Dianthus

And Liam gets trashed.

The Ghost and the Darkness has an interesting premise.

After catching up on spoilers last night, I had a really bad thought. Regina is going to be in a swordfight with the Count of Monte Christo, a character motivated by revenge. Emma was in a swordfight with Capt. Hook, a character motivated by revenge. Nevermind that Regina just lost her so-called "soulmate." I don't like the smell of this!

It's hard to say definitively whether or not Silver was their first captain. I was under the impression it was the old man who dragged kid Killian from the cabin. I haven't re-watched the ep, so I'm not sure if it was made clear or not. Indentured servitude gives you a little more leeway, but I doubt Brennan Jones wanted to hang about and haggle over terms. This isn't something the boys agreed to, and we don't really know what their status was, or if it changed somewhere in the missing years. They were vulnerable to the captain of whatever ship they were on. Leaving Killian behind was a really bad move on Liam's part lazy move on the writers' part.

Killian was passed out drunk (maybe drugged) when Silver made that "cut anchor" comment to Liam, but it's probably not the first time Silver (and others) have made such comments. This suggests that Liam's staying by choice, never mind that slavery doesn't really work that way. So Liam's pretty much staying by default, or else he's seriously failing Killian, by not getting him out too. That's the really implausible part of all this: What's keeping them from jumping ship? They're sailors, have been for most of their lives. They have some freedom of movement. They know when a ship is being readied for departure. All they have to do is be on it! Get yourself free, Li (and you're brother too). Saying that Killian's a bottom doesn't mean that he can't or won't assert himself. He can and he does. But his whole history argues that he's more of follower in his personal relationships. Being raised in service, being the younger brother, he follows. The Navy was Liam's deal. He cleaned himself up more for Liam's sake than his own. He didn't 'steal' Milah away from Rumple, she went to him. He's been patient with Emma, and willing to follow her lead. When David reluctantly admitted that Hook was growing on him, he responded by saying that's usually how it worked. That's part of his strategy. So is his reliance on his 'pretty face.' Just as many women have relied on their looks to get ahead. It's a power they have over others, even if they aren't otherwise powerful. It would also explain why he's generally good at reading people and situations.

Depending on how many ships they were on, for how long, the make up of the crew(s), and how they were treated, their experience(s) could vary widely. I'd like to think that it wasn't too awful, early on, except maybe they weren't let off the ship while in port (and definitely not without direct supervision). Apprenticeships weren't uncommon either. Killian, especially, may have been deemed too young/small to be a deckhand. He could've been learning the rudiments of navigation fairly early in that case. You can, kinda, make it work without too much effort.

I just finished reading Search and Rescue at AO3. Good stuff.

On another tangent...someone had referred to Killian as a "bottom" on a different thread (don't remember which). It kinda makes sense, if you think about it. For a period of 7 years or so after Brennan's duplicity, he had little to no contact with women. I can imagine that, despite being interested, he'd be almost painfully shy and awkward around them, and uncertain how to behave. Any woman/girl who was interested in him would have to be the aggressor. Even if the crew liked him well enough to buy him the services of a woman for his first time, he'd be so clueless she'd pretty much have to take the lead.

Got fairly tired of this back in the Angel/Angelus days. Even with a soul, the demon was always with him, always looking for an out, or some way to cause trouble, keeping Angel miserable.

Guess what, Kids, story time at the library just got a hell of a lot more interesting! I very much doubt we'll ever see Killian with a J O B. I like to think he's spending his off hours learning all he can about his adopted home. It helps explain how he's comfortable with concepts like dating and such.

Sorry for the confusion. I can see why you'd think that. I have yet to attempt a multi-chapter fic. I do have an idea for another quick one-off, but if I don't hurry, I'm gonna miss pride month.

It was the same thing with Spike. We only liked him 'cuz he was pretty. They even wrote a scene about in an ep of Angel (AtS), after BtVS ended and the character had joined the other show, called Hellbound. Yes, he's pretty, but also worth saving. Fred was basically speaking for all us ladies. We're not all a bunch of hormonal tweens or frustrated hausfraus. We're capable of seeing beyond that. Also, I'm sure there are some people out there who consider Dustin Hoffman attractive, just as there are those who consider RC attractive.

I'm having a really hard time imagining a milder, less unpleasant form of Regina. It'd be quite a feat if they pull it off, but, seriously, how long can they resist the temptation to have her "sass" someone? I'd love to see her in 'chipped Spike' mode, where she can't act on (or, in this case, doesn't have) her less than noble intentions, but these guys could screw up a two car funeral if you spotted them the hearse.

I recently started this. It's going well so far. Http://archiveofourown.org/works/7077109

Yay! Thanks for the shout out.

I still miss Calvin & Hobbes to this very day...sigh. Obviously, the problem(s) with Regina stem from crappy writing, but, seriously, can you hear Hook whining like a sleep-deprived toddler over the unfairness of life? I'm thinking he would tell her (politely but firmly, in no uncertain terms) to suck it up and deal. Suffering is as much a part of life for good people as bad people, and Regina could see that if she'd just pull her head out of her ass.

Regina needs to put on her big girl panties and deal with her issues! Unfortunately, that would mean de-woobie-fying her, and the writers clearly aren't willing to do that.

He really enjoys sporting events, too, especially footie.

As I've said before, I shipped Hooked Queen for, like, a hot second, but considering what we got, I'm so glad it didn't happen! It would've been terrible to see Hook become just a(nother) cheerleader for dumb ol' Reggie, who can't appreciate what she has anyway.

Oddly, I'm reminded of the time when, after Torvill and Dean's spectacular Bolero at the 1984 Winter Olympics (they "die" at the end), a Russian couple went on to "die" four separate times in their routine. Four times! Crazy.

I liked Lost, but I watched it mainly for the characters. Charlie was my favorite, with Sawyer running a close second. Hurley, too. I was just along for the ride, never tried puzzling out deeper meanings.

Hell, if I were a guy, my junk would've turtled back up inside. That's like the opposite of a boner, right? I dunno. OTOH, there's the old "crazy in the head, crazy in the bed" thing.

Honestly, after listening to her piss and moan for all that time, I probably would've injected her with the Jekyll Juice myself, just to shut her ass up! She's such a whiny little diaper baby, I just can't even. Hook was betrayed by his father, exploited as child labor (under difficult/dangerous conditions), watched - helpless to act - as his beloved brother died, watched - again, helpless to act - as his lover died, just before he was maimed by her killer. He's taken a ton of abuse, had Darkness forced on him against his express wishes, and had to say good-bye to Emma for a second time when she left him in Underbrooke. Despite all that, he was just glad to be alive again, glad to see Emma again, and then sad for the loss of Robin. It's like night and day with these two.

Thanks, Mathius. I never actually saw Burton's AiW, but now I know not to bother with the sequel. Regina getting the Regina treatment has already made me throw up in my mouth a bit multiple times.

One of the things the really got to me in the Regina/Emma scene was Emma's hunched and defensive posture. As others have said, this is not in any way representative of a real friendship. Seriously, with friends like this who needs enemas (or should that be emitics?). Nothing like having to walk around on Fabrege eggshells with your bestie, for fear she might snap at any moment. Added to that, Regina is bitching about stuff everyone has to deal with to a greater or lesser extent. Everyone suffers, bad things happen to good people every damn day, we all have dark impulses/thoughts from time to time. Clearly she's just too special to have anything in common with the unwashed masses. F*cking cow! Have I mentioned lately how much I hate her?