CS Fic Rec Monday

Today is the birthday of one of my dearest friends in the fandom! Happiest of birthdays @pocket-anon!!!!! To celebrate the day of your birth, I wanted to make you a little something that would also fit for @csficrecmonday! A Fairytale Beginning is one of my all time favorite fics by Eileen! It’s absolutely wonderful and everyone should read it! As my gift to you, I made you this little picset to go with it. I hope you love it as much as I love your fic!

This week I’m recommending Never Forget You by @katie-dub. If you like all your tropes covered, this one has it! Soulmates! Roomate pining! Best friends in love with each! Sex Pollen! It’s amazing and hilarious and a must read!!

So remember when we were gonna go down to the freakin’ UNDERWORLD to go save Killian?

What kind of emotions filled you? Excitement? Fear? Anticipation? Dread?

Well in my choice for @csficrecmonday, pirateowl’s “The Ungracious Guest: Killian Jones Annoys the Underworld,” Killian’s trip to the Underworld is instead played as a straight up comedy!

AND IT IS GLORIOUS!!!

You know, for as much as I love romance and bits of angst here and there, I LOVE comedy in fics! I love crazy premises that take unexpected and funny turns in the story and all the banter between characters that follows suit!

It was written before the Underworld Arc so it’s not canon compliant, but I love that it doesn’t pretend to be. That absurdism is allowed to go unleashed and the story is so much better for it!

The comedy here is so great! Killian’s escape attempts are so crazy and out there that they remain endearing even to the ever frustrated likes of the Ferryman and Hades. ALSO, Hades is with Persephone here, so props for adherence to Greek mythology! There are actually a couple of callbacks to Greek mythology here!

But as I said before, the comedy in this fic is where it’s at and it truly does excel at that! Hades’ dry wit gels with Killian’s so well, especially as Killian’s escape attempts grow increasingly more numerous and ridiculous. XD

First of all I want to thank @csficrecmonday for this idea! I have discovered so many good stories!

For this Fic rec Monday I would love to recommend fics which I love very much and have read countless times.

Headlights Fading by @evil–isnt–born

Summary: When Emma Swan’s car breaks down outside of a small town in Maine, she finds herself stuck at the local garage, but as the repairs take longer and longer to complete, she has to decide if, in the end, she wants to leave the town at all. 

It’s a slowburn. This story is about Emma and Killian “making quite a team”, becoming a part of each other’s lives and not realising this at first. They both have scars from the past, but a chance have brought them together. Now Emma and Killian have to realise that there’s no return to previous life. This story made me cry, all the emotions are so good written!

Another 2 stories are written by @writemyanchor . And they both can be characterized by the word PASSION. And angst. A lot of angst.

Hold On For Dear Love

They’d started out as strangers before melting into friends. But eventually that line of friendship had become marred until, finally, it was completely obliterated. It was meant to be a temporary thing. But soon, they’d find, the consequences of their actions would end up being much more permanent than either of them were ever prepared for.

and

Ignite

What Emma craved was that toe-curling, Earth-shattering, all-consuming passion. What she didn’t expect was to find it with him.

My rec for today’s @csficrecmonday brought me to tears (which is not easy!):

Make A Wish by AcrobatElle @acrobat-elle

Stuck in the Enchanted Forest after her wish was granted, Emma seeks out Killian. She doesn’t expect what she finds.

Rated: M/E

Chapters: 4

Words: 23k

A Wing and a Prayer by @xhookswenchx

Rating: T.

Chapters: 20/20.

Plot: Killian has searched all corners of the realm for centuries looking for the magical object that will end the curse placed on his kingdom. What he finds is a reluctant ally in the form of a fiery Princess Emma. He quickly discovers that Emma has an agenda of her own, and the two strike a deal that they hope will save both their kingdoms.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FICS EVER!!!!! *calms down* No, really, you don’t understand, this is adgjsflbjhdfhdfjbhd it gots something really akin to Captain Duckling but aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa it’s just really wonderful amazing bloody brilliant it gots dragonsssssssssss!! And the banter, and the dynamic, and the whole plot, and okay my only arghhh moment is when they eat the clams but whatever, I can overlook that. This fic is agjksfjdflbhdfbh.

The Reason by @xemmaloveskillianx

Rating: M.

Chapters: 19/19.

Plot: The three of them share a laugh before they all look to Emma. She has yet to comment on the new addition because she isn’t sure what to say. She usually doesn’t like change, they have a good thing going there, just the four of them. Plus, they all know him and she doesn’t, but she trusts their judgement, and she’s sure any brother of Liam can’t be all that bad.

So, with a shrug and a smile she says, “Welcome to Storybrooke, Killian Jones.”

The Werewolf of London by @initiala

Rating: E.

Chapters: 1/1 + 6/?

Plot: Emma hates mating season. But it does lead her to a chance encounter with a stranger named Killian Jones…

(and, well, then there’s the sequel)

So, I’ve missed a couple. So on this day I’m going to rec three for this @csficrecmonday!! 

1. Just Because it Burns by lovingcaptainswan

Over the 4 months it took to save Henry, Emma and Killian had 4 times in Neverland and once in Storybrooke, each accompanied by a different feeling. Desperation. Anger. Jealousy. Passion. And finally - Love. Captain Swan. 5 part series.

2. At The Heart of Darkness by @the-corsair-and-her-quill

Killian Jones lives in the Land without Magic, with no memories of his family. Until Emma Swan comes into his life like a whirlwind, reminding about everything he had lost. He embarks on an adventure to destroy the Darkness, only to discover that Emma might not be telling him the whole story.

3. Rash Defamation by @tomeandflickcorner

Today for @csficrecmonday I’m bringing you a wonderful season 1 canon divergence with cursed Killian being the Dark One… and today was also revealed that there will be a sequel to this awesome story by @winterbaby89 and @hollyethecurious: Dark Hook Comes To Storybrooke!

This week, I recommend Kings and Queens by @artandteaandstuff.  This is a must for everyone who loves the slow burn romance.  In this fic, Emma is a single mother and struggling actress.  Until she lands a role on the hit TV show, Kings and Queens, as the man love interest of the character Alexander, who is portrayed by Hollywood Heartthrob Killian Jones.

Okay, so I’m going to do a fave author rec this week as well. I couldn’t leave out @spartanguard if I am going to do that.  Her stories are so imaginative and include all the feels, but with a lovely slice of humor along with the plot, angst and character development that really make them stand apart. She has written SO MANY amazing stories, but I am going to try to limit this rec to my very favorites. Also, many of these were not on ff.net, so I am going to attempt to put links in here, but I may not be as successful since I’m including them from a different source and not as sure what I am doing…

Here we go!

“Taken from the Sea”  This lovely fic was probably originally intended as a headcanon idea before we actually met Brennan Jones, but I love it still and find it really beautifully written. Plus, it incorporates C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, making me adore it even more!

“It’s What’s Underneath that Matters”  This was a fun little Valentine’s one shot that still makes me chuckle and melt in equal measure every time I read it.  I don’t want to give away the quirky surprise, so just check it out for yourself! ;)

This next one is a short MC entitled “Two Booksellers of Storybrooke” featuring Emma and Killian as rival bookshop owners (with Snowing in tow as their friends and business partners).  A modern au for book lovers as well as CS fans – check it out!

Okay this next one shot “Lesson Learned”  is one of my very favorites of all @spartanguard‘s stories.  This is the one which really started me seeking out her fic and looking forward to each new thing she posted. It is funny and partially silly, but it’s also incredibly sweet and heartfelt. There’s some lovely CaptainCharming mischief on the side here along with the CS, and I’ve gone back to re-read this TONS of times. :)

The next two one shots go together, though they weren’t actually written at the same time.  I’m going to put them together in this rec post though, since you should definitely experience both.  These are incredibly beautiful feel-sy future headcanon fics with CS, Snowing, and even some Captain Book thrown in.  Just perfect!   “Until the End of the Line”   and “Unending Adventure”

And last but absolutely not least, my ultimate favorite of hers: “A Charm of Powerful Trouble”!!  This one was written for a Halloween event originally, but now boasts about 5 chapters, and then there are a couple related epilogue/continuations as well.  I’ll admit I have a soft spot for wolves/werewolves and that is probably part of my affinity for this one, but just the way Killian is described and how very much himself he somehow still is, even when he’s not (you’ll understand once you read!), and the strength of CS’s love WHATEVER the trial, is wonderfully on display here.  You have to check it out for yourselves!!

Meredith’s Favorite Fics Moodboard | @csficrecmonday

Somebody Waits for You by @pocket-anon

After years trying to make things work with a bad boyfriend/business partner, Emma Swan abandons New York for a fresh start in Boston with her son, looking for a way to live her life and run her coffee shop on her own terms. Enter Killian Jones, the pretty perfect owner of the bookstore next door who’s just the man to help her do it. But even the perfect guy can be haunted by his past, and the events of the Christmas season help reveal that maybe it’s not so much about her needing him as about them needing each other.

More Than A Memory by @ive-always-been-a-pirate: He didn’t remember much - and he didn’t remember her. The accident changed their lives and sent Emma into a tailspin, desperately waiting for Killian to come back to her. But when he finally wakes up from his coma, the past six years are gone. Despite him having no recollection of their love, a broken yet determined Emma refuses to give up on them. She’s got her work cut out for her, but some memories are definitely worth fighting for.

Another story I just couldn’t resist giving a shout-out is “Seabrooke” by @nowforruin  I completely love and adore this story, and even though the author has written several CS masterpieces since this one, it will probably always be my favorite.  I love the depth of characterization in both Emma and Killian that this story develops, their attraction, and the growth and healing both of them go through. Plus there’s incredible angst, tension, danger, resolution, and so much more!  I don’t want to give too much away, but it is certainly a favorite for good reason!!