Fall for Captain Swan

This is the story that I wrote for the @fallforcs event. I live in Northeast Florida, and we don’t often see many of the traditional markers of fall, like cooler weather and turning leaves, until much later in the year. But one fall tradition that is universal to the south is football. I grew up on football, and I knew it was fall when the regular season games started. 

When I had to pick a fall topic to write a story about, football was one of the first things that came to mind. I must send a HUGE thank you to my beta @jonirobinson64. She not only helped me focus and fine-tune the story but also helped me pick the title. She was such a joy to work with, and I am really glad the mods assigned her to be my beta.

I also want to thank the mods of Fall for CS. This was a fun event. I loved the blind date with a fanfic concept. I hope it will be repeated in the future.

Thanks also goes to my artist, @nicole-nikla who created the lovely banner for this story.

Score One for the Coach

Summary: When her son takes up football, Emma Swan starts attending games to support him. She just wants to cheer on her kid, but all the other moms want to set her up with the team’s coach, Killian Jones. No matter how good looking he is, she hates set-ups. But can she really resist his charms once she starts getting to know him better?

Rating: T for mild language and some light petting (nothing explicit)

Trigger Warning: brief mention of deaths of minor characters in the past (this is an AU, but Killian still lived through some of same tragedies that he does in canon)

AO3 Fanfiction

Emma cringed as she watched Henry get tackled for the third time that day. He had insisted on playing football this year, and it was the first extracurricular activity his dad Neal supported and was willing to pay for. So, despite her concerns about injury, she hadn’t tried very hard to talk her son out of playing. She was just happy there was finally something that allowed her ex to connect with his son.

Henry was good at the sport when he paid attention, but today was not one of those days. He kept looking to the bleachers to see when his dad was going to show up, and the defensive players were taking advantage of his distraction. Luckily he hadn’t given up any points… yet. Being one of the fastest runners at his school, he’d been given the position of Running Back. His slight stature and ability to weave through obstacles had dubbed him the team’s secret weapon. The other team wouldn’t see him coming until it was too late. But he had to avoid getting tackled to make that work, and today he was doing a very poor job of it.

The coach blew his whistle. “Swan! Get your head in the game! Our first real matchup is Thursday. We need you focused!”

Emma couldn’t help but swoon just a little at the football coach’s accented speech. His elegant tone made even the most mundane platitudes sound exciting. And, even if she thought he might be granting a little too much importance to a game played by middle school kids, she appreciated his motivation tactics. He never lashed out in anger or tried to embarrass the kids. Instead he reminded them how dependent they were on each other.

“Sorry Coach Jones,” Henry called back.

“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to your teammates.” He blew his whistle again. “Everyone bring it in. Let’s do a water break. The weather hasn’t caught up with the date yet.”

Emma fanned herself as she silently agreed with him. The weather in their North Georgia town was still hot, despite the September date. She was ready for fall and cooler temperatures.

“Oh my god, I know. He’s so hot, right?” came a voice from her left. Emma looked over to see Ariel Seafarer, whose daughter Melody was the team’s Kicker. Ariel was a beautiful woman with thick red hair, creamy smooth skin, and bright green eyes. She had a personality to match, being one of the kindest people Emma had ever met, outside of her sister-in-law Mary Margaret. She was also very happily married to her husband Eric for fifteen years, so why was she ogling the coach?

Summary: What starts out as a simple apple picking trip for Emma Swan takes an unexpected twist when she discovers that the nice connection she’s finding between herself and the farm’s owner Killian Jones might be something more profound and, for Emma, terrifying than she bargained for. Emma then finds herself on a journey that pulls her between her own insecurities, her growing feelings for Killian, and the very will of Mother Nature itself. Can Killian truly be the apple of her eye or will the worms of Emma’s past keep her from taking that first bite?

Rating: G (Nothing of an equivalence to a trigger)

AO3      Fanfiction.net

A/N: Aha!!! Raventherambunctious is actually me!!! Were you surprised?! This is actually my first Modern AU ever! Normally, I prefer canon compliant material, but the theme of this project allowed for me to challenge myself and put this together!

Anyway, before we get to my @fallforcs fic, let me give out some very deserving shoutouts!

First, to my beta, @lassluna. I can’t even begin to tell you what your tireless work on this story meant to me. Whenever I needed you, you were on our Google Doc ready to work. You’re an amazing beta – catching things before I could all the time. You were incredibly supportive and I felt that you were always working with me because you believed in my story and my writing. And your help with the story itself can’t be overstated. Honestly, there were times where I didn’t think I could finish this story, but knowing that I was doing it for you kept me going. Working with you was a privilege and I hope it was even a tenth of that for you.

Second, to my artist, @jell-obeans. Not only did you take on making me a piece at the last second, but you completely captured the tone I was going for. Your artwork presents a relaxed and casual sense of intimacy between Emma and Killian, and that’s exactly what I wanted my piece to offer for my readers. There’s a nice use of earthy autumn colors and the setting of the artwork gives off a nice sense of closeness. Finally, that Monopoly board and the tea box give a great sense of detail that I just love. It’s freakin’ gorgeous and I can’t thank you enough for all of your hard work. <3

Finally, a note to my readers. Thank you for taking the time to read this piece. When someone puts together a work and takes the time to painstakingly make sure that it delivers an experience that’s in its own way original, entertaining, and personal, it’s such a cool thing when that work is actually seen. So trust when I express my appreciation to you for giving me that, and I hope that “Cinnamon” can delight and warm your soul in return.

Tagging @hollyethecurious because she asked and is the sweetest piece of Hollye-dew in the world!

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Upstate New York was truly something to see.

Around every corner Emma turned, she saw acres and acres of trees that cascaded along the landscape like snow piled onto a mountain. Every single one of those trees had the warm colors of autumn, and on their own, they’d be beautiful enough – Emma had certainly seen plenty of them on their own – but together, they melded and practically terraformed the steep inclines they rested on into a place she wouldn’t have minded getting lost in one day.

It was her first time to this part of the country. She’d been to New York, but it was always to the city on a job. This may has well have been a different state. Whereas New York City was an urban jungle – not without its greenery, but mostly sectioned-off greenery – Hudson was a dense forest with towns and road in the spaces between it. It moved alongside the land, and that made for a more difficult, but also more beautiful drive.

But among all the beautiful aspects of the countryside, again, none stood out more that those trees.

That’s actually what had brought her up here today.

I am glad I had the opportunity of writing this story for the @fallforcs event. The idea behind this event was such a great one, unfortunately, there were some rough edges in the whole organisation and also some drama which could have been avoided.  A big thank you to @space-whales . You are a wonderful and honest beta reader and friend who always help me improve my writing skills. Working with you was a pleasure because you make my stories better without changing my style.

I also want to thank my artist, @branlovesouat, for creating this lovely image set which doesn’t give away too much and at the same time shows the beauty of the story behind the sad aspect. Thanks to @hookedonapirate and @onceuponaprincessworld. The story can also be found on ao3 and is dedicated to Nat who fought until the end and whose last days were the best he could have wished for. summary: Killian Jones is a dying man, he is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and so he wants to travel around the world to visit places he always wanted to see before his death. He places a newspaper ad to find a travel partner. David Nolan responses, but it’s not him who shows up a few days before the adventure starts - it’s his sister Emma. 

 Set Fire To The Darkness

A/N: I’m so excited to finally post this story! It was written for the Fall For Captain Swan event on Tumblr. Go check out the other stories, they’re all amazing! Thank you, @fallforcs for creating this event! Many thanks to @demisexualemmaswan and @snidgetsafan for beta reading this story for me, and thank you @nicole-nikla for the amazing artwork done for this fic! I hope you all enjoy the story!

Summary: Princess Emma of Misthaven has been the Dark One for ten lonely years, hiding away in her castle from the rest of the world, trying to find a way to destroy the darkness. One day, Prince Killian of Camelot seeks her out, hoping that she can save his dying brother. Emma, knowing Camelot is the best place to defeat the darkness, agrees, and the unlikely duo set off on an adventure together, comprised of trials, battles, family and true love.

Rating and reason for the rating: T, for mild violence.

Triggers: Mentioned death of minor characters, brief description of anxiety/panic attacks.

Also read on:

Ao3

FF.net

Tagging some who may enjoy: @shady-swan-jones @snowbellewells @withheartfulloflove @capswantrue @alyssinmymind @kiwistreetswan @winterbaby89 @princesse-swan @cryingaggressively @myswan-myhappyending-mylove @kmomof4 @therooksshiningknight @fierytempestarii @captainswanfanfic @captainswancygnet @cshappybeginning @blowmiakisscolin @ohmakemeahercules @superchocovian @jonirobinson64 @several-kittens @badwolfandtimelords @tiganasummertree @enchanted-captain-swan @gingerchangeling @snidgetsafan @resident-of-storybrooke @badwolfreturns @golfgirld @yeratimelordkatniss @myrandomstuff2016 @killian-morelike-killingme @spartanguard @thislassishooked @theonceoverthinker

Please let me know if you’d like to be added/removed from my tag list.

Art by: @branlovesouat  - which is perfect and excellent and perfectly captures parts of this story. The way Emma and Killian are looking at each other, the smiles on Henry and Alice’s faces–it’s just perfect!

Author: flamboyantanaconda surprise, it’s me!! I absolutely loved being part of this event and getting to share this story with everyone in a blind date format for the first time ever. The story started out as a tiny little one-shot, and then everyone started having feelings and very emotional back stories and suddenly turned into y favorite thing I’ve ever written. Thanks to the mods for putting this perfect event together and helping us spread our love of Captain Swan! 

Rated G—general audiences. Just a cute, fluffy Halloween-themed one-shot

Wanna read me on AO3 instead?

SUMMARY:

This will be Alice Jones’ first Halloween since moving to Storybrooke from England, and spending time with Henry Swan is the only positive she can see in joining the Storybrooke Elementary tradition of trick-or-treating together, but the only way she will go is if he father, retired soccer player Killian Jones, agrees to come with her. Because Killian will do anything for his daughter, he finds himself at Henry Swan’s front door dressed in his old pirate costume—but the blonde witch that he meets makes up for any embarrassment he may have felt. Will the Jones family’s first Halloween in Storybrooke be filled with tricks, or treats?

“Please, papa,” she pleads, sitting in front of him on the floor as he brushes her hair. “I told Henry that I would go with him, but I’m scared. What if I do it wrong? The girls in the class already don’t like me, and this would just give them a reason to be meaner.”

Killian can’t help but let out the small laugh that fills his chest with Alice’s statement. “Listen, starfish, I know you’re nervous, but I’m fairly sure that there’s not a wrong way to trick-or-treat.”

This is it, the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who has given it a read. Thanks again to the @fallforcs project for giving me the opportunity to write this monster and experiment with being posted anonymously. I’d absolutely participate again! Thanks to my beta, @theonceoverthinker, for dealing with 60 pages of fluffy baseball-themed Captain Swan falling in love. Thank you to @sailingcaptainswan, who created the poster I know we’ve all enjoyed seeing for this story. It is seriously too cute! And now, the last chapter.  Rating: G Also on Ao3

It’s chapter 2! Once again, all the best to everyone involved in @fallforcs. And some reminders that @theonceoverthinker is a great beta, and @sailingcaptainswan made the gorgeous art for this story. My longer, sappier thank yous are in the Chapter 1 post.  I hope everyone who reads this loves it! 

Rating: G

Also on Ao3