan farm. When they arrived, Snow greeted them before they even made it to the door. She gave them each a hug and started to immediately go into detail about everything she wanted to do and how exciting all of this was.

“Snow. Let them at least get into the house first before bombarding them,” David chuckled at his wife's antics from the doorway.

"Oh, hush you!" Snow responded good-naturedly to her husband as she walked by him and into the house followed by Killian and Henry.

"Hey, Dad," Emma said, greeting her father with a hug. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, gesturing toward the house where they could still hear Snow talking animatedly with Killian and Henry.

David smiled. "You bet. This is all I've ever wanted since we found each other after the curse, my family together and celebrating the times. Now come on, let's go save those two."

They entered the house to see Killian and Henry sitting on the couch with Snow sitting across from them on the love seat with baby Neal in her lap, still going over in detail about the evening ahead. The look on the two of their faces screamed 'help.'

"Everyone ready to eat?" David asked.

As they all sat down for dinner the conversation flew easily from subject to subject, Emma showed her mother pictures of the tree and the decorations at their house, David asked Henry how he was doing in school and before they knew it, dinner was over and everyone found their way back to the living room. While Emma and Killian went the classic route, David and Snow went rustic. Red and white colored ornaments, red bells, and fake pine cones adorned the tree, and a red ribbon was draped around it from top to bottom. As a final touch, instead of a star, a huge red bow sat atop the tree. After finishing the rest of the decorating it was getting late, and since tomorrow was Monday, Emma, Killian, and Henry decided it was time to head home. 

XXX

The next few weeks were filled with every Christmas activity Emma could think of. Everything from building snowmen in the front yard, decorating the outside of the their house (where Killian was adamant he could do on his own, except after a few scares with hanging the lights Emma put her foot down and finished them with her magic), to going to a tree lighting ceremony at the town plaza where there was hayrides and hot chocolate.  It was also where she introduced Killian to mistletoe, and let’s just say, he was a fan. 

There were also some stressful moments, too. Like trying to find the right presents for everyone. She knew that Christmas wasn’t necessarily just about presents, but she wanted to do this right. She had already got Henry and her parents their gifts, but she was having a hard time with finding Killian one. Nothing she had seen had jumped out at her, she knew that he'd love anything she got him, but Emma wanted it to be perfect.

It was three days before Christmas, and Emma was still searching for Killian’s gift. She had been into every store in town and still couldn’t find anything, and she was beginning to panic a little. Just when she was about to call it quits, something in the shop window that she was passing by caught her attention. She peered into the window, and what she saw made her eyes widen and she immediately knew that was Killian’s gift.

XXX

Christmas morning finally came, and Emma awoke with so much excitement. She rolled over in the bed of her parents' guest room with a contented sigh. Everyone had decided to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at the farm, then Henry would go to Regina's for the rest of the day and Emma and Killian would go home to enjoy some quiet time together. 

“Merry Christmas, love,” Killian whispered as he wrapped an arm around her stomach, pulling her close.

“Merry Christmas, babe,” she whispered back, turning her head to place a gentle kiss to his lips.

They stayed in bed a little while longer, until they heard noises coming from downstairs. Rising from the bed they both donned their robes and headed down the stairs, where they found Snow, David, and Henry already in the living room waiting for them.

“Well, it's about time you two finally decided to join us,” Snow said teasingly as they sat down on the couch.

“So what does everyone want to do first, breakfast or presents?” David asked.

They all decided to exchange gifts first. Everyone loved their gifts from one another, Emma loved her new boots Henry got her, a pair of earrings she had been eyeing from her mother, and from her father, a brand new coffee machine that makes everything from coffee to hot chocolate. When it was Killian’s turn to give her his gift he was visibly nervous. He handed her a rectangle sized box and she knew immediately that it was some type of jewelry. She looked over at him with a smile and unwrapped it, then lifted the lid of the box. What she saw took her breath away.

Sitting inside the box was a compass pendant necklace made of gold on a delicate chain. “Oh, Killian. It’s beautiful,” Emma said in awe.

“Look on the back,” Killian whispered.

Emma took the necklace out of the box and turned it over. Tears immediately filled her eyes, there on the back was an inscription, it read: “You are my compass, I’ll always come back to you,”

“I take it you like it?” Killian asked with a smile.

“Like it? I absolutely love it,” Emma exclaimed before capturing her husband's lips in a fierce kiss. “Help me put it on,” she said when they pulled away from each other. Emma held onto one end of the necklace and Killian the other, and together they placed it around her neck.

“Oh, Emma. It’s perfect,” Snow said.

Emma lifted her hand to touch the newly placed piece of jewelry. “I know,” she said, still gazing at Killian lovingly. Suddenly, she remembered her gift to him. “Oh!” she called out, then rose from the couch and picked up a medium sized wrapped box from the pile. “My turn,’ she said, handing him the box.

Killian smiled at her then immediately tore into the wrapping paper and lifted the lid of the box. Inside was an antique leather case with a buckle in the front. He took the case out of the box and carefully unbuckled it then slid it’s contents out. “Swan,” he said in disbelief. Sitting in his hand was a beautiful, golden, antique compass. “This is magnificent.”

“Look on the back,” Emma said, repeating his words back to him.

Killian froze when he saw what was on the back of the compass. There, in an elegant script, was an engraving that said: “I’ll always be your compass.  Forever Yours, Emma.”

“Great minds think alike, huh?” Emma whispered.

“It's…” Killian laughed, completely at a loss for words.

Emma reached over and covered his hand with hers. “I know,” with that no other words were necessary. 

When all the gifts were exchanged and breakfast was eaten, it was time for the Swan-Jones clan to head out to take Henry to Regina’s. After dropping their son off, Emma and Killian made it home and spent the rest of the afternoon together. That night, cuddling on the couch with only the lights from the Christmas tree, they revelled in the amazing day they had.

“Did you enjoy the day, love,” Killian asked as he sipped on the spiked hot chocolate his Swan had made for him.

“I did. It was an absolutely perfect day,” Emma said happily, sipping on her own hot chocolate. ”but…”  

“But what, love?” Killian asked curiously.

“As much as I loved today and everything that went with it, it doesn’t hold a candle to this right here,” she said, gesturing to surroundings.

“I know what you mean, love. Everything I could ever want is right here in this room. I could never have asked for a more precious gift than having you for my wife, and spending my life with you,” Killian confessed.

“I love you,” Emma said passionately.

“And I love you, forever and always,” Killian said just as passionately, sealing their love with a kiss.

[caught-in-the-filter]

Care to share with the class a few fic ideas you might be working on or considering??

Heehee Yes, professor.

There’s the mirror magic fic, in which Princess Emma watches Captain Hook through her mirror, until she happens to see more than she bargained for. A little bit of emotional plot, a lottle bit of voyeurism, and a little less than 4000 words solely of Emma’s first time. 😉

There’s the angel!Killian/demon!Emma fic I decided to save for CSSNS that still has a long way to go. It’s pretty much kinda-blasphemous pwp, (being written by a former-ish? church girl with a complicated relationship to religion rn, a whole lot of untended hormones, an enabling Discord, and a few references I know I probably shouldn’t twist like this but can’t help letting Killian say/do them.)

@donteattheappleshook has sent me a prompt for some S2 Hook smut because he’s quote “PEAK hotness” (which is true). I’m toying with the idea that he and Emma might find themselves in an unexpected position in the Jolly, involving a certain gif she shared on Discord. 😉 (Tbh I don’t remember which scenes in my mind were S2 and which were S3 anymore, so it probably won’t have a specific spot to fit in canon. They just... have to be on the Jolly for... some reason, so that they’re stuck in the same space. Lol (They may be relocated if I find a better setting.))

@justanother-unluckysoul sent me three potential prompts for some rougher CS smut, all of which I’ve decided to use but combined into one fic. Faltering restraint, a certain request, and a slip of the tongue, all mean this one might be turning into a bit of impromptu Captain Hook roleplay. 😉😏

And last but certainly not least, a lovely anon sent a prompt for Emma to be watching Killian working outside on a particularly hot day. I haven’t started this one yet since she’s watching him in the mirror fic as well and I haven’t yet decided where to take this one exactly, but it is a very nice prompt worth its salt. (Get it? Because he’s sweaty. Nvm.)

So I apparently have five things going on—four WIPs right now and one idea waiting to become a WIP. The prompt fics were intended to be mini, but, we’ll see how that goes.

Five things, all of them smutty, I have no idea who I am anymore, but it’s gonna be fun.

[secretlyamess]

Hi

I found you...

She found a way out of this place...

I know I said I'd keep my distance

Found you when your heart was broke

One time for the saints and the sinners...

Send me a "hi" and I'll write you a poem using the first lines from five songs from my shuffled playlist!

[wistfulcynic]

Soft Asks: 4, 18 & 29 pretty please 😁

Thank you, love! 

4. what flower would you like to be given?

My favourite flower is poppies, which look best in a field so I wouldn’t really want anyone to pick me one. But if someone went for a walk in early spring and came back with a few sprigs of lilac for me I would melt into a puddle at their feet. 

18. do you still love stuffed animals?

Yes! Probably more than I did as a child, tbh. My husband won’t let me buy any more. 

29. morning, afternoon or night?

Night. I am 100% owl. 

-

 SEND ME A SOFT ASK

[doodlelolly0910]

I can't unfollow you! Where would I get my a/b/o fixes???

I'm like the back alley of CS Tumblr haha

You guys wanna try some Omegaverse? :D

[tehgreeneyes]

Awww! Happy Birthday! I hope it's fabulous! 🎉🎁🎂🍨🎉🎂🎁🍨🎉

Thank you! It was, with a lot of food, drinks and presents. I think I’m gonna sleep for days. :D

[snowbellewells]

🏡🍬🤡 for th Autumnal Asks, please!

Oooh, thank you for the asks @hollyethecurious !! I was excited to see some autumn ones, so here goes with my answers… 😊

🏡- Some features of my ideal dream house, huh? Believe it or not, I have put quite a lot of thought into this. I’ve always envisioned an older two-story house in the country, with yard for dogs to run. (Dogs would be a must if I lived where they had room to play!) I am really partial to the pale yellow with white trim/shutters, and I’d love a wraparound porch or a screened in porch either one. Ideally, it would be near a pond or lake so I could sit and look out on the water too. (If it had fun little gables and turrets too, all the better!)

🍬- My all-time favorite candy is probably Cadbury Cream Eggs. I love their icing/frosting centers mostly (seriously, if there were a non-messy way to eat just the middles I would be all about it!) Since you can really only enjoy those around Easter though, I am also really fond of Reese’s Pieces and 5th Avenue candy bars.

🤡- The dumbest way I have ever been hurt or injured?!? You’re just trying to force me to make myself look ridiculous now, aren’t you? 😜 Okay, I’m a huge klutz, and also plenty goofy and awkward, so there are a fair number of possibilities, probably one of the most embarrassing and wild ones though would be in elementary school, when I laughed so hard at a joke that I brought my head down toward the desk too hard, and hit my front tooth hard enough to chip it off, baring the nerve and making everything go from funny to really painful in a flash.

The runner-up is likely when I took an elementary physical education course in college. (Why did I do this? 🤷🏼‍♀️Excellent question! I have no business ever teaching anything which requires coordination!) Anyway, we were learning to use those tinickling sticks (you knock them on the floor in a rhythm while people jump on and out and around them). Anyway, I tried it, landed on the stick instead of the floor, fell, and sprained my ankle. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[kmomof4]

Rocky Horror Halloween CS Spooky Season/ Autumnal Bingo

Here is my second offering for the CS Spooky Season/ Autumnal Bingo Challenge!!! And yes, I'm x-ing out 2 squares on my card with this one, Rocky Horror and Couples Costumes.

Many thanks to @hollyethecurious for coming up with the idea and making the bingo cards, and for settling the grammar argument between me and my beta @jrob64 , even if I lost said argument. Joni also deserves my humble thanks for betaing a fic centered around a movie she's never seen. Thank you both so much ladies!!! Love you both bunches!!!

As you can see above, I now have artwork to add to the fic thanks to the talents of @motherkatereloyshipper !!! I hesitated to ask her for this manip of Snowing to put in the picset because honestly, I thought it would look very weird, but she did it and it looks SO GREAT!!! So please join me in giving her all the love!!!

Summary: Emma and her boyfriend Killian are dragged by their friends to their college's Halloween tradition, a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Rating: T

On ao3 if you prefer.

Words: Approx 1000

Tags: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Halloween Fic, Spooky Season Bingo

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @the-darkdragonfly @jennjenn615

@donteattheappleshook @undercaffinatednightmare @pirateherokillian @cocohook38 @qualitycoffeethings

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @superchocovian @motherkatereloyshipper @snowbellewells  @djlbg

@lfh1226-linda @xarandomdreamx @tiganasummertree @bluewildcatfanatic @anmylica

@laianely @resident-of-storybrooke @exhaustedpirate @gingerchangeling @caught-in-the-filter

@ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @captainswan-kellie

@soniccat @beckettj @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @thisonesatellite

@jonesfandomfanatic @elfiola @zaharadessert @ilovemesomekillianjones @mie779

@kymbersmith-90 @suwya @veryverynotgoodwrites @myfearless-love 

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

Prompt: Rocky Horror/Couples Costumes

“I cannot believe I let you talk me, us, into this,” Emma grumbled.

“Oh, come on, Emma,” Ruby cajoled, holding on to her boyfriend Victor’s arm as they navigated themselves through the field just outside of their small town. It was littered with blankets and lawn chairs for the Halloween screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

While the families of Storybrooke were trick or treating around the neighborhoods and small businesses of downtown, the small private college sponsored their own Halloween event more suited to the young people who lived at the campus.

“It’ll be fun,” Ruby continued. “Killian has never heard of Rocky Horror, so as his girlfriend, it’s your duty to educate him about it!”

“How can I educate him when I’ve never seen it?” she asked indignantly.

“Exactly,” Ruby answered.

“I’ve got much better things to do with my time than to sit through this completely nonsensical excuse of a Halloween film,” Emma groused.

“As long as I’m spending the evening with you, lass, I’m content,” Killian whispered in her ear, waggling his eyebrows and making her giggle. 

“I’ve heard things about this movie over the years,” she replied lowly, so Ruby and the others wouldn’t overhear. “And it’s… somethin’...” The equal parts chagrined and dubious look on her face made Killian wonder exactly what she’d gotten them into.

The group finally found an open space in the field, big enough for their blanket and all the lawn chairs they’d brought with them. They got settled and had just pulled out the dinner provided for them by Ruby’s grandmother, when the MC of the evening got up on the stage.

“Welcome to Storybrooke University’s annual Halloween showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show!” Regina Mills, the president of the Student Government Association announced. While Regina was a great leader of the SGA, a good actress she was not, and Emma had trouble containing her smirk at the obvious distaste her friend had for the yearly event that she had no choice but to continue.

“There are a few ground rules that you should know about,” she continued, as several members of the audience booed, Ruby included. Regina shot their friend an annoyed glare, and then continued with her spiel. “We at the SGA and the faculty of Storybrooke U encourage everyone to have a good time tonight, singing and dancing to the songs and enjoying whatever refreshments you’ve brought for the show. However, if anyone gets too loud and disruptive during the showing, you will be asked to leave. If any couples get too hot and heavy during certain scenes, disturbing the people around you, you’ll be asked to take it inside.” 

That brought a round of hoots and hollers from the audience and made Emma wonder if she and her sexy boyfriend might be able to exploit that rule to get out of sitting through the whole movie. The smirk and raised eyebrow on Killian’s face told her that he knew what she was thinking and was wholly in agreement.

“Karaoke mics are over here to my right,” Regina continued, “but to participate on stage, you must be in costume. At the end of the show, costumes and karaoke performances will be judged, with the winner - or winners, in the case of couples - receiving this magnificent trophy, as well as getting free admission to the football game Saturday and $100 in free concessions.” 

Cheers broke out from the crowd around them, with Ruby declaring that David and Mary Margaret, dressed up as Brad and Janet, were sure to win. Their costumes were exact replicas of the characters - all the way to Brad’s glasses and plaid bow tie, and Janet’s white hat on top of her red, shoulder length curly hair. Plus, they’d been practicing “Dammit, Janet” for weeks. Ruby and Victor were also dressed up, but Ruby went for a sexy Janet costume while Victor was dressed up as Rocky. 

“Everyone enjoy the show!” 

Regina finally left the stage and joined their group, cuddling up with her boyfriend Robin next to Emma and Killian. As the movie got started, their group dug into their meals, while David and Mary Margaret hurried to the stage for their song. Emma was thoroughly impressed with how into it they both got. They cavorted across the stage, copying the blocking on the screen and when David got down on one knee, his voice going up into falsetto, Emma and Killian both howled with laughter.

When it was time for the “Time Warp”, their friends coaxed Regina, Emma, and Killian to participate, and once it was over, Emma had to admit, it was rather fun. Ruby and Victor got on stage for “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me” and Emma snuck a glance at Killian to see him looking at her instead of what their friends were getting up to on the stage. Thankfully, the song was over before Regina had to go up there and get them to stop.

Once the movie was over, and the judging was complete, Emma had to admit to having fun at the seasonal event.

“See?” Ruby asked, elbowing her in the side as they packed up. “I told you you’d have fun.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Emma conceded. “But I stand by my statement at the beginning that this was a stupid Halloween movie.”

“Next year,” David began, holding up the trophy he and Mary Margaret won.

“Next year,” Emma interrupted, “Killian and I will do our own thing.”

“And so will Robin and I,” Regina agreed.

“Since you made it all the way through the movie,” Ruby replied, “we’ll grant you clemency next year.”

Killian rolled his eyes at Ruby’s concession. “Your mercy is appreciated, lass.”

He turned to Emma and waggled his eyebrows. “The night is still young, Swan. What say you come back to my place for a nightcap? The movie gave me a few ideas.”

A grin spread across her lips as she grabbed his collar and pulled him to her for a passionate kiss. The whoops and hollers from their friends were hardly noticeable with their heavy, panting breaths when they finally separated.

“Lead the way, Jones,” she whispered.

“As you wish.”

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing! I'd love to hear what you think!! Only one more fic for a bingo, and it'll be very short and sweet, so keep an eye out for it later tonight!!

[snowbellewells]

@hollyethecurious Ooooh, I like that a LOT!!! 😏

📓

Thank you, darling!!

So, we have a lot of these signs throughout my state:

And after passing one last weekend, I shared this fact on Discord with the premise of Emma being the Hitchhiker. I also shared the idea with my husband whose response was, "Plot twist... The guy who picks her up is also an escaped inmate and is in a stolen car."

This prompted the plot bunnies to assemble, so I've got Killian picking up hitchhiking Emma, both of them recent escapees from prison. When Emma finds out she has once again found herself in the charming company of a no good crook in a stolen car, she tells Killian about Neal and how she landed in jail in the first place. Fate (and my muse) being what it is, turns out Killian was also nabbed during a double cross by the very same man, so now they have a common enemy and a common goal... Exact revenge on the man who betrayed them.

Send me a 📖 and I'll share a plot idea I have.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

The Girls’ Trip Fairy Tale Ending

Summary:  This is my combined birthday gift for Joni ( @jrob64 ), Marta ( @snowbellewells ) and Krystal ( @kmomof4 ).  Happy birthday ladies! Four fandom friends are nearing the end of their annual girls’ trip when they’re suddenly visited by Isaac, the author before Henry.  He gives them an each a gift--an opportunity to jump into any scene in the storybook they want and fix it.  Large focus on CS, although other characters and relationships will be explored.  A big shoutout to @hollyethecurious and @winterbaby89 for betaing!

Word Count: 1123

Other Chapters: (2) (3) (4)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 1

“Does anyone remember what we used those puzzle pieces for in the escape room?” Krystal asked, looking up from her laptop at the kitchen table of the Pigeon Forge cabin.

“It had something to do with that map of France, didn’t it?” Joni answered from one end of the couch.

From the other side of the couch, Jen looked up from her laptop where she was busy editing.  “Yeah, it led us to that big map on the wall I think.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Krystal said, going back to her typing.

Across the room, Marta sat in the armchair, trying futilely to keep her eyes open.

It was the last day of their second annual girls’ trip, during which they’d crammed as much into the first three days as was physically possible.  This last day had been more relaxed.  They’d spent the entire day writing what was turning out to be an epically long fictionalized version of their adventures.

Now, it was closing in on midnight, and though they were all tired, no one was quite ready to call it a night.  After all, tomorrow morning they had to check out of the cabin and head back home.

For long moments all that could be heard was the clacking of laptop keys as Krystal finished writing her scene while Jen and Joni continued with their editing.

Marta lost her battle with the sandman, and her hands relaxed after which her laptop clattered to the floor.

“You can go to bed if you want,” Joni said.

Marta shook her head. “I don’t want to miss out on anything.”

Jen grimaced.  “At this point, I think all you’d be missing out on is the loud music our neighbors seem to be intent on blasting. An hour and a half past the noise ordinance.”  As though to emphasize her point, there was a loud cheer from the neighboring cabin followed by even louder music.

Marta chuckled but shook her head again.  “I don’t know what it is, but I just have this feeling, if I went to bed now, I’d be missing something.  Something big.”

No sooner had she stopped speaking than there was a crackling, fizzing sound and a formless puff of grayish smoke in the center of the living room.  When it cleared, the ladies found themselves face to face with none other than the smirking face of Isaac, the author before Henry.

For a moment no one spoke, mouths hanging open, brains trying to catch up to the fact that the impossible had just happened to them.

Finally, Jen spoke. “Seriously?  Of all the OUAT characters who could have visited us on our girls’ trip, it had to be you?”

“Could be worse,” Krystal said.  “It could have been Neal.”  She spat the name as though it was the foulest of curse words.

“Might as well be,” Joni pointed out.  “After all, the author is the one who made Neal the way he is.”

Isaac rolled his eyes.  “Everyone’s a critic.  Look, is anyone actually interested in what I’m here for, or do you just want to sit around criticizing my life’s work?”

“I’m interested,” Marta said, raising a hand.

Meanwhile, Joni mumbled “Why can’t we do both?” under her breath.

Isaac rolled his eyes dramatically once again.  “So here’s the deal.  Every writer emits a…for lack of a better word…energy, and fanfiction writers are no exception.  When someone works with an author’s original source material, that author can feel the energy.  Normally, I feel nothing but a ripple, but you, ladies, have been working together ALL DAY on your story, and to keep it brief, I felt a tidal wave.”

“Sorry?” Jen said.

“You fanfiction writers!” Isaac continued to rant as though she hadn’t spoken. “Always so critical of little things like plot holes and timelines and character development.  Always so sure you can do my job better than I can.  Well, I’m sick of it!  It’s high time I put you all in your place.”

“By… monologing us to death?” Joni deadpanned.

“No,” Isaac said, glaring at her, “by letting you try it if you think you’re so smart.”

Four confused looks met him.

Isaac reached into the messenger bag he had slung over his shoulder and pulled out what appeared to be a copy of the storybook.  “I’m giving each of you an opportunity to dive into the story at one key moment you would like to change.  You get to interact with the characters, tell them whatever you want, lead them in whatever direction you want.  Hell, you can even make one of them fall in love with you if you want.”

“But… won’t that change the whole trajectory of the story?” Jen asked.

“It may,” Isaac said, “but that’s the whole point.  If you change one thing, you’ll see the ripple effect–and just how difficult it truly is to do my job.  Don’t worry, though, once you return, all will be returned to the way it should be as though you’d never been there.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Krystal said, “you’re letting us, what, jump into the book and interact with our faves?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Isaac said with a nod.

Krystal’s excited shriek echoed through the entire cabin.

“Sorry to be a bother,” Marta piped up, “but… won’t it require a lot of explanation to the characters why random women just happened to show up in their lives?”

“Ah, exposition,” Isaac nodded sagely, “the scourge of writers everywhere.  Don’t worry, I’m trying to get all of that out of the way in this first chapter of your adventure.  For the purposes of this exercise, all the characters know you and believe you have been a part of their story from the beginning.  No need to pull attention from the narrative to explain your presence.”

“But how does that work?” Jen asked.

“Because…” Isaac sputtered, “because….magic, okay?”

For several moments there was excited murmuring among the ladies as they discussed the relative merits of various scenes they’d like to “fix”

Finally Krystal addressed Isaac once again.  “We’ve only got one more question: How do we get there?”

“That’s where this comes in,” Isaac said, tapping the storybook. “Think of the scene you’re interested in visiting, step up to the book, and in you go.  So who’s first?”

“I know exactly where and when I want to go,” Joni said, getting to her feet and stepping up to the author. “Let’s get this fix-it underway!”

The book fluttered open, the pages flipping until they rested on a drawing of the beanstalk.  Joni placed her hand on the drawing, and suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and then she was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

--When I was thinking about what I wanted to do for @jrob64, @snowbellewells, and @kmomof4​ for their birthdays this year, I thought about our girls’ trip to Pigeon Forge in late May.  We wrote our favorite characters into our trip, essentially, so I thought, what if I write us into their story?  So I asked each of them this question (without explaining the context): If you could go to one scene from OUAT and fix it, which scene would it be?  In order to avoid arousing suspicion, I started the ball rolling by giving my own answer to the question.  What follows will be the results of their answers!  I find any kind of writing involving IRL people as characters to be very difficult, so hopefully this works!

--This first chapter, of course, is basically just a set up chapter containing, as Isaac warned, quite a bit of necessary exposition--but hopefully, as he suggested, most of that will be out of the way now!  Just as a point of general interest, This chapter was nearly word for word what happened to us on our last night at the cabin--well, up until Isaac showing up at least, lol.  The photo I used is the living room of our cabin...where this story starts.

--Up next on August 3rd, we start with Joni’s story!  What if Joni convinced Emma that she really wasn’t wrong about Hook and she could trust him?

                                                                                NEXT CHAPTER-->

[the-darkdragonfly]

NEW CHAPTER!!

Tempest: A Captain Duckling Tale, Chapter 7

a HUGE thank you to @elizabeethan for cleaning this up, and to @donteattheappleshook for listening to me whine about this chapter for.... 3 months 😯

I know it's short, but I wanted to post it and the muse has been highly uncooperative these days...

♥️♥️♥️

“You could help, you know,” Emma groused as she pushed William back onto the crewman’s bunk he had been using for past last month, his stubborn refusal to take her room from her as they shrugged down the narrow hallways and navigated a steep staircase feeling less and less chivalrous as he hung limply between her and Killian.

Bloody stubborn bastard- the captain hissed, shoulder bumping into the doorframe as they finally navigated him through the door to Killian’s quarters- oi, be careful! I was mortally injured- and deposited him on the narrow bunk. 

Emma instructed him to take off his shirt -don't be smug about it, Scarlet- while she busied herself at the basin, hands shaking now that the danger was behind them for the moment. But the skin beneath the blood soaked, ruined shirt was clean and unmarred, whatever magic lay inside her soul hummed and throbbed, as if searching for an outlet, a way to save everyone. 

“Here, lad.” Killian bumped his flask into Will’s bare shoulder, mouth twisted into a grim smirk while he tried in vain to hide the fear which had overtaken his heart before the magic which resided inside of Emma had saved the boy who was so much a son to him. 

Magic. 

Killian grimaced, distrust of magic carved deep into his very soul. But her magic was different. It was good. 

Just who are you, Swan?- he asked her again, in awe and under his breath as she rung out William’s blood red shirt in the light of the lantern he had lit in the cabin. The water was near scalding, Smee having brought it directly from the galley as soon as they had brought Scarlet through the door. 

She had looked stricken for a moment, face slack in fear before recalibrating, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth- I told you she was a proper pirate, dinna I?- eyes glowing with some kind of far off secret as she answered him the same way once more- wouldn’t you like to know?- a game between them, tentative but real. 

“Perhaps I would,” the light of the lantern hid her face in half shadow, but he wanted nothing more than to know her. 

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[aprilqueen84]

OUAT Asks: 2, 11 & 17

2.) Do you have a favorite season?

Season 3 because we started to get the beginning's of Captain Swan!

11.) Mad Hatter or Frankenstein

17.) What lesson did I take from the show?

That there is always hope. That no matter how down and hopeless things get there is always Hope!