#for their-seafaring-ways

[anmylica]

Like Slow Spinning Redemption Chapter Six: Epilogue

Tagging the Usual Crew: @kmomof4 @snowbellewells @sotangledupinit @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @tiganasummertree @whimsicallyenchantedrose @deckerstarblanche @their-seafaring-ways

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Killian stood there by the edge of the water until the rowboat got out of sight and the water receded back into liquid fire.  Though he would miss Liam terribly, he knew that he would one day see him again.  It wasn’t Killian’s time to move on.  Not without Emma by his side.

After the scene retreated, he left the cavern and made his way as quickly as he could back to the mansion where he had last seen his lover.  He couldn’t go any longer without resolving their disagreement.  She had come down here just to save him and bring him home.  The least he could do was make that easier for her.  Besides, he didn’t really want to be without her, anyway.  Not if it mean having to leave her behind.

Sprinting faster once the mansion came into view, he hoped she hadn’t left yet.  He bounded up the stairs and into the house.  He tore through the rooms, stopping short when he finally found her in a sitting room, looking frustrated and vexed.  

Upon hearing someone come in, she turned and faced him, her eyes widening upon seeing him there.  

“There you are!” she exclaimed.  “Where the hell have you been?”  Her voice sounded breathless, as if she had been running laps around the mansion.  “First you and Liam left, then Henry ran off somewhere.”  She waved a hand to indicate her lack of knowledge at where her son had gotten off to.  “I’ve been looking everywhere around this place for you guys.”

Killian stood still for a moment, drinking in the sight of her, no matter how annoyed with him she looked.  He couldn’t believe he had almost given up a life with her for moving on with Liam.  He meant no offense to his brother, but Emma was far easier on the eyes than Liam could ever hope to be.  He felt just as off kilter at seeing her now as he did when he saw her for the first time in the Enchanted Forest.  He couldn’t believe she had came to the Underworld for him.

She shook her head slightly and shrugged, obviously waiting for an answer.  

Killian smiled slightly and looked down at the floor.  He said, choosing not to answer her question and instead looking her in the eye briefly before looking away, “I'm sorry, Emma. You were right about Liam.”  He watched as her eyes widened at his words.  “He destroyed those pages because of a deal he made with Hades years ago... A deal that almost got us thrown into that boiling sea.”

“So that’s where you were?” Emma asked, concerned.  “Are you okay? Where is he?”

Killian nodded to indicate that he was fine before continuing. “He, uh, sacrificed himself, but his sacrifice helped a crew we once sailed with. They finally moved on, thanks to him.”

“Did he move on, too?”  Emma took a step closer to him, a step that he mirrored to her.

“He did... but he helped me see the truth before he went.”  Killian smiled and gazed into Emma’s eyes as hard as he had that day in this very manse when he had thought Emma would give up her magic, when he feared that she would be sucked into that damn hat.  He watched as her face brightened at the meaning of his words when he continued, “I'm glad you came down here, Emma. Perhaps I do deserve saving after all.”

Emma brightened and smiled softly.  She stepped closer, and Killian saw the visible joy in her features as she absorbed what he had said, and heated what he didn’t say.  She wouldn’t be his Swan if she didn’t push just a little bit more, though, if she didn’t make sure what he meant.

“Does that mean, when this is all over, you're planning to come home?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

“Yes,” Killian breathed, beaming at her, which prompted her widened smile in return.  “Everything Liam did was to ensure that I had a future, and I damn well intend to have one.”

In a move reminiscent of their first kiss, though with the roles reversed, he grabbed her arm in his hand and used his hook to guide her hips as he tugged her into his arms.  He kissed her fiercely as he hadn’t allowed himself to since he had been reunited with her, not wanting to give into his need for her love, her closeness, after having nearly killed her family as a Dark One.  He had been afraid that she couldn’t forgive him, couldn’t let go of his betrayal (which had been so much worse than hers to him), but she had proved him wrong as always.

Emma kissed him back as fiercely as she had in Neverland, and it sparked in him an even larger inferno of heat, love, and desire than he had started with.  He didn’t know how he could have ever contemplated letting this go.  He had won her heart, as sure as he had claimed in Neverland, and he knew he wouldn’t give it up without a fight.  Let Hades try and separate them again.  Killian would make damn sure that the god never succeeded.  

They slowly broke apart, their lips barely separated from the other’s as they rested their foreheads together, breathing heavily from the attraction that always buzzed just beneath the surface.

“I love you,” Emma said softly, and Killian’s smile widened at finally hearing he words given freely from the love of his life.

“I love you, too,” he replied, kissing her softly once more.

Of course, their sojourn to the Underworld did not go as planned.  Though he had never, in his wildest dreams, thought that Emma would end up being his True Love (a failed attempt at a True Love’s Kiss tended to take away one’s belief in that), let alone that they would be vetted by the gods in a way that none of the other true love couples they knew had been, they had not been able to succeed in returning him to life.  Neither the heart-split nor the ambrosia had been able to work, and they had once again been separated.  

Killian had truly thought this was the end of their story.  As Zeus had stood before him, he had tried to make peace with the fact that his doing as Emma requested would mean that he would never get to see her again.  His heart ached at the thought, but a promise was a promise, and he didn’t want to break his last to her.  He hoped that she could continue to go on and eventually find love again, to be happy for the rest of her life as she deserved.

So it was a great surprise when he opened his eyes and saw that he was in the lushly green, damp, rainy cemetery that Storybrooke boasted, his True Love just in front of him, her golden hair pulled back into a ponytail and damp from the rain.  Their reunion was one borne of the desperation of never thinking they’d see each other again, a great relief washing over them as their hearts were returned to the place where they were meant to be: side by side.

Their trials weren’t finished, though.  Not by a long shot.  Emma still had to go through the final battle and learn the price that all saviors paid.  They got through all of those trials the same way they had gotten through the previous ones: together.  Finally, their story ended with a wedding and a life shared in the house that he had chosen for them all.  Eventually Henry left to seek out his own story, but his departure came with the arrival of a little girl, and Killian’s heart was so full he thought it impossible that it hadn’t yet burst with love for his family.  His home.

He hardly spared a thought for the happenings with his brother in the Underworld.

That wasn’t the case for Emma, though.

Once Emma was back in Storybrooke and her family was again safe with Killian counted firmly among their ranks, her life was much the same as it had always been: dealing with crisis after crisis. Due to the chaos with the Evil Queen and then Gideon and the Black Fairy, she hadn’t been able to come to terms much with how she felt about Liam’s abrupt goodbye and his subsequent moving on, as much as Killian tried to assure her that Liam fully acknowledged how wrong he had been. Every time she thought back to her last conversation with Liam, she felt vaguely dissatisfied, or maybe let down, that their last interaction had been so negative.

She regretted leaving things with Killian’s brother the way she did, even if it hadn’t been because of her doings.

Killian had told her about what happened after he was dragged off with Liam by their old crew. He told her about how they wanted to send him and his brother both into the boiling sea because of Liam’s choices that resulted in their deaths. He told her how he tried to change their minds, to encourage them not to pursue vengeance, but he had failed, and because of that failure, Silver had been condemned to living with the reality of his thirst for retribution for all eternity. He told her of how Liam finally decided to make things right and accept his fate, that his hand in their deaths had earned him an eternity paying for his crimes. He told her that that was what had enabled Liam and the rest of his old crew to move on into the next stage of their afterlife.

He had told her his last farewell to Liam, and how they had finally gotten the closure they both had desired for so long. 

Emma was happy that Killian had gotten that opportunity, that he had gotten to say goodbye to his brother after Liam had been so tragically torn away from him before. It seemed to have healed some part of him that was torn apart and suffering. He was different, changed in some fundamental way. Perhaps he was more settled in who he was and who he had been?  

Whatever it was, Emma was glad for it. But she still felt dissatisfied with how things had ended between her and Liam.

She had been to Archie about it, and he believed that it was a reaction to wanting Liam’s approval and not getting it directly from the source. She wanted to be accepted by her love’s family, but she hadn’t exactly gotten that.  Archie had tried to work through the issue with her, and she was definitely in a better place than she had been during their misadventures in the Underworld, but she still felt the way she did about the whole thing.  She had resigned herself to never getting any kind of closure from Killian’s older brother, and for the most part, she had come to accept that.

Only now, she and Killian were married and talking about expanding their family. And she realized that, even though she hadn’t needed that last conversation with the man who had been half the reason her husband became the man he was, she still would have liked to have had it with Liam. Not being able to directly make peace with the man who had long since been able to move on was one of the things Emma regretted about the whole sojourn to the Underworld.

After an evening spent with her two True Loves, she climbed into bed, exhausted from another day of typical sheriff's duties and feeling vaguely nauseous like shehad for the last couple of weeks. Her head hit the pillow and it was as if she had pricked her finger on a spinning wheel, she was asleep so fast. Her husband’s warm form was cuddled around her as it was every evening, and she had never felt so safe and content. 

Her dreams that night were nondescript in the sense that, if she dreamed of anything prior to this experience, she didn’t recall it. She floated through the stages of sleep much like always, but before long her dreams shifted.

She was on a raft in the middle of the ocean, floating along and staring up at the night sky.  It was a vast ocean of stars, each one so bright and close that she felt as if she could reach out and touch one.  The constellations were strange to her, but familiar at the same time; they were the ones visible from the Enchanted Forest.  Emma looked around her, taking note of her clothes (she was clothed in her pajamas from earlier with her hair pulled back into a ponytail), and noticed the emptiness around her.  Emma was alone in the raft, which had shifted into a sort-of dinghy in the time it took her to notice what it was she was floating upon, but she didn’t feel afraid.  She felt at peace.

After an immeasurable amount of time passed, she felt the need to paddle.  Emma was, by nature, a person who had always been on the move, so to be stationary while floating wasn’t a desired state for her. So Emma grabbed the oars and began to row her dinghy along, feeling the sudden need to get to a destination, though she couldn’t have said which.  After rowing for just a few strokes, she saw a beautiful tall ship appear as if out of nowhere, and she hastened to get to the side where she knew the ladder lay. Once there, she clambered aboard, not worrying about the dinghy, for it had seemed to disappear once she had climbed on the ladder.

There was no one on deck for the night watch, a fact which, under normal circumstances would have concerned her (for how many times had Killian extolled the virtues of having a good night watch aboard a ship?), but for now just made her smile at how she had the whole deck to herself.  She glanced up at the night sky, which seemed to glow with an unearthly happiness due to the amount of stars, and she smiled.  The sails flapped welcomingly in the wind, rattling the many ropes and pulleys and lines in a way that reminded Emma of all her time spent aboard the Jolly Roger.  Her heart seemed to sing a magical song, reaching a crescendo at the thought of her husband, that the sky responded to with a brightening of the starlight.

`

“I was hoping you would come aboard, lass,” came a voice just behind her.

Emma didn’t startle, for she knew this voice and was glad of its timbre.  She turned and observed the man to whom it belonged.  “Hello, Liam.”

Liam was dressed in a naval captain’s uniform (Emma assumed that this was similar to what he would have worn during his time of service to the immoral king he had first served under, and she had the sudden desire to see what Killian had looked like in his Lieutenant’s uniform).  The colors he wore were light blue and white, though Emma didn’t know what the significance of those colors were.  His hair was shorn at the same length as it had been when Emma had last seen him in the Underworld; in fact, he looked like he hadn’t changed a bit since their last meeting.

Liam smiled.  “Hello, Emma.  It’s lovely to see you again.”

“Is this your new ship?” She gestured to their surroundings.  Liam nodded his head without moving his gaze away from hers.

“Indeed.  Zeus saw fit to show me favor in the after life.  She’s a fine vessel, finer even than the Jewel of the Realm.  The crew I sailed with as an indentured servant has consented to sail along with me, and I couldn’t have a finer crew.”

Emma nodded.  “I’m glad for you.  I’m glad that you found peace.”

Liam looked at his feet a moment before looking back up at her.  “It’s all thanks to you that I have this.”

Emma tilted her head, considering him for a moment.  “I think you would have gotten there, eventually.”

Liam chuckled.  “No, I wouldn’t have.  I was too stubborn to admit that I had committed a wrong, that I had strayed, myself, from the hero’s path that I so desperately wanted Killian to follow.  He strayed from that path because of my choices and mistakes, but he returned to it because of you.  He convinced me to forgive myself because of you.  He convinced the rest of my crew to forgive me because of you.”

Emma shook her head.  “It wasn’t me; it was Killian all along.  I just gave him a reason to be the man he always wanted to be.”

Liam shook his head and gazed at her fondly.  “You still don’t see the effect you have on people, do you?”

Emma’s response was just to look at him quizzically, and Liam laughed.

“You saved my happy ending, Savior,” he simply said instead of enlightening her.  “But ask Killian about the effect you have; he’ll know what I mean.”

Emma nodded. “Will do.”

“I seriously misjudged you,” Liam said after a moment’s hesitation.  “I projected my own pain and failures onto you, and for that I am truly sorry.  Can you ever forgive me for my transgressions, milady?”

Emma smiled.  “I can, and I do, Captain Jones.  I understand wanting to protect Killian at all costs.”

Liam nodded.  “I’m glad to know you do.  I hated the thought of you harboring any ill-will towards me.  I can sail the rest of my days knowing that all is right between us.”

The sun peaked its rays just over the horizon, illuminating the world in its light.  Emma blinked, dazzled for a moment, and turned to watch the sunrise.  

“Unfortunately, that means our time is nearly done.  Good luck to you Emma.  And to Killian as well.  I know you both have been considering having another child to add to your family.”

Emma turned to Liam, shocked.  “How did you know?”

Liam smiled.  “I have my ways,” he responded mysteriously.

Emma smiled, choosing not to comment, instead replying, “Maybe sooner than we think.  I don’t know for sure, though.”

Liam grinned broadly.  “Give my brother my love, and take care of him for me.”

“Always do.”

Liam took her hand in his and raised it to his mouth to press a kiss to its back.  “Thank you, Emma.  For everything.  The next time I see you, I hope to greet you and my brother aboard my ship after you both have led long, fulfilling lives.”

Emma smiled.  “I look forward to that day as well.”

The light shone brighter, and Emma raised her hand to shield her eyes.  When she removed her hand, she was lying in her bed, her husband’s arms wrapped around her, with the sun shining brightly through the window onto her face.  It was still early in the morning.  She smiled at the memory of her dream, her heart finally at rest knowing that she finally did have the approval of Liam Jones, even if it wasn’t real.  Rolling over in her husband’s embrace, she nuzzled against him, resulting in a half moan half growl from him, and she giggled.  

She looked up to see Killian’s ocean blue eyes staring back at her, darkened and heavy from sleep and the desire that always simmered between them no matter how long they had been together.  She pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his chest, and he pulled her in tighter to him.

“Minx,” he murmured as he nuzzled her neck and nibbled her ear.  

She ran her hand through his hair.  “Tell me about this ‘effect’ I apparently have.”

Killian’s brow furrowed in confusion at what she was talking about, but he didn’t comment as he pressed another kiss down her neck and pulled her in closer to him.  “Well, your effect on me goes a little something like this.”

They spent their morning together embraced in the heat of their love, thoroughly enjoying living their happy beginning, and Killian made sure to breathe the words in her ear every chance he got about the effect she had on others.  Though it wasn’t the ending Liam had wanted for him and his brother, the fact was the ending they both got was so much better than what they had always planned.

[roxanedrawing]

the difference a background will make for the atmosphere of a drawing!

(I made these for the cover of a publication – the full colour version was on the front cover, the simple line version was a small vignette for the back cover.)

[happyk44]

thinking about this very hypothetical child of Neptune (who I am definitely not thinking about writing a fic around) and she'll have to be a girl because of the established pattern (if you don't understand, just think about it for a min) and thinking about how she could turn fresh water into salt water with just a touch, and how she'd speak with an almost monotone, until she's really really fucking angry and then the cadence of her voice pitches and twists like the thrashing of the waves, and how her eyes would be almost as dark as Nico's, a dark blue-gray of storm clouds, an always clear threat, and how she'd be able to blend in easily with other people, appearing sweet almost, with a subtle air of danger around her that people ignore until it's too late, and how she'd rip the blood from someone's veins without batting an eye, and how she'd stand behind Percy encouraging him to let go, to give into the violent nature of the ocean in their blood, to cave to the riptide, to stop fighting and let everyone else drown.

If they wanted to reach the surface, maybe they should've swam harder.

[thevelaryons]

Marilda’s name doesn’t just mean ‘emerald’ but also ‘famed battle maid’, which appears to be a reference to the valkyries from Norse mythology. The valkyries carried out the duty of guiding fallen heroes into the afterlife, to the realm of the gods (the Æsir). Really puts into perspective Marilda transporting Corlys’ body on her ship called Mermaid’s Kiss, out to his ship the Sea Snake, and then having him buried in the Narrow Sea (domain of the god known as the Merling King).

[waywardsalt]

for some reason i only recently realized another fun aspect of bellum x linebeck, that being at its core it’s kind of like what if a sea captain fell in love with the kraken and vice versa

[hjbender]

As seen on an offsite character quote generator:

That's too bad, Officer Purity, 'cause that's exactly what I'm going to use it for now.

[acgames]

Another little blabber about Rogue, but I absolutely love seafaring mechanics.

God damn I will love playing Black Flag in the future...

[bestial4ngel]

This song is so Izzy / edizzy to me :(

[bloomfish]

to be fair i was thinking about pirates or something before i saw this but i honest to god thought this was about boats. i'm cured

[mythvoiced]

@swansofmisery | Calypso

---

How often can he walk along the endless shore of this island before the sand will swallow him whole and the pebbles within will pierce and gauge his eyes out?

How often can he hope that might happen?

Staring out at the ocean has become a habit transcended from a hobby, as if having a hobby in the situation he's in is even something he could consider having. The ocean doesn't function as a sight to behold, the sand isn't something to stretch his toes in, the distance from the immortal's abode isn't gained on a whim or casually, these are all the actions of a man trapped, not one at ease enough to want to find ways to busy himself.

A caged animal pacing the length and width of his cage, nothing less.

When Odysseus doesn't have the beach to explore or the plans to make or the gods to hope for or his mistakes to bemoan or his family to miss, he only has... her.

And whatever she demands of him.

"Goddess," if only he can hope to never call her by name. He turns a piece of wood he'd found between his fingers. It was hardly more than a twig from her lush vegetation, but he finds tranquillity in having something to toy with, something to hold when he speaks to her, so that his hands may always remain busy.

So nothing may be asked of them.

He tilts his head to one side and offers a brittle smile.

"Come to accompany me on my walks, I gather?"

[anmylica]

Like Slow Spinning Redemption

Chapter Two

@their-seafaring-ways Here is part 2 for your reading pleasure!

Read on AO3

Tagging the Usual Crew: @kmomof4 @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @snowbellewells @sotangledupinit @tiganasummertree Want to be added? Ask me!

Liam accompanied them to meet up at the loft with the others in Emma’s group.  He was quickly introduced to everyone, and he was a little taken aback at first that Emma’s parents were the same age as her (of course, they told him that that was only due to a Dark Curse, but still, it’s very strange).  He crowded around the kitchen counter with the others as David brought a wooden chest out and set it on the counter in front of his wife, Mary Margaret (or was it Snow White?  Liam was uncertain which moniker he needed to call her).  

Emma’s mother looked at Liam, noticing his confusion, and explained, “In the world above this is where I found the Storybook.  So…” she left off and lifted the lid, beginning her search by rifling through its contents, but coming up empty handed.  Crestfallen, she muttered a soft, “Sorry,” to the group.

Regina (or the Evil Queen?) frowned.  “Are we really surprised?” She asked the group rhetorically, continuing, “That book is the embodiment of hope, and there's not a lot of that here in the Underworld.”

“Let’s keep looking,” Emma’s father, David (was that his curse name or real name?), suggested, and they all began to go through everything in the apartment.  Emma wandered upstairs, and Liam, seeing an opportunity to address her privately, followed her.  Liam reached the top to see what looked to be a second bedroom, where Emma was opening drawers and storage cabinets, searching fruitlessly for the book.  When she had to pause her search because one was stuck, he decided that that was as good a time as any and popped around the corner.

“Emma, can we talk,” he asked.

Emma sighed and smirked.  “Is this like a protective big brother talk where you want to make sure I’m good enough for Killian?” She turned to him, seemingly both annoyed and pleased at the notion that he would want to feel her out as any other older brother would.  The notion just annoyed him.  How could she not see how negative an influence she was on his brother?  She was the one who had caused his death!

Liam’s reply was a little sharp due to his annoyance.  “Eh, no, because I already know you’re not good enough.”

Whatever it was that Emma had been expecting, it was clear to Liam that his response wasn’t it.  Her face looked shocked, as if the thought that he wouldn’t like or approve of her for his brother never crossed her mind.

“What?” She asked, taken aback by Liam’s outright refusal to give her the time of day.  Liam resolved that this was as much as she would get from him.

“Killian blames himself for ending up here, but he told me what happened.  Sounds to me like it’s not his fault.  It’s yours.”  Liam frowned at her, curious to see what explanation she could have that might possibly change his mind.  Perhaps if she acknowledged that her mistakes led to his brother’s death, she might move up in his esteem.

Due to his train of thought, her next statement shocked him.

“I think we both made mistakes,” Emma said slowly, as if seeming to hedge on whether she needed to outright state the horrible things Killian had done to her in retaliation for her turning him into the Dark One in an obviously misguided attempt at saving his life.  But Liam was no fool; he knew that Killian would not have made the mistakes he made if he hadn’t been put in the position of being the Dark One in the first place.  And her reply outraged him.  She was supposed to grovel for his forgiveness, not try to rationalize her actions as if it were some sort of lover’s spat that both were responsible for starting!

“You fed him to the wolves.  You led him down a dark path that he had no business going down!” Liam vehemently replied. 

“I’m trying to help him get back on the path of the light.  That’s the whole reason I’m down here!” Emma retorted.

“No, you don’t get it, Emma Swan.  My brother has struggled with the darkness his whole life.  He’s always been tempted by it; I watched him struggle constantly with it growing up.  He’s always wanted to be a hero, but he’s never been able to escape the darkness pulling him in.  It’s just how it is for him.  But for you to come into his life and pull him in like an addict picking up a fix after months of not touching the addiction… You pushed him off the bloody cliff!” 

Emma’s face took on an outraged expression.  “I was trying to save his life!”

Liam responded quickly in a sharp tone, “And it was a bloody selfish thing to do.  He had the chance to die a hero, to move on, and you took it from him!”

Emma took a deep breath to calm down before replying.  “That’s not fair.  I’m down here risking everything to save him.”

Liam shook his head, frustrated that she couldn’t see how right he was.  “And is that really what he needs… or what you need?  It’s just wrong, what you did, and I can’t forgive you for it.” He scowled at her.  “You shouldn’t have come down here.  You need to just let him find out what his unfinished business is and let him move on.  You’re no good for him.”

Emma tried not to let his words get to her, but she couldn’t help it.  Her temper flared as she responded, “I actually don’t think you get it at all.  I’m not down here on some selfish, I-can’t-let-go-of-him-because-all-that’s-matters-is-what-I-want mission!  I’m here because he sacrificed himself to rid the whole world of the Darkness, the very thing that you claim has always called to him, and it was all for nothing!  Rumplestiltskin is still the Dark One, the Darkness is still very much a part of my world, and Killian is down here in the Underworld for it!” Emma shouted.  “If he had no unfinished business, if his story was truly done, then he wouldn’t be here.  He would have already moved on, not be stuck here in limbo.  Whatever darkness you believe your brother is capable of isn’t true.  His story isn’t over.  His hero’s journey isn’t over!  In fact, from what I know of him it’s just getting started!”

“I think I know my brother better than you,” Liam replied tersely after a moment of tense silence.

“No, you don’t.  You died, Liam,” Emma stated baldly, moving a step closer to him to illustrate her point.  “You weren’t there to see him turn to piracy after your wrongful death.  You weren’t there when his first love’s heart was crushed in front of him and she died in his arms.  And you damn sure haven’t been there since I met him and he decided he wanted to work towards becoming the man he always wanted to be.  No, Liam Jones, you don’t know your brother half as well as you think.  If you did, you’d see that he is not the villain you’ve only heard about.”  

“I don’t think my brother is a villain,” Liam snarled out.

“Obviously you do if you think he has no capability of being a hero whatsoever, which it’s clear to me that you believe.  He is the most heroic, noble, and decent human being I know.  Whatever stories you’ve heard about Captain Hook are not indicative of who Killian Jones is at the core of him.  He’s been through so much loss and heartache, and in spite of all of that, he’s done more good and helped more people than you will ever know.”

“I know what I’ve experienced, and my brother’s darkness is just as much a part of him, and he should be allowed to move on into the afterlife as a hero,” Liam stubbornly reiterated.

Emma rolled her eyes.  “Were you this self-righteous when you were alive?”

“When it came to my brother, yes.  If he defeats Hades today, he’ll forgive himself and he’ll have another chance to move on as a hero.  When that happens, stop thinking about your own desires and let him go.”  Liam looked over the railing to the downstairs area to where Killian was rummaging through things trying to find the book.  Killian was all that mattered.  Emma Swan’s attempts at meddling in affairs she had no business in meddling with had no bearing on what was best for Killian.

“And if he forgives himself, he can come home, where he belongs,” Emma stubbornly shot back.  “He can continue living his hero’s journey and do even more good for the world.”

With that, Emma stalked off to continue searching through the rest of the loft for the copy of the Underworld version of the book of fairy tales.  She didn’t think she could stand a moment longer in Killian’s brother’s self-righteous presence.  

Liam, meanwhile, turned and stalked off in the opposite direction, fed up with Emma’s I-know-better-than-you attitude.  How his brother could stand to be in a relationship with her sanctimonious beliefs was beyond his level of comprehension.  He could see why Killian was attracted to her physically; with her blonde hair and bright green eyes, she was a beautiful woman, though Liam was a bit surprised that Killian had decided on her, as he had always known his brother to prefer brunettes. No, it wasn’t her beauty that was so off-putting; it was her personality that grated on his nerves.  He didn’t need some know-it-all woman coming between him and his brother.

But what was it that got under his skin so much? Was it the way she looked at Killian, as if he were the epitome of nobility, or was it the way she seemed to see right through Liam’s carefully constructed image of heroism? Nope, that was definitely not the reason why he disliked her so much. Her green eyes narrowing in offense and suspicion absolutely did not make him want to confront his actions all those centuries ago. He wasn’t going to lose his brother’s respect because of her. What did she know about what Killian needed anyway?  

He descended the stairs quickly, going to search another area while their altercation circled on repeat in his mind. Emma must have followed him down, because he heard Killian ask her, “You all right?” 

He watched Emma approach his brother out of the corner of his eye. 

“Yeah. Fine,” she responded, obviously lying. Liam was impressed for a moment by how she didn’t immediately run to Killian to tattle on him. He’d have figured she would have been quick to run to his brother and cry on his shoulder about Liam’s horrible treatment of her. “Let’s keep looking,” she said as she walked towards Killian, who watched her with concern in his eyes.

Before Killian could respond to Emma’s blatant denial of her emotions, the door swung open, revealing Emma’s son, Henry. “Hey,” he said as he entered, but stopped short as he looked at all of them ransacking the apartment. “What’s going on?”

Mary Margaret walked swiftly past Henry, replying gibly, “Oh, just looking for the Storybook. You know: Underworld edition.” She resumed her search in another area of the apartment.

“Really?” Henry’s eyes lit up. “Well, I think I might know where it is!”

David stopped his search and looked curiously at his grandson. “And how would you know that?”

Henry turned to David and said, “The Apprentice. I saw him at…” Henry broke off for a moment, clearly trying to think of an alibi for where he had been that he wasn’t supposed to be. “At Granny’s,” he continued. “He said the Sorcerer's mansion is down here and there’s a bunch of his stuff inside, like the Storybook.”

Regina sighed and looked up to the ceiling. “Finally, some good news.”

Henry winced. “Well, sort of? The house is locked with magic, and the sheriff has the key.”

Killian chuckled. “Your evil twin is the sheriff?” He asked David. “Oh, Hades has panache, I’ll give him that.”

David sighed and nodded. “Well, it’s time for my brother and me to have an overdue chat.”

Mary Margaret squared her shoulders and prepared her things to go with them. “Well, you won’t be alone. I still owe him a punch in his pretty mouth for kissing me.”

David scowled. “He kissed you?!” he exclaimed, turning to give Killian an outraged look, which Killian returned. It struck Liam as odd that David, who was Emma’s father and well within his rights to not approve of Killian dating his daughter, would turn to Killian for solidarity and support for his anger. It seemed like a gesture that brothers would share, and it rattled Liam to see that kind of interaction between his little brother and another man.

Mary Margaret cut a short, irritated replay. “Thought it was you.”  She headed briskly towards the door, David’s eyes one her the entire time. Once she exited the apartment, David looked back at Killian again before he grabbed his jacket and proceeded after his wife. “Let’s go.”

Liam turned to Killian and stopped him before he could head after David and Mary Margaret.  “In the meanwhile, we should all go about our usual business. Hades has eyes everywhere. We can’t have him learning what we’re up to.”  

Killian nodded his head once. “Fine plan. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he learns a valuable lesson… one should never mess with the brothers Jones.” Killian clapped Liam and on his shoulders and smiled at him encouragingly before moving to open the door for Emma, who had grabbed her coat and hat in the moment it took them to decide on the plan.  She left through the door, closely followed by Henry and Regina. 

Liam smiled briefly at his little brother before following them down out of the apartment. He really hoped that Killian could do what he planned because he really wanted him to be able to move on.  His brother deserved to have his hero moment and proceed to the rest of his afterlife without any emotional baggage weighing him down.  Liam couldn’t help but glance at the blonde hovering just behind Killian as he pondered over the situation.

He hadn’t realized how much he had missed his brother being around until Killian was suddenly there.  There had been a hole in Liam’s life, and it’s only now that he was realizing just how large that hole had been.  He had hoped that Killian would have had a long life before his death, perhaps have a family of his own, but now that Killian was there Liam didn’t want to lose him.  He didn’t want Emma Swan to be able to change his brother’s mind about trying to return back to life.  It didn’t just have to do with wanting his brother to try and be a hero (though it hadn’t always looked as if Killian had the ability to be one); he didn’t want him to find a way back to life because he was tired of being without his family.

He didn’t think it was selfish to want his brother to remain here with him.  It wasn’t like his brother could go anywhere; Killian was dead.  Though Liam wouldn’t have wanted Killian to die to be able to join him, now that he was here, Liam didn’t think it was too much to ask to have his family stick with him.  Killian’s confidence in their ability to wreak havoc on Hades had struck a chord in Liam that was reminiscent of their days in the navy, but so much had changed since then.

Liam shook his head and tried to stop thoughts of wanting to keep Killian with him from taking over.  He hurried back to the bar, desperate for the semblance of normality before they opened.  He wasn’t working the evening shift tonight, but he had a lot of preparation to do to get the tavern ready for the evening.

Once he got back to The Rabbit Hole, he worked as quickly as he could to restock bottles of beer and sodas, fill the ice machines, and wipe the surfaces down.  He was working on washing and drying various glassware when Hades strolled in as if he owned the place.

“Wow.  Even for the Underworld, it is dead in here.”  Hades casually looked over the place, for what Liam didn’t know.

Liam placed the wine glass that he had been drying down on the counter.  “Can I help you?,” he asked.  “I can make you anything.”

Hades sat at a bar stool just in front of Liam but to his right slightly.  “That’s okay.  I can help myself.”  He waved his hand in a circular motion and produced two glasses of Scotch.  “This Scotch is a few centuries old.  I think it’s aged quite well.  The key is to store it underground.”  He waved his hand at the glass nearest Liam, and the glass slid down the bar close enough for Liam to grab.  “Here. Try some.”

Liam took the glass and raised it to his lips, sipping minutely at the beverage.  Liam, as a general rule, didn’t imbibe much alcohol.  It went against his code of good form.  He had seen too many sailors (including his brother) succumb to its ills to want to imbue much, but one didn’t refuse Hades in his own realm.  Liam made a hum of appreciation; though he didn’t drink much alcohol, it was pretty good Scotch.

“It’s good, right?” Hades smiled after taking his own sip.  “See, I’m… I’m not such a bad guy.”

Liam’s heart dropped, but he carefully schooled his facial expression so as to not give anything away.  Hades knows, he thought bleakly.

“But here you are,” Hades continued, “trying to stage some kind of a…. What’s that quaint nautical term you keep using?  A…” Hades snapped his fingers.  “That’s right… mutiny.”

Liam blinked.  “So, you found us out.”  

“Well, like you said, I have eyes everywhere.  What I don’t have is that Storybook.”

Liam frowned.  “And what do you want from me?”

Hades shrugged and took another sip.  “Not much.  I don’t even really care about that book, except for a few select pages… the ones about me.  So, find the book and destroy them.”

Liam crossed his arms.  “Do it yourself.”

Hades huffed a soft, dangerous laugh.  “Well I would, but it’s the Sorcerer’s house.  Light magic doesn’t agree with me, so I kind of need you to do it.”  

“Why me?” Liam asked.

“Because you owe me,” Hades replied.  “I’m the one that guaranteed your and your brother’s lives in that storm, after all.”

Liam thought for a moment.  “And if I refuse?”

“I’ll tell your brother the thing you never could, the reason you’re really down here.”

Liam stared at Hades.

“Yes, I’ll tell him that you traded the lives of the crew of the Hispaniola for your and your brother’s life and the Eye of the Storm.  I’ll tell him that the lives lost were worth nothing more to you than a magical rock.”

Liam looked down at the counter.  “You wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I?  Tell me, why do you think you’re down here?  You’re stuck here because you can’t admit what you did.  You can’t acknowledge the role you played in those men’s deaths.  And you certainly can’t admit it to your brother.  How likely do you think it would be that he would choose to stay here with you when he finds out what you’ve done?  When he hears that his hero wasn’t as heroic as he once thought?  You’d surely lose him to Emma Swan and her fruitless attempts at resurrecting him.  Do you really want to test me on this?”

Liam took a deep breath.  He knew Hades was right, as much as he hated to admit it.  He certainly didn’t want to lose his brother after everything they had gone through to reunite.  He couldn’t have cared less about Emma Swan’s so-called mission; he resented the woman for her role in Killian’s death and her insipid insistence that Killian forgive himself and go home when there was no way to return to the living.  He made up his mind.

“How do I do it?” Liam asked, and Hades gave a smirk.

“Just take the pages and destroy them.  Find a body of water and throw them in it; they’ll make their way to me.”

Liam furrowed his brow in confusion.  

Hades got up and leaned in close to Liam and whispered, “All bodies of water flow through my throne room.”  He drew back and turned to leave.  “I’ll expect them later this evening,” Hades announced before disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving Liam to contemplate his mission.

[crepegosette]

Since you have Nyo OCs, would it be alright to ask what are your thoughts and feelings on Nyotalia overall?

I have mixed feelings Nyotalia; on other hand, I kinda like how they're different from their original counterparts. I appreciate that they have their own identity, not just straight up "X as a man/woman." On other hand, it feels like they were created solely for fanservice and nothing more.

Imo I feel it can be used to explore character concepts that weren't explored in the original, or even different facets of the country they're representing (ex: I like the idea of Amy representing the "strength" of the US while Alfred represents diplomacy. Its true that those sides can overlap, but one suits the other side better) I kinda try to keep that in mind making my own nyos, (Normal Brazil represents our vibrant, energetic side, while Nyo!Brazil represents our "chill" side, how we don't want beef with anyone) It can be a good way to use traits that weren't picked up in the creation of the original character.

[charaznablunt]

PSA for Whale Weekly readers: you just read the beginning of the book, not the second chapter!

I've noticed some confusion where people seem to believe that the Front Matter and Excerpts, which got sent out in the latest Whale Weekly, comes after Chapter 1: Loomings. It's the other way around as originally published! Whale Weekly has swapped these two parts of the book around, for understandable aesthetic reasons, but it's different from every other copy of Moby Dick you'll find.

I saw someone saying that they loved how the book was "stepping aside from the narrative", and I was like ... no no no. The time for that is not yet. Believe me, that will come soon. But the front matter is just that! The book doesn't actually start with the famous line, and I think that's cool and interesting in its own right.

[legendary-alliance-stance]

back on the topic of how aware viktor and archemorus have been of what’s happened while they’re dead….

i keep thinking about how they must have reacted upon first finding out what happened to their homes due to the jade wind. how fucking awful it must have been for them to learn the destruction that was wrought upon their homes and people.

i don’t think it would make them regret killing shiro… but it would hurt, knowing that them killing shiro resulted in that

[questionable-doctor]

final attacks! normally i would post them all separately but these are intertwined... brothers in arms...

[aggravatedanarchy]

Favorite mode of transportation?

Honestly, I've only ever walked and been driven places before (cars and buses, but like, school buses- not public transport. I think you have to call people about that here if it's something you need/want.) In theory, it's trains though. I just think they're neat and I would probably enjoy myself on one.

OH WAIT. I have been on boats before- like, small ones. I get kinda nervous on them though. And seasick, depending on stuff. So trains still take the lead.