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thejollyroger-writer · 4 years ago

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Where Your Heart Will Fly on Wings - 1/2

Part One: A Ship, A Map, and A Secret

A Neverland arc (season 3A) rewrite where the gang doesn't meet Captain Hook until they get to Neverland to rescue Henry. Most of the end of s2 ("Second Star to the Right..." "... and Straight on' Till Morning," the last two episodes of the season) are the same: Greg and Tamara kidnap Henry. With Killian not present, I imagine that David succeeds in wrestling a bean away from Greg. They go to Rumple for help, and though he refused before, Blue's potion worked in giving Belle her memories back and he changes his mind. Somewhere in his shop, there is a ship in a bottle, and he removes this ship, docks it in the harbor, and leads Emma, Regina, Mary Margaret, and David through a portal that takes them to the waters surrounding Pan's island.

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Special thanks to @shireness-says my forever beta who only makes my life (and my stories) better, and all the ladies on discord who answered all the little questions I struggled with while writing this. Thanks, ladies. ( @kmomof4 @hollyethecurious @donteattheappleshook @elizabeethan @stahlop ) Written for @neverlandnewyear. Some other interested pals: @thisonesatellite @darkcolinodonorgasm @scientificapricot @carpedzem @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo @regi-writes-stuff @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @winterbaby89

The ship touches down on the waters, the portal disappearing from around them — but what they find is no better. Fat, cold rain drops pelt them from above, and below them, the waves begin to toss the dilapidated ship in every direction.

“Great job, Gold!” Regina yells, wrapping one of the ropes around her wrist. “You landed us right in the middle of a storm!”

“Believe it or not, dearie, my powers do not include the ability to control the weather, and certainly not in this realm!”

"We don't have time for this!" David chimes in, helping Mary Margaret keep her footing on the quickly-dampening deck. "If we're even going to make it onto the island, we have to get through this storm together!"

"And how do you expect we do that?" Regina chides. "This ship is barely more than a pile of old boards, it's not going to survive this storm."

"Then maybe we should work together to try to make it through this!" Mary Margaret yells.

"What do you expect us to do?”

"Well, we can start by trusting each other!"

Regina scoffs. "You think trust is going to get us through this storm? Is your trust going to keep us from taking on water?"

"No," Emma mumbles, looking down to her feet, and the water that she finds there makes her realize just how much trouble they're in.

And that's when something rams into the side of the ship. And again. And again.

"What the hell was that?"

"Sharks?"

"Afraid not," Rumple mumbles, trying to plant his feet on the slippery deck to keep control of the helm.

Regina looks over the railing, conjuring a fireball in her hand. "Mermaids."

"Mermaids?" Emma repeats. "They're real, too?"

"Does that really surprise you anymore?" Regina asks.

"We have to do something!" Mary Margaret yells over the wind.

"I am not being capsized by a fish!" David sloshes across the deck to a small cannon, which he loads a length of chain into before firing it into the water.

Mary Margaret picks a large net up off the helm, tossing half of it to Emma. “Help me get this into the water!”

“What are you going to do, catch one of them?” Regina tosses a fireball towards the surface of the water — which, surprisingly, works, and a mermaids around them back off the ship.

“Yes!" Mary Margaret stops for a moment to glance at Regina before tossing the net into the waves. "And ask her to help us.”

“Mermaids aren’t going to help you, dearies!”

“Obviously you’re also not going to help us, either!” Regina crosses the deck and throws out another fireball, clearing the starboard side just as she did the port. “There.” She wipes her hands on her soaked slacks and smiles at the fact that the storm also seems to have left with the mermaids. “They’re gone.”

“Not all of them!” Mary Margaret says, grunting as she and Emma struggle to pull their fishing net back onto the deck. “What about this one?”

With a flick of Regina's hand, the creature is out of their net and sprawled on the boards of the deck, her hands bound in front of her and her shining tail flopping into the inches of water that have settled onto the boards of the deck.

But her presence on the deck only causes an argument to break out between them, each offering their own way to deal with her — to ask for help, to kill her, to let her go. With every question they ask her, she offers them a vague but threatening answer, and the storm that Regina thought was over slowly begins to reform around them. Even after Regina turns her to wood with a whoosh of her magic, they continue to argue amongst themselves, the storm surging around them — all except Emma, who realizes the mermaid’s plan was to set them against each other to be destroyed by the storm. With no other option, she tries to get their attention, screaming across the small ship towards them, but nothing works — and she dives into the sea.

Quickly followed by a piece of metal rigging, pulled off by the winds into the water behind her and making hard contact with her head, immediately knocking her unconscious.

Without a second thought, David moves to dive in behind her, but Mary Margaret’s hand tight around his arm stops him. “No! You could get pulled under, too!”

“Not to worry!” A voice cuts through the rushing wind and water, another ship appearing out of the darkness of the storm. Within moments, it is close enough for the man to follow Emma into the water, a rope tied around his waist.

For a few long, terrifying moments, nothing happens. The storm still surging around them makes it impossible for them to see into the water, and they can only hope that the mysterious man can save her before it's too late.

After what feels like forever, a head breaks the surface of the water, Emma's bright hair a strong contrast to the dark waves, and the other man follows.

"Pull me up, Scarlett!" he calls, facing away from their small ship, and the man just visible on the deck of the nearby ship does as asked, pulling the man with Emma in tow. David wants to oppose, beg the man to bring Emma back to their ship, but just the feeling of Mary Margaret's hand on his arm keeps his mouth closed.

"Can you get us over there?" Mary Margaret asks, turning towards Rumplestiltskin. He rolls his eyes, but twirls his hand in front of him anyway, taking them all onto the other ship's deck in a wisp of smoke.

"Is she okay?" David asks as soon as he finds his footing, kneeling beside where Emma is laying on the deck — just as she spits out a mouthful of seawater and rolls onto her side. Mary Margaret drops to her knees on the deck beside her daughter, wrapping her arms around Emma's shoulders.

"Perhaps we should give the lass a moment? A bit of space?" the man who rescued her says, leaning against the bannister behind him, his arms crossed behind his back.

"Oh, come on !" Regina cuts him off, raising her hand towards the wave, moving ever-closer to their ship. "We don't have time for all this."

"Alas, she's right. I'm afraid we'll have to save the pleasantries until after the dashing rescue," he says, striding to what can only be his rightful place behind the helm and leading them quickly away from the waves, away from the storm. David helps Emma to her feet and they all watch as their old ship crumbles beneath the waves, after which the storm around them seems to disappear at an alarming rate; within mere minutes, the sun shines down from a cloudless sky and the soft wind blows lightly on the sails.

The man locks the helm into place and holds his hand out in a welcoming gesture. "This seems a much more appropriate time for introductions. Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger. "

"Okay,” David says, crossing his arms across his chest. "Who are you?"

"Captain Jones," he says, mimicking David's position -- which only draws attention to his left arm, which is blunted just shy of the elbow, replaced with a shining, metal hook. "But most people have taken to calling me by my more colorful moniker—"

Rumple laughs, cutting him off mid-sentence. "You've really owned up to your ailment, haven't you, Captain Hook ?" he says, spitting the last two words between his teeth.

The man turns around, noticing Rumple standing behind him for the first time. "Oh, now that's just my bloody luck, innit?" He pushes his dark, wet bangs off his forehead with his wrist and lets out a small laugh. "All I was expecting was a few damsels in distress," he says, turning towards Emma for a moment and waggling his eyebrows at her before returning his attention to Gold. "Yet it appears I've caught myself a crocodile."

"Like, Captain Hook Captain Hook? Waxed mustache and perm and Peter Pan?"

"Well, love, I must admit I'm uncertain about the first two, but I'm glad to hear that you know who we're going up against."

"Up against? I just want to save my son."

"Why do you think they brought him here, dearies?" Rumple asks, flourishing his hands to conjure a whisp of purple smoke, revealing a new outfit of dark pants and a black, reptilian-scaled vest. "Pan is the one behind it all, I have no doubts about that. And he is a far more powerful foe than any of you are able to go up against."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Regina bites back, but Rumple is gone in another wisp of smoke before the question even leaves her lips.

"It appears that even after all these years, he is still as helpful as he's always been," Hook says, his jaw obviously tight with tension.

Emma's head is spinning. She's spent months trying to wrap her head around everything about Storybrooke and her life, around the idea of true love and fairy tales and everyone's stories intertwining — but this, running into handsome, one-handed pirates in Neverland that have a history with Gold, goes beyond all else.

"Wait, you know Mr. Gold?" Mary Margaret asks, voicing the question they all seem to be thinking.

"Aye, " he says, wrapping his hook around one of the spokes of the helm, where his attention is also focused. "though he was not known by that name. Before he became the Dark One as well, if the rumors are to be true."

For once, Regina seems interested in what he has to say." But he's been the Dark one for —"

"Lifetimes, aye," he says, cutting her off, but turning his eyes down to where she is standing on the lower deck.

No one knows how to respond to him, so the deck stays silent. For the first time, Emma looks around, taking in the small crew that stands around them. There are five that she can see, not including the captain: another tall, dark-haired man standing against the railing, arms crossed over his chest; a stout man with a red beard and an even redder hat; a fierce-looking woman with a mess of dark hair piled high on the top of her head, her dark orange tunic and black pants having seen better days; and two dark, brooding young men, no more than twenty, on the far end of the deck.

"What brings you all to Neverland?" the woman asks. Emma is not surprised that she is the one who tries to make conversation, though she vaguely remembers something about women being bad luck on ships.

"They took my son," Emma and Regina say simultaneously, and none of the ship's crew are able to keep their immediate reactions off their face.

The dark haired man leaning against the railing behind David barks out a laugh, but when Regina turns her glare in his direction, he snaps his mouth shut.

"What could Pan want with your son?" Hook asks.

"Does it matter?" Emma spits back. "We need to get him back."

Hook holds up his hands in a gesture of reluctant surrender. "Of course, of course, you're right." He turns to the man still leaning against the railing, who pushes off to his feet when he sees the look on the captain's face. "Prepare for a return to open waters, I would like to dock at Pirate's Cove before dinner time, Mister Scarlett."

Emma expects a salute, given the rest of the captain's countenance, but the man — Scarlett — just nods and walks away.

"Dinner?" Regina asks, her voice dripping with anger. "What part of ' we don't have time for this' don't you understand, pirate?" she spits.

"Can I ask you how many times you've visited this island, your Majesty?" he asks, the same fire in his voice.

She's taken aback for a moment, but answers nonetheless: "Never."

"That's what I thought. I, however, have been here for longer than any of you can even imagine, which gives me the kind of knowledge you could use on this type of quest. Are you really going to turn that down?"

To this, Regina has no response.

"Now, the beaches at Pirate's Cove will prove much more useful to your mission here, and by sailing around the island, it will rid you of the necessity of walking either through or around the Dark Jungle, which I can assure you is something you do not want to do. So, yes, we are going to chance the few hours it will take to sail around the island to hopefully cut days off of what it would have taken you on foot, and then we will be closer to Pan's camp and it will hopefully prove easier to find your boy."

This time, it's David who is angered by his response: " We ? What do you mean 'we'?"

Captain Hook practically rolls his eyes at this, which almost pulls a laugh out of Emma. “Do you expect to navigate the island yourselves?"

Emma intervenes, trying to calm the tension while also ensuring they stay focused on rescuing Henry: "He's right, David, we could use his assistance."

He winks at Emma. "I had a feeling I was going to like you."

Though she knows she should be resting, bunking with Regina, David, and Mary Margaret belowdecks, Emma instead finds herself drawn to the crew of the Jolly Roger , and spends the next few hours chatting quietly with them as the ship makes its way across the surprisingly quiet waters surrounding Neverland.

Especially the woman — Tiger Lily, Emma learns. Something about her keeps Emma interested in their whispered conversation, and it does not take her long to learn that, like her own, the woman's background is full of sadness and sacrifice. She tells Emma how she sacrificed herself to try to stop someone from turning evil and spending the rest of her magic to get to this island after exiling herself; tells her about being found by Pan and working for him in return, only to learn how evil and twisted his ways are, stealing boys from their families and never allowing them to leave. (" And there's something deeper and darker behind it all, something that he only mutters about with his second in command, a Dark Magic that keeps the island alive — I believe with the sacrifice of the boys who decide they want to leave." ) And Captain Hook, saving her as she tried to escape Pan, though she knew it was impossible — or, well, improbable.

"And I've been in his service ever since. He was working with Pan for a while, too, and able to leave this realm. He asked every time we docked somewhere if I wanted to leave, to live a better life, but I've enjoyed the time I've spent with him as my captain. I've never known a better man."

"Oh, is that so, Lily?" the very man appears behind them, a smile covering his dark features — except his eyes, Emma realizes. His eyes are the brightest blue she has ever seen, the same color as the soft waves moving in the sunlight.

"Now, come on, Captain," she laughs, and the way she sets her hand on the captain's arm sends an unwanted shiver down Emma's back. "You and I both know you're nothing if not a man of honor."

"Yes, but you're not supposed to divulge that knowledge to our new guests just yet."

"And why not?" Emma asks, knowing that her crossing her arms over her chest is a defense mechanism, but that only makes her pull them closer to her.

He wags his eyebrows across his forehead, then winks at her once more. "Can't go around telling everyone that Captain Hook is a big softie. I have a reputation to uphold."

Emma rolls her eyes and walks away, if only to save herself from any more unwanted shivers or repressed feelings.

Their mission is to save Henry. Henry comes first and everything else has to wait.

"Well, what are we going to do once we're ashore?" David asks, hunched over the Neverland map spread across the desk in the Captain's cabin.

"Pan's camp is only a short distance from the Cove, remember?" Mary Margaret adds, the focused planner and adventurer that Emma has only seen glimpses of. "We can sneak up on him and—"

"Nope," Hook says from where he has planted himself in the corner, one boot crossed over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. "There's no way to sneak up on Pan."

Regina's eye roll is practically audible. "You keep saying that but offering no helpful advice."

"And you keep saying that but not actually listening to what I have to say."

"Hook is the one with the knowledge of the island, Regina," Emma reminds her.

"And I'm the one with the knowledge of magic, maybe we should just give that a try!"

"What are you suggesting?" Mary Margaret scoffs. " Poof ing yourself into the middle of a camp on a magic island you've never visited before?"

"What do you suggest, Hook?" David asks, if only to keep Mary Margaret and Regina from fighting. It's obvious that the last thing he wants to do is take advice from a pirate, but even David realizes that they are left with very few other options.

"There is no way to plan what is going to happen once we reach those shores. Everything we do, everywhere we go, Pan will know about it and will always be steps ahead of us."

"How have you spent all this time in this realm and not learned even a few tricks that could help us?"

"Most of my years here have been spent on this ship, provided with rations by the very demon himself. Before that, he and I had an agreement that made us more comrades than foes, and all the time I spent on the island was for his own doing."

"Oh, that's helpful," Regina mutters, leaving the cabin without another word.

"So, let me see if I understand this," Emma asks, knowing that neither David nor Mary Margaret will be able to be civil about this. "Your plan… is to not have a plan at all?"

Hook nods. "There is no other option in Neverland. It's Pan's game there, and he makes all the rules. Best we can do is be ready for whatever he throws at us."

"I don't like this," Mary Margaret mumbles, and David wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to press a kiss against the top of her head.

"It's what we have to do to get Henry back, and that's all that matters," he says, a princely tone of finality in his voice, and the room falls silent.

"Can I ask you something, love?" Hook asks, his eyes leaving the horizon for just a moment to look at her (again, though she has only noticed a few of them) where she is sitting against the railing on the starboard side of the ship.

"I'm not your love," she bites, looking up from one of Hook's maps that she's borrowed from his quarters.

"I've had my share of run-ins with the Crocodile, and I've even crossed paths with the Evil Queen once or twice. The other two, that's Snow White, the princess, right? And her husband?"

"And how do you know that?"

He pauses, trying to chose his words carefully. He knows that if he says the wrong thing, he'll lose the small amount of ground he's made with them trusting him. "I've been… through an agreement with Pan, I can leave these waters every once in a while, as long as I fulfill some of the things he asks of me."

"You work with him," she says, but her face fails to give away any of what is going through her head.

"In a way, aye. But I've been to the Enchanted Forest, and I know what happened to it. How is it that you got here?"

"Well, there was a curse."

"Aye."

"And I — I broke the curse."

" You broke the curse?"

"Yeah, I — I'm the Savior , apparently, because I — I'm their daughter."

"Snow White's?" He's not nearly taken aback enough. "And the Prince."

She nods. So does he. Somehow he is wrapping his head around all of this much easier than she did. Maybe once you're alive for a few lifetimes, things like this are a lot less surprising than they were for Emma.

"How is it that you and the Evil Queen share the same son?"

Emma can't help but laugh. Where does she even start? "No offense, Hook, but it's a very long story that we don't really have time for."

"Aye, that I can understand." He lifts his hand off the helm to scratch his beard before moving his hand behind his ear and to the base of his neck. "But do you — you know — live together?"

"No, no, it's more like… joint custody."

"Come again?"

Right. "Joint custody," she says again, even though the centuries-old pirate knows nothing about the ins and outs of child custody. "We, uh… share him, I guess. Take turns."

"And what about the boy's father? Is he a part of this taking turns ?"

His question turns her blood to ice. Neal. Where does she even begin? For a moment, she's angry — at Neal, at herself. "No." How dare he. How dare Hook to even ask about Neal, he has no right —

He has no idea. It was an innocent enough question, there's no way he knew the still-gaping wound that a question about Neal would inflame.

"He's — dead."

"Apologies, love, I didn't mean to stir up any unwanted emotions."

"Stop calling me that."

"I'm afraid it's more of a habit than anything."

She has no response to this and turns her attention back towards the map.

"Bloody hell," Hook mumbles, though Emma and Smee, his first mate, are the only ones close enough to hear him. At first, they don't see whatever the problem may be, but as the ship continues to approach the shore, Emma sees him leaning against one of the trees just on the other side of the shore.

Pan. Emma can sense it somehow — her motherly instincts, maybe, or something like that, but she can feel that the man on the shore is Peter Pan.

No. No, not man. Boy , with a pudgy teenaged face and dark hair that falls down to his eyebrows.

"That's him," Emma says. She means for it to be a question, but it does not come out that way.

"Aye." She turns to him just in time to watch the edge of his jaw tick as he grinds his back teeth together. "That's the demon Pan."

For a moment, Emma is unsure how she feels about all this. Hook's plan to take them around the island has already taken hours of their precious time, and all under the guise to keep them from Pan — only to have him waiting for them right where Hook brought them to shore. What if Hook had been playing with them the whole time? Giving Pan time to plan ahead while he wasted time sailing them all around the island?

But then she looks at him again, sees the rage obvious on his face, and she almost feels bad for questioning his motive even though she has every right to.

"Bested us again," he mutters, but then straightens his back and looks out over the ship. "Prepare for docking!"

Pan watches, unmoving, from the shore as Hook and his crew lead the Jolly Roger to the dock — and, still unmoving, as they come ashore. Finally, he speaks. "Thank you for bringing our special guests ashore, Captain," the boy leers. "Good to see you're still good for something."

"You know I can't pass up the opportunity to give assistance to a damsel in distress, nonetheless three. And Dave." There's a joking tone in his voice, but it's not present anywhere else in his body.

"Ah, yes," Pan says, pushing himself away from the tree. "Welcome, your highnesses. I hope you find Neverland as welcoming as you have spent all those years hoping your Enchanted Forest would be. And you, Regina, you and I have more in common than you may want to believe."

Regina rolls her eyes, conjuring a fireball in her left hand. "Oh, please," she spits. "Let's do this the easy way: give me my son back and I won't burn your whole island down."

Pan just laughs. "No, I’m afraid that's not going to happen. You're on my island now, and you're going to play by my rules."

"Do you think this is a game?"

"Oh, your majesty , that's exactly what this is. So, Emma, I'm going to give you a map." He pulls a folded piece of parchment out from under his tunic. "A map that will lead you straight to your son."

"If this is some kind of trap," she starts, taking a step towards him with her hand on the sword on her hip.

But Pan's soft laugh stops her. "I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises. The path to finding Henry is on this parchment."

"Why are you giving it to me?"

He chuckles again. "See, it's not about finding Henry. It's about how you find him. And, Emma," he says, placing his hand on her wrist as she reaches out to take the parchment. "You're the only one who can."

She takes it from him, then unfolds it — only to find it blank, save a pattern around the outside. "It's blank."

"You sound surprised," Regina bites, but no one pays attention to her. All eyes are on Pan.

"You'll only be able to read that map when you stop denying who you really are."

Emma looks down at the map once more. Everyone around her looks at it.

And when they look up, Pan is gone.

As they follow Hook's lead through the jungle, Emma's focus is on the map. She thinks of all she can: her background, everything she's learned since coming to Storybrooke. She even attempts to admit that she's the savior during a short break, but nothing works.

Regina, angry and impatient and nothing if not motivated, takes it from her, insisting on magic, despite the arguments from the rest of the group. It works — to a point, leading them not to Pan's camp, but to an ambush by a group of Lost Boys. It does not last long, the heroes quickly overpowering the boys, but David gets nicked with a Dreamshade-tipped arrow — a secret he tries to keep from the rest of the camp.

Hook sees it, though, the one in the group that really knows how deadly the poison can be, but he, too, keeps it to himself.

He leads them away from the ambush, towards a cliff that looks out over most of the island. From there, he insists, they can plan a route through the jungle and maybe even scout out Pan's camp. But by the time they get there, the sun has set, and all they can see is shadow. "Now that you've seen what Pan can do in just a few short hours, we need our strength. I suggest we make camp."

Regina, unsurprisingly, is against his idea. "You want to sleep while my son is out there suffering?"

"If you want to live long enough to save the boy, yes," he argues, and no one has a comeback for this. Regina is first to walk away, huffing knowing that Hook is right. Hook is second, closely followed by David, who barks an order about finding firewood, leaving Emma and Mary Margaret looking out over the jungle.

They are silent for a moment, Emma obviously worrying about something, but Mary Margaret has learned not to push. And after a few moments, Emma does say what's on her mind:

"Regina's right, Henry's out there somewhere."

But Mary Margaret is ready with her positive comeback. "And Hook is right. We have to survive if we're going to get him."

"I know. I just hope we're not too late."

Mary Margaret leaves her there, knowing that sometimes, her daughter just needs her space to think. She stands there as the others build their camp, her attention turned once more towards the blank parchment — the map , removed from her pocket.

Though he does not mean to, Hook startles her with his approach. "I opted for first watch so you and the others could get your rest."

Emma just shakes her head, starting towards the campfire, needing the monotony of the crackling fire to slow her mind down. "There's no way I can sleep here without solving this map."

"Then it appears you and I will be not sleeping together, love," he jokes, waggling his eyebrows at her with a smirk on his face.

Emma just rolls her eyes. "Listen, Hook. I am here to save my son. The very last thing I'm going to do is get distracted."

His smirk is gone, not even a trace of a smile left on his features. "Of course, Swan. I meant no insult."

They sit in relative silence, the rest of them falling asleep quickly — or, at least, staying quiet. The sounds of the Jungle seem to grow louder in the darkness, almost deafening. But Emma's attention is still on the map.

"Nothing I can think of is working," she groans, dropping the map to the ground beneath her feet.

"None of those are what Pan is looking for. What have you been avoiding? What have you been hiding from, love?"

She is already on edge, and his endearment only makes her angrier. "I am not your love, Hook. Why are you helping me, anyway?"

He's been wondering the same, so he's quick to answer. "I've been searching for a glimmer of hope when it comes to defeating this demon for as long as I can remember. If finding your lad and ruining his plans takes his power from him, then helping you is the very least I can do."

"But why? What did Pan ever do to you?"

He's silent for a moment, trying to decide how much he wants to divulge to her, and he maks a quick decision. "It wasn't me personally," he lies. "But it's the principle of the thing. He preys on boys who think he's taking them to a better life, but all he's doing is taking them from their families. Growing up alone is the worst thing that could happen to a boy, and Pan thrives on separating families."

"Sounds like something you know a lot about." She doesn't mean to be so forward, but once it's out, there's No taking it back.

"Pardon?"

"Only someone who grew up alone would talk like that."

Now it's his turn to get defensive. "And how would you know that? You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. What can a princess know about growing up alone?"

She knows that there is no way for him to know otherwise, to know the truth about her childhood, but his assumptions about her still make her a little angry. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she grits, trying not to let her anger get the best of her. "My parents sent me through a portal when I was only a few hours old. I grew up alone , spent my whole life alone . I was an orphan, too, Hook. Or, at least, I grew up believing I was."

"I'm — I'm sorry, Swan, I shouldn't have assumed—"

"No, you shouldn't have."

"You're right though, love. I, too, spent much of my life alone. My mum was sick and passed when I was a boy, and my father took my brother and I on a ship to a far-off land. Until one day, we woke up and he was gone. He left us there to settle a debt and we never saw him again."

Silence settles between them for a moment, and then he smiles. "It seems you and I have quite a lot in common, then, love," he chides, but Emma barely hears him. She's too distracted by the parchment in her hand, which has revealed a map at some point in their conversation.

"Hook—" she tries, but he cuts her off.

"Apologies, I know, you're not my love ."

"No, Hook, that's not it."

Finally he looks at her, trying to find what she is talking about on her face, following her eyes down to the parchment in her hands. But there is something else that has changed, too, something about her . He can't quite put his finger on it, but he thinks he maybe sees a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

#csnlny #captain swan #neverland new year #my writing #cs fics #ouat #neverland rewrite #really just a bunch of headcanons in one little story

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tcm · 5 years ago

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My Life-Long Love of Julie Andrews by Susan King

I’ve missed Julie Andrews. She hasn’t starred in a feature since 2010, the same year her husband and frequent collaborator of over four decades, writer/director Blake Edwards, died. Andrews has supplied voice work on a number of projects, including Gru’s mom in the Despicable Me animated films and Karathen in 2018’s Aquaman. She also created and starred in a Netflix children’s series two years ago, Julie’s Room. Aside from those, Andrews has been relatively out of the spotlight.

But now she’s back in a big way with the recent publication of the second volume of her autobiography Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years, as well as being named the latest recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award. Andrews is also supplying the voice of Mrs. Whistledown in the 2020 Netflix series Bridgerton.

And last but not least, she’s a co-host with Ben Mankiewicz on TCM this month.

I’ve been an unabashed Julie Andrews fan since my parents took me to see MARY POPPINS (’64) on January 31, 1965 at our local theater in San Mateo, California. In her Oscar-winning performance, my obsession began and continued 18 months later when I finally saw THE SOUND OF MUSIC (’65). I was so entranced that I decided I would become a librarian when I grew up and work in Salzburg, Austria. I know it sounds silly, but I was just 11 and the closest I’ve gotten to Austria is via my 3-D View-Master. Of course, when I saw the film again in 1973, I was more interested in Christopher Plummer.

Thanks to my profession, I have had the opportunity to interview Andrews six times and she has been everything you’d hope a childhood idol would be. I literally felt like I was nine years old again sitting in the balcony of the theater in San Mateo every time I’ve talked with her.

One of Andrews’ films my parents didn’t take me to is now one of my favorites: 1964’s THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY, a dark anti-war satire penned by the great Paddy Chayefsky, who won Oscars for 1955’s MARTY and 1976’s NETWORK and directed by Arthur Hiller. Set in London in World War II, Andrews plays Emily, a war widow who ends up falling in love with Charlie (James Garner), a self-proclaimed coward who is assigned to acquire steaks, girls and booze for his superiors. As she tells Charlie, “It is your most important asset, being a coward. Every man I ever loved was a hero and all he got was death.”

Considering she was known for her musical-comedy work, Andrews acquits herself nicely in this dramatic role, and she and Garner (whom she would go on to make two more films with) have a lovely chemistry. And the Johnny Mandel score is sheer bliss.

I was about 12 when my parents took me to see Andrews in 1967’s THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, which was advertised as a film for the entire family. Yet, I do remember asking my mother what “white slavery” was. Watching the film recently, I do think it’s odd that a subplot for a musical comedy revolves around a white slavery ring taking place at a hotel for single women run by the great Beatrice Lillie. Still, this farce set in the 1920s is a lot of fun thanks to Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, James Fox, John Gavin and Carol Channing – who earned an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress as a daffy socialite.

Directed by George Roy Hill, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE was nominated for six Oscars, winning for Elmer Bernstein’s score. I adored the title tune penned by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn and played the soundtrack album over and over and over again much to my parents’ chagrin. I also played the soundtrack album of 1982’s VICTOR/VICTORIA over and over again, but at least I was grown up and on my own, so my parents didn’t go crazy. I saw Edwards’ delectable gender-bending musical comedy three times when it was released. And the framed movie poster decorated my wall.

VICTOR/VICTORIA has incredible slapstick moments, including the cockroach scene at a French restaurant that turns the patrons into madcap crazies. Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton would have loved it. And the box-office classic also is a perceptive look at sexual identities. Andrews plays a poor soprano trying to etch out a career in Paris. Enter Toddy (Robert Preston), a gay entertainer who transforms her into Victor, a male entertainer who works as a female impersonator. Garner plays a wealthy gangster King Marchand who finds himself attracted to the performer.

Sumptuous and overflowing with good will, VICTOR/VICTORIA was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor for the lovable Preston and Supporting Actress for Lesley Ann Warren, a hoot as King’s showgirl gal pal. Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse took home the Oscar for Original Song Score.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about the films Andrews did with her husband. The 1970 overstuffed musical Darling Lili bombed; and 1981’s S.O.B., which featured Andrews’ highly publicized topless scene, is too cynical for its own good. And I wasn’t fond of 1986’s THAT’S LIFE!, an indie production shot at the Edwards’ former Malibu beach home starring Andrews, Jack Lemmon and members of both their families.

THAT’S LIFE! is a drama with comedic elements revolving around a famous singer, who may or not have cancer, throwing a 60th birthday week for her husband, a successful architect who hates himself and thinks he’s going to die.

The late Roger Ebert said it best when he wrote “THAT’S LIFE! has many moments of truth and good performances. But it’s not all of a piece; not every scene seems to have been thought through on the same level. Tone is everything in a film like this. Unless you establish one, how can you get laughs by violating it?”

#Julie Andrews #TCM #Mary Poppins #Sound of Music #Victor Victoria #Turner Classic Movies #Blake Edwards

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wednesdaysbreakfast · 4 years ago

Text

Elegance - Required to Re-Discover It?

The spirit of our times seems to no more value charm.

Prince Charles was speaking to the Royal Institute of British Architects at the occasion of their 150th wedding anniversary about the suggested extension of the National Gallery.

" What is recommended resembles a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much enjoyed and also sophisticated pal." (Prince of Wales).

He had seen much British architecture as sterilized and also ordinary awful.

Is this still true? As well as do we need to re-discover appeal around us?

Defining elegance.Learn more at:https://christmasmakeups.com/

When we see something stunning its charm is subjectively really felt. The idea of charm and also ugliness is elusive as well as challenging to place into words and define. Possibly this is since of private differences in our admiration of it. Charm is in the eye of the beholder. What one person discovers stunning, an additional simply sentimental. One, appealing, one more repulsive.

Elegance has been said to be something to do with appreciating consistency, equilibrium, rhythm. It catches our focus, satisfying as well as increasing the mind.

It is not the things illustrated by art that defines whether something is attractive or awful. Rather it is how the object is taken care of that makes it possibly motivational.

Spiritual thinker Emanuel Swedenborg recommends that what arouses our sensation that a human face is stunning is not the face itself, however the love radiating from it. It is the spiritual within the natural that mixes our affections, not the all-natural by itself.

" The elegance of a lady is not in a face mode yet the true appeal in a lady is shown in her heart. It is the caring that she lovingly gives; the enthusiasm that she reveals.

Charm can also happen even in suffering.

" Also in a few of the most uncomfortable moments I have actually experienced as a doctor, I find a sense of charm ... That our minds are wired to sign up one more person's pain, to intend to be relocated by it and do something regarding it, is profoundly heartening." (Physician-poet Rafael Campo).

Innovative art.

Roger Scruton, philosopher, points out that between 1750 as well as 1930 the goal of art or music was elegance. Individuals saw beauty as beneficial as reality and benefits. In the 20th century it stopped being important. Then lots of artists intended to disrupt, shock and also to damage ethical taboos. The earliest of these was Marcel Duchamp e.g. his installment of an urinal. It was not beauty, however creativity as well as irony as well as other intellectual ideas that they focused on. This is what won the rewards despite the moral expense.

The art globe currently believes that those that seek appeal in art, are just out of touch with modern-day realities. Given that the globe is troubling, art must be troubling also. I would certainly recommend that what is stunning first time round is uninspiring and hollow when duplicated.

" If the world is so awful, what's the factor of making it even uglier with ugly songs? ... I have actually tried to make it appear as stunning as I can. Otherwise what's the factor ... So if you intend to listen to just how unsightly the modern-day globe is, ... you can just turn on the tv and also listen to the news. I believe that a lot of people go to concerts due to the fact that they want to hear attractive songs. Songs complete of tunes that you can hum or sing. Songs that speaks with the heart. Music that intends to make you intend to smile or weep or dance. (Alma Deutscher, 12 years of age show violinist/pianist). Here you see

https://christmasmakeups.com/christmas-makeup-gift-set/

If there are still any kind of artists producing beautiful things of art, I believe, like any kind of excellent news in the newspapers, they are not getting the headings.

Awakening to the spiritual.

Along with much of our contemporary art as well as constructed environment, can we likewise detect a grating unattractiveness - not to discuss self-centeredness and also offensiveness - currently entering into the language as well as good manners received our information media? As though appeal has no much longer any type of actual place in our lives.

When we locate ourselves in the soup of negative thoughts, do we provide ourselves time to be open to beauty?

" What is this life if, packed with treatment,.

We have no time at all to stand as well as look ...

No time to turn at Charm's glance,.

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time at all to wait till her mouth can.

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A bad life this if, filled with treatment,.

We have no time to stand and also look. (William Henry Davies).

Effect on us of social modification.

I'm questioning if by shedding elegance we are additionally losing another thing. Something I would certainly call a much deeper understanding of what is good and also innocent in life.

They had a treatment for this and the treatment was elegance. He reckons that the stunning work of art brings alleviation in grief and affirmation in delight.

Appeal - A pointer of transcendent fact.

Beauty remains in the eye of the beholder. Is appeal just a subjective thing? Exists also an objective fact to it?

According to Plato, appeal, like justice, as well as benefits, is a forever existing entity. This would certainly suggest that elegance has actually existed even when there was no one around to see it.

#christmasmakeup #makeup #best makeup #makeuptips #christmasmakeuptips #beauty #health #beautiful makeup

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killian-whump · 6 years ago

Note

You have problems with Rogers' name? I'm intrigued and also want half priced waffles.

I do! I have both, just for you, my dear!

*serves up some waffles*

My problem with Rogers’ name isn’t with the name we know (Rogers is a great and apropos cursed name for our pal), but with the name we don’t know.

Because “mystery first names” is Rumplestiltskin’s shtick - and with good reason. The original Rumplestiltskin tale always involves the title character being extremely secretive about his name and the Miller’s Daughter (who is the Queen at this point) having to resort to sneaky measures in order to find out his name.

So it makes perfect sense and is a delightful nod to the original tale when Mr. Gold’s first name is never, ever revealed. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things about the cursed personas of S1. It’s clever character design that doesn’t feel contrived or pointless.

Then S7 comes along. Detective Weaver’s first name being unknown is a given. I think we all went into that season expecting (or even hoping) that would be the case. And it was. And, really, it should’ve been.

But then they decided, “Hey! Not giving a character’s first name is a lot of fun! Let’s do it for Hook, too!” and not one person in the writer’s room paused for even a second to say, “But isn’t that overdoing it?” or “But... WHY?” or “But won’t that detract from the cleverness of Rumplestiltskin having the only true ‘mystery name’ on the show?” Because I sincerely think that if even ONE person had brought up ANY of those points... it wouldn’t have happened.

But it did. And so now we have a character who feels like he should absolutely have a first name who simply doesn’t have one. And for no good reason. Like, there is literally no damn reason for it.

If they wanted to give a nod to the original Peter Pan story, or the myths/tropes that have developed around it, they could’ve named him James (often the first name of Hook), or Peter (a nod to the mythos that Peter Pan and Hook are the same person) or given him the name Roger Darling as a nod to the fact that Hook is often played by the same actor as Mr. Darling in theater productions. ANY of those would’ve been FAR better choices than naming him WhoTheFuckKnows Rogers. They could’ve even gone with the “Gothel orchestrated the curse to be especially painful for Hook” theme and had his name be Brennan Rogers. They had a plethora of options on the table, and they decided to go with something... stupid.

And it detracts from the storytelling, because it would’ve been fun to have a first name that maybe Roni, Henry or Tilly call him as they start to see him less as an acquaintance and more as a friend. But noooooo. We don’t get THAT lovely trope, because we’re too busy having a pointless trope of someone else’s shoved down our throats for no good reason.

*sigh*

So, how are the waffles?

#killian jones #detective rogers #season 7 #ouat criticism #oc #kw writes a thing #rumplestiltskin #pirate owl #kw ask box

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sieben9 · 6 years ago

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“hyperion heights” impressions

{Quick request to anyone reading: I’m watching OUaT for the first time, and I want to avoid spoilers. So, if you want to discuss something spoilery, I’d be grateful if you could start a new post for that. Thank you!}

::plays “New Season” from Galavant::

…look, I’ve got the thing stuck in my head, and I thought I’d share.

I liked the episode? I think? There’s a lot of set-up and not a whole bunch of plot, but I think I like the things that were set up. And the characters definitely got off to a strong start (with one little problem I’ll get to later), so that’s always a plus for me.

More under the cut.

OK, so the flashback was a good, solid foundation for further conflict. Henry and Cinderella had some solid chemistry, and the twist to her particular version of this tale was one I did not see coming.

murderous Disney princess in a poofy dress on a motorcycle is definitely a Look™

I have to say, getting in a traffic collision with your future partner is... actually very on-brand for every single part of Henry’s family. Glad to see you’re keeping traditions alive, pal. (And yes, that explicitly includes Regina, who found her first girlfriend through breaking and entering.)

And it’s ...let’s say “nice” to see that Lady Tremaine, in whatever universe we see her, still continues to be The Worst. More on that below, but I found it interesting that one mainstay of OUaT seems to be that no, she’s horrible to all her children and not just her stepdaughter. It’s just different kinds of terribleness. I’m also wondering if Cinderella just has the one step-sister in this version (I know for a fact that there are some out there where that’s the case) or if it’s a plot point. And if there really is only one sister, the next question is: where is she? Did something horrible happen? And if so, was it the result of her mother’s terribleness or (part of) the cause? So many questions, so little time~

…can you tell I’m loving this bit? I mean, I hate her guts, but she intrigues me, which is always great. (Me? Latching on to a villain? What a strange thing to happen.)

The closing shot for the flashback plotline is very promising, with Henry deciding that no, home can wait, the strange lady who punched him in the face and almost framed him for murder needs help, first. …you know, I can’t even tell which part of his family he gets it from, because they are all completely bananas.

you grew up great, buddy

Also, just as a closing question: does he have a magic motorcycle? Is that why it doesn’t need fuelling up in however long it’s been since he left Storybrooke? Just asking.

I mentioned my one problem with the modern-day cast at the top, and I’ll just get right into it: my biggest problem at this point is not comparing everyone’s “roles” to the original cast configuration. Like, “Roni” doing Snow’s job (even if her temper is very different from Mary Margaret’s). Henry isn’t Emma, even if he’s the “new guy in town”, and Lucy isn’t Henry, even if she clearly inherited his “little shit” genes. (I love her so much, but how her mother manages her on her own, I will never know. Victoria Belfrey sure as hell isn’t Regina, because Regina would never treat any child of hers this way, thank you very much. In fact, I wonder if she and Cora went to the same school for being a terrible mom together. That’s the level of “I do not like this person” I’m on.

Still, the Hyperion Heights people seem like a good bunch, and I look forward to seeing more of them.

Henry is a lovable fuck-up who thinks he made up the entirety of the show so far and managed to squeeze it all into one book. My guy. I know what the transfer rate from TV to prose is. You could never fit that in one volume.

at least not that one. that’s... what? 600 pages, tops?

And is it just me or did his particular role in the curse take a fucking dark turn? Because it’s bad enough to separate everyone from their loved ones, but giving the guy fake memories of his wife and child burning to death in a house fire? Just… wow. Please let the poor man remember soon because this will be haunting me until then.

Speaking of things that will haunt me…

They didn’t recognise each other and I was not prepared for the complete gut-punch that was. They were sitting there, looking at each other, and they didn’t know. Guh! (And yes, I am 100% convinced that Roni is, in fact, Roni and not Regina, because she might have kept up the pretence for a good enough reason, but she’d never have kept that good a poker face; I also doubt she would have given her son and his not-quite-date strong liquor at before 4pm)

Special mention goes to Henry’s line of “imagine if I were to walk in here and say that I’m your son”, because yeah, imagine you doing that. To anyone. What a crazy thing, right? (

And while I’m on the topic of Roni…

I love her so much. Everything about her. Her attitude, the way she moves, the Looks™ she gives people, her voice… Yeah, I may not be entirely objective on the topic, why do you ask. I am also looking forward immensely to seeing her butt heads with Belfrey. Because of reasons.

this scene is 95% of the reasons

I also wrote in my notes “so the villain this season is gentrification?” and honestly, I don’t think I was that far off. There’s definitely a strong theme of class in this set-up, and I hope the writers carry that through at least a little.

A quick rundown of the other characters, while I’m at it:

I like Jacinda well enough, although her main character trait at the moment seems to be “really, really stressed out”. Which is fair. She’s a single mom with Belfrey as her only family connection. Her scene with Henry in the bar and with Lucy at the well was extremely adorable, though, so I’m optimistic as for future developments. (And Cinderella bought her some goodwill because she was determined and vulnerable and scared and generally amazing in all the right ways. I liked that version of her, and it’s been established that your cursed self hardly puts your best traits on display.) I definitely smiled when she made that wish at the well.

Good on you, not giving up hope. (And I immensely appreciated the way it was set parallel to Henry finally writing that first sentence of his.)

I’m… not 100% sure who her roommate is meant to be, which is going to irk me until I am, but I can live with a little mystery in my life *g*

I have no idea what Weaver’s deal is, but I really hope he isn’t awake this one time around.

please take that man’s head out of the water

Rumple as a police officer is… uh, a special kind of hilarious. A really terrible one, too. And now he’s partnered up with not-Hook, which, to coin a phrase, I’m sure they’ll all laugh themselves sick about some day. I’m interested in seeing what his connection with not-Alice is. Both in the modern-day plot and in the flashbacks, because there’s usually some kind of interplay between the two storylines.

Rogers is… not on screen that much. He seems nice. Which is already a better opinion than I had of uncursed!Hook, and that is a crying shame because they’re all bound to wake up at some point. Still, I’m holding out hope. People have said good things about Hook in this season.

Apart from all that, there’s also an implied mystery in this season that I really like, and it’s “who, exactly, cast the curse?”

I mean, it’s clear that the show is setting up Lady Tremaine as the Big Bad, but 1) I’m not new here, I know how much these writers love their villain fake-outs, and 2) I get the feeling that her whole “magic can be taken away blah blah” speech might be meant to give a hint that it’s not, in fact, her.

god, I hate her so much already; it’s delightful

Which leaves the question of “OK, then who?” and I… have a few thoughts. Which I will keep to myself until at least three episodes in because I doubt that we’ve met all parties involved at this point.

In short: on strength of its characters alone, I am cautiously excited for this new season. Bring it on!

And, because it didn’t fit anywhere else:

The keychain made it through!

#ouat #once upon a time #ouat hyperion heights #sieben watches ouat #sieben talks

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csjolly · 6 years ago

Note

I have one if you want. Captain Swan on the Jolly Roger after he getting it back in season 4 :)

A/N aw heck yeah, the Jolly Roger always has a spot in my heart (hence the username). Hope this little mess about our lady Swan opening up to intimacy is sufficient!

Killian was in his element. The rigging gripped tight in his calloused fingers told a story more dramatic and self-serving than any that he might have bestowed upon Emma during their days in Neverland. The salty bite of the sea air only seemed to fuel him further, wind dancing ruffles into his black sweater, flailing helplessly as he focused his attention on his repairs.

Emma still wasn’t quite used to him in modern clothes, and the sight of him without leather was more than enough to make her stumble on her trek up the gangplank. With his earring and hook, he was every bit the pirate she had come to care for- though rue the day she admitted it in more than the bearing of Granny’s takeout and a thin smile. He turned at her noisy steps, scattering across the docked ship’s deck and providing a break to the long-standing silence in the quiet harbor.

“Swan,” He grinned brightly, shifting his position on the quarterdeck to face her, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Emma caught herself before tripping on the loose boards of the deck- another foul symptom of Blackbeard’s previous reign over Hook’s beloved ship. The latter seemed to be having a gloomy time finishing all the ship’s maintenance; Emma figured that hammering a loose nail was rather difficult with a hook instead of a hand.

“Figured you might be in the mood for dinner, it’s getting late.” She told him, watching as he swayed from his spot before walking to meet her, halfway between the mast and the stairs that led to the brig.

“Fancied a dinner date, did you?” He clucked, tongue poking out the side of his mouth, eyebrow lifting in a playful threat. She just rolled her eyes and shoved past him, laying out the small tablecloth she had brought with her in the middle of the deck.

He looked at her quizzically, as if he had forgotten where he was, but quickly recovered and plopped down beside her.

“I figured our last date left me in charge of planning.” he mumbled absentmindedly, fiddling with the necklace hung low on his chest. Emma smothered a hiccup at the outfit, again surprised that such a notorious villain could look so innocent and normal. “Nuh-uh. My turn, pal.” She told him, fishing two orders of grilled cheese and onion rings out of the paper bag.

While the Killian of a year earlier might have scowled at the fried nonsense, this Killian knew not to question Emma’s methods, simply nodding and reaching for his own.

“Love, I was thinking,” He began between bites (ignoring Emma’s smug, ‘that’s never a good idea’), “Perhaps you could spend the night.”

She looked up starkly and tilted her head as if she was about to crush the idea, but Killian forged ahead, “I know you’re quite tied up savior-ing, but Regina has Henry tonight, and it’s been a while since we’ve been together.” He wasn’t talking about sex, Emma knew (Killian was nothing if not a gentleman), but a nagging voice in the bag of her head still prodded her to refuse the offer.

“What, right here? “ She raised an eyebrow, setting her sandwich down and wiping her hands on her jeans.

He shrugged nonchalantly, giving her a minute to think, “I’m amenable to suggestions, darling, but the Jolly is my home.”

A different voice of Emma’s, a lighter one, whispered that it could be Emma’s home, too. She quickly squashed that irrational thought, but the lingering sentiment of living in close proximity to Killian, even if just for a night, wormed its way into her heart and sat contently.

She hesitated before making her final decision,“I guess,” she started, quickly adding,“But just for tonight. And I’m not agreeing to anything more than sleep.”

He nodded in response, but raised a salacious eyebrow and grinned devilishly. “Not yet, anyways.” He warned her, and Emma found herself smiling despite her fears. “After all,” he drawled, “The ship hasn’t been properly christened since its return to Storybrooke.”

It wasn’t as if the idea didn’t appeal to her- in fact, she liked it quite a lot. Killian was an attractive guy, but her last long-term relationship (real one, that is, because Walsh’s lies were still little too fresh to think about) had resulted in jail and a baby, and she definitely wasn’t enticed by the risk of handling another kid when she wasn’t prepared.

Something about Killian’s hand grasping hers gently pulled her out of her stupor, and she met his eyes, emerald on cerulean, clashing with nerves and intent.

“It was just a thought, love. No reason to worry yourself.”

She nodded at his soft tone, moving to finish the rest of her dinner as he did the same.

It didn’t have to happen soon, or at all- but Emma might be one move closer to being able to open herself up to someone. That’s a step, right?

And who better to receive than Killian, with soft kisses and warm sways, hand on her waist and hook pointing out the stars- “There, Swan, that’s Cygnus. Familiar, hmm?”

The ship rocked in the calm, lapping waves of the harbor, and it rocked when the waves had stopped, too.

#oof sorry for the late response #mine #lil tiny Drabble thing #asks

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minaminokyoko · 6 years ago

Note

How about favourite captain America movies scenes?

WELL YOU ASKED FOR IT PAL.

The First Avenger

-Steve at the movie theater, telling that douche to shut up and getting his little ass kicked for his trouble. Oh, Steve. Goddammit, Steve. You are too pure and good and wonderful for all of us. I like that it’s both a good quality trait and a weakness for Steve that he can’t abide bullies and he’ll stand up to anyone even if all it means is he’ll just get the stuffing beaten out of him. Plus, Bucky stepping up to help his idiot best friend is so heartwarming it’s insane. I love that Bucky is just fucking used to Steve getting himself beaten up because he stands up to shitty men. That’s best friends for you.

-Peggy punching the bejeezus out of Whatshisface in the troops’ first scene together. Oh, dear Lord. Where do I start? First, her telling him to step forward. Second, the completely placid look before she does it. Third, the fact that she puts his bitch ass on the ground no trouble. Fourth, Steve’s appreciative smile. Fifth, the General not even blinking that she flattened that douche. It’s just brilliant.

-Steve jumping on the grenade. Standing ovation. Steve is too good and too pure a cinnamon roll for any of us.

- “Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.” This is the heart and soul of Captain America and Steve Rogers and I cannot stress enough how this is honestly probably my favorite scene of the movie. We follow this guy not because of the strength of his body, but the strength of his heart. Steve has all the heart.

-Bucky and Steve being reunited. The best bros just knock it out of the park.

-Peggy’s reaction to Steve returning with all the captured soldiers. Seriously, it is the most NC-17 thing I’ve ever seen in a PG-13 movie. That smile Steve gives her and the smile she gives him right back is 100% code for “if we weren’t in the middle of this camp right now, I would tear your clothes off and fuck you to Jupiter and back.” It’s such a pure, awesome moment of sexual tension, and it’s done in such a classy way. I love that scene to death. They eye-fucked the shit out of each other and I adore the overwhelming yet subtle acknowledgement of what’s going on between them.

-Steve having a picture of Peggy in his pocket watch, and the fact that Peggy sees this during the little film montage. I want to scream. I LOVED the General giving her an amused side eye but not actually saying anything. It was a wonderful little nod to Steve’s reciprocated feelings for her.

-Steve and Peggy’s kiss. Whyyyyyyyyyyy, Lord? Whyyyyyyyyyy? Why didn’t they get more time together?! They were so fucking cute and I know if they’d have gotten together, it’d have been amazing and wonderful and they would have been so happy. Dammit.

The Winter Soldier

Disclaimer: Legit, The Winter Soldier is arguably one of the best comic book movies ever made and it is taking so much restraint for me not to list the entire goddamn film as my favorite scene, because I love it from end to end. Gun to my head, I’d say my Top 3 MCU films would be this, Ragnarok, and either Avengers 1 or Avengers 3. It’s really hard to pick out scenes in a perfect movie.

-Sam and Steve’s introduction to each other. The sheer chemistry here is stellar. I was in stitches that Steve Rogers was just okay with teasing a total fucking stranger for no reason other than just lolz. I love that TWS starts out reminding us that Steve isn’t some humorless do gooder. He has a great sense of humor and he’s just a friendly guy in general, so they couldn’t have picked a better scenario to introduce their dynamic. I adore that opening scene, man.

-Taking back the ship. Fuck, dude. Talk about one of the best executed action scenes in the MCU. Everything from Cap racing around just laying those fucking dudes out on his own to Nat popping in to the absolutely genius execution of Cap vs. Batroc. Oh, if a film scene could get me pregnant, it’d be that one, man. I fucking love that entire damn sequence.

-Nick Fury vs. Hydra. I appreciate this simply because we saw some badass Nick Fury in Avengers, but this was a delightful addition to remind us that the man is the head of SHIELD for a reason. He is NOT to be fucked with. He is a very capable agent and held his own and it was awesome.

-The elevator fight scene. ‘Nuff said.

-Natasha confronting Steve with the flash drive. So this was the first moment where I knew I was going to ship Captasha/Romanogers until the end of time, regardless of the canon. I loved this interaction. Steve is frustrated and suspicious, and so is Nat, but they both find a common ground and realize neither one is actually the enemy. I especially love: “Bye bye, bikinis.” “Yeah, I bet you look terrible in ‘em now.” That snark tho. Cap is flawless, and there is a healthy dollop of sexual tension delightfully overlaid with this scene of him backing her up against a wall and then her showing some skin. Yas lawd.

-Steve and Nat undercover at the mall. Not only is it just funny as hell and delightfully awkward, but it really shows off the great chemistry between the two of them. You’d think that with them being polar opposites that they’d butt heads, but they actually just complement each other extremely fucking well. Then there’s the exquisite escalator kiss. I mean, mm, did that look yummy. Even Steve comes out of it like, “well, damn.”

-The car conversation on the way to Jersey. I think that I would’ve only liked this movie, not loved it, if Nat hadn’t been there. I think Nat’s presence is what helped make this one of the MCU’s best films period. The honesty between them as they have probably one of their first real conversations getting to know each other is amazing. I adore this scene. I adore seeing them bond. “That’s a tough way to live.” “Good way not to die, though.” I think that is one of the best lines in the whole MCU, personally.

-Recovering at Sam’s place. First off, the two of them sharing the guest room and bathroom says a whole lot of shit right there. It’s an implied intimacy. Then Cap walking over and just knowing in his gut that Nat isn’t okay, and just gently, gently asking her what’s wrong is so important to both of their characters. You get to see them go from coworkers to friends and from friends to good friends in such an amazingly short period of time that it’s so heartwarming. Evans and Johansson have worked on several films together, and this is definitely one of those things where they just play off each other so well from being friends in real life. I love the inflections. I love the close up on their expressions. I love how Steve is able to get Nat to lower her walls and just talk to him about how she’s feeling, and how she sincerely thanks him, and how she’s even a little scared when she asks “if it were down to me to save your life, and you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?” and Steve emphatically answers, “I would now” and then smiles at her so sweetly and makes a little joke. I just…my heart, man. My heart. Steve and Nat’s relationship is possibly my favorite out of all the Avengers, and I should note that Chris Evans ships it and I am really happy about that fact.

-The Winter Soldier’s attack. Flawless. This fucking sequence is flawless. Getting to see everyone’s skills on display, and then capped with the emotional realization from Steve that his best friend is not only alive, but has been brainwashed and is trying to kill them, is just so great. Huge, huge kudos to Evans, Stan, Mackie, and Johansson as well as their stunt team and the choreographers, because it’s some of the most gorgeous, polished action I’ve ever laid eyes on. Especially Evans and Stan’s fight. Wow, that could not have been easy and it’s all them when there are close ups during the knife fight. I really appreciate them going HAM on that shit. It turned out beautifully.

-“But I knew him.” Yep. Let me die. Just let me die. Poor tortured Bucky’s memories surfacing at the sight of his best friend saying his name just tears me up inside. Ugh. Bury me.

-Cap remembering Bucky’s words after his mother’s funeral. Bury me again.

-Cap’s speech to SHIELD after they arrive at the HQ. Hnnnnnnngh. I would die for Steve Rogers. Without question. This speech is why. He knows that he might die trying to stop Hydra, but he gives those people the choice to do what’s right at great cost, and he believes that they will do the right thing, and he’s absolutely right. I had mentioned years ago that this is why the DCEU’s current Superman has failed; that trait, believing in people despite evidence pointing to the opposite, is what make Cap and Superman two American icons. This is why we rally behind them as characters. Because they believe in us and they believe we are worth protecting. It’s a fucking shame the DCEU writers don’t understand that and have forced a decent actor like Henry Cavill to be a morose, joyless, brooding Superman, and don’t even try to tell me they “fixed” him in the JLA movie, because they retconned it and thought that did the trick, and they were wrong. What Cap said in that speech is precisely why he is as great a man as we’ve all come to love over the years. It’s nothing short of incredible.

-The entire ending helicarrier sequence. Good to the last fucking drop, man. Everything about it is flawless. Especially “You’re my mission!” “Then finish it. ‘Cause I’m with you ‘til the end of the line.” Cue me screaming and crying and clawing down my curtains. Bucky pulling Steve from the river turns me into an absolute wreck of emotions.

Civil War

-Cap consoling Wanda after the bullshit news report. Man, fuck the whole ass world for that reaction, by the way. Wanda saved that entire marketplace full of people, but she still got blamed for intervening anyway, and we know Crossbones would’ve killed countless people if they hadn’t stopped him, so you can all fuck off. But what I really like about this scene is Cap’s almost fatherly concern for her, knowing she was still recovering from the pain of losing her twin brother not too long ago. He understands the loss and the pain she feels and knows that she has doubts about herself and he’s there to assure her he doesn’t blame her, if that is any consolation. Cap is so conscious of her needs and emotions that it’s extremely touching to see, even though the scene is brief.

-The team going over the Accords and choosing sides. This was very well done, as everyone’s reactions are very interesting. I personally don’t see how the hell anyone could be Team Iron Man, but that’s just me. I at least like that Tony’s actions are justified in that he has been trying so hard this whole time to do the right thing, but it feels like the harder he tries, the more awful things become until he’s left with no good choices at all. I feel for him. So much. I feel for Cap as well knowing that about Tony and yet being unyielding in his feelings about the Accords.

-Nat comforting Steve at Peggy’s funeral. Cue gross sobbing. Damn, this is why I ship Captasha so hard. She tells him that she’s pretty much going along with the Accords for the sake of keeping their little family together if possible, and Steve sadly tells her he can’t do it, but she already knows, and she’s just there to support him. That’s love. You can debate if it’s platonic or romantic, but that scene is just pure love between Nat and Steve. She is there for no other reason than to hug her friend and check on him and make sure he knows he is not alone in this awful time in his life. It’s by far one of the most touching scenes in the entire MCU.

-The death of T’Chaka. Oh my God. Give Chadwick Boseman all the awards. How did we become that emotionally attached to him in such a short amount of time? Wow. I mean, wow, was that powerfully acted.

-Nat warning Steve not to intervene. Again, you can’t tell me these two people don’t love each other. She’s so worried about him, and even Sam acknowledges that she’s not wrong to want them to stay out of it since they’ll now get arrested.

-Everyone chasing after Bucky. Hnnnnnngh, yes please, this shit was awesome. Especially Cap and T’Challa racing over moving fucking cars and Bucky snatching that motorcycle mid-air. I love that scene with all my heart and soul.

-”So, you like cats?”

-Bucky’s escape. Seriously, the Winter Soldier is not to be trifled with. Holy hell, does he put everyone through their paces.

-Tony recruiting Peter Parker. And now we have it, the shining crown jewel of Tony Stark’s development as a character, in the form of a tiny adorable baby he adopts to fight a ninety year old veteran. I know, right? I never expected that Tony recruiting Parker would be anything like what we got and yet it’s by far one of my favorite relationships in the MCU. It’s so genuinely cute and sweet and the word choice during that scene in Parker’s room is very important from a character standpoint. “When you can do what I can do, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen…they happen because of you.” Without saying it out loud, they were able to convey what happened to Uncle Ben, and that’s really good storytelling, man. You see this kid is hurt and blames himself and he will do anything to make up for his sins. Tony is even touched by it. Plus, the humor in that scene is awesome and it’s so warm and evident that RDJ and Tom Holland really got along and had chemistry.

-Recruiting Scott Lang. It’s so brief, but that fucking scene puts me in stitches every time, especially Paul Rudd’s improv of grabbing Chris Evans’ shoulders when he sees just how goddamn built and cut the man is. I thought that was genius. It’s so perfect.

-”Can you move your seat up?” “No.”

-The airport fight scene. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. This is so good. For so many reasons. How it’s staged. How it starts off quiet and it slowly builds tension. How Tony is so hurt that Cap appears to be choosing Bucky over him, how Cap is protecting him, how Tony absolutely doesn’t want to fight his friend and yet they are on opposite sides anyway. “You’re gonna come with us because it’s us.” The utter desperation in Tony’s eyes when he almost begs Cap to turn himself in is so heartbreaking. It kills me, man. Emotions aside, I simply love all the fights and the various match ups. Especially Spidey versus Bucky and Sam (”Couldn’t you have done that earlier?” “I hate you.”) and Spidey versus Cap (”That thing does not obey that laws of physics at all!”) and Spidey versus Ant Man. It’s all so glorious.

-Nat stopping T’Challa from getting to Bucky and Steve. It’s raining on my face. “You’re not gonna stop.” “You know I can’t.” “I’m gonna regret this. Go.” It’s so important. It’s so important, y’all. Nat chose Steve when it mattered most and I ship them until my dying breath.

-“Vengeance has consumed you. It is consuming them.” All the awards, Chadwick. All the motherfucking awards.

-The final scene of Steve walking up to Sam’s cell. There’s just something about the playful confidence and determination in his expression that despite how sad the ending is that Tony and Cap are no longer on speaking terms that it gives you just a tiny flicker of hope that maybe things will be okay for Team Cap.

Well, there you go. Cap and Thor are currently tied for the top spot in my heart of Favorite Avenger, hence all the word vomit. Sorry, not sorry.

#Steve Rogers #Captain America #Captain America The First Avenger #The Winter Soldier #CATWS #Civil War #CACW

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tomeandflickcorner · 7 years ago

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OUAT Episode Analysis- Flower Child

Well. That was quite the revelation. Now can we please kill Gothel already?

For this episode’s flashback, we end up turning back the clock further than we ever have before. Once, thousands of years ago, Gothel was a Tree Nymph. With blue skin and hair. And she lived with her mother and sisters in a sacred grove somewhere. But Nymph Gothel, in a very Ariel-like manner, was greatly interested in the lives of the humans who lived nearby. She often watched them and admired their lives to the point when she wanted to be a human, too.

One day, she ends up breaking into some fancy mansion so she could admire the ballgowns that hung within the humans’ closets. But she’s instantly discovered by a group of young women. Gothel attempts to apologize for her intrusion, but the young women tell her not to go, as they’d witnessed her magically produce a rose blossom. They state they are fascinated by her magic and want her to teach them in the magical arts. As a result, Gothel starts to pal around with the young human women. Eventually, the Nymph Mother finds out and steps in. She kindly tells Gothel that, no matter how much she might wish otherwise, she is not a human. And that the time will soon come when she will have to accept her place among the Tree Nymphs as she’s apparently next in line as their leader. Or something along those lines.

Regardless of the Nymph Mother’s words, Gothel continues to hang around with her human friends. But when Gothel decides to start training them in the ways of Nymph Magic, the young women reveal their true colors. Turns out, they were just a group of Mean Girls this whole time. And they were just leading Gothel along with the intention of publicly humiliating her, as they really view her and her people as freaks and abominations.

Devastated by this betrayal, Gothel returns to the sacred grove. But when she gets there, she discovers the insult was even greater. While she was being mocked and humiliated by the Mean Girls, a separate group of humans had lay siege to the sacred grove and completely destroyed it by cutting down and burning all the trees within the grove. Which, of course, resulted in the deaths of all the other Tree Nymphs, including the Nymph Mother.

Immediately, Gothel lets her heart grow bitter because of this. Filled with feelings of vengeance, she angrily returns to the human mansion to not only strike back at the Mean Girls, but everyone else as well. Basically, this whole backstory is a complete remake of Carrie, only with Tree People. Using her Tree Nymph magic, Gothel creates toxin-spewing flowers that….apparently killed every single human in the entire world. The only person she spared was a young woman named Seraphina, who reveals she could also use magic but had hidden her powers from the other Mean Girls out of fear of what they might do to her if her magical ability was revealed.

Once her mass genocide is complete, Gothel tells Seraphina that, eventually, life in this realm will once again emerge from the primordial ooze, and the world will become populated by humans all over again. But when that happens, they will be ready, and will strike back by returning magic to this world, which has now become a Land Without Magic. As she announces this, Gothel unearths a single magic bean from the remains of the now destroyed sacred grove, which she uses to open a portal that allows her and Seraphina to journey forth to increase their number, so they would eventually become the Coven of Eight.

So, according to this backstory, our world, the Land Without Magic, used to HAVE magic. And the only reason why it no longer does contain magic is because humans persecuted and killed the Tree Nymphs. And then the last remaining Tree Nymph went all Carrie on them by wiping out every single living creature, so life on Earth would have to start from the amoeba level all over again. Which is an interesting attempt at World Building. Not to mention the most bizarre ‘Creation’ story I’ve ever heard.

It also explains what Gothel’s motive is. Though it does NOT justify her actions in the slightest. Yes, she’s right- humans are generally horrible and are motivated by greed, hatred, selfishness and cruelty. I get it. Preaching to the choir, lady. I work in retail. I deal with the public every day. Not to mention my life is more or less controlled by corporate America. But she’s so wrapped up in her own twisted misanthropy, she has completely neglected to recognize that she’s ended up just as bad as the very humans she hated so deeply. Perhaps even more so. Case in point, the fact that she raped Wish Killian, tricked him into impregnating her, abandoned her baby the instant she was born and then trapped her in a tower for the rest of her life. As well as forcibly separating her from her loving father, who was the only companion she had. Not to mention how many lives and families she’s destroyed and ripped apart along the way.

But Gothel is apparently upping her game in Hyperion Heights. After spying on her with Margot/Robyn, Gothel approaches Tilly/Alice. Of course, Tilly states that she wants nothing to do with Gothel, but she’s stopped in her tracks when Gothel informs her that she’s her biological mother. Obviously, Tilly sees the impossibility of this statement, as Gothel only looks a few years older than her. But she then defiantly states that, even if what Gothel says it’s true, it doesn’t matter because it would mean Gothel abandoned her. And Tilly is not interested in getting to know a mother who would abandon her child. In response, Gothel starts spouting off a whole Sob Story™ about how she had a cruel life, as if that would excuse her actions, and then states she never would have walked out on her daughter if she’d known how special she was. Because Gothel apparently knows that Alice is the Guardian she was seeking. So, in other words, Gothel, you’re telling Alice/Tilly that you’d only care about your flesh and blood if they were of use to you? Yeah, spare me with your claims of being a mother. A REAL mother loves her children unconditionally, not just when they’re useful to them.

Thankfully, Tilly doesn’t fall for it, and she puts Gothel in her place by telling her that she is already wanted by people who really care for her, and therefore doesn’t need her before storming off. But she can’t shake away the uneasy feeling she’d feels. So she heads right over to the police station to see Rogers, who is in the middle of trying to come to terms with the impossible circumstances of Parallel Hansel’s death. How can someone be stabbed from the inside? Could it be that Naveen’s claim of magic being involved isn’t so impossible? So when Tilly starts telling him about her encounter with Gothel/Eloise, the gears in his head start to turn. Because it’s starting to sound like Naveen’s warning about a war brewing might not have been so far-fetched after all. He tells Tilly that, even though what she’s saying sounds crazy, he’s learned his lesson after the death of the Blind Baker. As such, he’s no longer going to doubt her words, no matter how crazy they might sound. This visibly delights Tilly, and the two head off to confer with Henry.

When they get to Henry’s apartment, he is initially reluctant to let them in, trying very badly to act casual and not act like he was hiding something. But when he hears Rogers and Tilly are starting to suspect something magical might be going on, what with Parallel Hansel’s impossible death and Elise/Gothel’s claims, he willingly lets them it. Because their words are pretty much vindication to him, as he’s set up this whole murder wall in his apartment. Ever since he saw the results of the blood test that named him as Lucy’s father, he’s become more open to the possibility that the stories in the book he wrote are real. While his attempts at convincing Jacinda of this were put on hold when Sabine called her up to help with the food truck (as Naveen/Drew is in police custody and is not able to make it to work), he’s grateful that Rogers and Tilly are starting to be on the same page as him. He shows them the evidence he’s compiled, from the fact that he found a photograph of Regina/Roni standing with eight-year-old him, his swan keychain, and even the fact that Rumpelstiltskin/Weaver’s teacup is identical to the Rumbelle teacup illustration from the New Storybook. Rogers wonders why Eloise/Gothel wouldn’t just use magic if she actually is a witch, but Henry counters this by pointing out that, in his book, this was called the Land Without Magic for a reason, and while there were trace elements of magic throughout the land, it probably wasn’t enough. And Gothel/Eloise probably would need a huge amount of magic to do whatever she’s planning

The discussion on the matter is interrupted when Rogers receives a phone call from the Desk Sargent, informing him that Gothel/Eloise was spotted skulking around the local theater. So Rogers goes to check it out, with Tilly tagging along. This leads to an adorable Knightrook moment, which starts with the visual proof that Tilly decorated Roger’s windshield with origami mushrooms and origami rabbit. And Rogers isn’t the slightest bit fazed by this. They start talking about Eloise/Gothel’s claims about how she is Tilly/Alice’s mother. Tilly admits she had always wanted a mother, and she’s wondering if she’ll find the missing part of her if she lets this woman in. But she has her doubts, because Eloise/Gothel doesn’t seem like the nurturing mother type. Rogers comforts her, stating that, even if Eloise/Gothel is right and she did give birth to her, it doesn’t mean she’s her mother, as it takes more than biology to be a real mother. He then gives her a marmalade sandwich that he just happened to have with him. Which suggests he regularly carries around Tilly’s favorite sandwich, just in case he’d run into her on the street. That is just adorable. Even though he still doesn’t remember, Rogers just can’t stop being fatherly to her. The Knightrook feelings are jumping off the scale here. Tilly even begins to thank Rogers for everything he’s done for her, from listening to her to letting her stay with him.

That’s when they spot Eloise/Gothel entering the theater, and they start to move in, with Tilly ignoring Roger’s request to stay put. This ends up to be bad, as the whole thing was a trap. The Desk Sargent has been hypnotized into helping Gothel in the coven, because apparently Gothel can hypnotize people now. When they enter the theater, Rogers and Tilly are immediately taken captive by the members of the Coven of Eight. Rogers angrily warns Gothel that he will kill her if she even tries to hurt Tilly, regardless of his police badge. But Gothel isn’t perturbed, stating that Tilly isn’t the one she plans to hurt. She and the rest of the coven drag Tilly and Rogers down to the very bowels of the theater, which are revealed to be the former location of the sacred grove where Gothel once lived with the other Tree Nymphs. Once they reach the site, Gothel tells Tilly that she expects her to help her and the other witches in casting a powerful spell. One that, I guess, will bring back the magic in this land and restore it to the way it was before the Mean Girls exterminated the other Tree Nymphs. She goes on to state that it’s time for Tilly to accept her place among them, as she can never belong to the world of the humans, and that the Coven of Eight is her real family, etc. etc.. Tilly, however, doesn’t fall for it, stating that, whatever Gothel might be, she is no mother to her. But in the end, Gothel manages to force Tilly into helping them by threatening to kill Rogers if she doesn’t comply. She even reveals the fact that they’re actually father and daughter. This threat ends up working, as Alice’s love for her father hasn’t been erased by the curse, resulting in Tilly caring deeply for Rogers. So of course she can’t let him be killed. As such, she reluctantly agrees to help Gothel and the other witches cast their spell, in spite of Rogers pleading her not to.

Meanwhile, there’s a whole supblot with Lucy going to Facilier, to ask him if he had another batch of magic that could help cure Henry of the poison inside him. He tells her that he can only help if Lucy can locate a symbol of Henry and Parallel Ella’s love. (I wonder. Is this why he wanted the Dagger? Was he planning to use it to break the curse somehow? If so, I’m kinda on Facilier’s side now.)

So Lucy gets her mother to dig some old boxes out of storage, claiming to be feeling nostalgic after Parallel Hansel/Nick’s true colors were revealed. While looking thorough the old boxes, they come across a box labeled ‘BL,’ which Jacinda states stands for ‘Before Lucy.’ Meaning this box contains traces of Jacinda’s life before she gave birth to her daughter. As they look through the box, they find things that Jacinda cannot explain- a T-shirt advertising Granny’s Diner back in Storybrooke. This excites Lucy, as she speculates that Henry must have brought that stuff with him before he left on his soul searching quest. (So, what they’re saying is that Parallel Ella had one of Henry’s t-shirts? Nice!) And, when they look into the paper take-out bag from Granny’s, they find… The Glass Slipper! Minus the fragment that Henry has.

Bursting with excitement, Lucy brings the Glass Slipper and the Glass Slipper Fragment to Facilier. With it, he is able to use his voodoo magic to eliminate the poison within Henry, thereby ensuring he won’t die when the curse is broken.

However, when Jacinda shows up at his place to inform him that she and Lucy found the Glass Slipper, resulting in her starting to believe in the possibility that she might actually be Cinderella after all, nothing happens when they kiss. Much to Lucy’s surprise, as she was really expecting their TLK would be the one to break the spell. I, however, am not surprised. Because the original Dark Curse was not broken by Snow and Charming’s TLK. It was Emma and Henry’s bond that did it. So I had my doubts that Henry and Parallel Ella would be the ones to break this Dark Curse. I suspect the secret lies in a different pair. Let’s see, it was the True Love between a mother and a son that broke the first Dark Curse. Maybe it will be the True Love between a father and a daughter this time around? Unless that pesky Cursed Heart issue gets in the way. That might be an issue.

(Click here to read more Episode Analyses)

#ouat episode analysis #ouat 7x19 #gothel #wish world!killian #detective rogers #alice jones #tilly #henry mills #parallel!cinderella #jacinda #lucy mills #dr facilier #naveen

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newyorktheater · 6 years ago

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The Broadway composer Richard Rodgers found four things invariably gratifying: “eating, a warm bath, making love and having a successful show.”

But how gratifying is it to read about successful shows – or the people who’ve created them?

That’s the question that lingers over two recently published Broadway biographies — Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution (Henry Holt, 2018, 386 pages) by Todd S. Purdum and Renaissance Man: The Lin-Manuel Miranda Story An Unauthorized Biography (Riverdale Avenue Books, 2018, 184 pages) by Marc Shapiro Both are about people who created Broadway musicals that became cultural phenomena. But they differ so radically in quality it’s almost an offense to consider them together.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein

South Pacific, 1949. Ezio Pinza an Mary Martin

Carousel (1945 – 1947 Broadway) Music by Richard Rodgers; Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Directed by Rouben Mamoulian Shown from left: Jan Clayton, John Raitt

The King and I 1951. Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner.

Oklahoma! (1955) Directed by Fred Zinnemann Shown from left: Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Charlotte Greenwood

Sound of Music (1959-1963, Broadway) Music by Richard Rogers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, Book by Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse Directed by Vincent J. Donehue Shown from left: (top) Mary Martin, Joseph Stewart, Kathy Dunn, William Snowden, Lauri Peters; (front) Marilyn Rogers, Evanna Lien, Mary Susan Locke

from left to right: Richard Rodgers, Dorothy Hammerstein, Dorothy Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein. Both their wives were named Dorothy, and both were interior decorators.

Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II together wrote some half dozen musicals between 1943 and 1959 that were the most popular Broadway shows of their time. The songs from these musicals remain among the most beloved and familiar of any that have ever been sung on Broadway. Todd Purdum, a former White House correspondent for the New York Times and current writer for Politico, devotes a chapter to each of these shows – Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music. We learn where the ideas came from; how Hammerstein figured out the right lyrics (Rodgers’ process was more mysterious and often instantaneous), how the initial productions came together, how the public and the critics reacted. But the author spends almost as much time on some of the movie adaptations of these hits, and on the Rodgers and Hammerstein shows that weren’t hits – Allegro, Me and Juliet, Pipe Dream, Flower Drum Song. And the first two of the book’s 11 chapters are taken up with the individual careers of the two men before they started collaborating with each other. Both had successful partnerships with other theater artists – Oscar Hammerstein with composer Jerome Kern, most notably on Show Boat; Rodgers with lyricist Larry Hart, whose 28 stage musicals together included Pal Joey and On Your Toes. And then there are the shows Purdum writes about that Rodgers and Hammerstein produced but didn’t write, most notably “Annie Get Your Gun,” which they lured Irving Berlin into scoring. And the author also goes into some depth about the projects that each man undertook separately in-between their collaborations, such as “Carmen Jones,” Hammerstein’s adaptation of Bizet’s opera “Carmen” transposed to the American South with an all African-American cast. (A revival of ‘Carmen Jones” is opening this month at the Classic Stage Company) All of this information is well researched and competently written. There are plenty of memorable tidbits. The night after “Oklahoma!” opened, we’re told, the house sold out for the next four years. During “The Sound of Music,” lead actress and investor Mary Martin had befriended a theater-loving nun, who became an advisor on the show. Among Sister Gregory’s advice: “ Please don’t have the nuns giggle. Chuckle, laugh— and even explode with laughter, but not giggle.” Yet after a while, with so much covered in its 320 pages of text, “Something Wonderful” (the title is taken from a song in “The King and I”) feels more like “Many Wonderful Things,” and occasionally even “Too Many Wonderful Things.” One begins to wonder: What’s the point of this book? And also: Why now? Rodgers died in 1979, Hammerstein in 1960. (There’s an entire chapter on what Rodgers did in the years after Hammerstein died; and more details about each of their end-of-life illnesses than I was eager to learn.) Certainly I can be excused for assuming that the book would take advantage of the passage of time to offer fresh critical perspectives. But any critical evaluations are perfunctory – largely brief excerpts from contemporary reviews. The author does offer a line or two of analysis here and there: “If Oklahoma! had satisfied wartime America’s longing for a simpler time and Carousel had tapped into the returning servicemen’s familiarity with death, South Pacific offered a dramatization of a conflict that was still visceral for millions.” But that doesn’t explain why the shows are still popular. A brief section in the Epilogue makes the current case for Rodgers and Hammerstein shows as if they’re under attack, but, again, by briefly quoting critics. Instead of critical insights, Purdum opts for a compact historical overview of two impossibly fruitful careers. We learn that during his lifetime Rodgers had written the music for some 900 songs, and Hammerstein had written the lyrics for 1,589. (The 1,589th was Edelweiss from The Sound of Music. By the end of “Something Wonderful” I can’t claim to have gotten a firm handle on either theater artist – not what made them great, nor even a vivid sense of what they were like as individuals. It is hard to blame the author for this. Mary Rodgers, Richard’s daughter and an accomplished composer in her own right, is quoted as saying: “I don’t think anybody ever knew who he really was, with the possible exception of one of the five psychiatrists he went to.” Stephen Sondheim (Hammerstein’s protégée and Rodgers one-time, unhappy collaborator) is reduced to a kind of unhelpful Zen description of the two: Hammerstein as a man of limited talent but infinite soul, and Rodgers as a man of infinite talent but limited soul. Still, “Something Wonderful” is a reasonably good read about two theater artists whose work remains familiar and beloved 75 years after they first started collaborating.

“The Sound of Music” was one of the many original Broadway cast albums lying around in the Miranda household when Lin-Manuel was growing up in Inwood, we learn in “Renaissance Man: The Lin-Manuel Miranda Story.” Hunter College Elementary School put on Oklahoma when Miranda was in the fourth grade. His senior thesis at Wesleyan was an analysis of the lyrics of Alan Lerner, Stephen Sondheim…and Oscar Hammerstein. So, yes, Rodgers and Hammerstein were among Lin-Manuel’s many influences in an eclectic cultural upbringing that featured, among many other things – as Renaissance Man reminds us — his parents’ many original cast albums, a school bus driver who loved rap, early exposure to Disney animated films, a household full of Puerto Rican culture, schooling that emphasized the arts, especially theater. “Renaissance Man” by Marc Shapiro (who specializes in “unauthorized” celebrity biographies) is a cut-and-paste job, splicing together facts and quotes gathered from newspaper articles and blog posts and podcasts and speeches. This alone wouldn’t necessarily be reason to condemn it. As with “Something Wonderful,” there should be some appeal in revisiting Lin-Manuel Miranda’s extraordinary story, even though it is by this point so thoroughly familiar – how he created “In The Heights” starting when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan; followed by the six year journey to create “Hamilton.” We can even appreciate being reminded of some of Miranda’s other activities as writer and rapper and actor – his improvisational rap group Freestyle Love Supreme, his work on other Broadway shows (co-composing Bring It On The Musical; writing the Spanish translations for a West Side Story revival) the his songwriting for the animated Disney film Moana and a Star Wars movie; his appearance as himself in Fatwa: The Musical in Curb Your Enthusiasm, his forthcoming role in the movie Mary Poppins Returns All of this is mentioned in “Renaissance Man: The Lin-Manuel Miranda Story,” but we don’t wind up caring. The book could hardly be a worse read. It’s poorly written, cliché-ridden, and so full of typos and obvious errors that one wonders what else the author got wrong. (It’s the Outer Critics Circle Awards, not The Outer City Circle Awards. It’s the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Miranda’s friend Chris Hayes is sometimes spelled Chris Harris; Hamilton performer Daveed Diggs is sometimes referred to as David.) Marc Shapiro uses the word “literal” or “literally” incorrectly so many times (“Miranda was a literal babe in the woods”…”Miranda was literally over the moon…”) that I stopped counting. There is no intelligent or even cogent insight into Miranda or his shows, and virtually no original reporting. The only apparent interview the author conducted was with one Irv Steinfink, Miranda’s 11th grade Social Studies teacher, said he assigned him to do a report on the Hamilton-Burr duel “It was a good paper. He got an A on it. As I think about it now, it may have actually been an A plus.” There are so many hilariously awkward sentences and extended forays into incoherence that I briefly wondered whether Renaissance Man was secretly a spoof. Here is a typical paragraph, which purports to explain the reason for the book: “That Lin-Manuel Miranda has emerged as the pop composer/literal renaissance man of his time was the logical reason to profile his life. Hamilton is on everybody’s lips and so, in the immortal words of the publishing bard, strike while the iron is hot became the order of the day. But it soon became something a bit more than cashing in on the latest big thing.” Actually, “Renaissance Man: The Lin-Manuel Story” is never anything more than an attempt to cash in on the latest big thing.

New Broadway Biographies: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rodgers and Hammerstein The Broadway composer Richard Rodgers found four things invariably gratifying: “eating, a warm bath, making love and having a successful show.”

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videofeed · 4 years ago

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Stargirl | Season 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8rzAYp-mNQ The collection complies with high school student Courtney Whitmore, represented by Brec Bassinger, that reveals the planetary workers along with happens the suggestions for a new generation of superheroes that end up being the Justice Society of America. Russian Doll | Tv Shows(Opens in a new browser tab) DC Universe bought the collection in July 2018. Bassinger was cast in September 2018, with included dispersings for her loved one, the Justice Society of America, and also the Injustice Society of America with February 2019. Filming for the collection begun by March 2019 in the Atlanta city in Georgia. Stargirl premiered on May 18, 2020, and also will certainly consist of 13 episodes. The collection furthermore broadcasts the sticking todayon The CW along with is used on The CW's digital systems. Ahead of the collection best, individualities from the collection were consisted of in the Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths", creating Stargirl as feeding on a parallel Earth to the Arrowverse collection. Premise One year after a great deal of the Justice Society of America (JSA) passed away in a battle versus the Injustice Society of America (ISA), secondary school pupil Courtney Whitmore reveals the Cosmic Staff and also, upon finding that her stepfather Pat Dugan used to be the companion to Starman, happens the suggestions for an entire new generation of superheroes. Cast Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore / Stargirl: A senior high school student from Los Angeles that finds an effective device, the Cosmic Staff, and also happens the teen superheroine Stargirl. As Stargirl, she furthermore happens the leader of the second manifestation of the Justice Society of America (JSA).[2] In prep work for the obligation, Bassinger did rule out the individuality's previous depictions by Britt Irvin on Smallville along with Sarah Grey on Legends of Tomorrow given that they were represented as "older, older variant[s]" of Stargirl. Bassinger consisted of that the collection follows the comic Stars along with S.T.R.I.P.E. added "in that she's young, high school, naive, which I wanted to bring that into this version of Stargirl." Maizie Smith represents a 5-year-old Courtney.Yvette Monreal as Yolanda Montez / Wildcat II: A once-prominent youngster at Blue Valley High up till a rumor made her an abandoned and also a shame to her Catholic moms and dads. A competent fighter, she turns into one of Courtney's close friends and also a participant of the brand-new JSA as the brand-new Wildcat.Anjelika Washington as Beth Chapel / Doctor Mid-Nite II: A social deny and also nerd who becomes one of Courtney's friends and also a member of the new JSA as the new Doctor Mid-Nite.Cameron Gellman as Rick Tyler / Hourman II: A high school delinquent and the son of the original Hourman, Rex Tyler. His moms and dads died in a staged car accident when he was seven. He turns into one of Courtney's pals and a member of the brand-new JSA as the new Hourman. Boston Pierce portrays a 7-year-old Rick.Trae Romano as Mike Dugan: Pat Dugan's son as well as Courtney's stepbrother.Jake Austin Walker as Henry King Jr.: A student at Blue Valley High as well as its star football player.Meg DeLacy as Cindy Burman: The daughter of Dragon King, the girlfriend of Henry King Jr., and the most popular student at Blue Valley High. While she is the school's cheerleading captain, she is determined to follow in her father's footsteps.Neil Jackson as Jordan Mahkent / Icicle: The leader of the Injustice Society of America (ISA), an "astute" businessman with the power of cryokinesis, and founder of The American Dream, a firm responsible for the revitalization of Blue Valley. Jackson initially thought "Icicle" was "a silly name" and made the character sound "like a My Little Pony", but Johns' pitch helped make the character credible for Jackson.Christopher James Baker as Henry King Sr. / Brainwave: A member of the ISA with psionic abilities, the father of Henry King Jr., and a successful neurosurgeon at Blue Valley Medical Center. Baker stated that Henry King Sr. was the "mask" of Brainwave, as opposed to the other way around, believing Brainwave "is the true being." After figuring out Courtney is the new Stargirl, he winds up in a coma after their second battle so this information doesn't spread to the rest of the Injustice Society.Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore: Courtney's mother and Pat Dugan's wife that strives to balance her work and also home life. Barbara takes a job at The American Dream, where she attracts the attention of Jordan Market.Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan / S.T.R.I.P.E.: Courtney's stepfather, the former sidekick to Starman, and a mechanic who pilots a 15-foot robot of his own creation made from spare car parts. Pat serves as a reluctant mentor and father figure to Courtney and her JSA teammates. Despite his superheroics, Pat wants to provide a normal life for his family.Hunter Sansone as Cameron Market: A student at Blue Valley High, aspiring artist, and the son of Jordan Mahkent who takes a liking to Courtney. It's revealed in "The Justice Society" that he's inherited his father's powers when he blows out a candle with visibly cold breath. Roger Dale Floyd portrays a younger Cameron. Development On July 19, 2018, it was announced that DC Universe had given a series order to Stargirl, consisting of thirteen episodes. The pilot is set to be written by Geoff Johns who will executive produce alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Melissa Carter (who is co-showrunner with Johns). Production companies involved with the series are Mad Ghost Productions, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. The series was said to be a "reimagining" of Stargirl. Fleabag | Film 2020 duration 2(Opens in a new browser tab) Writing Johns described Stargirl as having a similar tone to 1980s films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Back to the Future. The start of the series sees the deaths of the original members of the Justice Society of America (JSA). With the younger generation taking up their mantle, Johns said their "paths aren't complete. They don't know where they're going to be or what they're going to be. And so, there are all sorts of mistakes they can make and choices they can make, and who knows what their ultimate destiny will be?… It makes for a lot of fun and a lot of unpredictability." The members of the Injustice Society mirror those on the JSA team, with Johns teasing that just about everyone who has been a participant of the Injustice Society in the comics would appear in the series. Speaking to classic JSA members such as Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, Johns called them the "elderly statesmen" and that they "are spoken of and they exist in the JSA" with "their legacies… felt throughout the show". There were also "plans in the future for things". For the first season, star Brec Bassinger felt the original Doctor Mid-Nite, Charles McNider would have "a significant role to play", while Johns added the season would establish the Seven Soldiers of Victory as the first superhero team before the JSA and explore the history of the Cosmic Staff. Filming Filming had begun by March 14, 2019, with Glen Winter directing the pilot. Christopher Manley and Scott Peck were directors of photography on the series. Filming occurs throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area, including Marietta, Virginia–Highland, Duluth, Lithia Springs, Dallas, Marietta Square, West End, Westlake High School, the Atlanta Center for Medical Research, Campbell Middle School, Paulding County, Smyrna, Arbor Place Mall, Vinings, Mableton, and Douglas County High School. Walter Garcia serves as the series' stunt coordinator and second-unit director. He was hired to help Stargirl's staff "have a personality and be alive when she fights with it". Release Stargirl premiered on DC Universe on May 18, 2020, and will consist of 13 episodes. The series was originally intended to premiere on May 11, 2020. The series is released in 4K Ultra HD on DC Universe. In November 2019, it was announced that The CW would broadcast each episode the day after it premieres on the streaming service, with each episode available to stream on The CW's online platforms after its broadcast. Stargirl started airing on The CW on May 19, 2020, at 8 pm. Some episodes have the content removed when they air on The CW to allow for the network's commercials, notably approximately eight minutes in each of the first two episodes. DC Universe streams the full episodes, and Johns said starting with the third episode, both releases are "almost identical". The series release plans shifted and it stayed in post-production longer to accommodate the broadcast on The CW in order to accomplish the adjustments that had to be made. Scenes removed in the first episode from the CW broadcast included: establishing shots of Barbara Whitmore's brand-new job, and also Pat’s auto shop; an interaction between Courtney as well as Cindy Burman in the halls of Blue Valley High School that Alex Zalben of Decider said was "clear set-up for later" but helped strengthen Courtney's emotional arc; and also Mark Ashworth's scenes as "a mysterious, extremely creepy bearded janitor", which Zalben said was more of "a fun Easter egg that will pay dividends down the road"; as well as Courtney finding a newspaper article about Starman and also Stripes.

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justanotherwannabeclassic · 7 years ago

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Here are my likes and dislikes about 7x05:

Likes

Tiana/Sabine is such a fun and warm character. Mekia brings an infectious enthusiasm to the role, and I just love her. I’m really excited to see more of her, and am glad they made her a regular.

I’m kind of amused at how both Rogers and Roni are both overstepping their kids’ boundaries. Also, Roni’s line about Rogers needing hobbies was great, as was his reaction. I really enjoy this dynamic.

That final bit of the episode was so much fun. Roni found a picture of her and smol Henry! Ivy is awake! Twist upon twist!

Facilier was interesting and charismatic. He felt delightfully evil. Also the frog twist was neat and cute.

Dislikes

I honestly think Lucy is terribly written. She endless optimism and hopefulness is annoying. She doesn’t feel as well rounded as young Henry. Her lines also don’t feel like they were written for a ten-year-old. She comes across as unnaturally mature and wise, and that’s offputting.

I want them to do more with Jacinda outside of being cynical and stressed. Which, admittedly, makes sense based on her financial standing and custody issues, but doesn’t make for the most compelling television. I kind of want to see her have some fun and some not job-related adventures with Sabine. Can they have a girls’ night where they crack open a cheap bottle of wine and watch movies and just allow her to relax for five minutes? Or can we find out more about her interests outside of Lucy and her job?

Victoria Belfrey is still very flat to me. She’s being overshadowed as a character by Ivy.

Questions

So did Rogers just randomly help Jacinda find the food truck? Is he a partial investor now? How did this even come about? Did Jacinda find him on the street? I get that he’s pals with Henry, but did he and Jacinda have any real interaction outside of the first episode? Does he just really like food trucks?

Part of me wonders if Rogers is cursed to find Eloise Gardner because she’s the witch, and his quest might help free her in some way, allowing her to do whatever evil things she wants. Sort of like a failsafe?

#ouat spoilers #ouat 7x05 #ouat season 7

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stubblesandwich · 8 years ago

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A Reprise In Brotherly Love

When Liam the second shows up unannounced on the Jolly Roger, Killian finds an unexpected ear to listen to his doubts of earning Prince Charming’s forgiveness. Set after “Murder Most Foul”.

Words: 4.5K

Rated: G

Author Note: This was born of the swirling vortex of Captain Charming feels that is my heart these days, as well as rumors of Liam II and Nemo returning to guest-star in an upcoming episode. Special thanks to my pal @welllpthisishappening for listening to me gush about the Jones brothers and for looking this over for me.

Find on A03 here. —— Killian hadn’t seen his half brother since their shaky reconciliation and Liam’s reunion with Nemo, but he had seen to it, with a copious amount of gold doubloons, that their stay at Granny’s was covered indefinitely. It was the least he could do.

The wind seemed to come and go in spurts, at times nipping through Killian’s leather jacket before dying back down to a light caress across his cheek. Whenever he could spare a moment in the day, he came to check on his ship. These days, those free moments were fewer and farther between. Even so, he managed to make it over to her at least once a week.

It was odd, forging time in his days to check in briefly on a ship that had been his home for centuries. Once in a while, he would linger, take up his old place at her helm and grasp the spokes of her wheel in his hand, or take his time swabbing the deck alone. It was cathartic work, despite the strain it earned his back, and he enjoyed caring for his ship with his own touch. Still, easier were the days when he had a whole crew at his disposal to take care of the more mundane chores. Henry was the only one who offered to help, or agreed to help when asked. Most of the time, the old pirate took care of it all, himself.

Today was one such day where he had come to spend some extra time alone on the Jolly Roger. When sailing regularly, deck swabbing was a daily occurrence. These days, with the ship sitting idly in the harbor, it was really only necessary after a storm, or a particularly choppy day when the waves could reach high enough to leave salt residue on the main deck. If he didn’t get to it in time, within a day or so at most, the old wood would start to show extra wear, in spite of its enchanted state. This was not something Killian would allow.

As he strode across the docks, his ship looming before him, his mind was elsewhere, untethered and darting between memories. Dark circles stubbornly took up residence under his eyes, betraying to anyone who looked at him how little sleep he had been getting lately. Rest eluded him, and when it came, it was fitful. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see that face staring back at him. “I swear on my son’s life. I just want to get home to my family.” There was a familiar twist in his gut.

Abruptly, a male voice called down from the Jolly Roger’s deck, “I asked the harbor master which ship belonged to the infamous Captain Hook.”

Killian tensed, not recognizing the voice at first. He paused at the ship’s loading ramp, raising his hand to shield his eyes as he squinted against the sun. Liam the second’s smiling face came into view, and Killian relaxed visibly.

Liam’s hair was tousled, the longer strands of it whipping into his face as the wind picked up, and he raised a hand and ran his fingers through it. He was leaning on the wooden rails of the ship facing the docks and offered his half-brother a small smile.

"He told me it was the ‘old wooden one that looks like it’s up to no good,’” Liam continued, still smirking. “Figured it was this one. Although, I was expecting darker sails."

Killian scaled the ship’s boarding ramp in a few long, well-practiced strides. "Aye, you found her,” he said. “Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, mate."

Liam chuckled appreciatively at the name, as if he hadn’t been expecting the ship to be christened anything else. "A pirate through and through."

Killian gave a half shrug. "It was fitting at the time. Now I can’t imagine her called anything else."

Liam nodded, letting his gaze drift back to the sea. He was still leaning on the railing, looking perfectly at ease, as if he had been there all afternoon. Which, Killian thought, was perfectly plausible. He wouldn’t have put it past Liam to have investigated the entire ship from top to bottom already.

"Did you inspect her, then?” Killian asked. “Everything ready to sail?"

Liam gave a half smile, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I found where you stash your mountain of rum barrels, if that’s what you’re wondering."

Killian laughed freely, shaking his head. "Not what I meant at all, mate. But, you’re welcome to crack open a barrel anytime you see fit. What’s mine is yours."

A thought hung in the air, unspoken by either of them. Killian’s mind drifted immediately to their shared father and the fate that had befallen him, and Liam’s jaw clenched just a fraction. He cleared his throat once and offered Killian a short, "Thanks."

They were silent for a minute, each staring out at the tranquil water of the Maine port. It was a calm day, with a brilliant, unobscured sun and only a whisper from the wind every now and again. It was a perfect day, it seemed, to investigate your long-lost half-brother’s antique pirate ship.

After a while, Liam cleared his throat. They certainly hadn’t fallen into the easy banter Killian and David now shared, but the fact that Liam had sought him out meant something. In a town as small as Storybrooke, it was virtually impossible to avoid someone forever, especially someone who attracted as much trouble as Killian seemed to. He knew they would run into each other eventually, but he was hardly expecting Liam to be the one to seek him out first, let alone appear unannounced on his ship. It was a pleasant surprise.

"So, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here,” Liam started.

“You’re welcome here anytime,” Killian said promptly, without a trace of false hospitality. He met Liam’s gaze for a moment, the younger man’s eyes searching his, before Liam offered a small smile and a nod.

“Thanks,” Liam said, shifting a bit against the ship’s rail. “I just thought I’d come by and thank you properly for taking care of our rooms, at the inn. Nemo and I… really appreciate it."

"It’s the least I can do,” Killian said. “I may not have held the knife, but Nemo was only injured because of me.” His gaze flit to sea, scanning the horizon briefly before meeting his brother’s eyes again. “Besides, I recall all too well being an outsider in this town. I’m still not fully acclimated to its many quirks, but at least I had my ship."

Liam turned, resting his back on the rail, and took a moment to survey the Jolly Roger’s deck. "She really is something,” he murmured. “They certainly don’t make them like this anymore."

"Aye,” Killian says, with more than a hint of pride.

The two brothers stood in silence again, and it seemed to be getting easier to do so. For his part, Killian had been thinking of Liam the second nearly as much as he thought of Liam the first.

Despite the looming threat of death that seemed to follow his true love like a shadow, and all the insanity that was Storybrooke on a weekly basis, his mind had been coming back to his younger brother nearly every day. Often, he wondered how he and Nemo were assimilating, how Nemo was healing. He assumed this was why he had yet to see either of them around town, with Liam surely taking care of Nemo at the inn.

After a minute, Killian felt Liam watching him. He shifted on the balls of his feet, not quite sure of what to say. This was the most time they had ever spent together alone without one of them throwing a punch or whipping out a knife. Perhaps they weren’t ready for normal conversations, or standing in the same vicinity, for that matter.

His mind grasped for something else to say, returning empty-handed. Even innocuous comments on the weather evaded him. The sleepless nights were beginning to weigh on him, and his mind felt fogged, bogged down by the thoughts–memories–he couldn’t seem to hold at bay, guilt contorting his stomach in constant knots.

“Are you okay?”

Killian jumped, jerked out of his wayward thoughts. Liam was staring at him, looking concerned.

Killian forced a smile. “Of course, mate. Why?”

Liam frowned. “You look…” he started, lips pursing as he paused to think of the right word. “Well, you look terrible.”

Killian’s mouth parted just slightly in surprise. “Terrible?”

Liam offered a somewhat sympathetic look. “Kind of, sorry. What I mean is, you look like you haven’t slept… ever.”

Killian’s mouth twitched up in a small smile before he looked away. “Aye, mate, I get it. Truth be told, I haven’t been sleeping well the past few nights.”

Liam nodded in understanding. He stayed quiet, eyes still trained on his brother, and the expression he wore made it clear he was expecting more information.

Killian paused, faltering as he tried to think of a casual way to explain his situation to this particular person standing before him. Clearing his throat, he began, “I… recently discovered something I did long ago came to greatly affect a close friend of mine.” It came out monotone and wooden, devoid of any real details, but it was all he could bring himself to say.

Liam chose that moment to make a most unfortunate attempt at a joke.

“Well,” he said, “It’s not like you killed his father or anything, right?”

Killian’s stomach seized. He had wondered if the subject would ever be broached again between them, and if it was, how it would be handled. Liam, to his credit, was clearly trying to make light of the subject of Killian hurting his friend, suggesting it couldn’t be as bad as some of the other sins of the pirate’s past.

But, however difficult and admirable it might have been for Liam to gloss over his own pain to make Killian feel better about his current situation, he was wrong. Desperately, horrifyingly wrong.

Something about the devastated look that crossed onto Killian’s features made Liam immediately apologetic. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, “I was just trying to… I shouldn’t have brought it up. I wasn’t…” He paused as Killian dipped his head forward just enough to pinch the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

Killian let out a shaky breath. The meager hours of sleep he had been able to steal over the past few nights could have been counted on his one hand, and it was beginning to catch up to him. He leaned back against the rail of the ship, abruptly needing the support as his knees went numb.

Liam watched him nervously, hesitant to say anything else. When Killian finally looked back up at him, his eyes were shining with unshed tears.

“That’s exactly what I did, Liam.”

Liam’s mouth dropped open and he stilled, gaping openly at his brother. “You… you what?”

Killian held his gaze as he ground out the words, “I killed David’s father. Nearly sixty years ago, if memory serves.”

Unable to stop himself, Liam took an automatic step back. “But how…?”

“He was tied to a cart, about to be executed by the king’s men,” Killlian started. “I intervened, intent on stealing their gold. It’s what pirates do, after all.” He gave a coarse, humorless laugh and went on. “And despite how he begged me to let him live so he could go home to his boy, I ran my sword through his chest and killed him. Couldn’t leave any loose ends to trace back to Pan.”

The bitterness in his tone was palpable, and Killian let out another measured, shaky breath to try to calm himself. His hand was shaking now as it too started to grow numb, and he clenched it into a fist at his side.

Horror seeped onto Liam’s face, raw and unmasked.

Killian pushed off the rail abruptly and began to pace the length of the deck, trying to regain the feeling in his legs. Liam continued to stare, his eyes following him.

After a moment, Liam cleared his throat and asked, “And David is…?”

Killian paused and held up his hook, as one might hold up a hand to tell someone to wait. “That’s the best bloody part, isn’t it?” He said. “Of course, this man was the grandfather of the woman I love. The woman I wish to make my wife. Because no matter how hard I try, no matter what I do to try to redeem myself, it seems I’ll never quite live down the exploits of Captain bloody Hook.” His eyes had a wild edge to them, and the dark circles cradling them made him look more than a little crazed.

Liam, possibly fearing his brother was seconds away from throwing himself off the side of the ship to drown, stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Killian’s shoulder.

“Hey,” he said, “Slow down, okay?”

Killian grunted softly.

“Come on,” Liam said, “Let’s talk some more over a drink, all right? I know where the captain keeps the rum.”

Killian laughed at that. Despite how appreciative he was of his brother’s attempt to help, he knew he sounded maniacal, and he desperately needed to relax before he lost it completely.

With a nod, he strode over to the hatch and dipped below deck. Liam hesitated, unsure if he should follow, but Killian was surprisingly quick, and when he returned after a few minutes, it was with two full flasks in hand.

Liam grasped one and immediately took a swig of the rum. It burned his throat, and he sputtered. “Sorry,” he breathed, laughing a bit at his own intolerance for the drink. “Nemo always preferred to stock wine.”

Killian had cut his flask’s content in half by the time Liam finished speaking. “I’m sorry,” Killian said quietly. “You’re the last person I wanted to know about this.” Liam kept watching him, unsure of what to say.

“The fact that you’re standing here, on my ship, is more than I ever could have hoped for from you,” Killian admitted.

They stood there in silence again, each taking the occasional sip from his flask.

“I came here to swab the deck,” Killian said dully, squinting up at the sky.

“I’ll help you,” Liam offered without hesitation.

Killian shook his head. “Not necessary, mate.”

“Two are faster than one,” Liam reminded.

“Aye,” Killian conceded with a sigh. “That they are.”

+++ They worked in silence, each having started at the opposite end of the ship, aiming to meet in the middle. While he was begrudging to accept, Killian was grateful for the help. His movements were slow, exhaustion weighing him down like an anchor, and he took the occasional break to stretch out his shoulders. Along the way, he made mental notes of the areas that needed more attentive cleaning. He and Liam each held mops, ideal for swabbing the majority of the deck. The nooks and crannies he would attend to himself, later.

Eventually, the two brothers neared each other again. Liam reached the center first and paused, leaning on his mop, watching Killian.

“Why did you do it?”

Killian stopped, looking up at his brother. Neither of them had spoken in near an hour, and it took him a moment to register Liam’s question.

“Why’d I do what, mate?”

“Kill our father.”

The breath shot out of his lungs as if he had been punched. Liam’s gaze was unwavering as he watched him, awaiting a response. Killian reached for his flask and took a swig, reveling in the burn for a moment.

“Are you sure you want to have this conversation?” Killian asked, his voice rough.

Liam shrugged, his eyes narrowing. “Humor me.”

Killian fell silent. He had shared his sordid tale before; most of his family knew the details by now. Regina, of course, had known he had killed his father. He had confessed to Emma and Henry, adding in the details about his brother after the events on the Nautilus. It wasn’t an easy subject, to be sure, but he had spoken of it before. Just not to Liam.

“You need to understand,” he began slowly, searching carefully for his next words, “That my relationship with our father was very different than the one you had with him.”

Liam scoffed quietly, almost inaudibly. “Yeah,” he said sardonically, “I figured as much when I found out you killed him.”

Killian gave a short nod. Words escaped him once again. He grappled with the events in his mind, struggling to find a proper explanation to fit them. How was he supposed to tell his younger brother—a man whose devotion to his lost father had driven him within an inch of murder—that Brennan Jones had sold his two sons into a life of slavery to save his own hide?

Killian was silent for too long and Liam cleared his throat expectantly, growing impatient.

“Brennan needed to escape the law,” Killian started, “And so he left us behind.”

“Us?” Liam interjected.

Killian cleared his throat, feeling awkward. “Yes, my brother and I. My older brother, then my only brother, Liam.”

Killian looked up at him then, and their eyes met. Confusion flooded Liam’s face.

“Our father named you after his eldest son, Liam the first,” Killian supplied helpfully.

Liam was quiet for a moment before he murmured, “Liam… is he…?”

Killian nodded. “Dead, yes. For a long time now.” A mournful silence fell over him, as often happened when he spoke of his older brother. His gaze drifted out to the ocean.

“So, he just left you, then?”

Killian glanced back to his brother. “Aye,” he said carefully.

“The man I knew would never do that.”

Killian ground his teeth together, his jaw flexing. “Perhaps,” he said without conviction.

“Then what happened?”

“We grew up on slaves ships,” Killian said bluntly. He had been trying to avoid painting their father as a villain, but with Liam’s pressing questions, there was only so much he could dance around and avoid.

Liam’s jaw dropped open. “He sold you into servitude?”

“Aye,” Killian said, and his eyes flit back to the sea. “Liam looked after me, practically raised me. We joined the royal navy, acquiring the very ship you’re standing on.”

Liam’s brows raised at that, and he glanced around the ship again, as if seeing it for the first time.

“Liam was killed in Neverland,” Killian said with unbridled bitterness, “On a fool’s errand from a king I vowed to issue justice to. And so the Jewel of the Realm became the Jolly Roger.”

Liam’s gaze fell back to Killian, and there was something new held in his blue eyes. Not quite pity, but something close. The hardness in his expression had softened somewhat.

Killian swallowed uncomfortably and continued. “When I met our father again, I was working for the Evil Queen. Killing our father was a test, to see if I had the mettle for what she had in mind.”

“I don’t understand,” Liam said, befuddled. “My father wasn’t old enough to–”

Killian intervened, sensing where he was going, “Sleeping curse, apparently right after he left my brother and I. As I was told, he was awoken by his nurse, your mother.”

It clicked, and Liam nodded. “Right. I’ve heard the story. Many times. It was his favorite to tell.”

Killian wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, so he simply continued. “I met him in a pub where he worked, as arranged for by the queen. I waited until closing, till I was the only one left in the bar.” Liam tensed at this, as if he expected this to be the moment his father had been killed. Killian watched him for a moment before he went on.

“I couldn’t do it. Not then. He told me how much he had regretted what he’d done to us, how he was a changed man.” His tone had dipped low, and it was clear even then he didn’t believe a word of it. “I decided to let him go, offered him passage on my ship. Then he told me of you.” Killian’s eyes shot up to Liam’s.

“That night, I came to your home, waited outside while he tucked you into bed. You looked like my older brother,” he said, and a small, fond smile upturned his mouth. “Even then, I could tell you were my brother.”

A gull called overhead, squawking down at them from its perch on the crow’s nest of the ship. Liam turned his head to look at it as Killian reached for his flask again. They both knew what was coming next. Finding his father dead in their yard was a sight branded onto Liam’s memory forever, and he shifted in his stance uncomfortably as Killian continued.

“I overheard him tucking you into bed,” Killian went on, and a crack in his voice betrayed him halfway through. He looked away, clearing his throat. “It was… strikingly similar to the last words he said to me, as a boy.”

“Before he left,” Liam said, understanding dawning.

“Aye,” Killian sighed. “It was then I heard your name for the first time.” He looked up, hesitantly meeting his eyes. “That was just too much for me.”

Liam swallowed against the lump rising in his throat. “I didn’t know.”

Killian gave a half-shrug. “I don’t expect pity. The events of the past have haunted me for decades, and our father is no exception.” He grew quiet as he took a moment to cap his flask and slipped it inside the inner pocket of his jacket. “I don’t deserve sympathy and I certainly don’t deserve forgiveness for the things I’ve put you through, Liam.”

“When I found out,” Liam said slowly, “I wanted to run you through with my knife… with our father’s knife, actually. It was his. I kept it. I thought that would be just, you know? Fair retribution.” He shook his head and stepped over to a cargo box on the side of the deck, leaning his mop against it. Killian watched him.

“It’s not right, what you did,” Liam said bluntly. “And you can’t make up for it.”

“I know.”

“But you didn’t ruin my life,” Liam added. Killian quirked a brow, and he continued. “If I hadn’t lost my father, I wouldn’t have joined the crew of the Nautilus. I never would have met Nemo. He’s been a father to me, too. It’s hard to imagine my life without him.”

Killian gave a small, understanding smile. “Aye,” he said. “I know the feeling.”

A thoughtful look crossed onto Liam’s features, and he sized Killian up for a moment. “You’re not the same man, you know.”

Killian looked at him curiously.

Liam shrugged. “I can tell that much. You’re not the same pirate we took on board the Nautilus all those years ago.”

Killian smiled at this, letting the words sink in. He had heard them before, of course, in some manner or another, and he liked to believe they were true, but they felt unique coming from this particular man.

“He’ll forgive you.”

Killian looked up sharply. “What?”

“David,” Liam continued, “David is going to forgive you.”

Despite himself, tears pricked his eyes, and Killian blinked to keep them at bay. He wanted to protest, claim his insecurities, but the words didn’t come, obstructed as his throat grew tight.

“You may not deserve it,” Liam added, “But then again, that really isn’t up to you, is it?”

Killian exhaled, slow and controlled, through his nose. I don’t deserve it, he thought desperately, and while the words wouldn’t come, the thought was as plain on his face as if he’d written it there in ink.

“Nemo forgave me,” Liam murmured, just loud enough for Killian to hear. “And I know it’s different,” he added before Killian could say anything, “But his forgiveness, it… it’s changed me. For good.”

That was a sentiment Killian agreed with wholeheartedly. It took him few minutes to compose himself. While the tears never dropped from his eyes, they were stubborn, his vision blurred as he finished swabbing his half of the deck. Liam took a seat on one of the larger cargo boxes, watching him and taking small, hesitant sips from his flask every now and again.

When he finished, Killian took both their mops, wrung them out over the bucket, and stowed them away.

“Maybe next time you could have some wine on hand,” Liam said when he returned. “Or champagne.”

Killian’s heart swelled at the words “next time” and he stood a little straighter as he shot Liam a grin. “Deal. Although, we have plenty at the house, if you and Captain Nemo are ever available for dinner.”

Liam paused, his eyes trained on something in the distance, and Killian was just about to brush the offer aside when Liam turned and offered a genuine, albeit small, smile. “I’d like that,” he said. “I know Nemo would, too.”

“It would be a welcome reprieve from Granny’s lasagna, I’m sure,” Killian said, shooting him a wink.

Liam didn’t stay much longer, and Killian had the feeling he was still processing all he had learned about their father. It didn’t make Brennan’s death easier, but something between the brothers had shifted.

Liam asked about Henry, and Killian was quick to regale him with the latest adventure in Henry starting driver’s training. “Will he be there?” Liam asked. “If I came for dinner?”

“Aye,” Killian said fondly. “He stays with Emma and I about every other week, to include weekends.”

Liam nodded. “I’d like to come a night he’s there, if that’s all right. The last time he saw me, I was about to slit your throat, so…”

Killian chuckled lowly. “Aye, perhaps a make up meeting is in order.”

“I think so,” Liam agreed with a wry smile. They looked at each other, each feeling slightly awkward as they thought of the best way to say goodbye. Liam eventually extended his hand, shaking Killian’s firmly, and the pirate’s heart bloomed with joy in his chest.

Killian watched him leave, and once Liam was out of sight, he pulled the ring box out of his jacket pocket. He popped it open with his hook, and the two-karat diamond gleamed brilliantly as the sunlight hit it. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth, mulling over everything his half-brother had told him. If forgiveness was attainable, despite his doubts, he had to begin somewhere.

The truth seemed a good place to start.

—–

Tagging a few who might not hate this.

@lenfaz @bleebug @galadriel26 @thegladelf @ripplestitchskein @spartanguard @cherrywolf713 @sheriffchiselchin

#ouat ff #killian jones #liam jones #captain charming #the jones brothers #the brothers jones #liam 2.0 #captain swan mention #captain charming feels

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