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greensparty · 4 months ago

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My Concert History: Foo Fighters UPDATED

Periodically I do a rundown of my concert history of seeing a particular artist. In 2018, I did my concert history of Foo Fighters, but since then I actually need to update the list. Timing couldn't be better with their show at Fenway Park tomorrow, which I'll be at...and have to update this list again! Here now is the update concert history since that 2018 history was published:

- WBCN River Rave 6/8/1997 @ Great Woods (Mansfield, MA)

I didn’t catch any of Foo Fighters’ shows in 1995-96, but I wasn’t going to miss out when The Colour and the Shape was released. Taylor Hawkins had just joined the band, and it was a few months before Pat Smear left the band. The WBCN River Rave also featured Matthew Sweet, Morphine, Fiona Apple, Porno for Pyros, Primus, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Moby just to name a few. Their set was mostly the songs off the first 2 albums. One of the highlights of the festival!

- HMV Records 11/1/1999 @ HMV (New York, NY)

Me meeting Dave Grohl at their HMV in-store

Chris Shiflett had just joined the band. When There is Nothing Left to Lose was released, they did promotional blitz in NYC that included an in-store appearance at HMV. My ex-GF and I traveled down from MA to NYC for this. The band performed for about 40 min. mostly off the new album. Then the band signed copies of the new album and I got to meet them (read all about it here).

- WBCN Xmas Rave 12/1/1999 @ Orpheum Theater (Boston, MA)

Only a month after I got to meet the band, I saw them at the WBCN Xmas Rave, which also featured At the Drive-In and Ben Harper. They played about 13 songs, mostly hits and new album. Great show!

- 4/2/2000 @ Mullins Center (Amherst, MA)

They co-headlined a tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers (my first time seeing RHCP) with opening act Muse. Drove out to UMass Amherst to see this show. It was really cool to see the Foo Fighters in a much bigger venue, a preview of some of the arenas I’d see them in later. RHCP drummer Chad Smith came out and joined them on a second drum kit for “My Hero”.

- 7/3/2003 @ Hammerstein Ballroom (New York, NY)

Even though the band in retrospect isn’t a fan of their 2002 album One By One, its one of my favorites. Promoting the album, the band played 2 shows at Hammerstein with openers My Morning Jacket and Pete Yorn. They did quite a bit of the One By One album and during “Everlong”, a fan apparently proposed during that song!?!

- Fuse TV Special 6/14/2005 @ Fuse TV studios (New York, NY)

Technically this is not a concert I saw, but I’ll explain why it made the list. I was working at the music video cable TV channel Fuse in 2005 just as the double album In Your Honor had been released. The band was doing a promotional blitz in NYC and stopped by Fuse to do a live performance 7th Avenue Drop show. I tried to go down to see them, but even as an employee and knowing so many people, I wasn’t able to go to the studio due to the capacity limit. But my friend who was working there, managed to get Dave Grohl’s guitar pick for me! Hence it being listed here even though it wasn't an official show I saw.

- 10/14/2005 @ Continental Airlines Arena (Rutherford, NJ)

My girlfriend (who became my wife) and two friends made the trek to NJ to see this co-headlining tour with Weezer and opening act Hot Hot Heat. This was a fantastic show, but the big highlight of the night was when they brought out special guest Roger Taylor of Queen, who played drums on the cover of “Tie Your Mother Down”, which Taylor Hawkins sang on. So much for “Never Meet Your Idols”!

- 8/21/2006 @ Beacon Theater (New York, NY)

In 2006 they went on an intimate acoustic tour of theaters. I went to the Beacon Theater show with Frank Black (of The Pixies) opening. Further musicians they brought on this tour included Rami Jaffee (who became an official member in 2017), Petra Haden, Drew Hester and returning Foo Fighter Pat Smear, who officially returned as a member in 2010. It was almost like an episode of Storytellers as Dave Grohl talked about some of the songs and their meaning. Very special show!

- 2/19/2008 @ Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)

After the release of Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, the band began playing much larger venues. At this MSG show, Serj Tankian (of System of a Down) and Against Me! opened. Some of the additional musicians who played the 2006 acoustic tour came out for an acoustic section of the show that included the very first Triangle solo in MSG history from their percussionist.

- 11/13/2011 @ Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)

By the time of 2011′s album Wasting Light, Pat Smear was back as an official band member. For their NYC show at MSG, the openers were The Joy Formidable and Social Distortion. They brought out a few special guests: Bob Mould of Husker Du played on “Dear Rosemary” and “Breakdown” (the Tom Petty song); and Joan Jett came out and did her song “Bad Reputation” with the band. The band also did Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh”.

- 7/19/2015 @ Fenway Park (Boston, MA)

Obligatory concert selfie of me and my friend Tim with Foo Fighters behind us!

After the 2014 album and HBO series Sonic Highways, I hoped Boston would be an upcoming episode / recording. While on tour to promote the album, just a few weeks earlier, Dave Grohl broke his leg onstage, so for the remainder of the tour he performed on a throne. Even if he was sitting the whole time, it was one hell of a show (read my concert review here). Openers were Royal Blood and Dropkick Murphys. Highlights of the show included Grohl’s surgeon Dr. Lew Schon, who came out and sang The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” with the band; a brief cover of The Cars’ “Let’s Go”; a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”, and Godsmack’s Sully Erna joining for Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”.

7/21/2018 @ Fenway Park (Boston, MA)

my friend Ron, Wally the Green Monster and me at Fenway Park

Taylor Hawkins onstage with Foo Fighters

My second time seeing them at Fenway Park, but this show was very special because I won a contest and got tickets to the show and got to stay at the nearby Verb Hotel and also earlier in the weekend I got to see Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett doing a solo show at City Winery. I wish I could have this experience more often to get to see a musician in a small intimate setting and then see them rock out in a stadium with a band (read my concert review here). My buddy Ron came up and we had a great time! Openers included Boston's The Monsieurs (who I interviewed earlier in the month) and UK's The Struts. Highlights of this show included a cover of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" with Taylor Hawkins singing along with The Struts singer Luke Spiller, the band doing a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" musically while singing Van Halen's "Jump" along with producer Greg Kurstin on piano, and Grohl's daughter Violet (12 at the time) on back-up vocals. Looking back it was one of the best Taylor Hawkins' performances as he also did a drum solo.

Boston Calling 5/23/2023 @ Harvard Athletic Complex (Boston, MA)

Foo Fighters on stage

me in my happy place: watching Foo Fighters

I attended Day of the 2023 Boston Calling festival (read my review here). Foo Fighters' headlined that night of the festival. This was a little over a year after the passing of Taylor Hawkins and only a week after they announced new drummer Josh Freese. Much of this show was about the band breaking in Josh but remembering Taylor. They paid tribute to Taylor with Dave singing “Cold Day in the Sun” (which Taylor sang) and to my surprise they performed “Aurora” because it was Taylor’s favorite Foo Fighter song (I haven’t seen them do that song live since 2003). For “Shame, Shame”, Dave introduced his 17 year-old daughter Violet. The highlight of the night (that got national attention from numerous news and music outlets) was Taylor’s 17 year-old son Shane guest drumming on “This is a Call”.

Me just hanging out with Mr. Chris Shiflett in 2018

In addition to all of these shows I recounted, I also saw Dave Grohl with Them Crooked Vultures in 2009, Taylor Hawkins with the Coattail Riders in 2006 and 2010, and Chris Shiflett in 2018.

After I see tomorrow's show I'll have to update this concert history!

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chokeme0ut · 2 years ago

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studio 666 has no business having gore that good, all that doritos money sure went to good use

#also greg nole dave grohl i see what you did there #foo fighters #dave grohl #taylor hawkins #pat smear #studio 666 #nate mendel #chris shiflett #rami jaffee

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thejewishguyscompetiton · 2 years ago

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The Jewish Guys of All Time!

It's time to meet the competitors, as they have been selected! Polls probably won't be up till after next week as I have finals next week. Reminder that the competitors were selected based on nominations and they can be canonical, headcanon, or coded! Only 2-3 at most from a source and I decided to take some lesser known or talked about ones in the nominations! So now that thats all out of the way!!!

If you have any propaganda for this competition please tag this blog in it and/or use the tag #jewishguyscomp2023

Welcome the contestants!

Barney Guttman (Dead End Paranormal Park)

Cecil Gershwin Palmer (Welcome to Nightvale)

Peter B. Parker (Spiderverse)

Spock (Star Trek)

Moon Knight (Marvel)

Magneto (Marvel)

Benjamin Grimm (Marvel)

Billy Kaplan (Marvel)

Adam Birkholz (Omg Check Please!)

Alter Rosen (The City Beautiful)

Annie Edison (Community)

Isabella Garcia-Shapiro (Phineas and Ferb)

Grunkle Stan (Gravity Falls)

Jake Peralta (Brooklyn 99)

Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)

Launchpad (Ducktales 2017)

Ragman (Rory Regan) (DC)

Nati (Srugim)

Nadia Vulvokov (Russian Doll)

Yanki (HaSodot)

Avram (The Frisco Kid)

Herschel (Wholly Moses)

Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs)

Coyote Bergstein (Grace and Frankie)

Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski)

Eli Moskovitz (Cobra Kai)

Nick Ganz (Mighty Ducks Game Changers)

Worf (Star Trek)

Artie Nielsen (Warehouse 13)

Booster Gold (DC)

Brucie Kibbutz (Grand Theft Auto IV)

Buddy Sorrell (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

The Baudelaires (ASOUE)

Lemony Snicket (ASOUE)

Mabel and Dipper (Gravity Falls)

Harley Quinn (DC)

Jeremy Heere (Be More Chill)

Tegan Jovanka (Doctor Who)

Muscle Man (Regular Show)

Schmidt (New Girl)

Michael Moscowitz (Princess Diaries)

Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)

Sonic the Hedgehog (The Sonic Movie)

Toby Ziegler (The West Wing)

TK Strand (911 Lone Star)

Scanlan Shorthalt (Critical Role)

Patsy (Spamalot)

Nathaniel Kurtzberg (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir)

Miriam Maisel (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Mendel Weisenbachfeld (Falsettos)

KJ (Paper Girls)

Libby Stein-Torres (The Ghost and Molly Mcgee)

Noah Puckerman (Glee)

Motl (Fiddler on the Roof)

Otacon (Metal Gear Solid)

Mabel Rose (Diviners)

Isidore Latham (Chicago Med)

Fran Fine (The Nanny)

Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld)

Greg Focker (Meet the Parents)

Davey Jacobs (Newsies)

Dr. Alan Strauss (The Patient)

Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof)

Little Ash (When the Angels Left the Old Country)

ROUND ONE MASTERPOST

ROUND TWO MASTERPOST

#jewishguyscomp2023 #masterpost #polls #fandom polls #tumblr polls #so sorry this took so long!#jumblr #jewish #jewish tumblr

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jewish-ship-showdown · 2 years ago

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Ships that have already qualified (read before submitting):

Jude Lizowski/Jonesy Garcia

Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand/Carlos Reyes

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/Gwen Stacey

Willow Rosenberg/Winifred "Fred" Burkle

Francine Frensky/Muffy Crosswire

Susan Ivanova/Marcus Cole

Kate Kane (Batwoman)/Renee Montoya

Barry B. Benson/Vanessa Bloome

Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago

Willow Rosenberg/Tara Maclay

Jack Zimmermann/Eric "Bitty" Bittle

Justin "Ransom" Oluransi/Adam "Holster" Birkholtz

Danny/Reuven

Larissa "Lara" Bogdan/Jasmine

Kelsey Pokly/Isabella "Stacks" Alvarado

Rebecca Bunch/Audra Levine

Rebecca Bunch/Greg Serrano

Rebecca Bunch/Nathaniel Plimpton

Samantha "Sam" Manson/Danniel "Danny" Fenton

Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Selina Kyla (Catwoman)

Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Clark Kent (Superman)

Clark Kent (Superman)/Lois Lane

Harley Quinn/Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy)

Barney Guttman/Logan Nguyen

Leah/Chanan

Shay Goldstein/Dominic Yun

Marvin/Whizzer

Trina/Mendel Weisenbachfeld

Perchik/Hodel

Tzeitel/Motel

Monica Gellar/Chandler Bing

Molly McGee/Libby Stein Torres

Rachel Berry/Noah Puckerman

Fiddleford McGucket/Stanford Pines

Cristina Yang/Owen Hunt

Cristina Yang/Preston Burke

Levi Schmidt/Nico Kim

Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam

James Wilson/Gregory House

The Baker and/The Baker's Wife

Kim Possible/Ron Stoppable

The Jewish People/The Shabbat Bride

Alec Hardison/Parker

Max Eisenhardt (Magneto)/Charles Xavier (Professor X)

Steve Rogers (Captain America)/James "Bucky" Barnes

Arnold "Arnie" Roth/Michael Bech

Arnold "Arnie" Roth/Steve Rogers (Captain America)

Billy Kaplan (Wiccan)/Teddy Altman (Hulkling)

Bobby Drake (Iceman)/Hank McCoy (Beast)

Bobby Drake (Iceman)/Johnny Storm (The Human Torch)

Layla El Faouly/Mark Spector (Moon Knight)

Matthew Hawk (Two-Gun Kid II)/Clint Barton (Hawkeye)

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/Betty Brant

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/Eugene "Flash" Thompson

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/ Felicia Hardy

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/ Harry Osborn

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/Mary Jane "MJ" Watson

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)/Wade Wilson (Deadpool)

Steve Rogers/Bernadette "Bernie" Rosenthal

Wanda Maximoff/The Vision

Midge Maisel/Susie Myerson

Hal Emmerich (Otacon)/Solid Snake

Casey Goldberg-Calderon/Lunella Lafayette

Fran Fine/Max Sheffield

Ben Gross/Devi Vishwakumar

Winston Schmidt/Cece Parekh

David Jacobs/Jack Kelly

Seth Cohen/Summer Roberts

Scout Touzani/Elias Wyrick

KJ Brandman/Mac Coyle

Lavinia Asimov/Poison Oak

Phineas Flynn/Isabella Garcia-Shapiro

Anon's Mom/Dad

The person reading this & their partner

Jerry Seinfeld/Cosmo Kramer

Simon Lewis/Isabel Lightwood

Danielle/Maya

Bram Greenfeld/Simon Spier

Miryem Mandelstam/The Staryk King

David Rose/Patrick Brewer

James T Kirk/S'chn T'gai Spock

Worf Rozhenko/Jadzia Dax

Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla

Brian Jeeter/Krejjh

Bobby Singer/Rufus Turner

Jonah Simms/Amy Sosa

Reish Lakish/Rabbi Yochanen

King David/Yonatan

Devorah/Barak

Moses/Tzipporah

Ruth/Naomi

Yaakov/The Angel

Rowan Roth/Neil Mcnair

Klaus Hargreeves/Dave Katz

Cecil Palmer/Carlos The Scientist

Josh Lyman/Donna Moss

Little Ash/Uriel

Lucille "Lucy" Kensington/Dr. Edison "Ed" Tucker

Fox Mulder/Dana Scully

Anshel/Avigdor

Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer

Wanda Maximoff (The Scarlet Witch)/Jericho Drumm

Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Shondra Kinsolving

Bruce Wayne (Batman)/Talia Al Ghul

Ben Grimm (The Thing)/Alicia Masters

Velma Dinkley/Daphne Blake

Velma Dinkley/Marcie Fleach

Didi Pickles/Stu Pickles

Velma Dinkley/Coco Diablo

Babushka (Tatiana)/Dedushka (Ivan)

Kitty Pryde/Illyana Rasputin

Natasha Romanoff/Wanda Maximoff

Marc Spector (Moon Knight)/Clint Barton (Hawkeye)

Hillel/Shammai

S'chn T'gai Spock/James T Kirk/Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

S'chn T'gai Spock/Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Frankie Bergstein/Grace Hanson

Annie Edison/Jeff Winger

Maxine Myers/Paula Cohen

Baby Houseman/Johnny Castle

Tevye/Golde

Michael "Mike" Wazowski/Celia Mae

Talmudic couple having gay sex in the attic

Tim Drake/Kon El (Conner Kent)

Violet Baudelaire/Quigley Quagmire

Reuben Kent/Feliks Kaufmann

Anshel/Avigdor/Hadass

Amram/Zelikman

Anshel/Hadass

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN UNTIL MAY 8, 2023 @ 12:00 AM EDT

#info #if you have any reasons a ship shouldn't be on this list let me know since I don't have the ability to fully vet everything #there are a small handful im still considering #will update as more submissions trickle in

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ouatsnark · 7 months ago

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i saw some rlly odd comments, might have been old I didnt check, on videos of Owen Flynn/Greg Mendells' backstory that say Regina didnt kill his father, she just buried fake bones?? But why would she do that??? Why would she want to make it look like a crime occurred if she had no plans for it like the framing in S1? Also, would you say Owen/Greg is another example of Regina's victims being made to seem in the wrong? HIs plans were p bad but what Regina did to him as a kid was too

When I say that Regina Apologists lack common sense this is a prime example. I've never heard this before but it is hysterical. Sorry, queenie stans, but Regina murdered Owen/Greg's father!

Dead. I killed him. The minute you ran away… Don't believe me? Go see for yourself. I buried his body at your campsite. I doubt he gets many visitors there.

Why would Regina keep Greg's father around? It's not like she has a problem killing people in her way. And since he never returned for his son and he is nowhere in Storybrook, then you have to take Regina's admission here at face value.

And about the bones? Regina was busy trying to murder the entire town and kidnap Henry but sure she placed fake bones at the campsite just to further abuse a man whose childhood she destroyed... even if those bones weren't his father's, so? The man is still dead and she still killed him.

And yes, Owen/Greg is an example of Regina's victims becoming the villain because the writers and therefore Regina NEVER acknowledge to anyone about the part Regina played in the whole thing. No one knows that she destroyed Greg/Owen's life and that he wouldn't be there getting revenge if not for her. Everyone knows that Hook left her to be tortured by them, though. They don't know that she just tried to kill him... And people wonder why I hate her character.

#anti regina mills #fandom asks #regina is a child abuser #greg/owen

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swanqueeneverafter · 1 year ago

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Something Wicked This Way Comes, Chapter 24

Enchanted Forest. Harbour. Aboard The Hispaniola. (In Medea’s boudoir, Regina and Emma stand face to face with the ancient witch, each keeping an eye on their daughter in Medea’s mirror.) Emma: “You entered our home to kidnap our daughter, now we’re standing here on your ship, ready to take her back.” Regina: “Still using mirrors I see. Aren’t you afraid of being seen as a one-trick witch?” Medea: “Oh, my gifts go far beyond the rudimentary powers of your shared magic... or your attempt to burn my ship. Your flames have been snuffed out.” Regina: “The flames served their purpose. We have you alone and nowhere to run.” Medea: “Yes but you are alone with one you clearly know nothing of. And yet I know so much about you, even the few secrets that you keep so well.” Emma: “We have no secrets from each other.” Medea: “No? (To Regina:) Then she knows how you killed Storybrooke’s first sheriff?” Emma: (While Regina glares at Medea:) “You killed Graham? (Regina turns to her, a pained expression on her face. Shrugs:) Eh, I kinda figured after you told me you killed Greg Mendell’s dad.” (Medea’s malevolent smile falters a moment, clearly disappointed that her revelation fell flat.) Medea: “Oh, well. For the future of the United Realms, let us trade words for now, not wounds. I will admit you're impressive… for common witches.” Regina: “Our magic is the most powerful in all the realms.” Emma: “The realms are united because of it.” Medea: “Yes. But your strength is also your weakness. Your magic, as you said, is unmatched when combined. You both rule over a hive, filled with lovely little bees I’m sure, but neither of you are a true queen. You are in reality mere sister drones, little, meek equals whose power is shared. Why, you're like the foot of a pyramid. But you will make a fine and mighty base for one more naturally designed to rule.” Regina: (Scoffs:) “You? My name is Regina, I was literally raised to be a queen.” Medea: “Well, you can put a crown on a sow's head, and it doesn't make it a queen. A true queen is not made. She is born in the Earth's womb and destined to rule forever.” Regina: (Slowly advancing on Medea:) “You arrogant bitch.” Emma: (Stepping between them:) “We know about you and all your failures. Your time spent as the Mirror Queen just the latest in a long line of them. Oh, mighty queen of failure.” (When Regina glances back at the mirror, she sees only her own reflection.) Chapter continues on AO3… Chapter 24

#Swan Queen #SQ #Swen #Swan-Mills #SwanQueen

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rock--band · 10 months ago

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American punk rock band, Bad Religion that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980 Members Greg Graffin – lead vocals, piano, synthesizers, acoustic guitar Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals Jay Bentley – bass, backing vocals Brian Baker – guitar, backing vocals Mike Dimkich – guitar Jamie Miller – drums, percussion

Studio albums

How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982)

Into the Unknown (1983)

Suffer (1988)

No Control (1989)

Against the Grain (1990)

Generator (1992)

Recipe for Hate (1993)

Stranger than Fiction (1994)

The Gray Race (1996)

No Substance (1998)

The New America (2000)

The Process of Belief (2002)

The Empire Strikes First (2004)

New Maps of Hell (2007)

The Dissent of Man (2010)

True North (2013)

Age of Unreason (2019)

100+ Rock Band Posters and Canvas Prints

Print Option: ♦ Framed Poster Print ♦ Canvas Print ♦ Metal Print ♦ Acrylic Print ♦ Wood Prints 🌐 Worldwide shipping

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themattress · 2 years ago

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OUAT Observation

In retrospect, Season 2 was a Sophomore Slump that Once Upon a Time was never truly able to recover from, despite all of Season 3′s best efforts. However, while the show would certainly get worse than how it was in Season 2, there’s still a fascinating uniqueness to how it went off the rails. This is pretty much the only season (other than the final one due to the sudden cancellation) where I feel they had a road map going into it that they just trashed.

For those who don’t know what I mean, it’s been confirmed that with each season renewal there is a session between the writers where the new season’s road map is created, which is then utilized when they reconvene that Summer to actually start writing the season. And the road map for Season 2 was clearly going smoothly for its first 6 episodes; everything felt tight and naturally flowing. But then we hit “Child of the Moon”, where not only did the requisite centric for new season regular Megan Ory and her Red/Ruby character get forcibly cobbled together with the teased Albert Spencer plotline, but a development was made that ensured Emma and Snow’s quest in the Enchanted Forest would come to its conclusion two episodes later, in time for the Winter break. I highly doubt this was originally planned; it feels like the idea going into Season 2 was for that quest to end closer to the middle of the season, with the discovery of Baelfire/Neal in Manhattan occurring closer to the climax...after all, the season opened with a sequence all about him in that part of New York City. Just as Season 1 opened with the Curse being cast and ended with the Curse being broken, Season 2 was to open with Neal as the focus and end with him as the focus. And, well, it still does...kind of.

After this alteration, the season was on track to have Neal found in the middle of the season, and it would conclude either with a battle against Cora or against Regina who spirals out of control following Cora’s death. After all, before “Manhattan”, the focus was still on the threat Cora posed, especially now that Regina had joined up with her, and it was still continuing focus on plotlines and characters the season had set up (Hook and Smee, Mulan and Philip, Red/Ruby, Dr. Frankenstein and his monsterified brother, Anton/Tiny the Giant, all of the core characters’ personal arcs, etc.), plus threads that could be pursued in the following season (Emma’s magic, Snow and Charming’s disagreement on whether to stay in Storybrooke or not, Belle’s amnesia, Greg Mendell, etc.) But it was at the time of making “Manhattan” that a bombshell dropped: A&E, perhaps due to their usage of Hook and Smee being met with acclaim, were granted full rights to use everything else from Peter Pan. And because they had a passion for that property and the ideas they had for it, they just burned the season’s road map altogether and redirected it toward ending with everyone going off to Neverland.

So many decisions made were centered around this choice: the removal of the scene with Rumple’s father in “Manhattan” since their plans for that character immediately changed, the whole “the boy will be your undoing” prophecy being geared specifically toward the Neverland situation, Neal knowing Hook and it being set up that he was a Lost Boy in Neverland, Neal’s fiancée Tamara being introduced to be the “Her” that Greg Mendell was in touch with and revelation that they’re anti-magic activists unknowingly working for Peter Pan, and literally every single plot thread that had no place in the Neverland story either being dropped altogether (Red/Ruby, the Frankenstein stuff, Emma further awakening her magic powers, and any on-screen resolution to restoring Philip’s soul) or wrapped up as hastily and anticlimactically as possible (the darkness in Snow’s heart, August’s situation, the magic beans, Belle’s memory loss and new cursed identity, and Regina’s status as the villain).

Because of this rush, there wasn’t enough time to properly think through or flesh out a lot of the story decisions being made, which - along with A&E’s skewed morality - made “Welcome to Storybrooke” through “The Evil Queen” such an aimless, unpleasant slog to sit through. Another consequence is that one of the writers who had been there since the beginning, Ian Goldberg, jumped ship, clearly more interested in working with the setting and characters the show already had and resenting the sudden directional shift A&E had forced upon everyone.

Despite all of this, I want to stress that everyone involved was still trying the best that they could which still was able to shine through (ex: “Welcome to Storybrooke has some chillingly good direction, music and acting, and even in the moments it’s not intentionally trying to be “Lacey” is a highly funny episode, as are parts of “The Evil Queen”.) And as much as it pains me to admit, A&E were totally justified in wanting to get to Neverland ASAP, since the Neverland Saga ended up providing so many things the show and its characters were in desperate need of, the dark take on the Peter Pan story was very clever and interesting, and doing it right then allowed them to cast Robbie Kay as Peter Pan while he was still the right age for it, and he gave one of the greatest villainous performances in the entire series.

In the end, Season 2 and its messy storyline is what it is. Not entirely good, not entirely bad, but certainly entirely interesting and something that I look back on more fondly overtime.

#Once Upon a Time #ABC #Opinion #Analysis #This has been a PSA

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anmylica · 2 years ago

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Chapter 6: Labyrinthine Lies

“The Fields of Asphodel”

Catch Up Here: 01 02 03 04 05

Read on AO3

Want to know when I post new chapters or stories? Send me an ask to join my tags list!

Tagging: @kmomof4 @snowbellewells @sotangledupinit @tiganasummertree @zaharadessert

Killian Jones was not a man who accepted defeat easily. He always managed to wriggle his way out of dire circumstances, whether it was escaping the bonds of slavery and servitude, escaping the Dark One’s clutches with only a lost hand to show for it, or managing to get his heart back from said Dark One after nearly having it crushed in a clock tower (not the mention the hundreds of other scrapes he had gotten into and out of over the years). No, Killian Jones managed to get out of trouble, period.

So when he awoke in a cell with no bars, he had to blink to make sure he was seeing correctly and think twice about what this meant.

This seemed way too convenient.

Taking a moment to ponder the decided lack of a door, he mentally cataloged his injuries. His wounds were somewhat scabbed over, though some of them were still bleeding lightly. One of his eyes was swollen shut due to the blow Hades had given him across it, and his ribs hurt with an ache he hadn’t felt since he had had them broken by the car Greg Mendel used to drive into Storybrooke (and, subsequently, him). As he took stock of his injuries, he managed to get into a sitting position, which allowed him to stare at the decided (no, he wasn’t imagining it) lack of bars around what he supposed was his cage?

He pushed himself gingerly to a standing position, trying not to jostle his wounds more than he needed to. He hobbled over to the entry way and stuck his hook through the space, checking to see if there was some sort of an invisible barrier. There was none.

He glanced around in wonderment. Nothing was keeping him here? Hades was just going to let him escape? It seemed too good to be true, but everything suggested that this was real. He was actually going to be able to get out of here.

He put one foot outside his cell, testing to see if he would get away with leaving.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a voice called out, causing Killian to startle.

“Who’s there?” Killian called out, his voice a little raspy from both the lack of use and the screams of pain he had released during his torture sessions with Hades.

“It’s me,” the voice called timidly back. Killian squinted his eyes, trying to make out who the voice belonged to, but it was hard to see her in the shadows. Finally, he saw a brown haired girl dressed in rags huddled in one corner of an adjacent cell.

“Who are you?” Killian called out.

“My name is Megara, but my friends call me Meg. At least, they would,” she continued, smiling sadly, “if I had any friends. Who are you?”

“Captain Killian Jones, but most people know me better as Captain Hook,” replied Killian.

“A pleasure,” Meg called back.

“Likewise. Now what was that you said just now?” Killian tilted his head as he considered her response., trying not to moan at the effort it was requiring of him to remain standing.

“You can’t leave this place; there’s no use trying.”

Killian looked around confusedly. “But the cells are open?” he asked hesitatingly, failing to see the problem.

Meg nodded. “It’s a trick. He won’t let you leave.”

Killian leaned heavily against the doorway of his cell. “Why are you in here?” he asked, disregarding her certainty that he wouldn’t be able to make his escape for the moment.

Meg shook her hair out of her dirty face. “He’s punishing me for betraying him. I tried to help Hercules stop him from destroying Mount Olympus.”

“Hercules?” Killian echoed.

Meg nodded sadly. “My love. He locked me away here and sent Hercules somewhere else and won’t allow us to reunite. I haven’t seen my love for eons.”

“Eons?” Killian echoed. “How long have you been dead?”

Meg shook her head. “I’ve lost count of the years. Honestly, I’ve lost hope of ever reuniting with him. Hades will never forgive us, so we’ll never have the chance to move on.”

“Why did Hades want to destroy Mount Olympus?” Killian asked. If it had something to do with that woman Hades was so prickly about, then maybe that could be the key to Killian’s escaping this prison.

Meg shrugged. “I don’t know. He never told me in all the years I was in his service.”

Killian nodded once in acknowledgement as he pondered over this. Whatever it was that Hades was seeking revenge over, it must have happened long ago. He wondered if the woman had been a former love of the god, and if something had happened to her much like what had happened to Milah. He shook himself mentally after a moment, determined that whatever it was that motivated Hades, it wasn’t going to stop Killian in his pursuit of escape.

Killian huffed a sigh, and then said to Meg, “Which way is the best way to go? I know,” he added when he saw Meg begin to protest that it wasn’t possible to escape again, “you think it’s not possible. Humor me. What ways have you tried?”

“I’ve tried them all. I’ve tried them until trying seemed pointless.”

Killian clenched his jaw and looked up and down the corridors. “Well, perhaps I’ll have better luck.”

Mega let out a hollow chuckle. “You won’t.”

“We’ll see. I’m quite the survivor.” With that, Killian shoved off the archway and turned to his right, leaving the girl behind. He hobbled as fast as he could, and he found that his body ached a little less now that he was moving. He took note of the flagstone under his feet and the stone walls that rose up to a stone ceiling some ten feet above him. Every few yards torches burned, lighting the path. He felt he vaguely recalled this long corridor from the trips he took to the throne room where Hades liked to torture his unwilling guests.

After several minutes of walking down a straight corridor with no rooms attached, the hall turned to the right. Killian stopped and skulked about, peering around the corner to make sure nothing was there to impede him. Seeing nothing, he turned the corner sharply and stopped.

A Y in the hallway was before him that led to two shut doors. He could have sworn that it wasn’t there just a second ago when he peered around the corner. Nonplussed at how he had missed this vital piece of information from one second to the next, he chose to go through the left door.

He shoved the door open, for it was a little creaky and very much stuck in its tracks, and walked through. He stopped short, amazed at the sight before him. Trying to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, he looked back behind him. The corridor had changed to solid steel floors, steel walls, and a steel ceiling. Industrial lights hung from the ceiling every ten feet, casting illumination only on the spots directly below the bulbs. Killian blinked several times, and he turned to look behind him to make sure that he really wasn’t imagining things, but the corridor behind him had changed as well. Behind him lay what looked like an elementary school building’s hallway.

There was no bloody way that corridor changed like that. He had just come down it! Killian was very confused. He was struck by a second’s worth of indecision before proceeding onward in the direction he had started to go. Surely the hallway changing was just a kind of hallucination, a product of his exposure to the torture Hades had put him through. Shrugging his shoulders, he pushed onward, picking up his pace.

He came to a flight of stairs and bolted down them. When he reached the bottom he stopped dead in his tracks. The corridor in front of him looked like the one on his ship that led from his cabin to the crew quarters. But this is impossible. He’s in the Underworld, not on his ship, so how is he going through one of her hallways? He walked forward slowly, wondering if he should expect someone to burst through one of the doors, but when he got to the end of the corridor, no one had disturbed him.

He gingerly opened the door that, on his ship, had led into the galley, and found himself in Regina’s sitting room in the Evil Queen’s castle. Killian frowned. What was going on? He slowly moved forward, holding his hooked arm aloft in case he encountered anyone from whom he needed to defend himself, but no one showed themselves. He got to the end of the room and found himself in a movie theater, the screen blank as if the movie had just finished. He scanned the area and saw that at the very far end, a green EXIT sign was lit up and flashing, as if to say “This is the way out!” Killian scowled and made his way toward the sign. The aisle seemed to grow longer and longer as he walked, until he finally reached the door. He leaned his right shoulder against it and threw it open bodily.

He was in a mine shaft from Storybrooke. He could see the veins of fairy dust diamonds just waiting to be mined. There was very little light, but thankfully the diamonds reflected it back so he could see in front of him. He walked some ways, before he briefly entered Skull Rock. He growled in annoyance and walked out of the exit, stopping abruptly when he found himself in the center of Echo Cave where Pan had once imprisoned Neal. The land bridge was gone.

Killian let out a frustrated yell. This was the most aggravating escape in which he had ever engaged! He racked his brain for what his darkest secret was, and settled for one that he hated to admit.

“I hope that Emma Swan never moves on, and that when she arrives here, she says that she missed me desperately, that I was the only one for her.” Killian waited with bated breath for the bridge to form.

Nothing happened.

Killian rolled his eyes. Maybe it didn’t count because he had already confronted it in his cell? Thinking hard about what secret he could give next, all he could think of was that this test was stupid.

Killian sighed. “If I could still get my revenge on the Crocodile for putting us all in this situation, and be successful in the endeavor and not have to be the Dark One again, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Once again, nothing happened.

“Oh, come on!” Killian yelled out of frustration. “How much darker can I get?!”

The silence grew heavier, as if it was saying, Really? That’s the best you’ve got?

Killian clenched his teeth in casternation, but said nothing else, too annoyed to do anything else. As he fell to silence, Panic appeared on a ledge far above him, eager to see what secret the captain would admit to here in this cave. He carried a medium sized crystal jar and wore an evil anticipatory grin on his face. Surely the pirate would lose hope right here in one of the very places he had felt most hopeless in his life?

Killian sighed as he finally came to the secret he knew he would have to utter in order to cross. He glanced upwards, gathering his fortitude, and began.

“A part of me wonders if this is even worth it. If perhaps I shouldn’t do just what Hades wants me to do, and give in to him. Let my love for Emma Swan go. Let my hope and desire to see her again fade away. But I can’t do that. She was the light of my life from the very first moment I laid eyes on her, though I didn’t want to admit it. She was the light that led me home. She is my home. I never loved Milah in this way. If Milah were standing side by side with Emma, I wouldn’t even glance in her direction. She was my first love, but Emma is the love of my life. I could no more give her up than I could give up the love I had for my brother, or my belief that a man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets. So I’m going to continue fighting. And if she’s here in the Underworld now, or whenever she finally does arrive, I know, well I hope,” he amended, carrying on, his voice gaining strength from the conviction he felt as he confessed his innermost thoughts, thoughts he had never voiced to anyone else. “I hope that she’s fighting just as hard for me, wherever she is. So I won’t let go. I won’t do what Hades wants me to do. I won’t give him the satisfaction of breaking me.”

There it was! Panic finally did it! So what if the pirate’s words didn’t sound quite like the confession he was hoping to hear? It was still an admission of hopelessness, and Panic had successfully gathered Hook’s lost hope throughout the captain’s time in this maze. His jar wasn’t as full as he’d hoped, but the essence of hope was steadily rising in the jar. Panic was about to win!

But as he listened to Hook’s confession, his gleeful grin dropped into a look of horror. The jar had ceased to fill at all. Anxious for what this meant, the little imp realized he was going to have to turn up the turmoil to drive Hook to lose even more hope. Hook wasn’t quite as hopeless as Panic had once thought he was.

Killian stared hard at the space in front of him, daring it to deem this secret unworthy. After a moment, the bridge sprung out of the platform he was on. He waited a moment and then sprinted across it, finding new strength to keep moving, keep fighting, no matter how badly his injuries hurt. Once he got to the other side, he found himself in a dark tunnel. He moved forward, determined to get out of this maze. He lost track of time with how long he walked in darkness.

Finally, Killian saw a light at the end of this ridiculous, bloody, damned tunnel. How far had he even traveled through this ridiculous villain’s lair that Hades called home? He could have sworn that the Underworld wasn’t even this big. Frustrated and frazzled beyond reason, he sprinted towards the light, re-opening his various wounds (some of which he had torn back open before this and were still bleeding lightly) and jostled his ribs. Killian idly reflected that he was very tired of rib injuries.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he crossed the last remaining steps quickly. He reached the light and stopped again. He was at a cliff. And the only way down was a spiral staircase made of steel that was welded and bolted to the cliff face. Killian scowled at his misfortune. Cursing everything he could think of under his breath, he began a slow descent, not registering the impish figure that had perched itself on a rock and was watching him with a snicker. About halfway through, he heard Emma’s voice scream his name, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Killian! Killian! Help me please!”

Wait. Emma was here? Emma was actually here? What the devil was she doing here? How did she get to the Underworld? Had something happened to her that resulted in her death? His heart hammered in his chest (which was a strange feeling given that he was dead). He had felt the golden flash of light, had seen it, that golden light so reminiscent of a curse breaking and home and warmth and Emma, but he had believed it was just a hallucination, a figment of his imagination. Could he have been wrong?

“Killian! Please help me!” He heard the call again. He held his breath and waited to see from what direction her cries were coming.

“Killian! I need you!”

Killian forgot about stealth and not giving his position away in his panic and haste at getting to her as quickly as possible. He screamed in return, “Hold on! I’m coming Emma!” He began sprinting down the steps as fast as his injuries would let him. Ignoring the burning in his side, he practically threw himself down the last two flights, panic filling his entire being at the thought of Hades laying a hand on his Swan.

He rushed over a ravine and dived into a Gothic style door, “Where are you?” he cried as loudly as he could.

“I’m over here!” Emma cried and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“EMMA!” Killian shouted at the top of his voice. “HADES, IF YOU HARM EVEN A HAIR ON HER HEAD, I SWEAR IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO!”

There was no answer to Killian’s threats, just Emma’s continued screams. Frantic to the point of a desperation he had never before felt, he pushed himself down the Rococo style corridor, not blinking an eye when it changed to a hospital hallway and then to an outdoor portico covered in roses and then back to a school’s hallway. He just followed the sounds of Emma’s screams.

Finally, he reached a space in which three doors were located. Panting heavily, he cried out hoarsely, “Emma!” He waited what felt like ages before he heard a response.

“Killian, quick! This way!”

“Don’t worry! I’ll find you, Emma!” Killian called back.

Making up his mind, he chose the middle door and pushed it open. The corridor looked similar to the one he had traveled down when he left behind Meg and his cell. Satisfied that he wasn’t going the wrong way, he tried to quell his panic. If he was about to reach Hades’ throne room, he didn’t want to give away his position though every instinct he possessed told him to charge in at full throttle.

“Killian, please save me!”

It took a moment before the words penetrated through his panic, but when they did, he hesitated. What had Emma’s words been to him during their misadventure in the past? “No one saves me but me,” she had breathed out as she stared at him in disbelief; she hadn’t believed that he would try to rescue her, that he wouldn't leave her behind. One of the things he could punch Neal in the face for was Neal’s selfish act in leaving her to preserve his own skin, which had destroyed her confidence in her value to others, that she was worth saving, worth never abandoning.

Emma needed to be the saver, not the saved. She would go to extraordinary lengths to avoid needing to be saved, to having to rely on someone else to be there for her; she had turned him into a Dark One solely to buy herself more time to save him. She never cared one bit for what happened to her in the end; she was willing to end her own life to make sure he didn’t lose his. In spite of how crazy it drove him, it was one of the things he loved about her. But there was no chance in Hell that she would beg him to save her. No, she would save herself, whatever the cost, to try and avoid needing others out of a lifelong ingrained habit that the world had taught her she needed. Though he had climbed every last one of Emma Swan’s walls, he knew that there were some habits that would never fully disappear.

Killian’s belief in Emma’s presence (and subsequent danger) in the Underworld shattered upon that realization.

Panic had been fluttering about, watching Killian’s hysteria with gleeful eyes once he caught up to the captain. He had created the illusion in an attempt at breaking Captain Killian Jones’ faith in Emma Swan, at ridding the man of his hope for a reunification with his love. He had snickered as the crystal jar he held in his hands continued to fill with Killian’s lost hope. It wasn’t filling as quickly as Panic would have hoped, but it had started as a slow trickle and was steadily growing; it grew until almost a fourth of the jar was full. Panic watched as Killian called frantically for Emma Swan, running crazily throughout the labyrinthine maze. He was slinking along some distance away when Killian visibly stopped. A confused look crossed Panic’s face. What was the pirate captain doing?

Killian stopped dead in his tracks as he realized he was being tricked. He looked ahead of him at the ending of the corridor. It led to an intersecting hallway that he could see some thirty feet in front of him, and Killian knew that the cries he heard came from that area. He knew he was about to see if he was right.

Killian crept along, listening for any sounds of commotion ahead. He heard whimpers, but he frowned and hardened his heart against the sound. He knew with ever growing certainty that they were not coming from Emma. He reached the end of this hallway and stopped, listening intently to the room beyond. All was silent.

Panic stopped too and watched in horror as the hope began to slowly leech out of the jar, vanishing into the air as seamlessly as water vapor from a kettle. Oh, Hades was not going to be happy about this…

Killian walked cautiously into the next room and stared. He was back in his cell. But that was impossible! He had gone all that way, had crossed so many different hallways and rooms! He couldn’t have traversed all that distance just to end up back in his cell.

“What in the bloody hell is going on here,” Killian breathed out to himself, not believing his eyes. How had he ended up back in his cell? Killian looked around at the six foot by six foot room, trying to puzzle out if this was a trick.

“Ah! He’s finally made it back!” Hades exclaimed joyfully. Killian turned sharply and sneered when he saw the god leaning against the cell’s doorway.

Hades was clad in a black suit similar to the one he had worn when he had met Killian at Hell’s entryway and had a calm and amused look on his face. His hair wasn’t the flaming blue Killian had become accustomed to seeing, but it looked as if it were livened by blue streaks. Hades was angrier than he let on.

“Where am I?” Killian demanded.

Hades shrugged and smirked. “Where you started from. Where I put you to begin with. You just traversed the labyrinth. It works a little different down here; it keeps prisoners in when I don’t want them to escape.”

“Where’s Emma?” Killian demanded.

“Oh,” Hades shook his head slightly. “She’s not here. Mortals can’t cross into this realm. So if I were you, I’d stop hoping to be rescued and turn all of your hope over to me.”

Killian considered Hades’ carefully blank expression. He slowly smirked. “That’s not true, is it?” he asked. Mortals can cross into this realm. That’s what that golden light I saw was for, wasn’t it?” Killian continued, popping his tongue against his teeth to enunciate the ending of the last word.

Hades’ face took on a sinister expression. “Absolutely not.”

Killian chuckled a hard, harsh laugh. “Oh, it was,” he stated confidently. “Emma’s here, and you don’t want her to be.” Killian’s faith and hope returned completely. Hades’ eyes flickered to where Panic stayed sulking in the shadows. Panic’s face was horrified as he watched the remaining essence of hope evaporate, leaving not even a film on the inside of the crystal jar. Hades stared at his minion in disbelief, and Panic stared fearfully back. Panic quickly disappeared when he realized how angry his master was.

Hades’ blood boiled, and his hair erupted into blue flames at last. “Au contraire,” he hissed at Hook, “Emma Swan is the key to everything, and I’m glad she came down here! I’ll wring every last drop of hope from her and you and all your friends. I will get everything I’m owed!”

Killian laughed. “Well, that’s not true. You’re scared she’s going to interrupt your operation. You don’t want her here; you think she’s a liability that you want to break first.”

Hades growled. “I’ll break her after I break you!” Hades waved his hand, and Killian flew across the hallway into a column marking the doorway to Meg’s cell. Meg, who had been watching the exchange in fearful fascination, cringed away from Killian’s impact. Killian grunted as he hit the wall and again when he hit the floor. His ribs felt as if they had cracked in a couple more spots.

Hades grabbed Killian by his hair, causing Killian to cry out. He bent down and unlatched the hook from the brace mechanism holding it to the end of Killian’s arm. Hades brought the sharp tip up to Killian’s throat and slowly dragged it downward. Beads and droplets of blood welled up at the site. Meg lay curled up, cowering away from the scene but unable to look away.

“Find Emma Swan! Tell her Captain Killian Jones is in the dungeons of the Underworld! Tell her to find me! Find Captain Hook!” Killian yelled at Megara as he tried to weakly fight against Hades’ cruelty. “You can do this Megara!” Killian’s pleas for Meg to find the woman who could help them all cut off as Hades dug the hook in deeper.

Hades looked at Meg with a mad, threatening look in his eyes. Meg curled into herself, shrinking back from the rage she knew awaited her if she challenged him. Hades grinned.

“Meg can’t leave this place anymore than you can. The Labyrinth will keep her running in circles if she tries to escape, and of course, there’s what I’ll do to her afterwards. There is no escaping my dungeons.” Hades turned to Killian and drug the hook down his throat, causing the cut the well up with more blood. Killian attempted to get anyway again, but his previous injuries were alight in pain once more in protest at their rough treatment and they made it hard to move. Fresh Waves of pain blossomed from every part of Killian’s body at the rough mistreatment.

Hades smirked. “And there’s more where that came from.” He waved his hand and Killian disappeared, and Hades weighed the hook resting in the palm of his hand. “I think it’s time we sent our Savior a little welcoming present.”

Hades disappeared in the blink of an eye. Meg was left trembling, hyperventilating, and staring at the spot Hades had just vacated. As she calmed, she came to a realization. So Hades wanted them to lose hope? Meg took a deep breath and looked at the entrance to her cell with renewed eyes.

#The Fields of Asphodel #once upon a time #captain swan #captain hook #killian jones #emma swan #ouat #anmylica writes #Csff #season 5 fix it #whumptober 2022 #no 14 #die a hero or become a villain #failed escape

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